Phew, sorry for the delay. I was in New York. Anyways, enter the Greil Mercenaries!
Chapter 13 -- The Greil Mercenaries
Several days had passed since Lucrezia left the fort and her plans for murder behind. The fact that such rage existed in her was still a large concern on her mind. At night she slept in the forest, playing her lute to help her sleep. The cold weather was keeping her from traveling large distances in one day, though, so her progress through Daein was very slow.
One morning she found herself by a lake that hadn't yet frozen over. The wind was gentle, the perfect weather for flying.
I could really use some fish for breakfast, she thought as she stared at the lake. Nuts and berries aren't very substantial...
So far she hadn't encountered anyone since she left the fort, so she felt no danger in changing into her heron form to hunt for fish. She flew out a little ways over the lake and spotted a large fish from the air. Instantly she swooped down to catch it, grabbing it in her long beak and then flying back to shore to eat it.
Man, this is yummy! I haven't had fish in so long! She flew out a couple more times before her stomach was satisfied. However, the thrill of flying over the lake and through the trees was so tempting that she continued to soar about, trying various tricks and dives. She was so engrossed in her flying that she didn't notice the two beorc archers who had made their way to the edge of the lake.
Suddenly, an arrow flew past her head. She glanced back and saw that the archers were shooting at her.
Dammit! They must think I'm a real heron! I have to transform back! However, she then realized that if she transformed she would put herself in danger of getting captured again. Man, I'm really in a jam now...
She decided her best bet would be to dodge the arrows as well as she could until she found sufficient cover in the woods. Arrows continued to fly by her face as she soared over the lake. She glanced back and noticed that the archers had disappeared.
Maybe they gave up?
She grinned in satisfaction (as well as herons can grin) and began to fly back to the shore. Unfortunately, she had misjudged her situation, for just then she saw an arrow coming straight for her. This time she noticed it too late, and it hit her sharply in the wing. She cried out and tried to fly over to the forest, but her wing seared with pain every time she flapped it.
I have to get out of here, she thought desperately as she found a small clearing. She tried to land, but her wing finally gave out. She found herself transforming back to her human form as she crashed to the ground.
"I think it fell somewhere over here!" came a young, high-pitched voice. "Good shot, Uncle Shinon!"
She glanced up and saw a blonde-haired boy running toward her. He stopped when he noticed that the heron they had shot down was actually a laguz.
The other archer, who was apparently named Shinon, came up behind the boy. He ran a hand through his fuschia hair and sighed.
"Naturally... a sub-human," he muttered. "I was hoping to get a decent meal for once..."
The boy ran up to her and kneeled down. "Are you okay, Miss Heron? I'm so sorry! We thought you were a real heron!"
Lucrezia was a little stunned by the beorc boy's sudden kindness. "Y-yes, I'm fine..." However, she winced as she tried to move her wing.
"Here, I'll try to get it out," the boy offered.
"Rolf, why bother?" Shinon yelled. "She's just a sub-human! She's not worth our time!"
"But, she's hurt!" Rolf protested. "We were the ones who hurt her! We have to help her!"
Shinon shook his head and walked away.
"What's his problem?" Lucrezia mumbled.
"I'm sorry!" Rolf replied. "Uncle Shinon doesn't like laguz for some reason..." He gently pulled the arrow out of her wing. She grimaced as it came out and quickly covered the wound to keep the blood from flowing too much.
"It didn't go in too far," Rolf remarked. "I hope it heals! I really am sorry!"
"It's okay, kid, really." She forced a smile through the pain. "You're a nice kid. Rolf, right?"
"Yeah!" He grinned. "I'm a part of the Greil Mercenaries! We're helping out the Crimean Liberation Army!"
Lucrezia's eyes lit up. "You mean you're the ones who helped Prince Reyson and Princess Leanne?"
"Oh, yeah! Reyson's with us right now!" Rolf exclaimed. "He's really nice!"
"Could you possibly take me to your camp?" she asked. "I want to thank your leader for saving the prince. There are so few of us left..."
Rolf nodded. "Of course! Ike won't mind!" Then he stood up. "Can you walk, Miss Heron?"
"I... I'm not sure..." She tried standing but found that her legs were sore from the rough landing. "I don't think so..."
"Okay. Wait here! I'll get someone to help carry you!"
Lucrezia grabbed his arm before he ran off. "Rolf, could I ask another favor? My cloak and lute are still under a tree near the shore of the lake. Could you bring them back here?"
"Yeah, I'll do that!" Rolf grinned. "I'll be right back, Miss Heron!"
Lucrezia smiled back. "The name's Lucrezia. Thank you for everything."
Rolf nodded and ran off. In a short time he had returned with her things, along with a larger man with green hair.
"You found a heron laguz?!" the man exclaimed. "Rolf, what have you been up to this time?"
"It's a long story. Please, can you carry her?" Rold pleaded.
"Yeah, yeah. I hope you didn't do anything stupid."
"It was an honest mistake," Lucrezia replied. "Thank you for helping me."
"This is my big brother Boyd," Rolf explained. "He's really strong so he can carry you!"
Lucrezia giggled. Rolf's innocence was already softening her up around these unfamiliar beorc.
"All right, hold on tight," Boyd muttered as he picked her up. He lifted her up with ease and carried her back to the camp, while Rolf followed behind.
The camp was bustling about, for everyone was getting ready for the day. Lucrezia noticed that several beast laguz were among the soldiers of the camp.
"You have laguz fighting with you?" she asked Boyd.
"Yeah, Gallia is offering us aid. They're great to have around, I have to say."
Boyd dropped her off at the medic tent. A young girl with nut-brown hair and a man with reddish-hair were both inside.
"Oh dear, that looks like a nasty wound!" the man exclaimed as Boyd set Lucrezia down on one of the cots. "I'll have to fix this right away!" He took out a staff and held it near her wing. A soft glow emitted from the staff, and soon her wound was completely healed.
"Thank you very much!" Lucrezia exclaimed as she rubbed the spot on her wing. "It's as good as new!"
"I suppose you're not used to getting healed by beorc magic," said the red-haired man. "My name is Rhys, and I'm the company healer."
"I am, too!" shouted the girl. "My name is Mist! It's nice to meet you!"
"I'm Lucrezia." She smiled. "Your friend Rolf informed me that Prince Reyson is here."
"Oh, yes, he's a great help in battle!" Rhys exclaimed. "He uses his galdrar to refresh us during the fighting. It really helps the morale."
I'm glad he's still safe, then, Lucrezia thought. "If possible, may I speak to your leader? Ike, I think his name is?"
"Oh, yeah, he's my brother!" Mist grinned. "I don't think he's busy right now. I'll take you to him!"
"Thank you, Mist!" Lucrezia stood up and followed the energetic cleric out of the tent.
These beorc are all so hospitable... They're so different from that merchant Nathan and the Daeins... I wonder why they are like this?
"Lucrezia!"
Lucrezia turned to see Reyson running toward her.
"Prince Reyson! You're all right!"
"Yes, for now, anyway. That one pegasus knight still believes that I spend too much time on the battlefield, though." Reyson smiled. "Rolf told me that Shinon had shot you down, and I was worried that your wing would be damaged!"
"It's fine. Those healers are really great!"
Reyson's face turned serious and he spoke in a lowered tone, "What happened with Naesala?"
"I... I acted rashly..." She explained about how she had been captured by the Daeins and then freed by Naesala.
Reyson frowned. "As far as I know, Naesala is still helping Daein."
"He told me he would wait for his next payment before leaving," Lucrezia replied. "I only hope that he doesn't change his mind. But I think I was able to convince him with our deal."
"Deal? What kind of deal?"
"I have to repay my debt, and you have to promise not to hurt him in retribution for betraying you," she replied. She didn't want to tell Reyson about the last part of the deal.
"I'll have to speak with him before I can make any promises about that," Reyson mumbled. "I'm just glad that you're safe, Lucrezia."
"Excuse me!" Mist ran up to them. "Miss Lucrezia, Ike is here if you want to talk to him."
"Oh yes!" Lucrezia laughed. "Excuse me, your highness. I wanted to express my gratitude to the leader of this group."
"He is a good man," Reyson replied. "He is very sympathetic to the cause of the laguz."
Lucrezia gave a polite curtsey and followed Mist to Ike's tent.