"Commander… how are you?" Daniel asked. Ike turned to him, and winced.
"I know you… Jorge, right? You make custom weapons!" Ike said.
"No, Jorge buys used wares. He's blond, I'm brunet," Daniel said.
"…I'll try to remember. But Mia does all the shopping anyway. Say, has she been doing well?" Ike asked.
"She certainly seems to be spending wisely. She's got a bulging bag of gold whenever she comes to see me, and it was still too heavy for her to hold comfortably when she got a weapon made for one of the new recruits… Jill, was it?" Daniel said.
"Good to know," Ike said.
"Anyway, can I ask you a question? It's about battles… but it's nothing you'd need to worry a lot about with a bad shoulder!" Daniel said.
"OK… what's the question?" Ike asked.
"Let's say there are two ships. And suppose that there are planks connecting the ships at three different points," Daniel said.
"OK… I can see it," Ike said.
"Now then, soldiers from one ship are about to attack the other one. Imagine the defending side has fewer soldiers. If they wanted to mount a solid defence, what should they do?" Daniel asked.
"It seems clear enough to me. Position the soldiers with the best defence on the planks, soldiers like cavaliers and knights," Ike said.
"I see. Hold the enemy at bay using your strongest allies to block the crossing points!" Daniel said.
"Then, have your long-range attackers line up behind the tougher units barring the bridges. I'm talking about javelins, hand axes, bows, magic. You'd do a lot of damage with minimal risk," Ike said.
"That sounds rough on the soldiers defending the bridges," Daniel said.
"You'd heal them often, but you can reduce their damage by not letting them attack. Counterattacks are just as lethal as the regular kind," Ike said.
"Great! That gave me some good ideas!" Daniel said.
"Ideas?" Ike asked.
"Oh. My brother and I have been playing pen and paper war. I've lost four times in a row," Daniel said.
"A game?" Ike asked.
"You can join if you have parchment and a quill. Come see us if you're curious!" Daniel said.
"Maybe I shouldn't have tapped into Advanced Tactics…" Ike said.
Ike looked up, and noticed a pegasus rider approaching. Ike stepped back, and allowed her to land. Tanith stepped down, and looked at Ike.
"You are Ike, leader of Princess Elincia's escort, correct?" Tanith asked.
"And who are you?" Ike asked.
"General Tanith, deputy commanding officer of Begnion's holy guard. Can I meet the princess?" Tanith asked. Ike looked around.
"Odd… normally she's nearby. Give me a moment," Ike said.
"Elincia, there's someone here from Begnion!" Ike said.
"Really? Is this normal?" Elincia asked.
"No, it's extremely unusual. I imagine it very easy for Begnion to know about you. But to send an envoy to meet a princess they don't even acknowledge…" Soren said.
"More noble talk? I'd go back to Tanith, but that would probably be worse," Ike said.
"It's a complicated matter. The envoy is an extension of the empress herself. Both Crimea and Daein were once Begnion. Both nations have only recently splintered from theocracy. I can't fathom why the empress would extend the courtesy of an envoy to someone she considers beneath her. She's got an ulterior motive… I can feel it in my bones," Soren said.
"Must everything be ulterior motive with you?" Ike asked.
"…I'll try to be more diplomatic. But what I say can't be brushed aside as mere paranoia," Soren said.
"…Elincia, will you meet the envoy?" Ike asked.
"…I should. We gain nothing by refusing to see her," Elincia said.
"Sorry I'm late. My tactician sometimes goes in more depth than strictly necessary…" Ike said.
"Why would a tactician be involved?" Tanith asked.
"That's the problem," Ike said.
"Well… it is an honour to meet you, Princess Elincia. I am Tanith, deputy commanding officer of Begnion's holy guard," Tanith said.
"But why would Begnion send her holy guard to greet me?" Elincia asked.
"Just the holy guard? The apostle has come to meet you personally. I will take you to her now," Tanith said.
"The apostle? Sure she has better things to do than this…" Elincia said.
"Will you accompany me?" Tanith asked.
"Tanith, holy guard to this 'Queen of Begnion' or whatever or not, we are the princess's escorts. I will be coming with her, if you'll understand. Likewise, if you'd prefer it only be me, that's fine to," Ike said.
"You've a broken arm. But rest assured, Elincia's escort is welcome to come. And Ike? It's an 'Empress' of Begnion," Tanith said.
"Yes. I will come with you, on the condition that the escort comes too," Elincia said.
"Bad news, ma'am. We've sighted crows near the apostle's position," a Holy Guard told Tanith.
"Hmph. Pirates without a ship, my foot. They're thieves, no sugar-coating it. Commander Sigrun is with the apostle… we need not panic yet," Tanith said.
"We don't know where the apostle is, Tanith," the Holy Guard said.
"What? They've kidnapped the apostle?" Tanith asked. "We need panic now!"
"Tanith, relax! The apostle apparently grew impatient and had a wilful moment. One of the longshoremen heard the order for her ship to set sail without us," the Holy Guard said.
"What? No attendants? No guard? Why can't she stay put? I've told her the seas are rampant with pirates and crows!" Tanith said.
"The wind is poor, so she shouldn't be too far. I came as quickly as I could," the Holy Guard said.
"That'll be fine. Your Highness, I apologise, but I must attend to this," Tanith said, flying off with the Holy Guard.
"Ike? I trust in your order?" Mia asked.
"Nasir, follow her, and go to her aid," Ike said.
"Great idea! It'll put the empress in our debt!" Soren said. Everyone present promptly sunk their heads into their hands.
"Soren, if you have an angle, politely refrain from expressing it when Ike agrees without your input!" Titania said.
"Well, Ike, you're doing the right thing. Those pirates are no match for your strength. Give them a sound thrashing!" Elincia said.
"It'll be so sound, you'll hear it from Crimea!" Mia said. She was met with stares.
Ike's ship cruised alongside the Begnion party, and Ike let a party across. He noted the two boats with three connecting planks, and immediately felt grateful for his on the spot revision of Advanced Tactics.
"Mia, get someone heavy to block the planks, and have the rangers shoot over them. The blockers shouldn't attack," Ike explained.
"Got it," Mia said, choosing her squad.
"Need a hand?" Ike called out to Tanith.
"…That would be appreciated. It's not just ravens… that one's beorc. I'm not sure who, but they're probably pirates!" Tanith said.
"Noted. Right, Mia?" Ike asked.
"Right," Mia said. She chose a party, and boarded the Begnion ship.
"We must protect the apostle…" a Begnion soldier said.
"We're your reinforcements!" Mia said.
"Ah. That's a relief. You look lowborn, might you might prove yourself. Listen, defend the entrance to the ship's cabin," the Begnion soldier said.
"Got it. Ready?" Mia asked. Her team nodded, and charged. Brom and Mordecai took two of the planks, and a man clad in blue armour took the third. Mia looked around at the red-clad Begnion troops, before beginning to recognise the third wall. She noticed an arrow fly that didn't look like one of Rolf's, and turned to the shooter. A raven-haired girl looked around uncomfortably and, noticing Mia, jumped.
"Are you OK?" Mia asked.
"Who… who are you?" the girl asked.
"My name is Mia. I'm with the Greil Mercenaries, and it is on the command of the Princess of Crimea and her 'chief bodyguard' that I come to defend this ship and the apostle," Mia said.
"Ah, is that so? I am Astrid, of House Damiell," Astrid said.
"One of them nobles? You look out of your element… don't you think you should hide?" Mia asked.
"I'll do no such thing. I may be of noble birth, but I know something about battle. I can fight," Astrid said.
"…Good thing, too. I used to be a girl just like you… underconfident, worried about the battlefield… something's telling me we'll get along well," Mia said. Astrid smiled, and Mia jumped. She rushed behind Astrid, and began swording a few ravens who had snuck on board. Astrid pulled out her bow, and shot down a few. Mia beamed at her, and Astrid got an idea. She led her horse over to her bodyguard, Gatrie.
"Ah, Lady Astrid! Are you all right?" Gatrie asked, looking over his shoulder.
"I'm fine… better than fine, actually!" Astrid said.
"I saw you talking to the weird purple-haired chick over there. Was she rude? Did she tell you to run to safety while she fought for you?" Gatrie asked.
"…She mentioned that, yeah," Astrid said.
"Ah, some things never change. She was a new recruit for the company I served before you, my lady. We saved her life, Greil, Shinon and I, and once Greil went on about his son, she took an instant fancy to him! Ike's not a bad person, but he's got no manners. I guess he's rubbing off on her…" Gatrie said.
"I don't know… she seemed concerned, after seeing me flub a few shots. I told her I wanted to fight, and she empathised…" Mia said.
"Oh! Glad to see I can count on pretty ladies like you and her to be nice to one another. Well… Astrid, are you considering joining her?" Gatrie asked.
"Yes… I'd quite like to talk with Mia," Astrid said.
"Is that the case? Then I guess Gatrie's joining up with the Greil Mercenaries once more. One step further away from that awful marriage of yours!" Gatrie said. Astrid smiled, and shot down a few ravens approaching him.
"Hm… a battle. Tell me what you can see, Janaff," Tibarn said, from a vantage point decently far from the battle so as not to be spotted in return.
"With no fog, this shouldn't be a problem. The middle ship holds beorc. They fly the crests of the hated Begnion Empire. Neither other ship flies a flag or crest. I make out more beorc. One side fights Begnion, the other rushes to their aid," Janaff reported.
"A battle between beorc ships? Ulki, what are they saying?" Tibarn asked.
"…The apostle is aboard the Begnion ship. And coming to her aid are soldiers serving Crimea's princess. Mercenaries, by the sound of it. The last ship is keeping their country under wraps, though. They sound like that have a contract with the raven king," Ulki said.
"The apostle is there? That explains the pegasus knights," Tibarn said.
"What's the plan, Your Majesty?" Ulki asked.
"The apostle… a tempting opportunity. But we are no scavengers. We will fight with honour when the day comes. We're going back home. Do some scouting and tell me what you find," Tibarn said.
"Yes, sir!" Janaff and Ulki said in unison.
Jill soared over the boats, and landed on the boat carrying the attackers.
"That wasn't planned…" Mia said. She grabbed Mist, and went past Mordecai to defend Jill. Her and Mist's blades shot out, and began chopping down the foes, especially those archers.
"Blast! My plans are falling apart! I'll shoot you all down!" a sniper, likely the leader of the party, said. He shot a bow at Jill, narrowly missing. Mist ran towards the sniper, and swung at him. Her swing went too far, and Mist staggered. The sniper pulled out another arrow, only for one to appear in his neck. He sunk to the ground, and Mia pulled up Mist.
"We'll need to train you a bit more…" Mia said. "Thanks, Astrid!"
"My pleasure, Mia!" Astrid said. She cantered onto their boat, and added her archery to the fray. With that, the foes were vanquished, and the ravens made their retreat.
"Finally! There they are! I hope we'll find Empress Sanaki safe and sound…" Sigrun said, flying up towards the boats. As this occurred, the Crimean ship had reappeared beside Begnion's, and planks for the party to return were laid.
"Well done, Mia," Ike said. Mia beamed.
"Did anyone else find it odd that the ravens were co-operating with beorc?" Soren asked.
"No. It looked odd to me, too," Titania said.
"They looked like pirates, but didn't play the part. They were trained… but ultimately no match for us. Who were they?" Mia asked.
"I don't know for sure, but I'll hazard a guess at Daein. It's possible that they had come, saw the apostle- the symbol of the Begnion Empire itself- and attempted to kill her," Soren said.
"If she were to perish, it's fair to say Begnion would fall as well," Nasir said.
"And the apostle has gone missing again," Tanith's voice called out to them.
"Really? Mia, did you let your guard down on the cabin entrance?" Ike asked sternly.
"N-No…" Mia said.
"From what I've been told, the apostle slipped out on her own," Tanith said.
"Really? It's been one thing after another," Ike said.
"…Would you mind helping us find the apostle? I hate to ask, but we're in a bit of dire straits regarding her," Tanith said.
"Oh… sure," Ike said.
"You found her yet?" Mist asked Mia.
"No… but I found this child underneath here," Mia said. She reached in, and pulled out a child clad in a large red robe.
"What's a child doing hiding on our ship?" Jill asked, looking between them.
"She's probably an aristocrat's daughter. Slipped on from the Begnion ship. She must have been frightened, and hid herself," Astrid said. Mia nodded, and looked at her.
"Mist? She all right?" Mia asked, looking at Mist. Mist felt up and down, finding no major injuries.
"What's your name?" Jill asked tentatively.
"Sanaki…" Mist said, stunning both Jill and Astrid.
"What? …Who might you be? You're not laguz… new recruit?" Sanaki asked.
"Oh… we're mercenaries hired by Princess Elincia," Mia said.
"The Crimean princess? Ooh!" Sanaki said.
"Oh, sorry! There's something wrong with your foot…" Mist said. She let go, and started looking through her satchel for her staff.
"Wait a minute…" Astrid said tentatively. Sanaki realised she was still in Mia's arms, and pulled away.
"What are you doing?" Mia asked.
"Don't you have someplace else to be?" Sanaki asked.
"Oh, we're meant to be looking for an apostle. But there are enough people looking, and you're injured here," Jill said.
"Ah… I see…" Sanaki said. "If that is the case, I accept your help." Mist nodded, and started waving her staff around Sanaki's foot.
"You find her yet, Mist?" Ike called out.
"We found a little child… but no apostle," Mist replied.
"Hey… she's pretty cute," Titania said, looking up.
"Wait a minute… ah, blast the goddess, I'm so sorry! Apostle Sanaki, I should have realised!" Astrid said, sinking into a bow.
"Finally! I kept silent, blaming you girls' foolish antics on your ignorance, but I can at least commend your manners!" Sanaki said. "…Astrid, of House Damiell, right? Stand… and explain to me what in the dark god's name is going on!"
"Well, empress… I think the Crimeans- and Daein- might not have been told of your… well, stature," Astrid said.
"Peasants… which way to my guard?" Sanaki asked. Astrid pointed, and Sanaki stormed off.
"That's the empress of Begnion?" Jill asked.
"My apologies, empress! We were unable to reach you, and left you in terrible peril. I accept full responsibility," Sigrun said.
"You're late. What would you have done if something happened?" Sanaki asked.
"Empress… please. I beg your forgiveness," Sigrun said.
"That won't be necessary. I'm also partly to blame for what happened," Sanaki said. "I'd like to focus on our rescuers. This crew, led by… Princess of Elincia. Oh, she's invited, too. One of these days, I might care enough to ask which of you is in charge…"
"I am. Ike, commander of the Greil Mercenaries," Ike said.
"I'm sorry for the trouble you've gone to," Sigrun said. "Sigrun, commander of Begnion's holy guard. No word of thanks will repay you for saving the empress."
"That child was the empress?" Ike asked, looking at Sanaki in shock.
"I swear on my fiancé's grave! You know… when I get around to filling it," Astrid said.
"The empress has invited you to join her at Sienne, the capital of Begnion," Sigrun said.
"I'll go ask the princess if she will agree to this," Mia said, pulling herself from the conversation.