"I think that's the fort." Corrin squinted from her map to the derelict old building on the horizon.
"Good, let's get this over with, this place makes feel so unsettled." Gunter murmured, he kicked his heels into the sides of his horse and moved onto the swinging wooden suspension bridge that spanned the massive width of the canyon. Lighting flashed around the group, casting eerie shadows across the barren rocks of the area, the thunder was earth shakingly loud and Corrin jumped at each clap.
She stepped nervously on to the bridge, as hard as she tried not to, she couldn't help but look down. The sight made her knees feel weak, the canyon really was bottomless, there was no end. The thunder clapped again, drowning out her whimper. She suddenly felt Jakob's hand on her back, he'd heard her whimper, he could see her fear.
"It's alright milady, hold my arm, we'll get across this." He held the crook of his arm out for her and she latched on to him, her grip tight. Halfway across the bridge, Jakob stopped walking.
"Jakob? Come on, let's go please." Corrin urged, her panic returning.
"Wait, hush." he held her still. "It's not abandoned. Look." he pointed to the fort, Corrin turned her eyes and saw what Jakob had seen, the fort was in use, full of Hoshidan troops.
Gunter had pulled his horse to a stop "What shall we do milady?" he asked.
"I think we should go, we were sent to scout, not to engage troops." she tightened her grip on Jakob's elbow.
"A wise decision milady." Gunter said as he began to turn his horse back toward the way they'd come.
"Well, I'm not leaving!" Hans shouted and ran head long down the bridge.
"Hans! No stop, this would be an unprovoked attack, an act of war!" Gunter's shouts were ignored, Hans was already at the end of the bridge, he swung his axe, killing a Hoshidan scout.
"HANS!" Corrin shouted, suddenly furious, she let go of Jakob and ran as fast as she could to catch the murderer who was single handedly starting a war. Jakob took off to keep at her side and Gunter threw his horse into a mad gallop as they thundered down the bridge.
"Murderers! You're attacked unprovoked! Men, kill them!" the leader of the troops called out, his voice loud enough to hear over the thunder.
"Shit." not a lovely sentiment but the only Jakob could come up with. "We'll have to try to take the fort…" He turned to his master who'd already drawn her sword.
"Gunter! You take the back and Jakob and I will try to cut through the front to the fort." She commanded. The old man nodded and rode off to do as he was told.
"Jakob, are you ready?" She asked, he smirked, his hand on his holster, daggers ready.
"Always." he said haughtily "I'll be right beside you the entire time."
Corrin nodded and took off running only to realise they'd cut the bridge to the fort. "Shit, now what." she growled.
"Milady, look, a dragon vein. Try it, maybe it will help."
Corrin noticed the broken spot in the earth, eerie light spilling from it. She approached it and focused all of her energy. The ground began to shake and the rocky outcropping grew, it covered the gap between their location and the fort.
The Hoshidan man yelled out again "They used a dragon vein, they're royals! Don't kill them, capture them, they're worth more alive!"
Corrin and Jakob fought their way through the onslaught, managing to edge their way into the fortress, they took it over. "Milady, the general has called in reinforcements!" Jakob said, his pitch rising in panic.
"I know, I'm so sorry that I got us into this." she ran her hands through her hair and grumbled as she paced the floor"What do we do, what do we do." her pace quickened and she muttered "We'll just have to hold out as long as we can."
Jakob nodded and pulled another dagger from his holster, waiting to attack whoever came through the door. A crash at the door signaled an impending attack, the door fell open with a loud thud as it smacked the wall. Jakob lowered his weapon when he saw Camilla's wyvern poke its head through the door and sniff the air before backing out. Xander entered a moment later and ran straight for Corrin.
"Oh thank the Gods!" He wrapped her in a hug. "Stay here!" he ran back outside and attacked the next soldier who tried to enter the fort, killing him in one blow. Camilla was on her wyvern, swinging her axe and taking out foe after foe. Corrin had never seen her siblings behaving so ruthlessly before.
Leo came into the fort "Corrin, Jakob, get out of here. We'll hold them off, you and Gunter need to escape. And find that fiend Hans!"
"Thank you Leo!" Corrin quickly hugged him as she ran for safety, Jakob was following close at her heels.
Corrin reached the bridge and noticed Jakob was no longer at her side. "Gunter? Have you seen Jakob, he was just with me."
"No, but help me corner Hans, I'm sure Jakob is on his way." he eased his horse closer to Hans.
"Alright" she quickly approached Hans, all of her anger back full force. "Why did you do this Hans!"
Jakob struggled against the ropes he'd been tied in, Corrin didn't know he'd been captured, she'd think he had abandoned her when she needed him most. He screamed her name at the top of his lungs, he screamed so hard his throat was sore but his efforts were in vain, the thunder drowned him out, she couldn't hear him.
"Shut your mouth pretty boy, she can't hear you. But I'm sure she'd do anything to get you back." the soldier guarding him mocked.
Jakob snarled at his captors.
"Hush now, we aren't going to hurt you, maybe her. But not you, if you're dead you wouldn't do much good for luring her back."
"CORRIN, CORRIN!" The wind carried his voice away, she never heard him.
Hans let out an evil chuckle, he smirked at her and swung his axe again. She moved to dodge it, before she realised it wasn't for her. Gunter let out one grunt before he and his horse fell through the newly made hole in the bridge.
"GUNTER!" Corrin screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Oops, did I kill your babysitter?" Hans laughed.
"GUNTER NO!" Jakob shouted as he watched Gunter's body fall from the bridge. A tear began to sting his eyes. He growled.
"Oh, looks like you've been betrayed by your own! Isn't that just wonderful. That's what people like you deserve." the Hoshidan soldier taunted
Corrin felt her body swelling with rage, she lunged at Hans. "What are you!" he screamed, she didn't know what he meant, she was too distraught to care.
"I was just doing what King Garon ordered me to do." he suddenly sounded frightened.
"You lie!" Corrin shouted.
"I swear I'm not lying. Either way, I'm out of here!" He took off running, Corrin, feeling defeated, fell to her knees and began to sob.
She was alone, Gunter was dead, Jakob was missing, her siblings were risking their lives for her. She was sobbing uncontrollably now, no longer able to contain her emotions.
Corrin lay on the bridge, her cries blood curdling and her hair soaked in her own tears. She wasn't listening as their footsteps approached her, she didn't really care anyway. What else could be taken from her? Her captors didn't have to fight for her, she had given up. She didn't fight the sedation, didn't fight the ropes, didn't fight as she was carried away.
Jakob hadn't seen her capture, he only wanted to get to her before anything awful could befall her. As soon as Gunter died, something snapped in Jakob, his fight had become intense. He managed to snag one of his daggers from his holster he cut himself free from his ropes and examined the area. The coast seemed clear, his captor a fair enough distance away from him and his view was blocked by a cluster of dead shrubs. Jakob began to quietly shuffle toward the bridge.
"He's getting away!" Someone shouted and Jakob's captor turned fast enough to see him fleeing.
"Gods…" He turned and ran for the bridge, a rope was thrown around his ankles and he fell hard to the ground.
"Trying to get away pretty boy?" The man kicked Jakob in the side, knocking the wind out of him, Jakob gasped for air but was met with a harder kick.
Jakob looked back and could no longer see Corrin "CORRIN!" He shouted through the blinding pain.
He was kicked harder in the chest, "YOU WON'T EVER SEE HER AGAIN"
Jakob squinted through his pain, he reached down slowly, grabbing a dagger. He threw it fast, with a sickening thud, the dagger stuck in the center of his captor's chest. Blood began to fall from his mouth, pouring from the wound. He fell back, death came quickly. Jakob sat still, taking in what had happened, he had killed, for the first time. He felt sick, but his head was swimming from the pain. He grabbed his dagger, wiped the blood off of it and slid it back into his holster before limping away as quickly as he could.
It took him longer than he'd wanted to reach the bridge, Corrin was nowhere in sight. Jakob saw the hole where Gunter had fallen, he let out a scream, a tear escaped his eye. He pulled himself back together, he had to find Corrin. He looked back, her siblings were gone as well. Maybe they'd seen how distraught she was and taken her home, he hoped beyond all hope that was the case but the sinking feeling in his gut alluded to a more sinister outcome.
He looked over the area once more, no signs of her, no signs of a struggle. He couldn't think straight. His mind was swirling with more possibilities than he wanted. All he could think to do was return to Windmere and hope she was alright, but he was over a half day's travel away, injured, and without a map. Jakob groaned and forced his legs forward. "Gods please let her be alive." he muttered as he began to journey back to his master.