CHAPTER 10:

CASCA'S FALL

Harry hadn't fought that many battles on the front lines before. He was best suited to being a medic, behind the lines. But on occasion, he went out there on the battlefields, using magic very discreetly, as long as it wouldn't be noticed: a Tripping Hex here, a Blasting Spell there (as long as there were cannons, so that they could be passed off as cannon fire), a Disarming Charm for good measure…you get the general idea. And today, Griffith had asked him to come along.

They were apparently facing off against Chuder's Blue Whale Super Strong Heavy Assault Knights. When Harry heard that during the briefing prior to heading out, he promptly asked who was the idiot came up with such a pompous and cumbersome mouthful of a name. Griffith had promptly laughed, along with almost everyone else, before telling him that it was one Adon Coborlwitz, a Chuder commander of no small repute, though apparently he was as pompous and cowardly as he was strong and belligerent. Apparently Coborlwitz had actually been present at one of the supply bases they had raided shortly after the King had hired them on an ongoing basis, but had retreated, albeit not before setting the arsenal on fire. Harry remembered that blast from the gunpowder going off. And apparently he had been the commander of that river fortress they had captured with trickery.

Griffith did caution them that Coborlwitz, while pompous and prone to turn tail if things went badly for him, was still a powerful warrior in combat. So he wasn't to underestimated. Guts merely got one of his little smirks on his face. Frigging battle nut.

Casca seemed distracted, even out of sorts. As they rode out to battle, Harry looked at her. "Cas," he said quietly. "Are you okay?"

She seemed about to snap at him, before she subsided. "…Not really. I saw the princess give Griffith a good luck token."

Harry nodded. While Casca had mostly come to terms with the fact that Griffith could never love her the way she had wanted him to (at least until Harry proved himself real), it still hurt. Still… "You look ill," Harry said.

"…It's nothing bad. It's just…my time of the month," she admitted quietly. Their relationship and his lack of judgement on her gender meant that she felt a bit more comfortable discussing these things than with, well, just about anyone else.

Harry's mouth opened in an 'O' of understanding. "…Are you sure you'll be all right?" Harry asked quietly.

"I can still fight." Her voice held an absolute conviction.

"All right, but if I see you in trouble, I'm getting you out of there, understood?"

Had it been anyone else, save maybe for Griffith, she would have refused out of pride and stubbornness. Instead, she nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. As she rode off to join her own company, Harry wondered whether he would be regretting this…

As luck turned out, he would be. After using a number of surreptitious Blasting Hexes to simulate cannon fire, Harry started looking for Casca, only to find that she was facing against Adon. Casca was being driven back towards a cliff edge, trying her best to fend off his attacks, and trying, angrily, to get more of her own. But as Harry rushed to her aid, Adon swung a massive trident down at Casca. Harry fired an Expelliarmus…just in time for Guts to intercept the blow. Adon found the trident flung from his hands, much to his surprise, thinking it was due to Guts hitting him with the sword. "Oi, arsewipe," Harry said coldly. "Are you so weak that you can't take on more than one of us at a time?"

"Arsewipe? How dare you?! I am Adon Coborlwitz, commander of Chuder's Blue Whale Super Strong Heavy Assault Knights!" the hulking armoured man bellowed.

"Right, so that makes you Commander Arsewipe!" Harry sneered, in a manner that Snape would have been proud of…if Snape was capable of being proud of the son of his old nemesis. "Surrender, and maybe I won't rearrange your face for what you did to Casca."

"Ohh? So this bitch playing at soldiers is your bedwarmer?" Adon sneered back, unwisely.

"No…I'm her bedwarmer. She's a thousand times the warrior I am…and I'm a thousand times the warrior you are," Harry retorted angrily. "She's just sick because she has a bad allergic reaction…to misogynistic fucks like you!"

Adon drew what seemed to be a spare sword. "The battlefield is a sacred ground for men! A woman here cheapens it, defiles it!"

Guts merely sneered, and swatted Adon in the head with the flat of his sword, sending the enemy commander sprawling off his horse. "Harry…he's all yours," Guts growled.

"You think you can take me on, boy?" Adon asked, looking concussed (his helmet having fallen off to reveal brutish features and close-cropped blonde hair) as Harry approached, having gotten off his horse. "I am a master of the Coborlwitz family techniques, and I…"

Harry smirked, and then smashed Adon in the face with his staff, using his magic to impart a bit more speed and strength to the blow. "That is called a love tap. Because I love to use it on people who hurt those I care about," Harry said, as Adon spat out some blood and teeth. "Anyway, you have a head that requires regular panel beating(1)! I could beat you ugly, but to tell the truth, anything I do to your face…IS AN IMPROVEMENT!" And with that, Harry sent Adon sprawling with another blow.

But even as Harry prepared to beat him into submission if not death, he heard Guts yelled, "HARRY!" He whirled to find Casca swaying on the edge of the cliff, Guts reaching out to grab her. Harry dashed over and grabbed a fainting Casca…only for Guts to grunt suddenly in pain when a crossbow bolt dug into his side. Guts began to fell, as did Casca…and Harry fell with them, hearing Coborlwitz cackle with glee.

Guts held onto Casca and Harry tight, shielding them from the branches sticking out on the side of the cliff. The impact with the water was jarring, and for a moment, they were knocked out…

The next thing Harry knew, he was choking out water, on his side, on a rain-soaked riverbank. He got shakily to his hands and knees. Eventually, he saw Guts performing mouth-to-mouth on Casca, who choked up water herself, but remained unconscious, even when her breathing began anew. "Guts…" Harry rasped. "…The crossbow bolt…"

"I'll deal with that in a moment," Guts growled.

"…You're enjoying giving her mouth-to-mouth, aren't you? Keep in mind, she's my girlfriend," Harry snarked.

"Smartarse," Guts retorted, albeit without any real venom, though he pressed his hand to Casca's head. "Shit, she's burning up. Harry, you attend to her now. If you've got anything that can help with a fever, give it to her."

"I've got a few potions, but we've got to get her somewhere dry, warm her up, otherwise, she might get hypothermia," Harry said.

Guts nodded grimly, before pulling the crossbow bolt out of him with a grunt of pain. Harry instantly began healing it. Then, they headed for a hollow between the trees, Harry using a Levitation charm to carry Casca. Once they were inside, Harry began removing her armour. He then cast Drying Charms on her clothes, as well as his and Guts'. "Shit…" Harry said, using a Diagnostic Charm. "She has a cold, on top of everything else."

"What do you mean?" Guts asked.

After a moment, Harry said, "It's her time of the month." On Guts' blank look, Harry clarified, "Her period. Menses?"

Guts grimaced. "And she went out like that?"

"Casca's fought while in that condition before, and it hasn't been enough of a problem," Harry retorted. "No…she had an illness on top of that."

"…Damned idiot," Guts said, albeit with concern underlying his voice.

Harry gently pressed a potion vial to her lips, specifically Pepper-Up Potion. She managed to swallow it. "How long will that take to work?" Guts asked.

"A few minutes. But she'll need her rest. Thankfully, it should cure her. Just don't be alarmed if steam comes out of her ears," Harry said. "The problem is…we might be waiting a while for a search party, if at all. Griffith was due to report to the King after the battle, and I don't know how many of the others he could spare. And if I Portkey us into the barracks when someone who doesn't know of my abilities is there, well, that will complicate matters, especially with the Holy See beginning to sniff around. We'll have to trek our way out for now, go somewhere a search party would be sure to come. Once Casca is well enough, anyway."

Guts nodded. "Got it." He looked out from the hollow at the woods and river beyond.

"…I know what you're thinking. Casca could take on Adon when she's at her best. You might think her temperamental…but I just think she's fiery. It's one of many things I love about her."

"You have many female warriors back home?" Guts asked.

"Well, you have legends of women like the Amazons, Joan of Arc, Mulan…I don't know how many female soldiers there are. But many of the most powerful mages I know were witches. My mother died saving my life from Voldemort…brightest witch of her generation, apparently."

Guts huffed. "…I never knew my mother. Then again, she died before I was born."

Harry blinked. "But…how did you…?"

"…I was born from her corpse," Guts said quietly. "The nearest thing I had to a mother was the camp whore of a group of mercenaries passing by…then again, Sys treated me like I was her son, so I can't complain. But she died of the plague when I was only a few years old."

"…That's horrible."

Harry and Guts looked at Casca, whose dark eyes were open, peering at them blearily. Her cheeks were still flushed, but she looked lucid, though exhausted. "Cas?" Harry said. "Are you okay?"

"I feel like something the cat dragged in and pissed all over," the dark-skinned woman said, grimacing. "Where are we?"

"We fell off the cliff into the river," Guts said. "Once you're well enough to walk, we'll start out."

Casca nodded. "…I fainted, didn't I? Fuck. I'm sorry…I just…"

"Cas…just next time, don't be afraid to sit it out, or at least ask me for a potion," Harry said quietly.

Casca nodded, before turning her eyes to Guts. "…After Sys died…what then?"

Guts grimaced, looking away. For a moment, he seemed like he wouldn't talk…until finally, he said, "I told you about Gambino…how he taught me how to fight. I was only very young. But he was a harsh taskmaster…and what's more, he blamed me for Sys' death."

"…That's stupid," Casca said.

"Of course it was stupid. But…" He shook his head. "Never mind. I don't like to talk about it."

"Did he do anything to you?" Harry asked, perhaps foolishly. "I mean…when we first met, you had a bit of an aversion to people touching you."

Guts shot him a look, but his silence was telling. Casca made a face. "Oh God, Guts…did he…?"

"No. Not him," Guts spat. "Anyway, why does it matter to you?"

"…Because it nearly happened to me too," Casca said quietly. "It was how I met Griffith." Guts looked at her curiously, but made a gesture for her to go on. "Harry knows this story. My home village was on the borders, in the mountains, and the soil there was hard to till, and harder to grow crops. The local lords often taxed more than they had to, supposedly for the war effort, and there were many lean times. Not to mention that we often had to retreat to the nearby hills when our village was attacked in the skirmishes between Midland and its rivals. It's a common story that you'd hear in a lot of places, and so was what nearly happened to me. Speaking to Harry in my dreams was probably the highlight of my existence. A travelling noble happened to spot me working in the fields, and asked my parents to sell me into his service as a maid. To tell the truth, I'm not that angry, even in hindsight, that they eventually sold me. They didn't need another mouth to feed, and I was just their youngest daughter."

"The problem was," Harry said quietly, "the lord was a paedophile."

Casca nodded. "When he tried to grab me, I fought back and jumped from the carriage…but he caught up with me, and pinned me down. I was resigned to what was about to happen…when he came, slashing at the man, taking his ear."

"…Griffith," Guts said.

Casca nodded again. "He berated the noble, asking by what supposedly god-given right did the noble force himself on me. Seeing him was like something out of a dream. He seemed like some noble guardian angel, descended from heaven to fight for me. But he didn't offer me a conventional salvation. Instead, he threw his sabre at my feet, and told me that, if I had something to protect, then I should take up the sword. The noble lunged for the sword, and I reached for it. In my fear, I wasn't sure whether he fell on the sword when I pulled it out…or whether I actually stabbed him. The end result, though, was that he died."

"And that's when you joined Griffith, right?" Guts asked, his face solemn.

"More or less. As he made to leave after comforting me for what I did, giving me a blanket to cover myself, I asked him what I should do. He told me to do as I wished. I begged to come with him, telling him that I wanted to learn to wield a sword, to fight by his side."

Guts looked at her, appraising her, before he turned away, looking into the dark, rainy night. "…I see. But…I didn't have anyone to save me," he said solemnly. "And I don't intend on feeling that way ever again. Casca…I'd say don't do something stupid like that again, but that'd be…" He trailed off, trying to think of the right word.

"Hypocritical?" Casca asked wryly.

Guts snorted, a slight smile touching his lips. "…Just think of Harry. I have to admit, you two are good for each other. I don't know whether I could find someone who'd be happy with someone like me."

"What about Griffith?" Harry asked.

Guts scoffed. "I don't swing that way. Besides…I still don't know what he sees in me, my abilities aside."

Casca nodded solemnly. "…I know. Griffith…he has a dream he refuses to abandon, even after many others would have forgotten or discarded their own. It's a grand and pure dream…but it's also a heavy burden. I saw him cry over the corpse of a boy who died, a boy who wanted to be a knight…a boy who Griffith's dream killed, so Griffith himself said. I saw him sell his services to a disgusting pederast lord by the name of Gennon, who, I believe, is now in charge of Doldrey. He is driven to ensure that those who died helping him don't do so in vain, because to make such a dream reality, he has to endure terrible things, and even do them." She looked up at Guts. "I intended to stay by his side, to be his sword every step of the way. To be the strength he could rely on in battle. I thought that wish would come true one day…and then you entered the picture."

"Cas…" Harry began, but Casca waved him off.

"Let me finish, Harry. Guts…I know we've spoken about this before, but he has never given anyone the praise he did to you. He has never conscripted anyone into the Band of the Hawk like he did with you. I envied you and despised you…and Griffith treats you differently, acts more impulsively if you're in danger. I know you don't understand why, and neither do I, and it will have us still at odds at times. But…I trust you to have my back, and I want you to trust that I have yours. I know Harry has my back, and vice versa."

"You needn't ask. You're a stubborn and irritable woman…but Coborlwitz was wrong. You just need to know your limits."

Casca scoffed at Guts. "This coming from you, Mr Reckless in Battle?"

There was laughter then. Tired, exhausted laughter…but it was one born of camaraderie. It would have to be a short respite, though. Soon, they needed to get the hell out of there, and hook back up with the Band of the Hawk…

CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:

Sorry about the wait for this one. I listened to Forces while writing most of this chapter, just as a bit of trivia.

Now, with Casca and Guts discussing their stories…while Casca discusses her life with Guts in canon, Guts doesn't exactly do the same…but with Harry acting as a glue to keep them together in a way, it means that they have more of a camaraderie. It also means that Guts' more chauvinistic comments are lessened, partly because he doesn't want to piss off Harry, and partly because he's less antagonistic towards Casca at this point.

BTW, Adon will be getting his in the next chapter.

Incidentally, thanks for the praise for how I handled Casca, Harry, Schierke and Flora growing closer in the interlude chapter. This was something I pretty much intended from the start of this fic.

1. Harry's comment, I'm fairly sure, is a paraphrase of a similar line Mark 'Chopper' Read uses in the film Chopper.