Disclaimer: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and its characters belong to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems.
Warning: This story takes place after the end of the game, so if you're not there yet, please read at you own risk.
Knights of Renais
Chapter 21: The Truth Emerged
Renais Castle,
The intensity of the light coming from the blazing sun directly overhead only worsened the already deteriorating situations at Renais Castle. The sound of metal armors being crushed and collided against one another could be heard clearly from many miles away. The number and the strength of the enemies were just too overwhelming, and it was beginning to create a sense of despair among the Renais soldiers as they started to realize just how futile their efforts were.
The Frelian troops, known for their strength and excellent battle tactics throughout Magvel even without direct commands of their liege, Prince Innes, were already a force to be reckoned with. But now, with the Demon King's minions battling along their side, they had somehow become invincible.
Before long, Renais castle had become a blood soaked battlefield between men and the creatures from the pits of hell.
"Being in this heat sure is no fun". A knight with long blonde hair thought crossly while defending himself against the fangs of a Mauthe Doog. At one time, as he was certain, he had uttered the very same phrase before.
The Mauthe Doog made another attempt and jumped at him, baring long sharp fangs. It aimed for the knight's unprotected head with its Fiery Fang attack. The knight barely had enough time to block the attack with his sword. The monster did not give up. It drove its fangs forcefully against the knight's blade.
The stench from the monster's breath overwhelmed the knight but he held on. When he saw an opening, he moved slightly to his left, and the monster lost its balance. As its head plummeted to the ground, the knight had recovered enough footing. He quickly placed his right foot forward, leaning heavily against it. With his right arm, the knight sliced the monster in half, spilling its rancid purple blood on the ground.
At the moment, the blonde knight was standing atop the roof of the tower of the East Gate. 'How many days has it been now since this war had erupted? Was it since the day of the coronation of their beloved Prince and Princess? Has it been that long already?' The knight looked broodingly at the battlefield.
"Do not tell me you are spacing out again, Forde, and in the middle of a heated battle no less". Spoke a knight with moss colored hair at his friend, who looked as though he was ready to collapse, as he rode up right next to him on a brown stallion. Like his blonde friend, the knight, too, looked haggard. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was wildly unkempt. Despite all this, the knight was still ready to fight. His eyes shone brightly, still active, still alert.
There were blood strains all over the knight's heavy armors. Some of the strains had already hardened and turned into cakes. The knight's handsome face was also covered in a mixture of blood, grimes, and sweat. Even now, he was sweating profusely as the battle raged on with no end in sight. The knight got off his horse and scanned the area. He looked his friend over and sighed.
"Well, I just cannot help it can I? Having to battle these hideous creatures in these conditions. When was the last time we took off our armors, Kyle? I stink so bad that I am certain, by now I must have smelled like that Fetid Claw clawing his way up the wall yonder. Oh, and did I mention that we are, at the moment, outnumbered? We are at a disadvantage here." Forde spoke frustratingly, not at his best friend, but rather at the new horde of monsters, judging to be hundreds by number, that just appeared beyond the wall.
"I'm afraid your scolding is going to have to wait, Kyle." Forde spoke uneasily as he rushed to his men's aid.
Renais castle, despite its age and the fact that the entire castle was overwhelmingly surrounded by hundreds of Frelian soldiers and the dark creatures, the castle still held strong. Kyle had shut the main gate to the castle as soon as King Ephraim and Commander Seth had left, just in time before the enemies arrived. However, that did not deter them as they continued to try to break the main gate down.
With great difficulty, they were somehow able to hold off the Frelian ground troops. However, their aerial units, which consisted of hundreds of ferocious armored Wyverns, were another story.
All the Wyvern riders were carrying sharp spears laced with Wyvern blood, which was known to be extremely poisonous. Just one single scratch and you could almost kiss your precious life good bye. This was so because Wyverns were the descendents of dragons, which were said to be the most powerful creatures. Their blood could easily eat through normal armors and shields.
The only type of armors that could combat the poisonous blood was the armors fused with the blood of a Pegasus. These armors had to go through a special process known only within the trades, which was extremely difficult to perform. The sages of old once said that Pegasus blood was very potent, since the Pegasi were the descendents of the legendary Unicorns. Although the Pegasi lacked the most sought after horn that the unicorns possessed, their blood was still very effective against weapons forged from Wyvern blood.
Interestingly enough, according to many legends and tales of old, unicorns were the only creatures in the world that would not instinctively run away when confronted with a dragon. Consequently, the armors made from Pegasus blood were extremely rare and valuable. Not many kingdoms were blessed with that luxury and Renais was no exception.
In Renais, only the top or the so-called 'elite' commanders and generals were bestowed these wonderful armors. And even then, they were used mainly in ceremonial purposes such as during the ascension of kings and queens.
Fortunately enough for Kyle and Forde, they were wearing such armors when the Frelian troops arrived. However, their fellow knights were not so fortunate. Many corpses lay on the ground, almost unrecognizable, since the poisonous blood had eaten through even their bones.
The enemies advanced slowly towards the castle. Monsters of all sizes continued to climb the outer walls. They were met with sharp arrows and spears that were waiting for them, prepared by the Renais soldiers. Nevertheless, the enemies relentlessly approached the four main gates.
Grimly, Kyle turned around to speak to a young knight commander that was now approaching him from the West Gate.
"What is the situation over at the West Gate, Franz?"
The commander, despite his young age, was very intelligent and efficient in commanding the troops. However, this being his very first battle since attaining the post, he could not help but be a little nervous. Secretly, he wanted so much to meet the expectations of his hero, Commander Seth. He had to be able to live up to that much because, at his age, Seth was already in charge of hundreds of troops and commanded so much respect from his soldiers. He was known throughout Magvel as the military prodigy and was sought after by many kingdoms.
"I cannot honestly say that we are faring any better than here, Commander Kyle. The enemy troops are just too great in number and strength. And on top of that, our soldiers are not well equipped. Their weapons and armors are rendered almost useless against the dark creatures. At this rate, they will surely break through our main defenses." The young commander finished his report with a worried frown on his face.
"Damn those foul creatures. Without them, our main forces could at least stand a chance of crushing the Frelian troops. But with them in the picture, this certainly has tipped the scale in their favor." Kyle spoke frustratingly.
"How is my brother, Commander Kyle?" Franz asked after his brother worriedly. "Knowing him, he would just space out during the battle like always."
"You certainly do know your brother." Kyle gave Franz a brief smile. "Your brother is, there, at the far end of the East Gate." Kyle pointed towards one of the walls to the east where a lone figure with long blonde hair was being surrounded by a new group of Mauthe Doogs.
"This is bad, your brother is surrounded. He has no means to escape or counterattack. We have to go help him." Alarmed, Kyle started running towards the east wall only to be stopped by a firm grip on his shoulder.
"Commander Kyle, please stay here. I will rescue Commander Forde myself. The soldiers here need you." Franz pleaded.
Wanting to help his friend, but unwilling to abandon his duty to his troops, Kyle was having a dilemma. However, the look of determination on Franz's face made up his mind. "Be careful, Franz. Forde might be a good swordsman, but these are Demon King's dark creatures you are fighting against. Be on your guard."
"Yes, sir."
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Meanwhile,
The blonde commander of the Renais Imperial Army was about to be eaten alive by a wild pack of Mauthe Doogs. Never in his life, had he encountered so many at once. His heart was beating much faster than usual, and he was certain that it would eventually explode, had he not done anything to calm it down.
"Nice going, Forde. Of all the ways to be killed…man, and here I thought one of these days I was going to die by some soldier's sword. That's the way an honorable knight should go, you know. Not by a pack of 'dogs' like this." At that moment, two of the monsters jumped at him, and he barely dodged the attack while knocking one of them away with the hilt of his sword. He was beginning to run out of breath.
"Damn, how many more? I guess this is the end for me."
"Not if I can help it." Unexpectedly, Franz jumped in front of his brother. Forde was startled, but he quickly recovered and managed a weak smile in return.
"You must think I'm uncool, having to be saved by my younger brother like this." Forde spoke half jokingly.
"Broth-, I mean Commander, did I not tell you once during our battle with the Demon King, that I looked up to you as my role model, and I still do. There was never a time when I thought you were 'uncool' as you have put it. Please be a little more confident in yourself". Franz finished his sentence with a violent slash of his sword at the monster's jaws when it drove for his head. "Enough with the talk, Commander, we have to concentrate on the battle at hand. Grrh, these creatures sure are persistent, not to mention incredibly strong. No matter how many I've killed, more would just take their place."
Forde chuckled softly while wiping off the blood that escaped from a small gash on his forehead. "And did I not tell you Franz, that if you take the battle too seriously, you are sure to make mis-."
"LOOK OUT, BROTHER!" Shouted Franz when the leader of the pack jumped off the top of the wall and drove its fangs towards Forde's head.
Too late! Forde had no time to evade. The blonde commander stared at the monster charging at him in horror. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable pain that would follow, but it never came.
Puzzled, Forde slowly opened his eyes. What he saw turned his blood cold.
His younger brother had directly taken the hit in his place! The sharp fangs of the monster pierced right through his left shoulder. Blood was now splattering all over Franz's armors. "AAAAAAH." Franz cried out in agony, which only provoked the monster to drive its fangs even deeper into his shoulder.
After recovering from the initial shock, Forde rushed to his brother's side to help free him from the brutal grip. Forde started hacking at the monster with his sword but to no avail. The monster would not let Franz go. Instead, it began to shake its head from left to right meaning to tear apart Franz's arm from his body. The young commander screamed in pain. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH." Blood spurt everywhere.
Forde had to do something, and it had to be quick, for at this rate, his brother would surely die from the blood loss. Forde aimed his sword directly at the monster's head, but it was too smart. It had anticipated Forde's movement and evaded the attack before he could land a proper blow. Urgently now, Forde tried the second time; however, before he could do anything, the other monsters jumped in front of him blocking him from attacking their leader.
'What am I going to do now?' Forde was getting desperate. His brother had stopped screaming. 'Does that mean that he has already lost his consciousness or is it because…' Forde was too afraid to finish the sentence.
"Get the hell out of my way!" Shouted Forde angrily. However, the monsters were unaffected. They kept getting in his way. Forde could not get past them to reach their leader.
Forde could only look on in horror as the leader suddenly released his unconscious brother mercilessly onto the ground. This time it aimed its fangs directly at Franz's head!
The monster unhinged its jaws preparing for its final attack. "NOOOOOOOOOO". Forde yelled at the top of his lungs.
Suddenly a sound of something flying cut through the stilled air and drew the attention of the other monsters. "Whooooosh".
Something was now moving in front of Forde, and he glanced down. The leader's head was on the ground, twitching from side to side, its eyes focused directly at Forde! Its headless body, too, was moving, but only for a short while before finally collapsing to the ground. Purple blood gushed out, covering the entire area with a foul stench.
The monster's head continued to twitch when three figures appeared from behind the thick bushes.
"Dad, that was awesome! Your aim was dead on. That monster didn't even know what hit him." Came a cheerful voice from one of the figures, a blue-haired boy of about fourteen, carrying a large axe.
Appearing next to the boy was a man in his late thirties. The two appeared to be father and son as the older man was wearing a similar outfit to that of the boy. The look of admiration in the boy's eyes was apparent.
The man calmly assessed his now headless target before picking up his large axe, the weapon that severed the beast's head, from the ground.
With their leader gone, the rest of the monsters dispersed in different directions, leaving Forde stunned.
The third figure came out from behind the man. It was a young girl. She was petite and blonde, wearing a red armor. She immediately rushed to the unconscious Franz. She picked his head up gently, placing it on her lap, the look of concern displayed on her lovely face. She clasped his cold hands tightly in her warm ones, hoping to transfer some of her own warmth to him. He looked peaceful, sleeping like this, but she knew it was anything but. The smell of his blood still hung heavily in the air.
"That was close, Forde. These monsters sure are vicious." The man spoke calmly as if, to him, this was an everyday occurrence.
"Garcia, Ross, and…Amelia!" Forde stared in disbelief. It had been a long time since he last saw them. And what a moment for them to choose to make their appearance. How did they get here? And When?
The questions were on the tip of Forde's tongue, but before he could ask them, Garcia put up his hand. "Sorry Forde, but I am afraid that the explanation will have to wait for later. Right now, we have to tend to your brother immediately."
"You are right." Forde finally overcame his initial shock and was now heading towards his still unconscious brother.
"Franz has lost a lot of blood. We have to get him to a healer immediately. Ross, go help Amelia and take Franz to the inner castle." Garcia turned around to look at Forde. "Forde, do you have anyone? A monk or a mage who can heal?"
"Yes. You remember Artur and Lute, right? They are here. As a matter of fact, I believe they are tending to the wounded as we speak."
Wasting no time, Ross, with Amelia still supporting Franz's head, lifted him up. The young commander's face was pale and his breathing had become shallow. Ross carefully carried the young commander on his back towards the inner castle, Amelia trailing worriedly not far behind.
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Ancient stairway leading to the Great Dragon's tomb,
As they were getting closer to the Great Dragon's tomb, the young king of Renais could feel every muscle and nerve of his body tense in anticipation for the upcoming final confrontation between him and Prince Innes, a man he once thought was his friend and ally.
The young king tightened his fists. It was true, despite their so called 'rivalry', which, in his opinion, was entirely one-sided on Prince Innes' part, he never regarded the future king of Frelia as anything but a good and reliable man, whom, at one point, he had entrusted with the task of protecting his sister.
Ephraim unclenched his fists slowly, red marks visible in his palms, his initial anger suddenly replaced by that of sadness. Not once but twice now that he would have to fight a friend. Not a minute went by that Ephraim did not think about Lyon and what he and Eirika had done in order to save Magvel on that fateful day. Ephraim remembered it well, the pain and agony that both of them had to go through. He did not wish to repeat it again, and yet here he was, alongside his companions, preparing to do whatever it would take to get Eirika back even if it meant that Innes' life had to be sacrificed.
With that thought in mind, Ephraim's steps faltered slightly. He had to know. No, he as well as his companions wanted to know Prince Innes' true intention for committing this unforgivable crime. Why had he turned against all his allies and friends? What could have prompted or driven Prince Innes to do such thing? For what, power? Wealth? But he already possessed both. Or was it something else entirely?
Ephraim knew, of course, that it did not matter at all whether or not he wanted to fight the prince. It was fate. Ephraim chuckled ironically. 'What else would you call it?' Ephraim never really believed in such thing before. He often chided his sister for using that word back when they were kids. However, now that he was here, in this temple, about to have a battle with his friend once again, suddenly, the word 'fate' did not sound so bad after all. At least, he could use that as an excuse to fight. At least, at the end, he could say 'it was not by choice. It was pre-destined. It was fated to happen'.
However, Ephraim knew better. He shook his head slightly as if he was trying to get rid of a personal demon on his shoulder. 'Right now there was no time to be indecisive!'
Ephraim turned around to look at his companions once more and saw the same look of determination in their eyes. That was it then. Everyone had decided to fight. Everyone had decided to move forward, to end all this. The moment of truth drew near. There was no going back now…
Despite Ephraim's calm demeanor, Seth knew better that he was anything but. The way Ephraim clenched and unclenched his fists again and again reminded Seth of a volcano, ready to erupt. Like Ephraim, Seth, too, could feel the tension in his body, building. One minute he was sweating profusely, the next minute he was shivering uncontrollably.
'Could it be due to the strange atmosphere surrounding the temple?' Seth wondered. He glanced back at Joshua and Myrrh who were walking quietly behind. Both of them seemed to be in deep thoughts. In Joshua's case, he was probably trying to come up with an effective strategy to take down Prince Innes and rescue Eirika, that or he was thinking about someone he had left behind.
'Eirika, please wait just a little bit longer. I am coming to save you.' Seth remembered the promise he gave to Eirika thirteen years ago when fate had led him to become her personal guard: "Princess, from this moment forth, I shall become your shield and your sword. No harm shall come to you, for I will be your protector, now and forever."
"I will keep that promise." Seth spoke determinedly as he urged his feet to move faster forward down the stairs.
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Meanwhile, inside the Great Dragon's tomb
Innes placed his sword on Tana's neck and exerted just enough force to cause a small, but deep cut along her neck. The sudden contact of the cold blade against her bare skin caused her to stop screaming momentarily. As Innes continued to press the sharp blade against her neck, Tana howled in agony until Innes finally and slowly removed the blade. Thick red liquid was now trickling down the length of his sword. "Shut up, you useless fool." Innes glared at the helpless Tana who was now writhing on the ground, both hands clutching at her neck.
However, as soon as Tana took one look at Innes, her initial look of pain was replaced by that of fear once more. She immediately went back to screaming. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Innes had lost the last shred of his patience. He lashed out at Tana violently with his sword. He cut her all over her tiny body, again and again until her robe became tattered and painted crimson with her own blood. Still, she continued to scream.
Eirika looked on in horror. "Prince Innes, stop, STOP IT. STOP IT, PLEASE!" Eirika shouted at the top of her lungs but to no avail as Innes continued to blatantly ignore her plea.
Innes took his foot to Tana's stomach and delivered a kick repeatedly until Tana finally went absolutely still. Content with the result, Innes smiled sadistically. "I told you to shut up, didn't I?" Innes licked the blood off of his blade and spat it on the ground. He turned deliberately around to face Eirika. "I should have used your blood to activate that cursed door instead of hers. Tch, if only it did not have to be the blood of a maiden."
Eirika could not believe her eyes. That was his own sister he was hurting! Granted Innes had never been gentle with his sister the way Ephraim was with her, but there was never a time when Innes was cruel or violent towards Tana. He would always scold his sister, but Eirika knew that it was always done with reasons. It was done out of his concern for her well-being. What he did just now was plain vicious.
"Why, Prince Innes? Why? Is she not your sister? Is she not of the same blood as you? How could you do this to her?" Eirika could not prevent the tears that were now flowing freely from her face.
"Sister?" Innes sneered. "Sister, you said. Hahahahaha." Innes laughed nastily. "I do not have a sister, and certainly not that pathetic excuse of a girl."
Innes stalked menacingly towards Eirika, his body still covered in her friend's blood, the smell of which hung heavily in the air. Eirika tried to back away, but her body would not move. She immediately realized that it had been immobilized due to a spell. 'I must not look into his eyes.' Eirika thought to herself, and yet, she could not help but stare at them. "Now, shall we begin the ritual, my love?" With the bloodied hands, Innes grabbed Eirika by the waist and lifted her off the ground. Eirika continued to stare helplessly at Innes' eyes, which were glowing an ugly shade of red.
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The bottom of the stairway,
The seemingly endless stairs finally ended at what appeared to be a giant boulder, which was blocking the entrance to the Great Dragon's tomb.
Ephraim placed both his hands on the boulder and gave it a strong push, but it did not budge. 'Thought so.' Then his hands touched something on the smooth surface of the stone. He traced his fingers along the surface and discovered that it was an indentation, a pattern of some sort.
"Seth, could you please hand me the torch."
On closer inspection, Ephraim noticed, the indentation turned out to be some sort of ancient letterings etched onto the surface. After staring at them for a few seconds, Ephraim decided that it was impossible for him to decipher. The letterings belong to that of the ancient language, the subject he never excelled at. He turned around to look for help. He found Joshua, standing not far behind him.
"Oh no you don't. Ephraim, you knew better than to ask me for help." Joshua chuckled and shook his head disapprovingly. Why don't we ask Myrrh? Where is she by the way? Oh, there she is." Joshua pointed to a small figure hovering to his far right.
Ephraim noticed that Myrrh was inspecting the intricate murals on the stone wall. At present, Myrrh was too immersed in the paintings to notice that they have reached the bottom of the stairway. He walked over to her and tapped her shoulder gently. "Myrrh, what are you looking at?"
Startled, Myrrh momentarily averted her gaze from the murals. "O-Oh, Brother. I was looking at the paintings of the history of the Manakete Clan. See here, this depicts the birth of the Great Dragon, the leader of our clan. And here, this large dark circle represents the birth of the Demon King, Fomortiis." Myrrh explained. "Oh, if only we had time to study them" Myrrh spoke wistfully.
"I know what you mean." Ephraim patted the little girl's head affectionately.
Suddenly a piercing scream could be heard from behind the boulder. Both Seth and Ephraim recognized immediately the owner of that voice! Eirika!
All four of them quickly rushed to the stone. Ephraim's heart was beating wildly. 'What happened? Did Innes hurt her?' Ephraim could no longer contain his fear for his sister's life. "Move, damn it!" He gave the boulder another shove. Still it did not move.
Another scream escaped from behind the giant rock. "Eirika." Now it was Seth's turn to shout. He pushed the stone with all his strength, but as if the stone had a mind of its own, it would not budge.
Then, as if something had struck her, Myrrh grabbed Joshua's shoulders. "Your Majesty, your hands!" Myrrh spoke excitedly while pointing at Joshua's hands. Joshua looked at her, puzzled. "What are you talk-". Then, it hit him.
"Ephraim, Seth, move away from there." Joshua pushed the men away gently. He now placed both of his hands on the writings on the stone. A loud rumbling was heard followed by the sound of the heavy boulder moving slowly.
Ephraim and Seth looked on in surprise. "How?" Joshua turned and held his hands up in front of them. "Do you see what is on my hands?" Both Ephraim and Seth replied at the same time. "Blood."
"Right, blood. Precisely, Natasha's blood, a maiden's blood. This is what we need in order to activate the stone."
The boulder finally moved back revealing a large chamber behind it. Ephraim, Seth, Joshua, and Myrrh rushed in.
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"Hahahaha, did it hurt, Princess? Please do struggle more. I want to see more blood. That's it. Oh, please do not cry." Innes made a dramatic gesture with his hands. "You are breaking my heart. Hahahahahah" Innes' laughter echoed eerily inside the chamber.
Ephraim could not believe the sight that greeted him and his companions as they set foot inside the chamber. Floating slightly above the altar in the middle of the chamber was his sister, Eirika. Her arms and legs appeared to have been bound tightly by invisible ropes, which she continued to struggle against. With every effort Eirika made to escape from the restraint, the ropes cut deeper into her smooth skin, and she began to bleed, blood staining her white gown. Innes continued to laugh madly. He took immense pleasure in knowing that her struggle was futile. "More, more MORE, hahahahaha."
Thankfully, Eirika's mouth was not gagged. When she saw Ephraim, she tried to shout out his name. However, as if all her energy had been drained, the sound that came out was barely above a whisper. "Ephraim…". The look in her eyes was a mix of relief and fear. She was relieved that her brother had come to her rescue, but now she feared that his life and the lives of his companions were in grave danger.
Then, Eirika spotted Seth, and she could no longer contain the tears that she had been holding in, and they began to roll down her face. "Oh, Seth…" She took one long look at the Silver Knight's handsome face. "You kept your promise." She whispered softly to herself, the dream she had earlier, still vivid in her memory.
"Innes, what have you done to my sister?" Ephraim demanded angrily, his eyes focusing on the mad prince who was standing directly in front of his sister, a dagger in his hand, the blue stone at the center began to flash.
Feigning surprise, the prince made another dramatic gesture with his hands. He turned around to face the young king and his companions. "Oh, I see we have uninvited guests." Innes slowly surveyed his 'guests' and made a face as if delighted. "Eirika, my love, you should be very pleased to know that your brother is here personally to give our holy union his blessing." Innes spoke coldly placing his free hand on Eirika's delicate neck and applied small pressure, enough to force a whimper from her throat.
If only he could, Ephraim would have loved to kill Innes right then and there. "Don't you DARE touch her, Innes." Ephraim spoke with a deadly calm that warned Innes he was not playing. "Let her go. She has nothing to do with this."
Seth's thought echoed that of Ephraim. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his knuckles turning white. 'If Innes were to hurt her…'
"Oh, but you are wrong, Your Majesty." Innes shook his head. He deliberately spoke with the tone that he knew would get Ephraim's blood boiling. "Your dear sister does have EVERYTHING to do with my plan." Innes slowly ran his fingers over Eirika's neck.
Seth unsheathed his sword.
"What do you want from her, Innes?" It was Joshua's turn to speak. "The dagger is already in your possession. She is no longer needed. Let her go."
"YOU FOOLS." Innes snarled, the abrupt change in his facial expression was startling. "WHO DO YOU THINK I AM?" His grip on Eirika's neck became tighter and she started choking. Ephraim and Joshua both unsheathed their swords at the same time.
"INNES." Ephraim shouted angrily.
Once again, Innes laughed. "Hahahaha, did you really believe I kidnapped the princess without knowing anything?" Innes looked the king of Jehanna straight in the eyes.
Joshua did not avert his gaze; instead, he returned it with equal animosity. He noticed uneasily that Innes' eyes were glowing red. "Then, tell me this, 'Prince Innes'. Who exactly are you?"
Ephraim, Seth, and Myrrh looked at Joshua as if he had lost all his senses.
Upon hearing this, Innes burst out laughing. "Ah hahahahahahaha." This went on for quite some time before he finally calmed down enough to reply. "Sharp as ever, king of the desert land." Joshua's companions continued to stare at him, still lost.
"So, what was it that gave me away if I may inquire?"
Joshua smiled grimly before he replied. "Frankly, if I hadn't been paying close attention to you these past couple of weeks with the help of my spy, I do not think that I ever would have been able to tell."
Joshua turned around to address his companions. "As all of you have witnessed, the changes in Prince Innes' demeanor were quite startling. However, logic dictates that one does not simply just alter one's personality overnight or within a short period of time. Therefore…"
"Therefore, you came up with the conclusion that I must not be Prince Innes. Is that right?"
"Precisely, or am I wrong, servant of the abominable Demon Lord, Riev?"
"Riev!" Stunned, both Ephraim and Seth spoke at the same time.
The man that was now standing in front of them made a swift motion with his hands, and his body floated upward.
Joshua continued calmly. "Prince Innes is not a mage, nor was he ever given a proper lesson in the art of magic. He would not even be able to tell the difference between a Torch spell from a Fireball spell. For him to be able to use that kind of spell back at Renais Castle, it was just not possible. On top of that, who else would have the power to command Demon King's dark creatures if not his servant. Besides, I have fought against you once before, or did you forget? I would have recognized those cursed red eyes anywhere."
Finally, it dawned on Ephraim and he added. "And lately, you have been addressing my sister as 'Princess Eirika'. Innes never used her title. He always called her by her name." Now everything made sense.
"But Your Majesty, how could this person in front of us be Riev? With the help of Princess Eirika, I was the one who took his life during our battle here in Darkling Woods. I witnessed his death with my own eyes. Or was that just an illusion?" Seth spoke with uncertainty in his voice.
"Well well, why don't I tell you everything from the beginning then." Riev spoke, his eyes still glowing red.
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Flashback: Two months ago.
Frelia Castle, Innes' bedchamber,
After he had let out some of his anger, Innes did feel better. He finally unclenched his fists and started to relax. Now that he had calmed down somewhat, he found himself being annoyed by the fallen figurines lying on the floor.
Innes knew, of course, that Tana was just worried about him. After all, there was some truth in what she said. Lately, Innes had been very occupied with the many duties that he had to perform in his father's absence. Ever since he became sick, his father had withdrawn entirely from everything and everyone. He had abandoned all his duties and responsibilities. Innes shook his head wearily. 'And even his own family'.
Speaking of his father, when was he going to get better? Why was there no doctor that could cure him? What exactly was the nature of his illness? Innes wondered gloomily as he started to pick up the figurines on the floor. However, before he could do anything, a single voice broke the silence that had filled the room.
"I can help you, Prince Innes." Came a deep voice from somewhere in the chamber.
Startled, Innes quickly turned around to scan the room looking for the source of that eerie voice. "Who's there?" He continued to look around; still, he saw no one. Was that just his own active imagination playing tricks on him? 'Well, it had been a long day for me'. Innes thought wryly.
"Prince Innes of Frelia, I can help you obtain what you most desire." Again, the deep voice continued eerily.
This time; however, his initial surprise was overcome by anger and Innes shouted angrily. "WHO ARE YOU? COWARD, SHOW YOURSELF!"
A nasty cackle was heard coming from the direction of the full-length mirror next to his bed.
"Do not be so cross, My Prince, for I will show myself to you." Innes slowly inched towards the source of the voice. Before long, he was standing in front of the mirror, and staring back at him was an ugly face, of which he recognized immediately.
"Riev!" Innes instinctively unsheathed his sword. "How? You were supposed to be dead". He pointed the tip of his sharp blade at the demonic apparition in the mirror.
The voice answered calmly. "Yes, indeed, I was 'supposed to be' dead." The voice gave a fit of hideous laughter. "In fact, I did die, but only physically."
"Just what do you mean, Demon? Speak up, and give me one good reason why I shouldn't destroy you right here and now".
"Hahahahahahahaha. Destroy me? How? I am nothing but an apparition. Do you intend to cut me down with that sword of yours? Hahahahahahah. FOOL."
Innes was taken aback momentarily by the eyes in the mirror that started glowing red. "Now, why don't you hear me out, My Prince, since I know of a way for you to obtain the thing you desire most, Princess Eirika's love".
Innes stared disbelievingly at the mirror. 'How did the demon know so much? How could it have known what his deepest desire was?'
"I see I got your attention." The apparition's glowing red eyes darted back and forth between Innes' face and the sword in his hand.
"Allow me then, to tell you a little story of how I came to reside in this old mirror." Innes stared silently into the mirror. The apparition took it as a good sign and continued. "It all started after I was killed in Darkling Woods by the man that you despise. The bastard killed me without hesitation, without mercy. And as I lay dying, I used my last breath to separate the soul from my body, the technique in which can only be performed by someone with advanced knowledge in the dark art."
Innes scoffed. "Someone like you, you mean."
The apparition ignored the prince's comment and continued on. "However, the soul without its physical shell was useless. If I were to remain in that state, eventually, my soul would disappear. But, luckily during my search for a usable body, I came across a man that was on the verge of death. In his weakened state, it was not, at all, difficult for me to destroy his soul and steal his body." Red eyes were now focused intensely on Innes' face; an evil smiled curved the apparition's hideous lips.
"Would you care to venture a guess as to whose body it was that I stole?" The apparition laughed again, and suddenly, the room got very cold.
The realization of what the apparition had done hit Innes hard. His eyes opened wide, and he grinded his teeth before he spoke. "You…killed…my father?" Innes looked maddeningly at the apparition, every ounce of his energy was used to keep his anger in check.
"No, I did not kill him. Your father was already suffering from a fatal disease. He would have eventually died anyway. All I did was to help him pass on to a better life a bit earlier than expected." The apparition paused briefly. "And since his body that I have obtained is too weak right now, I could only appear to you in this form."
Innes could no longer hear anything. No, he refused to hear anything. He did not care anymore what the apparition was saying. All he could think of at this point was the fact that his father was gone, and he did not even do anything to help. He felt so wretched having let his father down.
With one swift motion, Innes' hand that held the sword moved upward. He drove the hilt of the heavy sword straight to the center of the mirror.
Upon the violent impact, the apparition screamed. "NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU FOOL?" However, the mirror was tougher than expected. The blow only succeeded in cracking the surface, but the mirror did not shatter. Innes raised his hand up again.
"If you destroyed this mirror, you will have destroyed the only chance for you to make Princess Eirika yours." The apparition was shouting desperately now.
This seemed to have worked, for Innes abruptly stopped, his hand only mere inches away from the mirror surface.
"Yes, that's right. Though you could not save your father, you could still save the woman you love from that man. If you listen to me and do what I say, Princess Eirika will be saved. She will be forever yours, yours and yours alone." Innes looked up with a blank expression on his face and met with the glowing red eyes. The prince stared at them.
"If you want to know, come closer." The apparition begged invitingly.
As if he had lost the control of his own body, Innes' arms and legs began to move on their own.
"There, now, place your hands on the mirror. Slowly, closer, closer."
Innes put his hands out in front of him. Before they touched the smooth surface of the mirror, his hands faltered just a little. The apparition continued to urge him on. "You DO want to save her, don't you? Once she is yours, she will never look at anyone else ever again." With that final sentence spoken, Innes' consciousness began to fade.
End flashback
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"Cursed demon, you used the darkness that resided in the prince's heart to control him and took over his body."
"Exactly".
"And with the prince's body, you began to set your plan in motion." Spoke Joshua.
"That is correct." As if he found the whole situation amusing, Riev started to laugh once again. "To think that no one, not even that idiot sister of his, even suspected that I was not the prince, hahahaha"
"Bastard, what did you do to King Hayden? And what happened to Tana?" Ephraim pointed his sword at the demon in front of him.
"Hahahaha, I do forget how young and naïve you are, oh king of Renais. I suppose between the two of you, your sister is the intelligent one, hahahahaha".
"Answer me, demon, what did you do to them?" Ephraim repeated his question angrily.
"Very well, I shall amuse you a while longer. What I did with Hayden's body you asked? Well, since I no longer needed it, I just let the corpse rot in the chamber. With the specific order that I gave everyone at the castle before I left, no one would dare go into that room. As for that pitiful girl, why, there she is, right in front of you." Riev pointed to the figure covered in a tattered blue robe, lying unconsciously in a pool of blood.
"TANA". Ephraim and Myrrh immediately rushed to Tana's side. Ephraim gently picked her head up. 'Thank God, she was still breathing'. "How dare you hurt her. Tana, Tana, can you hear me?" Tana did not stir, she continued to bleed from the cuts she had received earlier.
"Allow me, Brother." Myrrh placed the poor princess's head carefully on her lap and began chanting. "I am not a healer, but this should at least help stop her bleeding."
"Riev." The king of Jehanna was still waiting for the answer to the question he had asked earlier. "What are you going to do with Eirika? You still have not answered me."
"Well, why don't you see for yourself." The demon raised his right arm up in the air and began chanting in a strange tongue.
"Oh no." Myrrh went ghastly pale. Ephraim and the others stopped breathing at the realization of what Innes intended to do.
The dagger, once left the demon's hand, flew high up and stopped momentarily in midair, its sharp blade pointing directly over Eirika's heart!
Eirika stared helplessly, as if mesmerized, at the bright blue light emitted by the stone. Innes turned deliberately around to face Ephraim and his companions. He smiled. Then, before anyone could react, he waved his hand downward. "WHOOOOOOOOSH".
The sound of the blade cutting through the air pierced through their ears as it descended rapidly towards Eirika.
"NO" Seth rushed to the princess's side, but before he could reach her, he was violently thrown back by an invisible wall, a barrier that Innes had cast over her. Seth flew across the room and landed with a loud thud on the ground. "Arrrrgh."
Ephraim and Joshua also rushed towards Eirika, but it was too late. The dagger had found its target! It pierced straight through the princess's heart. The impact was accompanied by a single shriek.
TBC