Hero and a Priestess
And I'm back everybody. Did you miss me? Well, regardless of how you really feel towards me I'm here to present the latest chapter. Sorry I've been gone for so long. Our football team is looking really good this year so I've had to read so many scouting reports and watch hours of game film. Plus school is always piling more work on my plate. Either way I'm back with this chapter. Tanith has been causing quite a few problems for poor Ike and Micaiah. Now she dragged Sanaki into the matter as well. In case some of you have forgotten the little empress did make some what of a confession to Ike, I dedicated an entire chapter to it (chapter ten for anyone who needs a reminder). I wonder, will that come back into play here or did Sanaki move on? Only one way to find out and that's to read. I hope that you all enjoy my twenty-first chapter!
Ike grit his teeth and flexed his muscles as the small girl entered. Her ever present body guard, Sigrun, was directly behind. The tent flap fell casting everything into darkness. Sanaki paused momentarily, squinting her eyes, waiting for them to become accustomed to their new environment. However, the four people who were already adjusted to the lack of light did nothing but glare at each other, Ike and Tanith in particular. The mercenary shot another way ward glance at Ragnell's hilt just beyond his reach. He wanted so desperately to take up the holy blade. His body ached for the blood of the obnoxious parasites that continuously stripped him all the joy he found in life. Ike clenched his right hand into a fist causing the joints in his fingers to pop loudly. All people in the tent took immediate attention to the sudden agitated behavior that the large man was exhibiting. Sanaki took an uncertain step backwards. The small empress had been the recipient of verbal lashing when Ike had lost his temper with her during the Mad King's War. However, he had merely lost control back then. Now, this was a different story entirely. Then, he had kept his composure as a man. He had stood up straight, with his shoulders back, his chest proud and his head held high. That was all gone. Ike looked more like a feral beast then a man. He leered out at the three people that he currently wished would disappear from his life for good.
Mist watched her brother's behavior very closely as he quickly lost his composure. She was simply too afraid of him and their situation to do anything to aid him. Micaiah was in a similar predicament. The silver haired girl had no desire of drawing attention to herself while being only covered by Ike's tattered, red cape. Neither girl dared to move. Sigrun and Tanith on the other hand found Ike to be terrifying the way he was. Not just that, but he was a considerable threat to the Empress Sanaki as well. They both positioned themselves in a way so that they would be better prepared to defend their leader if the situation deteriorated to a fight. Sanaki, however, was captivated by this unpredictable side of Ike. She had always respected and admired him for his kindness and honesty. This was something else though. A purely animalistic drive that the small empress had never been exposed to prior to this encounter, it was something new that both scared and excited her. Sanaki couldn't stop her golden eyes from traveling up and down Ike's partially clothed body. The large muscles on his arms and chest held her attention the most though. Tanith took note of the awe struck look upon Sanaki's delicate features. The brunette knight grit her teeth.
"Apostle Sanaki, may I remind you of why we are currently visiting this particular tent," Tanith spoke loud enough for all to hear while never taking her eyes off of Ike. The purple haired noble turned to look up at her personal guard utterly perplexed as to what she was getting at. Tanith let out a sigh before explaining her motives. "We are here to discuss the lackadaisical performance of General Ike since he has taken Daein's Maiden of Miracles as his captive. I do not believe he is taking this job seriously. I think that it is time he is discharged from the army along with his mercenary friends."
Sanaki's golden eyes widened at the suggestion Tanith had just made. Even Sigrun was visibly disturbed by such an accusation. Mist and Micaiah exchanged worried glances between themselves before returning their attention to the small empress to see what she would do next. No one noticed the sadistic grin that spread across Ike's features. He wanted out of the war. He was sick of fighting against a desperate enemy that resorted to a variety of dirty tricks to even out the fight. Most of all, he was tired of having to deal with numerous members of the beorc aristocracy. He wouldn't miss that headache in the slightest. Were they honestly going to let him go that easily? Was his luck finally starting to take a turn for the better?
"W-who else can lead the army in Ike's place?" Sanaki defended the mercenary oblivious that she was going against his wishes. "We would be without a proper leader. The only other person who would have the ability to command such a force as we have here is Zelgius. Since he is not present we have no one else to rely on but Ike."
"Do you not remember why you deemed this brute unfit to lead during the Mad King's War?" Tanith asked refusing to call Ike by his proper name or even give him a title. The man in question snorted defiantly at the insult. "He was of common birth and nothing more then an ill mannered thug. His speech was and still is lacking of a true leader's ability. There are many common soldiers in the employ of Begnion that have better education then this man here has! Turn the command of the army over to someone of better qualifications!"
Sanaki stood at a loss for words. She merely stared at her personal guard. Sigrun placed a comforting hand on the shoulder of the small empress while giving Tanith a condescending glare. The brunette knight turned away so that she did not have to look into the eyes of her friend. There was a small sign of shame on Tanith's face but she worked within herself to hide it from everyone else. No one moved for several moments. They were all just content to keep to their own thoughts for the time being. Ike glanced down at the silver haired girl at his side. He didn't want to admit it, but denying it would only cause further problems. He was selfish for taking Micaiah in the first place. Since then he had been putting forth less and less effort into his job. Sanaki had been driven from her home and come to him for help. She had tricked him into leading the army, but he probably would have ended up in that position eventually over the course of the war. Ike grit his teeth, he had been in the wrong the entire time. Now he had to make amends for his actions. They had pestered and annoyed him, but their reasons were well backed with proof. He had been neglecting his job.
"What are the qualifications for a good leader?" Sanaki suddenly asked in a low tone that lacked her usual confidence and strength. It caught everyone's attention. They waited for her to continue. "Is it a right bestowed upon the few by the Goddess Ashera? Is it something passed on in a bloodline? Should the leader be the strongest person or the most ambitious? Do the ends justify the means or should a leader's actions always be noble? Ike, people follow you because you are kind, honest and strong. You are a one of a kind person. You care about your soldiers. You fight and suffer alongside them. You are a natural leader. I was born into this role. I never asked for this. I don't want this. People follow me because they think that if they don't the Goddess Ashera will judge them as evil people. They do it out of tradition and fear. I don't have the qualifications to be the empress of the most powerful empire on this continent. I am the Apostle Sanaki though and whether I like it or not this is how my life is going to be. I only ask that you help save the people that I have so blindly led to their doom. Ike, please help me liberate the people of Begnion from the grips of those scheming senators."
As she closed her speech, Sanaki fell to her knees. Tears had started to form at the edges of her eyes. Ike felt the last bit of anger he had fade from his body. He inhaled deeply and let out a sigh. With two brief strides he stood, towering over the small form of the distraught girl. Sanaki timidly glanced up and met Ike's eyes briefly. She quickly turned her gaze to the ground. The mercenary kneeled down, but the empress still would not look at him. Ike cupped her chin with his forefinger and his thumb and forced her to look him in the eyes. A slight blush came to Sanaki's face.
"You make me out to be some kind of saint," the mercenary commented flatly letting his hand return to his side. "However, I have much to atone for in this life. I have been acting selfishly. I should have been more committed to this job then I have been these past few weeks. For that I am sorry. I will give you my full effort as long as I am in your employ from this point on."
Sanaki's face lit up and she threw her arms around her general's neck, thanking him time and time again. Ike gave her a slight pat on the back before pulling away. He stood up, then, helped Sanaki to her feet. She thanked her general once more and a slight smile spread across her face. Tanith and Sigrun smiled as well at the good atmosphere in the tent. Sanaki finally took notice of Micaiah sitting upright in the cot and being covered with only a tattered red cape. Her smile faded immediately. The silver haired girl swallowed hard. Her stomach knotted up as she felt something bad was about to happen. However, Sanaki's smile returned to her face and her eyes shone with a gentle kindness that Micaiah had only seen from Mist.
"Do you have nothing to wear?" the purple haired girl asked politely knowing what response she would receive without needing an actual answer. Micaiah shook her head. "You look like you are the same height as me. You are thin too. I think that it would be fine if I were to lend you one of my outfits."
"In the meantime you can keep that and you should put these on too," Ike instructed Micaiah as he tossed her his spare shirt and his head band. "Use that like a belt and my cape should help keep you warm outside."
Ike took the other shirt his sister had brought for him and quickly threw it on. Mist smiled as she saw her brother improving his behavior. He had controlled his temper and made amends with the empress to some extent. She knew that he would never completely like the ways of the nobility, but he was at least a step closer to being on friendly terms with the better people of the higher classes. Micaiah timidly asked for some privacy as she dressed and everyone complied. They averted their eyes as she pulled Ike's shirt over her head. She tied his head band around her waist before saying that she was done. However, this moment would not last.
"Enemy soldiers! There are enemy soldiers approaching the camp! To arms! To arms!"
The cry was taken up all throughout the camp as beorc ran to find a weapon if they were not already equipped with one. The noise from outside the tent was pure chaos. Ike drew Ragnell from its sheath and was about to leave when he heard a voice call out to him. He turned to face the speaker.
"B-be careful out there," Micaiah stammered while whishing that he would not go in the first place.
Ike nodded his head in acknowledgement and disappeared from sight. Everyone in the tent stared at where the mercenary had stood just moments before. It was an odd feeling not knowing what would happen to him, if he would come back unscathed. Would he come back at all? That question gnawed at the minds of every person who knew that a loved one was in battle. That ever persistent question: will I ever see him again? Only time can tell what will happen.
Ike could still hear the messenger running further into the camp sounding the alarm. The mercenary knew that the enemy would be in the opposite direction. He took off at a sprint towards the front line. He passed by groups of soldiers scrambling to get prepared for battle. Men ran around looking for a weapon, others were getting fully suited in their armor and then there were some soldiers that were doing nothing at all. Ike paused momentarily to yell at these few individuals to grab a weapon and hurry head for the enemy. However, the mercenary wasted no time to see if his order was followed because he knew that he would be needed at the front. He passed row after row of tents before coming into the open. What he saw was far from an encouraging sight. There was a mixed force of a few hundred laguz and beorc soldiers ready to fight, but the Daein soldiers that were advancing numbered in the thousands. Ike estimated them to be at least two thousand strong at least. He knew that he would be receiving groups of reinforcements throughout the battle. The majority of the fighting though would take place within the camp itself if this present group couldn't hold out that long.
Ike immediately began issuing orders to his soldiers. Both beorc and laguz scrambled about to form a perimeter around the border of the camp. The front line was thin. It was just three men deep in most places. More soldiers arrived and Ike ordered them to find a spot to fill. Bit by bit, the line was deepening. However, they did not yet number a thousand. Their enemy had a considerable advantage. Also, no units with the ability to strike from a distance had come to aid in the approaching battle. A few archers or mages would help level their chances considerably. The Dain soldiers were advancing at a steady march. Their black armor gave them a sinister look. It was intimidating to the outnumbered mixed force they were about to fight with. With an explosive battle cry, the Dain soldiers broke into a run as they charged their enemy. Ike took several calming breaths. There was nothing else that could be done to prepare for this attack. He maneuvered his way between his soldiers until he was at the front of the line and directly in the center. The middle was always the place that the fighting would last the longest and be the most intense.
The distance separating the two armies decreased by the second as the Daein soldiers continued their charge. The laguz soldiers transformed and, in unison, let out a terrifying roar. Many prayers were being said quickly, asking for protection in battle. Ike's eyes locked onto those of another man as he quickly approached. The man was slightly ahead of the rest of the army. He poised his arm to strike as he got closer. He was within range now. He stabbed at his opponent. Ike used the Ragnell as a barrier between him and the lance before plunging the golden blade through the chest plate of his enemy. The man collapsed, dead on the spot. However, no one on either side even noticed his passing from life. Each person was far too preoccupied with their own survival to care about who lived or died. Such matters would have their full effect when the battle had concluded.
The Daein army smashed right through the thin line in some places. Their charge was so fierce that they trampled many sections of the meek defense. Ike cursed as the worst possible scenario began to unfold. He stole a quick glance and saw soldiers clad in ebon armor rushing into the camp unchecked. They weren't even able to hold them up for a full minute. His attention was immediately brought back to battle at hand. The other soldiers in the camp would have to deal with the enemy troops that broke through. Ike cut down another man with ease before taking another look over his shoulder. He was glad he had. A Daein soldier wielding an ax was ready to cleave him in two. The mercenary shot his left hand up to catch the wooden shaft before the blade could ever reach his flesh. Without a second thought, he swung Ragnell through the man's shoulder and into his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, Ike managed to spot the glint of steel coming in his direction. He ducked in time to avoid getting his head severed from the rest of his body. The mercenary backed up several steps to give himself some separation from the Daein soldiers only to find more of them closing in on his sides. If this continued for much longer all of the troops of Apostle Sanaki's army that were defending the camp would be slaughtered.
"Fall back!" Ike roared as he cut down several more men. "Fall back, now! We need to regroup! Fall back!"
The Daein soldiers gave a shout of triumph as their enemy turned tail and fled. They descended upon the fleeing troops as a hawk swoops down upon its prey. There were several individuals that fought back the tide, but they were quickly overwhelmed and crushed. Ike continued to shout the order to retreat. He needed to create separation and muster a force large enough to break the momentum of the Daein soldiers. The sound of screams caused the mercenary to glance back over his shoulder. He saw at least a dozen men clad in ebon armor collapse. They were bleeding from numerous locations and most of them were either dead or very near to it. Ike knew of only one person that could use wind magic with such devastating power, Soren. However, he was not alone. Bolts of lightning lashed out from seemingly no particular location. The Daein soldiers that did not die instantly from the high voltage were left to suffer in their armor. The amount of energy being inserted into the metal heated it enough to melt the flesh right off of the person inside of it. Ike also knew of only one person capable of this level of power with electric based magic, Ilyana. The mercenary spotted them standing in front of a line of assembled troops, all of them armed and prepared for battle. Titania was at the head of the formation, astride her mount and still wearing the armor she had received while in the service of the late king of Crimea.
Ike grinned upon seeing that he had the reinforcements he needed. He dug his feet into the dirt and turned back around to face the oncoming Daein army. Their momentum had been broken thanks to the sudden onslaught from both Ilyana and Soren's magic. They no longer had the upper hand in numbers now that nearly the full force of the Apostle's army had assembled. Ike lifted Ragnell high above his head, holding it in one hand. The sun caught the parts of the golden blade that were not dripping with blood and it shone magnificently. From high in the sky, Micaiah watched the battle unfold with Sanaki and her personal body guards. She was mesmerized by how strong the mercenary commander truly was. He had plenty of physical strength, but that was not all the silver haired girl saw in that man. He had the ability to motivate people without speaking. His actions spoke for themselves. By standing alone to face an entire army instead of retreating to safety, was in itself was inspiring.
"Charge!" Ike roared as he brought Ragnell down and pointed it in the direction of his enemies. He did not wait for his allies though. He ran headlong into the Daein ranks as if to defeat them by himself. "Give them no quarter! Do not let them escape! Crush them here!"
The soldiers behind Ike cheered loudly as they rushed forward to aid their general who was about to enter battle alone. He didn't wait though. However, Soren and Ilyana carved a path for him in the middle of the Daein ranks with powerful magic that completely obliterated the individual soldier. Ike ruthlessly cut down one man after the other before the rest of his army even entered the fight. The gap behind him began to fill with Daein troops, but Boyd and Gatrie cut down the men attempting to fill the void. They were followed closely by more foot soldiers from the Greil Mercenaries. Together they grouped into a 'V' formation with Ike at the head.
"You have a death wish or something?" Boyd asked as he pulled his ax out of the helm of a Daein soldier. "This is beyond reckless."
"I want total victory," Ike shot back as he pressed the attack more fiercely then before.
Troops from the Apostle's army filed in behind the Greil Mercenaries and began expanding outwards. The Daein army had nearly been split in half by this maneuver. They had lost all momentum and were being forced to give up ground. Many of them began to break rank and flee. However, their escape route was cut off suddenly as a large wyvern crushed numerous men as it landed. With a sweep of its tail it sent another dozen soldiers flying through the air, many of them mortally wounded from the impact. Haar leapt off of his mount wielding a large poleax. He took on the soldiers that approached from his left, since that was the side his good eye was on, while his wyvern wreaked havoc on the right. It was a style of fighting that was not commonly used by the draco knights of either Daein or Begnion since it put both the rider and the wyvern at incredibly high risk. It also endangered their allies as well since the mount's movements have a long reach and are lethal. Haar, however, had been with his wyvern for years. They knew each other very well and had a special connection that allowed them to fight in such close proximity without having to worry about getting killed by their friend. The Daein soldiers had no response for their new opponent. Many of them just fled around, but the men directly in front of Haar and his wyvern had no means of escape. They had enemies pressing at their back and an unstoppable force slaughtering them from their front. The Daein soldiers tried get out of the center to flee from the camp. They only ended up running into their own men who were trying to do the exact same as everyone else. Their momentum had been completely crushed and now they were in a state of panic.
"Something isn't right here," Micaiah commented off handedly as she watched the battle from high in the sky. Her voice caught the attention of all three other females with her, their eyes pleaded for an explanation. With some hesitation the ex Daein general continued. "I know General Tauroneo, who is most likely in charge now, is not this stupid. He would never launch a head on assault against a force this large with so few troops of his own. If he was going to though he would never leave behind the cavalry, the draco knights, our magicians or our archers. I don't think anyone would be this reckless in an attack except Sothe, but Ike nearly killed him this morning."
"W-what was that?" Sanaki asked in disbelief.
"There was a fight in this morning between Ike and the Dawn Brigade," Micaiah began explaining. "He never wanted to fight in the first place but Sothe pushed it. He even attacked Ike when his back was turned. In the end Ike stabbed Sothe, but Laura, an amazing healer, was there to take care of him. I'm sure Sothe will survive."
Micaiah glanced over at Sanaki to find that her face held an unreadable expression. Her thought process was undecipherable as well. It was only for an instant that it could be seen before the empress looked down to observe the ongoing battle. The two members of the Holy Guard scanned the skies uneasily. Micaiah's comment about Daein not sending out their full force had them worried. They glanced down at the ground to see if any new troops had come into view. There was nothing, but that was a greater cause for concern. Sigrun tapped the ex Daein general on her shoulder. The silver haired girl turned to find out what she wanted.
"If this isn't Daein's full force, where do you think the rest of the soldiers are hiding?" the knight general asked.
Micaiah pondered the question for several moments before shrugging her shoulders. She honestly had no idea where the other Daein soldiers could potentially be hiding. She was a Daein citizen but she was far from familiar with the southern borders of the country. There was a decent amount of ground between the surrounding mountains and the camp. There was little chance of a sudden surge of reinforcements to storm the camp once again. However, if they moved out, the Daein army could have set up a potential ambush along the way. Micaiah glanced back down to see a mass of black fleeing from the camp with a large force close on its heels. A lone hawk flew up from the battle below to a location slightly above the two pegasi and their riders. The light brown feathers of the hawk faded to be replaced by a burgundy shirt with a green piece of cloth tied around his neck while he was in his human form. Micaiah recognized him as one of Ike's closer acquaintances but she couldn't remember his name. He didn't even turn to greet the four females behind him. His eyes were busy scanning the ground for something. His whole body twitched slightly, he had spotted his target.
"Ike! Hey, Ike!" he shouted at the top of his lungs while waving his arms back and forth hoping to get the general's attention. It must have worked because he soon stopped. "The Daein army is preparing an ambush point on the pass to the south east of our current position. That also seems to be the rally point for the retreating soldiers too. There are two other paths for us to take up ahead though. One goes slightly to the northeast and the other heads due north. Neither of those seems to have any current activity. The mountains are preventing me from seeing much else."
He suddenly shifted back into his hawk form and dove back towards the ground. Micaiah thought for a moment about the information that had just been revealed to her. She racked her brain trying to remember something that seemed like it should be relevant information. The memory of one of the times she was in a war conference floated to the top of her mind. The highly detailed maps of Daein were all laid out in front of her.
"That doesn't make sense," Micaiah muttered to herself not realizing she had actually spoken aloud. When she saw two pairs of eyes on her and a third that she knew was watching her back, she timidly continued. "That path, the one they are preparing an ambush on, if my memory serves me correctly, it doesn't lead anywhere. Just a short way down it the mountains come full circle and block the way. The one that heads north goes straight into the heart of Daein. The final one though, that one leads past Nox Castle and is the only path that goes into the Begnion Empire. It doesn't make sense that they are defending a path that goes nowhere. Their efforts would be better spent fortifying the castle and preparing for an attack. Whoever is running the army at this point has no idea what he is doing."
"Let's hope that his stupidity is our good fortune," Sigrun commented. "Perhaps with this we will finally be able to get past Daein and into the empire without any further blood shed."
Micaiah smiled at the thought, but she had a feeling that things were not going to be that simple. The Daein military was strong, even more so now that they had an icon that they raised to the level of a goddess. However, they were capable a major façade to deceive their enemy. Micaiah knew that things were not as they seemed. Even if none of her friends were in charge of the army there were still plenty of other cunning military men willing to do whatever it took to win a war. The blood shed would continue until Daein was decimated. Micaiah knew this. It was all because of the blood pact that Pelleas had signed. He had unknowingly made his own country a meat shield for wicked, ambitious men. Daein would perish in the end if they were unable to win this war, but Begnion would suffer the same fate if the Apostle did not return. Neither side had more of a right to live then the other. Micaiah felt, for the first time, the affects of the moral dilemma she was faced with. She could save her own country and people by betraying Ike and his soldiers. That was the last thing she wanted to do. She could just do nothing, which is in itself a course of action. By doing nothing her people would lose their icon and means of strength and eventually they would be decimated.
Micaiah gnawed at her lower lip. She wanted to talk to Ike about this matter. She doubted he would be able to help, but just having him there to listen would be enough. She would do it after he had finished his duties for the day. The silver haired girl smiled to herself. The world may be destined for destruction, but she felt that she could find happiness in Ike. It was a rather odd notion. It was an inexplicable sensation. Even in the darkest of times a loved one will always bring a glimmer of light to clear away negative feelings and bring a new sense of hope and life.
Done! Wow that took forever to get out. Listen everyone I'm terribly sorry for my considerably long absence. It's just that school and football has consumed every waking moment of my existence. I hardly have any free time. But as you can see I have managed to scrape enough time together to finish another chapter. I won't promise any speedy updates but I will get working on the next chapter as quickly as possible. I hope you have enjoyed my latest chapter. You people know the drill here. Leave any comments, questions or concerns you may have about the story and I will try to respond to all of your reviews. Thanks for reading!