And this is the point where Aqua whacks himself for not studying for finals...
Chapter 21: Le Resistance
Laura polished her Physic staff. With a sigh, she turned to Noyce, who was busy polishing Tarvos, the axe he found in a captured Confederate encampment.
"How many more will suffer before Daein is freed? Ashera dictates that we must love our friends and our foes, after all." She sighed aloud.
Noyce shook his head. "There's no point in thinking about it. We are here to save Daein. Even if many enemy units will be slain in our coming battles, in the end the result will be well worth their sacrifice."
"How can you say such a thing?" She gasped.
"You show far too much compassion for those who would eagerly cut you down, Sister. This is not the time to mourn for them yet." The warrior just sighed. (1.)
Laura's eyes narrowed, and she simply turned away from her ally. "Your cold nature towards those misguided people will only consume you in the end. No wonder why so many hold such a great disdain for warriors in the end."
The warrior just shrugged his shoulders as he went back to his axe. Innocent people like Laura shouldn't be here on the battlefield if they retained such notions, he reckoned, but then again if everyone lost that kind of outlook their army would truly be a legion of murderers instead of comrades and visionaries.
Micaiah and Sothe reviewed their map of Nebula and the surrounding district.
"If Enjorlas's scouting report is still accurate, then it looks like the majority of Confederate troops in this area have fled to Nox. Why would they weaken their position when it is so close to our camp? Wouldn't they want to prevent us 'insurgents' from taking the city?" Micaiah wondered as she turned to her closest confidant.
"I hear that General Ike and the united Crimean and Laguz army have retaken Sella. With General Tauroneo in their ranks, many Daeins have rushed to their aid. I'm thinking the Confederacy is beginning to lose faith in its Daein Wing, and have decided on a strategic retreat in order to preserve the majority of their army." Sothe replied.
"General Ike, huh? Why would General Tauroneo, of all people, be working with him? Didn't Ike destroy Daein?"
"Well, from what I know Tauroneo and Ike's father, General Gawain, were friends."
"Ike is Gawain's son? But Gawain betrayed Daein by leaving her in those dark times. You're telling me that General Tauroneo would turn his back on his country simply because his friend's son is at the head of the Crimean army? Shouldn't Tauroneo be here?"
"Micaiah, you're forgetting that Tauroneo is commander of the Daein Loyalist Army. They left here because their army was too weak to maintain a stable hold on this region. The only reason why we're alive today is because the Confederacy can't seem to organize its soldiers well enough to keep its hold on Daein and fend off invaders at the same time. Otherwise, if they actually tried to get rid of us, we wouldn't be speaking right now."
The silver-haired maiden sighed. "I guess you're right. Still, they know that we've outmaneuvered and captured countless outposts of theirs. If we strike Nebula now, and succeed in capturing it, we'll make them somewhat embarrassed. I know they withdrew most of their troops on purpose, but to lose to insurgents and not to that united army under Ike and Tauroneo would be very embarrassing for the Confederates, right? We should move out now, when there's still a chance to startle them." (2.)
Soren tapped his fingers on the table as he viewed the campaign map.
Naturally, Lucia, Tauroneo, Tibarn, Titania, and Ranulf were gathered around him.
"It's obvious that we want to restore as much of Daein as possible, as only then can we inspire enough of her soldiers to fight for our cause... To do this, we will have to capture as much territory as possible, for that's the only way can we convince the Daein people that we can liberate that nation, and in so doing we can also influence some of her armies who are currently working for the Confederacy to join us.
"Here, Lucia, you proved to be more than capable of luring Ludveck to Melior and destroying him. Why don't you oversee operations here? I will take some of our men to retake Marado. General Tauroneo, would you mind accompanying me?"
Lucia and Tauroneo glanced at each other.
"I'll be glad to take care of things here, Soren, but will you be fine with only Tauroneo?"
Soren laughed. "I'm no genius, Lucia. Of course I'll be gathering more of our comrades, but I need Tauroneo to help me recruit soldiers rather than take them out. I'll leave both Jill and Haar in your care, but I will be taking the Holy Guard with me. As for your brother..."
"I'm coming with you, Soren. Geoffrey can stay here to assist Lucia." Titania spoke up.
"General?" Lucia turned to Crimea's old knight.
"But General Titania, the force here will be weakened if you come with me..." Soren muttered.
"If you go by that logic, then either of our armies will be weakened if I accompany the other. No, I think we'll need to keep our Crimean divisions in line, as they might feel uncomfortable marching deeper into Daein territory. With me in charge of your Crimean wing, we should have few, if any, problems."
"Titania is a fine leader. I'm sure we will need her in case our Crimean comrades do not feel comfortable being among so many Daeins... It is understandable why they would act in that manner." Tauroneo sighed.
Titania smiled. "Just give the word, Soren, and I will do as you ask."
Soren nodded. "Very well. I will take Janaff with me to help scout, for since your force is already here there will be little need for his support. Ranulf, you stay here to help Lucia, as Bastian is already stationed in Sella and I don't want to have to bring him here. With the Holy Guard, Generals Titania and Tauroneo, along with other veterans by my side, Marado should not be difficult to take. Lucia... I'll come back for you soon."
Lucia smiled. "I know. Godspeed, Soren."
"Aye, and to you, Lucia..."
With Aran already decorated as a Daein soldier, it was easier for the Dawn Brigade to slip into enemy camps and capture uniforms for their own use. Soon, their whole platoon found themselves smug in the dark uniforms of the Daein warriors, and like spiders searching for bits of food they slipped past Dalia's guards and broke into Fortress Nebula.
And during the dead of night, Lucia gathered Coalition forces in an attempt to take the citadel off guard.
"General Dalia, the perimeter has been breached! Enemy forces have taken down the west gate and are pouring in!" A halberdier bowed before the Mage Paladin.
"So it would seem that the enemy knows when my soldiers need to rest. Very well, send as many reinforcements as you can to stop them. If they think they've won, then they are sorely mistaken. Tell any Snipers you see to meet me in the central plaza. From there we will mount an ambush to catch them by surprise. Since they are so deep in our familiar grounds, they will not be aware of the various places from which we can pounce!" The general sneered as she slipped away.
As enemy soldiers ran back and forth, panicked at the fact that Coalition troops had just broken in, the Dawn Brigade made their moves. Gant, Aran, and Enjorlas cut a path for Micaiah, Sothe, Laura, and Noyce as they slipped ever closer to where Dalia might be. "If either Laura or I get to her, we might be able to convince her to stand down." Micaiah had explained when they were still at camp. "Dalia is a Steadfast Rider, and the Daein people trust her... She had shown misgivings about Izuka's decision to join the Confederacy, and she may very well join us if we reach her in time. With someone like her in our ranks, we can easily gather more troops to take down Izuka and free our people."
So with that in mind, the Dawn Brigade sneaked ever closer to the Mage Paladin not because they wanted to take her out, unlike Lucia and the Coalition, but because they wanted her to join them. Since the Coalition was obviously drawing attention away from them, this was their perfect opportunity. Either they'd convince Dalia to stand with them in the name of Daein, or the Coalition would destroy their greatest chance to gather support. (3.)
At the head of her army, Lucia leapt back and forth as she slashed down foolish reavers and sentinels that came charging her way. In this sea of anonymous enemy faces, Lucia spotted someone she hardly expected.
"Volke?!" She gasped before the assassin hacked down an allied Sage.
"Oh…" The aloof killer gave her a careless glance.
"Volke, what are you doing? You're Crimean, aren't you? Why…"
"One hundred thousand gold."
"Eh?"
"That's what they're paying me."
"So you'd sell us all out for that petty sum? Here… If I were to throw wads of money at you, would that make you come to your senses?"
"How much?"
Lucia sighed. "Two hundred fifty thousand."
Volke stood there for a moment, and with him distracted the other soldiers near Lucia slipped past him to strike other targets.
"Well?"
"You'd pay that much?"
She sighed. "I'd rather knock you unconscious, but I'm sure that wouldn't really help bring you back to your senses. So, I guess bribing you works for now."
Volke just nodded. "You have a deal."
Slowly, Coalition forces, led by Lucia, and the Dawn Brigade, led by Micaiah, closed in on Dalia from two different flanks. The Steadfast Rider knew that her time was up, and that this noose would surely suffocate her and end her career… But, more importantly than that, a defeat here would have her fail Daein, and she could not let that happen!
But these foes were strong, and the fact that so many of her soldiers were dead proved that they were far stronger than she had anticipated. Gripping tightly on her Tornado tome, Dalia knew that her end was near… There was no denying it. She had a few Mage Paladins in her ranks and she watched how swiftly a particular axeman cut them down from her right flank… Come to think of it, her main foe, the Tellius Coalition, was closing in from her left flank. What was this other force that was pushing towards her?
Her grip on her tome tightened. Today, she would die a Steadfast Rider, and nothing could take that honor from her! With a quick glance, she saw the left flank gaining on her position, cutting down the last of her personal guard. Turning her head, she pulled her mare's reigns and charged towards the right flank. As long as she could save one of her soldiers from death by plunging into the fray, well, so be it.
Micaiah blasted another halberdier down, and beside her Sothe cut down a sniper.
"Strange… The enemy soldiers here are of a lower rank, but they're even stronger than some of the higher tiers we've faced." Micaiah muttered as she darted forth with Sothe by her side.
Suddenly, a Mage Knight came riding towards them. "If you wish to reach the general, you'll have to go through me!"
Sothe smirked. Even though Noyce, Laura, and the others were busy cutting down soldiers from their flanks, he only could take care of this knight easily, but as he rushed forward he heard a voice:
"Fall back, soldier. I'll take care of them."
"But, Milady…"
"That's an order." Dalia spoke as she appeared, and the enemy knight withdrew.
Sothe twirled his stiletto… One strike and this could be over, but, then again, Micaiah had a mission to fulfill.
"General Dalia of Daein, I would like to parlay with you." Micaiah spoke up as she tightened her grip on her Thani tome.
"And who might you be?" Dalia blinked, keeping her hold on Tornado.
"Oh, pardon me…"
"Wait a second, don't answer that. You are the silver-haired maiden, aren't you? You're the terrorist who has been…"
"The only terrorists in Tellius are the very people who are forcing you to kill fellow Daeins, General Dalia. I saw that many of your personal guard were Daein warriors, and it pains me to know that I ended many of their lives, but if we as Daeins unite against Begnion's oppression, we will be able to save our people."
Dalia blinked. She was a Steadfast Rider. It was her duty to protect the people of Daein. When Numida treated her like cannon fodder, it was clear that he cared little about Daein's fate. All he wanted was for the Confederacy to be powerful, and for Begnion to naturally be in charge. (4.)
"You… You ask me to betray that which I have fought for this entire time…"
"And you'll tell me that you've been fighting for the right cause? Is that what you truly believe, General Dalia?"
Dalia blinked. This girl… She was quite brave to stand up to her.
Micaiah readied herself. In this current position, Sothe wouldn't get to her fast enough if Dalia decided to attack.
The Steadfast Rider smiled. "So that is why you've continued to give Begnion hell, isn't it? Hah, and they call you a terrorist and a bandit."
Micaiah blinked. "General…"
Dalia simply dropped her Tornado tome. "I shall fight against you no more. My soldiers and I are yours to command, Micaiah. Your vision for Daein is what we'd rather have, after all."
Micaiah smiled. "Thank you, General. As a Steadfast Rider, I'm sure you'll continue fighting for the good of Daein."
At that moment, Lucia appeared, but before both parties could fight, Zihark appeared from behind her.
Seeing two of his old comrades, Sothe couldn't bear to attack. "Lucia? Zihark? Is it really you?"
"Sothe? Wow… You've grown so big…" Lucia mumbled and lowered her sword.
"Sothe… Why are you here?" Zihark blinked. He had not heard of the Dawn Brigade, after all.
Sothe spotted the patch of the Daein Loyalist Army on Zihark's shoulder, and turned to Micaiah and Dalia with a smile. "Ladies, reinforcements have arrived."
1. Would it be appropriate to call Laura a 'Sister' in this context? I'm not Catholic so I have no idea.
2. By now assume that all Dawn Brigade members (veterans / notable protagonists at least) have reached second tier. If this were a game, this mission would be tougher as the enemy's roughly equally strong to the one that's been keeping Tibarn and Soren back, but the Dawn Brigade is understandably weaker due to a comparative lack of battle experience… However, with the Coalition also in the area, they have fewer enemies to fight and therefore will still be worth crap compared to the original cast, Bob, Relane, and the other allies that are with them.
Secondly, instead of making Micaiah just a walking idealist who's barely less naïve than Laura, I will attempt to make her a badass bookworm, or someone as similar to that as possible since she's not really a scholar. Reader, if you think that she's OOC compared to my earlier rendition of her, well, you are right. War can do that to you. (Micaiah takes several levels in badass, so to speak.)
3. Keep in mind that the Dawn Brigade and the Coalition are still different groups. Even if (if this were a game) they'd both be playable, the problem is that they'd still attack each other as the Dawn Brigade are an unrecognized Daein faction that has not pledged allegiance to the Daein Loyalist Army due to their inability to recognize each other. Yes, in war the enemy of your enemy is not necessarily your friend, especially when all factions are squaring off in the heat of battle.
4. Surprise, surprise! Does Dalia remind you of someone in Magvel? (Replace staves with swords.) But I felt that ____'s fate was far too sad, especially when you make Duessel fight her. Thus, I decided to make this fic a bit more upbeat, as that's how this fic has been since it was first made, no? I haven't exactly killed anyone important (other than Bartholemu, but he really wasn't meant to be anything special), and therefore this isn't like the sorrowful end of Ethlin or Nasir (FE9 'bad' end) or anything of the like.