Sekai was falling.
Where to, he didn't know. All he saw around him was darkness, unending and darker than a moonless night in a cave. The only thing he could see were his own feet above him, so he figured he must be falling head first.
Why was he falling? What had happened?
Sekai thought back and remembered a ship. The sea on fire. A man in armor.
That's right, he had been stabbed. Twice in fact, but Sekai felt no pain. He didn't really feel anything.
I must be dead, he thought.
Funny, the thought should have made him feel scared or angry, but all he could feel was...content.
Sure, he wished he could have spent some more time with Lissa, or seen Chrom and the Shepherds to a time of peace. Though he'd never be able to fully make up for the pain he caused Lucina and the other children, quite possibly his own, he had hoped to help them truly prevent Grima from returning. He did take solace though in that at least Grima wouldn't be able to come back this time around. After all, be hard for Grima to tether himself to the world if Sekai was dead.
True, it would be. Good thing I'm not letting you die just yet Sekai.
Sekai snapped his head around, but still only saw darkness. Despite being unable to focus on anything for any long period of time, Sekai had a uneasy feeling. As if there was something out there, in the darkness with him. Sekai had heard the tales, that there were two afterlives. One of pure bliss and happiness, where those who lived just and right lives went and no longer suffered the pain and misery of life. Then there was the other, where evil went to be destroyed in all aspects. Physically, emotionally, mentally, even spiritually. Where a person went to die over and over again, suffering the worst kind of pains for all of eternity. Sekai had never believed in such things, believing death to be merely the end of a journey where one could truly rest, free from all that life held. But there was no mistaking that he was conscious, and that something was with him.
Naga, he hoped he was just imagining things.
HmmHmmHmm, no dear Sekai. You are not, and Naga cannot, nor would she save you. But don't worry, I'm not here to harm you, just to...converse.
What? That made no sense. Sekai continued to try and look around, pinpoint where that damned voice was coming from, but he was falling to fast. Dammit, he thought, really wish I would land so I can get my bearings straight.
Then he felt something hard hit him. He bounced and landed, staring up into the darkness, but clearly laying still. Sekai looked around, dazed but strangely feeling no pain. He had been falling for for what felt like hours, but there was no pain from his sudden landing. He noticed a dim glow below him and was surprised when there was a faint light radiating from where his body was sitting. He put his hand to the area, and noticed it grew a little brighter, though dimming once again when he removed his hand. Staring at the light for a moment, he finally picked himself up and came to the theory that anywhere he now stood would be solid.
Having finally be able to just stand and look around, he noticed he was still wearing his Wyvern Lord custom armor. He'd expected there to be blood and damage on it, but he found it looked as though it was fresh off the blacksmith's anvil. The only thing missing was his helmet. He also noticed that both his Levin blade and the two tomes he carried with him were missing, as well as his lance. The memory of the strange voice fresh in his memory, Sekai really wished he had something to defend himself with. No sooner did he have the thought then did he hear a clatter behind him and turned to find a silver lance laying on the ground. Walking over, he tentatively reached out and grasped it, feeling it's solidity in his hands, as well as the weight of the lance itself.
It seems as though if I want something in this place, I just have to think it.
That is correct.
Sekai whirled around again, preparing for a strike that never came. There was that damned voice again, but where was it coming from?
"Who are you?" he called out.
HmmHmmHmm, why don't you tell me?
"What?"
Come now tactician, use your brain. Who am I?
Sekai stared hard while he thought. This voice seemed to know a lot about him, which could be expected if it was a messenger of the afterlife.
Again with the afterlife. You are not dead Sekai.
Sekai widened his eyes. The damned voice could read his thoughts, did he have no privacy? But, if what it said was true and he wasn't dead, then where was he?
Think it over.
Much as he hated to listen to a mysterious voice, Sekai didn't have much else he could think of to do. So, he was in some dimension that bended to his will, he believed. He first decided to test this, and pictured an open field under a starry, moonlit sky. As he pictured the image in his head, he suddenly felt a light breeze upon him. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see just what he imagined, though instead of a treeline or cliff-face, it looked as though the field would go on for miles and miles. Possibly forever, but this at least proved his theory of the dimension being somewhat influenced by his will.
Next, the voice seemed to know his every thought, along with things about him he had never discussed. Such information was open access though, so he decided for his next test he would need the voice to tell Sekai something about himself he had never shared with anyone.
On your right hand is a mark, with the most prominent imagery being six eyes staring up. It is purple in color, and you have gone to great pains to keep it hidden, even from your dear wife Lissa.
Right, the voice could read his mind. But it did give him the information he was looking for, so that made the puzzle far easier to solve. So, if the voice wasn't lying and Sekai was still alive, there was only one place he could be.
"This is a dream?"
Not quite, but good guess.
"Then do you mind explaining where I am?"
Within the deepest parts of your subconscious. Where you have attempted to bury all of your greatest shames, and a place you dread to tread even within your dreams.
Sekai instantly felt that dread. This should be impossible, he couldn't be awake. Surely Sekai would have known.
Ahhhh, so you've figured it out then.
Sekai sighed. "Yes...you are Grima."
Suddenly a man who looked just like him stepped up from out of no where. There was no difference between the two except for their attire, for Grima was wearing the coat Sekai had favored during the Plegian war. That, and while Sekai had rich, brown eyes, this man's shone a violet purple.
"Indeed I am." Grima smirked, doing a small bow.
Sekai readied his lance. If Grima thought he could take over Sekai without a fight, then he had another thing coming. Grima sighed.
"There is no need for that you know, I'm not going to fight you. You are still not ready to awaken, and there could be...damage if I attempt to merge with you to early."
"Damage?"
Grima waved his hand. "It is unimportant."
Sekai felt otherwise, but there was something bugging him. "Why are you being so...polite?"
Sekai may as well of asked why is fire hot for the look Grima gave him. "What ever do you mean?"
Sekai narrowed his eyes. "You are the Fell Dragon, worshiped as a god of death and destruction. Lucina has told me you reveled in the suffering of humans everywhere and yet you are being so...polite. It doesn't make sense."
Grima scoffed. "I've told you already, I see no reason to be rude to you. We are equals after all. The only one I might add who is my equal. Everyone and everything else is...unimportant."
"If they are so "unimportant", why are you so focused on destroying everything that lives?"
"Do you let ants and vermin infest your home?"
"What?"
Grima smiled. "This planet used to belong to us Sekai, to the Earth Dragons. Then Nagi and her ilk betrayed our kind and sided with humans, sealed us away and left us to be trapped for all eternity. We escaped, but then Naga helped that pathetic human seal us long ago, before we could free the rest of our kind."
Sekai glared at the dragon. "There is no "us". I am Sekai, a human."
Grima chuckled. "Maybe for a little bit, but then I chose you. You will ascend with me, fully merge and become a god. And together, we shall free our brothers and sisters, and reclaim our rightful place as the rulers of this world from the humans that infest and destroy it."
"Yes, because reviving dead bodies that burn and destroy EVERYTHING in their path is certainly protecting the world."
Grima shrugged. "To rebuild you must first destroy. We can let plant life regrow, but not until every last human is destroyed, and Naga and her followers are wiped out."
Sekai shook his head. "And you thin I will just help you do this? Exterminate my SPECIES!?"
Grima stared at him. "I do."
Sekai was taken aback by the bluntness of the answer, prompting Grima to continue.
"Humans are a scourge on this planet, destroying all in their path with no regard to how it will affect the world. Don't worry, you'll come to see in time. For now, your "friends" need you."
Suddenly everything was going dark again.
"WAIT!" Sekai called out, but it was to late.
The last thing he saw was Grima's purple eyes, gleaming in the dark before they to disappeared, leaving Sekai in the darkness once again.
...
Sekai slowly opened his eyes. From what he could tell, he was laying on some sort of a bed. He heard waves crashing out by a window, so they had to still be sailing towards Valm. Looking down, he saw that his entire torso was covered in bandages, with it being quite thick on his shoulder and near his stomach. He could faintly hear voices outside of the door, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He was feeling quite thirsty though, and saw that near him was a pitcher and a cup. Deciding he would drink whatever he could, Sekai began to get up when he suddenly felt a sharp, agonizing pain flare up his entire torso and he couldn't help but cry out in pain. The voices stopped and Sekai turned his head, vision spotty due to the sudden pain and he saw the door swing open to reveal Lissa standing there.
Then she was suddenly holding him, crying in his ear.
"Se-kai, thank the gods you're...you're awake."
Sekai wanted to cry out in pain from the sudden pressure on his injuries, but he noticed that Lissa's eyes were puffed out and red, her hair and clothes were disheveled, and she was trembling like a leaf on a rainy day. It was obvious she had been through a lot while Sekai was out, so he ignored the pain as he lifted his arm to give her an awkward embrace. He began to rub the back of her head.
"Yeah, I'm awake. Sorry for worrying you."
Lissa tightened her embrace, but Sekai held steadfast. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again."
After a few more moments of crying, Lissa finally realized Sekai was still heavily injured. Laying him back down gently, she still let tears fall as she held his hand.
"How long have I been out?" Sekai asked.
Chrom's voice answered him. "It's been nearly four days. Glad to see you're finally awake."
Sekai turned and saw the prince leaning on the doorway, visibly relieved. Sekai chuckled.
"Don't have time to die Chrom, to full of a schedule."
Chrom gave a small chuckle while Lissa sniffed. "Well you'd better clear it because as both your healer AND wife, I say you are not allowed out of this bed until you are fully healed. Resting is now your number one priority, and I don't want to hear ANY arguments, you understand?"
Sekai was about to argue, but then he saw the seriousness in her eyes. It must have been hard for her, he thought sadly. So instead he smiled.
"Of course dear, whatever you say."
Lissa smiled. "Good, now you stay right there, I'm going to get you some soup." She gave him a quick kiss before she got up and left the room. Chrom chuckled before he walked over, pulled up and chair and sat down.
"She hasn't left your side at all these past four days."
Sekai smiled. "I'm lucky to have her. How bad were the injuries?"
Chrom shook his head. "Bad. By the time Ron'Shin brought you back to the ship you had already lost a lot of blood, and several of the healers were worried you weren't going to make it. It's been touch and go these past four days, and at several points we thought you...well, I'm just glad you pulled through."
Sekai chuckled. "What can I say, maybe that damned stubbornness of yours rubbed off on me."
Chrom laughed and the two proceeded to spend the next few minutes just talking. Eventually Sekai decided to ask about something that had been bothering him.
"So...how many do you think were killed?"
Chrom stared at Sekai, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "Don't do this to yourself Sekai, you did what you had to. There was no other way."
Sekai shook his head. "It is one thing to take a life Chrom, but it is entirely another to just ignore it. I'm afraid that action will haunt me for some time yet..."
Chrom stared at his friend, unsure of what to do. Finally, he settled on just putting a reassuring hand on Sekai's shoulder. Sekai decided to change the subject.
"So how is everyone else doing?"
Chrom nodded his head. "You were the only heavily injured one, so everyone else has just been worrying about you. The worst is Lucina, she...she blames herself for your injuries."
Sekai sighed. He'd have to talk with his niece later. "Anything else I should know?"
Chrom smiled. "Yeah, Ron'Shin is currently up on the deck. He has refused to leave the boat, not even Cherche could get him to leave."
Sekai nodded. "He is a loyal creature that one."
Just then Lissa came back in with a steaming bowl, prompting Chrom to get up. "I'll leave you two alone to go and share the good news."
"No visitors just yet Chrom, Sekai is still recovering and...and I want my husband to myself for a bit." Lissa said, taking Chrom's place.
Chrom stared for a bit before he nodded and vacated the room. Lissa spent the next several minutes spoon feeding Sekai some vegetable soup. Once she put the bowl on a shelf, she kicked off her boots and then carefully climbed into the bed beside Sekai, taking care not to put any pressure on his injured soldier or stomach. As Sekai began to rub her back, she once again started to lightly sob into his neck.
"I'm sorry Lissa, this must have been really hard."
Lissa sniffed and spoke in a coarse whisper. "I was so scared that you wouldn't wake up, that one morning I'd wake up and you'd be...you'd be..." A new wave of sobs, slightly louder, began on his neck.
Sekai kissed the top of her head. "Shhh, shhh...I'm here. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."
Lissa looked up, tears fresh in her eyes. "Really?" she sniffed.
He smiled. "Of course, I promised we'd grow old and gray together. Do I ever break a promise if I can help it?"
Lissa sniffed and smiled. "No, no you don't."
Sekai smiled and gave her another kiss on her head. They laid like that for several minutes before Lissa's breath slowed. Looking down, he saw Lissa had fallen asleep. As he watched her sleeping face, he couldn't help but smile at her. As he was rubbing her shoulder lightly, he then noticed they had taken off his gloves, fully revealing the Mark of Grima. Instinctively he felt his blood freeze, but then calmed down. Neither Chrom or Lissa had treated him any different, so either they didn't know or didn't care what the mark was.
He stared at the mark as he remembered the conversation with the dream Grima. He still didn't know if that had actually happened or not, but as he felt the love of his life breathe into his neck, the weight of her body on his, Sekai decided he didn't care. He had decided two years ago to never let Grima run his life again when he proposed to Lissa, and he wasn't going to stop that now. Sekai was human, no matter what words Grima spun, and he would not let Grima words destroy his will.
Sekai chose to be human, not for himself, but for all those he cared for.
...
Chrom was walking towards a certain door on the ship.
They'd had to remove all of Sekai's armor to properly heal him, revealing for the first time the strange tattoo on Sekai's hand. It had been purple and mainly showed six open eyes. Despite it being only an image, something about it had offset Chrom tremendously, as though the very image itself was wrong. Wanting to know more of the strange mark his friend and brother had spent so long hiding, Chrom had asked both Tharja and Henry what they knew of the image.
The answer was...unsettling.
They told him it was Grima's mark, the symbol of the Grimleal. All members had it tattooed somewhere, normally on the back from what Tharja and Henry told him. What they didn't understand was why Sekai's was purple, since all of the other tattoos were black in coloring. Chrom had thought maybe it had to deal with Sekai's family being leaders of the Grimleal, thus higher ranking members, but both Tharja and Henry dashed that saying that all markings were black, no exceptions.
So why was Sekai's so different?
Another problem had been Lucina. Combined with Sekai nearly dying mere moments after she had left him, the sight of the tattoo had made her freeze up in what Chrom could only call...fear. Fear and hatred. Chrom had forgotten that while Sekai's Grimleal connection had been made public knowledge, only the Shepherds and select people knew exactly how far that connection went. When Chrom had been forced to explain Sekai's...family matters to his daughter, she had shut herself up in her room for the past four days. Chrom had left her alone, respectful of how difficult this sudden revelation must have been, but now that Sekai was awake he needed to ensure there would be no problems between the two. Stopping at her door, he began to knock, quietly so as not to wake anyone who was resting.
"Lucina?"
After a few moments, he heard a response. "Yes Father?"
"May I come in, I'd like to talk?"
Another pause until he heard her call out. "Enter."
Chrom opened the door to the small room Lucina had been given. She was in her normal attire, save for her boots near the foot of her bunk. Her Falchion was laying out on a table, and Lucina herself was sitting on her bunk.
"What is it Father?" Lucina asked.
Chrom sighed. "Sekai is awake."
Lucina's face gained a mixture of both happiness and apprehension. "That's...that's great. Aunt Lissa must be relieved."
Chrom nodded. "She is. My question for you though is what are you going to do?"
A look of alarm flitted across her face. "What do you mean Father?"
"What I mean, will you be able to work with him? Follow his orders? Will there be any trouble?"
Lucina was quiet for a long time, just staring at Chrom. Finally she asked. "Father...why do you trust him?"
Now it was Chrom's turn to be confused. "Huh?"
"Uncle Sekai is Grimleal. Not just any member either, but the son of their leader who attempted to kill Aunt Emmeryn. I'm just...surprised at how much faith you have put in him, especially with all of that."
Chrom clenched his jaw. He fully understood why Lucina was being mistrustful. Grima had destroyed her timeline, wiped out nearly everything she cared about. Finding out just how closely related Sekai was to the matter probably hadn't helped her in any way. But Chrom needed to help Lucina to understand that Sekai should be judged by his actions, not his past.
"Did you ever hear the story of how I first met your uncle?"
Lucina shook her head, so Chrom settled himself to tell the rather long story.
"It was a simple border patrol. I had taken Aunt Lissa and Frederick with me under the pretense of checking on the security of the border villages. In reality, I mainly did it to get away from the stuffy nobles. We were walking down a road when Frederick noticed someone collapsed up ahead. With Frederick's help, we turned him over and found a man unconscious. That was the first time I ever laid eyes on Sekai. He woke up not to long after that and I decided to escort him to the nearby village, just to make sure he wouldn't fall down again. Along the way, I discovered he was Plegian, and was thinking of bringing him in for a background check when we noticed the nearby village under attack by brigands. Your uncle ended up saving Lissa, earning himself a nasty cut on his hand in the process. From there on after Sekai joined us, I watched him time and time again enter battle, fighting to save and protect others no matter the personal risk. I have also watched him pore over plans, choosing the one that has the best chance for success with the minimal chance for casualties. That's why I trust him Lucina. If he were here to betray us, he wouldn't work so hard to keep us alive. He has proved time and time again by his actions he can be trusted, and I will not let his past sully that trust."
Lucina stared at him, but then she shook her head. "I'm sorry Father, I want to trust him. Really I do, but I just...can't."
Chrom nodded. "Of course. I trust Sekai because of what I've seen, but you haven't. I'm not asking you to trust him Lucina, only give him the chance to earn it."
Lucina looked up, remembering that night in the forest she had questioned Sekai herself with Gerome. He had said the same thing, about earning her trust. She gritted her teeth and looked up at her father, determined expression on her face, then she nodded, prompting a smile from Chrom.
Just then, they heard a commotion from outside.
"Damned beast has gone crazy!" They heard someone yell.
"Whatsa matter wit it?" Came another voice.
They then heard a loud roar coming from the top of the ship, and both Chrom and Lucina looked at each other.
Ron'Shin knew Sekai was up.
...
Sekai was jolted awake when he heard a very loud roar. Lissa stirred as well.
"What was thaaaattttt?" she asked, yawning cutely. They then heard the roar again.
"I think...I think that was a wyvern." Sekai said. They both sat their before the realization hit them. Lissa then jumped up, whereas Sekai tried to but was stopped by the sharp pain to his stomach. "Dammit." he cried out.
Lissa gave him a look of trepidation. "Just lay down Sekai, I'll go calm down Ron'Shin." Another roar sounded out, along with several people shouting.
Sekai shook his head. "With the way he is now Lissa, I doubt anyone but me can calm him down. Mind helping me get on a shirt?"
Lissa stood still for a second, contemplating whether or not just forcing Sekai to lay down. Then another roar sounded out, so she quickly grabbed Sekai's shirt and helped him carefully put it on. Sekai tried to stand up but found the act exhausting. He had been laying down to long.
"Lissa, support me please."
Lissa nodded and carefully put his uninjured arm and shoulder under her own, and then the two hobbled out as fast as they could.
...
Lon'Qu had fought many enemies in his short life. He believed he would fight many more. He had stared down men twice his size and felt no fear, but the idea of taking on an angry wyvern, especially one as large as Sekai's made him...uneasy.
No one knew what had happened. The beast had spent the past four days just laying on the ship, growling when anyone but Lissa came near. They had asked Cherche to try and get him to fly off, but she quickly found out that the stubborn wyvern wouldn't budge. Apparently she spoke to the creature and found it was refusing to leave it's partner's, Sekai's when Cherche explained, side. So everyone eventually just acted like normal, ignoring the large wyvern as it in turn ignored them. Lissa would come out every once in a while and feed the creature, then rush back to Sekai's side.
Then the creature started acting different.
It had happened barely an hour ago. The creature stirred from it's rest and began to fidget. At first Lon'Qu believed the creature hungry and tossed a small fish near the creature. Ron'Shin as he was named had ignored the fish and stared directly at the door leading below the ship to the crew quarters. Then, out of no where it started roaring at the door, freaking out the sailors working and the Shepherds who were milling about. They tried to calm the wyvern door but it just kept roaring out at the door, becoming louder and more ferocious sounding with every roar. What could suddenly make the creature act this way?
Lon'Qu had an idea, but he'd rather not dwell on the possibility. Out of all of the Shepherds, he did enjoy Sekai's friendship more than most.
But that didn't change the fact that his wyvern was acting crazy, and may pretty soon hurt somebody. Cherche may have been able to calm the creature down, but she was currently flying up in the sky as a lookout and who knew if her and Minerva could even hear the roars. Lon'Qu was about to pull out his blade when the wyvern suddenly went still and stared at the door.
Moments later, Lissa walked out with a fully conscious Sekai on her shoulder. Lon'Qu relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief, both at seeing his friend up and about and also because he wouldn't have to fight a wyvern.
Sekai walked over with Lissa's help and began to pet Ron'Shin's snout while the wyvern in question began to nuzzle him.
"Shhh, calm down Shin. I'm here." He said while Ron'Shin cooed in contentment.
The other Shepherds quickly got over their shock at the roaring wyvern and rushed up to Sekai, some having the same general reactions.
Olivia, Sumia, and Cordelia gave him a quick hug.
Ricken and Henry laughed and patted his uninjured shoulder. Virion just chuckled and patted his back instead.
Gaius and Lon'Qu gave him a nod, not wishing to rush into the center of the group. Tharja was also staying far away, though she did look happy to see him. At least as happy as Tharja could be.
Amongst the commotion, the door once again opened to reveal Chrom and Lucina. Lucina watched her father smile and walk over to join in the celebration of Sekai's recovery. She watched as everyone crowded around him, still unsure of how she felt towards her uncle. The revelation of him being related to the leader of the Grimleal, along with her own memories of watching Grima use Sekai's face left her unsure. How could she trust this man, whose past was shrouded in secrecy?
Then Sekai turned and saw his niece and gave her a reassuring smile.
That smile brought back long buried memories for Lucina. Her uncle teaching her and the other children. Her uncle playing games with the kids, piggybacking them and sneaking them sweets. All of the children had looked up to him, and even the other adults seemed to treat him with a great respect. Her uncle had been as loved as her father, and she still remembered how everyone shed tears at both his and her father's deaths, but none more than Lucina. Sekai had been her best friend, teaching her things that Chrom and Olivia would have disapproved of. She remembered how one time she had accidentally broken an old vase and had cried for hours to her uncle over her fear of getting in trouble. It was childish, but she didn't want her parents angry with her. Then, when the time came to fess up, Sekai stepped in and said he had done it while being in an absent minded state. Chrom and Olivia had been irritated with him but in the end just scolded him and left. To Lucina, this had made Sekai more of a hero at the time than her own father.
Lucina smiled as she teared up. Yes, Sekai may have been Grimleal. He may have become Grima at some point, but before all that he was her beloved uncle and friend. And he was okay. She quickly ran up and embraced him, causing a curious stare and gasp from the man, but he just lightly returned it. To Sekai, it just seemed that she was happy he was okay, but to her she was hugging the return of a friend she'd thought lost forever.
The group was still celebrating when Cherche and Minerva landed. Cherche was surprised to see that tactician up and about, but she smiled all the same. So that's what all of the roaring was about, she thought. She walked up to the group and gave Sekai a small nod.
"Glad to see you are awake Lord Sekai."
He returned the nod. "Couldn't stay asleep forever."
Cherche nodded. "Indeed, you've had Ron'Shin here in a fit these past couple of days you know."
Sekai turned to regard the wyvern who had not budged from his spot. "You haven't been any trouble, have you boy?"
Ron'Shin gave a low growl as a response, prompting a small chuckle from Cherche.
"He says only as much trouble as you gave him having to carry your near corpse over to this boat. He also says you taste terrible by the way."
Sekai rolled his eyes but patted the wyvern affectionately on the cheek. "Geez, thanks."
Lon'Qu spoke up. "He hasn't left this boat ever since he dropped you off either."
Sekai smiled at Ron'Shin. "He is loyal, that's for sure. I don't know what I'd do in battle without him anymore." Ron'Shin gave a small roar, loud enough to hurt but low enough that it wasn't deafening. Cherche giggled again.
"He says you'd probably get yourself killed. Also that if you ever ask him to leave you again in a near dead state he will kill you himself."
Sekai really wished she hadn't translated that last part. He could feel several eyes staring at him now, but none more so than Lissa's green eyes. He looked down at her and found himself never being more scared of her in his life.
"You asked Shin to do what now?" she said in a threatening tone.
"Ummm, well I...I thought I was done for and I-" he stammered out before Lissa interrupted him.
"Everyone, I would like a moment to talk with my husband please." she said, never taking her eyes off of him. It was amazing how at that moment every single person on deck found a reason to go below it. Even Ron'Shin backed up a little from the tone and glare Lissa was giving. Cherche took both Minerva and Ron'Shin back to the ship that held the mounts, leaving Sekai and Lissa alone together.
"Now," Lissa said in a scarily sweet voice. "What happened on that ship?"
Sekai gulped.
...
It was later that night and Sekai was resting, talking with Chrom and catching up on the last four days. Before long, Chrom asked Sekai about the situation that had happened earlier in the day.
"So, what did Lissa say to you?"
Sekai shuddered. He'd had no idea Lissa could be so...frightening. "Let's not revisit that, let's just say I am no longer allowed into battle without her or you."
Chrom nodded. "I never knew Lissa could be so...threatening. Even THARJA looked freaked out."
Sekai chuckled. "At least now I know why I should always keep her happy. An angry Lissa is a scary Lissa. So, when are we due to arrive in Valm?"
"We believe sometime tomorrow or the next day."
Sekai looked down at his injured body. He wouldn't be able to participate, and he doubted Chrom or Lissa would let him go in such a state. As if reading his mind, Chrom spoke up.
"You are not joining the battle you know."
Sekai scoffed. "I know Chrom, just thinking how difficult it will be to direct you guys from afar."
Chrom patted him on the shoulder lightly. "That's what tacticians normally do my friend. Advise from afar, not getting stabbed in the shoulder and gut with a lance."
Sekai sighed. "But my way's more fun. Do we at least have any idea what the harbor looks like?"
Chrom nodded. "We have some maps. We have also discovered that someone in the resistance is also hiding out in the town near the harbor, so we are hoping to meet with them."
Sekai nodded. "With any luck it'll be someone slightly important and not some random grunt. We'll need the resistance to win this war."
Chrom nodded, and the two men spent the next few hours building up a plan. Finally Lissa came in and told them it was time for Sekai to sleep, and neither man was interested in disobeying her after the day's earlier events. As Lissa snuggled up to him to fall asleep, all Sekai could think about was his next move he'd have to make in Valm.
...
It would seem that the gods felt they owed Sekai something after all he'd had to put up with in his lifetime.
Sekai had been greatly worried about the initial approach into Valm, partly due to lack of any real information about the enemies strength and numbers in the small town, and also because he would not be participating in the battle. Chrom and Lissa had both forbidden him from even mounting Ron'Shin and flying over the battlefield so he could direct as need be, lest he be "tempted to be stupid". Sekai really hated not having control of a situation, a fault but one he stood proud of as a tactician. He was worried that Virion, his replacement for the battle, wouldn't be able to properly lead the strike team to victory. He had faith in his friend of course, they had played many games of chess and were tied for wins, but Virion had a different style than Sekai. Sekai focused on diversion and doing what nobody expected, whereas Virion utilized a high risk high reward style of using certain units as bait.
His fears were proven to be unneeded however. From the ship Sekai was watching the battle unfold, and he was pleased to discover a number of things. The first was that enemy resistance was light. It was obvious Walhart hadn't expected the Ylisse to actually touch ground, and had merely installed a force of men enough to govern the city but not protect it. The second was that Virion was playing more carefully then in the mock battles he and Sekai waged. He was moving the entire attacking group as one, slowly finishing off the defending Valmese, but leaving little to chance of anybody actually striking a serious blow to any of the Shepherds
Ron'Shin came up beside Sekai and snorted, causing Sekai to chuckle. The wyvern had become fiercely overprotective, scarcely leaving his side if the wyvern could help it. Another thing was that Sekai felt he was beginning to understand the more subtle nuances of the wyvern, having a faint concept of what the creature was trying to say.
"No Shin, we can't fly over and watch the battle. We could be spotted and attacked, and I'm in no condition to fight."
An annoyed grunt was his response.
"Of course I know they would be no match for you, but you are also forgetting Lissa told us no. Once she found out we entered the battle in any way, she would kill us both."
A low chortle.
Sekai laughed. "I'm not saying she would kill us with weapons, I'm saying she'd just glare at us and we'd kill ourselves."
Ron'Shin gave a light moan. Ever since the glare Lissa had given Sekai, Ron'Shin had treated her with a new respect. While before it was mild interest at best, Ron'Shin now seemed to give her the same kind of respect as Sekai. Her glare could frighten wyverns it would seem.
"Amazing what a stare can do huh?"
Ron'Shin snorted and curled up beside Sekai, giving the boat a noticeable tilt. Sekai sighed, Ron'Shin forgot how big he could be sometimes. Sekai pulled back up his scope and noticed that they had picked up some new warrior. From what Sekai could tell, it was a woman and she definitely knew how to sue a sword. She wore purple, Chon'Sin armor and seemed to be holding her own against some man on a horse. Sekai watched as he charged right at her, but she pirouetted and slashed the man across the chest, causing him to slump off his horse and fall to the ground. Without a second thought she turned around and drove her blade into the man's chest. Sekai was impressed, she certainly knew what she was doing.
After a few more minutes of fighting, a signal fire was lit that the town was theirs. Giving a slight whistle, Sekai carefully climbed up on Ron'Shin and flew off to the town. Since the battle was technically over, he could now land without to much worry. Besides, he wanted to meet this swordswomen himself since she would probably be joining them.
He landed down on the stone floor, and was met with a small welcoming party of most of the Shepherds who had participated in the battle. Slowly climbing down from Ron'Shin so as not to irritate his wounded shoulder and stomach, he noticed that Chrom, the swordswomen, and a very annoyed looking Lissa were coming up to greet him.
"I thought I made it very clear Sekai that I did NOT want you stepping foot on this battlefield till it was safe." Lissa said, giving him a small glare.
Sekai gave an earnest smile. "From what I see the signal fire is lit, showing the end of the battle Lissa. Surely you didn't expect me to wait until they started up the boats did you?"
Lissa continued her small glare but seemed to relax. "If I see you doing any strenuous work, I am nailing you to a bed till I feel you are better, understand?"
Sekai gave a mock salute with his right arm. "Yes ma'am."
Lissa scoffed but couldn't hide an amused smirk and then walked off to go tend to any wounded. Chrom chuckled.
"Well played Sekai. So, enjoy your relaxing cruise while we were up here fighting for our lives?"
Sekai smiled. "Hardly, the only entertainment was watching some blue haired fool swinging around a sword for thirty minutes."
Chrom smiled. "Cheeky dastard, I could have your head you know."
"Good, you could learn a thing or two from my brain, like how to actually use yours."
Chrom laughed and Sekai joined him. After they settled down, Sekai began to collect an after action report.
"How many wounded?"
Chrom waved his hand. "A few cuts and bruises, some small burns from fire magic here and there. Nothing a good healer can't fix."
Sekai nodded. "So Virion did well then."
"You didn't have faith in him?"
Sekai waved his hand. "Of course I did, but you know me, I worry even when I'm in control. Watching you all battle without me there was unnerving."
Chrom laughed again. "I think that is the closest we will ever get to you actually admitting about worrying about us."
Sekai smirked. "Please, do you know how difficult it would be to explain your deaths? I am NOT going down that road."
Before the two men could continue their verbal war, the swordswomen spoke up. "Lord Chrom, might I ask who this man is and why he speaks to you in such fashion?"
Chrom turned to the women. "Of course Lady Say'Ri. This here is Sekai, Grandmaster tactician of Ylisse, and my best friend."
Sekai nodded. "Milady."
Say'Ri widened her eyes. "My, you are not what I expected."
Sekai gained an amused grin. "And what were you expecting might I ask?"
Say'Ri gained a light blush from embarrassment. "Well, from the stories we have heard I was expecting someone much less...warriorlike."
Sekai raised his eyebrow. "Are you saying I don't look smart?"
Say'Ri grew very red and began to stammer, and Sekai couldn't help but laugh.
"Peace Milady, I am only joking. I must admit I do not look the part of a tactician with this armor."
Say'Ri seemed to calm down while Chrom rolled his eyes.
"Be careful Sekai, Say'Ri here is the princess of Chon'Sin and will probably take your head for such teasing."
Sekai kept his smirk. "Then I apologize twice as much."
Say'Ri put up her hand. "Peace, it is nice to be treated informally. I must ask though, I had heard you normally partake in battles, may I ask why you were absent this day?"
Sekai pointed at the sling his arm was in to help rest his shoulder. "Not to be rude, but it would be hard to fight with only one arm."
Say'Ri grew red again and bowed her head. "Of course, please forgive me."
Sekai waved his hand. "It's fine. Now Princess Say'Ri, am I correct to assume you are the resistance member here in this town?"
Say'Ri nodded. "Indeed I am."
"Then may I ask the level of support we can expect to receive here? The numbers of the resistance and all."
"Several of the dynasts are together to defeat Walhart. Many are riding the flag of the resistance around the continent as we speak."
Sekai raised his eyebrows. "So this is no small scale rebellion then. Tell me, if you are so widespread and large, why have you not defeated Walhart already?"
Say'Ri narrowed her eyes and spat. "Fie, because the leaders are fat old fools who cannot let go of the past."
Sekai nodded. "Bad leadership does tend to make things more difficult."
Say'Ri nodded. "Yes, it also does not help that they fear my brother who leads half of Walhart's armies."
This caused both Sekai and Chrom to widen their eyes in shock.
"Your brother is with him? May I ask why?" Chrom asked.
Say'Ri shook her head. "Would that I knew. He was good and honorable once, but that was long ago. He is brother to me no more."
Sekai nodded, though he did notice a slight waver in her voice. "So, is there any way we can defeat Walhart without the combined help of the resistance?"
Say'Ri shook her head. "I fear not. Walhart's men number in the thousand, maybe even near a million."
Sekai sighed. "Of course they do. Naga forbid this be easy. So, how do you recommend we begin uniting these dynasts Lady Say'Ri?"
Say'Ri gained a determined look in her eye. "We could rescue The Voice."
"The...Voice?"
"Ay, Lady Tiki. She is Lady Naga's voice to the world, speaking to us through her. Walhart's men have guarded the entrance to her shrine, but freeing her could help to rally support."
Sekai nodded. Sounded as good a place to start as any. He turned to Chrom. "Any objections o prince?"
Chrom shook his head. "It's a good place to start. Tell us Lady Say'Ri, where is this Voice's shrine at?"
"The Mila Tree, largest tree in Valm. I can draw you up a map if you so wish."
Sekai nodded. "That would be much appreciated."
They spent the rest of the day pouring over maps of Valm to find the quickest route to the Mila tree. Eventually they chose to pass through some villages, with the only major obstacle being some ruins they would have to go around. The journey would take at least a week, so Sekai figured by then he would be fully healed. After many hours, Sekai was pleased with the plan they had drafted up and laid down to sleep.
The war in Valm had just begun.
...
"Ugh, I am soooo borreedddd."
"Come on now Cynthia, this isn't sooo bad. It's peaceful and quiet."
"Yeah Noire, but it's still boring. I wanna go fight some bad guys or something, not just walking around all day."
"But...but don't you fly around on a pegasus?"
"Th-that doesn't matter."
Severa was getting annoyed. She had met up with several of her friends and they were currently searching for the others. Their little party consisted of her, Cynthia, Gerome, Inigo, Noire, and they had recently picked up Owain, the idiot trying to find a "legendary sword of legends" in a village somewhere. Lucina was supposedly in Ylisse searching for the others.
"Gawds, can you two just SHUT UP." Severa said, annoyance creeping into her voice.
"S-sorry Severa." Noire muttered, clutching her father's old bow, blue hair falling over her shoulder in a small pigtail.
"Geez Severa, calm down. Don't get your hair all twisted." Cynthia said, twirling her snow white hair with her finger. Severa groaned in anger.
"As if I would ever do that, you're the one who doesn't care for her looks."
Cynthia opened her mouth to respond but was silenced when Gerome suddenly appeared.
"Enough." He said. "We don't have time to waste with this foolishness."
Severa and Cynthia both sat there, glaring at each other. Eventually Owain and Inigo wandered over with drinks for everybody.
"What has all of our lovely ladies down?" Inigo smiled.
"Probably Gerome." Owain said, prompting what one could only assume was a glare from the masked man.
"It is not me, and I do not want to have an argument over this. We must plot out the route we shall be taking these next few days."
"What's wrong with our current path?" Owain asked, causing Gerome to sigh.
"Because we are going to soon reenter a village we have been in before, and thanks to Inigo we won't be welcome."
"Hey, how was I supposed to know that bartender was married?"
"Maybe if you actually looked at a woman's hands before flirting with them, you'd notice if they had a ring or not." Severa growled.
"But I cannot help but be distracted by all of the beautiful faces I see." Inigo said.
"Quiet." Gerome growled. "Regardless, we now need to change direction. I was thinking of going to the village thirty miles north east of here. It would be a two days travel and should put us on a new circuit."
Cynthia scratched the back of her head. "I don't know, doesn't seem very fun to me."
"It's not supposed to be fun."
"Oh come now Gerome, what kind of adventure isn't? We need to be chasing down evil men and weapons of legend, all while fighting the darkness ever growing within us!" Owain exclaimed.
"Focus on fighting the idiocy within you first Owain. Gawds, how are you your father's son again?" Severa said, causing Owain to shrink back a little.
"We are going this way, and that is final. We need to see if anyone else came in on Valm before we meet up with Lucina and everyone else. Are there any final objections that are ACTUALLY relevant?" Gerome asked. Seeing no one say anything, he nodded. "Good, we leave at first light."
Turning around, Gerome began to study the map he was using to plan the journey. The route should be clear of trouble, the only thing really in their way were some old ruins, but they should get through the place without any trouble. Hearing the others argue behind him, Gerome sighed and began focusing on the map again.
It was going to be a long night.
Sorry for the late update, watching tv with the folks and playing COD makes the time go by it would seem. Anyways, I have to get to bed, so no big spiel this time. Enjoy the chapter.
Fave, follow, review, and have a good night.