Chapter 26: Sin and Punishment

It was quite a host that she had assembled, Elincia noted with no small amount of satisfaction, when she reached Fort Pinell and beheld the armies that had been deployed around its walls. Her own Crimean troops, mostly spearmen and axemen from the local militias; the Royal Knights, wearing heavy riding armor and sitting atop their white steeds; the forces of Daein, black-clad and awe-inspiring, awakening fearful memories in many a Crimean; the ravens of Kilvas, a bunch of unarmed, winged bandits who would transform into sharp-clawed warriors at a moment's notice; the volunteers from Gallia, who were the smallest group in numbers, but also the staunchest; and the Greil Mercenaries, a colorful, motley band of elite warriors, each of whom had the fighting power of two or three average soldiers.

Not all of them are here willingly, she thought as she rode through the fort's main entrance together with Bertram, but they will all fight for Crimea. More than that, I do not need.

Elincia was greeted by a staff officer who told her that Geoffrey and the other troop leaders were awaiting her in the conference room. Along with Bertram, she dismounted and entered the main building of the fort, recalling its layout from her last visit three years ago.

That was when Bertram was defeated, and spirited away by Bastian without my knowledge. She looked over her shoulder at the black-clad knight behind her and wondered how he felt about revisiting the place of his defeat.

He probably feels nothing at all, except his usual bloodlust. And he will have a chance to satiate it soon.

Elincia pushed through the doors into the conference room and saw that the leaders of her various armies had already been assembled, standing around a table that showed a map of the area. There were Geoffrey and Kieran; Ike and Titania (sporting a scarred face and an eye patch, to Elincia's surprise); Mordecai; Micaiah and a green-haired young man; and Naesala, the Raven King. As soon as she entered, all of their gazes turned toward Elincia, some of them favorable, others contemptuous. The only exception was Ike, who stared at the door as if the Black Knight himself had just entered the room

"Ike. You look as if you've seen a ghost," Elincia greeted him with an amused smile.

"Wh-what's he doing here?" Ike stuttered. "Why do all the people I kill come back?"

"It is a long story, and an altogether unpleasant one, too," Elincia replied, and quickly pushed the intruding memories of her uncle Renning away. "We have more important things to discuss. For now, it will suffice to know that Bertram is your ally."

"Our... ally." Ike narrowed his eyes and glared at his former enemy in open distrust. "That's not an easy thing to swallow."

"Things not being easy has never stopped you before," Elincia said. She walked around the table to join Geoffrey and Kieran, accidentally grazing Naesala's wings on the way, but she was confident in her knowledge that the Raven King would not dare to hurt her as long as the blood pact was in her possession.

"Forgive me for being in your way, Your Majesty," he said in a tone that was more sarcastic than servile. "But you're right where I want you to be," she replied, and noticed that both Geoffrey and Ike were giving her doubtful looks. Via her messenger, Elincia had informed Geoffrey about the basic workings of the blood pact, and Ike, too, must by now be able to infer how it worked. Judging by their expressions, neither of them seemed particularly comfortable with the idea of forcing others to fight for them. Geoffrey had an especially sour look on his face, and Elincia recalled how she herself had told him to watch and judge her actions.

But he would never critizise me in front of everybody else, she realized even as she joined his side and greeted him. Not allowing him to voice his misgivings would be dishonest.

"If there is anything you wish to tell me in private, we can step outside right now," Elincia told Geoffrey, not even attempting to keep her voice down since everybody the room was listening to her anyway. "Anything at all. We have that much time."

But to her surprise, Geoffrey shook his head. "I know what you're concerned about," he said, "but I can clearly see the reasons that compelled you. If I appear ill-disposed, know that my discontent is directed at our cruel fate, not at you."

"Yes, let's all go and blame fate," Naesala spat. "That way, nobody is responsible for anything they do."

"I have a more tangible candidate for our blame," Elincia responded, but not before whispering an almost inaudible "Thank you" to Geoffrey. "That would be the Empire."

"So now the evil Empire is at fault? What a convenient scapegoat."

"Do not take that tone with her majesty!" Kieran bellowed at the Raven King, who gave him an amused glance in return. "I'm sorry, Your Highness," Geoffrey said to Elincia, "but he's been talking like this from the moment he arrived here."

"As long as his wit is the only thing that's cutting, let him be," Elincia replied. "I can't blame him for being angry at me." She dismissed the matter of the Raven King's ill temper and turned her attention to Mordecai. "I'm glad to see you alive and well. You and your comrades helped me buy valuable time, and saved the lives and homes of many of my people."

"We did not fight very much," came the tiger laguz' self-depreciating reply. "When we attacked the crows, they fled. When we chased them down, they fled again."

"It's called 'avoiding casualties', Gallian," Naesala hissed. "But it's probably too advanced of a tactical concept for you."

"Speaking of tactics, I'm surprised Soren isn't here," Elincia said in Ike's direction, intent on cutting short a possible argument among two of her allies. "Is he all right?"

"He was... injured during the fight against Daein," Ike replied and peered at Micaiah, who pretended not to notice it. "He'll be fine eventually, but right now he can barely walk."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Elincia said. "I gave you a difficult assignment, sending you against Daein without support." She glimpsed at Titania, who had not worn an eyepatch the last time she had seen her. "I understand that you suffered considerable losses."

"We're mercenaries," Ike shrugged. "That's our lot in life. Besides, Soren admitted that it was his fault for underestimating the fanaticism of Daein's forces."

"Tell him I said thanks for the backhanded compliment," Micaiah snapped from the other side of the table. "Perhaps the real reason he isn't here is because he doesn't want to work with me?"

"You're wrong," Ike replied with an angry glare. "Soren actually begged me to let him come with us, but I forbade it because of his condition. He's certainly not afraid of being in the same room as you."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Micaiah retorted. "From my own impression and from what Sothe told me, he's not exactly a well-adjusted individual."

So that young man is Sothe, Elincia thought as she recognized the youthful thief from three years ago in Micaiah's companion. He looks like he aged twice as much during that time. But she did not have the leisure to exchange pleasantries with her former comrade, since a full-blown argument was erupting between Ike and Micaiah.

"Stop this, both of you," Elincia said sharply, and decided to address the undercurrent of hostilities between her allies once and for all. "I know that it must be hard for all of you to accept people as allies who fought and killed your friends only one or two days ago... particularly those of you who don't even want to be here." She looked at Micaiah, then Naesala, both of whom glared angrily back at her. It is better that they direct their anger against me instead of each other, she thought grimly. "The fact remains that Begnion is our common enemy, unless..." She looked questioningly at Geoffrey, who shook his head. "Your messenger returned from Flaguerre an hour ago," he said. "The enemy general says that he's bound by the orders of the Senate, and that he has no authority to negotiate with us."

"I was prepared for that outcome, though I had hoped for a better one," Elincia sighed, effecting a sneering laugh in Naesala, who clearly did not believe that her intentions were peaceful. "This means our course of actions is clear: We will take the initiative and strike against Flaguerre." She turned to Geoffrey who had been in the border region the longest, and was bound to be the most knowledgeable about size and strength of the Empire's forces. "Your assessment of the situation, please."

"Yes, Your Highness," Geoffrey replied formally. "Kieran here has led daily scouting parties to Flaguerre, so our intelligence is as up to date as possible." He pointed at the red circle on the map that represented the Imperial border fortress. "The entirety of the Central Army has been assembled in Flaguerre, along with auxiliaries and reinforcements from the local defense forces. They used to outnumber us pretty badly, but now that our... allies are here, our numbers are about even. Although we have the disadvantage that our forces are not exactly... homogeneous."

"That's a very nice way of putting it," Elincia said wryly.

"Our separate armies are not used to fighting alongside each other," Geoffrey elaborated. "Even if their commanders were to work well together, we still must expect frictions on an operative level. Therefore, I think it's best for our different nationals to fight largely on their own. Our strategy should reflect that."

"What you say makes sense," Elincia said; she could hardly expect her own men to suddenly trust the soldiers of Daein with their lives, considering that they had invaded their country twice in three years. "But isn't it dangerous to divide our forces?"

"Under normal circumstances, yes," Geoffrey nodded, "but it turns out the the Imperial forces are also divided." He pointed at the map again, directing everyone's attention at the two smaller red circles next to the larger one.

"Begnion's problem is that Flaguerre is much too small to hold the entirety of the Central Army," he said. "Two-thirds of their troops are camped outside its walls, split in two camps: One to the north, the other to the south of Flaguerre, with the core of the army situated inside the fort. They probably don't know about our reinforcements yet, so they shouldn't be expecting an attack. Our strategy involves attacking both encampments at the same time while preventing the rest of the soldiers from leaving the fort. That way, we will enjoy both numerical and tactical superiority on all fronts."

"If our strategy has already been determined, then why are why even here?" Micaiah asked scornfully. "Just to receive our orders?"

"Precisely," Elincia answered with a sneer that earned her a critical glance from Ike. "Although I will hear your helpful comments, should you have any."

"The plan is sound," Micaiah admitted grudgingly. "Now tell us where each of the separate armies will attack."

"We will approach Flaguerre from the north," Geoffrey began, "which means we need a fast units to circle around the fort and attack the southern camp. I had originally planned to send the Greil Mercenaries... but then I heard that they lost much of their cavalry." He looked reproachfully at Micaiah, who crossed her arms before her chest and raised her chin defiantly, but remained silent. "So I decided that the Royal Knights should attack the southern camp instead. Kieran will be leading the sortie."

"We have the longest distance to cross, but we will be the first to defeat our foe," Kieran exclaimed triumphantly, as if he had already won the day. "You can depend on us, Your Majesty."

"I'm sure she will." Geoffrey sighed. It was obvious that he did not care for the overly bold announcement of his second-in-command, but he did not want to undermine his optimism, either. "The forces of Daein will attack the northern camp head-on," he spoke in Micaiah's direction. "Because of their many armored knights and halberdiers, their speed is low, so they should attack the closest target." If he expected Micaiah to happily agree to her assignment, he was disappointed; instead, he took her sullen silence as confirmation.

"The Greil Mercenaries will position themselves in front of the main gate, which opens to the east," Geoffrey addressed Ike. "Your task is to keep the rest of the enemies inside Flaguerre. If we're lucky, their general will be trapped inside and unable to direct his forces personally."

"You can count on us," Ike said simply. Elincia had not expected anything else.

"There is a second gate that opens to the west," Geoffrey continued, "but it is much narrower and doesn't allow more than five men to pass through at once." He looked at Mordecai. "Even with your small numbers, you should be able to keep the enemy from leaving through the back door."

"Mordecai will block the gate himself," the tiger laguz replied. "No one will get past him."

"Excellent," Geoffrey nodded and turned to Naesala. "Your ravens will descend upon the fort from above and sow as much chaos and confusion as possible. Try to take out their officers, or even the general if you can. If you encounter heavy resistance, retreat and wait a short while before attacking a different spot."

"Hit-and-run attacks. My specialty," Naesala said and bowed in the direction of Elincia. "It will be done as your lapdog commands, mistress."

"Am I supposed to be insulted?" Geoffrey asked doubtfully, but Elincia only shook her head. "Let him say what he wants." Naesala was a king of his people and a prideful man, and if he needed to indulge in sarcasm and exaggerated servility to bear with his new lot in life, then that was fine with her. Micaiah, on the other hand, was mostly silent, with anger and resignation warring for supremacy inside her.

"The main forces of the Crimean army," Geoffrey concluded his briefing, "will wait a short distance north of Flaguerre, acting as reserves in case any of the separate armies need to be reinforced. Queen Elincia and myself will direct the battle from there. That is all."

"So that's how it is." Micaiah glared at Elincia. "You're sending Daein on a frontal assault while keeping your own people at a safe distance. You just want us to bleed for you!"

"You are out of line!" Kieran barked, still feeling obligated to defend his queen against any detraction. "Her majesty is acting with the greater good of all in mind!"

"If you need somebody to be angry with, direct your anger at me, Micaiah," Geoffrey said. "I came up with this strategy. Her majesty learned of it at the same time you did."

"What difference does it make? You're just doing what you think she would want."

"The same could be said for you and King Pelleas," Elincia remarked nonchalantly, and her remark served to push Micaiah from anger back to resignation. She has very strong emotions, the Queen of Crimea realized. But that means she can be easily manipulated if she does not learn to control them.

"Then I take it that there are no substantial objections," Elincia said. "Any questions?"

"I have one." Ike stepped forward. "Who is the enemy commander?"

"We do not know that," Geoffrey replied. "It used to be General Zelgius, but..." He looked at Elincia, who gave him an approving nod. "General Zelgius is currently in our captivity."

"Seriously?" Ike frowned as if he was suspecting Geoffrey of a bad attempt at a joke. "Zelgius gave even us trouble. How did you manage to capture him?"

"Rest assured, we managed," Elincia answered in Geoffrey's stead. "Perhaps I'll share the story with you later, but not in front of everybody."

"How it pains me to be deemed so untrustworthy," Naesala sneered, but Elincia summarily ignored him. "If there are no more questions, you may all leave to instruct your officers and prepare your soldiers. When will the attack begin, Geoffrey?" she asked her general.

"Tomorrow at sunset. We will cross the distance to Flaguerre under the cover of the dark, then strike as soon as there's enough light to see."

"You heard him," Elincia said. "Tell your men to go to sleep early, so they're at full strength tomorrow morning."

Naesala, Micaiah and Sothe considered Elincia's words a dismissal, and wasted no time to leave the conference room; Naesala holding his head high, Micaiah with sagging shoulders and Sothe trying to cheer her up. Elincia wondered how the Maiden of Dawn would explain their sudden change of sides to her troops. Would she tell them about the blood pact, or were they loyal enough to follow her wherever she went even without an explanation? Naesala, on the other hand, would have no such difficulties, seeing as he basically ruled over a nation of mercenaries... then again, he might be sorely-pressed to tell his men why they would receive no pay.

He must have a considerable personal fortune, so if he wants to maintain appearances, he can just pay them out of his own pocket.

"So, uh, could you explain the whole blood pact business to us now?" Ike addressed Elincia. "I understand it gives you some kind of hold over Daein and Kilvas," Titania added.

"Basically, it is a magic treaty that bound them to the will of the Empire," Elincia said, unwilling to give Ike anything more than the barebones version of what a blood pact was. "I managed to get my hands on the documents, which is why Daein and Kilvas obey my orders now."

"And..." Titania hesitated. "What will happen if they don't obey?"

"Something unpleasant, both to me and themselves," Elincia said evasively. "Let's leave it at that."

"Do we leave it at that?" Titania asked her commander.

"I suppose we should, for the moment." Ike scratched his head. "It's probably one of those cloak-and-dagger things royalty does all the time. And besides, we don't really have time for talking: We have to instruct our men about the battle strategy."

Bless your single-mindedness, Ike. And I don't mean that in an insulting way. It's just that I really don't want you to know. Particularly about Nealuchi and the other Kilvans...

"Then we'll be awaiting your orders, Geoffrey," Ike said and walked out of the door, followed by his deputy commander. Elincia found herself amazed that he could still act so trusting towards her, and decided that the impression she had made upon him three years ago was simply too strong to be overturned by her recent dubious actions.

"I must also go," Mordecai said. "Explaining complicated beorc strategy with growls will take some time."

"Are you sure you want to go?" Elincia asked. "When you first volunteered, Crimea needed all the help she could get... but now we have other allies. If your people wish to return to Gallia now, my gratitude will not be diminished in the least."

"I don't understand," Mordecai replied. "Do you think we will not make a difference?" If another person had asked this question, Elincia would have thought he was feeling slighted or even offended, but with Mordecai, it was merely an inquiry.

"That's not what I meant," she replied quickly. "But it's likely that some of your friends will die during the battle."

"We are warriors," Mordecai said simply. "We know about death." He hesitated for a moment. "And... I don't like your new allies. They are not very trustworthy."

"I have good reason to believe they won't betray us," Elincia said. "But enough of this. It's not like I don't want your help. Go to your men now, and tell them the Queen of Crimea is beyond grateful for their assistance."

"I will tell them," Mordecai said and departed, leaving only Elincia and Geoffrey in the conference room – and Bertram, but as far as privacy was concerned, he counted about as much as a chair. "I have to tell you something," she said, though she found it difficult to actually say it. "I'd rather you learn it from me than somebody else."

"Judging by your expression, it's not going to be a pleasant revelation," Geoffrey replied. "Are you sure it can't wait until later?"

"No... it'll only take a moment," Elincia said quickly and looked across the room to make sure there was nobody else to hear her. "I... I activated the blood pact on Kilvas, because Naesala thought I was bluffing."

"I see," Geoffrey said curtly. Elincia waited for him to ask 'How many?', but he did not ask.

"Is that all?" he inquired instead.

It's because he doesn't want to know! But he has to.

"One thousand," Elincia blurted out. "I killed one thousand of his people just to show him I was serious!"

"I... I'm sure you thought it was necessary," Geoffrey stuttered. He had clearly not expected that high a number, and his shock was plainly visible to Elincia. "You think I went too far," she said. "You think I killed too many!"

"Nonsense!" Geoffrey protested and seized her hands. "This isn't about numbers! Don't tell me you wouldn't be feeling just as bad if you had killed only five hundred, or one hundred."

"So killing one innocent is the same as killing one thousand?"

"From the victim's perspective, yes," Geoffrey asserted. "Each of them only died once. Remember that."

"But this isn't about the victims!" Elincia cried out.

"That's what I suspected," Geoffrey said and made a step toward his queen. "This is about you. You want to feel bad about this. You have the need to punish yourself."

"Of course I need to feel bad about it! Otherwise, how would I be different from–"

"Stop comparing yourself to Ashnard for a moment and tell me this: How does your feeling bad help anybody?"

"It doesn't," Elincia admitted reluctantly. She wanted to shake off Geoffrey's hands, but found that she could not. "So you think I still haven't turned evil?"

"Oh, Elincia." Geoffrey sighed and shook his head. "I think you misunderstood me when I promised you I'd watch and judge you."

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"I am not the perfect arbiter of right and wrong," Geoffrey explained gently. "Nobody is. I can only judge you by my own standards... and who is to say they're any better than yours? In fact, they might be worse."

"Don't talk nonsense, Geoffrey," Elincia said. "You're more virtuous than–"

"Stop putting me on a pedestal," he interrupted her. "I've done things I wouldn't want you to know about, too. None of them earth-shattering," he assured her quickly, "but nothing to be proud of, either." He paused for a moment, looking for the right words to say in a delicate moment like this. "You convinced yourself you're the most horrible person in the world, and at the same time, that I'm the most virtuous one. But that just isn't realistic. As I said, I have my own moral standards, and I will continue to judge you by them," Geoffrey renewed his promise. "But you may find that they are more similar to your own than you had expected."

"So you admit to bias?" Elincia asked. It was not a suitably serious thing to say in this situation, but the words had somehow slipped past her lips. "Guilty as charged," Geoffrey replied with a grin. "Will you dismiss me now?"

"Oh no," Elincia said and smiled gently. "If I can't have a perfect arbiter, then I'll take the next best."

"I may not even be the next best."

"Who are you to judge that?"

"Caught in my own net," Geoffrey nodded. "I salute you, Elincia." His expression turned more serious again. "Now let me tell you what I think about those one thousand dead Kilvans."

"Y-Yes... What do you think?"

"Rather than good or evil, I think our actions have to be measured and proportionate. You had to make Naesala believe you were willing to wipe out his entire nation, correct? If so, then one hundred of five hundred might not have been enough. Ten thousand, on the other hand, would probably have been too many. There is no perfect number that would have placed you straight on the dividing line between good and evil, because that line doesn't exist. But I think you picked the right order of magnitude."

"Order of magnitude?" Elincia asked. "That seems like a cold way to put it."

"We are truly cut from the same cloth," Geoffrey mused. "But enough of this! We have a battle to fight, and knowing you, you'll charge in with your staff the moment the first soldier gets wounded, so you can't allow yourself to be distracted. In fact, I forbid you to be distracted."

"And if I disobey?" Elincia asked playfully.

"Why, that would be treason, of course." His reply made her laugh out loudly – the first thing to make her do so in several days. "Oh, Geoffrey," she sighed and squeezed his hands, "I love you." A split second later, she realized what she had said and turned pale. "Uh... I mean..." She withdrew her hands from his and made a step backward. "Forget that last part."

"No, I won't," Geoffrey replied earnestly. "I will not forget it. You're the queen, and even though you've made me a duke, you may one day have to marry a more powerful noble for political reasons. I understand that and accept it as one of the many things you must do even though you do not want to do them." He gave her a longing, yet somehow detached look "But I will never forget your words just now. In fact, I will treasure them for as long as I live."

"I... I see," Elincia stuttered, suddenly very eager to escape the room. She wanted to throw herself in Geoffrey's embrace and find some comfort in his arms, but she could not: She had destroyed the happiness of too many people to be allowed happiness of her own. But that was not something she could say to Geoffrey, because he would just tell her that she was punishing herself again.

It is a punishment I deserve, Elincia told herself. Even if I have good reasons for all the evil things I do, I must pay some sort of price. Otherwise there'd be no justice in this world.

"I'm glad you understand, Geoffrey," she said out loud. "I... I have to go now. We'll see each other once the battle begins."

"Yes, we will," Geoffrey replied solemnly, and before he could say something else, Elincia left the conference room with Bertram following on her heels. As she hurried through the hallways of Fort Pinell, walking in the shadow of the black-clad figure, Elincia realized that right now, she almost preferred the presence of Bertram the monster to Geoffrey the man.

What's wrong with me that I have to run away from the man I love? she asked herself and began to cry softly.

Unsurprisingly, Bertram did nothing to comfort her.