Chapter 17x – The Port of Badon


On Leila's information, we make for Valor, the Dread isle. A small island, south of Lycia, said to be the home to Dragon's Gate. In order to reach it, we head to Badon, a port on the southern coast of Caelin. But things are never easy for this group.


Ugh… everything hurt. Lyn's lessons were great for getting a better understanding of what archers went through, but everything hurt like hell. It wasn't helped that Matthew got wind of it and insisted on adding daggers to it. I was not built for this type of physical exertion, damn it! And I swore the dagger he made me put into my boot was cutting me.

Sighing, I continued walking through market, glancing around. Lyn, Hector, and Eliwood were off trying to ask people for passage. After the first couple of refusal, I decided to just keep an eye on our group. It seemed like a better use of my time.

Besides, the chance to tease Matthew silly over Leila? How could I pass that up?

"Is that charm for Leila~?" I asked, peering around him to check it out. A silver heart with a diamond gem embedded in it. "Oh, it's so cute!" I laughed and glanced at him, grinning at his dirty look. "Shouldn't you be hunting for a ring, though?"

"I have one already," he muttered. He paid for the charm and slipped it into his pocket. "And this charm will fill out the bracelet." So adorable~ "You can stop grinning, Lady Wolf."

"No, I think it's so sweet!" He mimed a blow and I ducked under it, laughing. "Hey, if you're done shopping, mind doing a run to make sure no one's gotten in trouble yet?" I was really worried.

"On it, Lady Wolf." He dramatically bowed, making me laugh again, and slipped into the crowd.

Still grinning, I meandered around people, paying attention to rumors. And one that caught my ear, and made me sigh, was the rumor of a 'redhead mercenary tearing through the arena'. Damn it, if that was Raven, I was going to have a few words. I needed to know when people were heading to the arena. Otherwise, I'd just have a surplus of money I had no explanation for and, worse, injuries I knew nothing about.

I made my way to the arena, and then into the audience. And spotted impossibly gorgeous blonde hair among the spectators. Yeah, that could only be one person.

"Scale of one to ten, how mad am I about to be?" I asked dryly, walking up. Lucius looked up to smile serenely at me. "Raven's fighting."

"I told him not to," he replied, confirming it. I groaned and he shifted to let me sit beside him. That's when I noticed Priscilla and Erk were also here. Erk was reading, but Priscilla gave me a small, greeting smile. She looked a little stiff, so I pat her shoulder reassuringly as I sat down between her and Lucius. "But he insisted on helping the funds. Subtly."

"I have so many issues with this." Not that I could stop any of it right now. Raven was up, and I doubted he'd listen to me. "Well, at least I will get a better understanding of his fighting style?"

"That is looking on the bright side, Katri." The match began and Raven was fighting. Another swordsman, one that seemed focused on speed, like Lyn and Guy. "This is his fifth match." I was so yelling later. But for now, I could only watch. The crowd cheered and screamed around us, and I focused on how Raven himself fought. More emphasis on strength. Not very good on the defense, but I wondered if he might be better if he were protecting someone.

"Lucius?" I was drawn out of studying by Priscilla's voice. She did not look at Lucius, and he didn't look at her either. Erk was still hiding in his book. "You and… Raven are close, yes?"

"I would say so, yes," Lucius answered lightly. The air was feeling very heavy suddenly. I tried to focus on the match, but couldn't quite manage it. "Why?"

"I was simply curious as to how close?" Priscilla's voice was light. Too light. Instincts honed in the Etrurian court screamed. "Besides, you are quite… how to say this… beautiful." I was not hearing this."Far more so than even some women I've seen." Was I going to have to lecture her? "I'm sure even a few lords have fallen for you." Okay, Priscilla, there are lines and…!

"You must understand, Lady Priscilla. I have never once profited from my appearance." Now Lucius looked to her, and his gentle smile was scarier than anything. "Perhaps you mean to imply… otherwise?"

"…I meant nothing. I misspoke."

"I see."

"Oh, hey, Raven won," I stated, seizing the opportunity to change the subject. And he won very… decidedly. Splitting his opponent's skull. "Lucius, let's go snag him. Erk, be a dear and escort Priscilla to the inn?" Erk snapped his book shut immediately and offered his hand to Priscilla, making me wonder if he had just been pretending to read. After some hesitation, Priscilla took it, clinging slightly as Erk led her off.

Lucius sighed as he and I made our way down the staircase. "That was quite rude of me," he murmured. "I best apologize later."

"By my ears, Lucius, she was the rude one." I glanced at him. "Should I have a word with her?"

"No, please, let me talk to her first." I nodded, accepting that. "Ah! He's heading this way." Good.

"Raven!" At the bottom of the spectator's ring at last, I leaned over the wall to make sure he saw me. "Meet us outside!" He tilted his head, as if he wasn't sure why I was saying that. "Tactician is mad at you!" His shoulders rose and fell with a sigh. "Get your winnings."

"If you like, I can explain to him why you are mad?" I nodded, accepting Lucius's offer as we made our way out of the arena. "I'm sure he'll just be defensive."

"Probably." It was an assumption supported by Raven's scowl as we found him outside. Still, he passed over the pouch of coins without a word. It was heavy. "Thank you for the money," I told him. He relaxed slightly. "Lucius will give you a lecture in my place, though."

"Yeah, yeah," he scoffed, already heading down the road. Lucius and I exchanged an exasperated look and followed. "You've done nothing but yell."

"I recall yelling at you only once, and that was because you scared the ever-living hell out of Erk." Glaring and grumbling for no reason other than him being close to Priscilla. "And it was only about you interfering with another's job."

"Yes, yes." Aggravating. No wonder Lucius had so much patience. "…Where's Lucius?" I glanced to the side and realized he was no longer there. I tiptoed and saw he had gotten cut off.

"In the crowd, trying to politely make his way over." Both of us automatically moved to the side, to not be pushed forward. "Good eye."

"We've been by each other's sides for years." Raven sighed. "I tend to notice when he's not there." That was almost adorable. It also reminded me of Priscilla and Lucius's conversation.

"I want to warn you about something." Raven's face locked up, but I shook my head. "It's nothing serious… well, okay, it might be, but not what you're thinking. It deals with Priscilla." And now he scowled. "Look, I'm keeping my word. I'm not pressing. I just thought you should be aware that during that last match, she was very politely trying to figure out if you and Lucius are sexually involved." Raven choked, coughing hard enough for his red to turn bright red. I pat his back as he struggled to remember how to breathe. "Yeah, sorry, but that seemed to be something you needed to know."

"What was it that he needed to know?" And there was Lucius, catching up at last. "Goodness, Raven, are you all right?" he asked, patting Raven's back too. "You haven't caught Katri's cough, have you?"

"I maintain that my coughing is related to how much I have to yell during battles," I muttered. I hardly had to yell these past couple of days, and I had barely coughed. "Serra's checked me over and found no fever or anything."

"Yes, but it is possible that Serra needs to be specifically looking for an illness, yes?" Yes, that was true. But that I didn't have a fever, yet, proved pretty definitive in not being sick. Yet. "And you've barely been eating anything during meals."

My appetite plummeted after Lord Helman died, and it really just never returned. "I eat a little bit throughout the day." It wasn't a lie. Lowen and Rebecca loved using me as a tastetester. "That's all."

"Mmm…" Lucius didn't look convinced. "Still…"

"You're acting like a mother hen again, Lucius." Ah, Raven had his breath again. "Careful, he'll nag your ear off if you let him," he warned me.

"I only do that to you because you do not listen," Lucius instantly retorted. Raven sighed, and I felt like I was in the middle of a lover's spat. Oh dear. "The problem with Katri is that she listens, but logics her way out of needing to follow the advice." Hey! I didn't… okay, maybe I did do that sometimes, but seriously, I was just fine. "Regardless…" Yelling caught our ear, and all three of us turned to the source. "Oh, Lyn is arguing with Lord Eliwood and Lord Hector." Them both? Oh, what happened this time?

"Have fun, you two." I waved them goodbye, already pushing through the crowd towards where the yelling was. They both waved back just before the crowd swallowed me up. From there, I made good time in making my way to the three lords.

"It's foolishness to trust the goodwill of pirates!" That was Lyn. Yelling at Eliwood and Hector both. "I'm finding another way!" And that was Lyn storming away from a sighing Eliwood and a grumbling Hector.

"So, I take it we have to deal with pirates?" I asked lightly. Both nodded, not even bother to explain further. I didn't blame them. "And it's the only way." They both nodded again. "Then just give her a bit of time to cool down. She'll come around. It's an initial reaction, since pirates are the 'bandits' of the waters." And it would not surprise me if she had heard of pirates harrying the coast here while in Castle Caelin. "Where are we going?"

"The inn here," Hector answered. He pointed down the way. "In we go?"

"If that was an attempt at a pun, it was horrible." I rolled my eyes and Eliwood laughed. "But yes, in we go."


The first thing I noticed about the inn was how warm it was. Friendly and bright, with a redheaded woman running the bar, gossiping with customers like they were old friends. Nothing about the place seemed anything but chaotically peaceful. Huh.

Eliwood and Hector must've gotten a description of the pirate they needed to talk to, because they walked through the room with a purpose, dancing around the drunken patrons and ducking under sloshes of ale.

And, in the corner, looking like he ruled the place, was an older man with scars on his face and arms, and a loose purple coat. "Well, lookie here," he growled, sipping his ale. "What do you want, whelps?" If he had an eyepatch, he would be the perfect stereotypical pirate. "You're here to see me, if I've been hearing right." His eyes narrowed at us. "So?"

"You…" Eliwood began hesitantly. I could tell he was trying to think of the words to say. "You're the commander of the pirate armada, aren't you?" Oh, wait, what? Eliwood, that had to be the stupidest way to refer to pirates I had ever heard!

The pirate agreed, bursting into laughter. "I like the sound of that." But his words had a growl, and his eyes narrowed in a glare. "Are you lads that naïve? Or are you just that dumb?"

Hector made to move, my best guess to go after the guy daring to insult Eliwood. Eliwood himself, however, blocked him. "If I insulted you, I apologize." Eliwood looked him right in the eye. "How should I address you?"

The pirate stared at him a bit longer before settling back in his chair with a nod. "Well, you don't scare easily. So, that means you aren't stupid." I failed to follow that logic. "Captain will do, whelp, not commander." He knocked back a pint. "I'm Fargus, Captain of the Davros." …Are you freaking kidding me? The pirate that dealt the Etrurian navy one of their biggest losses during the Western Isle campaign, that they were still recovering from? I was looking at him?! "But you're not one of my mates, so call me by name." I had a headache. "Now, what do you want?"

"We want to book a passage to Valor."

"How much will you pay?"

"We don't know the current rates." I facepalmed at Eliwood's admission. Ugh…

"You give your lady friend a lot of headaches, don't you?" Fargus looked right at me and actually gave me a sympathetic smile. "Then I name the rate. 100,000 gold." Good going, Eliwood.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Hector yelped. I sighed heavily. Eliwood just looked as calm as ever. "That's way too much!"

"Hector, he named his price, and we've little time," Eliwood pointed out. This was all his fault, damn it! "Let's go."

"Eliwood!" And they were both off. Ugh…

"So, I've a question." I glanced at Fargus and saw him staring at me. "What's an Etrurian lass doing with Lycian lords?" he asked. I wasn't surprised he'd figured us out. Whatever the occupation, you couldn't sail if you were stupid. "Especially one with the broach of a master tactician."

"I'm on a job," I answered honestly. No need to tell him why I was around to start with. "Does it matter?" I met his gaze firmly. "If you're worried about me raising a fuss, you don't have to."

"Of course not. This port is home and I make a point to get along with the locals." Somehow, that didn't surprise me. Probably because of the atmosphere in the inn. "They'd sooner turn on you."

"So glad to hear that." I narrowed my eyes. "Did you need anything else? I need to make sure those two aren't doing something stupid."

"Aye, lass." I had a feeling this was what he wanted to ask about. "That boy didn't complain." I could hurt Eliwood for it too. "Why?" His face was very serious. "And why would a small army head to Valor anyway?"

"…" I sighed, closing my eyes. There was no point in hiding the main goal. If we sailed with him, he'd hear about it anyway. "We are pursuing a criminal, who is involved in the disappearance of Eliwood's father. That's why he didn't protest." I opened my eyes. "This criminal is also charged with the intent of inciting rebellion and civil war in Lycia. That's how the small search party grew."

"I see." He looked thoughtful, tapping his fingers on the table. "Thanks for answering, lass."

"Enjoy your drink." I exited the inn, and found Eliwood and Hector about to bolt off. "Oh, hell, what did you two talk yourself into?"

"Well, I was thinking of going to Ostia and getting everything I don't need and sell it," Hector answered easily. Eliwood sighed. "From there, we can take it to the arena and raise the 100,000." He what. "That way, we don't have to dip into the army's funds. It'll take time, but…"

"We could also just send a messenger to my family," I told him. "If we're going to be sending people off, at least. I'm sure I've 100,000 in allowance, and Father wouldn't blink at the amount."

"Wait, really?"

"Well, Hanover's lands form part of the Etrurian-Lycian border." And the border with the Sacae, now that I was thinking about it. "And at this time of year, there's be people in the estate closest to Ostia. So, it wouldn't take that much longer to send a message."

"I meant more about the whole 'wouldn't blink' thing." Ah. "My brother would kill me."

"Good horses are expensive, and Hanover horses are appropriately charged." I shrugged. "So, I doubt he'd be concerned by the amount." This was assuming, of course, he wasn't mad at what I yelled at Charles. I didn't think he would be, but I was fully aware I yelled treason…

"Beg pardon." Biting back a yelp, I turned to see a man with a monocle walk up, calm smile on his face. "I was speaking to an old sailor, and he mentioned your group was heading to Valor?" he began. "My name is Canas. I am a scholar of sorts." He gave off a similar air as Pent. "I've been seeking passage to Valor, but none will take me." Why the hell was he heading there? Knowledge? Not even Pent was crazy… no, never mind. Pent would go to Valor for knowledge too. "Might I come along with you?" Huh/ "I've some skill with a form of elder magic." He held up a book for emphasis, and I realized it was a flux tome. He was a shaman. "So, I assure you, I can take care of myself."

"Elder magic?" Eliwood repeated. He and Hector looked a little baffled by everything. I didn't blame them. "What is that?"

"Well, some call it dark magic, but that is a rather biased term, if I must be blunt."

"Um… it is?" Oh, yay, lesson time.

"Magic is derived from different things," I explained, remembering my lessons. "Light magic is the magic of 'faith'. That's why you will often see light magic users pray before using their spells." A little bit more faith yielded more power. "Anima is the magic of the world. Elemental spirits and whatnot helping out." With serious consequences if you tried to use it while physically unwell, or when exhausted. "Dark magic is the magic of knowledge. The more you know, the stronger you are, but it's also… dangerous." I remembered Pent's explanation for why he refused to learn more than the basic theory for it. "You have to let the darkness in as well, which can be… maddening." The legend of Bramimond echoed through my head. "The Silencing Darkness, Apocalypse, was only usable after its wielder gave up everything, from memories to emotions, in order to learn it."

"Yes, it is not uncommon at all for users to lose their very souls, or forget why they were pursuing the power in the first place," Canas added. His smile, though, was gentle. "So, users must be scholars who devote their lives to learning, and yet also be of clear enough heads to not let the darkness have full control. A great difficulty." Which was why you would often have shamans running about being psychopaths.

"So long as you're not going to hurt us, I don't see why you can't join up." Oh, there was Lyn. She must've calmed down by now, given the warm smile on her face. "It's not like he's any weirder than the rest of us," she pointed out. I grimaced a little at how right she was. Eliwood, of course, sighed. Hector laughed. "Why not head into the inn to meet everyone?" Yay, new soldier. This army was getting too big. In Etruria, there probably would've been another tactician assigned by now. But, of course, I was the only one. Oh well. I'd make it work, or die trying.

"I will. Thank you!" Canas smiled warmly before darting into the inn.

"Well, that's that." Still, Lyn fidgeted when all of us turned to her, the silent question screaming in our looks. "…I couldn't find anyone else, so I'll just bear it." Lyn's eyes were serious. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, raising money for starters," Eliwood answered. His smile was soft and relieved. "So…"

"Hold your ground!" Oh, look, another pirate. "Captain's got a message for you," he explained before anyone could say anything. I tilted my head, thinking I'd seen his face before. "My mates and I are going to lie in ambush. You get at least one person to Captain at the ship, and he'll give you passage." …At least one? Free passage? "The captain's a bit off-kilter. He'd rather have a bit of fun than take your gold." Oh, it was the eyes. This pirate's eyes were similar to Rebecca's. "Smooth sailing to you."

"Hold on!" I called. The pirate gave me an annoyed look. "Sorry, I just wanted a clarification." I smiled. "It's any in our army, yes?"

"Anyone in your army, yes." I was about to laugh. "Got it through your skull?" I wasn't even going to rise to the bait. "And it's a talk. Don't attack and anger the captain." Yes, yes. "have fun, landlubbers."

"This has to be a joke," Hector sighed. He looked so exasperated. "What sort of pirate discards gold?" This one apparently. "So, let's play along and Katri comes up with a strategy to save the day and-"

"Someone get me Florina." I grinned at everyone's stares. "He said 'any'." I reminded. "And we've a pegasus knight. So, someone get me Florina, and call everyone to the inn to wait for her, okay?"

There had to be a catch somewhere. This was way too easy. But, until then, I was going to enjoy the time off.


It seemed the inn was not only warm but friendly to strangers. Our group was easily assimilated in the atmosphere. Especially because of the free food and drinks the proprietor, Anna, let us have when she heard of how I planned on winning the game of 'tag' with Fargus. She found it hilarious.

"But Kent, if I do not take point, then how can I show off for the ladies?" Sain bemoaned. His grin ruined any serious effect, though, even if he tried to hide it behind his mug. "Lady Moon, you agree with me, don't you?" I decided it was wisest to not answer, but to continue working on revising the training schedules for everyone. "Alack, alay! Even you abandon me, Lady Moon!"

"Sain, keep it down, will you?" Kent sighed. It was really interesting to see the contrast in their personalities and demeanor. If not for the mug of ale, Kent wouldn't look out of place at a noble's feast. Sain, however, fit in nicely with the inn's atmosphere. I knew sitting with them would be amusing. "And your showing off is pointless if you die."

"Well, that's why I have you, yeah?"

"Sometimes, Sain…" I giggled, unable to help it, and Kent turned his exasperated gaze my way. "You're only encouraging him, you know." Yes, but still. It was funny.

"Kent, are you stating that you do not wish to see Lady Moon's dazzling smile?" Sain gasped, comically offended. "For shame!" Kent rolled his eyes and finished off his ale. Sain dropped the act for a grin. "Ah, I did so miss everyone. It's fun." That was true. "Let's see… at this point, all we're missing from the legion are Ninian, Nils, and Rath." He suddenly gave me a sly look. "I bet you're missing our nomad archer in particular, Lady Moon, yes?" Huh?

"Well, I do miss the tactical advantages of having a mounted archer?" I answered, not really sure what he was getting at. And he was getting at something. I could tell by how he sighed and facepalmed. "And I miss talking with him." I missed his calm presence. He had always just felt reassuring. Like things would be okay, and it was all right if I rested a little bit. "But why would you bring him up in particular, Sain?"

"Lady Moon, you are incredibly dense sometimes." HEY! "Don't you agree, bosom companion?"

"On this matter?" Kent asked. Sain nodded and Kent sighed. "Yes, quite." WHAT THE HELL?!

"You two do know that I am in charge of the chores list, and I am a very petty person, right?" I growled. Both of them just smiled at me. "Argh, you two are worse than my older brother."

"Then I suppose we must be honorary siblings." That's certainly how it felt right about now. Trying to tease me over something I didn't get. Damn them. "Is that fighting outside?" Fighting? Why would there be…?

"I'll check. You guys get the others ready, just in case." They agreed without a word, and I made my way out of the inn, mentally checking on everyone. Lowen and Rebecca were chatting with Anna. Serra was badgering Matthew. Dorcas and Bartre were talking in a corner. Canas and Erk were having an antimated. Priscilla was scolding Guy. Lucius was asking Merlinus something. Wil was bothering Raven. Florina was up in the air somewhere, on her way to Fargus.

Lyn, Eliwood, Hector, Marcus, and Oswin were outside. There were the targets of the fight. And Hector was bleeding. Badly.

"You idiot!" Lyn snapped, pressing against the injury. She was pale, and her hands shook ever so slightly. "I didn't need your help!"

"Stop trying to be tough all the damn time!" Hector snapped right back. He was wobbly. How deep was that injury?

"I am not trying to be-!"

"Can you two save the arguing for when one of the arguers isn't bleeding to death?" Eliwood, I had never heard your voice so dry. "We're in the middle of a situation!" he snapped. I glanced over to see Marcus and Oswin repelling the initial wave. "Ah, Katri!"

"Have Hector hold still until Serra or Priscilla gets out here," I ordered. Hector grimaced, but didn't protest. Probably because Lyn, Eliwood, and Oswin all glared at him. "Who the hell are they?" If there were the pirates, I was going to have some words.

"Said they were Black Fang," Marcus told me. I grimaced. I should've anticipated a hit before we set sail. "Orders?"

I glanced around the area. We were staying right in front, but there was a big issue. We were in the middle of a town. "Splitting the army between fighting and protecting." Civilians. Some staring wide-eyed at the blood dribbling down the street. "We shouldn't assume this lot will be kind enough to just go after their targets." I did not want another Araphan. "How did Hector get injured?"

"Paladin rode up. We had assumed it was simply a passing rider, but then he drew a killing edge." Hector blocked it, counting on his armor, but it slid underneath for a bad hit instead. Damn. Talk about unlucky. "I do not think it is a large group." The problem was that we also had the pirates and their 'tag'. I didn't want to aggravate them.

"Lady Wolf?" I glanced back and saw our army stepping out of the inn, all armed. Matthew came to my side. "You want a map?" he asked me. I nodded. "On it."

"Thank you," I whispered. As he left, I looked to the others. "Be ready. This is going to be a fun one."

I was tired already.


Matthew's spying revealed that the pirates wouldn't come attack us so long as we didn't cross a certain 'line', marked easily by walls. So, following that logic, we could fight off the Black Fang and avoid fighting the pirates by staying within a certain range. Way easier than it sounded. Especially since we were protecting the civilians while we were at it. And there were so many out that I was, essentially, fighting off a small squad of assassins with seven soldiers.

"Canas, prep another spell!" I ordered, watching the field. Lyn, a healed yet scarred Hector, Eliwood, Canas, Lucius, Raven, and Serra. This is who I had to command agains thte enemy. Everyone one else was dealing with civilians. "Avoid the paladin!" The rest of the forces had no resistance to magic, meaning Canas's spells just ripped through them. "Hector! You and Lyn tagteam on the Paladin!" I really wished I had a lance user right now. That killing edge was dangerous. "Eliwood, stay near to provide backup as needed, but coordinate your strikes with Raven! Lucius, keep on covering! Serra, heal at your discretion!" There wasn't much strategy to this, but it was nerve-wracking. I only wanted to fight the Black Fang. I didn't want to fight the pirates. And no small part of me was scared. What if I met the Black Fang members I had commanded here? What would I do? I knew what I would have to do, but would I actually be able to use the knowledge given to me in trust to kill them?

My life was a hell of a lot simpler before I met Lyn. Of course, that was probably because I blindly believed everything I was taught and told, but that was neither here nor there.

"Katri!" That was Hector. "They've a healer!" Wait, what? Well, this was new. "Mounted!" A troubadour, huh? Well then.

"El…" No, Eliwood might hesitate. "Hector, take them out!" I yelled instead. I heard Hector yell back in agreement. "Eliwood, take his place by Lyn! I don't want anyone fighting that paladin alone!"

"Stay clear of the archers!" Canas called right then. For good reason, considering how the enemy archer were soon devoured by their own shadows. If our own had been near, there was a chance Canas could've caught them too. "Goodness, it's been a bit since I've exerted so much."

"You okay?"

"Oh, I'm just fine." He smiled serenely at me. I chose to ignore the sweat dripping down his face. "I was just thinking of how my wife had scolded me for not exercising more." Married, huh? Yeah, he really reminded me of Pent.

"Well, stick around, and you'll really impress her when you see her again." He laughed before focusing again. "Raven, fall back to cover Lucius and Serra!" I didn't like how close the enemy was getting to them. "Hector, how's healer killing going?" That sounded so wrong.

"Just got her!" I breathed a sigh of relief and wobbled a bit when I suddenly felt lightheaded. I bit my lip to ground myself, wondering what happened. Tiredness? "Going after the cavalier!"

"All right!" I yelled. I glanced down at the ground and grimaced at all the blood. Oh, that would take forever for them to clean. "Now then…" I made myself look up and focused on Eliwood and Lyn. If they could take out the paladin…

I winced as Eliwood took a bad hit to the side, but nearly cheered when he slid his rapier right into the paladin's knee. As the paladin screamed and tilted, Lyn appeared from the shadows, Mani Katti glowing beautifully as she drove it straight into the paladin's chest. She ripped it out with a spray of blood, and shared a tired smile with Eliwood as the paladin hit the ground. Perfect.

"Paladin down!" I told the others. I heard Hector cheer, and saw the others smile, even as Serra bolted for Eliwood's side. "Everyone-!" I was cut off as I realized there were others on the field. Ragged clothing and armed to the teeth, they crashed into the Black Fang like an ocean's wave. Um… who were they? Why were they helping us?

"Good trick." I turned to see Fargus behind me. Florina was dismounted next to him, beaming at me. "Seems you had a little trouble anyway, of course," he noted. Were the others his crew? "But good trick, lass. You won the game." And the help? "Sorry for the delay. Didn't realize what was going on."

"I see," I murmured, facing him fully. In retrospect, I probably should've involved them sooner, huh? I guess I was far too used to everything being left up to us nowadays. "So, you'll give us passage?"

"I'm a man of the sea. I keep my word." Yay. "Besides, unless my old eyes are lying to me, it means at least two beauties on the ship." He pointed to Lyn for emphasis and I facepalmed. He burst into laughter. "My lucky day!" I had a headache. And I was so incredibly tired. "Anyway, get some rest. We'll handle the ship. Got to get it proofed for horses again."

"Again?"

"You're not the first lot of crazy nobles I've dealt with." Oh… kay…? "Just be prepared to leave at dawn's light tomorrow."

"Got it." I waved as he left, bellowing orders to his pirates, not quite sure what happened. "Florina, up in the air to confirm that there are no more attackers?" She nodded and easily burst into the air, the wind buffeting me. Right, okay, so supplies, and I should probably make sure everything was streamlined, since we were going on a ship, and get some sea sickness remedies just in case and…

"Hector?" I whirled when I heard Lyn, mostly because I was worried of another argument. But she looked sincere as she stood in front of him. "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier," she told him. Hector blinked slowly, caught off-guard. "I was scared and it made me mad, and I lashed out at you. I'm sorry."

"…Did you get hit in the head?" HECTOR! "Seriously, you all right?" he asked, patting her head. Lyn stiffened, eyes narrowing. "Injured? Ill?"

"Hector, you…!" And they were going to argue. Great.

Except, Hector laughed. "There, that's more like you." He grinned. "I'm way more used to you being a spitfire."

"You completely insensitive oaf!" And there was the argument. Still, it made me smile as I turned away. I needed to tell the others that the battle was over, and then start on preparations.

Ah, there weren't enough hours to get everything done. I'd just stay up late again.


Notes on Canas

· Dark magic user, and likely the only one who is simultaneously sane and insane enough to join. I'll have to be extra careful.

· Intensely curious. Reminds me of Pent. I bet they'd get along great!

· He's also a bit fatherly to the younger members. I wonder if he has a kid. Regardless, it's good to have someone else looking out for everyone. This army is just getting too big…


Author's notes: This chapter is hilariously easy if you know the trick of flying to the north. Black Fang assassins appear no matter the mode, but they only actively gun for you, if I recall correctly, in Hector Mode. Fargus's past isn't ever stated in game. I added some. The script for Fargus's initial meeting differs between modes. I went with Eliwood's as I felt it better 'fit' the personalities. Lucius and Priscilla's conversation is based on their B support. Damian has a killing edge in Eliwood's mode.

Also, Canas is broken by the sheer fact that he is the only dark magic user you really get in the game (until the very last chapter). Meaning he can wield Luna, the most broken spell in the game.
The explanation of Dark Magic being based on knowledge is from FE8. FE7's explanation is that it comes from darkness and you must let it in to use the magic. I melded the two.

Next Chapter – Pirate Ship