Well, this is it. The long-awaited battle against Gangrel. I know it's short. I wrote it in a week.
And, somehow, it feels right to close things up here. Rest assured, I won't abandon this here. There's still much to be done and resolved. There's still questions to answer and subplots to close.
However, I will take a break from regular updates until I figure out how to handle the next arc. Until then, I will only update Family Life with some short stories. Possibly.
Also, thanks to the Guest reviewer who pointed out a minor error in the chapter Fading Lights. I'll fix it once I start the new arc. And thanks to Kweh Viola for favoriting and following the story!
And, finally, thanks to all of you who read up to this point.
Fire Emblem: Dragon's Claw
~ Chapter 27 ~
The Mad King
Frederick came into the room, shooting a suspicious glance at Ryoko.
The blue-haired Dragon was sitting to the side, munching on some fruit, looking completely exhausted.
She met his gaze, raising an eyebrow in questioning.
"So?" she inquired eagerly, "Do you have news? Is my plan working?"
"I have no idea of what you are referring to." Frederick replied calmly, "I bring a report from Khan Flavia's spies. The Plegian army is in disarray."
The woman smirked triumphantly.
Prince Chrom, oblivious to this, blinked, "What do you mean? In disarray how?"
"It seems as if many of their soldiers are opposed to further fighting, milord," Frederick reported, "There has been infighting, desertion…"
"YES!" Ryoko cried, "It fucking worked!"
"Please, explain yourself, Lady Ryoko." The Great Knight requested firmly.
"I didn't just have the spies gather information, you know?" she told him, "A few of them posed in bars as Plegian soldiers who witnessed the aftermath of That."
It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was referring to.
"They spread around very true and easily confirmed rumors," she continued with a shudder, "Gangrel didn't do himself any favors with the massacre, and even less with leaving everything on display. Those rumors, combined with Mustafa's stories, the threats to families of ranking officers, and the blatant employ of Risen and the Grimeal, were helped spread through the continent."
"The soldiers who heard Lady Emmeryn's speech did the rest for us." Levi piped in, "Gangrel was executing soldiers, last I heard."
"Yes." Frederick confirmed gravely, "The Mad King is trying to stamp out mutiny and the dissenters by force, but with little success. Only few remain loyal to him, while the rest of the army has all but collapsed."
Ryoko smiled softly, "Leave it to Lady Emerina to nearly end a war without even fighting…. I had lost hope it could be even possible."
"Yes, Lady Ryoko." The Great Knight nodded, "The report says Gangrel's men chant her name as they abandon the field. Her words, and her sacrifice, have made her a folk hero of sorts."
The prince looked down. "Emmeryn… Why did it take me so long to understand? She believed all people desire peace. She knew, deep down, the Plegians wanted it, too. It just took her to bring it to the surface."
Daraen smiled.
"Well, I hope she sees us put an end to Gangrel's madness." Levi commented. "By this time tomorrow, the war will be no more."
From there, the meeting went on to matters such as team positions and strategies, and Ryoko got up.
"Well, I'll leave you all to your strategies!" she said, "I'm off to get the Dragonwings ready."
Without waiting for an acknowledgment, she left the room.
"If you'll excuse me, milord, sir Daraen, sir Levi." Frederick said before following her.
Catching up with Ryoko was a matter of little effort, as she was walking slowly for once and not jumping off any balconies or staircases as she was known to do because 'it was faster this way'.
"Are you feeling well, Lady Ryoko?" he inquired.
The woman hummed noncommittally.
"You have been tired all the time, you eat twice as much as usual— even things you seemingly cannot stand, —and I can tell you feel nauseous in the mornings." He told her bluntly.
"I can fight." She stated, "I've fought in worse condition. There was this one time I almost lost my right arm to an arrow."
With how fast she changed her moods, Frederick wouldn't have been surprised if it was her time of the month.
"Regardless, you should see a healer." He advised.
"I'm fine," she insisted stubbornly, "A couple of missed periods and some heat won't keep me down."
'Missed periods?' he thought to himself.
"That doesn't sound healthy…." He said aloud.
Ryoko waved her hand dismissively, "It's the stress."
Actually, considering everything, it was almost as if….
He blushed at the conclusion, "Pardon my bluntness, but are you gestating?"
"W-What!?"
She tripped and fell on her face.
"I asked if you were expecting." He repeated.
Ryoko slowly stood up, face the color of fire, "Wha— no! Ye—!"
She shook her head thoughtfully, "I actually don't know."
"All the more reason to go see a healer before the battle." Frederick told her, "I'm sure that Libra or Kynthelieg could spare a few minutes."
.
The remains of the Plegian army were marching towards their hiding spot at a calm and slow pace, preferring to hold their ground despite their apparent advantage.
The area, simply known as the Border Wastes, was bare of most of anything, but some creative positioning, brown cloaks, some abandoned forts and widespread illusions could easily hide the twelve Shepherds who would be participating in the mission and the Dragonwings, and the rest of the army to a lesser extent.
Daraen's latest bout of genius was inspired by the way Ryoko handled their initial retreat.
The Dragon in question had actually gone over the area with Levi last night and layered in a bunch of traps. The great majority of the hexes were mostly harmless, but very distracting if they went off on someone without warning.
Their army was given a temporary counter-hex to avoid accidentally activating the traps or being caught in them, so they only really affected Gangrel's forces.
This was the worst part. The waiting.
The Mad King had to believe that Chrom would be hanging back while they were actually approaching the man unnoticed.
When they got close enough… well, it was a good thing they had control of the skies and that Ryoko was up to Summoning a couple dozen Dragon Knights in an emergency.
It was a very good thing.
The two armies met about half an hour later.
Flavia and Basilio were doing a very admirable job in taking the attention of the greater bulk of the Plegian forces.
The hidden fighters waited in tense silence for their opening.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, came the signal.
"NOW!"
The Dragonwings took off in a blur, aiming straight for the enemy sorcerers.
Chrom and Lon'qu sprinted towards the Mad King, Kellam following close behind, while the rest of their fighters were protecting their two other mages as they cast spell after spell with little pause.
The two swordsmen easily avoided the bolts of lighting sent at them by Gangrel's blade, a Levin Sword.
That was no problem.
He was prepared for that.
Time spent dodging two Dragons made human attacks feel that much slower than they actually were, even magic.
Besides, he had a counter.
Ryoko swooped down and forced Gangrel's guards to back off in a hurry, while Lon'qu kept the rest busy with his new second blade.
Chrom gathered his magic as he had been taught, focusing it on his blade.
"Aether!"
His speed increased as he attacked first from above and then with a devastating charge.
His first blow was blocked, but not even an enchanted blade could have completely stopped the second.
Gangrel stumbled back, his clothes sporting a new slash in them.
"Why, good day, little princeling!" the madman taunted, "Still dreaming of your dear squashed sister?"
He blocked a blow, "No more talk, Gangrel." He avoided a thunderbolt, "Today you die, and peace returns to Ylisse and Plegia."
His opponent scoffed dramatically, "Pah! Such hypocrisy! You despise me, wretch!"
The madman was forced to jump back, "You want to cut me down!"
The moment Gangrel stopped he was met with the flat of Falchion's blade to the face, sending him tumbling to the sandy ground.
He picked himself up quickly, glaring.
"You don't know the first thing about peace!" he screamed, throwing a massive ball of thunder, "No man does!"
Chrom simply swung Falchion at the replicated spell, shattering it.
"I know more than you ever will." He replied calmly, parrying the next blow.
"More than me?" Gangrel snarled angrily, "More than ME?!"
The Pegian slashed wildly with his sword. "You ARE me!"
Chrom quickly backed up to avoid the blade.
"Life asks you a question, and you answer with blood!" the man screamed.
The Ylissean prince didn't rise to the obvious bait, forcing himself to keep calm and find an opening to exploit.
"Maybe you're right." He replied calmly, "I'll never be my sister. But at least I am not like you— a man who sows nothing but evil."
Another spell was slashed apart.
"Were I alone I might have gone mad with nothing but her words…." He continued.
He quickly moved into Gangrel's guard, managing to land a small scratch on his shoulder.
"However, I am not alone." Chrom's eyes were hard with determination, "On my path, I have friends and comrades who fight alongside me!"
"Are you done?" Gangrel spat out angrily.
He attempted to skewer Chrom with his sword, but it was a clumsy attempt. Clouded with rage as he was, the madman could not muster the finesse to create a thunder spear properly.
"May I vomit now?" he taunted, laughing, "My, what a flowery language!"
His blows became more focused now, and the Ylissean Prince was forced to take a blow from the Levin Sword's magic to avoid getting slashed.
"Men are beasts!" Gangrel stated, "Nothing more! We fight! We kill! We devour our prey! Beasts do not stand behind beasts, little prince…. They use each other only so long as it suits their own selfish purpose!"
Chrom took advantage of the pause to get back into his fighting stance.
'Focus,' he told himself, 'No rules. Just battle….'
Ryoko's advice was much harder to follow than it had sounded at the time.
His battle was not just one of blades.
He could not afford to be careless.
He was fighting against sword and magic, with a man who could not be defeated by mere brute force.
He had to find a way to disarm him of the blade, he decided.
The man certainly carried other blades, but losing the enchanted sword would take out his ability to cast spells with it.
However, before that, he needed to get close to the madman.
"What's the matter, poor little princeling?" Gangrel taunted, "Did the truth stun you into silence? Are you s-s-scared? Gonna g—"
"SHUT UP!" Chrom shouted, charging, "Shut up!"
He changed directions at the last moment, suddenly grateful of dodge-the-Dragons exercises, and slashed at Gangrel from an angle.
"You!" the blade was parried, but he struck again, "Men like you are a festering wound!"
A ball of lighting sailed past his shoulder as he ducked, "You are poison! That's why your men left you! Because you turn against your own as much as you fight us!"
Finally, he managed to land a blow on the man's wrist, making him loosen the grip on his blade enough that he could knock it away.
"I will do what she could not!" Chrom declared, "I will end you, so that there can finally be peace!"
Gangrel drew two knives, but Chrom expected it and jumped to the side before he was stabbed.
"For Ylisse!" he shouted.
That was the signal.
Daraen swooped down low, jumping off Zeiss and casting Elwind on the Mad King as he landed.
The silver-haired tactician spotted the Levin Sword and quickly went to recover it, keeping Gangrel at bay with thunder spells whenever he wasn't being distracted by Chrom.
"Roar, endless skies! Let your rage burn the earth! Arcthunder!"
The spell, amplified through the Levin Sword, hit the Mad King's shoulder, its sheer power burning his clothes and skin before it dissipated.
Chrom pushed the advantage immediately, forcing the man back.
He jumped to the side to evade the knives, getting closer to Daraen.
Gangrel attacked wildly, not really focusing on either of them but rather whichever was closer at the moment.
Finally, it seemed as if the man made up his mind and wildly attacked Chrom, who barely had time to throw himself to the ground to avoid being stabbed in various places— all of them unpleasant.
There was a distinct lack of other attacks.
Looking up, Chrom found that it was because the madman was focusing on his tactician, who was getting forced back.
"Chrom!" he called.
He noticed the tome the silver-haired man was holding and understood.
He took a slightly unfamiliar stance, one that had been developed especially for this.
Daraen managed to get a moment to open the tome and cast.
"Come forth, scorching flames! Turn all that is in your path to ash! Arcfire!"
The spell barely missed Gangrel's head, only slightly singing his hair.
However, Chrom had already moved to intercept it.
Falchion easily caught the flames, focusing them.
"Burning Slash!" he shouted, releasing the energy in his blade.
The result was a massive diagonal stream of concentrated fire that turned the desert sand to glass instantly as it touched it before hitting Gangrel straight in the chest at great speed.
The madman was thrown to the ground by the sheer force of the attack, and this time it took him a few seconds before he rose to his feet.
The man's clothing was scorched and torn, his wounds bleeding heavily.
"Consume everything, oh divine flames! Cleanse these fools of their sins! Valflame!" Daraen cast, the flames hitting the Mad King head on.
Without leaving him any time to recover, Chrom rushed at him, stabbing Gangrel in the heart.
Above them, Ryoko, Levi and Nowi roared loudly.
"Gangrel is dead!" Levi shouted.
The men closest to the Mad King were the first to react, most of them tossing their blades to the ground.
Those who continued attacking were quickly stopped and, at Ryoko's insistence, searched for Grimeal medallions.
It didn't take long before a soldier reached Chrom, delivering news that the remaining Plegian forces had surrendered.
The Ylissean prince sent back the order to cease fighting immediately, which was hurried along by Fae and Azura offering the man a lift.
.
"Then it's finished." Flavia said, almost as if not believing her own words, "Once their messenger delivers our terms, that's it. We finally put an end to this bloody business."
Chrom gave a half-smile, "We've won… but somehow I don't feel like celebrating."
"Victory can be bitter as well as sweet, boy." Basilio told him, "It's good you learn that now."
The man nodded.
He could understand that.
With all that they lost, all the lives that would not see another day, the victory felt hollow.
Celebrating it would feel like he was spitting on all their graves.
"Regna Ferox lost many good soldiers today." Flavia said, snapping him out of his thoughts, "We need to see to our dead. Then it's time to attend to the living and rebuild our army."
"I'm sorry, Flavia." Chrom apologized, "Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. Ylisse will compensate your nation in whatever fashion—"
The reigning Khan raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Well in that case, how about you keep the Fire Emblem safe and lend me Ryoko once in a while and we'll call it even? Well, if she wants to, that is."
"Don't worry about the finances, boy." Basilio reassured him, "Reparations will fall to Plegia."
The blond warrior smiled widely at this, "I've seen their treasury— they can well afford it."
"Yes, and I pity the man who stands between Flavia and a full coffer." The West-Khan muttered under his breath.
"You'll have to remember that when she comes visit Ylisse." Daraen joked.
"Captain!" Sumia shouted, running towards them.
"Sumia?" Chrom said, slightly confused.
"You made it! You're safe!" she cried in relief, hugging him, "I'm so glad…."
"Someone get these two a room!" Flavia said.
On his part, Chrom was trying to gently pry the woman off him. She had a surprisingly strong grip for someone with that figure.
"You're… choking… me…." He tried to tell her.
"Are you hurt? Grazed?" the Pegasus Knight fussed, "You look exhausted!"
"Chrom?" his sister asked, "Say something!"
"Trying… to!" he replied.
Lissa nodded, entirely unconvinced, "Uh-huh. Flavia? Daraen? Maybe we should… you know."
Flavia smiled knowingly, "Carry on, lovebirds."
"Have fun!" Daraen called as he made a hasty retreat.
Finally, Sumia let him breathe.
Chrom took a few deep breaths to recover from being nearly chocked.
"I'm alright, Sumia," he reassured the woman now that he could breathe, "I got only a few scratches. But are you al— come on, don't cry."
Sumia sniffled, "S-Sorry… it's just I…"
"No, don't apologize." He told her, "I've been so worried about everyone else lately…. My sister, our party, my people…. It feels nice to have someone worry about me. Especially someone who I…" he cut himself off, blushing, "I mean, someone so… so gifted with Pegasi."
He tried to hide his embarrassment. Even though he had been such a burden for her when he was mourning Emm, she still cared for him.
He had to admit, even if to himself, that he had come to care for her.
She had a unique beauty, even if she saw herself as plain-looking, and her grace in the air was awe-inspiring, even if she kept tripping when on the ground.
Maybe….
"You've suffered so much…." Sumia said, interrupting his thoughts.
"But many have suffered even more and died because of my actions." He protested, "Next to my sister's legacy, I feel I'm already a disappointment…."
"That's not true!" she denied, "Everyone fought so hard for you! Why would we all do that for a man we didn't believe in?"
"I see your point…." Chrom said with a smile, "Thanks, Sumia. You always help me see the… brighter side of things."
"To me, you're the brightest thing!" Sumia blurted out.
There was a moment of silence before Chrom blushed heavily.
The Pegasus Knight became redder than a tomato.
In that moment, Chrom made his choice.
"Sumia…." He said hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"I'm far from a perfect man, and I know you can do better." He told her, "But whenever you're close… you give me strength. So, what I want to ask is…."
He hesitated, "Will you be my wife?"
Sumia's eyes became watery.
"YES!" she said, "Yes, yes, Skies yes!"
It felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest at the reply.
"Oh, thank gods! I was worried for a second because…." He shook his head, fishing something out of his pocket, "Well, anyway…. This is for you."
"Y-your ring?" Sumia said, shocked, "But it bears the Ylissean crest! Chrom, I… I can't take this."
"Yes, you can." Chrom told her, "My parents had it made to celebrate my birth. They wanted me to give it to the woman I would spend my life with. Take it. Please. And know I will love you until the day I die."
"Capt—Chrom…." She corrected herself, smiling, "Thank you. I swear I will return that love to you a hundredfold!"
"Then I am a fortunate man." Chrom replied, "I'll need to ask for a bit of patience for the near future. My first duty must be to heal the scars of war and assume my role for the people. But then, we can begin our life together."
"I'll wait forever if I need to." Sumia told him, "It all still feels like a dream. So much pain surrounds us, and yet… I think this is the happiest day of my life."
"I feel the same way." He said, "I know together we can bring joy back to the royal palace. I'll do everything I can to make the castle a happy home for us… my love."
Sumia smiled, "My love."
.
"But milady, please!" the man pleaded.
"You know I can't, Sahan." Ryoko replied bluntly, "I can't afford to make myself a bigger target. The world can't afford me taking this risk now."
"Surely a guard—"
"No." She shot him down before he even could form his argument, "I am a Dragon. If something can kill a Dragon, it can also kill humans. I'm safer with the Shepherds, where I can travel."
"You could still travel even if you accept." Sahan tried to persuade her, "An alliance with Ylisse would benefit everyone in the continent, especially now."
"That's not the point." Ryoko told him, "You know how the Seal works. You're a Priest of Grimlok. If whatever is spawning the Risen— Aversa especially —knows my face, Grima will rise again. Don't forget that no matter who he was, he is now a Fallen One. Beside, I have a legacy to protect, now."
"Congratulations, milady." The man sighed, "So you will not reconsider?"
She shook her head, "I'm sorry, no. But I swear that if your next king starts making a mess or killing people, I will intervene."
Sahan nodded, "That's all I can ask of you."
He handed her a book bag, "Still, I ask that you keep this safe."
Ryoko glanced inside and frowned.
"Why give me this?" she questioned.
"Because, by all rights, it is yours." He replied easily, "Technically, I was merely returning it."
Knowing that this was not an argument that the old Priest would let her win, she sighed in resignation.
"Very well." She said, "If you wish, gather a squad of volunteers to help deal with the Risen and keep me updated on the situation both here and in Valm."
Sahan smiled serenely and bowed, "Stay safe, milady. Fair winds."
"Fair winds, Sahan." She replied, quickly turning and marching towards camp— and her tent, away from the heat.
.
That night, Levi left camp to look at the stars from a nearby cliff.
He almost could not believe that it was finally over.
He still could not believe what Ryoko had told him the day before.
Him. A father.
Come spring, he would have a child.
It felt surreal.
He would have never believed that he could ever find someone, let alone that he'd actually get a family.
He smiled, glancing at the gray feathers that he had been observing for a while now, deep in thought.
He knew that they were somewhat useless now that he had a bond, but he had always dreamed as a child of having a traditional Fell marriage, to honor his ancestor's choice.
Dragon laws were too tedious anyways. He preferred to walk around humans, to freely express himself and to live his own life exploring the world.
His non-Manakete Kin would certainly disapprove, and he found himself smiling at that thought.
Yes, let them disapprove. Let them call him and his fiance Fell.
He was proud of having found so many friends and good comrades rather than living a long life of isolation.
And he would be proud to have helped make the word a better place with Ryoko at his side when he became as old as Tiki is now.
And it's over.
Maybe it's a bit anticlimatic, but that's certainly how it felt to me the first time I played the game. I had the Shepherds take care of everyone else, distracting the reinforcements and had Chrom and Robin kill the Mad King. It took a couple of hits. You can see the same here, where the was was still going on because the enemy king was still fighting. He had few troops, he was no match to two very driven and skilled men ganging up on him. I did consider giving him some sort of 'pissy boss mode' that had something to do with the Dragonstone he drops, but it made more sense if he carried sharp knives than that he somehow managed to activate a Dragonstone within the setup I used.
I kept the confession scene nearly identical to the game for mostly the same reason. It was how the game went for me the first time, yes, but I also felt that the story would flow better with the confession scene rather than interrupting it with two or three supports and the proposal. The pairing itself is a whole other story. Personally, I like Chrom/Olivia better, for various reasons. However, in the end I decided to go for Sumia because she is the one he got closest to, and because my characters were shipping them together. It's quite funny how a story writes itself like that sometimes.
Case in point, Frederick's very blunt question in the first scene. I imagine that he had been dancing around the topic for a while and got brushed off, so he confronted Ryoko, presented his evidence and told her up front and bluntly. If you are interested, Ryoko is just starting her second trimester at this point, and if I hadn't been reading romance fanfics for a couple years, researching the topic would have been a lot more embarrassing. And, if you must know, I think I'll mostly stick to stuff blowing up from now on.
As for the final scenes... well, first of all, Sahan is an OC added at the last second. Secondly, I did say there were subplots to resolve.
Here, Ryoko is not referring to Aversa knowing her name and face, but to her knowing that she is the Seal, the very thing preventing just what the Grimeal cult wants: the rise of Grima. Right now, Aversa sees her as a very, very annoying Dragon who is meddling in human affairs and getting in the way. Defeating Ryoko would merely be a matter of pride, defeating an enemy who beat her tactics. Should she know Ryoko was the Seal Holder, the entire Grimeal cult would be behind her in making absolutely sure that she dies. And, with no children, this is not an option for Ryoko.
Finally, you get a glimpse of Dragon culture. I will say it now: I have made it very intentionally when I made a clear difference between the terms 'Fell' and 'Fallen'. There is a very good reason for Levi's pride in being called Fell. That's a cultural thing that will be explained in the next arc, as will the marriage/bond feathers thing. You didn't think I forgot, did you?
So, with all that said, I hope you enjoyed the arc's conclusion have a happy New Year.
