Chapter 30) Tragic Weapons


To the west, off the coast, is an archipelago known as the Western Isles. Colonized by Etruria two generations ago because of the rich minerals and resources that lie hidden within, it is made of three main islands. Fibernia, the largest, holds the capital: Jutes, founded by Durban after the Scouring. With the help of Athos's magic, Hector and I warp to a small cave on the outskirts of the city, to win the mighty Armads, the Thunder Axe.

While we go there, Lyn and Eliwood are sent to a mountain cave on the outskirts of Ostia. There, the Blazing Sword rests, unsealed at last. Athos will send Hector and I to them, when we finish here, with the legacy of the Berserker.

The three lords are all excited, but I am apprehensive. These weapons were sealed for a reason. And I was terrified that our ignorance of that reason, not helped by Athos's silence, was going to cost us more than we are willing to pay.


"I don't know what's worse. The lack of light in this damn cave, or the smoke." Well, Hector, considering I was literally coughing up my lungs, I'd go with the damn smoke personally. "Katri, here," Hector murmured as he reached back. I took his hand. "You didn't have to come."

"Hector, we are currently in a cave where we literally have ghosts of people who died during the Scouring watching lining the only path," I deadpanned. Even as I coughed. I was glad I'd gotten a new handkerchief, but wished I had gotten more medicine before leaving. "Eliwood and Lyn will be fine. They're cautious, unlike someone."

"Hey, I'm better?"

"Sort of." I laughed a little and he rolled his eyes. "As much as it aggravates me to agree with him, though, I think you should heed what Athos said before dropping us off."

"About how my recklessness will be my undoing?" He sighed. "So, what? I'll die when I charge ahead?"

"Well, you did yell at Bramimond of all people, and the stories make it pretty clear that in terms of raw might, Bramimond was the most powerful of the three magic-wielding Heroes. And your ability to resist magic, Hector…"

"I get it; I get it!" He groaned, and I laughed, but then we lapsed into silence again. There wasn't really much to the cave. Just a straight path, fogged with smoke, and lined with ghosts. Ghost that were… unnerving, and not just in the typical 'oh, ghosts are scary' way.

"…Hector, do you notice how young everyone is?" I pointed to one as we passed. They couldn't have been older than fifteen. "It… never occurred to me, how young everyone must have been." Eight years of war. That was the Scouring.

"…They were our age, weren't they?" Hector paused, actually looked at the spirits now. "All of them. They were our age, and then they died."

"Painfully." You could see the wounds on their persons. Thankfully, just as silver, gleaming lines, and the bodies themselves were still whole. I… probably would have thrown up if that wasn't the case. Quite a few were ripped into pieces, and the mental image of ghosts like that wandering about… just watching us… "What did Athos say about them?"

"They're judging us as we pass, and if they deem us unworthy, they will attack to see our worthiness that way." Oh. Great. "I'll protect you if that comes to pass."

"And I'll give you tactical." He laughed a little at that, but went quiet again. This time, I wasn't going to let him. "You okay? It's strange to see you so quiet."

"…I have something I want to ask, but I'm not sure if I actually want the answer." He took a deep breath and paused, turning to face me. "But, I think no matter how much I regret it, I will regret not asking more." He looked nervous, though. "You… Katri, you sickness is just a cold, right?" …Ah. "It's not something worse. Please, just… just tell me it's not worse." Well, now here was the thing. Do I lie or not lie?

"What do you think it is?" Let's just go with that.

"…Is it consumption?" I closed my eyes, and debated how to answer. "Is it… do you have…?" Well… hmm… ah, I didn't want to lie. And we were finally out of Bern, so…

"Yes." I opened my eyes just in time to see how heartbroken he looked. "Yes, I have it."

"How… how long?" Oh, freaking hell, I did not know Hector, of all people, could sound so small and fragile. "I mean…"

"I have likely had it since the day Helman died." His eyes widened. "I didn't realize it until we were in Bern. Yes, I know. I'm an idiot."

"And you… you weren't telling anyone?" Okay, now he was a little angry. There was a definite growl to his voice. "You were just going to… I mean…" He sighed, shaking his head. "Restarting that." Okay. "Who knows?"

"Serra and Rath, who take care of my health." He nodded at that. "Lucius knows because Lucius prods so much about my health, and Matthew knows because Matthew happened to be there when I had a particularly bloody coughing fit." He winced, and I wished I had worded that a little better. "Pent… has probably figured it out, but I've not had the chance to hear him yell at me yet."

"And… that's it…" And now Hector was back to sounded small and fragile. Damn it all. "Are we… am I… so untrustworthy?" Oh, Hector…

"Hector, as a reminder, I figured out I had the consumption while we were in Bern. Serra announced my 'cold' literally hours after we figured it out." I closed my eyes, mostly to focus. It was hard to breath, and I was working very hard on not coughing right now. "So, the only way I could, safely, receive the treatment I needed would've been to leave."

"I got that!" Hector, hush. "So-!"

"Hector, what would happen if I left the army?" I opened my eyes and saw his expression blank. "That… is the choice you, Lyn, and Eliwood would have had to face. Have me leave, to save my life, or have me stay, to maximize the chances of the army." He had no reply to that. "What would you pick?"

"I…" He glanced away, to the ground. "Lyn would pick you." Not what I asked. "Eliwood would pick the army." Also not what I asked. "Both would hate themselves forever for the choice." I knew that. "I… I can't…"

"I know." I smiled at him. "You can't pick, because I am your friend, your 'sister', and this army is filled with people you adore. This army is yours as much as it is mine, and both of us are the type to protect our own with everything we have." So, please… I don't care if you get mad, but I hope…

"…So, you removed that choice, because you knew… you knew we'd hate ourselves forever." He still wouldn't look at me. "It's like when you took that punch. You're just… you're just protecting us. Again. At the cost of your own health."

"Yes, so, it is not a lack of trust. It is a decision born from how much I love you all." Now he glanced up at me, but remained quiet. "That's all, Hector. We can talk about it again when we're not in this damn cave, though."

"Yeah, I… I want to think a little." Okay. "But one question." …I had a feeling on what it was. "How… How bad is it?"

"…Bad." I would not lie. In this, at least, I was going to be different from Uther. I would not hide from the people who knew how bad it was. "Honestly, Hector, I'm pretty close to death." There was… a strange sense of contentment in saying that? I was scared out of my mind, but… but it was nice, telling him. Out of all the people I was keeping this from, Hector probably needed to hear it the most.

"And you're here, with me, in a room full of smoke…!" Now he was growling, but I knew he wasn't mad at me. "When we finish getting these weapons,we're going to Ostia and-"

"And Yodel, a bishop, will be there to see if I can be saved." He looked startled and I laughed a little. "Matthew has already confirmed he is there. It's honestly just a matter of…"

"Of whether or not our romp through Bern destroyed any chances you had of living for more than a few months." Pretty much. "…I'm carrying you." What. "Come on. I don't want you walking."

"…Hector, you have a susceptibility to-"

"I know. And, honestly, there's a good chance I'm already infected and it's just latent. I spent a lot of time with my parents, and Uther, prior to them realizing what their illness was." He tugged me towards him, though, and all but slung me onto his back. "But, Katri, I'm still healthy, I actually do get checks regularly even when back home for the illness, so if I get it, I have a high chance of getting healed."

I sighed in defeat. "Bossy."

"That's rich, coming from you." He started walking. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm good." I almost thought the ghosts were smiling at us. "…Oh, this is… a bit nostalgic."

"Hmm?"

"In Kathelet. You carried me then too. Because I was trying to walk, and couldn't."

"…I did, huh?" He laughed a little. "That was only a year ago. I feel so much older now." Same here. "Feel free to nod off or something. I'm sure I'm not nearly as comfortable as Rath, but…"

"And I'm sure you'd prefer it was Lyn who was cuddling with you." His ears went red at the teasing and I snickered. "Watch it, mister. I keep quiet around Lyn, for your sake, but Lyn's not here."

"Yeah, yeah." In that lightened mood, we continued down the path. Not a single spirit attempted to stop us. They just watched us as we passed, smiling softly.

And, eventually, the path ended. A strange altar was built into the stone. Hector let me down then, and we climbed the stairs to the altar proper, just… wondering what was going to happen. Something had to happen, right? I mean… there was supposed to be an axe here, right?

"Let…" What the hell? "Let me fight!" There… there was a person suddenly in front of Hector. "Me… Let me fight!" A man with brown hair and eyes, scars littering his naked torso. He had so many silver 'cuts' on him… he had died because someone, or something, ripped him apart.

"Who the hell are you?" Hector demanded, bringing out his axe as he shifted to keep me behind him. I glanced around the area and noted it wasn't… exactly best for a fight. I mean; it was, but only if you were going to a 'duel'. "What are you?" Though, was that a sword nearby? What was that doing here?

"I am Durban." This… this was Durban, the Berserker? "I wield Armads." And suddenly there was an axe in his hands. It was silver and gold, double-headed, though it was clear which head was the 'main' and which was 'secondary'. "I am power! Power without peer!" What startled me, though, was how I could see the power crackling underneath the metal. It was said that a friend of Saint Elimine forged this. I wondered how a human could have forged anything like this. "I am the dragonhunter! The fleshbiter, the bonecrusher, the skullbreaker, the doombringer!"

"I… see…" Hector's eyes were wide. "I… ah… were you sealed with the axe?"

"I require no seals." I couldn't tell if he was insane or too sane. "I have no use for this idleness called peace. Power unused is power wasted. Better to lie spent in the grave than to sit in wait. I care not who… Let me fight!" And Durban charged right at Hector.

I moved out of the way as Hector met Durban's blow with his own, sparks flying. He yelped as lightning crackled and sparked up his gauntlet, and he had to roll out of the way as Durban took advantage of his dropped guard to keep on charging. As they fought, I analyzed his fighting style. It was… rather simple, truly. But what made it powerful was Durban himself. He was strong, he was fast, he knew where to hit, and he had one hell of an axe. He was… he was Hector's superior in every way. There was no way Hector was going to win with an axe.

As if to prove my words, Durban swung, and when Hector tried to block, he shattered Hector's axe. The blow sent Hector flying, skidding across the floor and coughing badly as he tried to catch his breath.

I, however, had seen that coming, and had gone to retrieve that sword I had seen. "Hector!" I yelled. When he glanced at me, I slid the sword to him. He picked it up instantly, and forced himself to his feet. "Aim for the left." The left side had more scars. The left side had more of those silvery cuts. If he had any weaknesses, it was that his guard had to be weaker on the left. "He's got only one-trick. It's strong, but it's a single one. Like Dart." That… was probably mean towards Dart, but the comparison was still sound. "Take advantage of it."

Hector nodded and lunged. Duban met him with a cackle and a bellow, grinning madly as they fought. This time, Hector had a speed advantage, not nearly as weighed down by the sword as he had been by the axe. I could see Durban straining to hit Hector. I could see Hector aiming for the left, trying to get a good hit in.

I could see Hector shift back just a bit, just to get a little more force to the blow, and slashed. I could see Durban retaliae immediately, aiming his axe right for Hector's neck.

But I could also see Hector was faster, and his blow struck true before Durbans. Everything froze and I held my breath. Then, however, Durban stumbled back, and bowed his head. Acknowledging the loss. Oh, thank goodness…

"There. You fought. I won." Hector was breathing heavily, and the sword dropped from his hands with a clatter. He didn't have the energy to hold it anymore. "Lend me your strength," he growled. "I must have it."

"You… want strength?" And Durban started laughing. It was a mad laugh, one filled with so much sorrow that my eyes pricked with tears. "Then prepare yourself! Once you have gained the power of Armads, your life will not end in a comfortable bed, surrounding by your loved ones. You will die on the battlefield, broken and alone in the savage garden of war's bloody delights."

"…I don't care." Hector's voice was firm. "I will help my friend, and you are the only one with the power to let me do so. That is why I walked here. So, give it to me. I know I'll survive this campaign, if nothing else." He jabbed a finger to me. "I am not suffering the lecture she'll give me if I don't."

Dubran stared for a long moment before nodding. "It is yours." He handed the axe to Hector, and relaxed, tilting his head back. "…At last… At last, I can rest… I can see the others. I know the path. My body is buried with them. And now, I can go to them." His smile was suddenly warm and kind. "Have no regrets, my successor, and bring the axe back here, when you have succeeded in your goal."

"You got it." And Durbans faded away. "So, this is Armads…" Hector brought the axe up, eyes narrowed as he studied it. "It's… heavy. But I can wield it." He smiled, but I frowned at how it looked. Bloodthirsty. Psychotic. Basically, like Karel's. "Incredible…"

"Hector," I murmured. He glanced at me. "Hector, can you listen? Can you reason?"

"…Yeah." He brought the axe by his side, and took a slow breath. "But I can see why… it drove him crazy. This is weakened, but… I can feel it, the power pulsing through. It makes me antsy, like there's a storm brewing in my body."

"…We'll figure out safer ways to 'vent' it."

"Yeah, thanks." He smiled slowly, and this time, it was his normal smile. Kind and confident. "Let's meet Graybeard outside. We need to meet Eliwood and Lyn!"

Yep. Time for the Blazing Sword.


From smoke to fire. Well, heat, at least. The air was so hot that it hurt to breath even more so than usual. What, magical seals weren't enough, so the heroes had to add in traps and barely survivable environments?

"Looks like Lyn and Eliwood are fighting," Hector noted with a frown. He nodded over to where they were, back to back in the middle of the foes. They alternated weapons based on who they were facing. Not bad at all, really. "Why?"

"Different place, different weapon, different trial," I pointed out. "Could be that they have to fight the soldiers, and then get a nice and peaceful talk with-" I couldn't finish the sentence because of a coughing fit. "…I need water." Damn Athos for just dropping us off. Now, granted, the whole reason was because he was, apparently, going to get the rest of the army now, but still. Still!

"Here." Hector passed me a waterskin. "Just focus on breathing, Katri. Please." Yeah… "I'm going to join the fray. Don't yell. I'll tell them that this place isn't great for your illness, and have them come to you for orders."

"I'll make one strategy for them all."

"Right." Hector smiled, but I could see the worry in his eyes. "Well, here I go!" And with a warcry that reminded me of Hawkeye, Hector launched himself into the fight. Five people 'died' with the first swing, and the axe sparked and crackled, lightning bolts catching and 'killing' the surrounding ten, and cracking the ground.

This was weakened. This was weakened. Oh, holy hell, how the hell did a human make this?

"Katri!" And there was Lyn, beaming brightly at me. "Hey!" she greeted. I noticed she was covered in soot. "Glad you came at this point. Eliwood and I had to dodge some fire traps before hitting this stage." Fire… traps? Seriously? "We're almost there, though." Oh?

"We saw the altar over the walls when we were a little higher up." Eliwood walked up, smiling softly. Like Lyn, he was sooty. But, also like her, he appeared uninjured. "I'm glad to see you two succeeded," he murmured. I simply smiled back. "Your orders? Hector said this place isn't good for your health."

"Is it good for ours?" Lyn peered into my face, though. "You… look a lot paler, though."

"I will need to rest soon," I admitted. Both of them gave me a sympathetic look. "Anyway, Eliwood, as you can see, Hector has his axe. Switch to lances to take care of the sword users." Eliwood nodded, sheathed his rapier, and took up a fallen lance to go assist Hector. "Lyn, cover them with bows if you've the arrows."

"Even if I don't, they do," Lyn answered. She still studied me, though. "Katri… you sure you're going to be okay?" That… that…

"Lyn, I think at the moment, Hector and Eliwood are in more danger than I am." I pointed for emphasis and she sighed, nodding. "We can talk later, but right now…"

"Right now, I must focus on the battle, not my worries for your health." She smiled at me. "Later, then!" And she joined the battle, arrows flying precisely. I noticed that without my prompting, she focused on the axe-users, which was good. We would take every advantage we had.

With the three of them coordinating their efforts, the path cleared. Hector and Eliwood charged forward, working in tandem, trusting Lyn to take out those they couldn't finish off. I followed them more slowly, noticing how young the soldiers were here, too. That… that was just messed up. It really was. At least I had a bit of warning about potentially dying at this age.

But despite my uneasy thoughts, we eventually defeated them all and made it to the altar. And, waiting there was a young man with blue hair and eyes, a different shade than Hector's. The youth reassured me, just a little, that Durban might not have been so young when he died. Might.

"Athos came ahead to tell me of your arrival." The man smiled softly. "It's weird, seeing him look so old, but he could have told me how pretty the girls coming were." …Lyn and I exchanged a look, confirming we had heard that correctly. What the hell? "I am Roland, children. It's nice to meet you." This was Roland? "I see my heir has received Durban's axe. I hope it is easier on you than it was him." He turned his attention to Lyn. "And you wield the Mani Katti. Please tell me you got to keep your name. I was unable to hear whether or not Hanon succeeded in doing away with that stupid tradition." Lyn nodded, a little baffled. "So quiet everyone is."

"We are… simply startled," Eliwood murmured. He bowed to Roland. "My apologies. I am Eliwood, of Pherae. Hector here is of Ostia, Lyn is of the Lorca and Caelin, and Katri… Katarina is of Hanover, in Etruria." Roland's eyes flicked over to me, focusing on my eyes for some reason. And he smiled slowly. "What all… did Athos tell you?"

"Ah, yes, wise, all-seeing Athos, who still forgets to explain everything, I'm sure." Ha! "He told me enough, though. For once. You face one from before the Scouring, who yearns for the might of the dragons." Roland's eyes turned sad. "While I would welcome the dragons' peaceful return, there can be no peace in this method. And I do not know if dragons can even survive in this world anymore, thanks to the Ending Winter."

"…They can," I whispered. The three lords turned to me in shock, but I simply kept my attention on Roland. "Bramimond mentions some dragons escaped to the desert. Athos said they are there now, still."

"That is a relief to here." Roland's smile was bright. "Now, here. Take this blade." He gestured to the sword on his hip. "But be wary. Durandel is a sword of fire. And, like all flames, it demands a price, a sacrifice, before yielding its true might." Armads doomed the wielder to die in battle, and Durandel demanding a sacrifice? What tragic weapons… I didn't like that my 'little brothers' were wielding them.

"That is fine," Eliwood murmured. His eyes were resolute. "I will pay the price to complete my duty."

"…I hope you are prepared." Roland's eyes were sad again. "Because the price is never what you would want or expect." I had so many bad feelings now. "If you are still prepared, then take it." Roland passed the sword to Eliwood. "And now, I will rest. I shall pray and watch over you, with the others. Know that all of us are watching over you, and that we believe in your ability to persevere and succeed."

And, with that, Roland vanished. Well, he was chattier than Durban. Then again, he seemed a little saner.

"Let's head outside," I murmured. The three nodded, and Eliwood attached the sword to his belt, right next to his rapier. "Maybe the others have arrived."


They had, actually. Just arrived, based on how disoriented they looked and the fact that Athos was actually still here instead of disappearing and being enigmatic. But their arrival reminded me of a certain conversation I had avoided before, but definitely wasn't going to now. It involved a very, very angry Pent.

"Pent, can this wait?" I tried to ask. I had to stop at every other word because of a bloody coughing fit. Neither of those caves had been good to me. My handkerchief was saturated again. "I need medicine, and rest."

"I cannot believe you are doing this," he hissed, basically telling me that, no, it wasn't going to wait. I simply sighed in reply. "Your mother died from it." I suppose I should be grateful he was keeping quiet? "And you… you…!"

"I figured it out in Bern." He flinched at that. "Now, seriously, you can yell at me later. I want-" An ear-shattering shriek pierced the air, and I felt my blood run cold at the gigantic shadow that fell over the group. I knew, without looking up, that a dragon had crossed. Damn Nergal… had he won? …No, because there was only one dragon when I did look up. Still, that made me worry about Ninian. Was she okay? We had to hurry up and go save her.

The dragon landed, snarling at everyone. But before anyone even had a chance to panic, a blade flashed, and the dragon was struck down in a single, flaming blow. Well, damn, Eliwood. And damn did Durandel ever live up to its reputation. This was good. It should be good. So, why did I have a bad feeling?

"Ah, so that is the strength of a legendary weapon," Pent mused as the group cheered. I, however, just focused on the dragon, actually walking away a little so I could better see it as it bleed out. There was a lot of blood, and it pooled underneath. Just like a human. That made sense. Blood was blood. But it was another thing to see that. The poor dragons… "Katri? We're not done-"

I waved his words away, deciding to walk towards the dragon as I tried to figure out just what was bothering me. Lyn and Hector were checking on Eliwood, Athos was doing some bit of explaining… but I focused on the dragon. Something… was wrong here.

"Bah, here you lot are." I nearly shrieked when I saw Nergal warp in. Somehow, someway, he already had Nils, and his eyes were blank. "Ninian proved useless, so I have come for her replacement," he said lightly, completely ignoring all the weapons aimed his way. I frowned, though. He could have just left. He could have taken Nils and gone, and we would not have even noticed until it was too late. Why was he here?

Eliwood shouted something and him, followed by Hector. But I ignored them, looking to the dragon again. Something… something… okay, okay, let's think. Let's just think. What could be… the color. The color of the dragon's scales bothered me. It resembled… Ninian's… hair…

"Not all dragons wished to fight in the Scouring. Some escaped into the desert, hiding. Others gave up on the continent, and escaped entirely, leaving through Dragon's Gate." That's what Bramimond said. And combined with the feeling I had when we were at the Gate. That we were trespassing. That we were tainting it. That is was not a place for humans. Humans had no right to be there. A human… should not be able to open that gate.

"…Why couldn't people be like you and everyone back then?"A question that slipped out of Nils's mouth as we talked about happiness. A question he had tried to hide, changing the subject in order to do so. A question that was innocent, on its own, but not when combined with the rest. A question that implied Nils was older than he appeared.

"But this place… I feel like I know it. It's very familiar." Ninian, even without her memories, knew of a place that was older than the Scouring. She had run there, searching for answers, and had known how to navigate it. Had gone straight to a library, a library where I had found a journal from the Scouring. One that had the truth written within, and not doctored to fit the victor's tale later.

"…If you met a dragon, what would you do?" Ninan's innocent question in that ruined estate, but she had sounded so serious. Asked in front of the painting, a painting where I had seen the dragon and noted the color was similar to her hair. A dragon that looked much like the dragon lying in a pool of its… her… own blood…!

I covered my mouth, muffling my scream of horror as I put all the pieces together. This was… and Eliwood just…!

"Bah, I was planning on drawing it out, but it seems like your tactician is actually intelligent," I heard Nergal spit out. I vaguely noted people looking at me, but I could only turn to Nergal. "Why can you not ever be predicted?" Nergal sounded so annoyed. He… had stayed… "Bah, vexing…" He had stayed, just to rub this in Eliwood's face… That's why he hadn't just stolen Nils and left. He had…!

"I will see you ripped apart, bone by bone," I hissed, snarling at him. Bad enough he was trying to destroy the world. Bad enough that he captured Ninian. I would see him obliterated for this!

"I have done nothing."

"I know you did something. And you will die for it, screaming and begging for a mercy none of us will give! That's a promise!"

"Katri, what's going on?" I froze at Eliwood's almost frantic question. I slowly turned to face him, and saw he looked… frazzled. Scared. "He was talking in circles, not making any sense. Just mentioned Ninian, and… and Katri, seriously, what is going on?" How… how could I tell him? How could I tell him that the dragon he just killed was… that the girl he loved, the girl he swore to protect… that she was… "Katri?" But, I had to. Because there was no way in hell I would let Nergal tell him. This had to come from me.

"…Ninian," I whispered. Eliwood looked confused, and why not? I just said her name. It was hard… this was the hardest sentence I had to ever say. "The dragon is Ninian, Eliwood." Eliwood stilled, staring at me. His mouth opened as if to say something, but nothing came out. "I don't know what that bastard did…" I glared at Nergal before returning my attention to Eliwood. "But, somehow, she changed back into a dragon, and flew here." Everything was still now. Even the air. The air was stagnant and heavy, as if it itself collapsed from the weight of this, from the shock of this. "And then…" And then you killed her, Eliwood, because if there was one thing none of us expected, it was that Ninian and Nils were really dragons.

Durandel leveled one hell of a price.

"Lo… Lord Eliwood…" Everything just shattered at that gentle, gentle call. I twisted towards the dragon again, but saw no dragon in that giant pool of blood. Just Ninian, bleeding heavily from a gash that nearly cut her in two, reaching out with shaking hands. When had she shifted back? How? "Eli…"

"Ninian?!" Eliwood lunged for her, slipping in the blood. It splashed all the way to his hair as he crashed to his knees and cradled her in his arms. "Ninian, I…" he began, but his voice cracked. "Ninian, please… don't die…" Tears were streaming down his face. "I… what have I done…? Ninian…"

"You're… okay…" Ninian smiled so softly at him. "You're okay… I didn't hurt you… I'm so glad…"

"I'm sorry!" Eliwood… was sobbing… He cradled her to his chest, sobbing. "I'm sorry!"

"It's okay." Ninian's bloody, shaking hand reached up to brush away his tears "Lord Eliwood, can you… smile for me?" All it did, though, was smear her blood on his face. "Can you smile for me, one last time?" She was smiling. She was actually smiling. "One last smile, before I leave?"

"Ninian…!" Eliwood forced himself to smile for her. "It'll… it'll be all right." His voice shook, and I knew he was on the edge of screaming. "You'll be fine, and I'll take you to the harvest festival. I'll dance with you until dawn, and we'll laugh and laugh…"

"Yes, it sounds wonderful…" She laughed a little. "I love your smile, Lord Eliwood. I… would give anything to see you smile…" Her hand slipped off his face. "Please… this land… prote…"

The final syllable never came. It died on Ninian's last breath.

"Ninian?" Eliwood's voice was so quiet, so fragile. His smile shattered, as he shook Ninian's body. Trying to wake her. "You can't… please, answer me? Please, open your eyes!" His breath hitched and he shook his head violently. "Ninian! Wake up! Please! There's so much… there's so much I want to tell you, so many things I want to show you still!" Eliwood… "Please, you can't be…" He broke down in sobs, clutching at her. "Please, Ninian, can you…? Please, at least… let me tell you 'I love you'… one more time…"

"Bah, not as entertaining as I hoped," I heard Nergal growl, reminding met here were actually people around. Power pulsed, and I whirled, seeing Nergal aiming a spell right at Eliwood! "You will await the end of the world trembling in the shadows of dragons!" Like hell!

"Perish in flame instead!" I was utterly shocked to see Athos actually move his ass and do something for once. Fire spiraled and convulsed, the might of which shaking and cracking the earth. Was this Forblaze? But… but it did nothing to him?! "What…?"

Nergal cackled. "Very impressive, old friend!" What. "But see? The fire is no longer my foe! Not even a legendary blade can cause me harm!"

"A simple dagger from a dying man did," I snapped. He glared at me, and I glared right back. "You don't scare me."

"Foolish girl, leading a pack of fools!" Nergal, however, stood back, gesturing to Nils… except, Nils wasn't by him anymore. He was by Athos. "…Clever, Athos. Using the spell as a distraction to free the boy." Nergal smiled slowly. "Out of respect for the great man you used to be, I'll leave for now." And with a loud cackle, he disappeared.

He had… seriously come… just to mock us. How… how stereotypical could you get?!

"What's…?" I froze when I heard Nils's voice. "What's going on?" Slowly, I turned to face him. Lyn was fussing over him, and Hector was conveniently blocking his view of Eliwood and Ninian. "Oh, Lyn… I had a weird dream," Nils murmured. He rubbed his eyes sleepily. "I dreamed Ninian was here, but as… and then a sword flashed, and Ninian fell, dead." Oh… Oh, Nils… "Lyn, can I see Ninian? Oh, wait, she left…" He shook his head. "Can we go rescue her soon?" He tugged at Lyn's sleeve and faltered when she glanced away, head down. "Lyn? What's wrong? Why are you sad? Don't be sad. I like it when everyone is happy. Ninian does too. She smiles best when everyone else is smiling."

"Nils…" Lyn murmured. Her voice cracked, though, and she covered her face, breaking down. "I'm sorry, Nils." Nils looked so confused. "Hector… Hector, just move. We can't…"

Hector hesitated for a long moment, face stoic. He shook, though, as he moved out of Nils's way, and let Nils see… see that it was no dream. See that Ninian had appeared. See that she had been slain. And if he had any doubts with the massive amount of blood, the sight of Eliwood sobbing should've shattered any shred of hope.

Nils's scream of anguish echoed throughout the mountains. And, hidden within it, were the tears and sobs of forty battle harden army members.


Notes on the Legendary Weapons

· Also called Divine Weapons, they were crafted to smite the dragons during the Scouring. I think they're made with a special mineral, but I've no clue what gives them their dragon-slaying properties.

· Sealed away by the heroes, with Bramimond reluctant to remove the seal even when asked by Athos to do so. Makes me wonder… not the time…

· Powerful, even when 'weakened', they demand some sort of price for being wielded. I wonder if this will still be the case, when their power weakens further. I hope not. The ones we have are…

I'm sorry. I… I'd like to keep the logbook clean, and my tears are going to make the ink run. So, I can't complete that… I'm sorry.


Author's Note: So, little things. I removed the 'bosses' of the chapter, mostly so that I didn't have to deal with more names, and featured Durban and Roland a little more than the game. Parts of Ninian's death scene were inspired by… a certain scene in Birthright that I will not reveal because spoilers.

Next Chapter – Sands of Time