Author's Note: I think it's worth noting, in case you guys were wondering, yes, Raven fainted after his fight because I really didn't feel like writing any more fight scenes. Although, I did have a few matchups picked already (like "Marth" vs. Ike and Sophia vs. Nino and Gaius vs. Cath and Donnel vs. Hector), I just didn't want to drag you guys out with spending two or three chapters writing all those fight scenes.
I just find every excuse in the book to avoid writing more battle scenes than necessary, don't I? I can't help it… dialogue and battle scenes were my two weakest areas when I became a writer and… at least I got better with dialogue. I think.
… and battle scenes got better, but writing for a lance is just so boring!
Also, had no idea how the Elise and Raven conversation was going to go in the beginning of this chapter. I just had the idea of "Raven and Elise talks", but man… that conversation evolved from a simple scene in my head to probably something that makes me wonder if I have some kind of subconscious emotion I need to express, because that scene was just… right.
Chapter 23
Conquest
"Marth, organize everyone for our trip back. I need to talk to Elise," I said to her in a hurry. Marth nodded in acknowledgement and I started to run out the door.
"Shady, don't," Gaius called after me.
"Why not?" I asked, stopping and turning to face him.
"She… that is a big thing to drop on someone who doesn't know who they are," he said.
"That's why she needs someone she can trust and rely on to be there by her side, Gaius," I shot back. Without waiting for a reply, I ran out the doorway and headed straight to the convoy. I saw Elise outside with a big lead, running past the convoy and down the trail we came from. I ran out the entrance hall and past the supply convoy, trying to catch up to her. After about five minutes of running, I saw her sitting down on the ground, curled up in a ball, and leaning against a tree. I gently and slowly started to approach her.
"Elise…?" I asked tentatively.
"Do not come closer!" she said frantically. I stopped in my tracks, obliging her request. "Oh… gods… is that why I speak so formally? You did not need to stop! I am not your ruler! I rule over nobody! Is that why you two were by my side when we lost our memory? Are you two my loyal retainers? I am just Elise… I am just Elise… I am just me."
"Elise, calm down! Stop it! Just… breathe, please! I stopped because… you're my friend and I respect that," I said before I tentatively took another step forward.
"Raven, do not come closer, please! I just… please…" she said frantically.
"Elise, let me help you," I said soothingly.
"Help me how? Am I a princess? Am I a queen? Is some land suffering without their ruler because I am all the way over here? How many suffer in my absence?" she asked frantically.
"None! None whatsoever," I said firmly.
"How? How can you possibly know that? How can you possibly say that? Am I a warrior queen? Is this what this armor is about? Am I really truly a cleric or was I trained in the staff as a formality?" she asked.
"I know because I've had Gaius and Frederick keep their ears out for rumors, both in royal lines and in the dark underworld, about any lands who mysteriously lost their ruler or lord or anything of the sort," I said. "If you're royalty, you're of a distant relation. So, please, stop worrying. Please…"
Elise stopped for a second as she stared at me. She got up and started walking toward me with an unreadable expression on her face. I didn't know whether she wanted me to stay still, go toward her, or back away. My instinct was telling me to back away. I chose to ignore that. Without any warning, she started running toward me. Before I could react, she crashed into me and held me in a tight embrace. I almost lost my balance, but managed to stabilize myself as she began crying in my shoulder.
"Raven… Raven… who are we? Who were we? One of us has a mysterious connection to some unknown royal family and the other was a wandering cloaked wraith-like figure with a bag that's worth a fortune in coins not native to any nearby land! Why did we lose our memories? Who were we? Who were we! Oh Naga, please… why did this happen to us? Why did this have to happen to us! Please, tell me why… please. Tell me why!" she yelled into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her hand held her tightly. I had to stay strong… for the both of us.
… but this revelation only raised questions about myself as well. We clearly knew each other. I see her in dreams of our past. I saw us eating together at a restaurant before going to see a play together when we were clearly much younger. She saw us in a dream sitting in an aristocrat's manor, also younger, sitting down and talking. Was I a prince of another kingdom? Were we rivals? Were we arranged to be married to each other against our wills? Or were we betrothed to others but eloped because we loved each other?
I thought about the times I would unconsciously get upset when Virion would make flirtatious comments at Elise. I thought about the time I subconsciously got upset at the idea of Vaike peeping on her. I thought about how I felt a little flustered at Chrom being the one to walk in on Elise in the bath. Were… were we once a couple? Were my feelings unrequited in a previous life? Perhaps they weren't. Elise mentioned something about other dreams I was in. Was the feeling mutual? Or did we never discuss it?
I gently whispered reassuring words to Elise as she kept crying into my shoulder at the revelation, trying to stay strong for her sake… but at the same time, every part of me wanted to do the same exact thing. Who was I? Who was I…?
Eventually, the crying subsided, and I felt her hiccupping to herself slightly.
"Shh… do you feel better?" I asked.
"… a little. I… I am sorry, Raven. I did not mean for… I should not have… you must feel the same way right now," she said.
"What do you mean?" I asked, pretending not to agree with her assessment and playing ignorant.
"This raises so many questions about you as well. Who are you? What is your relation to me? Are you also royalty or are you a servant?" she asked.
"Seeing as how I cannot wield a staff, I guess that eliminates the simple way of finding out," I commented with a shrug. Elise stared at me for a second before laughing a bit to herself.
"How are you able to never take anything seriously…?" she asked.
"I guess it's my way of preventing myself from getting too emotionally attached to someone or something. I mean, last time I got emotionally attached, I paid a steep price for it," I said.
"You remembered something of your past?" she asked randomly.
"… no? That's an odd question," I said. She paused for a second before a look of realization crossed her face.
"Oh, you and… oh… I never knew you were legitimately serious about her," Elise said with a frown.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" she asked in reply.
"You frowned thinking about me and my rapport with Cordelia. Why?" I asked.
"Ah, there you two are! I was wondering whether I would find a sign, like a cape hanging on a tree branch," Gaius said as he walked over. Elise gave him a look of relief and I realized I wasn't going to get an answer for my question. I sighed as I turned to Gaius.
"Cape on a tree branch?" I asked.
"You mean, you don't know about… the cape on the doorknob of a room? Oh, well, forget what I said then," he replied with a shrug. "Everyone is worried about you two and I figured I would snoop around to ease their inquiring, highly assuming minds."
"Okay, then. Perhaps we should head back and let everyone know we're fine," I said.
"You should let Marth know as well. The blue-haired maiden seemed perturbed at the fact you were running off alone with Elise here. Didn't help her fretting that I may have suggested some creative ideas what you two were doing," Gaius said with a smirk. I frowned at him.
"You know she really doesn't get your jokes until a day later," I replied to him.
"That's why it's so fun to make jokes at her," he replied.
"You keep that up and you're going to be the one unconscious for three days," I said.
"Like she could hit me," he said proudly.
"You think you're quicker than me?" I asked him. He paused for a second and thought about it.
"Fair point," he replied.
"How did she manage to hit you anyway? Someone with her fighting style should be easy for you to dodge," Elise asked as we walked back.
"She… started adapting her fighting style to copy mine," I said.
"You mean, she started copying your movements?" Gaius asked.
"Yeah. She caught me off guard doing the little disappearing act I do to surprise people," I said.
"Just by watching you? That's not something easily learned, let alone by watching someone. She must have been watching you a lot to understand how it's executed," Gaius said. His face made a sudden expression as if he realized something. "Maybe she HAS been watching you a lot."
"You just repeated yourself, Gaius," I said. Elise frowned at Gaius.
"This is hardly time for jokes of that nature. I think we should be focusing on what we are going to do next," Elise said.
"Oh, yes, absolutely! Everyone is set to depart, Marth gave Cordelia her clothes, I managed to snatch a sweet looking apple from a nearby tree, and Sophia was organizing everyone on their re-assigned duties now that Cordelia is with us," Gaius said.
"Marth really is dependable when she's trying, isn't she?" I remarked.
"If you are impressed, then perhaps she is hitting her mark after all," Gaius commented.
"What do you mean?" I asked. Elise gave him a glare that had him quieting down.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out yourself, Shady. I have faith in you," he said as he pulled an apple out of his pocket and bit into it. I sighed to myself. What is with people assuming I can figure things out? My job right now is to lead, not to investigate information or anything like that.
We arrived back to the convoy with the rest of the group and I saw my own two eyes a mass of red that adorned a face of radiant beauty. Still… Chrom did what I couldn't do, fair and square. How could I compete with the guy for whom she had her eye on since she came to Ylisstol?
"Raven!" she said brightly with a huge smile on her face. "It really is you! I… thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!"
"F-for what?" I asked. She walked over and gave me a slightly playful punch on the shoulder. How… uncharacteristic of her.
"For leading this mission! I owe my second chance at life to you successfully leading this group here. I… don't know how I could repay you. Still… you didn't have to bring me back, Raven," she said.
"I had the opportunity. Why wouldn't I?" I asked.
"Marth here told me everything. She told me what happened with the staff. She told me how you agreed to bring me back with the staff after the exalt. You could have saved that staff's powerful magic for if something catastrophic happened. You could have saved that staff's uses for a future generation. You could have used it for hundreds of potentially more important and far-reaching applications! But… you used it… for me. I… why?" she asked.
Why did I agree to bring her back? Was it a favor to Marth, even though it turns out Selena was never in any real trouble in the first place? That was part of it, yes, but… truthfully, I did it because I wanted to see her face again. Guiltily as it was to admit, I… agreed because I wanted to see that wonderfully amazing person standing before me again. I wanted to see that massively ferocious mass of red blaze through the sky. I wanted to hear that lovely, cheerful, calming voice of hers again. I wanted to see the blaze of life in those charmingly red eyes. I wanted to hear that laugh she would have when she was amused, as often as that might have been.
Even if it all ultimately was not my place to admire… no, I can't betray Chrom like this. I bit my lip to think of a satisfactory lie.
"Why? Why would I not want to? You're one of my dearest friends," I said evasively.
"… I'm… one of your… friends?" she asked hesitantly, frowning slightly.
"… didn't we talk about that once? You and I… we're friends! I mean, I let you down that day, but I swear… I promise… not to ever let you down like that again," I said to her.
"I remember that conversation clearly, Raven. It feels like only yesterday, even though it was probably much longer for you. Still, I… thought… no, of course not. Ah, forgive me, Raven, I fear my thoughts and interpretations of things might still be a bit scrambled coming back to life," she said quietly.
"Cordelia… take your time. You have been through an ordeal that is probably mostly unheard of. That's an experience I'm almost positive none of us here have been through before," I said. "Just… if you have to, ride in the convoy for a bit and try to organize yourself a little bit."
"I… will. Thank you, Raven," she said. I saw Gaius staring at me and shaking his head. There might be no honor amongst thieves, but there is amongst warriors, Gaius. I saw everyone else started moving out. I took the rear guard to watch out for any potential dangers coming from behind.
"Raven?" Marth asked tentatively.
"Mm?" I asked, half absentmindedly as I watched Cordelia peek her head out of the convoy… almost as if she never left us in the first place. That convoy was always her favorite place to be. I'm surprised she hasn't complained about how inventory was taken.
Then again, I tried to do it the same way she did.
"Is there something between you and her?" she asked.
"… no, Marth," I said firmly as I resumed looking around.
"It seems like—"
"No. Marth. Stop it," I said even more firmly.
"But—"
"Marth, get a hint. Third time is the charm. Drop. The. Topic," I said firmly before beginning to walk away from her. I didn't get far when she grabbed me by the shoulder and forcefully turned me to face her.
"I want to know. I thought there were no more secrets between us. No more giving each other reasons to not trust," she said. "That's specifically what you said. Do you not trust me? I would trust you if I was in your spot."
"You don't know what kind of spot I'm in," I snapped at her as I shrugged her hand off my shoulder.
"I think I do," she replied. "Even I can see that."
"Then if you do, why do you need to ask?" I asked as I tried to walk away from her.
"Stop. Trying. To. Escape," she firmly said as she grabbed me by the shoulder again.
"Why are you doing this to me, Marth? Do you want to shove that dagger in my chest ever that much further in? Is that what you want me to say?" I furiously asked.
"I want you to be open and honest with me! I don't want you to become the man I knew you to be. I'm here to the change the future. I've come to realize that I can do more than just simply change the world's future," she said.
"And what more is that?" I asked back.
"I can change your future," she stated. I stopped walking and stared at her.
"My… future?" I asked.
"Trust me. Talk to me. Don't become that man. You're better than that. You're better than him. You're better than me. You're a better person than many here… and I will work as hard to see that neither you nor the world gets destroyed," she said. "That's my promise to you. Believe in it. Trust it. You said I earned a second chance to have your trust. Prove to me I do indeed have your trust. Prove to me that you believe me."
I paused for a second.
"Marth, I…" I began. What do you even say to something like that? Her knowledge of my future wasn't a guess… it was an omen of what would pass if I was ruined alongside the world.
"Raven, I'm not good with people or words. Just like my parents. Just like my younger aunt. We're not good with words… but I'm trying. You're not good with trusting… but you should still try. We can work through our weaknesses. Trust the things I say and I will do my best to say things better," she said.
"I… I will," I said before starting to march again. I motioned for her to march alongside me.
"So, is there something between you two?" she asked me again.
"I don't know, El, what is your name?" I asked.
"That's not fair and you know it," she replied.
"Can I just have this one secret to myself? You already know the answer anyway," I said.
"The first step to overcoming a problem is to admit you have one," she said.
"I don't have a problem," I said defensively. She sighed to herself.
"Okay, Raven, you get a free pass just this one time," she said.
"Anything else you want to ask about, I will gladly talk about. Just… please… not that," I said.
"Then tell me what you told Elise about why Lissa did not see us off," Marth said. I stared at her.
"How do you know about that?" I asked.
"Elise and I were talking while you were unconscious. We were both trying to figure out why she didn't see us off. Elise said she wanted to talk to you about that. I assume you gave her a satisfactory answer. I would like that answer as well," Marth said.
"You're full of questions, aren't you?" I asked.
"What was it you said earlier today? You're an enigmatic figure and I want to know more about you?" she said, imitating the tone I used earlier.
"… I suppose that's fair," I said.
The two of us continued our conversation for a while before the convoy stopped. The both of us stopped in our tracks. I walked to the front of the convoy to where Elise was and approached her.
"What's wrong?" I asked. Elise pointed in front of us. It was where we found the first "Do Not Enter" sign. I noticed painted on the back of it was "Do Not Exit" in big, red letters. I wonder what that was about.
"What do you think that could be about?" Elise asked. I shrugged my shoulders.
"Hector never told us anything about that," I said.
"That's because I almost forgot."
We turned quickly to see the old man standing near us. When did he get there?
"What do you mean? How did you get there?" I asked.
"How did I get here? Warp staff. What do I mean? There is an ancient spell that surrounds this place. I will disable it temporarily for you," he said.
"What would have happened had we left without you disabling the spell?" I asked.
"Your memories would have been altered. You would have left with no memory of your visit and instead the memories would have been replaced with a treacherous journey that bore no fruit," he said.
"… then that's what those rumors were about," I said thoughtfully. "Why are you sparing us?"
"The spell is a final countermeasure to those whom the keeper deems unworthy, yet passes the initial trials of the einherjer," he said.
"Aren't those trials what determines whether we are worthy or not?" I asked.
"Those trials determine whether you are physically worthy. Your mind is a completely different matter," he said. "That is for me to decide as I got to know each and every one of you. Some of you are rough around the edges, but I believe you all have potential to be great heroes."
"Thank you, Hector," I said with a smile.
"Please continue to keep the outside world a safe place," he replied. He raised his staff and it began glowing. "You may now depart. Please limit your discussions of this place. Contrary to what you believe, I do not get lonely in that castle."
"Really?" I asked curiously.
"The einherjer keep me company," he replied.
"They… were faceless spirits," I said in a confused manner.
"Those were. But they can also be summoned to talk to. There is a reason I picked your opponents specifically," he said.
"Who was mine? What was the name of the fearsome, yet valiant warrior I fought against?" Marth asked. The old man's face broke into a sly grin.
"Why, for you, my dear… I picked nobody other than the Hero-King himself," he said with a chuckle.
"That was Marth?" she asked with great surprise.
"That was him in his prime," he replied. "Remember, though, a leader is not always their battle prowess, but who they are as a person. Any who wishes to become a leader like him needs to remember he did not just lead by the sword, but by his words."
Marth nodded solemnly in response. We bade our farewells to the mysterious man before departing past the sign. As we walked past the sign, he put his arm with the staff down and faded from sight. We returned to the port town where we stayed the night and looked to the sky. There was no way we would be able to find a ship departing for the mainland today, so we ordered another night at the inn.
I wonder if Selena was going to talk to Cordelia at all, or would she try to avoid her mother. Now that I know the two are related, I can see some of Cordelia's features in Selena's appearance… although it was in looks alone. There was very little relationship between the two in terms of personality and I could easily see Selena did everything in her power to look as little like Cordelia as possible. I wonder if there was some animosity she harbored for her mother…
We woke up the next day and managed to find a ship that would take us back to the mainland. Surprisingly, it was the same captain who took us over the first time. He gave me one look and laughed heartily.
"Never knew a man to be knocked out like that off a training spar. Little lass got you good, di'n't she?" he asked. I shrugged.
"Well, you know, if you want to take a crack at her next and see how you fare, I'll take bets on that match," I replied with a bit of a painful smile. Did he have to remind me what happened on the way down? He clapped a powerful hand on my shoulder and laughed again.
"This ol' sea cap'n is more than just a seafarin' soul, youngin'. I have my fair share of battlin'. Pirates don't exactly go away if you ask nicely," he said. I nodded in acknowledgement.
"Perhaps, if you don't mind, maybe teaching a nugget or two of wisdom to whoever you can here, then?" I asked.
"That's what I did on the way down. 'cept someone in yer group was sleepin' the entire ride," he said with a smirk.
"Oh, right," I said sheepishly.
"I can talk to you about what was discussed while you were unconscious," Marth offered.
"Oh ho, the lady responsible for your injury offers to help. That's what bein' a team is about!"
"Thank you, sir, for your insight. Also, I would be glad, El, if you brushed me up on everything."
"Oh, what's this? A fine red-headed lass joins your merry band! Welcome aboard!" he said warmly to Cordelia.
"Thank you for the warm and welcoming greeting. It will be my pleasure to join you aboard this ship," she replied cordially.
"The pleasure's mine," he replied. I looked over to see Gaius a distance away from the group covertly trying to get my attention. As soon as he saw me looking at him, he waved me over. I nodded and made my way over to him.
"Hey, Shady," Gaius said when I got there.
"Yeah, Gaius? What's on your mind?" I asked.
"You know, Cordelia kinda reminds me of someone," he said.
"Who?" I asked. Did he figure out the connection between Selena and Cordelia?
"I'll introduce her to you when we get back to the port town. Maybe you can spend time with her and learn how to properly interact with a red-head," he replied with a smirk.
"You know, Gaius, one of those days, your comments are going to get your tongue cut out of your mouth," I said in a warning tone.
"If I had a gold piece for every time I was threatened with that," Gaius replied with a smirk. "All I'm saying is you had a golden opportunity back there to take what you wanted and you bungled it. You messed it up so hard, you should have your rights as a guy revoked."
"I think I would personally revoke my own guy rights if I stabbed Chrom in the back," I replied. Gaius frowned at me.
"If Chrom really mattered to her as much as you say he does, then she would have simply refused had you taken a chance. All I'm saying, Shady, is that quite possibly in your time together, the roles were reversed," he said.
"… I'm the one with a crush with Chrom?" I asked. Gaius made a sound that was cross between frustration and laughter.
"No! Sometimes I wonder about you and where your head is, Shady. I'm saying you became the target of the unrequited interest and Chrom became the fallback option," he said. "You became the risky priority and he became the safety net. Pretty sure if she had to choose between the both of you, she would choose the guy who spent so much time with her in the convoy, keeping her company, making her laugh, and listening to her troubles over the guy that ignored her for years… but what do I know?"
"Hm, perhaps…" I said in reply. Is he right?
"Something else is on your mind. I could tell. The moment you two had that conversation, you had something else on your mind. Something held you back from taking that initiative. Don't give me the loyalty to Chrom thing, either. You're a good guy, but I can tell there's something else going on," he said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You think I survived on the streets not being able to read people, Shady? You really surprise me sometimes, and that's saying a lot. Sometimes I feel like you really were the cream of the crop when it comes to information gathering… like how you managed to piece together where the Outrealm Gate was, but then at times like this, I feel like you're almost hopeless at reading people," Gaius commented.
"Elise," I said plainly, taking a quick glance at the green-haired cleric. Gaius made a sound of acknowledgement.
"That's a complicated situation right there," he replied.
"You're telling me…" I commented listlessly.
"Sorry, Shady, you're right. At least I'm not the one who has to live without knowing who I was. I wish I could help you with that," he said sympathetically.
"You are, Gaius. Your research, your knowledge on the topic, your diligence and persistence in finding our origins… I really, honestly appreciate all you've been doing. Pulling all your strings and connections into finding our pasts has been a great boon. It helped me calm her down earlier when she was upset," I said.
"Finding out she was royalty like that shocked even me. Yet, still, I stand by my reports that there are no reports of missing lords or royalty," he said.
"I suppose in her case, you can narrow it down to just royalty and their descendants," I said.
"Descendants… hm… that could explain the royal blood condition. Perhaps she's some distant descendent of a princess or a queen of ages past?" Gaius asked.
"It is entirely possible," I replied.
"So, you… and her?" Gaius asked. "I didn't get that sense from either of you."
"There isn't, but I can't shake the feeling we were at one point in time," I said quietly. Gaius gave me a look of disbelief.
"Wait, Shady, let me get this straight. You tossed aside a practical guarantee of a stunningly beautiful, fierce, red-headed, loyal as hell Pegasus knight, who has already established that you two have seriously strong rapport and by which may or may not upset Chrom for a day or two if you swooped in to steal her… to pursue a half-baked theory of a potential history you may or may not have had with some green-haired cleric who also has amnesia? Do I need to teach you about risk versus reward? Does Elise mean that much more to you than Cordelia? The way I saw you two interacting before she passed, I could've sworn you two were bound to get married within the year," he said.
"I don't know. I really don't know, Gaius! Why are we even talking about this?" I asked.
"To be frankly honest? I've grown to like you. It takes a special kind of person to not judge me for being a former thief from the slums. You got that huge money bag and your personality from your previous life carried over, but you never once looked down upon me. You never once treated me like someone who was a threat to that gold you carried. You and Chrom both have hearts that I appreciate. Hearts that the wrong hands could easily take advantage of… and those wrong hands will cleanly separate from their owners if they try to take advantage of either of you. People like you two are a rarity," he said. I smiled at him.
"I, uh, thanks, Gaius. That means a lot coming from the guy who made a living off reading people accurately," I replied.
"Now, get that chin up, and let me help you out. You put in a good word with Chrom to get me in this group. You got my ban on the bakery lifted. Now let this person show you what loyalty truly means," he replied.
"Let's just… get through this boat ride first. Can you knock me out for two days?" I asked.
"Wait… Shady, do you get seasick?" he asked. I didn't answer. He figured out the answer on his own. I saw Marth walk over.
"Are you two okay?" she asked.
"I learn something new every day," Gaius said.
"Such as?" she asked.
"Shady here gets seasick. You did him a favor knocking him out the last time. Maybe you should whack him on the head with a sword again," Gaius commented with a smirk.
"Why does everyone insist I purposefully knocked him out?" Marth asked exasperatedly.
"Well, why else was he knocked out? What else could you two have been doing below decks? Unless… that was a convenient excuse to hide what you actually were doing."
"Gaius," I said warningly before letting out a small belch. Marth gave him a confused look. I turned around and hung over the railing. Please, stomach, you're better than this. Please, stomach, you can do this. You can last longer! Fight the good fight, stomach… fight the good… fight.
"What else would we be doing below decks?" she asked. I looked over to see Gaius roll his eyes.
"Someday, you'll find a guy that will teach you the finer points in life. Clearly, Shady needs his guy rights revoked after all," he said before shrugging and walking off. Marth gave me a confused look as I straightened up. I think I'm safe for now. The feeling building in my throat slowly passed.
"I…"
"Drop it, El. It's Gaius being Gaius."
"… okay."
"Was he like that where you're from?" I asked.
"He was one of the first Shepherds to fall, so I never got to know him. He gave his life to protect Chrom from what could have been a fatal blow from the Risen," she replied.
"Is he a parent to one of your friends?" I asked. She bit her lip.
"That is a complex question," she replied.
"How is that a complex question?" I asked.
"… because it is. I cannot explain why. Just… trust me on that," she replied.
"I was going to say, if he's someone's parent, I guess at least he can teach someone the finer points in life," I remarked. Marth's face was one of realization, looked at me, and turned red.
"I… think I understand what he was implying earlier," she said awkwardly. I sighed. Should I give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder or would that make her more embarrassed?
"He's rough around the edges, but he means well," I said.
"He keeps making jokes about you and I," she said.
"… think about it from his perspective. Who else do you talk to around here?" I asked. She thought about it for a second.
"Nobody, really," she replied. "You're the only one here I can fully trust."
"Does that answer your question? Besides, it's not just you he's making jokes about. Now that Cordelia's back, I had to hear it from him about her as well," I said.
"So, you and her… oh… so there was something between you two before Chrom came along…" she muttered to herself.
"… how convenient that you started picking up reading between the lines at this particular moment in time with that particular topic," I said with a frown.
"Sorry, Raven," she replied.
"Still, let's get our minds straight and focused. I promise you, Marth… nothing of that nature will happen between us. Let Gaius have his fun with his jokes. I'm sure he has his reasons for making them. Perhaps it's his way of coping with the stresses of life," I said.
"You don't have to promise me anything, Raven," she replied.
"I don't have to, but I do anyway," I said reassuringly with a smile. She didn't smile back.
"You don't owe me anything, Raven," she said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"… you don't have to promise me anything. If anything, I should be making promises to you to make up for all that time of not trusting you," she said.
"Oh, then what would you be promising me?" I asked.
"… the same thing I did earlier. I promise to do everything I can to give you a better future than the one I know you could have," she said.
"Hmm," I replied. "I, um, thank you. In turn, I will do my best to be a better person as to not be tempted to go down that road."
"Hey, you two! You better figure out where you will be sleeping tonight if you don't want the uncomfortable corners of rooms," Gaius called out to us. We looked around to see everyone else had already gone below deck. I looked behind me and saw we were actually quite a distance from land, meaning we had been sailing for a while.
"I, um, I'm going down to find a suitable place to sleep," I said.
"I'll join you," she replied.
We went down below deck and we both found spots suitable for our nightly slumber. Two days had passed with thankfully little incident, although I was only assuming it as I spent most of the journey curled up on the deck of the ship by the railing, regretting any decision I had in that timespan to eat anything more than small portions for meals. During the morning of the third day, we were back at the port town where we departed from.
I cried tears of joy when I got on solid land, right before I collapsed on the ground. Something about "sea legs", but I refused to acknowledge any jokes Gaius made for the next hour. From the port town, it would be a few days' journey and we would be back in Ylisstol with our dearly returned companion.
I wonder how Chrom will take the news that Emmeryn is still alive.
It was the third day of journeying back to Ylisstol before anything eventful happened. We were travelling at a slower pace than normal, just to be safe and not run into any potential traps on the way back. We also dictated our places of stopping for the night based upon data we gathered on the way down. Tonight, we stopped on a path that ran along the border of a forest and a field. According to the map I made of Chosen One magic spots for Sophia, there was ravine about a half mile away where she can use her magic to help us escape. Her ability allowed her to create a bridge of rocks to cross over and undo the bridge on the other side. If we were to be ambushed, we could use her magic, create a bridge, cross over, and destroy it, leaving the pursuers on the other side.
Little did I know that this bit of foresight saved everyone's lives.
We were in the process of finishing dinner and getting ready to grab our sleeping bags from the convoy when we saw a fire spell shoot into the air. A bird of flames illuminated in the sky near us, as if a mage nearby had spotted us and was alerting others of our location.
"Flee! Now!" I cried out. We all ran to the convoy, grabbed our weapons, and moved as fast as we could to the ravine. We were almost there when I saw a blonde girl with a sword and shield stand in front of us.
"Halt!" she said. I ran forward with my lance already out.
"Please, get out of our way," I said. "There are bandits after us."
"I know," she replied with a smirk before getting into a battle stance. She must have been one of them! I charged forward with my lance, but she adeptly dodged me. She struck at me a few times with a series of thrusts and quick slashes, and I found myself struggling to dodge her movements outright and was forced to block and parry them. As we dueled, the rest of the group snuck past us. I smiled at her a little bit.
"What's with the smile?" she asked, her nose wrinkling in disgust.
"Did you forget something?" I asked. She looked to see the group was nowhere to be seen.
"Argh! You!"
I saw her run off in the direction of the group. Not happening! I flicked in front of her and slashed as hard as I could with the lance. Her eyes widened in surprise and put up her shield. She managed to block the blow, but the force of the attack caused her to stumble a few steps.
"Where do you think you're going?" I asked.
"Away from you, obviously!" she replied as she started running off in the direction of the group. I couldn't flick this time. I felt like I only had one or two left, and I made the choice to save them for later. I chased after her until we got to the ravine. I saw Sophia stand in a spot and, as usual with her magic, the outline of a dragon appeared, and then a bridge of rocks formed to cross the ravine.
"Wait, Sophia?!" the blonde called out. Sophia turned in shock to the blonde swordswoman.
"Oh! It's you, Sole—"
"Don't use my real name! Did you forget? Leila! Leila. Lei. La. That's the name we agreed I'd use. You don't hear me calling you Ophe—"
"I get it!" Sophia interrupted quickly. Wait, Sophia wasn't her actual name?
"Wait, you two know each other?" I asked.
"Yes, but we got separated a while ago. I was looking for her when I joined Marth and her group with the West Khan," Sophia explained.
"What happened to you? Why are you with some mercenary company?" the girl asked.
"Why are you working with bandits?" Sophia asked.
"… didn't have much of a choice. It was join them or die. Again, why are you running with mercs?" Leila asked.
"Leila, now is hardly the time! This is not a mercenary company. This is the Shepherds. This is Prince Chrom's group of warriors," Sophia said. Leila gave a surprised gasp before mumbling to herself.
"O-oh. Oh no, I'm so sorry! I… I really am," Leila replied apologetically. "I… I made a grave miscalculation. Quick. Go across the bridge. Before they catch up and see I'm helping you."
"Who's they?" I asked.
"The Flying Bandits, of course! They're looking for mercenary groups to rob and steal recruits from," Leila said. "Sophia, take you group and GO!"
Sophia nodded and we began crossing.
"No," she said as she grabbed my shoulder. "You need to stay or choose one to stay."
"Why?" I asked.
"… they will kill me if they know I let you go. I value my life too, you know. I need to make it look like one of you held me off while the rest of you escaped. I'm sorry. It's selfish of me, especially since this was my mistake, but… please…"
"Leila… I'll stay," Sophia said.
"No! If they capture you, the guys would do more than try to recruit you," Soleil said emphatically.
"So, one of the males?" I asked. That pretty much left me, Donnel, and Gaius.
"Yes. As much as I would love to spend time with one of the lovely ladies you have, it has to be a guy," she said. I nodded.
"Go," I said to the others.
"Wait, what?" Gaius said. "I don't know anything about this group. They could imprison you. Torture you. Execute you."
"One of us, Gaius, and I choose it to be me. As the leader of this group, I am ordering the rest of you to cross that canyon and destroy the bridge. Now! Get back to Ylisstol. Tell Chrom what happened here. Brief him on what happened during this mission. Go on, business as usual!" I commanded.
"But, Raven," Marth began.
"No buts! Now! GO!" I yelled at them. They all exchanged glances with each other.
"We should fight them. Raven, I cannot let you do this for us," Cordelia said.
"We don't know their numbers. We don't know their skill. We are in a complete unknown situation. Cordelia, I…" I said, before my voice trailed off.
"Raven… I just came back from a place I shouldn't have come back from. I thought… I would have the chance to spend more time with you," she replied. Elise ran over to my side.
"We will go together," she said.
"No! Go with them, Elise," I said.
"And leave you to die?" she asked. "I will have none of that."
"You won't be having much of anything except misery and broken dreams if they get their hands on you. Elise, I'm begging you, as your friend… live… survive… and do not forget me," I said. She bit her lip and held me in a tight embrace.
"I will not forget you," she said.
"Now, for the last time! Go!" I yelled. The group turned and began crossing the bridge.
"Now, duel me," she said. "I promise to hold back to make it seem even."
Some kind of anger that I didn't realize had been building all of a sudden exploded.
"This is your fault!" I yelled at her as the group started crossing the ravine. "You and your stupid bandits created this situation. You confused us for a mercenary company and brought them all upon us! Go easy on me? Don't make me laugh. I will make a mockery of your presumed ability and a drubbing of your overly inflated ego!"
"Raven, was it? Listen, I'm sorry for my mistake. I let your friends go when I could have easily stopped that. I'm sorry you had to stay behind. My father always used to say to me 'Laugh it off, Leila. The trick is to keep smiling until you actually have something to smile about.'"
"There's not going to be much to smile about after I'm captured," I replied.
"Our leader is strict, but fair. She will let you live. I promise you that. I will put in a good word for you," Leila replied firmly. "Now, ready yourself."
I nodded and got into a defensive stance. She dashed forward toward me and swung her sword. I blocked it, and was surprised by the sheer strength she had. She could go toe-to-toe with Marth if those two were to duel. I grunted as I strained to keep my guard up.
"Ugh, what strength you have," I grunted out.
"Courtesy of my fanciful mother, even if the sword skills are my father's," she replied. "… also courtesy of my mother are my two left feet and basic axe skill."
"Small talk when we're supposed to be fighting?" I asked.
"Relax, we're putting on a show. If you haven't already noticed, some of the bandits arrived already and are watching us. Please… fight back. Make it seem convincing or else we both could die when we get back… and there's too many cuties I want a cup of tea with before I move on from this life."
"… all of a sudden, Sophia's weird tendencies make a lot more sense," I commented as I broke the deadlock. I spun as I twirled my lance, and used the extra momentum to execute a very powerful thrust at her. She quickly put up her shield to block the blow. The lance met the shield, sending powerful shockwaves down my arms. Never doing that again.
I saw her stumble a few steps backward, her eyes widening with shock. She recovered faster than I thought and charged me. She swung her sword at me to initiate another powerful blow, but I waited until the last second and flicked behind her. I jabbed the butt of the lance hard into her back between the shoulder blades. She cried out in pain as she stumbled to the ground.
I ran up to her to follow up, but she quickly got back to her feet and blocked my blow.
"Just so you know, if I had used the other end of my lance, you would've been dead or permanently paralyzed… and if I struck you in the back of your head, you'd be unconscious for a while. You said put on a show, right? Putting on a show and letting you beat me are two different things. Why don't you show me what you got," I said. She looked at me with her eyes widened.
"Your frightening speed with your movements and graceful skill with the lance… it reminds me of a princess I once fought alongside with," she said. We heard a crumbling sound and saw Sophia on the other side of the ravine, activating her magic to dispel the bridge and cause it to fall apart. The bandits that got close to the edge of the ravine immediately stopped before they ran off the edge. I saw Elise give me one last longing look before the group turned and fled.
"Well… I'm no princess," I remarked.
"I doubt you sing, either," Leila replied.
"… no, I don't. I think. I… actually never thought about it," I replied.
"Leila!" one of the bandits said as he approached her. She looked to the direction of the bandit.
"Report," she said. Wait, what?
"The other mercenaries crossed the bridge, but I see you captured one of them, ma'am!" he said with a salute.
"You're in charge here?" I asked incredulously.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that?" she asked with a laugh, although I could tell the laugh was forced. What are you playing at?
"Yes. Yes you did," I replied. I'll play along… for now. If she's Sophia's friend, there had to be a reason she was doing this. "Curse you for separating me from my friends."
"Save the cursing for when we take you to the leader," Leila said. "Tie him up."
"How about we don't tie me up and I just go peacefully?" I asked. "I'm picky about who I let tie me up. You have to do it… just right."
Oh, Gaius, you would be proud of me right now. I winked at the group around me. They gave me an uncomfortable look. Leila sighed audibly.
"If I do it, will you still complain?" she asked.
"I won't if I let someone like you do it," I replied with what I hoped was a flirtatious smile. She wanted me to give them a show? I'll give them all a show. She nodded and grabbed some rope from one of the bandits.
"Hold out your arms," she said. I held out my arms in front of me and she began tying them together.
"You better have a good explanation for this," I whispered.
"I promise I do," she whispered back.
"I'm only trusting you because Sophia does. Don't make me regret that."
"Thank you."
"… oh my! You really do know how to tie someone up," I said aloud.
"You're not a cutie, but you'll do," she replied equally loudly.
… captivity with the Flying Bandits. I hope they go easy on me.
Elise… Cordelia… Marth… I hope you three can survive in my absence.
My vision blacked out as a cloth sack was put over my head. The last thing I remembered was the sound of a staff being activated before I felt myself slowly drifting off to sleep.
