Yellow light tries to claw its way underneath my eyes. I roll onto my stomach and throw the blanket over my face. Honora yawns and sits up on her side of the bedding. Judging by her small grunt, the morning sun is trying to blind her as well.
My eyes slowly adjust to the suppressed daylight that penetrates through the blackened wool. I yank the blanket off the top of my head and check around our campsite. Honora is rubbing the sleep out of her watery eyes, and the fire from last night has completely burned out. Despite us being exposed to the elements, it was surprisingly warm. Honora was fast asleep the entire night, and she didn't even notice the times I got up to secure the location.
"Morning Artorias."
"Good morning Honora."
"How did you sleep last night?" She asks.
"Pretty good. You?"
"It's been a long time since I've been out in the wilderness, but it was very relaxing." She answers.
"Good. That's good." I state as I sit down at the bend of the hill and pull out my monocular.
Some of the early risers are practicing their techniques and preparing mentally for the upcoming battle. I look over at the Black Eagles training pits. That boy named Fletcher is tossing fireballs into the mounds.
He spins around and drives his foot into the ground. A small chunk of earth flies up into the air. Fletcher drives both of his palms into the rock and sends it into the mound. So this kid is a mage? Interesting.
Off to the side, Charley is striking a practice dummy. He drives his hammer into the ground, flips over the handle and draws his sword from a sheathed position. The wooden blade strikes the dummy in the neck as he backs off and practices his overhead swings.
I look out over to where Faerghus' Blue Lions are camped and examine their training pit. I can definitely see Felix practicing his technique against a training dummy. He is using a more traditional style of sword art built around dodging and aggression rather than deflecting and trying to break posture.
"I reckon it's time we head down." Honora says as she puts her headdress on.
Honora and I collect our bedding and head down to the Black Eagles campsite. We'll just leave it with the quartermaster there. It will eventually make its way back to the Serios campsite before the end of the day.
"I'm going to head back to my tent. I'll see you later." Honora says as we drop our bedding off.
We wave each other goodbye, and she heads toward the Serios campground. I press on towards the training pits. Fletcher is now practicing his razor wind and water spells. Charley holds his sword above his head and strikes the dummy's shoulder. He switches the position of his sword and slashes upward, and then swings horizontally in a wide arc.
The wooden pole buried in the dirt causes the dummy to stagger. Charley dashes forward and rams his elbow into the chest. The impact pushes the dummy back into the ideal striking range. The wooden sword hits the dummy, and Charley drags the blade across the chest. Almost like he's severing the cords of the heart.
I slap my hands together, and the metallic clack of my gauntlets catch his attention, "Well done Charley."
"Thank you Artorias." He says with an honorable nod.
"Is there anything you want to cover before the fight?"
"Could you help me practice my defense?"
"Sure."
I take a wooden sword from the weapon rack and hold it off to one side of my body. Charley picks his hammer up and gets ready. I run towards him and slash. Charley knocks the attack off course and counter swings. I jump out of reach and charge forward. He barely dodges the tip of my sword. I keep up the pressure to try and prevent him from coming up with a strategy.
We engage one another, and my constant assault forces him to stay on the defensive. Charley deflects one of my attacks and swings overhead. I spin out of the way and stomp the handle with my right leg. Before he can react, I point the tip of my blade at his face and give him the impression he's lost.
"Remind me to never overhead swing again." Charley says as he hooks his hammer on his back sheathe.
"Nobody knows how to do that without getting themselves killed. So you'll be fine." I reply as I lower the weapon.
"As long as it isn't you." Charley states.
I put the wooden sword back on the weapon rack. If he can survive that, then he should be ready. However, this event worries me. I know it's just a mock battle, but what if Charley gets knocked out?
Does that mean in an actual fight, he could potentially die? In the past, this didn't really worry me because he was always by my side, and if something happened, I could protect him. When this starts, we'll be separated. If he gets into trouble, I won't be there.
Charley sits down where Fletcher is practicing his magic spells and intently watches. Fletcher holds up his left hand and draws some humidity out of the air. Water wraps around his fingers and form what looks like chainmail wire. He chops the air with his hand and sends the water into a wooden board that's been set up.
Fletcher walks over to the board and touches it with his index finger. A section of the wood moves in, and a puff of sawdust bursts out of the cuts in the wood. The board falls into four even pieces.
"That was awesome!" Charley cheers and claps.
"Master Hanneman taught me that." Fletcher says.
"Water and wind. Just like the old man." I state.
"He is currently teaching me fire, and I must say, fire is probably the most difficult to control."
"It can be tricky to master." I reply.
"I heard Master Hanneman was also the one that taught you wind, water and earth."
"If it didn't involve fire or lighting, he taught me everything I know." I answer.
Off in the distance, a silver banner waving the Church's emblem is making its way towards the Black Eagles camp. That must mean it's almost time for the mock battle to begin. Charley notices the banner and takes a deep breath.
"Artorias?"
"Yes Charley?"
"Does it ever feel like you're ready for something, but when the time actually comes, you have second thoughts?"
"All the time."
"Do you really think I can do this?"
"I know you can." I reply with confidence.
Charley stands up and clenches his fist, "I promise to make proud Artorias."
Charley and Fletcher make their way to the middle of the campsite. To the west of the field is where Rhea, Seteth, Honora, and the knights are positioned. Sitting underneath the tree Honora and I stayed last night are Hanneman, Jeralt and Byleth. I make my back up the hill and take a seat between Byleth and Hanneman.
"What brings you here to my spot?" I ask as I take my monocular out.
"Nothing in particular. Just looking to enjoy the fight with someone who's not a fanatic." Jeralt states as he takes a sip from his flask.
Rhea looks over at Honora and issues the command. Honora closes her eyes and releases a huge amount of white magic. Gold chains shoot out from the blue sky above and encase the battlefield in her mana suppressing spell.
I scan the south side of the field and try to locate Charley's squad. Edelgard is pacing back and forth in front of the army and giving a speech. She's not dressed in any kind of armor. All Edelgard is wearing is her Garreg Mach officer uniform.
I catch a glimpse of pink within the endless sea of leather caps and red combs mounted on metal helmets. Charley is standing between Fletcher, and that Bernadetta girl with the purple hair. If he was in charge of protecting Linhardt and Bernadetta, then that must mean they are part of Hubert's squad as well.
Edelgard's army raise their weapons and let out a battle cry as Edelgard turns around and directs specific squads to certain positions on the field. Charley approaches Edelgard and whispers something in her ear. The look on her face indicates that what he suggested is going to be very risky but worth a try.
She pulls Hubert over and discreetly points to the east. Charley must have told them about the creek. If Hubert can get the squad over to the gulley, Charley can handle the rest. Edelgard sends a small unit to the east. Charley and his squad assimilate within their ranks and try to keep a low profile.
To the west, Faerghus' Blue Lions and Adrestia's Black Eagles have engaged. Which means it won't be long until Leicester's Golden Deer move in. Charley and his team move to the edge of the unit's formation and break off. The five of them stick low to the ground and make their way into the gulley. So far, so good.
"You're being awfully quiet. Is something wrong?" Jeralt asks.
"I'm just watching over my pupil is all." I reply.
Hubert, and the squad stick to the banks while Charley leads the way in the chest high water. He stops and dives under. Hubert, and the others duck behind some boulders that rest up against the gulley walls. I clench my fist in satisfaction as Charley's squad avoids being detected by some Leicester students.
Charley slowly breaks the surface of the water and checks his surroundings. He keeps everything below his nose submerged as he crouch walks through the water. His squad sticks low to the ground and moves up as he does.
I scout the battlefield and look for anything that might challenge Charley. So far, most of the fighting has spilled onto the actual field from the west and south. Training weapons slap against one another as mages and archers offer support from the rear guard. Students that have been injured are being dragged off by their house's healers.
I examine the next battalion marching out from Faerghus' direction. Within their ranks are Annette, Felix, and a couple other students. Annette and her small group make their way to the edge of the battalion. She makes sure it's clear and jumps into the gulley Charley and them are treading through.
"Oh no…This is bad…" I say as I intently watch Felix and the others.
What I've feared has come to pass. Annette and Felix remembered what I said at Conand Tower. However, this can be a positive thing. Out of the three houses, Leicester has the advantage because they have the gulley that separates them from the main field, but the only way to the fight is across one narrow bridge.
If Charley's team can sever Leicester's reinforcements, then they can focus solely on Annette and her group. Charley hides underneath the overcast shadow of the bridge and waits.
Bernadetta notches an arrow as a battalion crosses the bridge. Among them are Claude. He seems to be the first to set foot onto the battlefield. Charley studies the passing envoy and looks back at Hubert. Hubert nods his head yes.
Charley takes a deep breath and waits for the chaos of war to start. Claude and his army engage with Faerghus. Charley climbs out of the gulley and charges the rear guard. Bernadetta and Linhardt quickly scale up and follow while Fletcher jumps up to the bridge.
He slams his fist into the ground and yanks up several sheets of rock that completely block both ends of the bridge off. The only way Leicester can send for reinforcements now is if they cross through the gulley, and with Annette and Hubert's group already in position, it would be very difficult to cross without suffering heavy losses.
Fletcher spins around, tucks his arms into this body and takes a step forward. A pillar of rock sprouts out from the ground in front of Bernadetta. She jumps onto the rising platform and takes aim at Claude. The training arrow soars towards his back. I bite the metal of my gauntlet in anticipation.
Claude snaps around and shoots the arrow out of the air. Standing by his side is Lysithea. She is pointing in the direction the arrow came from. Lysithea hurls a fireball at the pillar and knocks Bernadetta off. Fletcher quickly pulls up some more pillars for everyone to take cover behind.
Claude says something to Lysithea and points to Hubert. She nods and makes her way towards him. Fletcher takes off in Hubert's direction, but a gust of razor wind stops him in his tracks. Annette climbs out of the gulley and engages him. Half of Annette's squad charges Claude's group while the other half prevent Leicester's reinforcements from crossing the gulley.
Charley and Felix notice that they are both on the same side of the field. Even though I can't hear the words, Felix displays a cold sense of joy as he approaches Charley.
The motions of Charley's lips form the words, "You maybe the best student swordsman at Garreg Mach, but you don't scare me anymore."
"Then allow me to enlighten you on why I have that title." Felix replies.
Charley swings his hammer. Felix dodges out of the way and rushes in. Charley traps the wooden sword in the neck of his weapon and throws it off course. Felix jumps back as Charley spins around and swings. Excitement, stress, happiness, and anger fill my heart as the both of them attempt to hit one another in a rapidly escalating game.
Felix charges up and slams his sword into Charley's hammer as hard as he can. The force knocks Charley off balance, and he staggers back. Felix brings his sword back and gets into a thrusting position.
"Dodge…Dodge! Dodge!" I yell.
Charley regains his balance as the blade flies towards him. Out of reflex, he barely sidesteps and clamps his arm down.
"Is he… NO! The blade is edge down! He's still in!" I joyfully cheer.
Charley and Felix are locked up in a test of strength, and neither have the slightest idea what to do next. Charley is trying to use the hammer's handle to shove Felix down, and Felix is trying to retrieve his sword.
"Find your leverage! You know what to do!" I exclaim with a frantic jump.
Felix leans back and shoulder checks Charley in the chest. Both of their heads collide and Charley rolls back. Felix grabs his face and tries to collect himself as Charley skids across the ground. He staggers to his feet and drunkenly sways back and forth. Charley realizes that his hammer is gone and immediately draws his sword.
Red pours out of a gash above his brow and coats his left eye. Felix doesn't appear to be bleeding, but water pours out of his right eye. They aren't tears, but early signs of a black eye. The sight of Charley bleeding enrages me.
"Where do you think you're going?" Jeralt asks as he grabs my arm.
"I've got to stop this."
"It's just a mock battle Artorias. A little blood never hurt anyone." Jeralt replies.
"I don't care."
"Listen to me! Win or lose, Charley is never going to forgive you for interfering! His honor is on the line, and it would be humiliating if his mentor barged in over a little scuffle!" Jeralt adds.
I let out a disappointed sigh and sit, "You're right."
"I understand how you feel, but you need to learn that the boy can fend for himself." Jeralt says as he takes another sip out of his flask.
I shift my focus back onto the battlefield, "you of all people probably learned that the hard way."
"I certainly did." Jeralt replies.
Charley and Felix are slamming their wooden swords together and circling around. Felix is sticking to his aggressive hit and run style while Charley focuses on deflecting and delivering blows that can break posture.
Felix closes in and strikes. Charley blocks the attack but is unable to successfully parry. Felix spins around and delivers another blow. The odd timing catches Charley off guard, and Felix lands an attack on Charley's leg. Felix continues to space out his slashes that disrupt the flow of battle.
Charley blocks what he can, but the onslaught of strikes cause him to falter. Felix positions himself into a thrusting position and lunges forward. The tip of his wooden blade strikes Charley right in the middle of his metal chest piece. The impact causes the sword to splinter out and burst into pieces.
Horror fills my eyes as Charley spirals through the air and violently tumbles across the ground. Felix throws his broken handle down and picks Charley's training blade up.
"Artorias! It's just a mock battle!" Byleth states as he grabs my chest piece and tries to hold me in place.
Charley works his hands underneath his body and pushes. His elbows wobble, and he trembles as his knees prop his body up. Charley works his feet underneath him and gasps for air. Felix realizes that Charley isn't through yet. He takes up his sword and readies himself.
Charley forces himself to take a step in Felix's direction. His sense of balance has been disabled temporarily, and he is staggering all over the place. Charley's shoulders sag a couple paces in front of Felix, and his face plows straight into the ground. Blood streams down the side of his face and pools around his cheeks.
"Goddamnit!" I curse myself.
It didn't occur to me that somebody like Felix would know how to manipulate the flow of battle. At least I know what we need to work on now. Still, it doesn't help the anger I feel towards myself.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. He's only been under your guidance for a short time. There's no way the boy is going to learn everything in the span of four or five months." Jeralt states.
"But if this was an actual battle, he'd be dead." I reply.
"You should be thankful that this is an experience both of you can learn from. Now that you know what he's struggling with, you can take the proper steps towards preventing this from happening on a real battlefield." Hanneman says.
"You're right." I sigh. "It's just the thought…"
Hanneman reaches over and touches my shoulder, "What do you think goes through my mind when you go out on missions?"
His words catch me off guard as we blankly stare at one another. I process what he says and dwell on it. The memories of how he used to be my mentor in that black magic master class returns.
A series of visions fill my head of how we used to spar with one another in front of the class. After the day Hanneman announced that Rhea and Garreg Mach could acknowledge me as an S rated black caster, Hanneman told me that he was still going to worry about me. Being an S rated swordsman didn't quell his anxiety either.
Hanneman said that; "no matter the mission, and no matter the prowess of the student, there is always the possibility of death, and that's the curse a mentor must always carry."
"Whether you're twenty-six, or seventy-seven, you will always be my student." Hanneman says.
"Thank you, master." I nod.
We turn our attention back to the mock battle. As of now, it looks like the fight is almost over. Faerghus has Leicester completely surrounded, and Faerghus' reinforcements are finishing off the stragglers in Edelgard's army. Hubert, Bernadetta and Linhardt have been incapacitated. Fletcher is the last one standing, but he isn't going down without a fight.
Annette pulls some water from the creek below and throws it at Fletcher. He shifts a plate of rock up and blocks it. Annette collects the stream of water again and slams it against his rock shield. An arrow strikes Fletcher in the side of his chest. He flinches and drops the rock shield. Annette attacks again, and the water sweeps him down into the gulley.
It appears Faerghus is going to be the winner, but we won't really know until Rhea and Seteth announce it. However, I've seen enough. What's left of Leicester are being routed and pushed to the south boundary by Faerghus.
"Can I go now?" I ask.
"Only if you promise you won't do anything." Byleth states.
"The only thing I'm going to do is collect my pupil and leave." I reply.
Byleth and Hanneman let me go, and I make my way down to the creek. Students from all three houses lie unconscious on the battlefield. Some have managed to sit up, while others scour the field and take in the carnage that has unfolded.
Charley sits up on his knees and takes a hold of a training sword that's been dropped by one of the students. I walk over and squat down in front of him. Charley doesn't say a word as he looks up at me with a heavy, guilt ridden heart. Failure stains his face as I stare into his eyes.
"Artorias, are you…" Charley asks.
"I certainly am." I stand and hold out my hand, "care to join me?"
Charley takes a deep breath and smiles despite the feeling of defeat. We lock our hands together and I pull him up. Charley walks over to Linhardt and helps him sit.
"Here, let me get that." Linhardt summons some mana into his hand and converts it to white magic. He runs his thumb over the gash above Charley's left eye and seals the bleeding wound shut.
"Thank you." Charley says as he helps Linhardt stand.
Hubert is lying face down by the edge of the gulley, and Fletcher is over by the creek's side. The top half of his body is lying on the bank, and his legs are floating in the creek. I roll Hubert over. He springs to life and summons some mana into his hands. I deflect his hand up, and a stream of fire dissipates in the air above.
"Oh… I'm sorry…It's just…"
"Constant fighting makes everyone delusional. Don't mention it." I reply as I help him stand.
A girl from Faerghus' house jumps down into the gulley and makes her way over to Fletcher. She squats down by his side and hovers over him. She summons some mana in her hands and converts it into white magic. I put my arm in front of Charley and prevent him from jumping down into the gulley.
"She's from a rival house." Charley says.
"What's she going to do with a handful of white magic?"
The girl touches his forehead and transfers the healing over to him. Fletcher slowly opens his eyes and realizes it isn't a healer from the Black Eagles. He raises his hand like he's going to attack, but he can't bring himself to follow through. A smile comes across her face as she pulls out a vial of blue elixir.
Fletcher takes the cork out of the vial and drinks it in one swift gulp. She puts her arms around him and helps him stand up. The girl climbs out of the gulley and proceeds towards a group of injured students from Leicester, Adrestia and Faerghus. She ties her long, brown hair back with a strand of red ribbon and reaches into a side satchel. I don't know how many elixirs she has, but the girl seems determined to help everyone she can.
"Well there's something you don't see every day." Charley says.
"You don't see enough of it." I reply as we make our way off the field.
People like that are usually blessings bestowed on the world. However, they are normally the ones that catch a knife to the gut. In an actual skirmish, it is very difficult to determine if someone is trying to kill you or help. Especially if they are on the enemy side. If something like this ever does happen, hopefully she'll only be willing to save her own.
We make our way through the Black Eagles camp and towards the horses. Trumpets sound off in the distance, and signal that we have a winner. Charley doesn't really seem like he cares who won, and I can safely say the feeling is mutual.
"Hey Artorias?"
"Yes Charley?"
"Since it's still morning, can we go somewhere?"
I climb up and seat myself in Glitter's saddle, "What do you have in mind?"
"I'd just have to show you. We'd be there by midday."
"Where?"
"It's around Airmid."
"Do we have the supplies to stay overnight?"
Charley holds up a small bag of gold, "I know a tavern we can stay at."
"Then lead the way." I state…