Rigged from the Start

Chapter 55

Freedom Through Captivity

Wind whistled through tightly packed, bare mountain peaks. A mournful moan sounded as the gusts swept through hollowed out, sandstone arches and spires. It was a cold, painful wind that bit my cheeks with frigid fangs, turning them rosy. I drew in a shuddering breath and wrapped the new, hooded cloak I got tighter around my thin shoulders.

Morteza and Nader's platoon, of which Severa and I were members for the past couple of weeks, were stationed close to the Longfort. Far enough away to not be able to see the immense fortress, but close enough that Severa and I could run for it and reach the Feroxi border in about four days. The Ylissean border, on the other hand, sat just beyond the sandstone peaks in front of us.

These mountains were our territory- our strip of land King Gangrel and General Mustafa wanted patrolled and monitored. The nearest village lay about a week into the vast dunes of the Northern Wastes. The only source of water in these cracked mountains came from a small spring near the base of a peak Morteza called 'The Broken Tooth'. The name made sense. It was long and thin, like a fang, but jagged at the top like a chipped canine.

You'd think with how dry this sparse patch of dirt was it would be warm. But, we were close to Regna Ferox, and the Feroxi weather hovered over us in the form of gray, icy clouds. The sun barely shone through the thick blanket over my head, keeping our small camp in a constant, gray haze.

I exhaled another shuddering breath, air misting from my lips in a small puff. This reminded me way too much of the way the world was in the future: cold, desolate, and desperate.

Except this time, the source of the desperation was different for me and Severa. Back then, we were fleeing a world-ending demonic dragon. This time, we were running and hiding from Severa's maniacal grandfather. Very different circumstances, the same amount of fear.

And, this time, we had a job to do. Back in the future, all we did was follow Anna and Donnel to Mount Prism. There wasn't much to do other than sit in Anna's cart or march. Here, in the Plegian badlands, we were constantly patrolling narrow mountain paths, searching for any sign of Ylissean infiltration.

Footsteps crunched along the dry ground. I glanced to my right and saw Severa step alongside me, her red hair swept back behind her shoulders in her usual twin tails as she glanced at the start of our patrol: a narrow goat path through the craggy rocks, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

Severa scowled as she looked at the rocky path before us.

"This again?" She grumbled taking the lead into the mountains. "Do you have any idea how easy it would be to ambush us in this place?"

I shrugged. "I'm not a tactician, but please regale me."

Severa shot a sharp glance over her shoulder at me and said nothing. I sighed.

For the past two weeks, since I divulged the details of our mission to General Mustafa, she had been more than her usual amount of abrasive, especially toward me. She was downright snappish towards Morteza and Nader, always eyeing them with distrust. And, she rarely spoke to me anymore. It was as if I committed some grave sin in her eyes.

I suppose, in a way, I did. Lucina's orders were absolute. Go to the past, tell no one who you are, do not interact with the parents, defeat Grima. A great plan, in theory. In practice, going to the past to defeat Grima turned out to be much messier than any of us thought. Severa and I were placed in a dangerous situation- one where only the truth could have saved us.

My gamble with Mustafa has paid off so far, but this was a temporary solution. At some point, Severa and I would have to come up with a plan to escape Plegia and link up with Lucina, if we could find her. When, or if, we found her, I knew I would be facing some serious consequences for my decisions. Regardless of how honorable Mustafa was, I deviated from Lucina's orders. I put the entire mission against Grima in grave jeopardy.

It's no wonder Severa is furious with me.

We moved in silence through the goat path, weaving with every sharp twist and curve in the slender route through the cracked mountains. As we delved deeper into the pass, my eyes scanned the clefts and cliffs around us. So far, nothing. Just sandstone, dust, some bits of sand, and gray clouds around us. Cold and lifeless, just like the past few weeks.

It made this place the perfect spot to talk to Severa. I had been struggling to work up the courage to talk to her about what happened in Doluna, hoping that she would simmer down with time. Since that was obviously not going to happen, I figured it was time to finally clear the air.

"Alright," I breathed, stopping in my tracks. Severa took a few more steps ahead of me, paused, and turned around, a long frown on her lips. "Go ahead, say it."

Her brow furrowed, and she said nothing. Somehow, that was worse than if she started cussing me out. The silence didn't just hold anger; it held disappointment and a sense of betrayal that stabbed me through the chest like a sharp knife.

I pressed my lips into a thin line and put my hands on my hips. Briefly, I looked down at my feet, shaking my head.

"Severa, you got to talk to me."

Severa scowled. "Not really. I've been just fine the past couple of weeks not acknowledging your existence."

"And you have a point. I got it. Heard it loud and clear," I remarked, taking a step toward her. "But can you at least let me explain why I did what I did?"

"If you had a good explanation you would have told me right away," Severa countered, her arms folding over her chest. Another cold wind blew through the pass, making me shiver. "You wouldn't have waited two weeks to say something."

"Well, let's face it. You aren't exactly the best at responding to my reasons in the heat of the moment," I cringed.

Severa's eyes widened, blazing with renewed anger. "You think I can't handle why you outed us to Mustafa?"

A pit formed in my stomach. "N-no, I didn't say that."

"Sure sounds like that to me," Severa took a strong step towards me, her scowl unwavering as she glared into my eyes. "Sounds to me like you don't think I'm capable of keeping myself under control when put in a stressful situation."

"I-"

"In case you haven't noticed, Samwise," Severa spread her arms wide, her voice rising as all her frustration rose to the surface. "I've been in nothing but life or death situations since I was eleven years old! Do you think I can't handle the reason why you blabbed to Mustafa, broke Lucina's trust, broke my trust? I-" She drew in a deep, seething breath through gritted teeth. "Fucking hell!" She finally bellowed.

Severa spun on her heel and marched further down the path. I gaped at her, blinked, then rushed after her.

"Severa."

"I'm warning you; Samwise, you better leave me alone right now."

I didn't take her advice. Instead, I caught up to her, reached for her arm, and grabbed it. A truly idiotic decision. In a flash, she spun around, wrenched my hand from her arm, twisted my entire forearm until I felt tears burning in my eyes, then slammed me against one of the sandstone walls beside us.

"Uncle! Uncle!" I cried, wincing as my body scrapped against the wall.

My cries must've taken Severa out of whatever furious stupor she was in because her hand instantly released me. She took a couple of petrified steps back, her eyes wide, chest rising and falling in heavy breaths as she stared at me.

I carefully turned around to face her, wincing as some pain lanced through the arm she twisted. I rolled my wrist, hearing the joint pop as I tried to stretch it out.

"Why didn't you teach Kushi or Gar that trick?" I asked, a pained laugh escaping my lips.

Severa gulped in a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "I'm… look, Sam, I didn't-"

"Don't worry about it," I said with a wave of my hand. "Nothing broken. No harm, no foul. Probably deserved it."

Severa sniffed, one hand wiping her mouth. She tucked her chin, a grimace replacing her scowl as she looked down at her feet.

"I'm not a child, Sam."

"I know that-"

"No, you don't," Severa interrupted, her voice trembling as she tried to keep her composure. "How long have we been in this situation together? How many times have we fought side by side? How many times have we stared death in the face and came out of it together? Hell, how many times have I saved your life?"

I bobbed my head from side to side as I leaned against the rocky wall behind me. "More times than I can count."

"Yeah. A child couldn't do that," Severa continued, her jaw tightening as she spoke. She brushed several strands of her hair from her face, pulling them behind her ear as she drew in a deep breath. "I've been fighting this war since I could pick up a sword, Sam. That's all I've ever done, as far as I can remember. Lucina, Brady… Morgan, they're all the same in that regard. We were fighting a losing war in which we all expected to die. Then, we get this great hope, a hope that only remains if it is kept between us, and you blabbed it to a Plegian General."

"Mustafa is a good man."

"I know that!" Severa cried, her voice cracking through the growing breeze. "For Naga's sake, I'm not stupid. I knew Mustafa was a good man ever since he made sure I was fed and sheltered when I arrived in this hell hole. But, good men can't keep secrets from Grima and his minions. Good men like him have things they care about more than being good men, right? He's got Bassil and Nadiyya. You don't think Grima would put his hands on them to learn what he now knows?"

My throat tightened as I struggled to reply. I had not considered that angle at all when I told the truth to Mustafa. I told the entire truth of our mission to a man living in the shadow of the Fell Dragon and the place he will rise. If Grima learned how close we became to Mustafa, which isn't hard to discover, then he could easily torture the information about our mission out of him. Then our entire cause would be doomed.

My head fell back against the wall with a quiet thud.

"Fuck."

"Oh, we are beyond that at this point," Severa huffed. "We are beyond fucked if that happens. So, go ahead Sam. Tell me how any of this was a good idea? Explain yourself."

I clenched my teeth and drew in a deep, calming breath through my nose. There was no sense in losing my temper. Severa made fair and valid points, ones I had not thought of. She wasn't angry with me, I don't think. She was scared. Scared for our friends, scared for the future, scared for herself. I put that fear in her. That fact alone was enough to make regret well up within me like a rising tide.

"We should've left with Anna," I breathed, closing my eyes as I tried to filter through my racing thoughts. "But, would'ves, should'ves, and could'ves won't do us a damn bit of good now." I opened my eyes and looked Severa in the eye. "If I did not tell Mustafa the truth, then he would have had no reason to help us. He's a good man. He recognizes the danger Grima and the Grimleal pose. I gambled that he would help us escape Validar before we could be imprisoned or killed. So far, it's paid off."

"For how long, though?" Severa countered. "Sam, we're still in Plegia. Validar can still find us. We're nowhere closer to being free from this mess."

"I know," I sighed. "I'm trying Severa. I really am. And… I'm sorry for not thinking you could handle it. You're not a child, and I have no right to treat you that way. Not after everything we've been through. But, please know that I am not deliberately trying to put us or our friends in danger," I leveled my gaze with her as Severa rubbed her right arm. "I'll figure a way out of this. All I need is for you to trust me."

Severa furrowed her brow. I knew the reply she wanted to say. How could she trust me? I lied about my origins when I first arrived in the future. I easily lied to Plegian officials about our identities and intentions. I'm still lying to her about how much I really know about the events occurring around us, and about her.

In the end, though, she didn't say that. She sighed, let her hands fall to her sides, and took a step towards me again.

"It's not like I've got much of a choice right now," She muttered. "After all, I… I guess I can't handle stress all that well."

I let out a small laugh at that, then patted her arm. "You've done a lot better than I would have in your situation." I exhaled and glanced at the cliffs around us. "Now then, how much further do you want to go?"

Before Severa could answer, a distant thump drifted into my ears. Several more thumps joined it, like a steady drumbeat on the wind, not much further up the goat path. Severa looked at me wide-eyed. Both of our heads snapped up the goat path. Without a second thought, we crept forward, cautious in our steps.

We had never gone this far up the path before because, at this point, the land was not Plegian; it was Ylissean. The last thing Severa and I wanted was to get caught flat-footed in "enemy" territory.

This was the first time we heard anything other than our voices or the wind on this path though, and that warranted investigating. If Ylisseans caught us by surprise then it wouldn't matter if Validar wanted us dead or not, the Ylisseans would do it for him. Like it or not, I realized our best chance at safety was still staying with Morteza and Nader until we had a more concrete plan of action. That meant playing the part of reliable scouts for the Plegian military until we could get out of here.

The beat grew louder and steadier as we went deeper down the path. A few moments later, I saw the goat path widening out. At that point, Severa and I dropped to a crouch and tip-toed forward.

The path opened wide into a small clearing in the mountain range, large enough for a decent-sized camp to be set up. A large boulder sat in the path, acting as natural cover for me and Severa as we reached the clearing. Once by the boulder, I peeked around it while Severa glanced over it.

A camp of Pegasus Knights sat in the clearing. About twelve knights in total pitched their tents and tied up their mounts in the area. Six of them wore gold armor. Six wore silver armor. I struggled to determine the distinction between the two until I spotted one silver knight feeding the Pegasi while the gold ones sat around a recently kindled fire.

Trainees and their teachers. I thought, my lips pursing. It didn't matter if there were rookie Pegasus Knights in this band, they were still dangerous. Far too dangerous for Severa and I to get caught.

I retreated behind the boulder and glanced at Severa, whose gaze remained fixated on the squad of Pegasus Knights.

"Not good," I whispered. "They'd tear our entire platoon apart."

Severa hissed, shot down to her hands and knees, then pressed her back against the boulder. Her eyes squeezed shut, making me worry that she had been spotted. I strained my hearing, listening for the sound of armor drawing near. When I heard nothing, I gave Severa a concerned look.

"You okay?"

She rapidly shook her head. Her face looked pale as a ghost. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, only kept quiet by what little self-control she had left. Her fists balled up tight by her sides before she took a deep breath. As she slowly exhaled out, some color returned to her face.

"What is it?" I asked again.

Severa's red eyes darted to me, then flicked to the peak of the boulder. I furrowed my brow, puzzled. Curiosity got the better of me. I carefully looked over the top, studying the group of Pegasus knights again.

A flash of red hair caught my eye. It weaved between the tied up Pegasi, a bag of apples in hand as she happily fed them to the steeds. She was about the same height as Severa, perhaps an inch or two taller. Unlike Severa, her scarlet locks flowed freely behind her like a red river. Her silver armor shimmered despite the lack of brilliant sunlight. I heard someone call out to the knight in a mocking voice. A loud voice bellowed: "Little Lady Genius".

That made me sink to a seat behind the boulder, eyes wide.

"Well," I looked at a shell-shocked Severa. "That could complicate things."


A large campfire crackled outside of the small tent me and Severa shared. The flames flickered high and large enough to spread their warmth around the platoon's small camp. Faint wisps of that heat filtered through the tent flaps and crept over my skin like a soft touch. It couldn't fend off the cold's sharp fangs, but it at least made these mountains tolerable.

Most of the platoon sat around the fire, staying warm and comfortable as they enjoyed a hot meal together. But, after the events of today, I thought it prudent to join Severa in our tent, away from the others. Morteza tried to persuade us to join them, but I politely declined and followed Severa into the tent.

That's where I sat, on my bedroll, the only soft spot in this entire tent, sipping on a bowl of hot soup. There wasn't much to it other than warm broth, a few scraps of meat, and a couple of chunks of vegetables, but it filled me up enough when paired with hardtack.

As I ate, Severa sat on her bedroll across from me, her bowl untouched in her lap. Steam swirled up from the hot broth, but it did not coax her into taking a bite. I furrowed my brow, set my spoon down in my bowl, then set the bowl to the side.

"Hey," I began, my voice hushed so none of the other soldiers could hear me. "You-"

"No," Severa croaked.

I grimaced. "Figured. Just… thought I'd ask."

A heavy breath slipped from Severa's lips. Silently, she placed her bowl to the side, tucked her legs close to her chest, and rested her chin on top of her knees. Her red eyes were facing me, but she wasn't looking at me. It was as if she was staring through me, at another time and place, at another person entirely. A crease rested in her brow; not from frustration or annoyance, but years of torment rising to the surface.

"Severa?"

She didn't react right away. It took her a moment to blink and realize I said her name. As if all she heard was an echo of my voice. A small shine returned her eyes as she gulped and opened her mouth.

"I, um," Severa tucked her chin as she struggled with her words. "I never thought I'd see her again. I mean- I knew I'd see her again. Events of the timeline would cause that to happen. It's just…" She trailed off a moment, contemplating her words a little longer. "I didn't think I'd see mother so soon."

I pursed my lips, but nodded, even though I couldn't quite grasp how she was feeling right now. How could I? Severa never said much about her mother, but she did make it clear that they did not part on the best of terms when she died. I always viewed it as a topic I should never bring up.

Now, I did not have a choice. Events of the game rushed back to my mind, and I recalled the fate of Cordelia and her squad at this point in the timeline. If we were here, that meant a large force of Plegians were about to storm this section of the border, sweep aside Cordelia's squad, and leave her as the sole survivor to race back and warn the Exalt about the invasion.

My eyes widened. Mustafa didn't just send us here to protect us from Validar. He sent us here because he trusted us to scout the invasion route. With how lightly defended this section of the border was, it would take no time at all for the Plegians to move through these craggy mountains and take an enormous swath of the Ylissean countryside.

Panic hit me first as my mind raced. What were we supposed to do now? The Plegian army was going to arrive here soon. My gut told me that much. When they did arrive, they might be carrying orders from Aversa, Lady Raad, or Validar to apprehend me and Severa. After all, that was their intentions back in Doluna before Mustafa came to our rescue.

If Cordelia's squad was already here, then that meant the Plegian army would not be far behind. We did not have time to flee to Regna Ferox. We wouldn't be able to gain the distance needed to escape the Plegians.

I ran a hand through my hair, causing Severa to furrow her brow.

"What is it?" She asked.

I let my hand fall to my side. "The trap's closing in. Mustafa did what he could, but I get the feeling we're not safe here any longer."

My fingers drummed along my leg as I thought hard, struggling to come up with an escape plan. Regna Ferox was not an option. That left two possibilities. Retreat into the desert and hide among villagers at an oasis. A dangerous prospect that could very easily see us handed over to the Grimleal in favor of special privileges for the villagers. After all, who were we to them other than a pair of outsiders?

Or, we run to the Ylissean lines. If we did that, we would be captured. Another dangerous option, but perhaps not the deadliest.

"Severa," I began, my voice even as the plan formed in my mind. "How likely are the Pegasus Knights to take us alive?"

Severa frowned, the first hint of any emotion other than shock or melancholy since we returned from the goat path.

"Depends on if we give them much of a fight."

I nodded. I thought as much. So long as we surrendered peacefully, and offered to provide something to Ylisse, we would be taken alive. Being prisoners of war was not ideal, but it was a hell of a lot better to be Ylissean prisoners than Grimleal prisoners.

With that in mind, I rose to my feet, moved to my travel pack, and withdrew a quill, inkwell, and a scrap of parchment from my notebook. After casting a wary glance to our tent's exit, I dipped the quill in ink and started scratching it against the parchment.

I heard Severa stand up behind me, then I sensed her looking over my shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

I paused, my quill halfway through writing Morteza's name. A heavy breath left my lips.

"Mustafa tried his best to save our lives. Henry, Morteza, and Nader were part of that effort. Like it or not, they're friends," I started writing again as I spoke. "So, I'm writing down what I know about Grima's rise, as well as what we know about the Grimleal's part in it. I'm hoping Morteza will deliver this letter to Mustafa."

Severa's frown deepened, making me stop writing again. I glanced over my shoulder at her.

"We need allies on the Plegian side of the border," I explained. "Grima is against everyone. Ylissean, Valmese, Plegian; doesn't matter where you're from, he'll kill us all. I think Mustafa will understand that."

"And if he doesn't?" Severa asked.

"Then we lost a friend," I sighed, some regret entering my voice. "It happens."

I dipped my quill into the inkwell again and kept writing the letter. Severa began pacing behind me, her melancholy replaced with worry and impatience.

"So, what exactly is the plan now if we can't get to Regna Ferox?"

"The plan," I started, my quill scratching furiously against the parchment. "Is to get caught by the Ylisseans tomorrow morning."

Severa froze in her pacing. When I heard her stop moving, I glanced back at her.

Her eyes were wide. Her hands trembled at her sides. A small quiver shuddered over her lips as the ramifications of what I proposed slammed into her like a sledgehammer. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard.

"Lucina said no parents," She breathed.

"Lucina doesn't know how screwed we are," I replied. "If there was another option that didn't end with us dying, I would take it."

"This could still end with us dying," Severa countered. "After that stunt in Themis, we're pretty well known Plegian mercenaries now."

"Well aware," I replied, my tone a tad bitter as I cursed myself for not thinking that night through again. "But, thanks to Exalt Emmeryn's leadership, we're more likely to be heard out than killed on the spot. I'll take my chances with Ylisse over the Grimleal any day."

Severa bit her lip. "Fair point," A shaky breath shuddered from her lips. "Gawds, I'm going to have to talk to mom again."

I uttered a quiet, sympathetic chuckle as I finished writing the letter. Once I was done writing, I folded the letter, sealed it with some wax from a nearby candle, then stood up and faced Severa.

"Just don't forget to call her Cordelia, or whatever her last name was before she married."

"Kindall," Severa breathed. "That was… that was mom's maiden name. Um," She tucked her chin, drawing in a deep breath again. "I'm not very hungry so-"

"Eat," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You'll need it for tomorrow. This is going to happen fast, and who knows how friendly we'll be treated once this crazy scheme gets underway."

Severa snorted. "Crazy is an understatement. More like mad."

"Insane?" I retorted, a smirk twitching over my lips.

Severa's eyes sparkled. "Idiotic"

"Ludicrous."

"Batshit," Severa smirked.

"Mad as Captain Jack," I shot.

A stifled laugh spilled from Severa's lips. "Who is Captain Jack," She asked as she shook her head with disbelief.

"The craziest pirate from my world," I tucked the letter into my pocket, returned to my seat, and grabbed my bowl of soup. "If he wasn't so mad then none of his plans would have worked."

Severa cocked an eyebrow as she looked at me, still standing near me.

"Sounds familiar." She remarked.

A dry laugh left my lips. "Good one," I ate a spoonful of soup, chewed on a stringy piece of meat, then swallowed. "I'm not drowning in rum yet though."

Severa thought for a moment and hummed. She returned to her seat across from me, grabbed her bowl, and ate her first bite of dinner. After swallowing with a grimace, she huffed.

"I need something to distract me from this crap at least." She said. A laugh tore from my lungs, and she chuckled with me. "That and this craziness. Might as well distract me with someone else's madness," She ate another bite, rolled her eyes, muttered something about stringy goat meat, then gestured at me with her spoon. "Let's hear about Captain Jack already. Sounds like you admire the madman."

I chuckled, eating one last bite of soup before putting my bowl to the side. Didn't want to spill the broth all over my bedroll as I told the story, after all. I might get a little animated with this one. So long as it helped distract Severa from the danger we faced come morning, I was happy to tell a story.

"So, Captain Jack Sparrow's tale begins as he sails into Port Royal Harbor on a rowboat."

"He's a captain of a rowboat?"

"Only the finest of rowboats. It's got a small sail and a rudder. A pirate captain keeps their ship in tip-top shape, I'll have you know. Even if this boat has a leak in it."

Severa's eyes focused on me, already enraptured by the story presented before her. I grinned as excitement filled me too, distracting me from my fears and worries. Perhaps I needed a good story to take my mind off of things too.


A dense fog rolled in the next morning, which made creeping up the goat path unseen simple. It didn't take me and Severa long to reach the large boulder that sheltered us from the eyes of the Pegasus Knights yesterday. Both of us crouched behind it once again, our breath mixing with the fog as a bitter chill slipped through our clothes.

There were a million different ways this mad scheme of mine could go wrong. The Pegasus Knights could be gone already. They could have flown away before we even woke up. After all, there were too few of them to hold a position like this against any large force for long. Certainly, they were a scouting party. If they were gone, then… well, we would have to take our chances running to the Longfort.

However, if the Pegasus Knights were still here, and they were extra jumpy due to the eerie, cold, gray morning; they could perceive Severa and I approaching as a Plegian attack. In my experience, whenever a heavily armed individual feels threatened they tend to stab first and ask questions later. I was not interested in crossing blades with Ylisse's finest.

Yes, so many options ended with failure, but we had to try. Because this was also our best chance at escaping Validar's grasp.

I drew in a deep breath and glanced at Severa.

"How are we doing this?" She asked as she shifted her small pack on her back.

My lips thinned. Carefully, I peeked around the boulder. I didn't see the Pegasus Knights. Instead, I heard them. More specifically, I heard their mounts. They stamped and snorted. Armor clanked and jangled. Wood poles smacked together. The sounds of a camp being torn down.

"Not much time," I muttered, my teeth clenched.

A voice filtered through the din and fog. It sounded small and shy. A couple of taunting cries of "little lady genius" chased after the voice, causing Severa's eyes to widen. Footsteps crunched towards the boulder, and I braced my back against the sandstone.

Someone was coming. Judging by the jeering, and Severa's pale face, I had a feeling who it was. Now the question became: would it be better to be discovered or to jump out and surrender.

Severa's mother, Cordelia Kindall, stepped around the boulder. Her feet bounced up and down, and a pained expression marred her pale face. She squeezed her crimson eyes shut, a wince passing over her features as her hands began to fumble with-

I sucked in a sharp breath, and Severa smacked her hand over my mouth.

Oh my god, this is the camp outhouse.

The noise that a small intake of breath made was enough to make Cordelia freeze. Slowly, her head trembled towards us. When her gaze landed on me and Severa, her eyes widened. In a flash, she drew her sword. The tip of it hovered centimeters from my nose as I stared at it cross-eyed. Severa was about to move to her feet, only for me to reach over and push her back down.

"Guess this is how it's gonna happen," I gulped.

"Captain!" Cordelia bellowed, her voice losing whatever shyness it previously possessed. "Plegian scouts!"

A sheepish look formed on my face. Cordelia glared down at me and Severa, her expression furious and resolute. The look on her face told me that we would not be able to escape and we would die if we tried. Her blade didn't even tremble as she kept it level with my face.

Carefully, I raised my eyes from the blade to look the Pegasus Knight in the eye. When I met her gaze, her brow furrowed, and a nervous smile cracked over my lips.

Severa's chest rose and fell as fear filled breaths shot in and out of her lungs. Several pairs of boots rushed towards our spot. Three more pegasus knights, all wearing gold armor, moved around Cordelia, lances pointed at us. The leader of the group, a blonde woman with a stern look and her lips pulled back into a scowl on her square jaw, glowered at us. A strange mixture of hate and concern was in that woman's sea-green eyes. Although, I had a feeling the concern was more for her fellow knights than for me.

"Well done, Cordelia," The woman said, her voice carrying a sense of command.

I swallowed hard. One lance slipped under my chin, the tip coming dangerously close to my throat. A pained gasp shot from my lips and the color drained from my face. At that moment, I only managed to croak out one word, in a hope that maybe they wouldn't kill us right away.

"Parley?"

And chapter! Just like that, Severa and Sam are right back in the thick of things. This was definitely more of a setup chapter, as a lot of chapters have been recently. Trying to get things in the right spot so that I can have the craziness make sense. It's been interesting, but fun work, and I hope you all are enjoying it so far. Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed it! Have a nice day!

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