For the Empire

Now:

Each citizen of the Pheraen Empire was conditioned to absolute loyalty. A simple rule – serve the king or suffer the consequences. The six people aligned in the courtyard had chosen the latter for their fate.

With their peasant clothes and the gaunt faces, the four men and two women bared no resemblance to the traitor last week, who had cursed Roy and everyone born on Pheraen ground until the executioner had relieved him of his head. But looks could deceive, and even the simplest and most familiar people had secrets to guard. Lucina had known this truth for a long time.

"Don't you have other places to be?"

The voice conjured a smile onto Lucina's lips, and she turned from the marble railing of the second-story balcony and the execution below towards Roy. Even on days without public responsibilities, the black winged crown rested on his head. And if Lucina happened to spot him without his sword at his side once, the fabric of reality itself would most definitely collapse.

"Frederick needed a day off after the black eye I gave him yesterday," Lucina said and bowed her head as Roy stepped closer. As always, he waved the gesture of honor away.

"I reckon this means your performance in training has further improved?" he asked with a smile.

"If you sent me into the field more often, I could do far more than beat an old man in a duel."

The smile vanished from Roy's face. A judge clad in dark robes listed the crimes of the accused below, a collection of minor affronts that all lead to the vague term "treason against the crown".

Lucina studied Roy's profile while he watched the routine procedure of the judge. Ten paces towards the palace gates, a sharp turn on his heels, and then a longwinded reminder that the amalgamation of Pherae and Altea had ensured eighteen years of peace in even the most wretched corners of the land.

"I apologize if I have upset you with my words," Lucina said when Roy continued his stoic silence.

He sighed. "Don't punish me with these formalities. You know that you can always talk to me when something is on your mind. Nothing will change that. And I have given you missions outside of Lycia. Or does your expedition to Ostia not count? What about that time you put an end to the street robbers?"

Lucina flicked a pebble from the railing and narrowed her eyes. "I didn't put an end to them because Wolt wouldn't let me join the fight. Either he or one of the other Twelve Knights watches over me to the point where I can't tie my boots without them reporting back to you. And at the first whiff of trouble, you order my entire troop back to the capital. What must I do for you to understand that I want to do more? You were younger than I am now when you inherited the crown…"

As though the weight of the metal had increased tenfold with her words, Roy removed the circlet from his forehead and placed it on the railing between them. Ash and smoke had eaten its way into the gold, and heat had deformed the right eagle wing into a clump. For the longest time, Lucina had wondered why Roy's crown shared so little resemblance to the ones worn by King Eliwood and his ancestors in the gallery of family portraits, an oil-painted collection of red-haired royals running all the way back to the creation of the world. But she never found the courage to ask.

"I didn't wish for this crown at the time," Roy said. "And I hope you can spend a few more years without this kind of responsibility. It's not always easy to do what is necessary and know that the people will hate you for it. Take these criminals." He included the six accused with a gesture. "They hold onto a harmful mindset, a dying belief that sows trouble wherever they go. By holding them responsible for their crime, I increase the hatred of their friends and relatives. But what is the alternative?"

"If you didn't execute them, you would give them the chance to convert more people," Lucina said. "Pherae cannot sustain another war over the misguided belief of a select few."

Roy smiled and placed the crown back upon his head. "Precisely."

The judge finished his monologue and made way for the executioner, a hulking man of six and a half feet. The blade of his axe caught the light of the afternoon sun when he swung the weapon above his head. Lucina forced herself to look. For Roy's sake and for her own.

The man first in line raised his head from the block and glared at the pair on the balcony. "Our sacrifices will not be in vain! Altea will rise again!"

With these words, the traitor died, undefeated. The executioner repeated the process, five rattling steps, a flash of light when the axe reflected the sun, and another head rolled over the cobblestone.

Signs of weakness would never convince Roy to give her the commando she had begged for over the past month. But Lucina could not help the ashen taste on her tongue. She should have stayed at the training yard. Even if Frederick took a break from sparring as she had instructed, he might have still sat in the shadow of the plane tree to watch. And after Lucina had hacked another straw training doll to bits, they would have discussed her form with a gold cup of orange juice in their hands. She would have called him an old man, and his hearty laugh and the rich drink would have drowned any and all ashen tastes.

"As much as it pains me, I do have a mission for you," Roy said and startled Lucina out of her thoughts. "Can you put your training here on hold for a few days?"

Lucina bit her lip, but Roy showed no signs of playing a game with her. To be fair, when had Roy ever played games?

"Gladly, you know that," she said.

"One of our patrols turned in another report about rebels in the southern province. But I'm afraid this group poses a greater threat than the ones we captured before. They are armed, and if the patrol is to be believed, they possess remarkable fighting capabilities, worthy of a knight even. I wouldn't be surprised if they belonged to the elite of the last king of Altea."

The last king of Altea. Roy never mentioned him by name, but his face always darkened when he thought of him. A traitor of the realm. That's all Lucina knew about him, and the only piece of information she needed to know.

"I promise I won't disappoint you," Lucina said.

"I know you won't."

"So, where's the catch?"

Roy raised a brow. "I don't know what you're talking about. I thought you would be thrilled because of this opportunity. If you want to rather continue your dueling sessions as before, I would be happy to instruct someone else—"

"Don't. I am grateful for this chance. But excuse my frankness, you would never send me on a mission of such importance. Not without an escort and a strict set of guidelines. You have shown time and time again that you don't trust me with matters of state."

"Lucina, please." A strange expression distorted Roy's features, and he turned his head from left to right like a hawk trapped in a net, desperate to move free. Roy never showed signs of inner conflict, not when he held court and not when he attended an execution. Only Lucina could draw forth these furrowed lines between his brows.

Roy took her hand, but immediately let go, as though the contact had burned his fingers through his gloves. "If anyone in Lycia is worthy of my trust, it would be you. You have to understand why I'm concerned. The Altean province has been the hive of conflict for longer than I wear this crown. The people there worship long-dead deities and have sworn to bring about death and destruction in their name. I would send none of my knights into the nest of the dragon without aid."

Roy possessed the miraculous talent to make Lucina feel like the villain of their discussions. No matter how well she prepared her arguments, he always found a way to smite her resolve. And once again, the chance at a field mission, a deed to make a difference slipped through her fingers because she pushed his favors too far.

She bowed her head. "Your experience far outclasses mine. I won't offend you again."

Although he hesitated for a few heartbeats, Roy pushed up her chin to make her look at him. Lucina leaned into the touch, like she had done at the age of seven, when Roy would ask about all the little trivialities she had come across in the castle throughout the day. Afterwards he would scoop her up and tell her stories of tournaments and hunting contests before her time.

"You are forgiven," Roy said. "You will be leaving the castle tomorrow with Frederick. Klein and a few of his men are stationed at Gaste fortress, they will accompany you the rest of the way. I'm sure Klein has one or two tricks in regards to combat up his sleeve you will find useful. And if you remind him a handful of times that the break from his duties at the Black Wall is solely due to your good word, it won't hurt."

His reputation as the most skilled of Roy's knights followed Klein with the persistence of a second shadow. And only his undying hatred for his longtime post, the Black Wall which separated the Pheraen Empire from the barbaric lands of Tellius, outshined his ego.

"I can't say I look forward to his company," Lucina said, "but thank you."

They looked at each other in mutual silence for a moment, and Lucina dared to hope that Roy would indulge her with one of his stories of wars and conquests. But the sound of leather boots snatched his attention as Wolt approached them.

Although he had the honor to be one of Roy's most trusted knights, Wolt bent his knees with utmost formality, and his youthful face, that never failed to offer Lucina a conspiratorial smile, was the embodiment of seriousness.

"Your Highness," he said, "your escort is ready to depart. We are awaiting your orders."

Roy motioned for Wolt to rise. "Good, I will join you shortly."

Lucina looked back and forth between the two before settling on Roy. "Will you be leaving the capital as well?" she asked.

"I have businesses to deal with in the south. Unfortunate but necessary. Perhaps once you have finished your mission, you can join me in Terra for the anniversary celebrations. I believe eighteen years of peace under a common flag warrant a little lightshow, wouldn't you agree? We might be able to enjoy the sights of the country, as run down as they may be. Find some time to talk outside the walls of the palace like we used to."

"I look forward to our reunion."

"Just promise me you'll be careful. The enemy lurks all around us." Roy leaned forward to place a kiss on Lucina's forehead but at the last moment decided otherwise and stroked her cheek instead. Not a hint of his turmoil showed when he marched back inside, a king through and through.

Wolt rolled his shoulders, fished a piece of hard candy from his pocket, and tossed the sugary cube into his mouth. As always, he offered Lucina a piece, but she declined. The stench of blood from the yard below upset her stomach.

"I hear you are getting a new mission," Wolt said between gnawing at the candy.

Lucina raised a brow. "I learned of this just a moment ago myself. Did you eavesdrop on us?"

Wolt grinned. "I wouldn't dream of it. I only know about it because I happened to remind His Highness of your growing talents and the need to sharpen these talents out in the field."

Lucina hadn't expected that. "I… thank you."

"Don't mention it. I know you have great potential, and His Highness does too, even if he may not show it. I fully expect you to join me as a member of the Twelve in a year's time."

"You overestimate me. I don't even have a noble house to my name."

Wolt crunched his candy and enjoyed the sickly-sugary taste with a dreamy smile. "We shall see. A lot can change in a year. In the meantime, make sure to teach these rebels some manners. May Naga be with you."

And with a last wave, Wolt hastened to follow Roy.

Good old Wolt; an excellent knight on and outside of the battlefield, but unfortunately he admired the goddess Naga almost as much as his sweets. A dangerous faith he shared with the Altean rebels but not an incurable malady. Roy would help Wolt see the errors of Nagaism soon enough.

In the yard below, the crows, as Lucina liked to call them, had arrived, a group of ten dressed in black linen. With the mechanic precision of routine, they collected the dead bodies and scattered heads to burn them in Pheraen tradition.

At the same time tomorrow, Lucina would ride on the road south. What would she do once she had caught the rebels? Execute them? Did the decision even lie in her hands? Klein far outranked her in experience, he would most likely demand his right to take the lead. Then all Lucina had to do was stand aside and watch the rebels pay for their crimes. Simple, right?

Lucina tossed a long, indigo strand between her fingers. Roy had to have debated whether he wanted to send her for multiple days. That's why he had avoided the training ground with unusual stubbornness yesterday and the day before. When Lucina had asked him for a sparring round, he had found an arbitrary political problem to work on. Not at all like him.

She needed to impress him and prove that she could handle even a perilous nest of criminals without his guidance. Nothing else mattered.

With a sigh, Lucina abandoned the balustrade and headed for her quarters to pack. No matter what would happen, the next days promised to provide an interesting change of scenery.

The fields of barley and wheat outside of Lycia shone golden under the rays of the midday sun. A warm gust made the blades dance, and Lucina couldn't help but smile. The wind in her hair, the scent of grain and poppies, a different world compared to the cool odors of sandstone and metal back home – everything was reason enough to spur her horse and not waste a single look over her shoulder.

"Can't we go at a more reasonable pace?" Frederick complained between heavy breaths.

With a pat of her horse's neck, Lucina encouraged her sorrel stallion to maintain his gallop. "Are you tired already, old man?"

At the age of thirty-one, only three years younger than Roy, and with a perfect posture, no one in their right mind would call Frederick an old man. Had he cared for a promotion, he could have climbed the ranks of Roy's knights in record time, he might have even joined the elite Twelve.

"All I do is advise for caution," Frederick said. "And I would be lying if I said I look forward to bearing Klein's company any sooner than necessary."

"Have you met him before?"

"Once. He paraded across the castle and didn't let a chance go by to remind the other Twelve of his superior status. I doubt he was sober once during the three days of the gathering. When His Highness ordered him to return to the Black Wall, he fired an arrow at Roy in front of the entire court. The shot missed by two inches. His Highness and the rest of the room with him stood there in complete silence while Klein stomped out of the hall. Someone other than him would have paid with his head for such insolence. And rightfully so."

Lucina tried to picture Roy with a spilled wine glass in his hand and an arrow a hair's width from his ear. The result screamed with absurdity.

"That must have been years ago," she said. "I can't remember the last time all Twelve gathered at Lycia."

Frederick narrowed his eyes and stared at the horizon. His arms twitched, no doubt eager to punch some sense into Klein for defying the king in such a rude manner. "Even so, I doubt he has changed much since then. He should have been banished to the Black Wall for the rest of eternity."

"I didn't know you could be so unforgiving." Lucina pointed at the disappearing bruise around his left eye. Not without a pang of guilt. "Or are you still mad that I beat you during training?"

"Hardly. I mean, I never could." Frederick sighed. "Klein doesn't honor the knight code, that is all. As a lord, every title and amenity were presented to him as he wished. If he had been born as a farrier's son, perhaps he would have learned to appreciate his position."

Frederick's modest or rather unremarkable upbringing earned him scorn from his fellow knights on a regular basis. Not only did he stem from the southern province, he also didn't have a drop of noble blood in his veins. And since his mother had passed away a few months ago, the subject had become especially touchy.

"At least you have met your father," Lucina said and tried to sound optimistic. "I would do everything to learn more about mine."

Frederick gave no response and gazed at the road ahead. His jaw ground.

Lucina smiled and reached for the reins of his horse to slow both their mounts. "Oh, come on, this begrudging attitude doesn't fit you. Klein can't be that bad. Besides, banishment to the Black Wall with nothing but the monotony of guard duty to keep you company is a fate worse than death. How would you feel if you had to spend the rest of your days confined by the walls of the palace?"

"Content."

"You are unbelievable."

The sun arched over the sky and neared the horizon before they reached Gaste fortress, and the first animals of the night left their hiding spots. A fox crossed their path but disappeared between the salad heads to their right. Lucina readjusted her cape to battle the wind and wondered how Frederick managed even the coldest of winters without one of the woolen coats other knights favored. Even when all three moats in and around Lycia froze and attracted children with the promise of ice skating, Frederick remained deaf to the lure of a fireplace.

When the lights of the outpost emerged out of the dark, Lucina allowed herself a small smile and spurred her stallion. Roy had gifted her the charger for her sixteenth birthday with the promise that no other horse in the royal stable matched his speed. And sure enough, Lucina reached the tower situated on a hill beside the road long before Frederick on his bay mare. Too bad Lucina hadn't turned the last mile into a competition. A small victory to boost her ego would have surely come in handy when faced with the leading knight of the Twelve.

Two wooden stables hugged the base of the watchtower, an outpost built from burnt clay bricks like hundreds of others all throughout the kingdom. Not exactly deserving of such a showstopping name as Gaste fortress. Lucina dismounted and led her stallion to the stable suggesting fewer sign of decay. But before her hand reached the doorframe, the clatter of hooves disturbed the evening silence.

On the road that Lucina and Frederick had followed a moment ago trotted three riders. But to lump them in the same category as regular mounted knights would be as ignorant as placing a tiger and a stray cat on the same pedestal. At each stride the three steeds took, their muscles showed underneath perfect white fur. An unmatched elegance; the best thoroughbreds in Roy's stable looked dull by comparison. Two large wings grew out of their sides, and the feathers shimmered as though they emitted moonlight.

"Pegasus Knights," Frederick said. "They look at their generals in the military with a little too much self-absorbed pride if you ask me."

The three female riders stared ahead in silence. Grim lines spoilt their faces that might have once been beautiful. Although none of them surpassed the age of forty, their eyes showed the same vacancy as veterans when they remembered the dust of the battlefield.

"You think so? They look rather sad to me." Lucina's stallion nudged her shoulder to ask for her attention. But she couldn't keep her eyes from the trio. "I wonder why Roy has sent them out…"

"Perhaps to strengthen our border defenses. Klein's stupendous skills will surely be missed on the Black Wall." Even the dim light failed to smooth out Frederick's sour expression.

Lucina tore her eyes from the Pegasus Knights. She couldn't lose focus and gawk at some pretty horses like a child. After all, she had sworn to make Roy proud, and this mission with Klein would bring her one step closer to his respect.

"We wouldn't want to keep the man waiting then. Let's go," she said and guided her stallion into the stable.

Six other horses nibbled at a sparse supper of hay. The wood moaned when Lucina tied her reins to the back log, but the sound failed to summon a stable boy. This close to the capital, you would think the comings and goings of soldiers would warrant a constant staff. But Lucina had to admit that her past visits to outposts of this kind required only one hand to list.

She patted her horse's red fur – a remarkable similarity to the shade of Roy's hair – a final time and marched through the door leading inside the tower with Frederick on her heals. The noise of laughter and the overabundance of flickering oil lamps left her blind and confused for a moment, and when her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she felt the urge to slam the door to this acquaintance shut before it had even started.

Klein examined Lucina over the dirty soles of his hunter boots, which he had planted on top of the course-crafted table in the room's center. In all of Pherae, he had to be the only one to combine a purple silk tunic with disheveled hair, as though the limiting mannerisms of class didn't reach above his shoulders. While his five underlings had the decency to abandon their seats in an effort to greet the newcomers, Klein brought the mug of ale in his hands to his lips. His eyes studied Lucina like a hunter studied the prey in his forest, thinking about which head would fit best above his fire place.

Frederick puffed his chest and opened his mouth to bark a reminder on manners and etiquette, but Lucina stopped him with the knock of two fingers against his breastplate.

A sly smile curled Klein's lips and, after the rest of his drink went down his throat, he spread his arms to encompass the room. "Welcome to the beauty of service outside the Black Wall. May the frost or the Black Knight himself take that thing into the five hells where it belongs."

Frederick ignored Lucina's shake of the head and made full use of his considerate height. "Do you have any idea who you are talking to?"

"Roy's little songbird, his favorite ward." Klein offered Lucina a mocking bow of the head. "You've grown since last I had the honor, my lady. I'm surprised to see you this far from the capital, and only escorted by a single foot soldier. Aren't you aware that these are dangerous times? The fanatics might overtake the land any day."

Lucina gestured towards the long bow Klein had draped on the table amidst a forest of wine decanters and mugs. "But surely a knight such as yourself won't shy confrontation with a handful of peasants? Unless the years on the Black Wall have covered your skills in rust, I am sure our mission won't throw at us a threat we could not overcome. Wouldn't you agree?"

Klein leaned back and raised his mug to her, this time in earnest. "I'm impressed. If you wield your weapon with half the finesse you show with words, then you might prove a valuable addition to my unit. We might both benefit from the partnership. But for now, you and your grim hanger-on are invited to join me in this merry drinking session." He first motioned at an unoccupied stool to his left and then snapped his fingers for an unremarkable boy who did his best to blend in with the corner of the room. "Stable boy! Bring these fine guests some wine. And for the sake of his redhead highness, find something decent to eat in this rotten hole. Some service this is. Now, off you go, and fast."

The stable boy jumped, bowed low twice, and ran for the door on the other side of the room. He stumbled over his own feet in his hurry to carry out the order, and his desperate antics produced an ugly grin on Klein's lips. Lucina swallowed a heated remark on Klein's behavior and took the offered seat. Frederick refused to budge, only his teeth gnawed. Another serving of ale passed through Klein's companions before Lucina convinced him with eye movements to sit down next to her.

Klein pretended not to take notice of Frederick's behavior and shoved a brass mug filled with wine towards Lucina. "So, how are the wheels turning in the capital? I heard his superior highness still indulges the sweet sound of rolling fanatic heads to save us from their poisonous tongues?"

"Roy finds no enjoyment in these executions," Lucina said. "No one could see value in the senseless loss of lives."

"My dear lady, a man cannot continue with a deed for eighteen years if he doesn't find enjoyment in his task."

Frederick slammed his hand on the table. "Is that why you shoot the civilians of Tellius as soon as they come within five hundred feet of the Black Wall?"

"Oh yes. The cockroaches from the other side make for far more interesting targets than the training ground has to offer. They know the rules: Either they stay in their holes or they are open for hunting season. Imagine what would happen if we allowed them on Pheraen territory. A most unwanted support for the old Altean rebels. They might open the gates to the Black Knight himself, and all the comfort and stability of our Empire would go up in smoke."

Lucina silenced Frederick with a glare before he could answer. "That's why we need to put an end to the rebel threat as soon as possible. I gather you have further intel on the cell we are to face?"

"No worries, my dear lady, they won't cause us much trouble." Klein snatched a chicken-leg from the tray the stable boy brought forward. With a hasty bow, the boy placed the rest of the meal on a rare spot on the table devoid of mugs and decanters and fled back into the safety of the room next door.

Klein took a bite from the lean meat and grimaced. "Not a pinch of seasoning. The kitchen at the Black Wall could not have done better."

His chicken-leg landed back on the tray where it soon found more willing consumers in the form of Klein's underlings.

"To return to your question," Klein said, "the rebels have robbed a few military supply transports and have barricaded themselves in a village south of Seliora. Gran or something along those lines. The damage they've done is manageable, hardly worth my efforts. But as we all know, better to cut off the head of the beast before it gains a following."

"Of course," Lucina said and nipped at her wine. The taste left a lot to be desired, unless one favored the flavor of pure alcohol and total oblivion. "I look forward to our partnership."

Klein shoved a sly grin. "A toast to that."

After the, admittedly, quite dramatic prologue, here now the first regular chapter. This one should give you a better understanding of what I'm going for with this story. I hope you enjoyed. I'm planning with a new update every week, and in the best case, I will stick to Thursdays. This gives me enough time to read through the chapter while also working on other projects.

So, then I'll see you next week. Stay safe.