Chapter 15-Hostages

As the sunlight peaked over the mountaintops over my right shoulder I clung tightly to Revellia as her Pegasus Serendipity flapped his brown wings in a rhythmic up and down cycle. I looked down and felt a bit dizzy as we passed over a snowy mountain pass and glided down into foothills right near the Regina Ferox border. I could see the expansive light grey expanse of the Longfort, the main fortress guarding the border between Ferox and Ylisse in the distance. She spoke up, "Longfort is in sight, milady. It looks like another six hours journey for the Shepards."

I shook my head and tried to control my anxiety at being so high up, "Okay Revy, bank around that lake and let's return to the Scouts."

"Aye-aye, Mimika." She gently nudged the reins and Serry angled and did a graceful 360° circle while losing altitude. Out of nowhere a fire bolt streaked out of the sky and caught me against my torso, sending me flying off the mount.

Revellia screamed in shock, "Mimi!"

My mind went blank as I pinwheeled into the icy cold water, which knocked the wind out of my lungs. I sank to the lake bottom, and I frantically cut the leather bindings on my light steel breastplate with my dagger, letting it drop into the muddy sediment. The water was so cold it felt like ten thousand burning needles pressing into my flesh. I burst to the surface and swam for the nearest shore where I saw with blurred vision a collection of ruffians. With the last of my strength, I screamed, "Revy, get the hell out of here!"

"Milady, I'm sorry!" I saw Serry inelegantly plunge into the water right ahead of me with his left wing on fire. The poor Pegasus dipped his wings in the frigid water to douse the flames. Oh shit.

A familiar bass voice ordered with more than a hint of glee, "Seize them. Don't slay the noble."

The brigands swarmed us and Revellia skewered one of them through the throat. The unfortunate lancer gurgled and toppled onto his back, his brown eyes gaping sightlessly upwards at the sky.

A barbarian yanked hard on Revy's hair pulling her off her mount and into the mudbank. He then put an axeblade against her throat.

Serendipity reared up and slammed his front right horseshoe against the bare chested axe warrior's skull, knocking him into the water, where he twitched once and then lay still.

As I shivered all over, I weakly tried to protest as several thugs disarmed me, tied my hands and feet together and carried me onshore. I gaped as an irate and muscular woman with one good arm strode forward and gave a haymaker to the poor Pegasus, causing him to wobble and then topple over.

Revy was crying as she was bound as well, "I'm so sorry, milady. This is all my fault."

I was too bone chilled to reply, but I only blamed the arrogant blond Knight leaning on his axe and regarding his vanquished enemies with sadistic glee in his crimson eyes. His Plegian wine red and black armor was adorned with a few spikes and his ugly black and crimson Wyvern snarled behind him eying us with its cruel amber eyes as a potential snack. Casval snickered as we were dragged to his feet, "Well met, milady. I was hoping for a certain dark mage to be out on patrol, but a noble hostage may be even better. My darling Xolette will be mine." He burst out into deep throated laughter, "You didn't really think that you'd seen the last of me, did you?"

"D-d-dastard," I impotently spat out though chattering teeth.

He gave me a wink, and gestured to his brigand followers, "You lot. Bury your comrades in the forest." He turned to an agitated man wearing sky blue robes over a white tunic, "Moon, nice shooting. Start a magical fire in the cave."

"Yes, sir," the mage bowed and headed into a well concealed cavern bordering the lake.

"Heart, Therion. Drag that poor excuse for a horse behind the rock outcroppings and slay it."

"Mister, please don't kill Serry," a tearful Revellia pleaded. "He didn't wrong you. He won't attack as long as he is around me."

"You don't get to decide that you stupid wench; kill him."

Abruptly the Pegasus started and kicked Therion's chest, scrambled to his feet and galloped off.

Heart cursed and aimed some sort of mechanical bow-like contraption built into her left forearm at the retreating beast, but Casval waved her off, "No. Let the wretch go. It will send a message to the Arsehole Scouts anyway."

The muscular woman covered with scars contemptibly spat on Casval's foot, glared at him and strode off to drag Revy into the cave entrance.

The hypothermia caught up to me and I must have blacked out immediately after that.

…

Hours later I woke up with a start to see I was dressed in a rough grey tunic, black pants, and burlap rags wrapped around my feet. My hands were now in manacles behind my back, as were my ankles. Strangely I felt warm despite being in a dank cave. Floating azure flames illuminated the cavern space with eerie light, as the magic flames provided light and heat without smoke.

Soft sobbing to my left made me turn to Revy who was similarly bound and clothed. She made eye contact with me and leaned into my shoulder, "M-milady…I failed you terribly. You can't ever f-forgive me."

I sighed and kissed her forehead, "Dummy. We both screwed up. You're my friend, and always will be."

She burst into fresh tears and started to get my shoulder damp.

A thin man kneeling by the fire finally had enough of the sappiness, "Are the histrionics strictly necessary, ladies? You'd be dead already if we weren't planning to ransom you."

I gave him a withering glare, "Go drown yourself in the lake, if you please Mister Moon."

He sighed deeply, "A lot would be solved if you had been the one to drown, Lady Paraglaive." I wasn't completely sure, but I was beginning to suspect his bloodthirsty brigand associates were making him edgy. He wasn't especially tall but he did have handsome peach skin, closely cropped flaxen hair, and intelligent blue eyes. He was well dressed in an embroidered light blue robe that extended to his knees, a white shirt and navy pants under the robes, and ultramarine leather loafers with sky blue stitching. He wore a four cornered soft velvet hat with tassels on the corners. Moon stood out like a dainty unicorn in a wolf pack; he definitely seemed to be more the type to mingle with nobility than consort with thugs.

I sat up and nudged Revy who took the hint and pulled away. "I assume my family did something to wrong you if you are this bent on revenge. What was it, exactly? Was it my father or me? Was it my family's betrayal to the Exalt?"

He crouched down in front of me with an unreadable expression, "None of the above. The Proculvis and Paraglaive families have never officially met going back at least three generations back. I just know that you are fated to destroy me, and you must be neutralized before that can happen."

I controlled my disbelief as well as could, "Wait. Let me see if I understand this correctly. We've never met. You don't know me or vice versa, and yet I hold a grudge against you? How is that possible?"

"I am a Magic knight that pays the bills with Astrological fortunes to the upper crust of society. A month ago I had a vision of black asp biting my ankle so I used a silver polearm to decapitate the snake. I saw crimson blood pool on the floor just before I blacked out from the venom. I went straight for the heraldic tomes and within three hours I had my answer…the Paraglaive crest."

Revellia looked completely aghast, "Mister Moon, you had a meaningless dream, and yet you associated it with milady's coat of arms? That's crazy."

He glared at the green-haired Pegasus knight and shook his head, "These dreams always mean something, and the result was inescapable. Tell my, my dear Revellia; do you know of another coat of arms with a red background, silver halberd, and black snake on the shield?"

"I d-don't, but Miss Mimika would never go after you for no reason."

I snarked, "Well maybe I could say I have a grudge now considering you kidnapped me and Revy."

He managed a tight lipped smile, "Indeed. The vision must not come true; however imprisonment would work just as well as death."

A gruff female voice cut him off, "Hey fop, stop coddling the damn prisoners. They ain't your pals."

Moon chuckled and stood up, "Ah, tactful as always, Miss Heart."

The muscle-bound woman with a burning light brown leonine-hued eye strode into the light. She easily towered over Moon with a strong, heavily scarred muscular frame. Every visible part of her body bore scars of varying lengths. She had shoulder length black hair slicked back with a few untamable pointy spikes hanging just over her forehead, and her temples shaved down to stubble. Her war-battered face bore a scar crossing the bridge of her nose and across her empty right eye socket. In place of her severed left forearm, she had it outfitted with an arrow-launching prostheses. Even in the cold she was dressed as a barbarian with an armored black and white chestplate, and deformed demonic faces incorporated into the plates, giving her an unnerving appearance. She wore an armored skirt to mid thighs, laced black boots, and a wolf pelt cape. A two handed longsword was sheathed on her back in a leather sheath.

I gave a slight nod, "Hello Miss Heart. To what do we owe the pleasure-"

"Shuddup," she snarled.

Revellia bravely squared her shoulders, "Do what you like with me, but let Lady Mimika go. You only need one hostage, right?"

Heart took out a sausage, and sliced chunks of it with a menacing-looking spiked dagger and ate the gamey meat on hardtack. "Good idea, Miss girly-girl. I'll slit your throat and then we'll only have Paraglaive to babysit."

I flinched as I saw Revy turn pale, but I spoke up. "I-if you k-kill either of us, our allies will hunt you down and rip you apart like a bunch of hounds pouncing on a hare. There will be nowhere in the world safe to hide, as they will find you."

The scarred warrior burst out into a bitter laugh, "Yah, like you'd be the first to try." She held the knife to my throat and gently ran the razor sharp blade over my jawline. "In case yah hadn't noticed all I've known since I was a slip of a girl was pain and blood. I'd welcome a fight to the death; to die fighting would be a good way to enter the afterlife." She leaned back and continued eating her lunch with a predatory expression as she guarded us.

…

Some hours later a rough shove woke me up, "Up."

I glanced up and saw the third mercenary of the group, "Uhhh, mister Therion…wasn't it?"

"Yeah." The young man looked about Chrom's age and wasn't bad looking either. He was of moderate height, with a muscular build and beige skin color. His black hair had a wavy style reaching down to his neck in back and right cheek in front. His serious brown eyes looked at us as if he was having second thoughts about hiring himself out as a sellsword to Casval. His chin was unshaven stubble with a neatly trimmed triangular patch under his full lips. He was attired in the classic Mercenary uniform of black leather armor covering his chest, legs and wrists over a grey tunic and pants. Over that were steel boots, a red leather belt and an arm-mounted red heater shield with a grey wolf design adorning its surface. Uncharacteristically he was also wearing a long draping crimson scarf that had black fringes, and had a pair of wire-rimmed glasses with slightly grey tinted lenses perched on his nose. I also noticed with a bit of a jolt that he was wearing my ancestral sword.

I sat up with difficulty as he efficiently undid the shackles on my feet, and helped to hoist me up. I gave him a firm lipped acknowledgement, "I guess you like Schlangenfang too."

He glanced down at the blade and gave a curt nod, "I need something with that kind of power to end a complete dastard. Nothing personal." He repeated the unshackling with Revy and helped her up as well. He then gave us a drink from a wineskin to quench our parched throats.

Revellia gave a polite bow after drinking, "Thank you."

He shook his head in exasperation, "Don't thank your enemies, fool."

She broke into a slight smile, "Do we have to be enemies? I don't think you're at all like Casval or those selfish brigands."

I realized that Revy was onto something. Two out of three of Casval's henchmen seemed not to share his willingness to senselessly shed blood for a few coins and for evil's sake. I still thought Heart was a crazed, bloodthirsty Berserker. However Moon seemed like he was more confused by his nonsensical nightmare than being out for my head; Therion's rage seemed to be aimed at someone far beyond the confines of this cave.

I spoke encouragingly, "Look, I don't think you're a bad man. You just need a boss that will treat you with more respect."

"Quiet, Lady Paraglaive. Walk." He seemed to be trying too hard to put on an abrasive front, but I suspected that he was a gentleman at his core.

"Why are we moving out?"

"Silvertail just brought back a message. The ransom is being paid. Keep in line and this will go down smoothly."

I was about to ask what that meant when I was blinded by the midday sun. At least a full day must have passed by now. He brought us out into the open where the entire mercenary team except for Heart was standing in front of the cave entrance. A brown hawk with white tail and wing plumage that I guessed was Silvertail landed on Therion's shoulder to receive her reward of raw rabbit meat for conveying the ransom note.

Standing before us was a familiar green-haired archer dressed in her white tunic and navy pants. It was…wait…it wasn't Raquelle, although she was dressed as her. After all her sharp-edged face and bright red eyes were distinctive to the Myrmidon from the future; not that Casval or his mooks would know that. It was definitely Nobuna, one of Kasrin's Irregulars. The imposter called out, "Milady, sis, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I answered a bit too hastily. I saw Revellia look on with a stunned expression, so I kicked her shin lightly.

Revy quickly gathered herself and put on a show for our captors, "Big sis! Thank Naga! I was so worried about you. Have you been eating right since I was captured? I left some homemade rations for you in your satchel!"

'Raq' chuckled knowingly, "Always the mother hen, Revy. Don't worry. We've got this."

Casval gave Therion a sneering glance and the Sellsword reluctantly complied as he drew out my father's sword and held it up to my throat. He whispered in my ear, "Don't move Lady Paraglaive."

The archer glared at the Wyvern knight, "I have your ransom right here, Casval. Let them go."

"The ransom first. Plus I won't let them go until you hand over Xolette," he spat at the unarmed archer.

'Raquelle' came forwards a step and threw a heavy bag onto the ground in front of Casval. Immediately dozens of silver and gold coins spilled out all over the rocky ground. "Here's your reward, scumbag."

Several of the idiotic thugs immediately grabbed for the coins rolling all over the rocky expanse, and Casval had to punch them to get them to fall in line.

I felt a heavy weight strike Therion from behind, sending him flying. My ancestral sword flew into a nearby sapling.

"Heya gorgeous," Lilith squealed softly as she bearhugged both me and Revy and spun around just as Moon unloaded a fireball into her back. She winced and screamed, "Now!"

Nobuna caught a Chon'sin styled blade tossed to her by its hilt and immediately gutted the closest brigand. She engaged with a lancer, dodged his thrust and skewered him in the chest with her eyes aflame.

Suddenly with a metallic clang, several arrows shot out of a nearby treetop and struck the Myrmidon in the shoulder and hip, as she deflected the third away with her blade that had been targeting her neck. She roared in pain and kept slaughtering the dull-witted brigands. Casval mounted his Wyvern and swooped in to decapitate Nobuna, but a blue-green manakete plunged into his mount's side, sending them both into the nearby pine treetops.

I gasped in amazement, "Mika!"

"Run, cutie," a seared Lilith insisted. She broke apart our manacles with her inhuman strength, "I still want your baby someday, ya'know."

"Thanks Lily!" I retrieved my sword from the tree and shook my head, "By the by, look at me! I'm a woman. Our sex can't be fathers…ever."

"So ya think." She winked, "Let's go kick some tail."

Heart unexpectedly dropped out of a nearby treetop slashed Lilith multiple times, and then body slammed her down the hill into the water.

One of the brigands charged me but Revy threw a vulnerary into his helmet, shattering the bottle and showing glass shards into his face. The wretch screamed but a quick slash by my dark grey blade ended his life as crimson blood stained my tunic.

Moon took aim again but then abruptly collapsed in agony as another Myrmidon slashed his arm, disabling the mage. Kasrin himself gave me a salute as he crossed swords with Therion.

Casrin on his mount flew up over the treetops and screamed as he dove at me, seeking to kill me for my double crossing. I braced myself with my sword as I felt tears sting my eyes as I could see he had Manakete blood on his giant axe.

Lilith's elder sister Jezebel leapt out over the cave's entrance and piledrove the wyvern into the ground with her brutish strength, sending the Wyvern rider flying into the rock outcropping with a bonecrunching thud.

Heart, covered in blood charged the second lamia with a bloodcurdling scream.

Jezzy snarled, You hurt Lily! I'll kill you, bitch!" She caught Heart's mighty sword swing with her hands, and then used her tail to crush the Beserker into the cliff face.

The Beserker cried out in pain and then stabbed Jezy's tail though, laughing maniacally. "A worthy opponent!" She shot several more arrows into Jezebel's scaled arms and stomach.

The lamia incredibly still didn't go down as she punched Heart barehanded, fracturing her fingerbones as she caved in Heart's chestplate. The crazed warrior gasped for air as she stabbed Jezebel's tail one final time before collapsing with bloody froth coming out of her nose. She panted, "A…a good death." She finally fell still.

I turned and saw Kasrin had Therion neatly disarmed as he clutched his swordarm in agony. All the other brigands were dead or had fled by this point. I noticed with a jolt that Casval and his mount were gone.

I sighed, "Sir Kasrin, kindly spare the Mymidon Therion and the Mage Moon. I need information from them."

"Certainly milady," he used the hilt of his rapier to slam it into the back of Therion's head, sending him sprawling into the earth.

We had won, but it was a costly victory.

Revy emerged out of the cave bearing healing vulnerary and staves. She healed me first, then Jezebel. She then restored Nobuna's health and lastly tended to a badly mauled Mika.

I stumbled to the water's edge and found a badly slashed Lilith bleeding into the water. I knelt by her side and made her drink all the healing potions that I could carry. After her eyes fluttered open, I tore into her tearfully, "You stupid fool! My life isn't worth giving up yours!"

"Ya, it is worth it." After restoring her wounds to ugly scars, she raised her crimson scaled hand and caressed my chin, as her crimson eyes locked with mine, "So, Miss Damsel in distress, does the hero get true love's kiss or what?"

I broke out into crazed laughter that the lamia who mere seconds ago was bleeding out still had the nerve to flirt with me, "You idiot." I reached over and gently kissed her forehead.

"Thanks, babe." She rested her head in my lap as I softly sobbed with her blood staining my prisoner's outfit. Why did she care for me so much? I could never be worth anyone's love. My tainted blood had to end with my death after all.

"Milady?"

I turned to see Revellia reach the water's edge propping up a badly limping Mika. Jezebel, Nobuna, and Kasrin joined them.

"Well, I think Lily's okay. She's still hitting on me," I noted as I wiped away my tears.

Revellia gave me a shaky smile, "We have three prisoners left alive who are now tied up: the Beserker Heart, the Mage Moon, and the Myrmidon Therion."

I stroked Lily's hair and looked over to Kasrin expectantly, "I owe you my life and Revellia's. Name your recompense."

Kasrin smiled wearily, "Come with the Irregular's, milady. Hero King Marth has need of you."

My eyes widened, as I realized I had just been forcibly conscripted by the Irregulars.