Chapter 3 - Assault

Elincia stood beside her Pegasus, fastening the back cinch of the saddle into place with a smooth motion as Dalidion emitted a concerned whinny. But the noise was barely noticed as a singular, persistent thought bounced around in her mind, rudely pushing away any other that dared try to creep in.

"Something on your mind?" a casual voice called out from straight in front of her, causing her to start. She looked over to see the tall, spectral figure of a woman leaning with casual poise against an ancient oak.

"Lucia! How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to see that you are troubled by something."

Elincia leaned her arms over the saddle. "What makes you say that?"

"One," she said, holding up a finger, "I've known you since we were kids. Two, it's my business to read people. And three, she continued, gesturing to the queen's Pegasus, "you put your saddle on backwards."

Elincia looked down at Dalidion and noted with a flash of embarrassment that Lucia was right. The saddle, fitted awkwardly over his hind quarters, was facing a nervously flickering tail.

"So either you are practicing a new strategy that I know nothing about, or something is bothering you."

Elincia hastily unhitched the saddle, moving around to the other side of her mount and gently placing it over the padding in the correct direction. "I'm so sorry," she cooed to her steed as she caressed his mane, "you were trying to tell me, but I wasn't listening."

"Considering that saddling a Pegasus is something you can normally do with one hand while fighting off an attacker with the other, it must be something serious."

Elincia was silent as she again wound the front cinch through the securing ring. "It's about Ike," she said at last.

Occupied with Dalidion, she did not notice the effect her words had on Lucia; the body which tensed like a lounging cat who had just heard a howling dog, and the wry grin which gave way to a frigid curl. "I see. So, did he say something in that old chapel to upset you?"

"No, it's what he said later that really— "Elincia stopped what she was doing, and turned to her friend, a questioning look on her face. "How did you know that?" Suddenly, understanding hit her like a falling apple as she sighed heavily. "You were following me the whole time, weren't you?"

"I kept a loose eye on you, yes. Like it or not, it's my job to keep you safe."

"I do like it, very much, but I have been known to look after myself from time to time."

"Didn't you say something to that effect when you talked me into letting you, by yourself, get between two armies seething to kill each other? And then once you were there, throwing your sword down while screaming soldiers rushed at you? I'm still trying to push my heart back down into my chest after that little incident."

Elincia gently tucked in the tip of the secured cinch before wheeling back around. "Well, it worked, didn't it? Besides, I discussed it with you beforehand."

"I don't think that "Trust me, I have a plan," exactly qualifies as a discussion. It may have worked, yes, but it was reckless, dangerous, and frankly, your majesty, it was more than a little irresponsible. It was like something that— " she stopped herself. "Let's just say it wasn't something I expected you to come up with."

"Exactly. By doing something no one expected, I was able to save countless lives that day."

Lucia considered Elincia with a thoughtful expression. "Indeed. But that wasn't the only unexpected thing you did during the course of the battle."

Elincia felt a thousand tiny fires prickling, spreading through her ears. "What are you talking about?"

"Sir Ike…Please…Look after Crimea!" Lucia uttered with a tinge of acidity. "Does that ring any bells?"

Elincia winced, as for a moment she was back in a critical moment during the battle when an archer had targeted her, and it appeared that he would fire before anyone could take him down. Her gaze had been on Ike, fighting desperately to save her. Seized by the final, freezing thought that death was imminent, she felt her lips moving, sheer instinct seizing control of her tongue and uttering the words she had never believed anyone but Ike to have heard.

Lucia folded her arms across her chest. "It did seem a little odd to me, considering Geoffrey and I and all you other retainers were right there and all."

"Oh…that," she murmured in a weak voice. "Lucia, I'm so sorry, I hadn't realized that you had overheard what I said. But that had nothing to do with you or Geoffrey. It's just…"

Lucia waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. Ike was the closest to you at the time and you obviously had him on your mind. I just didn't realize exactly how much."

Elincia shrugged. "Things like that just make you think about certain things in a different way."

"Like how he ditched you?"

She sighed as she moved to secure the buck strap. "I would not put it that way."

"Yeah you would, and in fact you did, and worse as I and a collection of smashed vases in Melior can attest to."

Elincia cleared her throat as she made the final adjustments, making sure it was not too tight but not too loose either. "I was…upset."

Lucia moved forward, grabbing her friend by the forearms and flipping her around. "And you had every right to be, especially after you worked so hard on that decree! Ike left when we still needed him, and what for? I never really got that straight. All I could catch as he stomped out of the castle was some creative utterings about squabbling nobles, but that was nothing new." She cocked an eyebrow. "Was there something else going on that I was unaware of?"

Elincia studied the expression her comrade was wearing. "You're still angry with him, aren't you?"

"Of course I am, and so should you!"

"But he saved your life!"

"Which wouldn't have been necessary if he hadn't left to begin with!"

Elincia pushed Lucia's arms away, gently but firmly. "You can't know that!"

"I know what his leaving did to you, how it affected you! That was the reason why Ludveck was able…"

"I realize that, but you can't lay all the blame for that at Ike's feet. Besides, there was probably more to it than what we know," Elincia cut in.

Lucia snorted. "We already know why, flimsy and childish as it was. Why look for a mystery when the truth is so painfully obvious?"

"I'm not so sure anymore. Something Ike said bothered me."

"What was it?"

Elincia fidgeted in place. "Um, well, It's not just what he said, but how he said it. I just got the feeling, listening to him, that there is more to the story."

Lucia eyed her with curiosity. "Then why didn't you just ask him?"

Elincia rubbed her hands together, her eyes studying the dark silhouettes of the trees around her. "I…wasn't exactly in a position to participate in the conversation."

Lucia's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"I was…behind a tree."

Lucia sputtered as a chuckle escaped from her lips despite her best efforts to suppress it.

Elincia stamped her foot in an indignant huff. "Don't laugh!"

"I'm sorry, it's…just…she managed to say between giggles, "I never saw you as the type to eavesdrop."

Elincia put her hands on her hips, a faint smile across her lips. "So says someone who spends half their life with their ear against a door."

"Hey, that's my job, but you…she broke into another fit of soft laughter.

"Well, it's not really eavesdropping if they're talking about you, and I distinctly heard my name."

Lucia coughed as she strived to constrain herself. "As you say, your highness."

"Don't give me that. Besides, that's not the point. Ike thinks I humiliated him, and until now I thought he humiliated me. It seems that something more was going on than either of us realized."

The amusement vanished as quickly as a dream, and Elincia was once again confronted with the fixed countenance of her austere spymaster. "But why does it even matter now?"

"Because I was thinking about asking Ike to come back to Melior."

Lucia shut her eyes and took several deep breaths before answering. "Why? How can you just overlook everything that he did to you?!", she exclaimed finally as she ran her fingers through her shortened hair.

"How can you overlook what he did for me? For all of us?"

Lucia placed her hand on her chest. "But you have all of us…me, my brother, and now your uncle is back as well. Aren't we enough?" Her eyes narrowed. Or did you really mean what you said that day? Do you really think that Ike is the only one you can depend on?"

Elincia stepped closer to Lucia. "After Ludveck, do you really have to ask that question?" Her eyes locked onto Lucia's. "You showed me how to stand on my own, to summon my own courage to overcome whatever obstacle I may encounter. No, thanks to you and my other brave retainers I have come to realize that I no longer need Ike to protect me or fight my battles."

Lucia observed her friend with concern as she analyzed everything that had been said, sifting through every speck of the conversation with meticulous precision. "Then why? Is this about guilt over a misunderstanding? "Because I can't understand why— "She cut herself off as the shifting grains suddenly coalesced into a heavy, ponderous lump that she had believed dissipated long ago.

"By Ashera…or Ashunera, or whatever she calls herself now," she proclaimed in a tone steeped in cold realization, "You still have feelings for him, don't you?"

Elincia didn't even blink. "Yes, actually I do."

"Ha! I knew it! But I thought you had come to realize how ridiculous— "

Lucia went silent as Elincia raised her hand, her face the epitome of emotionless neutrality. "I have feelings for Ike, yes. I feel that, as his friend, I must do something for him before he does something drastic."

"Drastic? Like what?"

"Like leave Tellius."

Lucia stared. "But that would be…"

"Suicide, even for someone as strong as Ike," Elincia finished. Her hands dropped away listlessly as she regarded her best friend, shoulders drooping slightly as she abruptly appeared much older than someone hovering around twenty. "Lucia, our lives have been stained by tragedy and loss from the outbreak of the Mad King's War up until the final battle with Ashera. Can you tell me how many friends and allies and countrymen have fallen?" She closed her eyes as her head bowed downward. "I am ashamed to admit that I have lost count," she confessed in a flat, monotone voice. Then without warning her fingers curled into fists as she regained herself, eyes open and alert. "I can't let anyone else slip away needlessly…I just can't. Not when I can do something about it."

"But that's the question, isn't it? You know how stubborn Ike is; do you really think you can change his mind? In trying to do so you may risk destroying what you have restored. Are you really ready to risk that?"

"If I let him go without trying, then I have lost him anyway."

"But you would still be able to part as friends. Isn't that enough?"

Elincia shook her head. "No, I'm afraid it's not." She clasped her hands together over her chest. "Please. I need you with me on this."

Lucia looked away from Elincia, studying the form of Dalidion in the background. "Let's assume you succeed in convincing him to stay. But regardless of the real reasons for his departure, the fact is that Ike was about as comfortable in Melior as a wild bear is in a circus." She focused her attention back on her companion. "So I have to ask, not as your friend but as a loyal retainer to her queen, is this really the best thing for Ike? Can you pledge to me that you're not just doing this to indulge some impossible nostalgic fantasy?"

As Lucia stood, waiting for a response, she noted with surprise as Elincia's entire demeanor suddenly changed. Her spine straightened to a needle's rigidity, her chest was forced outward, and her chin assumed a higher, nobler position. The queen's eyes, gleaming with righteous confidence, seemed to push down on her even though somewhere in her suddenly blurred mind Lucia knew she was the taller of the two. For a moment Lucia felt like she was back in Melior, staring at the majestic portrait of Elincia's imposing grandmother that had inexplicably come to life and was about to reprimand a minor vassal who had dared to question her commands.

Lucia, who had known the kind and gentle woman standing before her since childhood, barely recognized that memory in the person facing her. She had never before seen such a powerful summoning of regal authority and personal dignity wrought together in such an overwhelming display. Not even the Apostle had commanded such unquestionable conviction. She backed up a step, resisting a compelling urge to kneel before this strange new being.

Elincia's breathing was relaxed and easy as she began— "Most people think that heroes are only important during times of war. But that's simply not true. Heroes are just as important, if not more important, during times of peace. And do not forget, things are different now at Melior than they were before, and if I have my way, and I will, then things are going to be a lot more different. There are so many indispensable tasks that Ike can fulfill beyond the court in this new era that, together with you and me and the whole of Crimea, can contribute to a strong and tranquil kingdom. Which in turn will become the cornerstone of a lasting Tellian peace."

Lucia lowered her head. "Your majesty, please forgive me, I did not mean to offend you. If this is the course of action you wish to follow, then I will support you with all my skill and ability."

But then the embodiment of sovereign certitude faded away as Elincia relaxed her poise, an easy smile pushing through the stern countenance. She took Lucia's hands, bringing them up and clasping both together beneath her gentle but enveloping grip. "In this matter I do not want the reluctant obedience of a subject, but the enthusiastic support of my dearest friend. I am convinced to the very core of my soul that this is the right thing to do. It is a solid vision of the future, not some childish illusion of the past. So, in the name of friendship, do I have your blessing?"

Lucia gazed into Elincia's features, the hope and optimism there blurred by memories of a drooped visage and bleary, swollen eyes. "I just don't want to see you get hurt again."

Elincia wrapped her arms around Lucia, embracing her like a long-lost sister. "I know, and it's one of the many reasons you are so important to me. But if you truly mean what you say, then you will support my decision."

Lucia returned the embrace almost mechanically, her distant and wandering eyes a shield against what was going on behind them. Finally, she exhaled a deep sigh, shut her eyes, and gave her answer in a curt, steady tone:

"I'm sorry, your highness, but I think it would be better if you just let him leave."

Elincia felt herself go tense, and she separated herself from Lucia in a quick motion, staring at her through a veil of disbelief. "How could you…"

She was silenced by the ponderous thud of something heavy slamming against one of the branches of an overhanging tree. Dalidion suddenly went into a mad frenzy behind her, whinnying and struggling frantically like an enraged wolf on a leash. Elincia rushed to steady her, whispering and stroking her with a soothing hand, and only with the greatest reluctance did the hysterical steed allow a semblance of calm to be restored to him. But even in this state of semi tranquility she still shuffled, pawing at the ground with a nervous hoof.

It was then that her ears attuned to the sound of Lucia swearing behind her. She looked around and upward, but all she saw was trembling branches.

"What was it? A wyvern?" Elincia asked. For a moment Lucia could not respond, as her gaze was still fixed toward the sky, jaw dangling.

No…not a wyvern." She faced Elincia, her expression saturated with an unusual fear. "I... I don't know…I've never seen anything like it before. Its eyes…"

"Where did it go?"

She pointed behind her. "It just glided that way…" Elincia felt a chilling pressure building within her as she followed Lucia's finger. Towards Ike's camp.

There was no time to even think. Grabbing her sword from where it was strapped to Dalidion, she bolted into the dense thicket of trees, Lucia right behind her.

"So how is she?"

Ike was seated near the fire, poking at it with a stick in a half-hearted attempt to keep it going. Around him, his companions were gathering up equipment and rolling up tents, acting like everything was normal. Acting like they hadn't overheard at least parts of that exchange with Mist, but Ike knew better. They were betrayed by the quick glances that they thought he didn't see, and the vague whispering they thought he didn't hear. Soren hovered next to him like a brooding shadow, giving him a report of Mist's condition.

"So Rhys gave her something to calm her, and she fell asleep."

Ike nodded. "Good."

There was a brief moment of silence. "So you weren't planning to take me with you?"

Just then Ike slapped hard against the side of his neck, causing Soren to jump backwards. Ike flicked away the remains of an insect that had been buzzing around him incessantly. He glanced upward at his tactician. "I don't suppose it will do any good to ask you to wait, is it?"

Soren crossed his arms and stared at him.

Ike jammed the stick into the ground. "Fine. Honestly? I don't know. I don't know if I was even going to do it. It was just an idea that I was bouncing around. "

Soren unfolded his arms, letting them fall slack. "I see. Then why didn't you tell Mist that?"

"I don't know, she just caught me off guard, what with the attitude and everything." He shook his head. "When she wakes up, we'll talk. We'll all talk."

"Do you know what you're going to say?"

Ike didn't answer, staring at the twig before giving it an idle kick into the fire, watching its brittle form disintegrate and scatter. Mist had obviously heard Ashunera too, so there was no reason to hide it anymore. Best to tell everyone and get it all out in the open. That way they could figure out what to do next before this new enemy decided for them. "We're going to talk about what the future holds, for all of us."

His moody reflections were interrupted by a sharp, muffled cry from somewhere out in the scattered trees. But it was quickly muted by the sound of a heavy mass colliding with another body as both tumbled against brittle underbrush.

Ike looked up. "Sounds like some animal is having a worse night than me."

"No," Soren replied, shaking his head, taking a step in the direction of the sound. "That was no animal I've ever heard. His forehead wrinkled. "I've never heard a sound quite like that. It sounded almost like…"

Suddenly, their ears caught the sound of a steadily increasing tramping noise as something approached the camp. Some of the other members of the group had stopped what they were doing and listened as well, drawing their weapons. Both he and Soren readied themselves as well; facing the trees as a figure burst out of the scraggly bushes. It was tall, strongly built, with a clinging black outfit that bestowed the intruder with the appearance of anthropomorphic ink. In its right hand was a strange weapon, seemingly composed of two pieces of glistening metal in the shape of crescent moons, fitted together in opposing directions.

The figure whipped off the mask, revealing the visage of a woman with tumbling blue hair. "I finally found you," she declared in a confident voice, taking a step closer towards the duo as crimson tears dripped from the sharp, curved steel.