So. I've noticed that I keep saying so at the beginning of every pre chapter thing. No idea why I do it though. Just feels natural. I feel like you guys are tired of the inaction so I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's time for the battle to kill Gangrel. Enjoy.
Chapter Fifthteen: Blood on the Sand
"Aiden."
"Muh…"
"Wake up Aiden. You had enough beauty sleep handsome."
"Five more hours…"
"If you don't wake up I'm going to push you off your bed handsome."
"Thank you for the bacon Mr. Steve…"
WHUMP
What- I don't- What just happened? I was sleeping peacefully and suddenly I was pushed to the floor! I open my eyes after getting knocked to the floor and see Anna standing over me, giggling. Of course she fucking pushed me out of bed. The day I finally am fully healed and she just disturbs my sleep.
"How did you get into my room?" I say, sitting up with my hands on the cold stone floor.
Anna stops giggling and holds up a lockpick. "I lock picked the door open. Easy really. Just two clicks right and push down and you're open! The Shepherds should invest in better locks." Anna starts to giggle again for some weird reason. She is so happy today. I wonder why's that.
"What's funny?" I say, frowning at Anna's laughter. Despite how… cute it sounds; everyone needs a reason to laugh.
"I can't believe that you wear pink smallclothes!" Wait, what? I look down and notice my small clothes are pink. They used to be white but after getting washed with that Oliva's pink scarf, a Dancer I was introduced to by that Khan Balisto while I was confined to a bed in the infirmary, my smallclothes turned pink. But Anna should not see me in my smallclothes!
I stand up and wrap my entire body in my bed's sheet while Anna's laughter increases in volume. "What did you come in here for besides laughing at me?" I say, glaring at her.
"We're mobilizing."
"What?"
"Chrom and the Robins have ordered all the Shepherds to gear up. We are going to finish this war. We are going after Gangrel." At this point, Anna has stopped giggling and is looking at me with a straight face. Oh shit she's serious.
"When is the army going to march?" I say, tossing my bedsheet back on my bed and scramble to put on my armor. Where did the shoulder plate go? I can't find it!
"In two hours and we are meeting in the training yard. Are you going to tell Chrom about the thing?" Oh… The lie… I've put that off for a good long time and now it's time to face it. I think I may have to tell him.
"I'll tell him before we leave the Shepherds. Don't worry Anna." I finally find the shoulder plate and throw it on my bed with the other armor. I look at Anna, who is looking at me like she doesn't believe me. "What? You do shady business stuff and I don't judge you that much. Why are you looking at me like you are Justice?"
"You keep saying that but you never really do it. At least I own up to my stuff… Eventually." Aw Anna you are such a hypocrite. That's why you're amazing at business.
"I know, I know. I'll do it I swear. Just get out. You don't want to see a man get dressed do you?"
"I don't know handsome. You'd be worth a show." Oh boy… How to outdo her? I know!
"After you beautiful. That'd be the show of the century."
Anna simply raised her eyebrows and nods at my move. She then leaves without saying a word. I think I did it! I think… Anyway I put my armor on and head over to the armory to get my father's sword. Or my sword. I only really use it so it isn't really my father's sword now is it? Is it? Nevermind. I head into the armory and grab my father's sword and an oil rag. I strap on the scabbard and pull the sword out of it's sheath. I then start to wipe my sword with the rag while I walk to the training yard. I enter the yard to see Donny, Sully, Gregor, Libra, Stahl, and Gaius out there already. I see Sully and Gregor doing last minute maintenance on their weapons and armor, Donny is filling up canteens with water, Libra and Gaius praying with Gaius talking about sacrificing his first born so sweets can rain from the sky, and Stahl eating probably his fifth portion from an early breakfast he made for himself. Probably his fifth. Probably.
I sigh and go off to help Donny fill up the canteens we are going to need while marching in the desert. We continue this until the entire training yard is filled up with Shepherds. I find myself standing next to Vaike and Donny while Chrom gives a speech. It's the basic final battle sorta speech. Heard it about seven times by now. Eight if you count Chrom's. Really standard issue speech up until this point. I guess Chrom isn't really good at speeches- Wait a second; is Chrom crying? Yeah he fucking is! Why is he crying?
I watch as Chrom, tears rolling down his eyes, continues his speech, saying "I-I know it's been hard for everyone. When Emm died, everything bad in this world crashed all over us. Many of our friends, family, and comrades were terribly wounded or died. Each and everyone of you had every right to leave and live your own lives. But you didn't. You stayed with us, with me; despite everything that has happened. And I thank you so much. Now I must call on you to finish this war that took so many things. I ask you, Shepherds of the lambs from the Halidom of Ylisse, to fight!" Chrom then wipes his eyes and pulls out Falchion. He then lifts it up into the air with it glowing in blue energy. "FIGHT FOR PEACE!" Chrom yells.
"YEAH!" I say with everyone else, raising my sword into the air with everyone's weapons raised into the air with it. THat was an awesome speech. Sorta like that mercenary captain I used to work under. His name was Lee. Pretty badass Swordmaster to be honest. Too bad he retired. I learned a ton of skills of how to be a good mercenary from him. I hope he's doing alright. I just completely derailed the current situation didn't I? Back to the awesomeness.
"Shepherds! Move out!" Chrom stabs his sword out into the general direction of Plegia and we Shepherds rush forward before we stop and grab the supply bags. We nearly forgot about those.
Hate to be in a desert without water am I right?
We only have a one's day march until we reach the fort that the Mad King is hole dup in. With the revolt of most of the Plegian military and citizenry; Gangrel retreated into a little fort with his personal army. That army is so loyal to Gangrel that they will fight to the last man to protect him. They are expertly trained and will not hesitate when blow comes to blow. Might as well get something off my chest before the final battle. I hope it's the final battle. I would hate it if the fell dragon suddenly came back to wreck shit up. In fact everyone would! But back to the topic at hand.
I navigate through the camp, the night sky covering the land in a soft black and blue, and head to Chrom's tent. Might as well do it now. Maybe Anna and Donny won't hear me scream when Chrom stabs me in the lungs. I stand outside the entrance of his tent, chewing my lip. Maybe this was a bad idea… Ah fuck it! Time to get skinned alive!
I open the tent flap partially and say, "Hello? Chrom are you in here? It's me, Aiden." I take a step back when Chrom walks up to me with a light candle in his hand. He doesn't have Falchion with him. That is bad because he will probably choke me out then snap my neck. Or worse, expel me from the Shepherds. I love that book.
"Hello Aiden, what do you need?" Chrom says, concern all over his face. Can't wait for it to turn into rage.
"Mind if we talk in your tent? I have something really important to tell you." Chrom looks at me funny before beckoning me to join him in his tent. I walk in after him and sit on his bed after him. We sit together in awkward silence for at least a couple of minutes.
"So… Aiden, What did you want talk to me for?" Chrom says, breaking the silence. Oh boy… Here we go.
"Chrom… I lied to you."
"If it's about lying for more rations, I don't care as long as you don't take more rations of bear meatloaf-"
"Not that! It's about the first time you and me met."
"Oh…" I look over at Chrom and see his face turn serious. Here we go…
"I was actually in a contract to help those bandits raid that village. I took that shoulder plate from a dead Ylissean Mercenary from a job a year ago. The lied to you just to stay alive. I have kept this lie up for the entire time I've been a Shepherd. I'm so sorry for lying to you. Just make it quick ok?"
"...Make what quick?"
"You know; my death. Stick me with your sword, slam my head in with an axe, shoot me in the face with a bow; just make it quick. I'm afraid of dying slowly."
"Why would I do that?" WHAT! HE ISN'T ATTACKING ME? WHY?
"Because I'm a yellow belly coward that deserves to have a fist down my throat and one up my ass while the fists play the harp using my heart. Isn't that what you want to do?"
"Not really…"
"Why aren't you angry?"
"Because Aiden; you are a good person. It doesn't matter if you lied to me when we first started off, you showed something when you fought with us. You showed that you are a good person. So what if you made a few bad choices? Every saint has an off-day once and a while. So if you're expecting me to kill you, you are sadly mistaken. Are you crying?"
I wipe my eyes and say, "Yes damn it! Why the fuck did you say that? It just relieved months of worry and stress about my lie being revealed. Damn it Chrom you glorious bastard!"
"I think you mean dastard…"
"Don't ruin the damn moment!" After talking for a little bit and a handkerchief getting dirty, I leave Chrom's tent and head back to my tent until I notice something weird. I see a person wearing a robe like the Robins walking around the camp. I can't really see under the hood because of a purple looking mist hiding the person's face. The person goes behind a tent and I decide to follow them. What is that person doing? I go behind the tent and see that person has disappeared. Where did they go? Ah well… It is pretty late so I must have imagined something. Back to bed!
Hope that thing doesn't come to mess shit up later in life.
I wake up when dawn's first rays hit my face. It's time to finish this. I get out of my hammock and look at my big battle armor. I sigh as I stare at the reinforced chestplate that the blacksmith put on after my little incident with Mustafa. I hope this doesn't repeat. I'm sorta scared that this chestplate won't hold up and I'll have a repeat of what happened last time. But I don't really have a choice after all. I'm a simple Mercenary so I don't really have a say in anything.
Anyway, I put on my big battle armor and grab my father's sword before heading to out into the camp. After a quick, potentially last, meal of tomato soup, bread, and a ration of grilled chicken, the Shepherds meet up with Khans' main army, siege engines of trebuchets, ladders, and a giant battering ram; and we march to the fort in high spirits and fresh determination. All the way we see bands of Plegian soldiers surrendering. All the while they shout the Exalt's name. It takes until midday to arrive the fort. It's a pretty basic square fort but inside it hides the Mad King of Plegia.
"Good day, my little princeling! Still dreaming of your squashed sister?" I squint and see Gangrel standing on the walls of the fort with his personal army all around him.
Chrom steps out from the ranks and my jaw drops. His class is no longer a Lord. He is a Great Lord now with… the Fire Emblem on his arm. I hope it's a fake one because that is a new low of stupid for him if he brought the real one with him.
"No more talk, Gangrel. Today you die, and peace returns to Ylisse and Plegia." Chrom says, drawing Falchion and leveling it at Gangrel.
"Pah! Such hypocrisy! You despise me, wretch! You want to cut me down! You don't know the first thing about peace. No man does!" Gangrel looks so smug, just casually resting with an arm on a rampart.
"I know more than you ever will." Chrom's right about that.
At this comment, Gangrel explodes in anger. "More than me? More than ME?! Bwa ha! ...You ARE me! When life asks you a question, you answer with blood!"
"Maybe you're right... I will never be my sister. I cannot forgive men like you—men who sow nothing but evil. All I have left are her words, and her memory. Were I alone, I might be driven to madness. ...Or worse. But I'm not alone. My friends and brothers-in-arms stand behind me."
"...Are you done? May I vomit now? Bwa ha ha! What a flowery harangue! Men are beasts! Nothing more! We fight! We kill! We devour our prey! Beasts do not stand behind beasts, little prince... They use each other only so long as it suits their own selfish purpose!"
"Perhaps this explains why your own soldiers refuse to stand behind you? You are a poison. A festering wound. And I will do what my sister could not."
"Such a clever tongue you have, little prince... It will look quite fetching hanging on my mantle, next to your sister's corpse! ATTACK!" It's time to throw down!
Chrom yells out, "For peace!" and the whole of the Ylisse-Ferox army surges forth with the Plegian defenders answer in force. Arrows, magic, and stone boulders dot the sky as the final battle of the Ylisse-Plegian war starts. I find myself hiding under a Ferox Knight's shield with Donny, Virion, and a Ferox Fighter as arrows and magic rain down all around us. The Ferox Knight is joined with a dozen other Knights carrying a ladder to scale the fort's walls with. An arrow slams through the Knight's shield and hits the Ferox Fighter in the throat, mortally wounding him. Donny lets a little whimper but I put my hand on his shoulder to reassure him. He looks back at me and gives me a shaky but determined nod.
The Knights make it to the wall and raise the ladder to the ramparts of the wall. The Knight that was covering us, apparently female because of the voice seeing how her face is covered by a helmet says "Go now! For peace!" I run out of the Knight's shield and start climbing the ladder with several other soldiers; Donny and Virion behind me a couple rungs back. We make it to the top where Ylisse-Ferox soldiers are trying to carve a way through the Plegian defenders. I jump onto the ramparts and immediately block an attack from a Plegian Fighter. I push the Fighter away and stab him in the chest, killing him instantly. Donny and Virion finally join me until something deadly happens.
A Plegian Shaman faces the walkway and starts to chant a spell, a dark ball of magic forming in front of him. He finishes chanting and casts the spell, a giant beam of dark magic. It flies throughout the ramparts; instantly killing all Ylissean-Ferox soldiers but leaving the Plegians safe. If I don't block it we might die! I look around and spot a discarded Knight's shield on the stonework. I heave it up and say, "Get behind me!" Donny, Virion, and several other Ylisse-Ferox soldiers hide behind the shield. The beam slams into the shield like a herd of oxen. It only grazes the most of us; a few allies in the back of the group are hit with the beam and die. Virion draws an arrow and shoots it at the Shaman, the arrow going into the Shaman's throat; stopping the beam of energy.
I drop the shield and hastily block a Plegian Mercenary's slice. I push the Mercenary back and the group that survive goes back to fighting, new soldiers coming up from the ladder. Donny rushes forward and kills the Mercenary with one thrust of his spear. Virion downs a Fighter and a Soldier rushing at us with three arrows. I slice at a Fighter, unbalancing him so much that he fell from the ramparts to the courtyard below. I block a Barbarian's strike at Donny and cut the hand holding his axe off. I then kick him back into a Ferox Soldier's spear. Suddenly a loud bang and crash echos throughout the battlefield, signalling the gate has broken.
The Plegian defenders on the wall start to flee into the courtyard but not without taking a beating. At this point, The Mad King himself has shown, wielding a Levin Sword. Me, Donny, and Virion are still on the wall with a few other allies when the Pegasus Knights fly in to aid us. In front of all of them is Phila, wielding a Killer Lance, shouting out the Exalt's name as a war cry. She is sure out for blood. I go back to fighting until the bang of lightning draws my attention again. I sneak a look over and see Chrom fighting Gangrel, Levin Sword sparking with electricity clashing with blue flame of the Falchion. Ah Donny and Virions got this; I'm going to watch!
Chrom blocks a blow from Gangrel and takes a swipe at the Mad King's legs. The Mad King dances back and casts some lightning at Chrom. Chrom barely dodges it, his capes getting singed from the bolt, and delivers a shallow cut on Gangrel's arm. Gangrel hisses at the cut and swipes at Chrom so fast that it's a blur. Chrom is caught unaware and has his chest cut open from the swipe. Chrom stumbles back but manages to block another attack from Gangrel. He then pushes Gangrel back and stabs him in the side. Gangrel lets out a shriek of pain from the stab. Chrom rips his blade out and slices at Gangrel but is blocked. Gangrel then lets out a deranged laugh and pushes Chrom off of him. Gangrel then spins his Levin Sword around in his hand and rushes Chrom at an unusual speed. He then slices twice, his sword a blur of electricity; and the jumps back from Chrom. Suddenly, blood sprays out of Chrom as he is brought to his knees from Gangrel's attack. Oh shit… Chrom might die!
"For Emmeryn!" I look and see Phila fly down at Gangrel; jumping from her Pegasus and aiming her spear at Gangrel. Gangrel has no time to move from the speed of the attack as Phila's spear slams into the Mad King's body. The Mad King stumbles back, stunned at Phila's attack. After a few more moments of standing, Gangrel let out a scream of rage; ripping the spear from his body and glares at Phila before rushing her. In one swift move, Gangrel cuts Phila's head off.
Phila's dead. She is dead. Gangrel just killed Phila. Oh my gods. After Phila's body crumpled to the ground, Chrom stands up and charges Gangrel saying "I will not fail!" Chrom then slams Falchion, hilt deep, into Gangrel. Gangrel is knocked to his knees and appears dead to everyone. Once Gangrel looks dead, the remaining Plegian forces started to surrender. We won. Ylisse has won everyone! But not without losses. With every three Plegians dead, two Ylisse-Ferox soldiers are also dead. One of those include Phila. Poor woman, at least she is with the Exalt now.
The Ylisse-Plegian war is over now.
You know… I never really expected the Ferox to host a five day feast. But they did. I never seen so much bear stew in my life and that is something seeing how I'm part of the Shepherds… Well… Sorta. I am taking a 'leave' with Anna seeing how we plan to travel Ylisse, Plegia, and Ferox for business. Not only that but Chrom is now officially married to Jill and suddenly everyone in the Shepherds are getting married. I'm still getting the couples confused so I'm not going to say them but there are a lot of them. That just leaves a few Shepherds, including me, as single. Aw well; I'm going on a journey so no need to worry. After the final day of the feast, I find myself walking to my room in Shepherd HQ, my belly full.
"Hey handsome, you done for the night?" I turn around and see Anna holding two empty travel packs with her.
"Um… Yeah, you two?" I say, looking at the travel packs.
"Yep! You better get ready because we're leaving tomorrow morning! I already explained everything to Chrom so we are good to Chrom."
"Really? He let us go that easy?"
"Yep and you also got named an honorary knight of Ylisse due to your service handsome. In fact all the Shepherds did. Even the knights themselves! Which is a bit weird I must say but hey five day feast with tons of alcohol so why not?" Good point.
"Good point Anna." I am handed a travel bag. I sling the travel bag over my shoulder and say, "Well I'll meet you in the training square tomorrow morning; ok?"
"Sure. Just don't sleep in or I'll push you out of bed again. Ok handsome?"
"Ok Anna." I watch Anna walk away and this weird feeling starts to crawl up my stomach. It doesn't feel like throw up but I am going for a bucket just in case.
This is going to be one hell of a journey.
So. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Gangrel is dead and here comes peace time. But peace is boring so I'll make sure to include hijinks to keep it interesting. At least I think it will be interesting. Anyway, go and read something better than this trash now. Bye. Why are you still reading this? Do you enjoy reading cancer? Go away! Read something better. It would be worth it over this disgusting piece of crap. GO AWAY! Please.
