"The enemy has taken the field, milord." Aversa spoke with a tone of neutral understanding, her hand burning even with all the healing tonics used to mend it, but it felt better with the arrival of the joint forces, perhaps the one who did such a power was among the members and could heal her right for a bit, though it did little in freeing her mind, whatever control shattered permanently and she remembered everything, but still felt the need to keep in the spotlight, she would face her foes later in life as it stands.
"Back already? Ha! It feels as though we just said our good-byes..." Aversa hated the man deeply, he didn't care that he was suddenly cursed, even more so that he believed that Emmeryn was buried under rubble, her training blessing her insight on the fading light and it was just missing, no dimming or sudden flicker, just gone and it felt like it moved on its own for some reason.
"Our scouts report they are in surprisingly good spirits."
"Since when do you trust our scouts? Besides, what does it matter? They're armed like beggars compared to us! I could break their ranks as easily as I break wind." She rolled her eyes as she knew, the tide of battle was NOT on their side, Ylisse and Ferox soldiers marched for them, heavily armed and more than willing to bring hundreds to death before long, worse yet was the inspiration that Emm left, her wording getting through and while, Gangrel was boasting, Aversa was listening and what she heard was bad, Plegia was going to have BOTH a civil war and an invading army crushing the loyal faction like ants over food, none remaining for a person to eat as she commented.
"I'd love to hear the song the bards make of that."
"Aversa, there is a truth about the world this Ylissean whelp must learn. A man is either strong... or he is dead!" He entered a fit of laughter as Aversa just shook her head, her notions being aided by a soldier charging in a panic.
"Y-Your Highness! Dire news!"
"Oh? Speak."
"Our troops are laying down their weapons and deserting en masse! Please, sire... I am but a messenger... Have mercy..." While Gangrel went to town on the man for bringing such false news to his ears, Aversa knew, the one who carried Emm's legacy had come to punish Gangrel, her steps leaving as she dismissed herself, Gangrel can keep holding on to a lost kingdom, she had a different mission in mind, play along with the events of the world, while also lending an ear to the one who had struck her with such a blast...
The joint army marched through the Wastes with the sun slamming hard on them, Fredrick having gone ahead to scout out the status of the Plegian Army and he rode on back, in a huff, as he rode to the side and gave his report. "Milord, I've a report from Khan Flavia. The Plegian army is in disarray." Chrom was surprised as he inquired.
"How do you mean?"
"It seems many of their soldiers are opposed to further violence. There has been infighting, desertion... Gangrel is trying to stamp out the mutiny by force, but with little success. Outside of a few faithful who serve him directly, his army has all but collapsed, and that is not including the Plegian forces to our side that flows in to do battle against the faithful as well." Chrom was shocked as he asked how it was possible.
"This is incredible news. But why...?" His answer came in the form of his sister as he spoke her name, freely and with ease. "...Emmeryn." Frederick nodded as he stated the fact.
"Yes, milord. Emmeryn. The report says Gangrel's men chant her name as they abandon the field and join the rebel faction. Her words, and her sacrifice, have made her a folk hero of sorts." They must also see the event at the gate as a sign that what they did was monstrous and the reason why their own king, a man meant to rule, was struck with lightning many times, his body charred and fried badly, but he didn't care, only for the blood of Ylisse.
Chrom rested a hand to his head as he shook it. "Emmeryn... Why did it take me so long to understand? She believed all people desire peace. She knew, deep down, the Plegians wanted it, too. It just took her to bring it to the surface." Alexander didn't say anything as he listened as well, Chrom breathing as he looked up in hope. "I hope she can see this, wherever she is... Today, we put an end to Mad King Gangrel and bring peace back to the land." The Shepherds nodded and cheered as they rushed in, their forces against those faithful or faithless enough to stand by the fallen king, cornered like a rat, but always boasting the victory they envisioned, perhaps chanting it in their dying breath.
"Good day, my little princeling! Still dreaming of your squashed sister?"
"No more talk, Gangrel." The Falchion pulled free as he pointed it to him. "Today, you die, and peace returns to Ylisse and Plegia."
"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!" Chrom lightly smiled as he countered.
"I know more than you ever will."
"More than me? More than ME?!" The mad man entered a fit of laughter as he roared "...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 words and her memory. Were I alone, I would 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?" He spat at the ground and laughed once more. "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?" A swish of the blade and Chrom got into stance as he spoke in counter. "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!" He called for battle as the faithful cheered as well as the dancer arrived and Christian was struck once more as she stammered.
"Milord, I have come! Am I too late? I don't claim my dance as anything special, but Khan Basilio says it renews the spirit!"
"You will have all the time in the world, dear dancer." Alexander shouted as he drew his tome. "Christian, keep her safe and fend off anyone who dares to tread on our toes!" A loud groan was his answer as he shouted commands, telling everyone to pair up and ready themselves as a small group headed westward and contended with the forts while the main force focused on the foes in front, their march forward reward enough as the zealot members charged to impale themselves on sword, axe, and lance and they kept moving forward, but the fighting started to change as the formation broke apart to keep from getting surrounded, a wise act as Chrom called for it, his hand having seen how tactics would work for a start as they did so. Alex kept the distance in his foes as his support was Tharja, her look switching between wanting to close the distance with him or killing the enemies that came for all of them, but through the dust and sand, he caught someone sneaking in to kill her, Chrom too far forward with facing his current foe that the King had flanked from the side in the chaos and attempted to kill the weaker link, Alex not taking the chance as he dashed just as Gangrel swung, Tharja barely seeing it in time, but it was too long as Alex, in the brief moment of shoving Tharja out of the way, felt the sword get thrusted through and he grimaced as the king whispered.
"And thus falls a weakling of a man."
"Based on your reasons, Gangrel..." Alexander smiled as he grabbed Gangrel's shoulder with a glance. "I'm weak, and what's wrong with that?" Before the king could speak, Alex reared his head and slammed it into the man's face, he howling as the sword was also pulled out, its magical alloy shocking Alex badly, but not enough as he drew his blade to the king whose nose was bashed with the slam. "Your standards of a man is flawed, you don't set the line, you bend it how you see it, only a man of weakness needs to bend it so low."
"Clinging to each other won't save you maggots when the boot falls!"
"Then why are you not as crushed as us then?" The king howled as he charged, blades clashing as Alex fended with one hand, his left holding the wound as it spread across his body, but also feeling the statuette shattered, as he battled to keep the Mad King occupied until his allies could come and support him before long, though the hope for that was slim, in the chaos and confusion, it was likely that he stood alone in the arena of conflict as he slid some and caught the lightning with his blade, fighting on an even front as Gangrel despite his grave wound that should have slowed him down, but he personally thanked Amirg for the boost in energy when the blade pierced, the two clashing before he shouted in anger.
"YOU ARE NO ONE, YOU ARE PITIFUL BEFORE A KING OF THE LAND!"
"I serve one, but he would never hold such a title in vain pride, he's a bigger man than either of us." He held his ground on the next blow, but then Gangrel riddled him with blow after blow as if to shatter the blade that he used. He was not surprised as his Iron shattered to pieces, throwing Gangrel back a bit before he charged once more with a mad grin, but his blade was halted with the blade that showed no sign of wear as Chrom smiled himself.
"Mind if I cut in for a bit?" Gangrel growled as Chrom forced him back and he exclaimed.
"Come, princeling! I've sharpened my sword just for you!"
"My sister wished for our people to know peace, Gangrel. But as long as you draw breath, it can never come. For Ylisse!" The duo faced off as Christian rushed over to the collapsing Alex, the dancer dancing to get him back on his feet, but the energy slipped off that Alex was very worried that he needed healing very soon or he would be bleeding to death.
"Well..." Alex groaned as he felt into the blood-stained pocket and pulled out the idol, one of its many fragments, from the pocket and mused. "Not the best way to get a war scar, but hey... first to get one..."
"Quiet, please, Alex, I need to get you to Lissa or Maribelle, right now!" With inhumane strength, Christian lifted his fallen comrade and hauled out of the combat zone with the dancer, Tharja pausing for a moment to take the fragment that Alex dropped, seeing a similar look from it as her own face, the right portion missing as she realized that he must have whittled something in her image and she wanted to find out what as she booked it out as well as Chrom bested Gangrel and the king murmured some parting words.
"F-fool of...a prince... Your people care not for you... You are...alone... As every man lives and dies... alone..." Chrom didn't believe that as he wiped and sheathed his blade, the wound deep and with no healers to save him, Gangrel was finished, the sands allowed to take him as the battle came to an end, the war declared coming to an end within the month...
"Sire, the remaining Plegian forces are surrendering en masse!" Though it was a lie, Chrom saw as well that those rebels forces willing surrendered, they knew their fate, but Chrom proved the stronger man as he forgave all of them and shared with them his sister's vision, to live in peace, thought he admitted to not knowing all of the details yet, as he gave the answer any way.
"Order our forces to cease fighting at once."
"Yes, sire!" The soldier dashed out as Chrom headed to the main fort where the majority of forces met to discuss the end terms, Flavia huffing playfully as she spoke to Chrom's entrance, all being rather quiet when they learned that Alexander was in critical condition, he should LITERALLY be dead from how much blood he lost, but somehow, he pulled through, it being tense.
"Then it's finished. Once their messenger delivers our terms, that's it. We put an end to this bloody business, once and for all." The reigning Khan huffed as Chrom mused the same thing.
"We've won... Somehow I don't feel like celebrating."
Basilio sighed as he rubbed his neck "Victory can be bitter as well as sweet, boy. It's good you learn that now." Flavia nodded as she spoke of the number of troops they lost in the long run, Plegia had venom in gallons before Emm and even with her death, that venom was still poisonous in the small amount remaining at Gangrel's side.
"Regna Ferox lost many good soldiers today. We need to see to our dead. Then it's time to attend to the living and rebuild our army."
"I'm sorry, Flavia. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. Ylisse will compensate your nation in whatever fashion—"
"Oh? In that case, how about you hand over the Fire Emblem and we'll call it even?" Chrom gave a face that said 'really' before Flavia scoffed once more in her playful tone. "Just a little Feroxi humor. Don't worry about our finances, Chrom. Reparations will fall to Plegia, and I've seen their treasury—they can well afford it." Basilio rolled his eyes as he mused.
"Yes, pity the man who stands between Flavia and a full coffer, boy." Chrom chuckled a little as he commented.
"Heh, I'll have to remember that when you come to visit Ylisstol." The trio nodded and Chrom breathed as he raised his hand and slipped it off to look at... it.
Alexander could remember many things, he thanked Amirg for that by letting him free here and there, but this was the first time that he had the physical embodiment of despair nested on his right arm, getting it sore as his coat was hung up, his shirt torn off, and his bare chest exposed with bandages littering his body to dress the wound right, as it turned out, any healing would help deeply, but it was going to be a while before he could move, he had been damaged too deeply and with magic that the wound would still bleed so it was a waiting game for it to heal, Lissa or Maribelle tending to him to ensure that it will do just that, but he got a prize out of it, the Levin Sword that stabbed him. 'I should possibly exchange that with one of the Anna's to get a better one, rather not think of using the blade that just stabbed me hard and with magic no less.' But, for the time being, he was okay, he was fine, still breathing and alive as he turned his eye to Amirg. "Hey, could you look for the statuette?"
"Sure, I can do that for now, better than sleeping on your stiff arm." Alexander rolled his eyes as the entity floated up and started to ruffle through the pockets before pausing. "It's... not here, it's gone!" He floated back over as Alex sighed, laying back down as he closed his eyes.
"Must have fallen out when Christian hauled me out of there..." Alex felt deeply ashamed, not even a single day passed and he already lost the one thing in the days that he craved, its pieces now likely lost among the sands as Amirg settled back down. "Gods, I feel like a fool now, I am here worrying about some piece of wood that I made when I am literally laying in a dying fashion with you as a projected side of my mind if anyone comes by."
Amirg groaned as well as he shared in thoughts on it. "Yeah, those weak in the magical arts will think you crazy, but with a strong enough mastery, one can see me as me, as your powers grow, so too will my strength... I am sorry for the loss." Alex raised a hand and rubbed Amirg behind the ears as he spoke.
"Don't be, we're still breathing, we are still alive, I can make another one any time, but for now, let's just sleep, I am just... tired." The hand flopped down and Alexander fell asleep once more as Amirg just curled up once more, both unaware of the statuette's current holder residing outside the flap and left without a word in the smothering desert heat...