Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem. Or any of its characters.
Chapter 5: Cloaked Men
"Kent, lad, come over here and see my new attack!" Sain called to his friend, who was sitting next to the fire with Lyn.
"One moment, Sain," Kent replied. "I'll be right back milady," he said to Lyn.
Kent made his way over to Sain, stepping quietly around Florina, Dorcas, and Wils' tents. The morning dew wet his iron boots, making them shine. The sun was ablaze, just barely over the horizon. A thick fog blocked it from view.
"Yes Sain, what is it?"
"This will put us at a big advantage to both swords and axes! Behold!"
Sain reared up on his horse, and swung his lance and blade around in his hands. Kent noticed that Sain had strapped an extra iron sword on one tree and one of Dorcas's axes on another.
The green armor-clad knight charged at the sword-wielding tree. His blade sliced into the "arm" that held the opposing sword, pinning that limb. The lance spun above his head and came down right into the lower "chest" of the tree. Sain yanked out his two weapons.
"You see, I numb his sword wielding hand with my blade, and finish him with a lance!"
Kent frowned. "Sain, you could just beat him with a lance alone."
Sain smiled back. "But using two weapons is more heroic!"
"Whatever you say," Kent said. He left to go back to the campfire before he had to watch Sain demonstrate his move on an axe-wielder. On his way, he bumped into Florina.
"Good morning, Miss Florina."
"Uh, good...morning..." she replied. Florina wiped her eyes. It was a hot morning already, so she didn't see the need to sit by the campfire. She decided to go the edge of the woods and sit, only to find Sain there.
He was a peculiar sight. She hadn't seen someone using two types of weapon before. Sain didn't notice her until he was charging at the axe tree. He smiled and looked at the beautiful young woman.
Unfortunately, his horse saw the tree getting a little too close for comfort. Sain pulled on the reigns, and halted his companion to a stop. The horse whinnied.
"Beauteous Florina, I apologize! I am just practicing after all, and your company startled me!"
Florina blushed. "Well...Uh..."
"No need for words! Allow me to demonstrate my new attack for you!"
Her blush turned from red to crimson. Sain was beginning to worry about her, for he didn't think someone should be nervous or embarrassed because of a simple question.
"Are you...Okay?"
"Y-Yes, I'm f-fine..." she stammered.
"Swell! Then watch closely..."
This time, the lance was supposed to impale the upper right part of the chest. Hitting its mark, Sain held on, let go of his horse reigns, and kicked the tree. The horse dashed off. The sword came down on the "head".
"Delightful..." Sain said to himself.
Florina was no longer two shades of red. Instead, she was her normal, white color. She smiled and said, "That was great!"
Sain grinned. "Ah, thank you!"
He bowed to Florina. She giggled.
"Miss Florina, I must say that you are quite an audience," Sain said, chuckling.
Florina shook her head with a smile on her face. "Thank you...Sain."
Sain went over to sit by her. Florina saw, and she moved away. Still timid, thought Sain.
"Curses...My horse, Andriel...Where'd he get off to?"
Florina looked across the edge of the woods for as far as they went. They didn't see Adriel.
"Let's...find him..." Florina said. "I'll go...tell Lyn...where I'll be..."
Sain nodded. Florina walked back into the campsite and took her lance off of hr Pegasi. She found the little terror known as Serra to be yapping away at Ryan and Erk. The tactician sat on a log, his fingers playing with the bag of extra weapons that was next to him.
Florina tried to hide her giggle. She approached Lyn and Kent, who were still sitting together. "Uhm...Lyn...I'm going with Sain, to find his horse..."
"Ah! Take me with you!" Erk sat up and walked hurriedly over toward her.
Serra turned her head as she saw Erk get up. "I wanna go! Please, pretty please!"
Erk prayed to God that Florina would say no. His mouth made the motion over and over again.
"Uhm, sure..."
Wil sighed happily. Dorcas quietly thanked whoever was up in the heavens. Kent and Lyn were too busy talking about Caelin to care.
Florina, Erk, and Serra went back to where Sain was.
"Shit," Sain said to himself as he saw Serra. "Well, I guess Florina didn't feel comfortable...but why not bring Lyndis?"
"Let's find this horse," Erk said.
They went into the forest, looking for Andriel. All of them called out his name several times, but to no avail. Serra was becoming tired, and making sure the other three knew it. After about an hours' search, they sat down to rest.
"Where could he be?" Sain said.
"He ran away from you because you probably mistreated him. I say, horses these days are punished to much, don't you think Erk?"
"Can it, Serra..."
Florina's stomach began to rumble. She remembered that she didn't eat breakfast this morning.
"Sain, where would he-"
A loud scream, rather neighing, shot into their ears. Erk whipped out his book, Florina held her lance at the ready, and Sain drew his sword.
"Where'd it come from?"
Another loud neighing.
"Where is it coming from? Andriel!?"
They heard hooves drawing closer. The horse that belonged to Sain charged right through where the four companions were sitting. Tearing after it were 2 cloaked men.
"Halt, fiends! You want to get him, you'll need to defeat me first!"
They chuckled. "They must be the ones camping south of here," one said.
"Ah, an Anima user...Let's test out the trinity, shall we?"
The other nodded his head. Sain jumped in front of Serra and Florina, clutching his sword in both hands. "Touch them, you'll won't wake tomorrow."
They shook their heads, and took out their books. Erk chanted something, as did their enemies. A ball of fire flew down upon them. It narrowly missed.
"Damn!" Erk shouted.
A large, black vortex appeared between the two Shamans. It dove into the ground.
Florina took a step backward. Serra screeched. "Where'd it go?"
"Sain, move!"
Erk tackled Sain to the side as the black magic sprang from the forest floor. Luckily, no one was hurt.
"Let's go, Ephidel. We shouldn't keep Him waiting," one said to his companion.
Sain stood up. "What is the meaning of this!?" he yelled.
"You're ignorance will one day cost you your life," the one named Ephidel cackled, "like now."
"That saying really pisses me off!" Sain yelled. He tried to dash forward, but was met by one of those vortexes. It wrapped around his body, shading him completely black. A loud thud emitted from his chest, and his color returned.
Sain dropped his sword and fell to the ground, unconscious. The two shaman's dashed away, followed by Florina's lance. The steel tip only grazed a tree.
"Argh," Erk shook his head, "Serra, heal him."
Florina went to get her lance, and came back to see Sain still unconscious. "Florina, you need to go get your Pegasus," Erk said. "No, wait. Get Kent!"
"Of course!" she said, as she left the woods.
She ran back into the camp. Lyn saw her flustered look. "Florina! What's wrong?"
Florina ignored Lyn for the moment. "K-Kent...It's S-Sain...He's b-been a- attacked!"
Cliffhanger? I don't know. Reviews are welcome!
Chapter 5: Cloaked Men
"Kent, lad, come over here and see my new attack!" Sain called to his friend, who was sitting next to the fire with Lyn.
"One moment, Sain," Kent replied. "I'll be right back milady," he said to Lyn.
Kent made his way over to Sain, stepping quietly around Florina, Dorcas, and Wils' tents. The morning dew wet his iron boots, making them shine. The sun was ablaze, just barely over the horizon. A thick fog blocked it from view.
"Yes Sain, what is it?"
"This will put us at a big advantage to both swords and axes! Behold!"
Sain reared up on his horse, and swung his lance and blade around in his hands. Kent noticed that Sain had strapped an extra iron sword on one tree and one of Dorcas's axes on another.
The green armor-clad knight charged at the sword-wielding tree. His blade sliced into the "arm" that held the opposing sword, pinning that limb. The lance spun above his head and came down right into the lower "chest" of the tree. Sain yanked out his two weapons.
"You see, I numb his sword wielding hand with my blade, and finish him with a lance!"
Kent frowned. "Sain, you could just beat him with a lance alone."
Sain smiled back. "But using two weapons is more heroic!"
"Whatever you say," Kent said. He left to go back to the campfire before he had to watch Sain demonstrate his move on an axe-wielder. On his way, he bumped into Florina.
"Good morning, Miss Florina."
"Uh, good...morning..." she replied. Florina wiped her eyes. It was a hot morning already, so she didn't see the need to sit by the campfire. She decided to go the edge of the woods and sit, only to find Sain there.
He was a peculiar sight. She hadn't seen someone using two types of weapon before. Sain didn't notice her until he was charging at the axe tree. He smiled and looked at the beautiful young woman.
Unfortunately, his horse saw the tree getting a little too close for comfort. Sain pulled on the reigns, and halted his companion to a stop. The horse whinnied.
"Beauteous Florina, I apologize! I am just practicing after all, and your company startled me!"
Florina blushed. "Well...Uh..."
"No need for words! Allow me to demonstrate my new attack for you!"
Her blush turned from red to crimson. Sain was beginning to worry about her, for he didn't think someone should be nervous or embarrassed because of a simple question.
"Are you...Okay?"
"Y-Yes, I'm f-fine..." she stammered.
"Swell! Then watch closely..."
This time, the lance was supposed to impale the upper right part of the chest. Hitting its mark, Sain held on, let go of his horse reigns, and kicked the tree. The horse dashed off. The sword came down on the "head".
"Delightful..." Sain said to himself.
Florina was no longer two shades of red. Instead, she was her normal, white color. She smiled and said, "That was great!"
Sain grinned. "Ah, thank you!"
He bowed to Florina. She giggled.
"Miss Florina, I must say that you are quite an audience," Sain said, chuckling.
Florina shook her head with a smile on her face. "Thank you...Sain."
Sain went over to sit by her. Florina saw, and she moved away. Still timid, thought Sain.
"Curses...My horse, Andriel...Where'd he get off to?"
Florina looked across the edge of the woods for as far as they went. They didn't see Adriel.
"Let's...find him..." Florina said. "I'll go...tell Lyn...where I'll be..."
Sain nodded. Florina walked back into the campsite and took her lance off of hr Pegasi. She found the little terror known as Serra to be yapping away at Ryan and Erk. The tactician sat on a log, his fingers playing with the bag of extra weapons that was next to him.
Florina tried to hide her giggle. She approached Lyn and Kent, who were still sitting together. "Uhm...Lyn...I'm going with Sain, to find his horse..."
"Ah! Take me with you!" Erk sat up and walked hurriedly over toward her.
Serra turned her head as she saw Erk get up. "I wanna go! Please, pretty please!"
Erk prayed to God that Florina would say no. His mouth made the motion over and over again.
"Uhm, sure..."
Wil sighed happily. Dorcas quietly thanked whoever was up in the heavens. Kent and Lyn were too busy talking about Caelin to care.
Florina, Erk, and Serra went back to where Sain was.
"Shit," Sain said to himself as he saw Serra. "Well, I guess Florina didn't feel comfortable...but why not bring Lyndis?"
"Let's find this horse," Erk said.
They went into the forest, looking for Andriel. All of them called out his name several times, but to no avail. Serra was becoming tired, and making sure the other three knew it. After about an hours' search, they sat down to rest.
"Where could he be?" Sain said.
"He ran away from you because you probably mistreated him. I say, horses these days are punished to much, don't you think Erk?"
"Can it, Serra..."
Florina's stomach began to rumble. She remembered that she didn't eat breakfast this morning.
"Sain, where would he-"
A loud scream, rather neighing, shot into their ears. Erk whipped out his book, Florina held her lance at the ready, and Sain drew his sword.
"Where'd it come from?"
Another loud neighing.
"Where is it coming from? Andriel!?"
They heard hooves drawing closer. The horse that belonged to Sain charged right through where the four companions were sitting. Tearing after it were 2 cloaked men.
"Halt, fiends! You want to get him, you'll need to defeat me first!"
They chuckled. "They must be the ones camping south of here," one said.
"Ah, an Anima user...Let's test out the trinity, shall we?"
The other nodded his head. Sain jumped in front of Serra and Florina, clutching his sword in both hands. "Touch them, you'll won't wake tomorrow."
They shook their heads, and took out their books. Erk chanted something, as did their enemies. A ball of fire flew down upon them. It narrowly missed.
"Damn!" Erk shouted.
A large, black vortex appeared between the two Shamans. It dove into the ground.
Florina took a step backward. Serra screeched. "Where'd it go?"
"Sain, move!"
Erk tackled Sain to the side as the black magic sprang from the forest floor. Luckily, no one was hurt.
"Let's go, Ephidel. We shouldn't keep Him waiting," one said to his companion.
Sain stood up. "What is the meaning of this!?" he yelled.
"You're ignorance will one day cost you your life," the one named Ephidel cackled, "like now."
"That saying really pisses me off!" Sain yelled. He tried to dash forward, but was met by one of those vortexes. It wrapped around his body, shading him completely black. A loud thud emitted from his chest, and his color returned.
Sain dropped his sword and fell to the ground, unconscious. The two shaman's dashed away, followed by Florina's lance. The steel tip only grazed a tree.
"Argh," Erk shook his head, "Serra, heal him."
Florina went to get her lance, and came back to see Sain still unconscious. "Florina, you need to go get your Pegasus," Erk said. "No, wait. Get Kent!"
"Of course!" she said, as she left the woods.
She ran back into the camp. Lyn saw her flustered look. "Florina! What's wrong?"
Florina ignored Lyn for the moment. "K-Kent...It's S-Sain...He's b-been a- attacked!"
Cliffhanger? I don't know. Reviews are welcome!