Disclaimer: ::sniff:: I...I don't own Fire Emblem! Or Apujanata's Turn-By-Turn walkthrough...TT
Me: Omg!! I'm so mad!
Adriana: Why?
Me: Don't you know?? Somebody deleted this chapter, so I had to write it all over again! And to top it all off, just put up something that said they don't allow script/chat writing anymore, so I don't know if I'm allowed to rant like this anymore! ::goes into her room and cries::
Adriana: ...Is she always like this?
Rebecca: Meh... You get used to it after a while.
Adriana: Ah, I see. You know, she should get a guy...like my Eliwood...::dreamy sigh::
Rebecca: Right... By the way, Adriana, sorry that my authoress couldn't give you more time to rant and be evil like a normal muse. Apparently, she's worried about not allowing script writing or some nonsense like that.
Adriana: It's all right. There will always be more chapters...::evil laughter::
Rebecca: XD I like how you think. Now onto the thank-you's.
Houyoku: Haha...I tend to be random a lot of the time...::nervous smile:: Wow, you like dangerous animals? I like wolves and snow leopards too, 'cause they're just so pretty and wild at the same time. Of course, I wouldn't really want to meet one in real life...but it's nice to imagine. :) Mwahahaha! You SHOULD use Emyth as your muse! He would be a refreshing change from the normal, evil muses A.K.A. – mine. :P Yep, Wil is in this chapter, finally! ::sigh:: I'm trying to color more now, and your tutorial thing really helped, even though I'm just kind of going crazy with the 'Dodge' tool... Ooooh, Erik is the Marquess of Laus in FE6? Oops...I thought he died...oh well. It's awesome that you get Clarine there! ::sigh:: I wish I knew Japanese, so I could play all the games that haven't been translated yet... Hehe, I think it's funny that Clarine's like Serra... You wouldn't expect it from Pent and Louise, huh? ::smiles:: Thanks for reviewing!
SweetMisery430: Yeah, the Rebecca on a horse idea was very interesting to me...hehehe. It's going to be so fun to make her teach Wil how to ride, and then he'll fall and she'll laugh...XD Aaah! It's Nino back with her non-canon couples!! Hector/Fiora...::shudder:: Raven/Serra...Oo Sain/Vaida...You know, they actually have support conversations with each other, but I hope that that doesn't mean they can have an ending together...::shudder:: Yes! We should rebel against the evil muses! But then, they would probably get us back in the end... Yeah, I don't really think Priscilla's horse has a name either, but I don't mention her in this chapter so I guess it doesn't matter that much... :) Yay, our group finally comes together with the Caelin people! ::jumps for joy:: Thanks for your review!
The Story Master 125: :D It's good to know that my logic can be understood by some people...hehe. I'm glad you updated! But then I haven't seen a lot from ya' lately...::sniff:: Oh well, who am I to complain about updating late, right? ::nervous smile:: So sorry that Adriana couldn't get more ranting time...but I was really worried about saying that it was chat/script writing... I'm so paranoid... Yeah, why is it that muses have so much power in my fics? Why me?? TT Yes, we must all bow to the superior power of the fortune cookie...:P I look forward to your next chapter, too! Please hurry before I get all your OCs mixed up in my mind... Thanks for reviewing! ::hugs::
Yoshimo: I'm glad that Hannah doesn't have a big part to play, so thanks for clearing that up for me! :D Yeah, I've never seen a reference to Lowen's or Marcus's horse's names, so they probably don't have ones...sad... ::nods:: The wyverns and pegasi have names, but the horses don't...interesting to think about. Well, the Rebecca/Wil fluff kind of begins...emphasis on "kind of"... Haha, I'm such a bad person at stretching romances...--;;; Yay, for Kent/Fiora, Jaffar/Nino, and Serra/Erk! Serra/Erk is probably going to be the funnest to write. Thanks for the review!
Reiko 5: You point out every foal you see while traveling, too? XD My mom and I love to point out strange sights/animals along the road...especially horses. Sometimes we point out cows, too...haha, cows are fun. Wow, Dark seems...um, well...very dark, but interesting! ::nervous smile:: Just remind me to never make Dark mad...don't want to end up like Rei—charred to a crisp...::shudder:: Thanks for reviewing, and good luck with your muses! ;P
Hyliansage: Hehe...long reviews are good! It's OK, Kira, Rebecca liked working with you, too! It's just so much work to keep up with her, much less another muse...she tends to have bad influences on them. ::nervous smile:: Waah...I'm so sad that you can't finish your GS/PKMN fic...'twas one of the few humor fics that I actually liked...::sniff:: But anyway...::sigh:: I wish I could've just made this fic a romance one, but noooo...I had to go all action/adventure, too. TT Oh, well...I've got a few hints here and there...kind of... Yay! I'm glad that you're FE and Zelda fics are going to be pretty long! More chapters to enjoy...mwahahaha. I wish Heath came in on an earlier chapter, so Priscilla could get some romance in...I don't even think I mentioned her in this chapter...--;;; Hehehe...I draw a lot during school, too! It helps make the day go by faster...unless, of course, if you get caught...::sigh:: Yep, I love horses, but can't have one of my own...::cries:: XD I like your name for Priscilla's horse...but I was probably going to call her Elimine just to stay with the eight heroes names for the horses. Wow, I guess I should've played the whole game through before starting to write a story...hehehe. ::bounce:: Pent/Louise picture!! Almost done with it? ::puppy-dog eyes:: I want to see it... Thanks for the super-long review! It made me really, really happy! :D
Knight lord eliwood: Yes, I know...it's really sad...TT My game's Lyn is AWESOME, and Hector's pretty good when it comes to his attack and defense...but Eliwood's only good attribute in my game is his skill...meh... Is your Eliwood really good, stat-wise? Just wonderin'... I wish mine was...::sniff:: Thanks for reviewing!! ::hugs::
Burning phoneix: ::sigh:: Chapter 6 was just so fun and easy to write, but now I'm kind of losing the inspiration I once had...TT Oh, well...maybe it'll come back later when I can actually get some of the romances started. Hehe...I knew that there would probably be a lot of confusion over Rebecca getting a horse, so I had to make up an excuse as to why she wouldn't ride Kin into battle. :P Sure glad that Hannah's not that important to the game—one more character I don't have to worry about. I think I'm going to call Priscilla's horse Elimine...but I don't think I even mention them in this chapter...Oo Really? You like Rebecca/Lowen? Interesting... :) Oh, by the way, did you get my emails? 'Cause I sent at least one, but you didn't reply...so I didn't know if you had gotten it...::nervous smile:: Thanks for your review!
Seraphina Faye: Wow...::blushes:: I'm glad you like my story so far. :D Oh, I've seen the CG for Hector/Florina, too! Sooo cute! Yeah, I was really sad when Raven and Rebecca didn't get together after you got their A support...::sigh:: I mean, I think that she was the only girl who he had support conversations with—not counting Priscilla! Incest...::shudder:: Yes, Legault should have someone to work with... He did have someone in the Black Fang, but then he was forced to kill her...I think that's in his supports with Matthew... Yeah, there are so many more males than females! TT It made pairing up the couples so hard, and poor Sain didn't get anyone... Oh well, he can still have fun flirting. :P Awesome! I want to try and get all the support conversations, too. ::smiles:: It helps a lot when writing stories and stuff... By the way, whose supports do you have so far? Thanks for such a sweet review! :D
????: Yes! Finally Wil makes an appearance...sort of. Haha, you'll know what I mean at the end...::nervous smile:: I'm such a sucker for stretching romances waaay long... Aww...You shouldn't be so hard on yourself! I'll bet that Farina/Dart picture was just fine. :) Yeah, I was lucky in the fact that my parents had already bought a scanner for their stuff...I just borrow it every now and then when I want to scan one of my pictures. Oh, I'm sixteen years old...I forgot to put that in my bio thing, didn't I? Hehehe...maybe I should go do that now... ::sigh:: It makes me so sad when I see fics with Rath/Wil, 'cause it's just so...weird! Maybe some people support that couple, 'cause Wil is the only one who's ever made Rath laugh... They just don't realize that Wil has Rebecca...:P
Oh, and by the way... I don't know whether Huey is a boy or girl, so... I'm just going to refer to Huey as a him in this chapter, and if I'm corrected later, I'll switch the "he's" to "she's" and stuff like that. Huey just sounds like a masculine name to me...::shrugs::
And...um...If some of these sentences are worded a little weird, I blame it on the fact that I'm trying to cram a summer's worth of Latin reading in two weeks... They had WEIRD sentence structure...::sigh::
Four people were gathered together in a clearing—two girls, and two guys. One of the girls was standing in the middle of the clearing with long, green hair tied up in a high ponytail and a worried expression in her bright, teal eyes. Her clothing was different from everybody else's in that she wasn't wearing any type of armor, and yet a sword was strapped to her side—a Sacaen's garb. Her sword glowed with a special aura, and certainly it was important to her as indicated by her touching it lightly every so often. Perhaps it was for assurance—or protection. She kept glancing at a spot in the forest, as if something of importance would happen there.
Sitting on a rock, right behind the Sacaen, was a timid-looking, orchid-haired girl. She had one hand up so that it covered her mouth, and her hair gathered around her face, so that only her huge, baby-blue eyes could be seen. If one stopped their scrutiny right then, they would believe her to be no more than a frightened child. However, if one looked closer, they would see how a spark of determination flickered in those eyes of hers. She was one of hidden strength, and her partner, Huey the Pegasus, knew it as he brought one of his wings to cover her. She smiled in gratitude, and stroked his body as a silent thank-you. And they both turned to look at the same place in the forest as the Sacaen—watching and waiting.
Sitting with his legs crossed on the ground next to the rock, was an archer with messy, brown hair. His expression of mixed boredom and concern, showed that he was not used to being in this kind of situation. Every once in a while, he would attempt to lighten the mood with a small joke or smile, but it didn't work. The air was just too tense and anxious for any of them to do anything but stare at that patch of forest, and wait for something to happen. The archer sighed in resignation as he too stared into that area of the forest.
Leaning against a tree, was a knight with green armor. He had messier hair than the archer, and probably the only thing that kept it out of his face was the dark green—almost black—headband around his head. His expression nearly matched the archer's, except he had more anxiety written on his face. In the beginning, he would peer into the forest and place a hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. However, after nothing happened for quite a while, he stopped being so tense, and had started to relax a little. After all, how could he remain so tense with two lovely ladies here with him?
Two horses stood next to this knight, both identical chestnuts except for their cladding—one had red, and the other had green. Logically speaking, the green-clad horse probably belonged to the green-armored knight, but nobody in the clearing seemed to fit the red-clad horse...yet.
It seemed to take an eternity, but the anxiously-awaited event finally happened. A knight with red hair and red armor to match, walked slowly into the clearing. He gave a deep bow to the Sacaen, and relayed his message.
"Milady, I've returned, and I have brought news. Laus soldiers are scattered from the castle to the edge of this forest. There..." Here, the knight stopped, as if he was unwilling to say more.
"Please go on, Kent," implored the Sacaen.
Kent sighed. "There...must be at least fifty soldiers!
The green-clad knight walked up to stand beside Kent, and addressed the Sacaen as well. "Are...Are you sure about this, milady Lyndis?" he asked. Apparently, she wanted to go back to the castle for some reason. "We barely escaped... Going back to the castle would mean almost certain death."
Lyn shook her head. "My grandfather is in the castle. I left the castle on his orders, but..." She curled her hands into fists at her side. "I can't leave him in there alone!"
This time, it was the archer who cautioned Lyn. "The numbers we face... Rescuing Lord Hausen will be no easy task."
The green knight nodded, and then stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder if we can expect any reinforcements."
"Hm..." A small glimmer of hope sparked in Kent's eyes. "You know, Sain..." he said to the green knight. "I overheard some of the Laus soldiers talking. They claim that Lord Eliwood invaded Laus and drove them out."
At the sound of Eliwood's name, Lyn flushed slightly—or perhaps it was just the sun shining on her face. "Eliwood?" she asked.
Kent nodded. "And it gets even more interesting... Not only did Marquess Laus abandon his castle, but he also left his son, Erik, behind when he fled here to Caelin."
"That's despicable!" cried Sain. "He abandoned his own son?"
Again, Kent nodded, his usually rigid demeanor turning into anger at such an act.
"But..." interrupted Lyn, trying to get the subject back to the possible reinforcements. "At least we know Eliwood is in Laus. We might be able to ask him for help." She sighed. "Assuming there were a way to contact him."
The archer ran a hand through his hair. "If we are to avoid being caught, the best path would be through the forest." He turned to Lyn and gave a small bow. "Shall I go?"
Lyn nodded. "I suspect you're right, Wil," she replied. "Horses cannot move well in woods..." Her gaze was drawn yet again to the forest. She seemed to be calculating something. "It'll take you a while, but you can travel lightly..."
"Lady Lyndis! I'll go!" cried a quavering voice—the little pegasus knight's voice. They all turned around, surprised at her offer. "I can fly above the forest. I can be in Laus faster than anyone else." With each passing word, her voice got quieter and quieter. However, she still seemed set in going.
"Florina?" Lyn asked, curiosity and worry mixed in her brilliant eyes. "You can't do this on your own! It's not possible!"
Florina looked down at the ground, and bit her lip before answering Lyn. She was determined to be brave for once in her life and help her friends. "Thanks to my time here, I'm no longer as timid around men as I used to be." Lyn looked like she wanted to interrupt, but Florina kept talking. "And I've met Lord Eliwood before. I'm sure I can do this on my own." Imploringly, she stared into Lyn's eyes, hoping that she would understand.
Lyn sighed. "It will be terribly dangerous... You understand, don't you?"
"Yes." Florina answered. "But...I promised that I would become braver for you. I'm not the weak little Florina I used to be." A small smile played on her face. "I'll be fine. Trust me."
Lyn smiled as well, proud of how much her friend had gotten braver in this last year. "You've convinced me. The job's yours, Florina. But..." She waved her finger mock-admonishingly in Florina's face. "You must promise me that you won't try anything impossible!"
Florina bowed. "Yes, my lady." After mounting Huey and taking off, she waved to all of them. "Farewell!"
Sain gave an admiring whistle after her disappearing figure. "Did you hear our meek Florina?" he asked the group. "She sounded most forceful—beautiful!" He gave a dreamy sigh.
Kent groaned and shook his head at Sain's remark, Lyn giggled a tiny bit, and Wil smiled. One would think that after a year of hearing his comments, they would have gotten used to them by now...
An enemy soldier thought he saw something in the sky. "Commander Bauker! There's something in the southern skies!"
Bauker immediately turned his line of vision to follow where his soldier was pointing. "Is that...a pegasus knight? Where do you supposed she's going?" he asked more to himself than anyone else. "Bah, it doesn't matter. We've been told not to let anyone out of Caelin." Motioning his archers over, he barked an order at them. "Advance! Bring her down!"
Meanwhile, Florina was riding on Huey, trying to remember her geography. "To reach Laus, I must go over the forest...and fly north. Then, I'll have to... Wait!" A group of people just coming into Caelin had caught her attention. "Who are those people? They fly no banner, and yet... Ah! That man in the lead!" Bright red hair, a red and purple cape, purple armor edged in gold, and a rapier strapped to his side—It was Lord Eliwood! "He's come to Caelin's aid!" she shouted in joy. "I have to tell him where Lady Lyndis is waiting!"
On the ground, unaware of Florina up in the air, Eliwood and his group stopped at the edge of the Caelin border. Hector narrowed his eyes to see the enemy better, and was confused at what he saw. "Why are their archers advancing? They're aiming at something up high."
Everyone in the group looked up to try and see what was being aimed at. Rebecca's eyes widened as she saw what seemed like a horse—with wings? She had heard stories of such creatures, but had never believed they had existed. Now what was it called again? Pema...pega... Pegasus! She was staring straight at a pegasus knight!
Kin snorted and pawed the ground, nervous at this new creature. Rebecca stroked her mane to comfort her, while still staring in wonder at the pegasus and the rider. The girl riding the pegasus didn't seem all that special. In fact, she seemed almost normal, except for the fact that she was up in the air riding on a horse with wings. Rebecca hoped that maybe she could try and ride on a flying horse someday, but for now, Kin was just fine. She patted Kin's nose affectionately, and the horse whinnied in pleasure.
"Lord Eliwood!" cried the pegasus knight, while waving frantically in the air. Rebecca was afraid she would fall off, but the knight seemed to be perfectly at ease on her mount.
"Could it really be..." murmured Eliwood. Then louder, he addressed the little knight. "Florina, is that you?"
The pegasus knight nodded vigorously. "Yes! I'm Lady Lyndis's—"
"Florina! Fly lower!" shouted Eliwood.
"Wha—Oh! Aaaaaaah!!!" She screamed as an arrow flew towards her. She managed to twist out of the way in time, but in doing so, she lost her balance on Huey and gravity did the rest.
"Florina!!!"
Rebecca watched in horror as the frail pegasus knight's body fell from the air, and Huey falling with her. Fortunately, they had not been that far off from the ground in the first place, and in any case, they had someone to break their fall—Hector.
After talking about the incident later, Hector would recall that he didn't know why he didn't just move out of the way and escape being harmed himself. He supposed that he felt a kind of need to protect the little pegasus knight, and it was just bad luck that her mount just happened to fall right on him, too. At any rate, Hector stayed rooted to that spot, bracing himself for the impending impact.
With a soft rustle, and a slight clank of armor hitting lighter armor, Florina was caught by Hector. This would have been a perfect scene if not for Huey, who fell right on top of them both. Rebecca would have laughed if the situation had been lighter, for a pegasus on top of Hector was just such a comical picture. However, the situation was not light. They had to make sure Florina was all right.
First, they had to get Huey off of their friends—not an easy task. The pegasus was so distraught and worried about his owner, that he kept rearing up and flapping his wings in agitation. Finally, some of the guys managed to restrain the poor creature, so the rest of the group could see if Florina and Hector were OK.
Rebecca sighed with relief. They looked a little worse for the wear, but who wouldn't after being "sat" on by a pegasus? In fact, Florina just looked like she was sleeping, and Hector...just looked like his usual self, only perhaps he was a bit more embarrassed than he usually was. Now, was it from the humiliation of getting squished by a horse with wings, or was it the little knight in his arms? Rebecca couldn't decide. He certainly seemed to be staring at the orchid-haired girl in a strange way.
Hector moved some of the hair out of Florina's face, and she gave a small moan. Her eyes fluttered open. "Ah..."
"Can you hear me?" asked Eliwood. "Florina?"
Her eyes became more focused, and she seemed to be more aware of her surroundings than before. "Lord Eliwood? ...I...Eeek!" Florina, just having realized where she was, scrambled out of Hector's arms like a scared, little bunny. Huey whinnied, and licked Florina's hand as if to say, "I'm here now. You don't have to be scared." Eventually, she calmed down enough to talk again, but kept throwing Hector odd, fearful glances every now and then.
Disgruntled, Hector muttered something that sounded like, "Am I some kind of monster? Heh..." Rebecca giggled. She liked this Florina already.
Eliwood seemed to think that he should help explain this awkward situation. "Uh...Florina?"
"Um...Y-Yes, Lord Eliwood?" she timidly replied.
"I feel like I should explain..." he began. "You see, those archers almost hit you. You avoided the arrows, but you lost your balance." He pointed to Hector, indicating that his friend had saved them.
"Oh..." whispered Florina. "I'm sorry. I'm such trouble..."
"I'm just glad you're not hurt." Eliwood stated. Then his thoughts turned to another whom he would be glad to know was safe—Lyndis. "Tell me, Florina, weren't you with Lyndis?"
The pegasus knight brightened up considerably at the mention of her friend. "Yes! Lord Eliwood, Lady Lyndis is beyond that forest. She's..." Florina looked down, and bit her lip. Apparently, she did not approve of her next statement. "She's waiting for a chance to assault the castle.
"She's what!?" cried the Pheraen lordling. Then, after a few seconds of stunned silence at his outburst. "Ah...um... Still, it's good to hear she's safe."
Florina nodded. "She's fine. However, Lord Hausen's been captured." She pointed to the northeast. "He's still in the castle."
"Well then, let's go!"
Meanwhile, in the enemy lines, the commander paced back and forth. Finally, he couldn't stand the suspense any longer. "Someone get up there and scour the area! I want to know if we brought down that pegasus knight! If she's still breathing, make her stop!"
Immediately, one of his soldiers ran up to their lookout point to see if the pegasus knight was anywhere to be seen. While, he didn't see any sign of the knight, he did see something much worse. "My lord! To the west! We're under attack! It's the Pheraen noble, Eliwood!"
To the soldier's surprise, Bauker smiled sardonically. "He's here, eh?" the commander snorted in derision. "Now's our chance to show Marquess Laus our loyalty. Our opponents are a motley band of fools! They're no match for us!" After having said his piece, Bauker ordered his units to attack, while he waited at the castle gate.
"All right, everyone know what to do, right?" crackled Krista's voice over the communicators. "Florina, please take Hector up to the north, since there are a lot of cavaliers with lances in that direction, OK? And the rest of you...have fun, and try not to get killed. Krista out." There was a click on the other end, signaling that the fight for Caelin Castle had begun.
Rebecca saw Florina fidget uncomfortably as Hector tried to find a place to sit down behind her on Huey, who flapped his wings eagerly. However, this hampered Hector's progress even more, and made for yet another comical scene starring him and the winged horse. Eventually, they made it into the air without Hector falling off, and flew to the north. The archer prayed that Krista knew what she was doing by just sending them off by themselves to encounter enemy cavaliers. Florina looked awfully frail for a knight.
Turning her focus from Florina and Hector, Rebecca pat Kin on the nose before leaving her with Merlinus. Kin made a sad sound, but didn't resist. "I'll be back for you, golden one," comforted Rebecca. "I'm just not used to fighting on horseback, and anyway, every time I tried to shoot an arrow, you would rear up. I can't have that you know." The mare whinnied apologetically, licking Rebecca's hands fondly. The archer laughed, and then ran into the fray, her bow and arrows held high.
"Take that!" she cried, as she shot the cavalier in the arm. Unfortunately, it had not been his throwing arm. He lifted his lance (A.N. – I shudder now whenever I hear the word "lance" because of a certain story written by one of my friends, who would probably like to remain anonymous. She knows who she is, though!) in anger, aiming at Rebecca. She heard chanting in a strange language, and then suddenly the cavalier was on fire!
"How—?" she asked, bewildered. Then she saw Erk. Oh, it must have been his magic... "Hey, thanks a lot, Erk!" He nodded, and headed off in another direction, chanting another spell.
Having comrades is a good thing, mused Rebecca, as she watched her friends fight. There were plenty of enemies to be sure, but there were lots of allies as well. So many, in fact, that Rebecca found she had some time to actually slow down and take a good look at her surroundings.
It was a pretty-enough plain, just take out all the blood and fighting, and Rebecca would love to have a picnic on the grass with the sun shining and the wind blowing just enough breeze to make it a pleasant temperature. Not to mention, there were woods on the southeast side of the grounds, probably filled with game to hunt. She smiled in pride, remembering how she had hunted so well back home. She had certainly shut Wil up after he had bragged about being the best hunter. Something pricked at the back of her eye as she thought of her childhood friend, and angrily, she shook her head. No, she couldn't start crying now in the middle of a battle! Maybe it was time to actually fight, instead of just standing on the battlefield looking at the sights...
Let's see, Matthew was fighting another thief, Guy was fighting a mercenary, and Lowen was engaged in battle with another cavalier... As far as Rebecca could see, every enemy was already fighting one of her friends, except—Aha! She notched an arrow, and quietly crept toward her target—yet another cavalier. Swiftly, she let fly her arrow, and shot him dead-center. Wincing at the look of surprised pain in his eyes, she strung another arrow, prepared to fire. It turned out that she hadn't really had to be prepared, for the enemy cavalier, after blinking a few seconds, fell off his horse and onto the ground, his blood slowly pooling around him. (A.N. – See? This is why I shouldn't read Latin before writing something. That sentence was so freakishy long...Oo)
The battle went on, and one by one their enemies went down. Rebecca smiled. She was getting a little better and better with each battle, and so far, she hadn't needed to be rescued by anyone except Erk. Her smile grew wider. She knew she shouldn't be happy about being able to kill people better, but at least she could protect her friends now, right?
In this mood, bordering almost on arrogance, Rebecca spotted who she thought would be her next victim—a brigand. She would always have a special hatred for brigands in her heart, since they were the ones who had attacked her village, eventually leading to her journey with Eliwood and Co. After notching an arrow, she prepared to fire. But something stopped her—pride. Surely she would be able to, with her growing ability, shoot straight and true with her eyes closed, right? Sure, she could.
Giving in to her pride, Rebecca aimed at the brigand, closed her eyes, and let her arrow go. Smiling, she opened her eyes to watch the brigand go down into the dust. Well, she had hoped to watch the brigand go down into the dust, but this didn't happen.
The brigand had managed to side-step out of the way in time, and if our little archer had kept her eyes open, she would have noticed his position. Gritting her teeth, Rebecca vowed never to be that foolish again, reminding herself that these battles weren't just some silly game or hunting exercise. They were real. Quickly, stringing another arrow, she shot at the same brigand, hoping that this time, her arrow would make the mark.
As it turned out, her hope had not been in vain. The brigand had no time to side-step out of the way this time as Rebecca's arrow came hurtling at him, shot straight and true. The arrow thrust into his throat, a sure-fire kill. Our archer gulped nervously and looked down. She could now take watching weapons through someone's arm or leg or even their stomach sometimes, but through the throat. A shudder ran up and down her spine. There was just something about shooting a weapon through someone's throat that made her shaky. It was the worst type of wound to watch a person go through—whether or not they were an enemy. She would watch the enemy stop in his tracks, both hands clinging feebly at his throat, while garbled sounds issued from his mouth accompanied with bubbling blood coming from his wound. Then he would fall to his knees, still making the pitiful sounds, and stare at his attacker. This was the part that Rebecca usually looked away from. Looking into the eyes of an enemy in that state... Nobody could pay her enough to do that.
Averting her eyes from the gruesome sight, Rebecca scanned the battlefield for more enemies. She couldn't see any close to her, so she just let her eyes drift. They landed on Eliwood and a girl he was talking to. The girl had long, green hair tied up in a ponytail, and some kind of tribal clothing. While her clothing and hair color was very interesting, it was not what had caught Rebecca's attention in the first place. It was the way she carried herself, proudly with her head held high. She seemed like the kind of person who would not compromise her beliefs for anything. Our archer smiled. She hoped that she and the girl would become friends in the future. But now, it was time to get back to the task at hand—ridding Caelin of these enemies!
By now, the noisy chaos had subdued quite a bit, and Rebecca could tell that now was the time to get the enemy leader. Her hunch was affirmed by Krista's command to attack the enemy leader. Steadily, most of the group made their way toward the glaring enemy commander, standing right in front of the Caelin Castle gate.
Getting her bow strung and ready to go, Rebecca followed the part of the group who were going to attack the enemy leader. In the rather large crowd of her comrades, she thought she spotted a familiar patch of brown hair. But no, it couldn't be...Wil??
Rebecca narrowed her eyes to try and get a better look, but that elusive sight kept evading her view. Frustrated, she traveled further up to see if it was really him. It probably wasn't, she kept thinking to herself, not wanting to be disappointed again. Lots of people had brown hair, right? Perhaps it was just another ally who had joined their troop during the battle. Yes, it most likely wasn't her childhood friend. Still, her curiosity had been aroused. Maybe she would just go up to see, just to see...
Our archer crept up closer and closer to the front, concentrating so hard on trying to find out if that person really was Wil, that she didn't realize she was exceedingly close to the enemy leader until it was too late.
A spear, seemingly out-of-nowhere, lodged itself in Rebecca's right thigh. A spasm of pain shot down through her leg, freezing her in that one position. If she tried to move, she felt like she would collapse, making her an even better target than she already was. However, if she didn't move... She didn't feel like thinking such morbid thoughts, but they pushed their way into her mind, enveloping her in a cloud of misery and confusion. Her eyes started to lose their focus, and she barely registered being picked up by someone on a horse. Lowen? No, it was someone with straight, red hair and red armor to match. Rebecca shivered, remembering something about people seeing red right before they died. She hoped there was no connection between the color red and death in her situation.
Mustering up her remaining strength, Rebecca turned around to see where the spear had come from. The enemy commander stared right back, smiling smugly—big mistake, on his part. That brief lapse in his defense, was all it took for a knight in green armor to get in and finish him off. Our archer sighed in content, pleased to know that at least their battle was won now, and she could drift off to sleep.
Before she could close her eyes, however, Rebecca's consciousness was dragged back into the waking world by a loud, cheerful voice.
"Huh? Hey! Rebecca? Yeah! Rebecca!" Rebecca moaned in frustration at such a loud voice making precious rest impossible.
"...Hm, who are you, again?" she asked, making an attempt to be polite. Just because she was tired and hurt didn't mean that she was rude—no matter how much she wanted to be. A huge yawn escaped her mouth. Maybe the guy would see that she was dead tired and just go away.
"Wha? It's me! You know! Wil! The guy next door!" Rebecca tightly closed her eyes, wishing with all her heart that he would stop shouting so loud. Her head was ringing, and her wound was stinging. She knew her mother would frown on what she did next, but desperate times called for desperate situations—she would be rude and pray for blessed silence to follow.
"...Well...I know of no such person." There. She had said the rudest thing that had come to her mind, not counting, of course, the sayings that would have made her mother clean her mouth out with soap later. Unfortunately, the guy just would not give up.
"Really?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused, and maybe a little bit hurt.
"... ..." Rebecca refused to give him an answer, hoping that silence would persuade him if being rude had not.
"Sorry...I guess I've got the wrong person..." Our archer sighed gustily at the guy's possession of so many words—he was so clueless! But something about him, made Rebecca feel bad that she had been so brusque with him.
"What?" she asked, attempting to be nicer to him. If he wasn't going to be quiet, then, she decided, it wouldn't be too terribly hard to listen to what he had to say.
"Well, so long..." Oh, well maybe the guy wasn't so clueless after all. What had he said his name was?
"Hm?" Now this was going to bother her. What WAS his name? Had he said it before somewhere in his previous loud, ramblings? First, he had said her name, and then—! Rebecca's eyes shot open, frantically searching for him.
"Wait..." she called out in vain. "...... Drat!" Rebecca feebly slapped her palm against the ground in aggravation. Wil! That had been Wil!
(A.N. – Sorry this last part was a little weird, but I wanted to stay true to their support conversation. And...since Rebecca vividly remembers Wil in the beginning of my story, it would be kind of strange to have her not remember him later on, right? ::nervous smile:: Well, anyway...I had to make Rebecca tired and worn out, so that I could stay true to the game and my story at the same time...yeah.)
The three lordlings of Caelin, Ostia, and Pherae, stood in front of the gateway to Caelin Castle. Most of the group had gone back to their encampment to get some respite after the battle, but some stayed to help out their lieges. Among the people that stayed were Florina, to help Lyn, Marcus, to help Eliwood, and Oswin, to help Hector. Marcus and Oswin had not liked the idea of letting their charges out of sight, and Florina flat refused to leave Lyn's side since she felt uncomfortable around new people without Lyn.
"Commander Bauker..." began Eliwood. "He was a fierce enemy." Nods of assent greeted his statement. Then he turned to Lyn. "Lynids, once we've defeated the remaining foe, the castle's yours."
Lyn smiled, and took Eliwood's hands as a gesture of thanks. "If not for your help, I don't know where I'd be right now."
Eliwood looked down at their hands, and the glare of the sun caught his face just right to make it look like he was blushing. (A.N. - ::snicker::) "W-Well, all of this happened because we routed Lord Darin at Laus. It's only right that we help."
Lyn nodded. "You already explained your motives to me, Eliwood. This is about your father. I would do the same thing in your position." Her brilliant teal eyes stared into his cobalt blue ones, as she said her next piece. "What happened in Caelin is not your fault."
The Pheraen lordling sighed in relief at his friend's understanding. "Thank you. However..." He turned his gaze to the castle right in front of them, hoping to get Lyn's attention drawn there. He was starting to get a little nervous, but he didn't understand why on earth he would be. "Until your castle is yours again, I take responsibility."
"I understand..." replied Lyn, following Eliwood's gaze toward the castle, her eyes revealing her worry for her grandfather. "Thank you."
At this time, Marcus and Oswin had begun to walk into the castle, and Florina tried to get Lyn's attention. However, her friend was too wrapped up in her conversation to notice. The pegasus knight, frustrated at her futile attempt, decided to tell Eliwood, but he didn't perceive her attempt either.
Hector, realizing what Florina was trying to tell her oblivious friends, shouted, "Hey, Eliwood!" That sure got their attention. "We're moving into the castle!"
Eliwood shook his head, embarrassed that he hadn't noticed anything sooner. "A-All right. Thanks, Hector."
"Sure," said Hector. "But you shouldn't thank me, thank this little knight right here!" At this, he gave Florina a small pat on the back. She didn't take it too well, giving a little squeal of fright, and running behind Lyn.
"Who IS that?" whispered Lyn to Eliwood.
"Oh, yes. Let me introduce you to Hector." Eliwood motioned for his friend to come closer.
"What?" asked Hector, annoyed that they were wasting time with petty introductions.
Eliwood smiled. He could always count on Hector to be brash and impatient, but that's what made him...Hector, and Eliwood was glad for him. First, he gestured to Lyn. "This is Lyndis. She's Lord Hausen's granddaughter." Then he motioned toward Hector. "Lyndis, this is Hector. He's Lord Uther's brother."
Lyn's eyebrow raised slightly, as if she questioned his origins. "His brother? Really?"
"Yep," replied Hector.
The Caelin lordling turned to Eliwood. "I was watching the way he fights..." she began. "He's not like you, Eliwood. He's somewhat like my own knights, but different still." She paused, trying to figure out the best way to describe Hector's fighting style. "He relies so much on power. It's like he's never been..."
"I haven't," interrupted Hector. "I taught myself how to fight."
Lyn nodded. "I have no issue with that, but the way you swing that axe around..." She took a deep breath. "You're a threat to your allies! You should be more watchful."
Hector was taken aback. "What did you say?" he questioned gruffly.
Eliwood also looked shocked at Lyn's outburst. "Lyndis? What's come over you?"
"Hm? Oh...I..." Lyn bit her lip, ashamed that she had let such an outburst escape. "My apologies... I didn't intend to seem so critical."
Eliwood came and put a hand on her shoulder, condescending and comforting at the same time. "Granted, Hector's style may be a tad dangerous, but..." He smiled at Hector. "There's no one I depend on more." Hector rolled his eyes and shrugged, but a small smile could be seen appearing on his face, while Eliwood continued his praise. "You may think him careless, but he's always aware of his surroundings."
Hector snorted. "The more you praise me, the less worthy I sound."
The Pheraen lordling just grinned, and said one more thing to Lyn. "Lyndis, once you fight alongside Hector, I'm sure you'll understand."
Lyn nodded, and placed her hand on Eliwood's hand. "I'm sure you're right." Then she turned to face Hector. "I apologize, Hector. I'm, of course, honored to have your help."
Hector shrugged. "No apology necessary. I'm glad I can lend a hand."
"Let's go inside now, shall we?" asked Eliwood. Concurring, Lyn took his arm and started to walk inside with him.
Hector sighed, a smug smile on his face. Those two were just so oblivious... Then his eyes lit on Florina, the pegasus knight. "Well, I guess we can walk inside togeth—"
Before he had even finished his statement, Florina squeaked and ran after Lyn, leaving Hector very confused and amused at the same time.
"Hmph..."
Meanwhile, inside the castle walls, secluded in one of the inner rooms, Lord Darin paced back and forth, while Lord Hausen watched on. Lord Darin exuded an air of agitation, confusion, doubt, while Lord Hausen displayed utter calm and serenity, not at all uncomfortable with his morality. He had told the marquess of Laus about Bauker's defeat, and the marquess wasn't taking it at all well.
"Ri...Ridiculous... Even Bauker?" Darin asked. His plan wasn't going at all the way he had wanted it to.
The marquess of Caelin sighed. "Lord Darin, it's time to give up this madness. Further resistance is meaningless." His eyes bore into Lord Darin, as if seeing into his soul. "For what you've don, you may never be forgiven, but it's not too late to try. Tell Eliwood everything. He'll intervene with Marquess Ostia on your behalf..." He trailed off, hoping that Lord Darin had listened and would do the right thing.
However, Darin just stood still, shocked at his misfortune. "I...I've...lost..."
Lord Hausen would not give up so easily. Perhaps there was still some good left in marquess Laus that could be salvaged. "Hurry! Eliwood will be here in no time. Let me speak for you—" In an instant, a blade stopped his entreaty—a blade wielded by a black-clad "human" with a golden eye. Lord Hausen dropped to the ground, his blood pooling around him.
The mysterious character smiled, taking pleasure in the pain that he had caused. "None of that now. Marquess Laus needs no troublesome advice."
Lord Darin's mouth opened wide, shock and horror running rampant through his mind. "L-Lord Ephidel?"
Ephidel gave a mock bow to the marquess of Laus. "There is no turning back for you now. You should know that. First, Marquess Santaruz...and now Marquess Caelin." He went up to Lord Darin, and put a hand on his head to emphasize his next statement. "Both deaths are on your head."
Darin sputtered in anger, and struck Ephidel's hand away from his head. "What? It was by your hand that they both died! I-I..." He hid his face in his hands. "I never asked for this."
"Yes, I killed them..." confirmed Ephidel, lightheartedly, as if their sacrifices hadn't meant anything to him. "...for you."
Slowly, Darin started to realize that perhaps Ephidel was not the helpful being he was pretending to be. Perhaps, he had been tricked by this sweet-talking creature of the black robe and golden eyes. "To...trap me?"
Quietly, Ephidel laughed, a cold and heartless sound. "Don't be absurd. I follow my master's orders," he spoke, honey-coated venom in every word he uttered. "My only wish is to deliver your dreams to you. The crown of a united Lycia... And once that is done, dominion over the entire continent." His golden eyes glinted, mesmerizing Lord Darin into believing him. "Is that not what you desire?"
Darin put his hands up to his head, as if trying to ward off an evil spirit or some such fiend. But, finally, he gave up the struggle. "Yes... Yes, of course. That dream IS still worth a few sacrifices, isn't it?"
Smiling, Ephidel nodded. "You're exactly right. Our plans may have gone drastically awry, but as long as we have the master's power behind us, we cannot be defeated." He stopped suddenly, listening to some silent command. "We'd do well to leave now, before those meddlesome worms arrive..." he told Lord Darin. "You will leave everyone from Laus behind. We will use them to delay our foe."
The marquess of Laus didn't like this idea. "Everyone... My soldiers? But...who will protect me?"
"The Black Fang and I will more than suffice for that task." Now, Ephidel seemed to be growing impatient at Darin's hesitance. "There is nothing else you need, I assure you."
"Yes..." replied Lord Darin, almost in a trance-like state. "I...I see that now." He just had one question left. "Where do we go from here?"
With a flourish of his hand, Ephidel spoke four words. "To the Dragon's Gate..." These words held such power, that Darin was still shuddering even after Ephidel had gone on to explain why. "Our master awaits us there. The master has informed me our hostage may be all we need. If all goes well, we may be able to perform the ceremony with him alone." He paused to see if this merited a reaction from the marquess of Laus.
"Oh! Is that so?" Darin asked. "I suppose we've nothing to worry about then..."
Ephidel nodded curtly, impatient to get moving. "That is correct. Now please, begin your retreat. I have two or three orders to give then I will be right behind you."
Lord Darin had left to sound the retreat, and now Ephidel and a woman were left with Marquess Caelin. The woman had shoulder-length, cherry-red hair that hung over one eye, crafty, violet eyes, and the guise of a thief. A small dagger was strapped to her side—the perfect weapons of an assassin.
It was Ephidel who first broke the silence. "Pathetic imbecile..." Then he turned to look at the woman. "Leila?"
"Yes, sir?" was her quick reply.
"While Eliwood is occupied, finish off Marquess Caelin and hide the body." He took time to give the said marquess a quick kick in the side, and smiled at his pain. "The enemy will waste precious time searching for him."
Leila bowed low. "As you command..."
Ephidel started to leave, but then turned around again. "You know, you've only been with the Black Fang a short while. However, you are quite skilled..." The firelight caught the gold in his eyes, and made it look like they were glowing. "I look forward to watching you."
The thief brought her dagger out. "Yes, sir."
Ephidel, that loathsome creature, had finally left. Leila let her breath out slowly, and put the dagger away.
Weak and frail, marquess Caelin managed to choke out a few words. "What...are you...doing?"
Leila smiled at him. "Saving you."
Me: Due to certain circumstances that are out of my control, there will be no more muse ranting in this chapter. However, if I get told that muse ranting IS allowed, I'll make sure to give Adriana a proper rant, OK?
Adriana: I suppose I can live with that...as long as you give me lots and lots of chapters alone with Eliwood.
Me: Hey, I'm not writing your story, The Story Master 125 is! And shhh, 'cause muse ranting might be considered bad on !
Rebecca: You're so paranoid...
Me: Waaah...stop talking! You might get me in trouble!
Rebecca: And that would be bad...how?
Me: TT ::runs into her room (again)::
Adriana: Wow...You've got to teach me how to that...
Rebecca: Sure! I'll teach you the WEYA—the Way to be Evil to Your Author/Authoress. ::evil smile::
Adriana: Yay...hehe, WEYA? That's a funny acronym! It's almost like the word, "Way", but then you have an 'A' attached to the end of it...
Rebecca: Haha...It's the Asian way! My authoress's family adds an 'A' to the end of any word to make it asian, but, of course, they've got to have the accent added too. It's quite funny to watch actually.
Adriana: I'm sure it is. But...perhaps we should stop now, since this is turning into a long rant now...and anyway...I heard from a reliable source that Eliwood was going to get me a present...::dreamy sigh:: Maybe it'll be a rare, black rose...
Rebecca: Yeah...Now, let's get to work on teaching you how to be evil...::evil laughter::
Adriana: ::cracks open a fortune cookie:: "Parting is such sweet sorrow"
Rebecca: ::nods:: We must listen to the great fortune cookies.
Random Fact #1: I'll probably try to focus on just a few of the pairings at a time, 'cause if I focused on all of them, my chapters would be waaaaaay too long...as if they're not already too long already...--;;;
Random Fact #2: School's going to start on Monday, so I know I won't be updating for a loooong time...TT
Random Fact #3: Now that I've read more of the story script, it would've been so much easier to do Lyn/Hector and Ninian/Eliwood...but hey, I like a challenge. ::smiles::
Random Question #1: I found out that Farina only comes in Hector's mode...so I was wondering if y'all knew what chapter she came in... That way, I can still have Dart/Farina in my story. ::grin::
Random Question #2: What exactly do the Afa's Drops do?? I mean, I used it experimentally on one of my units, and it said it "Increased Maturity"...? Oh, and who did y'all give the Afa's Drops to? Just wondering...
Random Question #3: Does anybody have any official pictures of the eight heroes? Or...do pictures of them even exist?