Author's Note: (has a seizure) o.o People actually like my story?!! (clutches at heart) Dear St. Elimine, don't let this be a dream! (haha!). Oh, and for the next month, my updates will be extremely slow because of the dislocated finger that I have. Sorry! We were playing touch rugby in P.E. and…yeah. Okay, enough of my rambling; now for review responses!
Nintendofan: Wait…did it say 11?? It's supposed to say 11 percent…oh yeah, I forgot about the QuickEdit thingy…sorry for the confusion!
Dragon of Zhao: Yup. For the chapter, anyway. And yeah, I'll send you a picture of him. Buahahahaha!!! (imitating General Wallace)
XxMastaFreakxX (x2): Thank you! Oh wow. You want to play again because of this fic? I feel…special!
Golden Emblem: Thank you! You're too generous…(hangs head in shame)
Douceur: Thank you! You people are seriously too kind…there are FE fics out there that are waaay better than mine. Go read Crossroads of the Heart by Lzn64. It's very, very good. Or…never mind. You're already reading it. Haha! Silly me…but in case you haven't, Two Angels by TheOneAndOnlyT's also very good. I'm guessing you're already reading that as well, however…
Sessh: I try to update every week or so…If I had my way, I'd update it every other day, but…I just can't write that fast (especially not now). I wish I could, but my brain is usually on strike whenever I sit down to type…
Axel: Good to hear from you again! Ah…I don't think I was really fair with Lowen, but then again, I don't like him too much…I think his supports are hilarious, though, for some strange reason…
Wistful-Eyes: Um…I do try to make my chapters longer, but somehow can't seem to get them be over 5 pages long. Don't worry; upcoming chapters (as in 5, 6, etc) will be longer…hopefully.
Nightwaler: Thank you; I have a link to all the conversations (Thank you, TheOneAndOnlyT!!) and yes, I did have Harken. He's one of my favorite characters.
Bomber the Scoto Fox: Thank you! While Lowen isn't one of me favorite characters, he was essential for this chapter…
---
Voice of the Plains
Words of the Wounded
---
Midnight
A ray of silvery moonlight shone though the window, down on a redheaded man's face. It illuminated them with a glow that gave his features a near-angelic impression. He was resting upon a bed, with a white sheet covering up to his chin. There was a chair by the bed, occupied a teal-haired Sacaen noblewoman. Unexpectedly, the man's eyes fluttered open and blinked rapidly several times in the complete silence that loomed over him.
"W-water," he croaked hoarsely as he attempted to straighten up and failing miserably. The faint thud of the man's body dropping down startled the woman into consciousness, and she looked at the man inquiringly, rather numb from being awakened just a second ago.
"Water," he tried again, this time speaking interpretably. She immediately sprung from her chair and hurried to the table to where the water jug was. He watched mutely as she poured a cup, and then brought it to him swiftly. As she put the mug to his lips, he closed his eyes and drank appreciatively.
"More," he said breathlessly once he had emptied it. She fetched him another, and he drank that down hastily as well. Content, he tried to sit up, but she gently pushed him back down again.
"You have not yet recovered from your injuries, Jaffar," she whispered, looking down at him with an enormously relieved expression. "I'll go get something warm for you to drink."
"N-no," he rasped, causing her to turn around and stare at him curiously. His voice sounded strange and foreign to him from not having used it frequently, if at all. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I must speak to Eli—" he faltered, for he was not sure how he should address the redheaded lord "—Lord Eliwood."
"Surely it can wait," she said with her hand on the doorknob, about to depart for the kitchens. "You're not yet strong enough. Everyone was so worried about you, arriving the way you did—"
"Ly—Lady Lyndis, this is a pressing matter. It concerns Nino's safety," he cut her off urgently, trying to sit up once more. "I must speak with him now." He waited in impatient silence as Lyn considered it.
"Very well. I'll go fetch him," she said finally, reaching for a soup bowl. "But you must promise me that you will not move while I retrieve him." She observed him with a stern look as he nodded slowly. With a reassured sigh, she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
Alone with his thoughts, Jaffar began to ponder on the day's events as he lay on the bed. He came out of his hiding place with the Castle Pherae as the destination of his journey. An unknown group had ambushed him on the way, which almost had been the end of him. He strained to remember the details…archers…Poison Bows…the voice…The voice! He recalled the deep, resonant voice that sounded throughout the forest, the one that ordered the archers to attack. So familiar; he was sure (now that his mind was clear) that this person, too, had been a part of the Black Fang…yet he could not evoke who the voice belonged to. Any other person might have thought him strange, for he could not remember his former comrades that he had worked with—yet with him, it made perfect sense. Back when he was a part of the Black Fang, his single goal in life was to carry out missions. No friends, no rest, no pleasure. His sole existence was for assignments; his concentration focused only on tasks. He had no time for foolishness such as socializing.
I'm certain that I know the person—but who could it be?
His thoughts were interrupted when there was a subtle knock on the door. As he fumbled for a usable weapon, it swung open and two figures walked in. Seeing that it was Lyn returning with Eliwood (plus a nice bowl of soup), he relaxed back onto the bed.
"Jaffar, I see that you have awakened," said the lord, smiling enthusiastically as he sat on the chair near the assassin. "And…you requested for my presence?"
"Yes," the other muttered huskily, sitting up with Lyn's assistance. He paused and glanced at the lord, as if asking for a permission to go on. Eliwood gave a nod. "Former high-ranking Fang members…I've observed that they have been suspiciously active recently, particularly around Pherae."
"Pherae?" the red-haired noble echoed sharply, his eyes doubtful. "But I haven't obtained a single report about any prominent Fangs in this region…Surely I would know of this?"
"Plenty were never discovered," he replied simply, pausing to receive a spoonful of steaming stew offered by Lyn then took the bowl from her entirely. As he swallowed a mouthful, he warily watched the lord fall into an interval of reflective silence. After what seemed like an eternity to him, Eliwood let out a small sigh and spoke to him in carefully measured tones.
"I will keep Nino in the castle, until we can rid ourselves of them," he stated plainly, getting up to leave. "Thank you for notifying us." As Jaffar watched him go, a sudden vicious resentment flickered up inside him. He did not come all the way for this; he did not get himself nearly killed for her to get confined within the walls! She deserved a free, happy life, not one as a caged bird!
"You don't understand," he blurted out furiously, his hands curling into angry fists. A few worthless words were not going to shield her! "She will not stay locked up. They will not rest until they have killed off all the traitors. She is not safe until they are all dead."
Eliwood turned toward him tiredly, a weary expression stretched across his handsome face.
"You wish for me to destroy tens of lives…in exchange for one?"
Caught off-guard by the unexpected inquiry, Jaffar froze for a split second, and then his face contorted into that of fury.
"She has endured too much already! I wish not for her to suffer for the rest of her life! I will hunt them down and kill them all myself if that's what it takes for her to exist as a normal individual!" he shouted, feeling nothing but intense loathing for this dim-witted and thoughtless lord. How dare he even dream of putting Nino through that kind of torture, for her to live a life of fear and captivity?! She deserved much better, far better! "If you are unwilling to do so, then I will complete the task myself. I will not—"
"Jaffar, please, do calm down or Lyn will throw me out," interjected Eliwood, sitting back down again. He indicated toward the Sacaen noblewoman, who was glaring at him rather irritably for getting the injured one into such a passionate fit. Once the assassin's breaths were evenly placed, the red-haired lord addressed him once more. "I realize your concern for Nino, but do think about the consequences. If they have been never accused, then the fingers will point to me for attacking the…well…innocents. And—" he raised a hand to silence the other as Jaffar began to speak heatedly "—hear me out. The consequences will be dire, for no one will be safe, not even within the walls of Pherae Castle because of all the enemies I will make. However, there is one thing that we can do, without all of that taking place." Both Jaffar and Lyn looked up in interest at those words, curious of the course of action he would take.
"We can pursue your assailants and bring them down…and I imagine that they are either connected to the disbanded Black Fang or they are the former members, for why would they attack you, a refugee, if they were to be common bandits? In addition, no ordinary brigands could have done what they did to you." The assassin nodded slowly in understanding, thinking back to the attack at the forest...He had almost forgotten. He possessed one more vital information to offer this lord.
"The leader, the person who directed the attack was a former Fang member," he revealed, keen to add one more to the list of reasons on why to attack the dispersed Fangs. "Although I cannot remember yet who the voice belonged to, I recall it from the days as a Fang. That I am certain of…I can tell you no more." With that, he stopped his uncharacteristic chattering and fell back into customary silence. Eliwood nodded slowly, deep in thought.
"Thank you, Jaffar," he said, getting up to leave. "I will gather a small group to track them as soon as possible."
---
---
---
Next Morning
"NO!!!" echoed a young woman's shriek throughout Castle Pherae. The servants looked around curiously, wondering to whom the voice might possibly belong to. Alas, it was none other then—
"Serra, this is a direct command from your lord!!" Hector growled, his words choppy and seething with anger. Meeting the cleric's furious glare with a stubborn one of his own, he snappily repeated his order again. "Go. Back. To. Ostia. With. Oswin!!"
"I am not going back!! I want to go too!" she demanded, stamping her foot indignantly. The noise rang through the throne room, where everyone watched the two apprehensively. Rai merely appeared exhausted, having grown used to the clashes between Serra and Hector, Serra and Matthew, Serra and Erk, and Serra and just about anyone. Not again… "Oswin thinks that we should set out with you too, right??"
"My lord," said the knight calmly, trying to draw the two back to their senses. He ignored her question entirely from the fear of encouraging her even further. "I do protest that you should travel with Lord Eliwood when you have duties to—"
"I said you are going to be in command of things until I return," Hector retorted, unwilling to let his vassal finish. "I—"
"How come poor injured Jaffar gets to go??" demanded Serra, interrupting him in his mid-sentence.
"Because," answered the blue-haired lord through gritted teeth, "he's the one only one who'll recognize them."
"What about Lord Eliwood?!"
"He is his own man, Serra!"
"Ninian? Nils?"
"That is a matter between Eliwood and them!"
"What about Matthew?"
"We needed a tracker, since Lyn is unable to go."
"Lucius? Priscilla?"
"Lucius and Priscilla have their own reasons—which is none of your business!" snapped Hector promptly as she showed signs of wanting to argue with him about it.
"What about Rai? How come Rai gets to go, hmm?" said Serra triumphantly, as if she had just caught Hector's biggest blunder ever. The lord rolled his eyes exasperatedly. When was this woman ever going to give up?
"She's the tactician!! Now will you please go back to Ostia with Oswin?!"
"But my lord," Oswin said once more, his tone rather impatient and hurried this time. "You are the new head of the Lycian League; shouldn't you ought to be fulfilling your responsibilities in—"
"I am going, and you two are not! That is final!! Oswin, I order you to drag her out of the throne room and back to Ostia!!" The knight looked like he had more to say, but closed his mouth with a disapproving nod and obeyed his lord. Everyone in the throne room could hear the pink-haired cleric's indignant protests all the way down the hallway and until the two were out of the palace, listening in complete silence. Once her objections were no long audible, Hector collapsed onto Eliwood's throne resignedly and rubbed his temples. Why did he have to get all the lame henchmen? Had he done something terrible in his previous to deserve this fate??
When he had looked up, all eyes were he, a few pitying but most desperately trying to suppress bubbling laughter.
"…What?"
---
Author's Note: Tee hee, poor Hector and his blood pressure. Hm…I think I'll give this chapter a 6.5 out of 10.
And may I proudly note that this is where the plot begins to set in motion? Whooo!! …Ahem.
R&R, please!
P.S. I decided to update early as a holiday treat…even though it's nowhere near Christmas…I'll try to update again on Christmas Eve, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to type the whole thing up by then, with my finger and all…