WOW! It's the last chapter!
Guy: FINALLY!
Matthew: Don't celebrate yet, my friend. There's still the epilogue.
Guy: NOOOOOOOOO!
Reviews:
montblancerk: Yeah, everyone loves them. :)
Destiny'sPromise: Well, Matthew is in trouble with Hector, and he has to go back to Ostia. He has a job. Doesn't that suck?
TheOneAndOnlyT: Yeah, I guess that now after the final battle, it's beginning to slow down. But I'll try and keep it as good and exciting as possible. Thanks for the compliments!
Fox Yukai Aara: Wow, thank you!
The Blazing Blade: Me, cruel? Pfft, you've got to be kidding! Yeah, I wonder how this is going to turn out? Hmmm…
Ragnarok-legend: Yeah, you have been here since the beginning! But after this fic ends, I still have others to write! I hope you'll be there with me then too! Oh yeah, this should lift your spirits! It's the chapter with your cameo!
Hamano Ayumi: You mean Farina right? Haha, Fiora threatening someone would be funny though.
Quizer: Thank you! I love people who are so straight-forward. Haha.
Aeros Fujita: Uh… that's a joke right? Thanks for reviewing, though.
Momija-chan Wa Baka: I'm so glad that I managed to change your mind! Thanks for the review!
Ed, the Master Tactician: Don't worry. I'll have other fics up. Thanks for sticking with me through the whole fic, though!
Sokuma: Thank you for the encouragement! And good luck on your own stories!
Emarista the Torturer: Awww, I'm sure Farina wouldn't mind you paying for the wedding!
rice8369: I'm SO sorry that I made you sad :( But, yeah. After I finish this story, which should be in another week or two, I'll start updating Midnight Visit again. Just wait a little bit more!
Wyrmseeker: Yeah, I suppose it is really hard to make the after final battle scene completely exciting, but I'm glad you found it expectable! And yeah, after this fic ends, I'll be finishing up my other fic that I had postponed. Then after that's finished I'll be writing another multi-chaptered FE fic.
FireEdge: Wow, so many people have told me that my flashback proposal thing was good. :) So I won't need to revise it. Thank you all who told me so, it makes me feel all happy inside. :P
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem
Stray Arrow
Chapter 25
The journey to Ilia was far from easy. While the small group was free from Black Fang assasins, they were still plagued with constant bandit attacks, especially as they started to near the Ilian border. For Ilia wasn't a rich country.
And the weather wasn't exactly pleasant neither. As they slowly journeyed across the Ilian mountains that bordered the prior mentioned country and Sacae, they could already feel a chilling north wind blowing against them.
Nights were more than frosty as they began to see snow in the ice-capped mountains, and the winds carried with them snowflakes and sometimes chips of hail. By then, everyone had bought and donned thick cloaks.
It was at least their seventh night in Ilia that they finally saw traces of civilization. It wasn't that Wil didn't trust the three pegasus sisters to not know where their home town was, but it was still much more reassuring when they finally spotted some small houses in the distance.
"Look, a town." Said Guy, breaking the silence, his finger pointing at the houses. Everyone had a smile on their weary faces, all happy that they could perhaps finally rest in a warm building.
"Do you recognize which town it is?" Wil asked, looking up at Florina. She studied it, but shook her head. Fiora took a glance also, and after a moment, answered instead.
"I think that it is our hometown. I can't tell yet though, there are many small villages grouped together in this region."
"Well, let's head down there and find out." Farina added, flying up. "Either way, we'll be able to get a room in an inn. I'll get us a cheap price."
"Is money all you ever think about?" Elfaiya asked with a grin. The falcoknight ruffled the tactician's hair in good nature and smirked in return. They then headed down at a quick pace, hoping to reach the village in time for dusk.
After almost half an hour, they were within feet of the town, candlelight shining dimly through frosted windows. Darkness had already started to fall; night came fast deep in Ilia.
"I think that this is home." Florina said quietly to her sisters, a smile on her face. The sisters returned the grin to their sibling and they all three led the way towards a very specific house.
It was not very large, but it wasn't exactly small either. Sturdy stone was its walls with thick slate tiles for the roof. A brick chimney coughed smoke into the air as the party approached the house's door.
Fiora knocked on it lightly three times, then stood back and waited. In a few moments, they heard light footsteps coming towards the door. It then clicked open, and they were greeted with a warm light.
A woman stood in the doorway. She seemed to be in her forties and she had bright blue eyes and a tumble of blue wavy hair. She was wearing a sturdy lavender dress with an apron, it looked as if she had been cooking.
"Fiora!" The woman cried, immediately embracing the falcoknight. Fiora smiled.
"Hello, mother. It's good to see you well." She said, returning the embrace. The woman let her go and looked behind her, noticing more people. There she saw her other two daughters.
"Oh my! Farina! Florina! My dears, you're all here!" Their mother cried, holding them tightly, though Farina did struggle.
"It's so nice to see you, Mother." Florina sniffed, tears starting to come to her eyes already.
"Don't cry, you silly girl." She murmured, wiping her tears with a hand.
"Yes, we've all returned safe and sound! Though I'll have to head out soon." Farina added, her head held high and proud.
"I will have to leave soon, also… I have to report the… deaths of my comrades to the base…" Replied Fiora sullenly.
"That's all very well, girls. But you're not heading out right away. You're frozen and look as if you're starved!" Their mother scolded. Looking at the other three standing behind her daughers, she spoke again. "Now who did you three drag back with you?"
Florina immediately blushed, suddenly very self-conscious of the ring on her very exposed finger. She tucked her hand behind her and tried to look confident, but it didn't work very well.
"These are some friends of ours that we've met during our… journey… Which is quite a long story, but I'm sure we have time to tell you later on tonight." Fiora answered with a slight grin directed at Florina, which caused her younger sister to flush even more.
"I am Elfaiya, ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you." Elfaiya stepped up, sweeping her cloak back in a formal bow. Beside her, Guy attempted, and failed, to imitate her.
"Er, I am Guy of the Kutolah…"
"My, such manners for ones so young." Though she cocked her brow amusingly at Guy's attempt to bow. The young Sacaean turned a bit pink but immediately looked away. She then turned to face Wil.
"And who might you be, young man?" She asked. Wil gulped unconsciously. Somehow, he thought that perhaps Farina might have inherited her personality from this woman. Their mother had seemed timid at first, but right now she seemed very hard to him.
"M-My name is Wil. I am an archer of Caelin…" He finally managed to stammer out. Everything was silent for a moment. But footsteps from inside the house broke the awkward spell.
"What's going on out here? Why are you standing out here, my dear?" The deep voice of a man asked. Looking up, Wil saw a tall Ilian man standing in the doorway. He had orchid locks, which were starting to grey at the temples, which hung to his earlobes and soft aqua eyes. It was without doubt that this was Florina's father.
"Daddy!" Florina cried out happily, jumping up and embracing her father. The man grunted as he held his daughter, a smile on his face which held fine wrinkles.
"Florina! I'm happy to see you back safe and sound! I was so worried that you had been injured when you headed out all by yourself." He caressed her hair and looked to see his other two daughters.
"Fiora, Farina. You are back from your missions? Will you be staying long?" Asked their father. The other two didn't mind that Florina got a little more attention from their father. He was very protective of his youngest daughter. But he knew that his two older children were brave and strong, and he was very proud of them for that. But they too received embraces from their father.
Barely acknoledging the other three members of their little group, he spoke again.
"What are we all standing out here for? Get inside, we can talk there."
"Yes, I'll cook us more potato soup." Their mother chirped, ushering everyone inside.
After everyone had settled down at the table, dressed in clean clothes, the pegasus sisters' mother ladled out a thick creamy soup with chunks of potatoes and other hardy vegetables that could be grown in Ilia's harsh weather.
While they all hungrily ate the soup, they each took turns telling the story of what had happened during the past two years or so. The young women's parents were thoroughly surprised again and again as the story continued, until the point that they thought nothing could startle them again. That was until…
"Yes, but Mother. Father. There is one more thing we must tell you." Fiora started, putting her spoon down, her face smooth. Elfaiya, Guy and Farina leaned forward slightly, anticipating grins on their faces. But Florina's face turned beet red and Wil's wasn't that far behind.
"My, this looks interesting." Their mother muttered, arms folding beneath her breasts as she regarded them all. Eyeing especially her youngest daughter and the brown-haired sniper.
"But I think that Florina is most suitable to tell you this."
"Eep!" Florina squeaked, looking frantically at her eldest sister. Getting approval from her sisters was all fine and dandy, but from her parents…? She felt like she was going to empty her stomach of the food that she had just indulged. Seeing her sister look straight ahead, Florina knew that she couldn't find an easy way out of this one.
"M-Mother… F-Father…" She started somewhat formally. "Th-There's something I h-have to tell y-you…"
"What is it, sweetheart?" Her father asked, hoping to sound soothing, almost completely oblivious to the fact that it looked like Florina was suffocating.
"Um… Ah… D-During my t-time w-with Lyn… I m-met Wil…" She stammered, looking down at her lap and at the glistening band of metal that her parents had yet to notice.
"You told us that, dear." Her mother replied.
"A-And… … …" Florina took in a deep shaky breath. "Wefellinloveandheproposedtome!" She let the words slew out in one sentence so quickly that no one could understand her at first. But then her parent's eyes widened and they looked at both her and Wil.
Florina tried to make herself as small as possible, and Wil was white as a sheet. Her sisters, Elfaiya and Guy excused themselves quietly and waited in the other room, though they left the door open a crack. Showing that they were obviously listening to them, while escaping the tension of the room. Florina wished that she could do that too.
After what seemed a decade, her father finally spoke up first. "Wil… that is your name, correct?"
"Y-Yes, sir…" Stammered Wil diffidently.
"You seem like a good person… Though I do not know you personally."
"Thank you, sir."
"But I have yet to see anyone worthy of my daughter…" He said slowly, watching Wil intently.
"No, sir… No one is worthy of your daughter." Replied the archer, gaining a bit of confidence, as he had not screwed up yet. The reply, however, seemed to surprise Florina's father a little, not a lot, but a little.
"Hmph, a smart response." Her father grinned. "But I certainly hope that you aren't always this timid. I wouldn't want that in a son in-law." Wil shot up at that last remark.
"No, of course not!" This just made her father smirk more and more. From beside him, his wife tapped the side of cheek in observation.
"However… If Fiora and Farina had the nerves to bring you back here… You must be a wonderful man, indeed. And most of all, if my shy little girl, whom was always afraid of men, is willing to accept your love for her. You are granted my daughter's hand."
From the other room, there were muffled gasps and a small giggle. But in the immediate room, everything was stunned silence. It was only broken by Florina suddenly leaping up and hugging her father, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.
"Daddy! Do you really mean that!" She asked, looking up at him, her blue eyes shining.
"Of course, sweetheart, you know I trust your decisions. And if it's okay with your mother." Florina then looked towards her mother, her face bright with happiness. Her mother just beamed back at her daughter, standing up and planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Looks like my little girl's all grown up. Strange that my youngest daughter is engaged, yet my elder ones can barely find a suitor." Her mother eyed the open door with a eye filled with amusement.
"Hey!" Came Farina's mockingly outraged voice. And there was followed by a burst of laughter, which was inevitably Elfaiya's. Somehow, they could almost see Fiora's face as pure red.
"Speechless, lad?" Florina's father spoke, looking across the table at Wil. The sniper grinned broadly and nodded. He was indeed speechless. He had not expected it to be straightforward and so… simple.
But he was glad, nonetheless. After all, he had finally received the approval of her parents. Which meant that they could wed in a year. A custom that was used in his small Pheraean village. For now, he was content with what he had achieved today, for there was something else he still had to do tomorrow, and who knew how that might turn out.
Last night they had stayed up late, some of the neighbours had even come over to see what was going on. They had congratulated both Wil and Florina very thoroughly when they had learned of the news.
But they did eventually go to sleep eventually, thought it was perhaps only a few hours before dawn that they did. Wil woke the next day with a slight throbbing in between his eyes. It was already mid-afternoon.
Sliding off the mattress with a groan, he quickly dressed himself and walked out the door. Walking down the stairs, he saw that most of the household was already awake. The pegasus sisters' mother was cooking something that smelled delicious, and their father was reading the daily papers. Fiora and Elfaiya were quietly talking in the corner, bent over some board with a couple of black and white stones on it.
"Good morning. Or more like good afternoon, I suppose." Greeted Wil as he approached the dining table.
"Yes, good afternoon indeed." Florina's father replied. From the corner, Elfaiya lifted her head.
"Hey, Wil. Didn't you say you wanted to do something today? You said it was important?"
"Oh yes. There was something we had to get done today…" He said under his breath. Looking up he surveyed the room. "… Florina and I want to visit Barigan's grave."
"Barigan's grave?" The lavender-haired man looked up. "Why do you want to see that? I suppose it does make somewhat of a tourist attraction… I'm sure the girls know where it is, if you want to see it though."
"Yes, Barigan's grave isn't too far from here. It is perhaps an hour walk from the village boundaries." Fiora nodded in agreement. "It's already late in the day, but I think we could make it."
"I think that would be nice. I want to get this over with as soon as possible." Replied Wil, sitting down.
"If you insist, I'll go wake the others. We can head out right after we eat." Fiora said slowly, standing up and heading towards the stairs. As she went up without an answer from Wil, Elfaiya came and joined the two men at the table.
"By the way… Could I ask you a question?" She directed her voice at Florina's father.
"Yes, little miss?"
"I have a friend whom is staying here at the moment. He is around my age, give or take a year. His name is Haru?" She asked. The man thought for a moment.
"What is your friend doing here?"
"He came here to study the ruins in this area, left behind by the Scouring. He was always interested in ancient buildings, and he wanted to stay in Ilia for a bit. I promised I'd pay him a visit, and this seems the ideal time."
"A young man studying the ruins? … I do seem to recall hearing about someone like that. I think he might be residing in the inn a the village border." The man answered, stroking his chin.
"Thank you very much."
The girls' father was indeed right, and the group met up with Haru, Elfaiya's childhood friend. He was a friendly boy and offered to accompany them to Barigan's grave, which he had explored himself.
"There it is." Haru pointed up ahead with a slender finger. Rising over the crest, they saw a giant dais with four enormous pillars raising from each corner. The pillars were adorned with twisting pegasi, the summits ending with a glistening horn.
The platform itself was very large, at least the size of four Ilian houses in a square pattern. There were smooth carved steps that they all climbed, the foreigners gaping in awe at the magnificent of the grave.
Reaching the top, there stood in the centre was a large protruding stone. Rectangular in shape and black ebony in colour, the gravestone was covered in golden gilt writing. The text itself was ancient, barely decipherable. But the writing was in an old tongue that had been lost in the past years.
"This is Barigan's grave. It was built centuries ago in honor of the General, and he was buried here after his tragic death." Spoke Fiora, running a hand over the smooth surface.
"How did he die?" Wil asked in a hushed voice, feeling as though if he spoke too loud, something would shatter.
"It's an old story, Barigan's death." Haru answered. "It was not long after the Scouring, and after the death of Barigan's lover. The man, having accomplished his duty in defeating the dragons, fell into a depression, mourning his lost love. He managed to hold on to life for several decades, no one really knows how. But one day he passed away. There were no marks that he had killed himself or that someone else had. And he had been in perfect health. But legend says that he died of a shattered heart."
"That's a pretty deep story. Far different from the tale of Hanon's death." Guy commented. Haru shrugged.
"That's what I read in a book once."
"Is that really what happened, though?" Asked Elfaiya, looking meaningfully at the pegasus sisters.
"Yes, that's an old tale that has been passed down for generations and generations. Everyone has heard the story many times as a child." Nodded Farina. Wil's hand went to his neck as everyone continued to chatter, Florina silently coming up beside him.
Taking out the silver star charm, he held the pendant in front of him. The late afternoon sun glinting off its ancient garnish. Walking forward, Wil placed the charm at the foot of the gravestone.
"May you finally find peace, Barigan." Wil murmured. He didn't know if the great paladin would know or not, but the charm belonged to him, and Wil knew that he wouldn't be in any danger any more.
Standing up, he took Florina's hand in his own and led her towards the others.
"We're ready to leave now, how about you guys?"
"Well, it is starting to get late again, and the walk back is long. So let's go." The others agreed. They then each walked down the stairs, talking quietly. When they were far from the dais, a bone chilling wind blew round it, like an invisible tornado.
A flash of light illuminated the platform and suddenly, beside the gravestone stood a man. Dressed in gleaming armor, dark blue hair falling about his proud head, and sea blue eyes glittering with found contentment. Embedded in the chest plate of his armor was a small shining silver star.
Ta-da! The end! This is how it finishes! Whether it was good enough is up to you guys though, since I typed this half-dead from doing homework for 5 hours straight beforehand...
Guy: -Sigh- But there's still the epilogue.
Matthew: Of course.
FireEdge: Yeah, that ending might seem a bit cliché though. But I wanted to end it that way.
Guy: Ya-huh…
FireEdge: Stay tuned for my (no doubt cheesy) epilogue!
Matthew: Until then, please review!
:FireEdge:
