Author's Corner:
Several people noted that some of the battle descriptions in the beginning chapters were somewhat sketchy and not very detailed. Again, due to my personal biases, I considered the early 'skirmishes' as a pretty light affair. In my honest opinion, battles truly become 'battles' when Eliwood's story begins. However, I will take into your opinions to heart and try to overcome my bigotry. Thank you for informing me of my shortcomings.
And regarding dismounted cavaliers, think the stats of knights with the armor of a mercenary.
Hammer of Terrascars – Chapter 5
Rise of the Fang
April 3rd, a few miles from Kathelet,
Though we had prevailed through our struggles in Araphen handsomely, the ensuing battle there had raised doubts in my mind. Despite our triumph in battle, Lundgren was nevertheless able to hire mercenary units or even send Caelin forces to thwart Lyn's goal of reaching Caelin. From what Kent and Sain had reported, the leader of the insurgent militants was a knight from Caelin itself! As we approach Caelin, will we encounter more enemies from neighboring Lycian states or even the Caelin militia itself? How will this affect the morale of our 'army?'
"We have arrived near the village of Kathelet, milady," Kent reported curtly, "We should be enter Caelin in roughly ten days."
"Assuming there are no more interruptions on the way," Lyn mused out loud.
As the group entered the village of Kathelet, Drake noticed the evidently subdued atmosphere throughout the town. Frowning, Drake filed that thought away for further research later. Currently, the primary objective was to find lodgings and, if possible, scout out the road ahead to see that Lundgren had not laid any further traps. Arriving at the local inn, Sain took the horses to the stables nearby while Kent entered to make arrangements for the night. Matthew's gains, however illegitimate, would nonetheless go a long way on this journey, Drake grinned.
"What are you smiling at?" Lyn asked as she sat down beside him.
"Nothing in particular," he replied, "Just the thought of Matthew volunteering his ill gotten gains."
"Hey, I heard that!"
Lyn laughed along with him, "I'm glad he was so willing to share."
"That or face the wrath of Serra," Drake reminded her, "Frankly, I believe he made the right choice." Lyn nodded before she left to find Florina.
Drake gazed at her retreating form. Sometimes, I don't know what I'm doing in this situation, he thought grimly, I have destroyed the lives of others, but to repair the damage I've caused, I take even more lives. Bandits, mercenaries, the list seems to go on and on. Will this end with my passing? The light tap of shoes upon the cobblestone walkway interrupted his dark thoughts.
A young boy hurriedly turned the corner, panting for breath. He easily had the most unique appearance that Drake had seen in his life, teal colored hair with red eyes coupled with a scarf around his neck that nearly trailed to his knees. Glancing behind him, the boy's eyes widened as he saw a band of black robed men advancing towards him. In his haste to escape, he accidentally trod upon one end of the scarf and landed in a heap in front of Drake.
Seeing the youth's terrified gaze, Drake slowly helped him up before glancing at his pursuers, "How may I help you people?"
The men hesitated, as if unwilling to divulge their mission. At length, one of them, a masked soldier that Drake heavily suspected was a bandit from his crude weapons, advanced forward, "We want the boy."
"Really?" Drake said sarcastically, "I really couldn't tell from the way you were chasing him. Yet, from the unnatural terror on his face, I'd warrant you're not family nor any sort of guardian. In that case, why should I hand him over to you?"
The men hesitated further, several of them considering violence to wrest the youth back. Several of them put hands to their weapons.
"I wouldn't do that," Kent said, stepping out of the inn to stand behind Drake, his hand fingering his own sword as well, "Sain?"
"I'm here," Sain called out, emerging from behind the robed men, "What's the matter now?"
Several members of Lyn's party who were in the streets were staring at the confrontation now. Lyn herself left Florina's side and stood beside the boy in question.
"Hello," she greeted him softly, "My name is Lyn. Do you know what they want with you?"
The red-eyed youth gazed back before stammering, "M-my name is Nils, and they," his eyes suddenly sharpened and his voice lost its hesitation, "They took my sister, Ninian, and now they want me too!"
Drake raised an eyebrow and gave a meaningful look towards Rath and Dorcas while the masked soldier glared at Nils. "Look, woman," the soldier began, "If you don't want to get hurt, just hand the boy over and forget about this." Several of the robed men drew their weapons. Rath and Dorcas armed themselves and approached with Matthew tagging along.
"Let Ninian go!" Nils piped up, glaring at the robed men.
"Hmph, we have orders not to kill you, but no one said we couldn't beat the tar out of you before carting you back," the man replied before reaching for Nils. He was stopped by Lyn's sword.
"Release the boy's sister," Lyn growled.
"Foolish woman, getting killed for something that does not concern you," the man said menacingly, "Their lives are forfeit, but do not kill the boy."
"If you believe that we are easy prey, you are sorely mistaken," Lyn replied.
With a snarl, the robed warriors charged forward with their weapons drawn. Though they numbered only half a dozen, they operated with a degree of collectiveness and skill that Drake had not seen in the Araphen skirmish. Splitting up, the six fighters separated Lyn's group into individuals, spreading out Dorcas, Sain, Kent, and Matthew away from Lyn. Besides Lyn, the others only had to deal with one fighter, but the group intentionally pitted two swordsmen against Lyn. Clever, Drake thought, pick on the 'weakest' member of the opposing party and swiftly bring them down. Afterwards, the two victorious fighters aid other fights and slowly gobble up our forces one by one. This is no unorganized pack of oafs we're dealing with here. Two mercenaries closing in from two sides without question would defeat Lyn in a short amount of time.
Sain and Kent were tied down and could not aid their beleaguered lady. Dorcas was having enough trouble with his opponent while Matthew clashed furiously with the opposing mercenary. At such a close and crowded situation, Erk, Wil, and Rath couldn't haphazardly fire for fear of hitting their allies.
Rath however, was not prone to sit idly by while another Sacaen was in danger. Digging his heels into the flanks of his steed, he spurred the beast in between Lyn and one of the bandits before notching an arrow. Aiming the weapon at nearly point blank range, he successfully blunted the attack of the one of the foes, leaving Lyn free rein to deal with the other one. Lyn, with only one fighter on her hands, moved forward on the attack, driving her opponent back before a swift slash at the jugular terminated her opponent. Normally, Rath was at a disadvantage in close quarters combat since he was only armed with a bow, but the momentary distraction was all that was needed. The precious time he had procured enabled Florina to mount and come to his aid.
Lance and sword clashed as the mercenary desperately sought to keep the longer reaching weapon from spearing him into the ground. Unable to advance forward or hold his ground, there was little the robed man could do except keep taking steps backward. Florina, though somewhat timid in her approach to men, was quite stalwart when it came to defending her friends, Lyn in particular. Pressing her advantage, she honed in her blows, urging Huey forward step by step until she succeeded in her goal of pinning her opponent to the wall behind him. Instead of killing him, she had managed to only nail him by piercing the fabric of his dark cloak. Wil and Rath were instantly upon the pinioned man, and between the two of them, managed to wrest him to ground, dislodging Florina's lance in doing so.
Kent and Sain, seeing that their liege lord was no longer in danger, concentrated on their individual duels. After a few more passes, Kent thrust his blade clean through his antagonist's chest, dropping him where he was. Not to be outdone, Sain dispatched his opponent shortly afterwards, albeit with more finesse and a flourish afterwards that Drake suspected was merely a method of impressing the ladies of their party. Splitting up, they adopted the tactics of the robed men and aided their comrades. Dorcas, though having problems with his sword-wielding adversary, managed to land a crushing blow upon his enemy's shoulder after receiving some timely help from Sain. Meanwhile, Kent and Matthew were more than a match for the other one, finishing off the remaining soldier with relative ease.
As Serra tended the wounded, Drake and Lyn questioned the man that Florina had disabled. Held down by Rath and Wil, the captive was unable to harm anyone, though he made a commendable effort at holding his tongue.
"I heavily suspect that we'll be requiring Matthew's services again," Drake sighed.
"Services?" Lyn asked, "Ah, you mean his means of extracting information."
"Milady!" Nils yelled, "Watch out!"
Scarcely had Nils finished speaking, Drake grabbed Lyn's hand and pulled them both to the ground. Missing them only by the tiniest fraction, a dark ball of energy billowed past them and sank deep into the heart of their captive. Gasping out his final breath, the mysterious robed victim expired.
"What the hell?" Sain exclaimed, "Where did that come from?"
"There," Drake said from the ground where he covered Lyn, pointing to the second floor balcony of the house directly across the street.
What greeted their eyes was another robed man, though this one had a considerably more sinister air than the ones they faced earlier. Clutched in his hand was a tome of some sort while his gazed was fixed upon Nils.
Erk sucked in a breath, "A shaman…"
"Shaman?"
"Wielder of the dark arts," Drake explained, "And undoubtedly affiliated with the group that we just destroyed."
"Correct," the shaman said, grinning dangerously, "I am Heintz of the Black Fang. I have come to retrieve the boy."
So that's where they looked familiar, Drake thought, I thought I had recognized their robes somewhere! He took stock of the possible reactions to the current foe. We have the advantage in firepower thanks to Wil, Rath, and Erk, he thought grimly, but if we attack, the man has the opportunity to rain down destructive spells upon us. We're too tightly packed in this street to avoid damage. Looks like I'll have to divert his attention…
"Black Fang, eh?" Drake said softly, but loud enough for Heintz to hear, "Then do you recognize this?" He drew forth an iron gauntlet from his knapsack and wore it on his left hand. The brilliant sunlight glittered off the well-polished armored glove, though it particularly caught the silver emblem upon its back.
Everyone turned to look at Drake, all wondering what the heck he was trying to do. A well-made piece of armor, Lyn thought, but what's the emblem on the back of it? The reflected sunlight is too much for me to make out what it is. Everyone else was as mystified as she was, but only the shaman was thunderstruck at the item. The tome dropped from his numb hands and clattered to the floor below.
"You!" He shouted in disbelief, "But, how? Why here?"
"Wil! Rath!" Drake roared, "Bring him down!"
Snapped out of their reverie, Wil fumbled for his bow while Rath notched another arrow and aimed at the shaman above. Leaving the balcony, Heintz backed away before looking directly across him into the second floor window of the inn. Terror filled him as he recognized the white robes of the man in that room and the incantation he was chanting.
"Servant of darkness," a voice intoned, "Harm not the children of the light!"
A brilliant white light erupted from the inn's window and struck Heintz in the face. To those who practice the dark arts, the power of darkness and shadow were their life and blood. Consequently, the strength of the light and holy magic were their undoing. Unable to fight off the piercing light that clung to him like a foul poison, Heintz perished in a sheet of white fire that seemed to ignite his dark robes.
"I wonder who was that?" Kent wondered as Sain tried to pick his jaw off the floor.
"That would be me," a young man said as he exited the inn. Dressed in the flowing white robes of a St. Elimine priest, his long blonde hair extending well past his shoulders, complete with a spell tome held lightly in his hand.
"Pardon me," the priest said, "I chanced to overhear the boy's story yesterday and wished to extend my aid. I am an acolyte of the Elimine Church by the name of Lucius."
"Of course," Lyn replied, "We're glad to have you."
"Do you know where your sister is?" Kent asked Nils.
"Yes! She is kept in a fortress to the south of this village."
"The old fortress?" Lucius smiled, "I used to explore there as a child and, as a result, know quite a few tricks to that place that I doubt even the kidnappers know about."
"In that case," Drake said, "Gather around, I have an idea…"
The tall fortress that once overlooked Kathelet's defenses had certainly seen better days. In bygone days, when Kathelet was in danger of invasion from bandits, its villagers would temporarily abandon the town, seeking shelter in the high walls of the fortress. Now, with peace gracing the surrounding countryside, the purpose of the fortress has long been forgotten by the descendents of those refugees. Though covered with ivy and moss, the walls remained sound, albeit cracked and splintered in a few areas. Its great doors still stood proud against the afternoon sun, though age has rendered its hinges rusty. This was the sight that greeted Kent and his detachment.
The southern face of the fortress stared back at them. According to Lucius, the fortress only contained one primary entrance facing the south. However, to the north, there was a small entryway that was partially blocked by fallen parts of the wall. When he was but a child, Lucius recalled he had uncovered a tiny path just large enough for a grown man to crawl under. That, according to Drake, was their ticket in.
"Well," Kent said, "We're in position."
"Do you have the parchment Drake gave you?" Sain asked.
Kent gave him a blank look, "I'm not you. I haven't lost it." Reaching into his saddlebag, he pulled out a rolled up parchment tied with a string. Kent was not unfamiliar with this method of giving out orders. Many armies, fearing that the walls have ears, were hesitant to give out military orders orally in the command tent. Instead, military commanders wrote out their commands and ordered their subordinates to open them on the field of combat.
"Then let's get going," Sain said grimly, "Lady Lyndis and Drake are counting on us."
Kent slowly unfurled the scroll and read out its contents to his listeners.
Atop the fortress, two guards were nodding out of boredom. Their commander, Heintz, had left several hours ago to retrieve the boy, leaving strict instructions to keep their eyes peeled during his absence. The minor technicality was that nothing ever happened here, so why bother with guard duty? Instead, guard duty was widely acknowledged as 'unofficial nap duty,' to the everlasting exasperation of Heintz and Beyard.
"You think they caught that intruder yet?" One asked in a bored tone.
"Maybe," his comrade yawned, "Then again, whoever he is, he's skill enough to take down several of the gang."
"Last I heard headcount was four?"
"Something like that… Ugh…"
His words were cut short by an arrow protruding out of his throat. His comrade gaped at the suddenness of the attack, before a second arrow struck him in the shoulder. As he dropped to one knee, he could see a nomad riding quickly into the trees. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out the arrow and shouted into the courtyard.
"Attack! We're under attack!"
Roughly an arrowshot distance from the walls, Sain clapped Wil and Rath on the back.
"Nice shooting! Now we relocate to where the others are waiting for us."
As an angry herd of Black Fang troops stormed out the southern entrance, a small boulder was shifted aside in the northern wall. First to crawl out was Matthew, who gave a quick glance to the right and left before signaling the others to follow. In a few moments, Lyn, Lucius, Drake, and Nils emerged from the makeshift tunnel.
"Alright, we're in," Matthew said as he made sure there was no one in their immediate area, "Lucius, where're the dungeons?"
Nils paled at Matthew's words, but Drake swatted Matthew on the head, "Lucius, ignore him. Is there a place that can provide lodgings for a noble of some sort?"
Lucius was confused, "Yes, at the highest level of the keep, but why would you want to go there?"
"Because," Drake explained dryly, "Whoever is in command of these idiots evidently wants Nils and his sister alive. Now which incompetent subordinate would keep a frail lady in the dungeons where she stands little or no chance of surviving?"
"Well, that might explain a lot."
"Who's there?" Lyn barked as she drew her sword.
"Peace, I mean you no harm," a young man said as he stepped out from around the corner. From his fiery red hair to his azure clothing, Drake could tell that this was no bandit, and from his poise and manner of speaking, he was no country bumpkin.
"I am Eliwood of Pherae. My father is the marquis."
Lyn started while Matthew quickly tried to hide behind Drake. So he's the son of the marquis, Lyn thought.
"I chanced to see her enter this area with a band of ruffians. I managed to infiltrate this area using the same route you did," Eliwood said with a grin, "I thought to rescue her before further harm could befall her. However, when I found my way to the dungeons, there was no one there. Hearing your explanation certainly cleared my confusion. Sir…?"
"Drake," the tactician replied, "Just Drake."
"I am Lyn, granddaughter of Marquis Caelin."
"Marquis Caelin?" Eliwood asked in surprise.
"Excuse me," Drake interposed, "I'm sure the formalities can be exchanged later, but we do have a hostage to rescue."
"You're right," Lyn agreed, "Lucius?"
"Follow me," the priest hurried down the halls with the others in tow.
As they were passing along the halls, Eliwood was amazed at the emptiness of the various chambers. Mystified, he asked Lyn how come the fortress was so deserted.
"When I first entered, this area was packed with foes, forcing me to fight in several discreet instances," he said, "How is it that there are no enemies now?"
Lyn smiled before answering, "Drake came up with a little ruse to lead the guards on a wild goose chase outside."
Eliwood's eyes widened before looking at the tactician ahead with respect mingled in his gaze. It was no lean feat to lure out so many of the enemy.
"Might I enquire how you managed to do this?" Eliwood asked.
"Hit and run," Drake replied without looking back, "The garrison here does not know how small our force is compared to theirs, and there lies our advantage. By sniping their guards, our force outside dares the Black Fang troops within to exit the fortress and hunt down our archers. Once they come out, all our diversionary force has to do is occasionally fire a shot or spell into their midst to encourage the maddened pursuers to continue their search. Lucius had mentioned that there were no stables in this fortress, meaning a lack of cavalry. Given that, since our diversionary detachment has the advantage in mobility…"
"They'll never catch them," Eliwood finished.
"Which buys us the time to extract Nils' sister and make our escape," Lyn added.
"Sh!" Matthew held up a finger to his mouth, "I can hear voices…"
Around the corner, two mercenaries were conversing outside a large door. Lucius pointed at the room and nodded, signifying that was their target.
"Have they found the invaders yet?" One of them roared.
"N-not yet, Sir Beyard," the other stammered.
"Then tell those brats outside to hurry it up!" Beyard said angrily, "How long does it take to hunt down the meddling pests?"
"Sir Beyard, hasn't it been a little too long since Heintz has gone?"
"Hm, that is true. Chances are that he has failed to bring back the boy. How, I cannot guess, but if we don't bring back the girl, then the Fang's justice will fall upon us," Beyard warned.
The other mercenary gulped.
"Here," Beyard tossed a ring up in the air, "I took this from the girl, take it to the treasure room."
Drake leaned over to whisper something in Matthew's ear, at which Matthew nodded but whispered something back. Drake sighed as he put a hand to his forehead, "And yes, feel free to loot the place as you see fit."
Matthew was out of the earshot before Drake could finish his sentence. Eliwood's attention, however, was still on Beyard.
"Heh, fool," Beyard grinned lecherously, "Now that you're out of the way, a certain defenseless girl is alone inside…"
Eliwood had heard enough. Unsheathing the rapier by his side, he was around the corner and upon the astonished Beyard before the latter could draw his sword. Unfortunately, in his haste, Eliwood had mistimed the blow, missing the mercenary by a hair and embedding his weapon in the thick door behind Beyard.
Extracting the weapon was but a work of a moment, but that precious second gave Beyard the time to draw his own broadsword. With a yell, the mercenary countered, swinging a powerful horizontal blow towards Eliwood. Parrying, Eliwood delivered a lightning slash aimed at his opponent's face. Recoiling backwards, Beyard was only wounded on the cheek before charging the noble again. Back and forth the two clashed, each time yielding a neutral result. Lyn was about to aid Eliwood when Drake put a hand on her shoulder.
"Drake?"
"Watch, Lyn," Drake said softly, "And understand how Eliwood will win this battle."
Redirecting her gaze at the combatants before her, Lyn suddenly realized something. Beyard is slowing down, she realized, even though Eliwood hasn't landed a telling blow yet. Looking back at Drake, she asked him about her observation.
"Correct," Drake said, "Notice that Eliwood is using a rapier, a sword not commonly used in Sacae. Sacae is more famous for the durable katanas, whereas most knights fight with the broadsword, the weapon the mercenary is using. However, the rapier, a light and swift weapon, overcomes its lack of power with its incredible speed. A broadsword is a clumsy tool to combat the snake-like stab of a rapier."
Sure enough, Beyard was unable to keep pace with the noble's quick strikes. Putting all of his remaining strength into one last blow, Beyard charged forward with his blade held overhead, hoping to finish the battle in one instant. At that moment, he was staggered by the strain of combat, slowing down his reaction for a few short second. One second was all that Eliwood needed, and a swift stab through the heart yielded Eliwood the victory.
"Killing with the point lacks finesse," Drake commented, "But that shouldn't make you hold back a finishing touch."
Eliwood started at Drake's words. How could he know that? Only nobles taught by the masters of the sword would know that litany, Eliwood wondered, so who is this man that is known as Drake?
"Anyways, the threat is removed," Lyn said, "Nils, let's hurry to Ninian."
Nils needed no further encouragement as he burst through the double doors to where Ninian was.
"Ninian!" Nils cried out, seeing her stretched out on a bed.
"She is only unconscious," Lucius said after taking her pulse.
"Thank goodness," Nils said thankfully.
"We, however," Drake said as the sounds of running feet reached their ears, "Have a problem on our hands."
Matthew charged into the room breathing heavily, "I-I've got it, Drake. S-some of the guards are returning, and are headed here now!"
"We don't have the numbers to fight our way out," Lucius said worriedly.
"And we have an unconscious lady to look after," Eliwood pointed out.
"I'm not abandoning Ninina," Nils said defiantly.
"Of course not," Eliwood replied, "I'm just pointing out the facts."
Lyn could see Drake was thinking furiously from the way he was chewing his bottom lip slightly, "Drake…"
Drake's eyes lighted up with a mischievous air, "We're going to pull the Araphen routine on them. Lyn, hold your sword against the sun from the balcony. We're going to need Florina for this."
Outside, a dozen soldiers trudged wearily to where Ninian's room was. They had unsuccessfully tried to locate the mysterious attackers, and were dreading Beyard's reaction to their failure. He had not been particularly forgiving towards past mistakes, and the soldiers would be glad to get out of this with only a scathing lecture. The soldiers stopped before the double doors that led to Ninian's room and frowned. Usually Beyard was here, making sure that no one approached the girl.
"Hey, Beyard," one of them called out, "Where are you?"
No one replied, though a faint rustling sound could be heard on the other side of the doors.
"Where do you think he went?"
"Inside maybe? Should we take a look?"
"Don't be stupid," one of them barked, "He'll have our heads if we entered!"
"Just a peek, make sure everything is shipshape."
With that said, one of the men shifted the door open before squinting through the crack. He was just in time to see a pegasus knight helping a teal-haired person wrapped in a brown cloak onto her mount.
"Oh, crap," he swore, "They're taking her away!"
"What?"
The soldiers burst through the door just when the pegasus dived off the balcony, carrying knight and passenger away from the keep. Swearing the soldiers doubled back down the keep, calling for their comrades to pursue the pegasus. In a few short moments, the fortress was deserted once more.
"How's that for audacity?"
"I have to hand it to you Drake," Matthew said crawling out from under the bed, "You've got nerves of steel."
"Do you think Florina and Nils will be alright?" Lyn asked.
"They'll be fine," Drake replied, "We'll meet up with them and the rest of our group at Kathelet."
Eliwood was situated behind the doors supporting Ninian. When the soldiers opened the doors in their haste, they had conveniently neglected to check the room for any intruders. Now that they were gone, everyone emerged from their respective hiding places.
"But how do we get out?" Lucius asked, "With the lady still unconscious, we can't exit through the tunnel any more."
"We won't have to," Drake said confidently, "We're going out the main gate."
"What?" Everyone looked flabbergasted.
"Err, isn't that slightly insane?" Matthew ventured.
Drake smirked slightly, "And who's going to stop us?"
"There won't be any guards," Lyn realized, "The only person here worth guarding was Ninian, and now that they assumed Ninian was taken away, the entire fortress would be emptied to retrieve her. Didn't that Beyard say that they would be in deep trouble if they lost Ninian?"
"Precisely."
A few hours later, with the Black Fang pursuers hopelessly confused and lost, Lyn and her group arrived back at Kathelet with Ninian safe amongst them. Serra took Ninian off of Eliwood's hands and took her to the inn, followed every step of the way by Nils. This gave Lyn the opportunity to fully explain her situation to Eliwood.
"I see, so that's why Caelin was acting differently recently," he nodded.
"I'm sorry, it may be too far fetched to believe," Lyn trailed off.
"No, no, I believe you," Eliwood replied before smiling at Lyn's stunned expression, "I've met your grandfather, Marquis Caelin before, and you bear a striking facial resemblance."
"You've met…"
"Pherae and Caelin have long held an easy friendship in the past," he explained, "And I believe that the proud nomads of Sacae tell no lies, is that not true?"
Lyn smiled wanly, "It is just so unbelievable that a Lycian noble can so readily believe a nomad like myself."
"Do you have any difficulties that I can help you with?"
"I thank you for your kind offer, but I must face my own trials."
"As you wish," Eliwood replied, "I'll be in Kathelet awaiting a friend for a few more days. If you need anything…"
"I'll be sure to ask. Thank you, Eliwood."
"What are friends for?" Eliwood smiled before taking his leave.
Shortly after Eliwood left, Lyn gathered Drake and went inside the inn to visit Ninian. From Serra's diagnosis, the young girl would be awake shortly after a good rest. Her words validated her skill, as Lyn perceived Ninian was wide-awake chatting with Nils. Ninian looked startled to see two strangers enter the room, but Nils calmed her.
"It's alright, these people helped us get away from them."
"And they are…?"
"I am Lyn, and I'm glad you're feeling better."
"Drake, a wandering tactician."
"I thank you, milady, for going to the trouble of helping my brother and I," Ninian bowed her head, "We are traveling performers, my brother being a musician and I, well, I'm a dancer."
Drake raised an eyebrow, "We would be better off if Sain did not know that."
Lyn giggled at that, "Point taken, Drake. Yet Ninian, your clothes are not that of a typical dancer…"
"Ninian's dances are special, almost like a sacred dance," Nils explained.
"I see," Lyn nodded.
"I would be able to show you, milady," Ninian said sadly, "But I injured my ankle when I was abducted, and as a result..."
"It is alright," Lyn said, gently patting Ninian on the back, "I'm just glad that you're safe and unharmed."
"Thank you, milady," Ninian said with a smile, which was exchanged for a frown when she looked at her left hand, "Oh…"
"What is it?" Nils asked.
"My ring, it's gone…"
"What? Ninis' Grace? They took it?" Nils exclaimed, "It was a keepsake of our mother."
"T-there's nothing we can do," Ninian said chokingly, "At least we are safe…"
"It wouldn't happen to look like this, would it?" Drake said as he fished out a ring from his pocket before holding it up to the light.
Nils' jaw dropped, Ninian just stared, and Lyn tried to mask a smile behind her hand.
"B-but, h-h-how?" Nils stammered.
Ninian took the ring from Drake and looked at it, "It is Ninis' Grace, how did you manage to retrieve it?"
Drake grimaced, "Well, we chanced to hear about someone taking your ring, and Matthew was sent to 'retrieve' it. Though I heavily suspect that he helped himself to an indecent amount of money in the Black Fang treasury." Lyn laughed, recalling the last time Matthew had helped himself to someone else's coffers.
"Thank you," Ninian said with tears in her eyes, "I cannot thank you enough for this."
"It is nothing," Lyn replied, "Though I am worried about your leg, can you travel on it?"
"Um," Nils hesitated, "I was wondering if we could travel with you."
Drake and Lyn exchanged a look, both thinking the same thing. That's akin to jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, they thought, although they're being pursued, coming with us means there are two groups of assassins after them!
Missing the glance, Nils continued, "We won't be a hindrance, we can even be of some assistance!"
"When someone or something hostile approaches, we can sense their presence," Ninian explained.
"That'd certainly explain how you warned us about Heintz' attack," Lyn reasoned.
Drake sighed. The tactician inside him told him to bring them along, but the human inside him told him bring them would endanger them even more. Then it is Lyn's decision, he thought, I will abide by her decision.
Lyn looked at Ninian and Nils, "Are you sure you want to come with us!"
"Yes!"
"Then we welcome you among us," Lyn said with a smile.
Argh, this did not turn out the way I wanted it to. Hopefully this wasn't so terrible that it changed your opinion of this fiction entirely. Read and review if you have the time!