Ah, now for the real story! Actually, I have no idea why the last chapter was a prologue, I just thought it should be. Again, I do not own any part of Fire Emblem. It is the property of Intelligent Systems and Nintendo, neither of whom will sue me for this--I hope.
One: A Shattered Sunset
The two opponents stood facing each other in the courtyard, silent. The afternoon sun was setting over the parapets of the Royal School's towers, casting a warm amber glow over the soon-to-be battlefield. Other students chattered in whispered anticipation for the battle to begin. Suddenly, the Headmaster rose from his seat in the shadows of the archway and walked out to the battlefield.
Roy stood silent, his gaze shifting purposefully between the crowd, the Headmaster, and the girl standing across from him on the lawn. Her long, purple hair shimmered red in the golden sun as it was gently rustled by the slight breeze blowing in from the east. Her soft, pale hands rested on the pole section of the lance that was thrust into the ground beside her. Lilina, Princess of Ostia, was a beautifully talented opponent...for a girl. Roy dared to crack a smile within the Headmaster's range of vision, thinking about all the other times he and Lilina had sparred on their vacations together. Such vacations were frequent because their fathers, Marquess Eliwood of Pherae and Marquess Hector of Ostia, were such close friends. The results of such matches were always in Roy's favor, but they had never been in a formal setting like the one he faced today. By a stroke of luck, they were the last two standing in the annual Fighter's Tournament at their school, the School for Children of Royalty. A horribly named school, in Roy's opinion, but his opinion didn't matter much at the school, because all of the students were in the same position as he. But none of them were as skilled in combat as he and Lilina, who had been trained personally by their parents for years.
Now the Headmaster was in the center of the lawn. Roy picked up his sheathed sword from the ground, tied it to his belt, and strode purposefully to the center ring. Lilina had already dislodged her lance from the earth, and was nearly floating to meet the Headmaster in the center.
Once they were both in the circle, the Headmaster began to speak in his commandingly dull tone. "The final match in the Fighter's Tournament will now begin." He paused as the students all cheered, shouting equally for Roy and Lilina. Then he continued, "The rules are as normal; the fight ends when one combatant is forced out of the circle," he said, motioning to a 40 meter circle that surrounded them, "or has their weapon knocked out of the circle." He looked at Roy and Lilina, who nodded their heads in understanding. They had gone through all of this before with the other matches. The Headmaster spoke to them again. "The match starts when you shake hands and bow to each other, okay?" They nodded again, and he turned to the crowd. "Let the battle begin!" He waited for the applause to end, then walked to his seat with an arrogant gait.
Roy stared ahead at Lilina. She was beautiful, distractingly so, dressed in the traditional fighting garb of an Ostian trainee. She gave a quick smile, then held out her hand. Roy obliged, holding out his hand and gracefully bowing. Then, in one smooth motion, he and Lilina sidestepped each other. Lilina twirled her lance into a fighting stance, and Roy threw off his cape and drew his sword. Then, giving Lilina a brilliant smile, he charged.
Lilina effortlessly dodged Roy's first stroke, countering with a quick swipe of her lance. Roy blocked it and slid under it. Springing to his feet, he swung for her left arm. Her lance met his sword in midswing, sending Roy in an off-balance lunge in the other direction. She swung her lance around and hit him in the back, throwing him to the ground and sending his sword a few feet from him. Then, utilizing all the training her father had given her, she jabbed her lance in the earth, pumped her arms, and vaulted into the air, keeping her lance in her hand. Then, like a falcon on the hunt, she flipped the lance downward and streaked back towards earth and the gasps of all onlookers.
Roy had only seen her do this move when she was practicing, so it took him a minute to realize what she was doing. The second was going to cost him, he realized as she fell to earth at an alarming rate of speed. On reflex, he rolled backward, grabbed his sword, planted his foot, and used his momentum to propel a thrust to where her body was going to be.
Lilina realized Roy's strategy a moment before impact, and let her grip fall back to the end of the lance's handle. It struck the ground, and she slid down the handle with the ease of a fish in the water, planting a solid kick in Roy's face when she reached the point. Roy flew backward with a yelp of pain, but Lilina knew this was a feint. She whirled back around her lance, feeling a rush of air as Roy's sword stabbed at her last location. She picked up her lance and parried two strong blows from him, then swung her lance for his ankles. Steel met steel, and soon they were standing chest to chest, weapons crossed. Pushing with all her might, she still couldn't get Roy to budge in the slightest. "Aren't you going to move sometime, Roy?"
"Get down." He whispered, fear in his voice.
"What?"
Roy caught her off guard and threw her to the ground. Suddenly, something whizzed by their heads and hit the ground with a clatter. Lilina stared past Roy's mess of red hair, horrified; it was a longbow arrow! She rolled over to follow Roy's eyes. She gasped.
At the top of the eastern parapet, and figure robed in black stood with an arrow nocked in his bow. "My next shot will not miss, clever prince," he shouted. Then he laughed and drew the string back. Lilina buried her head in Roy's robes and began to cry.
"BOLTING!" Roy threw himself and Lilina from the circle as a giant bolt of lightning struck the sniper on the tower. The man screamed in pain and fell from the tower. A sickening thud signified his landing on the battlefield.
The students in audience sat in stunned silence. The Headmaster did nothing except stare at the sooty, bloody corpse with a hand over his mouth. Only one person, a figure hooded in deep purple, walked out towards the center.
"Another one?" Roy shouted, hopping to his feet with his sword in hand. "Fight me now, you fiend!"
"Silence, Prince Roy. You have no need to draw your sword against me." He threw back his hood to reveal a slick ponytail of blue hair and dark brown eyes that seemed to shine. "After all, it was I who saved you from that would-be assassin." He motioned to the crumpled body at the base of the tower. "Come, we have much to discuss, but it must be done with your parents present, and so we must ride to Castle Pherae with all possible haste."
Roy nodded meekly, and Lilina put a reaffirming hand on his shoulder. The man turned to walk away, and Roy and Lilina followed.
"Wait, you!" The three turned to see the Headmaster running toward them, sword drawn and eyes wild. "Just where are you going with those children? They are under my protection here and I–"
"With all due respect, ma'am, your protection obviously isn't worth much. Their parents have requested that I take them to Castle Pherae immediately..." he dug into his pack and rifled through its contents. Then, pulling out an official-looking scroll, he said, "I'm glad I got here when I did."
The Headmaster looked at the scroll with distrust, inspecting the seal, which Roy recognized as being that of the Lycian League. "And just who are you, hmm?"
His stern face gave way to a slight smile. "I am Mikhail, second Apprentice to his esteemed Count Reglay, Lord Pent of Etruria."
The trio walked out silently and mounted their horses, riding away as the Headmaster looked on in utter disbelief.
When you review, please pay extra attention to my action sequences. I feel they are not up to par. Give me some suggestions, they will be especially appreciated! Please read some of my other stories, too. I have a Final Fantasy Tactics Advance story and a D.N.Angel story for fans of manga/anime.