Welcome to the sixth chapter of my Fire Emblem story, now with another viewpoint! Yes, I did split up my main twosome. Cry me a river. It happens in every single FE game anyway! (Insert disclaimer here)

Six: An Embattled Land

Three days later, Roy and his companions stood in battle armor on a hill overlooking the war-torn city of Meroven. The city's whitestone walls were stained with soot and blood, and bodies dressed in the gold and scarlet of the Meroven Guared were strewn everywhere. Smoke billowed from the sections of the city that were still burning, but the city largely seemed deserted. Only the north end of the city was alive with activity.

There, on a high plateau, stood the twin castles Reglay and Meroven–the former an illustrious school of magic, the latter a former ruling house of Etruria. Reglay's dark marble walls could barely be seen for the dark pall cast over the city by a never-ending thunderstorm that raged in the sky. Meroven, in stunning white marble, looked far worse. Fire licked the windows of the first story, and the armies of Bern–dressed in black–swarmed around it's gates. Roy thought it looked like they had yet to break down the gates, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Flames, lightning, and flash snowstorms flew from the walls and parapets of both castles as the mages defended their castles from the invaders. Roy wanted to help them, but he had been told by a messenger to wait on the hilltop for further guidance from Feria. He simply stood, sword drawn, flanked by the others, waiting anxiously.

Presently a speck of white burst from the storm, and Roy rushed to the edge of the hill to meet Feria. The Pegasus Knight landed at the cliff's edge and pointed to the near road. "Hurry, knights of Pherae. This road will take you into a secret tunnel. It will lead you to great Hall in Reglay. Mikhail and Pent are waiting for you there." She took a silver pendant from round her neck and put it on Roy's. "This is a key that will allow you to enter the tunnel." He whispered to her steed, and its powerful wings began beating, raising it and its rider into the air. "Hurry. You are needed!" With that, she flew off towards the rumbling storm and thunder of war.

"You heard her. Come on!" Roy led the way as they descended onto the road. It wasn't really a road at all, Roy and his friends discovered. The road, instead of cutting down the face in a zigzag motion–as most normal roads did–took a direct route down the cliff, and was quite steep. Zechary and Phillip belted their shields to their backs to descend cleanly.

Victor was the first to stumble on the way, slicing his knee on an unusual rock that jutted out from the dirt like a knife would a loaf of bread. Roy's hands were scratched up, but Rebecca was light on her feet and managed the downward climb without a scratch.

Finally, they all stood in front of a stone door that was well hidden by two trees. In fact, Roy hadn't even seen the trees from the cliff. He suspected magic, but didn't voice his opinions. In the center of the door was an circular hole, surrounded by carvings of the moon and several constellations that Roy did not recognize.

"That seems to be a diagram of the seasons," Rebecca said. "It describes the movement and phases of the moon. What symbol is on the key you have?"

Roy looked at the emblem. It had a sun emblazoned on it, with a mirror on the inside of the central sphere. "A sun," he said, and placed it in the hole. Light pierced the mirror and exploded brilliantly in Roy's eyes, making him cover them with his hands. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. Roy put down his hands and saw that the door was gone, replaced by an ominous set of stairs that led into blackness.

"Well, come on then," Victor said, and the others followed him down the stairs. Rebecca lit a torch she found near the entrance, and she took the lead in the damp passageway. Moss grew in cracks in the masonry, and water dripped every so often from fissures in the ceiling not sealed by the thirsty moss. Ancient timbers held up the ceiling, but in some places they looked unsettlingly weak.

Still, they pressed on for a while, until they reached a tall staircase. Groaning and cursing stairs, Roy led the way this time. At the top of the stairs was a dark curtain. The companions could hear the sounds of battle far in the distance, but the only sounds on the other side of the fabric were the voices of two men. Roy sheathed his sword and threw aside the tapestry.

They emerged in the great Hall of Castle Reglay, as Feria had said they would. Only it was less grand than Roy had expected. Where the Hall of Pherae had frescoes of heroes, villians and dragons leaping from the ceiling, here there were only lines of verse and poetry written in the same language as Mikhail's spellbook. In fact, Roy thought as he wrinkled his nose, the whole place smelled like musty books.

In the center of the room, a long mahogany table stretched the length of the Hall, and sitting at its end were Mikhail and a gaunt figure dressed in pale lavender and bright turquoise robes. Roy bowed. "Lord Pent, I am honored."

"As am I, Prince of Pherae." The elderly Sage's sapphire eyes glittered as he bowed, letting his longish turquoise hair fall and shield his face. He got up blowing it out of his face and shrugging. "Accursed barbers." He went on mumbling until Mikhail placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, yes. Have a seat, all of you! Come!"

The companions seated themselves at the table, and Mikhail poured them all cups of mulled cider. "Better for you than wine. Keeps you awake," insisted Pent. The others shrugged and drank it. Mikhail sipped his anxiously, waiting for the business to begin.

"I am glad you've come, Roy, but I am hesitant to deploy you and your friends. Though you were generous in coming to the aid of your friend," he glared at Mikhail, "our defenses are holding up well."

"How fares Meroven Keep?" asked Phillip.

"Not as well as we do, that is for certain." Mikhail walked up to the north wall and pulled on a gold rope that fell from the ceiling. A tapestry fell to the floor, spreading out over the wall. "This is a diagram of the plateau." He whispered some arcane words, and specks of gold, black, and turquoise began moving on the map's surface. "These are our mages, in turquoise, the Meroven Guard in gold, and the Bern forces in black. The gates of Meroven Keep are holding up for now, but our Seers have seen a battering ram breaking it down at some point."

"They have also seen ballistae, so the Pegasus Knight squad that Ilia sent have been flying in the storm so as not to attract the attention of them." Pent flicked his fingers at the map, and four red pieces appeared on the map in the streets of the Upper City. "The six Druid generals haven't been seen since the taking of the Wall, but our Seers have seen them in an abandoned building in the Lower City." His voice was grave. "It is only a matter of time before they themselves attack Reglay, and then we may fall. Our magic is not strong enough to combat the darkness those abominations wield."

"We should go the aid of Meroven Keep," Roy said. "I assume there is some sort of secret tunnel, yes?"

Lord Pent gave a wry smile. "Yes. I will let Mikhail direct you to it." He sighed and sat in his chair. "For now, I must wait for news from the wall."

"Get your armor ready, Roy. I will go with you, if I may?" Mikhail looked at Pent. Pent nodded. "Excellent. Let us hurry." Mikhail ushered the companions out of the Hall, wiggled the nose on a strange bust in the Commons, and led them down a dark stairwell.

"Not again," sighed Roy as he descended.

(&)

Lilina and Lowen could see Ostia now in the distance, gleaming like a black jewel in the afternoon sun. Still, they were a good distance off, and the road narrowed and broke through an ancient forest. "Come, Lilina. We must hurry," said Lowen, and urged his horse into the dark forest. Lilina followed suit, grumbling.

For a while, all was silent save the rumbling of their horses' footsteps. Then a cry rang out, and two men robed in black jumped from the trees.

Lowen drew his sword and pierced one through the chest as he descended. Throwing the body off his bloody blade, he shouted to Lilina, "Arm yourself! There are two behind you!"

She dismounted and sent the horse running to Ostia. A royal horse arriving at the gates riderless would alert the Guard. She twirled her lance in front of her as the two goons ran towards her, wicked swords gleaming in the flickering sunlight. She swung and connected with the one on the right, who fell to the ground with a bleeding head, moaning. The other jumped at her, and she hit him with the blunt end in the stomach. He doubled over as she hit him again on the back and sent him crashing to the ground.

Lowen blocked a sword swipe from behind, hitting the poor man with his shield. His sword parried two good swipes from another assassin, then faltered against a upward strike. He cursed himself for his lack of skill with a blade as he raised his shield and blocked another strike. He looked at Lilina.

The noble was fending for herself with grace. She leaped over one fighter and ran him through the back, then hit another in front of her in the stomach. She pulled her bloody lance from the fallen assassin and swung it round, only to have it rebound off of a helmet. She fell to her knees in pain. Her right arm was screaming in pain.

"My lady, look out!" Lowen shouted.

Lilina ducked just as an axe came flying from the roadside. A big, tough looking brute who was missing several teeth stood there with a gleaming axe bared. "Who dares to kill my men?" His eyes fell on Lilina, scarlet eyes wide in fright and pain. "Ye, noble! Ye'll pay for this!" He raised his axe and hurtled towards her with a bloodcurdling scream.

She raised her lance to block, but her lance burst to splinters, and the impact sent her flying off the road. She hit the dirt and rolled into the bushes, brambles tearing at her clothes and skin. "Cursed forests," she said.

Lowen bashed another warrior on the head with his shield, then dismounted and faced the brute. "How dare you hit a lady!"

The man gyrated mockingly. "And what'r ye goin' ta do 'bout it, eh lad?"

Lowen lowered his shield and raised his sword. "You will die today, fiend!" And he charged.

The brute fumbled for a hand axe as the knight came charging at him. Grabbing hold of it, he tossed it at Lowen. He blocked it with his shield and continued the charge. Grinning toothlessly, the bandit raised his axe.

"Lowen, duck under him," Lilina yelled. Lowen did as he was told, praying to the Gods that Lilina knew what she was doing.

The bandit felt an arrow of pain drive through his spine and fly out his belly. He stared down and saw with his last breath the head of Lilina's lance protruding from his stomach.

She let go of it and went pale as the man fell stiffly to the road, a red pool ever widening on the rough stones. Her wide eyes flickered distantly from the body to her own bloody hands.

"If you need to be sick, Lilina, don't let me discourage you. I did so after my first battle, too."

Lilina nodded and threw up on the roadside, well clear of the bandit's bodies. She returned looking better, but her face was still ashen. "I never...never thought it would be this bad."

Lowen nodded. "War is hell, Lady Lilina. War is hell."

(&)

Roy ducked behind a parapet as a volley of arrows whizzed over his head. He and the rest of his companions were on the wall of Meroven Keep to survey the battlefield. They had to be careful, though, because the walls were under constant fire from Bern's archers.

"See. They lose another soldier every volley, and we lose a student." Mikhail shook his head. "I never thought the war would come to Etruria."

"I have a feeling that this, this, Bearoth," Rebecca finally spat, "has some kind of grudge against Lord Pent. That is the only reason I can think of for him to attack Etruria."

"Or he simply wants to spread out the front. If I were a general, that's what I would do," Zechary said, and Phillip and Victor nodded in agreement.

Roy sighed and thought of Lilina, wishing that her ride to Ostia did not involve war like his did. His thoughts were interrupted when a scout yelled out, "Wyverns! The wyverns are coming!"

Roy stood and looked into the darkness. Sure enough, dragon-like shadows were forming in the fog. Roy cursed the gods of luck, saying they despised him and took his away.

"Stand aside, Prince Roy. This is my time." Rebecca smiled grimly and nocked her bow. She squinted and took aim quickly, loosing her arrow with incredible speed. A dragon cry was heard, and one of the shadows dropped from sight.

Mikhail took a pendant from his robe and held it, whispering words of magic. Roy recognized the emblem as that of Ilia. Hopefully, Roy thought, he was calling Feria and her fellow knights to the keep.

Suddenly, a hideous wyvern broke through the fog. Its eyes were ferocious and burned coal black, a contrast to its fiery red scales that reminded Roy–disgustingly so, it always made him vomit to look at it–of the brimstone in his father's treasure hall. This one was obviously in a foul mood. It whipped its tail around and smashed the wall viciously, sending the soldiers standing there falling to their gruesome deaths. The rider called something, and three men jumped off the dragon's back and onto the wall, swords drawn.

"We'll handle this, Roy. Stay here and guard Rebecca." Zechary and Phillip drew swords and shields and charged the group in a flurry of flying steel.

Rebecca let loose another arrow. It connected with the wyvern's eye, which exploded in black blood. The dragon screamed and plummeted to the ground, flattening a few Bern soldiers upon landing.

Mikhail whispered words of magic and flung his hand at a shadow-dragon. "Elfire!" Blood-red fire shot from his burning hand, consuming the shadow with red fury and leaving behind a trail of sickening black smoke.

Another wyvern smashed the wall and let a horde of Bern soldiers off. Victor drew two axes and looked at Roy. "Shall we, my Lord?" Then he took off with a war cry that sounding like a screaming crow.

Roy smiled grimly and drew the nameless sword, following Victor. The first fighter to meet his blade was sent flying from the wall into the courtyard. Two others stood in front of him, pointing their swords at him and laughing. "Look at him. He's just a little noble runt."

Roy's eyes blazed, and he charged with a roar. The soldiers, taken aback, tried in vain to block his furious slashes. Crimson jets spurted from body-length slashes as they tumbled off the wall.

Victor axed two soldiers in the back, then beheaded an unfortunate soldier with both axes. He shrugged and ran off to defend against the next wave, ducking as Mikhail sent bolts of lightning streaking over his head. They tore at and scorched another wyvern, and it fell from the sky.

"Charge, Knights of Ilia!" Feria shouted as her brigade arrived and charged into the thick of the battle. She flew down to where Mikhail was standing. "Can you do something about those archers down there? My knights can't take that kind of fire!"

Mikhail nodded and summoned lightning to his palm. Sparks jumped and gathered at his fingertips as he uttered the command word: "Bolting!" A great bolt flashed from the sky, scorching the earth and destroying the Bern archer brigade. Feria smiled grimly and hewed the head off a wyvern rider.

Zechary and Phillip worked in tandem, fighting back to back as their father had taught them. Phillip cut two down with a low swipe, and Zechary hit one across the face with his shield, breaking the soldier's nose in a fountain of blood. Suddenly, Zechary saw a wyvern rider streaking in from the corner of his eye. Without pausing, he ran another soldier through and called to Rebecca. The archer took aim and pierced the wyvern through the neck. The dragon screeched and fell onto the wall, sliding down the wall on its thick scales towards the twin warriors: a scaly missile of death.

"Phillip," Zechary ordered over the din of battle, "be ready to jump."

"Of course, Zech." Phillip waited for his brother's nod, then he and his brother launched into twin flips as the downed wyvern careened through another brigade of Bern soldiers, under the twins, crashed into another wyvern at the end of the wall, and fell tangled to earth. The twins smiled and rushed another band.

Victor and Roy had moved to the center of the wall. A particulary strong group of soldiers had them on the defensive, forcing them to give ground and parry incessantly. Roy tried to take the advantage, but only managed to inflict minor wounds. They were running out of options, he knew.

"Roy!" Mikhail's voice resounded in his head. "Duck and roll backward! Now! Then spring up like you did against Lilina in your school tournament."

Roy looked at Victor, who gave him a confused nod. Apparently Mikhail had invaded his mind, too. Without hesitating, the two rolled backward.

The soldiers were surprised for a moment before balls of fire reduced them to smoldering corpses. Roy and Victor rebounded from their rolls and cut down them and the next rank of soldiers.

Over the clashing and clanging, someone yelled: "Look! The wyverns are retreating! We beat them!"

The Meroven Guard continued cheering and watching the shadows fly away, but Roy and Victor exchanged dark looks in silence. They knew all too well that the setting sun would only bring more trouble for the embattled castle.