Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever, just my own characters
THE TACTICIANS' WISH
Eliwood's and Hector's tales Chapter 6: Noble Lady of Caelin
"ETHER FLARE!" Hiro yelled, launching a barrage of burning bolts. It struck the oncoming Laus soldiers, but more replaced the ones he barbequed. "Damn! There are too many of them..." he cursed. "Guys, get Lyn out of here! NOW! I'll hold them off!" Lyn, Kent, Sain, Florina, and Wil ran away. Odin stayed to help Hiro. "...Why didn't you go too?"
"I want to protect Lady Lyndis as well. I can do nothing for her if I am not at the source of the trouble," Odin replied. "SPIRIT BREAK!" he yelled, launching a giant ball of electricity, electrocuting all in its path. "How many soldiers DOES that Darin have?"
"I don't know...I just hope they stop coming soon...using our swords' abilities a lot drains a lot of energy..." Hiro panted.
"I agree," Odin started to show signs of fatigue as well. Soon they were too tired, it was really hard on them to cast their attacks even once. "Damn. Hiro, get on. We'll catch up with the others."
"All right. ETHER FLARE!" Hiro struck his sword at the ground, but this time, aimed the bolts at a high angle, into the ceiling, and making it collapse to create a barricade between them and the Laus soldiers. "Let's go!"
Now, back to Eliwood and his group:
"Blast! Where on earth has that snake Darin gone?" Hector cursed.
"I doubt he's left Lycia yet, but... Hector... it's been five days. The death of Marquess Santaruz... Our attack on Laus Castle... Word of these things must have reached Lord Uther by now. And yet he shows no sing of action... Why?" Eliwood asked his friend.
"I'm sure he has his reasons. My brother has other concerns tying his hands right now," Hector told the confused Eliwood. "...It's Bern. We've received disturbing reports over the past few months. King Desmond is behaving oddly. If he sees even the slightest crack in Lycia's defenses, we believe he'll invade with all of Bern's might behind him. My brother has only recently become marquess, as well as head of the Lycian League. He can't allow another country to see any weakness or discord."
"He has to present the face of stability and strength, is that it?" Eliwood tried to simplify what Hector said.
"Yes. It seems every country has a spy working in Ostia right now. They all want to assess the new marquess's temperament and skill. If they sense anything wrong, word will spread like wildfire..." Hector trailed off.
"Hector, you're the marquess's brother... Would not being at his side be seen as someting 'wrong'?"
Hector laughed at his friend's question. "The marquess's brother is a well-known lout. If I WERE at court, they'd sense something wrong," Hector explained.
"...You're not too proud of that reputation, are you?" Eliwood asked, sweatdropping.
"Not in the least."
Then Marcus rode up to them in a rush. "LORD ELIWOOD! LORD HECTOR!" he called to the young lords.
"What is it, Marcus? Have you heard something?" Eliwood asked the paladin, curious and worried why the paladin was in such a rush.
"Yes, my lord. A messenger from the east! Castle Caelin has fallen to a surprise attack from Marquess Laus!" the paladin replied.
"Castle Caelin?"
"They've struck again," Hector said.
"...Lord Hausen, is he unharmed?" Eliwood asked, face filled with worry.
"We've no word on Lord Hausen or his granddaughter, the lady Lyndis," Marcus said sadly.
"I never expected them to attack Caelin... Lord Hausen... Lyndis..."
"Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector... What should we do?" Marcus waited for further orders
"They might still be alive, right? There's only one thing we can do!" Hector said, cracking his knuckles.
"We ride to their aid! There may still be time!" Eliwood said, and ordering Marcus to get everyone to rush to Caelin.
Back at near Caelin:
"Milady, I've returned, and I have brought news. Laus soldiers are scattered from the castle to the edge of this forest. There must be at least 300 soldiers!" Odin told Lyn as he and Hiro caught up with the group.
"Are you sure about this, milady? We barely escaped. Going back to the castle would mean almost certain death," Sain told the lord.
"My grandfather is in the castle. I left the castle on his orders, but... I can't leave him in there alone!" Lyn said, looking worried.
"The numbers we face... Rescuing Lord Hausen will be no easy task," Wil noted.
"I wonder if we can expect any reinforcements..." Sain thought out loud.
"I overheard some of the Laus soldiers talking. They claim that Lord Eliwood invaded Laus and drove them out," Odin told them.
"Eliwood? Why would he attack Laus?" Lyn asked, now curious.
"It gets even more interesting... Not only did Marquess Laus abandon his castle, but he also left his son, Erik, behind when he fled here to Caelin," Odin added.
"That's despicable! He abandoned his own son?" Kent asked in disgust.
"But at least we know Eliwood is in Laus. We might be able to ask him for help. ...Assuming there were a way to contact him," Lyn said, but was a bit disappointed that she couldn't think of a way to contact him.
"If we are to avoid being caught, the best path would be through the forest. Shall I go?" Wil offered.
"I suspect you're right. Horses cannot move well in woods... It'll take you a while, but you can travel lightly..." Lyn hesitated, not wanting to send out one of her best men out already.
"Lady Lyndis! I'll go! I can fly above the forest. I can be in Laus faster than anyone else," Florina offered.
"Florina? You can't do this on your own! It's not possible!" Lyn shook her head furiously in response. She couldn't bear to lose Florina if the Pegasus knight was shot down.
"Thanks to my time here, I'm no longer as timid around men as I used to be. And I've met Lord Eliwood before. I'm sure I can do this on my own," Florina replied with confidence.
"It will be terribly dangerous... You understand, don't you?" Lyn asked, still hesitant to give the order to her friend.
"Yes. But... I promised myself I would become braver for you. I'm not the weak little Florina I used to be. I'll be fine. Trust me," Florina pleaded.
"You've convinced me. The job's yours, Florina. But you must promise me that you won't try anything impossible!"
"Yes, milady! Farewell!" and with that, Florina took off.
"Did you hear our meek Florina? She sounded most forceful! Beautiful!" Sain said after they were out of Florina's hearing range.
"Yeah, thanks to me," Wil grinned smugly.
"We owe you for helping her with her problem, Wil. And her loyalty to Lyndis has made her much braver than before; usually she would be too scared to fly because of enemy archers..." Kent added.
"When we lived on the plains, I was always her protector. I know I shouldn't feel sad, and yet..." Lyn trailed off.
At Castle Caelin:
"Commander Bauker! There's something in the southern skies," a soldier warned his leader.
"Is that... a pegasus knight? Where do you suppose she's going? It doesn't matter. We've been told not to let anyone out of Caelin. Archers! Advance! Bring her down!" the knight commanded.
'To reach Laus, I must go over the forest... and fly north. Then, I'll have to... Wait! Who are those people? They fly no banner, and yet...Ah! That man in the lead! It's Lord Eliwood! He's come to Caelin's aid! That's wonderful. I have to tell him where Lady Lyndis is waiting!' Florina thought to herself as she saw Eliwood's group march towards Caelin.
"I've spotted the enemy... Why are their archers advancing? They're aiming at something up high..." Hector commented.
"Lord Eliwood, look! Up there! A pegasus knight!" Marcus called Eliwood.
"FLORINA!" Fiaa called up to her friend. "Could it really be...Florina, is that you?"
"Fiaa!" Florina called back. "Yes, it's me! I'm Lady Lyndis's..."Before she could finish however, Fiaa saw the archers all fire at Florina simultaneously.
"Florina! DIVE BOMB! DIVE BOMB!" Fiaa told her friend.
"What?" Florina looked behind her, to see arrows flying towards her. "Oh! AAAAHHH!" she screamed as she lost control of Huey and fell down, and she fainted during the fall.
A few minutes later:
"Can you hear me? Florina?" Fiaa called to her friend.
"AH!...Fiaa?" Florina woke up.
"Those archers almost hit you. You avoided the arrows, but you lost your balance," Fiaa told the other Pegasus knight what happened.
"I'm sorry. I'm such trouble..."
"I'm just glad you're not hurt. Tell me, Florina, weren't you with Lyndis?" Eliwood asked Florina.
"Yes! Lord Eliwood, Lady Lyndis is beyond that forest. She's waiting for a chance to assault the castle," Florina replied.
"She's what? Ah... Still, it's good to hear she's safe," Eliwood said, somewhat relieved, but surprised at Lyn's plan.
"She's fine. However, Lord Hausen's been captured. He's still in the castle," Florina explained.
"I see. Let's go then."
Back at the castle:
"Someone get up there and scour the area! I want to know if we brought down that pegasus knight! If she's still breathing, make her stop!" Bauker commanded.
"My lord! To the west! We're under attack! It's the Pheraen noble, Eliwood!" reported a soldier.
"He's here, eh? Now's our chance to show Marquess Laus our loyalty. Our opponents are a motley band of fools! They're no match for us!"
Mark paid Hannah the usual sum to have her tell him about the battle. "I see a new companion... Strong of heart, strong of will. You must combine your strengths and work together. Lances... Yes, lance wielders are invaluable here. Use the woods well. You... You will need magic, yes? And rapiers and hammers, as well..." Hannah said, as she snapped out of her trance.
"All right everyone, we know that Lady Lyndis's location is to the southeast, near the armories and the vendor. There's also a village there. Here's the plan. Marcus, you guard Merlinus and Hannah, as usual. Dorcas and Bartre, you stay with them, just in case. Matthew, Guy, Rebecca, Erk, Serra, Priscilla, and Eiji will go to the southeast and escort Lyndis's group to the main group. Eiji, you'll have to be a wall of protection for your group; they're nowhere as heavily armored as you are. By the time you get there, head north towards the castle. We'll meet you there. Watch out for ballistae, though. Lord Hector, Lord Eliwood, Mark, Oswin, Lucifer, and I will go north. The fliers will go to the east, and prepare to back up Matthew's group. Let's do it!" Hilda instructed, and the group separated.
"All right, there's a village to the west. We should try our best to save it first from the brigands that Wil said will be coming from the south. Wil, Lyn, and I will do that. The cavaliers will go north to take out the ballistae, but try your best not to get seen by the enemy. After you do, hide at the edge of the forest until you see us," Hiro instructed.
"Enemy mercenaries!" Guy told his group, and entered a fighting stance. The enemy's numbers were huge...there are about at least 40. "This won't be easy..."Guy mumbled, and started to focus his chi on his Killing Edge, and ran towards the enemy group. "Sword of Gale!" He disappeared for a second; and during that second, slashing sounds could be heard, and flashes of light from the Killing Edge can be seen. Then he reappeared in front of his group, looking like he just finished a back flip.
"Arrow Storm!" Rebecca and Erk yelled. Rebecca shot her Arrow Shower attack while Erk charged his thunder spell to the max. As the arrows started coming down, they were powered up by the lightning bolt that came crashing down on the enemies. The arrows killed many of the enemy. Soon, the fighting force was reduced to only half its original size.
"Watch out!" Eiji warned, and walked in front of the group. Apparently, enemy cavaliers have joined in the fray. He took a lance thrust straight in the gut, grabbed the lance, and swung the enemy far away in a whirlwind toss, into the lance of another enemy cavalier. "TAKE THIS!" Eiji launched a Steel Lance at an oncoming Cavalier, and pulled the body back with the chain attached to the lance. He swung the body at another cavalier, and they both fell off their horses only to be trampled by their comrades.
"They seem to be fighting someone else..." Hiro noted. "Let's attack their back ranks."
"Got it! ARROW SHOWER!" Wil aimed his quiver up high and let loose a barrage of arrows down on their enemies.
"ETHER FLARE!" Hiro swung his sword at the ground, releasing four bolts of fire upon his enemies, burning everything in their paths.
"...I'd recognize that move anywhere! It's Hiro!" Erk told Matthew. "He's here, too!"
"You're right! YO, HIRO! OVER HERE!" Matthew called for the myrmidon.
"It's Matthew!" Hiro told the other 2, recognizing the thief's voice. "Let's clear the path! RAGH!" Hiro and Lyn started cutting down enemy mercenaries with fervor, until none were left.
"Matt! Erk!" the 3 friends shook hands at the reunion. "What are you two doing here?"
"We're in Lord Eliwood's and Hector's army, and our mission here is to liberate Caelin from Laus," Erk told him. "I'm the escort of that troubadour over there, Priscilla."
"And as you probably have suspected, I am a spy for Ostia," Matthew told the myrmidon.
"You're here to liberate Caelin too? That's great. We can join forces then," Hiro offered.
"Lady Lyndis, what do you say?" Matthew asked the lord.
"Of course. I need all the help I can get," Lyn said. The group then walked up to join the main force. The fliers, seeing that the group is all right, headed down to join the lords' battle group.
"Hiro! So, it is you!" the blue armored general greeted the young myrmidon.
"Eiji? That you?"
"It's me, all right! Come on, Lord Kyo is here too! We're now mercenaries hired by the House of Ostia!"
"Kyo too? Great!" The general and myrmidon dashed to catch up with the others.
At the gate of Castle Caelin:
"I take it that's Bauker..." Eliwood commented, seeing the greenish-yellow armored knight blocking the gate.
"Watch out; he has other knights with him," Hector pointed out, noticing that Bauker had called light orange armored knights from the castle to assist him. "What's the plan, Mark?"
"They're all heavily armored, and only you and Lord Eliwood have armor piercing weapons, milord," Mark commented. "I'll hold off the other knights with my magic, and Lucifer and Oswin can help me as well."
"Got it," Hector said, and he and Eliwood rushed to fight Bauker.
"METEOR SMASH!" Lucifer dashed at an enemy knight. He charged his sword with his chi, and swung it down heavily on the ground, making a shockwave. The enemy knight didn't expect this, but even if he did, he wouldn't have been able to withstand its strength. It made him fly backwards very far. Then Lucifer lifted his sword up above his head, opening a small tear in space, and a flaming meteor came out of it. It was sent flying at the knight, who was crushed under its weight and burned by its heat. Mark sent a Nosferatu spell, killing another knight.
"PREPARE TO FALL BEFORE YOUR MASTER!" Bauker yelled at the oncoming lords. He readied his javelin. Hector spun around in a whirlwind, and threw his hand axe at the knight. "...amateur..." Bauker sighed, and put up his javelin to block the axe. However, he forgot that Hector was spinning madly, gaining momentum for his hand axe. Therefore, instead of being blocked, it cut through the metal stick of Bauker's javelin. "What?" Bauker moved his head aside so the axe wouldn't strike it. "Damn...crazy kid..."
"RAAGH!" Hector rushed up to Bauker, dragging his Wolf Beil in the air to strike. "DIE!" he yelled, and swung hard at the knight. The knight deflected the strike with the stick of his Steel Lance, and stepped away from the crazed lord. He didn't see Eliwood behind him, as Eliwood's rapier sliced open a large hole on the side of the knight's armor. Eliwood then continued to slash madly, tearing the armor apart, and pushing Bauker back.
"Damn it!" Bauker yelled, and rushed Eliwood with his shield. Eliwood was about to strike it, but pulled his fragile sword back so it wouldn't break on impact with the shield. Eliwood was sent flying back after the powerful strike. Bauker readied another Javelin to strike down Eliwood, but Hector intervened by tackling the knight. Hector grabbed Eliwood's hand and pulled his friend up.
"Let's finish this," Eliwood said. Hector nodded, and readied another hand axe. He spun around like a maniac again, and tossed it at Bauker.
"Oh, please. Like the same trick will work on me twice," Bauker said cockily, as he easily stepped to the side to avoid it. However, as soon as Hector launched the axe, he tossed another one...and another, Bauker expected neither of them. One struck his shield, pushing it away, and the other destroyed his lance. Eliwood took this chance to rush in, and strike the knight in the heart through a tear in the armor he made earlier. "...I've been... defeated? Such... a shame..." and after those words, Bauker grew limp, and died.
"Eliwood!" Lyn ran up to the 2 lords who just defeated Bauker and called to the red-headed noble.
"Lyn!... Commander Bauker... He was a fierce enemy. Lyndis, once we've defeated the remaining foe, the castle's yours," Eliwood told her.
"Thank you, Eliwood. If not for your help, I don't know where I'd be right now."
"All of this happened because we routed Lord Darin at Laus, just to get information on where my father disappeared to. It's only right that we help."
"You explained your motives to me, Eliwood. This is about your father. I would do the same thing in your position. What happened in Caelin is not your fault."
"Thank you. However, until your castle is yours again, I take responsibility."
"I understand. Thank you."
"Eliwood! We're moving into the castle!" Hector called the red-headed lord
"All right," Eliwood replied.
"Who's that?" Lyn asked, leaning to the side to see the Ostian.
"Oh, yes, let me introduce you. HECTOR!" Eliwood called for his friend.
"What?" Hector walked up to the 2 other lords.
"This is Lyndis. She's Lord Hausen's granddaughter. Lyndis, this is Hector. He's Lord Uther's brother," Eliwood introduced them to each other.
"His brother? Really?" Lyn asked in some disbelief.
"Yeah," Hector nodded.
"I was watching the way he fights... He's not like you, Eliwood. He's somewhat like my own knights, but different still. He relies so much on power. It's like he's never been..." Lyn commented.
"I haven't. I taught myself how to fight."
"I've no issue with that, but the way you swing that axe around... You're a threat to your allies! You should be more watchful."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Lyn's last comment got Hector enraged.
"Lyndis? What came over you?" Eliwood asked his friend.
"Hm? Oh... I... My apologies. I didn't intend to seem so critical," Lyn apologized, but Hector growled.
"Granted, Hector's style may be a tad dangerous, but... There's no one I depend on more. You may think him careless, but he's always aware of his surroundings," Eliwood backed Hector up.
"The more you praise me, the less worthy I sound," Hector commented, rolling his eyes.
"Lyndis, once you fight alongside Hector, I'm sure you'll understand."
"I'm sure you're right. I apologize, Hector. I'm honored to have your help," Lyn said, extending her hand out for Hector to shake it.
"No apology necessary. I'm glad I can lend a hand," Hector said, shaking the lord's hand.
"Let's go inside, shall we?" Eliwood called the other 2 lords.
Outside, Eliwood's and Lyn's forces gathered and the warriors from the Caelin heir dispute had a reunion. So did Eiji, Kyo, and the tacticians.
"So you've been in Elibe all this time?" Kyo asked the young myrmidon.
"Yeah. I lived in Sacae for some time, but then I had to move to the tactician's guild because the Black Fang attacked our village. Then I went to serve under the house of Caelin as a tactician," Hiro explained.
"I'm glad to be able to see you again..." however, Kyo was interrupted by Hilda and Mark.
"OHMYGODHIROYOUWONTBELIEVETHISMITSUNAISMISSING!" Hilda and Mark shouted very quickly at Hiro, who sweatdropped.
"...I see," Hiro nodded, looking grim. 'So...that assassin must have put his plan into action...' he thought. "Is that why you're taking her place in Pherae, Mark?"
"Yeah," Mark nodded. "It's good to see you again."
"...I'm worried about the others..." Hiro said. "Do you think they'll be able to survive with the only 2 sane members of the group not being there?"
"...I know Ian could, as long as he has money, I'm not so sure about the others..." Mark commented.
"Well, we should follow our leaders inside for now..." Hiro commented. "Let's go. Tell me the rest of your stories later."
"Hold on, Hiro," Kyo called for the myrmidon. "This is Lucifer. Like the 2 of us, he is...gifted with the power of a magic sword..." Lucifer stepped up.
"We'll share stories later. Let's go inside," Lucifer said, running inside the castle.
Dragon Lands:
"Soon...when the rest of the 7 Divine Dragons have died...I shall put my plan into action," Alveen said to 3 other fire dragons in the room. "Trieze, Blight, and Mordred. You are my 3 most trusted generals. You will be the ones to go out first when that fool Nergal opens the gate. I suspect that Xiphias's older son and his friends will try to stop you, so...I have a backup plan. We will need Xiphias's younger son, and Idoun's clone."
"Yes, milord. Would you mind telling us this plan?" Mordred, the strongest and the largest of the 3 fire dragons asked his master.
"It is simple. The mind of a young dragon is as weak and easy to tempt as those of a human's. We simply need to lure Rodrak with a female dragon. That's where Idoun's clone comes in. When he is lured into our territory, we capture him, and cage him. When you do, only torture him a little bit. We want him to look beat up, but not so close to death that he won't be able to put up a fight in the human world," Alveen told his generals. "We shall initiate this plan as soon as little Idoun recovers."
Rodrak, meanwhile, changed into his human form. His human form was that of a 13 year old boy's, with white hair just like his brother's, and sapphire eyes. He enjoyed being in his human form; in the Dragons' world, he feels a lot lighter and free in his human form, and he doesn't have to lumber around as a dragon. He found and hid his own hot spring by himself a few years ago, and likes to go there by himself. Unfortunately, it is at the edge of the Silver Dragons' and Fire Dragons' territory, so he had to mask his smell and its location by growing a small forest with very sweet smelling plants around it, which he kept tidy. Whenever he goes here, no one really cares because they know that Rodrak likes to be alone to think most of the time; he doesn't like to talk with other dragons his age.
"She's finally recovered? Excellent..." Alveen smirked. "Commence with the plan. Find that silver dragon, lure him into our territory, and capture him."
"Sir, one of our border scouts saw a young silver dragon enter the new forest in the silver dragon area, but not before changing into his human form. It's that forest with very sweet smelling herbs to mask his scent," a fire dragon reported.
"What does his human form look like?"
"Pale skinned young human youth, with white hair," the fire dragon told Alveen.
"White hair...that's him. Send Idoun there immediately. And before she enters, tell her to change into her human form," Alveen said.
"Father?" Idoun's clone walked inside.
"Idoun, I want you to go to the forest near the border of our territory and the silver dragons'. There is a silver dragon inside that forest, in his human form. I want you to lure him into our area, so we can capture him. We're going to need him for...something else," Alveen told his daughter.
"We don't have to destroy the forest, do we? There's a hot spring inside; I like to go there when you or mommy are busy..."
'I think that's why the boy is there. This is better. She can lure him here using that,' Alveen thought. "Change of plans. Why don't you just go to the hot spring, and...make friends with him. You need to have friends, Idoun, and you can...bring him over if you want," Alveen told his daughter. The effect on the boy, after being betrayed by Idoun will be much greater. Besides, if Idoun acted to lure him here, the chances of success would be lower than if she lured him here naturally.
"Really?" Idoun perked up.
"Yes, dear. Now, go ahead," Alveen smirked. As soon as Idoun was gone, he laughed maniacally.