Caellach12: I'm back!

Forde: Oh, no! Not again!

Caellach12: SHUT – UP! (throws another knife at Forde, this time cutting his arm off!)

Forde: Ouch! I'm not doing the disclaimer anymore! NEVER!

Caellach12: HELLO! What am I paying you for?

Forde: Fine! Caellach12 does not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters. He owns the plot twist, though.

Caellach12: Thank you! R&R! But first:

InternalDarkness: Thanks for the praise! It'll be longer this time around!

White Huntress: Hey, calm down! I'm glad to see you're excited, but please don't pressure me too much, or I'll hyperventilate. Here's a longer chapter for you!

Caellach12: Note that there will be differences as to the orders which Vigarde gives. It is a different plot, if only a little. Now then, let's roll!

Chapter Two: The Generals of Grado

Franz was exhausted. He had ridden for five long days and nights with little sleep. His eyes were red from the lack of rest, and his rations were now gone. He could only hope that Frelia would be easy to reach from here.

General Seth had been right. The boy had been unspotted by the enemy for his entire journey. Although his horse disliked it, he rode through the forests so that enemy wyvern riders and knights would not see him, and it seemed to be working. Two days into the journey, he had passed by Border Mulan, which, to both his surprise and his luck, had not yet been captured by Grado.

Just a little further, he thought wearily. But his horse was tiring even more so than he was. It was slowing to a trot.

'No!' he gasped out. 'Please…not now. Now when we're…so close…to Frelia.' The horse snorted, and Franz sighed. 'I know you're…tired, but please. It won't be much…longer now.'

Ignoring him, the horse stopped, bent its head low and started eating grass.

'Please…don't let me down…yet.'

Yet it continued to pretend it couldn't hear him.

Franz wanted to yell. More than ever, he was angry. He wanted to tell off the horse, to curse at it and say how useless it was. But he couldn't. He knew it wouldn't be the right thing to do, because it wasn't the horse's fault. Nor, as much as he wanted to admit, was it Grado's fault.

It was his fault.

He had always felt that he wasn't worthy of the title of knight, that he was weak and pathetic. Now, here was the proof. He couldn't make a quick journey. He couldn't inform Frelia of the General and the Princess' situation. He was a failure of a knight. A failure, when he'd barely even started.

He slid of the horse's back, almost tripping from his exhaustion. The horse didn't need his burden. It was a free animal, and it wouldn't need him to strip it of that right. He started absently patting it on the head.

'Good boy…you did your…best. Fine…work…getting all the way from Ren…ais…to Fre … li… a…'

Franz passed out from exhaustion, his last thought being, I'm finished. I'm sorry Forde, I'm sorry general Seth.

Sometime later, Franz could hear voices as he started regaining consciousness.

'Is he waking up yet?' spoke a gentle feminine voice.

'Have a little patience, Vanessa. The poor boy must be exhausted,' chided another female, yet more serious and mature that the first.

A male voice spoke this time: 'Yet it was you who stopped to help him and his horse. Were it anyone other soldier, they would have most likely passed him by, possibly thinking him a soldier of Grado. The blessings of Latona be upon you, Vanessa.'

'Please, Father, were it not for your staff, he'd probably be sleeping for days on end. I imagine that Renais has fallen by now, and he was riding to warn us.'

'Where…where am I?' Franz groggily got up. He was lying in a soft bed; the room seemed to be a royal suite of sorts. With him in the room were three people. The man standing over him was clearly a priest of sorts, judging by his staff and religious garb. His mouth was set below a brown mustache and two sharp, blue eyes. There were two women as well. They looked alike, save their obvious age differences, and the way in which one braided her hair; the other kept hers loose. The two women wore the armour of the Pegasus knights of Frelia.

'Castle Frelia, lad,' answered the older woman. 'It's alright. A young chestnut fowl, obviously yours, came by yesterday. He looked distressed. Then he led us to you, and it was only Vanessa who had the initiative to check the crest on your shield and find out that you're not a Grado soldier. Looks like Father Moulder,' she indicated towards the priest, 'has finished healing your wounds. You'll be fine in a few hours.'

Six days, thought Franz. It took me only six days to reach Castle Frelia. Not bad, for a knight of my experience. And my horse didn't let me down after all. A smile graced his face. He was about ready to collapse again when, remembering why he was here, his smile faded and he tried to get out of bed.

'Hold it there, son.' Moulder pushed him back down. 'You haven't fully recovered yet. You need more rest.'

'But there's no time. General Seth… he told me to inform you that Castle Renais has fallen. He was with Princess Eirika when –'

'Calm yourself down, lad, or you'll hyperventilate!' warned Vanessa. 'Syrene here wouldn't be too pleased if the young man I helped died too soon; I wouldn't be a very good rescuer.'

So the older woman is Syrene, he thought. 'But still –'

'We've already received word of the situation in Renais,' Syrene's face darkened as she said this. 'It is… King Fado is… he is…'

She didn't need to finish for Franz to realize the horrible truth. 'He's not…dead?' whispered the young knight disbelievingly. King Fado, the man who had given him and his brother a home, who had knighted the both of them… was dead. It was a rhetorical question, and he knew it to be true, no matter how much he desired otherwise.

There was a long, uneasy silence. Franz finally broke it with another question he had been dreading to ask: 'What of Princess Eirika and General Seth? They… they're not…?' he couldn't finish his question for fear of the answer.

'They are not dead, but… they were captured by Grado's forces.'

Franz looked at her disbelievingly. 'General Seth… captured? Impossible! You're lying; the general could never be defeated by those backstabbing curs!'

'Believe of disbelieve, it is the truth,' said Vanessa sincerely. She caressed his cheek with her bare hand. 'I'm truly sorry, young man.'

Syrene hugged him, something which sent a warm feeling through his body. He felt as though he were in his mother's arms, though he knew it not to be true. This woman was not his mother, and he could barely remember her anyway. But still he hugged her back, his eyes somehow unable to produce tears. For what seemed like an eternity, he kept himself close and secure in Syrene's arms.

'Did you hear the news?' Duessel asked Selena, who had just entered the room.

'No, I only just got back,' replied the mage knight. They were sitting in a restroom in the Grado Keep. It was often used as a meeting place for the Imperial Three. It was well-furnished, with furniture and chairs, three on which they were sitting at present. The blonde-haired woman continued, 'But I've surveyed the land thoroughly. It's been only a while since the fall of the capital of Renais, and the land is infested with bandits and thieves. They run amuck, causing death and destruction wherever they can.' The last statement was finished with a sad note in the woman's voice.

'Honestly,' muttered Glen. The palomino man rubbed his head, as though he had a headache. 'What is His Majesty thinking? Renais has been our ally for many years, and King Fado is…was,' he corrected himself, remembering that the monarch was dead, '…an honourable, kind man. And I've met his daughter once before. Princess Eirika is as good-hearted as her father was.'

'So is Prince Ephraim,' murmured Duessel, stroking his greying beard. 'I remember his enthusiasm for the lance. He was, and still is, very gifted and eager for battling.' He sighed. 'Why does his Majesty want to destroy such a wonderful family? And why hurt so many innocents? I don't understand it.'

'That is not what matters,' said Selena curtly, crossing her arms. 'The Emperor's word is law, and we are his vassals. Our opinions mean naught. We are knights in sworn service to Grado, and questioning our liege lord's orders is the first step towards treason. I would never take that step.'

'Nor would I,' said Duessel. 'And yet, the Emperor appears to be a changed man nowadays.'

'But anyway,' Glen muttered, 'the news is that Princess Eirika herself and General Seth, the Silver Lance of Renais, were captured.'

'Captured?' Asked an intrigued Selena. 'By whom?'

Glen sighed. 'I hate to tell you this, but…Valter has been granted a position among us.'

Her reaction was as bad as both men had anticipated it to be. 'WHAT! That lowlife! But I though he was exiled!'

'He was,' muttered Duessel. 'Yet, the Emperor feels it crucial to restore his titles and remove his criminal record.'

'Him and two others who neither of us have met yet,' added Glen glumly. 'And from what I've been gathering here in Grado, they most certainly are not among those who have Grado's best interests at heart.'

'Is your brother well? What is his opinion on this?'

'Cormag? Yes, he's alright. When it comes to picking sides, he'll follow me to the end of the Earth. If I die…' He looked at the floor.

'You won't die, Glen,' Selena assured him gently. 'You're strong. You will be able to make it through this war.'

'How can you be so sure of that, Selena. I'll need to be willing to lay down my life for the Emperor. His Majesty has been very kind to me, and yet, I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing anymore. I…I feel as though I'm living a lie.'

'That sounds…like treasonous talk, Glen!' Selena narrowed her eyes. 'Are you planning to betray His Majesty.'

Glen was saved from answering by a knock on the door and the voice behind it. 'General Duessel? General Glen? Dame Selena?'

Duessel got up and walked over to the door, opening it. There was a servant there. 'Yes?'

'His Majesty requests your presence in the throne room. He is presenting the new generals to you, and preparing to give you orders.'

'I see. Thank you.' The servant bowed and scurried away at this. That was another thing that bothered Duessel. All the servants seemed to be… frightened. They could no longer speak their minds around His Majesty, who was, for the first time in his reign, giving death penalties. The servants were now so afraid of anybody with a high position in the empire, and that included the Imperial Three. Nobody in Grado was safe anymore. Even Father MacGregor, the eldest and most respected priest in the capital, was in danger because of his protesting speeches against the war: the emperor claimed that the holy man was 'sinning'.

'I assume that that is our cue to leave,' asked Glen, rising from his seat and stretching.

'Yes, let us be off,' Duessel confirmed. At this statement, Selena, too, rose, and the threesome headed off to the throne room.

'You have arrived,' said Vigarde emotionlessly. The three generals bowed to him and the silver-haired Prince Lyon, who stood by his father's side, his face neutral.

The Emperor continued, 'And yet, you, my Imperial Three, will have trouble taking the remaining nations, though Renais has fallen. Which is why I have selected a group of soldiers who, during the siege of Renais, fought better than even yourselves.'

He turned to a servant. 'Let them in.'

Within only moments, the door was opened, and three men stepped into the throne room. Glen took notice first of the sallow-skinned Valter, who had an arrogant smirk on his face and his lance strapped to his back. The other two were strangers.

One was a tall, muscular man with a sword and an axe strapped to his belt. Judging by his purple jacket and the tanned skin below his scarlet hair, it was clear that he had been a mercenary of Jehanna. His look was a hungry one, which suggested that he was most likely a very ambitious man.

The third, however, stood out the most. He was an old bishop, his face wrinkled and his hands gnarled over his staff which was taller than he. Although he was only five feet tall, Glen felt some sort of fear. He felt that this…man (if he even was human) was definitely a greater, more deadly force than he seemed to be in appearance. He gave the wyvern rider the creeps.

'I ask that you introduce yourselves to your colleagues,' ordered Vigarde.

The old man spoke, chuckling mirthlessly under his breath. 'I am Riev, though His Majesty has given me the name Blood Beryl. I pray for your favour, though I am a newcomer, yes?' He looked at them, especially Duessel.

'Of course,' answered the Obsidian. 'Let us see how well you do, whether or not you are worthy of your title.'

It was the tall mercenary who spoke next: 'I'm Caellach, a former mercenary of Jehanna.' Knew it, thought Glen. Caellach continued: 'Apparently, I'm to be called Tiger Eye now. Hope I'm impress -' He cut off, looking Selena over. Glen looked over at Duessel, and both men exchanged a disgusted look.

The mercenary whistled. 'You're a fine lookin' lass, you know. Looks like workin' with you'll be more enjoyable than I originally thought.' He winked at her, to which she did not reply.

'And of course, that leaves me,' said Valter. 'I've no need to introduce myself, since you know me as both Valter and as Moonstone. But I promise you this: you incompetent fools will feel glad that I can save you from your own uselessness.'

'Shut up, Valter,' snarled Glen. 'I don't know what a cur like you –'

'Peace, Glen,' said Duessel firmly. 'We are to work with our colleagues co-operatively, not verbally abuse them.' In truth, he was directing this comment at both men.

'Of course, Duessel,' said Valter sarcastically, but he stopped talking.

Glen simply nodded.

'Now then,' Vigarde spoke. The six generals bowed. 'I have jobs ready for each of you. First, Duessel and Caellach.' The two rose. 'You will claim Frelia for me. I care not how long it takes or how many men are lost; that country must be under our control.' The two bowed yet again and left.

'Riev, your job is to strike a deal with Carcino. Find some way to make them join us: they are a power-hungry people who may be swayed to our cause. If you must fight them, then fight them.'

'Certainly, sire,' Riev bowed as much as his obvious rheumatism would allow, then warped out.

'Selena, you are to capture Jehanna, just as Duessel and Caellach will do Frelia. You need no more instruction.'

'Yes, your Majesty.' This time, Selena curtsied, though she looked silly doing it in breeches. Then she, too, walked out.

'Valter, as you know, Prince Ephraim is at the border of Grado, at Renvall. I want him eliminated, and I want a certain item he possesses.'

'Hmm,' mused Valter. 'Though Eirika didn't put up much of a fight, she seemed fierce enough. Ahh… I can only imagine how such wonderful prey her brother will make!' His bow was shorter than the others, and he exited the throne room. To Glen's surprise, he looked slightly put out by something.

Finally, Vigarde turned to his last servant. 'Glen, you are to stay here at the capital, defending it. That is not all; wyvern knights are an important asset to our army; train more. And keep an eye on our hostages; they may very well prove useful in time. '

'Yes, your majesty,' with another bow to the Emperor and the Imperial Prince, who hadn't spoken a word in all this time, Glen left.

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Caellach12: How was that?

Franz: It was good, but…where's Forde?

Caellach12: Uhhh… (thinks about it, since he locked Forde in a wardrobe whilst the chapter was being read) he…went out because he didn't like the job.

Franz: Oh, okay! I'll go find him (skips away enthusiastically)

Caellach12: Phew! That was close! Anyway, please review!