Chapter 36
Hey guys I totally spaced and forgot to put this message in my last chapter. Just a thanks again to my reviews and even for my anonymous reviewers or those who don't sign in to post a comment. Since I can't reply to you guys personally I just want to say that I love your comments as well and you guys have me cracking up. Anyway I don't own any Fire Emblem Characters.
They were moving, all of them. All five of them to be exact. Five beautiful digits that rolled and turned on their joints like dancers. Each finger curled and uncurled as Ikyna marveled at them happily. How long had it been since her hand had moved so rhythmically? Only a month or so, but it felt like longer. Ikyna felt like she was moving her hand for the first time in her life and she didn't think she would ever stop enjoying the sensation. That marvelous feeling of her skin pulling as she stretched and tightened her hand repeatedly. It was almost as if she was reassuring herself that it really was her hand waving energetically back at her.
Ikyna was practically in a daze; unaware of the rug beneath her, or the strong smells of herbs and medicines that filled the medical tent. The cold that blew through the unfastened tent opening didn't bother her or even register in her focused mind. All the newly healed archer could see were those five fingers wiggling before her eyes as if they were laughing. She sighed in elated disbelief as she continued to stare.
"Alright Ikyna I need you to hold still for a moment." Rhys chimed in to break her almost mesmerizing finger rolls.
Ikyna pouted slightly; she'd been enjoying her hand's and arm's freedom too much to be still. The priest noticed the small downward turn of Ikyna's lips and he gave her a short smile as he reached for her arm. He gently told her to take a seat as he began to run his hand up and down the lively arm. His expert hands studied the skin, felt around the joints and bones, and trailed all the way to the shoulder as he earnestly studied his patient. Ikyna twitched barely and let out a small giggle that she couldn't manage to stifle. Rhys lifted his head questioningly as he watched Ikyna scrunch her face and close one eye while two more short giggles, they sounded more like snorts, escaped her lips. "That tickles a little." She admitted.
"That must be nice." Rhys said genially as he swept his hand over her arm once more then let it go.
It was nice. More than nice actually. Ikyna used to hate being tickled; but after losing the feeling in her arm, any sensation to that arm was a welcomed one.
"How's it looking Rhys?" Ike said. He'd been standing a little ways away while he quietly observed the priest.
Rhys was shaking his head, his mouth open in happy shock, "It's really incredible commander. I don't know how the prince did it, but Ikyna's arm seems to be completely healed. From the bone to her nerves, all her movement is restored." He began shuffling through a pile of dried roots and leaves in the corner of his tent. He held them in a fistful before the two twins, "All of this," he began incredulously, "all of these medicine and herbs and I couldn't do what the prince did with a simple song."
"I don't think it's a simple song." Ike corrected. He thought of Tibarn's words when Reyson had first arrived. According to the king, the heron galdars were extraordinary songs with uses and powers beyond understanding sometimes. Ike was usually a skeptic, but those melodic words had brought a forest back to life and now they'd cured his sister.
"Still, if Beorc could do what just one of those songs could, there wouldn't be any need for all of these staffs and medicines." Rhys made a broad gesture to the staffs that varied in size and color that were stashed in corners and piles.
Ikyna groaned as she stretched and stood, taking Rhys's sudden occupation with organizing his medicine as a sign that she was free to move about again. "It is incredible, but the prince said it wasn't a perfect healing." She rubbed her arm down as she began to notice the cold temperature of the tent biting at her skin, "Reyson said that my arm will never be as strong as it was before because it was so badly damaged."
"Is that so?" Ike questioned distractedly.
His sister nodded, "But it's good enough for me and I could never complain about something this amazing."
"To be sure." Rhys chimed in as he scooped three staffs into his arms. He teetered for a moment as he tried to balance the unruly healing weapons. That wobbled in his clutch until he tightened his hold around them and then they went still. With a short breath of relief he began walking toward the tent entrance, "Well, you're well enough as far as I'm concerned. I'll just be taking these to some of the Begnion soldiers, please excuse me."
Ikyna waved shortly as the carrot top exited to the snowy camp. She looked back at her brother as he tapped his chin, lost in deep thought. The young commander had been scowling much more than usual the past few days; and this was after finding out that his sister's arm was healed. Ikyna casually walked up to her brother with her arms held behind her back and a raised eyebrow. It wasn't until the female twin was two inches from his face that Ike even noticed she'd moved. He blinked quickly a few times then took a small step back to regain a normal distance between him and his sister. "What is it?" he asked.
Ikyna leaned her head to one side, "I don't know; what's wrong with you? You're scowling so much more than usual." When her brother didn't respond right away Ikyna questioned him further, "Is something wrong with the army, or the mission?"
Ike made a small murmuring sound, "I'm not sure, it's just something that Soren said."
Ikyna rolled her eyes and shook her head. If Soren had said something she knew that it could only fall into a small amount of categories. Rude, aggressive, or aggressively rude. "What did he say this time?" she said with a sigh, fully prepared to hear a long story about how the mage had verbally assaulted someone in the army. That guy had a serious attitude problem, not with her or Ike of course, but Soren had a way of dismantling people with about ten words and one long, red eyed glare.
But her brother waved off her assumption with his hand, "No, nothing like that." He said, already knowing what Ikyna was imagining.
"This time maybe. But then what is it?"
"He brought something to my attention after the last battle we had." Ike further furrowed his brow as he replayed his conversation with Soren in his head, "He said, that the Daein army knew we were coming."
This time it was Ikyna's turn to frown as she digested the words. She hadn't been at that battle so all she could do was live of the words of her teammates. She'd heard the battle hadn't been overly difficult, but many did complain that the Daein soldiers had been exceptionally prepared for the army they should have known next to nothing about. Apparently the small group had put up a decent fight despite their numbers. "But how could the army know we were coming? Why do you even think they knew?"
Ike shrugged, at a loss, "I don't know, it was just something that Soren brought to my attention. He could be wrong though."
The twins were silent after this; Ike's words were ringing in their heads. Soren could be wrong; but Soren was almost never wrong. For all his personality flaws, the mage was a top rate tactician and had an uncanny intuition that had kept the army alive through many battles. But that also bothered the twins. If Soren was right, and they assumed he was, how did the Daein army know they were coming? What did that mean for the future battles to come?
Ike finally broke the silence, he was tired of worrying over a detail he didn't have the facts to support or the ability to change. "I suppose we'll have to wait and see."
"I guess." Ikyna agreed then added, "And at least if they do know we are coming, we have some awesome new friends to help us out in the fight." She said excitedly, the former serious and thick atmosphere gone.
"New friends? You mean your amazing prince Reyson?" Ike teased with a playfully raised eyebrow.
His sister blushed to her ears at the mention of the prince's name. Her red face scowled as she folded her arms indignantly over her chest in a poor attempt to appear less flustered than she was. "No, not just my prince, I meant Ulki and Janaff too!" she defended frantically.
Ike snickered and bowed his head to laugh softly. It wasn't often that he had the edge on his quick tongued sister, "Fine Ulki and Janaff, you're right. But he is still your prince right? I mean, that is what you just said, isn't it?"
Ike swore he could see Ikyna's blush spreading through her finger nails the moment after her spoke. She pointed a flushed hand at her brother with an exaggerated gasp, "I did not, I did not say that he was mine!" she tried to insist but she knew she had. The words had come out before she realized and she had called the prince hers. He wasn't though, he was just the golden haired, emerald eyed, amazing heron who, in a matter of speaking, saved her life. "He's everyone's prince." She offered weakly and in complete defeat. There was no way to erase the words that had slipped out or wipe the satisfied knowing grin off of her brother's face.
She decided that the best option was just to not look at Ike's face and avoid darkening the scarlet of her skin even further. Ikyna turned sharply to leave, abruptly ending any more discussion about the prince or embarrassment for herself.
"Wait Ikyna." Her brother called her with a small amount of humor still lingering in his voice. His hand grabbed her shoulder and he turned her gently. Ike offered an apologetic shrug for so thoroughly embarrassing his sister in the way that he had. It was an opportunity that didn't arise very often. Ikyna flattened her lips in annoyance but submitted as she watched her brother's smile fall and return to his normal stoic expression. "On a serious note though," he began, "Are you ready for today?"
Ikyna felt a lump grow in her stomach; it was an unexpected nervousness she'd never felt. She knew what Ike was talking about, but she wasn't sure if she had a definite answer. Was she ready? Ready for the battle? Ready to see if her arm could handle a fight again? The questions were obvious but the answers less so. All Ikyna knew, was that she was going to have to wait and see.
"I should be fine." She responded with unmasked doubt in her voice.
"You don't have to rush into a fight right away Ikyna. You can take some more time." Her brother cautioned earnestly.
Ikyna smiled a little sadly. She didn't like the way her brother's voice sounded like he was pleading for her to stay behind again. The night prior when she'd been sitting in the tent as Ike met with the captains of the Begnion army and discussed then next plan of attack, Ikyna had been there taking in every word. That was when she decided that she was joining the next battle no matter what. "It's been more than enough time, I'm ready."
"You always rush things. I don't want you in such a hurry to join this fight that you…that you…" Ike didn't want to finish his sentence and Ikyna knew why. Her arm was healed but the memory was still vivid in both of their minds.
Ikyna sighed; frustrated that she'd lead her brother to be stuck in such a painful position. The one to either allow his sister to fight and help, or keep her at camp where he knew she couldn't get herself hurt again. Yakuzo's words came back to her in a rush. He'd warned her of the people that depended on her to stay alive. Ikyna wasn't always good at being careful, or thinking of her own safety. But the look in her brother's conflicted blue eyes was a blunt warning she couldn't ignore.
"I'll be okay." She said in a whisper as she reached for her brother's arm and grasped it firmly. Ike looked at her hand and could feel the strength that only a week ago had been gone. He lifted his eyes to see her unwavering ones as she spoke, "I know, I've been a little careless before." She paused to swallow slowly, "but I won't be doing that anymore. A friend reminded me that I can't afford to be so reckless anymore. People are depending on me to come back alive." Ikyna offered her brother a reassuring smile that told him she understood his concerns.
"Anyway, I just got this life back, and I won't take it for granted." Ikyna let go of Ike's arm while she raised her hand and flexed it then made it into a fist. The twins watched the moving hand and thought of the bird who had made it possible. Ikyna lightly punched her brother's shoulder with a grin, "I was given a gift; I won't waste." She assured him.
Ike looked satisfied and gave a short nod. There was still worry inside of him that he couldn't shake, but he was glad that he had Ikyna back at his side again.
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Winters in Crimea were cold and at times inconvenient when cattle or roads would be trapped under the snow. But there was little more than that to complain of when the weather turned and the temperatures dropped. It was mostly pleasant and beautiful, as the large expansions of land were covered like a pure white carpet and the branches of trees were adorned with crystal snowflakes. Ikyna did her best to remember the pleasant days of winters spent in her home with her family in order to distract herself from the stark contrast of reality.
Daein was not anything like Crimea. Ikyna at first thought that was just with the standards of the people and military, but the weather was supremely different as well. It wasn't a pleasant cold that made you want to snuggle in blankets and drink warm tea; no the Daein winters were like sitting on a chair of ice. Ikyna hadn't noticed it when she was bundled in her tent, but outside, exposed to the frigid merciless winter air was another story. Her skin ached as it fought to warm itself through shivering as she retreated further into her clothing for warmth.
The Daein winter bit like an animal and stung like a frozen whip against any exposed flesh. Her teeth clattered as she scanned the rough terrain filled with rocks and hills and a maze a trees farther ahead that seemed to shake and moan in the cold. Ikyna felt like she'd been standing forever in the hostile weather, waiting for word from Ulki and Janaff about the Daein soldiers. She almost preferred to attack front on if it meant she could warm herself.
But that would not be the case. Soren was strict about his tactics and Ike trusted the mage enough to wait on his advice. Ikyna knew that was the safer plan but the cold was making it hard to comply. "Hawks incoming!" a Begnion soldier shouted from a hill a few yards off from the main army.
Ikyna sighed in relief and sent a cloud of frosty breath to disappear into the gray sky. "At last." She said as she started to jog steadily toward the soldier while the rest of the army did the same. Ike, Titania, and Soren were by the soldier just before Ikyna was and Yakuzo came behind her. They all looked to the gray cloudy sky as they listened to the unmistakable sound of birds shrieking above them. Soon wings dotted the hazy heavens as Janaff and Ulki descended and transformed. Their feet crunched under the ground as they shook out their wings.
"How does it look out there?" Ike asked, wasting no time to get the information. He was ready to get moving in the icy weather as well.
Janaff looked unhappily at Ike as he began, "Well, I've got bad news, and then I have worse." The hawk said with little myrrh.
Ike waved the hawk on, there was no point in delaying the news about their opponent.
"First of all, there are crows out there."
"More than last time."
Janaff nodded, sending tan hair that wasn't tied in his bun bouncing up and down, "Yeah, a lot more. But they aren't the worst part."
The commander groaned softly, "Then what is?"
"Among those crows, is the king of Kilvas, Naesala." The hawk turned his nose up when he said the king's name as if the word tasted foul in his mouth.
At that time Reyson arrived, having noticed that his hawk companions had returned, and began to listen intently to the conversation.
Titania took a step toward Janaff, her face was stiff with distress, "This could be bad. I've seen your king fight, is the king of Kilvas anything like that?"
Janaff scoffed and Ulki scowled silently. The lighter bird looked at Titania, clearly displeased, "Please, even if we are both bird Laguz, we certainly don't want to be compared with those rotten scavengers. And Naesala is no match for our king whatsoever."
"But will he be a problem?" Ike questioned, more concerned about knowing his enemy then worrying about which king was stronger.
Janaff shrugged bitterly, "Well, he's definitely in a different league then the crows you've faced so far." Then with minor softening in his expression, "You'll want to be careful of him."
Soren interjected as he tapped on Ike's shoulder, "This could be a problem Ike. The Daein numbers are enough to handle as it is, but if you throw in the crows, and their king, we could be in a lot of trouble."
Ike did little more than nod grimly at the news. He and his army were in for a very long up-hill struggle against the Daein army and it was only their second fight since becoming an army. He wished his father were taking the lead and not himself. His father would always know what to do in situations as tough as the one Ike was in. It was the older man's experience and general intuitiveness that Ike felt he lacked. But after having this thought Ike cursed under his breath, he was doing exactly what Titania had advised him not to do. Doubt himself. Yes he was in a tough situation, yes his father was a hundred times more suited for this fight than he was, but Greil wasn't there, Ike was there. He looked around at the old and new friends gathered around him. The Beorc faces mixed with Laguz ones and they all looked at him in the same trusting manner. He cleared his throat uncomfortably as he felt an embarrassment overcoming him. The inexperienced commander couldn't help but feel happy at the fact that his men were ready and willing to put their lives in his hand. Ike would make it count.
"It seems," Ike began with a rough thrust of his hands through his blue locks, "that we'll need to find some way of getting rid of the crows."
The group around nodded silently in agreement. But even in their understanding, no one had an idea of how to solve the present problem. Ike looked at the prince who was standing just behind the two hawks. He was looking angrily at the snow, pale fists were clenched as he listened to the conversation. "What about you prince Reyson?" Ike questioned and received a sharp stab from the eyes of the heron. "What about me?" he asked tightly with barely managed civility.
"What advice can you give us about the crows? From what I've heard they used to be friends with all the bird tribes."
Reyson could not contain his noisy scoff as he folded his arms over his chest. His lips screwed in a snarl, "Those crows have less honor than cowardly thieves."
"But that doesn't' change the fact that prior to the incident with the heron prince," Soren began with an impassive glance toward the heron, "the bird tribes were like family."
Reyson's steely eyes slanted at the mage's pressing statement. He then spoke tightly, "That lying winged rat sold me to a filthy senator. I can assure you that Naesala and the crows were never, nor will they ever be again, my family or friends." The sentenced was finished with a meaningful pointed stare toward Soren and his commander who was standing near him. However weak the heron race was, there was an unmistakable, almost tangible, anger the weighed over the group like a mountain. Whatever possible relationship the hawks and herons had with the Ravens before had obviously been lost when Reyson was sold.
Soren was unimpressed by the force of the prince's animosity; he himself had perfected the skill of the intimidating scowl over the years. What concerned Soren was the large amount crows flapping their dark wings just over the hill, armed with talons that could rip Ike or Ikyna to shreds. He cared very little for the princes personal issues; all he wanted was to keep the two people safe that he cared most about in the world.
He turned slowly to Ike, speaking steadily, "Ike, we can't afford to have an extended fight with those ravens. At the moment we are not equipped or ready to face them."
Ike nodded silently, nothing Soren was saying was anything that he hadn't thought himself already. Fighting with those Laguz was a death wish so blatantly obvious that Ike didn't need to be a great strategist like his friend to see that they needed to come up with a plan to avoid fighting Kilvas.
"I know that, but what can we do. It's not like we can just ask the crows to leave." He shifted and crunched in the cold snow, "That last time we fought with crows they didn't seem like the type to be reasonable."
"You're right. I doubt the crows would listen to us." Soren agreed, "That just means that you'll need to find someone who the crows will talk to."
"I don't think that's a good idea." Ulki interrupted.
The commander and mage looked at the crow in surprise. He hadn't turned when he'd spoken to the soldiers, and despite his gaze that was focused on the snowy caps, he'd definitely heard Ike and Soren. It didn't look like he was listening to the conversation at all, but again his hearing had surprised Ike. "Why isn't it a good idea?" Soren questioned with a sharply raised eyebrow.
"Because the closest friend to Naesala, is…was," Ulki corrected, "prince Reyson."
This time it was Reyson who interrupted. He had listened to the conversation and felt there was going to be a very unwanted change in the army's strategy. A change that probably involved him having to face the weasel of a crow king. Reyson would have no part of that. "Absolutely not." He interjected forcefully, "Nasal betrayed me in almost the worst way possible. I have nothing to say to him. I'm sure you can understand that." He said curtly.
Ike understood, he understood completely. If anyone had done what the raven king had done to Reyson to him he didn't think that he would be in the chattiest of moods either. That didn't change the danger he was in or his army. For that matter, if Reyson couldn't help then his life would be almost forfeit as well. The young commander couldn't imagine being able to salvage a relationship with Phoenicis if the prince died under his watch. Ike shot the hawk attendants an almost pleading look, desperate for some kind of support. He wouldn't force Reyson, he didn't feel it was his place to make the white bird do something he was uncomfortable with, but he needed something to go off of before he sent his army charging into a slaughter.
Janaff understood the tough situation Ike was being put in, the prince's stubbornness had been the root of many of Janaff's headaches. He blew out an exasperated breath and shrugged as he gave his wings a few quick flaps and lifted himself a few feet in the air. His hands were then shoved into the front pockets of his tan pants as he hunched and hovered before he answered Ike's silent plea, "I guess Ulki and I can try to talk to the king." His nose turned up, "If the opportunity comes up that is." He added, making it obvious that he was in no hurry to see the raven either.
Ike's body relaxed a fraction and he nodded at the birds in unspoken gratitude. Janaff mimicked the action as he held his hand to his forehead to shield his eyes while he peered toward the enemy ranks just beyond the maze of trees they were using for cover. "As a way to show your gratitude you can get rid of the ballista dug into the snow those Daein soldiers are all camped by." Janaff said as he dropped his hand.
Ike turned, although he couldn't see the ballista like the hawk could, and scowled, "Ballista?" he questioned quietly to no more than the wind.
The light hawk nodded his head, "Yeah those weapons aren't too fun for us feathery folk." He admitted.
"That's something that can be easily be fixed." Soren said.
"I'm guessing you have a plan?" Ike asked.
"Naturally. We'll send two small groups of two to focus on the ballista and take them down. Probably laguz. They're fast, agile, and low to the ground; making them harder to hit targets." Soren pointed toward the crowd of soldiers and mercenaries, "Maurim and Yakuzo should do fine."
The Laguz's ears flicked to the sides at attention as they waited for the rest of the mages instructions. "Then we can send Tormod with Maurim and Ikyna with Yakuzo. If the Laguz can carry them on their backs then they should have an advantage because both can use longer range attacks. The behind them we can send in our knights and paladins for reinforcements. By then the ballista should be useless so the Pegasus knights and birds can join and in the rear and we can bring the rest of our mages and priests."
"Sounds like a solid plan." Ike began as he looked at the four mercenaries who'd be charging first into the fray. "Can you guys handle this?"
Tormod smiled smugly and held one had to his hip, "I'll burn those Daein pieces of scum to ash!" he said confidently as he pumped one fist into the air. His stoic green colored tiger companion gave sign of his agreement with a small nod. Ike then looked at his sister and Yakuzo. Ikyna tightened the sash on her quiver and Yakuzo cracked his neck loudly to each side, "Just tell us when we start." The archer said excitedly.
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Snow churned and blew like an icy fountain behind the powerful sprinting legs of the scarlet and emerald Laguz. Their breaths blew out white in the frigid air as they raced through the lining of trees, leaving the rest of the army behind. Ikyna had stopped looking behind when she could no longer hear the sounds of horse's hooves kicking up the powdery ice. Instead she held firmly to the sides of the powerful cat, leaning down low enough to still see but cover her face from the brunt of the cold wind. To her left Maurim and Tormod looked much the same.
The young boy was pressed against the tigers back and rode with ease that showed his familiarity. No matter which way the tiger weaved between the tall trees, he was never unsettled from his position. As the forest started to thin and the Beorc's eyes could make out the first sign of Daein soldiers, Ikyna made a silent gesture with her hand and sent the tiger and his companion charging in the opposite direction of her and Yakuzo.
The pairs split and went their separate ways as they each singled out one ballista to handle. There were two towards the front of the enemy ranks. One on the left, where Maurim and Tormod were going, and one nestled on top of a hill where Yakuzo and Ikyna were going.
Yakuzo's breathing increased with the climb through the snow. "Someone's coming up." He growled as the first soldier spotted them and gave a warning shout.
"The apostle's men are here!" he called in the same breath that he unsheathed his sword and began charging.
Yakuzo responded with a roar of his own and his strides lengthened and his pace increased. He plowed through the snow with a laborious growl at each stride. Ikyna reached for her bow and raised her trunk as she prepared to take her fist shot during a battle in over a month. Not that she hadn't practiced. The day her hand was healed she'd jumped on target practice. But Reyson had been right about her arm not being the same. Even as she drew her bowstring to her mouth she felt it stiffen as if the motion was unnatural. She closed one eye with a grimace at her hands reluctance to move in a way it used to so easily.
The Daein solder raised his steel sword over his head and lunged at the cat and rider. Yakuzo evaded with a smooth jump to the side and kept charging past the enemy without a second glance. To Ikyna his movements were not as fluid. Her arrow flew from his stiff fingers with a hesitant snap of the string and sailed passed the soldier barely grazing his arm. The man groaned and stumbled into the snow and his sword slid from his grasp.
"All your moving made me miss Yakuzo." Ikyna complained.
"Give it a rest." He shot back, "Let someone else handle him. All we need to focus on is the ballista. Or do you want your prince charging into the sights of ballista arrow?"
"He's not my prince." She muttered bitterly but said nothing further as a complaint. Yakuzo was right, they had one thing to focus on first. The second wave of the army could handle the stray injured swordsman easily. Ikyna leaned back into Yakuzo's back that rolled with the movement of his muscles as they met the cold ground. She pulled another arrow from her quiver and let her eyes lock on the pair of Daeins as they scurried around the large arrow shooting contraption. Her eyes watched them load a dangerously long arrow into the wooden catapult.
The two mercenaries were close enough to hear its wooded gears clicking into place. The Daein soldier manning the Ballista knelt down and eyed the horizon as he aimed at the red fur amongst the white ground. He pulled on the levers and with a loud click the arrow went hurtling toward the young woman and Laguz. Ikyna barely had time to hug her chest to Yakuzo's back as he dodged jerkily to the right and the deadly point roared past them, whipping her hair up with its force. The archer couldn't contain the nervous lump that she had to forcefully swallow as they raced closer to the ballista.
When their first attacked missed the Daein men begin to scramble to load their weapon again as the cat got dangerously close to them. The second soldier, a much beefier man armed with an axe and wearing a fur collared coat, abandoned the ballista and decided to face the enemy on his own. His companion continued to busy himself with loading the arrow as the muscular man kicked into a charge.
"Watch him." Yakuzo warned.
But Ikyna already had her bow raised to shoot. As she pulled the string the axe wielding stopped abruptly with a grunt and began to swing his arm from front to back. Ikyna gasped in surprise as the Daein hurled the hand axe toward her. "Look out!" she yelled and shifted to pull the cat to the ground as the blade whizzed over their heads. Her arrows skidded over the snowy landscape and Yakuzo scrambled to get his footing before the assailant was on them again.
There was barely time to think as the heavy man tackled Yakuzo and turned the scene into a frenzy of crimson fur, snow spray, and nearly mutinous sounding hisses from the cat. Ikyna figured Yakuzo could handle himself, although she'd never seen a human take on a Laguz with their bare hands. For that matter she had her own problem; and that was the abrupt stop in gear turning from the ballista. The other Daein soldier, a mouse in comparison to the bear wrestling with Yakuzo, was perched behind the ballista aiming slowly and ready to fire.
"Hey!" she shouted as she reached for an arrow and pulled nothing but air. Ikyna made a disheartened groan and then crawled to her feet in the snow as she pulled her knives from her bow arms and tossed one forcefully. It clinked against broad side of ballista. It was nowhere near the soldier but he flinched and ducked behind its wooden arm with a yelp. But he was only down for a brief moment before his hands found their way to the lever and pulled it.
Wood groaned and was followed by the release of another arrow. Ikyna dove to the ground and crawled frantically in the snow. Its icy temperature burned her hands as she crawled further up the snow covered hill. The Daein soldier moaned morosely at his failed attempt to bring the mercenary down but couldn't manage to stabilize himself before Ikyna was swinging her left hand, knife in her grasp, at his vulnerable neck. He brought his own bow up in time to take the brunt of her swing and protect his life but fell back into the snow with a muffled thud.
As he scurried to his knees he pulled an arrow from his quiver and shot on trained reflex. It wasn't a good shot but it was enough to make Ikyna dodge quickly to her right with barely enough thought to do more than toss her other knife toward the man. It clipped the arm of his bow and sliced the wiry string thats tension released with a sharp, 'snap.' Ikyna heard the soldier cry out and toss his bow to the side.
When Ikyna turned the archer was making a desperate leap towards her. No weapon, just the look in his eye that said he was going to go down fighting. Ikyna could respect that about a person, even scum like Daein, but that wouldn't buy him her mercy. He lunged to grab for her wrist but she used her free palm to slam into his jaw and stun him long enough to pull another knife from the side of her belt and make a broad deep gut through his stomach. His blood misted the white canopy of snow just before he fell into its unforgiving icy arms.
Ikyna heaved as she bent and put her hands on her knees to catch her breath. She shook out her knife and slid it back into the latch on her belt. From the corner of her eye she saw a flare of fire that burst from the air in a rushed explosion. Tormod's laughter followed soon after and she watched as he and Maurim made their way through the Daein ranks heading straight for the third and last Ballista.
"It seems like Tormod and Maurim were successful."
Ikyna turned at Yakuzo's voice and made a small startled yelp when she saw him walking toward her on two legs. She hadn't expected him to have shifted so soon. With a quick glance she assessed that Yakuzo had come out of the fight fairly unharmed, other than his face having a large red hand imprint across the cheek. That was a minor bruising compared to the ribbons of flesh missing from the corpse Yakuzo had made.
She averted her eyes from the bloodied mess, "You already transformed back?" she remarked casually, "Did you wear yourself out?" that last comment had a teasing hint that Yakuzo did not miss.
He handed her a handful of her missing arrows which she received gratefully, "Well I had to work a little harder carrying you on my back." There was a mischievous glint in his golden eyes as he finished his thought, "You are deceptively heavier than you look."
Ikyna gasped loudly and shoved Yakuzo with a clicking of her tongue, "Shut up!" she retorted then stuffed her arrows roughly into her quiver.
"Ikyna!" It was the prince who'd called the archer as he and Ulki descended from the cloudy sky.
"White prince." She said and could not manage to control the sharp spike in her voice. It was a mixture of worry and excitement at seeing the white wings flutter lightly as Reyson landed in the snow. He made a small nod to Yakuzo in acknowledgement; the cat regarded him passively, saying nothing. Reyson returned his gaze to Ikyna and watched her face darken ever so slightly.
"What are you doing here? It's dangerous with the Ballista." With the words barely leaving her mouth another sharp blast of a fire tome ripped through the battlefield. The three Laguz and archer whipped their heads around at the blazing interruption. Smoke billowed into the sky followed by the maniacal cackling of Tormod. "Take that, Daein scum!" he shouted and erupted the field into a ring of fire.
Yakuzo shook his head disapprovingly, "That child doesn't know the meaning of restraint."
"At least he's on our side." Ikyna offered in response with a breath of awe in her words as she watched the fiery display below them.
"It seems that we won't have anything to worry about now." Reyson said in equal amazement at the child's fearless display of power.
"I wouldn't say it's nothing to worry about, this is still a war." Yakuzo commented tightly.
The prince ignored the cat's sharp responses. Over the past week the Laguz had showed only minimum amount of civility. The prince assumed it was a sort of protectiveness or possessiveness of Ikyna on the feline's part. It didn't bother the heron. He'd faced Beorc and Laguz that were bigger and meaner than Yakuzo.
"Where's Janaff?" Ikyna asked as she looked at the prince who was obviously missing one of his escorts.
"We're not sure. He said he saw something and took off a little bit ago." Ulki explained.
Reyson nodded, "Yes and since Ulki can't transform yet I saw you and thought you could help." He stared deeply at Ikyna with the faintest of a smile he could no more control than he could control the color of his wings, "You did such a good job of helping me before..." His voice trailed off as Ikyna ripened in embarrassment.
"Prince Reyson, someone's coming." Ulki warned as his ears were perked towards the front of the group. He stood protectively in front of the prince, not liking the sound of heavy wings that were quickly coming toward them. His sharply shaped face hardened with a scowl as his acute hearing recognized the familiar voices. Both were voices he'd known since his childhood but that was of no comfort to him at the present situation. One voice was Janaff the other set his jaw into a hard line.
"What's wrong Ulki?" The prince asked, sensing the dark hawk's unease.
Reyson's question was answered quickly by the sound of wings approaching. In the lead was Janaff, looking noticeably unhappy to have a companion with him. Behind the lighter hawk were two very distinct black wings that put the remaining laguz and Ikyna immediately on guard. Ikyna pulled the string to her cheek, ignored her muscles that resisted the motion by tightening. She watched the raven fly up behind Janaff and shift into a slim man with dark slicked hair and clothes that were completely black.
No one had to say anything; it was obvious that the confident looking man with a grin on his lips was Naesala. The king gave little regard to the other people present but immediately held his arms open and smiled broadly at the prince, "Reyson, I'm so glad you're alright."
The prince turned sharply from the raven and folded his arms over his chest. He intentionally made no reply. Naesala sensed the palpable anger from the prince as he tried to move closer. With a soft sigh, "Look Reyson…"
"Not another step raven king." Ikyna warned. Reyson was making no sign that he wanted anything to do with the dark bird and if that was his wish then she would support that. Naesala raised an eyebrow at the blue-haired Beorc, completely unimpressed, "Really girl?"
Ikyna did not like his demeaning tone when he spoke. He was laughing at her and her warning. On the inside she was laughing at herself as well. The way her hand was feeling as she strained to keep her bow steady was completely laughable. But that didn't mean she was going to give the smug bird the benefit of knowing that. She furrowed her brow further and took a step toward the king to bring home her next words, "If you so much as twitch one of your feathers, I'll put an arrow through your eye."
The girl looked dead serious but Naesala could not help but laugh. It had been a long time since a human had threatened him. He knew that they thought poorly of him; that he was a scoundrel, dishonest but they'd never dared to threaten him. He was a king of a nation of Laguz. But here this young girl was doing what generals of armies didn't dare to do. It was just too amusing he thought as he covered his mouth and hunched over to calm his laughter.
Naesala cast Reyson a helpless amused glance, "What interesting new friends you've made Reyson. It's good you're socializing more, but I didn't expect you to be fond of humans."
Reyson turned sharply, not enjoying the condescending tone Naesala was taking. "Well my old friend sold me to a filthy swine, so I thought it was time to make some new ones."
After this remark the king's expression changed. His smug grin turned down slightly. The sudden demeanor changed startled Ikyna. She didn't know the raven was capable of showing a genuinely hurt face. "Come now Reyson." He began with an uncertain rueful smile. Reyson stopped the black birds attempt to protest with a withering glare and the raven had the decency to looked chastened as he stood in the beginning of the snow fall.
He folded his dark wings as the snow salted them and dusted over his slicked hair. His hand ran slowly over his forehead and through his hair, "At least let me give you my side of the story." He started cautiously. Naesala knew to be wary of Reyson's temper.
"There is no part of your story that I need to hear. All that matters is that you sold me like I was nothing more than cattle!"
"But I would have come back for you. In fact I did; but you'd ran away so quickly I didn't get the chance."
Reyson's arms crossed tightly over his chest, "I see, so it's my fault for trying to escape my unjust captivity."
"No, of course not. I..I wasn't saying that…"Naesala stammered. He looked to the peridot eyed bird who was making no attempt to save the uncomfortable bird. Reyson would have taken more pleasure in watching the usually sharp tongued bird squirm but he was far too angry. But what came next from the raven surprised all there who were watching.
Naesala let out a heavy sigh and locked eyes with Reyson, "It's wasn't your fault. The fault…the fault was entirely mine; I'm sorry Reyson." Reyson's eyes widened a fraction. It was very rare to hear an apology from Naesala or an admission of guilt. The prince stayed silent; still upset but also unsure of how to respond Naesala's words.
"Anyway," Naesala began with a cautious smile, "you weren't actually hurt, so everything turned out fine didn't it?"
Reyson hesitated and wondered whether to share anything with the raven. He heard the apology and had no reason to believe that Naesala was insincere. But despite how hurt he felt at his betrayal, he didn't feel right keeping secrets from the crow king. "Leanne is alive." Reyson said softly.
Ikyna watched the king nod slowly; an unexpected warm smile spread across his face as he cast his eyes almost nostalgically toward the sky. "Yes, Tibarn's eyes," he flicked his head in Janaff's direction, "told me of the good news." Then he looked happily at Reyson, "I bet your father will be very happy to see both of his kids alive. I'm very happy for you my friend."
The prince's mouth dropped into a small gape and his heart clinched at the kind and sincere words. He thought of past times when he and Naesala had played as children; and later years when they had been together with Leanne. Memories flooded bitter-sweetly into his mind and he found his rage abating. The crow was right after all. He was safe and Leanne had been found as well. With a sigh and a drop of his shoulders he said, "I suppose without my capture, we never would have found my sister." He shut his eyes tightly and tried to swallow the rest of his thick emotions. After a beat he spoke, "I guess I can forgive you since something good did come out of that nightmare, at least this one time."
Naesala looked openly relieved, "Thank you Reyson…"
"But I do have conditions." He began abruptly and clipped the crow's words at their start.
Naesala looked warily at Reyson and crossed his arms. He inhaled slowly through his nose, "Well, what are they?"
"You will leave this battle, you and your men, and never again will you fight against the side of your Laguz."
The raven paused and raised a suspicious eyebrow. He waited for more from the heron; he hardly believed what he was hearing. With an uncomfortable chuckle he raised his shoulders, "Come now Reyson, that's not good business sense, I couldn't possibly."
Reyson interrupted him and held his gaze with a stern frown, "You couldn't possibly? Then you insist on fighting against the Laguz, against Crimea, and against me?"
There was a long hesitation from the crow king. He shifted his jaw from side to side in contemplation. Not liking either option the prince was giving him; but he knew he would have to make the choice he could live with the longest. "Fine Reyson, you win." He smirked at the white bird, "I see Tibarn has taught you how to take no prisoners."
This time Reyson grinned, "Not on matters like these." He looked from Ikyna to Yakuzo then back to Ikyna. Her gaze was still trained on Naesala and her arrow still pulled back on its string. She hadn't relaxed since the king had arrived. "I've found a group of people whose thinking and goals I want to support."
Ikyna blinked rapidly and found herself blushing at the thought that the prince was talking about her. The tension on her string relaxed and she dropped her bow, taking her cue from Reyson. His voice had softened and she could see form her peripherals that so had his body language. Naesala looked curiously at the held gaze from the heron to the human who was looking anywhere but at the white feathered bird. It shocked him to see anything but contempt in the heron's eyes as he looked at a girl, a human girl no less.
"I see." He finally said, "My men and I will take our leave." Naesala flapped his wings until he was flying just above the group's heads, "Oh and tell Tibarn." He started with a sheepish grin.
"Don't worry, I will talk to my friend. All will be fine."
The group could feel as much as hear the sigh of relief from Naesala. Then his confident smirk was back as he whistled loudly toward the battlefield. Its tune carried through the snow fall and the ravens stopped to wait for their king's direction. With a broad waving gesture he shouted to his men, "That's enough for today. We are falling back men!"
The raspy caws of response shook the air as they followed Naesala's orders without hesitation. The raven king looked down at the strange looking group of hawks, cat, and Beorc with an ironic grin, "Stay alive old friend. When this war is over Nealuchi would love to have you come and visit us."
Reyson lifted his head and waved farewell with a nod to the king as he and his men left the field.
"That went better than expected." Janaff said cheerily.
"Indeed." Reyson agreed.
Ulki cleared his throat and shifted into his hawk form. His beak opened and let out a piercing cry. "Let's not forget that this is still a battlefield." He cautioned. The brown hawk was right. Though the crows had kept their promise and left, the fight the Daeins was still at its peak. The two armies clashed loudly, grunts and moans clanged together in discord. The small group surveyed the field and then exchanged a quick glance. Celebration had to be earned, and as of yet, it had not been.
Farther down the battle field that reality was obvious for Ike as he parried the thrust of an enemy's spear with his sword. It sang against the foreign metal and sent a short fountain of light sprouting from the point where the weapons connected. He grunted as he spun out of the way of a second soldier's sword. The Daeins did fight viciously; double teaming him with no remorse. With his free hand he punched the first soldier then used both hands so swing his sword down on the second. The swordsman went down with a groan but the spear wielder had only been briefly stunned.
"Ike!" The commander heard his voice called and he stepped out of the soldier's reach. The wind whistled shrilly and whips of light ascended sharply on the soldier clad in red. His voice rang out harshly in agony and he fell back with his hands cradling his face. Ike retreated father as Aeyori stepped forward, her book open and her lips chanting the foreign incantation. Before the spell was finished Ike saw a bowman from the corner of his eye. He yelled the mage's name as he tackled her to ground just as the arrow whizzed over them. They rolled in the snow a few feet and Ike pulled Aeyori into his chest with a grunt and he shot to his knees and raised his sword. The archer had already fired another arrow and Ike barely fended it off with a reflexive swing of his sword. He winced at the impact and watched the arrow split and fall to the ground.
"Commander, duck!" Ike only needed to hear the words once as he obeyed without delay. He cradled the silver-haired girl in his arms as he pushed them into the snow at the voice's request. Ike then heard the sound of heavy wings beating over him and a ragged roar. He turned his head as he watched Jill and her green beast sail over him. The wyvern landed on all fours, its scaled wings flapped loudly and its white fangs gleamed as it growled loudly.
The former Daein soldier controlled her mount skillfully with one hand and the other launched a javelin at the archer. Her aim was true as the wooden staff pierced the enemies belly with no resistance. As quick as she had released the javelin she pulled a steel spear from her wyvern's saddle. It twirled in her hands like a metal windmill. It danced in her hands as she spun it behind her back and sent her large lizard into a gallop toward the remaining Daein soldier.
He was still unsteady from Aeyori's attack but had the consciousness of mind to place his own spear protectively in front of himself. It was of no help, she brushed it aside with the sheer force of her wyvern's charge. He yelped and fell on his back as Jill plunged the spear into his chest without hesitation. "Are you alright commander?" Jill asked once she was sure the soldier had perished.
Ike raised his chest and relaxed his hold on Aeyori. She removed her pale face from his protective warmth and looked up at him. Aeyori watched him studying her, still hesitant to let her go, and she knew he was waiting for a sign from her. "I'm okay." She whispered.
He was scowling as he lifted his thumb to brush it over her cheek gently. Then he looked at Jill; she'd slid from her mount that was snarling in blunt warning to anyone who tried to attack its master, and was running toward the two mercenaries lying in the snow. The two sat up slowly and brushed the snow from their cloths and hair. "Commander?" Jill questioned again when she'd reached them.
By that time Ike was pulling Aeyori up, "We're fine." He said in his typical rough sounding voice.
Jill didn't cringe, her time with Ike's mercenaries had taught her to not be offended by the commander's tone. He often sounded harsher than he really intended. From what she'd seen, Ike was actually a very kind hearted person, even when he scowled.
"That's good." She said as she watched Ike brush strands of Aeyori's battle whipped hair from her face. The mage smiled shyly at the commander, her light lashes fluttered over scarlet eyes while she placed her palm reassuringly on Ike's chest and told him not to worry. He appraised her with a straight face then nodded as he turned back to Jill.
The wyvern rider looked away quickly, embarrassed to have seen a somewhat intimate moment between the two mercenaries. She knew Ike was kind, but it still shocked her to see the lad, who could slay a man with such fierceness, caress and cherish such a small and fragile looking young woman. "Thank you for your help." Ike addressed to Jill, "I'm not sure why you've stayed with our army this long, but I'm glad you did."
Jill thought about Ike's statement. It was strange that she had been with so long. Or at least it would have been before; when she used to despise all Crimeans. "Things have changed. I think I was very misinformed in the Daein army." She began quietly, "Misinformed about Crimeans and the Laguz. Until I know the truth for myself I plan on staying with your army. Also, I've grown to like your crew." She admitted bashfully and scratched the tip of her nose.
Ike offered her a small smile, "Well we're glad you decided to stay, you've been a very big help."
Jill's face turned to match the color of her hair from both shock and embarrassment. She was embarrassed by the compliment; her service with the strict and harsh Daein army had not taught her how to respond to kind words from a general. And she was shocked by how surprisingly handsome the commander was when he chose to offer a rare smile. It made sense to her why Aeyori watched him with such admiring eyes.
"It's nothing commander." She muttered. The group settled into a short ease as the reached to ready their weapons again and plant themselves in the snow firmly for support. The fight was far from over. Ike observed with relief that the crows were starting to leave the fight without attacking or even acknowledging his army. Their sudden retreat had upset Daein, they were shouting furiously as they turned on their former ally. Ike wasn't bothered by the change of the battle. The retreat of the ravens had drastically improved their chances of survival. Even Soren would have to think positively of the change.
The commander scanned the battlefield and searched for the hawk Laguz. It appeared they had succeeded in convincing the raven's to leave. Ike couldn't think of any other reasons for the crows to leave so suddenly. But his focus was ripped from scanning when he heard his sister screaming behind him. Her name was torn from his throat as he started to sprint toward the source of her voice.
"Big brother!" he heard above his head. Ike looked up just in time to see a scarlet wyvern soar over him with Ikyna gripped in its talons. It climbed higher and higher into the sky as the archer squirmed in its grasp. Her hand snapped sharply at the rider but he only kicked his wyvern into a steep climb as Ikyna dangled helplessly. Ike sheathed his sword as he ran. He looked over his shoulder and shouted for the red feline.
Yakuzo was not far from Ike and it wasn't long before he overtook and passed the young commander. His red fur raced through the white snow as he kept his eyes locked on the Daein rider. "Bring him down!" he shouted at Ike.
Ike hesitated as he stopped in the snow. His lip curled before as he tried to catch his breath and search the scene. All the while Ikyna was being lifted farther away from the group. That wouldn't have been the first time he'd seen something like that. Aeyori had been dragged into the clouds by a crow once before when they were on the sea. Ike had acted rashly that time and had the bird brought down without a thought. Aeyori had almost drowned.
He jerked his head to look at Yakuzo who glanced back questioningly at him, almost in an accusing manner. Ike sensed the anger of the cat who was clearly silently questioning the commander's delay in issuing orders. "She'll fall." He shouted to the charging Laguz.
"I'll catch her."
"But."
"I'll catch her." Yakuzo repeated confidently.
Ike grunted in frustration that he had to take such a risk but there was very little time to ponder another plan. He turned sharply to Aeyori who already had her book open as she watched the screaming twin. She was too far and Aeyori knew it. The mage shook her head quickly and shot Ike a panicked look, "I can't hit him from that distance." She shut her book roughly in frustration and ran to her commander. Aeyori put a hand firmly on Ike's arm, "If I attack I could miss; or worse I could hit Ikyna."
Using a mage was a definite risk. Their attacks could cover a longer range, but they were less accurate and he wouldn't risk Ikyna. "Rolf! Shinon!" he called for the next reliable sources.
Shinon was a few yards off delivering an arrow into an enemy's right eye. There was no remorse in his eyes; Shinon had been apart from the Greil mercenaries for a while but he had not lost his skill. That hadn't helped him win his duel with Ike though. Though Shinon had retained his previous skill, Ike's fighting and experience had both increased and surpassed the red-haired sniper. It was a long fight that lead to Ike's decisive finishing blow and Shinon could no more deny the loss than he could beat the mercenary commander.
Ike was grateful that the archer had kept his word as he watched him and Rolf racing at each other's side to catch the ascending wyvern. Although Shinon had agreed begrudgingly; he was there fighting alongside old and new companions like he promised. His dislike of Ike was still very obvious but Rolf trusted him and even seemed to flourish under the watchful eyes of the older and deadly sniper.
The two snipers worked in unison as they planted their feet in the ground and had their bows strung and strings pulled tightly against their cheeks. Their bodies were almost still as only their arms and chest followed the trail of the large lizard. Shinon was the first to release his arrow. Confidence and experience had taught him to not doubt his shot. Rolf hesitated, still unsure about the trueness of his shots.
His palms began to sweat and his heart pounded anxiously until Shinon barked at him to fire. There wasn't time to hesitate. The youth responded and released the arrow a moment later. It sailed and hit its mark just after Shinon's arrow had. The wyvern roared furiously and arched its back in pain. The Daein rider yelped as he tried to stabilize himself. His hands tightened on the reigns and he looked over his mount to check on his captive only to see her falling from the injured lizard's claws
Ikyna was screaming as she clawed at the wind that fled past her fingers. Her stomach shot into her throat and her screams came out painfully against the rush of the fall. She saw her hair crazily dancing in front her eyes as the wyvern flew on and left her to plummet to her death. For a second she was hurt that the rider would abandon her, but then she realized that was probably his plan from the beginning.
Her fall turned her from her back to her stomach as the air blew past her while her body cut through it like a sword. Ikyna could see the snow below her and barely make out the faces of her friends below as their faces wrinkled in horror and worry. The archer couldn't take the sight. She closed her eyes tightly and her voice began to fail her. The wind and screaming had choked and strangled her voice.
She could do nothing more than wait for the unforgiving contact she would make with the ground soon. And the contact came quicker than she thought. But what she felt was not the harsh sting of cold ice but a light wispy tickling sensation. It was like grass, soft and it tickled her face as she landed with a groan. Ikyna could barely register what she had landed on; the grass had almost been all but covered since the snows had started. But she couldn't bother to make since of the situation; all Ikyna knew to do was to cling to thin strands as tightly as she could.
"That hurts! Ease your grip a little!"
Ikyna's eyes shot open at the complaint directed toward her. When she looked beneath her she found that she was not lying in grass; the light wispy lengths beneath her were feathers. It made sense to her why she was hearing such an outraged cry. Clutched in her fists were Janaff's tan and brown feathers from his back. She could see his sharp hawk eyes glancing back at her as he sailed easily in the sky.
"You, you caught me." She said in utter and breathless surprise.
"Yeah I did, now do you mind not ripping my feathers out?"
Ikyna blushed deeply and released the bird's back quickly. As she did Janaff angled himself in the cloudy sky and toggled the archer he had saved. She yelped and ducked to cling to the safety of his surprisingly warm body. "Be careful." He scolded lightly.
Ikyna could do no more than nod meekly as her sights watched the specks of people shrink while Janaff flew higher. She let out a small yelp and found herself shutting her eyes tightly again.
"Don't be so harsh Janaff. She almost died." Another gentler voice said at Janaff's side.
The hawk sighed, "I'm just saying if she pulls my feathers anymore I'll look like I'm molting." He griped. Ikyna felt the muscles in Janaff's back lift and she could tell he was trying to look over his shoulder at her. She mustered the courage to open one terrified looking eye. "You hear that missy? I'm a hawk not a bald eagle so please don't pluck out all my lovely feathers."
Ikyna was still terrified of the ground rushing below her, so very far below her, but she managed to chuckle at the hawks odd but comical warning. "It's hardly the time to be making jokes Janaff." Said the second voice.
Ikyna finally managed to look to her left and see who had been speaking when she was only focused on holding on for dear life. When she saw the bird next to her she could not stop her jaw from falling open a little. Flying, practically gliding, besides her and Janaff was a much smaller bird with a long slender neck and wings and body covered in snowy white feathers. At the herons head ran what looked like a long ribbon of feathers. Ikyna followed the curve of the prince's transformed figure past his spotless outstretched wings, that beat softly as he flew, to his tail feathers that were long and spread out like an elegant fan.
"Don't you recognize me?" the prince asked in a mildly teasing tone.
"Yes, you just surprised me." She admitted with a deep flush.
There was the tiniest twinkle in his eyes and Ikyna could swear that she saw him smile. At least in the only way a bird's beak can smile. Janaff turned sharply with a screech as a dark cloud formed above their heads. It crackled and hissed until a steak of lightning split the sky. Ikyna barely had time to cling to Janaff as he maneuvered out of danger. The wind whipped her hair into her face as Ikyna caught her breath. She looked back at the dissipating cloud and was thrust back into her survival mindset. Even if they were in the clouds, there was still very real danger.
"What a troublesome mage." Janaff griped.
"Are you okay?" Reyson was keeping up with the predatory bird as his light wings were spread to help him glide.
Ikyna nodded grimly as her lips tightened. She looked over Janaff's back and gulped at the specks of fighters clashing below her.
"Not a fan of flying?" Janaff questioned when he felt the tension in the young Beorc.
"Flying? No. It's the falling that I'm not fond of." Her face was creased in distress.
The hawk chuckled as he banked to the right to circle back to the battlefield, "What do you mean? Flying is so simple. Who worries about falling?"
"Maybe not you; but if you haven't noticed you and I have one very big difference."
"Just one?" the hawk continued to tease.
Prince Reyson cleared his throat, reminding the hawk to be kinder to their terrified rider. The hawk rolled his eyes in a good nature but said nothing more. He knew better than to push the issue when it came to Ikyna. Not that he completely understood, but Reyson had taken an interest in the Beorc female and it wasn't Janaff's place to interrupt. All he had to worry about was keeping the prince safe and happy.
Janaff looked at the battlefield beneath his talons. The army under Ike's command was making quick and easy work of the remaining Daein soldiers. Ike was right to assume that once the crows were gone there wouldn't be much more resistance. Even still, Janaff was surprised and impressed by the skill and strength of the Beorc army. Despite the young commander, they functioned quickly and well. Janaff had to hand it to the Beorc, for all the unbearable one's he'd met, the mercenaries were a force to be reckoned with and he found that he wouldn't mind staying with them if they kept fighting like they were.
"Do you see Yakuzo?" Ikyna shouted through the sound of the noisy wind blowing past their ears.
The hawk looked and easily spotted the red coat darting past enemies and trailing not far behind the birds and Ikyna.
"Yep he's close." Janaff chirped back, "He keeps a pretty close eye on you." He observed.
Ikyna nodded with a small warm smile, "Yes, he looks out for me."
At her words the prince frowned slightly. He felt a churning in his pit that was slightly unpleasant. With short click of his tongue he remarked, "Yes he's a perfectly good and loyal guard dog isn't he?"
Reyson's words had unintentionally come out as more of an insult that just an observation. After he spoke he caught Ikyna's gaze on him. Her head was tilted as she watched him with a curiously raised eyebrow. She said nothing; just wondered what the hostility in his voice was for, if she had in fact heard correctly at all. Reyson could tell that she was confused by his rather degrading remark but he could no more explain his sharp words to her than he could to himself. It was just an involuntary unease that he felt around the Laguz.
Reyson looked away from Ikyna's questioning sapphire eyes and tried to justify his actions. It was because Yakuzo was cold to him and brash at times. At least that was the excuse he told himself repeatedly. There was no way he could admit that it was anything more at the time.
Finally Ikyna spoke, though very softly, "He's not a dog; he's my friend." Her words were spoken quietly but firmly. It unsettled Reyson to hear her speak so calmly. He'd rather her get upset and provoked by his words. But she had not. She'd simply replied by stating an absolute fact that Reyson could not change or diminish with one poorly hidden insult. He wanted to apologize but when he turned to Ikyna she was looking away from him, already staring at the ground and probably looking for Yakuzo; her friend.
"I can take you to him." Janaff said as he began a steady decent toward the scarlet cat.
Reyson followed, momentarily chastened, and finally spoke to Ikyna. "Before you go," he started cautiously to measure Ikyna's mood, "let me do something for you."
"What?"
The prince flew quicker to catch up with the larger hawk, "Let me restore your energy with my galdar."
Ikyna didn't fully understand what the prince was going to do, but she'd seen the power of his galdar, she was not going to refuse that offer. Janaff slowed enough for the heron to fly right next to him. Reyson flapped his wings gently as he began to sing. Ikyna didn't recognize the song, it was different from the first two she'd heard and instead of a yellow light Ikyna saw streaks of blue beginning to wrap around her. Shimmering cerulean strands curled around her body and carried the melody from her head to toe and even enveloped Janaff.
Gradually Ikyna felt her fatigue and weariness melting away from her body. As the blue spirals flowed away they left a new and revitalized strength in her body. When the song ended Ikyna was at a loss for words again. It seemed like there was nothing the heron galdars couldn't do. She gave her palms a quick stretch and noticed that Janaff was feeling the same type of energy she was.
"How do you feel?" Reyson questioned as his song finished.
Ikyna grinned toothily, "Like I could wrestle a wyvern."
Reyson sighed inwardly, relieved that Ikyna wasn't one to hold a grudge or be upset about what he had said. She was smiling at him again; any possible unpleasantness had been forgotten. Reyson was grateful and vowed to choose his words more carefully the next time he spoke.
"Please don't wrestle a wyvern." Janaff chimed in sardonically, "I don't think you and those things mix so well."
Ikyna clicked her tongue and in the same moment pulled out a knife strapped to the side of her belt. Her arrows were long since scattered across the field thanks to her capture by the wyvern. Fortunately Ikyna always had a spare in her possession. It was a small knife, shaped more like an arrowhead, with a hook at the end the she used to clutch with her index finger. Ikyna looked at the hawk and then at the curious and somewhat expectant heron. She twirled the knife around her finger and made its metal shine and sing in the wind, "Just watch me."
)(
Night was falling quickly over the camp and mercenaries and soldiers alike were hurrying to make their camps and fires before the worst of the cold took hold of them. The sun barely provided much warmth during the day; once it left beyond the horizon it was nearly impossible to keep the body heated.
Ikyna was in less of a hurry than the camp around her as she walked, basically, limped towards her sister's tent. She was starting to admit, though not happily, that Janaff had been completely right. She didn't mix well with wyverns. They were scaly, clawed, and hot tempered.
Ikyna winced as she rubbed her bruised leg that a wyvern's tail had slammed into in the middle of her fight. She hadn't bothered to look at the rest of her body; if she looked as bad as she felt there was no way that she was looking well. Those lizard's had done a number on her cloths and skin. From the scuffs and tears on her shorts to the claw marks on her arms and cheeks it was obvious that Ikyna and wyverns mixed as well as water and oil.
Mist wouldn't be happy, but the archer would still need to ask Mist to do a quick mending job on her clothes before the next fight in a few days. She passed by her brother's tent and squinted to see through the last specks of fading sunlight. It wasn't completely clear but she thought she saw Volke entering Ike's tent. Ikyna frowned, it was curious to see the aloof thief anywhere near camp. He was the type of man who was never around unless there was payment involved.
The younger twin kept walking past Ike's tent; whatever business Ike had with Volke wasn't something she needed to worry about at the moment. If it became a problem, she was confident her brother would tell her.
Mist's tent wasn't more than a few yards away as Ikyna started to shiver. She couldn't wait to get behind the flaps of a tent; hopefully Mist had already gotten her fire going. If not her than at least Titania, the auburn haired girls tent mate.
Before she made it to Mist's tent Ikyna was able to make out the shadowy figures of Soren and Nasir. Nasir was looking like his typical self-assured self and Soren was giving him an earful. Ikyna could barely see Soren's face but she could imagine the sour scowl he was wearing when she saw him. If she were more fond of Nasir she'd offer him some help, but as it stood she didn't mind letting Soren fuss a little.
She passed by them without a word and smiled. "You're looking very happy with yourself." Ikyna heard called in her direction followed by the sound of light flapping.
Reyson landed next to her as she stopped walking to turn to him, "Did something good happen?"
Ikyna, thankful for the dim lighting, blushed at the thought that her happiness was caused by Nasir's misfortune. She rubbed the back of her head with a chuckle, "No, I just like to smile a lot." She lamely made up.
Reyson smirked, not bothering to read her emotions since he could already tell she was probably up to no good, and made a 'hmm' sound. Ikyna caught the corner of his grin as he folded his hands behind his back and started walking ahead of her.
She followed behind, quietly at first, not sure what more the bird wanted to talk about as they walked. Ikyna assumed he something to say, his tent was the opposite direction and there was no was else close to them. She cleared her throat uncomfortably as she tried to start the conversation but Reyson spoke before she could.
"I have a question for you." He said, "May I ask it?"
Ikyna nodded quickly and tried to focus on calming her racing heart, "Yes."
The prince didn't turn to look at her but Ikyna could still see the glint of green in his eyes as he walked, "Have you ever been to Gallia?"
By this time the two had passed Mist's tent, Ikyna's original destination, but she was far more interested in talking with the prince than standing without pants in her sister's cold tent waiting for a few torn patches to be mended.
"Yeah once before, when we went to get help for princess Elincia."
"Is that the only time?"
"Yeah." Ikyna paused and put a finger to her chin as she thought, "Actually Ike and I were apparently born in Gallia."
Reyson turned in surprise, "Really?"
"Yeah." Ikyna shrugged, "But we were so little, I don't remember much. We left soon after and went to Crimea."
"Oh."
Ikyna's ears perked up at the obvious disappointment in Reyson's voice. The change intrigued her so she prodded, "Why do you ask?"
"I was curious." He answered vaguely, "I wanted to know more about you and your brother. The two of you are very interesting Beorc who get along well with Laguz; it's the first I've heard of it."
Ikyna pursed her lips and nodded, seemingly satisfied with the heron's reasoning. It wasn't like he was the first person to comment on the strangeness of the Beorc and Laguz working together. Reyson was glad that Ikyna didn't question him anymore about the subject. He wasn't ready to delve into the complete reason for his curiosity. Reyson was still determined to uncover the mystery of the child in his dreams.
He had reasoned that Ikyna couldn't be the girl but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was some familiarity with the girl he'd was sure he'd never met. For that matter he felt the same thing with Ike. But his questioning at the moment had proved unhelpful and he would have to try another avenue to have his confusion cleared.
"So how is your arm doing?" he changed the subject abruptly.
Ikyna ran a hand down her healed arm and winced without being able to completely hide it, "It's fine mostly." She said through gritted teeth, "A little stiff, but I'll manage."
"What's wrong?" Reyson asked with concern on his face as he stopped and turned sharply toward her.
Ikyna yelped and guiltily responded, "Nothing, I'm fine."
"I saw you grimace." He said, completely unconvinced by her lie. The prince held his palm out impatiently, "Show me your arm." He demanded.
His forceful command surprised Ikyna so much that she handed him her arm without thinking. For such a thin and frail looking bird he had a way a speaking with an authority that she couldn't refuse.
Reyson squinted as he inspected her arm. His hands ran from her shoulder down her palm at a gut tightening slow pace that made her feel anxious. The prince's fingers were cold but they made her skin heat up everywhere they touched. Ikyna couldn't look at him. It was torture to be under his gaze and at the tip of soft fingertips.
After what seemed like an eternity he reached her palm and made an unhappy sound, "What did you do to your hand? Didn't I say you should take it easy?"
Ikyna looked down at her palm and saw the familiar blisters and scabs that came from practicing with her bow. She wasn't surprised to see them; when she'd first learned the bow her hand had been worse off than what it currently looked like. But after over a month of rest she had to make new callouses to shoot her bow correctly. "It's fine. Those are normal blisters that come from using a bow."
Reyson scowled and gave her palm a quick swat. Ikyna closed one eye and winced at the sharp pain that bit at her hand. "Is that normal to you?" The prince asked sardonically.
Ikyna looked away, chastened, "I'm really fine." She murmured.
The twin heard the prince sigh loudly. "Come on." He demanded again. Before she could protest his hand was already clasping hers and he was pulling her toward his tent. Ikyna would have enjoyed holding his hand more if it hadn't been so tender already. But then again, him dragging her through the cold snow was far from a romantic gesture.
The two arrived at Reyson's tent and he pulled her in before ordering her to sit by the small fire already burning at the center. Ikyna didn't bother to resist; she was starting to learn that Reyson was the type of person who got what he wanted. She sat without a word and found solace in fiddling with her hair as the heron rummaged through a pile of small bags on the other side of his tent.
"There you are." He said with a grin as he pulled out a bag of leaves. He made his way to the fire and sat across from Ikyna. Reyson didn't speak as he dumped the leaves on ground then place a small flat stone next to them. The smelled strongly of mint but Ikyna didn't know what they were. He then placed a few leaves on the stone before taking a second and beginning to grind the leaves.
Ikyna waited silently and nearly mesmerized by the prince. The yellow glow of the fire cast flickering lights that licked at the prince's fair face. His long blonde lashes were draped over his eyes as he focused on his task of grinding the leaves and his lips were in a tight line.
"You're staring." He stated plainly.
Heat rose to Ikyna's face that had nothing to do with the fire, "I was wondering what you were doing." She lied.
"I'm going to fix your hand."
Ikyna perked up, "Are you going to use another galdar?"
"Not this time."
"Oh." She said gloomily and leaned back from the prince.
"Disappointed?"
Ikyna looked at the heron who had stopped grinding leaves and was smirking playfully in her direction. He hadn't missed the drop in her tone or the fall in her excitement. Ikyna shrugged with an embarrassed chuckle. She held her hand up with her thumb and index finger pinched together in front of her eye, "A little." She admitted.
Reyson added another leaf to what was becoming a sticky mush as he laughed, "Sorry."
"So then what are you doing?"
"I'm grinding the vera leaves. They have a milky substance in them that's good for healing and disinfecting sores and cuts."
"So you'll use that instead of the galdar."
Reyson could tell there was an unspoken 'why,' at the end of her sentence. He added another leaf and his sticky mound grew as he grinned, "The goddess gives us many gifts. We show are appreciation by using them all."
Ikyna raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry?"
The prince raised his head quickly, looking perplexed as if he was confused by his own words. He raised a curled finger to his chin thoughtfully, "Sorry, that came out without thinking." He grinned nostalgically, "It's something my abba used to always tell me; I guess it just stuck with me."
"Abba?" Ikyna questioned, "What's an abba?"
Reyson was taking the ground mixture from the rock and scooping it onto a large leaf. He thought of the girl's question, "An abba is…an abba is…" He had to pause and sit back. This was the first time he'd had to explain that in almost a hundred years.
"An abba is like the person who looks after you. They watch you, teach you lessons and things like that."
"Like a nanny?" Ikyna asked, very interested in learning from the prince.
"Not really. An abba is like a caretaker for each prince or princess of the heron royal family. They teach us to fly and all of our galdars. An abba is like each royal heron's companion for life." He had a soft smile on his lips, "Well usually for life." He added with a soft chuckle.
"What do you mean usually? Your abba, did he…she…did they not stay with you?" she fumbled with her words still not completely sure what an abba was.
"She," Reyson began, "my abba, didn't stay with me. She left and got married."
"Poor baby." Ikyna mused, "Were you lonely when she left?"
Reyson heard the playful tone and managed to grin, "I was. I really loved her." He admitted and paused.
Ikyna titled her head and saw the deep affection for this woman written on the prince's face. If she hadn't know the woman was married she would have been completely jealous; although there was still a twinge of envy that knotted her chest. "She must be a wonderful woman. What was her name?"
"Luna." He said in a whisper that was all he could muster as painful memories were dredged up against his will.
Ikyna could since that change in mood but didn't know why. She cautiously probed further, "So who was the lucky man who stole the woman you loved." She asked teasingly to lighten the mood.
Reyson tilted his head, "Tibarn."
"Tibarn?" she repeated in shock. "I didn't know Tibarn was married!" she gasped.
"Yes, was being the operative word." He added grimly.
"Was? What happened to her?"
Reyson's pale face wrinkled under the light of the golden flame, "She died; or more like she was murdered."
"When? How?"
"Twenty years ago."
"What happened…" Ikyna stopped her sentence with a horrified gasp and slapped her hands over her mouth before it said anything else thoughtlessly. But it was too late to take back her careless words. Reyson had heard them and his pained expression tore at Ikyna's heart.
"The massacre." Ikyna whispered unhappily, wishing that she hadn't asked.
Reyson nodded slowly and let out a heavy sigh and thought of his own pains and that of his dear friend's. Ikyna looked down at her cut palm and picked at its open wounds, accepting the pain as punishment for hurting the prince, "Humans are terrible." She grumbled.
There was a pause and for a brief moment all that was heard in the tent was the sound of the lapping fire and a few soldiers running outside the tent. But soon the discomfort Ikyna felt was broken when a pale thin hand reached and covered her palm gently. Reyson stopped her from picking at the injured skin and offered her a weak smile as he shook his head, "Not all of them; some Beorc are really quite wonderful." He said softly and made it a point to emphasize the word Beorc.
"Now," he began abruptly, intent on changing the dampened mood and stopping his mind from thinking about Luna or Umi, "let's just focus on fixing your hand, shall we?"
Ikyna nodded and managed to smile weakly, grateful for a shift in topic.
"Now this won't heal your hand as fast as the galdar but it will stop the pain and soften the skin." Reyson spoke as he scooped some of the leaf jelly into his index finger, "Just make sure you wrap your hands after this." He cautioned as Ikyna nodded quickly.
Reyson held his finger above her palm and glanced at her, "This may sting a little." He warned before beginning to smear the substance on her broken skin.
Ikyna yelped and tried to retract her hand as her palm began to throb. The prince had greatly underplayed how much it would sting. It stung much more than a little; it was like holding her hand over an open flame.
As she pulled away Reyson tightened his grasp with a scowl, "Hold still." He scolded as he continued to smear the mixture that was like lava in Ikyna's hand.
"But it hurts." She insisted as she continued to writhe next to him.
The prince shook his hand, "It's not that bad. I've had this done before." He retorted.
"Then tell that to my hand." She complained with a scowl, "Because it doesn't believe you."
Reyson sighed in exasperation as he rolled his peridot eyes. "I swear Ikyna. You can tackle an armed wyvern rider but this little sting makes you squirm? Hold still. Ikyna, I said hold still."
Ikyna would have preferred to save face in front of the prince, but the sensation in her hands that felt like a parade of fire ants was preventing that. She whimpered as the prince put the last of the leaf muck on her hands. "Honestly." He murmured as he drew her hand up to his mouth.
"What are you doing?" she questioned in a panic.
He didn't answer her but instead pursed his lips together and blew softly on her irritated skin. All of Ikyna's protests fell mute instantly. The prince continued a pattern of massaging and blowing on Ikyna's hand.
Warmth rushed to her cheeks to the tip of her ears and she was frozen in the prince's grasp. The prince made a happy sound when Ikyna stilled and he finished rubbing the mixture into her palm and blew once more for good measure. It's what Luna had done for him when the sting of the vera was too much for him.
"Is that better?" he asked with teasing grin as he lifted his head to look at Ikyna.
Her eyes were widened as he stared at him like a frightened animal. It was very dim in the tent but Reyson could see a very distinct darkening on the Beorc's face. "Your face looks a bit red. Are you feeling okay?"
Ikyna stammered and turned away, "It's because it hurt a lot, that's why my face turned all red." She lied poorly.
Reyson scoffed, "Don't be so dramatic."
"I wasn't dramatic. You said it would only sting a little so I was surprised." She protested.
The prince shook his head and released Ikyna's hand "If I'd said it was going to hurt a lot you wouldn't have let me put it on you. Besides it didn't kill you."
Ikyna frowned petulantly, "You're a cruel."
This time Reyson folded his hands over his chest and smirked while raising one brow, "Oh am I? A cruel heron? I thought I was sneaky. How do I manage both traits?" He teased.
Ikyna was still not facing Reyson when she spoke, "The goddess gave you many gifts I suppose."
For a moment Reyson could say nothing as the familiar retort sank into his mind. His tilted his head and observed her queerly. The tips of her ears were still stained with dark red, though she'd managed to control enough of the embarrassment to keep her cheeks a normal color. Her lips were forced out into a full pout as she blew out a childish unhappy breath.
The prince should have felt sad, that's what mentioning Luna usually did to him, but hearing those words and looking at Ikyna's pouting face had the opposite effect. He tried to stifle his laughter with his hands but the harder he tried to contain it the stronger the urge became. At last he gave in and threw his head back in laughter.
The was no stopping his laughing as he ran his hands over his face then through his golden locks in pure delight. The bird's joyful sounds filed the tent like it was another melodious galdar. Ikyna's pout melted away, there was no way to be upset as she watched the fair bird's handsome face glowing.
It was the first time she'd ever seen the prince look as happy as he did at that moment. Ikyna let the former unpleasant memory of her burning hand fade away as she smiled. She decided that of the many things she liked about the prince his laughter was her favorite.
)(
As Ikyna walked from the prince's tent she was grinning wide and whistling an old Crimean folk song. Her mood was soaring with memories of the prince and his blissful laughter. Her hand wasn't bothering her anymore, nothing was bothering her. There wasn't anything that could ruin her high spirits.
That was what she thought, at least until she pushed open the flap to her brother's tent. Suddenly her cheerful melody was shriveled up on her lips when she caught sight of her brother sitting at a table while raking his hand roughly through his hair.
Without asking Ikyna knew that the only thing Ike would have to say would be bad news. She could tell by the way his eyebrows dipped steeply like a canyon on his forehead. Ikyna called his name, reluctant to have her mood dampened, knowing that she had to ask.
The young commander lifted his head slowly and let out a long frustrated sigh when his eyes met with Ikyna's. Without a need for an explanation Ikyna sat at her brother's feet and waited. "So what's wrong now?" she asked with no luster.
"Ikyna." He began with a groan. Ike no more wanted to tell Ikyna what he knew than she wanted to hear it. But the twins knew that, that wasn't an option. Ikyna put a reassuring hand on her brother's knee, "Whatever it is, you can tell me." She assured.
Her brother sighed again before he began to speak, "I know, but this isn't something that I want to tell. I almost wish I didn't know."
Ikyna didn't speak. She simply waited patiently for Ike to gather his thoughts. Finally he did after taking a deep breath, "This is something that has to stay between just the two of us." Ikyna nodded slowly in understanding.
"I have to tell you a story Ikyna."
"A story?"
"Yes. About our father, and our mother, and Lehran's medallion."
So question before I go...how do you guys feel about me starting my Tibarn fanfiction. I'm not sure how my readers feel about my updating. Would you rather me wait to finish this story or do both fanfics at the same time. Just wanted to ask because some people get a little hostile when writers add a second story to their updating list. (I'm one of those people lol) Let me know what you think.
