The thundering sound of drums played loudly as dancers danced to the rhythm of the beat, felt by the soles of their feet. Confetti and fireworks were launched in the air as the people of Ferox danced and cheered for the tournament today. Venders selling out fast because of customers trying to buy their food on time to get front row seats as fast they can. Civilians betting who will win the tournament. Boy, was Anna making a lot of money out of this. There were people celebrating the battle of the arena by throwing a grand feast, some perhaps drinking a bit too much. All over Ferox, it was like a giant festival. At the arena, there are two balconies reserved for the khans to watch the tournament along with their selected few. Those that will be fighting are sent to the training pits where the gates to let them pass to the battlefield is. Both sides, one represents the warriors of the West Khan and the other the East Khan. Every 5 years, the tournament is held to decide which Khan will rule Ferox for the next 5 years. Feroxi warriors' value physical strength and skill above all else. To them, they speak louder than words.
[-]
Sophia was busy in the clinic packing the rest of the medicine needed to be dropped off at the West Side of the arena. Where Lucina and Alm were along with the team they will be leading. She had Lon'qu drop off the East Side supplies because Lysithea did not want to risk running into Virion again. The woman let out a small sigh as she picked up the box and began jogging through the hallways to reach the underground pit. She arrived just on time, even if the tournament does not start in another 4 hours. Arriving, one of the mages spotted her and quickly opened the wooden door for her. She thanked them and quickly put the wooden crate on the table. Everyone gathered around, except Lucina and Alm. The two were busy whispering to each other and have yet noticed her presence. At this, Sophia sighs and walks over to them, then grabs them by the ears, pulling them to the table with the group.
"Ow,ow,ow,ow!" Alm screeched while Lucina was hissing like a cat.
The mages and armored knights chuckled as she let go of the kids and then went back to the other side of the table.
"Now that I have everyone's attention," she looked at the group, "these are vulneraries that you will be needing during the battle. These are made specifically to heal your wounds and stop any bleeding. As well as to give you a small power boost. As a bonus," she picked one up and popped it open.
The scent of black berries and honey filled the air, making the females sigh in bliss.
"You won't be tasting bitter herbs. Congratulations, you all just got yourselves an upgrade on them." She extended her hands as she presented them to the box.
"WHOOOOO!"
Looking down the hallway, it could be heard from the other side that they were also happy they won't be tasting bitter herbs. Sophia had left a note explaining the new vulneraries won't taste like bitter herbs but like fruit and honey. As well as what it does. The group let go of chuckles while Lucina and Alm were trying to fight off smiles. The woman chuckled a bit and spoke.
"Good luck out there to all of you. And another thing." She says, "If I catch any of you doing something stupid before the battle, I can guarantee I'll be putting my foot up your asses." And everyone just nodded.
With that done, Sophia waved them goodbye since she already knew of Lucina's plan. And since Alm was her retainer, it was obvious (to her at least) that the two planned to lose to ensure Ferox aids Ylisse. Jogging down the hallway, she made her steps become silent like a ninja as she got closer to the East Side of the pits. She could hear The Shepherds talking to each other, Robin explaining the plans regarding who will be in the field.
"Chrom, Frederick, Lissa, Miriel, Vaike and I. Everyone is good with this team?" Robin asked and everyone nodded.
"So, does that mean the rest of us watch from the balcony with Khan Flavia?" Stahl asked and nodded, unfortunately.
"Ah, phooey!" Sully snarled as she crossed her arms, "I was hoping I got a shot! Eh, you win some you lose some. Tch." She shrugged.
"Aye! Teach here will show me how it's done! Wait, where's my axe?!" And an instant groan from a few and a couple of chuckles.
"Ah! Found it! It was on my waist!" Vaike grins and Sully smacked him on the head.
The two began bickering while Kellam told them to calm down. But of course, no one noticed or heard him. Except Sophia, who has a small smile on her face. She turned and walked the opposite direction, heading to explore Ferox a bit more before the tournament.
Unknown to her, Robin had felt her presence but didn't say anything. She was able to sense that the woman meant no harm and that she was genuinely happy to see them getting along. Interacting. What Sophia didn't know was that Robin sensed that deep within her, she wanted to interact with them, but was holding back.
But why?
[-]
The streets were lively, filled with joy as people celebrated the tournament. There were stalls that were set up for arm wrestling matches as well as rugby. Sophia was honestly surprised to see the sport exist in Archanea. But then again, many of the modern sports from her time did originate from the medieval and ancient past sports from many countries. Walking down one of stone stages built in the capital, she saw dancers performing to music being played from the musicians. The traditional dances of Ferox reminded her of the ones from Greece, Aztec culture, and Africa. In Africa, dance was athleticism and a graceful beauty flowing with rhythm. Some dances were done marking the experiences of life, encouraging abundant crops, and healing the sick soul and body. In Aztec culture, dance represents the eternal search of man for cosmic harmony and integration, both of his body and his spirit. And for Greece, folk dances were most held in lieu of grand and extravagant celebrations and were also used in wartime preparations as a means to give soldiers the confidence they needed before going out to battle.
Sophia was suddenly hit with a deep pang of homesickness. Even if she didn't have much of a social life in her old world, there were times she would go out to enjoy herself. Especially when they were going to festivals near the area she lived, she always loved to go. She would buy food, at times even join the dance groups and participate in them. Dance with different people when it was time. The different cultural dances she would learn for fun.
"Breath..." Sophia quickly took a deep breath to compose herself and looked back to the show.
She blinked a bit as she recognized the single dancer who wielded ring blades as part of her dance. Long pink haired tied in a ponytail flowed beautifully as the dancer moved with grace. Her long bangs were long braids that were on the right and left of her head. She wore a gold headband. Her clothing was a white colored silk like dress with transparent black puffy pants. Her sleeves were that same as her pants, and in her hands, she held ring blades as she spun on her heels beautifully. She bent back a bit, waving her arms slowly, like a belly dancer, becoming one with the rhythm of the beat. Sophia knew who this was. This was Olivia. The beautiful pink dancer along with her group dancers performed beautifully, almost like a ballerina. The music stopped and the audience clapped, praising the performance. The dancer gave a shy smile as she and her group waved at the people. Sophia smiled as she was about to stand up, not paying attention that the fact that at least two dancers were bolting her way.
"Excuse me!" She turned and flinched when two female dancers with beaming smiles on their faces, "We've never seen your face before! Are you a traveler?" They asked.
"Yes..." Sophia muttered and their smiles grew even more.
"Prefect! Come!" And they grabbed the hands, dragging her to the stage.
"New victim!" Many people laughed and immediately Sophia knew what was about to happen as they took her to the stage.
This was something that would usually happen often in her old world, during festivals especially. Groups finished dancing, sometimes in the middle of their performance, they pulled different people in to join them. Or, after the performance, they would pull people into the group and have them dance with them.
"Fuck." Sophia mentally cursed as the crowd was cheering and Olivia gave her a shy smile.
"Hello!" Olivia smiled, "You must the traveler that caught the girl's eyes. We have tradition here in Ferox where a traveler joins our next performance. W-Would you like to join us?" She stuttered.
It was honestly a cute sight, but Sophia let go of a sigh and smiled a bit.
"Sure." She says and the crowd and dance group cheers.
Olivia nodded and began showing her the steps. It was fun. Learning the steps of the dance. Olivia was a bit surprised to see someone learned simple steps fast. She wondered if... possibly the woman could learn a more difficult dance. Seems like the dancers thought the same thing because they immediately circled around Sophia and handed her ring blades. Sophia eyes went wide and about to protest but unfortunately the music started. The blue haired woman was in a bit of panic as the dancers started getting in formation and circled around her. But the rhythm of the drugs was oddly familiar.
"Wait...I know this beat..." Sophia muttered and after a few more minutes of tapping her foot, she finally understood.
"Embrace the dark! You call a home!" Without even thinking, she started singing out loud, raising her arms up in front of her, and moved her hands gracefully.
Many were taken back by the sudden singing but many in the crowd began to encourage it, cheering. The dancers grinned to each other, happy with their pick.
"Gaze upon an empty white throne! A legacy of lies, a familiar disguise!" Sophia moved her body with ease, like if she was an ocean wave.
Her voice matched the rhythm of the music as she felt the beat at the soles of her feat. The drums made the ground vibrate in a way that she could count numbers.
"1,2,3,4." Each time the next beat began, she counted, moving her body in a way that would match it.
The beat was fierce. Filled with a strong force, moving her body with ferocity. Her hips moved in circular motion along with her hands, holding the ring blades. She noticed Olivia now at the center of the stage with her, the two women giving each other firm nods, then spun to the opposite directions.
"Sing with me a song of conquest and fates!" The two females sang fiercely, the crowd going wild as the two bent backwards, waving their hands up and then slowly brought them down.
"The black pillar crack beneath its weight! Night breaks through the day, hard as a stone!" The two bent back up, spinning like ballerinas, then balancing on one foot, bending their body forward.
It was as if two mirrors were dancing together. Not too far, Alm and Lucina had gone out to rest a bit before the tournament till they heard the crowd going wild. The two were confused but went to check just in case. Lucina gasped when she spotted a familiar face in the crowd, hiding behind a pillar.
"What are you doing here?!" Alm whispered hissed at the individual and they nearly had a heart attack.
"Gods! You two nearly gave me a heart attack!" They jumped and sent Alma a glare, "You could have just tapped me on my shoulder!"
"What's going on?" Lucina asked and they chuckled a bit, a sad smile gracing their lips.
"Take a look yourselves." They saved and the two looked over and eyes went wide behind the mask.
"Lost in thoughts All alone!" Sophia and Olivia sang together, stomping their feet, spinning opposite directions of each other.
Then they threw the ring blades into the air, spinning once more, back to back, they each caught their blades, right now the drums stopped.
"WHOOOOO!" The crowd went wide as the two females pant, trying to catch their breaths.
The groups of dancers squealed and cheered as they surrounded the two women, praising them. It was honestly a cute sightseeing the two shies away. A side Sophia rarely shows, but for today, she felt expressive. The two women looked at each other and could help enter giggle fits of joy. Both began praising each other's skills as well as techniques. Alm and Lucina could only look in shock as the individual smiled sadly.
"I haven't seen either of them look so happy in many years. I wish there were a way to save this moment." The individual said and blinked multiple times when Alm was waving a small piece of paper, the size of a wallet.
"Already ahead of you." He said and handed it to him.
"Haha! You really captured the moment well." They laughed a bit but gave them a sad look, "Are you sure you did not want to keep it?" They asked.
"No." Alm turned to leave, his voice cold, "I don't want anything that has her face on it."
"Then why did you take the picture then?!" The individual yelled, " They are alive! They are here in front of you! You still hold a grudge?!" They snarled.
"Enough, both of you." Lucina stepped in between them before they got into a fist fight, "You need to understand that scars don't heal easily."
"I know they don't." The individual frowned at them, "But seeing them happy...compared to the future...tch." they turned to look back to the stage, their lip quivering a bit, "I hope you don't regret your decision." And they left.
Alm took deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down, gritting his teeth. Lucina looked at him worried that she heard him mutter.
"The only grudge I hold...is against myself."
[-]
"It has been many years since I saw someone dance so good!" Olivia smiled warmly to Sophia.
Sophia felt like Olivia's smile was blinding, as if she was looking at the sun. The two women along with the dancer group were heading to the area since Olivia and her battalion were part of the opening ceremony. In Ferox, it was a tradition that before the tournament started, there would be an opening ceremony that would have a few performances. A way to motivate the crowd as well as the fighters. Sophia smiled a bit and nodded.
"I used dance as a hobby in my homeland." She answered and Olivia nodded.
Olivia was surprised she didn't feel shy around the woman and was able to talk freely with her. Usually, she doesn't like people watching her dance but having a dance partner on the stage made her feel less intimidated.
"Ghaa!" One the dancers suddenly yelled, "We need to get to the arena now! We got 10 minutes left!" Anndddd at that, EVERYONE bolted.
- Ferox Arena -
"You're late." Lysithea scowls a bit as Sophia literally slammed through the door of the clinic, barely making it back on time.
"S..Sorry! I had...gasp...too much fun!" Sophia panted as she was trying to catch her breath, "What...I miss?"
"Nothing really." Lysithea handed her a glass of water, "Anyhow, you, me, Felix and Lon'qu have been invited to watch the tournament from the balcony with Khan Basilio!" She grins.
"Oh! Nice. I like the high-end view." She says and the girls got their purse, quickly leaving towards the west side.
[-]
"Ah! You two made it! Right on time too!" Khan Basilio laughed wholeheartedly as he sat on his throne.
On the right side, there were stone chairs carved into the wall, where Felix and Lon'qu sat, it was the same with the left side, where her and Lysithea sat down. She sat down on the left side of Lysithea because it was closer to the table of food that was behind them, around 5 feet away. A few guards were also set up to make sure no one dared and tried to attack the Khan. Two torches were set up in the back to light the area up. The same set up was done at the balcony that was all the way across. On the West side, Khan Flavia sat on her throne, with the rest of the shepherds also. Some of them, like Sully, were standing up. However, Sophia noticed how Virion stiffened when his eyes landed on Lysithea. The purple hair woman only narrowed her eyes, and Felix noticed.
"Lon'qu, switch seats with Lysithea." He says.
"Excuse me what?" Lon'qu gawked at his friend, and Felix just glared.
"You heard me. Now move." He growls and Lon'qu just looked back and forth till Sophia just stood up and walked over to them.
"Go Felix." She sighs and he gives her a nod, while Lon'qu had a pure look of betrayal.
Basilio had let out a hearty laugh while Lon'qu tried to scoot away a bit, since now Sophia sat next to him.
"It's starting!" Stahl yells excitedly from the other side and the gates to the arena open.
Drummers, dancers, and performers run out the gates, people cheering and whistling. It was the opening ceremony to celebrate the next battle of the Khans.
"Very interesting." Sophia spoke, "I like the ceremony and such. From what I heard; it is a tradition of your people to do this ceremony in the beginning of the tournament. To motivate but also some sort of blessing?" She says.
"Hahah! You got part of it right!" Basilio laughed, "The opening ceremony is done, like you said to motivate and encourage the people and fighters. But also, to give our thank you to our ancestors for the hardships they endured and for the blessings the land gives us. It is a form to wish good fortune, respect and luck to both the East and West side of Ferox." He explained and Sophia nodded, looking back to the arena.
She saw Olivia dancing a different one from the one earlier. This dance seemed to be more spiritually connected to land, based on the way she moves her body. Since coming to this world, Sophia has appreciated learning more about it, since the game did leave out a lot of details that you don't know of. Unless you experience it in person.
Sophia was happy to have a nice VIP seat. As the ceremony finished, and Olivia bolted off the stage (earning a few chuckles from the audience), the fires of the torches dimmed just a bit, allowing the place to darken. Another gate opened, allowing a Ferox mage to walk out, holding a magic stone. The audience began cheering, Sophia immediately figured out the man must be an announcer.
"Welcome all to the annual tournament! The time has now come for the next ruling Khan to be decided!" The announcer yelled into his magic tool and the crowd roared.
"On the Khan Basilio side, ruler of the West, we have the two mysterious swordsmen! Step forward!" He extends his hand towards the east gate, the metal bars going up to allow entry.
Marth walked with poise and grace, his posture straight as he held his chin up high yet held a stoic look despite the mask. Besides him, walked Alm, like a royal retainer. But Sophia noticed something strapped onto his back. It seemed to be some sort of lance. Not to also mention the sword on his waist. Following behind him, was the team they will be leading. Three mages, four armored knights, two mercenaries, one fighter and barbarian.
"I introduce Marth and Alm! The mysterious swordsmen that took down Felix an-Ghaaa!" The man barely jumped on time to dodge a lightning spell that came from the sky.
"Felix!" Lysithea scolded the man who had raised his Leviathan Sword to electrocute the mage.
The khans and many others laughed at the scene while Felix just grumbled as he was forced to sit back down and put his sword away. Lon'qu just shook his head but raised an eyebrow as he saw Sophia snickering. The man coughed and resumed but skipping the part he was originally going to say.
"N-Now, onto the East side! All the way from Ylisse! Can you believe it?! I present to you the warriors of the East Khan Flavia!" They shouted and the gates opened.
In all his glory, Chrom walked forward with his head held high, the Falchion on his waist. His cape flowing in the wind made him look more badass. Sophia had to admit, he looked hot.
"Bad Sophia!" She smacked her own cheeks to keep bad thoughts from entering her mind.
Next to Chrom, Frederick rode on his horse, his own lance strapped onto his back, his shield equipped on his left arm. On Chrom's left side, stood Robin. Now seeing the woman in her full glory, there was determination in her eyes as she held her tome tightly. Behind them was Vieke, his axe over his shoulder, ready to strike, and he looked ready for battle. Lissa, despite shaking just a tad bit (Lissa: I'm not!), held her staff, and refused to back down. Lastly, besides her, was Miriel, the woman pushed her glasses up, fixed her witch hat, and was ready to see how things go.
"Not bad..." Sophia muttered, "A cleric to heal. A mage to deal wide range damage from distance. A knight of cavalry to deal heavy damage in swift movements. A lord with gorilla power (Lysithea snorted. She knew she was talking about Chrom.) A tactician to give precise orders and read the field but also give magic damage. Lastly, a fighter who can easily break through the defenses of armored knights." She muttered to herself as she crossed her arms and legs.
Her eyes calculating as the announcer began to speak once more.
"All the way from Ylisse! Prince Chrom of House Ylisse and the Shepherds! Their names are, Frederick the Wary!" And Sophia slapped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from bursting out laughing.
Looks like the same case was going on at the other side also. Frederick has a scowl on his face.
"Lissa, Second Princess of Ylisse! Vaike, Fighter of the Axe! Robin, the Tactician! Miriel the Sorceress! (Miriel: MAGE!)! These are the Shepherds selected for battle! Everyone, in positions!" The announcer yelled and the duos team scattered.
"Chrom, look!" Lissa yelled once she recognized Marth, however Sophia did not expect that they also recognized Alm.
"I see them..." Chrom narrowed his eyes as the duo were silent.
"I did not expect them to see them here." Frederick comments as he felt like Alm's eyes were on him only.
On the other side, Alm's hands were clenched into fist, shaking, trying to calm himself down, but he gasped a bit when he felt a hand hold him. He turned his head a bit, seeing a rare soft smile on Marth's face.
"Oh my." Sophia raised a dandy hand over her mouth.
"Marth! Alm!" Chrom yelled out, "One question before we begin?" He was only met with silence from the two.
"Hmph. Fine, then. Our swords can speak for us!" And he stepped forward, unsheathing his sword.
Spinning the Falchion with his right hand and then holding it with both, he pointed it at Marth, who took a step forward as Alm remained where he was. Chrom's eyes went wide as Marth unsheathe his own sword and pointed it at him. The same gold colored metal with the ancient symbols. It was as Chrom was looking at the mirror image of Falchion.
"Where did you get that?" The prince narrowed his eyes as a bead of sweat trickled down his face.
Only he was met with silence as Marth was ready to attack.
"There's no way..." Chrom muttered then yelled his war cry as he jumped in the air, and spun like spinning wheel, his sword clashing with Marth's.
The battle scene played out like in the game. Sophia's eyes observed as she had her arms crossed. The audience was cheering for their favorite warrior, betting who would win. She spotted Anna not too far from the stone stairs that lead to the audience seats, taking wagers. The clash of the swords brought back Sophia's attention to the field, hearing Chrom ask Marth who taught her to fight the way she did. After all, the fighting style she uses is the same one as Chrom's, gorilla force. Marth answered that it was her father that taught her as she did the same spin attack on him. The prince barely dodged the attack. The prince felt like he was fighting a mirror.
"We should keep our distance." Robin pursed her lips together, her eyebrows furrowed together, "While Martha is a gifted swordsman as well as his soldiers for this fight, Alm is a wild card. We don't know his form of battle. The only thing we see him do is cast healing magic. That is, it. We should mind our distance." She muttered and the others nodded as Chrom jumped back and landed next to her.
"What should we do?" Lissa asked, worried.
"Vaike, Miriel and Lissa. I trust you three to take out the mages, barbarian and mercenaries?" Robin smiled as she made her tome float in front of her and readied her Leviathan sword.
"Teach here will knock 'em good!" Vaike smirked and Miriel nodded along with Lissa.
"Good. Frederick and Chrom! You both and I will take out armored knights and the fighter! After that, it's straight to Alm and Marth." She clarified.
The group nodded and began charging forward, then suddenly split into two groups. Miriel, Vaike, and Lissa to the left to take out the mages, barbarian, and mercenaries. Of course, this tournament is not a bloody massacre. Thankfully, it's only to knock your opponent out. When you or your opponent are defeated, they are warped out of the field and back to the training pits. Sophia was impressed by how well Robin's team was doing as Alm and Marth only watched as their warriors fought. Lissa used a fog spell to blind the mages then Miriel fired multiple fireballs at them, forcing them to enter a defensive position. With the fog, Vaike took advantage and appeared behind them, using the back of his axe to knock them out. The crowd cheered as the first three mages were warped out, earning three points for the East Khan.
"Damn." Basilio cursed and Sophia was silent as she watched along with the others.
On the other side, the Shepherds were cheering on their comrades.
The left team then moved onto the barbarians. Despite being a war cleric, it was a bit amusing to see Lissa using her staff like a lance. The girl spun it as she quickly dodged the goblets of a barbarian and...
"Ooohhhhhh!" Sophia cringed as did many in the arena at what they just witnessed the girl do.
The barbarian's mouth was frothing as his eyes rolled up, and fell to the ground, tears running down his eyes as his hands were over his nether regions.
"I got him!" Lissa held the staff up proudly (Is that a speck of blood?!) in the air and charged at the mercenary who was recovering from shock.
"Oh...gods..Lissa." Sophia had her hand over her forehead and shook her head.
Lissa used the top of the staff like a bat and swung it underneath the barbarian, hitting him right in the groin.
The fact that even Felix, Lon'qu and every single man in the arena was shaken, like if it was them that she had hit. Like if they knew the pain the man just went through. Hell, even poor Alm hunched down a bit, like if he was protecting himself.
"Well, that man is not going to be able to mate." She says bluntly while Lysithea was trying not to laugh, "I'll check on him after the tournament."
"Wait what?" The group turned to look at her with wide eyes.
"What?" She looked at them confused, "It's not like I have never seen a naked man before. As a doctor, we treat patients of all kinds. I've seen a man's nether regions many times." She bluntly says.
"Cough! Cough! Changing the subject!" Lysithea quickly says, "Looks like the mercenaries got taken out also!" She pointed back to the field.
Everyone looked back and of course, the mercenaries were also warped away. Along with the armored knights and fighters. However, the celebration is short lived.
"Wait." Robin suddenly noticed Marth was standing alone, "Where's Alm?!"
"AHHHHHH!"
Sophia had bolted up from her seat along with the other three, to the edge of the balcony as the trios piercing screams filled the air.
"What on earth...?" Sophia covered her mouth with both hands as she saw all members of the left team were knocked out cold.
They all laid on the ground motionless as they were warped away, and Sophia saw Sumia along with Donnel and Stahl rush down to the training pits. Alm only raised his left arm, where he wore a long steel cuff bracelet that stopped midway to his elbow. Raising his sword, he glided it across, the metal scraping against it. It was obvious he was sharpening his sword as he turned to look towards Frederick, Chrom and Robin.
"I only knocked them out." He stated as he pointed his sword at them.
Marth took a step forward, immediately alerting them that he was on the move.
"Frederick, I trust you to take care of him?" Chrom whispered and Frederick nodded.
"Of course, my lord." The knight answered and turned his horse towards the boy.
"We'll take care of Marth." Robin says and the knight gives them a firm nod.
"Very impressive." Khan Basilio muttered as he stroked his chin, "The boy moved as if he was the wind itself. He easily took down three of the Shepherds. Looks like I may win this year after all!" He grins.
Of course, those of the west side were cheering and getting excited that they may win their bets. Khan Falvia gritted her teeth, feeling nervous as did the other Shepherds. Alm whistled and one of the gates open, loud neighs was heard as a gray stallion came running into the field. The boy quickly jumped and landed on the saddle, putting away his sword. He reached back and pulled out a gold colored elongated cone shaped lance with a very sharp tip that almost looked like a needle. Part of it was made of blue colored metal as he held the handle of it.
Frederick's eyes went wide as he recognized it. It was the very same lance he was wielding.
"Where did you get that?" Now the question Chrom said to Marth had come out of his lips as they prepared to charge.
It was a stare down. To them, they had closed off all sound around them, only focusing on each other. The air was becoming much tenser and they drowned out the battle between Chrom and Robin against Marth. Frederick narrowed his eyes, his body suddenly in a straight posture, the grip of his lance, tight.
"Oh...." Kellem flinched, "Frederick...he's getting serious..." Everyone on the balcony minus the Khan turned to him, shocked.
"That's...not a good sign." Sully much as she turned back to look at the field.
She knew what it was like to see when Frederick gets serious in a battle. It was terrifying.
The two males grabbed the reins of their horses at the same time. The horses neighed loudly as they got on their hind legs and then charged at one another. The lances pointed forward, crackles of lighting forming on them, making the hairs on Sophia's neck stand up. At the same time, Chrom and Marth lunged at each other.
SLASH!
A tense silence as Fredrick and Alm, 10 feet apart, opposites sides of each other, their lances still pointed forward as the silence only became more tense. It was the same case with Chrom and Marth. The silence lasted for another 2 minutes when...
Thump.
Both Alm and Marth, fell to the ground, defeated. Alm fell off his horse, the front of his armor had shattered, revealing the black shirt he wore underneath. For Marth, she nearly unconscious as they fell. Both prince and knight turned back to each other, nodding firmly. Still, Frederick was impressed just as his lord. Chrom's armor on his right shoulder blade was shattered as the armor on Frederick's chest. The crowd broke into cheers, the East side jumping in joy, some even hugging each other. Khan Falivia stood up from her throne, proud as she walked towards the balcony.
"Cough..." Lucina coughed but quickly spotted Alm's body on the ground, "ALM!"
She yelled and bolted over to him, not caring that the armor on her shoulder had also shattered because of the impact. She carefully picked him up, putting his arm over her shoulder.
"Yo..." Alm mumbled and gave her a weak smile, and the two looked up to see the trio of the east side.
"Impressive..." Marth mumbled, "If not surprising..."
"Hey...old man..." Alm smirked a bit as he looked over to Frederick, "Thank you...it's been.. long time since someone took me seriously." Before the trio could ask any more questions, they were warped away.
"That was an amazing performance! I haven't had my blood boiling in years!" Khan Basilio laughed while the announcer declared Khan Flavia the winner and now the ruling Khan of both the East and West.
"It was pretty impressive." Lysithea comments, "What do you think Sophia?" The girl froze as she saw how pale the woman looked.
A bead of sweat trickled down her cheek as she kept staring at the field with wide eyes.
There was no doubt about it. That boy...
[-]
"Done." With her void face and eyes, she stood up after checking the man's nether regions and had him put his clothing back on, "Good news. You can still breed." She says as she was writing down some notes.
"Bad news?" The man asked a bit nervously and she only gave him a small glance and then back to her notes.
"You can't have sex for a month and a half." And the man fell dramatically to his knees, screaming "NOOOOOOOOO!" like Luke Skywalker.
The thing is, he has a wife and the two have been wanting to start a family for a while. So, hearing this news obviously was bad for them. Sophia just shook her head and gave him a bottle of pills.
"Take one each day. It'll help you heal faster. If you take it each day for the next two weeks, you should be healed by the end of this month." She says as the man nodded but whimpered.
Another sigh left her lips as she walked out the room and saw the others giving the door to the other room looks of pity. Sophia looked over to the table and saw the box of medical supplies she brought earlier, a few of the supplies missing. Her eyes became half lidded as she left the West side training pit and began to walk to the East side to treat the others. Lysithea will be finishing the rest on the west side. Sophia's thoughts were in a whirlwind right now. Having watched the fight, too many things were different. First, the battle of mirror weapons should have only been between Lucina and Chrom. Now, with Alm in the picture, it was him and Frederick. There was no doubt about it.
"Alm is Frederick's son..." Sophia thought as she made a turn to the right hallways and put on her hood and black veil to hide her identity.
She arrived at a wooden door and knocked. Shuffling was heard and the door opened, revealing a young boy with a metal pan on his head, dressed in blue, brown slacks.
"Umm...can I help you ma'am?" Donnel asked and Sophia spoke softly.
"I'm the medic in charge of the arena clinic. I came to check on the warriors after I finished healing the others on the west side." She says.
"Oh! Come in!" Donnel quickly moved and allowed Sophia to come in.
The training pit of the east was the same as the others, minus less people. The Shepherds were gathered around and turned to see her.
"I came to heal them." She says as she saw Lissa, Miriel and Vaike still out cold while Frederick had the top of his armor removed along with his shirt.
It was a pretty bad bruise and most likely was the same case with Alm. She noticed Chrom's shoulder was also bruised while Robin had a few scratches and cuts.
"Well, time for work." She thought and walked to an empty table where she placed her bag.
Opening it, she took out three jade stones and had time to float over Lissa, Miriel and Vaike. Everyone watched silently as they observed, some sort of projection like screen appeared in front of Sophia along with four more. During her time in training with Lysithea, Sophia wanted to develop a magic formula that could help her analyze her patients, like the screenings from her old world. With some helpful notes that Henry gave her a few months ago with the help in creating the formula from Lysithea and surprisingly some advice from Felix, she was able to develop a projection spell. She looked at the words that were appearing in English and began speaking.
"No broken bones. Only bruises. The boy only knocked them out. Do you all still have the medical supplies that were sent in earlier today?" She asked and Sumia quickly picked up the box, "Good. When they wake up, have them drink two of the small bottles with the pink liquid. It will heal the bruises as well has any they have internally." She instructed.
"I...never heard of vulnerary doing something like that." Robin muttered and Sophia chuckled.
"That's because it's made in a similar formula to match the one from my homeland." Sophia smirked underneath her veil while Chrom spoke.
"You are a foreigner?" He asked and she nodded a bit.
"Yes. I come from beyond Valm. Anyhow," she walked over to Frederick, "your turn."
"It's you..." she heard him whisper as she placed her hand on his stomach.
The muscle was well toned, and she could see the four pack was exposed despite knowing there are two more underneath the armor. A speck of pink appeared on his cheek because it was most likely he was not used to being touched.
"Magic...tch." she says and looks up to him, "Tell me about your lance. Now." Her voices held authority.
Frederick looked over to Chrom and the prince nodded.
"Sigh...The Emperor's Lance is a relic that has been passed down in my family for 300 years. It was said to once belong to an emperor from overseas. When he passed away, his lance disappeared. On an expedition done by my family, it was found hidden deep in the mountains of Ylisse. The magic in it only activates by the will of the wilders. In this case me...it's meant to stun but also pierce through one's armor." He explained and Sophia nodded.
"Any effects that prevent healing?" She asked and he shook his head.
"Not that I know of." He answered and she nodded a bit.
"Well, I have unfortunate news for you." She looked up to him, if she wasn't wearing her veil, the two would be looking directly at each other's eyes, "That lance had lighting magic and has stunted the magic veins on your stomach, stopping any form of healing." And the room exploded.
"What do mean the lance has that kind of power?!" Chrom yelled in a panic tone and Sophia just waves her hand, dismissing him.
"Relax. I can restore his magic flow on his stomach. It's the same thing as acupuncture." And everyone looked at her confused.
"What's that?" Stahl asked and Sophia smirked.
"Would you all like an explanation? Or a demonstration?" She says and for some reason, everyone shivers.
She went to her bag and pulled a small flat metal box, and opened it, turned towards the others, showing what was inside. It was safe to say, everyone suddenly felt dread towards Frederick. There are needles inside that box.
"And we are done." Frederick quickly tried to stand up to leave but Sophia quickly walked back to him, pushing him down (Oolala-SLAP!).
"Not on my watch." She said and pointed to the empty bed, "Now go lay down, face up. And if you even try to escape..." a water bubble formed next to her and Aqua burst out of it, giggling mischievously, "The fae will help me tie you down."
"Someone who connects directly to the fae?!" Robin gasped as many had surprised looks.
While Frederick internally cursed but did as instructed, the other three woke up. Just to keep people from cringing and sparing their eyes, Sophia pulled the curtains so she could do this peacefully. It was obvious to her the man wasn't happy learning that needles were about to stick into his body, but it had to be done. She was glad she took the book from Plegai that taught how to create magic tools. It was fun and exciting learning more about magic. It felt like she was learning about biology and chemistry all over again. So, the combination of science and the magical arts was her greatest weapon now in this world. She hummed a small tune as she placed cream in Frederick's stomach and from the other side of the curtain, she could hear Lissa, Miriel, and Vaike waking up. Unfortunately, the racket was getting louder so Aqua screamed for everyone to shut up. Miriel went into geek mode seeing the vodyanoi, whipping out her notebook to take down notes. Unfortunately for her and everyone else, they could not understand the language of the fae. Sophia could hear Aqua talking smack about them and desperately trying to laugh.
"The needles are now in, connected with a thin wire." She muttered and picked up two metal clips and put one on the first and last needle.
"What are you doing?" There was a hint of fear in his eyes and suddenly the curtains opened and Miriel came in.
"Forgive me for interrupting but Prince Chrom told me you are using needles to heal Sir Frederick! I wish to see this demonstration myself!" The woman looked literally excited and Sophia quickly covered Frederick's eyes, forcing him to sleep.
The reason was to spare the man the embarrassment of having two females watching him get healed. Not to mention they two of them were going to go into full geek mode talking.
[-]
Explaining how the acupuncture method works as well as using a very weak amount of lighting magic to allow a current to pass through the wire to help the muscles work again, was surprisingly fun. Too bad everyone else that was outside the curtains either had looks of curiosity, confusion, or horror. Miriel was fun to talk to that the two of them clicked instantly. They sort of have similar personalities but also likes, which made things like talking to each other easier. Miriel had many more questions about the medical methods Sophia knows but the blue haired woman had to go. Thankfully, the mage understood and told her if she ever has the chance, to come to Ylisse, to the magic academy they have there. That she would make a wonderful professor there. Once she finished healing Frederick, she went to heal Chrom. Thankfully, the bruise on his shoulder was healed easily with the vulnerary she had him drink. Everyone thanked her and she waved them goodbye. She noticed Robin wanted to talk to her more as did everyone else, but Sophia chose to quickly leave. She admits, part of her wants to interact with them all. For some reason, they all made her feel like she belonged with them. But Sophia knew if she stayed with them, things would go bad. She didn't want that.
Currently, Sophia was packing her things away that were in the clinic. Felix and Lon'qu went with Khan Basilio to meet the Shepherds at the arena. Sophia already knew that Basilio would give them Lon'qu to join the Shepherds as a form to show the Alliance of Ferox and Ylisse.
"But Felix also." Lysithea muttered as she was packing her belongings also.
"Well, that's unexpected." Sophia answered as the violet haired woman finished.
"I'm going to head to our inn and finish packing our things. I'll see you later tonight at the celebration!" Lysithea grins and waved goodbye, closing the door behind her.
Sophia let go of a sigh once the girl was gone and stood still for a moment, then she felt it.
"You two can come out now." She muttered and from the shadows, emerged Lucina and Alm.
She turned to them and saw Lucina's shoulder was bruised, like Chrom's and it was mostly the same case with Alm, just like Frederick.
"On the bed." She ordered and they obeyed.
She went to lock the door first and the two went to sit on opposite beds.
"Jacket off along with the scarf." She instructed Lucina and the girl gave her a small nod, removing her jacket.
She wore a plain white tank top underneath and Sophia saw the nasty bruise on her right shoulder.
"And Alm, do the same but take off your shirt completely. Keep the mask on if you want. Same with you Lucina." Sophia says as she opens her bag to take out the acupuncture needles and magic tool.
Alm frowned but did as he was instructed, since she was going to treat him first. Even without the mask on, Sophia could see the physical similarities between Frederick and Alm. It was interesting but what made her raise her eyebrow a bit was that his body was covered in scars. A clear diagonal slash was made on his chest, barely missing the heart. That was a thin one over his stomach, where the bruise is. And one on his shoulder, where he was most likely pierced by an arrow or lance. Lucina's arms had thin scars but the bigger one was the one on her right shoulder, where the bruising was. It looked like a cut made from a sword.
"You're staring." Both commented and Sophia blinked.
"Sorry. Scars made by the Risen?" She asked and they nodded.
Alm laid down on the bad and Sophia began putting the needles. She heard him wince a bit and from the corner of her eyes, saw Lucina cringing. Guess it wasn't the first time they saw her do this.
"Frederick huh?" She suddenly says and Alm went tense as she finished putting in the needles, "So he's your old man."
"Got a problem?" Alm growled and she shook her head.
"Why would I have a problem?" She says as she activated the magic tool and very weak currents of electricity flowed into the needles, "Part of me wants to ask who your mother is but I'll keep my bets to myself." She says as she saw the muscles twitching a bit.
She was betting his mother was either Cordelia or Cherche.
"Hpmh." Alm grunts as she has him remain still and she walked over to treat Lucina.
Walking to the blue haired girl, Sophia saw she has a single streak of silver colored hair, most likely inherited from Robin.
"Is Morgan well?" Sophia asked and Lucina's lips became a thin line.
"I don't know...We were all separated when we arrived. I thought you were also asking about Margert as well." Lucina says as Sophia applied a cream on her shoulder.
"Margret?!" Sophia yelled and Lucina screamed when her bone was put back into place, "Oh, shit! Sorry!" And she quickly used healing magic.
"You sound like you don't know that my mother had twins." Lucina huffed as Sophia finished and grabbed her coat to put back on.
"I didn't!" Sophia screeched as she went back to Alm to remove the needles and used healing magic to make the bruise go away.
"Wait...seriously...?" Alm says as both looked at her surprised as he put on his shirt.
"Just because I know the future doesn't mean I know every detail about it!" Sophia huffed as she cleaned the needles and put them away.
"Anyhow," she sighs, "you both should be well now. Be safe and careful." She said and handed them each a small box wrapped in a blue cloth.
"What's this?" Lucina asked and Sophia gave them a small smile.
"Medical supplies. You both need it for your journeys." Sophia muttered and both were silent but accepted it.
They turned to leave but Sophia spoke.
"I'll keep an eye out for the twins and the others. Be safe you two." She muttered.
The two went silent, giving her a small glance before they warped away.
[-]
It's been hours since the battle and Sophia managed to snatch a good portion of food from the celebration feast before the others spotted her. Especially Robin. The tactician desperately looked like she wanted to talk to her but Sophia avoided her each time. Right now, her and Lysithea were loading their things in their bags, ready to leave. However, Sophia's mind was a bit of a mess for now. First, Frederick has a son. The main question is who his mother is. Next, she learned that Robin gave birth to not only Lucina, but twins also. Meaning male and female Morgan. However, in this world, Morgan is the male and Margret is the female. She wondered if it was possible that there may be more children she may not know of.
"So, back to Plegai?" Lysithea said as she munched on a cake pop.
"Yes and no." Sophia suddenly said as the girl looked at her surprised.
"What do you mean? It's still July and the sandstorms become nightmarish in August and September!" The girl pouts and Sophia shake her head.
"What I mean to say is, there is a town I want us to stop at. It's near the borders of Plegai. Should take us two months to get there..." Sophia muttered.
"What's the name of the town?" Lysithea let out a sigh.
"Themis." Sophia answered and Lysithea thought for a moment.
"I know that town. I have been there a few times. I must admit, the nobles there aren't so bad, and the town is well known for its fields of sugar cane. Alright. But before that, we have a visitor." Lysithea points behind her and hears someone on the door knocking.
"Delivery for Sophia Zoni?" And Sophia began groaning that her last name was pronounced wrong.
The woman went to the door and opened it, revealing a Ferox delivery man.
"I'm Sophia." She says and the man nodded.
"Hello! Got a package for ya! Pretty heavy too!" And he handed her a parcel.
Sophia thanked them and closed the door, heading to her bed where she placed it.
"What is it?" Lysithea asked and was getting excited as she watched Sophia unwrap it.
Inside of it, were two circular 12 inches wide leather sheaths. The designs on it were beautifully made and Sophia saw the ruby and emerald embedded onto it. Carefully unbuttoning the strap and opening it, inside were two chakrams that were 11.8 inches wide. The design of it, one was made to have the image of the moon, the other the sun. With colors of red, gold for the sun, and silver and black for the moon. She also saw a 12-inch dagger in its sheath and took it out. The handle of it was made to the shape of a dragon while the blade was made to look wavy but was very much solid and strong. A red blood colored jewel was in the center of the handle. And the blade itself, was etched writing on it.
"Look, there's a note." Lysithea picked a letter and handed it to Sophia.
The woman opened it and began reading its contents.
Thank you, Lass, for giving me the freedom to forge these weapons. I took many liberties and made it perfect for someone like you. The chakrams and dagger were made from the material you gave me but also from rare materials that were recently imported in. The chakram is made from Wootz and Umbral Steel, which is very difficult and dangerous to obtain in the mountains of Ferox. It was also made with ores from Valm. As for the dagger, for some reason the image of a dragon came to my mind when I was designing it. This dagger was made using Arcane Crystals, Vemonstone and a new type of metal called Agarthium. Very interesting material. While testing the weapons for their durability, I noticed that any dents made would heal themselves. I was able to confirm with a mage that a few of the materials I used do have magical properties. As for the gems, I decided to make them part of the sheaths that protect your weapons. I couldn't bring myself to use them for building the blade themselves. I could tell by the look on your eyes they hold great significance.
Lass, I hope you put these weapons to good use and use and take care of them well. It has been a long time since I've felt proud of forging a weapon. May Naga watch over you on your journey.
- Zoltan.
Sophia tried to keep her lips from quivering but nodded as a warm smile came on her lips as she closed the letter, holding it to her chest.
"Thank you..." she whispered and turned to Lysithea, "Let's get going."
Lysithea chose not to ask anymore because she could tell that Sophia was genuinely happy as she equipped the chakrams on her waist. The sun on the right and the moon on the left. The dagger she strapped onto her thigh, underneath her pants.
"Have you said your farewells?" Sophia asked Lysithea as they left the inn and to the stables.
"There is no need to." Lysithea grins as they got their pegasus out of the stalls, "I'll see them again soon."
Sophia nodded as they mounted their pegasus and took off to the sky.
The wind today felt easier to breath in.
- Plegai -
"So, how has our investigation team done with the rumors?"
The room held a dark look as the warriors of Plegai, some shivered in fear as the man sitting on the black marble stone, drummed his fingers on the edge of the throne. Pale tan colored skin, crimson spiky hair. Crimson eyes that held a bored look as they looked down at the people beneath the stairs. His yellow colored cape he wore along with black clothing with a bit of gold. His boots were pointy like a jester, but he was anything but that. General Heriot let go of a sigh and spoke, looking up to his king.
"King Gangrel, our troops and mages have been able to pinpoint where the rumor began. It came to Hydred Village. The villagers spoke of a woman who could heal the people without the use of magic as well as that she is a foreigner. That she comes from a land beyond Valm." General Heriot said as Gangrel narrowed his eyes.
"If I may speak," the audience turned to see Validar enter with Aversa next to him, "your report also said that rumors have also spread to not just around Plegai but also Ferox and Ylisse. We are lucky that the rumor originated here in our country but the fact they have spread farther than our borders is a joke!" He hissed as Aversa tried to maintain a neutral face.
"This woman..." Gangrel's sickly and irritating voice spoke, "Is being hailed a saint by the people of all three nations. If the rumor spreads to Valm, we will have an even bigger problem. So, what exactly has this woman done other than heal and treat our citizens?" He questions with a cold tone.
"Medicine." Aversa spoke, "I had one of my spies investigate the black market. It seems this... woman named Raven along with rumor of a saint appearing, both originated here in Plegai. One, the woman named Raven sold medicine of high quality. Unlike anything we have ever seen before. Many have tried to replicate the recipe of one of the medicines, but all have failed. This woman possesses knowledge. It seems they are one of the same." She smiled coyly.
All the mages had their interest instantly peaked. Knowledge was what all mages lust after. If this woman possesses knowledge that is unknown...
"So, I propose this." Validar smirked, "Let us find this woman before the Exalt or even the Khans get their hands on her. It is obvious the spirits of our people have greatly improved since this woman has appeared. Villages are thriving once more. The mortality rate has greatly reduced since she has distributed medicine through her travels. This woman...could be a key to us winning the war against Valm." He chuckled.
Gangrel smirked as he stood up from his throne and extended his hand towards the people.
"By my order, find the Saint of Archanea and bring her before me!" He ordered.
"Yes sir!" The mages and warriors yelled and began to leave.
A bead of sweat trickled down Henry's cheek as he turned to walk away. He wanted to get away from this place immediately. This was what he was worried about. Sophia getting dragged into the affairs of a country she had no part of. At the same time, it was his fault for making her work to help the people of the village. Once she and Lysithea return, he for sure is going to make sure the two of them pack their things and leave Plegai. Lysithea because she's been in a war, but Sophia...the woman may have seen death, but her eyes do not know the horrors of war. He can tell...Sophia is hanging on barely by a thread. If one were to break the shield, she has around herself...he doesn't even want to imagine it. For some reason, the image of Sophia covered in blood, surrounded by dead bodies made him want to hurl for some reason. No...that image did not fit her.
"So."
He stopped and hid behind a wall. He could see a group of mages speaking to a battalion of assassins.
"Your job is to infiltrate the Ylisse palace. When the time comes for you all to complete the job, an owl will arrive with the instructions. That is all." The leader of the mages said as he handed them each a bag of gold coins. Henry gritted his teeth. He knew where this was heading.
"Well...looks like I have to talk to THAT person. Nyhahaha!"
Chapter 8: Mirror Weapons