"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"Master Validar please! We don—GAH!" the man was cut off when his chest suddenly burst open as a blast of miasma tore through him. The other priests cowered in fear, none of them daring to move a muscle and risk suffering the same fate.
The high priest turned his attention to one of the shaking men, "WHERE IS SHE?!"
"W-We don't k-know!"
"AND WHERE IS IT?!"
He swallowed nervously, "w-we left it with her. W-We were unsure how to pro—"
The man never finished his sentence, as with a quick blast of dark magic Validar blew his head clean off his shoulders.
"SEAL ALL EXITS! SHE CAN NOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE TEMPLE! FIND HER! FIND HER NOW! BUT BRING HER TO ME ALIVE! I WILL BE THE ONE TO ENACT HER PUNISHMENT, AND NO ONE ELSE!"
"Just a little more. Don't worry, we'll be out of here soon,"she whispered to the small bundle that she was carrying in her arms. She looked out from behind the pillar she was hiding from, making sure to still be concealed in the shadows as much as possible, in order to make sure that the coast was clear. She knew that she didn't have much time left. By now Validar would have found out what she had done, and if he found them...
She held the bundle against her chest, Nothing will happen to you. I swear it.
She dashed from behind the pillar and across the room, pressed up against the wall next to the door at the other end. Slipping out a dagger from her robes, she knelt down and slid it under the gap between the frame and the floor, using its blade to check both sides of the hallway. Once she confirmed that there was no one patrolling the hall, she pocketed the blade and quickly made her way past the door before continuing, always making sure to stick to the shadows as much as possible.
Almost there. Soon this will all be behind us.
"YOU!"
She turned around just in time to see a blast of dark magic heading her way; she ducked, clutching the bundle tightly against her chest as she felt the wall behind her burst, debris and dust raining down on her. Looking up she saw Valida standing before her, his hand still coated in dark miasma and his eyes filled with murderous rage.
"I found you," he seethed through his teeth.
"Validar," she said simply, keeping her composure without breaking eye contact with him while slowly getting up.
Validar outstretched his other hand towards her, "hand it over."
She clutched the bundle.
"That was not a request. Hand it over. NOW."
"And what will you do if I refuse? Kill me?"
"I will kill you regardless. Right now your compliance will only ensure that I make your death quick and relatively painless; every second you refuse to give it to me is another hour of unimaginable agony that I will add to your execution. Now, hand it over."
"Why do you want him? He's not the vessel you want, and he will never be. So why don't you just let us leave?!"
"Because I refuse to have my blood coursing through such an utter failure!" he hissed, "for generations we have been preparing for the day of Lord Grima's return with the perfect vessel. Centuries of selective breeding, magical tampering, blood culling, and ritualistic sacrifices, all of that for naught because of YOU."
She didn't respond.
Validar clenched his hand, his rage beginning to build up inside him again, "all of my work, my father's work, his father's work...all gone. We...I was so close, I know it. I finally had a perfect vessel within my grasp, one worthy enough to ensure the return of Lord Grima and bring forth the destruction of this wretched world. Now, because of your meddling, who knows how long it will take for us to create another vessel for the fell dragon. For that, you will pay; and I will personally make sure that your last moments in this world feel like an eternity of pain and suffering."
"Stay back!" she pulled out the dagger from her robes and held it up against Validar.
The high priest sneered, "please, as if you could do anything to harm me. I know you used all of your magic to tamper and ruin my life's work. You may have succeeded in delaying the inevitable, but you will not be leaving this temple alive. You and that failure will die here and by my hand."
"You will never lay a finger one him."
"You say that as if you had any choice in the matter," Validar responded raising his magic coated hand at her, "I promise you that not only will I take that from you while you still breathe, but I will make you watch as I personally destroy and remove it from this world, just like you did with all my hard wo—"
Validar was cut off by the sound of a loud explosion somewhere in the temple, followed by an aftershock strong enough to shake the entire building. Before either one of them could say anything, the sound of war horns and screaming reverberated through the walls.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" someone could be heard yelling from down the hall.
"What?! Who would dare attack—GAH!" the priest screamed in pain as he felt the cold steel of a dagger slide in between his ribs.
"You let your guard down."
She let go of the weapon and stepped away from the now kneeling man clutching his side in order to stop the bleeding. Eyes blazing with searing hatred, he raised his hand once more, ready to tear her chest open with a concentrated blast of miasma.
Nothing happened.
Shock spread through his face as he tried calling forth his magic again and again, all with the same result.
How?!
"You were wrong Validar: I didn't use the last of my magic to destroy all your life's work;. I used it on that dagger," she said coldly. Eyes going wide with realization, Validar reached down and grabbed the hilt of the dagger, attempting to pull it out, only to find it wouldn't budge.
"You...YOU!" Validar seethed, lunging at her and managing to grab her leg, only for her to deliver a swift kick across his face before making a run for the exit.
"I WILL FIND YOU! NO MATTER WHERE YOU RUN, I WILL FIND YOU!
She kept on running, ignoring Validar's screams and cradling the bundle in her arms. Upon reaching the courtyard, she saw that the temple was indeed under attack. Soldiers clad in blue and silver armor were swarming in the building, overrunning all the priests and dark magic users with their sheer numbers and military might. The air was filled with the sound of people screaming and the smell of blood. Realizing that this was her only chance of getting away, she rushed through all the chaos, hoping that the soldiers were too busy fighting off the dark casters to notice her running through.
She was suddenly tripped by someone, barely managing to pivot her body so she wouldn't fall face first and instead landed on her side. Looking up she saw a knight in full armor looming over her with a bloody spear raised at the ready.
"All Grimleal must be purg—GAAAH!"
A large fireball hit the man, causing his armor to burst into flames. He screamed and flailed in agony, stumbling backwards onto the ceremonial banners bearing the mark of Grima; the banners soon caught fire and began spreading to the temple, adding more chaos and confusion to the fray. Scrambling to her feet and doing her best to ignore the smoke burning her eyes and throat, she made her way towards the exit.
Almost there.
Just a little more.
YES!
She burst out of the temple, the immediate contact with the dry, cool night desert air causing her to break out in a coughing fit. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she looked back and saw that smoke was beginning to come out of the temple. The stone structure would not catch fire, but everything inside would; it would cause the soldiers to leave the temple soon enough, meaning that she didn't have much time left. Taking one last breath of the cool air, she started running. She had to get as far away from the temple, and as far away from Plegia as soon as possible.
If I keep keep going south, I could reach the border by daybreak and then cross into—
"S-Stop right there!"
She froze.
"N-Now turn around you...you g-grimleal scum!"
Gripping the bundle tightly, she slowly turned around at the source of the voice, only to find a young boy holding a sword that seemed too big for him. He wasn't wearing armor, but he was wearing a tunic bearing the same emblem that the knights had.
"D-Don't t-try anything funny!" he said, his voice cracking slightly, "I am u-under orders to capture you, but I will k-kill you if you resist!"
She took a step closer, "child—"
"I said no funny business!" he yelled, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.
"It's okay, I don't wish to cause you any harm," she reassured him.
"T-Then stay where you are."
"...I can't do that; I have to leave."
"No! Y-You stay right there until one of the knights arrives!"
"We both know that if I do that, they will kill me on the spot."
The boy swallowed nervously. He knew that what she was saying was true, and he had no idea how to respond without making the situation worse.
"Listen to me: I simply wish to leave and get as far away from this place as possible. I do not wish to cause anyone harm."
"Y-You're lying! The Grimleal are evil! You want nothing more than the return of the fell dragon Grima and bring forth the destruction of the world! Human lives mean nothing to you, you'd sacrifice the innocent just to further your goals; that's why, as a future knight, it is my duty to stop you here and now!"
She didn't respond at first.
"How old are you?"
"T-That's not important!"
"You seem young; young enough to be my child even."
"I'm old enough," he said indignantly, his cheeks slightly flushed, "old enough to be a squire. Old enough to fulfill my duty for the protection of my country. Old enough to kill if I must."
"I can see that; I have no doubt that you would drive that sword through my chest if you had too," she said somberly, "I can see it in your eyes. You have that look of determination that can only be found on those who have committed themselves fully to a higher cause. You've been told that the Grimleal are a threat to the world that they wish for nothing more than the death of those who would stand in the way of the resurrection of Grima, that they are a vile plague that must be purged from this world; and you are right. I only wish I could have seen that myself sooner."
The boy blinked confused, but continued to hold up his sword.
"What you said before was true, I am part of the Grimleal. I was born into their ranks, having no choice in the matter myself. My parents were part of the "grand design" to bring back the Fell Dragon, and I was the result of their work. I can't explain it, but for some reason I was the final piece of the centuries long plan to bring back Grima."
"I was never told the exact details of the plan. I simply carried myself as another priestess in service of the Grimleal. Then one day the high priest himself called for me, making me his own personal protege; however, it soon became clear that he wanted more from me. He began to court me, to tell me how I was different from the others, how he felt that it was fate that brought him together. It was all nothing but lies, all part of the Grimleal's grand design; and I fell for it, all of it."
"When I found out the truth, what the high priest was actually doing, and what would happen if his plan was carried through I realized that everything I had come to believe was a lie. I felt empty and, more importantly, completely alone. So much so that, if it were just my life that would be lost because of the Grimleal's grand design, I would have just gone with it without fighting back; but that wasn't the case," she said, holding the bundle tightly.
"What's that?" the boy pointed his sword at the ready.
"Come here and I'll show you."
The boy didn't move.
"This isn't a trap. Like I said, I have no desire to harm you or anyone else; perhaps if you see what I'm carrying, what I must take away from this place, then perhaps you will believe me." She got down on one knee so that she could be at his level.
The boy swallowed nervously, unsure if he should trust her or not. Then, slowly, he took a step towards her. Then another. Then another. Cautiously—and still pointing his sword at her—he made his way towards her, up until the sword was almost touching her arm.
"That's close enough; no funny business," he warned.
She nodded, reaching up and pulling down one of the layers of cloth wrapped around the bundle. Peering forward, the boy saw a baby with tanned colored skin sleeping peacefully within the wraps.
"A baby?"
She smiled, "my son. He was born today."
"I-I don't understand. What does he have to do with the Grimleal's plan to bring back the Fell Dragon?"
Her smile vanished, "Nothing. At least not anymore. The fate that awaited him was one that shouldn't be forced upon anyone, much less to an innocent child. So I made sure that his life would not be tied to that monster. I had to give up most of my magic for it, but it was a small price compared to my child's freedom; which is why I'm asking you to please let us go. Even you must know that a child should not have to pay for the sins of its parents, even if they are Grimleal."
"...is he really not a part of the plan to bring back Grima?"
"No, he is simply my son; and like any other mother, I will never let anyone use him as some tool, much less one to bring back the Fell Dragon."
"What's his name?"
"Pardon?"
"If he really is your son, then he must have a name right?"
She nodded, "of course. His name is—"
"SQUIRE! SQUIRE WHERE ARE YOU?!"
They both froze at the sound of someone calling out for the boy. She covered the baby again, giving the squire a pleading look to let her go. The boy's mind was racing, unsure if he should help the woman or even if he could without getting in trouble himself.
Then it hit him.
"Ah….AHHHHH! T-THE PAIN!" he howled, letting go of his weapon before clutching his chest and writhing around in the sand. It took a moment for her to realize what the boy was doing. With a quick "thank you" under her breath, she sprinted away into the night.
"What the—SQUIRE?! What has happened to you boy?!"
"Ghhhh!" he kept writhing around as if he were in pain, trying to hold the knight's attention as long as possible. After a few more minutes, he stopped and let out an exaggerated gasp, panting and still holding his chest.
"What happened?!"
"I-I was attacked. By one of those Grimleal. He cursed me as he was getting away—"
"WHAT?!"
The boy felt the knight grab his shoulders and hoist him up roughly until they were at eye level.
"You let one get away?!"
"I-I couldn't h-help it! They surprised me and then they cursed me and—"
"That's no excuse!" the knight yelled as he started shaking him, "We stationed you and the others out here to make sure that none of those demons escaped the perimeter! What's the point of trying to rid the world of these vile beings if they can just slither away and plot their return because of your incompetence?! You useless, spineless—"
"That's quite enough."
The knight gasped and let go of the squire, who landed face first on the sand. Groaning in pain, he looked up and saw the knight standing at attention at another man, one who wore a unique set of silver and blue armor that matched his blue hair and beard.
"Lord Marcellus, sir!" the knight saluted.
"At ease," the man dismissed him, his attention focused on the boy still on the ground.
The squire swallowed nervously, his body completely petrified in fear. Being reprimanded by the knights was one thing, but the exalted king himself? He had never even been this close to the exalted one before, let alone spoken to him.
The king knelt down and extended his hand towards him, "here, allow me."
The boy didn't move.
"Are you able to move? Or did that attack from that Grimleal render you unable to do so?"
"N-No sir," he took the man's hand and let him help him up. Once he was up, the exalt gave him a quick look over to make sure that there wasn't anything else wrong with him.
"You said that you were attacked with dark magic?"
"Yes sir," he mumbled, unable to look him in the eye.
"Speak up boy! That's the exalt Marcellus you're speaking to!" the knight barked.
"Enough," Marcellus said firmly, causing the knight to stop. Turning back to the boy, "now tell me, did you happen to see which direction that monster was heading towards?"
"I believe he was heading that way," he pointed at a random direction, different to that of where the woman from earlier had run to.
"You there; take some of our men and start scouring the area," he ordered the knight, "the fact that they didn't kill the boy means that they are either weak or wounded, and were more focused on escaping. If we act now we might still have a chance to eliminate those that slipped past the perimeter."
"Yes milord!" the knight saluted before taking a squad of knights with him towards the aforementioned area.
Once they were gone, the exalt turned back to the young squire, causing the boy to squirm under his gaze.
"I've heard a lot about you. The youngest person to ever pass the entrance exam to join the Knights of Ylisse, and already a squire at only 12. Tell me, what made you want to become a knight?"
"My father was a knight, sir. I simply wish to follow his example. And…" he stopped.
"Yes?"
For the first time, he raised his head and looked at the king, "and I wish to make it my sworn duty to serve my country and the royal family, even at the cost of my life."
"Is that why you volunteered for this mission?"
He nodded.
"Milord!" another knight approached them briskly, "we need your presence immediately. One of the platoons that was sent inside the temple has returned with a prisoner."
"I believe my orders were clear: kill any and all Grimleal we find. We have no use for prisoners."
"Sir, I think you need to see this one. We believe it might be the high priest himself."
"...is he subdued?"
"Yes sir. We don't know why, but it seems that he is unable to use magic at the moment."
"Very well. I'm on my way," he turned to young squire, "come with me."
The boy nodded, following the exalt back to the camp where they had been stationed. A group of soldiers—all there showing some signs of wear and tear in their armor—surrounded a tall, lanky man with spiky black hair and goatee, sporting a tattered and bloody robe. The man himself didn't seem to acknowledge the situation he was in, simply wringing his hands and muttering to himself the same thing over and over.
"Gone...all my work...gone…"
"We found this one surrounded by a large group of spell casters and priests. They were trying to sneak him out of the temple, and they fought like demons trying to protect him. We lost a lot of good men in the fight, but we managed to take them all out. During the fight, one of them called for this one to run away while they held us back, calling him "Lord Validar". We believe that he's the one we're looking for."
"And he didn't try to fight himself? From our reports, Lord Validar is not only the current leader of the Grimleal, but one of the most powerful dark mages in all of Plegia."
"When we found them, they were trying to remove that," the soldier pointed at the dagger still buried into Validar's side, "we believe that it may be the reason for his current state."
"I see. Still, be on the ready should he attempt anything," the exalt walked closer to the priest, who still didn't acknowledge him or anyone around him.
"High priest Validar."
The man kept muttering to himself.
"The exalt is speaking to you, Grimleal scum!" one of the soldiers hit the back of the priest's head with the pommel of his sword, causing him to fall to his hands and knees.
Gritting his teeth, Validar finally looked up and saw Marcellus standing before him; more importantly, he saw the emblem adorning his shield, causing his eyes to narrow and his blood to boil.
"You."
"So you know who I am," the exalt said calmly.
"You...you are a spawn of that accursed bloodline," the priest seethed, his hand clenching the sand beneath him, "your vile….despicable ancestor struck down our Lord Grima before he could fulfill his purpose. This world...this wretched world is what it is because of that harlot's meddling!"
"If you are referring to the first exalt that killed the Fell Dragon one thousand years ago, then I would advise you to head your words carefully," he said coldly.
Validar let out a bitter laugh, "you think Lord Grima was killed that day?! You fool, Lord Grima was merely put into a deep slumber while his power grew once more to its former glory. It gave it's blood to a selected few, a chosen bloodline to nourish and pass it down until the time was right. An honor that was carried out to perfection until...until…"
Validar paused, apparently having realized something.
"It was you…"
"What?"
"You...you were the one who manipulated her, weren't you?!"
"I do not know what you—"
"Do not lie!" Validar yelled, causing the knights to stand at the ready, "you somehow managed to fill her head with lies, you turned her against me, against Lord Grima! That was your plan all along, wasn't it?! You ruined my life's work, as well as the work of my forefathers! For that, you will die!"
With an inhuman shriek, Validar lunged towards the exalt aiming for his throat.
"Lord Marellus!"
Without hesitation, the exalt drew his sword and swung at the raving high priest so fast that the boy barely saw the blade. With a clean, shift motion, Validar's body crumpled to the floor as his head rolled a few feet away, the anger and hatred still etched upon his face.
The boy looked at the headless body stunned before turning his attention to the exalt, currently cleaning the blood from his blade. His breath was caught short when he realized what the exalt was holding in his hands.
"Falchion," he whispered under his breath; he never thought he would actually see the blade of legend with his own eyes.
Once the blade was clean, the exalt sheathed it once more and turned his attention to the knights, "how many were there inside the temple?"
"A couple hundred, sir."
"And did you manage to eliminate all of them?"
Silence.
"Answer me truthfully."
"A-Apologies, milord, but upon searching the temple we discovered secret passages and tunnels that lead out of the temple; some of them appear to go miles beyond the perimeter we established. We cannot say for certain that we eliminated them all."
"I see. It was wishful thinking hoping that we could eliminate these vermin with one fell swoop. Those that escaped must be heading towards the more populated cities in order to hide while they bide their time and build their strength once more."
"But milord, you killed the high priest himself and we managed to eliminate a substantial number of their congregation. Surely that must be enough?"
"No. These vile creatures will not stop until they succeed in reviving the Fell Dragon. As long as a single one of them still draws breath, this world and inhabitants will never know peace. Not as long as these demons lurk around the shadows, waiting for the chance to destroy everything we know and love. We cannot let a single one live; we must purge them all from this world, by any means necessary," he said coldly.
"Make sure that all the bodies inside are burned; nothing must remain but ashes. Once you are done with that, we head to Ylisse immediately. If the Grimleal wish to hide amongst the general populace, then we have no choice but to employ the Ylissean army and storm our way across the country, searching and destroying for any and all Grimleal scum."
"A war against Plegia sir? Will the other lords agree to deploying the troops for something like that."
"Their compliance is irrelevant. If they stand against us, then they might as well be helping the Grimleal, and will be charged for treason as such. Now then, you have your orders. Dismissed."
"Yes sir!" The knights saluted and marched towards the temple, one of them grabing the corspe of the high priest and taking it with them, most likely to burn it with the rest.
Marcellus suddenly felt someone tug his arm, "um...L-Lord Marcellus?"
Turning around he saw the young squire standing behind him, seeming very nervous.
"P-Pardon me sir but there is something I must tell you."
"Of course squire. What is it?"
"Well sir—"
The woman from before flashed in his mind.
"The thing is—"
I do not wish to cause anyone harm.
"I...I…"
He remembered the sleeping baby cradled in her arms.
"It's okay young one," the exalt said, pulling him from his thoughts, "I know what you are trying to tell me."
"You do?" he asked, feeling his heart pounding against his chest.
The exalt placed his hand on his shoulder, "you wish to volunteer for the upcoming campaign against Plegia. However, I'm afraid that I can't allow that."
"What?! Why?!" he asked, his thoughts of the woman gone.
"You are still too young, too inexperienced in the ways of war. I can tell that you know how to wield a sword, but you have yet to take a life with it. If you struggled with simply asking me this question, then how can you expect to fare in the battlefield?"
"I am not a craven!"
"I did not say you were. I can see that you have the making of a great knight in you; but that is not something that you can rush. I am sure that with time and dedication you will one day earn knighthood by your own merit, young one. I can see that you are talented, and you have the potential to make it as far as even the royal guard by the looks of it."
"You...you think so sir?"
He smiled at the boy, "call it a gut feeling, but I do. I can already see you protecting the exalted family like a true knight."
The boy smiled back at him, "t-thank you sire."
The exalt gripped his shoulder tightly, "I see a bright future for you, Sir Frederick."
Author's note: and we're back.
Hey guys. Been a while hasn't it? Last time I was here the world...I want to say "wasn't going to shit" but that wouldn't be the truth now would it? But, in a small bit of good news, I'm back. And with a new story.
Oh boy…
So yeah. No "To Change the Past" and no "The Ylissean and the Plegian." Those are still out of commission and will probably stay that way. No, THIS is a brand new story, and one that I will hopefully see to the end. The only "long fic" that I will be working on, and one that will be more "original" than my previous works. Not completely original, obviously, since it's still based on Awakening; BUT other than the characters and the setting, I can promise you that this will diverge almost completely from the cannon story. So basically, it's more like "The Ylissean and the Plegian" than "To Change the Past"; hell, I'd even go as far as calling it a "hard reboot" of the former since, as you may have noticed, we are going in the complete opposite direction this time: What if Robin DIDN'T grow up with the power of Grima in him? And this time, the focus will be on one pairing. Not just any pairing, but my Awakening OTP.
I can't promise that I will finish this. I want to, but the same could be said about my previous works, and we all know how those ended (that is to say, they didn't). All I can say is this: I will do everything I can so that this doesn't become the burden my other work became, so that it has a better chance of ending.
Glad to be back and, as always, leave any comments and critiques below and I will hopefully see you soon.