Mark led Dorcas into the inner sanctum of the ruined fort, listening to Dorcas apologize numerous times along the way.
"Really, if I had known none of this would have happened. This is all my fault. Natalie is gonna be so disappointed in me." His shoulders hung low, both of his axes now strapped to his back. He had taken off his cap and was nervously slapping it against his knee as the walked. Mark could hear his friends fighting through the hallways of the fort. He needed to rejoin them all soon.
"Listen, Dorcas, you don't seem like a bad guy, alright? Can you do me a favor and just pick your head up, and go the rest of the way yourself? When you're done you can help us hold them off and that should be plenty of payback ok?"
Dorcas looked at Mark gloomily but straightened up and nodded, "Yeah, if you say so. I'll try to be brief." Dorcas started walking into the depths of the fort by himself from that point on. Mark wasted no time in sprinting back towards the front. He hadn't seen any more raiders at the East entrance, so he decided to try and back up Florina at the West. First though, he wanted to survey the field. Finding a foothold in a broken section of wall, he slowly scaled his way to the roof. A little ways away was Wil, dutifully firing arrows at both the front and eastern entrances. Mark ran up to him and kneeled at his side.
"How's it look from up here?" Mark asked. Wil gave him a quick acknowledgment and continued his barrage as he spoke.
"Right now, most of them are at the front. Only a few of them have realized the condition of the eastern walls, but Florina is holding them off well. They can't get close enough to the wall to burst through yet. The front end is where the main bulk of their force is, including their leader. Kent and Lyn seem to be handling things, but Kent's skill off of horseback looks like it could use work." Nothing he said was much of a surprise to Mark, but now he was unsure where to lend a hand. Both sides seemed like they needed the help. After mulling it over for a minute, he tapped Wil's shoulder to grab his attention anew.
"I'm going to the West. Focus all of your attention on the front. Only descend if it would save a life." Mark said. Will nodded and ran more towards the front. Mark walked silently to the west side and peered over the wall. Several men with axes, and one or two archers were up against the wall, trying to push it down. Everytime they got closer though, Mark saw a thin spear peek out of the wall, making quick cuts and stabs until the men backed off. The wall wasn't looking great though, and Mark carefully watched his footing so as not to collapse the roof on Florina. He laid on his stomach and peered over the scene. No one saw him yet. Perfect. Reaching into his overcoat he pulled out his fire tome and flipped to the near end of the book. He quietly started to chant what he saw. This would take some time, but Mark didn't think he could take on this many people in a straightforward fight. The incantation itself was four and a half pages long, but he'd trained for this. His eyes darted across the pages, his mouth only muttering the slightest sounds so as not to be heard. He felt the floor of the roof against his stomach and chest rumble as the raiders crashed into the building over and over.
"S-Stay back!" He heard a meek voice through the cracks. It trembled with fear and the raiders grew ever more confident. Mark gulped and tried his best to read faster. Around his the air began to heat up, his coat giving off steam and rising slightly from the arcane energy pouring out of him.
"One more time and it'll crumble boys! Don't kill there girl, feisty little wenches like her will fetch a high price!" One of the men cried. Mark finished reading. The raiders charges and hit the wall, as Mark was stretching out his arm, ready. The wall fell, and with it the section of roof that Mark lay prone on. As he fell with the cool stone, he brought his legs below him, landing on the floor below. Florina jumped as he landed next to her. The raiders were just as surprised. As the stone fell around him, Mark pointed his arm through the now gaping hole in the wall and furrowed his eyebrows in anger.
"Not a chance." He yelled at the raiders forcefully, and released the fire from his arm. The blast from the pure energy shot him back against the wall, pinning him in the air as the field outside as well as the hallway he was in lit up like day time from the brilliance of the fire. He heard screaming, horrible, horrible screaming but he kept the flames coming. They licked at the stone, scorching it to hardened brick before just incinerating the edges all together. When he was out of power, he fell to the floor on his knees, sweat dripping from just about every pore on his body. He panted hard, slowly rising and looking at what he'd done. From the edge of the hallway until about seventy yards out, a straight column of the ground had disappeared, hardened clay taking its place in a two foot divet in the earth. Ash fell from the sky, settling on the torched ground and his clothes. The raiders had been completely erased. Mark looked at Florina who looked at him in fear. She kept looking back and forth, wide eyed between him and his carnage.
"I was just-" Mark started, but Florina shook her head.
"No, n-no, you don't have to justify it. You wanted to help me. You probably saved my life. It's just…" She looked out again and gulped. "... Kind of scary." She squinted out a few tears and wiped her eyes. "I-I'm a me-mercenary. The-these things d-d-don't bother me anymore…" She was clearly lying through her teeth. Most likely, she was more trying to convince herself rather than Mark. Mark slowly stood up and brushed off his coat. He looked at his tome just as a few of the pages burned to ash and fell to the floor. He put it away in its usual pocket. Before he could try to console Florina, he heard a distant horn and the sound of many units retreating.
He looked up at Florina, who was still shaking and staring at him. He felt like a freak. He probably was. "... Sounds like it's over. We should all get some rest." Mark looked closer and saw Florina had a bad cut across her thigh. He offered her a hand. "Here, I'll walk you over to-" Before he could even finished, Florina violently shook her head and ran, well, hobbled rather, away from him as fast as she could, using her spear as a walking stick. "... I have a vulnerary…" Mark said softly as he watched her disappear around the corner. Yup. He thought to himself, suddenly very tired. I really am a freak.
With a sour taste in his mouth, both from his actions and their impact on Florina, Mark slowly shuffled back the the inner part of the fort. He was the last one to arrive, and everyone else had already spaced out in the inner room. Lyn was holding Florina close in the corner as Florina cried softly into her shoulder. The cut on her thigh was gone, someone must of already treated it. When she saw Mark walk in she sniffled a little and scooted in even closer to Lyn. Lyn had a bandage on her forehead and another on her side. She gave Mark a knowing glance with nothing but sympathy in her eyes. Mark's dreary mood lifted slightly, but not much. At least one person understood. Wil was leaning against the back wall, his arms folded and one leg bent so that the foot was on the wall. He was unscathed, but his quiver was looking thin. Sain was still on the floor, but his eyes were open. He looked drearily at the ceiling. Kent was on one knee down next to him, recounting the events of the evening. Kent had the most injuries. His entire left arm was wrapped, his chest piece was off and the shirt he had on was full of rips and soaked in blood. His leg had blood running down it from an untreated injury on his side. Dorcas was sitting on a little wooden stool in the corner. His wife sat with him and was having a hushed conversation with him. He looked ashamed. Mark was beginning to wonder if that was his only look.
Mark decided to deal with their little legion's duo of knights first. Ironically in the worst condition out of everyone, they both seemed somewhat jovial.
"Oh yes, here is a detail you'll enjoy." Kent said to his companion. Sain grinned.
"Oh, do tell." Sain said.
"Our lady single handedly took down more than twenty of our assailants. It was a beautiful sight."
Sain sighed wistfully, prompting a cough or two. "Ah, I can only imagine." He said, dreamily. "Thank you Kent. You fill my head with such wonderful imagery."
Kent chuckled and shook his head. "Only because you're sick. If you weren't, I'd berate you for such thoughts." He tossed a quick look at Lyn to make sure they weren't being overheard. "But I'll allow it this once."
"Kent." Mark interrupted. Kent looked up at him, patted Sain on the shoulder, and stood up.
"Yes Mark, what can I do for you." He said, standing straight even with blood gushing out of his side.
"Take this, for a start." Mark handed him his last vulnerary. Kent pushed it back.
"This is nothing." Kent said.
"No it isn't." Mark said offering it again. "Take it. I insist." Kent still looked at it guiltily.
"I cannot. Please, give it to Lady Lyndis. She also suffered injuries."
"Take the damn potion Kent!" Mark yelled, letting his foul mood get the best of him. Everyone shot him a quick look, a raised eyebrow here and there, before going back amongst themselves. Kent remained unphased.
"Give it to my lady. Please." Mark stared him down. Kent remained unflinching.
"She's just going to tell me to give it to you." Mark said flatly. "And if that's an order, which it will be if I ask, we'll just be doing this again." Mark sighed. "Kent you're hardly standing. I'm sorry I yelled. Please, take the potion."
Kent looked at his feet before begrudgingly taking the vulnerary from Mark's hands. He raised it to his lips and drank. His wounds instantly began to seal themselves and he breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped his lips with his sleeve and bowed slightly, hand on chest. "Thank you, Mark. No apologies necessary. I know you are only looking out for all of us, and I truly do appreciate it." Kent straightened up again, the pain in doing so gone. "Was there anything else you needed?"
Mark shook his head. "No, not right now. In the morning though, if you wake up before me, try to find a place where we can all bathe. A good soak would do everyone some good right now. There must be a place somewhere. Any old place will do, just a place to wash off the dirt and grim."
"And ash?" Kent said, swiping a hand along Mark's chest and showing him his now pitch black fingertips.
Mark sighed. "Yes, and the ash." He said sadly.
Kent nodded. "It shall be my first task in the morning.
"Good, get some rest." Mark said. With that, Kent returned to Sain's side and continued his report.
"Hey, Mark. Can I talk to you for a second?" Wil said, beckoning him over. Mark walked over, careful to go the long way around in case Florina still didn't want to be around him.
"Yes?" Mark asked. He didn't mean to sound annoyed, but he did anyways.
Wil frowned. "You look down. I feel like that shouldn't be the case since we won." Wil said. "I think I've gathered why…" he gestured his head to Florina and Lyn in the corner, "...but you can't let that bother you. She's just timid. I saw what you did too, and I understand why you did." Mark gulped. Wil placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in a little closer. "Hey, listen don't worry about it. I'm sure it hurt you just as much as it did Florina. It can't feel good to just… erase people like that." That's an understatement. Mark thought. His sadness must have shown through because Wil looked him in the eye. "Hey, Mark, I know it probably felt incredibly gut wrenching to do that but you saved our lives. If the west didn't hold, the front would have been lost too. Most of us, if not all of us, would have died. You did it to save your friends. No one holds it against you."
"Florina does." Mark sighed, gently taking Wil's hand off his shoulder. "And I don't blame her either."
"No, she doesn't blame you!" Wil insisted. "If anything she's just really shocked you could even do that. I mean, I sure as hell was surprised." Wil's eyes lit up a little bit. "I mean, I just ran over to offer support because things were easing up big time at the front, and when I get there FWOOSH!" Wil pushed out an arm and made fire sound effects with his mouth. "I never knew anyone could do that. That's some seriously high level magic!" Wil dropped his arm and smiled. "I know it doesn't feel good to end lives but we're fighters, Mark. It's just the job.
"I'm a tactician." Mark said.
"Not even close." Wil said. He quickly backtracked. "Well no, you're a great tactician, but you're a fighter too! You have serious firepower that most people probably have to work their whole lives to achieve! And how old are you?"
"Twenty-two."
"Case and point." Wil returned to leaning against the wall. "I'm just saying Mark, you're better than you realize, and I'm damn happy I joined up with you all. I'm sure they're all happy that you're here too Mark. You saved our lives tonight. No one here hates you." With that, Wil finished his pep talk. Mark, unsure what to say for himself, just smiled meekly and turned away. Wil was surprisingly perceptive of the thoughts in Mark's head. He was sure his new found friends would be horrified by his actions, just as Florina was. Feeling new confidence in his actions for the night, he finally braved himself to go up to Florina and Lyn. When Lyn saw him approach, she quickly jumped up and brushed herself up.
"I'm going to get some air. There's too many people in this room right now." Lyn was a horrible liar. Mark was sure this was the main place she wanted to be right now, surrounded by friends. She just wanted to give Mark and Florina their chance to reconcile. Now "trapped" in the corner, Florina silently watched as Mark sat cross legged on the floor in front of her. She eyed him carefully.
"Hey…" Mark started, immediately trailing off. "I just wanted to… apologize… for earlier. It was legitimately the only way I could think to save you. I hope you can forgive me." He bowed his head and waited for a response. Eventually he heard a soft murmur. He lifted his head. "Um… come again?"
Florina took a deep breath and looked down. "I-I said it's ok. You just wanted to save me. I'm not mad. I'm j-just shaken." She sounded sincere. Mark began to feel a smile of relief play on his face.
"I-" He started. He stopped and smiled gently, calming himself as the weights on his shoulders quickly began to lessen. "Thank you." He said. He left it at that. He was sure she didn't want to spend more time with him right now, but the fact she'd already forgiven him was like its own kind of vulnerary. As he got up and left, Wil grinned at him and flashed him a thumbs up. Mark debated what to do next. He wanted to check in with everyone before they slept, and the only one left were Dorcas and his wife, and Lyn. Mark decided to quickly check on Dorcas.
"Hello Dorcas, Natalie." Mark said as he walked up to them. They quickly stopped their conversation. "Am I interrupting?" He asked politely.
Natalie shook her head. "No, Dorcas was just saying he had something he wanted to say to you." She eyed him silently. "Right dear?" She prompted.
Dorcas looked at his feet and sighed. "Y-yeah, um… I'm not really good with words, but sorry for tryin to kill you and all that." He scratched his stubble. Natalie gestured for him to go on. He sighed again. "And for saving me and my wife, I was wondering if you'd like me to tag along with you for now. Next job I take is gonna be an honest living but I've got nothing else to do while I search. If you'll have me my axe is yours for now." He glanced up at Mark. This was something he should consult Lyn about but he was pretty sure he knew what she would say.
"Of course. We would love to have you. Welcome to Lyndis's Legion. We'll probably have more battles down the road. I hope you're ready for that." Mark said, extending a hand.
Dorcas smiled and shook it as he rose to a standing position. "I know. It's the least I can do for what you've done for my family. I'll leave with you guys in the morning. I'm going to take Natalie to the closest town tonight and buy her stay at an inn with all the money I've got on me right now, so just wait for me I'll be back tomorrow in the morning, ok?" He asked.
Mark nodded. "Sure." He looked at Natalie and bowed. "It was nice to meet you Natalie. If we find anything for your leg I'll be sure to send it along with Dorcas when I send him back to you."
Natalie giggled. "Send him back in one piece, and you'll be more of a hero than you already are." Mark smiled at the couple and headed out of the fort. As he did he had one lingering thought. Heroes don't incinerate people.
Lyn was sitting against the stone of the front entrance, cleaning her sacred blade with a cloth and gently humming. She turned to Mark as he approached.
"Hello Mark." She said, smiling. "I trust everything went well with Florina?"
Mark nodded and sat down next to her, leaning his tired bones against the wall as well. "Yeah, she's forgiven me, somehow." He chuckled, the cool night air cooling down his still heated clothes and skin. Still, he thought, That's one hell of a spell. He had never used it in actual battle, and only ever once before now. The thought that it came to him so easily scared him a little. Together, he and Lyn sat in silence for a while. Eventually, Mark turned to her. "How did you and she meet anyways?"
Lyn sheathed her blade and laid it across her lap, "It was about six years ago. She was flying around the region we Lorca were in at the time and ran into some trouble with some local bandits. I saved her. She's made an effort to visit me for a few days at least twice a year." She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cool stone. "She was all I thought I had left. Then I met you." He turned her head and smiled at him sweetly. Mark blushed a little, feeling undeserving of her appreciation. "Hey, let me ask you something Mark." She said, shifting uncomfortably. "You don't… regret coming with me right? I know it took you off your path."
Mark laughed. "I never had a path. Beside's travelling with everyone is fun."
Lyn sighed and looked at the clear sky. "...I don't know if I believe you." Mark's heart sank a little bit. "Let me put it this way. When we first met you were more… care free, I guess." She pulled her knees to her chest, still not looking at him. "You would smile, we'd joke and laugh, we met Kent and Sain and you agreed to go on this quest with me and you just seemed… happier." She finally turned to him. "What's wrong, Mark?" Mark thought about how he'd been acting the past couple of days. He had taken on his role as tactician seriously, as he knew he should, but the pressure was changing him little by little. People not following his directions, Sain being near death, everyone getting hurt, it all traced back to his leadership. And part of that leadership was destroyed tonight, but horrifying Florina. He couldn't even bring himself to think of her the way he had the last few days. He felt like he'd destroyed that bridge with the same fire he used earlier. In other words, there wasn't a slight chance of that every happening now.
"I'm not sad. I'm probably happier than I've been in a while. I just feel a sort of pressure to succeed I never felt when leading the mag-" Mark bit his lip and looked away. "...Ignore that." He muttered. "It's just, in all my experience, I never had people in my army that I… really cared if they died or not." He shook his head. This was all coming out so wrong, he sounded like a heartless monster. Of course he cared if his former soldiers died, but they were faceless, in a sense. They didn't have any of the kind of connections that Mark had made with these people. "...It's hard to describe."
Lyn nodded in thought. "So you're scared you'll accidently send us to our deaths, is that it?" She asked quietly. Mark thought a chill go down his spine just at the thought. He'd never been able to piece it until now, but that was exactly what he was feeling. He never knew how important human connections could be until he'd met everyone. Now that he realized them, the thought of losing them, reverting back into the way things were, was a fate worse than death for him.
"...Yes." He said sadly. "I feel as though if I am not perfect, everything will crumble. A single death could split the group into pieces for all I know. Or even just serious injuries like Sains. At the end, that's my fault." He shifted onto his knees and fully turned to Lyn, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. "But what if something happens that I didn't account for. Anything and everything that happens on the battlefield is, at the end of the day, my fault. I can be my inability to rally my troops, my friends, it can be poor judgement that results in a death, it can be insubordination, anything. And as soon as I'm not needed anymore, or people don't trust me anymore, or whatever, then everyone will be gone and I'll be dying in some field again." He looked down. His hands were shaking. "And then, just like that, everything I'm realizing I always needed more of in my life would be broken, severed, destroyed however you want to call it! And what then!?" He shouted, looking back up at Lyn. "I…" He choked up. All his frustrations from the last few battles, the stress he'd been feeling came crashing down. "I don't want any of this to be over… ever." He finally said. He collapsed back against the wall. "I'm sorry. I'm alright. I just worry about these things." He said. Lyn was still quiet next to him. Maybe he poured out his soul a little too much. But didn't she say to him to talk to her at times like this? Did she mean it?
While he was lost in thought, he felt a soft embrace come from his side. Lyn was hugging him, smiling with her eyes closed. Mark paused for a moment before returning the hug. Finally Lyn spoke, "I'm not going anywhere Mark. Don't worry." She said. She broke the hug and stood up, a determined fire in her eyes. "Once we get to Caelin, I'm instating you as Head Tactical Advisor!" She said. Mark wanted to accept right away. He wanted to stay with everyone, but he knew he couldn't draw the attention.
"I can't. I need to keep traveling once this is done." Mark said.
"I haven't forgotten that." Lyn reassured. "I'll go with you! I'll be like when we first set out! We won't be hunted, we won't have to worry about positions of leadership, we can just travel. We can have everyone come with us too! Lyndis's legion can take on the continent by storm." She offered him a hand to help him up. "I promise. I'm sure my grandfather has a few years on him yet so we have time before I have to take over as marquess. I mean, I don't even know if I want to. I'd just as happily give up the position to travel with you Mark. I don't think you give yourself enough credit. You came to me at my lowest and picked me right up again. Let me do the same. What do you say?" Mark looking at her, speechless at her straightforward and honest nature. It shouldn't surprise him at this point, but it still did. Feeling better than he had since before the battle where Sain got his injury, Mark took Lyn's hand with a renewed purpose.
"Deal." He pulled her into one last hug. "Thanks Lyn." Don't feel a pressure to succeed, Mark. He thought. Just enjoy the time with your friends. The more you stress about saving them all, the more likely you are to make a mistake. Just do what friends do, he broke the hug and walked back into the fort with Lyn, And do everything you can to back them up.
A/N - I didn't realize how long this was until I was done. Wooooooops. Really feeling this story right now, especially since Mark's first little mini crisis is over. Now we can go back to fun loving, joking, less super serious Mark, which most of this story is going to be. Is Mark now going to be happy forever? Absolutely not, as he's got a lot more life to live. Also, I had an epiphany. Should I extend this story to FE6? Let me know your thoughts. Obviously that's a LOOOOOONG way off but I'm having a blast writing this story so far, and think it might be fun. Let me know what you guys think. Since I'm on such a kick for writing this so far this break, expect a few more chapters before school starts again. I'm thinking maybe even like, 6 before break is over. Hope you guys are hyped as I am. As always, thanks for reading and I'll see you all again soon. :D - Matt
