Aversa found herself seated in front of a large raised platform. She was bemused; it had been a long time since she had seen the inside of a courtroom. Gangrel and Validar were not huge proponents of fair trials, after all. She looked to the bench. A smaller shape wore a black robe much too large for them. They slammed the gavel down, and Aversa got a clear look at her face.
"Morgan?" She asked, squinting at her, "What are you doing up there?"
"Silence!" Morgan cried out, slamming her gavel again. "Now begins the trial of Auntie Aversa!" A jury of equally eager Morgans chattered amongst each other. Aversa squinted again. A … jury of Morgans? "You are charged with a whole lot of bad stuff, Auntie!"
Aversa chuckled. Of course, this was likely just a dream; but she was intrigued by this. "And what," she responded, "are these charges?" Judge Morgan struck the table with gavel again.
"I will have order in this court!" She shouted to no one in particular. Morgan pulled out a long scroll, and adjusted the glasses that had materialized on her face. Aversa pursed her lips. If she was aware she was dreaming, why couldn't she control anything?
"Don't worry, Auntie, I'm a really good attorney!" Aversa looked to her left. Another Morgan, wearing a professional looking suit, saluted her with a goofy grin.
"Oh gods help me." Aversa groaned.
The trial seemed to drone on and on. First, a Morgan with a hastily prepared wig that matched her father's mop of hair. On closer inspection, Aversa was fairly certain it was just a mop. This Morgan spun a yarn about how mean Aversa was to Robin, including all the cheek pulling. The next Morgan had her mother's long red hair. To her credit, the whole 'killed my comrades' thing was true. She looked at her defender. This Morgan shrugged and gave her a weird, pitiful look.
"I've got nothing, sorry."
The next five Morgans were all some of Robin's annoying friends, making insane claims of Aversa being 'unfriendly' and 'dangerously callous'. She didn't kill any of them, did she? What kind of idiotic court was this? She was about to speak to her own defense when a Morgan, wearing an absurd mustache, stood up from the jury.
"Judge, we don't need to deliberate, we find Auntie Aversa guilty of all charges!"
"What?!" Aversa shouted, "Your own aunt?" The jury all nodded in concert, unsettling the dark mage.
"Our recommendation is to deliver her to the Great One." Without warning, the rest of the Morgans came together, and lifted Aversa up. The group scuttled towards a large door. It opened, revealing a large pit. Aversa looked down the shaft. A large, comically painted machination lay underneath her. It looked like that female Robin she had met yesterday, but mixed with a horrible puppet.
" !" It bellowed from beneath. The Morgans tossed Aversa into the pit, and for the first time in years, she screamed.
Aversa nearly launched herself from her bed. Her face felt clammy from the sweat. Her lungs strained as she took in ragged breaths. She had worst nightmares than this, but it had been a long while. After a few minutes, Aversa regained her composure. There were only two things that could fix a nightmare like that.
"A drink or a bath," Aversa muttered to herself, "Perhaps both."
The night breeze caused Aversa to shiver. It was early morning, but not quite dawn. The only people that should be up at this time were the night guards, thankfully. The chances of them being people she knew were slim. Even though they were only to be in this fortress for a day or two, the Askrians did fix a few of the commodities for the heroes. One of which was a set of two large public baths. It wasn't elegant by any standard; Aversa preferred her privacy. But at this hour, she was going to alone anyways.
The steam emanating from the bath enveloped the dark mage, and she felt some of the tension leave her. The bath itself was rather large, and like she predicted, completely empty. Well, save for a wine bottle, carelessly left behind. On closer inspection, the wine bottle was corked. Aversa touched the bottle. The wine was still slightly cool to the touch.
"Is anyone there?" She called out. There was no answer. After a minute or so, Aversa seemed satisfied; she tapped her fingers with fervent anticipation. "Well, hello there, sweetheart," she cooed towards the wine, "Did somebody forget you when they went on patrol?" The dark mage sat next to the bottle, putting her legs into the water. She sighed in content. "And look, a perfectly empty glass right next to you," she continued, carefully removing the cork from the bottle. "What shall I do with you?"
"Please don't drink other people's wine without their permission." A head appeared in front of Aversa, some five feet away. Her silvery lavender hair floated about in the bath, and her grayish purple eyes seemed to cut through Aversa. She slowly made her way over, attempting to show as little as possible. Aversa decided to sink into the water as well, as a symbolic olive branch, as it were. She recognized her as Lady Ishtar. She was in the tactician meetings, and seemed rather close with the summoner.
"Ah, Lady Ishtar," Aversa stated, "I wasn't expecting anyone else to be up." Ishtar poured herself a glass from the bottle before replying.
"I had a nightmare."
Aversa chuckled at that. "Likewise," she responded, "And you needed to clear your head?"
"Well, Kiran isn't up ye-" Ishtar paused for a moment, before gulping down some of her wine. Aversa grinned. Her dream Morgans had claimed she teased people too much, but this was much too easy.
"Oh ho?" She asked, "On a first name basis with our summoner, are we?" Ishtar began coughing, as she had swallowed too much wine out of shock. Once she calmed down, Aversa laughed. "It's not like I care, you know." Ishtar didn't seem to be reassured. In fact, she seemed even more sheepish than before.
"He likes to be on a first name basis with everyone," she muttered, "That's nothing special."
"Even if that's the case, I'm not an idiot." Aversa tried to grab the wine bottle, but was intercepted again by Ishtar. "And you're not as good at keeping things subtle as you think." Ishtar gulped down another glass. "And stop hogging all the wine!"
"It is my wine." Ishtar replied harshly. She put her head in her hands. "Oh gods, do you think everyone knows?"
"About what? You and the summoner or your apparent alcoholism?"
"I am not an alcoholic," She pointed a finger at Aversa, "I just don't like drinking in public." She paused for a second, before continuing. "I was referring to the former point, anyways."
"I doubt many people are that perceptive." Aversa replied, finally getting her hands on the bottle. She took a quick swig, earning a glare from Ishtar. "Anyways, I'm not here to out whatever thing you have, I'm just here for a bath and a drink." She sighed in relief, while Ishtar settled next to her. "I am impressed, you drank most of this bottle already!"
"I had a lot of experience back home."
"And you say you aren't an alcoholic." Ishtar didn't say anything in response, and continued drinking her wine. "Why don't you like drinking in public?" There was a surprising lack of snark in Aversa's voice.
"Drinking alone is much more preferable than drinking with others, I've found," Ishtar said coldly, "Other people tend to intrude on your privacy."
"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Aversa shot back, "I think drinking with others is a good thing, provided you find the right people to drink with."
"Like who?"
"Well, for one, someone that doesn't care that you drink," she took another swig, "But doesn't let you drink too much." Aversa laughed at that. "The latter rules me out immediately." She finally turned to face Ishtar. "I mean, what else is there for someone to do when they're bored senseless?"
A voice from behind answered them. "Perhaps some exercise?" Ishtar and Aversa slowly turned around. Clarisse was kneeling next to the wine bottle, examining it's contents. She gave the duo a cold and fearsome look. "What interesting life choices you two are currently making, drinking before a battle." Aversa gave the sniper a wily and wolfish grin. Ishtar looked considerably more nervous. "Maybe I should let Kiran know about this extracurricular activity?"
"It's my fault," Aversa interjected, "I asked her to share a drink with me this morning. Could you possibly overlook it just this once?" Clarisse squinted for a moment. After a little while, she grabbed the bottle and walked of. "Save it for when we're back next time." She muttered, and she stalked off. Ishtar sighed in relief.
"Thanks." She said sheepishly. Aversa chuckled to herself.
"Nothing to thank me for, the wine was excellent."
The duo sat there for awhile, letting the steam wash over them. Aversa's hair cascaded around her shoulders, celebrating a rare moment of freedom. Perhaps she could ask this Ishtar to join her for a drink or two at some other point, probably with someone that would enforce some responsibility …
"Ah! Bath!" A large splash covered the two in warm water, as the fluttering of wings filled the air.
"Intriguing," another voice droned in the background, "It would seem that Leanne's natural instinct is to clean her wings like a bird would." Lute and Sanaki sat near the bath, as the heron girl laughed and flapped her wings about. "This requires further observation."
Aversa wished said observation could occur at a different location.
It had been a long time since Nephenee had seen the interior of any dungeon. It was pretty much exactly how she remembered. Damp, cold, uncomfortable. The dripping water was already starting to unnerve her. Plus, Kagero's demeanor wasn't helping matters. The ninja had been on edge, asking Nephenee to assist her in 'prisoner transport'. She had previously been helping tear down camp with the other heroes, but she couldn't say no to a request from Ka-
"Please stay focused," Kagero said sharply, "I need 100 percent from you." Nephenee nodded, but she felt sweat drip down her face. They slowly walked past cell after cell, the dripping water echoing around her head. The fourth cell down held the prisoner. Nephenee was surprised to see a rather diminutive woman, wrapped in a purple robe that was mighty familiar.
"Ah, the woman who threatened me yesterday, how are you faring?" The girl's voice had an eerie inflection to it, as if she wasn't the only person there. "And you've brought another little cockroach; how quaint."
"I've been ordered to escort you to the war caravan," Kagero stated, "I would watch what you say." Nephenee saw the ninja's fist clench. She grabbed her shoulder.
"Steady now." She warned gently.
"Yes, we can't hurt each other anyways," Grima taunted, "Just collect me like a good little girl, and we can be on our way." Kagero pulled out a set of keys, and slowly opened the cell door. The fell dragon noiselessly walked out, eyeing both the ninja and Nephenee. "Well, let's get on with it."
They had walked some fifty feet before Grima spoke again. "So, what are they planning to do to me?"
"Nothing that I know of," Kagero replied, "We're supposed to escort you to the caravan, and that's it."
"A job worthy of insects like yourselves, yes." The fell dragon looked satisfied for a brief moment. She turned to Nephenee. "So, what about this one? Has she forgotten how to speak?"
"N-no, mahlady," she stuttered, "Just not great at talkin'."
"There is no need to call her 'milady', Nephe-"
"No, no," Grima interrupted, "I quite like that." She gave Nephenee a predatory smile. "You know, you are very respectful for a little worm. I could eat you right up." Nephenee couldn't tell if it was a compliment, threat, or a promise. Kagero didn't take it well, her mouth tightening. Grima cackled with amusement.
The war caravan was nearly complete. Clarisse and Frederick were veritable taskmasters, handing out orders left and right. Clarisse caught sight of the prisoner first, and approached them. "Our little guest gets a whole cart to herself, how lucky for her!" She said in a mocking sing-song tone, as the sniper pointed to the small covered wagon that would house her. Grima growled in response. Nephenee decided that it would be better to move the fell dragon away quickly. As she reached for her arm, Grima scratched at her.
"Do not touch me, maggot." She hissed, before skulking away to the wagon. Nephenee looked at the arm that was scratched. A small ribbon of blood was leaking from the wound. Kagero quickly wrapped her hands around the cut.
"I'm not bleedin' that bad, Kags." Nephenee whispered, and Kagero slowly let go of her arm.
"Let's get you patched up." was all Kagero said, as she led the way. In the background, Nephenee could hear Clarisse engaging in a shouting match with Grima. Somehow, despite getting scratched, she felt bad for the fell dragon. She didn't seem as unpleasant as everyone assumed she was. "You seem distracted." Kagero noted.
"Yeah, a lil' bit," Nephenee admitted, "She seemed purty sad, y'know?"
"Honestly, she puts me on edge, so I never noticed."
The halberdier laughed, "Yeah," she replied, "I guess I'm overthinkin' it." Nephenee never considered herself much of a thinker, but being an older sister did help her understand some emotional stuff.
"You're too kind." Kagero stated, looking away from Nephenee. It wasn't harsh, nor was it dismissive. But it did bother her all the same. This person was under contract, just like them, and everyone just seemed so … opposed to her. "I love that about you, but you need to exercise caution."
"Why?" It came out harsher than she intended, but Nephenee needed to know. "It's not like she kin hurt us!" Kagero raised an eyebrow, and looked at the bleeding arm. Nephenee rolled her eyes. "Ya know what I mean. Serious stuff!"
"It's just a feeling," the ninja admitted, "But she's dangerous. Please." She turned to face the halberdier, her brown eyes pleading in a way her expression could not communicate. Nephenee blushed, and strained to look away.
"A-alrigh', if yer insistin'." She managed to say. She felt a peck on her cheek.
"Thank you." Kagero had no expression, but her voice nearly broke in those two words. It clearly meant more than she let on. "I need to check on the rest of the caravan. Can you tend to yourself?"
"Y-yah." Nephenee looked at her arm, then back at the empty space that Kagero once occupied. She danced a short jig out of excitement. She'd have to thank that Grima for injuring her; after all, she got a kiss out of it.
Anyways, it was the polite thing to do.
The heroes smelled the end of the treeline before they reached it. Ash covered the ground, and the burnt out husks of trees and bushes flanked the road. For Fjorm, it was all too familiar. The reds and oranges in the sky seemed to aggravate the wound on her leg. It had mostly healed, even the scarring was gone. But the damage had been done, at least psychologically. She felt a stirring next to her. The sleeping form of her younger sister, and the Princess Veronica, both resting from their ordeal in Muspell. Fjorm stroked Ylgr's hair. She wasn't sure how much her sister knew at this point, but she would eventually have to help her through all of this.
The wagons eventually stopped in the smoky ruins of a border town. The lack of Muspell troops was strange, to say the least. "You would think they would be after Ylgr and Veronica at this point … " Fjorm muttered to herself.
"Princess Fjorm?" The soft voice of Prince Alphonse came through the cloth flaps of the wagon. Fjorm found him agreeable and kind, though her eyes were still on the summoner. "We're about to have another strategy meeting, if you would like to attend?"
"Yes, I'll be right there." She replied. As she exited the wagon, she looked for the prince. He was nowhere to be seen; though he was likely gathering as many people as he could find. The princess could feel the heat radiate from everywhere. This was the power that they were to face, and she wasn't sure how they could win without sacrifices. Without her sacrifice.
But Kiran had said no to that. Kiran said no to anything that could harm her, even if it was beneficial for everyone. Kiran was the one who found her, dying in the snowbank. He was the one who made sure she was healthy and safe, and he visited her in the infirmary. Well, Sharena and Alphonse did as well, but Kiran had done the other stuff too. She finally found him, chatting with several of the other tacticians near one of the burnt out buildings. Fjorm was starting to learn names. There was Soren, the angry pragmatist. Lyn and Chrom, who seemed to favor the simplest course of action. Aversa and Robin, who always seemed like they were playing a game of chess with both the war and with each other. Fjorm recently learned they were adopted siblings, which explained quite a bit of that. Katarina was timid, but had good suggestions whenever she spoke up. The archer that was supposed to protect Kiran seemed to focus on her more, which irritated Fjorm. Plus, she was always so casual with him.
Then there was that silver-haired woman, Ishtar. Fjorm didn't have any strong opinions of her, to be honest. She seemed rather rational and objective when she talked in the meetings; the other mages seemed to enjoy her company, though she still seemed to be distant to them. If she had to say anything, Fjorm didn't really enjoy the relationship she had with Kiran. They seemed to speak rather easily, and whenever they were in meetings, she noticed Ishtar's eyes wander towards the summoner. Fjorm didn't want to sound too possessive, but she knew a rival when she saw one.
"- Are you alright?" Fjorm blinked rapidly. Kiran was looking at her, concerned. She attempted to look graceful, and curtseyed.
"Yes, I was just distracted for a moment." she replied. Kiran nodded, a dour expression on his face.
"I understand, this can't be pleasant for you," he responded, "I was about to call for you, so that's convenient."
Fjorm was confused. "Alphonse sent for me." Kiran paused for a moment.
"Well, isn't he a go-getter." He finally said, shrugging his shoulders. The summoner looked around, taking in the people that surrounded him. "Where's Reinhardt?"
"Taking care of the horses with Sir Stahl," Ishtar replied, "He told me that we should begin without him." Kiran nodded, writing something on a parchment.
"Thank you, Ishtar." he replied. Ishtar blushed. Fjorm grinded her teeth a little. "Let's begin," Kiran continued, "The lack of any Muspellan presence so far is distressing."
Soren nodded, "They're clearly planning to defend with their full force."
"The question is, how did they know we were marching?" Lyn asked, "We've seen no scouts, nobody has reported any attempts to magically locate us either."
"It's not out of the question that they may have shapeshifters of their own," Robin offered, "Though I imagine a manakete would be pretty obvious."
Ideas bounced off of each other for a few minutes. Fjorm thought about it carefully. It was unlikely, but couldn't Surtr's advisor change her appearance at will? What if she-
"What about that woman, Loki?" Ishtar spoke up. Fjorm frowned. Of course she'd remember that too. "Couldn't she shapeshift as well?"
Kiran rubbed his chin in thought. "If it's her, then she has to be posing as someone who attends these meetings."
"How so?" Fjorm asked. She felt everyone staring at her, and she cursed herself for speaking so quickly.
"This path might be exposed from the initial invasion, but it's not suitable for a full army," Aversa explained, "Anything larger than our vanguard would be too slow and susceptible to ambushes. So it should be sparsely guarded."
"But this is too convenient." Fjorm finished. Kiran nodded.
"If that's true," Ishtar continued, "Then the culprit is likely here among us."
There was a long, tense silence, as the group looked amongst each other. Lyn eventually raised her hand.
"I vote Soren is the traitor." Soren spluttered in shock.
"Me? What got you to that idiotic conclusion?" He shouted.
"You're the most unpleasant of us, ergo you must not like us very much," Lyn winked at him, "I'm only partially joking." She laughed, as Soren continued to fume.
Kiran pursed his lips in thought. Fjorm could see he was mulling over some thoughts. "Let's get back to the caravan and keep moving," he said, "I have an idea."
If the dungeon wasn't picturesque enough, the surrounding apocalyptic atmosphere was deserving of a portrait in Grima's eyes. She was told she couldn't leave the wagon, but the temptation to experience this hellscape was unbearable. She sniffed the air. The scent of ash and char filled her nostrils. There was also the smell of other dragons. In fact, Grima could here several hushed voices approach her. She ducked back into the caravan, lying back on some of the straw that was piled everywhere in this distasteful trash heap. She couldn't use her full power, no; but Grima planned on fighting with all her might. The flap slowly lifted, and she could see 4 pairs of glowing draconic eyes.
"See? I told you!" The smallest seemed to reprimand the others. "Another dragon!" Grima looked at the four sat in front of her. She recognized the disgusting form of the Divine Dragon Tiki and overactive Nowi, but there was also a smaller girl, with short magenta hair. She was the one who had spoken earlier. The other girl seemed to barely contain her dragon form, as her wings were proudly out for all to see. Grima admired that. Her wings were much too large to not contain when she was in this shell. They also had similar red eyes, which was comforting.
"I dunno, Fae, everyone says she's dangerous …" Or not, Grima thought, maybe she was equally pathetic. "We shouldn't be here."
"Agreed," Tiki said harshly, "This creature is a dragon of ruin."
"Oh ho?" Grima replied haughtily, "Then why have you visited me?"
"To confirm my fears." Grima cackled.
"You know I can't do anything here, correct?" She asked, "You can relax a little bit, stuffy divine dragon." The magenta haired girl was now nearly next to her. "Yes? Can I help you?"
"Hi! I'm Fae!" The girl practically leaped from word to word. "Do you want to play?" Grima mulled it over for a minute.
"I haven't anything better to do," she answered, "So I wouldn't mind." Fae and Nowi looked excited, Myrrh and Tiki look worried, and Grima couldn't care less. "What do you want to play?"
"Hide and Seek!" Fae blurted out, and was met with a groan from Nowi.
"You're way too good at that game, Fae!" She whined, "Can't we play something else?"
Grima spoke up. "If she's so good at hiding, I would like to test myself against her." Perhaps this competitive nature is from Robin, Grima thought to herself. "How long do each of you have?"
"A whole sixty seconds!" Fae practically yelled, "And you aren't allowed to peek!"
"I assure you I won't." She looked at Tiki, "Will you play as well, Divine Dragon?" Tiki sighed in frustration.
"If it prevents you from destroying the caravan, I see no other alternative." She relented. Grima smiled, and the other dragons took off.
It was simple to find Nowi and Tiki. Perhaps their scents were still familiar to her, and that's why. Fae took a little longer, but eventually Grima found her, hiding underneath a wagon. While Tiki scolded her for that, Grima turned her attention to the other young dragon, Myrrh. The caravan was set to move soon, and there was no sign of her. She turned to Nowi.
"Worm- I mean Nowi, do you know which way the young one went?" Nowi pointed to large section of burnt out buildings. Grima began to float towards them. She smelled something familiar, but for some reason, she couldn't place it. The closer she got, the stronger it was. It came over her in a cornucopia of fear and pleasure. It was blood. Not a whole lot, but it was blood all the same. Part of her felt more panic than she would care to admit.
One of the entryways had ash swept away from it, likely from a flap of large wings. Grima unconsciously gulped out of nervousness. She entered, and heard soft crying. Myrrh had been pinned by a falling timber; though she was probably in her dragon form when it happened, because other than being pinned, she seemed more frightened than anything. Myrrh saw Grima approach, but kept on crying.
"What are you crying for, little one?" Grima's voice was harsh, but the edge had dulled slightly. "Is anything broken?"
Myrrh sniffed, "My arm hurts a little." Grima approached her, and lifted the timber with ease. Myrrh crawled underneath to safety.
"Be careful next time, you fool," the fell dragon scolded Myrrh, "Be thankful you can transform, or you would be a-" She was cut off by Myrrh hugging her tightly, crying into her robe. Grima put an arm around the crying manakete. "Come, the others are more worried about you than me." As they left, Grima began to wonder why that statement felt like a lie.
A teal-haired man was talking with Tiki when Myrrh and Grima arrived. He rushed towards the duo, hugging the still sniffling manakete.
"I'm sorry, brother!" She managed to cry out. "I wasn't paying attention!"
"It's okay, Myrrh," he reassured her, "I'm just glad you're safe." As Tiki took the young manakete away to get checked on, the man turned to Grima. "I can't thank you enough for saving Myrrh."
She scoffed, "If she wasn't strong, there wouldn't be a child to save," Grima replied, "And if you care so much, do the saving yourself." She stalked off to her wagon again, and leaped into the largest pile of hay. Grima forgot how exhausing humans were. That night, instead of red skies and wailing children, she dreamt of bright blue skies and a girl with long hair.
It had been a long day of marching, and as the caravan stopped, Ishtar peeked from her wagon. The skies were tinted orange, and she could smell fire. The mage felt like a drink, but this certainly wasn't the time and place for one. She could see Kiran talking with a couple of the heroes in the distance, and couldn't help but stare.
"What're you looking at?" Clarisse approached the mage, holding a bottle of wine in her hand. Ishtar looked at her with an accusatory glance. "Right, right; I'm sorry about this morning." She handed the bottle to the Friegian. "Read the note, and save it for after this, alright?"
Ishtar didn't reply, and Clarisse walked off before she could. She looked at the bottle. A small note was attached, like Clarisse said. Ishtar read it, and smiled to herself.
It's his favorite
You're welcome.
Ishtar felt as if she owed Clarisse quite a bit now.
I hope all of you enjoy this chapter! As always, thank you all for reading! Any questions, comments, concerns, and reviews are always loved and appreciated!
The next chapter is entitled: Infiltration!