"Darn it. Lost again… How do you keep doing this Virion?" I asked eyeing the pieces on the board.
"Are you ready to admit defeat fair maiden?"
"Gahh! No I cannot admit defeat if I wish to win the upcoming battles. I'll reset the board" I grumbled as I reluctantly reset the board. It was a game gifted to me by male Robin and I was determined to use it to its full capacity to help me determine the best ways to fight Hel's ever growing army. I had volunteered Virion to be my test dummy opponent… except Virion is actually smarter than he appears and has been decimating me in almost every match thus far.
He was actually a quite serviceable tactician in his own right, though his methods were very questionable at best. Considering how common it was for him to sacrifice certain pieces from his own forces, it made me shiver to think about how he would command his own forces in Roseanne. From the perspective of the game it all made logical sense. Heck some of the strategies I have seen him were actually pretty standard tactics in my world during the medieval period.
However, I couldn't afford to treat my pieces in the same manner. Briedablik can bring heroes back from the dead but to have them die over and over again was not something that I had wanted to do to them. I could only imagine how that could mess with their minds. There were other troops to consider though. Mainly, the King's knights were not heroes and therefore could not respawn with a use of Breidablik. While they were under the command of the King himself and not mine, any loss on his end would only serve to bolster Hel's army. I designed my strategies around minimizing losses as a way of slowing the growth of the enemy troops.
"I must say that I'm quite impressed with how fast you are learning. If Askr has you as their tactician then we have nothing to worry about"
"I don't take empty flattery very well, Virion. There were several mistakes that I've made and all of them costed me my most valuable pieces. You have even captured my commander. This may be a game now, but those pieces each represent Sharena, Alfonse and Anna. I can't afford to lose them in the real battle." I clenched my fists nearly crushing the piece that represented Anna that I was holding onto earlier.
"But I am speaking from the heart, Kiran. You've got everything you need to be a great tactician and it shows in how you use your troops. You refuse to lose even one of us, despite the safety net Breidablik has built into it. My people would've tried to stage a mutiny on me if I had tried to do anything I just did in the game for real"
"It still doesn't change the fact that I lost. I'm sure Hel would treat her army in a similar way since she doesn't have to worry about dying... because well, they are already dead. I should prepare to fight against an army that considers the lower ranks completely disposable." I grimaced a grimace that rivaled Oboro's when she was thinking about Nohrians.
"That's why we are playing this board game no? To hone and perfect your skills as a strategist to prepare us for the future battles for us to come correct?"
"Yes of course, Virion. Thank you for being patient with me. Both you and Takumi are the first heroes I've ever summoned and I'm grateful to you for the continued support."
"But of course I will always support you, dear Kiran. It's what the Archest of Archers does best" he grinned.
I looked at the sundial that was situated outside over by the library window. It was almost time for me to do my daily weapon training with one of my various instructors. While I have taken a shine to magic, I have been trying out other weapons as well. I'm still far from good at anything yet, but I knew I had to keep trying. I was supposed to meet up with Kagero to continue learning how to use throwing knives and how to be stealthy like a ninja. While I was terrible with knives, I had been making some headway with my stealth lessons. I was proud of myself because it would make it harder for enemies to hit me if they cant see me, and that would make it easier for me to communicate my plans with heroes while in the middle of a battle.
I excused myself from my game session with Virion and begun to head towards the training area. I was halfway through to where I was headed when I saw Alfonse and King Gustav speaking with each other about something very serious. I hid myself behind a column just barely within earshot. I didn't like to admit it, but I often felt a bit intimidated whenever the King was around. It wasn't the same kind of intimidation that I had felt from Hel, but he seemed to command a ton respect out of the normal rank and file soldiers and the servants as well. Of course that was normal since he was the King and I was just the Summoner.
I began to listen in on everything they were talking about. From what I gathered, Gustav was lecturing his son about how he shouldn't get too close to the Heroes or the Summoner. I clenched my teeth to keep myself from immediately getting too angry. I was not too happy about what he was saying, but it was not my place to say or do anything about it.
"I know you're there, Summoner. Come out of your hiding spot." I heard Gustav say very loudly.
In my mind, I could hear an announcer with a deep voice say "It was at that moment, Kiran knew… She fucked up." Anyways, old memes aside, I didn't know how much trouble I was going to be in for eavesdropping on them. I tried to stay put to see if I could stay hidden from sight. Unfortunately, I was not graced with such luck as Gustav approached my hiding spot and Alfonse reluctantly followed.
"Are you sure Kiran is-?" Alfonse questioned, apparently not having felt or seen my presence.
Before Alfonse could even finish what he was saying, I had found myself being dragged out into the open by Gustav. I was pretty shocked by it all, really. The dude had a very solid grip on me and there was no use in fighting it. I panicked to myself internally trying think of getting myself out of this mess free. Alfonse just looked at me slightly confused. Probably thinking "What the actual heck Kiran?"
I began to internally panic because my mind was drawing a blank. I had nothing that could get me out this. I had no plans on how to explain why I was listening in on them and no way to magically ninja myself out this.
"Care to explain why you were eavesdropping, Summoner?" Gustav asked firmly
"Er… well… I was just playing a game of hide and go seek with some of the manaketes and I picked this spot as my hiding spot. N-not that I'm doing this to goof off or anything like that. I've been training in the ways of stealth and thought it would be a good way to test my skills. Im deeply sorry for interrupting your discussion Your Majesty." I say without thinking it through.
Gustav didn't seem to buy my lie at all. Alfonse seemed to believe me and to be fair, my lie was actually somewhat plausible as I frequently played the game with Nowi, Fae, and both Kannas if I was able to spare some time. I never won though because they had the unfair advantage of being able to go into their dragon forms and then use either their height advantage or they would fly over for a bird's eye view if we were outside. The only thing is that if either Gustav or Alfonse tried to ask one of them to verify my alibi, I would be screwed.
"What she says is true, Father. She does play with the dragons occasionally, so I have no reason to believe that she would try to deceive us." Alfonse says in my own defense.
I seriously don't deserve this guy as a friend. Like he's too good for this world or even any other world. I quickly thanked God for it was almost like it was destined for us to be friends together. While Im still no devout, a small part of me still wanted to believe in it.
"I will be the judge of that. Summoner, it would behoove you to tell us the absolute truth. If you are to be trusted like my son believes you to be, then you need to be truthful."
"Are you saying that you don't believe me even with Alfonse's support? Even I were lying, I wouldn't have anything to gain. I've proven myself plenty of times over where my loyalties lie. My loyalty will always be with the Order and no one could convince me otherwise." The words were falling out of my mouth before I could think about what I was saying.
"And now you must prove it to me. Are you worthy to stand next to my son as his tactician? Or… was the last battle all the proof I need? You had a part in the battle that cursed Alfonse. It was you who sent him out to fight Hel after all."
"I did send him out for many reasons, but I already regret putting him in danger like that. I couldn't have predicted Hel showing up, but I should've sent other Heroes to deal with the enemy. I've been working day and night almost non-stop trying to find a way to deliver the final Hail Mary to Hel before the curse is to take hold. The only thing is… we tried luring her out since the curse was first laid out. The only option we seem to have left, according to the simulations I ran, would be to wait it out until the final day and strike her down there. I find this to be… unacceptable as a battle plan but given that Hel is not going to come out before she… she…" I found myself unable utter the next words that were lingering on my tongue.
"What the both of you did was reckless. Askr has suffered a loss. It's time to move forward and learn from your mistakes"
"Alfonse is still alive and for as long as he draws breath, I won't accept defeat. I accept that deploying him on the battlefield that day was a costly mistake, but my trust in him and his abilities was not a mistake! I refuse to believe that my friendship with Alfonse is a mistake!"
Alfonse nodded in agreement. "Kiran is my closest friend and I have no doubts about her or her tactics. I trust her with my life and she trusts me with hers. Together, we are a team. She's smart, kind and she's always been there for me. She's more than worthy of being my tactician and my friend."
I had felt my face turn bright red. I wished that I hadn't done that in front of Gustav but I couldn't help it. My only possible saving grace was my hood which covered up half of my face. I mentally cursed myself for having a dumb crush on the prince. Unfortunately, all that managed to do was make my heart race.
Gustav seemed to notice my reaction though and it made me feel extremely nervous. I then realized that there was no way I was going to left alone until I finally tell the truth.
"Alfonse… Your Highness… I really am sorry for eavesdropping on you. The truth is… I was just on my way to the training grounds because like I had mentioned earlier, Im taking stealth lessons. I'm also learning how to use throwing knives but that's not as important right now. I saw you guys on my way to my lesson and I didnt want to bother you so I tried to use what I've learned to hide. Please forgive me for my transgressions."
"But then why did you lie?" Alfonse frowned
"I was afraid to tell the truth. It's a rather dumb reason, but I panicked."
"That's enough. You've learned your lesson for today Summoner. There are a few things that we must discuss later after I've finished with my duties. I will send for you when the time comes" Gustav said gruffly
It was then I felt a small part of myself die a little on the inside. The words he uttered sent chills down my spine. Something was off about the last thing he said. "I understand. I will await your orders Your Majesty."
The King then dismissed himself and that left me with Alfonse. His mood was now a bit sour and I was to blame for it. The floor started to look very interesting right then. I had never felt that ashamed about telling someone a small lie before. The lie might have been small, but it ended up making me look more suspicious than then act of trying to play ninja on them did.
"Kiran I-"
"I know. I've disappointed you. It's understandable really, I'm kinda an idiot like that. Had I just told the truth it wouldn't have mattered as much."
"It does sadden me that you didn't just tell me the truth. However, one thing you are not is an idiot. Of course, that doesn't mean that you don't possess your own flaws." Alfonse said seriously
"Like what?" I asked him curiously
"For one, you tend to beat yourself up far too much. Everyone doubts themselves sometimes, but you judge yourself far too harshly. Another I've noticed is that you tend to go overboard with your work. I dont like seeing you overwork yourself to exhaustion. It worries everyone when you spend days in the library barely eating or sleeping. These things don't necessarily make me think any less of you of course, but that's what I've observed over the two years we've known each other."
"It's something I'm working on. I used to study in university before I was summoned, so there would be times where I would pull all nighters to finish my assignments or to study for tests. Secondary school can be rough at times. But when I came here, I felt like I constantly needed to study if I wanted to become the brilliant tactician that You and Anna said I was. I began to seeing each battle as a test of my abilities and knowledge. If I failed the 'test' then the consequences would graver than a poor mark at the end of the semester. It sounds stupid but it's true. I probably would have overworked my way into Hel if it weren't for you. That's the absolute truth."
"I'm just doing my job as a prince and a friend, Kiran. I can't have you die on me like that. Just promise me that you won't hide anything important from me. I really did mean everything I have said to Father."
"I know you did. Thank you for everything you've done for me so far Alfonse! I will continue working with you and The Order for a long time!" I said happily no longer caring that I was blushing again.
"I'm glad to know that you will continue your work, Kiran. I know that I rely on you a lot but never forget that you can do the same with me. I'm always willing to help whenever possible."
"Well… there a few things you could help me out with later, but right now I'm going to take you off the front lines and have you protect me. It should be a bit less strenuous for you and it will make it easier for me to watch over you. I also have my own purely selfish reasons for asking this."
"And what might they be, Kiran?" he asks
"That's a secret I'm going to have to tell you later. I promise that I will tell you when I'm ready."
"But why not tell me now? You know that you can tell me anything… and if the plan doesn't work then…" Alfonse sighed sadly
"Alfonse you are one impatient and impulsive guy. I want to wait because… It would hurt me a lot more if I told you right now. If you died, then… the truth would only serve to rub salt into a deep wound. I would prefer it if I could tell you after we get over this hurdle first. I know that sounds kinda corny and cliche but I promise that at the end the week… should no harm come to pass to you, I won't hold it from you any longer. The timing is important so that's why."
"Well then I will hold you to that. But for now, I will let you go to your lesson with Kagero. I wish you good luck with your training."
"Thanks, I will definitely need all the luck I can get right now." I then waved him goodbye before leaving the area.