AN: And we're back! It's time for more of Marth's story. With Engage coming out almost thirty days from now, I am super pumped! The more I see, the more excited I get. Hopefully I'm not in the minority in that regard.

But enough of that. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 1, Part 3: The Might of Altea

As the small army of Alteans neared the capital city of Talys, it was slowly becoming clearer and clearer that the Pirates of Galder fully intended to burn the city down in its entirety. Caeda felt the color drain from her face as she saw tens of buildings on fire. "My home." She said softly. "What have they done to my home?"

Marth winced at how heartbroken Caeda sounded. We have to stop this before it grows any worse. Caeda shouldn't have to go through the pain I went through when I lost my home. He vowed inwardly.

"Our focus needs to be divided." Layton spoke up. "We need to make our way to the castle, and we need to ensure the safety of any civilians who are still trapped inside the city."

Cain did a double-take at Layton prioritizing the civilians. "He's right; as knights we cannot neglect the people." Jagen agreed.

"If that's the case, Cain, Jagen and Abel should focus on searching for civilians. Caeda, you will fly above as our lookout." Marth suggested.

Caeda did not wait to hear anything else. She immediately took flight to search for trapped civilians. "Why couldn't she have waited a bit longer." Layton muttered. "We might've had more orders for her."

"Layton, this is her home. You can't expect her to sit for too long." Marth reminded him. "Besides, having her act as a look-out for civilians is probably the best use of her skills as of now."

Layton nodded submissively. Jagen, Cain and Abel all rode ahead into the city, flanked by their battalions. "The rest of us should make our way to the castle, right Layton, Malledus?" Marth asked.

"Yes, Sire." Malledus replied.

"Draug and His Highness should lead the way then, alongside their battalions. Gordin, Norne, the archer battalions and myself will bring up the rear. Father Wrys, please stay close and have your staff of healing at the ready. We don't want you to get hurt." Layton informed everyone.

With that, Altea's remnants swept into Talys. They were attacked right away by the remaining pirates. "They just keep coming, huh?" Cain narrowed his eyes.

"Pay them no mind, Cain. Per Prince Marth's orders, we must focus our efforts on the civilians who are still trapped!" Abel exclaimed.

"Try telling that to them!" Cain exclaimed as he separated the head of one pirate from his shoulders in one swing. "I don't think they're just going to let us barge through after we killed their buddies!"

"Then trample over them if you have to!" Jagen exclaimed, running through three pirates simultaneously with his silver lance while his large horse trampled several others. "Our liege gave us a mission, so we must see it through!"

"There you have it, Cain." Abel smirked as he rode ahead, cutting down one pirate in the process.

"Yeah, Prince Marth notwithstanding, you can't really ignore an order from the old man." Cain chuckled as he cut down a pirate as well. "Even back then, if he told you to run through a wall, you'd respond with 'sprint or jog, sir'."

Unbeknownst to Cain, a pirate with an iron bow had him in his sights. The pirate fired, his arrow would make contact with his skull. An instant-death blow. At least, it would have if a fireball had not come out of nowhere and incinerated the arrow. That was the moment Cain noticed. He turned to see Layton standing behind him with an icy gaze. Layton then turned that gaze onto the pirate that had shot at Cain. The pirate noticed Layton and became fearful. "Fire!" Layton exclaimed as the pirate was incinerated before he could retreat.

Layton turned to Cain, who still had his gaze on the young tactician as he rode away. Layton gave him a curt nod, making Cain's eyes widen. He understood just what that nod meant. They had their disagreements back at the fort, but they were still comrades. And as a tactician of the army, Layton would do everything in his power to make sure they all survived. He was just as dedicated to making sure everyone came back alive as Marth was.

Cain shook his head as he turned his focus back to what was in front of him. "Honestly, that guy." He muttered.

"What is it, Cain?" Abel asked.

"No matter how much of a jerk he can be, it's impossible to hate him." Cain admitted.

Abel just laughed. "I find that's part of his charm."

The two cavaliers then heard the sounds of people yelling for help. "Let's go!" Abel exclaimed as the two rode to their aid.

For his part, Draug was on a tear as he marched through the burning streets of Talys. He grabbed a pirate and threw him right into a burning building. Ran through another with his lance. Clotheslined a third that got too close to him. Much to the horror of the pirates, their axes bounced off his armor.

Gordin remained close to his good friend but had yet to fire off a shot. "Umm, Draug, how hot is it underneath that armor?" He could not help but ask the most important question on his mind at the moment.

"Almost unbearably." Draug admitted.

Geez, that strength of will is crazy! Gordin's jaw dropped in surprise.

"But I chose to don this heavy armor with the desire to become a shield for Altea! Our land may be gone for now, but Altea still exists. For Altea is its people!" Draug declared before lowering his shoulder and charging through a crowd of pirates, knocking them over like bowling pins.

"I'm not getting a single shot in." Gordin muttered in disbelief. "Is there even a reason for me to be here?"

"Of course there is," Norne stepped up to Gordin's side, "every shield needs a spear, right? Think of yourself as his spear, Gordin."

"But, Draug's already got a lance. I don't think he needs me." The metaphor unfortunately went right over Gordin's head.

Norne sighed. Gordin had such little self-confidence due to his capture at the hands of Gra, two years ago. It was understandable, but it also hurt to see him like this. Draug often talked about his good friend from their training days with Norne. It was clear to her that the young armored knight thought the world of Gordin and his capabilities.

Being a caregiver was nothing new to Norne. Back in her home village, she was every little village child's big sister. And given how little Gordin thought about himself, he undoubtedly required a lot of care. And Gordin definitely needed a lot of care with how little he thought of himself. "Get those arrows at the ready, Gordo." Norne told him. "Maybe Draug doesn't need protection, but Prince Marth and Sir Layton certainly do."

Gordin's expression brightened at this. He may not have seen a need to protect Draug, but even if he felt he had nothing to offer, he at least knew he had something to offer for Marth and Layton. He notched arrow after arrow, and fired and fired. Norne looked relieved at Gordin's change in attitude. Marth watched as the arrows flew past him. Pirates fell as the arrows struck them with sickening thunks into their flesh.

For his part, Marth found his eyes instinctively darting back and forth, trying to find Caeda and keep her in his sights. I should have told her to stay in the fort! If she died trying to save her own country, I'd never be able to face King Mostyn, not after everything he's done for me these past two years!

"But you know that would be selfish of you." The voice in Marth's head said to him. "After all, you hated yourself for how useless you were two years ago, when your country fell. You know that it'd be selfish of you to expect her to just stand aside and wait for you, make her feel as useless as you were."

But if anything happened to Caeda… Marth tried to reason.

"She can fight, you've seen her fight for two years. Besides, all that has to happen is for her to survive this fight against the pirates. It's not like she has to join you for your war against Dohlr and their allies."

That was true. Marth knew that was true. Caeda was an incredible fighter. He had watched her train in the few and far moments between his own training. Though she was not the sturdiest fighter, her speed and skill made her more than a match for plenty of his own soldiers. One time, she had even knocked Cain out during a match she requested. Cain to this day insisted he let her win because she is royalty. Abel was the only one who humored him in that delusion.

Marth cut down a pirate just as Caeda came back into his vision. Thank Naga, there she is. Marth was relieved.

Marth kept his eyes on Caeda as he fought his way to Castle Talys. Unbeknownst to him, Layton noticed that Marth's vision was straying to something else, and not the fight. Naturally, this made Layton's entire focus shift to Marth's wellbeing. I don't have my sword anymore, which means I can't get too close to His Highness. Damn that pirate from earlier to the inferno. I hate that I wasted my sword on that dastard.

Layton desperately began casting fireballs on any pirates that he caught getting within a fifty-foot radius of Marth. However, in the process, an arrow flew straight into his shoulder. Layton's eyes widened in pain as he desperately tried to avoid screaming.

Gordin and Norne can handle whoever shot me. Prince Marth comes first, always. Layton told himself.

Layton desperately continued casting fire spells on the pirates that he felt were coming too close to his liege. Then, he heard Norne scream his name. Layton instinctively looked to her, only to see a pirate with an axe, ready to cut him down. Layton yelled in surprise as he instinctively stepped away from the pirate. However, the blade slashed through his chest. Not a fatal wound at first, but he could very well bleed to death if he was not careful.

"Dastard!" Layton hissed in anger as he blasted the pirate in response with a fire spell, killing the pirate instantly.

No sooner had Layton done so, the fresh room spurted blood, making him stumble dizzily. "Layton!" Gordin exclaimed in concern.

Norne ran towards Layton while Draug instinctively moved as fast as he could to catch up to Marth. Norne steadied him and turned to their lone healer in their small army. "Father Wrys, we need you, now!" She exclaimed.

Wrys lumbered towards Layton, using his staff of healing as a walking cane. "I saw the whole thing." He muttered. "The poor boy wasn't paying attention to his surroundings."

Wrys then held out his staff. "Heal," he said, "be well, child, be well."

Light shone brightly from Wrys's healing staff. Gordin ran up to the group and kept his bow at the ready to protect Wrys as he worked on the tactician. However, his eyes strayed towards Wrys working on Layton's wounds. He saw Layton's chest wound close. So that's the power of healing magic. I've seen Princess Elice do it from afar, but to see it up close like this is incredible. It's like he was never wounded.

"The arrow needs to be removed, child." Wrys said to Norne. "I can't close the wound if there is an obstruction."

Norne nodded, wincing as she realized what was about to happen. Gordin did not hesitate. "Leave that kind of dirty work to me." Gordin offered. "Ms. Norne, take over guard duty."

Gordin grabbed onto Layton while Norne drew her bow once more. Gordin grabbed onto the arrow lodged in Layton's shoulder. "This is gonna hurt, Layton." Gordin warned.

"Just pull the damn thing out, Gordin." Layton muttered.

Gordin nodded, wincing as he yanked the arrow right out of Layton's shoulder. That was the moment Layton screamed in pain.

Marth's eyes widened when he heard his tactician and friend scream. He almost looked over his shoulder, only for Draug to suddenly speak up. "Don't look back, Prince Marth. Just keep moving forward." He told him.

"But Layton…"

"Will be fine," Draug promised, "Father Wrys is looking after him."

Marth sighed and nodded. "We're close to the castle," he acknowledged, "one final push and we'll take this city back from the pirates."

Draug then saw a gathering of pirates several blocks ahead. "It seems they know that as well, Sire." He noted.

Meanwhile, with that very group of pirates, their leader, Gazzak was walking forward with purpose. One of his subordinates stepped up to him. "Boss, these knights…these Alteans, we're getting pushed back. I don't know if we can hold the city at this rate!"

Gazzak glared at the pirate. Then, without hesitation, he buried his steel axe in the face of the pirate, much to the surprise of his other subordinates. "You're letting a bunch of conquered knights get the better of you. You disgrace the name of the Galder Pirates. How in the blazes are we supposed to take down Gomer if we let trash like this beat us?"

Indeed, Gazzak was a man who dreamt big. Ever since he had joined the Galder Pirates, it became apparent he was just as strong as the captain of the crew, a mighty man by the name of Gomer. And the two hated each other. Gazzak often took plunder for himself in secret and divvied it up amongst those he trusted, and Gomer was an iron-fisted captain. However, both men had built extremely strong factions among the Galder Pirates, making it almost impossible for one to get rid of the other. However, Gazzak was smart enough to know that with enough capital, even Gomer could be taken down. Hence these ruthless raids for gold.

Gazzak was close to his dream of taking the Galder Pirates for himself and building them into an empire of the sea, greater than even Gomer could dream of. There was no way in hell he was going to let this stop him. No way, no how. These Alteans were going to pay for getting in his way.

"But Boss, we are boxed in and these guys are going to get to us! I can see them!" Another pirate pointed out.

"Then we push right through them, take what we've got and leave!" Gazzak exclaimed. "I left a couple of the boys to break into the throne room and take the king. We can fetch plenty of gold with him as a hostage, and maybe Dohlr would be interested to know about a few remnants of Altea hanging around. There was always that rumor going around that the prince survived, right? Maybe he's with them."

"Now come on, let's cut these landlubbers down and make off with the loot!" Gazzak exclaimed. "We didn't come this far to let a bunch of conquered scallywags take down the likes of us!"

Meanwhile, Marth noticed the pirates walking with a bit more purpose. "Your Highness," Draug warned.

"They're the last line, Draug. We can't falter." Marth reminded him. "We defeat these guys, we save Talys."

"I know, sir, but still, their leader is probably among them." Draug reminded him. "And we've spread ourselves too thin with Jagen, Cain, Abel and Princess Caeda searching for survivors and Layton injured."

"It's like you said, Draug, we cannot falter yet. And if we can't beat a few no-good, lousy pirates, we cannot hope to beat Dohlr."

Draug sighed. "You are right, Your Highness." He relented, briefly looking back to see his fellow armored knights trying to catch up with him and Marth. "Do say close to me though. We're outnumbered. Even so, my armor will be your shield in this fight."

Marth nodded. Soon, the two were face to face with the pirate Gazzak and his remaining forces. The leader of the pirates glared at Marth, who glared back. "You don't deserve it, but I will give you a chance to flee with your lives." He offered. "Leave this country and its people alone, and never return."

In spite of the situation, Gazzak could not help but laugh at the sheer audacity of Marth's demand. "That's hilarious, sprog." He replied.

"I'm not joking, pirate." Marth promised. "Leave now, or face the might of Altea."

That got a full-blown belly-laugh out of Gazzak. "The might of Altea, ye say, now?" Gazzak grinned. "Har! Ye sprogs look t'be a mite short o'mighty t'me."

"I am Marth, heir to the throne of Altea, and inheritor of Anri's blood and strength." Marth readied his rapier. "Take me as a mere 'sprog' at your own risk."

Gazzak grinned. "So the lost little princeling was still alive after all, eh? You know, Dohlr, Gra, Grust, Macedon, they'd all pay a fortune for your head. Yeah, no doubt, your death would make my dream a reality, boy."

"Then it's a pity that you're nothing but a stepping stone towards my dream." Marth countered. "What's your name, pirate?"

"The name's Gazzak." Gazzak mocked Marth with a quick bow. "Commit it to memory before I send ya to join the rest of your family, Princeling."

Marth almost faltered at what he was implying. Draug let out a light gasp. Marth knew there had been no word of his mother when he fled Castle Altea. But was she dead, like his father? Was Elice dead too? Oh, Naga, the thought was too awful to bear.

They could be keeping them alive in secret. Marth reasoned. That is always a possibility.

"Your Highness?" Draug spoke up.

Marth did not hesitate. "They had their chance, Draug. Fight with all your might, survive, take them all down. Give quarter to any who lose the will to fight." He ordered.

Draug nodded. "As you command, Your Highness." He said obediently.

"Take care of the knight, lads. Leave the princeling to me." Gazzak ordered. "I'm more than enough for a pampered little minnow like him."

The pirates of Galder who flanked Gazzak did not hesitate to charge towards Draug. "Your Highness." Draug warned.

"He could not have given us a better situation, Draug." Marth smiled reassuringly at Draug. "I can count on you to handle the grunts on your own, right?"

Draug grinned at Marth's faith in him. "Of course, Your Highness!" He exclaimed, stepping between Marth and the other pirates.

Draug immediately started spinning his iron lance over his head, increasing the momentum of what would be an extremely powerful attack. Combat Arts, techniques that take the weapon to the limit! Draug remembered.

And for the last two years, I've been training to learn one of my own, so that I may better serve as a shield to His Highness, and to my comrades. Now it's time to use it to the fullest!

"We're gonna smash through that armor of yours!" One pirate declared.

"Then we're gonna dice you up, like that big marlin we caught the other day! You'll make for a damn good display by what's left of it!" Another pirate added. "You're the same height, now that I think of it!"

Draug then took a single step forward. He then swung his lance one more time with enough force to generate an extremely powerful gust of wind. Tempest Lance! Draug exclaimed inwardly.

The winds swept up the pirates, separating them and allowing Marth to charge towards Gazzak. Draug smiled at the young prince. Win, Your Highness.

Gazzak let out a hearty laugh as he drew his steel axe. "Let's see what you got, sprog!" Gazzak exclaimed.

Both individuals swung their weapons simultaneously. Gazzak expected that thin blade to shatter against his axe. However, this was where Gazzak's lack of knowledge in the forging and creation of weapons cost him. A rapier was designed with extremely tough materials, the same metals used in the construction of weapons such as the ridersbane lance, the hammer, and the armorslayer sword. However, it was designed thinly for the sake of speed and skill. This meant that power was the tradeoff.

However, it was still made from the materials of the ridersbane, the armorslayer and the hammer. A weapon designed to crush horseback riders and armor with strikes so fast that they could not be defended from, as long as the weapon was in the hands of a true master. It may look flimsy, but it was anything but. It was tough, and would not break against something much larger, like a steel axe.

Gazzak's eyes widened when he realized his opponent's rapier was not going to break from sheer force alone. "You insisted on fighting, Gazzak." Marth reminded him. "What happens next is your own fault."

"Brat!" Gazzak snarled as he pressed his assault on Marth, who was quickly put on the defensive.

Each of Gazzak's swings had tremendous force. Marth immediately noted that the man was much stronger than his underling that he had dueled with earlier. Our culture has always gravitated towards the idea that the leader should be the strongest. If the leader is not the strongest warrior, how can his underlings be expected to follow him into battle. Marth mused. This man is definitely the leader. He has certainly earned that title.

Marth immediately stepped forward. Crosswire Cut! He immediately used the Combat Art that Ogma taught him to try and end the fight as quickly as possible. If this guy was the leader, Marth could not let him take over the pace of the fight.

Gazzak, however, surprised Marth now. He parried the Crosswire Cut, albeit barely. "A Combat Art, eh?" Gazzak grinned. "Not bad, sprog. Since you've shown me yours, I'll show ya mine!"

Gazzak placed both hands on the handle of his axe. Focused Strike! Gazzak exclaimed inwardly before swinging his axe with tremendous precision and accuracy.

Marth's eyes widened. He immediately held out his rapier in front of him in defense. The precise, focused swing would have landed had Marth not held it out right in front of him in defense. Though the Focused Strike tended to put more emphasis on accuracy over strength, Gazzak's natural strength made up for that. It was evidenced by Gazzak's biceps bulging out.

The impact almost swept Marth off his feet. Though he managed to stay grounded, he was still pushed backwards.

Meanwhile, Layton saw Marth get pushed back by Gazzak. "Your Highness!" He hissed, still in pain in spite of Wrys' treatment.

The tactician-in-training did not hesitate. He tried to rise to his feet and go to his leader's aid. Only to be held back by Norne. "Don't be a fool, you're in no condition to fight right now!" Norne exclaimed. "You don't have your sword anymore! Father Wrys, please back me up here!"

"He's right, young man, healing magic may make it seem like you were never injured physically, but you still retain a bit of fatigue from your injuries for a few moments." Wrys gently told him.

"His Highness…Marth…" Layton muttered trying to free himself from Norne's grip to go to his liege's aid.

Norne just looked at Layton in awe. I've only known him for two years, compared to Cain, Abel, Draug, Gordin and Sir Jagen. She noted. I've heard stories…but I never imagined his loyalty to Prince Marth was this great.

The people of Altea adore Prince Marth, but with him…it almost seems personal. Just what in the world is the connection between those two?

"I understand how he feels." Gordin spoke up, readying his bow.

"Gordin?" Norne watched as Gordin began walking near the battle between Marth and Gazzak.

"Norne, did you know that Prince Marth would often spend time on the training grounds with squires and knights? He wanted to learn from watching us. He spent time getting to know each and every one of us. Well, to be honest, I only met him a few times, so I didn't get that opportunity."

"But the love Prince Marth earned from his countrymen? That reputation is well-earned." Gordin continued with an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face. "Instead of just being faceless goons that exist to fight and die, Prince Marth took the time to learn about all of us as people. It was how he befriended Cain, and Abel, and Draug too."

"We fight for Prince Marth and help him out without hesitation, because he's worth fighting for. Just as much as our own country." Gordin declared. "So if Layton cannot fight for his sake, I'll step in, for him."

Gordin notched an arrow. "I'm not that good a knight, not compared to Sir Jagen and the others. But I have confidence I can be of service in a fight like this!"

Gordin took aim, noting how close Marth and Gazzak were. Easier said than done. He added inwardly, his confidence and determination immediately vanishing. I can nail a target no problem when there's no pressure. But this? There's a lot of pressure.

I mean, I could miss my target. That'd be embarrassing, but of all the bad things that could happen, that would actually be preferable. I could accidentally hit Prince Marth, I could even distract him without meaning to. I want to help…but I could also cost him the fight too. I could single handedly doom the entirety of Archanea, because without Prince Marth there is nobody to fight Medeus! And without Prince Marth to lead us, we can forget taking back Altea too. All would be lost and it'd be all my fault!

Norne noticed Gordin freezing up. Her eyes widened, wondering if his lack of confidence was getting the better of him again. Then, she felt Layton take a deep breath against her. Then, much to her surprise, he yelled. "Don't you dare falter, Gordin!" He exclaimed.

Gordin's eyes widened. "Everyone here, including His Highness, is ready to risk their lives for victory. That means everyone here is prepared to accept the risks!" Layton reminded him.

"And do you truly doubt His Highness's abilities to dodge your measly arrows if you do miss, huh?" Layton demanded, making Gordin gasp.

"Everyone here has worked hard these past two years, to get themselves ready for Medeus and his underlings! But none worked harder than Prince Marth! Someone like you couldn't possibly kill him, whether you'd try to, or if it was an accident!"

Marth and Gazzak got in close, trying to push back the other with their own weapon. "What's up with the blasted peanut gallery?" Gazzak muttered.

Marth just smiled. Layton.

Layton then narrowed his eyes at Gordin. "Are you really so damn weak that all your efforts have been for nothing? Huh? Get your head back in the game and act like the archer you've been working on being, or I'll kill you myself!"

Norne sweat-dropped at Layton's idea of a pep talk. "Umm, I don't think you have to go that far, Layton." She tried to calm him down.

Gordin then smiled. No, that was exactly what I needed to hear. He's right. It doesn't matter if I'm weak. What matters is that we've all worked hard, just like Prince Marth, to reclaim our home and save the world from Medeus.

I'm weak, so I'll miss a few shots, but I know His Highness can avoid them, no problem. But I am still an Altean archer, and that means I can at least be of some use to my prince, especially after all the work I've put in!

You're right, Layton! I won't falter!

Gordin prepared to fire. Marth stepped to the side, attempting to position Gazzak in the perfect shot. Gordin did not notice that act though, he simply focused on Gazzak. For Altea! He declared, letting the arrow loose.

Before Gazzak realized, an arrow struck him right in the back of his shoulder. "Blazes!" He screamed in pain. "That was a dirty trick!"

Norne cheered. "You did it, Gordin!" She exclaimed.

Gordin could not help but laugh in delight, realizing what just happened. "I got him, I actually got him."

Layton noticed what Marth did earlier. He managed to position that pirate in a spot where even Gordin could not miss. Clever move, Your Highness.

Confidence flared in Gordin's chest. He quickly prepared another arrow. I have to keep going, I have to keep shooting!

Draug took note of Gordin's actions with a smile while holding a pirate in the palm of his large hand. "Attaboy." He muttered before slamming the pirate into the ground, head-first.

"You have some nerve calling out anyone for playing dirty when you're pillaging a country of kind-hearted souls." Marth noted.

Gazzak instinctively looked over his shoulder as Gordin continued firing at him. He managed to dodge Gordin's next couple of shots, only for Marth to suddenly press his assault on him. "Damn it!" Gazzak snappd.

"Your Highness!" Gordin yelled. "Keep going!"

As Marth pressed his assault on Gazzak, he kept a side-eye on Gordin. Gordin can fire a strong arrow, but he's not fast in between shots. Which means I have plenty of time to set up my next attack or dodge if he gets too close.

Gazzak's eyes were wide in fear now. Damn it, no! Is this really how far I go? After all of the pillaging, all the pirating, am I really going to fall short of even having a chance to take control of the Galder Pirates from Gomer?

Another arrow then struck Gazzak in the stomach, making him gasp in pain. Marth continued to press the assault, only for Gazzak to snap and force him back with a few wild swings from his steel axe. No way, this won't be how I die here! I'll break through, I'll survive, and I'll rise up again! I'll gather a new crew and become the emperor of the seas!

Gazzak gripped his steel axe as hard as possible. I've got another Combat Art for ya, you sprog! Let's see you block this!

Gazzak then began swinging wildly with tremendous force. Momentum increased with every single swing as he advanced on Marth. He deflected a few arrows from Gordin in the process. Wild Abandon! Gazzak exclaimed inwardly.

Marth instinctively took a few steps back as he tried to scan for an opening. Unbeknownst to Marth, a single archer was hiding in the shadows, taking aim at him. If those dastards could gang up on Gazzak with arrows, he could do the same. However, before he could do so, the wings of a pegasus flapped, catching his attention. He looked up just as Caeda leapt from Liebe, skewering him fatally with her Wing Spear. She then looked up at the Altean Prince, who was still looking for an opening. "Go, Marth." She whispered under her breath.

Back at the fight, Marth took a deep breath. This is my first real challenge. The proof that I am ready to lead the people behind me against Medeus and his allies. He remembered.

Marth then smiled with relief. It had been so long since he had felt genuine relief. Usually, the only time he felt at such ease was with Caeda. But now…

It won't be easy. But, I think I'm ready to become the man you believed I could be, Father. He declared.

"Are there any more Combat Arts you can teach me, Captain Ogma?" Marth had asked him.

"Considering your fighting style, yes, actually." Ogma had revealed. "First, because you gravitate towards the rapier, you can learn this technique to knock your enemies off balance or make them lose their grip on their weapon. Of course, that depends on your level of precision. It's called…"

Lunge! Marth sped forward, thrusting the rapier right into the steel axe, making Gazzak nearly lose his grip. The force of the impact stopped him in his tracks.

No! He stopped my momentum! Gazzak realized with horror.

"The next technique I'll teach you is one that can add a little range to your techniques. Granted, you don't have enough muscle definition to swing with enough force to create a twister. However, you are strong enough to send a flying slash at your enemy." Ogma had also revealed.

"A flying slash? Such a thing is possible?"

"Allow me to show you, exactly in the way I expect you to perform it. It's called…"

Marth stepped forward once more. Gazzak tried to counter, only for one of his arrow wounds to spurt more blood, making him wince in pain. Marth swung his rapier once horizontally. The force generated a sharp gust of wind that struck Gazzak fatally in the chest. Windsweep! Marth inwardly exclaimed.

Gazzak yelled in pain as he was lifted off his feet and flung onto his back. "Gazzak!" A downed pirate from Draug's efforts exclaimed in disbelief.

Upon landing on his back, Gazzak immediately felt his life start to drain from him. No fair…then this really is as far as I go? I won't live to see my dream become a reality.

Gazzak growled bitterly at his victorious foe as he died. He glared hatefully, choosing to die with anger in his heart. "Rrgh…ye'll pay, dog…" He trailed off, closing his eyes forever

Those present gasped at Marth's victory in surprise. "G-Gazzak's dead!" One of the remaining pirates exclaimed.

"Run!" Another yelled.

Before the pirates could get far, however, three horsemen arrived, blocking their escape. "And where do you think you're going?" Jagen demanded, flanked by Cain and Abel.

"He did it!" Gordin exclaimed.

"He had help." Draug noted, going up to his friend and clapping him on the shoulder.

Layton breathed a sigh of relief while Norne cheered. Wrys just smiled. Marth breathed a sigh of relief, hearing the cheering of his soldiers. He raised his rapier in the air, knowing that he owed a word to his troops. "Victory is ours!" He exclaimed. "Talys has been saved!"

Caeda just looked at Marth in awe. She smiled, proud of her friend and grateful for what he has done for her on this day. "Thank you, Marth." She whispered.

A.N: Mentions of battalions, combat arts, I'm pulling out all the SoV/3H tricks. And we turn Gazzak into a Starscream. Considering Gazzak's group and the pirates from the next chapter are all Galder Pirates, it makes sense that he is either loyal, completely submissive to the real boss, or a greedy opportunist. Considering that the first boss in Fire Emblem is always a total scumbag, I went with the idea of him being an opportunistic Starscream. And hey, starter villains always go down easy, yeah?

Next, we've got Nicholas' unit review. It's time we review one of my favorite units in Marth's games in terms of gameplay and story. One of the most underrated ladies in all of Nintendo, the original seductress of Fire Emblem and an absolute queen of a gal: Caeda.

Strengths: I mean, you need her to recruit several allies, so that's kinda important. But let's get into her viability as a combat unit. In the original, Caeda wasn't great. But the remake seriously upped her ability as a combat unit with one of the best weapons in the game: The Wingspear. A personal weapon that can do extra damage to armored units and horseback units, which is pretty useful in a game that pops out armored and horseback enemies like a gacha machine. And then there's the fact that unless you're playing on one of the harder difficulties, she is going to double consistently. Especially with that crazy good speed growth of hers. Let's put it this way, if Caeda hasn't capped speed before you promote her, you're doing it wrong. As long as she's got a Wingspear on hand, she is extremely easy to raise and a ton of fun to use. And once she promotes, she can potentially hit hard without the Wingspear, especially since she can double consistently. As long as you devote yourself to raising her from start to finish, she is great, all the way to the endgame.

Weaknesses: Caeda unfortunately comes with a few weaknesses. As a pegasus knight, she is naturally fragile as a fighter. Her growths are not geared towards defense and strength and has low base HP, which means while she can dish it out, she can not take it. You basically have to rely on her speed, luck and terrain bonuses to dodge. The Dracoknight promotion takes away her Res in a game where not a lot of units have Res to begin with, and when your opponents become hard-hitting mages. And once armored and horse units slowly phase out in favor of mages, horsemen, manaketes and ballisticians the Wingspear only becomes useful for its might.

Overall: One of the best units in Shadow Dragon, bar none. An absolute speed demon. Has one of the best weapons in the game. And honestly, one of the best candidates to promote early with how easy it is to max her speed. Marth is lucky to have her...and the Wingspear. Meet the only character I will ever unironically say "Yas queen, slay!" because she is an absolute queen. It's just too bad that up until Heroes and Three Houses we didn't get consistently good marketing for Fire Emblem. More people need to know about Caeda cuz she is underrated.

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. See you all next time where we conclude chapter 1.