Chapter Sixteen
Having morning breath is not pleasant. It is worse when there is no toothpaste or brush around. I had to make my own and use mint leaves since I arrived in this world. I welcomed the foul stench to keep my mind occupied; I wanted to forget about last night and how I got very little, restless sleep. Yawns escaped my gross mouth as I stretched and stood up from the thin mattress in the deck below. I tip-toed around the other Shepherds to not disturb them, considering it was the crack of dawn. I fumbled through some drawers and grabbed what was a bottle of lotion, I assumed. Whatever covered my odor was acceptable at this point. As I walked upstairs, Chrom and Fredrick were seen at the starboard, unsurprising they would be awake before I. With the ocean and sky no longer reflecting of a hellish seascape, I assumed the duo were soaking in the sights, until Chrom yelled out orders.
Can you wait like 30 minutes for everyone? Too early.
Nope, land was in view. Valm.
More specifically, the Valmese port. Minor homes that were reminiscent of France from ye ole times lined the shore. Cobblestones were a pleasing sight. No ships in the harbor though. Ignatius must have launched all available. Soldiers encircled a lone woman, reacting the Exalt to give orders. Splitting up the party, half went to go save the brunette woman while I was in charge of protecting the beach in case any Valmese decided to join the fun…predictably, many were hiding and waiting in the sands.
The first armored soldier was unlucky and got a spear jammed in his face by the might of Sumia. The rest of the red colored knights and bandits were even less fortunate with a more painful demise. Nowi and Panne transformed into their fearsome beast forms and ripped apart or burnt the poor souls. Pools of blood, innards, and detached limbs turned the beach into a carnage battlefront. The Shepherds fighting more inland had a more difficult time balancing rescuing the damsel and keeping the locals indoors. A wave of lizard riders flew in from the west, forcing the Pegasus knight women to counter them, along with Virion's bows.
The sand was irritating beneath my newly minted steel armor and boots. Sprinting to the other half of the comrades helped loosen most of the sand. Jumping over the stone wall was a poor judgement on my part as an axe welder nearly chopped my head off. I was bopped in the back of neck by another Valmese, leaving me on the cool street unconscious. Last memory I had was a heavy armored grotesque man raise a red axe above his helmet, blocking out the sun.
Darn, should have seen that coming. Please don't let this be the end, I don't even have any witty death phrase…
"Ah, glad to see you're awake!"
I opened my eyes and the vision went from blurs of grey and white to a human face. White generic cloth replaced my normal clothes as I attempted to lift my body up, but found resistance.
"Chrom?"
"Easy there, Phil." The prince Exalt held his hands on my chest. "Rest. Lucina and Cordelia are here, too."
The mother-daughter duo came from behind Chrom, Cordelia first. "Hi. I'm glad to see your wounds are healing well, hm?"
I did a quick vital check. "Yup, still got my limbs and…a scar."
"Don't worry, Lissa said you have a chance of that becoming unnoticeable after some time." Lucina pointed at the long scar that ran across my stomach at an angle. "Anyways, you probably have some questions. For starters, we are on Valm currently and secured the port with very minimal casualties. We rescued a woman named Say'ri. She leads a resistance force against the Emperor…"
"Any enemy of Walhart is a friend of ours." I coughed.
"Yes. As I was saying, she can lend us supplies and troops. It isn't much, but it is welcomed."
"So, what's the next plan?"
"If you think for a moment you are going with us in the next battle, count yourself out, Phil." Chrom always pushed us, especially in training, but knew everyone's limits. "Say'ri is already leading the Shepherds up the Mila Tree. There, they will locate the Voice of Naga- "
Cordelia finished, "Also known as Lady Tiki. The Pegasus knights spread fantastical stories at campfires about her. The very representation of the divine dragon Naga, herself."
"I see. I have…read about Naga myself."
Or just playing the games.
If we got Tiki on side, her powers would turn the tides in a much favorable position. The thoughts were put on pause when a brunette lady with unique clothing came into the tent.
Say'ri.
"Lord Chrom! We must speak at once! Lady Tiki is in danger!"
The Resistance group of the Cho'sin warriors were at a deadlock with the Valmese lead by Cervantes. The general had on the traditional Valmese armor, sporting a long, refined mustache that he claimed was trimmed before every battle. His followers were trained well and no false moves were a necessity in order to survive.
"Ha! 'Come close, boy' said the hairy spider to the fly. I will show the true meaning of the word 'fear'". Cervantes pointed his tomahawk axe towards Chrom.
I had to remain on the sidelines from this battle, but that didn't mean I was not effective…
Before Chrom and his family slipped away from my bed, I snuck in his pocket a small note…
"Come now and let us do battle!" Cervantes threw his tomahawk with the strength of four average men, throwing Chrom off-balance. The general's spear extended and clipped the Ylissean on his left ribs.
"Akk!"
Chrom fell, yet still held onto Falchion. He slowly rolled over to catch a breath as the Valm officer marched, creating mini earthquakes in the small area.
"Now the fly is trapped and the hairy spider shall have his meal!"
Before Chrom got up, a piece of folded paper caught his eye and he glanced at it.
Never insult a man's facial hair; this will cause unexpected results.
-Dove for Men
This gave the prince Exalt an idea…
"I think the spider needs a shave. Your whiskers insult Naga herself!"
The words made the general stop dead in his tracks, "What did this maggot say about my whiskers!? You dare insult the great Cervantes?"
The Valmese soldier was ill prepared for a counter: verbal and physical. Chrom rolled over, with the Falchion first giving the facial haired man with that close shave before eventually finding the sweet spot in the armor. The disemboweled man flopped forward and landed on his face; the full weight of steel not impacting the fall well. The combination of guts and blood and crushed bones indicated Chrom survived. He wiped his forehead in the victory. Looking up the tree, and back down to his comrades, he smiled.
"Let's go."
"Hya!" I swung a training sword at the practice dummy, connecting to the ribs.
"Phil, good to see you recovering well?"
"Yes, Fredrick, thank you. I feel 100% now. It's a shame I had to miss the last battle."
"No worries, your health is important to our mission against Walhart. Now, if you would accompany me, Chrom wants to discuss matters of our next steps."
"Of course." I threw the sword down and took a rag and wiped my face as I walked with Fredrick. Chrom informed me that they found Tiki and she described five special gemstones that were needed to perform an Awakening ritual to channel the power of Naga. Two of them, Argent and Azure, were in our possession on the fire emblem shield. Grima's presence is looming closer, Tiki warned, and it was Chrom's task to undertake that awakening.
Knowing Chrom would succeed, I turned to Say'ri, "Say'ri, tell us more about Walhart's army."
"Aye, my lord. He musters his forces to crush the Rebellion. Alone, we would not stand. The Valmese Imperial Army is comprised of three main divisions: one controls the north, one the south, and the third the lands between. Emperor Walhart commands the northern forces. Their might easily exceeds our own. The south is led by my brother, Yen'fay. His host is said to rival Walhart's."
"Three divisions, you say? Hmm."
"You got a plan, Phil?" Chrom raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, I do." I smiled, "We will divide the army we have gathered thus far. Half to the north and rest to the south. Chrom, lead the Shepherds to Fort Steiger. Say'ri, isn't that fortress nearby?" She nodded. "This way, we can disrupt their flow of communications and supplies. We must throw their divisions off as much as possible, make them think. It is perhaps a certainty Walhart knows of our arrival."
"Not a bad plan. All in favor?" Chrom turned to face the rest of the Shepherds. A unified roar yelled in agreement.
"Fie! We could all be dead before nightfall, yet not one of you so much as hesitates. Your courage is an inspiration. Aye, we will win this war yet, by gods!"
Everyone's spirits riding high, the group disbanded and went to their own tents to rest. As I walked back, I stopped to watch a pink haired lady putting away her linens.
"Packing up, already? We just finished the meeting, Cherche."
"Oh, Phil! Why yes, I am. I must because Minerva takes a while to get ready, and she hasn't touched her food."
Minerva let out a roar in the distance. Cherche was wise to keep her saddled away from the group and pegasi.
"Oh, how could I forget about Minerva? I have to ask, is it safe to go pet her?"
"You aren't scared of her?" Cherche folded her arms.
"No, not at all! I think dragons are cool. Always admired them and never thought I'd see one in person. In fact, where I come from, they don't exist…or at least no concrete evidence." This pleased Cherche.
"That's terrible. They are such lovely creatures! I have looked after Minerva for quite few years now. Found her in Wyvern Valley…or she found me." Her face dropped. I could tell she didn't want to discuss her past.
"No need to describe the past. The past belongs there, and we have a bright future to look forward to…after we defeat some enemies first, of course. Ha ha!" I rubbed the back of my head. I hope I wasn't getting too awkward around Cherche. She is a beauty…and so is Minerva in her own way, I suppose, for dragon standards. I had to catch myself from staring at her for too long, especially when she bent over in her tight uniform.
She looked back at me, "So, did you still want to pet Minervykins? But you have to be careful though, she only likes to petted…a certain way."
Cherche must have caught me sneaking looks because she demonstrated the petting on herself by rubbing the arms, stomach, and thighs…all too slowly. And here, I thought I was being slick.
"Gah, I think I get the idea, Cherche!" If I didn't know any better, she was flirting with me. "Actually, you mentioned that Minerva didn't eat, right?"
Her expression went from seductive to sober, "Goodness, I completely forgotten! Yes, she still needs to eat…"
"And it is probably wise to keep distance from her until she has had her full. I'll leave the feeding session to you two." I started to move towards my tent. "Good talking to you!" I waved at her, probably a few times too many as I left. I heard her giggle as she winked at me. Her eyes were a something to behold and I was too distracted to see the man in front of me that I was going to walk into.
Cling.
"Oh, sorry there Lon'qu. I didn't see you there."
He grumbled, "Just be more alert next time, before you hurt yourself." He grumbled more as he dusted himself off and went off in the opposite direction, going to talk to Cherche. I didn't have time nor cared for them as I started to pack up my belongs. It was approaching midnight as I was complete with the supplies and taking inventory. As much as I wished to relax, I couldn't. I looked around and found a tactical novel by the candlelight and began to read. My reasoning is if I read something tedious, I could fall asleep faster. Not even two chapters in, my eyelids were lead weights. I dropped backwards in the chair, feeling something poke me in my ribs, but I was too tired to move it.
The grass was as green as it could get. The dirt path lead to a sea of barley. The golden landscape ran on endlessly, with clouds forming darken patches on the ground as they blocked some sunlight. My hands grazed the tops of the field as I slowly paced on ahead. The only thing that was missing was a flower. Flowers would be nice as I thought to myself. Flowers, so I can pick them and give them to…
Her.
She showed up, as if waiting for me; calling for me. In a trance, I was compelled to run to her and stroke her crimson locks, but a force prevented me from moving at blazing speeds. After what felt eons, I arrived to greet her with open arms. Her red eyes gazed into mine and I grabbed her to pull her in closely. I lean in to kiss, but was prevented by her right hand.
"Shhh, not now, darling. Minervykins is watching us." She giggled.
A tiny roar was felt behind my neck. Minerva? What is that wyvern doing here? This doesn't make sense,
I took a minute to inspect the woman in front of me. Red hair? Check. Pegasus hairclip? Check. White and pink battle dress? Yup. Pink stockings? Yes. She looked like Cordelia, but something was amiss.
Different shade of red eyes.
"Darling, is everything ok? It's me, Cherche!" She took my hands and brought up to her smooth face.
"What are you wearing?" I looked all around me, still in the field.
"This?" Cherche looked down then up to me, "I thought, if I dressed like her, that would get his attention. Don't you like it? It was customed tailored! Oh, I knew you would enjoy it!"
Not going to lie, playing the role of Cordelia threw me off guard and I was not going to complain. I brushed her hair away from her face.
"Hey, a flower! For me?" Cherche pointed to a rose on the ground and leaned over, ever so slowly, trying to get my attention to her certain feminine features, then turned around to show more.
I gasped as she back up and winked and smiled at me. Speechless, I couldn't think of how to response, but she knew what to do.
"It's beautiful." She placed the flower in her hair. More giggles left her mouth as she took my hands back to her face. "It's funny, being close like this feels…right." The landscape went from goldenrod to a light pink, thanks to the skies above. "It was as if it was always meant to be."
A red flash, unnatural.
"Hmm? Come again, Cherche?"
"It was as if it was always mEaNt tO bE!"
The eyes glowed, becoming translucent red. She opened her mouth, revealing razor-sharp fangs. Her tone totally changed as the once lovely woman became a hideous monster. I released myself from her grasp and panicked.
"aLwAyS mEaNt tO bE!" She roared, along with Minerva. The wyvern grew to unprecedent proportions, becoming Grima herself.
I was standing in a dark, lifeless patch of dirt with no signs of escaping. All the barley and grass withered away.
The monster once known as Cherche lunged at me with claws.
"SuBMit!"