The Force's Shepherds
Chapter 118
The Calm
Ben slowly opened his eyes, blinking sleep away as he stared up at the roof of his tent. He uttered a soft sigh before rolling onto his side and smiling at Tharja's peaceful, sleeping face. As quietly as he could, he placed a kiss on her forehead before rising from their bedroll.
The day was still young. Stars still sprinkled the slowly lightening sky above Ben as he stepped out of his tent, a simple shirt and pants thrown haphazardly over his body. He'd worry about getting properly dressed later. Right now, he needed some water. Maybe some tea. He uttered a loud yawn and stretched his arms over his head, feeling some muscles and tendons pop in the process.
Yeah… tea. Ben nodded to himself as he scratched an itch on his neck.
He trudged towards the officer's mess tent. Along the way he was surprised by the level of activity he saw within the camp. Many of the Chon'sin soldiers were already awake and going about their daily business. Their blacksmiths were hammering away at blades on anvils. Soldiers were busy sharpening their weapons and inspecting their armor within their tents. A few gave Ben wary looks as he walked by them. Even more gaped at him in shock. Probably due to his lack of formal dress in the morning. Ben got the impression that their previous commander, Yen'fay, had been a man of impeccable decorum and protocol. At least that is what the Jedi Master assumed, judging from the incredible discipline his army displayed. And he was the General of their new allies, the Archaneans. They likely thought he would emerge from his tent fully dressed, groomed, and bright eyed, ready to conquer the day. Instead, he emerged barely dressed in a baggy white shirt and pants, with hair splayed haphazard every which way, and a half awake look in his eyes.
Tea first. Conquer the day later.
He smelled the food before he reached the mess tent. The scent made his footsteps feel lighter as he approached the officer's dining tent. He stepped inside, and his brief sense of content was replaced with a frown.
"By the Force, Kenobi." Dooku scowled as he sat near the doorway, tea in one hand a book in the other, "Do you always look like such a vagabond in the morning?" Ben closed his eyes and started walking past the surly Count, "Honestly, I thought you would be the kind of person who cared about his appearance."
"A lot has changed, Count." Ben huffed as he reached the table with several hot tea kettles and poured himself a full mug. He did not care about the flavor, he just needed something to help him wake up in the morning. One sip made his mood brighten a little bit, enough to deal with Dooku at least, "What are you doing up so early?"
"I'm always up early." Dooku frowned back, turning a page in his book, "Have you not been paying attention?"
Ben glared back, "You seem a lot grumpier than normal."
"I have good reason to be." Dooku snarked back, "My pupil is dead, no thanks to you."
Hurt shot through Ben's heart. Images of Robin's final stand raced through his thoughts. A long gulp of tea chased them away once more. His nights were already plagued with both Robin and Anakin's deaths, he did not need to have his days disturbed by them as well. Otherwise he might go insane. The last thing the Shepherds needed was one of their military leaders to crumble due to a tragedy. He could do that later, once this war was over. There would be time to properly mourn then.
"I did everything I could, short of taking his place." Ben muttered back as he started to leave the tent and head back to his own, a second mug of tea in hand for Tharja, "Which I contemplated."
"But you did not. Most selfish of you." Dooku replied.
Ben paused at the door. Dooku's eyes flicked up from his book.
"Is that anger I sense, Kenobi? Why would you-"
The Count uttered a startled cry as he was lifted out of his chair and flung across the mess tent. His book flopped over his face and his cup of tea remained completely still at his table. A series of stunned, sputtering sounds erupted from Dooku as he shot upright and glared angrily at Ben, eyes blazing yellow. Ben shrugged at him then stepped out of the mess tent.
"Had it coming." Ben muttered as he sipped his tea and walked back to his tent.
He sensed the Count come raging out of the mess tent, dark side of the force billowing out of him. Ben glanced over his shoulder and smirked.
"Are you going to kill your commanding officer in front of the entire army, Count?" Ben taunted as Dooku seethed behind, "Rather ungentlemanly of you, wouldn't you agree?"
"Kenobi." Dooku snarled.
"Benny!"
Both Dooku and Ben's gazes snapped over to Gaius as he came sauntering over to them. Panne was not far behind him, a few twigs sticking out of her thick hair. She frowned at Gaius, arms folded, as they both stopped in front of Ben.
"Back from scouting." Gaius said with a mock salute.
Ben cocked an eyebrow, "I never sent you-" He narrowed his gaze, "Did you run off to steal something again?"
Gaius shook his head, "Nope, not this time."
"Yes he did." Panne sighed.
"It was just a pastry from the nearby village and it was worth it." Gaius retorted, "You've got me in withdrawal with the freaking diet these Chon'sin guys got. I mean, rice? Really!? No sugar? Nothing!?"
"It's good for you, Gaius." Ben drawled.
Gaius gripped Ben by his shirt and jerked him close, "Look at me Ben. Look into these desperate eyes!"
Ben flicked his gaze over to Panne instead, "A bit melodramatic, yes?"
"What is melodramatic?" Panne asked, genuinely unsure.
"It's a disease." Ben sighed, causing Panne's eyes to widen in alarm, "Gaius. You need to get a hold of yourself."
"I ran out of lollipops six days ago, Benny. SIX!" The thief cried, "I find myself subconsciously sucking the air at times. You gotta help me!"
"Didn't you get your fix from that pastry you admitted to recently stealing?" Ben asked.
Tears filled Gaius's eyes, "I have… a problem."
Ben was silent for a moment, "Clearly. But I don't have time for this right now, Gaius. I have to go wake Tharja, then I have to-"
"Do your daily meetings crap, yeah, got it." Gaius let go of Ben's shirt, "But still, Benny. You gotta help me. I can't let my last sweet be a pastry before Wally arrives and crushes us. I mean hell if those scouts we saw in the village were any indication-"
Ben dropped the mugs of tea, letting them shatter on the ground. He yanked on Gaius's shirt, "Scouts?"
Gaius blinked, "Oh yeah, those."
Panne smacked her forehead, "You really are diseased."
"I am not sick, Whiskers. I have a problem and it was the first thing on my mind a moment ago. But now that Benny mentions it-"
"You mentioned it." Dooku frowned as he drew close to the group, eyes flickering back to their normal blue color.
"Right, right." Gaius waved back, "Er- me and Whiskers were sneaking around, doing… stuff." Panne growled behind him, making him pale, "Nothing inappropriate. Totally family friendly and stuff. Other than the thieving at least. She helped with that."
"I certainly did not!" Panne cried.
Gaius worked his jaw back and forth as he carefully thought over his next sentence, "Okay, she didn't. But as I was saying-"
"How many scouts?" Ben asked, voice firm as he was now wide awake.
Gaius thought for a moment, "Twelve, maybe thirteen? They were on horseback. Moving fast to the north from the village. Scared us shitless, right whiskers?"
"If you say so, manspawn." Panne huffed, fingers tapping her biceps as she scowled at the thief.
Gaius laughed nervously, "I'm gonna get it later." He gulped, "Benny-"
"I don't have time to save your ass this time, Gaius." Ben sighed, "But thank you for letting me know about this so quickly."
"You call that quickly?" Dooku remarked.
Ben closed his eyes and took a slow, calming breath, "Anyways, Dooku, I'm sure you'll want to be a part of the war council. I will meet you at the command tent. Panne please go wake Chrom, Sumia, and Frederick. Gaius, go wake Flavia, Tiki, and Mustafa."
"Why do I get the scary ones?" Gaius exclaimed as Ben marched towards the command tent.
Ben threw his hands in the air, "Because your annoying presence will do wonders getting them out of bed!"
Great, now I sound like Dooku. Ben groaned to himself as he marched deeper into the army camp, moving towards both the main command tent and Luke's tent.
It did not take him long to reach Luke's tent. The entryway was drawn tightly closed when he approached. Ben frowned and threw the doorway open, allowing light to flow into the tent without any warning. Once the sun's rays slammed into the far corner of the tent, both Luke and Cynthia cried out in alarm, sitting upright simultaneously.
"Who goes there!?" Luke cried, drawing his lightsaber.
"I'm blind!" Cynthia cried, throwing her arms over her eyes.
Ben sighed and averted his gaze, "Cynthia, put a shirt on already."
"Is that you, Uncle Ben?" Cynthia shouted, eyes squeezed shut, head on a swivel.
"Are you staring at her, Kenobi?!" Luke bellowed, thumb hovering over his lightsaber's activation button.
Ben sighed and massaged his eyes, "I am in my own happy relationship at the moment Luke, so I have absolutely no interest in Cynthia." He paused as he turned away from the pair, "And even if I wasn't in a relationship, Cynthia would not be high on my list."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cynthia asked, suddenly offended as she threw a robe over her body.
"It means that-" Ben groaned and wiped his face, "I don't have the energy for this right now. Luke, get up. We have an emergency. Be at the command tent once you are dressed."
He quickly left the tent before Luke could say, or do, anything stupid. Ben's nerves were already on edge now. All he wanted was a warm cup of tea to start his day. Now he wasn't even going to get that.
When this is all over, I'm retiring from the military. He thought with a huff as he brushed past some Chon'sin soldiers and marched into the command tent, where Dooku, Frederick, Chrom, and Sumia were waiting.
"What's going on?" Chrom immediately asked Ben as the Jedi Master strode in and took his spot near the table.
"The Valmese were seen nearby." Ben flicked his eyes over to the command tent doorway. Tiki, Flavia, Mustafa, and Luke all strode in.
Luke glared at Ben briefly before shaking his head, "Ever heard of knocking?"
"You can be angry later." Ben said sharply, "Right now, we need to figure out where we can go from here. Gaius has reported Valmese scouts in the nearby village during the night, which means the Valmese force is not far behind."
"Already!?" Flavia cried.
"I don't suppose holing up in the Volcano would work again?" Chrom asked with a slightly nervous look.
"Not unless you want to breath ash and bathe in fire." Frederick frowned.
"That doesn't sound too horrible." Tiki noticed Sumia, Flavia, and Mustafa gawk at her. The Voice shrugged, "At least to me. I've got a higher heat tolerance."
"No one else does, unfortunately." Ben wiped his brow and stared down at the map, "In order to defeat Walhart, we have to counter both his numbers and his cavalry. If I recall Cherche, Virion, and… and Say'ri's intelligence correctly, his cavalry is unrivaled."
"So don't do what Basilio and I did and engage them in the open." Flavia pointed out, folding her arms over her chest as she carefully studied the maps, "That makes finding an advantageous battlefield in this area difficult."
"There is not enough time for us to march up into the mountains." Luke mumbled. He focused his eyes on a single city on the map, "We need to mount a city defense."
"Oh a siege, lovely idea." Flavia said with a roll of her eyes, "What's to stop Walhart from just starving us out at that point?"
"It's not in Walhart's nature."
All eyes turned to tent entrance. Yen'fay ducked into the command tent, already armored up and ready to march. He quickly gave Luke a stiff bow. Luke returned his gesture with an awkward nod before clearing his throat.
"How is it not in his nature, Yen'fay?" Luke asked.
Yen'fay approached the table, "The Conqueror is not the kind of man to starve out an enemy. He is a man who believes in strength above all else. To him, starving an enemy to death would be a weak man's strategy. A coward's move if you will."
"Not out of the question given Excellus is his strategist." Luke grumbled.
The corner of Yen'fay's mouth twitched at the mention of the Worm, "Not incorrect, but ponder this. Excellus was not by Walhart's side when he engaged the Feroxi. Instead, he was sent to me and Pheros. Both of us correctly surmised that Excellus is not in the Conqueror's good graces right now. The fact that he failed to attain victory here at Demon's Ingle will only exacerbate that. Walhart will want to do things his way. And his way is to crush the enemy with pure might. If we do make a stand in a city, he will try to end the siege quickly. But… he will not be able to use his cavalry in the attempt."
"Our mages will be able to wreak havoc from a heightened, and covered position." Ben said, stroking his beard, "Especially on the grunts that make up most of the Conqueror's army." He glanced at Luke, "I'm guessing you plan on taking us to the nearest city?"
Luke nodded, "Koto."
Yen'fay's gaze snapped to Luke, "Are you sure that is wise?"
Luke gave Yen'fay an unsure look, "Not really. But… what other options do we have? We can't retreat to Charlet anymore. Walhart has cut that route off by this point. For all we know, he has retaken the city." Luke nodded, "Yes… this is the way we must go. We will use Walhart's nature against him, negating his cavalry in the process. I would love to see a Valmese grunt take on a Chon'sin warrior in Koto. Let them try and take the city."
"I will fly ahead." Sumia spoke up.
"And I shall accompany you in order to prepare the defenses." Yen'fay nodded, "If my general agrees to it?"
Luke shrugged, "You're more experienced at this than me. Do what you believe is best, brother."
Yen'fay bowed at the waist again, turned on his heel and marched out of the tent. Sumia quickly embraced Chrom then followed Yen'fay out of the tent. Marching off to rally the Pegasus Knights.
"Well then, nothing like a time crunch to force us into a decision." Ben muttered.
"Isn't that how it always happens?" Chrom smirked back, "Frederick, rally the soldiers. We march immediately."
"Yes, milord." Frederick rushed out of the tent.
"We have one last issue." Flavia quickly spoke up, keeping everyone from exiting the tent, "That Pheros lady; I don't trust her."
Ben furrowed his brow, "Pheros is the Valmese commander you and Sumia captured, right Mustafa?"
The old Plegian general grunted, "Yeah, it was rather easy. Makes me a bit nervous to be honest. She and her soldiers haven't tried anything yet. But the fact that she was so at ease betraying someone like Walhart is a red flag to worry about. Dooku has been personally keeping an eye on her."
"That does little to ease my own worries." Ben sighed. Dooku scowled back, but said nothing, "However, if anyone will keep Pheros from doing anything devious, it would be Dooku. Make sure her soldiers are watched closely."
"Of course." Mustafa nodded.
"I'm already doing that Kenobi. Do you take me for an idiot?" Dooku huffed as he marched out of the tent, cape sweeping behind him. Ben watched him exit and shook his head.
Already giving me a headache.
"As for the rest of us," Ben took a breath, glancing at the other leaders of the army, "Time to prepare for the decisive battle."
Ben furrowed his brow. There was an itch in the back of his mind. The kind of sensation where he knew someone was glaring at him. He already knew who it was, but for the most part, this little dance had become a bit of game. Ever since he flipped Dooku out of his chair using the force several days ago, the Count had been furious with him. For the most part, Ben couldn't care less. The old man had it coming for a long time. If for no other reason than he perpetually managed to annoy the Jedi Master.
Ben frowned, I'm starting to think like him now.
"What's wrong?"
Ben glanced over at Tharja. The dark mage walked side by side with him during the march to Koto. Most of the time, her nose was buried in her spell book. Her way of practicing her craft without actually subjecting someone to the horrors of dark magic. Ben already had to persuade her out of dubbing the Chon'sin soldiers prisoners, which would have justified her using them as practice. So instead, she started committing new spells to memory. Ones she was eager to use on the battlefield. Every so often, a soft, sinister snicker slipped from her lips as she flipped through the pages. Forcing Ben to wonder if it was really a good idea to entertain her darker nature while they were surrounded by former enemies.
If she goes off, I'll point her in Dooku's direction, then laugh.
Tharja glanced over at her shoulder, "He's still glaring at you."
Ben grunted, "I sensed as much."
Tharja flicked her gaze back to the disgruntled old Sith Lord once again. Dooku narrowed his gaze dangerously at her, but she was undisturbed. Instead, she started to snicker.
"Runny nose hex?" She whispered to Ben.
Ben snorted out a small laugh, "As entertaining as that would be, I'd much rather the Count's wrath be directed at me and not you." He glanced back at Dooku and sighed as he sensed the man's anger, "Go ahead with the others."
Tharja frowned, "You plan on talking to him again, don't you?"
Ben nodded.
"You know, everytime you two chat, it ends in one of you being angry at the other." She pointed out, "I'd say just accept you two are oil and water. Use Dooku as a means to win this war, then let him prance about Themis to his heart's content. I'm sure Maribelle and Donnel won't mind."
Ben chuckled again, "Count Dooku prancing. I love that mental image." He rubbed Tharja's shoulder and urged her forward, "Go ahead. If I don't catch up in a few minutes-"
"I have permission to use the hex?"
Ben sighed, "Fine."
Tharja smirked and quickly strode towards the front of the column. Ben stopped walking, letting a few rows of Chon'sin and Ylissean soldiers pass him by until he came shoulder to shoulder with Dooku.
"Kenobi." Dooku growled, voice missing it's usual aristocratic drawl and instead replaced with a seething anger that made Ben smirk back.
"Count." Ben replied, "Still angry at me for bruising your ego?"
Dooku sniffed, "My ego is hardly bruised, Jedi."
Ben winced, "Now you're simply referring to me as 'Jedi'. I absolutely hurt either your ego or your pride. Perhaps both?"
Dooku snarled.
"We'll go with both." Ben nodded before taking a breath, "Listen, Dooku. I-"
"When this whole nonsense is over with, I more than agree that we must go our separate ways, Kenobi. We no longer have a common pupil to train, therefore we have no need to interact. Thank the Force for that." The Count interrupted bitterly.
Ben glanced at Dooku, "Robin's death is affecting you much more than I thought."
Dooku stopped walking abruptly, forcing several Feroxi soldiers to sidestep around him and Ben.
"And you are unaffected?"
Ben took a deep breath, "Dooku, every night I think about what I could have done differently. If I allowed myself to think about what I could have done in every waking moment, I won't be able to make certain we all survive this war. Now, I need you to be with me in this. Because as much as we can't stand each other, we are allies in this nasty affair, like it or not."
"Most certainly dislike." Dooku harrumphed, folding his arms over his chest. He resumed walking, but at a much more leisurely pace than the rest of the army, still forcing most of the column to step around the two force adepts, "And I am more than committed to winning this war. If for no other reason than to gain vengeance upon the damnable fools who dared to destroy what plans I had laid down."
Ben sighed, "Using Robin and the others as weapons against Sidious."
Dooku nodded, "I'm surprised, given your reluctant agreement to such a plan, that you let him die."
Ben grit his teeth and spun around, stopping Dooku in his tracks, "Let's get one thing clear, Count. I hardly agreed to that mad scheme of yours. I might recognize the need to be prepared for Sidious but I certainly did not agree to you making Robin your apprentice. I merely agreed to your assistance. And another thing, I did everything I could to save Robin. Force, I wish I could have done more. I should have done more. But I cannot change that now. Just as I cannot change Anakin's death, I cannot change Robin's death." He took a breath, letting the rare flash of anger he felt subside, "All I can do is keep moving forward, and maybe… maybe honor his memory in some way. Naga knows, Robin was more of a Jedi than either you or I ever were."
Dooku arched an eyebrow. Ben turned on his heel and started walking again. Dooku picked up his pace so that he continued walking alongside Ben.
"Were?"
Ben bowed his head, "Semantics, Count."
"Semantics is simply an excuse. You no longer consider yourself a Jedi." Dooku smirked, "That should not surprise me though, given your sudden bursts of anger. Are you finally seeing my side of things, Kenobi?"
"No." Ben sighed, "I am simply recognizing that I am human." Dooku furrowed his brow as Ben spoke, "And part of being human is having emotions that one cannot suppress no matter how much training one has. Anger is simply another emotion. And… I am slowly learning that it is not necessarily evil. The actions someone does in those moments of anger determines the good or evil of it. For example, I was furious with you when you basically accused me of letting Robin die instead of myself. I could have tried to kill you. That is what you would have done. But instead, I flipped you out of your chair. I controlled myself, unlike you. And yes, Count, I believe control to be different than suppress."
The Count hummed to himself, "You would be surprised by how Sith you just sounded."
Ben rolled his eyes, "And we both know that is not the case."
"Oh, you are quite correct, Kenobi. And… there is wisdom in what you said." Dooku admitted.
"A compliment? That had to taste like venom on your tongue." Ben drawled.
"You are making me regret giving it." Dooku frowned, "Besides, you need to understand that the Jedi and Sith-"
"Are two sides of the same coin." Ben interrupted with a weary sigh, "I'm aware of that all too familiar analogy."
"Wrong." Dooku replied, forcing Ben to stop in his tracks. The Jedi gave him a puzzled look as Dooku folded his hands behind his back, "Jedi and Sith are simply two extremes on a long spectrum. Both believe in total control. One believes in control to dominate, the other believes in control to serve. So yes, Kenobi, you are certainly no Sith. Although, you have broken the dogma of the old Jedi Order, so you are no Jedi either. I'd say you are something new, but since we both have no idea what that entails, we shall simply call you a normal human being."
Ben uttered a quiet laugh, "We're a couple of clueless fools then, aren't we?"
"A master has to be a fool first, Kenobi." Dooku replied, "I'm simply glad you and I are no longer ideological enemies."
"Simply enemies." Kenobi sighed.
Dooku pursed his lips, "I'm not so certain of that either. I say we go with antagonistic friends."
Kenobi tilted his head, "That makes literally no sense."
"As does your friendship with the thief, Gaius, but that bears the same nature." Dooku smirked back.
Ben furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment, "Fair point. But his antagonism is mostly innocent compared to yours."
"On that we can agree." Dooku nodded.
Ben uttered a deep breath, peering at the rear of the column as the final few rows of soldiers passed the slowly moving force adepts. Among the ones bringing up the rear was Lady Tiki. The ancient Manakete had been very aloof in recent days, since they all left Demon's Ingle. Although, Ben assumed that may have been due to his preoccupation with organizing a defense plan. Tiki came and went into the many strategy meetings as she pleased. None dared to argue with her about it, mostly out of fear of her power, which Ben admitted, was considerable.
"She's been quite somber of late." Dooku muttered.
Ben noticed Dooku's eyes trailing Tiki as well, "She's much too old for you Count."
Dooku spun towards Ben, "I'll have you know, I have no interest in such a-" Ben's chuckling snapped Dooku's mouth shut, "Your humor continues to become lower and lower brow."
"Take a joke, Dooku. It's in good fun. After all, we are antagonistic friends now."
Dooku scowled, "I'm regretting that immensely. Force, I can already feel the migraine now." He swept his brown cape further over his shoulders, covering his arms, as he walked, "I am simply curious as to why the once cheerful Voice of Naga is now… not."
"Perhaps it's because she's lost a close friend?" Ben remarked.
Dooku frowned, "That's a foolish notion, she hardly knew Robin."
"Or, maybe she is not used to losing friends?" Ben suggested.
"Come now, Kenobi. Someone who has lived as long as she has will be used to loss."
"For the record, you two should be aware that Manaketes have very sensitive hearing."
Both Dooku and Ben sucked in a sharp breath as Tiki marched up to them. The shorter woman glared over at Dooku then gave Ben a weary look.
"If there must be a winner in this argument, Ben is right." Tiki spun and started to walk away again.
"Ha!" Ben remarked.
"Right in what way, Lady Tiki?" Dooku pressed.
Tiki stopped in her tracks. A long sigh slipped from her lips as Dooku and Ben caught up to her.
"It is because of Robin." She admitted quietly, "Even though we knew each other for a very short period of time, I could tell he was different. Special, if you would."
"I already knew that." Dooku replied.
"Special in a different way, Count." Ben pinched the bridge of his nose, "One moment you provide controversial wisdom the next you fail to understand basic human interaction."
"Well I was a Jedi for nearly seventy years. That kind of lifestyle is known handicap such things." Dooku jabbed back.
"Is that all you two do?" Tiki suddenly interrupted, "Bicker back and forth like a pair of… pair of… what's the metaphor again?"
Both Ben and Dooku shrugged. Tiki sighed and shook her head, dropping the matter.
"When it comes to Robin," Tiki continued, "It's not just how I personally felt about him that has made me rather distant lately. I-" She pursed her lips, glancing at Ben, "Well, you already know, Ben."
Dooku jerked back, "Know what? What am I not aware of?"
Ben glanced at Dooku, then over at Tiki, "It is up to you, Lady Tiki."
"Just Tiki is fine, Ben. I'd say we've passed beyond formalities." She folded her hands and took a deep, calming breath, "During Robin's last days, I learned what he really was. What he was made to be, at least." Dooku furrowed his brow as she spoke, "Robin was meant to be a vessel for Grima. I ventured into Robin's mind in order to discover what was ailing him, and I discovered the Fell Dragon as well as another creature known as The Son within him."
Dooku drew back, face like stone. He reached up and brushed his white beard, deep in thought.
"If you don't know what The Son is, Count, he is from a species called the Ones, of which there were only three." Ben carefully explained, "Anakin, Ahsoka, and I encountered all three of them on a planet known as Mortis during the Clone Wars. The Son was a pure manifestation of the dark side."
Dooku's eyes widened, "That… that would explain…" He trailed off, stepping around Tiki as he continued pondering her and Ben's words.
"That would explain what, Dooku?" Ben asked.
Dooku stopped stroking his beard, "Well," He cleared his throat, "It would explain Robin's affinity for the Dark Side of the Force. What puzzles me is that despite having both of those creatures inside of him, he was not corrupted. Either he was remarkably strong willed, or there was another factor at play. Although, I do believe his amnesia had something to do with holding such monsters at bay."
Tiki furrowed her brow, "His mind was quite locked, when I investigated it. He was even surprised by the amount of mystery surrounding his own memories and thoughts."
A sputtering sound came from Ben, "You memory walked with Robin?"
Tiki blinked in surprise, "Yes, in a way I did. A bit more advanced than what you might know." She furrowed her brow, "How do you know about such a thing?"
Ben cringed, "Ah, well…" He cleared his throat, "I am with Tharja, after all."
"I have yet to get to know Tharja very well, so why do I not feel any surprise?" Tiki muttered, puzzled.
"You shouldn't be surprised." Ben laughed sheepishly.
"We are getting off topic." Dooku interrupted, "The fact right now, is that Robin was Grima's vessel. With him dead, where does that leave the Fell Dragon?"
Tiki pursed her lips, "I'm not sure. I would assume Grima is dead, but assuming anything about that monster is dangerous. Add in the second presence within Robin's mind, and everything is unknown right now. We can only hope that the fury of Demon's Ingle buried and ended the Fell Dragon once and for all. If so, then by sacrificing himself, Robin saved us all."
Ben nodded in agreement. His nodding ended when he noticed Dooku looking unconvinced.
"Magma and rock does not kill a being like Grima that easily." Dooku muttered, "I have a feeling that Grima is still lingering."
Ben stared hard at Dooku, noticing the flashes of concern on the Count's face whenever he fell silent.
"What do you know, Dooku?" Ben asked, "You are a Deadlord, technically."
Tiki scowled at Dooku, but said nothing as Dooku gave her a concerned glance.
"I'm not under Grima's control anymore, Lady Tiki." Dooku said carefully, "I haven't been since I remembered exactly who I was. I believe he gave me more autonomy than was necessary, and thus I was able to break free. We cannot say the same for any other Deadlords, obviously."
"Where were you summoned?" Tiki asked, "And by whom?"
Dooku swallowed hard. For the first time ever, Ben saw visible fear flash in the Count's eyes.
"Plegia of course." Dooku answered, "Who else would be interested in assisting the Fell Dragon? As for the who," He glared at Ben, "who do you think?"
Ben's eyes slowly widened, "Validar and the Hierophant."
Dooku nodded, "I do not know what those two have planned exactly. I'm not sure how they managed to summon me. But we can only assume they are agents of the Fell Dragon. As such, we must be extremely careful when dealing with them. In light of what we have learned now, I would say we should return to Archanea and depose them from power; but that would upset Prince Chrom's sensibilities, and we no longer have the military to do so."
Ben swallowed hard, "They had to have known Robin's predicament. Why else would they torment him when we visited Validar's summer palace on Carrion Isle?" Ben paced a few steps, worry filling him, "I fear we are being played for fools and that we are squandering our army in a pointless conflict."
Dooku nodded, "I now feel the same way. But… there is nothing we can do now. Walhart does not surrender, and he will only accept our absolute defeat. We cannot stop the course of events to come now, only react."
"I'm damn tired of just reacting." Ben grumbled.
Tiki nodded, "What shall we do with this information?"
"Most of it is still simple conjecture, and Prince Chrom has been known to act rash in the face of conjecture." Dooku pointed out, making Ben and Tiki frown, "I advise we keep this close to the chest until this war is finished. Then we pour our resources into figuring out what Plegia is scheming. As a main political player in Themis, I have good reason to be concerned about this now."
"That you do." Ben nodded, "And he's right, Tiki. We cannot afford to remove our focus from the right now. A million men are about to march on us, we need to focus on that."
Tiki's long frown remained, "In my experience, keeping a secret such as this never ends well. But… I also see your point regarding the need to focus on the Valmese. As such, I'll tentatively agree. But once this war is over, I believe it best to inform Prince Chrom of the situation."
Ben nodded in agreement. Dooku pressed his lips into a thin line.
"You'll have to keep a tight leash on the Prince, Kenobi."
"Chrom has grown considerably, Dooku. He'll grow even more, don't worry. Both Frederick and I won't let him do anything rash." Ben sighed and glanced back towards the column. He furrowed his brow as Cynthia guided her pegasus towards them, a broad smile on her face.
"Uncle Ben! You gotta see! C'mon!" She grinned, waving for Ben, Dooku, and Tiki to follow her.
Cynthia spun her pegasus back and around and snapped the reins, urging her steed into a quick trot back towards the column. Ben glanced at Tiki and Dooku before following Cynthia back to the column. Tiki and Dooku trailed just behind him.
As they reached the crest of a small hill in the plains, Ben caught sight of their destination. A large city with ancient stone walls. An enormous, pagoda styled building dominated the city, which Ben assumed was the Chon'sin royal palace. Flooded rice fields surrounded the city. Beyond the city stood a great bamboo forest. And further beyond rested the shores of the great sea that separated the continents of Valm and Archanea. Waves glistened in the fading sunlight like orange jewels. A breathtaking sight.
Cynthia bounced excitedly in her saddle, "See! Isn't it great?"
Ben smiled up at the upbeat girl, "Yes, it is."
Unfortunately, it will soon be a battlefield.
It had been years since Sakura had seen Koto, her birthplace. Years since she wandered the cracked stone streets, weathered down by centuries of travelers, citizens, and storms. This place had been where she lived for half of her life. Where she had been raised as a young girl by her mother, to be the perfect little Chon'sin Princess. Honor the family, first and foremost. Duty is next. Her duty was to her family and her people.
She stopped strolling down the nearly empty streets. Puddles covered the weathered stones beneath her feet. A storm had blown through here recently. Not uncommon during this time of year, it was the rainy season after all and the fields were flooded. Pale moonlight glinted off of the puddles as she stopped at the steps leading up to the royal palace.
The Chon'sin army returned to Koto only a few hours ago, with their new Ylissean and Feroxi allies alongside them. Upon seeing the rust colored Feroxi banners and the green Ylissean ones, the streets cleared out rather quickly. The people were afraid, as they should be. But Sakura knew they were not afraid of the Ylisseans or Feroxi. They were afraid of the Conqueror. They all knew that if the Archaneans were here, and not laying siege to the city, then Chon'sin was now in open rebellion against the Valm Empire. A dangerous position to be in.
The others, her friends in the Shepherds, had all gone into the palace hours ago. Cynthia and Luke were probably spending some quality time together, a fact that still weirded Sakura out. Lucina was probably doing some meditation. The other Shepherds, the parents… she didn't really care what they were doing. Why should she? What did they mean to her? Sure, Cherche had been kind to her. And her father… well, she did care about him. But she never grew close to any of the other parents. A product of growing up away from them all. Of her mother taking her away to Chon'sin instead of raising her alongside her father.
"Damn her." She muttered.
A pang hit her heart. Naga, she hated this city, and she wanted to hate her mother. Yet, ever since the battle at Demon's Ingle, ever since her mother's death, she could not bring herself to truly hate them. She was still angry at her mother. Yet again, she did something stupid and put her own desires ahead of her family. This time, it was her attempt to kill Uncle Yen'fay. In the end, it cost Say'ri her life. The opposite of what happened in Sakura's timeline.
Why did you have to do that, mom? Sakura glanced up at the full moon sitting over the city. Innumerable stars twinkled around it, blanketing the darkness in small dots of light. Why did you have to die now? And kill our family then? She clenched her fists tight at her sides. You never changed did you? He head bowed, Family this, honor that, duty this… damn hypocrite.
Footsteps splashing softly into puddles drew her attention. Sakura scowled into the shadows near the palace steps.
"It's dangerous to wander the streets alone. Even a city like this." Yen'fay said as he stepped forward, a torch burning in one hand.
Sakura swallowed hard, "I can take care of myself." She patted the katana sheathed against her hip, "I might not use it as well as a lance, but I'm no slouch."
Yen'fay's eyes darted to the katana on her hip. He inclined his chin, eyes narrowing as he caught a glimpse of the floral pattern in the orange torchlight.
"You're one of the children from the future, correct? I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you personally."
Sakura grimaced, "Yeah, well." Her foot splashed in a puddle as some nervousness filled her, "That is entirely intentional on my part."
"Ah, of course. You do not want your parents learning of you before you exist. Understandable. Although, from what I understand, several of your friends have already broken that rule."
Sakura snorted, "Yeah, well…" She pursed her lips, "That's their choice."
Yen'fay nodded, "It is." He turned and motioned for her to follow him up to the palace, "Another storm is coming. You shouldn't be out here or you'll catch a cold."
Sakura frowned, "I can find somewhere else to-"
"Nonsense." Yen'fay said quickly, "All of the Shepherds are welcome in the palace, including you. Now come along."
Sakura flicked her eyes side to side, unsure of what to do. She never met her Uncle Yen'fay. He died long before she had been born. All she knew about him were from stories told to her by servants. Her mother did not speak of him often. The few times she did, Say'ri mentioned how brave he was. Nothing more, nothing less. Her Uncle Yen'fay was a brave and brilliant general.
She never expected him to be so soft spoken. Generals in her time were always so firm and tough. Even Master Kenobi had a grit about him in the future war with Grima. Yet her Uncle had a softness to him that did not fit a commander. Curiosity got the better of her, and she followed him up the steps. Towards the home she wanted to run away from for so long.
When they both reached the top of the steps, the guards positioned at the door stepped aside, bowing slightly to Yen'fay and Sakura. A gesture Sakura was used to, but had not seen in a long time. When Grima rose again, Say'ri immediately spirited her away to Ylisse, where she would be safer. The Fell Dragon razed all of Chon'sin to the ground shortly afterwards. She never saw her mother again after that. Something she both mourned, and was grateful for. It meant she was no longer a princess, no longer bound to the archaic, honor code of her ancestors. She could just be a warrior, or a knight, like her father. Free from those painful bonds.
I still don't know how those two ended up making me. She thought to herself as she followed her Uncle into the palace courtyard.
Her breath hitched as she looked around the beautiful space. Small bonsai trees and taller cherry blossoms bloomed in the cool night air. The small stream that flowed through the courtyard filled the air with the soft sounds of trickling water, producing a sense of tranquility she had forgotten for a long time. If there were any place in the royal palace that she missed in the future, the courtyard was it.
Yen'fay sighed as he sat down on a small, wooden bench near the pond. Fish swam in lazy circles in the pond, drawn closer to the torchlight as it flickered in his hand. Sakura took a deep breath and sat down beside him, eyes taking in the place she had long relegated to being a mere memory.
"This place is always peaceful." Yen'fay breathed, relaxing in his seat, "It's a good place to reflect. I know Luke sat here many days and nights, pondering his place in this world."
Sakura flicked her gaze over to him, "He did?"
Yen'fay nodded, "He's come a long way. I'm proud of him." He shifted in his seat, "Now it is my turn to sit here and reflect. To ponder my actions, the decisions I made that led my family to this point." His jaw clenched tight for a moment, "It's not very pleasant."
Sakura furrowed her brow, "How so?"
Yen'fay uttered a quiet grunt, "What happened on the battlefield a few days ago was my fault. I believed I was doing what was best for my family. In reality, I was taking the easy road… the coward's road." His eyes stared blankly into the pond, "Say'ri was right in the end. If I had only stood up to the Conqueror sooner, perhaps she'd still be alive."
"She was always too damn stubborn." Sakura huffed, folding her arms over her chest, "Family this, honor that. Rules and more rules set by ancestors that we only know from paintings and stories."
Yen'fay smirked a little bit, "I know the feeling. But she was not wrong, family comes before anything else. I was wrong in that regard, and she was right."
Sakura frowned back, "It's too bad she never practiced what she preached."
Yen'fay gave her a puzzled look, "I'd say she did."
"Really?" Sakura snorted, "She put her family first?" She rose to her feet as restlessness and anger filled her once more. Her foot nudged a smooth stone near the edge of the pond as she stood, "Why should she take me away from my father?"
Yen'fay furrowed his brow as Sakura uttered a shaky breath.
"Why would she hide who you were from me?" She glanced back at Yen'fay, "Why would she die twice, not telling me once how she really felt!?" She shook her head, teeth clenched, "Family first. Honor and duty next. She disobeyed every single one of those-"
"You're alive, aren't you?"
Sakura's mouth snapped closed. She glanced over her shoulder at Yen'fay. In that moment, he looked ten years older. The strength he had when he walked up the steps with her had evaporated away. His shoulders her slouched, head slightly bowed, as he stared into the pond.
"Both now… and in the future," Yen'fay raised his gaze to Sakura, "Your mother died for you, for her family. The circumstances may be very different, but her goal was the same. Her family rested first and foremost in her mind. As it should have been for me. I fooled myself into thinking I was doing what was best for our family. I thought that by casting my lot with the Conqueror, I could shield her and Luke from his wrath." He shook his head, "A temporary cure to a festering wound, that is what that belief was." He rose to his feet, shuffling towards Sakura and placing a hand on her shoulder, "Your mother may have done many things you did not agree with, but never doubt her commitment to you."
Tears started to form in Sakura's eyes.
"I know she would have loved you with everything she had."
Sakura spun around and threw her arms around Yen'fay, sobs wracking her body. Yen'fay froze for a moment, then gently wrapped his arms around her as well.
"Do you think she'd forgive me for hating her so much?" Sakura asked between cries.
Yen'fay nodded, "I know she would have."
Sakura swallowed hard, tears still rushing down her face as she let go of Yen'fay.
"I wish she would have talked about you more." A dry, sad laugh left her lips. She sucked in a shuddering breath and wiped at her eyes, "You're not that bad."
Yen'fay sighed, "She probably did not mention me because I angered her so much."
"On the contrary." Sakura replied, gulping in another deep breath as she fought off more tears, "She only ever called you courageous and brilliant. She never fully explained why but…" She hesitated a moment, debating if she should go further. With one last deep breath, she made up her mind, "I learned the truth from Old Man Eiji, just before Grima destroyed this place. He told me that my mother struck you down on the battlefield, and afterwards, she learned that you let her do it. That you only chose to side with Walhart in order to protect her from his wrath, since she ran away years before to join the resistance fighters in Rosanne. Eiji said that she mourned you ever since the day it happened. That she regretted every ill word and feeling towards you, the bravest of men she had known."
Yen'fay swallowed hard as Sakura's words hit him like a sledgehammer. Part of him wanted to sit back down on the bench as he reeled, but he forced himself to remain standing. He would be strong now.
"It made me respect you quite a bit. You lived up to what she preached, and she did not." Sakura nodded to herself, "So… don't er- don't hate yourself for what happened. I know if mom learned the real truth, she wouldn't have hated you either."
A shaky breath left Yen'fays lips. He nodded his head, forcing back tears.
"Thank you." He breathed.
Sakura sniffled, "No, thank you. I um… at least I still have some family left."
"Sak!"
Both of them snapped their gazes over to one of the palace bedrooms, where Inigo was waving frantically at her.
"Get over here! Luci's called a meeting! Owain has already gone to grab Sev!" The silver haired swordsman disappeared back into the room, sliding the door shut behind him.
Sakura bristled a little bit, "I told him to quit calling me Sak."
Yen'fay laughed lightly, "Go to your friends. If you need to talk anymore, you know where to find me."
Sakura nodded, "Yeah um, I think I'll take you up on that at some point, Uncle."
Yen'fay smiled warmly, "It's a bit strange hearing that. But I can get used to it."
"Sak!"
Sakura grit her teeth as Inigo shouted for her again, "I'm going to go kill him now." She bowed a perfect bow to Yen'fay, eliciting a smile from the man, "If you'll excuse me."
She spun on her heel, marched up to the door, and threw it open.
"I dare you to call me that again!"
"Gawds, do you have to make me get a cup of water for you all the time?" Severa complained as she strode across the room.
Cordelia laughed softly as the other red head yanked the pitcher of water off of the table near the window and quickly poured a glass.
"I can't exactly move on my own, Severa." Cordelia sighed, "Believe me when I say, I would love to be able to get my own glass of water."
Severa froze next to the window, "I- well-" She bowed her head a little bit, "Sorry just-" A loud sigh left her lips, "Still not used to this whole situation."
Cordelia gave her future daughter a warm smile as Severa spun on her heel and walked back to her bedside. A smile she hoped would ease whatever guilt Severa was feeling over such a comment. It wasn't her fault after all. Nothing about Cordelia's condition was Severa's fault, and it was natural for Severa to be irritated with having to constantly look out for her now.
I might even be mildly irritated if I was in Severa's situation. Cordelia thought as she took the cup of water from Severa and brought it to her lip, Not to mention afraid. Her smile wavered a little bit, Her very existence is hanging in the balance.
"So," Severa brushed one of her long, red ponytails over her shoulder as she sat down in the chair by Cordelia's bedside once again, "How's everything coming?"
Cordelia nodded, "Well, Libra is trying. I know that much." She let the cup rest in her lap, "But he has told me any shot of me regaining my ability to walk is a longshot. Magic may be miraculous, but it can't cure everything."
Sadness flashed over Severa's face, "Well," She folded her arms, "he better be able to figure it out."
Cordelia chuckled lightly, "I'm sure he will." A slight amount of concern crossed Cordelia's face, "Although, I know Henry is also brewing up something."
Severa blinked, "He is?"
Cordelia nodded, "That guy is strange to say the least."
"You don't know the half of it." Severa muttered.
"What was that?"
Severa jumped in her seat, "I mean er- yeah, he's a weirdo. Totally nuts. Agreed." She nodded.
Cordelia eyed Severa for a moment, "What do you know about him?"
Severa paled, "I-I know he's a strange person who is- well- strange. And I wouldn't want my kids hanging around him."
"And yet you seem completely comfortable whenever he drops by." Cordelia replied, "Were you two close in the future?"
Severa sniffed, "Henry and me, close? Pfft, yeah sure, and Nah can communicate with Naga."
"Nah?"
Severa waved her hand dismissively, "Another friend." She paused a moment, "One we still haven't found yet." She quickly shook her head, "Besides the point, Dad and I weren't really that close."
"I knew it!" Cordelia exclaimed, making Severa suck in her lips like she just ate a lemon drop.
Severa's head hung from her shoulders as a defeated sigh rushed from her lungs, "Gawds dammit, I hang around Cynthia too much."
"So… me and Henry huh?" Cordelia sank into her pillows, pondering this newfound information.
She suspected Henry had a fondness for her ever since the Dark Mage decided to make her his best paralyzed friend (according to Henry, she was the first paralyzed friend he'd had since some other mage named Xavier). But she could never weasel out the exact reason for why Henry seemed so fascinated with her. The Dark Mage had an incredible ability to bounce from one random subject to the next so fast it would make her head spin, and she honestly found it quite amusing. And he always seemed to enjoy the most random of mundane subjects. One day, while on the march, she decided to try her hand at knitting once again. Henry found the scarf so fascinating that they chatted about it and the many intricacies of knitting for a couple hours before he was called away to handle some other work. Without a doubt, other than Severa, he was her most frequent visitor.
Although, Chrom and the others are busy running the war, so I can see why they don't have a lot of time. She thought to herself.
"How in the world did that happen?" Cordelia asked Severa.
Severa shrugged, "Not too sure. You both were always the odd couple. Of course, any situation involving dad involved the word odd." Severa uttered a slight, nervous laugh, "One time, you were sad about something or another," Her laughter faded as a scowl formed instead, "probably had something to do with Chrom now that I think about. But anyways, he took you on this big shopping spree. I tagged along. I think I was maybe five at the time? You bought me this very pretty red dress, and dad… he got me an eyeball in a jar."
"I see you've inherited my love of shopping." Cordelia laughed lightly.
"When this war is over, you and I are totally going-" Severa caught herself and cleared her throat, "I mean, erm- gawds, no. I shop far better than you ever could."
To Severa's shock, Cordelia shrugged, "Okay then. So about your father and I-"
"You never actually married." Severa grumbled, "You were always smitten by Prince Chrom. Prince Chrom this, Prince Chrom that, never bothered to see that someone cared about you constantly right under your nose. Even when you two had a drunken romp and wound up with me, you still were devoted to Chrom over dad."
Cordelia's eyes widened a little bit, "I was that stuck on Chrom?"
"Well yeah," Severa huffed, "So stuck you died for him in the end. And what good did that do? He died anyways too." She swallowed a little bit as sadness entered her eyes, "Dad wasn't really the same after that. I mean, he was still batshit insane but… there wasn't as much fun surrounding his craziness."
A knock sounded on the door, drawing both Cordelia and Severa's attention.
"Art the two red flames of the army decent?"
Severa rolled her eyes, "Oh gawds, its Owain." She mumbled before coughing a little bit and shouting back at the door, "What do you want!?"
The door slid open a little bit, allowing the blond to peek inside. A broad smile crossed his face when he caught sight of Severa sitting with Cordelia.
"I trust I am not interrupting anything overly important to this grand relationship."
"Actually Owain we-"
"Not at all." Severa said quickly, interrupting Cordelia, "Get in already, you're letting the cold in."
Cordelia gave Severa a perplexed look, "It's not even that col-"
"I'm shivering." Severa frowned, folding her arms, "Gawds, you'd think both of you would care if I caught a cold or not."
"R-right, sorry, Venator." Owain replied, quickly entering and shutting the door behind him.
"For the last time, quit calling me that you idiot." Severa hissed back.
"Where on earth did you get that nickname for Severa, Owain?" Cordelia asked with a slight laugh.
"What, Venator? I assumed it to be a noble military term meant for things of great destructive power!" Owain declared, "Why, Master Kenobi used the term once when describing what he would want in a clearly desperate situation involving us against several thousand Risen. Granted he never really explained what Venator really meant, but if Master Kenobi desired such a great thing against our enemies, then surely it is a compliment to refer to you as such, Severa."
Severa gave Cordelia a weary look, "You see what I have to put up with?"
Cordelia chuckled, "It's kind of cute."
"Ew, gawds no!" Severa stuck her tongue out, shivering with slight disgust.
"You wound me, Venator."
"I'm going to kick your ass, Owain!"
Cordelia laughed some more, drawing a frown from Severa and a wider smile from Owain, "What do you need to talk to us about?"
"Oh, well, Cousin Lucina has called a meeting, Ven-" Owain caught himself as Severa balled up a fist, "Severa."
Severa nodded, relaxing her hand, "Better." She glanced at Cordelia, "Gotta go."
"You don't need my permission." Cordelia replied as Severa got to her feet. She yawned and sank further into the soft pillows beneath her, "I'm about to fall asleep anyways."
"Glad to hear I'm boring." Severa huffed as she marched over to Owain, who was holding the door open for her.
Cordelia closed her eyes, "You could never bore me, Severa."
Severa's heart jumped in her chest. She was about to reply when she heard a soft snore come from Cordelia. A small smile formed on her lips as she looked over her shoulder at her slumbering mother.
The door quietly slid shut.
"Is that a grin I see?" Owain asked.
Severa rolled her eyes, "It's dark out, you don't see anything."
"False! There are torches everywhere."
Severa shook her head and marched towards Lucina's quarters, where she knew her friend would hold the meeting. As she approached, she could see the silhouettes of Brady and Inigo against the nearest wall. She knew it was Brady because his head was tilted back with a flask to his lips while Inigo was doing his best to look cool for someone in there.
Probably for Lucina, but who knows at this point.
She slid the door open, causing everyone to look at her and Owain.
"About time you showed up." Brady grunted.
"Hey, gorgeous." Inigo said, putting on his most dashing smile, "How are you-"
"Not impressed." Severa deadpanned as she strode past him, leaving the swordsman to sputter on his next few words.
She nodded over at Sakura and Noire, who were near the window talking quietly. Noire smiled back while Sakura simply nodded in return. Severa then locked eyes briefly with Luke, who quickly averted his gaze over to Cynthia, who stood at his side, wide smile on her face. Finally, she spotted Lucina sitting in a chair, waiting for them to arrive.
Lucina smiled at Severa, rising from her chair and embracing her friend.
"How is your mom?"
Severa sighed, "Doing better, I think."
"Good." Lucina nodded, pulling away and clearing her throat, "Alright, everyone listen up."
The chatter in the room ended.
"There was a war council not long ago, and I was part of it." Lucina began, "It seems the Valmese army moves faster than we all thought. They could be here any day now." Her friend's faces turned sober as she spoke, "Luke already has the Chon'sin army working round the clock to fortify the city walls, but… there is no guarantee that we will be fully prepared for their arrival."
"We kinda have to be if we're going to stand a chance." Brady pointed out, fingers drumming nervously against his flask.
"No one ever has the luxury of perfect circumstances in war." Luke pointed out, making Brady frown, "We're being dealt a shitty hand, but we have to win with it."
"Exactly." Lucina nodded.
"What's the strategy then?" Severa asked, folding her arms over her chest, "How in Naga's name are we going to beat one million men?"
Lucina grimaced, "We're not entirely sure. We've negated the Valmese cavalry, for the most part, by holing up in the city. What we're now counting on is Walhart to be impatient and want to defeat us outright rather than try to starve us out like in a typical siege."
Noire paled, "Starving the enemy out is typical for a siege?"
"Didn't you pay attention to my father's lessons in the future?" Sakura remarked, brow raised.
"I thought he was exaggerating." Noire replied.
"Well, he was not." Lucina said, "I've read some reports from the siege of Ylisstol during the Plegian war." She grimaced, "They weren't pretty."
"So all of our hopes for this battle are pinned on Emperor Walhart being pissed off." Severa let out a long sigh, "Great."
"Yen'fay seems to think this will work." Luke reassured everyone, "He knows the Conqueror better than any of us. If he says Walhart won't drag out a siege, then he won't. But that also means this will be the most dangerous battle we've fought. Even more dangerous than Demon's Ingle."
"We all know how that went." Sakura muttered.
"Yes, we do." Lucina replied, "But we won. And we will win here. We just have to rise and meet our enemy." She looked at Cynthia, "The Pegasus Knights will be executing quick hit and runs throughout the battle, you'll be joining mom in that."
Cynthia's eyes widened, "I will?"
"Yes." Lucina nodded before turning her attention to Laurent, "You will join Tharja, Henry, and the other mages on the wall. Noire," Noire raised her gaze, "archers will be in the towers and on the walls. You will stick close to Virion, he is commanding the archers."
Noire and Laurent both nodded.
"Inigo, you and Sakura will be down at the main gate. Sakura knows these streets better than nearly any of us." Lucina glanced at Luke, "Luke will be down at the main gate as well. Severa you will be with me on the walls. Brady-"
"With Ma, Libra, and Miss Lissa?" The drunk priest nodded, "Ya'll need any help though, holler for me." He patted his hip, where his ax rested, "I'm pretty handy with this still."
"Hold up." Severa said quickly. She turned to Lucina, "You'll be on the walls too? How? You've got one arm-"
"One extra hand is better than no extra hands." Lucina interrupted, "I will not stay out of this fight. Not when it could be our last."
A sober silence descended on all of them. Cynthia gulped audibly and raised her hand. Lucina nodded at her.
"If it is our last, who will fight Grima?" The Pegasus Knight asked, voice quiet like a mouse as nervous tension filled her.
"It won't be our last." Luke said, voice filled with determination.
"It very well could be." Lucina admitted, a bitter taste in her mouth as she did so, "I'm not going to lie to any of you, this situation is grim. We are outnumbered, and not by a small amount. People will die tomorrow, some we may know… some may be us." She grimaced, jaw clenching tight for a moment as that realization slammed into her. She bowed her head for a moment, trying to figure out what to say to all of them. Some words of comfort, or courage, that could help all of them push forward, "We have faced down Grima himself and lived to tell about it. This is not our darkest hour. The Valmese will not break us, and they will not end our quest, our mission. Perhaps in the end, it is a blessing in disguise that some of us are not here yet. But know this, I will do everything in my power to make certain that we win. I will make certain that we get to see our remaining friends again, that we get to live with our families again, and that we get to see a world filled with peace for once in our lives. But I need all of you by my side."
"Well spoken! True words from a great leader! One I shall happily fight and die beside!" Owain declared, unsheathing Misseltain and raising it in the air with gusto. Not a hint of hesitation in him as he showed where he stood.
Severa shook her head a little bit, "Damned if we do, damned if we don't. I don't plan on being the one that doesn't." She unsheathed her sword as well and tapped Owain's with it, "We've got your back, Luci."
Brady tipped back his flask, gulping down the last few drops of firewine he had in it. He uttered a satisfied gasp and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "Ain't gonna be able to have more of that unless we win this thing. Might as well stick by ya." He tapped his staff against the floor and smirked a little bit.
"No matter the outcome of the battle," Laurent began, pushing up on his glasses as he held his tome close to his chest, "It is certain the Conqueror will show no quarter. Just as he did at Demon's Ingle, on the road, and… and at Charlet. Frankly, I wish to avenge my mother's premature death. My spells will ignite the enemy ranks ablaze, Lucina."
"Letting a gorgeous flower such as yourself dance with death alone? It would be most ungentlemanly of me to allow that." Inigo wiped his gray hair from his forehead and smirked at Lucina, "Consider that gate held, right Sak?"
Sak grumbled under her breath then nodded to Lucina. Her silent nod all the Princess needed to know that the former Chon'sin Princess was ready for a fight.
Noire flicked her eyes around at all of them, "We've got everything to lose don't we? That means we'll fight even harder.
"You know I'm with you, Luci!" Cynthia declared, putting her hands on her hips, "A true hero sticks by their family!"
"Huzzah to that!" Owain cheered.
"The Justice Cabal fights for- er- justice!" Cynthia cheered louder.
Luke let out a soft laugh, "This is my home, Luci. You can bet I will fight for it."
Lucina's breaths rushed in and out of her lungs. Once again, her friends proved their loyalty to her and their cause. Everytime they did, she felt overwhelmed.
"What did I do to deserve friends like you?" Lucina shuddered, struggling to contain her own emotions. She gave them all a grateful smile, eyes roving over all of their determined faces, "Let's win this war."
The end was near. He could feel it in his bones. Bones hardened by years of conquest and war. They knew when the end of an enemy, the end of a war, approached. The only thing that irked the Conqueror about this end is that it was not on his terms. Because of that, his Empire, his army, the symbol of invulnerability he had spent years building, had been weakened significantly. And by what? A ragged band of Ylissean weaklings who couldn't defeat desert rats without a miracle, Feroxi barbarians who held no martial discipline, and worst of all, traitors who believed in an ancient religion over him and his empire.
Walhart's fists clenched tight as he stood alone in his large, mostly empty tent. His scarlet armor rested on a massive mannequin, one of the few pieces of furniture he allowed himself to have while the march. His milky eyes roved over the solid steel plating until they landed on a lone dent, the only strike that anyone had landed on him during his years of conquest. A blow given to him by that Feroxi Khan, the lone warrior from his enemy that has garnered his respect. Unlike the Ylisseans, led by their Prince and mysterious tandem of tactician and general, that barbarian had the stones to face him head on. Had the courage to test strength against strength.
The rest of the Archaneans were content with fighting a coward's war. Fleeing from battlefield to battlefield. Manipulating his generals into betraying him despite the goodwill he gave them, their soldiers, and their families. His army had been harrassed by roving gangs of mercenaries for his entire march south. Harassment that only worsened as he passed Demon's Ingle. He knew who led those vagabonds; a damned fool of a foreigner name Priam. That fool's death will come soon. When it did, Walhart was determined to make it a slow, annoying one. Let him feel how his army felt whenever those mercenaries struck the edges of his million man column.
Now, his enemy retreated to Koto. To the home of the one general that actually gave him some concern. Yen'fay's army knew how to fight, they knew how to defeat any opponent. They were professional soldiers, from the highest captain to the lowest man at arms. He was no fool. He knew that each one of Yen'fay's soldiers was worth at least ten of his own. Now that the enemy sought shelter within Koto's ancient walls, his greatest asset, his cavalry, was obsolete.
The smart play would be to wait them out. Starve the Archaneans and the traitors from their shelter and force them to either surrender, or die in a desperate attempt to escape his wrath. But his fury had been kindled. Excellus's incompetance, combined with his general's disloyalty, led him to be filled with anger. He would not accept surrender. Not until every single Archanean lay dead and their commanders were kneeling before him, utterly broken. Not until his ax, Wolf Berg, severed Yen'fay, Pheros, and Cervantes's traitorous heads from their shoulders. Only then would the siege end.
Then Archanea will fall. He thought to himself, candle light flickering in his tent, The world will finally be united for the real war.
His tent opened. A messenger stepped inside, immediately saluting the Conqueror. Walhart glowered down at the smaller man.
"Your excellency." He held out a folded up letter, "A message for you. It came in secret. We don't know how it got to us."
Walhart arched raised his brow. Without saying a word, he plucked the letter from the messenger's grip and unfolded it. His milky eyes strained to see the words, but eventually they came into focus. He quickly read it then handed it back to the messenger.
"Our cavalry will be at the front when the siege begins." He told the man, "Inform the captains."
The messenger appeared perplexed, "Pardon me, your excellency. But wouldn't cavalry be useless in a siege?"
Walhart glared down at the messenger. The messenger gulped then quickly bowed.
"As you wish, sire." He rushed out, leaving Walhart alone once more.
The messenger was not wrong. Normally, when it came to besieging cities, cavalry was useless unless the gates were breached. Or in this case, thrown open for him.
Weariness filled him for the first time today. The mammoth of a man uttered a weary sigh and moved towards his bed. He sat down on it, the frame creaking as his hulking body rested on the mattress. He cupped his hand around the lone candle burning near his bed and blew it out, ready to rest before the beginning of the end.
There will be one less headless General.
And chapter! Sorry for the small wait on this one folks, got hit upside the head by the old writer's block. But we are getting into the final battle now, and it's gonna be a big one. I'm excited to write it! Hopefully I do a good job with it. As for this chapter, we got some interesting moments between some of our characters. I tried to flesh out our lone OC unit in Sakura a little more, she's a tough character for me to write because I haven't written many OC's before, so I've got a bit of a learning curve there. Still an interesting character to explore. Often times the game portrayed the relationships between kid and parent as being at least okay (Tharja and Noire aside… that one is a whole other can of worms). So making one where the parents weren't the closest and their kid knows that is interesting to do. Anyways, time to get this final battle planned and written! Let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!
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