Chapter 3: Castle Renvall.
Ephraim woke up early in the morning. He looked at Lyon's sleeping bag, but by the look of it he didn't seem to have slept on it last night.
He then exited the tent and looked around the camp. He saw Kyle, preparing breakfast; Myrrh eating by herself and Forde checking the remaining supplies, but couldn't catch a glimpse of neither Orson nor Lyon. He walked towards Kyle.
"Morning, Kyle" greeted Ephraim.
"Morning, your majesty" responded Kyle.
"Do you know where Orson and Lyon went?" Asked Ephraim.
"Orson volunteered himself to go and scout the surrounding area. Lyon was helping me around a few moments ago; he then took his portion and went to eat by himself near the edge of the camp." Said Kyle.
Ephraim walked around the camp and quickly found Lyon. He was sitting on top of a fallen tree, he had just finished eating his food, and seemed to be writing something on the other tome he was carrying. He didn't seem to be vandalizing this one though.
Ephraim walked towards him and asked, "Hey Lyon, what are you doing?"
Lyon answered, "Part of the text in this tome has faded due to overuse. I'm trying to fix it"
Ephraim then sat down with Lyon and said, "you know Lyon, I've been wondering, could you teach me how to use dark magic?"
"It would be a waste of time for everyone involved" answered Lyon, "mastering the dark arts takes time, patience and lots of reading. We both know you don't like to read at all."
He then took a deep breath and said, "Besides, dark magic can be really dangerous if not wielded properly."
"How so?" Asked Ephraim.
"Well" responded Lyon "if your tome were to become damaged or if you use it past a certain point, you might suffer a "backlash" which depending on the spell may carry severe consequences. If you suffer a backlash while using flux, it will give you some grievous looking wounds.
Ephraim said "Lyon you know very well th..."
Lyon interrupted, "Nosferatu is usually safe, but should the damage received by the tome accumulate, it's attacks will become inaccurate and it's effects be reduced significantly."
Ephraim retorted "I see bu..."
Lyon continued, "A single backlash from Luna would be enough to put even the strongest of men out of commission for months"
Ephraim tried to answer, "I..."
Before he could speak Lyon retorted in quick succession, "Eclipse will burn away part of your life span. Fenrir will render you a helpless cripple. Then there's Gleipnir, the dark tome, one of Grado's sacred weapons. No one knows what would happen if you suffer a backlash with it. Most experts on the matter say it could be anything between rendering you sterile and melting your entrails.
"I see your point" Ephraim said with noticeable fear on his voice.
Sensing the fear on his voice, Lyon turned towards him, looked at him with an uncharacteristically smug expression on his face and said, "Dark magic can be fun, but is also quite unforgiving"
"Well" said Ephraim "Since you seem busy right now, I'll let you be. When Orson returns we'll have a meeting on what to do next, I want you to join in."
Lyon smiled and said, "I'll do as you say"
Ephraim then stood up and walked away from the site. Lyon chuckled, he wouldn't admit it in public, but he enjoyed watching his friend Ephraim squirm in fear for once in his life, that being said, he genuinely believed that it would be best for him to stay as far away from dark magic as possible. he had seen first hand the harm it's misuse can cause and didn't want his friend to suffer because of it. He also couldn't help but to think in the tome he was fixing. It was well past the point where it could be used safely. He knew that every time he casted a spell using it he was tempting fate, but it was his only option.
...
An hour passed, Forde had just finished checking the remaining supplies. They were dangerously low, barely enough for the way back to Renais. Orson returned with dreadful news. An entire batallion had been dispatched from Renvall and were now surrounding their camp. also, the capital of Renais had fallen, and there was no word on the whereabouts on either king Fado and Princess Eirika. Ephraim then decided to capture castle Renvall.
Upon hearing this Forde said, "W... What. Prince Ephraim, have you lost your mind?"
Kyle yelled, "Forde! Watch your tongue! This is our prince you're addressing!"
"The enemy devoted many troops to hunt us down" spoke Lyon, "It must mean the castle is currently maned with a skeleton crew, we should stand a chance!"
"Thank you, Lyon" said Ephraim " also if we succeed the enemy will waste many soldiers to take it back. That should disrupt their war effort and help my father and Eirika." then he smiled and said, "trust me. I don't pick fights I can't win."
Then they rode towards castle Renvall.
...
They soon arrived at the castle.
Ephraim asked Orson, "Orson, the wounds you got in that skirmish several days ago, they haven't healed properly yet, have they? Don't push yourself. If we are defeated, you must go to Frelia. Understood?"
"... Understood." Responded Orson.
Lyon walked towards Orson and said, "Sir Orson. Take this time." Lyon gave Orson the Naglfar tome, "You must destroy this tome. Burn it in a campfire. Throw it down a river. The enemy must not get this tome.
"I'll do as you say", Said Orson as he took the time and put it in his satchel.
"Lyon, stay near the entrance with Myrrh. If things go wrong I want you to go to Frelia along with Orson." said Ephraim.
"I will" Said Lyon.
As they sneaked into the castle, Lyon said to Ephraim, "Ephraim, even if the enemy is operation with the bare minimum of manpower, they still outnumber us. Be careful!"
"I will, Lyon!" Responded Ephraim.
Then Ephraim and his knights charged towards the enemy troops, slaughtering whatever sentry they could find. Meanwhile, Lyon stood by the entrance, watching out for enemy reinforcements, while also making sure nothing happened to Myrrh. He looked at her and noticed she seemed to be upset.
"What troubles you?" Lyon asked.
"I'm worried about Saleh. We separated so long ago. I'm not sure he's even alive anymore" answered Myrrh.
Lyon the said, "well, if he was entrusted with such an important task he shouldn't have any trouble surviving even in times like these"
Lyon's words did nothing to reassure Myrrh, so he proceeded to pat her in the head.
"W...what are you doing?" Myrrh asked flustered.
"When I was a child and I got upset, my father would pat me in the head. That would usually make me feel better." Lyon said.
"You...father?" Asked Myrrh.
"Yes, my father, emperor Vigarde of Grado." Said Lyon with a prideful tone in his voice, " one of the best emperors we ever had. He was strong, wise and just."
"What about your mother?" Myrrh asked.
"My mother" Lyon said with a somber expression, " she succumbed to the plague when I was a child. Her loss affected my father deeply. He went as far as to have every portrait of the removed from the castle. I can't even remember her face anymore".
Myrrh demeanor didn't seem to change, Lyon took a deep sigh, sat next to her and said, "sorry, I'm not good at cheering people, i wish that either Eirika or Knoll, they would know what to do"
"Who?" asked Myrrh puzzled.
"My friends" answered Lyon, "Eirika is Ephraim's twin sister. She's so sweet and kind. There's something about her that puts everyone she meets at ease.", Lyon smiled and started blushing, "If i ever were to marry someone, I hope it will be someone like her." He then stopped blushing and looked at the horizon with a hopeful expression, " Knoll is a fellow dark magic scholar. He stood by my side when my father fell ill, when my efforts to save him failed, even when the rest of Grado turned against me. He was captured some days ago, but he's very resourceful. By this point he must have escaped and is probably making his way towards Renais."
Suddenly their conversation was interrupted by enemy soldiers. One of the hunting parties looking for Ephraim had returned and charged towards Lyon. Lyon quickly stood, placed himself in front of Myrrh and tried to fight off the enemy. He casted flux on the enemy, however due to the damage his tome had suffered his spells could barely slow them down.
"... Lyon" said Myrrh fearfully as she noticed Sparks fly out of the tome and felt a burning smell in the air.
Suddenly Lyon's tome was engulfed in a purple flame, causing him to drop it. He then fell to his knees, clutched his arm and began screaming in pain. He quickly stood up and fled, grabbing Myrrh by the hand. They kept running until they found an empty room. They entered the room and barred the door behind. Myrrh looked horrified at Lyon's wounds. Lyon examined his wounded arm, his fingernails were gone and his arm was covered in wounds from the fingertips to the elbow. Lyon looked around the room. It looked like the castle's armory.
"I need a tome" Yelled Lyon with a pained expression on his face, "thick and black with purple ornaments". Myrrh began searching as quickly as she could for the tome Lyon needed, Lyon in the meantime, looked for medical supplies for his wounds. He found only a single bottle, he opened it and was immediately hit with the smell of hard liquor. Lyon poured the contents of the bottle over his wounded arm. He grunted in pain as the alcohol burned him. Then he ripped part of his robe to use as makeshift bandages.
"I found some" yelled Myrrh, carrying three books fitting Lyon's description.
"Thanks" Lyon said as took the tomes from Myrrh's hands, "Let's see: flux, luna, Nosferatu... yes, these should work".
Suddenly they heard banging from the other side of the door.
"He have to go!" said Lyon.
Lyon and Myrrh fled through another door. they kept running until they found themselves in the throne room. Ephraim and the others were there too, having just killed the enemy commander. Ephraim looked at Lyon's bandaged arm and blood-splattered robes, he asked, "Lyon, what happened?"
"Enemy reinforcements have arrived!" Lyon screamed while clutching his wounded arm.
"Reinforcements?... so quickly?" said Ephraim surprised.
Forde entered the room and said, "Prince Ephraim, things have turned for the worse. I took a look at the castle perimeter... we have been surrounded!"
"It was a trap" said Lyon, "and they used their own men as bait. Who... who could do such a thi..."
Lyon then closed his eyes as his expression turn to that of utter terror. he whispered, "Valter".
"What should we do?" asked Kyle.
"... we must escape!" Ephraim yelled.
...
Ephraim and the others ran outside the castle only to find themselves surrounded on all sides by enemy troops. Enemy troops led by general Valter the Moonstone. In Lyon's mind this was the worst case scenario. General Valter landed his wyvern in front of Ephraim. Valter dismounted and said to Ephraim, "So, you've captured Renvall, have you? And with such a small force! Impressive! You've earned your reputation. I must say, I quite admire your work. I take it you're the leader of this pack–the misguided Prince Ephraim."
"I am." Responded Ephraim.
Valter then began taunting Ephraim about the fall of Renais and demanded they surrender to him, Lyon whispered into Ephraim's ear, "Ephraim, we don't stand a chance against him, we need to flee!"
Valter noticed Lyon's presence, and glared at him while his mouth curved into a smirk. he said, "Now that's a face I wasn't expecting to see. Lyon the kinslayer". Upon hearing those words Lyon became visibly livid. Valter continued," I think I found an old friend of yours the other day. What was his name?... Norm? ...Knov? ... Knoll!, Knoll was his name!" Valter chuckled, "You know, he was rather resilient, I spent several days torturing him, trying to break him, so we could know your whereabouts, but the only thing he would say was, "Prince Lyon will save us all!" Valter continued mockingly, the last part in particular he said with a breathy falsetto. He then took a deep breath said with a smug expression on his face, "eventually I just gave up and... well I you were kind enough to lay down your weapons and surrender, I could tell you all about it."
Lyon whispered, "Valter, you bastard!"
Ephraim looked at his friend, his eyes were bloodshot, he was shaking, his face had twisted into what can only be described as an expression of murderous rage. It seemed like any second now he would try to pounce on him and rip out his throat.
Ephraim immediately shouted, "Everyone, we break to the east, go!"
Lyon snapped out of his rage and followed Ephraim. They ran towards the woods east of Renvall. They fought tooth and nail to shake off the enemy, eventually they managed to lose continued walking eventually they found a way out of the forest, only to make a horrifying discovery. they found themselves near a road, next to it dozens of heads mounted on pikes littered the countryside. Lyon said, " I knew many of these people. Military officers, clergymen even noblemen. they must have opposed the war, so they were exe..." he suddenly stopped, he recognized one in particular"
"What's wrong, Lyon!" Ephraim asked.
Lyon whispered, "Knoll... My friend".
Lyon the fell on his knees and began laughing hysterically, the laughter then degenerated into a horrid screaming and then into inconsolable weeping.
Ephraim looked at the sky, he saw wyverns flying. They were flying high, out of reach, so most likely, they were scouts. Ephraim grabbed Lyon and said to him, "Lyon, we are not safe here, we have to leave!"
Lyon tried his best to compose himself and followed Ephraim into the woods.
...
Hours passed, eventually the wyvern scouts moved elsewhere, so Ephraim decided to set up a camp, he then asked Forde, "How are our current stocks?"
Forde answered, "If we were to depart now and if we were lucky, we won't have to eat our own horses until after we reach Serafew."
"I see" Ephraim said, "any news regarding Orson's whereabouts?"
"We haven't seen him since the attack at Renvall, we should consider the possibility that he didn't survive." Said Kyle.
"Has anyone seen Lyon?" asked Ephraim.
"Last time i saw him, he was tending his own wounds near the river" said Myrrh with a solemn tone in her voice, " he seems to be distraught by the death of his friend."
Ephraim went to the river and found Lyon. He was washing his wounded arm while humming a song for himself. Ephraim recognized the song, he had heard it a long time ago when visiting Grado.
"I know that song" Ephraim said as he sat next to his friend, "I can't remember the name but i remember the lyrics. It's sad. It's about a young man, who mourns the death of his older, much nobler brother, while begging the gods to bring back his brother and take him instead."
Lyon stopped humming, but said nothing. He continued washing his wounds.
"What happened to your arm?" asked Ephraim.
"Backlash" Responded Lyon with a deadpan tone.
"Well, I'll let you be" said Ephraim while preparing to leave.
"Last night, you asked about that tome" said Lyon.
Ephraim stopped.
"That tome, Naglfar. That tome is evil" Lyon continued.
"How so?" asked Ephraim confused.
Lyon responded, "About a year ago, when my father fell ill, I caught a fever. It left me bedridden for three days. When I woke up, I was sitting on my desk, with that tome in my lap. Something used my hands to write that tome. At first, I thought it was a sign that the heavens had listened to my pleas, I could save my father. But after everything that has happened, I can now see clearly the true nature of that tome, especially after hearing Myrrh's tale."
"So that's why you tried to tear it to pieces?" asked Ephraim.
"I know I'm not as strong as you. I've survived only by luck and the sacrifice of others. It was only a matter of time before I was captured or killed. If that were to happen, the Naglfar tome would fall into Riev's hands. Riev want's that tome. I don't know his true intentions, but whatever they are it doesn't bode well for Magvel. So I thought that if I were to damage that tome enough, next time Riev tried to use it, the backlash it would cause should be enough to kill him, which would put an end to his ambitions, and hopefully hinder Grado's war effort. As many magic users from Rausten, he uses light magic, which lacks the backlash problem dark magic has, or it's not as serious, so the idea of someone using a magic tome to assassinate him wouldn't cross his mind. However, then I started thinking. What if Naglfar doesn't follow the same logic as other dark tomes?, I then gave the tome to Orson, and asked to destroy it should something happen, let's hope for the best."
"This Riev... What do you think his endgame is?" asked Ephraim.
"I don't know." Lyon answered "At first is thought he was trying to create a large undead army and carve an empire for himself. Or summon a lesser demon to do his bidding. But..."
"But..." Interrupted Ephraim.
Lyon continued with fear in his voice, "But lately I can't shake the feeling that he's planning something worse, far worse. Something that will endanger the very existence if the world as we know it." Lyon then shook his head, "But that cannot be. He can't be that insane, and if he is, he wouldn't do it. The sacred stone of Grado is still intact, currently in Father McGregor's possession and last time I saw him he was on his way to Rausten. The sacred stone... It protects us from His wrath."
Lyon's words no longer made any sense. By the look on his face it seemed as he was asking for some kind of validation. Ephraim put his and on Lyon's shoulder and said to him, "Yeah, you're right, there's nothing to fear. Come, dinner should be about to be served."
"Yes, I'll follow you Ephraim" Said Lyon with a sigh of relief.
Author's note
With this I've finally uploaded the third chapter of my fanfic, unfortunately because of personal obligations it will take me much more time to upload the next chapter, i estimate it will be ready sometime between June and August, please bear with me.
Again any feedback would be appreciated