Chapter I: Tol Castell, Part 1

Viresse 5, 706

Three years later…

On the north end of Tristan, facing the sea, was the capital city's main port, Port Arthur. Once, the port had been its own town, separate from the capital, but as the population grew, and the cities expanded, they eventually merged into one enormous city. Port Arthur is still considered a separate city, with its own mayor, but for all intents and purposes, it became a district of Tristan in everything but name.

Ingrid stood at the end of one of the port's many docks, her arms clasped behind her back as always. A ship from Hessen was to arrive today, and although she did her best to mask it, a small smile had crept onto her face as she waited.

Mother Agnes had readily agreed to provide Quinn with the education he would need as a member of the Order. And to that end, she decreed that he would be sent to the Arcane College in Corburg, to be mentored by one of the Order's Archons: Professor Isaac. She remembered how he cried at the gates of the College, begging her not to leave him. But his tears soon vanished when she asked, "Do you trust me?" He did, and when the Professor came, he left her side willingly. Even so, she visited Quinn often, or at least, as often as her duties permitted. She watched him study, and spar with other students, and she would allow him to tell her everything he'd learned while she'd been away, everyone he met, everything he'd done. She smiled as he shared his stories- he was without fear, without worry, as any child should be.

But eventually, her responsibilities pulled her away from visiting. Relations between Burgundy and Hessen, which had never been great to begin with, were beginning to fray. And as Hessen's ally, Bannon- and by extension, the Order- were obliged to provide aid. Ingrid's mission had been to infiltrate Burgundian territory, and determine whether the nation was preparing any large scale military maneuvers. The importance of her mission meant that no contact could be made with the outside- including Quinn. And for eight months, she was completely alone, unaware of the goings-on of the outside world. So, it came as quite a surprise when, after returning to Bannon and delivering her assessment, Mother Agnes told her that Quinn was returning to the Abbey. She waited feverishly for the day when his ship was to arrive. And when that day came, she went to the port at dawn's first light to wait for him.

She was eager to see how much he had grown in their time apart.

Before long, a large ship came to the dock before her. There was a splash as the anchor was dropped, and men leapt from the boat, ropes in hand, and tied them to the dock. A great ramp was lowered from the side of the ship, and a steady stream of people began to disembark.

Ingrid waited, her eyes darting across the crowd, trying to pick out a familiar face. But, it wasn't there. The crowd began to thin, but still, all the faces were unfamiliar. And after a moment, she was left standing at the end of the dock, alone. She stood still, in disbelief. He… hadn't missed his boat, had he? No, if that were the case, Professor Isaac would have-

But then, she saw a young man with a white shirt and dark brown hair, hunched over at the very edge of the dock. She approached quickly- as she did, the young man wiped his mouth with his wrist, and stood up straight. In a familiar voice, he mumbled, "You lied, Miss Ingrid."

"It's impolite to keep someone waiting, Quinn," Ingrid said.

Quinn turned in surprise. "M-Miss Ingrid!" he stammered. "I… It's been a while, hasn't it?"

She took a moment to look him over. His face was almost exactly as she remembered it, still not quite having lost the roundness of youth. It was longer now, but his hair was still a dark tangle of curls, the same color as freshly turned soil. But his eyes were the same- his eyes, colored a strange dark amber color that in all her years of travelling, she'd never seen in another person.

She looked down at his body, noticing his attire. "…what are you wearing?" she asked. His shirt was white, akin to a coat, with short sleeves and short tails, a grey hood fixed to the collar. His pants were black and loose, held in place with a black belt, and he wore black boots. It had been modified to suit his own preferences, but it was apparent that Quinn's new attire was an attempt to emulate Ingrid's uniform.

"This?" He looked down at himself, before standing up stiffly, clasping his hands behind his back. "Well, Professor Isaac said that if I'm going to be a member of the Order, I need to be… presentable. I can't wear the College uniform or my old work clothes forever."

"I suppose that's fair enough." She fell silent as she looked at the boy. Though, she thought, she supposed she couldn't really call him a "boy" anymore.

Quinn tilted his head in confusion. "…Is something wrong?"

Ingrid shook her head. "Not at all. I've… just noticed how tall you've become." Indeed, Quinn was no longer the small boy she'd brought before Mother Agnes. Where he wouldn't have reached Ingrid's shoulder three years prior, he was now tall enough to look her in the eye.

"But anyway, we shouldn't keep Mother Agnes waiting." Ingrid held out her hand.

Quinn looked at her hand. "Uh, I'm a little too old to be holding your hand, Miss Ingrid," he said, before taking her hand in his own. "But, it has been a while."

The two began walking back to the Abbey. As they did, Quinn asked, "Speaking of Mother Agnes, any idea why she summoned me? Professor Isaac wouldn't say anything, but he made it sound urgent. I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to Gail and Malcolm."

Ingrid furrowed her brow for a moment. " Gail? …Oh, yes, the Doric girl." She gave Quinn a strange look. "I trust you didn't let her distract you from your studies."

Quinn's shoulders slumped. "You could have at least a little faith in me, Miss Ingrid." He quickly straightened up. "But about the summons…"

She glanced over to him. "I'm afraid I know as much as you do at this point. But if the summons came directly from Mother Agnes herself, then I'm sure she has good a good reason for it."

It took the two some time to push through the city's crowds and reach the Abbey. But the building was just as radiant as Quinn remembered, even more so in the splendor of full sunlight. Without delay, they entered the main gate, crossed the courtyard, and entered the audience chamber, where Mother Agnes waited for them, seated in her throne. They knelt, first Ingrid, then Quinn.

"Welcome, Ingrid. And welcome, Quinn." Mother Agnes said with a smile. As before, her voice was quiet, yet still filled the hall. "It's been quite some time since you last set foot in the Abbey."

"It's good to be back in Bannon, Mother Agnes," Quinn said. He then bowed his head. "I've come to answer your summons."

Mother Agnes leaned forward, resting her hands on the arms of her throne. "Isaac has kept me informed of your progress, and I am very pleased with your achievements. In just three years, you've grown from a boy who couldn't read, write, or even find his home country on a map to an intelligent, resourceful young man. Although we have yet to determine the powers of your Ring, I have little doubt you will become a fine addition to the Order."

Quinn looked up, surprised, before bowing his head once more. "That's… very kind of you to say, Mother Agnes."

Her smile disappeared. "However, I did not call you back simply to praise you. I believe the time has come to formally declare you as the Order's newest Archon. But before that, a situation has arisen, which I believe will be a perfect means to test if you are truly ready."

Mother Agnes stood, slowly pacing around the platform. "Recently, a naval patrol reported sighting Burgundian soldiers occupying the fortress on the island of Tol Castell. This island has been Bannish territory since the Second War of the Ronde some two hundred years ago, and thus their occupation is in direct violation of the Treaty of Palomides which ended that war."

Mother Agnes stopped. "Your mission is to travel to Tol Castell, and remove the Burgundian garrison, by whatever means you deem necessary. Succeed, and you will have earned the title of Archon."

All of a sudden, Ingrid stood. "Mother Agnes," she said. "Surely, you don't mean to send Quinn alone? "

Agnes looked up, at the stained glass window. "This matter is of grave concern not only to the Order, but to King Oswald and Parliament as well. As such, the King has personally selected a number of soldiers to aid Quinn in his mission. Furthermore…" Agnes's gaze turned to Ingrid. "Inquisitor Ingrid, I hereby remove you from my command. From this time forward, you will observe Quinn, and serve him as advisor on my behalf."

Ingrid opened her mouth, as if to protest, but quickly shut it again, and touched her cap. "…As you command, Mother Agnes."

"A ship is being prepared for the journey to Tol Castell, and will depart in three days' time. Take this time to prepare yourself accordingly." Agnes seated herself in her throne once more. "You may go."

Quinn bowed his head and stood up. But Ingrid simply stood, her face stern, her hands clasped behind her back. After a moment, she looked to Quinn. "Let's get you to the armory," she said stiffly. "You'll need protection, and a proper weapon."

For a long while, the two walked through the Abbey's cloisters in silence. Quinn found Ingrid's silence troubling- in any other situation, she surely would have been passing on what she knew of the situation. After spending a few moments working up the resolve, Quinn asked, "M-Miss Ingrid? Is everything alright?"

"It's nothing," she replied quickly. Too quickly.

"It doesn't seem like nothing."

Again, Ingrid was quiet, save for a deep breath. Then, she said, "…I've served under Mother Agnes directly for many years now. This will be the first time I've not been under her command since… well, since I was inducted into the Order."

This time, Quinn was the one who was silent. "I… I'm sorry," he replied, hesitantly. "But, I'm… glad you're coming with me, Miss Ingrid." He looked at her. "I was worried when Mother Agnes said this was a test, but if you're there to help me, I know I can do it."

Ingrid looked back at him. "I'm only going as an observer, Quinn. I won't be helping you."

"That's fine. Just knowing that you'll be there with me… it makes me feel better about this." Quinn smiled broadly.

Ingrid couldn't help but to give a small smile in return.

"By the way," Quinn began. "…where exactly is Tol Castell?"

Ingrid's smile vanished, and she let out a small sigh. It seemed that despite Professor Isaac's best efforts, the boy still had a great deal to learn. "Tol Castell is a small island about seventy milia west of mainland Bannon. Since the end of the Second War of the Ronde, it's been used as a marker to designate the boundary between Burgundian and Bannish waters…"

The day came.

At noon, Quinn and Ingrid left the Abbey for Port Arthur. Their ship proved easy enough to find- the red sails flown by ships of the Vanderijck Trade Guild stood out in any harbor. Ingrid boarded and spoke to the captain to ensure they had the right ship, before returning.

"It looks like the others haven't arrived yet," she said.

"What should we do, then?" Quinn asked. "It's almost time for us to go. We're not gonna leave without them, are we?"

"I don't think that will be necessary," Ingrid answered, looking at something over Quinn's shoulder. He followed her gaze.

Approaching them on the dock were two men, both leading horses. The man in front was large, wearing dark grey armor that had clearly seen better days, and sported short orange hair and a trimmed orange beard. It was impossible to determine his age just from looking at his sun-beaten face, but his grey eyes were clear, and focused.

The second man, in contrast, was smaller, his face more youthful. Both his eyes and his unruly hair were a dark brown, and his armor was painted with a coat of forest green, marred by innumerable scratches.

As the two men approached, Quinn heard the younger man say, "…a Guild ship. The king must really want this situation taken care of."

Ingrid suddenly straightened up as the men drew closer. "Captain Uther," she said, with no small amount of surprise in her voice. "I know the king was lending us soldiers, but you're the last person I was expecting."

"Well, my brother has always been a bit too cautious for his own good," the orange-haired man said, before holding out his hand. "And you are?"

She shook his hand. "I'm Ingrid, Inquisitor for the Archonite Order. This is Quinn, an initiate."

The orange-haired man, Uther, held out his hand to Quinn. But Quinn wasn't paying attention. Something that Uther had said stuck with him. "Your brother?" he mumbled. "But, I thought the king sent you. W-Wait, your brother is the king? Wait, you're a prince!? "

Uther erupted with laughter. "Please don't worry yourself with formalities. After all, I passed on my title- I'm but a humble soldier now." He knocked a fist against his breastplate. "But, yes. I'm Uther Maybury, Captain of the Guard for Bannon's army, and King Oswald's older brother." He motioned to the man in the green armor. "This is one of my subordinates, Sir Gwin."

"Hey," the brown-haired man- Gwin said, with a small wave.

"And Julius…" Uther looked around. "…is late , it seems. That's rather unlike him."

"Julius headed out hours ago, Boss," Gwin said. "He should already be on the ship."

"There's only three of you?" Quinn asked. Ingrid was a skilled fighter in her own right, so if she recognized this Uther, he must have been a formidable opponent. But still, clearing out a fortress with just five people…

"Our most recent reports indicate the number of soldiers at Tol Castell is fairly small- no more than five men or so," Uther replied. "To be honest, I was planning to deal with them by myself, but after the Order's representative visited, Oswald insisted I take at least a few helping hands."

"Such confidence," Ingrid said. "As expected of Bannon's own Captain of the Guard."

Uther looked to the ship. "If we're all here, we shouldn't tarry any further. It's best not to keep those hawks from the Guild waiting."

Quinn coughed, and spat the last bit of bile in his mouth into the sea. The ship had set sail soon after the group had boarded, and immediately, the queasiness returned to Quinn all at once. His legs trembled from the constant swaying breath his feet, and he had to keep his grip on something solid, for fear of losing his balance. The only consolation was that this journey would be much shorter than the voyage from Hessen- four days, based on the navigator's estimates. Still, the news did little to calm the churning in his stomach.

Quinn leaned against the railing on the deck, breathing heavily. But then, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, accompanied by a man's voice: "…temperature is approximately… 72 degrees, unusually high for this time of year. No visible cloudfronts, and visibility… impossible to determine without landmarks."

Quinn looked over, to see an unfamiliar man in blue robes standing a few feet away. The man had straight hair of light brown that reached his shoulders, and wore a pair of glasses with thin frames. His robes were similar to the robes the priest in Lamorak wore, though this man's robes were blue and white, rather than yellow, and his hood pulled back. For a moment, the man stood still, his hand extended into the air. Then, he began writing in a small book.

"The tailwind has shifted from west to a southwestern angle," the man said as he wrote. "If it persists, we may arrive sooner than anticipated, if only by a few hours." His shoulders slumped slightly, and his hand stopped moving. "It seems my insistence on bringing an extra day's worth of provisions was based on unfounded apprehensions."

"Uh, excuse me?" Quinn called hesitantly. "Are you… Julius?"

The long-haired man turned. "Hmm?" He tucked away his book and approached, before staring at Quinn for several moments, completely motionless. Then, he said, "I apologize, but I do not believe that we have met before. So I find it rather unusual that you know my name." He paused, and flicked his gaze to the side as if thinking for a moment. "Ah, of course. You must be the initiate from the Archonite Order. As 'Ingrid' is a female name, I must assume you are Quinn."

Quinn held out his hand, albeit a bit hesitantly. They'd only just met, but Julius seemed very… strange. "Uh, t-that's right. I've already met Uther and Gwin. So, I'm guessing you must be the last soldier the king sent to help us."

Julius looked down at Quinn's hand, but did not take it. "I see. It seems there was a miscommunication. While I may serve a role in Bannon's military, I am not, in fact, a soldier. Rather, I am a priest. It is my duty to provide medical aid to my comrades."

Quinn perked up upon hearing that. "Oh! A priest! That's excellent! We don't know what's waiting for us at Tol Castell, so-"

Julius suddenly interrupted: "Preposterous. We know exactly what is waiting for us at our destination."

For several long seconds, the only sound was the sound of waves, and creaks from the ship. Quinn stared at the priest, unsure of what to say. He was… very direct. But not in the same way that Foreman, or Ingrid were direct. His face was still and expressionless, and he stood completely still, his eyes focused directly on Quinn. The young man couldn't help but help but wonder if Julius has ever spoken to another person.

After several moments of staring, Julius finally said, "…It seems that I have offended you. I must ask that forgive my gaucherie. I have been made aware on several occasions that my mannerisms make me a somewhat tiring person to interact with. But, I assure you that I will use every skill in my possession to ensure the success of our mission."

Just then, they heard a muffled voice shout, "Hey! Food's ready! Get it while it's hot!"

Julius glanced to the source of the shout. "Ah. It seems Gwin has taken the liberty to prepare a meal for us all. He may not seem so, but he is an exceptional chef."

"I'll… be along in just a minute," Quinn said. The boat was swaying more than usual as it cut through rougher waves. He wasn't sure he could make it below deck from here.

Julius looked at Quinn for a moment. Then, he reached into a pouch at his side, pulled out a small yellow leaf, and held it out to Quinn. "Here."

"Huh?" Quinn asked. "What's-"

But Julius cut Quinn off again: "Chew up this leaf and place it under your tongue for five minutes, but do not swallow it. It should suppress your seasickness for the next six to eight hours, depending on your weight and tolerance." When Quinn took the leaf, he continued, "Let me know when its effects wear off. I'll provide you with another dose then." Julius walked away, without waiting for a reply.

"You have my commendation, Gwin. It fascinates me how you are able to create such dishes from the most seemingly impalatable ingredients," Julius said.

Gwin scratched his head, and gave an embarrassed laugh. "Ha ha… well, cooking's a skill like any other. I just practiced 'til I got good at it."

The space beneath the deck was cramped, but was still preferable to the windswept deck above. So, Quinn had joined the others, waiting as Gwin passed around bowls of some kind of stew. Before descending, he had followed Julius's instructions, and much to his surprise, the strange leaf had indeed gotten rid of his seasickness. And he couldn't lie- he was starving. He hoped the stewed tasted every bit as good as it smelled.

Gwin sat down, resting his bowl by his side, and looked to Quinn and Ingrid. "But anyway, I was hoping you guys could tell us a little about yourselves."

"I must admit, I'm curious as well," Uther added. "It's not often that agents from the Order accompany us into the field."

Quinn didn't reply. It wasn't that he was ordered to keep anything he'd done secret. Rather, nobody had ever asked him that question. So he wasn't sure how to reply to it.

Fortunately, Ingrid picked up his slack: "Quinn has just returned from abroad. He was being trained by one of the Order's agents at the Arcane College in Corburg."

"The Arcane College…" Gwin muttered, before looking to Julius. "Hey, Julius. You mentioned a while ago that there was a professor at the College you wanted to meet, right?"

Julius nodded. "That I did. I'm surprised you still remember that, Gwin- I mentioned it some time ago."

"So, where are you from?" Uther asked. "Somewhere in Bannon, I presume?"

Quinn nodded. "Yeah. Grimhold."

"I thought as much. For someone so young, you do seem rather… sturdy."

"Is that right?" Gwin asked. "You don't meet a lot of soldiers who hail from the Outer Isles in the army. I'm from Dale, myself."

"You're from Dale, Gwin?" Julius asked, incredulous. "I would never have guessed, even after all this time. You don't possess the accent typical of the region."

"You're one to talk, Julius," Uther said with a laugh. "Aren't you from Morley?"

"My accent was a habit I deliberately chose to rid myself of. Being able to clearly relay instructions is of paramount importance on the battlefield…"

Quinn just watched the others silently, a smile on his face. He couldn't help but be reminded of his time at the College, of the days he spent with Gail and Malcolm. He'd been… happy , spending time with them.

And he found it somewhat worrying that he couldn't recall a time when he'd felt such happiness before leaving Grimhold.

"You seem awfully pleased, Quinn," Ingrid said in a low voice.

"They seem like a lively bunch," he replied. "They remind me of my time at the College."

"This is camaraderie," she said.

He looked over, confused. "Cama… what? "

"This world is one filled with hardship and challenges. But if you surround yourself with allies you can trust, with friends willing to support you… then you won't need to bear those burdens alone. Remember that."

For a moment, Quinn sat silently in thought. He wanted to ask Ingrid a question. It seemed like, such a strange question. But even so, he asked: "Miss Ingrid… are you my friend?"

Ingrid nodded without hesitation. "Of course," she replied. "No matter what challenges may await you, even if you lose sight of the way forward, I will always be your ally."

"Well, I know that- we're both part of the Order. I know you're my ally ." Quinn looked at Ingrid. "I want to know if you're my friend ."

For a long while, she was silent, and looked away. He stared expectantly, but she didn't answer. Slowly, he looked away… until Ingrid rested her hand on his own. "…well… yes ," she finally said. "I suppose I am ."

Quinn smiled. "Thanks, Miss Ingrid."

Quinn then realized that silence had fallen. He looked over, to see Uther, Gwin, and Julius staring back at him and Ingrid expectantly. "…well don't stop on our account," Gwin said. "I wanna see where this is going."

Ingrid's hand quickly darted out of Quinn's. "I assure you, whatever you believe the relationship to be between Quinn and myself, I have nothing untoward."

"It that so?" Julius asked. "The two of you seem rather close..."

"Quinn is… he… lacked any sort of proper parental figures in Grimhold. As such, I took it upon myself to become a positive influence for him…"

Author's Notes:

The Original Concept: The original idea for the story came about after I played Drakengard 3 for the first time, and it shows: originally, the world was ruled by a religious order, the Order of the Six Sisters, who worshiped the titular Sisters as living goddesses (the Sisters themselves being inspired by the Intoners in Drakengard). In the past, the Sisters had battled a great enemy that threatened the world, but all but one were scattered and lost in the aftermath. At the start of the original story, three of the Sisters had been found, with the discovery of the fourth kickstarting the plot. Eventually, I chose to rework the idea into a Fire Emblem story, and thus, a number of elements were scaled back, or removed altogether- rather than the world, the setting was reduced to a single continent, the Order's power (now called the Archonite Order) was diminished significantly, and the Sisters were replaced by the Archons, who remained firmly in the backstory. But there are still a few remnants from the original concept. An enormous, perfectly circular inland sea- created in the aftermath of the final blow of the ancient war- was retained as a geographical feature. And in the final story, there are six Ringbearers in the Order, just as there were six Sisters in the original story, and six Intoners.

Quinn: Quinn retained his role of the protagonist from the original story, and is one of only a handful of characters to make the transition into the story's current form. He was unnamed in the original concept, but retains a number of characteristics from there: he was originally a miner, who kicks off the plot by unearthing something (in the previous story, one of the Sisters; in the new story, a Ring of Power), and is subsequently inducted into a quasi-religious order. When the idea was reworked into a Fire Emblem story, he gained the Avatar archetype. He was finally named Reese, a unisex name, and I literally flipped a coin to determine his gender. He remained male. Eventually, I renamed him Quinn, partly because I liked that name better, but for another reason that becomes relevant much later in the story. Unlike many of the other characters in the story, Quinn wasn't directly inspired by anyone in particular, though a few elements of his appearance were inspired by Jude Mathis from Tales of Xillia. If he had a voice actor, it would be Bryce Papenbrook.

Ingrid: Ingrid is another character from the original idea that was retained in the transition to a FE-inspired story, though of the characters who were retained, she underwent the most extensive changes. Originally, she was one of the Sisters, found and raised by a society of Amazon-like warriors, and known for her combat prowess. In the final story, she's an ordinary human, though she still serves the Order, and is still known for her swordsmanship. She also had two different inspirations- originally, she was inspired (at least in appearance) by Musashi from Kantai Collection. Her current iteration takes elements from Esdeath from Akame ga Kill, though with less sadism and cleavage, and more pants. After playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2, some elements from Morag were added as well, mainly in her demeanor, and her default stance of having her hands clasped behind her back. Her name never changed, though it comes from an unlikely source- the Taimanin Asagi character of the same name. Would ideally be voiced by Tara Platt if she had a voice actor.