Chapter 6 – Impenetrable Wall
I picked up my many bags and gathered them with the rest of the platoon's. I kept my little bag close to me, tying it securely to my sheath's belt. We were told to gather our belongings and gather in the nearby courtyard. We were not told the reason for it, but to wait for Jagen to come speak to us. I sat on a bench, spending the extra time sharpening and polishing my lance. Its tip was beginning to dull from all the spars it had participated in. I would look up every once in a while when Luke came back with another load of bags or when Katarina dropped off more books onto the ground nearby. It has been a few days after the incident occurred in this courtyard. As I gazed across the short lawn, I noticed there was no signs of a struggle on the grass. After a fight, I would expect some sort of disturbance in the grass, I thought to myself, still rubbing the edges of my lance with a sharpening stone. After staring at the grass for a few minutes, I directed my focus back on my lance.
"Hmmm…" Luke murmured.
"Is something the matter?" Ryan asked, breaking away from his task of organizing his various arrows.
"Guys, guys, I need an opinion!" Luke announced to the rest of the platoon, "How's my hair look?"
"Your… hair?" Rody asked, looking away from his reading.
"I mean- I'm a soldier of love! I seek out only the most beautiful women, yet I… haven't gotten any dates yet…" Luke admitted.
"Oh, Luke…" Katarina giggled, "I'm sorry to say but, most of the girls here think of you as small fry. They'd think Ryan is a "cutie" or Rody is "ohmigosh, so cool!" Quite a few people seem to secretly lust after Glacia too."
"What?" I said, finally looking up from my weapon.
"Exactly!" Luke shouted, "I wasn't sure at first, but then I realized what I've been doing wrong! It's my hair!"
"I'm not sure what leap of logic lead you to that conclusion…" I said.
"Well, you see. I'll fix up my hair like you do and then they'll see me as brave… and beautiful, just like Glacia! Right?" Luke reasoned.
"Er… Luke, you're a guy. How is mimicking Glacia going to automatically make you gallant?" Rody asked as we giggled at Luke's reaction.
"Well, Luke, maybe if you did something about that attitude of yours, you'd be more popular." Katarina said. Before Luke could retaliate, Jagen appeared in the archway. We dropped what we were doing and gathered around him to hear his message.
"It's been two and a half months since you first came here. During that time frame, I've witnessed many a platoon desert, unable to stomach the harsh training. Not to mention platoons that failed due to miserable results… Of those who walked through those gates in search for glory in the Altean army as an Altean Knight, only twenty names remain." He paused to look at each of us in the eye. His gaze stopped when his eyes met mine. "From now on, the 7th platoon will not only work as one, but live as one. To work as a team, one must live as a team. You are expected to share living quarters similarly to a majority of our knights. This is why I had you move your belongings out this morning. If you would follow me, I will show you to your new quarters." He waited for a while before turning to walk down the hallway. We silently picked up our bags and followed him as he expertly navigated the halls. Katarina hurried to catch up to me as she hauled her various books in her backpack.
"What do you think it'll be like?" she whispered.
"I'm not sure, but I hope none of us will have to share." I said, coaxing a giggle out of her. We took numerous turns and passed by many junior knight platoon halls, now empty and devoid of life. Once we had reached our destination, we were much deeper in the castle than we were used to.
"Take your time to get comfortable and meet me outside by the east gate before the sun is overhead. That is all." He said and took off, possibly to repeat the process with the remaining platoons. I opened the door to find a vast room with wooden flooring and many beds scattered in the middle. Desks and chairs lined the walls and a large rack hung next to the entrance.
"Wow… there's so much room in here." Katarina said as she entered the room.
"The wood floor is definitely an upgrade to the stone flooring we had." Rody admitted as he put his bags down near a bed and began unpacking.
"Guess we'll have a bed and a desk each, huh?" I said while unpacking my own things onto the desk closest to the door.
"Sounds good!" Luke said, excitedly unpacking his belongings, "So, is this supposed to make us better friends or something?"
"I would believe so…" Ryan said, "He did say something about working and living as a team."
"Hmm… odd. We have an extra bed and an extra desk." I said as I grabbed my weapons out from my bag and hung them on the weapon rack.
"Huh. Guess this room was made to fit a platoon of six." Katarina thought out loud as she organized her books. We spent the next hour settling ourselves into the room and unpacking all of our belongings. I finally untied my special little, black bag and put it into one of the desk's drawers. As everyone continued to unpack, I spent my free time observing the room itself. The majority of the room was covered in wood with the exception of the stone ceiling. The provided beds were similar to those in our individual quarters, but the wood seemed to be of higher quality. Underneath the beds, there were soft, blue rugs and a small compartment that allowed the storage of extra blankets. A fireplace was in the middle of the wall opposite of the door and was flanked by Luke and Rody's desks. Soon, everyone finished unpacking and it was decided that it was about time we started to head out towards the east gate.
"East gate… east gate… where is that exactly?" I said upon coming out of the platoon's collective quarters. Rody pulled out a map and began to find where we were.
"Ah. We should be here. Follow me." Rody said after scanning the map for a few minutes. We followed Rody through unknown hallways, occasionally pausing to take in the sights.
"My… the castle is so beautiful, both inside and outside." Katarina said as she admired the decorated windows. We continued walking through the halls for several minutes before reaching a large gate. As we entered the bright sunlight, I noticed Jagen standing with someone I didn't recognize. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed the man had short blue-gray hair. He also boasted a small beard that starts under his lower lip and extends along his face with a small separation between it and his sideburns. He had platinum-white armor on above his blue-gray uniform. He had a flowing cape that was a darker shade of blue-gray and had steel-covered boots. His dark eyes added to his powerful appearance. Jagen stopped mid-conversation to turn to us.
"Oh good. You've made it in time. As you know, training from now on will be far more grueling. As such, we will be introducing lectures to advise you. Frey is the knight in charge of lecturing." Jagen said motioning towards Frey, "Afterward, please continue forward to the river and see Cain for today's battle. Prepare to be pushed to your limits." He said something to Frey before he left us and headed back into the castle. We turned our attention towards Frey.
"As Jagen had mentioned, I am in charge of your lectures so listen up." Frey said in a commanding tone, "First, I'll talk about the preparations you will need to make before a battle. Before stepping foot onto the battlefield, you must ensure you as sufficiently prepared. Starting today, you will be allowed to choose who will come onto the battlefield with you and who should stay behind. Glacia, as commander, you are in charge of making these decisions." He ended his sentence by looking at me, expecting a response.
"I understand. I'll do my best." I said.
"Also, remember to pay attention to your party members. They may wish to speak to you before the battle and speaking to them can have various benefits." He added, "I will now allow you all to make your way to your mock battle today as to not keep Cain waiting. I will see you all in the library later tonight for the rest of your lectures. Please come by any time before midnight."
"Of course. Thank you, Sir Frey." I said before he walked away.
"If you need help with preparations, I'm always available." Katarina said moments after Frey had walked up to the gate.
"And I'm always here!" Luke barged into our conversation before I could get a word in.
"Yes, yes I know. I can hear you from a mile away." I said, laughing slightly, "Come on. Let's get to our mock battle. The rest of our team must be waiting for us." As we walked towards the flowing river, I thought about the decisions I would have to make as commander.
"Interesting…" Rody thought aloud, "With the river, there will be two chokepoints that we can use to our advantage. This is our first time dealing with this…"
"That's true… we're going to need sturdy units to lead the charge across the bridges." Katarina reasoned.
"Do you think I'll be able to help more this time?" Ryan asked excitedly.
"Of course! Your range will definitely help us take out more enemies." I said and his face lighted up with excitement.
"The question is 'who will lead those charges?'" I said, thinking about the platoon as a whole.
"Well, you're our commander. That decision is up to you." Luke said nonchalantly. Before I was done thinking about who should cross the bridges first, we had arrived at the river and Cain was waiting for us with a very heavily armored knight. His armor was thick and covered every piece of his body, including his head. The armor was a deep blue with golden details and accents. The rest of our team was waiting there and Princess Caeda was taking care of our horses. Blazemane looked comfortable with her. Cain noticed us coming towards him and he walked up to us.
"Ah, Glacia! You're here. Let's begin today's mock battle. In this battle, you'll only be allowed to bring in a certain amount of allies with you. You will have to ask some of them to not participate. Your opponent for today's mock battle is Draug." He said and motioned towards the armored knight standing next to him. He took his helmet off to speak to us, revealing his green hair that reminded me of Luke's.
"As Cain has said, I am your opponent today." Soldiers began to take their positions near the bridges behind Draug as he spoke, "If you wish to fight me, you must defeat these soldiers first and prove yourself. I keep hearing about your abilities. Allow me to judge for myself whether or not you're as good as they say." He put his helmet back on and walked across the bridge and stood far behind the soldiers.
"Alright, let's prepare." I said, turning towards my platoon. The rest of our team gathered behind them, "Luke, Rody, Ryan, and… Sir Merric! Please come onto the battlefield with me. I kindly ask everyone else to sit this one out."
"Ah, alright. Good luck out there, Glacia." Caeda said before taking her pegasus and walking towards Cain. Gordin gave Ryan a good luck hug before retreating to the trees along with Wrys.
"Are everyone's weapons ready to go?" I asked.
"Ah… I can't be any more prepared." Merric said as he enjoyed the passing breeze. Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"Okay, let's go every-" I was interrupted mid-sentence by the sound of hooves striking the ground. The incoming cavalier screeched to a halt in front of me, breathing heavily. She had short, red hair as well as armor that matched her hair with added golden details. Her armor covered her chest, shoulders, and hip areas as most standard cavalier armor did. She had a long, white bandana across her forehead that draped down from the left as well as dark red boots. She had a lance in her hand and a sword in the sheath on her hip.
"I-I made it… Hey, where's this Commander Glacia person?"
"Um, that would be me, but who are you?" I asked.
"Name's Cecille. I'm a junior knight, just like you! I know this is quite sudden, but I was invited by Katarina to join your group."
"Ah, it's very sudden indeed, but are you allowed to join us?" I asked, concerned there will be consequences.
"Of course! I've had a word with Sir Jagen and Sir Cain. I just ran a bit late is all."
"Alright. I suppose we can fit you onto our team today. Can we talk more after the battle?"
"Sure! Oh yeah, before I forget…" she said, turning towards Katarina, "I brought along those strong weapons you prepared the other day. Just give me the orders and I'll distribute them accordingly!" She detached a large, brown sack and opened it to reveal several, newly sharpened weapons. The steel shined brightly in the strong sunlight compared to the iron weapons we had.
"Ah, ok. I'll take a new lance. Please take the other two to Luke and Rody." I grabbed the sharp lance out of the bag and pointed towards Luke and Rody. As she rode to them, I observed the new lance. The metal was high quality and the shaft was sturdy. I gripped it in my hands and felt a surge of confidence.
"Alright!" Luke shouted as he raised his new sword up into the sky, "Let's do this!"
"Let's go everyone!" I said. Blazemane ran over to me and I hopped onto her back. Luke and Rody climbed onto their horses as well. "Let's ride!" I shouted to the team and we stormed onto the battlefield. "Luke, Rody, and Ryan! Handle the bridge to the right. Sir Merric, Cecille! I'll lead the charge while you two support me on the bridge to the left." Everyone nodded in agreement and we took our positions in front of the bridges. The opposing soldiers readied their weapons as we readied our own. I glanced at Luke and he nodded.
I whipped Blazemane into action and the battle began. Her hooves clanged on the stone bridge and the sound mixed with the shouts of the incoming soldiers. Blazemane turned her side towards the soldier and I raised my lance against his sword. The weapons clashed as I tried to push him down and out of the way. I struggled against his power, but with a sudden, strong push, I made him stagger backwards and I knocked him down. Before I was able to make any progress across the bridge, another soldier had slammed his lance against mine. I heard the sound of flames come from behind and a fireball exploded on the opposing soldier. Taken aback by the sudden attack, he was left open to attack and I knocked him off the bridge. Before the next soldier could get to me, I had crossed the entirety of the bridge and charged at him at full speed. A strong swing of my lance knocked him off his feet and his weapon flew into the nearest tree. Cecille quickly rode past me and Merric followed her with supporting fireballs. I looked over to the other bridge and I saw Luke crashing through a small group of three soldiers. Arrows flew around Rody as he crossed the bridge to assist him. Snapping back to my own battles, I barely dodged an incoming fireball from an enemy mage. Cecille was occupied with other soldiers, so I took the matter into my own hands. I sprinted towards the mage as he conjured another fireball. I extended my lance in front of me and ran through the fire. Blazemane wasn't fazed at all and I landed a strong blow on the mage.
"Good job, Blazey." I praised Blazemane for her courage against the fireball before charging towards another opponent. I replaced my lance with my sword and ran towards another soldier. I extended my sword and Blazemane spun around, executing a spinning attack. The soldier skillfully pushed my blow away from himself and rendered my attack useless. I spun around to give it another shot when I found that I had been surrounded by soldiers.
"Defeat the commander and the battle is over…" I whispered Jagen's piece of tactical advice to myself. I heard the twangs of bows and the flaring of fireballs as I held onto my sword. I felt Blazemane's sudden lurch upward as she jumped to avoid the projectiles. Flames exploded underneath and arrows dug themselves into the dirt. When we landed back onto the ground, the onslaught had not stopped. My left arm suddenly became extremely hot as a fireball exploded. While I was distracted, an arrow landed on my upper back. I barely let out a sound as the pain flowed through my shoulders and I whipped Blazemane into a sprint towards one of the archers. An arrow bounced off of my shoulder armor and Blazemane ran over the archer in front of us. I turned to face the other soldiers to find that they were focused on something else. Luke ran through the ring that formed around me and weapons flew left and right. Arrows still flew and fireballs were still being thrown around. Eager to help out, Blazemane ran towards another soldier. I gave my sword a few swings through the air and it struck the shoulders of many soldiers. Luke went past me and was able to knock over more soldiers. As we met up after defeating all of the surrounding soldiers, the rest of the team gathered behind us. Before we could regroup, there was a loud thumping as Draug began to make his move and additional soldiers poured in from the sides.
"Sir Merric, support me!" I shouted before running towards Draug. A fireball flew before me and splashed on the thick breastplate. Draug made no effort to react to the impact. I decided that I was going to need more accuracy. I gave Blazemane a pat on the side of her neck and replaced my sword with my lance. As we got closer to Draug, I jumped off of Blazemane's back and rolled to safety. I got to my feet and noticed Draug was coming straight for me. Merric's fireballs seemed to make no impact on Draug as he steadily approached me with his gigantic lance. I ran around him to try to find some sort of weak spot, but his armor was impenetrable.
Taking a chance, I ran up to him and swung my lance as hard as I could. The steel bounced off of his armor and he swung his lance at me. The thick shaft knocked the wind out of me as I landed in the dirt. My lance fell to the ground as my grasp slipped. Merric's onslaught of fireballs had not stopped and one finally caused him to react. He took a step backward before continuing towards me once again. I regained my composure during the few seconds Merric's fireball earned and ran to grab my lance. His lance came down on me once again and I rolled out of its path. It struck the ground and dirt flew into the air. I grabbed my lance from the ground and I heard a voice behind me.
"Hey, we're coming! You're not going to get knocked around on your own!" Luke's voice echoed through the air.
"N-no… He's far too defensive. He'll knock you all out!" I shouted back, concerned about how hard Draug was capable of hitting and my friends' health. Rody rode up to me.
"Hah. We finished off the soldiers already and there is no way we're going to let you take this on your own. I'd never hear the end of it…" He grasped his lance and rode towards Draug who was now under assault by several cavaliers, an archer, and a mage. He swung his lance in large arcs, often catching the sides of the horses running circles around him. They neighed in pain, but still followed their rider's orders. Then, I was able to see it. I ran straight towards Draug. Cecille's horse jumped as the lance swept underneath him. Draug countered this move afterward and swung the lance upwards. The attack landed a successful hit and Cecille was in bad shape. He swung the lance upward once again, but the lance didn't make contact. As his body stretched upward, his armor revealed a weak spot. I drove my lance straight into that spot, piercing the leather covering his body.
"Agh!" Draug shouted as my lance dug into his side. I removed the lance and he turned to retaliate. I attempted to jump out of the way, but I was caught on his lance once again. I kept my grasp on my lance, but I was knocked to the ground. The dirt scraped against my armor as I slid across it. The thundering of hooves died down as my team retreated to heal injuries with vulneraries. I pushed myself off of the ground and felt the rumble of the ground as Draug moved towards me like a walking fortress. Once again, I got to my feet with my lance in hand. His armor had noticeable scratches and dents, most likely from the cavaliers on my team. My energy was faltering and I knew I had one last attempt at defeating Draug. Remembering how his armor functioned from my first attack, I ran in with my lance gripped in both hands. Once I got into range, he swung his lance. I swiftly jumped over it and got close enough to him to land a solid blow. I lodged my lance in-between the plates of armor and used it like a lever. I gave my lance a powerful shove and I dislodged a piece of his armor. Noticing the breach in his defenses, he turned to attack, but was unable to turn fast enough. Using the same method, I dislodged another plate and gave him a light slash. He grunted in pain, but still made an attempt to attack me. Once again, I dislodged a plate from his back and ran my lance across his back. His steps became much heavier as he tried to turn towards me. As a last resort, Draug swung his lance in a circle, hoping to catch me in its large radius. I jumped out of its range just in time to call Blazemane over with a sharp whistle. She bolted to me and I quickly switched out my lance with my sword. Time to end this, I thought to myself. Draug stopped his attack and I sprinted back into his attack range.
He noticed me approaching him and threw another attack in my direction. I ran to avoid the lance's sharp tip, but it managed to give me a cut on my right arm. Another swing came after me and I successfully jumped over it. I got behind Draug and grabbed onto the piece of armor that was protecting his upper back. He tried to shake me off, but my hands clamped onto the ridge of his armor. I swung around and got my leg up onto his shoulder. I climbed up onto his shoulders as he raised his arms to grab me. With swift movements of my hands, I removed his helmet, threw it off, and placed my sword at his neck. The sound of dirt on metal stopped and the sharp clang of the helmet on the packed dirt resonated through the air. I took my eyes off of Draug to look at the rest of my teammates. They were standing there, staring at me in awe. Luke was mindlessly rubbing his vulnerary on his injured leg as he sat on the ground.
"S-so… you managed to penetrate my armor…" Draug said as he lowered his arms. Accepting this as a sign of defeat, I removed my sword and jumped off. I dusted myself off and sheathed my sword before taking my position in front of an injured Draug. The rest of the platoon slowly came to stand behind me as Cain ran over to us. "How…? Even my thick armor and powerful defense couldn't withstand your attacks… Honestly, outstanding. Commander Glacia. If you ever have a need of an armor knight's strength, you may call on me… anytime."
"Amazing performance!" Cain exclaimed, "That strategy was… remarkable." Katarina appeared from the trees and began to run towards us. "Draug, how are you doing?"
"I got a bit hurt, but it's nothing Wrys wouldn't be able to handle." Draug laughed as he walked back towards the area where we left Wrys with Gordin and Princess Caeda. Cain went to help Luke and Rody care for their horses and dismissed us, allowing us to return to the castle.
"Glacia!" Katarina ran up and gave me a hug, "I can't believe it. We won!" As she let go of me, she noticed the small gash I had on my arm. "Ah, you're hurt…"
"I'll be alright," I said as I rubbed my vulnerary on it.
"You took on a lot of responsibility today." She said as I put my vulnerary away, "This is the first time you didn't need my help with a strategy."
"Oh… I guess you're right." I said, remembering the sudden creation of my plan for the battle, "I suppose I got a bit excited. I'm sorry, did you want to use one of your strategies?"
"No, it's not that… it's just that you're becoming such a strong commander. I can't help but to feel proud." She said as she gently smiled at me.
"Thanks, Katarina." I said, "But… I couldn't have made it this far without you." Katarina slightly blushed as she smiled at the ground. Cecille walked up to us with her horse's reins in her hand.
"Commander Glacia." she said.
"Please, call me Glacia." I said, turning away from Katarina.
"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Cecille, junior knight of the former 9th Platoon. I'd like to make it very clear that I will show no mercy for those who underestimate me because I'm a woman!" she said, not noticing how Luke was eavesdropping right next to her. She finally noticed once Luke gave a loud sigh.
"I wished we would get another girl in our platoon… when we finally get one… why is it Cecille, the 9th platoon's infamous violent girl, of all people?" he said, voicing his opinion.
"Oh! You little… Who's the violent girl!?" she said turning towards him with her fists clenched. Startled, Luke fell to the ground and put his arms up to protect himself.
"Yikes! W-wait! Don't hit me, b-be gentle…" he said as Cecille came dangerously close to him.
"C-Cecille, please!" I said, stopping her, "I apologize for Luke's rudeness, but please don't beat him senseless. He can't help himself."
"Good grief. Well, if you say so." She said, leaving Luke on the ground, "I'm your subordinate from now on, anyway. Since I've joined this platoon, I'll fight under you. My life is in your hands." I felt the urge to protest her theatrics, but I decided that aggravating the "9th platoon's infamous violent girl" was not something I wanted to do. She gave me a respectful bow before walking her horse back to the castle.
"Well… shall we walk back inside, too?" Katarina asked as we watched Cecille walk away.
"I think I'm going for a little walk before I get back in the castle. I need some time to relax after that stressful battle." I replied.
"Alright. I'll meet you in our quarters then?"
"Of course." I said. She began to walk away, but paused a few steps away to look back at me. I waved at her and she waved back before continuing on her way back to the castle. Everyone slowly started walking back until Cain was the only one left.
"Not going back in yet, huh?" he said, walking up to me.
"I just felt like relaxing in the presence of nature I suppose…" I said as I thought about walking through the trees.
"Well, stay safe." He gently put his hand on my shoulder, "I don't want you getting hurt." He looked into my eyes for a few seconds before turning to join the rest of the group in walking to the castle. I watched him walk away for a while before walking into the trees. The foliage in this area was thinner than the forest I had to walk through during the short march. It made the walk more relaxing as I went from tree to tree, observing the insects that crawled along the long branches. As I walked among the trees, I felt a strange sense of nostalgia. I ran my fingers through the leaves and remembered my life back at my grandfather's cabin in the woods.
"Careful now. You might find something scary in those leaves." I remember my grandfather telling me as I played in the bushes. That moment was when I had my first encounter with a beetle. I remember being startled, but soon I developed a curiosity for discovering what else hid from me in the bushes. I remember going through all the bushes near the cabin, but not finding anything. I was shaken from my trance as an ant crawled onto my finger.
"How strange that insects were so rare at grandfather's cabin…" I whispered to myself as I put the ant back onto its branch, "Or maybe I wasn't as sneaky as I thought." I continued my walk through the trees until I came across a dirt path. I stepped onto the path to attempt to find out what the path led to. I turned to my right and noticed Prince Marth was coming towards me.
"Ah. Hello, Glacia." Marth said as he walked up to me, "It's rare for us to meet at a place like this…"
"Yes, it truly is, sire. Are you headed somewhere?" I said as my eyes met his. Marth nodded.
"Beyond here…" He said as he pointed down the path, "Lie the graves of the soldiers who fell during the previous war, where their souls lie asleep after giving their lives for the safety of others."
"I see…" I quietly said as my eyes fell to the ground.
"My father among them… So many Alteans sacrificed their lives in the war and I couldn't save them… that's something I must never forget…"
"Sire… please. From the day I decided that I wanted to become a knight, I was prepared to die fighting. Those who fought in the previous war… weren't they, too, prepared to give their lives? I understand that it's painful, but, please, you mustn't brood over this alone." I looked into his gentle blue eyes as I spoke.
"Thank you, Glacia… I'm happy to hear that, but I can't help it. When my comrades get hurt and fall, I can't help but to feel pain…" He paused for a second to keep himself together, "Even if I'm deluding myself, I don't want to allow a single one of my comrades die. Jagen often tells me 'He who leads people must see the big picture.' That if one sacrifices few and saves many, then that was the correct decision to make. I understand what he means, but… I don't want that. I don't want to have to sacrifice someone. Maybe I'm unfit to be king…Perhaps it's a naïve way to think, but that's how I really feel. I can't simply betray my feelings…" A few tears fell and he quickly wiped them away. "Ah… I'm sorry. I must have confused you by suddenly talking about all this…"
"No, sire. I completely understand." I said as I put my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, still slightly teary-eyed. "I understand that losing a comrade is like losing a friend and I know that it is just as hard to face the reality of things. I don't want any of my comrades to fall. Every battle, I worry that any of my friends will get injured. I want everyone to be alright. I think that, too. Sire, I want to help you accomplish that."
"Glacia…" he quietly said as another tear fell. He softly took my hand off of his shoulder and held it in his hands while making direct eye contact with me. "Thank you, Glacia." We exchanged smiles for a second before he silently left me on the path as he continued his walk to the graveyard.
"Sire…" I whispered to myself as I watched him walk down the path and disappear from my field of view. I walked down the path in the opposite direction Prince Marth went. I occupied myself with the thought of Prince Marth's beliefs as I walked along the dusty path. Soon, I found myself near the east gate. Retracing Rody's directions, I wandered around the hallways until I found the platoon's living quarters. As I entered, I found that everyone was already inside and Cecille was getting settled into her bed.
"Hey! Look who's back! It's Glacia the Terrible!" Luke shouted from the other end of the room. Cecille audibly sighed. Katarina looked away from her book to greet me.
"Glacia, you're back. How was your walk?" she asked.
"It was pretty relaxing." I said as I sat down on the edge of my bed.
"I'm surprised you found your way back." Luke said as he rocked his chair backward.
"Should we start making our way to the library now?" Rody said, ignoring Luke's comment and looking away from the map that was spread across his desk.
"If everyone is ready, let's go." I said as I stood up.
"Is the library far from here?" Ryan asked Rody.
"Well… its a few turns away, but it shouldn't take too long to get there."
"Alright. Let's head to the library then." I announced to the room. Cecille was the first one out of the door and the rest of us followed her. Rody quickly walked towards the front in an attempt to lead the group, but only got himself involved in a power struggle with Cecille. I walked near the back of the group with Katarina.
"I wonder what the remaining lectures will be about…" Katarina thought out loud. I walked alongside her in silence as I wondered the same thing. We walked through various corridors before coming to a large wooden door. A small window in the door gave us a peek at the various books the library had to offer. Without hesitation, Cecille opened the door and we entered the room. High shelves filled the vast room and there was a small area where study tables and chairs were set up. Frey was at one of the tables, surrounded by open books and loose pieces of paper.
"Ah, you're here earlier than I expected. Please give me a moment." Frey said as he continued to write something down. He put the quill back into the ink bottle and stood up. "Are you ready to begin?" We silently nodded and he spread out a large map on top of the open books. "Let's begin. As knights, you should know certain things about the world." He used a few books to weigh down the map in order to keep it flat.
He pointed at the large peninsula to the right of Altea. "This is the Kingdom of Archanea, Altea's suzerain nation. Princess Nyna is the last of their royal line and there was much debate as to who would rule. From what I hear, Hardin was crowned Emperor of Archanea soon after."
"What kind of person is Emperor Hardin?" Katarina asked.
"I don't know him that well myself. However, Prince Marth has told me that he's a wonderful person. He was a very important ally in the previous war. He fought to protect Princess Nyna, who, at the time, had escaped to the Lea of Aurelis. Hardin is well qualified to be emperor. If he puts Archanea into order, I'm sure everything will go well. At least, that's what Prince Marth has told me." He paused his lecture to shuffle through the pile of papers on the table before pulling out a small sketch of a shield. It was very ornate with several large gemstones embedded on its face. "This is Archanea's most valued treasure, the "Fire Emblem". He put the sketch onto the map, allowing everyone to get a good look at it.
"The "Fire Emblem"… I hear Prince Marth fought the last war with it in hand." I said as I gazed upon the details of the sketch.
"That's right. In the previous war, the abominable shadow dragon, Medeus, invaded Archanea. Archanea was crushed by Medeus's troops and House Archanea was wiped out except for Princess Nyna as she had fled before they could get to her. It was her who entrusted Prince Marth with the proof of Archanean royalty: the "Fire Emblem". It is only bestowed upon a true champion, one who is believed to have the power to save the world. Therefore, our connection with Archanea runs very deep. Don't forget that." He spent the next two hours telling us the history of the other countries as well as a refresher on Altea's history. We took a long tour of the library as a result, using the many documents as visual aids. Once he had finished, he dismissed us and notified us of the upcoming lecture dates. I took a deep breath as I left the library with Katarina.
"Ah… that was a lot of information for one day." I said as Katarina covered her yawn.
"Mmm… I agree. It was a lot to take in. I'm feeling somewhat hungry."
"Let's go to the mess hall before we get back to our quarters. I'm feeling a bit hungry myself." I said and we began to walk to the mess hall. When we arrived, the mess hall was bustling with knights. Both senior and junior knights occupied the many seats.
"Sure is full tonight, huh?" I said.
"Yeah. I wonder if we'll even be able to find a seat in here." Katarina said as she scanned the tables. We squeezed through the crowd in an attempt to get to the area where food was being served, but it was impossible, despite our greatest efforts. I saw a hand tap on the shoulder of the knight in front of me.
"Hey, is that your sack of gold?" A voice said as the hand pointed downwards.
"Huh?" the knight said as he bent over and searched the floor behind him. As he searched, his foot got caught on a loose tile and he stumbled out of the way.
"Please, ladies first." I looked in the direction of the voice and found Jeorge standing there with his arm outstretched in the direction of the newly-formed gap. He had a slight grin on his face.
"Thank you, Sir Jeorge." I said with a smile before taking the knight's spot. Soon after, I was able to get two servings of stew. I gave one to Katarina and we walked out of the mess hall, settling with eating outside. We quickly made our way to the courtyard near our old living quarters and sat down on one of the benches in the still of the night. The moon was shining brightly, casting long shadows on the ground. We took the opportunity to relax and unwind.
"The training… it really is getting harder, isn't it?" Katarina asked, mixing her stew with her spoon.
"Yeah, it is. But we have each other. We'll be fine, I just know it." I said.
"That Royal Guard position that Prince Marth offered us… Did you think about it?" she asked, "I feel like… I'd like to be a Royal Guard, if you're in with me. I just know that together we'd be an unstoppable team… When I imagine a future like that, I feel very happy. What about you, Glacia? Do you feel the same way?"
"Yes, of course. I'd love to." I replied. Katarina's face lit up as she heard my reply.
"R-really? I'm so glad." She smiled before finishing her stew, "I'm feeling a bit sleepy. I'm heading back inside."
"Alright. I'll meet you inside." I said as she picked up her empty bowl and left me in the tranquil night. I looked up from my bowl and looked at the starry sky. I remembered my days at the cabin in the woods. I remembered how Grandfather would sit outside with me as we stared at the shining stars.
"Look up there. You see that star shining right there? The brightest one? That's your mom and dad looking down at you. And they're really proud of you." I remembered him telling me as he hugged me. I looked up and saw a star that shone twice as bright as its neighbors. I smiled as a single tear rolled down my cheek.
"I'm going to do my best to make you proud. Please, watch over me."