Chapter 8 – Devotion and Loyalty

"Glacia the Terrible, today's the day! The day we accept our knighthood!" Luke shouted as I sat on my bed, still slightly asleep, "It's all thanks to Glacia the Terrible that we've come this far. Aren't you all glad that I conceded commandership to her!?"

"Oh, Luke. Boisterous 'til the end." Cecille sighed, "He does have a point, though. We made it this far because you were here, Glacia, as our commander."

"I don't deserve all the credit. We made it this far because of our strength as a team." I said, finally fully awake.

"But because you led us, we were able to succeed. I'm honestly grateful." Rody added.

"Y-yes. Me too… You've put in so much effort to help us fight as well as we could. Glacia, thank you so much." Ryan said, joining the conversation. I glanced around the room and everyone had their eyes on me.

"I… uh…" I stammered.

"Aw, are you embarrassed?" Cecille asked from her seat, "You're so cute!" I looked down at my covers as I tried to hide my embarrassment.

"Hey, go easy on her." Rody suddenly said, stopping Cecille. Katarina pulled a chair next to my bed and sat down next to me.

"Glacia, the time since we met sure has gone in the blink of an eye, hasn't it? All those memories and the experiences we shared. I won't ever forget… The time that we spent together…" Katarina spoke softly as she reminisced on the past.

"Is something the matter? I wouldn't expect you to suddenly get so nostalgic at a time like this…" I said.

"Ah… I'm just being strange, aren't I? I'm sorry." Katarina spoke with a gentle smile as if she was replaying the memories in her mind.

"Don't be. Let's get ready for the ceremony." I said as the door opened. A gruff-looking knight came in with many sacks in his hands. He laid them down on the floor and motioned towards them.

"When accepting knighthood, one must look the part." He said before promptly leaving. I got off of my bed and picked up a sack that had my name scrawled on it in messy ink. I untied the string that held it shut and a gleaming new suit of armor came out. The color was identical to my current armor, but the dark blue accents made the light blue pop out. The metal was extremely polished and was smooth to the touch. Cecille opened her sack to find a suit of armor in the same color as her current one, but of higher quality. Luke, Rody, and Ryan found similar results as they opened their sacks. One small sack remained with Katarina's name on it. It was much smaller than the other sacks and almost felt out of place. Katarina picked it up and promptly opened it to find a small cape that matched her lavender outfit. Together, we put on our new armor and grabbed our weapon of choice while Katarina gently tied her cape around her neck.

"Wow… yo- I- we look amazing!" Luke exclaimed, admiring everyone's new look.

"We're looking like proper knights now." Rody commented as he admired his new suit of lime green armor.

"We should head to the ceremony room. It's almost time to start." Katarina said after everyone was given enough time to admire each other.

"Right. Where is it being held?" I asked her, quickly glancing at Rody.

"It's being held in the throne room. Prince Marth must already be waiting for us…" Katarina replied.

"Well, let's go then." Cecille said before swinging the door open. Everyone else followed her and I stayed by Katarina's side as usual. During our walk, I glanced at Katarina occasionally and always found her lost in thoughts. Today's a big day, I thought to myself, she must have a lot on her mind right now. The sun shone through the windows, warming us as we passed through the cold hallways. Our newly armored boots clanged on the stone tiles and our leg armor clashed with each other, echoing through the corridors. My special necklace felt cold on my skin as it bounced on my chest. Soon, we arrived at the large doors that led into the throne room. The doors were already slightly open and we quietly pushed them open. Prince Marth was waiting for us, standing a few feet in front of the grand throne. On his sides stood Jagen and Cain, both with their stunning armor on display. Cain's crimson armor stood out from the blue carpets while Jagen's purple armor was more subtle. Jagen had a highly decorated lance in his hand while Cain had his blade sheathed on his side.

We quietly walked down the carpet pathway and lined up horizontally in front of Marth. I stood in the center of the line, directly in front of Marth. His gentle smile seemed to ease the tension in the room.

"Glacia. To the front." Jagen ordered, his gruff voice echoing throughout the tall room.

"Yes sir." I said, stepping forward.

"Please kneel." Marth said to everyone, his gentle voice contrasting with Jagen's. We did as we were ordered and Marth unsheathed his rapier. "In the name of Altea's great ancestor, Anri, and by my name…" Marth paused and put his blade above my shoulder, "Glacia, I appoint you and your platoon as knights." He removed the rapier from my shoulder and we all stood up, "Now you are Altean knights. You've done well up until now. You have much to be proud of." I turned around and was greeted with cheerful faces.

"I'm a knight… to think this day has finally come…" Luke said softly as he stared at his hands.

"And I almost didn't think we would make it." Rody admitted to me.

"I-I'm so happy… I think I'm going to cry…" Ryan sniffled and wiped a tear from his face.

"W-well, I'm not going to cry o-or do anything silly like that." Cecille said in defiance, ignoring the tears that began to well up in her eyes. I was on the verge of joining everyone in their joyful conversation when I noticed that Katarina was not standing with the crowd and had a blank expression on her face. I took a few steps towards her in an attempt to ask her if something was bothering her when a soldier burst into the room. He ran towards us as quickly as he could.

"Sire! Sir Jagen!" He blurted.

"What in the world has happened that's important enough for you to interrupt?" Jagen asked, walking towards the exhausted soldier.

"An attack! It-It's an attack! Altea Castle is under attack by an enemy force!"

"What!? How… what are their numbers?" Jagen asked as he started to walk out of the room.

"I-I don't know. I just know they're in the castle."

"I will assume command. You lot stay here and protect the prince!" Jagen commanded before running out of the doors.

"Yes, sir!" Rody responded before Jagen disappeared through the double doors.

"Hey, things are starting to get dangerous," Luke said with a worried expression on his face, "Shouldn't we go and help?"

"There's no need to be worried. The castle is heavily guarded by skilled knights. If it really is an attack, then…" Rody trailed off as Katarina interrupted him, breaking her silence.

"The guards won't be able to help because I drugged them. It won't kill them, but they won't be able to move well for a few days…"

"What? Katarina, what are you saying?" I asked, grabbing her shoulder as she stared out the open doors.

"'If there is someone who can move freely within the castle, they can easily drug the guards, or act as a guide for their accomplices… So until you can be trusted, you will spend every day waiting for such an opportunity.' Those were my orders." She said, not taking her eyes off of the doorway.

"What!? Is this some sort of joke? I don't believe this! Katarina what-"I said in a panic as she began to walk out of the room. The sound of heavy feet on stone tiles flooded the room from the doorway. "Katarina! Where are you going!? You can't just go outside! They'll-"

She stopped in front of the door as enemy warriors came through it. They stopped beside her as she turned around to face us. "I am not Katarina." She said.

"Excuse me?" Cecille said in disbelief.

"Forgive me, everyone…" Katarina said as she took out a purple book and opened it. I recognized the book as the one that she had claimed to have meant a lot to her. As she lifted her hand above the pages, a dark ball of fire hovered in her palm. "My real name is Eine. My reason for coming here was to kill Prince Marth!" As she exclaimed her true purpose, she released the ball of fire directly at Marth. I moved without thinking and put myself between Marth and the ball of black fire. I lifted my arms in a futile attempt to block the attack and felt the powerful force push me back. The flames wrapped around me, but it dissipated soon after. My necklace's stone felt colder against my skin than usual. Cain ran up to me, holding me in his arms to ensure I wasn't harmed.

Out of the warriors that gathered around Katarina, a warrior with a green mask came out. The color and the horns that protruded from the top of the mask quickly identified him as Cain's mystery attacker.

"Weeheehee!" His laugh echoed throughout the silent room, "I can see you, Prince Marth. Everything is going exactly as planned and all I had to do was create a situation where they'd risk their lives to protect some poor Altean villagers from bandits! Marth's trust can be bought so easily. Eine, I brought help. I'll leave Marth to you. I'll be watching very carefully, so do make sure you kill him." He laughed loudly before he departed, leaving the group of warriors to stare us down. I looked up at Cain to see that he was furious. He let go of me and unsheathed his blade. I looked behind me to find Marth was still in shock. Cecille ran up to me with her lance in hand.

"Hey! What the hell is this? Why is Katarina…"

"I don't know. When I think about it, there were some signs of uneasiness and I worried she would back out early, but I never imagined it would come to this…"

"What are we going to do?" Ryan asked worriedly as he walked up to me alongside Luke and Rody, "Are we… are we really going to fight Katarina? I don't want to hurt her…"

"We're knights, Ryan… We must fulfill our duty." I said, hoping it provided some sort of assurance for him.

"We don't have much time. Let's get out there and help Sir Cain." Rody said as he walked out towards Cain with Luke close behind him. Cecille and Ryan followed them soon after.

"My liege, please. Stay behind me." I said, unsheathing my sword.

"No… this is your knighthood ceremony… I'm not going to lose promising people in a place like this." Marth said, unsheathing his rapier, "I will fight alongside you. Altea Castle shall not fall to bandits and neither will any of my knights."

"Bandits…" I murmured under my breath, fixing my gaze on Katarina. I stayed by Marth's side while everyone else created a wall in front of us. The enemy had yet to make a move while we stood on our guard. The grand lights on the throne room's walls flickered from time to time as the magic flow became irregular, creating a tense atmosphere. I don't want to hurt her, I thought to myself as I watched her stand on the enemy's side, but I can't just get her back. Katarina formed another ball of darkness.

"Everyone attack!" Katarina exclaimed and the warriors burst into action. Warriors flooded into the room.

"Charge!" I commanded and Cain led the rest of the team, "Stay close to me, Prince Marth. I'll keep you safe."

"Don't worry about me, I can handle them." Marth said and ran down the steps. I swiftly followed him. The clash of metal on metal rang throughout the room as Cain made contact with the first warrior. A ball of dark fire came in his direction, but he ducked just in time for it to pass over him and land on the stone wall. Ryan kept his distance from the front lines as he hid behind pillars, moving to a different one whenever a warrior came close. Cecille helped keep him away from harm, slashing at everything she could see with her lance in hand. Cain's sword flashed with each swing he took. Luke and Rody teamed up with each other to dominate the battlefield. Rody made quick work of those who were spared from Luke's sword with swift motions of his lance.

A warrior attempted to attack Marth from behind, but was stopped short when my sword met his back. An archer suddenly appeared in front of Marth as he ran towards a pillar for cover. An arrow flew past him as he moved to dodge it. He brought up his rapier and fell the archer with a swift slash. I joined him behind the pillar.

"So Katarina was against me the whole time…" Marth said, slashing another warrior that made his way around the pillar.

"I…" I hesitantly said.

"I understand that she's your friend. You don't have to fight her if you don't feel comfortable with it…" Marth said, putting a hand on my shoulder and making me realize how torn I was. I had an important decision to make. I had to choose between my friendship with Katarina or my loyalty to Marth. I looked down at my sword as I held its blade in my other hand. Suddenly, archers appeared in the windows and rained arrows onto the chaotic scene.

"This is getting dangerous. Please, sire, get into better cover." I told Marth as I peered around the pillar. He responded with a quick nod before running towards the throne. I rushed ahead and cut down several warriors during my charge. Once I made it to the other side of the room, I took cover behind the pillar closest to the door. I peeked around the pillar and saw Katarina standing there casting numerous balls of dark fire into the crowd. Using all of my strength, I charged at her, attempting to grab her and take her to safety. She saw me coming and avoided my grasp. I staggered for a moment as I stopped my reckless charge. As I turned to face her, an axe made contact with my side, leaving a dent in the armor and a gash on my ribs. I fell to the floor, dazed from the impact. I flipped onto my back and used my sword to deflect the second incoming axe. As I fought with the axe, I noticed Katarina looking at me in the distance with another ball of dark fire in her hand.

"Katarina, you don't have to do this!" I exclaimed through my gritted teeth. She walked closer to me with her hand still over her book until she was within earshot.

"Glacia… Yes, it was all a lie. I deceived you. I'm so sorry… forgive me…" her voice trailed off. The axe suddenly gave way and the warrior jumped out of the way. As I pushed myself up, Katarina released the ball of dark fire at me. I didn't have enough time to react and I felt the magic envelop me. The flames felt cold as they wrapped around me. I slammed both of my hands onto the ground and used all the strength I had to push myself up. Once I was standing once again, the flames dissipated and I was facing Katarina.

"Katarina… please don't… don't make me do this." I said, slightly tearing up.

"I must do this. If you must, then kill me." She said, looking me straight in the eyes.

"I will not do such a thing! I'll save you… Please…" I pleaded. She didn't respond as she threw another fireball at me. I jumped to the side to avoid it and sheathed my sword. "I can't do this to you…" She ignored my words and another fireball came my way. I ducked underneath it and ran to the alcove that housed various boxes of materials. I grabbed a long, wooden pole and ran out towards Katarina. She pelted me with fireballs and I deflected every single one with a swing of the pole. Once I was close enough, I swiftly swung the pole upwards, closing the book and the preparing fireball dissipated. She opened the book once again and I reacted by landing a solid blow on her side, making her stagger backwards from the force. I was distracted with my attempt to keep Katarina's injuries to a minimum and several warriors took advantage of this, flanking me. Several powerful swings of their axes left major dents in my armor and deep gashes on my stomach. I fell to the ground with two enemy warriors standing over me. I held the wooden pole above myself to soften the blows, but Cain's blade got to them first. He held out his hand and helped me get up. Before I was able to properly thank him, another fireball came our way. Instinct kicked in and I blocked the fireball from hitting Cain. I felt the coldness once again, but the fire dissipated faster this time. I turned towards Katarina once again and charged at her with the wooden pole in front of me. She fired a dark fireball at me and I charged right through the flames. The fireball split in half as I ran through it and the tip of the pole made contact with Katarina's stomach, knocking her down.

"Urgh… I… Roro, I'm going to retreat. I… I cannot win this battle…" Katarina said as she picked herself up and ran out of the door. The remaining warriors followed her, thundering out of the room and leaving a deadly silence behind.

We gathered around the throne as we assessed each other's and our own injuries. Marth came from behind, surprising everyone who expected him to be hiding behind the throne. His unsheathed rapier was stained with blood. I sat on the top step with Cain as I dressed my injuries. The blood had seeped through my clothes and dripped onto the floor.

"Cain, is she…?" Marth started.

"She'll be alright." Cain said as he applied pressure on the gashes on my stomach.

"Sir Cain…" I began.

"Please, you're part of the family now." He said, putting his arm around my shoulders, allowing me to lean on his shoulder. I smiled slightly.

"Cain… is Prince Marth alright?" I asked, slightly lightheaded from the blood loss.

"He's perfectly fine." He said as he watched Marth walk around. I heard metallic footsteps and looked up to see Jagen running towards us.

"All these bodies… what happened in here?" Jagen questioned Marth.

"Katarina wasn't who we thought she was. She was an assassin sent here to kill me." Marth answered as he sat down on the throne.

"Where is she now?"

"She's escaped."

"I see… But, what in the world…? That girl was an assassin? Sire, this is all my fault. I am prepared to receive any kind of punishment."

"No. It's not your fault, Jagen. Who could have possibly known, anyway?" Marth replied, leaving his throne and sitting down next to me, "Glacia, Katarina looked at you with such gentle eyes. Perhaps there was some sort of unavoidable circumstance for her. Perhaps she was being forced…" I gave slight nod before I stared at the blue carpet underneath him and thought about what Katarina had said.

"Sire, my goodness. To think you would be concerned for the assassin who made an attempt on your life. With the Shadow Dragon gone and the world supposedly heading towards a path of peace and prosperity, who in the world would try to assassinate you, sire?" Jagen said with extreme concern in his voice, "At this rate, you will likely be targeted by assassins once again. We must prepare a guard who will defend you with his or her life…"

"Then I'd like to delegate that role to Glacia." Marth said, standing up once again, "As we had discussed before, if Glacia were to follow me as a Royal Guard, I would rest assured."

"Understood. I'll make the necessary arrangements." Jagen said before he ran out of the throne room once again. Marth sat down next to me once again.

"This won't be the last we'll see of Katarina. When the time comes, I want you to guard me and… if possible… I want you to help her. I believe that is something only you can do…"

"Of course… I'll… I'll do my best." I said, still within Cain's arms.

"Come on, let's get you patched up…" Cain said, gently lifting me up onto my feet. Slowly, we walked around the destroyed hallways towards a nearby infirmary. He sat me down on one of the beds and helped me lay down as a cleric began to heal me. "You've done well today. Even a veteran like me must admit it was an impressive first job. You helped Prince Marth stay out of danger."

"But… I wasn't there with him the whole time… I concerned myself with Katarina…"

"You don't have to be right next to someone to defend them." He paused to move my hair out of my face, "Sometimes, ending the battle as soon as possible defends them as well."

"Oh, you do have a good point." I said, sleepily closing my eyes.

"Get some sleep. I'll wake you tomorrow morning." He said before I fell into a dreamless slumber. I regained consciousness the same way I lost it: to the sound of Cain's voice. I felt him shaking my shoulder before I opened my eyes. "Good morning." He said as I sat up. The aching from my stomach was gone as the cleric had finished her work on me. Once I had blinked the sleepiness from my eyes, I noticed that the room was filled with everyone that had helped me during training.

"Are you feeling alright?" Caeda asked, stepping out of the small crowd. I nodded in response. "Glacia… thank you… for keeping Marth safe. But, I… I still feel uneasy. I can't shake the feeling that Marth will only be in more danger from now on…"

"Please, don't worry yourself so much, Princess. I will protect Prince Marth as well as I can, without fail."

"Thank you. If you are there, then surely…" She softly said, "My apologies, Marth and I only ever ask favors of you, but from this moment, I ask that you always stay by Marth's side… and help him…"

"Of course. That is my duty and my first priority." I assured her. Merric suddenly stepped forward and stood next to my bed.

"Glacia, I'll be heading back to Khadein, the city of magic. There's something I have to do for Marth. He's a very important person to me… I trust that you will not break your vows." Merric said.

"You can trust me, Merric. I'll keep those vows until the day I die." I responded.

"We have to do our best to protect Prince Marth as well." Gordin said as he stood beside Draug.

"I ought to guard the castle's walls even more diligently. I apologize for not being able to help." Draug admitted.

"Don't apologize. No one could have known…" I said as my mind wandered. Afterward, everyone bid me farewell and left the room one at a time. Wrys was the last to leave.

"Dame Glacia, I'm going on a journey for a while. Thank you for allowing me to assist you on your journey and thank you for working so hard for Prince Marth." He said, putting his frail hand on mine.

"No, Wrys, thank you for helping us. We appreciate it very much."

"Knowing fate, if two people are tied together, they will meet again, sooner or later. Please, take care…"

"Stay safe out there." I said before Wrys let go of my hand and left the room. As I sat in the room alone, memories of the situation with Katarina from yesterday flooded my mind. I remembered her betrayal and I suddenly felt empty as I realized that Katarina was no longer here next to me. The rest of the day was a blur. The only thing I remembered doing before I fell asleep once again was accepting the role of being Marth's Royal Guard. The following days were emotionless as several allies left Altea while the others focused on their original roles around the castle. Day after day, I would return to the collective quarters in a silent daze after personal training sessions. I spoke less and less as the days dragged on.

"I still can't believe it. How did Katarina wind up as our enemy?" Cecille said one night.

"Knock it off will you? Glacia's still trying to get over it." Rody had said in response. I didn't have the energy nor the heart to respond to her. Every day, I subjected myself to rougher and rougher training as I attempted to keep Katarina and our friendship out of my mind.

One night, I came back to the quarters early and the room was empty. I stood at the edge of my bed and stared at the empty bed that was once Katarina's. I sat down on the edge of my bed and stared at the wooden slats that made up the floor. I took off my armor and left it on the end of my bed. The door opened and Luke walked in. I heard him take in a breath as if to say something, but soon released it. His armor clanged as he removed it and hung it on the rack. He hung my armor up on the rack as well before quietly closing the door and sitting down next to me. We sat in silence as my mind was filled with the memories I had made with Katarina.

"Glacia…" He said. I didn't respond. He put his arm around my shoulders and he held my hand in his. He pulled me closer to him and I didn't resist. I rested my head on his chest as his arm left my shoulder and held my arm. He hugged me tightly against his chest and I let him. I thought about Katarina, about the memories we had, the time we spent together, all the times we laughed together. And I cried for her.