Chapter 11x – Old Friends
The lantern flickered as the fuel ran low; its dimming light still illuminating the open books in front of me. "Mastering the pincer attack…" I murmured to myself, "I should work on these…" Before I could flip to the next page, the room was filled with a bright light from a newly lit torch. The flames illuminated the purple tome I kept next to me at all times.
"Katarina, are you coming or not?" Kleine's stern voice echoed through the room.
"I am." I replied, frantically gathering a few books into my book bag along with my special tome and rushing out of the door into the torch-lit hallway.
"What a shame. You've become less responsive to your true name lately." She said, almost mockingly.
"No, I… I was just occupied."
"Right." Kleine rolled her eyes at my excuse, "Anyway, our scouts have surrounded our target in these mountains. It's an easy kill." I remained silent as we walked through the increasingly brightening hallway. "Eine, don't tell me you still care about these people."
"I don't." I replied, swatting away memories.
"Good. I don't need you getting in the way." She pushed a heavy door open, revealing a green grassland, brightly illuminated by the sun's rays. Kleine's long, blonde hair flew as the wind passed through. The bright outdoors contrasted with her outfit. Her shirt was a deep black with a magenta trim and a tall collar. Her tall boots and long fingerless gloves matched her shirt and a short, lavender skirt stood out among the dark colors. A small leather breastplate and an ornate pauldron made up her armor. A sheathed knife hung from her waist, but she hardly uses it. Her weapon of choice was slung over her shoulder, its quiver fully loaded with arrows. A table had been set up in the sun with several armored knights standing around it. They only took their eyes off of the map that was spread on the table to notice us as we approached them.
"The old man should be here soon." One of the knights pointed at our location on the map that housed my many scribbles from last night's battle meeting, "What's our next action?"
"To attack of course!" Kleine's voice shattered the still atmosphere, "Get moving." The knights immediately began to leave without question, unwilling to risk aggravating Kleine further. The sound of their clattering armor loudly resonated through the air as they disappeared from view. Kleine motioned for me to follow her and I silently complied. We walked through the green grass until we reached a small forest and continued through it until we had reached its edge. An empty fort stood several meters away in between two nearby mountains. A small figure appeared in the distance and gradually became more prominent as they neared out position. Kleine took out an arrow and prepared her bow. The click the arrow made as it hit the side of the bow made me slightly flinch as I pulled out my tome.
"Alright, he's right where we want him." She slowly edged forward, "Now to savor his pain as we slowly draw the life from his tormented soul..." Before she could pull back on the bowstring, distant sounds of hooves and clashing swords could be heard.
"The Altean army has arrived." I stated as I blankly stared at the horizon.
"Tsk! What a nuisance." She complained, relaxing her grip on her bow, "I hate to admit this, but you were right. 'Alteans never abandon their comrades.' You sure learned a lot about that trash when you were with them." I made no attempt to respond to her comment, staring at the royal purple cover of my tome instead. "My job is to kill, one by one, everyone who sided with Marth in the previous war. If his allies live, they'll eventually join him and that would be dangerous. I can't afford to fail."
"Are you truly up to the task?"
"Of course. It offends me that you think I wouldn't be strong enough to defeat them."
"Kleine, you'll die if you underestimate Glacia and the others." I advised, "I served as her tactician, but I wasn't much help as one. I didn't give the advice a tactician should give. Even without me, they're a powerful force. Their synergy was like nothing I have ever experienced before…"
"So you have become attached." She disappointedly stated, "No matter. Just sit here and watch. Watch hard and well as I kill your beloved companions." Her arrow met with her bow once again as she raised them. Her breathing steadied as she aimed down the arrow's metallic shaft. The lone figure reached the fort and stood near its sturdy walls. The sun's rays bounced off of his bald head as I recognized him as the kind priest Wrys. I stood motionless and emotionless, caught between two loyalties. I had no time to contemplate my next move as the sound of hooves thundered towards our position. Two horse-shaped figures appeared from the horizon with four smaller figures following behind them. The approaching figures stopped near the fort as they reunited with Wrys. I was unfamiliar with a majority of the Alteans, but my heart skipped a beat as my eyes stopped on Glacia's face. My mind began to fill with doubtful thoughts with each passing second. "There's too many of them here now. What a shame you're still love-struck by them." Her words sliced through the air as she hissed at me. I remained silent, unable to conjure a fitting response.
After a quick conversation, the group of Altean knights dissipated in different directions, leaving Glacia at the fort on her own. She constantly scanned the area around her as if she was expecting a surprise attack from someone. "Perhaps she knows we're here…" I muttered as I opened my tome, searching for a spell that could disguise my identity. My heart ached at the thought of Glacia purposefully attacking me.
"Psh! Impossible. Just give her some time." Kleine crept closer as Glacia came closer. Wrys had already been escorted away by a soldier, I thought, why would she stay here at the fort if she hadn't seen us? I crept closer to Kleine with the intent of pulling her back into the shadows, but stopped myself when I heard Glacia's voice.
"What do you think Blazey?" She asked her horse, bending over to stroke its chin, "I don't… What should I do?" Her eyes scanned the forest once again, but her focus seemed to be elsewhere. Her face looked more stressed than I had remembered it, maintaining a furrowed brow as she cast an empty gaze at the grass beneath her.
"Heh, watch closely Eine." Kleine cracked a sinister grin, "You might learn a thing or two." She lowered her bow and picked up a small rock from the forest floor. With a strong throw, the rock grazed Blazemane's shoulder. The startled animal reared slightly and let out a loud neigh. Before Glacia could reach down and calm her mount, a loud twang of a bow rang out followed by a grunt and a dull thud. Upon realizing the sudden loss of her rider, Blazemane wasted no time and charged towards us in an attempt to scare away the threat. Kleine had already moved out of the way by the time I turned towards her previous position.
I didn't have enough time to move in time and faced Blazemane's powerful front legs as it reared once again. Her hooves slammed into the ground near me and I fell backwards, landing on a small bush. Her deep brown eyes gazed into mine as she lowered her head. She seemed to have recognized me as she stomped her hoof a few times before sprinting back to Glacia. I quickly composed myself and got off of the ground. Glacia was on the ground, sitting against the fortress's wall with Kleine's arrow protruding from the side of her chest. Kleine was slinking closer with her bow drawn and Glacia was clearly breathing hard. My legs wanted to jump to her aid, but my hands clamped my tome shut. Blazemane stood by Glacia's side, unable to assist her outside of gently nudging her shoulder. Glacia's eyes were still scanning her surroundings and her hand rested on her sword's handle.
I spotted Kleine standing in plain sight with her bow prepared to deliver the killing blow. Glacia was in no condition to counterattack and my heart screamed for me to take action. I closed my eyes, unwilling to watch any more, and I heard the sound of released bowstrings. "Gah! How..?" I heard Kleine say before I heard more arrows fly through the air and a loud rustling of leaves. I opened my eyes to see a strange, blonde-haired man kneeled next to Glacia. He also had a bow slung over his shoulder. A broken wooden arrow laid on the grass and one of Kleine's metal arrows had embedded itself an inch away from Glacia's head. Kleine suddenly appeared next to me. "You have magic. Use it. Let's claim their foolish lives."
I hesitated and the archer used that opportunity to fire several volleys of arrows at our position. I followed Kleine as she pulled me out of his range. The loud sound of rustling leaves grew louder as a large shadow approached us. Kleine fired off an arrow before her shoulder was slashed by an incoming lance. The cavalier turned to charge at us once again and Kleine readied her bow in response. The cavalier didn't get far before getting hit in the stomach with an arrow, causing him to fall off his horse when it charged into a tree. The impact left him dazed and confused as he attempted to get off the ground. Ready for a kill, Kleine took her time walking towards the knight. Her attempt ended in failure once again as another cavalier burst through the forest. Another large slash appeared on Kleine's shoulder as she staggered backward. "K-Kleine. We have to retreat!" I said in a panicked tone as I clutched my tome close to my chest.
"Tsk! To think I'd run from the likes of you…" Kleine muttered before swiftly running through the trees and out of sight, leaving me behind. I kept quiet as I snuck around the trees. "Oh, Glacia. Thank goodness." A male voice said as I snuck out of earshot.
She's just as strong as she used to be if not stronger, I thought as I wandered through the tranquil forest. I used the blessing of a quiet walk back to think about my feelings. Kleine was right in saying that I still cared about them, I thought, but how could I not? I could hear the leaves crunching underneath my feet as I walked. With each crunch, another suppressed memory emerged in my mind before I blocked it out of my mind again. I knew that I must not have these thoughts in my mind, but I was powerless to stop them.
Once I arrived at the large fortress, I found Kleine waiting for me in the large doorway. Without a word, she shut the door behind me as I walked past her. She joined me as I walked through the dim hallway. "So the Alteans are stronger than I expected. Oh well, we can always snuff them out later. I'll let them live for now." Her arms were crossed and she was visibly upset about failing her mission.
"I warned you beforehand. The Altean army is strong…"
"Gosh, Eine, whose side are you supposed to be on?" We stopped walking and Kleine gave me an accusing look, "Don't tell me you're thinking of betraying Lady Eremiah." Her accusation took me by surprise.
"Wh-What? No… That thought would never cross my mind…" I stuttered as I struggled to defend myself.
"You're still hanging onto those worthless emotions towards them." She said, "Are you truly still with us or have they convinced you otherwise?"
"It won't happen again, I promise. I'll always be loyal to Lady Eremiah."
"Then you know what to do next time." Kleine said before promptly leaving me on my own. I stood motionless for a moment before retreating into my room. I set my books down onto my desk and took a seat in the comforting dark. As the memories returned to me, tears flowed down my face. After a few long minutes of reminiscing on the past, I stood up and slammed my hands onto the wooden desk. "I… I owe Lady Eremiah so much." I shook my head. "No… For her sake, I know what I have to do. I must kill Glacia. And Prince Marth will follow."