The next morning, the Pherae army woke up early to finally march to Araphen. Marcus was the one who woke up Roy, who was sleeping soundly.
"Lord Roy. It would be best if you woke up now." The old Paladin said.
"Mmm... No I didn't eat the pancakes, Wolt... it was probably Lillina..."
"Lord Roy!"
"Gah! Wuzzat!? Huh?" He looked to a stoic Marcus. "Oh, good morning Marcus." Roy muttered, still half asleep.
"Lord Roy, we must be going."
Roy yawned. "Of course, rally the troops..."
"Certainly." Marcus left the room and Roy was attempting to wake from his drowsiness.
"Ugh..." Roy groaned. It was going to be a long day.
o - o - o - o
Lucina was already awake due to her peculiar sleeping patterns. She was training in a field outside of town. She was simply practicing on an invisible opponent until she was approached by Marcus, who was on his steed.
"Milady, Lord Roy has called for us. You will have to wrap up your training for now and join us." Marcus said.
"Yes of course." Lucina stiffly replied.
As Marcus departed, Lucina's mind drifted back to what happened last night with the young lord.
The scars from her past began to gradually heal. She thought she should apologize and thank him for what he did.
She sheathed Falchion and walked back into the village.
o - o - o - o
"Merlinus..." Roy said, Eyeing the weapons at the shops.
"Hm? Ah, greetings Master Roy. How may I be of service to you?"
"I want you..." Roy stumbled a bit, still trying to fully wake. "..To get weapons that we are low on.." Roy handed him a list he made the day before.
"Right away milord." Merlinus hurried in the shop.
Afterwards, Roy decided to buy more medical supplies from another shop. He also needed to resupply the army's water supplies.
He ran into his best friend, who was buying pancakes for the army as breakfast.
"Ah, Roy! How are you doing this morning? ...Hey, you ok? You look dead on your feet!" Wolt said with concern.
Roy rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I'm fine Wolt...I just hate being woken by someone else." He mumbled.
Wolt looked unconvinced. "I see. Perhaps you should delay the march?"
Roy responded with a dumbfounded look. "Why on earth would I do that? I should not waste anymore time than we already have!"
Wolt was stoic. "We would not make any progress anyway if our leader is low on energy."
"Enough Wolt... I have made my decision. Hurry and eat and we can meet in the command tent. We have work to do."
"If you say so... I'll see ya later Roy." Wolt gave him one last concerned glance then he walked away to the mess tent.
Roy gave another sigh as he recalled what he said to Wolt about the meeting planned in the command tent. It was indeed going to be a long day.
Roy briefly forgot why he was in the shop, but once he remembered, he was gone as quickly as he had entered.
o - o - o - o
Roy just finished sorting through the army's inventory, he had enough time to go over to the fountain to splash water on his face before going over to the command tent Marcus had set up on a hill near the village as to not attract unneeded attention in the town.
It was rather boring and unnecessary in Roy's opinion, but he dismissed those thoughts, this was for the army, not him.
'If only we had better scouts... Alan and Lance just aren't cutting it. maybe Cynthia?'
Him, Lucina, Guinevere, Wolt, Marcus, and Merlinus were all present. They were they people who were most important to the war effort in his opinion. Even though he thought of the whole army as equals, he had to think about the facts and not his personal feelings.
They all had important roles to play. Lucina, with her unmatched swordplay, Guinevere, the princess of Bern, who was important for obvious reasons, Wolt, with his knowledge of the geography of the entirety of Elibe, Marcus, with his experience in battle and effectiveness for training new recruits, Merlinus, who stored inventory, had connections with nobles, and was great at negotiating.
Lastly, there was himself. He was the leader of the army. As Marcus had told him, he would supply the tactics for battle, stabilize the morale of the army, have recruits go through training, form the hunting crew and he would have to go on hunts, he will have to supply and sort the weapons, items, draft marching plans, send out scouts, and have his soldiers fight and possibly die for him.
He needed to be strong. He had to be the brawns, the brains, and the heart behind the whole army.
He would not allow a single one of his comrades die.
"So, we head to Araphen through a path northeast of here. There are some forests, Plantlife, and plenty of game, any questions?" Wolt said, pointing at specific areas on the map of Elibe.
"If there are no further questions, I will explain what there is to be done in Araphen." Roy began.
Roy cleared his throat. "We plan to meet up with Lord Hector. He is the leader of the Lycia Alliance Army and we will join forces. Once we do, we will await for further orders from Lord Hector. Of which concern our next move against Bern. That is all there is to it."
'And hopefully all these damn responsibilities I might have will be lightened.' Roy mentally added.
The group then heard a rustling outside and they froze, not making a sound. Roy decided to investigate but before he did, there was knocking on the stakes. Roy reluctantly opened the tent flaps.
"Lord Roy! I come bearing Ill news!" A young messenger no older than Roy himself said in a rush.
"What happened!?" Roy said seeing he was with the Lycia Alliance due to his armor being marked with the symbol.
"Bern has a trio of elite generals, they call themselves the Three Dragon Lords. Two of which, General Narshen and Brenya, have attacked castle Araphen and nearly decimated the Lycia Alliance Army!"
Roy could not breathe. And neither could anyone else in the room.
Lucina certainly had not expected this. She remembered the legend of Lord Hector being cursed to die on the battlefield, but she did not know it happened so soon in the war against Bern.
"Th-that...No! How could this happen?!" Roy said with shock.
Morale had plummeted a great deal. One of their greatest assets had been destroyed.
Roy was struggling to keep from breaking down, he had failed Hector, Eliwood, and Lilina.
'Lilina... Gods, how can I tell her that her father might have been killed because I was too late? I failed them, and the Lycia Alliance.. Should we skip travelling to Araphen? No... There must be survivors. We could at least save someone. And Lord Hector wouldn't go down without a fight.'
"...Gather the troops. We head to Araphen now." Roy said with palpable determination.
"What!? Lord Roy, did you not hear him? The Dragon Lords attacked castle Araphen! If they could not win, how could we?" Merlinus said, appalled at his master's decision.
"That is what they will be expecting. We should charge now, they will not waste their time with stragglers, which are all they would expect. They will travel elsewhere, they obviously have more important things to do. We could rescue survivors too. The messenger said 'nearly decimated' right? So let's go!"
"Who knows, Roy? Maybe bushy beard is still alive too! He never goes down without a fight!" Wolt said, finding Roy's determination contagious.
"...Kindly do not call him that Sir Wolt. Regardless, I understand Master Roy."
"Indeed, we cannot give up now. We can strike when the iron's hot." Marcus said.
"..." Guinevere was silent. She did not like seeing her people killed, or bloodshed in general.
'...Roy reminds me of myself.. Giving hope to others when there may be no more hope to give.' Lucina thought wistfully. Though she too stayed silent.
"Right then, this concludes our meeting. As for you, sir, you are dismissed." Roy said, looking to the messenger.
The man bowed then scurried off into the village.
As everyone excused themselves from the tent, only two had stayed.
Roy was thinking about possible scenarios of the upcoming battle, while Lucina wanted to talk to him.
"Roy, may I have a word?" Lucina asked.
"Oh, Lucina. Sorry, you were rather quiet. What can I do for you?" Roy said tiredly.
"I just wanted to thank you." She said to him, and he gave a slightly confused look.
"Thank me? Whatever for?"
"For helping me deal with my past. Last night was... Comforting. To say the least. You have my gratitude." Lucina said sincerely.
"Oh that? That was nothing. I'm glad I could help." Roy said timidly.
"I also wanted to apologize." Lucina looked to the ground.
"Heh, now you want to apologize? What could you have possibly done that you should apologize for?" Roy said with a smile.
"I am sorry for wasting your time. You must have had better things to do than worry about my troubles. I should have sorted this out myself." Lucina said, slightly ashamed of herself.
"Nonsense, it is my duty to care for the army's well-being. You are no exception. I care a great deal about you, even though we met only a few days ago. I think of you as a good friend." Roy said with honesty.
"Roy... I..."
"Lucina, you have been through so much. If anyone deserves some help, it is you. I will always lend an ear. Know that.
Then it happened. She gave a warm, genuine smile. It was hard to get her to smile, but when she did, it was one of the most beautiful smiles he had ever seen.
Roy quickly looked away with a blush.
"Hm? Is something the matter, Roy?" Lucina asked with concern.
"Ah, um... N-no nothing is wrong. I am fine, no need to worry."
"Oh? W-well if you're certain. Thank you Roy, I feel as though a weight has been lifted. I must be going Roy, I will see you soon. Farewell."
"Y-yeah, farewell Lucina." Roy stuttered.
Lucina walked out the tent and Roy was left debating his next move. But not before chastising himself.
Roy gave a sigh. "...Dammit...That girl..."
Roy was confused as to why his heart was racing so fast. He did his best to ignore it though and decided to join the others and finally prepare to march.
o - o - o - o
In Araphen...
A lady was talking with King Zephiel about their current status.
"Your Majesty, we have captured the enemy leader." She said to him.
"Hmph. Is that so? Bring him before me." Zephiel said, eager to meet the man, but did not show it.
The lady snapped her fingers and two soldiers came with a severely injured Hector.
Hector gasped for breath. He caught sight of Zephiel. "You...You are Zephiel, the King of Bern!... Damn you!"
Zephiel gave a small smile. "Ah, Lord Hector. I cannot help but praise your ability of putting up such a good fight against not one, but two of our Dragon Lords! I suppose they do not call you the leader of the Lycia Alliance for nothing." Zephiel said, face returning to his usual unnerving stoic expression.
"But, you were not good enough... Pray while you can, for your end is near."
Hector looked up from the ground. "B-but Why?"
"Hm? Why what?"
"Bern and Lycia were always on good terms with each other. Even when you took the throne, we always paid our respects towards Bern..." Hector wheezed out.
"What? Respect? Don't make me laugh, Lycia... No the entirety of Elibe must go under my rule. That is the only way to liberate this world." Zephiel said with a glare.
"I lack the time to be worrying about trivial matters such as respect." Zephiel spat out.
"What? Liberate...This world?" Hector asked, completely confused.
"Hmph. It is of no importance to you. You will die anyway. Take him away! Throw Lord Hector in the dungeon!" Zephiel told the two soldiers.
"Yes sir!" The two said simultaneously.
The lady who was silent throughout the exchange, turned to Zephiel. "Your Majesty, I will now return to the Sacae Plains."
Zephiel looked back to her. "Very well, try not to get killed."
"...One more thing before I take my leave your Majesty. I beg your pardon, but I do not think it is such a good idea to put too much trust into sinister people." She said.
"...Do you mean Idoun?" Zephiel asked, thoughtfully.
"Yes. Our soldiers call her the 'Dark Priestess' and do not appove of her presence." She paused. "I understand that she is a Shaman with great powers, but..."
Zephiel gave her a blank stare, which made her slightly uncomfortable.
He then spoke. "Brenya, do you not have faith in me?"
She slightly recoiled, shocked. "What!? Of course I do your Majesty! It's just that..."
Zephiel sighed. "Then all you do is follow my orders. Understood?"
Brenya shifted nervously. "Yes. I understand... I will do whatever his Majesty wishes. My apologies your Majesty, I must bid you farewell."
"Hmph."
She then flew away from Araphen on her wyvern, out to the Sacae Plains.
Zephiel let out a menacing chuckle. "'Do you not have faith in me?' Heh, dear, dear, the things I say sometimes..."
Meanwhile...
After the long and grueling march, they met up with a thief named Chad. He told Roy of the castle and what he expected from his recon. He also gave them news that was music to their ears.
"Lord Hector is alive!?" Roy exclaimed with joy.
"One hundred percent certain. I saw Bern's soldiers take him in the castle some time ago." Chad said.
"Er... exactly how long ago are we talking?" Roy asked, afraid of the answer.
"Oh, about a couple minutes ago." Chad answered quickly.
Roy gave a slight sigh of relief. 'Thank the gods... But there's no time to rest.'
"Chad, was it? Do you know the inside of castle Araphen well?" Roy asked.
"I guess you could say that, yeah... Wait, are you guys planning on saving Lord Hector?" Chad asked bewildered.
"I don't think I would try that if I were you. Most of the important soldiers are gone, but there are still a decent number of soldiers in the castle. It would be suicide to charge them!"
"Yes, that may be so. But, we cannot afford to lose Lord Hector. Their main forces are gone, right? Well, now we have a chance to win." Roy said with determination.
"Hmm. You sure do have guts. I guess I'll tag along. Plus, I can show you around the castle to better increase your chances." Chad said with a grin.
"Huh? No no, don't feel obligated to do so in the slightest! But if you explain what the interior looks like, that will prove useful." Roy said, not wanting to force him into battle.
"...I want revenge against Bern. I will go with you." Chad uttered.
Roy sighed. "Fine... If you truly want to join. I'm counting on you."
Chad's expression brightened. "Heh! Of course! Leave locked chests and doors to me!" Chad then left to join with the rest of the army outside the castle, who were concealed well enough as to not be spotted.
Roy was about to follow until he was stopped by Guinevere.
"...Master Roy, may I speak with you for a second?"
Roy nodded. "Sure. What is it you need milady?"
"I-I beg your forgiveness of my brother's doings. I didn't think he would invade Lycia so soon." Guinevere said, mood dour.
Roy sighed yet again. "Milady, there is no point in dwelling over this. It was out of your control, you wouldn't be able to predict this. No one could've. Don't blame yourself. Lycia is still intact though so we have a chance to retaliate. If we could get our leader, Lord Hector, out of harm's way, we can unite Lycia and strike!" Roy spoke.
"We must recapture Castle Araphen, for both our sakes... And for Lilina's sake..." He said, mostly to himself, trying to grasp on to hope.
"..." The Princess was silent.
"Right then, you should get to safety." Roy said, not wanting her to get hurt.
"...Yes, of course. Farewell lord Roy." She said weakly.
"Farewell..." He said, thinking about the battle positions while leaving the tent, eyes squinting from the sunlight.
'Let's hope my tactics work.' He thought to himself. He had spent the entirety of last night forming a plan. He was very weary, but duty had demanded him to persevere.
Roy was having difficulties staying awake, but he had splashed water on himself using a water skin. He knew it was a waste, but he needed to wake up and there was no time to gather water from a water source. If there was one anyway.
'Can I really do this? What if someone dies? Lord Hector? My comrades? What if Chad was wrong and the bulk of the army hadn't left? What if King Zephiel himself is here?'
He shuddered. He didn't even want to think about that.
'Damn it. I can't doubt myself like this... I must be strong. We can do this, I know it... Gods, how did Father handle this? He had Lord Hector and Lady Lyn I suppose.' He needed someone to talk to that has been in a similar situation. His thoughts turned to Lucina.
'What about Lucina? I have no idea. Maybe I could ask her for help? Ah, but she has already been through so much.' He was slightly panicking until he remembered who exactly Lucina was.
She was an amazing swordsman. She had easily bested him and their foes. Even with the current situation, he felt secure about the battle with Lucina by his side.
'That's right! We have Lucina! She will make sure nobody dies. Especially Lord Hector. And her sister! Her sister can probably defeat Marcus! We can do this, I know it!' He thought, coming to a realization.
Reassured and determined by the thought of those two, and what he had to lose, he immediately set out for the battlefield.
o - o - o - o
"Well? What have we got?" Roy asked Cynthia and Chad, who scouted the area.
"A few Lancers outside here and the entrance, some by the village, and Lancers and a bowman near the orphanage. That is all we know for now until we head inside." Cynthia answered.
"Alright... My friends! We recapture Castle Araphen today! Prepare yourselves for battle! Lord Hector will be rescued! To arms!" Roy said with determination. Wanting to improve morale, which he succeeded in doing.
His plan was to draw them out from the outside to battle them. Cynthia and Wolt paired up to protect the village on the right, Dieck and Marcus were paired up to go to the Orphanage north of there, Chad would mostly hang back and wait to unlock doors and chests, and Lucina and Roy paired up to bait out the enemies in the castle into their combined swordsmanship.
"Ready, partner?" Roy asked Lucina.
"Of course, lead the way." Lucina told him with determination of her own.
"Remember: aim for the flaws in their defences and counterattack as quickly as possible, dodge attacks by paying close attention to their hand positioning, and don't be reckless." Lucina lectured.
"Got it. It is a shame I am not as quick as you." Roy said, smiling.
"Nonsense, your footwork is actually impressive. You will surpass me in due time. For now, do not worry. I've got your back." Lucina said.
"Likewise." Roy said as the first soldier ran up to them.
o - o - o - o
Dieck and Marcus were heading to the Orphanage. They killed the enemies outside the orphanage and paid a visit to the building. They found a boy named Lugh, he was a mage that wanted to prove himself in battle.
Marcus and Dieck had not talked with each other, only when warning of an enemy approach. Once they found Lugh, they decided to head back to The entrance of the castle.
o - o - o - o
"Wolt, behind you!" Cynthia warned.
"On it!" Wolt swiftly turned, nocked an arrow, and let it fly into the soldier' skull.
"Wolt, that is all for now. Wait for me! I'm going into the village!" Cynthia told him after she checked their surroundings on her pegasus.
"Alright, make it quick, we don't want to keep Roy and your sister waiting too long." Wolt told her back as she entered the village.
Talking with the villagers, she said they were taking care of Bern and currently trying to recapture Araphen, and they rewarded her with money, food, and staves. She called over Merlinus and he graciously stored the supplies.
Cynthia regrouped with Wolt, who was taking a breather next to a tree.
"Ah, Cynthia. You ready?" Wolt asked, strength returning to his body.
"Of course! Let's do this!" Cynthia replied energetically.
o - o - o - o
"On your left! Focus Roy, everyone has a weakness!" Lucina yelled to Roy.
"Hnng! I think... Hah! That I am making progress... Hyah!" Roy said, dueling and finishing off a Lancer.
"Try not to get overconfident, mistakes cost lives. We cannot afford that." Lucina replied as she parried a blow and gave a swift counterattack.
"Oh don't worry, I wasn't!" Roy said, sidestepping a javelin thrown at him. It grazed his leg, which was now slightly bleeding, but was not anything too serious.
"Gah... Damn." Roy ran up to the soldier since he was open and struck his neck, decapitating him.
Killing still almost made him want to vomit. It never did get any easier, and he supposed that it never will.
"Roy, the others are near!" Lucina called to him, pointing at the entrance.
"Great! Let's regroup with them!" Roy replied.
"Understood."
o - o - o - o
Zephiel was in the throne room speaking to Narshen, when suddenly, he heard men shouting and screaming.
"Narshen! What is causing all that noise?!" Zephiel asked one of his Dragon Lords, Narshen.
"Probably what's left of the enemy trying to put up a fight in their last hope." He responded.
A mysterious hooded girl came up to Zephiel. "Your Highness, shall we use the Dragons?" She asked.
Narshen quickly said "No, I do not wish to put the Dark Priestess through any trouble. Do not worry, we can handle them by ourselves."
"..." The Dark Priestess was silent.
Zephiel finally spoke. "Not this time, Idoun. Send the Dragons back to Bern, as we planned."
"...Yes, if his Highness wishes it to be so." The girl named Idoun replied.
Zephiel spoke to Narshen. "I will be off to Bern soon as well. I leave Lycia in your hands."
"...What shall I do with the remaining forces of the Lycia Army?" Narshen asked him.
"Kill all those who stand against us." Zephiel said bluntly.
"Including women and children?" Narshen questioned.
"Of course. Annihilate them so that they will not even think about facing us." Zephiel answered with little emotion showing.
"You can count on me sire. Hehehe..." Narshen said, giving a dark chuckle.
Zephiel left Araphen to travel to Bern. Narshen then turned to his comrade, Slater, to speak with him.
"Hmph. I wonder what his Majesty sees in that Idoun girl...Anyway, I think I will be going as well. Slater, I am trusting this castle with you." Narshen told him.
"I see. Will you be leaving now?" Slater asked.
"Yes...One of the Marquesses who turned against Lycia has a special gift for me. He says it is a girl from Etrurian nobility or something... Hehehe." Narshen said.
"Etrurian? She must be very beautiful then!" Slater commented.
Narshen looked at him in thought. "Yes, the marquess tells me she is young, but very beautiful."
"I would be looking forward to it if I were you, sir. Please be careful on your way there." Slater said solicitously.
"You be careful too Slater, don't you dare get defeated by the remainders of Lycia's army! If you do, I will personally tear you apart." Narshen threatened.
Slater recoiled. "..Have mercy, sir!"
"Hahahaha..!" Narshen chuckled his signature dark chuckle, then flew off on his wyvern.
"Hmph, stupid bastard. I'll show him!"
o - o - o - o
"I hear horses! Did they bring out reinforcements?" Wolt asked.
"Maybe, keep your eyes peeled." Marcus told him.
The Pheraean army was obliterating any foe in their path because of their synchronization with their respective partners.
Chad was following close behind, prepared to open chests or warn them that enemies are approaching.
Roy and Lucina worked together seamlessly. Roy was adapting to Lucina's fighting style and even managed to mimic it to a degree. He found it was quite useful against foes like these. And had easily defeated an armor knight with his Rapier and superior speed.
Cynthia and Wolt were not too far behind, as they covered their respective weaknesses, like how Cynthia is to Lucina, only they adapted much quicker due to their weapon choices.
Marcus and Dieck worked rather good as well. Marcus would circle around the enemy with his horse to distract them, and Dieck used brute force to kill them. Marcus was also an expert at landing surprise attacks from on top of his steed due to years of experience and diligence.
As the group was heading to the final rooms, Roy ordered Wolt and Cynthia to accompany Chad in the hallway stretching south, as he saw the throne room was east. Lucina, Marcus, Dieck, and himself were focusing on defeating the leader.
"I-I won't lose. If I don't win...! No!!" Slater said with panic showing.
Lucina and Roy double teamed Slater, who was quickly overwhelmed.
Roy thrusted with his rapier and Lucina gave him heavy, quick blows to his armor. Soon, he was on the ground slowly bleeding out.
"Hah...At least... I don't die by Sir Narshen..." Slater choked out. Then he died.
Roy seized the throne and rallied the troops. Merlinus and Chad poked around the castle, searching for survivors. Until they found something, or rather, someone that shocked them.
"Master Roy!" Merlinus said, running towards him. "We have found Lord Hector in the dungeon!"
"What!? Is he okay!?" Roy said, with fear and excitement.
Merlinus wore a somber expression. "He is severely wounded."
At that point, Hector himself limped to Roy, hoping to talk with him.
"R-Roy.."
Roy let out a gasp and had a frightened expression.
"Lord Hector! Gods, what a terrible wound! W-we have to treat it right away! Ellen! Someone get Ellen right now!!" Roy said, panicking.
Hector shook his head. "No... Don't bother, I won't live much longer."
"B-but... I must... Lord Hector..." Roy said, eyes watering.
"I was taken by surprise.." He let out a somber chuckle, which was short lived as the pain made it almost unbearable. "I never would have guessed that Bern had resurrected the Dragons!"
Roy's blood ran cold. "D-Dragons!?"
Hector nodded with melancholy. "Indeed... The very same from those stories we heard as children."
"The Scouring."
"Precisely."
"...How did Bern use the Dragons?" Roy thought, utterly perplexed.
"I have no idea.. But.. The Dragons had control of what is now Bern in the past. And Hartmut, one of the Eight Heroes... Is the founder of Bern... Perhaps the reason... Lies... There..." Hector let out a violent cough.
"No! Lord Hector!" Roy said, snapping back to the situation they were in.
"Roy!... You must go to Ostia..! You must... Lead what is left of the Lycia Alliance Army... Instead of me.."
"M-me? But... I can barely handle taking control of Pherae's military. How can I..." Roy trailed off with doubt.
"You sell yourself short... I know your father... If anyone's kids were going to be strong, it's his... Besides... In Ostia...There are weapons that are made for killing Dragons..." Hector said, slowly losing conciousness.
"Weapons!? How did...?" Roy asked, wondering why such weapons existed. But he wasn't complaining.
"I have already told this to Lilina... Please take care of her too... Please... give... her support..." Hector said, close to his dying breath.
"Lord Hector...! Of course..." Roy said, tears falling from his cheeks.
"...Oh Lilina... What I... Would give... To see your face... One Last... Time..." Hector said, taking his final breath.
And he passed away, a legend that fought with the best to save the world. Hector, Marquess of Ostia, Eliwood's best friend, and the father of Lilina, had died on the battlefield, as was the curse of wielding Armads.
"NO!! LORD HECTOR!!!" Roy said, finding it hard to believe that this had happened.
"DAMMIT!! If only I had come sooner! Just a day earlier, he would have been alive!! It's all my fault!!" Roy yelled out, dropping to his knees.
Lucina ran to Roy immediately upon hearing the shouts.
"Roy!! Are you... Wh-what is..?" Lucina ran to him, hearing the screams, and upon seeing Hector, knew what happened.
"..Roy..." Lucina sheathed Falchion and approached him.
"L-Lucina..." Roy mumbled through his sobbing.
"I... I failed them, Lucina. My father, Lilina, and Lord Hector... I should have been quicker! Because of me, he died! What am I going to say to my father Lucina? What am I going to tell... Lilina... Oh g-gods, Lilina..." Roy attempted to wipe the tears, but they kept falling.
"Roy... My apologies, I am not good at this, but what happened was not your fault." Lucina tried, but Roy simply scoffed.
"Wait, I'm not done. You cannot blame yourself for something out of your control. Trust me, I have been through the same thing. The people that died for me... I regretted not being strong enough to protect them. But I know sacrifices must be made, this is war after all." She paused, wanting what she told him to sink in.
"..." He had ceased sobbing, but was silent.
"I know that in their position, I would have done the same thing. Too many people die, you feel as if you could have done better, but there is no use dwelling on it... Sometimes, you just have to move on..." Lucina said, recalling the lessons she had learned from her horrible world.
"...I see. Thank you Lucina. This has helped. I apologize for my behavior... Heh, I am getting some déja vu." He said, smiling.
Lucina gave a soft laugh and Roy's heartbeat skyrocketed. He then remembered what Hector had told him about leading the Lycia Alliance and his melancholic expression returned.
"But... How can I lead the Lycia Alliance? It must be a lot of work... I don't know..."
Lucina put a hand on his shoulder.
"I had to take command of an army of my own in my world... I wasn't a very good tactician, but I tried my best to spread hope. Perhaps you could let me help shoulder the workload. We need you in top condition too." Lucina offered.
"...Maybe. I'll think about it. Right now, there is nothing I want more than to hit the hay. Go ahead and enjoy yourself for now." Roy looked towards the sunset. "The sun is going down, we should leave for Ostia in the morning."
"Understood." She walked closer to him. "If you ever need to talk with someone, I am willing to listen. Do not be afraid to ask, I will help you." Lucina said, somewhat reluctantly but cast those feelings aside.
"Thank you Lucina, that means a lot to me" Roy gave a genuine smile.
This time, it was Lucina's turn to look away with a blush.
"Hey, you okay?" Roy asked with worry.
"Y-yes. If you'll excuse me, I will be going to train with Cynthia now. Farewell Roy." She said quickly.
"Um.. Sure, I'll see you later." Roy said, a bit confused, but shrugged it off.
'What was that all about?' Lucina thought. She had no idea what she was feeling, but it was peculiar. It felt nice.
She ignored it and went to talk with Cynthia.
o - o - o - o
Roy was absolutely exhausted. He went to his tent Marcus had set up for him. He somehow managed to set up everyone else's. Roy supposed that was just how diligent he was.
Everyone else was at the village enjoying themselves. Merlinus suggested he should be escorted, but Roy would have none of that. There was no way any bandits would be around the area, so he went to get some shuteye.
He was about to take his armor off until he heard rustling outside.
Roy froze, but decided to investigate.
He stepped outside and looked for the source of the noise and found a weird man, hunched over carrying an axe. Roy slowly approached.
"Sir?" He asked, slightly disturbed at his strange posture.
The man looked at him with red glowing eyes. He charged at Roy with an animalistic growl.
"What!?" Roy rolled out of the way of his strike and counterattacked at his torso, as Lucina had taught him. He thought his opponent was finished and let his guard down.
But the man was still alive, and swung wildly at Roy and cut him deep across his leg. Lots of blood was seeping from the wound.
"Ngh! What the hell are you!?" He said, struggling against this inhuman opponent.
Roy managed to slice his head clean off with an iron blade. Then what happened shocked him; The man had dissolved into a black substance, then vanished.
His mind was racing, this seemed familiar somehow.
Then it hit him. 'This... Is this the creature Lucina told me about?' He remembered her description of them.
'Tall, lumbering creatures.' She had said.
'They strike hard and without reason.' Sweat dropped from his headband.
'We called them...'
"Risen..." Roy said, a chill running up his spine.
o - o - o - o
A/N: Yes. So, a few things here.
Lucina is 16 in this story and Roy is still 15. Personally, I believe that Lucina was 16 pre time travel.
There are too many damn characters in fe6, so forgive me if I don't characterize some, or just flat out ignore some. As a note, the future children will be fleshed out. Count on it.
Don't like this ship? Well, I have one thing to say to you; at least this isn't LucinaxSpiderman.
Lastly, the day I am posting this is September 21st.
See ya!
DO YOU REMEMBER