Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.
XXXXX
The next morning…
Before dawn, Khimari found himself awake in his room at Castle Gallia. Following a lengthy reassurance to his mom, Queen Nailah went back to staying with her mate, Ranulf, who probably needed her more than he did at the moment. As soon as he stretched and shook his body loose, the wolf remembered that he soon had a challenge to meet from Skrimir that was set to begin sometime in the next two hours, if his internal clock was anything to go by. Sighing, the wolf quietly started humming his favorite song to himself as he left his room and made his way down to the place where he and Skrimir agreed to do battle.
"Why do I always agree to these things?" the wolf asked himself when he nearly arrived at the castle entrance. "I should've just knocked him unconscious the moment he asked me…But then again, that'd be beyond disrespectful to him and King Caineghis," he reasoned aloud. "Ah, well. I'll just have to be careful not to get injured and actually take him seriously." Despite his consistent groanings, he had noticed a lot of improvement in Skrimir's fighting tactics.
Although he still talked and acted rashly on most occasions, he takes everything into account when fighting the wolf. King Caineghis could hardly believe that his hot-headed nephew would survey Khimari's stances and actions and actually try to adapt instead of attempting to win through brute force.
The only trump card Khimari genuinely had over Skrimir was his catlike reflexes that he clearly inherited from his father, Ranulf. With his combination of natural strength, agile maneuvering and mental trickery, he would run circles around the lion, keeping him on his paws for anything that could attack him.
But that was neither here nor there. "Welp, I'm here," Khimari said to himself, laying himself down on the forest floor as he awaited the arrival of Skrimir. Just as he thought about dozing off for a moment, a voice decided to interrupt his quiet morning.
"I didn't think you were one for napping so early, Khimari," Ranulf said, causing his son to lift himself to a sitting position. Along with the blue cat was his mate, Ike and Soren. "Skrimir might beat you if you get too relaxed."
"You're right," the wolf prince admitted, rising to his feet and beginning to stretch. "So, any other takers for a fight? I'll be happy to fight more than Skrimir today," he challenged with a battle-hungry smile.
"I'll take a crack at you. The fight we had in Daein wasn't nearly enough for me," Ike accepted with a small smirk.
"It was enough for me," Ranulf put in with a stretch of his back. "Besides, I know I'm not as strong as Khimari. I don't push it if I don't have to."
"C'mon, dad! You can't do better if you never try! Mom said you're a great fighter!" his son tried to encourage.
"Your mom was among the greatest fighters ever produced from your tribe," the blue cat rebutted. "I'm just a slightly above average cat Laguz."
"Don't sell yourself short, Dad! Giffca even said that you could defeat him with enough effort," Khimari continued.
"Lord Giffca said that? Surely he's just joking," Ranulf said incredulously with an expression of disbelief.
"Not at all. I remember when you used to beat me so many times in a fight," Khimari said with a smile on his face. "Not even just you…Ike…well, when we were sword fighting. And Greil, too," the wolf continued with a more crestfallen look. "I always told myself that I should walk into every fight to do better than I did in the last one I had. Even if I hate training, I'll always get better if I hold myself to that standard!"
"Such wise words from one so young," a voice broke into the conversation. Looking from the other end of the clearing, the group of four found King Caineghis, Giffca and Skrimir approaching their location. "If you weren't such a prankster, I'd be hard-pressed not to request your services of advisement."
"I'm not one for receiving that kind of praise, Your Majesty," Khimari politely returned with a smile, before shifting his multi-colored gaze to Skrimir's form. "Skrimir? You're ready, I assume? You know I've been training a lot, recently. This beating may be harsher than the previous ones."
"Hmph. You will not provoke me with cheap words," the lion shrugged off, which amazed probably every person who heard the normally head-strong Laguz talk. "I have committed too many errors on the battlefield…I will not submit to defeat!"
"Good, let's get started." With the pre-battle banter out of the way, the spectators made way to the edge of the clearing to allow Khimari and Skrimir as much space as possible for their challenge. Without any more words, the entire area became silent as the two rivals took to their Laguz forms. Red and blue stared each other down with a hunger for battle and chaos, Ike noted. Immediately, the mercenary found himself transported back in time to the moment when Ranulf took on Skrimir in front of the Begnion Central Army to convince the man to retreat.
Before the Beorc could reminisce any further, the wolf blasted off towards the Gallian general. Instead of meeting him head-on, Skrimir simply waited and watched Khimari's speeding form with the intensity of a hawk.
"He hasn't moved yet," Soren noted, to which Ranulf nodded.
"When fighting Khimari, Skrimir becomes a different person entirely," the cat commented. "His brash nature is immediately forgotten and he takes note of everything on the battlefield. It's almost scary to think about."
"Hmm…" Ike hummed as the conflict quickly escalated before them. Khimari, with no tricks, rammed straight into Skrimir and scratched the lion's side with his claws, claiming first blood. The Gallian swung his gargantuan paw towards the wolf's neck, only to strike thin air as Khimari jumped back. Using his momentum, the Hatarian bounced over Skrimir, giving him another set of claw marks on his back as he twirled back onto all fours. As soon as the lion turned around, he found the wolf right in his face, snapping his jaws on the skin right on the skin connecting his front leg with his body.
Roaring in pain, Skrimir's great fangs jumped out to Khimari's back, but again found nothing but air as the wolf skillfully rolled his way under the lion, using all four of his paws to throw the lion in the air with a snarl. Now with a blue aura around him, Khimari again went straight towards the lion intent on doing damage. This time, Skrimir got up with a desperate quickness and went straight into a crouch before leaping straight at the wolf.
To the surprise of everyone watching, Khimari stopped and let Skrimir land on top of him, pinning him on the ground. Suffering a gash in the side on account of the lion heir's long claws, Khimari narrowed his eyes as Skrimir raised a paw in order to strike him unconscious.
As soon as the lion brought the paw down, Khimari acted. The next thing Ike saw was the lion thrown to the side and his adopted brother snarling with a vicious look in his eye. Jumping forward, the wolf chomped on Skrimir's back leg, making an audible snap that everyone heard. Despite the Gallian's loud shout of pain, Khimari gave no reprieve, slicing the red Laguz's underbelly open with a swipe of his claws.
"Skrimir!" Ike called, concerned for the lion's safety. Looking over, the Beorc was surprised to see none of the other Laguz particularly concerned about the red lion's health. "Are the fights usually this bloody?"
"Not usually," Ranulf answered casually as Skrimir slowly rose, distributing his weight between his three non-fractured legs. "Ever since Khimari came back from Daein though, he has been a lot more merciless in combat."
"Is that so?" a new voice entered. Turning their heads, the group saw Reyson, Tibarn, Janaff and Ulki joining them in spectating. "That would mean that he held back against Skrimir…His pride can't be good knowing that," Tibarn noted.
"You are correct, King Phoenicis," King Caineghis agreed as he watched the scene before them. Skrimir's coat had became a darker shade of red in some places, showing the amount of blood that he had lost, while Khimari only had the one wound that he apparently let Skrimir inflict on him. "But even with the gap between them in terms of fighting ability, he sees Khimari as a mentor of sorts. To Skrimir, not seeing the wolf fight his best, whether it be against him or anyone else, is an insult of the highest order."
"Sir Soren, would you happen to have any staff with you?" the lion king asked the mage. "Skrimir may need immediate medical attention after this fight."
"Right here," the wind sage sighed, raising the physic staff with his right hand. Fortunately, the Branded knew that Khimari and sparring always ended with injuries.
"That's enough, Skrimir," Khimari said when the lion fell onto his side, the blood loss along with the fractured leg causing him to lose balance. The red-haired Laguz reverted to his Beorc form as Khimari walked up to him. "That'll be another win for me!"
"Curses! I was confident that I would win this time…"
"Skrimir. Note your improvement," King Gallia said to him as Soren began the healing process. "Also, note the improvement of your opponent. Do not go into battle thinking that your enemy has not also taken time to better their craft. A clear mentality is paramount to be an efficient combatant."
"...Yes, Your Majesty," the lion said with closed eyes. Oddly, the lion didn't go into any kind of rage or show any attitude or rage before his loss. Only contemplation.
"So…Ike? You still up to fight?" Khimari asked, padding up to the group. The wolf stopped a few paces to see Tibarn and his mother, who stood on opposite sides of the group. Taking a quick survey, he found that there didn't seem to be any trouble between them.
"Of course. I can't refuse after seeing that." Just before the two brothers went to the clearing's center, Queen Nailah decided to step into the conversation.
"Excuse my interruption, but may I offer a suggestion?" the white wolf interjected.
"What would it be, Mom?"
"I don't want to be selfish, but I do want a good fight. How about Ranulf and I fight against the two of you?" At her words, an instant reaction came through the crowd. The lions of Gallia all raised their heads in interest, while the bird Laguz seemed to share the desire of wanting to see the fight unfold.
Ranulf on the other hand…
"W-Wait! I wasn't even told about this!"
"It'll be fun, Ranulf," Nailah said with a smile on her face. "Besides, some activity will be a good stress relief for you."
"I wanted to fight Khimari alone…But I can't pass this chance up, can I?" Ike said, putting his sword over his shoulder. "Your idea sounds good to me, Your Majesty."
"C'mon, Dad! You're a cat, not a chicken! I didn't come out of an egg!" Khimari goaded, making his parents facepalm.
"...I don't have a choice here, do I?...Fine, I'll fight." Ranulf, along with the other three, made their way to the makeshift battleground after Soren patched up Khimari's wound from the fight with Skrimir.
"Are you two kids ready?" Nailah asked as they took their sides opposite of each other. "We won't go easy on you."
"Ditto for you two, as well," Khimari returned as he lowered himself into a battle stance. Ike followed suit and prepared for battle while Ranulf sighed and transformed along with his mate. The tension reached a climax when the two brothers stood opposite of Khimari's parents. As the clearing once again went silent, a false calm had taken root in the area before the battle started.
That silence quickly found itself killed by Khimari, who jumped into the fray first rushing directly to his father. In response, Ranulf put himself into a pouncing position while Nailah immediately moved to intercept him. Taking note of the situation, Ike ran forward with his sword to give the Hatarian prince backup.
What the Beorc didn't expect was for Nailah to suddenly switch directions, aiming directly for him. Almost caught unaware, Ike barely raised his weapon in time to block what would have been a painful bite from the wolf queen. Stepping back, he gave a horizontal slash that missed the white wolf, striking nothing but air. With nothing but experience and muscle memory guiding him, Ike immediately turned around with his sword raised in a defensive position, again just barely managing to prevent a nasty bite to the shoulder.
"You're light on your feet, I see," Nailah complimented. "Not many can keep up."
"You're no slouch, either," Ike returned, knowing that it was only years of training with Khimari that prepared him for the attacks the blue wolf's mother would try on him. He re-centered himself as Nailah put strength in her legs and looked ready to pounce. With a decision to take the offensive, Ike ran directly towards the queen intent on going another round with her. To his surprise though, Nailah's pounce was much stronger than anticipated, to the point where she went directly over his head. Snapping into a defensive position, the mercenary expected a quick attack from her, only to see that she jumped into Ranulf's fray to help her mate against Khimari.
"This is SO unfair!" the blue wolf growled as his parents ganged up on him. He was doing comfortably well against his dad before his mom decided to show up and crash the fight by biting his side. For a moment, Khimari found himself nearly overwhelmed as he found that dealing with his parents at the same time was like fighting a mirror copy of himself; Nailah's brute strength and Ranulf's flexibility and smarts seemed to blend perfectly with each other.
Rolling on the ground after a paw swipe from his dad that drew blood, Khimari's eyes became slits as he focused on his mom's rapidly advancing form. With seemingly reckless abandon, the blue wolf threw himself right onto her, making the two of them tumble in a storm of sharp teeth and claws. Knowing he had the natural strength advantage, Khimari wasted no time in rolling on the ground and using all four of his paws to throw Nailah off of him with as much force as possible.
The white wolf flew across the clearing, managing to land on her feet right before she crashed into a tree. A hiss made her snap her gaze over to her mate, who quickly found himself overwhelmed by the two blue-haired combatants in the time she took to get herself together.
"Alright, I'm done!" Ranulf howled after Khimari pinned him down with Ike right beside him. "Now get off, you big lug." With a quiet purr, the blue wolf complied, before facing his mom.
"...You two can have this fight," the Hatarian queen said, walking up to them without any sign of hostility or willingness to continue the battle. "Are you alright, Ranulf?"
"Of course, I'll be fine," the cat said as he licked some of his wounds. "But our son is a heavy sack of fur. It's like having a concrete slab fall on you."
"Mmm…That sounds unpleasant," Nailah bluntly commented, earning a snort from her son. "At least you got a workout, though. How are you feeling now?"
"...A little better," the cat admitted. "Maybe a little scrap every once in a while serves wonders for the mind…Not nearly to the extent you and Khimari go at it, though," he continued when his family started to give him a knowing look. "You two can enjoy fighting your little hearts out; I'll have fun napping under a tree."
"You and your cat naps," Khimari playfully jabbed.
"Excellent job, all of you. It was an honor to be able to witness a small bout of training," King Caineghis mentioned.
"I'll do a check-in on the army's status," Tibarn added, signaling that it was about time for the short sparring sessions to close. "We can meet afterwards and discuss more at length. Also, our scouting team will be back around the afternoon, by Ulki and Janaff's estimation."
"Excellent. Skrimir, if you are healed from your wounds, come with me and Giffca to the throne room. Ranulf, join King Tibarn in surveying the army's condition and make sure that all concerning the Gallian troops are in order. Queen Nailah, will you be joining us?" the lion invited.
"If I am welcomed, I will not refuse," the white wolf agreed. With everything established between the Laguz royals and their retainers, they left, leaving Khimari and the Greil Mercenary's leader and tactician alone in the clearing.
"What else do you have planned today?" Ike asked the wolf. "We're pretty much tied-up until the scouting unit from Gallia returns. Until we get concrete information, we're playing with hypothetical situations at best."
"Hmm…We've already covered quite a few scenarios, right Soren?" Khimari asked. Following a nod from the magic user, he scratched his head in deep thought. "It wouldn't serve to keep fretting over what could happen. Maybe it'd be best to make sure everyone's ready just in case and leave it at that."
"If that's the case, then there isn't much to be done." Soren concluded. "The inventory for the company has remained stable since we're not in any immediate combat, and provisions have already been taken for the battle ahead. As far as supplies go, King Caineghis' generous supply for the army in addition to King Goldoa's donation far exceeds the expectation in regards to what would be necessary for sustainability."
"Welp…I guess I'll read a book, then."
"THAT'S all you get out of that?" Ike breathed in exasperation, completely caught off-guard by the random statement his adopted brother made.
"What did you get out of it, Lord Musclehead?" Khimari returned. "We already trained for the day, I don't feel like hearing Shinon's racism and if I have to hunt another wild boar so Ilyana will stop stealing Soren's portions of food, I'm going to lose my mind."
"...What?" Soren commented, not expecting that at all.
"...Wait. You never noticed?" the wolf asked. In response, the two stared at each other, creating a small but strange silence. "...She eats most of your food before you get there since you're always late. Or she'll rob it off your plate when you're not looking."
"...How long has this been happening?"
"This started in the last war," Khimari laughed. "Remember that missing lamb shank that you spent about half a week wondering about? Ilyana took it. Since she got away with it, she would snag your portion whenever she didn't get her seven helpings of food. Honestly, I'm surprised you never noticed…Not that you look at food that often."
Soren looked absolutely dumbfounded. How in the world did the thunder mage swindle him out of so much food? Even if he didn't eat much, he thoroughly enjoyed Oscar's food. That did explain why his portions started getting small after the merchant caravan joined them after the battle in Mugill…
"...I…see…"
XXXXX
Later that night…
"When is Dad coming back? Have you heard anything?" Khimari asked. He, along with the herons, the other Laguz royalty, Ike and Soren, were all congregated in Castle Gallia's throne room awaiting the report that Ranulf left to get from the scouts that returned recently.
"Be patient, Khimari. He hasn't been gone that long," Nailah tried to ease, knowing how restless her kid could be.
"Diantre, con teniyayo kunde jikanmai pasiste nhieu takku roi. Nhu teniyayo namuunanu ardillauro toi nha. (I mean, I'm trying but we've already waited so many days for anything to happen. It's like trying to eat a wooden squirrel for dinner)."
At that, Rafiel laughed lightly and Nailah snorted while everyone else looked completely lost. "Dear brother, you understood that?" Reyson asked Rafiel with an incredulous look, since he showed a reaction to Khimari's reply.
"You didn't? I thought you spoke the ancient language completely, Reyson?" Tibarn asked. He knew from three years ago that it was Khimari's first language, the same as the herons.
"That is not the ancient language," the white heron prince rejected.
"It totally is," Khimari countered. "It's a dialect that's spoken in Hatari. That's my first language. The standard ancient tongue from books and all of that crap is taught to everyone, but Hatari's natural tongue is more commonly used in daily conversation."
"It is a very complicated dialect…Even after so many years in Hatari, I still have trouble understanding some people with thicker accents or those who talk faster," Rafiel admitted. "I recognized a popular figure of speech that Khimari used, and was able to piece together the rest of the context."
"Oh?...What…Phrase?" Leanne asked in modern speech, which surprised those who didn't know that the princess was learning the tongue for the last few years.
"Nhu teniyayo namuunanu ardillauro toi nha," Rafiel repeated, much slower than the pace that Khimari used. "Literally, it means that something is like 'trying to eat a wooden squirrel for dinner.' However, it's used to describe something as a hassle or inconvenience."
"That actually helps to explain a lot of Khimari's more eccentric comparisons…Especially if idioms like that are commonplace in Hatari," Reyson noted as he looked up in thought. The lions, who were listening intently to the conversation, hummed in what sounded like agreement, which only served to make Khimari more irritated since the implicit insult against Khimari's…interesting way with words seemed to have great traction in the room.
"Shiroplumda Kitskkyasnu.(You white-feathered jackass)," Khimari said as he rolled his eyes at Reyson. For his comment, he was awarded a slap to his head by his mother.
"Watch your mouth. Khom hanashkiera keurohke nha (Don't talk like that)."
"Kunde Mero aprenbuhetda! (but I learned from YOU)," Khimari retorted, which earned him a pinched ear. "OUCH! Me, suelgaque kiiki sawo! (Let go of my ear, Mom!)."
"Hmph. I won't be hearing that out of your mouth again, will I?" the white wolf challenged, though she decided to let go of the blue wolf's ear..
"...You probably will," Khimari admitted after nursing his now throbbing ear, smartly stepping outside of his mother's range so he couldn't be subject to another ear-pull or slap. "But I'll be a lot more careful so you can't catch my ears again."
"...What did he say?" Rafiel asked.
"Don't worry about it," Nailah shut down, only serving to make everyone else more curious. Fortunately for her, Ranulf would interrupt the ongoing conversation by walking into the room alongside Kezhda, a black cat that served as one of the Gallian Army's captains. "Ah, you're back."
"Ah, Ranulf. Wonderful. I trust you have all of the information?" King Caineghis asked. Upon the blue cat's confirmation, he gave his next set of orders. "Good. Kezhda, return to your post. Giffca will appoint your replacement at the conclusion of our meeting…Ranulf…If you would share the report that the scouts gave you."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Ranulf obliged. "According to our scouts, the enemy has split into two forces. One is east of the Ertz Mountains. The other is approaching from the north, by crossing into Crimea."
"So, they plan on flanking Gallia from the north and the east," Tibarn summarized. "If we don't stop them, then this is gonna hurt."
"Agreed," the lion king concurred, before a thought came to his mind. "What action has the Crimean Army taken?"
"From what the scouts said…nothing at all. I'm guessing they're waiting to see how everything pans out," Ranulf shrugged. Although most of the room understood why Crimea may have taken that action, Skrimir wasted no time in voicing his displeasure and anger at the Crimeans.
"What!? Crimea let Begnion through without a fight?" What about their alliance with Gallia?" the lion general roared.
"It's not that simple, Skrimir," his second-in-command sighed. Khimari smiled when he saw that a rapidly-compounding headache was coming his father's way. "Begnion is Crimea's suzerain state. It's difficult for Crimea to refuse Begnion's demands."
"A suza-what?" Skrimir blurted as he tilted his head in thinly-veiled confusion. "Someone explain to me what that means," he demanded, not even bothering to try and decipher that for himself.
"Hmm…How would I explain it…Okay, how about this?" Ranulf started after taking a deep breath. "Begnion still holds political power that won their independence from them. Anything else you want to add, Khimari? Ike?"
"Don't look at me," Ike rejected, causing the wolf to smile. "I always thought the whole idea was ridiculous."
"It's like my flea-attracting prank, Skrimir," Khimari said. "If you fight directly against the fleas, you only get tired and gnawed on. The only solution is to put yourself in a stench so bad that they leave you alone."
"...Never mind what it means," Skrimir said after horrible memories of being a victim of that prank surfaced to the forefront of his memory. "Has Crimea broken its treaty with us?"
"No, she hasn't," Khimari said with a roll of the eyes. "The treaty never specifically mentioned Crimea being obligated to attack an enemy of Gallia. The mutual army clause only activates that in the event that the enemy attacks us on Gallian territory, which is mutual in the case that an enemy attacks Crimea on Crimean soil. Neither one of those conditions have been met yet, so they technically don't have to respond."
"Forget those stupid technicalities! How dare Crimea let Begnion pass without any consequence! This is a betra-"
"Control yourself, Skrimir," Caineghis interrupted. "You're acting like a fool." The Gallian king's rebuke stopped Skrimir in his tracks, as the hot headed lion straightened up immediately.
"M-my apologies, Your Majesty," Skrimir bowed. "I…"
"I doubt that Crimea has sided with Begnion," the king continued. "Queen Elincia is very clever, and I will not stop trusting in her judgment just yet. She most likely allowed the Imperial Army to pass through her lands in order to avoid a slaughter."
"Who is this Beorc queen that warrants so much trust?" Nailah spoke up, though she didn't move from where she was standing. A knowing gaze of distrust set itself in her eyes that every Laguz caught and understood. "Please, enlighten us."
"She is a wonderful woman, in both manner and reign," King Caineghis began, smiling slightly at the thought of the newly-made queen. "Her late father, King Ramon, and I forged an alliance between Beorc and Laguz. We sought to bring our peoples closer." The mighty lion paced a little bit as he thought about the woman. "She has taken her father's ideals as her own and strives to create a country where anyone, Beorc or Laguz, can live free and in peace."
"How times have changed…I never could have dreamed of a time where such a Beorc ruler would exist. I must admit, I still have doubts," Rafiel lightly pushed. Considering the history between the relations of Beorc across Tellius with the Laguz, it was easily understandable to understand why the heron thought as such.
"I don't blame you, my brother," Reyson agreed. "Change has been slow, but the circle of acceptance in Tellius has been widening. As you can see, both Leanne and I have many Beorc friends. Queen Elincia of Crimea is one of them."
"Both the king and Reyson speak well of this woman!" Skrimir noted with obvious shock in his voice. "Is she truly so special?"
"Yes, she is," Ike confirmed. "But that's besides the point. The most important thing here is that Elincia will never betray her allies in Gallia."
"I couldn't agree more," Ranulf agreed. "We can trust her." At that point, King Caineghis cleared his throat to return the attention to him.
"All right. Let's assume for now that Crimea will not aid the empire in any military fashion during this conflict. Hawk King, let's hear your thoughts," the lion offered, opening up the metaphorical floor for the king of Phoenicis to voice his opinion on how best to advance.
"Well, if Crimea won't make a move, then I see no reason to wait until the empire reaches Gallia. I'd prefer to take an army up north and end this mess for good." At the idea, Khimari bit the inside of his mouth to avoid voicing his displeasure for open violence. Even then, it seemed that his expression was caught by the lion king anyways.
"Very well…Ike, do the Greil Mercenaries have anything else to add?" King Caineghis asked, seeking to get an extra opinion before making any official decisions regarding what would be best for the Laguz Alliance. Immediately, the mercenary commander looked at his tactician, basically giving Soren a wordless signal to voice his take on the situation presented before them.
"I agree with Tibarn's idea," he swiftly said. "We should strike while their army is split in half. I'm pretty sure that General Zelgius will be there, though. We'd better be careful," the mage warned.
"Send me too, Your Majesty!" Skrimir jumped in. "Please, let me reclaim my honor! I beg you!" he said with a serious expression and clenched teeth.
"I second that, Your Majesty. Skrimir is perfect for this mission," Ranulf added with a smile, utterly shocking the red lion that served as his general in the war.
"...Very well," King Caineghis said after a moment's notice. "Take Khimari with you as well to help aid Skrimir. I'm sure his talents would be better served on the battlefield." With that said, he turned over to the hawk king. "Will you look after them, Hawk King?"
"Sure, I can handle him just fine," Tibarn mentioned, gesturing towards Skrimir. "No promises on the other one, though. He's harder to keep under control than you ever were, Lion King."
"Hmph," King Caineghis grunted in amusement as Khimari rolled his eyes at the blatant disrespect. "They're all yours, then. Now, everyone," the lion said with a serious look and the full expression of authority. "Prepare to leave before daybreak. We are all depending on you. This meeting has been adjourned."
After the lion king's dismissal, the many parties in the meeting began to disperse and go towards the exit of the throne room in order to complete final preparations in anticipation for their next campaign against Begnion. "Khimari, King Tibarn, Queen Nailah. May you all stay for a moment longer?" Upon hearing the names called, the individuals quickly turned around while the others left with a little more bounce in their step, apparently not wanting to see what interaction would arise out of this post-meeting group. When the room emptied out with the exception of the four Laguz royals along with Skrimir, the king began to speak again. "Young Khimari, I know of your strong disapproval of this war. However, I believe your role cannot be understated as it was in this war's prologue."
"I will follow Ike and Tibarn's orders, King Caineghis," Khimari said with a bow, completely shocking everyone in the room. "However, if I see an opportunity to kill one or more of those demonic senators, nothing, and I mean nothing, will stop me from skinning them to their bones." The venom with the wolf's words had everyone, his mother included, at a loss for words.
"...If I may, what reason do you have for prioritizing the Begnion Senate in your line of fire?" King Gallia inquired, genuinely interested in the amount of hatred the Laguz exuded from his very spirit.
"...It's personal."
XXXXX
Early that morning…
With an uncomfortable sleep out of the way, Khimari quickly shook himself awake to see that the night was still relatively young, with the waning but still mostly visible moon as his only company for the short time being. Deciding that it wouldn't help him at all to stay inside, the wolf made his way to the outside of the castle, quickly ascending to the top of a tree that was a short distance away from the palace entrance.
"What should I do?" the wolf asked himself, completely unsure of what to do from here. His role as Deghinsea's eyes and ears was found out, and he's only gotten farther away from finding out where Izuka had been hiding. As far as this went, the only thing he has seen develop was the war's influence across Tellius and his own burning desire for revenge.
"Khimari?" a voice called, surprising the wolf. He then heard the sound of cracking undergrowth that signaled someone's approach. "Where are you?" Recognizing the voice, the wolf came out of the tree and went to meet his father face to face.
"I'm right here. Did something happen?" the blue wolf asked.
"No, nothing particularly. Nailah told me about the meeting you had with King Caineghis after we left," the cat started. "Please…Don't go after the Senate just because you may see them."
"Dad," Khimari sighed, a familiar edge entering his voice. "We've already talked about this."
"I know, but listen to me. There's already a target on your back, and there's been one before this war even began. We know that because the Senate wants you dead and won't stop until it happens."
"Let it be." Ranulf looked directly in his son's eyes to see nothing but pain in them. "I'm tired, Dad. Wondering what's next. Wondering when they'll try to catch me again. The thought of seeing someone else I know hurt by them drives me crazy. I refuse to let them roam free and burn the continent down for their own personal glory. They need to die."
As much as Ranulf searched, he could not see something that he understood in his son's eyes, nor hear it in his voice. This topic was something that went far deeper than the blue cat knew, and he didn't know how to break down the barriers that the Hatarian put up around him on this topic. All he knew was that as a father, the thought of Khimari going through this internally by himself utterly terrified him.
XXXXX
A short while later…
"Is everyone prepared to move out?" Ike asked Tibarn and Skrimir. Exactly as planned, the Laguz Alliance Army assembled to move out before the sun even began to rise to intercept the incoming Begnion forces as soon as possible.
"Yes. Let us make haste to Crimea's border," Tibarn confirmed. "Skrimir, give the Gallian army the word and we'll be on our way to fight Begnion."
"No more has to be said," the lion eased. With that, the Gallian general stood in front of his army and began a bold rallying cry. "My Laguz brothers and sisters! We will fight Begnion and claim victory! They may have driven us away once, but on all of our injured and killed kinsmen, we will not rest until Begnion has paid their crimes in blood! Let us march on!" His speech was met with a deafening chorus of shouts and roars from the many Gallians soldiers present. Immediately afterward, the Laguz Alliance once again left towards a battle, with a new resolve to fight and win.
At the helm of the group were the Greil Mercenaries, led by Ike, as well as a few hawks surrounding Tibarn and Reyson along with Skrimir, Ranulf and Khimari, who joined them directly on this excursion. As the day went on, the monotony of walking with the intent of war dragged heavily on Khimari, leading his mind to wander to many separate topics.
The first one would be the wellbeing of his uncle Volug, who he told to stay with Micaiah so that the silver-haired girl would have someone to be able to rely on. Well, besides Sothe and the Dawn Brigade, that is. He could only hope that the girl and the group were faring well, especially since he didn't have a lot of information to go off of. The only real indication of how the small group felt about fighting was a stinging remark against King Pelleas that Jill made, which Khimari completely understood. The wyvern rider, for better or worse, had experience with dealing with unreasonable orders and being a blind follower of someone who may not have their interests at heart.
That said, Almedha, the long-lost princess of Goldoa also came up as a topic of discussion. Both he and Kurthnaga agreed that neither one of them should challenge her on Pelleas not being her son, even though they were both sure that it was Soren. Given the lady's "crazy tendencies," as Khimari put it, it wouldn't be beneficial to her or anyone else to give her the straight truth. As it were, it may truly break her.
"...Hey! Khimari! We're here, you know," someone called, snapping the wolf out of his inner thoughts. Looking away from the ground, he saw that Ranulf was right next to him, while the others had seemed to have stopped along with the rest of the army. "There you go. We're stopping here for the night."
"Ah…Okay,' he blankly responded, not completely with them mentally.
"What's on your head?" his dad asked while the two worked to build camp along with the rest of the army.
"A lot of things, to be honest. I don't even know where to start…"
"Maybe with something that won't completely blow our minds?" Ranulf lightly joked, hoping that this could be Khimari finally opening up about some of the things that had been eating at him for the past…well, a long time.
"...It would all probably blow your mind," Khimari laughed, sighing heavily. "I honestly can't wait for the day I can tell you everything, Dad…But for now, I'll just keep it to myself."
"Still being stubborn? Where in the world did you get that from?"
"You should know, you made half of me…I guess? That really doesn't sound right when I say it out loud," Khimari muttered, making Ranulf and a few other Laguz helping around them snort. "You know what I meant. It's probably from Mom's side though. Even Rikari and Tora are stubborn, and we're probably distant cousins at best, so I'd guess it's a wolf thing."
"Sounds about right. Her grandfather–your great-grandfather–could convince an ocean to give up all its water with his stubbornness. I'm honestly surprised some of his more outlandish demands didn't kill me."
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Khimari eased. "Yohe couldn't have pulled anything that bad."
"He once tried to make me sleep outside in my two-legged form at the mountain's peak. A recipe for instant frostbite, by the way. If Nailah didn't sneak me into her den that night, I'd probably be a popsicle right now."
"Say…How in the world did you get to go to Kucha so many times? I know for a fact they had a policy towards outsiders similar to Goldoa. How'd you manage to break it?"
"Well, I'm sure your mother told you that she hated the policy. By the time her tribe found out about me, we were already mates in everything except her family's approval. Naturally, after I earned the trust of her grandfather and parents, I became somewhat regarded as an honorary member of the tribe."
"Woah…That's cool, honestly…"
"Ranulf! Khimari!" Mist called. "Dinner's ready!" Sharing a look with each other, the blue Laguz shrugged before following the brown haired girl to the food tent where a busy Oscar was giving out food to a large multitude of Laguz. Getting in line, the father and son conversed a little bit before getting their food and sitting beside Reyson, Tibarn, Ulki and Janaff.
"Ah, there's our resident hellraiser," the hawk king lightly picked with a smile when they sat down. In response, Khimari rolled his eyes, though he slightly smirked, showing that the comment was taken with a grain of salt.
"I'm honestly surprised you never tied me down to a wall or something, Tibarn," the wolf returned.
"Heck, I'd tie you to a tree myself if I could!" Janaff squawked. "That stunt you pulled with Daein hurt!" Although the hawk fully recovered from fighting Khimari at the Ribahn River, he definitely would not let the wolf forget that it was a painful experience. Thankfully, the two were still good friends and didn't have any long standing issues with each other.
"Sorry again, Janaff. Do you want me to make you Hatari stew? I relearned it from Mom and Rafiel after we came back to Gallia from Daein."
"...I'll take it, but don't think you can get off so easily!" the one who served as Tibarn's eyes returned. Knowing that he suckered Janaff in, Khimari smiled calmly while finishing the rest of his food. While eating, he noticed that Reyson was watching him consistently, always returning his gaze to his form every minute or so. The wolf, naturally, was curious if the heron had seen or felt something that he wasn't sure about.
"I think I'll go to bed early tonight," he announced after eating a little more food. "Dad, our tent is right next to Skrimir's right?"
"Yup, between his and Tibarn and Reyson's." With that, the wolf got up and gave his goodbye to everyone else sitting before taking a solo walk to the tent he and his dad would share. Since he was by himself, Khimari started humming the galdr of release, continuing even after he arrived at the tent. Noticing the last rays of daytime get overtaken by the darkness of the night sky, the wolf prince did three circles before lying down and letting his mental exhaustion lull him into a deep sleep.
XXXXX
Early next morning…
"Nephee, how was Ohma before you left?"
"Well, it was still peaceful and all before Ludveck's people tried to get a rebellion started. Then Brom and I had to up and leave for Melior to tell Queen Elincia 'bout it…But I think everyone's still doin' good enough."
"Ah…I see…At least everyone there is safe…And Old Man Jacob?"
"He's still runnin' around talkin' everyone's head off whenever he gets the chance," the halberdier laughed. "He asked about ya a few days 'fore I left, wondering when you'd get him some deer fur and cooking meat."
"Wow that's hilarious," the wolf laughed. "I'll make sure to hop on that for him as soon as we're done with this crap." After that comment, the wolf noted that sunrise would soon come, meaning that the army would start advancing again for the day. "Welp…I guess I should get going now. Dad'll probably be looking for me if he wakes u-"
"Too late," a familiar voice called out. Looking expectantly, the two saw Ranulf enter the small hidden space behind a tree that they used to talk and enjoy each other quietly in the early morning. "At least you're not doing anything crazy this time. Good morning, Nephenee," the cat greeted. "You haven't completely lost your mind with this one yet, I see."
"N-No, sir," the girl slightly giggled, putting her helmet back on as a way to hide embarrassment. "We're just-"
"Ah, you don't have to explain it to me. I understand that privacy is important." Grateful for that comment, the country girl sighed in relief as she and Khimari got up from their sitting positions. With another quick exchange of words, the two gave each other a hug before the three went into camp to get ready for today's march. The girl separated from the Laguz about halfway through the way back to the tent they shared. "There was a recon done after dinner last night," Ranulf started when the two returned to the tent. "Ulki and Janaff said that we'd probably be directly facing the Begnion Army by early evening, at the latest."
"Hmm…Could they confirm who's leading?" Khimari asked, tipping his head off to the side.
"General Zelgius is a constant, unfortunately," the cat sighed. "Besides that, I haven't got a clue about the other leaders. Can't say I'm familiar with the Begnion Senate like a certain someone is."
"At least you've fought General Zelgius," Khimari mentioned, slightly pouting a bit. "Could you believe, after all this time running back and forth to Begnion to try and do diplomatic crap, he never agreed to a spar? Even Sigrun and Tanith joined from time to time, but he'd always have some crafty excuse…"
"Maybe he didn't want you to find out…" Ranulf muttered softly. Even still, his son still heard the words and couldn't help but be curious.
"Find out what? What would Zelgius have to hide? He probably doesn't know I could tell he's a Branded, but I don't see how that would change anything." Although the cat was mentally cursing for being heard, he was happy to see that Khimari had a different topic in mind than what he knew to be true about the Begnion general.
"He's a Branded? Really?" the cat asked, grateful for the unintentional pivot his son provided for him. Even though he didn't consider it though, he was surprised to hear that the famed soldier at the helm of the Central Army was someone of mixed blood.
"Yup, I could tell from the first time I met him. That was actually after the war ended, though" Khimari revealed. "We've talked a handful of times since then, pretty much exclusively in passing since he always seemed to be busy. There is one thing that bugs me about him, though…It might just be me going crazy, but I feel like I've heard his voice somewhere before…"
"His voice? What do you mean?" Ranulf said, with his heart starting to quicken. Did Khimari know the secret he found out as well?
"I know him from somewhere. Not just him, but Sephiran, too. The two of them had something to do with me getting to Greil…I think," Khimari revealed. "Ever since that moment with the Black Knight the day we met, my memory blocks have all but disappeared except for a short time between when me and Mom were separated and when I woke up in Ike's bed. I haven't said this to anyone, but I remember clearly where I was until then." Completely wrapped in the story, Ranulf looked at his son intently as he recounted the key events that led to him being on Tellius.
"I never went unconscious in the sandstorm, but I knew I was blown a long way from home. In the other directions, there's either water to the south or the oasis if I went north, so I knew I was somewhere to the east or west of Hatari. The problem was, since I didn't see the sun during the storm, I had no idea where I was blown off to, so I wandered west, hoping to find something. After almost a week or so, I was living on nothing but cactus juice, which is not the healthiest thing by the way, until I found some sort of forest."
"You did? You crossed the Desert of Death by yourself?" Ranulf recounted, amazed that a child made the journey.
"Amazingly, yeah. After I crossed, I eventually found some food to hunt, but I was still so weak from the trip that it didn't help me at all. I passed out somewhere in Daein, but I heard people talking over me…It's such a blur…Then I woke up in Ike's house the day that his mother…But even then…They were there."
"Zelgius? And Sephiran, too?"
"Yeah," Khimari revealed. "I've asked Sephiran directly, but he says that it may have been a dream of mine. I know it's definitely not. After Greil passed out, Zelgius and Sephiran arrived on the scene. Zelgius helped move Ike's parents off the ground while Sephiran did…something to Ike. He passed out, and I grabbed the medallion and helped him in the house. I'd never forget anything that happened that day."
"..." Ranulf truly had no words at the revelation that his son just gave him. With what he already figured out for himself about Zelgius, this just became an even bigger mystery. "That's…beyond strange. What would those two have anything to do with Ike's family?"
"I have no idea, honestly. That's why I've never told Ike. He'd only have more questions and no answers. I never asked Greil about it, either, since he wanted to forget that day, understandably," the wolf answered. "I figured it'd just be better to leave the idea alone since I had no leads about it."
"Hmm…Is that why all of your other secrets are under such tight wraps?" his father asked him. "Because you're not sure where to go with them?"
"Not quite…I honestly wish I could tell you and Mom about everything I knew, but it's just too much. Truthfully, I wouldn't even know where to begin," Khimari admitted, scratching his head. "I think after this war, it'd be easier to explain all of this to y'all…Well, to everyone, actually. Everyone would probably want to know what's going on."
"Now that's the truth. If I didn't have to suffer one of your cat jokes, I'd say that I'm curious to find out."
"Welp, you saved yourself from walking into the obvious one, so I'll spare you, Dad." After that, the wolf transformed and gave a mighty yawn, showing off his sharp teeth. "I'm going to sleep. How about you, Dad?"
"I'm right with you on that one, kid. Let's get some shut eye. We're leaving before dawn again, ya know."
"Alright. Good night, Dad." With that, the two took to their respective Laguz forms before heading to bead, doing their best to temporarily catch a break from the chaos that was sure to come before them.
XXXXX
A little while later…
"Ah! What-" Ranulf hissed when he felt a sharp pain on his side. Instantly jumping up, he looked around the tent to see no one else in there except Khimari, who had blood on his claws. "Khimari! Why-"
The father's scolding was cut off when he recognized the full scope of the situation. The blue wolf was still asleep, squirming and randomly slashing at air. He was growling slightly, but Ranulf couldn't catch what he was saying and had to strain his ears to find out. "Mmm…Mmm…Ah!" All of a sudden, the wolf jumped up, startling Ranulf slightly. Looking away from his direction, Khimari was breathing heavily as his whole body convulsed. "...Just another nightmare…" he barely heard Khimari say.
"Khimari?" Ranulf whispered. Almost immediately, the wolf turned around with great surprise.
"Ah…Dad, you're up?" Khimari asked quietly, to the point where it sounded more like a self-statement than an actual question.
"Can't really sleep with all the…action going on," the cat slyly said, before silently cursing for his lack of tact in talking to his son. "Are you alright? What were you dreaming about?"
"Oh…It was nothing. Just my crazy head that's a-" Stopping abruptly, Khimari took a couple of strong sniffs and started looking around the room. "Do you smell blood or is that just me?"
"There's a little on your paw," Ranulf said, motioning over to the wolf's left front paw. Trying to maneuver, the cat shifted so that his son wouldn't see the wound on his side that the Hatarian caused.
"How did this happen? I don't smell any wounds on me…" Khimari muttered as he twisted and turned, giving himself lick after lick to try and find the source of blood.
"Why don't you just go wash it? I'll go with you so no one gets suspicious," the Gallian offered.
"Good idea. Where's the nearest stream?" the wolf asked.
"It's right outside camp," Ranulf offered, doing a quick stretch. He winced slightly at the wound's sting, but resolved not to show his discomfort as he led his son outside of the tent. As expected, the Army's spot for the night was completely silent, with no one around but the few sentries that stood guarding various points in the vicinity of the temporary base. With a normal pace, the two went by them unnoticed, quietly leaving camp and going in the direction of the Ertz Mountains, which could still be seen if one decided to climb a tree (which both Khimari and Ranulf took a liking to doing, interestingly enough).
In a few minutes, the sound of a calm stream hit their ears, and then a moment later, they arrived at the actual body of water itself. "We're here. Take all the time you need," Ranulf announced. After a small bark of appreciation from the wolf, the cat waited until his son went to the water to begin licking the small claw wound left on his side vigorously. Thankfully, there was no infection and it wasn't deep at all, he observed. 'Good, I can leave that alone, then,' he decided, before licking the rest of his pelt once the bleeding had stopped.
"...Dad? You think there are any squirrels out this late?"
"You mean this early…right? I can guarantee you that almost no living being is voluntarily scurrying around at these unholy hours," Ranulf matter-of-factly stated with a yawn. As a response, the now finished Khimari stepped out of the stream before shaking his entire wet and furry body, littering his father with droplets of water. "Hey! Watch it. I don't need a bath right now."
"More water would be good for you. Keeps your head straight, ya know?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Heck if I know," Khimari bluntly responded, though the cat was completely sure that the wolf had embedded a hidden meaning behind his rather vague words. "Let's get back to camp before Tibarn tries to use this as an excuse to tie me to a log."
"Hmph. That's a funny image to think of," Ranulf commented as they turned around to return their tent.
"So is defeathering a large green chicken, but hey, a furball can dream."
XXXXX
That evening…
"All this time, and we haven't seen much of anything yet…" Khimari muttered. "Does that mean Crimea did initiate some sort of talk with Begnion?"
"What do you mean, Khimari?" Ranulf asked. As it were, the two were around the front of the army. After another entire day of traveling, the large mass of soldiers crossed the border into Crimea and found itself on the border of a large forest and a great plain surrounded by a good number of hills and slopes, indicative of the changing topography between Gallia and its northern neighbor.
"It doesn't take that long to cross through Crimea, which means that some level of courtesy between Begnion and Crimea must have been maintained. Granted, I think Begnion would've most likely started marching to Gallia with or without Elincia's permission…Even still, you can't help but wonder…"
"Hey!" Janaff suddenly squawked. "There's the Central Army flag! It's coming in the distance!"
"What!?" Tibarn yelled, echoing the thoughts of everyone that heard the Phoenician's statement. "...All units! Prepare for combat! Wait for a signal from Skrimir and I before you engage their army!"
Before long, the smell of iron and steel started to reach the nose of the Laguz, courtesy of the wind, and the collective sound of clanking ears started to reach everyone's ears. Time seemed to have slowed down completely when the shining red armor of Begnion's army made itself visible over the humps of the many slopes between the two warring factions. The closer they got, the more rattled and belligerent the Laguz Alliance soldiers became. Eventually, the small mutterings of hatred grew into an almost unbearable chorus of shouts and threats against the beorc of Begnion. Khimari simply sighed at the unfolding situation, seeing this as nothing but a repudiating mess.
"Wait!" One soldier literally screamed at the top of their lungs, attracting everyone's attention. "A beorc army is approaching from the hill to the left! The flag…It's the Crimean Army!"
"C-Crimea intends to side with the Empire after all!" a Gallian yowled, completely irritating Khimari with the baseless accusations.
"Shut up, you damn furballs! Save your comments until we're out of this mess," the wolf snapped, effectively shutting up everyone who were throwing around random comments across the whole army. With all eyes now glued to the Crimean Army, the two warring forces simply stayed in place as the country's military force made its way over, with Queen Elincia…leaving the army and standing in the middle of the battlefield with nothing but her pegasus and her sword.
"Elincia…What are you doing?" Ike whispered, unsure of what was about to happen. Honestly, Khimari was confused by the young queen's intentions as well, but had his attention fully given to the green-haired woman.
"I am Queen Elincia of Crimea," she introduced, filling the clearing with a commanding presence that showed her filling into her role as queen. "I have a message for the commanders of both armies!" After that, Skrimir, Tibarn and Ike decided to move up a little further to listen better to what she had to say. With a light prod from his father, Khimari followed Ranulf alongside the lion, and began to growl upon seeing Senator Valtome next to General Zelgius. The group, figuring the reason for Khimari's out hostility quickly, ignored it in favor of catching everything Elincia would soon say to them.
"I am here to declare the will of Crimea and its people!" she stated. "Crimea has been ruled under the ideals of peace and equality since the reign of my father, King Ramon. As such, I cannot and WILL NOT allow you to spill blood upon our land. Therefore…I demand that both the Laguz Alliance and the Imperial Army leave Crimea at once!"
Immediately, a ripple of shock spread throughout the Laguz Alliance, which they were sure also spread through the Central Army as well. Internally, many gave a sigh of relief that Crimea didn't intend to join forces with Begnion, Khimari included. "You foolish girl!" a voice rang out in the clearing. Upon seeing that it belonged to Senator Valtome, Khimari's eyes slitted and he started to walk forward until a firm hand grabbed him on the arm.
"Don't lose it now, Khimari," Ranulf quietly said to him.
"Begnion's patience has worn out," the orange-haired senator declared. "After we finish slaughtering the sub-humans, we'll be coming for your head in Melior!" Without even the slightest flinch or hint of fear, Elincia turned around to look directly at Tibarn and Skrimir, who maintained their places at the head of the army.
"Commanders of the Laguz Alliance. How do you respond?"
"...You have some serious guts, jumping into the center of a battlefield by yourself," Tibarn commended. "But your high-and-mighty beliefs don't change the fact that Begnion must answer for its crimes in blood. Step aside."
"Very well," Elincia resumed after a great sigh, which Khimari shared in his head. "I've heard from the commanders of both armies. Then…"
The queen's next move shocked quite literally everyone. The woman took her sword and raised it horizontally until it was at her chest, then…dropped it to the ground. The silence generated by her action was so great that the sound of her sword hitting the dirt nearly felt ear-shattering. "This is Crimea's answer. We will not sway from our ideas. My countrymen stand united. We will not use force. But we are willing to do whatever it takes to end this here and now."
"Have you lost your mind?" Valtome bluttered, shock filling his voice. Honestly, probably every person, beorc or Laguz, who witnessed Elincia's action had that though somewhere in their head. Slowly, Tibarn flew forward, stopping right next to Queen Elincia herself. For a few moments, he simply stared at the queen before bursting out laughing.
"Ike, I thought you were the craziest beorc I'd ever met, but you have some serious competition!" the hawk threw back to the mercenary commander. "Crimea's queen is one tough woman…Your Majesty, I like your style!" the hawk king admitted, before turning around. "Skrimir! I can't let such a pretty woman down. Let's get out of here."
"Of course," the lion agreed at once. "The beast tribe will not use our claws against unarmed beorc. Soldiers! Back to the forest!" he commanded. With his order, the Laguz Alliance turned heel and started their way back to the land of beasts, thereby delaying an imminent battle.
"Good work, Elincia," Khimari muttered to himself, glad that someone at least didn't want to throw themselves into this mindless bloodshed. That joy felt even greater when the wolf saw the Begnion army also begin departing, meaning that there was a mutual agreement born from the respect Crimea's queen garnered from Tibarn and Zelgius, alike.
As he turned around, a quick shout from Mist took the attention of all the Greil Mercenaries. "Hey! I don't want to go just yet," she said. "Do we have time to talk with Elincia?"
"...It would be nice to say hello," Titania agreed after a short pause of consideration. "It's been such a long time since we've seen Queen Elincia."
"Sure, sounds like a great idea to me," Ranulf agreed with a shrug of his shoulders, having no problem with the company of the Crimean Queen. "There's probably not too much time for small talk, but we'll see."
"It'll be fun, Dad," Khimari beckoned with a somewhat relaxed expression on his face. The calm of the moment, however, would not last after the next words shouted across the large clearing.
"Soldiers! Kill the queen of Crimea! That girl is a traitor to Begnion!"
XXXXX
A/N: And that's that! Surprisingly, this chapter was hard to write, which was strange considering this is the end of the filler chapters. But yeah, Valtome SUCKS…It honestly makes you wonder how nasty someone has to be in order to be that universally hated by so many people. But then again, a lot of folk are like that, so meh.
But yeah, remember to fave, follow and review, and I'll see you around next time!
Blizzard, out!