Author's Note: Wow, I've been really surprised and appreciative of the positive feedback I've been getting! Some people are even saying this is the best FE7 novelization they've read! Boy howdy, that sure sets a mighty bar to keep myself too. But you know what? Yeah, why not? I hope every chapter can get better than the last, and this becomes one heck of a hit. WRITER POWERS ACTIVATE!

Chapter 19: Vortex of Strategy

The next few weeks after the boat sank are a blank in Will's memory. There are flashes here and there, fighting wild animals, foraging for food, finding the cave he had managed to sleep in without incident so far. Even back then, guilt weighed heavy on him. It was a strange mixture of survivor's guilt and anger that he had survived at all, since now he had to suffer further.

The cave had been all but turned into a tiny fortress before he realized there was other life on the island. When his traps began to be disarmed, he quickly knew he was in trouble. Unfortunately, being alone meant he could not be awake at all hours. He had to sleep at some point.

When he awoke, he found several people inside the cave with him. The leader was crouching down next to him, but the others all had weapons drawn and pointed at him. Several bows creaked, and he worried that any second they would let an arrow fly into his skull. "I wouldn't recommend any funny moves if I were you." The leader said, who smiled pleasantly.

"Yeah, I get the picture." Will responded.

"Who are you?" The man asked.

"Considering you're going to kill me I don't see how it matters." Will replied.

"Sense of humor. Not bad." The man said. "However, I'm asking because I want to know. If I kill you, I do need to mark the gravestone."

"…Will."

"That wasn't so hard, was it? My name is Mark." The man said, introducing himself. "Judging from the state of you, you're a survivor of that shipwreck, aren't you."

It was more of a statement than a question, but Will nodded anyway. It was the first contact he'd had in weeks, and it seemed less likely that this spot would be where he would die.

"How unlucky." Mark said. "You've survived well on your own though. Tell you what. How about you come with me? My boss can probably help you."

"You expect me to trust you?" Will said, raising an eyebrow.

"I expect you to make the smart move. I can tell you're no fool." Mark said. He stood, and motioned to the others around him. Silently they lowered their weapons and began to leave the cave. The glow of their eyes was strange, now that will was recalling it. At the time he'd been too concerned with not dying. What was up with those people?

After a moment, Mark helped Will to his feet. Will was a little shaky, but firm once he was on his legs. He began to follow the strangely cloaked man out of the cave. Green was a nice color.

Nergal however, was not a kind man. When Will met him, he knew that to survive he would have to follow this man's every instruction. It was that or die. He was a coward, so submission was the best course of action. Bowing one's head is a cheap price to pay. At least, until Maria came along.

Lyn did her best to hide among the brush as she spied on Will. Once again, he was up far too early and off practicing. Right now he was going through the sword kata she had shown him once while he took down notes. Sure, he had reassured them that the ointment had worked well enough that he would survive until they got to Caelin. It seemed like their final battle would go on unhindered. That was if he hadn't been lying to them, and Lyn had a strange feeling he was holding something back.

He suddenly dropped his sword before punching the nearest tree. Lyn nearly gasped and let out her location, but managed to hold it in. She heard him curse several times as he punched the tree several more times over the course of the next moment. When he finally stopped, she noticed his hands were shaking. She had thought the Sword forms looked shaky before. Now she realized that his hands weren't able to hold themselves properly anymore, and he likely wouldn't be able to use a sword.

His tomes were maybe a little better off, but she remembered him explaining how dark magic caused a huge drain on energy, and while he was poisoned magic was not in his arsenal much. The drain was too much for him to handle.

They needed to get marching as quickly as possible.

"Why the sudden desire to march, milady?" Sain asked, happy that Serra was not paying attention to him as she was lecturing Matthew on something he ignored easily now that he wasn't the one being spoken to. Erk was riding on Rath's horse with him, and seemed to be researching a more powerful fire spell. Rath was keeping an eye on the back of the pack, though Kent already being there was assurance enough that everyone was there.

"Just a feeling that we need to get there sooner rather than later. The sooner we get to my grandfather, the better." Lyn answered curtly, thinking it was best to keep the real reason to herself. Not only was she determined that no one die under her watch, but she also wanted to avoid having people think she was overly concerned about Will.

Will was up in the air with Florina again. She stayed quiet, but she could still feel Will's hands trembling slightly around her waist. "What's wrong?" She finally asked, unable to keep the silence any longer.

Will smiled slightly. "Just a side effect the poison managed to inflict before the ointment started to work." He joked, though there was nothing funny about it. "Can't even hold a sword anymore, I'm sorry to say."

"Will you be okay?" She asked, realizing a moment later that it was a stupid thing to ask.

He shrugged in response. Shortly afterwards they took a small break and Will took out his notebook to write. He could still hold a pen luckily enough and his handwriting was steady.

We've passed through Araphen and Kathelet, and now are finally in Caelin. But now, Caelin is under the rule of Lord Lundgren. His henchmen could be anywhere. Nevertheless, we press on to Castle Caelin.

Kent eyed Will's shaky hands, and noticed several others, including Rath and Dorcas, were taking just one or two extra jobs upon themselves to relieve his burden. Lyn's choice to get moving had been the right one.

Lyn found herself next to Will during their next march, and managed to make pleasant conversation. "Look! The mountains are so far away now!" She cried, and Will smiled slightly.

Sain laughed, as he was the one currently with Will behind him in the saddle. "Lady Lyndis! Will! The Castle can't be far now!" He said, smiling.

Will shook his head. "Two days assuming we hurry and aren't held back by something." He smiled ruefully. Trouble seemed to follow them like rabid animals.

"Grandfather… hang on a little longer." Lyn prayed, clasping her hands together.

"Cheer up Lyn!" Will told her, avoiding the disapproving glare of Kent for not using her title. "If you look downcast, the whole company might lose heart. We can't have that, now can we?"

"Yes, we must press onward." She said, looking straight ahead with a smile on her face. Suddenly, Nils came to an abrupt halt.

"Danger approaches!" He said, halting the company.

"Are you certain?" Kent asked, looking around for a source to this sudden call.

"Yes… I can feel it too." Ninian said, though she couldn't pinpoint it.

Florina spotted it first. She was on the ground, which was a stroke of luck when she saw it. There was a bolt headed right for… "Sain! Move your horse now!" She shouted, and Sain jerked his horse as instructed. A moment later a bolt pierced the ground where they had been.

"Thanks." Will said. "I didn't realize there was an aerial threat."

"An arrow?" Erk said, looking at the mountains, guessing what was across it.

"A ballista…" Rath said quietly, though everyone still heard him.

"Lundgren is getting serious. Siege weapons are expensive and very unwieldy. He must've set this up in preparation for us." Kent said with a scowl.

"A ballista?" Lyn asked, looking at Will for clarification.

"It's a weapon designed for long range combat. Any archer can use it, and they can be quite devastating. Usually, it's good to have heavy defensive people like Knights and Generals take the hits, as ballistae run out of ammunition quickly." He explained. Then he sighed. "Unfortunately, that option is a bit beyond us, so we're going to have to keep moving, and us some hit and run tactics. Wil, if I get you on that bow, can you use it?"

Wil shrugged. "No idea. But it's just a big bow, right? How hard could it be?"

"Harder than you think." Dorcas muttered darkly.

"Well, we're going to have to take them all out! Everybody ready?" Lyn asked. "Let's move!"

Matthew tapped Will on the shoulder as he dismounted from Sain's horse. "What?" He asked, as he turned to the thief.

"I have some minor business to attend to, so I can't join you in the battle. See you all soon!" He ran off quickly, without waiting for a "wait a minute,' or "be careful" to be said.

"Okay then…" Will shook his head, and quickly calculated the best strategy he could. Matthew would have been handy for a sneak attack on the ballista, but since that was out of the question…

The strategy he settled on managed to work out. Lucius went with Erk, Serra, and Nils around the long way, taking out the mages and archers that were there. Truthfully, Lucius ended up doing most of the work. Serra healed him, Nils played for him, and Erk was there as security. A couple times a bolt fell from the sky, but thanks to Nils' danger sensor, they dodged them easily.

"Lightning!" He cried, finishing off the last archer with a strong blow to the chest. He sighed softly. Erk came back from a village with something that looked like a weapon, and when asked merely shrugged his shoulders.

Will had spotted a couple of small fortresses to the south with his keen eyes, and accompanied Florina to them. This was the riskiest part of the plan, since Florina was the only person who could fight well, but Will insisted on accompanying her with the tome he'd won from his latest run in with Mark.

Florina engaged them from the skies, while Will experimented with fireballs. Interestingly enough, he found the drain when he used Anima magic was far less than dark magic, which he had never tried before. Admittedly he hadn't the time to try it before either.

His fireballs were tiny at best, and only managed to annoy opponents from the sky. Thankfully his aim was decent, and more often than once the off balance or annoyed fighter would make a mistake that let Florina take them down. Soon enough, the fortress was under their control, and Will recovered several Vulneraries from their fallen foes. "You've gotten really good Florina. Your Pegasus control and Tactic decisions in the heat of battle are pretty much B class."

"Only B? But that means I'm not A!" She said, a little downhearted.

"The A comes with experience. Among us none of us are A rank in terms of battle ability." Will said. "Dorcas is probably the closest, but even he's still young."

"I see." Florina said, with a small frown.

The remaining warriors took care of the small wave of first fighters easily. Dorcas cut down two horseman without a thought, and Rath planted his arrows in three. Wil also claimed three with his quick work, saving both Kent and Sain once. They seemed too shocked about something to fight. Lyn cut through four fighters with her Mani Katti.

"If you aren't going to fight, go help Will and Florina!" Lyn shouted at them. Will had entrusted her with the frontline changes while he went to the fortress, but she knew it was also because he wanted to be out of the way so they didn't have to protect him. Kent and Sain, who had been reliable all this time, for some reason were hesitant.

"I know we have to, but…" Sain's voice sounded strained, as the others advanced. Kent sighed.

"How can we fight those we have trained with? It's just too difficult." He said, looking at his hands.

"We should've known this would happen. I'm going back in." Sain said, grabbing his lance with renewed determination.

"Sain…" Kent sounded sad as he looked at his friends.

"They side with Lundgren. They are my enemies now. I will protect Lady Lyndis." He said, and was gone.

Kent looked at his hands again. "Can I take the lives of former comrades just to protect Lady Lyndis?" He looked at the battlefield, eyes clouded over with memories.

"But my Lord, why? Why send us away?" Kent asked, as he and Sain bowed at the throne of their Lord. He had been looking unwell lately, for reasons they were not yet sure of. Still, it seemed foolhardy to him to send two loyal knights away.

"Because…" The Marquis said, coughing lightly. "I would like to see my granddaughter… if only once." His eyes met theirs, and the sad glint in them touched their hearts more than words ever could.

Kent and Sain talked as the entered the stables, to prepare their steeds for battle. Tiena and Gant were loyal steeds that had carried them through every mission thus far. Knights were said to be only as good as their horses. Kent believed this to be true. Tiena and Gant were fiercely loyal companions to each other and their riders.

"I bet she's a real beauty." Sain said, smiling slightly.

"That's not something you should say about your soon to be lord." He said, and Sain laughed.

"Not so dear Kent. I didn't say I would hit on her, did I?" He said, his voice unusually calm. When talking about women, Sain had a tendency to overdramatize his words and actions.

Kent was taken aback by his companion's behavior. He never thought Rank mattered much to his companion when it came to matters of the heart. "Why are you going then, Sain?"

Sain mounted his horse, shooting Kent a strange smile that he didn't recognize. "It'll be fun to travel. Besides…" At that moment, their roles seemed momentarily reversed. Sain seemed the much wiser and more suitable to the title of knight than he. "To be granted the honor of finding the Granddaughter of our lord, and to protect her on her journey here… That is the highest honor I could ever imagine."

Those words and that promise… Kent would never forget.

Now he looked out on the battlefield as Sain engaged the ballista user, taking him out with a quick strike of his lance. Wil jumped on the ballista, fiddling and feeling out the controls in seemingly random patterns as Ninian read a passage on ballistae use from one of Will's notebooks.

Lucius, Erk, Nils, and Serra came up to Lyn, and she had them join up with their main force as it looked like Will and Florina were done at the Fortress. With both of them safe and keeping their supplies out of enemy hands, she and the rest could focus on clearing the field. Kent rode up beside her, nodding slightly to her look. "Lucius, take a seat. Kent, I want you to ride around and assess enemy numbers while Lucius uses magic to keep them off you. Serra, stick with me and heal injuries. Erk, I need you to protect Wil on the ballista, and have Ninian stay there too. Sain, take Nils and guard the bridge. Enemies are likely to come and try to take it, and Nils' skill in danger sensing should keep anyone from surprising you."

Kent did as he was told, but he realized that Lyndis was showing him a remarkable kindness in telling him not to engage the enemy. He felt a boiling amount of shame in his gut, even as he carefully assessed the enemy numbers.

"Do you mind if I ask you something, Will?" Kent asked, as the two of them sat by the fire. Night watch was theirs for the next few hours, but enemies were unlikely to find them here, so Kent engaged in a rare amount of small talk.

"Not at all. To keep something hidden would just lead to awkwardness as you would think more on it anyway, so speak your mind." Will said, with a slight smile.

"Why do you truly want to help the Lady Lyndis? If it is about the debt, then don't bother. You have repaid it many times over, I am sure." Kent said. Will looked him straight in the eyes, perhaps calculating his response.

"Could I blame it on the poison?" Will said, half-jokingly.

"No." Kent said, flatly rejecting this in a similar way to Sain's jokes about women.

"How about Mark? I still want to kill him." Will said, closing his book.

"I want the truth, Will." Kent said. "You are not the kind to pursue a grudge when it is so far out of your favor.

Will let out an audible sigh. "I guess… It's because I've grown fond of this group." Kent looked surprised at that. Will actually laughed at his expression. "What, you think I don't care about people or something? Well, you don't have to believe me. But if I left the group and someone died because of it… I know I'd regret it."

"But you can barely move! The poison is spreading through your body!" Kent said. "In the previous battle you had Florina be the tactician instead while you fought a fruitless battle against a man much more powerful than you!"

"Poison can't kill my soul." He said, putting a hand to his heart. "I want to protect what has become precious to me."

Kent could never forget those words either, as the look on Will's face was one of sadness he had only seen in the Marquis's eyes once before.

"The greatest honor… and what is precious…" Kent mumbled, as he and Lucius's round came to a close. There were no enemies left across the bridge, Lucius's magic taking care of the last enemy in a simple blast of light.

The others were being forced back from the bridge. Serra had used too much healing power and retreated to the fort with Will and Florina. Wil and Rath were out of arrows, and the ballista had been emptied (thankfully Wil had taken out three enemies before it became a pile of junk). The armored knight advanced across the bridge, pushing back Sain even as Erk retrieved Nils and pulled back. His fire tome had been left on the other end of the bridge when he had tried to engage the knight himself.

Dorcas let out a battle cry and smashed his axe into the knight's arm, sinking it deep into the flesh. The next moment the butt of the lance bashed into his side, knocking him from the bridge into the water. Thankfully he still had his axe as he grabbed onto a rock, preventing himself from drifting away. Blood dripped from the knight's arm to the ground, staining the bridge.

"You will die!" He yelled, twirling his lance as Sain tried to retreat a step further. Tiena tripped, and the two toppled to the ground as the knight came baring down with his lance.

"No, you will." Came a steady, stoic voice, before the man's vulnerable neck was sliced from behind. Kent stood there, watching as the man turned and spluttered, before falling to the ground. A momentary regret washed over him, but Sain took priority.

"Took you long enough." Sain grimaced, getting to his feet and checking on Tiena, who thankfully seemed alright.

"Shut it." Kent snapped, smiling slightly.

"So… I see you've found something precious to you here after all." Will whispered, walking past the knight to examine the terrain ahead. Apparently he had decided to get in the fray to give them some better tactics now they were all gathered at the bridge.

"Yes, I have." The knight replied, dismounting from Gant.

"Looks like there are no more enemies in sight. We've won you guys." Will let out a sigh of relief, which was mirrored by the entire group. Rath helped Dorcas out of the water, and Wil began to search for arrow the could salvage from the dead

Kent nodded. "Something bothers me though."

Lyn glared at Sain and Kent in turn. Now that the battle was over, she had to get on their case. "I noticed you two hesitated. What was that all about?"

Sain shook his head sadly. "Our opponents were soldiers of Caelin. We even trained with many of them."

Serra huffed angrily. "And they attacked us like that! That makes me so mad!"

"Well, it means there'll be less resistance at the castle, right?" Dorcas said, walking over to the group. He had taken his shirt of and was attempting to wring out the water before putting it back on. The wind was picking up, making it very chilly for the unfortunate axe wielder.

"Well, I certainly hope that's all that will happen." Lucius said, and no one could disagree. They knew it might get worse once they reached the castle, but it never hurt anyone to be optimistic.

Will smiled as Nils, Ninian and Florina joined their discussion. They had formed a sort of circle unconsciously, but it worked for the discussion that was taking place. "I'm just glad you three were here. Otherwise…" he made a finger go across his throat, and his head flop to the side. "I wouldn't be here. Nor would Sain."

Sain gave a polite bow to them in thanks, and Florina hid behind Ninian as she blushed in embarrassment. Ninian's smile brightened even more at Will's praise, if it were possible.

She says she's going to cheer me on? It sure doesn't seem like it to me. Not that I needed her to cheer me on or anything. What am I even talking about? Thinking about? Whatever! Lyn thought, finding herself scowling and quickly shaking herself out of it.

"I'm just glad to help." Ninian said. She glanced at Lyn, and Lyn could swear she saw Ninian wink at her. Her scowl managed to once more turn into a smile.

"I won't let you down!" Nils squealed happily. The mood improved significantly. Not only was Nils' flute playing exceptional, but he just had a way about him that brought joy to the group.

"I…I didn't do much." Florina said from behind Ninian. Lyn smiled, knowing that wasn't true at all. Will hadn't heard her though, as he was congratulating Wil on his work with the ballista. Dunderhead. Lyn though, shaking her head.

"Well, it was just a really big bow in the end, so it wasn't hard to figure out." Wil responded to the praise, rubbing the back of his head.

"Wow, you guys are done already? That's some impressive work!" Matthew said, making everyone jump. His uncanny appearance had thrown them all off in an instant.

"I have some interesting new about Marquis Caelin's illness." Matthew said, lowering his voice conspiratorially even though everyone was already listening. "He really is unwell. Abed for three months and counting. The rumor that's going around is that he's been poisoned." Everyone gave a half-glance at Will when the word poison was mentioned, but quickly gave their attention back to Matthew. "I fed an innkeeper some coin, and he fed me a name. The one who has been poisoning the Marquis is none other than the Marquis's own brother."

Will sighed. He had guessed this. Everyone else had likely drawn that conclusion as well, but hearing the truth did not make them feel any better about it. "Tell me, why don't the people do anything about it?" Will asked, though he was sure he knew the answer.

Kent spoke up. "The commoners fear him. They also lack proof of his guilt. Their whispers mean nothing without it. To be honest I was half hoping to find some proof on our journey."

"Exactly." Matthew continued. "And of the Marquis's loyal retainers who might have leant the evidence we need to convict Lundgren, there is no sign."

Lyn grew angry. "You mean they've been silenced! Unbelievable!" She fumed.

Matthew shook his head. "The worst is yet to come." He raised a finger, as though signifying the importance of the next part. "'An imposter has appeared, claiming to be the Marquis' granddaughter.' That is the rumor that Lundgren would have people believe."

"What…What does that mean?" Lyn asked, horrified to hear the answer.

"It means," Will said, writing down the information in his notebook, "that Castle Caelin is waiting for a group of mercenaries, along with two traitorous knights and a base-born child to appear and claim the castle as their own. Isn't that right, Matthew?" Everyone looked at the thief, who nodded solemnly.

"That can't be! Us? Traitors? A lie through and through!" Sain declared, getting to his feet. Lyn crossed her arms in thought, a frown forming on her face for very different reason than before.

"He says I'm… an imposter?" She said, in a sad, yet somewhat disbelieving tone.

Matthew shrugged. "Hey, that's what guys wanting power do. Don't you have anything that could prove your heritage?"

Lyn shook her head sadly. "When my mother came to the plains, she brought nothing of Lycia with her."

Florina piped up. "But didn't Marquis Araphen remark on how you look so much like your mom? Shouldn't your face be proof enough?"

Kent shook his head sadly. Everyone seemed to be shaking their head or sighing, Matthew's news had taken a toll. "They'll say we found a look alike somewhere."

Rath spoke, putting it in simple terms. "We are wanted men now. Not many will listen to our words."

"Our only hope is to see Marquis Caelin himself," Sain said determinedly, "and to do that we must hurry."

"But we need a plan!" Will answered forcefully. Lyn looked at him as he struggled through his thoughts. "Even if we reach the castle, the troops around it will cause no end of problems for us! I mean, we are a branded group now, after all." He suddenly hit upon an idea, and a smile came to his face. "We're going to have to backtrack a bit."

"What do you mean?" Erk asked, though Kent seemed to have caught on to Will's plan.

"Eliwood. He seems to be on our side, and he can hopefully keep the other nations out of this conflict." Will said.

Lyn jumped up, a new vigor seeming to fill her. "That's right! And he's still in Kathelet! We can catch him if we hurry!" Without thinking, she grabbed Will's hand and pulled him off.

The others looked at each other with half-smiles. "Seems like a sound plan." Kent said, smiling. "Shall we go then?"

"Charge!" Wil shouted enthusiastically. Serra quickly joined in as did Nils and Ninian. Some of the others at least thrust their fists into the air as Wil did, the group beginning to move out. They had a lot of ground to cover.

The aged man sighed, donning his reinforced armor. "If I am going to die, I would rather not be rusty when I do so." He said, grabbing a small item and placing it on his chest plate, and picking up and iron lance and axe.

"Time for some practice before the battle begins!" He yelled enthusiastically, clanking out the door and off his estate, the fields barren as the harvest had come and gone. If he didn't die, there would be plenty of food waiting at home for him. That encouraged him a bit.

"I am the Crag of Caelin! It is time to meet my destiny!" He yelled, surprising anyone within a five mile radius, as his trust his spear into the air, and it glinted in the sun.