We felt the earth shake under our feet. Chrom struggled to stay on his two feet, and Lissa had already fallen over.
"Agh! What is this madness!? Lissa, Marcus, stay close!"
I noticed the horizon getting a little brighter and saw a shade of orange. I first thought it to be sunrise, but with closer inspection, I found out it was more terrifying than that.
"Chrom, the forest is on fire! We have to get out of here!" I shouted as I tried to bring Chrom and Lissa to the forest's edge.
As we I felt a bright light shine on me as I looked up and saw a sinister looking mark. A giant crystalline eye with a slit pupil of that of the devil. I watched in horror as human-looking figures fall out of the mark in the sky. The figures got up without much effort and looked at me in the eye. Their glowing eyes held all the malice and evil that I could think of. The air was filled with the stench of rotting flesh and the sounds of emotionless moans. Chrom tried to close the distance between himself and the creature. Chrom attempts to strike the creature with a horizontal blow that should have killed it. But instead the strike left a wound that poured out a strange, black liquid. The undead man merely grunted before attempting to strike down on Chrom. Chrom blocked it with much difficulty as he struggled to gain the upper hand. I rushed in and decapitated the creature.
The creature faded to black ash and was swept away by the evening breeze.
Chrom tried to catch his breath.
"You seem to be a bit too used to decapitation."
"Well, let's not lose our heads here."
I heard Chrom groan slightly at my bad joke before hearing a scream of a girl. I looked to see that it was Lissa who was ambushed by one of the undead wielding an axe. I cursed myself for leaving her alone and tried to close the distance with Chrom joining in. The creature had Lissa cornered and was preparing to deal a fatal blow. I thought Lissa was finished and silently prayed for her survival. Until, as if the Lord had planned it, a miracle happened. Another light appeared in the sky, and out came a figure, a masked man who intervened right when the undead man's axe was about to hit Lissa. The stranger was already on his knee as he tried to parry the undead warrior's strike. I closed the distance quickly and struck the creature by its back. Like the previous undead man, the creature faded into ashes.
The masked stranger was on his knees before he got up and sheathed his sword. The mask he was wearing was quite elegant with slits for eyes, with the mask itself almost resembling a butterfly. I heard the sound of a whinny as I saw my master's horse running towards me with another rider in tow. It looked like a man, but with a closer look, I realised that it was a woman who was riding with an with an impeccably dressed man with… blue hair? The woman had short, red hair. She had big, muscular arms and wore a strange type of armor.
"Strange hair color, I wonder if it's common in this country."
I heard her shout as she cut down enemies who were blocking the way between her and us.
"Captain Chrom!"
She stops by Chrom as she lets the blue haired man dismount.
"Good timing Sully!"
"And you said to stay behind, 'this'll only be short'! That tears it, I'm never letting you and Frederick out of my sight, I always miss out on the fun!"
"You consider this to be fun!?" asked the light-blue haired man whom I knew was Virion.
I looked at the horizon to see more of those freaks coming, all holding swords and axes, the one further off looked to be the leader, because he held a large axe and he was nearly twice as tall as the rest of the undead. Sully brings my master's horse to me asking.
"Is this your horse?"
I nodded, saving the specifications for a later date.
"Well, you better be lucky to have such a damn fine steed! The damn thing couldn't rest until it could find its master!"
"She swears like a damn sailor."
I was interrupted by the arrival of Robin and Frederick who were riding towards them before Robin dismounted the horse.
"Robin! Just in time!" I shouted as I checked for anymore enemies.
"We don't have much time, are you okay?" Robin said as he dismounted Frederick's horse.
"We're fine." Chrom said as he spared a glance at Lissa, who was still a bit pale from the attack.
"Are dreadful beasts like these common in your lands?" Robin asked as he looked in disgust at the creatures and their glowing eyes.
"I can assure you that they're not normal!" Chrom said as he drew his sword
"Got any bright ideas?" I asked as I looked at Robin.
Robin stroked his chin as he looked at the rest of the strange creatures coming towards us.
"Just one. Frederick and the other knight will crash through those men on the right. We push through the left side through a strong front. Lissa and the archer will hang back behind the frontline. Chrom, you and Marcus will join me along the front lines, along with the 'masked stranger'."
The masked stranger tried to raise his hand, as if to protest, but he quickly put it down while hiding his sword in its guard. Robin unsheathed his own bronze sword and brought out his lightning tome.
I was impressed at Robin's tactical mind, under this kind of pressure, we could really have died.
"We really need men like him back at home."
But the archer just couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"Archer? I'll have you know that I am Virion! Archest of archers!"
I grit my teeth at his extravagant introduction.
"Oh archest of archers! Could you shut your mouth and just start shooting!?" I sarcastically called.
"Yeah, make with the shooting, ruffles!" Sully added before riding off with Frederick to the right flank.
"I come here to the rescue and I am spurned…" I heard Virion mumble dejectedly as he reached for the arrows in his quiver.
We began our assault as we charged our frontline. Frederick and Sully were committing to their positions as cavalry and were easily cutting down any enemy infantry that got too close. Our front line however, was a bit more gritty. We were covered in so much black liquid as we hacked and slashed our way through the seemingly endless amount of undead. Virion provided the much needed support as he shot down any foolish enemy that would try to break our line. Before we knew it, we were already in the middle, trapping the rest of the undead in a pincer movement. We had to wait for Frederick and Sully before we could recklessly attack the leader's group, but they seem to have their hands full. We looked at the remaining units and Robin seemed to have a worried expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"The enemies, I don't think we got all of them." Robin said as he stroked his chin.
"What are you talking about? We made an unbreakable line! We surely got all of them!"
"But look at the ones we trapped, there's barely a handful." Robin said as he pointed towards the leader and his group, who were strangely passive.
"Then where do you think the others went?" I asked with worry.
I instinctively looked around to see if there were any enemies behind me, but I failed to see the obvious spot where the enemy came from.
Below.
A clawed hand reached out from the ground slashed my leg. I screamed in pain as I took a step back, My adversary looked like a deranged scarecrow with extremely long claws. Chrom was the next one to be surprised as another creature jumped out of the shadows to reveal a swordsman who immediately slashed at Chrom. Chrom parried the blow and blow and struck back, engaging in combat with his opponent. While the surprise attack itself was unsuccessful, our adversaries were successful in keeping us occupied for the rest of the time being.
This seemed to be plan of the undead men as the remainder of the leader's forces charged to confront Robin and the masked man. While normally I would be able to finish off an unintelligent beast, my only problem was.
"I've never fought a man with long claws before!"
That was clearly my problem, with no means of blocking those small but deadly claws and its inhuman speed, I knew I was going to have a tough time so I had to think quickly. Chrom was also having a hard time with his opponent. The swordsman seemed to predict Chrom's every move and even shrugged off the most fatal wounds. Chrom would need to be ready for a long battle if he wanted to keep up. Robin and the masked man on the other hand were delivering their own thunder, with masked man taking on another swordsman while Virion still hanged back, and tried to give us support from a long range. Poor Lissa was cowering behind Virion, hoping that the other creatures didn't see her.
"Time to focus. But nothing like this fights back at home… No… There is something…"
I recalled a time back in England, when they were having a large crowd gathering on a strange fight. I took a closer look to see a strange large animal fighting a bunch of dogs in a cage. I had never seen such a fearsome and robust creature before. The creature looked big enough to subdue even the toughest war horses. Its fur was color brown and very thick, so thick that the dogs couldn't even bite its skin. Its claws were large and sharp, enough to scratch even the toughest hide. Its jaws were fearsome, thrusting a large pair of canine teeth. Its growl was as chilling as its appearance at it did not hold the proud roar of a lion but the low and bloodthirsty growl of a warrior. I watched in awe as the animal swatted the dogs away as if they were nothing but a nuisance. I heard Sir Julian walk up to me as he also looked on to the fight.
"What is that fearsome beast Sire?" I asked him as I looked closer to the cage.
"That's called a bear, or ursus in Latin. They are extremely capable fighters, their strength even rivals the great and powerful lion! But we'll have settle that debate on a later date! Our shipment of lions hasn't arrived yet, so we're settling for the local bears. We caught this little bugger trying to steal our hard-earned produce." he laughed as he wiped his forehead.
Apparently Lord Julian organised this fight to entertain the tired workers.
"Why do they rear up their legs like that?" I asked, clearly intimidated by the bear's habitual two legged posture.
"Most people think its for threatening and intimidating other adversaries, but I think there's a terrible flaw in that."
"What is it?"
"Most animals have the distinct advantage of being on four legs, but when a bear goes on two legs, it leaves itself open to any attack. Provided that you can get past its fearsome exterior and its deadly claws. Rumors has it that these beasts could snap your neck with a single swipe." he said.
"Eh!? Really!?"
"Yes actually! Pray that you'll never have to fight these powerful beasts." he commented as he watched the rest of the fight.
The fight itself was horribly one-sided fight, with bear killing all the dogs in a vicious manner. I suddenly remembered that I had to offer my afternoon prayer and needed to leave. I tried to excuse myself quietly as I tried to inform Sir Julian
"I think I'll have to go offer my prayers…" I weakly said as I left.
"What? Are you scared that the Lord will send you punishment in form of a bear?" Sir Julian teased as he caught up to me.
"Don't joke about that! He is a just God after all!" I said in a half-fearful/half-annoyed voice as I kept walking.
"But he is merciful! Don't forget that!" he corrected as he went ahead inside the shrine.
"Hmph." I huffed as I made my way to kneel before the altar.
"That's it! I got it! These horrible creatures should be able to leave an opening right after they attack."
I set my plan into motion and tried just that. I breathed slowly and calmly until my heart rate was lower and i was less agitated. I was preparing to confront the horror I was combatting. I limped to a safer position to assess the situation properly.
I raised my sword in defensive stance and waited for the beast to slash at me. The beast shuffled slowly towards me as I waited patiently. But to my surprise, the beast sank into the ground, but its dark aura still leaving a dark puddle in the soil. The aura of the creature gave its position away as the dark puddle made its way towards me. I learned from my previous mistake and readied myself to dodge the attack.
The creature burst from the ground with inhumane speed and tried to slash sidewards at me. I dodged back, the claw just barely wounding my cheek. The creature had left itself wide open like I planned so I got to my feet and prepared to lunge. While the creature was still in motion from his surprise attack, I leaped forward and stabbed its vulnerable body. I plunged the sword deep into the monster's torso. The creature fades into black ash and its black liquid is still left on my sword.
"Well thats one down…"
Chrom was still occupied with the rest of the creatures while Robin and the masked man were desperately trying to down the leader, who isn't even flinching from their oncoming attacks. I planned to help Chrom with his opponent but something else happened.
The leader had knocked down Robin, who was trying to crawl away from the impending doom in front of him. The masked man tried to help Robin but the leader swatted him away with his free arm. Frederick and Sully were still being held back by the rest of the creatures, making sure they didn't have a chance to assist us. Virion and Lissa were still keeping a safe distance with Sir Julian's horse circling them to protect them. Which left the only capable person left to help Robin was…
Me.
I had to rush in quickly before the creature could lay the final blow on Robin.
The leader pinned Robin down with his foot and raised his gigantic axe to lay the final blow. Robin closed his eyes and waited for the final blow. Chrom risked taking his eyes off his opponent just to try to see Robin. It seemed that everything was lost and that Robin's last moments were in this dark forest, by the hand of a vicious creature. Robin braced himself, but instead of hearing the axe bury itself in his chest, he hears a loud sound of clanking metal.
Robin opened his eyes to see a sword just barely blocking the axe from his vulnerable torso. Marcus had just barely made it and was to combat the beast. His face no longer wore the tired, idle expression but a face of seriousness and killing intent. He struggled to gain the upper hand over his opponent.
"Hyaagh!"
But with a single shout of power, he broke the wrestle and turned it into a full-blown duel. The leader was caught off-guard by the sudden surge of power and tried to block the next strike. Marcus struck him horizontally and the leader blocked. Marcus kept a flurry of strikes that prevented the leader the chance of attacking. The leader tried to extend his axe and make a stab at Marcus, but Marcus just didn't give him a chance. The leader himself was almost getting infuriated at being overwhelmed by a mere mortal, he could no longer control himself when he suddenly shouted. This loud tantrum caught Marcus off guard and gave the creature a chance to strike at him.
But Robin, who slowly got off the ground, had a different plan. He brought out his tome and summoned a lightning bolt that stunned the creature. The creature looked back at Robin with anger before being attacked once again. Marcus jumped at him and was using his weight to strengthen his strike. While the leader successfully blocked it, it would lead to his eventual downfall. The gigantic axe of the creature shattered after taking so much abuse from Marcus's relentless strikes. The leader looked at his hands in confusion to why his weapon suddenly broke. Marcus took advantage of this and impaled the torso of the disarmed undead.
It was finally over and I sheathed my blade. The forest was almost finished burning, the ashes flying near my face. Chrom had also defeated his opponent and was helping the masked man up. Robin, on the other hand, was clutching his chest in pain as the giant undead man nearly crushed his ribs. Frederick and Sully were still on their way to us. Lissa was resting on top of my horse while Virion was just making sure his hair was tidy. I offered Robin a hand and helped him walk with his injuries. He breathes heavily, clutching his chest in pain.
"Gods, that thing nearly broke all my ribs…" he said as he limped, still trying stay stable.
"I think he broke more than just your ribs!" I commented as I looked at his bloody nose.
I took a look at myself to see that my clothes were nearly covered in blood, my fur boots were splattered with blood from that last ambush and my face held three scratches from that scarecrow creature. Chrom held a few nicks and wounds, on his arm and face.
Both Frederick and Sully made their way to us and dismounted their horses to help the injured. Sully held a few nicks in her armor while Frederick still remained as clean as ever. Lissa was still riding the horse before she dismounted to heal the wounded. I set Robin down next to Chrom and tried to approach the masked man. Before Lissa tended to our wounds, we still had some business with the masked stranger.
Lissa was the first to talk to him, she looked shyly at him and said.
"Um, I never got to thank you...for before. So...thank you. You were very brave." she said while struggling to look at him.
"You saved my sister's life. My name is Chrom. Might I ask yours?" Chrom said as he approached and offered a hand-shake.
"You may call me Marth." he said in a voice strangely higher than what I had anticipated.
"Marth? After the heroic king of old? You certainly fight like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword? Chrom asked, treating this Marth like a great hero.
This "Marth" was probably their version of Hercules or some other legendary hero.
"I'm not here to talk about me. This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned." he said creepily before he ran in a random direction and disappeared into the night.
"Not much for conversation, is he?" I asked as I limped forward.
"It appears his skills lie elsewhere. I wager we'll hear his name again." Frederick said, before helping Lissa tend to the rest.
Lissa approached me first, with that strange staff she always seems to carry around.
"Hold still, and let the staff do its magic."
This was the first time that I saw their healing magic in action. I was shocked to see her staff glow and see my wounds suddenly disappear. I nearly jumped at the sight of something so miraculous.
"Why was wrong? You looked like you saw a ghost!"
"What manner of sorcery is this!? How did you make my wounds disappear!?"
"It's just the healing magic. Why? Don't you have healing magic back at home?" Chrom said as he was surprised with my reaction to the healing staff and magic.
"No! Something such as that would be so miraculous! We won't need to even recruit men at this point! We could save so many lives!" I suddenly blurted out in my amazement.
What I said, seemed to darken the mood with the rest of the group. I looked at all of them with confusion.
"Was it something I said?" I asked.
"You mean, you never had a chance to save any of your injured soldiers?" Robin asked with worry on his face.
"There was never 'injured' in where I came from, it was either you're deadd, or you can still fight." I said with much sincerity and experience.
That statement just seemed to make them even more quiet. I tried to change the subject by asking more about the healing magic.
"Can this staff heal diseases and ailments?"
"I'm sorry, but no, this thing was only made for injuries…" Lissa said weakly as she was trying to recover from the shock of the situation.
"Oh… Okay." I said passively.
This staff was still pretty useful, but only meant for injuries.
"But we could still save so many…" I thought.
"Why?" Chrom asked.
"I thought that you might have held the secret to the healing magic of the Holy Father."
"The one you've been discussing with us before?" Frederick asked.
"Yes, that one. But let's not waste time because we still have to get to your capital as soon as possible."
"He's right milord. We still have to check if the Capital was spared from all this madness."
Robin who was just healed by Lissa, walked in a random direction shouting.
"Well, what are we waiting for?"
He kept walking until he realised he didn't know were to go. I couldn't help but snicker at his mistake.
"On second thought, Chrom you lead the way. I have no idea where I'm going!" He said as he faced the rest of the group.
Chrom just laughed and patted him on the back before passing him. I followed behind before joking with Robin.
"Are you sure your ribs are the only thing that's broken?" I said with a smirk.
"Shut up." Robin responded with an annoyed tone before following with the rest of the group in tow.
It was nearly daybreak as I walked through the ashes of a once flourishing forest, littered with burned plants and scorched animals. it was almost a horrifying sight. I heard the multiple screeches and cries of many suffering animals, but one sound stood out. A whine and howl, that's what I heard, I was strangely drawn to the noise. I started searching every crack and crevice until I came upon a small cave. Out of the cave came a young wolf pup, no older than a month. It seems that this particular wolf pup lost its parents in the fire. Or so I thought. I looked down to see half-burned corpses of two large wolves.
What I could deduce is that while taking care of their only pup, this pair of wolves had gotten themselves cornered in the fire and couldn't fit in the small cave. Poor pup, lost his only chances of survival to a random forest fire. I picked the pup up and wrapped him the same cloth used to wrap my sword. I carried him all the way back to the Shepherds, who were taking a water break by a nearby river. Sully seemed to be snoozing next to horse while the rest had gone somewhere. I sat down and started unwrapping the blanket while Lissa asked.
"Where'd you go?"
"Oh, just a little walk around."
"What's that you're holding right there?"
I unwrapped the cloth to reveal the wolf pup I had just rescued.
I think I heard a huge 'awwww' from Lissa as she started admiring the little critter.
"He's so cute! Let me hold him!" she said as she tried to grab the pup away from me.
I kept my distance from her, making sure she didn't grab the pup.
"I'm not sure Frederick or Chrom would be happy with you holding it, especially if it bites you."
"Awww… But he's still small!" she pouted.
"This small one has teeth, in case you didn't know!" I retorted.
Our conversation was interrupted by Robin, who was drying his wet hair. I was almost curious as to why he was wet and half-naked.
"Where did you come from?"
"I could ask the same question. The rest of us needed more than just a drink, so we dunked our heads in for a refreshing wash."
"I was out exploring the rest of the burned down forest and I found this little guy."
I showed him the pup who had just been orphaned, sleeping in my arms.
"What happened to this little thing?"
"Its parents died in that mysterious forest fire."
"Awww…. Poor thing… It lost its parents." Lissa said as she reached out to pet him.
"He seems pretty delicate too, like some people here." Robin said with a grin as he glanced at Lissa.
"Oh quiet, you!" Lissa huffed as she crossed her arms in annoyance.
I couldn't help but laugh at Robin's little joke.
"But in all seriousness, I think this would have died had you not showed up."
"Well, I do admit that I'm a bit of a softy…"
"You actually admitted to being soft!? Wow, you could teach my brother a thing or two on humility!" Lissa suddenly.
Robin and I laughed pretty hard at her comment, having lots of fun with our little bonding time. But I felt pretty tired and snuck in a yawn, but Robin seemed to notice.
"Hey, you look pretty tired, why don't you wash your face?"
It was a tempting offer, and I couldn't refuse. However, I couldn't leave the pup with someone as naive as Lissa, so I decided to leave it with Robin.
"Okay, I concede. But you watch the pup, and make sure it doesn't get in the hands of a certain princess."
"Hey! I just wanted to pet it!" Lissa protested as she frowned.
I grabbed a basin and a towel as I made my way to the nearby river, where there was fresh, cool water for me to have a short wash. As I made my way to the river, I came upon the rest of the guys who just got back from their wash. Chrom went ahead to meet me and to obviously ask me.
"Where were you?" Chrom asked as he was wiping his hair.
"I went to look around the perimeter for anything interesting." I replied as I put my towel on my shoulder.
"Well, you better hurry up, we're almost leaving."
"Don't worry, I won't take long."
While I walked past the rest of group, I was stopped by Frederick, who seemed to have something urgent to say.
"I assume that you did nothing to Princess Lissa while we were gone?" Frederick asked with suspicion.
"At ease Frederick." Chrom said in an annoyed tone.
I wouldn't blame the knight for being so suspicious, but I couldn't understand the recklessness of the prince. I snapped out of my thoughts and went to the nearby river. I crouched down and washed my face with the cold water. I felt so tired, washing my face was simply not enough, so I took off my shirt and doused myself in cold water. I made sure to only go knee-deep in the water as I rolled up my trousers. I was enjoying my short bath until I heard a rustling sound by the tall grass near the bank.
"Show yourself!" I shouted, expecting some thief or plunderer.
But instead it was two village girls who look very flustered to see me. I sighed to myself, thinking that I had scared some civilians. I immediately asked them.
"What are you doing here?"
"W-we just came to draw water! The nearby well was broken so we had to make our way to the river!" the brown haired girl confessed.
"Yeah! W-we didn't mean to spy on you while you were bathing!" the green haired girl added in.
"Green hair? What sort of zoo am I in right now!?"
"Y-yeah! We're really s-sorry!" the brown haired girl said as both she and her friend bowed at me.
I raised my eyebrow in suspicion, but sighed after that.
"Fine, you can go." I said as I turned around to get out of the river.
I made sure they ran off before I continued washing my face. I stopped for a second and looked my face. I overheard them saying something about my "well-toned body".
I really couldn't judge how long I was out, but based on how I looked, it must have been really long. My hair was extremely unkept and shaggy, completely unlike the groomed, smooth comb I had before Hattin. During my time back at England, I had thick, smooth hair, I always made sure that my hair never looked unkept and that I never left a single hair sticking out, but now, it was completely different. My hair was a spiky mess, and I think I saw some lice in it too.
"I can't wait for nice long rest after this. This is too much to take in."
I dried up and put on my clothes, they were really sweaty after last night's battle and they needed a really good wash. I needed some spare clothes quickly, so I hoped the capital wasn't too far.
I went back and joined the rest of the group, who were waiting on me before we started moving. I grabbed the pup from Robin and grabbed my master's horse.
"Excuse me, Prince Chrom."
"Just Chrom is fine. I always hated formalities."
"Okay, excuse me, Chrom, but could you please explain why I found two village girls spying on me while I was washing in the river?"
Chrom couldn't help but laugh, together with rest of the crew, except Virion, who was looking at me with a jealous look.
"That means we're near the capital, of course! Did they mention something about a broken well?" Chrom said as he was laughing.
I nodded at his oddly specific question.
"Oh, that means we're near the suburban area, some people choose to live outside the city, just to avoid its busy streets.
I was happy to hear the good news that we were finally close, so I hopped on to my horse and prepared to take off with the rest of the group.
We were finally here, Ylisstol. We had finally entered the city and were making our way through the different districts. To my amazement, this city was extremely vast and flourishing. There wasn't any leper nor beggar in sight. Sully and Virion separated from the rest of the group, presumably to get back to the barracks of these "Shepherds".
"Thank Naga, the capital was unharmed!" Chrom sighed with relief.
"Indeed milord, but we still should hurry and inform the Exalt of yesterday's events."
"You're right. We should get to the palace as soon as possible."
"So Chrom, what manner of leader is this Exalt?" I asked.
"Are there any protocols or courtly-manner-politeness things I should know? I'm worried that they'll have my head for being so rude."
"What?" Chrom laughed. "No, of course not. She'll most likely just try to teach you etiquette rather than executing you. I often have been the on the receiving end of those lectures, and believe me, execution is a more preferable option.
Robin chuckled while I just had to make a comment.
"I know how you feel, I never actually thought the my lessons on etiquette would lead up to this moment." I commented as I admired the rest of the city.
Robin and Chrom just laughed at my comment.
"Back to topic, my sister is a very benevolent leader, who is very caring to both her subordinates and her enemies, though she gets too friendly with our neighbors at Plegia, who are just itching to start another war." Chrom said grimly.
I was thoroughly impressed with their leader, she was truly a model leader for all royalty.
"She sounds truly amazing."
"She really is, I think my leaders could learn a thing or two from your-" I stopped right there.
Wait, did he just say sister!?
"Sister!?" Robin and I shouted in unison.
"But how old is your sister!? Truly she can't be that older than you!"
"I think she's turning 25 this year." Lissa replied cheerily.
I decided to take my mind off for awhile and look elsewhere.
"God, this place looks beautiful, its beauty rivals that of London!"
I couldn't say the same about the architecture and districts, the way this city was built was to deliberately protect the nobility and royalty while the poorer ones suffered. If there was an invasion, the working force would be the one to suffer the most. But then again, it's no different from how most castle towns were built.
My train of thought was interrupted by a bunch of whispering of the townspeople. I was confused on why they were looking at me with such amazement, until I realised that they weren't looking at me, they were looking at Sir Julian's horse.
I looked to see how terrifying the horse was. But in reality, it was just Sir Julian insisting on psychological warfare. He had put in the finest steel armour with some tasteful horns on the horse's helmet. Combine horse's fearsome exterior with my master's prowess in battle and you get a very tall tale, The Muslims feared him so much, all who witness him fight say almost the same thing.
"It was as if, Satan was riding and Hell was his beast."
Of course Sir Julian hated being compared to such an infamous Bible figure, but he let them slide for the sake of morale. With a "Demon" on their side, the Crusaders feared nothing.
And that was exactly what bothered the townspeople.
"What manner of beast is that?"
"Why does it groan so loudly?"
"Mommy I'm scared!"
God, these people were cowardly. Must be the peace planting itself in their heads. It'll never last.
I ignored all their side comments until we reached the castle on top. It was glorious, with a birds-eye view of the whole city, the Exalt would surely be able to assess her kingdom from a safe distance. This also put them at a strategic advantage. Any fool would know the advantages of having the high ground. We entered the castle to see the vast training grounds of all the armies of Ylisse. And the horses were very beautiful, especially with their large, stunning… wings!? These aren't normal horses these are pegasi!
"Wait, I must be dreaming. Pegasi? They were only myths! Legends!"
I gasped in shock to see them flying gracefully with their riders, practicing aerial maneuvers. Pegasi were creatures of legend, mounts only meant for heroes and great demigods, and they were using it as a common mount.
"My god…"
"What, like what you're seeing?" Chrom asked.
"I never knew pegasi even existed! Where I came from, they were but myths, legends."
"What? You're telling me that you've never even seen a Pegasus Knight?"
"We have never had the benefit of seeing those back at home! My god! I can't wait to see what else this land has for store!"
"At least someone's enjoying their stay here!" Lissa said in a sarcastic manner.
"Pegasi are very common here. We often ride them as mounts for warfare." Chrom commented.
"I still have so many questions!" I said as I looked in awe.
"Okay, this has GOT to be a Greek colony. Greek epics have spoke of the existence of Pegasi, could this be a remnant of the glorious Greek cities of old?"
I shake my head to try to think properly.
"No, that can't be it. This place has definitely taken a page out of Rome and Europe's book of architecture. They also name themselves with rather Western names, Lissa, Frederick, Robin. But if they were really European, why hasn't the tenets of Christianity even touched this place? As far as I can remember, there was not a single state in Europe that resisted the promise of salvation."
I sighed as I gave up with my line of thinking.
"I really need to take a look at their map…"
My thoughts were interrupted by Frederick's response to my rather plain comment.
"Well. you can save them for our council, you still have to tell us about your origins so that we can verify your innocence." Frederick reminded me as we reached the palace entrance.
"You can leave your scary-looking horse outside, we'll have people take care of him while you're inside." Lissa casually said as she signalled some servants to take my horse.
"Well they better take care of it, that's English property you know?" I said in a serious tone as I saw the servants struggle to bring the stubborn horse into its stable.
"Yeah, yeah don't worry about it." she said dismissively as we entered the palace doorway.
I signalled another servant to take the pup that was in my hands, I just told them to put it with my horse.
We entered the palace, where the walls were decorated with strange green banners and it was surprisingly simple and elegant, considering what I have seen so far. The throne was at the far edge of the room, with the benevolent Exalt sitting on her throne peacefully. She bore a strange tattoo on her forehead, which Chrom also seemed to bear on his arm. By her left side, was a woman with light hair with a bluish tint… again, strange hair color. The light-haired woman wore large golden pauldrons* which were attached to her small breastplate, which only seemed to cover her chest. She seemed happy to see us, and she never kept the aura of normal royalty.
"I feel so out of place here." I heard Robin mutter as we made our way towards the throne
"First time visiting a palace?" I asked.
"Yeah… Have you ever seen one?"
"Yeah, loads, and believe me, commoners really don't belong here."
"Don't worry, Emmeryn appreciates company, especially if it's a new and friendly face!" Lissa said reassuringly.
"But do mind your tone, her subjects are very sensitive with how you address her." Chrom said with a rather serious tone.
"I'll take note of that."
"Presenting the Exalt, her highness Emmeryn," Phila said with an air of someone who was proud to be able to announce such a thing.
Emmeryn strode gracefully off her throne, her cream and beige robes rustling regally as she moved, long blonde hair not unlike Lissa's done up in braids and plaits that framed her face. She was definitely related to the other two, seemingly combining the best features of Chrom and Lissa's faces for her own.
"Please Phila," Emmeryn beamed, her voice soft but still filling the whole room like the chimes of a bell. "We are all friends here; there is no need for formalities."
We remained silent as Lissa was the first to act as she ran towards her sister with open arms.
"Emm!" Lissa shouted while throwing her arms around the older woman's shoulders.
"Hello, Lissa," Emmeryn said, laughter in her gentle voice. "I trust camping with Chrom and Fredrick was fun?"
"Yeah!" Lissa said enthusiastically, before sobering. "Well, it was until the whole attacked by monsters thing happened."
Emmeryn seemed to expect this, and stroked her sister's hair.
"It's okay; there will be a war council as soon as this greeting is over to determine how best to deal with this new threat."
Chrom approached his sister, giving her a light hug.
"Hello, Emm."
Emmeryn smiled at her brother, who was slightly taller than her, Robin noticed, before turning on the tactician and I.
"I do not believe that we have met." she said gently.
While Robin stood awestruck and somewhat embarrassed to be in such presence, I went down on one knee and bowed, saying.
"Greetings your Highness. My name is Marcus, of Canterbury. It is an honor to be in your presence." I said with a very sincere tone.
Robin just copies me as he tries to attempt his own bow.
"Those lessons are REALLY paying off."
"Pleased to meet you Sir Marcus."
Emmeryn then turns her head towards Robin.
"Well, how about you?"
Robin seemed too speechless to answer so Chrom spoke up for him instead.
"This is Robin. We found him… well, we found him passed out in a field with amnesia."
Emmeryn's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but her smile never faltered.
"However," Chrom continued, ignoring the perplexed faces on his sister and the Knight-Commander.
"He's fought valiantly by our sides to see us returned to Ylisstol and has earned my respect with his martial skills and knowledge of tactics; in fact I intended to ask him to be the Shepherd's official tactician after the war council."
I took a mental note of Robin's amnesia.
Robin took time to process Chrom's statement as I chuckled at his shock. It came as no surprise due to the fact that Robin easily took care of the situation in the past battles.
"Your Grace," Fredrick spoke up from his position at the door, "I feel it necessary to point out that we know nothing about this man besides his name and that he claims to have no knowledge of his past. We cannot rule out the idea that he may be a foreign spy."
Frederick also looks at me with suspicion and contempt.
"And this other man claims to have hailed from a nation that is practically unheard of and follows an unknown religion of which we know nothing off."
"Frederick!" Chrom said angrily.
Emmeryn looks at both Robin and I with a worried and cryptic look. She then looks at Chrom and asks.
"Do you trust them?"
"Yes sister, Robin and Marcus gave themselves to save Ylissean lives. Like I said, Robin's martial skill and knowledge in tactics has earned my respect. Marcus is still yet to be cleared on his identity, but I believe that he has good intentions."
"Then your judgement is good enough for me. We really must be getting ready for the council."
I went up to Chrom and asked.
"Is that my cue?" I said in a worried tone.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to speak on our behalf in the council." Chrom said with a wink as went towards the door leading to the council room.
While we were readying ourselves for the war council, Lissa clearly had other plans.
"Well," Lissa said, grabbing Robin by the arm quickly before anybody else could speak, "We should get out of the way, what with the war council and all."
Lissa all but dragged Robin, who was still trying to process what Chrom had said, to the doors, which Fredrick opened for them, scowling at Robin.
"You all have fun!" she said as the doors closed.
I could see Emmeryn holding a hand to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter while Chrom smiled and shook his head.
"Well then, shall we?" Emmeryn asked as she showed us to the door.
"Of course milady."
We walked into a room with a circular table were the Exalt's subjects were anxiously waiting to star their meeting, and I was not one to keep them waiting.
"Here Marcus, you sit next to me." Chrom gestured to my seat.
The council members eyed me nervously, trying o see who I was or where I was from.
As Emmeryn sat down, one of her subjects declared.
"The war council is now in session!"
The subject reads the agenda from a piece of paper as he adjusted his reading glasses.
"First order of business, we request that Chrom tell us about what he has witnessed yesterday."
The council seemed to drag on with talks off the barbarians and the unholy creatures we fought last night. The council seemed to argue heavily on our course of action.
"We need to prepare for war! If Gangrel wants it, he'll get it!" shouted one of the younger members.
"Don't be a fool, war is what Gangrel wants! We must not be so hasty!"
"But how about those creatures!? We never know when they may strike again, so that is why we must always be on guard!"
"But our armies have been reduced to mere thousands! How can we protect our border when we just don't have the men to do it!"
"Mere thousands? How could any catastrophe leave them so scarred!"
"Order in the court!" Phila demanded as the rest of the councillors became quiet.
"So, we do not have the manpower to protect all our settlements and we have absolutely no way of protecting ourselves from an invasion?" Chrom asked with raised eyebrows.
Everyone stayed quiet at his summary of the conversation.
"Now Chrom, let us not be so hasty, I'm sure that Gangrel will listen to reason."
"But what if he doesn't?! What if war is what he really desires!? We can't just stand here and suffer!"
"Mind your tone young prince." the knight-commander warned.
Emmeryn raised a hand to stop her knight-commander from saying anything else.
"If that's the case, then we will have to just call on our ally once again."
"Milady, you don't mean…"
"Yes, Phila, it is time that we ask Regna Ferox for their assistance once again."
"But Emm! We cannot let you leave the capital. Our people will certainly panic if you leave."
"Yes, I know, so that is why I will be sending you and the Shepherds to negotiate with them."
Chrom put his right hand on his chest and nodded.
"I won't let you down Emm!" he said sincerely.
"Wait. Regna is a Latin word meaning kingdoms, maybe I'll find an answer there."
The subject ticked the box next to the first agenda and announced the second agenda.
"Now, for our second order of business, I request that Sir Marcus introduce himself and the nation he hails from."
All eyes were on me as they were expecting some answers.
I sighed as I recounted all the events that transpired in England.
"My name is Marcus of Canterbury and I hail from the kingdom of England, a monarchal society that is no different from yours. The kingdom of England is an island far-off the coast of the continent called Europe. Our country is currently caught in a war between two religious factions. Our country has a thirty thousand strong army, mostly comprised of knights, peasant warriors and men-at-arms."
More whispering occurred as they noted the similarities of the two states.
"Where does Europe reside?"
"Can someone please hand me the world map of this state?" I asked.
They gestured to the board behind me, I took a look at the map and tried to look for a shape that vaguely resembled Europe. But I couldn't find any.
"What is this? Valm. Chon'sin. Rosanne. I don't any of these states!"
Everyone looked worried to see that I was a strange in their lands.
"Let's see, Papal States, no. Italy? No. France? No. Israel? No. This map doesn't have any information on any European States!"
"If it's really so unknown, why did your country only decide to make an appearance now?"
"That's not it. My country doesn't even know you exist! As a matter of fact, they all think I'm dead!"
Everyone gasped at this comment.
"Please elaborate."
"Before I ended up here, I was deployed in the Holy Lands to kill off any attacking Muslim force."
"Why would your country resort to such violent means to kick out those 'Muslim' factions?" Emmeryn asked with shock.
I clicked my tongue as I tried o recall the reason for the Crusade.
"Well, the Holy Lands were sacred to us, so there were many pilgrims who often journeyed to Jerusalem to pay respects to the Messiah or 'Savior'. These Muslims attack the pilgrims and often sell them into slavery."
Emmeryn covered her mouth in horror and the others just looked away.
"His Majesty would have none of that and even the PEOPLE called for war. He was outraged. These people just came and threatened the sovereignty of our citizens and we could not tolerate it. He immediately called for the training of special forces meant to combat the Muslim threat and we sure got one."
I showed them my sword with the Templar logo embedded on it.
"The Knight's Templars, the most elite warriors owned by the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church."
"So are you a member of these 'Templars'?"
"Oh goodness no, I'm merely a squire, my lord, Sir Julian, he was a Templar."
They all exchanged glances before looking at me for more answers.
"Like I said, we were deployed in the Holy Lands, our upcoming battle would be a battle near the Hills of Hattin."
I inhaled as I tried to catch my breath.
"We station ourselves at a spring by Tur'an, but the leader of the Muslims, Saladin, was smart. He seized the opportunity and we were caught off-guard. We made for Hattin as we retreated to only play ourselves right into there hands."
The Wing Commander Phila raised an eyebrow at my statement and anticipated more.
"At the bottom of Hattin, we were ambushed by tens of thousands of cavalry. We were literally surrounded, and there was no means of escape."
Everyone's eyes widened as they realized what I had gone through.
"Unfortunately, I was at the front lines, I had to protect the rear of our formation with great vigour. All I had was a spear and shield in hand as I watched the horsemen roll down the hill. One particular rider was riding straight for me and after that, everything went dark."
Emmeryn wore a saddened expression as she listened to my tale.
"I had been knocked unconscious by the charging cavalry and sat out through the entire fight. Most of the Muslims thought I was dead and didn't finish me off. I was unaware of the events after that, but judging by the aftermath, I thought it was a slaughter."
The council still stayed quiet at the story, not even a single query was raised.
"All of my comrades laid dead at my feet, and it seemed that Saladin had left, because all I saw were some Muslims. who were combing the corpses for anything useful. I saw my master, Sir Julian, gravely wounded, still barely hanging on to life. I also saw his horse, who was still fiercely resisting any man who tried to tame it. I took my chance and ran for my master's body, I quickly picked him up and put him on his horse and rode away quickly."
I breathed again to so I could keep a straight head.
"I ran off to someplace in Damascus and stopped by an oasis and started to treat Sir Julian's wounds. He knew he was going to die, so he rendered onto me, his sword and this rosary right here."
I shook the prayer beads in front of them.
"It wasn't long 'til Saladin's men found us. I had to run but my master refused my help and told me to run quickly. I got on the horse and ran as fast I could, one of the archers shot me in the shoulder as I tried to escape. As soon as I escaped them again, I stopped in the middle of a desert and tried to treat the arrow wound, I ripped it off to only go into shock and pass out. And the rest can explain itself."
"Also, we have neither healers, nor mages, so if you are wounded, you are most likely dead."
The council begins to whisper among themselves before asking.
"Do you swear upon yourself that what you state is the truth?"
"At ease, one does not lie about such things." Emmeryn said.
"No, I'm not entirely convinced." said an elderly voice in the background.
Out came an elderly man wielding a book and a staff. He could barely see, but I could tell from the look on his face that he doesn't trust me.
"Not now Councilor Charles, we are to give the man the be" Chrom warned as he eyed him carefully.
"Yes, but do not think I haven't heard of the tenets of this man's religion, if you and your army come in the name of your god, then give us a sign!"
The council could be heard murmuring as they looked at me for an answer.
In normal circumstance, I would have been intimidated, but I felt stronger, more confident, as if the Holy Spirit coursed through my veins and I simply asked the Exalt.
"Excuse me your Grace, but could you please tell me what you are drinking right now?"
"Oh, I am having a glass of water."
"Do try another sip."
She sipped her cup to only get shocked to see that her drink was no longer water. Everyone looked at her with anticipation.
"It's no longer water! It's wine!"
The whole council room erupted into chatter and whispers as they realised what I was capable of.
"Now, can your 'magic' do that?" I asked.
Everyone shook their heads in silence. The room stayed silent until someone broke it.
The reader of the agenda then read the conclusion of the meeting.
"So, for our first agenda, we have decided to send Chrom and his Shepherds on a diplomatic mission to Regna Ferox."
"Wait, is it possible for me to join with the Shepherds?"
"And why is that?" Emmeryn asked patiently.
"I need answers and I think the leaders of Ferox have them, I need to get home as soon as possible."
"Why are you so eager to get back into the fray, are you not safe now?" asked one of the councillors.
"I owe a debt to my nation and intend to fully pay that debt." I simply said.
"Okay, you may join them, as long as you do not jeopardise the diplomatic mission."
"You have my gratitude." I said sincerely with a nod.
The reader continued his speech as he readjusted his glasses.
"Well, for our second agenda, for our second agenda, we hereby clear Marcus and his nation, of any suspicious actions and wrongdoings."
I bow out of gratitude and ask for my leave.
"You may go." Emmeryn said with a nod.
I walk out of the council room and head straight for the barracks, where I wished to observe their military.
"That man is a mystery, we have no idea what he's capable of!"
"He magically changed the Exalt's drink on a whim! What other things can he do?
"At ease, it wasn't him who changed my drink." Emmeryn suddenly said.
"Then who?" asked everyone in unison.
"When he asked me what drink I was having, I felt a powerful presence in the room, as if another person was here."
"You don't mean to tell us…"
"Yes, I think it was his god who did the act through him."
I watched all the soldiers commit their time and energy on sparring and striking sandbags, no different than what we had back at home, but their military seems to be well-funded, but still very few given the circumstances. I got bored quickly so I decided to take my boredom out on a lone test dummy.
I slashed the test dummy as many times as I could count but it broke down quickly. I had to find another way to entertain myself and then I heard someone shout.
"Look out!"
I looked to see a loose thunderbolt strike at me, this one rather slow compared the instant lightning in the sky, but I still didn't know how to react. I just blocked it with my sword and braced myself. To my surprise, I didn't feel shock or burning. I looked to see that the sword absorbed the lightning bolt and was still sparking because of the strength of the spell. I did a test swing to see if it was still intact, but it accidentally shot out a lightning bolt in the direction I was swinging. Everyone looked at me wide-eyed as I put a hole through the roof.
"Uh, my apologies…" I said as I scratched the back of my head.
Everyone gave me a funny look before we resumed our training. The beautiful red-headed one gave me an anticipatory look as if she expected more where that came from. While the others chided the mage for his reckless use of spells. I continued my training until I was approached by the same red-headed girl of before.
"Hey, you seem to be doing nothing, why don't we spar for a change?"
"Uh I'm sorry, but I'm not really part of your army corps, I'm just waiting for a friend from the palace.
"While you're still waiting, why don't we kill time? I've never seen your form before."
I pondered on her offer, and I agreed.
"Okay, don't hold back okay? I need to get a good picture of your form."
She wielded a bronze lance, so that meant she had more reach with her weapon. I still wielded my broadsword.
"Hey everyone! Cordelia is sparring with that stranger over there!" I head someone shout as a small crowd of spectators formed to watch me fight with this 'Cordelia'.
I had to be careful not to hurt her and to not let her hurt me. We both wielded real weapons, so we weren't planning on actually hitting each other. We were staring each other down as we waited for the other to make the move.
I made a mock attack in an effort to make Cordelia get into stance, and it works perfectly. She gets into fighting stance out of instinct. She attempts to swipe at me, but I parry her attack and redirect her powerful strike. She nearly loses her balance at my counter but she regains stance and quickly blocks my side strike with the body of her lance. She breaks my strike and attempts to stab at me. I dodge to the side and subdued her lance to make sure she couldn't lift it. I quickly put my sword near her neck to signal that I have subdued her. She drops her lance and raises her hands in defeat. I sheathe my sword and helped get her lance. She thanks me and asks.
"How did you defeat me so easily?"
"A person with a weapon like that is full of openings, spears were never meant to be great weapons for duels. Spears are meant for cavalry and formations, not to engage in an epic duel with thy greatest foe."
She looked surprised at my answer.
"So tell me, what role do you fill?"
"I am a Pegasus Knight."
"Whoah, she rides one of those things!? That must be so cool!"
I intended to ask one more question, but I heard a familiar voice behind me.
"Well, this is unexpected."
I turn around to see Chrom who had recently arrived in the barracks. I could see women in the back fawning over him and even Cordelia tried to keep her distance.
"Captain Chrom!" Cordelia stuttered in a flustered tone, as her face turned as red as her hair.
"What do you need?" I asked.
"Well, I was actually looking for you because I wanted someone to join me going to the Shepherds HQ, but…"
I grew nervous at that 'but' over there.
"But what?"
"We might as well have a duel, I have seen your swordplay on the battlefield and I want to try it out for myself."
I groaned at his offer, but I still couldn't help but feel incline to accept his challenge.
"Fine, I'll let you have the fun." I said with a smirk as I drew my sword once again.
Chrom did the same and drew Falchion, a more elegant broadsword. We circled each other and waited for the other to strike. I for one, waited for Chrom to strike so that I may counter him. Chrom did just that and struck with a powerful down slash. I blocked it with ease and hit it aside and planned to thrust the sword near Chrom's face. But he jumped back, anticipating my attack. I attempted another approach. I tried to aggressively attack Chrom, forcing him on the defensive, as I put him to a standstill, but he quickly broke through my relentless strikes and started his offensive.
"Okay, he's really strong, overwhelming strength is not an option."
I'll try my most original approach, the riskiest, but the most guaranteed for success. I went on the offensive agin, but this time I didn't attempt a hit on him, I just attempted to get closer, he tried a downwards slash, but I lean to the right and dodge it, he then attempts a sidewards strike, which I redirect to make it sure it didn't hit me. I literally danced my way through him as I either dodged or redirected any of Chrom's powerful strikes, and soon enough, I got very near him, near enough to subdue with my blade, but I saw Chrom smirk as I realised that I may have walked into his trap.
He uses some sort of special technique and disarms me. The crowd gasps at this manoeuvre and thought it was game over for me. Chrom tries a downward slash to finish the fight, but I knew I had to stop him from doing that. Though I knew Chrom was going to stop his strike mid-way, I couldn't see myself losing, so when Chrom let his sword down on me, I stopped it for him. Everyone watching looks in awe as I block his strike with my steel gauntlets. He looks at me with genuine shock as I wrestle to maintain control over his blade, while preventing the sword from cutting me. I immediately pushed the sword back so that Chrom would be off-balance for at least a second. I ran towards my sword on the floor nearby while Chrom gave chase. Under a second, I grabbed the blade and pointed at Chrom and closed my eyes to brace for impact.
But it never came.
I opened my eyes to see that Chrom nearly cut himself on my blade as he tried to run over to me. I looked at the audience to only see silence and shock. We both stared at each other before I sighed and sheathed my sword. He gives me a shocked look but he then laughs.
"You really got me there! I thought had you for a second!" he said as he slapped me on the back.
"Well, I used every advantage I had, so I had a better chance!" I replied.
"Yes, but who would've thought that those gauntlets would have won you that duel?" he said as he inspected my clothing.
In reality, even though I had won, I looked worse than Chrom, sweatier, smellier and messier. I remembered that I needed a bath so I asked Chrom.
"Hey Chrom, does your HQ have a washroom?" I asked with seriousness.
He just laughs and says.
"You can wash, after we make introductions!"
"Introductions with whom?"
"The other Shepherds of course!" he said as we walked out the door.
We walked outside of the barracks and headed to the building
From outside, I could hear Phila and the knight-commander start barking orders to the soldiers who were still watching the spectacle.
"Oh crap!" I suddenly realised.
"What?" Chrom asked.
"I forgot to pick up the pup and my master's horse! Just wait a second please, I'll just drop by the stables!" I said as I ran off.
I could only hear Chrom chuckle at my sudden change of attitude.
Hey guys, sorry for the LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG update, I had tons of vacation and school just came, but that's no excuse for slacking. I promise to have the 3rd chapter up by July 23. I have lots of schoolwork, so don't complain. But do leave another review. I need to be reminded on why I'm doing this story so be nice! Anyway, see you next month!
AN: I know that the scarecrow Risen do not appear this early in the game, but I don't care. BECAUSE IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT.