Hey guys I'm back with another chapter! This one is going to have a LOT of historical references and techniques. And if I get a historical fact wrong, let me know. But some of these historical facts are intended to be inaccurate so that it will a bit cooler.
Sorry if the battle scene feels a bit off, I had some problems with writing it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem. All franchises depicted in this story belong to their respective owners.
Marcus sat in bed and contemplated his present situation. He twiddled his thumbs in stress as he remembered his original purpose. He still needed to return to Jerusalem, his very salvation depended on it. But he needed to get clues, and the book of artifacts he had the perfect information. But in the meantime, he had to face the present challenge, leading a group of lesser-skilled warriors. These female knights were pampered and inexperienced, meaning that he would have to teach them the pressure and toughness of a real battlefield. But he had to lead them, he was the teacher and they were the students.
"There was one time I lead a troop of men…"
Marcus drifted to sleep and thought back to the earlier days of his career as a senior squire.
One year ago…
In the middle of the desert, Marcus, a few knights, and many men stood outside the fortress gate. The fortress contained many Arabic bandits, who had pillaged one of the supply lines to Templar-owned territories. The Templars have tasked Marcus and a few other skilled warriors to eliminate the bandits so that the trade and commerce would no longer be interrupted.
Most of the men that accompanied Marcus wielded axes or swords, and round shields, they wore chainmail and gambesson. Marcus and the accompanying knights were the only one wearing knightly armor, wearing a tabard bearing the red cross of the Templars, he wielded a bastard sword and a round shield. The men started charging the battering ram at the gates as one knight shouted out to his men.
"Remember men! These are brigands and infidels! Scum who wish to steal from those with a noble cause! These men have the nerve to unite and steal from those who serve the Lord. As soon as this gate falls, we will bring hell to these worms! I, Lucas Orban, your commander, will lead you to victory. FOR HONOR!"
The men cheered, repeating after him.
"FOR HONOR!"
Soon enough, the gate falls and Marcus and men storm in screaming. Marcus wielded his bastard sword as he charged into the fray. The bandits expected them as each bandit singled out Marcus' soldiers. Marcus and his men dueled with the bandits while an extra few men went past them to breach the building. Marcus went on to confront the brigands. One tries to slash down on him, but he dodges and slices his back. He blocks a strike from another and maneuvers away to slash another enemy. He then stabbed the brigand whose strike he blocked, He then sees another one try and slash down on him. Marcus parries it downwards and tries to swipe at him. The bandit ducks and swings long axe at Marcus, who blocks it with his shield but staggers from the force. His fellow knight comes up to assist as they nod at each other. Marcus deals with two more warriors, effectively slashing them while his comrade died at the hands of the axe wielder. Marcus then engages in a heated duel with the axe wielder.
"Hyaagh!" shouted Marcus as he tried another swipe.
The axe wielder ducks and tries to swing at Marcus. Marcus blocks with his shield and tries another slash, but misses and nearly gets slashed himself. Marcus then exchanges more blows with his opponent before holding his shield up to block an overhead blow. With his shield broken by the overhead blow, Marcus sees an opening and decides to take advantage,
Marcus stabs the barbarian in the gut and kicks him away. Marcus then discards his broken shield and looks around for many more foes as his fellow soldiers duel with bandits. He sees some soldiers at the top of the fort having trouble and decides to go help them. But he then saw more brigands going down the stairs, blocking his path. He screams.
"ARCHERS!" he commanded while pointing to the stairs.
He ran across the battlefield as arrows flew through the sky. All the bandits climbing down the stairs succumb to the arrow fire and Marcus gets a clear path to his trapped allies. He turns right at the hallway but then sees a large man with a large axe at the other side. Marcus does not stop and instead, draws his sword and charges in.
The large man tries an overhead strike but Marcus dodges to the side and smashes him to the wall. Marcus tries to slice his head, but the larger bandit ducks in time and grabs Marcus' head. He then proceeds to slam Marcus against the wall, causing Marcus to become disoriented as he fell to the floor.
"'adhhab 'iilaa aljahim!" he shouted in Arabic as he proceeded to finish off Marcus.
The man made the mistake of telegraphing his attack, because as soon as Marcus regained his senses.
He saw it coming from a mile away.
Marcus quickly grabs his sword and stabs the bandit's neck before the brigand could even finish him. The large man collapses to his knees and Marcus sets forward to help his fellow soldiers. His comrades were overwhelmed by the very skilled bandits, struggling to fight them off. Marcus confronts one bandit, he slashes at him, but the bandit parries the blow and slices Marcus, causing him to drop in pain. As the bandit nearly finished Marcus off, another soldier blocks the incoming strikes, saving Marcus and giving him enough time to recover.
The world suddenly froze for Marcus, as he slowly got up, he breathed heavily, exhausted by his wound and the constant battling. He hears a catapult fire as he sees his allies fall before him. He gets into stance as a ball of fire streaks through the sky. As soon as the ball of fire hit the wall, Marcus made a battle cry as he rushed back in.
He clashes with one bandit and parries the blow. The bandit tries to strike his side but he parries it and decapitates the bandit. He then kicks the next bandit. The bandit quickly recovers and tries to slash down on Marcus. Marcus blocks the incoming attack as he then smacks the bandits face with the pommel of his sword. As they neared the edge, Marcus then switches his blade's grip, grasping the blade with both hands, he does a Mordhau strike and hits the bandit's face with his sword's guard, causing the bandit to fall backwards and plummet to his doom.
Marcus sheathes his sword as he sees the rest of his platoon finish off the Arabic brigands, finally ending the battle. Lucas and the other knights join him as they stare down at the carnage.
They have won.
Marcus wakes up in a start, shocked that he had such a vivid dream of his past battle. The puppy seemed startled but went back to sleep. He looked out to see the sun barely rising. He had time to prepare. He decides to first get dressed. He searched for his armor but could not find it on the armor stand. He figured that Mikah might have taken it. He goes downstairs to the back, where he would most likely find his armor. As he enters the crafting room, he could not find his armor still, but he sees an open door and decides to check there. But what he saw shocked him.
He saw many shields, trinkets and armor pieces, all with the French coat-of-arms, or the familiar fleur-de-lis. He saw the familiar blue surcoats made for the elite knights of France. He looked in awe at the replications of the French fleur-de-lis, he didn't know what he was looking at. He saw a particular leather book on the workbench, but insisted not to check. He examines all the French-branded items, before he heard a crash of items as he saw Mikah behind him, with a face full of shock as she ignored the dropped items.
"Marcus! What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Err, I was looking for my armor and I came upon this room." Marcus calmly replied.
"You didn't touch anything?" she asked.
"No."
"Did you see a book here?"
"Oh, I saw it by the workbench, is it something important?"
Mikah breathed a sigh of relief as she dropped down to clean the stuff. Marcus stood idly as Mikah composed herself and set aside her belongings.
"What is with all these French items?"
As soon as Mikah heard this, she smiled a tired smile, not her usual, energetic smile. She then puts her hand on one of her works.
"When I first arrived in Ylisstol, I was put to work by Anna in exchange for shelter and food. I had a natural affinity for sewing, so I made clothing. But I was deeply homesick, so I started making French-branded items. The design itself grew in popularity and we made a fortune with these French-branded items."
Mikah looked at the brands with a growing smile.
"When I look at these items, I feel like I am back home, safe and warm."
Marcus looks into Mikah's purple eyes but realizes that they were a deep shade of blue. He needed to break the ice just to get Mikah to snap out of her daze. He takes a look at her clothing and notices completely new things. Instead of her normal French braid, she had her hair tied into a messy ponytail. She wore a white long sleeve shirt and a blue apron together with a pair of very short trousers, something Marcus was unfamiliar with. The outfit itself really exposed Mikah's voluptuous body, with her curves being more visible and her chest size being… Less subtle. Marcus couldn't help but make a comment.
"I've never seen you dress like that."
Mikah snaps out of her state and blushes red.
"Uh…"
"I have never seen something so… Figure-exposing." Marcus said while staring at her body.
Of course Marcus didn't mean to sound perverted but he was making it hard for Mikah to control herself. Mikah immediately hid behind her apron.
"I-I wear this all time in the morning! You just don't see me in it!"
Marcus still couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at her outfit. Mikah averts her gaze in embarrassment and Marcus decides to stop right there.
"So where is my armor?"
Mikah then returns back to her normal self and says.
"Oh! Just wait! I'll give it to you after breakfast. I made some eggs for you!"
"Whoah! Thank you so much Mikah!" Marcus excitedly said as he went to look for said food.
Marcus exits the room and Mikah goes to her workbench and quickly stuffs in the leather book.
"I have to hide this better…"
Marcus was satisfied with his breakfast as he gave the little pup a bit of food. He pets the wolf pup as he said.
"Enjoy this while you can, you're gonna have to hunt for this soon."
The pup happily chowed down on the leftovers of Marcus. Marcus stood up and decided to remind Mikah about his armor. But before he could stand up, he sees Mikah coming in with Marcus' armor. Marcus looked in amazement to see his armor was completely transformed. His eyes widened as he saw the familiar Templar cross with the newly-added tabard.
"Is this for me?"
Mikah averted her gaze and blushed a bit.
"I figured you needed a closet change. So I added a new tabard to your armor to add a little bit of personality."
Marcus tries on the armor and looks at his reflection. He gets the rest of the set and puts it on. He looks at himself in the mirror and props himself up.
"This is what I could have become. A Templar…"
Marcus was so happy with this new addition, it filled him with new vigor.
"I can't accept this gift, it's too much."
"Don't be so insensitive!" Mikah chided. "I worked hard on that, so you better be thankful!"
"Don't be mistaken, I'm really thankful Mikah. I just feel like I don't deserve this. But for your sake, I will wear it."
Mikah turned a bit red at this as Marcus looks outside and realizes.
"Oh! I still need to get the Academy! I'll be going now Mikah!"
Mikah sees Marcus as he rides off to the Academy's direction. Mikah walks back in and cleans up the table. Once she finished, she sat down and wrote in her diary.
"Looks like putting sleeping herbs in his food paid off. His nightmares have severely weakened. But I can't keep doing this forever, why can't I just tell him?"
At the foot of the mountainous border pass, the Ylisseans and the Danes have settled at the foot of the tall mountains. The dawn air was filled the songs of early birds and animals. The sun has barely risen over the mountains as it seemed so tranquil. But then, a sound of clashing steel filled the air.
Hagen roared as he swung his hammer axe at Felix. Felix blocks the strike with his shield and hits away the axe. Rune then rushes in to try and swing at Hagen. Hagen barely dodges Rune's swings and kicks him back. Felix tries another strike but Hagen parries the blow and kicks him down. Rune tries another strike but Hagen quickly turns and hits the young Dane with the blunt end of his axe. Rune falls as Hagen stood triumphantly over his two opponents.
"Hah! Looks like I win again!"
Rune and Felix groaned while getting up.
"Well, that concludes this sparring session." Rune said dryly.
"Yeah I need another swig."
"Hold it right there." Hagen said seriously.
"What?" both asked in unison.
"Our personal mead supply is running low, go to the nearby Farfort and fetch us some more."
"Why?" Felix asked.
"Do I really need to answer that?" Hagen deadpanned.
"No, I mean why us? Why not get any other man?" Felix asked.
"Well, none of our men can walk into the village, let alone go to somewhere public without everyone screaming BARBARIAN."
Rune sighed at this.
"How far is the nearest village?"
"Only a few hours walk from the Border Pass, you should be back by mid-noon if you make haste. We'll be waiting here."
"Okay, let's get moving Felix." Rune said while heading to the tents.
"But—"
"No buts, we might as well get a drink while we're there. We running out of mead after all."
"Fine. I'll just grab my water skins." Felix added dejectedly.
Rune walked away, while Hagen retreated to his quarters, where his wife, Brenda slept. The wyvern that he gifted her stayed outside. The wyvern knew best not to anger Hagen still remembering how their last encounter went. Hagen then proceeded to do some solo training, lifting large rocks, swinging his axe onto nearby training dummies. All other soldiers watched him with a bit of fear. Hagen stood at 7 feet tall and could easily mop the floor with any of the guardsmen. But Phila was very curious about him, so he approaches one of the Danes who was socializing with the Shepherds.
"Pardon me for the sudden question, but how strong is your chief?" Phila asked. "I have seen him go up against Ylisse's best knights and come out on top.
The Dane laughed as he tried to think of an answer.
"There was a popular legend that spread among our ranks." he said while taking a gulp.
"What is it?"
"They say that he was the son of a dragon."
"How does that even work?" Phila questioned. "What else did they say?"
"They said that Hagen's father, Chief Arnor was a celebrated warrior, that even the gods gave him praise. The one whom even the Valkyries always favored in battle. One day, Tyr the God of War came to him, offering him a gift. If Arnor could defeat his champion, then Tyr would give him the only thing that was missing in his life. Arnor eagerly accepted and fought the Tyr's champion, a large dragon with fiery red scales, who was the offspring of the greedy dragon Frænir."
Phila grew more interested at this. Their mythology was certainly a strange one. Where dragons were opponents instead of allies. Not even the greatest warriors in Ylisse would dare dream of attacking Naga herself.
"Arnor gets swallowed by the dragon and kills him from the inside. He cut himself out of the dragon and demanded for his gift. Tyr then transforms the corpse of the dragon into a beautiful woman with fiery, flowing red hair. Arnor marries the women and her first child was Hagen. They say that Hagen suckled from the dragon herself, giving him the strength of Tyr. Which was why we called Frænirsen, meaning Son of Frænir, for his mother was the offspring of Frænir himself."
So the notion of Hagen being a demi-god wasn't as ridiculous as the Ylisseans thought. Being born of a woman who was basically a dragon-incarnate was no laughing matter for those who believed in Naga. But the Danes thought of it as a good naptime story rather than truth.
Hagen trains some more. He swings his axe furiously, chopping the training dummies to pieces. His grunts and shouts made him look more intimidating, terrifying the spectators. He feels someone's presence as he turns around to see a small servant quaking in front of him. He could tell that she had something to say.
"What do you wish to tell me?" Hagen tried to ask in his least intimidating voice.
"L-Lady Emmeryn w-wishes to s-speak to you…"
Hagen was genuinely surprised that the Exalt of all people would wish to meet him. He then says.
"Tell your Exalt that I will meet her shortly."
Hagen propped himself up. He was meeting a lady of class and elegance, he had to learn to be like those fragile nobles. He walks his least intimidating walk as he went to Emmeryn's tent. The guard, standing outside the Exalt's tent, tried to suppress his fear as he looked in Hagen's eyes. Hagen's helmet and beard covered most of his face, making him seem less human. Hagen tries to reason with the guard, but a feminine voice from the tent speaks out.
"Is that Chief Hagen?"
Hagen cleared his throat before speaking.
"Yes, it is me Your Excellency. You called for me?"
"That I did Sir Hagen, please come in."
Hagen gives a nod to the still quaking guard and goes inside. He had to duck a little since the doorway was slightly shorter than he was. He sees Emmeryn sitting on one side of the table. Emmeryn gives him a smile and gestures to the seat across her.
"Please, have a seat."
Hagen complies and sits down, being careful not make the chair crumble under his muscular weight. Emmeryn then hands him a teapot.
"A cup of elderberry tea?"
"Thank you but no. I am not so fond of tea."
"Then what do you drink? Surely you and your men drink more than just mead."
"We drink buttermilk." Hagen replied. "It is a very creamy and satisfying beverage for those who are weary."
Emmeryn smiled at Hagen as she sipped from her cup. Hagen then asks.
"Excuse me Your Majesty, but what have you called me here for?"
Emmeryn puts down her cup and says.
"As a chieftain, how many people have led and watched over? And for how long?"
"I have led and watched over hundreds of households, which amounts to about thousands of people." Hagen replied politely. "I have been a chieftain since I got married, I have led my people for a peaceful fifteen years."
"So as a chieftain, you do hold some valuable insight."
"That I do Your Highness."
"Now I want to ask you, is war with Plegia inevitable?"
Hagen paused for a while. Did he hear her correctly?
"Did I hear you correctly?"
"Yes you did."
"I apologize, but why ask me? Surely your advisors have more experience in the matter."
"I know, but I need to know your answer. According to what Chrom has told me, you are an experienced commander, leading your men on many successful raids and campaigns. I need the insight of a more seasoned warrior."
Hagen stroked his beard at the thought and then said.
"Your Highness, if you truly want my answer, then I must say it bluntly. You cannot prevent the war with Plegia. You can delay it, but not prevent." Hagen said straightforwardly.
Emmeryn frowned at this, she was expecting a better answer than what her other advisors gave her.
"Why? Should the king not listen reason?"
"Is there not a reason why he is named the Mad King?"
"But even he would not go so far…"
"Even if you say he is not crazy, that makes it far worse. Those raids on your village, those kidnappings, the attempted aggravation with Ferox… If these were not actions made by a violent madman, then these would be decisions made by a perfectly rational man who has weighed all his options. If this Gangrel is not the Mad King that he truly is, then you have a problem. On one side, you have a man who blindly charges into war, harmless. On the other side, you have a perfectly rational man who has finally decided to go to war. Between you and me, I think that you are lucky enough to have an enemy like Gangrel."
Emmeryn frowned even more at this. But she shouldn't be surprised, Hagen was a warrior, of course he would consider war as a valid option.
"Are you suggesting war?" Emmeryn asked.
"Tis a bitter truth Your Excellency…"
"But that would be catastrophic for both sides! Both Plegia and Ylisse would lose many lives and homes!"
"That's why I'm suggesting you strike while Gangrel isn't expecting anything. You raid his villages, destroy strategic locations and take over before he has time to respond."
"But we would be murdering Plegians!"
"I mean no disrespect milady, but even though it is a leader's job is to ensure peace with other nations. But at the end of the day, when everything falls apart, a leader's loyalty is to his people."
Both stayed silent for awhile, until Hagen stands up.
"I best leave Your Majesty, I have other things to take care of."
"You best do that."
Hagen stands up and exits the tent. He shook his head at Emmeryn's idealism. In an exchange between two nations, be it war or diplomacy, one nation will have to get the short end of the deal. A leader's job is to make sure his nation doesn't get the short end. Many more citizens will have to suffer before she decides that enough is enough.
Meanwhile in the Plegian mountains, the Plegian convoy moved through the mountain range. With their hostage tied to her horse. They move quickly and efficiently, but little do they know that someone is watching them.
"I still don't understand why the face paint was necessary…" one guy cursed in disgust as he tried to wipe the thing off his face.
"Ssshh! Shut up! I'm spying here!"
"What are they doing?"
The convoy eventually passes and the duo walk out of their hiding spot. Revealing a man wearing a long sleeved white tunic under a brown vest, with a green kilt. He had long, unkempt brown hair, together with light skin and a very well-built body. He had dark brown eyes that looked reassured and confident, adding up to his aura of confidence. The other man had short, blond hair with a brown cloak over his body. He had a cross necklace that he wore around his neck. He had piercing, hazel eyes, eyes that could do God's work and bore into your very soul.
"Seems like they're heading down the mountain. Let's follow them."
"You know Angus, I do not understand why you are following these escorts."
"Trust me Father Aiden. We'll reach civilization in no time once we follow these soldiers back."
"I trusted you for five damned weeks! We've been stuck in this god-forsaken wilderness with no one to rescue us. I lost my tonsure to hair growth and I can't even cut it!" he screamed while pointing to the top of his head, presumably where his tonsure used to be. "I'd rather face those damn English! How will I explain to the Church and to God!?"
"Do not fret lad. We will be back soon." Angus said dismissively as he followed the tracks
Father Aiden groaned while following Angus but then freezes. Angus then stops and senses it too.
"You feel that?" Aiden asked.
"Yes, Deamhans. And nearby." Angus added, drawing his sword
(Deamhan is Scottish for Demon)
Aiden then sees some Risen spawn behind Angus. Aiden then brings out a Bible from his pocket and shouts.
"FULGURA LUX DEIUS"
The Risen get disintegrated by a bright of flash of light, they fall into pieces while Aden still holds on tightly to his Bible. He then sighs and tucks in his Bible saying.
"You really need to watch your back."
"Isn't that what you're for?" Angus teased.
Aiden rolled his eyes as he followed his Scottish companion down the same path the Plegians took.
In the Farfort…
Rune and Felix finally reach the edge of the Farfort, first seeing pig farms and many orchards outside. Once they entered the more urban areas, they saw only busy streets as far as the eye can see. The streets are filled with market stalls, with the merchants screaming the names of their merchandise. There were a fair share of young men and women going about, flirting and making merry. Rune rolled his eyes at the nearby girls who winked at him and Felix. They stop at the plaza and Rune says.
"I'll go look for a mead seller, you wait for me."
"Where will I meet you?"
Rune looked around for a bit, before pointing to the house behind Felix.
"Wait at the inn over there, here's some coin." Rune said while dropping a few gold pieces onto Felix's hands. "You can get a drink while I buy."
"Fair enough." Felix said, before heading to the inn.
Felix opens the door to the inn, to see a fairly crowded area filled with many men and women, who socialized as they drank down their drinks. Felix sees an empty stool on the bar front and decides to take it. He sits down and waits for the innkeeper or bartender. He sees a few women giggling and winking at him but pays them no heed.
Felix felt a bit nervous being alone like this. Being born only a few months after Rune, he was the youngest member of the Danish raiding party. He was used to drinking and making merry with his older brethren, and being alone put him right out of his comfort zone.
"Can I get you anything, handsome?" A feminine voice called out.
Felix breaks his train of thought to look for the source of voice. He sees a woman in front of him, wiping the table. She was a blonde with her long flowing hair tied into a large braid. She wore a frilly, white tunic that exposed her shoulders and wore a brown corset that wrapped her waist. She wore a short, blue skirt with a white underskirt. Lastly, she had a red ribbon near the neck of her tunic. She seemed unusually peppy and her chest was disturbingly wet from the wiping.
"Uh yes, could you get me some mead?"
"Coming right up!"
The barkeeper grabbed a mug and poured in some mead from the bottle. She hands him the mug and Felix brings the mug to his lips, chugging the alcoholic drink. But he was unnerved by the fact that the barkeeper was still watching him.
"Uh… You can go now."
"You must be new here." she added, ignoring Felix's attempts to shoo her away.
"What makes you say that?
"The fact that you don't know my name."
Felix felt a bit embarrassed that he was a bit easy to read.
"What brings you to the Farfort anyway?"
"Oh, I'm buying some alcohol for my comrades. Well, my partner is, he told me to wait here. We're mercenaries of sorts."
"Oh so you're a fighter! First time I've seen the likes of you around here! No wonder you look so… developed." she said while eyeing his muscles.
Felix takes another sip, hoping for the nosy barkeep to go away. The barkeep notices his uncomfortableness and asks.
"Is everything alright?"
"To be honest, I just want to—"
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"
Felix and the barkeeper turned their heads to see a formal-dressed man pointing sword at a common man. The common man fell backwards as he tried to back up.
"I have had enough of how you would win over Elisa with your money! My family may be poor but we are still noble!"
Felix hated bar fights, it always ruined his desire to drink.
"Bah! You think your noble blood will win her heart?! You're pathetic!"
"Silence!"
Felix didn't want a scene, so he rushes in and blocks the strike.
"Wha-?"
"Let's not be too hasty!" Felix said.
"Don't interfere!" the nobleman screamed.
"Think about this! It's not worth it!"
The nobleman regains his senses and sees the scene he has caused. He quietly slips away. Felix then offers the downed man a hand but the man refuses and stands up by himself and retreats outside. Felix is left confused by the situation while the barkeeper, runs to him happily saying.
"Thank you so much for breaking up that fight! Those two men have been vying for my love and come here regularly! I usually entertain them but I did not take them seriously until they resorted to violence."
"Why would they fight over a girl?"
"I have many suitors, yet I did not choose one."
"How many?"
"Let's just say that if I married all those who said they want me, now I would have so many husbands. All men who stay at this inn immediately fall in love with me."
"Well, that's rather impressive Miss...?"
"Elisa." Elisa said before asking. "And you?"
"My name is Fe—"
Another scream rang out as Felix had to rush out to the door. Elisa stops him and says.
"Your money!" she said while pointing to the bar
"That's okay! Keep the change!"
"But you gave too much money—And he's out…" Elisa cursed while contemplating on her next move. "I should return his money"
Felix ran out to see the village in chaos, with some soldiers rushing to reach many places and Rune fighting some dark corpses with glowing eyes. Felix then raises his shield to block an incoming strike from an undead swordsman. He then stabs the swordsman and kicks him back.
"Rune! What's happening!?"
"Draugr are raiding the village! The local militia can't contain the attack and civilians are getting slaughtered."
Rune then fights against a swordsman, he tries hitting the swordsman with two strikes but the swordsman blocks both strikes. The swordsman then hits Rune with the pommel of his sword and knocks him down. Felix runs in and blocks the incoming strike and saves Rune from the finishing blow.
"Get up quickly! We have to end this as soon as possible!"
Rune gets up, using his two axes as a support. Felix duels against two Risen swordsman, choosing carefully between attacking and defending. That was until…
"Sir! You forgot your pouch of money!" Elisa screamed, running to him.
Felix looks to see an undead spearman creep up on Elisa, so he leaves his position and says to Rune.
"Rune cover for me! I got to save the girl!"
Rune quickly takes over for Felix, carefully dueling with weapon-superior swordsmen. Felix then screams.
"Elisa behind you!"
Elisa screams as she sees the undead man nearly kill her. Felix blocks the strike just in time and duels intensely. Felix gets slashed in the side and then stabs the spearman. He holds his injured side as he told Elisa.
"Elisa! Take cover! I'll call you out once the danger has passed!"
A panicked Elisa nods and runs to nearby cover.
Felix then rejoins Rune, who defeats the two swordsmen. They are joined by some of the local soldiers. They then stood back to back as they braved the incoming draugr hordes.
Hagen was quietly meditating, before he hears some commotion outside. Hagen exits his tent and follows the soldiers who were taking defensive positions. The Pegasus Knights began watching their flanks as Hagen decided to call his men. Brenda stays close to her wyvern as she walked up next to Hagen.
"Danes! To me!"
All the Danish raiders joined Chief Hagen, forming their own group. The Shepherds also formed their own group. They look to the top of the hill to see a maroon haired man with a strange crown and frilly clothes. He is joined by a tanned woman with white hair and revealing black clothes.
"What's this, then? The exalt herself, in all her radiance? I fear I must shield my eyes! Bwa ha ha ha!"
Hagen grimaced at the mocking tone of the king.
"King Gangrel, I've come for the truth of this unfortunate incident between us."
"Truth? I will tell you the truth." the white-haired woman said.
"Perhaps milady may share her name?"
"Aversa, you may call me Aversa."
"Very well, Aversa. Is Maribelle unharmed?"
"Who? Oh yes, that little blonde brat."
The soldiers bring up a blonde woman tied to a horse. The blonde woman wore frilly dress and wore a ribbon with her strange blonde locks.
"This girl crossed the Plegian border without our consent. And what's more... She wounded the brave Plegian soldiers who sought only to escort her safely home."
Hagen knew that was a lie.
"LIES! You speak nothing but lies, hag! Did they not teach the meaning of the word "truth" in wretched-crone school?!" Maribelle screamed.
"See? No manners!" Aversa added with a smirk.
"Such a violent temper speaks to her guilt. This will call for a weighty punishment. And if she were to later confess to being an Ylisse an spy? My goodness! It would take an act of CONSIDERABLE good faith to repair our relations."
Hagen was expecting extremely high demands from the King. He did not like where these negotiations were going. Maribelle tried to explain herself about the raids by the Plegians, but Hagen knew it to be useless. He has dealt with these shady dealings as a former raider, this parley was going nowhere. Gangrel had already threatened to cut off her head, and much worse, Chrom and spoken out of line. This was going downhill and Hagen knew it.
"Now then, Your Graceliness. Perhaps we can arrange a trade? You give me the Fire Emblem, and I return Mari Contrary here in one piece."
"You would ask for Ylisse's royal treasure? But why?"
"Because I know the legend! The Fire Emblem is the key to having all one's wishes realized. I have desired it for years. YEARS! ...Yet my birthday comes and goes each year, and nothing from Ylisse. Heheh…" he said while cackling maniacally.
"But the Emblem's power is meant for a single purpose, King Gangrel: to save the world and its people at their hour of most desperate need. Would you claim a more noble wish?"
"Ugh... Taaaaaalk talk-talk-talk-talk. It's time to speak louder than words! This negotiation is over, Your Luminosity! I shall have the Emblem if I have to pry it from your shiny dead hands!"
King Gangrel sends some brigands to attack Emmeryn's guard. Chrom strikes one down and says.
"Stay back! Or you'll all suffer the same fate!"
Hagen took this as a chance to draw his weapon.
"Come on men! Valhalla awaits!"
"AYE! For God!" the Danes screamed back.
King Gangrel seemed genuinely surprised at Hagen's presence.
"Oh? What's this? A group of barbarians?" King Gangrel asked with much amusement. "I never took you to be a brigand lover, Your Graceliness."
"You have triggered this war with those whom we pledged to aid!" Hagen screamed while pointing an accusing finger at Gangrel. "You and your warriors will learn to live like the rest of us!"
More brigands charged in at Hagen's group. Hagen dispatches three men with one mighty swing. The other Danes kill the Plegians with little to no difficulty.
"Now that's a declaration of war if I've ever heard one... A big, messy war that will bleed you Ylisseans dry. Bwa ha ha!"
Hagen forgot one crucial detail, the hostage, they still had the hostage, that meant that they could kill her since the deal was off. He had to think of something.
"Men! Charge! We must save the Ylissean hostage!"
The Danes charged in with great morale, carelessly cutting down the Plegians that dare stood in their way. The Shepherds followed close behind while Chrom tells Phila.
"Phila! Escort the Exalt to a safer place! The Shepherds and I will help Hagen and the Danes!"
Phila quickly escorts Emmeryn to the carriage before nodding at Chrom
"Be safe Prince Chrom."
But then, a messenger arrives on horseback and tells Chrom.
"Prince Chrom! The Farfort near the Border Pass is being raided by Risen!"
"What!? How!?"
"Bwahahaha! Looks like your little village is done for!"
"You summoned them, didn't you!?"
Hagen overheard this and was furious. He had practically sent Rune and Felix to their deaths in that village. He fought with even greater fury to reach the Plegians. He slapped aside many men who dare even face his might. He points his finger at Gangrel.
"You! You will pay in blood!"
"We'll see about that!" King Gangrel replied before rejoining his soldiers to retreat.
Hagen then sees to his horror, Aversa walking up to Maribelle. Her hand glowed a dark flame as she said.
"Poor, stupid girl... Are you really worth fighting a war over? Years from now, you'll be remembered only as she who destroyed House Ylisse."
"No… Please… No…"
Aversa nearly uses her spell but a wind spell incapacitates the soldiers. Revealing a short, maroon haired boy, with a spell book in his hands.
"Wha—!?"
"Maribelle! Go you're free!" the short boy shouted.
"RICKEN!? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, is this your little boyfriend? How sweet!"
"Don't belittle me!" Ricken growled as he threw another wind spell.
Aversa gets hit as she staggers. Ricken and Maribelle take the chance to run, but they are ambushed by two brigands waiting in hiding. The dark mages then set upon the trapped duo, until…
"YARGH!" a scream rang out as a man from the bushes ambushes the two brigands. The man wore the familiar brown vest and green kilt. It was Angus.
The man quickly dispatches the two brigands. He stabs the first one, then knees the second one then decapitates him. More Plegians come in to confront him, he rushes in with his sword. One axeman tries to swing at him but he parries the blow, kicks him back and slices his neck. He then stabs another axeman running at him, he ducks under the swing and stabs him in the stomach. He is relieved after killing the last axeman, but he still worries about the dark mages aiming for them. He screams.
"Aiden! Now!"
The priest comes out and brings out his Bible saying.
"DOMINUS PROTECTOR"
The Plegian mages launch an attack that doesn't even faze them as Aiden summoned a shield. Aiden then charges a spark in his hands, saying.
"Using dark magic is considered witchcraft. The only punishment for witchcraft, is death."
The Plegian mages tried to run away, but the priest then says.
"PERCUTIAT INFIDELUM"
The Plegian sorcerers fell one by one, as many lightning bolts came and struck them down. Aiden smirks in satisfaction and closes his Bible. Angus tended to Maribelle and Ricken.
"Are you two alright?"
"Yeah, we're fine, we need to get to the Shepherds! Let's go!" Ricken said while attempting to run, but a hand on his shoulder stops him.
"Kid, we got bigger problems." Angus said while pointing at the numerous archers, and mages coming their way.
"Well we can't just stand and fight and if we run, they'll shoot us down!"
"We need to get Maribelle to safety! She has no weapon to defend herself with!"
Angus then stroked his chin. He then has an idea.
"Ricken, was it? You can use those spells right?"
"Yes! What do you want me to do?"
Maribelle's screams are heard as Angus carries her downhill, running as fast as he could. Aiden and Ricken provided cover fire for him as he ran towards the Shepherds and Danes at the bottom of the hill. But Maribelle wasn't making it easy.
"Unhand me you skirt-wearing brute!" she screamed while slapping him. "I will not allow myself be treated like a piece of luggage!"
Angus sighed deeply as he neared the Shepherds. Chrom then raised his sword, saying.
"Unhand the girl, unless you wish to be cut down!" Chrom growled.
Angus puts Maribelle down slowly.
"Do not worry, I am not your enemy. I came to deliver your hostage."
Lissa came rushing over to Maribelle, who had passed out from the sheer intensity of the situation. They carried her off to the tents as Chrom and the Danes gathered. Ricken and Aiden quickly caught up. The soldiers then huddled up to discuss the plan. It was finally Robin's time to shine.
"So Fredericson, what do we got?" Robin asked while staring at the incoming enemies
"Other than a nickname you should never use again. We have about five axemen, four myrmidons, three mages, three dark mages, and five wyvern riders. We also have a platoon of about sixty men coming our way."
Robin stared up the mountain and saw only one way of doing this..
"We can't just stay down here and wait for them, we will be rundown by those wyvern riders if we decide to retreat to a safer position. So here is my plan, we have the Danes charge and break a hole into the common infantry, from there, the Shepherds will take care of the elite units like the myrmidons and mages to make sure the Danish charge isn't harassed. The priest, Ricken, Miriel, Virion and I will stay behind and provide support. Frederick, Sully, and Stahl will provide needed cavalry support, since they have a lack of land cavalry with them. Brenda will provide air support, should those wyvern riders decide to attack early. Lissa, Vaike and Mr. Skirt guy will be staying behind to watch over Maribelle. Sumia will take care of any injured and bring them to Lissa."
"It's Angus, not Skirt guy!" Angus growled.
"And I am Father Aiden, but just call me Aiden."
"Well okay, Aiden and Angus, we barely met you and we don't know your intentions, but I am trusting you to stick with us and help us, okay? We don't have the time for semantics, got it?"
"Got it." both said, preferring not to argue.
"What about me?" Kellam asked, making Robin jump.
"Uh yeah, you and Lon'qu form the backlines and clean up anything that gets past our line."
The Shepherds and the Danes got into position. The Danes formed the first line, with Hagen leading the charge alongside Chrom. Kellam would be at the back, together with the skirmish units. Brenda and Sumia were waiting on the flank for Robin's go signal. Frederick, Sully and Stahl had begun running around to look for the opportunity to do cycle charges.
"Ready?" Robin asked everyone.
"AYE!" the Danes shouted.
The rest of them just nodded.
"Then CHARGE!"
The Danes charged once again, screaming a battle cry that caused the infantry in front of them to waver. Hagen raises his axe and plunges it into one Plegian. His subordinates then follow behind, slaughtering the lesser-skilled infantry. Hagen swat them away like they were flies, as he killed every man who dared enter his range of attack. The Danes were preoccupied with the infantry, Robin shouts.
"Keep up the pressure!"
The more elite units came to attack, the myrmidons came in and attempted to take on the Danes. Robin then points towards them, saying.
"Don't let them interfere! We need to finish off these infantry."
Robin then raises a Thunder spell to stop them in their tracks. Virion fires down on the Plegian Mages, having no luck in scoring kills. One dark mage fires a spell at Robin, causing him to stagger in pain. Aiden then fires a spell at the mage, defeating the dark mage, and then checks up on Robin. Miriel covers for Aiden as Aiden bends to help
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Robin replied dismissively before standing up to fight.
Hagen swings his axe at an approaching axeman, killing the foolish Plegian. Hagen sees some of his men falter as they become wounded by the more elite Plegians. Hagen roars in rage as he goes into a fury to save his men. He swings his axe at one then kicks another away. He then grabs one smaller Plegian and throws him away before plunging his giant axe into him. He then counts about four injured Danes.
"Chrom! Cover for me! I must get my men back to safety!"
Chrom moves to distract the Plegians as Sumia rushes in to assist. Hagen hurriedly gets his injured men to her as he put their bodies on her pegasus. Sumia then screams.
"I'm sorry but the pegasus can only hold at least three people, I can only bring two men with me!"
Hagen grimaced, every second was precious in saving the lives of his men. But, like a miracle, Brenda comes with her wyvern, saying.
"Leave the rest to me Hagen."
Brenda gets the other two injured Danes onto her wyvern and hurriedly flies back to Lissa. Hagen smiled as he watched her leave.
"I still don't regret marrying her."
Hagen's thoughts are interrupted by men screaming, seeing that Frederick and his horsemen began charging the infantry. Hagen takes this as a sign to get back into the fight.
Robin notices the allied infantry getting a little thin. They were being overwhelmed by the numerous infantry joining the fight. Robin could count about thirty men including the remaining elite infantry taking on their measly seven. Chrom, Hagen and four other men were getting overwhelmed and the cycle charges by Frederick's group could only do so much. Robin then draws his Bronze Sword and tells the skirmishers.
"Cover for me! I'm going in to provide melee support!" Robin said, befogging asking. "Kellam? Lon'qu? Where are you?"
"I'm here." Lon'qu replied.
"I've been here all this time."
"Well, you two are joining me. We have to support Chrom and the soldiers."
Robin, Lon'qu and Kellam charged in to provide support. The normal infantry began to rout as they saw Hagen effortlessly kill them. They begin to run as Hagen roared in triumph over the normal infantry.
"He's a demon!"
"Run for your lives!"
"He's invincible, we can't win this!"
Robin smiled at this, with the routing infantry, there were only twenty men left, but the wyvern riders were moving in. Frederick moves in to try and contain the wyvern riders, but only one wyvern rider was distracted. The other three came in and brought hell.
The Danes stood no chance against the flying cavalry, being cut down by the merciless riders. Hagen grit his teeth as he ran in to confront them. Hagen smashes one wyvern with his axe, causing the rider to fall off. Robin and Chrom try desperately to keep attention off Hagen as they fought off the remaining infantry. Kellam was combatting another wyvern rider but the third one was clearly the commander.
"The prince!" the commander said before charging at him. "I won't ask for your name. Only your life!"
Chrom was immediately charged by the wyvern rider, but easily dodges it as he stepped to the side. Robin was the only one left to take care of the infantry. Hagen fights more and more, trying to swat away the last of the Plegians, but feels a sharp pain in his back. A Plegian mage had snuck in a spell and hit him in the back. Hagen staggers for a bit, leaving him vulnerable to attack. Some of the routing infantry returned to the battlefield and began to overwhelm the last few fighters, Robin, Kellam, Lon'qu, Chrom and Hagen. Hagen collapses from the spell and a wyvern rider comes in to finish him. Even the mages could not save them as they got surrounded by several men. That was until…
"CHARGE!"
Robin wearily looks at the source of the noise. He sees Frederick, Sully, Stahl and Sumia cut down the skirmishers as they ran down the infantry. He then sees Vaike and Angus charge in with their weapons out, hooting and crying out in excitement. The sudden charge confuses the Plegians and they are cut down without a thought. Lon'qu then takes this chance to kill his distracted enemies. Angus masterfully slices the remaining Plegians, killing them with ease as he broke through the ranks of Plegians. Brenda charges in to ambush the unsuspecting wyvern rider, saving her husband from the final blow. Chrom successfully survives the assault from the commander and kills the mount, causing the commander to dismount his dead wyvern.
Chrom duels heatedly with the enemy commander. He successfully breaks the commander's strike and stabs him. As the commander fell to his knees, he says weakly.
"It matters not… Soon war will be upon your soil…"
Chrom grimaced at the thought of another violent war like those before him. He leaves the man to die as looks at the carnage to see that the battle was over. All the Danes were injured from the battle except Brenda. Kellam and Lon'qu were a bit bloody from their fight with the wyvern riders. Robin had many cuts on his body, while Chrom had a few nicks himself. Frederick and the other horsemen were bleeding from their fight with both infantry and wyvern riders. Lissa and the reserves were relatively unharmed.
Brenda helps Hagen up as the see the rest of the Ylissean army come to their aid, with many healers coming to tend to the injured. After checking all the soldiers, thankfully, no one died. It was either just a flesh wound or broken bones. Emmeryn looked horrified to see so many of them injured. They had to rest for awhile before heading back to Ylisstol. Once he was healed up, Chrom walks up to Emmeryn saying in an ashamed tone.
"Forgive me, Emm. I acted rashly."
"It's all right, Chrom. King Gangrel is the one at fault here. You were only protecting me."
Hagen had to admire Chrom's relationship with his sister. Most royalty would just let them die so they could take the throne.
"The Mad King will be rallying his forces, if they have not mobilized already. I suggest we make haste back to Ylisstol and discuss our strategy." a fully healed Frederick said, joining in.
"Of course, Frederick. It seems war is upon us. We must protect the Ylissean people at all costs."
Emmeryn then walks over to the Danes, who were newly-healed and were at awe by the magic. The ones who weren't at awe, were just laughing.
"Not bad for our first time, eh Chief?"
"Not too bad indeed Bjorn. We must be more careful next time." Hagen replied.
Emmeryn then walks up to Chief Hagen. She bows and says.
"You and your men have my deepest gratitude Chief Hagen. Thank you for fighting alongside and protecting Chrom and the others."
"It was nothing Your Highness."
"You were right, the war could not be prevented. I feel so foolish to think that I could have brought peace with just negotiating."
"Do not dwell on it Your Excellency."
Hagen then remembers Felix and Rune. He says.
"Excuse me Your Grace, but my men and I must leave again. We must get to the Farfort immediately!"
Chrom joins in as he hears the conversation. He wears a face full of shock as he realizes.
"Of course! The Farfort is still under attack by Risen! If we hurry, we might able to save the townspeople!"
"I will return to the capital and organize our armies." Emmeryn said. "I will wait for you in Ylisstol.
"Be safe Emm." Chrom said worriedly.
"You too Chrom." Emmeryn said with a reassuring smile.
As Emmeryn leaves, Chrom and Hagen then prepare to march. They walk towards the general direction of the village. The recovered Danes followed close behind as they began to run.
"We must hurry Chrom! Rune and Felix are in that village!" Hagen said while running.
"Then let us not waste any time! SHEPHERDS! We march for the Farfort!"
The recovered Shepherds waste no time and follow together with the Danes. Robin runs up to Chrom, still wrapped in some bandages.
"Where exactly are we going on such short notice?"
"The Farfort still needs our help Robin!"
"Let's go!"
And that is it for this chapter! Wow! This chapter is almost as long as Chapter 2! I feel the Highlander cameo was a little half-assed, so I might be posting updates to improve this soon.
Also, please give me advice in writing accents for Scottish or Irish characters.
Questions
1. Since For Honor is coming very soon, what faction will you be playing as?
2. The fight scene in the first part is inspired by what game trailer?
3. This is a rather new question, but give me full details of my OC as characters. Their good traits. Their bad traits. Their quirks. Their beliefs. Anyone who can send me a fully detailed and objective details will get credit in the next chapter.
Also, I would like to announce that User deeed22 has gotten the answer right in the last chapter question! The manga was "Yasashi Sekai no Tsukurikata"
Star Geman - I put in the murderstroke or Mordhau stroke. IS YOUR LIFE COMPLETE!?
Note: Sorry, Sugouxxx, I couldn't implement all your desired traits for Lucas. This was just a mere cameo.
Now finally, I am considering one LAST warrior from Earth.
Hashashim- Khalid al-Mulawwith, a bastard child of an Italian Crusader and an Arabian prostitute. (Will appear as an admirer of Mikah)
Maharlika - Sri Tegar, a Catholic feudal tribal warrior from Cebu who was tragically killed by Non-Christian tribesmen.
Aztec Jaguar - Tenoch, a noble jaguar warrior who was killed by the Spanish Conquistadores