Holy Belatedness, this took way too much time to get up. Don't worry, the chapters will start moving mre quickly now that it's starting up.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, just the characters within the story. With that, on with the show.

Chapter 2: Reunion

Carrick grinned happily at Richard as they walked down the Queen's Pass.

"Well, Milord, your girlfriend is awaiting right at the end of this corridor. Aren't you excited?"

"I know Carrick, but don't forget there's also a battle on the other side as well, one I'm not looking forward to fighting." Richard replied, just before adding "And how many times must I tell you, she's not my girlfriend!" almost as an afterthought.

"Relax, Milord, you know I only jest." Carrick said. "As for that battle, though…" Carrick turned to look at the two soldiers riding down the passage beside them. "Logan, Jason, what was the situation of the battle before you left? I want to get a basic idea of what to expect from this little rescue mission."

"May I?" Jason asked, looking over to Logan. Logan simply nodded, and Jason began to talk. "Well, we were dispatched from the court to provide backup for a messenger who was sent away to Dunis just before the battle began. The enemy had just breached the city gates, so we knew we needed reinforcements quickly. We rode out, got attacked by bandits, got rescued by you two, and you know the rest."

"Yes," said Carrick, "but what about the castle's defenses? I would really prefer not walking out the other side of this passage straight into the Armasian army."

"Carrick, have you ever been to Irilia?" asked Jason.

"No, that's why I'm asking about what defenses the castle has."

"Well, if you'd ever seen the front gate to Irilia Castle, you wouldn't be worried about much in the way of enemies breaching the gates. The Gate is made of two inch thick solid iron, with special mechanizations required to open it. Beyond that gate is a huge courtyard, with archers assigned to every battlement surrounding it. At the other end of the courtyard are several flights of stairs, at the top of which is another mechanical gate to enter the throne room. The enemy had just entered the city when Logan and I left, so the gates should still be holding strong."

"Wait." Richard said, snapping out of the concentration he'd been holding as the group walked down the passage. "What about the townsfolk? If the city's been breached…"

Logan looked over to Richard. "Don't worry about them, we had time to prepare before Armasias started their siege, so the villagers had time to either escape from the city or into the catacombs beneath the castle."

"Now, these "mechanical gates" that you were talking about, Jason," Carrick said, looking at the red haired cavalier, "what exactly did you mean by that?"

"The gates of Irilia Castle are constructed to open automatically at the command of those inside the gate. When the order is given to open the gate, a lever inside the keep is pulled, causing a series of activities in the castle's walls that end with the gates swinging open to the outside."

"Fascinating." Carrick said while picturing the system in his mind. "But to open such heavy gates, huge amounts of energy would be required. Where does it all come from?"

"That would be classified information." Logan said without missing a beat.

Jason sighed. "He's right, actually. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything more about the power source in Irilia city. We suspect that letting knowledge of the source get out before was what brought the Armasian army down on us in the first place. Let's just say that the castle powers itself."

"Ok, you make a good point, Jason. We'll not ask any more questions for now." Richard said. "Anyway, the end of the passage is coming up. Everyone, be prepared for anything that might be on the other side of that door."

Richard leaned against the door and pushed, sliding it forward. As he stepped into the room, several lances were almost immediately pointed at his face and torso. He was just beginning to back away slowly when he was noticed by someone in the crowd of soldiers.

"Guards, halt! Lower your weapons!" yelled a girl as she took a look at Richard. She was young, about Richard's age, with long brown hair that fell to the middle of her back. Beside her were two men, retainers, Richard guessed. "Richard, is that you? I'm so glad to see you. We need your help."

"So I've heard, Milady Amia. One of your messengers arrived at Dunis castle earlier this morning telling of the attack." Richard said, quickly regaining his composure. "Carrick and I had just set out to help you when we ran into a few of your soldiers on our way. How's the situation now?"

The main gate has been breached, and the battle has moved to the courtyard below." Amia said urgently. "Fortunately, the throne room is barricaded, so we're safe for now in here. The door is constructed with special mechanisms that only allow it to be opened from the inside." With this, Amia gestured over to a large switch near the entrance. "As long as the gate control remains sa-"

"Don't say that, milady." The archer said, cutting her off. "I apologize for interrupting, milady, but say that there's only one way things can go wrong, and you can be sure that Mr. Murphy will want to have a few words with you."

Richard stood back for a moment, looking bewilderedly at the young archer. "Right. I take it you are one of Amia's retainers?"

"Yes." The archer said, bowing slightly. "I am Clarke, of House Tiras."

"And I am Timothy, priest of the Church of the Goddess Enara and advisor to Lady Amia." The young cleric said, bowing along with Clarke. "We are pleased to make your acquaintance, young prince of Dunis."

'As am I to make yours." Richard said, offering his hand to Timothy. "And this is Carrick," he continued, "My royal mage and tactician. We've come to help."

"Splendid!" Timothy said. "How many legions have you brought for our reinforcements?"

"Actually, we didn't bring any." Carrick said, moving forward to face Timothy. "As a fellow tactician, you must understand the difficulties of mobilizing a large force on such short notice, not to mention the risk of starting another war with Armasias should Irilia fall today. If that were to happen, both of our countries would have fallen, and you, milady, would have nowhere to run to."

"What did you say? We needed help in this war, and you chose to bring only yourselves? You two may be the most id-"

"Hold, Timothy." Amia said, her arm stretched out to block Timothy from moving closer. "I understand that what you did was in the best interests of your country. As a fellow leader, I understand your decision. Now, why did you come here when you could have waited in Dunis?"

"Well, your highness," Carrick said with a bow, "Milord here got the idea to up and run off to help you escape should things get out of hand, and I was dragged along for the ride."

"Is that really your reason, Richard? You came all this way just to protect me?"

Richard began to sweat. "Well, I just thought…you know…" Before he could finish the sentence, however, Richard was interrupted by a commotion over by the gateway. One man on guard duty had apparently tried to open the gate, and was now fighting his fellow guards.

"I can't believe how easy you pathetic Irilians are to infiltrate!" the man said, jumping though the guards surrounding him and pushing the gate switch. "At this rate, Lord Axion will take the capital in hours!" The guards subdued the spy, but the damage was already done. Dozens of Armasian troops poured into the throne room, followed by the bleakest looking man Richard had ever seen. He wore no armor, only a red frock coat with white pants. Even with this lack of protection, the man still sliced his way through many of the Irilian soldiers without so much as being scratched.

Richard readied his sword, preparing for a long battle. "Carrick, get ready, we need to protect Princess Amia. Everyone, move out!"