Author's Note: Fire Emblem does not belong to me, but to Nintendo.
Fire Emblem:
Blazing Sword of Justice
Chapter Two: Sword of Spirits
The gentle blanket of night surrounded the sacred Shrine of Spirits. The stars twinkled down on its surroundings; a forest to the north and hilly ridges to the south. A little west of the shrine was a small gathering of houses, not even large enough to be called a village.
This was the sight that greeted Glass, who stood atop of one of the nearby ridges. Biting viciously into a chicken leg and chewing noisily, he stared at the shrine. It was said that a sacred blade was housed in this shrine. A sacred blade is only worthy to a great swordsman like himself. He would claim this blade, and the lives of anyone who would try to stop him.
The sun had barely begun to peek across the tops of trees and already the four travelers were on their way. Faren yawned and stretched her arms to the sky. She smacked her lips quietly, obviously still lost in the lands of dreams. Perhaps it was because of soothing voice that spoke to her so kindly. If only she could remember the words or the sound of the voice...
"Milady Faren, are you well?" Kent's voice broke her dream reverie. She blinked and looked at him, who was looking fairly concerned at her atop his horse, Gavin. Lyn had also paused to look back her, wearing an identical expression. Only Sain seemed to not be serious.
"Milady Faren, has some lout bewitched your heart? Would it be one of sand colored hair and duty bound to country and king?" Sain's tone made Kent's eyes roll and received echoing laughs from both Lyn and Faren.
Faren waved them all off. "Of course I'm fine! I'm excited about our trip to the Shrine of Spirits! Lyn, tell me more about it!!" She quickly changed the subject, tiring of all the questions about her.
"Well..." Lyn eased Rain back into a soft trot, following Kent's lead. "The Mani Katti is a sacred sword held in the shrine at the east. We people of Sacae go there to pray at the beginning of a journey."
"Oh...how quaint!" Sain chirped from behind Faren. "To think that such ancient customs are still followed..."
Kent nodded. "The teachings of St. Elimine have the most followers in Elibe. It indeed warms my heart to see these customs still followed..."
"Ah!" Faren pointed in the distance, where the Shrine of Spirits stood proudly. "At last I will be able to see the sacred blade myself!"
Lyn chuckled, but was cut short by a woman's scream. "What was that? Let's go investigate!" And with a snap of Rain's reins, she galloped toward the shrine, her three companions following close.
Inside the shrine, a shrine maiden had screamed, falling to the marble floor and dropping the sacred water. It spilled forward onto the dark blue carpets that lined the shrine's floor. She shivered at the man before her, clad in scraggly bandit clothes. Behind him, four dirty bandits, each dressed sparsely and carrying either an axe or a sword.
Glass glared down at the woman. "Still thy tongue or I shall remove it." The woman nodded, backing against the wall. The other bandits chuckled.
Glass walked up the shrine's steps and seized the ornate sword sheathed in it's scabbard off of it's special altar. At that same moment, a nearby door opened to the left, and an elderly priest, clad in the signature blue robes of St. Elimine and bishop's hat emerged. He uttered a gasp as his eyes fell upon Glass.
Glass pointed his unsheathed sword toward the old man. "Old man! Stay where you are and hold your tongue!"
The priest clasped his amulet of St. Elimine around his neck, his wrinkled hands shaking. "Threaten me as you will, but the divine protection of the Mani Katti will pass judgment upon you! You shall not use it!"
Glass scoffed at the old priest, his lackeys echoing the same howl. None of them noticed the shrine maiden crawling close to the door. "You're a fool, old man. What good is a sword, if you cannot use it?!"
The priest gasped. "Use it? In combat?! Sacrilege!!" Glass rolled his eyes, gripping the still sheathed Mani Katti in his left hand. "Sacrilege? I am Glass! The gods fear my name! My swordplay is peerless! If I want this sword, then this sword I shall have! This sword was made for a swordsman of my skill..."
With greedy eyes, Glass stepped back, a pair of his underlings stepping in front of him and sneering at the priest. He leaned his sword against a pillar, and gripped the Mani Katti's sheathe in one hand and it's hilt in the other. "Truly a marvelous blade..." . The Mani Katti's sheathe was decorated in an array of rubies and emeralds. From the sun's rays that slipped through the drawn windows of the shrine, the gems shined and sparkled like no other. With eager anticipation, Glass pulled on the hilt, expecting to see the gleam of a peerless blade. To his surprise, the sword did not budge.
"What's this? I can't...draw the sword from it's scabbard..?" Glass tugged as hard as he can, his lackeys urging him on. With all of their attention focused on the reluctant sword, the priest noted out of the corner of his eye that the shrine maiden slipped out the door. Good, he thought. I pray to St. Elimine's good graces that Annabelle be safe...
The priest turned his attention back to Glass, a triumphant look decorated the old man's face. "The spirits of the blade have judged you. You have been found wanting. They have rejected you and your black heart!"
"What?!" Glass roared. He grabbed the priest by the collar and pulled him close, sneering. "Listen, you senile old fool, if you value your life, you'll get out of my sight!" And with that he threw the poor priest upon the cold marble floor. With a soft groan, the priest fell into unconsciousness.
Glass meanwhile was having a tantrum. He swung the Mani Katti around, yelling something unknown. One of his lackeys called out to him. "Glass! Mind your temper!"
"Cursed spirits!! He howled, ignoring the other man's words. "Miserable souls! I care nothing for you! I'll tear this altar down stone by stone!!"
Outside the shrine, Lyn and Faren had dismounted their horses when a frightened shrine maiden ran up to the foursome. She collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. Lyn and Faren bent down to tend to the woman. "Milady, are you alright?"
The woman gasped out. "The altar! Bandits! Trying to steal...the Mani Katti...Priest Seshun..." The woman fainted in Lyn's arms. The travelers glanced at each other before Kent spoke, pulling out his sword. "It seems we have rats to rid of before we are allowed to continue on our journey."
"Yes!" Agreed Lyn, pushing the woman in Faren's arms and standing, unsheathing her iron sword. Faren laid the woman gently against a tree. No need to bring the woman back to the shrine where those bandits were. She grabbed a nearby branch and hoisted herself into the tree to peer over the broken wall separating them from the shrine. The shrine itself was smaller than she had thought, but it looked old.
Two bandits guarded the western wall with one on the south, at the entrance. Ridges and rough ground lined the south. Faren guessed that they'd be impossible to traverse if one was on horseback. There has to be another way for Kent and Sain to get into the shrine...Faren thought. As she looked past the two bandits on the western wall, she noticed a rather large hole. Perhaps if that hole was aggravated...
"Faren, do you have a plan of attack?" Sain's voice called up to her. She looked down on the trio and nodded. "This is going to be a bit tricky, okay? Sain, Kent, you two take care of the bandits on the western wall. Lyn, you're going to have to go across the ridges to take care of the one at the entrance, okay?"
The three nodded in agreement. Sain and Kent flicked their reins and rode toward the two bandits who yelled in surprise at two galloping knights. The one with the axe charged at Kent, who parried the man's swing with ease. Sain, who had once again clasped his lance, flicked the surprised bandit's sword out of his hands.
Faren smiled as Sain and Kent dealt with the two bandits easily. Now I see why they are knights. Those two are pretty good!! Her gaze shifted to Lyn, who dove under the hefty bandit's legs that were guarding the entrance. She quickly jumped back up to her feet and sliced the man's neck from behind. He fell to the ground with a thud.
"Good job, Lyn! Now, come--" Faren's voice trailed off as Lyn disappeared into the shrine without waiting for another order. She jumped down from the tree and ran to Sain and Kent, who were pulling out their weapons from the dead bandits. "You two! Quick! Break the wall with your weapons! Lyn is inside!"
Kent stared at Faren before swinging his sword at the hole with all his might. The old brick crumbled, leaving the opening wide enough for a man. "Let me help, Kent!" Sain called as he thrusted his lance against the remaining brick. It crumbled to dust before their horses' hooves. The three charged in at the waiting scene.
Faren gasped. "Lyndis!" On the floor was another bandit, dead with a gaping stomach slice. Lyn stood a few feet away, her sword blocking another man's sword. It was obvious he was the leader. His power was much more than the others...Lyn groaned under the pressure, forcing her to one knee. Faren noticed that Lyn was bleeding on her stomach and shoulder.
"Kent! Sain! To Lyn's side! Help her!"
As soon as the words left Faren's mouth, Sain and Kent galloped toward Glass. He pushed hard on Lyn's sword, forcing her to the ground with a groan. He sneered at the approaching knights, dodging Kent's slice. "Who do you think you are, challenging the great Glass?!"
Sain scoffed as he thrusted his lance toward Glass' stomach. Glass jumped back, but was a little too slow, evidenced by a bloody slice that appeared on his shirt. "Damn!" Glass swung his sword to connect with Sain's horse, but halted as blood poured out of his mouth. Behind him, Kent had stuck his own lance into Glass' backside.
"You...You...urr...urgh..." Were Glass' final words before he fell onto the shrine floor, dead.
Faren helped Lyn to stand. Lyndis leaned on Faren with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Faren. I should have listened to you..."
Faren brushed Lyn's hair out of her eyes, smiling. "Don't worry about it, Lyn. You're alive. We've got some vulnerarys to patch that spot right up." Lyn chuckled "Yes..." She looked up and saw Sain and Kent had dismounted and were helping an old man to his feet.
Some time later, after Lyn and the old man were taken care of, Sain and Kent were dispensing of the bandit's bodies in true Lycia war fashion: burning. As Faren watched them outside the window, Lyn and the old priest spoke together, the shrine maiden wiping the blood off the marble floor.
"Ah, your clothing...are you of the Lorca tribe?" The old man asked.
Lyn nodded. "Yes..I'm Lyn, the chieftain's daughter. Are you well, sir?"
"Oh ho...it takes more than a few threats to kill this priest. I am very thankful that St. Elimine sent you to us to our aid. And the Mani Katti is safe from that brigand's hands." He put a hand to his cheek. "Thanks to my spell, that rogue could not draw the sword. But as a token of my gratitude..."
The priest stood up slowly and hobbled over to the Mani Katti, which was safely back upon its altar. He gently picked it up and muttered an arcane spell. He then held it out to Lyndis. "You may lay your hands upon the Mani Katti, to bless your journey."
"Oh!" Lyn exclaimed excitedly as she gently touched the cool scabbard. "Thank you so much!"
Faren turned around to see what Lyn was so thankful for when a bright flash obscured her vision. When it faded, the Mani Katti seemed to glow in Lyndis' hands. The priest moaned and placed his hands over Lyn's. "It's the power of the spirits...Lyn, they have looked into your soul and they have called out to you.."
Confused by the priest's words, she asked, "What does that mean?"
"It means...you are the Mani Katti's true owner. It is you who are destined to wield it."
"Oh, I...can't...I couldn't..."
"It is the sword's wish. If you require proof, draw it from it's sheath."
Lyn paused for a moment before grasping the sword's hilt. With a slight tug, the sound of scraping metal against a scabbard sounded and the Mani Katti's blade greeted the world around it once more with a shine. "It...came out effortlessly..."
The priest murmured a prayer, touching his forehead. "I never dared to hope that I might meet the wielder of the Mani Katti in my life. I am indeed fortunate to see your sword reach your hands."
"My sword..." Lyn clasped the Mani Katti tightly, gazing at its marvelous craftsmanship. The slight curvature of the blade would be a great improvement over Lyn's old iron sword, Faren noted. She glanced back at the entrance as Sain and Kent walked in. Kent was scolding Sain once again as he said something to the shrine maiden who blushed and tittered. Faren giggled and grabbed Lyn's arm.
"Lyndis! Isn't this wonderful! A blade to help you on your righteous journey!"
Lyn held the sword high into the air, the blade gleaming brightly. "Yes...hold on Grandfather...with this sword, I swear I'll see you soon!"
Far away from the Shrine of Spirits, a grand castle stands. Made of the strongest stone it towered regally over the neighboring villages. Three towers, adorned with blood red tiles stretched to the heavens. It is Castle Caelin, Lyn's final destination.
Inside the castle, a man of fifty years stands in the parlor. He gazes out the grand ornate windows of the Marquess' domain. The parlor's fire filled the room with warmth and light, despite the air of coldness radiating from the man. A wall of books covered one wall while comfortable couches and chairs relaxed against the opposite. A tray of cakes and teas laid upon the oak table, untouched by the man.
He wore robes of violet, an ebony cape trailing behind him. A golden roped sash was tied about his waist. He had the look of a royal with a haughty face and piercing glare. His long gray hair was brushed neatly to his shoulders.
"Lord Lundgren!" A voice called to him from the entrance of the room. Lundgren turned to face a knight in his twenties, wearing the red armor and helmet of Caelin. He saluted Lundgren before speaking.
"Lord Lundgren...It seems that Lyndis is still alive."
"What?" The old man narrowed his eyes at the knight, who glanced nervously to the side. "Uh...yes...Lord Lundgren...The girl is traveling with knights Kent and Sain."
Lundgren took this all in before the soldier spoke again. "What are your orders? If we let them be..."
Lundgren waved his hand away, turning away from the knight. "Bah! I've heard that northern Bern is full of bandits. She's just a girl. She'll not survive her journey here. I'm more concerned with my older brother."
He turned back to the soldier, a look of hate dominating his eyes. "His life must be ended quickly. The poison...there must be no blunders."
"Yes, m'lord." The soldier bowed to Lundgren. "He suspects nothing and continues to drink it. The Marquess' death due to "sudden illness" is not far off."
Lundgren turned back to the window, staring at the sun that was starting to fall below the treetops. He chuckled darkly.
"Heh heh heh...soon...Soon Caelin will be mine to rule!"