Author's Notes: Fire Emblem belongs to Nintendo.
Fire Emblem:
Blazing Sword of Justice
Chapter 10: A Touch of Destiny
A young boy and girl had not traveled that far north when the boy felt a shiver of coldness running through him as they walked. It was unusual since there had been nothing but warm breezes gliding past them that afternoon. In fact, they were still in the country of Lycia, the federation of territories that was positioned between two other countries on the southern seas. They were not close to the snow-encrusted lands of Ilia nor were they near Etruria, the country above Lycia. The boy knew what caused the shiver of cold down his spine. The look on his face was a mixture of disgust and defiance as he realized the shiver's origins; he would not give in or turn back.
"Nils?" The girl beside him spoke so softly, sounding almost afraid to disturb him. He closed his eyes tightly for a moment before opening them again and glanced at his older sister beside him. She watched him with her doe-like red eyes, large and round underneath her bangs of light blue. Long ropes of the same light blue cascaded behind her, the tips barely reaching her waist. "Yes, Ninian?" He answered back, echoing her soft tone.
She studied him for a moment; both of them had ceased walking. "Are you alright, brother?" She finally asked him. "You had such a look on your face a moment ago..." Nils nodded dully and tugged on his sister's hand, starting to walk again. He pulled her along for a moment before she started to walk, making her stumble a little at the long trim of her dress. Nils felt slightly guilty for a moment and decided to speak again. "Sorry, Ninian...but we should hurry to escape the empty plains. We're like targets out here." He added wearily after she caught up to him so they were walking side by side. "I wish to rest at an inn tonight. It'll be such a relief to not sleep in a tree."
Ninian cracked a soft smile and patted her brother's head that had a messy mop of the same light blue hair as hers atop his head. "Yes..." She said slowly, gazing out at a cluster of buildings that seemed to be getting nearer. "It would be nice to...to not worry about birds or bugs on us when we wake or...them." Nils briefly scrunched up his face in the same look he had before. They both knew who "them" was. It was "them", no, the face behind "them" that made him shiver. He held Ninian's hand tighter.
"We'll escape from them, Ninian. You'll see."
"Yes..." Ninian agreed with him. "We must have hope...oh, Nils! There's an inn!" She pointed at the nearest building to them. He squinted at the two-story wooden building. It looked a little shabby, but he noticed a sign that stuck out from the banister. Carved on it was the sign for a bar and an inn. He smiled. "No tree for us tonight, Ninian!" He quickened his pace and saw that Ninian did as well. He wondered if she felt a shiver going down his back as he did. "Well," he spoke, deciding to stop thinking about shivers. "Shall we go with the 'traveling performers' bit again?" Ninian nodded, smiling softly again. "It is not like we do not look the part..."
And that was the truth for both of them. Ninian wore a long blue dress, pale against the color of the sky but darker than her hair. There was no neckline; the cloth had continued straight up onto her neck and stopped below her jaw. Nils couldn't see how that was comfortable for his sister, but the dress had no sleeves itself, exposing Ninian's pale shoulders to the world. She had a transparent shawl draped off her shoulders that fastened in front of her chest so she would not have to cling to it for it to stay. The shawl draped behind her like a cape and there were even two strips of the transparent cloth that floated down in front of Ninian. When Ninian twirled and danced, she would clasp the two strips in either hand, and depending upon the way she would hold them, she would look like she had wings. Nils thought his sister looked very pretty; there were even barrettes that had long wispy strips of cloth in her hair. He didn't think he looked so bad himself either. Over a white t-shirt and green shorts he wore a long, sleeveless dark green vest whose collar stuck out tightly. From a belt that held all his clothes around him dangled a few items: a moneybag that was dangerously light, a bag that held a small flute and a curved dagger, sheathed and had never been drawn. He also liked his blue knee-high boots. Ninian, however, thought them to be a bit too much as well as the long, billowing green scarf he lazily draped around his neck without tying it, allowing the scarf to flow behind him like a shadow.
Nils looked up, staring up once again at the shabby wooden inn. It wasn't that shabby, though the building looked like it could use quite a bit of repair. Some of the boards were falling off as well as the shingles. Nils could see one of the windows on the second story had a long crack in it. Glancing back at Ninian and offering her a brief smile, he reached out and touched the cold iron handle of the door. Pushing lightly, they both stepped inside.
The lighting was dim compared to the afternoon sun that was steadily approaching the western horizon. He felt Ninian clasp his hand tighter as they gazed around. The sign outside had said that the building was a mixture of a bar and an inn, the bar obviously belonging to the bottom floor. A dusty chandelier hung from the ceiling above, one of the ten candles it had had been broken. Round wooden tables were scattered upon the dark wooden floor with matching chairs. Nils noticed that some of the chairs looked wobbly, one of them had been badly repaired, and several were missing their backs. There were a few people gathered at a table in the corner but he could not see their faces. They looked like they were playing cards. He felt Ninian tug him toward the right. He turned and slowly walked up to the bar with her that had tall stools lined up beside it. Parts of the wooden counter were chipped, some parts looked like knives had been stabbed in it and he could see a dark stain at the end of the counter.
As Nils placed his hands on the bar, careful to avoid splinters that were poking out dangerously, he saw the bartender at the other end of the bar talking with a woman that had long blonde hair. He could not see her face but her clothes were blue robes and a white shawl had been draped around her shoulders and flowed down behind her like a cape. He noticed the bartender's eyes drifting over her slim body and curvy hips. The bartender glanced over at Nils and Ninian, said another word to the woman and headed over to them with a smile.
"Hello there, young'ins," said the barkeep, keeping his smile. He had dirty brown hair over warm brown eyes. He glanced a few times over them. "So what'll you two have?"
"Ah...just a place to stay..." Ninian spoke softly, and Nils thought she looked uncomfortable. "We're...we're traveling performers...and...and we...we would just like a room..." The man looked over them with a raised eyebrow as she spoke. The woman at the other end of the bar also looked over, her soft blue eyes gazing with interest over her small glass of water. Nils stood on his tiptoes, looking up at the man. "Can we have a room mister, please? My sister is very fragile and I fear that another night in the wilderness will break her." He felt the corners of his mouth trying to pull into a smirk as he saw a dirty look from her. The man mused for a moment.
"Well...I got an opening...but it'll cost you a hundred gold." He noticed that the girl's face faltered a little. "And that includes hot dinner," He added.
Nils bit his lip as he pulled his moneybag off his belt. He knew that they did not have nearly enough. Reaching in, he pulled out what was left and placed it on the counter. They only had fifty gold. He looked up at the man hopefully, but he shook his head.
"Sorry, kid. One hundred gold or nothing."
"Excuse me..." The woman's soft voice drifted over to them. Nils looked at her and she smiled. "They only need fifty more, yes?" The barkeep nodded and the woman dug into herown small moneybag and pulled out fifty gold. "Those poor children shouldn't be made to sleep outside. They look like they could use a good night's rest."
Ninian put her hands on Nils shoulders and smiled at the woman. "Really? Oh...thank you so much..." The woman nodded as the barkeep collected the gold from Nils and the woman. "It is in the teachings of St. Elimine for us to help one another. May she bless your journey, children." Nils nodded, still smiling at her and studied her face for a moment, realizing something was a little off. Ninian squeezed his shoulder.
Nils grinned happily and took the key from the barkeep. "Thanks again!" He called after the woman as he and Ninian climbed the stairs by the bar. "Room three, you two!" The barkeep called after them and went back over to the slim woman.
Only four candle lamps, two on each end of the hallway, lighted the dark hallway of the second floor. There were only five rooms upstairs and Nils noticed that the floor had not been swept lately as he unlocked their room. It was modest, only two beds whose covers looked like they had not been changed in ages and a side table on each. Glancing over at the window, Nils noticed that the barkeep gave them the room with the cracked window.
Ninian sighed and sat down on the nearest bed. "That was close, Nils...we'll need to get more money."
"I know..." He sighed also, plopping down on the next bed. "If it wasn't for that woman we'd be sleeping in trees again." Ninian's sudden giggle made him look over at her. "What? What's so funny?"
She had a hand over her mouth, muffling the giggles. At last she moved it and spoke. "Um...Nils...that wasn't a woman. It was...a very...feminine man." Nils felt his jaw drop as he stared at his sister. "It's okay," Ninian added quickly, obviously getting a little amusement from her brother's expression. "I don't think the bartender could see the difference either."
Nils stared at Ninian again before chuckling. "Well...at least it's straightforward back home!" As soon as he said those words, he wished he had not spoken them. He saw his sister's head tilt forward, looking down at the floor in shame. "Ninian..."
"I'm sorry, Nils..."
"It was not your fault," He said firmly, looking at her in brotherly concern. "We did not know that was going to happen...it was that man's fault."
She nodded. "Yes...so...we are still heading toward Ilia?"
"Yeah...I think Ilia would be the perfect place. If it is still covered with raging blizzards, they'll have a hard time finding us. And then we can work out another plan there."
"Great..." Ninian smiled a small smile at Nils and he felt a little better. A sudden crash from below made him and Ninian jump. They both exchanged frightened looks as yelling drifted up from the loose floorboards.
"YOU! Where are they!?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Please, if you just calm down, I'm sure we can--"
"The boy and the girl! We saw them head this way!"
"T-They're in r-r-room th-th-threee..."
"Sir!"
"About damn time!" A crash of many footsteps sounded upon the stairs. Nils jumped up and grabbed ahold of his sister, pulling her away from the door. She clung to him tightly as they started to beat on the door.
"N-Nils...it's them..."
"Ugh!" Serra flopped against the wagon's cloth wall, looking bored. She looked out past the two people sitting in the driver's seat of the wagon, seeing the sun starting to approach the western horizon. She reached out and grabbed a cloak of one of the two people. They let out a yelp of surprise and turned around. "Faren, any idea how farther we're going? I'm positively bored with all these...men in here; they cannot carry on a conversation for more than five seconds." Faren looked down at Serra, hiding a smile. "And I really would like to stretch my legs. They're awfully sore from sitting in this cramped thing!"
An obvious sigh came from the back of the wagon. Erk was perched on a couple of crates that contained a bit of fruit for the legion, a large book in his lap. "Serra...can't you stop whining for one moment?" Wil, who sat across from Serra, smirked at Erk's comment and went back to restringing a bow of his. Serra gave Erk a mild glare, her eyes drifting to Dorcas who was gazing silently out of the back flap of the medium sized wagon. Her eyes then went to Matthew who made himself comfortable upon a stack of crates that held up extra weapons. He lay on his back, gazing at the pink-haired cleric with a piece of wheat grass in his mouth.
She turned up her nose. "And where are you getting those dreadful things that you stick in your mouth, Matthew? They're dirty." He grinned at her. "Trade secret." Serra rolled her eyes and Faren held down a giggle. She turned back to the front, and sighed a little.
She secretly agreed with Serra, they all could use a break from riding, but Kathelet was still a good distance away and they definitely would not make it before sundown. No, they would have to find a good spot to camp, a rather large spot since there were eleven people, five horses, and a Pegasus. Sain and Kent seemed to be discussing that same idea with Lyndis at that very moment.
"Don't you worry, Lady Lyndis. Florina's just spotted a good spot for us about half a mile up that way." Sain pointed south where Lyn could see a spot of trees. She nodded and smiled. "Wonderful."
"Yes..." Kent agreed, a hand on his sword hilt. "A good night's rest will do us all good." Lyn's gaze drifted from Sain and Kent to look over at Rath whose gaze wandered to the east. Faren noted that there had been a sort of fascination by Lyn with Rath. Perhaps it was because he was Sacaen like Lyn was. Or maybe it was because he was rather good looking. She didn't want to confront Lyn about it.
A loud snort accompanied by a large jolt of the wagon jarred Faren back. She smiled sympathetically at one of the horses in front of her. Renegade snorted again, and turned his head forward. They had decided to hook up Renegade and Rain to the wagon since two horses pulling would be easier than one, not to mention the other three horses belonged to people who rode them in battle. Rain had not minded much, she was an even-tempered horse. Renegade however, seemed insulted when he was harnessed to the wagon and kept glaring at Faren over his shoulder.
Faren fingered the sapphire amulet around her neck. Once we reach Kathelet, She thought, we'll have ten days ride to Caelin...if nothing goes wrong, of course. A loud noise from Serra made her glance back into the wagon again.
"Can't we just make camp here?" Serra whined, tapping her stave against the wagon's floor. "It really doesn't matter where."
"You're so impatient, Serra," said Erk, turning a page in his book. "And your whining is getting particularly annoying."
"Exxxccuuussee me, Erk! I didn't know I couldn't voice my opinion about something!" She huffed angrily and crossed her arms, slamming back against the wall. She glared at the ceiling for a moment.
"Perhaps we should pool our money together so we can buy Serra a horse," Wil said jokingly.
"It'd definitely be more peaceful in here," Matthew added helpfully, his hands behind his head as he reclined against the crates. Serra curled up her lip and growled. "Honestly, I would enjoy my own horse! I would rather be out there than be stuck in here with you gits!"
"Ooh, we're gits now, are we?" Matthew sat up and put his chin in a hand, twirling the wheat grass in his mouth and grinning. He glanced at Dorcas, who seemed to be ignoring Serra and staring out at the sky still. "I don't think some of us care what you call us, Serra."
"Matthew, you're the worst git of them all, you and Erk!"
Erk rolled his eyes and muttered underneath his breath so Matthew and Wil could hear, "I don't know what's worse: Serra's whining or her and Sain verbally fornicating every time we sit down at camp." Matthew sniggered and Wil put his hand over his mouth, glancing at Faren who was also suppressing a giggle. Faren looked at Erk, who was calmly turning another page and Serra was staring at them furiously. Faren thought she saw, looking at Dorcas again, a twitch at the corner of his mouth.
It was not long after when they reached the grove that Florina had spotted. As soon as the wagon stopped, Serra burst forth, nearly knocking Lyn and Faren to the ground. Florina pulled Huey out of the way before Serra ran into him.
"Ah! Finally!" She stretched, standing on the tips of her toes. Faren giggled at her and climbed down from the driver's seat. "Excited, isn't she?" Wil laughed, jumping down after her, followed by Erk and Dorcas. Matthew slinked down after Lyn. Rath, already having dismounted his horse, was arranging a fire pit. He stood up and looked at Lyn.
"Lyn...I am going to go secure some deer meat for us. I shall be gone only a short while." And with a short bow of his head, he turned and strode into the forest near them. Lyn suddenly felt herself wishing she could go with him. She knew that if she did go with him, Kent would want to go. Though she liked Kent, she would have liked to be alone with Rath, even if it was just to hunt to get to know him better...
Sain cursed under his breath as the flint he held refused to light. He threw it down in frustration and stood up. Kent shook his head as he tied the reins to his horse around the trunk of a nearby tree. Erk stepped past Kent and stood beside Sain, who was still glaring at the unlit logs and flint. "Mind if I have a go?" Erk asked him politely.
"Be my guest!" Sain stepped out of the way as the mage bent down. Tapping a finger gently against the top log, he murmured, "Fire." As Erk drew back his finger, the logs erupted into a nice roaring fire. Stepping back, he smiled at Sain and slightly bowed his head. Sain put a hand to his head and chuckled. "Well, mages can be handy after all."
Meanwhile Matthew, with his hands in his pockets, walked about camp still twirling the wheat grass in his mouth when Serra suddenly grabbed his arm. He looked down at her.
"You know you're touching a git, right?"
"Yes, I know that," She said hastily and dragged him out of earshot from everyone else, near the back of the wagon. When she was satisfied that they had gone a good enough distance, she released Matthew and pointed at him. "What does Lord Uther have you doing here, Matthew?"
Matthew raised an eyebrow yet still chewed on his grass. "I believe that information is classified between the Marquess and myself." Serra folded her arms. "That's rubbish. You ignored me when I tried to confront you about it when we were outside Araphen. Now I'm doing it out of earshot of everyone else. You should be telling me!"
Matthew rolled his eyes and pulled out a folded parchment from his pocket. He shoved it into her hands. "Here, nosy girl."
Serra giggled excitedly and looked at the folded bit of parchment. She stopped as she read, To the Cleric Serra, from the Lord Marquess of Ostia, Uther. Serra looked up skeptically at Matthew. "Lord Uther gave you a note to give to me?" He shrugged and watched her boredly as she unfolded the parchment and read aloud:
Dear Serra,
Knowing that you have a knack to show up in the oddest of places, I gave Matthew this letter having full confidence that you two would somehow, against all odds, run into each other on this large continent.
I am once again writing to remind you that, since in the employ of the House of Ostia, it requires you to know some of her secrets. Secrets, which involve many of us in the royal house, as well as those employed by it, including Matthew. Secrets, which you have already loosened your tongue on once before and that resulted in expelling a very good member of our house.
You have already acquired a strike against yourself for that particular incident. It would be very wise to stay your quick tongue in regards to Matthew's position as well as anyone else you recognize. Two strikes will require probation, loss of certain extravagances and a pay dock as well as anything else I see fit. The third strike I shall leave up to your wondrous imagination. Question Matthew not the reason why he is there; it is the House of Ostia's will as the leader in the Lycian Alliance.
In summation: KEEP YOUR BIG MOUTH SHUT.
Sincerely,
Lord Uther
Marquess of Ostia
Serra lowered the paper, a look of absolute shock on her face with her mouth hanging down in disbelief as she stared at Matthew. He could not help but grin as he pulled the wheat grass out of his mouth.
"I think Lord Uther likes me better."
Ninian yelped painfully as a man shoved her down on the ground. Her face was buried in the dirt and she could feel a sharp pain shooting up through her left ankle. The man above her guffawed triumphantly. Raising her head slightly, she tried to get a look of her surroundings. Unfortunately, the sun had set and now darkness had settled down, impeding her vision. She closed her eyes tightly. I hope Nils is okay...
"Can't believe we let the other brat git away," A gruff voice growled. "He'll have our heads if we don't bring 'em both back." There was a softer murmur that Ninian could not make out the words. Another loud voice near her spoke up. It had more authority and malice to it.
"We'll resume the search for the prat tomorrow. He won't get far on foot, not after being blasted by dark magic anyway." There were several evil chuckles and Ninian gave a yelp of surprise when he felt a man's hand prodding her side.
"So...Heintz...can we have a little fun with der girlie?" Ninian felt her fear rise, subsiding only a slightly when she heard that same man yelp in pain.
"You moron..." Growled the malice filled voice. "You'll do nothing of the sort. We've already roughed her up enough..." She felt a hand grab a handful of her hair. Wincing with a soft moan as her head was yanked up, she could see dark black robes belonging to the man next to her. "...but if she doesn't behave...heh..."
Ninian closed her eyes tightly, fighting the tears that were threatening to burst from her eyes.
The room was dark save for the six candles that littered the room in a circle, each standing in a golden stand that stood about four feet high. With their glow, one could make out in the darkness large bookshelves of magical and scientific tomes that lined the walls. A desk was situated on the far wall between two candles. Their glow dispensed over the surface of the red oak wood, a large old book mounted on it. A small girl, looking no older than fifteen sat at the desk, her brown hair smoothed back against her head where it wouldn't get in her way.
This time, however, she was not the only one in the room. There were two people behind her, arguing vehemently and having no consideration for the young girl who tried to study the tome.
"It is MY decision if she is to be branded with The Mark!" A man's gruff voice growled. "She is too young for the position! I would be sending everyone to death!"
"Now now, my love..." Soothed a seductive woman's voice. "I have full confidence in her...her blood is special...comes from a long line of those like her."
"That's good for her, but I still say she is..." The man's voice trailed off for a moment. There was silence between them and the girl turned the page, as if not paying either one attention. The woman's voice spoke again.
"Brendan...for me...?"
"Hmph...Fine! She will have The Mark on her right shoulder within the hour. I hope you're happy."
"Oh, I am...most pleased..."
Faren opened her eyes and stared silently at the tent's ceiling. She could hear the soft breathing of the other women in the tent. Serra, lying in her sleeping pallet beside Faren, rolled over and grumbled something about a man named Uther. Faren gently touched her right shoulder where she knew her tattoo was. More than once, she wished she could magic it away, but that was an act of impossibility. Not even the High Sorcerers of Etruria could do such a thing.
She sighed quietly and pushed her blanket off her. Crawling over to the tent flap, she nudged it gently open and stepped out into the early morning. There were traces of dawn evident on the eastern horizon, and the nightly mist was still hanging in the air. Still dressed in the clothes she wore yesterday, she wrapped her arms around her and gazed around silently at the camp. Her eyes drifted from the fire pit to the men's tent where many snores could be heard from it. As she glanced to where the horses stood, her eyes fell upon Rath, who was sitting on the ground, leaning against his horse. Clutching his bow in his hands, he gazed at the tactician with a scrutinizing gaze.
She nodded slightly, realizing Rath was on guard duty for the early morning. She stepped around the cold fire pit to where the wagon was. At the sound of his voice, she jumped a little.
"There is still time for sleep before the others have to wake as well, Lady Faren."
She turned back at Rath, rubbing her clothed arms that felt unusually cold. "I don't think I could get back to sleep right now anyway..." She spoke truthfully. The strange dream still lingered on the edge of her mind the way a disturbing nightmare would a child. Rath seemed to sense what caused her to wake. "Dreams can sometimes be...very disturbing, can they?"
Faren went over to Rath and sat down beside him before asking in a quiet voice, "What do you know of dreams, Rath?" She looked up at him to find him gazing up at the sky. The sky was lightning a little, though the brightest stars were still glimmering faintly.
"My tribe...the Kutolah," He spoke softly, still holding his gaze to the heavens. "Believe that dreams are the window to the mind. Dreams can tell you what your conscious mind cannot, what it has...forgotten."
Faren inwardly winced at the last word. Did he know? She never got to ask as Rath suddenly stood up so fast, it caused Faren to fall to her side. He had strung an arrow to his bow as something was heard crashing through the woods behind them. Faren made no move to get up, only listening to the crashes in the woods. She could make out the sounds of gasps and pantings along with the slapping of branches against skin. Rath's gray horse Rowtag looked up at his master, making no move to stand. Suddenly a small figure shot out of the trees and stumbled into Rowtag causing the person to fall ontop of Faren
"OW! That hurt!" Faren shouted and felt the person suddenly lift off her with no explanation. She rolled over on her back and stared up at Rath who was holding a young blue-haired boy by the back of his collar. He groaned softly, wincing as he put a hand to his stomach. As Faren scrambled to her feet, she could hear the others piling out of their tents. Her eyes quickly swept the boy's body and saw various gashes across his legs and arms. There were a few burn marks on his hands. The young boy looked up at Faren pleadingly though a dirty face. "Miss...Please...I need help..."
Rath set his bow down and carried the boy properly over to where the fire pit was. Kent and Sain had donned on their battle gear, and now gaped at Rath who set the boy down gently on a log. Lyn took one look at the boy and threw a quick glance at Serra. "Serra! Please!"
Serra pushed past Florina and Wil, her stave under her arm and her hair down from their usual pigtails. She knelt down beside the boy and raised her stave while murmuring the usual, "St. Elimine, bless this lamb with your light..." At those words, the boy's cuts and burns glowed slightly. He winced and looked up at Lyn with a mixture of fear and hope.
Lyn looked down at him in pity as Kent leaned in to whisper to her. "Milady Lyndis...we must not let our guard down even if he is a child..." She nodded absently, bending down next to him on the other side. She smiled at him kindly. "What's your name?"
He stared at her for a moment before answering quietly. "Nils."
"I see...Nils...how did you get all those cuts?"
His eyes narrowed angrily. "They did it. Those men that took my sister." Serra pulled away from him and stood up. "That's about the best I can do. They even used dark magic on the boy!"
Sain poked his head beside Florina's shoulder, making her give a surprised shriek and stumbled into Dorcas. "Your sister, boy?" He suddenly looked eager and Faren noted that Serra's face held distaste in the green knight's direction. "Your dear sister has been accosted?"
Nils nodded. "That's right! By some cruel men!" He added in a sorrowful tone as he put his hands over his face. "I don't know what I'll do without Ninian..."
Sain instantly grabbed Lyn by the shoulder, shoving Kent and Wil roughly aside. "Milady Lyndis! Surely, we must help him! The poor boy's sister, held in the clutches of cruel men..."
Kent rolled his eyes. "Sain, have you not thought that this could be a trap? Besides, we haven't the time! If the Marquess is ill..."
"Kent..." Lyn finally spoke, her eyes still on Nils. " I want to help him. I believe what he is saying." She looked at the red haired knight. "I am worried about my grandfather, but I cannot let this boy lose a member of his family because we were in such a hurry..."
Kent bowed his head. "Of course, Milady...You must do what your heard dictates. And I shall follow you, no matter where that may lead." He was grateful that the blush he felt on his face was hidden from Lyn at that moment.
Sain grinned and winked at Nils who was wearing a hopeful expression. "You're in luck, laddie! We'll go get your sister!"
The village of Kathelet was in an uproar. With Nils' help, Lyndis and her group were guided back to where he and Ninian were attacked which had only been a mile and a half away. To their surprise, the group of men was still there, looking for something. The moment they spotted Nils, however, they attacked.
"Raaggh!!" Dorcas swung his axe down on a charging man's head, dropping him in an instant with a splash of blood. Rath, silent as ever even in battle, drew back his bow and shot a man in anima robes approaching. He fell to the ground a second later. Wil joined Rath in the barrage of arrows, striking at distant archers.
Nils looked fearfully around the battlefield. Faren lead him over to the wagon, glancing around quickly before yelling. "Kent! Behind you!" Kent quickly rolled to the left, the man that was trying to kill him, stabbed at the air with his sword. He suddenly was lit on fire and screamed as he tried to put himself out by rolling around on the grass. Erk smirked and turned his attention to another man that was trying to attack Lyn. He narrowed his eyes as the man wore dark robes of a certain magi.
"Lyn! Watch out! That man is a shaman!" Erk waved his hand in what he knew to be a futile attempt as a flash of fire appeared and shot at the man. The man's face was marred by his hood but Erk heard a dark snicker as the man raised his arms, the fire dissipating. A black pool of energy formed underneath the man. Lyn moved back a little toward Erk. "Erk, what can we do against him?"
Erk grimaced. "Not much, unless we have someone that can wield the powers of light or if you can get close enough to cut him down. Which looks doubtful." Underneath the man, arcane symbols began to appear and shoot dark energy to the man's outstretched fingertips. Lyn braced to dodge, but suddenly a ball of golden light rammed into the man's backside. With a groan, he fell into his own black pool of energy, melting into it.
"Who did that?" Lyndis demanded as she glared around. Nils pointed as a man emerged from the shadow of the nearby inn. "It's you!"
A young blonde-haired feminine man smiled, clutching a white book. "It is a pleasure to see you again. St. Elimine blesses this reunion." He turned to look at Lyn who stabbed a nearby marauder that nearly took Erk's head off with a sword. She glanced back at the young man. "And you are?"
"Lucius. A monk of St. Elimine." He waved his hand, causing another ball of golden light to slam into more of the enemy. "I saw what happened with these children yesterday...I was unable to help...now I wish to rectify my mistake if you'll allow me."
Lyn grinned. "Of course! We'll gladly accept your help!" Sain galloped past just then, suddenly pulling on Pearl's reins as he caught a glance at Lucius. Winking at him and raising his sword over his head in a show-off way, he called back, "Don't worry, Milady! You're beauty is safe in our hands!"
Lucius blinked after the knight. "But...I'm a man..."
Inside an abandoned house that was away from the fighting, a tall muscular man glared out the window impatiently at the battle. His dark blue hair was swept against his head and only a few short strands grazed against his forehead. His dark blue eyes, set in his handsome face, were narrowed as he watched those that were engaged at war. His dark gloved hands, the same color as the armor he wore, balled into fists as he saw a girl with emerald hair be blasted with the dark energy of a shaman.
He growled lowly and started pacing the house, his red cape fluttering behind him. "Where in the world is Eliwood...?"
"Hello, mi'lord Hector."
The young lord looked around the house for the voice. He felt his temper rise and was just about to yell when his eyes caught the sight of a man standing in the darkness. He peered at it and the man stepped forth into the light.
"Matthew!" Hector bellowed, looking surprised to see him. "What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Your brother's orders, of course." Matthew bowed and stood up, chewing a bit of wheat grass in his mouth as he grinned at Hector. "Thought that should be obvious to mi'lord."
Hector rolled his eyes and studied Matthew for a moment. He looked a little on the dirty side and he noticed a large cut on his left arm. "S'nothing big," Matthew commented as he saw Hector's eyes on the cut. "And in case you were wondering, I am part of one of the groups outside. The good guys, mind you. And I see you're behaving yourself as Lord Uther asked."
Hector looked back outside, a look of anger on his face. He squinted his eyes as he thought he caught a flash of pink. "Is that...?"
"Yup. There's no getting away from that one, mind you. Asking too many questions. I'm gonna tell Lord Uther to handle better control over her."
Hector stayed silent for a moment. "He won't take you seriously." He glanced back at Matthew. "Will you at least tell me the state of your activity or do I get left out again?" There was a hint of resentment in his voice that Matthew decided he should definitely not comment on.
"Well, it was off to a good start when I got involved, though now it looks a bit delayed," Matthew mused a moment. He joined Hector by the window. "Ouch! Poor Lyn...that looks like that smarted a bit. Oh—well, guess that man got what he deserved."
"Lyn?" Hector watched the same emerald haired girl kick a man in his jaw before stabbing him. "Yup. Fiesty girl. I think you'd like her, Lord Hector." Matthew smirked. "Maybe I should introduce you."
"Not at the moment," he said gruffly. "I'm waiting for Eliwood. He's late."
"Ah..." A sudden look of comprehension dawned on his face. "I see...well, mi'lord... I must return to battle. It looks like it's fairly over with, anyway. See you in Ostia!"
Hector turned around to protest but found he was alone again. Cursing under his breath, he returned to the window staring out it as the emerald haired girl led her battalion of warriors to the castle that was also deserted. A man in deep purple robes stood outside it, his face covered by his hood.
"Dammit, Eliwood...where the hell are you!?"
Erk stumbled backward and fell to the ground as a black wave slammed into his stomach. He felt his book fly out of his hands and heard someone shout his name. "I'm okay.." He mumbled as best as he could, thinking that no one would understand it anyway.
Lyn stared at Erk for a moment before glaring back at the man. "You're going to pay for that...and for taking Nils' sister!" The man chuckled darkly. "I see...and what are you going to do? Kill me? I'd like to see you try!"
The man summoned another dark energy wave and aimed it at Lyn. She jumped to her left and skidded slightly. She heard the shrill whinny of a horse and whipped her head around to see Rath tumble down from his horse. "Rath!" She started toward him but he held up a hand to where he was crouching. His dark green eyes stared at Lyn and he shook his head. He put a hand on his horse's neck, who had taken a tumble with him.
A loud scream snapped Lyn back to the man in purple robes. He was suddenly enveloped in a golden light and was screaming in pain. Lyn glanced to her right and saw the monk that had entered the battle with them had his hand raised in the shaman's direction. She suddenly heard Faren's voice not far behind her. "Lyn! Strike the man now!"
She gripped the Mani Katti and charged straight for him. He tried to send a dark energy ball at her but she ducked and thrust her sword deep in his stomach. He gasped in pain and coughed. Oddly enough, he smirked at Lyn, blood trickling down from his mouth. "You...you fools...you'll...regret...this day..."
Lyn pulled her sword out of the man's gut and looked back at the others. Erk was standing, looking disgruntled as Serra tried to heal him and talk to him at the same time. Rath was standing as well, leaning on his horse. He nodded at Lyn and she felt a wave of relief. Lucius smiled at Lyn and gestured to east where the rest of Lyn's group was, heading for her. Faren and Nils stood off to the side, both bearing wide grins. "Good job, Lyn!"
"I can't believe you did it," Nils breathed, obviously in awe of the young Sacaen. He stared down at the man. "That man was scary..."
Sain chuckled and patted Nils on the shoulder reassuringly, making him jump. He hadn't been aware that the others were coming. "It's okay, laddie. Sometimes we just don't know our own strength!" His eyes trailed to Lucius who smiled at him timidly. He strode over to him and smiled down. "Hello, beautiful lady." Without waiting for Lucius to speak, he grabbed his hand and kissed it gently. Serra, who was standing with Erk and saw the whole thing, just stared with open mouth at Sain. She growled and stomped off toward the castle doors where Wil and Dorcas were, trying to open the oaken doors. Nils, however, put a hand over his mouth and tried to muffle a giggle.
Lucius stared at the knight, blushing and pulled his hand away. "Er...how...kind of you, Sir Knight...but...I must correct you on one thing." "Certainly, ma'am," Sain purred.
"Heh...I...uh...I'm a man."
Sain stared at him for a moment before pulling himself away. "What?!" Lucius nodded meekly. "It happens all the time, you see...I feel no ill will toward you, though." Sain paled and turned away, stumbling off. He could be heard spitting and muttering something. Kent, who had watched the entire thing from his horse, felt greatly satisfied.
It was obvious that the castle had been long abandoned for the smell of dust was everywhere. Lyn put a hand to her mouth as she looked in the darkened gloom. The only source of light was from the broken castle windows that lined the outer wall. Nils ran inside and threw his head to look down one dusty corridor then the other. "NINIAN!!" He yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. "NIIIINNNIIIAAAN"!!
A sudden scuffle from a nearby room made everyone tense up. Lyn grabbed the Mani Katti's hilt and Faren put her hands on Nils' shoulders, leading him to stand behind Lyn. Lyn called out to the darkness. "Who's there?"
A man emerged, carrying someone. As he stepped into the light, Faren could hear Nils utter a gasp. The man had flaming red hair that was ruffled and made his blue eyes stand out more. He was dressed in the finest, looking like a prince; a long blue tunic with gold trimmings that was belted around his middle reached down to his knees of his lightly tanned pants. He wore long blue boots that looked similar to Nils' except they were fancier with gold trimmings. What made this man look princely was the long blue cloak flowing behind him like a river, the inside of the cloak the color of his hair. In his arms, he carried a young girl that bore a strong resemblance to Nils.
"Ninian!" He cried out, running to the man. "Is she okay?!"
The man smiled kindly down at Nils. "I believe so. She was with some rather cruel men and I thought to intervene." He looked up at Lyn who was holding a look of surprise upon her face. "I was not wrong to step in, was I?"
"No, not at all," She said quietly. "You probably saved her life in doing so, Sir..."
"Eliwood. My name is Eliwood." He tipped his head forward slightly since Ninian was still in his arms. "I am the son of the Marquess of Pherae, Elbert."
Lyn stared. "The Marquess' son..." Eliwood smiled. "That's right. Uh...is there anywhere I can put this young woman down? I believe she just needs proper rest..."
"Over here, Sir!" Wil called and waved then into a dusty foyer. There was hardly anything left in the room; the windows were shattered and there was glass on the floor. However, a small couch had been left behind along with two chairs in the corner. After dusting it off quickly, it looked suitable for someone to take a short nap on. Eliwood gently laid Ninian down, his fingers accidentally brushing her cheek. Nils knelt down beside and took her hand, smiling gently down at his sister.
Eliwood smiled at the scene then looked over at Lyn. He held out a hand. "And may I ask your name, Milady?" She took his hand and shook it, smiling back. "My name is Lyndis...and I'm uh...Marquess Caelin's granddaughter."
Eliwood raised his eyebrow. "Really?" Lyn nodded. "I see...you looked very troubled, Lady Lyndis." Eliwood gestured to the two chairs on the other side of the room. "I would very much like to hear your tale if you would care to recount it..." Lyn nodded and both of them went to the chairs.
Faren stepped out of the foyer to give Nils a chance with his sister, and to give Lyn and Eliwood a moment to speak. Wil was leaning against the wall, eyeing her. "Are they talking, Faren?"
"Yup...ah, we should tell the others to rest up a bit. I don't know if we'll be heading off later or not..." Wil nodded and he followed Faren to the doors of the castle that had remained opened. Wil smirked at the sound of Serra's voice. "I don't think we'll hear Serra and Sain with their verbal tirades tonight..." Faren giggled in agreement.
They could see Sain trying to ignore Serra by pretending to brush his horse and Serra, who was hard to ignore through anything, was shouting at him. Dorcas seemed to be amused by it, but showed no emotion on his face as he sat on the driver's seat alongside Matthew, who was positively grinning with a fresh blade of wheat grass in his mouth. Erk was also watching the scene as he leaned against the wagon, looking more annoyed than anything. Florina looked mildly frightened standing beside Huey shooting nervous glances at Lucius who just looked bewildered.
Faren's eyes rested on the spot where the man in purple robes had fallen. Apparently, Rath and Kent had dragged it away since they were nowhere in sight. A cold shiver ran through her as she remembered the emblem that had been stitched onto the front of the robes. Two swirls that united to form a triangular shape. She touched her shoulder gently and prayed it was merely a coincidence. A soft voice in the back of her mind insisted otherwise. There is always a fine line between coincidence and destiny.
Author's Note:
This chapter's title comes from Tia Dalma/Calypso's quote from Pirates 2 & 3. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. It just fit. Anyway, a lot of you liked the length of Chapter 9, so I'm going to try to push for that again from now on. I hope you also enjoyed Lord Uther's letter to Serra. She's got such a big mouth...
I had trouble starting this one. I'd start a scene and lose momentum quickly. Not to mention it was rather hard to concentrate with a kitten climbing the walls and other interruptions. Let's hope writer's block is done with me for now. Oh, and anyone wondering the etymology on Rath's horse name, it is Native American for 'fire'. Until next time...