Author's note: Yeah, I know that Uther already died in FE7. See, I forgot about that while I was writing this, but when I realised my mistake I still left it in because…well…I can't really replace him with anyone else because Hector's reaction to his brother's death plays a crucial part in the story.
"Lord Hector!" The soldier ran into the throne room of Castle Pherae, where Eliwood, the Marquess Pherae, sat. Beside him stood Hector, Eliwood's best friend and brother to the Marquess Ostia. "Milord! There has been an incident at the castle! You must come immediately!"
Hector bolted out of the room. The soldier turned to Eliwood. "You should accompany Lord Hector, sir. He may need some emotional support."
Lord Hector stood at the gates of the Castle Ostia, accompanied by Eliwood and the soldier. His mouth hung open in disbelief at the sight of the dead. He turned to the soldier. "What happened here?" The soldier hung his head, a grave look on his face. "There was a massacre, milord. None were left alive. I was patrolling the city at the time, sir. I could not reach the castle in time…" Hector gasped, running through the hall, towards the throne room. He hoped that his brother, at least, was alive…
The throne room door flew open, and Hector fell to his knees at the sight of his brother's mutilated corpse. His body had been slashed in several places, his hands and feet had been severed; his eyes had been cut out. It seemed that the killer had hated the marquess so much that he had decided to desecrate the body almost beyond recognition. Hector's face was smothered with tears when Eliwood caught up to him.
As the soldier entered, Hector fell silent. "Who did this?" he cried, fire in his eyes. "Who is the one I must kill?"
The soldier sighed. "It was a demon, sir. The Fallen have been hunting him for years now. He is the one behind all the assassinations."
Hector narrowed his eyes. "What is his name?"
The soldier trembled as he spoke.
"Skarmandros."
It was dark when Skarmandros returned to the clearing. Only X was there, a grin on his face. "How did it go?" he inquired.
Skarmandros smiled. "This one had backup. I had to kill all his soldiers as well. You should have seen the look on his face…"
"Where is Josephine?"
Upon noticing X's grin, Skarmandros joked, "You didn't kill her, did you?"
X laughed. "Nay, she is off picking mushrooms, or something. She'll be occupied for a while."
Skarmandros' face darkened. "Then you should find her. We must leave soon. Once the soldiers discover the marquess is dead, they will search for us."
The demon walked off. He sensed something in the bushes nearby, but he dismissed it as a wolf. He did not know it was actually Jo, who had been eavesdropping and had heard his every word.
So, this is the one behind the massacres. I knew something was up. I had better lay low a while; I dread to think what may become of me if they find out…
She picked up her basket and skipped into X's plain view. X nodded. "Good, you're back. We must leave now."
Jo smiled secretly, this was the response she wanted. She had better ask why they were leaving; it might provide a clue as to exactly how much information he was willing to give away. "Why must we leave so soon?"
X ran off. "No time to explain. Come on!"
Jo's face darkened. So, you choose to keep secrets and commit horrible deeds behind my back. If you do not trust me, then I have no reason to trust you.
X approached Skarmandros. "The girl is asking questions. She is onto us. We must kill her, quickly."
Skarmandros frowned. "Don't be foolish, X. All young people ask questions. It is in their nature."
X glared. "I can pick up these things. She is suspicious of us." Skarmandros stopped. "I will make the decision of whether or not she…knows. Remember, X, if I had trusted my instincts that day on the battlefield, you would not be alive today."
Sirius sat at his desk, twiddling his thumbs. "So, what you're saying is that you and I should join forces?"
Hector nodded. "Precisely. If you wish for this demon to die, then you need all the help you can get. You will find my army is one of the finest in Elibe, second only to the great Bern. Unfortunately, since the massacre my forces have been diminished somewhat. With your army, I will actually have some men to command."
Sirius chuckled.
"So, we have a deal, then, Sirius?"
Sirius nodded. "It will be a pleasure serving Ostia again, milord. I am glad knowing the Fallen are at last reunited with their former master."
"Amazing how quickly word spreads, isn't it?"
X agreed. The only reason they had been allowed into the inn was because the innkeeper had let them in out of fear. "You better not alert the soldiers to our presence here," Skarmandros had said, "or you'll quickly find yourself bleeding to death suspended from the church steeple."
It appeared word had spread quickly: all the way over in Reglay, everyone knew who was responsible for the assassination. Thank goodness they don't show it, thought Skarmandros, or Jo would have picked up instantly, and who knows where we'd be if that had happened.
It was a small, barely furnished room, but according to the innkeeper it was the best they had. Thankfully there were enough beds, "or Jo would end up sleeping next to one of us, and she wouldn't like that!" X had pointed out.
As they unpacked, Jo felt it was time to ask…
"Why did you do it?"
Skarmandros glanced in her direction. "Do what?"
Jo glared. "Kill the marquess."
X was mortified. "How did you-"
Jo flicked her hair. "I listened in on your interesting conversation back in the clearing. I heard everything. So, why did you do it?"
Skarmandros narrowed his eyes. "You would never understand. Even X doesn't understand all of it, and he's been with me for years. If I told you, it would just make you more angry."
Jo stood. "What do you mean? You've withheld enough information from me, thank you! I demand the truth!"
Skarmandros closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine. If you want the truth, I'll give it to you. X, leave the room, please."
X frowned. "Why? I already know." Skarmandros looked in his direction. "I am going to show her. Leave, please." X grinned. He knew what his companion meant. "I could just turn around, or close my eyes, or…" Skarmandros grunted. "Fine, stay there. Do what you want."
He turned to Jo. "Now, what I'm about to show you has only been seen by one other person ever, and that is X. So don't blame me if it comes as a shock to you. Even X's reaction was one of fright."
Skarmandros lifted his claws to his head and, ever so slowly, lowered his black hood.
Jo was speechless; she couldn't even scream. What she saw not only shocked her; it saddened her. For Skarmandros' face was just like the rest of his body, reptilian and demonic. Where his hair should have been were seven crests, ending as spikes behind his head. His nose had been reduced to two slits, like a snake's; his ears were built into the sides of his head, like a dragon's; but most disturbing of all were his eyes. They were just like a dragon's eyes, deep and fiery, and now that Jo saw his full face, she found that staring into his eyes too long made her feel drowsy. Just like the eyes of a dragon,she thought, enchanted.
Skarmandros spoke. "So, now you understand?" She shook her head. "Not completely." He blinked sadly. "I did not want to do this. Look into my eyes, Josephine, and do not look away, or you will not see it all." Jo looked into the demon's eyes, she felt drowsy, and she fell into a sense of half-sleep. It was like a dream, but it was more of a nightmare. The room around her appeared to fade, and a picture appeared in front of her eyes. It told a terrible story; a story of hate, betrayal, murder…the exact same story that was Skarmandros' life, five thousand years ago…
Matthew, the youngest son of the Marquess Ostia, waited patiently for his brother's return, looking out one of the many windows in the study of his father's castle. He stared out at the plains and villages, the land that, hopefully, would one day be his kingdom.
At the sound of hurried footsteps, he turned to catch the eye of his older brother, Sain, who rushed into the room clutching a tiny box…