Chapter One
"Maybe archery just isn't our thing. We should try something else." Dozla's bass rumble was unmistakable.
"What do you suggest?"
Seth blinked. Soldiers bustled around him, setting up tents and removing their arms and armour. Dozla and Garcia were off to his left. His hands were empty. Hadn't he been holding his sword a moment ago?
"How about magic?" Dozla said.
Where was Eirika? Hadn't they just been attacked? In fact, hadn't he been... Seth reached up to feel his throat. His fingers came back dry– there was no blood, no pain. By all that's holy, what in the world...
"It can't be that difficult to learn. As far as I can tell, it's just a bunch of arm waving and shouting gibberish," Dozla continued.
Why was camp only being set up now? And... it was still light out. The sun had been setting when he'd spoken with Eirika.
"You do have a point," Garcia replied.
Seth glanced over his shoulder to see Dozla thump Garcia on the back, both men looking delighted. "Let's practice sometime soon."
"I'm looking forward to it... Mage!" Hadn't they talked about this earlier in the day? Why were they going over it once again?
A laugh rumbled from Dozla's chest as the two of them marched off, looking as gleeful as squires on their first assignment .
Standing very still, Seth tried to recall exactly what had happened. He'd been speaking with Eirika just as dusk was beginning to settle over camp. He'd sensed something coming towards them from Darkling Woods. And then he'd... He'd been injured, he was certain of it. He'd even thought perhaps he'd been dying, and then...
His pulse was thrumming loudly in his ears. He couldn't be dead; dead men did not have heartbeats. And of all the things he'd pictured the afterlife resembling, their camp was not one of them.
Eirika... She'd been there as well. Was she safe? Had he at least managed to protect her?
"Hello there, general!" He spun to see Forde striding towards him. "You're looking well this evening."
"Have you seen the princess?"
The urgency in his voice seemed to startle Forde who titled his head to peer at him for a moment. "I'm guessing she's already in the war tent for the briefing."
"Briefing?"
"For tomorrow? Are you all right, general?" They'd already had the briefing. Had another one been called that he was unaware of?
In an instant, Seth decided that the wisest course of action would be to nod and go along as if all were normal. Together he and Forde made their way towards the large pavilion tent in the centre of camp that was used for meetings. Teetering between confusion about his own situation and worry for Eirika's safety, Seth tried to calm himself, straining to keep an impassive air on his features all the while.
When they arrived at the pavilion it looked just as it had the last time he'd been here a few hours past. A collapsible table was set up in the centre of the room and a map of the region was layed out atop it. Ephraim was craning over the map, conferring with Duessel about terrain. Innes sniffed and stepped forward to point out something on the map. Off to one side, Lute was holding a pale, twisted staff in her hands that Seth had noticed the last time he'd been in the pavilion. L'Arachel was scolding Rennac in the corner while Joshua watched with unabashed amusement.
Kyle nodded as he and Forde joined him a few paces behind the prince. Only Eirika and Tana were missing now. Seth concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths as he waited.
"Sir Seth, are you well?" Kyle asked.
"Yes," he replied. "I'm fine."
"Are you certain?" Seth took a moment to school his features, for it was not like Kyle to ask a second time.
"Everything is fine."
Kyle's brow crinkled a moment but finally he nodded. "I apologise for pressing you, general. It's just that I wanted to ask if you've noticed any ill effects from our proximity to Darkling Woods." Seth's heart leaped into his throat. Perhaps Kyle had some inkling of what was going on; perhaps he was not the only one finding this afternoon eerily familiar."Forde and I were speaking to some of the footmen and everyone seems very ill at ease and jumpy," Kyle explained and Seth's heart sank as his hope that he was not alone in his strange experience was dashed. "They said they felt as if there were eyes on them at times."
Seth nodded gravely. The woods... Could they be to blame for all this, for his premonition or whatever the hell it had been? "Darkling Woods is the resting place of the Demon King. It's not our troops' imaginations," he said finally. "This is an ill-fated place and reeks of evil. You can assure our soldiers that this is the case, that it's not simply a matter of nerves. They should know that they're not losing their reason, but also the importance of the battle we'll be facing come the morrow."
"Yes, general," Kyle said with a nod. "There was one other thing..."
"Yes?" Seth said distantly, for his heart was thumping furiously as he waited for Eirika to appear. He would have no peace of mind until he saw her with his own eyes.
"You haven't seen commander Syrene, have you?"
Seth shook his head. "I'm sorry. I haven't since–" Eirika! Relief swept over him as Eirika and Tana entered the pavilion, followed by Syrene. Eirika looked as windswept and worn as when he'd last seen her, but there was not a scratch on her. She was safe.
Though he wanted very much to embrace her, to hold her in his arms the way he had the night they'd fled Renais, he contented himself with watching her join Ephraim around the map and drinking in the sight of her smile.
"Now that everyone's here, let's get started," Ephraim said. He began by summarizing the information about Darkling Woods that had been provided to them by Myrrh and Saleh. Yet Seth was puzzled, for he was certain he'd heard all this before– word for word even. When Ephraim went on to describe their battle plan, Seth only become more convinced that this was the same briefing he'd already attended just a few hours ago– a few hours before...
"This doesn't seem... familiar to you, does it?" he whispered to Forde.
Forde shrugged. "These briefings all sound the same to me."
Was it perhaps some sort of premonition he'd had? A waking dream of what was to come?
"We should be less than a day's ride from the black temple," Ephraim continued. "We can expect heavy resistance."
Freed of the necessity of attending to the briefing, Seth let his eyes linger on Eirika. If what he'd experienced had been a premonition then it meant that in a few hours' time she would be in danger. Previously, he'd made a point of concentrating on Ephraim and keeping his eyes away from Eirika, but now he could not help but watch her every move, the grace of her stance, the confidence in matters of war she'd developed as she pointed to the map and asked questions about their forces' deployment. Her sword, as always, was at her hip. She'd become so strong and he wanted only to protect her, to see her through to the end of this war.
Seth stiffened as he noticed Tana glancing over her shoulder at him and then whispering to Eirika– who promptly turned to look at him. He could not look away and her cheeks flushed under the weight of his stare.
"Eirika, what about–" She spun around again as she was addressed and the briefing continued on much as he remembered. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Kyle regarding him with a raised eyebrow that he ignored.
Just as before, he was asked for his opinion regarding formation for their cavalry and he offered the same advice he had some hours ago. It was strange to be saying things he'd already said and hearing replies that he recalled quite clearly, almost as if he'd become an actor in one of the plays by the travelling companies that sometimes entertained at court. All the while, he was painfully aware of Eirika's presence; even when he was not looking in her direction, in his mind's eye he could see the way she was standing, the look on her face, the way she was biting her lip while they discussed the riskiest parts of their strategy.
The briefing lasted just over an hour. Whereas before, he had hurried away in an effort to avoid Eirika, now, as the others began to file out, he lingered. Ephraim was bent over the map once more and seemed unaware of how, a few paces away, Tana was watching him, concern obvious on her features. Lute took the opportunity to set down the strange wooden staff on the table and began studying it with her usual intensity. It was a curious staff; he could not recall having seen one quite like it before. It looked as if it had been carved from a twisted branch, bleached almost white in the sun.
So intent was he on the staff that he was startled when Eirika approached him. "Seth?"
"Yes, my lady?" he said, straightening.
"Is everything all right?" she asked. Her fingers came to rest on his arm for a moment. Her touch, so light, so fleeting, meant nothing– he knew that. If she was more familiar than she should be with an old retainer no one would think twice about it. No one could know how even the slightest touch set his pulse racing. "During the meeting you looked... Well you looked the way you do right before a battle."
"It's nothing you need concern yourself with, my lady."
"Is it tomorrow that you're worried about?"
He shook his head. "I'm certain all will be well. We will prevail. We've no other choice."
"Yes..." Her gaze was distant and he wondered if her thoughts had turned once more to Lyon, but when she did speak she managed a smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm sure you're right. " And then, after a pause, "Would you spar with me this evening?"
His blood ran cold. "Perhaps it would be better to save your strength and be sure you're well rested for tomorrow."
Eirika heaved a sigh. "I'm hoping to tire myself out so that I actually will rest. I don't fancy staring at the ceiling of my tent all night."
Hesitating, he tried to think of some other excuse, some other means of dissuading her, but finally he settled for nodding. "All right." If he couldn't prevent her from being in the vicinity of the attack then he might as well make sure he was close-by when it happened.
"Thank you, Seth." This smile was indeed a real one and it pained him to know how much his presence cheered her; it pained him to think that she could feel for him as strongly as he did for her, that she suffered as much from their situation as he. "I have a few things I need to see to, but perhaps we can meet in an hour?"
"As you wish, milady," he said with a bow.
This time, Eirika left the pavilion with a smile on her face.
ooo
He would be prepared when it happened this time around. Since he didn't know the precise nature of his attacker he opted to wear light armour, rather than saddling his horse and donning full plate mail. His sword was ready at his side and he brought a shield for good measure. He arrived early at their meeting place and scouted around the outskirts of the woods, but whatever had attacked him the last time was nowhere to be found– assuming what he'd seen had been real at all. Perhaps he was just overtired and his mind was playing tricks on him...
By the time Eirika arrived he'd half convinced himself that he'd imagined the whole thing, but even so, he kept his attention on the woods.
Eirika raised an eyebrow as she noted his armour. "Good evening, milady," he greeted her before she could ask. "Is there anything in particular you wished to work on?"
"No. Nothing specific."
"You could have asked any of the others. Forde and Kyle would be happy to help you train."
Her brow crinkled and she crossed her arms and turned away. "I didn't think sparring constituted fraternizing now as well."
He kept his expression neutral, though the sting in her voice cut him to the quick. It is not becoming of a noble of Renais to fraternize in this way with her subjects. Perhaps she'd thought him overbold for his words. But he had only been trying to protect the both of them. Surely she could see how dangerous it was for them to be together? When they were close like this it was all he could to keep from reaching out to touch her.
"Princess–"
This time, when he sensed something coming from the woods, he didn't bother to draw his sword but instantly threw himself towards Eirika, bringing them both to the ground. He felt a searing heat pass close to his neck and a flash of pain, but he was in full command of his senses when they hit the ground. He rolled and leaped to his feet, drawing his sword to face the creature before him: a gwyllgi, its three canine heads snarling as it charged towards him.
Seth dodged away as a second ball of flame shot from the creature's mouth, setting the tent behind him alight. He slashed at the beast, driving it back. At the back of his mind he took note of the shouts he heard from somewhere along the camp's perimeter and the rapid footfalls from all around.
From the corner of his eye he glimpsed Eirika on her feet, sword drawn. He slashed at the gwyllgi again, hoping to distract the beast. It roared and swiped at him with its scythe-like claws. Eirika seized upon its distraction to strike it with her blade. One of the outer heads noticed her and snapped in her direction, but she dodged nimbly away and managed to strike the beast's side. It snarled and swung around towards her and Seth moved in for the killing blow, slashing across its throat.
As the gwyllgi sank to the ground, Seth turned his attention to Eirika, scanning her up and down, checking for injury. "I'm fine," she assured him. "Let's go."
He nodded and together they raced towards the outskirts of the camp. All around, men and women were running toward the west side of camp. Seth's gaze swept the clearing ahead, taking count of their foes– twenty at least, a collection of gwyllgi, gargoyles, and bael. It wasn't a full force attack, more like a scouting party meant to either assess their strength or simply to rattle them. These creatures, after all, were expendable so Riev would not bat an eye at sacrificing a handful if it would damage their morale.
But even taken by surprise, their troops were holding their own and Seth's heart surged with pride at the efficiency with which the foul beasts were being cut down. He and Eirika honed in on a bael that had struck down one of the sentries and was leaning over him, its pincers precariously close to his prone form. Together they made quick work of the huge arachnid, hacking at its spindly limbs until it could no longer support its own weight and collapsed onto the ground. It was Eirika this time who delivered the final blow, her blade sliding into the creature's body up to the quillions. The bael shuddered once and then was still. Eirika jerked her blade out of the corpse with a proficiency that impressed even him. It wasn't so long ago that she would have struggled with such tasks, but she had become an excellent swordwoman in a short period of time, her skill quickly becoming as polished as her blade.
Just as they thought the day won, a second wave skittered out of the woods. A group of gargoyles swooped low, wreaking havoc on the already scattered defenders. Seth glanced at Eirika. She nodded and without a word they charged ahead.
"To me!" Eirika shouted.
"Form up!" Seth bellowed.
He had faith in their troops, but, caught off guard as they'd been and by such numbers, it was important to stay calm and to keep to their tactics. By the time they'd reached the forefront of the battle lines, their troops had gathered together around them and were ready to meet their foes en masse, rather than by ones and twos. The gargoyles swept low again, jabbing with their spears, but before they could come in again for a third pass, a rain of arrows showered down on them. Shrieks like grating metal tore at his ears, but their cries were sweeter than a minstrel's tune as the winged creatures tumbled from the sky.
Eirika was at his side at the front of the lines, hacking at the beasts as they came. A flare of fire and then a flash of bright light tearing through the enemy ranks signalled the arrival of their mages. Seth's blood raced, the taste of victory on his lips. They had driven these creatures back before. They would do so again today. And tomorrow. And as long as need be until the world was purged of their evil.
Glinting gold in the setting sun, Eirika's blade cut though the enemy ranks. How could he ever fail when he fought in the service of one such as she?
The feeble yowl of the dying gwyllgi before him faded away and all at once the air was still. It was over. For a moment, he stood, panting for breath as he surveyed the field of battle. They'd fought well and fared well. To his right, Eirika was winded, but unharmed. Her blade was stained with the rusty red blood of the Demon King's spawn and she paused to wipe flecks of it off her cheek. She was magnificent and his heart swelled with joy to watch her.
She caught his glance and offered a smile and a nod. Already, fresh troops were taking up sentry positions, and lanterns were being brought to help see to the wounded as the dusk faded into night. Now it was time to tend their wounds and clean their blades.
ooo
L'Arachel, Natasha, and Moulder had their work cut out for them, that was certain. On the whole, their forces had fared well. Though there were many wounded, some seriously, so far there had not been one fatality as a result of the attack. As Seth played stretcher bearer, helping to carry one of the last of the wounded to the healing tent, he could not but feel tremendous pride in their forces. They had begun as little more than a rag-tag band traipsing across Magvel and now they'd evolved into an elite fighting force, capable of taking on the worst Riev could throw at them.
Upon being relieved of his charge once he reached the healers' pavilion, Seth had planned to return to his tent and strip off his armour and clean it. His neck still burned where the gwyllgi's fire had singed him and he was looking forward to retiring for the evening. When he turned towards the exit, however, he found someone barring his way. "There you are," Eirika said. "I've been looking for you."
"Princess," he said with a bow. "I was about to see to my armour."
Her brow creased ever so slightly. "You should see to yourself first. Your neck..."
"It's merely a scratch."
She shook her head. "Seth, we need you tomorrow. We don't know what we'll be up against once we enter Darkling Woods. I want you in perfect form, is that understood?"
"Yes, Lady Eirika."
"I'll wait with you until someone has time to see to you." He was about to protest, but the way she'd crossed her arms and drawn herself up to her full height made it clear that arguing would be of no use. They moved off to one side to be out of the way of the healers. Eirika left for a few moments and returned holding a damp cloth. "Let me help you with your armour," she said, her fingers reaching for the straps of his breast plate. He stood very still as she fumbled with the buckles, her fingers trembling ever so slightly. As she finished with the straps, he eased off the armour and set it down next to him.
Seth clenched his jaw as he felt the cool cloth press against the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry," Eirika said quietly.
"It's nothing, my lady." The cold water eased the heat of the burn slightly, but he felt unnaturally warm... for Eirika was standing very close to him. Her free hand rested on his arm with a kind of unconscious intimacy that was both endearing and terrifying.Something more... That she should feel anything at all for him, a knight, a soldier...
"Seth?"
"Yes, my lady?"
"How did you know?"
"Milady?"
"About the attack this evening. When you came to spar you were wearing your armour already and when the gwyllgi came at us... it was as if you were expecting it."
Seth heaved a sigh. "I... had a premonition of sorts. A waking dream perhaps, I don't know."
"And you saw the attack happen?"
"I..." He hesitated, for what he had seen had ended very differently. He had seen what seemed to be his own death.
"Seth, what is it?" She kept the cloth pressed against his neck but moved to his side to better see his face.
"I saw up to the point where we were attacked."
"And then?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. I was struck and then nothing." Her hand clenched spasmodically around his arm. He turned to meet her eye, offering a faint smile. "There's no need to worry, Lady Eirika. All's well."
"Yes," she whispered. "Yes you're right." She paused for a moment and then, "Seth, after the war, when all this is over–"
"Princess, General Seth, may I be of assistance?" Natasha asked. He'd been too distracted to notice her approach and, judging by the scarlet in Eirika's cheeks, she must have been as well.
"Sister Natasha," Eirika said hurriedly. "Could you spare a moment to treat Seth?"
"It's nothing," Seth protested.
"Even so," Eirika insisted.
"Of course, Princess," Natasha said, smiling. "Let me have a look." Eirika backed away and Seth was suddenly aware of the loss of her warmth next to him. Natasha inspected the burn and then lifted her staff. "This will only take a moment."
The touch of the staff's magic was like a kind of prickling along his skin, strange, but not altogether unpleasant. After a few seconds the stinging heat of the burn eased away and then disappeared entirely.
"All done," Natasha announced.
"Thank you, Sister Natasha," Seth said, bowing his head.
"It was good that you brought him, Princess. The burn wasn't severe, General, but it could have become infected without treatment. Please do take care." He nodded. "If there's nothing else, please excuse me."
"Of course," Eirika said. "Thank you."
As Natasha walked away, Seth turned to Eirika. "With your leave, Lady Eirika, I'd like to tend to my armour and rest. We've a long day ahead of us."
She'd been eyeing the newly healed skin on his neck and now turned to look him in the face. "Yes, of course. Seth, I–" She heaved a sigh. "Never mind. Have a good rest. I'll see you tomorrow."
"My lady," he said with a bow before picking up his breastplate and returning to his tent.
He made quick work of cleaning his armour and though it was still early, he put out the lantern and lay down on his bedroll. Outside, he could hear the muted sounds of chatter around the campfires. But their talk did not have its usual pitch; there was a reserve that was not normally present, as if their unease about the future trickled into their idle talk. No one was certain what tomorrow would bring or whether they would ever see another sunset. For now, all they could do was wait and rest. It was with these thoughts that Seth drifted to sleep, his mind dancing with visions of Eirika riding triumphantly back to their homeland... and himself trailing, as always, behind her.
ooo
"Maybe archery just isn't our thing. We should try something else." Dozla's bass rumble was unmistakable.
"What do you suggest?"
Standing once more in the heart of their bustling camp in the orange light of late afternoon, the only coherent thought Seth could form was, What the in the hell?
A/N: Two notes. 1) Dozla and Garcia's dialogue comes directly from their B support, just so you know. 2) I realize that in the game gwyllgis do not in fact breath fire, but since the folkloric creature is reputed to, I thought it would make battles a little more interesting, so I hope you'll forgive this slight AU-ness.