((…All right, so this chapter is about the same length, if not longer, than the last. So sue me. x.x))
Ch. 2: New Realms
Even as the new, fused world was still growing accustomed to its new form, the entire continent of Elibe seemed to have its foundations ripped out as similar events to Lyn's occurred throughout the land. Those slain during and after the Second Scouring returned to life… but, curiously, it seemed only to work if they had slain another during that time. Villages that had been ravaged remained completely silent, while the gravesites of Bern were filled with the bodies of reviving soldiers. Strangely enough, similar things began to occur with an odd twist when the strange light touched those that were still alive from that time period…
"Lord Pent? Lord Pent, where are you?" The Lady of Violets, eighteen years older since she had last taken up her bow in combat, made her way around Castle Reglay, wondering where on Elibe he could possibly be after such a quick… but nonetheless cataclysmic… event. Realizing that he would probably be in one of two places, she set off in search of the first. Moving off towards the library, which she swore was his true home within the castle, she began searching around the monumental bookshelves that lined the walls and divided the large room into a seemingly endless labyrinth. The limitless places to look within this cataclysmic cyclone of books, which had been thrown out of their orderly shelves during the contact, made it all the harder to know whether or not her husband truly was buried with his books.
It wasn't that Louise didn't appreciate good literature… it was just that her husband was simply so obsessed with the acquisition of new knowledge, that was all. He promised he would stop all his terribly irksome habits as soon as they had come back from that cataclysmic fight that had occurred almost twenty years ago against the serpentine behemoth, and for a time, he kept that promise. After half a decade or so, however, rumors of Bern surfaced… and with it, old habits returned with a vengeance. Rather than staying for days in his study without so much as a peep or a bite to eat, he now waited for weeks, almost killing himself from a genuine starvation and almost lethal amounts of dehydration before emerging from his study to speak to his wife. She was just about ready to make him write his will, if he kept all this nonsense up. Closing the large, ornate doors that were both the entrance and exit to the library, she made perfectly sure that, if her sage husband was indeed in the vicinity, he would not leave without her full knowledge.
All such thoughts went away, replaced with genuine concern as she coursed through the library. It certainly did not help that the said area was two stories tall, with stairs leading up to the eastern and western wings of the castle. Nevertheless, she continued on, stopping only when she felt the wave of azure light strike her body. Gasping as the sheer amount of energy tore at her thin form, she was thrown back from the raw force of the blow. It was odd, the way the light seemed almost solid, but passed through a person as if the said column of flesh did not exist. As soon as it had arrived, it was gone, leaving the blonde woman to catch her breath. It wasn't easy, being thrown on the floor with such force at the age of forty-seven. Though other cultures did not see such an age as especially old, combat for a few years in youth can wear out both body and mind as if it had aged decades.
Sitting up, the arthritis that had slightly ailed her back surprisingly did not scream at her as it usually did. Confused at this, she nevertheless smiled, letting her hand move around to rest on her back. Perhaps falling on a tile floor wasn't so bad after all, if it could stave the pains of arthritis. Stretching, she noted that, oddly enough, she was far more flexible than she had felt in years. Reveling in this feeling of youth, she wondered truly if the floor had some kind of rune imbedded in it, to give it such rejuvenating powers upon impact… She would need to consult her husband on this one. Perhaps it was a belated birthday gift…? If so, she hoped for more like it in the future.
Content after a while that her husband was not in the area while taking full advantage over her newfound energy and vigor (she had stayed at her desk doing too long while doing far too much paperwork, or so she was firmly convinced at this point), she was a bit disappointed that he had not been present before, shrugging her shoulders, she opened the large library doors once again, moving past her maids and servants with a smile on her face, ready to track down her husband once more.
Beaming like the Cheshire cat, she wondered vaguely why her servants and maids had promptly dropped everything they held… including their jaws. Did she look that much better… or was there some horrendous bruise that had marred her face during the fall, even though she could have sworn that she had fallen on her back? Upon hearing comments such as, "Is that truly milady..? She looks… different, does she not?", and others like, "Wow. What happened to milady?", she was not quite as ecstatic as she was a few seconds earlier. Rushing past them, she strove to find her husband. If she looked as odd as she sounded, she needed the honesty of a spouse to tell her… at least until she could get to a mirror. Thankfully, she knew that the second place where she could find her elusive husband also held a crystalline mirror in it.
Rushing to get to the northern Observatory Tower more out of curiosity and fear than concern for her husband, she called out his name, hearing his voice softly answering in return. Overjoyed that her elusive mate had been found at last, she rushed up the spiral stone staircase that lead up to the watchtower, feeling invigorated by both that interesting fall and the sound of Lord Pent's voice. Strangely enough, his voice sounded confused, concerned, and younger… all at the same time. Pausing, she ran that last thought through her mind again.
Younger? Why by Elimine did I think that? Shrugging it off as her hearing gone funny over the years, she rushed all the more, relieved when she hit the top of the staircase. Smiling and adjusting her ruby dress while at the mahogany door leading into the actual observatory, she opened the door. Seeing only the back of her husband's head as he seemingly ogled the mirror, she wondered if the blast had hurt his head so much that he would become a narcissist. The very thought made her giggle… and that made her husband turn around. The moment he had done so, they both immediately noticed that something was quite amiss.
"Louise!"
"Lord… Pent!" Husband and wife stared at one another, horrified, confused, and yet exhilarated simultaneously as they gazed at each other's faces. Their small but still noticeable fine lines had all disappeared, the silver hairs that had marred the monotony of Louise's golden locks had evaporated, and her body appeared as if she had never borne a child in her life. Neither of them could quite grasp what had happened, and their shocked faces showed it quite clearly. An awkward silence filled the room before Louise, tired of wondering if she now looked as young as her husband, ran to the glass that hung on the wall.
"Are we… young!" Louise shrieked upon seeing herself in the mirror. Though grateful, yes, she was still confused… Why did they look like they had when they had fought alongside what was now the late Marquess Pherae? Why had her figure returned…? Upon that last thought, however, she decided to count her blessings. Not many women got to have their bodies back once childbirth took it away, after all.
"Yes… yes, we are." Still confused and bewildered, Pent could only murmur about the light, the earthquakes that had failed to fell a single house, the tsunamis that had washed harmlessly over the heads of civilians, and the fires that seemed to rage only where life was not present.
"We… We should speak to the others about this, shouldn't we…? And the children, as well…" Louise murmured, met only with a nod from Pent. This was quite the trivial matter… What had made them young? Considering the fact that Pent was here, the 'bewitched tile' theory that she had had was now thrown out the window…
A pity, in her opinion; it would have made a wonderful birthday gift.
----------
"Urgh…" Seth muttered, his eyes fluttering open but for a second before the bright sun forced them shut. Groaning slightly from a dull, burning pain that seemed to be radiating from the back of his skull, he gingerly reached back to touch it with one of his gloved hands, only to hiss in pain as the contact was met with a new barrage of raw pain. Attempting to sit up, he gave up after a few tries, making content with groaning beneath the searing sun while shielding his eyes from the burning rays. They had Eirika, his liege… he had failed in his ultimate mission. He was not to destroy the Demon King, rid the world of the dark plague that had descended upon it… no, he was to protect the Princess of Renais.
The King had entrusted the frail, porcelain doll that was his daughter's life into the Silver Knight's hands, and he had failed to hold on to it when she needed to be protected the most. Now she was in enemy hands, as if a hammer now loomed over that metaphorical doll; taunting him, always ready to lower the crushing force to end the girl's life. And he, like an overconfident fool, had allowed her to run ahead, seemingly humoring her and her claims for being able to take care of herself while being perfectly sure that he could run to her rescue in case enemies were to strike. One moment of distraction, one arrow that was aimed at an off angle; that was all it took to scare his loyal stallion. Rearing up and neighing sharply even as Seth had struggled to control him, it paid no heed even as the princess he had been following since the beginning of this journey was snatched up cruelly by a mercenary.
He knew the memory would haunt him forever… and the pain would be a constant reminder until the large, raw flesh that had been bludgeoned would be a constant reminder of that until the injury healed. At this point, he didn't even want that to happen, knowing that his princess could be going through ten times as much agony right now… if she was still alive.
I'd sooner prefer to see the Knights of Renais dead than to let her suffer for my transgressions! Cursing under his breath, he tried once more to sit up, only to see a gloved hand quite literally fall into his line of vision from above. Recognizing the crest on the glove as a Renais soldier, his eyes widened horrendously before, falling back and yelling from surprise, he looked up, only to see a familiar face sneering at him from above. It appeared that fate wished to make a fool of him yet again.
"Calm yourself, Sir Seth! Why, I could have sworn you'd seen a corpse, what with your reaction." Laughing merrily and yet offering his hand towards his captain, Forde allowed himself to smirk and ridicule him for a moment before, letting that moment pass, he pulled Seth up. The older knight groaned from the blood rushing to the wound on his head, and felt a trickle of blood run down his scalp as he looked at his still-sneering blonde friend. Staring blankly up for a moment at the man who had so incredulously ridiculed him, he decided to let it pass; he was in no mood to rebuke others, anyway. Stunned by this odd show of behavior, Forde arched and inquisitive eyebrow; noticing that Seth did not even bother telling him to stand up straight when he slouched, what was he supposed to think, given the circumstances of his finding? Something was terribly amiss, and he was determined to see to it just what this problem was.
"Forde. The princess… Princess Eirika has been…"
"Yeah… we know." Forde looked down, still smiling oddly; this left Seth to fume angrily at Forde's easygoing nature. Forde too had been assigned the task of protecting the royal twins, and yet he smiled, knowing that senile fool of a wyvern rider… or knight, rather… had the girl now in his cruel claws? Did he not know that Valter adored the chase, and loved to hunt his prey down to torture them to their last breath, no matter how long it took or how far he had to travel? He reveled in the pain of his victims, and here his underling was, seemingly unphased by the man's cruel reputation and his princess's disappearance. It was enough to have the blonde tried for treason.
"You… know. And yet, here you stand." Standing up and leering down at the blonde knight, Seth glared at Forde, letting his scarlet eyes do the rest of the talking for him as his caustic gaze bored mercilessly into the cavalier's gold orbs. Event though he had flinched a bit at first, the same smirk that had always been donned on the cavalier's face returned as he gestured towards his friend, Kyle. Letting his smile do as much talking for him as his captain's eyes had, he pointed merrily to the one that his green-haired friend held in his arms.
"Yes, yes indeed. A job well done, don't you think?" Just as he said this, it was Kyle's turn to bludgeon him upside the head. It surely was an ill-timed attempt to try to encourage arguing… and then it donned on him; Forde hadn't even bothered to mention the cataclysmic impact with the other planet to their captain yet! Seth had been unconscious throughout the rather traumatic endeavor, but was quite sure he would notice if a pegasus would lift him perhaps forty feet off the ground. They could even see castles in the distance, albeit small ones; but the sharp eyes of the pink-haired archer that had been lifted had spotted something that had made the poor girl faint. It was all a matter of letting her wake up before asking her what she had seen… so, to pass the time, Forde had decided to play a rather nasty joke on the commander… and he wasn't taking it all too well.
"…At least you have returned her safely. What report do you have to present on her rescue?" Seth sighed, letting the relief plainly show on his face for once. Walking over to the princess, he found she was unconscious in the other knight's arms. Draped with her back against his arms, for it was easier to hold her that way (it also gave Forde a better view while making sure that the dutiful Kyle did not mistakenly grope his liege), her head was leaned back, with her teal strands of hair falling gracefully downwards like a cascade of water, streaming downriver before meeting the waterfall that signaled their descent. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was steady. Seth, making sure she truly was all right, removed his glove before gently pressing two of his fingers beneath the scarlet cloth that covered her before letting them rest against her neck. Her pulse was strong and steady, albeit a bit flighty. This touch, though a sign of concern, had coaxed his inner demons awake. Unable to quite keep them at bay, he could not help but let his eyes drift a bit lower, gazing at the lack of cover that her skirt showed for a moment before quickly tearing his eyes away.
"Ah, so your eyes are attracted too, are they?" Forde teased, sneering momentarily before feeling the slap of a glove as Seth pelted him with said accessory. Shaking off the blush and pretending as if it never happened, he shot the man a look that spelled, Not a WORD of this gets to milady Eirika, understood!. However, this only seemed to cheer up Forde a bit more… before, making sure that his friend was not to be brutally murdered at the hands of a fellow Renais knight, Kyle stepped forward, coughing slightly and clearing his throat to get their attention.
"Sir Seth; here is how the situation came to be…"
-Flashback-
Two cavaliers on horseback had been moving ever so slowly through the veil of blinding sands that embellished the rather harsh desert area, struggling to even get their stubborn geldings to budge and inch into the burning, chafing winds and sand. Continuously pushing forward even though the blonde kept looking back every to often for signs of his younger sibling, the man's watchful eye was the first to catch a small glimpse of shelter from the blinding winds. With the sands lashing out and biting savagely at any exposed skin, Kyle and Forde were all too happy to be rid of the desert's harsh sandstorms as they rushed all the more towards their goal. Though Kyle had not caught sight of the upcoming stone fortress as of yet, his friend's smile was still visible, and his newfound determination told the other that they were close to liberation.
Though Forde had yelled out ecstatically towards his fellow knight that he had found a place to hide from the storm until it had subsided, he knew that his voice had all but been stolen away by the greedy, howling gales that made their home in this hostile environment. The scorching sun burned almost as much as the sand, though it itself did not leave the harsh abrasions that the grains had done to their skin. Kyle's neck was virtually bleeding by the time they had arrived at the fort, while Forde's hair had served to protect his, however marginally. Nevertheless, it was far better to have a raw neck and a bothersome head full of sand than to have a neck that would scarcely bend without having the thinning skin break beneath the required elasticity.
They had no knowledge of Eirika's capture, but could tell that something was amiss when they had discovered Seth's unconscious form but twenty minutes ago. Having left him in Innes's care while departing, they had distressfully noted that the princess was indeed nowhere within sight or earshot. Now at the fort, they had all but rushed in, more than willing to slaughter any unsuspecting Grado soldiers if it meant escaping from the desert hell that had been just outside. The first wave came at them in a daze, as if they were surprised that anyone was able to traverse the desert realm so quickly. The normal soldiers had been quickly dispatched with well-aimed lance strikes, while fellow mounted units had proven an exceptional challenge.
Forde, relying more on speed than on power, had his hands full while trying to combat a rogue Ranger that had clearly had a few more years of experience under her belt. When the blonde had struck out with his lance to run the other through on its tip, he found, to his surprise, that the woman had completely evaded his attack by ducking onto her horse, using the saddle for support as she leaned as far down as she could. This allowed the lance to pass harmlessly above her and, as she expected, had rendered the cavalier completely stunned and unprepared. Smiling as the brunette raised her sword, she swung it upward, allowing the blade to slice quickly through the air in an arc… had all gone well, his face would have been torn asunder, leaving a bloody mess and an unrecognizable crimson pulp in place of the charismatic features that he held so dear. Something went amiss, however, as she felt a sharp pain tear through her side… looking up at the source, she felt the lance being sharply tugged from her waist before, in a rush of pain and genuine agony, she failed to see the sword that swung towards her neck.
Seeing her head torn asunder from her shoulders in a mist of scarlet blood, and hearing her eerie shriek echo through the air, the rest of the menial enemy soldiers had frozen in place. Unsure whether or not they could combat the two who had just felled a highly skilled unit, they began to fall back, finally breaking into a run when a mercenary, who had not moved quite fast enough, had been run through the midsection with the same spear that had killed the mighty ranger. Forgetting all vows to Grado and fleeing instead in favor of their lives, Forde and Kyle watched the entire brigade of soldiers leave. Satisfied that their work was done, they were stopped only by the soft, protesting moan that could have only been produced by one thing… a woman.
So, of course, Forde jumped right into the fort, without any pretense as to where it might have lead or who might have dwelled there. Kyle had pulled him back, just before Valter had pulled back from his rather thorough investigation of their liege's lips, to see if she had been worthy of his administrations. Apparently pleased with his work and her discomfort, he soon dove right back in, further exposing her to unwanted attentions as his free hand had drifted up and down her body. She could easily feel the greedy grasp of his hand, making her feel as if she were nothing more than an object to be used as she felt sudden relief; the hand that had unclasped her armor but had not removed it had left her for a minute, only to return with a vengeance. She groaned discontentedly at this, though from far away, the differences between a pleasurable moan and a displeased groan were blurry at best. Her skin had already begun to glisten with sweat, and Valter's outer armor had been removed in favor for his slimmer, albeit less protective inner armor. The said plates of black armor were the same shade as his outer armor, with the only difference being that it did not cover his arms.
Strangely, she could not move… it was as if her back was chained to the wall, and her legs would not lash out. Focusing instead on standing upright, she could not even force her knees to move forward, to at least put a little distance between their bodies. When he moved down to shower attention on her neck with his lips and moist tongue, a shudder ran through her body at his eerie touch. It was predatory, yet tauntingly gentle, as if he wanted to create the illusion of caring while savagely ravaging her innocence, defiling her body while claiming it as his own.
Growling greedily at the girl he held in his arms, he pulled away the armor plating that covered her chest and shoulders, having already unclasped them before. He was not surprised to find that she was still clothed beneath, since her red shirt had lain beneath the plates of thin armor from the beginning. Finding this softer surface much more pleasing than the stiff armor plates that she had on previously, Valter could feel the captive girl squirm a bit beneath his grip for the first time since she had ceased doing so a few minutes ago. Apparently she found this extremely unnerving, preferring the rough kisses to her gradual undress at the general's hands and wishes. Reaching his free hand behind his back, he grasped something before returning to his diligent task of keeping her distracted, so as to not see what he held…
What she could not see but her knights could, however, was that he had pulled a rope from his armor; a rope which had been used to tie his wyvern on a regular basis. Now, he was attempting to use this to ever-so-subtly tie her hands together… and leaving the two cavaliers feeling like cheap voyeurs as they watched helplessly from afar. They could not fight the powerful knight, they knew, since his lance lay so close by… and they still did not yet know whether or not his advances were altogether unwelcome. She had ceased struggling at this point, and this made the sight look as if Valter had been more accepted by the princess. Had she succumbed to his unwanted advances, not have the energy to defy his attentions any more… or had she wanted them all along? Such thoughts ran through the cavaliers' minds as they pulled back momentarily, speaking to each other in hurried whispers while making sure that the wyvern knight was well out of earshot.
"What on earth--!" Forde spat… flustered for once, the flirtatious knight was not quite sure what had occurred in the corridor, and was nonetheless extremely agitated by the tryst they had witnessed.
"Now, Forde, calm down… there must be an explanation for this…"
"Explanation! He's ravaging the princess! Ruining the delicate flower that is her innocence! Defiling the purity known as her body! And, if we don't stop them, he'll invade her--" Losing all composure, said knight flailed his arms about in a manner similar to a fish that had been taken out of the water… only, he didn't even bother gasping for air.
"Stop. Right now." Not wanting that rather disturbing mental image of Eirika and Grado's Moonstone in his mind while also making his friend cease such foolish talk, Kyle held up his hand to silence his fellow knight before attempting to make sense of the scenario. His princess, her hands held above her head and used for pleasure at the hands of the wyvern knight that had destroyed Renais Castle… surely she did not find such a gaunt and bloodthirsty man a possible marriage candidate.
"She can't have accepted this man! He's a brute, taking advantage of a lotus!" Forde almost screamed this out, threatening their cover and forcing them to duck down as Valter's head turned. They were pretty sure they knew the princess… but, then again, no one but her (or perhaps her brother) knew what she liked, anyway. Perhaps she loved being the submissive, and this man simply provided all the dominance that such a relationship required. It was farfetched and highly unlikely, but, then again, so was the scenario they were witnessing unfold before them.
"Look, all we have to do is…" Pausing at the shadow that spread quickly over the land, Kyle was thrown off-balance by a sudden tremor that shook the earth, throwing them off their mounts while rendering everyone on the world unstable. He saw but a flash of green light in the sky over Grado before the worlds struck, leaving them blinded momentarily as they descended onto a new planet. The flash of heat that should have accompanied the impact was absent, staved by the pacifying light that now subsided, leaving everyone on the ground while greeting them with a new sky in a matter of minutes.
Unable to gather his already bundled nerves, Forde was left to stutter incoherently as he was once again caught by surprise. Quickly shaking it off, however, he was not able to remove the trembling that had spread through his hands as he struggled to regain his shattered composure. Clearing his throat as inaudibly as humanly possible, Forde moved discreetly and quietly towards the fort once more. Feeling the familiar texture of stone rather than sand beneath their boots, the blonde followed Kyle's lead into the room. If she wanted to be rescued, now was the time to do so. Realizing that Valter was on the ground, dazed by the sudden quake, the two cavaliers leaped at their chance.
Kicking his lance aside while his partner held the man back with a blade pointed at his throat, the haze of confusion quickly left the wyvern knight's eyes… replaced almost instantaneously by bitterness that rivaled the Demon King's hatred of the Stones, he allowed his gaze to do the vast amount of communicating for him before actually beginning to speak, not stopping the bitterness from entering his voice.
"True Knights of Renais, aren't you… you interrupted my sweet victory, just as your commander had done at Castle Renais. No matter… she has already borne my mark. Tell me…" Valter's face contorted into a victorious sneer, "Can two such as yourselves defy fate? Already, the first of the curses has come to pass. Two are yet to arrive… can you truly expect to protect the Princess, at the expense of your own lives? Traitors lose their lives today; traitors lose their lives today." With a triumphant laugh, the wyvern knight was suddenly engulfed in a scarlet light, which had enveloped him like a cocoon before imploding… and yet, it left no sign of Valter behind, with the exception of his echoing cackle. Likewise, his spear and the wyvern that had been tied outside had all but vanished.
Picking up Eirika and whatever discarded pieces of armor had lain strewn about, Kyle dutifully replaced her armor, buckling it back onto her unconscious form even as Forde complained and almost turned as green as his friend's hair… it wasn't fair, he thought, the way he could handle a beautiful girl like that; even if he was so-called 'more dutiful', shouldn't he have a shot at the girls once in a while?
Scooping up the girl's form, the two rode back through the desert, completely missing the glint of silver that had been present on the very spot where Eirika had once stood…
--End Flashback--
"…I see." Holding back the disgust and shock that he truly felt in his heart, he could not help but sympathize with the princess's… less-than desirable experience. He had taken the bite of the man's lance, and knew that she hated him, as well; even so, she had been subjected to tortures that could have only been exceeded by rape… which Valter might have done, had the two not arrived in time. Shaking his head at the odd account of the quake, he could see nothing new on the horizon… however, a sharp cry from the skies told him all he needed to know.
"General Seth…! I see a new land… just beyond the coastal borders!" Looking down, Tana almost shrieked devilishly from fear and anxiety as she continued.
"They're… an army is attacking my home! Frelia is being invaded by foreigners!"
(...Thanks for my two reviewers thus far, DarkestDarkness andAru Feuer. If it weren't for you guys, I wasn't sure if I'd ever update. But now, with readers, I've got motivation. Read and review, people!)