The Familiar of Zero – Trouble In Paradise
Chapter 5 – The Slavers of Ornières
Agnes rushed back into the house with a handful of the Royal Guard. She quickly opened the door to where everyone was sitting while her troops took up defensive positions both inside, and outside the mansion. Everyone jumped at the site of the troops suddenly running through the house. "Forgive me everyone, but we've got an emergency on our hands." Agnes said plainly, as she peered out of the window. She could see the dusk sky redden with the flames from Ornières. The Attack was well under-way. "We've just been informed that Ornières is under attack by a group of bandits." A stunned gasp filled the room. "Your majesty, I have deployed most of the guard to re-enforce the town." Henrietta's face became serious. "Good move Agnes…" Saito went to stand up, only for his father to press down on his shoulder. "You're not thinking of going… are you?" He asked, worry clearly etched onto his face, and that of his wife.
Saito sighed "Dad, I have to. As the Noble who looks after the people in Ornières, it's my job to ensure that they're kept safe. You know I'm not the type of person who runs and hides at the first sign of trouble." Mrs Hiraga paled. She hated the thought of her son running off to battle, even though he'd apparently done so many times since he came here, had become a big hero more than one. "Surely you can leave it to the Royal Guards… surely they'll be strong enough to handle this." She asked. Saito shook his head. "When I became lord of this land, I made a pledge that I'd never abandon the people here no matter what. I'm not going back on that promise." He said simply, determination was written in his eyes. Louise nodded as she removed Mr Hiraga's hand from Saito's shoulder. "This is something he and I have to do."
Saito looked away sheepishly. "Actually… I was going to ask you to remain here." He could sense Louise getting annoyed by that. "What! If you're going to fight, then I am as well. The people are as much responsibility as they are yours Saito!" Louise yelled, causing everyone to wince slightly. Saito took a deep breath, and began to explain his reasoning. "Look, I know you can handle yourself in a fight… we've been in more than our fair share for the past two years. But right now, I'd like you to remain here. I'd be surprised if the people don't try and flee to here looking for safety, and even more so if the bandits don't follow them. If you stay behind, you can help them with your magic as they take cover inside the mansion until we can push the attack back, or they retreat... Not only that, but I think it'd help my parents to know that you're here to keep them safe in case things really do get hot here"
"Be that as it may Saito, shouldn't the Queens be evacuated? Surely the top priority is for them to be kept safe." Mr Hiraga asked which was answered by Henrietta shaking her head slightly, causing him and Mrs Hiraga some confusion. "If we were normal Queens, I'd imagine that would be the case, however, both of us value the lives of our people over that of our own. If we need to escape, we'll do so at the last possible minute. Besides, I'm probably the only mage here that knows any healing spells, so I intend to stay and help out as best I can." Tabitha nodded. "We're both strong mages, and we're not afraid to fight just because we're royalty."
Saito nodded. He'd fought against both Henrietta and Tabitha separately, so he could vouch for their strength in battle. Henrietta had come close to killing him when she was under the influence of the Fake Wales. If push came to shove and they did have to fight, he knew that they would be more than a match for most enemies.
"Besides" Tabitha continued "if he wants to get to Ornières quickly, he'll need my help." Saito nodded again. Flying on Slyphid would be the quickest way to get to the town in order to join the defence, but that in itself presented another problem… namely that Slyphid was still in her human form, and if she suddenly transformed into a dragon, it was going to create a lot of questions from his parents that he'd probably have to answer later, but compared to an army that was laying siege to Ornières, it was probably going to be a lot simpler to deal with… and less bloody. Illococoo grinned, clearing having had the same train of thought her master had had. "I'll go get ready then, head outside when you're set." And with that, she ran out of the room and outside the mansion, where she transformed into her dragon form. She peeked her head through the windows, and gave a wink to Saito's parents, whose jaws dropped open. "You mean… she was that dragon all along?" Mr Hiraga asked, barely able to take in just what he'd seen. Slyphid nodded her head, and purred. "We'll explain everything later" Saito said as he walked over to a suit of armour in the hallway and removed its sword from its side. Instantly, the ruins on his hand began to glow their trademark blue, and he immediately felt the sword lighten in his hands, and his body able to move faster. Tabitha walked past him. "I'll help from the air." Saito nodded, and prepared to leave, only to be stopped by Louise who had grabbed hold of his hand. "Are you planning on trying to talk me out of going again?" Saito asked jokingly, knowing that this wasn't the case. Louise pulled him close and planted a strong kiss on his lips, and held it for a few seconds. As she let him go, she stepped back a few steps, with Saito's parent's right behind her, who still looked unhappy about their only son running off to fight. "For luck… And promise me you won't do anything reckless Saito." Saito grinned and waved his hand. "Hey, this is me we're talking about." With that, he hurried outside and jumped on Slyphid's back, just behind Tabitha. "Let's go" She muttered, as Slyphid flapped her wings and took off into the sky, heading straight towards the burning town. As Louise and Saito's parents returned into the lounge, they saw that Henrietta, Agnes, several soldiers and Siesta were clearing things out of the way, leaving the centre of the room wide open. "We may need the space to treat the wounded." Agnes answered, before Louise could even ask.
Saito's parents nodded in agreement. Though they couldn't fight themselves, they both knew that they'd probably need as many people as possible to help treat the wounded. "Siesta, do we have anything that can be used to treat injuries? We'd best get ready for the worst." Mr Hiraga asked. Siesta paused and thought about it for a second. "Yes, I believe we have some things up-stairs that could be used, if only to help stop any bleeding." Mr Hiraga nodded. "Can you show me where, we'll go get them?" Siesta nodded, and ran with Saito's parents upstairs. "I can see where Saito gets it from… they're calm under pressure just like him." Agnes said. Louise sweat dropped. "Unless they happen to see a blue dragon suddenly stick its head through a portal I just opened." She replied, causing Agnes and Henrietta to laugh. "Louise, I think that'd scare most people though, don't you?" Louise agreed, and glanced out of a window. She could see the fires burning over the tops of the trees. "Founder… please keep him and the people safe." She prayed in her heart, before rushing to help do what she could to prepare.
As Slyphid raced towards Ornières, they caught up with the Guards sent earlier by Agnes, who were charging in on horseback. They were minutes away from reaching the town, and by now all could hear the screams of panic and the cracking of burning timber. Slyphid flew lower and slowed down. Tabitha called out to the soldier leading the relief force. "Solider!" The cavalry commander looked over, concern etched on his face. "Your majesty, it's not safe here. Leave this to us." Tabitha shook her head. "I'll be fine, get the townspeople to head towards Ornières Manor. The wounded will be treated there." The commander nodded, and issued the command to his men. Slyphid pulled up high into the sky so they could get an idea of the situation. Most of the new buildings that were being constructed were engulfed in flames. Saito could see that some people were being dragged and loaded into a group of three carriages on the outskirts of the city, while others had managed to hide in the thick forest nearby. "Slavers…" Tabitha muttered. It was clear these people were not simple bandits. "Tabitha, take me down just in-front of them, and then see what you can do about those fires." Saito ordered. Slyphid flew lower, but still had remained unseen by the Slavers, who it seemed were too busy trying to round up the townspeople.
As Slyphid neared the ground, Saito jumped off her back, and snuck up close to the horses. Slyphid rose quickly, and headed back over to the town. Saito could hear the muskets and pistols firing in the distance. "Looks like the guard arrived… that should draw their attention for a few minutes at least." He then used his sword to cut through the reins that bound the horses on the first carriage. Saito could see they had been badly treated, with many carrying deep scars from heavy whipping. Saito then snuck towards the second carriage and did the same. He didn't want the horses to run yet… the Slavers would probably see them going and realise something was up. As he closed in on the third carriage, he came face to face with a slaver. "Shit" Saito thought, and barely had time to react as his opponent swung at him. Parrying the initial swing, he rolled past his enemy, before piercing him through the back. The slaver dropped down dead, but his comrades had heard the clashing of steel. A group of them rushed at Saito, while two readied their arrows. "Well… so much for being careful" he thought, rushing to meet them in.
Tabitha meanwhile, had her work cut out. She'd used her water magic to stop the flames spreading, but hadn't been able to put the fires out after she'd been seen by a couple of archers. Slyphid was able to move quickly in order to avoid them, but it made it hard for Tabitha to cast her spells at her enemies. Fortunately, a shot by a member of the Guard had drawn the archer's attention off her for a split second, and that was all she needed. Pointing her staff down at the enemy, she fired a barrage of icicles down at her enemies. The Slavers never had a chance as the barrage ripped them to shreds, and she continued to do what she could from up in the air.
The Guards were pushing through the town at a steady progress. Many of the civilians had been given cover as they ran towards Ornières Mansion. "Keep pushing them! Give them no quarter, but keep the civilians safe!" The commander yelled, as the Slavers began to get more and more desperate, with some turning around and trying to flee. Tabitha and Slyphid flew down and hit the enemy line from behind, with Slyphid grabbing enemies in her talons and dropping them from a great height.
Saito, meanwhile, was still fighting. He'd taken several of the Slavers down, but still had a few left. "You're gonna bleed you brat!" Yelled one, as he charged in. Saito parried his sword, and then had to duck as another swung his axe at him. Spinning around, he managed to grab hold of one of the slavers arms, and pull him towards him while Saito slipped behind him. Kicking the guy in the back, he tumbled forward and landed on his comrade's sword with a sickening squelch. "Dammit, I could do with some backup here!" He thought to himself, as he parried several more attacks. He hadn't done any training, let alone used a blade since the battle with the Ancient Dragon, and even with his powers as a familiar it was clear to see. "Note to self… hiring a sparring partner after this is done"
As Saito jumped back, avoiding the arrows fired by the archers, he lost his footing, and was knocked back with a punch to the face as he was distracted. His sword flew out of his hands and he hit the floor, with his head catching against a rock on the way down. A Slaver jumped at him, Saito barely managed to stagger out of the way of the swing, and managed to pick up one of the Slavers' swords from a defeated enemy. "I'm getting fed up with this." He thought to himself, as felt the warmth of his blood trickle down from the gash on his head, and into his left eye.
"Saito, DUCK!" came a shout from behind, and Saito hit the floor as fast as he could. A fireball came out of nowhere and hit the slavers, roasting them all in an instant. As Saito got up and looked around, a smile appeared on his face. The Ostlant was here, and he could see Tiffania, who was waving frantically at him, Professor Colbert and Kirche. He didn't know why they'd arrived, and right now, he didn't care. He was just glad to see some friendly faces. Hopefully, this battle would end quickly, and he could catch up with his friends… Boy, would Louise be surprised that they had more guests.
Back at Ornières Mansion, the civilians were arriving quickly. Everyone was doing their best to treat the wounded, which were mainly suffering from minor burns from the fires that were engulfing the town, though some did have some deep sword wounds, and find places for others to take shelter. Henrietta's healing magic was being used on the most seriously injured first, while everyone else was doing whatever they could to help the others get comfortable, or try and stop the bleeding. Those who weren't injured were doing what-ever they could to help out however they could. Everyone was desperate for this fight to be over quickly. The country had had more than enough fighting in recent years.
As the Ostlant landed, Saito was just finishing freeing the captured townspeople. Tabitha had successfully put out the fires and was hovering around on Slyphid, keeping an eye out for any Slavers that might come to take their carriages, while the Royal Guard had managed to route or capture most of the Slavers. There were a few pockets of resistance, but the battle was pretty much won. As Colbert, Tiffania and Kirche left the Ostlant, Saito was just helping an elderly man out of the back of a carriage. "By the Founder, Thank you!" He wept. "I didn't think anyone would save us." Saito smiled gently, trying to hide the mild pain he was in following the blow he took to the side of the head when he was punched "Remember what I said when I became the Lord of this land? I'll do whatever I can to protect you, all of you, and I'll always stay true to that." A cheer erupted from the crowd. Unlike most Nobles, Saito's down to earth, hands-on attitude with them had made him incredibly popular with them. Even more so because he was a man who'd risen up from nowhere and performed more great deeds in just two years than most nobles would dream of being known for in a lifetime
Tabitha and Slyphid landed close by, having seen the Royal Guards finish fighting. "Saito, are you alright?" Professor Colbert asked as he walked over to him and the people. "Been better" Saito replied. "Though I think I'll be in a worse condition when Louise sees the state of me… so much for being careful" he laughed. Kirche looked at smouldering ruins of the burnt out buildings. "Who were those attackers?" She asked, holding onto Professor Colbert's arm tightly. Tabitha joined the group. "Slavers" she said simply. Kirche let go of Professor Colbert and ran over and hugged Tabitha tightly. "It's been to long Tabitha!" she squealed as she hugged her small friend tightly. Tabitha merely nodded and replied "It has". Tiffania looked nervously at the damage. So much of the work that had been started had been destroyed; she wondered just where people would even think to begin in rebuilding… indeed, if they would even consider rebuilding. "I know it looks bad dearie… but we'll recover." Tiffania's attention was drawn to a small elderly lady who had suddenly appeared next to her. She had a bruise over her right eye from where she'd clearly been hit, and her ankles where clearly saw from where she'd been tightly chained up. "We're a lot stronger than people would expect… but I think it's down to our Lord mostly… he fills us with such hope and confidence for the future." Tiffania nodded in agreement. "Yes, he always does make the people around him feel better about themselves… It's one of his talents." Tiffania thought to herself.
In the distance, Saito could see the Royal Guards approaching; the man who'd led the relief force at the head. Several appeared to be injured, but it didn't look like they'd lost many of their fighters. Tabitha managed to free herself (somehow) from Kirche's grasp and walked over to the guards. "Status report" She demanded. The commander saluted "Your highness, the enemy are fleeing towards the South, Sadly, we failed to capture any of them, but we have dealt them a heavy blow. As far as we know, the intended target was the people of this town, they don't appear to have had any intention of targeting the Mansion." Tabitha nodded. "What's the status of your troops?" she asked. The commander waved someone else over to speak. "Currently, we have ten injured, four seriously, we know of three dead, and so far have at least another seven who are currently MIA."
Tabitha nodded then turned to. "Professor Colbert. Can we please use the Ostlant to transfer the wounded and remaining civilians to Ornières Mansion?" The Professor nodded. "Of course, I was going to suggest we do that." Professor Colbert looked at the soldiers. "Do you want a ride back? We've got more than enough room." He offered. "Thank you sir, but my men and I will remain here for a while. We're going to make sure the town is completely secure and search to see if we can find anyone who may be trapped or injured." The commander replied, and signalled for several of his men to help get the civilians and wounded onto the ship. Professor Colbert bowed his head, and began helping as well, as did Kirche. Tabatha re-mounted Slyphid, saying she was going to do another search from the air, and then head back herself. As she took off, Saito turned and looked at Tiffania, who was helping the Elderly lady she was speaking to earlier. "I have to admit, this wasn't how I expected us to meet up again…" Saito joked, helping another civilian. Tiffania nodded and smiled. "Well… Things never are straight forward; I've learnt that much from being with you and Louise back at the Academy."
Saito couldn't help but nod in agreement. "So tell me, what brings you guys all the way out here." Tiffania paused for a second. "I guess you could say I wanted to catch up with you and Louise… besides, I've only just been able to get back from the Elven Lands." Saito was momentarily surprised, but then he remembered. "Yes, I remembering hearing that you'd been made a representative between Humans and Elves. I imagine it's not an easy job." Tiffania sighed in agreement. "Let me put it this way: if I hadn't had such solid support from people on both sides, I might not have agreed to it."
As everyone was helped onto the ship, Saito noticed the three hooded figures that were treating the injured. He could just make out what one was saying. "Fine, Fine, I'm helping, see, I'm helping the humans. No need to threaten me with a divorce, alright? I mean we have only just got married!" Saito grinned, he knew who that was. "So, you've finally tied the knot huh, Arie?" he called out. The figures turned to face Saito, and lowered their hoods, revealing their pointy ears and blond hair. "He has for now Saito… though if he keeps his attitude up, I may have to leave him" Luctiana replied with a laugh. Vitartial sighed at his niece's attitude, was she ever going to stop teasing Arie… and more to the point, we he ever going to stop falling for it. "It's good to see you again Saito" he said, offering his hand. Saito shook it. "And you, I hope you've all been well." Saito asked "I seem to be having familiar faces turning up at every turn today" he thought to himself.
"Very… though trying to help Tiffania's peace efforts and relationship improvements between our kind and humans is very tiring" He admitted. This wasn't how he planned to spend his elder years, but then again, he never would've imagined he'd ever be talking with a human, or consider one a friend when he was younger. "Still, I am curious… what did you mean by seeing familiar faces turning up?" he asked. Saito was about to answer when he felt the ship take off "I'll never get used to that" he thought to himself as the ship slowly sailed for the Mansion. Professor Colbert and Kirche joined the group, having left the controls in the hands of a crew member, and Saito began to fill them in on the day's events. He hoped to have them clued up enough for when they arrived at the mansion. He just prayed that they had enough food and drink for all these guests…
Authors Note:
FINALLY DONE! *head slams on the desk*
Sorry for the delay guys, I've been stuck with a Migraine for the past few days, so I couldn't look at a PC to type this up. On the plus side, I have thought of a few more ideas for this story, and made notes ready to put them into this.
I am also pleased to announce that I've been able to draw up some plans for another ZoF fan-fic, currently, this is under the title of "Project Black" – mainly because I haven't sat down and thought about a proper title, merely the ideas for it - I'm toying with basing it after the events of this one, but at the moment, current plans are for it to be its own story with no ties to this one, and is based around seven years after the defeat of the Ancient Dragon, but that may change.
I hope to have a few more chapters up this week, and maybe bring this fan-fic to a close soon. As always guys, I appreciate the reviews and feedback. They're helping me improve my writing… I hope :P