Golden Sun: The Sands of Time

Chapter 12: Tension

"How many men do we have?" Aldos questioned. His aide shook his head before replying.

"We have two hundred thousand worthy soldiers, all skilled with the bow and arrow."

"Not nearly enough." Aldos muttered. "Two hundred thousand against one and a half million karan? They have forces seven times our match."

The aide was desperately trying to keep pace with Aldos' long strides without actually breaking into a run. This was rather difficult, considering that Aldos was nearly a foot taller than him, and walking rather fast. "And you command, my lord?"

Aldos ground his teeth impatiently. Was he the ruler of a country of elves or robots? He wished that the idiots he commanded actually thought for themselves once in a while. But, ohhh, no. Anything that spoke of free thought was strictly taboo. Sighing, he replied to his aide. "Get everyone that is fit, and can wield a weapon to the armoury. We need every one we can spare. Anyone above the age of fifteen is to report as well."

With a nod, his aide scurried off.

Aldos stood watching, and if anyone else had been in the hallway at that time, they would have seen the slightest hint of fear in the king's eyes.

Garet groaned silently as he felt Jenna shaking him. "Come on, sleepy head. It's time to get up."

"Five more minutes." He muttered before trying to pull the blanket over his head. No such luck. Jenna had already yanked it off, exposing his eyes to the sun. "Gaaahh!" he yelled, before attempting to shut out the burning image from his eyes.

"Garet, c'mon! Isaac's called a meeting for all of us. Hurry UP!" The last syllable was shouted directly into Garet's year, causing him to jerk in alarm, and fall off the bed, tangled up in his sheets.

Jenna decided on merely shooting her fellow clumsy Mars adept a condescending look before rushing out of the room.

Grumbling to himself, Garet pulled on a tunic before stalking off after Jenna, muttering various death threats to no one in particular.

"Glad you could make it, Garet." Isaac grinned at his best friend, who had just settled himself down on one of the chairs in the room. Garet, for his part, grunted a "Yo." out, and tried not to think about food.

"I'll get down to business then." Isaac said. "In two days, an army of karan are attacking. Their number is about one point five million, and the elves have about two hundred thousand well trained soldiers. In short, we are badly screwed, because I think none of us feel particularly like deserting. However, if I'm wrong, and you feel like bailing, tough, 'cause the ship's a mess right now, and there's no way you'll be able to fly over Gaia Rift in it. Basically, it's do-or-die. Emphasis on the die."

Garet raised an eyebrow. "You seem to be slightly depressed there, fearless leader."

Isaac sighed. "That's because I am. I'll be frank with you. I don't really expect us to survive the fight."

"What?!" Ivan was on his feet, staring at Isaac. "How can you say that?! We've fought Saturos and Mernadi, we beat the Doom Dragon, and we managed to light all the Lighthouses. You don't think we can survive this?"

Isaac shook his head, sapphire eyes carrying a haunted look in them. Garet hated it when he looked this way. As his best friend since childhood, he knew that this expression came about only when Isaac was in the lowest of the low, far as emotions went. Like the time he thought his father had died in the river. Noticing that Isaac was speaking again, Garet stored away those thoughts mentally for later.

"We managed to beat them, true, but only by combining all our efforts. In this battle, we'll probably lose each other in the sea of raging enemies. I- I don't know how we're supposed to do battle."

Felix stood. "Isaac, could I have a word with you for a sec?"

Felix slammed Isaac against a wall, holding him fast. "What was that all about, Isaac? What the hell was that all about?"

Isaac struggled against the iron grip of Felix, before finally managing to break free. "What was that about? Fine. It's about the fact that I'm stating hard facts, facts that make the probability of our success drop way down. You know this, Felix."

Felix nodded grimly. "I know this. But you are not allowed to show this, Isaac. You have to act like everything's all right."

Isaac let out a snort of contempt. "Yeah, right, Felix. What, I can't display human emotion? I can't show fear or depression, or despair? Is that it?"

"Yes." Felix snarled "That is exactly it. You cannot afford to show weakness. And you know why? Because you're the leader. Leaders aren't there to act weak and sniveling. Leaders must show that nothing is gonna screw up the group. You chose to be leader, you have to take the responsibility of telling them everything's going to be alright. Nevermind if you're fighting a dragon or an army or a freakin' Chihuahua. The team judges it's bravery by it's leader. If they see the leader acting like a wimp, they'll think it's okay to be scared too. If they see the leader being brave, and standing tall in the face of danger, then they'll realize they have no reason to be afraid too. THAT is why you cannot show fear."

Isaac shook Felix off, then glared at the Venus adept angrily. "You think I don't know that? I've been the leader of the group for over a year. But this is something that no lie can hide, Felix. If I told them that we'll be perfectly fine going to battle against one and a half million karan, they won't think I'm brave, they'll think I'm a psycho. And frankly, I think I'm safe off assuming that lying to them here and saying we'll be alright is the wrong way to go. Trust me on this."

Felix could only stare at his fellow Venus adept as he stalked off back towards the others.

Davion gestured towards the towering walls, speaking to the captain of the army. "The archers will cover the wall here, and the reserve will wait in the courts, to fill up holes. We'll be stationing two thousand men to guard the main gates. The assault will be heaviest there. We can't afford the main gates being broken, so we'll have a reserve thousand waiting behind the gate to shore it up."

His captain nodded, then turned to Davion. "My lord, you should get some rest. You will be no use to us half alive."

Davion shook his head. "And even if I am fully rested, what will that avail me? I will have time enough to do so later. Let's continue."

Aldos stood in the Hall of Eternal Light, staring at the magical jewels that burnt with an undying flame. That these evil times should come under his rule…What could his forces do against such numbers, against such reckless hate? His eyes darkened and his fists clenched. Never! He'd die before he let his kingdom come to ruin. Turning, he aspied one of his aides rushing in.

"Milord, we've spotted several aerions in the area!"

Aldos groaned softly at that. Aerions were bat-like creatures, savage and brutal. Recent reports had suggested that the karan had managed to tame them, and the attack on the magical ship belonging to those humans confirmed this. If they striked from the air as well, they would hard-pressed to defend the city. As if this wasn't going to be difficult enough already… Turning to face the servant, he replied. "Send people to the city's vanguard. All must be proficient with archery." Nodding, the aide departed.

Aldos was about to leave when another servant entered, reporting that all available men had been sent to the armoury. Aldos took a second to process this information, then left the room. They were running out of time.

Picard gazed out at the sandy landscape. Why did they have to fight over this barren wasteland? To Picard it seemed exceedingly odd that they would battle over a desert. It was a bit like arguing over who got an empty food package. From what he could discern, the karan had attacked the elves almost nonstop on all fronts. Why? The losses would surely be great for the red-skinned warriors. So why on Weyard did they continue attacking? There had be another reason behind this…

Watching the sun slowly set behind the great mountain to the north, Picard realized that he had never felt more alone or disparate in his life.

And one day remained…

Garet hammered in another nail into the main gate. He had been tasked with the chore of adding extra boards to the gate so as to make it stand up better against the battering rams that were sure to be utilized by the karan. At least it was nighttime. The harsh sun had beat down on him through the long morning, and now the night provided a welcome cool. Lifting another floorboard, he grunted as he set it into place on the gate. Hammering away at the board once again, he sighed as he realized that he had affixed the board to the main hinge.

Yanking out the board with a snarl, he continued his arduous task, made all the more difficult by the fact that he could barely see anything.

"It's times like this I really wish Shine was MY djinni." Garet muttered to no one in particular.

The djinni in question, however, was perched quite contentedly on Jenna's head, lighting up the damp underground drains that the elves were attempting to block off. When allowed to flow freely, the drains led to a deep underground cavern that was cool enough to prevent the water from evaporating. And thus, this was the store for most of the water they had during the occasional rainstorm. But the drain also veered off into a direct exit outside the fortress, which would have made an easy target. Which led to the drain being blocked up.

Jenna lifted another stone before setting it into place. She was not, by any definition, muscular. This effort was taxing her a lot more than she'd ever let on. Shine glanced around nervously.

(Um… mistress, maybe you should let the men do the work.)

"And let myself be seen as weak?" She muttered. "No way."

Thus saying, she continued with the backbreaking work, doing their best to keep the city safe… although what was safe anymore these days?

Grisnakh sniffed the air. There was someone ahead… Lifting a hand, he indicated to the hornblower to tell the company to stop. The karan did so, and Grisnakh strode forward.

Standing on the desert rise, atop a NightMare, stood Maelgrim, the dark knight. Hooded and cloaked, his face was invisible to the naked eye. Metal gauntlets, with runes of torment and darkness inscribed on them, gripped an ancient runeblade. Lifting his shadowed face, the dark knight hissed to Grisnakh.

"You're late, mortal."

Grisnakh snarled silently. "We're ahead of schedule, whelp. I don't see why I have to change my plans to suit yours. We'll have reached them before nightfall of the current day, and the rest of the legions as well. YOU are not wanted here."

The dark knight merely shrugged before turning and riding in the direction of Anthis. Suppressing an urge to kill something, Grisnakh signaled the hornblower to tell the troops to continue marching.

So time and hopeless task wore away, from night to the morning sun, and Felix found himself assigned to guard the main gate. He didn't much like the idea of doing that, moreso because he didn't like taking commands from anyone.

"This is the realm of Aldos Firestar, and if you are to fight under him, you are to follow his decrees." The page had told him. Felix rolled his eyes. So I get separated from the others sooner than we thought, he mused silently. Looking around, he found Isaac off to the side, talking with another elf warrior. Felix sighed mentally. He'd have to make up with Isaac sooner or later, and now was a good time as any. He didn't want to go into battle knowing he still had issues unresolved after all.

Walking with long, purposeful strides, he laid a hand on Isaac's shoulder. Isaac turned, surprise showing on his face.

Felix was silent for a long time before he began to speak. "We've led our groups side by side for nearly two years. You've trusted in my decisions, and I in yours. I just want to say that… that whether or not we come out of this alive… I…"

A second later, he was surprised to feel two arms wrapped around him in a bear hug. After releasing him, Isaac smirked at the brown haired adept. "You never were one for sentimentality, Felix." He grinned. "Don't worry. We're friends. We've always been friends.." Felix smiled. "Always."

Davion leaned against the doorway. By best estimates, the karan armies would reach here at evening. Less than twelve hours left… Absentmindedly, he began to tighten the twine on his bow. It had been carved out of the finest yew wood, when he was but a child. His father had always told him he would get it when "he was worthy". He had received the bow, but was he of any worth in his father's eyes? Davion didn't know. And a deeper, darker part of his mind made himself ask if he WANTED to know.

Suddenly, he noticed Alex walking over. "Davion, get some rest. I don't want to be spearheaded by my own half-asleep ally."

Davion managed a tiny grin. "You're the third person to tell me that in these two days."

"Really." Alex said. "Care to tell me who they are?"

"The captain of the king's guard, you, and finally, myself." Davion muttered.

"And all three of them are right." Alex stated. "Go and get some sleep. I promise to wake you if the battle starts earlier than expected."

"VE-ry comforting." Davion snorted as he headed to his room. "Fine. I'll get some rest. Just don't expect me to enjoy it."

Ivan sighed wearily as he glanced around the battlements. Most of the soldiers considered him a child, someone who was a nuisance and would only get in the way of the battle. Couldn't fault them, after all. At only fifteen years, and short for his age, Ivan looked more like a child then a fearsome warrior. Ivan had always resented the fact that he was the youngest out of all his friends. Heck, even Sheba was a month older than him. Speaking of Sheba…

He still wondered about last night. Why had he tried to kiss her? Why did he think about her so much? Why did he like spending time with her, if for nothing more than to hear the sound of her voice and her laughter? Try as he might, he could not find an answer to those questions, and with his head bowed, it was not surprising he nearly bumped into another soldier standing by the castle wall.

"Oh, sorr…" The words died in his throat as he noticed Sheba had been the soldier in question. She had also started at the realization, and Ivan noticed something that looked suspiciously like dried tears in the corner of her eyes. "Sheba, did you have bad dreams again?"

Sheba shook her head no. "Ivan… I… I don't want to die. It feels so hopeless staying here, all cooped up like this. Everyone's frightened, you don't need to Mind Read them to find that out." Pausing a moment to collect herself, she went on. " They don't say it outright, Ivan, but you can feel it. They think this battle is hopeless."

Ivan stood for a while, not too sure how to respond. Then, he spoke, unsure of how to say it. "Sheba, remember when you was hanging off the edge of the Venus Lighthouse? You thought you wouldn't survive, right? But here you are today, alive and well. When we fought Dullahan, we were the only ones still standing after he attacked us with Charon, right? We thought it was hopeless then. But we managed to kill him with a joint Spark Plasma. And when we fought the Doom Dragon, I nearly got killed, right? But I didn't. Sheba, we've managed to survive for so long, there's no reason we can't do so again."

Sheba was silent for a minute before replying. "Ivan… we've managed to survive, through, but how many times can we cheat death? It has to catch up to us sooner or later."

Ivan shook his head. "Sheba… no matter what, you must hold on to hope. It has never failed us, and likely won't in the future. And if everything else fails, remember, I'll protect you. No matter what." Drawing her into a quick embrace, he once again gazed at her delicate, beautiful eyes. "Sheba, trust me. Trust us. We can do this. Together. We'll come out of this alive, Sheba. All of us."

Sheba looked up into Ivan's violet eyes, glimmering in the nearby torch, and nodded.

Aldos Firestar stood on the peak of the tallest tower in the castle. Clad in full battle armor of golden and red hues, the evish king made an impressive sight. Behind him, his personal bodyguard stood. There were stairs at the side of the tower, for the king to rush into action quickly if need be.

The fortress of Anthis was a marvel, to look at and in terms of engineering. The outer wall could be completely covered by archers, and if the enemy managed to scale it, they would find problems climbing down from the archers positioned in the castle wall itself. The main gates were elevated above the rest of the city, with a long sloping path to the castle gates, that could be covered by archers both above and below the path. It didn't help that torches along the path illuminated anyone who tried to approach the castle itself. Yes, a marvellous fortress. It had endured all enemy attacks, and had never been taken. But now? Could they really hope to stand against one and a half million foes, hellbent on the destruction of the elves? To that Aldos had no answer, not even as he glanced at Sol.

It was setting already. All his soldiers were in their positions, five hundred thousand full told, of which less than half were skilled in arms. He could hear the steady, monotonous tramp in the ground, signifying just how close the approaching army was. "So… it has come to this." He whispered. "A fight on our own doorstep for our very survival. Well, if they come to hunt us down, they will not find us easy prey."

Davion stood. He was at a side wall, Alex standing almost casually next to him. "You might have brought along a sword with you." He muttered to Alex.

"I've never been proficient in forged stuff." Was Alex's reply. "I think I prefer to stick with psynergy, thank you."

"Have it your way." Davion advised. Looking out at the vast sea of red-skinned warriors, Davion's eyes narrowed. Fitting an arrow into his bow silently, he aimed it at the vast army that steadily neared.

"For Jorgmund."

Where now is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?

Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?

Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?

Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?

They have passed, passed like rain on the mountains, like a wind in the meadow;

The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow.

Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning,

Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?

-Aragorn, Elessar, the Efltsone

Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers.