Chapter 16: Pain and Hope
The Begnion army encamped itself on a small hilltop overlooking the Gallian valley connecting Fort Susa with the rest of central Gallia. The Gallian Royal army was closing in from the northern hillsides and the central forests, and so Saigo set his base accordingly.
With watchtowers glaring down into the forests, Saigo was certain that any sub-human who tried to sneak up on them would be slain. With archers stationed in observation decks on the cliffs, any of those bird freaks would be shot down immediately. The general did not want to take any chances.
A small convoy of messengers and supplies rushed as fast as it could for Saigo's base from the south. Unfortunately for it, however, Ulki heard them coming and Janaff intercepted the convoy, taking out the Begnion and Gallian rebel forces guarding it and capturing the messages intended for Saigo's eyes.
Soren smiled as he read the letter. The province of Tek, just south of Saigo's position, was showing signs of regret that they joined the rebellion in the first place. These laguz began to voice their support for the monarchy, and the rebel governor, realizing that he was about to get killed, sent his henchmen to inform General Saigo of the change of events in the hope that his death would not be in vain.
But now that Soren knew this information, he immediately contacted the laguz of Tek in the hopes that they could assault Saigo from the south, the direction for which he didn't have guards.
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The Tek militia, along with elite Gallian royal troops, sneaked along the mountains towards the rebel position. The small Crimean detachment that went with them were led by Titania, who brought Gatrie, Oscar, and Lucia along with her. Gatrie demanded that Shinon tag along with him, as the Sniper was a big help at taking out mages who had the chance of killing Gatrie, and Mist, noting that Rhys wasn't accompanying them, decided to tag along and heal any laguz or beorc who would be wounded in the coming engagement.
Lucia knew that Saigo was expecting reinforcements, so if they sent Gallians as their advance guard, it would keep Saigo's men unprepared for the coming storm. After all, foolish Begnion men like him would not know the difference between rebel and imperial Gallian forces. As long as these Gallians swallowed their dignity a bit and temporarily replaced the word "beorc" with "human," their ruse would be a success.
So their Tek allies arrived first, mingling with the Gallian rebels already stationed in Saigo's ranks. His Begnion guards, however, spotted the Crimean and Gallian royal forces advancing, and when they began to mobilize, the commander of the Tek wing of the Crimean/Gallian army, memorizing Lucia's backup plan in case they were spotted prematurely, immediately ordered his men to strike.
Chaos spread throughout the Begnion fortification as all the Gallians, rebel or royal, were immediately attacked by the Begnion soldiers. Saigo did not want to take any chances. If these sub-humans were to betray him, then all sub-humans, even those who were friends, had to be killed in order to avoid any suspicion of treachery. After all, the only trustworthy laguz was a dead one.
Because Saigo's troops were utterly disrupted, Titania was able to order an immediate strike on that Begnion position. Swiftly and surely they broke through the southern gate, charging through the mob of brawling warriors and taking out the watchtowers stationed to stop the hawks from descending on the base.
Janaff spotted their success, and immediately a legion of Phoenicis Hawks attacked what was once Saigo's glorious citadel. Their screams filled the skies as they swooped down, picking off Begnion and Gallian rebel soldiers eagerly and swiftly. Saigo saw his human comrades falling all around him, and since he couldn't trust any of the sub-humans, he drew his blade, and gasped: "Defeat could never be an option for one such as I. The only reward I have earned today is death, and instead of dying from the unworthy blade of a Crimean slave or the claw of a sub-human, I shall die by my own sword. Farewell, you wretched scum. I may have fallen, but the glorious Begnion Confederacy shall finish thee." With a swish of his blade, Saigo took his own life. His head plopped on the ground, and the Begnion and Gallian rebel armies surrendered.
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"Begnion Confederacy..." Lucia mumbled the words as she turned to her comrades. Titania stared back at the younger woman with the same clueless expression. What could he have meant by such words?
"Pah, the Apostle's probably lost her touch." Shinon sighed exasperatingly. Lucia's eyes widened, if that was so, then their worst fears might have come true!
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"We have not received word from Saigo's base for an entire week. This is extremely out of character for him. He always sent us reports relating to how his forces were performing..." Valtome mumbled as he and Tonerk sat in the Gallian rebel capital: Fort Hurri, the largest and most well-defended citadel in Klath province.
The provinces of Klath and Gwor were quite large, compared to Tek province. Together, they covered about sixty percent of Gallian territory south of Capital Zarzi. Tek covered about fifteen percent, with the provinces of Elek and Palthon covering the rest. Arsh, the northernmost province tainted by rebellion, was located about sixty miles north of the capital, but by now all the northern provinces were in support of the monarchy.
"I suppose we should get ready, then. If Saigo has fallen, that means that they could very well be marching into Gwor right now. The commanders I posted there are some of my elite veterans, but even they haven't been through nearly as much experience as the warriors of Fort Tatana, for example... The enemy has the potential for many more veteran soldiers, so our last stand will have to be here. Valtome, I thank you for staying this entire time, but it looks like you won't be able to head home any time soon. Let us gather our forces. We're in for a serious scrimmage." Tonerk sighed as he eyed his claws.
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The Gallian royal army and their Crimean comrades arrived at the borders of Gwor province. Being mostly forest, Gwor would a very different battleground compared to Zarzi itself. Soren had failed in his initial strike at the southern provinces, and that was because he was not used to forest warfare, but having had some experience through these recent assaults, Soren was much more confident that he'd be able to bring down these rebels on their own turf.
As their army marched forward, Lucia trudged aimlessly, her head down and her expression rather grim. They were marching forward into the unknown, for Caingehis had rarely gone far to the south of Gallia: most of his excursions were based in territories to the north. Most of the army ignored her. They were busy with their own worries. Zihark looked miserable as he realized that though he'd be taking down Begnion scum, Gallians would have to die by his hands too. Muarim exchanged an exasperated glance with Lyre. They did everything they could to cheer up the swordsmaster, but Zihark still was overwhelmed with gloom. Lethe, too, could hardly hiss in anger. Now, all she felt was sorrow. More would have to die in this pointless civil war, all for Begnion's benefit. Something terrible was happening, but she wasn't exactly sure what.
Gatrie and Shinon had no beer to drown their sorrows in, so all they could do was walk along in solemn silence. Ike and Titania, too, had hardly anything to say to the troops. This battle would prove to be quite depressing, more so than usual, and the only person in the entire army who showed any sign of joy was Skimir, who was thrilled that he'd have the chance to sharpen his claws on some Begnion soldier's armor.
Reyson was somewhat sorrowful, but he still had hope. It turns out that Leanne was in Saigo's base, so after Saigo was defeated she was rescued, but now he felt pathetic. He could hardly fight, and Soren would not let him sing, for if he tried that the Begnion and Gallian foes would easily rip him apart, since he would have to be close to the front lines. However, Reyson, stubborn as ever, refused to return to Capital Zarzi, so here he was: essentially a dead weight. Leanne too, was prohibited from singing, but since she refused to leave her brother's side she had to hover beside him with the same melancholy expression.
Soren stepped towards Lucia. By no means was he feeling happy at all, but at least none of them had died. From Astrid to Zihark, all of their comrades were still alive, though none of them were happy to be here. He felt that the collective gloom he sensed in their army could hardly forebode a happy ending. If they were demoralized before they even fought, defeat would be inevitable. Besides, Lucia probably was feeling lonely that no one was noticing her. It would be a sin if he didn't try to cheer her up.
"Lucia?" He asked her name.
"Soren." She responded, as though it was an answer.
"Lucia, this war has been rather depressing, I know, but it is imbecilic to mope about. If you let gloom consume you before battle, even more gloom will be your reward. I don't think any of us can afford that, not after all that we've been through."
She smiled, nodding a little. "Soren... Well, how do I put it? I'm sure many people have despised you for your frankness, but, in the end, it's your honesty that helps clarify things. Thank you."
Soren flushed. The only person who said such a thing to him was Ike, when everyone else would simply glare at him. "Um, right, Lucia... It's rather depressing, to me, to see you in pain... I'm glad to see that you've cheered up a bit..." He stammered, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Soren." It was her turn to blush. "You are a wise man... Tellius cannot afford to lose you."
"And what makes you think that you're expendable? Among the talented of Crimea's royal palace, you are probably its finest strategist. Bastian is a clever politician, but he annoys people so readily that they are hardly willing to listen to his advice, no matter how sound it might be. But you, milady, you are necessary to keep Crimea and even all of Tellius alive. This is a time when good people have to reach high places in order to change the turn of fate. You are one of those people..."
"You flatter me."
"And you, me."
"Well, you are eager to raise morale among the troops, correct? Now how would you accomplish that?"
"You've always been more knowledgeable than me when it comes to people, so that is the question I was going to ask you."
Lucia smirked. "In that case..."
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A few fits of giggling and many whorls of laughter later, the entire army was in a much better mood.
Why?
Because they had Bastian as comic relief, of course!
Lucia thought of Bastian as a close friend for a long time, but as the years went by, she began to think of him as a nuisance more and more. The sage refused to cease advancing upon her, no matter how strongly she protested. But she thought she could use his fascination with her to her advantage. She promised she'd give him a back massage if he'd go in front of all of their grieving troops and make a complete fool of himself. Of course, he accepted eagerly.
So Bastian leapt about, like a drunk rabbit, trying to get people to laugh. The more laughs he earned, the more likely Lucia would give him that back massage and he'd be able to feel her soft palms and cozy body heat. The more Bastian thought about Lucia, the redder his cheeks became.
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Bastian's insane antics helped brighten everyone's mood, which was exactly what Soren was hoping for. As the groaning and sighing was replaced by laughs and cheers, Soren stood with a sly smile on his face.
The Greil Mercenaries, Crimean Army, and Gallian Royal Guard marched together, their journey having taken them through unimaginable torment. But maybe, just maybe, the end of this pain was near...
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This, my friends, is the second to last chapter. I made plans for the last chapter ever since I was in New York (which is probably around when this fic was on Chapter 4 or 5.) The last chapter will very likely be much longer than this one, and there will be violence, a LOT of violence and less characterization. However, the story is not over. The sequel, Crimson Arrows, will be released shortly after the completion of this fic. I am glad to see that this got quite a few hits and reviews and I am eager to see how the sequel will be welcomed (or scorned). Please stay tuned, readers, and I will reward you as best I can.