Seasons of Sorrow - A Fire Emblem CYOA

by CDM6

SoS is a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style story. It is set in the world of Awakening, hundreds of years in the future. Voting is taking place on another site - as the story advances, chapters will be added here as well. The story follows the life of a young farm girl. After her village is attacked, she finds herself working as a mercenary for the Holy Knights.

29. Chapter 20A - Flamberge

Chapter 20A: Flamberge

---

You are now June.

---

it doesn't take long to march the rest of the way to Tartan. As you approach, Paen guides you along increasingly narrow roads, before finally abandoning the path entirely. Your group ducks into a thicket well away from Tartan, farther than you expect the enemy to be patrolling. You've been thinking about how to gain access to the occupied city - walking straight in isn't a very realistic plan. When you left, Paen ordered his troops to surrender and the Valerian army was marching in, with the Meridian army in tow - who knows what that snake Horatio's been up to? You've considered trying to explain everything to the Valerian army, but all Horatio has to do is call you a traitor and it'll be your word against his. Why would the troops believe me over their commander? You spoke with the captain of the fort you stayed at last night. He had precious little information. The few scouts that had seen Tartan could only tell you that the city was occupied, with strict control over who can get in and out.

Before you can make a move, you need more information. You gather everyone together and start forming a plan.

"We need to know what's going on in there," you announce. "Alyssa, do you remember how we got in before?"

"Of course," she answers. "Though I expect Horatio does, as well. He's probably got it under tight watch - but I'm sure I could find another way to sneak in."

"I should be able to help," Anna announces. "They're still allowing merchants in and out. I don't know how much information I could dig up about guards, but I should be able to at least get a little information without drawing a second glance."

"Oh? Well, maybe a traveling dancer could get in as well," Charon volunteers. "I'll have a bit more mobility than Anna. I won't be able to ask a lot of questions, but I'll be able to look all over the city."

"If our priority's observing the enemy, you can send me with Shard," Dan tells you. "We'd probably lose any hope of launching a surprise attack, but that may not be such a bad thing."

"What do you mean?" you ask him.

Claudia answers. "I see... Let everyone know Paen's coming back. We may be able to inspire some sort of riot and use that to our advantage."

Paen cuts in. "Unacceptable! I will not put the populace at risk."

"You're fighting for your people, and they know it. Let them fight for you, as well." Claudia turns to you. "The enemy may know my reputation as the king's bodyguard, but I doubt they know my face. If I go in with Anna, I can search for any Carcinan troops in hiding and try to organize an attack on the main gate. If they succeed, we'll be able to march right in."

5 volunteers... Who will you send?

All 5 volunteers can go. Vote on each one separately.

Anna:
A) Yes
B) No

Alyssa:
C) Yes
D) No

Charon:
E) Yes
F) No

Dan:
G) Yes
H) No

Claudia:
I) Yes
J) No

You tell Dan to stay behind, but let all the others go. Alyssa seems to disappear as she sets off. Anna pulls Claudia into her wagon and tosses her a cloak as they set off. Charon takes some time to change, then sets off at a leisurely clip.

Minutes seem to drag on for hours as you go over maps with Paen and Dan - escape routes, shortcuts, blind spots, chokepoints. You debate about when to strike with Cecil, talk about equipment with Rosalin. You have a few ideas, depending on what your scouts learn.

Alyssa is the first back. "Looks like they blocked that side gate we used last time. I wasn't able to find any other way in - there's a few places where the walls are cracked, but we'd still need siege weapons and a lot of time to break through."

So much for avoiding the front gate. "We'll either have to go through the front, or have our fliers ferry everyone over," Dan says.

"With our force, that'll take a long time. And if we're spotted, we could be separated..." Cecil muses.

"Can't say I much fancy the idea o' flyin' o'er them giant walls anyway," Rosalin mutters.

The discussion shifts to the best way to storm the main gate. It's defended by a heavy wooden door supported by an iron portcullis. The door can be opened from the outside, but the portcullis' winch is halfway up a staircase. "It's loud," Dan tells you. "We might be able to raise it a foot or two without making too much noise, but more than that and Doran's team will be able to hear that thing squeaking.

"Hopefully, we can stop them from lowering it in the first place," Wendy suggests.

"If they're limiting traffic in and out of the city, they'll probably close it around sundown," Cecil muses. "But if that's the case, they probably won't have much of a patrol."

As the afternoon drags on, your group starts to search for ways to keep themselves occupied. Ferris finds a sunny spot for a nap, Wendy spends her time preening her manticore's feathers, while Haley and Zephyr try to start a race. The sun's getting a bit low and you're starting to get a bit worried when Anna's cart finally appears on the horizon.

From a distance, you'd thought she looked concerned. But as she pulls her cart into camp, she greets everyone cheerfully. "Well, I have good news, better news, and... some not so great news," she announces. "The good news is that Claudia managed to get in contact with some Carcinan soldiers, and they've been waiting for a chance to strike back. The better news - I had some spare weapons to sell them!"

"...And the bad news?" you hesitantly ask.

"Oh, right..." Anna begins thoughtfully, holding a finger to her lips. "Claudia and I kind of got separated..."

"Separated...?" Dan asks anxiously.

"I stepped into an inn to see if I could learn anything... While I was in there, there was suddenly a lot of shouting outside - when I got to the window, Claudia was cutting down a guard."

Dan swears under his breath. "And you didn't help her?"

"I didn't have a chance," Anna explains. "She took down a second guard and started running before I could do anything."

Any response is cut off by a jingling noise. Everyone turns in time to see Charon sprinting down the road, a sizable sack of coins on his hip. He manages to choke out a few words between pants. "Big... big trouble. Claudia... Claudia was captured..."

Damn... You try to stay calm. You quiet the murmur spreading through your party. "OK. Tell us everything you know."

"I didn't... see it happen. I just heard... They're going around town telling... everyone that.. she's to be publicly... executed..."

The string of profanity erupting from Paen's mouth gives Charon ample time to catch his breath. "When? Where!?"

"The plaza in front of the castle at sundown," Charon answers.

"This is a trap," Cecil announces.

"Obviously!" Paen replies.

"The real question is whether it's a bluff..." Cecil continues.

"We're not taking that chance. June." The look on Paen's face - you can tell he's trying to hide his concern. You look to the west. Not much time before sunset... If we're going to do something, we need to act now.

"Alright!" you announce. "Let's go over everything we know. Quickly."

There are no viable entrances aside from the main gate. Anna gives you an estimate of 400 enemy troops, mostly comprised of the Meridian army - a mix of halberdiers, warriors, snipers, war clerics, and paladins, with almost no air units. Charon reports that it was left open, but a sizable contingent of troops were arriving - at least 200, with a few patrols throughout the city and another 100 troops stationed around the castle and its plaza. Dan estimates the gate can be closed in 1 minute if no one can get to the winch operator, and opening it again would require at least 2. She also estimates 100 Carcinan troops ready to attack, though you have no idea when, where, or how they'll try to aid you - Claudia was still organizing them when she was captured. The wyvern captain tells you his 50 elite troops are ready to go, wherever you choose to deploy them. After breaking through the main gate, it's a 5 minute sprint to the castle plaza, taking the most direct route. Your available units are June, Paen, Mary, Bud, Haley, Wendy (flying), Ferris, Alyssa, Jessup, Dan (flying), John, Charon, Rosalin, and Cecil. The wyvern captain can also be used to ferry one unit, but it will reduce his team's effectiveness. Whatever you plan to do, you better act fast - by the time you can march your force to Tartan, the sun will be dipping below the horizon.

---

Plan A: Attack on the front gate by your main group (50 troops + most of your party). After the fight's gotten started, hope the enemy sends reinforcements. After waiting long enough for the enemy to respond, send Wendy/June and Dan/Paen over the back wall to dive straight for the central plaza. Secure Claudia, try to rally any resistance members, then assault the castle, leaving the main gate team to retreat or fight at their discretion.

Plan B: Same as plan A, but rally the resistance to attack the main gate, hoping to separate from Horatio's main force. After linking up, decide how to proceed.

Plan C: Charge through the front gate as fast as possible, before they can close it. Sprint straight for the central plaza to rescue Claudia. Try to scatter the enemy force and pick them off in the chaos.

Plan D (for Dan): All non-Dan units siege the main gate. Dan (or Wendy, I guess...) dives into the central plaza at top speed, grabs Claudia, and escapes.

Plan E: Target the gate's weak points with magic. Attempt to damage the lowering mechanism so it can't be shut. Then take things nice and slow.

Plan F: Drop a small group (choose 3) on the roof of the gate to fight their way down and secure the winch, then bring in your main force.

Custom plan: Main group attacks the front gate, with Dan/Zephyr, Paen/June (on Claudia's wyvern), and Wendy/Bud charging straight in for the plaza. Main group tries to break through to the center, rescue team tries to hook up with them.

You lay out your plan as your group marches. The main team will assault the front gate, while you, Paen, Dan, Zephyr, Wendy, and Bud will rush through the enemy's front lines to the central plaza. There are no objections.

As you approach the gate, Dan leaves his griffon and mounts Shard. Shard eyes Zephyr hungrily, snapping at him when he gets too close. Dan scolds Shard, then helps Zephyr up. Bud hesistantly climbs onto Wendy's new mount, cringing noticeably when its tail snaps near his head. Paen jumps onto Claudia's wyvern, and helps you up behind him.

The enemy is clearly expecting you, with a line of soldiers lined up under the front gate, and a row of archers overhead. You can't see his face from your seat behind him, but you can feel Paen smiling. "Oh, this is going to be fun..." you hear him mutter.

"Speed is the key here!" you call out. "Don't let the enemy close that gate!" With that last word of advice to your main force, you signal the charge.

You wait for your ground forces go in first, rushing towards the gate. Cecil leads the charge, with everyone else struggling to keep pace with him. Just before their arrival, your air units and cavalry take off at a full sprint.

Paen and Dan are clearly competing for the lead, each urging their mount forward. You struggle to hold on - looking over at Dan, you see Zephyr standing and cheering. The archers fire a volley at your ground troops, not noticing your charge - most arrows bounce off harmlessly, and you dive past before they can reload.

At the gate, Dan keeps his height, flying over. Paen suddenly dives downward, catching the enemy infantry by surprise. They scramble out of the way, and your ground forces take advantage of the moment of disarray to rush forward. You hear a captain calling for the troops to fall back and lower the gate, and you loose an arrow in his direction. You don't have time to watch the battle at the gate, though, and whirl around to the front.

Paen keeps Claudia's wyvern below the rooftops, occasionally thrusting his lance at one of the small groups of soldiers barring your way before sailing past. You can hear Wendy's manticore bounding along behind you, not so much flying as bouncing from target to target. You loose arrows as quickly as possible, and can tell Bud is doing the same. Ahead, Dan is flying high and clear, trying to get a clear look at the plaza. Shard screams and dives - looks like the hunt is on.

Ahead, you see one final line of defense. Generals, backed by a line of snipers. Paen gains some altitude, and the snipers all spring to attention. The plaza lies just beyond them. A large crowd is gathered, with a gap in the center. Several guards are keeping the jeering crowd at bay, and in their center - Claudia. You don't have a clear view, but you can see she's dressed in a formal uniform, with her arms bound behind her back, being marched towards a large man with an even larger axe. We have to break through those snipers!

Before you can decide on a course of action, a member of the crowd whirls around, and one of the snipers falls. The snipers and generals fall into disarray as other members of the crowd draw swords and attack. The resistance! Throughout the crowd, disguised Carcinan guards are drawing weapons and attacking the Meridian soldiers. Other members of the crowd are throwing rocks, pulling out ladles and logs, and generally causing as much chaos as possible.

You can see the berserker, sensing the situation spiraling out of control, grab Claudia and drag her toward a block of wood. You loose an arrow; he winces at the impact, but doesn't stop.

As he throws Claudia to her knees, he raises his axe. He doesn't have it halfway up before Dan is on him, Shard slamming into the berserker and Claudia all at once, sending them both, along with Dan and Zephyr, skidding along the ground. Paen shoves something towards you. You flail to grab it with your free hand. "Take the reins!" you think you hear him say. But he wouldn't say that, right? He knows you have no idea how to control a wyvern. You look from the thin strip of leather in your hand, back up to Paen - just in time to see him roll over the wyvern's side.

Before the berserker can reclaim his feet, Paen comes screaming out of the sky. He lands with his lance down, driving the point clear through the berserker's chest. He doesn't even bother trying to free his lance, pulling out an axe and diving into the melee. Zephyr darts into the crowd, helping the villagers, while Dan runs to untie Claudia. Wendy and Bud stay near the main street entrance, helping secure your escape route and cutting off the reinforcements starting to come your way - the survivors of your initial charge. You also notice troops pouring out of the castle - well armed, you can tell these are an elite guard. Looking up, you see a familiar face - Horatio, watching from a balcony on the castle. You give the wyvern's reins a gentle tug, and he lightly turns to the left. You've been able to ride a horse since you were a little girl, how different could a wyvern be?

(A) Try to fly low and jump off into the crowd
(B) Try to land near Claudia and give her mount back
(C) Try to turn and help Wendy
(D) Try to circle with your bow, covering everyone
(E) Try to land between the castle and the plaza to intercept the elite guards
(F) Dive straight for Horatio

You decide not to take any risks, and lightly pull on the reins. The wyvern circles slowly around, and you manage to point it towards the crowd. After a quick sweep, you find Claudia, with Dan, finally disentangled from his mount, struggling to get her free of her bonds. The crowd seems to be forming a pocket around Dan, Claudia, and Shard - Paen has long since dove into the thick of the fray. You need to land the wyvern, but you aren't sure how; fortunately, he seems to recognize his rider, and glides gently down towards her.

As the wyvern lands, you lurch forward. You leap off with what little grace you can manage, and run over to help Dan. Claudia picks herself up, dusts herself off, then grabs Dan.

"Wha-" he starts to say, but Claudia cuts him off with a kiss.

Claudia steps back, blushing slightly. "Thanks. But, next time, you don't have to tackle us both," she says.

"Right," you hear Dan stammer, clearly surprised.

Claudia runs over to her would-be executor, frowns, and wrests the axe from his hands. She turns to you, a wicked smile spreading across her face. "Time for some revenge," she growls. "Where do you want me?"

---

Claudia obtained Wolf Beil!

---

The elite troops from the castle are arriving in the plaza - they've slaughtered the few villagers who attacked them. You can't tell there exact number, but it's at least two dozen. Wendy and Bud have kept the escape route back to the main route clear. The crowd's suffered some casualties, but several of the Meridian guards have been killed. Note: the majority of the crowd are villagers armed with basic weaponry, with only a few of the Carcinan guards (the resistance) mixed in. The status of your main group is unknown.

(A) Press the attack, and storm the castle!
(B) Hold your ground in the plaza, waiting for your main group.
(C) Retreat towards the main gate
(D) Withdraw, and try to disappear into the city

You decide to hold your ground against the enemy reinforcements. You tell Claudia to relay the order to Wendy and Bud, and Dan starts to head off towards the front. As their wyverns start to take off, a giant ball of fur nearly bowls you over. A brief flash of light, and Zephyr is standing in front of you.

"June!" he announces excitedly. "Something's coming!"

"What do you mean?" you ask. He points to a nearby building, and you follow his finger. On the second floor of one of the buildings beside the main entrance to the plaza, you see someone move - you think you caught a glimpse of Meridian red armor. The din of the battle around you fades to a dull roar as you scan the buildings by the other two entrances. In one, you see an archer leaning against a window, as if waiting to slam it open; another has a young guard nervously staring towards the north. Whirling around, you notice the troops pouring from the castle are forming defensive lines. You look up towards the balcony where you saw Horatio. You can see him signaling something, and you realize Cecil was right. You've walked right into a trap.

"There's something really big moving behind the castle walls," Zephyr continues. "Almost like a cart, but... different. Two of them." He points to two spots on the castle wall. You strain your ears, but can't hear anything over the roar of the battle.

(A) Do nothing, wait for Horatio to make the first move
(B) Attack the buildings where you saw the enemy reinforcements
(C) Retreat through the main plaza entrance (south)
(D) Retreat through a minor plaza (east/west)
(E) Attempt to break through to the castle (north)

(1) Send Dan and Claudia over the walls to the "carts" (1 each)
(2) Send Dan and Claudia both towards one "cart"
(3) Leave the "carts" be for now

"It's a trap!" you call out. "Retreat!" You signal towards the smaller east and west exits. Hopefully, Horatio will have put most of his guards on the main exit. Zephyr, Dan, and Claudia take off to start spreading your order around. Knowing Paen, you make your way through the crowd searching for him. He's not hard to find, taking on three of the elite guards at once. When you tell him to retreat, he starts to argue - until you mention the noise Zephyr heard. He's visibly annoyed, but agrees that you need to fall back for now.

The crowd had been resistant to your calls for retreat, but Paen's added voice convinces them to start moving. With your group helping direct the retreat, the crowd starts to disperse quickly, mostly through the east and west exits. You glance up at Horatio, and you can see him signalling wildly, realizing his trap is falling apart. Troops burst out of the buildings near the plaza exits, but your forces are there to meet them. Instead of pouring out and trapping the crowd in the plaza, they find themselves bottlenecked in a few places by your party and some of the stronger Carcinan guards; Horatio can only watch on angrily as the crowd escapes.

Archers in the buildings manage to pick off a few members of the fleeing crowd. You feel sorry for those that can't escape, but force yourself to keep moving. Focus on the people you can save, not the ones you failed to. A loud thunk tells you you made the right choice, as a few rocks are thrown ineffectively into the nearly-empty plaza from over the castle walls; the enemy can't re-aim the catapults they had prepared quickly enough.

With your units spread out to help evacuate and protect the crowd, you find yourself surrounded by unfamiliar faces. You can see Paen off in the distance, ushering a group down an alleyway to the east as he blocks the enemy from following. Dan and Claudia are caught up in their own battle - enemy pegasus knights seem to have appeared from nowhere. You have no idea where Wendy, Bud, and Zephyr are.

The crowd begins to dissipate as you get some distance from the main plaza, with villagers disappearing down alleyways and into buildings; fortunately, the Meridian troops don't pursue you. For the first time, you can see them as individuals instead as a crowd. Men and women, young and old - it seems that all kinds of people rallied to their king's side today.

One old man stops you, and takes your hand in his. "Thank you, thank you so much," he tells you. Tears are welling in his eyes. "We knew the king would come back for us. We never gave up, waiting for our chance to take our city back."

Taken aback, you hesitate to reply - you were one of the ones who took the city from them in the first place, after all. "No, thank you," you finally get out. "We're so grateful for your help, but leave the rest of the fighting to us soldiers." The old man smiles and nods, then lets go of your hand. You realize he slipped you something as he hobbles off.

---

June obtained a red gem!

---

With the villagers (relatively) safe, you have a chance to consider your next move. You could double back, avoid the main plaza, and try to work your way around to where you last saw Paen. Or, you could wander aimlessly and try to find Bud, Wendy, and Zephyr. There's also Dan and Claudia - from what you can see, they're holding their own against those knights well enough, but you could use your bow to give them an advantage. If everything's going according to plan, your main group should be arriving soon, so you could also head to the main road to try to link up with them.

The few guards that were with your group remain after the villagers disperse. You give them a quick glance. A dozen halberdiers, they seem well-trained, though not so well-armed. It seems they're mostly carrying what the managed to scavenge during the last battle. They talk quietly amongst themselves, but they seem to be waiting for your instructions.

While appraising the guards, you almost don't notice her - a young girl, even younger than Alyssa, is mixed in with the group. She wears a pair of well-worn boots with a simple skirt and shirt. Her shoulder-length brown hair is partially hidden by an upturned pot that she wears as a helmet. She awkwardly holds an almost-comically oversized spear. You wonder if you ever looked that inexperienced.

"Who are you?" you ask her.

"Ma'am!" she answers. Her forceful response catches you by surprise. "My name is Sherry!"

"It's dangerous here," you tell her. "You should head home."

"D-don't talk down to me because I'm young!" she responds. "I'm going to fight! Even if you tell me to leave, I'll follow you! I'll gladly lay down my life!"

You can't help but feel a bit impressed; what she lacks in stature, she makes up for in enthusiasm - but enthusiasm alone doesn't win battles. On the one hand, she's greener than a frog on a log; on the other hand, it wasn't so long ago that you were a lot like this little girl...

(A) Look for Paen
(B) Assist the wyvern riders
(C) Search for the rest of your party
(D) Head towards the main gate and your main force

(1) Partner with Sherry
(2) Tell Sherry to stay close to you
(3) Tell Sherry to stay with the guards
(4) Tell Sherry to go home

"Fine," you tell the young girl. Better that she's here where you can watch her than running around the city with the chance she'll bump into some Meridians. Or worse, that she'll seek them out. "Just stay close, alright?"

---

New Character!

Sherry
Class: Recruit
Skills: Underdog, Apptitude
HP: ****
Str: **
Mag: *
Skill: **
Speed: ****
Def: ***
Res: **
Luck: **********

---

She pops a quick salute. You aren't sure if she's mocking you or being sincere. You get your answer when she starts standing brushing against you. You sigh, lightly pushing against her with your hip. The little tap is enough to knock her off balance. The others try to hide their amusment. You glance at them and they tense up, acting as professional as possible.

You scan the sky, noticing Dan, Claudia, and several pegasi. Wendy shoots into your view briefly, then disappears again. The rooftops block your view too much. You decide the best thing you can do is get command of the sky so Dan and Claudia can help coordinate your efforts with their better view.

"I need to get a better view of the fight up there," you say, pointing upwards. "Where can I get onto a roof?"

The guards all start looking around, before one points. You see two adjacent buildings, one lower than the other. A window from the taller building is situated so that you could climb onto the other roof. You pat him on the shoulder as you run past, signalling the guards to fall in.

You don't encounter any resistance on your way to the building's entrance. You smash open the door. iSome kind of bakery./i You order most of the guardsmen to stand guard and alert you if anyone comes, taking the three lucky enough to carry javelins up the stairs with you. Sherry follows close behind, shoving her way ahead of the other three to stay behind you.

You glance out the window, and get a better idea of the surroundings. Dan, Claudia, and Wendy are hovering in a group, Wendy taking point. Their backs are to you, and they're only half a block away. The pegasi are clustered together. One of the pegasi - the leader, you assume - is ahead of the others a bit. He and Wendy seem to be shouting something at each other. You can't make out what they're saying at this distance.

You consider your attack. You could probably hit the leader from this angle, though the distance is pretty far. You're pretty sure you can fire around your friends, but the roof would give you an even safer angle. Firing into the main cluster would be easier. Firing from the window would give you plenty of cover, but your other troops would essentially be out of the fight. Alternatively, you could climb down to the roof with your guardsmen, leave Sherry in the window where it's safer, then attack...

(A) Fire at the leader
(B) Fire at the main group
(C) Wait for a better shot
(D) Climb out, fire at the leader
(E) Climb out, fire at the main group
(F) Climb out, look intimidating

You signal for the others to stay away from the window as you draw your bow. Sherry huffs, but obeys. Looking at your shot, you aren't confident you can pick off their leader without hitting your comrades. Instead, you aim for the mass of knights further away, arcing your shot to compensate. You breath in, make one last slight adjustment, and release. You're nocking another arrow before the first has hit. As you line up your next shot, ready to correct for the enemy's movements, your first shot impacts. It strikes a knight in the chest, and she flails backwards before falling from her mount, landing on a rooftop a short fall below her.

The leader of the pegasus knights barks an order, and the others scatter, gaining altitude. You fire again, but the knights see it coming and roll out of the way. Claudia whirls around. As soon as she sees your figure in the window, bow drawn, she hurls a hand axe towards you. Surprised at her attack, you can't get out of the way in time, instead throwing up a gauntlet to protect yourself. Just in time. The axe stops just short of your chest, instead buried in you arm. You hear Sherry gasp in surprise, see the other two guards' surprise. You step back from the window, throw down your bow, and try to pull the axe loose. "A little help?" you finally ask, as you struggle to get it loose.

"B-but... You shouldn't..." Sherry stammers, clearly unnerved. You wonder if this is her first time seeing someone get injured.

"It's fine," you tell her. "Just stuck in the armor, barely scratched me. Sherry hesitates, then steps forward to help pry the axe loose. With your combined effort, it comes loose, bending your armor to leave a large tear in the process. A thin line of blood is visible beneath. Ignoring it, you turn back to the window as you pick up your bow.

Before you can lean out, Claudia's wyvern throws its head in, roaring - an odd combination of a screech and a hiss - in your face. It seems to recognize you, and pulls back a bit. You see him landed on the adjacent, lower roof. "June!?" Claudia yells, a mix or surprise and anger. "What the Hell are you doing!?"

"What are you talking about?" you call back to her. "They were attacking you!"

"They were joining us!" she answers. You freeze. Claudia waves her axe towards the knights, now holding a safe distance away.

The leader of the pegasus knights glides down beside you. An older woman, a bit older than Rain, addresses you. Her lips are drawn tight and her eyes are narrow. Studying her armor, you mark her as a seraph knight, Valerian. "You're the leader of this outfit?" she asks curtly.

"Y-yes..." you manage to stammer, pulled back to reality. Your gaze shifts towards the rooftop where the knight you hit fell. One is using a healing stave, while two others are helping her up and onto the back of a pegasus. She's badly wounded, but alive, at least.

The seraph knight gives you a quick salute, then glances back at the wounded knight. "Captain Thrace," she introduces herself. "Don't beat yourself up. You were just trying to protect your team." She practically spits the words at you.

"Is she-" you start to ask.

"She'll live," Thrace interrupts you. "Focus on the battle."

"Right," you say, shaking your head. "Where do we stand?"

"Whatever forces you brought in, plus another 50 pegasi and another hundred Valerian ground troops should be arriving at the front gate. Mostly soldiers, a few mages. No cavalry. By the way, your forces seem to be scattered all over the place while the Meridians are forming up at the castle and main gate. Calling all their patrols back."

"Is the front gate open yet?" you ask.

Thrace flaps a few times, gaining the altitude to look around. "No," she answers as she floats back down. "Your orders?"

"Right," you answer. "Claudia, take Dan and start spread the word that the Valerians are with us. We need to minimize the friendly fire."

Dan immediately takes to the air. Claudia pauses to give you a dirty look before leaving. Thrace continues to wait patiently, her anger seeming to subside a bit.

Pegasus Knights:
(A) Create a distraction by attacking the enemy base (castle)
(B) Spread out to support the Carcinan ground troops
(C) Attempt to rally the Carcinan ground troops to a central location
(D) Head for the main gate, try to get it open from the inside
(E) Scout the area and report back to you, help coordinate troop movements
(F) Ferry your group to (wherever you go)

June's group:
(1) Try to rally your forces and allies
(2) Head for the main gate
(3) Head for the castle
(4) Wander, trying to isolate and pick off straggling Meridian units

"I want your knights coordinating the ground troops from the air. Keep us up-to-date about nearby enemies, help set up ambushes, keep us from running into them. Set a few aside to sweep the battlefield and get me a report on things as a whole, send someone to check with the main gate team. Report the findings to me; I'm taking my group towards the main gate."

"Understood," Thrace responds. "You want us directing other groups towards yours?"

"Any group that's not picking off enemy stragglers. I'll decide what to do about the castle once I have a better grasp of the situation."

Thrace nods, raises a lance, and shoots off like an arrow, calling out names as she flies. Pegasus knights drift next to her to receive their orders, dispersing after a few seconds while another group to takes their place. You turn to Sherry and the two guards, signalling that you're heading back downstairs. The rest of your ragtag band are waiting for you, and you order them to fall-in. You take point, Sherry behind you, with the rest of the guards watching the flanks and rear. You start making your way back towards the castle, as best you can remember the way you came. A whistle above you causes you to pause. A pegasus knight above you raises 3 fingers, points down a narrow alley just a bit out of your way, then gains some altitude, resuming scanning the city from roof level.

You detour down the alley, and find 3 Meridian patrol members heading towards the castle along the joining road. The blood on their armor and weapons shows they've already run into at least one fight on the way. One is bleeding quite heavily, and is struggling to uncap an elixir as they half-jog, half-walk past your alley.

Before you can finish your thoughts or give any orders, Sherry hurls a javelin over your back. It sails high, clattering uselessly off the stone wall behind the 3 guards. Well, not entirely useless. Two of the guards turn in that direction, and you instinctively rush the third. He parries your axe, but your momentum is enough to send the both of you crashing into the wall on the far side of the street. You step back, hacking with your axe. Pinned against the wall, the halberdier can't maneuver his lance against you.

You turn to face the others. The less injured of the two twirls his lance and takes aim at you, steeling himself to charge. Before he can lunge, a spear catches him in the back. Then another, and another, and another, as the rest of your group seem to compete for a chance to attack. The relentless assault knocks the halberdier off balance, and he falls to the ground. Sherry's the one to finish him, stomping down on him with one foot while stabbing several times with her lance. Three or four times, her blows glance off, but she finally manages to stab through a chink in the armor. Her expression changes as she realizes what she's done. What had been blind rage is... something different. Confusion, surprise?

With a look of abject horror on his face, the wounded guard threw down his weapon and elixir, choosing to take advantage of the carnage to flee. You could follow the blood trail to him, but decide he's not worth the effort. He's unarmed, bleeding to death, and likely to be picked off by a pegasus knight. You wonder if someone might be kind enough to take him prisoner and treat his wounds - you signal a passing pegasus, give a few orders, and watch as she flies off towards the fleeing man. You really hope he's smart enough to surrender peacefully. In the meantime, you pocket the elixir he was trying to open.

Sherry is having trouble getting her lance free. You give it a solid tug and it jerks free, sending Sherry staggering backwards. "First time?" you ask her.

"Huh? No... um... Yeah," she admits, staring at the blood on her lance.

She seems disturbed, but you can't find the words to say to her, instead patting her on the back and giving her a slight smile. "Come on," you tell her.

---

June received elixir!
Current stock: 1

---

You manage to make it the rest of the way to the castle without running into more enemies. You do, however, bump into a few more Carcinan guardsmen, sent your way by your flying coordinators, including one familiar face. "Hey, June!" Zephyr calls out to you. "Man, this place is HUGE! And lots of narrow alleys to duck into. It'd be great for hide and seek. Well, I guess that's kinda what we're doing, huh? Except with claws. And lances." He points to a passing pegasus. "And our side's cheating. Not as much fun, I guess." Aside from the energetic little bugger, another 3 teams of guards join up with you, bringing your fighting force to just under 50 stong.

You quiet him as you near the plaza in front of the castle gate. You poke your head around the corner, not surprised to see several Meridians formed up in front. At least 50 combined berserkers and generals. Several dozen snipers, and quite a few mages and war clerics mixed in. An archer lazily fires off a shot at you, more of a warning than any intent to hit. You pull back around the corner, and start thinking. Of course the enemy would be trying to make a bottleneck to capitalize on their siege engines, whatever they are. What does surprise you is the plaza itself. It's empty, though you know that at least a few civilians were killed, and several Meridian knights. Did they clean up the cor-

Suddenly, Horatio's plan starts clicking into place. You have an idea what Thrace is coming to tell you as she comes to land beside you. Horatio was probably hoping for more of a slaughter at the central plaza - civilians, and maybe even his own troops - than you let him have, but he has managed to delay you for quite a while. Long enough? "Most of the Meridians you don't see here are up on the gate or dead. But there's Risen running loose," Thrace announces. "I've got my ladies coordinating a defense against them, but they're pretty spread out. Hard for our forces to deal with them all without risking themselves."

"And every soldier or civilian we lose is another for them," you conclude. "This was Horatio's plan all along, I'm sure of it... Bait a large group to the central plaza, slaughter them, let the Risen run rampant. All he has to do is stall, hold the castle and the town gates."

"Speaking of, we're still not through the main gate. Our troops just don't have anything to work with, and the constant attacks from archers on the walls forced them to back off. They're working on a battering ram now, but it'll take time." Too long.

(A) Head for the town gate to open it from the inside
(B) Attack the castle with the troops you have while loose teams deal with Risen
(C) Rally as many troops as possible, then attack the gate
(D) Tactician: Have fliers ferry your named units (June, Paen, Sherry, Zephyr, Bud, Wendy, Dan, Claudia) onto the castle balcony and make straight for the throne room

You don't have the forces to attack the castle head on, much less to attack the castle and deal with the Risen. "Keep directing teams to deal with the Risen and evacuate civilians. Prioritize containment; if our troops get themselves killed, it hurts us AND helps them. Let me know if the group guarding the castle makes a move," you tell Thrace. You turn to the group you've assembled. "We're taking down the main gate!" You turn to the main road and start moving at a quick march, trusting the others to fall in line behind you. You can hear them scramble into a loose formation. Sherry stays right on your heels, Zephyr continually disappears and reappears ahead of you, sweeping side streets for threats.

You don't get far before finding main road is clogged with a throng of civilians, fleeing south, towards the gate. "It's the same on the other side," Zephyr tells you. "Bunch of guys trying to shove their ways this way, running from the gate."

"We need them out of the way," you mutter. "It wouldn't be hard to find a way around, but we'll want the way clear when our main force gets here. We shouldtry to get them inside, tell them to barricade the doors and-"

"No problem!" Zephyr yells, slamming his fists into the ground. A wall of earth shoots out of the ground, encasing him. When it falls away, he's replaced by a massive rabbit, jet black and half as tall as you, despite standing on all fours. "Get inside!" he yells, his voice different. Sinister, intimidating, completely in contrast to his normal, cheerful sound. He starts nimbly weaving through the crowd, repeating the order. The crowd starts to split from the inside-out, with people fleeing in terror. Your troops manage to direct a fair number into buildings, but some just keep running. When the crowd clears, you find Zephyr standing in the now empty streets, reverted to his normal form. He scratches the back of his head. "That didn't work quite as planned."

No time to deal with that, now. Your pegasus knights will help direct the ones that didn't take shelter. You continue on to the main gate.

As you get closer to the gate, you see a force consisting mostly of archers on the top of the wall. A team of warriors stand idly by on ground level. You don't see your troops, not at first. Instead of forming a throng at the base of the wall, you can see them off in the distance, outside of the archer's effective range. Aside from the troops you brought, They've cut down one of the larger trees, and have started working on reshaping it. All eyes seem to be on them as they start to heft the creation over their heads. You remember when you had to deal with Carcinan troops employing something similar against you, back in Antea, and wonder how they'll deal with this.

A cavalier steps into view from around a house, quickly yanking his horse back before he can wander in front of the gate. A soldier situated partway up the wall glares down, angrily gesturing at the cavalier. He stands by on the gate's winch alongside a general. You do a quick head count of the enemy. Around 20 warriors, at least 1 cavalier - probably many more - on the ground. You ask Zephyr, and he estimates 30 cavaliers. Up the staircase, on the winch control's landing, a soldier and a general. On top of the wall, several archers. At least 30, maybe a few more out of sight, and some mages - 5 or 6. You assume the enemy plans to open the gate and send the cavalry out to attack while your troops are stuck holding their makeshift shield. Your troops have swelled to 60 in total - mostly soldiers, but a handful of archers and a pair of healers, as well. You could call in some pegasus knights, but you hesitate given the sheer number of enemy archers.

(A) Attack the ground troops, fight your way up the stairs
(B) Call in pegasus knights to drop half of your troops on the top of the wall (choose whether June goes up or stays on the ground)
(C) Wait until the enemy opens the gate to release the cavalry, then attack and try to prevent them from lowering it again

The enemy either doesn't notice you, or decides you aren't worth their time. You pull your group off the main road, using side streets to close on your target. Taking a page from Horatio's book, you find a building that exits right next to the front gate. Zephyr indicates that the building's empty, and you discreetly smash the back door down. Much louder than you'd hoped, but again, no response from the enemy.

You find yourself in a bakery. A wall and a small door separate the front and rear of the store. A small staircase leads up to what you imagine to be the owner's living area. Peeking through the door, you can see the storefront contains two large windows for displaying fresh-baked wares and a small door. You can't risk waiting out there, so you count on Zephyr to time your strike.

You notice Sherry eyeing some kind of sweet roll, and swat her hand away when she reaches for it. She looks at you angrily, then her expression softens to disappointment. "Might be my last meal," she mutters. You sigh, look at the smashed door and consider all the damage you're about to do. You slip the red gem out of your pocket and place it on the counter, then give Sherry a nod. She squeaks in excitement before dashing off with her glazed prize. The waiting isn't hard on you, but most of the Carcinan with you seem to lack your trained discipline. Most are shifting nervously, craning their necks to try to look through the door, or whispering worriedly.

You don't need Zephyr's signal when the time comes. The gate squeals in protest as the enemy starts to crank the winch. You slam the door to the front of the store off its hinges, yelling for everyone to charge. You ignore the door, instead jumping through one of the bay windows, aiming to land on a passing cavalier. You knock him off his seat, and spur the horse forward as you dismount. Several horses spook at the shattering glass, door slamming open, and men in dark armor pouring out of the bakery. A few horses break for the gate, managing to slip out but catching the riders on the still-rising steel bars.

The general, focused on the winch, is slow to respond to the confusion. Cutting through the enemy, your troops following close behind, you're already halfway to him by the time he even notices the confusion. He raises a lance in your direction as you charge up the stairs, commanding the soldier next to him to lower the gate again. A fireball from one of your mages strikes the soldier, stopping him. The general swears at you, deciding between attacking you or lowering the gate himself. He chooses to try to cut through the winch cable instead, dropping the lance in favor of a sword. He swings once, but the cable holds. You counter by throwing your hatchet, striking him in the arm. He pulls it back in pain and you take advantage of his lack of balance. Charging up the last few steps, you slam into him. He stumbles back struggling to stay on the winch landing. His arm flailing would have been comical, if he hadn't proceeded to fall to his death.

From your vantage point, you re-evaluate your situation. The battle on the ground is more or less even. You see Zephyr making a point of keeping cavaliers away from the gate. You can't Several guardsmen are following you up the stairs, but struggling to keep up with you. To her credit, Sherry managing to stay near the front of the line. You crane your eyes up. One of the archers peers over the edge, shouting something down at you that was probably meant for his recently-deceased general. The archer turns white as a sheet, pulling his head back from the ledge. "Move!" you call to your advancing force.

Archers start peering over the ledge to fire down at you as you advance. The enemy pays extra attention to their aim, trying to avoid firing blindly into the melee below. An arrow bounces off your armor, you swat another out of the air. A sniper shouts something you can't hear, leveling his bow at you. The arrow slips through your armor to catch you in the collarbone. Your leather underarmor keeps it from striking anything vital, and you rip the arrow out. Another archer fires at Sherry. She yelps in fear, jumping to the side and pressing against the wall. The arrow sails past, striking one the enemy's troops on the field below.

Thrace comes flying out of nowhere. With the archers distracted, the pegasus knights take the opportunity to plow through the archers, darting to safety before the enemy can retaliate. It buys your group enough time to close the distance to the top of the wall. You lost a few troops on the way up, but your numbers are still more than enough to slaughter the remaining archers. The enemy is slow, careful to avoid shooting into each other, and it costs them. Sherry follows your lead, separating archers from the main group, closing in to point-blank range, and delivering the killing blow. Her lance play is sloppy, unpracticed, and slow, but the enemy archers she challenges don't have a way to counterattack as she wears them down.

You glance over the wall. Your reinforcements have caught on, tossed down the turtle, and started running to join the fray. You allow yourself to descend the stairs almost casually, carefully, stopping to raise the main gate further. This will leave an escape route for the civilians. With the reinforcements arriving, the enemies that don't scatter into the town are routed. Pegasus knights leave to track down the few who manage to make it more than a few feet.

You can see Mary, Haley, Ferris, Alyssa, Jessup, John, Charon, Rosalin, and Cecil mixed in amongst the reinforcements, but you don't get a chance to greet them. A reaver in Valerian colors waits patiently at the bottom of the stairs, leaning against the wall. As you descend, he looks you up and down, then extends a massive hand. "June?" he guesses. You nod in response. "Name's Adam. Anything you need to tell me before we get started?"

"I'm confused as to why the Valerian army's mounting an assault against their commander."

Adam shrugs. "Doran sent a letter. Signed by the archbishop and everything, telling us to play nice with the Carcinans. You're the commander now. I thought there was something off with that twerp, Horatio. Glad to be smashing his skull in, though I'm guessing I'll probably have to settle for some of his guards."

Thrace lands next to you. "We're managing to keep casualties to a minimum. The Risen numbers seem to be decreasing, but there's still a few dozen out and about. Our troops are spread pretty thin, but with these reinforcements we should be able to confine them."

"What, and let Horatio escape? Or try something else?" Adam asks with a snort.

"Civilians get priority, Adam," Thrace responds as she dismounts her pegasus. You can sense a faint animosity between the pair.

"If Horatio escapes, what's to stop him from attacking somewhere else? He's dangerous, and we need to make sure we take him out here," Adam counters, leaning over Thrace.

"If we stand by and let civilians get slaughtered, what's the point? Does that make us any better than him?" Thrace responds, holding her ground.

"I'm not talking about letting them get slaughtered, I'm talking about cutting off the problem at its source!"

"Killing Horatio won't stop the Risen that are already rampaging, you stubborn oaf!" Thrace yells, exasperated. She gives Adam a shove.

"Stubborn oaf? That's something, coming from an airhead like you!" Adam pushes back. You get the impression this has happened before. You decide to stop this before it comes to blows, but Sherry beats you to it.

"Hey! That's enough, both of you idiots!" The pair, two of Valeria's top-ranking officers, whirl around on this rookie footsoldier. She stops, taking a step back and sliding so she's partially behind you. "I mean... June's in charge, isn't she?"

The pair turn their attention towards you. Thrace crosses her arms and frowns. Adam shoulders his axe and grins.

(A) Focus on the Risen first, then the castle
(B) Storm the castle first, then deal with the Risen
(C) Split your forces evenly (all named characters will attack the castle)

"Thrace, how many more ground troops do you think you need to protect the civilians?" you ask.

"The more the better, but I suppose... with the patrols we've still got out, I'd want at least 8 more teams of 10," Thrace says.

"And how many of your knights could you spare, and still be able to communicate effectively?"

"I'd want at least two knights per team, just in case. So, about half my girls. 25, 30 knights."

"Alright. Adam, give her the ground troops she'll need. And don't skimp on the healers, my team should be able to shore us up in that regard."

Adam shrugs, raising his free hand in the air and whistling. He starts calling out a list of names, and they split off from the rest, moving to stand behind Thrace. Thrace matches him, signalling a few of her knights. You end up with two similarly-sized groups. You do a quick count; each group consists of around 100 ground troops and 30 fliers, accounting for the units Thrace already has deployed. You nod in satisfaction. "Thrace! Once you're sure the Risen are mopped up, come give us a hand." She gives you a sincere salute as she takes off; she seems to have cooled down a bit since the... incident earlier. Her troops hustle to try to follow her, winding down sideroads and alleys.

"Well, less troops makes for a more interesting fight, at least," Adam says. "Gonna go mingle with my troops, adjust formations. Gimme a heads-up when we're getting close." He starts to wade into the swiftly-assembling marching column. "Ma'am!" he calls over his shoulder, almost as an after-thought.

You team presses to the front of the throng as you get your army moving. "Man, June, I was starting to think you'd forgotten about us," Ferris comments.

"Yeah! Not very nice, ditching us outside while you have all the fun," Haley adds.

"Did either of you consider that maybe I'd been wounded and couldn't get back to you?"

"No," they reply simultaneously, grinning at you. You let yourself smile back.

"We really don't know what we were going to do," Mary adds. "Adam came up with the... giant wooden shield thing, but we still had no way to break down that gate. I think his plan was to stand there and taunt the enemy until they opened up, or something."

"He's lucky they didn't," you tell them. "They were going to send cavalry to hit you while you were stuck holding that thing over your heads."

"Who's the shadow?" Alyssa asks, nodding to Sherry.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I meant to ask that, too," Zephyr chimes in. He leaps over to Sherry, uncomfortably close, his nose twitching. Sherry flicks him, and he bounces back, hand on his nose. "Ow! That hurt!"

"Well, don't do things like that!" Sherry tells him. "You really need to work on your people skills..." Zephyr looks like he's about to argue that he's not people, but you decide to end this.

"She's one of Tartan's newer guards," you explain. "I told her to stay where I could keep an eye on her."

"Babysitting duty," you hear Ferris whisper, a bit too loudly. Cecil cuffs him on the back of the head.

With the majority of civilians either holed up in buildings or being guided by Thrace's teams, the march back to the castle is much quicker. The enemy is maintaining the same formation. Generals in front, supported by warriors, snipers, and sages. One of your pegasi gains a bit of altitude before sinking back down, confirming the two siege engines are still there. She thinks they're anti-ground weapons, either catapults of stone throwers, not ballistae. The pair are placed in the castle courtyard, a bit back and to the side of the enemy's main force, and just out of easy view from the plaza. A brief count suggests they're about equal to your force, in terms of size, though they have the advantage of being dug in on a short staircase.

"Well?" a familiar voice asks. "How're we getting through?" You turn to see Paen jumping off Claudia's wyvern. Dan, Wendy, and Bud land amongst your troops, as well.

(A) Full frontal assault
(B) Drop an assault force in the castle's corners, have them make their way to the catapults (5 generals, 5 war clerics, 10 warriors)
(C) Constantly ferry teams over the wall, one after the other
(D) Tactician: Leave the brunt of your force here to block the enemy's escape, attempt a landing on the castle balconies (choose 20)
(E) Do nothing besides block retreat, wait for Thrace's force

You decide that the enemy has the advantage, and the easiest way you can think to level the field is to take out their catapults. Once those are down, you can make a move on the enemy's line without worrying about being worn down so badly. You signal for your pegasus knights and Adam. "Take 20 men, drop them on the far side of the wall. Give the archers a wide berth. Once the catapults are down, we can figure out the next step.

Adam nods, then points to several of his men. 5 generals, 10 warriors, and 5 sages step foward, and he gestures to the pegasus knights. "Go smash those little toys they've got," he says plainly. The men respond with a battle cry. It takes a moment for the pegasus knights to help them mount up, then they take off one after the other. You notice one of the sages wrapped around his knight, a horrified expression on his face - she tries to mask her amusement. One of the warriors tries to stand while waving his axe in the air, only to slip and almost fall off.

The enemy responds to your knights' approach by readying their bows. Your knights change course, choosing to fly over the walls well to either side of the enemy's formation. The enemy doesn't respond, and the first of your knights passes over the wall, low, ready to drop off her burden as quickly as possible. The first knight passes without a problem. As the second knight, following close behind, clears the wall three arrows shoot straight up. Archers, hidden out of your sight.

The pegasus drops toward the ground. The knight tries to control the fall while the general mounted with her attempts to jump off. The pair disappear behind the wall before you can see what happens. The rest of your knights spread out instead of following in a line, and the arrows have a harder time picking them off. Still, one pegasus knight is struck from her mount, leaving a confused warrior to try to regain control, while another two knights lose their riders. The first few knights to pass circle around, but you can't see what happens. As the knights rise back into view, their riders are gone. A few seconds later, the arrows stop.

The remaining knights continue towards their two targets. Sages attack with fire from the air, not even bothering to land. A token defensive force of sages and soldiers around the catapults themselves counter with wind magic, extinguishing the flames and targeting your knights. A few warriors join the fray, running from wherever they're dropped off, hacking at catapult and soldier alike.

The enemy's main formation finally responds as their rear line breaks. 30 of their troops split off, heading back to join the fight. The generals you dropped form a defensive line, ready to make a last stand. Most of your pegasus knights were badly wounded or killed, and they lack the numbers to pull your ground troops to safety, even as the catapults collapse.

You don't get a chance to decide what to do. Adam slams the butt of his battleaxe against the ground, and all the troops around you tear their eyes from the battle in the distance. He doesn't give a command, just hoists his axe over his shoulder as he starts forward. His troops begin to move in response, a massive throng beginning to charge towards the enemy formation. "We're going right through!" you hear Adam yell as he breaks into a full run.

"I like this guy," Paen comments as he starts to join the charge. With a frustrated sigh, you swing up onto Marth.

Most of the enemy archers' shots overshoot, as they underestimate how fast your units charge. As the first of your troops reach the enemy formation, their generals raise their shields. Rather than slowing to attack, your units just keep running, slamming into the generals. Many of them hold, but a few are knocked back, some falling onto archers. True to his word, Adam leads his troops through the enemy formation before turning to attack the archers. The generals are forced to choose between protecting the weaker units or dealing with your army's slower troops. With the mass of bodies, you can't maneuver your mount, and you settle for sitting in the back loosing arrows at the enemy.

Though the enemy formation is surrounded, they don't collapse or panic. They hold their ground, breaking into smaller combat units and pushing back against your assault. Despite your troops' advantage in terms of positioning, the enemy still has the advantage of numbers, even when your strike team and pegasus knights join the fray. Your army is suffering grievous losses, with some of the enemy smaller cells managing to break through to join others.

From your vantage point near the back, you can see both sides are much smaller than they were at the beginning, with many of your troops limping back to safety. Corpses from both sides litter the ground. Slowly, you can see your side gain the upper hand. Your friends are a major factor, but your army's ability to pull the wounded to safety, heal them, and send them back into the melee is the deciding factor. While the enemy forces are whittled away, you can constantly cycle in healthy troops to replace your wounded. The enemy fights to the last man.

Looking over the devastation, you see just how bad the fight was. None of your friends were badly hurt, but many are tending to small wounds. About half your hundred-man army is lying dead, with several more bleeding badly as your healers struggle to catch up. The pegasus knights were hit especially bad, with only five of your original thirty remaining. Still, the path into the castle itself is open.

You find Adam nursing a bleeding head wound. "Oh... hey," he greets you as you approach. "That was pretty crazy, huh? Look, uh, if you're going to lecture me for launching that attack without orders, I couldn't just, y'know, let my men die."

"We won, that's what matters," you answer. You don't feel like arguing with a half-dead berserker. "I'm taking my team, and we're heading into the castle. Get your troops patched up, take care of these corpses before they become Risen, then... wait out here. Be ready for Horatio to pull something. Maybe he'll run, maybe he's got reinforcements waiting, but I'm sure he's still got something up his sleeve."

"Right, I'll watch your back," Adam tells you. "Soon as I can see straight again. Go get Horatio for us. Much as I'd like to smack that little weasel myself, pretty sure that guy's called first dibs." He nods in Paen's general direction. The kind stands apart from the others, staring up at the castle's front door, clenching and unclenching his fists. He glances over his shoulder at you, impatiently.

(A) Head straight for the throne room
(B) Search the dungeon first
(C) Search the armory first
(D) Split up

Horatio's going to have another card or two up his sleeves. Hopefully, you can take care of one or two of his tricks before he can use them. "We're heading for the dungeons first," you announce. "Alyssa, do you remember the way?"

She nods and stalks to the front of your group, signaling everyone to follow.

Paen growls in frustration. "You think he's in the dungeons? A megalomaniac like Horatio?"

"I have no idea where he is or what he's doing, but he's probably in the throne room," you admit. "I just remember last time we were here, checking the dungeon saved your life."

Paen glances at Claudia. "Point. You really think he's got hostages, though?"

"We'll know soon enough," Alyssa cuts in. "Unless you keep standing around chatting instead of walking." With that, she turns and proceeds down a hall. Your group starts to follow her.

The castle is oddly silent. You don't pass any guards, no servants, nothing. At first, you can still hear the battle far off in the distance, but the sound fades as you descend deeper into the castle. Alyssa systematically checks every room, signalling your heavy-hitters to push open the doors, picking any that are locked. Her diligence turns up nothing save a few looted chests. Finally, she pauses at the top of a stairwell, pressing against the wall and peering down. A light flickers from the bottom of the stone stairs. Alyssa sighs before she starts down the stairs. "Last time I went down here, a general tried to turn me into a pincushion," she whispers. "So you stay close. Just in case."

You group tries to stay quiet coming down the stairs, but some of them are better than others. Realizing any chance of surprise is lost, you leap down the last few stairs, planning to rush any guards you find before they can react. You aren't prepared for what you find waiting for you.

The first thing you notice is the lack of guards. The second thing you notice is the sudden noise. Growls and snarls surround you. A large cell is filled with a massive creature that seems to be made of several Risen, all stitched together. Two heads with four eyes lock onto you, while four arms shake the bars. "Kill..." one of the heads mutters before roaring at you. You stagger back, raising your hatchet, but the bars hold.

You keep scanning the room. More Risen are stored in smaller cells. Some are missing arms, some are missing chunks of flesh. A purple wolf in the back melts into the ground, reforming in a humanoid shape - a Risen laguz. All the Risen are attempting to advance on you, held back by bars and chains. One catches your eye - half of its body still looks human, while the rest shows the normal signs of decay. "Oh, thank Naga," a voice to the side makes you whirl around.

You turn. A woman is locked in one of the small cells, staring at you expectantly. You judge her to be a Valerian pegasus knight, going by the armor - then you notice her arm. A Risen's arm, sloppily stitched onto a stump. "You have to get me out of here," she tells you. "They've been doing... horrible things in here. Experimenting on humans and Risen and... gods, just get me out!" A young man is in the cell next to her, half of his leg removed and bandaged; you can only guess that he's a civilian. He stares at you blankly. As you continue to look down the row, you find three more villagers, seemingly untouched, all staring at you in fear.

While you were recovering from your initial shock, the rest of your party made its way down the stairs. Most stand in stunned silence. John is standing to one side saying a prayer, while Mary comforts him. Haley turns and climbs the stairs, and Ferris and Jessup follow her. Paen walks over to one of the villagers, grabs his cell's door, and starts trying to rip it from the hinges, snapping everyone else out of their surprise. Alyssa starts picking the locks to the villagers' cells. Cecil swears under his breath as he starts thrusting his sword between bars to execute Risen. Stabbing the massive, two-headed Risen only seems to make it angry. It takes several hits before it finally falls, dissolving into several puddles of slightly different hues.

Three of the four villagers make their way out of their cells. "Th-thank you..." one of them mutters.

"Don't worry none, we'll getcha out o' here," Rosalin says, wrapping an arm around one of the younger villagers.

Wendy hesitates in front of the half-human, half-Risen hybrid. When it snarls and lunges for her, she jumps back in surprise. Her mind made up, she readies hers sword and finishes it. Instead of dissolving like a normal Risen, it falls to the ground, melting much slower. The pegasus knight, still in her cell, recoils in horror. "Gods... I'm so glad I won't end up like that." Her eyes start to tear up. "Just... get this... Get this damn arm off me!"

"What?" you ask.

"It's what happened to him," she answers, nodding at the corpse beside her. "After they put that arm on him, it spread and spread until... Just get it off! Hurry!"

"Do you... think it would work?" Claudia asks you, taking care not to let the knight hear.

"I have no idea," you admit. "But if we leave it, there's no hope, is there?"

Claudia sighs. "Maybe it'd be more merciful to just kill her..."

(A) Let the knight free, leave her as-is
(B) Let the knight free, remove her arm
(C) Leave the knight locked away
(D) Kill her

(1) Head for the throne room
(2) Head for the armory

"If you're sure this is what you want..." you begin. The knight nods. You turn you your group. "Alyssa, the door. So, how do we...?"

"I'll do it," Jessup answers, pulling a knife from his robe. "She'll need a healer, and I need to make sure I get all the Risen flesh... This is going to take a while, so you should go ahead without me."

"I'll stay behind to watch him, just in case," Alyssa tells you. She motions to the other villagers. "I'll make sure the rest get out safely, so focus on the battle."

You give her a nod, then start ushering your group up the stairs. "We're going to the throne room. If Horatio has anything planned, we'll deal with it as it happens."

Paen takes point, and you let yourself fall behind, taking once last glance at the dungeon as you leave. The knight is trembling visibly as Jessup examines the arm. Alyssa approaches behind her and strikes her in the back of the head. Jessup is surprised, barely catching the unconscious knight as she falls, before Alyssa helps lower her to the ground. "It's probably better this way," he admits. You see him shudder violently. "Alright... first, we... need to remove these stitches. Hold my staff..."

---

You approach the entrance to the throne room. Paen remains in front, with Claudia and Dan flanking him. He glances at you as he reaches for the double doors. You give him a nod. It isn't locked, and slowly begins to open for him. Claudia and Dan take over pushing, and Paen readies gungnir. He strides confidently into the room, barely giving the pair of giant Risen a glance as they roar at him, his eyes locked on the throne, and Horatio.

The two giant Risen in the room are vaguely similar to the one you found in the dungeon. Massive, not fitting together quite right, with extra arms, but only one head each. The pair stand in the center of the room, blocking the throne. As Paen marches forward, the pair turn toward him. A clack from the far side of the room stops them in their tracks, and gets your attention. Horatio is standing now, a staff you don't quite recognize in his hand, and slowly walking towards you. He and Paen both stop a few paces from the center of the room. Your group falls in line behind Paen, the Risen giants standing ahead of Horatio.

Horatio holds his staff loosely in one hand, resting the other on the hilt of a short sword. "Well, you came, Dark King. I can't say I'm surprised. I knew as soon as I heard the bounty hunters had failed you'd be working your way here. Though I was hoping you'd have a few less troops with you. My, is that Lady June behind you? And I recognize a few other Valerian knights as well. I didn't expect you'd be willing to risk fighting your fellow Valerians, attacking this city."

"Valeria and Carcina unite against you, schemer. Your plot, whatever it is, shall fail," Paen announces.

"My plot?" Horatio snorts. "Even if you defeat me, I'm sorry to inform you that 'my' plot will continue. You see-"

(A) Let him finish, hope he lets some useful information slip
(B) Cut him off, attack him directly
(C) Cut him off, attack his guards

(1) Take him alive
(2) Kill him

You lower your hatchet. If Horatio wants to gloat a bit, you'll let him; maybe he'll give up some useful information.

"Valeria's already gone. Those fools heading back to Antea are marching to their deaths. An entire army of Risen await them."

You aren't sure if he meant the rest of the Valerian army or Doran's team. Either way, your friends charged headlong into the city - you can only pray for their safety and hope they'll meet you at the rendezvous point.

"Carcina is in tatters. After the blow we've dealt them, do you really think you can afford to march against us, King Paen? If you leave your cities undefended... No, the best you can do is try to slow the Risen's spread. Every civilian, every soldier killed is another on our side. You can only watch as you numbers dwindle, watch as your citizens give into despair. You can no more fight the Risen than you can fight a force of nature - you fight Death itself."

"You underestimate us," Paen answers.

"No, I estimate you quite highly. Which is why I've made arrangements to deal with you."

"Oh?" Claudia asks, advancing threateningly.

"Yes, Lady Claudia. Your little group's been a wrench in my plans for quite some time, ever since that one" - he points at Dan - "grew a conscience and warned Valeria about our attack. You remember we marched side-by-side, once? I know quite a bit about you, especially how your... chief adviser thinks." Horatio stares at you. "How trusting she is. Hypothetically, it would be quite simple to slip an assassin or two..."

"Yer full o' crap!" Rosalin shouts from the rear.

"Am I?" Horatio asks. "We managed to infiltrate two different governments. Tell me we couldn't slip someone in with you." You quickly glance at everyone around you, gauging their reactions. You aren't the only one.

Paen ignores him. "By 'we,' I assume you mean Meridia?"

Horatio shrugs. "Of course. I'd be disappointed if you hadn't figured it out by now."

"That's all I needed to hear," Paen concludes, raising the Gae bolg. "It would have been a shame to invade the wrong country."

"I'm sure," Horatio says. He subtly raises his staff, and you react, throwing your hatchet. He draws his short sword, swatting it to the side as his giant Risen move to block your group. Anna's enchantment activates, and the hatchet reforms in your hand. Suddenly, several golden runes appear across the floor in the middle of your group. A bright flash erupts from each one, and then...

Nothing. Nothing happens. "Hm. You must've dealt with my reinforcements, then..." Horatio calls out. "No matter!" He raises his sword instead, and dark runes fill the air around you. The air is sucked from your lungs as you can feel your very life being sucked away. As quick as it started, the sensation ends.

Mary, Bud, and Sherry barrage one of the two giants from range, while Dan, Haley, and Ferris keep it at bay. Rosalin, Claudia, Zephyr, and Cecil surround the other, each unleashing devastating blows on its back every time it turns to attack the others. John floats between the two groups, healing staff raised.

Paen takes advantage of the opening to pass between the two colossi, and you follow him. His first thrust at Horatio finds only air; despite looking like a clean hit, Horatio suddenly seems to be a few inches to one side. Paen reacts by turning the thrust into a sweep. Horatio ducks low, then rises with a slash of his sword. It seems to do more damage than it should have, sending Paen staggering back a few steps. You stop Horatio from following up, deflecting his slash with your hatchet. Paen recovers, this time slamming into Horatio, sending him staggering back. You follow up with a throw of your hatchet. It strikes true, catching him in the leg. Horatio raises his sword again, and the black runes surround Paen. The wound on Horatio's leg closes as Paen raises his shield.

For the next attack, you lead. You chop through, clipping Horatio with what you thought would be a clean hit. Again, he seems to jump a few inches right at the last second, leaving him with a mere scratch instead of a missing arm. Paen steps in, catching Horatio with the butt of his spear and knocking the wind out of him. As Horatio staggers back, raising his sword, you leap to the side. The runes appear, but you're far enough away the spell misses. You take a few steps back toward Paen, regaining your balance. "Why is it so hard to hit him?" you ask Paen.

"He's a deceiver. It's how they fight," Paen answers. "Think you can shove him for me?"

You give him a glance, then break into a run, heading straight for Horatio. You let your axe fall at the last second, turning to hit him with your shoulder instead. Your momentum sends Horatio staggering back. "Down!" you hear Paen yell.

You drop, your momentum sending you rolling. Gae bolg flies past, and hits Horatio while he's still off-balance. Horatio looks down at his chest, surprised. He coughs, and blood comes pouring out. His sword drops to the floor. Before you or Paen can reach him, he raises his staff. It glows for a second, then a ring appears on the ground beneath him. He vanishes in a flash of light, taking the Gae bolg with him.

Paen stomps in frustration. "Not a rescue staff. A warp staff!" he yells. You look at him, and he sees the confusion on your face. "Coward ran away at the last second. No way he survived that. He just didn't want to give me the satisfaction of seeing him die... Even in death, that little weasel...!"

"We won." Dan startles him. "That's all that really matters. The city's ours." Your group falls in around you, John tending to a few minor wounds.

"All that matters..." Paen mutters. "Not quite." He approaches the throne, climbing on top. He rips the Carcinan emblem from the wall above it, revealing an indentation. He shoves his shield into it, and the throne begins to shift beneath him. It slides out from the wall, revealing what appears to be a blank expanse of stone. Paen jumps behind the throne, reaches up, removing the shield. The chair slides back into place. For a moment, you worry that Paen will be crushed, but Claudia's lack of a response keeps you calm. A few seconds later, the throne grinds forward again, and Paen steps out. In one hand, his shield, the Dark Emblem. In the other, a massive black sword - long and thin, with twin serrated edges.

"Flamberge?" Ferris asks. Paen nods solemnly. "Creepy-looking thing."

Paen marches out to the balcony running out along the throne room. You join him. Adam still waits below you, his army more or less matched up. A pile of corpses sits beside them while fire mages prepare to set it ablaze. Thrace lands beside him, and appears to have good news. In the distance, you can see only a few pegasus knights still flying. A handful of dark fliers use wind magic to contain a burning building, another pair are running messages between groups of Valerian myrmidons and Carcinan soldiers. A crowd of villagers starting to gather in the central plaza look up at you.

Claudia brings the emblem Paen pulled from the throne, leaving it dangling over the balcony edge. Paen raises his sword, and the crowd erupts into a cheer.

---

Wow, I'm pleasantly surprised there were no deaths this chapter. You also earned a bit of special loot. 36 possible supports, so take 9.

June/Wendy A
June/Dan B
June/John C
June/Charon C
June/Paen S
June/Clauda C
June/Rosalin C
June/Cecil C
June/Zephyr B
June/Sherry C
Bud/Paen C
Bud/Cecil C
Haley/John C
Haley/Mary B
Haley/Zephyr C
Wendy/John C
Wendy/Jessup C
Wendy/John C
Wendy/Claudia C
Ferris/Dan C
Ferris/Mary C
Ferris/Claudia C
Alyssa/Charon C
Alyssa/Rosalin C
Alyssa/Zephyr B
Jessup/Mary C
Jessup/Cecil C
Dan/Paen B
Dan/Rosalin C
John/Paen C
Mary/Cecil C
Mary/Zephyr C
Mary/Sherry C
Charon/Claudia C
Charon/Rosalin C
Charon/Zepyr C
Charon/Sherry C
Paen/Rosalin C
Paen/Zephyr C
Rosalin/Cecil S
Zephyr/Sherry C

Though the citizens erupt in celebration, your work is far from done. "Claudia?" Paen asks, holding his victorious stance. "We can afford to depart in the morning, can't we? I need some time to see to Carcina's reconstruction."

"Yes, barring any major detours we should arrive with plenty of time to spare."

"Objections, anyone?"

"I'm not going to complain about holing up in a castle for the night," Ferris says, stretching. "Beats camping."

"I'll make sure we're nice and stocked for the upcoming fight," Anna says. You hadn't even noticed her enter the city.

Paen nods, lowering his sword as the crowd's cheer subsides. "June, I would speak with you in private later," he says to you, before turning to address the crowd. "Citizens, hear me! Tartan is ours once again! There is much that should be revealed to you, but precious little time. For now, know that we stand alongside Valeria against those that would turn our nations against each other, those that spread these vile Risen across our fair country. Today, join me as we mourn our dead even as we celebrate our victory and begin rebuilding. Tomorrow, we begin our counter-attack!"

After Paen's speech, you head out into the town to join the patrols. At Cecil's suggestion, you called the Carcinan guards and Valerian army together for an improptu parade; while the crowds gather to watch, smaller groups can take care of any corpses – living or dead – in other parts of the city. If any Risen remain within the walls, you plan to hunt them down. Your shadow latches onto you again as you march. She struggles to keep up with the others, her javelin held loosely. Between your vantage point on Marth's back and her posture, she seems even smaller than before.

"How're you feeling?" you call down to her.

"Oh..." she says, craning her head to look at you. "Just... a bit tired."

"That was your first real battle, wasn't it?" you ask.

"No, I... well, kinda. I joined the guard just before all the fighting broke out. So I was on duty when you guys invaded, but all we did was surrender..."

"It wasn't so long ago that I had my first battle," you tell her. "I still remember how I felt afterward. If you need anyone to talk to, I'll still be around until tomorrow."

"Thanks, I- Hey!" You can see a sudden shift in her demeanor. "What do you mean 'until tomorrow?' You say that like I'm not coming with you!"

"I assumed you would have had your fill of fighting. Besides, don't you have your duty as a guard?"

"I... lied. I'm not really a part of the guard. After we surrendered, some of us grabbed what we could from the armories before your army could raid them."

It takes you a minute to take that in. "So you haven't even been trained?" you finally ask.

"I didn't say that! Some of the older guards were training us in secret so we could take back our city."

"Sherry, we're going to be marching into the heart of the Risen. It's going to be extremely dangerous, not a place for a rookie."

"Where better to get training than fighting beside the ki-"

"Rookie buddies!" a voice yells. Zephyr, shoving past a trio of knights, leaps and tackles Sherry to the ground. "Whoops. Too hard. You're not as strong as you look, huh?"

"H-hey! I'm plenty strong! This armor's just... really heavy," Sherry answers. "And we're not 'rookie buddies,' you giant furball!"

You get an idea. "This may work out..." you mutter.

"What?" Zephyr asks.

"I want you to stick close to Sherry on the battlefield, OK?"

"Sure," Zephyr answers, at the same time. "Why?"

"I can't keep track of both of you at once. Zephyr, I want you to make sure Sherry doesn't get hurt."

"I don't need a babysitter, I can take care of myself!" Sherry objects.

"And you, Sherry, make sure Zephyr doesn't get himself hurt. I've noticed he likes to charge pretty far ahead."

Sherry groans. "Fine, I'll watch this bun-brain if it means you'll let me come with you."

Zephyr grins at her. "Y'know what that makes us, right?"

"What?"

He wraps an arm around her shoulder. "Battle buddies!"

You give the pair a wave as you speed Marth towards the head of the parade. Poor Sherry. Still, she'll be safer staying with Zephyr. I think. You let yourself relax a bit and enjoy the cheering crowd lining the streets. A section of the crowd looks up and gasps, and you follow their gaze. Wendy's manticore slams into the ground near you, and the soldiers that had been surrounding you move to give it a wide berth. Wendy takes advantage of their fear to get alongside you.

"All clear?" you ask, eyeing Wendy's new mount apprehensively.

"There's a lot of death, but cleanup's moving along. A few groups found some Risen, but nothing they couldn't handle."

"How bad's the damage?"

"Between one and two hundred civilians dead. Maybe a third of the Carcinan guard and Valeria's army. No damage to the town wall or gate, so they should be fine. It could have been much worse."

You nod. A thought crosses your mind, and you suddenly feel completely isolated, even in the middle of the crowd. "Hey, Wendy?"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad. And that… scares me a bit."

"W-what do you mean?"

"There may be three hundred people dead, and I feel relieved. Three hundred people… They had lives, dreams. Families."

A hand lands on your shoulder. "Stop, June. Don't start thinking that way. You're relieved for the people who lived, not the ones who died. That's good. You should celebrate every life you're able to save."

She gives you a few moments. When you don't respond, she continues. "Sometimes I forget you're so much newer at being a knight than me… Do you remember when we met? When we got to Hearthstone, there were so many dead. But in the end, I was glad, because some of you survived. I think, at the end of the day, you'll see the ones who you save touch you much more than the ones you fail."

You let yourself nod a bit, suddenly becoming acutely aware of the mass of bodies around you, and the giant lion-scorpion monstrosity less than three feet away. "You're right. I can't latch onto the negative. I have to remember all the good we're doing, all the people we're helping."

"Mm. And don't forget all the bonds we're forming. If you're ever feeling down, remember there are plenty of people you can lean on."

"Thanks, Wendy."

---

People assumed that because you were commanding the army before, you would be the one in charge of coordinating the clean-up, so you spend the day trapped in the city's central plaza. An endless stream of exhausted soldiers and enthusiastic civilians come to you for orders or to make reports, only for you to realize you don't know anything about the layout of Tartan. You're hesitant to relay anyone to Paen, who is already sequestered in his throne room dealing with his own column of nobles and merchants. Fortunately, Sherry, of all people, saves you. Between her and a good map, you manage to get everyone where they need to go. Eventually, the chaos starts to wind down with most of the signs of battle cleared and people disappearing to their homes.

In the late evening, you catch sight of Mary as she emerges from the castle. She sees you as well, and starts to make her way to you, when you're beset by another wave of citizens, these ones looking for lost members of their families. You grimace as you prepare to add them to the list of missing.

"I don't think you're going to need my help for this part," Sherry mutters as she slinks away. "I'm going to take a break." You manage to catch her heading towards Mary before being torn back to your work.

---

"Hey," Sherry greets Mary, hesitantly.

"Hello," Mary replies. "You're our new recruit, aren't you?"

"Yeah!" Sherry answers, more enthusiastically. "I noticed your dancing during the fight. I wanted to come say hi. Since you're, y'know, like me."

"How so?"

"Well, younger. And… kinda… weaker? I mean, you're a bit more experienced than me, but you don't really seem all that tough. I mean, no offence, but dancing's not exactly threatening." Sherry stops as Mary has to stifle a laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. You're right. I must look ridiculous, prancing around in these skimpy robes while everyone else is carrying swords and bows and whatnot." She does a quick flourish to emphasize her point.

"I… feel like I may have been a bit more insulting than I meant to be. I, um, want us to be friends, so can we maybe start over?"

"Not really, but it's not too late for you to salvage this conversation."

"Right. Um. Well, I just wanted to say your dancing's really pretty, and it must take some real guts to get out on the frontlines without any weapons."

"Nice recovery," Mary concludes, patting Sherry on the shoulder. "C'mon, I need to talk to June, and she's been trying to get your attention for a while now."

---

Sherry whirls around, and you notice a slight blush as she and Mary start your way. You aren't sure what happened, but she seems a bit embarrassed. Mary notices the throng of people around you and simply tells you that Paen's holding a strategy meeting during dinner before disappearing into the castle. You finish dealing with the people around you, before grabbing an unlucky Carcinan guard captain to take your place.

Most of your troops and the Valerian army are eating in the main hall, but Paen receives you in the throne room instead. A large table has been moved out onto the balcony with a surprisingly simple meal, and it seems they didn't bother waiting on you. It feels strange, seeing Paen dressed in dark ceremonial robes instead of heavy armor. You take a seat and help yourself to some salad as you look around the table. Claudia is unsurprisingly beside Paen, along with three other members of his elite guard. You recognize Rosalin, Cecil, and Mary. Adam is shoveling chicken into his mouth, even while speaking to the audience; Thrace sits beside him, looking more than a bit disgusted. Most of the guests are strangers to you; nobles, you believe, with a handful of Carcinan officers.

"There was a lot of stuff going on that didn't seem right. Reports of missing people, stuff like that. We were all real suspicious, but we never really expected Horatio. Even once some of our own troops started disappearing." Adam pauses to take a drink, and Thrace takes over.

"Fortunately, my girls intercepted a messenger three days ago, before he could get to Horatio. He told her he had a special message from the archbishop himself, to be seen by the Major only. It explained everything about Horatio's betrayal – everything we knew at the time, rather. That night, the Valerian army slipped out before the Meridians knew what was happening." She smiles, apparently pleased with their success.

Adam takes over. "Took most of 'em up north, hoping to meet the archbishop and get Antea back. Left us behind, told us Doran asked for a few troops to hang out and wait for you."

"Well," Paen says, solemnly. "That answers my question. I suppose we should go over everything we've learned since Doran sent those letters. Rosalin, Cecil, Mary. I'll leave that to you." You let your mind wander as Rosalin boisterously begins into a recap of the trip to Terranus.

You hear shouting from below. "I'm gonna get you," you think they said. You shift your seat slightly to look out over the castle grounds. It seems the rest of your troops have finished their meal. Below, Haley is chasing Zephyr, who stays just out of her reach. You wonder if they might be fighting until you faintly hear Haley's now-familiar laugh. Playing tag? You can't help but feel a bit jealous that the pair are able to remain so light-hearted.

Slight movement in the wall's shadow catches your eye. You look again, but can't make anything out in the gloom of dusk. An assassin? You consider speaking up, but don't want to look paranoid and embarrass Paen in the middle of this important dinner. You convince yourself you imagined it, but still tense as Haley and Zephyr's game takes them closer to the wall. As Zephyr turns to taunt Haley, a figure leaps out at him. You shoot up from your seat. You can vaguely see Zephyr's ears perk up, and he leaps straight up. Alyssa flies under him, crashing into Haley instead. The pair go rolling along the ground before coming to a stop a few feet away. Zephyr doesn't land any more gracefully, collapsing in a fit of laughter before he goes to help the pair up.

Relief washes over you, then fades just as quickly as you remember where you are. You turn to face the table, and several stunned nobles are staring in your direction. "Something to add?" Cecil asks.

"No," you mutter, embarrassed. You stay focused for the rest of the discussion, up until Paen begins assigning roles to the nobles to cover for his absence in the next few days. He asks Adam and Thrace to stay in Tartan to help make up the guard's losses, until order can be restored. They agree.

At some point, servants come to clean the table. Eventually, the nobles and most of the officers are dismissed. A few remain behind as you begin your discussion of the upcoming fight. A general questions your plans, until Paen explains that you can't send Carcina's full army. "Horatio's right on one count. If we attempt a full invasion, the Risen will continue to ravage the lands while we don't have any troops to protect our citizens. We'll take an elite team through a smaller village and attack the source of the Risen directly."

The general eventually concedes his point, and begins discussing plans to reinforce various garrisons around Carcina. Mary idly flips through one of her spell tomes, while Rosalin and Cecil whisper back and forth. You try to keep up with the discussion, but quickly lose interest as the fatigue from the day hits you.

What seems like an eternity later, Paen concludes his business. At this point, the only light comes from the half-moon and a handful of candles. The general salutes, then retires. Paen only then seems to realize that the rest of you are still there. "Ah… Apologies that took so long. I should have told you you were free to go." Mary shrugs as she gently closes her tome, then gracefully returns inside. Rosalin and Cecil stay behind. Paen signals his guard they're free to leave as well, and they file out. Claudia joins them when Paen repeats the signal.

"Actually, we needed to speak with you," Cecil begins. "You're the absolute authority hereabouts, so you can do just about anything, right?"

"Within reason…" Paen answers apprehensively.

"Sure yer ready fer this, Cecil?" Rosalin asks.

"I'm not going to find another woman like you," Cecil answers. "I've been around long enough to say that for sure. Tough, confident, not afraid to go after what she wants."

"Ha! That's one way ta' put it. I'd've whalloped ya but good if ya'd tried to back out now."

"You want me to wed the two of you?" Paen asks, raising an eyebrow.

"We're still not sure how this is going to work. Either she'll give her boat to Marv, or I'll pass the reins of my mercenaries, or we'll merge and become a mercenary… boat… thing," Cecil explains.

"Maybe we'll just toss the lot o' it to the wind and run off, just the two o' us."

"But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that once you find someone you can trust to watch your back, you hang on to them. So I figure the same thing applies to finding someone you want to spend all your free time with."

"This ol' charmer's gone an' swept me off me feet," Rosalin admits. "Honest, I never thought I'd be a marryin' girl. Ain't this just a turn o' events?" She busts out into hearty laughter.

"Well, I wish the two of you luck," Paen tells them as he leans over some parchment left from all the deal-making after dinner. A few seconds later, he presses a seal onto it and hands it to them. "There you go, all set."

"None of the pomp and circumstance of a traditional wedding," Cecil comments.

"You may kiss the bride," Paen suggests, cracking a smile.

"Good enough fer me!" Rosalin says, wrapping her arms tight around Cecil's neck.

You struggle to take your eyes off them, but their sheer enthusiasm is hard to ignore. If Paen hadn't asked to speak with you privately earlier, you would have slipped out. After an uncomfortably long time, Paen clears his throat.

Cecil and Rosalin both take a half-step back. "Right, sorry, it looks like the two of you have something to discuss."

"'sides, we got other places ta be," Rosalin adds, a wicked grin on her face.

The two walk out of the candlelit throne room as if walking down the wedding aisle. The last remaining guards pull the door shut behind them as they leave, following the newlyweds. You're left alone with Paen. He starts to walk into the throne room, and you follow. He changes his mind, instead heading back onto the balcony. He slumps into a chair with a groan, then turns to face over the balcony. You pull a seat next to his, copying his groan as you sit.

"I take it this isn't an official meeting?" you ask after a few minutes.

"Nope," he answers, stretching. "Just wanted to ask if you'd given any more thought to my proposal."

"Which pro-" you stop yourself, realizing what he means. "Oh. That proposal."

"Yes, that proposal. I told you I'd give you a few days to decide."

"I didn't think you meant a week," you answer. "With all the fighting, I haven't had much time to really give it much thought."

"Hm… I suppose it is a bit selfish, in the middle of all this, to be thinking about something like marriage. But I'd say we've earned a bit of selfishness, right?"

You shrug your shoulders. "I suppose. I mean… I know of you. I know you're a trustworthy and honorable man, I know I can count on you in battle. I know you've a strong sense of justice. I… could see myself married to a man like that."

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming," Paen interjects.

"I still barely know you. We've had so little time together. I mean, time alone." You can feel yourself turning red, remembering Cecil and Roslin's display. "To get to know each other!" you blurt out to clarify.

Paen chuckles a bit, letting it fade into a sigh. "A promise, then. After this fighting's over, you won't just disappear on me. We'll spend some real time together, not just a few moments stolen between risking our lives. Then you can decide."

"A promise," you answer. "I look forward to it."

Paen extends his hand towards you, and you turn to shake it. You realize he wasn't trying to seal the deal, and you try to smoothly switch to your other hand. Paen doesn't comment, and you take his hand in yours. The two of you lean back in your seats, content to sit and watch the night sky in silence.

A bird's song wakes you up, just as the sun begins to rise. You glance around, confused, before remembering the night before. Someone's covered you in a blanket. Must've dozed off… You glance over, half-expecting to see Paen. You're alone.

As you rise out of your chair, something falls out of your lap. You bend down and find a bouquet of red flowers, wrapped in a black ribbon. You find a small card tucked into it. "A promise."

Promote June to Dark Bride?
(A) Yes
(B) No

---

Dark Bride
Weapons: Axe, Knife, Bow, Staff
Level 5 skill – Flourish – Increase critical hit chance for support attacks and double attacks
Level 15 skill – Edict – Provide all nearby units with a small boost to all stats

---

Choose whether to begin the next the chapter from June's or Doran's perspective.
(1) June
(2) Doran

A few seconds later, you realize you never had a chance to change out of your armor. Your helm and gauntlets sit on the table by your seat from the night before. Stretching, you walk over and start to pull them on. Fully dressed, you wonder what exactly you can do with your bouquet. Marching and fighting aren't exactly good for flowers, but you hate to just throw them away...

You clutch the bouquet to your chest, and you feel a strange warmth. When a bright light starts to shine beneath you, you almost throw the flowers to the ground. The light engulfs you just as the sun breaks over the horizon, but you stand your ground. A brilliant flash lights the balcony. A sudden shift in weight throws you off-balance, and you catch yourself on the railing. You take a step back and look down, only to stumble and trip. You fall gracelessly to the ground, where several things become apparent.

---

June was promoted to Dark Bride!
HP: -2 (9)
Str: -1 (11)
Mag: +2 (5)
Skill: +3 (11)
Spd: +2 (13)
Def: -2 (10)
Res: +2 (10)
Luck: +0 (9)

---

First, you notice you can see your legs; your armor is gone. Next, you see why you tripped. Your boots have been replaced with some fancy shoes with points on the end, and a bundle of lace is wrapped around them. Finally, you find your fall was cushioned by a large bundle of black lace. After you take in all these sudden changes, you start struggling to your feet. It takes longer than it should.

You manage to stagger into the throne room, stopping in front of a well-polished shield. After everything you've been through, it takes quite a lot to catch you by surprise. Your reflection makes you gasp. Your black-and-white armor is gone. In its place, a black dress, cut short in the front and long in the back, a trail dragging along the ground. Half of the front is covered swirls of white beaded lace forming rose decorations. The dress is held up by a pair of thick straps, accentuating your chest. When you notice, you bring your arm up, finding a black choker adorned with a dragon cameo around your neck. A pair of long, black gloves with thin white lines in swirling patterns cover your arms. A veil extends from a black circlet in your hair; you turn to examine your hair, and find a deep V cut into the back of the dress.

After the initial shock of your clothes metamorphosing wears off, you start to examine the dress (gown, you correct yourself). The material is some kind of silk - you don't know enough to guess anything more. You still have no idea where your armor is, but you realize the gown itself has thin metal plates sewn throughout. Even underneath the fabric, the darkened steel glistens as it catches the sun. The gloves are thicker than they appear, with a firmer leather grip. One of the gloves conceals a small pocket, perfectly sized for a knife. The gown's train hides a few small pouches for carrying supplies.

You feel a bit different, as well. When you try to put on your lance's sling, you realize it doesn't feel right. You give it a few awkward swings, but it just doesn't feel right. You check your bow next. When you loose an arrow at a suit of armor across the hall, you're pleased to see it strike home. Hesistantly, you follow up with your hatchet, leaving it embedded in the suit's helm. With a grin, you heft Armads, charging. Though you stumble in your new shoes, you still easily cleave the suit in half. Guards burst through the throne room door as the armor clatters to pieces. Claudia is on point, and she takes a moment to recognize you. When she does, she order the others to lower their spears. She turns and departs without a word. You try to chase after her, only to trip again.

You're hesitant as you enter the dining hall for breakfast. A few people people stop their meals and conversations and stare. A few noticeably avoid staring straight at you, but they steal glances when they think you aren't looking. Several people offer you compliments; Charon walks up to you, notices something over your shoulder, then turns and walks away. You turn and find Paen, back in his familiar suit of armor.

"You were supposed to hold onto that bouquet until you'd decided, not use it right away."

"I didn't realize it was magic."

Paen smirks. "Well, I'm certainly not complaining. It suits you."

You fold your arms over your chest. "I'd feel more comfortable in a suit of plate mail," you admit.

"Such is the life of a monarch," he tells you, feigning sadness. "To be paraded about in flimsy silks instead of fine steel. You get used to playing dress-up."

You kick at the ground. "How am I supposed to fight like this?"

"I'm sure you'll get used to it quickly. You take to most everything like a fish to water."

"I wish I had some time to train, but we'll need to set out immediately after eating if we want to meet Doran on time."

"You should be able to practice with staves on the way, at least," Paen tells you.

"What? But I don't know how to use staves. I don't know the first thing about magic," you protest, confused. Paen just smiles and motions for you to join him for breakfast.

---

Your army gathers in the courtyard. You'll head south, out of town, then turn west. You'll have two days to make it to Meridia; a hard ride, but doable. You're relieved to find you can still ride Marth, though you have to adjust but sitting side-saddle. Jessup joins you, hesitant to hold on to you. You're all to aware of Alyssa occasionally glancing your way. Anna gave you a few heal staves and a knife, and Jessup is going to give you a quick training session while you ride.

Bud stands next to Wendy and her manticore, the only one comfortable approaching them. Haley strokes her horse's mane. Ferris reaches up and pats her on the thigh, their eyes meeting for just a moment. Dan and Claudia sit in the back, waiting to take off. Paen sits aside a dark warhorse, turning Flamberge over in his hands. Zephyr pesters Sherry, literally hopping circles around her while pointing at his back. Rosalin and Cecil come running out of the castle well behind the rest of your troops. Charon's busy chatting up a pegasus knight, while Mary and John speak quietly to each other.

Several nobles look down from the castle balcony - the king's elite guard, aside from Claudia, remain behind to watch them. Adam's troops form lines between the castle and the main plaza, waiting to see you off. Adam himself leans against the castle wall, a grin on his face. Thrace's troops fly overhead. Thrace herself alights next to you. You recognize the young girl mounted behind her, clinging to her waist with one arm.

"June," she greets you. "Diana wanted to give you something, before you go. A thank-you gift."

The knight pulls a small shield from her waist, then offers it to you. When you reach to accept it, you steal a glance at her missing arm. She frowns for a second, then smiles. "Better than the alternative," she manages to say cheerfully. "This is Iote shield," she explains. "It won't help you, but it may bring your fliers some luck. Put it to good use, and give 'em one for me!"

"We'll end this," you reassure her.

"We're counting on you," Thrace tells you. She gives you a salute, then takes to the air.

You steer Marth to Paen, staying a few feet behind and to the side. "It's time to end this!" you announce. "Forward, march!" As you pass through the town, crowds gather along the edges of the street to see you off. A group of younger girls point at you, turning to each other and whispering. You notice Sherry staring down as you leave. You figure she's probably upset. I should probably speak with her later.

You clear the main gate, and you start to turn to the west. Ahead, rolling plains slowly turn into hills. You steel yourself for the tough fight ahead.

---

End of Chapter 20A

---

Who gets the Iote shield?
(A) Claudia
(B) Dan
(C) Wendy