Anyway, enough from my weird, freaky life. For the first time, I'M ON TIME FOR AN UPDATE! (Hooray!)
shnickers- That is a lot of questions... Luckily, I like answering them! Yes, there will be spoilers, but they will be spaced out, with the huge spoilers in the end chapters, so hopefully you'll be able to finish the game before I get up to writing them. I took a lot of information from the game, but since it doesn't really go into detail with Lugh and the rest of the orphans, I did have to make a lot of stuff, such as the FE 7 characters popping in. With Chad, it's being implied that he is the bastard son of Matthew. For full details on THAT, see the text above chapter 2.
Right, in the game, the Father of Lugh's orphanage did die. It never mentioned in the game that the Father was Lucius, but Lucius's ending in FE 7 did hint that he was. I just made the connection. Oh! And if you want a full translation of FE 6, go to and search for it. There is a script translation of the entire story, and not a translation of the supports. It's a pain in the neck, switching from text to game then back to text, but if you want the entire story, it's the way to go!
serra's evil twin- Alas, Lucius has to die because if he didn't, then Lugh and Chad would never have left the orphanage, and thus would have never joined with Roy and Co. The father of Lugh's orphanage does die in the game, but is doesn't actually say that the Father is Lucius or not. But, there are signs that he is, so that's how it goes. Thanks for the support too!
Mandy- Thanks for saying so! Hopefully, we'll be getting out of the angsty part of the story soon, but you'll have to put up with one more sad chapter.
Sara Jay- (Sobs) LUCIUS! It's not fair! He has to die for the sake of the story though... AND HECTOR IS NEXT! WHEN WILL IT END! All my fave characters are disappearing before my eyes...
IMPORTANT NOTE: DON'T SKIP!
If you didn't read my review response to shnickers, then you'll need to see this. From this chapter onwards, there will be spoilers to the game plot. It will be spaced out through the chapters, but it will be there. If you don't want to have the plot ruined for you, then I suggest that you stop reading when I get up to or past the current game chapter you're on.
Before we start, special credit goes out to Firelizard, who has posted up a translation for both the Game and the Support Conversations. Without them, this fic would not have been possible.
Disclaimer- If I owned Fire Emblem, then Lucius and Hector would not have to die! As well as countless other people! But noooooo, they cark it in the third bloody chapter. So, don't blame me for their deaths, because I don't own it.
The Saga of the Discarded
A Fire Emblem fanfic by Kiri-Ryu
Chapter Four: Toy Knights
Chad
I laid as still as I could, and waited for the army to come.
It had been three days since Father's death, and we had abandoned the run down orphanage. It was hard to think of it as so, but in the end that was what it was. Lugh had returned, saying that the Emiline Church had agreed to take the little ones in. Lugh and I were to lead them to an area just outside of Castle Araphen, where the Church would pick them up. On the way, however, we had seen something that had shocked us to the core.
The Lycia Alliance Army and the Imperial Army of Bern were in the middle of a fight. We had watched in silence, hoping that the soldiers would not notice us. I told Lugh to take the little ones away, and I would distract the soldier's attention if they decided to attack. Lugh was reluctant, but he agreed. I had snuck up to the edge of the war zone, and watched silently. What I saw did not comfort me.
The Lycia Alliance Army was loosing. Though their soldiers were easily more skilled than the Bern troops, they were hideously outnumbered. Not to mention the Bern Wyverns that circled in the air, occasionally swooping down to snatch an Alliance soldier and then drop him from 50 feet in the air. I watched as the Lycia Army was decimated, until there were only a few people left standing. One of these people was Lord Hector.
You wouldn't expect a lone man to last very long against such numbers, but he stood rooted to his spot, his gigantic axe swinging wildly. Many soldiers fell to his axe before he was finally subdued. I watched from my cover, feeling weak and powerless, as he was taken into the castle by enemy troops, still struggling against their grasp.
Hours passed, and I was still crouching behind the bushes, watching the waves of the Bern Army slowly dissipate. I watched, and waited for a soldier to notice me and then spear me through the chest, as they did Father.
'Hey,' A voice sounded behind me, and I jumped in surprise. I quickly turned to see a man standing before me. He looked little older than I was, about 16 at my guess. His flame red hair was tied back with a blue bandanna, and his deep blue eyes looked at me in confusion. He wore a blue breastplate, with an expensive-looking blue tunic underneath and a black undershirt underneath that. Hanging off his waist was a longsword, which was half hidden by his blue cloak. He looked of Lycian lineage, but there was something... Else there.
'Ah!' I jumped back, instinctively throwing my hands over my head.
'Easy, We're not going to hurt you. We're here to back up the Lycia Alliance Army.' His hands were facing me, showing that he was not going to hurt me. I slowly got up, then I looked at the small group behind him.
'You think that your group could defeat the Imperial Bern Army? Even Lord Hector wasn't able to stand up to them!' I didn't mean to insult the group, but is was ridiculous to think that such a small group could stand up to Bern's Army.
'Wait, you said that Lord Hector was defeated!' His voice took on a tone of worry.
'Defeated yes, but they didn't kill him. They took him inside the Castle.'
'So Lord Hector is still alive?' His worry subsided a little, but it was still there. 'Please, tell me your name.'
'Chad.' I said quickly.
'Do you know the inside of Castle Araphen well?' He asked me.
'I guess.' I replied nervously. I had been there a few times, but it was to steal food and money for the orphanage. I doubted that the man in front of me would be impressed with my occupation. But, why would he want to know the inside of Castle Araphen? 'Wait... Are you guys planning on going in to save Lord Hector? That's ludicrous! The bulk of Bern's forces are gone, but there's still a decent number of soldiers in the castle, you know? It would be suicide to try and charge them with your army!'
'Perhaps.' He spoke to me in an even voice, his deep blue eyes boring into my brown ones. 'But we can't afford to loose Lord Hector. And you said that their main forces are gone right? Then there is a chance that we may win.'
I was going to tell him that he was bloody mad, but I stopped and considered. Bern had killed Father, and now I had a chance to strike back at them. Plus, the members of this small army looked as if they could take care of themselves. So, based on these facts, I came to a decision. 'I see... Then I guess I'll go along too. I can show you around the castle.'
'What?' He exclaimed, surprise in his face. ' No, no, don't feel pressured! If you could just explain what the interior of the castle looks like...'
'I also want revenge against Bern.' I told him quietly, down-casting my eyes. Damned Bern. It took everything away from me. Father, the orphanage, everything! I looked into the red-haired man's eyes, hoping for him to understand. 'Let me go with you!' I pleaded.
He was silent for a while, then sighed. 'All right then. I'll allow you to join. My name is Roy, and I am the son of the Marquess of Pherae. I am also the leader of this army.'
My mind boggled for a bit. The Heir of Pherae! And I had spoken to him so disrespectfully! I pushed it out of my head, knowing that there were more important things at hand. 'Lord Roy, I can help you in other ways too. I have... Nimble fingers. If you want me to open a locked chest or door, then just let me know!' I closed my eyes, hoping that he would not find my thieving skills disgusting.
'In that case, I'll be counting on you.' I opened my eyes, to see him looking at me with some unknown emotion. Respect? Courtesy? Either way, it was not the loathing I had expected.
'My lord,' I spoke suddenly. 'I have to go and check on something first. Do you mind if I leave for a little bit?'
'As long as you return before we get inside the castle, then I have no objections.' He nodded, and I scurried off to find Lugh and the little ones.
It did not take me long. Lugh was standing by himself in the ruins of an old village. He saw me, then waved me over.
'Chad, you're okay!' He smiled.
'Lugh? What are you doing here?' I said looking at the shabby ruins. 'And where are the little ones?'
'We fled here after you went to distract the Army, then we met with the Emiline church. They're going to take care of the little ones for a while.'
'What about you?' I asked him
'What?'
'How come you're still here?'
'... The same reason as you.' His face turned deadly serious, and his aqua eyes were firm.
'Lugh, you're not thinking of...' I said slowly.
'I can use magic! You've seen me with my Fire spell book, I can help!'
'Lugh, don't force yourself. You've never liked hurting people. Do you think that you can kill?'
'But...' He looked at me with pleading eyes.
'I'm going to avenge Father. Lugh, you should go and stay with the others.' It hurt for me to say this, but I knew that it was the best way.
'... No.' His voice took a firm tone, and he looked me in the eyes. 'I'm not going to hide any more! Everyone, everyone just disappears! Rei left, then Father was killed, and I was helpless to do anything about it! I want to fight to protect the people I care for. I want to protect, and not just be protected!' He squared his jaw. I sighed, knowing that I could not change his mind.
'All right then Lugh. We'll fight this war, get revenge, then return back to the little ones.'
His eyes brightened immediately, then he nodded and started walking in the direction of Castle Araphen. With doubts about how he was going to cope with this war, I followed.
We reached Castle Araphen just in time to see Lord Roy's army in a skirmish with the remainder of the Bern army. From what I could see, the groups were breaking even. We rushed forward to see what we could do.
As we got closer, we noticed all the bloodshed. People lay on the ground with their intestines splayed near them, or with half a skull left because an axe went through it. I thought Lugh was going to throw up, but he simply squared his jaw and moved on. If we were to join this army, these were the sort of images we had to get used to.
There was a strangled cry, and we turned to see one of Bern's troops being speared by a knight in green armour. The knight then stopped his horse to that he could retrieve his spear from the man's carcass, but apparently the tip was hooked on a rib or something, because the Knight wasn't able to withdraw it. As he struggled with his weapon, I saw an axe-man slowly sneaking up on him, his axe raised. I was about to shout a warning to the green knight when I heard the murmuring of arcane words. I turned to see Lugh, his hands waving around him in an intricate pattern that I had seen many times before.
The axe fighter smiled cruelly and prepared to bury his blade into the green knight's back. As he was about to swing, a large pillar of flame engulfed him. A scream filled the air, and the stench of burning flesh wafted into my nostrils. The green knight jumped in surprise, then noticed the burned char that used to be a man. He then saw us, and began to ride towards us.
'You two, why are you here? This is a battlefield, not a playground for little children.' He spoke harshly, but truthfully.
'Hey, we're part of Lord Roy's army too.' I told him, meeting his fierce gaze. 'And if you didn't notice, Lugh here just saved your life.'
He was silent, then sighed. 'So, you're the thief that Lord Roy hired.' He spoke calmly. I winced, not used to being referred to as such. 'He's waiting for you up ahead.'
The knight then wheeled his horse around and galloped off to another fight. Lugh looked at me, shock in his eyes. I sighed, knowing that this was going to happen.
'I killed him.' He said in a small voice. 'I raised my hand, and cast the spell that killed him.'
'Lugh, you did what you had to do. If you didn't, then that knight would be lying dead on the ground now.' I tried to comfort him. He looked at me, then nodded solemnly.
'We had better go see Lord Roy.' He said, starting to walk towards the Castle again. I paused, then followed after him.
Father had always commented on my nimble fingers. I had always been good at art, and I had once hoped to get a job as an illustrator for one of the noble houses.
Now, the same dexterous fingers that I had prided for their drawing skills were now carefully manipulating a lock pick. How had I ever sunk this low? I twisted my left hand to the left, and heard a soft click. I carefully twisted the handle, and the door swung open. A hand grasped my shoulder, and I looked up to see Lord Roy. He nodded his approval, then moved forward into the room, sword drawn. I moved out of the way, and let the rest of the Army move through. I heard sounds of fighting from the other side, knowing that we had reached the last resistance forces in the castle. I waited a few seconds, until I heard the sounds of footsteps stopping beside me.
'Aren't you going in?' Lugh asked.
'No,' I shook my head. 'I'm not that much of a fighter, and I've seen enough bloodshed for one day.' I paused, remembering briefly the man that I had killed by plunging my dagger into his back. He had frothed red foam before collapsing. I shook my head, trying to dislodge those terrible memories. This was a war, people died.
A scream erupted from the room, one that sounded of death. I guessed that Lord Roy's sword had been thrust through his opponent's stomach. Blood and gore would pump fourth from the wound until no life clinged to the man's body.
I walked away from the door, moving towards the courtyard. Lugh followed me, uncharacteristically silent. We moved out of the slaughter only to see the mounds of dead bodies. A few people that had stayed behind to protect the merchant that was with us were now building large pyres to burn them. Silently, Lugh and I went to help.
Lugh cast a fire spell, and the pyre lit up into a blaze of flame. We all stood silently, the light from the flames dancing on our faces, and we mourned the dead.
Eventually, when the pyre had burned low and the sun was near setting, Lord Roy and a few others emerged from the castle. The body that was in their hands was unmistakable. Another pyre was built, and Lugh once again set it aflame. Out of all the things that Lugh expected to do in his life, lighting the funeral pyre for Lord Hector was probably very low on his list.
The night was silent, the day's massacre settling on people's minds. I wondered if this is what it was going to be like, long silences as we reflected on the day's killing.
The silence was finally broken by Lord Roy. He stood up, cleared his throat, and addressed us.
'We are to head towards Ostia.' He told us simply. 'Bern has resurrected dragons, and there are weapons in Ostia that are able to defeat them, or so Lord Hector told me...' He paused, took a deep breath, then continued. 'This is the last night of mourning. Tomorrow, we move. It is likely that we will face more opponents, but we cannot spend every night mourning the dead. We must get to Ostia as soon as possible, and we cannot waste time mourning those dead. This may seem harsh, but it is necessary.'
'Ostia...' Lugh said softly, looking deep into the fires. 'I always wanted to go to Ostia, and Pherae too. Chad, remember when Lord Raymond came back from his travels in Ostia, and he brought those little toy knights?' He smiled at the memory. 'We used to spend hours playing with them in the garden. Rei lost his, and spent the rest of the day sulking in his room. Eventually, Father had to go outside and look for it. He found it lodged in the branches of the tree outside.'
I looked at him, wondering why he was suddenly recalling this bright memory in what was surely a dark and sad time.
'Chad, we can't focus on the bad things that happen. If we do, then they'll just tear us apart. So, whenever something bad happens, just focus on those toy knights, okay?' He looked at me with those big eyes of his.
It sounded so stupid, remembering those silly little painted knights during such sad times. But it helped. I could remember mine, which was painted green with gold edges. I had spent hours playing with it, and the warm memories flooded through me, pushing away the darkness that had threatened to engulf me a few minutes ago.
'Yeah,' I told Lugh. 'I'll remember them.'
That was soooo corny, but it does seem like something Lugh would say. What do you guys think? Let me know.
Go Roy!
Chapter 5: Traitors and Healers (Lugh's POV)
R&R Please!