Chapter 4) Champions of Aurelis

Kris POV

Aurelis. We're in Aurelis. It feels almost a little unreal. I'd only ever seen in on a map or heard it through rumors. You can see lingering piles of armor and bones in the distance, the only signs of the battles fought here for the past two years.

I feel almost a little shaky, looking at everything. I feel way, way out of my depth.

"What was it that Ogma said while we were heading out?" Caeda asked, glancing over her shoulder. I had to duck down as her hair whipped about and nearly took out my eyes, again. "Oops."

"We need to braid your hair or something," I grumbled. I didn't really see the point in fighters having long hair, especially when worn loose. Hair was an excellent handhold and Caeda didn't have a good death-glare-of-doom like Navarre to keep people from grabbing at it. "It's a lethal weapon in its own right."

"Oh, it's not that bad, is it?" She squeaked as I glowered. "Okay, okay! I'll braid it next time!"

"Yay." I sighed, and ducked under her hair again. "Anyway, Ogma just asked that I take care of you. He was fretting."

"He worries too much."

"Well, he is your guard."

"I told him to protect Marth, though."

"That's your order. Protecting you is his choice." I guessed, at least. I swore Ogma was as loyal to Caeda as the Altean Knights were to Marth. "We're getting close, aren't we?"

"Yep~!" She laughed a bit before giving me a concerned look. "Are you recovered from the battle?"

"Yeah, mostly." I glanced at my arms, though, and winced a bit as I remembered the scars on them. I'd really overdone it with that spell, and Lena had given me clear orders to never do anything like that again. If I did, there was a not-so-insignificant chance that I could kill myself. "Nothing to worry about now, at least."

"If you say-WHOA!" She yelped, and I clung to her for dear life as her pegasus, for the first time I'd ever seen, started balking and flailing. "Easy, girl, easy!" She cooed at it, and I tried to just hang on and not fall off considering how freaking high we were! "That's very strange…" She looked off into the distance, frowning. "Something spooked her."

"Can she have waited to be spooked when we're not in the air?" I glanced down and instantly regretted it when I realized just how high we really were. "Maybe we should land. I'm not so sure I want to ride a pegasus that just tried to kill us."

"I'd normally just defend her, but I can't see what spooked her, so I think I'd rather land too. She likely caught something on the wind." Caeda twisted to smile on me. "So, let's find a clearing in the trees and-"

Something whizzed past, and it took me two blinks to realize they were arrows. It took another two blinks to realize that the one that whizzed past us wasn't the only one. It only took one more blink for me to comprehend that a couple of the arrows had pierced the pegasus's wing and we were falling.

Neither Caeda nor I screamed. I was too much in shock and Caeda… well, she was more focused on untying herself from the saddle. Then we hit the trees, and I hit every branch on the way down, breaking quite a few of them before crashing into some shrubs. Pain flooded me, and I groaned as I slowly picked myself up, wincing as scratches and bruises made themselves known.

"Are you okay?" Caeda called. Her voice was thin from pain, but I couldn't really see her since she was still stuck in some shrubbery, and I was trying to decide if I wanted to sit up or just faceplant in the dirt. "Ugh… I messed up…"

"I think I'm fine," I replied. With another groan, I decided to sit up, and discovered that, miracle of miracles, I had broken no bones. "My bruises broke my fall. Why are my bones not broken?"

"Momentum bled off when we hit the branches." Caeda carefully extracted herself from the shrubbery and immediately went to coo over her pegasus, who had managed to land, land, in the path. Though, to be fair, it had arrows and holes in its wings, and that had to hurt. "My poor sweet darling…"

"Any idea who shot us?" I made to stand up, only to hear the snapping of branches. "Never mind, I think we're about to find out." I reached for my tome, and for one of my 'gifts', just in case as some soldiers in Aurelisi armor stepped out of the trees, each with arrows aimed right at us. "Oh, hell, already?"

"...Uh oh." Caeda looked confused, frightened, and a bit sheepish as she scooted over to me, leading her pegasus with her. "You know… in retrospect, maybe flying on a pegasus, which are native to Talys and Macedon, wasn't the best of ideas…"

"...Now that you mention it, yeah, that was pure stupidity on everyone's part." I almost groaned, but instead, I pushed myself up, body protesting every movement, and faced the archers. "She's from Talys, if you can't tell by the strange armor. I'm from Altea."

"Are you now?" one asked cooly. Their eyes narrowed. "And what, exactly, would bring either of you here?"

"We bear a message from Prince Marth for Princess Nyna and Duke Hardin," I replied, almost tripping over the titles. I wasn't used to them, especially for my silly prince. "You can at least tell we're not Macedonians, right? Neither of us are dressed like them."

"No, but you could be mercenaries."

"They could, but no mercenary would wear Talysi armor," another pointed out. They were looking right at Caeda, and the spear hooked on her saddle still. "And that spear is a Wing Spear, a specialty of the Isles. They don't sell those anywhere, especially now." They looked to their leader. "Watched, but let's give them the benefit of the doubt, given our own information."

The group debated a bit more, while Caeda and I squirmed, in pain, but afraid to say anything. But, finally, their weapons fell to their sides, and the first one spoke, "come with us, then. But one step out of line, and you will become our new quivers."

Well, that was a delightfully morbid mental image. This was lame.

When we were escorted inside, there was a lot more discussion between the soldiers about what to do with us, though they had the kindness to let healers tend to us a bit while they talked. From what I gathered through copious eavesdropping, they'd already known Marth was here, surprisingly enough, and this Hardin guy had gone to meet him. So, only Nyna was here, with some guards and her special bodyguard, to receive us. There was more deliberation that left my ass numb from all the sitting we had to do, but eventually, this Nyna decided to meet with us directly, and we were escorted over to where she was. Surprisingly, though, we didn't meet her in a throne room or anything. Instead, she was waiting for us in pretty luxurious room off down a side wing, with curtains and rugs and everything.

"So, you are messengers from Prince Marth?" Nyna herself was a gorgeous, and stoic, woman, with the poise of a statue, the coloring of one thanks to her pale hair, and the warmth of one until she broke enough to smile slightly. "Well met," she whispered. She sat in a simple wooden chair by the bed, but she held herself like she was sitting in a throne. "You likely already know this, but I am Princess Nyna. I'm grateful Prince Marth would come to our aid."

"He had been greatly worried," Caeda murmured. She curtseyed, but remained standing, despite there being another chair on the other side of the bed. I slumped against the wall nearby, since I had no idea about this formal shit, and because I still felt stiff from the bruisings. "I am Princess Caeda of Talys, Princess Nyna. I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

"Ah, I've heard of you. I remember wishing I could travel and meet you." Nyna's smile grew a little more. This time, it reached her eyes, turning them from chips of ice to a simple blue. "I am very grateful for the chance, despite our circumstances."

"You honor me, Princess Nyna." Caeda smiled softly, and absently moved her spear to her other hand. I had no idea why they let us keep our weapons, but they did, for all their warnings of us being watched. "I'm certain to blush from the praise!"

"Nyna, you can relax a bit." Those soft, almost whispery, words came from the tiny girl sitting in the expansive bed with lots of blankets and pillows. She looked almost as much as a princess classic as Nyna did, what with the golden curls and light blue eyes and frail features, but the way she held herself was very different. It reminded me of Navarre, actually, or Ogma, despite her looking like she was covered in bandages. "She matches the descriptions I know of Princess Caeda," she continued, smiling slightly. Unlike with Nyna, it didn't soften her features at all. However, there was something strangely gentle when she turned to Nyna. "And given where Prince Marth started his mainland journey, and how long he remained hidden despite Medy's best efforts, Talys makes perfect sense."

"I'm glad to hear that," Nyna whispered. She visibly relaxed a little more. "I do like her smile." This time, Nyna's own smile was substantially warmer, and I realized she'd been waiting for the other girl's judgement on us. "Ah, but where are my manners? Princess Caeda, this is Diana, my bodyguard. She was heavily injured protecting Duke Hardin and me in the last battle, which is why I asked for you to come here."

"A pleasure to meet you, Dame Diana," Caeda replied easily. Her smile was warmer now too, likely because Nyna wasn't being as formal. "The scowly one over here is Kris, one of Marth's best friend. She came along as my backup, in case we got ambushed."

"From the sound of it, our own forces did prove that necessary." Nyna reached down and pulled out a healing staff from under the bed. "Do you need healing?"

"None necessary thanks to your healers, but thank you. We just have a few bruises now." Caeda gave the staff a curious look. "Is that one functional, though?"

"...I grabbed the wrong one, it seems." Now Nyna's smile became a little sheepish, and Caeda laughed outright. "My apologies. I was healing Diana when you arrived."

"You mean she's that injured after healing?" I asked, startled. I really couldn't help it. "Wow, what got you?"

"An army and my own stupidity," Diana instantly retorted. She focused on me, eyes somewhere between 'studying' and 'calculating'. "Of course, I had gone into that battle intending to die. We were out of options."

"That easy to throw your life away?"

"No, I am no death seeker. It was a decision I did not come to lightly. But, given the circumstances, it was the only way out I saw." She shrugged, and winced. "I need to remember I can't do that."

"How are you even sitting up?"

"The pillows aren't for luxury. I'm more 'propped' than 'sitting'." She sighed. "Fine showing, huh? I'd hoped to be a little more healed when you lot came, so that I didn't look quite as pathetic."

"You are by no means pathetic, Diana," Nyna instantly retorted. She frowned a little. "You have been my perfect guard for two years despite the trying circumstances, and today is no different in that."

"If you say so, Nyna," Diana replied. As she did, though, I noticed a slight bit of movement. She caught me looking, and smiled slightly before showing me the hilt of a dagger, mostly hidden by the blanket. That was when I decided to do a quick scan around the room, picking out little details. I hadn't had to do it in a while, since I used to use the skill only for finding valuable shinies quickly, so I was a bit rusty, but I still knew enough.

Given the general placement of the bed, chairs, tables, and ourselves, I realized that Caeda and I were in a position where if we had wanted to attack, we'd trip over something quickly unless we attacked from range. From my lessons, and own experience, I knew a range attack would take preparation, allowing Diana to throw the dagger. Maybe she wouldn't have hit either of us, but that would've been enough to buy time for her to get one of the three swords set up oh-so-innocently within easy reach. The nearby window was open, and with the table set up, she could use it as a pivot to throw us out with minimal strain, especially since Nyna proved that there were healing staves here.

I briefly glanced out the door, and saw that there were soldiers stationed nearby, alert with their weapons drawn, and realized that they'd be here in seconds if something happened. Unless Caeda and I were exceptionally fast, we'd likely be dead before Nyna if we attacked. Clearly, these people didn't play when it came to protecting her. I wasn't sure if I was impressed or unnerved, but it did explain why they let us keep our weapons.

While I gathered all this information, Caeda and Nyna continued chatting, and I noticed Diana watching me closely. She smiled slightly, but like before, there was nothing soft about this smile. If anything, the smile was a threat, like a predator baring teeth in warning. It unnerved me, and I wasn't sure if she meant it or not. She was definitely the sort of person I would've given a wide berth if I saw her in the street.

I simply nodded back, not quite sure what else to do, and moved to the window to have an excuse to break eye contact. There wasn't much I could do, especially right now. It was obvious Diana didn't trust us, and I couldn't call her out for it, since it was sorta her job. When I glanced back, though, I saw she wasn't looking at me anymore, but was listening closely to whatever Nyna and Caeda were talking about. I sighed, and looked out, deciding to not pay attention. Instead, I looked at the expansive sky with the sun shining overhead. Then I frowned, because I noticed something strange. There were… dots in the sky. I was certain of it, even if my eyes teared up from looking to confirm. I had no idea why there were 'dots', but there were.

"Hey, girls..." I began slowly. I turned to the other three, and saw that they had stopped their conversation instantly. "So, either I took a harder hit to the head than I thought, or there's these weird 'dots' in the sky?"

"Do they come from the north and east?" Diana asked. She sounded resigned, and Nyna actually closed her eyes. "I'm assuming so, since I think that's the direction that window faces, but I was drugged up on pain herbs when I was told about the room."

"Yeah, I think?" I looked to Caeda. "You're better with directions."

"I think so, yes," Caeda answered. She looked a little thoughtful. "That's the direction my pegasus looked in when she spooked and nearly threw us off."

"A pegasus was frightened?" Diana whispered, looking a little alarmed. Her expression became grave when Caeda nodded. "That confirms it, then. Pegasi are naturally wary of wyverns, and if yours spooked while you were riding, then there's a lot of them." She sighed heavily. "Well, this is going to be lovely."

"D-did we bring them?"

"Well, while I doubt your presence there helped, if they mobilized a large force, it means they were watching, likely waiting for Duke Hardin to be sighted out in the field." She grimaced and slowly, stiffly, began pulling herself out of the bed. "Okay, we need to move."

"Diana, you can't move!" Nyna instantly yelped. All signs of formality and stoic poise disappeared as she rested her hands on Diana's shoulders. "Your injuries…"

"Are not enough to stop me," Diana instantly retorted. She pushed past Nyna to stand, and she almost stumbled as she snagged one of the swords, a brilliant silver one. "We need to move."

"But…"

"I mean it, Nyna." The fierceness in her eyes made it clear that she was going to die trying to walk if that's what it took, and it really might. It clearly took a lot out of her just to move even that much, and already, blood seeped through her bandages and clothes in random little spots.

"I don't know if you're stubborn or just stupid," I muttered. I thought it was more stupid personally, but I also couldn't help but remember Frey, and it was hard to call him 'stupid'.

"Is there a difference between those words in Altea and Talys?" she asked lightly. The tone belied the pain she had to be in, considering how stained her bandages already were. "I'm not completely stupid, though. There's a more defensible room not far away. We're moving there, and then I'm counting on you two to guard it."

"Can you run?"

"Of course I can't." Her smile was wry. "But we're out of options."

"...Then I'm going to even our odds a little." I reached into my pocket for one of my 'gifts' and stepped out into the hallway, noticing that things were already hectic. I wondered if our watchdogs had heard the warning, and sounded the alarm. "Caeda, be guilty later and help, because I'm not sure Diana can walk and fight."

I didn't wait for a reply, just threw one of my 'gifts' and fired a thunder spell to ignite it and fill the hall with smoke. While I did that, Nyna helped Diana hobble out of the room with Caeda close behind, so I fell in with her as we made our way down the hall. When we hit another intersection, I set up another smokescreen to disguise our path, and that was when the sounds of battle started echoing down the halls.

However, just as Diana said, the room she wanted us in was relatively close, and I could see why she wanted us in there as soon as we entered. It was a storage room, with bunches of things to use as shields, no windows or other doors, and even some food and water if we got stuck. I mean; it would still suck because there was no convenient bathroom attached, but the rest of it was… nice. I no longer thought she was completely stupid with loyalty.

"Okay, I don't know your Prince Marth, but knowing Duke Hardin and the messenger systems with the soldiers, I'm almost certain he's on his way back," Diana murmured. She sat on a barrel and it was clear she was having trouble breathing, even if she waved away Nyna's concern. "I'm fine, Nyna. I've still got blood to lose."

"I would prefer if you did not get so close to death again, Diana," Nyna instantly deadpanned, and it startled me. I wouldn't have thought she even had a sense of humor, much less sarcasm. "Please, stay still."

"In a moment. We need to put up a barricade to buy us extra time."

"You know; Caeda and I have perfectly working arms that aren't bleeding yet," I pointed out dryly. I even lifted my arms for emphasis. "We can handle it."

"Do you know how to make a barricade?" Diana asked. While her tone was a bit patronizing, her eyes didn't seem to be. It could've been her natural voice, or how her voice ended up when in pain, and while that was grating, I could at least deal with it. "A proper one?"

"...Well, now that you're asking, I'm assuming it's not exactly 'throw things at door'."

"You can, but it's rare you can maximize the efficiency with that."

"In that case, just direct us," Caeda suggested. She smiled winningly. "I'm sure it's a skill Kris and I should learn anyway."

Diana hesitated, but after a pleading look from Nyna, who was far more expressive now for some reason, she relented and instructed Caeda and I in moving everything as best as we could to maximize a barricade. I had a feeling that even with that, we 'messed up', or at least, didn't do a good enough job to satisfy her, but she said nothing. It made me think that she just didn't trust anyone but herself to do a 'good enough' job, and that made me feel more than a little sour. Still, we got the barrells and the like all organized and stepped back, content to buying us at least a few more seconds if, and when, they came for us.

When we did, I turned to Diana, and noticed Nyna was changing some of the bandages using the spares on hand here. The wounds hiding underneath were jagged, and oozing dark blood. "You said an army got you?" I asked, not even bothering to hide I was staring when both looked up at me. "How did you live again?

"A bunch of stupid luck," Diana answered. Her voice was thin from the pain, and she held herself rigid as Nyna wiped some sort of herbal concoction on the wounds. "Mercenaries that weren't used to working as a group, some first aid, some healers, a lot of healing staves…" She gave Nyna a little look then, but Nyna expertly ignored it. "That's it. I've always been on the luckier side, but even I'm surprised."

"Wish I had that luck when all this started." I sighed, though, and shook my head. I was here, and I was going to stick with Marth until the end. "Oh, right, speaking of luck, how would Duke Hardin know about the attack already? You mentioned that."

"They've been fighting Medy and Macedonia for two years, and have been safeguarding Nyna and me for six months. They've developed very fast ways of communicating, typically through firewatch tower mirrors or smoke signals." She paused a bit before actually turning to look at me. "Right, I almost forgot to ask about that smokescreen you created."

"It's one my little 'gifts'." I pulled another out of my pocket to show her the vial. "It reminded me of the explosives Hannah used. Though, she used these vials that were like two in one, so that she just had to throw them."

"Hannah?"

"One of the Wolf Pack." She smiled, and this time, it was horribly bitter. "She died during the Fall of Archanea. I think."

"You think?"

"I tripped over her body at some point during the fighting, but I wasn't in a situation where I could check her vitals. She never appeared after that, though, so if she lived, she escaped and is gone." She said the words easily, as if they meant nothing, and I found myself a bit unnerved.

Nyna, however, looked sad, so I made a guess that she just… ran away from the pain, like I had done when Grandfather died. "Well, if I find those vials, I'll see about making up some." Her eyes narrowed, and she sighed. "Do they have magic? I thought I heard a fireball."

"How would you know…?" I trailed off as I realized she was right, sorta. There was magic, at least. "I think it's more of a thunder spell, actually."

"A fire spell would make more sense, but maybe these are also mercenaries. Medy and Garf clearly hire for sadism, not smarts."

"Two things." I winced as I heard two or three spells slam into the door, and our barricade rattled. "One, how would you know that?"

"Smart mercenaries wouldn't hire on. There's not exactly good job security with them."

"Okay." The barricade rattled again. This time, it sounded like an axe thudded into it. "Two, what is with the nicknames?"

"I see no point in calling an overgrown lizard and a temperamental child with fetishes for death, destruction, and doom by their names." She picked up her sword as a loud crack hinted the door had splintered, leaving only the barricade. "Nyna, tuck behind me."

"Let Caeda and I take point." I brought up my tome and Caeda shifted so that she really was 'at point'.

"I don't have a choice in the matter." That time, her voice was a growl, and I bristled at it. It wasn't my fault she was lame right now. "Smoke."

"Yeah, now we have some fire." I brought up my hand, and prepped a spell. "Caeda…" I looked to her as the barricade shook and startled falling apart, and smiled when she nodded, knowing what I was going to say. "Okay…"

A spark of magic and the barricade burst apart thanks to a thunder spell. As the pieces fell, a Macedonian soldier wielding a thunder tome looked triumphant, looming in the doorway with their fellows clustered behind. But then, not even a heartbeat later, there was another pulse of magic, and suddenly the wind itself whipped into a frenzy, sharpening into blades that ripped through the soldier, and their comrades, as if they were nothing but paper.

I could only stare, startled. I'd never seen, or heard, of a spell that could control the wind.

"That… must've been one of the Divine Spells," Nyna whispered. Her eyes were wide, but she mostly looked intrigued. "Excalibur, the Divine Blade of Wind. It's supposed to be a treasure of Khadein, on par with Aura."

"Why would that be here?" Caeda asked. She looked at me, a little confused. "You're the only mage we have, and clearly, the Aurelsi didn't have this spell."

"No, but knowing our silly prince, we might've picked up one," I pointed out dryly. I was quickly proven right when I heard Marth's voice echo down the hall. "Wow, that was some timing." I moved past Caeda and the broken barricade bits and poked my head into the hallway. I smiled when I noticed Marth and waved to catch his attention. "You're late, pretty boy."

"It took a bit to figure out which way you went at the last intersection," Marth laughed, walking up. Two people were behind him, a nobleman in white, and a boy in blue robes. "I followed the smoke, though."

"You should've just listened to things breaking." I shrugged and gestured. "Come on. We're in here. Who are those two?"

"Duke Hardin and Merric, a dear friend of mine." Marth stepped into the room, and gave Caeda a warm, relieved smile that made her smile and blush prettily. "Good, both of you are safe." He turned his attention to Nyna and Diana, though. Diana remained seated, with her sword in her lap, while Nyna stood, statue poise in place again. "Princess Nyna." Marth bowed to her. "My apologies for keeping you waiting. But I and mine are here to give you and Duke Hardin reinforcements."

"I am gladdened to see you in good health, Prince Marth," Nyna replied. She smiled slightly, but her demeanor was back to that icy formality. "In my opinion, you are just in time. If we can save formalities for after the battle, however?"

"Yes, certainly." Marth agreed. He straightened and glanced to Duke Hardin, who nodded. "All right, we'll continue with that plan, then." He turned to me. "Kris, with me for now. I've a job for you and Merric."

The job, it turned out, was sniping the fliers. Merric and I were on the ramparts with archers as our support, while the rest of the army dealt with the ground forces. Marth had way too much faith in people.

"So, my Excalibur spell is supposed to be very effective against fliers, just like arrows," Merric whispered. He gave me a sheepish look. "Since there seem to be some pegasi among the attackers, shall I focus on those while you focus on the wyverns?"

"What, you're not going to be super dramatic again?" I asked, a little sulkily. I had to admit that I was… jealous. I was jealous that he had a spell like this, and could cast it on such a wide scale without having to worry about dying instantly. ...I also felt a little… threatened. I had trained with my magic to keep up with Marth, and I felt a little shaken that there was another mage, with a much more powerful spell, who did the same. From what I'd gathered, he'd even escaped Khadein just to meet with Marth here!

"Well, I could try, but I think it might knock me out this time." He laughed like it was no big deal, and another surge of jealousy washed through me. "They're coming."

"Yeah." I brought up my tome and called thunder around my fingers as I picked out a line of wyverns to target. "Let's go."

I threw the first strike, catching seven in one go. The wyverns screeched as the magic ripped through them, scorching wings and sending them and their riders crashing to the ground with sickening splats. To my surprise, a few wyverns were spooked by the magic and actually threw their riders, with one or two actually 'splatting' against the wall below us. I… guessed that wyverns were just genuinely afraid of magic, like how pegasi were wary of wyverns.

The wyverns flew high as Merric loosed his Excalibur spell, likely expecting to be the targets, and that left the pegasus riders sitting targets when the spell came for them instead. He killed seven easily, and the wyverns really spooked that time, twisting and fighting their riders, and made them easy targets for the archers by us.

The soldiers around us cheered. Merric put a hand to his mouth, though, and he was looking about as green as his hair, if not greener. "Ugh…" he groaned, closing his eyes as another wyvern shook its rider off and they fell right on the edge of the ramparts in front of us. My own stomach turned when I heard their spine snap and they started screaming and sobbing from the pain. Their arms flailed about, but their legs remained eerily still. "I…"

I debated pushing them off. I debated firing a thunder spell. I even debated just covering their mouth to suffocate them. Anything to stop their pain and to stop the screaming. But instead, I grabbed them under their shoulders, flinched as their flailing hit me in the face, and pulled them off the ramparts, onto our side. "Get them to Lena and the healers!" I snapped to the nearby soldiers. They stared at me with wide eyes, and no few of them looked ready to murder me. "Why are you standing there?" Anger, however, flooded me as they continued to remain still. "By all of the damn gods, they're a soldier just like you!"

They still hesitated, but as the Macedonian soldier in my arms started just sobbing, voice raw and cracking from all the screaming, one finally stepped over and took the soldier from me. They weren't… particularly gentle about it, but they made a point to keep their weapons away as they carried the soldier. I watched them leave before returning my attention to the battle and shooting off a thunder spell to score a direct hit on a wyvern rider and sending the charred bodies crashing to the ground. I wasn't sure why I chose to save that one. Maybe it was just because they were in front of me. It was easy to be distant when they weren't in front of me, dying.

"Well, that was certainly a thing," Merric whispered. His tone was light, but he looked even greener. "Quite a thing indeed."

"I suppose," I replied. I glanced at him. "You all right?"

"Well, I didn't exactly learn magic with the intention of killing people." He narrowed his eyes, though, and threw another spell to slice off another pegasus's wings. The rider fell with an ear-piercing scream. "But this is war, and we must do what we can. If we can end this even a second sooner…"

"...That was supposed to be a simple 'yes' or 'no' question, not a philosophical one."

"Ah, sorry, I'm used to Khadein. We're always philosophizing."

"I'm not one of your classmates." I had to fight off the urge to growl, and I knew anger bled into my voice. "If you need to go be sick, go ahead, but don't stand here and be a target."

"Oh, no, I made sure not to eat so that I didn't have anything to throw up."

"There's this thing called 'bile' that you can still puke, and it's kinda smelly and painful, at least in my experience." I shook my head, and went back to concentrating on the fliers. But their numbers were thinning, thanks to our magic and the archers. So, after firing a few more spells, I looked down, curious about the battle below.

There, in the courtyard, Hardin and Jagan coordinated the cavalry to handle any reinforcements that tried to enter through the destroyed gates. Cain and Abel had point, with two mounted archers that I didn't recognize covering them from behind. Marth had command of the battle within the walls of the castle, ordering separate groups to push the enemy into easily controllable groups to be taken down systematically.

A flash caught my attention, and I looked down to see Ogma and Navarre were tag-teaming against a particularly armored person. The fanciness of that armored made me think they were the enemy leader for this operation.

Two thudding heartbeats later, Ogma blocked the enemy's spear and Navarre used Ogma's back as a platform to flip up and bring his sword on the enemy's head, splitting the skull in two. The whole battlefield froze, as if the enemy couldn't even begin to believe that we had taken their commander down. But Marth took advantage of that silence and brought his sword up in the air to catch the light and bring everyone's attention to him.

"Soldiers of Macedon, your commander has fallen!" he declared loudly. The wind kicked up them, making his cape billow dramatically around him. "Surrender and you may keep your lives!"

Absolute silence fell as his words echoed. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as the Macedonians stared at him, not certain if he was serious. But, slowly, they realized he was and, after a moment of hesitation, they laid down their weapons and knelt in silent surrender.

I suppose dramatics had some uses after all.

"And that essentially summarizes our current condition," Hardin finished summarizing. He, this guy named Wolf, Marth, Nyna, Diana, and me were all clustered in this small office in the castle while the rest of the army tended to the injured, made sure the dead were actually dead, and cleaned things up. "Truly, your arrival could not have been better timed."

"In my opinion, I could've come sooner," Marth murmured. He bowed to Nyna and Hardin. "Again, I am sorry it took me so long."

"Enough with the apologies, Prince Marth." Hardin smiled slightly. "Your exploits have reached us fast, and even the rumors were enough to bolster our morale. I feel we have gained a thousand soldiers today, and your army proved themselves quite worthy of the rumors."

"I'm honored to hear that from you." Marth straightened to smile back. "My father always spoke very highly of you and your strength, Duke Hardin."

"He was a good man. I'm sorry he left this world so soon, and left you quite the legacy."

"Well, I simply have to do what I can." Marth turned to Nyna, who was one of only two people sitting at this little meeting. Diana was the other one, sitting on the arm of Nyna's chair, with fresh bandages. "Princess Nyna…"

"Why don't we skip the formalities entirely?" Princess Nyna suggested. She was in this warm-but-not-warm poise. I might've believed it perfectly friendly if I hadn't seen how she'd fussed over Diana earlier. "It seems silly, especially since you and Duke Hardin are clearly the best of friends, Prince Marth."

"W-well…" Marth mumbled, coughing a bit in embarrassment. Hardin simply laughed, perfectly relaxed. "It's hard to not be friends when you've fought alongside each other."

"I shall yield to a warrior's knowledge on that." Still, she glanced at Diana, who grinned at whatever Nyna silently said. "But, if I may, what will be the plan of attack for now? According to the scouts, the Macedonians pulled back quite a bit."

"So much so that they've actually left the main palace under skeletal guard," Hardin confirmed. He looked to Wolf, who nodded. "I have it under authority that there are many hostages there, including my brother. If rumors are true, then there are hostages from all over hiding there." For some reason, Diana's interest looked piqued at that, but she said nothing and no one commented on it. "If we can reclaim it, then we have two decisive victories against the Macedonians."

"The trick will be getting in without risking the hostages," Marth sighed. He looked a little forlorn, but then his eyes lit up as he looked to me. "Oh, Kris, can you sneak in?"

"I'd need a map," I replied. I crossed my arms and shrugged, leaning back against the wall. "If I had one, then Julian and I could sneak in."

"That might be good, if Duke Hardin doesn't mind." He turned to Hardin with a smile. "Kris and Julian are former thieves."

"Well, there are few better when it comes to sneaking in," Hardin murmured. He looked conflicted for a split second before nodding. "I will see if there is a map you can borrow, and try to remember any that I personally know of."

"So, will we pushing forward in the morning?" Princess Nyna asked. Her demeanor and eyes were perfectly calm. "Or the day after?"

"Probably the day after, and we'll spend all day tomorrow planning. It will be a difficult operation, but I do believe we can pull it off." He bowed to her. "Have faith, Princess Nyna."

"I always do, Duke Hardin." She looked down briefly before looking to Diana again. When Diana nodded, some stubborn resolve came into Nyna's eyes. "Very well. Then, this time, I shall like to assist directly in the infirmary."

"You… what?" Hardin, Wolf, and Marth all looked startled. I wasn't, but I'd seen her healing before. "Your highness, you are a skilled healer, but the infirmary during a battle…"

"Your soldiers do not fight in only your names, Duke Hardin, Prince Marth. They fight in mine as well." She drew herself up, as regal as if she were on a throne. "With more soldiers come more injuries. It is time that I show the soldiers I am grateful with more than just my smiles and my words. I will not simply wait."

"But…"

"She's been thinking about this for the past month, Duke Hardin," Diana added. She locked eyes with him and smiled slightly. "We had the debate, and I lost. You won't win either. And if you're worried about protection, the infirmary would need a guard anyway." She nodded to her bandages. "I can't run around with these injuries, but thanks to Sister Lena, I am at a point where I can fight, especially with other healers nearby. If Nyna's there, then you won't have to spare a much-needed soldier for the job. I can take it."

"You've thought this out," Marth murmured. He smiled and laughed a bit, looking to Hardin. "Well, I've learned that there are few things more stubborn than a woman certain she is in the right. Caeda was supposed to stay home in Talys, but nope."

"Of course she came along," I instantly retorted. "You're here, and what else would she sigh over." Laughter rippled through the room as Marth yelped. "But yeah, we'll need more healers." I thought of the soldier I saved, and wondered how they were. "So…"

"Let's debate more in the morning? It's late." There was a bit more talking, mostly for politeness, but soon, we were all dispersing to deal with whatever we needed to and to spread the word.

We were retaking Aurelis Castle in two days. The counterattack began now.

Records on Gordin:

18 year old Archer, the youngest of the Altean Knights

Fiercely patriotic, even more so than most of the knights, and a dislike of bandits

Despite his skill, his crippling self-confidence dampens his potential

Apparently has a little brother, though he does not talk much about him, mostly because he has no idea what happened to his family, and doesn't want the fear to overwhelm him

Records on Draug:

22 year old armored Knight of Altea, whose strength was the stuff of gossip back in Altea

Humble and honorable, he is protective over the younger members of the group, particularly Gordin, his childhood friend, and Norne, our only 'willing' volunteer

Specializes in lancework, though he uses a different style than the other knights due to being primarily an on-foot fighter

Surprisingly fast when you take into account the heavy armor. He trains wearing heavier stuff, after all.

Records on Norne:

17 year old Archer, who willingly volunteered to leave with us when we fled Altea for reasons still unknown

She has a remarkably cheerful personality, especially considering everything, even taking her lack of direction in perfect stride.

Not a very strong archer, but very fast and skilled to make up for it

She's very close to Gordin and Draug, likely due to all the practice.

Author's notes: And now, the POVs have joined up! The ambush on the castle is based off the manga, as is Marth ordering the surrender after the commander falls and pegasi being afraid of wyverns. In FE1, Excalibur was tied solely to Merric, though in FE11, this was changed to any (male) magic user with a B rank in tomes (with Merric being able to use it at rank E), thanks to the reclassing feature. It is the only wind spell in Fe1/11, though Fe12 introduced another wind spell (which we will say was crafted during the time skip). It being a 'super magic'/'divine spell' comes from the manga, which I kept to highlight how unique the spell is.

Merric is normally recruited in Chapter 4 of FE11 by visiting a village, while you also get another unit in that chapter, Matthis, while you recruit Wendell, Hardin, and the Wolfguard quad during chapter 5. Matthis was still recruited, but off-screen since Kris wasn't around, while Wendell's recruitment is being pushed back to the next chapter.

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