Chapter 12) Land of Sorrow

Kris POV

We've left Archanea, the country, and march of Gra. Once within the borders, no one opposes us, giving us a straight shot to the castle, where Jiol waits. Gra… it's betrayal has loomed over many of us for two long years. It's betrayal destroying Altea's main forces, killing King Cornelius, and many of Cain's friends. Then they attacked our home, forcing us to leave Elice and Frey behind. A crushing blow and, worse, King Jiol stole Falchion, our best weapon against Medeus.

This time, though, we were the ones assaulting the castle. This time, we were bringing the fight to them. This time… we'd win.

Somehow, I didn't expect it to look so peaceful. I wasn't sure why. I knew that Gra was just a place, like Altea, filled with people, like Altea. I knew that it would take one hell of a bad king to turn a landscape into living hell, and that such things only happened in stories. Yet, there was some feeling of disappointment when we came up on the castle, and found nothing but peaceful grass and clear skies.

"It's looks like Altea," Prince Marth murmured. He and I stood apart from the camp, taking advantage of the unexpected time. The War Meeting had gone faster than anticipated, but we still needed to wait for everyone to complete their preparations. "I don't why it surprises me. I've visited once before."

"It's a sister-nation to Altea, right?" I asked. I vaguely remembered the lessons Jagan gave us, way back in Talys. It felt long ago. "They split off?"

"Yes, Anri had no children, and so, Marcelus took the throne after him. But there were people who protested, having too much love for Anri in their hearts to accept his brother. So, they split off, and became Gra." Marth looked up at the sky. It was cloudly, almost sparkling with how blue it was. I worried for the fliers. "But, they maintained a good relationship, likely because Marcelus let them leave."

"And then Jiol betrayed."

"Yes, he did. He betrayed and killed… everything." Marth closed his eyes, still with his head tilted up. "Medeus and Gharnef are the enemies of Archanea. In Medeus's name, people kill. Because of Gharnef's power, people become afraid."

"You learn the true character of people when everything turns to hell, I guess." I smiled wryly, laughing. "I mean; my conscience came back that day. That's the whole reason why I saved you."

"Yes, that's right. And I ran, like a craven."

"Like a smart person. There's no way we could've stood up to them." I half-heartedly whacked him on the shoulder, and he opened his eyes to give me a dirty look. "They destroyed the army. But we rebuilt it."

"...Yes, that's true. We rebuilt the army lost that day. We've made ourselves stronger…" He looked over his shoulder, back at the camp. Everyone was rather cheerful. Morale was higher than ever. I'd thought Diana had been joking when she said 'properly clean clothes could make a difference', but honestly, it seemed to. Everyone was confident, and seemed almost eager to continue the fight. "We have a lot of advantages."

"We do." I made a face, though, mostly to jest. "I still can't believe Diana insisted on giving our clothes an extra wash."

"At least she didn't nearly rip the clothes off of you." He tried to smile at the jest, but it fell flat as he looked back at the castle. "It'll start soon…" He sighed and glanced at me. "Stay near. Make sure I don't go too far."

"...Of course." I knew what he meant by the question. We both knew what he meant. "I'm with you, my silly prince." I smiled at him and he finally smiled back. "Now, let's kick their asses."

"Yes." His smile grew. "This day… Gra falls."

"Yes, yes." I decided a change was needed and I slung my arm over his shoulders and steered him back to camp. "But, in other news, how goes things with Caeda?"

"KRIS!"

"Haha! Your face is bright red!" I continued teasing him as we returned to the others, laughing all the while. Before long, he'd have to be all serious. It was the least I could do to help him relax.

Archanea castle might've been a turning point of the continent, but for we Alteans… the real turning point was now. And gods, all of us looked forward to it.

This had to be the most electric battle I'd ever fought, and I'd literally fought during a storm. But there was an energy to it that was not present in any other battle. I wasn't sure if it was just me, because this was Gra, or if it was the army, because even if this army was made up of different countries, the core… the core was Altea. The core of this army was we Alteans. And all of us were ready to pay back Gra for what it did.

"Everyone alright here?" That said, there were still some things that needed to be done, like warning villagers. "Hello?" I called, frowning as I walked through the main street. Unlike the other villages, this one… seemed empty. "Is everyone… is there anyone here?"

"Ah, I'm afraid we just completed evacuations here." A man stepped out of an alley then, wearing a black and gold outfit I recognized and a hooded cloak. "I was checking there were no children hiding in closets," he explained, shifting slightly. There was no weapon. "You are…?"

"Haven't we met, Sirius?" I narrowed my eyes as the man tensed. "You… are him, right? The outfit…" I trailed off as I remembered a certain key thing. "Wait, shit, you're Camus."

"...I'm afraid I really don't know who you are." But he brought down the hood, and after a moment, I did notice the differences in his face. He was far… sadder than Sirius, for one thing. "So…?"

"It's Kris. I'm Marth's friend." I shifted my stance slightly and kept my sword at my side. I'd been relying on it during the battle, mostly so that I use the magic as a backup.

"The mage knight." Of course, he already knew I used magic. "I'd heard rumors from the survivors at the border." He laughed softly, ducking his head slightly. "Well, that's convenient. I've something for you." He pulled out a tome from… somewhere, probably a pack I just couldn't see, and held it out. "Here."

"..." I cautiously approached, eyes darting around just in case. But there was nothing. "You can see I'm holding a sword."

"Well, if you do decide to gut me, it would solve a great deal of my problems." He shrugged, and I gaped at how little he seemed to care. "Tome?"

"Uh… right." I took it from him slowly, and gasped as a pulse of power hit me. "What is…?"

"Thoron." He took a step back. "I think it was Bishop Boah's. It's not a 'super-magic' or whatever it's called like Excalibur or Aura, but it's among the most powerful spells."

"...And you're just giving it? To me?"

"Well, it's not like I can use it." He shrugged, and took another step back. "Please, tell Diana and Nyna to stay safe."

"Why not tell them yourself?" I waited for an answer, but all I got was a bitter smile as he turned and walked away. I nearly threw my hands up in frustration, but instead, turned and stormed back to the battlefield.

I paused and looked back, though, when I reached the village gate, mostly to see if he'd turned around. But he hadn't, and I sighed, frowning. I didn't get him, and unlike how it was when I couldn't understand Frey, I didn't feel 'lesser' for it. Instead, I felt like I should've hit him in the head. But I didn't have time for regrets, so I faced forward again and walked out of the village entirely, and returned to the chaos.

"Okay, let's try this…" I muttered, sheathing my sword and flipping through the tome. I winced as the pages 'bit' me with static. "One… two… three…" I brought my hand up and magic lines wrapped around my hand and arm. "Thoron."

The magic converged in front of my hand and I heard the crackle of thunder hum in my ears before the magic shot forward, a literal spear of thunder magic that crashed through soldiers like they were nothing but paper targets. They screamed and fell, the survivors writhing and twitching in pain, little bits of lightning bouncing around the metal of their armor. The grass underneath flattened and burned, leaving a very clear path marked by little bits of smoke and corpses. Some part of me should be horrified, and it was, but…

"That… was so cool!" I cheered, bouncing on my toes. It reminded me of the 'overcharged' thunder spell I'd done, but without the pain and misery. "So awesome! I'm awesome!"

"Oh, there you are." A pegasus swooped near, and I almost greeted 'Caeda', before realizing that this wasn't Caeda at all. It was Catria, actually. "My sister and I just arrived, as 'reinforcements'," she explained. Her little smile told me that they might've manipulated things to make sure they would arrive in time to meet with us. "Prince Marth was looking for you."

"Villager took more time than anticipated," I replied. I held out my hand and she pulled me into the saddle. "Is he inside?"

"Yes, our cavalry, led by that red headed bull of a knight and the quieter green haired one, broke through."

"Cain and Abel." I wasn't surprised they'd led the charge. "Do you want to-?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Catria clicked her tongue and we went up into the air, high overhead. I narrowed my eyes as the wind blasted my face, and took stock of everything. High morale… sense of righteousness… and just better equipped and trained… the results were all too clear. Gra was falling apart piece by piece.

We flew over the field, and to the castle itself. I braced myself for arrows, but none came. Instead, she flew unimpeded and hovered near the outer walls of the castle itself. Cain was there and he held his hands out to catch me as I jumped off. He set me down gently while Catria swooped off again and pointed to a staircase. I gave him a bright smile before racing off, jumping down the stairs five at a time, and sliding down the handrail when one opened up. When I landed, I just ran down the halls, avoiding the sounds of battle on instinct. I just… knew that wouldn't be where I found Marth.

I was soon proven right. I found Marth in a back study, fighting a heavily armored, older man. Both of them were bleeding rather badly and Marth was on the losing edge, so, without thinking, I pulled out Thoron again and angled myself to blast the older man's legs. The force shook the dust from the ceiling and made a few of the paintings on the walls hit the ground hard enough to crack the frames. The windows rattled, and the one closest actually shattered. Marth was blown off his feet, barely avoiding crashing into a bookshelf. The older man screeched in pain, the sound echoing on and on as the lightning bounced up from his leg armor all the way to his chest and head. Even when I stopped the spell, the lightning continued before he fell to his hands and knees, smoke coming off of his body. I smelled burnt flesh and covered my mouth when I noticed his lower left leg, the one closest to me, was utterly ruined. The right one wasn't much better.

"Damn you!" he roared, or tried too. His voice was too raspy. "Damn you! I should've killed you when I had the chance!"

"...Yes, you should've," I whispered. Both Marth and this older man, who had to be Jiol, looked to me. "But you never had the chance." I walked inside and stood next to Marth. "Frey made sure of it."

"Damn you! Like you can do anything!"

"We killed you." I glanced at Marth and he nodded after a moment. "That's something. Unless you're nothing, which, well, sucks to be you."

"He lost himself in fear," Marth murmured. He limped forward, and I winced at his injuries. But this… he needed to do on his own. "Well, Jiol…" He looked down at Jiol, his face a mask of rage and sorrow. "I… I could say this is for my father." He slowly brought the sword above his head. Jiol watched it glint wetly from the blood. "I could say this is for Altea. But those… that will not be the full truth." He took a deep breath and looked Jiol in the eye. Jiol's widened. "This… is for me. This is for me, so that I can walk forward finally. So that I can fulfill Frey's last wish. So that I can finally be the the prince, the king, that I want to be. Yes, this is all for my own sake." He smiled bitterly, anger fading. "I'm sorry for my selfishness, King Jiol."

He swung down and very neatly cut off Jiol's head. The head hit the ground with a wet 'thwump' and it rolled and hit my feet. I glanced at Marth briefly before giving it a good hard kick into the door, knocking it open and sending it down the hall. Marth actually laughed a bit, but then he coughed and bowed his head, choking back tears.

"I know," I whispered. I hugged him and let him rest his head on my shoulder. "I don't feel any better either. But maybe that's the point. Maybe…"

"It's like burning out the infection in a wound," he mumbled. I could only nod and pat his back. It's not like I was good at comforting people. "It still hurts, but eventually, it'll heal. Finally."

"Finally."

"For all of us."

"For all of us."

I held him until we heard Hardin call, and we walked out, covered in blood. Marth had his portrait-perfect smile on, announcing our victory, while I maintained a certain grimness. The wounds, after all, were still there. I could see them, even as he hid them.

This… was what I could do for him. This was my role. I gave him a place to hide. And I rather liked it.

I got Marth to the infirmary and left Caeda to fuss over him while I joined the clean up crew. Most of Gra surrendered without fuss, and cleaning up was… literally cleaning up. There was a lot of blood and corpses, after all, and then we had to search for Falchion. This was its last known location, after all. With luck, it would be here. Given how things normally were, though, I thought it might be a little more complicated. After all, would our enemy really have left the Falchion, sword famous for killing Medeus, in the hands of a second-rate king who only sided with them out of fear? I doubted it.

"Give me your hands." Diana's voice startled me, and I was more startled when she undid my gloves and began rubbing some sort of balm into them, tucking the ceramic jar in the crook of her elbow. "I was right," she murmured, strangely gentle. "You roughed up your hands."

"...Where did you even come from?" I asked, glancing around. The last I'd seen her, she'd been helping in the infirmary as she normally did after a battle. "I mean…"

"My mother, of course." She grinned as I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Sorry, I couldn't resist." She turned my palm over so that I could see the red blotches. "I noticed these when you dropped off those injured."

"You were elbow deep in someone's intestines."

"All I was doing was holding things together. That doesn't require too much attention." She laughed a little and switched to my other hand, taking off the glove. "You should get better gloves. Maybe gauntlets like what I wear, but I'd talk to Wendell about it."

"...I'll… think about it…" I just held still and let her work. There was something soothing about being fussed over today. "Has anyone found Falchion?"

"No, not yet." She let go of my hands and stopped her jar before tucking it into her pocket. "Oh, right, before I forget. Where did that Thoron tome come from?"

"The tome?" I thought briefly before realizing that she should probably learn. "Well, the answer is simple and stupid. I got it from Camus, who evacuated a village and dropped it into my hands." I barely checked the urge to glower as I remembered that frustration. "What is going on with him? Why does everything have to be complicated? Why is he so concerned anyway?" I couldn't help but rattle the questions off. "Seriously, what the hell?"

"That's…" She paused and then, to my surprise, snagged my hand and dragged me into another room, shutting the door behind us. "Okay. How to start…"

"Oh, shit, I actually get answers?" I half-expected her to be vague again, or run off to tell Nyna. "Well then." I looked around, and jumped onto a table to sit. We were in some sort of break room or something, but I didn't feel like sitting on a chair. "Maybe in order?"

"Mmm…" She sighed and leaned against the door. "I'm not sure if it's mine to say, but…" She hesitated before continuing. "I'm… I know that Nyna needs more friends. And I also know that I'll need help doing what I want to do. So, I'll answer… to a point." She closed her eyes, and fell silent. I waited, even though I was antsy. "The reason… Nyna and Camus fell in love. During the year and a half we were here in Archanea, they fell in love."

"...And that makes things complicated?" I frowned, expecting something more. But then I realized something. "Wait, but he's the enemy. Then again, you did tell me how you considered him a friend…"

"Not only an enemy, but the one who conquered Archanea. With help." She shrugged. "So, two lovers on opposite sides of the war, where everyone will want to keep them separated. Throw in their devotion to duty, their self-hatred, their not-so-certain that the feelings are right…" She sighed. "It becomes a mess."

"But, they love each other." I brought the tome out of my pack and looked at it, noticing the power even with it closed. "He… risked getting caught, just to get us another powerful weapon. He specifically told me to tell you and her to be safe."

"Yes, which tells me that he still loves her, just as she still loves him. Politics, though..."

"Screw politics. 'Politics' is just an excuse to not do things." I huffed and she actually laughed. "What?"

"You're so refreshing."

"...I'm taking that as a compliment." Though I did have to fight the urge to pout. "So, you mentioned wanting to do something. So, screw the politics with you too?"

"Of course. I am Nyna's bodyguard. I protect her from everything, including well-meaning people who think too much of politics and not enough on the girl wearing the crown." She smiled warmly. "I'm doing my best to make sure she stands on her own, but nothing will stop me from doing what I can to make sure she's safe and happy. We're just working on how I can do that while still remaining very healthy."

"Sure." I shrugged, smiling now. I couldn't help it. "What's your plan, though?"

"...I want to drag Camus to us. I want them to be happy." She smiled wryly. "I have no 'plan' yet, though. I just know that if I'm going to pull something like that off… I can't expect my luck to kick in."

"Well, let me know what I can do, okay?" I smiled. "And, in exchange, you help me with Marth and Caeda?"

"After Altea. We're far too close for him to be distracted." She grinned, though. "After that, I'm sure we can come up with some very convenient ways to throw them together. I've a few in mind, actually."

"Perfect~!" I laughed, feeling strangely relaxed. "What'll be the plan once you drag him?"

"Again, no idea, but hey, maybe we can just have the royals be like 'Nyna has suffered enough, stop giving her a hard time'." She shrugged, but I nodded, already making little plans. Nyna was close to Caeda. I'd be willing to bet Nyna had at least told her something. And Marth wanted her to be happy too. "Regardless, though, that's about all I think I can say."

"That's enough for me to finally know what the hell is going on." I made a face. "Keeping secrets like that…"

"I'm afraid I'm still used to when it was just Nyna and me, and trusting people as a mercenary is just begging for death." She smiled bitterly. "Anyway, that went longer than I thought. I'm supposed to be helping Astram."

"Sorry." I shrugged and jumped off the table. "But I thought you needed to know."

"No, I did. Thank you." She opened the door and left then, without really a 'proper' goodbye. But I shrugged, accepting it. She had more on her mind now, and I did as well. Once Altea was freed… once Altea was freed, I had a feeling there would be a new operation underneath 'kill Medeus'. 'Make sure Marth and Nyna get happy endings, damn it.' Some part of me felt bad because it was selfish, but at the same time, I couldn't help but feel eager to get started.

So, I was giggling when I left the room, and felt in a remarkably good mood as I walked down the hall. The mood faded slightly when I saw Marth standing in the hall talking to someone I didn't recognize, but that was mostly because of how strained his smile was. I doubted the person saw it, though.

"I must admit, Sheena, that I didn't expect to see you," Marth was saying. I tried to think of why the name was familiar, before remembering it as the name of Jiol's daughter. This… was the Princess of Gra. "Though, I'm not sure why. It's your home."

"Well, I didn't exactly stick around after my father decided to be an idiot," Sheena replied bluntly. She smiled slightly, but she held herself tense. "I thought I'd flee to Archanea, but didn't have a chance before it fell, so I've been hiding in a village. It's been fun." She shrugged. "But when I heard you were here, Marth, I decided to follow and see what I can do. I arrived not long after you killed him."

"I see…" Marth got a conflicted look on his face. "Sheena, I-"

"Nope." She leaned down and prodded his cheek. "No, no apologies. Don't be sorry. He deserved it. And if you're only sorry because you're looking at me, then you're not really sorry. You just want some reassurance." She smiled warmly at him, though there was some pain in it. "So, here is my reassurance. You did what you had to do. There was no way my father would've surrendered peacefully. And, in exchange for my not getting mad, you give me the chance to rebuild the trust he broke. Deal?"

"...I'm honored you want to." Marth smiled back, and this time, it wasn't strained. "Thank you, Sheena. It's a deal."

"Good, good." She glanced up at me then, and did a double-take. "Uh… Marth, I thought you had one sister."

"I do? Elice? You've met her?"

"And she is…?" Sheena pointed at me. "Besides someone who looks like you."

"Do we?" Marth looked confused, and he only became more confused when he turned and saw me. "Oh, hey, Kris."

"Hey yourself," I replied, shrugging. He and I had the same hair color, sure, but I wouldn't have thought we'd look so much alike that someone else would think we're related. Then again, it wasn't something I spent time analyzing. "I'm Kris, Sheena. Pretty boy's friend."

"She saved me when Altea fell," Marth helpfully added. Sheena continued looking back and forth between us with a little frown. "Anyway…" He returned his attention to me. "Any luck on Falchion?"

"Not that I've heard." I smiled sympathetically as Marth sighed. "I know; I know. But I doubt they could destroy it."

"Yes, but…"

"Wait, you're looking for Falchion?" Sheena asked. When we nodded, her face turned grim. "You're in trouble. Last I heard, Gharnef took it back with him to Khadein. And Gharnef… isn't exactly killable."

"Of course he did," Marth muttered. He sighed, and closed his eyes. "But we need Falchion for Medeus. Even Bantu, the dragon we have, says we'll need it."

"Yes, but…" She hesitated. "It's Gharnef. He can't die, or so the stories go. Maybe if you could contact Gotoh…"

"That's true, and our best bet for that is in Khadein as well. So, I suppose we'll march for it in the morning." He shrugged, opening his eyes. "It pains me to turn away from Altea when we're so close, but…"

"Marth…"

"Relax. I won't overextend. If it appears too much, we will pull back. But it's only in our best interests to liberate Khadein anyway." He smiled warmly. "Have faith, Sheena."

"...Oh, alright." She smiled back and reached over to ruffle his hair. "But for tonight, you're having a proper meal. Give me a moment, and we'll get you a nice little feast for you and yours."

That 'little feast' ended up being a rather rousing party, all things considered. It seemed that the people of Gra really were happy to escape Jiol. It was almost pitiable, but I just focused on enjoying myself with Marth, Cain, Abel, and the other Altean knights. I thought we deserved it.

Notes on Jeorge:

The heir to one of Archanea's Great Houses, technically the head of it all things considered, and known as Archanea's greatest sniper. Strangle humble, given the reputation.

Skilled and strong, but his greatest aspect seems to be his uncanny ability to predict everything on a battlefield and to never waste a shot.

Known for his loyalty, but more importantly, for not being blind with said loyalty. If he thinks someone is being stupid, he'll tell them, even if he respects them.

Author's note: This chapter actually has a glorious opening scene and I'm sad I had to leave it out since Kris would've hear it. Sheena is a character from FE12, and is Jiol's daughter from his second wife. She's not mentioned in FE1 or FE11, but is mentioned by Jiol in his death quote in FE3's Book 1. Background materials reveal she hated her father's betrayal and thus fled to Pales, but I chose to have her simply be at a village on the border to bring her in for this.

Next Chapter - Oasis of Magic