Author's Note
Well, I'm not dead. Not very productive either, apparently, but that's hardly news. Sorry for the wait.
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!
Chapter 28
Peace Talks
The battle in the hills broke the back of the Daein resistance, allowing our army to advance unhindered towards the capital. The change in Daein was startling since the victory; with no army, the villages we passed didn't even try to resist. Their lords, their knights, and their soldiers were almost all dead... hell, in some places half the men under thirty were dead. We came across a few empty villages - no doubt the villagers fled, thinking we were coming to loot and slaughter - and the villagers that we did encounter seemed to be in a state of shock; Tor Garen was supposed to be impregnable, the Daein army was supposed to be invincible, and yet Ike walked in with little more than ten thousand men.
The victory came with a cost for our army, though, and it was a heavy one. I don't recall the exact number we lost, but in my unit, the price of victory was sixteen lives - nearly half of my remaining men. Some died in battle; others kept going despite mortal wounds until the fight was over, only to fall dead once the adrenaline that had kept them standing wore off. ...That wasn't an easy thing to see.
Anyway, just over a week after the last battle we stumbled upon the first major town, a modest cluster of houses and buildings surrounded by a wooden wall with a lone, fortified tower at its center to serve as a bastion in times of war. We found no soldiers protecting the town when we arrived, just a few hundred terrified villagers holed up in the town's tower, guarded by a meager town watch group; the town's Earl died in the last battle, along with nearly all of his soldiers.
The villagers seemed to expect the town to be looted at best or massacred at worst, so they were very surprised when Princess Elincia left the army outside the gates and rode in with only Ike and us four Royal Knights. Ike and Elincia negotiated the town's surrender with the town's elder, the only remaining authority figure, and within an hour they reached an agreement. They guaranteed that the town would not be pillaged and its inhabitants would not be harmed, and in return the town's elder offered us unfettered access to the late Earl's hall (he wasn't rich enough for a castle), as well as the foodstores the Earl kept for his feasts.
Dismal though the half-empty town was, our resident master of both horse and food, Oscar, found a way to liven things up a bit. As our luck would have it, the late Earl had a voracious appetite - a trait that didn't serve him well in battle - and kept his larder well stocked for feasts. Once Oscar got into those supplies - including several cattle, a few deer and even a boar - he wasted no time arranging a huge feast celebrating our victory. Naturally there wasn't enough to feed an army numbering over ten thousand, but many officers, even the low-ranking ones like Jarod, were invited to attend, as well as all of the Greil Mercenaries.
As feasts went, it wasn't bad, and it was nothing like the Senator's parties in Sienne; no beautiful tapestries, no lavish ballrooms or delicate music, but at the same time there were no fat, pretentious ass-wipes looking down on anyone with ties to Crimea, no backstabbing politicians, and for the first time in what seemed like ages there was no one trying to kill Elincia... or me for that matter. The food was plentiful, delicious and not healthy by any stretch of the imagination, the people were decent and friendly, and there were plenty of fireplaces and torches to keep us nice and warm. There were even a few minstrels from the town playing rowdy (and sometimes crude) music. It was refreshing.
However, food was not the only excess supplies, and there were a few highly useful items that I was extremely interested in procuring, especially after the last battle. There was one catch; Elincia had that particular storeroom put under guard as soon as the town was surrendered, and apparently those guards' orders didn't include letting me take what I needed.
"Princess Elincia!" I greeted my employer cheerfully as I approached her table. It was partway through the feast, and with several drinks in me I finally worked up the nerve to ask her for a favor. "May I say that you are looking particularly lo-"
"You can spare me the flattery, Sir Adam, I have already had a dozen officers ask me for a favor tonight," she cut me off, not quite able to hide her frustration (the empty wine cups in front of her might have had something to do with that).
"Very well then, Your Grace," I started, leaning across the table towards her and Ike. The General listened, but remained intently focused on the massive plate of food before him. "Since this town's earl and all of his men-at-arms were killed in the last battle, there are some supplies here that they won't be-"
Elincia sighed. "You want me to give your men the pick of this hall's armory," she deduced.
"Exactly! I knew you'd agree!" I replied before she could turn me down, flashing a grateful smile and hoping for the best.
"I do not agree, Sir Adam," she corrected me. I sighed in disappointment. "This town has no soldiers; we should at least leave them with enough arms and armor to defend themselves."
"El- Your Grace, there's enough armor in there for fifty men; I've only got twenty-four left, and five of them are too wounded to fight for at least a month. There'll be plenty of equipment left for the town watch," I reasoned. "Besides, they already gave up everything in the Earl's hall when they surrendered."
"So you've already gone into the armory, then," the princess accused, fixing me with a knowing stare. I sat back uncomfortably. "Do you care so little about my approval?"
"No, that's not what-" I exclaimed, but stopped myself before I started a public argument with the princess. I lowered my voice and leaned closer to speak more privately. "Elincia, I just sent sixteen of my soldiers home in boxes! Three quarters of this company died fighting for me since this war started; the least I can do is give what's left a fighting chance to live through the rest of the campaign! ...Please, Your Grace."
She considered me for a moment, then her expression softened and she smiled. "I can see this is very important to you, and I will not deny that the men of your company have fought valiantly... Very well, the armor is yours," she allowed.
I let out a relieved sigh. That actually went better than I'd expected. "Thank you my lady, this-"
"However!" Elincia interrupted, the corners of her mouth turning up into a sly smile. "You must understand that I cannot just give such high-quality armor to any common soldier; there must be a good reason, or others will object."
"I don't follow," I said. She'd better not be...
"For example, if this company were to accompany... oh, I don't know - a princess, perhaps?" Elincia proposed. In the seat next to her, Ike suddenly choked on a mouthful of food.
"What?" he sputtered, finally distracted from the huge plate of venison in front of him. "Elincia, we've talked about this!"
"Yeah, this is a bad idea," I agreed cautiously.
"My Lord Ike, I have grown tired of sitting idly by while good people die in my name! Is it not my responsibility to share in the dangers of war!?" she demanded, earnest as ever. She was directing the conversation to this point the whole time, wasn't she?
"The battlefield is a dangerous place, Elincia," Ike exclaimed, his tired tone indicating that it wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation. "And you don't have any combat experience."
"You think I will be easy prey on the battlefield, then?" she asked, looking at us doubtfully. "And what of you? How experienced were you when we first met, Lord Ike?"
"Um, well it was my third job so I was still a rookie," Ike admitted.
Elincia offered him a confident smile. "I have trained with the sword since I was a child, Lord Ike; I can handle myself in a fight. Is that not true, Sir Adam?"
I nodded reluctantly, recalling the desperate fight against hired killers in Sienne's back alleys. "She's not bad in a scrap, sir. Tougher than she looks," I admitted. "But!" I added, turning to the princess. "Toughness won't save you from a lucky arrow or mage."
Ike nodded. "You're the only member of the royal family left. If I- if we lose you, then all of this was for nothing!" His face flushed a bit at his unintentional slip.
I nodded my agreement. "Y'see, if I get killed it'd be incredibly sad and I'm sure you guys would be mourning for ages, but the world goes on. If you die, your entire country is at the mercy of either Ashnard or the Senate, whichever one wins this," I reminded her.
Elincia shook her head. "I understand what you are saying-"
"Do you?" Ike snapped.
"-but I stand by my beliefs; a ruler cannot sit by and do nothing. How will my people ever respect me if I let others do my fighting for me? Ashnard fights with his army!"
"Really, you're using him as an example?" I asked incredulously.
"Whatever his flaws, he commands great respect and loyalty from his country. Just look to the thousands who fought us for weeks after Tor Garen!" Elincia countered, still holding her determined expression.
Ike sighed. "You really want to do this, don't you?"
Elincia nodded.
"Alright, if it means that much to you, then I'll agree to it," he said, a proud smile spreading across his face despite his reluctance. "Just promise you'll be careful!"
"I swear, Lord Ike. Besides, Adam has been a good bodyguard thus far," Elincia assured the genera before planting a grateful kiss on his cheek. Ike's face turned a bright shade of red.
"So... I get the armor, then?" I asked, just to make sure I got what I came for in the first place.
"Definitely. Your unit's serving with Elincia now, so they'll have to be outfitted for it. I'll let the guards at the armory know that your men can take what they need," Ike confirmed, still blushing.
"I'll give you two some time alone, then," I said, drawing a scowl from Ike. Guess I'm not the only one who gets a little nervous around girls. "Thanks." I hurried back to my table before either of them could change their minds.
Jarod, the Earthlings and several of my friends were seated at the far end of the hall, right close to one of the hall's many hearths. Jarod shifted aside when he saw me approach, making room on the bench.
"We got the armor," I confirmed as I sat down.
"Then why do you look so worried?" Jarod asked.
"Princess Elincia will be with us in the next battle," I explained. Jarod raised his eyebrows in surprise, but seemed otherwise unfazed.
"Well, we'll look like dismounted men-at-arms; might as well act the part too," he reasoned with a shrug. "Maybe now we won't be in the thick of the fighting, since we have someone important with us."
"Hopefully not. After that last battle, we're a little short on men," I agreed. Jarod nodded sadly.
"Hey Adam!" Ilyana called from across the table, offering me a much needed distraction. She pointed at the rack of ribs sitting in front of me. "You still owe me food."
I glared at her. "And what about that knight that broke through our lines? If I hadn't unhorsed him then you'd be cut in two!" I countered. "We're even!"
"But-" Ilyana objected, clearly wracking her brain for a workaround. "I'm hungry!" she finally blurted. I just smiled and took a big bite out of the ribs.
"Mmmm, these are really good!" I said tauntingly, laughing as Ilyana pouted. My mirth was stolen, though, as Beth nudged me in the shoulder.
"So what about me? I saved your life too, and I don't remember you saving mine..." she asked.
"Saved my- Dude, I had it!" I cried. Why must everyone take my food?!
"Matt!" Beth called, turning to where her compatriot was seated next to Astrid. Neither one was talking; they just seemed to be sitting there in a perpetual awkward silence. "You were there when I saved Adam! Back me up here dude!"
Matt shook his head. "Sorry Beth, but I didn't see it happen."
"Goddammit Matt!"
"Actually, sir, I saw it," Jarod chimed in. "The guy she killed definitely got the drop on you. Not sure he would have been able to kill you, but..."
"You goddamn traitor..." I hissed under my breath, reluctantly tearing the rack of ribs in two and handing the unbitten half to Beth. "You'd better hope I never save your life..." I threatened her. Beth just laughed and tore into my precious food.
The minstrels started up a lively tune just then, distracting me from my predicament. A space was quickly cleared in front of the head table, and people of all ranks rushed to join in the circle dances that started up, knights and commanders dancing with sergeants and captains while men of all ranks and ages lined up for the chance to dance with one of the few Holy Guards. Across the hall, Elincia was similarly leading a very reluctant Ike out to the dance, the General's dour expression showing signs of what might almost be considered a smile and his face an even deeper shade of red than before.
To my left Nephenee let out a surprised but elated cry as Kezhda whisked her out of her seat, and together the couple dashed out followed closely by Zihark and Ilyana, who held her partner back just long enough for her to stuff one more mouthful of potatoes in her face. The other three Earthlings, however, remained seated; none of us could even begin to follow the unfamiliar dance.
"Dammit, wish I knew how to do that! It looks so fun!" Beth exclaimed, watching the raucous crowd with envy. She turned to me. "Adam, you've been here longer than any of us! You can show us how it's done, right?"
I held up my hands defensively. "I'm no dancer, dude," I said apologetically.
"Um, Matt?" a small, timid voice asked from behind me. Turning around, I saw Astrid stand up and extend a hand to Matt, and her gaze flicked between his face and the floor as one foot fidgeted back and forth anxiously.
"H-hey, Astrid! Umm... what's up?" Matt replied, turning sharply to face the Royal Knight. Both of them started to blush, drawing a barely-suppressed laugh from Beth.
"I-I know how the- well, I mean I've done this before and I could, um, I could show you? I-if you want to dance, that is... with me..."
Matt's eyes widened and the colour drained from his face. His mouth struggled to form words, and finally he managed a quiet "sorry."
Astrid's face fell and she started to turn away, but Beth burst out in typical Beth fashion.
"Oh, you big dummy, go dance with her already!" the curly-haired girl cried, hauling her friend to his feet and pushing him over to the waiting knight. Matt's reserved facade cracked ever so slightly when he took Astrid's outstretched hand, the two dashing hand-in-hand to the dance floor. Beth moved to sit back down, her work finished and a big, meddlesome smile spreading across her face, only to have a sergeant get her attention and ask for a dance. Rolf dragged Al out not long after, and even I found myself pulled out to join the revelry. I made of show of reluctance at first, but once I joined in I couldn't hide the fact that I was enjoying myself.
The best part about those few minutes wasn't the music or the dancing (or even the beautiful Holy Guards). No, the best part was that for those few minutes, I forgot; forgot about the war, about the death, about my lost home, about Boyd wasting away in a coma, about everything. I lost myself in the music and the dance, and in the process letting all my worries just drift away leaving me with a sense of freedom and serenity unlike anything I'd felt in a while. For a few minutes, it was just me and some good friends, focused purely on the here and now, celebrating the simple fact that we were still breathing. It was nice, but fleeting; as with many good times, it ended faster than I wanted.
My dance partner and I were just circling each other, arms raised with our palms pressed together, when suddenly the great hall's doors were thrown wide with such violence that the minstrels stopped playing, and everyone froze in place. An icy wind whipped through the hall, and right on its heels came a panicked sentry, sputtering and gasping incoherently as he dashed into the hall. Dropping my partner's hand, I eased my way through the crowd, trying to get a better view of the doorway.
"Clear some room," Ike's voice bellowed, and the crowd parted to let the sentry through, and revealing at least a dozen black-clad figures in the doorway bearing a white flag. Ike and Elincia, now standing alone in the middle of the hall (and still holding hands, I noticed), were left to face these newcomers. The sentry finally found his voice, but the red-bearded man leading the procession needed no introduction, nor did the one-armed knight at his side.
"General Shiharam of Daein, sir," the sentry reported meekly as the Daein delegation strode through the crowd. Ike released Elincia's hand and brushed past the sentry, taking a few steps forward to meet them.
"Welcome, General. This is quite the surprise visit," Ike deadpanned, appearing only slightly tense.
"It is customary to send a messenger before bringing a delegation, General," Elincia was quick to remind the Daein warlord, no doubt hoping to put him on the defensive even before negotiations could begin.
"You misunderstand, Your Grace; I am merely here to visit the late Earl's family and make sure they have not been mistreated by the invaders," Shiharam corrected her. Elincia raised one eyebrow, clearly displeased by the combined excuse and insult, but allowed the General to continue. He paused just long enough to make all of those present wait on his next words. "...However, if you wish to discuss the terms of your withdrawal from Daein while I am here, I suppose I could make time for you."
A ripple of laughter passed through the hall, but the Daein General and his retainers remained undaunted. The laughter died off quickly in the face of their confident display.
"It is clear that we have much to discuss," Shiharam added quietly when the hall was once again silent.
"This way; there's a room where we can speak in private," Princess Elincia finally responded, gesturing towards a door in the back. "Lady Astrid, if you would kindly show our guests to the room, I will gather my knights and advisors."
Shiharam nodded in response, and waved for his retainers to follow him as Astrid broke from the crowd and led them deeper into the His knights and retainers followed, but as they drew level with me one of them - a mage in dark robes - paused and fixed Beth with an intense stare. He stayed there for several seconds, a bewildered and intrigued expression on his face until Beth finally got annoyed.
"Hey, my eyes are up here!" she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring daggers at the mage. "Fucking creep."
The mage still made no move, and despite Beth's outburst I got the impression that he wasn't focused on her chest. Al finally stepped out of the crowd and gave the mage a shove.
"You heard her, keep moving!" she snapped. The mage finally tore his gaze from Beth to glare at Al, but she easily stared him down. As he scurried off after the other Daeins, I noticed an unfamiliar sigil on his robes; instead of the usual black dragon of Daein, this mage bore the symbol of a fierce wolf. Curious...
As soon as the last of the Daeins left the hall, the silence suddenly turned into a flurry of chatter; the unexpectedly bold Daeins seemed to have caused many to wonder whether Daein's defenders were really out of the fight after all. The only exceptions were Elincia's knights and advisors; answering her summons, we all hastened to stand with the Princess. Elincia turned to Ike once we were gathered, still calm.
"Well then, shall we finish our meal?" she asked the General, leading him back to the table and causing everyone within earshot to do a double take.
"What about the Daein delegation?" Ike asked, glancing uncertainly at the door the Daeins left through. "Aren't they waiting?"
"Yes, and I mean to keep them waiting for some time," she confirmed, laughing at Ike's puzzled expression. "Why would Lord Shiharam act like that, blustering about, feigning superiority and making us come to him? Simple; he wishes to claim a strong position from which to negotiate," she explained. "If we do as he wishes, we lend credence to his claims and damage our own troops' morale. If we make him wait, though, we both reassure our soldiers and give ourselves time to plan."
"...It's a good thing at least one of us can handle politics," Ike grumbled, shaking his head.
Well over two hours later, the Daein and Crimean groups met. The long wait had certainly stolen some of the Daeins' confidence, but they remained steadfast and determined. Standing at the wall far to the side of the main leaders with no other duty than to "look dangerous in case anyone gets funny ideas" - Keiran's words, not mine - I was able to take stock of those present.
For Daein, there was of course Shiharam: the famed and feared leader of Daein's elite wyvern riders. A dour, red-bearded giant, the man had a commanding presence that seemed to fill the room every time he spoke, even though he remained soft-spoken throughout the negotiation. On his right sat a man just as tall, but younger and sporting wild brown hair and an eye patch. This one I assumed to be Haar, his second-in-command.
On Shiharam's left was the creepy mage from earlier, and while his position indicated elevated status, Shiharam himself seemed hardly aware of his presence. I doubted he would be worth paying attention to.
Aside from them, the only Daein I recognized was the young, one-armed knight I assumed was Josh, the oldest son of Tauroneo. With a short brown beard and a tall, muscular build, he looked almost identical to my memory of Tauroneo - well, a few decades younger and not nearly as stocky, but the resemblance was definitely there. Much to my surprise, he was standing far off to the side of the table near me and likely filling a similar role; last I heard he was supposed to be in command, but it seemed like that was no longer the case.
For the Crimean Army, there were the usual people there; Elincia's four knights on guard duty, plus Titania and Soren to serve as Ike's advisors. This time, though, Jill sat next to Ike as well, facing her father across the table. I had few opportunities to interact with the former Daein soldier since meeting her on the way to Begnion, but she seemed very different from the angry, bigoted girl I met back then. The attitude was still there - as evidenced by the defiant look she directed at her father - but she seemed much more patient and understanding than she had before. Unfortunately, all of their combined efforts at diplomacy were met with a wall of Daein stubbornness.
"After the last battle, you don't have enough soldiers to resist, and there is no sign of reinforcements from King Ashnard," Ike was saying to the resolute Daein general. "You can save thousands of lives by surrendering the capital now!"
"Absolutely not," was Shiharam's immediate response. Jill growled angrily.
"He's right, father! Be reasonable!" she exclaimed. At this Shiharam turned a disappointed look on his daughter, but she continued before he could speak. "What did you always tell me, father? What is our single, most important duty?!" she demanded. Shiharam actually hesitated for a second, but Jill wasn't letting him off the hook. "I know you know it, I want to hear you say it!"
"...Protect the people..." the general started, clearly conflicted.
"Because the people make the kingdom," Jill finished. "Ashnard has abandoned Daein! You're serving a king who doesn't give a damn about his kingdom or his people! If you don't surrender, this army will have to fight its way to Nevassa, and then lay siege to the capital for Ashera knows how long! How many innocents will die then?"
Finally Shiharam spoke, his voice heavy with sadness. "You are young, my child. All of you are so young; you don't know what happens after a country surrenders, what years of occupation will do to its people. Believe me, I know that Ashnard has abandoned us, and I know that our blunders on the battlefield have left us weak..." he sent a pointed glance to Josh, in his position of... exile? Shame? Penance? Something like that. "...but surrendering would doom the people of Daein as surely as a long war. I will not simply roll over and die so that Begnion can grind this great country into dust!"
"You will lose this war whether you surrender now or later," Elincia declared. "Daein will be occupied, but if you surrender now we can discuss conditions and minimize the damage to Daein. Your people will live on, I swear it."
"And who would enforce the decisions once we are occupied? Begnion?" came Shiharam's immediate retort. "Or do you mean to tell me that the Senate will be content to act as you command?"
Ike and Elincia glanced uncertainly at each other, and offered no response.
"Just what I thought. Now you have given me tow untenable choices, but there is a third option; you withdraw, leave Daein altogether. Ah ah! Hear me out!" Shiharam exclaimed, holding up one hand to forestall Ike's rejection. "Your fight is with Ashnard, and Ashnard is in Crimea; you can invade Crimea from Begnion rather than fighting your way through us first. In return, you have my assurances that Ashnard will receive no aid from Daein," Shiharam proposed. Jill perked up, suddenly hopeful, but I felt my own heart sink. I needed to get to Nevassa; Nevassa was the only lead we had on Daein's magical experimentation. Dammit Adam, this deal could save thousands of lives! Priorities, man! I immediately chided myself, a little shocked at my own reaction.
"As the representative of Nevassa, I must state that the King's strategist will never accept this decision," the creepy mage objected. At the sound of his voice, several of Shiharam's retainers fidgeted nervously and shifted surreptitiously away from him as though afraid. I quickly changed my assessment of the mage from 'creep' to 'highly dangerous creep'; anyone who can make a room full of wyvern riders jumpy needs to be taken seriously.
"I'll deal with her if it comes to that, and I believe you and your ilk have a vested interest in keeping Nevassa secure, yes?" Shiharam countered. The mage nodded, and kept quiet after that.
"Why should we retreat, though? By your own admission your army is weakened," Elincia asked.
"Because your army has been weakened as well, and you are not in a good position to continue this invasion," Shiharam replied. "It is the middle of winter, you are in hostile territory, and you must take both Talrega and Nevassa to conquer us. Whether you lay siege or storm the walls, your army will pay dearly for Nevassa, and I assure you my wyvern riders will exact a similar price for Talrega," Shiharam leaned in towards Ike. "You were right about one thing earlier; we can both save thousands of lives right here, right now, but my plan is the only way to do that!"
Ike and Elincia looked at each other uncertainly. "I'll need a few minutes to speak with my tactician," came the general's cautious response. Even seated far to the side of the table, I could see Soren scowling; there must have been something about the offer he didn't like.
"We can adjourn for a few minutes," Shiharam agreed as a few of his advisors - Haar among them - shot him surprised and anxious looks. Looks like Shiharam's been playing his cards close to his chest till just now. "It seems you are not the only one with anxious underlings." I noticed the extra emphasis on that last word, reminding his retainers who was ultimately in charge here. Both leaders nodded, and Ike retreated to the hallway outside with Elincia, Soren and Titania while Shiharam rose from his seat to exchange quiet but terse words with Haar and the mage from Nevassa.
I leaned back against the wall, willing to waive my knightly duty of looking intimidating (or as intimidating as a novice knight can be) for a few minutes in exchange for a chance to take a quick drink from a water skin on my belt; with so many people in the room, it had gotten uncomfortably warm. My rest was promptly interrupted, though, as I noticed one of the Daeins approaching in my peripheral vision. I tensed, not sure what to expect, but an instant later I found myself facing a familiar one-armed man.
"Well, you've been staring at me since this started and I swear on Ashera's name that I recognize you from somewhere, so I figured I'd take this opportunity to introduce myself," the young man started. Seeing him up close for the first time, it was hard to think of him as an enemy; while he sported a beard and looked every bit as tough as Shiharam and his wyvern riders, up close I could tell he was still very young, at most a year or two older than me, possibly even younger.
"You're Josh, son of Tauroneo," I said, trying to keep my face impassive.
"And you were leading the fight on the eastern hill. One of four Crimean Royal Knights, if I recall correctly," Josh added, cracking a grin at my surprised expression.
"I'd be interested to know how and why you know that," I replied cautiously.
"I led the cavalry attack on that flank. It was supposed to compromise your main army's your flank, but in the end we just didn't have the numbers to break through," he said, sounding a bit disappointed but still strangely nonchalant about the whole thing. "I remember seeing you there now. I guess I ought to congratulate you on a battle well fought; truly, Ashera was with you and your men that day."
"My men and I killed at least a hundred of your soldiers, probably more, and you're congratulating me? Sure you aren't here for payback?" I asked warily.
"It's war; we do our jobs, fight who we're told to fight, and do what we can to keep our comrades alive. Not much point in assigning blame to the soldiers, especially when we're under a temporary truce," Josh explained with a helpless shrug. I nodded my agreement. "Besides, I'm sure I can't be the only one here to lose comrades," he added, and paused a moment to consider me. His smile vanished as my own expression darkened. "Who was it?" His tone was unexpectedly caring.
"Name's Boyd. He held off your ambush at Tor Garen long enough for our soldiers to make it out," I told him. Strange, the man was a complete stranger and my enemy to boot, but here I was talking about fallen friends. "He was a good friend."
"A green-haired axeman, by any chance?" Josh asked, head tilted to one side in curiosity. I nodded. "I fought him. Great warrior; pulled me out of my saddle even though he had two arrows in him. He would've killed me if my squire hadn't shot him a third time... n-not to be insensitive, I just thought you should know he died well," the Daein added quickly.
"That's... good to know, I guess. And he's not dead; not yet at least," I corrected him. Josh's eyes widened in surprise. "Hasn't woken up since the battle, but he's still hanging in there."
"...I am glad to hear that. I will say a few extra prayers for your friend's recovery tonight," Josh said, all earnest concern. I laughed mirthlessly, trying to wrap my head around the sheer absurdity of this whole conversation. "Something funny?" he asked, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Sorry, it's just... this is definitely not what I expected. I mean, I swore that if I ever got hold of the people who did that to Boyd I'd cut them down. And yet-" I trailed off, shrugging and offering one more mirthless, confused laugh. So the guy who nearly killed Boyd is a genuinely decent person; how do I process that? "You're seriously going to pray for him?"
"Yes," came his sincere response. "Don't you pray for the recovery of the wounded?"
"Not really the religious type," I said, almost apologetically. I quickly added "But I appreciate you doing that for Boyd. Means a lot."
"I'm happy to do it. I just hope this peace agreement goes through; I wouldn't mind having less wounded to pray for," Josh added drily, casting a glance at Ike, Elincia and their advisors. It looked like they had almost reached a decision, and Shiharam and his people had already returned to the table. Shiharam noticed that Ike's discussion was almost finished, and chose that moment to resume negotiations.
"Have you made your decision, General?" he asked.
Ike and Elincia returned to their seats, sharing sorrowful looks. Elincia gave Ike a small nod, and he turned to Shiharam.
"We can't accept your offer," Ike said, shaking his head sadly. "If you can't keep us out of Daein, then-
"You have my word, Ashnard will not receive support from Daein, and he will not get back into Daein!" Shiharam cut him off, his composure finally cracking. "I expected better sense from Gawain's-"
"You don't have enough of an army to guarantee anything!" Ike yelled, standing up. "The whole point of invading Daein was to deny Ashnard his base of power and any chance to retreat. If we follow your plan, then there is nothing to stop him from falling back to Daein and regrouping! That leaves all of us in a worse position than we are now, and gives Ashnard time to rebuild his strength and start another war. I can't let that happen!" Ike explained. Taking a deep, calming breath, he sat back down. "The only way to resolve this peacefully is for you to surrender Talrega and the capital," he finished in a quiet, defeated tone; he already knew the answer to that.
Shiharam sighed heavily. "Then it seems there is nothing more to discuss." He stood, and waved his retainers towards the door. "I will return now to my people, and pray that you see reason."
"Talrega is a four day march from here," Ike replied, his tone conveying no real hope for a peaceful solution. "If you reconsider before then, I'm still willing to discuss terms."
Shiharam just shook his head. "I know she is one of you now, but could I have a few minutes alone with my daughter before I leave? Just to say goodbye."
"We'll clear the room. Take all the time you need," Ike replied without missing a beat.
The rest of us took that cue to leave, and I gave Jill a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder as I passed. She didn't look good. Just before the doors closed behind us, I caught a glimpse of the huge Daein general pulling his daughter into one last hug. Once we got outside, Josh - who stayed close as we left - sighed heavily.
"That was Daein's last chance," he murmured, shaking his head. He seemed so much less hopeful than before.
"Elincia's a good person. She'll do everything she can to make sure your civilians are safe," I tried to reassure him.
"I'm sure she will," Josh replied thoughtfully. He extended a hand to me. "Well, I guess this concludes the truce. For whatever it's worth, I hope I don't run into you on the battlefield."
"Good luck," I said with a heavy heart, shaking his hand. Under different circumstances I might have been friends with him, but now in a few days one of us could very well have to kill the other.
A/N
Three months is a long time to go without updating, so if you're still reading this fic then thank you for sticking around despite my lack of productivity. As always, thanks to all you guys who read and/or reviewed; I really appreciate you taking the time to do that!
I feel I owe you all an explanation, so here goes; I spent all of May and half of June studying French in a small town in Québec, and now that I'm back I've stepped up my martial arts training - taking extra classes and getting in as much sword training as possible - and I've been away camping too. In summary, I don't have much free time. I've been getting some writing done... it just wasn't this chapter. Been getting a fair bit of work done on the RD section of this fic, though.
Alright, well that is all I had to say. Thanks for stopping by, seeya next time!
Review response:
nekuromansa000:Well, I wanted to show infantry fighting mounted knights, and that is basically why I wrote it. Just to make sure I'm informed for the future (okay, and for fun) I looked into your question, and I've come across a few different tactics in knightly warfare. Sometimes they would dismount, other times they would use the weight and size of their mounts kind of like a bulldozer, pushing people around. Not sure which would have made more sense in that case... hmmm. Probably easier to fight dismounted in close-quarters, but at the same time dismounting can be difficult in full armor and might leave the knight vulnerable for a few seconds, and in a fight a few seconds is a lot. I'm really not sure which option is best, but I will keep your suggestions in mind for the future. Thanks for the feedback!