Holy crap, first off, sorry for not posting anything for God knows how long, and also for the short chapter. My school year starts in about a week, so I've been getting busy with buying supplies and clothes. I'll post more at the end of the story as to why this took so freaking long for me to write, and why it's probably my worst chapter so far (Well, in my opinion...)
Chapter Three: Retaking the Castle.
The army under Eliwood's command was given a few minutes rest, much to the disdain of Hector, who was eagerly awaiting his chance to crack some Laus skulls.
Most of the army were either lounging about or checking and restocking their weapons and vulneraries, while the Lords were discussing various things, their new companion being among them.
"Lyndis, would you care to explain to me who that man was, the one facing against the knight?" Eliwood asked, looking around for the man in question, only to turn his head to see the Pegasus Knight, Florina, whispering into Lyndis' ear, before dashing away.
"What? Oh, sorry Eliwood, I was just given a message… Hector, Florina gives her deepest regrets for landing her Pegasus on you earlier… Had it not been for you, she could have been seriously injured. For that, you have my thanks as well." Lyn said, and the lord in question started massaging his right shoulder. "Well, just let her know that pegasi are heavier than they would appear…"
At that, they turned their attention to Mark, who had just returned from his rounds of checking the soldiers and their equipment. "All the troops are ready to begin the siege against the Laus army. Hopefully we can retake the castle before they pose a threat to Lord Hausen…"
After a few minutes of resting, the call to get into formation was given, and everybody got into position.
Well, almost everybody.
A somewhat sneaky thief and an enigmatic assassin were absent. The two gaps were soon filled in, as they were soon counted for, and the army began its attack to recapture the castle.
'So he wants me to "liberate" some items from the castle… Sure, I doubt Lady Lyn would mind it too much...' The thief, Matthew, thought about what Zyre pulled him to the side to ask him to do a little side job for him.
This wouldn't be the first time he's stolen from an ally's armory during a siege… Probably wouldn't be the last either. Soon after they entered the main floor, shouts could be heard coming from further down the corridor, then the sounds of footsteps mixed with more shouts.
"Okay Lyn, it's your Castle, where do you suppose the possible remnants of the Guard are being held?" Mark asked, turning to the Heiress. "They should be in some of the cells around the throne, since I doubt they've had time to locate any of the other keys yet…"
"Alright, you heard her! But let me tell you now, the Castle Guards are not our main targets. If we wish to help anyone left, then we should head for the throne and defeat the commander there!" Mark stated, his voice booming among the walls of the castle. A rallied cheer soon followed.
Zyre has to give credit where credit is due, Mark had tactical skill, and the ability to rally an army. He did wish that he wasn't that tactical, because not only did he have to watch out for Hector, he also had to watch out for the Troubadour, Priscilla.
She wasn't willing to go at first, but with some convincing words about Hector's foolhardiness, and the fact that she could move faster than Serra had changed her mind on the matter.
Sain had begun to complain about his pairing with only the other knights, saying he could stay with Florina and Lyn to protect them, but Lyn said that she would do just fine and offered to watch for Florina (Who couldn't fly freely in the castle), effectively shutting Sain out of the equation.
With each group ready, the assault to retake Castle Caelin was underway. Soon, the majority of Eliwood's army was inside, leaving only Merlinus and Oswin at the gate, Oswin being there to protect Merlinus from any enemy reinforcements. Not too surprising, Hector had wanted to lead the charge.
What WAS surprising, was that Mark allowed him to do so, and the fact that Hector wasn't denied his charge confounded him to no end, but thoughts about the battle ahead quickly drew his mind from confusion to joy. The battle was going well, and having Hector lead a charge really helped that fact. The commander of the occupying force must have expected the tactician to order a slower approach to combat his own knights.
He was shocked to hear panicked shouts of his soldiers informing of an unstoppable axeman. Hector, unwillingly, stopped his advance as Mark ordered, and began searching for the remnants of the Castle Guard. The rest of the group continued onwards, finishing off the remaining Laus soldiers and trapping the commander in the Throne Room.
"Priscilla," Hector began, "stay close to either me or Zyre." Priscilla looked slightly dumbfounded. "Yes, Lord Hector, but may I ask why? Did we not defeat the invaders?" Hector stopped and turned around to face her and Zyre, but Zyre caught a shadow move behind him.
"We defeated the main force, but there are bound to be more guarding the castle soldiers. So promise me you'll stay close to either me or Zy-"
Hector couldn't finish his thought as he was shoved out of the way by Zyre, who brought his knife upwards to catch a sword in it's teeth. The man wrestled against the knife for a moment before freeing it and retreating. Hector had just gotten up off his ass before being shoved again.
'He seems to be targeting Hector. Must have a grudge against him or sees him as a higher value target...' Zyre thought to himself, catching the attacker's sword in his knives yet again, but this time not allowing his to flee.
Using both his knife and hand to prevent the man from fleeing, twisting his arm until he was brought to his knees. "Drop it." Zyre commanded, only receiving a glare from the man.
"Either you drop it, or I break the bones in your arm until you can no longer hold it." This time, the man reluctantly did as he was told. Looking at his captors, his eyes fell on the troubadour.
"You…" he began, earning a curious glance from all three of them. "Hm?" Priscilla responded. "Can it be?" In that moment, Zyre could see joy in the man's eyes, before flickering back to his previous expression. "I…" She began, but couldn't find the words.
"You don't… recognize me. That's not surprising. You were so young when we were separated." The man said, this time his eyes showed sorrow, with grief. "What? Are you… Raymond? My brother, Raymond?" Priscilla asked, her eyes full of hope, his of happiness.
"You've grown, Priscilla…" He said after a short pause, a smile forming on his face.
"Brother! My brother!" she said, eyes filling with tears. "What are you doing here? It's been ten years since Count Caerleon of Etruria took you in as his foster daughter…" The man, Raymond, stated. Sorrow replacing his happiness.
"That's right. My adopted father has treated me with much kindness. But I am of Caelin's House Cornwell by birth. I still remember Father and Mother. I've never forgotten them. Or you, Raymond." She walked up to him, tears rolling down her face freely, and they embraced in a long-awaited reunion "...Priscilla" Raymond, like his sister could find no words to say.
"...When I heard that House Cornwell was lost… I… I was so worried about you." She said, not moving from his arms. "So that's why you left Etruria? You've come quite a way." He stated, slightly pulling her away from him.
"Dear friends of mine in Etruria helped me. They provided a young mage to be my escort. Then we passed through Laus… The marquess learned of my heritage and refused to let me leave. I would still be there if not for Lord Eliwood and his companions." She finished, slightly shuddering after remembering what Marquess Darin was demanding of her.
"His...companions?" Raymond stated, looking at Zyre and Hector, who had moved slightly ahead of them. "Lord Hector, Lady Lyndis. They're all such kind people. I'm so glad I came to Lycia. And now I've found you..."
She said, moving back into his arms. "You've become friends with…him?" He said, quickly looking at Hector with disgust, before returning to his neutral expression. "Raymond?" Priscilla asked, concern in her voice.
"... I see. Then I will join you." He stated, a warm smile hiding his… less than savory thoughts of him attacking Ostia through the Marquess' brother. Priscilla's face lit up upon hearing his words. "Dear Brother! Will you truly come with us?"
"I could not refuse my little sister. And besides…" Raymond responded, and after his pause, Priscilla lost her bright smile. "What is it?"
"It's nothing, you're better off not knowing. Tell me, your lineage… Do Eliwood and his friends know of your heredity?" Raymond asked, sounding suspicious. "No, we've never spoken of it." She responded, earning a nod from him. "I see… That is best." "Brother?" Priscilla asked, but Raymond knew her questions before she asked. "Priscilla, we must keep our relationship a secret OK?" Priscilla nodded, rather reluctantly. "All right… If you say we must…"
"Another thing," he stated, not letting her mind dwell on more questions. "my name is Raven now. Raymond is…a name I've discarded." he stated, his eyes filling with grief once more.
"Brother… You have your reasons, don't you?" Priscilla said, looking at the ground, before looking back at him while forming a heart-warming smile. "I understand. As long as we can travel together, I'm happy." As she finished, Raven remained silent.
Although they were alone, and spoke the important matters quite softly, Zyre could still hear the conversation, but he paid little heed to it, as his new problem was convincing the soldiers not to take arms against the commander, which they stubbornly refused to stand down against. They were interrupted by the sound of hooves, with Sain and Lowen riding into the corridor. "Lord Hector!" Sain yelled for the young lord, who promptly stepped into their view, shortly followed by the knights and a blonde-haired monk.
"What's the matter? Lowen, Sain, why have you come seeking us?"
"It's the enemy commander sir! He's begun his final stand against our forces and has pushed us to retaliate. We need you for our strategy to work, sir!" Lowen explained, faster than Hector could comprehend, forcing Sain to waste time reinstating the instructions. "Zyre, Sain! Keep the soldiers in line until the battle is over, don't let a single one come to harm!" Hector didn't wait for a reply, and left with Lowen to duel with the commander.
Looking at each other, Zyre could only shrug and return into the prison cell, Sain shortly following. While Sain dismounted after joining Zyre near the door, a voice called out. "Oh my! Sain, is that you?" Both men turned to face a person with long blonde hair in a blue robe with a white cape.
"Well then, if it isn't Lucius! Why are you here in Castle Caelin?" Before Lucius could respond, Zyre thought fit to tease Sain a little, trying to break some of the tension with the man. "Well then, I'd never thought there'd be a woman Sain wouldn't hit on!" "Zyre, you've got it wrong Lucius isn't-"
"I am a monk, sir." At this revelation, Zyre lost his usually neutral disposition, favoring a more shocked expression. "A-a man of the cloth?!" He asked, only earning a sigh from Lucius and a chuckle from Sain.
"Yes, I follow Saint Elimine and her light." "Oh my Gods, I am deeply sorrowful for not catching my mistake sooner, I-" Lucius interrupted, already hearing the same apology countless times. "You have no need to apologize, you're not in the wrong. Just be glad you were told the truth before things could get… worse." "MUCH worse." Sain said, finishing the sentence with a slight shudder. Suddenly, Lucius' face fell. "If you guys are here then that must mean… Tell me, is there a dead man out there, with red hair?" He asked, face twisting with fear, a fear Zyre noticed.
"Ah, no. Not a dead one, but there is a man out there. He was recruited by one of our own and turned coat." Sain said, his words filling Lucius with brightness. "Oh thank Elimine for protecting him…" Lucius said, sighing heavily at the revelation that his friend lives.
"Hey, Lucius!" yelled a man from the hall, before stepping into the room.
It was Raven, greeting his friend and newfound allies. "We're with Caelin now, so come with me to the throne room so we can provide support!" Raven said, leaving before Lucius could ask him what changed his heart. "I suppose I should go along with him, I must also remember to give my thanks to whomever turned his heart…" Lucius mumbled to himself, then followed the red-haired man.
"Oh great, they all get to go while we're stuck here babysitting some guards…" Sain said to no one in particular, while Zyre was discussing something with the guards. Sain was pulled out of his thoughts involving Lady Lyndis and Sir Mark being unfair to a knight as noble as himself by a chill running down his spine.
Looking to his left, he found Zyre pulling his horse towards himself. "Zyre, what the hell are you doing?" "Preparing your horse to ride, what else?" Sain was visibly irritated by this revelation, and decided to confront him about it. "You DO realize we're under orders from a Lord to stay, right?"
"Yes, and? I've already handled the task I was given by Hector, so we should be free to leave." Zyre looked back at the castle guard, with Sain following suit, who all took a step back as Zyre smiled at them. "See? They promised me to stay put and not try to retaliate." Zyre said with an honest smile on his face.
"Uh...huh. And what did you promise them?" Sain asked, feeling the same chill as earlier. "Oh that? I promised not to break their fingers and hands! It's really effective, Y'know?"
"I… I really don't…" Sain said, fear overtaking the chills. Zyre leaned close to Sain, who responded by pulling back. "Listen, it was an empty threat, I wouldn't actually do that… At worst I'd sprain their legs so they couldn't walk for a while." Zyre finished, then went back to tending to the horse.
'For a dangerous man, he sure has a way with animals...' Sain thought to himself as he watched his horse calmly stand after having it's armor taken off, fur petted and brushed, and the armor put back on. "You've taken quite good care of this horse Sain, it makes me think somewhat higher of you, but not much."
Chuckling to himself, Zyre mounted the horse, and patted it's rear, waiting for Sain to join him. "Uh, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Sain asked, his previously forgotten ire coming back. "Riding to witness Mark's strategy of course! What other reason do I have for leaving?" Zyre asked, earning an irritated sigh.
"You don't lead another man's horse when that man is present Zyre, you get on the back and I'll direct the horse." "But the horse likes me better…" Zyre said, beginning to dismount the horse with defeat in his voice, but the horse started walking towards the door. "He-HEY!" "SORRY SAIN, I'LL BRING HER RIGHT BACK!" Zyre exclaimed as the horse broke into a gallop.
"Bastard, wait until I get a hold of him, I swear to St. Elimine I'll…" Sain paused for a minute. "Hold on, HER? I thought my horse was a dashing stallion, not a mare! Perhaps Zyre just… had bad lighting to see properly, yes that must've been it…"
Sain said before leaning against a wall, not attempting to catch the horse, and it's (unintentional) rider.
After calming the horse down to a quick trot, Zyre readied his weapons, not knowing whether he'll be needed or not. 'I sure hope Hector can be a reasonable man when it comes to my explanation...' Zyre thought to himself, not knowing how the Lord would react to him deserting his assigned post.
Arriving before the Throne Room, Zyre dismounted the horse and smacked it's rear to get her to run back to Sain. Approaching the door, Zyre felt a twinge of adrenaline surge through his body. He knew what this meant, and braced his hands against the door.
He was glad he did, as right when he braced himself, the door flew off it's hinges.
Skidding a few feet backwards, Zyre could feel his arms strain under the pressure pressing against the door. Whoever did this was instantly added to his 'Never Piss Off' list. When the force finally faded, the door fell to the ground with a heavy thud, and underneath it was the enemy commander, much to Zyre's surprise (and horror, as the man was HUGE, even bigger than the man he had faced outside the Castle).
"That's that then, eh? So much for the commander of Laus!" A voice boomed. It was a certain Lord. 'Yep, definitely on the list...' Zyre said under his breath.
Zyre faked anger towards the Lord. "Geez Hector! Were you planning on taking me out with him?!" he asked, hoping to soften the fact that he disobeyed orders.
Hector seemed shocked at the man standing above the commander, but he was quickly angered. "Maybe I was! You were the one who decided to come here against my orders!" 'Ah well, it was worth a shot...' Zyre then thought of something else to end the Lord's anger.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, but I DID save your life. Twice. I also handled the guards, so we should probably send someone to retrieve them..." Zyre said, walking by Hector, who had a defeated look on his face."You didn't... kill them, did you?" he asked, his voice cautious. "What kind of man do you take me for, Hector? I simply made them promise me not to pursue the commander." He said, continuing to move passed the axeman.
"I'll tell Lowen to ride to Sain then, and then we'll check on Lord Hausen along with Lyn... Something tells me there's more to this war than just Laus' Marquess being a power hungry fool..." Hector said before moving towards the cavalier.
"It would seem that the Rash Lord isn't as stupid as others would let you to believe... That's good..." Zyre then began to search for a healer for his fractured arms.
Good Gods, this took WAY too long for me to write, and it's the shortest chapter yet! If you've read my profile, then you may have guessed what happened to me, and if you haven't, I'll tell you right now. I had a severe flare-up with my depression. It was so bad that I just curled up into a ball on my couch and just sat there, and waited. I didn't want to do anything, and I seriously thought that I might've done something really stupid during that time... But I didn't, so now I have to work my ass off to get chapter 4 out before another several weeks go by... As always, have a nice day, R&R, and until next chapter, Kerota, out.