I own nothing. Fire Emblem is owned by Nintendo and Dishonoured is owned by Bethesda.
The Empress of Gristol: (Act 1)
Chapter 3: Soldier of Nohr
If Emily had to describe Nohr with a single word it would be rocky. For stone, jagged and smooth, was what she noticed the most during her journey to the capital of Nohr. The windy roads that cut into the mountains gave the princess a clear view of the typical countryside; or at least that's what her siblings told her. And that view did have fields of wheat, twisted forests and a few rivers, but stone hills were always present in these places in one way or another.
And even when they left the mountains and reached a town as night fell, most of the houses were built more with stone than timber. Though the wood that was there were mostly splattered in paint, obscuring the muted colours and giving life to the town. The villagers greeted the royals, many curious to see the Princess that had been hidden away, and the night was spent feasting. While Xander and Camila ate their fill and conversed with the mayor and nobles, Emily and Elise spent their time with the common folk and the few children that had snuck in to steal chicken legs. Leo hung between the two despite his best at trying to stay in the corner of the room; his brother introducing him to the local mage talent and his sister pulling and teasing him into the feasting at large.
All through the merriment, Gunter and Jakob kept to their roles. Both stayed at Lady Emily's side; one dispensing advice and caution about drink and the other testing drink and food for nefarious intentions. While Lilith, Flora and Felecia drank and ate on the orders of their mistress to 'let their hair down'. While the brunet whole heartedly feasted on pork and potatoes, the other two maids kept the village centre from being too much of a pig sty; even after many of the villagers left, some with another's husband or wife in their arms.
By the time the morning came and the royal convey continued on its way, Emily was nursing a headache; humming the songs that she had sung and traded with the citizens of Nohr. She had received some snark from Leo and critique from Xander, but both brothers knew that their sister was having the time of her life. That joyous high she was on lasted for most of the journey, even though she never experienced another feast of that calibre at their other stops at civilisation.
For despite the grit that filled the many cracks of the land shrouded in darkness, the dark-harried princess couldn't help but fall in love with the Kingdom of Nohr. The hardened nature of the rural views had a charm to them, like a grandfather who had spent his years in the service and had a real cynicism and crassness that made him loveable no matter how hard he scowled. And the few people she had met and seen seemed to show the range of the best people the land had to offer, in her eyes. From the poor, hardworking every-man who kept his decency and wit to the nobility who held honour in the highest while being slightly show offish and mischievous. These may be in fact the minority and there were no doubt less savoury characters out there, but Emily thought of those when her country came to mind and that filled her with honour of being the royalty to these dark lands.
Despite that, the princess could not deny the unease that she felt when she first laid her eyes on the capital of Nohr, Windmire. From the hill the convoy was trudging down, you could see that the sky over the city was truly thick with darkness; as if the stars had died and thus scared off the moon and sun. Stone was present, in the form of the many walls that divided the expansive city, and its colour was darker than coal. So dark that any light that tried to glow from the buildings or streets were dulled by the shadows the walls cast.
When they reached the main gate, Emily saw the soldiers that kept a guard of the gate house and noticed how their faces bore no character. Not even a hardened look or even a comically evil glare, just blank slates that had no life inside of them. This didn't just apply to the armed guards, for as the royals entered Windmire you could see the same lifelessness in the faces of the poor in rags. Emily had never seen such destitution, even though she had spied homes of vassals that looked like they could collapse at any second on her journey. In this section of the capital, they had collapsed. Its inhabitants scurried away from the royals like rats and those who stayed did so out of hunger.
Even when they exited the slums, the dark-haired princess noticed how different everything was from the numerous villages she had visited. The architecture was sharper and more monochrome, reminding the princess of the fortress she had spent her days in. And with more wealth came more life, but the only footsteps that could be heard were of soldiers that had joined their convoy. The people of the city seemed to have retreated in doors, out of their own free will or not was something that Emily couldn't tell.
She looked at Lilith, who was still in the caravan with her, and she could see how uncomfortable she was. The princess wagered that her other retainers felt the same and that her siblings weren't affected because they were just used to it.
Soon the royals passed through the final wall, which circled around the castle of Windmire that was positioned at the bottom of a cenote, called Krakenburg. The deep, circular pit that housed a lake at the bottom was covered with years of Nohrian stone work. Lining the slope where platoon houses, smithies and other buildings of war that each had burning fires that gave the hole in the ground light. Bridges crossed the gap of the pit along with circular platforms, all of them hanging over the tall castle that had been founded on engineered land in the middle of the cenote's lake. Despite all the light that burned and flickered, the darkness was at its strongest in this damp place.
Half way down the cenote were the stables that the convoy stopped at, marking the end of their journey. Lilith slowly crawled out of the caravan and got to work, taking each of the horses used during the journey and finding them a place in the stables. Flora did the same, dropping down from her horse with Jakob, she guided Camila's wyvern to its personal stable.
Emily leapt out of her caravan and before she hit the ground, her butler was at her side. "Milady," began Jakob as he bowed. "It seems that King Garon is waiting for you in the castle courtyard."
"Thank you, Jakob," replied the princess in a calm tone. She turned away from the silver-haired butler, who had moved in to straighten his mistress' coat that she wore over her black and white armour. She gazed up and down the walls of the cenote, drinking in the foreboding atmosphere. Having been here once before in her child days, she knew that the bleakness of the city hadn't been this bad. And if it could get this bad, a part of her was dreading her encounter with her father.
She barely remembered him, but Garon's deeds had reached her lonely fortress from the lips of her siblings and they did not paint a flattering. Cruelty was the most told tale, though Xander sometimes called them firm decisions. But the main fact that made the king out as very cruel was the very decision to keep Emily in the Northern Fortress. An act that had many explanations, but the one most gossiped—and the one the princess believed in—was that Garon loved Emily the leased and wanted her out of his sight.
She was interrupted from her thoughts by Elise, who was tugging on her arm with a wild smile on her face. "Come on, Emmy! Father's waiting!" Smiling back at her excited sister, the dark-haired princess took one last glance at the castle below before she followed her little sister. Felicia and Jakob followed suit along with Gunter, who was still on his trusty horse. They went down a wide passage that had been carved into the side of the cenote that lead to floor below. This lead to stairs that went to the gate house that was on the bridge that lead to the front door of the castle.
Xander, Camila and Leo were further ahead of Emily and Elise; the former dragging her heals while her little sister ran ahead. The blonde stopped, turned and waved her arms at her sister; oblivious to the unease that was present. With her retainers at her heels, she sped up her pace and was soon in the main hall of Windmire castle.
There was certainly a glamour to these stone halls that were lined with marble and gold. The fire light gleamed off statues and suits of armour in a way that made it feel like they had eyes that were watching your every move. And despite the amount of light and the life that lined the halls, whether they were guards or maids, shadows still reigned over the rooms and the celling was still lost in darkness.
They soon reached the courtyard and it was very large. The floor had white and black checkers, barring a square in the centre that was sunk further into the ground and had to be reached by steps. On the over side of this space, atop more steps that lead to another level of the yard, was the King himself.
He has an old, wrinkled face with eyes that were circled by shadow. Atop his head was an iron crown of black thorns that sat atop white hair that was tied back. The rest of his hair was a massive white beard that had a single strip of black where a goatee would be. Dressed in armour similar to Leo and Xander, he sported a large white coat that was lined with fur and a large black collar. But the first thing that Emily noticed about him, besides his strong presence, was that there was not a shred of love in his black eyes as they gazed back at his daughter.
The siblings gathered at the base of the steps that their father was on and waited for him to talk. It took a short while as he glared at them all like a lion observing its pack, until he finally spoke in low yet booming voice. "I see you made it here safely, Emily."
Kneeling down, the dark-haired princess responded to her father calmly. "Yes, Father. Long have I wished to see you and visit Castle Krakenburg again." She nervously chuckled, adding, "It feels like I'm in a dream…"
"It is only thanks to your diligence that you are here." Grunted the King in a cold tone. "I am told that you are now a warrior that is almost on par with Xander." Said High Prince nodded, but didn't say anything. "You finally possess the strength to be an instrument of Nohr's power in the world." And with how he talked, an instrument was all he seemed to value Emily.
Her older sister suddenly pipped up. "Father, I am still worried about that masked man that attacked our poor Emily all those years ago. We hunt him, but he has vanished and may try and strike again."
"Yeah," joined in Elise. "And the fact he had the same mark as her is super weird and creepy. We can't let him hurt Emmy."
Said sister they were concerned for gave them a casual wave of her arm. "Please, sisters. If I'm on par with Xander, then I can take that creep no problem."
The King, as if he ignored most of the words given by his daughters, turned his gaze upon the mage. "Leo, have you made any discovery of the mark's origins."
Bowing, the straw-haired royal answered his father concisely. "The only thing we know is that the mark has only been found on the Dragon Gate, father. Nor can we recreate it to the same affect, besides the seal troubadours use to summon staves." Elise waved her own palm to provide an example.
"Very well," spoke Garon; dismissing his son without any thanks. "Emily, show me the mark." Still knelt, the princess complied with her King's orders and removed the glove from her left hand. She raised that hand and made the mark glow. The old ruler didn't say anything at first, as he gazed at the mark with scrutiny. He then made a small gesture to his daughter to stand, which she complied with instantly.
"Emily," he began in a commanding tone; the voice used to address a solider. "As you know, Nohr is at war with the eastern kingdom of Hoshido." The princess nodded. "We of the royal family are descendants of the ancient gods, the First Dragons. As inheritors of that divine strength, we conquer those who oppose of with ease." There was finally a smile that graced his cracked lips, as he imagined fields of beaten warriors. "One who learns to wield that power can destroy and entire army of common troops." With the smile gone, Garon gestured to the prince and princess the surrounded Emily. "Xander, Camila and Leo have already shown they possess this power…" The little blonde didn't look at her father. "…I except no less from you."
The dark-haired princess did not falter under her King's glare as she stared back at him. "I am aware of your expectations, Father." She said in a voice that did not bore her usual tone, but a tone that was firm like her older brother. "And I have trained every single day to become more like my siblings. I will not let you down."
The King's face was unreadable after hearing those words, his eyes disappearing for a few seconds into the darkness that surrounds them. "Hmm…you, and your mark, show promise. But you need a suitable weapon in order to serve Nohr."
Shifting his royal robe, he raised his pointy fingers and a purple mist suddenly appeared in front of the princess. From the mist came a spinning sword that stopped when its visage solidified. It was black and had molten cracks that glowed along with the purple mist that still clung to its edges. All the royals could do was stare at it in amazement.
"This is Ganglari, a sword infused with magic from another world beyond the Dragon Gate." Explained the king as he lowered his arm to his side. With this sword at your side, you will crush the Hoshidan army with ease."
Emily stepped back with a smile on her face, glad that her father was gracing her with a weapon. She reached out and grabbed the handle.
No, no more! Not again!
Mommy!
Nooo!
Get away from her!
CORVO!
The princess gasped. She couldn't help herself, for those voices had been so loud and had sounded so real. Her blood was also flaring as if it was on fire, boiling inside of her painfully. Despite that, she still stood tall and besides the noise she had made, it looked like nothing had happened.
"Emily, darling, is there something wrong?"
The princess, not wanting to cause a scene, turned and grinned at her older sister. "Nope, nothing at all, sis!"
"Then why are you crying?"
Baffled, the dark-haired princess raised her free hand to one of her cheeks and indeed there were dribbles of water. She quickly rubbed them away, still smiling, and explained, "Wow, I guess I'm happier than I realised." She turned back to her father and bowed, trying not to show her face to him. "Thank you for this generous gift, Father." All the while she kept her tone at a normal level while coping with the pain inside of her.
As if he hadn't noticed anything, Garon spoke in the same tone as before. "Now, let us see you put that sword to its proper use…" He looked across the room and barked at a random guard. "Bring out the prisoners!"
All the royal siblings turned at these words; Emily using this time to allow her to put the sword on her belt. The moment her hand wasn't touching the hilt, her blood settled. Flexing her sword arm, she focused her vision on the six prisoners that were being dragged in.
"These are prisoners from our most recent skirmish with Hoshido. I want to see your power with my own eyes."
"Alright…"
"…"
"…"
"…Would that be my dragon blood power or my mark power?"
King Garon rolled his eyes. "Both, in that order."
Emily risked a smile at her father before she turned her attention to the courtyard. Looking down at the square floor in the middle, she saw that there was a square structure that had collapsed into itself. More importantly, as she cast her mind out, she could sense a dragon vein just a few steps before her. In fact, she swore she could see green sparks now that it was on her radar.
Stepping forward into the sparks, she mimicked what her brother did atop the Northern Fortress and raised her mark-free hand in the air. She could feel her blood reacting to the dragon vein, though it wasn't as painful as wielding Ganglari, and fire started appearing in her hand. The feeling was quite rejuvenating as a warmth filled her body from tip to toe. It was also comforting to know, even though she never had any real doubts before, that she truly was royalty and a part of this family.
The fireball shot from her hand and went straight to the centre of the courtyard. The fire covered the derby that lay broken on the ground and melted it into dust in seconds; leaving an empty floor that was glowing with healing blue aura.
"Whoa! That was amazing, Lady Emily!"
The Princess almost jumped out of her skin, for she had forgotten that her retainers and guard captain were still at hand. "Felicia is quite right," spoke the silver haired butler that was armed with a smile. "A jolly good show, ma'am."
"Quite," agreed Gunter in his nicest tone. "That enclave you've excavated will serve us well. Your father has armed these prisoners in hopes of a show."
"Well then…" she said as her lips widened into a mischievous grin. "…Let's give him the best show we can. But first..." She turned her head to her left. "Jakob! My climbing bandana, if you please."
"Excuse me! Are you even listening?"
"Huh?" Emily looked in the direction of the rough, booming voice. Her eyes soon found the speaker. She was a blonde haired woman that wore a horned-mask with red feathers, though it seemed to serve as a headband rather than a proper mask. There were wavy tattoos under her fiery eyes and she wore a necklace or large, black pearls. Her garb resembled bandages, mainly in the chest area, and she had an exposed midriff that showed off her tanned skin. "Did you say something?" Asked the princess.
"I said that I am Rinkah!" Roared the warrior. "Daughter of—"
"I have your bandana here, Lady Emily."
"Oh, thank you, Jakob." The princess took the purple cloth with a gold fang pattern from her butler's outstretched hand. "Sorry… please continue," apologised the Nohrian; pausing as she donned her bandana around her neck.
Angrily, Rinkah continued. "I am the Daughter of the Flame Tribe's honourable chieftain!" The Oni Savage raised the brass-handled club she sports and pointed it at the dark-haired lady. "What is your name, Nohrian princess?"
Said princess gave a very theatrical bow to the tanned woman and gave her answer in a polite tone, despite her frivolous display. "My name is Emily, o'honourable princess of the Flame Tribe."
"Emily?"
The new voice's owner was far to the right of Rinkah, and he was a green-haired man that wore a purple scarf and a thin, black headband. You could see his chiselled abs from an opening of his rags, which did draw the princess' eyes down for a moment. However, the look of surprise in his grey eyes made the Nohrian truly curious. "Yes, that is my name. Have you heard of me?"
The man closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, they had steeled themselves like the tone of his introduction. "I am Kaze, a ninja of Hoshido." He pulled out a strange, foreign looking knife from his belt and dropped into a combat stance. "Show me what you can do."
Emily did a brief scan of the other prisoners; noting two plain clothed samurai that were stationed behind the two officers, as it were. "Very well, Kaze," she replied as she raised and lowered her bandana and hood, respectively. "A show is what you will get."
And with that, she disappeared. The Hoshidans were not the only one perturbed by this event; most notable example being Elise's squeals of 'Where is she?' The ninja's eyes moved faster than an arrow and could pierce the shadows like one to, but even he could not find the princess. "Rinkah, Koda, fall in! I can't see her! We need to regroup before she tries to flank us!"
Koda, the samurai who stood near Rinkah, readied his katana as he made to move across the room. The Oni Savage was one step ahead of him. So much so that she managed to sweep Koda's legs with her club—
"What!?"
Before he had time to process what happened, the tanned warrior was upon him. Luckily, the other samurai had stepped in and blocked Rinkah's overhead swing. Kaze stepped back swiftly, his grey eyes fixating on his suddenly treacherous ally. His ally who, he noted, had lost the flame in her eyes to a black void.
The defending samurai was forced backwards as the black-eyed Hoshidan broke his guard. At that moment, the Nohrian princess appeared before Rinkah; who's eyes had returned to normal. The samurai was unprepared for her appearance, nor the kick she gave him that knocked him into Kaze. As they both fell to the ground, Emily began to walk back to her family and servants; an unmistakable smirk creasing her bandana. The Oni Savage did not attempt to pursue her, for she was taken by nausea and was vomiting onto the floor.
"Before we really begin," shouted the princess as she slowly walked past one of the enclave's openings. "I have a question for you, Father. Not that I don't appreciate this sword you have given me, but why does it boil my blood when I hold it?"
The King was not the one who answered, for his eyes where now completely shadowed after witnessing the mark's power. Leo was the one who responded as he nonchalantly strolled to his sister, being the only sibling who had not been stunned by Emily's display. "Whatever do you mean, sister?"
To answer, she grabbed Ganglari by its hilt—wincing upon contact—and threw the sword at her brother. He caught it with his armoured fingers and pain almost made him drop it. "Hells bells! My blood! I feel like its burning me!"
"I know, right?" Instead of commenting on her brother's choice of swear words, she raised and made her mark glow; its light still visible behind the glove. Wisps of shadows that had the texture of oil sprung around her left arm, her marked arm. From those vapours came a grey, scaly hand that snatched Ganglari from the mage—who was not fazed at all by this. It dragged the weapon across the short space between Leo and Emily and disappeared at the half way mark. Catching the sword and quickly sheaving it, the princess then looked at her father just as the shadows left his eyes.
"Ganglari taps into your dragon blood to grant strength." He explained, curtly. "The pain is a trifling price to pay for the power it grants you." He then made a sweeping gesture with both his hands, as if was about to conduct and orchestra. "Instead of whining like a child, let the pain sharpen your senses! Go, show me floors spilt with the blood of Hoshido!"
The way he spoke sent a chill down her spine, talking as if he wanted her to kill these prisoners. Emily knew that he was a cruel man, but she did not believe that the man who helped birth Xander would be so needlessly…evil. There was no other word for it.
After curtsying once more, she began to move to Gunter's side. "Leo, could you hold Jakob's and Felicia's hands?" Nodding quietly, plus eye-roll, the straw-haired royal quickly grabbed the servants' fingers. They exchanged puzzled looks, not wanting to question their ladies' orders.
The mage sighed as he felt the eyes of the other siblings on his back. "Emily is planning on using her time spell," he explained aloud, testily. "By me holding your hands, I am sparing you of its effects. This is probably so she can give orders without the prisoners overhearing."
"Yes, yell that, why don't you." Grumpily muttered the princess as she grabbed the reigns of Gunter's horse. "Maybe a little louder next time; make sure that people across the border can hear our plans."
She did not wait for her brother to deliver a witty comeback. Instead, she raised her marked hand and drained the colour out of the room. Time did not grind to a complete halt, proven by Rinkah slowly rising to her feet; the sickness having worn off. But only the royals could hear the words of the dark-haired princess, as she shared her plan with her servants.
"Felicia, you and I will engage the prisoners from the right side of the enclave. Gunter, you and Jakob shall enter the front entrance of the enclave." She made a gesture with her free hand each time, illustrating the plan of attack. "I will try and bait Rinkah into charging us. Shouldn't be too hard, since she comes from a tribe of hot heads. If they follow her lead, I will teleport behind them and you, Felicia, shall take the brunt of the attack while I flank them."
"A-are you sure, Lady Emily?" Asked the brunet, tentatively.
"Felicia, I've told you before, you're a talented fighter. There's no need to be worried." The maid nodded and gulped at the same time, a bead of sweat tricking down her face.
"I take it that I shall prevent the prisoners from reaching the enclave?" Interjected Gunter, as he lifted a steel lance that he'd been equipped with at a time unknown to Emily. "Guard the right entrance while Jakob supports me from behind?"
"Exactly, Gunter. You will also cover us if we need to retreat inside. My dragon vein usage has charged the tiles with healing aura, so it shall heal any injury we have. However, I plan to try and force the prisoners past your entrance. If we manage to do so, you will take my place and I shall then guard their left. Ultimately, I want to force them to the front entrance of the enclave. This is where you, Jakob, shall stop them from using the front so we can box them in. I want them on their knees in that exact spot." She made her final indication at a spot that was a few feet away from the enclave and in line with her father's current positon. "Is that clear?"
"It's quite clear that your plan is needlessly convoluted," commented Leo; disapproval dripping from every word. "What's the point in forcing the position of the prisoners when you can cut them down once you've flanked them?"
"Come now, Leo," replied the dark-haired princess; grinning widely. "A show needs conflict to make it interesting! All the players need to shine on stage, especially these poor saps. Give them a fighting chance before we throw them into cells."
"Sister, you—"
"Indeed, Lady Emily," said Jakob as he gave a small bow. "We are ready to serve. Or at least, Felicia and I are." The butler glanced at Gunter, his eyes narrowing into beads. "This old fossil, however, may need to stay back. His arm looks like its straining under the weight of that lance."
"I may be slightly rusty…," replied the veteran in a calm tone. "…but I am in more shape to serve our lady than you are, Jakob. Stop yapping and get ready to support me. Felicia!" The brunet almost dropped the knife she had pulled from her sleeve at the sound of her name. "Do you understand your orders?"
"Y-yes, Gunter." She gulped; trying to contain her nerves. "Shall w-we get going, Lady Emily?"
"Yes." With that, colour returned to the world. Leo released the servants of his sisters and returned to his original position. The prisoners, now released from the spell, were scrambling together; unaware of what the Nohrian princess had done to the flow of time. The samurai were together on the right side of the courtyard, one rubbing his bruised leg. His unwitting attacker, Rinkah, had finished puking on the floor. The ninja, Kaze, was at her side with a helping hand outstretched. The tanned woman smacked that hand away, getting up under her own steam that was practically billowing out of her ears.
"I don't need you help!" She barked.
"As per usual," replied the ninja; smiling softly in relief. "At least the spell she put on you is gone."
"But how did she do it? I saw no tome, but she still managed to get inside of me."
"It was really quite easy."
The Hoshidan officers turned towards the sound of the voice; that being the princess, who was standing by the right entrance of the enclave with her maid in toe. "Possession is an effective spell on those of weak will," spoke Emily in frivolous tone.
The fire in the Oni Savage's eyes burned like miniature suns as she gritted her teeth and clutched her club like she was strangling the princess before her. "You dare mock me!"
"No, I'm more mocking your Fire Tribe." The hooded royal stretched her arms and yawned. "I mean, if you're the daughter of the chieftain—the smouldering princess, if you will—your people must be a sorry lot if you are their best."
The furnace reached its peak, reeking animosity and contempt for the one who slandered her. But Rinkah, instead of erupting, plateaued her rage. The flames were still writhing, but a douse of unexpected control tempered the fury of the Oni Savage. She smiled a toothy smile, showing teeth that were sharp like a canine's. "Ah…I see. You almost had me, trickster. But I won't commit the same mistake twice."
"Aw, shucks." The princess clapped, while inside she was swearing internally. "I had you pegged all wrong, my apologies." She took a moment to consider where she went wrong. "I guess calling your tribe the wrong name on purpose was too obvious?"
"That was on purpose?" Replied the Oni Savage. "I just credited that to how stupid most Nohrian women are."
This remark was responded by the smallest princess. "Hey!" Shouted Elise, her cheeks puffed out in indignation. "That's not very nice!"
Emily turned her head around. "Elise, she's just trying to bait me like I tried to bait her. And poor—"
"Emily, look out!"
The princess quickly brought her focus back to the battle, thanks to her maid that had jumped to her aid. For Kaze, while Rinkah reversed the Nohrians strategy, had closed the distance with light footsteps. If Felecia hadn't blocked the flying shuriken, the ninja would have scored a hit.
Before the iron star hit the floor, the Oni Savage had followed the lead of her fellow fighter. With a thunderous charge, she was brandishing her club that—due to some presumed magic—was billowing with fire and flame. Rinkah swung for the maid, who was already in an awkward position, and managed to strike a fiery blow. The brunet yelped in pain as she lurched back, forcing the princess to also move back. Her garb was tarnished by the flames, specifically her right shoulder, and blood was drying in the heat. But without raising a hand, the scion of the Ice Tribe summoned a chilly wind that extinguished the flames.
With battle now upon her, Emily cleared her mind of everything besides the enemies in front of her. She pulled Ganglari from her belt, wincing as her blood began to boil once more, and moved to guard her maid. Kaze was now on the assault with his sharp knife. The princess easily deflected the main strike, but she felt something slice at her armoured arm. The ninja stepped back so fast that he was almost a blur. He flicked his left wrist to shake off the few drops of blood on his wrist blade. "A ninja's blade may not cut deep, but it can sap you of your strength." He closed his eyes for a brief second before he revealed two jewels that sharper than diamonds. "Your death need not come all at once."
The brunet, who had seen the sneak attack herself, opened up her right palm to reveal the same mark that Elise had. It glowed blue and, within seconds, a healing stave appeared in her hand. She waved in a circular motion at her mistress and her poisoned wound was healed.
"Thanks, Felecia," replied the royal. She did not look at her maid to say this. Instead, she was watching the samurai fall in line with their officers; their katanas poised and ready. Emily motioned to her maid to fall back, the both of them slowly backing away from the four advancing Hoshidans. Despite the beginning mishap, it seemed like the plan was proceeding smoothly. She raised her marked hand and…nothing happened. Well that's not true. There was no yellow glow that burned through her mark, but she was feeling an emptiness that she had neglected to notice. The feeling of her magical stamina being bone dry. "Shit."
She had not time to panic, for the Oni Savage was taking a swing for her head. Emily dogged the fiery club with a simple back step, but when one of the samurai followed up his superior she used the magical sword parry the thrusting blade. With the brief bit of room she had, she yelled out to all her supporters, saying, "Guys, I'm bone dry! We need a change of plan!"
"I thought as much."
Kaze was the first to react to the voice on his left, the one that came from the enclave, and was the one who received an armoured kick to the face. Gunter charged past the booted ninja and swiftly thrusted his spear at one of the samurai. He gravely wounded the solider as he charged past, said solider dropping his weapon.
As a fountain began to fall down his arm, the samurai ran blindly in a panicked frenzy. He made it up the steps of the enclave where he was graced with good fortune. As his feet touched the blue-lighted tiles, the blood he had lost returned to his wound. He watched in awe as his wound closed shut, without any pain, and he was in jubilation when he realised that all of his injuries were gone. However, his luck was terminated by the armoured hand that forcefully spun his around.
"This space is for my lady, not you, whelp."
The trained samurai tried to throw a punch at the silver haired butler, but Jakob's knife had already slashed into his side. He yelled in pain, unable to prevent the Nohrian from throwing him near the bottom entrance of the enclave. Though his wound was quickly healed, the samurai was soon robbed of consciousness when the butler backhanded him down the steps.
The remaining Hoshidans were quick to funnel into the enclave to escape the knighted horseman's flanking. Leading the group was Rinkah and she wasted no time and charged the butler. The last samurai and ninja were protecting their rear, which was being assaulted by the knight and maid. Meanwhile, Emily was running around the corner of the enclave; cursing to herself for not keeping tabs on her manna. The only way for her to recharge was to wait and rest…or is it?
She recalled the words of the Outsider as her eyes fell upon the used dragon vein; its green glow now lighter and fainter than before. The hooded-royal, once she reached the vein in good time, knelt down and touch the green aura with her marked hand. Instantaneously, the green dissipated and a new feeling washed over her body alongside her boiling blood. Her mark glowed brightly; not as bright as usual, but just enough for the Princess to cast a few more spells.
Standing straight, she spied the brawl between her butler and the savage; said tanned woman having missed the servant's head by a few inches. Emily, with her hand raised, focused her attention to the space behind the Hoshidan warrior. Within a few seconds, she blinked from the vein to the blue tiles behind Rinkah. The Flame Tribe member did not notice the princess until her blade had cut into her back. Roaring in pain, she was forced forward into a fist to the stomach at the curtsey of Jakob. He then grabbed her arm and threw her down the steps, though she didn't lose consciousness.
"Lady Emily, there is no need for you to continue soiling your hands with this filth." Said the butler as he twirled one of knives in his hand. He flashed a smile at his master, his other hand resting on his chin as he closed his eyes like he was in prayer. "Please, relax and leave the rest of the fighting to us."
"Yeah! We've got this!" As the brunet said these confidant words, she had disarmed the last samurai; who cuts covered with frost all over his limbs. The Hoshidan popsicle could do nothing to stop the maid from kicking him in the abdomen. He stumbled back, too cold and numb to recognise pain, and Jakob was the one who grabbed him and threw him towards his beaten brethren. Rinkah, who had one foot on the steps, had to doge as the samurai tumbled down and landed next to his fellow, unconscious warrior.
"Excellent work, Felicia." Complemented the butler; who had dropped his smile back to a slight sneer. "If only your domestic duties had the same quality as your combat skills. You wouldn't be such a terrible maid."
"Hey!" Complained the Ice Tribe scion, who couldn't really fight against his claim so she said no more.
"Focus, you two!" Barked Gunter. "We are still in a battle!"
Where they? The samurai were well and truly beaten, and the officers weren't faring well either. Kaze, while having managed to make the knight drop his lance, was sporting sword slash after sword slash; for a new one was given when it was healed by the blue aura. The constant pain was forcing him back, distracting him to the point where he didn't notice the person behind him. Emily, who had decided to not follow her butler's suggestion, wrapped her arms around his waist. Before he could register this, she spun on her heels and threw the man off his feet. He landed gingerly on the top of steps that Rinkah had climbed, the tanned-woman clutching her bleeding side.
Before her injury could fully heal, Felicia pulled out two daggers and yelled, "Here goes nothing!" A cold wind began to swirl around her and she threw her daggers it became a surge of frost. One dagger missed Kaze's left thigh, but Rinkah's reopened and she roared in pain. However, both of them were blown off their feet by the blast of cold air that followed the two knives. They flew over their beaten comrades and joined them on the ground.
While Gunter cantered past his fellows and lady to secure the beaten prisoners, Emily was patting her maid on the back. "Excellent work, Felicia! You truly are a marvel in battle."
"Aw, your too kind, milady" nervously replied the brunet; who was blushing madly. "I'm not that good. To be honest, I was expecting to mess that manoeuvre up."
"You did miss your mark on the ninja," remarked the silver-haired man; an ugly shade of jealously tainting his face. "Very sloppy of you. But that is to be excepted." The blush from the maid's face vanished and was replaced by shame and despair.
"Jakob!" interjected the princess as she frowned at her butler. "Lay off the woman and give her the credit she deserves. Jealously suits no one, so fix your attitude, mister."
"My apologies, Lady Emily." He bowed low, low as you could possible go while standing. "I will try and improve my behaviour from now on." He waited for her reply, but all he heard was the tapping of his mistress' boots and the heat of her glare on his neck. Sighing, he turned to his fellow servant and bowed to her; just not as low as before. "A-and I apologise for my comments, Felicia." She did not notice the begrudging tone he spoke in, for she pepped up instantly.
Emily rolled her eyes but did not comment. Instead, she and her retainers made their way to their Hoshidan foes. The officers were still conscious, along with the frost bitten samurai, and had staggered to their feet. They could not back away from the oncoming princess, who had lowered her battle head wear, for the mounted knight was at their back. With their current injuries and that one of their breather had been knocked out cold, the Hoshidans knew that their time had come.
The ninja was the first to fall to his knees as the cold he still felt began to weaken his ligaments. The others followed suit like dominos; the fire in Rinkah's eyes now dwindling. Kaze had his eyes closed once more, but there was now a sullen crease across his brow. "So this is how it ends…"
"Oh, stop being so mopey." The green-haired man was slow to point his sight at the Nohrian princess; who had sheathed her mystical blade so she could brandish a cheeky smile. "Considering the circumstances, you fought as best as you could and excided my expectations. But you all are still heading back to your cells. And unless Hoshido pays for your ransom, you'll be staying there for a long—"
"Stop babbling, you idiot girl! Finish them!"
It took a moment for Emily to register that these words had come from her father. It took longer for her to notice that her four siblings were exchanging looks at themselves and her; each one bearing a different variant of discomfort. And it took looking up at the King's eyes, seeing the hunger and thirst, for Emily to realise what she was being asked to do.
It was as if the maid twins had stroked her spine with a cold finger each. But unlike the days of the Northern Fortress, there was no warmth from the person who chilled her bones. That person who she had heard stories about, many cruel stories from the mouths of her own siblings. But there had been a few, told by her oldest brother, that talked about a man who was harsh yet honourable. Emily could see no honour in what she was being ordered to do.
"But, Father…Why?"
The King's face tightened and a menacing aura began to emanate from his very being. "You dare question me!?" Boomed his thundering voice; his words carrying the impact of a sharp axe.
However, the dark-haired princess parried those words; her will surging though her as she interrupted the old royal. "I do, Father! There is no point in killing enemies when they're this helpless, especially when you gain more with their life intact." She pointed at the Flame Tribe warrior. "She is practically Tribal royalty! A few digits lower than a King's ransom, at best—"
"I will not argue this point!" Bellowed Garon with the strength of a fell dragon. "Draw your sword and cut them down!"
Her will seemed to shrivel as the very heat of the order continued to wash over her. Without thinking, her hand reached for Ganglari and began to pull it out of its sheath.
Corvo…
Her sword half-drawn, the princess paused as a familiar voice graced her ear drums; a voice that sounded like it was coming from a great distance away. Her eyes went out of focus, along with the world around them, as she continued to listen…
…why didn't you kill them?
…That is not a question a child should be asking.
I don't care, I really want to know. You could have blown their heads off in two seconds flat. Mother asked you to do your best—
I gave my best. It's much harder to keep your opponents alive than to drop them like flies.
So you were just showing off?
No. There was no need to kill people over a pointless quarrel.
But they said they hated mother! How is sparing them the best thing to do?
It's not, Emily. It is the right thing to do.
The princess slid back into reality as fast as she had left it; one where her blood was boiling and her nerves where shaky. Though these voices were a new type of haunting, she had mastered the art of waking from dreams and nightmares as discreetly as possible. But inside, her mind was scrambling to make sense of those faint words. In particular, she was trying to recall the tones of the second voice. The voice of Corvo…
"Emily!"
Her head snapped to the join call of her sisters. Both of them were watching with pure worry in their eyes as the merciless aura continued to build from the King. It was in that moment, gazing at Elise and Camila, that she knew what to do.
She pushed Ganglari back into place and turned away from her father.
Xander, who had kept quite during this whole affair, let out a sharp gasp as he felt the King's anger peak. In that brief moment, fear tried to bleed onto his face of stone as he watched his little sister walk far to the side of the prisoners. But he couldn't speak or show weakness, not in front of his father; who was signalling a guard to attack the disobedient child…?
Leo was the first to spot what was about to happen. And even then, he could have never seen this coming. The mark glowing on Emily's hand had suggested something mundane to the mage. A rash judgement.
From the yellow brand, water began to crawl out and slink up her arm in a spiral pattern. Once it covered everything from the tips to the shoulder blades, the water began to twist itself around her armoured limb at the pace of a torrent. The air was soon filled with a low growl, one that managed to challenge the dominating presence of the King in terms of its bite. Garon was forced to pause as his eyes became shadowed in darkness once more.
But even he could not anticipate the screaming that glided through his ears like broken glass. Elise had to hold her ears as the screaming continued to build along with the growl turned roar. The others could barely stand it, but they were entranced by the second liquid that was gushing from the mark. A black, oily liquid was now tainting the spinning pattern. The two substances were colliding and battling with one another as the spun faster and faster.
The dark-haired royal was facing the Hoshidans just as Rinkah, though hurting from the sheer noise, looked into her Nohrian eyes. The blue stones held no love or compassion, even when she flicked her wrist and unleashed her storm. The veiny patterns of blue and black shot through the air like needs as it segmented into many branches of thorns. All four of the prisoners were skewered like raw meat in a blink of an eye. The ones that had been kneeling dropped into heaps, blood oozing from their motionless bodies.
The liquid veins dissolved into the air, leaving a cold silence as all the Nohrians gazed at Princess Emily. Her face was un readable as she turned to face her father. Kneeling down, looking him dead in the eyes, she spoke in a cold tone that seemed foreign coming from her lips.
"You will is done, father. They breath no more."