CHAPTER 2: A BLADE WREATHED IN SHADOW

Our footsteps echoed off the stone walls as we descended the long flight of stone stairs. It was a relatively new passage; who made it is still a mystery. The wall sconces still burn brightly, no doubt by some form of enchantment. Lucina trails behind me, but I can still tell that her hand was on Falchion's handle, ready to slash at a moments notice. I sigh and shake my head, and a small grin finds it's way onto my face as I turn my head towards Lucina, slowing my pace on the steps.

"You can relax, Princess. There won't be any Risen down here. No one but the Guardsmen know about these tunnels."

I flash her a smile to try and make her more relaxed, but her grip only tightens and her eyes narrow.

"You don't know that. The Risen can pop up out of nowhere, and if you're not on guard when that happens, you might as well have a sign hung around your neck that says 'Decapitate me!'."

I roll my eyes at this. While she is technically right, Risen can only pop up somewhere if their summoner is nearby, and in sight of where he wants them to go. However, when I let her know this, she gave me an intense glare and turned her head away.

I shrug, then turn back to steps. I figured the walk down would go faster if I started counting the steps. I was right, but as I was nearing two hundred, I was interrupted.

"What's your name?"

The suddenness of the question made me jump a little; in truth, I had forgotten Lucina was there. I turned back around to the bluenette and raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I would like to know the name of the one who...saved me."

She seemed reluctant to finish the sentence. I guess she was just so used to be the savior and not the one in distress that the very word was like a venom on her tongue. I chuckled, but answered her with a smile.

"Arke Sellith, at your service."

I even gave a little bow, which she seemed to enjoy, as I could spot the slightest of smiles flit upon her face before it quickly dissapeared.

"Well, thank you for the assistance, Arke."

"Dont mention it. All part of the job, My Lady."

Her eyebrows raised a little at this.

"Ah. So you're a Knight, then?"

I paused at this. The Stanza's of the Guardsmen, our little guidebook I guess you could call it, specifically state that we are not to tell anyone what we do, least of all the Royal Family. However, with most of the Guardsmen dead or probably dying, I don't think anyone would really care anymore. After all, I did just break the biggest rule we have; don't be seen. I decided to take a more cautious approach with this, just in case.

"Well...in a manner of speaking, yes."

Her head cocked in a queer manner as she responded to this.

"Why haven't I seen you around the castle? I know almost every guard by name, but yours...isnt ringing any bells."

My eyes dart to the left, and I turn my head back to the stairs. I have to think up an excuse, and quickly!

"Uh...well...I...I usually patrol the outside of the castle. It's usually very dark and shady out there, even during the day, so i'm not surprised you haven't spotted me."

I mentally facepalm at the stupidity of the excuse. I can practically hear her brow furrowing in suspicion.

"Right...I guess so."

For some reason or another, she didn't pry into it. If it was because she didn't care or actually bought it, i'll never know. After a few more minutes of trudging down what seemed to be these endless steps, we finally reached the bottom. In front of us appears to be a giant cavern, stalactites and stalagmites covering both the ceiling and ground as more sconces dot the walls, except these ones aren't as bright as the ones on the stairs, and give off a much more dim glow for the cavern. At the far end, I can make out what appears to be another tunnel; the way out, I presume?

However, before I can even take a single step, I hear movement. Very slight, but its there, a gentle footstep. Someone, or maybe something, is watching us...and I cant tell if its friend or foe. I hold out my arm in front of Lucina to stop her from moving forward and examine the environment with the little light I have.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

I don't answer, and instead reach into my side satchel and pull out a Rexcalibur. After my little light show and the magic is absorbed, I begin to scan the environment again, searching for even the tiniest bit of movement in the shadows.

I can feel Lucina stare at me as she moves closer to me, Falchion drawn and at the ready.

"Is someone nearby?"

As if to answer her, a small stone comes loose from a nearby boulder, and I immediately let fly a Rexcalibur at it. It's subtle, but I can see a figure dash away from the rock as my spell hits it. However, it's not that fast, thank the gods, and I manage to send a few more spells in front of the figure, stopping it in its tracks.

After the dust settles, I finally get a clear look at the figure, and have to do a double take at what I see:

A boy, no older than fifteen, with a long black Katana in his right hand with shaggy dark blue hair stands in front of us. He seems to be wearing the standard garments of an Assassin: the black hooded cape, the grey tunic with leather armor over it, some grey leather pants with some black leather greaves, a pair of black boots, and some long blacks gloves cover his hands. His outfit also seems to sport a numerous amount of pockets, more than I can count just by looking at him.

The thing that stood out the most about him was the mask; a mask of pure steel that covered pretty much the entire bottom half of his face, including his nose. The only parts you could see were his dark brown eyes, which were seemingly glinting in the low light.

I held out a palm and kept it centered towards this new arrival, ready to let loose some magic just in case. I figured we ought to try and find out if this boy is friend or foe, but before I had a chance to speak, he started darting towards us, his katana at his side and ready to strike when necessary. I quickly fling a Rexcalibur, expecting him to change direction, but he did something that I would have never expected. The fool kept running right at the spell.

When he reached the large green tornado, he slashed right through its middle with his blade. The tornado stopped dead in its tracks, and after a second or two...poof! It fell away into a green dust.

I stood in awe, staring at the kid who had taken another stance that looked like he was preparing to start dashing again. My eyes settled back onto the Katana, and that's when it hit me; it must have the power to dispel magic! Damn...this fight just got a lot harder. I stepped in front of Lucina and assumed a defensive stance, both gauntlets out, ready to counter if necessary.

"Stay back, Princess! I wont let any harm befall you!"

At this, the boy stopped his advance rather suddenly, only a few feet away from me.

"Wait...Princess?"

His voice was a little raspy and gave off a sort of echo effect, probably due to the mask, but even so...it still held that naive tone that children always seem to have.

"Is that...Princess Lucina?"

I raised an eyebrow at this. It seems like he knows the Princess somehow, but I cant say how. Lucina stepped out from behind me, Falchion drawn, and she gave the boy a once over with her eyes.

"...who is it that's asking for her?"

As soon as he heard her voice, the boy flung himself towards her and knelt at her feet, staring up at Lucina with eyes aglow in wonder. It was only then that I realized how short he was: only about five feet, give or take a couple inches.

"My Lady! I'm so glad I found you! Once I heard that the castle had been assaulted by the Risen I...I-I thought that you...that you m-might've..."

What in the world? Is the kid...crying? Just a minute ago he looked ready to gut me, but now he's crying up enough tears to make another river.

Lucina looked over to me with an extremely confused look on her face. I shrugged back to her; I was never the type of guy to deal with crying kids. Never have, never will. She looked back down at the boy and slowly started to pat his head in a reassuring manner.

"Uh...there, there, now. It's alright. Please, don't cry. Uh...what's your name?"

Immediately, the boy sprung from his knee and stood up straight tall, still sniffling from his little episode.

"R-Ryan, My Lady. Ryan Darkblade."

I scratched my beard at his name. Darkblade? Where have I heard that before...wait. No. No way. It couldn't be...

I turned my head to the boy with an expression of utter disbelief.

"Hold on a second...YOU"RE 'Darkblade'? The 'Darkblade' everyone around the Guardsmen have been talking about? That Master of Sneaking or whatever?"

The boy looked over to me with a look of complete innocence and dis-interest.

"Yeah. So what?"

I stood there for a few moments as I let this register.

"You're...a lot younger than I was expecting."

The boy seemed to get a little peeved at this; his cheeks turned a bright shade of red and gave me an angry glare, which might have actually been intimidating...if he wasn't standing up on his toes to try and be taller than me, which was a very futile attempt.

"What, you got a problem with that, Gramps?"

I'll admit I was a little taken aback from his comment. I must have really struck a nerve in him.

"Gramps? I'm only thirty one."

The boy seemed to not hear what I said, choosing instead to try and further humiliate me.

"Who cares if im younger than all of the Guardsmen? I dont see YOU in an elite group of Knights!"

He pointed at me with a tiny finger and a smug grin. I crossed my arms and looked down at the boy with an extremely annoyed look.

"I AM a part of the Guardsmen. How do you think I recognized you in the first place?"

The boys' grin quickly faded into a look of surprise, then to one of deep embarrassment.

"W-Wait, what? You...you are?"

I knelt down next to him and let him see the tattoo of the green dragon in front of two crossed blue swords; the insignia of the Guardsmen.

"All of us get one of these somewhere on our bodies. Need any more proof?"

He stared at it for a while, then looked back to me. We had what seemed to be a mini staring contest, then after a minute or so, I saw an expression of recognition crawl onto his face.

"Wait...I heard about you! A huge man with green hair and seemingly magic fists...You're the White Fist, aren't you?"

I nodded with a small smile that was hidden through my beard. What? It's nice to be recognized sometimes. The boy seemed to become a great deal calmer now that the whole situation has been processed, and is no longer brandishing the black blade he once held, instead sheathing it onto a sheath on his back. He then held out his hand to me.

"It's nice to finally meet you! I've heard alot of stories about your adventures. My name is Ryan. What's yours?"

I slowly took his hand, which was noticeably smaller, and gave it a shake.

"Arke. It's good to meet you too, Ryan. And an honor to meet the legendary Darkblade."

Ryan gives me a big grin, and as we shake hands, a small *ahem* can be heard. We turn back to Lucina, who has sheathed Falchion and is now standing in a pose that reminds me greatly of an impatient child waiting for her mother to finish buying something. I let out a small laugh as I turn my attention to her.

"Yes, Princess?"

"If your little meet-and-greet is over now, perhaps we might continue on our way?"

I nod, turning back to Ryan.

"You must have gotten into here somehow. Can you show us the exit?"

He nods excitedly, a little sparkle in his eyes as he starts to fast walk in a side tunnel only a few feet away from us. Huh. I didn't see that there at all.

"This way! You don't want to take that big tunnel. A giant group of Risen is just outside it."

I turn back to Lucina and give her a mock bow.

"Ladies first."

She simply huffs and hurries off after Ryan. I chuckle lightly as I take one more look around the huge cavern and walk after Lucina.

Little did I know that another figure had been watching the whole escapade from the shadows nearby; and if I had known, then perhaps this story would have ended a little happier.

-GUARDSMEN-

Hello, beautiful people! Nate back again for another Author's Note! First, I'll just say it; this chapter was probably a little more uneventful than what you were hoping, but that's kinda how the story is going to develop. One chapter will be more on information and character development, and the other will most likely be more action. I might switch things up depending on how things turn out, but it will usually stay in this pattern. I would also like to apologize for how late this chapter is! I promise that it wont always take a month for me to write a chapter, but if it does sometimes, it will usually be because im kinda busy this time of year. I'm sorry! Dont hit me! PUT DOWN THE BAT, DAMNIT!

Oh, by the way, still looking for about two more OC's to fill in the party we have. As you just saw, Ryan Darkblade, courtesy of ShadowRX, has joined the party! If you want to send one in, remember to make the subject FE GUARDSMEN: OC so I can keep things organized. Also remember that I will NOT be supplying a form. You can use your own, or send me a rough idea of what you had and you and me can see if we can buff it up to its potential. And happy birthday to those reading on their birthday! Keep on shining, people!

-Nate