Jace woke to a bit of a shock the next morning. Lyn had curled around the tactician in a protective manner. One hand had wrapped about his waist, the other had curled into his untidy hair, as if she had fallen asleep running her fingers through it.
"I see you're awake now." Lyn said softly. Jace looked up, and saw the Sacean swordswoman smiling down at him.
"Hey there." Jace replied, his cheeks flushing in an embarrassed manner. "Did um… Did we fall asleep like this?"
"You fell asleep shortly after explaining that recurring dream of yours to me." Lyn explained. "I fell asleep shortly afterwards."
Jace let out a soft sigh of relief. Nothing had happened between the two of them. It was how ill rumors were born, a Lycian noble bedding a foreigner? Nobody would ever hear the end of it. Yet there was a small part of the tactician, that had wished that something had happened. He was snapped from his thoughts by three sharp raps upon his door. Both the swordswoman and the tactician sat up, gave one another a quick glance before quickly making their way off the bed, and straightening themselves up. A moment later, the door swung open and Kent strode several paces inside.
"Lord Jace, Lady Lyndis I bring news." The Caelin knight began in a respectful manner.
"Good news I hope." Jace said, attempting to smooth his hair.
"Indeed. Marquess Araphen has agreed to lend us supplies and a retinue of soldiers." Kent continued.
"That will made the journey to Caelin far easier." Lyn said, a small smile at the corner of her lips.
"It seems good." Jace's tone had a note of skepticism. "But I sense a catch coming on. There is always a catch."
"The Marquess of Araphen wishes to meet granddaughter of Marquess Caelin. Apparently, the Marquess was quite fond of Lady Madelyn." Kent explained.
"That…" Jace began as he and Lyn looked at one another. "Is not what I was expecting."
"Nor I now that I think about it." She replied before turning back to Kent. "Thank you Kent, let's go meet Marquess Araphen."
Kent nodded and he was followed out of the small room by Jace and Lyn. If the red armored knight had suspected anything had happened between the tactician and the swordswoman, to his credit, and their relief he said nothing about it. It seemed like a good night's sleep was just what Brego needed, as Jace's steed seemed very happy to see his rider.
"Do you feel better?" Jace asked his horse, who nickered happily and nudged his rider's had. "I will take that as a 'yes'." Jace produced an apple from his dark coat, and sliced it in half with a small knife. The larger half he gave to Brego, and kept the smaller half for himself. Jace chewed on the piece of fruit as they made their way down the main road to Castle Araphen. Then as he looked towards the castle, Jace's stomach dropped.
There was smoke coming from the castle, and Jace was not the only one who saw it. The people of Araphen screamed as they began to barricade themselves inside their homes. Although there was a rather large group heading up the main road. Jace rolled his eyes, as he just knew this force would be hostile. "Oh by Naga's grace, I am going to send the all screaming down into the mouth of hell."
Jace drew his blade, and Brego cantered up to match pace with Lyn's steed. Lyn already had the Mani Katti drawn, and had her focus upon the large force coming down the opposite end of the main street. Neither of them were paying attention to the figure perched upon the rooftop right above them. They still did not notice him, until his body landed right in front of their steeds making them rear up in frightened surprise.
"By Naga where did he come from?!" Jace exclaimed as he calmed Brego.
"Look there's an arrow in this man's back." Lyn said calming her own steed, and pointing to their would-be assailant's corpse. There was indeed a small wooden shaft poking out of the man's back.
Jace cast his eyes around for their rescuer, and moments later found who he was looking for. He was another Sacean like Lyn. What little of his green hair he could see fell slightly past his ears, everything else was covered in an odd red bandanna. The man held a shortened bow in one hand, and rode astride a muscular brown colored horse. The rider nudged his horse forward and up to the tactician and the swordswoman.
"Are you the Lady Lyndis?" He asked in a slight monotone.
"Ah, yes you have my thanks." Lyn said still slightly shocked at this turn of events. Seemingly satisfied, the nomad turned his horse and began to head off. "Wait, why did you help me?"
The nomad stopped his horse, and turned back to face Lyn. "I was under the impression I was assisting another Sacean."
"But I am of Sace. I am Lyn of the Lorca tribe."
The nomad's eyes widened slightly. "The Lorca… There were survivors?"
"Yes. Although it is only I." Lyn said, as her eyes fell slightly.
"I see… I am Rath of the Kutolah tribe under service to Marquess Araphen." The nomad Rath said. "That force up the street has the main road to the castle blocked, but I know of a secret way into the castle. There are several switches hidden around the city. One at the north end, the second is at the foot of the castle. The third is at the west gate, and the passage to the castle is hidden in the barracks in the south gate."
Jace sighed and nodded, as a plan began to form in his mind. "Alright, well then that main force is blocking our way to one of those switches. We'll have to break through them in order to reach that switch. I don't want to risk this again, but it worked so well yesterday."
Rath tilted his head, as he stared at Jace. "What is he talking about?"
"He's a tactician." Lyn responded. "My tactician, and he is very good at what he does."
Jace felt his cheeks redden, as he continued to think. "Yes, we'll do that again. Wil, I want you on Florina's Pegasus again. Rain arrows down upon them and get them to scatter. Kent, Dorcas go with them. They'll need muscle to back them up. Erk, Sera, Sain, you three go to the west gate. Lyn, Rath, Cyrus, and myself will take the switch at the north gate. Everyone be safe, and may Naga watch over you."
Everyone nodded and split up. Florina was still shy about having to share her Pegasus with Wil, yet took to the air without protest. As Jace's small group headed to the north end of Araphen, he heard surprised screams coming from the larger force. It seemed like his tactic was working, when the four were hailed by a young man about Cyrus' age. He had windswept light brown hair, and a large red scarf that went down to below his knees.
"Pardon me, I don't mean to startle you, however it seems that you could use some help." The young man said.
"And just who are you?" Cyrus asked, his saber drawn.
"Peace friend. My name is Matthew, and I am what one would call… Well a Troubleshooter." Matthew explained.
"A thief then." Cyrus said bluntly, and his grip on his blade tightened.
"...Yes that is correct, however I m not here to take from your force. I am simply offering my help… For a small price…"
"Today is just full of catches isn't it?" Jace sighed, as he pinched the bridge of his his nose between his right thumb and forefinger. "What's your offer then?"
"One hundred silver eagles, and ownership of whatever I can take from your enemies with monetary value." Matthew said.
"Done." Jace said, and extended his hand. Matthew shook it in satisfaction.
"Jace are you certain of this?" Cyrus asked, as the two brothers began to engage a man in a heavy set of plate armor with a large lance in his hands.
"Do you see a single Araphen soldier?" Jace asked, and his elder brother shook his head. "Nor do I. I do not know why the Marquess hasn't sent any of his men to defend his city. However, if he is planning on double crossing us, and handing us over to Lundgren… Number one, I will end him myself. And number two, I will allow Matthew to rob the Marquess' coffers blind."
"Fair enough brother." Cyrus replied, as the Plegian siblings attempted to make a scratch on the man in heavy armor with their blades, to no avail.
"Pardon me." Matthew said, dashing past the brothers. His sword arm was so fast, Jace suspected for a moment that Matthew had Sacean training. A moment later, the man in heavy plate armor toppled to the ground. First his torso, then this legs. As the thief stood, Jace noticed a very heavy blade in his hands. A blade he recognised as an Armorslayer.
"You have my thanks Matthew." Jace said, before he pushed the thief aside and launched an Arcthunder spell at another heavy armored opponent.
"I believe that makes us even." The thief said, before he handed Jace the Armorslayer. "I found that blade a few moments ago. A bit of a lucky break if you ask me, but it is a little to heavy for my tastes."
"A bit too heavy for me as well." Jace said, as he handed Cyrus the blade, who took it with no complaint. An hour later, the five of them had been joined by Wil, Florina, Kent, and Dorcas. They had broken through the main force with very little effort, and had flipped the switch at the base of the castle.
By this point, the larger portion of Lyndis' Legion had arrived at the south gate. They were met by another man with heavy plate armor, and a thick wooden lance in his hands. Lyn stepped forwards to challenge him, but Cyrus flung an arm out stopping the swordswoman in her tracks.
"Allow me Lady Lyndis." Cyrus said unsheathing the large Armorslayer. Cyrus was indeed strong enough to wield the Armorslayer, yet the blade was nothing like the saber he was used to wielding. Several times the lance wielding knight had wounded Cyrus, who was bleeding from several deep gashes on his chest and sword arm.
"Cyrus pull back!" Jace yelled, firing a thunderbolt at the lance to knock it away from dealing his elder brother a seemingly fatal blow.
"I am alright Jace." Cyrus panted, as he parried another strike from the knight. As he assured his brother, Cyrus became shrouded in a warm white lite, and his wounds began to heal themselves. Sera was in the midst of praying to Elmine, holding her staff in both hands. Jace said a prayer of thanks to both the saint of light and the dragon of creation, yet a moment of later, a spike of fear shot through him. Both the knight and Cyrus roared with effort, and swung their weapons.
Cyrus' Armorslayer hit the tip of his foe's lance. The heavier blade sliced neatly through the metal pike, neatly along the heavy wooden shaft, and cleanly through his foe's plate armor. Cyrus had sliced him in half along the waist. Breathing heavily, Cyrus placed the Armorslayer back into it's scabbard. "Can we proceed into the castle now?"
"Indeed we can." Rath said pressing his hand upon a stone in the south gate barracks. The stone then moved back into the wall, and a large section of the stone wall split apart to reveal a large hallway lit by torch light. The Legion led by Rath, made their way down along the stone passageway. They emerged within the castle which by that time, had whatever fire set to it extinguished. Several soldiers led them into the Araphen throne room, where the Marquess was waiting for them. He seemed to be in his late forties, or perhaps his early fifties from the looks of him. He had the look of a man who had a little too much love of food and drink.
"Ah Lady Lyndis." Marquess Araphen said, a sneer in his voice.
Jace knew just by the tone of the Marquess' voice what was coming. "Oh here we go…"
"It pains me to say this." Under his breath Jace muttered the word 'bullshit'. "But in light of this attack by agents of your Granduncle Lord Lundgren, I will be rescinding my offer of aid. My fortunes and people have suffered enough due to this little inheritance dispute."
"You promised us aid." Cyrus growled, his left hand now gripping his saber so tightly his knuckles were white.
"And so I did. Yet that was before I saw that Lord Hausen's granddaughter was so … Tainted by the blood of her Sacean father coursing through her veins." Marquess Araphen continued, his sneer growing wider. This remark was far over the line. Kent, Sain, Jace, and Cyrus drew their blades to point them at the Marquess.
"How dare you!" Jace spat through gritted teeth. "We save your city. Save your people, and this is how you repay us!?"
The Marquess' eyes flashed with anger. "And just who are you? Some foreign tactician? Tell me boy, what brings you here with this Sacean mongrel?"
"That is of no concern of yours you-" Jace began to answer, before he was cut off by Lyn.
"That's enough Jace." Lyn began placing a hand that gripped his blade. "Even if he would reconsider, I will not accept aid from one who disparages my heritage. Come, we will seek aid from a more honorable Lycian Marquess." With that, and after sheathing Jace's blade, she turned on her heel and strode away. Her Legion followed close behind.
"Pah! Prideful whelp." Marquess Araphen growled. "If she had shed but a single tear, I would have aided her. We Lycian nobles will never understand those prideful savages."
"Is that truly what you think of us?" Rath said, as he looked at the Marquess with anger flashing in his eyes.
"Oh! Rath, I had forgotten your presence. Of course my comments do not reflect upon you, as you have always served me well."
"I see, it does not matter where we are from, as long as we bend our knee to you." Rath spat.
"What are you saying?" The Marquess asked, with his brows knitting together.
"You would never understand." Rath said tearing the crest of Araphen from his clothing, and throwing it at the elder man's feet. "My service ends here." With that he turned and strode from the throne room, to follow after Lyn.
Lyndis' Legion was several miles away from Castle Araphen, before Jace turned to Matthew. "How much were you able to get away with?"
"Plenty." The thief said smiling deviously.
"Define 'plenty'." Jace said in an attempt at a cross tone, yet he could not hide the vindictively pleasured smile.
"Well let's just say Araphen may not be a province in Lycia for much longer." Matthew replied, matching Jace's smile.
Jace was about to speak, when he was cut off by Rath. "Lyn of the Lorca, wait a moment!"
Lyn's eyes narrowed, yet her expression became neutral when she recognized the Sacean nomad.
"Oh, Rath of the Kutolah." Lyn said.
"I have ended my service to the Marquess of Araphen, and I would like to aid you in your cause." Rath said keeping his voice in his neutral monotone.
"Of course Rath, it would be an honor to have you with us."
Several days after the Legion had all but robbed the Marquess of Araphen blind, they were riding through Kathelet. One of the smaller Lycian provinces. Cyrus had taken a light set of armor that Matthew had pilfered, and had donned it under his red coat. Florina had several slightly thicker lances strapped to her Pegasus in several partial scabbards. Jace rode up at the front of the company alongside Lyn and Erk, the latter of whom Jace was in conversation with about the topic of magic.
"I know from seeing you in combat, that you're highly skilled in Anima magic. Yet you said you were from this country of Plegia. And I wonder if they teach their mages Elder magic on top of Anima." Erk spoke in curiosity.
"While I was born in Plegia, I was not raised there. Therefore I do not know. However, my mother did teach us some Elder magic, so I would think that Plegian mages do know both sets of magic." Jace both explained, and speculated.
Erk thought for a moment. "And what about Light magic? Were you taught by anyone to use that?"
Jace shook his head. "No I was not. Light magic has more to do with faith, rather than knowledge. Now that being said, I know of no mages who practice the teachings of Naga that utilize Light magic." The tactician paused for a moment as he thought of why this was. "Perhaps that would be due to Light magic being linked to the teachings of Saint Elmine. And with that being said, I do not believe that I nor my brother would be able to cast it."
"Why is that?" The question came not from Erk, but from Lyn.
"Cyrus and I are the offspring of two Grimleal, who worship the dragon of death and destruction." Jace replied. "I know that Light magic is based more upon faith as I said a moment before, yet I fear due to being guilty by association, should I attempt to cast Light magic, that it would backfire horribly."
Erk nodded in understanding. They had just entered a small village with the sun just having cleared the tops of the trees. When a small figure ran towards them. Everyone gripped their weapons, yet relaxed when the small figure turned out to be a small boy of eleven or twelve years of age. His hair was a shockingly light shade of blue, and his eyes were almost the exact shade of red that Jace's were. He was shaking from head to foot, clearly frightened out of his wits.
"Please! You have to help her! They've taken her!" The small boy yelled frantically.
Lyn dismounted her horse, and gently but firmly placed her hands upon the boy's shoulders. "Calm down. Who has taken who?"
"My-my sister Ninian. She's been taken by some wicked men. Please, you have to help me." They small boy said.
"And help we will." Sain said having ridden to the front of the company. "You said your sister has been taken young man? Well fear not, Lyndis' Legion shall aid you in retrieving your kidnapped and beloved sister!"
Jace smiled and shook his head. He found Sain amusing, and admired his bravery and zeal. Of course Sain was indeed correct in this situation. They had been asked for help, and there was no way they were going to refuse to help this young boy.
"There you are Nils." A deep raspy voice reached their ears, that belonged to a man whose face was hidden under a black robe with red trimmings. On the center of his robes was a red circle with a black wolf's head with his fangs bared.
"By Naga, you're Black Fang." Jace whispered.
"Indeed." The robed man said. "Now hand the boy over or die."
Jace and Lyn's response, was to move in front of the boy named Nils with their blades drawn. In that same instance, a tall man with pure white robes, and long blond hair down to his waist strode up to also bar the dark robed man's path. "In Elmine's name, stay this madness. This young boy could not have possibly anything wrong."
"Step aside priest, this is of no concern of yours." The dark robed man growled. "Come Nils, it is time to return to Lord Nergal."
While hidden still behind Lyn, Jace, and this newcomer, Nils took a step back in evident fear. "No! I am never going back!"
"You will not be taking Nils anywhere." Lyn said, in an ice cold manner, pointing the Mani Katti at the dark robed man. "Free his sister now."
The dark robed man responded, by forming a dark ball of energy in his right hand. Jace recognised it as a Flux spell. Elder magic. Having been taught in Elder magic, Jace and Cyrus formed a Flux spell of their own in order to counter the dark mage. Their spells never made it, as the priest who had joined them, began to chant to Elmine.
"By your grace Saint Elmine, grant me the strength to destroy the darkness in front of me!" An orb of light shot from the priest's hand, struck the dark mage in the chest. The orb of the Flux spell dissipated, and the dark mage simply collapsed to the ground dead.
If Lyndis' Legion thought that it was only the single shaman who was responsible for kidnapping Nil's sister, they were sorely mistaken. The battle that had raged, was so lengthy that the sun was past its highest point in the afternoon sky by the time it was finally. There was only one shaman who was guarding the entrance to a small fortress. This shaman was casting Flux spells was casting Flux spells in a rapid manner. It was all the Legion could do to get out of the way, let alone counter attack.
"Florina, into the air! Distract this Naga forsaken son of a bitch!" Jace roared, as he ducked under another Flux orb. The petite Pegasus Knight was soon high into the air, feigning dives and strikes at the dark mage. Jace's distraction worked, as by the fifth time Florina feigned a strike, the shaman finally took his attention off of everyone else.
"Arcwind!" Cyrus and Jace shouted, swiping their hands in an identical manner. Two blades of win arced through the air, and seemingly vanished when they hit the shaman. For a long moment, it seemed as if nothing had happened. Then the shaman collapsed into three separate pieces. His head, torso and legs all collapsed in separate pieces.
Nils then ran ahead of everyone else, and into the fortress. Lyn and Jace were only moments behind the young blue haired boy. "Ninian! Ninian! Where are you!?"
There was a response, yet not from a woman as everyone had been expecting. "Pardon me, but are you looking for this young woman here?" A young man's voice rang out from the darkness of one of the many corridors of the unlit interior of the fortress.
"Who is there?" Jace called, still gripping his blade. He then let out a gasp when someone came into view. He was a young man dressed in light blue armor, with bright red hair. The same man that Jace had seen in his dreams several nights previous. In his arms, was a young woman who had to undoubtedly be Ninian. She seemed to be about Lyn and Jace's age, her hair was the same light blue color as Nils, and it fell well past her waist. She had a peaceful look on her face, as if she was asleep.
(A/N) *Deep breath* Owwwww my fingers hurt from writing this chapter!
Secondly, to the guest who left me the review on how light magic was viewed between those who follow the teachings of Naga, and those who follow the teachings of Saint Elimine, I hope that has cleared that up. Next to answer your question about recruitment. Yes, I plan on recruiting the other two lords. This story is going all the way through Fire Emblem 7, and Fire Emblem Awakening. The sacred weapons will be involved, including the Sword of Seals. Now the only reason the Sword of Seals is going to be in this story, is due to the future children deal. I don't want to say too much about that, as my fiance reads these fics, and has regrettably has not played a Fire Emblem game. So trying to avoid major spoilers on that little detail.
And thirdly, if anyone else has questions, concerns, or ideas, feel free to say so in a review.