Chapter 9:

Tia's Tests

"Step forward, novice myrmidon." Priam commanded to Tia.

She rubbed her eyes to remove the remnants of sleep that impaired her vision, it was early for her, but she would have to get used to waking before the sun. They all had too. They were marching in one day, and they had to wake early to be prepared. It was all part of being in an army

Tia steadied her training sword against her shoulder.

"You will have three tests challenging your abilities in the following categories: Speed, Strength, and your warrior mentality." He held a stone in front of her face, and continued, "your first test requires you to move that pile of rocks from there to there." he indicated where he wished the stones to be moved, and it was a good 50 yards.

"Is this to test my strength?" Tanuitia asked, still puzzled.

"You shall soon find out." Priam informed her, "begin."

She ran to the pile that was almost as tall as she was. She began moving the stones as fast as she could. This is to test her mentality, Priam reminded himself, I put the smaller rocks on top of boulders, underneath the largest one there is a note...

She continued for thirty minutes with much vigor, but when she started to get to the heavier boulders, she slowed her pace in disappointment.

She's starting to give up. She will fail the first test before it is even finished... Oh well, the weak-willed fall to the strong.

After an hour had passed, she was still going at it, at last getting to the note underneath the largest boulder. The note read: you have failed. If she ignored the note and continued to move the boulder, she would pass.

To Priam's surprise, she continued to lift the last boulder to its destination. She set the boulder down and heaved a large sigh of relief and sadness. "I lifted all of the boulders to their destination, sir Priam, but I appear to have failed somehow..." She looked downcast. Priam let out a light chuckle. She was confused by his lightheartedness in this moment.

"On the contrary," Priam said with a smile, "you passed the 'Warrior's Mentality Test'." He extended a hand for congratulations, but she jumped up and hugged him around his neck with a cry of joy.

"Don't be so joyful yet, you still have two more to take, both more challenging that the one you faced here." She groaned from all of the heavy lifting she had done the past hour. He chuckled and continued, "but as I can see on the horizon, the sun has begun to awaken, and our comrades with it. Breakfast will start soon, so be back here in half an hour for your second test. Dismissed!"

She released him from her grip, saluted and skipped happily towards the mess tent.

Priam smiled at her lightheartedness, and raised a training sword to spar with a dummy. He laid many skillful hits on it before he recognized the presence of another person watching him.

"My overzealous cousin informs me that she passed the first of sir Priam's tests with flying colors," said Say'ri, returning from the mess tent.

"Yes, I was afraid that she would give up, but it appears to just be a lack of strength." He continued to slash at the dummy, tearing it to shreds with his dulled practice sword.

"Hmm... " Say'ri watched as Priam cut the training dummy to bits, Priam wondered if something was amiss.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked, momentarily ceasing his training.

"It appears," she walked over to the training dummy and set a hand on it, "that you are not as strong as the Priam we knew in the battle to slay Grima." she said with a smirk. Priam hated to be called weak. He could never truly hate Say'ri, but his blood boiled at those words, nonetheless.

"You think me weak?!" Priam said loudly with a raised eyebrow, chuckling lightly to hide his anger.

She stifled a laugh, "More or less." she unsheathed a training sword she had brought along, she must have planned this, "I could talk for hours of how you've changed, but this will get my point across in half the time." at the word 'point', she lifted the sword and pointed it at him.

He smirked, "You know that I don't hold back, even in sparring, right?"

"I am not afraid of losing, but you are." They entered a sparring ring on opposite sides, "After this spar, you shall see your fear become a reality." She readied herself in the swordsmaster stance, holding the blade parallel to her face.

"While you are a skilled fighter in your own right, I do not wish for you to be hurt." He took the Hero's stance, sword pointed away from him, arm shield ready to deflect any strike. "Call 'yield' when you've had enough."

Priam then recalled Yen'fay telling him something along these lines from his own time... Blast! Why can't I remember who won our spar? Priam then observed that a man was standing on the hill next to the training grounds, watching. He could only see the silhouette of the man, but he was clad in myrmidon armor.

Say'ri broke the silence between them. "Fie, begin!" She darted toward him, barely touching the ground. Almost as if she slid on a cushion of air. Priam deflected her most obvious attack with his armshield. He then retaliated with a horizontal swing, finding nothing but air. He was shocked when she completed a perfect back-flip to avoid his attack. Alright, I underestimated her. Let's see what she can do! He fought back, fast as a cheetah. But she fought very efficiently, trying to understand his attack patterns. She fought methodically, trying to find a weakness in his armor or attack maneuvering.

She is studying me, Priam thought, with satisfaction as he jumped in a spin-attack, hitting her blade. My attack patterns are known of nowhere in the world, and are too efficient to have any weaknesses.

But he was wrong. Say'ri had discovered that after he would block with his armshield, he would take a large swing at her, moving his armshield to reveal a point where there was no armor. He moved fast enough to keep that one spot covered, but she saw the window of opportunity and took it.

She vertically slashed and, as she suspected, Priam blocked it with his armshield. But this time, when he went to strike, she was ready for him. She lunged at the open area in his armor and he was caught off guard.

"Gah!" he groaned as the dulled metal hit him in the side of his chest, hard. It had been where he was hit during the skirmish on the boat and it still had a bruise there. She had found a weakness and she was going to use it to her advantage. She swung in a diagonal line, meeting Priam's blade which was headed upwards. The sound of the two dull metal practice swords clashing rang through his body. She quickly shoved his sword away from her, the sword still tightly in his grip. He was still trying to regain his senses when he felt a powerful force hitting him square in the chest. He fell, with sword still in hand. Say'ri immediately stood over him, sword pointed at his throat, and her foot on his sword arm. A look of shock passed over his face.

"Yield." Say'ri instructed him with a smile of satisfaction.

Priam grumbled something that not even he could hear. She laughed and spoke again.

"Pardon?" She said with a smile, pressing the blade against his adam's apple. "I couldn't hear."

"...yield" he said in despair. He had remembered who won the fight that Yen'fay had told him about: her. She assisted him to his feet and dusted him off.

He looked dejected. He had never lost a spar in his life. She merely patted him on the shoulder to bring his attention to her.

"It appears I have taken your honor." she said with a smile.

"Is there a way I can win back my honor?" he said with a smirk, thinking about the plan for the picnic.

"Hmm..." Say'ri put a finger to her chin in the same manner as Anna. "You could invite me to accompany you to dinner. But I think that is the only way..." She said with a playful smile. Priam was relieved, his plan (well, Cordelia's plan) would most likely go smoothly.

He returned her smile and agreed. "When the mess hall rings for dinner, meet me in that clearing in the woods there," he pointed to the woods where he knew that directly behind the trees and shrub, there was an opening near the pond. "bring something to drink, and I shall prepare the food."

Her face was beaming at the news. She nodded, "Fie, I shall bring the best drink Chon'sin has to offer. Fare thee well!" She bowed politely and walked back to the main road.

Priam didn't know what to think at the moment. The woman of his dreams had just beaten him in a spar. He had never lost a spar, it was like a hard hit to the groin that was his pride. But she also was wanting to spend time with him later which he rejoiced inwardly over. Was this a good moment, or a bad moment?

The silhouette of the myrmidon on the hill moved closer, and as he did, Priam recognized who it was; Yen'fay.

"Surprising," He said with a smirk, "You were warned of this spar, that she would win, and you still lost."

Priam chuckled, "Yeah, I know. I guess destiny doesn't like change that often." he turned to put away his training sword, "So you saw the battle?"

"Aye, from atop the hill, yonder. You did nearly the exact same thing that happened in my time, except you had a smaller crowd."

Priam shivered at the thought of people seeing him defeated in a simple spar.

Almost as if reading his thoughts, Yen'fay patted him on the back and reassured him. "I was the only one watching this time. No other laid their eyes on your clash."

"Thanks, 'Fay." Priam walked over to a bucket of water and set it up as to let water droplets flow out at one every half-second. "Tanuitia will be out here for her second test any minute now, so I need to be prepared."

"Fie," Yen'fay replied, "I shall leave you to it." Yen'fay bowed respectfully and left.

The next test was to check her speed. The bucket had been punctured by a small nail to let water drops out. She was to grab the stick holding up the bucket by swinging her hand underneath the small opening. If she got water on her hand from the droplets, she would have to dry it off and start over. If she successfully grabbed the stick, the water would cascade down on her if she didn't move fast enough, and she would have to start over again.

She was puzzled by his directions, but complied anyway. She made several attempts to just grab it as fast as possible, resulting in a wet hand almost every time. She then understood she needed to time it right. After several minutes of watching and counting, she readied her hand, made one swift swing, and grabbed the stick. The bucket began to tumble, but she avoided it with ease; she passed her second test.

"Excellent. You understand that patience and speed must work in unison to be an effective myrmidon. But this was far from your hardest test..." His voice became serious, and he wore a grim face.

She bent down and picked up the sword she had left on the ground before starting the second test, "Well I'm ready for whatever you have to throw at me!" she replied with a face of determination.

"You must face each of your comrades here in a spar." he pointed towards the entrance as the defenders started to line up, from weakest to strongest. The group consisted of Raphael, Nathaniel, and Aramis. The ones absent were Jack, Clarisa, and Helen. "To pass, you must defeat each of them once. You have one loss before the next loss fails you. You may choose who to fight first but remember, they are allowed to ride their mount."

Tanuitia faced her comrades, who were standing in 'attention'. "Hmm..." she scratched her head as she glanced over each of her allies, looking at their strength. "I choose Raphael first."

Raphael smirked, and Priam was shocked she had chosen him. That was a smart move he thought to himself, she wants to get hm out of the way so that when she fights later, it will get easier for her. "Understood," Priam replied, showing the combatants to the circle, "you both know the rules so I don't have to go over them again...BEGIN!"

Priam stepped from between them, and they charged. Raphael, from what Priam knew, didn't care who he was fighting. He treated all adversaries as enemies, much like Priam. Though Priam knew that Tia would make for a slippery target, even if Raphael was deadly accurate.

Raphael made the first attack, bringing his sword straight down upon Tanuitia's head. She blocked it with her own sword, and the metal clashing rang in everyone's ears. Her arms felt like they had shattered into several pieces after the blow she just absorbed. She stepped back to avoid a horizontal cut from Raphael, and she repositioned herself. He took a couple of steps to decrease the distance between them and pointed his sword upward. "Prepare to call a healer!" Priam heard him yell as he pulled the sword behind him. Priam knew that position, it was the Luna move, a deadly skill that strikes with more force to lower defense. He shot forward while bringing the sword in front of him, and Tia front-flipped over him, just in time. She was a little ticked that he would try something like that and, as if something snapped in her, she yelled, "I will prevail!" and sped up her attacks, striking more, but doing half the damage. She was using Astra. Where did these kids learn these skills? She should not be able to know how to use Astra until she is a level 5 swordsmaster. Raphael was dodging every attack that he possibly could, but that wasn't many. He was soon extremely tired and resorted to using one more attack: Sol. He lifted his sword high, jumped, and swung to find nothing but the ground. Tia had successfully avoided it and landed the final blow to Raphael's chest. Wincing in pain, he called 'yield' and she had passed. She was overjoyed and tried to assist Raphael to his feet. He grumbled and shoved her hand out of the way, getting to his feet himself.

After she had calmed down and finished drinking water, Priam spoke, "You have successfully defeated Raphael. Who do wish to fight next?"

She looked over the two left and pointed her finger at Aramis. Priam, if he were in this scenario, would have chosen Nathaniel because he was weaker than Aramis combat-wise, but she was choosing and he complied. After showing the two to the ring, he gave a wind tome to Aramis, reminding him that he could only use it. He groaned but agreed, flipping the pages in anticipation.

"...BEGIN!" Tia started running, knowing that Aramis had an advantage to her because he could attack long distance. His first strike hit her immediately, but did nothing. She felt no pain, and continued running. Alarmed at this, Aramis quickly switched his wimpy wind tome with a standard fire tome. Priam made to intervene and stop Aramis from fighting dishonorably, but Raphael put a hand on his shoulder and informed him, "Tia is extremely good at resisting magic. She'll be fine, old man."

He was right. Aramis shot fireball after fireball at her profusely, attempting to at least harm her. She didn't even wince as she drew closer. Backing away quickly, he switched tomes again, from Fire to Elthunder. Priam was starting to become angry at Aramis, but he let the match continue anyway. A cloud formed overhead and lightning rained down from the sky, each time hitting its target and each time, not even scratching her. She lifted the blade to swing for the first time, but he called 'yield', covering his head in a self-preservation stance. She had won without breaking a sweat.

But the real challenge was just starting. She must now face Nathaniel on his Griffon. On his own, his strength was less than a level 1 Priest. None but Clarisa knew how strong a fighter he was when on his mount, or how nimble he was. Priam was excited to see how this would play out.

He led them out on to the circle, the same as last time. He bellowed "BEGIN!" and the two had at it. Ashnard, Nathaniel's Griffon, roared and screeched terrifyingly, as if it were ready to claw her to pieces.

Nathaniel proved to be an excellent flyer on his mount, gaining much strength and agility. Priam estimated that he was equal to a level 6 Wyvern rider. The mount and rider fought ferociously, giving Tanuitia no time to think about tactics.

A blow to her shoulder made her wince in pain. She stopped to feel how bad it had hurt, but was wrong in doing so. Nathaniel smashed his training axe into her other side and she flopped to the ground. Nathaniel nearly landed his mount on her and she called 'yield'. She had lost.

Priam called for the two fighters to separate. Seeing that Tia had lost her will to fight on, he gave her a few encouraging words, "you are not done yet, are you? You can still fight. Remember, this is to become a myrmidon, for a real army, not some made-up fantasy that you have used your entire childhood. You are ready."

Tia doubted his words, "What makes you think that I am good enough? I'm never going to reach the same level as my cousin! I'm not as strong, or as brave, or as beautiful. I'm just a faker trying to be something I'm not..."

Priam didn't know what to say. Fortunately, he didn't have to. Say'ri appeared from out of no where in particular and placed a hand on Tia's shoulder. "Then be not Say'ri," she spoke, calm and encouraging, "for she has flaws that she wish she didn't. Be Tanuitia, a strong and skilled woman who would honor her family by following in her cousin's footsteps."

Tia turned to see Say'ri staring down at her, with a smile of comfort. Tia steeled herself and spoke in a strong tone. "You're right, I'm not done yet! I can still bring honor to my family and to Chon'sin. I just can't give up!" at that she stood and reentered the circle. Nathaniel gave Ashnard some water, then led him back into the circle as well.

Priam stood between the fighters for the second time. "BEGIN!" They rushed again to fight. As they drew close, Nathaniel made a side swing. Tia rolled underneath it and underneath the mount as well. She rose on the other side and hit both simultaneously. Nathaniel turned Ashnard around to his the opponent who was behind them, but she had yet again rolled under and hit them in the back a second time. Nathaniel was angry. He flew up a little to distance himself from Tia's merciless hits. He flew down, swinging his axe vertically to not allow the 'Flyer's Bane' move to work again. The axe made contact with her blade, and was parried out of his hands.

He scrambled to reclaim it, but met Tia's foot in the side of his face instead. He flew off his mount. She held him pinned to the ground with the sword at his throat and he called, 'yield'. She had passed her third test. She grinned with pride, she was now an official myrmidon for the Greil Defenders, the future, elite fighting division of Chon'sin.

HEY!...how is everyone today, hmm? Good? Good. WARNING: Next chapter may contain more fluff that any previous chapter experienced yet, be prepared for the poorly written, emotional scenes.

That's enough spoilers for one day... No it's not. I HAD A MAJOR BREAKTHOUGH IN THIS STORY! It will involve Priam (duh), Grimleal, and a half-Risen.

Okay, THAT was enough spoilers for one day. Due to the length I'm going with for the first part of this story, I'm going to make a sequel after this one is completed depicting the life of Say'ri and Priam after the events in this book and the sister stories I'm writing. It will probably take place five years after these events.

…I thought that was enough spoilers... oh well... By the way, out of boredom, I wrote a one-shot FE:A and Minecraft crossover. If you have nothing better to do (which I'm sure you do, because it is just a waste of time) check it out. Please don't hesitate to leave a review telling me the good parts, the bad parts, and the parts that made you go "uh...". PM me anytime, I will talk to anyone except fish (until I get a written or spoken apology for the robbery).

Anyway, thanks again for staying with the story for so long.

~TheSearcherer