Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

04. Keep Running

I'm strong, I'm strong, I'm...!

At that instant, it was as if the world was grabbed and viciously shaken before being thrown down, much like how a child with a temper tantrum would treat a toy. All Lyn knew was that it was still dark when she opened her eyes, it felt as if Florina had landed on her, and that her head hurt a lot. The horses were whinnying in agitation--one in a high-pitched, almost musical fashion--which didn't help her burgeoning headache in the least.

"Lady Lyndis?"

Kent's voice sounded uncomfortably close, and Lyn realized that she had most likely been flung against him, hitting her head against his chest plate at the same time. "My apologies," she acknowledged, sitting up and shaking Florina. "Florina, are you hurt?" she asked, receiving a soft moan in response.

"No...I'm fine," Florina murmured. Smiling a little, Lyn helped her stand.

"Good, good. Go see to your pegasus, all right?" She turned her head and stared in the general direction of the others. "Can someone get the lantern? Let's get the horses calmed down before we go."

I've got to keep it up. As long as I can focus on this, I won't have to remember...the spirits released that night cannot influence me.

Even though she told herself that and believed it, she was still relieved when Wil lit the lantern and its light made the hold seem more open than before.

Just as the horses were calmed, a loud banging noise sounded from inside the ship, as if someone was running in the halls--towards their room! As she was closest to the door, Lyn reached for the hilt of one of her swords, ready to end the intruder's life if it was a pirate. The door swung open. "Hey, hey, you're still in here?" one of the sailors of the ship yelled. Lyn had to consciously tell herself to relax, straightening from the hunched-over stance that was a staple of the Sacaean sword arts.

"What is it?"

"We got lucky. The pirates chasing us went afoul of the pirate bases close to the beach. Cap'n'll fill you in on the rest," the sailor snapped back before disappearing into the darkness beyond their hold. Lyn glanced back at the others.

"Let's go."

They hurried through the narrow halls the best they could, though Lyn wondered how they were able to bring the steeds into the hold when they first set off. Sacaean horses would've hated it; she couldn't imagine that Florina's pegasus would've even tried, not with her wings. Not that she disagreed with them, not when the halls seemed to be closing around her with only the light of the lantern in her peripheral vision to convince her otherwise. But she didn't take the lamp from Wil because she wanted her hands free, and even as her feet pounded along the wooden floor she kept her right arm crossed over her stomach, just in case.

Jumping the last few steps from the stairs inside the ship and landing on the tilted deck felt like entering paradise, no matter how much her skin puckered from the freezing ocean winds.

There was a sailor standing by the entrance to the hold. "Here, miss, we've put down the ramp. The pirates are still fighting, those damned savages--uh, pardon my language!" In the waning moonlight, Lyn watched him hold up his hands in a way she didn't understand. "I always forget how to speak around women once I'm at sea."

"It's fine," Lyn said in a distracted way as she watched the entrance to the hold. Wil exited, and she peered down into the darkness. "Do you need help?" she called.

"No, milady!" Sain's voice floated up. She could still hear his voice, but it was much quieter. Figuring that he was coaxing his horse to climb the steps, she turned and noticed the strange look on Wil's profile. She looked in the same direction he was and saw the pirate ships clogging up the area before them; they seemed to be fighting each other, just as the sailor had announced. They weren't that far away, all those ominous dark shapes in the water, and it made Lyn anxious. She wanted to tell the others to hurry up, but the knowledge that they were doing the best they could stilled her tongue.

Everyone was doing the best they could. From the beginning this was true, and in the end...

She shook her head, willing the dark thoughts away. Wasn't she a fighter? She didn't have time to indulge her doubts, her fears.

Right. Time enough for that later.

It wasn't long before everyone had evacuated the ship and was on the beach. The wind had picked up by then and Lyn was rethinking her fondness of the sea breeze; the winds of Sacae had a certain aridness that sometimes made it difficult to breathe, but the winds near the ocean were a lancing frost without the blessing of the sun. She had to resist the urge to jump up and down in an attempt to keep warm, though she couldn't help but let her teeth chatter with every sweep of the wind.

The captain of the ship, a middle-aged man who looked more like someone's kindly, inoffensive grandfather instead of a veteran, hard-bitten sailor, was staring at his beached ship, an unreadable expression on his face. "That's the second one this year," he muttered. The sailors looked as despondent as their captain sounded.

"The second one?" Lyn couldn't help but ask.

The captain sighed. "The Missur West Company's second lost ship in Lycian waters. Those damned Lausian pirates sit at the mouth of the river and gang up on merchant ships unless they pay a 'crossing fee'...pah." He cursed as he patted himself down, finally pulling out a pipe and what proved to be some strong-smelling stuff. Lyn found she preferred what the men of her tribe had smoked, though the fragrant tang of nostalgia that accompanied the captain's pipe was not unpleasant.

"Lausian?" Lyn frowned. "Of...Lausia?"

"Laus, milady," Kent corrected. He sounded sharper, more like himself than he had in days. "It is a territory further up this river."

"Is that so? Why doesn't Marquess Laus do anything about the pirates, then?" Lyn asked, turning to face him.

One of the sailors coughed. "I heard he takes a cut of the money."

"Despicable," Lyn muttered. "Is there not an honest marquess in all of Lycia?"

"Marquess Pherae seemed pretty nice," Wil commented. Lyn said nothing, the sense of betrayal she felt towards Eliwood's father rising inside of her like bile.

"What will you do now?" Sain asked. Somehow, even at such a late hour, he sounded lively.

"We'll wait until morning, then push the old girl back into the water and make for Missur. The winner of that battle out there'll clean out the ship, but they never go as far as to destroy it." That the captain could recite the pirates' procedure in such a matter-of-fact tone angered Lyn; how could such injustices be considered commonplace?

"If that's so, then we'll help you," she offered. "We can find another ship to Etruria once we reach Missur."

"Begging your pardon, but we'll be hard-pressed to take care of ourselves, not to talk of extra people," said the captain. "Besides, from here you'll be able to go to Etruria through Ostia. It shouldn't take too long."

She wanted to argue, because it was Sacaean custom to always help others, yet something inside of her hesitated. In the wind there was, along with the waves of cold, a sense of fatigue that she couldn't deny. It was coming from everyone, but she could feel it most strongly inside herself.

All she wanted was to leave Lycia. If going by land was the quickest way, then that was fine with her.

"As you like," she responded. She smiled, though she knew it would be lost in the darkness. "Thank you for everything."

"It wasn't all that much," he protested, and she shook her head in response.

"That you would try is enough. May the wind be at your back." Turning, she nodded to her companions. "We'll go further inland before we rest for the night. It's too dark to go far, so let's walk instead of tiring the horses."

As her feet reached solid dirt instead of sinking into sand, she felt the presence of someone just behind her. She had calmed down from the ordeal inside the ship, but there was still a little anxiety knotting inside her as she glanced back. It did not fade when she saw, by the moon's poor light, that it was Kent. "Lady Lyndis, how are you feeling?"

Pursing her lips, she hoped he had poor night vision and was unable to see her...whatever she felt. It was a jumble of emotions, knotting into clumps that were ill-defined as being merely anxiety or irritation or shame, and she did not want him to see any of it. He had already seen too much as it was. "Fine, Kent. And yourself? You seemed to be going through a hard time. I'm always here if you want to talk."

"Lady Lyndis, you are much too generous," he replied. "Forgive me for worrying you. I realize that you have many burdens of your own."

She said nothing at first, the shame of having her fears seen by someone, anyone, almost crippling in its weight. "Well, don't worry about it," she finally responded, glancing at the waning moon. Its light was faint, too faint to see his expression. "The only thing we should be focusing on right now is getting out of this country without any more injuries."

"I understand." She watched him glance forward, where their companions were quite a ways ahead, before he turned to face her again. "Forgive me, I did not intend to keep you when we still need to find a place to rest. If you are tired, then please ride my horse the rest of the way."

"It's fine," she said, her tone brusque, "I can walk." It was a little harsh to her own ears, but he merely nodded and began walking, leading his horse by the reins. Taking a deep breath, she followed, somewhat disturbed by their short conversation.

He saw me at my weakest inside that ship. No doubt that has changed how he sees me. He must think I'm weak...that's no good. So long as I am haunted by the spirits of the past, I'll never be strong. Even now, I can hear their screams...they cry out to be avenged. None of the other survivors could hear it, but I could.

It was Sacaean custom to repay debts both good and bad, she knew this. In the aftermath of the destruction of the Lorca, she had felt she was the only one who knew this. Maybe that was why the spirits of the dead held so closely to her.

I understand them. Our feelings are the same. The only way they can rest is if the Talliver no longer tread upon Mother Earth.

Once I crush the Talliver, we will all know peace.

-0-

For the next few days they traveled northward in a manner much like the small grass snakes that littered the plains of her homeland: slinking under what cover was available, darting forward in bursts of speed whenever they were exposed lest someone interested found them. They were blessed by the beautiful saint to travel along the river, Sain would often comment, because it was more lush with spring's bounties and thus more easy for them to stay hidden, but Wil would remark in turn on the fact that hunters would therefore spend more time hunting along the game-crowded river. He was right, too, but Kent, who seemed more...well, Lyn wouldn't call it cheerful, but he was downright pleasant compared to before, wanted to reach the northern mountains that separated Lycia from Sacae before heading westward towards Ostia. To the Caelin knights, the Lycia beyond the river that cut cleanly through the country was one they were only casually familiar with, and so they followed all the natural landmarks they could. And Wil, who had traveled extensively through Lycia, admitted that he couldn't remember very much about western Lycia either.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but it all kind of jumbles together," he said, a bit of embarrassed laughter following his statement. "See, I was only twelve at the time, and--"

"Oh?" Sain interrupted. Lyn could see the smile on his face from where she sat, her regular position behind Kent on his horse, and she turned around and shared a grin with Florina, who was not allowed to fly until they started heading west. "I'm impressed! That is the spirit of a true knight-errant--age means nothing to a valiant soul once the world cries out for a hero!"

Wil laughed, though Lyn thought he looked even more embarrassed. "Um, I'm the furthest thing from a hero."

Facing straight ahead, Kent coughed. "Be that as it may, it is a young age to travel by oneself."

The happy expression on Wil's face wilted like an unwatered plant, leaving behind a pensive look that made Lyn frown to see it. But before she could ask what was wrong, Sain turned to face Kent. "Eh? Are you sure you're allowed to say that?" he asked with a smile. "Weren't you younger than him when you were sent to the castle? Though, family decisions and a burning desire to enter the world at large are two completely different things..."

"I do what I am expected to do," Kent said, his tone mild. "That is what it means to be a knight in service to a lord."

"Mm...that's the kind of answer I would expect from you--perfectly pragmatic and with absolutely no heart." Considering Kent's response was a mere sigh, Lyn thought this was a common topic among the two knights. Still smiling, Sain turned, his eyes flashing with his usual boyish mischievousness. "But maybe fair Florina feels differently, hmm?"

"I...well...maybe..." Her head lowered so that her hair hid her face, Florina became silent for a few moments before raising her head, though she wasn't facing any of them by that time. "I think...I'm only a trainee, but...everyone has their own way of being a knight...I guess?"

"I don't know much about knighthood, but that's a good answer," Wil commented. Lyn nodded.

"That's the way of the pegasus knights, right? I remember you telling me about that years ago."

"...Yeah." Florina blushed as her eyes met Lyn's. "I'm happy you remembered...thanks."

Lyn rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. "Of course I remembered. We're friends, after all!"

"Of course it's a good answer," Sain interjected, looking a little put out, "but I want to hear more! I want to know everything about our sweet little flower--"

"Sain!"

If only everyone was here to enjoy this... Lyn thought, but she still laughed all the same.

-0-

The scent of rain, heavy and musty, was the first thing Lyn was aware of a couple mornings later, and her eyes confirmed it; the sky was a miasma of bloated dark clouds that hung above them like an ill omen. Everyone moved to clear the campsite, though there was a weariness in their movements that she could sympathize with, but she put on a stern face and urged them to move faster.

"We're heading west today. I know we're all tired, but we've finally hit the point where we can go straight without anything stopping us." Standing up, she brushed off her hands after hiding the remains of the campfire--there may not have been anyone chasing them on this side of the river, but she certainly wasn't going to make it easy for any would-be bounty hunters. "And a little rain won't hurt us."

Wil pointed up at the sky, his expression sheepish. "A little?"

"A little," Lyn repeated firmly. "So, let's hurry up."

"What an omen, though," Sain said, more subdued that she would have ever expected from him. "This, on the day we cross through Laus proper...perhaps we should reconsider? At this point, couldn't we just cross the river and make for the border into Bern at Araphen?"

"It cannot be helped. After our exchange with Marquess Araphen and our subsequent failure to reach Caelin in time, we can be sure that he would not hesitate to capture and use us as leverage to gain favor with Lundgren," Kent said, his tone matter-of-fact.

Mounting her pegasus, Florina looked ill at ease as she adjusted her reins. Close as she was, Lyn could see the long, vicious scar on her friend's arm; while there was no more danger of infection and therefore left uncovered, it was a harsh reminder of the perils they had gone through to get this far. "Florina," Lyn spoke up, "take point."

"But, the rain..."

"For as long as you can." Lyn gestured at the open land before them, fields of untouched spring grass. It was nothing like the plains of Sacae, but there was a little throb of nostalgia inside her all the same. "There's no shelter for us. From now on, we'll be taking speed over stealth, so we need eyes in the air."

Florina seemed to hesitate. "O-okay," she said after a moment, then smiled in a flash of nervous energy. "I...I kind of missed flying."

"Good girl," Lyn said, waving as her friend took to the air before turning to the others. "And now for us." It was a statement, not an order, but there was a distinct lack of sluggishness as they mounted the horses and began to ride west. Despite the heavy scent of rain in the air, the first drops took a while to fall. It was a blessing from Father Sky that they were able to ride for as long as they did before fat droplets began to splatter on the ground, then fall increasingly harder until it felt like she couldn't breathe without inhaling water. It was the kind of rain that would flood the lower regions of Sacae and cause the tribes to form their great migrations to the mountains.

That the rain could feel so familiar, when everything else was so foreign and strange, hurt. And, like every other time she had hurt, she could only grit her teeth, lower her head and square her shoulders in stubborn defiance, and push herself past the moment, past everything. If she were more gentle to herself, more willing to accept the pain--no. It was fine to soothe others, but she couldn't allow herself the same comfort.

Six months alone on the wide, empty plains had taught her not to depend on it. There, the only thing that had mattered was strength.

That much hadn't changed, no matter where she went.

They bore ahead, nothing but the sounds of hooves churning through the mud and the falling rain to fill the silence between them. Lyn knew they wouldn't be able to keep this pace forever; Lycian horses, while impressively tall compared to Sacaean breeds like Rath's horse, seemed weaker against the elements. Maybe Florina's pegasus would fare best, considering what she'd heard of Ilia's conditions, but could Florina herself prove to be as resilient?

I wish that I didn't have to ask so much of her, or the others. They don't deserve this.

Lyn glanced upward. Blinded as she was, all she could see before she blinked and rubbed at her eyes was the sight of Florina returning to them. Good, she thought, she must've found a place where we can rest. I don't think anyone else would be out here in this storm. "Florina's coming back," Lyn announced. The rain seemed less bothersome after they stopped, though she felt so drenched that she figured she couldn't get anymore soaked than she was.

"This rain's not going to let up anytime soon," Sain said, his tone unusually somber. Then, as though he had a glimpse of a pretty girl, his face suddenly lit up with one of his familiar smiles. "Just like being back in Caelin, right, Kent?"

Though Lyn couldn't see his face, she just had a feeling Kent was in no mood for idle talk, so she wasn't surprised by the irritation in his voice as he said, "It is nothing like Caelin."

An awkward silence descended upon the group at that declaration. She knew she had bigger problems at the moment, but Lyn couldn't help but feel guilty about not being good enough, strong enough, to make it to her grandfather's side in time.

"Um, that--that looks like a problem," Wil suddenly said. She had never heard him stumble over a word, and that really bothered her. He was staring at the sky, in the same direction Florina was coming from--

"That...that can't be what I think it is," Sain said, the bravado leaking out of his words and leaving them with a hollow falseness. "That's a trick of the rain, or--"

"A wyvern." Despite the fact that he had murmured it, Lyn could hear Kent's voice clearly through the rain. "But what would Bern be doing here?"

Without a word, Lyn dismounted from Kent's horse. A deep, fierce protectiveness rose within her as Florina and the strange wyvern rider closed the distance between them. She didn't need to see her best friend's face to know that Florina was frightened; the pegasus' flight was erratic in a way Lyn hadn't seen since she had first met Florina all those years ago. "The wyvern rider is chasing her," she stated, fingers already grasping for a sword hilt.

"Something about this seems strange. Why would one of Bern's wyvern knights come from Lycia's interior?" she heard Kent say as Wil jumped down from Sain's horse.

"Maybe he's not from Bern?" Notching an arrow, Wil stared at the incoming flyers before dropping the arrow back in his quiver and wiping at his eyes with the back of one hand. "I can't do anything in this rain," he muttered before notching another arrow.

Sain hefted his lance, a frown on his face. "What does it matter where this villain comes from when he seeks to do harm to our Florina?"

"I agree." Lyn stepped forward, her sword out as she tested her leverage on the slick earth. Her boots had little traction, but she wasn't going to let that stop her, not when Florina was in danger.

She was not going to watch another friend die. Not again.

Florina landed several yards ahead of them, mud flying everywhere from Huey's skidding hooves as rider and pegasus fought to maintain balance. Lyn herself realized how treacherous the wet ground was as she began to run towards her friend; her feet arched awkwardly up and back when she tried to break into a run, and only when she stomped on the ground with both feet was she able to save herself from falling face-first into the mud. The only way she could reach Florina was by using small, cautious steps.

But before Lyn could move, the wyvern had landed, great wings arching towards the cloud-choked sky as its shrieking screech split through the sound of the falling rain.

The wyvern rider jumped off the great beast and extended a hand towards Florina, who sat completely still in the saddle. He seemed to be saying something to her, as far as Lyn could tell, but the rain was swallowing his words just as easily as the earth. It didn't matter to Lyn; as soon as she reached Florina she had her sword out and was brandishing it in his direction. "Stay back!" she yelled. "Can't you see she's frightened of you?"

"I...I didn't mean to frighten her," the wyvern rider replied, his hands spread in what Lyn guessed was a show of peace. Green hair, with a shock of white, was plastered to the sides of his face, and Lyn had to admit to herself that the color of most of his hair and the narrowness of his eyes made her want to trust him--he looked almost Sacaean. Yet there was something more to him, a leanness to his face, his small jerky movements interrupting any pretensions of grace, little quirks almost as familiar as blood. "I nearly collided with her in the air and I wanted to apologize and lead her to shelter so she could wait out the storm. A young lady shouldn't be out in this weather, even if she is a pegasus knight."

Lyn turned to Florina. "Is that right?"

For a moment, Florina was quiet. "Y-yes...I was...it surprised me, the wyvern..."

"Well, that's not a surprise," the wyvern rider said, looking much more cheerful than before as he patted the wyvern on the side of its head. "Hyperion must've been a sight up there, but he's not nearly as scary as he looks."

By the time Lyn was smiling at the somewhat strange-looking but kind wyvern rider, she could hear Sain grumbling about mud as the rest of the group approached. She turned to introduce them, but the words died in her throat as she took notice of Kent's expression--naked shock on a face that knew only composure. "Sir Heath?" he said, surprise coloring even his tone.

It surprised her, but she was downright confused when something darkened the wyvern rider's--Heath's?--face. He took a step back, rabbit-like in his sudden nervousness. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Are you from Bern? Black Fang?"

"No!" Lyn exclaimed, sheathing her sword in an attempt to look less dangerous. "No, we're not." She didn't want him to run now, not when she finally realized what that odd feeling of kinship from before was really about.

He's the same as us. Running, used to being on the run...

"Then, how do you know my name?" Heath pressed. As if echoing his master's emotions, Hyperion was on his hind legs and baring every claw and fang he could spare, great wings unfurled and blocking much of the sky in his show of power.

In comparison, Kent seemed to have reigned in much of his emotions as he spoke. "A few years ago, a contingent of Lycian knights visited Bern to renew our friendly ties with your country. I was one of them."

"I don't remember that," Sain said. Kent glanced his way.

"You were with your family."

"Oh--oh! Yes, I most certainly was!"

"Sain," Lyn said, suppressing a sigh at his hurried apologies.

"Anyway, we are most certainly not your enemy, Sir Heath," Kent continued. "And we have no intention of becoming such."

Heath stared at them, all of them, narrow eyes almost slits as he studied them. To Lyn, it felt as if even the slightest twitch would set him off, but he only nodded when he was done, his body language still full of tense wariness. "I see. You're all--you're like me, then, aren't you? Deserters of your country."

Kent sat up in his saddle, a stricken look on his face. "That's--!"

"Kent, please." Lyn thought it was strange to chastise someone older than her, just because, and the way he respectfully nodded and was immediately silent only made that weirdness all the more there. She turned towards Heath and extended a hand. "If you're running too, let's help each other out. Why don't you travel with us?"

Something of a smile began to appear on Heath's face. "You're too kind, miss. Actually, I'm working as a mercenary--one of Eubans' number, here in Laus. That's why I was out here in the first place, to perform reconnaissance maneuvers."

"Even though you were once a knight?" Kent asked. It seemed almost insensitive a question, and Lyn frowned to hear it, but Heath only nodded.

"I won't deny that I'm uncomfortable in my new role. Mercenaries rarely abide by any rules of chivalry, and this has put me at odds with some of the others, but I'm tired of running. Besides," Heath shrugged, though the movement looked anything but casual, "the reason why I left Bern was to uphold my honor. That won't change--I won't let it change, no matter what I have to become to survive." Climbing up onto the wyvern's back, Heath looked more natural than when he stood on the ground. "Listen, this rain looks like it'll go on into the night. Let me help you find some shelter."

Too drenched to resist the lure of such an offer, they made to follow him. Heath was as good as his word, and they had that one night under a roof, even if it was the roof of an abandoned, small abbey.

All Lyn would remember about that night was, amid Sain and Wil's laughter as they told stories for a hesitant Florina to judge, the image of Kent's pensive face as he stared into the fire, as if he was seeking something within the flames that he couldn't find in any of them.

-0-

So, this is Ostia, Lyn thought as they entered the castle town over a week later. Although it was dusk, there were still quite a few people outside as candlelight streamed through the windows of several houses. She smiled, mostly out of relief--we've finally made it!

"Lady Lyndis, please tell me we'll be sleeping in real beds tonight," Sain pleaded. "We haven't slept indoors since Badon, and that was how many weeks ago?"

Lyn laughed, though Sain's words had a measure of truth in them, what with the days bleeding together to form large chunks of time that she couldn't split up into 'weeks' or 'months'. "Of course. We can afford that much. And tomorrow we'll prepare for our journey into Etruria."

As Kent said something about finding the town stable, Lyn watched as the last bit of the sunset disappeared in the western sky. We've made it, we've made it, thank the spirits! was all that she could think about as celebratory joy and relief lifted the burden she had felt since Caelin, and she--

Eh?

--turned to her right suddenly, reaching for the hilt of one of her swords as she peered into the inky darkness of a nearby alleyway.

Is someone there?

This was what all her instincts were shrieking at her, but all she could do was gaze into the nothingness of the alley and wait.

"Lyn?"

Lyn blinked as she heard her name spoken, wrapped in Florina's soft, questioning voice. After giving the alleyway one last glare, she turned towards Florina. "Sorry, are we going to find the inn now?" she said, masking her suspicions with a cheerful tone. It helped that the feeling vanished, as if it had been a trick of the mind. Their journey had worn her down more than she cared to admit, she figured. Not being able to save her grandfather or Mark, being separated from many of her companions, hunted and tossed around at the whims of so-called allies...but it was all coming to an end now.

Tomorrow, I can finally leave this country. We've lost so much, but we made it here together.

-to be continued-

I hope everyone's had a better summer than I have had, though I think that wouldn't be hard at all. I'm very sorry for the wait, and we'll be returning to the weekly schedule now.

According to the artbook, Kent and Heath are acquaintances.

05: Ostia, the largest castle town and head of the Lycian League, is a natural hub of trade between Lycia and Etruria. Split up to take care of preparations and personal obligations, Lyn and her friends find out just how infamous they've become since Lundgren became Marquess Caelin...