Happy New Year, you all. I've noticed that this is one large chapter. Though it might take a while to read, I hope that you enjoy it just the same.

Author's Warning: If you haven't noticed already, characters in this fanfic are very fond of long-winded speeches. Yes, I'm a poetic/political/historic kind of guy, what can I say?

Chapter 11: A Breach of Faith

Fort Arbor, the closest Crimean fortress to the Gallian border, had hardly seen the chaos of battle. When Daein forces invaded the province, General Tagio tried to hold them off, but with the majority of Crimea's supplies having been lost in the Battle of Fort Pinell, Tagio was forced to flee into the shadows of the forest, and Arbor was swiftly taken.

Since Daein was too busy focusing on chasing after the Princess, most of Arbor was left unharmed, since the citizenry didn't really care who governed them as long as their lives stayed roughly the same. Since the Mad King's War, Arbor had been the province least accepting of Queen Elincia's reign, since she seemed to focus on the issues of other provinces much more readily, using Delbray as an example of a 'successful' province rather than the relatively unscathed Arbor.

Ludveck, Duke of Arbor, had originally given Taigo quite a bit of gold and grain from his coffers in the hopes that the General would sing Ludveck's praises for helping him fend off the enemy, but with Taigo's appalling defeat, Ludveck found it prudent to simply surrender his political power to the Daein invaders. When Crimea regained her independence Ludveck was one of the first to curse their former Daein 'masters' and help Elincia to the throne with all the monetary aid he could muster, but Elincia was not one to take bribes, and Ludveck found that most of his demands were ignored.

Within his well-furbished palace, untouched by the spears of Daein, Ludveck eagerly awaited news that could help him regain the power he had gradually lost. Soon enough, a member of his personal guard came to inform him of the army stationed within the borders of his jurisdiction.

"Lord Ludveck, Senator Lekain of the Begnion Confederacy has asked that we help assault the laguz's rear positions while the Begnion Imperial Army is distracted by Valtome's calvary charge. If I may, sir, assisting Lord Lekain in the destruction of Gallia's army would bring us in his good graces, and I believe that we will be granted many rewards in the long run."

"Hmph. Elincia might be willing to make amends for anyone who's willing to not shoot at her, but I'm not so spineless. Tell me, if Lekain truly wanted to destroy the Gallian army, why didn't he press his attack onto Zarzi when he caught the entire Gallian Royal Army off guard with his initial attack? Phoenicis had no troops in Gallia at the time of his initial advance, and most of the Gallian army was in the south, trying to restore the damaged areas and help the disenfranchised populace.

"This proves that Lekain is an incompetent fool who continues to use Sanaki as his scapegoat in order to justify his reign. I have no intention of throwing away my dignity in order to assist him simply because he is so powerful." Ludveck sighed as he slouched further into his chair.

The soldier bowed. "My Lord, Lekain might be rather tactically challenged, but his standing army is still very powerful. Valtome succeeded in whittling the Begnion Imperial Army to a minute fraction of the glorious strength it once had. Goldoa, Daein, and Kilvas are still members of the Confederacy itself. It's only a matter of time before the senators create a strategy that will overwhelm the Gallian and Crimean armies...

"Their sheer numbers will be enough to storm several Gallian positions, as the Civil War decimated Gallia's army, and with Goldoa's dragons and Kilvas's ravens Elincia will fall... If we support Begnion now, we can keep our strength and, perhaps, take Izuka's path and become rulers of the State of Crimea within the Confederacy. Self-rule will be ours, and perhaps even Elincia herself will be yours. Imagine the scope of the riches we will earn if we support the Confederacy in its endeavor!"

Ludveck sighed. "Well... Elincia isn't the type who'll let me have what I want. Sooner or later she'll increase my taxes in order to save her beloved Delbray. Honestly, to hell with Delbray! That province was destined to be in ruins the moment it was founded! Who's bright idea was it to place such a large town at the borders of Begnion and Daein? If one nation is not at war with Crimea the other would find it advantageous to sack the city! At any rate, you're right. I should keep my options open. Even if something goes wrong, I can tell Elincia that I intended to not allow any army from any foreign nation invade a Crimean province, be they Gallian or Phoenician or whatever faction. That should force her to stay silent at least."

"Very good, sir. We will order our frontline encampments to deploy themselves and engage the Gallian forces from the rear. Once they've tied up those subs we can move in with our calvary squads and the battle will be ours. Valtome can easily destroy the Imperial Army once he knows that we've helped him clear away those Gallian foes." The guard bowed and left.

"Grandfather... I hear that thirty more of our siblings fell in combat against Ike and Geoffrey. Is this true?" Ena spoke uneasily as Nasir passed her by.

Goldoa palace had never been seen by non-dragon eyes. It's gigantic tan walls were mainly there for appearance sake, since the dragons doubted that anyone, not even a talented thunder sage, could possibly view them, let alone breech them.

Within those walls, the dragons of Goldoa scampered about. There wasn't much of a need to transform, and thus most dragons were fully capable of transforming immediately, though they knew that they probably wouldn't need to. So generally they remained in their humanoid forms, with tax collectors sitting at desks as they reviewed various documents, butlers running back and forth with refreshments for the various ministers, and various Goldoan nobles sprinting about, trying to either curry favor with the King or simply relax in its furbished halls.

But Nasir was in no mood to do either. Though it pained him to ignore his granddaughter, he had an urgent message to bring to King Deghinsea.

Ena blinked as her grandfather simply marched past her and entered the throne room. Nasir was hardly the type to be stoic before family or close friends, so something truly troubling was amiss.

"Your majesty... Our men have taken significant casualties in the battles against Crimea. Almost a hundred dragons have fallen in the assaults on Castle Delbray. Our brothers should not be sacrificed like cattle simply because a few beorc madmen can achieve their ambitions! We might not be wasting our breath on Gallian or Phoenician laguz, but Crimean beorc are the only beorc faction who have begun to accept us laguz for who we are! To butcher them so viciously will only prove to those racists among the beorc that laguz and beorc cannot coexist!" Nasir tightly clenched his fist with rage as he stood before the great king.

"Thank you, Nasir, for your input. But you must know that Goldoa alone will be unable to fend off the combined might of Begnion, Daein, and Kilvas. That, and with Gallia and Phoenicis's defeat, how will the Confederacy be able to ever accept us laguz? Perhaps they can claim that Kilvas is the sole exception among laguz tribes, and thus allow the ravens and crows to live without persecution, but other laguz groups will be butchered like those Daein hunts of recent times. Begnion enslavements of laguz will become commonplace, and a place like Crimea, where beorc and laguz try to live together in harmony, will merely be a fond memory. That is why Goldoa must stand beside the Confederacy, for only then can laguz hope to find some sort of solace. Refugees from Phoenicis and Gallia will find a safe haven within our borders; you can be sure of that. Confederate law dictates that all provinces are allowed self-rule as long as they respect the sovereignty of the Senate and of the entire Begnion Confederacy itself. There is little else to discuss."

"There is little else to discuss." Nasir repeated bitterly. "My lord, if I may, Lekain will find a way to bend these rules, I'm sure of it. A man who is not content with being the owner of a fantastic villa, a Duke of a significantly large and rich province, and a Senator of high standing is a man who will stop at nothing to earn pure power. Valtome supports him only because his ambitions are not as far-reaching, and Izuka and Lekain only bear with each other because an alliance benefits both of them. They are not the sort of men we can trust... Mark my words, if Goldoa falls for Lekain's facade any longer, Begnion's blades will soon be headed for our throats, and this laguz sanctuary for which you've fancied yourself as its keeper will quickly became a slaughterhouse." And with that, Lord Nasir of Goldoa rudely stormed out of the throne room.

Deghinsea only sighed as he watched Nasir leave. "I only do what must be done. Those actions might be what my people would consider wrong, but if Goldoa and the laguz tribes wish to survive, then this is what I must do to keep them alive."

"Geoffrey... I thank Ashera that you are unharmed... To think that Goldoa would send its mighty dragons to the field! You... You truly have suffered so much for my sake." Elincia grasped the General's hand tightly as she gazed into his eyes.

Castle Crimea seemed so empty as Geoffrey's army returned to the premises. Ike and the Greil Mercenaries, who felt like uninvited guests, decided to wait in the garden as the main Crimean army gathered itself around the main plaza and throne room. With Geoffrey having personally went to speak to the Queen, Ike and the rest of the mercenaries could only sit around in boredom.

But Lucia, Bastian, and the other members of the royal guard hardly had such a luxury.

"Elincia... No... To fight in your name is not suffering, it is merely a fulfillment of my duties. I've always told you that my life and blade are yours, no? I have never exaggerated that point. We've lived our lives beside you, and we will continue to do so 'till the end. If Defeat does come, I will still be the one at the castle gates, fighting the enemy to the bitter end. Bastian will be standing on the battlements, smacking foes with wind blasts and raining fire and thunder down upon their heads. Lucia will be the one who stands before your throne room, her sword at the ready. We three shall never leave your side, Elincia, and we will gladly die to keep you alive."

"But Geoffrey, I... I could not bear the sight of you collapsing on the castle floor covered in blood. You are very dear to me... To lose you would be like having my liver torn out of me. I could not survive such a painful ordeal. I may be a Queen, and I might be powerful and might have to set personal desires aside for the greater good, but even I am in need for loved ones whom I can trust with my life. Even I have need for people with whom I can be happy. You, Lucia, Bastian, you three make me happy when you are near. It's not like I don't feel pleased when Ike or the others are near, but you three have been there for me for as long as I can remember. I cannot imagine how I will live without either of you by my side..."

"Elincia... I... Thank you... You've always shown such concern for all of us. Too many rulers in Tellius's history have not shown devotion to their subjects like you. Even now we face men like Lekain and Izuka, men who are willing to do anything for power, even if it means sacrificing their men like cattle. Since you are so unwilling to see us die, we are even more willing to fight till the bitter end in your name..." Geoffrey bowed.

"Geoffrey... Please... Know when to fall back. Falling back is not the same as defeat." Elincia grabbed his arm.

Geoffrey smiled as he placed his hand over hers. "You have my word, Elincia. I will come back to you alive, always."

Ever since the Daein Loyalist Army left their homeland, the people of Daein forgot what "peace" was.

Almost daily Izuka's patrols would march along the streets of once glorious cities like Nevassa, Sella, and Marado, killing all those who would dare stand in their way. Hundreds of revolutionary organizations sprouted throughout the nation, hoping that the voice of the people could overwhelm Izuka's, and that Daein could be reunited under a banner that would care for her people.

Noyce, leader of the Daein Liberation Front, one of the larger Daein revolutionary organizations, gathered more than 400 members in the hope that he could help destroy Izuka and restore Daein to her former glory. In the battle of Nebula, Noyce was able to ally with several other organizations for one massive revolution. Together, these revolutionaries overwhelmed Izuka's royal troops and retook the fortress in the people's name.

Among these revolutionaries, Noyce met Aran and Laura, a young "group of childhood friends," though in the older man's eyes they were practically a couple, who helped fight and tend to the wounded. Laura, having taken the oath of Priestess, was able to wield staves to help heal the wounded, while Aran took the path of a soldier in the hope of one day becoming a sentinel.

But Noyce happily found more than just that young couple. Enjorlas, a dedicated bow knight who cursed Izuka's disregard for the people's needs, and Gant, an ex-mercenary who swore to split open the skulls of those who would meddle with or pillage the homes of the diligent farmers whose toils helped keep the nation alive. Befriending these four youths, Noyce hoped that the Daein Liberation Front could one day help make their four young lives continue on under a peaceful, honorable, supportive Daein monarchy.

But his hopes were quickly dashed.

Nebula was retaken by Izuka's armies after a three week long siege. The revolutionary leaders captured by this "King" were immediately executed, and their followers were enslaved. Whatever hopes of a new Daein now dissipated into thin air.

Gant, Enjorlas, Aran, Laura, these four souls disappeared into the frosty Daein night, and Noyce could not find a single soul as he escaped from the flames of Nebula.

Alone, carrying only forty coins, a steel axe, and a vulnerary, Noyce purchased a cloak with half his money and successfully disguised himself as a beggar, who happened to carry a steel axe, though in these times bandit raids were not so rare and one needed to protect oneself with anything one had.

But as he wandered about, he found a young girl, her hair silver like a pile of Daein's winter snow, healing an old, frail man's pained joints. Arthritis was a common disease for the elderly of Daein, and this girl seemed to be able to cure it.

Beside the girl, a young boy with green hair stood. The way he twirled the dagger in his hand reminded Noyce of the talented rouges and assassins that prowled the streets at night, or who were hired by the military to execute key foes.

Who were these people? This boy looked like no rookie, and this girl could heal people, without a stave, it seemed. She simply raised her right hand and a white glow began to get emitted from it. This glow gleamed over the old man's body, and he began to move normally once more. He was healed.

Noyce continued to stare at the two kids. The boy, well, it wasn't too surprising in these times to have people who were skilled in the use of a weapon, but the girl... That was supernatural... Those people flocked to her as though she was some sort of living panacea. Clearly, this girl was something else.

But as he stared at the pair, a voice yelled aloud: "They've come! Get out of here, now!"

Moments later, soldiers in black stormed the streets, spearing any civilian that got in their way. Narrowing his eyes, Noyce raised his axe. As the former leader of the DLF he could not let this stand! Daein's people could not be butchered by these bastards any longer! If he had to die today, he'd die for a greater cause.

At that moment the boy came running to him. "You there! How skilled are you with an axe?"

"That's rude of you." Noyce smiled.

"No time for manners when innocent people are getting killed. I can use knives to cut them down, and Micaiah here can strike them with light magic. If you can use that axe to help me, we can cut a path through these bastards and find their commander. Micaiah can give us fire support." The boy replied.

"Kid, you have no idea who you're talking to, do you? I'm Noyce."

"You're kidding."

"Why would I when we could die in seconds?"

"... I can't believe I'm talking to you... Why are we waiting here? Let's go take out these bastards and save the city!"

"You don't need to tell me twice, kid."

The boy's name was Sothe, Noyce learned, and he once fought alongside men like General Tauroneo when Ashnard invaded Crimea... The Mad King's War led to the ruined Daein of today, and Noyce couldn't believe half of what Sothe spoke of Ike, Crimea's national hero.

Apparently, Micaiah didn't think much of his appraisal of Ike either, always trying to cover Sothe's mouth when the boy uttered more words in favor of that commander.

"So what exactly will we do now? We attacked those bastards, and now we're literally fugitives. People wouldn't turn us in, but once the cops or some watchmen spot us, our cover is blown." Enjorlas groaned.

Noyce nodded. Indeed, they were in dire straights.

The screams of children filled the air as the black armored warriors, who should have been protecting this snowy land, descended upon them.

The streets were filled with dying old men and women. Every person who came face to face with a soldier found herself skewered on the edge of a lance. No one, man, woman, or child, was left alive if they were spotted by these soldiers. Their orders were to purge the streets of potential rebels, and in Izuka's eyes anyone who dared disobey his edict that everyone had to voluntarily undergo house arrest for the good of Daein was a potential rebel.

Noyce and Sothe sprang forward as their hometown burned around them. They swung their axes and tossed their knives into the fray, slaying those barbaric soldiers and saving innocent lives with each strike. Giant spheres of pure energy descended upon their foes as Micaiah stood behind them, muttering incantations from the tome in her hand.

Whole platoons of black armored men fell before them, and their bodies began to pile on the streets as well. As these three continued to fight, they found a blonde haired man on a horse firing arrows at a squad of charging enemy troops. Before their horseslayers could reach the rider, each soldier collapsed on the ground, dead with an arrow stuck in their skulls.

"Enjorlas!" Noyce cried in the cold night air.

"Noyce! Old man, I knew you'd show up... Even if Nebula fell, I knew that the people's defenders wouldn't be gone so easily. I was pretty much mopping up these bastards alone until you came." The rider's green eyes twinkled as he rode and stopped before them.

"Enjorlas... How many people are dead because of these soldiers?"

"... Several hundred at least... These people chose not to obey such a ridiculous law, as they should, but it's come to this... Anyway, I see that you've found a few new people." Enjorlas nodded.

"I'm Sothe, and this is Micaiah. I'm sorry that we weren't at Nebula... It's not easy to travel around when you don't have cash." Sothe nodded.

"I hear you. But we're wasting time chatting. Those bastards won't stop until they're routed, and we four are the only people in their way." Enjorlas waved his arm and reared his horse, charging through another alley with the three heroes following him.

An enemy halberdier had stood triumphant as commander of this "hunting expedition," and once Noyce split his skull open with his axe the corrupted officer could no longer hunt down innocent lives.

The four warriors, knowing that they were practically alone, were forced to trudge along the dusty old roads of Daein's countryside. To stay anywhere near the cities would be suicide.

"Sothe, since you're a veteran and a thief, you should have good eyes. Can you see anywhere we can take shelter? I think it'll rain, and we aren't exactly wearing waterproof clothes." Enjorlas spoke.

Sothe's eyes darted about. "Too bad Janaff isn't here..." He mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"Oh, nothing. This area seems too desolate... I don't think we'll find any place anytime soon." Sothe shook his head.

"Then we'd better hurry. We'll probably reach a shack or something if we quicken our pace instead of talking." Noyce started to sprint forward, and the others immediately followed.

"Ranulf, why are there white armored soldiers charging at us?" Lethe hissed skeptically as the Gallian army turned to find Crimeans rushing towards them.

"Could they be reinforcements?" Ranulf shrugged his shoulders.

"Reinforcements tend not to point their spears at you when they're rushing to assist you..." Lyre muttered.

A tiger comrade of theirs, seeing this stampede of Crimean troops charging towards them, decided to transform just to be safe. Crimea and Gallia were allies, and transforming was a natural process that Gallians went through. Transforming wasn't necessarily used for war. Heck, a transformed laguz could travel much more efficiently than an untransformed one. Transformed laguz were far more capable at transporting heavy goods (despite having a limited time frame for them to do so), and were basically another method for laguz to live their lives more efficiently.

A laguz who knew which situations could be better taken care of transformed or not is a laguz who would lead a more fulfilling life. That is why, in any normal circumstance, no friendly beorc should feel any form of discomfort upon seeing a friendly laguz transform in front of them.

But these Crimean troops immediately raised their spears and charged at all the untransformed laguz that were watching their Begnion Imperial allies fend off the Confederate horde.

Half of Ranulf's troops immediately transformed, and pounced forward to face the advancing tide.

Claws smashed into helmets and swords seared through flesh as laguz and beorc engaged each other once again. This time, though, was a battle between those who thought that they were allies. With each swipe of the paw and blade, the link between Crimea and Gallia was severed further. Now it seemed that the Confederacy, having reached into Crimea itself, would finally prevail over Gallia and Phoenicis... If five nations were finally cocking the knee to the Confederacy's whim, the remaining two nations would be outnumbered and outgunned. All King Ramon's toils now seemed in vain...

Ludveck, realizing that the reputation of Gallia's strength was not mere bragging, ordered a few of his pegasus knights to call in reinforcements from Melior. Ludveck and Izuka were far more precious allies than Tibarn and Caineghis, after all. What did post civil war Gallia and Phoenicis have against the legions of Begnion and Daein?

This job was supposed to be easy.

Makalov groaned at that thought.

All he had to do was watch this fort... What was its name? Yes, he just had to watch over this fort and make sure of two things:

A. That it did not fall into non-Crimean hands. It was too far north for Gallia or Phoenicis to take care of it, after all.

B. That everything was kept under control, and by that Marcia meant that supplies were always aplenty, troops had good morale, and that there would be no reason for Geoffrey or even Lucia to court marshal him after visiting the establishment.

So why did things have to get so complicated?

Ludveck's pegasus knight messenger arrived and landed on the front gate of the fortress. Makalov's eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets when he saw her.

She was drop dead gorgeous...

With a bottom so firm... A waist so supple... A bosom so voracious... It was clear that Ludveck knew who to hire to get what he wanted.

Makalov couldn't stop staring at her... He even caught himself drooling, but was too transfixed by her to wipe it off.

She flashed him a beautiful smile.

His heart melted.

"Captain Makalov, please listen to this request..." Her soft voice refreshed his ears.

"I'll listen to whatever you have to say, babe..." He refrained from blurting that out. Instead, he just nodded his head like a bobble toy.

"Lord Ludveck needs you to go and help drive those vicious beasts out of the province..." She gasped at the words "vicious beasts." Fluttering her eyelids and grabbing his arm, she added: "Please say you will! Protect my hometown... Don't let those poor people get eaten alive!"

Makalov turned bright red.

She rubbed herself against him.

He could hardly keep himself from fainting.

"Please!" She added, pressing her entire chest against his arm.

Makalov almost died. "Ye-Yeah..." He muttered.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you, Captain!" She laughed, grabbing him into a hug.

"This is it, now... I can finally prove my manliness... All I have to do is move my head an inch forward..." Makalov thought to himself. Her lips were right there. She was hugging him... He could finally show the world that yes, he was a man...

So close... Sooo close...

And she immediately pushed him off.

"Better get yourself ready, Captain. I'll be waiting!" She blew him a kiss as she mounted her pegasus and flew off.

"Just wait for me!" Makalov yelled after her, his heart aflutter. With a few frantic yells, he rallied those soldiers who were unfortunate enough to be under his command, and with an entire regiment of troops he marched out for Arbor. Sooner or later that beautiful pegasus knight would be his!

So the lovesick Makalov rode his gallant steed towards the besieged province of Arbor. He had to save those poor people!...

Oh, wait, who was he kidding? He was here to get that fair maiden's heart, that's all. Pshaw, honor, dignity, who needed such things when it would only get you killed? To be a man, you had to achieve three things: Money, Fame, and Women. Nothing else really mattered.

Makalov nodded to himself. That was right. Honor would just get you killed. Dignity just made you a snotty arse. Money, Fame, and Women would always make you happy.

So Makalov rode forward, with his soldiers sprinting behind him, when from the sky he heard a screech.

"Traitor!"

A huge eagle came swooping down from the sky, and slammed into the hapless knight.

He was sent flying...

And slammed headfirst into a tree.

As sleep began to overtake him, he thought once again:

"Wasn't this job supposed to be easy?"

Tibarn screeched when he noted Makalov's swift defeat.

That bastard! They had fought side by side during the Mad King's War, and now he'd betray them all... He, too, would help the Confederacy. What, did he owe them money as well?

The Hawk King shook his head. Who were friends, and who were foes? Who could they trust now?. Lord Ludveck, a Crimean nobleman, would march against them. Makalov, a member of the Royal Knights, would lead a regiment to attack Gallians. What was going on?

If Crimea had finally shown its true colors, then Phoenicis and Gallia could no longer give those beorc any quarter! King Ramon's dream had failed, and with its failure it was only a matter of time before the Confederacy finally consumed all of Tellius... Until then, the two remaining laguz nations who retained any sense of honor and dignity would stand strong and take down their foes! Tibran and Caingehis would rather die than let honor fade from the land of Tellius!