No Longer Alone
To all who follow my story:
This will be the last update for a while. I'm going of to National Service, and will thus not have access to a computer for a period of anywhere from two to seven weeks. I hope you guys remember this story and come back to it when it's continued – and rest assured, it will be.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The first thing Amelia became aware of was the noise. It was blurred and indistinct, but still recognizable as speech.
The second she became aware of was the fact that she was laying on something soft. That, while rather nice, wasn't terribly exciting, and so she returned her attention to the speech.
"… a miracle that they survived at all."
"Yeah. It's a good thing we found them before any of the other monsters did."
"We'd have spent a whole lot more looking for 'em if that archer girl hadn't come along and led us to them. Couldn't believe my eyes when I stumbled on the sight."
The third to fiftieth thing she became aware of was that everything hurt. Everything. She ached in places she hadn't known she had, let alone that they were capable of aching.
"Unh…" She groaned softly, attempting to shift her position slightly. That, naturally, led to even more pain.
"Ah, she's awake." The voice was familiar to her. Lord Ephraim's.
Gritting her teeth and doing her best to ignore the pain, she pulled herself into a sitting position, wincing as strained muscles delivered screaming messages of protest. After having managed to do so, she opened her eyes to the turquoise-haired lord staring down at her.
"You feel all right?"
"No, not really." She said. She'd have shook her head in an attempt to emphasize the statement, but her neck hurt too.
"Not surprising, considering what you four went through." Ephraim nodded. "Excellent work, recruit, even if I do say so myself."
"Nnh…" She shook her head, ignoring the pain this time. "Not me. It was…" She paused as a new thought wormed its way into her mind. "Franz! Where is he? Is he-?"
At that, Ephraim quirked a smile and gestured to the bed beside hers. Amelia glanced over and saw Sister Natasha kneeling over the prone form of the cavalier. She winced. Had he always looked so… beaten up, so frail?
"I'd be hard pressed to say whether he or Colm got the worst of it. Based on what Neimi said that Deathgoyle literally threw him around – couldn't have been pleasant."
"D – Deathgoyle?"
"Ah, right. It's basically the stronger form of the Gargoyles. And yes, I know what you're thinking. The name is stupid, but it works, and that's really all I care about."
"O – okay…"
Ephraim sighed. "Look, both you and Franz are going to be fine, so get some rest. You two – you four – did great out there all on your own, and I understand that we're looking into giving you a commendation. So that's something for you to look forward to. Right now though, you look like death warmed over, so like I said, get some rest."
Amelia didn't particular feel like arguing with the Prince over this point – making the transition into a state of unconsciousness seemed a very inviting prospect at that point and so she sank back onto the pillow, letting slumber claim her once again.
Franz glanced over at the bed beside him, where Amelia was sleeping peacefully, her expression serene.
"You all went through a lot," Natasha said softly as she continued to look to the wounds he'd accumulated. "No surprise that you're exhausted."
He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He could still see the scene fresh in his mind – Amelia, writhing in the grasp of that monster, eyes wide with fear.
If I had been just a few seconds slower… A shudder coursed through his body as a thought he was unwilling to contemplate made its way into his mind.
"I wonder why the monsters attacked us," he said, trying to change the subject. "We're just… one ship out in an entire ocean. Sure, we're part of the convoy, but the sea's a big place."
A worried expression creased Natasha's face. "From what I heard, the ship that attacked us has been seen roaming the waters for a while now. Most of the time they preyed on unsuspecting fishing boats or transports. This is probably the first time they faced off against a well-armed contingent of soldiers." The healer sighed. "I'm just glad that we managed to end their threat once and for all."
"No…" Franz sighed. "Not once and for all. Didn't you get the reports, Natasha? More of these monsters have been seen all over the country – they even say they've overrun the Tower of Valni. The Tower! That's where a Sacred Stone used to be housed! And now… it's a pit of darkness."
At the mention of the Sacred Stone, Natasha's face fell. She paused. "Franz…"
"Yes?"
"Do you… do you maybe think…" Natasha swallowed. "Do you think the Emperor could be behind these monsters appearing?"
Almost as soon as the thought came up, Franz was prepared to dismiss it. No. It was ridiculous. Emperor Vigarde might have started a war, but there was no way he could have the desire – let alone the ability – to call forth the demons of history. Why, they had nearly overrun all of humanity before – if it hadn't been for the Sacred Stones –
The Sacred Stones. Franz felt a strange coldness in his gut as he saw the path of Natasha's logic. The Emperor was waging a war to destroy the Sacred Stones – supposedly their first and last line of defense against the Darkness. He wouldn't do that unless…
He glanced at Natasha. "I… I don't know, Natasha. I honestly don't."
Several hours later, a much more rested and refreshed Amelia strolled atop the deck, staring out at the ocean. The fog had largely cleared up, and the waves shone brilliant blue under the sun's rays.
She was abruptly distracted by the sound of a commotion, and she turned to see Prince Ephraim dragging along a Ross who looked like he wanted to struggle away, only he was too scared to actually do so.
"Now, Ross," Ephraim spoke in a rather conversation tone, largely in contrast to the apparently iron grip he had on the boy's arm. "Where were we before were interrupted by the slavering hordes of darkness and despair? I'm not sure what gripe you have with my knights – all upright characters, by the way – that you would feed them a lie about me wishing to hold a conference with them? You're a bright lad, and Sir Garcia's son, no less. You know the consequences of toying with your monarch can be rather dire?"
"I know, all right?" Ross said unhappily. "It was – Franz said I was going to have a training session, and they're always so hard, so I thought that maybe I could get him out of the way and I'd be alone for a while-"
"And did you manage to get out of the training session?" Ephraim said with a raised eyebrow that suggested he already knew the answer.
"No," Ross muttered grumpily. "Turns out Franz was just talking about my dad setting up a practice session."
"Well, let that be a lesson to you." Amelia couldn't be sure, but she thought Ephraim wanted to smile.
"I know." The young axefighter mumbled.
"Good. I've already passed this matter on to your father – I'm sure he'll do a far better job of disciplining you than I ever could, so be on your way." Ephraim said to the now-noticeably paler Ross, before walking away.
Briefly, Amelia considered going over to comfort Ross, but he had turned and reentered the interior of the ship before she could reach him. She sighed and shifted her weight as the ship dipped slightly, letting out a wince of discomfort as an ache shot through her wounded leg.
"Amelia?"
The soft, gentle voice broke her train of thought and she looked to her side to see Franz standing there, hands at his sides.
"Oh, Franz!" She smiled at him. "Feel better?"
"As well as I could be, I suppose." He smiled, raising and lowering a shoulder experimentally. Then his smile faded. "What about your leg, Amelia?"
She shrugged. "Still hurts a little when I put weight on it, but it's fine, really."
He paused. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better."
She frowned. "Franz, what are you talking about? You saved my life from that Deathgoyle thing!"
"Sure, after you saved mine first." He replied.
She paused. Was there a problem with that? She couldn't tell, but he looked rather… distraught, for some reason.
"Well, if you want," She said carefully, trying to defuse a situation she for some reason felt could escalate to unwanted proportions. "Just consider your saving my life repayment for my savings yours. That makes us even, doesn't it?"
The shadow of discomfort didn't entirely leave Franz's face, but he nonetheless nodded. "Okay. I guess I can live with that."
She winked playfully. "We're rivals, after all. Wouldn't be much good if we couldn't keep one-upping each other, would it?"
This time he did chuckle a bit. "I guess you're right."
"Speaking of which…" She paused. "Franz, I'd like to… y'know, spar with you. Just once. See how good we are in relation to each other."
"Huh? But…" He paused. "Your leg…"
"I can use it fine." And it was true. She could. Aside from the tiny jolt that shot her leg every time she moved it, it didn't really impair her mobility in any significant way. "Besides, I'm sure you've not fully recovered yet either, right?"
That brought Franz up short. After a few seconds of hesitation, he nodded. "All right, Amelia. A duel it is."
The ship was as still as it was ever going to be. The two rivals and friends faced each other, lances clutched in their arms.
Amelia, as usual, was wielding the slim silver lance given to her by her adoptive father. Holding it such that it was pointing towards the ground in front of her, she mentally sifted through the various defensive and offensive maneuvers she could make.
Franz, by contrast, bore a thicker and heavier lance, which gave it more weight behind each attack, but meant that he would be slower and less nimble with it than Amelia. She noted that he seemed slightly uncomfortable with holding his lance in both hands, and remembered that Franz was used to fighting from horseback, from which only one arm would be available to fight with. It wasn't as much of an issue with swords, she supposed.
Franz made the first move, bringing his lance up in a sweeping strike intended to knock the lance out of Amelia's hand. The flow of battle during a sparring match was obviously different from an all-out battle. The objective here was to disable your opponent, but in such a way so that he or she would still be fit to fight on the frontlines the next time a real battle arose. Removing your opponent's weapon was usually an effective this way to pull this off.
Reacting to the move, Amelia stepped back, avoiding the wide-angled strike instead of attempting to parry it. She surmised that her strength would be better found in avoiding his attacks than in trying to counter them – he was physically stronger than her, after all.
Sensing an opening, Amelia stepped forward, trying for a quick feint jab to throw him off guard. Franz anticipated this, though, and moved to intercept Amelia's weapon and force it to the ground.
His reaction was good, but the angle wasn't. Amelia was easily able to prevent him from blocking her advance, and by stepping quickly to left she could cover herself well from any of his other attempts.
Her lance darted forward, a silver blur in the brilliant sun, and Franz was obliged to keep moving back wards in order to prevent himself from being injured. Amelia suppressed a smile. If she was able to force an opening, she stood a shot at winning this quickly-
Abruptly Franz leaned to the side, barely letting her lance brush past his torso. His own spear was suddenly rising at her, way too close for comfort. Throwing herself backwards, Amelia was able to evade and continue, but with having forced the lancer backwards, Franz had removed her previous initiative and advantage.
That's what I get for being careless, I guess. Amelia thought to herself as the two of them circled once more, before moving in swiftly. The reach of lance dictated that getting too close wasn't a good idea, since you couldn't strike your opponent well. However, the reach also meant that it was relatively easy to keep opponents at an arm's length – unless they surpassed you in agility, of course.
Once more taking advantage of Franz's heavier weapon, she was able to move in close enough to keep him constantly moving his lance to parry her more nimble strikes, wearing him down. If things kept up, he'd be tired out before she was, and let his guard down long enough for-
Suddenly she was on her back staring up at the sky and wondering what had just happened. A moment later the pain surged in her gut and let out a groan of discomfort.
"Oh, no…" Franz was kneeling at her side. "I'm sorry, Amelia – I didn't mean to hit you so hard. Are you okay?"
She lay silent for a few seconds, focusing on catching her breath, before nodding her head. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just… what did you do?"
He grinned sheepishly. "Well, you were really laying into me and I wasn't really used to using such a heavy weapon in such close-quarters range, so I… I… uh, there's no rule against using your fists, so…"
"You punched me?" She gazed at him with incredulity. "In the stomach?"
"Well, it was more of a knee-jerk reaction, you know? Hey, do you need me to find Natasha? I'm sure she'll-"
"No, no, it's no trouble." Amelia sighed as she got to her feet with Franz supporting her.
"I'm really sorry-"
"No, it's okay." Amelia smiled. "When a real fight comes, the enemy isn't going to worry about whether or not he's using his fists or weapons. I'll just have to get good enough to anticipate those attacks."
"Yeah, I guess…" Franz said, his face downcast. "It's just…" he trailed off.
"Yeah?" Amelia raised an eyebrow. "Just what?"
Franz glanced away at her, but she could've sworn that she could catch the faint traces of a blush on his face. "I… uh, I don't like to hit girls. So it's kind of… well, embarassing…" He finally mumbled in a tiny voice.
Amelia was silent for a second before breaking out in a peal of merry laughter. "Sir Franz, gallant knight of Renais," she grinned as she reached over and tousled his hair. "Who said chivalry was dead?"
"Hey, cut it out." Franz said as he gently pushed her hand off his head, but there was no ire in his voice.
Amelia sighed. "Franz… don't worry about it, okay. I may be a girl, but I'm also a soldier. I can fight too."
"Yeah…" Franz gazed over at her with an approving look. "When I first met you back at Rigwald, you couldn't even hold your lance right. And look at you now."
"Heh… I've come a long way." Amelia grinned. "I've grown a lot stronger. This armour used to be too heavy for me to enough move properly in, but it's all right now!"
"Heh. I can see how your armour being too heavy could be a serious problem."
I'm just getting started, though. Watch me!" Amelia said with exuberance. "I'll keep on growing stronger…" Until I won't be a liability for you on the battlefield, Franz. Not ever again. The last part she kept to herself.
There was relative silence among the two of them for a while, as Amelia pondered. It was odd. Being here with Franz, just talking to him – or even not saying anything, simply enjoying his company – was just so… well, inviting. And as far as she could tell, right now Franz felt comfortable with her too.
Then… why did I keep getting hints that maybe we'd been spending too much time together? Amelia pondered. Heck, just before the fight started he brushed me off for no reason I could tell…
"Hey, Franz!" Strolling across the deck to meet the both of them was Forde, his trademark smirk still on his face. "Heard you're getting a commendation from the Prince himself later! You took on the toughest enemy of the lot and came out of it in one piece. My little brother's all grown up and strong now. Why, pretty soon you'll be saving all of Magvel from the forces of Darkness all by yourself! My, my. Where did the years go?"
Franz rolled his eyes and turned away.
"Oh, by the way, has your seasickness improved any?"
"I'm fine now, thanks for asking." Franz retorted.
"Seasickness?" She gazed curiously at him.
"Yeah." He appeared hesitant for a moment, but then he shrugged. "It was really bad just now – couldn't take two steps without feeling like I wanted to hurl."
"Oh…" Amelia paused and her eyes widened as a thought struck her. "Franz… when we met on deck, before all the fighting started… were you seasick then?"
"…" He sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Why?"
"Oh… nothing. Nothing." So THAT'S what it was! No wonder he was in such a hurry to get below – he probably wanted to lie down in his bunk. Amelia let out a tiny sigh. It looked like she had been mistaken about all of this after all.
"Anyway, the reason I was sent here is because Prince Ephraim is requesting both of your presences. Let's go now. I don't think you want to keep the Prince waiting."
"Right. You know by now that I'm not really one for ceremony. You probably know that I think a 'good work' and a presentation of an appropriate reward really would suffice, but as it stands most of the people are impressed with what you did, so…" Ephraim cleared his throat.
"Lord Ephraim," Franz began. "I don't really… well, I don't really think I deserve anything for this. I mean, the creature targeted us, we fought to the best of our ability, and we managed to defeat it. It's… it's not really a big deal."
"Well, all of the people who'd know about this sort of thing – mages, mostly – tell me that defeating something like it is a big deal. So… there you go." Ephraim shrugged. "Franz, this really isn't up for debate. You, Amelia, Neimi and Colm are getting commendations for bravery in a public ceremony. Just grin and bear it, okay?"
"And in recognition of their courage in the face of danger, I present to them tokens from the sovereignty of Renais, befitting of their valour." Ephraim continued.
Franz had steadily tuned out most of the proceedings. He suspected that he wasn't the only one who found most ceremonies extremely boring, regardless of whether or not he was receiving anything out of the deal. His training for being able to stand at attention for hours on end without moving paid off now, as he mostly allowed his mind to wander while Ephraim talked on.
Thankfully, the ceremony was brief, although Franz noted that Amelia seemed to be paying rapt attention to the whole thing. Well, it was probably her first time seeing that sort of thing, so it would only be natural, he supposed…
At his cue, he stepped forward to receive his award – and his eyes widened as a Knight's Crest was placed in his hands. He hadn't expected to receive something this valuable…
"So what does it do?" Amelia asked as she gazed at the Crest, covered in sigils that shined in the dim light of the ship's interior.
"Well, supposedly it's supposed to greatly boost your strength and your potential at the same time. They're actually pretty rare – but most countries keep a decent stock in their treasuries…" He sighed and carefully placed the Crest on the table. "To think that something so valuable would be placed in my hands…"
"Well, I'm sure you'll take good care of it – and you'll know to use it when the time is right."
He smiled at her. "Thanks for the encouragement, Amelia. What did you get?"
She chuckled and pulled out a ring from her pocket. "They call it an 'Energy Ring'. They say it'll make you stronger if you use it." Her expression grew wistful as she drew out a tiny pouch and deposited the ring inside. "It'll make a good companion for my Speedwing, I suppose."
"Wat. You have a Speedwing? Where'd you get it from?"
"Well, it was given to me by my staff-sergeant on the day that I set out from the capital – for Fort Rigwald. I always felt uncomfortable at the thought of actually using it – you know, all that magic suddenly entering my body. So… I just kept it," she shrugged. "With me, just in case there's ever a real need for that thing."
Franz paused. "Say… I wonder if any of the better fighters have used these things before. You know, Speedwings, Knight Crests… that sort of thing."
She frowned. "Well, I heard that it's standard procedure for someone made General to be presented with a Crest upon promotion. It's a universal tradition. So… I guess General Duessel definitely has one of these."
"Yeah… General Seth, too." Franz gazed back at the gleaming object, and thought about following in his mentor's footsteps, about one day growing as strong as the Silver Knight was.
The thought both thrilled and unnerved him at the same time. He resolved not to think anymore about it for the time being – it couldn't be that close in the future, after all.
"I used to have a kit fox, you know."
"Oh, really?" Amelia glanced over at Neimi. "What was it like? Was it cute?"
"Oh, it was adorable!" Neimi grinned. "It's fur was really soft and fluffy, and whenever I went anywhere it'd try it's hardest to keep up with me on its little legs."
Amelia giggled at the mental image that appeared in her mind. "Oh… That reminds me. I used to have a songbird. It had feathers that were the most brilliant blue and yellow and orange. And whenever I felt lonely it would sing to me."
"That sounds lovely. So… where's it now?"
"It's gone. I let it go when I left Silva to join the Grado army. It wouldn't have been fair to it otherwise – I couldn't ask other people to look after it for me."
"Aw…" Neimi was silent for a moment. "You know, Amelia, when this war is over, we should get new pets."
"Yeah…" Amelia grinned. "And then we could have them visit each other!"
"Great idea! I'd really like that!"
"Yeah… me too."
The conversation over for now, the two of them stood staring out at the orange sea, seemingly lit ablaze by the fiery orb that was the sinking sun.
"All right, by now their scouts would have had ample time to warn the capital that we're making a sea-based advance, and that our route is set for Taizel." Ephraim said as he paced back and forth in front of the small group he had assembled. "I assume their commander is smart – the first line of defence will likely involve preventing us from making a landing in the first place. In that line, we can probably expect ballista, we'll certainly see Wyvern Knights and whatever mercenary Pegasi Knights they can hire… what else?"
Franz pursed his lips as he ran through the available options. Beside him, Kyle spoke up. "They'll probably attempt to blockade the docks."
"Couldn't they just send out ships to meet us?" Forde questioned, a frown on his face.
Franz sighed. "Forde, have you forgotten everything we've ever learnt of military history? Grado's navy has never been its strong point. If they send out ships to meet us odds are on them losing that battle, along with most of the people on their ships."
"Thanks for making my argument for me, Franz." Ephraim nodded. "So we won'y have to worry about a sea-based reprisal. Anything else?"
Duessel, who was for obvious reasons the most knowledgeable about Grado's potential defenses, nodded. "The forces stationed at Taizel fall under the Tiger-Eye's command. It's likely Caellach will be there himself to face us. He's… something of a glory-hound."
"Duly noted." Ephraim nodded. "This gives us a shot at one of Grado's generals – and the battle will be that much easier." He paused. "Still, I wish it were General Glen we were facing – or even Selena Fluorspar. They would be far easier to convince to lay down their arms."
"So, standard procedure upon arrival?" Forde questioned. "Send out a delegate requesting a peaceful surrender, and if it doesn't work, then no holds barred?"
"More or less." Ephraim cupped his head in his hands. "We're reach Taizel shortly after sunrise tomorrow if things don't go awry. That said, all of you get some rest. We'll need it."
As the group broke up and began going their separate ways, Franz gazed off into the horizon. The night sky made it difficult to see very far, but he knew that come next morn he would see land at the front.
They would be engaged in battle again. And once more he would fight… and he would protect her. No matter what.
He did not leave any other option open to himself.
Chapter End
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