"My lady! Lady Maian!"
The voices seemed to come from far away. Maian was, to some extent, still aware of the world around her, but at the same time, she was trapped inside the vision she was seeing. Images flashed before her inner eye in rapid succession, each one more terrible than the last.
"Senator!"
In a rather detached way, Maian realised that her knees had given out – however, someone caught her, preventing her from falling flat on her face. Main struggled to regain control of her body, but the aftershock of the visions still had her in its grip.
"Senator, you're really starting to freak me out. Please talk to me!", the person supporting her urged.
"N-Nala?"
"Oh, thank the Goddess. Can you see me?"
"I – no. Wait. I think – yes. My vision is returning."
Maian blinked a few times, and finally managed to emerge from her trance. Nala – as well as the rest of her soldiers – were staring at her anxiously.
"Thank you for your good reflexes", Maian said.
"Don't mention it."
Now that she was, once again, fully aware of the world around herself, Maian noticed that a few people had stopped to stare. Since Maian's guards were clustered around her, they didn't have an unobstructed view, but Maian was, nonetheless, glad she hadn't collapsed in the middle of one of Sienne's biggest streets.
"Was it something bad?", Nala asked cautiously.
Maian bit her lip before nodding. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes, and she blinked them away. She had no time for emotions now – she could work through that mess later.
Unfortunately, her vision had mostly shown her disjointed images, and she had no way of knowing in what order they were going to play out, or if part of them had already happened. Her mind raced, trying to figure out the best course of action – one that would also allow her to save her friends – but part of her already knew that it was futile. There was nothing she could do to help without putting her life, and those of her guards, on the line.
Maian took a deep breath and steeled herself for what needed to be done.
"It is vital that you do exactly as I tell you, without asking questions. I will brief everyone later. I need a raven, a hawk and a cat, and they need to be very fast."
Three of her guards stepped forward.
"Head back to the manor immediately as fast as you can – you may transform. The one who gets there first is to deliver two messages: the first to my sister. She has to prepare to leave for our vacation home on the Sestohl Plains as quickly as possible. I can offer no explanation now, she has to trust in my word – this is to keep her safe.
"The second message is for all my soldiers stationed at the manor. We are leaving Sienne, our destination is Gallia. We will need supplies, weapons and armour for that journey. Do you understand what you have to do?"
The three messengers nodded.
"Good. You - " she pointed at the cat, "take the shortest route. You two split up and take a more circular route, but make sure no-one follows you. Now, go!"
They transformed and left. Maian looked after them. All the years of training had prepared her soldiers for situations such as this one, and now, they had to prove whether they were worthy of being called an elite troupe.
"We are going home as well."
"We're not going to Mainal Cathedral, then?", Cynthia asked.
"No. That would be too dangerous."
"The senators?", Nala asked, alarmed.
"Indeed."
"They wouldn't dare harm you, my lady!", Cynthia protested, outraged at the mere thought.
"They will kill me, if I give them the chance."
Her guards exchanged grim glances.
"Then, we should hurry."
"No. We still have plenty of time left before anyone will come looking for me. We do not want to cause the impression that we are running away. It is imperative that we leave Sienne without arousing suspicion."
"I see. But stay close, Senator. If anyone wants to harm you, he'll have to deal with me first", Nala growled.
"And us!"
Her other guards formed up around her and escorted her back to the manor.
Maian smiled weakly, even though her heart was breaking at the thought of having to flee, without being able to do anything to help her friends.
Please, forgive me for deserting you…
Zelgius had moved his troops to Gaddos Castle, which was situated in the north-east of Begnion. He had been furious when Levail told him that some of his men had attacked the Greil Mercenaries at Seliora Castle.
Did those fools truly believe they could defeat the son of Gawain and his men? They should have heard what they accomplished during the last war.
Zelgius looked up from the report he was writing when a soldier entered.
"General Sigrun of the Holy Guards here to see you, sir. Shall I let her through?"
"Let her through. At once!"
A few minutes later, Sigrun entered. Her face was frightfully pale. Zelgius stood.
"You look unwell, General. Shall I send for something? Water, perhaps?"
"No, thank you, I am fine... I carry an order from the senate. The cease-fire has been repealed. You are ordered to destroy the Laguz Alliance and their allies as well."
"What?! But the alliance has already lost its will to fight! The Apostle and Lord Sephiran would never agree to such a brutish plan, nor would Senator Maian!"
Sigrun looked away, her lips quivering.
"General? What happened? Tell me!"
When Sigrun turned her head back to look at him, her eyes were full of unshed tears.
"Why didn't you save me any of those Begnion soldiers?", Tibarn complained, bursting into Ike's room.
"Sorry. The battle was over before it started – they were pathetic. And Zelgius' lapdog came to pick their commander up. He wasn't pleased with their little 'excursion'."
"I see. Well, we were just hanging about near Castle Gaddos when we ran into someone quite unexpected."
"Who?"
"The commander of the Holy Guards."
"Sigrun?"
"Yes. She was all by herself, and for some reason, she seemed hesitant to go near the castle, it was odd. Since she's close to the Apostle, I tried to get some information from her. She didn't budge. Tough girl, that one. She wasn't at all surprised to see me, but then, she asked me to escape at once, in such a sad voice... We came back as fast as we could. Something terrible must've happened, and we should get ourselves out of here."
"Agreed. We'll have to hurry if we want to catch up with Ranulf and the others."
Ike rose to his feet and started bellowing orders.
Entering Pelleas' study, Micaiah bowed to him and Lady Almedha.
"Hello, Micaiah. I hardly ever see your face around here", Pelleas said with a smile.
"My rooms in the castle are much too lavish for my taste. Besides, I want to help the people."
"My. You still crave the affection of those peasants. Aren't you past that, my dear?", Almedha asked.
"Mother, stop it, please. Micaiah is the only one I can turn to after Izuka and the Black Knight have left... they both mysteriously disappeared the day of my coronation..."
"I am certain they were kidnapped by those who wish to harm you, my beloved son. But don't worry, mother will always protect you."
Someone kidnap the Black Knight? Is she out of her mind? No-one could ever do that...
"Now, just give her your orders."
"Yes, mother. Micaiah, your king requires your service once more. Mobilise the royal army immediately. We are answering the call from Begnion to wipe out the barbaric Laguz Alliance. Your targets are – Gallia's sub-humans!"
"Micaiah, why exactly are we doing this?!", Sothe shouted. "Daein has no business in this war, and you know it! Besides, why are we helping Begnion?"
"King Pelleas gave us an order. All we can do is carry it out."
"Even if it's wrong?!"
"I believe in our king."
"Well, at least someone does", Jill commented. "This is madness!"
Micaiah watched her striding away, feeling absolutely helpless.
"So, that's it", Sothe said quietly. "From freedom fighters to bigots in the blink of an eye..."
"Sothe", Micaiah said softly. "I heard that your friend Ike is fighting alongside the Alliance. I won't force you into this. If you don't want to fight them, that's fine."
Sothe closed his eyes. "I'd never leave you. I'll protect you, even if that means fighting Commander Ike and his men. But we'd better make sure we're well-prepared – for this battle will be harder than any we've fought before."
"Thank you, Sothe."
They managed to reach the western bank of the Ribahn just as the Gallians started to cross the river. It was already dark, and they could hardly see a thing.
The moment the vanguard came in sight, Micaiah gave the order to attack. The Gallians were taken off guard, and Micaiah noticed that some of them were injured, but nevertheless, they fought with all they had.
Suddenly, the Black Knight appeared out of thin air. Sothe wasn't particularly happy to see him.
"Sir Knight!"
"My Maiden. I will not ask why you chose to engage in this battle."
"Thank you. Then I won't ask why you have been absent."
This battle turned out to be tedious. No matter how many laguz they killed, more kept coming. And Micaiah's men were starting to grow tired. This wasn't what they had expected laguz hunting to be like.
Finally, Micaiah decided to propose a cease-fire to the Gallians.
A blue cat came sprinting toward them, jumped onto the riverbank, and reverted. Micaiah noticed that his eyes had different colours.
"I was told that someone wanted to speak to our general. Since that's not possible, I'm here. The name's Ranulf."
"I am Micaiah, General of the Daein Royal Army."
Ranulf stared at her. "You're the general?"
"Yes. It is no use to continue fighting... please surrender while you still can."
"Why would we do that?"
"The Daein Royal Army has blocked your path, and behind you, the Begnion Central Army is moving in. If you surrender - "
"...we'll be slaughtered like cattle. Thanks, but no thanks. If we fight, we might survive. If we surrender, we're dead."
"I see... I was really hoping we could avoid a meaningless battle."
"You sure you're from Daein?"
"Not all of us are crazed bigots, Ranulf."
"Sothe? Is that you? Wow, beorc growth always amazes me. Just like Ike. Remember him, Sothe?"
"Of course I do."
"Hm." Ranulf turned to the Black Knight. "You know, Ike's been looking for you. He'll be quite delighted to find you here, I'm sure of it."
Micaiah could sense a faint amusement coming from the knight.
"I am certainly looking forward to continuing our duel."
"Great. Whatever. Sothe, let me give you a friendly warning: if you care about that girl at all, get her and her men out of here. Otherwise, I can't guarantee for anything."
"What do you mean?"
"My soldiers are in a really bad mood right now. And we are not about to be crushed by you. Right, Skrimir?"
He shouted the last words across the river. A deafening roar came as an answer.
"What was that?", Micaiah asked, stunned.
"A lion... Oh, no. This is bad... Lions are much, much stronger than the cats and tigers we have been fighting."
Ranulf grinned. "Let's just say, you shouldn't assume you can see all of our troops just yet. Well, I'll be going now. I hope we won't meet on the battlefield again." He turned and shifted as he strode away. "Back to the eastern shore! Regroup!"
Only moments later, the darkness had swallowed the Gallians.
"Look at this mess", Skrimir said to Ike. "Those Daein dogs have cut off our escape route. Can't we look for another place to cross?"
"No", Soren replied. "We managed to lose the Central Army, but they're moving fast. If we don't make it across the river soon, they'll catch us for sure."
"Ranulf, what are your impressions of the Daein army?", Ike asked.
"Well, their commander seems to be brilliant, but they didn't bring any ballistae or fire mages! It looked as if they didn't know a thing about fighting laguz. But the Black Knight is with them – he said he is looking forward to fighting you again."
"That man must have a death-wish. Soren, can you tell us anything about the Daein general?"
"Micaiah, the Silver-Haired Maiden. She is the heroine of the Daein Liberation War. It is said that she has never lost a battle before. It is also said that she possesses mystical powers."
"What do you think about that?"
"Personally, I doubt it. But that doesn't matter – her men believe in her. They have dubbed her their priestess, and venerate her like a saint. They are fanatics who would follow any of her orders blindly. I trust she will make a formidable enemy."
"Hm. What to do..."
"Can't we just use a decoy, like last time?", Ranulf asked.
"The decoy only worked because the enemy wasn't expecting it", Titania pointed out. "We shouldn't count on the same strategy to work twice."
"Not necessarily", Soren replied. "Begnion considers the Daein army a pawn to stop us, and would very likely not care if it got destroyed in the process. It is possible that they 'forgot' to tell Daein of our past manoeuvres. I suggest we use the mercenaries as a decoy force, we will attack the Daein army head-on. In the meantime, the army crosses the river, and heads for Gallia."
"Some of my men and I will go with you", Ranulf said. "They would get suspicious if there wasn't a single laguz in sight."
"Take some of my men as well",Tibarn added. "I wouldn't want their claws to grow dull. We'll watch over the beasts as they cross the river."
"Very well", Ike replied. "Titania, assemble our fighters."
"At once, commander."
"Here they come", Micaiah said quietly.
Ranulf was leading the charge, closely followed by a small group of beorc.
"The Greil Mercenaries. So, they really are here", Sothe said, shifting his weight into a defensive stance.
"Sothe, tell me something about Ike."
"Huh? What's with you all of a sudden? You used to always get mad whenever I mentioned him."
"I want to know more about the man I'll be fighting. What kind of person is he?"
"Well, he's a strong fighter. Kind and loyal. He doesn't care about blood, race, or the opinion of the nobles. He accomplishes everything he sets out to do. He's a natural leader. And a true hero."
"I see... he sounds quite different from King Pelleas."
"Micaiah, they don't even compare. Pelleas lacks any leadership or decision-making skills."
"That may be, but I still believe in him."
"Look, Micaiah, it's Haar!"
"Jill's – partner?"
"Yes. And – those two are the aides of King Tibarn. Dammit, no-one said that we would have to fight the birds as well!"
"Looks like Begnion forgot to mention them", Micaiah replied calmly.
Jill tightened her grip on her lance as Haar and two birds she recognised as Janaff and Ulki came swooping toward her. The hawks suddenly dived to attack the soldiers beneath them. Haar stopped just out of her reach.
"Hello, Jill."
"Captain Haar! What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you that question."
"I joined the army to help liberate Daein."
"Well, you did a good job. Daein has been liberated. So, why are you still with the army?"
"I don't want to leave my friends!"
"Open your eyes, Jill, since you got both of them left. You are fighting your friends, too."
"How did you end up here in the first place?", Jill demanded, not liking the fact that he was right.
"Well, Marcia forced me to help out Queen Elincia, and then, I helped to quell the uprisings in Crimea. After that, I ended up with the Alliance because... you know, being old friends with Ike and that."
"What?! That is hardly a cause worth fighting for! You're unbelievable!"
"All right, enough debating. What now? Do you want to fight me?"
"Of course not! I could never..."
"Then, come with me."
"Easy for you to say!"
"Do you think your father would have wanted you to live like that, full of doubt? Afraid to trust your own instincts?"
"Father..."
"Daein has no business in this war. Surely you've realised."
"But - "
"Come with me, Jill. Sometimes, you have to betray your friends and your homeland because it's the right thing to do. Who would know better than us? For the sake of your father, live your life without shame. Come, let's do the right thing. Together."
Jill took a deep breath. "You are right... I've been blind. I'll show my friends that they are wrong."
Haar gave her a lopsided grin. "Good! That's the Jill I know."
"What's going on over there?", Micaiah asked.
"Looks like Haar managed to persuade Jill to change sides. I can't blame her for that, though."
"They are close, aren't they."
"Yes. Haar was one of her father's men. They're quite a few years apart, though..."
Micaiah chuckled. "Sothe, you should know that age doesn't matter."
They watched as the laguz and the mercenaries advanced. A young man with blue hair sliced his way towards them.
"Is that – him?"
"Yes."
"And the boy behind him?"
"Soren. Their tactician. He's a genius, and a very powerful sage. And he's like Ike's personal shadow."
Next to them, the Black Knight shifted his weight.
"Stay here, Maiden. I will stop him."
As he stepped forward, Ike killed another soldier and jumped from the small island he had been standing on onto the shore. His face was earnest, almost fierce, but Micaiah could sense the feelings underneath, and his soul was as pure as a soul could be.
"So. You are alive. Somehow, I knew it wasn't over yet", Ike said.
"Of course not. You were just a boy trying to live up to the memory of the greatest swordsman in history."
"And yet, I was the one to walk out of the castle that day."
"You have your father to thank for that. When you told me he had crippled himself, I realised that I had never fought him, merely his shadow."
"What are you getting at?"
"I saw immediately that you were not your father's equal, but that one day, you might be. So, I did the only thing I could to keep you alive – I let you win."
Ike considered that for a moment. "You did, didn't you? I have re-lived that fight so many times... How could I not have seen it before?"
"You were not yet capable of seeing it. But I had to let you live so that you could continue to train and perhaps one day be worthy of Gawain's legacy."
"Gawain?", Micaiah whispered in disbelief. "Our Gawain?"
"Yes. He was Ike's father. Both his parents were from Daein, but he was born in Gallia and raised in Crimea", Sothe explained.
"My armour's blessing is gone", the Black Knight went on. "Let us see if that day is today."
"I promise you that it will be. Begin."
The Black Knight didn't need to be told twice. The next moment, the two of them were fighting. Ike was wearing hardly any armour, his sword and speed were his only defence. Micaiah had to admire his skill and bravery.
"This is awesome", she said to Sothe. "They're both so good!"
"Do you really have time to enjoy the show?", a voice asked.
Sothe whirled around, drawing one of his throwing knives.
"Soren!"
"You know, I always thought you were a sensible kid. But looks like I was wrong."
Sothe hurled the knife at the magician. Soren didn't even bother to dodge, he simply deflected the knife with a magical barrier.
Sothe gasped. Soren started chanting a spell and, before Micaiah could do anything, a powerful gust of wind sent Sothe flying. He hit the ground hard and lay there, motionless.
"Sothe!"
"Don't worry, I wasn't trying to kill him."
Micaiah turned to face Soren. His long robes were billowing in the wind, and she could very clearly see the mark on his forehead.
"So, Maiden of Miracles. This certainly explains a few of those stories around you."
"You – you are just like me!"
"Yes, they call our kind the Branded. As the years pass, I understand better and better how others see us."
"You are so cold... It's as if you were cloaked in frost. Is there even blood running through your veins?"
"There is. Blood very similar to yours, in fact. Blood that teaches us what it means to be rejected and alone."
"Your heart is frozen, yet I feel a warm core trying to melt through that ice. I see... you have someone you cherish very much. Someone you rely on."
"Do not presume to understand me, you ridiculous girl.", Soren spat. "You have no idea who I am, or what I can do. None at all. Daein has no business in this war. I will defeat you swiftly, and send you and your army back to Daein."
"I finally meet my own kind, and he is an enemy... But I will not retreat! I won't let you go any further!"
"We'll see about that."
Micaiah shot a ray of light at him, but he blocked again. The next moment, she was engulfed in icy winds that tore at her hair and clothes. Soren apparently had no intentions of sparing her.
Micaiah created a strong shield around herself and tried to brace herself against the cold winds.
Suddenly, a terrified cry came from behind her.
"The sub-humans! They're everywhere! Behind us!"
"What? A decoy?", Micaiah asked in disbelief.
"Heh. You fell for it", Soren said spitefully.
Ike jumped away from the Black Knight.
"Ulki! Janaff! Give us a lift, will you?"
One of the two hawks came swooping down and Ike seized his claws. The other one came for Soren. Micaiah could hear him muttering something about "having to accept help from a laguz".
He likes neither the beorc nor the laguz... Just what happened to him?
"It is over", the Black Knight observed. "We have failed to stall them."
"Yes. Order a full retreat, we will go back to Nevassa."
Micaiah bent over Sothe to examine his injuries. Luckily, they were not severe and Sothe came round the same moment.
"What happened?", he asked, still dazed.
"The mercenaries were just a decoy. While we fought them, the army crossed the river. We need to pull back."
"This is the first time you couldn't foretell the outcome of a battle. Is this a sign?"
"I don't know…"
A/N:
I remember being pretty much terrified that one of my armies had to take on another one of my armies – thankfully, the game lets you know that any of the named characters will not die if you defeat them.
Going back to controlling Micaiah's army also came as a surprise. In PoR, you only play as the mercenaries plus allies, but in RD, you switch between armies. You start out with the Dawn brigade in part 1, take control of the Crimean Royal Knights in part 2, and finally get to play as Ike again in part 3. And then, bam, you're back with Micaiah's group.
I've worked some of the special dialogue between certain characters into this story, and added Micaiah and Sothe discussing Ike's father. It seemed strange to me that none of the Daein solders ever felt the need to comment on the fac that Ike was the son of one of their greatest heroes.