Book 1: A dragon flaps its wings
Chapter 1: An unexpected discovery
11th day of the Guardian Moon of Imperial Year 1176
xxx
The sun was shining bright on Garreg Mach Monastery and many followers of the Church of Seiros were wandering through the paths of the venerable stone construction. People from all over Fodlan had travelled here today to pray, to trade and to experience the Saint Seiros day at the headquarter of the church. As such, even the most hidden reaches of the monastery were filled with lived.
Watching over all of the people from a high balcony was a woman with light green hair, garbed in white dress with a golden overcoat. On her head sat a golden crown adorned by two white flowers on the left and right side respectively. Seeing the followers below walking peacefully side by side allowed her a gentle smile.
"Lady Rhea?"
The strict voice of a man resounded through the door behind her, followed by the steps of a man with dark-green hair wearing a blue tunic.
"Yes, Seteth?" the woman called Rhea asked, turning around to face the newcomer.
Seteth bowed before the woman, before starting to speak. "I'm sorry for interrupting your free time. Shamir and Catherine have just returned from their last mission. As expected, it was an overwhelming success."
The woman nodded. During the last weeks the rumours of an especially nasty bandit group have started to spread in the surrounding villages. There was even a story of a village being completely annihilated by this unknown group. And while the last one was only made up, it didn't change the fact that people feared for their lives and asked the Knights of Seiros for help. And Rhea as the Archbishop wouldn't let them suffer any longer. She had dispatched two of her strongest fighters, Shamir, gifted in the usage of the bow, and Catherine, a masterful swordfighter, to find the lawless and bring divine judgment upon them.
"It was the will of the goddess that allowed them to deal with them so quickly." she spoke and moved past the man, who followed a few steps behind. "I will thank them personally for their dedicated work and…"
It happened out of nowhere. Something washed over the Archbishop, a wave of malevolence strong enough to make her stumble. Before she could fall however, the strong arm of her attendant grabbed her and allowed her to catch her footing.
"Thank you, Seteth." Rhea mumbled, still a little out of it from the feeling that had just washed over her.
His strict gaze softened for a moment. "Can you stand on your own, Lady Rhea?" he asked. When the woman nodded, he retracted his arm while keeping a close eye on the Archbishop. Just to be ready to catch her again if necessary.
Rhea's gaze rested on the face of her attendant for another second, before it morphed back into its professional mask.
"Are you feeling well? If you aren't, I will take care of the dismission of Catherine and Shamir while you rest. It would worry the people greatly if you fell ill, especially at this day." the man asked.
The woman shook her head. "Something has suddenly appeared near our Monastery." She explained. "And even though I could only feel it for a short time, it disturbs me to no end. And even now I can still feel it nearby. Weak, but I it is still there." She turned towards Seteth. "I assume that Catherine and Shamir are in the Audience Chamber?" Her tone had become professional, no sign of the surprise or the weakness she had went through just a few seconds ago.
"Yes, they are."
"In which condition are they?" the woman in white started moving again, her destination clear and her walk steady.
"The bandits were weaker than expected. As such, I assume that both are still ready for action."
Rhea smiled. She knew, that Catherine and Shamir would follow her order no matter her condition, but with that feeling she had, she needed both of them in top condition. As unfortunate as it was, she would need to give them their next mission right away.
xxx
Entering the Audience chamber, the two females inside turned around. "Lady Rhea!" they both greeted the Archbishop and bowed before her. One of the women was wearing a silver breast plate over white garments. On her back she had a seven-branched sword strapped. The other was wearing a turquoise overcoat over black leather garments. At her side she was wearing a quiver and a bow was stripped over her back.
"Catherine." the green haired woman bowed and greeted the wielder of the sword. "Shamir." She did the same to the woman with the bow. "I'm glad to welcome you back to Garreg March. I was told your mission was a success?"
"Yes, Lady Rhea." Catherine responded. "We found the thieves quicker than expected and took care of them right then and there."
"It seems the stories were exaggerated. I believe that they themselves made them up to have an easier time robbing the farmers who would be too scared to fight back." Shamir explained. "Or they did too good of a job with making up stories."
"The goddess punishment found them quick and just." Seteth, who had entered the chamber behind Rhea, spoke. "Thanks to you, people will be safe once more."
"Yes ma'am." The two fighters responded.
"We all are very thankful for your services." Rhea started. Her eyes resting on both woman before her. "And as much as I would love to give you some time to rest, I'm unfortunately unable to do so." Both Catherine and Shamir looked at the Archbishop surprised.
Rhea's gentle smile never left her face during her words. And for Catherine it was enough. She had become a Knight of Seiros not too long ago, but the mercy and the trust that Rhea had put into her would be a debt she would never be able to repay. If the Archbishop needed her strength and skill now, she would be happy to offer both of it to her.
"Lady Rhea," Catherine stepped forward and bowed. "I am ready to fulfil your orders."
Shamir, former mercenary, could still remember the day, Lady Rhea took her in. She had wandered the lands after the death of her partner, until she had collapsed near the border of Garreg Mach Monastery. The Knights of Seiros had taken her in under Rhea's order and healed her, not caring about caring about her heritage. And Rhea even had offered her a place among her knights, a place to call home again, if she wished so. As such, her thoughts were very similar to Catherine's.
"Lady Rhea," Shamir mirrored the movements of the swordswoman "I am ready to fulfil your orders."
The green haired woman nodded. "Something dark has passed our borders." she began explaining. "We don't know what it is or what it is capable of, but there is no doubt that it's intentions are evil. As of now, this dark presence has disappeared, but there is a small remain to the west of the monastery." Rhea turned to Shamir "I want you to take a small group of scouts with you and to try to find anything that connects with that presence." The sniper nodded. "Catherine, I want you to follow Shamir with a knight battalion. Be prepared for combat." The swordmaster nodded as well. "May the goddess be with you." With these words Rhea ended the conversation and the two members of the Knight of Seiros left to fulfil their missions.
xxx
The battalion Catherine had chosen for this mission consisted out of two knights, two archers and two magicians. The size of this group would allow them to travel fast while also being prepared for pretty much anything they could encounter. And since the Knight of Seiroes were an elite group of warriors, the formation and preparation hadn't taken too long either. As such, the woman guessed that she had left the monastery roughly thirty minutes after Shamir and her scouts. And since their path led through a deep forest, the vanguard had enough possibilities to leave them hints regarding the path they took.
"Lady Catherine," the bow knight in the front suddenly called out. "It seems we caught up to them."
The man had stopped in next to a tree, his hand near four lines carved in the tree bark. This was the symbol Shamir used. And since all the lines were equally long that meant, that this was the last tree that had been marked until now.
"Everyone dismount!" she ordered and the battalion followed. "Check your weapons and be ready for combat at any time." The swordmaster had forgotten how often she had said this particular sentence, but for a warrior it was always better to be safe than sorry. "We will wait for a scout to return, but be prepared for anything."
Catherine watched her men going through their trained regimen. The mages sat down with closed eyes, going through the spells they had learned. The bow knights tested their bowstring and the Great Knights felt the edge of their axes and the tip of their spears. She herself simply laid one hand on the handle of her weapon, a simple gesture that always helped her to calm down before a fight. She breathed in and out.
"You were quicker than expected." The eyes of the soldiers shot upwards into the trees, to find two figures staring down at them. One was Shamir, the other one of the female scouts that had accompanied her. "
"Did you find something?" one of the men asked.
It was a stupid question in Catherine's mind. If this was only to prepare the marker, Shamir would have sent only the scout to do so. Being here herself meant that something had been definitely found.
The archer jumped down and landed in front of the swordmaster. "We found something big." she explained. "It seems to be some sort of golems, but much more refined than anything I've ever heard of. Lyra is still keeping watch." She turned to Catherine. "I want you to come with me and take a look."
The knight nodded. "Do you think we should prepare a camp?"
The answer of the archer was a shrug. "Hold that thought until you have seen it with your own eyes." She turned to the female archer next to her. "Zoe, you will stay here. If something happens, you are responsible for communication between us and the group here." Her subordinate nodded.
Catherine turned towards her battalion. "You will wait here, while I will inspect the finding." she declared. "Secure the perimeter until we return. Gather woods to prepare a shelter and enough to bring us through the night. Only use material from the forest, don't touch your own supplies just yet. Should we need to make haste, everything we have prepared will be left behind." Her answer was a "Yes, ma'am!" from every member of the group. Then the swordmaster turned around and followed the sniper deeper into the forest.
xxx
The two fighters had left the battalion a short while ago, as Shamir suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" her companion asked quietly, her hand grabbing the hilt of her blade.
Suddenly she noticed a person moving through the woods, coming directly from the opposite direction. It didn't take long for Catherine to be able to determine that the person was a woman wearing the armour of a scout.
"Lady Shamir?" the person called out, increasing her speed on the last meters before coming to a sudden stop. Only now she noticed the other woman. "And Lady Catherine, too? Thank the goddess you are here."
"What happened, Lyra?" Shamir asked. "Why did you leave your post?"
"These golems seem to be haunted." The scout started. "After you and Zoe left, the ghost of a girl appeared. And then, in a blinding light, two corpses as well." Neither Shamir nor Catherine interrupted the report. "The two corpses were male. And then… then the ghost girl talked to the golems and... and one golem seems to have spoken back to her. I couldn't understand what they were talking about, but then the golem… no, that thing looked into my direction. And the girl followed suit."
"I see." Shamir murmured. "It could have ended fatal if we you haven't warned us about that." She admitted. Then with a sigh she continued. "Go back to the others. They are waiting at the place we left the last mark. Get some rest."
"Should I send Zoe as backup?"
Her answer was a headshake. "No. Tell the others to prepare the camp and prepare a messenger bird to Garreg Mach."
"Yes, ma'am." Lyra saluted and the three women scattered.
Catherine was thinking about the report of the scout. A ghost and corpses sounded like the work of a necromancer. But if someone had the power to create such golems, the swordswoman couldn't believe that he or she would have gone unnoticed by the church for long. Maybe Lyra had seen somehow gotten something wrong, but the armoured woman knew better than to mistrust the judgement of a fellow knight.
"We are here." Shamir finally spoke up and stepped aside, letting Catherine take in the view in front of her.
The sniper had led her to the edge of a clearing. And in the middle of this clearing were two giant humanoid beings, one was coloured ashen, the other azure. Even while kneeling on the ground these things were at least twice the size of her. And in the ground next to them stuck two giant weapons. In front of the ashen being was an oversized sword with a shining blue material imbedded in his blade. Next to the azure being stood a weapon that Catherine had never seen. It looked like a spear with a blade on each end.
The eyes of the swordswoman wandered down, towards a little figure between the two giants. At first Catherine hadn't noticed her, the presence of the other two beings being too overwhelming. And yet, the person, who Catherine identified as a little girl, was just as baffling as the two colossi behind her. Since she was half see-through, she was most likely the being the scout Lyra had described as a ghost. And right behind her, Catherine could make out the two unmoving forms of human bodies.
Shamir and Catherine's eyes locked for a moment before both women drew their weapons. They had worked together long enough to already knew how to proceed. Shamir prepared an arrow and then gave her companion the sign to move.
The swordmaster stepped out of the wood and moved towards the ghostly girl, her weapon ready to strike if necessary. She had crossed nearly halve the distance between the edge of the forest and the colossi, when the ghost reacted.
The girl turned around and saw the woman with the drawn sword. For a moment it seems like the world stood still. Then the ghost raised her hands "Hi! Would you be so nice and help me with my friends?"
xXx
Welcome to this new story. I accepted Infinite Zangetsu's "Fire Emblem: Three Houses x Trails of Cold Steel" crossover challenge. And what have just read is the first chapter of this entire project.
It is a first time I actually try my hand on such a writing challenge and I have to say, working together with Infinite is lots of fun. There are a lot of ideas I wouldn't think of on my own and I will give it my all to write them down as good as they deserve.
And with this little behind-the-scenes -info I bid you adieu for now, hoping to see you again once the second chapter arrives.
Stay healthy and have fun.
ZMusok