Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.
A/N:
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That evening…
Ranulf sighed in exhaustion as he closed the door behind him. Right at the end of the battle for Fort Pinell, easily one of the longest and bloodiest of the entire war, Khimari had suffered another fit of trauma while fighting the Daein Rider, Bertram. Fortunately, someone was close enough to handle the enemy general while he tried to get his son back to reality. When the wolf's stupor ended, he got him in the castle as soon as possible and found a room for him to sleep. Now, Ranulf had just left the room with only Khimari and Nephenee, who refused to leave his side, remaining.
"Ranulf!" a voice called. Looking over, the Gallian turned to see none other than the great commander Ike himself.
"Well, if it isn't Ike?" he said with a small smirk. "How are things faring?"
"We've got a successful capture. The last little tidbits of rogue soldiers have escaped and we've already set up watch patrols for the night. Now all we wait for is the return of Tibarn's forces...Did something happen? You looked...stressed," the Beorc noted. In response, the cat sighed for what seemed like the millionth time today.
"It's...Khimari," he answered.
"What happened? Did he get injured?"
"No, nothing of that sort. He hasn't lost pace on the battlefield. However, it's the battle in his head I'm afraid he's not doing to well in." At the expression of confusion that plastered itself onto Ike's face, Ranulf found it necessary to elaborate. "Ever since Khimari's gotten back from being prisoner, he hasn't been the same, mentally. He's had recurring nightmares about that tower, and when he's not actively busy it's one of the few things he thinks about. From what I saw, he went into a trauma relapse when he fought that Daein commander. He even yelled 'stay away' when no one was in front of him."
"I'll go talk to-"
"Not now, I just got him to take a little rest," the cat denied. Usually, he would never deny Ike anything, but this wasn't a good time. "Nephenee's in there with him right now."
"Does...anyone else know about what's going on?"
"Not that I know of...He always spaced out anyways, so no one thinks that it's anything out of the ordinary for him, not that he was ordinary to begin with," Ranulf lightly jabbed, leading to a dry chuckle from the two. "All things considered, his mental state has been something I've wanted to keep quiet about."
"Has it always been this...drastic?"
"No, this is the first time something like this happened, and in the middle of a battle is even worse," Ranulf answered. "I'm not exactly sure what triggered it either...But I'm not sure of asking Khimari anything of the topic until I can be somewhat positive he won't lapse again." At that, the two stood in the castle halls in deep thought until a soldier came up to the Beorc.
"Commander Ike! King Phoenicis' unit has returned!" he reported. At that, the two perked up.
"Thank you. Can you take me to him?"
"Yes, sir!" The soldier led the two through the halls to the outside of the castle, where Tibarn himself stood, waiting.
"Ah, well met," he greeted upon seeing them exiting the fort. "From the looks of things, the battle ended in our favor."
"Yes, today we claim victory," Ike confirmed. "Although Daein had more troops than expected, and it was hard-fought."
"Unfortunately, I don't have the best news to report," Tibarn bluntly said, putting the two of them on edge.
"What is it?" Ranulf jumped in.
"As the sun fell, we started to withdraw as planned. But then a great slew of reinforcements arrived from the capital," the hawk king stated. "The first few waves were nothing special, but then...there was one who appeared mid-battle and crushed an entire unit by himself like it was nothing. It was like a large wolf feeding on helpless pups," he described, bringing a darkened look to the mercenary commander's face.
"What did he look like?" Ike asked, though his gut felt as if he already knew who it was.
"He was covered head to toe in black armor. That made it difficult to judge his size, but I'd say he may have been bigger than me." Looking at the knowing looks on both Ike and Ranulf's faces, he quickly absorbed the situation. "If my intuition is right, he's the villain that you've all been speaking of."
"The Black Knight…is in that castle," Ike said aloud. Before further conversation could be had, the tactician of the mercenaries stepped out.
"Ike, if I may give you the report…" he said, not paying the two Laguz any mind whatsoever.
"Okay, that's fine, I'll be right up." Ike quickly said his farewells to the two before heading back in the castle. When Ike left, Tibarn gave a small grunt.
"That one is always on the run," the hawk commented.
"Not to mention his little sidekick," he playfully added.
"Hmph. That one surely is a grumpy little fella," Tibarn said, giving himself a quick stretch. "Well, I'm off to check on Reyson. See you at the council meeting." Not long after that, Ranulf remained the only one left of the three outside Fort Pinell. Unsure about what to do with himself, the Gallian stood for a moment before deciding to check in on Mordecai and Lethe. They just had a conversation about two days ago, but a checkup could never hurt. Entering the castle, he started to track them down before being ran into quite literally by a small figure.
"Oof!" they said. Looking down, he found it to be Rikari, the little wolf pup that Khimari trains. "Hey, watch wher-" When the orange wolf saw that it was Ranulf, he straightened up almost immediately. "Oh, I'm sorry for bumping into you, Ranulf!"
"No worries," he laughed. "What are you running around for?"
"I was looking for Tora or Khimari," he answered. "I was wondering if either of them could help me out with a technique I've been trying to get down."
"Well, what is it? I wouldn't mind lending a hand," Ranulf offered. It's not like he had anything better to do in the meantime.
"Really? Thanks a lot!"
"Here, let's go outside so we don't mess up the furniture," the cat joked. When the Laguz arrived in the clearing, they took positions opposite to each other. "Alright, let's see what you want to do," Ranulf said, beginning his transformation. Rikari followed soon after, leaving a pause before the wolf ran forward, going into a pounce.
However, what he didn't expect was the wolf to land a little ways in front of him, before shooting along the ground like a snake. Reacting quickly, Ranulf jumped back, avoiding the paw swipe intended to throw him off balance. Before the wolf could readjust himself, the Gallian pounced, pinning Rikari down on his stomach with all his strength.
"That was an interesting maneuver," Ranulf said as he got off of the orange wolf. "From what I saw, it was a fake-out to throw the enemy off balance with a quick swipe. Two suggestions," he started, going into teacher mode. "First, it's all about speed in the beginning. While the smaller-than-expected pounce is a good touch, you have to work on your speed for more nimble opponents you may face. The second is not to put everything into power. In that paw swipe, you overextended yourself and put yourself off balance. An enemy will exploit even the slightest opening." Absorbing everything the Gallian was saying, Rikari stayed attentive and nodded at the end of it. "Where did you come up with that?"
"I saw Khimari do something like it when sparring against the orange cat...Lethe, I think," he explained. "She got hit to the side then he pinned her down really quick! It was like lightning!"
"Well, that's because Khimari is ridiculously fast and ruthless in battle," Ranulf said. "He's a rare mix of both power and strategy. Also, he's heavier than you are!" he joked. "Holding someone down may be a little harder for you."
"I can do it! Just wait till I hit my growth spurt!" Rikari yowled, making the cat snort. That spurt had quite a while before it hit. As Ranulf opened his mouth for a cheeky retort, someone else beat him to the talking.
"Pardon, Ranulf," Tora interrupted. "The others told me to come get you for the war council." Instantly understanding, the cat nodded before leaving the brothers and heading to the meeting place. When he got there, he found Tibarn, Geoffrey if he remembered right, and Princess Elincia waiting there.
"When Lord Ike enters, we will begin," the princess explained to the cat as he started to look around."
"Why, thank you, princess," he said with a smile on his face. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long before Ike, Bastian and Titania entered the council room, closing the door behind them.
"Ah, now we may begin," Tibarn noted as the three took their places.
"An amazingly astute observation as always, Phoenician king," Bastian complimented. "The most pressing matter would obviously, as I note, be the upcoming battle we will have to wage at the neighboring stronghold of Castle Nados. If the guerrilla attack made by Lord Phoenicis' forces is anything to go by, reinforcements will have already arrived to bolster the castle's defense, without mentioning those that are en route to provide extra assistance to our enemy."
"Not to mention that knight that wiped out an entire unit single-handedly," Tibarn added in, creating a short layer of silence.
"...The Black Knight is in that castle, isn't he?" Titania asked, though the answer was more than likely obvious to everyone.
"There's little doubt to the contrary," Ike responded. At that, Ranulf gave a huff recounting his own experiences with the Daein General.
"That Beorc is really a handful. Even when I attacked him in cat form, I couldn't do a thing!"
"His armor is blessed by the Goddess, or so it goes. That means that no natural or ordinary weapons will be able to damage him."
"Then how do we beat him? Angry looks?" Ranulf sarcastically breathed.
"Ranulf, didn't you say you saw his armor being pierced?" Tibarn mentioned. Knowing exactly what he was talking about, the cat mentally fumbled with an excuse to try and change the direction of this conversation. Khimari was in no shape to fight anyone, especially not the Black Knight of all people.
Thankfully, Ike caught on to Ranulf's anxiety and came up with a perfect excuse to save him. "That's pretty close, Tibarn. I have a weapon that will pierce his armor. So leave him to me."
"Hmph," the hawk king said. "I can't say that I like it, but I guess there's no other choice. We don't use Beorc swords and shields. Those are for you alone."
"Then it is agreed that if this villain appears, he shall be left to be dealt with by General Ike," Bastian commented. When no one objected to his statement, he found it acceptable to move the conversation. "The next topic of discussion will be who among us will storm the castle?" Before anyone responded, a knock on the door grabbed the attention of everyone. Without anyone moving, it opened by itself to reveal Mist.
"Ike...May I talk to you?" she asked meekly, nervous that she interrupted a meeting.
"Not now, Mist," Ike denied. "We're discussing battle strategy right now."
"I know, but...please...it'll just be a moment." Just then, Elincia seemed to have a dizzy spell, slightly swaying and having her hand slip on the table.
"What is it, O beauteous one?" Bastian inquired.
"I just feel...a bit dizzy," she said. "May I rest but for a moment?"
"Oh, what foul deed rears its ugly head at a moment such like this. Truly, the gods of war charge a heavy toll, to bewitch us and attack the sanctity of our minds!" he ranted, not that anyone knew what the heck he was saying. "The princess is faint, and ever so tired. Forgive your humble servant this trespass," he said, giving Elincia an arm to lean on. "Hark! Good folk, we shall retire for a spell." The two then left the room to find a place for Elincia to have a quick sit. While they left, Ike and Mist left the room in order to take advantage of the small recess of the meeting.
"Well, that was something…" Ranulf muttered under his breath. He wasn't irritated by any stretch of the imagination, just interested and slightly sleepy. He would think even a few months ago, Ike wouldn't have understood a thing about what Elincia did and would've completely wasted the opportunity like a dense person typically would. The change had been astounding, to say the least.
The closing of a door brought the cat out of his stupor, looking over to see Ike return to the meeting table. A few moments later, Elincia with a small glass of water returned with Bastian. "Now that we have returned, let's get down to business…"
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Late that night…
After the war council, Ranulf went back up in the castle only to discover that Khimari wasn't in the bed, but only Nephenee sound asleep with a blanket pulled over her. Closing the door, he sighed in both relief and frustration at not seeing the wolf in bed. Frustrated at the wolf for not staying, though he couldn't be surprised, but also relieved that he would have more time to mentally prepare for what he had been told to do by Ike.
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A little while ago…
After returning from the slight hiatus, the war council quickly resumed and was finished shortly thereafter with the established plan of Ike's unit attacking Castle Nados while Tibarn took outside forces to clear the vicinity of outside reinforcements that may arrive from the capital. That way, the load would be more or less divided and it would be less likely either side would get overwhelmed.
Preparing to leave, Ranulf started for the door before Ike called him. "Ranulf, come here." Curious about what he could want, he waited for all the others to leave before closing the door and walking back over to the mercenary.
"Yes Ike? Did you need something?"
"I need you to do something that you probably won't like." Raising an eyebrow, the cat could only wonder where Ike was going with this.
"And what could that be?" he responded, wondering what Ike was about to say that warranted the two of them to be alone and out of earshot of everyone else.
"I need you to take Khimari on a fake mission to keep him away from the battlefield until I've finished fighting the Black Knight."
"...You're serious?" Ranulf simply stated with a blank face that failed to do justice to the shock that he was experiencing right now. At Ike's nod, the Gallian sighed and pinched his nose at the oncoming headache he felt rising in the left side of his forehead. "What on Tellius gave you that idea? And what makes you think it'll be even close to working?"
"I just kept thinking about what you told me, and I...I couldn't see Khimari doing what he needed if he can't keep focused. Imagine if what happened when he fought Bertram happened to the Black Knight. As strong as he is, I don't know if Khimari would survive. Taking him out of the battle would ease my anxiety just a little bit, and it would give me a clearer head," he explained.
Ranulf didn't know what to think. From a logical standpoint, everything Ike said made perfect sense. From another opposite, but somehow still logical standpoint, it was idiocy. Keeping Khimari away from the battlefield, and especially making up such an elaborate lie, could damage his head more after realizing he'd been lied to. The worst case scenario would be that he then shut himself from both of them, not outside of the realm of reality.
"I...don't know," he said, not sure of the Beorc's plan. "How would we even begin to pull this off? What if...Khimari finds out?"
"That's why you should take someone with you just in case. Maybe Tora and Rikari?" Ike suggested. That would put the blue wolf around familiar faces, calming him down a bit and reassuring him the plan was real.
"Hmm…" Ranulf thought. "I'll see what I can do. I certainly don't like this, as you said, but if it's the best thing we can do…" he didn't finish his sentence, simply sighing. "I really hope for everyone's sake that things work themselves out right."
"I do, too."
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Going outside the castle, Ranulf sighed for what must have been the thousandth time as he recollected all the recent events in his head. What he would give to see Nailah right now…
Shaking his head of that thought train, he sniffed out the wolf to find where he went. Not far from the castle, he found a small hill where a lonely silhouette stood. Walking up, he simply sat beside his son, finding it best not to talk at the moment. For a while, the wolf just stared at the moon, being completely still save for the occasional swish of his tail. Then, he let out a heavy sigh.
"This sucks." Ranulf could say he probably already knew what the wolf was referring to, but asking never hurt.
"What does?"
"Everything. The war, the nightmares, the pain...I can't wait to rip Ashnard's head off," he growled, his fur starting to stick out. Quickly, Ranulf put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
"We're so far in now. We're almost done with this war, after all this time," the cat reassured. "Just hang on. You can do it."
"I'm...for the first time, I'm not sure." To say Ranulf was shocked at what he was hearing was an understatement. "When I woke up, I couldn't help but think about what I did in battle earlier. Most people would've been dead after exposing themselves like I did. That put not just me, but others in danger. Maybe...I should just quit fighting altogether."
Ranulf had no words to express to the wolf. It was a sight that he truly had never thought to see.
Khimari had lost his will to fight.
A long silence stayed between the father and son as the former tried to gather his thoughts to what to say. "Are...you sure?" he simply asked, not knowing anything else to say in response to what he heard.
"No," Khimari bluntly stated. "I don't know what to do," he growled in frustration. "I just…" he paused before scoffing, turning away to look at the ground. "So pitiful. I should be ashamed of myself for being like this."
"Everyone has their moment."
"This has been longer than a moment and you know it," Khimari countered. "If it's not one thing, it's that thrice damned tower that's screwing with my head. "I feel so...angry...but it's not anger...I don't know what's going on...When are we leaving for Nados tomorrow?"
"At the break of dawn," Ranulf answered, conflicted about what he was told but resolved to go through with it anyway. "But...we won't be going to Castle Nados with everyone else." Instantly, the wolf stiffened, shifting his gaze to the cat.
"What do you mean?"
"Ike has the full details and will tell us in the morning. That being said, we have to do it before they are fighting and get it done as quickly as possible."
"Who's going?"
"Us, as well as Rikari and Tora."
"Hm…" he hummed, not saying another word. "I guess we'll just have to see what happens...Did you tell them yet?"
"I haven't," the cat confirmed. "They will find out before we leave, though with enough notice not to be thrown off."
"Okay...well, in any case, let's get back inside."
"No hunt?" Ranulf suggested. Khimari seemed like he wanted to, but shook his head after a long pause.
"I've seen enough blood for now."
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The next morning…
This was it. The day that the Crimean Army would storm Castle Nados.
The day that Ike would defeat the Black Knight.
The Beorc slept surprisingly well considering the circumstances that he faced at the moment. This battle was easily one of, if not the most important of the war. Not just on a strategic level, but a personal one as well. This was the one shot he had to face his father's killer and finally avenge the fallen man. "I will beat him," he declared to himself, thinking about today's plans.
A little while later, a knock came to the door. "Enter," he lazily said. Opening, Khimari revealed himself to be the visitor. "How are you doing?"
"Eh, alright, more or less," the wolf responded. "Dad told me that you had special mission details." Ike nodded, relieved that Ranulf chose to go through with the plan. He knew the cat had been heavily conflicted on going through with it, and couldn't blame him. There were so many things that could backfire.
"Yes, we have some possible information on Leanne's whereabouts." At that, the wolf perked up in surprise. "Yesterday, Ulki reported hearing a faint trace of her to the west while they patrolled there. Reyson confirmed that the tug pulled him to that direction as well. I know you remember her, so you all will try to pinpoint a precise location that we can use to rescue her."
"And the Black Knight?" the wolf suddenly asked. "Where is he?"
"He's at an outpost right outside the capital," Ike lied, coming up with his answers long before the wolf came. "After Nados, he'll be the only thing standing between us and the capital."
"Hmph. I can't wait to fight him."
"Me neither...I can finally avenge Father."
"Ike," Khimari said with a serious tone. "Don't forget that Greil basically helped to raise me, too. I want to be there with you when you fight him. Got that?"
"...I understand," Ike said, closing his eyes. It hurt to lie so blatantly to Khimari, but this was for the good of everyone. "We're setting out soon, so gather Tora and Rikari. I told them earlier what to do." Meaning, he and Ranulf told the brothers about the plan to keep Khimari ignorant to what was really happening. Convincing them had been much harder than he expected.
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"No!" Rikari yowled. "We're not hiding anything from Khimari!"
"He can still fight," the older brother backed. "It would be stupid not to lead him away. Not to mention the blatant lie."
"I know, it sounds crazy, but please hear me out," Ike asked. "This battle is too important and dangerous."
"Precisely the reason Khimari needs to come," Tora countered. "Mental sanity aside, which was always in question by the way, he can easily handle entire units by himself. Besides, keeping him out of battle would just make him more antsy. And we all know how THAT is going to end up."
"That's why we made up a mission," Ike reiterated. "Keep him busy until nightfall starts to come at least."
"And then what? He's going to find out the truth anyway."
"I'll...take the brunt of whatever he dishes out," he accepted, slightly cringing on the inside. The wolf was hellish in his punishments, but this time, it was worth taking.
"...Fine, we'll go along with it," Tora said, putting a hand up to quiet Rikari's objection. "However, we are still loyal to Khimari before you. If he asks, then I will answer him with the truth."
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Of course, Ike didn't disagree with Tora's conditions. He couldn't put the red wolf at fault, either. He simply would be "following his prince." Sighing, he left the room shortly after Khimari left, with Ragnell on his waist.
Going outside, he found Tibarn, Elincia, Bastian, Geoffrey and a few others waiting for him. Coming up to the group, they explained quick pleasantries before getting to the topic at hand. "Are we ready to march?" the commander asked.
"Just about," Tibarn responded. "My men are ready for today. Can hardly contain themselves."
"The Crimean Army is nearly done with cleanup and will be ready for the march in a matter of minutes," Soren reported, with Sigrun and Tanith behind him. Titania simply nodded.
"Okay, we're here," a voice broke in. Looking over, they saw Khimari, Ranulf, Tora and Rikari standing there.
"Good, you can leave now. If there's enough time left, then you can join Tibarn's team in keeping the reinforcements out." Ike told Tibarn of the plan already, just in case. Princess Elincia and the others didn't know, however, but knew better than to ask, thankfully. With that, the four of them left, leaving Ike to manage the rest of this day and make sure it ends up the best it could. Watching them leave, Ike didn't take his gaze off the forest until Titania approached him a while later.
"Commander, the army is ready," she relayed. Nodding, Ike turned and started to walk forward to give the orders of the march. "Remember...what we talked about yesterday," she said with concern. Although Titania wasn't her birth mother, she certainly had been a mother figure for all these years.
"I won't lose. I...can't lose," Ike resolved, gripping Ragnell tightly in his hand. Heading to the front of the army, he raised his sword to the skies above. "Crimean Army! It's time to march!" Starting the fateful campaign day, Ike stayed silent as he led the troops to Castle Nados, with Titania, Soren and Mist flanking him. His only thoughts were of the unknown knight in black armor. For the first time, a little doubt had entered his mind.
What if...he couldn't defeat the Knight? What would happen then? He will have let everyone down, and then everyone would get slaughtered. Gripping Ragnell even harder, he steeled his resolve. "I will win," he whispered to himself. Everyone around him heard it, but didn't respond to the blue-haired mercenary.
Before long, they arrived at Castle Nados. Tibarn's unit had split off and surrounded the perimeter, leaving a little leftover for the assault inside the castle. Turning around, Ike began to address the soldiers. "Is everyone ready? The castle's strength has been bolstered with reinforcements from the capital. We must strike before any more can arrive." Taking a deep breath, his eyes swept across all the fighters in front of him. "If you see, the Black Knight, do not engage him. He is mine. Army...Attack!"
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Meanwhile…
Leaving, Ranulf led the others to some random place, with a map as a resource. "Do any of you see anything?" asked the other three.
"Nothing," Tora simply said, with Rikari shaking his head negative. Khimari, however, didn't say a word.
"Khimari?" Ranulf called.
"...Where to next?" he simply asked. Checking the map, Ranulf decided that a structure slightly to the southwest would suffice. According to scouts, the place was abandoned. It would still provide for a good waste of time, however.
"We can head to the southwest. There's a small fort there that was abandoned for a while before the Daeins appeared," he informed the others. Changing direction slightly, the four headed for the fort, weaving through the gradually thicker forests cautiously as to avoid any potential Daein troops.
Well, they had to play the part. According to information he had gotten, Ranulf had found this place to be hardly under any Daein influence, with them not seeing any value in this part of the country. Sniffing around, Ranulf pretended to look for Leanne's scent before a growl stopped him.
Looking back, he found Khimari snarling at the three of them. "What's wrong?" he thought, wondering if the wolf had heard something.
"I'm sick and tired of this," he growled. A dark pit found itself in Ranulf's stomach as he realized what was going on. "They had no information on Leanne. Ulki and Janaff didn't find anything, and we're not on any real mission. So I'm going to tell you right now to tell me what's really going on and why you all lied to my face."
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A/N: Phew…..Welp, that's another one done! I said I wasn't going to take another year, didn't I? Welp, as much as I could rant, I woke up at 4 in the morning to finish this and now have to get ready for my ridiculously busy Saturday. Hope y'all loved it and remember to fave, follow, review and all that fun stuff!
Blizzard, out!