Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.
A/N: Hey! Welcome back to another chapter! Hope you enjoy it, and let's begin the story!
Last time on Blue Wolf…
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."
XXXXX
The Castle Nados exploded in violent conflict as soon as Ike called his war cry. Yelling with an unfound vigor, he charged forward and engaged a swordmaster. With a powerful side strike, he knocked the man off balance before ending it with an unhesitant thrust. Hearing a growl, he looked to the left to see a Feral cat preparing to attack him. Getting ready, he assumed a position and waited for the Laguz to pounce.
When it did, Ike was ready. Swiping Ragnell downward, a brilliant blast of light shot from the blade. Upon contact, it blew the cat back, a sickening crunch heard as it hit the castle walls and fell on the ground, it's neck at an awkward angle as it stayed unmoving. Before Ike could register anything else, he saw a giant tornado of wind magic blast past him, hitting a general directly. Looking towards the source, he saw Soren murmuring a chant.
Going over to the sage, they decided to stick together without words, going to the left fork of the castle. Looking at an entryway further into the building, they found it blocked by a swordmaster and two Feral tigers. Readying themselves, Soren began the attack with a large blast of wind, directly blowing the swordmaster into a wall and killing him, while giving light cuts to the deformed Laguz.
Using the spell as cover, Ike rushed forward, killing the ferals with two precise slashes to the throat. Seeing the coast clear, he turned around to see Soren coming up to him. "Did you find any keys to open the-"
"Done." Jumping, Ike looked back over to see Volke, who had already picked the lock. "Ready?" the assassin asked.
"Let's see," Ike confirmed, readying his sword for whoever was on the other side. Without any hesitation, Volke swung open the large door, revealing an extra hall extension with three generals and two sages waiting for them. Swinging Ragnell, a blue blast escaped from the sword and struck one of the generals, pushing them back considerably and scarring their armor. Before he could advance, a giant meteor coming from seemingly nowhere attacked them, wiping out the knight. Soon after, a giant blizzard killed another, and a giant lightning bolt ended the last one.
Not expecting such a high display of magic to take place, Ike turned behind him to see Tormod, Soren and Ilyana standing behind him, all with tomes out of their respective specialty. Blinking for a moment, he couldn't do more than shrug and look back to see who else to take out.
...Though apparently, that wouldn't happen either as both sages hit the ground when he laid eyes on them, courtesy of Volke. Blinking again, Ike wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. "Well….Can't complain, I guess," he muttered before going ahead and turning the corridor to see Lethe, Mordecai, Titania, Oscar, Boyd, Rolf, Shinon, Gatrie, and Ulki utterly destroying the remaining Daein forces. "Goodness, is there anyone I can get to?" he quietly fumed as he traveled around the many skirmishes to see a certain swordmaster talking to a halberdier who looked to be the leader of the Daein troops of the castle.
"Homasa! What has made you betray Daein?" the man asked.
"Hafedd...I found a new lease on life. Now I fight for a Daein free of Ashnard's tyranny," he responded, unsheathing his sword. Impressed with what he heard, Ike stepped into the scene along the former Daein commander.
"Enemy commander. Is the Black Knight behind those doors?" the blue-head asked.
"Yes," the man answered simply.
"Step aside. I have business with him." The small exchange lit a small fire in Hafedd's expression, with the halberdier perking up.
"Ah, it seems you and Sir Knight have some sort of previous connection. My curiosity knows no bounds...but, you'd have to vanquish me first!" he challenged, raising his spear for battle. Looking at Homasa, Ike gave a silent signal before going to attack the man.
Hafedd proved to be a man of great physical prowess. Throwing the first strike, he kept Ike at bay with two well-timed strikes before turning to block a side blow from Homasa. Getting an idea, Ike slashed Ragnell through the air, a blue wave of energy flying out of the sword. Caught unawares, the Daein was kicked back and found himself open.
Taking advantage of the opening presented, Homasa ran forward, giving a savage wound to the halberdier's side. Hissing in pain, Hafedd staggered back, clearly not trying to kneel to the ground and grabbing his wound. Shakily standing back to full height in an impressive display of resolve, he rushed forward and jabbed at Homasa, slightly catching the man in the side. In doing so, however, he left himself open to an attack from Ike. Taking full advantage, the Crimean plunged his sword into the halberdier's stomach, closing his eyes before taking the sword out.
Stumbling back, Hafedd clutched his midsection as he used the wall for support. Gasping for air, slowly slid down the wall before he fell into a sitting position. "So...this...appears to be the end…" he said to himself, before he departed his body. The next sound came from the clank of the spear falling from his limp hand onto the floor.
"Thank you," Ike told the former Daein commander. "You did a great job."
"I simply fought for what I thought was right," he returned as the others started to crowd around, signaling that their first task was completed. "It merits no simple thanks." Nodding, Ike let go of it the topic, instead shifting his focus to the most important thing at hand.
The Black Knight. The infamously powerful Daein general whose origins and identity remain unknown to all. The knight encased in midnight-black armor said to be blessed by the goddess herself.
...The killer of Greil.
"We're done. Leave me and return to the castle," Greil said, the moon overlooking the father and soon as they stood outside the castle in Gallia that fateful night.
"What? Just like that?" Ike interrogated.
"You heard me," Greil retorted. "That's a direct order! Return to the castle immediately!"
Ike gripped his sword even harder as he recollected the events of that night: the walk with his dad, the question about his mother, his father getting a sword rammed through him. All of those memories pushed to the forefront of his mind. Forcing back a quiet sob, he breathed deeply before turning back to the rest of a company with revenge set on your mind.
"The one I seek is behind these doors," he told everyone with a solemn expression and a heavy voice. "Do not follow me." Without awaiting a response, Ike turned around and opened the doors to the throne room where the Black Knight awaited their duel. As he walked through the hallway, he stopped.
What if he couldn't win? What if he got killed, just as his father had been? What if...he would never walk out of the room he was set to enter?
Closing his eyes, the commander vigorously shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. He had to get revenge for his murdered father. His goal was heartbeats away and it wouldn't be fulfilled if he kept up his current pattern of thinking.
"I will defeat him...I will finish him!" Ike quietly yelled at himself, before breaking off into a run towards the castle room. Not long after, he arrived to see his target striking the dragon girl Ena, who they had fought at the capital when they raided Nevassa. With one last breath, he raised his sword and pointed it at the one he had been training for the entire war.
"Come and face me, Black Knight!"
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"Well? What are you waiting for?" Khimari growled at the three. Ranulf's expression was guilt and sadness, while the wolf brothers had one of understanding at the anger of their prince for being lied to. "Dad? What...Why?" Unfortunately for the wolf, the cat looked away, unable to talk for once. "You won't say anything...Fine then," he snorted. "Tora, what's going on?"
"...Ike made up a fake mission for us so you wouldn't be in the battle," the red wolf summarized. "Our job was to keep you as occupied as long as possible."
"And you went along with it?" he accused.
"We didn't want to!" Rikari shouted out, throwing in his own words. "We told Ike it was a bad idea, but he said he wanted you out of the field for your safety."
Now things started making more sense. Instantly, the blue wolf turned to his father, who finally found the words to speak over getting past his shock of Khimari finding out so quickly.
"Ike came up with the plan," he started from the beginning, reiterating what the wolves told him. "He first told me after the battle meeting, and I agreed with him, reluctantly. He said with you out of danger, he would be focused when he fought the Black Knight. That's the o-"
"What?" Khimari interrupted, shocked. "The Black Knight is in the castle? But Ike said he was at an outpost near the capital." This put a look of confusion on the cat's face.
"No. Tibarn spotted the Black Knight yesterday during their guerrilla battle with Daein," Ranulf corrected. "He wiped out an entire unit by himself when he arrived as a part of the reinforcements." For a long time, Khimari stayed still, not reacting to anything, despite the fact that his mind currently moved so fast he felt himself spinning.
"He promised…" the wolf whispered, so much so that the others had to strain to catch what he said.
"Promised what?" Rikari replied, curious.
"He said this morning that he'd fight the Black Knight with me at his side," he revealed. "I told him...and he lied…" he said, before the pain of his knowing turned into two very distinct feelings.
Anger and protectiveness. He was unimaginably angry at Ike for breaking such an important promise, but he realized that his adopted brother's safety was the first thing he needed to solve. Until Ike was safe, then Khimari couldn't even think of what to do. Turning back, the wolf leaped into a run, forcing the other three to go right after him.
"What are you doing, Khimari!?" Ranulf said, doing his pace to keep up with the speeding wolf.
"I'm going to save Ike...then kill him."
XXXXX
"Come and face me, Black Knight!" Turning around from General Ena, the Black Knight came face to face with the son of Gawain pointing the holy Ragnell at him.
"I have been waiting for you, child," he said, while Ike started shaking in anger before calming.
"Ah...Did you kill the girl?" the mercenary asked, putting the sword on his back.
"Despite my promise, the blow was not clean. She yet still lives."
"I'll take her," Ike said. In response, the Daein Rider brought up Alondite, pointing it at him.
"Then you'll have to do so by force. Good that you brought the sacred sword Ragnell, eh?"
"It's right here," he retorted, pointing it back at the knight. "If this is the only condition I need to defeat you, I will not hesitate."
"It appears you have grown smarter," the Black Knight commented. "Good. There is no challenge to killing a fool. Shall we begin?"
Before the Crimean could accept the challenge, the sound of a galloping horse interrupted the stare down between the two. Looking back, Ike felt his heart drop when he realized Mist entered the room, sword in hand and a staff on her back.
"Brother!" she shouted.
"Mist!? Why are you here? Go back!" Ike demanded. His order would be in vain as she stubbornly nodded her head in disapproval.
"I...I will fight you!" she said to the Black Knight, completely avoiding her brother's look. "I won't let you kill my brother!"
"The daughter of Gawain, eh?" the man said to himself. "Good. Now I can pull the whole family tree out by the roots."
"Mist. Do not interfere," Ike commanded, with all seriousness in his voice. "This craven wretch...is mine!"
A small chuckle emanated from the Daein Rider. "Hmph! Do as you will. This time, we shall begin in earnest!" he declared, running up to the mercenary. Readying Ragnell, Ike blocked the knight's side blow before following with a swipe of his own. The Knight parried it before attempting a stab, similar to how he did to Greil. Stepping to the side, Ike avoided the blow before moving back to gain some.
"What an odd fate," the knight began. "This will be the third time I defeated you. First in the Gallian sea of trees. The second outside Castle Delbray in Crimea."
"We've me twice...and I've lost twice," Ike conceded. "However, this time will be different," he declared. His conviction seemed to reach the knight, whose body movement showed an interest.
"Oh?" the Black Knight said, a signal for Ike to continue.
"My sword-fighting skills were given to me by my father. If I stay true to them...I cannot lose."
"Did you think ever for a moment that using your father's technique on the one who slayed him would prove futile?"
"My father robbed himself of his stronger arm," Ike told him. "If he had, he wouldn't have lost to the likes of you," he said, readying for another spat.
"Is that so? Let us test your stronger arm, then, Son of Gawain," he challenged. "Show me your strength." Accepting the invitation, Ike ran forward with an overhead strike. Blocking it, the Knight went immediately for a side attack, doing a complete swing to increase his attack strength. Instead of trying to block it, he flipped back, before doing a jumping down swipe on the Knight, who struck nothing but air. Scoring a direct hit, Ike managed to create a scar across the chestplate of the man's armor.
Refusing to lose his momentum, Ike released a flurry of attacks, putting the Daein general on the defensive. A little while later, the Knight found himself wounded, with a particularly bad side wound. Ike wasn't without his own wounds, however. The knight had injured him with a parried strike that caught his shoulder, and a shallow cut had found its way to his midsection.
Now, Ike had made distance with the knight, breathing heavily. His reckless attack had worn him out, while the Knight still had energy left to expend.
Before the Knight could move, though, the two found their duel interrupted by the arrival of Daein reinforcements. "Protect the Black Knight!" a halberdier yelled to the other three troops.
"No! This man is my prey! I need no assistance," said knight denied. This fight was not meant for anyone other than him and the son of Gawain.
"Uh…" the soldier said, looking for something else to do to make himself worthwhile. Before long, their eyes set on Mist, who watched from horseback her brother's duel. "Hey, get that girl! Kill her before she flees!" he told the other three.
"Mist! Get out of here!" Ike commanded, only for the girl to refuse yet again.
"I...I won't leave! I can protect myself! I...I won't run away!" she declared, taking her sword out as the soldiers started to advance on her.
"Hmph." With that, the Black Knight ran forward, beginning another bout between the two. With his mind focused on Mist, Ike lost his rhythm and left himself open for attack. Wasting no opportunity, the Black Knight exploited it, driving Alondite deep down Ike's side, creating a large cut. Going back, Ike found himself in extreme pain from the wound.
"Brother!" Mist said, getting a Physic staff out to help heal him. Unfortunately, the four Daein soldiers were already upon her and ready to attack. The situation went from bad to worse, and the two siblings had found themselves backed into a corner.
Then a piercing howl reverberated to the halls. The soldiers stopped, as well as the Black Knight. "Could it be…" the Daein General murmured loud enough to be heard by everyone. A short moment later, loud thumps could be heard hitting the floor as a growl increased in volume.
"Get...AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!" a roar sounded through the entire room. Before anyone could comprehend the situation, a blue streak rushed in, killing the halberdier with a ruthless slice to the neck. Before the others could retaliate, they all fell to a similar fate.
"Khimari!" Mist yelled in glee.
"So, the family dog has finally arrived?" the Black Knight commented. "The day has truly gifted me with the entire family to end at one stroke."
"You beat me in Gallia, and almost killed me," Khimari admitted, his eyes closed for a moment. "We fought at the port, and I escaped. But now...I have no reason to lose." The wolf padded ahead of Ike, stopping a small distance from the Knight. "They are my family, my pack. I will protect them at all costs."
"Admirable. Shame that you will die protecting them. At your ready...Khimari," the Black Knight said, raising his sword again. After a small silence, the wolf jumped, pouncing at the Daein general. Sparks flew as claws met steel. The Knight instantly went for a side swipe, but the wolf rolled out of range.
Getting back on all fours, he leaped, giving the Knight a successful wound to the arm. The Knight then went for a thrust, only for the wolf to escape his sword yet again and bite his shoulder.
Despite the Knight's attempts, Khimari's ferocious attacks and flawless reaction time had made him much more formidable than Ike. "Let's finish this," the wolf said, a blue glow appearing around him. Running towards the knight, he swerved past Alondite and sliced the man's midsection, a puff of aura emanating from the blow. Sliding from the other side, he jumped and clawed the man's back, another puff coming back. Before the Knight could retaliate, he scratched his other shoulder, a third wisp of aura appearing. Landing in front of the Knight's face, he ran forward, dealing a devastating claw slash to the Knight's stomach, sending the Black Knight stumbling back as the blue wisps disappeared.
"You...are stronger...I...commend you," the Black Knight said, kneeling down with support on his sword. Before Khimari could continue, another soldier came down the staircase, utterly shocked at what he had witnessed. "The Black Knight….defeated? How can this be?" Khimari started to growl towards him, making the halberdier even more nervous. "You-You aren't going to get away with this!" Activate the traps!"
"What traps?" Khimari asked, transforming into Beorc form. His question would soon be answered in the form of the entire castle beginning to shake. "The castle is shaking!"
"Ike!" a voice responded. "The castle is collapsing, we have to leave now!" Seeing that it was Nasir, Khimari was ready to pounce again until he saw a figure begin to move.
"Na..sir," Ena said weakly. Running over to her, Khimari quickly threw the dragon on his back and began running.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" he yelled. As they ran to the outside of the castle, dust and small stones kept pelting them from above. They ran as fast as they could, and even faster when they heard the other parts of the castle close in on them. "There's the entrance!" the wolf prince yowled upon seeing the daylight through the crumbling dust. Pushing himself even harder, Khimari made it out, closely followed by Mist, Nasir and Ike. They were surrounded by the heart of the Greil Mercenaries, eagerly awaiting the results of the battle.
"Father...it's finally over…" Ike breathed, wheezing from inhaling so much dust from the falling castle.
"Brother! I'm so glad you're alive!" Mist said, hugging both of her brothers.
"Greil can rest easy now," Khimari soothed. "We did it." Looking over at Nasir, he gave Ena over to her quietly, allowing him to take his granddaughter back to base camp for recovery.
"Even now...I'm not as good as Father was," the commander admitted. "There's no way I could ever defeat him."
"This was your way of toughening up, wasn't it?" Khimari finished, a small smirk adorning his face. "You dumb idiot. Come over here, bro." Putting Ike in a chokehold, he smarted scratching his head unnecessarily hard, drawing protests from the Beorc.
"I...I love you all! Mom...Dad...I'm so proud of my family!" Mist said, tears of happiness and relief streaming from her eyes. Just then, Titania and Soren joined the conversation.
"Ike! Mist! Khimari! You did so well…" Titania commended. "Even if someone had arrived a little late," she said, looking at the wolf.
"Sorry about that, I got a little...sidetracked, we'll say. Is Boyd alright?" At the question, Ike's face turned into one of confusion.
"What happened to Boyd?"
"When Khimari raced in, he was like a raging hurricane," Titania explained. "He demanded to know where you were, and threw Boyd into a wall when we mentioned you wanted no one to follow you into the deeper chamber. He got knocked unconscious on impact."
"You did all that?" Ike asked incredulously.
"You did all this?" Khimari returned, his tone promising pain and suffering later. Knowing what he was talking about, Ike silently cringed at whatever demonic evils awaited him.
"Khimari!" Looking over, they went to see Ranulf, as well as Tora and Rikari walking up to them. "Are you alright?" the cat asked his son.
"Sure, let's go with that," he said, before something else came to his head. "What was Ena doing in the castle?"
"I...don't know," Ike admitted. "Perhaps we'll have to ask her when she wakes up. But for now, let's get back to camp."
No one objected to that.
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The next day…
After the victory at Castle Nados, the Crimean Liberation Army made its way straight to their final and most important location: the Crimean capital, Melior. Though, the camp had not taken a grave undertone, but an optimistic one. The war, for better or worse, was almost over. After so much strife, heartache and pain, it all was soon to be over in a matter of days. It seemed almost imaginary.
Khimari stretched as he woke up from his deep sleep. Looking around, he found himself in a tent right next to Ranulf and under Mist, who wanted to have a pillow for the night. Naturally, Khimari allowed her to use his belly to celebrate the occasion with a good night's rest. Surprisingly, he had no nightmares of the tower, even though the vague clanking of metal chains and the twisted smells still plagued his senses. Suppressing a shudder, he started tickling Mist's face with his tail to wake her up. Moving her hand up to her face, she wiped it off, only for him to wave it back over her face. Letting out a sneeze, Mist started to slowly rise to a sitting position.
"Morning, sleepyhead," he greeted.
"Good morning, Khimari. Morning, Ranulf," she added upon seeing the cat awaken as well. "What time is it?"
"A little past dawn," the wolf answered. "Wow, we really slept in."
"No, you slept in," Ranulf countered. "This is how normal people wake up. Welcome to the club, son."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
"I'm going to talk with Ike," the Beorc decided, quickly gathering herself before leaving the tent.
"Did you have any dreams about the tower?" Ranulf asked quietly when Mist had left.
"No, but I still think about it. I just did when I woke up," he honestly revealed. The cat nodded at the information, before giving out a sigh. "You want to see if Ena and Nasir are up?"
"Sure, we might learn something there." With that, the two blue-haired Laguz left the tent, weaving through camp to find where the two Goldoan dragons had secluded themselves. "Nasir?" Ranulf quietly called. For a moment, nothing moved until the two Laguz heard a little movement from within the tent. A few heartbeats later, the dragon Laguz opened the tent to the two. Entering behind Nasir, they quickly saw Ena sitting up, a crestfallen expression on her face. "How are you two?"
"We are...managing. How about you?" Nasir returned, a guilty look in his eyes as well.
"Managing," Khimari simply said, mirroring the ambiguity of their response. Despite the intended purpose behind it, the gesture brought a small smile to Nasir's face. Another, yet more comfortable silence entered the tent. "So…" Khimari started. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you helping us? Why are you fighting us? Just...why? What's the blackmail?" the wolf said, getting straight to the point. At that, Ena and Nasir lifted their heads in surprise. "It has to be something."
"You...are right," Ena admitted. "However...I don't...I can't…"
"You can't or you won't?" Khimari pressed.
"Khimari, that's enou-"
"No, Ranulf, Khimari is justified in both his anger and his suspicion," Nasir cut off. "As for your question...I believe you've already found the answer for yourself. We are merely a confirmation."
"Hmph," the wolf grunted, although Nasir was close to the truth.
"Someone wants to tell me what's going on here?" Ranulf said.
"Before Ike started fighting the Black Knight, he told me that Ena said that she had to see someone, only to be denied," Khimari started. "Considering that Nasir was helping both of us, it's safe to say that someone is being held captive by Ashnard that's precious to Ena, and by proxy, Nasir."
"...The wolves would be proud to know you're their prince…" Nasir praised. "Yohe would have been thrilled to see you." Khimari was about to ask who it was, but stopped when the white dragon raised a hand in protest. "All in due time. Something I would believe more pressing is an apology."
"Khimari...I'm sincerely sorry for what you had to go through in the tower," Ena started. "As well as turning you over to Petrine."
"..." For a while, the wolf remained silent, unsure of what to do or say. All of his instincts told him to burst out in an explosive rage and rip everything apart, but that wasn't going to work. Breathing heavily, he looked between all three of the other current people in the tent before closing his eyes. "..." Nothing could escape his mouth as a lone tear fell down his face.
Getting up, he left the tent by himself. Ignoring Ranulf's calling for him, he transformed and went outside of camp to a secluded area of woodland where a small spring gave birth to a little creek. Laying down, the wolf thought about what just happened. Of course he felt bad for up and leaving all of them without an answer after Ena's sincere apology, but he didn't know what to do. That tower had him messed up in so many ways, he didn't know where to start.
Approaching footsteps brought him out of his stupor. He expected it to be Ranulf, but found himself surprised to look back and see Ena. Without any words, she sat on the ground next to him, following his line of vision to the spring. "When you were in the capital…" she started, getting his attention. "Did you hear anything of someone named Rajaion?" Scrambling in his mind, Khimari returned to the first time he talked to King Ashnard.
"Yes, Ashnard mentioned Petrine being his snack. I thought it was a wyvern of his," Khimari shrugged. "What does this Rajaion have to do with anything?"
"He's more than just a wyvern mount," Ena said. "He's a Goldoan dragon as well...and my fiance." Stifling the biggest scream of his life, Khimari legitimately let his jaw drop at hearing the information. "He was taken by Ashnard and warped into a feral, to be used as his mount. In an effort to keep him safe, I became a general in Daein's army so I could always know about him. At least, that's what was supposed to happen."
"I'm...sorry," Khimari said. "I know how it feels to be separated from a loved one."
"I don't...It hurts knowing he doesn't remember me anymore."
"He still does," Khimari denied, bringing surprise to her face. "He never will, if you're that important to him.
"What do you mean?"
"Even as I was losing my sanity...Even as I was being turned into a feral...I never could forget my family. I couldn't forget everyone I loved. Just the thought of seeing them again kept me going longer than anything else could have," he admitted. "I promise you, you'll find your way to him once again, just like I found my way back to my family."
"...Thank you," she simply said. "Nasir was right about you."
"Speaking of Nasir, who's this Yohe?"
"Yohe is one of the former king of the wolves...and your great-grandfather," she revealed, shocking him even further. "He was a wolf of great power and wisdom, earning him the name of the Silver Wolf. He had a great relationship with many of the dragons, including our king, Deghinsea."
"Really? Then how'd he let us be driven out?" Khimari bitterly replied.
"It wasn't easy for the King when Begnion attacked the wolf tribe," Ena defended. "He had actually considered taking a small force to fight the invaders, but had abandoned the plan after considering it too risky."
"They were really close?"
"Best friends, I'd say," Ena confirmed. "We'd often find Yohe within our borders talking to King Deghinsea. Even beyond those two, dragons felt most connected to the wolf Laguz as brothers, although we still maintained limited contact with them like the rest of the outside world."
"Wow…" Khimari breathed, taking everything in. "Yohe...I wonder what he was like…"
"Exactly like you, with a little more age," a voice cut in. "That wolf was the craziest Laguz I've ever met." Looking back, Ranulf stood behind the two of them.
"You knew him, too?"
"He was legendary in the wolf tribe. Granted, the wolves didn't associate much with the other Gallian tribes, but I knew about him. He also tested me before I became your mother's mate."
"Really? You had to fight him?" Khimari said excitedly, wanting to know all the details.
"Perk down, I got my tail handed to me," Ranulf said. "Wasn't even close. Yohe was said to be even stronger than King Caineghis at his prime. Fortunately, he was looking for effort and not pure fighting prowess and approved of our relationship."
"Wow, that's...quite a story...Wish I got to see it." Ranulf's face fell at that, leading to both Ena and Khimari laughing at his expense. "Now that you're feeling all better, let's get to camp. Ike wants to talk to us, specifically, you," he said, pointedly at Ena. Getting up, the three all began to make their short trek back to camp.
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"It appears that Lady Leanne is being held in Gritnea Tower, to the south. Isn't that right, Ena?" The red dragon nodded in confirmation of Nasir's words.
"How do you know that?" Ike prodded suspiciously.
"I was searching for information," she explained. "That's where I came across some documents that told of Daein troops being assigned to the tower. It was the extra knowledge I needed."
"...You're not going to tell us any more, are you?" Ike pressed again. "No matter how useful it may be." At that, Ena simply stayed silent, before Nasir decided to continue talking in her place.
"I beg your pardon."
"I figured as much," Ike said. "I've already decided to trust you, so all that's left is to move out." Leaving to get the plans set up, only Ena, Nasir and Khimari were left remaining in the room.
"Looks like we're due for Gritnea Tower…" Khimari muttered.
"Are you sure you're mentally prepared for this trip? I've heard about your misfortune regarding this location," Nasir asked, concerned.
"...I need to go," Khimari decided, walking out to tell Ike. "And that's that."
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A/N: AAAAAAAND! THAT'S OVER! Hey, y'all, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had thought to keep writing it in the same chapter, but then I decided to divide it up into two more parts instead of just a third and done thing. College applications suck...Really suck...I just submitted three and have another three to turn in along with FAFSA reporting because I'm certainly not rich enough (nowhere close) to be paying for any sort of higher education out of any sort of empty pockets I have.
My small stress rant aside, I hope you all enjoyed this! Remember to fave, follow and review, and I'll see all y'all good folk probably next month! (Well, I'll see about getting in a second update in October but I already have this next chapter planned to be...yikes...No spoilers!)
Blizzard, out!