Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.
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Three days later…
"Where the hell are the Laguz armies? Tell me now or you're through," Khimari growled as he tightly held the throat of a Begnion soldier.
"T-They're on the other side of the Ribahn! To the east! We've been at a standstill for the last week since General Zelgius ordered not to advance," he choked out. Satisfied with the answer, Khimari dropped the man on the ground.
"...Thank you. Go get some rest," the wolf said, before handing the Beorc an apple. "Sorry for the rough treatment." Leaving under the cover of night, the wolf skillfully weaved his way through the small mass of trees surrounded by the vast plains of northern Begnion. In a small opening, Ena sat in wait for his return. "I got it. They're across the river. From the looks of things, we're probably half a day away."
"Understood," she nodded, standing to her feet. "Shall we go, then?"
"Yup. With luck, we'll arrive at their camp by daybreak." With that settled, the two made their way over to the camping grounds of the Laguz Alliance.
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Early that morning…
"There's the camp. It's just above that hill," Khimari said, peering from behind a small group of bushes. "...Do you want to come with me?"
"..." Ena looked like she wanted to, but something seemed to be holding her back. "I should probably return now to Goldoa. Surely Nasir will notice my absence soon."
"Oh, yeah...You're right," Khimari agreed. Even if time was a rather miniscule thing for dragons, it'd be hard to pull something off with loved ones you have to talk to consistently. "Well, I guess this is it, then...Thank you, Ena. For everything," Khimari said, embracing the Goldoan in a hug that she returned. "There's no way I can repay you for this."
"I...Thank you for protecting Rajaion's memory. The King will be glad to know about Izuka's capture...Even if it went...astray from the initial plan."
"I hope so. That damn lizard needs more good news in his life." Amazingly, Ena chuckled at the dig against her king. "...Goodbye, Ena. Be safe on the way back and tell Deghinsea I'll be by soon."
"Yes, Khimari. May the Goddess keep you safe." Standing still, the wolf saw as Ena walked away from the area, headed south on a track away from both the armies to return to her home country. Sighing in dejection, Khimari steeled his nerves and turned back to the Laguz Alliance camp. Deciding to take things on a "damn it all, but be quiet about it," approach, Khimari carelessly wandered up to the campgrounds on its empty side, which was opposite the way he came. Taking a big sniff, he quickly found Ike's stench, which made him quietly wag his tail in contentment. Following the familiar scent, he found a tent a little ways out, but still next to the camp proper.
'This is where the Greil Mercenaries must be, then,' Khimari determined, before walking into the tent. Luckily for him, Ike was already awake and busy cleaning off his sword with sword powder. When the mercenary commander looked up, his eyes widened dramatically and he was about to yell before his surrogate brother "gently" slapped his hand on top of the Beorc's mouth. "No yelling and we have no problems." After Ike nodded, Khimari cautiously stepped back and sighed.
"What are you doing here? I heard-"
"Where's Dad? I have to see him. Now." The urgency in Khimari's voice stopped Ike in his tracks. "I know something happened. I just don't know what. So...Please…"
"...Alright, come with me." Getting up and leaving his sword maintenance equipment in the tent, Ike started a path to where Ranulf stayed, closely followed by the cat's son. Before long and without much foot traffic, the two arrived at another tent, which was obviously much closer to where Skrimir was if the giant tent in the middle gave any indication of. "Now, befo-Hey!" Ike slightly shouted when Khimari entered without paying any attention.
When the wolf walked in, he could swear that his heart skipped a beat. On the ground lay an unconscious Ranulf with the whole top half of his body covered in bandages that were red with blood. Fighting the urge to throw up or simply faint, Khimari immediately dropped to the floor next to his father, checking over the blue cat while Ike simply watched the scene unravel with a heavy heart. "Dad...Can you hear me? It's Khimari," the wolf said, slightly touching the cat's head with his hand. When Ranulf showed no sign of responding, Khimari started to become even more nervous, especially considering the Gallian's already labored breathing. "Can you say something to me? Please...I can't tell Mom that…"
"He's been out for three days," Ike informed, feeling it best to explain the situation. "Rhys said that he'd make a full recovery, but that he'd be unresponsive for a while. He took a really heavy couple of hits…"
"...Who did this?" the wolf asked softly. Ike's voice hitched in his throat. If the Beorc told Khimari that Skrimir caused this damage, the wolf might actually go as far as to kill the lion, especially if he caught the full story. "Ike...Do you know who did it?" Khimari asked again, but more forcefully as he squeezed Ranulf's hand.
"I...It all happened after we heard the Begnion Central Army arrived," Ike started. He was being as careful as possible to make sure to explain everything. "Skri-"
"The Begnion Central Army? Where's Tibarn and Naesala?" Khimari interrupted.
"We don't know."
"...Those freaking senators." Getting up, Khimari took one last look at his dad. "...Sorry dad, but I'm going to have to get in a little bit more trouble."
"Khimari, where are you going?" Ike asked as the wolf started to leave the tent.
"...When I went to Begnion with the messenger envoy, Sanaki was 'sick,' as the Senators claimed," Khimari said. "They denied the massacre, tried to get me to basically commit suicide by trial, attacked us on our way home and wanted this war from the beginning...But now...Dad almost died because of them," Hatari's lost prince continued in anger. Ike, knowing the wolf's tone, immediately tried to diffuse his brother's temper before it got too out of hand.
"Khimari, wait! You don't know the-"
"I know enough," Khimari growled. "I've had it with those damn humans." The way the derogatory word came out of the wolf's mouth made Ike's very being recoil in shock. "First my tribe...my mom's family...now Dad...I'm going to shred every last one of those Senators until their own mothers won't recognize them."
"Khima-"
"Don't tell anyone I came here," the wolf interrupted. Ike could see the pure rage in the wolf's eyes and knew that absolutely nothing that he could do would stop the incoming warpath Khimari would take. "I'm going to bury them."
"Khimari...If anything happens, come straight to us…" Ike said as sternly as he could. "Don't let revenge get you killed."
"...I won't. I have to come back to Dad alive," Khimari said, before leaving the tent. Rushing to leave, the wolf gave one last look at the Laguz Alliance camp before heading off on his way to Begnion.
Something wasn't right here. And through hell and high water, Khimari was going to find out.
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The next day…
Everything felt blank. Darkness was all he could see. A chilling touch was all he felt. "Dad? ...Can you hear me?" The voice resounded loudly in his head, as if a direct call for him.
"Uhn…" Opening his eyes, Ranulf quickly forced them back shut to help them adjust to the light. "What was that?" the cat asked himself aloud, ignoring the hoarseness of his voice from going who knows how long without eating or drinking anything. "Did I get knocked out so hard I started hearing things?" he wondered, moving to scratch his head before a distinct smell hit his nose. "...Khimari?" The scent was faint, but his nose could never fool him like his ears could. Getting up as safely as possible, Ranulf did a quick self-check to see himself all bandaged up, and though everything was sore, he was glad to see that no serious injury had presented itself.
Stretching lightly, the cat exited the tent, deciding to forego seeing Skrimir in favor of going to Ike. Tasting the air, the Gallian found Ike's scent rather quickly, which wasn't really surprising considering how...distinctive the Beorc's smell was. Only slightly through camp and for the most part ignoring the passing Laguz, he found Ike next to Soren, most likely discussing some plans of action to discuss at the strategy meetings...Oh jeez. With him out of commission, only Skrimir would be…"Ike!" Ranulf yowled with some urgency in his voice, thinking about what a wreck the past few meetings must have been with just the lion present.
"Hm? Ranulf!? You're awake!" Ike noted, coming over to the cat with haste. Soren soon came up next to the swordsman with his similarly stoic expression. "How are you feeling?"
Ranulf usually would respond with something witty and rhetorical, but he felt like he needed to take a page out of the wolves' book for this moment. "Where's Khimari?" At the question, Ike's eyes widened considerably, while Soren's face scrunched in confusion. "His scent was in the tent. I know it's his."
"He came yesterday morning," Ike answered, drawing a surprised face from the sage. "He seeked me out demanding to know where you were. He said...He knew something happened to you. He just...felt it. I've almost never seen him that frantic before."
"He...felt it?" Ranulf repeated dumbfoundedly. Now, he wasn't one to be superstitious, but he found it highly strange that Khimari could tell he was injured...But that means that Nailah more than likely had the same feeling… "This isn't good...How'd he take it?"
"He...He left with so much anger...He was about to go into a frenzy, no doubt," Ike sighed. "He should be fine...I hope. He wouldn't do anything to get himself killed. He said so himself."
"...That's even more worrying. Did you tell him what happened?" the cat questioned.
"I tried...He didn't even bother to listen. He thinks the Central Army caused your injuries, not Skrimir."
"Oh no…" the cat grumbled in worry, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"...What is that supposed to mean?" Soren interjected for the first time in the conversion. Apparently, Ranulf's groan was so foreboding that even the dark-haired boy couldn't stay quiet.
"He takes a lot after his mother," Ranulf answered. "When those two have an enemy in their sight, especially someone who they think did something wrong to them, they never let it go."
It seemed to be ridiculous, but Ike wasn't exactly the most knowledgeable about Khimari's mother. "Never?" he asked somewhat dubiously.
"Ne-ver. He's probably thinking of a plan to gut the whole Begnion Senate one-by-one at this point," Ranulf sighed worriedly. Ike bit his lip; that was pretty much exactly what Khimari said he would do before he left.
"Should we send a rescue unit to try and find him?" Ike asked. Surprisingly, Ranulf shook his head almost instantly.
"We all know who he is. If he doesn't want to be found, we won't find him," the cat stated matter-of-factly. "The best we can do is keep an ear out and make sure he doesn't go too far over the edge...This might have actually been the best-case scenario, all things considered."
"Why do you say that?" Ike prodded, though Soren beat Ranulf to the response.
"Knowing Khimari, had he found out how Ranulf incurred his injuries, he most likely would've beaten Skrimir nearly to death, leaving both the Gallian Army's commander and sub-commander in comatose," the mage bluntly assessed. "That outcome would have no positives."
"Aaand the staff officer gets it right again. Maybe you should be an advice counselor one day," Ranulf joked.
"I already am," Soren dryly rebutted with a stone-solid expression before leaving to go do some more work, most likely.
"...Scratch that, Soren should be a comedian," Ranulf told Ike as the two saw the mage leave the scene. "He's hilarious."
"If you say so…" Ike shrugged, honestly wondering what the heck just happened in the last couple of seconds. Did Soren really crack a joke?
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Three days later…
"Is that so?" Ranulf asked a Gallain tiger who had just returned from a small scouting mission.
"Yes, sir! All of the Begnion forces are consolidated together as one.
"Great...Alright, thank you. That'll be all." After the dismissal, Ranulf sighed before making his way over to the meeting tent, where he was soon meant to relay the details he just found out to the Greil Mercenaries to plan a way out of this mess. Massaging his head, the cat made his way to the tent, before he caught Ike outside. "Hey, Ike!" he called, grabbing the mercenary's attention.
"Hm? Oh, Ranulf! That saves the walk," the Beorc said as he walked up. "How is everything looking so far?"
"This...might just be the end of our war," Ranulf confessed. "The Northern and Central Armies have merged. A force like that is simply too powerful for us to face. And without Tibarn and Naesala in the picture to count on for support, it might just be best for us to turn around and return for Gallia to regroup," he sighed. "Convincing Skrimir won't be easy, but I can't let our people get killed in a hopeless battle."
"I understand, Ranulf," Ike agreed. "This is your war, so I'll follow your orders. I have to say though, retreating won't be easy. Soren said that the Central Army has already begun mobilization and has been coming closer to our location in the last couple of days."
"Hm...So they finally brought in a competent commander…" the cat noted. "Our path is blocked both ways." Just then, he noticed a heavy flapping noise come in his direction. Looking up and over his shoulder, he saw a familiar green-feathered hawk quickly closing in on them. "Hey!" he called, waving his hand.
"Hello, boys," Tibarn said. Ranulf had a slight pause when he heard his tone; though the Laguz king tried to hide it, it was obvious that he was extremely worn out. "It's good to know that you two still hang out together."
"Tibarn! Glad to see you're safe...But what happened?" the cat asked, now curious to see where everything went wrong. "Weren't the bird tribes supposed to hit the Central Army's supply unit? They're here and marching on us!"
"Talk later, eat now," Tibarn dismissed. "Sorry, but I've got to get something in my stomach and rest…" Without any complaint, Ranulf got some Gallians to go to fetch King Phoenicis some food while he cleared out a supply tent personally to get him into it. While they were accommodating, Ike took a few men out to survey the area just in case an enemy was nearby, given the state of Tibarn's appearance upon his arrival.
After a long while, Ranulf found himself in the meeting tent, a little ways away from the tent he cleared out for Tibarn. Hearing footsteps, the cat turned around to see Ike coming towards him, a telltale sign that the recon went off without a hitch. "How's Tibarn?" the Beorc asked.
"He's resting in a tent over there," Ranulf answered, motioning with his head in the direction of the place. "Ike….did you see them? His wings?" He asked, distinctly remembering an incident not too long ago involving another person he knew being covered in someone else's blood.
"Yeah...They were covered in blood. He's not hurt, so it must be someone else's," the mercenary quickly deduced.
"I have this awful feeling…" the Gallian admitted, choosing not to ignore the feeling that had been breeding inside of his stomach recently. "A feeling that something terrible has happened...I really hope I'm wrong…"
"Ike! Ranulf!" another voice called, startling the two. Looking up, they both settled into expressions of shock at seeing Reyson, closely followed by Janaff and Ulki making their way directly to them.
"Reyson! You're here, too?" Ike shouted in surprise. He'd have thought that the heron would be with his sister and recently found brother.
"Your Highness! Please wait!" Janaff pleaded, stepping in front of the white-winged heron.
"I have to check on him," the stubborn bird insisted. "I'm worried about Tibarn."
"We're worried, too, but can't you just let him be for a while?" Ulki tried to negotiate. Wanting some actual answers, Ike interrupted their little...argument in favor of finding out what the heck happened.
"Janaff, Ulki, what's going on? What happened to you out there?"
"We got duped!" Janaff burst out. "Those crows sold us out to Begnion then left us high and dry!"
"Naesala and the ravens of Kilvas betrayed us? Again?" Ranulf gasped in utter shock.
"I'm so mad I can barely see straight!" Janaff spat. There was no doubt of his feeling, considering that the hawk's face had started to take on a redder hue, very reminiscent of a rapidly churning fire. "The ravens were informants. They told Begnion about our battle strategy."
"It was a trap," Ulki took over, seeing that Janaff was about to blow his top off any second. "The supply unit we raided turned out to be the Begnion Central Army itself. The troops were under the command of Begnion's most famed commander, Zelgius."
"General Zelgius? Things just got a lot worse…" Ike muttered, to Ranulf's worry.
"You've heard of him?" the cat asked.
"I met him during the Mad King's War," Ike explained. "He's powerful, experienced and clever. Without a doubt one of the best generals of our time."
"Yeah, for a Beorc, he's quite powerful, all right," Janaff butted in, apparently somewhat less amped up than a few seconds ago. "Tibarn, while shifted, mind you, attacked this Zelgius guy. He didn't even budge an inch. But all of a sudden, he said 'We've delayed you long enough. If you cherish the lives of your people, return home at once.'"
"He said that?" Ike asked surprisingly. Such a threat didn't seem like something that would've come out the mouth of a person like Zelgius.
"So the King made a decision," Ulki continued, more or less ignoring Ike's comment. "We flew all night and day to reach Phoenicis...But we were too late. Save for the elderly, women and children, they were all…" Unable to finish, the brown-feathered hawk clenched his teeth and turned away in anger.
"I also heard what happened, and…I just couldn't believe it," Reyson admitted, looking lost and a little pale. "Naesala has betrayed us once again. I cannot believe that he'd play a role in wiping out Phoenicis."
"Hey, we're not wiped out yet." Looking over, everyone saw Tibarn walking over to them with his head held high.
"Tibarn!" Reyson called out, relieved to see his dear friend and technically, caretaker in one piece.
"I'm alive and well. My people are few, but they still live. Phoenicis is still a country," the hawk king declared. "Janaff. Ulki. You know what we must do."
"Of course!" Janaff squawked without a second thought.
"Yes. Begnion and Kilvas will burn for this," Ulki declared. Although he was much less...energetic than Janaff, it didn't take away from the strong resolve behind his words.
"So...that's the whole story," Tibarn admitted. "Sorry we were late, but now we're here to stay and see this war out. Don't tell me you kittens are going to run off with your tails between your legs. I won't accept that," the hawk said. Glad with the bravado presented to him, Ranulf's expression gained a hopeful smile.
"Of course not, King Tibarn! I'll get Skrimir right now. A slight delay, but now that we've merged with the hawk tribe, we have the strength to fight." Filled with courage, the blue cat went out to collect his general for the incoming meeting.
"I suppose that I should go get Soren, then," Ike mentioned, preparing to walk outside of the tent before a voice from outside stopped him.
"No need. Here I am," the tactician of the Greil Mercenaries announced, completely equipped with all the materials he needed to carry out his role in the meeting. In a matter of moments, the sage already had a full map full of marks on it on display for everyone present to see. "Our goal is to cross the Ribahn," the young adult started. "The core of our forces will ford the river and attack the Central Army head-on. Ranulf," Soren redirected, turning to the blue cat. "You'll need to form a small unit of your best warriors and lead them behind enemy lines. Can you do that?"
"No sweat!" the Gallian eased with a smirk on his face. After his time unconscious, Ranulf worked extensively with Ike to get back up to speed and felt better than ever after his involuntary rest period. "We'll do some officer hunting and keep their leaders' attention on us."
"Good," the mage nodded. "But a distraction alone will not get us across the river. They've got both the terrain and Zelgius in their favor. We-"
"Bah! Use fewer words, Beorc!" Skrimir complained, clearly impatient and bored by the strategies Soren was trying to relay. "Tell us what we must do! Some of us have a battle to fight!"
The lion quickly found out that Soren was not that you wanted to interrupt when the tactician of the Greil Mercenaries gave him a withering glare that would've cut him in two if looks could cause physical harm. "Don't interrupt me again, Skrimir. All these words may be the only thing that can possibly win this battle." When the lion, to everyone's amazement, didn't say or do a single thing in retaliation, Soren continued his briefing. "As I was saying, while Ranulf and his men sow confusion in the rear ranks, a group of hawk Laguz will carry the Greil Mercenaries south, around the battlefield. We'll cross the river and make our way to the supply train, which also serves as the senators' camp."
"Aah, I see where you're going with this," Tibarn interjected. "You're going to involve the senators and have them start messing things up."
"Precisely," Soren agreed. "Zelgius is the military commander, but the senators still have authority over him. If attacked, they will panic and request aid. He will be forced to return and rescue them. Zelgius is a soldier through and through. He will not disobey an order, no matter how foolish it may be. Once he leaves, the front line will crumble. Then Skrimir and Tibarn will lead the charge...That's all. Is everyone clear on what they have to do?" Soren asked, though he all but stared down only at Skrimir, as if daring the Laguz to say something against what he just advised.
Recognizing it, Skrimir scoffed, looking away from the mage's powerful gaze. "I still dislike Beorc tactics. I'd rather face my enemy and give him my name before I snap his neck in my jaws. But in order to defeat cowards, we must use the weapons of cowards...Let's go." With that...settled, everyone began to make the arrangements to organize the army's first clash against the Begnion Central Army.
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The next day…
"...Castle Gaddos…" A long way from the mighty Begnion structure under the rulership of its duke, Lekain of the Senate, stood a single figure looking at it with pure contempt and disdain. "...Doubt they'd be in there. But it's definitely the Central Army's stopping ground," the young adult said, slowly swishing his tail as he thought deeply about the situation he'd brought upon himself. Before he could come to anything conclusive, however, a small flap of the wings in his ear caught his attention.
Looking up at the sky, he saw a lone pegasus rider approaching him. Quickly recognizing who it was, the Laguz eased his posture and waited for them to lower down to the ground. "...Prince Khimari...You're here…" the woman said.
"...Yeah, Sigrun," Khimari responded. "Taking messages, I see?"
"...Yes. It has been put upon the Holy Guards to accurately and efficiently relay updates of the war effort against the Laguz Alliance to the Apostle and...Senate."
"Sigrun...Where's Sanaki in all this mess? Surely she knows the Senate is responsible for organizing the attack on me and the other messengers."
"...I cannot say."
"Sigrun." The tone in the Laguz's voice made the blue-haired Beorc snap up to attention. The slits in his dual-colored eyes held a rage that she had never seen before from anyone. "I'm through with the Senate's bullshit. You may be forced to play their tricks, but I'm not. They've crossed the line, and I won't stop until all of them are rotting corpses. We can work together for the good of Sanaki, but if you can't tell me about her situation…" A blue flash overtook the wolf as he took his transformed state, baring his fangs at the wide-eyed Pegasus rider. "Then I'll have to assume you align with the Senate's side...and kill you along with the rest of those miserable humans."
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A/N: (Spoiler alert: For those who haven't played past Part 3-Chapter 6 of Radiant Dawn and want to be surprised, I bid thee goodbye! AKA: DON'T READ THIS!)
Okaaay, some HEAVY revenge stuff going on. It might seem out of character for Khimari to go renegade, but it actually aligns perfectly from a hindsight. Further explanation on that whenever the next couple of chapters get ridden, but….Sorry, but that Blood Pact BS will NOT be the only factor influencing the war. So...Here's a much more realistic plot device that will most DEFINITELY shake up the current state of events (let's be real...a revenge story from the land's most dangerous prankster? Sounds good.) But yeah, that's about how much I'll get into that at the moment.
With THAT said, I sincerely hope all y'all enjoyed the story up to this point! I don't think I say it often, but the folk that provide viewership (and REviewership) to this story have been a major factor in keeping both me (and this story) healthy and strong. With a grateful and admittedly sappy heart, I want to issue out a "thank you" to everyone who's actually stuck through this crazy 300K+ word story that seems to be about as long as the actual damn Radiant Dawn game (aka: long as hell). We still have a ways to go, but we'll get there one day!
Blizzard, out!