Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.
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A little while earlier…
"Micaiah. How are you doing?" Sothe asked. After last night's battle, the light sage definitely had a little bit of worry (although she hid it very well in front of the other soldiers). The rogue knew that the weight of fighting this battle was starting to get to her head a little by the way she carried herself.
Before even fighting the Laguz Alliance last night, he knew that she didn't really have her heart in this war. Only that she believed in King Pelleas and that she would do her best to fulfill his command. That much at least was obvious by their argument yesterday. He personally couldn't give two craps about what Pelleas wanted, especially considering that Daein had no genuine part to play in the conflict between Begnion and the Laguz countries…That and the fact that they just finished fighting for freedom against Begnion, only to crawl back and respond to their beck and call.
"I'm fine, Sothe. There's nothing you need to worry about," the Silver-Haired Maiden replied.
"That only makes me worry more. I know you're stressed Micaiah, but I'll always be here for you," he comforted. He took relief when she grabbed his hand in return and leaned into his body.
"...I should probably check on the status of the rest of the army," she decided. "We're already prepared to meet the next challenge of the Laguz Alliance."
"The Dawn Brigade is standing by, as well," Sothe added. "I spoke to them earlier, and they're all in good spirits."
"Ah…Thank you, Sothe," Micaiah said. "I'm going to see them again after this is over…Volug, are you doing alright?" The brown wolf nodded in the affirmative and gave a small snort in response. "That's good…Khimari will be happy to know you're all healed up."
"He'd be far from happy about finding out that we're warring against the Laguz Alliance, though," Sothe sighed. "Especially considering we ran into Ranulf last night."
"Who was Ranulf?" the girl asked him.
"He was the blue-haired cat Laguz who warned us last night," he answered. "He's Khimari's father. He's probably helping to lead the forces of the entire Gallian Army, if I had to guess."
"Hm…" At that moment, Volug turned around, getting both of their attention. "Volug? Is something happening?" Getting up on all fours, the Hatarian beckoned them over with his snout before walking slowly in the direction of the camp outskirts. "Follow you? Okay," Micaiah agreed, taking a pace behind the brown wolf, closely followed by Sothe.
"What could he be sensing this time?" Sothe asked, curious about where Volug was taking them. Times like this were when he wished he could understand a single thing that the brown wolf could say. But then again, Volug spoke the ancient language, which was completely lost on him who only knew the common tongue of modern-day Tellius. But then again, even Micaiah had trouble understanding the ancient tongue of the wolves, because they had grown to take on a different dialect of the language that had different words and terms for certain things, which was exacerbated because of their migration to Hatari. At least, that's what Nailah told them one time while they still worked in the Emancipation Army.
That aside, it only took a couple moments until they officially left the camp and came by a small stream where a certain blue wolf sat awaiting them. "Khimari!" Micaiah called, running over to him. As she approached, a blue flash alerted them to the wolf's transformation back to his two-legged form. Though the wolf had a serious look on his face, it softened upon giving the Maiden of Dawn a hug.
"Hey, Micky. I see you are doing well…" As Sothe walked up, Khimari said something to Volug, earning a confident growl in return. "Good! So Volug was able to fully recover? Thank you so much for helping him out."
"Wha-Oh, it's no problem," the Branded girl stammered, not expecting to be thanked by the wolf prince.
"Hey, little Sothe. How goes it, kid?"
"Khimari, I'm not a ki-Oh, forget about it…This isn't exactly the peachiest situation to be having a reunion in," the green-haired teen mentioned. Following his words, the emotional atmosphere took a heavier shift.
"You're right," Khimari agreed. "Now, I want to hear your take on events. Exactly what is possessing you on blocking the Laguz Alliance's path and why are you even in this fight?"
"I…King Pelleas asked me to mobilize the army to fight on Begnion's behalf…I followed his order because I believe that he knows what's right at heart," the girl explained. In response, Khimari rolled his eyes and sighed in clear irritation.
"Great…So you're fighting on a whim."
"Khimari…I'm sorry about this, but I can't let my king or my country down. Sothe told me that Ike is with the enemy as well. I won't be offended if you join-"
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" the wolf cut off with a small smile. "I'm screwed either way. If you hadn't forgotten, Volug is here to look after you for Mom. If I go to the Alliance now, I'd have to make sure to protect both Volug and you while fighting both of you. If I stay here, I'm going to have to go against my dad, my brother, the rest of the Greil Mercenaries and get my tail chewed off when I end up going back over to them afterwards…" The others took a temporary silence as the wolf thought to himself aloud. "Let's see…If they fight…no, then it could end badly…Sothe! Did you see Dad or Ike yet?"
"...We saw Ranulf last night when we ambushed them," the rogue answered, admittedly confused by whatever was going on in the wolf's head. "We pulled back after a roar from Skrimir, and they retreated as well."
"So a truce in the night…That means that Ike is definitely going to attack you himself today…Alright, it's settled!"
"...What is?" Micaiah asked nervously. She, like Sothe and even Volug, were lost when the wolf started pacing and talking to himself.
"I will be fighting with you guys today." At the announcement, both of the Dawn Brigade members perked up in shock.
"But, Khimari! Your family is fighting against us!" Micaiah added.
"Look…" the wolf started, sighing heavily as he closed his eyes. "I really don't feel like fighting anyone here. But based on the circumstances…Being completely honest with you, you guys don't have a chance to win." Despite the blunt and pessimistic assessment, Sothe found himself internally agreeing with the wolf. "But to that end, you made sure Volug got completely healed, and I'm sure you personally did it, Micaiah. I'm doing this to say thank you for looking after my uncle."
"Oh…Khimari, thank you," the Silver-Haired Maiden thanked, sniffling a bit as she tried to hold back her tears.
"With that being said, remember some things," the wolf continued. "I'm only here to protect you, Sothe and Volug. I'm not a Daein soldier, so don't expect me to be at your beck and call."
"Of course…" the Daein general agreed instantly, nodding. Just then, she remembered something else that the wolf probably should know about. "Oh, Khimari…" she started, getting his attention. "The Black Knight is here with us…"
"Damn…That black-armored jackass is always running up some shi-Calm down, Khimari," the wolf said to himself after abruptly stopping. The wolf took a few deep breaths before returning his gaze to Micaiah. "Keep him away from me. I'll let Ike fight him, but I most definitely am not going to allow that one to kill anyone that I know."
"I wish you'd kill him yourself," Sothe muttered, making Khimari snort in laughter. "Here, let's take you back to camp. We're about to set out soon." With that, the four returned to finish the battle preparations.
XXXXX
Currently…
After returning to camp, Khimari was quickly brought up to speed on the full scope of the situation by Volug and Sothe while Micaiah went to check up on the Dawn Brigade and finalize the mobilization details. Now, they had already set out and were awaiting the arrival of the Laguz Alliance at the stretch of the Ribahn River. As planned, both Volug and Khimari sat next to Micaiah and Sothe, a decent length away from the rest of the Daein soldiers, though Meg and Fiona stayed close to them as well.
"The Laguz failed to try to cross this river," Sothe explained as they waited. "This time will be their last try. They'll definitely bring beorc along with them, as well."
"Yup, and that means the Greil Mercenaries," Khimari confirmed. "Won't be a pretty sight at all."
"Sothe," Micaiah called out, grabbing the rogue's attention. "Tell me more about Commander Ike." Saying that both Sothe and Khimari were surprised would be an understatement. For all intents and purposes, saying the name 'Ike' set Micaiah on near-tantrums, yet here she was, asking about him.
"Why? You always hated it whenever I said anything about Ike."
"I want to know about the man that we'll be fighting against. What kind of man is he?" she asked. Seeing that she was absolutely resolute on getting an answer, Sothe looked up as he thought of the best way to describe Ike.
"Well, let's see…He's generous," the rogue started, only to get a snort from Khimari. Rolling his eyes, he mentally blocked the wolf out while he continued his description of the mercenary commander. "He doesn't care about petty things. He holds no prejudice against Laguz, nor does he care about the opinions of nobles. He's a master swordsman, and he accomplishes anything he puts his mind to. He's a true hero."
"I see…he sounds quite different from King Pelleas." Khimari couldn't help but reply to that comment.
"Sorry, Micky, but Ike probably would break Pelleas by sneezing too hard. They're not in the same league at all," the wolf mentioned. At Sothe's nod, the light sage hummed to herself for a moment.
"...That may be, but I believe in King Pelleas. His heart is in the right place. I believe in his virtuous nature and his commitment to being a king."
"...Micaiah, something important you should know," Khimari started, getting her attention. "I already know that you know exactly what place his heart is in, but being right in the heart, and being right in the head are two completely different things. Never forget that your heart can be your own worst enemy if you let it."
"...You're right, Khimari, but I can't leave behind my people and my country. No matter where it may take me, I'll follow through with what I have to do."
"...Blind faith alone can't protect you forever," the wolf prince replied, drawing looks towards him. "Sooner or later, you'll see what I'm talking about. I only hope the cost of you finding out isn't too high."
"The enemy is on the move!" a Daein soldier announced, officially ending their conversation. "They're crossing the river! There are humans among the beasts!" That comment served as confirmation that conflict with Ike and the Greil Mercenaries would be imminent.
"Here he comes," Sothe breathed. Looking over, Khimari could see that he gripped his dagger a little harder after hearing the news.
"Without the advantage of an ambush, this fight is sure to be a lot tougher than the last one." Standing back with Micaiah, Khimari watched as a small group of people engaged the Daein soldiers. He saw Ike and Ranulf at the helm, fighting vigorously with immediate support from some tiger laguz as well as Titania, Boyd, Nephenee and Mordecai. Slightly further back were Ilyana, Soren, Mist, Rhys and Reyson, and Haar was in the skies doing what Haar does best…Besides sleeping, that is.
Although he was due to be fighting them soon, Khimari couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that they were making their way across the river. "But wait…Where's Tibarn and Skrimir?" he muttered to himself. Surely they would need to get their forces…
Khimari perked up as soon as he realized what was going on. Ike was a decoy. That meant that Tibarn and Skrimir were going to attack the Daeins from behind, forcing a retreat while the march continued.
"Young Khimari, is something the matter?" Volug asked him as the battle came ever closer to them.
"...Volug, come on. It's about time we joined the fight," the blue wolf replied, before barking at Micaiah and Sothe. "Micaiah! Sothe! We're joining the fight."
"...Alright. Be careful!" the Silver-Haired Maiden warned. With a nod, the Hatarian prince led his uncle through the mass of Daein soldiers, making their way ever closer to the epicenter of the fighting. The two stopped as they neared a group of Daein halberdiers who were in position to stop the assault against them. They didn't have to wait long before three tigers attacked, pouncing on the halberdiers. Though Volug growled, Khimari gave a small huff to tell him that they didn't need to fight…yet.
"My brothers! Get them!" he heard a Gallian say. Turning slightly to the left, Khimari saw a tiger and a cat coming straight towards him and Volug.
"Volug, take the cat and I'll get the tiger," he said as he got ready to pounce.
"At your ready, young Khimari," his uncle said. As the two Gallians approached, the two wolves waited until the perfect opportunity presented itself.
"...NOW!" Khimari barked, jumping at the tiger. Meeting him head on, he wasted no time in scoring his claws down the Gallian's side. Though the tiger tried to retaliate, the wolf prince simply jumped back to avoid the blow before dealing out a savage hit to the head, causing his enemy to stagger back. "Go retreat! This fight isn't for you."
"Don't tell me to retreat! I'll never turn my back on someone who fights against their own people!" Rolling his eyes in irritation, Khimari wasted no time in pouncing again, this time with the goal of taking the tiger completely out of the fight. Pinning him down, Khimari used his paw to smash the Gallian's face into the hard earth of the river bank, sending him into unconsciousness and making him transform back to his two-legged form.
"Sorry…I'll come get you later," Khimari whispered before a snarl turned his attention back to Volug, who was about to engage with…Mordecai!? "Volug!" Jumping into the battle, Khimari smashed into Mordecai's side, throwing the blue tiger off to the side and away from his uncle. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, young Khimari." the brown wolf answered evenly. With no time at all, Mordecai got up and turned to see his attacker. Upon seeing that it was no other than the wolf prince, the tiger's expression became one of confusion.
"Khimari fights against us? Why? I am confused…" the peaceful Gallian growled.
"...Don't worry about it, Mordecai…I'm sorry," the wolf apologized, looking down.
"Khimari is sad…Why do you look down?"
"...No reason. Do you still plan to fight me? I don't want to hurt you."
"Mordecai does not want to fight either…" Between their short conversation, more voices would soon enter.
"Khimari!" Right by Mordecai would appear Ike, Boyd and Ranulf. Immediately, the mercenary commander stepped forward. "Why are you fighting with Daein?"
"Ike…How have you been?" the wolf asked.
"This is no time for pranks, Khimari! You need to start making some sense, and now!" Ranulf jumped in.
"...I'm repaying a favor," the wolf replied. "To that end, I'm not letting you get to Micaiah today."
"Micaiah? The Maiden of Dawn?" Ike asked.
"That very one. Don't worry, I'm not doing anything that will hurt the Laguz Alliance."
"Khimari….You're in our way. Do you not care about us anymore?" the Beorc said. Although Ike's face remained the same, Khimari could see that it hurt him to raise his sword against his brother.
"Ike…let's not talk about this right now…" Khimari obviously felt bad about having to impede Ike the way it was rolling out, but he made a promise and intended to stick to it. "You always said that you wanted to beat me in a fight…Maybe today will be your lucky day."
"...I've never won before…That will have to change today." For the moment that Ike raised his sword Ettard directly at Khimari, time stopped. The fighting Daeins and Gallians seemingly disappeared. The clangs of clashing steel and claws were no more. The water of the river seemingly vanished, leaving a clear field with no one but Ike and Khimari on it. The clouds didn't matter, nor did they even seem to exist.
In one moment, Khimari jumped directly forward, claws outstretched, with Ike as his target. Running ahead, Ike swung his large sword horizontally to meet Khimari's pounce and push him back. Flipping around on all fours, Khimari landed gracefully and shot along the ground, managing to catch Ike with a swipe to his left arm. Ike barely winced at the blow, pushing forward and slashing at Khimari's side.
Pulling back, the wolf could tell that his side was slightly nicked by the edge of the sword. "You've gotten faster, Ike," the wolf complimented before bursting forward. Ike readied himself to attack, but was surprised when Khimari suddenly stopped. His confusion would disappear as his brother in all but birth powerfully pounced, catching him slightly unaware. The mercenary commander barely had the time to switch to a defensive stance to block the claw strike.
He would get no reprieve, however, as the next few seconds would leave him with a bite on his shoulder. Jumping back, Khimari prepared to attack again before he felt an uncomfortable shift in his fur. Stopping, the wolf wondered what was happening before he felt an extreme amount of heat surrounding him.
'It's a spell!' he quickly figured out. Rolling to the side, he dodged the fire spell only to find out that he was now directly in the path of a strong arcfire spell. When the ring of fire exploded, Khimari howled in pain.
"Khimari!" Volug yowled, coming immediately to his defense. Jumping away from Ranulf, who he was fighting, the brown wolf immediately jumped at Ike, who managed to push back the assault without suffering too much extra damage.
"Volug, stop! I'm okay…" the wolf prince said as he took a look around. Now beside Ike were Ilyana, Soren, Boyd, Janaff and Oscar.
"Hey, it really IS Khimari here! Why is he attacking us!?" the bird squawked.
"Ike!" the blue wolf suddenly yowled, getting his brother's attention. "He's here. Go fight him and win." For a moment, the mercenary general was thrown off, but quickly realized what he meant. "Volug, don't chase him," Khimari said as Ike went to confront the Black Knight.
"So…You side with Daein?" Soren asked.
"Not quite. There's a lot that I have to tell you, Soren, so don't be too mad at me yet," Khimari said evenly. "That spell hurt, though. Ganging up on me is a mean trick."
"Against you, we have no choice but to use the strongest arsenal available," the sage returned.
"In that case, I'll let myself go all out before Tibarn and Skrimir cross the river completely."
"What!? They know about the diversion!?" Ranulf yowled, rejoining the line that impeded Khimari and Volug.
"No, Dad. Only I know, which is why you guys have this in the bag," Khimari revealed. "With that being said, I still can't let you guys get to Micaiah and Sothe today, so I hope you're ready."
"Aw man, we have to fight you?" Boyd complained. "I don't like the sound of this…" Hearing Boyd's complaint honestly made Khimari want to laugh.
So he did, in the form of a snort. "Well, for all your enthusiasm, Boyd, you're up first!" Pouncing without warning, Khimari caught Boyd completely unaware, giving him two sets of claw strikes to the side before jumping off. Immediately turning to the right, Khimari rolled out of the way of Oscar's lance strike before jumping on the paladin and delivering a vicious blow to the arm.
He couldn't focus on the brothers for long though, as once again, an array of fire and thunder spells came his way. Jumping back again, Khimari dodged all of them and looked at Soren. For a moment, he considered attacking, but decided that he couldn't bring himself to attack the Branded. Huffing in irritation, Khimari instead set his sights on the hawk that was getting ready to strike him. Howling in defiance, a small blue light covered Khimari as Janaff approached.
As soon as the hawk he called friend was in range, Khimari jumped, slicing his wing mid-flip. Landing with catlike balance, he turned and managed two more strikes, with whiffs of blue energy coming from where Janaff was struck. Before the one known as Tibarn's eyes could get into the safety of the air, Khimari delivered a severe bite to the neck, though he was careful not to use killing force.
Unable to maintain himself, the hawk fell to the ground and shifted out of his Laguz form. Knowing that Mist or Rhys would be available to heal him, Khimari turned his attention to his father, who once again engaged in a fight with Volug along with the additional help of Mia. Grunting at the uneven matchup, the wolf turned back to Boyd and Oscar, who both began a coordinated assault against him.
Howling in defiance, Khimari flexed his claws in the dirt and stayed in his position as the two brothers approached. As soon as Oscar lifted his spear to attack, Khimari acted, pouncing skillfully at the cook's hand. Before the Beorc realized what was going on, Khimari bit his arm and knocked away his lance with one of his paws as he twisted his body. Flipping over to avoid another strike from Boyd, he found the perfect position to attack from behind.
…Except his fur again started to stand on end, signaling another fire spell. Snarling in irritation, Khimari ignored the spell and outright assaulted the axe user, giving him brutal scratches to the arm and side, as well as a bite to the shoulder that made him gasp in pain. Without a break in his step, the wolf rammed himself into Boyd, throwing him on his back as he twirled back near Ilyana.
Now that the brothers were dealt with sufficiently, Khimari wasted no time in going to assist Volug. Jumping in, the blue wolf managed to catch Mia completely off-guard, giving her a nasty blow to the left arm and bowling her over to the side. "Sorry, Mia, but I hope you're ready to fight!" the wolf barked.
"I'm always ready! Watch your back!" the swordswoman returned, before rushing forward with great speed. Narrowing his eyes, Khimari put strength in his legs and lowered his body to the ground as he slowly waded his tail from back and forth, as if he were crouching to hunt prey. As soon as Mia entered his pouncing range, Khimari jumped around the ground with the strike speed of a snake.
Before the Beorc could even act, Khimari sank his claws into her leg and rushed past her. Skillfully pivoting his body with one of his claws, Khimari jumped on the purple-haired girl, biting her shoulder and clawing her back, though he was careful to stay away from her spine.
Just then, he heard Volug howling in pain behind him. Turning around, he saw his uncle with burn marks around his pelt and a few scratches on his body, most likely courtesy of Soren and Ranulf. Growling, the wolf prince jumped on the nearest target, which happened to be his father, Ranulf. With a snarl, he pushed his dad away from Volug with all four feet before getting off his back. "Volug, don't overdo it," Khimari told his uncle, taking one moment to lick one of his wounds. "I don't want you to get hurt again because of me."
"You really are a difficult child, you know that?" Ranulf said exasperatedly, getting his attention. "I don't know how Nailah dealt with you in Hatari for all those years." Despite the situation they were in, both Khimari and Volug snorted in laughter.
"After we get out of this fight, Volug can tell you," Khimari returned. "But are you ready now? Even you won't get a break from me, Dad."
"First Skrimir, then Zelgius, now my own mentally insane son. The goddess loves giving me painful battles, doesn't she?"
Shaking his head, Khimari decided to begin the fight by pouncing directly at the cat, who leapt to the side to avoid it. Not giving any quarter, the wolf snarled as he turned and shot in Ranulf's direction, ramming straight into the cat. The two blue Laguz then tumbled around the battlefield before the son pinned down his father, biting deeply into his shoulder.
Hissing in pain, Ranulf maneuvered his back leg around Khimari, managing to barely whip the wolf off of him. Unfortunately for the cat, his son was definitely not a defensive fighter and was right on his metaphorical tail the very next second. Deciding he had no choice, Ranulf went straight for the wolf's head with the hopes of knocking him unconscious as soon as possible.
Seeing the move coming, Khimari dived under Ranulf before springing up, throwing the cat back with another fresh set of claw marks to the side and underbelly. Before their fight could continue, the wolf felt himself struck by a lightning strike that made him spasm for the slightest moment. Feeling red coming into his vision, Khimari turned and pounced on the most likely culprit of the spell, which was Ilyana.
"Agh!" she screamed as he pushed her to the ground. Instantly snapping out of his anger mode, he jumped off of the sage without harming her.
"I'm sorry, Ilyana! I almost lost it…Please don't be angry with me, okay?" A squawk from a hawk drew all of their attention away from their separate fights.
"The main force has crossed the river! We did it!" Janaff, who was supported by Ulki, cried out over the battlefield. At once, the blue wolf felt a wave of relief wash over him.
"Everyone, push through!" Ike's voice rang out. "Let's meet up with the main force!"
"...What now, young Khimari?" Volug asked as the Daeins started to retreat, exactly as planned.
"...Go back to Micaiah and stay with her," Khimari decided. "If you go later, the Daeins might attack you." Nodding in understanding, the brown wolf touched noses with his nephew before starting a run towards Micaiah and Sothe.
"Hey, where do you think you're going!?" Whipping around, Khimari saw Shinon preparing an arrow to attack Volug. Jumping in the way, the blue wolf easily swatted it away, allowing his uncle to escape into the chaos of retreating Daeins and advancing Alliance members. Seeing that his uncle made it safely, Khimari sighed in relief before a hiss reminded him that there was still a big problem in front of him.
"Well, Khimari. What now?" Ranulf asked, now untransformed with both his arms crossed. The rest of the Greil Mercenaries had moved out, leaving the father and son alone at the back of the battlefield.
In response, the wolf also shifted from his wolf form and gave a huge sigh. "I have a lot of explaining to do. Don't worry, I don't plan to run or fight you guys anymore."
"Good. As long as you know that you're in a heap of trouble, then we can go ahead," his dad said, squeezing his shoulder with his hand. "Come on, let's get through this mess." Nodding silently, the two blue Laguz finished crossing the river to rejoin the rest of their allies.
XXXXX
That night…
After successfully fooling the Daein Army and forcing a retreat, the Laguz Alliance wasted no time in going full speed on the route back to Gallia. The sun had already sunk past the horizon when they finally decided to stop.
For Khimari, it meant judgment day had arrived for him. Although he was at the front with Ike and Ranulf, he said very little, promising to explain the whole situation to them (or at least, as much as he could get away with.) Knowing he was in some deep mess, the wolf decided to bide his time and wait until the inevitable war meeting.
"Khimari," his dad's voice rang out after they had helped to reconstruct the camp for the night. "Come on. It's time for the meeting." With a nod and a small smile, the wolf joined up with the cat as they both started to walk towards the meeting tent. "...Good luck in there," Ranulf added, making Khimari snort. "I heard Tibarn and Skrimir were fuming when Ike told them about today."
"...Ah, I expect it," Khimari sighed. "Occupational hazard of being a troublemaker, I suppose." Ranulf openly laughed at that comment, making Khimari 'hmph' in good nature. "...Are you healing well? I didn't hurt anyone too badly, did I?"
"Compared to how the rest of the fights have left me so far, I'll gladly take the few scratches and the bite to my shoulder," Ranulf strugged. It was true, upon inspection of the Gallian sub-commander. He was still walking without a limp and his expression had no signs of pain in it. "I'd say Oscar and Janaff got it much worse than I did."
"I need to apologize to both of them soon," Khimari sighed. "And if Oscar can't cook because of his wounds, then I'll have the entire army pissed at me." At that, Ranulf simply slapped his son's back.
"As long as you know. Are you ready?" At this point, they both stopped outside of the meeting tent. With a whiff of his nose, Khimari already knew that Soren, Ike and Titania were in there, though Skrimir and Tibarn had yet to arrive.
"Yeah. Come on." Without another word, the two Laguz walked into the room of the head company of the Greil Mercenaries. As they entered, the mercenaries perked up, with all of their eyes holding relief and confusion in them. "...Hey, everyone," the wolf greeted with a small smile.
"Khimari? Ike told me about what happened today," Titania started. "Why were you fighting against us today?"
"Sorry, Titania, but can it wait until Skrimir and Tibarn get here?" the wolf pleaded. "I have a feeling explaining it in separate groups would be painful."
"You're damn right it'll be painful," another voice entered. Looking behind him, Khimari saw an angry Tibarn coming straight for him, with Reyson close behind. Without any resistance, the wolf saw himself lifted up by the shirt by the hawk king. "What is wrong with you? Betraying your own people fighting for your behalf?"
"I'm here to explain everything, Tibarn," Khimari said evenly, staring directly into King Phoenicis' eyes without even flinching. "Is Janaff okay?"
"You dare to ask how he is after you tore him apart!? You have one sick sense of humor, Khimari."
"I asked because I meant it, not because of a joke," Khimari said, grabbing Tibarn's arm. To everyone's shock, the wolf forced the hawk's hand off his shirt, throwing it down back to his side. "I'm going to check on him whether you like it or not."
Before that could continue, the tirade began anew with the arrival of Skrimir. "Khimari! You traitor!" the lion bellowed. "You turn fang on your own brothers! How dare you call yourself a Laguz!?"
The high temper Khimari was already building with Tibarn along with him seeing Skrimir for the first time since he heard the truth about Ranulf's incapacitation before the river crossing finally boiled over at that question. "Don't you DARE accuse me of turning fang on the other Laguz when you would put your own second-in-command near death's door over pure idiocy!" Coming forward, the two angry Laguz met each other with equally intense levels of wrath.
"Khimari, calm down!" Ike shouted as both he and Ranulf pulled the wolf back. While that happened, Tibarn held Skrimir back before the two would start fighting in the meeting room.
"Everyone, hold for a moment!" Titania interjected. "Khimari has already said he will explain everything. Let's give him a chance before passing judgment."
"Yes, fighting amongst each other would be nothing but a waste of time," Soren continued, seemingly bored with the entire display.
"Fine. You, talk. Now," Tibarn dictated, staring daggers at Khimari from across the meeting table.
"...I'll start with the reason I'm not in Gallia first," the wolf began after a few deep breaths to calm himself down first. "After I found my mother and uncle with Rafiel, we worked with Micaiah and the Daein Liberation Army for a while before we returned." Everyone's shock registered in their facial expressions to this bombshell, but they kept quiet to let the wolf continue. "When we made way for Gallia after kicking Begnion out of Nevassa, Volug stayed behind to watch over Micaiah. I went to Daein to get him for something I had to do."
"Which was…" Ranulf drawled.
"...Killing the Begnion Senate and all their conspirators. Anyways, there was a battle when we were out and Volug was badly injured. Micaiah made sure that he was healed when I couldn't, so I repaid her by protecting her and Sothe during the battle."
"You went against us because she healed your uncle?" Soren summarized.
"More or less," Khimari agreed. "Mom wanted Volug to watch over Micaiah as thanks for her kindness. Since Volug had to protect Micaiah and I had to protect Volug, I ended up watching both of them."
"So you willingly fought against us and put the entire plan in jeopardy! For that, there is no excuse!" Skrimir pointed out.
"Please, the plan was never in jeopardy," Khimari snorted with a roll of his eyes. "Almost immediately after Ike's group started fighting, I knew it was a decoy tactic. Think Skrimir; why would only one general be at the frontline of a full-out offensive to push through a vital checkpoint? Even someone as bullheaded as you should recognize that."
Ignoring the lion's growl, Khimari continued. "Tibarn's absence solidified this thought process. Micaiah doesn't know anyone here, but I know that you two would rather die at the bottom of the river than sit in the back of the ranks and wait for good news. If they weren't with Ike, they were doing something else. I only decided to step on the battlefield after seeing that your victory would be guaranteed, no matter who I ended up fighting."
"..." After the wolf's explanation, everyone stayed silent. Everything the Hatarian said made sense. During the pregnant pause, the people in the room exchanged looks with each other as they wondered collectively where to go after this.
"...Khimari," Soren lightly called, turning all heads over to him. "That explains your temporary defection to the Daein Army, but one question remains unanswered. Why have they interjected themselves in a war that doesn't involve them? Do you have any information on that?"
"That would be important to know," Ike muttered, turning to his adopted brother.
"It's a mess, but don't worry about it. I talked with Daein's King Pelleas about the matter," Khimari said. "I gave him an ultimatum of sorts."
"An ultimatum? Explain," Tibarn demanded.
"Although I can't exactly state the reason why he decided to take Begnion's side, I have a strong hunch about why he did. There's no use explaining that, so I'll cut to the chase. I told him that if he didn't fix the problem, I'd kill him."
"What!? You threatened Daein's new king like that?" Ranulf shouted. "What were you thinking? That could lead to another war with Daein and Gallia!"
"Great luck with that thinking, Dad," Khimari bit back. "We're already in a war. Besides, that was one reason that I helped out the Daein Liberation Army in the first place. Do you really think that anyone who ended up being born of Mad King Ashnard should be trusted to do right without a second thought? No. The reason I wanted to keep in contact with Sanaki before this mess started was to prevent war as well. The whole reason I've been out of Gallia was to kill this war with the people who started it; the Begnion Senate. You knuckleheads decided to fight anyway, and now look at where we're at!"
"But Khimari, they attacked you and the other messengers!" Reyson jumped in. "They had to pay for that!"
"You don't think I know that?" the wolf cut off, his eyes turning to slits. "I remember everything that happened that day. That still doesn't negate the fact that this war shouldn't have ever been started. Just like Ashnard, this is what they wanted all along. An excuse to add power and influence to their names."
At this point, Khimari was starting to shake in noticeable anger. "Khimari…I think we've heard enough for one day," Ranulf eased, putting a hand on his child's shoulder. It seemed to have some sort of calming effect, as the wolf relaxed his balled fist and looked down ever so slightly. Though no one would say it at that moment, they could have sworn that one of the wolf's eyes changed from a reddish-orange color to green.
"...If it helps, I'm sorry for attacking you today and almost losing my temper a moment ago. I'd probably be feeling the same way you would if the roles were reversed."
"Hmph. I don't know how in the world Caineghis let you have this much freedom, but that won't be happening here. You need to stay with the rest of us in the army until we return to Gallia, then you and your Queen can explain the rest of this tale to King Gallia."
"My mom has nothing to do with this! Leave her out of it, will you?" Khimari defended, his bite coming back almost instantly.
Before Tibarn could issue a retort, Ranulf decided to intervene in the conversation once again. "Alright, we've already discussed the matter at hand. If we're still on course with our retreat to Gallia, then we should end the meeting here before tempers start flaring again."
"Agreed," Ike seconded. "Let's get some rest, everyone." With the meeting more or less over, Tibarn left immediately, followed by Skrimir. "...Khimari, what's going on with you?" the mercenary asked his brother after the fact. "You're not usually this…combative."
"He needs to keep my Mom out of his mouth," the wolf growled.
"Come on, let's go to bed. I'll show you where my tent is tonight," Ranulf guided, before sweeping his gaze to everyone left in the tent. "We'll see you bright and early, everyone!" he said with some pep right before the father-and-son left the tent.
"...Was it me or did Khimari's eye turn red?"
XXXXX
Early next morning…
In the dead silence of the early morning, Khimari woke up to see his father still fast asleep. Lazily stretching himself over, he sniffed the cat for any lingering injuries and was relieved when he didn't smell signs of any.
With that over with, the wolf got up and sat, looking at the walls of the tent that he knew he most definitely would not be able to leave on his own. With that said, it was highly likely that the Laguz Alliance would continue marching well before dawn in order to capitalize as much as possible on the Beast Laguz's natural advantage with eyesight. That gave them more opportunities to outrun the pursuing Begnion Army.
But at the moment, the night was still relatively young. Through the light that permeated the tent, as well as Khimari's personal sense of time, he could tell that moonhigh just passed a short while ago. Sighing, Khimari went out of his wolf form and sat down again in the tent, this time with his knees tucked close to his body and his tail wrapping around him. "...I wonder how everyone is doing," he suddenly said in the ancient language. "I haven't even dreamt about Yune in a while…"
Just then, a strange idea popped into his head. Looking over, he saw that Ranulf was still fast asleep, which made him hesitate at first. After a few moments of deliberation, Khimari decided to begin humming as softly as he could. Through the deadness of night that reached his ears, the wolf found solace in the song that he learned from listening to Mist so many years ago.
Just as he finished, he felt a small shift from close by him, meaning that his father would probably be waking up soon (if he hadn't already). Glowing with a blue light, the wolf assumed his wolf form as the cat began to rise from his sleeping place and stretch lightly. "...You always hummed that song in Gallia," the cat noted. "Then you'd say random things to yourself in random gibberish, making me believe that you absolutely lost your mind."
Khimari snorted at the second part of what his father said. "Don't blame me because you can't speak my native tongue."
"There you go insulting me again," Ranulf meowed in what seemed to be a wistful sigh. "I need to learn that tongue so I can keep track of who you and Nailah are insulting. I hate being left out of all the fun."
"Let's learn, then!" Khimari said, turning all the way over to his father. "Hello. Nice to meet you. Repeat it."
"Oh, um…Hollow? Nice and…eat you?" Khimari did his best not to laugh at his father absolutely butchering the ancient language.
"No, it's an a sound, not an ei," the wolf explained. "You said the word for hollow. Say hello."
"Okay…Hello."
"That's right!" Khimari approved, making Ranulf nod in mitigated excitement. "Before long, you'll be a natural at this!"
After the compliment, Ranulf's green and purple eyes blankly stared at his son. For a couple of moments, blue, green and purple eyes stared at each other before the two broke out in small bouts of laughter. "I'll pretend that you gave me a compliment."
"But I did!" Khimari admitted. "The accent even sounds like Hatari a little bit, though I wouldn't say what I did."
"Really? Hatarians don't say hello to each other?"
Khimari light-heartedly rolled his eyes at the cat's verbal jab. "Very funny. But Hatari has a different dialect of the ancient language than those who speak it here. I learned to speak the Tellius dialect with Leanne and in school, but Mom and Volug ,are the only ones who I can speak my real native language with. Rafiel, too, maybe, but even he has to wrap his head around some phrases sometimes."
"Hmm…How would you greet someone in Hatari?" Ranulf asked, genuinely curious.
"Anyeomeirjo," Khimari answered, completely throwing his father off.
"...You know, maybe I should stick to what I know," the cat said.
"No! Try it! Anyeomeirjo," Khimari repeated for his dad.
"Fine…Anyeo…meirjo?," Ranulf tried, making his son smile. "What, did I do it right?"
"No. You said goodbye, not hello," the wolf revealed. "When you raise the tone of the last part of the word, it becomes goodbye. When you lower it, it becomes a question. So at the end, kind of try to spit the last syllable out like it's rotten meat."
"Ah…Anoymerjo," the cat said, making the wolf nod slowly.
"That one was almost right. It would be understood in Hatari," Khimari accepted, licking his dad's ear.
"Hm…We should do this more often," Ranulf admitted. "Maybe when we're not at war or escaping from homicidal people."
"Quevaina Laguzwa Beorc seoropelea meiria," Khimari said with a roll of his eyes.
"...Go back to sleep."
XXXXX
Two days later…
Three days after the Ribarn River crossing, the Laguz Alliance found themselves in the Serenes Forest, where they continued from earlier in the day after resting late last night. Although they had managed to avoid Begnion forces and keep some distance with the pursuers, their luck was running thin.
"How are we doing on time, Janaff?" Ike asked. At the front of the army were Ike, the Greil Mercenaries, Skrimir, Tibarn as well as Khimari and the rest of their right-hand people. In response to the question, the hawk flew up to the sky as the rest continued their march. After a few moments, the far-seeing hawk came back with a grim expression on his face.
"They're gaining on us," he answered. "Their lead force is about…let's say…one day off." Alarm spread through the front of the Laguz Army's ranks at the Phoenician's estimation.
"You've got to be kidding!" Ranulf yelled in clear anger-driven exhaustion. "How did they manage to cover so much ground since yesterday?"
"They're definitely moving faster than we expected," Ike grimaced. "At this rate, they'll catch us soon. Any ideas?" he directed towards Soren and Khimari. The two, who walked side-by-side, shared a look with each other before the sage began to talk.
"...With the enemy closing in so quickly, it would be unwise to use this secret passage. If Begnion found it, it would give them an open invitation to surge across Gallia. Your king would not be so pleased."
"We can't expose our country to that kind of danger," Ranulf agreed. "But still, there has to be something else we can do."
"Whatever the case, fighting here is out of the question," Khimari quietly added, speaking up for the first time in a while. "Besides the matter of terrain and geography, neither of which being in our favor, Serenes Forest hasn't completely healed yet. We can't run the risk of destroying it once again."
"...Our options our profoundly limited," Soren continued, eyeing a cave entrance that seemed to be close ahead. "It appears our only other choice are our caves up ahead."
"Caves?" Ranulf echoed in confusion, before the realization dawned on him what they were talking about. "Oh…Yeah, those are the Kauku Caves. We don't want to go in there," he immediately said. "It's a complex maze, filled with ash and lava. Not exactly a place that you'd want to rest. The legends say that through the caves, one exit leads to Goldoa and the other leads to Gallia." As the blue cat saw Soren's expression essentially unchanged, a flash of panic came into his face. "Whatever the legends say, though, the fact is that it's suicide to go in there. We don't even have a map!"
"However, the more you hens carry on arguing, the closer our enemy gets," Ulki interjected. "They are already less than a day away from us."
"If the enemy catches up to us in this forest, we will certainly die," Soren stated matter-of-factly. "The caves are known to be dangerous, so Begnion may not pursue. Even the most formidable natural hazard isn't as deadly as a living, intelligent enemy. We must go to the caves. Now," he determined with a sense of urgency that was not lost on those who listened to him.
"All right, Soren. I trust you," Ike nodded. "Let's move out for the caves." Without another word, the Laguz Alliance made haste for the fiery caverns. Before they even entered, Khimari's skin started to stand on end from the heat that the caves exhibited. Taking a couple deep breaths, the wolf looked around to see the status of the rest of the troop around him. Besides the obvious wounded Laguz and things of that nature, everyone else seemed to also be reacting to the extreme heat they were walking into.
"Tenque Gankaleza (Stay strong)," the wolf said to himself, attracting rogue looks from a few people. Ignoring the looks, Hatari's lost prince raised his head and subconsciously took point along with Skrimir and Ike. For an undetermined amount of time, the army walked through the caves that bubbled with lava and ash, exactly as the legend went. A couple of times, soldiers of the alliance found themselves struck by rogue magma rocks that hurt.
"We really need to find that exit…" Ranulf muttered, taking another look at the many soldiers behind them. "They can't take much more…"
"What made that obvious?" Khimari snarkily returned under his breath. Truthfully, he was doing his best not to have another episode like he had back in Daein with Maurim, but the constant burning sensation the smoke created in his throat reminded him too much of how his body felt at Gritnea Tower as it was ravaged by Izuka's drug.
"Khimari, save the snar-" Ike cut himself short when he saw his adopted brother gripping his arm so hard with his hand that it started to bleed. Looking directly at the wolf's blue and green eyes quizzically, the mercenary commander raised an eyebrow when Khimari licked his wound clean right in front of him.
"Nothing to see here. Keep looking straight, Ike." Huffing in small irritation, the Beorc shook his head in disappointment as he did what his older brother (technically) told him what to do.
"Hey, Ike!" a voice sounded from near the front. Turning around, they saw Janaff waddling up to the rest of them. "We have company from there!" Following the hawk's direction, everyone could see the red armor of Begnion soldiers spread out among the different routes of the Kauku Caves.
"Seems that way," Ike nonchalantly stated as he took his sword out of its sheathe. "What kind of numbers are we looking at? I can't see through all this smoke and heat."
"A token force; nothing too complicated, at least," Khimari quickly deduced, able to see a decent bit better than Ike. Without warning, the wolf took on a blue light, transforming into his Laguz form.
"As far as I can tell, Zelgius isn't leading them," Janaff observed. That helps things."
"We have to keep looking for the exit," Ike muttered before turning to the rest of the frontline. "We need to keep the soldiers away from Skrimir and the others while they look for the exit. Let's proceed as planned. We have enough people here to deal with these clowns. Everyone ready?"
"We're set," Ranulf immediately called as the Greil Mercenaries assembled around Ike. Tibarn and Skrimir both took the bulk of the force in the other direction to look for an exit while the remaining troops faced their pursuers. "Let's finish this and get out of here!"
Without any hesitation, the remaining fighters jumped towards the small crowd of Begnion fighters. Ready to exit this hellish cave, Khimari went to the closest enemies possible and promptly mauled them from top to bottom. Before he knew it, the two generals and halberdier fell to the ground, dead. "Khimari! Don't go too fast," Ike warned.
"I'll be fine, kiddo!" the wolf returned before going further into the trenches. He quickly found himself surrounded by eight Begnion soldiers; five halberdiers, two swordmasters and an axe warrior. "This'll be annoying…" he huffed before letting out a battle howl. A whirlwind of sharp claws and skin-piercing teeth soon proved itself too much for the Begnion soldiers to handle. When the last one fell, Ranulf planted himself right next to his son.
"Hey…You holding up?" the cat asked.
"Yeah, but…You look a little worse for wear, Dad," Khimari noted with worry in his eyes. "You shouldn't overdo it, you know."
"I won't…but I can't stay transformed for much longer," the Gallian admitted. "Let's hurry and rout the rest of these soldiers. Ike took the other route." In full agreement, the two blue Laguz went around the main Begnion force, attacking and killing everyone in their path. It was mostly on account of Khimari though, as exhaustion began to creep into Ranulf's system. It showed as the cat began to slow, barely evading enemy strikes and even getting some of his strikes blocked.
The limit came as the father and son found themselves blockaded by another set of Begnion soldiers. This time, there were two druids and two generals. While Khiamri handled the armored soldiers, Ranulf took the charge of dispatching the two magic users. Jumping with all the force he had left, he gave a flurry of swipes to the druid on the left, killing him as they made contact with his face and neck. Jumping away from the corpse, a blue enveloped the cat as he could no longer stay transformed.
"The sub-human lost its form! Attack now!" one of the generals shouted before he was killed by Khimari.
"Dad! Watch out for the druid!" Khimari barked as the dark sage took no time in conjuring a spell to attack his father. Without even a thought, the wolf headbutted the tired Gallian out of the way, narrowly missing the three balls of darkness that cornered them. Turning back, Khimari's eyes turned to slits when he saw Izuka in front of him, staring with a sadistic smile as they were back in Gritnea Tower. "Grrrr…" Khimari growled as his fur stood on end, making him twice his normal size.
"DIE!" the blue wolf roared, pouncing on the dark sage. Without any mercy, he sank his teeth into the Begnion soldier's neck, ending him. Despite his death, however, Khimari could not remove the images of Gritnea Tower and Izuka from his head and continued to maul the sage, tearing off his mask and clothes and clawing both beyond recognition.
"Khimari!? He's dead already! KHIMARI!" Ranulf yelled. Whipping around, Khimari, still in survival mode, snarled at his father before the familiar scent came to his nose. Shaking his head violently, the wolf managed to snap himself out of his frenzy before he pouncd on his father.
"...What? Where'd the tower go?" Khimari asked aloud, before everything he just did came back to him. Turning back around, he saw that Soren had came to their location and was witnessing the utterly mutilated body of the druid that Khimari fought. His face was a blody mess, truly unrecognizable as both eyes were clawed out, the nose and mouth were disfigured horribly and his neck was gnarled beyond measure.
"...Ranulf, Ike is right ahead. He's requesting you specifically," Soren said, ignoring the situation.
"Ike? I'll get going immediately…But…" Following the cat's eye, the mercenary tactician quickly deduced that something happened to his friend.
"Do not concern yourself. I'll make sure Khimari is safe," the mage eased. Although the cat trusted him, he couldn't help but laugh at the whole situation.
"No extra fees? I definitely missed something here," the Gallian joked before leaving the two alone.
"...Khimari? Did you have another flashback?" Soren asked. The amount of sympathy an care in the tactician's voice sounded unnatural, but Khimari welcomed it.
"I'm fine. Thanks, Soren. How are things holding up?"
"The Begnion pursuers are about decimated, we are due to rejoin forces with Skrimir and Tibarn at any moment," he relayed without a second thought.
"Got it. Let's go!" Taking point, Khimari tracked Ike down, amazing considering how much the smell of the smoke invaded his nose, and saw him taking down some leftover Begnion soldiers with Ranulf, who was fighting them with his bare hands. Lending a hand…paw, Khimari jumped the last halberdier behind Ranulf, killing him with a pair of fatal strikes to the neck and spine.
"Ike! Ranulf!" a voice boomed. Looking back, the four saw Skrimir running up to them with a relieved expression on his sweaty face. "This way! I found an exit!"
"Excellent!" Ranulf yelped, his exhaustion temporarily disappearing in light of the good news. "Let's get out of here!"
"Don't have to tell me twice," Ike added. In full agreement with each other, everyone formed up to follow Skrimir to the outside of the Kauku Caves, where they had already gathered the rest of the army. Tibarn and Reyson immediately flew over to them when they exited.
"Yes! We made it through the caves!" Skrimir celebrated when the entire force seemed to be accounted for.
"Looks like we finally lost the Begnion Army, as well. We can finally rest a bit," Ike sighed, relieved at the prospect. Turning to look at the scenery, Khimari's instantly opened wide as he recognized exactly the terrain of where they were.
"Crap. Crap. Crap!" the wolf exclaimed, taking everyone's attention.
"Prince of Wolves, are you about to go berserk again?" Tibarn jibed while asking the question everyone had on their heads.
"We aren't in Gallia at all!" he said, causing alarm through the ranks of the army.
Just then, a voice boomed. "You! By whose authority have you entered this land!?" A group of three people stopped in front of them with an immediate presence of aura, power and order.
"Goldoa…The land of the dragons," Ranulf said out loud, closing his eyes and sighing in exhaustion and worry. "By the goddess, did we mess up."
"The dragons…It is said that they are the most powerful of all Laguz," Skrimir said as the three dragon Laguz stayed in front of them. "I've always wanted to fight a dragon, but I never expected it would happen like this…" When our king finds out about this, I will have much explaining to do."
"We have to get home first, Skrimir," Tibarn mentioned. "Guess we have to pay that stubborn old lizard a visit, don't we?"
"Let's go," Reyson breathed, obviously not looking forward to the incoming conversation that they would have with the dragon king. As the group started to leave, Ranulf immediately noticed Khimari trying to come with them and stopped him.
"Khimari, you stay here. You need to rest."
"What…Just go." Turning around, the wolf ignored the main group of the Laguz Alliance leaders that went to have an audience with King Deghinsea and waited next to Soren. "These people are getting on my nerves, always telling me to sit down."
"I suppose one would be quick to put restrictions on you, considering your…mischievous background full of surprises," Soren said.
"Please, I'm not stupid enough to play a prank on a dragon…in this situation." He had to add the last three words because he actually did play a prank on Nasir one time, as well as Kurthnaga and Gareth on another occasion, which ended with him having to fight the Dragon Prince's primary retainer.
He won, of course, but damn, that red dragon hurt like hell.
A little while after Ike, Skrimir and the others left, Khimari was playing with his paws when he realized something extremely important. "Soren!" he yelped, jumping to his feet immediately.
"What is it?" the mage asked nonchalantly, trying to play off his small jump at hearing his name called so unexpectedly.
"We're going to Castle Goldoa, now."
"...What? But Ike and the others-"
"Screw all that. I have to go and you told Dad you'd help me not go completely insanse, so we're going now." Without an answer to that logic, the sage rolled his eyes and followed his friend to the castle of the Dragon King.
XXXXX
A little while later…
"…And there you have it," Tibarn breathed out, finally finished recounting the events of the past war to the stoic Laguz King. "We never intended to violate Goldoa's borders. It was an accident." For a long while, King Deghinsea merely stared at them as he processed the entire story that Tibarn, the only other Laguz ruler in the gruop, relayed to him.
"I see…I understand your predicament," the dragon began slowly. "However, your reasons neither justify nor change the fact that you trespassed on our territory. I order you to leave immediately," he commanded with an unshakeable aura of power. "Go back the way you came, through the caves."
"You would have us go through the caves again!?" Skrimir burst, walking closer to King Goldoa's towering figure. "Never!"
"Skrimir, stop talking!" Ranulf hissed, knowing that NONE of them stood a chance in a fight against the strongest Laguz alive.
"Many of my men are wounded!" the lion continued, once again ignoring his second-in-command. "You are sending them to their deaths! I will not allow this!"
"It is regrettable, yes," the dragon king admitted. "However, I cannot make exceptions. Your men will leave. Now." The tone of finality in his voice made Skrimir falter immediately, the normally powerful and headstrong lion taking a step back in horror.
"How could a Laguz be so cold to his brothers? We are your people as well!" the lion said. When the dragon king said nothing, Tibarn released a scoff that lead everyone to look at him.
"This isn't news, Skrimir," King Phoenicis started. "Goldoa and its lizards have ignored the suffering of their Laguz brothers for centuries. They even looked the other way while we birds and beasts were enslaved by the Beorc! Isn't that so, Dragon King?" Tibarn stated, looking his dragon counterpart directly in the eye.
Not refusing to back down, King Deghinsea returned the look with even more intensity. "Our country is neutral. It has been since time out of mind and will continue to be so."
"Then you might as well kill us now," Ike interjected, speaking for the first time since they arrived at the Goldoan palace. "It'd be the same as sending us back to the Kauku Caves, and it saves us the walk."
"You are a Beorc," Deghinsea disregarded almost immediately. "I would not expect your short-lived kind to understand."
"I don't need to understand to see that it's a poor king who has so little regard for his fellow living creatures!" the Beorc retorted strongly, surprising everyone else in the room.
"Hmm…" King Deghinsea hummed, merely observing the blue-haired Beorc.
"King Deghinsea! Hold on!" a voice entered. Looking towards the entrance of the throne room, everyone's face turned to shock upon seeing Khimari, Soren, Ena and Nasir walking up to them. The two dragons stayed back at the entrance while Khimari, followed by Soren, made their way up to the rest of the group. "Please, let them through."
"...Prince Khimari? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to prevent you from making another mistake," the wolf said, looking King Goldoa directly in the eyes. "...You spoke with her, didn't you?"
"...Yes. I did. And Ena told me of your mission's outcome." At that moment, the king of dragons took note of the sage that worked as the tactician of the Greil Mercenaries. Instantly, he noticed something…familiar about him.
And Khimari knew it. "You feel it, don't you? Don't put yourself through more pain, King Deghinsea," the wolf prince pleaded.
"...I see…I thank you, Prince Khimari, but this trespass-"
"How about a compromise?" the wolf interrupted, drawing a critical look from the dragon king. Even so, a "hmph" was given as a confirmation to continue speaking. "Instead of trespassing on Goldoan territory, I'll lead the Laguz Alliance back through the mountain paths of my tribe." At the proposition, everyone's eyes, including those of King Deghinsea, widened in surprise.
"...You would dare let someone through such sacred ground?" the dragon king asked.
"I don't agree with them about this war, or much else, honestly…But I won't stand by and let them die. Even if you refuse to help, I won't."
This gave the Dragon King the most pause that he had in the entire conversation. The room stood in a great silence that seemed to create an imaginary abyss that everyone in the room witnessed. Then, he set his sights on the one next to Khimari. "Boy of the Branded. What is your name?" he asked Soren, randomly.
"Me? …My name is Soren," he responded curtly. For another pause, the Dragon King stared before walking directly in front of the sage. Everyone watched as he simply stood there before he focused his gaze again onto the wolf prince.
"...Khimari…I agree to the terms of your compromise," the Dragon King relented, surprising everyone in the room. "Understand that this is the only exception that I will make."
"I most definitely do," the wolf nodded.
"...Ena! Nasir!" the dragon called out. "Please supply the Laguz Alliance with meat, water and other necessities for their journey home. Follow Khimari with them to the entrance of the caverns of the wolf tribe. Tell Gareth, Kurthnaga and Aenir to assist you if necessary."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the two dragons said before bowing out of the room.
"What…" Khimari breathed, not expecting that at all. Well, none of them were, to be honest. Skrimir, Reyson and Ike looked gobsmacked, more or less, while Tibarn and Ranulf were looking around in honest confusion trying to understand what in the world just happened.
"This is only because of your actions, Prince Khimari. Do not overextend my gratitude." Without another word, the black dragon exited the room, leaving the small delegation by themselves.
"...Grakhamsa (thank you)," the wolf said quietly in the ancient language before turning to the rest of them. "…Come on. Follow me, everyone," Khimari said. Everyone else, too tired to even try and completely contemplate the events that just transpired, followed the Hatarian without any complaint towards the mountains of the wolf tribe.
XXXXX
A/N: And that's that! Now, I had actually contemplated not updating anything until this was done and releasing it with ch.48/49, but I threw out the idea when I saw that this chapter was going to end up being faaar longer than the two that preceded it. The way things are progressing story-wise, the next chapter is also going to be quite hefty, so I'm going to see exactly what I can get done considering work and all of that preparing for fall semester stuff going on.
With all that stated, I hope y'all enjoyed this interesting chapter! Like always, fave, follow and review, and I'll see y'all later!
Blizzard, out! (DANG IT THE PAGE BROKE!)