A/N: I'm back! A lot sooner than I expected to be, actually! School and homework haven't been unbearable just yet! So I give you chapter 9 of ToR! I actually got this chapter written over the course of about four hours, which is pretty quick for me, considering it usually takes me about a day. But the words just kinda, rolled off my mind and onto the keyboard! :P I really hope you all enjoy this chapter! Also, just a little side note: Over the weekend, when my family was making our annual Labor Day trek to Minnesota for a family reunion, I saw a road sign for a town called Boyd. I'm dead serious! I think I almost strained myself trying to keep from bursting out laughing! Alright, that's all I have to say. I felt like I needed to share that with you guys haha! :P Remember to follow, favorite, and review! See you all in chapter 10! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem. All characters you recognize belong to Nintendo/Intelligent Systems.
The next morning, an important meeting was held between the leaders of Crimea, Begnion, and Daein. Ike and the Greil Mercenaries were invited as well, seeing as they were one of Crimea's top military forces, and had been involved in wars before. They all gathered in Castle Crimea's audience hall, taking seats around a long, ovular table in the center of the room. Lucia, who was Queen Elincia's advisor, took roll call once everyone was seated. She held a quill and a scrap of parchment in her hands, checking off the names as she called out each one.
"All are present, my Queen," she said once she had finished reading all of the names. Lucia pushed her cerulean hair-now beginning to grow out again since she cut it two years ago-out of her face and set the paper and quill down on the table as she took a seat beside Elincia.
Elincia acknowledged Lucia and cleared her throat. "Every single one of us knows why we are here today," she began, her voice a bit gravelly. It was obvious to everyone in the room that she had been crying for quite some time. "The Laguz attack led by Lethe has made it quite clear that they are very upset with us, and they desire revenge for something we may or may not have done."
"I apologize," Micaiah's soft voice said suddenly, and everyone turned their attention to her. "I should have contacted you when they first attempted to murder Sothe and myself. Perhaps this never would have happened. The fault is mine." Sothe placed a gentle hand on her shoulder in an effort to ease her pain.
"None of us here shall take the fall, my dear sister," Sanaki said, giving Micaiah a weak but reassuring smile. "Surely the Laguz would have attacked anyway."
"But perhaps if we'd known ahead of time-" Shinon began, but was interrupted by Titania giving him a sharp elbow to his ribcage. He immediately doubled over in pain, his torso colliding with the surface of the table.
"Do not speak unless you are spoken to!" Titania hissed, grabbing his ponytail and pulling him back up into his chair. She then thought to add in a less harsh tone, "This is a formal meeting." Shinon only glowered at her for several seconds before another voice piped up.
"Empress Sanaki, if my may," Soren said. Sanaki nodded her head stately in approval. "How are your relations with the Laguz officers in your country?"
Sanaki seemed to ponder this question for a while before giving an answer. "I thought they were just fine. But in light of current events, they must not be." She paused for a moment. "I spoke with Muarim and Tormod just the other day and they said all was well."
Sothe couldn't help but let out a quiet groan at the mention of Tormod's name. The plucky young mage always insisted they were such good friends, when in reality, Sothe didn't really want much to do with him. He had to give Tormod credit where credit was due, though. He and his Laguz foster father Muarim were a big help to Micaiah's army during the Goddess's War.
"Perhaps they don't know," Soren implied. "Muarim has all but distanced himself from the Beast Tribe, instead choosing to live among the Beorc in Begnion. He probably has no idea what is happening in Gallia."
"And what do you think the situation in Gallia is, tactician Soren?" Sanaki asked.
Soren bowed his head ever so slightly. "I'm afraid I have not the slightest idea, Empress Sanaki."
"Does anyone know?" Sanaki addressed everyone, taking on a rather annoyed tone. "Has anyone had much relation with Gallia since the end of the war?" Her question was met with blank stares from all of them. Eventually, Queen Elincia spoke again.
"King Skrimir and I signed a non-aggression treaty between our countries," she said. "Obviously, he's broken it now."
The room was silent for several minutes, which felt like hours to some. The atmosphere outside turned a cloudy grey, as steady raindrops pattered on the roof of the palace. The water droplets splattered on the window panes, making the outside world look like a swirling mess. For a brief moment, it seemed like everyone silently asked the same question in the safety of their minds: Will we go to war?
"We all know we can't deny it," one of Begnion's commanding officers, a woman named Tanith, said, shattering the silence and answering the unasked question. "I think it's painfully obvious that Gallia wants us to declare war."
"But we have no idea why," Sigrun told her. "We know nothing of their motives, or why they planned to assassinate King Sothe and Queen Micaiah. Then there's the matter of last night's attack."
"Maybe we should just request an audience with Skrimir and inquire what he wants of us," Micaiah suggested. "It could save us the trouble of war."
"With all due respect, Queen Micaiah, you're forgetting what kind of person Skrimir is," Soren said. "He acts purely on impulse and doesn't give much thought to his actions. He cares little for diplomacy. Simply talking with him will avail us nothing."
Micaiah nodded and sighed heavily, for she knew the cunning tactician was correct. For another long moment, the room was silent.
"Soren's right," Ike said, speaking up for the first time since he'd entered the room. "Skrimir isn't someone to play around with."
"Then what do you suggest we do, Commander Ike? Stand around and wait for another attack?" Sanaki jeered, thrusting a hypothetical sword into Ike's side with her sharp tongue. Ike brushed off her jab, however, and continued speaking.
"We prepare ourselves in case they strike again," he said. "We need to build up an army of defense, but we shouldn't declare war just yet."
Soren shot Ike an inquisitive look, and Titania did likewise. "Ike, Skrimir has done wrong, and it only makes sense that we return the blow he dealt us," Soren pointed out. The red-headed deputy commander nodded in approval. But Soren couldn't fool Ike. The commander knew his strategist was only saying so because of his deeply buried hatred of Skrimir, and the Beast Tribe in general. Ike looked at Soren, his eyes seeming to say, "Think with your heart, for a change. Not with your head." Soren caught onto this and dropped his eyes to the floor, no further words passing from his lips.
"If we declare war, we may just be giving Skrimir exactly what he wants, and that's not an option," Ike continued. "If Skrimir wants a fight, then we'll delay it for as long as possible."
Just then, a palace guard clad in heavy, grey armor burst into the room. "Queen Elincia!" he shouted, breathing heavily. He'd clearly been running all over trying to find her. "A prince of the Heron clan has arrived at the palace!"
The room immediately burst into quiet murmurs and confused expressions. "A Heron?" Elincia asked above the noise, trying to deduce if she heard the guard correctly. The guard-who now, upon removal of his helmet looked only about fifteen-nodded his head swiftly. "Show him in," Elincia gave the order.
Moments later, the Heron prince, Rafiel staggered into the audience hall. His ceremonial white robes were stained putridly with mud and torn beyond repair. His long, flaxen hair was knotted and dirtied also. His immaculate white wings looked almost a light shade of brown, due to accumulated soil and sand.
"Rafiel!" Micaiah exclaimed, quickly getting up from her seat and rushing to meet him. His green eyes met with hers, and they began to water. "Are you alright?" Micaiah asked, embracing him. Once she had secured him in her arms, the heron allowed himself to fall into her. He coughed dryly, and Micaiah swore she saw a bit of dust escape his mouth.
"He looks like he's about ready to faint!" Zihark shouted, coming to the prince's aid. Rafiel opened his mouth slowly, in preparation to speak.
"I've come...from Hatari..." He said, his voice strained from his coughing. "I...walked... the whole way..."
"All the way from Hatari?" Elincia gasped. "But that means you crossed the Desert of Death! Poor thing, you must be exhausted!" Elincia told Lucia to have the palace healers attend to Rafiel, but the Heron prince interrupted her.
"No...please..." He said. "I have...grave...news..." Everyone gazed upon Rafiel to show him that they were listening. "Skrimir...he's contained Queen Nailah and...the rest of the Wolf clan...in Hatari. She was...planning on migrating her people...but she refused to join Skrimir's alliance...so now there are Gallian soldiers everywhere...patrolling every corner of Hatari." After Rafiel finished speaking, he slipped into unconsciousness, becoming dead weight in the arms of Micaiah and Zihark.
"I realize that war is the last thing anyone wants at the moment, but sometimes, it's absolutely necessary!" Soren ranted as he leafed through countless books on the shelves of the palace's library. After the meeting, he decided he needed some alone time, and that time usually consisted of drowning himself in books. He had insisted on many occasions that the printed word was the only truth in life, and if something was not penned, you couldn't trust it. He had hoped to come to the library alone, but Mist insisted on tagging along, bringing Rolf with her.
"But Ike's probably right, you know. We could be playing directly into Skrimir's hands, or paws, that is," Rolf said, letting the smallest giggle escape him, much to Soren's annoyance.
The sage's skeletal fingers abruptly and non-intentionally stopped their fluid motion over a thick book on the history of the Branded. Figures. He thought to himself. He mustered a deep sigh, turning to face the green-haired archer, who stood practically on top of him. "Have you learned nothing about war? Is the concept of revenge completely new to you?" he asked, raising his tone a little.
"Considering I have an older brother who's main hobby consists of getting revenge on me, I'd say I'm pretty familiar with it," Rolf said matter-of-factly, folding his arms over his chest.
"Well, when Boyd hits you, you hit him back, don't you?" Soren asked.
"Yeah," Rolf answered, a twinge of anger sparking inside him from the thought of Boyd slapping or punching him.
"So when another country invades your own and launches a military attack, you counter with your own offensive, do you not?" Soren could've smirked when he saw Rolf's face fall. He knew he'd made his point. "That's what I thought." Soren turned his attention back to the books and continued to browse.
"Rolf, you should know by now that no one can win an argument against Soren. It's quite impossible," Mist called from the far side of the room where she was curled up in a large armchair, reading a fiction novel. She put the book aside and walked over to where the two were standing. Soren selected a book about the Serenes Massacre from the shelf and was about to open it, when Mist snatched it out of his hands.
"Mist! What are you doing? Give it back!" Soren complained, and he scolded himself for sounding childish. Mist simply waved the book in front of his face, and when Soren tried to grab at it, she quickly moved it in another direction. "Mist!" Soren said her name again, this time choosing a more threatening tone of voice.
Mist giggled and began running around the room, weaving in and out of the tall bookshelves. "If you want it, you'll have to take it from me!"
Soren sighed. "I don't want to have to do this." But he willed his feet to move anyway, as he walked, not ran, in between the shelves looking for Mist. "This really isn't amusing, Mist," he called out.
"Really? 'Cause I think it's pretty hilarious," Rolf snickered behind his hand.
"You have to find me if you want your book back!" Mist chided. Soren cursed under his breath. This library was like a maze.
Mist giggled as she slowly stepped out from behind a shelf. Little did she know, Soren was on the opposite side of it. When he saw her, she gasped and immediately bolted for the center of the room where all the chairs and desks were. Soren shouted out her name again, and this time, began to chase swiftly after her. When Mist neared the middle of the room, she looked back at Soren, and her foot suddenly caught on one of the desk legs. She tumbled forward, falling flat onto her back. Soren couldn't stop himself in time, because he wasn't used to running at such speeds. He met with the same obstruction, causing him to fall directly on top of Mist. The two of them just lied there on the floor for a moment, not really knowing what to do. They could only stare into each other's eyes, a shocked expression on both their faces. They were both panting, physically exerted from doing so much running.
"You have pretty eyes," Mist spoke after several seconds, still out of breath.
"...Thank you?" Soren responded, not exactly sure what to respond with. Soren stared at her awkwardly for another few seconds, then cleared his throat. He carefully moved himself off of her, and offered his hand to help her up. She gratefully accepted, smiling broadly.
Rolf came bouncing over to them as they were picking themselves up off the floor. "Woah! That was awesome!" he exclaimed. "You just, like, collided into each other! WHAM!" As he said that, he clapped his hands together loudly for added effect. Rolf was not able to hold back his laughter, and was soon doubled over in a chair, holding his gut.
Mist began to laugh, too, though not as strongly as Rolf. "Oh, I almost forgot," she said, bending down to pick up the book that had fallen with her. "Here you go."
Soren took the book from her, but instead of opening it, he threw it off to the side, where it landed on a nearby desk. Mist couldn't help but gape at him. "I was never really in a reading mood, anyway," he said. And then he smiled at her. Mist's eyes lit up, for she had never seen anything more beautiful in all her life.
A/N: FLUFF! Hehe, I hope you enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)