Chapter 7: The Unwelcoming Entourage
After a long tireless journey through the Lycian lands of Araphen and Khathelet, Lucas, Lyn and her legion finally step on the borders of Caelin soil. However, as they tread into the domain, their foe has prepared a treacherous present for the legion.
"We are finally here, our home, Caelin," Kent exhales with relief.
"I'll say! It has been the most excruciating trip that I've ever been!" Sain sighs.
"So this is Caelin? Seems peaceful like Pherae," Wil comments.
"Are you a migrant from Pherae perhaps?" Sain asks.
"Yes, I missed staying in my hometown, but I wanted to explore the world out there, and now here I am with you guys," Wil explained.
"Sorry to spoil the mood, but we are not out of the woods yet. After all, this is considered enemy territory on not just Lyn's part, but ours too," Lucas points out, reminding the duo of Lundgren's treachery.
"True that, that's why we gotta be on high alert for whatever they have in store for us," Ren agreed with his arms crossed while looking at the terrain.
"No need to worry though! We are here too to assist you all, right Ninian? Ninian?" Nils wondered from her sister's absent response.
"I sense...evil intent, from afar, aiming...for lady Lyn" Ninian muttered loudly.
"What? Where? I don't see–"
"Hey! What's that?" Ren points toward the sky, alerting the legion to see a huge metal bolt falling toward Lyn.
"It looks like...a huge ballista bolt!" Wil points out with his keen eyesight.
"Lyn, move!"
Lucas tries to warn and dash to her, but is beaten by the bolt's speed as it strikes the ground and turns the soil into grounded powder. "Lyn!" Lucas exclaims as he regains his sight and sighs with relief as he sees the metal bolt misses Lyn by a few meters.
"I'm fine Lucas, but where in the world did this bolt come from?" Lyn asks with worry as it targets her..
"This is a sign that a ballista has been deployed nearby somewhere!" Kent explains.
"Lundgren must be getting seriously anxious by deploying siege weapons! This is no laughing matter!" Sain adds before turning to Florina. "Milady Florina, I implore you to not take the skies again for this battle! The risks are high for you in this battle!" he explains.
"I-I see," Florina responded.
"I'd agree with this lout for once, but a village to our west is stuck in the crossfire. Knowing Lundgren, he won't let anyone witness his great evil," Kent points toward the village.
"Wait, there seems to be a couple of soldiers at the other side guarding the village, I just can't see proper–" Lucas says squinting his eyes to see better.
"What about using this?" Ren hands Lucas the spyglass he looted from the swordsman they defeated in their short detour trip.
"Thank you," Lucas says, before using the spyglass before examining the village in the west to see their unknown enemies.
"Gods, they're not just soldiers, but a shaman and a mage…," Lucas grunts as he puts the spyglass in his satchel. "... Oh gods you have cursed me…." He mutters before turning back to Ren.
"A handy tool you got me, you have my thanks, again," Lucas replied, yet felt uneasy from the sight of Ren's arrogant smirk. "However...this is getting ridiculous. With how tight Lundgren's military power is at the moment, I don't see any more reason to risk ourselves and save that village," he laments, shocking Lyn with the scary, yet rational decision.
"I-I-I can go!" Florina exclaimed, shocking the whole group and Lyn especially.
"What!? Florina! A ballista is out there among the enemy ranks! I refuse! This is too bold of a suggestion!" Lyn implored frantically to her best friend.
"B-but...those innocent people," Florina whimpered from the thought of the villagers' annihilation.
"Mmmm this may be a risky move, but there is a way you could avoid the ballista's range of fire. See those hills nearby?" Ren explains as he points toward hills near their position. "I believe they are far from the ballista's range and can provide great cover from those huge bolts as you fly toward the village with ease. You just have to leave once you finish warning them in order to slip away from those two magic wielders," Ren explained.
"I refuse." Lucas says interrupting the flow of the conversation. "It will take too long and lest Florina be shot down before anything can happen."
Lucas then prepares his spear and uses the spyglass to see the mountain area. "The terrain is covered, we do not know if there are any archers, hidden amongst the cliffs. I won't risk putting Florina in any more risk than she already is."
"Brother, try using the spyglass again, but this time, towards the plateau and the lower lands over the enemies' position," Ren smirks with his suggestion.
"I don't see why–"
Silently with his jaw drop in awe, Lucas has a clear view over the land and spots the location of the ballista and the enemies' position with a twist of the scope's cylinder. With an annoyed yet astounded look and tone, he turns to Ren in question.
"Ren, by the gods, where the hell did you get this spyglass?" Lucas curiously asks.
"That doesn't matter, anyway. At the very most, you got the view wide and clear right?" Ren responded with a smirk.
"Apparently so, and I believe Ren's suggestion is doable with this new insight," Lucas replies to Lyn before turning to Florina. "Florina, I will only ask of you that you must not engage with the enemy at the other side when you get there. Once you warned the village, depart and regroup immediately. Am I clear on this?" he ordered, getting a nod from Florina.
"Ren, go with Wil and Sain to secure that ballista. Wil, you have my permission to secure that ballista." Lucas says with an evil smirk. "They say, in the books of old to, 'fight evil with evil', so why not use their own ballista and rain hell from above."
"Hey brother, I could draw the enemy ballista's attention in case things don't work out so well. Compared to a metal bolt, it's a walk in the plains, " Ren gloats, infuriating Lucas with the annoying truth.
"Yes Ren, I have said that already, now go with your group." Lucas says bluntly before facing the rest of the group. "Now all of us need to go forward and distract the main force so that they cannot send reinforcements to the ballista or worse fire at florina. Lucius, you are in charge of protecting Ninian while moving with us. I cannot risk that you all stay in one place lest the ballista kill any of you." Lucas commands before picking up his spear. "Any complaints? No? Then let's go!"
From that moment, Ren's team starts moving down the small valley while protecting Wil and drawing the ballista archer's attention.
"Hey! Slowpoke, watch me!" Ren belittles as he runs straight into the line of fire.
The ballista archer then starts to fire its second bolt towards Ren, but misses and barely touches Ren due to his great speed and agility. Soon, Ren reaches the ballista's position with Sain's assistance and kicks the archer off his seat. The archer then meets his demise by the end of Sain's lance piercing his beating heart.
"Wil! Your turn!" Ren calls out.
"On it! Standing by!" Wil reports as he mounts on the ballista.
Lucas, from afar, sees Ren's signal along with Sain and Wil on position with his spyglass.
"That's good." Lucas says, smiling, while pointing at a direction. "Florina, could you be a dear and do something for me? There is a village to the left, could you warn them about the battle that is ensuing."
"Y-yes Lucas. Come on, Huey! Go!" Florina flies up high fast and glides and zooms in the skies as she travels towards the village in the west.
"Now! Let's give 'em hell!" Lucas rallies while striding down the valley with Kent on his horse. "To the enemy!"
"Charge!" Lyn rallies with the Mani Katti held high in her hand while striding down the valley with Rath on his horse.
As Lucas and Lyn follow down the valley to attack the enemy, other plans have been made to lend some assistance now that the ballista problem has been solved.
"Wil, try turning towards the village at 60 degrees to the right," Ren advises while standing over the ballista's beam.
"What? Why?" Wil questions.
"To lay some lead," Ren answers while looking over Florina's small battle against the two magic wielders guarding the village without noticing the brigand traversing over the stream and mountains.
"Alright! The third bolt is loaded now!" Sain reports.
"On your word brother!" Wil replies as he steers the ballista towards Ren's desired direction.
"Aaaaand, fire!" Ren exclaims, motioning Wil to fire the bolt up high in the sky.
"Going, going, gooooooing…," Ren predicts as he looks at the bolt's trajectory, only to see it strike and skewer hard upon the brigand and the mage in front of him, instantly killing both of them from devastating injuries. The shaman, startled by his comrades' sudden death, was distracted and wide open to a swift and fatal thrust to his throat from the pegasus rider and succumbed to his wounds on the open plains.
"Whoo! Done!" Ren rejoiced, then glanced into Florina's emerald eyes from afar without any intention, and was very much distracted that he carelessly lost his balance and fell on his face on the soft green grass.
"Whoa man, what just happened?" Wil asks upon seeing Ren flat on the grass, with him responding with a hand wave to forget about it. But as soon Lucas and Kent rode up and saw the couple staring at each other, he thought on how he could tease them later. After, he calls out to the group,
"Hey, Lovebirds! I heard another bolt shot! What in blazes are you guys doing!? I did not tell you to fire yet, did I!?" Lucas questions as he 'dismounts' off of Kent's horse by almost faceplanting to the ground. "Ugh, Damned horses," Lucas muttered as he picked himself up.
"Oh lookie, you guys made it," Ren responded while picking himself back up and dusts off the dirt on his garb. "Anyways, I made the right call to fire that bolt at the enemy brigand planning to surround Florina with his two magic-wielding lackeys from afar. Apparently, it worked!" he replies with a smirk.
"Ren that wasn't–"
"Lyn!" Florina called as the group regrouped with the rest of the dispatched teams.
"Florina! Thank goodness you're alright!" Lyn sighs in relief as she dismounts off Rath's horse and rushes off to hug Florina.
"L-likewise! Oh yes, I have been left with a gift after I have warned the villagers," Florina adds as she takes out a single-edged sword with a strange hooked guard.
"What sword is this exactly?" Lyn asks as she tries to wield it.
"I-I think the village elder told me t-that this is a Lancereaver, I think," Florina answers while playing with her fingers.
"A Lancereaver!?" Ren exclaimed when he heard the name and came close to both Lyn and Florina, carelessly startling Lyn and scaring Florina. "Ehehe, my apologies, but I must witness the sight of this sword," he explains.
"Why? What is a Lancereaver?" Lyn asks.
"I only heard short stories and some tavern gossip while talking and travelling. It is the name of a rare kind of sword that enables its user to easily outmaneuver spearfighters and lancemen. They are hardly manufactured normally by any smithy and are only found and mass-produced in countries with great military power, like Bern for example," Ren explained, enlightening both Lyn and Florina with his explanation, while making Lucas uncomfortable with the item description.
"You should keep this sword, it may prove to be useful," Ren advises.
"No, I don't think I can wield a weapon like this. It does not seem to fit with me," Lyn protested.
"Hm, I see. In that case, let's trade. My shamshir is still in moderate condition. Its sharpness is impeccable I tell you," Ren explains as he hands his sheathed shamshir in its light wooden scabbard to Lyn.
"Thank you, and here," Lyn replies as she hands the Lancereaver to Ren and takes the shamshir.
"..." Lucas looks at the two with a hint of jealousy.
"Lucas? What's the matter?" Lyn curiously asks.
"It's nothing," Lucas shrugged before walking away, leaving Lyn utterly confused.
"Lucas! Lyn! Reinforcements are coming straight for us!" Rath warns after surveying near the stream.
"Alright guys, you heard him. Let's push 'em back!" Lucas rallies with his lance held high, livening up the atmosphere.
"Now! Onward!" Lyn cries with Ren's shamshir held high before engaging with the enemy reinforcements along with Kent, Sain, and Rath.
"C'mon, let's catch up," Ren suggests to the bewildered and fidgeting Florina.
"S-sure!" Florina responds as she takes to the skies and flies over Ren to follow Lyn and the others.
After the moments of adrenaline pass by, Lucas decides to "think" further for emergency plans and sits beside Wil to instruct and signal when may be the hour to fire the next bolt. However, he is distracted and unable to recollect his thoughts from the sight of Lyn acting familiar with Ren, despite knowing her culture, her personality, and almost much about her aside from Florina. Wil, who in some sort, caught wind of Lucas' current mental condition and decides to console him as a good friend.
"Lucas, is there something you would like to talk about?"
"It's nothing important Wil, just stand by and wait for my signal," Lucas shrugged.
"That seems important to me. To all of us and obviously to Lyn, brother," Wil protested, taking Lucas aback for a moment from mentioning Lyn before going back to his unreadable face.
"So there really is something going on concerning her "ladyship," eh?" Wil guesses.
"Lemme think...does it have something to do with Ren?" he guesses again, with Lucas grinding his teeth from hearing his name.
"Man, what happened?" Wil asks.
"Wil, Focus on the ballista firing, we need the group to survive before we could talk about my feelings."
"Well, you need to talk about these things or they will eat you inside." Wil says while launching another ballista, hitting another enemy straight on. It was quiet for a while as they see the group slowly pushing back the enemy before Lucas responds.
"I...think it is immature of me to, well, envy Ren and his expertise with the sword whereas I with the spear. I can't relate, let alone teach Lyn about swords and other weaponry that are not in my field of expertise," Lucas confessed as he stares at the sky.
"Well, that's another thing you just gotta accept, I guess. We all are good and bad at various things, but that's okay! We got other people that have strengths that can cover our weaknesses and weaknesses that only we can cover as well. It kinda works both ways," Wil explained, astounding Lucas from his simple yet sensible advice.
"Although...nevermind," Wil trailed off, leaving Lucas' attention hanging with the mood.
"Hey! Lucas! We've won!"
Lyn, along with Kent, Sain, Rath, Ren and Florina, have returned effortlessly from the long battle, shocking Lucas and Wil since their assistance seems to be no longer required for now.
"Wait, how, what?! How'd you fight off all those soldiers that easily?" Lucas asked nervously while trying to compose himself.
"Apparently, we have overestimated the enemy, only to realize that they've only used their reconnaissance squadron for this battle, as Kent has told us. That is why it wasn't that difficult to defeat them," Lyn explained with her usual cheerful smile.
"Yes indeed it was not a difficult battle. However, there has been something that's been quite bothering to me lately," Kent confessed anxiously.
"Why Kent?" Ren asks.
"It's just...the soldiers we've fought against were all Caelin's knights. I have trained with them, talked with them, and now, killed them in battle," Kent explained with sadness in his tone.
"Yeah, I recognized some of them as our roommates in our quarters back at the training academy. Never thought the day to reunite them is by sword and bloodshed on the battlefield, " Sain depressingly adds.
"The Enemy knows we are here…" Lucas mumbles to himself while crossing his arms thinking to himself about what just happened.
"There is nothing we can do now that blood is spilt. We have to move forward and give these people a burial at least and rethink our plans now that we are targeted here," Ren explains and carries a soldier's corpse over his shoulders and lays it in a small ditch next to the nearest fortress. "I apologize. May you have your peace," he prayed as he slowly piled soil over the corpse and placed his lance and buckler on his small grave.
"Come now. We must give all these soldiers a proper burial as well. They are innocent knights of Caelin abandoned and left to die for an ungrateful ruler," Lyn replies as she drags another soldier's corpse along with his lance in another hand, but trips over a rock and nearly falls on her rear if not for Lucas' swift response of catching her.
"Careful Lyn, you shouldn't injure yourself." Lucas says making her stand up properly and dusting her off. "Allow me to carry the body, you take the spear," Lucas advises as he carries the corpse over his shoulders and walks towards the spot near the grave Ren dug with Lyn in tow. The others see this and respectfully decide to help them bury the rest of them.
This went on till all the knights were given their burials and prayers at the fort like an unconventional funeral because of their leader's neglect.
"I will never forgive him. I will never forgive Lundgren for all the atrocities he has done for his own personal gain," Lyn swore before she felt a hand over her shoulder. She turns and sees the intrepid tactician looking on with pity in his eyes for the deceased.
"Let's get going, Lyn. It's dark out now," Lucas replies with a heavy tone, before leading the two of them with the rest of the group to continue their journey. As night came, Lyn and her legion spent the night in the inn of the village nearby and rented rooms without charge for their deeds earlier. But as usual, not everyone is tired out and ready for rest.
"This is going to be a huge issue. Since we all know that Lundgren is "substituting" your grandfather's position as the marquess, he may have a chance to also call on the other neighboring marquesses to request reinforcements, assistance, mercenaries. Anything could be at his disposal, and if that happens, gods help us all," Lucas speculated after a short while of background confirmation with Kent before letting him retire for the day.
Lucas sighs and decides to walk outside thinking about what they could do after the whole meeting. He had a few concerns in mind but he had no way to quell them as they were essentially consuming his mind, as the tactician was thinking he heard the sound of creaking from the stairs behind him. He turned around only to see a guilty Matthew sneaking in from behind. Lucas sighs and rubs his eyes in frustration before facing the intrepid thief.
"Well, Matthew, where have you been all battle long?"
"A hahaha, about that, I was out for some business to take care of, but now return with a message from Hector of Ostia, " he hesitantly explains.
Lucas silently wonders how this one time thief had managed to gain an audience with the brother of the marquess of Ostia but shrugs that off as things to investigate for another time.
"Oh? What's the message?" Lucas asks, not noticing Lyn and Ren quietly eavesdropping from behind the door.
"He says that his brother, the marquess of Ostia intends to stay neutral in your silly family feud for a period of time and plans to request the same for its neighbouring states, " Matthew explained, shocking Lucas along with Lyn and Ren overhearing their conversation.
Unbeknownst to the two onlookers, they let their guard down in the most ridiculous way possible by someone they've known very, very, well.
"W-what are you doing?"
"Gyah! Whoa–"
"Careful!"
In that fleeting moment ending with a loud crash on the wooden floor boards, Lucas turns as a response to see Lyn lying on top of the pained Ren by the door and a nervous Florina peeking behind it.
"By the gods, what the hell are you guys?...!" Lucas curiously asks with a sarcastically aggressive tone.
"Lucas! Um, uh…" Lyn trailed off before trying to justify her predicament and quickly stood up with a flushed and embarrassed face. "Lucas! This is not what it looks like!" she waved her hands frantically as she explained out of embarrassment.
"Well, it looks like you are spying on me." Lucas sarcastically replied back with a hint of frustration in his tone and his arms crossed.
"Brother, we are just listening in on this, we're sorry to not inform you 'cause we thought it was a very private matter and thought it was awkward to kinda interrupt out of nowhere," Ren explained as he gets back up and scratches his hind temple nervously.
"And you guys couldn't just ask, if you were interrupting something, instead of spying at me like thieves?" Lucas counters back at the wayward swordsman, who along with the Marquess's granddaughter found the floor to be more "interesting" than their conversation.
"Anyway, at least we have slight leverage to deal with lesser reinforcements, but I highly doubt the other Lycian nobles would listen to one state, even if that said state is a military powerhouse," Lucas explained painfully trying to forget about what just happened with an exhausted sigh.
"Hmmmm, oh I know! How about Eliwood! I believe he too may lend a hand in our current situation! I mean he is also the good friend of Hector, so I think he may be able to convince the rest of Lycia to stand down and stay neutral as well!" Lyn suggests, unknowingly making Lucas internally infuriated and jealous from his name being mentioned by Lyn.
"What makes you think the 'pretty boy' would generously lend his aid in a matter that does not involve him?" Lucas questions with a sarcastically aggressive tone mixed with a hint of jealousy.
"Because I trust he is better than the other nobles that I've met by far. After witnessing him rescuing Ninian, I can bet on my blood that he is willing to help without any condition," Lyn replies confidently with a stern tone.
"Well, you only met 2 good nobles…" Lucas mumbles under his breath as he glares at Matthew, telling him that he is going to stay here and listen to the group talk about this whole mess since he was the one who went missing in battle. The thief just awkwardly just stands there, fearful of what the Bernese tactician of Etruria could do.
"I-I think he can help too! T-they are both kind and nice, I think. Let me help deliver the message," Florina hesitantly adds, making Ren uneasy from her remark.
"No, Florina, you will be shot down before you could even leave Lycia." Lucas shuts that idea down quickly, thinking rather hard and fast, Seeing possible outcomes in his mind and seeing the odds of each of many decisions he can make while not liking the odds of each one. One of plans involved the group taking strongholds but that would weaken the kingdom of Caelin in the long run not to mention ruin all of the supplies of the group and the economy of the country in the long run. The more he thought of the different plans of how he can avoid that outcome, the more he thought of that one plan he made. A plan that would assuredly get him killed. He shakes his head, promising himself to only use that plan when push came to shove.
"Matthew, could you go back to Hector and ask him to ask 'pretty boy' to tell the other Lycian lords not to be involved with this dispute?" Lucas finally says much to the shock of the others present in the group.
"Oh I see where you are planning." Matthew smirks before turning to leave. "I'll tell him right away."
"Oh and Matthew before you go, could you be back by dawn? So that the others won't notice that you left."
Matthew nods and rushes out of the hallway. Lucas meanwhile sighs and turns to the rest of the group. "Do not under any circumstance say to the others of the deal that just happened until it is confirmed to be true with the others. I do not want the others to worry about this until it is time for the battle."
Ren and Florina take an awkward look at each other before leaving the tactician alone with the Marquess's granddaughter. Lyn moved beside our tactician and decided to look out the window and see the view that he sees. There was an uneasy silence between the two as they enjoyed the beautiful night sky with the moon acting as the mother as her children surrounded her, longing for her attention. The fields beyond show an ocean of grass as it also reflects the moon's embrace back. However, this silence was broken as Lyn asked the tactician a curious question.
"Lucas? Why did you send Matthew off on a mission like that?"
After a few minutes of silence, Lucas responds. "Lyndis, those pesky nobles would not follow a king that does not rule over their country but a ruler that does."
"What does that mean?"
"Well, Lyn, all of politics boils down to whoever has the most power. Either in economics, military or whoever has the most resources. So if both a military and economic powerhouse like Ostia and Pherae step down then most would not risk the chance not to piss off two houses. Or at least, it would help us limit the amount of enemies we would fight since we are technically facing off against an army."
"That is a sad reality I have to accept I guess. You see in Sacae, there is a code of honor that guides and unites all the tribes living in the plains known as the Law of Sacae. This mandate's main command: is to unite and call everyone in every tribe to help and protect one tribe that needs it, " Lyn explained while remembering that Lycia is a different world apart from Sacae.
"Lyn, let me give you a piece of advice," Lucas says before whispering in her ear, making the Marquess's granddaughter blush from proximity. "...In real life there is no such thing as honor."
Lucas walks off to a surprised Lyn as she wonders what that message means and how that revelation influenced the tactician and when he had first heard of it, worrying the marquess's granddaughter.
Only a few minutes after Lucas leaves Lyn to her thoughts, he spots Nils looking towards them.
"Hey Nils, you should go to bed. We have a long war coming soon." Lucas says before heading to bed, exhaustion clear in every step.
The tactician however failed to hear what Nil's reply was.
After Lucas passes by and enters the men's quarters, Nils gently knocks on a small compartment on the wall, revealing Ren and a blushing Florina cramped in the enclosure.
"He's gone now, you can come out now," Nils whispered with a smirk.
"Thanks Nils, you're my wingman!" Ren gratefully whispers with a smirk.
"That's okay, I've been through that 'cause of a certain someone too, but maybe that will be spoken of next time. See you in bed!" Nils whispered as he entered the men's quarters.
"Some night huh…?" Ren sighed with Florina responding with a nod before they both share light giggles from this silly night.
"I-I should go now, g-good night Ren!" Florina embarrassingly whispered before rushing and entering into the girls' quarters with Ren responding with a wave.
"Hmm," Ren exhaled before feeling great chills while trying to ignore the ominous presence in the shadows as he entered into the men's quarters to retire for the night.
Chapter END