Chapter 9: Falling Crowns
With fast footwork and the guidance of General Eagler around the domain, the legion stops at a certain location a few miles away from the marquess' manor. Eagler then stops, making the legion halt in their tracks before turning to them with a bid goodbye.
"This is as far as I can go. Once you pass through the streams, you may be able to reach his Majesty's manor. I trust that all of you are prepared for this battle?" Eagler questions despite placing his utmost confidence in the legion.
"We are. Armed and ready, " Lucas confidently answers with his lance in hand and a javelin as his sidearm.
Eagler walks to Lucas then asks him once more before departing the group.
"Are you sure you have steeled your resolve for that situation?"
"I have made my choice, trust me."
Eagler went silent for a moment then bid him with all of his confidence in his voice.
"Take care of yourself and don't die for her ladyship. The fate of Caelin and his majesty rest upon your shoulders, young tactician, " Eagler bids as he taps on Lucas' shoulder.
"She will not be harmed, " Lucas replied confidently.
"Then there is nothing more to be said. Farewell, milady. Take care now, all of you. Hyagh!" Eagles bids before riding away.
The group sees him ride off as the tactician faces the group and announces to the legion a sentence that would make everyone look at him in either shock, horror or genuine fear and concern.
"I am going to fight Lundgren. Alone." Lucas says carefully packing up his spears and twirling them around as a warmup.
"Lucas! What are you-" Ren practically screams out in disbelief, making the others look at him with the sudden change of character and Florina with worry.
"Preparing to fight Lundgren."
"What you are doing is going to get yourself killed." Ren argues back.
"Ren, I know what I am doing." Lucas says strapping his spear to his back.
"Lucas, but why? Lundgren is not any ordinary soldier nor bandit out there. He's ruthless enough to kill you by any means at his disposal! How are you sure he will face you in a fair fight! "
"I know he will." Lucas says, deadpanning at Ren's reaction.
"Brother, we are supposed to discuss things out before doing something so rash as what you have decided on a whim. I thought you know a better way around that!" Ren retorts with distraught.
"I had already considered the outcome, if we were to defeat Lundgren, it would be right here and right now. Whole army and everything, would that not put even more lives at risk? Won't that endanger the lives of the innocent. To be in fear of the possibility of being invaded by their neighbors...?" Lucas says, logically placing out the reasons systematically.
"But but but," Ren stutters from hardly thinking of a comeback for his reasonable argument despite being protective for his welfare on the battlefield as a sworn brother.
"And even if we send anyone else, how can I guarantee that they will come back safely? We cannot send a female, since she would most likely be raped. We cannot send Kent, Wallace nor Sain since they are considered traitors, There is no way that they will also to Erk, since he is a mercenary, an Etrurian no less. And so a few days after we entered the territory of Caelin, I asked Matthew to send a message to Lundgren while discussing the possible outcomes with Kent and Sain." Lucas says, sharpening his spear a little bit after inspecting its sharp head.
"And? What was that message exactly?...!"
"That I fight him. Alone."
"You're going out on a duel? Have you thrown away your logic on this one?!"
"I am thinking in the long term, Ren." Lucas explained. "About the lives of the innocents we are dragging into this meaningless inheritance. Don't tell me that we are to bring innocent lives into this."
"Long term or not, we are here now and are close to what was the reason we went on this journey together as a merry legion in the first place!" Ren distraughtly argues. "Are you just going to dash it all away for a gamble?!" he hysterically adds.
"Ren, I would rather make everyone live as I fight to the death. Don't make this needlessly hard." Lucas answers back, gripping his spear. "I would rather ask you all to support me as I fight to my very last. I have prepared for death for this long, so that everyone would live."
"...if...this is how it's gonna be…" Ren mutters loudly before turning his face away. "You better give him a hell of a fight then!" he requests sternly with his blade pointed to him.
Lucas nods before turning to Lyndis, who looked like she wanted to say something to the intrepid tactician.
"Lucas...I...I…" Lyn stutters before being slowly dragged into a tight side hug from the stoic Lucas, surprised by his kind gesture.
"L-Lucas?!" Lyn yelped from the sudden hug before feeling his hold on her tighten and with a heavy voice, spoke with rare tenderness in his tone.
"I know what I am doing Lyn. Believe in me, as I also believe in you.."
"Lucas...Please, come back safe…"
"Sure-" Lucas was about to answer until a lone cavalier came to the wannabe couple with an urgent notice.
"Pardon me, but may I ask which among you is named Lucas?"
"I am he. Is Lundgren expecting?"
"Milord awaits. He has been expecting your arrival at the nearest village to meet your conditions for your duel. Please follow me."
"One moment please…"
Lucas then looks straight into Lyn's eyes, full of conviction and resolve, and speaks gently with assurance.
"I won't die that easy Lyn. Trust me..."
"I trust that you won't." Lyn smiles with content from those very words.
Now as the moment fades, the emissary then leads the challenging tactician and his audience of spectators to the addressed venue where Lundgren, his lackeys, and villagers from the nearby village as he slowly walks down the hill with the messenger. The legion moves towards the crowd so that they may see the fight. The tactician sees the old warlord, who then sees the tactician and bellows out. To Lundgren, it was not an impressive sight. If he were younger, then he would have been at a height of around 5'6.
"So, this is the man who has sent the challenge. You have some grit to negotiate with me. As you can see, this is my realm, and you've challenged its ruler. Your penalty for this transgression is a fight-to-the-death in this small bout, and no one, will ever, mourn for your death."
With that, Lundgren stood before the young tactician, looking at him with his height of 5'6 and plated-steel armor then whispers a small statement before standing by at his position for their bout.
"I know that traitorous general of my miserable brother named Eagler still lives and now chose his fate. Once I am done with you, I shall deal with those that foolishly followed you and him down to the pits with your grave."
"I can't wait to make you eat your words." The tactician replies in his usual taunting manner.
He then leaves the tactician as he readies his stances for their small bout. Lucas, despite the immense pressure resting on his shoulders, steels himself once more with one last glance to the worrywort Lyndis with a smile of content before positioning himself for the bout to start. After both challengers are in their places, a soldier steps forward between the two challengers to say the minutes of the bout.
"As the duel now shall commence, I shall relay the terms and conditions of the duel. If Lord Lundgren is the victor of the battle then he shall be named marquess and the other members of the previous marquess' family and household shall be unharmed and exiled. All other knights who have defected shall still be considered as knights of Caelin, and their earlier treason will be considered void. And all the members of Lyn's Legion shall be pardoned as well…"
Lyn, who was in the crowd gasped as she realized that he had been thinking of her lately and gripped her sword tighter, hoping that he would live. She could also see that Lucas was gripping his spear harder out of the pressure that he took and brought upon himself.
"...However, if the tactician is the victor. Then Lundgren and his descendants shall no longer be recognized as heirs to the marquisate of Caelin. And said heirs will be charged with exile. If both parties object to any of these, please state it now."
Now as the minutes of the bout are clear, Lundgren and Lucas step forward from their places and start glaring daggers at each other. The proctor of the duel then clarifies for beginning the duel.
"If both challengers are ready, then...let the duel commence!"
Within seconds, the two clash their lances before aiming for their faces, even though they have managed to evade and graze each other's cheek bones. The two of them stepped back to recompose themselves for their second moves while analyzing each others' possible tactics to be more cautious. Lundgren holds his grazed cheek then stares at his blood drippings on his hand before smiling sinisterly with a commendation for his young opponent.
"Impressive, you managed to cut me. Good, keep that zeal of yours while it lasts before I claim my stand as the victor," he comments with a clenched fist.
"Thank you, I guess…" Lucas warily replies as he switches to his javelin and readies it on his other hand and then lets it fly straight towards Lundgren who, by some swift chance or intangible luck, dodges the javelin with ease.
"Are you toying with me with a stick?" Lundgren taunts before closing in on Lucas with his giant silver lance glimmering under the sunlight.
"You must do harder than that, boy!" he roars as he launches his silver lance, managing to inflict a huge, but not fatal wound on Lucas' side before retracting it with a long and heavy steel chain similar to what Wallace has used.
"Come on boy, the fight is just getting started," Lundgren taunts before grabbing one of his javelin and throws it to Lucas, who nimbly dodges and unintentionally catches it to make it his backup weapon.
"You know, you talk too much.." Lucas replies casually, yet with a straight face as he prepares himself into a thrusting stance.
In the middle of their momentary standoff, the clouds of the environment dimmer and darken while emitting crackling sounds.
"Those clouds look bad," Lyn points out from staring at the changing skies.
"Rain is going to pour soon, but from the looks of it, it won't last long," Ren adds
A few minutes after their standoff, Lucas twirls his lance with vigor then dashes with his lance as fast as he can, since he lacks the speed and agility that swordsmen like Ren and Lyn has, and charges with a portion of his might into the head of his spear towards Lundgren and pushes him back with a slightly deep dent that battered and bruised his left shoulder before standing back for another standoff.
Lundgren, stunned by his injury, heartily laughs for a few seconds before "applauding" his opponent's attempt to mortally wound him.
"That was some technique you got there, boy. But surely you have already noticed the outcome from trying hard like that!"
"I'm not done!"
Once more, the duel between spearmen commences as they clash, parry, evade, and analyze each other's next move for moments. It was as if the spears were striking at each other, rather than at the spearmen that were wielding them. As the fight rages on, a single drop of water tinkles upon Lundgren's heavy steel pauldron before being followed with a downpour upon the two challengers and drenching them in the middle of their bout whereas spectators in the area clothed themselves to shelter them from the cold rain for warmth. Lyn wonders if this would affect any chance for Lucas in his selfish gamble against Lundgren.
"Will Lucas...be alright over there…?"
"I believe so. Knowing him, he won't quit, even if it means he'll die trying," Ren answers with assurance while sheltering Lyn and Florina with a thick tent cloth he borrowed from Kent and Sain.
"If that is so…"
A few minutes as the rain pours on the challengers' standoff, Lundgren tries to get on his feet while treading cautiously so that he won't slip from the weathered soil that turned into mud. He then attempts to launch his silver lance towards Lucas, but loses his ground as the soil continues to erode from the rain and misses Lucas by an inch to his injury.
"Gargh! Curse my luck!" Lundgren curses as he tries to balance himself in his own predicament and disadvantage with the bulky armor he wears, ignoring other physical problems such as his old age.
"All part of my plan…" Lucas mutters a little bit before loudly taunting Lundgren for everyone to hear. "Well, well, well, is this the might of the great Lord Lundgren? Who casually poisoned his own brother for a chance to take the throne. Look at him now, unable to move his body from the very dirt that he wishes to rule on. You wish to rule by an iron fist, correct? Then let that iron sink, in the kingdom you wish to rule."
Soon the people start to whisper amongst themselves about the authenticity of the rumors of the marquess being poisoned by his own brother. Lundgren, upon hearing the tactician's taunt, tries to move out of his current predicament to strike at the tactician but was only able to barely reach him which he moved out of the way easily.
"I guess it is time… to put you out of your misery!" Lucas says gripping his spear and preparing to impale him in the head before charging hard one more time towards Lundgren and thrust his spear into his ugly mug of a face. Lundgren, by some stupendous luck, manages to grab hold of Lucas lance by the shaft just below its metal, new sharpened spearhead. With a menacing chuckle followed by an evil grin, Lundgren pulls Lucas closer, enabling him to shorten the distance for his sharp and heavy silver lance to easily pierce Lucas' injury, mortally wounding him greatly as he screams from the agonizing pain of Lundgren's sly technique.
"Now, who will eat their own words first, boy…?" Lundgren muses from the look of Lucas struggling as his injury bleeds and dyes the shiny lance with his blood.
"Lucas!" Lyn cries out from afar as she watches one of her closest friends in agony for her sake.
"C'mon man!" Ren rallies.
"G-go Lucas!" Florina cheers while trying to hold her tears from the mortifying scene.
Gradually, one by one, the members of Lyn's Legion, even among the silent members, raise their voices towards Lucas and raise his spirits in the face of his close demise. Later, Lucas slowly got up, coughed a little blood out of his mouth and replied. "You know, it's been a while since I used my spear seriously."
Lucas musters the last of his fading strength for one more attempt to wound Lundgren as he tries to lift his emblem lance as high as he could to prepare for a swift thrust aimed right at Lundgren's face point blank. However, Lundgren read his tactics along the lines and twisted his silver lance that was still lodged onto Lucas' injury, forcing him to wince and freeze from the pain and leave his tired arm hanging in the middle of their rainy bout.
"Hahahahaha! This is just excellent...now, any last words, boy?" Lundgren muses to the pained Lucas who whispers back with a menacing smirk.
"See you...in the abyss...fool."
In that moment, the weather slowly becomes more erratic as thunderclouds make their way over the duellists and strike thunder bolts at various places. Eventually, one erratic thunderbolt lands itself on Lucas' steel-tipped emblem lance and, consequently, shocks Lucas upon impact from his own lance before conducting that same power into Lundgren's silver lance that was lodged onto Lucas' body. However, Lundgren has his taste even much more severe than Lucas' share because of his huge steel-plated armor that is able to conduct all the power of that single thunderstrike into his body, frying his body from the inside out until he falls on his knees and crashes face first on the ground and laid there breathless. Lucas, noticing the lodged silver lance on his side, attempts to dislodge it swiftly but painfully with his bare hands and then raises it high as his sign of victory before he falls down to the ground.
With the weather changing once more and the clouds becoming brighter over the entire event, the spectators were a mix of curious, horrified and scared as everyone was wondering who had won the duel. Soon Lyn rushes out of Ren and Florina's grasp in an attempt to care for the tactician and catches him.
"Lucas! Lucas!" Lyn screams, tears forming in her eyes as she tries to shake him, make him wake him up or do something. "Don't die. You promised. You promised that you would live. You said..."
"...I was hoping...to lighten up since, well...you won the fight, but...now...just…" Ren sighs with grief and tears in his eyes while trying to lighten up in this gloomy atmosphere that he softly laughs like a madman as he cries with a smile on his downcast face. However, he was not alone as Florina tries to share that same grief of possibly losing their close friend.
The rest of the legion was rather solemnly quiet as they were mourning for the friend that had just died on them.
Darkness. Darkness was all the tactician can see, as he lays there lying down on the ground. He should be dead by now. He knew it. As he slowly opens his eyes, he sees what seemed to be the interior of a temple, with everything being covered in a pale green hue. The temple looked long abandoned and yet he heard something, almost like a hymn from a bygone era. Lucas slowly sits up, clearly exhausted from what happened.
"What happened... I remembered winning the duel and ensuring that everyone is safe. So what happened?" Lucas muses to himself before he realizes that he was supposed to be bleeding to death and tries to find any sort of wounds, but fails to find any.
"What...happened to me?" He says as he tries to find anything that he brought he had used in the fight against Lundgren only to find nothing nearby.
"Well, now that you are done looking at yourself, might I ask who are you?" He hears what seemed to be a little girl, sitting on a throne looking down at him.
The little girl was wearing almost nothing, except a few robes that were from a dancer. With some jewelry adorning her hair, which was tied up with pigtails. Lucas then stands on his feet and bewilderedly asks of his current condition. She looked almost like a child compared to his height.
"Wait, who are you exactly? What is this place anyway? Why am I here?"
Lucas strolls around the dark halls while aweing at its lost glory before looking towards the green-haired girl on the throne. He also seemed to notice that the green light came from there.
"Hmph! How rude! For a mere mortal man to casually inquire this great being over trivial things! How could you not notice that I am the one that managed to preserve your consciousness in this immaterial plane?! To think that he is one of my chosen heroes!" the short girl barks.
"Wait, you...saved me?" Lucas inquired curiously from her earlier statement, silently wondering if she was talking gibberish.
"Bah! Enough talk of that gibberish! Anyways, at the moment, you are in my domain now. Your consciousness is brought here after a great physical shock or affliction might have caused you to die in some way or another. Well, at least until you could be resuscitated from the material plane that is," the little girl explained with her arrogant voice.
"Wait, so I died!?" Lucas hysterically asks while trying to control and recollect everything she just said. "Is there any possible way that I could go back? My friends need me now and most likely more than ever. Please tell me," Lucas fervently begs for a straight answer with worry and distraught.
"Hmmmmm," the moss-haired girl ponders until senses glowing essence and particles of light emitted all around the halls of her domain. Lucas, filled with anxiety, wonders what this occurrence means in any way.
"W-w-wait, what's happening?"
"It would be useless to explain it now. So, off you go!" she boringly replies with her usual arrogant tone.
"Huh!? Wait, where is this taking me?!" He hysterically asks as he feels immense forceful pulls all over his body.
"You're regaining your consciousness, obviously."
"Wait! Answer meeeeee!"
"..."
After that point of return, Lucas awakens on what seems to be a king-sized bed in a random chamber of a castle. Lucas inspected himself only to find all of his wounds bandaged and slowly healing naturally, despite suffering from his previous injuries as he attempted to incline himself from his resting position. But when he inspected his left forearm, he saw a strange tattoo that he did not recall having from his entire life. The tattoo itself looked like it was a bunch of lines that were parallel to one another but it seems that there was an invisible line that the lines wouldn't cross. Upon closer inspection, it almost seemed like they were forming the shape of either a diamond or a spearhead. He stares at the tattoo for a while, wondering what was going on and how he had gotten it.
Later as he finally got himself to sit on the bed and look at the entire room with ease, suddenly the door opens to reveal Lyn, carrying a dry patch of fleece and bowl of warm water, who immediately drops what she's carrying to unintentionally tackle the injured Lucas into a tight hug, ignoring his nearly critical condition and making the poor tactician scream out in pain.
"Lucas!...Is it really you, Lucas!?" she asks with tears of joy while hugging him and looking straight into his eyes.
"...My...back..." Lucas quietly protests as he looks into her eyes with a pained smile from her tight hug.
"Ah–sorry!" she apologizes as she releases her hold on him before scolding him with worry.
"Lucas, you were out for a week! You would've slept for eternity from that period of time!"
"Well, weird things happened and I just so happened… to regain consciousness..." Lucas replied back to Lyn, deciding not to tell her about what had happened to him, especially not about the weird lady who said something about him actually dying. Or so what Lucas said as he tried to answer the crying Lyn before she shrieks with a pained tone.
"Everyone was waiting for you! We were all there watching your own body turn cold and lifeless for that period of time...maybe Ren was right about how you threw your logic away for your own sense of altruism while neglecting how your life is also precious as ours!"
With that, Lyn went silent into her cries after venting out her frustrations and anxieties towards the injured Lucas while being slowly pulled into a side hug from Lucas.
"I...I'm sorry...I just...don't wanna risk more lives for petty family feuds…" he sighs as he hugs and comforts the crying Lyn. He also mumbles out quietly so she wouldn't hear. "I didn't want you to get hurt any more than you already are."
"I understand, that is how I see it. Ren trusted you, so I am assured to trust that you would come back as he said," Lyn replies clearly as she calms down, blushing from her earlier outburst.
The two get lost in each other's eyes as each of them bask in each other's long-awaited company as if the whole world froze for them to be reunited. However, that only lasted until the door was struck for a minute as they enjoyed their alone time. Lucas immediately stood up to protect Lyn before wincing in pain due to the injuries.
"Lucas!"
"Wait, watch it! Whoa!"
"Huaagh! Oof!
As the door was forcefully opened by the members of the legion, both Ren and Florina fall down squashed flat under Wil, Sain, and Erk while the others pop their heads out to the doorway.
"...Really?…" Lucas deadpans as he rubs his eyes in disappointment, which was also covering up his ever increasing blush. "You too, Wallace?"
"Hahahaha! The mighty warrior has risen once more! Huzzah! This calls for a celebration!" Wallace heartily rejoices as he enters the room, along with Kent, Dorcas, and the other members that were outside of the room and those that fell on the floor.
"Glad you are back my friend," Wil smirks as he props himself on his feet.
"You fought well for a strategist, even if it was an accident. You have my respect," Kent comments.
"No kidding, that was more than just for show! Far better than any scene in warfare that Lycia has ever known!" Sain comments excitedly from the "spectacle."
"Geez! You had me for a scare! Dumb dumb!" Serra shrieked.
"I certainly didn't miss you." Lucas jokes at Serra's expense, making everyone laugh a little more.
"Good to have you back," Dorcas replies calmly while scratching his hind temple.
"...Welcome back to the land of the living…" Ren replies as he helps Florina stand up.
"You know...I sorta heard that you were crying…" Lucas says pointing to Ren while cracking his neck, making the swordsman turn red.
"H-how did you know?!" Ren asks hysterically with a flustered face.
"You just admitted it." Lucas says smirking mischievously, taking Ren off his guard.
"B-b-but he was serious about your safety since y-you are considered a close comrade of his! T-t-that is all," Florina bashfully affirmed, making Ren all the more flustered from her response.
"Suuuuuuure." Lucas says with a malicious tone. "I bet you just wanted some cuddle time with our resident pegasi knight."
"..." Erk stood silent behind the now blushing Ren and Florina, confusing Lucas with his appearance.
"Thank Father Sky, you have returned to us," Rath praised with relief.
"I am glad that my deeds were not in vain," Lucius comments in relief while carrying medical paraphernalia.
"Wait, you do healing?" Lucas questions inquisitively.
"Why yes, but not entirely as his majesty's physician has done his utmost care to heal most of your wounds and fatigue. I was merely the assistant to be his extra hands to help you heal your wounds naturally," Lucius calmly answered.
"I knew I made the right choice marking you as the bishop." Lucas says, going back to a comfortable position. "Wait, what happened to Nils?" he asks before he is interrupted by an opening door.
Suddenly, Eagler enters the room, shocking the members of the legion with his arrival as he goes close to Lucas and the attached granddaughter of his master and requests for his summon from his master, the marquess of Caelin, Lord Hausen. Making the tactician wonder if everyone was just waiting outside his room
"Ah Lucas, I trust that you are somehow well with how lovely the atmosphere has gotten at the moment? I have come to announce that his royal highness, Lord Hausen, the marquess of Caelin, has requested your immediate summoning. Follow me when you are ready. I shall wait for you outside of the room."
With that, Eagler then stays by the doorway as each member of the legion bids goodbye to Lucas and waits for him at the royal court where Lord Hausen is currently occupying and waiting for Lucas' return into being.
"But, Lucas, you can barely move with the state you are in now…" Lyn points out.
"I will be fine if I have my spear to prop myself up," Lucas says before trying to make himself stand but ends up nearly falling if it were not for Lyn catching him. The tactician and Lyn see each other and turn their faces away from each other out of embarrassment.
"I can help you, plus you are in no condition to be walking around," Lyn answered as she regained her composure and reached for Lucas' lance before handing it to him and supporting his body as he attempted to get up from the bed by letting his left arm rest over her shoulder.
"Forgive me for being this rude." Lucas apologizes sheepishly as he moves the weight of his body on his feet and spear. Making sure that Lyn's assistance was as minimal as possible as he walks alongside her.
"That is something you should say to a normal girl. I am not one of them," Lyn proudly answers while helping him walk out of the room and meet up with Eagler.
"I noticed." Lucas says grinning in his usual confident manner.
"Are you ready?" Eagler asks for confirmation.
"We are…" Lucas straightforwardly answered, taking Eagler off his guard from his swift response before chuckling lightly and a polite answer.
"Well then, let's get a move now shall we?"
The tactician passes through the long hallways with Lyn supporting him as they follow the older paladin into a wide, spacious, and humble courtroom with a red carpet path lined up by members of the legion on one side and soldiers of Caelin on the other.
"Come now, young man. There's no more time to recompose yourself before milord," Eagler straightforwardly deadpans with a smirk despite his old age.
"Oh please," Lucas responded as he and Lyn passed onto the red carpet and followed Eagler all the way to the end of the pathway, placing themselves before Lord Hausen of Caelin on his throne.
"Lord Hausen, I, Lucas, the tactician of Bern, am at your service." Lucas says with a weak bow, due to his aches and pains, as a way of making a formality to the aging marquess.
"Forgive me if it seems rude for me to use your granddaughter as a crutch." He apologizes, ruffling the back of her hair. "She simply insisted and I cannot deny such a request from her."
"Well, that shows there's no denying that she's inherited my daughter, her mother's stubborn nature. I can understand that quite well, young man," Hausen replies politely with a smile upon Lyn's face. "Besides, if it weren't for you, I may not have the chance to at least gaze upon my grandchild without your help, much more as to how I may be able to live till then or never," he adds fretfully.
"That is true and false, Milord." He answers back respectfully much to the surprise of the rest of the legions. "It wasn't just me who escorted your daughter back to Caelin, it was mostly the idea of two certain knights, one of whom I believe tried to flirt with her." Lucas adds as he glares at both Kent and Sain, the latter whispering to Kent, trying to ignore Lucas' glare.
"Well, as long as my granddaughter is entrusted in good hands, I can finally rest in peace after knowing from looking at her appearance. However, with a personality she inherited from her mother, she insisted that I must continue to live for her sake and for the sake of all the citizens under my care. So is where my position is now as the marquess of Caelin," Hausen jests, embarrassing Lyn from his comment before slowly standing up from his throne and having General Eagler assist him descend down the small steps and walk close to Lyn and the tactician.
Lucas immediately shys away out of uneasiness from the marquess, knowing that something was wrong because marquesses never leave the throne unless they are giving out punishments and whatnot.
"Sir Eagler, would you please?" Hausen commands, motioning Eagler to get Hausen's gilded royal rapier and anoint the tip of its blade onto Lucas' shoulders with a profound announcement.
"I, Hausen, marquess of Caelin, with the power I hold in my realm, henceforth, name Sir Lucas, a noble knight of the household of Caelin!"
Lucas blinked for a second. There was no way that he could be a knight, as his main occupation is as a tactician and not a knight. In his mind, he tries to find excuses but is barely able to process and properly sort out his thoughts as he is stunned by the marquess' bold declaration of which he deemed himself unworthy for such a title.
"Lucas, is something the matter?" Lyn asks, snapping Lucas out of his being dumbfounded by the fact her grandfather named him as a knight in his domain.
"I-it's nothing Lyn," Lucas answered back as he moved closer to Lord Hausen to whisper in his ear. "Lord Hausen, I request to have a private audience of your highness, there are certain matters that I wish to address."
Hausen nods before going back to keep formalities up with the other knights of Caelin. Soon Kent and Sain surround the tactician into a joyful embrace until Wallace comes in and holds all of them into a bear hug as each of them and the Caelin knights congratulate him with a ton of praises. And making the poor tactician cry out because of his recent injuries. Soon there was celebration that lasted throughout the day as the whole marquedom celebrated in the crowning of its newest knight. As the sun left and the moon arrived, the tactician slowly sneaked away from the drinking game that Ren was having with Sain, Wil, and Wallace to Lord Hausen's quarters and waited for him to arrive in silence for their urgent meeting. It took awhile but Lucas's mind was still preoccupied with thoughts, most particularly about who were those people that attacked the group when Lucius, Nils, and Ninian joined up? What did those siblings have to do with them? What did Ren have to do with those people? What was the strange new tattoo that appeared on his right forearm? He knew for certain that he would not get any answers here. Especially if he looked in the records of castle Caelin. His train of thought was interrupted with Lord Hausen arriving inside.
"I see that you were waiting for me." Lord Hausen says gently, taking a seat on his bed as the tactician stood near him.
"Yes, Milord. I do not mean to be rude, but do I have to call you that? I still do not really feel accustomed to the whole nobility thing."
"Oh do not worry yourself for that simple matter, we are alone at the moment after all, so I permit whatever address you have for me," Hausen assures, calming Lucas from the pressure of being one of his knighted men.
"Thank you sir. Now, about the reason for this private conversation, it is that I wish to quickly depart Caelin shortly. There are still some things that I wish to know. And I feel that I cannot learn anything about them if I continue to stay in Caelin." Lucas explains.
"...Very well, you may have felt a tad tired from all the excitement and grandeur being hailed as a knight joining my house," Hausen perceives.
Lucas thanks him before he leaves but before he leaves the room. "Oh sir, by the way before I leave, I have one last question."
Hausen wonders with his full attention to Lucas' question.
"Go on. Do tell please," he permitted.
Lucas looks down and starts fumbling and fidgeting with his thumbs "Let me just say that...I want to start courting your granddaughter. I wish to marry Lyndis." Lucas says blushing and trying to cover his face. "I humbly ask your permission and blessing in marrying her."
Hausen, upon hearing this, had his eyes wide open from his statements before letting out light chuckles in response and probes on Lucas.
"I have noticed how attached you are to my granddaughter as she was to you," Hausen points out, making Lucas flush red in embarrassment from his blunt acknowledgement. "I cannot blame her since she is the spitting image of her mother as how she is taken to men like you. Perhaps this is also the consequence for my intentional negligence towards Madelyn for rejecting her and her husband in the past. Now, this is the fate I accept if that is how my grandchild will tolerate me to that similar extent." He fretfully admits with a lax smirk on his cheery old face.
"I see…" Lucas says sort of happily that he was accepted into the family before partially disagreeing with Hausen's admittance of being an unfit parent, or in this case, an unfit grandparent.
"I do believe in some way that Lyn will continue to love you and truly cherish you. As you have heard, she just lost not just her family, but her entire tribe that is under her father's care by a group of ruthless bandits. I could see that she was scared and alone for sure, but the moment your emissaries, Sain and Kent, came to us and mentioned you, I could never forget the time her eyes shone brighter nor the fact that her grin was as large as the crescent moon the moment she knows that she still has a family outside of those plains and was excitedly eager to find and meet you, which is the entire reason we persevered and got this far around Elibe," Lucas explains with confidence and content from reminiscing the past journeys they had.
Hausen, in response to his long answer, laughs with joy as how Lyn truly treasured a frail old excuse of a ruler as her precious family, despite the wrongs he has done to her late parents. He then exhales before turning to Lucas with a straight and serious glare.
"Young Lucas, I have a proposition to ask of you as well…"
"What would that be?" Lucas's eyes glimmered when he heard the word proposition.
"Once you have finished what you must as soon as you depart, please return home safely, with an entourage if you will, and I shall properly let Lyn give herself willingly into your care. Of course, I would love to hold a huge celebration on your behalf...it is the least that this old ruler could do...for a granddaughter that I have nearly killed by my own pride," Hausen replies, shocking Lucas to his very core with the word "home" pertaining to his entire domain and own manor.
"M-milord I–"
"No need to be formal, Lucas. Truth be told, I have placed much trust in you from the number of times Lyn kept mentioning you after I had been healed from my critical condition while you were unconscious. In my opinion, that appears to be enough of a testimony to me. After all, you did bring me my granddaughter here safe and sound," Hausen commends, making Lucas embarrassed and flustered at the same time from all the commendations and how much Lyn has mentioned him.
As the tactician and the marquess continue having their hearty conversation, the door behind Lucas banged and was left open, getting both the marquess and the tactician's attention. Lucas then turns to the door and opens to reveal Lyn and Florina who surprised the tactician while muttering something about how it is impossible to get privacy.
"Lyn? Florina? What are you two doing here exactly? And where is Ren? I thought he'd be with you two," Lucas deadpans from their silly antics as they recompose themselves before answering Lucas.
"U-um, he says that there were things that he needed to finish elsewhere and departed early with Matthew for some reason. It was strange why they needed to leave urgently tonight, b-but I think he has his reasons!" Florina yelped, trying to defend Ren's absence.
"Ho ho? Why are you so defensive about him? Are you not afraid of the company of men?" Lucas teases, making Florina's bright red in embarrassment that she screams and exits out of the hallways.
"One problem down, now for another one. Lyn, what are you really doing here?" Lucas asks once more with his arms crossed as he interrogates Lyn.
"W-well, we overheard from Sir Eagler that you requested a private meeting with my grandfather, so we tried looking everywhere for you for quite some time until we, well, ended up here?" Lyn nervously answers while fidgeting with her fingers.
"...Damn her sheer cuteness…" Lucas thinks in his thoughts before clearing his throat to tell Lyn of his next plans for the future. "Lyn, I'm gonna be straight with you: first thing in the morning, I am leaving Caelin."
Lyn, upon hearing Lucas' plans, gets awestruck as if her world shattered then asks Lucas with her face downcast.
"W-would you mind...telling me why?"
"Well, about that um… You see...?"
The old marquess spectates the two youths from afar before breaking the awkward silence with an awkward declaration of their agreement.
"My granddaughter, allow me to relay what Lucas and I have discussed. As he has mentioned, he will depart Caelin soon for his own personal matters. However, he and I have statedly agreed that once he is done with what he is looking for, I urged him to return to Caelin at once, so that I may be able to formally give you two the time you will need to "bond" further, as I would say," Hausen replies with a joyful expression, making Lyn nearly faint from the way her own grandfather is being so lenient to her desire of getting to know Lucas more. Lucas, upon hearing this, burns bright red from the choice of words that he made regarding Lyn.
With all that is said and done, the tactician and the swordswoman bid the old marquess a good night's rest before awkwardly walking beside each other along the dark manor corridors, naturally lit by the stars in the night sky. As the two of them finally reach their neighboring quarters, they say their goodnights before retiring for the day and looking forward to tomorrow.
As day breaks once more, the tactician carefully packs his belongings, his essentials, even his extra clothing while not forgetting his trusty lance and spear before exiting the room and inspecting an open door of the adjacent quarters.
"She must've woken up early, as I expected of her," Lucas thought before slowly walking down the corridors, enjoying the sights of the interior design as well as carefully treading down the stairs, and accidentally meeting with remnants of the legion that slowly left Caelin for their own personal matters while Florina and Wil have decided to stay as permanent members of the Caelin household and as members of the knight order. He then finally made it out into the manor's gardens, seeing Lyn being a strict instructor of the flirty cavalier Sain and kicking him off of his mount before pointing to his face with a short wooden rod.
"Ah fine milady, you win, again as always," Sain admits defeat as he props himself back on his feet and pats soil dust off of his armor plating.
"You should refrain from using flamboyant techniques very often. In my opinion, they may be useful to provide diversions against an unknown foe, but they can leave you quite vulnerable to other unsuspecting moves as the one I used earlier. Ren has taught me this tactic to often subdue an opponent as swift and less deadly as possible," Lyn explains. The tactician decided to watch them have a couple more rounds of sparring, wherein Lyn kicks Sain's butt again and again. As soon as they were about to start another round, Lucas decided to interrupt them.
"Well, I hope I am not interrupting anything here." Lucas decides to call out, getting Lyn distracted from his voice and has her attention on him, ignoring Sain who froze from barely bludgeoning her delicate head with his wooden practice staff.
Suddenly, Lyn and Lucas exchange glances from afar and look at each other with content before realizing that they are not alone and quickly turn their faces away to hide their blushes. Unbeknownst to Lucas, Kent appears to him from behind with a quick announcement.
"Ah Lucas! Good morning. I see that you are packed and ready, but before you go, his majesty inquired of me to give you something that may aid you in your journeys to come," Kent replies as he leads Lucas to a certain rack of a variety of lances and spears laid on the rack.
"His majesty wishes to give one of these valuable lances for you to choose to bring with you, make your choice," he adds, showing the rack containing a steel lance, an axereaver, and a short spear.
Lucas whistles before turning to Kent. "This is quite the collection. I suppose that these were either his or Lundgrens." He says while moving closer and trying to inspect each of the spears.
"Actually they are all of Sir Eagler's collection," Kent blatantly answered, making Lucas grow nervous in response to his answer.
"I would want to choose the silver spear but it'd be probably heavier for me…" Lucas says rubbing his hand through its sleek design and its sharp tip.
"...but I believe that the axereaver would benefit me in the long run."
"I believe you will make good use of the weapon. You are a strategist that retained his logic in some sense," Kent humorously comments, making him reminiscence the dangerous gamble he dealt with Lundgren long ago, shaming Lucas for that event.
As Lucas takes the pike-shaped axereaver from the rack of varied polearms and puts it on his hind slot as he stretches a little bit. Accidentally, Kent could see the new tattoo that was on his forearm, but did not pay much mind to it.
As Lucas is finally set for his leave, he stops to Lyn who was taking a short break after her short sparring session with the flirty cavalier and stood to Lucas in response to his appearance.
"Are you...leaving now?" she softly asks while holding her arm uneasily, before being pulled into a side hug by Lucas. He replies tenderly to her to assure her.
"I am, but I promise to return to you eventually. I swear it."
Ending on that note, he releases his hold on Lyn and makes his way out of the manor's gardens but not before turning his back to smile back at her.
Little did each of them know, it would be a year before they would see each other again.
Chapter END