CHAPTER 27

The great but rocky Marhaut Mountain Range was a series of jagged peaks that spread across southern Crimea. There, the Crimean Liberation Army was going to face more Daein soldiers. But meanwhile in Phoenicis, home of the hawk laguz, Leanne was with a kind-hearted green-shirted hawk named Lotz. King Tibarn was there too, asking Leanne how she was feeling. Speaking in her native language of Ancient Tongue, she stated that she was feeling the most splendid she had ever felt.

"It's good to hear you are well, Princess Leanne." said Tibarn. He sighed afterwards, noting how much of a wonderful day they were having.

"I just wonder if Leanne was getting used to the smell of the sea…" asked Lotz.

"It's nice…" Leanne said in Ancient Tongue.

"Ah, ha! Yes! The sea!" Tibarn said. "O ho ho, the seas od Phoenicis. The hawk tribe can indeed smell it well…" Tibarn later went outside, took a sniff at the fresh sea air, and said that the sea smelt wonderful for a beautiful and wonderful day.

"King Tibarn!" said a female hawk servant of color.

"Yes?" asked Tibarn.

"I just wanted to let you know about Prince Reyson. He has passed safely into Marhaut's mountain ranges." said the woman of color.

"Splendid!" Tibarn said.

"...Lotz, you're not looking so good today…" said the woman of color.

"Wh-wha–oh." Lotz said. "Sorry about that."

"You're fine." said the woman of color. "Oh by the way, it's time to put your plan into action, King Tibarn."

"Very well." Tibarn said. "Lotz, help Leanne pack."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Lotz said. Tibarn later left.

"Tee hee hee!" Leanne laughed.

Lotz could barely understand Leanne's language. She wasn't speaking the Tellius Language, like Lotz was speaking. Then, Leanne was caught screaming. The Black Knight was right behind Lotz. He died a bloody death when he stabbed him.

"If you want your father dead, by all means keep screaming." said the Black Knight.

"Father…" Leanne spoke in Ancient Tongue.

"Hmph. I am making my leave." the Black Knight said. He later left a note on Tibarn's nesting bed.

Back with the Crimean Army, a young boy was speaking to Ike after he had hired Calill's husband, Largo, into the army. The boy, around eight, was very sad because all he had left was his mother and no home after his father was killed and after the house he lived in burned down from a fatal fire set upon by Daein forces. Ike told the boy not to worry and that he would make Daein pay up their prices on setting the war upon Crimea. However, Kamaria noticed something in the distance where a huge windmill was standing.

"Ashnard's gone mad on our whole damn country now!" said a young man.

"Ma'am, we soldiers of Daein found this talisman and a vulnerary as well as a laguzguard on your desk." the soldier said. "Have you been harboring sub-human freaks?!" asked the soldier.

"We are being honest with you, we know nothing of the Gallian beast fang tribe laguz changelings joining forces with the Crimeans!" a youthful woman said. Their house was later boarded up and burnt. Kamaria saw the event unfold, and quickly swooshed down to rescue the people inside the home.

"It's an officer on a Pegasus Knight!" said a soldier on a wyvern.

"We must take her!" said a captain. "Forces! Capture that Pegasus Knight! Leave her no life to faithfully live!"

"Sister Kamaria, what happened?" asked Kito.

"Those wyvern soldiers are after us!" answered Kamaria in exclamation.

"Fliers, deal with the Wyvern Riders and Wyvern Lords! Jill will be your vanguard captain." ike ordered. "Everyone, move out to the target area and deal with the forces up the mountain!"

"Now we've got you! Eat rock!" yelled a soldier.

"Eat rock?" asked another soldier.

"Heh, I'm pretty clever." said the soldier who quoted "eat rock".

"Everybody! Dodge these rocks! Ike ordered.

"Eeeeek!" Elincia said.

When the soldiers were about to push the rocks, Tibarn struck the six soldiers with his talons and his beak, tearing through their fabric clothes and scarring their faces and armor.

"Need extra hands here?!" asked Tibarn as he untransformed to his humanoid state.

"Tibarn!" yelled Reyson. "You came!"

"King Caineghis is waiting for us at the foot of these mountains." said Tibarn. "It's best we get going." Before they got going, the hawk woman of color and a hawk man of color showed up.

"Lotz got killed, and Leanne's been kidnapped."

"DAMN IT!" said Tibarn. "Damned Daein bastards that would seriously take Leanne away from the great Phoenicis Hall?!"

"Just…" said the hawk laguz woman of color.

"Let's go!" said the hawk laguz man of color. Everyone later went to see King Caineghis. But after King Caineghis was indeed greeted with a nice welcome from the army, there was no more time to waste as the final showdown with King Ashnard was drawing near. However, there were two tests the army had to face: Fort Pinell and Nados Castle. There, Daein forces and a group of permanently transformed laguz known as Feral Ones were peacefully waiting for them.

After the meetup with King Caineghis, a pegasus was heard. It could not have been Kamaria's pegasus, as she was on the ground feeding her's. But the answer shocked Ike and made him question himself. The answer about who's pegasus was had to do with Elincia. She was flying the male pegasus that belonged to her great-grandmother. Elincia, however, was a little nervous. Geoffrey, however, told Ike that Elincia perfected riding and flying and she had skills with a sword and staff.

"It'd be best that we have Elincia anyways." said Ike. "We could use more fliers on our side for patrolling the skies."

"Yeah." Lucia said. "Geoffrey is against this, but the princess' great-grandmother was a renowned Begnion Pegasus Knight before marrying into House Crimea."

"I am shocked that she was able to hide armor and a flying horse from Daein's elite army." Ike said. "But there's fighting that has to be done."

"Then the sword Amiti shall rise to its name!" Bastian said. "Elincia, do be careful out there." Bastian said to Elincia.

"I will." Elincia said. Elincia then mounted and joined Kamaria and Marcia and even Tanith as an official soldier of the Crimean Army.

"So… Elincia is now joining us? Interesting. Interesting indeed." said Felidae.

"I find it quite intriguing." said Izzy. "Sounds like I'll need to watch out from now on." Everyone continued to march forth after cutting and fighting through Daein soldiers on the plains near Fort Pinell. As the group was about to arrive at Castle Nados, little did Ike know that he would have to face his father's killer and rescue a bunch of people trapped inside Nados Castle. The final battle was drawing near.