The Fifth Credo

Ike found Lucina hunched over the body of Frederick. She had dust in her hair. Her knuckles were bleeding.

He walked up to her, but she didn't take notice of his presence until he spoke. "We can't stay here. The guards have given up the residence. There might be members of the Black Fang around."

"I know." Her voice lacked emotions. She had left them all with Frederick, and Frederick was gone.

Ike stood only two paces away from her. But with all her prayers and even the thrones she had sat on, she had never seemed farther away than now. No sacrifice cripples the determined man; the words came to Ike on their own. Easy enough to say. It was what he should say. But he said nothing.

Nightfall had long since captured Ostia, but the raging firewall illuminated the terrace and painted bloody images onto the broken house front. The body of the marquess in the drawing room next to the turned-over table added some context to the story. Even without a word from Lucina, Ike could piece together the rest. The Black Fang had already attacked. He had come too late.

Falchion rested in the dust next to Lucina, but Ike still dreaded to leave her out of his sight. What a nifty trick these accursed gods had pulled. Ike carried a legendary golden sword on his back, and even Roy had admitted its power. If Ike had accompanied Lucina, if he had stuck with what he had wanted to do anyway, Ragnell would have stood between her and the attackers. But Frederick had gone with her instead, and his sword lay in shards across the terrace.

One hell of a nifty trick.

Damn it all.

On his way deeper into the residence, Ike sliced the dinner table in two, even though it hadn't stood in his way. The clang of Ragnell striking the tiled floor drowned out his curses. No one else listened.

Ike searched the manor for assassins, but the shadows creeping along the walls only stemmed from the firewall. After wandering through a silence to match of one of those Altean graveyards, Ike found the room with Lucina's and Frederick's saddlebags. And the Binding Shield which sat in one of them.

Of course Lucina had taken it with her, it clung to her like the crown and the words of a dead father. All of this for a stupid piece of gold. He could drive Ragnell into the engraved dragon's heart and be done with everything. No more gods, and no more divine tasks dragging them along until one of them stumbled and cracked.

Frederick had stumbled.

With a curse, Ike dragged the Lifesphere from his pocket and shoved it into its place on the Binding Shield. Only then did he return to Lucina.

She still sat where he had left her. Sometime ago, she had to have tried to lift the piece of rubble from Frederick; the stone had cut her hands open.

Ike dropped the saddlebags and went to work. After several moments, the tiniest spark of purpose returned to Lucina, and she helped him with the rubble. Together, they lifted the stone far enough for her to pull Frederick free. The stone had crushed his lower ribs and maybe his hips too. In the tales, knights died heroic deaths on a battlefield with their sword in their hand. But Ike hadn't believed in the tales since he had been seven. Now, a ghastly reminder as to why stared him in the face.

Those who believed in Naga were buried. Ike didn't need Lucina to remind him. They did that together too.

In the marquess' garden grew a steadfast orange tree amidst all the fig trees twisting and craving for each other's light. Ike and Lucina carried Frederick there. And between the roots of the orange tree, they buried him.

Night marched on, and so did the firewall. They didn't have time to inscribe a proper gravestone. Lucina ripped an empty page out of Marth's diary, and although her breath rattled and her knuckles had begun bleeding again, she wrote without trembling:

Here lies Frederick

Farrier's son

True knight and general of Altea

My brother

Lucina bound the letter to a stone with a strip of cloth and placed it at the orange tree's foot. It would have been easy enough for Ike to put an arm around her. He should offer her his shoulder instead of his silence. But he didn't.

They rode all throughout the night. Ike pried enough information out of Lucina to figure out that they were following the road to Caelin, an insignificant village at the foot of the eastern mountains.

While riding, he kept his eyes open for signs of the Black Fang; a snare across the road or the traitorous shimmer of an arrowhead between the grass blades. Nothing disturbed their ride, but Ike still abandoned the road at some point, just to be safe. Lucina followed without a word.

One time, she asked about the Binding Shield.

Ike said he had it with him, complete with the two spheres.

She nodded and trotted onward.

The dark shape of the mountains grew larger in front of them, and a steady breeze fought back the clouds above. Ike almost wished himself back to the desert heat. The first snowfall had already coated the highest peaks in white, and judging by the wind, more would fall before the end of the week.

Lucina asked about Rath.

Ike said he was on his way back to the capital and out of danger. She had to have sensed the lie.

But she only nodded.

After another hour, Ike couldn't keep up this game anymore. He was tired, the horses limped on their last reserves, and if someone didn't pull Lucina from her saddle soon, she would ride all the way into Naga's five hells. Frederick wouldn't have wanted…

Ike couldn't bring himself to finish that thought.

He stopped his horse by a shallow river. Polished white stones stretched at the bank. The sun had climbed to a gap within the mountain ridge, and the babbling water glittered when it meandered downhill. The fresh conifer scent of the mountains already tickled Ike's nose. He led the horses to drink while Lucina sat down at the shore and washed the blood from her hands.

Why her? Hadn't she lost enough in the name of her stupid goddess? And hadn't Ike promised to fight with her in this battle instead of watching her crack on the shore of some wretched river like a complete idiot?

Ike stubbed his foot on a stone and cursed loud enough to vex the horses. They whinnied and searched for more pleasant company to drink. He looked down at the culprit: a small tower of river stones, now knocked over by Ike's antics. Several of these towers stood on both sides of the river, each of them five stones tall. A miserable little marble city. It made no sense. Nothing did, but this forgotten city of sunken aspirations struck him as particularly bizarre.

Lucina was building her own little tower. Ike sat down next to her.

"I've read about this place in a book," she said and dug for a third stone to add to her tower. Her voice was bare and detached. "I didn't think I would ever see it myself."

"And what's the deal with it?"

Ike needed to keep her talking, if nothing else. As long as she talked, she wouldn't disappear into her thoughts.

Lucina placed a third and a fourth stone on her tower. "It's a sacred place for the followers of Naga. Those who succeed in all five credos wander to this river and build a tower to celebrate. One stone for each credo they mastered. Even after they die, the towers remain to remember their accomplishments."

"You've built actual towers for the Glass Fortress. These stones here prove nothing."

"Maybe. To have faith in Naga is easy. Even if I have seen myself struggling there too. When I made peace with Pherae, maybe that was enough to live in harmony with my surroundings. I spread Naga's word, and I fought her enemies. It's all here in this pile of stones."

"What's the last one for?"

Lucina reached into the river and picked out a fifth stone. The small, polished thing shimmered between her fingers. "To give up all earthly attachments."

Ike swallowed. Just keep her talking.

"Like giving up gold and silk and such?" he asked.

"If it were that easy, you would see more towers here," she said to the stone. "I'm closer to it now. Closer than ever. My father never made it. I can succeed where he failed. It's all I've been doing… all along."

"We'll always feel like we owe our parents. I've been there," Ike said. Lucina looked at him for the first time since their parting on a grassy hill a lifetime ago. "But it's a terrible motivator. You'll always be treading in someone's shadow."

"And if I do this for myself?"

"I don't believe you. Lucina, you're not Marth's or Archanea's or anyone's redemption."

"You're right. I'm not." Lucina lowered her gaze back to the stone. "I'm cold. And he… he won't be there to wrap his cape around my shoulders. So why? Why hold onto anything if I'm going to lose it in the end?"

She lifted the fifth stone towards her tower. Ike caught her hand and held tight.

"I'm still here," he said and gently pulled Lucina's hand back. "For what it's worth, I'm still here."

And finally he wrapped his arms around her.

Her shoulders shook as he held her close, and the stone slipped from her grasp.

"He lied," Lucina cried, and the tears dripped onto Ike's tunic. "He said he would stand by my side no matter what happens, and he lied!"

"I know." Ike choked, held her closer. "I know."

He wanted to tell Lucina that everything was alright. But not even he could make that sound believable. So he held her close amidst the small towers of Naga's followers while the sun climbed higher. It warmed his face. And maybe, it helped Lucina battle the cold for a little longer too.

Caelin matched Ike's expectations perfectly – cramped, dusty, and smelling of horse. Some brilliant mind had moved their horse breeding business into the village a few decades ago and had probably earned themselves enough to coat every wooden post of their paddocks in gold. That left sand, gadflies, and dirty straw for the rest of Caelin. On most house fronts, the wooden shutters dangled from their hinges. The sight was as miserable as Ike felt himself. At least the main road lacked all traces of the Black Fang. But sooner or later they would figure out that Rath had left for Lycia without the Binding Blade and that Lucina had survived the disaster at the marquess' villa. Besides, as the banished Altean queen, Lucina wasn't exactly welcome on Pheraen territory.

Ike resisted the urge to draw Ragnell against a passerby in a tattered dark cloak. He made for a terrible royal guard.

The stud farm outside the village stood out of the question; too many eyes, and with their luck, someone would recognize Lucina's stallion as a thoroughbred gifted by Rath. But aside from a crooked tavern, Caelin had little else to offer for tired travelers and those on their way to slay a dragon.

Said dragon and the sphere that may or may not have born it where the only things dragging Lucina forward. Ike hated the idea, he hated every minute out in the open on hostile land, but he let himself get dragged along with her until they reached the sandy crookedness of Caelin's center.

He stopped under the rusty tavern sign with an inevitable horse icon. "Do you think the owner rents us a room if we ask nicely? We can hardly offer the Binding Shield as payment."

Lucina absentmindedly stroked her horse. "I don't want to stay too long."

"Well, I would prefer some sleep before I go off and get myself killed by some magical nightmare creature."

Poor choice of words.

A jolt shook Lucina, and her gaze went through Ike, as if he had already turned into another ghost for her to mourn. Great. Why didn't he slap himself, maybe that would shut up his dumb mouth.

Ike knotted his reins around the post outside the tavern and then did the same for Lucina's horse. After a short inner debate, he grabbed her shoulder, and her gaze refocused on his face.

"Hey, we got this," he said. "Maybe the death of the dragon will even put an end to the fire wall. You know, cut off the head and watch the enemy army crumble. And then it's only two more spheres to go. You're the best fencer I know, and I like to think I'm passable enough myself. We'll get through this. Both of us."

The smile Lucina gave him was laden with sorrow. But it was a smile. "You're more than passable."

Ike threw a last look at the balcony overhead but found neither the flashing of a ragged dagger nor a shadow with blood-thirsty intentions. For the moment, they couldn't hope for safer conditions. He pushed the tavern door open, and they both stepped inside.

Dimness and muffled conversations greeted them. The small windows, meant to protect against sandstorms lashing Caelin from the heart of Sacae, allowed little daylight to enter. Even at around midday, candles dotted the tabletops and illuminated the rims of winecups and the weathered faces of grim guests. An expected mix of luckless farmers and desperate merchants gambled with dice – though never with one another. Glares rose from half-finished drinks and narrowed when they noticed the two swords attached to the two newcomers. In short, a tavern the likes of which Ike had visited too often when he had searched for recruits to add to the Altean rebellion.

One exception to the standard picture sat at a table near the back, framed by a handful of merchants. The girl rested her chin on her folded hands and examined Ike. She had to be the only one this side of Ostia able to afford a tunic and scarf in a rich purple color. Looking at her table, it wasn't hard to guess why. A game of Imperial Blockade stood in front of her, a deceptively simple dice game that brought the best tacticians to the breaking point. Bets tended to reach deep into the pockets of players, and spectators found plenty to gawk at. The pile of gold coins in front of the girl spoke volumes as to who was winning the game.

She didn't lose sight of Ike and Lucina once while she picked one of the three dice and rolled. Her opponents groaned. Two figures wandered from the board, and with a smile, the girl completed her three-layer blockade; the most acclaimed way to win the game. Gold coins found a new owner, and the three defeated players left the battlefield.

"Care for a match?" the girl asked and rearranged the figures to their starting position.

If anyone hadn't turned their attention to Ike and Lucina already, now they certainly did.

Lucina shook her head. "I don't play."

"Maybe your friend does." The girl flicked a coin between her fingers.

"I don't have enough gold to waste," Ike said.

The girl smiled. "That can be arranged. I think your sword would suffice as a bet."

"Look, kid, we don't have time for your nonsense. Just tell us if this tavern has any rooms to rent out."

"It does."

"Great, then we'll—"

"But they're taken. By me and my companions." The girl beamed. "I would be willing to leave one of them to you. If you can win a match against me. Deal?"

Ike was tired of games, he was tired of this day, and he was especially tired of anyone standing between him and an hour of sleep. If he raised eyebrows, so be it. If Naga struck him down for not living in harmony with his surroundings, damn it, he would take that over her cryptic fetch quests any day. He marched towards the girl and slammed his hand on the table. Several blockade figures clacked onto the floor. Lucina said something about caution, but he ignored her.

"How about this deal?" he asked. "You generously give us the room, and in return, you get to keep your hands."

"Ike, leave it."

Although Ike had positioned his sword arm a mere dozen inches away from her neck, the girl didn't flinch. Her eyes darted from his face to his belt. There, now robbed of the concealing folds of his cloak, hung Linus' Black Fang dagger. The girl traced the ragged edge with her looks.

"You're one of them," she said. All girly softness vanished from her face

"What?"

But Ike didn't get a chance to elaborate on his question, let alone figure out the girl's deal, because she raised her hands and a storm erupted out of her palms. The table between them flipped, blockade pieces swirled across the tavern room, and the wind knocked Ike from his feet and right through the door. Lucina shouted something.

Ike climbed back to his feet. A fireball flew over his head and struck the dusty street in a burst of sparks.

A mage. Of course he had to run into the only tavern with the only girl skilled in the magic arts.

Lucina ran to his side, Falchion at the ready. Together with her, Ike faced his opponent.

The girl stepped out of the tavern. Fire swirled around her arm, and the wind answered her call, tearing at her scarf. The wooden shutters trembled on their hinges.

"You won't live long enough to tell Ursula about this," the girl said. "Speak your last prayers if you have a god who will hear them."

Ike raised Ragnell. The girl was insane and without a doubt deadly, but he had fought mages before. He knew how to counter them. At least in theory. In praxis… he had collected a couple too many burn scars to count them.

The fire grew into a small sun above the girl's hand. Ike braced himself.

Then, a door to the balcony above the tavern flew open. Out stepped a woman with flowing blonde hair. The way she carried her bow would make the best Lorca archer proud; when she drew back the string, she shot to kill. Her cold eyes assessed the three fighters below before they stopped at the girl mage. Her mouth hardened.

"What's the meaning of this, Katarina?" the woman asked.

The girl, Katarina, didn't back down. The storm whipped the street around her all the more violently. "They're from the Black Fang!" she shouted. "I saw his dagger!"

The woman's expression could freeze the desert itself. "It was only a matter of time, I suppose," she said and drew an arrow from the quiver on her back.

They had passed the point of talking their way out of this; Caelin's dusty road would taste blood today. Lucina opened her mouth in an attempt to reason regardless when the woman on the balcony turned around. A second figure stepped into the open beside her. Dark robes rustled. The storm died in an instance; only a soft breeze toyed with black strands.

Ike couldn't believe his eyes. No way…

"They are not from the Black Fang," Soren said. "Come inside. I will explain everything."

Notes: Hope you liked this quieter chapter to mourn Frederick's loss. (If we can speak about liking, given the subject mater.) At least we can take comfort in the fact that when one ally is lost, another one might just step forward in a moment of need. I did tell you I had plans for Soren, didn't I?