CHAPTER 26

Ike and the Greil Mercenaries, having returned to their original headquarters, were finally home at last. Mist, Ike's sister, could not believe how long it has been since they were last there. Kamaria, the pegasus-riding Falcon Knight, could believe it, though.

"Things really have not changed here, have they?" asked Samantha.

"Yeah." said Ross, Samantha's brother. "I don;t thing anything has changed here at all."

"Too bad I never got to meet Greil…" said Kito, Kamaria's brother.

"Yeah…Captain Greil was a nice man. Too bad he was gone too soon…" said Kamaria as she frowned.

"But we have Father's legacy to look after: The Greil Mercenaries. Us, that is!" Mist said.

Soren, the tactician for the Greil Mercenaries, went to grab Ike aside for a minute, saying that there was a visitor at the door for him.

"Send him in." Ike ordered.

Ranulf, the blue cat laguz, later walked in to see Ike.

"Ike!" yelled Ranulf. "Long time, no see!" he exclaimed. "You're never home anymore. How've you been?"

"I've been surviving out there, Ranulf." said Ike. "It's good to see you again. Is Caineghis well?"

"Oh, yeah, he and Skrimir are top notch, more than ever." said Ranulf.

"Ranulf, seeing you again brings back good memories. We could not have won the Mad King's War without Gallia's support. And yours too." said Ike.

Ranulf laughed everything off and said, "Same goes for you".

"Speaking of friends of old, I saw Princess Leanne in the courtroom not too long ago." said Ike. "Apparently, she was saying something about me saving her brothers. What exactly was she talking about, Ranulf?" asked Ike to Ranulf.

"So she's heard?" asked Ranulf. "Let me get to the point. The bad news, that is." Ranulf said. "War has come to us once again. It's something called the Laguz Alliance. Made up of Gallia, Phoenicis, and Kilvas, they are setting out against the Begnion Empire." Ranulf explained.

"And I am guessing it's going to escalate quickly?" asked Ike.

"It already has." said Ranulf.

"I really thought things were getting better…" said Ike.

"I thought so too…" said Ranulf. "Rafiel, one of the heron brothers, brought back some news from Daein. He had learned that senators from Begnion ordered the extermination of the heron laguz."

"And now I am guessing this is why the laguz are against Begnion?" asked Ike.

"Apparently, yes." said Ranulf. "The laguz are spurring themselves against Begnion. This is why I came looking for you. We need your help."

"Let me gather my mercenaries up." said Ike.

Ike left to gather up his troops. "Very well, then." Ranulf said.

Ike gathered his troops, and left for the camp of the Laguz Alliance. There, Gallians Lethe, Mordecai, and Lethe's twin sister Lyre and the tiger Kyza, as well as the entirety of the Laguz Confederation Legion led by beorc Cecily Fliesher, were all there with lion laguz Skrimir, the nephew of Gallia's mighty Lion King Caineghis, and the tiger laguz soldiers Luganda and Daelyn. There, Ranulf discusses Flaguerre, a fortress city located near the Begnion border. He suggested that the fortress city be stormed fast at night. So fast that the enemy would not have the appropriate time to take the position into battle.

"Finally it is a chance to rend my foes." said Skrimir.

"But why wait until nightfall?" asked Cecily Fliesher. "We'll be cowards like that!"

"Did you not hear Ranulf, Captain Cecily?" asked the female cat laguz Feradina. "We don't want to have the enemy troops deploy their soldiers."

"...Right, right." said Cecily.

"So what should be the role of the Greil Mercenaries?" asked Kamaria.

"Yeah." said Kamaria's brother Kito. "What would be the role of us ragtag Greil Mercenaries?"

"We'll have you guys take out the fire mages and the ballistae." said Ranulf. "They are bad news for the laguz."

"Great!" yelled Kamaria. "So the fire mages are on us! But I'll avoid the ballistae, though. I don't want my pegasus to get shot." said Kamaria.

"Good call, Kamaria." said Soren.

"Should we head out now?" asked Ike.

"I call an end to this meeting. Time to do some killin'!" yelled Skrimir.

"Sheesh…" said Ranulf. "Ike," spoke Ranulf to Ike, "Are you sure about siding with us laguz changelings? I mean, you are a beorc."

"I know, Ranulf. But I can't abandon a friend in need." said Ike.

Ranulf did nothing but sigh.

"Ike! Wait for me!" yelled Mist.

"Mist, I really didn't want you coming along." said Ike.

Mist was not going to make another mistake like she did when her father Greil died three years ago. She wanted to be by her brother's side, as everyone was family in the Greil Mercenaries.

"If you don't want to cause your family any grief, then live…" Ike said as he remembered his father's words from three years back. "...Mist, come on. I'll watch over you."

"I'll keep an eye on her with Boyd." said Kamaria.

"Thank you, Kamaria." said Ike. "Mist," Ike spoke to his sister, "Stay where Kamaria, Boyd, or other adults can see you. It'll put my mind at ease." said Ike. "but I'll be watching you too."

Mist agreed with Ike, promising that she would be in his or another ally's sights.

"Come on, everyone." said Skrimir. "Let's go fetch some enemies!" he said as he shifted into his lion form.

"Very well, then." said Ike.

Ike and his army later left for battle. The Laguz Alliance's fights were just beginning.