Fire Emblem Fan Fiction / Fire Emblem Fan Fiction ❯ Fire Emblem: The Bow of the Winds ❯ A Flicker of Destiny ( Chapter 2 )

Fire Emblem: The Bow of the Winds

A Fire Emblem Fan Fiction by Keiya Taiko

I do not own Fire Emblem, which is owned by Intelligent Systems. If I did, I should have made the wise decision to ship FE many years ago along with the Fat Italian Plumber and his Effeminate Italian Plumber Brother.

If you take any part of this fic and use it on your own fic, or your own website, without my permission, well, then, I should say… Imitation is the best form of flattery. Thanks.

Anyway, on with the story!

============================================================== =============

 

Chapter 2: A Flicker of Destiny

 

“You think he's going to be okay?” Elbert looked worriedly behind him. Dayan and Rika were riding on Fukien, but Dayan was riding behind Rika. His face was pale, and it looked like at any moment he was going to fall off the steed.

 

“This was the first time that he lost someone dear to him…” Nami said, looking sorrowful as well. She was riding behind Gyotan. “Therefore, I cannot blame him for how he acts now…”

 

“But, such a young age to become a leader.” Hassar commented, his arms crossed as he walked alongside Madelyn. “And such an early time in his life to experience pain in its purest form…”

 

“It couldn't be helped.” Kei said calmly, gazing at the clear blue sky. “Give him some time, and he will be back to normal.”

“I guess so…” Hassar said. “But, he is the leader of what remains of the Kutolah. He has to be strong in order to lead them…”

 

“Dayan…” Rika looked behind her, seeing his eyes, once full of life, now empty and without meaning. It pained her heart to see him like this, and she wished she could do anything for him.

 

Unfortunately, all she could so was just be there for him… Though at times, they'd get into fights, he's still the person who understands her the most.

 

============================================================== ======================

 

“Please, make yourselves at home…” Hassar said, inviting Kei, Dayan, Rika, Elbert and Eleanora into a ger. “I will take Lady Nima to my mother's tent, Madelyn to mine, and report everything to the elders. Until I return, feel free to roam around.”

 

“Hassar…” Elbert said calmly. “will you and Madelyn tell us why you left Lycia? It's not like you to be like this…”

 

“Alright.” Hassar replied, nodding. “I will inform my mother of everything that has happened, and then we can talk. Will that be alright with you?”

 

“Yes, I guess…” Eleanora said, sitting herself on the mat inside the ger. There were also some chairs, and the linen walls were decorated with Sacaen glyphs. “Later will be fine.”

Hassar nodded, and then left the tent. Elbert stood up, and then put his weapons away.

 

“I would very well like to explore this village.” He said. “I would like to know as much of Sacae as I can during my stay here…”

 

“Then I'll come with you.” Eleanora, said, standing up and accompanying Elbert out of the ger.

 

“I need to ask the elders something about this matter…” Kei said, moving out behind the two. “Rika, please take care of Dayan.”

 

And so, Kei left, leaving Rika and Dayan all alone. Rika sighed, then sat beside Dayan, who was on one corner of the tent, looking worried. Dayan hasn't said a word ever since that conversation with Gyotan, and he seemed to have lost any will to live.

 

Sighing, she caressed his pale face. It was cold against her palm, but yet then tried to raise it up for her to see his eyes.

 

“I know… how painful it is…” she said softly, her other hand pressed against her heart. “When my mother died… I wanted to follow her… to our ancestors… but…” her arms left his head and her chest, and they both held him close. “If I did that, then I wouldn't have met you, Dayan… It's not your fault… please, don't hurt yourself like this… it hurts me more… to see you like this…”

 

She began to sob, and pressed his head against her neck, holding him tightly. It was for what seemed a long vacuum of silence that he spoke.

 

“I… never even got to say goodbye…” Dayan, said softly. “The last time me and my father met… he… was angry… because I was sloppy with a sword.” He laughed a bit. “And now… I can't even show him that I'm improved… at least a bit…”

 

Rika too this opportunity to take his bandanna off, letting his dark brown hair free, before she held him closer to her, whispering softly in his ear.

 

“Your father loved you very much…” she smiled, tears running softly down her cheek. “I'd remember him telling me and father about how strong you are, or how skillful you were with bows… or how you'd always do the funniest things at the right times…”

 

“Haha, yeah…” Dayan said, smiling a bit. “I guess he did remember a lot of them.”

 

“The point is…” Rika said calmly, wiping away her tears. “The Kutolah need you, Dayan. You have to be strong. Uncle Roku didn't make you the chief not because you're his son… it's because… he knows that you're a strong-willed person.”

 

“I guess…” Dayan said, using his bandanna to dry his tears. “After all, the old man did say this bandanna he gave me was a symbol of my strength…

 

“Hee hee, that's the Dayan I know.” Rika said, running a hand through his hair. “Okay, I think its time we moved on. After all, this is the beginning of everything, right…?”

 

“Yeah, I guess…” Dayan rests his head against her neck. “The beginning… of everything…”

 

While Dayan rested his head on her neck, the ger curtain opened a bit, and they saw a small head that had a clump of bushy light green hair to it. It turned out to be a girl about twelve to thirteen years of age, with deep blue eyes and an innocent smile.

 

“Um, excuse me…” the girls said, blushing a bit, seeing that she seems to be interrupting something private. “Have you… seen a white kitten around here?”

 

“No, not really.” Rika said, edging a bit away from Dayan, her whole face red as her robes.

 

“Hm, okay…” the young girl said. “Thanks a lot… if you see her anywhere, please tell me…”

 

The curtains closed, and they could hear scampering footsteps outside.

 

“Heh… I'm tired… Dayan said, relaxing further onto Rika.

 

“Don't worry, I'll take care of you…” Rika said, resting his head on her lap, as she lay him down. “Sleep now, and dream.”

 

Dayan sighed, as she caressed his hair gently, smiling. He soon fell into a deep sleep, and then, she bowed her head, and felt herself floating away as well.

 

============================================================== ======================

 

“Madelyn, Hassar, thank you for keeping us safe…” Eleanora said, sitting down on the mat alongside Elbert, and in front of Madelyn and Hassar in Hassar's tent.

”We can't let you die, because doing so, we would have failed our friends.” Madelyn replied, smiling a bit.

 

“But, that doesn't change the reason why we're here.” Elbert said calmly. “Madelyn, Lord Hausen is worried about you. Please, cease this and come back to us in Lycia.”

”I'm afraid… I cannot…” Madelyn said, her eyes refusing to meet Elbert's or Eleanora's.

 

“The reason why we left Lycia is because of Marquess Caelin.” Hassar replied quietly. “He… adamantly refuses and cannot accept our love.”

”What do you mean?” Eleanora said, looking confused.

 

“It has been a year since…” Madelyn said, closing her eyes and smiling. “Hassar and I, first met, when he was assigned as my personal guardian by my father.”

”Yes, I remember that.” Elbert said, laughing a bit. “Darrin and Sigmund would throw small pieces of grapes at Hassar's face, and he wouldn't even move an inch… then again, I'm not very fond of Darrin or Sigmund's ideas of what is fun.”

 

“During that time, I fell in love with Madelyn. And she fell in love with me with me. We decided to tell her father about it.” Hassar said, maintaining his calm face. “But, Marquess Caelin refused with all his will and strength that such a marriage be allowed.”

 

“After all…” Madelyn said sadly, looking at the floor. “The Lycian nobles are allowed to marry even peasants, but just as long as they are from Lycia, Eturia or Bern. Because for father, and most of the nobles, Sacaens are… they are…”

 

“Barbarians, mongrels, infidels…” Elbert said, seeing that Madelyn couldn't say it out loud. “I know, because my father is one too. For them, Sacaens are just slaves. I don't know why they look down on them so much…”

”Maybe because we are radically different.” Hassar said, his hand clenched into a fist. “Because our eyes and our hair are different from them… because we do not believe in what Elimine teaches, and hold faithful to our traditions… because we do not dress like them… just because we are the proud children of the plains… they think of us worse than dogs and mules. The people of Ilia are held much higher above us, because they willingly work for those who `rule the land'…”

 

“I… I'm sorry…” Eleanora said. She seemed hurt about the matter, especially when he mentioned the part about the teachings of Elimine.

”It's not your fault.” Madelyn said, smiling. “But, please understand why I left. If father doesn't approve, then I don't care… If he hates the Sacaens so much, then I'll become of them that he hates. I'm not alone… I have Hassar with me…” she then leaned onto his shoulder, smiling.

 

“Then, I guess it's settled.” Elbert said, nodding a bit. “I'll report no traces of you here in Sacae, no matter where I try to look for you. Will this be alright?”

 

“I believe that is the best answer for now.” Madelyn replied. “Thank you, Elbert, for understanding…”

”It's fine.” Elbert said. “So, I would… like to stay here for some time until things calm down. Would the future Lorca chief and his future wife be willing to show us around?”

”By us, you mean Eleanora too?”

”Of course!” Elbert said, smiling. “She's one of us, right? No matter who we pledge our allegiance to, we'll still be friends.”

For the first time since they met again, they saw Hassar's face break into a smile.

 

“You really are an idealistic bigot, like what Madelyn says.” He said, which made Elbert shoot a small glare towards Madelyn. “Well, so, shall we get going?”

 

“Alright, then.” Elbert said, taking Eleanora by the hand, and following Hassar and Madelyn into the heart of the village.

 

“This is the center of our village. A great fire is always lit up here at night to bring everyone together…”

 

============================================================== ======================

 

“Hmm… we were not anticipating that a Bearer would also visit us,” an old man said calmly. “And bringing bad tidings too.”

 

The village elders, comprising of some of the most matured warriors of the Lorca clan, were gathered and seated in a small circle around Kei, who was seated at the stump of a tree in the outskirts of the village. Kei had a serious face, and seemed to have a worried look.

 

“Forgive me for suddenly imposing this on you,” Kei said. “But as you can see, Bern and Eturia are beginning their moves. The battles in the future are inevitable, but we mustn't fight them alone.”

 

“What power do we have to fight them?” another man asked. “Eturians have the power to conjure fire and lightning, ice and the winds, whereas Bern wears iron on their bodies, and bring us death from the skies…”

 

“You have the brave hearts of the plains.” Kei said calmly. “As long as there is strength and pride in your hearts, you can never lose, no matter how much the odds are.”

 

No sooner had he said this, a man who was riding a horse rode near the area where they were talking, looking worried and distressed. He fell off his horse as it neared them, and Kei rushed to his aid.

 

“E… Eturia…” he whispered. “They came…”

 

“Shhh… it's alright. You're safe now.” Kei said, helping the man up, supporting him as he tried to walk. “Please bring him food, water and a bed. He must be tired.”

 

“Yes, that we will do…” one elder said.

 

“And… please, do not speak to anyone of me as a Bearer…?”

 

“Yes, we understand…”

 

============================================================== ======================

 

“I am Juppo, of the Houzou clan of Eastern plains.” The man identified himself, seated on top of a bed, drinking some water calmly. “My people, because we believed in settling problems in ways that do not involve fighting, we surrendered to the Kingdom of Eturia with special conditions. However, they killed my father then and there, and appointed my brother, Duppo, as the new clan chief. I escaped, with my brother telling me that the Lorca are till safe. And to tell them a message…”

 

“I am Hassar, the chief of the Lorca.” Hassar said. He was with Dayan, Elbert and Kei, as well as a village elder named Yazu and Madelyn, who was taking care of Juppo. “I will accept your message.”

”The… Eturians will arrive here tomorrow noon.” Juppo said, bowing his head. “They will strike down the Lorca, who are housing the nefarious Kutolah clan.”

”What!?” Dayan exclaimed. “How dare they call us nefarious! After they have killed all my friends… women… children…”

 

“Calm down.” Kei said, tapping his shoulder. “A leader should always show a cool face in times of danger.”

”They are striking with about 2,500 men, more or less…” Juppo continued. “around a third are Houzou warriors. They are led by a man named Fortes, who's also known as the Magic General…”

 

“Magic General…” Yazu said, sitting down. “One of the Three Great Generals of Eturia. This could only mean that it is the Eturian King's true orders to take us down…”

”But why?” Dayan asked. “Why would Eturia attack us unprovoked? We had a good relationship with them, seeing that one of the fastest and safest ways to get their supplies to Bern and Lycia were through out plains…”

 

“There is a huge power struggle in Eturia.” Kei said. Dayan saw that Kei's mood changed from he light-hearted, to the serious in such a short time. “The rivaling houses of Eturia's upper class are all killing each other off to name who is king. Aside from that, Eturia fears that Bern or Lycia may invade them, so with this coming of this new king, Lundan of the house of Caerleon, he wants to show that his nation is not weak. That is why he is showing off his power and taking over Sacae…”

 

“Are Lycia and Bern even interested in Eturia?” Hassar asked, as they sat together around Juppo.

 

“Lycia right now is governed by curs who wish to foster relationships with Bern and Eturia, in hopes that each individual house would share in their glory, while Bern, as we know… the King Galahad, even with strong opposition from Prince Desmond, is amassing and assessing his troops.” Kei said. “That is why ten years ago, he decreed a law that Wyverns can only fly in Bern territory. Any Wyvern Knight who works for a different cause will be put to death. In this way, he can have a monopoly of the skies. The Pegasus Knights of Ilia have a small number compared to Bern's Wyvern Legions. If he unleashes his power, then I doubt if anything is safe from Bern's wrath.”

 

“I see…” Elbert said. “There are so many things I do not know… so many things I want to know…”

 

“Don't worry.” Kei said calmly. “But, right now, we need to think of how to deal with this threat. Hassar, please gather all the village elders in the great fire.”

 

“And who are you to tell me that…?” Hassar said.

 

Then, a smile came to Kei's face. He stood up, a confident calm stance, and then said these words firmly.

 

“I happen to be a tactician. And besides, our friend Juppo needs his rest. We need to make sure he gets his rest tomorrow.”

 

============================================================== ======================

 

“Alright, everyone is here…” Kei said, looking at the men and women seated and standing, gathered around the great fire. Hassar, Dayan, Elbert, Rika, Madelyn and Eleanora were all amongst the crowd. “As you all know, according to the report of Juppo of the Houzou, the Eturian forces are advancing, and being led by the Mage-General Fortes. They are about 2,500 strong, and they have among their ranks Houzou fighters.”

 

This caused quite an uproar among the people. Houzou fighters were extremely skilled and powerful, though they prefer not to fight as much as possible. Few began to lose hope, but Kei held a hand up to ask everyone to listen to him.

 

“Lord Hassar, how many men do we have?” he asked calmly, expecting the answer.

 

“We have… as of present, about 500 men.” Hassar said. “There is not enough time to call out to the other clans, but I have asked for help from them. I doubt they will be able to reach here by noon.”

 

“Then we just have to hold.” Kei said. “In order for a small force to defeat a greater force, we need strategy. Now, either you will follow me, or I will consider you as an obstacle to victory. Do we understand each other?”

 

The crowd fell silent, and then Kei began to explain his strategy.

 

“Lord Hassar, please select 100 men from our troops, and then separate them from our current force.” He said calmly. “As you all know, there is a forest to the east, before you reach this village. They will most likely come from the north and east. The 400 troops will be under the command of Lord Hassar, and will act to engage the enemy. Meanwhile… the 100 will hide in the forest, and then once the signal is given, the 100 will then charge forth from the forest to attack the enemy from the rear.”

”Sounds like a good plan, but…” Hassar said. “What you are asking for is suicide. The 100 will most likely die in battle.”

”I have already taken care of that…” Kei said. “I have sent a messenger to the Houzou Clan Village, spreading the rumor that the Eturians will kill them once they have taken over the Kutolah and the Lorca for Eturia.”

”Hmm… I see… but, how is a rumor going to help us…?”

 

“The Eturian military have a small hold on the Houzou.” Kei said. “They have killed the chief, for a first. The warriors comprise of about 700 or so men. If we attack the enemy commander from the rear, we might be able to convince the Houzou to fight for us. Once they have, then the enemy force will be reduced, and we can fight on somewhat equal grounds.”

 

“You seem confident of victory.” Hassar said. “I like this plan. I'm going along with it.”

 

“Then again, what other plan do we have?” an elder asked.

 

“So… who will be the one leading the 100?” Hassar said. “I cannot, because it might be too obvious it is an ambush because the chief is missing…”

 

“I have also planned that out.” Kei said. He walked over to Dayan, much to the surprise of many.

 

“Dayan… no, Lord Dayan.” Kei said. “Son of Roku, the Berserker Wolf. You are to lead the group of 100 warriors into battle. You will ambush the Mage-General Fortes, and will force the Eturians to retreat from this land. This may sound an arduous task, but, I pray you do it… for everyone.”

 

Dayan was taken aback. He did not expect that someone would select him for the mission. After all, he was still a weak, scrawny kid at heart. But, he had no choice now. He knew what he had to do.

 

“I… I will accept the mission.” Dayan said, nodding firmly.

 

“Then let me accompany you.” Elbert said, standing up. “I may not be of the Lorca or the Kutolah, but I wish to seek out justice in the world. My lance is your to command, Dayan.”

“I will too.” Rika said, standing with the two. “I made a promise to Dayan to stay and protect him, and that promise I will keep.”

 

“And me! I want to help out!” a small, gentle voice said from the crowd.

 

It belonged to a girl, about 13 years of age, having neck-length light green hair, and a blue cape, wearing an Eturian-styled dress. A white kitten was perched on her shoulder as she stepped forward.

 

“Hey, you're that girl…” Dayan said, but he immediately stopped when Rika stepped on his foot.

 

“Iris.” An old woman said. “You are well now?”

 

“Yes, I am.” Iris said calmly, smiling. “Nino is too, see…?” She was referring to her kitten. “I just want to pay this village back for helping me… It's been a year since, but I wish to thank you by protecting this village.”

 

“Then, I guess there is no choice but to let you…”

 

Kei nodded, and then said. “Please go with Dayan's group. You might prove to be much more useful there.” He then clapped a bit and then announced, “Alright, there is plenty of things to do! It is roughly noon now, so we have to prepare for battle. Do not worry, we will win.”

 

The group cheered, “Victory!” and then began to bustle. Women and children began to weave lucky charms from the men who will go into battle, as well as the women who would go into battle. The men began to sharpen their blades, and began to train hard. It was only a day away, so they need to get ready.

 

“Lord Hassar, Lord Dayan…” Kei said. “Please, let us meet in private to discuss the details of this strategy…”

 

“Alright.” Hassar said, and he entered the ger, accompanied by Elbert, Madelyn and Eleanora. Dayan was going inside when Rika held onto his shoulder.

 

“Dayan…” Rika said, looking worried. “Do you think, tomorrow… are we going to win?”

 

“Well, I don't know…” Dayan said. “I'm very uncertain that we might win, though. Things can go wrong…”

 

“I guess…” Rika said. “But, don't worry, Dayan. I'll protect you from everything. That is because… I made a promise…”

Dayan smiled a bit, and then held her hand.

 

“And I promise… to keep you safe too, Rika.”

 

============================================================== ======================

 

Well, that's all for this one. Hope you liked it.

 

The flash of steel blinds the maiden of justice. You are right, because you have won. An enemy confronts you, and you must ill him, no matter who he is.

 

As you hold your sword in your hand, and then engage into combat, will you think of these things while your blade breaks the life of yet another man? Will you begin to understand the grim reality of war? Or will you be blinded by glory and pride, wanting to bring more death?

 

Next on Fire Emblem: The Bow of the Winds: The Fated Arrow.