Fire Emblem Fan Fiction ❯ Fire Emblem Tellius Saga: Book 1 ❯ CHAPTER 16: BORDER CROSSING ( Chapter 16 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

With Greil and the others gone, Ike’s group changed into a widely spaced wedge formation and hurried out of the forest as soon as possible. Mist and Rolf were holding Elincia’s hands at the center, and the three were commanded to stay together no matter what happened. Rhys strode in front of the princess, beating a path for her through the underbrush, which was thickening as the trees grew younger and smaller. Twenty feet ahead of Rhys was Ike at the point of the wedge. Flanking him on the right and left were Titania and Oscar, each set back two dozen yards at an angle of thirty degrees. Soren and Boyd were stationed another twenty yards behind them on either side. Titania and Oscar’s horses were easiest to see, and that helped everyone stay in alignment.

When they finally reached the end of the trees, their wedge collapsed into a line against a dense thicket. While the others kept low and quiet, Soren and Ike crawled on their hands and knees under the thorns to get a better view of the wide meadow, pebbly shore, and river beyond.

The river had two bridges, one stone and one wood, a half-mile apart. Daein soldiers milled lazily on either side of the river, and Soren estimated forty soldiers were currently stationed here. The stone bridge was closest and more heavily guarded.

Forty would be enough of a challenge with only six mercenaries, a princess, and a couple children at Ike’s disposal, but Soren was now worried for Greil as well. He couldn’t help but notice that the meadow had been trampled by many people and animals. A much larger force had camped here, perhaps as early as last night, which meant the battalion would still be in the area. This was the main force Greil, Shinon, and Gatrie would be ‘distracting’, and suddenly Soren’s diversion strategy felt like folly.

“So they’re waiting for us after all…” Ike finally broke the silence.

“There are more of them than I’d imagined there would be,” Soren admitted in a whisper. “I thought they would have been more spread out across the forest border.” He shook his head. “I didn’t expect to see so many in one place.”

“Do we rethink our strategy?”

“No,” Soren answered firmly, “we’ve already split up. It’s too late to reconsider now.”

“Isn’t there some way we can at least get the princess, Mist, and Rolf to the far shore safely?” Ike pushed.

Soren thought for a moment and formulated a plan. “There are two bridges. This thicket extends to the edge of the western bridge. If we can use the trees as cover, we might be able to reach it undetected. From there, we can launch a surprise attack.”

“We’ll be creating a diversion, right?” Ike smiled.

“Correct. While we keep the enemy’s attention—” he pointed to the stone bridge “—the princess and the others can cross to safety.” He pointed to the wooden bridge.

“We’ve got no time for discussion. That’s the plan we go with,” Ike declared.

He and Soren crawled back out of the thicket, where the others waited. Ike quickly translated the plan, and Elincia’s expression grew more distressed with each word. “My lord Ike,” she finally cut in. “I- I will fight with you!”

Soren could hardly believe what he was hearing. Even though he’d deduced that Elincia must have held a sword before, he still couldn’t imagine the noblewoman actually standing her ground in battle. She would falter and flee, and she would be right to do so.

“No, you won’t,” Ike declared firmly.

“My lord?” She seemed hurt by his response.

“I cannot let you expose yourself to danger of any kind. Everyone here is risking their life to ensure your safety. If you understand that, you’ll cooperate and do as I ask.”

“I see…” Elincia ran her gaze over the mercenaries. “I will do my part.” She was clearly trying (and failing) to hide the disappointment in her voice.

 “It’s settled then,” Titania declared, mounting her steed.

“Right!” Ike clapped his hands together. “Let’s break through their lines! Mist, Rolf, take care of the princess. Do not let yourselves be seen!”

“Right!” Mist saluted.

“Leave it to us, Ike! We’ll just pretend it’s a game of hide-and-seek. And I never lose at hide-and-seek!” Rolf assured.

Ike drew his sword. “Everybody ready? Let’s go!”

The mercenaries scurried to the edge of the thicket while Elincia, Mist, and Rolf ran toward the eastern bridge. When Ike finally gave the signal, they burst from the underbrush in a loud, boisterous attack. With the element of surprise on their side, they quickly defeated the few soldiers guarding this side.

Horns of alarm were blown, and shouts went up from the opposite shore. The enemy commander was calling his troops to meet the mercenaries’ attack. As predicted, the soldiers stationed on the eastern bridge immediately ran to the summons.

“Trap them! Trap them!” the enemy commander hollered, making clear his plan to confine the mercenaries to the bridge, limit their maneuverability, and slaughter them before they could reach the opposite shore.

However, the Greil Mercenaries were not so inexperienced as to fall for that. Oscar and Boyd defended their claim to half the bridge while staying in range of Soren’s long-distance attacks from the safety of land. Ike and Titania also kept their feet and hooves on solid earth, handling the soldiers who charged across the meadow from the eastern bridge.

When these soldiers were dead (and the eastern bridge well and truly unmanned), Titania rounded her horse and shouted a terrifying war cry. Boyd jumped up onto the parapet to make way, showing he could be surprisingly nimble when the situation called for it.

With their steeds snorting and frothing, Titania and Oscar charged down the remainder of the bridge, cutting down the soldiers they could reach and forcing others to jump into the water to avoid the crush of their hooves.

Ike and Boyd were charging behind them, and Soren and Rhys pulled up the rear. In the distance, Soren saw the hem Elincia’s orange dress escape her leather coat while she and the others flitted down the eastern bridge. Fortunately his plan seemed to be working, and no Daeins noticed them. They were too preoccupied by Ike and Boyd, who had run along the parapets on either side, successfully getting in front of Titania and Oscar as soon as they’d lost the momentum of their charge.

They were at the end of the bridge now, but the enemy commander had had ample time to form a strong defense. Ike and Boyd were slashing relentlessly with their sword and axe, but they couldn’t break onto solid ground, and therefore Titania and Oscar couldn’t use their mounts effectively. They were stuck.

Behind the swordsmen Ike and Boyd were battling, well-positioned spearmen were jabbing their weapons up at the heads of Titania and Oscar’s distressed horses. Behind the spearmen were archers, and try as he might, Soren couldn’t get an angle on them with his wind magic. (It didn’t help that he had the butt of Titania’s stallion in his face.) Meanwhile Rhys was doing his best to heal a wound that sliced through both Oscar’s leg and his horse’s side. If he didn’t close it fast, the mare would give out, sending man and beast into the fast-flowing waters below.

Little by little, the mercenaries were being pushed back. Even stuck in the back as he was, Soren knew Ike and Boyd were waning. They were injured, but Rhys couldn’t reach them and neither could they retreat. Using the parapets again to get behind the horses would mean exposing their backs to the archers. Their proximity to the frontline was the only thing blocking them from the deadly arrows now. But this couldn’t go on much longer. Something had to change, or they would all die right here.

 “Soren to the front!” Ike called, which was not a command Soren was used to hearing. But he did agree it was the only maneuver they had.

He climbed onto the parapet and was so focused on not losing his balance or getting feathered with arrows that he was taken completely by surprise when Titania grabbed him. “Alley-oop!” she called, sliding smoothly around in her saddle so she could seize him in both hands and swing him around front. Soren’s stomach dropped when his feet flew over the water, but it returned to him when he landed in the embrace of Ike’s left arm.

“The archers!” Ike ordered as soon as his feet had touched the ground.

 Soren didn’t have time to be dazed, so he extended his hand to the nearest archer and called the incantation: "*Spirits of wind, slash the flesh before me!*" The spell was sloppy but powerful. It may not have killed the archer, but it blew him, the man to his right, and the man behind him off their feet.

In the commotion that followed, Soren delivered more acutely aimed spells into their necks when they tried to rise. Meanwhile Ike and Titania were stopping anyone from chopping his own head off.

“A mage!” Ike warned beside him. Soren turned his attention to a middle-aged man wearing the robes of a Daein fire mage, who’d stepped up to take the archer’s place.

Soren repeated the spell as quickly as he could, but he wasn’t fast enough. Winds ripped into the mage’s right arm and shoulder a moment after his fireball had already materialized above Boyd’s head.

At the sight of the fire forming, Oscar’s horse had whinnied and backstepped several feet. This gave Boyd enough room to avoid a direct hit, but his right boot still caught fire and the flames were racing up his pantleg.

“Boyd!” Oscar screamed. He backed his mare up even farther, giving his brother room to roll until the fire was only smoke and pain.

Meanwhile the mage had retreated to have his injuries treated by a Daein cleric. Soren cursed his poor aim and wished he’d managed to kill the pesky magic-user. In truth, he wasn’t used to fighting them. According to Sileas’s teachings, those who practiced magic developed an affinity with spirits and were therefore less effected by spell work. He should have concentrated harder.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on failure. With Boyd momentarily out of commission and Oscar too far away, he, Ike, and Titania were alone. Soren chanted Wind spells as quickly as he could to keep the soldiers from overwhelming them, even if his blasts were merely pushing soldiers back or to the side, rather than causing any serious damage. He broke their stances and interfered with their aim, and that was enough for now.

“It’s too congested here!” Soren called, momentarily switching to the common tongue. “I recommend sending Oscar and Titania around!” He hardly allowed himself a breath between the final word of his advice and the first word of his next spell. 

Ike nodded without looking away from his current opponent. “You heard him! Take the eastern bridge. We’ll hold them here!”

“Are you sure?” Titania asked, wind-milling her poleax into the next soldier who came close enough for her to reach.

“We’ll be fine!” Ike assured, “Go!”

Since Oscar was already farther back, he twisted his steed first and bolted down the bridge. Rhys, who’d been healing Boyd from behind, threw himself out of the way. Titania followed Oscar, and Boyd got to his feet, chest heaving, eyes wide. A moment later Rhys narrowly avoided two arrows and yelped in surprise.

“Rhys, fall back!” Ike ordered, and he obeyed while Boyd reclaimed his place at Ike’s side. Soren was not given the same order, so he stayed right behind the two young men.

There were two archers left, so he turned his full attention to them now. He shot the ancient words with sharp bursts of his breath, willing the winds to sharpen into a flurry of flying blades. They cut deep and repeatedly into one archer, until he fell from view and did not rise again. Soren turned his next spell on the final archer, but with more room to move, he avoided the attack. Soren accounted for this when aiming the third spell, fanning it out until the winds found their mark.

Finally free of the barrage, Ike and Boyd could use what Greil referred to as ‘tide’ tactics. They fell back and pushed forward at their leisure, forcing the soldiers to pursue them a few steps and leave the guard of their neighbors. Here Ike and Boyd had better mobility and could more easily kill or maim any careless soldier. Meanwhile, Soren assisted them with well-placed spells.

Titania and Oscar had reached the opposite shore and were now charging in their direction, but the Daein commander had adapted his defense and sent a phalanx to meet them with pikes outstretched. If Ike and Boyd couldn’t push onto dry land at the same time Titania and Oscar reached them, then Soren’s strategy would have done nothing more than separate them and endanger both parties.

Distracted by this concern, he wasn’t paying attention to the fight in front of him. A Daein axman swung from the side, catching Soren in the hip and sending him to the ground. The second blow might have taken his head if Ike hadn’t caught it on his blade and begun wrestling the man for leverage.

Using the parapet for support, Soren limped back to Rhys. Pain exploded through his side and down his leg with every step, and he cursed his carelessness. Since he was short, most attacks came at his head torso; he wasn’t always vigilant about defending his legs. But this axman had been rather scrappy himself and must have had the instinct to strike low.

“Stay still,” Rhys ordered, prising Soren’s fingers from where he clutched the gash as if to keep it closed. “Does it feel broken? Dislocated?”

“I don’t think so,” Soren hissed.

“Then you’re lucky.” Rhys gripped his Heal staff in both hands and muttered the command word: “*Heal*.” A green glow appeared over the wound, but Soren’s mind was already back on the battle. Ike and Boyd were fighting for their lives only steps away, and Titania and Oscar were fighting for theirs in the field beyond. But the Daein commander was successfully keeping them separated.

Now was a terrible time to have an injury like this, and Soren was anxious to get back in the fight. The others couldn’t do this on their own. With this thought in mind, he pushed himself off the parapet and began limping back. The green light faded.

“I’m not done!” Rhys scolded.

“Do you have your light tome?” Soren asked in response, not turning around. It still hurt to walk, but at least every step wasn’t sending a wave of blood down his leg.

“I don’t know what help-”

“We need a distraction,” Soren cut him off, “if only for a moment.”

“…Okay,” Rhys agreed, following him closer to the battle.

“*Sp- Spirits of light, devour- de-devour-*” Rhys fumbled. “*Spirits of light, devour the flesh before me!*”

A bright burst of light erupted above Soren’s head. It wasn’t enough to hurt anyone, but it called the Daeins’ attention and temporarily blinded any soldier who happened to look at it.

Soren knew the opening was coming and sent a lance of wind into the Daeins on the right side. The gust cut deep into one soldier’s chest, throwing him to the ground, and unsteadied two others who were then swiftly felled by Ike and Boyd.

“Push now!” Ike ordered, and they pressed their advantage while the Daeins were still reeling or wiping their eyes.

Titania and Oscar were less affected by this distraction, but they didn’t need it. They had the open grass on which to better use their steeds now, and their coordinated maneuvers were finally dividing and disorienting the soldiers who’d been sent to stand against them.

“We have them!” Ike called above the clash of battle. “They can’t stop us now!” His smile was broad with assured victory, and he didn’t even seem concerned by the fact he’d taken a blow to his left arm and was now fighting one-handed. Rhys was following him like a timid moth, trying to get him to pause and let himself be healed. But now that they were beyond the bridge, Ike refused to stop.

Soren limped forward as steadily as he could beside Rhys and behind the relative protection of Ike and Boyd. The mage who’d retreated before stepped up for another bout, but Soren was ready for him this time.

This mage was a decent incanter, but his spells were on the slow side. Even with only one good leg, Soren had time to predict the fireball’s trajectory and avoid it. He didn’t give the mage the chance to utter another one—sending a blade of wind slicing through the air as fast as he could. The mage hit the ground, his cloak soon turning an even deeper shade of red.

When he looked up, Soren saw that they’d finally reunited with Titania and Oscar, and together the others were making short work of the remaining soldiers. The Daein commander called back his troops into a defensive formation with himself at its center and his back to the trees. Despite the composure of his well-trained stance, his face betrayed his disbelief. “What’s this?” he gasped, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Then the rest of his training seemed to kick in, and he hid his fear and bewilderment behind false confidence. “They’re not so bad!” he laughed to his troops. “Let’s go, men! Hit those mercenary scum with everything you have!”

The six mercenaries met them with just as much grit, and before long, Ike was able to cross blades with the commander himself. Rhys had managed to heal his arm enough that it was no longer oozing blood against his shirtfront, and he no longer held it clamped tight to his chest. But neither did he seem able to use it for anything more than balance. Soren could only assume he’d pulled away from the healing session just as he had.

“I will not let you take one more step,” the enemy commander cried, but the warning fell flat given the fact that his troops were dying around him.

Ike shrugged his injured should and held his sword outstretched. “Then I guess I’ve no choice but to cut you down and walk over you!” He fell into combat with the commander, and they ferociously whittled away at each other until only one could get to his feet. Soren watched but didn’t intervene; he didn’t need to this time.

Ike was left standing, while the commander collapsed with a groan. Blood came to the edges of his mouth, and Ike withdrew his sword from the man’s diaphragm. “My life ends here,” he gurgled, “but though you flee to Gallia…you will—” he hacked a glob of blood “—fall to Daein.” The final words were a whisper, and his eyes widened in death.

Titania was finishing off the last armored knight, which just left a Daein cleric struggling to his feet. Soren eliminated him with a sharp Wind spell, which easily passed through his black-embroidered white robes and fragile flesh. Titania frowned disapprovingly over the knight’s shoulder, but Soren didn’t feel guilty for killing the unarmed cleric. They couldn’t afford to leave survivors who would carry news of their crossing to the nearest Daein encampment. It was as simple as that.

By the time her opponent fell, Titania seemed to have forgiven the execution. Rather than scold him, she dismounted and began assessing the damage to her horse’s legs and haunches. “Poor boy,” she crooned, prodding the scratches marring the stallion’s white coat.

Oscar was checking the burn on Boyd’s leg, and Rhys was approaching Soren on clumsy feet. His white robes were as splattered with blood as Titania’s horse, and now that the battle was over, he was seized by his usual weakness. Soren thought for a moment he might pass out, but his face was serious enough. “Let me finish that before your cause permanent damage,” he ordered more forcefully than Soren would have expected.

He was not fond of the idea of having a limp or nerve damage the rest of his life, so he readily acquiesced. Limping to the nearest tree trunk, he leaned against it with his leg outstretched. Rhys healed the wound again, and the pain eased to a faint ache.

“You may have a scar from the interrupted healing,” Rhys said finally, “But it shouldn’t bother you now.”

Soren tried his weight again and was relieved to find he could walk almost completely normally. It felt like no more than a deep bruise, which was incredible considering the size of the gash that had been there. Rhys was an exemplary healer, and the mercenaries were lucky to have him. But Soren wasn’t about to start handing out compliments. “See to Ike’s arm,” he said instead.

While Rhys did this, Soren helped Titania and Oscar retrieve their discarded backpacks and saddlebags from the other side of the river. When they returned, Ike looked better and had full use of both arms “Let’s get out of here,” he said, accepting his pack from Titania. Soren could tell by he was anxious to reunite with his sister and the princess.

 

They entered the woods, which gave way to another meadow before long. This one was smaller than the riverside field, and it touched the corner of an oxbow lake—their predetermined rendezvous. Elincia, Mist, and Rolf were sitting in the tall grass, but they leapt to their feet when they saw mercenaries.

Ike shook his head in relief. “I don’t know how we made it…”

“Brother!” Mist ran to him.

“My lord Ike!” The princess also pranced toward him.

“Mist! Princess! Rolf!” Ike raced to meet them halfway, where he hugged Mist tightly. Tousling her hair, he glanced at the others. “Are you all okay?”

Soren and rest of the mercenaries followed at a regular pace.

“Yep!” Rolf gave a thumbs-up. “We’re fine.”

Mist tugged on Ike’s torn, red sleeve. “So is this Gallia?” she asked, “We made it, didn’t we? We’re safe now, right? I thought I would feel different, but I don’t.”

“This is all due to your efforts.” Elincia ran her big, sad eyes over the bloodied mercenaries. “Thank you.”

“Princess…” Ike stared at her, apparently lost for words.

Soren decided he needed to step in. “It’s too early to rest easy. The others haven’t rejoined us yet.”

“Ah!” The princess shook her head as if refusing to forget such a fact again.

Titania tried to comfort her by addressing Soren: “We’re talking about the Commander. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”

“Father…” Ike murmured, staring at the ground. “Shinon…Gatrie.” A defiant gleam lit his face, and Soren realized what he must be thinking. 

“Princess Elincia!” Ike turned to her suddenly. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to part ways here.”

“But what do you mean?”

“We’re going back to aid our companions,” Ike answered firmly, “so I want you to continue with Mist to the royal palace of Gallia.”

“What?” Mist was clearly not fond of the idea. “No, Ike! I’m going to stay with you.”

Soren shook his head at Ike’s impatience. He was about to send his sister and his ward through the untamed Gallian countryside on nothing but a whim.

“Listen to me, Mist.” Ike held her shoulders sternly. “We must do it this way so that everyone gets out of here alive.”

Mist bit her lip and glared petulantly at his left foot.

He let her go, and his eyes were gentler. “Father and I will catch up right away. Don’t worry. Have either of us ever broken a promise to you?”

“Well, no,” Mist conceded, looking up at Ike again. “Alright, then. We’ll go ahead.”

Everyone was watching the siblings argue as if the cooperation of a thirteen-year-old girl would be the deciding factor. “Thank you, Mist,” Titania said, thereby throwing her support behind Ike’s plan. “We’ll see you soon.”

“Take care of my brother, Titania,” Mist replied, sounding slightly more mature than usual. “Promise?”

“You have my word on it.” Titania saluted.

Soren decided it was time to step in again. “I do not advise we alter our plan. We must give Commander Greil a chance to come to us.”

Ike frowned, but he did seem to consider his words. “A lot of Daein soldiers camped at that crossing, didn’t they?”

Soren was surprised he’d picked up on that. “Yes,” he agreed. “I estimate two hundred. Infantry and horses judging from the remains.”

Ike bobbed his head. “The three of them can’t handle that many.”

Soren knew Ike was technically correct, but he was still reluctant to accept his plan. “In open combat yes,” he agreed, “But the commander is wise enough to avoid that.”

“I won’t risk it,” Ike returned defiantly. “There were more troops than we expected. We need to back them up.”

Soren gave up. “Very well.”

Ike ran his eyes over the mercenaries, children, and princess watching expectantly. “We can stay two hours,” he announced. “But if the Commander isn’t back by then, we cross back into Crimea.”

 

The mercenaries rested their tired bodies, bound scratches not worth Rhys’s magic, and applied soothing poultices to bruises and swollen joints. Mist and Rolf divided the supplies between their two groups, and Soren gave Elincia the map on which Greil had marked the route to Zarzi, Gallia’s capital. The map was not particularly detailed, but he conveyed the landmarks Greil had said to look for. She accepted the map gratefully and promised she would make her way there with all haste.

When this was done, Soren drank his fill of water and ate some of the tasteless hardtack they’d been surviving on for days. Two hours had passed before he knew it, and still Greil and the others hadn’t appeared.

“It’s time,” Ike announced, helping Mist don a heavy pack.

“Alright,” she agreed. Then waving to Elincia and Rolf, she called, “We’re going now!” Rhys had given her one of his extra staves as a walking stick, and for a moment, she looked like Elena.

“Good luck.” Ike hugged his sister once more in parting. “Watch your step and be careful.”

“We’ll see all of you again, I’m sure of it!” Elincia declared with a jaunty little bow that was only slightly off-balanced by her large backpack. “I know you will all be safe!” Everyone nodded and murmured their gratitude for her blessing, but Soren took no comfort in her false certainty.

“Let’s get moving!” Ike called, starting north. “Where to, Soren?”

Soren matched his gait. “We go west on the road we used before,” he answered, adding with a shake of his head. “Let’s find the commander before enemy reinforcements show up.”