Fire Emblem Fan Fiction ❯ Fire Emblem Tellius Saga: Book 1 ❯ CHAPTER 21: GALLIA ( Chapter 21 )

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

Lethe and Mordecai led the mercenaries west, saying they would travel south along the coast before cutting inland to Zarzi. It was certainly not a direct route, and Soren had a feeling they were avoiding Gallian settlements.

After two days of steady travel, they found themselves in a clifftop meadow overlooking a wide fjord. They’d finally made it to the sea. Titania walked her horse to the edge and stared at it wistfully. Ike announced that they’d be taking a short break and immediately went to speak with her. Soren crouched in the shade of the wagon and rested with the others.

Lethe and Mordecai had been scouting ahead, but they soon reappeared, perhaps having noticed their wards were no longer following. Mordecai was the first to push through the trees. “Ike,” he called.

He and Titania turned away from the water to meet with him. “What is it, Mordecai?”

“Do you tire? Should we camp here?” The tiger’s voice was heavy with concern. Lethe strutted over and sniffed disapprovingly.

Ike shook his head. “No. I think we’re all right.”

“Good.” Mordecai nodded.

“Beorc are such a weak species. A distance like this is nothing. Any laguz worth their claws could cross it in a single bound,” Lethe boasted.

“Lethe!” Mordecai warned.

She crossed her arms. “It’s the truth!”

“Persist this way, and you shame the king.” Mordecai shook his head in embarrassment. “You sound like a fool.”

Lethe hissed indignantly. “You are my subordinate! Never speak to me in such a way!”

“Wrong is wrong,” Mordecai replied. “You are a fierce warrior, Lethe, but with beorc, far too stubborn.”

She rounded on him, baring her teeth. “What did you say!”

Ike stepped in before their argument could turn into a literal cat fight. “Come on now, both of you—” he raised his palms “—Let’s calm down.”

Suddenly, each laguz tensed and turned south. They stood absolutely motionless except for their twitching ears.

“Mordecai?” Lethe breathed.

He inhaled deeply. “Wait…”

“What is it?” Ike whispered.

“That smell on the wind… It’s iron. It is the smell of weapons. The smell of beorc. Heavily armored. Well-armed,” Mordecai reported.

“Are you sure?” Ike whispered skeptically.

Lethe’s ears swiveled. “A scout has sighted us.”

The sound of hoofbeats, broken branches, and clanking armor echoed softly through the trees. Nearby, something disturbed a roost of crows, and they took to the sky with a cadence of protest.

“Everyone, stay here and be ready to move!” Ike addressed the travelers. “Lethe, Mordecai, Titania, Soren, we’re getting a closer look.”

The laguz led them into a dense grove where they could better see their adversaries while remaining hidden.

“Black armor,” Soren noted. “They’re Daein alright.”

Ike shook his head in disbelief. “You’re saying some of the pursuit force is still around?”

“Daein worms…” Lethe seethed, “They strut about the Gallian forests as though they owned them. I won’t stand for it!”

Mordecai growled. “The castle to the south. Many beorc inside. They carry iron weapons. I can smell them.”

“Not good.” Ike cursed. “Titania, gather everyone together!”

“Understood.” She saluted before creeping back the way they’d come.

“What now?” Lethe asked coolly.

Ike cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

“If you hope to crush the worms, you’d do well to capture the ruins in the south. Since you probably want to flee, there is an escape route…” For once she didn’t sound condescending, though it was obvious which plan she preferred.

“We’re going to fight,” he declared resolutely.

Lethe was clearly surprised. “Oh?”

“There are times when running has its advantages, but I don’t think we’ll lose here,” Ike explained. He glanced at Soren who nodded in agreement. Fighting was the right plan now.

“I see,” Lethe muttered with something close to respect.

“I will also fight,” Mordecai volunteered.

“Good. We could use the help.” Ike grinned.

They retreated slightly, and soon met up with Titania, who had the rest of the mercenaries and merchants in tow. “Ike, everyone’s here.”

“We’re going to fight,” he announced in a loud whisper. “Aimee, take your men there—” he pointed to a large, leafy copse to the north where they’d be better able to hide the wagon. “And take care of Mist and Rolf.”

“Oh, you give orders with such confidence!” Aimee crooned.

“Of course we’ll watch out for your sister,” Muston answered in her stead. 

 “We’re counting on you. Be careful!” Jorge waved.

The merchants retreated to where Mist was wringing her hands and Rolf chewing his lip. Jorge and Daniel took their hands, tugging them away.

Ike sidled to the front (with Soren fast at his side). “Everyone who can fight, grab your weapons! Greil Mercenaries—” he drew his sword “—move out!”

He was about to lead the charge when Mist darted through the brush and seized his arm. “Ike!” she gasped.

“Mist! You and Rolf clear out of here!” he hissed. “Stay back, no matter what!”

“No, Ike. We’re going to fight with you—both of us.”

Everyone groaned and lowered their weapons. The middle of enemy territory was no place for a sibling chat, and this one promised to be a doozy.

Ike argued in harsh whispers: “What? No. That’s not going to happen. Be serious Mist. The two of you can’t even wield weapons.”

“I’ve got this!” Mist proffered the Heal staff she’d been using as a walking stick these past few days. “I made Rhys teach me how to use it. I can heal injuries! I mean, just little ones, but still…”

“Little ones? No. There’s no way I’m letting you on the battlefield.”

Two bodies suddenly broke through the underbrush. Everyone raised their weapons again but then realized they weren’t under attack. It was just Rolf—with Boyd chasing close after. “Rolf! Stop being such a brat, you little twerp!” he whispered angrily.

“Shhh!” Titania warned. Rolf slid under her horse to escape.

“I’m going to fight, too! I’m good with a bow!” Rolf declared. He had a sturdy little bow and a quiver of arrows clutched to his chest. Soren wondered where they’d come from and how the twelve-year-old had managed to hide them this whole time.

“Really?” Boyd scoffed. “That’s news to me. Is that the best lie you can come up with?”

“It’s no lie,” Rolf assured.

“That’s right!” Mist butted in, “He’s not lying,”

“Of course he is!”

Titania hushed them again.

Ike sighed. “What are you talking about, Mist?”

“He’s always practicing,” she explained, “and he’s really good. Aren’t you, Rolf?”

“I sure am!” he replied confidently. 

“And when did you learn to use a bow?” Ike pushed.

“Well, let’s see, Um…I guess I just…sorta—” Rolf shrugged “—picked it up naturally?” He wasn’t convincing anyone, but Soren didn’t care where or when he’d learned it. Neither did it matter how old he was; if he could fight, they should let him fight. But it was Ike’s decision.

“Stop lying, you booger-eating brat!” Boyd whisper-yelled. “You can’t just pick up a weapon and start firing away! Someone has to teach you the basics!”

“Well, maybe I’m just a prodigy, ‘cause I learned it all by myself!”

“You little,” Boyd growled. (It was probably good Titania’s horse still separated them.)

Mist threw her fists on her hips. “You don’t know anything, Boyd!”

“That’s right!” Rolf agreed.

“This is ridiculous!” he cried out, exasperated.

Titania hushed them in frustration. It was almost unbelievable enemy troops hadn’t found them yet. Soren had to assume it was because the forces had spread out and were slowly closing in. Daein had surely expected them to try to escape.

“Enough,” Ike declared with finality, “You two go back.”

“No! We don’t want to. All Rolf and I do is sit and wait and worry about all of you. We’re tired of waiting! We want to fight by your side!”

“Is that so?” Ike seemed taken aback.

Boyd was also more subdued. “How about it, Rolf? Is that how you feel, too?”

“Uh-huh. No doubt.” He came out from behind Titania. “We’d rather be with you.”

Boyd sighed and put his arm around his brother. Oscar smiled at the two of them. “What now, Boss?” Boyd asked.

“We take them with us,” Ike conceded. “We’re too pressed for time to sit around here bickering. And at least if they’re nearby, they’ll be easier to protect.”

“Are you serious?” Mist blanched as if she hadn’t expected to win.

“Yes!” Rolf cheered. “You won’t regret this, Ike! I promise!”

Boyd jostled him a bit. “I hope not.”

“Then let’s not waste any more time and crush these Daein dogs!” Ike declared. “Let’s go!” Nobody interrupted this time, and the mercenaries broke cover.

 

A minute later they encountered a small squad closing in on their location. These soldiers mocked them for being ‘noisy little children’ and laughed as they lunged between the trees.

“Boo!” a swordswoman said, jumping out at Rolf only to be impaled by Oscar.

“I can help you grow up real fast, little lady,” crooned a spearman, cutting off Mist’s escape route instead of stabbing her. It was his mistake, and she wacked him in the nose with her staff. Ike cut off his head a moment later.

“You must be the mother hen, eh red?” another soldier teased Titania, dancing around her mount. “This your brood?”

Unable to reach him, she flung her entire poleax—cleaving him in two and pinning him to a tree. “Yes, it is,” she answered proudly.

Boyd wrenched the weapon out of the trunk and handed it to her. “Gee thanks, mom.”

Titania glared at him and lashed out. Boyd ducked in time for her to crush the helm of an axman behind him.

“Do you beorc always talk so much when you fight?” hissed Lethe. She’d transformed into a large orange cat, blood and already caked her paws and muzzle.

“Let’s get out of these trees!” Ike ordered instead of answering. “Fan out!”

The squad had been easily dispatched, so the mercenaries obeyed his instruction. The fighting was relatively easy until the soldiers who’d spread out to bar their escape returned to support their comrades. Some were quite skilled, and Soren wondered if they could be survivors from Gebal or even the battle in the ruins. They seemed to understand the mercenaries’ fighting styles and anticipated their every move.

That being said, the Greil Mercenaries were adaptable, and Ike was now in charge now. He had two paladins, two swordsmen, two mages, two healers, an axman, and an amateur archer at his disposal—not to mention two beasts hungry for blood. He didn’t shy away from giving orders and showed he could deploy them creatively.

When they were forced to fight in the trees, he counted on Lethe and Mordecai’s ears for enemy numbers and positions and he got Rolf into the canopy, where he was as nimble as a squirrel and better protected. When they fought in the open, he urged the company to spread out and then relied on Titania and Oscar’s mobility to keep any one person from becoming overwhelmed. As an added measure, he ordered Mist and Rhys to ride with them, and the pairs healed and protected their injured comrades in tandem.

As for the laguz, Ike let Lethe have free reign of the battlefield. But when it became clear Mordecai’s tough hide was a natural shield, he commanded that he fall back and defend Ilyana and Soren. The massive blue tiger readily agreed, apparently having no qualms about jumping in front of blades and arrows to protect a couple humans. Soren had to admit the laguz were valuable assets, but he was still uncomfortable fighting beside them. More than once he had to reject his instinct to hit Mordecai instead of the beorc soldiers.

 

The battle was well in hand, as Soren had predicted. The battalion of eighty soldiers had dwindled to forty, and the morale was high among the mercenaries. But now that things started to unravel.

It began with the laguz dwellings at the base of the fjord. Unfortunately, the Daeins discovered them first and set fire to the entire beach. “If you love subhumans so much, why don’t you go die with them?” sneered one of the archers who’d just released the flaming arrows.

The laguz who lived below the cliffs cowered, hid, or ran for their lives instead of transforming and fighting back. Some tried to save their trapped comrades, but that was all. This display of cowardice surprised Soren, who’d assumed all laguz were hotblooded warriors.

As expected given his soft heart, Ike fell for the trap. He divided their strength, sending Soren, Mordecai, Mia, and Mist to help the Gallians. Rushing headlong down the steep trail was already dangerous, but it was made worse by the ten tenacious soldiers pursuing them.

When they finally reached the beach, the shifty volcanic sand sapped his energy and slowed his footwork, but the terrain was worse for the soldiers, who wore heavy armor on their shoulders, hips, and shins. This finally gave Soren an advantage, and he conjured relentlessly. The fjord was a natural wind tunnel, and the spirits of air felt strong here.

His spells, although mostly invisible, left swirls and streaks where the wind disturbed the sand, and the Daeins clearly tried to use these to predict and avoid the razor-edged gusts. But they couldn’t move as quickly as they had above, and there was no longer any trees or rocks to dive behind. To slip even a little bit, to miscalculate the propulsion of a step—these were fatal mistakes. 

When the pursuit was dead, Mordecai lifted burning beams and Mist healed the raw flesh and broken bones of any laguz who didn’t run away at the sight of them. Mia tossed buckets of seawater, but the thatched houses were fully ablaze now. Soren honestly didn’t care if the buildings burned. But Ike had sent given him a job to do, so he would do it.

Catching his breath, the next spells he formed were large and suffocating. He forced the winds to blow inward from all directions, compressing the fire. When this didn’t work (and sapped so much energy it made him dizzy), he tried a new tactic. He conjured the fastest gust of wind he could create, hoping it might be enough to snuff out the flames by depriving them of oxygen. But this too was a failure. Flipping through his small collection of fire spells, he found some for dousing. But he could only extinguish small sections with each incantation, and he didn’t have the time nor the strength to combat an entire burning structure. Then, with one final idea in mind, he aimed a wind spell at the ground. The blast blew sand high into the air, pelting the house and Mordecai, who shook his coat before clamping his jaws around the arm of an unconscious laguz girl and pulling her out. The sand attack had been the most successful thus far, but the house was still burning, and a moment later, it collapsed.

“My nose and eyes are clouded,” Mordecai said, raising his shaggy head to survey the burning village. “But I believe all were saved.”

“Mia, you can stop!” Mist called, coughing.

She dropped her bucket and sighed. “I guess there’s nothing else we can do, huh?”

“You made strong effort.” Mordecai nodded to her and Soren in turn. “Thank you.”

Soren didn’t want or need his praise. “Let’s get back to the others,” he said, raising his eyes to the cliff, but there was no indication of how the others were faring.

“Wait, what’s that?” Mist said suddenly, pointing in the opposite direction. Soren turned reluctantly and saw the prow and sails of a ship entering the fjord.

“A boat? Maybe they saw the smoke…” Mia shook her head.

The ship bore neither Crimean, Daein, nor Begnion flags, but a few moments later, they hoisted what was little more than a rag bearing a sorry-looking pirate emblem. Mordecai growled under his breath: “Vultures.”

“Let’s go back and help the others,” Soren said again, but this proposal was immediately rejected.

“If they land, they might go after the people we just saved!” Mia countered.

“People?” Soren repeated doubtfully.

“Mia’s right, we have to help!” Mist seconded.

“You are brave, beorc children.” Mordecai closed his feline eyes. “Thank you.”

Soren gave up and moved down the beach. “Fine.”

The waters were gentle enough that the pirates could draw in close, drop their ladders, and slosh onto shore. But Soren and the others were ready and waiting for them.

“Go back!” Mordecai roared, baring his saber teeth.

But the pirates merely drew their weapons. “Look,” one laughed, “a big kitty and a couple kiddos.”

“That pretty one’s got a sword. No tail either,” noted one, circling his axe while he assessed Mia. “We are in Gallia, right?”

“Got some fun spoils today,” agreed another, who seemed to have eyes only for Mist.

A moment later they reached them, and Soren released the spell he had prepared. The pirates fought with a style and a ferocity that was far different than the Daein soldiers he’d become accustomed to. Soren had to keep his wits about him just to stay alive. As he dodged and released spells, Soren wondered how this simple battle could have gone so wrong.

Mordecai slaughtered many of the pirates himself, and Soren and Mia managed to mop up a good number of their own. Eventually the survivors realized their raid wasn’t worth the mortal cost and retreated to their ship. When it was finally sailing away again, Soren turned his attention back to cliffs. Ignoring the pain radiating from his injuries (which included a sprained ankle), he started walking.

 

Limping up the rocky trail was a frustrating ordeal, but Soren just focused on the sounds of fighting and hoped their party hadn’t been away too long. Mordecai slipped to the front and led them to the old fort, where the battle was still ongoing.

Soren followed the sound of Ike’s voice and was flooded with relief when he saw that his young commander was still on his feet. He smiled when he saw them and jogged over despite a limp of his own. He hugged Mist and grinned despite the long cut on his cheek and jaw that made the expression seem painful. “All set down there?” he asked, looking up at the others.

“Some unexpected trouble showed up, but nothing we couldn’t handle,” Mia answered proudly.

“You’ll have to tell me about it later,” Ike laughed.

“How does the battle fare here?” Soren asked, surveying the surviving Daeins and unflagging mercenaries.

“We had an unexpected visitor too,” Ike answered, gesturing to where (much to Soren’s surprise) a pegasus knight dropped out of the sky, banking around the fort, and easily skewered two soldiers who hadn’t seen her coming. “But she’s been the opposite of trouble,” he finished with a wave.

The pegasus rider waved back and flew overhead. A young woman with short pink hair, she appeared to be wearing Begnion-style cavalry armor, but it didn’t bear the insignia of the Begnion Imperial Army or the Empress’s Holy Guard. Neither did it have the distinguishing Begnion colors. In fact, it was bright pink. Soren might have thought she was a Royal Knight if her armor had been cut in the Crimean style. “Who is she?” Soren finally asked, because he hadn’t a clue.

“Her name’s Marcia, and we’ve actually met once before—a few months ago in Port Telma,” Ike explained. “It was one of my first missions, and she helped us back then too.”

Soren shook his head. “I am sure I’ll hear the full story later. If you trust her that’s all I need to know.”

“I trust her.”

“Then there is a battle that requires our attention.”

“Mordecai,” Ike ordered in response, “go support Lethe at the front!” The tiger rumbled happily and trotted away. He was heading for the fort’s front gate, where the remaining soldiers were using the ruins to make their last stand. Soren made to follow him, but Ike grabbed his arm. “Have Rhys see to that ankle first,” he said sternly. He then whistled and waved to get the healer’s attention.

Soren was surprised he’d noticed the injury, but he wasn’t about to argue. Once Rhys was jogging over, Ike squeezed Soren’s arm in farewell, grabbed his sister’s hand, and gestured for Mia to join them. The trio practically skipped off to join the battle.

Soren sat against a nearby rock, taking a look at the ankle which was quite swollen now and even more painful. Not for the first time, he cursed the pirate who’d flung an axe at it. Then again, Mia had cut off the pirate’s hand, causing the weapon to go flying, so perhaps she was the one deserving of his ire.

Wondering what was taking Rhys so long, Soren looked up and saw he’d been waylaid by Boyd. The burly sixteen-year-old seemed to be bullying the smaller man into healing a gash in his upper arm. His good arm was gripping Rhys’s shoulder, as if he could will him to work faster. Meanwhile his gaze was on the battle, and he was clearly itching to get back to it.

When the job was done, he slapped Rhys on the back and ran off. Rhys shook his head and crossed the distance to Soren. He looked exhausted.

“Your ankle?” he asked by way of greeting and knelt for a closer look. “Let’s see…”

Unlike Boyd, Soren felt no desire to charge into battle and win another moment of glory before the Daeins were defeated. He could see from here that Ike and the others were alive and fighting well. That was enough.

“They’re not surrendering,” Rhys noted when he was finished.

Soren tested his weight and found he could walk normally. “I imagine they’re terrified they’ll become prisoners of Gallia,” he answered. “The fjord cuts off their escape north, so they can’t flee either.”

Although Rhys was not Soren’s favorite company, they walked to the ruins together. They watched Mordecai crush the commander’s head in his jaws, and Rhys winced visibly. “For Daein!” the remaining soldiers cried in unison, before being cut down one by one. By the time Soren and Rhys arrived, the battle was over.

In case there were more soldiers hidden inside, Soren made himself useful by taking a look. The front doors were crooked on their hinges, and he didn’t have to explore far to see that the interior had almost completely caved in and most of the back wall had crumbled down the slope into the fjord. Exiting again, he shook his head at the laguz who’d neglected the fort to this degree. If Daein chose to invade, Gallia would have few defensive structures around which to make their stand.

Contemplating the possibility that guerilla warfare might the laguz’s forte (and then wondering why he even cared), Soren rejoined the others. Most of the mercenaries were lounging in front of the ruins, sitting on pieces of stone jutting out of the grass, chatting, and taking in the view. The merchants were fetched, and they brought with them two large barrels of fresh water. Since it was a hot, humid day, the mercenaries guzzled all they could.

The laguz civilians returned to root around the embers of their lost homes, and Lethe and Mordecai met with them. These Gallians refused to associate with any of the beorc, but they did consent to helping drag the Daein and pirate corpses onto pyres and into ditches.

While this was being done, Mist and Rolf ran down to the beach, where they celebrated their first battle by splashing in the seawater like children. Soren wondered how they could be so relaxed after what they’d witnessed. Mia and Oscar soon joined them, stripping down to their underclothes and swimming in the cool water. If he didn’t know any better, Soren might have mistaken the inlet for one of Crimea’s vacation beaches.

 

Once all the bodies were buried or burned, Ike introduced the rest of the mercenaries to the pegasus knight Marcia. Apparently she’d been harassing pirates up and down the Crimean coast for months. She explained that she was looking for her brother, who may have been pressganged into service by a pirate crew. She seemed both disappointed and relieved to hear that no one of his description had been seen on the beach.

Then, quite spontaneously, Ike offered that she join them, citing the fact that it would be dangerous to return to Crimea with Daein soldiers roaming the countryside. He told her how they’d been attacked by a squadron just for carrying weapons on the road and then how they’d miraculously found Princess Elincia.

Marcia listened to Ike’s story with rapt interest and, when all was told, eagerly accepted the offer. She hoped to cross paths with her brother by travelling with them and expressed interest in meeting the secret princess of Crimea, even though she was Begnion-born.

Despite the fact that Ike had met Marcia previously and trusted her, Soren wasn’t entirely convinced she wasn’t a spy or assassin for Daein. If the story about her missing brother was even half-true, that could make her an easy target for coercion. Soren decided to bring it up with Ike and Titania later, but for now he would keep his eye on the newcomer.

He could not watch her now, however, because he was supposed to be listening to Ike and Titania confab with the laguz warriors. “We defeated their commander, but we still don’t know what they were after,” Ike was saying.

Titania shook her head. “It seems unlikely that they were merely pursuing Princess Elincia. I wonder if Daein is planning to invade Gallia. Perhaps Crimea was only a stone on which to wet their blades.”

Soren had hypothesized the same possibility not long ago. War could overtake half of Tellius, but for now, figuring out King Ashnard’s objective was a low priority. “No matter the motive, the fact remains that Daein crossed the border. Under such circumstances, hostilities between Daein and Gallia could break out at any time,” he warned.

“So, it’s war,” Ike sighed. “Again.”

“If war erupts between the beorc and laguz, it’s only a matter of time before other nations become involved,” Titania noted sadly. “Could Daein truly mean to set the land aflame in a blaze of war? If that happens, many of our citizens will be sacrificed on the altar of ambition.”

Poetics aside, what Titania said was true. “We, too, need to choose which way to move,” Soren began, “whose side to take…”

“Whose side?” Titania crossed her arms. “We shall never support Daein! Unthinkable!”

“Captain Titania,” Soren tried to be somewhat polite in his reasoning, “We are human. Would you truly have us side with sub- with laguz against other humans? That is unthinkable.” He glanced at the laguz, expecting an outburst, but they just scowled and watched.

“Beorc and laguz,” Ike muttered, deep in thought.

Finally Lethe spoke up, taking a firm step forward. “Are you going to sit here and argue about a war that hasn’t started?” she growled, “You beorc are all so timid! It’s pathetic.”

“Lethe, you must not say such things,” Mordecai warned, gently grasping her arm.

“Mordecai? Lethe?” Ike turned to them. “What do you think? Will it come to war?”

“Our claws are sharp.” Lethe brushed off Mordecai’s hand. “If Daein invades Gallia, we are ready for battle. If our King wills it, war will come.”

Of course the beasts have no plan, Soren thought, but he knew better than to voice his criticism aloud, lest he start another fight.

“I like it not…” Mordecai rumbled. “War brings pain. Sorrow.” It wasn’t a response Soren expected of a laguz.

Ike nodded. “This sure is troubling.”

“Enough,” Lethe hissed. “We have lost much time. Let us make for the palace. We must reach tonight’s camp before the sun sets.”

“Is the palace still far?” Ike asked curiously.

“On your skinny beorc legs, it is very far,” Lethe sighed, “But we will do as we can.”