Fire Emblem Fan Fiction ❯ Fire Emblem Tellius Saga: Book 2 ❯ CHAPTER 37: DRAGONS ( Chapter 6 )

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

Hindered by the Daein soldiers bent on skewering him, Soren was one of the last to reach the front. He arrived in the foyer outside the throne room just in time to see the other mercenaries pour through the wide-open doors. He was relieved to see Ike had mobilized them into an offensive wedge before storming the room, but it appeared this was his one and only attempt at caution. He charged without even giving his troops a chance to rest and heal.

Soren rushed to his side, knowing he would be at the point of the wedge. He raced to tell him of the danger, but he was only a few steps into the throne room before he saw it was too late. Ike surely knew now. Everyone knew.

An enormous, glittering dragon towered over the throne dais. On its hind legs, it stood over twenty feet tall. When it saw them enter, it released a jet of flame that seemed to raise the room’s temperature like an oven. Dropping to all fours, its weight shook the floor and its claws tore trenches into the courtly tiles.

The mercenaries slowed, and Ike—the only one who didn’t balk—pulled away from the main group. As the others quieted, Ike’s unrelenting voice grew clearer. After hesitating like the rest, Soren forced himself to run even faster. He scolded himself for his surprise, blaming it on the unexpected color. Tauroneo’s hint had indicated a dragon laguz of Goldoa, not that the reptile would be, from head to toe, entirely pink.

“A dragon? A pink dragon?” exclaimed Boyd as he ran beside Soren.

Ike was already trading blows with the first row of soldiers. The mercenaries soon reached him and then surpassed him by plowing through two entire rows of Daein pikemen. Soren helped by conjuring a few spells in the enemy ranks before presenting himself by Ike’s side.

He was panting hard. Blood soaked his teeth and dribbled over his lip. “Ashnard!” he roared. “Show yourself!” There was no response except for the dragon pulling itself back to standing height. The battle slowed as each side waited for their leaders to speak.

“A Goldoan dragon?” Ike shouted, addressing the beast.

“My name is Ena,” came the dragon’s response. The voice was female. “By the orders of the King, I am the protector of this capital.”

“Withdraw!” was Ike’s response. By now the fighting had completely stopped. “I’ve no desire to fight a useless battle with you. It’s Ashnard I’m after.”

Soren was proud of Ike’s inclination to avoid conflict with Goldoa. They certainly didn’t want to go to war with the dragon tribe. That being said, Ena was probably like Nasir in that she’d severed ties to her homeland.

“I regret to inform you that the king is not here,” Ena answered.

“What?” Ike demanded.

“The king and the body of the Daein Army remain in Crimea, where they have been since it fell.” Ena’s tone didn’t sound saddened, angry, or gloating, and her reptilian facial expression was difficult to read.

“What are you saying?” Ike demanded furiously. “The king abandoned the capital? He abandoned his whole nation?”

Ena closed her eyes. “…I share your desire to see this conflict end. So rather than see you travel to Crimea to fight Ashnard, I believe it would be much faster for me to defeat you and your army here. Don’t you agree?” She opened her eyes again.

Her challenge was obviously meant to be taunting, and yet there had been no malice in her voice. Ena, it seemed, was here on business. She would defend this castle, but there was no contempt for the Crimeans in her position.

Ike didn’t seem to pick up on this. “That’s one way to look at it,” he replied, “The problem is I’ll never let you do as you please with Crimea!” The others cheered at his words.

“We cannot have it both ways,” replied the dragon general. “We both want what is in our own interest, and that is why we have conflict. If neither of us will yield, our conflict will continue until only the stronger of us remains. I have my own reasons for fighting…” She adjusted her stance and the position of her wings. “And I will see you fall.”

It was strange to hear such logical words spoken calmly from the mouth of an enormous lizard, and Soren shook his head to rid his mind of them. He couldn’t let himself get distracted now. Ena screeched again, which appeared to be an order for her soldiers to resume fighting.

Ike released a roar of his own, raised his sword, and plunged back into the fray. The Daeins had rebuilt their shield wall, but with the help of Gatrie, Devdan, and Nephenee, Ike was able to break through their defenses with practiced ease. Soren and the other mercenaries poured through the opening and soon dissolved the soldiers’ proud rank and file.

The dragon general had clearly deployed her strongest forces here in the throne room, and every bit of Soren’s attention and energy was required just to stay alive. He cast the most advanced spells in his arsenal: Elwind, Elfire, and a couple renditions Tornado, although few remained. He knew his magic power was dwindling, but he also knew he would need it to help Ike defeat the dragon.

“Are we facing Goldoa now too?” Ike asked, while trading blows with a Daein axman.

“I don’t think so,” Soren panted in reply, giving himself a break from chanting spells. “The dragon tribe is known for its strict neutrality.”

“She doesn’t look very neutral to me,” Ike replied. He gripped the soldier’s helmet with his free hand, pulling him down and to the side, where he kneed him hard in the groin and tossed him to the ground. Rolf’s arrow found its mark, and the axman didn’t rise again. Ike stomped toward the dragon, and Soren followed.

“For now we must assume she is a free agent, like Nasir.” Very much like Nasir, he added mentally, but now wasn’t the time for accusations. He saw an enemy archer taking aim at Ike and shot a wind spell before he could loose an arrow.

“We have to take her down if we are to win,” Ike said, just as a Daein swordswoman dashed up to him and sliced at his legs. He jumped to avoid the attack and lost no time returning the blow.

“I have a plan,” Soren replied before engulfing a heavily armored knight in a blaze of Elfire. He fueled the spell as long as he could, heating the armor to do the most damage.

“Well,” Ike answered, “Get it into action quick. I’m taking her now.”

“Now?” Soren asked in alarm. He let the spell fade, and the man clattered to the ground with the sound of screaming sobs coming from his helmet. His armor was still red hot, and although the leather straps were disintegrating, the metal plates stayed in place where they’d melted into his clothes and skin.

 “If we let her advance, her soldiers will trap us and she’ll roast us alive!” Ike was dashing away before he’d even delivered the final word of warning.

“Ike, wait!” Soren called, but he didn’t come back. Although he knew Ike’s judgment was current, they were already deep behind enemy lines, and he wished he would demonstrate more caution.

The mercenaries were as attuned to their commander’s movements as ever, and they pushed to follow and defend him. They made an aisle through the Daein hoard despite the risk of becoming overwhelmed and fought relentlessly.

Soren took stock of this and immediately set about enacting his plan. “Ilyana! Tormod! Calill!” He pronounced each name as loudly and clearly as he could, willing his words to be heard over the battle. “Ilyana! Tormod! Calill! To Ike! To Ike!” Whether they could hear him or not, word was passed along, and soon the three mages were racing toward the wayward commander alongside him.

“What’s the plan?” Tormod asked excitedly. Muarim was loping beside him, which was unsurprising since he rarely let his adopted son out of his sight during battle.

They reached Ike—or as close to Ike as they could get without meeting the swing of his blade. Soren pulled to a stop. “Do you carry Thunder spells?” he asked before casting Elwind at a spearman behind Ilyana. 

She nodded energetically. “And Elthunder, always.”

Tormod shook his head. “I don’t carry any, but I can use Thunder spells if you lend me some.” Ilyana ripped a few pages from her tome to give to him. Meanwhile Muarim defended the boy. The lithe green tiger lunged and batted at two Daein swordsmen just beside them, but neither Tormod nor Ilyana seemed concerned by the danger.

As for Calill, she bobbed her head in answer. “While I’m usually a fire gal myself, I come prepared to these parties.” She tapped the spine of her tome meaningfully. Just then, Shinon shot an arrow through the ear of an archer taking aim behind her. The soldier fell, and Calill offered a flirtatious smile as a thank you. Soren couldn’t see Shinon’s face to gauge his response, but a moment later, he was feathering a new opponent. Calill returned her attention to the conversation. “You were thinking of using lightning on that beast, weren’t you?” She jerked her chin at the giant pink lizard.

“It may be our only chance to slay it.” Soren avoided the slash of an axeblade, and the four mages shuffled away as Brom caught the next blow and took the opponent as his own.

When they stopped again, Ilyana was even paler than usual. She glanced at the dragon, which was so close now. “I-I don’t think I can get close enough. What if it shoots its fire at me?”

Calill didn’t seem certain either. “It takes more than mere elemental leverage to handle a beast like that.”

Ike dashed up to them, injecting himself between Soren and Calill. “Is that true, Soren—about the lightning?”

“It is our best option.”

Ike cast his gaze over the three mages, giving each one his best encouraging smile. “Then you are going to do as he says,” he said as if it were simple. “Ever since we met those dragons in Goldoa, I’ve known there would be a time when I’d have to face one of them. But I was wrong. I’m not strong enough for that yet, not on my own. If you can attack without getting in range of its claws—well, you have to do it, right?”

Once again, Soren was awed by the effect Ike could have on people. Ilyana, Calill, and Tormod were instantly revitalized. Tormod saluted. Ilyana clutched her tome to her chest and stood straighter. Calill’s posture relaxed, and she rested a hand on her hip.

“Lead the way, General,” she laughed, flicking open her tome with one hand.

Ike grinned and jerked his head in a nod. Then he turned around and charged straight toward Ena’s dais. Soren and the other mages were hot on his heels.

There were no Daein soldiers near the dragon (perhaps keeping a safe distance), and those they ran past didn’t pursue or make any significant attempt to stop them. Perhaps they didn’t think they posed a serious threat to their laguz general. Considering his and Tormod’s height, Ike’s youth, Ilyana’s apparent frailty, and Calill’s eccentric clothing—Soren could understand their lack of fear.

“If you had wished to extend your short life span, then you should not have appeared before me,” Ena warned through scaly lips.

Soren, Ilyana, Tormod, and Calill pulled to a stop while Ike kept going. They were where they needed to be to cast their spells, leaving the close combat to their commander. Soren immediately fell into verse, chanting Thunder spells as fluidly as he could. The others were chanting just as breathlessly. Lightning may have been Soren’s weakest element, but he willed the thunder spirits to obey him now more than ever. He ignored the others so their incantation wouldn’t distract his tongue, and he concentrated hard on where he wanted the bolts to strike.

Spears of crackling yellow, white, and blue electricity began falling on the scaly beast, and she winced and roared with each salvo. In retaliation, she began shooting jets of red flame in their direction. Soren and the others scattered but continued to utter spells between dodging, running, tripping, and rolling from her blasts. (A mage’s work was not always graceful.)

Ike, meanwhile, was preventing her from leaving the dais. His sword fended off her tail, claws, and teeth. Whenever he had an opening, he tried to slice and stab her belly, forelegs, and neck. But Soren could tell even from a dozen yards away that her scales were like armor. Only when they weakened a spot with a direct thunderbolt could Ike’s thrust sink true.

After a few successful hits from Ike, it was clear they’d bloodied her, but she seemed more irritated than injured. She shot a quick burst at Calill, whose skirt and legs caught fire. She ran screaming to put out the flames, and the battle swallowed her.

Soren was sorry to see her go, because she was the second-best thunder summoner next to Ilyana and they were all reaching their limit. He was soaked with sweat, and breathing had become painful. He couldn’t catch his breath; he was stumbling more. His arms and legs felt like logs, and his skull was splitting in pain. His spells were already becoming weaker, and if he kept going like this, he wouldn’t be able to conjure them at all. If he wasn’t careful, the overextension could knock him out, and this was no place for a nap. But he didn’t know quite what to expect, or when his body would fail him, because he’d never tested his power like this before. Glancing around, he suspected Ilyana and Tormod were in the same state and weighing the same possibility as they struggled to stay on their feet. 

Before long, Ilyana fainted. Fortunately, Kieran was nearby, and he scooped her up and galloped to safety before Ena could crush her. A jet of flame followed them, singing the tail of Kieran’s steed. But both escaped, and Ike soon distracted Ena again.

Only Soren and Tormod remained, and neither were adept with thunder magic. Ena’s movements were slowing, and she was bleeding freely, clearly feeling the culminative effect of their attacks. But Ike was staggering too. He couldn’t move fast enough to stop the dragon’s tail as it swooped past him and knocked Tormod to the ground. The young mage fell hard, and his head hit the floor with a sickening crack. He didn’t move again, but Muarim was on him in an instant. The tiger reverted his form, picked up the boy, and ran toward Rhys as fast as his two legs could carry him. Now only Soren remained—Soren and Ike.

“Keep it up!” Ike called. “It’s working!”

Soren grunted his agreement, clearing his throat and resuming his chant. Ike’s sword had been hardly more than a stinging bee to Ena, while the sporadic cracks of lightning had clearly rattled her. Each strike tore bloody scales and wrathful roars from her body, creating an opening for Ike to do more damage.

Finally, one of her hindlegs gave out. She slipped to the floor, slamming heavily into dais steps. Ike was on her in an instant, sinking his sword to its hilt in her chest and drawing it out again. The dragon shrieked and transformed, shrinking into a slim young woman with pink hair.

Soren limped up the steps, which were now slick with dragon’s blood, to inspect the enemy general more closely. She was bleeding heavily from a wound on the left side of her chest, but the size of the puncture seemed to have shrunken in proportion to her body. Ike seemed to have missed her heart, and Soren wondered if that was on purpose.

Ena tried to stand but fell. Her dusky skin was quickly growing paler as she lost precious lifeblood. “You are strong,” she gasped, “I have lost.”

“Then calm yourself and surrender,” Ike said, kneeling. He jerked his sword toward her, and the general winced. But Ike was merely using it to start a tear in her tunic. Tossed the blade aside, he tore the cloth the rest of the way. Removing her hands from the wound, he bound it himself. “There’s no reason for you to die.” She said nothing, at first appearing astonished and then merely gritting her teeth as he worked. He cut a long sheet of cloth from his cape to further wrap her chest and shoulder.

Soren considered telling Ike not to waste his strength on the enemy, but this woman could prove useful. At the very least, she could answer their questions about Ashnard’s whereabouts and why King Daein would ally himself with dragons and ravens. So he remained silent and examined the mysterious Goldoan. Like Nasir and the other dragons they’d met, she could pass as beorc. Only her laguz markings betrayed her. She had a small, inverted teardrop-like shape beneath each eye and another mark in the center of the forehead.

She struggled to rise again. “That I cannot do,” she finally answered. She’d barely risen before she fell again.

“What?” Ike asked, “Surrender?”

“I… I must go to him…” Her voice was weak, but her next attempt at standing came strong and fast. Soren lunged forward, half-convinced she had a weapon. But she was merely pushing Ike away, and his interference only caused them both to get shoved. Ike seemed as surprised by her strength as Soren, and each lost their balance. Ena was on her feet, and she didn’t falter this time. Soren tried to grab her legs and Ike her arm, but she evaded them, throwing herself down the dais steps.

“No! Wait!” Ike called, getting to his feet. “Somebody, catch her!”

The mercenaries tried to heed their commander’s call, but they were also taking care of the remaining soldiers. There was a mad scramble of confusion as the Daeins saw their general fleeing and the mercenaries attempted to seize her.

Ena used the confusion to her advantage and avoided capture as if it were a dance. Soren and Ike stood atop the dais for several moments, frozen as they watched these antics. When it became clear she could very well escape, they gave chase on their own. Soren didn’t think he had the energy to run anymore, but at the thought of this enigmatic general disappearing—and losing the information she could impart—Soren found he had more strength left.

She reached the throne room’s exit before they could reach her, but here she collided with another body. To Soren’s astonishment, Nasir stood in the doorway. His expression was stony and guarded. “Nasir! Good timing. Grab her, will you?” Ike panted, slowing down.

Soren slowed down too and wondered if he should attack both dragons right now. Ike didn’t seem concerned that Nasir wasn’t supposed to be here. He should have been in the main bailey with the princess and the rest of the army, not traipsing around the castle on his own. Soren didn’t like this.

 “I am sorry, Ike.” Nasir’s tone did sound genuinely remorseful, but that did little to alleviate Soren’s bad feeling.

“Nasir?” Ike finally seemed to realize something was wrong—and he wasn’t the only one. Titania came to stand beside him, and the room fell silent as the mercenaries and Daein prisoners watched.

In answer to these many questioning faces, Nasir placed himself in front of Ena.

“No!” Ike drew his sword and rushed forward.

Ena took a few steps back, but Nasir didn’t move. He easily blocked Ike’s strike by seizing his wrist. With his other arm, he jabbed Ike’s shoulder, just below his pauldron, and shoved him sharply with an open palm. Nasir must have been stronger than he looked, because Ike staggered backward. When he swung again, Nasir ducked low to avoid the blade, hooked a foot behind Ike’s heel, grabbed the neck of his shirt, and threw him onto the ground. When he made to rise, Nasir kicked his chin back, knocking his head into the floor. He then stepped back, as if showing mercy.

“Ike!” Soren cried. Fortunately, he was still conscious, and he and Titania helped him to his feet. 

“Nasir! What are you doing?” Titania demanded, drawing her poleaxe. 

Ignoring her, the dragon spoke over his shoulder to Ena: “Go now. Hurry!”

She hesitated, glancing from Nasir to Ike, who was clearly about to charge again. Then she ran into the foyer and down the west hall, hugging her wounded chest with one arm and limping only slightly.

Ike closed the distance between Nasir and himself, raising his sword to his neck. But the dragon didn’t fight back this time. He merely spread his arms wide as if refusing to let him pass. “So you were the traitor?” Ike demanded, shaking with rage. Soren was surprised—this was the first time Ike had actually admitted there was a traitor.

Ena’s footsteps faded until they became inaudible. Only now did Nasir drop his arms.

Ike didn’t lower his blade, but neither did he insert it into the dragon’s jugular. “Someone’s been giving information to the enemy. Was that you?” He added more quietly: “And…Mist’s medallion?”

Nasir still didn’t reply. He stared over Ike’s shoulder into the middle distance, his face impassive.

This was all but a confession to Ike. “Are you telling me you’ve been working for Daein this whole time?” he growled. “But you’re laguz! Why? Talk to me!”

Still, Nasir said nothing.

“Bah, this is useless!” Ike turned his back and sheathed his sword. “Get him out of here,” he ordered with a wave of his hand. “His traitorous face is making me ill!”

Titania obeyed his command, and Tanith stepped up to help her. Nasir didn’t give them trouble as they bound his wrists and forced him to kneel. But he did say one more thing. “Go to Palmeni Temple,” he whispered, although the words were clearly meant for Ike.

“What did you say?” Ike rounded on him.

But his face had become stony once more, and he didn’t say anything else.

“Palmeni, I think he said,” Titania offered unhelpfully. “Palmeni Temple.”

“But what and where is that?” Ike snarled.

Both Titania and Tanith shook their heads apologetically.

“Nasir, what do you mean?” Ike asked. “Nasir!”

Still the dragon said nothing.

“Take him to the dungeons with the rest.” He turned away again, and this time Nasir said nothing to call him back. “Do you know what he’s talking about?”

Soren shook his head. “I have not heard of such a place, but I will see what I can find out.”

Ike walked past him with only the barest acknowledgment. Perhaps he’d known of his suspicions against Nasir and resented him for being right. Soren was a little hurt by the gruff treatment. After all, he hadn’t betrayed anyone. Then again, he had also failed to prevent Nasir’s betrayal, and perhaps that failure was just as damning.

With a sigh, Soren took stock of the room. The battle was over. Mist was crying faintly while she healed Janaff’s wing, but everyone else was silent. The Daein prisoners, kneeling in a circle on the other side of the room, began murmuring among themselves, but Shinon cuffed the loudest. “Shut it!” he barked, and the murmuring stopped.

Soren looked for Volke and Sothe. Neither were so injured that they couldn’t go after Ena, so he ordered them to follow her trail and search the castle. They obeyed and disappeared down the corridor. He was not optimistic that they would find her. Surely she knew of an escape route, and even with her wounds she’d been able to move swiftly.

Forcing himself to move on to the next task, Soren found Ike again. Together they ordered those who were least injured to find a way to break the locks and barricades between them and the rest of the army. Their next priority was assuring the princess was safe. Another team was sent to find a way to the dungeons.

Once this was done, he and Ike helped escort the Daein prisoners to their cells. Soren made sure Nasir was given his own, separate from the rest, and Ike assigned Stefan and Astrid to the first guard shift.

It was then that Marcia found them. “We’ve reunited with the main force!” she reported. “There has been a battle, but the princess is okay.” Her words came in a rush, and as soon as she was finished, Ike dashed off.

“It’s this way!” Marcia called. Racing ahead, she directed him down the correct corridor.

Soren was thoroughly exhausted and thought he’d saved himself from any more running today, but apparently he’d been wrong. He chased after them both, determined to be of service at this crucial juncture. They needed to secure their victory over Nevassa Castle, while also dealing with their strange defeat. Ashnard was, by all accounts, not here. Crimea was not saved. Nasir had betrayed them, and Lehran’s Medallion was still missing. The future of the Crimea Liberation Army was uncertain, and Ike would need Soren’s aid now more than ever.

As Marcia had reported, there was evidence of a large battle in the main courtyard, and just as she’d said, Elincia had survived unharmed. However, Ike didn’t seem capable of believing such a thing until he saw it with his own eyes.

The princess ran to him, her hair slightly disheveled and her cheeks flushed. They clasped arms, and she described the battle in an exhilarated voice. Ike listened attentively and shared the mercenaries’ side of things.

Soren half-listened, but he could tell what had happened just by looking around. A portion of the Daein garrison had attacked the Begnion troops. The lieutenant Ike left in charge had defended the princess and the convoy properly. It appeared between two hundred and three hundred soldiers had perished. Additional Daeins had been taken prisoner, and the gates were now open.

Soren ventured beyond the castle wall to survey the plaza and main avenue. Both were still empty and silent. Turning back to the castle, he saw Daein flags being replaced with the Crimean ones they’d carried all the way from Begnion. The Daein people would get the message soon enough.