Fire Emblem Fan Fiction ❯ Fire Emblem Tellius Saga: Book 3 ❯ CHAPTER 82: MAIDEN OF DAWN ( Chapter 16 )

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

The Apostle’s Army rested in place for almost two weeks while they gathered intelligence and allowed the soldiers and pegasi afflicted by the oil to recover. Each day, able-bodied soldiers voyaged back to the ravine to collect and bury their dead.

They had just over eleven thousand troops now, more than half of which were Gallian. This would be enough to strike Begnion, but not if they suffered significant losses fighting Daein first. Each day, Soren and the army’s leadership met and tried to come up with a solution, but each day they failed. Micaiah ignored every one of Sanaki’s pleas.

In the meantime, the Daein Army was regrouping in a large, fortified, multiple-tiered castle called Nox. It stood between the Apostle’s Army and the closest entry to Begnion, so it seemed inevitable that they would have to lay siege. That being said, there was another fort with even stronger defenses less than two days away from Nox, and Soren didn’t understand why this supposedly intelligent general didn’t choose Fort Nebula instead. Nox had a greater number of entrances, which meant her forces would be spread thin. It also boasted fewer ballistae, and its sewers were older and more complex, making them more difficult to guard. All in all, the possible advantage Castle Nox possessed (if it could be called that) was the ancient and extensive library inside. But Soren couldn’t guess what subject of research would be so important as to warrant the increased risk.

Each day, Janaff, Ulki, and the other scouts brought in new reports, and it was toward the end of this two-week period that Soren learned that King Pelleas was supposedly in Nox Castle as well. If this was true, then defeating his garrison and capturing him could save the Apostle’s Army from potentially fighting all of Daein.

Soren brought this to Ike’s attention, but he didn’t seem interested in such a ploy. “I already promised Nailah we would let her and Rafiel try to talk to Micaiah,” he said, “Let’s hope that works so we won’t have to kidnap anyone.” 

This answer irritated Soren, because showing Micaiah mercy was the same as underestimating her. And he didn’t want to do that—no matter how the Apostle’s Army may outnumber Nox’s garrison. Daein’s behavior was too inexplicable, its soldiers had already proven to be extremely tough in battle, and its general cold-blooded in her strategy.

The one positive piece of news Soren received during this period was that Zelgius had successfully freed Sephiran from prison, and now the pair were leading an uprising in the heart of Begnion. This should give the Apostle’s Army enough time to get there, but that didn’t mean they could twiddle their thumbs in this fort forever. When the sick soldiers were strong enough to fight again, they marched out.

 

Each day on the road, Soren feared another ambush. But apparently Micaiah wanted to make Nox her last stand, because she did nothing to stop the Apostle’s Army from reaching it. Finally they arrived, making camp in a ruin just a couple hour’s march west of the castle. A thin but large forest mottled with hills and meadows filled the land between ruin and castle, which meant traveling from one to the other would be fairly easy. The weather had settled, and visibility promised to be good despite the snow that fell each night and had begun to collect on the ground in the morning.

 

Before making their siege, Soren and the others waited for Tibarn to come back with Ulki and Janaff’s final report. When he did, he was grinning. “We’re in luck, ladies and gents,” he said, “The previous reports weren’t wrong at all; Daein has hardly five thousand men.”

“Five thousand?” Ranulf repeated. “They aren’t really going to try to fight us with only five thousand men, are they? It’d be suicide!”

“Daein should know about the rebellion in the Empire by now,” Sanaki noted. “We should speak with them. They have nothing to gain by siding with the Senate. Why continue fighting?”

“We can’t afford to lose any more troops or time here, either,” Ike added with a frustrated shake of his head. “We should be at the senate’s doorstep by now.”

“Agreed.” Sanaki placed her palms on the table and rose gracefully from her seat. “Sephiran has earned some time for us. We can’t afford to lose that advantage. We must press on. Let us win this battle quickly and continue on our way.”

“Get the main gate down,” Nailah said, turning to Ike, “and Rafiel and I will find Micaiah.”

“You two might get into trouble going behind enemy lines like that…” Ike sounded uncertain despite this having been the plan for some time. “Are you sure?”

“There are few beorc with pointy sticks that can do me any harm,” Nailah replied slyly. When her confident expression did nothing to alleviate Ike’s worried one, she added: “Micaiah’s soldiers may remember me, and my vassal Volug is somewhere among them. He can vouch for us. We will be fine.”

“…Alright,” Ike finally agreed. “Let’s move out!”

 

Soren’s plan for this siege was to use their superior numbers to hit every entrance simultaneously, using all of the techniques the laguz had learned during their invasion of Begnion. Hawks dropped cats inside, tigers pulled away grates with chains and ox bows, lions battered down wooden doors, and beorc employed battering rams with rope loops slung over their shoulders to increase momentum. (Naturally, this was only after the vestiges of the Crimean and Begnion cavalry and infantry forces cleared the thousand troops stationed outside the castle.)

When the main gate was down, Ike drew his sword and charged inside, “Let’s finish this quickly!” he called, “All units, attack!”

Soren ran beside him, casting Elwind, Elfire, and Elthunder spells at every Daein soldier he could reach in the main bailey. When this area was clear, he grabbed Ike’s arm. “Let the laguz troops go,” he reminded, eyeing the first of the four tiers that comprised Nox’s defense. He had no doubt Micaiah was at the top, relaying orders to her troops in the other three tiers. But that was exactly why Ike needed to stay back and do the same from here. If Micaiah knew the first thing about her enemy, she would know that Ike’s uncharacteristic restraint was a sure sign he still wanted to give her a chance to choose peace.

“Yeah,” Ike grumbled, “I know.” He relaxed his stance slightly, and Soren let go of his arm, suddenly embarrassed for holding it too long.

A minute later, Nailah trotted into the bailey behind them. She had taken the form of a giant white wolf, but her cloth headdress was still looped over her ears such that it covered her lost eye. Rafiel was riding easily on her back, and together they looked like some sort of bizarre laguz-pegasus hybrid.

“Rafiel, are you ready?” Nailah asked, twisting her head to look back at him. “Let’s look for Micaiah. But do not leave my side; these beorc look edgy.”

“Yes, Queen Nailah. I’ll be closer than your own shadow.” Leaning down, he wrapped his arms around her neck.

The Wolf Queen pounced forward and started running. Soon she was loping up a stairwell that led to the second tier, deftly avoiding the other laguz and Daein soldiers caught in their own battles.

When they were gone, Soren turned his gaze to the catapults and scorpions raining terror on the laguz troops from above. The well-timed sprays of rock sent tigers and cats tumbling down any stairs they managed to climb, and the steel bolts were being fired with impressive accuracy, shooting down hawks and pegasi before they could get close.

Soren, Ike, and the majority of the mercenaries were waiting just within the main gate, barely out of range of the nearest ballistae. He was impressed with how Micaiah had adjusted the positions and range of the anti-siege weapons and optimized them for working within the walls. She must have known it wouldn’t take the Apostle’s Army long to gain entrance. She had also deployed her soldiers to take best advantage of the tiered terrain, despite their low numbers. To make matters better for her (and worse for the Apostle’s Army), she also seemed to have collected a small legion of healers bearing Physic staves. Although Soren couldn’t see them, he could assume they were clustered at the top of the castle with her, because sporadic bursts of green light radiated down from there, pulling injured soldiers back from the brink of death. Amazed at the long-range healing, the soldiers seemed to think themselves invincible, and they fought even harder.

The siege drew on longer than it should have, and Soren grew frustrated. Nailah and Rafiel hadn’t returned, and he could tell this was making Ike anxious. His fingers twitched, and Soren knew he wanted to fight.

Then an intense beam of white-hot light suddenly shot out of the sky, into the bailey. It toasted several tiger laguz, killed at least two instantly, and tossed others like rag dolls from the force of the flare. Soren shielded his eyes as another beam appeared on the second tier. Someone was using Purge spells, and whoever they were, they were incredibly powerful. Recalling that Micaiah was supposedly a light tome wielder as well as a healer, he realized he should have foreseen this possibility. Some light magic, like Thani and Purge, could be as damaging to beast laguz as fire magic, if not more so.

Another beam struck the bailey, where reserve troops were waiting. Titania’s new horse reared in fright, and Soren and Ike had to brace themselves against the light and rippling air pressure. When it disappeared, several tiger laguz were lying on the ground in their unshifted forms, their skin and clothes melted. While others pulled themselves up on shaky feet, three at the center of the blast did not.

“That’s it,” Ike growled, drawing his sword. “They’re getting roasted!”

He made to charge, but Soren grabbed his arm again. “If she waited this long to use her magic, she cannot possess many spells. We can simply wait for her to run out. The laguz troops are nearly to the top. She’s getting desperate.”

Ike stowed his blade again. “What’s taking Nailah so long?” he grumbled.

Although it was not an answer to his question, a voice fell over the battle: “Daein soldiers!” Micaiah called, her silver head appearing over the top of the fourth tier’s parapet. “Pull back immediately! Take up positions inside the keep! We won’t let them take us without a fight!”

This made Ike’s lips stretch into a grin, even if he didn’t seem particularly happy. “We’ll see about that!” he called. “Everyone, up the steps!” Drawing his sword, he led the charge up the center staircase, which covered two of the four tiers. Soren and Titania ran on either side of him. By now the ballistae had fallen silent, and few enemy soldiers were left on the first and second levels. Soren had a spell ready when they reached the third, and he helped the laguz here finish off the surviving Daeins covering their comrades’ retreat.

When they reached the fourth tier, they found the large keep doors firmly closed and barred from the inside. “Break down that gate!” Ike ordered. “If they won’t come out, we’ll just have to let ourselves in. All forces, advance!”

However, it appeared this inner gate was even tougher than the outer one, and it resisted their battering. As an added complication, the beast laguz here kept getting in the way—scrambling and scratching against the doors every time the battering ram was pulled back. Only Ranulf’s shouting and a few well-placed nips could convince them to move.

Other laguz were slinking in impatient circles, panting and hissing. Hawks were darting and diving through the air, shrieking constantly. Some were flying into windows, trying to break into the fort that way. Shattered glass cascaded to the ground. Soren had never seen the Gallian or Phoenician soldiers act this way before, and they suddenly seemed like feral ones.

The minutes ticked by, and the sense of aggravation surrounding the troops only grew. Soren flipped to a page of Elfire spells and took a few steps closer to Ike, ready to defend him if the laguz turned on their allies. He knew the fastest way down to the bailey, if it came to that. But chance of escape was slim; the laguz were everywhere.

“Ike! We have a problem!” Ranulf admitted, prancing over to him on anxious paws. He transformed and rubbed the back of his neck, glancing left and right at his fellow soldiers. At least he appeared in control of himself. “A big problem,” he continued, “All this chaos is really starting to affect the laguz. They’re on the verge of losing control, and I can’t stop them.” He shook his head. “If they find Micaiah, they’re going to tear her apart. I guarantee it.”

“Blast!” Ike growled, glancing around as if looking for someone. “We need to get them under control. Where’s Skrimir? Can’t he-”

“All units, get down NOW!” Tibarn’s voice exploded out of the sky, gaining even the battle-crazed laguz’s attention. The Hawk King himself was shooting out of the sky, straight for their position.

But more alarming was the giant silhouette flying in front of the sun behind him. It was growing larger, and Soren decided to take Tibarn’s advice. Seizing Ike’s arm with all his strength, he dragged him in the opposite direction, to the nearest stairs. Ike didn’t fight the pull, but he did throw out a hand to grab Mist and take her with them. The trio ducked into the slight protection of an archway at the top of the stairs. Titania and the rest of the mercenaries were right behind them, and the laguz soldiers were rushing to take whatever cover they could. Without slowing down, Tibarn ripped Reyson out of the air, pressing him into a corner and covering him with his body.

The black mass was easily recognizable as a dragon now, and with an ear-piercing whistle, it summoned a torrent of bright white light in its mouth. Then, flapping in place, it released that power in a beam of blue fire. With one toss of its head, the dragon’s breath cut straight through Nox’s north tower, part of the wall, and part of the castle’s peak as easily as a knife through butter.

The entire building shuddered under Soren’s feet, and stones started falling around him. The collapsing tower hit the ground with a deafening boom, and a plume of stone dust rose into the air. “Everyone, get out!” Ike shouted, shielding Mist’s head with his arm. Ranulf turned back into his cat form and started racing between the falling debris. Tibarn, Reyson, and the rest of the hawks took to the sky like a flock of crows disturbed from their roost. It was all Soren could do to cover his head and run as fast as he could.

However, the shuddering soon stabilized, and the dragon didn’t fire a second blast. It merely hung there, staring down at the castle. Ike and the others stopped running; everything became quiet. A pegasus appeared behind the dragon, and when it sailed closer, Soren could see both Elincia and Ena crammed into the saddle. His confusion only grew.

“All of you are ordered to throw down your weapons and cease fighting!” Ena shouted, raising her hand high. “Do this for your own welfare!”

“Ena! Elincia!” Ike called, struggling to step onto the third tier so he could better address them. “What’s going on here?” But they ignored him and flew closer to the keep, repeating their message where it would be easier for the Daeins inside to hear.

“It’s a black dragon of Goldoa…” Ranulf murmured, apparently unable to take his eyes off the beast. Soren couldn’t pretend he wasn’t just as baffled. There were only two black dragons left in existence: King Dheginsea and his son Kurthnaga. One of them had left Goldoa and was now here, inserting himself into the war in a way that Goldoa’s strict neutrality never should have allowed.

“Tibarn, what’s going on?” Ike demanded, when he and Reyson landed beside him.

“Why are you asking me?” Tibarn shook his head in bewilderment. “All I know is that I’m not ready to step up to a black dragon. Did you see that blast?”

“Point taken,” Ike replied, glancing around at the damage. “All units, retreat! Platoon commanders, gather you men!”

With that, they started picking his way down the steps and out of the castle. Just outside the main gate, Ike stopped to count each mercenary passing by, ensuring they were all accounted for. Meanwhile, Ranulf, Skrimir, and the rest of the laguz passed through. They were all bipedal now, and their necks were slumped in either exhaustion, disappointment, or shame—Soren couldn’t tell. But it was clear the sudden appearance of the dragon had snapped them out of their frenzy. They were once again submissive and docile under Ranulf and Skrimir’s orders, and they marched quietly back to the basecamp in the ruins. The beorc forces who’d been healing outside the castle walls were already moving back, with the help of the Holy Guards, whose pegasi ferried supplies and carried the injured.

Ike lingered, so Soren stayed with him. “Nailah and Rafiel haven’t come out yet,” he eventually noted.

“Perhaps they are inside with the Daeins,” Soren proposed, “Or perhaps they took another route out of the castle.”

“We will just have to trust Queen Nailah to take care of herself,” Titania offered calmly. “She will return to basecamp in her own time.”

Ike sighed and nodded, and together they walked away from the now lopsided-looking Castle Nox. Glancing at the sky, Soren saw that the dragon was gone—likely returned to his human form. But Elincia and Ena were still visible, flying above the retreating Apostle’s Army and apparently following them back to the ruins.

 

As soon as they arrived, Tibarn took Reyson to see Leanne and the medallion, despite the fact that being near it made Reyson sick. If the deterioration of the laguz on the battlefield had been any indication, the madness seeping out of the medallion needed to be quelled immediately. “Let’s keep both Reyson and Leanne on watch twenty-four-seven,” Ike advised. “At least until Rafiel comes back.” Tibarn didn’t seem to like it, but Reyson agreed and they rushed off.

Then Titania and Mist split away to organize the soldiers spilling into the infirmary. Kieran met Titania in the hall, and the pair immediately began sharing information about casualties and where the troops were being billeted among the ruins.

Soren listened until they were out of earshot, but then he, Ike, and Skrimir turned toward the stone cavern that had become their briefing room. Sanaki was already here hosting Elincia and Ena, who’d arrived ahead of them.

“Queen Elincia,” Ike said, looking both happy and angry to see her. The corners of his eyes were pinched, and his gaze searched hers. “What are you doing here? Who was that dragon? Why did you interfere?”

“Lady Ena and Prince Kurthnaga asked for my help,” she replied calmly, “We only want to end the fighting and bring peace between the Apostle’s Army and Daein.”

Ike turned to Ena. “Why does Goldoa care what happens here?”

Ena looked uncomfortable as she answered. “I… I cannot say at this time.” Her hand strayed uneasily to her stomach, and for the first time, Soren realized the slender dragon-woman looked a little different that the last time he’d seen her. Her gown was cut in a looser style, and she seemed thicker around the waist. Soren had to assume she was pregnant, but if that were the case, she would be carrying the first Goldoan infant in over a hundred years—which was even more of a reason Dheginsea would never have let her fly off to a battlefield.

Soren was distracted from his musings by Tibarn joining them.

“That dragon was Prince Kurthnaga?” Ike was saying with a shake of his head. “Sheesh, I thought the lions got big…”

“Ah, it’s the son, is it?” Tibarn said as he crossed the room. “I thought maybe the dragon king had shrunk a bit in his old age.”

“You all know the dragon prince of Goldoa?” Skrimir asked, apparently disappointed at being left out.

“Goldoa hosted a meeting of laguz royalty seven years ago,” Ranulf explained, “That’s when Tibarn and I met him.”

“Elincia and I met him around the same time,” Ike added. “I’d say he was a nice kid, except that he’s older than all of us put together.”

Ena nodded calmly as if to accept that compliment on Kurthnaga’s behalf. “The Prince hopes to avoid the complete destruction of Daein and its people. He wishes to stop the fighting. We would like you to implement a ceasefire and hold a peace talk.”

“We weren’t gonna destroy all of Daein,” Ike grumbled, while Sanaki responded to Ena’s request:

“We have attempted to hold peace talks with Daein on multiple occasions!” she countered, “They refuse to listen to reason and instead choose to fight. We have no more time to waste on people who choose war over peace at every turn!”

Ena tilted her head sympathetically and assessed the young empress with kind eyes. “Your people are waiting for you in Begnion. Is that what presses you?”

Sanaki was about to make some retort, when Ike answered: “It’s not just that,” he explained, “All of this strife and chaos has affected the medallion. It’s shining brighter each day!”

Elincia’s queenly demeanor faltered. “While that may be true…”

“The blue flame burns once more.” Ena closed her eyes a moment, and the place between her eyebrows twitched in sudden sorrow. “The light that radiates from the medallion looks like blue fire, doesn’t it?”

Tibarn nodded grimly.

“It’s this flaming aura that earned the medallion its other name,” she continued, “the Fire Emblem.”

“The Fire Emblem…” Sanaki repeated, as if she may have heard that term before.

“The flames of the Fire Emblem indicate the awakening of the Dark God,” Ena added (although everyone already knew that). “If the war is allowed to continue, nothing can stop the God’s awakening. We must cease this fighting.”

“If there is a way to stop the fighting, we shall do everything in our power to aid that effort,” Sanaki returned vehemently. “We have pursued peace since this began.”

“Then let us wait until Prince Kurthnaga returns,” Ena replied in consoling tones. “He is speaking with the leaders of Daein now.”

“Then I guess we wait,” Tibarn said with a sigh. “I’ll go check on Reyson and Leanne again.” With that, he departed.

“We should check on our troops,” Ranulf said to Skrimir, and they excused themselves next.

“If I might have a word, Ike?” Elincia turned to him. “There is something important about which I would like to speak with you privately.” Ike nodded, and they left the room. Soren wondered what she was going to tell him, but he was confident Ike would share if it was important.

Sanaki offered to take Ena somewhere more comfortable so she could rest, and Soren was left alone. He didn’t mind, however, because there was already a stack of scouting reports awaiting his attention at the end of the table. He also needed to determine the costs of this battle (both mortal and in coin) and write his own report for Ike to read later.

The work was a good distraction, but his mind kept turning to the events of the day. Micaiah and Pelleas’s warmongering made no sense. Tauroneo, Sothe, and the others’ support for them was illogical, and Ena and Kurthnaga’s decision to defy their king and come to Daein’s defense was unfathomable. It seemed everyone had hidden motives Soren could not guess, and it was incredibly frustrating. Everyone was keeping secrets, tensions were high, and he had no idea how to diffuse this situation.

 

Ike found him in the briefing room an hour later, and he was carrying a bowl of food. “Thought you might still be here,” he said with a yawn.

Soren pulled the gruel toward him and pushed his report away. “It is better to work than to worry myself over the end of the world, isn’t it?”

Ike leaned his forearms over the back of a chair and seemed suddenly deep in thought.

Soren changed the subject. “What did Elincia have to say?”

Ike shook his head. “She wanted to talk about Bastian. Apparently Lucia entered Daein right behind us, looking for him.”

“I did notice he was missing from Melior,” Soren replied. “Is he still on his secret mission?”

Ike cocked his head noncommittally. “According to Elincia, his mission was to find the Black Knight. After a year, he still didn’t have any leads. Then, in his last report, he said something important to Crimea had come up. After that, neither Elincia or Lucia heard from him again.”

“And Elincia didn’t have any clue as to what he was referring?”

Ike shook his head. “No, and she seemed worried about it. I told her the old goat is probably fine.”

“I’m sure he is… But still, it is yet one more element to this situation we do not fully understand.” Soren didn’t think he could handle any more mysteries at the moment.

Ike grimaced as if he felt the same way. “Anyway, Elincia and Lucia met up and she’s here too. I offered them and their escorts a place to stay with the Apostle’s Army. They’ll fight with us, if need be, but let’s hope that doesn’t happen.”

Soren looked down at the maps the scouts had been working to sketch since yesterday. He was already planning for a battle, but he decided not to tell Ike this. In fact, he shuffled his reports around so that the map and notes were half-covered; he didn’t want to crush Ike’s hope.

However, judging by the sideways twist of his mouth, Soren thought he probably realized what he’d been doing. “Get some rest when you finish that,” he said pointing to the bowl. “Everything else can wait.”

Soren nodded obediently, and Ike left. Suddenly, the briefing room felt incredibly empty.

 

It was still dark when Titania woke him, and Soren blinked blearily into the moonlight spilling through the cracks in the shutters. The windows in this ruin had no glass, so the outer rooms like this one were freezing. But it was still better than sleeping in a tent or on the ground like much of the army was currently doing. Soren didn’t want to get out from under his blanket, but if Titania had come to wake him so early, something had to be wrong. “What is it?”

“Scouts report that Daein has received reinforcements and they’re mobilizing outside Nox’s walls,” Titania whispered, as if the whole camp might hear her and panic if she spoke too loudly. “Ike wants to hear your deployment strategy.”

Soren stifled a yawn and swung his feet out of bed. “Coming.”

 

While Titania went to arrange more scouts, Soren proceeded to the briefing room, where Ike was already flipping through the maps and reports he’d left out. “How many reinforcements?” he asked by way of greeting.

“Looks like they have eight thousand in total now, and more could be coming,” Ike replied. “We still outnumber them, but being more evenly matched might embolden them to fight again.”

“Nailah and Rafiel are not back yet?”

Ike shook his head.

“What of Kurthnaga?”

“We haven’t heard a peep from anyone over on Daein’s side,” Ike explained, shaking his head again. “But we have to be prepared for the worst.”

“That is my specialty,” Soren replied, hoping he could alleviate Ike’s stress with a bit of false confidence. He moved the papers to expose the large map of the wooded region between the ruins and castle. “Skrimir and Ranulf can lead the laguz from the northwest, here. You and Elincia lead the mercenaries and beorc troops from the west, here. Tibarn comes around from the south, here. See how the meadows connect? We will be on converging paths and therefore able to support one another in a worst-case scenario on any one front. As an added advantage, this line of trees in the middle acts as a natural partial barrier-”

He was cut off by the door opening and Ena slipping inside. “Sir Ike…” she said, sounding almost dizzy. She had some sort of crystalline rock gripped in her fist, which she held close to her heart. “I’ve just received a very disturbing message from Prince Kurthnaga.”

“Don’t tell me…” Ike sighed. “No luck, right?”

“It is far worse than that.” Ena crept closer before falling still. “Prince Kurthnaga has decided to fight for Daein.”

“What! Why?” Ike exploded. “He was supposed to stop them from fighting! And now he wants to fight us instead? Oh, this is just perfect!” He threw his weight into a chair.

“He has a good reason to side with them…” Ena offered meekly. “But I’m afraid I cannot tell you why.”

“Wonderful.” Ike shot her an angry glare. “So we still have to fight Daein, and they’ve added one of the supposedly neutral dragons of Goldoa to their army?”

Soren had never seen Ike get this upset over a battle. He was scared, and Soren couldn’t pretend he didn’t understand why. They’d all witnessed Kurthnaga’s power yesterday, and that wasn’t an opponent he wanted to face.

“I’m sorry, Ike,” Ena said, and at least her tone was genuine. “I will try to reason with Prince Kurth again. It was the Prince’s wish to come here… King Dheginsea knows nothing of our visit. Be that as it may, for a prince of the dragon tribe to stand on a battlefield… It is unacceptable. I must talk him out of it.” Taking a seat at the end of the table, Ena propped up her elbows and held the stone cupped between both hands. Closing her eyes, her forehead wrinkled in concentration.

“I’m sorry, Ena, I know you’re doing your best to-” Ike seemed to notice her strange behavior. “Wait, are you talking to him with that stone?”

Ena’s eyes opened. “Yes. We dragons have the power to sense the presence of our allies with our telesthesia. If that ally is someone we care for very much, then we can communicate telepathically. With a sending stone, we can use this telepathy across extreme distances.” Closing her eyes again, she swung her head and adjusted her grip on the stone. “I just hope he listens to me. We can’t afford to fuel the flames of the Fire Emblem.”

Ike turned his attention to the sliver of a window at the end of the ancient room. “It’s almost dawn,” he noted. “Do what you can to convince the prince to stay out of this. I would’ve preferred to avoid a fight, but once again, Micaiah isn’t giving us much of a choice.”

“I will do my best, Sir Ike.”

He tried to return to battle strategy, but Soren didn’t want to say anything while Ena was still there. After all, she could use her telepathy to send the information to Kurthnaga and give Micaiah another advantage tomorrow. “Let’s wait until Ena’s done,” he whispered meaningfully, but Ike seemed to misunderstand.

“Oh, right, I bet she needs to concentrate.”

He and Soren continued to read reports and glance over at Ena every few seconds. Eventually she gave up and dropped the stone with an exasperated sigh.

“No answer?” Ike asked.

“He says he will not change his mind,” Ena answered. “He has his reasons… But perhaps he will realize his poor judgement when the chaos of war surrounds him. I will go to him on the field of battle; I will stop him then,” she vowed.

Ike looked surprised. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean aren’t you…with child?”

Ena’s hands fell to her lap, but she raised her chin to answer him. “Yes, but I am strong enough for this.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Ike replied, “It just doesn’t seem safe.”

“I will be fine,” Ena assured. “If I do not transform, I doubt the Daein troops will attack me.” Soren did have to admit she looked incredibly innocent—but that was exactly why he didn’t trust her.

“As long as you’re sure,” Ike conceded.

Ena nodded. “Thank you. I promise I will not hinder your troops.” With that she stood, bowed slightly, and left, taking the stone with her.

Ike scratched the back of his head with both hands as if he could scrub away a thought. Then he let his arms fall. “Bizarre, isn’t it? …I wonder who the father is.”

“Prince Rajaion, of course,” Soren returned, flipping back to the map. “Now, if Ena does embark on this fool’s errand, I recommend she slip through the trees between your and Skrimir’s battalions.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Ike said, “Rajaion died years ago.”

Soren leaned away from the map, slightly embarrassed that he had to explain the birds and the bees to Ike. Then again, he only knew about laguz procreation from his extensive research of the Branded. “The gestation period of laguz varies widely from that of beorc—the dragon tribe most of all. Whereas a beorc infant develops in nine months, a dragon takes nine years. Although, actual growth only occurs in the final nine months, same as all laguz. Some beorc scholars theorize the extra time is required for the mother’s body to develop and pass on each laguz tribe’s unique transformation magic.”

Ike’s mouth was slightly agape. “I had no idea,” he finally said.

Soren shook his head. “It is one of the many differences between beorc and laguz. You cannot be expected to know them all.”

His mouth shrunk into a frown. “There aren’t that many differences.” Soren didn’t reply, and he came out of his pout. “What about Branded then?”

Soren had grown used to the dreaded word coming out of Ike’s mouth, and it no longer stirred his anxiety. He answered in stride: “Nine months, the same as beorc, no matter which parent possesses the laguz or Branded blood.”

Ike started to nod but then cocked his head in sudden confusion. “Wait, the children of Branded are Branded too?”

Soren wondered how this conversation had suddenly become an educational lecture on the nature of Branded, but since they were alone, Soren didn’t mind sharing what he knew. “Yes,” he said, “In whatever ratio laguz and beorc blood is mixed, no matter the number of generations, a Branded child can be born. Though…according to my research in the Mainal Cathedral, diluting the bloodline sufficiently with beorc blood may yield children who show no physical attributes such as a dermal mark or longevity. However, these traits may resurface in their own children. According to the books I read, no one knew for certain whether they could breed cursed blood out of a line. It was all largely speculative.”

Ike’s eyes were wide with wonder, but then he blinked and his expression became suddenly sad. “I guess there was a whole lot I didn’t know.”

“You can’t be expected to,” Soren said with a wave of his hand. “Now, about the battle…”

Ike shook his head, and his sadness gave way to indignance. “But why doesn’t anyone ever talk about the Branded?” he asked earnestly. “Everyone claims to want peace and equality between beorc and laguz, but they still treat people like you like you don’t exist!”

“Lower your voice,” Soren hissed. Although they’d picked this room (which was sunken into the cliffside) as their briefing room exactly because it was secure from spies, he didn’t want to risk alerting the guards outside.

Ike crossed his arms and frowned. “I’m not wrong.”

“While I’m honored by your idealism,” Soren returned dryly, “You are not being practical. Although we do exist, it would be better for everyone if we didn’t. The Branded complicate matters. Their existence should not be encouraged.”

“How can you say that?”

Soren shook his head and wished they could return to battle strategy. It was much easier to talk about. “Our lives are either too long or too short. I have explained this before.”

“Yeah, but I still don’t get what the big deal is.”

“Then ask yourself this—” Soren’s tone grew sharper than intended, but he couldn’t hold himself back “—would you want to watch Mist grow old and die while you remained the same? Do you think she would want you around as she got married, had kids, raised a family? Would she want you always looking over her shoulder? Now imagine watching all of your cherished mercenaries shriveling and sinking into the ground, while you never change at all. What if you had to live on without them for decades? A hundred years? Two hundred? What if you had no idea how long your natural lifespan would be, so you could never get close to anyone?” Soren’s voice lapsed into silence, and Ike just stared.

“That…” he finally responded, “That is only sad because you’re painting me as being alone that entire time.”

“That’s the point,” Soren shot back, wondering why Ike still couldn’t see the truth.

“Is that how you feel?” Ike asked gently. “Is that what you’re afraid of?”

Soren leaned back in his chair, knowing there would be no reasoning with Ike on this subject. He was too optimistic. He didn’t have to face this reality, so he didn’t have to truly consider it. “Yes,” Soren admitted.

“I’m sorry…” Ike shook his head and no longer seemed able to make eye contact Soren hated his pity. “…But it doesn’t have to be that way.”

“I think we exhausted the educational merit of this conversation long ago,” he sighed, wanting to wash his hands of it. “To return to the issue at hand, Ena should travel through here.” He pointed at the map. “You attack from here. The core of Micaiah’s troops should be concentrated around here. Following the dip of the land, that means this area will be a key battle point. As of now, we cannot predict how she will deploy her newly acquired dragon, but even if we did, I fear there is little we can do to prepare…”

He continued giving his analysis, and Ike didn’t interrupt or try to return to their conversation about the Branded. For that he was relieved, and eventually he slowed down enough to let Ike speak. When he did, it was about strategy, and only then did Soren finally release the tension in his shoulders.