The Curse of the Brand von Aylatha ================================================================================ Kapitel 27: Rivals collide -------------------------- Zelgius had moved his troops to Gaddos Castle, which lay in the north-east of Begnion. He had been furious when Levail told him that some of his men had attacked the Greil Mercenaries at Seliora Castle. Did those fools really think they could defeat the son of Gawain and his men? They should have heard what they accomplished during the last war. Zelgius looked up from the report he was writing when a soldier entered. "General Sigrun of the Holy Guards here to see you, sir. Shall I let her through?" "Let her through. At once!" A few minutes later, Sigrun entered. Her face was very pale. Zelgius stood. "You look unwell, general. Shall I send for something? Water, perhaps?" "No, thank you, I am fine... I carry an order from the senate. The cease-fire has been repealed. You are ordered to destroy the Laguz Alliance and their allies as well." "What?! But the alliance has already lost its will to fight! The apostle and Lord Sephiran would never agree to such a brutish plan, nor would Senator Maian!" Sigrun looked as if she was about to burst into tears. "General? What happened? Tell me!" "Why didn't you save me some of those begnion soldiers?", Tibarn complained. "Sorry. The battle was over before it started – they were pathetic. And Zelgius' lapdog came to pick their commander up. He wasn't pleased with that." "I see. Well, we were just hanging about near Castle Gaddos when we ran into someone quite unexpected." "Who?" "The commander of the Holy Guards." "Sigrun?" "Yes. She was all by herself and for some reason, she seemed hesitant to go near the castle, it was odd. Since she's close to the apostle, I tried to get some informa­tion from her. She didn't budge. Tough girl, that one. She wasn't at all surprised to see me, but then she asked me to escape at once, in such a sad voice... We came back as fast as we could. Something terrible must've happened and we should get ourselves out of here." "Agreed. We need to catch up with Ranulf and the others." Maian stopped dead as images came flooding into her mind. No... No! This must not be happening... How – how did it come to this?! "My lady?" Maian returned to the present to find her soldiers staring anxiously at her. They were in the middle of a busy street halfway to Mainal Cathedral. Maian's mind raced. She knew that she had little time to do what had to be done. "It is very important that you do exactly as I tell you, without asking questions. We can talk later. I need a raven, a hawk and a cat, and they need to be very fast." Three of her guards stepped forward. "Head back to the manor immediately as fast as you can – you may transform. The one who gets there first is to deliver two messages: the first to my sister. She has to prepare to leave for our vacation home on the Sestohl Plains as quickly as possi­ble. I can offer no explanation now, she has to trust in my word – this is to keep her safe. The second message is for all my soldiers stationed at the manor. We are leaving Sienne, our destination is Gallia. We will need supplies, weapons and armour for that journey. Do you understand what you have to do?" The three messengers nodded. "Good. You - " she pointed at the cat, "take the shortest route. You two split up and take a more circular route, but make sure no-one follows you. Now go!" They transformed and left. Maian looked after them. All the years of training had prepared her soldiers for this moment, now they had to prove whether they were worthy of being called an elite troupe. "We are going home as well." "Senator, what have you seen?", Nala asked. "I cannot tell you now. First, we need to leave the city. We can talk on our way to Gallia." "So, you are in danger?" "Yes." "Then we should hurry." "No. We still have plenty of time left before anyone will come looking for me. We do not want to make the impression that we are running away. It is imperative that we leave Sienne without raising suspicions." "I see. But stay close, senator. If anyone wants to harm you, he'll have to deal with me first." "And us!" Her other guards formed up around her and led her back to the manor. Please forgive me for deserting you... "Hello, Micaiah. I hardly ever see your face around here", Pelleas said. "My rooms in the castle are much too lavish for my taste. Besides, I want to help the people." "My. You still crave the affection of those peasants. Aren't you past that, my dear?", Almedha asked. "Mother, stop it, please. Micaiah is the only one I can turn to after Izuka and the Black Knight have left... they both mysteriously disappeared the day of my corona­tion..." "I am certain they were kidnapped by those who wish to harm you, my beloved son. But don't worry, mother will always protect you." Someone kidnap the Black Knight? Is she out of her mind? No-one could ever do that... "Now, just give her your orders." "Yes, mother. Micaiah, your king requires your service once more. Mobilize the royal army immediately. We are answering the call from Begnion to wipe out the barbaric Laguz Alliance. Your targets are – Gallia's sub-humans!" "Micaiah, why exactly are we doing this?!", Sothe shouted. "Daein has no business in this war, and you know it! Besides, why are we helping Begnion?" "King Pelleas gave us an order. All we can do is carry it out." "Even if it's wrong?!" "I believe in our king." "Well, at least someone does", Jill commented. "This is madness!" Micaiah watched her striding away, feeling absolutely helpless. "So, that's it", Sothe said quietly. "From freedom fighters to bigots in the blink of an eye..." "Sothe", Micaiah said softly. "I heard that your friend Ike is fighting alongside the alliance. I won't force you into this, if you don't want to fight them, that's fine." Sothe closed his eyes. "I'd never leave you. I'll protect you, even if that means fighting Commander Ike and his men. But we'd better make sure we're well prepa­red – for this battle will be harder than any before." "Thank you, Sothe..." They managed to reach the western bank of the Ribahn just as the gallians started to cross the river. It was already dark and they could hardly see a thing. The moment the vanguard came in sight, Micaiah gave the order to attack. The gallians were surprised and Micaiah noticed that some of them were injured, but nevertheless they fought with all they had. Suddenly the Black Knight appeared out of thin air. Sothe wasn't particularly happy to see him. "Sir Knight!" "My maiden. I will not ask why you chose to engage in this battle." "Thank you. Then I won't ask why you have been absent." This battle turned out to be tedious. No matter how many laguz they killed, more followed. And Micaiah's men grew tired. This wasn't what they had expected laguz hunting to be like. Finally, Micaiah decided to propose a cease-fire to the gallians. A blue cat came sprinting towards them, jumped onto the riverbank and reverted. Micaiah noticed that his eyes had different colours. "I was told that someone wanted to speak to our general. Since that's not possible, I'm here. The name's Ranulf." "I am Micaiah, general of the Daein Royal Army." Ranulf stared at her. "You're the general?" "Yes. It is no use to continue fighting... please surrender while you still can." "Why would we do that?" "The Daein Royal Army has blocked your path, and behind you, the Begnion Cen­tral Army is moving in. If you surrender - " "...we'll be slaughtered like cattle. Thanks, but no thanks. If we fight, we might survi­ve. If we surrender, we're dead." "I see... I was really hoping we could avoid a meaningless battle." "You sure you're from Daein?" "Not all of us are crazed racists, Ranulf." "Sothe? Is that you? Wow, beorc growth always amazes me. Just like Ike. Remem­ber him, Sothe?" "Of course I do." "Hm." Ranulf turned to the Black Knight. "You know, Ike's been looking for you. He'll be quite delighted to find you here, I'm sure of it." Micaiah could sense a faint amusement coming from the knight. "I am certainly looking forward to continuing our duel." "Great. Whatever. Sothe, let me give you a friendly warning: if you care about that girl at all, get her and her men out of here. Otherwise I can't guarantee for any­thing." "What do you mean?" "My soldiers are in a really bad mood right now. And we are not about to be crushed by you. Right, Skrimir?" He shouted the last words across the river. A deafening roar came as an answer. "What was that?", Micaiah asked, stunned. "A lion... Oh no. This is bad... Lions are much, much stronger than the cats and tigers we have been fighting." Ranulf grinned. "Let's just say, you shouldn't assume you can see all of our troops just yet. Well, I'll be going now. I hope we won't meet on the battlefield again." He turned and shifted as he strode away. "Back to the eastern shore! Regroup!" Only moments later, the darkness had swallowed the gallians. "Look at this mess", Skrimir said to Ike. "Those daein dogs have cut off our escape route. Can't we look for another place to cross?" "No", Soren replied. "We managed to lose the central army, but they're moving fast. If we don't make it across the river soon, they'll catch us for sure." "Ranulf, what are your impressions of the daein army?", Ike asked. "Well, their commander seems to be brilliant, but they didn't bring any ballistae or fire mages! It looked as if they didn't know a thing about fighting laguz. But the Black Knight is with them – he said he is looking forward to fighting you again." "That man must have a deathwish. Soren, can you tell us anything about the daein general?" "Micaiah, the Silver-Haired Maiden. She is the heroine of the Daein Liberation War, it is said that she has never lost a battle before. It is also said that she possesses mystical powers." "What do you think about that?" "Personally, I doubt it. But that doesn't matter – her men believe in her. They have dubbed her their priestess and venerate her like a saint. They are fanatics who would follow any of her orders blindly. I trust she will make a formidable enemy." "Hm. What do we do now..." "Can't we just use a decoy, like last time?", Ranulf asked. "The decoy only worked because the enemy wasn't expecting it", Titania pointed out. "We shouldn't count on the same strategy to work twice." "Not necessarily", Soren replied. "Begnion considers the daein army a pawn to stop us and would very likely not care if it got destroyed in the process. It is possible that they "forgot" to tell Daein of our past manoeuvres. I suggest we use the mercena­ries as a decoy force, we will attack the daein army head on. In the meantime, the army crosses the river and heads for Gallia." "Some of my men and I will go with you", Ranulf said. "They would get suspicious if there wasn't a single laguz in sight." "Take some of my men as well",Tibarn added. "I wouldn't want their claws grow dull. We'll watch over the beasts as they cross the river." "Here they come", Micaiah said quietly. Ranulf led the charge, closely followed by a small group of beorc. "The Greil Mercenaries. So they really are here", Sothe said. "Sothe, tell me something about Ike." "Huh? What's with you all of a sudden? You used to always get mad whenever I mentioned him." "I want to know more about the man I'll be fighting. What kind of person is he?" "Well, he's a strong fighter. Kind and loyal. He doesn't care about blood, race or the opinion of the nobles. He accomplishes everything he sets out to do. He's a natural leader. And a true hero." "I see... he sounds quite different from King Pelleas." "Micaiah, they don't even compare. Pelleas lacks any leadership or decision-making skills." "That may be, but I still believe in him." "Look, Micaiah, it's Haar!" "Jill's – partner?" "Yes. And – those two are the aides of King Tibarn. Dammit, no-one said that we would have to fight the birds as well!" "Looks like Begnion forgot to mention them", Micaiah said calmly. Jill grabbed her lance more tightly as Haar and the two birds came swooping towards her. The hawks suddenly dived to attack the soldiers beneath them. Haar stopped just out of her reach. "Hello, Jill." "Captain Haar! What are you doing here?" "I should be asking you that question." "I joined the army to help liberating Daein." "Well, you did a good job. Daein has been liberated. So, why are you still with the army?" "I don't want to leave my friends!" "Open your eyes, Jill, since you got both of them left. You are fighting your friends, too." "How did you end up here in the first place?" "Well, Marcia forced me to help out Queen Elincia and then I helped to stop the uprisings in Crimea. And then I ended up with the alliance because... you know, being old friends with Ike and that." "What?! That is hardly a cause worth fighting for! You're unbelievable!" "Alright, enough debating. What now? Do you want to fight me?" "Of course not! I could never..." "Then come with me." "Easy for you to say!" "Do you think your father would have wanted you to live like that, full of doubt? Afraid to trust your own instincts?" "Father..." "Daein has no business in this war. Surely you've realized." "But - " "Come with me, Jill. Sometimes you have to betray your friends and your homeland because it's the right thing to do. Who would know better than us? For the sake of your father, live your life without shame. Come, let's do the right thing. Together." "You are right... I've been blind. I'll show my friends that they are wrong." "Good! That's the Jill I know." "What's going on over there?", Micaiah asked. "Looks like Haar managed to persuade Jill to change sides. I can't blame her for that, though." "They are close, aren't they." "Yes. Haar was one of her father's men. They're quite a few years apart, though..." Micaiah chuckled. "Sothe, you should know that age doesn't matter." They watched as the laguz and the mercenaries advanced. A young man with blue hair sliced his way towards them. "Is that – him?" "Yes." "And the boy behind him?" "Soren. Their tactician. He's a genius and a very strong sage. And he's like Ike's personal shadow." Next to them, the Black Knight shifted his weight. "Stay here, maiden. I will stop him." As he stepped forward, Ike killed another soldier and jumped from the small island he had been standing on onto the shore. His face was earnest, almost fierce, but Micaiah could sense the feelings underneath and his soul was as pure as a soul could be. "So. You are alive. Somehow, I knew it wasn't over yet", Ike said. "Of course not. You were just a boy trying to live up to the memory of the greatest swordsman in history." "And yet, I was the one to walk out of the castle that day." "You have your father to thank for that. When you told me he had crippled himself, I realized that I had never fought him, merely his shadow." "What are you getting at?" "I saw immediately that you were not your father's equal, but that one day you might be. So I did the only thing I could to keep you alive – I let you win." Ike considered that for a moment. "You did, didn't you? I have relived that fight so many times... How could I not have seen it before?" "You were not yet capable of seeing it. But I had to let you live, so that you could continue to train and perhaps one day be worthy of Gawain's legacy." "Gawain?", Micaiah whispered. "Our Gawain?" "Yes. He was Ike's father. Both his parents were from Daein, but he was born in Gallia and raised in Crimea", Sothe explained. "My armour's blessing is gone", the Black Knight went on, "let us see if that day is today." "I promise you that it will be. Begin." The Black Knight didn't need to be told twice. The next moment the two of them were fighting. Ike was wearing hardly any armour, his sword and speed were his only defence. Micaiah had to admire his skill and bravery. "This is awesome", she said to Sothe. "They're both so good!" "Do you really have time to enjoy the show?", a voice asked. Sothe whirled around, pulling out one of his throwing knives. "Soren!" "You know, I always thought you were an okay kid. But looks like I was wrong." Sothe hurled the knife at the magician. Soren didn't even bother to dodge, he simply deflected the knife with a magical barrier. Sothe gasped. Soren started chanting a spell and before Micaiah could do anything, a powerful gust of wind sent Sothe flying. He hit the ground hard and lay there, motionless. "Sothe!" "Don't worry, I wasn't trying to kill him." Micaiah turned to face Soren. His long robes were billowing in the wind and she could very clearly see the mark on his forehead. "So, Maiden of Miracles. This certainly explains a few of those stories around you." "You – you are just like me!" "Yes, the call our kind the Branded. As the years pass, I understand better and better how others see us." "You are so cold... It's as if you were cloaked in frost. Is there even blood running through your veins?" "There is. Blood much similar to yours, in fact. Blood that teaches us what it means to be rejected and alone." "Your heart is frozen, yet I feel a warm core trying to melt through that ice. I see... you have someone you cherish very much. Someone you rely on." "Do not presume to understand me, you ridiculous girl. You have no idea who I am or what I can do. None at all. Daein has no business in this war. I will defeat you swiftly and send you and your army back to Daein." "I finally meet my own kind, and he is an enemy... But I will not retreat! I won't let you go any further!" "We'll see about that." Micaiah shot a ray of light at him, but he blocked again. The next moment she was engulfed in icy winds that tore at her hair and clothes. Soren apparently had no intentions of sparing her. Micaiah created a strong shield around herself and tried to brace herself against the cold winds. Suddenly, a terrified cry came from behind her. "The sub-humans! They're everywhere! Behind us!" "What? A decoy?", Micaiah asked in disbelief. "Heh. You fell for it", Soren said gleefully. Ike jumped away from the Black Knight. "Ulki! Janaff! Give us a lift, will you?" One of the two hawks came swooping down and Ike seized his claws. The other one came for Soren. Micaiah could hear him muttering something about "having to accept help from a laguz". He likes neither the beorc nor the laguz... Just what happened to him? "It is over", the Black Knight observed. "We have failed to stall them." "Yes. Order a full retreat, we will go back to Nevassa." Micaiah bent over Sothe to examine his injuries. Luckily, they were not severe and Sothe came round the same moment. "What happened?" "The mercenaries were just a decoy. While we fought them, the army crossed the river. We need to pull back." "This is the first time you couldn't foretell the outcome of a battle. Is this a sign?" "I don't know..." Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)