Categories > Games > Fire Emblem > Prideful Love
Disclaimer see ch1.
******
Chapter 2: Port of Badon
The army reached Badon in a less than a week. Rebecca was still hurting from the fight at Caelin castle. Priscilla tended well to her wounds, but the stiffness in her body could only be relieved with time.
The army loitered around Badon whilst their lords went to find a ship. Rebecca was bored. Out of frustration she decided to examine her bow, finding to her dismay that the string was lax.
'Oh, great,' she groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was to restring her bow. It is not that she hated archery. Rebecca loved it and she was an accomplished hunter and quite a good cook as well. But when it came to restringing her bow...let's just say Rebecca was not as talented in that department.
'Usually Dan does this for me,' she grumbled wistfully as she slowly dismantled her weapon. The thought of her brother brought back the familiar feeling of sadness and that old fear.
What's the use? He would have written by now if he wanted to.
Determined to get the dark thoughts out of her head Rebecca glanced over her shoulder to see the red-headed mercenary rest under a tree.
He looks so peaceful, she thought as she turned her attention back to her bow.
'Eeeek!' Rebecca yelped as the bowstring slipped from her grasp and slapped her harshly, leaving an angry red line on her skin. She almost had it! Darn.
'What in the blazes...?' a male voice asked, causing Rebecca to jump.
'AH! I am sorry! Did I disturb your rest?' Rebecca nervously asked the scowling man.
'No...That's not it...what are you doing dismantling your weapon here?'
'Ah, um, it's just...my bowstring was getting lax. I was trying to change it with another; you see...I'm just not very good at stringing...' Rebecca said dejectedly and dropped her head in shame.
'Hand me that.'
'...eh? Um...' Rebecca watched in awe as he effortlessly slipped on the new bowstring.
'There...that do it? Give her a pull to see if she's not too tight,' he asked handing her back the bow.
Rebecca did as she was told. To her surprise she found that her bow was perfect. Not even Dan stringed her bow so good. '...Ah, yes! It's perfect! Thank you so much! Sir...?' She stopped in the realization that she did not know his name.
I'm such a goofball! Rebecca scolded herself.
'Raven.'
'Sir Raven! I'm Rebecca.'
'I know. When someone joins your army you should know his face at least. Especially in a rag-tag bunch such as this.' he replied coldly.
'...Ah...I-I'm sorry. I'm not even a proper mercenary...' Rebecca dropped her head and ground the toe of her boot into the soil. Raven was making her nervous with his piercing gaze.
'I don't know why you're here, but a soldier who can't take care of his own weapons has no place on the battlefield.'
Rebecca kept her head down. Raven had a point. She can't take care of her bow. That makes her basically useless, right? She was just a burden on the other members of the army. Those who could take care of their weapons.
Raven saw that his words had struck a sensitive spot in the girl. His eyes softened for a moment as he gazed at her. She was cute and far too young to be trapped in a war like this.
'If you need anything, ask me. I'll do what I can.'
Rebecca's head shot up. Her gaze met his and she tried to see if he was pulling her leg. She saw nothing but sincerity there. Raven felt uncomfortable under her searching gaze and turned abruptly on his heel. Rebecca watched his retreating form.
'Ah...Scary...but maybe not all bad inside? Sure liked what I saw on the outside!' Rebecca giggled. Maybe this day would not be so bad after all.
A few moments Mark rushed towards her. 'Rebecca, I need you to find Raven, Florina, Serra and Erk. Tell them to meet me at the merchant's tent. Go now! It's an emergency!'
Half an hour later a small group of very confused soldiers surrounded Merlinus' Merchant Tent. Lords Eliwood and Hector as well as Lady Lyn were present. Rebecca noticed that Lady Lyn was extremely miffed.
'All right everyone. We found a ship that will take us to Valor, but the captain has a condition. We have to fight with them first, provide some amusement for his men, I suppose.' Mark said with a shrug. Who knew what went on in Fargus's head?
'How will we get to Valor if we slay the captain? This does not make sense.' Erk pointed out.
'We do not have to slay him. We only have to beat back his troops enough so that one of us can go and talk to him, preferably Lord Eliwood, since the captain already saw him before.'
Mark continued to explain his plan to them. They would proceed north, past the inn and then west along the outer wall of the town. This should bring them within striking distance of the captain. His crew was scattered and there was no telling when or where a battle would break out.
'Matthew, use your talents and warn the villages along the way. I do not think that Fargus will intentionally harm them, but we cannot be too careful.'
The thief nodded and vanished.
Soon they were creeping in utter silence along the western wall. There was the odd skirmish with one or two of the pirate crew, but nothing serious. Mark stressed the point that the pirates should not be killed. After all a ship won't function properly if half of the crew were laying dead in Badon's streets.
They moved in pairs along the wall, Mark figured detection would be harder that way. Their little party consisted of only eight people. The remaining forces stayed behind to protect Merlinus.
Erk and Serra lingered behind. The cleric was too noisy for her own good, but Mark insisted that she come along. After all, her skill with the staff was better than Priscilla's.
For most of the time Rebecca snuck alone along the western wall, avoiding pirates as best she could. Her mind was focussed on one thing only. Raven.
How would she thank him for fixing her bow?
Movement in the distance caught her attention. It was a pirate, she quickly spotted, and he was sneaking up on Lord Eliwood! The red-headed noble looked completely oblivious to the approaching danger.
Quickly she strung an arrow into place and shot the pirate in the leg. The pirate let out a holler of pain, alerting Eliwood of his presence. The swordfighter spun round and spotted Rebecca, her bow still in her hands. He nodded his thanks and Rebecca smiled.
Rebecca was more than impressed with how her bow now performed! She fell in love with her bow all over again. It was deadly accurate and managed to propel arrows at terrifying speeds through the air.
She had to find a way to thank Raven.
But how?
It was not like he had any friends or family in the army that she could ask.
Wait a minute... Rebecca's eyes grew wide and her smile brighter. That monk...Lucius! I'll bet he knows how I can thank Raven!
Rebecca did not know that Raven was watching her out of the corner of his eye. He saw her shoot the pirate and was quite impressed that she managed to pierce the man's thigh from a hundred metres away. He quickly turned his attention back to the battle at hand. The west wall came to an end.
Just beyond the wall, on the docks, stood Fargus. He was an imposing man with a scary large build. His silver axe hung effortlessly by his side. Raven swallowed hard. This man was a Berserker! There was no way in Elibe that their rag-tag bunch could beat a berserker. He silently hoped that Hector would be foolish enough to test himself against Fargus.
That would spare me the effort to kill him myself, he thought darkly and shook his head.
Everyone was gathered near a clump of trees that shielded them from view.
'Okay, Florina, this is where you come in.'
The little Pegasus knight gulped and nodded shyly. She trembled slightly at the sight of Fargus. He was a HUGE man.
'Take Lord Eliwood with you and fly over to Fargus. We will provide the distraction, so don't worry about archers.' Florina nodded and readied Huey. Eliwood perched uncomfortably behind her.
'Al right...' Mark said as he peered through the branches, gauging when the best time would be to strike. After several moments of observing the enemy he realized that they were completely off-guard. A satisfied grin spread across his face.
Good. His plan was working so far. Now only for the last bit to fall in place.
'Go, now!' he hissed. All at once the group sprang forth from the trees, knocking the enemy unconscious. Florina took to the sky like a lightning bolt and before the pirates could realize what had happened the battle was over. Eliwood was peacefully talking to the captain. An amused grin was plastered on Fargus's face.
'Cunning bunch aren't you? All right, as I promised I will take you to Valor.'
That night everyone rested on board the Davros as it sailed silently towards the Dread Isle.
*****
I've checked my typo's.
As far as I (meaning MS Word) can tell it looks pretty okay.
'Cept for those darn language errors...English is my second language...
******
Chapter 2: Port of Badon
The army reached Badon in a less than a week. Rebecca was still hurting from the fight at Caelin castle. Priscilla tended well to her wounds, but the stiffness in her body could only be relieved with time.
The army loitered around Badon whilst their lords went to find a ship. Rebecca was bored. Out of frustration she decided to examine her bow, finding to her dismay that the string was lax.
'Oh, great,' she groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was to restring her bow. It is not that she hated archery. Rebecca loved it and she was an accomplished hunter and quite a good cook as well. But when it came to restringing her bow...let's just say Rebecca was not as talented in that department.
'Usually Dan does this for me,' she grumbled wistfully as she slowly dismantled her weapon. The thought of her brother brought back the familiar feeling of sadness and that old fear.
What's the use? He would have written by now if he wanted to.
Determined to get the dark thoughts out of her head Rebecca glanced over her shoulder to see the red-headed mercenary rest under a tree.
He looks so peaceful, she thought as she turned her attention back to her bow.
'Eeeek!' Rebecca yelped as the bowstring slipped from her grasp and slapped her harshly, leaving an angry red line on her skin. She almost had it! Darn.
'What in the blazes...?' a male voice asked, causing Rebecca to jump.
'AH! I am sorry! Did I disturb your rest?' Rebecca nervously asked the scowling man.
'No...That's not it...what are you doing dismantling your weapon here?'
'Ah, um, it's just...my bowstring was getting lax. I was trying to change it with another; you see...I'm just not very good at stringing...' Rebecca said dejectedly and dropped her head in shame.
'Hand me that.'
'...eh? Um...' Rebecca watched in awe as he effortlessly slipped on the new bowstring.
'There...that do it? Give her a pull to see if she's not too tight,' he asked handing her back the bow.
Rebecca did as she was told. To her surprise she found that her bow was perfect. Not even Dan stringed her bow so good. '...Ah, yes! It's perfect! Thank you so much! Sir...?' She stopped in the realization that she did not know his name.
I'm such a goofball! Rebecca scolded herself.
'Raven.'
'Sir Raven! I'm Rebecca.'
'I know. When someone joins your army you should know his face at least. Especially in a rag-tag bunch such as this.' he replied coldly.
'...Ah...I-I'm sorry. I'm not even a proper mercenary...' Rebecca dropped her head and ground the toe of her boot into the soil. Raven was making her nervous with his piercing gaze.
'I don't know why you're here, but a soldier who can't take care of his own weapons has no place on the battlefield.'
Rebecca kept her head down. Raven had a point. She can't take care of her bow. That makes her basically useless, right? She was just a burden on the other members of the army. Those who could take care of their weapons.
Raven saw that his words had struck a sensitive spot in the girl. His eyes softened for a moment as he gazed at her. She was cute and far too young to be trapped in a war like this.
'If you need anything, ask me. I'll do what I can.'
Rebecca's head shot up. Her gaze met his and she tried to see if he was pulling her leg. She saw nothing but sincerity there. Raven felt uncomfortable under her searching gaze and turned abruptly on his heel. Rebecca watched his retreating form.
'Ah...Scary...but maybe not all bad inside? Sure liked what I saw on the outside!' Rebecca giggled. Maybe this day would not be so bad after all.
A few moments Mark rushed towards her. 'Rebecca, I need you to find Raven, Florina, Serra and Erk. Tell them to meet me at the merchant's tent. Go now! It's an emergency!'
Half an hour later a small group of very confused soldiers surrounded Merlinus' Merchant Tent. Lords Eliwood and Hector as well as Lady Lyn were present. Rebecca noticed that Lady Lyn was extremely miffed.
'All right everyone. We found a ship that will take us to Valor, but the captain has a condition. We have to fight with them first, provide some amusement for his men, I suppose.' Mark said with a shrug. Who knew what went on in Fargus's head?
'How will we get to Valor if we slay the captain? This does not make sense.' Erk pointed out.
'We do not have to slay him. We only have to beat back his troops enough so that one of us can go and talk to him, preferably Lord Eliwood, since the captain already saw him before.'
Mark continued to explain his plan to them. They would proceed north, past the inn and then west along the outer wall of the town. This should bring them within striking distance of the captain. His crew was scattered and there was no telling when or where a battle would break out.
'Matthew, use your talents and warn the villages along the way. I do not think that Fargus will intentionally harm them, but we cannot be too careful.'
The thief nodded and vanished.
Soon they were creeping in utter silence along the western wall. There was the odd skirmish with one or two of the pirate crew, but nothing serious. Mark stressed the point that the pirates should not be killed. After all a ship won't function properly if half of the crew were laying dead in Badon's streets.
They moved in pairs along the wall, Mark figured detection would be harder that way. Their little party consisted of only eight people. The remaining forces stayed behind to protect Merlinus.
Erk and Serra lingered behind. The cleric was too noisy for her own good, but Mark insisted that she come along. After all, her skill with the staff was better than Priscilla's.
For most of the time Rebecca snuck alone along the western wall, avoiding pirates as best she could. Her mind was focussed on one thing only. Raven.
How would she thank him for fixing her bow?
Movement in the distance caught her attention. It was a pirate, she quickly spotted, and he was sneaking up on Lord Eliwood! The red-headed noble looked completely oblivious to the approaching danger.
Quickly she strung an arrow into place and shot the pirate in the leg. The pirate let out a holler of pain, alerting Eliwood of his presence. The swordfighter spun round and spotted Rebecca, her bow still in her hands. He nodded his thanks and Rebecca smiled.
Rebecca was more than impressed with how her bow now performed! She fell in love with her bow all over again. It was deadly accurate and managed to propel arrows at terrifying speeds through the air.
She had to find a way to thank Raven.
But how?
It was not like he had any friends or family in the army that she could ask.
Wait a minute... Rebecca's eyes grew wide and her smile brighter. That monk...Lucius! I'll bet he knows how I can thank Raven!
Rebecca did not know that Raven was watching her out of the corner of his eye. He saw her shoot the pirate and was quite impressed that she managed to pierce the man's thigh from a hundred metres away. He quickly turned his attention back to the battle at hand. The west wall came to an end.
Just beyond the wall, on the docks, stood Fargus. He was an imposing man with a scary large build. His silver axe hung effortlessly by his side. Raven swallowed hard. This man was a Berserker! There was no way in Elibe that their rag-tag bunch could beat a berserker. He silently hoped that Hector would be foolish enough to test himself against Fargus.
That would spare me the effort to kill him myself, he thought darkly and shook his head.
Everyone was gathered near a clump of trees that shielded them from view.
'Okay, Florina, this is where you come in.'
The little Pegasus knight gulped and nodded shyly. She trembled slightly at the sight of Fargus. He was a HUGE man.
'Take Lord Eliwood with you and fly over to Fargus. We will provide the distraction, so don't worry about archers.' Florina nodded and readied Huey. Eliwood perched uncomfortably behind her.
'Al right...' Mark said as he peered through the branches, gauging when the best time would be to strike. After several moments of observing the enemy he realized that they were completely off-guard. A satisfied grin spread across his face.
Good. His plan was working so far. Now only for the last bit to fall in place.
'Go, now!' he hissed. All at once the group sprang forth from the trees, knocking the enemy unconscious. Florina took to the sky like a lightning bolt and before the pirates could realize what had happened the battle was over. Eliwood was peacefully talking to the captain. An amused grin was plastered on Fargus's face.
'Cunning bunch aren't you? All right, as I promised I will take you to Valor.'
That night everyone rested on board the Davros as it sailed silently towards the Dread Isle.
*****
I've checked my typo's.
As far as I (meaning MS Word) can tell it looks pretty okay.
'Cept for those darn language errors...English is my second language...
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