Dawn of Darkness Ch.14 Part 1

Chapter 14: Hero in Peril
Part 1

Once Azura and company had all entered Castle Eraghoa, the main doors closed for the evening, half to keep the castle well heated by the torches inside, and half for security purposes.  With the Red Claw undoubtedly still at large, precautions needed to be taken.  Not that an attack was considered likely, as Castle Eraghoa was a fortress whose layered defenses have never been breached.  However, unbeknownst to anyone within the castle walls, another suspicious figure was prowling around the area.  Cautiously, all too aware of the sharp noses and keen ears of the wolves, and of what they'd do to him if he was caught, he made his way east of the castle grounds.  The figure, a ragged man with an unruly shock of hair and carrying nothing but a steel axe halted his creeping when he approached a dimly lit camp a short walk away from the castle's outer walls.  The camp was fairly small, clearly designed to be quickly and quietly set up and dismantled without attracting notice.  Another man carrying an axe greeted the arrival seconds later.

"Ah, there you are," the second man greeted.  "I was wonderin' if you were gonna finish soon."

"Yeah, gettin' 'round that place without bein' noticed was tough," the first man replied, clearly having acted as a spy and relieved that duty was completed.

"Well hey, it's a castle.  But anyway, what're the girl and 'er buddies up to this time?" the second man inquired.

"It's just as we guessed, boss," the spy reported.  "They've got the Eraghoan king on their side now.  That ain't gonna be good for us."

"Bah.  That wrench of a dog ain't gonna scare us," the boss scoffed.  "We'll deal with 'im somehow.  What else're they doin'?"


"Well, the king is goin' to give 'em some info as well as supper," the spy continued.

"Hmm…  The info thing might be a problem.  But supper, you say?" the boss replied.  "Hahaha!  Perfect!  I had a good feelin' an opportunity like this was comin'!"

"Boss, you don't mean we're gonna—" the spy entreated.

"Oh, we are.  Let's get ready and head out before those pesky chefs finish their cooking," the boss confirmed.  "You got the secret weapon, right?"

"Aye, right 'ere in my pocket," the spy confirmed and produced a tiny bottle the size of an apple filled with a vicious liquid that seemed to bubble with deadly intensity.  "Been keepin' it since the messenger delivered it."

"Excellent.  Remember, we got only one chance to do this," the boss warned.  "We gotta do it right the first time. Otherwise the master will prolly have our heads."

"Aye, sir.  I'll go fetch the disguise right away," the spy replied and bolted into one of the tents.  The boss merely snickered to himself with excitement, an evil smile forming across his face.

"Hehehe…  I hope you enjoy your meal, girl, for it will be your last!  Hahaha!"

***

Unaware of the conspiring bandits, Azura and company had finally seated themselves in the castle dining hall, ready to fill their stomachs to their limits with the dinner Rothgar had promised.  Ike wasn't the only one feeling peckish, even the impeccably mannered Elincia looked as ravenous as he did.  Though Ike had taken care to restock their trail rations, invariably bland but nourishing, he hadn't counted on getting detoured by the rockslide near Narcoss, getting lost in the Forest of Hope, having to skirt around the Eraghoan mountains, or taking on several new companions.  The food had been rationed, the shares getting smaller and smaller, until it ran out on the edge of the Forest.  Upon the long wooden table sat salvation in the form of many varieties of Eraghoan dishes, a majority of them featuring some kind of meat.  Obviously, this was only natural, as wolves were born predators.  However, in difference to their beorc guests, the wolves had also gathered as many breads, fruits, and vegetables as they could possibly get their paws on, despite the fact that the ratio of meat to produce dishes still ended up being rather large.  Of course, being the meat lover that he was, this only pleased Ike further than he had already been, especially when he sunk his teeth into a spiced rib for the first time.  A satisfied smile formed across his face as he delightfully chewed.

"Oh wow, this is so very delicious!" Ike complimented once he swallowed.  "I haven't tasted anything this good since Oscar's cooking."  

With that, he continued to plow into his rib, recalling another one of the former Greil Mercenaries.  Oscar's cooking skills had indeed been very popular.

"Ah yeah, Oscar always did use the best flavors," Elincia recalled between rapid bites of mashed potatoes.  "I'll never forget his meals."

"I'll say!  Even the laguz were impressed with him!  Remember that, Ike?" Ranulf recalled, referring to when Oscar fed a whole battalion of beast laguz as well as Ike and the mercenaries during the Laguz Alliance battles against Begnion.

"Oh, you mean the time he, Titania, and Lethe were teasing me about my eating habits behind my back?" Ike groused, snapping up a bite of steak.  "The laguz were impressed, yeah, but I sure wasn't happy overhearing what I heard."

"Aw come on, Ike.  Everyone knows you'd win if the beorc were to have an eating contest," Ranulf replied with a laugh.

"Perhaps, perhaps not, but they didn't have to make me sound like some fat slob," Ike retaliated.  "They said I'd eat so much, nothing would last.  Not to mention Lethe compared me to Skrimir of all people.  I do love to eat, I will admit it, but certainly not like him.  I at least have manners.  He's the slob."

"Hm….  Yeah, I'll agree on the Skrimir part," Ranulf gave in, remembering instances where witnessing Skrimir's undesirable eating habits nearly caused his own meal to make a second appearance.  "Not to mention anyone can see that you're quite fit.  But honestly, I think they were just exaggerating.  Especially Oscar.  If anyone were able to describe how you eat for real, it'd be him."

"Well yeah, he's the cook," Ike pointed out with a chuckle.

"Oscar…Oscar…" Kiel stepped in, musing aloud over the name.  "Oh yeah!  Ike, wasn't he the one who nearly got killed by that wolf that attacked Elincia at Castle Crimea?"

"Yeah, that was him too," Ike confirmed, his attention divided between Kiel and a roasted chicken leg.  "Worst injuries I'd ever seen.  Still, he apparently fought well for one not accustomed to fighting on foot."

"You know, to this day, I still think of Oscar as the bravest knight I've ever seen for that," Elincia added, noting a raised eyebrow from Ike.  "Not that Geoffrey or one of the other knights wouldn't have done the same, but…you know."

"Actually, I agree with that.  Despite having potentially fatal wounds, a speed disadvantage, and being in the dark, Oscar still fought as hard as he could," Ike recalled.  "And I doubt even Geoffrey would have had the strength to continue after that.  I can see this, and I didn't even witness the battle."

"Wow, a knight and a chef?  That's an interesting combination," Sara commented.  "I would have never guessed."

"Yeah, some people are full of surprises," Ike agreed, returning to the ribs sitting on a large plate near him.  It was clear that any spicy rib or steak satisfied him more than anything else, especially considering how rapidly both were disappearing.

"Heh, from what I'm hearing, Oscar sounds really cool," Azura commented as she finished with a platter of boiled vegetables.  "I wonder how his cooking would match up to Mother's delicious recipes…  Yeah, Ike, you should convince Oscar to come here and let me have a taste!"

"Haha, getting competitive, are we?"

"Hee, I'm partially kidding.  I just want to be open-minded," Azura replied with a smile.

"Ah.  That's one way to look at things," Ike agreed.  "By the way, are you going to eat that?"  He pointed to the rib on Azura's plate, which had been personally delivered to her by one of the chefs.  He had taken it from the same rib plate Ike was working on.

"Oh, no, you can take it if you want," Azura responded.  "I'm not real big on meat, especially ribs."

"I figured as much.  Thanks," Ike returned with a smile, immediately plucking the meat and stuffing his face once more since Azura was seated directly next to him.  He had already devoured half the plate of ribs while still helping himself to several other meat dishes, including sirloin steaks, pork chops, and even venison, something he had actually never tasted before.  And this was only in addition to the few vegetarian plates he'd added to his veritable banquet.  Kiel chuckled at witnessing Ike's behavior.

"Sir Eatsalot must be in paradise over there," he joked.  "Now for the million gold piece question.  Indigestion or flatulence?"  

Ike simply shot a playful glare.

"Aw, Ike, he's teasing," Sara assured.  "Don't you ever get full, though?"

"Of course I do.  In fact, I'm actually not far from it," Ike replied, holding back what might have been a deafening belch.  "Also, I apologize for changing the subject, but going back to what I was saying outside—"  

Before Ike could finish his sentence, the doors of the dining hall boomed open.  King Rothgar emerged at the threshold, followed by a pair of castle servants.  He approached the dining table with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Well, I can see Ike is certainly enjoying himself," he commented with a chuckle.

"Yeah," Ike replied.  "The ribs are the best, if you ask me, your majesty.  But I'm getting pretty full now, so I'd like to discuss what I wanted to say earlier."

"Ah, yes, you said you had an observation about the enemy," Rothgar recalled.  "Go on."

"That's right.  Now Raela, where exactly is Kolah?" Ike inquired, already having a good idea of its location.

"Just a little east of the forest," Raela replied. "There are a couple other villages not far from us there too.  Why?"

"I knew it.  That's what those bandits from the woods meant when they said their allies were taking over the east," Ike realized.  "And if they reached those villages and the forest before us, they had to have known exactly where we were going.  All this time, they have been able to predict our every move."

"Ike…  You're not serious, are you?" Azura wondered, shocked beyond all reasoning.  "What are we supposed to do about it?"

"I wish I wasn't, but it's undeniable," Ike remorsefully replied.  "And that's not all.  If the Red Claw has the means to do such a thing, someone definitely has to be helping them and providing them with men.  They're way too well equipped and far too organized.  No ordinary bandits would be able to pull off anything we've seen."

"As dire as this situation sounds, I fear you are probably right," Rothgar reluctantly agreed.  "As for whom the Red Claw may be working with…"

"That's the only answer I don't have," Ike admitted.

"Yeah, who could be helping them?" Azura put in.  "Certainly not Cilae.  Talgria is allied with her."

"Indeed.  Astryn is out of the question as well," Rothgar added.  "I've recently been told by the nobility there that they have their own issues to deal with.  They said Queen Marion has been frail and sickly for quite some time and the condition only worsens.  She is sure to pass away soon and she has no children or living relatives."
  
This instantly caused Ike to return to the past once again, remembering how Rhys used to suffer similarly, only to a lesser extent.

"Really?  That's just terrible," Azura commented.  "But yeah, it definitely can't be them, then."

"Indeed.  All of their attention is focused on seeking a rumored prince," Rothgar explained.  "I suspect the fear of losing their royal bloodline has addled their wits if they believe that story.  But anyway, this was some of the information I wanted to give you.  As you know, there are no laguz among the Red Claw, so that leaves only one other candidate."

"…Melora!" Azura blurted out of realization.

"What?  Melora?  But they're so far away," Bryan pointed out.  "On the opposite corner of the continent from Talgria, in fact."

"Not necessarily," Rothgar countered.  "Melora recently went to war with Cilae.  I was notified of this as well in case the Meloran troops decided to make us their next target."

"What?  What reason do they have to fight?" Azura inquired out of concern and curiosity.

"I'm afraid I'm unsure," Rothgar admitted.

"I think I know," Ike replied.  "If Melora has allied itself with the Red Claw, perhaps they're the ones who actually want the pendant.  The Red Claw was only hired to do the work for them so that no one would notice.  My guess is the Melorans also trained and equipped the Red Claw so they could hunt for Azura and the pendant and distract Talgria's armies.  Now they could very well be on their way there."

"…Ike, your intellect impresses me, for I fear you may be right once again," Rothgar commented, a reluctant tone in his voice again.  "And if you are, Melora will without a doubt come storming through Eraghoa as well. We'll have to make preparations."

"Indeed…" Ike agreed, heaving a sigh of concern.

"Well, seeing as your enemies will undoubtedly grow deadlier, I'd be happy to let all of you rest here for the night and continue your journey in the morning," Rothgar proposed and then turned to his two servants.  "Both of you, go prepare rooms for our guests."

"At once, your majesty," one of the servants replied.  Both of them immediately exited the room to carry out their given orders.

"Oh, thank you," Ike commented.  "I was beginning to feel a little tired, so I think I'll go follow them."  

With that, Ike got up from the table and took his turn through the doors in attempt to catch up with the servants.

"Why don't the rest of you go too and drop off your supplies once you're finished eating?" Rothgar suggested.  "We can finish our discussion later."

"Good idea," Azura agreed, very nearly funneling a bowl of diced melon into her mouth.  "With the luck we've had as far as supplies go, we'll probably have to start foraging before we get to the next town."

Later on that evening and sometime after everyone's stomachs had been filled to satisfaction, Elincia was making her way up the stone stairs to Ike's door.  If what they'd gone through so far was any indication, such moments would be few and far between until whatever force that hunted Azura and threatened Altarais was crushed.  Thus, Elincia was determined to make the most of this moment.

That train of thought, however, gave way to another: what would happen when the burgeoning evil in Altarais was vanquished and she and Ike weren't limited to 'moments' anymore?  Would they return to Tellius, as Geoffrey had said they'd be welcome to?  The prospect had its charms, as it would be nice to see Geoffrey, Lucia, Bastian, Mist and her other friends again, and, though Ike would never admit to it, she was confident he would be an excellent Prince Consort, if not a king.  However, she dreaded how her uncle and Crimea's people had reacted to her departure.  She had done everything she could for them, her conscience was clear, though how others would regard Crimea's Queen running off after a mercenary still teased at the back of her mind.  If she didn't return to the throne, she still believed it was in good hands with her lord uncle as king, and she rather doubted Ike would mind if she avoided the veritable circus of nullifying her abdication.  Maybe they'd live with the Greil Mercenaries?  That certainly was appealing, as they were some of the few people to treat her simply as a person rather than a royal, and the free and exciting life of a mercenary was utterly tantalizing.  Or, would they live here in Altarais?  Elincia hadn't seen much of the continent but Talgria was certainly a lovely country and she'd already made many friends.  If she and Ike did have to stay, she couldn't ask for a better place.  Maybe, someday soon, she and Ike would take the next step in their relationship.  She shivered happily at the thought of becoming Ike's wife, and later, the mother of his children.

Elincia felt a stirring in her womb at the prospect...or, was that her stomach voicing its displeasure about that salmon dish she tried?  Elincia had never had salmon before and it did look undercooked.  Whatever the future held, the present was looking promising.  Elincia strode to Ike's door and gently knocked.  Between the long, difficult journey and how much Ike had eaten, he might be resting by now.  Elincia was pleased to see Ike answer the door seconds later.

"I figured I'd be seeing you tonight," he greeted with a smile.  Elincia giggled with happiness as Ike stepped aside to allow her in.  After Ike had closed the door once more, he took Elincia by her waist and swung her towards the wall, his lips meeting hers in another passionate kiss.  Elincia's hands slipped around Ike's neck as she returned his loving gesture.  Her hand migrated to his cheek once their lips chose to part and lovingly looked into his gazing blue eyes.

"Hee hee, that was the best kiss you've given me so far," she complimented.  "You're a good kisser, Ike."

"Heh.  I do try," Ike replied, his smile returning.  "Oh hey, check this out.  I have a pretty neat balcony up here."

"Oh?" Elincia asked, remembering another similar time between them.  She stood and, her curiosity piqued, followed Ike to another door in his room after standing up straight once more.  He opened it to indeed reveal a small stone balcony overlooking Eraghoa's rugged mountains.  Near the left side of the railing sat a decorative water fountain, bubbling merrily as water cascaded down fluted tiers to a basin filled with water lilies.  The cloudless sky above them was a mass of ebony punctured by thousands of little stars surrounding the crescent-shaped moon.

"Oh wow…" Elincia finally spoke up.  "This is such a lovely view."

"Yeah," Ike agreed, impressed with the sight himself.  "I've gotta hand it to this place's architect.  This balcony is in the perfect spot."

As the two stood together gazing out on the landscape before them, Ike had slid his arm around Elincia's waist, her head resting lovingly upon his shoulder.  He considered taking the engagement ring from his pocket and doing his proposal that moment, but had difficulty in deciding exactly what to say.  The prospect left him so nervous he very nearly felt ill.  His legs had started shaking at some point during their embrace and he found himself gasping for breath.  His exhaustion was also growing worse.  Without realizing it, Ike had leaned a little towards the railing and stumbled, only barely managing to keep himself and Elincia from falling over.  Elincia gasped with a start.

"Oh!  E-Elincia!  I'm so sorry," Ike quickly apologized, wondering why Elincia's face seemed to be spinning.  "I don't know what came over me…"

"It's alright, but Ike, maybe you should get some sleep," Elincia suggested, still a little shaky from their near miss.  "You don't seem to feel like talking much anyway."

"I'm sorry…  I…I do think I need to go lay down…" Ike agreed.  However, this fatigue he was experiencing did not feel like normal weariness at all.  As he reentered his room and attempted to reach the bed, Ike's stride grew more unbalanced. He staggered to one side, tried to regain his footing but his legs wouldn't cooperate. The room was beginning to spin and the walls seemed to be melting like wax in an oven and the combined effect challenged the grip Ike's stomach had on its contents.  Elincia watched this abnormal behavior and sensed something was amiss.

"Ike, are you alright?" she asked, concerned and confused at the same time.  "…Ike?"

Ike did not respond.  As he simply stood there in the middle of his room, his vision continued to worsen, the walls and floors melting together and spinning until the room became a whirlpool of liquid stone while his stomach twisted with pain.  His head began to throb as well, rendering him unable to think clearly.  The area had gradually grown intensely warm and had been since Ike first stepped onto the balcony, despite the fact that he wasn't wearing very thick clothes.  He grimaced as the feeling that he was losing his mind formed in his head.  Why was the room almost spinning and melting?  Why did he feel as if a huge chunk of his strength had deliberately been sucked right out of him?  Unable to form an answer in his whirling head, Ike let himself fall to the floor, his legs unable to keep him standing any longer.