Dawn of Darkness Ch.22 Part 2

Chapter 22: The Arrival
Part 2

Unaware of the plot unfolding in Melora, Azura's group marched towards Aracion, many words exchanged between nearly every member along the way.  Bryan explained to Owen how Lartz was a Meloran soldier, but who'd aided Azura and company and even revealed a few secrets about Shigo and Melora's intentions to his newfound comrades.  Owen, though surprised to find a Meloran with any semblance of honor, thanked Lartz for keeping his secrets and helping his son.  Faline was also given a proper introduction and revealed to Owen as being the very same Pegasus knight Bryan rescued a year before.  Owen himself had suspected as much; Bryan had given a remarkably detailed description of her after the incident, which she fit perfectly.  Bryan also explained how he'd earned the nickname Emerald Sentinel, but decided against mentioning the incident in Keanu, as he felt both him and his father dredged up enough bad memories for one day.

The group soon agreed to pitch camp and turn in for the evening, as the skies had grown as dark as ebony.  However, the next day, they were packed and suited up at the brink of dawn and quickly resumed their journey.  Along the way, Azura realized that ever since she and the others had gone to Cilae to retrieve Ike's medicine, she had forgotten he still carried her pendant.  After inquiring about it, she was relieved to hear Elincia explain that she had hidden it deep within Ike's belongings to prevent the Red Claw from discovering it.  Once Azura laid eyes on it again for the first time in months, however, she was astonished to find it enveloped in a bright, slightly flashing glow.  It wasn't light reflecting off of the surface either, the glow was coming from within the pendant.  Elincia then described that it had been like that for some time, since she and Ike had been in Eraghoa's castle.

"This…  This is unbelievable," Azura muttered as she gazed upon her glowing pendant inside the wagon.  "I really hope his majesty can explain what this is all about…"

"I'm sure he will," Elincia assured.  "I think I can see why Melora wants this pendant so badly now, though.  It must have some mysterious powers."

"Yeah…  It's definitely no ordinary piece of jewelry," Ike agreed.  "I haven't seen anything like this since Lehran's Medallion and believe me, that thing was special.  And dangerous."

Neither Azura, nor Elincia could disagree here.  Azura had heard of Lehran's Medallion and the accursed powers it once possessed from Ike before.  She remembered how it would cause anyone who touched it to go berserk with the exception of Ike's sister and mother.  This train of thought, however, caused fear to curdle at her breastbone.  What if her pendant possessed deadly magic as well?  If it did, what would Melora become capable of should they get their hands on it?  Azura decided not to risk finding out, as the implications were too frightening to contemplate.  Instead, she attempted to turn her thoughts to a more uplifting course.  Perhaps whatever power the pendant held would prove useful to her and her companions, maybe even ensure their victory over Melora.  Azura felt better believing this was possible.

"Hmm…" she uttered in contemplation.

"Azura!" a familiar voice called to her from outside moments later, snapping the mercenary out of her trance.  Marc soon poked his head into the wagon from atop his horse.

"We're in view of Aracion!  We're about to cross the river—"

"Damn it!" Leyon's voice rang out, cutting Marc off.  "We've got a major problem out here!"

Azura worriedly jumped out of the wagon while Marc turned his horse around, both strongly suspecting what manner of danger Leyon had spotted.  Much to their dismay, though not to their surprise, the group's path across the nearby bridge was barricaded by what was undoubtedly a large Red Claw encampment.  Dozens of tents and pavilions lined the bank of the river nearby the bridge, while others formed corridors on either side of the bridge.  What's more, this force was both diverse and well armed.  Everyone could easily spot mages, archers, swordsmen, cavalry, thieves and rogues, and an assortment of other units besides those who simply walked about with axes slung on their backs.  Melora was still providing them with men, obviously, and this time, the group Azura and company faced was larger than ever.

"Azura, listen to me," Leyon spoke up, approaching her atop his horse.  "We must destroy this camp as soon as possible.  I have little doubt that it's a beachhead for an invasion of Aracion!"

"I can see that, thanks," Azura replied, showing a bit of irritation in her voice.  "Now let's go and give these creeps the punishment they deserve!"

The young mercenary then charged towards the front of the group.  Leyon quickly followed.

"Hey!  Wait a minute, don't you think I should—"

"I don't need any help.  I'm perfectly capable of holding my own in a fight and I'm not about to let these imbeciles get the better of us!"

Leyon simply bore a small smile as the group charged into battle.  I like her attitude… he thought, following them.  So tough and courageous.  The general knew that now was not the time to daydream, however.  He raised Olegxing and began charging into the Red Claw camp.

Since the Red Claw, no doubt believing their camp would go undetected until it was too late, had not expected to come under attack and the first charge by Azura's company took them by complete surprise.  Between the strength of Azura and her battle hardened company and the strength of their newfound allies, the Red Claw bandits were easy pickings early on.  The Talgrian knights and Bryan's men were ordered to secure the area's perimeter and attack the enemy's flanks so that the enemy would be pressed from all sides with no chance of escape.  Though the element of surprise had leveled the odds, it wasn't long before the Red Claw regained its composure and fought back.  They were also quick to realize who their opponents were.  Two of the higher-ranked members stepped forward into the bloodshed and spotted Azura impaling an archer directly through the center of his gut.

"Well, well!  The girl is still alive!" one of them exclaimed purposely so everyone could hear.  Azura and her companions, their own opponents slain in the initial blitz, heard the exclamation and turned their attention to the two elite bandits.

"I am, and I'm afraid neither of you will be much longer as long as that remains true!" Azura shot back angrily.  Leyon couldn't help but raise his eyebrows upon witnessing her reaction.  He'd never seen a woman stand up to men in such a fashion so easily before.  He reflected though that her hot-blooded tendency to charge into danger at the first chance was something he could do without.

"H-Hey!  The pendant's around her neck again!  And it's glowin' too!" the other bandit pointed out, his tone clearly expressing interest and more than fear.  

"Huh?!  Whoa!  Whatever Melora wants with this thing, it's gotta be big!  Go tell the boss!"

"Har, ye bet I will!"

However, the bandit who had begun to flee did not get far.

"Oh no you don't!  The only way you louts are leaving is in a funeral urn!" Skye's angry voice rang out as he flung arrow after arrow into the bandits.  Azura smiled upon Skye's ferocity though, when she remembered the reason for it, the corners of her mouth turned downward. Her time with Kye was brief, but she too hoped the young Rouge was still alive. The battle was hotly contested but, between the size and strength of the Allied force and their good fortune to catch the enemy unawares, victory seemed near. Anywhere one looked, there was a Red Claw bandit hard pressed by one of Azura's allies or one lying on the ground dead, either cut to pieces or riddled with arrows.  However, the bandits would not go down easily.  Many members of Azura's troop were wounded, even though they managed to survive their individual duels.  Norman and Raela certainly had their work cut out for them, as they were dashing about healing injuries in every corner of the camp while carefully avoiding the conflict itself.  In fact, injuries piled up so quickly, the pair almost wasn't fast enough.  They were thankful that their allies were well supplied with vulneraries.

After half an hour of wearing down the Red Claw's defenses and the tide of the battle turned solidly in their favor, Azura and company finally reached what must've been the pavilion belonging to the Red Claw commander.  Ike peered through the drapes of the wagon and saw that many of his companions were either exhausted or injured while there were still several more Red Claw bandits left.  He grunted angrily and decided he could no longer tolerate remaining hidden.  Ike quickly began strapping on his armor as Azura confronted the enemy commander.

"Argh, you and yer companions turned out to be tougher than I suspected, girl, but don't think we're givin' up!" the boss blurted, readying an axe while swinging himself atop a horse.

"Bah!  Ugly as you are, you don't scare me!" Azura retorted.  "As far as I'm concerned, you're dead!"

"Azura, wait!" Leyon protested.  "Don't—!"

Azura paid no attention.  She charged forward, drawing back her blade for an upward thrust to pierce her foe's side, only to be stopped dead in her tracks by the sound of heavy footsteps racing behind her.  She gasped in shock when she spotted Ike, suited up and armed with Ettardios, cleaving his way through four of the remaining bandits, seemingly in one blow.  He then swung his blade into the boss's horse twice, the animal sagging to its haunches in death, and back flipped while his blade struck the heart of the commander himself.  Ike angrily eyed the few living bandits, whose expressions verged on panic.  Noting the clear recognition on their faces, Ike thumped his chest theatrically and hefted Ettardios with equal flourish.

"That's right, Red Claw!  Ike, the hero of Tellius, is alive and back!" he shouted as the bandits fled the scene.

The Talgrian Royal Knights, one of them cheerfully muttering the phrase 'turkey shoot,' charged after and the remaining Red Claw were run to the ground, trampled to death by the Knights' warhorses.

"Ike!" Elincia shouted in rage as she bolted over to her lover.  "What on earth do you think you're doing?!  You're not fully recovered yet!"

"Elincia, I'm sorry, but I just got sick of sitting around doing nothing while the rest of you did all the work," Ike admitted, his cheeks reddening as he noted some people snickering and Ranulf mouthing 'hen-pecked husband material.'.  "I know I'm not fully recovered, but look, I made short work of those guys."

"That's only because you took them by surprise. Now come on, wait a bit longer for me before getting into another battle.  Please?"

Ike sighed before replying, admitting to himself that he couldn't resist such a plea from the woman he loved.  He did, however, mouth to Ranulf that 'the next time I see you, I'll bring a dog.'

"Alright, fine…  Let's just hurry to the castle."

After complimenting Ike on his bravery, Azura and the others were eager to complete their journey to Castle Talgria.  Elincia and Ranulf were particularly surprised Ike referred to himself as the hero of Tellius, since he despised having so much fame and recognition.  Ike's theatrics were also odd, given his straightforward nature.  They figured however, that one didn't need to be famous to be a hero and ignored the matter.  Besides, his display had certainly made an impression on the enemy.  Leyon and Azura agreed to ransack Red Claw camp, removing anything they could use, and then leaving it in ruins as a warning to the enemy, though Azura was still irritated with the general's behavior towards her.  How dare he treat me like I'm weak… Azura thought to herself as the group reached Aracion's outskirts. Just as they did, Leyon reined up and addressed the company.

"Ashunera has smiled on us this day.  And, you have all done me proud beyond words.  Had that beachhead gone undiscovered, Melora may very well have taken Aracion and defeated us completely.  There will be medals, there will be promotions, once the King learns of your deeds."

"Will there be ale?" one of the Knights spoke up, causing several people to roll their eyes.  "You can keep the medals, I want a keg of house aged malt wine.  A whole keg, mind you!"

Ike opened his mouth, no doubt to demand a feast rather than medals, but Elincia silenced him with a withering glare.

"Oh, shut up!" Leyon chastised, though his tone was good natured.

Azura felt her umbrage towards Leyon lessen a little, but when he rode over to her and gave her a short lecture on the virtues of looking before leaping, it took all her willpower not to slap him.

Since much of the Talgrian Army had relocated back to their capital city, many soldiers were patrolling Aracion's various streets and roads.  The townsfolk generally did not look very concerned either, which was no surprise since the city was so heavily guarded. Thus, they went about their business unaware of how close they'd come to being invaded. Despite Leyon's earlier words, Azura and the others simply couldn't imagine anyone breaking through defenses like these so easily, even Melora, especially since a good portion of the Red Claw had just been eliminated.  They couldn't disregard Lartz's words from before about the strength of Melora's military, however, and remained cautious as they proceeded through the gates of Castle Talgria.  The group, especially those who had been with Azura since Narcoss, was finally relieved to have reached the destination they'd sought for so long.

While the Royal Knights and Bryan's men had been ordered to join the patrols in the city, the others remained in the castle's main hall.  Leyon and Louise both went to greet Wencelis and inform him of their return as well as Azura's arrival.  Louise remained upstairs afterwards, while Leyon reappeared in the main hall minutes later.  Azura's heart was beginning to race as he approached her, hoping that she was finally going to know the story behind her origins as well as the enigmatic pendant.

"His majesty is relieved you're here, Azura," Leyon reported.  "He will see you immediately."

"Alright, then I'll waste no time," Azura replied.

"One more thing though," Leyon continued.  "The King also wishes for me and Bryan to be present during this meeting.  He'd also like to see Ike there if he's well enough."

"I can certainly do that," Bryan willingly complied.

"Same here.  I'm up and moving, aren't I?" Ike added with a smile.

Leyon nodded and led the trio upstairs to Wencelis's conference chamber.  It was a large and richly decorated, fit for meetings between royalty and government officials.  Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling while a drapery of blue velvet covered a table of gleaming redwood chased with gold.  Chairs with fine cushions provided seating while the marble floor shone in the light.  Seated at the table were Wencelis himself, Louise, and a heavily armored man with auburn hair and a small mustache.  His armor somewhat resembled Morris's, only it was more decorative, slightly larger, and included a cape.

"General William…" Bryan spoke up, recognizing his superior officer.  "Are you the one who wanted me here?"

"Yes, but we will talk later, Bryan," William confirmed.  "His majesty has words for all of us."

"Understood."

"Indeed," Wencelis spoke up.  "Azura, I'm most pleased to—oh dear…  The pendant is glowing.  That's not a good sign at all…"

"W-Why not?" Azura inquired, her eyes widening slightly.

"I shall explain later.  I must start from the beginning if you are to understand the pendant's origins as well as your own," Wencelis replied, though his tone was grave.  "As I was saying, I am most pleased to see you here safe and sound."

"So, can you tell me what I wish to know?"

"Yes, that is exactly why I've called you here.  It is very important that you know.  Now, all of you know of the great flood, do you not?"

"I know I do," Ike replied, remembering the stories he'd heard of the flood accidentally caused by the goddess Yune centuries before.

"Ah, you must be Sir Ike," Wencelis guessed.  "I'm glad to meet you as well, and I am overjoyed to learn of your recovery."

"Likewise, your majesty.  And thank you."

Wencelis nodded before continuing.

"Anyway, as you've been told, the flood supposedly submerged all continents save for Tellius beneath the ocean," Wencelis continued.  "Obviously, however, that is not true.  Altarais still exists.  The reason why it survived, however, is directly related to your origins, Azura."

Azura, very curious as to how and why this was so, listened carefully to Wencelis's words.  He explained that Altarais had in fact nearly suffered the same fate as the other continents besides Tellius.  Though it was on the outskirts of the main blast of waves, water gradually began covering much of the land.  People had begun to climb the mountains in hopes of finding refuge.  However, the water levels only continued to rise and doom seemed nigh.  Then, the most wonderous of miracles occurred.  Three powerful Saints, one from Talgria, one from Cilae, and one from Astryn, came together on the highest mountain in Talgria and combined their magic to fight the waves.  The effort was immense and lasted many long hours, but the strength of their light magic proved to be powerful enough to cause the waves to recede and the water on the land to gradually evaporate.

"And thus, our land was saved," Wencelis finished.  "However, the burden of such an immense working of magic was so great, that the Saints were forced to sacrifice themselves in order for our land to remain protected.  Once the water had finally receded, all that remained where the Saints once stood was a shining, golden stone that contained their spirits and their combined power.  The families of these three Saints then built a village hidden deep within the Talgrian mountain range in memory of them.  In the heart of the village was the temple where the stone was housed and protected by the descendants of the Saints for many years.  It was named the Miracle Stone, as it served as the symbol of the miraculous event that saved Altarais.  The flaming glow it sometimes emitted also earned it the nickname 'Fire Emblem.'"

"Oh…  Then…  Those ruins we found…" Azura began, almost too shocked to speak.  "That was the village…"

"So you found it," Wencelis deduced.  "Yes, the village is now in ruins.  It was destroyed in the previous Altaraisian war."

"But why?  How?" Bryan inquired.

"You see, Melora sought the Miracle Stone twenty two years ago and they still seek it to this very day," Wencelis continued.  "They found the village it rested in and put it to the torch.  But the stone was not there.  One of the villagers, a woman, had forseen the danger.  She took the stone and fled the village before the Melorans arrived.  She then used her light magic to split it into two pieces.  One piece was transported away using a Warp staff.  Where it came to rest is unknown."

"And the other half?" Ike wondered.

"The other…is around Azura's neck."

Azura gasped and held her pendant, the shock making her hand shake like a leaf in a gale as she gazed at it.  Bryan, Ike, and the others had also been rendered speechless.

"And that woman, Azura, was your mother."