Raising the Banner (Serpent_shadow x BassEXE)

[Serpent_shadow]

Year 803

Centuries since the advent of peace and the dawn of the Sacred Stones, the beat of Magvel's heart began to change its cadence. From a steady, soothing pulse- rhythmic and sure- its tune began to change, its tempo rising with fervor and energy until it began to truly dance. Blood had spilled on her face for the first time in centuries, with Grado shrieking war cries not heard since the demise of the demon king. The Empire's first strike against its former ally Renais ushered in a new era- an era where their motherland could finally remove her veil of serenity in favor of donning the war paint and masks of battle that she had donned in her bloody past.

She would slumber no more.

----
​

The princess, however, would have given her fortune- nay, the fortune of her nation- to keep the world in its slumbering state. As it was, she woke now not to the mundane thoughts of old, but to the pressing thoughts of now. Her aqua hair in a tussled mess, untamed but unnoticed, Eirika ran down to the throne room upon hearing one of the couriers return from his mission.

A man rushed into the throne room, clutching one arm and dragging himself with all the energy he had left in him. His spun-cotton shirt was streaked with black from smoke but clung to his skin with moisture; whether it was blood, sweat, or water, she couldn't be sure. She'd heard earlier that he had been sent to the outer borders of the country, sent to talk to the border patrols that had stationed themselves along Frelia's border just after this conflict started- the fact that this man had returned in this condition, and so smeared with soot, tears, sweat, and blood did nothing to assuage her burning curiosity and growing dread.

"Your majesty... the patrol... gone. No survivors, but... Emperor Vigarde is here. Breached... breached the walls. Garrison... wiped out." His breath was ragged, and sweat ran down his face to drip down the tip of his aquiline nose. Only upon closer inspection did Eirika notice the burn that ran down the arm that he clutched in his uninjured hand, the nerves so far gone that he couldn't feel his own skin cracking and splitting beneath his fingers. She gasped and quickly bit her bottom lip, turning quickly towards her father. Her heart beat viciously, its pulse thundering in her ears as she watched her father calmly stand up from his throne.

"Order the men to lay down their arms. You're dismissed." Turning from the scout, King Fado closed his eyes as he heard the scout beat a hasty retreat. The sounds of shrieking maids and dying warriors accented the crescendo of steel and the sound of the very air splitting from the lightning bolts that tore through the sky.

"Eirika. Do you still have the bracelet I gave you?"

The only answer she could manage was a nod. Her eyes were wide, her body shaking; the realities of war, especially so close, were more than she was initially prepared for. Still, however, she stood her ground and reinforced her earlier timidity with a stronger nod. Her father merely gave her a small dip of his head.

"Good. Seth, take her to Frelia. King Hayden is a man of honor; he should see reason and keep her safe." Without another word, he sat upon his throne again with a sigh, straightening his posture and waiting patiently for the knight to extend his hand to the princess. Without a word, she grasped his hand, sitting astride his gelding with the redheaded knight's protective hand wrapped around her waist.

"And what of you, my lord?" Behind her back, Seth's voice rumbled through his armor; she could hear him speak, and feel the tension in his body as he readied himself to ride.

"I will remain here. Now go!"

Following the exchange, she could remember nothing- only the sounds of her yelling, the returning roar of her father, and the strong, insistent arm of her knight holding her against him as the rode away from her father... away from that death trap... into the arms of more peril and into the maw of war.

The battle for Renais had ended before it began, but the fight for those beyond its borders had just begun.

 

[BassEXE]

Jake Aurion crept through Renais, on his way to rendezvous with Seth on the way to Frelia. He was a close confidant of Eirika, and a tactician for Renais. His hair was a crimson, mid-neck length, and he possessed ice blue eyes. He frowned as a few Grado soldiers headed down the alley he was in. He immediately opened his speel tome, Fire, and let loose the spell, killing one before he turned and ran. "Kill him!" The captain yelled. "Dammit, Seth, where ARE you?" He asked, stealing a Grado horse and riding off.

(he's wearing the same outfit as the tactician in Awakening)

 

[Serpent_shadow]

During the entire ride, Eirika remained completely still and silent, leaning against her knight while listening to the sounds of war around them. She owed it to the people to hear their screams and the triumphant cries of the Grado troops that destroyed their homes and exiled them from their own land; she owed it to them to listen and feel the pulse of her chosen knight and the muscles of the stallion that held her aloft, safe from harm. It was through the sacrifice of her people that she would escape, if at all, from the homeland turned hellhole.

It wasn't until Seth turned with a start that Eirika broke from her reverie, forced to grab onto the reigns lest she fall from the saddle.

"Wha--"

He held his finger to his lips quickly; the princess nodded and immediately fell silent. She could hear it, too; the sounds of a scuffle, the holler of discovery, followed by the unmistakable smell of burnt flesh.

He motioned for her to dismount, she shook her head sharply and tapped the rapier at her waist. She wasn't harmless. When his brows furrowed and he motioned again, she grasped his arm; hopefully he would get the message that she was safer with him, even if she could defend herself. Inwardly, she knew it would be the only way to convince him to take her along.

With a wry smile, Seth kicked his horse in the direction of the sounds, pulling a javelin from its holding place. With shock, Eirika reached from her rapier clumsily, attempting to draw it while on the back of a horse; not a terribly easy task, as he ushered it into a gallop with a sharp tap of his boots.

While a normal Paladin would have yelled in the name of his country, he approached the retreating tactician's fleeing mount and threw his javelin behind him. All Jake would be able to hear was the sound of crunching, gurgling, and a thump as the soldier that followed him fell to the ground.

"Stay alert, Master Jake! There are more coming!" Eirika hollered from the saddle, grasping onto the horn with one hand and her now-free blade with another. With a smile, she added, "You never seem to get out of trouble, do you?"

 

[BassEXE]

Jake smiled. "There you are! I've got five...er...four soldiers after me! We gotta escape." He looked to the duo. As the trio galloped out the gates. The tactician fired another bolt of flame, striking another Gado soldier. As soon as they thought they were in the clear, Jake gasped. "Wyverns!" He shouted.