Chapter 10: Distant Blade



    We made our way to the Port of Kiris in Carcino, first cleansing the Tower of Valni of the monsters that had moved in. We were in sight of the walls of Kiris when I was stopped by a shout behind me.

    "Eirika! Wait for me!"

    A golden-maned pegasus whizzed over my head and landed gracefully in front of me. The lady rider dismounted.

    "Tana!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

    "I want to help!" Tana said indignantly. "You left so abruptly that I couldn't ask you in the palace. And besides, you forgot to say farewell. You and Ephraim only just arrived, and then you set off again! You're not leaving me out of it! I'm your friend, Eirika!"

    "Does King Hayden know?"

    Tana tossed her dark-blue haired head. "Oh, Father will just say 'I forbid you to go on this foolish errand' or something like that. But he and my brother and your brother and you are all fighting the enemy! I don't want to just sit home and learn music and dancing and poetry like normal - I want to help!"

    I sighed, looking at the still distant waves. "All right." I gave her a rueful smile. "I could never refuse you anything, Tana. Lucky you went with me and not my stubborn brother - he would never let you come. We're going to Kiris, and then to Rausten."

    "I know! I was at the council, remember? Thank you so much, Eirika!" She mounted Dancla, her pegasus, and hovered over us as we continued on our journey.

    We entered Kiris and headed for an inn. We stopped for a while to rest ourselves. In the yard, I practiced my swordfighting with Seth.

    The sun was hot. After I scored my last point - four to five, my favour - with a flickering flurry of blows, I brushed hair and sweat out of my face, looking to him for his approval.

    He nodded. "Very good, Your Highness. You have improved yet again. Your sword arm is magnificent."

    I smiled. "Thank you. But I still need to practise every day, else my brother will scold me when he returns. I am still nowhere near your level of skill, Seth."

    He shook his head, trying to deny my words incoherently.

    "Perhaps tomorrow you could spar with me again, and help me learn some new technique. What my brother has taught me, you see, are more skills that apply to the spear, not exactly fencing," I explained. "If I could learn the sword technique of the Knights of Renais, that would help me a lot, I think. I would be better able to aid you."

    "Yes, but... Princess Eirika, you are of the Royal House of Renais. You should stay away from the front lines. Please, leave the fighting to me..."

    "Still- How can I just watch while others risk their lives for me? I cannot rely on you always. I must learn to at least protect myself." I clasped my hands together. "So please, continue to observe as I practice. Please help me to become stronger."

    "Princess Eirika..." I wondered if he had really whispered it - I could barely hear the syllables.

    "By the way, Princess... may I ask you a question?"

    "Yes?"

    "Don't you think that... your armour... mmm..... what you're wearing... is a bit... revealing?"

    "My skirt, you mean? You're afraid that in battle it'll flip up like this?" I gestured with the hem, startling Seth and making him fling an arm over his eyes. I laughed at him.

    "Please, Princess, don't scare me like that!"

    "I'm sorry, Seth. I actually like this skirt, this armour. I can move easily... I think that's important."

    "I see. Forgive me."

    We gathered the group and went to the docks. It was bright and sunny, and busy. Merchants and sailors hurried on their own business everywhere. The smell of seaweed was rank and strong, but I liked it. I commented on it to Seth.

    "Yes, but you must not become so enthralled with the sights and sounds that you forget your true mission, Your Highness," he warned me. I nodded. It was fascinating in the port, but I could not stray.

    "I won't. I'm a mercenary by name of Erina. I'm heading to Rausten to receive a commission. If we can find a ship, we will reach Rausten in ten days." I recapped our story and our plan.

    Seth nodded. "Let us look for a ship, then, Erina." I smiled at his use of my new name. I wondered at something - his smile had been said to be rare, but in the beginning of our journey, he had not been very guarded with it. Now it was almost non-existant. I wondered if I worried him, or if he was stressed about something else.

    Then I caught sight of honey-golden hair and I stepped past him. "Seth, isn't that..."

    L'Arachel and her two amusing companions strolled down the street, the lady daintily munching on sugar pastries. She was praising them in a loud but delicate voice. Her knight Dozla guffawed, as usual.

    She caught sight of me, and we began - "Aren't you-" at the same time.

    "You arrived with your companions when we were fighting those monsters. Is your name not L'Arachel?"

    "A wonder and pleasure that we should meet again so soon! It is Providence!" L'Arachel gushed.

    "Bad luck is all the divine has ever provided me..." Rennac grumbled, grinning mournfully.

    L'Arachel only caught one word in that entire sentance. "Speaking of which, if you have not yet tried one, these pastries are divine, too! Would you care for one?"

    "Ah, no thank you," I said quickly. I had not journeyed to Kiris to eat pastries. "We're actually travelling to the Theocracy of Rausten. We're rather hurried, and we need to find passage on a ship."

    "Oh, dear," L'Arachel said sympathetically. "I'm afraid you'll find none to assist you. No ships are leaving port." I stared at her. "You see, I find myself heading home once more to my beloved Rausten as well! And actually, I'm quite well known with the powers-that-be here in Port Kiris. So I ordered them to ready the finest passenger vessel for me. But both merchants and passsenger ships alike are too frightened to set sail."

    "Of what?" I asked. "Surely there are no pirates, even in this confused time..."

    "No," L'Arachel replied cheerfully. "It seems a giant ghost ship has been sinking every ship it finds... Would that I could confront it, I could stop its foul villany in a moment. That is, if it is a ghost ship - for if it sinks every vessel it finds, how can any return to tell the tale and inform us of it? Alas, though, it's such a shame."

    "Yes, yes..." I agreed distractedly. "That is troubling."

    "And troublesome," put in Rennac.

    "Still, I must get to Rausten somehow. I think... if we cannot go by sea, then I'll have to go by land. Only I've heard the overland route is quite roundabout..."

    "It is," agreed L'Arachel. "But don't you see? The hardships of the road - they are truly blessings! They will strengthen you for when you need to face great evil."

    "That sounds good," I said, smiling politely.

    "I too, follow the same fate as well as destination, but I shall overcome the obstacles with aid of the divine. It is my mission. I understand my path, O unknowable forces of Providence!" she cried dramatically, sugar pastries forgotten. Rennac was eating them. "I, your faithful servant L'Arachel, shall overcome! With faith and divine strength!"

    Rennac choked. "Now, listen, L'Arachel! You might be thrilled about going the long way, but this is a bit much! A bit much of the diviney-ness, too," he muttured.

    "Come now, we're leaving!" L'Arachel cried. "Good day to you, and I do hope we meet again sometime soon," she said to me.

    "C'mon, Rennac! We run til we drop! The first one to collapse from exhaustion is the winner!" yelled Dozla excitedly.

    "Help..." wailed Rennac softly. L'Arachel mounted her horse and led her party away from the sun. It was early afternoon.

    "Mm, Seth? Isn't Rausten to the east, the other direction? Aren't they heading toward Frelia?" Seth looked at me, brown eyes twinkling, and we both burst out laughing. Finally! He looked so much happier when he laughed, at ease, the sadness almost gone from his eyes, but his laugh was even rarer than his smile. I wanted to change that. I was so happy that he had laughed. I hoped he would consent to smile more often.

    "We should only concern ourselves with deciding our next course of action."

    "I have it planned. Here it is-" my discussion was broken off by my diverted attention. People in the streets were quickly fading away into houses and shops. Now there were hardly any left.

    A large ruffianly-looking fellow with a big axe ran toward us. Seth stepped in front of me, ready to mount Altha at any moment if need be.

    "You're Princess Eirika of Renais, ain't ya?" The bandit had a surprisingly mild voice. "There's a pretty price on your pretty head. Sorry 'bout this, but I need that gold." He hurried back, gesturing to unseen followers.

    Seth mounted as we were cut off from the rest of the town by more armed men. Happily, the rest of our company were merely waiting a little further down and ran to join us quickly. I gave orders quickly, with my general's help, before the first of the bandits charged us.

    I sent Tana to warn houses, since I had sent Vanessa with Ephraim. I cautioned her to watch for bowmen, and then my rapier was dancing among the enemy axes.

    Tana came back giggling, and I found out she had met Rennac again, pacing around a shop waiting for L'Arachel to leave without him so he could 'escape' her.

    At the end of the street, we were met by many mages and swordsmen. It took us several minutes to neutralize them. In that time, Natasha was kept busy with all of us. A sniper stepped up, aiming.

    "Seth!" I cried, warning him, throwing myself bodily against the archer, knocking his bow out of line. The arrow whizzed past the paladin's ear. I stabbed the archer.

    "My lady..." Seth gasped. "Thank you."

    We turned into a north-south street, and three lance wielders attacked us. Franz, Forde, and Kyle parried them. Then a little girl lugging a slim lance that was still too big for her appeared.

    "You should go hide," Franz told her, riding over to her. "Leave the fighting to us. We'll take care of it."

    The girl blushed furiously. "Uh... um... well, you see... I'm a soldier of Grado, and I'm supposed to be attacking you."

    "Why?" I asked. She held her lance very ineffectively, so it was no trouble to dodge when she swung it around in my direction.

    "Are you Princess Eirika?"

    "Yes, I'm Princess Eirika."

    "What? But... but... but the commander said you're a cruel and merciless fiend..." the girl said, cocking her head to one side and pulling her spear upright.

    "Cruel? The princess?" Franz sucked in his breath in surprise. "Never! I've never heard her say a bad word about anyone."

    "Um... I surrender. I won't fight you. I became a soldier because I admire General Duessel's sense of honour, but the general's been opposed to this war from the very beginning. And now I see you, and you look so sad, Princess... I don't know what's right anymore." She looked so disappointed, poor girl. I didn't blame her. I nodded and smiled kindly at her. I hadn't known I looked permenantly sad; that was something to know, also.

    "Hey! Why don't you come with us?" Franz said. "What's your name?"

    "Amelia. Amelia of Silva." The girl thought for a moment. "Yes. I will come with you."

    The rest of the enemy troops were no trouble for us. I wondered why we were so much better than they were. I expected mercenaries to be well trained. Seth spoke to the one remaining alive, although he needed some convincing. The cowering ruffian gave us to know that it was Pablo of the Carcino Council who had hired them. This was grave news. We released him and let him go.

    "I thought Carcino had pledged support to Frelia," I said, a little indignantly.

    Seth sighed. "It seems they have betrayed us."

    Oh, and then we ran into Rennac for the third time. "Has that woman and her man, Sir Stubblechin, gone yet?"

    I gave him a funny look and a shrug. Tana nodded. She had seen L'Arachel exit the gate due to her vantage point on her pegasus.

    "Yes!" Rennac hissed triumphantly. "I'm free! Ha ha! Free as the air! See you, folks, and thanks again." He passed me something white and soft, and ran down the street to the nearest bar. I was left holding an angelic robe.

    "What an odd relationship they have," I commented, my eyebrows up and and a smile on my lips. Seth smiled. I was happy.


Chapter 9: A New Journey    Contents    Chapter 11: Revolt at Carcino