Chapter 2: Lyndis's Legion



"So, where are you from, Ceniro?" asked Lyn. They were travelling through North Bern, hilly, forested, and infested with bandits. For all that, the small party were alert, but at their ease, talking and laughing. Mostly they laughed at Sain, who could tell some pretty funny stories. It was late afternoon. Lyn had recently acquired a new sword, a spirit-inhabited katana named the Mani Katti which had chosen her as its wielder, from an ancient Sacaen shrine. The group of four had become pretty good friends, and Ceniro had lost his initial shyness.

"Well..." said Ceniro hesitantly.

"I won't make you tell me if you don't want to. But that just makes me more curious."

"I'm from Lycia... Southern Lycia..."

"That's pretty vague," remarked Sain.

"I know... But I had an argument with my parents before I left them last and I want to forget all about home now. All except my sister."

"That's fine with me. How about you, Sent-!" Lyn smacked her forehead as she heard what she said. The knights laughed.

"I sent a cane to Kent and Sain," quipped Ceniro, and now Lyn laughed too.

"Well," said Sain, still chuckling, "I'm from Caelin, my parents live in the castle town, Kent and I are both twenty years old, were trained by General Wallace, and ... Salir's from a little village called Coril about two days ride away from the castle. I visit there often; in fact, that's were I was when Kent came to find me again and tell me about this mission. You see, he doesn't care for Coril the way I do, so we were separate for that time."

"We always, always work together in the field," said Kent.

"So... Hey, that village up ahead looks like - ! No, it doesn't! What happened here?" Ahead, in a clearing in the trees, was a group of homesteads, or rather some burned foundations. Close by, all around, there were more houses, all with little fortifications around them.

"Ah," said Lyn. Ceniro looked at her. She was glaring, her head was down, and her hands clenched. "We are close to Taliver Mountain. My village was on the other side of it. Taliver Mountain is home to a ruthless band of brigands. I will never forgive them for what they did to my family. It took only one night, and they were all gone..."

Kent dismounted and kicked around at the dust. "Why doesn't their marquess do anything?" he asked, burying a loose piece of charred something with his toe.

"This place has no marquess. The settlers hang on as well they can. I will return someday," said Lyn, lifting her head and staring at the mountains. "I will break their axes beneath me like twigs under a stallion's hooves."

"When that day comes, milady, take me with you," said Sain, deadly serious. Ceniro was getting used to Sain's dual personality. The mask was off at the moment.

"And me!" cried Kent, mounting.

"Don't forget me, either, Lyn. If from the ends of Elibe, I will come and help you," said Ceniro quietly.

Lyn smiled a little and sniffed. "My friends..."

A distant cry echoed through the forest.

"Lyndis! There are some bandits right over there!"

"Well, we must save their victim," cried Lyn, running to a gap in the walls. "A pegasus... ?"

Ceniro ran behind Lyn and the knights rode behind him. "What could a pegasus knight be doing here? She seems very nervous..."

"Florina," shouted Lyn, "is that you?" The pegasus girl with long, tumbled lavender hair gave a cry of joy, pulling away from the thugs who had a tight grip on her slender wrists. Lyn jumped out from behind the wall and darted over to her. "Florina! What on earth are you doing here?"

"I heard you left Sacae with three strange people," said Florina in a high-pitched little girl voice, sniffling. The girl was quite short and delicate looking, with a white dress and long blue boots. Her light purple hair flowed halfway down her back and her eyes were the most enormous Ceniro had ever seen. "I was worried..."

"I'm even more worried about you! What is going on here?"

A big thug waved his fist menacingly. "She stepped on my friend here, and now she's going to pay."

Lyn poked the two men in the chest and released her friend, putting an arm about her shoulders. "Florina, did you apologise?"

"Yes. I flew down to ask if the villagers had seen you and I sort of landed on these two... I told them I was sorry many times, but they wouldn't listen." Florina began sobbing hysterically.

"Listen, she's obviously really sorry. Could we just forget all of this? ...Wait. Are you Taliver bandits?"

"No! Hah! We're nothing like those barbarians! Those idiots will even kill women and children! Ahahah! Stupidity, that's what they are..."

"So... could you just let her alone?"

"Not likely. She's got to come with us. She owes us. Hey! Boys! Come out!" A troop of ruffians emerged from various hiding places in the trees. The two spokesmen ran off to join them.

"Florina, can you fight?"

"...Yes! But... Lyn... who's that?"

"Oh, this is Ceniro. He'll tell you what to do. This is Kent and this is Sain. They're escorting me to Caelin... long story. Ceniro?"

"Well, we have to warn these villages. Florina, there's a fellow with a sword coming on the other side of that wall. Could you attack him, and then fly north and warn those houses over there?"

"O-okay."

"Lyn, let's tell this village right here." Lyn ran to the sturdy wooden gate and banged on it.

"Hey! Go away! Go away!" came voices from inside. "We've no more gold for you. Go away!"

"Listen!" cried Lyn. "We're not bandits. But there are some about and we thought we should warn you."

"Wait in here, everybody," said one man's voice. "I'll go and see who they are." The gate opened a tiny crack and a tall brown-haired archer with keen chocolate eyes poked his head out. "Not bandits, huh?" He came all the way out. He was dressed in teal green, with his bow and quiver slung at his back and an air of care-free demeanor.

"No. We're fighting a group of them, though. Please warn the villagers!"

"Wait!" said the guy. "The name's Wil. Can I help you? I'm a traveller, not a resident... so..."

"Sure, if you want to. You're an archer?"

"Uh-huh," said Wil. "Hey, people," he called into the village, "I'm going to help these people. Keep the gate closed until the noise settles down. I might not come back alive, but anyway, you're rid of me for now." A burst of laughter greeted him.

"Go on and good luck, young Wil!" called an old lady.

"All right," said Ceniro. "Wil, we have a pegasus knight attacking a guy on the other side of that wall, but she might need help."

"Sure thing," said Wil, stepping up to the wall and nocking an arrow. Florina, shocked at the sudden demise of her opponent, screamed.

"Lyn! There's an archer! What should I do?!"

"What? Where?" asked Lyn, looking around frantically until she saw what Florina was staring at in terror. "This is Wil. He's on our side."

"Hi!" said Wil. Ceniro ran off to give Kent and Sain something to do. "You're one of Lyn's friends?"

"Ahh... uh... um..." Florina cringed in her saddle and looked at her blue boot.

"What's the matter?" asked Wil in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, Wil," said Lyn. "This is Florina. She's scared of men at the best of times, and you've got a bow..."

"Oh, I see!" said Wil, hiding it behind his back. "I'm sorry. I understand, I really do. But really, you should only fear the enemy's archers, not your own."

"Yes..." acknowledged Florina timidly.

Ceniro came back. "Here, Florina. After you visit that village, we'll draw all the axes away from you and you can get the other swordsman over to the north, okay? Lyn, Wil, come with me please."

The three ran over to Kent and Sain at the gap in the wall. Kent had an arrow sticking out of his shoulder pad.

"Are you all right?" asked Ceniro. "Wil, could you fix that?"

"Okay," said Wil. His first shot missed. "Dang!" The opposing archer almost hit him, but Wil ducked. Wil's second shot hit. Florina swizzed over.

"Lyn... I visited the village... and they gave me this money for warning them. What should I do with it?"

"Ceniro?" Lyn had no experience with this. Neither had the tactician, but his teacher had mentioned it once... protocol said that when...

"Well, since they gave it to us, it would be rather rude to refuse it, eh? Florina, there's an armoury over there. Buy yourself a heavier lance. Then, rejoin us while we mop up."

"Mop up?" asked Sain.

"Well, yes! Look how many are left." The remainder were soon overpowered, with the exception of the bandit who had been stepped on.

"Florina, would you like to do the honours? Or should I have Lyn?" asked Ceniro kindly.

"...No... I will do it..." Florina trotted up to the bandit. "...Um..."

"Well? Changed your mind, eh?"

"Well, no... but this is all my fault... so... could we just stop fighting?" Lyn, Kent, Sain, who were on foot with their swords drawn now, and Wil were all closing in on the ruffian, in a protective circle behind Florina.

"What? Not after I've been made to look stupid! No way! I'm gonna kill you for that!" The bandit, trying to watch everyone at once, charged at Florina. Florina squeaked and slammed her lance into his chest. Ceniro would have guessed she had closed her eyes. The bandit dropped like a stone. Lyn had lunged forward, but stopped in time.

"So, Florina," said Lyn, as they cleaned up and stood staring at each other, "what brought you chasing after me?"

"I was worried... you've never been away from the plains... but there was something else. You know the knighting ceremony of the Ilian Pegasus Knights?"

"Yes. You join a group of mercenaries to further your training. You've been knighted? That's wonderful!"

"That's why I left Ilia again..."

"But, Florina, most bands of mercenaries are men. I can't imagine you being at all comfortable."

"No... I thought I could work it out somehow..."

Sain poked into the conversation dramatically. With his goofy, mask-like personality on, he knelt in front of Florina. She hid behind Lyn with a cry. "Beauteous Florina! Why not come with us? Lyndis' Legion is a fine group of mercenaries with the addition of Wil here!"

"Wait, did you just include me?" asked Wil happily. "Lyndis' Legion," he chuckled. Kent smacked his head into his hand in exasperation. "Sain, Sain, Sain..." he muttered.

"Yes, do you want me?" asked Sain. Without waiting for a reply, he continued right on. "So, what do you think?"

"Um... I would like that... travelling with Lyn..."

"All right, it's settled then," said Lyn. "Let's go!" She turned to have a few words with Kent.

Ceniro glanced at Wil, who was staring at Florina. The pegasus knight was only a few feet from Wil, huddled against her steed. Florina caught the archer's glance and turned crimson.

Chapter 1: A Family's Call    Contents    Chapter 3: Bandits' Pride