#hector of ostia

[theladyhibiscus]

These two would become friends so fast-

Fire Emblem Meme: Favourite Lord (8/30) ↳ Hector (The Blazing Blade)

“Me? Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I’m built tough, you know. A little too much is just enough for me.”

[saijspellhart]

Quick sketch of Uther from Fire Emblem the Blazing Sword (Blade). Hector’s sexy older brother.

I headcanon that he’s in his early to mid thirties, but the stress of being Marquess, raising Hector after their parents passing, and his illness (some fantasy form of TB) has aged him. Making him appear older.

Anyway. This man deserves more love. He’s fucking brilliant.

[cattestfanciest]

Speedpaint of Hector of Ostia-

[beholdenning]

Heard, catalogued: The yowling of a man who has flattened his own fingers.

... Perhaps better to narrow it into the category of 'pain responses from the current Marquess Ostia'. Golden eyes stare at flesh-and-blood digits swelling to an angry red as their own hands continue hammering away mechanically.

Thunkthunkthunkthunk. Clink. Scratch. Thunkthunkthunkthunk. They count the cycles until the Marquess recomposes himself enough to speak; When he does, he seems 'bothered'. Denning's head tilts. Strange. Though put clumsily, what they said is the truth. Still, they grasp the repeated why—Why here, why in Fódlan—And find their hands stilling.

Thought buffers, unexpectedly. Why? What once was a simple question to answer is now a nebulous thing: Devoid of higher purpose, function whittled down to 'help', always but a tool, a means. Greater queries answered to Lord Nergal. Three letters, the justification ever only one name.

Their Master is dead. Lord Nergal is dead. They know not how to answer this query. There is no answer deemed correct. There are no words they can provide.

Still, they try, borrowing them instead. "ma-stərz ded—"

Their voicebox clicks, imitation-swallow. Another shake of the head. Their hands twitch. One comes up to grip at their throat. "ded. nät hir. aɪ, hir."

Statement strings to statement. Digits dig into synthetic flesh. "foʊdlən, ma-stər." Nails drag down their neck to the leathers of their uniform. They tap the metal guard twice.

"aɪ, help." Denning repeats.

dread and valor .

[four-loose-screws]

FE6 Novelization Translation: Front Cover & Introductory Pages

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

If you are interested in donating to support my work, please check out my Ko-fi here. Thank you!

———————————

This book is considered #3 in a 3 book set including FE7, so the chapter numbers will be 'Chapter 14' and onward. The first 13 chapters are FE7's 2 books.

Covers

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade ~ The Binding Blade

Turmoil in Elibe

Book 3

By Masaka Kazuyoshi

Illustrated by Kaneda Eiji

Published by Square Enix

Twenty years after Eliwood, Hector, and Lyn’s journey to save their country ended…

Disaster is once again about to visit the continent of Elibe.

Its fate is in the hands of Eliwood’s son Roy, and Hector’s daughter Lilina.

The tale begins yet again of a set of heroes who take up the current generation’s fight! 

In this final book telling the story of Elibe in turmoil!

Color Art

Title Page

Fire Emblem

From “The Blazing Blade” to “The Binding Blade”

Turmoil in Elibe

Book 3

Table of Contents

Part 2: The Binding Blade

Chapter 14: Dawn of Destiny

Chapter 15: The Rebellion of Ostia

Chapter 16: The True Enemy

Chapter 17: Retaking the Capital

Chapter 18: The Binding Blade

Final Chapter: Beyond the Darkness

Continent of Elibe

Character Introductions

Fire Emblem

The Blazing Sword ~ The Binding Blade     Book 3

Characters

Roy

[Lycian League・Son of Marquess Pherae]

Main character of the second half of this story. He returns home from his studies in Ostia to participate in the Lycian army in place of his sick father.

Eliwood

[Lycian League・Marquess Pharae]

Roy’s father and the main character of the second part of the first half of this story. Because of his illness, he is currently unable to fight at full strength.

Marcus

[Lycian League・Holy Knight in Service to House Pherae]

Roy’s instructor and a leading knight of House Pherae. Though he is getting on in his years, he serves tirelessly as the general of the Knights of Pherae.

Alen

[Lycian League・Cavalier in Service to House Pherae]

A knight from a distinguished family that has served house Pherae for generations. He is daring and honest.

Lance

[Lycian League・Cavalier in Service to House Pherae]

He is around the same age as his ally Alen, and the two are best friends. They are also equally matched in combat together.

Wolt

[Lycian League・Archer in Service to House Pherae]

Son of Roy’s wet nurse Rebecca (she appeared in part 1 of this story). Though they were raised together like brothers, he does not take advantage of his position, serving as a faithful servant to Roy.

Lilina

[Lycian League・Daughter of Marquess Ostia]

Beloved daughter of Marquess Hector. Roy’s childhood friend. She is cheerful, enjoys helping others, and has a natural talent in magic.

Hector

[Lycian League・Marquess Ostia]

Lilina’s father. Secondary main character of the first half of this story. As the marquess of Lycia’s leading territory, he leads the Lycian army into battle against Bern.

Bors

[Lycian League・Armor Knight in Service to House Ostia]

An exceptionally polite and kind person, even amongst the Knights of Ostia. He serves as Lady Lilina’s personal guard.

Merlinus

[Lycian League・Commander of the Supply Convoy Unit]

A government official who has served House Pherae since Eliwood became marquess. He leads the supply convoy unit, and guards the rear line.

Guinivere

[The Kingdom of Bern・Princess]

Younger half-sister of King Zephiel of Bern. To bring an end to her brother’s wicked ambitions, she flees alone to Lycia.

Elen

[The Kingdom of Bern・Guinivere’s Attendant]

A cleric of St. Elimine’s Church. She is entirely devoted to serving Guinivere.

Milady

[The Kingdom of Bern・Commander of Guinivere’s Personal Guard]

A female wyvern rider who has sworn her loyalty to Guinivere. After Guinivere suddenly goes missing, she works tirelessly to find her.

Dieck

[Mercenary Swordfighter]

A skilled mercenary with countless scars all over his body. He leads a small mercenary group. At Eliwood’s order, he lends his strength to Roy and his allies.

Shanna

[Knights of Ilia・Mercenary Trainee]

A cheerful girl training as a member of Dieck’s mercenaries to become a full-fledged pegasus knight.

Chad

[Lycian League・Orphan Thief]

The caretaker who raised him in an orphanage was killed by Bern. He becomes a member of the Lycian army to take his revenge.

Lugh

[Lycian League・Orphan Mage]

From the same orphanage as Chad. After his caretaker’s passing, he took the other children of the orphanage to Araphen to entrust them to a church of St. Elimine.

Rutger

[Sacae Plains・Mercenary Swordfighter]

After his home city of Bulgar was destroyed by Bern, he swore that he would take revenge. He is serving Marquess Laus of Lycia as a mercenary.

Clarine

[The Kingdom of Etruria・Daughter of Count Reglay]

Daughter of Count Pent of Reglay, an Etrurian noble house. She is selfish, believing that the world revolves around her and her brother.

Saul

[St. Elimine Church・Priest]

His church bestowed upon him the duty of locating the Fire Emblem. He has an aloof and easygoing personality, but also loves to flirt with women.

Dorothy

[St. Elimine Church・Archer]

Travels with Saul as his assigned guard. She has a serious and plain personality, and Saul is never far from her side.

Sue

[Sacae Plains・Nomad of the Kutolah Tribe]

Granddaughter of the chief of the Kutolah Tribe. Her tribe became scattered when Bern invaded. She is being held captive in Thria, one of Lycia’s territories.

Zelot

[Knights of Ilia・Commander of the Edessa Mercenaries]

A paladin who refuses to break his mercenary contract even after his employer’s passing, and continues to fight to save his daughter, Lilina.

Trec

[Knights of Ilia・Cavalier of the Edessa Mercenaries]

A member of Zelot’s mercenary group. He has a very laid back disposition, and often falls asleep on the battlefield.

Noah

[Knights of Ilia・Cavalier of the Edessa Mercenaries]

A member of Zelot’s mercenary group. He has a gentle face and personality, but also knows much about the true nature of the world, perhaps because of his line of work as a mercenary.

Fir

[Sacae Plains・Female Swordfighter]

On a journey traveling around each country, training to improve her swordsmanship. She meets Noah while testing her abilities at the coliseum in Ostia.

Larum

[?・Dancer of the Resistance]

A girl who gathers intelligence for the Resistance. After being kidnapped, she is saved by Roy and his army.

Echidna

[The Western Isles・Leader of the Resistance]

A powerful hero cares deeply for others. She leads the ragtag members of the Resistance, fighting against the Etrurian nobles who unjustly abuse their positions time and time again.

Elffin

[Strategist of the Resistance]

A figure wrapped in mystery, with grace and intelligence not at all befitting of a bard.

Bartre

[The Western Isles・Wandering Axe Fighter]

He knows of the Western Isle’s current tragic situation, and out of the kindness of his naturally chivalrous heart, joins the Resistance. He is searching for his beloved daughter, currently traveling to train her combat abilities.

Klein

[The Kingdom of Etruria・Son of Count Reglay]

Deployed as the Etrurian general stationed in the Western Isles. He was ordered by his superiors to subjugate Roy’s army, but he has doubts about the nature of doing so.

Thea

[Knights of Elia・Commander of a Pegasus Knight Mercenary Group]

A talented pegasus knight employed by Klein. Unlike her younger sister Shanna, she is serious and quick to worry about things.

Raigh

[Lycian Alliance・Orphan Dark Mage]

Lugh’s younger twin brother, who left on a journey to study ancient magic before Bern’s invasion. He is curious about the existence of dragons.

Fae

[Nabata Desert・Girl Living in the Hidden Village]

A young dragon girl who snuck out of her village, and follows around Roy’s army.

Cecilia

[The Kingdom of Etruria・Mage General]

One of Etruria’s three generals. She was once stationed in Ostia, and is an old acquaintance of Roy’s. 

Perceval

[The Kingdom of Etruria・Knight General]

One of Etruria’s three generals. He has vowed his unshakable loyalty to the late prince.

Douglas

[The Kingdom of Etruria・Great General]

One of Etruria’s three generals. He fights to protect the king, ready to give his life for that duty if he must.

Zeiss

[The Kingdom of Bern・Wyvern Rider]

Milady’s younger brother. Stationed in Bern’s Western Army, commanded by Narcian.

Yoder

[St. Elimine’s Church・Bishop]

Ordered Saul and Dorothy to search for the Emblem, while he searches to discover what is true and what is false about Bern’s resurrection of dragons.

Niime

[Ilia・Renowned Master of Ancient Magic]

Known as the “Hermit on the Mountain.” Is deeply knowledgeable, even about dragons.

Juno

[Knights of Ilia・Wife of the Lord of Castle Edessa]

A Falcon Knight serving her husband Zelot’s position while he is away. She is also Thea and Shanna’s biological oldest sister.

Zephiel

[The Kingdom of Bern・King]

King of the militaristic country of Bern. Suddenly begins an invasion of Sacae and Ilia. Engulfs the previously stable continent of Elibe in a vortex of chaos.

Idunn

[The Kingdom of Bern・Dark Priestess]

A quiet young woman always by Zephiel’s side, serving him as if she was his own shadow.

Murdock

[The Kingdom of Bern・Leader of the Three Wyvern Generals]

Ordered to conquer Ilia as the commanding officer of Bern’s northern army. He has guarded Zephiel since his youth, and is his loyal servant who obeys his every command. (see book 2).

Narcian

[The Kingdom of Bern・Member of the Three Wyvern Generals]

A wyvern lord who invades Lycia as commanding officer of Bern’s southern army. A narcissist with a cruel and merciless personality.

Brunnya

[The Kingdom of Bern・Member of the Three Wyvern Generals]

A sage stationed in Sacae as commanding officer of Bern’s western army. Her heart is wavering in regards to following Zephiel’s wishes.

Galle

[The Kingdom of Bern・Wyvern Lord Assigned to the Palace]

A powerful soldier who serves as Murdock’s loyal retainer. Though he is originally from another country, his loyalty to Bern is strong. Milady’s beloved.

Arcard

[The Kingdom of Etruria・Governor Over the Troops Stationed in the Western Isles]

Abuses his position to force the pioneers of the Western Isles to work in the mines as slaves to line his own pockets.

Roartz

[The Kingdom of Etruria・High Chancellor]

A high noble who earns the title of next in line for the throne after the crown prince’s passing. Rumor has it that he is colluding with Bern.

Part 2

The Binding Blade

[cleric-of-crows]

The last post of hectober.

hector, general of ostia ✨💜

[feh-alt-battle]

Poll 106 - Hector

Please do not criticize any art you may not like or compare one art to another in terms of quality, it's unkind and downplays the amount of work that the feh artists put into them. Please treat the feh artists how you would as any other artist - with kindness and with love.

Artists in order: AKIRA, Ito Misei, Suekane Kumiko, Wada Sachiko Kita Senri, [?], Wada Sachiko, HAGIYA Kaoru

[plagues02]

EliHecLyn Fluff Alphabet

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Hector loves to spar with his partners whenever he can. He doesn’t hold back, and he loves to see his partners getting excited when they win.

Eliwood enjoys a quiet night when possible, staying in the room. Perhaps they’re sharing a drink, perhaps Eliwood is reading out loud as Lyn listens and Hector falls asleep to his voice.

Lyn enjoys going on hikes. Lycia might not be Sacae, but there are still plenty of sights for them to see. Lyn can see them by herself, but it means more when she can see them with one or both of her boyfriends.

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

Eliwood can get lost in both Hector’s and Lyn’s eyes. It’s not uncommon to find him staring at his partners, zoned out, because he looks at the colors of their eyes.

Hector admires his partner’s strengths. He’s used to being the strong one, and while he is the strongest of the three, he loves that Eliwood and Lyn can hold their own in a fight, that he doesn’t have to keep an eye out for them.

Lyn admires Eliwood’s ability to talk down the fight. He tries to avoid battles when he can, and Lyn loves to see that. For Hector, she loves the way he gets her to push herself, training to get stronger and stronger.

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

Eliwood will try to talk down his partner when they’re upset. Even if they can’t speak, he will sit there and talk to them, trying to distract them until they’re able and ready to talk.

Hector doesn’t completely understand or know what to do, but he will sit and hold his partner if they will let him.

Lyn sits with her boyfriend and listens if they want to talk. If they don’t want to talk about it, she will talk to them about something else to get their mind elsewhere.

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

All three understand with their positions that they won’t be able to see each other as often as they wish, but they will try to spend all the time they can with each other. Whether they’re in Pharae or in Ostia, they will cherish all time together.

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

Hector and Lyn are the more dominant of the three. This leads them to butting heads a lot, but it’s always in good fun. Eliwood is more passive and go with the flow.

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

Lyn and Hector are very stubborn, and they are the most likely to get in a fight / arguments. They will walk away to cool down before turning to each other. Normally, they make up by having a sparring match, blowing off steam, as neither are good with words.

Eliwood is more likely to try to speak with his partners after an argument. He allows Lyn and Hector to calm down before getting them to speak to him.

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

Eliwood is very aware and grateful for what his partners do for him. Whether it’s something small or large, he tries to make note of it.

Hector doesn’t show it often, but he is grateful. He might not notice everything, but he will always try to return the favor when he can.

Lyn always makes note of the big things her boyfriends do for her. She might not notice every small thing, but she is very thankful for them anyway.

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

Eliwood and Lyn are very open, and they talk to their partners about everything. There is very little they or Hector don’t know about them.

Hector, given how he was raised in Ostia, tends to keep secrets. Nothing major as he’ll tell them the big things that happen in his day to day, but smaller things like what he talked about with a knight he won’t say. He doesn’t even think about it when he does; it’s just a habit.

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

Eliwood and Hector grew up together. They were close as children, and they remained close as teens and into adulthood. They influenced each other in more ways than one. Then Lyn found her way in their life, and she opened them up.

Lyn was changed by Hector and Eliwood. They’re the reason she decided to stay in Lycia; they’re the reason she is no longer lonely anymore. They help her get used to the new life she’s living, and she helps Hector and Eliwood see from different points of views.

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

Hector and Lyn don’t get jealous easily. They trust each other and Eliwood to make the right choices. Lyn might look or check out who they’re talking to if they’re a stranger to her, but Hector doesn’t pay much mind to it.

Eliwood gets jealous easier. He doesn’t mean it, but when he sees someone get too close to Hector or Lyn, he definitely sends a glare their way whether he realizes it or not. He’s vocal about his jealousy in private and gets reassured that they wouldn’t do anything outside the relationship.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Eliwood is a soft kisser. His first kiss was with Hector, it was very hesitant, but it was so light that Hector almost immediately pulled him back into another kiss.

Hector is a more rough and passionate kisser. It took Lyn off guard the first time when they kissed. He couldn’t help but laugh at her expression when they pulled back.

Lyn prefers quick pecks more than anything; she doesn’t mind longer kisses, but they’re not her favorite. Her first kiss with Eliwood was very quick, and they were both fine with that.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

I’ve already done this here

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

Marriage isn’t the first thing on their mind in their relationship. They didn’t know if a three way marriage would work or be able to be done, especially with their noble statuses. They never officially get married, but everyone around them knows they treat and call each other their husband(s) and wife.

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

Eliwood tends to call Lyn ‘sweetheart’ and Hector ‘love’ the most

Hector calls both Eliwood and Lyn ‘dear’ or ‘hun’ the most. He doesn’t have a favorite to use for either of them

Lyn isn’t the biggest on giving out nicknames, but she has called her boyfriends ‘dear’ or ‘love’ before.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

Eliwood likes to stare at his partners when there’s nothing too important in front of him at the moment. His mother enjoys teasing him for this.

Hector is very touchy and wears his romantic feeling on his sleeve. Anyone could glance at them together and know that he was in love.

Lyn smiles a lot when she’s around Eliwood and/or Hector. If she’s standing next to them, there’s a big chance that there’s a smile on her face.

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

Hector is the most open about their relationship. He loves to hold Eliwood’s and/or Lyn’s hand in public, not caring about what other nobles think. He can often be seen kissing their cheeks or even steal a kiss on the lips from them. Hector also loves to boast about his partners whenever he can.

Eliwood isn’t very big on PDA. He doesn’t mind holding hands or being close to his partners, but he is very reserved when it comes to talking about his relationship or kissing in public.

Lyn gets very flustered with PDA. Whether it’s just from holding hands or a kiss on the cheek, her face will turn bright red. At the same time, she loves to talk about her boyfriends whenever she can.

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

Eliwood has a soft voice that his partners find soothing. Both Hector and Lyn just like to hear Eliwood talk.

Hector has the ability to keep a tune when humming or whistling. Even when the three don’t want to talk, he’s able to fill the silence.

Lyn knows a few different languages from living in Sacae, and from that, she also knows songs and tales from the different cultures. Eliwood and Hector will ask her to sing or translate the tales when they need something to distract them.

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

Eliwood is very cliché when it comes to romance. He loves to fluster his partners with words or flowers or other gifts, but he will always do this in private.

Hector is very romantic in his words. He loves to praise and talk about his lovers around others, and he has been shown giving them things that made him think about them. He’s known by court to be very romantic.

Lyn isn’t the greatest with romance. Her lovers enjoy her being in the same room as them so that's what she does whenever she can. She’s not a big gift giver, but she does show her emotions with words.

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

The three of them share a main common goal. They work together to keep Lycia on its feet while trying to get the territories to work closer together for peace. Hector focuses a lot on Ostia, and Eliwood focuses on Pherae. Lyn supports them both in any way she can.

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

Eliwood likes a good routine. He doesn’t like it changing when he can help it.

Hector and Lyn like to change their routines. Whether it’s small or large, neither of them like things to stay the same everyday.

U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

The three of them are all very good at reading each other and being able to tell their true feelings towards something. This is one reason why Hector struggles to not tell them important things going on in his life or with Ostia.

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

Ostia and Pharae are important to Hector and Eliwood, and they build a lot of their life around it. At the same time, they always make time for each other and Lyn.

Lyn sees the relationship as the most important thing in her life. Yes, travel and her homeland are very important, as well as her friends, but this relationship forged how her life is currently going.

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

Eliwood can’t do anything in the kitchen, no matter how much he tries, but he knows how to make a mean cup of tea. Hector and Lyn will refuse anyone else’s tea when Eliwood is around

Hector likes to randomly pick up his partners to see them smile. He can pick them both up at once.

Lyn likes to wear Eliwood’s and Hector’s clothes. They’re long on her, and her boyfriends love to see her in them.

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

Hector is very affectionate. He loves to hold onto his partners, whether they’re laying down and they’re spooning or they’re sitting in his lap. He can and will shower them with kisses.

Eliwood isn’t as affectionate as Hector, but if he’s able to, he clings onto his partners. He likes to hug them from behind before kissing them on the cheek.

Lyn isn’t as affectionate. She isn’t great at showing her emotions with actions, but she doesn’t mind being shown in love. She shows her affection in other ways.

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

Eliwood can be seen staring off into space without Hector and Lyn around. His mother would tease him, and his knights know that he’s thinking about his partners.

When Hector is missing his lovers, he is often seen training more often. He uses it to distract himself from missing the two.

Lyn likes to wear Eliwood’s and Hector’s clothes when she misses them. She spends her time between Pherea and Ostia, and they always make sure to have one or two articles of clothes that Lyn finds comfort with in the territory.

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

Eliwood knows he wasn’t the greatest partner for a while as he was dealing with his grief of losing his father and becoming marquess of Pharea. However, even through his grief, he would defeat his relationship with the other two nobles, despite getting some backlash due to the nature of their relationship.

Before Uther passed, he gave Hector his blessing to follow his heart in any way it leads him. Knowing this, Hector has no issue defeating and fighting for his relationship. Nothing and no one will pull him away from his loves.

Lyn had the choice to return to Sacae, but she decided to remain in Lycia as Caelin became shared land between the two. She misses her life in the plains, but she wouldn’t leave their sides if given the choice again.

[saijspellhart]

We Danced Anyway

Written by: me (Saij Spellhart)

Rating: Explicit

Relationships: Uther x Lyn (Hector’s older brother and Lyndis)

Fandoms: Fire Emblem the Blazing Sword (Blade)

Summary: Lyn travels to Ostia to negotiate a political marriage to Hector. They’re friends, comrades, and their union will strengthen both Caelin and Ostia. The union made sense. Uther couldn’t be happier for his younger brother. That is, until Uther meets Lady Lyndis.

As a mutual attraction blossoms, they both find it increasingly more difficult to stay away from each other.

(Uther falls for his younger brother’s fiancée, and equally Lyn has it bad for Hector’s older brother.)

Warnings: forbidden romance, age difference, infidelity, mature content, sickness. (Uther has TB, and Lyn is not repulsed by it.)

I wrote this first and foremost for my husband. He gave me the idea through a conversation we had about Uther, and was supportive throughout the process of writing it. As of posting this, I’ve already written out the entire fic aside from the last chapter. So updates will be frequent and timely.

[mannatea]

part 13

My favorite part about this is that nothing about this looks special or unique from the angles we see it at. I feel like they could have gone harder with this concept. Also, if dragons were part of the regular world for a long time before 1,000 years ago, you'd think some of their architecture would still exist in various states around the continent?

Shhhh, shhhhhh, there there... the worldbuilding doesn't have to be good. It just has to be passable...

uwu

Honestly, Ninian never gets enough credit for the bullshit she put up with. She escapes only to get accidentally taken back to the exact place she should not be. This poor girl. She needs 12,001 hugs.

The terminology in this game makes my head spin. Is Ephidel (as a morph) capable of sarcasm? Because that would be funny if he's just making fun of Lyn here. She's not a princess (she's just the granddaughter of a marquess). If you want to get super technical, she's not even really a "lady" since that's just a courtesy title that Madelyn would have held even if her father passed away (and would not be passed to her children at any point).

Thinking really hard about it, we don't even know if women can rule in Lycia; we never actually see it (unless I'm misremembering something?). Even Lyn never officially rules Caelin as marchioness, and all of the other rulers of Lycia are men (again, unless I'm misremembering).

But I guess that leaves us with either "Lyn can rule Caelin as a marchioness" or "Lyn is forced to abdicate no matter what, because she is a woman." The latter is frankly depressing as hell (considering the other survivors of her tribe wouldn't follow her because she was a (young) woman) but it would certainly push her toward the plains even faster.

That said, if we're meant to believe she's LITERALLY the last surviving member of Caelin's royal bloodline* then it would make sense to allow her to inherit the title of marchioness and use the courtesy title "Lady" in the meantime. The fact that Eliwood and Hector can both marry commoners means Lyn's half-blood status shouldn't be a barrier to that (though it's not hard to imagine the racism in Lycia might be). Still, without Lyn, Caelin loses its independent status. I feel like there's a lot to explore there? Like yeah, she could technically stay, rule Caelin, and produce heirs that would keep the bloodline going, but would that be more acceptable to those who live in Caelin than Lyn turning over rule to Ostia? The game acts like everyone in Caelin loves her, and maybe a lot of the commoners do, but surely the situation is a lot more complex than that, especially considering her own feelings on the matter.

(And like, it's so easy to say that, well, Lyn wanted to lead her own people, so why wouldn't she want that power here? And we might say, well she doesn't exist in FE6 so she had to go anyway (and there's definitely some merit to that!) but also, there's a huge difference between Lyn leading a group of less than ten people to ensure traditions and her culture don't die out...and ruling an entire canton in a country whose rules and traditions she does not understand.)

*I still think this is cringe, but at least it keeps the drama to a minimum. There's not really room in this game to explore much more about Lyn and her situation, anyway.

Again, if Lundgren had kept his fool mouth shut, he would have easily inherited the title of marquess. What a dumbass.

ALSO TO BE CLEAR I think the game endings are a cool concept but in no way are they so deeply important and necessary that we as fans can't go against the grain of them in fanfiction or even discussions. Like, I'm a canon enjoyer as much as anyone, but I have literally zero issues completely ignoring FE7's character/paired endings and/or ignoring FE6's existence and/or anything I want, really. (I mean, I usually adhere to the canonical endings to some degree, but I don't always follow the stated timelines for such things, either.) Like if I'm getting paid to write a novelization then I'll give that much of a shit. Until then, I'm just going to have fun with things.

All of this to say LOL at Lyn "......" about being called a princess.

--

SAME!!! DIE!! But also like, I guess Ephidel isn't wrong. At least she didn't suffer. 😭 I'm sorry, Leila, the game won't let me save you.

Darin is lost in the world-ruling sauce. Like damn, okay.

Elbert is persistent and I think part of the tragedy of his death is rooted in the fact that he would always make these decisions because of who he is as a person—if that makes sense. It's actually crazy how much is at stake here, and how, knowing this, Elbert tries his best to stop it, putting his own life on the line multiple times.

The thing is, too, that if Elbert hadn't interfered here, the ritual might have been completed earlier. Half the battle is just delaying things long enough, here; we more or less see that that's what wins the day, at least in this chapter. (This buys time for Eliwood and his pals to defeat Darin, buys time for Nils to show up and crash the party, etc.)

The role Elbert plays is more or less instrumental in the world being saved, and no one will ever know the full extent of that.

This Cameron guy is just kind of...here? I wish we had some kind of a story/explanation for why he gives so much of a shit, other than perhaps being Darin's right-hand man. We already met Laus's knight-commander...so who exactly is Cameron? Captain of the Royal Guard?

Either way, it's funny that he's got a halberd here, since Sain will ask to beat Darin's ass (and in HHM Kent will ask to take point in this fight for the same reason).

It's disappointing that, at least in Eliwood's Story, there's no conversation between Sain and Darin. Alas.

Legault time! Honestly, his design is so sick. Someday I'll pay more attention to him as a character...

Poison Lance??? Poison??? 0 Damage??? 18 hit??? Fuck off.

[super-smash-bracket]

ROUND ONE

Hector

Pit: Wait, I think I recognize this guy! It's Lyn's friend, Hector! Palutena: That's right, Pit! Hector is the Marquess of Ostia, and the future father of Roy's friend, Lilina. He's also a lifelong friend of Lyn and Roy's father, Eliwood. Viridi: That axe he's carrying... It's crackling with destiny. Palutena: Hm... You're right. But, that's for future Hector. Right now, he's as reckless as ever, and as solid as a rock! Pit, he'll be a bit hard to launch thanks to his heavy armor, but Armads might be the least of your worries. Pit: Wait, why? Palutena: Because he also has a Hand Axe. They tend to curve upwards when thrown, so they're the perfect weapon to take out flying targets like you. Pit: Gulp...

Don-chan

Pit: It's Don-chan! Ba-Dum ka, Da-dum, Ba-dum, Da-dum- Palutena: I see you're finding your rhythm. Pit: I can't help it! His drumming is so infectious! Viridi: I'd imagine so, since he's a walking, talking taiko drum. Palutena: Of course, being a taiko drum, Don-chan is all about moves that involve a little sound. Pit, watch out for his Taiko Beat! He has two kinds of projectiles for this move, Dons and Kats! Viridi: Also, that tackle attack he can do electrifies him! What do drums even have to do with electricity? Pit: Uh, rolling thunder and rolling drums! Viridi: Yeah, I guess that's fair.

[volumina-vetustiora]

I did an English translation of Poem 104 from Book 11 of Martial's Epigrams. I think it's quite good

it is however rather NSFW (like, smuttily so) and therefore may be found under the cut

"Dear Wife" Martial 11.104

Honey, it's my way or the highway: I'm not Curius, Numa, or Tatius. I like nights that stretch into drinking and fun: You’ve had your water, you get mopey and can't wait to leave. You want the dark: I like to play in full view of the lamp And let its rays illuminate my form. Cloths and clothes and modest robes cover you: But a girl can’t get nude enough for me. I adore hot steamy kisses: You give me the kind you’d give your grandma in the morning. You don't deem the deed worthy of moving, or help out by moaning Or fingering yourself; you fuck like you're preparing wine and incense: Trojan servants used to start wanking outside the door Every time Andromache sat on Hector’s cock and rode him, And even while Ulysses snored, faithful Penelope used to Always have her hand on her sweet spot. You won't let me fuck you in the arse: Cornelia let Gracchus, Julia let Pompey, and didn't Portia let you, too, Brutus? Before that particular attendant started mixing sweet wine for him It was Juno who let Jupiter Ganymede her! If you want respectability, you can be Lucretia all day: at night I want Lais.

Uxor, vade foras aut moribus utere nostris: non sum ego nec Curius nec Numa nec Tatius. Me jucunda juvant tractae per pocula noctes: tu properas pota surgere tristis aqua. Tu tenebris gaudes: me ludere teste lucerna et juvat admissa rumpere luce latus. Fascia te tunicaeque obscuraque pallia celant: at mihi nulla satis nuda puella jacet. basia me capiunt blandas imitata columbas: tu mihi das aviae qualia mane soles. Nec motu dignaris opus nec voce juvare nec digitis, tamquam tura merumque pares: masturbabantur Phrygii post ostia servi, Hectoreo quotiens sederat uxor equo, et quamvis Ithaco stertente pudica solebat illic Penelope semper habere manum. Pedicare negas: dabat hoc Cornelia Graccho, Julia Pompeio, Porcia, Brute, tibi; dulcia Dardanio nondum miscente ministro pocula Juno fuit pro Ganymede Jovi. Si te delectat gravitas, Lucretia toto sis licet usque die: Laida nocte volo.

[femblem-emblem]

FE3H lords as FE7 lords

(Spoilers for both games.) I've seen a few takes on this but mine is:

Claude takes Lyn's role. He's most separated from the main story, but he's still a leader. Sacae and Almyra have similar aesthetics and reputation. I would love to pit him against Marquis Araphen. Erk and Serra become Lorenz and Lysithea, and we can even keep our mediocre archer.

Hector and Dimitri would be the biggest bros anyway. Hector is very willing to murder, although he knows it's not his story so he manages to hold back most of the time. Hector "I don't know who's responsible, so I'm going to kill you all!" of Ostia and Dimitri "Kill every last one of them!" Blaiddyd. Oswin's role easily goes to Dedue. Uther? Rodrigue.

Eliwood is Seteth. Both of them are the more level and cautious protagonists. Seteth and Flayn as Ninian and Nils might be the more obvious pick, but Seteth is the de facto lord of Silver Snow, and he cares for Rhea just as valiantly as Eliwood cares for Ninian. Flayn takes the role of Nils - she joins early, after all.

So Edelgard? Brendan Reed.

The Black Fang Strike Force used to be a necessary force for good. Holding the nobility accountable, by whatever means necessary? Edelgard would be fully behind that mission. But then morphs (TWSITD) corrupt it from the top down. Instead of Sonia, we have Arundel. The morphs already replace people. Whether this becomes a good ending for the Black Fang where Edelgard achieves her goals, or whether it's left to the traditional lords to take them out, depends on where Byleth-Mark ends up.

(Bonus: Caspar would do exactly what Linus did.)

Yuri is basically young Legault already, so that accounts for the last 3H lord. Maybe he gets to steal a bit of Jaffar's role for story importance.

[idk6123]

The Morph (Hector X Male Reader)

At the water, Eliwood’s and Hector’s army are fighting the Black Fang once again. This time, they’re fighting against the morph, Sonia. During the battle, both sides are clashing their fullest against each other. Nino does the same but stops when she recognizes one of the morphs.

“Y/N!”

In front of her, a man with black hair and golden eyes looks at the little girl with an emotionless face. He’s on the other side, however, it doesn’t seem he intends to fight her.

“Stand aside. I have zero intention killing you, even if Sonia orders me to do so.”

“You don’t have to kill anyone.” Nino tries her best to safe one of the people she loves dearly. “Me and Jaffar are on the other side. They treat us nice. Please, can’t you join us?”

“I can’t. I’m still a puppet of Lord Nergal. I can’t disobey him. Besides, I’m not human anymore. All I am is the remains of my former life.” Y/N argues.

“So what? You’re still Y/N. You’re a kind guy that is always up to help me. When I’m having trouble casting a spell, you were there to help me. And I know you don’t want to hurt me. Please, can’t you switch sides? Or at least stop fighting.”

Y/N thinks about it. He got nothing to live for. To him, fighting for both sides grant him no benefit. Still, deep down, he cares for the mage. “Very well. I stop fighting.”

Nino gives him a grateful smile. “Really? Thank you!”

And so, the battles continue. Although dangerous, nobody manages to get killed. And with the death of Sonia, the army are taking a break for their next battle at their camp. As everyone dispersed, the lord trio catch up with their units, making sure everyone is alright. When they get to Nino, Jaffar and Y/N tent, they’re surprised to see a morph.

“What the-!?” Hector quickly grabs the nearest weapon and point it towards the morph.

“Don’t!” Nino quickly jumps between them, making Jaffer quickly jumps in front of the girl with his dagger out. “He’s good! He won’t hurt anyone.”

Hector stops and takes a closer at the morph, recognizing him. Eliwood too recognizes the man, while Lyn is focused on the fact a morph is at their base.

“Nino, who is he?” She asks calmly, wanting an explanation.

“This is Y/N. He’s one of my friends. He usually was with my mo- Uhm… Sonia. But unlike her, he’s good.” Nino explains.

“I understand the wary attitude. I don’t expect you to trust me. So if you’re willing to kill me, I understand.”

“Y/N…” Hector mutters. He drops down his weapon. Everyone is curious why he’s acting odd. “It’s really you?”

Y/N raises an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe we never met, nor should you heard my name.”

Hector’s face saddens. “You don’t remember us, Y/N?”

Still, the morph doesn’t get what he’s talking about. “Remember what?”

Hector frowns further. After looking at him for a second, he turns around and leaves the tent.

“Hector?” Lyn is surprised by his sudden behavior. “What’s up with him?”

Like the brash general, Eliwood also frowns, but a lot less. He looks back at Y/N. “He’s upset to his dead friend back alive.”

“Huh? He knew him before?” Lyn asks.

Eliwood nods. Y/N is curious what their history is. “Lord Eliwood, you know who I am was before, do you?”

“Yes. We three used to be childhood friends. You were a noble of House Nightfall. There was an incident almost two years ago, where the entire house got died by a fire. Looking back, the Black Fang were definitely involved. …We never discovered your body. We definitely thought you were murdered, but we didn’t had any leads. We merely needed to accept what happened and move on, but… I don’t ever think Hector ever did.”

This is the first time Y/N heard this. It’s hard to belief, however he knows it’s true. He remembers his first memory almost two years ago. The timeline makes sense. His family got murdered, he got captured and then he got turned into a morph.

“Thank you for telling me.” The morph now wonders how this is all going to get down.

-

Back at Ostia, the group recovers after the loss of Ninian. With the castle heavily guarded, they got plenty of time to regroup before the next battle. During which, Hector continues to stare at Y/N, who is reading his times. He doesn’t know what to think or feel. Sadness, anger, irritation, he’s feeling it all.

It only took a couple of seconds until Y/N senses Hector staring at him. The man looks back at the general and closes the tome. “Good day, Lord Hector. Is there something you need?”

“That tome… I saw you use it at the last battle. It’s dark magic.” Hector points out.

“It is. What about it?”

“Dark magic was always you’re specialty back when you were… you.” Hector let out a sadden frown. “Is there is any chance you don’t remember me?”

“I don’t. My apologies.” Hector let out a huff. He remains quiet, merely looking at him. “Is everything alright, sir?”

“You look like him. You sound like him. You even have the same skills. But you besides that, you’re nothing like Y/N.” Hector clutches his hands, becoming annoyed. He remains quiet for another few seconds, until he grabs an axe. He wonders if he finishes the morph off, if it makes the real Y/N happy in the afterlife.

As he gets closer to Y/N to strike him down, he stops to look at Y/N’s face. His face is without any emotion, but his eyes look alive. There is definitely some kind of life in front of him, yet he can’t help but view the morph nothing more than a walking corpse. He hesitates, wondering if he should do it, before giving up.

“Hector?”

“Don’t say my name… please.”

Hector leaves, feeling more conflicted then he did before. Y/N wonders if there is anything he can do to make him better.

-

It’s near the end of the journey. The army is at the dread isle, ready to end it the entire conflict. They head to the Dragon’s Gate, guarded by the final, upper morph, Limstella. Though first they have to get through the opposing army. As they get to the other side of the battlefield, Y/N spots Hector as they’re no enemies nearby.

“Everything going well, Lord Hector?”

Hector turns back, somewhat surprised to see the morph. “Oh, it’s you… Everything is alright. What about you?”

“The same can said to me.”

Hector hums. “You don’t feel conflicted about fighting your former allies?”

“I guess I don’t. Besides Nino and the Reed Family, I never had much pleasant times with the Black Fang. Even the short time with your army brought me more joy then spending time with Lord Nergal and his men.” Y/N explains.

“Were you lonely?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know how life is with people I care about, so I never experience feeling loneliness.” Y/N answers. “But enough about me. I’m curious about you. Our last conversation left me wonder what is going on with you.”

Hector’s eyes sadden again. “I’m sorry if you felt scared.”

“I didn’t.” Y/N responds coldly, while sounding casually. “If you were to strike me down, I would be alright with it. Death doesn’t scare me.”

“Don’t say that!” Hector raises his voice. “Don’t say that again.” His shakenly says. “Whatever you are. Whatever parts of Y/N remains in you. I don’t want it gone. You deserve better than that.”

“Do I deserve that, or the Y/N you knew?” Hector remains quiet, refusing to answer. Y/N wonders what his answer is. “Lord Hector-”

“Hector. Drop the lord part.”

The dark mage accepts his request. “Hector, if you don’t mind, after this is all over, can I visit my former self’s house? I’m curious about my past.”

Hector shows a sad smile. “Sure thing. Maybe then you remember something…”

-

And so, after the final battle against the resurrected Black Fang, Nergal and the fire dragons, Lycia is saved once more. And so, the army got disbanded. Some quitted the life of fighting. Some start a family. Others are continuing their ambition. For Y/N, however, is visiting his heritage, alongside with the Marquess of Ostia.

They get to the former house land. Although recently destroyed, the castle looks to be rebuild. As the two looks at the building, Hector wonders if there is any bell ringing back at Y/N.

“We buried your folks in the garden. You want to visit them?”

“Yes.”

The two get to the back of the castle to enter the garden. It looks tranquil, with many water features like fountains placed around with trees sprouting everywhere. In front of the two is a massive shrine. Flowers are placed everywhere. The names of the victims are carved on the stone, even Y/N’s.

“So, here are my real parents…” Y/N looks to his right to talk to his friend. “Can you tell me something about them?”

“They were real bookworms, always hungers for knowledge. Somewhat distant, but you were always positive about them.” Hector shares what he can remembers, making him smile. “Everything you know about them is thanks to him.”

“That so?” The morph looks back at the shrine. There is no emotion on his face, merely looking out with a bleak stare.

Hector wishes he could read Y/N better. Although there are resemblances, the Y/N before and now are completely different. “We used to play in this garden, y’know? Tag, hide and seek, the list goes on. I miss those days.”

“I wish I could remember it.” Y/N confessed. He turns back to his friend. “Not because of me, but because it makes you happy.” Hector gives a genuine smile, happy to hear it. “What about later in our life? Were we also good friends?”

“…The best.” Hector hesitates for a bit before answering, which Y/N notices.

“Hector?”

Hector, who was forcing a smile, drops it. “We weren’t friends. …We were more than that.”

“Oh?” That explains his behavior a lot more. Compared to Eliwood’s behavior, Hector looked distraught, and it appears this is why. “My apology.”

“It’s alright.” Hector reassures. “I’m not mad at you. I’m just… lost. I thought god was playing some cruel joke on me when I saw you like this. I lost the man I loved, and then I got him back, stripped away from his memories and identity. And as I continue looking at you, I can only hope there is some way Y/N can come back at me.”

“I wish I could help, but…”

“You don’t remember.” Hector could’ve guessed that. “I guess I just have to accept the fact the Y/N I knew is gone.” There is an awkward silence between them. The two look back at the shrine, looking at it for a couple of second before the general speaks up. “I stop trying to make you remember the past. You’re not the same Y/N I knew. I probably shouldn’t treat you like the same person. If there is anything you want, ask.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can provide a house if you want to live a normal life. If you have any other desires, I’m sure I can provide it. Whatever life you want to live, all you need to do is say it.” Hector explains. “What do you want to do?”

Y/N thinks about it for a minute. He doesn’t have a place to call home. The only people he properly knows is Nino and Jaffar, but he doesn’t want to interrupt their peace with his presence. He doesn’t have any ambition to live for. There is only one thing he can think of.

“I want to be by your side.”

“Huh!?” Hector gets caught off guard. “Why?”

“I don’t have any other place to go. You’re the closest thing I got. You treated me with kindness.”

“But I tried to kill you.” Hector objects.

“But you didn’t, nor did you want to.” Y/N corrects him. “I know you still mourn my former self, and if really don’t want to see his face anymore, then I’m fine with it. But… I would appreciate holding part of my past, even if I don’t remember it.”

Hector looks at him for some seconds, before he shows a warming smile. “Maybe you aren’t too different from him. You were always considered towards others. Maybe even without you’re memories, parts of the old Y/N remain. I don’t expect you to remember, but maybe we should look at differently. You can make new memories. Happy ones, like we had.”

“Is that a yes?”

Hector smiles wider. “Yes. On this day, you will be by my side. I make sure nothing, or anyone is going to hurt you again.”

[four-loose-screws]

FE6 Novelization Translation - Chapter 15 Section 3

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

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———————————

Chapter 15: The Rebellion of Ostia (Section 3)

*Note: The 1st 13 chapters are FE7's novelization.

He was once sub-commander of the Knights of Ostia.

Now, he bore the title of General Leygance, and flew a rebellion flag against the royal family he once served.

He was born into a high-ranking noble family that had produced many of Ostia’s generals and chancellors. While he was very full of himself because of that, he had exceptional skills as a knight, and was even a great strategist. He was tall, and had the perfect physique for combat. Now in his mid-thirties, he was in the prime of his prime.

And he thought he deserved to be commander of the Knights of Ostia.

He personally felt no ill-will towards Oswin, who wished to retire from the front line.

But Hector did not let Oswin retire, and did not choose Leygance to become the next commander.

“If one has talent, then their lineage does not matter.” Hector would always say. That was his reasoning as he chose to make countless people of common birth into knights and government officials, never once promoting Leygance.

There were many people, all haughty, proud of their lineage, and overconfident in their abilities, who came to despise Hector.

The knights of common birth loathed Leygance, and those who respected Oswin were vehemently against him receiving any promotions. On the other side of the coin, the knights of noble birth were not happy with the influence the commoners were gaining, and supported Leygance. This divided the Knights of Ostia into two distinct factions.

Before his passing, this division had caused Hector many headaches.

He wanted Oswin, who now struggled to fight on the front line, to support from sidelines as a tactician, but Leygance refused to command any of the common born knights. And there was no one better qualified to become commander than Leygance. While several of the young soldiers showed promise, they were still lacking in experience.

To preserve the delicate balance they still had, he chose to keep Oswin as commander, and Leygance as sub-commander.

But all of that fell apart now that Hector and Oswin were dead.

With the thorns in his side gone, Leygance could no longer keep his selfish ambitions in check, and partially as revenge towards Hector for treating him so poorly (in Leygance’s eyes), he decided to surrender to Bern.

In exchange for Ostia’s territory, he was promised a high-ranking position in Bern…

Leygance returned to his second-in-command, who had deployed his unit in front of Castle Ostia’s gate, and said in a pompous tone, “Devias, how are things in the city?”

The unit that led the noble-born knights supported Leygance prior to the war with Bern, so they sided with him and participated in the rebellion; while the unit that led the common-born knights was fiercely loyal to Hector, and fought against the rebels.

Of course, the knight Leygance was speaking to, Devias, was also of noble birth. “Everything is quiet at the moment. But the Ilian mercenaries Lord Hector hired still intend to stubbornly resist us.”

Those words made Leygance click his tongue. “We told them that we would pay more! Why won’t they do as we say?!”

“Ilian mercenaries are famous for never betraying their employers.”

Ilia was the wasteland to the north. Their winters came early, and their rugged mountains were lands unfit for growing crops. To the people who lived there, mercenary work was the most vital of all professions, which led them to value trust over all else.

If no one hired Ilian mercenaries, then their people would soon have to choose to either starve to death, or abandon their country and move. They loved the home where they were born and raised, so to avoid ending up in that situation, their mercenaries would never once violate a single contract.

They all believed that even one traitor would cause every single Ilian to suffer.

And that belief was what was now making the mercenaries Hector hired stand their ground inside their barracks in the city.

But Leygance cared not at all about any of that. “This is no time to be praising them! General Narcian of the Three Wyvern Generals could be here any minute! If we don’t get Ostia under our control before then, he will think nothing of us!!”

“A-As you command, Sir!” Devias immediately bowed his head at his superior officer’s scolding of him.

“Lilina is our trump card if all else fails. If we use her as a shield, then they are sure to stop resisting… But we will do so only as a last resort! Neither the Ilian mercenaries nor the lot they’re working with are a match for us! We are Ostia’s elite soldiers!” Leygance said to convince himself of it more than anything, then glared straight at Devias as he continued, “Devias! You and our reinforcements from Bern will hold them back here! I entrust the city to you!”

“Yes, Sir!”

Leygance nodded, satisfied with Devias’ answer. He put on his cloak, and with his haughty expression still on his face, he walked back inside the castle.

The knights remaining loyal to Hector and Lilina, led by Barth, were still holding their ground within one of the wings of the castle. He had to dispose of them as quickly as possible.

☆

It usually took five days to travel from Thria to Ostia by horse.

But the Knights of Pherae marched as fast as they could, and managed to arrive in southern Ostia City in three days. They then set up camp on a hill in the outskirts, from which they could see the entire inner city.

Their young commander Roy, to whom Lycia’s leading lord Hector had entrusted both Lycia’s future and his beloved daughter’s safety, was gazing down at the streets and buildings.

This was the place where he had made so many of his fondest memories up until just a few days ago.

He saw the school where he sat and studied right next to Lilina, and was fortunate enough to be asked to study under a visiting commanding officer from Etruria. 

He saw the arena Hector snuck him off to visit. They were found out after they came back, and Oswin scolded Hector for the first time in years.

And he saw the food stall where he bought baked sweets when he snuck off into town… He ate them with Lilina in the city square, and they were filled with boiled pears. After just one bite, he couldn’t stop, and wolfed down so many that Lilina was aghast. She told him that if he ate any more, he would get a cavity, and snatched them away from him.

Roy shook his head to clear his mind of the memories flooding back to him, and turned around to say to Marcus standing behind him, “Marcus! How many soldiers are participating in the rebellion?”

“Quite a large number of them, it seems. They have forgotten the vows they swore to Marquess Ostia, and are following whomever seems the most powerful… They have not a hint of integrity… They are not worthy to even stand upwind of a knight!”

“A large number, huh…”

Hector had been an open-minded lord with a big heart. He was one of the people Roy respected most of all, second only to his father Eliwood. It pained him greatly to see people betray Hector and side with Bern.

Marcus noticed that his lord’s face had clouded, and said in a lighter tone to cheer him on, “But we received good news as well! We have received a proposal from an Ilian cavalier mercenary group to join forces and attack the rebel army. They have a contract with the Ostian army to fight against Bern.”

“That is an unexpected blessing, but… once we tell the mercenaries that Lord Hector is gone, then their contract will probably be broken. Is there a chance that we could rehire them?”

“About that, Lord Roy. They already know of Lord Hector’s passing. They said that they still intend to fight with us.”

“Why would mercenaries go that far?”

“Ilia’s lands are not very fertile, and mercenary contracts are one of their main sources of economic input. And so they believe that trust is more important than anything else, and would never betray the employer they made their contract with… I didn’t think the rumors I’d heard were to be believed, but this chain of events has proven them true.”

“Yes, they are very reassuring allies to us right now!”

Ostia possessed Lycia’s greatest military force. The reports they received told them that roughly half of Ostia’s soldiers participated in the battle of Araphen. Meaning that the remaining half should be here.

But the majority of that half were under Leygance’s command.

The current combined number of soldiers in the Knights of Pherae were only about half that of their enemy’s. Facing off against an enemy twice as large as them, to put it bluntly, would be utterly reckless. Their forces were simply too small. And that was why the assistance of the Illian mercenary night group was everything they could hope for.

Seeing that there was a sliver of hope made Roy’s expression brighten, but the next part of Marcus’ report made it immediately darken once more.

“However, according to the information the mercenaries shared with us, one of Bern’s generals and their wyvern rider unit is expected to arrive here soon… If the worst case scenario happens and they are able to fight as reinforcements for the rebels, then I expect this battle to become very difficult for us.”

Battle was simple. The side with the greater numbers and material resources would win. While there were stories told throughout history of great commanders overcoming the overwhelming odds against them and claiming victory, those stories were few and far between.

Roy knew his own strength very well.

He was still greatly lacking in experience as a commanding officer, and he had no exceptional skills in tactics either. All he could do was try his hardest, and believe that his soldiers would handle the rest. He was only able to do the most obvious of things.

That was why he was now racking his brain as hard as he could.

‘The rebel army alone would be a difficult enough opponent, but when Bern’s reinforcements arrive, there will be nothing we can do… If only we had reinforcements too…’ He thought, and the image of a certain someone popped into his head. It was the image of the visiting commanding officer from Etruria, whom he studied the basics of combat under here in Ostia.

“...The Kingdom of Etruria might help us.”

“Etruria!? …Would it be possible?” The veteran general asked suddenly at his lord’s unexpected words.

“Etruria’s Mage General, General Cecelia, was here in Ostia as a visiting commanding officer during my studies. She taught me the basics of battle. I think she would lend us her strength.”

“Lord Roy! I must object! If we rely on Etruria to solve our internal issues, there’s no saying how they will meddle in our affairs in the future!”

“I know that. But the very existence of Lycia is in danger. Rather than second guessing ourselves over our worries of the future and losing everything, we should take our chances on what might have even the slightest chance of protecting what’s truly important.”

Within the continent of Elibe, there was one other country that could compare to Bern - Etruria.

Etruria not only controlled its own land, prided for its rich culture and art, but also the Western Isles, an archipelago of three islands located in the western seas, as the name suggested. Before Bern invaded Sacae and Ilia,  Etruria possessed the largest territory across all of Elibe.

Just as Marcus feared, if they borrowed Etruria’s strength, there was a risk that as repayment for that favor, Lycia may become like a suzerain country to Etruria.

But Roy accepted that possibility, and chose to protect his country. “If we do not act soon, we won’t make it in time! I will write a letter to General Cecilia. Please have it delivered as quickly as possible to Etruria. Marcus, I trust you to make the arrangements.”

“Yes Sir! I will do so immediately!!” Seeing his lord make up his mind also encouraged Marcus. He ran off to Merlinus, currently busy leading the transport unit, to fetch a piece of parchment and a quill pen.

ー

On that same day, when the sun was shining over their heads, Roy called an all-out attack on the Ostian rebel army.

Serving as the Knights of Pherae's vanguard was Bors and the other Knights of Ostia that had been traveling with them.

“Move out! We will take back our homeland with our own hands!” Bors had served so far as either a defensive wall on the front line, or in the transportation unit’s guard. While neither of those duties gave him a chance to stand out, he did much to support the Knights of Pherae.

Because of their heavy armor, knights rarely fought in the vanguard. But this time, Roy requested them directly to do so.

The Knights of Ostia led by Bors, fighting not only for their homeland and late Marquess Hector, but now also their future marchioness Lilina, all formed a single horizontal line, and began to slowly advance. They looked just like a steel wall as they marched.

But they could not forget that their enemies were also Ostia soldiers.

Just like Bors and his knights, the rebel army also approached them in a horizontal line formation.

As their steel armor clashed violently, a grand battle of entirely hand-to-hand direct combat began.

But fortunately for Roy and Pherae, the noise caught the attention of the Ilian mercenaries, and caused them to come out of their barracks and get into battle formation.

Their formal name was the Edessa Mercenary Knights, named after the castle their leader Zelot was lord over.

Zelot confirmed that all of his mercenaries had mounted their horses, then raised his lance and shouted, “Us Edessa Mercenary Knights will now join the battle! We will aid the Knights of Ostia and drive out the rebels!”

“Yes Sir!” They all raised a mighty battle cry, except for one person's monotone response.

It was Trec, another of their commanding officers.

“He's as laid back as ever, I see!” Zelot said with a pained laugh. That was when he noticed that the second commander who was supposed to be next to him was not there.

“Hm? I don't see Noah. Where did he go?”

Trec sighed. “I think he went to the arena. Something about coaching a naive young sword fighter…”

“Wow, that Noah…? Even he can do something totally unlike himself sometimes, huh?” Zelot was a tad surprised. He didn’t expect that to be Trec’s answer.

Noah excelled not only with the sword and lance, but also in leadership of his unit. However, he always kept people at arm’s length, and never interfered in the personal affairs of others. It was honestly quite shocking to hear he was helping anyone out.

“She must be that cute.”

“Ha ha ha, good for him!” Zelot laughed at his soldier’s joke, but immediately shifted back to his serious expression when he was done. “Still, he is Noah. He’s sure to join the battle as soon as he knows we’ve started to move. Mark!”

“Yes Sir!” In response to Zelot’s call, another one of his mercenary cavaliers stepped forward.

“You are to lead Noah’s unit until his return!”

“Yes Sir! As you command!”

After the cavalier accepted his order, Zelot said one more time to his entire force, “All units, move out! Show them our tenacity and pride as Ilian mercenaries!!”

As powerful fighters who had fought in all locations across the continent, they bared their fangs at the Ostian rebels.

ー

The city became a battlefield, with the local residents rushing around in every direction to return home and lock themselves up inside.

The arena was no exception, and could not avoid the chaos of the fighting breaking out all around it. Even the toughest-looking of the contestants who came to test their strength all scattered and disappeared like baby spiders.

This scene made a certain mercenary cavalier realize that the time had come for him to get to work. “Seems the battle has started. Goodbye, Fir. I must go soon.”

“Thank you for everything you taught me, Sir Noah.” A petite swordswoman bowed deeply at Noah, who was already atop his horse. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her skin had a yellowish tinge to it. Anyone could realize with just one look at her that she was of Sacaian blood.

“You startled me at first, though. You barged in here and immediately shouted ‘I want to fight a match with you!’”

“I-I’m sorry. This was my first time visiting an arena…”

“If you had picked a bad opponent, they would have had no qualms with killing you outright. Whenever you fight in an arena, you must choose your opponents carefully.”

“Yes!” She replied humbly to his warning.

An arena was a place where fighters risked their life to earn money, meaning that they were always facing danger. No one had the right to protest their own fate if they died fighting an arena match.

Normally, it was one of Noah’s personal principals not to meddle in the affairs of others, but he couldn’t help but take this girl under his wing, as she was still only in her mid-teens, and did not have the physique to be fighting in any arena. “What are you going to do now?”

“...I’ve decided to travel to the islands to the west.”

“The west… You mean the Western Isles? Why are you going to such a remote area?” He asked with furrowed brows. 

She answered without a hint of hesitation, “I’ve heard that many people have gathered there to work the mines. I think it will be the perfect place for me to travel to for training… And… the Western Isles is where my late mother first met my father. I want to travel all around the world to hone my skills, just as she did…”

“Wow… That’s a bit of a surprise. You just kept saying ‘I really, really want to get stronger!’ to me, so I thought sword fighting is all you care about. But you do have a romantic side too, huh?” He said with a genuinely impressed smile on his face. 

She stared at him blankly for a moment before her face turned bright red and she shouted, “Wha? …Hey, don’t make fun of me!!”

“Ha ha ha ha…” He laughed out loud as he directed his horse to start galloping towards his allies.

ー

[neomedievalist]

i do really love that fe games just let you steal from your own castle. like we are defending ostia castle right now why are there treasure chests that i can sneakily send legault over to. can we not just ask hector