Maelys's POV.
Days have passed, and our journey continued to track down Validar and retrieve the Emblem back. Plans have been set in place, scouts sent out, and training was nearly nonstop, even as we marched, the others would spar while walking just to keep their reflexes sharp. We had to be the best we could.
When we met my father again, hopefully it would be the last time and all of this would be over.
So far we hadn't met any resistance,
But in times like these, peace was short lived.
"Risen attack!" my attention snaps to the man, we had sent him out, along with four others to scout our next 5 miles, yesterday evening under the camouflage of night.
He was the only one left.
"Maelys?" Nah, who was Nowi's daughter had taken a liking to me and I was teaching her the ways of using a sword, instead of having to morph into a dragon all the time. She had expressed concern on how large she gets, and how easy of a target she was, so I offered to show her a way to be more inconspicuous, then use her dragon might to take out the enemy.
I nod at her, "We will continue at a later date," I say kindly. She was a sweet young woman, normal in every way. I couldn't imagine how she became so mature with Nowi and Henry as her parents.
By now, the scout is frantic. "Where is Chrom? Where is our commander?" he's shouting, and I take initiative, stepping in front of him.
"Friend, calm and speak slowly, I have no doubt he's on his way. You're loud enough to alert the whole country side."
His response was collapsing to his knees, I go down with him, supporting his head up. I can't have him dying without that report!
It sounds insensitive. It would be terrible if he died, but it would be worse if he didn't give us the information. That was his life, he was tasked with being quick. He knew his role.
"I need a healer!" I yell at the gawking faces, the only one I recognize who can use staves is Brady. "Brady, come here."
"Me? Ma'am, I haven't healed people that much in this lifetime, do ya expect me to save a man's life?"
Of course I would find myself in the ranks of nameless soldiers from Ylisse, sent with us only because the royal officials thought it safer. They were skilled to defend our main deploy of fighters, but that was it.
I gaze down in the bloodied face of the scout, I believe his name was Salander. One of our best. There must have been a terrible fight..
"This man is dying, get down here now and at least instruct me what you know!"
Brady nervously squats next to me, "I aren't too sure, but make sure he don't close his eyes. Gotta check for any other injuries." he starts moving his hands down the man's body, examining for any open cuts.
I steady the man's head up on my leg, his dilated eyes stare up into my face as he fights for breath, "Just slow down, you're okay. Can you tell me what happened?" I ask softly.
He winces as Brady lifts the shirt up, and I catch a glimpse of a couple gaping holes clearly done by arrows on the side of his chest. The man had somehow stuffed someone else's shirt into the open areas and it was soaked through with his own blood.
"Salander, it's alright, you'll be fine." the sweats break out on his forehead, probably from the air reaching the raw area.
"You know my name." he whispers.
"Of course," I say, brushing his dirty hair from his forehead.
Glancing over at Brady, who just stares at the rest of the damage, that I can't see from this angle. "I can't fix this," Brady mouths, and I point towards the direction where I assumed his mother and Lissa would be. "Find your mother then, and Chrom."
"Why'd you know my name?"
I turn my attention back to the man, "Because you're the best scout we have,"
"I'm the the only one left." he gargles.
"Shh, what happened?" I urge, but respectfully, quietly. I don't want to alarm him.
It's like he's returned back to the events he had escaped from, there's a far away appearance as he retells the story. "There's a little village ahead, we prepared to pass but them Risen started to fall from the sky. I met up with the four others, and we decided to offer our assistance, They were stronger, unlike any beasts we had faced bef're! It was a complete slaughter, and as we gave up, knowing our chances of death were high, we wanted to make our way back to camp. The Risen pursued us, we all took different paths but I knew my companion's were dead from their screams. I was the only one who thought of using the trees. With the last bit of my strength, I climbed.. In the process bein' shot with multiple arrows. I used the branches of the trees to aid in my escape."
"They were stronger you say?"
"Normal weapons did't faze them! They were invincible ma'am." He trails off, I can feel the warm blood from his stomach on my leg, I wondered how he managed to make it all the way here with it bleeding so profoundly. My only guess was that he had pulled out the arrows, foolishly.
All color drained from his face. His retelling took the rest of his breath, now he hacks for more, and I lift up his back; trying to help him catch more sustaining air all the while wondering why it was taking so long for a healer of any type to make their presence known.
"Tell my paw I love him, and that I'm sorry no one will be there to take over the shop." Salander rasps, his obvious pain wrecking it's way through his body.
"Shh, don't speak like that," I coo, no one else would die on my watch..
It isn't much longer, and Brady returns with his mother in tow. She's got staves, wraps and all sort of medical utensil's carried by her son. It was wise thinking on her part, there was no way we could move this man to the medical tents.
Her hands move fast as she kneels down. Two years ago, she would have gagged at the thought of getting down in the dirt and messing up her nails. Mirabelle was a prime example that we had all matured.
"Four arrows and you made it back here?" she asks, assessing the damage.
HIs response is a weak nod, the hair on his face sticking to his profusely sweating forehead.
I try and read her expression. She's focused on her work, any hints of the outcome hidden beneath.
"Is there anything I can do?" I ask quietly.
"Just continue holding his upper back up, we don't want his lungs filling with blood if the arrows punctured any internal organs.." she mutters, her eyes narrowing, "Brady, love, please locate Libra and Lissa if she's not preoccupied and send them this way. I am going to need assistance, as well as any of the other healers around camp."
"Yes, Ma." Brady replies, standing back up.
"Chrom as well!" I exclaim, he needed to know about the Risen army as soon as possible. If the Risen track the men back to this camp, we would be in trouble, especially if it was true that they had gained such strength.
I could only pray that this wasn't Validar sending these monsters to block us, but that was the only explanation that made sense. My heart beat fast at the possibility that he could take us out from afar, it was a cheap move.. He didn't play fair.
"A trait I passed onto you, my daughter."
My eyes widen as wounded Salander smoothly speaks as if the immense pain he had been feeling had vanished. Mirabelle is surprised too, as she backs up from the bloodied mess to glance between me and the man.
"Y-you.." I stutter, his face had completely distorted, become someone different. The eyes resembled the eerie yellow of the former mentioned evil sorcerer, and they laid upon my lap.
"I hope you enjoy my gift, I know I shall relish in seeing you scramble around trying to save your friends!" the cackling laughter launches Salander's body up. He had been possessed by my father's dark magic, I only assume it was from the arrows.. The thought disgusted me, but I had no time to muse on it longer for even though his body was weak, Validar was using it to prove a point...
Launching himself at Mirabelle, she let's out an surprised scream. She hadn't thought to bring a weapon, it had only been assumed life-saving tools would be needed.
My previous shock was like heavy gravity for my body, trying to move my muscles to help the healer was a slow process even if my mind was reacting ninety-to-nothing.
All I had was my sword, my tomes had been left in a pack, with the armory.
It wasn't needed though, a quick blow to Salander's shoulder sends him sprawling away from the unarmed healer.
"What the hell is going on here?" Sully yells, resting her leg back down on the ground. She must have kicked him with her steel-toed boots.
The words to explain fail to escape off of my tongue. Validar had managed to get to me again. Not through my own mind but from someone else's.
Someone who was innocent.
Someone who could have been saved.
"You will all die!" The hissing voice emerges, "Just like this man, you will all bleed to death. I will personally see to it!"
I can't help from wincing at the words, they feel like daggers aimed at me; The nightmare that I had of all my friends dying because of me suddenly sounds more like a possibility than just a reoccurring dream.
"You can go to the pits of hell," Sully growls, but it falls on deaf ears as Salander's body starts convulsing and blood gushes out of his mouth rapidly.
I can't help the half shrieked "No!" that escapes my mouth.
I had to save him, if I couldn't save him from my father, how could I save anyone? How could I protect anyone?!
My mind is a blur, but I know I get up and run to his side, tearing at my clothes for cloth to clot the blood from his side and struggling to keep his head up so the blood doesn't drown him, just like Mirabelle said. I stuff the little bit of excess cloth that I could pull from my shirt in one of the arrow holes, and place his head on my knee as I go to tear more for the other four wounds.
"Maelys, he's too far gone," Mirabelle quietly says at my shoulder, but my stubborn nature refuses to give up and the drive to show Validar that he doesn't control the deaths of my subordinates is overpowering.
Something inside me knows that he won't make it, the way the blood just continued to gush, creating a puddle of blood on the ground that refused to soak into the dirt but ran in a steady stream to sneak underneath my legs, there was no way he would survive blood loss of that kind.
Maybe he was already dead.
Validar may have already killed him by taking over his body.
"Salander?" I whisper, slowing my frantic hands and laying my eyes on his sheet white face. His eyes were staring straight up into the sky.
"Maelys," Sully places a hand on my shoulder, firmly.
"Shut up!" I exclaim, holding out for something, anything.
His focus shifts and my hope soars when it lands on my face.
Weakly, he reaches a hand up to my face. I don't even mind his palm has blood dripping from it from clutching at his side. I had to hear what he would say.
His fingers touch my cheek- then yellow eyes become hostile and the nails dig into the soft skin. "You were made to destroy." the words are icy - chilling.
I grab the wrist instinctively, pulling it away without needing much force. Salander chokes up one more blob of blood that lands on his chest, and with a last shudder, his limbs go limp, his entire body following suit.
I stare down at the mess in shock, dropping his wrist where it lands on the ground in even more of the red liquid.
Never have I realized just how much blood a body had..
And here I sat, covered nearly head to toe with a man's plasma who I couldn't help.
Strong hands reach under my arms and lift me up from the pool, "Get it together, the troops are watching." Sully says quietly. It lifts the trance-like state I was in enough for me to pull myself together just enough to shout out orders. "What are you all looking at?"
That catches their attention, "Prepare for battle, we may be up against some formidable opponents by nightfall."
"Yes ma'am!" They reply, starting to move away from the scene.
I can't have it cleaned up yet, not until Chrom..
"What in Naga's...?"
Sully glances at me, then to our blue haired commander.
"Mother!" Morgan exclaims from behind him, Nah stands to his side.
Of course, the dragon-kin would be able to track down someone. Why hadn't I thought of that?
"Ma!" Brady comes running up breathlessly to his mother, Libra in hot pursuit. "Gods, what happen'd ere?"
Libra walks over to Salander's lifeless body, "Don't bother, he's dead." I reply callously, catching everyone off guard.
Chrom recovers first, as he walks in my direction. Sully takes a step back away from me, rubbing her neck. "I couldn't do much, sorry." she says, but he nods his head. "I'm sure you did what needed to be done,"
"Care to explain what happened here?" he crosses his arms over his chest, but his expression is still kind.
"Where were you?" I turn the questioning around on him.
"I was across camp with Morgan, training. Then Frederick required my assistance. Nah tracked me down," he replied calmly.
I sighed, then glanced around at our friends watching. "We have an issue," I announce, better get it out to everyone then have to spread the information over and over again. "Salander, our scout was the only one to survive a Risen attack. Normally, we would be able to take them out with ease, but they're more powerful than before. I believe Validar personally sent these to stop us in our tracks.The proof of their brutality is obvious on Salander's body. He managed to get back here, and relay the information that an entire village has been massacred to draw our attention to these foes. Our choice is to fight an opponent that has already taken the lives of four of our scouts, who are trained to escape from dangerous missions such as these, or to flee from this area and try a different route."
"Are there any other routes?" I didn't realize that more of our crew had showed up, but Frederick, always the cautious had questions.
"Of course, if there's land we can walk over it. We do not need to follow a man-made created road, I've navigated us over the ocean, have I not?"
"But it will take even more time," Lucina states, "We need to stay on track or we won't make it on time."
"If we are all killed who will be there to stop Validar?" Inigo challenges her suggestion.
"Are they hunting us?"
My eyes snap to Sumia's quiet voice, she's kept to herself for the past couple of weeks. There was no strife between us, no hard feelings from what I could tell when I would cross her path. She'd always smile, always was gentle.
But it still felt wrong, knowing I was the reason why she no longer wears that wedding ring on her finger.
"Salander said they chased him relentlessly, until he lost them by using the trees. I believe it was intended for them to find us, yes." I reply to her.
She taps a finger to her bottom lip in thought, "Cordelia and I could fly over and see if they are still around? Take a couple of archers if needed?"
"No it's too dangerous," Chrom replies, "If they see you, they could shoot you or follow you here."
I blow out air in frustration, which causes everyone to look concerned. If their own Grandmaster was stumped, what could they do?
"Oh, look at all the blood!" Henry's gleeful exclamation signals that he, too, has arrived.
And he apparently has no care if we were in a serious discussion or not, as he walks over to my side, "Why don't I try and duplicate the Risen to make our own army strong enough to take their's out?! It would be a glorious sight of Risen blood raining dow-"
"No!" Everyone shouts.
He shrugs, "Maelys, you look like you've had fun. It's like you literally took a bath in blood. Get it? Bloodbath? Hahaha." he laughs at his own unusual joke, "That guy looks like he got the invitation, why didn't I get one?"
"Father!" Nah cries exasperatedly.
All the pressure causes me to speak without thinking it through, "Why don't you go get one from the Risen, then? I'm sure they would love to rip you apart Henry, or else I might do it myself..."
"Woah, woah, let's calm down here." Ricken emerges from the circle of companions that has formed. I believe all of the original companions and their children were present now, no doubt the word of trouble had spread like wildfire after Chrom left his post.
The level headed but young mage glances around, "Let's give Maelys a break to wash up, Henry has a point, she looks like she was the one attacked. Is that alright, commander?" he asks Chrom.
Chrom nods his head, "That sound's like our best bet. I will not hide anything from you all, let us meet in the dining hall in thirty minutes to talk over our options. We will let the troops from Ylisse take over our stations."
He motions for me to add anything, but I have nothing of merit to say at the moment. "Someone bury Salander properly, the rest of you are dismissed or are free to help whoever decides to bury him." I say, before turning away from the group and heading to the water reserves for a bucket to take back to my tent.
I have never felt so trapped before. These were my friends and I could be leading them to their deaths, again. I'd already lost so many troops back in the cave now I could lose the remaining help and my friends, just over this future that Validar fought so hard for.
How was anyone supposed to handle this pressure?
I lift the handle on the water dispenser after putting a medium bucket under to catch the flow and hear footsteps behind me. I take a sigh, I know whose they are, those steps were the same that haunted my dreams.
"Lucina," I say her name, it had been maybe a week since she tried to kill me.
She's quiet, just watching me. Like she has this entire time.
"If you have something to say, say it." I was not in the mood for this.
Her response is silence. I stare at the water as it fills the bucket 3/4 of the way, and took off the faucet, taking a deep sigh.
"If you're waiting on me to lose it again, you'll be waiting your entire life. Killing me is not the only way to change the future."
With that, I lift up my bucket of water and slowly walk off towards the housing tents, keeping my ears perked for the sound of shifting grass and leaves, but she wasn't following me anymore.
All I could do was try and relax my body and mind, clean up the blood and present myself in an orderly fashion. We'd figure this out.
We always have.