Cry For War

Chapter Seven

The radiance before her was blinding, causing her steed to slam its body into something. It finally collapsed, leaving the princess to rub at her face as she struggled to free herself from the saddle. "Ngh, where... Where am I?" she fumbled out, only to find her eyes wandering, soon drifting to the location she'd found herself in. It reminded her so much of where she had just come from, though the trees around her had been replaced with a vast clearing, littered with mountain ranges to the outside. Where she lay, there was another one of those strange relics, the stone formation with the engraving of a tangled tree, this one lacking the otherworldly glow of the previous. Was this truly where these gates had led all this time? This in mind, she was now certain the legends were true, her belief only further confirmed by a hooded figure offering her their hand. Did they intend to harm her? Though she hadn't meant to come off as rude, her frozen fear was enough to make the stranger kneel down at her level, their voice finally coming to shape and ensuring that they would be understood. "It's alright, I'm... I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help. You must be-"

"I am Veronica," she answered on their behalf, narrowing her eyes. "So, I'm led to believe that it was you who called for me? Very well... " After her moment of hesitation, she took her opportunity, clasping their gloved hand within her own and allowing them to pull her to her feet, though she quickly noticed the mud on their otherwise pristine garment. Had they been what she'd bumped into on the way in? She hoped not. Never would she have felt so guilty for her entry, but it wasn't as though there was another option. Veronica's life had surely been on the line, even more so as she had no reason to be attacked just for fleeing her situation. "Where are we?"

  It was a fair question to pose from her position, one Kiran responded to with an affirmative nod as they attempted to guide her away from the Summoning Circle. "We can brief you back at the castle, but right now... I think it would be in your best interest to get cleaned up," offered the summoner, only to have their hand rejected with a swift tug away. Their mouth fell slightly agape as she recoiled, clutching her hands to her chest. "Veronica, are you alright?" they pressed further.

"Please, I... I ask that you don't touch me again," she returned, taking a step back as she knelt to the side of her injured mare. The wounds on her hip could have looked a little better, but they were not as life threatening as she had first assumed. In fact, in an astonishing twist, they seemed to have already solidified into scar tissue, most of it covered by fur. Was this the side effect of the gate? She only could have imagined that was the case. There was hardly another option to consider in this scenario. As she brushed her hand over the once deep claw marks, she could feel the raised skin, the length of it that spanned down most of the haunches of her mount. Had they been on the run for much longer than they had, surely she would have bled out or collapsed from the strain on her muscles. "Gods..." she murmured to herself, Kiran ghosting their hand over the imperial princess's shoulder before retracting. If she didn't want to be touched, so be it.

"This is a first for you as much as it is for me, Veronica," they explained to her, clasping their hands together to prevent themselves from instinctually trying to comfort her, as they would have for any hero that crossed their path. They weren't necessarily sure how to comfort someone who refused to accept the help to begin with, but... They had a hunch on where to start. "Let me help you, I think I know just the person you need to see," they invited, gesturing loosely with the intent of getting her to follow their lead. This seemed to be effective, but they could still spot the apprehension in the eyes of the princess. Her posture was tight, even as she took the bridle of her horse and used it like a makeshift leadrope. At the least, they had convinced her to come along, and this way, they could get some answers. All the while, Veronica was taken aback by the sheer size of the clearing, the seemingly endless blue skies over the countryside. It felt eerily familiar to her, something that she couldn't quite place her finger upon. All of this doubt seemed to be cast aside as soon as she lay eyes upon the mighty castle, a formidable symbol of the Kingdom of Askr. She couldn't fathom what reasons that the Askrans had for bringing her here, but the few she could manage were definitely not good. Surely, they had intentions to execute her, just like they had her father before her! The thought alone was enough to make the princess's skin crawl. She was apprehensive, but still followed. Surely, if this stranger had called out to her, they couldn't have been all bad, right?

  As they drew closer, she could pick up on unfamiliar whispers. Unlike the ones she was used to, their sources could be directly traced to the plethora of people that she didn't recognize. Though she could make out very little of it, she could feel their burning gazes, gossip... Though she would have liked to assume that this was not a response to her, her own experiences dared beg to differ.

  Soon enough, they had reached the main hall, the person in white turning dramatically to face the princess. "Veronica, I welcome you to the Order of Heroes!" They gestured about the grand hallway, architecture that highlighted the luxurious carpet on the marble floors. She could imagine easily that such a place was expensive to upkeep, that whatever happened here was of importance worth the price that was paid. Before she could ask any questions, the summoner went on, "Here, we serve the people of all worlds by recruiting from all across the realms, like- Right, I should show you who you're going to be with!" they fumbled about, embarrassing themselves more than just a little. "Hector! Celica! Ephraim!" called out the white veiled person into the corridor. It would have been best to brief her on her mission sooner rather than later, right?

As the posse of 'heroes' approached, Veronica's desire to turn around and run away grew larger. If she were to partner with someone, why in the names of the gods would this robed figure have wanted her to serve with two very intimidating men in heavy armor and a swordswoman. Where could she have possibly fit into their unit? Was this man blind? Once again, before she could get any leverage to speak of, she was interrupted. "You see, we've been trying to do some good in Nifl, but unfortunately, we didn't have anyone cut out for the job. That's where you come in- We need someone to keep these three on their feet. Do you think you'd be up for the task?"

"I'm afraid that I'm hardly cut out for combat," the princess murmured, grabbing the attention of the large man clad in blue. "This is a staff, surely you cannot expect me to fight using-"

Again, interrupted.

"So, you're the one that Kiran here has been telling us about? Well, I'd say you're more than in shape for the job with this one's superb judgement," he interjected, giving the summoner a pat on the back, though it was a little harder than intended. "I'll admit, you're definitely smaller than I expected, but if you're as strong as they say, I'd wager you'll have our backs. Besides, it's Ephraim and I that are meant to do the heavy lifting around here! I'm Hector, Marquess Ostia, it's uh- ..." He paused momentarily, as if trying to recall what his late brother or Eliwood would have said to properly introduce themselves. "It's a pleasure."

"Well said," followed the teal haired prince, "I'm Ephraim, King of Renais." Admittedly, he wasn't the best with his words either, much preferring to blaze a trail with his lance- or in this case, his axe he had picked up for this mission. As soon as he could, he had every intention of returning to the Sacred Twin that he normally opted toward, as opposed to a weapon from Grado. He needed to be a jack of all trades if he ever wished to improve, which was in part why he and Hector had opted to practice with weaponry that was foreign to them, sparring together until they had sharpened their skills.

  Lastly, the priestess had to introduce herself, placing a hand on one shoulder of each armored man, pushing them aside to make room for herself. "Veronica, was it? I'm Celica, I'm sure you'll get on just fine around here, I'll take care of you. In this team, we take care of one another. So long as you are with the three of us, I assure you... You will be welcomed."