Nergal was defeated and now it's time for everyone to head back home, but first Eliwood wishes to bury the Legendary Weapon near Athos' Temple. However, something is wrong the group. Everyone seems a bit…low.
Chapter One: A Dream or Not
Night has fallen on the same day Eliwood and his team defeated the Dragon, though it was a loss of suffering since Ninian and Nils left. Everyone thought Eliwood would be all depressed and gloomy on their trip home, but he seems alright. Anyway, everyone set up the tents for a rest after their battle, started the fire, and was ready to eat and later on sleep. However, one person wasn't really comfortable about the mood of the units.
"It seems…it seems that everyone seems a bit down. Don't you agree, Lord Eliwood?" observed Elena, the tactician of Eliwood's party, "Lyn and Hector has not been arguing for quite some time, Kent and Fiora haven't been discussing any future battle plans, Marcus is always away from the group, Serra hasn't been annoying Erk, Priscilla keeps dropping her healing staff, Raven's been very clumsy by dropping his steel sword, Lucius has been stumbling over his spells, Dorcus looks like he's thinking miles away, Mathew was caught many times stealing a vulnerary from an enemy and has been hurt severely, Batre stopped stealing Canas' book, Dart almost drowned in the sea, Florina is sitting all by herself when we are resting, Guy has kept his distance from Rath and Rath is doing the same, Heath ceased his pranks on the Sisters' Pegasusi, Isadora kept looking at her shoes kind of funny, Legault has not been into my diary for nearly a week, Pent and Louise began their conversation in a low voice, Oswin trips over a root from time to time, Rebecca and Lowen kept messing up their cooking, Wil hasn't done anything weird on the others, Farina quit bugging me about the monthly payments, Hawkeye nearly cut Nils, Ninian has sprained her ankle because her foot was tangled over her dancing cloth, Jaffar and Nino haven't spoken a word to each other now, and look! Sain hasn't been flirting with the girls! Do you think something has struck them inside? Lord Eliwood? Lord Eliwood, are you listening? Lord Eliwood?"
"Huh? Did you say something? Sorry, I wasn't really listening…" apologized the red-headed Knight Lord, "What were you saying earlier?"
"Nothing, just forget about of what I just said, Lord Eliwood." There was no way she would repeat all the things she said of each unit. She began to let out a small yawn. "If you would excuse me, I'm really tired. May I rest now?"
"Sure, go ahead," grinned Eliwood. "You know, you don't have to ask me. Rest anytime you wish, Elena. Well, except during a battlefield."
"I know. Thank you," bowed Elena and left to her tent.
Inside the tent writing in her diary:
Why is everyone acting so odd recently? She scribbled with her quail feather and Indian ink, I'm afraid that ever since Eliwood's father died and Ninian and Nils left, everyone has changed completely. I mean everyone! If we keep acting like this, the battles in the future will look unpleasant. For example, the battle we fought earlier. When we fell into some secret place in the Nabata Desert, there was this magic seal that was created by this guy. I'm not to sure who the mysterious guy was. All I know is that every time we get closer to him, he just suddenly disappears. Quite funny, right? Well during that battle, everyone has been getting hurt by having themselves wide open. I tried to equip everyone with an iron weapon so they can lift the light object and be able to dodge the enemy's blows. Unfortunately, the last time I checked each unit; it was either steel or a silver weapon that was equipped! Just thinking about it, maybe everyone hates me! Think about it; the last couple of battles everyone has been doing the fighting their way! For further support, the battle against the Fire Dragons was awful! Jaffar nearly died! Eliwood's arm was almost severely damaged! Everyone grew all crazy at the sight of the dragon and charged straight towards it and everyone--ugh! I cannot really explain it, but it was really awful! No one was listening to an order I gave them! Wait! I think they consider me a bad tactician! Strangely, I'm thinking that perhaps I am a bad tactician! I mean, I'm just a fifteen-year old girl who was founded by Lady Lyndis! Elena's eyes began to grow watery as she continued to write, I am so useless! If everyone is doing things their way, all my strategies are for naught! Elena gasped. That's it! That's probably why everyone is so quiet around me! They don't want to talk to or be around a stupid person! They're more likely thinking: Why the heck is she even here? All she does is gives commands that are so careless! I…I…I'm-
Elena shut her diary when she heard the bushes rustling. Curious, she stepped out of tent, bared footed, picked up her dirty, green robe that she was wearing for many months on the journey, so she can walk with ease. She shivered. It was chilly outside considering it being now night with the full moon, spilling the white light onto the ground casting Elena's shadow. Gripping her arms to keep her warm, she walked slowly to that bush that stood near her tent.
"Mathew? Mathew is that you?" inquired Elena as she reached her arm into the bush to touch him to see if he was the person, "If you are spying on me, the bush is not a place where you should be doing that- ah!"
Suddenly, something felt like claws around her skinny wrists. She yelped at the pain that felt like it was stabbing through her gentle skin. She pulled and pulled, trying to get her hand away from the hand-like monster.
"Stop it! Let go!" she demanded, but it only pulled her closer to the shrub. "C'mon! Release me at once! I'm not in the mood if this is a trick!"
But it did not.
Her eyes grew teary and her face was fixed in anger. She continued to pull harder and harder and she thrust her feet to the ground for support. She then realizes the more she pulls away, the more painful it grew and the more the figure pulled her, the more damaged that was done to her feet since she did not put on her shoes.
Tug…pull…tug…pull…tug…pull…tug…pull…tug…pull…tug…pull…tug…pull…tug...pull...tug...pull...tug...pull...tug...pull...tug...pull...tug...
"Wh-whatever you are," she huffed tiredly before ending her defeat of "tug-of-war", "show yourself to me!"
The grasp around her wrists were released at last and Elena squealed a bit, flying backwards due to the force she has done with her brown and black hair flying wildly around the sides of her face. She landed with a 'thud' on the ground. Her behind grew sore. She laid on her back and closed her eyes in agony, being at least three yards in distance away from the bush.
She moaned at the pain that was felt on her feet, wrists, and her behind, but to her surprise- she was not bleeding. A dark figure suddenly jumped out of the bush, jumping high enough to the moon almost. The form was floating in the sky and positioned itself in front of the moon. Its cape was flying wildly around the body and the shape of the creature appears to be a human--a sage perhaps! His shadow dropped on Elena. The tactician managed to open her eyes. Then her eyes grew wide and fearful as she looked up.
"Wh-who are you?" she asked aloud to the night sky.
"You don't recognize me?" asked the figure in a nasty, laughing tone.
Elena gasped and placed her hands over her mouth in shock, "No-no way! You can't be-! Are my ears deceiving me? There's no way! Why are you here?" She slid back, unable to get up because the pain held her down.
The moonlight was able to depict the shape that stood before it. The cape was black and the end of a turban's cloth floated loosely. The collar and the shoulder part of the gown were embroidered with a gold border and the red was spilled in the interior. All was black with the gold lines in center of the chest to the bottom edge of the flap. The cloth around the waist was black, matching the top along with the golden borders on the right side.
All of the sudden, black arms appeared from both sides of him. Elena tried to scamper away like a frightened rat, trying to escape from the arms reach, but the claws that were on the ends of the long arms that were stretched grasped her shoulders.
She screamed and kicked, shouting, "Let me go! I'm already in pain!"
The arms picked her off the ground and she was lifted in the air. The arms' grasp was tight on her shoulders and she cried in pain.
Why is it that no one can hear me? She cried in her head, Lord Eliwood! Please! Can you hear me? Help!
Her body was dangling in the night sky. Elena was high enough, now face to face with the "mage-like" being. Her eyes fixed on his face and felt her own face grew pale.
"It's you! You're-"
"Elena…long time no see, my love…" and his face leaned forward.
Elena tried to pull her face away from him, "No! No! Stay away!" But she cannot because the arms locked her in place, there was no way she could escape.
"Elena…please…just one…" and his face leaned closer.
"Help! Help-!"
"Elena! I love you!" He placed his bony, cold hands on her warm, soft cheeks and he kissed her passionately on her lips.
"Mmmmm!" The tactician shrieked, trying to break free, but it was impossible. He's too strong!
"Elena…Elena…"
"Lord Eliwood! Help!"
"What the-?" Mathew, the dirty blonde thief, scratched his head, " 'Lord Eliwood' ? 'Help!' ?" Mathew shook Elena violently on her shoulders, "Lady Elena! Lady Elena! Wake up! Wake up! It's only a nightmare!"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Elena's hands were clutching in her hair as if she had a huge headache. She rocked back and forth, back and forth. Her face twisted with so many emotions that young Mathew cannot even tell if she's mad or is hurt. On the other hand, her face looks really pale.
The lady screams like she was being harassed by Sain almost, joked Mathew.
"What's all this screaming?" asked Lyn, the tired, green-hair Sacaen Blade Lord. She lifted the tent flap and walked in along with Hector, the blue-purple like hair who wields the ax and is the Great Lord, and Eliwood.
"Lady Lyndis! Lord Hector! Lord Eliwood!" greeted the thief, "Elena looks like she's in a lot of pain! I believe she's having a nightmare!"
"What? Are you for real?" cried Lyn. All three lords rushed to her bed.
What is wrong with Elena? Is this her dream? Who is the mysterious figure that appeared in her dream? Answers will be answered in the future! Please Review! It'll help me a lot, su!