part 3 cometh | @evasion-finalist
People cannot live without ideals, that is what Maltran ardently believed in her youth. It was against her mother’s wishes that she had enlisted as a foot soldier and for the continuation of her position had taken more and more dangerous jobs, encroaching upon the foothills and Volgran Forest. Back then the Rolance Empire had been caught up in power struggles as Dolan rallied for the throne and Maltran, first a knight and then a captain, felt it was a time of change in which Ladylake would finally achieve it’s sacred right of land and kingdom.
It was not, of course. It was a war like any other. She found that out pushing forward into Glaivend Basin and cutting down any Rolance red in her way only to be impaled on the lances of her own platoon.
She survived because she did not look away from the bloody reality she faced. She survived because, as it turned out, that was what she valued more than any ideal. The Blue Valkyrie fought her way out of that bloodbath and returned to Hyland’s camp, suggesting quite calmly to her rattled superiors that they retreat.
She accepted her promotion to general after the war with the same placidity. It did not seem worth it to flaunt her emotions here, for there would be battles again soon enough and she saw her role clearly now. Ideals had clouded her vision but there on the battlefield she saw the truth of her imminent demise and the futility of fighting for a cause other than herself.
She saw too as she entered the Lake Sanctuary the kingdom’s slumbering saint. There was no divine rite here and no revival of a sacred kingdom. Just ashes. Just a slumbering girl draped in the finery of a god who shivered when Maltran drew too close.
(She did try and take the blade once. The girl shivered harder then, and that sight was worth the pain Maltran felt for months afterward).
She found Alisha there in that church. So maybe there was such a thing as fate, cruel as it was.
-
Alisha woke with the odd sensation she had just forgotten something important. Her usual stretches failed to bring anything to mind, so she decided it must have been a dream. Odd, though. Even as worried as she had been this past month she hardly had bad dreams when Jude was with her.
He had kept his promise and stayed with her throughout the night it seemed. His own determination helped put her at ease and it was simple enough to brush aside the uneasy feeling as a passing fancy and focus on getting Frederick and the others ready to move North.
It hardly seemed fair that the Hyland knights stationed at Merlind longest should take on this duty as well, however, Alisha did not think she could trust the new recruits with something as important as protecting the citizens. The knights who had been sent ahead of Maltran all had an anxious aura about them and she knew they suspected their reason here as well as she.
She felt she could trust those she worked with in the past months as many had family here in the village, and those who did not were upstanding people who come to care for the brave townspeople. She knew she was asking much of them but that kind of relationship was important if they all really were to evacuate.
She was heartened by the well wishes her contingent who agreed to stay behind gave her as they once again went over their plans. Ian took Alisha (and Jude) aside as the meeting broke up and took Alisha’s hands in her own.
“I’m going to lead mom and Todd to safety, so take care of Sirel for me, okay? I promise to follow you when I can, princess.”
Sirel laughed. “Alisha and I will be glad to have one less thing to worry about knowing they’ll be keeping you busy here.
“Hey,,,” Ian pouted and snatched her hands back to cross her arms. Alisha looked contrite, ready to apologize for Sirel before the girl in question’s frown turned into a small smile.
“Still, it will be odd not having you at our backs. So hurry up and follow us, okay Master Archer Ian?”
Ian grinned and wacked Ian on the shoulder as she left to fall into line with her platoon. “Yeah, yeah, you lowly foot soldier.”
Alisha laughed behind her hand, smiling happily as she shared this bit of silliness with Jude. It was nice someone else was able to see how the two cared for each other.
Parting with Ian marked the end of that kind of levity for some time, however. The rest of the day was spend gathering horses for her other platoon as while most had come in with them she, Sorel, and a few others still needed rides. Then it was double and triple checking supplies before they could finally be on their way.
The mood was subdued as they rode out of town and while there were some villagers stood to watch them leave with words of thanks Alisha did not have the time to cherish the fact.
They had already sent a messenger pigeon ahead of them that would hopefully have reached Maltran by now. The plan was to ride until night fell and keep an eye out for any further orders. If the two parties did not meet up in the morning they would both rendezvous at the army base in Glaivend Basin.
Thankfully, just as dusk broke over the foothills Alisha and the others riding in front with her spotted a small fire in the distance and silhouetted in its light a familiar rider.
“Alisha,” Maltran greeted, “I am glad you made it.”
Maltran had little dealings with seraphim besides the Lord of Calamity's pet. That waif of an illusionist seemed to have taken a liking to her, if her clumsy attempts at barbs were anything to go by.
Maltran had never understood Symonne's interest in Alisha, but it had proven useful during this mission in particular. Not only was she helpful on keeping tabs on such an enthusiastic student her presence in Maltran's life had been useful in developing certain senses. She was good at cloaking her presence - perhaps an effect of her element, but not good enough that Maltran hadn't found a way to categorize the feeling.
From this she had learned two very important things: how to spot a void seraph, and how to hide her own malevolence if need be. Of course, if she hadn’t been so reliably informed on matters concerning her student she would not have been able to pinpoint the change in Alisha. As things stood now it was clear that Alisha was wreathed in some type of power even if she herself was unaware.
Her student was missing that crucial piece of information, and that was exactly the way Maltran intended to keep things.
---
Alisha smiled, relieved in the wake of her instructor’s greeting. She nodded in response to it and glancing at the sheath on her belt as she climbed down from her steed responded to Jude with a cheery yes in her mind.
“I am glad to have made it, as well, Lady Maltran. I feel we have much to report to you. Will our troops be safe here?”
Maltran inclined her head to the shock of blue uniforms behind her gathered around several campfires (clearly the troops she had mentioned. “Of course,” she said. “Let us see to them before we begin our discussion.
Sirel replaced Alisha at the front of the Merlind platoon as Alisha walked back through the riders so that they could lead their horses over with the rest of the camp. Most seemed relieved to be settling down for the night particularly as it was still half a day’s ride to the interior of the Glaivend Basin outpost.
“It is a welcome development that we were able to parlay before going any further into the Basin,” Maltran revealed as Alisha came to rejoin her and Sirel. “Bartlow has not responded to my request for an update but my other sources tell me that the Shepherd was last seen in his midst.”
Alisha frowned at that. “There were rumors of that in Merlind as well,” she admitted. “I believe some of the people there are relieved to have him so close especially after what the town has gone through, but others are more suspicious especially as we try and excavate the town.”
Maltran put a hand on Alisha’s shoulder upon noting her worried tone and Alisha leaned into it slightly before straightening up again.
“Tell me how that has gone,” Maltran instructed as they walked further into the makeshift camp. “I notice Ian is not with you. Are she and her family well?”
Alisha shared a secretive glance with Sirel at that. They certainly would not be able to tell Maltran, at least not at the moment, all that had transpired in town but it seemed only fair to give her an update on one of her students.
“Her elderly mother has recovered well enough for the move,” Sirel chimed in. “We are currently waiting to hear back from the first of the evacuees.”
Alisha confirmed Ian’s report and used the segue in the conversation to see how the rest of the camp was doing. The ten or so others she had travelled with seemed to be acclimating well enough although the mood was understandably stilted. The few other conversations seemed hushed and they seemed to be willing to drop anything at a moment’s notice should their superiors tell them to.
“So much waiting,” Maltran tutted. “Still, there is little else we can do. Why don’t you rest your legs a bit with the rest of your platoon and we will plan further after a meal?”
Alisha agreed that would be for the best and in so doing the two parties settled in for the night.
