Solace

Song of Betrayal | Fire Emblem

he didn't actually get defeated

After everybody else left and all, Xanxus went to ask the Plegian King (his uncle in relativity) to grant the Ylissean Army permission to go into their land and search for the Shepherds (of course, not intending on mentioning this), but the King already knew about Ylisse purging the Shepherds and tried to stop Xanxus there. The King would've died until someone intervened, and I'm gonna post the continuation at some point. The short battle did end in a draw in Xanxus' favor, but could now spark a conflict between Ylisse and Plegia.

Song of Betrayal | Fire Emblem

THE DAY BEFORE

There wasn't anything truly magnificent about the capital of Plegia; the only thing that really stood out was the skull of Grima near the castle's courtyard, which usually served to scare off children that visited the country with nothing but sand. Though, Xanxus wasn't here for tourism; he was here on official business, and he had no time to waste. Riding to the capital had already chipped hours out of the night and proved somewhat difficult from the terrain, but nonetheless, he was there now.

Two Plegian soldiers tensed as they rushed to open the gates to the palace, having not questioned Xanxus about the unannounced audience with the King in the midst of night. It was obvious to them just who he was, but he didn't care about such meaningless titles and statuses. They never mattered to him, as long as he was the one in control of the situation.

He never took his hand from the hilt of his sword; when he had been an hour away from the capital, he'd seen a stray wyvern flying in the opposite direction, towards their camp, knowing full well that it had belonged to one of the Ylissean scouts that Lantus had sent. He was unsure of what specifically, but it was obvious that something had transpired between the scouts and another armed collective. Their scouts had not returned from their patrol in the capital, and one of the few answers was the Shepherds.

"Well met, Uncle." Xanxus greeted Parnell, the King of Plegia, in a friendly connotation as he strode casually into the throne room. He turned his head slightly to his back and saw the doors that were the entrance into the throne room slam shut, returning his eyes to the back of the King. "I've a request on behalf of the Exa-"

Parnell turned back to Xanxus and raised a hand as he were telling him to stop, interrupting him. "I've heard enough, Xanxus."

"What?" Xanxus' bored look quickly shifted into a venemous glare. "Beg your pardon?"

It was then that soldiers, bearing the Plegian coat of arms, emerged from the shadowy corners of the throne room. He counted a total of six, half of them being wielders of magic and the rest as assortment of swords and axes. As Xanxus looked back into the eyes of Parnell, it wasn't hard to see the King's clear intentions. "What's the meaning of this?"

"These are my finest soldiers," Parnell seemed to ignore Xanxus' question. "They'll be more than enough to stop you."

Xanxus sighed, shaking his head and brandishing his sword. So, he does know something.

"Parnell, if we're going down this road, you're going to need more than six people."

---

[all of this typing is taking a toll on my humanity, so I'm either going to revisit this battle scene at a later time, or it's just gonna be skipped for the interest of time.]

"Is this all that has been recovered of Plegia's might? Still beneath the shadow of your predecessors, I see."

"You may be my sister's son," Parnell paced along the throne room, his seemingly nervous hands trailing behind him and wrapping around the hilt of a lightning-imbued sword. He looked to the ground for a moment before averting his look back at Xanxus. "But you're no more than the scoundrel your father was."

Xanxus laughed. "Now, now, I would be angry too if my castle could be conquered so quickly by a single person. A sore loser, are we?"

"Though, I never intended on any of this to occur," Xanxus continued, using his foot to turn the corpse of a Sorceror on to their side. "I simply came with a request, holding no ill intentions, and in an impulsive decision, you sent your six of your own people to their deaths. Yet, you call me the scoundrel? Scum."

"I know that the Exalt is the one who ordered for the massacre of the Shepherds, and I know that you were the one who carried it out. As much as I sway for peace, I cannot allow such a murderous act to go unnoticed and continue without justice, and if it means that I must end my own nephew's life..."

The King of Plegia gritted his teeth and released the sword from its scabbard, raising it above his head. "... Then for the greater good of Plegia and Ylisse, so be it. Prepare yourself."

Instinctively, Xanxus stepped to the side as an arc of lightning slammed onto the tiles at where he'd been standing. "Parnell, think about your country. Think about your family, and what you're throwing away."

"Speak no more!" Parnell continued to send lightning bolts down the throne room and towards Xanxus, almost as if he was confident that he would beat Xanxus. Kings and rulers like Parnell were not meant to be warriors; perhaps they hadn't meant to exist at all, but instead, they were the products of a world subjected to nothing but the foppish greed. This entire squabble with the King would end faster than the lives of the Shepherds when he would find them.

Xanxus effortlessly avoided the flurry of lightning and, seeing an opening, took a single step that propelled him greatly forward. He raised the sword above his head and as he was close enough to see Parnell's fearful expression, Xanxus swung downward to end the old man's life.

"Release." A voice mumbled as the noises within the throne room suddenly came to a hush, and a figure appeared between Xanxus and Parnell.

[there'll be a continuation of this in a later post. I cannot focus any longer with five ADHD kids under the age of 10 all around me.]

Song of Betrayal | Fire Emblem

just a heads up
large post incoming

Song of Betrayal | Fire Emblem

Nobody does, really. :v

Song of Betrayal | Fire Emblem

Kangutso said
Just because he doesn't know him, doesn't mean he hasn't seen and/or heard of him before. It was just an idea and I left it open for your discretion on purpose.

Maybe.
Probably not.

Song of Betrayal | Fire Emblem

Zaino wouldn't know your character, but it seems your character apparently does. >_>

Song of Betrayal | Fire Emblem

Psyker Landshark said
Zaino does realize Alicia doesn't realize Ambra's been injured, right?

He can't read minds
Sorry

Song of Betrayal | Fire Emblem

No less but much more, Zaino felt as if the name and reputation of the Shepherds had been consumed with the flames that scorched all eight of their barracks. These people claimed to be them, but they were nothing more than a ragtag band of liars and idiots, the lot of them. He could tell just by looking at the scandalously promiscuous woman and the other idiot who had already shifted to flirting when there were people wounded; these people were worse than Xanxus. Holding the sword by his scabbard and straightening himself, he gave both the mage and the woman a disgusted look as he was promptly requested to help, with the addition of the phrase that he had clearly advised the second idiot loud and clear to not speak. Clearly, these people were not the brightest in the world.

"Piss off," Zaino whacked the mage in the back of the head with the end of his scabbard as the other woman left for the inn, reattaching it to his waist. It was then that he remembered that he had left his shirt and upper body clothing inside of the room because it had still been stained with blood, and had charged out of the inn to confront his pursuers half-naked and covered in bandages. He began the journey towards the inn, momentarily turning back to the mage before entering. "Why don't you quit standing there like the rest of these idiots and you do something? I thought you called yourselves Shepherds, but clearly I got the wrong idea."

Already, Zaino had had enough of these people. He pushed past the 'worried' innkeeper and returned to the room where he'd been treated, slowly trailing over to his pile of clothing and resting it on his shoulder. Putting on his gauntlet and shoulderguard, he looked to the bed where several stray bandages sprawled around, sighing and picking up a few. Just as he prepared to leave, he stopped to see the drunken woman threatening someone, a familiar scene replaying in his mind from the days before. Xanxus, hovering above one of his friends with his sword at their throat, simply leaning his right arm inward as crimson sprayed about...

"Stop!" Zaino shouted, briefly ignoring the limitations that his wounds imposed and running towards the scene, shoving Lumara away from the man with a wild look. Like a guardian, he stood over the man and extended his arms backwards, as if to shield him. He stood there for a moment before blinking, the sudden act of defense dissipating along with his limiters. He looked at Lumara and the man once before looking down at his feet in confusion, exiting the inn without any other words to say.

Attack on Titan

I'm up for whatever everybody else wants to agree on.

Song of Betrayal | Fire Emblem

Gonna have Zaino spit on him