Chapter Text
Sain blitzed through the fog on his chestnut mare towards the opaque silhouette of a castle in the distance. General Eaglers Castle, to be specific, who was his and Kent's former commander and mentor, along with Wallace.
The cavalier halted his horse to allow her to catch her breath as he assessed his surroundings. He could hardly see or feel the sun just above him through the fog. He stared down the stone monolith for a moment as he leaned to his horse's ear and smiled warily.
"What do you say, my sweet steed? Are you eager to see Eagler?"
Said steed only snorted in response. His smile faded away.
"Me neither," he lamented.
Sain dreaded his impending confrontation with the general. He could have easily avoided this path if he so desired; had he obeyed his orders and followed the plan the tactician had devised, he would be guarding the rear of the tight-knit group from the deceived soldiers of Caelin.
But upon hearing that Eagler was in their opposition, endless questions formed in Sain's head.
How could Eagler turncoat? The lower-ranked and ill-informed soldiers following Lundgren's orders, Sain could excuse, for he had nothing but pity for the men that would perish while fighting for Lundgren's lies. What he couldn’t excuse however, was the power-hungry commanders who followed Lundgren's orders with the promise of lucrative gains and higher positions. He met their avarice and treachery in kind with his merciless lance and a swift death.
But Eagler? The knight commander of Caelin? The man who taught him all he knew about fighting for king and country? What could that foul Lundgren have said or done to make Eagler fight for his cause? Eagler certainly wasn’t the kindest or most forgiving soul, but he was an honest man with a hard code of ethics that he followed faithfully. To say he was loyal was an understatement. In the years Sain had known him, Eagler and Wallace were shining examples of what every knight of Caelin should strive to be. For him to turn to Lundgren's side... Sain couldn’t fathom it. He needed answers, and he intended to get them.
And so he disobeyed his orders and made a mad dash to the castle, cutting down any man who dared get in his way. He knew he would be harshly admonished for his reckless and admittedly selfish behavior. He had even tricked the childish Nils into playing his rejuvenating music to allow himself to get even further ahead. While he was confident the league would be fine without him, he knew it was still a risk that could cost someone their life. He dreaded the thought of his own agenda getting someone killed. And the longer he took, the higher the chances of that happening.
"All the more reason to press onward," he thought
He turned to look in the direction he had come from and took a deep breath.
"Forgive me, Lady Lyn," he said softly as he turned toward the castle again. "But this is something I must do."
The viridescent cavalier spurred his horse to a full gallop and gripped his lance firmly, ready to face any opposition that would be waiting. As he quickly approached the castle gate, two spearmen were there to greet him. They didn’t hesitate to charge forward. Sain called out to them, "My fellow countryman! I beseech you! I am under the orders of the Marquees himself! Bring me Eagler, and I’ll spare you the wrath of the Green Lance of Caelin!"
His bargain was ignored as the two spearmen continued their advance, lances at the ready.
"So be it," he muttered despairingly.
Sain quickly dispatched the two spearmen, who now lay limp on the ground as Sain looked over them, catching his breath. "Poor fools," he said sadly. He examined a dent in his armor just below his ribs; he had been jabbed by one of the spearmen. Thankfully, it hadn't penetrated his armor, but it was still painful. A common misconception was that armor nullified all damage, but in truth, one will still feel the force of a blow wherever they are attacked, and it is painful, just usually not lethal. He had also sustained some cuts here and there where his armor wasn’t protecting, such as the upper legs, but these were from earlier. However, they had bled out a noticeable amount, and Sain was just now realizing that he may have already overextended himself just to get here.
"And I’m all out of vulneraries," he said with irritation.
He then heard the sound of chains and clanking metal behind him. He turned to see the castle gate being lifted, and with it came a paladin in black armor, armed with a shield bearing the Crest of Caelin and a javelin, who rode atop a pale steed with matching steel armor. The rider stopped just outside the gate and stared at the green cavalier.
Just then, Sain realized something—something that he hadn’t even thought of until he laid eyes upon the imposing figure before him.
There was a terrifyingly high chance that he died here. There was no one here to help, and they wouldn’t be here in time if he needed them. Eagler was a fierce opponent, and Sain had overestimated himself.
He chuckled in a futile effort to put himself at ease. He swallowed hard and shuddered as he closed his eyes and sighed heavily.
"General Eagler..." he said in a flat tone to hide his trepidation. He had to will himself to open his eyes and see the man before him. The general looked just like he always had: green slicked-back hair with thickish sideburns, a beard, a mustache, and a stern face.
"Sain..." Eagler muttered, "I never thought you could turn traitor..."
Sain could’ve sworn he heard a tinge of sorrow in the general's voice. That aside, he had mixed feelings regarding Eagler's words. His fear dissipated slightly as it was overtaken by a strong sense of indignation. He sneered and gripped his lance; how dare he call him a traitor? He had been ordered by the Marquess himself to find Lady Lyndis! Meanwhile, Eagler was following Lundgren's orders!
Sain then felt a hint of despair as his face softened.
‘Never thought I could ever turn traitor huh?’ he thought.
To hear Eagler have such belief in him would have made his day just a few weeks ago, but now it only makes this confrontation all the more wretched.
But above all, he felt a deep suspicion as he narrowed his eyes—something was incredibly wrong about the general's demeanor. Sain saw firsthand how Eagler reacted to a traitor in the ranks, and in short, Sain had not witnessed such fury up until that point. Was Eagler under such disparity to see that Sain had ‘turned traitor'? that he had to slay one of his own students? Or was something nefarious going on to force him to utter those words? Sain opted to believe in the ladder; that way, there was a chance this battle could be avoided.
Sain cleared his throat. "What’s this all about, sir?" He asked solemnly. He decided to keep up with the formalities; Eagler was still his commander, after all, and hopefully still would be.
"Why must we face each other? We have Lady Lyndis as per the Marquess’s orders! Join us so that when we reach Castle Caelin, we will root out Lundgren's lies and put an end to all this needless bloodshed!" Sain shouted with deep conviction, and he prayed the general would heed his words for both their sakes, depending on how this situation ended.
Eagler's face remained unchanged throughout Sain's offer of peace, though a moment after, a small, barely noticeable smile formed. His head dipped down slightly as he watched the ground in front of him.
"That would be nice, Sain."
Sain's eyes lit up.
"However, it cannot be so."
Eagler straightened up as he readied his javelin in a lance position and brandished his shield.
"You speak with conviction! I think it is time to test the bounds of your loyalty!" Eagler roared. "Show me what I’ve taught you, ‘Green lance!'"
Sain felt utterly defeated and believed he would feel it again very soon. He shuddered as he felt the instinctual demand to flee, but he refused to. Steeling himself, he readied his lance to charge as Eagler did the same. Their steeds' hooves pelted the ground beneath them.
Seconds later, the first blow was struck on Sain's pauldron, tearing it off. His aim was thrown off as his lance barely connected to Eagler's side and glanced harmlessly off.
Sain dashed quickly behind him. He steered his horse as he gripped his lance with both his hands and swung it in a wide arc toward Eagler's head, whose only option was to smack it away with his shield.
The lance vibrated violently from the collision. Sain grunted and pulled away, just out of range, from Eagler's counterattack.
The green cavalier brought his horse around to prepare another charge as Eagler stood there with his shield at the ready, almost tauntingly.
Sain clenched his lance and scowled. Through this system, he felt an adrenaline rush. "I’ll be forced to plow you right off that beast of burden if you don’t concede! Join us, please!"
Eagler did not respond.
Sain reared his horse and began his charge, aiming to hit the shield dead on and knock Eagler off his steed.
Just before impact, Eagler pivoted his shield and glanced the lance away while gripping his axe to bring down on the cavalier as he passed by.
He cut into Sain's exposed shoulder, but he couldn't go as deep as he could’ve due to Sain passing by too quickly. Sain stopped out of reach of the paladin and examined the gash.
Enraged. He charged forward and stabbed his lance into the ground.
Eagler glanced at the weapon for a brief moment with mild confusion before returning his attention to Sain, but before he knew it, the cavalier was upon him.
Sain took a foot out of his stirrup and planted it on Eagler's horse for more leverage as he gripped his shield with both hands.
"You are unworthy of bearing the crest of Caelin!" He roared as he wrestled the shield from Eagler and smashed it into his face. Blood gushed from the general's nose as he swung his axe in retaliation, only to have it bounce off Sain's newly-acquired shield. Sain flung the shield away and raced to obtain his lance, with Eagler in hot pursuit.
Sain swung his lance again in a large arc behind him. Eagler pulled away to avoid the attack as Sain gained more distance.
He gripped his lance with both hands and bolted as fast as his horse would go towards Eagler. Eagler threw his axe at the charging cavalier, but it missed.
Sain didn’t.
The lance penetrated Eagler's breastplate and came out the other side. He was taken violently off his horse and planted on the ground below.
He lay there, pinned with his back to the ground by the lance, struggling to draw breath.
Sain felt the adrenaline fade away, and he gasped for air. He did it
"I-I did it! I’m alive!"
Relief washed over Sain as he basked in his victory, but only for a moment as he gazed upon the dying general. He did it alright, he failed to negotiate and had killed his mentor.
Sain leapt off his horse and rushed down to Eagler’s side. He stared for a moment, unsure of what to do. He was already going pale; his breaths were quick and short. His nose was still bleeding, and some blood had gathered around his mouth. His eyes were clasped shut in pain.
Sain was overtaken with guilt and concern.
"I’ll-I’ll go get help, sir! Hold on!" He motioned to rush to his horse but was stopped by a hand gripping his wrist, weakly pulling him back down.
"It... won’t do any... good," he rasped.
"Listen close....." he coughed up a little blood. Sain held Eagler's hand tightly and leaned down, fidgeting with worry.
"Go…Go quickly...The Marquess.... does not know…There’s…no illness….only poison"
Eagler's breathing stabilized slightly.
Sain looked down at his mentor with despairing eyes.
"Would you have told me if I didn’t have to kill you first?"
"Never," he croaked.
Sain blinked away tears. Why? Why must it have come to this? He motioned to speak but could not find enough words.
"Why?" was all he could mutter.
"Veronika....." his voice grew softer, and he frowned.
"My love, Lundgren has her...."
Eagler coughed up some more blood. Sain winced at the awful sight. His face stiffened as he further increased his grip on Eagler's hand.
"I- we’ll save her, sir. The Lyndis League will annihilate Lundgren and free Caelin!"
Eagler opened his eyes just enough to see his former trainee, and a small smile formed on his lips. "I... knew I chose... correctly."
Sain stared down, confused.
"I-What…What do you mean, sir?"
"The Marquess... requested two stalwart....and brave knights... to find his granddaughter…."
Sain was taken aback. Eagler personally recommended he and Kent to the Marquees? Truly?
"Sir, I-"
"Give Kent... my regards."
Eagler swallowed hard. He closed his eyes as his face lost all emotion.
"Eagler? Eagler!" Sain shouted. He grabbed onto him and attempted to shake him awake.
"Save... her." he gasped at last, ceasing all noise as his chest lay motionless.
Sain sat there, frozen, his hands still firmly holding Eagler's shoulders. It felt like an eternity before he finally let go and stood up, his eyes never leaving Eagler's corpse.
He gingerly removed his lance and made his way to a nearby log, dragging his feet and lance as his eyes were downcast on the ground.
He plopped down on the log and looked up above him; the fog had cleared and the sun was shining brightly. Its incandescent light was shimmering off the dew left behind. The clouds took on beautiful shapes as they drifted away in the infinite, blue expanse that was the sky.
He stared for a moment, then pulled a rag from his pocket and began to slowly wipe away the blood from his lance.
The few stray tears that fell helped a little bit.