Comms and Other Long FE Oneshots

To Honor the Fallen, To Cherish the Living (2)

*Hope you enjoy. :)*

The rest of the royal family save for King Garon has vanished as well. Without a trace or word of warning. I have my suspicions that the odd prince that wished to destroy both Hoshido and Nohr has something to do with all of this, but it could as easily be because the skies above these warring countries have changed. There's been much confusion for these past two days, but the Nohrian army has united under His Majesty's constant call for Hoshido's destruction and General Margrave Lann's leadership. Now, we march for the glory of Nohr once again.

Nortier tucked the journal back into his bag that held his two most trusted tomes, Fimbulvetr and Excalibur, just as General Lann's wyvern stalked up to pause next to him and his horse. "Last minute plans, Noirtier?" he asked by way of greeting.

"What I was writing is more akin to notes of our situation," Noirtier replied dryly. "My plans for the engagement our scouts told us to expect at the border shall serve."

The wyvern lord gave a sharp nod. "Good man." He looked ahead at the windswept grass, icy blue eyes narrowing slightly. The landscape here was far greener than what either man, or anyone in this army, was accustomed to seeing- most border skirmishes occurred near Izumo or the Bottomless Canyon. The one attack on the border so close to Hoshido's Fort Jinya had been initiated by the crown prince himself, an attack he'd had to retreat from when the wyvern brigade had fallen to his treacherous adoptive brother. "We march in five minutes. Tell those controlling the Faceless to keep their beasts in line until we see the Hoshidan army."

"Of course, sir." Noirtier clapped a fist to his chest in salute, and turned his horse to go speak to the sorcerers of the army. Vile beasts the Faceless may have been, but they had been an essential part of the Nohrian army since the late Queen Mikoto had put up the magic barrier between their countries and stalled the war. Since the barrier had died with her, men could now fight as they should, but more manpower was never a bad idea, especially when trying to win a war with as few casualties as possible.

Within those five minutes, the army was completely in formation and marching. The bulky, Chained Faceless in the very front with the Stoneborn rumbling just behind, and after them were the cavalry and sword wielding mercenaries. Behind the main melee group were the sorcerers controlling the Faceless and the bow-wielding outlaws, and behind them the wyverns slunk along the grass, waiting to launch themselves into the air once the Hoshidan army came into view. It was a good set-up, one that likely wouldn't fail if the scout's reports about the enemy's numbers had been correct.

The Faceless in front immediately began moaning and growling as soon as the river and the Hoshidan flags came into view, and the wyverns screamed, launching themselves off of the ground. "Forward!" General Lann roared over the din, and Noirtier snapped his fingers at the sorcerers, who were quick to gesture the Faceless and Stoneborn toward the charging spear fighters and samurai.

A hail of arrows soared up toward the wyverns, those that missed falling into the Nohrian ranks. "Return fire!" Nortier called, and arrows whizzed over his head toward the Hoshidan pegasus and kinshi knights that were now clashing with the wyverns, noting grimly that the spirits of the diviners were beginning to slam into the Faceless along with the actual troops. The Hoshidans' tactics were clumsy, but they were still fighting back valiantly.

He was just raising his hand to order the sorcerers to start the sending the Stoneborn ahead of the Faceless to crush the physical troops when it happened. People suddenly contorting on both sides of the river, blood spurting from what looked to be lance and sword wounds straight through their midsections, yet there was no sign of assailant or weapon. Pegasi and wyverns alike were falling from the sky, struck dead seemingly by nothing, but he could see the evidence of wounds. These uncanny events were suddenly overshadowed by the fact that the Stoneborn and Faceless were turning around...