Conquest: What REALLY Happened

[Quamosthy]

WARNING: This story will have Conquest spoilers, especially as it goes on. You have been warned.

Meet Fate and Jurgen.

Nohr has a corrupt king. This is not new knowledge. Nohrians have been suffering under Garon's rule, and relations between Nohr and Hoshido have been strained to say the least since the death of the Hoshidan king, Sumeragi. Naturally, this caused dissent within the Nohrian populace. People starved, men and women were drafted into the army to fight without a cause. Dissent breeds rebellion, and before long there were numerous groups of people aiming to end Garon's rule and breathe life back into the dying land of Nohr.

Growing up under such harsh conditions, it's no surprise that Jurgen joined one of these groups as soon as he was old enough to wield a sword and properly fight, timid and cowardly as he was. Nohr's warmongering had cost him his father, and his heirloom golden blade is a constant reminder as to just what he's fighting for. While he has proven perhaps too cowardly for the front lines, Jurgen has a good heart and strong morals. Perhaps now is his chance to prove himself, as the rebellion is stirring and soon it will be time to act.

Fate, or so she has called herself since she left her homeland of Hoshido, is a warrior, through and through. Her family often used to joke that she was born with a naginata in hand, and was rarely seen without one. This warrior's spirit saw her join the service of the Hoshidan army, but the peace maintained by Queen Mikoto meant that Fate rarely saw true battle. Upon hearing of a growing rebellion in Nohr, Fate decided to leave for Hoshido's sister country and help prevent war in her own homeland by striking at its source. Unfortunately for Fate, her disguise as a Nohrian was perhaps too good and now she finds herself in the sticky situation of dealing with having to take Garon's orders while rebelling at the same time.

Fate and Jurgen have become close friends, often fighting together and helping each other out when it comes to defying King Garon. With the Nohrian princes and princesses themselves practically begging them two save their country and father, there is no way that the pair could turn down such a request. Perhaps it was unwise to act without the support of the revolution behind them, but sometimes things just have to be done.

[Michelaar]

What happened to revelation?

[Quamosthy]

What happened to revelation?

It's been put on hold until I work out how to finish it with a satisfactory ending. Everything from the point I've left it at onwards makes little sense to Eve's plot and for the last few parts I felt that I was repeating myself a lot. Once I think up a nice conclusion, I'll post the last one or two parts of Revelation.

[Michelaar]

Well, excited for this!

[Quamosthy]

Castle Krakenburg was always cold, but today moreso than usual. The echoing halls seemed to capture every sob and amplify it until it sounded like every stone that made them was crying. Today was not a happy day. Jurgen had returned from the conflict in Hoshido, having done more fighting than he would have liked. So many dead... Jurgen shivered at the memory. So many. Even Corrin, the stolen prince, had been counted among the bodies, his broken corpse discovered next to that of Queen Mikoto. Thankfully, neither he nor Fate had been the bearer of the bad news, but an air of sadness hung thick and heavy in the castle. If it weren't for Fate's presence by his side, it may have gotten the better of him.

"Don't you start crying on me, Jurgen." It was almost as if Fate had read his thoughts. "King Garon wants to see us personally. You can't show weakness now."

She was right. After the skirmish in Hoshido Garon wanted to see all of his soldiers that were involved in the fight personally. At least, those that were still alive after coming face-to-face with a distraught Ryoma. There was a risk that their involvement with the rebellion might be found out, and that would be the end for the both of them.

The wait outside the dark doors to the throne room was excruciating. A handful of other soldiers were there as well, and they all looked as nervous as Jurgen felt. Except Fate. To Jurgen, Fate was unshakable. Nothing ever seemed to get to the orange-haired Hoshidan, at least not that she showed. At long last, the half-faced advisor opened the doors to allow the remaining soldiers into the throne room. Garon's cold stare weighed down on them as surely as carrying a heavy stone would. It was almost crushing, just being in the imposing presence of the Nohrian king.

Fate had been calm up to that point, but when that snake of a man singled out Jurgen and called him a traitor, her heart skipped a beat. Nooo, no no no. There had to be some mistake. Jurgen had done nothing suspicious, she had made sure of that. Maybe... maybe it was a test! Pick someone out, and then pressure them until they cracked and spoke the truth. Fate prayed that Jurgen was strong enough to hold his tongue and keep their secret, at least until she could think of something, anything, to get Iago off Jurgen's back. She wasn't given the chance, and neither was Jurgen. Upon hearing Iago's accusation, Garon wasted no time in issuing an order. One of execution. He demanded that Xander kill Jurgen, right then and there. Perhaps it was made to set an example to anyone who would betray the King, but there was no way that Iago could have known that Jurgen was part of the resistance, right? Fate released a breath that she hadn't noticed she was holding when the eldest Nohrian prince refused. Xander's heart was heavy enough as it was with the death of his adoptive brother still fresh in his mind. The last thing he wanted was an unjust death to his name to be the bloody icing on a depressing cake. Garon's outrage at this act of defiance made Fate flinch, the walls themselves seemed to shudder at the volume in the king's voice, but still Xander stood by his decision. He would be responsible for no deaths today.

Strangely, Garon did not kill Jurgen himself then and there. Instead, he ordered something else that may well have been a death sentence anyway. All of the soldiers present were to go and suppress the Ice Tribe rebellion. The Ice Tribe, while not directly allied with those of the Nohrian revolution were at the very least on good terms with them given that they shared a common enemy. If the Ice Tribe fell, then morale would plummet, assuming of course any of the soldiers got through the Woods of the Forlorn alive. Fate had never been there, but Jurgen had told her stories of that place, trees that choked every bit of feeble light from Nohr's dark skies formed an unbroken canopy of darkness, graves of the long forgotten were home to restless spirits seeking to claim travelers for their own to ease their unending loneliness and marshes of poison that drained one's will to live. It sounded like a horrible place, and not somewhere that anyone could be expected to survive alone, and even with allies it was still a risky business. Still, it had to be done, and the revolution had allies in high places.

At the daunting entrance to the aptly named Woods of the Forlorn Fate and Jurgen met up with Jakob and Felicia, retainers to the late prince Corrin. Apparently Xander had sent them to help the pair get through the Woods safely, as the prince had no doubt that Garon or Iago would have laid some kind of trap for the soldiers there. After a brief moment of planning, it was decided that Jurgen would go on ahead with Felicia to warn the Ice Tribe in advance while Fate and Jakob hung back to deal with anything that might attack Jurgen from behind.

"S-stay safe," the Nohrian mercenary said, voice quiet as ever. "The revolution needs you more than it needs me. Be careful."

With those parting words, Jurgen and his pink-haired guide disappeared into the darkness of the forest, leaving Fate alone with Jakob. Well, here goes nothing.

The first step into the dark unknown was the worst. For a moment, Fate was blinded as her eyes adjusted to the incredible darkness of the forest. As she began to see though, she realised that all those tales Jurgen had told her might just be true. Broken gravestones were scattered in the root-choked mud, and ghostly light seemed to dance behind the gnarled trees. And the silence... there were no birds here. No animals or anything. Just the oppressive quiet and the sound of her own breathing and that of the butler beside her. And... ooooh no. Splashes coming from the murky swamp ahead and guttural snarls told of monsters deeper in the forest. Faceless, more likely than not, given how still and silent everything was until they moved.

"Come on!" Fate called, breaking into a run and beckoning for Jakob to follow. "We can't let them catch up to Jurgen and Felicia!"

Brandishing her spear, Fate quickly realised that rashly springing to action had been a bad idea. There were more Faceless than the Hoshidan had thought, far more than the two of them could fight off alone. Fate managed to slay two of the monsters, but many more were closing in. It was impossible to cover all her flanks, and the magic in Jakob's healing staff would only go so far. Bracing herself for the inevitable, Fate was ready for whatever the future held.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

Reinforcements! Now they truly stood a chance. Introductions were kept short, the encroaching Faceless made sure of that, but Fate heard enough to know that there were more allies on the way and that these two were friends, especially given that one of them was Princess Elise herself. She was putting on such a brave face, and a cheerful one at that despite how heartbroken she must have been at her older brother's recent death. Fate didn't know Silas, but perhaps Jurgen might, being Nohrian and all. As much as Fate would have liked to know more, there were Faceless to fight and little time in which to do it. With three allies instead of just the one, Fate finally had a bit of breathing room. The forest and marsh slowed the undead monsters enough that they could be stopped in their tracks for the most part, although their punches hurt. A lot.

By the time Elise's retainers joined the battle everyone was covered in nasty bruises. Two more fighters was all that was needed to finally slay the last of the Faceless, although even with six of them there were a few close calls, Jakob at one point looked nearly ready to collapse from pain and exhaustion. After tending her wounds and ensuring that there weren't any more monsters that might pursue Jurgen, Fate sat down on a tree root and caught her breath. That had been too close. She didn't even want to think of what had happened to the other soldiers that Garon had sent into the Woods of the Forlorn. Without the healing magic that had saved Fate's life, she had little doubt that they were dead, just as Garon planned. It was for this exact reason that the king had to be stopped. Open defiance was not yet an option because no-one would be useful to the revolution dead, but that time was coming. Fate prayed that it would be sooner rather than later.

After sending Silas on ahead to catch up with Jurgen and help out with warning the Ice Tribe, Fate began the slow trudge through the dark forest and towards the Ice Tribe where she feared the worst. If Jurgen didn't make it in time, then there would be fighting, and the last thing that the Hoshidan woman wanted was to fight those that she would call allies.

Edited July 19, 2016 by Quamosthy

[OdinDark]

This'll be good.

[Emperor Petitt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZwuTo7zKM8

The Tale of Sir Jurgen

[Quamosthy]

It wasn't long after Jurgen and Felicia left Fate behind to try and warn the Ice Tribe that the sounds of battle rang out from between the trees, and soon after cries of pain. The mercenary paused, heedless of the cold swamp water seeping into his boots. From where he was, it didn't sound like the fight was going well for Fate and Jakob. Not even the forest could muffle the sound of heavy fists meeting flesh, and Jurgen wished that he could run back and join the fight, a wish that only reminded him of his own weakness. He wasn't even brave enough to directly defy King Garon. Sure, the revolution told him that it was this trait that made him vital to their information network, but it still hurt nonetheless whenever he cut down some innocent in the name of a cause he was fighting against.

"Mister Jurgen? We need to keep going or we won't reach the Ice Tribe in time." Felicia's voice was filled with worry, but whether that was for her tribe or for Fate and Jakob, Jurgen couldn't tell.

"R-right. I'm sorry. Lead on."

Following Felicia's lead, the two made surprisingly good time passing through the Woods of the Forlorn. Apparently the pink-haired maid had often camped in the ominous forest with her twin sister during the summer and one of the things they did was map the place. However, Jurgen was just thankful to be out of the woods at last. That place always gave him the creeps, and the knowledge that Garon had likely planned for him to die there had only served to amplify that sense of dread. Now that he was out in the open though, the cold bite of the wind almost made him wish that he was back under the trees. At least the sudden chill in the air seemed to indicate that they were headed in the right direction. Before they could properly leave the forest behind, a familiar cavalier cleared the treeline. A proper reunion would have to wait, as there was a tribe to warn.

It only got colder as the trio proceeded towards the Ice Tribe village, the ground soon becoming covered in snow and the chill wind whipping blinding flurries into Jurgen's face. The mercenary had never been good with the cold, but this was something else entirely. Jurgen couldn't feel his face, his hands, his feet... even walking had become difficult. Perhaps he just needed to rest. Or so he thought as he landed face-first in the snow.

"Jurgen? Come on, get back up!" Silas knelt beside his childhood friend and tried to rouse him, but with little success. Warning the Ice Tribe would have to wait until they could get Jurgen warm, provided he survived that long.

When Fate arrived at the Ice Tribe's village, she knew something was wrong. There were far too many guards for her liking, and the looks they were giving her sent chills down her spine even moreso than the cold air around her. What was worse was that Jurgen, Silas and Felicia were nowhere to be found. Fate briefly entertained the idea that they had just gotten lost, but this was Felicia's home. There was no way that she would lose her way.

"So, the Nohrian army has finally decided to invade. I had hoped that perhaps we would be given more time to prepare."

A sorcerer with an important aura and an icy stare greeted Fate and her handful of companions, and given by the way he held a spell at the ready, there wasn't a very good chance that Fate was going to be able to say much of anything before she was forced into a battle she really didn't want to fight.

Kilma turned to one of his guards. "Ready the tribe for battle. We will drive out these Nohrians and send a message to their demon of a king."

The battle was a short one. The Ice Tribe was unprepared for battle, and with Elise mounted on her horse they were able to warn most of the tribespeople to stay inside and away from the fighting. Those that did approach with weapons drawn were beaten back. Their wounds were serious, but if they got treatment soon then they would live. She just needed them out of the way so that she could talk to Kilma. The tribe's leader was not much in a listening mood, as uninformed as he was of the situation. With a direct confrontation inevitable, Fate just barely managed to defeat the sorcerer, Elise's healing staff keeping the Hoshidan in good enough shape to fight. It was tricky to fight someone with a bladed weapon and not kill them, but with great care Fate managed to avoid dealing a lethal blow to the chieftain. Hopefully now he would listen.

The moment Kilma admitted defeat, Fate told Jakob and Elise to heal the wounded. If any of them died now it would only serve to strain relations between the revolution and the Ice Tribe, so time was of the essence. When the two returned with the news that there were no deaths and the Ice Tribe's warriors wounds had been tended, Fate finally had the time to talk properly to Kilma. Though it pained her to say it, she had to ask that the Ice Tribe lay low for a while. Once Garon found that Fate had survived the treacherous journey through the Woods of the Forlorn, the king would not accept failure upon her return. The chieftain agreed, on the condition that Fate would return and allow the Ice Tribe to fight with her when it was at last time for the revolution to take proper action. So it was settled. All that there was to do now was find Jurgen and Silas. Kilma's daughter Flora lead Fate to a small house on the edge of the Ice Tribe's village, a warm fire crackling cheerfully and a sleeping, if perhaps too pale, Jurgen in a bed near to it's welcome heat. Silas stood by the door, both keeping an eye on Jurgen and the goings on outside the building, and greeted Fate with a small smile. It seemed that the revolution owed the Ice Tribe for saving Jurgen's life, and for that they would be very grateful, but it was time for rest before returning to the corrupt king with the perhaps false news that the Ice Tribe rebellion had been suppressed. Fate just hoped that it was enough.

[Michelaar]

The avatar is a lot nicer than eve,,,,

[Emperor Petitt]

The avatar is a lot nicer than eve,,,,

Which one, Fate or Jurgen, there are two avatars in this one

[Quamosthy]

It was a couple of days before Jurgen was in any condition to travel, although both he and Fate were grateful for the opportunity to rest. Despite all the fighting, Kilma had been generous enough to allow their small band to stay in his village until the mercenary had recovered. Those few days were over far too soon, and King Garon would not be kept waiting. Like it or not, they had to report their success and hope it didn't raise any suspicions. Shortly after leaving the Ice Tribe's village, Fate and Jurgen met up with Leo's retainers. The Hoshidan was far from happy with Niles' filthy mind, but at least Odin seemed nice enough, if a bit too over the top. Regardless, she was grateful for any help, but promptly decided that the outlaw would be travelling with Jurgen from here on in.

With the still weak Jurgen riding with Silas, they made good time on the way back to Windmire. After their time spend in the Ice Tribe's village, it was a shock to the system to return. The streets were as empty as always, lit by lamps that someone unseen tended to. Most of the city was in a state of terrible disrepair, not surprising since most of Windmire's population had been driven underground. It was as though the city itself was a mirror of the king who called it home.

Standing before Garon once more was horrible. Last time, there had been about a dozen other soldiers there to distract his stony glare. Now it was just Fate and Jurgen standing before the king's judging eyes. An uncomfortable silence stretched between them before Garon finally spoke. Apparently news of their success had got to Garon before they themselves did. It was difficult to tell if the king was pleased, annoyed or suspicious, but whatever the case it seemed that he wasn't done trying to root out traitors yet.

Despite Jurgen still being far from recovered, Garon was already sending him and Fate out on another 'mission'. It was horrible, the last thing they wanted to do was do more fighting in the king's name. Not like they had a choice. Perhaps this was a good opportunity. Prove to Garon that they were capable and trustworthy, and maybe there would be some vital information to be heard that could mark the turning point of the thusfar fruitless revolution. With scarcely another word, Jurgen and Fate left Garon's throne room and began plotting what course they would take to Notre Sagesse.

Deciding once again that splitting up would be the best course of action, Jurgen and Fate parted ways on the road leading out of Windmire. Fate would leave the roads behind and take a direct route to Notre Sagesse, while Jurgen would pass through Fort Dragonfall and arrive at his location by following the well-worn paths. It was supposed to be a simple matter, just walk through the fort and keep going. It seemed that was not going to be the case. Fort Dragonfall was teeming with Hoshidan soldiers, likely not a large force, but almost certainly with the goal of taking out a few Nohrians in revenge for what had happened only a week earlier in Hoshido's capital. One spear fighter posted as a guard noticed Jurgen and his small band of allies, and readied his naginata.

"Stop! Stay away from the fort, unless you want your head mounted on my spear," the Hoshidan spat on the ground, and then muttered something that sounded an awful lot like 'Nohrian scum', before calling out to his allies. Moments later the entrance to the fort was blocked off entirely by archers and other spear fighters. This really couldn't get any worse. Well, hopefully.

Mozu and Silas lead the charge into the fort with Jurgen, Niles and Elise trailing behind, the cavalier swatting aside arrows and blocking naginatas to protect the inexperienced archer from a premature death. Their advance into the fort was slow, and by the time they'd managed to pass through it there was more blood on Jurgen's blade than he would have liked, but it was necessary. Maybe one day he would be the one leading the battle from the front, instead of hanging back like the coward he was. Jurgen felt awful really, risking someone else's life instead of his own, but he just couldn't muster up the courage to do so himself. With Fort Dragonfall behind them, Jurgen and his companions continued down the road to Notre Sagesse, where they would meet up with Fate if things went according to plan.

Edited July 21, 2016 by Quamosthy

[twistedxgrace]

Wait, where did Mozu come from?

[Emperor Petitt]

Wait, where did Mozu come from?

suddenly Mozu of Ot bloody no where!

[Quamosthy]

Wait, where did Mozu come from?

I... kinda completely forgot to write her paralogue, and all things considered it would be difficult for it to make sense, Mozu being from a village in Hoshido while Jurgen and Fate are in Nohr.

[mysticalEnchanter]

I'd say the best way to involve Mozu is assume she was possibly an undercover soldier like Fate who joined the Nohrian Army. An idea, but not exactly a good one :P

[Emperor Petitt]

I... kinda completely forgot to write her paralogue, and all things considered it would be difficult for it to make sense, Mozu being from a village in Hoshido while Jurgen and Fate are in Nohr.

Could be a flashback to before they went to Krakenburg the first time as a thought.

[Michelaar]

I like this one!