A Murder of Ravens (FE7)

[Moblin Major General]

I just got my computer back from a repair shop, so I decided to do some writing. This is A Murder of Ravens, a fanfic about Raven from Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword. Credit to Crazy Foxie for inspiring me to write this because of his fanfic on another animal-named character from Fire Emblem.

Link to the Prologue: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qAn4X1A8mqzYuiPXlQoQ4h_Y4KMsbNAU3aqpk888JGI/edit?usp=sharing

[Moblin Major General]

Chapter 2: The Raven

I spent the whole night ransacking the entire castle. How dare he?! How dare he have the entire house choke on their own vomit?! I then thought back to all of those other time angry men would talk to my father. Every time, he would outburst, usually with fatal consequences for the first target he saw. How could someone so good as father be driven to murder, and not just of one person, but the entire house? Is Lord Ajax of Ostia that bad of a person. I don't know if I should run, or if I should fall upon my sword, in case anyone suspects me the poisoner? But Priscilla and Lucius enter. They both look sickened, saddened, and shocked. I see no tears come from them, no words form on their lips. I shed my shirt and find a pickax. Throughout the moonlit night, I bury my father next to his, as closely as I could replicate a service. Lucius prayed, but me and Priscilla said nothing. Once I finished packing the dirt on the grave, I looked alone for something far more comfortable. A leather cuirass, died indigo, and some lightly used riding boots. I slept with the covers off and the window open. As it happened, a raven flew in through the window. I thought about shooing it away, but then I realized that it was probably the only company I was going to have that night.

The next morning came, and as expected, the procession of Lord Ajax met me at the castle gate. "Inform Marquess Cornwell that Lord Ajax wishes to parlay." I coldly replied to the beckoning. "I am Marquess Cornwell. Please, I invite you." The tall, cerulean-haired giant followed me into the castle. I chose the dining hall, still stained by the events of last night, as the place of negotiation. "St. Elimine have mercy," stated the battle-scarred, indigo-haired man to his left. The only other one who stood out amongst the procession was what I felt was the captain of the guard, sporting a dull shade of orange and the same concealing helmet per the standard. "Oswin, mind guarding the door?" The knight, though concealed, answered in a quizzical manner. "As you wish, but is this really necessary, Lord Ajax?"

The taller individual nodded, and the guard left. "What happened here is the last in a long line of cowardly acts by your father, as you can see." I wanted to defend my father, but somehow I thought they might be on to something. "Are you aware of your father's embezzlement?" I had no reply. I knew father seemed to spend more lavishly than most other lords, but it had yet to cross my mind that he got the money elsewhere." How so?" The other, who I could only assume was Lord Uther, the successor to Ostia's throne, explained it to me. "Every conference of the Lycian League, the lords come to an agreement on how much we will tax our subjects. The last 3 conferences, it was revealed that House Cornwell had violated the agreement by taxing double what the other houses had. We sanctioned Cornwell by taking portions of their land. Our sanctions apparently failed, as House Cornwell had levied even higher taxes. To that end, we had hoped that Lord Crowe would back down once he was threatened with disbandment. Instead, it seems..." Lord Uther trailed off, obviously disgusted by my father's crime. "This last act of defiance will not stand." Lord Ajax stood up. He held up a document, and as I read through, I realized that my home was going to be taken from me. As much as I wanted to scream, cry, refuse, or anything of the sort, I did the unthinkable: I signed. "Know this, Lord Ajax. I will not be among those who mourn you." Uther went to draw his sword, but Ajax waved his hand in front. "He's been through a lot, Uther. One off-kilter insult doesn't make him a threat to House Ostia. Take care of yourself, Lord Raymond." Raymond didn't sound right to me. Not after hearing Uther's scathing berating of my father. They left almost as they came.

Lucius had the horses ready to go. "I trust you can make it to Etruria without any trouble?" Lucius nodded. "Lord Raymond, I would suggest you come with us. Count Caerleon is a generous man. You would want for nothing from him. Please reconsider." I turned to Lucius, as cold as my room was in the night. "You are to deliver Lady Priscilla to Count Caerleon. After that, you may do as you will. As a priest of Elimine, you can minister anywhere the divine lady takes you. If she chooses to return you to my service, that is fine. However, I do not intend to seek you out." Lucius' face became downtrodden. "As you wish Lord Raymond." Lord Raymond. How I hate that title. How I hate that name. I rode for Araphen, thinking of a pseudonym that might conceal who I really was. Almost like a vision, the raven who roosted in my quarters that night was once again at my side. "The Raven. That's who I am."