=== Chapter 7 Dark Emblem === (The Grand Crossing) The party attempts to cross the border to obtain the ring entrusted to the Kingdom of Brodia. --- OP --- PP [Alfred] So, we made it across the border. We're in Brodia territory now. [Alear] The landscape here─it's so different from Firene. Nothing but rugged terrain all around us. [Alfred] Watch out! [Alear] ... [Alear] [Alfred] We're under attack? [Alfred] [Alcryst] [Alear] Name yourselves! [Alcryst] I would make the same request of you. After all, you are the ones sneaking over our border. [Alear] ... [Alcryst] Identify yourselves...or I will assume you are thieves. [Alcryst] This time, I won't miss. [Alear] I'm the Divine Dragon from Lythos, not a thief. [Alfred] I am Alfred, the heir to the throne of Firene─ and your ally. [Alcryst] The Divine Dragon...and the crown prince of Firene? [Alear] That's right. Now I would like to know─who are you to shoot at us like that? [Alcryst] ... I... [Alear] ... [Alcryst] I am so, so, so sorry! [Alear] Huh? [Alcryst] I threatened the Divine Dragon and the crown prince of Firene! [Alcryst] I'm begging─please find it in your hearts to forgive me! [Alfred] 0 [Alear] It's all right. No harm was done. [Alfred] That was quite the bow, soldier. Must have been hard on the knees. Hmm...wait a second. Your face looks awfully familiar. You're not just a soldier, are you? [Alcryst] No. I'm Alcryst, second prince of Brodia. [Alear] Prince? [Alfred] I thought so! How's it going, Prince Alcryst? [Alcryst] Even worse than usual. I'm sorry for taking so long to introduce myself. Oh, these are my retainers, Lapis and Citrinne. [Citrinne] Honored to meet you and your coterie. [Citrinne] [Lapis] Yeah, welcome to Brodia. [Alear] I can't say I feel very welcome. You still look like you're ready to kill us. [Alcryst] We're merely a little tense. My father, King Morion, received word from Queen Ève that your party was on its way. He ordered us to meet you at the border and formally welcome you to the kingdom. We've been waiting for a long time, and all we encountered were bizarre creatures. Or bandits. We assumed you were more of the same. [Alfred] I'm sorry for the delay. We had to take a little detour. Still, if your arrow hit the Divine One, Brodia's standing would have been seriously hurt. Be more careful next time, Prince Alcryst. [Alcryst] I will. I really am sorry. [Lapis] [Citrinne] You cannot be held liable, Alcryst. You had no way of knowing who they were. Was it not possible for your party to arrive in a more royal, more...resplendent manner? [Citrinne] [Lapis] This is the kingdom of warriors. If you can't dodge one arrow, you're not worthy to enter. Here, the weak serve the strong. Maybe we should give you a little test, hm? [Alfred] What did you say? [Alcryst] She didn't mean that! Apologies... My country places too much value on strength. Besides, you have nothing to prove. I am well aware of your battle prowess, Prince Alfred. [Alfred] Oh. Well... Thank you. [Alcryst] I'm so sorry for all this...so sorry. And I'm sorry it's me greeting you, instead of someone better. [Alear] You can stop apologizing. I'm grateful that a prince is here to receive us personally. [Alcryst] Really? You're grateful to see...me? [Alear] Yes. Honored, in fact. [Alcryst] How polite of you to say so. Charming as well as divine, I see. Could you do me the favor of being...less dazzling? I find it so hard to shine as it is... [Alear] Uh... All right... [Alcryst] Now, come with me. I can show you the way to Brodia Castle. Default [Alear] [Alcryst] [Hortensia] Finally! It took you long enough! Very rude to keep a princess waiting. Very rude, indeed! [Alcryst] Princess? [Hortensia] That would be me─the second princess of Elusia, Hortensia! [Hortensia] Now then. Hello, everybody! [Alear] Elusia's...second princess? [Hortensia] Uh-huh! In the flesh! And you're the Divine Dragon! [Alear] Uh, right. [Hortensia] Ooo, I knew it! I could totally tell. You're the prettiest. It's a dead giveaway! I always thought Lumera was the only Divine Dragon. You could've knocked me over with a feather when I found out there was another one! Wow... Those mismatched eyes of yours are something to see... [Alcryst] We will arrive at the Grand Crossing soon. That will take us to the castle. [Alear] Good. [Alcryst] Divine One, if I may. I was wondering about something Queen Ève said in her letter. Is it true that Elusia has released Sombron? [Alear] It's true. An Elusian we fought told us as much. [Alcryst] I see. We'd heard rumors to that effect, but I didn't dare believe them. Those neighbors of ours. You will need all the rings to defeat the Fell Dragon, right? For generations, my country has possessed the Ring of the Young Lion. [Alear] The Ring of the Young Lion... [Alcryst] It has a red stone and a certain...gallant aura. Diamant, the crown prince, told me he's been hearing a voice from the ring. He's a remarkable person. I'm lucky to be his brother. [Alear] You really admire him, don't you? [Alcryst] Oh, yes. He's strong, wise, humble... The king adores him, as do our people. My brother is cut from the noblest cloth. I'm afraid I was made from the tatters... [Alear] There's no need to be so hard on yourself. [Alcryst] Ah, there it is. The Grand Crossing. There seem to be a great many soldiers out today... Wait a moment. Those are... Elusian soldiers! They're occupying the bridge! [Alear] No... [Alcryst] Don't come any closer! You wicked Elusians aren't worthy to approach the Divine Dragon! [Hortensia] Hmph. Nobody asked you, Brodian. Besides, we're not the wicked ones. You are! [Alcryst] ... [Hortensia] My father says Brodia is a greedy, barbaric country. You're always invading our territory─taking our land. It's the worst! Do you know how many people you've hurt? Not just soldiers, but regular people? [Alcryst] We're not just invading to expand. We are keeping your vicious, unpredictable kingdom in check. I take it you're retaliating? Launching a full-scale invasion to take your revenge? [Hortensia] Hahaha, hardly. I couldn't lead such an ambitious attack. I'm just here to take your rings. By order of my father, King Hyacinth. [Alear] He told you to do this? [Hortensia] Yep. Now, if there are no more questions, fork over the goods and we'll all go home breathing. [Alear] Never. [Hortensia] Aw, I thought nabbing your rings would be the easy job. Lucky big sis, getting to attack the castle instead... [Alear] The crown princess? She's going to attack Brodia Castle? [Hortensia] Oops! Probably shouldn't have said that... [Alcryst] We must go right away! [Hortensia] Hah, as if I'd let you pass. My father's gonna be so proud of me! All Elusian soldiers, forward march! Get me those rings! --- ED --- [Hortensia] Ugh, this is so frustrating! Rosado, Goldmary, all soldiers...retreat! [Hortensia] [Alcryst] They fled in a hurry. [Alfred] Hmm... There's a lot of damage to the bridge. It may take time to find a safe path forward. [Alear] We didn't recover the Emblem Ring. [Alfred] We didn't lose any either. And most importantly, you're not hurt. Let's call that good enough. [Alear] You're right. [Vander] It is plain now that Queen Lumera's stolen rings lie in Elusia's hands. In which case we can deduce that they possess five. [Alear] Five? [Vander] Yes, counting the rings taken from Lythos Castle. The Rings of the Sage Lord, the Azure Twins, the Instructor, and of course, the Princess Exalt. Princess Hortensia was wielding the latter, as you'll recall. Besides those four, there was one entrusted to them by your forebears. [Alear] Which one? [Alcryst] If I may, I believe it's the Ring of the Lady of the Plains. The king favors it, or so I've heard. He keeps it in his personal chambers. [Alfred] His chambers? That's odd. Firene's ring has a hall in the castle all to itself. Where does your kingdom keep its ring? [Alcryst] Like Firene, we store ours in a special gallery in the castle. Speaking of which...how soon might we be able to depart? I really am worried about the situation there. [Alfred] The soldiers should be back from patrol soon. [Alear] Let's prepare to leave. [Alcryst] Thank you. If anything has happened to my father or brother, I don't know what I'll do... Take that! Raaargh! Almost done. Aaagh! That's the last of them. The village...is finally safe. But it's still not good enough. I have... I have to be strong. Strong, just like you were. I still miss you so much... And I think about what you said to me...all those long years ago. Where are you...Brother? Where are you...Sister? --- EV --- [Alcryst] We must deal with them quickly and return to the castle. There's not a moment to spare. [Lapis] Of course, Prince Alcryst. Leave it to us! [Lapis] [Citrinne] I wager we'll be back in time for dinner. [Alcryst] Such confidence. But I'm still concerned about casualties. I will protect you both. [Citrinne] [Lapis] So brave... But, uh, as your retainers, it's really our job to protect you. [Alcryst] Now, then. Get behind me. [Alcryst] [Lapis] Huh?! [Citrinne] Haha! Oh, Alcryst, don't be ridiculous. You're an archer─you should be at the rear. [Citrinne] [Lapis] Hang on! Citrinne! You should also be in the back! You two... Default [Hortensia] We've had such a wonderful time playing together, haven't we, Divine Dragon? Speaking for myself, it's been lovely. So I hope you don't mind...but I've brought a friend along to join in the fun! Default [Alear] That's an...Emblem! But how? How is she here without my summoning her? [Hortensia] Look at your face! You silly Divine Dragon, did you think Emblems were just a "you" thing? Not by a long shot. Yeah, it's a pretty cool trick, huh? I'm so glad I'm able to use it. And it's all thanks to Lord Sombron powering up this ring. It's called the Ring of the Princess Exalt. Cute, am I right? [Alear] That's one of the rings my mother was protecting! Give it back! [Hortensia] Yeah, not gonna happen! It's Elusia's ring now. But if you really want to see it one last time... Come a little closer. I'll give you a good, long look! [Lapis] Prince Alcryst, Citrinne, stay back! I'll handle this. I can knock down anyone who stands in our way. [Lapis] Now's our chance! [Rosado] Looks like it's starting. To your positions, everyone. [Goldmary] Oh! The Divine Dragon is absolutely... [Rosado] Absolutely not as cute as we are? [Goldmary] Right, exactly. [Rosado] Hehe! That's the spirit! Outshine the enemy and then defeat them. [Rosado] Relax Now, let's steal those rings and do Hortensia proud. Ready to start? [Goldmary] Yes, Rosado. Let's make quick work of them. [Marth] That Emblem is a formidable foe. [Marth] Nearby enemies can join in her attacks. We'll have to be careful. --- MOVIE --- --- BT --- $ [Hortensia] You got an Emblem Ring? Better cough it up! [Alear] Return the ring. ( [Hortensia] No way! I'm the one who's after the rings. $ We could have done this the easy way, but no. You had to be stubborn. [Alear] I'm stubborn? " [Hortensia] No fair! I lost? Well, you're not getting my ring! I won't let Father down. [Rosado] It's your lucky day, cutie. You get to fight me! [Rosado] Wow, the Divine Dragon! Happy to meet you. But I'd be happier if you gave me your rings. [Alear] I'd be happy if you surrendered. [Rosado] I'm sorry, Hortensia. I have to retreat... $ [Goldmary] I'm going to ask you nicely─please die. [Goldmary] Up close, you're only half as captivating as I thought, Divine Dragon. [Alear] That's what you care about? Here, in battle? Let's just settle this. " [Goldmary] You're horrible. That's it... I'm leaving. --- DIE ---