Part 2: The Princess of Bern or, A Ruud Awakening

Chapter 2: The Princess of Bern or, A Ruud Awakening

Brigands dealt with, it's time to take on something a little more interesting...


This is where Roy is to meet the mercenary band that Eliwood hired.

...after the cutscene, natch.


At the time Roy reaches the village, the castle is in an outright panic. Roy has yet to realize that this confusion going on in the castle will spread, engulfing the entire continent of Elibe in chaos...

Heavy stuff.



And then...



...



I'm all for keeping names as close to the original as you can, but sometimes you have to make some changes in order for things not to look fucking stupid in another language. Milady may very well be the intended name, but the problem is that in English, that is not a name but a free ticket to a front page article about a killing spree after years of bullying at school.

Also, it looks fucking stupid.



Let's take this from the top.



I'm firmly convinced that my version is very slightly less stupid than the original.

I'm certain she was in her room this morning, but she simply vanished...

Prisons: Somewhat less effective in a setting where rescue and warp staves are a thing.

(Not that it'd help in this case because the range is 1-MAG, walls are one tile minimum, and no one in this group has more than 1 MAG.)


I don't want excuses! Are you so incompetent you can't understand that?!



Looks that way

Our forces are mobilizing to begin a full-scale war with Lycia. How are we to focus on the battle if the princess is missing?!
Naturally, you will take full responsibility for her disappearance.

......

I never should have let Her Highness come to the border to begin with. I will return to Bern and inform the king of this matter.
I'll try not to cause a panic, but I can't promise your life if the princess isn't found. I trust you'll take every measure to locate her as soon as possible.

Yes, Captain!

Miledy Melody Milady Marth flies off on a wyvern...



Leaving Rude Ruud to scheme.

Yes, Commander. She's under constant surveillance in the cellar.

Good. Don't let her escape.

But Commander... Are you sure this is a good idea?

Of course I'm sure! The younger sister of King Zephiel... We're sure to get a hefty sum turning her over to one of Bern's enemies.



Loyalty to one's king. Bah. What a worthless notion. The world is rules by neither king nor queen. It's ruled by gold!

Yes, indubitably, Commander.
...But there has been a snag, shall we say.

Hm? What do you mean?

I just received a report... It seems that Princess Guinivere's lady-in-waiting has escaped...

What?! You lout, why didn't you say so earlier? Find her this instant! Don't let her get away!



Ruud parks his rude ass on his castle gate and spawns in a bunch of mooks, while the generic soldier who shall never be named scurries off...



...and on the other side of the mountains, our group has arrived just in time for the bloodbath.

This is where we're supposed to meet the mercenaries?

Yes, though it seems they aren't here yet.
Wait, who's that? Somebody's coming this way...



I'm not sure what she's doing here. If she wasn't a healer, I'd think she was trying to pick Bors' pockets.

Silly Elen, plate armour doesn't have pockets.

Oh, forgive me! I'm in such a hurry...

Sure isn't moving very fast for a lady in a hurry!

No need for apologies. Are you hurt?

No, I'm fine. Thank you, good sir.

Farewell, then.

...Are you from Lycia, by chance?

I am.
I am the son of Marquess Pherae.

Oh, Saint Elimine! Thank you for guiding me to this boy!



Please, I need your help to rescue my mistress.

What happened?

My name is Elen. I am a cleric of Saint Elimine. My mistress and I came from Bern to seek an audience with the lords of Lycia. However, Commander Ruud of the castle east of here trapped us. We were captured, imprisoned by our own countrymen.

That is very Ruud of them.


We must avoid unnecessary entanglements with Bern!

But... But they're the bad guys! We can't just leave them un-smote!

But we can't neglect a noble of Bern who wants to speak with the lords of Lycia.
...Then again, we can't simply charge into enemy territory either...

Happily,

Wait, who's there?!

...that issue shall resolve itself forthwith.



Oh, generic soldier, we hardly knew you.

Over here, boys! Get the girl! Our orders say dead or alive!

Or is this another generic soldier? Ah, they all look the same to me...



Well, guess we better kill them all!

Well, Merlinus, they provoked hostilities. I don't think we have any choice now.

Mentally, Roy is fistpumping and going YES!

He learned it from Hector.

You wouldn't listen even if we did, I'm sure.

That, too.

But no matter. Let me witness all you've learned about tactics in Ostia.

"I've already seen what you learned about everything else in Ostia. Damn you Hector."

All right, everyone! We're going to charge the castle!
Sister Elen, you should find a place to hide...

No, I will come with you. I cannot fight, but I can heal wounded allies.

But...

ROY NO I swear I will digitalize myself and upload the data into this rom so I can punch you in the face if you chase away the only healer we've seen all game do you understand me

I'm the one that got you tangled up in this mess. Please let me do what I can to help.

OK, but just stay behind us so you aren't hurt.

...Good Roy.

Certainly. Thank you for the concern.



All right, go time, but first...


A young cleric serving Guinivere. Serene and gracious.

Elen is goddamn terrible, are you seeing this shit, one point of magic

...But her growths are HP 45, Mag 50, Skl 30, Spd 20, Lck 70, Def 5, Res 60, so she at least has a good chance to gain mag - but she'll kinda just evaporate if someone with a physical weapon glances harshly at her, and while 8 speed to start isn't bad, a 20% growth rate is. Let's just say Elen's kind of a mess.


A servant of Pherae in charge of the army's inventory.

We've also got this guy who's basically dead weight. He can't fight, all he does is haul items around for us, which is okay as long as we have as many deployment slots as we do party members, but... he'll get replaced as soon as we have the opportunity.

HP 100, Str 0, Skl 50, Spd 50, Lck 100, Def 20, Res 5. Those 100% chances would be a lot more fun on a unit that will ever actually see combat...



To start with, Marcus goes to visit this village.


But some weapons, like this sword, can pierce their armor. I'm sure you can get better use out of it than us. Please, take it.

For his trouble, Marcus gets an Armorslayer. It kills knights dead.



Allen rides down and tries to kill this guy. He should double for 28 damage, but misses one of his ~80% shots, so Roy has to clean up for him.



Lance, meanwhile, faces a worse hit rate and naturally lands both his attacks for a one-round kill. Look at this shit, Allen. Maybe you could learn something.



At least Elen can turn Allen's mishap into experience points. She gets 11 of them for a heal. 11.

Yeah, I don't see her stats getting much better than they already are. For all the shit Awakening gets, this is at least something they fixed...



Bors heads down to the tile above the fort, straight south from his position. The enemy turn rolls around and they try attacking him.



It's good to be Bors.


Shanna, check around and try to find the soldiers from Pherae, will you?

After we beat on the helpless soldiers for a bit, some new faces pop up from the lower right corner! Faces that should probably be bespectacled, since I can see our dudes just fine from here.



She flies off to the left on her winged pony.



House Pherae, one of the noble families of Lycia. The marquess's son is going to join the other armies of the Lycian League.



Looks that way.

Finally, a foe worthy of my axe! Let's show 'em what we're made of!

Bern, eh? This won't be easy, I can tell you that. We had best tread lightly.

Nah, I think we're good.



Shanna returns, having flown around the globe only to realize that we were right there all along. Isn't that embarrassing.

But it looks like they're already caught up in a skirmish.

What? The fighting's started already? Let's get a move on then. Time to earn our pay!

And then it's our turn again, so let's check out the newcomers.


A former arena fighter from Eturia. Leads a band of mercenaries.

Meet Ogma Lite. HP 90, Str 40, Skl 40, Spd 30, Lck 35, Def 20, Res 15.


A young man fighting alongside Deke. Brash and impulsive.

Bord (or was it Cord?). HP 75, Str 50, Skl 45, Spd 20, Lck 45, Def 30, Res 5.


A young man fighting alongside Deke. Calculating and cautious.

And Cord (or maybe Bord?). HP 80, Str 30, Skl 30, Spd 35, Lck 30, Def 40, Res 15.


A pegasus knight in training. Traveling the world to hone her skills.

And the world's shittiest pegasus knight. You know who else starts with 4 Str? Wolt. (Well, vanilla Wolt anyway.) And no one likes Wolt. It's not likely to get terribly much better, either: HP 45, Str 30, Skl 55, Spd 60, Lck 60, Def 10, Res 25. The speed's nice, though?



Back on our end, Lance softens up this guy, dodging the counter in return (because Lance),



...and Roy finishes him off for strength. Not a whole lot else, but I like strength.



Allen misses one of his shots (of course) and takes a counter (naturally). Wolt follows up and fires two arrows. He hits with one. That's enough.



Goddamn.



Bors takes the fort and is Bors-er than ever.


Remember, swords best axes, axes best lances, and lances best swords! Keep this in mind and things will be much easier for you!

Marcus gets a lecture he might have appreciated like, one quest to save the world ago.



And Merlinus gets to shopping, fills his pockets, and sends the next vulnerary to himself.

Don't ask.

I get like six of these things, vulneraries are always nice to have.



Deke's group gets started on the approaching horde. All of them come with some interesting toys, but the regular weapons will be good enough for the rabble. Wade dodges and two-hits this guy. He then does basically the same thing to a couple of fighters. I think I like Wade.



Bors has taken like two points of damage this fight, total. Sitting on the fort heals him fully. It's good to be Bors.



Wolt kills a man just to watch him die... well, to get numbers, too. Speed is good!



As is strength.



Marcus finds the armory up top. He gets like three each of all the basic iron weapons and a couple of javelins.


But woe to any rider who finds herself against an archer. An arrow can take a pegasus down in a single hit!

Merlinus gets more lectures. Marcus is probably better off this round.



Shanna briefly considers it.

Holy shit you suck, that's an archer, they barely even have stats.



Meanwhile, Wade axes hard-hitting questions and gets results.



Deke isn't doing any worse. Dodge, double.



Lot does not dodge, but does double.

I like doubling.

A Lot.



Shanna sucks, so she just sits here like an idiot. Look at that mini-portrait.



Enemy phase, and three dudes chuck javelins at Deke. He doesn't care a Lot.



At least Shanna gets to do something this round.



Yaaay you got one kill.


If you're in a fort, you can defend and even dodge more easily. On top of that, your wounds will heal slowly over time.

And the last of the tutorial huts. More yaaay.



The enemies do a Lot of missing. We, not so much, although sometimes we get one of these little dance-offs.



Having wiped out the last of that group, we're set to draw out the last few.



Only one of them take the bait. He promptly wishes he hadn't.



He does a litttle better against Roy next round, though. Ow.



So help me, I will level you up if it kills you.



Allen can't finish this...



...so Wade borrows Lot's hand axe, the 1-2 range axe...



...and chucks it into a fucking lake or something.



In the end, Allen has to handle it himself, but he's better off for it. None of these levels have been huge, but all of them have had an important stat in them, so I can't whine too much. Allen really wants that speed.



Lot takes back the hand axe...



...and adds another point of Str to the growing pile. No complaints!



With only the boss left, Roy chats up Deke.

Are you Lord Roy of House Pherae?

Who is it that's asking?

Name's Deke. You should've heard about me from an older man named Merlinus.

So you're the leader of the mercenary band?

Just a small company, really.
Sorry we're late. Didn't think the fighting would start so soon.

Well... There was a complication...

Don't take it the wrong way. We don't blame you. Actually, quite the contrary. My boys are excited for a chance to show off their skills.

"What about the girl?"

"Fucked if I know, she always looks like that."

Brilliant. It sounds like you're just the caliber of fighters we need.

Enough chitchat then. Let's wrap things up.

Not much left now.


A knight in control of a castle on the Bern-Lycia border.

Ruud has a javelin, a 1-2 range spear. As knights tend to do, he hits hard and doesn't care much when you hit back.



But Wade has a nice little surprise for him! The hammer is super effective against armoured targets.


Just when I thought things had finally turned my way...



Of course, Wade not only misses, he takes a spear through the chest as well.



Even Hector's bases aren't enough for this. Maybe if he had a wolf-beil bow or something.

All three hits land. Still, Hector's bases are good for something so Wolt is still able to go another round with this guy.



Marcus hands Deke the Armorslayer.



Meanwhile, Roy busts out the rapier. Like the hammer, it's effective against armour.



In the end, Deke doesn't get to use that sword. Ruud misses Roy, who doubles in return.



Then they do the same thing the next round, and there we go.

(Why is this guy orange anyway, his portrait wears purple!)

Greed can only... bring you... an ill fate...

A little late for that revelation now.



At least Roy gets numbers out of it.



Then Elen heals everyone until she gets a level and it was not worth it and we're not going to talk about this again.


There was a woman locked in the cellar!

Seize the day, and the castle gate too.

That must be Elen's mistress. Bring her here.

Yes, milord.

I like to imagine Merlinus just carrying her under his arm.



Elen! I'm so relieved you're well. You put yourself in such danger running off like you did... I worried myself sick about you.

I am sorry, Your Highness, but I couldn't leave you in that dank cellar...

Don't worry yourself, Elen. It's thanks to you I am safe now.



I am Roy, son of Eliwood, Marquess Pherae.

It's a pleasure... As for myself...

Your Highness... Are you certain you should?

Maybe you should be a little less obvious with the "Your Highness" part if you wanted to go that route

Yes, Elen. It is fine.
My name is Guinivere.

Guinivere?! That's the name of the princess of Bern!

"...And no one else!"

Yes, that is I.



Maybe you should have carried her a little more politely.

This was a trap, wasn't it?!

Admiral Ackbar, you are not.

Merlinus, hold.

I beg your pardon, Lord Roy, but...

I wish to hear her out. Give her a chance, will you?

Tsk. As you will...



Yes, truly. I cannot blame you for doubting me, however.

Maybe you are the princess of Bern, and maybe you aren't. I can see from your actions and dress that you are at least of high status. If you are indeed Princess Guinivere, however, there's one thing I don't understand. Elen told me you intended to meet the lords of the Lycian League.

Yes, that is correct.

Why, if you are the sister of the king of Bern?

I want to find a peaceful way to end the war. If I can speak to the Lycian council, I'm certain we can come to a solution.

Your brother instigated this war. Is it in your power to stop it?

At the very least, I wish to do everything I can. No, I MUST do everything I can.

...I see.
For the time being, come with us to meet the Lycian League armies. I want to see what Lord Hector thinks of this affair.

You will allow me to accompany you?

Yes. If there is any possibility to avoid further bloodshed, we must try. It matters not how small the chance.

Roy's a pretty okay dude, I think his reaction to all this is reasonable enough.

Thank you! I truly am in your debt.



And with that, we are done! Thank you for watching and don't forget to like, comment and subscribe.