There are two types of war leaders: the victor, and the strategist. 
It is the victor who returns home triumphant, armor bloodied, carrying the 
heads of his opponents. But it is the strategist who does not need to check 
his bed for serpents in the night.
	--From "Precepts of Conflict"


	                 Rocketarian Pictures presents
        	        in association with Improfanfic

                	   Suikoden: Distant Shores
	              started by Illyria and Todd Harper

        	       Part 21: Serpent At The Throat	
	by This Old Castle (Kate Malloy, Scott Schimmel, Todd Harper)


	"Well, at least the rain seems to have stopped for now," Alaric 
observed as he and Daniel waited in the predetermined meeting spot in the 
forest outside Lindael.

	Daniel merely nodded and continued to watch the city intently.

	"Hopefully you aren't going to see them coming," Alaric stated.  
"Kyrina's good at sneaking around, and I'm praying that Shayera has better 
luck this time-"

	"She did," Kyrina's voice interrupted them.  Startled, the two 
young men whirled around to find Kyrina and Shayera standing there.

	"Where's General Nevenheim?" Daniel asked.

	"She... she's not coming," Kyrina said quietly.

	"Why?  Didn't you make it in time?" he continued.

	"We found her, yes."

	"Then why didn't she come with you?"

	Kyrina sighed.  "She didn't want to."

	Daniel exploded.  "Didn't want to?  How could she not want to?  
She's going to be stuck in prison back there, whereas if she came with us, 
she-"  He was effectively silenced when Shayera placed a hand over his 
mouth.

	"They'll probably have the guards with extremely good hearing out 
tonight," she informed him.  "Not to mention a few extras.  Unless you 
really want to go back to the prison again, you might want to consider 
quieting down or putting a little distance between yourself and the city.  
Of course, if you really want to go back, then just carry on."  She removed 
her hand.

	Daniel took a few deep breaths to calm himself.  "All right," he 
finally said. "But if Commander Tavia and Lady Lierni..."

	"I can assure you that Tavia will not think any less of you for 
this," Kyrina answered.  "If anyone's going to take responsibility for the 
failure of this mission, it will be me.  However..." She looked at her three 
companions.  "Since Senrou started this rebel movement, he made it 
explicitly clear that no one was to be forced into joining against his or 
her will.  Tavia has continued that policy.  Would you really want General 
Nevenheim to be coerced into fighting against her own country if she 
seriously doubted our cause?"

	"No," Daniel admitted.

	Kyrina nodded.  "We'd best be heading back to White Cloud."  Alaric 
started to say something, and she raised a hand to forestall his protest.  
"Yes, I know it's nightfall and it's probably going to rain again, but the 
sooner we get away from here, the better."

	"Actually, I was just going to ask how I should inform Rodrik as to 
our departure," he answered.  "Although considering the trouble we probably 
stirred up, I wouldn't be surprised if he's almost packed and ready to head 
to White Cloud now.  Since he'll need to take the trade roads, it will keep 
him a couple of extra days to get there."

	"I'd forgotten about that," Kyrina admitted.  "Let's hope he can 
get out of there without attracting undue attention.  And, by the way, 
you're the one who's going to explain that to Lierni."

	"Somehow, I'd figured on that," he answered with a dramatic sigh.

	Kyrina turned to Shayera.  "Thank you very much for your help.  
Good luck in your next mission."

	Shayera idly tapped her chin with one finger.  "Actually, if you 
don't mind, I'd rather come along with you."

	"Really, now?" Kyrina asked.  "After the mess we managed to get 
ourselves into?"

	Shayera shrugged.  "Well, I've probably managed to find every way 
of nearly getting killed around here.  Might as well go look for some new 
ones."

	Kyrina couldn't help but smile a little.  "Welcome aboard, then.  
Let's move out."

				*****

	Nereida Ansuro sprawled on the floor, one hand rubbing her aching
jaw.  Her first instinct had been to roll to her feet, but considering her
disadvantageous position, she had decided it was better to refrain from any
action which might be provocative.  The woman who had hit her didn't seem
immediately threatening, at least; she stood glowering at Nereida, her hands
balled into fists at her sides.  The other woman had moved to restrain her,
but the blond had shrugged off her hand.

	"Normally," Nereida said calmly, "people don't react that way until
after I know them."

	"You don't even recognize me."  Her expression darkened further, if
that was possible.  "Maybe you remember this?  'My will is the Sword of the
Seraph--'"

	"'My blood is its Shield,'" Nereida whispered, the color draining
from her face.  "Crownguard.  Alyssa?"

	"So you do remember."

	"But... you're dead."

	Alyssa turned away.  "Not quite.  But not for lack of trying on the
king's part."  She glanced back over her shoulder.  "My brother and I are
the only ones left."

	Nereida stood with exaggerated slowness, careful not to make any
move that might be interpreted as threatening.  "If this is about your
brother, I--"

	"This," Alyssa snapped, "is about more than you and him.  You
abandoned us."

	A sharp cough preempted Nereida's response.  "Sorry," Tavia said
when she saw she had drawn their attention.  "But could somebody explain
just what is going on here?"

	Celia chuckled softly.  "I was just about to ask that myself."  She
gestured an invitation.  "Come into the back and sit down," she suggested in
a tone that would brook no disagreement.  "We'll just see if we can't get to
the bottom of this."

				*****

	After traveling a few hours and getting sufficiently far from 
Lindael that both Kyrina and Shayera agreed that pursuit would be highly 
unlikely, the group stopped to rest for a short while.

	Alaric had managed to fall asleep, but he was roused by a noise 
from nearby. Without getting up, he opened his eyes and observed Kyrina 
walking off into the forest.  Quietly, he waited a few moments, then got up 
and followed her, taking care not to wake Daniel or Shayera in the process.  
(Although if Shayera was really asleep, he would have been quite surprised.)

	Kyrina had managed to find a small clearing in the middle of the 
woods, and was now standing with her hand against the bark of one of the 
trees edging it, staring up at the half-covered moon.  She turned around 
when she heard Alaric approaching.

	He decided to get straight to the point for once.  "Something's 
bothering you."

	"How do you know that I don't like to take walks in the middle of 
the night?" she answered.

	He shook his head.  "It's not that.  You've seemed troubled since 
you got back from Lindael.  And I'd imagine it's General Nevenheim."

	She sighed.  "Yes.  You're right."  She waited for a few moments, 
to see if he would respond, then continued.  "I barely got a chance to talk 
with her, but... she raised some extremely good points.  Let's say that, 
eventually, we win."

	"Isn't that what you want?"

	"Yes, but what then?  Senrou gave it some thought, before he... and 
I've been thinking about it recently as well."

	"I see."

	A few minutes passed in silence.

	"Alaric, what's it like in Leirstam?"

	He rubbed his chin in consideration.  "Well, there's lots of messy 
political maneuvering, backstabbing, and so on.  Alyssa and I were always 
wandering around, so I never really paid it that much attention."

	"Why am I not surprised?" she said with a hint of exasperation.

	"But people seem mostly happy, I guess," he continued.

	"Mostly happy..." she repeated.  "I'd hope we'd be able to manage 
that."

	"Well, I'm not sure about happiness, but don't forget, we've got 
something that they don't."

	"Tavia.  I almost wish we'd been able to bring her.  Maybe she 
could have helped convince General Nevenheim... but then again, maybe not.  
And it's useless to try and speculate on this.  Down that path lies 
madness."  She gave a half-smile.

	He nodded.  "Time will tell, and all that."

	"And by the Winds, are we actually having a serious conversation?" 
she asked in mock wonderment.

	"It would appear so," he agreed, with his own grin.  "Strange times 
we live in."

	"Strange times indeed.  And if we're going to be in any shape to 
get back to White Cloud, we'd best try to get some rest."

	"Right.  Sleep well, Kyrina."  Alaric headed back off to the 
campsite.

	After he was gone, Kyrina let out a deep sigh.  "I'd just like to 
know if we're on the right path..."

				*****

	"So this 'Crownguard' was the king's elite?" Reid asked.

	"They were established to protect the king or queen," Celia
clarified, nodding.  "In the earliest days, over four hundred years ago,
they consisted of the twenty-one greatest knights of Lierstam.  Some of them
are legend now, like Sir Artos Paladine, who singlehandedly slew the frost
dragon of Turis.  Or--"

	Nereida gently interrupted, keeping the conversation on track.  
"But like many things in the old kingdom, it soon became a hereditary
position," she explained, gazing calmly across the table at Alyssa.  Tavia
and Reid, noticing her dark expression, had none too subtly placed
themselves between her and the Ansuros.  Nereida, in contrast, displayed a
calm facade despite the troubled tone in her voice -- a talent Tavia found
herself admiring and envying.  "Seven families formed the Crownguard, with
three members from each serving at any given time.  The families themselves
were a reserve of sorts; all of them were dedicated to the arts of war."

	"The Mytelenes were one of the seven," Alyssa added.

	Nereida nodded.  "Chosen for their unusual facility with runes, I
believe.  The bloodline consistently produced the talent.  None were as
powerful as some of the wild talents who turned up, but they were reliable."  
She indicated the Water Rune Alyssa bore.  "I see that held for you as well.  
Even if Water seems a strange choice."

	"More like a necessity," Alyssa admitted.  "There are others I'm
better suited to.  My brother is stronger with runes, but he can't use this
one, and one of us needed it."

	Tavia thoughtfully nodded.  "I thought you said you weren't nobles?"

	"We said 'not exactly'..." Alyssa protested.  "We might have been
Crownguard, but there isn't one.  There hasn't been for over ten years.  
The families don't even exist any more.  There's nobody left to wear the
gold and white."  She drew a deep breath and stared fixedly at Nereida.  
"Because at the end of the last war, her grandfather -- the last King of
Lierstam to use the title -- slaughtered them all."

	Reid nearly fell out of his chair.  "What?  His own guard?"

	Nereida frowned.  "It's true that he led the Crownguard families
into battle, near the end.  I remember that.  He hoped to turn the course of
the war, using their abilities and his own Seraph Rune."

	"But Tir Eselyn must have had a spy in their ranks," Celia
concluded.  "They knew his movements, and they struck from ambush as he
traveled."  She shook her head.  "I'm afraid my brother wasn't the wisest of
rulers.  Going into battle at his age, rune or no rune..."

	"He was a traitor," Alyssa stated bluntly.  "There was no ambush.  
He led our families into the wilderness until he thought they were far
enough away, and then he turned on them.  Half the Crownguard was dead or
close to it before they knew what was happening, thanks to that rune.  Then
he started on the rest."

	Nereida's cool facade finally crumbled.  "That's... that's not
possible!"

	Celia, too, frowned.  "It's insane.  Why would my brother kill his
own strongest men in the last days of a war he seemed perilously close to
losing?"

	Alyssa shrugged.  "I couldn't guess, but I know what I saw.  He was
tearing them apart with his bare hands.  Steel barely scratched him, runes
only seemed to enrage him, and the ones he struck down rose up as undead.  
Revenants."

	"How could that happen?" Reid wondered.

	At the same time, Nereida protested, "My grandfather would never do
that!"

	"But he did," said Alyssa.

	"You were there?" Tavia asked.  "How did you manage to get away?"

	The blonde nodded.  "My brother and I were just old enough at the
time to have been squires.  When the king ordered the Crownguard and their
families out, that meant we went too."  She smirked bitterly.  "I remember
how proud we were of that, at the time."

	"But you escaped," Nereida repeated Tavia's sentiment, prompting.

	Alyssa nodded.  "I'm sure you've noticed the colors I'm wearing in
place of the gold and white."

	"Black and red... Peridon?"

	Another nod.  "General Arik, the Raven.  Alaric and I are alive
today because he disobeyed orders.  When he heard the Crownguard were
moving, he took a thousand of his best men and set off to support them.  
Figured he'd even the odds a bit, I guess.  He caught up shortly after your
grandfather attacked us.  That was the real battle.  Not an ambush from Tir
Eselyn."

	"The histories say," Celia noted, "that General Peridon left his
position in pursuit of personal glory, but ended up resigning after the war
because his unit had been decimated."

	"More like killed to the man," Alyssa confirmed.  "The ones who
didn't die in that battle died from their wounds afterwards.  The general
was the only survivor... he had a rune on his greatsword that protected him
from the king's touch.  He resigned after that, and went into self-exile in
Luvalon."  She shrugged.  "Alaric and I went with him.  What else were we
going to do?"

	"But that can't be true... someone would have said something,"
Nereida suggested.

	"Really?  Who?" Alyssa asked sardonically.  "The ex-general who
disobeyed orders and got all of his soldiers killed?  Or the pair of
thirteen year olds who'd barely had the training to hold a sword?  It's not
like he was an unpopular king.  Until the end... maybe the rune corrupted
him or something."  She shrugged.  "Runes... with the really powerful ones, 
who can ever tell, you know?"

	"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Tavia murmured, suppressing a
shudder.

	"Oh, not you."

	Reid tapped his fingers on the table.  "That's... quite a story," he
said.  "But why would you be angry with Nereida, then?"

	"If it's--"  Nereida didn't get any further before she was
interrupted.

	Flushed, Alyssa growled quietly.  "I told you, it's not Alaric, you,
or me," she said slowly.  Then she sighed, and the tension seemed to drain
out of her, much to Tavia's relief.  "I guess it's not you at all, really.  
It's just... you could have said something."

	"I was no older than you were.  I didn't have that kind of power..."

	"Your father might have.  You could have talked to him.  But you and
he both supported the king's idea."

	"So did you, as I recall."  Nereida cast a glance down at the
tabletop.  "If it's true... none of us knew."

	"I know.  But that doesn't help much.  Besides, you were always
supposed to be the smart one, remember?"

	Nereida looked back up.  "Father is dead, you know."

	"When?"

	"Not long ago.  I should be there, but..."  She sighed.  "It's
complicated.  I may understand politics, but I don't like them.  Not at
all."

	Celia nodded slightly, as though Nereida had confirmed a suspicion.  
"Why don't you tell us why you came here?  I believe you were just getting
to that before you were... interrupted."

				*****

	"Well, here it is," Kyrina said, as the group finally reached White 
Cloud.

	Shayera raised her eyebrow as she regarded the castle.  "I could 
think of worse places to end up in," she remarked.

	"I'll show you around," Daniel volunteered, most likely hoping to 
avoid meeting up with Tavia or Lierni.

	"Whatever suits you."  Shayera gave a noncommittal shrug and 
followed Daniel.

	"So, do you want to talk to Lierni first, or should I?" Alaric 
asked after the two had left.

	"Let's go in together," Kyrina answered.  "Tavia and her group 
might be back by now.  I hope they have better news than we do."

				*****

	This appeared to be, thankfully, exactly what Kyrina and Alaric got, 
though in a very rushed form. When the ranger and her companion reached the 
wide inner chamber, they discovered an (expectedly) irate and exasperated 
Luc waiting for them.

	"The General isn't with you," he said pointedly, not so much a 
"where is she?" question than a statement of fact: the mission had failed.

	"No, she's not," Kyrina snapped, suddenly feeling defensive about 
her failure to bring Nevenheim to White Cloud, and already exasperated with 
Luc's inherently superior attitude from the getgo. "Have Tavia and the 
others arrived?"

	The mage nodded, jerking a thumb at the stairway behind him which 
led to the War Room upstairs. "She and a whole coterie of people are waiting 
for you to return. They seem anxious."

	Alaric sighed. "Anxious is not the mood I want them in... we do't 
have any good news to report, unless you consider Shayera and my dear old 
appraiser friend bringing their dubious talents to the battlefield."

	"In any event, we'd better get up there," Kyrina said, pushing past 
Luc and striding up the stairs, Alaric rubbing his temples and then 
following in her wake, leaving a bemused Luc behind.

	What greeted her as she entered the war room sent Kyrina's thoughts 
whirling. What had once been a dusty room with an especially long table was 
now shaping up to be quite a 'command center'; Charlotte's maps were tacked 
up on boards along one of the longer walls, and hastily-constructed shelving 
housed a veritable small library of books. The conference table was now 
strewn with reports and paperwork, as well as jugs of water and cups. The 
room was loud with noise as people talked over each other.

	Sitting blissfully at the eye of the storm were Tavia and a young 
woman of regal bearing, both poring over a stack of reports sitting in front 
of them.

	Alaric's arrival behind Kyrina failed to jostle her out of the 
surprise, as she had been unnoticed by the milling crew, but his sudden, 
surprised cry of "Princess Nereida!" brought the whole orchestration to a 
grinding train wreck halt.

	"...Ah," Nereida said cautiously, the first to recover her 
composure. "You must be Alaric, correct?" She glanced off to her left, and 
Alaric and Kyrina's gazes followed to find Alyssa talking with an older, 
distinguished looking man and woman pairing. The female Mytelene nodded, and 
Nereida smiled pleasantly. "Welcome back. Did you bring General Nevenheim?"

	"Err... I..." he stammered, unable to form a response.

	"Pardon my interrupting," Kyrina said breathily, attempting to 
regain some control over her faculties, "but could someone explain what's 
going on here?"

	Standing, Tavia smiled wearily and stepped toward Kyrina. The elf's 
eyes tracked her movements, cataloging the people present; Reid and Alyssa 
she recognized, and the woman seated at the head could only be Princess 
Nereida of Lierstam, judging by Alaric's reaction. Lierni was an obvious 
fixture, discussing something with Charlotte in a corner, but the pair 
standing next to Alyssa, as well as a man in dark black leaning against a 
wall, were mysteries to her.

	"It's a long story. Princess, this is Kyrina, our resident scouting 
expert and archer. Kyrina, this is Nereida, Princess of Lierstam," Tavia 
explained, her voice smooth, as if she'd practiced this.

	Nereida stood and nodded at Kyrina, the room's chatter beginning 
again. "Former princess, now a humble woman only," she said carefuly, 
smiling slightly at the elf. "I can only guess since she is not here now 
that you couldn't secure the General's services. A pity, because she is one 
of the most talented field generals I can think of, but we can probably 
succeed without her."

	"I'm sorry, Tavia," Kyrina said slowly, eyeing Nereida briefly and 
then focusing her attention solely on the resistance commander. "We did 
manage to get in to see the General, but she had... some problems of her own 
to work out," the elf said hesitantly, attempting to keep Tavia from the 
same worries Aisha had planted her in her own mind. She looked to Alaric to 
see if he had anything to add, but the rune-user seemed nearly catatonic, 
staring between his sister and Nereida, as if trying to puzzle something 
out.

	Tavia smiled, leading Kyrina back toward the table and signaling to 
the young man in black, who silently followed behind them to the head of the 
table, where Tavia retook her seat next to Nereida and then beckoned for 
Kyrina to sit also. "It's fine. Believe it or not, Pri... Nereida has 
offered us her services as strategist for the time being."

	Kyrina couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Forgive me, Tavia, Your 
Highness, but I hardly think being royalty alone makes one qualified to lead 
troops into battle..."

	"The Ansuros have always been martial geniuses," Alaric suddenly 
chimed in, standing behind Kyrina's chair. "They're known for their clever 
but occasionally brutal tactics."

	Tavia winced, but Nereida remained implacable. "It's true that a 
somewhat bloody tradition runs in my family. Rest assured, however, that if 
needless bloodshed were my goal, then I wouldn't be here helping you, would 
I?"

	"As opposed to languishing in Lierstam while the governmental unrest 
puts you in a dangerous position?" Alaric suddenly snapped, anger boiling to 
the surface.

	"Alaric!" Tavia and Kyrina said as one, but the princess put out her 
hand, stopping them.

	"The Mytelene family has a geniune and honest grievance with the 
nation of Lierstam. I will be more than happy to answer for those crimes... 
but right now, this army needs my skills and please forgive my arrogance, 
but you will not survive without them. Your sister has seen clear to fight 
down her rage for the time being... though it took some explaining," Nereida 
said with a rueful smile, rubbing a slight bruise on her cheek. "But if you 
truly care about these people and this cause, Alaric, then I ask you to 
trust me for the time being."

	There were moments of tense silence, before the blonde sighed and 
bowed his head. "You're right. Tavia, you have my apologies for 
second-guessing your decision."

	"And mine," Kyrina chimed in. "I'll reserve my judgement of you 
until after the battle, Princess. If Tavia puts her faith in you, then I can 
also." She glanced at the man in black, then back at Tavia. "What's the 
plan?"

	Tavia glanced at Nereida, who nodded, then back at Kyrina, pointing 
a hand at the man in black, whose face was permanently scowled, much like 
Luc's. "This is Kojiro... of the ninja clan that attacked Lierni in Eregon. 
He has agreed, for the time being, to help us."

	"If only to see you fall from greater heights," the ninja said in a 
low, raspy voice. "I have no interest in your survival, but your fates 
appear to be linked with mine for now."

	"In any event, Kojiro infiltrated the mercenaries, and between his 
information and Kaleen's recon, we've placed them as the Viper Fang Lancer 
Corps."

	Alaric blinked. "The fiercest mercenary army in either kingdom, at 
least by reputation. Led by Garnof Venomspear. Dear god, that's insane! We 
can't match them..."

	Kyrina shushed him with a hand. "There were 6000 of them at last 
count. Have their numbers changed?"

	"Not overtly, no," Nereida put in. "But the Viper Fang are 
incredibly well-trained. We might as well be facing a force of 8000 regular 
troops."

	Tavia nodded. "We have, at best, 4000 regular soldiers and perhaps 4 
'elite' units, including Luc and Lierni's respective magic units, and Kaleen 
and Werner's archer units."

	"But we have the advantage of strategy," Nereida said, finishing the 
back-and-forth. "The Viper Fang are successful mainly due to their insane 
fighting skill and bloodlust. They are exceptional infantry... but there is 
one brain for 6000 men, and that brain is in Garnof Venomspear's body. They 
occasionally make some unexpected tactical maneuvers, but in general, their 
strategy is to charge at the opponent and hit it until it stops moving, to 
coin a phrase."

	Kyrina nodded. "So you're going to use some sort of trick to wear 
them down before they can even get that close?"

	"Precisely. We're going to blockade the only paths that are anywhere 
close to direct, and force them to split around the lake. Archers will be 
waiting in the cliffs to pick them off from a distance before then even get 
here. By then we should have a force that can, if not defeat them, then at 
least hold them off."

	There was a moment of silence, then Kyrina smiled faintly. "I have 
to admit, Your Highness, it is a pretty good strategy. Hopefully it will 
work."

	Smiling, Tavia stood up. "I have to take care of some things... 
Alaric, Kojiro, if you don't mind, I'd like you to come with me for now."

	"Sure... I'll see you later, right?" Alaric responded, turning the 
final comment at Kyrina, who nodded. "Good. I'm all yours, Tavia. You too, 
tall, dark, and spooky."

	Grunting annoyance, the ninja followed Alaric and Tavia out of the 
room. There was a leaden pause, before the elf cleared her throat and 
glanced at Nereida, who watched them retreat expectantly.

	"There's a reason you're not sending me out with an archer unit, 
isn't there?" the elf asked pointedly, frowning faintly. "If you think I'm 
incompetent because I didn't kidnap Nevenheim, then I should tell y--"

	Nereida smiled. "Oh, nothing of the sort. In fact, I have something 
very specific in mind for you and Master Arondight."

	"Did someone say my name?" Reid said, turning around and glancing at 
the table. "Oh. Hello, Kyrina... welcome back."

	Her smile taking on a somewhat sardonic tone, Nereida motioned Reid 
over. "Oh yes, you two have something special indeed to do. But let's just 
keep it between us, okay?"

				*****

Stars Recruited: Kojiro, the Chikou (Earthbound Affinity) Star

Author's Notes:

(Kate Malloy)
This was unexpected, but very fun to write. It's been a while since my last 
DS chapter, and it was nice to get back into the world again. ^_^ Distant 
Shores is definitely my favorite Impro, and now I'm really looking forward 
to writing for it in the future.

(Scott Schimmel)
Another fill-in segment.  I wish it hadn't been timed to coincide with 
Ultra, but fortunately, there are a lot of co-authors both there and here.  
Thanks to the various people who provided ideas for the Alyssa/Nereida 
scene.  Hope you liked it.

(Todd Harper)
Please excuse me while my head explodes. @_@ I get a job and have to prepare 
to move, and then I'm elected to adminhood of the chibis, and what happens? 
I get to coordinate a transitional plot part because of unfortunate 
circumstances with ColdFury's move. Yegods. Anyhow. This isn't high art, but 
hopefully it's the setup required for the story to move on. Thanks a TON to 
Scott and Kate for helping in the clinch, and to Illyria for nailing my 
proverbial hand to the table. Kanpai!