A brief glimpse into the mind of Ursula, of the Black Fang. (Takes place during the chapter, "Battle Before Dawn".) ***** Fire Emblem fanfic: "Ride of the Valkyrie" by Avi They come now. Lord Eliwood's little band of toy soldiers... That idealistic fool. They've just entered the castle, my minions tell me. But we are the Black Fang, and we cannot be stopped. They are weak, and our numbers are greater... Despite the betrayal of those two traitors. Hmph. I always supected the Angel of Death might break his leash, one day; but that little twit, Nino... I would've thought the ties to her mother would've been far too tough to sever. She should've been thankful to be given such opportunity to prove herself! Instead, she threw it away... Sonia was right; she was nothing but a weak child. Ungrateful fool! What I wouldn't give for a mother like that! ... No matter. Unlike her, I will always be Lady Sonia's most loyal servant. Even if others might try to steal her regard away from me... Like Vaida... That uppity bitch! How dare she presume to serve Sonia better than I; I, who have served my lady faithfully, and for far longer! She's a mere upstart compared to I! I know I should not question my mistress's orders, but... How could she even consider that someone like *her* could take care of that meddlesome lordling and his pack of fools? She's nothing but a bloodthirsty savage! Still... I knew Vaida would fail. Actually, I made sure she failed, by giving that foolish follower of Eliwood's one of my precious Hammerne staves. But that was a mere trifle, if it would guarantee me the chance of glory... In her eyes. And so, I was granted the honour of supervising the death of the Crown Prince of Bern himself... And given strict orders to carry out, should the assassination attempt fail... *** So now, I stand here in darkness, awaiting the approach of my enemies... I cannot even contemplate failure. Besides, my magic is powerful, and far-reaching... All will fall before they can even begin to approach me. And once I succeed in my mission, my power will know no bounds... I will be rewarded by Lord Nergal himself, and be praised handsomely by Lady Sonia. The death of a petty prince is a small price to pay, for that. And yet... I sense someone coming for me, in the dark... The minions who circle me fall, one by one. My magic... My magic cannot stop them! I cast spell after spell, but still they come... I feel a weapon cut into my side... Then again. And again. My grip upon my horse's reins slackens, and slowly, I find myself sliding off the saddle. I fall from darkness, into further darkness. And then... Nothing. Lady Sonia... Forgive me... ***** Copyright, Aviatrix8, 2007. Fire Emblem and all related characters are property of Nintendo et al., and are used without permission.