Not long ago, at Canaan Castle.
Canaan Castle was a bastion of solid stone. Its walls were so thick and its ramparts so high that even an Emblem Holder would have found them nearly impossible to breach. Situated on the western edge of the Arcadia Kingdom, it was a provisional, austere fortress designed specifically to weather a Dragonia invasion.
Besieged within were Princess Scarlett and her one thousand knights. Driven back by the Dragonia forces, they had retreated to this castle to make their final stand.
High upon the ramparts, they fended off the Dragonia knights as they scaled the walls, picking them off on the landings where they could exploit local numerical advantages. However, the army massed below numbered at least five thousand.
"Princess, please fall back! It is too dangerous for you here!"
"Don’t treat me like some frail damsel, Reinhardt."
She was twenty-eight years old. Her body was lean and honed by years of training, and her flaming red hair cascaded down to her waist. She possessed a beauty often described as ruinous, yet her skill with a blade was equal to any Knight Commander.
She cut down the invading knights with her own sword. Though she was royalty, the sight of her standing at the absolute vanguard served as the emotional pillar for every soldier present.
"Honestly... you are quite a handful."
"I leave my back to you, my knight—Reinhardt."
"Understood! Even at the cost of my life!"
By her side stood a man well-known throughout the Arcadia Kingdom—the Three-Star Knight, Reinhardt. With his black hair neatly tied back, he was the personification of stoic loyalty and discipline.
The sun was setting on an invasion that had begun at dawn. For over half a day, they had held on by a thread in a grueling struggle for survival.
"Good, this spot will hold for now. Follow me, Reinhardt! The west gate is starting to buckle!"
"I will follow you to the end!"
Under normal circumstances, Canaan Castle should have fallen hours ago. It was only through the extraordinary efforts of these two that the defense remained intact.
Even so, they were walking on thin ice. Sitting amidst dozens of corpses, caked in blood and grime, both were reaching the absolute limit of their endurance.
"Huff... huff... How long has it been? Since we were backed into a corner like this?"
"Not since the war with Odixia, I think. I truly believed we were finished then."
"Haha, I remember. We fled while covered in blood and survived by splitting a loaf of rotten bread in that abandoned shack."
"Princess, you always insist on standing too far forward. Please, think of my nerves for once."
Leaning against the cold stone wall, they gasped for air. Scarlett turned to Reinhardt and gave him a bright, confident grin.
"I can only keep looking forward because you are there. Thank you for always watching my back, Reinhardt."
"That's unfair of you... But I suppose it can't be helped. This sword was dedicated to you long ago."
"A weakness for love, then."
"Wh-what?! I—I have no such impure thoughts!"
It was then.
CRASH!
The precarious balance finally shattered.
The ramparts on the opposite side were overrun. Knights poured over the top and descended into the courtyard, throwing open the castle gates from the inside.
A deluge of enemy soldiers swarmed through. Canaan Castle had fallen. Flames erupted across the grounds as the Dragonia forces surged in.
"Princess, please, you must escape! If you go alone, you might still make it!"
"Don't be absurd. If I flee, morale will vanish. The power of the Emblems won't be supplied, and the battle will end in an instant!"
"But! The kingdom exists because you exist! You must survive, no matter what!"
"You're wrong, Reinhardt. A kingdom exists because of its people. I exist because of all of you. That is why the only thing I can do now is—!"
Scarlett raised her sword high, her voice ringing out alongside the brilliant glow of her Emblem.
"Do not despair, my knights! I will not permit you to give up until I am dead! Endure! Help is coming!"
""Ooooooh!""
Morale surged one last time. She had lit a fire in their failing hearts, forcing the defenders to rally for one final push.
But the enemies were too many.
Scarlett and her inner circle were quickly surrounded. The Dragonia knights who had breached the interior were elite veterans, and the fighting grew desperate.
"So, you're the one they call Reinhardt!"
"Tch! An elite unit?"
"There’s Scarlett! Kill her! Now!"
""YEAH!""
With the gates wide open, the enemy wave became a tide. Scarlett and Reinhardt were torn apart by the sheer pressure of the onslaught. They fought valiantly, but the Arcadian knights were being drowned in a sea of Dragonia steel.
The battle was over.
"Princess!"
"I will not surrender, Reinhardt. I will fight until the end."
Reinhardt was pinned down, surrounded by enemies. Scarlett was cornered, with no path for escape.
Still, Reinhardt cut through the elites with frantic strength. But he was blocked. He couldn't reach her.
An enemy knight lunged at Scarlett. She parried, but another blade caught her from behind. Blood sprayed as she collapsed to her knees.
A sword was raised high above her. Reinhardt reached out, his fingers straining, but he was too far away.
"Damn it! Someone! Anyone! Please!"
The Dragonia blade began its descent. Reinhardt lunged desperately, but he was too slow. No one was close enough to stop it.
The steel swept down toward her neck.
"Someone, save the Princess!"
CLANG!
The strike was parried.
In the midst of the chaotic melee, Reinhardt’s eyes widened at the sight visible through the gaps in the crowd. Scarlett, still on her knees, was struck speechless.
Every knight present—Arcadian and Dragonian alike—felt as if time had stopped for a single, breathless moment.