| abstract | - (Inside Castle Renvall, Valter flies in. Tirado, who was sitting on the throne, vacates his seat for Valter.)
* Tirado: What a pleasant surprise. It's Master Valter.
* Valter: What's the situation, Tirado? You have captured Ephraim, haven't you?
* Tirado: No. Prince Ephraim still fights in the lands north of Renvall.
* Valter: And why is that? What has happened to all those mercenaries you hired?
* Tirado: They've proven to be less than adequate. Ephraim's clever. His band strikes quickly and then vanishes into the woods. We more than double his numbers, and yet he uses the terrain wisely to fight us.He has no army--just a small force of knights loyal to Renais. Prince Ephraim's reputation as a superb strategist would seem to be well earned.
* Valter: Hmm... How interesting. The lad's beginning to whet my appetite. Tirado... Bring him to me as quickly as you can, will you?
* Tirado: As you command. Just grant me an army, and I'll bring him down swiftly.
* Valter: What sort of plan do you have?
* Tirado: Master, I am your loyal adjutant, and you are my general. For you, my lord, I have many plans ready and waiting.
* Valter: Really? Well then, let me hear them.
* Tirado: Very well. First, you and I will leave this fort and head north. Then, we will find Prince Ephraim in his leafy playpen.
* Valter: But he's not easily found, is he?
* Tirado: Do not worry. At Prince Ephraim's side is... a friend, shall we say. When the time is right, our friend will move on our behalf... (In a nearby forest)
* Ephraim: Forde, how are we on supplies and equipment?
* Forde: It's not looking good. Our weapons are in bad shape, and we're running low on food. We can probably restock at a nearby village, but--
* Ephraim: No, that's not an option. We're in enemy territory. I will not involve innocents if I can avoid it.
* Forde: Yeah, I knew you'd say that. I mean, it's because of stuff like that that we've stuck with you so far. But eventually, we do need to face reality. What are we going to do?
* Kyle: Word of mouth has it that the invasion of Renais has progressed quite far. I've heard that the capital has fallen.
* Ephraim: Hm... So soon... Still, my father is in the capital, and he won't surrender easily. Forde, Kyle. Our mission here is to harry the troops, to distract their eye. Hopefully, we'll be able to give my father and Eirika time to escape. Kyle, have you heard anything from Orson? I sent him ahead to scout.
* Kyle: No word yet, and it's about time he returned...
* Orson: Reporting in, Prince Ephraim. I can confirm Grado presence at several points around our camp. Also, a large battalion of soldiers has been dispatched from Renvall. We shouldn't tarry here any longer than necessary...
* Ephraim: I see.
* Forde: Seems as though we've certainly caught Grado's eye this time. Should we retreat back to the capital, Prince Ephraim?
* Ephraim: No. We press onward. We're going to capture Renvall.
* Forde: Wh-what?!? (Ephraim's group arrives outside of Renvall)
* Ephraim: So this is Renvall, is it? All right, let's go.
* Forde: Um... Are you...sure you're quite sane, Prince Ephraim? We've an entire army after us, and you want to charge their stronghold?
* Kyle: Forde! Watch your tongue! This is our prince you're addressing!
* Ephraim: Kyle, please, it's all right. We've heard nothing from home, so what harm could a little reckless besieging cause?
* Kyle: Prince Ephraim...
* Ephraim: Don't worry. I haven't lost all sense of self-preservation. Renvall holds an important place in Grado's national defense. If we can get the upper hand and take control of it, then Grado will waste many valuable soldiers trying to take it back. I hope our attack proves useful to my father and Eirika.
* Forde: I understand what you're saying, but... can we do it with our current strength?
* Ephraim: Every soldier in this area is trying to find us. The enemy has us vastly outnumbered. Attacking the castle is a ridiculous idea. If the enemy thinks the same... then we may have our opening.
* Forde: You have a point. I'm sure Renvall won't expect us to attack with these numbers. Either way, we can't run forever. And we're running out of supplies. What've we got to lose? Shall we get ready to go?
* Ephraim: Yes. If we don't move quickly, we may never get another chance. Trust me. I don't pick fights I cannot win.
* Kyle: Yes, sir! (Inside Renvall, at the throne)
* Zonta: An attack? By Ephraim's troops? To arms! Prince Ephraim's circled around and brought the fight to us! If we capture the prince here, we can line our pockets with gold! Do you understand? We'll be rich! (At Ephraim's starting point)
* Ephraim: Orson.
* Orson: Yes...
* Ephraim: Your wounds still haven't healed from that last battle, have they? Don't push yourself. If we're defeated, you must return to Frelia. Understood?
* Orson: Understood...
* Ephraim: Let's go! Kyle! Forde!
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