WHEEEE AUTHORS' NOTES. This is a short one – I promise. This is NOT a novelization of Fire Emblem: Awakening. Why?
1) "Robin" isn't the protagonist (and I put that name in quotes because it's better than calling her "the Avatar").
2) Ilina, the actual protagonist of this little thing, has her memory mostly intact, and she doesn't start off as a badass (I honestly don't know what my deal is with writing wimpy protagonists, sorry).
3) How do I put this in the least spoilery way possible? Hmm… I'm not considering the SpotPass paralogues as canon in this, so that particular set of characters won't be present.
Enjoy!
Her entire body was shaking, though whether from fear or excitement, she didn't know. All she knew was that the tall, dark-skinned, dark-haired man before her sent cold waves of fear and terror coursing through her, and that the blue-haired man fighting him made her feel safe and calm. She clutched her mother's staff tightly, raising it and casting a spell almost subconsciously before the dark-skinned man struck the blue-haired man.
The blue-haired man barely stumbled from the blow, thanks to the purplish barrier forming in front of him, and she didn't so much run to him as let her feet carry her there. "Chrom!" The name seemed to claw its way out of her throat, regardless of the jumbled mess that was currently her mind.
"I'm all right," the blue-haired man choked out. She released the breath she didn't even realize she was holding as he pointed his sword at the dark-skinned man, and she clutched her tome tightly as she stepped behind him. Chrom glanced at her over his shoulder. "Are you ready?" She nodded, though she didn't feel ready in the slightest. "Come. Let's make a future our children can be proud of."
Ah, so this Chrom was her husband, and they had more than one child waiting for them. Though she couldn't, for the life of her, wonder when she'd had children, or when she'd married, or when she'd met this Chrom in the first place. Still, she nodded. "R-Right."
The dark-skinned man laughed, and a shiver ran down her spine. "Why do you resist?" he asked in a low voice. "You cannot erase what has already been written!"
Chrom released a yell as he charged toward the dark-skinned man, brandishing his sword. He swung at the man, and was rewarded with a blast of dark magic. She waved her arm as he fell, sending a wave of thunder magic shooting at the dark-skinned man. Chrom visibly relaxed and smiled triumphantly at her as the dark-skinned man fell to his knees. "This isn't over…" the dark-skinned man growled as darkness began to swirl around him. Chrom whirled around to face him as the dark-skinned man staggered to his feet. "Damn you both!"
She moved on instinct as an orb of dark energy hurdled towards them, shoving Chrom out of the way with all the strength she could muster. The dark magic hit her square in the chest, and pain radiated through her body. Whether she screamed or not, she could only guess. All she knew was that she was falling, that the pain was quickly disappearing, and that Chrom was safe and unharmed.
"Ilina!"
Ah, so that was her name.
One of Chrom's arms was around her shoulders, propping her up, and the other grasped her hand tightly. Behind him, she could see the darkness – and the dark-skinned man – disappearing altogether. "That's the end of him," Chrom sighed. "We can rest easy now." Suddenly, her vision was filled with red, and burning, searing pain filled her head. As if from far away, she heard her staff and tome falling to the ground as she put both her hands on her head. Chrom looked to her. "What's wrong?" Red pulsated through her vision, and her head swam. "Ilina—" There was a spike of tremendous pain, and it was as if something was shoving her aside in her mind. "Hang on!" The next thing she knew, he was lifting her off the ground. Her body grew almost unbearably cold, and she was falling once again.
Only this time, a sort of dagger made of thunder magic was protruding from Chrom's chest, and thunder magic crackled in her own hands. "No…" she whispered as she scrambled over to him.
Chrom grasped her wrists tightly, his face growing pale. "This is not your… your fault…" he grunted. His grip grew weaker by the second. "Promise me… you'll escape from this place… Please… go…" His hands slipped off of hers as he keeled over. She could barely hear the dark-skinned man laughing over her own screaming…
… and then her eyes fluttered open, only to see Chrom himself hovering above her, along with a girl with blonde pigtails. "Ch-Chrom…"
"Oh gods, we thought you were dead!" the girl wailed.
"Are you all right?" Chrom asked gently. Ilina could feel his hand on her back as he propped her up. Actually, it was just like…
"No!" she shrieked suddenly as she shoved him away, backing away from him. If she wasn't careful, she'd…
But then she hit something hard, and when she looked up, she could see a tall, brown-haired man in a suit of armor. "Milord, perhaps we should take her to the nearest medic," he said stiffly.
"Hey, it's all right," the girl said gently, crouching down in front of her. "We won't hurt you."
But it wasn't that – it wasn't that at all. Chrom simply smiled and stretched his hand out to her. "Here."
For reasons she didn't understand, she took his hand, and he helped her to her feet. "Th-Thank you…"
"All right, so what was it?" the girl asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Bandits? Brigands? Violent merchants with overpriced goods?"
"What milady means to ask is how you ended up in this situation," the armored man clarified.
"I…" But Ilina's mind hit a wall. "Wh-What…? How did I…?"
"Why don't you start with your name?" Chrom suggested.
"Ilina," she answered easily; despite the overwhelming confusion and disorientation, at least she could recall her own name.
"Hey, I know you!" the girl gasped. "You're that flower girl!"
"'Flower girl'?" Chrom echoed. He tilted his head to the side as he stared at her, and his eyebrows furrowed. "You…"
"Well…" Ilina said slowly. "My mother and I run a flower shop in Ylisstol. Although… I don't recall meeting any of you."
"And yet you can easily recall milord's name," the armored man said dryly. "Can you provide any proof of identification?"
"My mother can…" Ilina started. She placed her hand under her chin and frowned contemplatively. "No, that's not good enough… Hmm…"
Chrom sighed. "Regardless, it wouldn't do to leave her here, alone and confused. What kind of Shepherds would we be then?"
"Shepherds…?" Ilina echoed. "Wait, do you know…?" But her mind was already racing forward too quickly for her to completely follow, and a flood of memories came back in a rush. She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "P-Prince Chrom and Princess Lissa?"
The girl – how could she not have noticed that it was the princess? – simply giggled. "That's us!"
Ilina immediately dipped into the most polite curtsey she could manage. "F-Forgive my dreadful manners, your grace."
Chrom simply chuckled. "No need for such formalities," he said. "Just 'Chrom' is fine."
"B-But I…" Ilina stammered. "A-And after you…"
"Hey, don't worry about it," Lissa said cheerfully. "Anyone would be jumpy after… After…" She trailed off as she frowned in confusion. "What happened to you, anyway?"
Ilina sighed; she'd really hoped she wouldn't have to explain this. "I'm sorry… I don't know why, but… I-I can't really… remember… what happened after I left home." Her satchel was still intact, with enough money to sustain herself, so it was safe to assume that she hadn't been attacked by bandits or brigands… But if it wasn't them who'd attacked her, then who was it? Her head was starting to throb, and she pressed a hand against her forehead to stave it off.
"Maybe you do need a medic," Chrom said. "Once we get to town, we can—"
"Chrom, look!" Lissa cried suddenly. "The town!"
In the distance, Ilina could see clouds of smoke rising into the air – from burning buildings, no doubt. "Frederick, Lissa, let's go!" Chrom said, and the three of them took off immediately.
Ilina sighed as she bent down to pick up her mother's staff. I should help them, she told herself. … but I'll just get in their way… Still, for reasons she didn't understand, she ran after them, as quickly as her feet would carry her.
Chrom, Lissa, and the armored man Frederick had their weapons (and staff, in Lissa's case) brandished. "Wait!" Ilina cried as she finally caught up with them, panting. "Let me help. If there's anything I can…"
Chrom eyed her staff almost suspiciously. "So you know magic, then?"
"Only a little," Ilina admitted. "But…" One bandit approached Chrom from behind, brandishing his axe. With the way his arm was raised, it didn't look like he had a very high chance of hitting Chrom at all. But somewhere along the way, when the axe was hurdling through the air, heading straight for Chrom, Ilina panicked and raised her staff in the air, and a purplish light surrounded Chrom. The axe, surprisingly, made its mark, though it barely hurt Chrom at all.
"Here, sheepy…" the bandit snarled. "Come to slaughter!"
"Oh no…" Lissa whimpered as she raised her own staff to heal Chrom's wounds. "This is really bad!"
"He's not very heavily armed," Ilina said as she stared at the bandit. "His armor consists of just the clothes on his back, and the only weapon he has is that axe of his…" She stepped on it before the bandit could get to it. "And he doesn't appear to be in the healthiest condition himself. I mean, you could easily kill him in—" Frederick ran his lance directly through the bandit. "… one strike," Ilina finished lamely.
"So you understood all of that from just looking at him?" Chrom asked, sounding impressed.
"I…" It wasn't like she'd done anything special, after all.
"It appears that you are not quite as helpless as you say you are," Frederick said stiffly.
"Isn't that a good thing, though?" Lissa asked. "But why are bandits coming to Southtown, of all places? There's nothing here!"
"Did you notice, milord?" Frederick asked. "The brigands spoke with a Plegian accent."
"I can't take this anymore!" Lissa grumbled. "Every single time, it's the poor townsfolk who suffer…"
"They do have us, milady," Frederick told her. "Shepherds to protect the sheep. Do not be swept up in your anger; it will cloud your judgment."
Lissa sighed irritably. "I know, I know…"
For the next few hours, they helped repair some of the damage the bandits had done to Southtown, and by the end, Ilina was absolutely exhausted. She sank into a bench after she was done with her duties (Frederick, Chrom, and even Lissa had insisted on doing the more strenuous work), sighing as she let her staff rest on her lap. And then, she let her mind wander.
Why did she dream of Chrom and herself fighting some sorcerer? Why was she fighting at all, when she could barely use her mother's staff to defend herself? Why did Chrom place so much trust in her, little more than a civilian, when he had the rest of the Shepherds available to fight by his side?
You're overthinking this. It was nothing more than a fantasy you concocted – a fantasy where you did more with your life, where you were more important than you are now.
… but why would a fantasy end with her killing Chrom? With thunder magic, no less, when she barely knew how to use her own staff?
Surprisingly, Chrom chose to sit next to her not too long afterward. "You all right?"
"I'm fine," Ilina replied. "Just tired."
"Will you be able to start traveling tonight?" he asked her.
"Tonight?" Ilina echoed. "I-I was going to stay at an inn tonight and leave tomorrow morning…"
"Yes," Chrom said, nodding once. "However, the roads have been dangerous, as of late. Considering the condition in which we found you, it wouldn't do to have you make the journey back without assistance."
Ilina sucked in a breath and clutched her staff tightly; sure, she still felt rather disoriented and even slightly ill, but that was no reason for Chrom to go out of his way to help her. "Th-Thank you, but—"
"Not to mention, you aren't in much of a condition to travel at all, let alone travel alone," Chrom continued. "I'm sure you'd be more comfortable visiting a medic closer to your own home, correct?"
Ilina sighed. Everything Chrom was saying was absolutely true, and she could only think that she must have done something amazingly noble to earn such kindness from him. "I wouldn't want to slow you down," she whispered.
"But we can't exactly leave you in good conscience," Chrom retorted, smiling. "You can even ride on Frederick's horse if you feel too exhausted to walk."
Ilina couldn't help but smile at that. "Thank you, sire. I don't think I will ever be able to repay your kindness."
Chrom chuckled. "If anything, I am repaying you for your assistance today."
Frederick approached them on horseback, with Lissa sitting in front of him. "Shall we set out, milord?"
Chrom looked to Ilina. "Ready?"
Ilina just smiled and nodded.
Ilina woke up to whispering voices. "Something is amiss," Chrom said.
"Define 'something,'" Lissa retorted.
"I'm not sure… I think I'll have a look around."
Ilina sat up gingerly, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "Wh-What happened?"
Frederick stirred next to her, lifting his head only slightly to look at Chrom. "Milord?"
"Frederick, something might be wrong," Lissa almost whimpered, looking more subdued than Ilina had ever seen her.
"If you wish to scour the perimeter, milord, then allow me to accompany you," Frederick said as he stood up, his armor clunking around as he did so.
"And leave Lissa and Ilina defenseless?" Chrom asked.
"That's why we're coming, too!" Lissa said.
"But—" Chrom tried protesting.
"It's all right," Ilina said as she stood up and dusted her skirt off. "I want to help."
And nothing was there – everything was dark, and the woods were empty, and no matter how far they walked, there was nothing but trees, grass, and endless sky. But then there was this strange, oppressive feeling that Ilina just couldn't shake off, despite Chrom and Frederick's calming presence. "Does the air feel… heavy to you?"
"I feel it, too…" Lissa mumbled.
"Something is wrong here…" Chrom mused, stopping and reaching for his sword experimentally.
Frederick, however, had no such qualms, as he was just a short step away from outright swinging his lance around. "Reveal yourself!"
At that, the ground began to shudder, and Lissa and Ilina screamed. "Gods!" Chrom cursed. "What is this madness?"
"Milord!" Frederick yelled as he pointed toward a group of trees a little ways away. The ground was cracking, half of it rising, and a wall of fire burst out from the crack.
"Everyone, run!" Chrom ordered. Without warning, he grabbed Ilina's hand and began to drag her behind him, as Lissa and Frederick ran ahead of them. Around them, flaming rocks were falling, and it wasn't until they jumped off a ledge that they were at least relatively safe.
Ilina sank to her knees in exhaustion, panting. "Wh-What was that?"
"Is everyone unharmed?" Frederick asked.
"Chrom, what is that?" Lissa was pointing towards the sky, where there was a giant flash of light. A glowing bluish circle appeared, and several figures fell from it. Something that sounded like growling filled the air, and a shiver ran down Ilina's spine.
Chrom drew his sword, and Frederick had his lance at the ready. "Lissa, Ilina," Chrom said urgently, "you'd better stand back!" The figures that fell from the circle staggered towards them, their glowing red eyes drifting everywhere.
"Th-They're strong…" Ilina whispered as she stared intently at one. "Much stronger than the bandits back in Southtown. They're heavily armed, and they don't seem… human…"
"Frederick!" Chrom barked.
"On your mark, milord," the knight answered.
Chrom gave a yell as he swung his sword at one of the creatures, and Ilina winced as it swerved cleanly out of the way. Frederick followed up with an attack of his own, and though his lance hit the creature, it only served to knock the creature off its feet. Chrom leapt upward, stabbing his sword downward, and the creature disappeared into wispy black smoke.
Ilina sighed in relief, but then another cornered her and Lissa, forcing them to back up to a rocky wall. Ilina stood in front of Lissa, her staff raised as she conjured a too weak barrier that would only barely reduce the damage the creature's weapons would cause, at best. The creature raised its weapon, and Ilina squeezed her eyes shut as she grasped her staff tightly, hoping the barrier would be enough to protect them, even though she knew for a fact that it wouldn't be.
But the blow never came. Instead, there was the sound of clashing metal. In the end, her curiosity overcame her fear, and she opened her eyes slowly to look at what exactly stopped the blow. In front of her was a rather thin boy with dark blue hair and a red cape, standing with his blade locked against the creature's. He jerked his head in Chrom's direction. "Help!"
"Right!" Ilina heard Chrom say over everything else that was going on. Chrom yelled once more as he charged toward the creature, distracting it as the boy before her drew his blade away slightly. They twirled their blades in perfect unison and slashed at the creature, destroying it.
And then, all was quiet. Lissa grabbed Ilina's arm to steady herself, and Ilina found herself leaning on Lissa to stand, as her shaking legs threatened to give out under her at a moment's notice. Their savior – Ilina realized just now that he was wearing a mask that covered his eyes – turned away and sheathed his sword. "Quite an entrance," Chrom said almost nonchalantly.
But there was something about the boy that Ilina couldn't quite put her finger on. She felt… comfortable around him, almost as if… "Do I know you from somewhere?" she asked before she could stop herself. The boy merely looked in her direction, but refused to say a word, and Ilina tightened her grip on her staff self-consciously. "Um… Th-Thank you so much for saving us."
"Milord! Milady!" Frederick's horse galloped towards them, his expression frantic. "I've managed to dispatch of the rest of those… things… in the perimeter. Are you unharmed?"
"Yeah, thanks to this guy!" Lissa said excitedly, gesturing toward the masked boy.
"You have my gratitude for saving my sister and friend's lives," Chrom told him. "My name is Chrom. May I ask yours?"
The boy paused, and Ilina could swear that he looked briefly in her direction. "You may call me Marth."
"Marth?" Ilina echoed. "After the hero-king?"
"Well, you certainly fight like a hero, at any rate," Chrom said. "Where did you learn to use a sword like that?"
"I'm not here to talk about myself," the boy snapped, his voice cracking. "This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned."
"Huh?" Lissa shrieked. "What's teetering where now?"
"Wait!" Ilina called as Marth walked away.
"I wager we'll hear his name again," Frederick said in a low voice.
Ilina could only sigh as Marth seemed to disappear into a copse of trees, unable to shake off the feeling that there was something about him that was seriously wrong.
I am the noob to end all Fire Emblem noobs. I didn't know Fire Emblem was a thing until I played Super Smash Bros. And then my first foray into the series was the newest game. I'm doing my best to compensate with research, though. If you don't mind all of that, and you cared enough to finish this whole chapter, please review!
