I Do Not Own Fire Emblem Or Most Of The Characters Within This Story
The years following the war were peaceful. Chrom took his place at the throne as the rightful Exalt of Ylisse. The continent saw an age of peace as Plegia reconstructed their country, accepting reality now that the Fell Dragon had been defeated. The new king worked hard to destroy the grudges that his people held against any worshipper of Naga. Many of the extreme Grimleal still see the Halidom of Ylisse as an enemy, but the country as a whole seemed to have forgiven and forgotten.
Chrom sat impatiently, trying to read a message from Khan Flavia. However, he was too distracted to focus on his work; he was expecting some important information any minute now. Besides, Flavia would have come in person, or at least sent a messenger if there were a situation.
Chrom's advisor walked in, allowing Chrom to excuse himself from his work. He stood and walked up to his advisor.
Ricken had matured so much during the war. He seemed so much older now, although it had only been about three years since the end of the war.
"Cordelia came back without any luck." Ricken looked down as he said this. He knew Chrom would be disappointed. "She claims that he wasn't in any of the places you suggested."
Chrom sighed and turned around. He walked back over to his desk and sat down. He glanced back up at Ricken. "Thank you Ricken. Please give my thanks to Cordelia as well. She has been more than helpful to me in these last few years and I could never repay her for what she's done for me." He paused then spoke again. "I hope you realize how invaluable you've been to me as well."
Ricken's face lit up when he heard this. It wasn't uncommon to receive a compliment from the Exalt, but Chrom's approval was all he had wanted for almost his whole life. It was still very special to him. "Chrom, what I do for you is but nothing compared to what you do for the people of this country.
"Even so, your job is not to assist in my personal endeavors," Chrom insisted. "yet you have always been so loyal to me; and for that I am very grateful."
"I don't see this as just some errand the Exalt has sent me on." Ricken suddenly became a bit more defensive. "Robin was the best tactician that Ylisse has ever seen. Searching for him is not only a favor to you, but I see it as a service to our country." Chrom was speechless. He seemed ready to protest but Ricken wasn't quite finished. "And don't forget that he was our friend too, Chrom. All of us saw him as a friend—Cordelia, Sumia, Lissa. We would all do anything to see his return."
Chrom was silent. He rarely heard such things from Ricken. "Then I am sorry if I offended you. It certainly does go without saying that you are irreplaceable to me Ricken."
Ricken sighed. "You don't need to apologize to me." The door opened, and Sumia entered the room.
Sumia looked at Ricken. "I hope I'm not interrupting." She made eye contact with Chrom. "I'm sorry Ricken, but could you give my husband and I a moment?"
"Of course milady." Ricken answered before walking toward the door. He left the room and continued to walk down the hall until he found a room that he had become all too familiar with over the years. He walked in.
Ricken looked around the room. Lissa, Cordelia, and Sully were all sitting around a table in the center of the room. They all looked up at him as he entered. Cordelia seemed exhausted; yet she was still there. She was the first of them to speak up. "How did he take it?"
"He'll be okay." Ricken would never worry Cordelia by telling her how disappointed Chrom was. "He did tell me to thank you though."
"He doesn't need to thank me; it's my job." She said before standing up.
Ricken chuckled. "Don't worry, that's exactly what I told him."
She nodded. "Well I need to go rest up. If anyone needs me, I'm just going down to check the pegasi and then I'll probably be in my room for the rest of the night."
Sully stood up and stopped her from leaving. "Just get some sleep. I've taken care of horses; I can go make sure the pegasi are alright."
"No Sully, it's fine. I'd rather just do it myself. It's not that I don't trust you. I completely do. But I would like to be down there in case any messages come in. I must admit I'm a bit worried about Stahl."
Sully chuckled, still blocking cordelia's path. "I wouldn't worry. He's one of the best sparring partners I've ever had. I'm sure he's kicking arse over there."
Cordelia didn't look convinced. "Still, I would like to be aware if something were to happen."
"Alright, I understand. Just let me come with you. You'll get done quicker and I'll feel better."
Cordelia nodded and the two of them left, leaving Ricken and Lissa. Lissa watched them leave, and once she was sure they were gone, she spoke up. "Where is Stahl? I hadn't heard anything about this."
Ricken moved to sit at the table with Lissa. "We received a message from a village just outside of Ylisstol. It seems that a small naval fleet has attacked there. Chrom sent Stahl to check it out. It doesn't seem like much of a threat though; I wouldn't be worried."
Lissa bit her lip and looked down into her tea. "Where did they come from?"
Ricken finally took his eyes off of Lissa, looking down at his hands. "We're not sure. That's what we're hoping Stahl can find out."
The princess nodded, then drank from her tea. "It's cold now," she said with a stony face.
"Lissa, are you okay?" Ricken looked back into her eyes.
She finally looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "I just don't think I can handle another war." Her eyes began to swell up with tears. "I can watch anymore friends go down in battle!"
Ricken was taken aback by the shouting, but he quickly recovered. He knew how to talk to Lissa. "That won't happen again anytime soon, Lissa. I told you this fleet doesn't even seem like much of a problem."
"The Grimleal weren't much of a threat either until Validar took over!"
"I promise you that nothing will be as big a threat as Grima. Nothing could ever do as much damage as that beast. You've seen the worst, Lissa."
The princess had tears streaming down her face now. Ricken reached over and grabbed her hand. She looked up into his eyes once more. He smiled and squeezed her hand. Lissa couldn't help but smile back at him, though she was far from relaxed.
Sully and Cordelia had just about finished feeding the pegasi. Cordelia was paying extra attention to her own pegasus, making sure it was okay after such a tiring expedition.
"See, these guys are no different from the horses." Sully was pleased with herself for managing to do something unfamiliar to her.
"Thank you Sully. I'd like to finish up here, but I'm not sure I have the energy for it. Would you mind taking care of the last few?"
"Not at all!" Sully answered, walking over to her next pegasus. She gestured for Cordelia to leave. "You go get some sleep."
"Thanks, I will." Cordelia began to walk away from the stables. She stopped when she saw a pegasus trying to land there. "I was sure they were all there…" She wasn't sure who this rider was at all. However, she was certain that it was an inexperienced rider. They were having quite a hard time getting to the ground, and they were all over the place. When they finally landed, Cordelia saw a familiar face. They looked very scrambled from the flight. "What are you doing here?"
Sumia fiddled with her fingers. She didn't like to see Chrom so upset. She had seen too many days when Chrom would just isolate himself from anybody else. She knew that he regretted letting Robin make the final blow, but she had no idea how to get him to stop blaming himself. She wouldn't leave him alone, not today. She would never leave his side in a time like this. She wanted nothing more than to get Chrom's mind off of Robin, even if it meant using more bad news to distract him.
"I didn't want to tell you this, but you need to know. I received a message from Stahl before Cordelia arrived. He says that he may need help; it seems that more ships have joined in the fight." She stopped to see how Chrom was handling this. He had no visible emotion. She decided to continue. "I wouldn't tell Cordelia if I were you. She's awfully worried about Stahl. She would go to his aid in a heartbeat, but she is by no means fit for such a battle just yet."
Chrom considered what Sumia had just told him. He wanted to prevent this from escalating at all costs. "Right, well—"
He was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Yes?" He asked, slightly irritated from all of the information he had received today.
Cordelia and Sully lead a familiar pink-haired friend into the room.
"Olivia?" Sumia was shocked to see the dancer here. "Is there a problem in Regna Ferox?"
Olivia looked to Sumia. "Yes…Khan Flavia sent me. She requests the assistance of Ylisse." She looked to Chrom, making sure he could hear her. "A large naval fleet has attacked us from the North. We thought it was under control, but Khan Basilio is hurt…badly. If you will, we need your help as soon as it is available."
All eyes were on Chrom. In a time like this, Chrom would have looked to Robin. The role of tactician had somehow fallen onto his shoulders. "Of course Ferox will have our support, although I'm not sure how much we can help. We have also been attacked by a naval fleet. Olivia, do you know where your enemies hail from?"
"I-I'm not sure. I left for help as soon as things got serious. I even took a pegasus to get here faster. I'm not a very good rider…but I knew this was important."
"Well I'll have to go personally." Chrom looked around the room. He expected his companions to protest. But they all knew that Chrom would need to lead them if they planned to survive up there. "I'll bring Ricken and Lissa. I'll need Frederick by my side as well."
Cordelia seemed content with this plan. "Great, when do we leave?"
"Immediately, but you're not coming Cordelia. You need at least a day's rest. You can join us only after you are ready."
"I can fight now, Chrom. If you need me, I'll be there for you."
"No! You'll only get yourself killed if you aren't prepared!" Chrom had risen from his seat.
Cordelia nodded in defeat. Chrom turned to Sumia next. "Sumia, you aren't coming either. Lucina needs her mother here with her. She's too young to lose you."
Sumia nodded in agreement, although she felt the same way about Chrom. But she knew that Ferox needed him as well.
"Sully please stay here for a moment?" Chrom looked to the only one that hadn't spoken up yet. "Cordelia, please go get some rest. And Sumia, could you please show Olivia where she can stay until we are ready to go?" Sumia nodded and lead everyone out of the room.
"What do you need, Chrom?" Sully was curious to see why Chrom would want to speak to her alone.
"I need you to fight alongside Stahl. He needs help over there. As much as I need you in the fight at Ferox, I think Stahl might need you more." Chrom looked into Sully's eyes to see where she was with this plan.
She nodded. "He and I always made a great team. I'll gladly help him. And when it's safe over there, I'll bring him to come meet you up in Ferox."
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear." Chrom smiled at Sully
She smiled back. "I'll leave right away. Good luck up there." With that she left, closing the door behind her.
Chrom sat back down with a sigh. "This has been too much for one day." He put his fingers through his hair and prepared to tell the others."
Me: Okay guys, this is my first fanfic. Please review so I know if I should write more of this. I'm not really sure about any pairings just yet, but PM if you have any suggestions. Okay well, tell me how you like it.