Twelve years ago, Gangrel was crowned King of Plegia. He had been nothing more than a poor child who was doomed to die, and yet the Hierophant, the leader of the Grimleal, had chosen him to be the next ruler of the desert nation. Sadly, his ascension to the throne came at the cost of his innocence.
Good wishes and desires for his fellow Plegians twisted into hatred toward the Ylisseans. In his mind, justice could only be attained if violence was repaid in kind. Peace would only follow once the Naga-worshipers were dead and could never threaten his nation again. Nothing else would satisfy his need for revenge on behalf of all the people who died during the crusade led by Exalt Albus XIII.
It was not long until he set his sights on the Fire Emblem.
During the early years of his reign, he learned of the legend of Ylisse's royal treasures. He did not care about the Falchion, but the Fire Emblem sounded too good to be true. Supposedly, if he gathered the five gemstones and placed them in the shield, he would be granted the power to have all of his wishes realized. With this power, he could protect Plegia and put an end to the Ylisseans once and for all.
Blinded by ambition, Gangrel paid no heed to how his plan was doing more harm than good. By being fixated on the idea of making all of the Ylisseans suffer, he turned his back on the Plegian people he had sought to protect. He even allowed the Grimleal to do as they pleased so long as they supported him.
However, he was eventually forced to have a change of mind.
In time, another threat made its presence known: Valm. The small country that shared its name with the continent neighboring the three nations of Ylisse had been swiftly conquered by a man named Walhart. According to Gangrel's spies, he intended to subjugate the remaining countries before invading Ylisse.
Gangrel was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He could no longer afford to acquire the Fire Emblem with the intention of wiping out the Ylisseans. Instead, he would have to conquer Ylisse and Regna Ferox and subdue the Exalt and Khans in order to unify the three nations under a single banner. His banner. Only then could they hope to defend themselves with the power of the Fire Emblem.
That plan came to an end the moment Emmeryn made a martyr of herself.
If only the Ylisseans had given him the Fire Emblem and cooperation. He was willing to let the bratty noblewoman go, but the little prince insisted on fighting back. He was willing to exchange Emmeryn for the shield, but her brother had to be the hero. Gangrel would have spared them all if they had surrendered, but Emmeryn had to be sanctimonious and walk off a cliff in the name of peace.
At first, her death delighted Gangrel. It meant that the Ylisseans were without a ruler and could be conquered with ease. It also satisfied the grudge that he still held against her people and done very little to hide. However, his joy did not last long because his army quickly fell apart until all that was left were his most loyal soldiers. The rest had taken Emmeryn's final words to heart and abandoned him.
Broken but not beaten, Gangrel led what remained of his army against the combined might of Ylisse and Regna Ferox. He wanted to go down fighting and he wanted to be killed by Chrom. He had nothing else to live for. Why not let the little prince take his life as well?
But he was not allowed to have even that because, instead of fighting alone, Chrom fought with a mysterious companion who wore their hood up every time he had seen them. Except for then, that is.
Tome in one hand and sword in the other, the tactician's pale blonde hair reflected the scorching sun and her dark cloak flapped in the sandy winds while her brown eyes scrutinized friend and foe alike.
Gangrel vividly remembered the woman who fought alongside Chrom in the sand wastes near the border of Plegia and Regna Ferox. Robin. Something about her caught his attention when he first saw her with her hood down. Whether it was just her looks or something more, he was not certain, but it kept her in his thoughts. She was beautiful and deadly, not unlike the desert rose, and while it was Chrom's blade that landed the final blow, her magic was what left Gangrel weakened and vulnerable. Together, they overthrew the Mad King.
But they had not killed him. No, Gangrel survived. Perhaps Aversa found it in her frigid heart to come back and retrieve his body from the battlefield and leave it where the vultures could not find it—such as the southern coasts of Plegia. Unfortunately, instead of vultures, Gangrel's first memory after blacking out from the pain and blood loss was waking up to pirates dragging him aboard their ship with the intent of enslaving him.
He should have fought back and let them end it then and there.
He should have leapt off the ship and into the unforgiving waters.
He should have made use of his dagger or a length of rope.
But he never did. Gangrel was a craven fool who could not end his own wretched life even though he knew that it was no longer worth living. Day in and day out, he cursed the man who put him on the throne, the woman who betrayed him, and, most of all, himself for believing that he could change Plegia for the better when, in the end, he was only capable of bloodshed and madness.
It was all some kind of sick joke.
Two years had passed since Robin was found in a field by Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick. She was without her memories and somehow remembered the prince's name before her own, and yet, despite the knight's protests, she was welcomed into the Shepherds. She became Chrom's tactician and confidant.
Everything seemed simple at first. The Shepherds defended the innocents of Ylisse from the brigands who crossed over the border from Plegia, the land that worshiped an evil dragon and was ruled by a madman who wanted to start a war. What else did she need to understand?
Oh, how naive she had been.
Robin eventually learned about the First Ylisse-Plegia War. Chrom's late father, Albus XIII, had invaded Plegia, instigating a holy war that devastated both nations. However, when all was said and done, the Ylisseans were still seen as good while the Plegians were still considered evil. That was far from the truth as she saw it.
Even thought the others insisted that Plegians were nothing more than monsters, Robin could only see people who were born into unfortunate circumstances and lacked the means to liberate themselves. And as much as she believed that no one's future was set in stone, she acknowledged that some cycles were more difficult to break free from without help.
To her, the person who was in need of the most help was the King of Plegia, Gangrel.
Trustworthy information was scarce, but Robin was able to learn that Gangrel was elected King of Plegia shortly after his fifteenth birthday. He was rumored to be lowborn, which was notable because the nation's rulers were typically chosen by the Fell Circle from among the six noble houses. It was also speculated that the Hierophant recommended Gangrel as his favored candidate for the throne.
Regardless of whether he was once a commoner or a noble, he had been a child during the war. He had lived through one of the most tragic moments in Plegian history and likely would have grown up despising the Ylisseans for what they had done at the command of the former Exalt.
Ylisse was able to recover from the war because Emmeryn had been a saint among men who healed the hearts of many with her love and kindness. Plegia, on the other hand, was trapped in a cycle of hate that Gangrel, just like the subjects he ruled over, was swept up in, so he was compelled to perpetuate it.
Robin wished that it had been possible to make him see reason and stop the madness before he went too far, but Gangrel's fate was sealed when Emmeryn sacrificed herself. Chrom wanted vengeance for his sister and all of Ylisse and no one, not even Robin, would have been able to stand in his way. For that reason, she cast aside any thoughts of mercy and committed herself to killing a broken man.
With the threat of Walhart and the Valmese invasion on the horizon, Chrom was willing to do whatever it took to protect his people. This included requesting an audience with Validar, the man who had been elected King of Plegia after Gangrel's death, and asking for any assistance that he could provide. And while the negotiations had been successful, Plegia's support came at an unexpected price.
"Are those the Southron Sea Pirates we heard so much about?" Chrom asked Robin and Frederick. From their vantage point, he saw a ship moored in the water and people on the shore. They looked armed and ready for a fight.
"Indeed," replied Frederick with a curt nod. "Their leader is a man named Zanth, the so-called Southron Sea King. His crew can stand up to most armies, and, as such, he holds sway over the south. Extreme caution should be the order of the day, milord."
"Right." Chrom nodded in agreement. "What's the plan, Robin?"
"Hm..." Robin observed the beach through her spyglass, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "They outnumber our task force two to one, but we'll manage." She paused for a moment before explaining, saying, "We'll send in Nowi, Nah, Sumia, and Cynthia with Lon'qu, Ricken, Owain, and Lucina first. Then, Panne and Yarne will charge in with Frederick. We won't be able to move as quickly, but you, Lissa, Libra, and I will follow. Moving in waves will keep them in disarray while the mere sight of the Manaketes and Taguels is sure to cause a panic."
Chrom smiled at Robin proudly. "Brilliant. Now let's finish our business and get out of here!"
As planned, the pirates were scattered by the Shepherds' assault. Upon entering the battlefield, Lissa and Libra broke away to provide support to their comrades. Meanwhile, Robin and Chrom went ahead to find Zanth. If they could take out the captain, the crew would be without a leader and their hopes of defeating the Shepherds would be diminished.
That was there plan until they were almost blindsided.
Robin saw the incoming lightning bolt in time to block it with a spell of her own. Then resulting bang was deafening, but she had saved their lives. Beside her, Chrom coughed and attempted to peer through the smoke to find their attacker. When the air cleared, she saw his eyes widen and his jaw go slack.
"Wait a minute... G-Gangrel?!"
"Gangrel is dead..." responded the assailant expressionlessly. "Nothing but maggots here."
Robin recognized Gangrel's voice before she realized that she was looking at the former King of Plegia. His hair was straggling over his eyes while a scraggly beard covered his face. His ragged clothes made him look like a vagrant. Gaunt and dejected, he seemed more dead than alive.
She wondered for a moment if she was dreaming or if he was a vengeful revenant returned from Hell.
Should she try to wake herself up?
Should she try to ask him why he was there?
Should she try to run away?
No, Robin had to stop denying the truth before her and accept that she and Chrom had failed to kill Gangrel. She had hoped that death would have freed him from his misery since mercy had not been an option, but they had made it worse. Now he was a shadow of his former self and it was their fault.
Before she could take so much as a step forward or open her mouth to speak, he turned and ran away.
"Wait! Gangrel!" Chrom looked to Robin. "That's the Mad King... I'm sure of it."
"...You're right. I don't think that could have been anyone else."
"What should we do?" He looked uncertain. "Should we follow him?"
Should they?
This could be her chance to make up for what she had done for the sake of Ylisse.
"Yes, but we have to be smart about this," advised Robin. "He may be serving Zanth, but it could be against his will. We might be able to talk him down and convince him to possibly join us."
"Is that really a good idea?" Chrom frowned.
"An enemy of our enemy is our friend, as they say," Robin said with a small smile. "It certainly wouldn't hurt to have more allies during times such as these."
Chrom sighed and nodded his head. "You're right. It's a risk, but we'll try."
Together they ran across the beach, dodging enemy attacks and giving orders to their allies as they pursued Gangrel. Chrom wanted the pirates dealt with so that they could speak with the former king without any interruptions. Robin, meanwhile, would ensure that this plan did not backfire on them.
"I know it's you, Gangrel! How're you alive?!" Chrom demanded when he and Robin finally managed to corner Gangrel in a secluded part of the beach at the base of a cliff.
With a loud sigh, Gangrel turned to face them. "Alive?" he asked, his voice no longer emotionless. "No, Chrom, this is not living... You killed me once. Now I beg you to do so again. My life is over, but my body refuses to accept it."
Chrom scowled. "Gods, listen to you... Is this truly the Mad King who stood against us? You're pathetic!"
"...Wh-what?" said Gangrel, thunderstruck.
"You're like a rat with its foot in a trap, begging for death. I can't take the life of someone so willing to throw it away. I won't allow myself to."
"You smug little—"
"Gangrel!" said Robin, speaking over him. "Please hear us out!"
"Why should I?!" snarled Gangrel.
"Because Emmeryn would have wanted you to continue living," said Chrom solemnly.
Gangrel's eyes widened at the mention of the late Exalt, but he did not utter a word in response.
"Do not mistake my words for forgiveness." Chrom's voice thickened as he spoke. "You took Emm from Lissa and me. I want to take my sword and drive it through your heart, but I know that will not bring me peace. I will only find joy in your death... So, instead of seeking revenge, I'm offering you a place among my Shepherds. That way you might have a chance to do some good with your life."
Gangrel's expression was difficult to read, but Robin could tell that Chrom's words had struck a nerve. He was teetering on the edge, deciding whether to fight or submit. All he needed was a nudge in the right direction.
"Gangrel..." she spoke in the Plegian dialect of Archanean so that only he could understand her, "Chrom means what he says. And I'll do my best to make sure that you become a valued member of the Shepherds. So, please, stand down and join us."
Gangrel hesitated before also responding in Plegian Archanean, saying, "Don't make promises you can't keep. I'll never be accepted by anyone, let alone valued. Don't waste your time with me. I'm better off dead."
Beside her, Chrom was clearly curious about what was being said between them, but kept silent and allowed Robin to speak. She would tell him about it later.
"There's no need for that," said Robin, extending a hand out to him and taking a few steps forward. "You'll never know until you try, right?"
Gangrel shook his head in disbelief and took a step back. "Why do you want to join you so badly? Wouldn't it have been easier to kill me with the rest of these filthy pirates and let me rot in this godforsaken place? Then you'd never have to so much as think of me ever again."
"Why do you want to die?" she asked.
"What reason do I have to live?" he shot back.
Robin smiled. "You have many reasons. It's just difficult for you to think of them right now."
"Don't patronize me..." he said, scowling.
"I'm sorry if I seem condescending, but I do mean what I say. Please, consider Chrom's offer."
"Why? What do you get out of this?"
Robin let out a heavy sign. "I regret not being able to save Emmeryn and I regret fighting you back then, too. Sparing your life now won't rectify that mistake, but it would give me some inner peace. Is that wrong of me?"
For the first time since they had started talking, Gangrel smiled. It was wry, but it was still a smile. "So the little prince's tactician isn't completely selfless after all."
"I try, but no one's perfect," Robin said, smiling back at him.
"If there ever was anyone capable of perfection, I killed her," he said plaintively.
Robin did not know what Gangrel had gone through since the day that she and Chrom had left him for dead at the border wastes, but she could see that it had changed him greatly.
"You regret what you've done, too, don't you?"
After a moment, Gangrel gave a small nod.
She took a few more steps and stopped when she was about an arm's length away from him. "It isn't too late to make a difference. It wouldn't bring Emmeryn back, but you could do something that honors her memory...such as joining the Shepherds and helping us stop Valm from conquering Ylisse."
"Valm?" He raised a brow. "So it seems that Walhart is finally at our doorstep..."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Robin, her interest piqued.
"I've known about his plot for world domination for quite a while now. My spies caught wind of it a several years ago," replied Gangrel. "It was, well, one of the reasons why I wanted the Fire Emblem."
Robin frowned. "You couldn't let go of your grudge towards Ylisse, so there was still a part of you that wanted revenge."
Gangrel chuckled. "You're reading me like a book."
"Unfortunately, we only learned of his intent to invade us a few days ago. All we can do now is go to Valm and stop Walhart from bringing the fight to our soil. The lives of every Ylissean, Feroxi, and Plegian depend on our success." Robin looked up at him expectantly. "Knowing that, do you still refuse to join our cause?"
Gangrel laughed, starting low and ending in a cackle. "As much as I would have preferred a swift beheading from Chrom, I suppose I can always aspire to being cut down by Walhart. Until then, I'll go along with this little plan of yours. Might even manage to do some good for once in my life..."
In that moment, she caught a glimpse of the man he once was. There was still fire in his eyes, which she took to mean that he had not completely given up on life. At least she hoped so, anyway.
"Very well. You can even be one to take down Zanth, if you'd like."
"Why ye traitorous maggot, no one switches sail on me and lives!" Zanth's face was red with rage and his battleaxe was clutched in white-knuckled hands. He was the last pirate standing and his murderous gaze was set on Gangrel.
"You can't kill a dead man, sweetheart," said Gangrel, grinning from ear to ear. "Now to feed you to the maggots!"
There were few things that Gangrel hated more than himself, and Zanth was one of them. The last two years of his life were a living hell thanks to the pirate, and he was going to make sure the dastard paid for it.
Gangrel launched a lightning bolt at Zanth. It hit its mark with a sizzling crack. Then, before the pirate could defend himself, he went in for the kill. Instead of slashing wildly, Gangrel lunged forward and plunged his sword into Zanth's belly. He wanted to twist the blade and prolong the pirate's suffering, but the Shepherds were watching, so he ended it quickly, releasing one last surge of electricity.
And with that, Zanth the Southron Sea King was dead.
Gangrel pulled his sword from the smoking corpse and, as he was cleaning the blade with his tattered cape, he heard soft footsteps approaching him in the sand. It was Robin.
"That was impressive, Gangrel," she said, smiling up at him. "You haven't lost your edge at all. Chrom and I didn't have to step in like I thought we would."
"I didn't realize that I was being appraised," he said, raising an eyebrow. "What were you expecting?"
"Nothing bad, but your fighting style is much less erratic compared to what I remember from two years ago. You've become much more focused and precise."
Gangrel shrugged. "Being straightforward works better when you're part of a raiding party, you know?"
Robin was still smiling, but she shook her head. "I wouldn't know, but I get the idea."
"I suppose you wouldn't..."
Gangrel looked over Robin's head to see a knight on horseback approach Chrom. Unless he was mistaken, their name was Roderick? Ferdinand? No, wait, Frederick! Yes, that was it.
"That's the last of the pirates, milord," said Frederick. "With the seas open once more, the people here will know a measure of peace."
"Thank you, Frederick," said Chrom, relieved. "We'd best hoist anchor and move on ourselves."
Frederick nodded to Chrom and, as he looked to Robin, finally took notice of Gangrel. He was confused at first, unable to recognize the former king, but it did not take long for him to figure it out. Then he looked downright suspicious.
"Milord, what is the meaning of this?" he demanded, wary.
"And here we go..." Gangrel muttered under his breath.
"Frederick," said Chrom, holding his hands up and gesturing for the knight to remain calm. "I have a plan and I promise that Robin and I will explain it all to you, but we need to get moving. We'll put him in the ship's holding cell. Is that fair?"
Frederick did not seem content with his lord's answer, but relented all the same. "As you wish... But I am binding him first."
"Will that really be necessary?" asked Robin, frowning. "We've made an agreement with him. He's willing to cooperate."
"Even so, I must do what is needed to protect the Ylissean royal family. He can join the others in due time, assuming he does nothing questionable," replied Frederick sternly.
"It's okay, Robin," said Chrom, letting out a breath of air that sounded halfway between a sigh and a laugh. "Just let Frederick do what he needs to do for now. We'll sort it out later."
Robin shook her head and crossed her arms. "But"
"Look, I get it, the dog has to go in its kennel!" Gangrel said loudly, interrupting them. He then held up his hands, wrists together, and walked toward Frederick. "And be sure to tether me up good. I have a knack for undoing knots."
Out of the corner of his vision, Gangrel could see that Robin still didn't look pleased. Why? Who knew, he certainly didn't.
Author's Note:
This is my second Robin/Gangrel story—the first was a one-shot that eventually became a drabble/ficlet collection—and the beginning of what will hopefully be a series dedicated to this trash can of a ship provided that you, my readers, are interested in that idea as much as I am.
Feedback is appreciated and encouraged. Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Brenna Snow
P.S. This chapter was revised and replaced with an improved version on April 19, 2016.
