Welcome! I hope you enjoy reading! I've got a lot planned out, so this should be a fun ride!
The change in direction I mentioned in the description will come about after the first war arc has ended, if you're curious.
I hope I do these characters justice :)
This will be told from both Gaius' and Robin's POV - Though I may add cameo POV's in future chapters to keep things fresh.
Gaius
The great castle of Ylisstol definitely stood up to grandeur he had expected. Tall, ornate corridors lined with interlacing archways, grand portraits of kings since passed and more doors than you could shake a stick at. Save for the band of Plegian mercenaries and sell-swords he would have felt more privileged to be in such an upstanding place. Feeling a tug of greed at his fingertips, he placed his hand into his cape before running his fingertips over the lockpicks he had safely tucked away – Making sure he had enough to get in each treasure trove of a room. Sweet, more than enough, He thought with a cool grin. He shifted his gaze towards the other troops, a sudden unease filled the air with chatter. New orders from the commander, no doubt. They reached him on a wave of enthusiasm and bloodlust, carrying weight due to the promises of gold and fortune.
"Whoa, Whoa, did I just hear that right? We're to kill the Exalt?" Gaius answered in dismay, glaring up at the tall fighter who obviously did not want to repeat himself.
"Direct order from the boss, short stack," The muscular heathen boasted, pulling his steel axe from his side before pointing the bladed edge towards the thief, a fiendish smile pulling at his chops, "You gotta problem with that?"
Gaius gave a single tut in response, his eyes lazily narrowing at the uncomfortable threat, but otherwise staying silent.
"Huh. I thought so." The heathen growled, mistaking Gaius' silence for submission. The Thief let out a heavy breath as the man rested his axe upon his shoulder, moving to a more comfortable distance. It was exactly this sort of thing that made him wish for better company. That, and the fact that they wanted to kill the Exalt. Who, in his opinion, was a stand up gal. Easy on the eyes, too. Sure, he'd rob her blind – but never kill her.
It was uncomfortable to see such mercenaries among the finery that was Castle Ylisstol; like seeing a children with jam covered hands in an art gallery.
Then, something caught him slightly off guard. A rumbling felt through his feet, undoubtedly hooves barrelling down nearby corridor. Soon it was heard and felt by all the other troops, triggering defensive stances, shouts and a heavy blanket of anticipation to fall over the scene. A muffled whinny from a horse echoed throughout the halls, followed by the unmistakable sound of metal on metal. It seemed the castle was fighting back, and suddenly a pit of war began to erupt. A blast of fire rumbled and blew out one of the walls next to him, flames licking over the fine tapestry walls and intricate carpeted floors. Dust and debris billowed through the air, thick and surrounding. Gaius swiftly escaped the danger zone, following two other mercenaries down the nearest corridor. Oh boy, this doesn't look good, He thought as he unsheathed his steel sword, keeping it close to his body like a second sliver of armour, This was supposed to be an easy vault job. Nobody said anything about murder.He grimaced to himself and searched the walls for a window to bow out of, I'd rather be labelled as a deserter than one of these dastards.
Before he could reach the nearest pane a barrel of flames crashed into one of the men, the sheer power of it sending the man through the air, only to have him land a few feet from Gaius. His motionless body and the gruesome scent of burning flesh made it clear he wasn't getting back to his feet. Immediately the red headed thief fell back into a defensive stance, green eyes widening lightly as he saw a sword appear through the back of the other mercenary. The man slid from the blade as easily as it had slain him.
"Drop your weapon, or die where you stand!" A powerful voice called, its blue haired owner pointing the same sword towards him. Bloodied with the many lives already taken. Gaius immediately recognised the divine sword and it's owner, the brand on the man's shoulder confirming it. The prince of Ylisse himself, Chrom. This guy would not be pulling any punches.
"Easy there, blue blood. I'm not here to hurt anyone," The thief replied, rising from his previous stance as he held the end of his sword's hilt between two fingers; showing his willingness to comply, but not allowing himself to be totally defenceless. Evidently he had no experience in dealing with nobles, nor did he trust them.
"... And yet you run with a band of assassins?" The prince's blade stood unwavering, and from behind him appeared a mage, hooded in a gold-clad purple cloak, her honey coloured tresses falling loose from the ominous attire. She whispered something confidently to the prince before glancing her hand over the book, seemingly drawing fire from its depths.
"Whoa there!" He eased, not desiring a similar death to his smouldering comrade. He dropped his sword deciding to try and talk his way out of this one, "Believe it or not, just trying the make a living. I'm a thief, you know, bust open doors, crack into chests... That kind of thing. Ain't here to assassinate anyone. I'd just as soon sit this one out."
"Hmm... Then perhaps you'd be willing to prove your good intentions?"
"Beg pardon?"
"We need all the help we can get to save the Exalts life. You appear capable, and we could use any information you have about our foes." The princes blade loosened, and he lowered it slowly, much to Gaius' relief. The mage also released her flames into nothing, taking a step closer as if to evaluate him, though the thief could see nothing of her features through the shadow of her hood. Gaius narrowed his eyes, realising he had at least the tiniest bit of leverage against them. He smirked, maybe he could get something out of this.
"Oh, right - Those good intentions. Fine then, I'll prove my sincerity... If you sweeten the deal."
"You want gold? - Fine, you scoundrel," The price replied sharply, pulling off a brown pouch from his belt and chucking it roughly to the Thief. He caught it swiftly tipping a few out onto his hand, but his eyes widened as he noticed they were not coins, but sweets coloured that of the rainbow.
"Candies?" Gauis said in a sweet surprise.
"Ah- Wrong pouch – candies from my younger sister, I –"
"Done deal!" He said seriously, his sweet tooth betraying him.
"You'll risk your life for us... Over a bag of candy?"
"I did ask you to sweeten the deal, didn't I? But don't get me wrong, I'll take the gold too, later," He smiled, reaching out to shake the prince's hand.
"All right then, it's a deal," He shook his hand firmly before gesturing to the robed mage. "This is Robin, our tactician. If she tells you to do something, you better well do it."
Robin nodded her head, smiling gently at the previous exchange, she was clearly amused, "Good to have you, um –"
"Gaius," He replied quickly, glad she had some semblance of humour. "Now-" He continued, concentrating at the task at hand, willing to complete his side of the deal, "The commander has his troops stationed at each corridor, and the castle entrances. But nothing along the outer walls. You're probably looking at 50 men, give or take, and each one is gunning for the Exalt's head," They began running down the corridor, catching up on lost time, heading towards the main belly of the fight. The racket of chiming blades, voices raging and horses stressing livened his senses. He noticed Robin had the majority of her gaze on him, though. The candlelight would catch under her hood every few steps, revealing dark green eyes, ticking like clockwork, "The majority of these forces are just rag-tag mercenaries – nothing elite. Wasn't expecting you guys to be so well prepared, my guess."
Chrom swiftly lunged forward, the divine blade slicing through the body of a mercenary like soft fruit, he withdrew his blade with a swipe, removing the fresh blood from the blade, "Yeah, someone gave us a heads up," The blue haired prince replied, before heading into the fray. Robin stayed close behind him, but suddenly turned on her heels, eyes intent on the thief.
"Will you fight with us, Gaius?" The tactician asked earnestly, her gaze and simple words contradicting the foot of battle. The thief was taken off guard, he had all the right to turn tail and leave, but there was something so compelling about her – about them both. He never would agree to fight for Ylisse, but he would always fight for what was right in his mind.
"Can't bear to see such a handsome rogue disappear into the night, huh?" He gripped his sword with a new purpose, switching from defence to offence, "All right, I'll fight with you," He agreed, meeting at her side.
Robin
"Thank you." Refreshed at his sense of humour, she smiled as the flame haired thief joined at her flank. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him yet, though the fire of battle usually led to a good judge of character. Indeed you never truly know someone until they were fighting for their life. She made a mental note to keep him close during the fray, for a trickster like that could not be fully trusted, especially one who had just deserted his previous commander for the enemy. Though from what she had seen already, his words rang true, and the resolve in his actions was good enough for her. And he was right, the enemy troops consisted of for hire mercenaries, a mixture of mages, brutes and theives. She gave a hidden grimace as she glanced over the surreal battlefield, surrounded by stone and marble – books and works of art discarded to the ground like waste paper, stained with blood. The halls that had been peaceful until but moments ago now lay host to such atrocities.
The tactician graced her hand over the rough leather that bound her tome, the warmth of fire tickling her senses as it burned into existence. With lethal precision she hurled the fireball towards an axe wielding foe, his body erupting in flames as he fell to the ground, writhing in aginy. This opened up a clear path for both Gaius and Chrom to take advantage of. Her main plan was to push the enemy back; she could not afford for even one of them to get through. As if to signal her plan was working, many of the shepherds had gathered in the main hall to pursue the enemy. She quickly began to give orders to her companions. Going off the small – but useful – amount of information Gaius had given her.
Frederick's horse roared onto the scene, an armour clad hand reaching down to assist her. With little effort he pulled her up onto the back of his horse, the armoured beast able to barrel through the crowds as she relayed her tactics to him, making sure her formations didn't break. She gave her orders to the rest, satisfied that they should be able to hold the castle whilst she and Chrom went to take out the commander. Cut off the head of the snake, She thought before touching ground again next to the blue haired prince.
Frederick's horse let loose a hefty shriek, raising it's front hooves to fend off an incoming lance. The great knight grunted trying to keep control of the beast as he sent his lance through the body of the enemy with massive force. The horse calmed and recovered its stony stance.
"Are you all right, Milady?" He asked out of courtesy, using his tank of a horse like a shield.
"I'm fine. Thank you, Frederick," She replied gratefully, turning her gaze to see the prince and the thief covering each other's backs, "Take the side entrance with Stahl, we'll hold them off here!"
"It will be done," The knight replied calmly, following his orders without protest.
She nodded him a trustful farewell before turning into the fray. Her mind held steadfast as she fell into the motions of combat. The smell of blood and fire smothered the familial sense as she placed her back to the duo, noticing the slight relief in Chrom's stance as she did. It was strange fighting in a trio, if it weren't for the fact they were outnumbered she would have felt a bit uncomfortable – especially when her and Chrom worked so well together on the battlefield. With each back covered, they took down the bulk of the enemy, flashes of steel and flames whirled in her vision, as they blocked, parried and held their stance.
"Move towards the far entrance! We're going for the commander!" She hailed to them both, her voice raised over the sounds of war. The foe's units were starting to thin out, and they needed to take the opportunity. In response the trio started to advance. The arch of the main gateway soon loomed overhead as she felt the evening air rush over her face, cooling the back of her neck under her hood. Robin found it easier to wield fire magic with her hood up, the extra shade blocking out glare from the harsh light, helping her aim more precisely. She conjured another ball of visceral flame; her hands covered in a film of waxy black ash from overuse. She knew this was the last use she was going to get out of the mystical book. She glanced behind to find a brute flailing his axe towards Chrom, watching the prince strain to block as she sent the fireball into the man's side, taking him out of the fight.
They were almost out into the courtyard when a familiar scream halted their advance.
"Lissa!" Robin whispered in worry, looking back towards one of the western corridors, seeing shadows of enemies dance across the illuminated walls.
"Robin!" Chrom shouted for her attention, looking for a response.
"Go to her," She nodded, knowing that he was going after his beloved sister, gods knew she wanted to as well, but she could not abandon the foothold they had right now. "We'll be fine," Chrom replied with a nod and a kindly placed hand on her shoulder before taking off in search of his sister. Robin turned to the thief who seemed to be watching everything unfold in a lazy disbelief. "Ready to prove yourself?" She said to him as she flung her broken tome to the ground. She pulled her sword from it's sheath, eyes mingling over the band of mages closing in on them, a bead of sweat falling from her chin.
"You bet. But you... know how to use that thing, right?" He replied playfully.
She did not reply, only allowing a humoured smirk paint her hooded features. With swift skill she knocked him to one side, twisting then parrying a blast of fire with her sword, sending it into a nearby wall. The blast kicked up a violent gust, whipping the hood from her head, sending free her light hair, bringing her face into light. Green eyes turned fierce as she watched the thief take the advantage, striking down the mage. Gaius quickly returned to her side, looking rather smug "Huh, not bad. No longer so mysterious though, kinda ruins the mood for me."
"Sorry to disappoint. What if I say there's more candy in it for you?" she strained to laugh as they worked rather haphazardly together, taking down the other two mages in quick succession, still feeling the heat of fire prickle her skin from dodging the attacks. He was no Chrom, but it seemed they were making the best of a bad situation.
"Ah, that's more like it," He replied calmly, bracing for the next enemy as they moved onwards into the fray.
They soon made it onto the courtyard, the cool air being a short-lived relief as both thief and tactician let their eyes fall upon the ring leader of Emmeryn's assassination.
"Ho, ho! Can it be?! After years of searching..." The cruel voice of the commander suddenly added a new pressure. He was unusually calm, especially for one about to lose his life. His next words fell down a tone, more serious and dark "I... know you, tactician. Submit to me, and perhaps I might honour you with the truth!"
This sudden revelation took Robin by surprise, a cluster of thoughts rushed through her mind as she stammered, losing some strength. Her blade tipped down only slightly as she faltered, but it seemed that was enough for the thief to notice.
"What? – What do you mean?! I – "
"Hey. Don't believe a word this cretin tells you. He'll say just about anything to save his ass right now." Gaius spoke convincingly, raising his sword with purpose towards the enemy, trying to raise hers in spirit.
"You're right – "
" – Bah! Seems I'm not the only one out for my own hide! I recognise you too... Your betrayal is most disconcerting. Now... my precious little Robin, if you don't mind, I tire of such subordination." The sorcerer reached out his hand, long nails pointing towards the tactician, "Strike that low life down, and return to my side!"
"... Return?" Robin whispered, her complexion paling at the thought. Was this who I was before Chrom found me? A Plegian dog of war? He... was my superior? Her head began to hurt as she felt confused for the first time since she awoke in that field. But soon enough she felt the rough hilt at her hand, and the concerned face of the man beside her. It was all the resolve she needed, "I'd sooner put my sword through your side!"
"Such insolence! I'll drag you kicking and screaming then!"
"You'll get neither me or the Exalt." She replied blackly, her and Gaius falling into step together, a relieved smirk upon the face of the thief.
The sorcerer glowered at Robin's resolve, clutching his black tome, dark skin magnifying his red eyes, "Emmeryn was supposed to be an easy target, you will pay for interfering in my designs!" His long nails grated the leather of the tome as he summoned purple flames to rise into his clutches. It crackled with a menacing echo, and it was soon clear that he was not a simple mage.
With little in the way of mercy the sorcerer sneered, sending the ethereal fire hurtling towards them. They separated quickly to avoid the blast, yet getting close to the sorcerer was tricky, with each blast parried and dodged, a new one appeared to singe and blister. Within moments she found herself leaping from a spell, only to find her body unable to cope. Exhausted, She staggered off balance and fell to her knees, her hand scrambling for the sword she dropped. Gods! She cursed herself as the ground ahead of her illuminated in that ominous purple light. Her eyes sharply rose to behold the Sorcerer's triumphant smile as he let loose another fireball in her direction. She tried for her footing but before she could stand she felt a heavy blow to her side, sending her out of the way. A flash of red hair, and a keen smirk confirmed her suspicions as they both fell roughly to the ground. The spell hurtling into a nearby tree.
Abruptly the blasts halted, a snickering gargle reached the tacticians ears as she watched though the settling dust. The sorcerer's body fell to its knees as Chrom removed Falcion from his back with a slick crack.
"No... this is... all wrong... How could... you have known the plan?" The commander stammered into the scorched dirt as his last breath left him.
"Are you all right?" The prince called as he ran to Robin's side, offering a hand to help her up. A visible flood of relief washed over her features as she reached for his hand, and she let out a deep breath, "Give me your hand."
"Lissa?"
"She's safe, don't worry."
"Thank you, Chrom," She said as she rose to her feet. Consciously noticing Gaius make his own way up "Ah!" She faltered, clutching her hand to her side as if to keep herself in one piece. "I might have fared batter against the fire though," She tried to laugh, looking to the thief.
"Maybe," Gaius spoke as he placed his hands behind his head, "But you'd look a lot less pretty for it."
"Good work," Chrom interjected, catching their attention. "We saw what you did for Robin, for all of us."
We? Robin raised her sights across the courtyard as the prince and thief continued their brief conversation, her eyes catching the form of a pegasus and it's rider. The beast held itself proud and battle ready, slicks and flecks of blood tainting it's otherwise flawless white hide. Sumia had trained the beast well since their battle at castle Ferox. The woman in question raised her arm in a flighty wave.
" – Though it seems like you have the skills of an assassin more so that of a thief."
"Easy there! – nothing wrong with knowing how to use a blade."
"I can't argue with that. However, I warn you to stay away from the royal family. At least for now." Chrom's words held a hefty weight. Yet due to the stresses of the day, she couldn't blame him for being over cautious.
"You're the boss."
She sighed, walking towards the body of the sorcerer, her brow knitting as she noticed something familiar.
"Chrom. Look at this," Robin said urgently, kneeling by the body of the sorcerer, her hands glancing over the design of his robe, "It's... it's almost identical to mine. Could he have been telling the truth... That he actually knew me?" Her green eyes connected with his, confused and looking for answers.
"Even so," Chrom replied gently, walking over to her. He reached out a hand and pulled her up to her feet, "I can imagine a man like that would have nothing but bad news. Put it out of your mind for now. We will find out about your past, don't let this sway you."
"You're right," She smiled, turning to the thief, "And thank you, Gaius. You really came through for us tonight. Won't you stay for a while? No doubt we could use someone with your particular... skills."
The thief seemed slightly taken aback, but responded without missing a beat, "Sure thing. Besides, you still owe me some gold – And candy! Don't forget the candy, now."
"I hadn't forgotten," Robin laughed.
Chrom turned and began pacing towards the nearest entrance, "Come on, lets get back inside, Emm will be worried."
Thank you for reading!
Please review if you would be so kind :)
Please let me know if there are any errors, I've tried my best to proof read this properly, but i'm far from perfect.