Chapter 1 - The verge of history
"Arrgggghhhhhhhhhh!" My opponent let out a painful yell as my sword slashed across his torso. Fountain of blood immediately came spilling out of the wound. He stumbled back a few step before finally succumbed to the wound and fell down to the ground.
"Yes! We did it!" My trusted tactician yelled out loud and quickly ran towards me to share his joy of victory.
"Yes, we finally did it…" I smiled at him, then turned towards other subordinate of mine and let out the victory cry. "Everyone! This battle has ended! Victory is ours!"
"Not… so… FAST!"
Huh?
"Chrom! Watch out!"
Everything happened so fast, I wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but my tactician suddenly pushed me away from where I was standing… And his body got hit by something, and then he fell down to the ground.
"Hey, hey… Are you okay? Say something!" I quickly rushed to him and hold him up my arms.
"Ch… Chrom…" His voice trembles as he tried to call out my name.
"Don't say anything. It will be alright." I tried to calm him down then turned to call for help. "Maribelle! Give me a hand over…"
!
"… here?"
"Chr… Chrom…"
Wha… What happened?!
Why… is there… a lightning bolt… sticking out… of my chest?
Urgh…
"Chrom… I…"
Argh…
"Chrom…"
…
"Chrom! Chrom! CHROM!"
… … …
"Chrom!"
"Huh?"
His little sister's voice brings him back to reality, just in time for him to defend himself from the attack coming down from above.
CLANK!
"Gah!" The impact from the collision of the weapons made Chrom staggers backward a step and helped him realized what situation he's currently in. He is currently in the training ground of the Shepherds' garrison, situated just outside the wall of Ylisstol, the capital of the Halidom of Ylisse. And as of right now, he is currently engaging in his daily duel with his so called arch-rival, Vaike.
"Hah! What's wrong, Chrom? If you don't pay attention, then I'll be the one to achieve victory in this match!" Say Vaike as he tries to overwhelm Chrom with his physical might.
"Keep dreaming, Vaike." Chrom loosen his grip on the sword and slightly move to the side. This sudden movement made Vaike lost his balance and staggers forward. Taking advantage of this, Chrom immediately kicks Vaike in the abdomen, sending him flying a few steps back. Not wasting a single second, Chrom rushes in. And the moment Vaike's body touches the ground, the tip of Chrom's sword has already wait for him mere inches away from his throat.
"I won, Vaike." Chrom declares himself as the winner.
"Bah!" Vaike gets up and shakes his head in annoyance. "This is absurd! The great Teach's suppose to be invincible and yet I keep loosing to you days after days like this. I just don't understand!"
"Haa…" Chrom sighs and walks over to Vaike to offer him a hand. "I already told you a thousand times, Vaike. I have the weapon advantage over you, and while you are stronger and more durable than me, I beat you in terms of skill and speed. If you don't understand that, then you will never be able to beat me."
"Bah! A bunch of nonsense!" Vaike takes Chrom's hand and get up from the ground. "Thinking is overrated! You can't think in the middle of the battlefield, you can only follow your instinct! And trust me, Teach here have the instinct of a wild hunting beast!"
"Sure, Vaike, you're a wild hunting beast." Chrom's little sister, Lissa, called out. "Here, I prepared some water for you two."
Lissa gives two cup of water to Chrom and Vaike. Vaike takes the cup and gulp it down in one go. Chrom, on the other hand, while he also takes the cup, he doesn't drink it, instead he looks to be in deep thought.
"Brother?" Lissa calls out to him, but there was no respond.
"Brother?" Lissa calls out to him once more, but again no respond from Chrom.
"BROTHER!"
"Ah, wha-what was it, Lissa?"
"Geez… Are you feeling alright, brother? You've been acting funny a lot lately. You even daze off in the middle of the duel with Vaike earlier…" Lissa then brings her hand to Chrom's forehead to check his temperature. "Hm… Seems pretty normal to me."
"I'm fine…" Chrom brushes Lissa's hand off. "It's just that… There's this dream that's been bugging me lately."
"A dream?" Vaike raises an eyebrow. "Never knew you were the dreamy type. Care to share the story?"
Chrom tries to recall the dream he's been having lately.
In that dream, he was fighting someone unfamiliar, and just as he emerged in victory, he was stabbed to death by one of his comrades. And as his dead body lie on the cold ground, his companions came rushing at him and called out to him but in vain, and in the end they too all got attacked and killed by the one that stabbed him.
Normally, Chrom wouldn't pay a second thought to a mere dream. But this dream is an exception, it was too vivid and too real, like it actually happened before. And what's more, he didn't see this dream once, he's seen it many times in this past weeks, like it wasn't just a mere dream, but a warning to him about his eventual demise some times in the future. Thinking about it sends a chill down his spine.
"No, it's nothing…" Chrom shakes his head. His head hurts as he tries to recall the dream. "Sorry, Vaike. But I think we should call it a day, I'm not feeling very well right now…"
"Um, milord…"
"GAH!" The sudden voice that came out of nowhere shocks Chrom, Lissa and Vaike. They all turn to the direction of the voice to see who it was…
"Urgh… Kellam?" Chrom frowns. "Since when were you here?"
"Um, from the beginning of your duel with Vaike?" Kellam answers. "I was standing right next to the princess this whole time."
"But how…?" Lissa looks confused. "Next time, please say something to me if you're nearby, okay Kellam?"
"Aye, princess."
"And please stop calling my princess, too."
"Aye, prince… Urgh, I mean, aye!"
"Anyway…" Chrom says. "Do you need anything, Kellam?"
"Milord, it was Sir Frederick." Kellam answers. "He said that there has been sighting of large groups of bandit near the vicinity of Southtown and wanted your order to go obliterate those bandits. He's currently waiting for you outside of the garrison."
"Southtown? That's the town that directly south of here, right?" Vaike asks.
"Yes, from here, it shouldn't take more than a day to reach the town.." Chrom answers. "This is worrisome… I've heard that bandits have been appearing near the border as of late. But Southtown? I should really go there myself to take care of those bandits."
"Hey, Chrom!" Lissa pulls Chrom's cape. "If you're going then I'm going with you, too."
"Hey, if the little lady is going then Teach's coming with you, too!" Vaike says.
"Then maybe I should go too?" Kellam says.
"Alright now, you three. Let's go talk with Frederick to know more about the situation before deciding on whom to go, okay?"
Lissa, Vaike and Kellam all agree with Chrom. They then head outside of the garrison to meet with Frederick. Once they're outside, they see Frederick, clad in full armor with a silver lance and a steel bronze sword in hands, leaning on one of the trees. Standing next to Frederick is his trusted steed, also clad in full armor just like its master, and it is currently engaging in a heated discussion with Sumia(?).
"I know right? He isn't called Frederick the Wary for no reason, right?" Sumia talks to the steed.
"Um… Sumia" Frederick calls out to her. "I appreciate your… friendliness towards my steed, but don't you think you're being… too 'friendly' with it?"
"Aw… Look! Your master is jealous."
"No, look… I mean…"
"Ahem…" Chrom clears his throat to catch their attention.
"Oh, milord and milady. You've come." Frederick bows to Chrom and Lissa.
"Ah, lord Chrom." Sumia also quickly follows Frederick and bows to Chrom and Lissa.
"Peace, both of you." Chrom then turns toward Frederick. "Now, Frederick. Tell me more about these bandits at Southtown."
"Aye, milord." Frederick pulls out a small map from one of the bags hanging on his steed to show to everyone. "Southtown is here, directly south of Ylisstol. If we go by horse, then it wouldn't take a day to reach the town."
"Yeah, basic stuff. We all know that already." Vaike pokes in.
"Vaike, if you please?" Chrom scolds Vaike. "Now, continue, Frederick."
"Right. There have been quite a few reports of bandits lately, but they are all near the border and never actually go any deeper into Ylisse's territory. But…" Frederick then points to various locations on the map, the first few locations are somewhere near the border, but then they got further and further away from the border. "These are the locations that our pegasi knight squad fighting the bandits over these past few days. And as you can see, the fighting locations just keep going further south. At this rate…"
"… The next place the bandits going to visit is Southtown." Sumia says.
"Exactly." Frederick nods. "But the mission of the pegasi knight quad is to keep the border safe, so they won't be able to do anything if the bandits keep roaming further into our territory like that. And if my calculation is right, they will probably reach Southtown in 2 or 3 days from now. Milord, I ask that you give me permission to go and annihilate those scoundrels!"
"There's no need to ask me for permission, Frederick." Say Chrom. "Protecting the people and keeping the peace of Ylisse is the job of us Shepherds after all. I'll even personally go with you to destroy those bandits!"
"Aye, milord!"
"Hey, Chrom! I'm going, too!" Lissa pulls Chrom's cape one more time.
"What says you, Frederick?" Chrom asks Frederick for his opinions.
"It would be dangerous, but lady Lissa is a member of the Shepherds, too. So I think it would be good for her in the long run to gain some experience in actual battle." Frederick answers.
"Teach here is going, too! And don't bother to object, I won't take no for an answer!" Vaike pokes in.
"Yes, you can come too, Vaike. We need as many helps as we can get to deal with the bandits after all." Frederick says.
"Then what about you, Sumia?" Chrom asks Sumia.
"Oh, I would love to go with you, lord Chrom. But…" Sumia looks troubled. "But… I fear that I'm still not experienced enough, I'll just be a hindrance to you. I think I should stay here and train as diligently as I can while you are away. I'll even pray for your safety, I promise!"
"If you say so…" Chrom sighs. "Now, who else is free?"
"Sully and Stahl are currently away patrolling. Miriel is busy with her new experiments. Maribelle is currently with the pegasi knight squad. So I fear that milord, lady Lissa, me and Vaike are all we could spare at the moment." Frederick answers.
"Um… Aren't we forgetting someone?" Lissa frowns.
"Who?" Vaike starts counting. "Excluding Chrom, the Shepherds have the total of 8 members, right? You, The Great Me, Frederick the Wary, Sully, Stahl, Sumia, Miriel, Maribelle. That's all! We aren't forgetting anyone…"
"Um… You're forgetting me."
"GAH!"
"Geez… Kellam! Don't scare me like that!" Lissa pats Kellam on one of his shoulder pads.
"B-but I didn't do anything."
"Peace, everyone." Chrom says. "The 4 of us are enough to deal with the bandits. I think it is best that you stay here with Sumia to help with her training, Kellam."
"Aye, milord." Kellam obeys his lord's order, but he sounds somewhat disappointed.
With that, everything was decided. Frederick urged Chrom to hear to Southtown immediately, but Chrom suggested that they leave in half an hour so he, Lissa and Vaike can prepare needed weapons and vulneraries properly, especially Vaike.
That afternoon, Chrom, Frederick, Lissa and Vaike left the Shepherds' garrison and headed south towards Southtown. The journey went smoothly without any trouble.
…
That following morning, the group was finally near Southtown…
"Say…" Vaike, who was riding on a horse with Frederick, asks Chrom, who was riding another horse together with Lissa. "I never knew that you could ride a horse, Chrom."
"I am one of royal blood, Vaike. It is my duty to be well-versed in the art of horse-riding and archery. If anything, I'm more surprised at the fact that you can't ride a horse." Chrom answers.
"Well, that's because Teach's too busy training his martial prowess that he ain't got time for such things!" Vaike shrugs.
"Milord! Look!" Frederick calls out to Chrom and points to the distance.
Everyone look toward the direction Frederick pointed. In the distance, they can see a small group of people, running towards them. Or to be more precise, three exhausted-looking men and a small group of angry men chasing right behind those men, are running toward them.
"Those men look like they are in trouble! Let's go help them, Chrom!" Lissa urges.
"Alright. Frederick, let's go!" Chrom rowels the horse to rush toward the three men.
…
"You three, what is going on here?" Chrom asks the men.
"Heee, you got to help us please! Those guys-those bandits chasing after us, they want to have our heads!" One of the men screams.
"Bandits?" Chrom looks at the other group of men. "They don't look like bandits to me… Wait, hey!"
Chrom calls out to the three men, but it was no use. They continue to run away as fast they can, screaming in terror.
"What are ya waiting for, Chrom? Let's give those bandits a beating!" With an iron axe in hand, Vaike hops off the horse and rushes towards the incoming group of men.
"Wait, Vaike!" Frederick tries to call Vaike off, but his words fell on deaf ears.
"Enter the Vaike! Shyah!" Vaike let out his battle cry and start attacking one of the leading men, a tall man if somewhat scrawny-looking. Vaike swings the axe over his head and chops it down like chopping a piece of wood. His opponent, however, doesn't seem like a mere simpleton, as he quickly dodges out of the way of axe and counterattack with his sword.
"En garde!" shouts the tall man as he swings his sword to the opening left side of Vaike, Vaike hastily withdraws his axe to guard against the attack, and the two weapons collide. At that moment, Vaike hesitated, only for an instance, Vaike hesitated.
"Hand!" shouts the tall man as he pulls his sword away from Vaike's axe and immediately follow with a slash to Vaike's left hand. The wound wasn't big nor was it deep, but it was enough to make Vaike loosen his grip on the axe. Taking advantage of that, the tall man continues his attacks and knocks away the axe out of Vaike's hand.
"Head!" shouts the tall man as he tries to plunge the tip of his sword at Vaike's forehead, but before the sword reaches its intended destination, it was stopped by another sword of someone else. It was stopped by Chrom's legendary weapon, the Falchion.
"That's enough!" Chrom glares at the tall man.
The tall man glares back at Chrom. The two exchange gaze for a second, then the tall man sheathes his sword back into its scabbard.
"Who are you guys?" the tall man asks Chrom.
"My name is Chrom."
"Chrom? As in, prince Chrom of the Halidom?"
"That would be me." Chrom shows the man his Brand of Exalt on his right shoulder to give proof of his claim. "And the guy here and others behind me are members of the Shepherds. Now then, can I ask who are you guys and why are you guys chasing after those three men? It's hard to believe that someone with such fine swordsmanship would be a bandit."
"Bandit?! Us?" The tall man looks surprised, what Chrom just said seems to have offended him somewhat. "I think you are mistaken. Those three men we were chasing after are the bandits, not us!"
"What?" Chrom turns around to look for those three men, but they are already nowhere to be seen.
That's right. Yeah. You are mistaken. Those guys are the bandits. Other men also start to yell at Chrom.
"Mind your manners, everyone. Standing before you is the prince of the Halidom of Ylisse! Don't make me look bad here!" The tall man scolds the men behind him. "Please forgive their rudeness, prince Chrom. Ah, is your companion alright? I thought he was one of the bandits…"
"Meh!" Vaike spits to the ground and get up, trying to act like he just took a short nap. "It doesn't even itch!"
"Stop trying to act cool, Vaike." Lissa approaches Vaike, with Frederick leading the horses following right behind her. Lissa takes out her staff and started chanting to heal the wound on his hand, after she's done with the healing, she pats on Vaike's shoulder and snarls at him. "It was such a one-sided fight, it isn't funny."
"He was using an axe. I was using a sword. I have the weapon advantage, so it's only natural that victory is mine. If it weren't for the weapon triangle, I'd say he's quite a fighter." The tall man says.
"Bah! Not those weapon's advantage nonsense again!" Vaike shakes his head.
" Haha. Don't be so humble, it was clear as day that you are the better fighter." Chrom laughs. "Say, I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."
"Oh, where's my manner." The tall man scratches his head. "My name is Amund. The bandits attacked our town this morning, so I gather a small group of young men to drive them back. Most of them were captured or killed in town, we were chasing the last three of them until we met you, prince Chrom."
"You drove back a large group of bandit by yourselves? That's… mighty impressive, I must say." Frederick praises Amund, though his facial expression seems a bit complicated, like he's not sure if he should be impresses or be doubtful about such claims.
"Oh no, we are not ones who you should be praising…" Amund laughs. "We managed to drive those bandits away thanks to a traveler."
"A traveler?" Chrom asks curiously.
"Yes, a very bright young man, that lad. Not only he warned us about the bandits beforehand, he even helped us to prepare traps and taught us the most effective ways to fight them. If it weren't for him, then the whole Southtown may have been razed down already." Amund answers.
"Hm… That does sound impressive, indeed." Chrom laughs. "I'd like to meet this traveler and have a chat with him. I think we'd get along very well."
"Sure, he's currently in town 'taking care' of the captured bandits. Come, let us show you the way."
So, Amund's group led Chrom and his companions into town.
When first arrived at the outskirt of the town, Chrom could see smoke rising from various places across the town, even though there isn't any visible damage to the buildings, presumably this is the result of the traps that Amund just talked about.
Everyone then headed to the central of the town, where a large number of people gathered. Or to be more precise, a large number of townsfolk, a pile of dead bodies (presumably, the dead bodies of the bandits), a small number of grown men tied up like a pieces of luggage, and a man cloaked in black robes with red patterns painted on it and a hood that covers half of his head, making his face barely visible, and for some reasons, is holding a hoe with a small bag hanging at one end. It looks like the hooded man is talking with one of the older townsfolk about something.
"Alright, I heard ya, lad. Ya don't needa tell me da same thing thrice. I'll treat her like my own grandchildren, I promise." The old man replies to the hooded man.
"Thank you, grandpa. Then do whatever you want with the bandits over there, I'll take my leave here." The hooded man bows to the old man and turns around to walk away.
"Hey, wait a minute there, young lad!" Amund calls out to the hooded man.
"Hm? Amund?" The hooded man stops and looks over to Amund, he then notices Chrom and companions. "I don't remember those faces among the bandits that got away."
"Of course not. They are no bandits, they are the Shepherds, you silly." Amund laughs and pats the hooded man on his shoulders.
"Okay… Didn't know tending sheep requires you to be fashionable." The hooded man says in a monotone voice, looking at Chrom and his companions from head to toe.
"Um…" Chrom clears his throat. "Shepherds is just a name, we aren't exactly sheep tenders. Anyway, my name is Chrom, the leader of the Shepherds. We was going to assist this town in fighting the bandits, but it looks like it wasn't very necessary, since you've already drove away those bandits by yourself."
"Who?"
"Um… You?" Chrom looks at the hooded man with a troubled look. "Amund told me that if it weren't for your help, this town would have been pillaged and razed down by the bandits."
"No, I didn't." The hooded man quickly shoots down Chrom's statement. "Amund and his gang did all the work. I didn't do anything."
"Now, don't be so humble. It was thanks to your warning and traps that we've wiped out the majority of those bandits. Me and everybody else only provided clean up." Amund gives another to the hooded man's back. "Take your time, lad. It's not an everyday thing that you get to meet someone famous. Just leave those captured bandits to me and everyone else."
Amund then turns to walk toward the townsfolk, leaving only the hooded man with Chrom and his companions. Even though the hood is making it hard to see his expressions, Chrom is pretty sure that the man is being quite uncomfortable with the situation.
"Well… Don't be like that. I only wanted to meet with you in person and have a little chat with you. At least let me have the honor of knowing your name." Chrom says.
The hooded man stays silent for a few seconds, like he was pondering whether to tell his name or not. Then finally, he decided to speak.
"My name…"
…
Sanjima: Hello there, everyone. And thank you for reading until the end of this first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it because I have high hope for this story. I also hope that I'll be able to complete this fanfic since my other long fanfics were all dropped halfway due to circumstances... Anyway, please feel free to give comments and feedback, I'd really appreciate it.