"Chrom we have to do something," a young feminine voice said as I found myself awake again.
It felt like I had just been run over by a chariot, I managed to open my eyes part way and I saw two blurry humanoid figures
"What do you propose we do"? A lower, masculine voice asked, Chrom apparently.
"I… I dunno." the younger one responded. I opened my eyes fully and for the first time I was able to see both of them, The older one, a blue haired youth, who had some sort of marking on his right shoulder, and a younger girl who had blond hair and was wearing a dress which I thought odd considering my surroundings.
Apparently having noticed my eyes opening the older, blue haired youth looked at me a gave an expression of shock, as the both knelt down he said "I see that you're awake now."
"Hey there." the girl added on whilst tilting her head
There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know." Chrom said before he held his hand out to me and told me to give him my hand. As I did I noticed a strange mark on my right hand, six purple ovals with small circles inside each of them all coming to a point near my wrist and three red vertical stripes with a diagonal line running through the lower left circle and the upper right one.
As I stood up i quickly backed away from Chrom, as I quickly let go of his hand. He also seemed to notice the mark on my hand frowning for a bit before he asked if I was alright.
"Y-yes… Thank you, Chrom."
"Ah" Chrom seemed surprised at my knowledge of his name as he narrowed his eyes and his right hand inched closer to the hilt of his sword. "Then you know who I am"?
"I heard you talking to your friend. I said pointing to the girl.
Chrom seemed to relax a bit as his right hand left his side to rub his neck, "tell me, what's your name? What brings you here"? It almost seemed as if he was expecting me to also tell him about the mark.
I realized it would be best to comply so that I wouldn't be viewed suspiciously by this man who had found me in an empty field.
"My name is… it's…" I said as I realized I couldn't remember my own name.
"You don't know you own name"? Chrom asked raising an eyebrow.
Suddenly I realized that there were more important questions that I needed answers to, "I'm not sure if… I'm sorry, but where am I exactly"?
"That's when the girl spoke up, "Hey I've heard of this! Its called amnesia." She said a bit to smugly.
Than a heavily armored horsemen came riding out of a nearby forest, "it's called a load of pegasus dung. Were to believe that you know milords name , but not your own." he said glaring down at me.
"I heard the younger girl call him that when they still thought I was unconscious." I responded hastily
"I still find that hard to believe." the knight said.
"What if he is telling the truth Frederick, we can't just leave him alone without even being aware of his own name." Chrom aid turning to the knight presumably named Frederick. "What sort of shepherds would we be then."
I raised my eyebrow at this, they definitely weren't equipped like normal shepherds, or I was in a different world where shepherds also carried lances and swords while wearing armor.
"Just the same, milord, I must emphasize caution. 'Twould not do to let a wolf into our flock."
Right then, Chrom said as he took a step forward, "we'll take him back to town and sort this out there."
"Wait just one moment." I said realizing my position in my current situation, "Do I have a say in this"?
"Peace, friend," Chrom said raising his hand apologetically, "I promise we'll hear all you have to say back in town. Now come."
As we headed back onto the road that lead to a town a few thoughts drifted through my head Where am I going, what's going on here and why are these shepherds concerned in my appearance. "Am I to be your prisoner"? I asked abruptly.
Chrom chuckled a bit and then turned to face me as we continued to walk, "You'll be free to go once we establish you're no enemy of Ylisse."
His statement was no more confusing than my current predicament but I was a bit confused over how, and why, lowly shepherds would be included in a country's, I assumed Ylisse was a country what else could it have been, politics, but I made sure to keep my mouth closed.
We continued walking until Chrom came to a stop and turned to face me, "I suppose proper introductions are in order. My name is Chrome, but you already heard that, The delicate one here is my little sister, Lissa.
The said sister was quick to jump in offering this useful tidbit, "I am not delicate. Ignore my brother please he can be a bit thick sometimes."
."Great." I thought to myself, just who I wanted to meet, shepherds who are either delicate or thick, at least the horseman seems to have a suitable attitude.
"But you're lucky the shepherds found you. Brigands would've been a rude awakening!" She continued on."
"Great, they refer to themselves in the third person." I thought to myself rolling my eyes.
"And this is Frederick the Wary. Chrom said pointing to the horseman.
"You keep calling me that as if you think I should not be." Frederick responded.
"I don't know, you could be a bit less observant, i don't think one pebble will kill me." Chrom said turning back to face Frederick.
"Gods forbid one of us keeps an appropriate level of caution." Frederick said to Chrom before he faced me "I have every wish to trust you, stranger, but my station mandates otherwise.
I narrowed my eyes, while I accepted Frederick's words, and would probably behave in the same way as he did if the situation was reversed I told myself that I would need to keep an eye on him if I was going to be traveling with this group for a bit.
After a bit more walking I could start to see some buildings off in the distance along with…
"Chrom, look! The town!" Lissa shouted pointing at rising smoke columns.
"Damn it!" Chrom shouted grasping the hilt of his sword, "The town is ablaze! Those blasted brigands, no doubt… Frederick Lissa! Quickly!" Chrom yelled as he started dashing off.
'Milord, what about him." Frederick stayed back motioning towards me.
"Unless he's on fire as well, it can wait." Chrom cried out over his shoulder.
"Aptly put, milord." he muttered before he spurred his horse to catch up with Chrom and Lissa."
I thought about leaving in the opposite direction to get away from the party, but instead I thought of the sheer generosity that the Blue haired man had shown me and decided to help pay it back, as well as I didn't want to be owing anyone anything so early on in my new memory.
So I ran after them.
"Wait." I shouted as I caught up with the others.
"You followed us, why!" Chrom looked on as I passed him.
"I'm not certain myself, but I'm armed," i said patting a strange greenish sword that hung on my belt "and I know my way around a fight, if you'll have me."
"Of course, strength in numbers, stay close though." Chrom responded as he unsheathed a long broad sword with a strange hilt.
That was when two enemy brigands attacked both me and Chrom, Chrom was able to deflect an axe strike but I was knocked down by another swordsman, as I crashed down onto a market stall the swordsmen was preparing to strike again by stabbing directly downward but before he got the chance part of Fredericks lance came slicing through him, and he dropped dead right there.
"Thanks," I said as I picked myself up.
"You need to be more careful was the only response I got."
"You ok," Chrom asked as he had just finished off the axe man.
"Yeah I'm fine I said as I began to gather all of the supplies that had flown out of my satchel when I landed in the cart.
"You know magic," Chrom asked as he handed a golden book to me that had also flown out.
I took the book from him and flipped through a few pages, nothing I could read, but I felt like I had used this book quite a lot before, "yeah i said, "but I seem to have forgotten this language or something like that," I said looking at the words, or scratches that were written down on the pages.
"Well come on." Chrom said standing back up, "reading shouldn't be your first concern on the battlefield.
I nodded as I stuffed the tome back into my pack, and quickly followed Chrom into what seemed to be the center of the battlefield where Frederick had already dispatched of a mage.
Chrom quickly rifled through his belongings and threw me a wind tome that had been on the person of the dead mage, "he's not using it any more."
"thanks ." I responded, and to my relief I was able to read this one.
As chrom rushed off to deal with another swordsman I took a enemy's position behind another market stall to advantage, i was able to shoot wind through the opening at a swordsman causing him to clutch his chest in pain right before Chrom, having sneaked up behind him, struck him down.
Eventually we had made it towards someone who seemed to be in charge of things and yelled "here, Sheepy sheepy ! Come to the slaughter! Just before Frederick struck him down.
I was seriously unserved the amount of references to sheep since I had woken up.
After a few moments of silence resting from what had been our first battle together Lissa jumped up."
"Lucky for the town, we were close by. But holy wow, You were incredible! Swords sorcery and tactics, is there anything you can't do"?
"Your no helpless victim, for sure." Chrom said looking at me, I was feeling like he was going to add more on but then Frederick interrupted him.
""Perhaps, maybe you would even be able to offer an explanation of what you're doing here"?
I remained silent for a while, trying to find a reason for why this horseman was taking extra precautions to avoid including someone potentially dangerous to their little group, zand I came up with three reasons, the brother and sister duo were either nobility, sons of important generals or they were all members of some sort of violent highwaymen with the duo being children of the boss.
I quickly disposed of the last one.
"I have no recollection of what I'm doing here or how I woke up in an abandoned field." I said holding my ground.
Chrom studied my face for a while and than smiled, "you fought to save Ylissean lives. My heart says that's good enough."
"What about your brain." I thought to myself, "this guy is way too trusting." my thoughts were echoed almost immediately after by Frederick.
"And your mind, Milord? Will you not heed its counsel as well"?
To this Chrom simply replied "the shepherds could use someone with our new friend's skills."
"wait ," I said the realization dawning on me, "your little group of people here is called the shepherds," I said pointing at them.
"Yes." Chrom said looking at me.
"That," I said "is a terrible name."
Frederick raised an eyebrow, "and you think you can come up with a better one"?
"Yes," I responded, "how about anything else."
"What somthing like Robin's Rabbits"? Frederick seemed to give this name a little thought.
I sighed, "I know I said anything else but… hey, I just remembered that's my name."
"Robin's Rabbits"? Lissa asked confused.
"What, no, just Robin." I responded.
"So, I think that settles it." Chrom said with a smile. "Will join Chrom's Rabbit's"?
"Please stop, i'll join your little group, just don't call it a name in front of me."
"Welcome in, Robin." Chrom said as he shook my hand glancing again at the mark on it. "Rather strange mark on your hand there."
"Uh, right." I said, suddenly getting the urge to cover it.
As we were getting ready to depart Frederick quickly turned to Chrom, did you notice that the Brigands spoke with a plegian accent, milord."
"I assume that's a neighboring country"? I asked.
"You would be correct, Plegia borders our westernly frontier," Chrom said "they send small bands into our territory, hoping to instigate a war,"
"And it's the poor," Lisa began to say but I just lost my interest in the conversation, but was broken out of it when a villager came running up to us, "Milord, please, you must stay the night." I anxiously looked around wanting to get out of this rural old town to someplace where I could research all of the questions that I had.
"We are simple folk of simple means, but we would gladly toast to your valor with a feast."
Luckily Frederick stepped up to quickly quell my fears,"A most generous offer, sir, and no doubt your hospitality would be grand… but I'm afraid we must return ourselves to Ylisstol."
However he was interrupted by Lissa "Dark meat only for me, medium well and no salt in the soup, I simply… wait what. Why aren't we staying"? Lissa pouted.
Frederick smiled proudly and puffed out his chest, the sign of arrogance Right now we need to return to the capital, we'll just have to eat off of the land, make our bed out of twigs and the like… I believe you mentioned you would be getting used to this"?
"Frederick, sometimes I hate you." Lissa mumbled under his breath.
I grinned a bit at this.
Now than should we be going"? Frederick asked.
"Right, let's go." Chrom said "Ready Robin, the capital isn't far off." and we were off.
