AN: Sorry for being so late! I had too much to do, recovery exams, traveling, Smash tournaments, and a lot of videogames (a lot of Fire Emblem as well). Can someone please tell me why FFVI and FFIX are such amazing games? I have played both of them more than 20 times each and I still enjoy them a lot.
Anyways, this chapter wasn't as long as I expected it to be but next chapter will probably be a lot longer. Enjoy and please feel free to review or leave suggestions.
Chapter 3
In Arena Ferox
Out of curiosity, Reflet had asked Raimi about the apparently so famous Arena Ferox. Most of the other Shepherds also decided to listen to her description as it was their first time in Ferox and were curious as well.
Raimi's descriptions turned out to be pretty accurate, but that didn't prevent the Shepherds from being impressed by the Feroxi structure. The arena was huge, it wasn't just an amphitheatre that according to Raimi, had space for more than fifty thousand people, it was much more than that.
In the arena also were located the Khan's personal chambers, and the arena was full of armouries and blacksmiths. It was also stuffed with places that sold food to sate the feroxi appetite.
Another thing that caught Reflet's attention was how the feroxi were ready to go for war at any moment. Every one of them seemed to have some sort of weapon with them, whether it was an axe, a sword, or just some daggers.
A race of warriors indeed.
It seemed as if there was some kind of festival approaching because the arena was full of life and so were the streets of the capital despite the harsh feroxi climate.
There was something that bothered the tactician throughout the whole trip. 'I told him not to overdo it.' Just from their faces, one could deduce that Chrom, Stahl, Vaike and Sully were hangover.
The tactician was particularly annoyed by Chrom's behaviour. She didn't care about the other three, but she had already told Chrom not to overdo it, especially since he came to Ferox in name of the Exalt, so meeting the Khan with one heck of a hangover wasn't a good idea in Reflet's eyes.
Raimi led them to what seemed to be a throne room to bring the Khan; only Chrom, Lissa, Frederick and Reflet would enter the room, while the others would wait. "Lissa, dear. Before we enter the Khan comes can you please go to the convoy and bring my blackboard please?"
"You mean that thing you bought from that merchant the other day? Sure, I'll be right back."
Lissa didn't take too long to bring what the tactician asked for. She handed her the rectangular board. It wasn't really big, but it was enough such that she could draw some simulations so that she could get her point across her comrades if needed.
But the reasons why Reflet needed that board right now was still unknown to her. Was she planning to do some tactics lessons now? "Hey Reflet? Why would you need the blackboard?"
The tactician just smiled at her. "Don't worry Lissa, just make sure to cover your ears." She then blew gently the nails of her right hand, Lissa caught sight of her actions and instantly did as told. Frederick also did the same, maintaining his stoic face and closing his eyes. The only one who didn't seem to know what was happening was Chrom, still in his own world.
He instantly was brought back to this as Reflet began to roughly scratch the board making a loud creak that seemed to come from hell itself for Chrom.
He instantly brought his hands to his ears to try to protect himself from the hellish sound that seemed to almost tear apart his head, but it was useless.
The sound calmed down for a moment and Chrom slowly took uncovered his ears to greet the silence, but the peace didn't last for long and another loud creak came rushing to his ears.
When the sound stopped again he again slowly uncovered his ears. This time there was no more nasty surprises. He shot a glare towards the tactician. "What in the hell was that for?"
"Nothing, just checking the quality of my new toy. I must say it's pretty resistant, don't you think so?" She replied with a smirk. "If you want to, we can check it's resistance again whenever you want, just make sure to be have a pretty bad hangover, especially after I told not to overdo it."
Chrom just made a barely audible grunt. "Frederick..." He looked towards his protector like a child looking for protection in his father in order to find a shield to protect himself from the tactician.
"I am sorry milord, but it is not my duty to question how the tactician chooses to discipline the members of the Shepherds for their inadequate behaviour."
Chrom didn't even bother to look for protection in a giggling Lissa and just gave a loud sigh while Reflet's smirk grew even wider. "Besides..." Now in a more serious tone but still with a smile on her face. "What would you think if some day the Khan showed himself or herself hangover in a meeting with your sister, or even worse, drunk. How do you think that would reflect on them if word got out of that."
Chrom couldn't refute any of her points, everything she said was true. He probably would be really offended if some leader showed up drunk in a meeting with Emmeryn.
"Well, I certainly wouldn't. But I know of some oaf that has the balls to do it as long as you pay the drinks for him."
Everybody turned their head towards the voice. A tall woman, with blonde hair and tan skin, followed by Raimi entered the room. She was clad in red and white armour and had a big broadsword resting on her shoulder. Despite wearing an armour, her toned arms could still be seen, and by the look of it, those arms had put to shame many men's.
Chrom straightened up so that he would look more like a leader and not like a kid who doesn't know how to drink. "The Khan, I presume? A pleasure." He stretched his hand and the Khan shook it.
"Yes, well, one of them. I am the East Khan Flavia. I apologize for the incident at the border Prince Chrom, but it seems that my guards have already made peace with you so maybe we can forget that incident." She let out a laugh, confirming that she already knew of the Prince's current state.
"What? No we can't." All eyes instantly turned to Reflet. "How could they mistake the Prince himself, specially when his carrying all sorts of proofs of his lineage, with some bandit. I think you should have a word with your damn border guards Khan Flavia."
Where some other leaders would have felt offended, Flavia just laughed like before. "And who is this woman, Prince Chrom? Your girlfriend?" Both blushed slightly. "No, we're not-"
"Ha! Yes, I like her already, she really is getting the hang of Feroxi diplomacy!" Now her tone changed slightly to a more serious one "Prince Chrom, I know why you've come, Plegians have also ransacked some villages posing as something they weren't. But sadly, I cannot provide with any troops. I lack the authority."
"Forgive me, but I don't understand. Aren't you the Khan?" Lissa asked. Sensing that they may go back to Ylisstol empty handed worried her.
"She is one of the two Khans Lissa, the East Khan and the West Khan." Chrom clarified, making use of the few lessons that Reflet had taught him about Feroxi politics so that he doesn't screw up.
"Exactly Prince, I see that you've done your research. Every few years we hold a tournament, each Khan chooses a champion and the Khan who wins acquires the sovereignty of both kingdoms. The last tournament was won by the West Khan so..."
"He has the final word when forging alliances. So we won't receive any aid at all?" Chrom was now having the same worries as Lissa.
"Not if you give up so easily. You see, you could always go and ask the West Khan for the alliance, but he will probably put some absurd conditions in order to accept, and I don't know if right now Ylisse is in a position to spare many resources. But I have another possible solution that may be better for the both of us."
Chrom raised his brows and smiled slightly. "You see, the next tournament will be held in a couple of days, and I heard that you're quite capable with that sword of yours, Prince. The West Khan changed his champion yesterday so if you accept I can do the same."
Chrom now had a full smile on his face. He liked it better this way, he preferred to swing his sword rather than do politics. So if he could do politics by swinging his sword, he would accept anytime. "And if I win..."
Flavia also smiled, she knew she had her champion. "I get control over Ferox, and you get your alliance with much better conditions for your country. If you want you can come over with your girlfriend and we can discuss the conditions later with a mug of that ale you enjoyed that much Prince."
Chrom wanted to protest, but he hesitated enough that someone spoke before him, the idea of having that ale again didn't sound bad to him.
"Tactician, Khan Flavia, my name is Reflet, Tactician of the Shepherds. A pleasure."
"All right Khan Flavia, my people are desperate, and if the fastest way of getting an alliance is winning that tournament, then we will take up our steel."
"Ha Ha! I also like you Prince Chrom. I hope you end up coming on top in the tournament. I'll tell someone to show you around the arena and also to show you your rooms, if you want to rest a bit before we start discussing the conditions of our future alliance, feel free to do so. Now, if you'll excuse me."
The Khan shook again the Prince's hand and left the room. Soon, Raimi took a step forward. "Milord, if you don't mind I will be your guide during your stay in Ferox, if you have any inquires feel free to ask me."
The tournament was to be held in a couple of days so most of the Shepherds decided to rest for today and enjoy the capital and the arena tomorrow.
Before fighting in the tournament, the conditions of a future alliance should be discussed, it was logical. Maybe Flavia's conditions were not as good as they hoped, in that case Chrom would be better of waiting for the tournament to end without involving himself.
Chrom and Reflet headed towards the room where Flavia told them that the negotiation was to be held. The negotiation would probably be a hard one, who knows how many hours they would sitting in that room going to and fro with all kinds of conditions.
Reflet would try to help Chrom as much as she could, but she didn't know much about what Ylisse could afford to give, to her knowledge, the only thing they had excess of was wheat.
Finally they arrived to the door, Reflet waited for Chrom but... "Okay Reflet, this is the room. Good luck, I leave the fate of Ylisse in your hands." He gave her a thumbs up and casually started to walk away.
Reflet's jaw dropped to the ground for about five seconds. She quickly grabbed Chrom before he could walk away. "Wait I minute! What do you mean by 'Good Luck'?"
Chrom put on a surprised look. "Good luck means Good luck. I don't understand, is there any problem?"
Reflet's jaw dropped again. "Are you serious? Do you really have the nerve to drop me alone in the negotiation and kindly walk away like nothing? You? The Prince?"
"Yeah. I mean, isn't that why I pay you for?"
"You pay me to make strategies in the battlefield not to do your obligations! Besides, there is little I can do to help since I don't know much about Ylisse, while you are the Prince and should be aware of what Ylisse specifically needs and can afford to give."
"All right, to be sincere, I don't really know much of what I should, usally it's Emm's advisers who handle this kind of things, I just know that we have a lot of wheat and vineyards." The way he so casually said it while shrugging his shoulders really pissed Reflet off.
"What?! And while you were in Ylisse you were planning to let your amnesiac tactician handle the negotiations that could possibly decide the fate of your country?!"
Chrom held his hands up trying to protect himself the tactician's anger. "Okay Okay, I am sorry. Look, let's just get inside and try to do what we can, all right? After, how hard can this be."
She face palmed. "A lot Chrom. On the other side of that door Flavia is probably waiting for us with a bunch of advisers and a well prepared negotiation plan, and we have nothing."
"I am sure everything will be fine. Have some faith in me."
Chrom turned the knob of the door and both of them entered the room. They didn't find a room with a big table with Flavia sitting in the most important seat, surrounded by stern looking advisers ready to squeeze everything they can from you until they leave your country in ruins for the alliance that Ylisse needed so much.
No, instead, they found the Khan, devouring some roasted boar all by herself without any sort of delicacy. When she caught sight of them she stopped eating and cleaned her hands in orders to greet her guests.
"Hello there. I apologize for the scene, but I didn't think you would come that early, and after some sparring hunger always kicks. Feel free to join."
Chrom was about to take in the offer but Reflet stepped in. "Thank you for the offer Khan Flavia, but we would prefer to discuss the terms of our possible alliance."
"Okay then. So how about this, I can give you the reinforcements you need, and some of the troops that will be stationed in villages can also train some local militia. How about you Prince?"
"Well, we have a lot of wheat and vineyards, like too many, would you want some?"
"Yeah, those things are hard to grow in Ferox. I think we have our agreement Prince." She grinned and shook hands with Chrom who was also grinning.
Reflet could only watch with an inexpressive face the events that happened before her.
After they both exited the room Reflet still maintained the same inexpressive look. Chrom sighed and threw a smirk towards the tactician. "See, I to-"
"Don't say it." Still the same inexpressive face.
Chrom maintained his smirk "What? I just wanted to say that I to-"
"Don't."
"I told you Reflet. Everything will be fine."
Those are the words that triggered Reflet. "No it won't! How is everything supposed to be fine when a future alliance that could decide the fate of the whole continent be discussed in less than thirty seconds, in a room with just a Khan gobbling down on some boar, a Prince who doesn't know what his own country has, and a tactician that doesn't even remember her birthday, all that without any advisers or signed documents, the negotiation was just 'Here, take some soldiers.' and 'Here, have some wheat and fruit.' without discussing things like opening future trade routes or maybe the removal of specific tariffs. How is everything supposed to be fine?"
She ended her rant with a pout that Chrom found absolutely adorable, he just laughed weakly and patted her head like he would have done with Lissa. "You're worrying too much Reflet, isn't it good that we got we are looking for without any complications? Now just comes the easy part, winning that duel."
She sighed loudly. "I suppose your right." She said still pouting "Sorry for the rant."
"It Okay. Hey. Would like to help me prepare my duel for tomorrow? Besides, I still haven't sparred with you and I find your swordplay really interesting."
Reflet raised her brows. "Yeah? How so?"
Chrom rubbed his chin. "It's something that Frederick pointed out first, and then inspecting it closer I found his words to be true. You see, Both me and Frederick have our own styles, there are some similarities because he taught a lot of swordplay, but each of our styles are clearly defined."
Reflet found his words interesting, she never had thought about it, but she already had an idea of what Chrom was wanting to say. "Yes, however mine..."
"Even the swordmasters that create their own style end up having a clearly defined one despite being unique. However, you don't have that, which brings to the next thing, the way you fight is rather unique."
Reflet's eyes widened for half a second. 'A style that makes the most of our tactical minds.' It was the voice of a male. She couldn't remember whose voice it was, but felt awfully familiar. "A style that makes the most of a tactical mind." She muttered to herself, enough for Chrom to hear.
"Exactly, Frederick told me something like that. What you do is counter your opponent as the fight goes on, it seems as if you study each one of his movements and find weak points each time they attack or retaliate. Also your base skills with the sword are enough to force your opponent into not holding back, or else he loses, and then you can figure out the weaknesses of their best skills. I dare say that as long as you keep your base skills with the sword and your speed good enough you can be pretty much unbeatable, unless your opponent is perfect."
What Chrom said was right, Frederick got it all right. It sruck her now, she hadn't thought about it because of the adrenaline she felt on the battlefield, but each engagement was like making a strategy on the battlefield, she could see through her opponents like she could catch the flow of the battle with just a glance of her surroundings.
"And I guess that's why you want to practice with me, so that I can help you find weaknesses in your swordplay." She smiled. "Fine, that's the sort of things I get paid for, not stupid negotiations. But don't expect to go easy on you, 'milord'."
Chrom chuckled. "Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way."
Lissa wandered through the streets of the Feroxi capital stopping at all kinds of shops and stands. Since it seemed that everybody's option was either spar or rest, she found herself the only one who wanted to explore the capital even if just a little bit.
Of course, she knew that if she told her intentions, Chrom wouldn't let her go alone and she would have ended up bored in her room, so she waited until everyone went off to their destinations to separate herself from the rest.
Even if there was an important event coming up, Lissa still couldn't believe how lively the streets were. Even if there was an event like that in Ylisstol she would probably prefer to stay home near the fireplace instead of going out with this harsh climate!
But still, this was the first time she travelled outside Ylisse's borders, so she wanted to make the most out of her time. Most of the places were armouries, so she couldn't really enjoy those, but there was still a lot of food to taste and furs to try, not to mention that just taking a walk and enjoying the atmosphere around her was enough.
The princess was enjoying her time. She caught sight of a stand where they sold all kinds of accessories and similar stuff that was made with the remains of what was hunted. She didn't think before this kind of things would interest her, but this specific stand had really cute designs and she thought it would be nice to buy something to her sister.
While heading towards the stand some mysterious force instantly pulled her towards an alley. She didn't even have the chance to scream, a hand in her mouth prevented her from doing it.
Robin made sure to leave everything ready for Idoun. She was now sleeping and the Feroxi had already given him enough food for her. She would sleep for some time, then she would have lunch, and then she would go to sleep again.
He had to make sure he visited all the places he wanted to see in this lapse of time before Idoun woke up for a second time so that e could be with her, she liked to fly for some time after that so if she didn't find Robin with her she would go out and find him.
The Feroxi were generous enough to offer accommodation for her so the last thing he wanted was for a couple of feroxi to ran into her and get swallowed in case she was hungry.
Robin knew that in the arena he wouldn't find any book stores and he doesn't need any new weapons or armour, so the best option was to go to town. Last time he went there he found some really interesting books, and while he was at it, he could have something to eat.
He exited the arena with his hood up to protect himself from the harsh Feroxi cold (being Plegian he didn't find the cold to enjoyable), unluckily for him, he had just walked five minuted when he saw what was an unmistakable Plegian berserker pulling to an alley a girl who appeared to be in her early teens.
Of course! Something had to happen. He couldn't have a peaceful day. And because of these kind of idiots is why some people instantly refused to have anything to do with Plegians.
Gangrel truly was a moronic ruler! A nation cannot survive alone. It doesn't matter how much gold a country has, there is a point where it cannot grow any further without the help of other nations. Gangrel would end up taking Plegia to the depths of hell, and he would drag the rest of the continent with him, he would only make the job easier for Walhart and more difficult for him.
But right now he needed to help that girl. He followed the berserker to the dark alley, where he found him with six other Plegians, all berserkers or just brigands. The blonde haired girl was cornered around a dead end, however, what struck Robin was how familiar her face and that blonde hair of hers was.
'Wait, is that... Emmeryn's little sister? Princess Lissa? Yes, the descrpition I have matches her looks.' He sneaked himself a little closer to listen to the Plegians.
"Looks like we got a great catch huh?" The rest of the men laughed "Man, those who are sent to Ylisse are way luckier than us, it is impossible to have some fun in the villages without getting ourselves killed. Those Feroxi are truly barbarians. So imagine the smile on my face when I see the Exalt's own sister out there by herself! I couldn't be more happy!"
The Plegian tried to close on Lissa when they felt a gust of wind coming from above them. Before they could even blink twice they saw something that they wouldn't have never expected, they saw The Cloak. Right before them, in front of their noses, was Plegia's Grandmaster, the man who only had above him the King and the head of the Grimleal, standing between them and the Ylissean Princess.
Lissa's eyes widened. 'That man... He just came from above like nothing! He used wind magic like Reflet!"
The berserkers knew of Robin's ideals, they knew how he despised Gangrel's ways, and they knew how he despised those who decide to follow them, and most important, they knew his strenght.
From below his hood they could feel his glare towards them, they were still weighing whether to run for their lives or try to come up with an excuse that could convince the Grandmaster to spare them.
Before they could decide the Grandmaster opened his tome and it soon began glowing in a very dark purple hue. He soon began chanting some incantations and as he finished, he made in front of him three dots of blue light with his index finger, the three dots making the apexes of a triangle.
"Wait sir! Please liste-" He didn't get to finish.
After that he joined the three dots and with the resulting magic dot he drew some runes in front of him in the air. When he finished he held his fist forward with the index finger pointing upwards and screamed. "FIMBULVETR!"
At his scream a freezing whirlwind began to form around the Plegians. Lissa fell to the ground, she clossed her eyes and tried to shield her face with her arms. Soon, the whirlwind disappeared only for giant chunks of ice appear from the ground, engulfing the berserkers.
When Lissa opened her eyes they instantly widened at the sight of all the Plegians trapped inside the ice, frozen like statues. This kind of magic didn't seem like something anyone can pull of.
She was pretty impressed by that display of power, but she was also a little scared. 'Who is this guy?'
Robin turned towards her and offered her his hand to help her get up. "Hey there, are you okay? They didn't do anything to you didn't they?" He asked in a gentle tone.
She took his hand and just shook her head, she was focusing on trying to find out what was beneath that hood instead of talking. The only thing she could get was his smile.
"I am glad. Please pay no attention to this kind of people, they don't represent Plegians at all, a lot of Plegians such as myself are against Gangrel's actions." She just nodded. "Good. But please milady, try and be more cautious from now on, I am sure your guard won't mind coming with you if necessary."
'Yeah, probably Frederick wouldn't have minded.' "Now, if you'll excuse me milady." He gave her a bow and left her alone again. After he left it struck her. "Why didn't I ask him his name? And that coat is similar to Reflet's, was that guy Grimleal? Well, if I see him again I'll have to ask him about Reflet."
She began to head back to the stand she was originally going to go, and then she would get back to the arena. She would love to tell the others about her story and about the hooded man, but there were two reasons to not do it.
First of all, she didn't want to get Reflet's hopes up. If they didn't see him again or if he didn't have anything to do with her she might be disappointed. It was better to wait and ask him directly if he knew her.
And secondly, because telling her story implied telling that she sneaked off all alone to town, and that she nearly got herself kidnapped by Plegia in the process, and that would in turn delete any possibilities of her sneaking off to wherever she may need to go when the situation required.
Yeah, for the moment she would stay quiet.
Even inside the room that Chrom was given to prepare himself before the duel he could hear the loud cheers coming from the crowd in the grandstand of the arena, which only made him more nervous.
He was positive that this would be the easiest than the negotiation with Khan Flavia, but now he wasn't so sure.
All of the Shepherds were already given spots on the stands and were sitting there, he was only allowed to bring one person with him before the duel started for coaching and some pointers.
When everyone expected him to choose Frederick, his guard and mentor in swordplay, he chose Reflet to everyone's surprise. The surprise didn't last long anyway when they realized that it was also a logic choice.
"Don't worry Chrom, if you find yourself in a pinch, just remember what I told you yesterday. I think we pretty much covered all the bad situations you could find yourself in and found possible solutions to each one of them."
Chrom was pacing throughout the whole room waiting for his moment. Reflet was right, he should be more than ready to confront any opponent right now.
But it was the crowd what still made him nervous. He should be ready for public exposure, he was a prince goddammit! He only could hope that he would loosen up whenever the fight started.
A guard came in telling Chrom that it was already time to go. Chrom turned to Reflet one last time. "Okay Chrom, remember. This duel isn't to death, but if you don't win Ylisse might be as good as dead."
Chrom sighed. He knew it, but those words right now weren't helping at all. "Oh, and Chrom, here's one for good luck." The tactician closed distances and pecked him on his right cheek and went with the rest of the Shepherds.
The prince brought his hand to his cheek, which was now colored in a hue of pink. 'Why did she do that? Now I am even more nervous!"
The guard led the prince to a passageway that connected with the duel ground. Chrom walked the passageway and the moment he exited it to the ground he found the cheers to be even louder than before, but he didn't want to seem nervous so he straightened himself and walked with a determined stance.
He also saw his opponent approach, and when the opponent was close enough for him to discern his eyes widened. 'Marth?!'
"It's good to see you, Prince Chrom." The warrior said with the same inexpressive tone he used back in the forest.
Chrom nodded. "It's good to see you too." Marth returned the nod and unsheathed her sword and assumed her battle stance. "May the best win emerge victorious."
Chrom also did the same and that was when his eyes widened again. Marth's stance was very similar to his, and that sword he was wielding was awfully familiar. "Wait, before we start, I have a question."
Marth didn't seem to pay attention and lunged towards him. "Fine, we'll let our swords do the talking.
Tha Khans had a separate gallery for each of themselves. In the western one, a well built tan skinned bald man with an eye patch in his right eye was enjoying the show put between the two warriors.
A guard however interrupted him. "Khan Basilio. Your guest has arrived."
"Let him in."
His guest, a cloaked man with crimson eyes and and white hair. He took the nearest seat to the Khan and both him and the Khan were offered a mug of mead, which they both accepted.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it? Khan Basilio."
The bald man laughed loudly. "Ha! Indeed. You keep saying you'll come to visit more often, but to me you are only sneaking away from your turn to treat. Remember that the last time the check was on me, and thanks to a certain someone it was a pretty big one."
The Grandmaster laughed at the memories of him and the Khan enjoying themselves in Basilio's favourite tavern with Basilio's finest warriors.
That night Basilio insisted on inviting Robin, and the Grandmaster took the opportunity to buy drinks for all the patrons on the Khan's account.
Needless to say, that didn't end well for the Khan's savings. "Yeah, I remember, it was a great night. But fourth years of being the reigning Khan was worth all that gold wasn't it?"
The Khan kept his grin. He didn't say it explicitly, but it was well-known between that after all, even the Khan enjoyed himself that night, even after ending with an empty purse. He had to celebrate his new victory over the East after all.
"Ha! I'm sure the best mercenary of the continent would cost me a lot less and would still give me the reigns of Ferox. See for yourself."
Robin eyed the two warriors clashing their swords in similar styles. The first one was instantly recognisable by Robin, blue hair, sacred sword and the brand on his shoulder. "Is that Prince Chrom? What is he doing here?"
"Apparently this time that old woman has picked someone decent didn't she? I bet she's still jealous because you were the West champion four years ago and easily won the tournament, and this time she also decided to go for something different than your classical mercenary."
"Yeah, but the question is how did she get Prince Chrom to represent her. Normally Khans wouldn't ask such important political figures to represent them. In my case it was only because I offered myself."
This time he eyed the other warrior, the first thing he noticed was his hair. "Wait, where's Lon'qu? Who's that."
"That's Marth. He appeared out of nowhere a week ago and kicked Lon's ass easily. Well, first the fight was rather equal, but it after a couple of minutes Marth became quickly superior, but I still don't know much about him."
This time he spent more time analysing Marth. 'Him?' He thought. There were several things mysterious about this guy, one of those was his figure. "Him? More like her don't you think?"
Yeah, it made sense for Robin. He knew how good Lon'qu was with the sword, he knew that no one would beat him easily, anyone, except if he didn't expect to find a wo...
"Ha! So you noticed to! I must admit your eyesight is incredible, I recognised it because I saw her from a close distance but yeah. No mercenary can defeat easily Lon'qu. But I have no reason to lift the blanket, so I'll keep her secret."
Robin wished that him being a her was the only thing that caught his attention. Her name for example. 'Marth.' It wasn't the name itself what was mysterious, not at all.
The name in itself would probably mean nothing to him. But her hair color, a style so similar to that of Prince Chrom, her sword...
'Who the hell is Marth?' There was also more, he could feel it, there was something more coming from Marth. He would have to pay her a visit after the end of the duel.
"So? Is your sister now safe with the Exalt?" The Khan interrupted Robin from his thoughts.
"She should be in Ylisstol, but I still can't assure her safety, and until I can't, I must remain in Plegia keeping an eye on Gangrel. But hopefully, if everything goes as we have planned and we both do our parts we should be able to finish Gangrel before any sort of war kicks in. And then, I can focus on more important threats."
Basilio instantly caught Robin's implications. "He has been growing stronger hasn't he?"
Robin nodded. "Yes, the last report I got told me that a lot of Valm's nations have either fallen or have aligned with Walhart. As we speak it is possible that even Chon'sin has fallen."
"So, we can safely assume that after he ends his business in Valm his next target will be..."
"The continent of Ylisse, starting from west Ferox."
The Khan gave a bitter chuckle, acknowledging how much of a threat was Walhart. "Are you sure you'll be able to focus on Walhart as much as you want while holding off Validar?"
"Validar is a lot of thing Basilio, many of them are bad. But Validar isn't very stupid. His arrogance will cost him his life but he is not reckless, and most importantly, he isn't in a hurry. He knows of Walhart's threats as well, who knows how many spies he already has in Valm, so he will stay down for a while and let me work patiently."
"I see... You know, I can personally confirm that all geniuses are reaally out of their sanity." He boomed a loud laugh. "Hearing you talk about bringing down two of the strongest people known to our world on your own with that confidence almost made it sound easy for a moment."
A smirk formed on the Grandmaster's face. Yes, he was probably mad, even more than his father, but then again; could anyone really blame him for insanity?
Chrom was getting pissed off as the fight went on. He knew he shouldn't.
But it was too hard to not to.
Marth's sword was incredible similar to his and his movements were very similar to his own. Not only that but she seemed to know how to counter him, while he struggled to counter Marth's personal traits of his style.
Chrom's blows were definetly stronger, but Marth was faster, dodging all of Chrom attacks and giving him two or three blows that Chrom found hard to dodge.
Marth was playing it very safely, waiting for his attacks, easily dodgin and then throwing safe slashes. Chrom was holding himself but this was starting to wear him off.
Reflet gave him advice in case he had to fight opponents similar to myrmidons. Those people were faster, but in change, they wouldn't be able to take as much damage as fighter like Chrom.
So what he had to do now was to find an opening, one blow may be enough if it was strong. It was time to change his strategy.
Instead of charging this time he took a defensive stance, inviting Marth to take lead now. The swordsman lunged toward him, unleashing a barrage of slices.
He was trying to find any patterns or weaknesses on Marth's attacks that he could take advantage off. But it was incredibly hard to focus both on that and parrying or dodging the attacks, and as consequence, he was getting small cuts in both arms.
'Dammit! How can Reflet do it so easiliy?' He remembered how Reflet made him trip over twenty time in their sparring session yesterday.
She said something about his footwork when he attacked... 'That's it!' His footwork. Even if Marth had his personal traits in his style that made it slightly different than his own. And right now he could see his own footwork on Marth's feet, and also the same mistakes that Reflet scolded him for twenty times.
And now he could also tell that he had been doing the same today... Reflet would scold him for sure...
Every three blows, depending on what side the attack came from, that same side's foot would end more ahead than it should, allowing the opponent to safely trip him, he probably had less than a second before that opening was closed and then it was the same pattern again.
There it was, the third slice came from the right, and his right foot was a lot more forward than it should. Chrom took advantage of this opportunity trying to make her trip.
Marth tried to rebalance himself, he didn't fall but he was still staggering. But it was more than enough time for Chrom to come with a powerful blow.
Marth tried to block, for it was too late to run, but the strength in Chrom's attack knocked the sword out of Marth's hand and left him staggering again. Chrom instantly hit Marth's side with the hilt of his Falchion, knocking the West Khan champion flat on the ground.
"Yield." From above Marth, Chrom pointed his sword towards the swordsman.
Marth chuckled. "Impressive... If not surprising... Fine, I yield." Chrom extended his hand and the West Khan champion accepted it. Once she got up she quickly left the arena.
Frederick, Lissa and Reflet approached Chrom to congratulate him for his victory, or so Chrom thought. The first thing Reflet did was smack the back of Chrom's head. "Took you long to figure it out. And the same error you made infinite times today and yesterday."
Chrom rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, but I won, isn't that what matters?"
"Yeah, but what if you didn't? If it was a real life or death situation maybe you wouldn't have survived."
"Wow, she has you completely tamed Prince." Flavia entered the room with a smirk on her face. She was looking clearly happy. "Well fought Prince, I kinda got worried for a moment there. I am glad you managed to pull this one out, and more to the point, you have your alliance Prince."
The present Shepherds face lit up at the Khan's words. "Truly? Thanks, Khan Flavia."
The Khan laughed loudly and patted -even though slap would be more accurate- his back, sending him forward. "I should be thanking you Prince! It felt like centuries since I last held power, and I finally managed to get back at Basilio for cheating four years ago."
That last part however went unnoticed as she muttered it to herself. "Come, friends! Tonight we celebrate, in the Feroxi way!"
She didn't have anything more to do in Ferox, she only needed to get back to her room to take what few things she had and leave towards her next destination.
As she was heading to her room her thought drifted towards today's duel with the Ylissean Prince. Despite him not being as strong as she remembered she was still happy to see him.
She was also happy knowing that her actions were helping him without involving herself with Chrom too much.
All her thoughts stopped when a shiver ran down her spine. She stopped walking. She was trying to figure out why the sudden feeling of dread. Since nothing was in front of her she slowly turned around, only to find reason of her feelings.
Behind her was a man with a dark cloak, unusual white hair and crimson eyes. 'It's him...' Plegia's Grandmaster.
The man slowly approached her with a gentle smile, but she tried not to be fooled by it. Behind that gentle smile hid the mind of a genius, who could read people and battlefields like open books without breaking a sweat.
She knew he was a gentle and a selfless man... But with his allies. Marth had heard stories of his actions against anyone who threatened those he loved. And right now, Marth wasn't at his side, so she had to choose carefully her words.
"Greetings, Sir Marth." He gave a small bow, which Marth gave back. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Robin, and I currently hold the title of Grandmaster of Plegia. Would you mind if I discussed with you a couple of matters before you leave?"
"Sure, please go ahead." She had to talk to him and hope that he wouldn't find out to much.
"First of all allow to congratulate you for the amazing duel you put up with Prince Chrom, it's a shame you had to hold back for whatever reasons you had, now I'm curious as to what extent your ability with the sword goes to."
From his position could instantly see Marth gritting her teeth. She had to try to find an excuse to leave before he... "By the way, that sword of yours..."
Before he finds out more. "Can I borrow it for a couple of seconds? I must say it is quite a beautiful sword."
She couldn't let him have the sword! He knew of Falchion's properties, where he to take the sword and see that he can't cut anything with it he'll instantly know that this Falchion is a true one.
"I am really sorry Sir Robin, my sword is a very important heirloom for my family, so I don't feel comfortable with someone other than me without it. I hope you understand Sir Robin. Now, If you don't mind, I will be taking my leave."
She gave him a little bow, his smile never leaving his face. When she turned around to proceed with her way, she found that the end of the hallway was nowhere visible, instead, a dense dark purple fog limited her vision in front of her.
"Why the rush? Sir Marth, we were having a lovely chat, weren't we?" This time his smile changed drastically from a gentle smile to what Marth could describe as a evil grin. "Or would you prefer if I called you 'Lady' Marth."
The blue haired girl gave a step back, remembering that she couldn't with the dense fog around -which she now noticed that came from the Grandmaster-.
She wasn't sure she could still act coolly for a lot more if he continued his presuree. "Tell me, why did you help Chrom? Tell me, how is it that you have a REAL Falchion? And most importantly..."
He closed his eyes for a moment, Marth's hand almost reaching for the hilt of her sword. The moment the man open his eyer they were glowing with a bright red color, and even more dark magic was emanating from the Grandmaster.
"Why do you hide the Brand of the Exalt under that mask!?"
Suddenly all the fog turned into strong bright purple flames that seemed to engulf the whole hallway, leaving only the distance between them without any flames.
Marth instinctively unsheathed her sword to protect herself, she felt really cold despite all the flames around her. The grip on her sword wasn't as storng as she wanted it to be, and all her body was trembling. But why?
'His presence can be overwhelming if you are not ready, I remember him standing in front of all of us and all of the enemy troops taking instinctively a step back, I am glad he wasn't our enemy.' Se remembered the words of her late aunt and now she understood it all.
She was scared.
She was scared to death. It was as if the tactician had warped her to hell and was about to make her understand the word pain. She hadn't felt like this since that day... The feeling was all too familiar!
'She doesn't appear to be plotting nothing suspicious, and look at her... She looks like she is about to faint. Maybe I'll have to wait for my answers, if she was trying to help Chrom then maybe she can make my job easier.'
Robin manifested a chuckle and all the flames suddenly disappeared while his eyes lost their glow as his gentle smile made it's way through his face again.
"My my, sorry if I scared you Lady Marth, I just couldn't help but get carried away. But you don't seem to be plotting anything harmful to my plans so don't worry, I'll keep your secrets safe. If you don't mind, I will now take my leave, I hope we meet again so we can engage again in another friendly conversation."
He chuckled at that last part and made a small bow before leaving. Marth however was still holding the sword, arms trembling and legs like jelly.
She stood like this for half a minute before she dropped on her knees and began to pant to get as much air as possible in her lungs. She also noticed she was sweating buckets despite how much cold she felt.
Of course, she had heard stories, but she had known from him anything but kindness, and he was a hero to her! How could she even expect something like what she had just seen!
Robin's thought were in turn on the blue haired warrior. 'For now I'll let her be. But sooner or later I'll need my answers. Answers regarding her motives, swordplay, sword, the Brand...'
And most importantly, even though weak, he could still feel it.
'…her Fellblood.'
So yeah, here you have Robin. Have him at your side and he's gonna be the best of the best. Have him against you and he will show no mercy 90% of the times.
Regarding Reflet punishing Chrom there's two things. I always felt like Female Robin always acted as some sort of 'Mother' to the army, that's why she is the one who told Chrom not to drink, as well as the one who punished him, but don't worry, she won't overdo it to the point where it's annyoing for the readers (I hope). The second thing, well, what my GF did to me when I was seriously hangover three weeks ago a day before a recovery exam is what Reflet did, try it, it's seriously annoying.
Also sorry if the battle scenes are not very well written, I am still struggling with writing in english so feel free to give any advice or point out mistakes.
I have also recently finished Lunatic Birthright, Hard Revelations and Hard Conquest. Storywise I feel like the three were really meh (the writing could definetely improve) but still better than Awakening, the characters were mostly ok (with exceptions like Niles who are awesome), still better in conquest though, but gameplay wise the game is pretty well done, specially Conquest, I am a huge fan of Conquest.
Also I don't like Corrin, I am not a fan of Avatars exisitng in Fire Emblem, but I think they are great for Fics though. At least Robin and Kris were good as Avatars, but Corrin, I don't like him, he should have been a normal lord instead of a personalizable Avatar. Also, 2nd Generation needs to go, in Awakening it was understandable even if someone might not like it, but if they don't plan in making it like in FE4 I think they should forget 2nd generation for some time.
Well, I could keep ranting on Fates but this isn't what you came for, so I'll stop. Instead, will post a poll regarding my next fic. It won't be decisive but it'll help me decide. I will start to write the next chapter right now, but I recently purchased I am Setsuna for PS4, and still have to finish Thracia 776 (hard AF!) and Conquest Lunatic.
As always, review follow suggestions and all of that. See ya!