Fire Emblem Awakening: Chronicles of the Fell Dragon War
Author's Note: You guys know how I said that, in a couple of chapters, there would be a vignette dedicated to building up Support between Drake and the current Shepherds? Well, it's time for that moment! But first, we need to conclude the business Drake has with his current situation: him finding out that Emmeryn is Chrom and Lissa's SISTER! So, this vignette will actually start partway into the chapter, plus, it may or may not go into the next one…We'll just see where the Hands of Fate take us. Or is it Wheel of Fate? I dunno. Let's get rolling.
Chapter Three
"S-Sister!?"
Lissa couldn't help but giggle at Drake's reaction. His jaw hung open like a loose bear trap, and his eyes were practically bulging out of his skull.
"That means that you and Chrom are…" Drake couldn't finish his statement, he was so stunned by the revelation.
"The Prince and Princess of Ylisse? Yes, that's correct," Chrom finished for him. Drake stood still for a moment, before kneeling down on one knee.
"Chrom…No, Your Highness…I had no idea…Please, forgive my rude and inconsiderate manners!" Chrom and Lissa both burst out laughing, before Chrom placed his hand on Drake's shoulder.
"There's no need for formalities, Drake," he said, smiling. "I hate formalities. To you, it's just Chrom." Drake stood up, chuckling nervously, his right hand behind his head.
"Well, I can see why Frederick puts up with all the teasing." The Great Knight nodded sternly.
"Yes, unfortunately, I must." He then muttered to himself, "It's just one of the many sacrifices I must make for the realm…" Chrom motioned for the others to follow him.
"Come on, we should let Emmeryn know about what happened yesterday." Nodding their agreement, the four of them made their way to the palace. As they left, however, none of them noticed an orange-red haired figure covertly following them from the shadows.
To call this a palace…understatement of the year, Drake thought as he gazed at the palace's outer walls. It more resembled a fortress than the home of a royal family, and the fact that soldiers stood at exact intervals along the ramparts, with some Archers and Mages among the ranks, wasn't helping to shatter the illusion. As the quartet approached the gates, two soldiers pulled the great wooden doors open, allowing them passage. They saluted to the Prince, not even noticing Drake, and Chrom nodded back to them.
Once the quartet passed through, however, the illusion of the fortress gave way to what Drake thought the outer area of the castle would look like. A large, beautiful courtyard lay in front of them, a gorgeous fountain situated in the center. Neatly trimmed flower bushes grew on all sides of the courtyard, even forming pathways for guests to walk through. All in all, it was paradise.
Chrom walked up to the lone figure standing in the courtyard, a Knight, about thirty-two years old, with dark blonde hair and hazel eyes. His armor was colored grey only, except for a small band of red around his waist. The Knight saw the Prince, and his worried expression soon faded away, to be replaced by one of relief and joy.
"My lord!" he said, embracing the Prince as he might a family member. "I am relieved to see you have returned safely!"
"Knight-Commander Grant, it's good to see you too!" Chrom replied, returning the embrace. The two men released each other before punching each other's shoulders lightly. "I hope Emm hasn't been too worried about me and Lissa?" The Knight laughed, a noise that sounded a little like a dog barking.
"Her? Worry? Ha! The day she starts to worry is the day when I grow wings and fly to the moon! But come! I'm sure the Exalt will be wanting to hear your report." Chrom nodded, and waved his friends over.
"Hey, Lissa," Drake whispered as the quartet was led through the palace by Grant, "What does the Knight-Commander do? Anything special?"
"Well," she replied, "Grant is in charge of all the ground units within the main part of the Ylissian military." Drake nodded, looking around at the tapestry hanging from the walls. They seemed to depict the history of Ylisse and the royal family, with each piece of fabric showing a different scene from a long time ago.
"So, if Grant leads the ground troops, who's in charge of the air units?" Before Lissa could answer, Chrom greeted another person, drawing their attention to him.
"Wing-Commander Phila!" he said, taking the hand of a woman, around thirty years old. Phila had silver hair, despite being at such a young age, maroon eyes, and navy blue armor, with gold pauldrons and a gold chestplate.
"Prince Chrom," she said, her face remaining emotionless, "It is good to see you back." She nodded to Grant, before leaving, probably to inform the Exalt about Chrom's return. As Grant continued to lead the quartet through the palace halls, they passed by a group of spear-wielding soldiers-all female, Drake noticed-walking the other way.
Drake noticed that one of the soldiers, a young woman around nineteen years old, kept her gaze focused on the Prince as they walked pass, and he swore that he saw a tear fall from her dull red eyes. The woman quickly glanced away when she saw Drake's eyes looking at her. Drake turned his head to look at the woman as the soldiers left.
She was, in Drake's mind, gorgeous. Her silver armor gleamed brilliantly, as if it had just been completely polished, her gait was confident, yet graceful, and the sun shined on her ruby red hair from behind, giving the illusion that she was wreathed in flames.
Wow, Drake thought, She must get a lot of men pining for her.
The quartet reached a room at the end of one of the side halls, and entered, with Grant standing outside. Lissa quickly walked over to one of the sofas and threw herself onto it in a very unladylike manner, while the other three took to the chairs and sat down in them.
"It's good to be back home," Chrom said, taking a crystal pitcher and poured himself a glass of water. "Do you want some water, Drake?" Drake nodded, taking the other glass Chrom had filled, and held it with both hands, afraid of letting it slip and shatter.
"I am so out of place here," Drake whispered to Chrom. He nodded, and stretched his arms over his head.
"I know the feeling, Drake. I feel the same way sometimes." Drake brought the glass to his mouth, and slowly downed the clear liquid. Placing the glass down, he closed his eyes to think more on his lost memories.
I wonder if I have any relations. What are they thinking now? Could they be worried? They probably are. But…Who was I before? I wish I knew. But, what if there isn't anyone? Perhaps I can build a new life here: get a job, buy a house, start a family…Suddenly, an image of Lissa in a wedding dress popped into his mind, a thought that was surprisingly appealing to him. He quickly shook the image out of his mind, though. No, no, no! What are you thinking? She's a princess, you're just a nobody with amnesia. It would never work out. But…Why was it her, and not the red-haired beauty? His mental debate was, fortunately, cut off as the doors opened, and Emmeryn walked into the room, Phila and Grant following behind her.
"Emm!" Lissa cried as she practically leapt off the sofa and into the Exalt, embracing her tightly. Emmeryn smiled warmly, her blue eyes shining, as she returned the gesture. Drake could once again feel the aura of peace coming from the Exalt, except, this time, it seemed even stronger. Probably because of the closer distance.
"Lissa, it is good to see you are unharmed," Emmeryn said, her voice sounding as melodious as the chiming of church bells. "How did your first expedition as a Shepherd go?" Lissa smiled sheepishly, tapping her left foot, a gesture that Drake found oddly endearing.
"It was fun…Except for the part where we had to eat a bear…And the bugs…" Drake silently chuckled to himself, fondly recalling the moment where Lissa accidentally ate a fly, and the hilarious antics when she thought she was being set upon by hornets, when it was just a swarm of ladybugs.
Lissa released her sister, and Chrom moved in for a light hug. "Welcome back, Chrom," the Exalt said. "I am glad to see you're safe." Chrom nodded, and released his sister.
"I wish I could say the same, Emm. But there are things that need to be said." Drake saw Chrom's hand tighten around his sword's hilt; he was obviously frustrated about the bandit attack. Why, though, he had no clue.
"Plegian bandits attacked Southtown yesterday," the Prince said, a hint of malice in his voice. Grant's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he growled.
"Damn them!" he cursed. "This is the third time this week!"
"However," Chrom continued, "The town is safe. We managed to beat back the bandits, but only with some help." Emmeryn nodded, her eyes focusing on Drake.
"I assume this is where the young man here comes into play?" she asked, walking over to Drake. As she got closer, he noticed that she was only half a head shorter than him, and that she had a symbol on her forehead: the same mark that was on Chrom's shoulder. "I do not believe we have met."
"This is Drake," Chrom said, standing next to him. "He helped us out in Southtown, as I explained, and he actually saved Lissa's life once. As such, I wish to make him the new Tactician for the Shepherds." Drake bowed to Emmeryn, trying to look as polite as possible.
"Your Grace," he said, "It is an honor to meet you." His eyes widened, however, once Chrom's words sunk in.
Wait…Tactician!?
"Your Grace," Frederick interjected, standing from his seat, just as stunned as Drake with Chrom's revelation, "I find it necessary to state that this man claims to have amnesia, and can remember nothing of his former life. But it is only that: a claim. For all we know, he could be a Plegian spy." Chrom glared daggers at the Great Knight, seeing as they already had this conversation the day before.
"Chrom, do you trust this man?" Emmeryn asked, turning to her brother, the cryptic smile never wavering. He nodded.
"With my life, Emm, and the life of Lissa."
"Then that is enough for me." She smiled to Frederick. "Frederick, your concern is appreciated, however." The Great Knight bowed, his forehead furrowed in irritation. "Come, Chrom, we must prepare for the war council."
"Well," Lissa said, quickly grabbing Drake's arm, "That's our cue! We'll leave you guys alone, and let you focus completely on the council." She all but dragged Drake by his arm out of the room, turning around to wave vigorously. "You all have fun now!"
Emmeryn could not help but crack a very girlish smile, swiftly covering it with a hand, as Chrom shook his head. Lissa was always doing something completely ridiculous to either break tension, get to know a new person, or, most commonly, for no reason at all. It was what made her, in his opinion, one of the greatest princesses he knew. Shaking his head again, he followed Frederick, Grant, and Phila towards the council room, the Exalt walking in step with him.
"Chrom," she said, in a voice low enough that only he could hear it, "I can tell that there's something bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?" He shook his head.
"Thanks, Emm, but I'd rather bring it up during the council. What's bothering me is something that could endanger Ylisse. Perhaps even more than Plegia."
Exiting into the courtyard, Lissa released Drake's arm, and let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank Naga you were there to get me out of that, Drake!" she said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "I hate war councils." The cool breeze flowing across Drake's face snapped him out of his shock, and he turned to the princess, a questioning look in his eyes.
"Hey, Lissa…I thought Frederick said Ylisse was at peace." She nodded, her head tilting to the side. "So, how come Grant said that this was the third time in a week those bandits were seen?" She sighed, her eyes seeming to lose some of their shine.
"Blame Plegia for that," she said, her voice growing very serious. "Plegia is one of our neighboring countries, although they aren't so neighborly. Their king likes to 'unofficially' send bandits over the borders in order to instigate a war with us."
"But Emmeryn hasn't given in?" She shook her head, her bubbly smile returning.
"Nope, and I doubt Emm will. She's too focused on peace to put us through another war." Drake nodded slowly, only to stop once her words registered.
"'Another war'?" Lissa's face blanched slightly, and she shook her head.
"Never mind, forget I said anything!" she quickly said, her voice seeming to hide a tone of desperation. Drake decided that pushing the matter further would do more harm than good, so he nodded, agreeing to drop the subject. Lissa sighed softly with what seemed to be relief, before taking Drake by his hand again.
"Come on, I'll take you to the Barracks. I think it's time to introduce you to the other Shepherds." Nodding his head, the duo ran out of the courtyard towards town, neither one noticing that a figure with orange-red hair was watching them from a nearby tree, a two-layer marble cake in his lap.
"Well, look at that," the thief mused to himself, using his dagger to cut the pastry in his lap. "It seems that the princess has herself an admirer." Placing the piece of cake he had separated from the original in his mouth, he slipped the rest into his bag, and jumped to the ground, before slipping away from the castle through the shadows.
The walk to the barracks was uneventful, with the only distraction being Lissa purchasing an amulet for Drake from an open stall vendor. "As thanks for saving my life," she had told him. Slipping it around his neck, he found that it matched perfectly with his cloak: the slender, white body of the amulet countering the empty black fabric. Making their way through the streets of Ylisstol, with Lissa acting as an impromptu guide, pointing out the best places to eat, shop, and have fun (Drake especially found the bookstores interesting, resolving to return at a later point), the duo eventually arrived at the barracks.
"Here we are, Drake. Welcome to Chez Shepherd!" Lissa exclaimed, waving her arms in a dramatic fashion. Immediately, Drake noticed that the Shepherd's barracks seemed…a bit small to be holding what was supposed to be the elite members of a military force. "Well, let's go! Time for you to meet your new comrades!"
Entering into the barracks, Drake noticed a few things right off the bat. First was the open door that looked like it led into a storage room. From what he could see, the room looked pretty barren, except for a few boxes, one of which was filled with apples. Second were the room's occupants, probably the other Shepherds.
He instantly recognized Sully, still in her riding armor, locked in an arm-wrestling match with a twenty-two year old man with spiky blonde hair and blue-green eyes. Leaning against the chair where the man was sitting was a Bronze Axe, presumably belonging to him. His tanned skin rippled with muscles, and Drake immediately pinned him as a Fighter. Oddly enough, he wasn't wearing a shirt.
No armor? Drake thought to himself. Surely he must know that going into battle half naked is a terrible idea.
Away from all the action of the arm-wrestling, Virion sat with a cup of tea in his hands, and across from him, a young woman, about nineteen years old, with long, dull brown hair that was braided slightly in the front. Her eyes were of the same color as her hair, but, oddly enough, Drake noticed that they glimmered in a manner that spoke of a person who lacked experience, but was bursting with potential. Her lavender armor was the same style as the red-haired beauty's, so Drake assumed they were both trained in the same manner.
Though why she's here and not the red-haired beauty is beyond me.
The last thing he noticed was the size of the room. It. Was. Huge! The main room had about six doors leading to different rooms, though where most of them lead was unknown to Drake, and there was a kitchen built within the left half of the main entrance, which was obviously the den. The strange thing was, there was a giant suit of armor, completely silver except for some bands of gold on the pauldrons, situated right in the middle of the kitchen.
Before Drake could ask Lissa about the armor, he was shoved aside by an eighteen year old girl, with blonde hair tied in pigtails and piercing ruby-red eyes. Her dress style was similar to Lissa's, pinning her as a noble, except she wore mostly pink riding clothes in comparison to Lissa's sunflower yellow Cleric dress.
"Lissa, my darling!" the blonde noblewoman exclaimed, grasping both of Lissa's hands in her own. "Are you all right? I have been on pins and needles waiting for your return." The woman released Lissa's hands, and then proceeded to circle the princess, her parasol swinging in her hand the whole time. "You were not injured at all during the expedition? Harassed by strangers? Defiled by the very elements themselves?"
"I'm fine, Maribelle," Lissa replied, sighing tiredly. "Really, I can handle a few days of camping." The blonde Fighter looked up from his match, and waved to Lissa.
"Hey, squirt!" he said loudly. "How've you-!" Sully took the opportunity to slam the Fighter's hand to the table, consequentially flipping the man out of his chair and onto the floor with a large thud. Drake cringed slightly at the sight; he knew Sully was strong, but not that strong.
"Yeah!" Sully cried out, punching a fist into the air. "Five in a row!" The Fighter groaned from his position on the ground, and rose to a sitting position, rubbing his right shoulder.
"Bah, Teach just went easy on ya, Sully," he said, slowly standing. He grinned widely, and walked towards Lissa. "So squirt, where's Chrom? You were gone for so long that I thought he'd gotten captured, and without ol' Teach there to bail him out, who knows what would've happened?" Lissa snickered for a moment after 'Teach' had finished.
"So it's 'Teach' now, is it Vaike?" she said in a mocking tone. "I thought you had to be born without brains, but you can teach it?" The man, Vaike, jabbed his thumb into his chest in a triumphant manner.
"Ha! Don't go underestimatin' the Vaike!" His eyes seemed to sparkle with pride, before Lissa's words registered in his mind. "Wait...Was that an insult?!" Lissa giggled lightly, but, before she could continue to jab at Vaike's pride, the brunette woman, having noticed the princess, turned and approached them, stopping about five feet from them.
"Beg pardon, but when may we see the Captain, Lissa?" the woman asked. Her voice grew softer as she finished her question, betraying a decent amount of nervousness, something Drake picked up on. Maribelle rolled her eyes, and tapped her parasol against the wooden floor.
"Poor Sumia," she said both compassionately and sarcastically. "She has been beside herself with concern for Chrom. Her eyes never left the horizon, as she waited for any sign of his return." Her tone of voice irritated Drake, and he immediately decided that he didn't like this girl at all.
"Aww, that's so sweet of you to care, Sumia," Lissa said, trying her best not to giggle. Sumia blushed profusely.
"Well, I...That is...He's our Captain, and the Prince, so of course I was worried!" she stammered out, her face blushing even more than it was previously.
"So, who's the new guy?" Vaike asked, gesturing towards Drake. That is, until Sully slapped him with the back of her hand.
"What the hell's wrong with ya memory, you damn idiot?" she asked the Fighter as he massaged his head. "This is the guy I was telling you about. The one who helped Chrom save Southtown."
"Exactly!" Lissa exclaimed, her eyes sparkling again. "Everyone, this is Drake, the Shepherd's new Tactician! You should see the awesome tricks he's got up those sleeves!" Virion nodded slightly, his brow furrowed in annoyance upon recalling the events of last night.
"Oh yeah?" Vaike asked. "Can he do this?" Leaning back, he beat a fist on his chest, and released a hearty belch that lasted for around five seconds. Drake chuckled silently, deciding he liked the other man's friendly and carefree attitude.
"I can see you have much to teach me in the belching arts, o illustrious Vaike," the Tactician said, eliciting a glare from Maribelle.
"Vaike, that was abhorrent!" Maribelle all but shouted at the Fighter. "Must you baseborn oafs pollute even the air with your buffoonery!?" Suddenly, she turned on Drake, her parasol swinging right at his face. Had he not raised his arm to block it, he probably would've gotten a nasty scar, if not lose his right eye completely.
"And you! Do not encourage his grotesque behavior! I had hoped you were cut from finer cloth, but it seems my expectations were set much too high." Withdrawing her parasol from Drake's arm, she walked past him and out the door, away from the barracks.
What did I do wrong? Drake thought to himself.
"Don't worry about Maribelle," Sumia said, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder. "She just...warms to people slowly."
"Or burns too quickly," Lissa interjected in a joking manner.
"And here I thought she was just a prissy snob..." Vaike muttered low enough so that only Drake could hear. The Tactician smiled; he definitely felt that the two of them could be great friends.
"I just hope that she will warm up to me: I'd rather not have infighting within the Shepherds. Anyways, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintances!"
The rest of the morning and the beginning of the afternoon were mostly filled with Drake and his new comrades idly talking with each other, with Drake learning what each was capable of in battle, how they all joined the Shepherds, and their favorite pastimes, among other things. The part that Drake was dreading the most was explaining that he was an amnesiac, and how the others would react. His fears were assuaged, however, when Sully told him that she had told them everything, and, just like her, they all believed him (except Maribelle, who wasn't around to hear Sully's explanation at the time, according to Sumia).
After the conversation died down, and lunch had been served by Lissa, which caught Drake completely off guard, most of the Shepherds separated, with Lissa heading back to the castle, and Sumia, Vaike, and Sully headed for the town to stock up on more supplies, much to Sully's chagrin. Drake had decided to practice his skills with the blade in the small training yard behind the barracks.
Taking one of the many wooden blades from a rack by the door, he set up three training dummies, each one holding a sword, and tapped his blade against the side of one sword. Leaping back, he thrust his weapon into the first dummy's torso, before side-slashing through it and knocking the second dummy's blade out of its hand. Kicking off of it to keep up momentum, he delivered a powerful uppercut swing to the last standing dummy, and not only cleaved it in two, but shattered his own training weapon as well.
"Well I'll be damned!" Drake turned around to find Sully standing in the doorway, an apple in her hand. Setting it down on the windowsill, she walked up to the Tactician, and lightly slapped his shoulder. "Who would've thought that you had the strength to shatter a wooden sword into so many damn pieces!"
"Yeah, my bad," Drake chuckled nervously. "Honestly, I didn't even mean for that to happen. It just kind of...did." Sully laughed, and drew her lance, stabbing it into the ground.
"How's about a little competition, Drake? You against me, last man standing, training weapons only." Drake opened his mouth to object, but he closed it almost immediately afterwards. He figured that this would be the perfect opportunity to see his comrade's fighting style firsthand, figure out her strengths and weaknesses, and offer advice if necessary. Turning his head towards the weapons racks, Drake nodded.
"You want to use a sword or a lance?"
The sun was nearing the horizon when Vaike and Sumia returned to the barracks, laden with supplies. Or at least, Vaike was laden with supplies. Sumia had dumped everything she was supposed to carry onto him, and she was now reading the newest book in the 'Wyvern Wars' series. She was about halfway done with the second chapter when they entered, only to find the den empty.
"Where is everyone?" Vaike asked to no one in particular. "Don't tell me they went out for dinner an' didn't invite ol' Teach?" Sumia drew a bookmark from the front cover of her book and marked her page, before setting it down on the center table, alongside the supplies. Suddenly, she heard the distinct thud of wood on wood, and looked out to the training field. She motioned for Vaike to follow her, and the two went outside, and stood alongside Virion.
"What's going on, Virion?" Vaike asked the Archer. Virion simply pointed out to the field, and Vaike glanced over, and his jaw dropped.
Drake and Sully were dancing around each other, their training blades slashing at fast speeds, like a warhorse in full gallop. They were fighting with their all, neither seeming to tire, and unwilling to surrender. Drake's blade came at Sully's hip, only for her to swiftly parry it, and she countered with a swift thrust. He spun to the left, dodging the attack, and uppercutting her to throw her off balance. She blocked with her sword, and the fight continued.
"The lovely Sully and our brilliant Tactician Drake have been fighting each other for over three hours, nonstop," Virion explained. He sipped his chamomile tea, contemplating who the victor would be.
"How many rounds have they each won?" Virion turned to Sumia, and shook his head slowly.
"This is still the first battle, my dear Sumia. Neither one has dealt a blow to the other at all." She gasped, and quickly mouthed 'No way.' Vaike, however, was hooting and hollering, waiting to see who would win.
"Yeah, get 'em, Sully! Give him a blade to the knee that he'll never forget! Whack him, smack him, throw him to the ground!"
The result, however, was not what any of the three Shepherds expected it to be. Drake bounced off a nearby pillar, after having been shoved back by Sully's latest attack, and swung his blade as fast and hard as he could. Sully lifted her blade to block, and the two weapons collided with such force that it sent dust flying off the ground and into a ring around the two combatants. As it settled, Virion, Sumia, and Vaike saw that both blades had been shattered, with the wooden shards scattered at Drake and Sully's feet.
The two combatants stared at their weapons for a moment, before bursting into laughter. "I can't believe ya managed to break both of them with one damn swing!" Sully exclaimed after calming down, before sticking her hand out. "You're all right, Bumblebee." Drake took Sully's hand in his own, and shook it.
"Well, it seems you've been busy, Drake." Drake and the Shepherds turned towards the doorway leading to the stables, and there stood Chrom and Lissa, their eyes seeming to glow in admiration for the Tactician.
"Ah, Captain!" Sumia exclaimed, blushing profusely. "I was…I mean we were…" Sumia started to approach Chrom, when, suddenly, she tripped on a training lance that no one ever noticed was there, and tumbled into a weapons rack.
"Sumia!" Chrom, Drake, and Lissa cried out. Chrom ran over to the fallen pile of training weapons faster than Drake could react, and moved a few away to reveal the dazed brunette.
"Owww…" Sumia moaned slightly, rubbing her thigh. Chrom breathed a sigh of exasperation-or was it relief?-and, taking Sumia by her arm, pulled her to her feet in a manner not unlike when a warrior had bested an opponent in a duel. And yet, Drake noticed that Chrom was pulling her up slowly, gently, almost like they were in…
What the hell am I thinking?! Drake thought, subtly shaking his head. There's no way that's possible. I can't just make assumptions about the Prince. His gaze quickly fell on Vaike, who was silently snickering and making kissy faces in Chrom's direction.
"You're not hurt, are you?" Chrom asked Sumia, their faces nearly inches from each other as he inspected her face, to make sure she wasn't hurt. She nodded, mumbling something unintelligible. His eyes seemed to glisten with concern. "Those boots of yours bothering you again?" Another nod from the brunette.
"Yes…" she said softly, before vigorously shaking her head. "I mean no! I mean…" She sighed, before blushing even more profusely than before, and looking away from Chrom. The Prince seemed to remember where he was, and backed away, content at finding Sumia unharmed.
"So, what are our orders, Captain? Out with it, damn it!" Sully exclaimed, digging her spear out from where she had planted it, three hours earlier. Chrom turned to the Shepherds, his face growing serious.
"We're moving out to Regna Ferox first thing tomorrow morning to petition the Khan for soldiers." Chrom nodded as he saw the confused looks he was getting, mostly from Vaike. "Yes, Vaike, normally the Exalt would go and make the request in person. However, given the current political climate, we thought it best for her to stay here and reassure the people.
"Now, this mission is strictly voluntary. I'll not force anyone-!" Lissa shot her hand up, cutting her brother off.
"I volunteer!" she exclaimed, and Drake noticed that she had somehow managed to walk over to his side without him noticing.
How did she do that? he thought.
"Yeah, count me in!" Vaike hollered, pumping the air with a fist. "You're not ditchin' ol' Teach so easily this time, Chrom!"
"Like I said, Captain," Sully said, thumping her chestplate with a gloved hand, "I ain't letting you out of my sight again. There's no way in hell I'll miss any of the fun!"
Virion sighed, placing his hand on his forehead. "I suppose I'll come, as well. It would probably aid your cause to have some modicum of nobility at your side." Sully backhanded him across his forehead, and hissed something about 'stuffing his bib down his throat if he insulted Chrom ever again.'
Drake shrugged as Chrom turned to him expectedly. "Well, you can't go running off without your new Tactician, right?" he asked rhetorically. Sumia took the moment to cough quietly, drawing Chrom's attention.
"Captain, I'd like to come along as well. But I…I don't…I don't think I'm…Ready for…Combat…Just yet…" Drake could tell she was trying to hold back tears, and made a mental note to talk with Sumia, and help her build up confidence. Chrom smiled sympathetically, and took her chin in the palm of his hand, softly raising her head so that he could look at her eyes.
"Sumia…" he said, pausing for a moment, as if unsure of how to proceed, or just picking his words carefully. "I understand completely. You can keep to the rear and watch us. But there will come a day when you have to fight to protect something or someone close to you. Just stay close to me and you'll be fine." Sumia's eyes brightened significantly after hearing Chrom's words.
"Yes, of course!" she nearly squealed with joy, before composing herself. "I mean…Yes, Captain!" Robin noticed that Vaike had continued the silent snickering, and now Lissa was joining him, which confirmed his suspicions about Chrom and Sumia.
Great, he thought, I'm barracked up with a lovesick teenager as a captain. What could possibly go wrong?
FINALLY! After an entire month full of delays, including, but not limited to: school, a wedding in Colorado, school, fracturing my wrist, and school (did I mention school?), Chapter Four is finally finished! As with most Author's Notes at the end, there are a few things I'd like to point out.
First, I'd like to thank a close friend of mine for the OC of Grant (you'll know who you are when you read this).
Second, I'd like to know something…AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO HATED MARIBELLE THE MOMENT SHE WAS INTRODUCED TO THE STORY, OR AM I JUST PARANOID?! Seriously, as soon as I read her first line in Chapter Two, she appeared to be a completely arrogant b****, and I almost never used her at all. If she weren't such a good healer, I would've benched her for the whole game!
Third, the amulet Drake receives from Lissa has meaning. It's actually based off of an amulet my grandmother bought me when she visited Ireland a while back. Also, I added this little detail so that my Avatar isn't like every single other out there. But what about the fact that Lissa bought it for him? Make your own assumptions, readers.
Fourth, is it me, or did I make Sully swear just a bit too much in this chapter? I dunno.
Fifth, for those of you who don't know French, Chez pretty much means "At the home of" (I think...My French is a bit rusty: please feel free to correct me).
Finally, YES, this is another Chrom/Sumia Fanfiction. Like I said before, it's MY story, so I'll pair the characters up how I want. Besides, they are literally CANON! That ain't Maribelle standing beside Chrom on Ylisstol Castle's balcony in the opening sequence. Or Sully. Or Olivia. Or a female Avatar.
Next time, we delve into my least favorite chapter (joy…) and meet up with two new Shepherds. Until next time, this is the Servant of Grima signing out.
Chrom: "Please rate, review, favorite, and follow our tale. That's a royal decree."
P.S. If I EVER make another reference to the Skyrim meme "Arrow To The Knee" in any form EVER again, in the name of Naga and Grima, someone PLEASE slap me…
