Sorry,for the long wait. Between my other stories, classes and Conventions I've been busy. I'm trying to update as fast as I possibly can. All I ask is that you be patient.
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The campfire had pretty much died for the night as everyone was sleeping. Everyone except Robin, who was on lookout. Robin kept nodding off every once in a while, but kept smacking himself in the face to keep himself awake.
"Come on, Robin, come on, you need to stay awake." Robin muttered to himself. Robin shook his head to keep his consciousness, knowing if he fell asleep he would have one of those dreams again. "You know, I'll just go for a jog." Robin gets up and jogs around the camp a couple of times. "Yeah, this ain't so bad, just got to keep this up for another hour and-"
Robin tripped over something and stumbled a bit, but then fell onto something sharp like a knife, then felt iron teeth clench his leg.
"AHG! SON OF A BITCH!" Robin shouted in pain.
He fell to the ground in agony and tried to pull the bear trap apart, but he was having difficulty due to the angle. His screaming had woken everyone in the camp up and they all saw him on the ground.
"Wow! That looks painful!" Henry said gleefully.
"Robin, what happened?" Lucina asked.
"I'M GETTING A PEDICURE!" Robin shouted. "WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?! I'M CAUGHT IN A BEAR TRAP!"
Lon'qu went over and tried to pull the trap apart. "Rrgh, this thing is jammed tight. Inigo, give me a hand."
Inigo comes over and tries to help pull it apart, but it just causes more pain for Robin.
"Ow, OW! STOP IT! You're going to rip my leg off!" Robin yelled.
"Dah-dah-DAH! Cynthia to the rescue!" Cynthia jams her spear in a small opening that the guys created and uses it to pry the bear trap open. "Eeeyaah!"
The jaws of the bear trap opened up and Robin pulls his leg away. His leg was covered in gushing red blood. Lissa came over and began using her healing abilities.
"How did you get caught in a bear trap?" Lissa questioned.
"Well, I was on lookout trying to stay awake, so I started jogging." Robin answered. "I tripped over something and got caught."
"Why were you on lookout?" Lucina asked. "It was Inigo's turn to be on lookout."
Inigo puts his hands behind his head and whistles.
"Inigo!" Lucina shouted.
"I was tired, okay?" Inigo admitted. "Robin was kind enough to take my shift."
Lucina rubbed her forehead. "Robin, you NEED to get some sleep."
"Mind your own damn business!" Robin responded. "I'm in charge here and I will sleep when I want to sleep!"
"Why are you being so stubborn about this?" Lucina asked.
"Whoa whoa, let's all calm down!" Lissa tried to mediate. "We got a serious injury here. Let me just heal it up and then we can talk about it, okay?"
Lucina crossed her arms and just turned away. After several minutes of healing, Lissa had cleaned up all of the blood and fixed Robin's leg.
"There you go, good as new!" Lissa said, patting Robin on the leg.
At that moment, the dark sky started to light up as the sun began to rise. Robin then got up to his feet and dusted himself off.
"All right, we're almost at Bay're. Let's get going." Robin started to walk off.
"Robin, what about sleep?" Lucina asked.
"Sorry, Lucina, I'm already too far away to hear mumble mumble mumble." Robin replied.
Lucina threw her arms down in anger. "Rrgh, he's just so frustrating!"
Lissa looked around. "Shouldn't we pack up camp before we go off?"
After about an hour of traveling, they could see the mountains rising in the distance and eventually the walls of a town built on the slope of one of the mountains. They could see everything from the front gate of the wall to the top of the town where a mansion-like palace stood.
"That must be Bay're." Robin sighed, stretching out a little bit.
"That's it?" Cynthia asked. "I was expecting a grand city where you have to fight off an army of the undead, then scale the walls, open the gates then rush in to defeat the enemy! That just looks like a town."
"That is because it is a town." Nah stated.
"Well I want my epic battle!" Cynthia whined. "That's the only reason I came!"
"If fortune favors us, then we can extract the criminal in question without raising any suspicion..." Laurent said. "Or violence."
"Well that's no fun, we could use a little violence." Henry said.
"I agree with the creepy guy!" Cynthia said. "A hero needs to save a city from violence!"
Lon'qu tapped Robin on the shoulder. "Why are we stuck babysitting these kids?"
"Cause Chrom hates us for some reason." Robin joked.
"I think it would be great to have a kid someday." Lissa expressed. "Any takers?"
Lon'qu and Robin looked at each other like 'what's that supposed to mean?'.
Upon arriving in the town, the front gates were open. The wall and the gates were made out of wood, so it wasn't very durable in the event of a siege. It was mostly used to keep bandits away. The town itself was relatively peaceful, a small militia guarded the town allowing merchants to freely sell their merchandise and kids to play in the streets.
"Well this town seems nice." Inigo said.
"The last town was nice, too." Henry said.
"Are you mad?" Inigo asked. "The last town was out for blood-look who I'm talking to."
"Yay, blood!" Henry cheered.
Robin looked around and surveyed the area. "Okay, how are we going to do this?" He spoke aloud to himself.
"Why don't we just split up and start asking for Christina?" Nah asked.
"Great idea! You mean like the last town we went to?" Robin sarcastically responded. "You know, like the one that tried to kill us when they found out we were after her?"
"I'm sorry." Nah apologized. "Geez, I was only trying to help."
Robin covered his mouth with both his hands and breathed in and out. "...You're right...I'm sorry..." he said. "I'm just frustrated...I didn't mean to take it out on you."
"This is why you need sleep." Lucina said. "You can't think."
"Again with the slee-" Robin was about to yell at Lucina but stopped himself. "...Let's just find an Inn...I'll rent a room and nap...happy?"
Lucina gave a half smile. "That's all I ask." she said.
The crowd in town began to gather at a single spot ahead of them. An escort of men, in silver armor, carrying large spears, were guarding a single figure. It was hard to tell at first with the people around them, but once they moved out of the way, they could see that the guards were escorting a young woman whose long hair flowing as she moved and wearing an elegant white dress with a yellow cotton jacket of sorts with lace ribbons across her torso. In her hand, she carried a book, possibly a tome. Robin glared, seeing her in the distance.
"That's her." Robin muttered.
Lissa's hands were shaking with rage seeing that woman again. She was ready to reach for her axe, but Lon'qu quickly blocked her hand with his.
"Not yet." Lon'qu said.
The group continued to watch from a distance as the woman was meeting with the people around the town. She seemed very peaceful and well spoken from what they could tell. A man offered her a bag of gold which she politely declined. She even kneeled down to speak with several young children around her. She didn't seem to be a monster at all.
"So that's the infamous Christina, huh?" Inigo asked. "How come evil has all the beautiful people on their side? It's really no fair."
"Hey, I'm a good guy!" Cynthia spoke. "Does that make me ugly?"
"According to his logic, it would appear so." Laurent responded.
Cynthia was about to cry when Robin finally turned around to the group.
"Okay, here's how we're going to do this." Robin started. "We are going to blend into the crowd and position ourselves completely around the escorts. When I give a signal, we take out all the guards at once, grab Christina, mount her on Cynthia's pegasus and have her fly off to our camp in Valm Harbor. We'll take her out before anyone even notices that-"
Robin noticed that in a split second, everyone reached for their weapons and were looking past him. He tried to turn to see, but it was too late.
"ALEXANDER!"
Robin got glomped from behind and felt arms wrapped around him in a hugging embrace.
"Alex, by the Gods! I can't believe you made it here! I'm so happy my message got to you!"
Although he couldn't see behind him, he could tell by the voice that it was indeed Christina behind him. The dumbfounded expressions of his companions pretty much summed up how Robin was feeling. He then felt a quiet motion near his left ear and a slight whisper.
"Play along or you are all going to die here."
When Christina pushed herself off Robin, he turned around to see her, happy and excited. Her escort completely surrounded the Shepherds, showing them to be outnumbered and out maneuvered. The largest of the men was completely covered in armor, so they couldn't make out any physical features. He carried a large axe, a long sword and a large spear all on his back.
"Are these the companions you spoke of Christina?" The man asked.
"Yes, Captain Kimu, they are." Christina explained. "These are the survivors of the Siege of Sillfi I told you about."
"We're what?!" Lissa reacted, but Robin quickly covered Lissa's mouth. Lissa's eyes narrowed as Robin just shook his head.
Robin then looked back at Lucina, whom was swallowing her pride as well as she let go of her sword.
"So, how have you managed to escape the Shepherds?" Kimu asked. "I heard they landed at Valm Harbor."
"We just missed them." Robin lied. "We managed to elude them long enough that we know when we overstay our welcome."
Christina placed her hand on Robin's shoulder. "Well I'm just glad you're all safe." she said. The gesture showed a compassionate side to Christina to everyone around her, but Robin knew it was only an act.
"Let us take them back to the Baron." Kimu said. "I'm sure he would like to speak with your fellow soldiers."
Kimu turned to walk away and several of the escorts followed behind him.
"Oh, I'm sure Alex is eager to speak with him as well." Christina said. She flashed Robin a sinister smirk before pushing off him and walked off with the rest of the escorts.
Robin sighed and just looked at the ground. "There is no way this is going to end well..."
Upon arriving to the town mansion on the top of the hill, Robin and the others were all invited to the throne room. On the throne was a very young man, possibly in his mid-20s, dressed in noble garb with his hands clasped in front of his face. Another knight who was dressed more lightly than the other knights was before this young man, speaking.
"Baron Gewell, the southern town has been raided by the Shepherds." The knight reported. "I must station some of my men there to protect those people."
*Oh, this is definitely not going to end well...* Robin thought.
"NOT... at this time." The Baron spoke strangely, like he was shaking with every word. "I have word from the Emperor himself to not split up my forces now. Captain Hashal, you and your Bay're Riders have to stay in the town."
The knight nodded as he wasn't going to press the issue, but Christina stepped forward.
"Baron Gewell, if I may?" Christina spoke. "If the Shepherds are raiding the nearby towns, they could do more damage than to just attack you in a full-on battle."
"Explain." The Baron immediately demanded.
"Well, the towns stationed in the south and the east are incredibly vital for resources." Christina stated. "Resources that go to your troops. Without those resources, it could severely affect your troops in the long run."
The Baron smiled and seemed to have calmed down from Christina's suggestion. "You see? This is why we need Christina, people. She is the only one who thinks. Hashal, take your riders down to the town and watch for raids. When the time comes for our attack, our main force will regroup with you there."
Hashal salutes the Baron. "Sir!"
As Hashal leaves the room, he and Christina exchange brief glances at each other and he just leaves the room.
Gewell's hands start twitching on his arm chairs. "Who are these other people Christina?" He asked as calm as his voice would allow.
"I told you about the survivors of Sillfi I told you about." Christina answered. "They finally caught up to me."
"Good." The Baron said. "They can march out with the rest of the troops when we go to battle against the Shepherds."
"Well, they don't have to go now, right?" Christina pointed out. "I mean, they just got here. They need some rest."
"They will be out on the front lines leading the march against them. That's my decision." Gewell ordered.
Christina just shook her head. "You're not thinking clearly again. These men fought off and defeated hundreds of men during the siege. Sending them straight on the front lines would be a waste of their skills."
"How can we trust them?" Gewell questioned. "How can we trust these people?"
"These are my close friends and allies, Baron." Christina responded. "I would trust them with my life, right, Alexander?"
Christina turned to face Robin, who did not want to answer the question, but all of the eyes eyes in the room that focused on him pierced his soul.
"Yeah." Robin simply said.
"You see? We can trust them-" Christina said.
Robin stepped forward. "If I may, your Grace?" He spoke to the Baron. "You talk about attacking the Shepherds. Would I be out of line in asking how you plan to go about that?"
"You don't need to worry about that." The Baron answered. "Christina came up with a brilliant plan they'll never see coming."
"I'm sure she did." Robin glared over at Christina and she just gave him an angry glare back. "But I, too, am a strategist. I can look over her plan and see if there anything to critique. I just saw the countryside and believe there's some misinformation out there."
"Fine." The Baron said. "Christina, inform him of the plan. I must take my leave."
The Baron got up, escorted by his guards, and left the room.
"Kimu, show my friends to their rooms." Christina requested. "I'm sure they are very tired."
Christina left before anyone could react.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Robin called after Christina, but Kimu put his spear in the way.
"When Miss Christina retires to her quarters, nobody is allowed to interrupt her." Kimu stated.
"You just heard your Baron." Robin said. "She has to share her plans with me."
"And she will after she has rested." Kimu said. "For now, she wants you all to rest. You do not need to worry about the attack. We won't make our move until we hear back from our assassins."
"Assassins?!" Lissa asked.
"I suppose I can tell you." Kimu said. "We have assassins in Valm Harbor right now, ready to strike away at the Shepherds' command."
"You plan to assassinate the prince?!" Lucina asked.
"No." Kimu responded. "Our target is far more important. Christina says there is a tactician among the Shepherds named Robin. If we take him out, their entire invasion will fall apart."
Robin swallowed so hard, his tonsils almost went down his throat. "That... sucks to be that guy."
"Clearly, you're all tired." Kimu said. "Allow us to escort you to the barracks where you will have your own rooms."
While being escorted, Lissa tugged on Robin's shoulder so no one could listen to them.
"Why are we going along with this?!" Lissa whispered. "This is obviously some sort of trap!"
"Yeah." Robin nodded and whispered back. "But we've got no other choice. This isn't Sillfi. I didn't have time to plan ahead with this situation."
"That witch is just going to use us and then turn on us. She has absolutely no reason to help us out."
"Well, she could've exposed us when we were clearly outnumbered. Plus, they clearly want me dead. Why not just point me out and say 'that's the guy, kill him'? She wants something."
"You're not going to give it to her, right?"
Robin didn't answer and Lissa punched him in the arm.
"Right?" Lissa repeated.
"I want to hear her plan on how they're going to attack the Shepherds." Robin said. "We need as much information as possible if they're trying to retake Valm Harbor."
Lissa sighed. "Just don't let her fool you."
"Please, I'm smarter than you think." Robin smirked.
"I'm beginning to doubt that."
"Mr. Alexander, this is your room." Kimu spoke up as they arrived at a door.
"Just one second." Robin said, turning back to Lissa and whispered to her. "Chances are they know the names of important people from Ylisse. If they ask for your name, just make one up."
Lissa thought for a moment and then nodded. "Got it."
Robin went through the door, which Kimu politely opened. Once Robin stepped in, Kimu closed the door behind him. Robin looked around the room and the very first thing he noticed was Christina sitting cross-legged on his bed.
"So..." Christina clapped her hands once. "Are you in the mood for a nice talk?"