Fire Emblem: Awakening - Again Again

Chapter IV

On The Same Side?

Seriously. Stop trying to kill each other!

Lucina woke up in a cold sweat, her eyes momentarily blind to their surroundings as they adjusted to the darkness that surrounded her. Slowly, her breathing calmed and her mind stopped racing as the images faded. It wasn't uncommon for her to have nightmares. She was surrounded by death and sorrow every day. But recently, her nightmares had stopped making her feel fear. Instead, she felt guilt. Guilt for being too weak to stop the nightmare at the source when she had the chance, guilt for being unable to save her father, and guilt for all but killing an innocent-...

The princess shook off the thoughts, instead settling back into position on the worn pile of bedrolls. Beside her, Cynthia slept soundly, her small smile illuminated faintly by the still-burning candle that sat on the small wooden table beside her. The sun hadn't risen, and Lucina wasn't sure it would today. In fact, it was rare for any beams of sunlight at all to break through the dark clouds that surely even now lingered in the sky above the tent.

Quietly, Lucina reached out and stroked her sister's hair, causing the younger girl to snuggle even closer. She had promised Chrom that she would protect Cynthia, and she had obviously yet to fail her deceased father. There had been close calls over the years, and arriving in the new timeline with her had been a blessing. But now, as she lay still in the dark tent under the dark sky in the dark world, she wondered how long she would be able to keep it up.

It had been almost two years since the betrayal at the Dragon's Table, and the condition of the world only degraded as time passed. The Shepherds' ranks had truly been thinned out, and only a handful of survivors still remained. At this point, her and Laurent were the only people that remained fit to lead them. Cordelia had also been a part of the new leaders of the group, until their camp had been taken by surprise five months ago. The Risen had come in numbers beyond compare, and the woman had valiantly fought to push them back as Lucina and Laurent worked alongside others to pack the camp up. That night, the Pegasus Knight and her handful of soldiers died to save the other Shepherds. It was only through sheer force that Lucina had kept Cynthia from hopping onto her own Pegasus and joining the fray - literally restraining the girl and packing her onto the back of her own mount as she shouted about a fellow rider in need.

Now they were camped out on the border of Ylisse and Valm. Plegia was completely overrun by the Risen menace, even more so than the other continents, so Lucina had proposed that they attempt to relocate to Valm in search of survivors. Things hadn't only now gotten so desperate, but it had taken the death of her Mother's best friend to bring gravity to the situation and to make them realize the truth.

They were going to die if they remained Ylisse.

It was only going to get worse. Once the Fell Dragon awoke, and eventually it would, this world would become something worse than her own.

But she refused to let that happen. No matter what she had to do, no matter how many times she had to kill that bastard, and no matter how many times she had to plunge back into the familiar unfamiliar, she would change her fate.

Slowly, the princess's breathing grew lethargic as her eyes drifted shut and her mind dulled.

O

"Really?" Robin sighed, not daring to move an inch for fear of slicing himself open on the cold point that dug into his back. He had been simply enjoying himself, watching what he considered an old friend battling against a small group of mercenaries, when the soft breathing that came from behind him hitched in a moment of silence. In the next, he found the sharp and honestly painful tip of what he could only assume to be the Parallel Falchion digging into his spine. How did he know it was that particular sword? Well… he had been in the same position multiple times, and it had become an unfortunately familiar sensation. "I thought we were past this."

"There are only two reasons that I could possibly imagine for your being here, Robin." The growl from behind him was clearly feminine, and- oh for Naga's sake, it was Lucina, no more confusing and vague descriptions. At any rate, the princess's voice was cold and clearly much more in control than when he had last seen her. They really had to stop meeting like this. "Either you are following me, or are waiting for my father. Neither bode well for your health."
"Where did you think I was going to go?" The ex-tactician replied, rolling his eyes. He was trying to be the good guy here! He could understand her concern. He had, after all, murdered her father in cold blood. He could never truly amend for that. But couldn't she see that without him, things were going to be so much worse? Surely she had noticed the signs…

No matter how much she hated it, he had to remain. For Chrom's sake, for her sake, for Morgan's sake, and for everyone else's sake.

"In respect for the friendship we once had, I had hoped that you would disappear. Return to your own world. Vanish into this one. But now I see that that is not an option." She said, and he could tell that her temper was becoming dangerous. She was a good person, and had thought she was doing him a favor - if only to save herself the effort of killing him personally - but there was work to be done, and she was a fool if she thought his life was his own to live. It wasn't even his to give anymore. "Remember that I showed you mercy, Robin."

Not that telling her that would make a difference. Honestly, he expected her to try to kill him any second now. He could see it. A slight movement, and he would be dead. His mission would fail, and as self-conceited as it made him sound, this world would fall.

Idly, he could feel the scarred and worn flesh on the back of his right hand throb and burn.

He wasn't allowed to fail again.

Before he could move, the loud sound of cheering seemed to startle the swordswoman, as the tip of her blade strayed slightly from it's position on his back, and he used the opportunity to twist out of his seat and spin to face her from a slightly safe(er) distance. He was literally only a foot further away from her, and blocked from increasing the distance by the person that sat in front of him

"Dastard!" She hissed from her position a row back, her masked face barely visible under the hooded cloak that concealed her weapon and sheath. Even without taking his eyes off of her as she rose from her seat, Robin could just make out the expressions of the people that surrounded where she and him sat; confused and cautious. He had no doubt that they had seen more than their share of combat living in a continent like Regna Ferox, what with them currently being seated in the infamous (or famous, take your pick!) Arena Ferox, but he had no more doubt that there were countermeasures to prevent such combat in areas like the spectator's booth. Were they to cause a scene, it was highly likely that they would be carted off and thrown in some sort of hole.

Even if it were only for a night, that was not the sort of time he had to waste.

He hated confrontation…

"Robin," She spoke calmly, the end of her blade becoming a mere flash of light as it disappeared back into the flowing fabric of the dark cloak that she seemed to be wearing over her own blue cape, likely for the frigid climate of Regna Ferox. He was no fool, however. He knew that she could draw it again in a second, and be on him in two. He had to get away. "If you share any love for Chrom, you know what you must do."

Judging by the way her mouth twisted, he could tell that his own face was likely a mask of pain.

He knew.

"I'm sorry, Lucina." He muttered, flinging his arm aside and allowing the tome stored in his sleeve to plop into his hand. Her lips formed a grimace as she attempted to rise and lunge over the bench towards him, before he flipped through the tome's pages for a brief second and confirmed his suspicions.

It was absolutely useless. A completely and utterly chaotic spell; attention garnering and no more likely to help him gain her trust.

"Arc Wind!" He shouted, hurling the book at the surprised princess as he scrambled across the occupied bench and the laps of an unfortunate gaggle of worn and haggard mercenaries. He apologized the entire way as his boots found traction on who he guessed to be the ringleader's pants, before finally kicking off and landing in the walkway near the barrier that divided the arena and the seating for spectators, then taking wind down the aisle with a whoop of adrenaline. It was only half a second before Lucina climbed over the family and sprinted after him, her sword still concealed as she ignored the looks that onlookers gave her and her bruised cheek.

It was going to be a long day.

O

"F-F-Frederick…" Robin couldn't help but pity the girl that was walking alongside her. The tactician swore that her face was almost blue, and her entire frame was shaking in the wind as she marched along the snowy path. "I-I-I'm f-freezing!"

"In hindsight," Chrom spoke up, a frown on his face as he too wrapped his arms around himself. It seemed that neither were prepared for the cold Feroxi winter. "perhaps we should have packed warmer clothing. Damn it…"

Robin couldn't help but silently agree. Her robes had managed to preserve the body heat that she had managed to pack inside during their trip across Ylisse, and now after hours of being within reach of Regna Ferox's icy and metaphorical grasp, she too was shaking in her boots. The cold chill that invaded the once warm reserves of her robe felt unnatural and cool against her skin, as though she were born to live in warmer conditions.

Oh how she already missed Ylisse. And she had only known it for three days.

"Stand beside my horse, milady." Frederick replied, clearly unfazed by the frosty breeze despite riding atop a mount and being even more exposed to the wind than the rest of them (sans Sully). "She will shelter you from the wind."

As Lissa (and oddly enough Chrom) hastily took up the knight's offer, the magician allowed her gaze to wander as she scanned for any signs of civilization. Alas, after a full three minutes of searching, the only things she could see besides snow-laden trees and shrubbery were-

"Ah, I see milady is cold!" A head of cyan hair danced past her vision, and she fought the urge to reflexively draw her weapon and attack her would-be-assassin. Instead, she gripped the sides of her robes and bit her tongue. There was no assassin.

Unfortunately.

"Perhapshaps she would like to take refuge under the cloak of-"

"-The archest of archers, we've heard all the crap you have to say Ruffles." Sully cut him off as her horse trotted past the cloaked archer, causing the one and only (Robin whispered a thankful prayer) Virion to stumble out of the tactician's way and into Miriel, who seemed too absorbed in her book to actually do anything about it. "If you don't have any new lines, shut up."

"Oh, her words wound me so…" Virion murmured as he watched the Cavalier scout ahead - likely only to escape the man's presence. "It's as though she is fighting against herself, divided between accepting my charm and-"

"-Yeah yeah yeah." Robin cut the man's rambling off in an attempt to ward off the inevitable migraine she would suffer during the trip. "Listen; she's totally into you."

"What…?" He asked, faltering for a moment before standing up straight. "Er, was it not obvious? Why, a woman that does not swoon in the very pr-"

"-Mhm." Robin tuned the man out, waiting until his mouth stopped moving before picking the conversation back up. "You should go bond with her. Over there."

That seemed to be all the archer needed before he and the stupid fuzzy and likely warm cloak that he wore took off ahead of the party to woo the woman, and Robin quietly begged for forgiveness from Naga for consigning Sully to such a terrible fate. One little lie probably wouldn't hurt someone as hard headed and egotistical as Virion, but Sully was sure to suffer.

"Chrom?" She ignored her chattering teeth as she trudged through yet another bank of snow that had formed on the path, instead speaking her mind to the prince that stood a few feet in front of her, still huddled beside his sister and Frederick. "Can I… ask you something?"

"You've been quiet for the whole trip." Chrom replied, looking back at her over his shoulder. "Should I be worried?"

"No. I'm fine." She shook her head. "I just… what happened to that patrol? They had been devastated - torn apart. What kind of monster would take the time to desecrate them like that?"

Chrom hesitated, not answering for a moment as he visibly flinched. Shortly after setting off, they had arrived at what had been the site of a bloodbath. The corpses of beast and man alike had been scattered across the street, and Frederick and Chrom had recognized them to be the remnants of the morning North Road patrol. The prince had been both stricken and furious, and Robin almost felt sympathy for whatever had caused the squad's destruction… almost. However, she too would like nothing more to avenge the group, and she barely knew them. It was less their deaths and more the way that they had been killed that disturbed them. Run through with their own weapons and severely wounded before breathing their last.

And yet, even Miriel had been unable to determine the cause. There were no footprints leading to the road, only ones leading off into the forest where they vanished. It was as though the attackers had risen from the ground, slaughtered, and then returned to the hell from whence they came. All Robin knew was that it had to have something to do with the magma eruptions from earlier, and Chrom agreed wholeheartedly.

Apparently, the patrol's murderers weren't very thorough though, as they had managed to find a single wounded pegasus among the dead. That was why Sumia and Stahl had decided to hang behind, the former because she seemed to be the only one the winged horse didn't try to maim and the latter to watch her back.

Letting out a breath, Chrom finally closed his eyes and spoke.

"I think it was the Risen."

"You think those zombies managed to…" She hesitated, wondering if it was a good idea to speak so rashly. "Do that?"

"Not for sure, but it's the only thing that makes sense." The swordsman shook his head. "Plegian warriors appearing this far into Ylisse is ridiculous. They would have been found much sooner. I see no reason for Regna Ferox to kill our men, and I doubt they would desecrate the bodies of fallen foes. They have more honor than that."

"And I suppose random mercenaries wouldn't be able to defeat an entire patrol of Ylissean warriors." She mused.

"Right." Chrom nodded. "There are some groups that might be able to accomplish this kind of thing, but most are closer to the Plegian border. Birds of a feather flock together. It's no coincidence that this would happen now, when a new menace appears and Gangrel begins harassing Ferox. Something's going on."

While this answer didn't exactly satisfy her as a whole, it satisfied her curiosity. She supposed knowing what your enemy is capable of was always a good thing, even if the way one learns such knowledge wasn't.

And yet still, her head swam with questions as to how it all fit together. Marth, according to Chrom, had dropped from an eye-like portal in the sky the night of the earthquakes. Where did it lead, and how did he and Etzel know one another? Who had cast the spell that caused the magma eruptions?

She shivered. Her memory was gone, but still her knowledge remained. Someone that could cast a spell of that magnitude was not one to be trifled with, but eventually they might not have a choice.

Sighing, she hugged her coat around herself tighter and shook the snow out of her hair.

"Milord," Frederick spoke up after about twenty more minutes, which by the way felt like an eternity to Robin. "We are approaching the Longfort."

"The what?" Robin wondered, looking up.

Ahead, the path had begun to widen and become more tidied and maintained, with posts of stone rising out of the snowy sea. Meanwhile, the tips of huge towers had begun to poke out over the horizon, and an ever growing stone construct had started to climb up and across the heavens to become the new skyline. Her eyes widened as she scanned left and right in an attempt to spot the an end to the stone fortress. She supposed Longfort was an appropriate name, as she failed to find one.

"It's… huge!" She breathed, almost tripping over a loose stone brick that had popped out of the path.

"It stretches across the entire Ylissean and Feroxi border." Chrom nodded. "They're… overachievers."

"The way they utilize their resources speaks volumes of their character."

"The khans that rule Ferox have grown weary of foreigners." Frederick mused, his eyes scanning the horizon. He looked nervous. "Still, don't mistake a lack of hospitality for open hostility. This just requires… a bit of diplomacy…"

There was a drawn out moment of silence after the knight trailed off, and Robin took the moment to scan what she had to work with as Frederick did the same. Virion was chatting animatedly to an annoyed Sully up ahead, whilst Miriel tried to educate Vaike on the inner workings of the bodies she had had the chance to examine back on the North Road, who looked ready to throw up all over her Snapshot Tome. Lissa, meanwhile, was humming to herself, clearly in much better condition than before as she played with a frog that she had apparently been carrying on her person. The tactician dreaded where she might later find the creature. Finally, Chrom was scratching his chin with a distant expression on his face, as though he was doing the same as her and the Wary Knight.

Robin cursed mentally.

"Negotiation's not my strong suit," The prince admitted, still scratching his chin as they drew ever-nearer to the Longfort. "but I'll do my best. Remember everyone; your actions here reflect back on Ylisse. Leave the talking to me, and this shouldn't be too bad."

Frederick wordlessly leaned backwards on his horse, and offered Robin a sheet of paper. The mage graciously accepted, and pulled a quill out of her robes.

It was time to start forming some battle plans…

O

"And there goes diplomacy."Robin muttered sourly as he slid to a stop, his worn robes going still. In front of him, the stubby hallway he had turned into had quickly ended in an old cracked and chipped brick wall, almost completely bare save for the large banner that bore the Feroxi crest. It was so bare and pointless in fact, Robin wondered exactly why it was there. It was almost as if the architects had realized they couldn't build there, and had just… cut the hall short. Or maybe it was just a lazy plot device?

Spinning, he found himself sighing internally as the candles further down the brick hall illuminated the shadowy figure of Chrom's daughter. Her blade was now drawn, its tip pointed lazily to the ground beside her, and her extra cloak was cast aside, painting a truly striking image of the real Hero-King.

"Lucina…" He spoke cautiously as she took a step towards him, her sword dragging across the bricks with a horrible scraping noise. He had hoped he could outrun her, but now he was in a tight spot. "Please-"

"You don't deserve mercy, Robin." She spoke sharply. The side of her face that was lit up by the candles revealed a grimace, and he could feel her glare through the mask that hid her eyes. "Even now, you run from what you've done. Do you know how many people died because of you?!" He flinched as her voice cracked and her blade rose from the ground to point at him. "Everyone! My mother, my sister, my father!"

Her voice echoed off of the walls of the hallway, and the flames of the candles cast dancing shadows of the two across the wall.

"I'm so sorry…" He whispered finally, looking directly at her. Reaching up, he saw her tense up as he pulled his hood down. His eyes were completely dry, and he was almost certain that hers were too. Neither of them had any tears left to shed.

"Your apologies means nothing." She replied, planting her feet apart and grasping her sword with both hands. "I wish everything had turned out better as much as you do, but the difference between us is that I intend to change it!"

"I am sorry, Lucina." The ex-tactician repeated, lightning crackling has he drew his blade from within his robes. The wavy shape of the sword crackled with energy, and the handle pulsed faintly in his hands - resonating with him. It was the very sword he had retrieved from King Gangrel's body. "But you're wrong. There is a difference between us alright, but we're more alike than you know. I awoke with nothing, and Chrom gave me a family. But I repaid paid him in bloodshed, and lost it all."

"Then lower your blade." She commanded, her voice brimming with hurt and hatred. "I spoke with the shrine maiden. She told me that you are now a being of pain and suffering. Allow me to end your suffering, and avenge them. I can save this world!"

"You're wrong." He snapped, his free hand clenching into a fist as his voice raised with each word. "You can't do it alone. Tiki isn't mistaken; I am plagued by my sins. I don't deserve mercy, nor do I deserve forgiveness. But this life isn't mine to give. I won't allow anyone else to die for my mistakes, but I will not let them stand in my way!"

Lucina moved almost faster than Robin could see, and he barely raised his sword before the clang of metal rang out through the hall. His arms trembled as sparks flew, illuminating the cracked butterfly mask that was in front of him.

"I don't know if you speak lies or from the heart and nor do I care," Lucina growled, "but your existence will only cause more death!"

Scratch that - he wasn't sure if he could kill her if he wanted to. While he had been traveling the ruined remains of his world, she had obviously been further improving her sword skills. Perhaps he should have been less flashy and just used some sort of lightning spell or something…

"I wish we did not have to fight," He grunted, blocking another strike. "but you are going to destroy this world, and it is going to kill you! You don't have to forgive me, you just have to work with me!"

"The time for talk is over, Grima Spawn!" She swung again, almost taking off his head. "The battle is nigh!"

"We're on the same side!"

O

"The battle is nigh!" Chrom shouted over the wind as he held his blade with one hand, and clutched Sumia tightly with the other. He was quite literally hanging on for dear life.

"Aren't we on the same side?" Sumia shouted back over her shoulder, a confused but concentrated expression on her face as she piloted the Pegasus through the sky with Chrom riding on the back. Meanwhile, far below, he could just make out Robin casting spells alongside Miriel as Stahl covered Virion covering them, while Virion simultaneously covered Frederick, who also happened to be covering Vaike.

Sometimes, Chrom wondered if Robin was a tactical genius or a moron.

It had all been going so well, until he had opened his mouth. Apparently, many other brigands had recently been posing as Chrom and the Shepherds themselves, and the Feroxi were quite wary of anyone claiming to be from Ylisse. They had made this clear when they had attempted to murder him with a volley of javalines, and it had looked like the end for the prince of Ylisse. His cape surely couldn't stop all of them.

Then suddenly, down from the skies flew Sumia on a Pegasus, and she had literally swept him off of his feet. Had it not been for her, he would be doing a remarkable impression of a dead porcupine about now.

"Not anymore!" He replied, pointing down to where Robin and the others were. "The Feroxi seem to value strength above all else, so let's give them a fight! Bring us down there!"

O

Guess who's back?

I said Maribelle was hard to write, but Virion gave what-for. I read through a few of his supports, and kind of wrote him weird. I woke up one day, read through this again, and realized; "Woah! I wrote him… weird…"

So now he's less weird, but probably still weird. I didn't get the chance to show how wise he is or whatever, but all in good time. Meanwhile, Miriel didn't get to say anything, because they are all still brawling for lines.

Oh, and, uh, I suppose semi-regularly is a good word for it. It'll get updated faster or slower depending on how long the chapter is (This has been in the works since the last chapter. Nine pages, not bad!), if I run into any problems or conflicts story-wise (I'm bound to screw up the timeline sooner or later.), and if I spend forever writing only to realize that I've been producing nothing but garbage for the past three hours - which happened in chapter three. I have a whole nother draft sitting around here… I hope I don't find it...

Anyways, I'm feeling very compelled to write this, so it should all turn out well.

All's good.