I went for an...unusual POV for part of this. Really, in the long run, several POVs are planned overall. That's the kind of thing you get with ensemble stories. Plus, I like to think I'm good with writing different POVs.
The POV is born mainly from character favoritism, very much an 'ascended extra' type. But it will be vital to developing important sub-plots, and other characters, including a certain important sub-plot that takes place after the timeskip. That's a long ways off though. And it's a character you don't see take center stage like, ever, in FE:A fics.
Also, I think I'm getting better at battle scenes? They're still hard to write, but apparently action scenes are one of the hardest things to write well in general. The action scenes and writing around game dialogue are probably the hardest parts to write for me. The fact there's a lot of both in this chapter probably means this isn't of the highest quality. Ah, well, nothing to do but keep chugging forward.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem
Getting to the meeting spot hadn't been easy for Ricken.
His main way of traveling had been to swallow his pride and claim he was just a 'lost kid.' When questioned, he explained that he had a friend who lived near the border, and he had heard their village had been attacked. It earned him enough sympathy for a ride most of the way there. Most of them warned him, however, to brace himself.
It still didn't fully prepare him for what he saw.
The village had been completely razed, left little more then smoldering ruins. The few survivors had set up camp nearby, and the sight of numerous fresh graves next to their camp made him feel ill. They told him the full story when he said he was a friend of Maribelle's. She had gone to parley with the approaching army, only for them to take her hostage and across the border. They had been kind enough to give him her horse, which he rode the rest of the way.
Using that, he was able to beat the Shepherds to the parley site. He had hidden in a cave behind enemy lines to observe the proceedings.
And to see everything, to quote one of the soldiers, 'go straight to hell in a handbasket.'
He emerged from his hiding spot caution, approaching where Maribelle was held. He took cover behind a rock, watching as the dark woman, Aversa, came towards the imprisoned noble. From his position, he heard their conversation,
"Poor, stupid girl..." Aversa sneered, "Are you really worth fighting a war over? Years from now, you'll be remembered only as she who destroyed House Ylisse."
Maribelle looked aghast. She shut her eyes, shaking her head in denial, "No... That's not... Oh, Lissa... Please, no..."
He was going to be in so much trouble when this was over. But he'd have to think about it later. Maribelle needed his help! He yanked out his tome, leaping out from his position. He cast the spell as he ran forward.
A blade of air struck the brigand holding Maribelle, sending him skittering across the ground.
Shock and confusion mirrored on both women's' faces.
"Maribelle!" Ricken yelled, darting between her and Aversa. "Go! You're free!"
Maribelle stared, as if not entirely comprehending what was happening. "RICKEN?! What are you doing here?"
"Just run! We can talk about it later!"
"Oh, is this your little boyfriend?" The evil woman behind him purred condescendingly, "Isn't he just precious."
Okay, he'd been willing to endure being patronized for the greater good the past few days, but that was enough. He whirled around, "Don't talk down to me, witch! O wind born amidst clouds of shifting sand, mow down those who would do evil! Elwind!"
A cyclone enveloped the witch, kicking up dust and sand. She grunted in pain and exclaimed something, but Ricken didn't bother to find out what. He grabbed Maribelle's bound hands,
"Come on, Maribelle!"
"Right!"
He led her to the cave where he camped out, her horse tied up just outside. He used a small knife in he kept in his pouch to slice the rope binding her. Once she was free, she reclaimed her healing staff from one of her saddlebags, and untied her mount. After climbing on, she looked down at the mage.
"Ricken, thank you. If you hadn't…"
"You can thank me after we get back to the others!" He looked out at the battlefield. Easier said then done. There were Plegian soldiers everywhere. Oh man…
No. He'd come too far to chicken out now! He adjusted the brim of his hat and gestured to Maribelle, "Let's go, Lissa and everyone else are waiting for us!"
Robin's Levin Sword crackled, as she channeled power through it. Thunder struck the chest of the soldier in front of her. He crumpled.
On of their flanks, the Hero-King, Marth, felled a soldier trying to sneak up on them. It wasn't actually Marth, of course. It was a phantom, a reflection of the actual man summoned by the card. Even his appearance was somewhat insubstantial, more like a portrait come to life then a real person. But even as a phantom, he was a skilled and powerful fighter, something they badly needed in this situation.
Under better circumstances, she would have taken far too much enjoyment from the flabbergasted expressions from the non-Shepherds at Marth's appearance. As it was, however, she had to leave them with instructions and a 'We'll explain later.'
"Robin!" Lissa shouted, "I see them!"
Further ahead, the young mage and troubadour fought against a small group. Robin took note of Ricken's skill. Seemed the boy hadn't been exaggerating. He was exceptionally skilled for his age, his magic downing any enemies that came too close. But he couldn't last forever.
A pair of soldiers came up behind them. Neither seemed to notice, preoccupied by the enemies in front of them. Robin whipped out the Nosferatu tome,
"Marth, take the one on the left!"
"Understood!"
Ricken felled the final enemy in front of him with wind magic. Maribelle healed him with her staff, as they turned around. Their eyes shot wide, as the fast-approaching foes were nearly on top of them.
"Time to tip the scales! Nosferatu!"
The soldier went rigid, as the dark energy encased him. Robin felt her own strength returning, what wounds she had sustained healing. The spell faded, and the soldier collapsed, dead.
His partner paused in confusion. The moment's hesitation cost him. Marth's sword stuck out the front of his chest. Marth drew it out, and the foe fell.
Robin and Lissa rushed to cross the remaining distance between them, Ricken, and Maribelle. The two stared at what by all accounts for them the Hero-King himself.
"Ricken!" She shouted. The mage started, turning to face them.
"Robin!?"
"Maribelle!" Lissa went on right past Ricken towards her friend. As the two girls reunited, Robin focused on Ricken,
"You aren't badly hurt, are you?"
"N-no…But Robin, that," he gestured to Marth, "Is that really…!?"
"No, it isn't. It's a long story. But know that he's here to help us, in any way he can."
"Milady," Marth called, "Enemy reinforcement are coming from the forts to the west!"
Robin looked towards the western forts, one positioned precariously close to the group they'd left behind. Soldiers emerged, not as many as she anticipated. Likely they were planned to be sent out some at a time, a gradual swelling of forces. Not good. They were already badly outnumbered. She had thought the reinforcements would arrive after their own. But that had been under the assumption the soldiers from the forts would be a flood, not a trickle that would build into a steady stream.
There was one thing she could do, but she'd have to do it quickly.
"Ricken, I need you to escort the girls here back to the others. Marth, go with him and ensure they arrive safely. Once there, assist the others however you can."
Lissa caught a corner of Robin's sleeve, "Wait just a moment here. Are you not coming with us!?"
"No, I'm not. I'm going to pursue the commander. If he's gone, it might disrupt any further reinforcements from the forts."
"Then...I'm going with you!"
"No, Lissa. I already took a risk by taking you this far. The group needs their cleric. We also need to ensure Maribelle gets to them safely. Ricken has done well so far on his own, but I'm not about to task him with protecting both you and Maribelle, hence why I'm sending Marth with you. I cannot go back: Every moment I waste risks another wave from the forts. The best approach is for me to continue on alone."
The princess slouched, "Ugh, I guess I can't really argue with that...But promise that you'll be careful?"
"I promise. Now, get going!"
"Captain, enemy reinforcements incoming!"
Chrom gritted his teeth. They had held out fine so far. The plan was to hold out until the others arrived. But Robin had thought the Plegians' soldiers from the forts would take longer than this.
"Remain in position! Robin should return with Lissa, Maribelle, and Ricken any moment now!"
What had Ricken been thinking, following them? He supposed he couldn't complain too much. If it hadn't been for the young mage, Maribelle would likely have been executing before they could have ever reached her.
He'd deal with the issue of Ricken later. The soldiers from the fort close to them were fast approaching.
He met one of the myrmidons first, and swiftly outmaneuvered him for the kill. The battle became a blur as he hyper-focused on combat.
One of their issues were magic users, of which dark mages were a large part. Unfortunately, the pegasus knights couldn't be spared to handle them. Shortly after Robin left, they had been surprised by an attack from behind, enemies emerging from the ravine behind them. Phila was now preoccupied with handling the other front.
Chrom didn't need to be a strategist to realize the situation was asking for disaster. They were surrounded, with little way to escape. He desperately hoped Robin would return soon.
A painful shock ripped through him. A Thunder spell. He spotted the mage out of the corner of his eye. Stahl, unfortunately, was preoccupied with an enemy cavalier. Ignoring the pain, Chrom braced himself to attack, aware he'd likely take another direct hit in the process.
"That's quite enough!"
"For Ylisse!"
Two sets of flapping wings blocked his vision. He heard the grunt as the mage fell. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted…Vaike! Paired up with Lon'qu, even. The axewielder caught his eye after downing a soldier and smirked,
"Hey Chrom! Sorry we took so long, we ran into trouble. But it wasn't anything we couldn't handle, of course!"
"Captain!" Sumia landed next to him, Cordelia on her other side, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Chrom acknowledged, "You couldn't have had better timing."
"Thank goodness," Cordelia said, "We left as soon as we saw the signal, but the forces in the ravine held us up. We seem to have underestimated just how planned out Gangrel had this."
"We'll think about it later. Right now, we need to clear the rest the rest of the enemies off our backs."
With the new arrivals, they were able to disperse the assault coming from behind. The last few ran for their lives just as Lissa and the others finally reached them.
He frowned. Marth was with them, but Robin wasn't.
"Where's Robin?"
"She said she's going after the commander!" Lissa exclaimed, "She was worried about more enemies appearing before Sumia and the others arrived, and she said taking out the commander might disrupt them!"
He pinched his nose, "And she accuses me of being rash..." Then again, considering how she'd nearly gotten herself killed the other day… His arm fell to the side, "Lissa, stay here. Robin left instructions for everyone to split into two groups once the others arrived, and you're to be the main healer for one. Frederick will give you the details."
"Uh, what are you going to do?"
"What else? I'm going to assist our tactician."
Robin snapped her tome shut, as the soldier before her fell. She looked towards the far end of the battlefield. She was a ways yet from the commander, position near another ravine leading further into the border pass.
Reinforcements would be emerging from the remaining forts any time now. If the commander was gone, then the resulting disorganization should buy them valuable time.
Her Levin Sword in one hand, she charged another foe. It clashed against the lance of one of the heavily armored knights. Her sword crackled, and thunder sounded. The knight toppled...
…Only to reveal dark mage that had been hiding not far behind him, magical symbols forming as they did right before the release. Crap.
The mage suddenly stiffened. The symbols faded. He fell.
Robin stared at her apparent savior.
"Chrom!?"
"Hello Robin," he walked up to her.
Overcoming her shock, she glared at him, "What are you doing here?" She demanded, "You're supposed to be assisting the others!"
"Lissa informed me that you chose to take on the enemy alone again. Isn't this what nearly got you killed just a few days ago?"
"That was a miscalculation," She pursed her lips, "I'm not an idiot, and I learned my lesson. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't sure I could handle it. It was a strategic choice. And that same choice says you have to get back to the others. You're one of our best fighters, and they need all the help they can get."
"Why didn't you come back and ask someone else to do it? Why you?"
"Time is of the essence! We're outnumbered, reinforcements are already arriving, and our own reinforcements haven't arrived yet-"
Chrom actually half-smiled, "You didn't notice?" He gestured in the general direction of the rest of the group, "Sumia and the others finally arrived mere moments ago. See for yourself."
"What?" She peeked over one of the nearby edges. Down below, she caught sight of several pegasus knights she knew hadn't come with them. And...Sumia! Cordelia too! And Lon'qu and Vaike...She blew out a breath. Thank goodness, they had come in time to make a difference!
"And if you still want to argue it, I am still your commander. I'm coming with whether you like it or not."
She snorted, then laughed, "Alright Captain, you've made your case. And I'm not one to commit insubordination." She sheathed her sword, then clasped her Thunder tome tightly against her, "You take the lead. I've got your back!"
The commander was a wyvern rider, imposing and giving them a look of hatred that could kill. Chrom's grip on Falchion tightened as he and Robin finally reached the commander.
"I won't ask for your name," the rider yelled, "Only your life!"
"Ready?" Robin asked in a whisper, opening her Thunder tome.
Chrom nodded wordlessly, readying Falchion.
He acted first, dashing forward. The wyvern swiveled out of the path of his blade. It flapped it's wings, kicking up dust. He threw up an arm to shield his eyes. A shadow fell on him. Steel clanged against steel. He lowered his arm.
Robin had blocked the axe of the rider with her sword, who had attempted to attack while the prince was distracted.
"Back off!" She hissed. Her sword crackled. The rider quickly withdrew his axe and jerked his mount backwards. It reared up as it backpedaled midair. Lightning struck where they had been a split second ago.
Chrom lurched forward and slashed Falchion against the wyvern's briefly exposed stomach. It roared in pain. The eyes of its rider flashed.
"My turn! Arcthunder!"
The thunder spell slammed the wyvern. The rider turned it's attention to the tactician, his mount rounding on her.
"Your end has come!"
Falchion ripped across man and wyvern alike.
The rider gasped, a large wound cut across his chest. He grinned, even as life drained from him, "This matters not... "Soon war will be upon...your soil... Heh heh...
The wyvern, with a last, weak, cry, fell to the ground. It's rider slumped, lifeless, against it's back.
Chrom sheathed Falchion. He glanced over his shoulder, beyond Robin and to the others beyond the cliffs. The battle was winding to a close. The first true battle of war with Plegia.
War.
The full weight of what had occurred sunk in. He slumped, stumbling. With a gasp, Robin bolted to his side, using her hands to hold him steady,
"Chrom, what wrong? Are you injured?" She dug around one of her coat pockets with one hand, "I have an elixir here, just let me-"
"I'm fine," he assured her, shrugging her off, "Just…tired. It's been a long day."
"No argument there." She pulled an elixir from her pocket, and downed it in one gulp. With a sigh, she stuck the empty vial back. They stood in silence, taking the time to catch their breaths.
"…What is the Fire Emblem, if I may ask?"
Chrom sighed, "That's a long story, and one that can wait. We should return to the others. Emm is probably worried."
"Thank you for your help, Marth. This might have been impossible without your assistance."
The Hero-King bowed, "I'm glad I could be of service, milady."
With a smile, Robin re-activated the black card in her hand. Marth's form dissolved into light, which flowed into the card. His portrait re-appeared on the card's front. She held it up, gazing at the picture. Then she slipped the card back into one of her coat pockets. The use of the Einherjar had gone very well, all things considered.
Of course, she still owed Phila an explanation, but like many other things, it could wait.
Behind her, Lissa checked up Maribelle. Robin went to join her.
"Maribelle!" Lissa grasped her friend's hands, "You aren't hurt, are you?"
"Nothing I didn't return twofold, darling."
"I'm glad you're safe." Robin said once she was close enough.
"Who...?" Maribelle leaned over to look past Lissa at the tactician. Lissa released her and stepped out of the way. Robin came to a halt in front of the troubadour. "Oh. It's you."
"Yes. I know you're not especially fond of me, but it's a relief just the same."
"Oh, it's not a question of fondness. I am simply protective of Lissa. My treasure is very sensitive, and..." She halted mid-sentence. Her face scrunched, "Wait. Am I really justifying myself to a commoner? Gods..." She sighed, "Yes, well, I do...apologize for being curt. And... And..." She fumbled for the words, then in a rush said, "And you have my thanks for your part in the rescue. There, I said it!"
Robin smiled, while Lissa giggled. It had been a long day, with too much information and too much happening. But the battle was won, everyone had survived, and Maribelle was okay. She could deal with everything else later.
"Forgive me, Emm," Chrom hung his head before his sister, ashamed, while Frederick looked on. "I acted rashly.
Emm shook her head, "It's all right, Chrom. King Gangrel is the one at fault here. You were only protecting me."
That didn't make it better, for some reason. In the end, he had made the first strike. There was no denying that.
"The Mad King will be rallying his forces," Frederick said, "If they have not mobilized already. I suggest we make haste back to Ylisstol and discuss our strategy."
"Of course, Frederick," Emm said, "It seems war is upon us. We must protect the Ylissean people at all costs."
Marth was hard as hell to write. The Einherjar aren't real people after all, but 'reflections,' which didn't help. And it ALSO doesn't help that he probably has some of the most 'boring' characterization of the DLC characters. That's not a diss against the actual Marth, mind you. It's that Einherjar!Marth (appropriately enough) lacks the depth that would normally help me. It other words, Marth being a 'vanilla' character seriously plays against his Einherjar characterization.
Looking forward, most of the others shouldn't be so difficult. Still, I apologize if his appearance here was disappointing. I promise not all the Einherjar will be like that.
Hope you enjoyed!