Cordelia's Tale: Act I

Child of Chaos

Part VI

With an anticipating breath, Robin poked his head into the meeting room of the Ylissean Castle and noticed that he was not the only person Chrom had summoned to this meeting. Both Flavia and Basilio, the khans of Regna Ferox, sat in their own chairs around the wooden, circular table adorned with maps and various statistics about the Ylissean military.

"Ah, good. You're here." With noticeable sags in his eyes, Chrom stood before a large chalkboard that had the continent of Valm drawn on it. Two years had passed since Gangrel had been killed, but the damage of the Mad King's War had left its mark on Chrom. Sometimes, Robin would come to work and find him asleep on his desk, mumbling Emmeryn's name as he tossed and turned.

"Hey! How's my favorite tactician doing?" Basilio eagerly got out of his seat and shook Robin's hand with enough strength to break a boulder. Robin's shoulder slightly ached as he shook his hand back.

"Good, good. How are you doing?" Robin looked up at the Khan's eye-level and responded.

"Eh, foreign warships at our ports have broken our morale, but otherwise we've felt pretty good," Flavia answered on Basilio's half. "Chrom, may I ask how Olivia's is doing?"

"Well, she's taken up being a Myrmidon, and the preparations for our wedding are soon underway."

"Wait, why would she be taking up a combat role unless-" Robin's mind raced before Chrom interrupted him.

"Yes, now let us please discuss why we're here today." Chrom's eyes were bloodshot as he paced back and forth in the war room. "As Flavia mentioned, Valmese ships of war have attacked Port Ferox. This egregious act of war shall not fall on deaf ears, and we are going to reinforce our Feroxi allies with our troops." Chrom pointed to a drawing of the Regna Ferox; the port was circled multiple times.

"You do know that attacking Valmese troops will drag Ylisse into the war, right?" Robin seated himself and tilted his head.

"That's the part I was worried about. In the event of war, the Shepherds would spearhead the charge to Valm so we can end the conflict." Chrom sat down in his own chair and stared at the three people.

"You'll want to go after Walhart, the Conqueror. Over two years, he shaped Valm from a small country into the single kingdom of the continent through conquest and bloodshed. He's also probably the one who wants to own Ylisse as well." Flavia stood up and leaned over the table. Her blond hair fell to the side. "Folks say he's a beast on the battlefield, atop his crimson steed. Take him down, and your war is over."

"Well, that answers that." Robin rested his head on his propped-up hand. "Just take down a legendary conqueror, somehow." The despair in his voice made Chrom turn to his direction.

"We survived a war against the Mad King." Chrom shrugged his shoulders and went back to the board and began to write down the names of every Shepherd. "Before we even consider starting the conflict, we're going to have to get the Shepherds back together."

After the war with Plegia had drawn to a close, the Shepherds had disbanded and spread throughout the continent, living their own lives and minding their own business. Robin couldn't speak for the others, but Cordelia and he had been living in the guest room of the Ylissean Castle. However, they were eager to move out and had been eying up several housing ventures.

"So just get a letter of consent from all of the Shepherds and tell them to meet at the barracks?" Robin watched as Chrom handed him a sheet of paper that had a list of about half of the Shepherds, with a checkmark for 'Yes' and 'No'.

"Yes. I'll handle the other half." Chrom held up his own sheet and noticed that Robin had put a check in the yes box for his own name. "Thank you for the help."

"It warms the cold remains of my heart to see you boys taking an active role in helping us out." Basilio stood up and was booming a hearty laugh. "I really appreciate this."

"Yes, thanks for the aid." Flavia stood up and smiled as well. "Regardless, this oaf owes me a sparring match, and I'm not about to let him weasel out of it."

"You make it sound like I'm not eager to kick the snot out of you." Basilio half smiled/half sneered at her as they went to the door.

"Wait! Before you go, do you two know of any uh… open houses in Regna Ferox?" Robin quickly got out of his chair and stood before the two khans.

"What, is the guest room not good enough for you?" Chrom joked.

"Well, if you stop by my estate later on, I'm sure we can work something out." Flavia shrugged as she stood in the doorway. "I do know there's a vacant house near the mountains that's a short five-minute walk from the capital."

"Perfect." Robin began to put together a plan that he and Cordelia would enact tomorrow before they met with the rest of the Shepherds. "See you shortly, then."

"See you then." Flavia walked out the door with Basilio in tow, leaving Robin in the room with Chrom.

"Well, it's getting rather late." Robin looked at a nearby window to see snow falling amidst the night sky. "See you tomorrow."

"Tell Cordelia I said hello." Chrom smiled and waved as Robin exited the office and began to make his way through the candlelit halls of the Ylissean Castle until he reached the exit where Cordelia sat on a bench outside the castle, wearing a cloth shirt and long pants.

"You look beautiful." Robin bent down slightly to kiss her rosy lips before helping her get to her feet. They locked hands as they walked through the bustling streets of Ylisstol until they reached their frequent stop for dinner: the Staggered Dragon pub.

Once they pushed through the small crowd of patrons, they seated themselves at a booth and laid back into the back-padded cushions of the seat. A waiter quickly arrived and took their order, leaving Robin the uncomfortable duty of telling his girlfriend that she had to go back to war.

"So… I've got good news and bad news." Robin leaned forward in his seat and stared into Cordelia's eyes as he put his hands on the table. "Which do you want to hear first?"

"Bad news." Cordelia's eyebrows raised as she placed her hands on Robin's.

"Chrom's… getting the Shepherds back together so we can go to war with Valm, and we have to meet him at the barracks by tomorrow." As the words trickled from Robin's mouth, Cordelia's' warm smile that had greeted him every morning for the last two years began to shift into a frown.

"Absolutely not. We barely survived a war against Plegia, and I'm not throwing our lives into danger again." Cordelia removed her hands from Robin's and placed them at her tensed sides.

"Valm has incited a war against Regna-Ferox and we need to help them as they helped us two years ago."

"But why do we have to go to war? Why can't Chrom get his military together and have the trained soldiers go to war?" She folded her arms and glared.

"Cordelia, that's selfish and you know it. We're trained soldiers with combat experience. You're the commander of the Ylissean Pegasus Knights, for Naga's sake!"

Cordelia slammed her hands down on the table and leaned over Robin. Her entire face was beet-red.

"And how do you think the commander feels, knowing that her recruits that she's taught for two years have a good chance of dying? How do you think I feel, having to worry if my friends and loved ones are going to die on me?" She screamed at Robin while her heart beated out of her chest.

And then, silence. A long, heart-pounding silence ensued as Cordelia continued to stand and glare at Robin. The other bar patrons looked on in confusion as the couple remained silent for a good while until Robin spoke.

"I'll come back when you're less selfish." Without wasting a single moment, Robin responded as he angrily got to his feet and stomped out of the pub, leaving Cordelia to wallow in her own rage.

He shoved the doors of the pub open and leaned outside against the wooden wall of the building with his arms folded across his chest. The freezing temperature of the town was not enough to quell the burning rage in his chest, and he couldn't care less about the funny looks he got from people who entered and exited the pub.

"How can she be so selfish?" Robin stewed. "Innocent citizens are dying and she wants to send in foot soldiers instead of trained experts?" Her job as commander was to deal with the loss of life; if she couldn't handle losing recruits then she shouldn't have accepted the promotion from Phila.

Or, maybe she wasn't being selfish. Maybe Robin had been too insensitive about how she felt. Maybe he had not considered that this was a war against a whole continent feared for their military prowess and not some small nation.

Cordelia was right. War is hell, and Robin desperately wanted to avoid putting his loved ones through hell. What he was going to do was march right in there and apologize to Cordelia for acting like an insensitive tyrant.

As he opened the door to the pub, his heart jumped a bit to see that Cordelia was standing in the doorway with her hands on the door. She was just about to push it open before Robin inadvertently did it for her.

"I'm sorry. I should've been more considerate of how you felt, and I am so sorry for yelling at you." They both uttered at the same time as they stared into each other's eyes. As they both realized their timing, they both began to laugh in unison. "Wait, let's start over. You first." Cordelia's smile melted Robin's previously-enraged heart as she spoke.

"I acted like an insensitive monster to you, and I'm sorry. I should've been more considerate of how you feel. If you don't want to go to war, then we don't have to." Robin placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes.

"No, I'm the one who should apologize. My feelings shouldn't trump the fact that innocents are dying, and that we can end their suffering." Cordelia responded as she wrapped her arms around Robin's waist.

"I'll make sure that none of our friends die on my watch," Robin said in a quiet tone as he placed his lips on Cordelia's and held her in his arms. "And when we get back, we can settle into a house along the mountains, near a Feroxi town."

"I love you," Cordelia responded as they continued to embrace for a long while, much to the dismay of the patrons trying to enter and exit the pub.

Dreams about the countryside of Valm haunted Robin in his sleep for the last two months. Burning flames that spread across fields of crops like a blanket, destroyed ports and towns that served as haunting reminders to what life was like before the invasion.

All around him stood ruined houses and buildings that had caught flame and afflicted his sight with their intensity. He held his hands up to shield his vision, but the back of his right hand began to glow with an even brighter light.

The purple mark on his hand began to pulse with a glowing light that matched his heartbeat. He pulled his hand away to reveal a castle-sized creature floating above the buildings.

Its six wings flapped with an unnerving rhythm as it twitched its long, lizard-like body. At the front of its body was a horned head adorned with six red, glowing eyes that pinpointed Robin as though it were a panther stalking its prey.

"I hunger…" The gigantic dragon's mouth did not move, but its voice was still heard. "This world shall suffice…"

With a deep breath, Robin awoke atop the comforting familiarity that was the travel mattress he and Cordelia had brought with them. The bright-red insides of his tent were to his left and right, and directly in front of him was Cordelia, sound asleep and laying on his chest.

He slowly wrapped his hands underneath her tangled hair and around her smooth back. Robin continued to hold her in a warm embrace until she began to stir. Slowly, her red eyes began to open as she raised her head. Her vision focused on Robin, then she lowered her head back onto his chest.

Their lull of tranquility was shattered when they both remembered that today was the day Chrom was supposed to fight Walhart in a one-on-one duel.

The green fields of grass stretched into the horizon as far as Chrom's eye could see. In the distance, acting like a shading monolith against the midday sun, was a man dressed from head-to-toe in crimson armor as he rode a large steed. An ax was brandished at his side as he rode, with a group of armed troops behind him that was so large that Chrom was unable to count how many there were.

The Shepherds had received a letter shortly after they took several of Walhart's garrisons. Seeking to cut right to the point, Walhart challenged Chrom to a duel to determine who should lead the world. After several back-and-forth debates, Chrom decided that enough blood had been spilled and that he should end the conflict as soon as possible.

"Have you come to honor our duel, Exalt Chrom of Ylisse?" Walhart barked from far away as Chrom began to slowly walk towards him. "Let me offer you a warning of the last man who tried to face me."

Walhart raised his other hand to reveal Basilio's battered and bruised corpse hanging by a chain. Chrom's hand trembled as he saw the lifeless stare in his friend's eyes, but kept his pace.

"I shall succeed where others have failed!" Chrom yelled as he drew his blade and broke into a sprint. Walhart matched his speed and accelerated his horse's stride as he threw Basilio's corpse to the side.

The rest of the Shepherds watched as Chrom's blade met Walhart's ax as they stood in the field. The Ylissean army waited further behind in anticipation for the order to attack.

Walhart's ax swung down onto Chrom like a guillotine, but he quickly deflected the blow with his sword as sparks flew from the clashing metal weapons. He slashed his sword towards the legs of Walhart's steed and watched as the blade lodged into the horse's leg.

The horse let out a frenzied neigh as it reared up against the immeasurable weight that was Walhart's armor and its saddle. It began to buck and thrash around as blood poured out of its leg. Walhart trained his hand on the side of his steed's head, but the horse continued to panic.

Chrom thrusted a quick jab of his sword towards one of the horse's other legs then retreated a few steps back. He watched as the horse's bucking increased, and Walhart was eventually knocked off his steed and onto the ground.

The Conqueror slowly got to his feet and coughed dirt from his mouth.

"I don't need a steed to best you." He growled before charging at Chrom with his ax raised. In his surprise, Chrom was unable to parry the blow and felt the ax slash across his chest, leaving a large gash and knocking him to the ground with its weight. "Impressive. You are one of the few who have survived a single blow."

Robin winced as he watched Chrom tumble to the floor. Walhart bore over the Exalt and brought his ax down towards his neck, but Chrom held his sword up to keep the weapon at bay. Unless a miracle occurred, Chrom was as good as dead.

In his panic, Robin hurriedly looked left and right for something that would help Chrom. Cordelia, who stood at his left, seemed to be doing the same, and they both realized that Olivia had disappeared from the crowd of the Shepherds. Their eyes turned back to Walhart and Chrom when they heard a feminine voice let out a scream.

A bloodied sword protruded through Walhart's chest. He looked down at the blade in disbelief and felt the strength in his hands drain as he let out a yell of pain.

As Walhart's ax was lifted up, Chrom wiped the sweat from his eyes to reveal Olivia standing behind Walhart with the hilt of her sword in her hands, and the actual blade lodged through Walhart's back. The flaps of her Swordmaster apparel breezed in the calm wind as several moments of silence passed.

"I strike you down today, not just for the people of Regna-Ferox and Ylisse, but for the people of Valm." Olivia spoke in an overly-confident voice without stuttering. "So that peace may return to these lands."

"You… You dare interrupt our duel?! You little wor-" Walhart raised his ax and attempted to take Olivia's life, but she had other plans in mind.

With a quick flash of her blade, she parried the blow and lunged towards Walhart's head with her fist. She landed a quick punch to his eyes, then grabbed one of the horns on his helmet.

In his daze, Walhart was unable to stop Olivia from ripping his helmet off his head, as there was nothing keeping it attached to the back of his head. Olivia threw the helmet to her side, tightly gripped the sheath of her blade, then thought of all the people Walhart had killed as he drove her blade through his head.

Walhart stared into Olivia's glaring eyes as his life left his body. He made one last lunge at her, then jerked his hand back. With a hearty bellow, he remained upright with his final words.

"Well fought…" He grumbled before throwing his head back. Olivia took a few steps back as adrenaline began to leave her veins and fell to her knees.

Chrom sprang to his feet and held her in an embrace as he laughed.

"I… I did it…" Olivia spoke between her rushed breaths.