The sun had just begun its descent. The vibrant orange and yellow shades painted the afternoon sky, as beautiful a day as any. Amadeus stopped for a moment to admire the view from his spot atop the ramparts, before focusing back down on what lay before them.

The great army had stopped in its tracks. Walhart rode forward to the front of the army, and Chrom and Amadeus advanced to the front of the ramparts in response.

"Behold, Ylissean League! I am Walhart, the Conqueror! You are nothing but a pebble to be kicked out of the way, on my road to immortality!" A roar from the contingent behind him.

And it was quite the contingent. Every corner of the surrounding lands was surrounded by Valmese soldiers.

I guess the traps didn't do anything…

"Surrender now, fools, and spare yourselves! You cannot hope to defeat my numbers with yours; you are hopelessly outnumbered. Don't play the fool. Surrender, lest you face your inevitable defeat and death at the hands of the Conqueror."

"Never!" Chrom's voice rang through the air. "We will fight to the end, Walhart. We fight to end your reign of tyranny."

Walhart mused at this response.

"Why do you resist me, little prince?" A taunt. Chrom's face remained emotionless.

"You enslave the weak, and kill the able. You are the enemy of the peace that I fight for."

"You object to my philosophy on MORAL grounds? Pah! Blood must be spilled in any new birth...you, of all people, would know that, prince."

"There is no justification for your cause, Walhart. My blade will bring you the judgment you deserve for your deeds."

Walhart kicked his horse, and it turned to bring Walhart back among his ranks.

"Ha! Better, prince. I hope to see you in battle. Let our blades ring out the truth of our statements...and let the stronger win."

The red cloaked figure disappeared among the flood of warriors before them, and the battle began.

After a pause, the contingent began their slow, methodical charge.

"Fire!" Amades yelled from the top of the ramparts. Arrows dashed through the air, jets of fire and bolts of electricity screamed towards the incoming contingent. Valmese soldiers fell to the ground, but they were quickly replaced by more.

"Fire!" Another wave of death flew from the ramparts. Yet the opposition continued advancing. It seemed as if for each warrior they struck down, another ten would take his place…

What have I gotten them into this time… Amadeus shivered as the thought of defeat crossed his mind, before he quickly blocked it out.

No! I need to stay focused. Draw them in….

Volley after volley of arrows and magic rained down on the Valmese forces, and the floor was littered with Valmese soldiers. The charge continued, but their numbers had shrank visibly. For the first time, Amadeus allowed himself a glimmer of hope.

"Above! Enemy aerial units!" The archers' attention went skywards, as they tried to pick out the pegasus knights and wyvern riders of the enemy who tried to sneak in. But that left the ground force to continue their charge unimpeded.

"No! Focus on the ground units; if the aerial units get in, let our foot soldiers inside handle them." Amadeus yelled back at the archers, who turned their attention back down to the ground. He reasoned that aerial units were far fewer; if they managed to enter Rosanne first, the foot soldiers inside could deal with them.

Still, the phalanx continued towards them. They were almost at the gates, and he could see Walhart behind them, commanding his units forwards in their inexorable advance.

From the corner of his eye, he could see another large contingent coming towards Rosanne.

Who could that be..? He sincerely hoped they weren't more Valmese. They were still a few minutes out; he couldn't quite make out who they were.

"Marry! The Resistance is here! My brothers and sisters have come to join us in the final fight!" Say'ri had appeared out of nowhere.

"The Resistance?" Say'ri nodded.

"They must have heard of Lady Tiki's awakening...Perhaps now, we have more than a chance!" Amadeus nodded at this.

Well, that's an unexpected boost.

"Amadeus? Is it time?" Chrom tapped his tactician, palming the hilt of Falchion.

"No. We need to time it perfectly..once they begin their siege on the gates, we'll head to the tunnels. We can show up behind Walhart when he's focused completely on entering the gates…"

"Alright then." The soldiers continued advancing. Archers did what they could, firing as fast as their arms allowed them, and mages ripped through tomes, chanting incessantly and hurling bolts of death.

Nothing could stop the inevitable.

A battering ram was brought to the front of the Valmese soldiers. A long, thick, wooden trunk, with the front end having been carved out in a likeness of Walhart's unsmiling face.

Thud. The walls shook at the impact. Thud. The gates creaked. The soldiers inside shook and trembled as they grasped their weapons a little tightly, anticipating the battle to come.

"Amadeus? Now?" He nodded, and he and Chrom took off towards Castle Virion, and the tunnels underneath. Just before they reached the castle, Cordelia and Sumia lighted next to them. "Amy?" Cordelia ran over to him, grabbing him in a tight embrace. "Please...be safe..I couldn't bear to...lose you so soon…" He felt her heave a bit as she tried to hold in the sobs.

"Cordelia. I'll be fine. I promise you." He wanted to say more, but time was of the essence. He kissed her on the cheek, trying to put as much emotion as he could into the kiss, and whispered, "Be safe. I'll see you soon," before she tearfully nodded and left. He turned and saw Chrom gently pushing Sumia away as well. Their gazes met, and they nodded. It was time.

They quickly ran into the main passageway of Castle Virion. It was a magnificent castle, with the blue trim of Virion's hair adorning each piece of fabric (Amadeus assumed that was what it was based on; judging from what he knew of Virion, it was quite a reasonable assumption) and the crest of House Virion emblazoned over the doorways. The walls themselves screamed of an overstated, exaggerated elegance, with the large fabrics draped so as to flow down from the roof. He would have stopped to admire the room and its architecture more..

But now is not the time. They ran through the passageway and into the throne room, where Virion had told them the tunnels began. He pulled out his map and pointed.

"Then it should be here..underneath the throne." They quickly pushed it out of the way to reveal a door cleverly embedded into the ground. Chrom grunted his satisfaction as they lifted the trapdoor.

Outside, a loud roar sounded. The Valmese had entered. Amadeus' thoughts shot back to Cordelia, fighting within the walls in close quarters…

Please, don't let anything happen to her.

"Amadeus? Let's go." He nodded and followed Chrom down into the depths.

A short ladder dropped them into the tunnels.

"Fire." A ball of fire emanated from Amadeus' hands, lighting the area. He quickly took out the map and got his bearings. "Alright, we turn left, and then take the next right, and then keep going until we hit a dead end...that's where I remember Walhart was staying."

They sprinted off in the direction that he pointed at, Amadeus in the lead using his fire to keep the tunnel lit. Once they reached the dead end, they saw a ladder going up, and the faintest cracks of light streaming in through openings in the door.

"Let me go first, Chrom." Amadeus insisted, as flashbacks of his dream rampaged through his head.

"No. I must go first, as the king of Ylisse. I cannot let you take any risk for me." Amadeus shook his head.

"Chrom, please. Just in case...let me go first." There was a pleading tone to his voice, and Chrom decided to back off.

"Very well, then." Amadeus sighed and jumped onto the first stair, Chrom following right behind him. He took out the Gae Bolg, and pushed the door upwards with the lance tip. When he had opened it sufficiently, and there was no response, he deemed it safe. He hauled himself upwards and out of the door, and quickly pulled Chrom up behind him.

They stood where the Valmese soldiers had convened earlier. The dusty footprints, all blended together by the dragging of feet and the breeze, served notice to that. Which meant…

"So far, so good. We're behind them now." Chrom looked ahead.

"And we're exactly where we need to be. WALHART!" He yelled at the figure well in front of them. Walhart turned, bemused at this development.

"Well, now. What are you doing here, prince? Surely you are not deserting? Your friends are putting up a noble fight. But will they be able to maintain their defense when I enter the fray?" He rode towards them, bringing a small group of Valmese with him.

"Deserting? No, I am here to finish you, Walhart. As you said: 'Let our blades ring out the truth of our statements.'" Walhart let out a patronizing laugh at this.

"Ha! Boy, you are not even worthy of crossing swords with me!" He was now only a few paces away, as was the force he'd brought with him.

"Chrom...there's too many in that force for us to fight. They outnumber us by...I can't even begin to fathom by how much. We will succumb eventually...if not to them then to our own physical limits." A bead of cold sweat trickled down Amadeus' face as he came to this realization.

"We have no choice. We need to fight. We're the only hope of winning now…" Chrom drew Falchion. Amadeus sighed and followed suit, gripping the Gae Bolg in a ready stance.

Their enemies advanced.

"Back-to-back?" Chrom nodded, and they leaned against each other, weapons at the ready. The first to advance quickly felt Amadues' lance slapping his head, dizzying him, before the lance plunged into his stomach. Another approach, this time on Chrom's side; a flash of Falchion, and he fell as well, a slash across his chest. On and on it went; the Valmese had them surrounded, but couldn't send too many at a time; too many would crowd the ring, and hamper their own allies' movements.

The incoming wave seemed to never end. Valmese soldiers kept coming in, filling in for their slain brethren. Amadeus was assured, however, that the gate was holding well; from what he could see when he chanced a quick glance of his peripheral vision, the majority of the Valmese contingent was still outside the gates, and the Resistance had closed in, offering much-needed support. But he could feel his arms tiring. Soon, he wouldn't be able to swing and stab with his lance at the speed necessary…

The earth quaked. Amadeus and Chrom lost their balance, but so did the Valmese surrounding them. The sky was suddenly tinged an odd, dark mixture of blue and purple. Chrom had seen the sky take this color once before…

"Lucina..?" Amadeus gasped as he realized what Chrom was saying. The sky looked exactly as it did when Lucina had come back from the future...was something similar happening now?

"Chrom! Focus!" The Valmese seemed unfazed by everything happening, and had resumed their encircling of the two. From behind, Walhart watched, his gaze unwavering, watching the two warriors hack and slash at his men to no avail.

"Right!" They quickly got back together in the middle, and the fight resumed. Amadeus was almost at breaking point, and could feel his strikes getting weaker and weaker, when he heard a distinctly unfamiliar voice.

"Father! No! We're here to help!" Father? He thought blankly.

The voice came from a young girl, with dark blue hair that matched Chrom's. Her hair was tied up in pigtails, and her pegasus beat its wings as it glided above them. Behind her followed a small group of mercenaries, ten in number, Amadeus counted, eleven including the mounted girl. They swooped in, quickly clearing out the Valmese circle that had surrounded them.

The pigtailed girl looked at Chrom, her eyes almost bugging out. "Father? Is that..you?" Chrom was just about as shocked as she was. "Huh?" Amadeus quickly got between them.

"There'll be time for introductions later. Do you see that fort city over there?" She nodded. "Well, we need to protect that place. If you could get your band over there to help out...that would be great. We'll take care of the rest here." She nodded again, and quickly made her way over as her band followed suit.

Could that be..the rest of Lucina's friends? Could that mean...my child was in that group? Why did he or she not call me out?

Amadeus quickly blocked out that thought. "Chrom. Let's finish this."

"Yes, it's about time. Walhart! Face me now, without your army."

"Pah! Your army may be winning the battle, but you cannot outlast me in the war! My troops number in the millions! What hope do you have?"

"Slaying you, Conqueror. Once you are gone, who will they follow?" Chrom brought Falchion into a steady stance, holding it at an angle in front of him and pointing it at Walhart. Amadeus followed suit, though his tired arms begged him not to. The tip of the holy spear pointed straight at the Conqueror.

"Will you surrender, Conqueror?" Chrom couldn't possibly expect-

"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to, boy." Walhart drew his axe.

"Walhart! Listen to reason. We strive for the same goals. We have similar beliefs. Join me! We yearn for peace. We believe in the strength of man." Chrom and Amadeus waited with bated breath for Walhart's response.

"Fool! I would never join you! I am the Conqueror! I lead all! Once I defeat you, and the rest of your puny Ylissean League, I will have my world domination! The world will unite under me! The sword shall force them to their knees!"

Chrom sighed. "Walhart! Allow me one last word. Peace can be achieved through other means; not only through war. If peace is truly what you strive for, then put down your weapon, and join me."

"Don't try to back out of the fight now, prince. Show me your conviction in your belief!" The axe pointed at Chrom.

"I tried, Emm." Chrom sighed to himself as he crouched low in anticipation of the fight to come. "Very well, Walhart. We will do it your way."

The two advanced. Walhart advanced as well, not giving any ground, as expected. As they neared, Chrom leapt towards the general.

His downwards blow was parried by the great axe. Around and around they danced, each swinging at the other, Walhart sometimes blocking both lance and sword at the same time, sometimes deftly parrying one and sidestepping another. Even with their man advantage, and their synergy working together, they knew that Walhart would be tough to defeat.

Amadeus was still feeling the extra weight in his arms from the fight before. He decided to change tactics, and pulled out his tome. There was one spell he'd never used before, although its strength was supposed to be unrivaled…

"Mjollnir!" He yelled, and a gigantic bolt of white lightning formed at his fingertips. He smiled, and directed it towards Walhart, who had just shoved Chrom backwards with his parry. The Conqueror saw the bolt coming from the corner of his eye, and, without turning, simply moved his axe into the bolt's trajectory, blocking it away. Amadeus groaned silently to himself. This was going to be a long battle. He continued shooting his bolts of lightning at the general, if for no other reason than to distract Walhart and keep him from focusing his efforts on Chrom. When he felt he had the energy to spare again, he once more drew his lance and entered back into close quarters.

No words had been spoken between the three of them. Each knew the gravity of this fight. It was a tacit winner-take-all battle, and each participant's concentration left no room for banter.

Now Walhart was on the offensive. He lifted his axe, bringing it smashing down towards Chrom, who sloughed the blow off to the side. They couldn't match the Conqueror in pure strength; they'd need to use their agility to win this battle. Both sides traded blows; sometimes, body parts were used as blades, as punches landed and kicks planted themselves onto bodies.

The fight dragged on. Sometime during the fight, the sun had hidden itself, and the moon had come out with her light. Still, the three fought on and on. Although they had landed blows, none were fatal, much less truly damaging. The adrenaline overcame any fatigue that they should have been feeling; not only that, but the pressure and realization of what the battle meant prevented any from even allowing a thought of exhaustion.

Suddenly, Amadeus caught an opening. He'd noticed that the Conqueror's armor, sturdy as it was, was weak at the joints. The connection of the arms had a slight opening, as did the knee joints. Walhart had just parried his thrust; Amadeus had lunged at his stomach while Chrom slashed at his chest, but in a swift downward motion, he parried both the sword and the lance. Amadeus felt his lance pushed to the side; using whatever reserves of strength he had left, he turned the momentum upwards, bringing the lance point up towards the arm joint of Walhart's armor. He was rewarded with a soft click as it went through the thinner, more flexible joint of the armor, and gouged a deep wound in Walhart's strong arm.

Walhart's face tightened, but the sign of pain was gone quickly. Amadeus smiled to himself. He's not invincible. His blows were noticeably weakened, and now Chrom could match him blow for blow, strength wise.

"Chrom! Let's finish this." Walhart laughed.

"Yes, this should be over soon. But for you two fools, not for me!" He stepped back, and held his axe up once more. Amadeus drew his tome as Chrom charged towards Walhart. They whirled around each other; Amadeus couldn't get a clean shot. He waited for the disengage that he knew was coming; he'd sparred with Chrom many times, and knew it was his habit to disengage every few strikes.

There it is. Chrom had leapt back, adjusting his grip on Falchion. He raised a finger, beckoning Walhart to come to him, taunting.

"Mjollnir!" He shot another bolt of lightning at Walhart. The bolt was heading straight towards him...when he turned once more, and this time, blocked the bolt straight back at Amadeus.

Oh dear. He tried to twist away, but the bolt caught him on the side, and he could feel it tearing a gash in him. He could feel the blood flowing as he tried to staunch the bleeding, but he already feel himself losing consciousness.

"Amadeus! No!" Chrom's voice…

"Chrom...you...have to...I'm...sorry…" He gasped, almost like a fish out of water, as he felt the energy draining from him. His eyes widened. "Be..hind..."

Walhart had snuck up behind Chrom as he was preoccupied with his injured friend, and his axe was raised above Chrom. All Chrom could do was a last minute parry...and even then it was too late. The axe bore down on him with the full strength of the Conqueror, pushing back Falchion and slashing a deep wound across Chrom's chest. Chrom staggered back, his clothes stained by his own blood, and fell on the ground, prone. Walhart moved in for the kill.

"Well, fought, prince. But it seems my passions burn brighter than yours..and now my philosophy shall be the ONLY philosophy. Take pride in the fact that I have never been tested like this before…" The great Wolf Berg raised.

No...it's all over..I failed again...

Suddenly, a flash of blue, and a sword slashed at Walhart's side. Then another flash of platinum, and another sword buried itself into Walhart's leg, bringing him down to his knees.

"Finish him!" An unfamiliar voice rang out. Amadeus couldn't keep his eyes open long enough to see what happened next, but he heard the sound of steel entering flesh, followed by armor clanging as a body fell to the floor. His eyes began closing of their own accord.

Hey, that person had the same hair color as me…

His mind faded into darkness with this last thought.


He woke up in a cot. Groaning at the throbbing pain in his side, he tried to sit up, but was pushed back down.

"Don't even think about it! I'm still dressing your wounds!" Maribelle. He felt a staff press against his body, and the familiar warm tingling sensation of being healed ran through him.

"Ungh...what happened?" Maribelle shushed him.

"You'll see," she said, a twinkle in her eye.

What does that mean? He looked at the bed next to him to see Chrom lying there, being treated by Lissa.

"We won…" Chrom smiled as he nodded in response.

"Yea. Good fighting out there."

"You too. Walhart...he had good intentions. But somewhere along the way, he lost sight of his goal amid his thirst for power…" Amadeus mused to himself. "It's a pity we couldn't sway him; if we could have gotten him to realize that we were fighting for the same thing...but in the end, that drive to rule seems to be the downfall of even the strongest man...if only-"

"CHROM!" Sumia had dashed into the room. Or tent. Looking around Amadeus determined it was a tent. She ran to his side. Chrom gave Amadeus a quick apologetic look, before indulging his wife's desires and allowing her to fuss over him and his injuries, and Lissa rolled her eyes and exited the tent. Amadeus turned back to look at the ceiling, letting Maribelle's staff do its work.

Almost everyone visited him throughout the day. Stahl had been first, visiting with Gaius. They bragged of their exploits in battle, of how many Valmese they'd slain. Stahl got an earful from Maribelle for putting himself into precarious, dangerous situations, and she dragged him off, presumably for more scolding, although Amadeus could tell through his protests that he didn't mind. Gaius gave him some of the candy he'd pilfered from the Valmese; apparently, they had some special candies that Gaius had never had before.

After Gaius, Flavia and Basilio. They looked exhausted, and Amadeus couldn't imagine how they had gotten through that long day. They congratulated Amadeus on his brilliant plan throughout the war, and especially for the last battle. Both tried aggressively to recruit him to be their strategist, but Amadeus reaffirmed his loyalty to Chrom.

But at the end of the day, the one visitor he'd been looking for still hadn't come. He'd refrained from asking anyone about her; he assumed that if anything had happened, they woud have told him..but now the little voice in his head reared its ugly head again.

Maybe they just don't want you to worry while you heal.

Shut up!

Maybe she didn't make it...we suffered minimum casualties. What if she was one of them?

No..the Shepherds all made it.

But why hasn't she come yet? Surely she'd be beside you when you woke up? Unless something happened to her?

No..it's not possible. She has to be okay.

"A-Amy?" His eyes shot open. It was her. He was so relieved to see her, so happy, that he didn't even notice Chrom and Sumia guffawing at her name for him.

"Cordelia." He tried to yell it out, to put as much emotion into her name as he could, to show her how relieved he was that she was okay, but in his weakened state, all he could manage was a gasp. She stepped into the tent, and moved towards his cot. He could see fresh tear tracks on her face, and her eyes were puffy and red. She got to his cot and sat down next to him, grabbing his hand, and promptly lost control, breaking down and sobbing into his chest.

"Oh, Amy...they told me...you were dying...they said your side...was bleeding out...and you weren't going to make it…" Their bodies heaved with the force of her sobs.

"Cordelia." He grinned cheekily at her. "I did promise you I'd come back, didn't I?" She looked up, appalled that he could still be joking with her in his conidtion.

"I...yes, you did. And you'd never break a promise to me, would you?" She asked as she nuzzled her head into his arms.

"Of course not. I can't even bear the thought of breaking your heart." She smiled into his chest at this response, and he held her tight. "Oh, right. I asked Maribelle what happened...obviously, it looks like we won, but why did she tell me that I'll see something? Has there been a new development?"

Cordelia looked up at him, shocked that he didn't know.

"Oh, true, I guess you and Chrom wouldn't know yet. Well, when you're feeling up to it...I'll take you to see." She smiled, a mischievous look on her face.

"Come on! Why can't you guys just tell me?" She lightly tapped him on the cheek.

"Because it'll be better if you see for yourself. Trust me." He relented, and lay back down onto the cot.

"Alright then...I'll take your word for it. For now...can we just rest like this?" She nodded, and buried her head deeper into his chest. He held her as tightly as his aching body would allow, and the two dozed off together, without worry of an impending battle, for the first time in their budding relationship.

Somewhere outside the tent, a girl with platinum colored pigtails who'd been eavesdropping on the conversation mimed a wretching motion.

But she couldn't help smiling to herself for just a second. She quickly wiped the smile off her face and checked around her to make sure nobody had seen her smile.

"Ugh, they're just as sappy as they were in the future. Gawds."


There! Obviously, we know who that group that appeared to save Chrom and Amadeus was...but if you haven't caught on, I won't spoil the surprise.

If you guys have questions about the fighting, I think I've mentioned this before; the Shepherds are kind of like a special strike force, and that's what I focus on, rather than the big battles between the main armies. Here, they fight together, but it's hard to be overly descriptive when hundreds of thousands of troops are fighting hundreds of thousands of troops; I thought it'd give more insight if I focused on the main characters and how they got through the fight.

We can see Walhart's pretty badass. He's such a boss, but he symbolizes that too much of a good thing can often go astray. According to the game, he actually wanted to unify the land to destroy Grima; I don't really mention that, but I did have Chrom hint at the fact that Walhart started with good intentions, before being eaten up by his desire for power. Amadeus muses a bit about this near the end of this chapter, and there's really not much more to say.

Cordelia and Amadeus are still awkward in their own cute little way, but they're getting better and better at the whole relationship thing. Now that the war is over, expect a lot more fluff about their little experiences together, either during the march or during their various stops in between.

Now, as usual, the responses!

Astrofur: thanks so much for the compliments! I'm really glad you've enjoyed reading this so much, and thanks for the concern too :) don't worry, I'll do my best to update in a timely manner and try to keep my sanity :) next chapter, like I just said, the focus will shift almost completely towards the social dynamic of the Shepherds. So keep reading for that! thanks so much again; if even one person can enjoy my story, I'll do my best to keep writing it.

Jozern: Wow, thanks for that review! Lots of good insights here. First, another reviewer also mentioned Lux Aureus' "Potentia Amoris". I've actually just finished reading that story, and it blew me away. Honestly, my story doesn't come anywhere near that level; this IS my first fanfiction, after all, so maybe after a few more stories and learning experiences I can begin to scratch that level of writing. Second, I agree with you that it's, as you said, absolute poison to skip/gloss over time periods, and yes, I was guilty of doing that a few times. I'll try my best not to, but sometimes I might feel it's not really too integral to the story. As for your idea of the chapters/stories that go into great detail into a character or characters' daily life, I agree that it's a great idea. I've actually considered doing that as a project after I'm done with this. As for details, I realize that I've actually left out a lot; that wasn't my intention, and I'm glad you've reminded me. Hopefully, there's a bit more detail in this chapter, and as the story goes on, I'll do my best to keep in mind your suggestions.

As usual, I'll sign off here by reminding you guys to enjoy this next installment of the story! And please remember to comment if you have complaints/suggestions/plot ideas/anything really. See you when I update the next chapter!