Say'ri's description of the tree didn't do it justice. Before them towered the Mila Tree; a beautiful place of worship that actually touched the clouds. Robin was surprised that he didn't notice it until they were quite close. They were standing at its roots, which also managed to tower above every Shepherd present, debating what to do. There was only one way up the tree, and up the tree is where they needed to go, but it just so happened to be surrounded by enemies. They didn't dare scout ahead in case of any archers lying in wait in the treetop, and to keep the element of surprise.

"So, Robin, what's the plan?"

"Hm?" He was snapped out of his reverie by the man with blue hair. "Oh, right. Well… I'm not sure. I have no idea what opposition we face up there, and no way to find out. Your 'master strategist' has no strategy."

"You have to have some kind of plan!" Lissa walked up to them, dragging the children with her. "You're the smartest person ever! It's one of the many reasons that I married you!" This warranted a groan from Owain and Morgan.

"Indeed, father! You are a legendary tactician; your feats are too numerous to count! I share the sentiments of my famed mother!"

"Just so long as you don't also mean the part about why you married him." Morgan stifled a giggle at the face Owain made.

"Our assembled group is made of heroes that have accomplished the impossible. They have an unwavering faith in their lead tactician, and they will achieve any goal he sets them. I know you can do it father; I believe in you!"

Robin was silent. Just as his family began to wonder if they had broken him, he broke out into a smile. "You know what, Owain? You're right. I can't doubt myself; if I do, everyone else will lose faith."

"That's one way to look at it. So, do you have a plan yet, Robin?"

"Not quite. I still need to see the battlefield, but I do have an idea. I only hope it works."

"That's all we need. Shepherds! Time to move out!"

They were nearing the top of the roots. Robin could just barely make out the commander, standing at the very base of the tree, sporting an incredible moustache and heavy red armour. He had several guards around him, as per the usual tactic. But something was off. The guards looked slightly terrified, and Robin was sure that they hadn't seen the Shepherds yet.

"Link, Lucina, Sully, Frederick, Nowi and Vaike, I want you up at the front. Be careful. Something seems off." The addressed few silently made their way to the front of the party, and stopped. "What's wrong? We aren't even all the way-" His own surprise cut him off. Just beyond the branch they were on, the enemy was out in force. They were on every root, vastly outnumbering them and guarding every inch of the tree; but that wasn't the surprise. They had faced odds like this before, but not what was amongst them. Between at least every two soldiers was a creature, almost at human height, but decidedly not human. They were purple-skinned, had white hair that was in a strange dreadlock-ponytail combination, gigantic heads that were honestly quite terrifying, and they had been outfitted with Valmese gear. It looked both terrifying and awkward. Before Robin even had time to come to terms with the bemusing sight before him, he heard the unsheathing of a sword and patter of footsteps. Snapping out of his trance, he saw Link charging towards the enemy.

"WAIT!" His call was too late. Link had already made his way to the closest Valmese soldier. He turned around just in time to be smacked by Link's shield. The swordsman ran over the unconscious enemy, and headed straight for the strange creatures. Robin could only stare in awe as the green warrior proceeded to slice one of the creatures clean in half. As it fell to the root below, it… exploded? It wasn't much of an explosion, only causing a small burn on the tree, but it still exploded. It was so baffling that Robin didn't even notice the Valmese knight attempting to run him through.

"Look out!"

"Huh?" He turned just in time to see Lissa deflecting the blow with her staff. He ducked to the side, narrowly avoiding falling off the tree, and fired a small jolt of lightning at the soldier. He heard a thud as they fell from the branch to the ground below. He got up and dusted himself off, only to see the angry face of his wife. "Um… thanks, dear."

"Next time, watch your own back!" She marched off in a huff towards the rest of the fighting.

"I'll have to sort that out later…" Robin sighed and charged up the roots.

The battle was fierce. The roots made for unstable footing, and these soldiers were not like the small forces that they had previously faced. These enemies seemed to come from Walhart's more elite forces; the man in charge, Cervantes, was his right-hand man. Also, Robin was distracted. He was still in awe of Link's ferocity regarding the creatures. He was slashing clean through most of them, even through their armour, and deflecting anything that was thrown his way. Link swept his way through, clearing out nearly all of the creatures but still avoiding hitting any humans with the blade of his sword. He did deal the occasional blow with his shield or pommel to them, but most of his focus was on the creatures.

By the time Robin and Chrom had reached Cervantes, most of the creatures were dispatched. Just as Chrom was about to deliver the final blow on the impressively moustachioed man, the entire tree shook with the force of an incredibly strong impact. In the stumbling and confusion, Cervantes managed to evade them.

"Gods, what was that? Could it have something to do with those creatures?" Chrom was staring up at the top of the divine tree, looking at the leaves that were now falling. Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now… Robin looked over to Lucina, who was clearly exhausted… and looking at Link. It wasn't the usual wary stare, it was one of admiration. She had seen his feat, and seemed to be growing more fond of him.

"Robin? Do you know something about these creatures?" Obviously, Robin had betrayed more than he wanted to. He looked into the accusing yet concerned eyes of his best friend, and gave in.

"I've been… suspicious of something like this happening." When Chrom stayed silent, Robin continued his explanation. "It started back when we met Link. I had a small conversation with him regarding who he was and why he came here. It… it occurred to me that he was here to stop a terrible evil, and it was all the more confirmed when Lucina showed up. I didn't want to tell you because of everything that you had on your shoulders, what with a second war and becoming exalt. I… I'm sorry for not telling you." There was a long pause. Chrom's expression remained stoic; a trick he had obviously learned from Frederick. After far too long, he sighed and put a hand on Robin's shoulder.

"You don't need to apologize."

"I'm pretty sure I do. I kept you in the dark from-"

"Just listen." Robin could hardly ignore a demand from the exalt and his brother-in-law. "You've been carrying a burden that did not have to be your own. It's true that I would have liked to have known this earlier, but it can't be helped. Your heart was in the right place, and I cannot fault you for that." He smiled at the tactician, who couldn't help but smile back. Their moment was interrupted by yet another shake of the tree.

"Lord Chrom; tactician!" Say'ri came running up to them. "I suggest we hurry to the top! These rumblings are not an occurrence I have experienced here!" The two nodded and began to make the long trek up the enormous tree.

Robin got an earful from Lissa as they made their way up. She was berating him about "keeping track of his surroundings like a good tactician should!" as Morgan and Owain watched, holding in silent laughter. Just as Link began to join in on the merriment, the tree shook again. Lissa nearly fell off, but Robin caught her just in time.

"I hope that makes us even." He hoisted her up with a smirk.

"I suppose…" She pouted. "I'm gonna need a better apology later, though."

"That I can take care of." Lissa giggled, and everyone else within earshot gagged.

"If you're done flirting with my sister, we've arrived at the top." In front of them was a massive temple, situated in the branches of the tree. It managed to comfortably have a courtyard, several outdoor pillars and the temple itself was large enough to house all of them. It had been partially overgrown by moss and the tree itself, making it look as if it were centuries old. There was evidence of a recent battle etched into the stone slabs that made up the platform. From the other side of the temple, they could hear something not unlike Nowi's roar, but more ferocious.

"This is normally a place of peace; Walhart's men may have disturbed the lady Tiki!" With that, Say'ri shot off in the direction of the temple.

"Somebody go with her!" Link heeded Robin's call and chased after the swordswoman. "Come on, people! We need to help them!" Robin began to run around the other side of the temple, attempting to flank whatever was making the tree shake to its roots. As he neared the other side, the sounds of an intense fight grew louder and louder; but they also began to be mixed with very odd sounds. The only way Robin could describe the noise was 'insect-like'. When he rounded the corner, fear made him stop in his tracks. Before him was an enormous spider. It was nearly as big as the temple itself; its gigantic hairy legs towering above the suddenly very small-feeling man. This beast seemed to be immensely powerful, as it was going up against a dragon; and winning. The green dragon was being severely beaten back by the spiked legs and… laser?! Yes, it appeared that the monstrous spider was also capable of shooting a beam of energy out of a spot on its back. Robin's eyes were forcefully torn away from the duel of monsters by a shout coming from the other side of the temple. Say'ri had dropped her sword, and was staring just as intently as Robin had been. Link appeared behind her, stood for a moment, then reached into his pouch. Robin couldn't see what the boy pulled out, but he did see the results. Link aimed his arm at one of the nearby pillars and shot a chain at it that pulled him up. He then fired another chain at the top of another pillar that was significantly closer to the massive spider. When he had clambered onto the top, the boy reached into the pouch yet again, this time pulling out the ball and chain. He slowly began to swing the massive weight, waiting for something. It seemed as if the dragon had seen him because it began to move closer to his pillar, making the massive spider follow. Breaths of fire and blasts of energy were exchanged as the duelling giants made their way over to the swirling ball of metal atop the stone pillar. Once the enormous spider was close enough to the pillar, Link jumped. Tossing the metal ball above his head, he dove towards the back of the massive spider. Seeing what he was doing, the dragon grabbed him and tossed the green-clad man higher into the air, much to everyone, including the spider's, surprise. When Link got to the top of his arch, he turned around and threw the metal ball towards the spider's back. With a mighty "Heeyyaahh!" the metal ball slammed down on the enormous beast, hitting its mark. It gave out a shrill noise that nearly deafened Robin, and began to crumple under the impact. Link landed next to where the ball struck and quickly climbed down the creature, pulling the ball and chain behind him. The spider's legs began to contort into extremely unnatural shapes, and its whole body began to turn black. When it finally stopped moving, it slowly dissolved into black rectangles that floated off into the sky.

Robin watched, open-mouthed, as Link merely sauntered over to him, as if nothing had happened. "Wha… how… I don't…" was all he managed to say. Link merely glanced back at the particles receding into the distance, and smiled at Robin. He walked past as Robin continued to just stare at the marvel that walked by.

"Excuse me…" Robin turned, his jaw practically touching the floor, and faced whomever just spoke. It was a woman with green hair, a pink outfit and a very tired look. "Who are you?"

"Oh, uh…" he managed to close his mouth and regain his composure. "I'm Robin, and that incredible boy was Link. We're part of the Shepherds, and we came here seeking help."

"And who told you *yawn* that help was here?"

"Her." Robin pointed across to the other side of the temple at Say'ri, who was walking over to them in quite the daze. "And who are you?"

"Oh, my apologies. I am Tiki."

"Do you happen to be a manakete?"

"Yes; I am the one who fought that nightmarish beast."

"I thought so." He smiled at her and walked off to find Chrom, who had hopefully witnessed what had just happened. Despite what he may or may not have brought, Link was definitely an asset.

A/N: So, who expected that? Not the evil minions; the defeat via ball and chain. I certainly hope I wrote it to the epic proportions that I have imagined it. And hey, Chrom now knows! If you have any questions, comments, concerns or suggestions, please review or PM; any criticism is good criticism. Until the next chapter!