Hey, sorry for the delay on this one. This chapter was supposed to be out last night, but...Fire Emblem Heroes. Yeah...more on that in the ending Author's Note. See you guys there. Enjoy!
"Hnnnnnngggghhh…aaaahhhhhhhhh…"
Robin let out a blissful sigh as he stretched. He was walking with Chrom, Lissa, and Reina through the halls of Ylisstol's castle. The sun had risen a few hours ago, and the three barged into Robin's room to wake up the sleep lover.
"Heh, that was quite the stretch," Chrom laughed.
"You can't complain if I do that. You're the one that woke me up too early," Robin quipped, as he rolled his neck. Multiple pops and cracks could be heard and Robin let out another content sigh.
"Ewww, Robin, that's gross," Lissa said.
"Come now, Lissa," Reina grinned. "It actually feels really refreshing."
Mimicking Robin, Reina rolled her neck as well. Lissa flinched upon hearing all the bones crack.
"Blech, no thanks. Pass!" Lissa huffed.
"Might want to clog your ears for the next one then," Robin told the princess, bringing his right thumb onto the first knuckle on his index finger.
"For the next - " *CRACK* "EW, ROBIN!"
"Wooaaah, how'd you crack your finger like that?" Reina stared at Robin's hand in amazement.
Robin chuckled, resting his left thumb this time on his index finger. "I started cracking my fingers like this due to Lissa, ironically." *CRACK* "She dropped a crate on my hand in my future, so I only had one free hand. So, wanting to crack my knuckles, I tried different things, and this was the most efficient," he explained as he moved his thumb onto his middle finger, cracking it.
"No way!" Reina exclaimed, a wide smile on her face. "That's exactly what happened to me in my world! Which is how I learned how to do this!"
Reina slowly curled her fingers into a fist, and multiple cracks and pops resonated through her knuckles.
"Whaaaaat! That's way cooler than how I crack my fingers!" Robin laughed. "You've got to teach me that!"
"Only if you teach me how to crack individual fingers like how you do," Reina replied.
"Deal!"
Chrom cleared his throat. "As much as I enjoy cracking joints as you two seem to," Chrom rolled his shoulder. *C-C-C-CRACK* Robin and Reina's jaw dropped. "- I suggest we stop before Lissa starts crying."
"I am not crying!" Lissa punched her brother's arm.
"Kidding, kidding," Chrom laughed.
"My my, aren't we all so energetic so early in the morning," a soothing voice said from behind Reina and Robin.
The two tacticians turned around to see a serene figure standing a couple steps away from them. She was dressed in a long white robe with a light yellow and green cloak draped over her shoulders. Her golden hair was the same color as Lissa's which lightly braided and stopped just above her chest. Behind her stood a woman with short silver hair with a hue of blue tied in a bun. She was dressed in blue clothing with a shining golden chestplate and pauldrons strapped on, and her eyes were a bright scarlet color.
"Your Grace!" "Exalt Emmeryn!"
The two respectfully greeted the Exalt, bowing.
"Morning, Emm!" Lissa beamed, hugging her sister. "Hi, Phila!" Lissa waved at the knight standing behind Emmeryn.
"Good morning, milady," Phila greeted Lissa, a small smile on her face.
"Hello there, Lissa, Chrom," Emmeryn greeted her siblings. Then she looked at the two faces that were unfamiliar to her.
"Emm, I'd like you to meet Robin and Reina," Chrom introduced them.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Emmeryn smiled.
"The pleasure is ours," Robin replied.
"Both of them were an immense help: Robin helped us fight against the brigands in south-town and got us out alive during the first night when the Risen attacked. Reina kept us all alive when we were overwhelmed by another group of Risen on our way to Regna Ferox," Chrom proudly said. "I've decided to make them both Shepherds."
"It seems that both Ylisstol and I owe you two a great debt," Emmeryn thanked the two before looking back at Chrom. "Is this the same Robin that you mentioned in the letter?"
"The very same," Chrom said.
Emmeryn smiled at Robin. "Then I should thank you again for your warning, Robin. Not a day after I sent Phila and her pegasus knights to strengthen our southwest border, a large group of bandits attacked. They would have burned down multiple villages had Phila been even an hour late."
"Not at all, milady," Robin bowed.
"Emm, there's another matter that I wish to speak to you about," Chrom said, his voice turning serious. "In private with Robin and Reina."
Emmeryn stared at her younger brother for a moment before nodding. "Very well, we may talk in my room."
…
"Thank you, Phila," Emmeryn said, dismissing her personal guard as they arrived at Emmeryn's door.
Phila seemed hesitant about leaving both the entire royal family alone with two strangers, but she bowed her head, acknowledging her orders.
"Chrom," Reina said, "if it's about what we talked about before or about both Robin's and my origin, then I suggest that everyone here be present. It'll save us a lot of trouble in the future."
Chrom mulled it over for a second. They were standing just outside the Exalt's room. "All right, if the rest of the Shepherds know, then it's only right that Phila is also informed."
The group entered Emmeryn's room. Robin realized that this was his first time in her room. A faint smell of lavender hung in the air. On the left side was a large door, most likely a walk-in closet, with a king sized bed on the adjacent wall, velvet drapes hanging around it. On the right wall was another door, a small fireplace along with a table, two very comfortable looking couches, and two leather chairs.
"Please, sit," Emmeryn gestured over to the seats.
Robin and Reina sat on one couch, Phila and Lissa sat on the other two, while Chrom sat on one of the leather chairs.
Emmeryn disappeared into the door near the fireplace before returning shortly with cups and a pot of tea.
"Milady, you shouldn't have needed to brew tea yourself!" Phila exclaimed, jumping to her feet.
"It's quite alright, Phila," Emmeryn smiled. "It's the least I could do for the ones that saved the lives of my siblings."
"You give us far too much credit, milady," Reina lightly said.
Emmeryn poured a cup of tea for each member of the room before pouring one for herself, sitting down on the last chair.
"This is really good," Robin said, taking a sip.
"Thank you," Emmeryn's eyes softened hearing Robin's words. "It's my own blend of jasmine and rosemary tea."
"It's delicious," Reina added, taking a large gulp.
"So, Emm," Chrom cleared his throat. "There's two things that I wish to speak to you about."
Emmeryn set down her cup, staring intently at Chrom.
I did not know Emmeryn could change the intensity of her gaze so quickly, Robin thought to himself. For such a peaceful person, the Exalt had quite the imposing presence. I guess intense stares runs in the family. His thoughts shifted from Emmeryn to Chrom to Lucina, and then back to the conversation.
"The first thing is about the origins of both Robin and Reina," Chrom looked over at the tacticians. "They come from the future and a different world."
Phila choked on her tea, coughing terribly.
"That's quite the claim," Emmeryn said. She was wearing a very good poker face.
"I know, but it's the truth," Chrom replied. "Perhaps it's best if I let Robin explain, since he's much more knowledgeable on this matter."
That and I explained time travel three times before, this being my fourth.
"Very well, Robin," Emmeryn looked over at the tactician.
Robin explained the concept of time travel and multiple worlds to Emmeryn and Phila, the events from their time, and how they came to this world. Reina helped out by adding in details that Robin missed, and talking of the slight differences between their worlds. They also explained the events that took place in Lucina/Marth's world, and why she came back. Neither of them mentioned Lucina's identity as Chrom's daughter, or even her gender.
For the longest time, Emmeryn and Phila didn't say anything.
"I…I'm not sure how I can respond to such a tale," Phila finally muttered.
"It sounds like utter nonsense, I know," Chrom said. "But they have my complete trust."
Emmeryn let out a sigh. "Then they shall have mine, as well," she decided.
"Milady..?"
"If Chrom trusts them, then I see no reason as to why I shouldn't," Emmeryn said, partially relieving Phila's worries.
"Thank you, Emm, but that brings me to my next point, which involves you," Chrom continued, his face grim. "On the night of the next full moon, tomorrow night, Emm, you're…" Chrom clenched his jaw. "You're assassinated."
Phila immediately jumped to her feet. "What?!"
"It's true," Reina calmly said. "It happened in Robin's world, Marth's world, and my world, all on the same night. Fortunately for us, that confirms that the assassination attempt will take place in four days, so we can prevent it."
"And we're to believe what these two strangers are saying?" Phila glared at Robin and Reina.
"Peace, Phila," Chrom said. "If these two were after our lives, they could have easily done in anytime they wanted. I know they don't look like much, but trust me when I say that no one, not even the entire royal guard combined with the Shepherds would be able to harm either of them.
"I saw Robin call down thunder on two occasions: the first leveled one of the old forts to the west, and the second destroyed a bridge and left a large crater in its wake, and he wasn't even using a tome.
As for Reina, she was able to go toe to toe against Robin easily, so she's without a doubt equally as strong."
"Yeah! And in Arena Ferox, Reina was fighting like a whirlwind!" Lissa chimed in.
Phila stared at the two tacticians warily.
Ignoring her stare, Robin looked at Chrom, a sly grin on his face. "Chrom, it's impossible for me to call down thunder. Thunder is the sound that's made by lightning, so there's no way for me to summon a sound."
"Dammit, Robin, you know what I meant!" Chrom said.
"Yes, I did. Which is why I'm correcting you."
Chrom groaned into his hands.
"He's right, you know," Reina said, supporting Robin.
"I hate you. I hate you both." Chrom's voice was muffled from behind his hands.
Emmeryn let out a small laugh. "I'm glad to see my brother has made such good friends." She slowly stood to her feet. "But I believe that's enough grim talk for now," she said. "We can continue this talk later."
"But Emm - " Lissa cried out.
"Lissa, I know you're worried for my safety as are Phila and Chrom, but right now, there's a council that I must be present for." Emmeryn said.
"Okay…" Lissa frowned.
The small meeting adjourned, the group dispersed into three groups. Emmeryn made her way to the council chamber accompanied by Phila, Lissa pulled Reina along to the market, and Chrom and Robin went to get food.
"I don't know how Emmeryn must feel," Robin said, leaving the castle gates.
"I think I do," Chrom replied. "Getting told that you're killed isn't a nice feeling."
"I'm not talking about that, Chrom, I'm talking about how she worked so hard strive for peace, only to find out that there was three wars following her death."
"Oh, that…"
"But enough on that for now," Robin said. "Want me to introduce you to a tavern that the future you introduced me to?"
"Gods, that's confusing," Chrom muttered. "Alright, let's go."
"You're gonna love the place," Robin grinned. "Trust me, I know cause you told me that you loved it."
"You were right, that place was amazing!"
"Told you so."
"And that's been there for how long?"
"Mm…you told me about it after the Plegian war, which is a couple years from now, so I'd say it was opened a few months ago."
"Good job, me."
"Ha, don't get too full of yourself, Chrom."
The two friends were walking towards the castle's training grounds after filling their foods with food. Lots of food. Robin was a little against fighting Chrom, but Chrom insisted on it to improve his skills.
Turning the corner to the training grounds, Robin suddenly tensed. His eyes narrowed, and his posture changed immediately from being relaxed to being on edge.
"Robin? What's wrong?" Chrom asked, raising an eyebrow.
Robin stayed still for a moment, eyes wildly darting around.
"It's nothing…" he finally said, relaxing a little. "I thought I felt – ABWAH?!"
A small object flew past Chrom's face and straight into Robin's, hitting the tactician right between his eyes, knocking him to the ground. The small object, which turned out to be a fig, rolled onto the ground.
"A…fig?" Chrom muttered, picking the fruit off of the ground. "Where - ?"
Another fig flew over Chrom's head, and Robin was unlucky enough have his face in way of the trajectory as he stood up from the previous hit. Robin fell to the ground again as the second fig smacked him in the same spot between the eyes.
"COWARD!" A voice yelled from down the training grounds.
Chrom looked up and saw a terrified Lon'qu sprinting past him with Reina on his heels, holding a bundle of figs in her arm.
"ARGH!" Lon'qu let out a scream of pain as Reina pelted him with fruits. "I won't stand here to be pelted with fruit by a madwoman! I'm leaving!"
"Coward!" Reina angrily yelled, throwing more figs. "Get back here!"
Chrom watched in amazement as the myrmidon and tactician disappeared around the corner.
"What in the world happened?" Chrom muttered.
"…urrgghh…"
"Oh, right, Robin!"
Chrom had completely forgotten about his friend who was an unfortunate victim of the flying fruits.
"Robin, are you alright?" Chrom asked.
Robin answered with a string of incomprehensible words and groans.
"I'll take that as a 'no', then," Chrom sighed. "Let's get you to the infirmary. I can't wait to tell the healers how you got knocked out by a flying fruit of all things."
Hurried footsteps sounded echoed off the walls of a dark hallway. Robin was running. Form what exactly, he didn't know, but his gut feeling told him he was in grave danger.
"Damn it!" Robin panted. His lungs felt as if they were on fire and his legs as if he was trying to move through tar. "Where the hell am I?" He glanced back to see what was pursuing him.
Multiple dark shadows with gleaming red eyes were after him. Wisps of smoke came off of their bodies that were made entirely of shadow and darkness.
Robin continued to run down the hallway while slowly gathering mana into his hand. Soon, he was holding a fierce ball of white hot flames. He tossed it behind him, and an intense explosion shook the halls as the shadows screeched in pain, but the ones he incinerated were immediately replaced by another.
"What the hell are these things?" Robin cursed, lobbing another fireball.
The floor beneath him vanished suddenly, and Robin felt himself in a freefall. After a moment's struggle, he managed to twist his body right-side up as he fell further and further into darkness. Finally, he saw ground quickly approaching.
"Tch!" Robin clicked his tongue in slight annoyance. Approaching the ground he shot out a burst of wind magic to slow his fall and lightly landed on the ground.
Steadying himself, he looked around. He was in the middle of a large room. Four walls surrounded him, stretching forever upwards into the darkness. There weren't any windows nor were there any doors, and multiple torches placed on the walls illuminated the room.
Around him, dark smoke started to seep through the floors, slowly taking shape. Robin now found himself in the center of a large circle of the same shadows that were chasing him earlier.
"So, it's gonna be like that," Robin muttered. Flicking his hands, Robin summoned devastating pillars of lightning around him, striking down multiple shadows before cladding his arms and legs with lightning.
The shadows eyed him as they each formed weapons of their own in their hands made of the same shadow. Some wielded axes, some spears, and the rest of them held swords.
"Your move," Robin said to the shadows, taunting them to strike first.
With a hiss, the dark shadows threw themselves on Robin.
Leaping into the air, Robin easily dodged the attacks as he threw down a spear of lightning which pierced through two of the shadows. Sending his heel down onto another, Robin kicked off the shadow as he landed in their midst.
For the next few minutes, Robin fought like a demon. With his lightning reinforced limbs, he tore through the shadows as if they were...well...shadows. Some shadows exploded into smoke while others simply dissipated. He palmed, kicked, and shot lightning. But some of the shadows knew how to fight.
A select few managed to dodge, parry, and even strike back at Robin. He grunted as he felt a sword tear at his waist and a spear pierce his thigh. But the injuries didn't seem to matter to Robin as he continued to fight without rest until there were only two shadows remaining.
These two carried themselves better than the others. They patiently stood with their swords leveled at Robin, who was covered from head to toe in wounds.
The shadows and Robin stared at each other, waiting for an opportunity to strike. A shadowed body lying between the three of them dissipated, and then the shadows moved together.
The first one was upon Robin in a fraction of a second, swinging its sword in an upwards angle. Robin barely had time to block the shadow sword before the second shadow jumped over the first, its body tilted in a forty-five degree angle. Its sword made a large arc, cleaving the ground as Robin jumped back. Robin raised his arm to cast a bolt of lightning but was interrupted as the first shadow swung at his side, forcing him to cancel his cast.
Neither of the shadows gave Robin a chance to retaliate. While one of the shadows was recovering from its swing, the second would attack, followed by the first again. They covered each other's opening well, pressuring Robin as he was slowly pushed back. There was only one way for Robin to create an opening, but it was very risky. But having no other option and his back almost against the wall, Robin decided to act.
As the first shadow prepared to attack, Robin stepped in to meet it. The shadow didn't even hesitate as it thrust its sword, aimed at Robin's heart.
Robin's blood spilled onto the floor as he used his own hand as a shield. Even with his lightning armored hands, the sword easily pierced through his palm, stopping only an inch away from his chest.
"You're finished!" Robin roared. With his free hand, Robin slammed his palm into the shadow's chest. A bright light flashed from his hand as a wide blast of lightning tore through the shadow.
The second shadow didn't waste a second as it brought its sword down on Robin's neck. But without its partner, this one was full of openings. Easily dodging the swing, Robin spun on his toes, and sent a roundhouse kick into the last shadow's chest. The shadow barely managed to block Robin's kick, but had its sword sent flying out of its grip.
"Checkmate!" Robin said triumphantly, and plunged his hand into the shadow's heart.
The shadow weakly lifted its arm, clasping onto Robin's wrist.
"W-why?" An all too familiar voice sounded from the shadow.
Horrified, Robin yanked his hand out from the shadow's chest. "It can't be…"
The darkness surrounding the shadow slowly vanished, and a blue haired noble was standing in front of Robin.
"No…no no no!" Robin yelled in disbelief. "Chrom?!"
"Why?" Chrom asked again. A gaping hole was in the area where his heart should be. A hole made by Robin. Chrom coughed, falling forward.
Robin ran up to catch his friend, but Chrom vanished into smoke the moment Robin came into contact with him. Cold sweat was running down his face, and he looked around the room. Every single shadow that he fought earlier was now replaced with members of the Shepherds, their bodies lifeless due to Robin's blows.
"Robin?" A voice softly called out from behind him.
Turning around, Robin found himself face to face with his best friend's daughter.
"Lucina…"
"Robin, the person who killed my father…" Lucina said, her voice shaking. "…it was you all along?"
Robin's blood froze.
"How could you?" Lucina demanded, tears streaming down her eyes. "How could you kill my father?! You played me for a fool!"
Each word was like a knife in Robin's heart.
"No, I didn't mean – I didn't want to!" Robin pleaded.
Lucina slowly stepped back, drawing her sword.
"Lucina, please, you must understand!" Robin took a step forward, reaching out with his arm.
The princess shook her head, pointing her sword at Robin.
"Lucina, please listen – NGH!"
A sharp pain shot through Robin's head.
"AAAARRGGHHHHH!" Robin clutched his head in agony as his vision went red. He looked back up at Lucina, reaching his arm out again.
Lucina's eyes suddenly widened with shock and pain.
"No…" Robin muttered. "Gods, please no!"
A burst of lightning had shot through Lucina, leaving a charred hole in her chest. Robin stared at his outstretched hand in horror as lightning flickered around it.
"M-murderer…"
"Robin!"
Robin's eyes shot open, immediately sitting upright.
"Robin, are you alright?"
He was breathing heavily and sweat was pouring down his face. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. Multiple beds were laid out across the room with a dozen men and women in a cleric's garb walking about.
"The infirmary?" Robin mumbled.
"Thank gods you're awake."
Robin looked to his right. Chrom was sitting right next to him on a stool, his brow furrowed.
"Chrom?"
Chrom frowned. "You haven't lost your memory again, have you?"
Robin took in a deep breath. "No, I haven't. Just…just an unpleasant dream."
"Seems like it." Chrom said. "You looked to be in a lot of pain while you were asleep and the healers couldn't do anything."
"How did I end up in here?" he asked, rubbing his temples. "The last thing I remember was walking to the training grounds with you before…before…"
"Before you got hit in the head with a fig," Chrom finished. "Hey, I'm not kidding," he added, seeing Robin's face. "Reina was chasing after Lon'qu for some reason throwing figs, and you happened to get hit by accident."
Robin sighed. "What was she thinking? She knows that Lon'qu is deathly afraid of women, and I don't think her throwing figs at him will help."
"You're guess is as good as mine," Chrom shrugged. "Come on, let's grab dinner with the Shepherds."
"Dinner?" Robin tilted his head. "Didn't we just eat?"
"Yeah, we ate. About nine hours ago," Chrom grinned.
"NINE HOURS?"
"Yup, you got knocked out by a fig for nine hours," Chrom laughed.
Robin groaned into his hands.
"Come on," Chrom clapped his hand onto Robin's shoulder. "We might miss out on all the good stuff if we're late."
"You're right. With Stahl and Sully there, most of the food will be gone within minutes," Robin said, getting out of the bed.
"Exactly, which is why should hurry up and get there before that happens." Chrom urged Robin forward and out the door.
"Alright, fine. Race you there?" Robin said slyly.
"You are so going to lose," Chrom replied, sprinting down the hall.
Robin chased after him. "Not if I do...THIS!" He shot a weak gust of wind at Chrom's feet, causing the prince to stumble and fall to the ground. Robin jumped over his friend's sprawled body and down the hall.
"You are a filthy cheater!" Chrom yelled, scrambling to his feet, chasing after the tactician. Finally, he arrived in front of the doors to the dining hall where Robin was waiting.
"You're late," Robin snarked.
"You don't get to say that, you cheat." Chrom punched Robin in the arm.
Laughing, Robin opened the doors to the dining area. Then his body went rigid as a plate flew across the room and hit Robin in the face, knocking him to the ground.
"STAHL, YOU LET GO OF THAT CHICKEN LEG IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!"
"Ah gwahb ih fur!"
"I don't care if you grabbed it first, you knew I was eyeing that leg for the longest time!"
Chrom watching Sully shake Stahl by the collar as Stahl was holding a chicken leg behind him, far away from the angry Sully.
At his feet, an unconscious Robin groaned.
"Emm, please, reconsider! He's called the Mad King of Plegia for a reason!"
"We've been over this already, Chrom. If Gangrel has called for meeting in peace, then I shall oblige."
Chrom let out a sigh. Early in the morning, they received a messenger from Plegia saying that Gangrel wished to hold a peace meeting. Despite Phila and Chrom's efforts, Emmeryn accepted Gangrel's offer for peace, and the Shepherds were currently en route to the west border of Ylisse.
"Chrom, it's alright," Robin said. "Even if Gangrel does decide to attack, we'll be armed and ready."
"I know, it's just…I don't like the idea of Emm willingly walk into danger." Chrom replied.
"Don't worry. No one but the Shepherds will be able to get near her," Robin said confidently.
"Alright," Chrom sighed. "Honestly, with you and Reina with us, I have doubt she'll be harmed."
Robin laughed. "I'm glad to know that you're confident in our skills."
"Who wouldn't be?" Chrom grinned. "The only thing that might bring you down is a fruit. And a plate."
"We don't talk about that," Robin muttered.
Chrom burst into laughter, shaking Robin by the shoulder.
The group passed Ylisse's border and was now in a grey area just between Plegia and Ylisse. The meeting was to be held roughly a half a mile into the grey zone, in an outpost. After about fifteen more minutes of walking, the outpost came into view. The outpost was just slightly larger than the Shepherds barracks. It was old and worn down, but still standing. The walls had a few cracks here and there but seemed sturdy enough. Two Plegian guards stood outside the entrance doors, one on each side. The guards curtly nodded at the group, opening the doors.
The interior didn't look any better than the exterior of the outpost. The air was dusty and pungent smell lingering in the air, and a few torches dimly lit the room, revealing a stairway down leading to another door.
"Ah, Exalt Emmeryn," a voice cooed from the darkness. A dark skinned woman stepped out into the torchlight. She had white hair that stopped at her chest, and wore a revealing black dress with a plume of black feathers on her collar. Her clothing parted down the middle of her shoulders revealing two large hills that were barely concealed. "My name is Aversa, a…retainer, one could say, for Lord Gangrel."
Aversa…Robin thought, I never did figure her out completely in my world.
Catching his gaze, the corners of Aversa's lips twitched up ever so slightly in a grin.
"Lord Gangrel awaits you in the room below," she said, looking back over at Emmeryn. "However, do bring only a few of your members with you. Else it won't feel like a peace meeting at all." She sneered, and walked down the stairs.
"Robin, Reina, you're with us. Everyone else, stand alert." Chrom ordered. "Frederick, I trust that you can lead them in an unforeseen incident?"
Frederick stood straight. "Of course, milord."
The Shepherds moved, spacing themselves out around their room, their hands hovering around their weapons. "Emm, let's get this over with."
Emmeryn nodded, and she, Chrom, Robin, and Reina descended the stairs. Opening the wooden door, they stepped inside as they let their eyes focus in the dim lighting. The room small, with a long table placed in the center of the room. Two chairs were placed on either end. Seated on the far chair was a man dressed in black with bright yellow patterns that clashed terribly with his disheveled red hair. White and yellow pieces of clothing fanned out from his neck, similar to a jester's outfit, and a plume of feathers could be seen around his neck. On his head was a simple crown made of gold, signifying his status as king.
"If it isn't the Exalt herself, in all her radiance!" Gangrel cackled as they entered the room. "I fear I must shield my eyes!"
"King Gangrel," Emmeryn gave a light bow. "I was told you wished to hold a peace meeting."
"Straight to business? Have we no time for courtesy?" Gangrel sneered. "But as you wish," he gave a mock bow.
Emmeryn and Gangrel sat took the seats while Robin, Reina, Chrom, and Aversa stood by their respective lords.
"Before we start, Your Graceliness, may I ask as to why you have brought three guards with you while I have only one? I am starting to feel quite threatened!" Gangrel jeered.
"I saw it fitting to bring my brother, Prince Chrom, with me." Emmeryn replied. "As for the two beside him, they…"
"…Are my trusted retainers," Chrom finished. He crossed his arms, as if daring the king to make a witty retort.
Gangrel glared at Chrom. "I see the prince has placed two people that he met not even a week ago as his "trusted" retainers. Has the state of Ylisse's vassals fallen so much that - "
"King Gangrel, with all due respect, I believe we were here to talk peace." Emmeryn cut in, her voice dangerously calm.
Emmeryn, you can be one scary woman, Robin thought to himself.
"Tch, very well." Gangrel clicked his tongue. "As you know, the relations between our nations aren't exactly, how should I put it, peaceful."
"Such peace is something that I've been striving towards for many years," Emmeryn said.
"And I have come to tell you that I am here to offer you the peace you sought after for so long!" Gangrel exclaimed. "But at a price."
Emmeryn hesitated. "Very well."
"Emm - " Chrom started.
"If it is for peace, then name your price." Emmeryn stated. "If it within my power, I shall oblige."
"Oh trust me, it is well within your authority." Gangrel smiled wickedly. "I do not ask for much. All I request is the Fire Emblem, and we shall have our peace!"
Chrom's hand immediately reached for Falchion's hilt before being stopped by Robin.
"Calm," Robin whispered, placing his hand on his shoulder.
Chrom slowly lowered his hand, glaring daggers at Gangrel.
"You would as for Ylisse's royal treasure?" Emmeryn asked, appalled. "But why?"
"Because I know the legend!" Gangrel spat. "The Fire Emblem is the key to having all one's wishes realized! I have desired it for years. YEARS!" Gangrel slammed his fist onto the table, before collecting himself. "Yet…my birthday comes and goes each year, and nothing from Ylisse."
"The Emblem's power is meant for a single reason, King Gangrel: to save the world and its people at their hour of most desperate need." Emmeryn replied. "Would you claim a more noble wish?"
Gangrel scowled. "I want what every Plegian wants – a grisly end for every. Last. Ylissean. What could be more noble than that?!"
Emmeryn opened her mouth to reply, but found that no words formed on her tongue, giving Gangrel the chance to continue.
"Surely you have not forgotten what the last Exalt did to my people?" Gangrel hissed. "Your father named us heathens! His "crusade" across Plegia butchered countless of my subjects and my kin!"
"…I have never denied Ylisse's past wrongdoings." Emmeryn stared back at Gangrel with fire in her eyes. "But I have sworn to never repeat those mistakes! Ours is now a realm of peace."
"Yours is a haven of hypocrisy!" Gangrel shrieked, rising to his feet. "Now give me the Fire Emblem! If not, I have no qualms prying it from your shiny dead hands!"
Gangrel raised his hand, and the three Plegian knights came bursting through the wall, bearing weapons.
"Bring me the Fire Emblem!" Gangrel ordered.
The knights raised their weapons and ran at Emmeryn before a bright flash lit the room. In unison, Chrom, Robin and Reina each took down a guard with either a swing of their sword or a bolt of lightning. Heavy thuds sounded as the lifeless bodies collapsed onto the floor.
"This negotiation is over, Gangrel," Chrom said coldly, pointing Falchion at the mad king.
"Bwa ha ha ha ha!" Gangrel cackled, grinning ear to ear. "Killing my guards when they had no intention of attacking and raising your sword at a king? Now that's a declaration of war if I've ever heard one."
"Chrom, we have to go! Now!" Reina said.
Up above, the sound of fighting could be heard, with Frederick's voice being heard over the discord.
Chrom grabbed Emmeryn's hand and followed Reina out of the room. Robin took one last glance over at Gangrel and Aversa before running after his friend.
"This war will be a big, messy one that will bleed you Ylisseans dry," Gangrel cackled to himself.
The entrance to the outpost was in chaos. Large portions of the wall were torn down with a small army of Plegians pouring in. In the center of the room stood Virion, Miriel, Lissa, and Maribelle, each firing arrows, shooting magic, and healing respectively. In a tight circle around them stood Frederick, Sully, Sumia, and Kellam, using their spears to take down their attackers from a distance as Vaike, Lon'qu, and Stahl would cut down anyone who got too close.
Appearing in the middle of the circle, Chrom, Reina, and Robin joined the fight as Emmeryn pulled out a staff of her own.
"Milord, we must leave now!" Frederick yelled.
Chrom grit his teeth, cutting down a Plegian soldier. "Robin, Reina, I hope one of you has a plan!"
"As a matter of fact, I do," Robin said. "Reina, barrier!"
Reina nodded, and the both of them stretched out their arms.
"Obex!"
A transparent silver bubble surrounded the Shepherds, pushing their attacks back. The Plegians' weapons bounced off harmlessly off the barrier. Some tried to push themselves through the barrier only to have it act as a solid wall.
The Shepherds lowered their weapons, gasping for air.
"Many thanks, you two," Stahl wheezed.
Sumia, Vaike, and Kellam all suffered from wounds that were quickly patched up as the others caught their breath.
"Captain, your orders?" Sully asked Chrom.
"We fight our way out of this room, and back to Ylisse." Chrom simply said. "As for the details, that falls upon our two tacticians."
All eyes fell on Robin and Reina.
"Thanks, that's not a ton of pressure at all, Chrom," Robin sarcastically said, rolling his eyes.
Chrom shrugged, grinning. "The floor's yours."
"Unfortunately, this barrier isn't mobile," Reina started. "So, the moment Robin and I dispel it, we're going to have to start fighting again." She knelt down, and traced an isosceles triangle on the ground with her finger. Her finger traced a glowing line of magic. "Chrom and I will take point," she said, pointing at the apex, "Frederick and Sumia, you take the left side while Sully and Vaike take the right. Robin, you cover the rear.
"Healers in the center. Virion and Miriel, take down as many as you can from the middle. Stahl, Lon'qu, Kellam, you three are on reserve. The moment anyone gets hurt, swap places with someone that's on reserve so that they can get healed.
"We continue in this formation while advancing until we break the enemy lines or reach Ylisse, whichever comes first."
The Shepherds moved into their respective positions.
"Does everyone know what they're doing?" Chrom called out.
"You mean the plan or in general?" Robin asked.
"The plan...Robin..."
"Oh thank gods." Robin let out a sigh of relief.
"On my mark," Reina called out, grinning at the quick exchange between Chrom and Robin. "MARK!"
Robin and Reina released their hold on the barrier, causing it to forcefully explode, sending the nearest Plegians back. As one, the Shepherds pushed forward. The Plegian army threw themselves at the Shepherds, attempting to break their lines.
Hey, just saying, you don't have a sword. Again.
Long time no talk. That's the first thing you say to me?
Did you expect some sort of teary reunion?
Heh, point taken.
Robin stretched out his hands, and swung them together in a large clapping motion. A large funnel of fire spun outwards in front of him, taking down a couple dozen Plegians.
Show-off. By the way, you have wyvern riders incoming on your nine-o-clock.
Thanks for the heads up.
No problem. I'm keeping the name, 'Alternis', by the way. Hopefully that won't cause us to get flagged by Square…
What in blazes are you talking about?
Uh…the wyverns?
Right…
"Virion, Miriel!" Robin called out. "Wyvern riders on our…"
That'd be our left, their right. Or just south.
"…to the south!"
Virion and Miriel scanned the skies, spotting the wyverns. Blades of razor wind shot from Miriel's hand as she clutched an Elwind tome in her hands as Virion fired two arrows at a time. Trusting the two to deal with the wyverns, Robin looked back in front of him to see a sword being swung down on him. His hand shot out, deftly grabbing the flat sides of the blade.
"I'll be taking that!" Robin said, kicking the owner of the blade. Tossing the sword in the air, Robin caught the sword again by its hilt. "Time to try one of Reina's moves," he said to himself, channeling mana into the sword. The steel blade hummed as bits of lightning danced around the now-yellow blade. "Now that's very interesting," Robin mused.
Testing his "new" sword, Robin stabbed the blade through the chest of a Plegian knight clad in armor. The lightning blade easily cut through the knight's armor as if it was paper.
"Niiiiceeee." Robin applauded himself. Then the magic fluctuated, causing the blade the shatter. "Not nice," he frowned as the knight fell to the ground with multiple shards of metal in his chest.
Parrying another swing, Robin shot out a beam of lightning.
"I think I'll just stick with magic until I get better control of weapon reinforcement," he said to himself.
At the front of the group, Reina and Chrom were forcing their ways through the enemy lines.
"Chrom, get back!" Reina yelled. "Swap with Lon'qu and get healed!"
Chrom didn't like the idea of getting put out of the fight, but he listened to Reina, holding his side. The moment he left his spot open, Lon'qu jumped in, cleaving the head off of a Plegian warrior with a single stroke of his blade.
Judging from the pace that they were moving, Reina figured they were nearing the Ylissean walls. But they wouldn't have enough time and energy to get there without casualties. The Shepherds were worn down from the sheer number of enemies and the amount of wounds they received, and Emmeryn, Lissa, and Maribelle could only heal so many times before they ran out of mana. Virion's quiver was nearly empty, and Miriel was down to her last tome.
"We're going to need reinforcements, and fast," Lon'qu said to Reina. Despite their close proximity to each other, Lon'qu seemed to be fine.
"Can you see the wall from here?" Reina asked, batting aside a spear with her sword before piercing the attacker's chest.
Lon'qu paused for a fraction of a second looking past the waves of enemies, nearly losing his head on the process. "Tch, they're like maggots," he said through gritted teeth. "The walls are visible, but just barely."
"That's good enough," Reina replied. Cutting down another Plegian, she raised her free arm into the air. A bright blue light shot out from her open hand and into the skies before exploding. The light formed to create a large Brand of the Exalt in the air.
"Reina, is that - ?" Chrom asked.
"A flare, signaling the Ylissean border guard," Reina explained. "Hopefully they see it and send reinforcements quickly."
"Good thinking," Chrom said.
In the distance, a war horn sounded.
"Looks like they received the message," Reina said. "Now all we have to do is hold out until they arrive."
"Easier said than done," Chrom muttered, swapping with Lon'qu who was clutching his shoulder. "I don't suppose you and Robin – HAA! – could create another barrier like in the outpost?"
Reina shook her head. "We could, but then what'll stop the Plegians from focusing on our reinforcements? There aren't that many in number stationed at the border."
"Then it's just – why is the ground shaking?" Chrom asked out of the blue.
Reina paused for a brief second, and the fighting around them slowly came to a stop as everyone looked around in confusion. The ground was indeed shaking. A low rumble could be heard and the pebbles on the ground were bouncing off the ground.
"What in the world is going on?" Reina murmured. She looked back at Robin. He was the only one here that was capable of casting magic on a grand scale to shake the very earth, but her alternate-self seemed just as confused as she was.
"Reina, I thought you said the number of border guards wasn't much?" Chrom tapped Reina on the shoulder.
"Yeah, there's only a couple hundred at max," Reina answered, looking back. Chrom was looking off into the distance. "Why do you – oh…" her voice trailed off as she followed Chrom's gaze.
"Yeah. 'Oh'"
A large wall of knights bearing Ylissean colors was approaching with incredible speed, numbering in the thousands. Those on horseback held banners high, each one emblazoned with the Mark of Naga. In the skies above, dozens of pegasus knights were swooping in, the leader having familiar silver-blue colored hair.
"For Exalt Emmeryn and Ylisse!"
Phila's battle cry pierced through the air, which was repeated by the rest of the army.
"Phila, you fantastic woman," Chrom grinned wildly.
The Plegian soldiers looked at the incoming army, then at the Shepherds, and then back at the army. At once, they all turned around and ran away as the Shepherds cheered.
"Phila, I cannot thank you enough for the timely rescue."
After the Plegian army turned tail and ran, the Ylissean army retreated. The Shepherds were given spare horses to ride back to the capital while Phila personally gave Emmeryn a lift on her pegasus. Out of the entire group, only Vaike and Sully had been sent to the infirmary. Vaike nearly had his guts spill out from a sword wound while Sully was hit over the head with an enemy warhammer. Neither of them were in imminent danger, but heavy treatment was still needed for them to make a full recovery. The rest of the Shepherds only had minor wounds that could be treated quickly.
"The credit does not go to me, milord," Phila replied. "Were it not for the signal flare sent out by a member of your group, we would not have seen the army from over the hill."
"Either way, it was you that came to the rescue so quickly," Chrom smiled. "How did you gather such a large number of knights anyway? There weren't that many stationed at the border guard."
"It was not my idea, milord," Phila admitted. "One of my newer recruits, Cordelia, suggested that Gangrel might use such an underhanded attack. Despite being new in the ranks, she shows an immense amount of talent and potential."
"She must be very promising if you're giving such praise," Chrom mentioned. "You usually never give anyone praise."
"Do I not?" Phila brow furrowed. "Sorry, I derailed myself there.
"Cordelia requested that she ask the nearby border guard captains for reinforcements just in case. Taking her idea, I sent my her along with a few other Pegasus Knights ahead of time to gather out forces near the border. All we had to do then was to wait for your return or a signal of some sort that you were in peril."
"That was some fantastic thinking," Chrom said. "You have my thanks once again."
"Please, milord, there is no need for you to thank me," Phila bowed her head. "I am merely doing my job."
"Very well, Phila," Chrom laughed, turning around to leave. "I'll see you around."
"Oh, one question, if I may?" Phila asked.
Chrom slightly tilted his head. "What is it?"
"How was it that you managed to send up such a signal in the air?"
"You're going to have to ask Reina for that one," Chrom replied. "We were in the middle of fighting when Reina just shot that flare into the skies."
Phila nodded at his answer, bowing once again. "Thank you, milord."
"Oh, and one more thing," Chrom added. "Tonight is said to be the night of my sister's assassination. I know you're already doing a superb job, better than anyone could have hoped for, but please stay alert, more so than usual."
"Of course!" Phila stood at attention.
"Thank you, Phila," Chrom said, turning around to leave once more.
Walking down the halls of Ylisstol Castle, Chrom turned a corner a little too quickly, bumping into someone.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," Chrom apologized, rubbing his head.
"N-not at all, the fault is mine – EEK!"
" 'Eek?' " Chrom looked at the person he bumped into. He took a sharp intake of breath as he gazed upon a woman with long red hair, matching eyes, and still in her armor. She was wearing a white breastplate along with her greaves, pauldron, and gauntlets. A red and white shirt could be seen from underneath her armor.
"P-P-Prince Chrom!" she exclaimed. Her face turned a bright red.
"Hm? Yeah, I'm Chrom," Chrom stupidly replied. He noticed a small circlet with two small wings on her head, a symbol of a member of Phila's Pegasus Knights. He cleared his throat. "I take it that you're Cordelia? I've seen Phila's knights many times, but this is my first time seeing you."
"Y-yes, my name is Cordelia, the n-newest recruit in the Pegasus Knights!" Cordelia stammered, looking down.
"I was just with Phila a moment ago," Chrom said. "She spoke very highly of you."
"R-really?" Cordelia looked at Chrom with shining eyes.
"Mhmm," Chrom nodded, smiling. "She also said that it was your idea to gather the nearby border guards just in case as a safety measure."
"My deepest apologies!" Cordelia suddenly lowered her head. "It was a foolish mistake of me to mention that to Captain Phila - "
Chrom laughed, causing the flustered knight to pause. "Please, don't apologize," Chrom grinned. "Your decision wasn't foolish at all. It actually saved my life along with the lives of the rest of the Shepherds." Chrom extended his hand in a handshake gesture.
Cordelia looked down at Chrom's hand, and hesitatingly grabbed it.
"Thank you, Cordelia," Chrom said. "Uh…Cordelia? Are you alright?" he asked.
Cordelia's face was a deep red, and maybe he was imagining it, but was steam rising from her head. Then she fainted, falling backwards.
"Cordelia!" Chrom quickly caught her before she hit the ground. "Cordelia, what's wrong?"
Chrom sighed, leaving the infirmary. This was the third time that he carried in an unconscious person in the past two days, and two of those were both from the same person. The healers questioned Chrom as to what he was doing that would cause people to fall unconscious when they're around him, and Chrom had nothing to say. Perhaps he could have mentioned how effective figs were at knocking people unconscious.
"Well well, aren't you Prince Charming," an all too familiar voice snarked.
"Speak of the devil, Robin," Chrom groaned. "How much of that did you see?"
"Enough," Robin answered, chuckling evilly.
Chrom pinched the bridge of his nose. "Did I ever mention - "
"- that you don't like me? Yes, yes you did." Robin finished. "Now come on. We have an assassination to prevent."
"Right, I forgot about that just now."
"What would you ever do without me," Robin grinned.
"Just…urgh…" Chrom groaned into his hands.
Robin laughed and the two made walked off into the halls of Ylisstol.
Hope you guys enjoyed this update! As I said in the first A.N, I was not planning on uploading this chapter this late. Sorry! It was supposed to come out last night/early today. I finished writing it out and so all I had left to do was read it over, make the line-break edits, fix some errors, and upload. But then Fire Emblem Heroes was released, and I've been playing that for a while.
So, this chapter was a pain in the ass to write out since there wasn't a Maribelle to get captured this time around since the SouthWest border was reinforced, unlike in the game. Due to that, I had to figure out a way to spark the Ylisse-Plegian war in a different manner, which was a little more difficult to do, which was an oversight on my part. If this chapter seemed a little forced, you now know the reason why. I'll be going back to it as revising it a bunch to make it flow smoother as time goes on, but as of now, this is the best I can do.
Also, a glimpse of Lon'qu and Female!MU's C-Support, and my personal edition of Chrom-Cordelia C-Support. The idea of Cordelia fainting is from the Summer Scramble DLC of Awakening.
Oh, another note. The name for the Robin and Reina's barrier spell, "Obex", is merely "Barrier" and Latin, if any of you were wondering.
Now that the usual A.N. is over, here's some replies to comments/reviews from the previous chapter.
[|Comments/Answers|]
- Rankin de Merthyr: Hahaha, I'm betting on *SPOILER* taking the first death. :D
- Matt Cyr, Zero Kami no Mu: All will be explained in good time. Feel free to keep speculating though. It's quite interesting to read what you think of.
- AnonymousGeek: Yeah, in one of Gerome's supports (I forget which), it was mentioned that Gerome was a happy child in the past. Then his parents died which is what caused him to cut himself off from everyone and be Batman.
And done! Thanks for reading again, and I'll see you lovelies in the next!
Some talk on FE:Heroes.
If any of you wish to add me, my player ID is 2791026307, name Jaice. As of now, 2017/2/3, I have two 5-Star Units, Lyn (She's so beautiful! I was insanely happy when I got her) and Lucina. I've already cleared the story on Normal, and am now working on Hard and Lunatic. Will I be spending money on the game? Doubt it since I got Lyn, and she was the main unit I wanted. I'm not really overly zealous on getting all the units, so I doubt I'll be buying Orbs, though I could use an higher star ranged unit since all I have is a two-star Virion which you get at the start of game.
~ Quick Review~
It's a fun game. It's free to play, but you can spend real money for a special currency called Orbs. These Orbs are used for multiple things, mainly for summoning more units/heroes, resurrect all your units should they all die in a level, or recover your stamina (stamina is what's used to play stages. It recovers 1 point every few minutes, with 50 max). You can get Orbs by either buying them with real-life money, clearing a stage for the first time, or if Nintendo gifts them to you. Basically like any other mobile game like Brave Frontier, Puzzle and Dragons, and Unison League.
It's Fire Emblem at heart, but on a smaller scale. Literally. You play on a 8x6 tile grid, and you can bring in a total of 4 units per map. The enemy will also bring in 4 units, sometimes 3 in the early stages and 5 in the later stages. There's 9 story chapters as of now, with each chapter having multiple sub-chapters. Once you clear that, there's Hard mode and Lunatic mode to do. Not sure about Lunatic+, since I haven't cleared Lunatic yet. If you guys haven't so already, give it a shot.
And that's it for now! Cya!