Oh, y'all I feel so bad! I just totally skipped a rather important chapter and somehow didn't post it. This is the real chapter 9, which means chapter 9 is chapter 10 etc. Please, just forgive me, because I feel terrible and I hope to doesn't detract from the story or anything. So, right after Cloud's clan is attacked I believe...and now I'm second guessing myself.


Birds circled above the towers that stretched into the clouds. The gleaming white stones shone blindingly in the radiant sun and the black shadow of the windows that dotted the marble in a spiral shape all the way down led to the smooth tops of the surrounding walls. The peaceful sound of rustling leaves blowing in the breeze and the low rushing of river water as the small dams were opened by the farmers to irrigate their land disappeared as a shattering screech broke the stillness.

Marth's head, bent studiously over a letter he was writing for his uncle, shot up and his eyes widened in horror. The scream was all too familiar. His sister had only screamed like that once before; when she'd heard of the death of their father. With an exclamation of alarm Marth leapt up, knocking his wooden chair backwards onto the floor.

He dashed for the door, flung it open, and took off running down the halls. He grabbed the corner of a wall to keep himself from smashing into the stones and give him a push down the next corridor. As the oaken doors that led to the throne room appeared, he skidded to a stop, staggering backwards as if he had been struck.

Lucina was being held by a giant guard, her waist bent over his shoulder. Marth could see by the obvious limpness of her posture and the lack of a struggle that his sister was unconscious, whether by fainting or force, he didn't know. He guessed the latter.

Robin was standing just behind the guard, face red. Red meant angry and anger meant danger. Marth was fearless.

"What did you do my sister, you monster?" he roared, drawing his golden-handled sword from its sheath.

"Keep out of this!" Robin retorted. "And watch yourself or you'll be next! Fitt!" A pale guard with gray eyes stepped forward. "Constrain the prince! He's hotheaded and dangerous with a sword!"

Robin stepped up beside the guard holding Lucina and took one of her ankles in his hand, frowning at Marth as Fitt approached him. And Marth let himself be disarmed and grabbed. Arms constrained behind him he felt panic rise in his throat.

"Where are you taking her?" he gasped, as the guard moved down one hall. Fitt's hands tightened around him as he began to struggle.

Robin laughed bitterly. "If she won't have me, she will have no one. A comfy prison cell in Tyrrian will do her nicely."

"No!" Marth screamed, straining against Fitt's constraining arms until he was red in the face. Lucina's guard disappeared with the girl in tow and Marth broke. Tears streamed from his eyes. "No! Robin, no! Please, don't do that to her! Don't! Don't! I beg you! Do it to me! Do it to me! Not her—"

Something struck him on the side of the head and streaks of lightening flashed in front of his vision as spots appeared and slowly grew until everything was black.

Yet again the day was submerged in peacefulness as the birds chirped and the people chatted in the marketplace. And yet again the peacefulness was a hoax that hid very violent intentions. The Storm clan would not take the attack against them lightly.


"Forward!" Cloud's voice could be heard through the thick walls and it echoed and reechoed against the stone inside the palace. The fields that burned behind his army sent black smoke up to the sky, an ominous warning to those now trapped inside Robin's palace.

Marth awoke to the screams and shouts of hundreds. He rolled over on his bed and stood on his feet, stumbling. His hand shot out and grabbed the bedpost as he turned to gaze out the window. Thick smoke was billowing through the sky, plumes of blackness blowing away in the wind.

The prince's eyes widened. The shouts and screams and the fire meant one thing; attack. He leapt towards the door and jerked on the handle. It did not move. Locked in. He searched for his sword and found it was gone. Confiscated.

"No! Robin! Let me out!"

Gritting his teeth he slammed his shoulder against the door and winced as pain coursed down his back. He stepped back, hefted up a wooden chair, and slammed it against the handle. It needed no second strike and the door swung open. Hurling the chair onto the ground he dashed out to find Ryu stomping down the hall, a two sided battle axe in one of his large hands.

"Who attacks?" Marth asked.

Ryu glared and wiped sweat from his eyes. "The clan."

"I supposed you had killed them all! Weren't you supposed to?"

Ryu's hand shot out and slammed him back against the wall. "They are stronger than they appear! Find a sword and make yourself useful!"

"Where's Lucina?"

"She's not here anymore!"

At the moment Marth wasn't sure whether to be grateful or not, and he had no time to think of that. Snatching a sword from the hand of a wounded guard, he raced for the throne room to find Robin.


Cloud swung his sword ferociously, knocking away two men, and raised his blade high above his head. "Now you have tasted death and you see 'tis a pity to have it brought upon your heads!" He faced his men whom he had led into the battle. Behind them lay the scorched walls and burning roofs of the buildings inside them. And also behind sat the palace, as yet untouched by their fiery torches and fierce blades. And it would remain so. Those who hadn't died had fled there and Cloud didn't feel the need to add to the bloodshed that day. If this taught Robin and his army a lesson, he was satisfied.

Slowly he brought his blade down until it touched the earth and the blood that stained the metal dripped onto the dirt. "Take food we need and we go now."

"We've defeated them soundly," Shulk persisted, riding his horse beside Cloud's as they headed back to camp. "Why don't we continue and take the palace?"

"It won't burn like the houses, Shulk," Cloud answered quietly.

"But we could have stormed in and killed that rascal, Robin!"

"I don't mean to kill him. I have proved to him that I will not let him attack me. And his army has been seen as much weaker than our own men. They have no sense of national pride and by the looks of his kingdom, Robin cares little for the decay his country is falling into." He snorted. "I don't feel the need to waste additional blood. If he returns an attack we will fight again and then we will desecrate his palace and slaughter him. If he does not…"

"Happiness and peace," responded Shulk. He gave a small smile. "Let us pray for that, no?"

"Certainly," Cloud responded. But the uneasy feeling that this Robin would respond viciously to an attack so close to his actual person grew in Cloud's mind until it distracted him from everything else.


Robin deserves being attacked. And maybe Ryu too. No one else really did. Anyway, I thought it'd be interesting in this story to show POVs sorta, in the way that it seems like Cloud is being barbaric, but you know his real reasons and sorta empathize with him.

Thank you to all who read and please review!