As the Shepherds make their way to the drop-off point, Breakneck Pass, tensions begin to mount from within. In an attempt to ease their stress, Robin has been offering his counsel with varied results. The tactician is now caught in an awkward situation while at the same time comes to term with the feeling he has bottled inside.

Chapter 11: Grit Days

Long trails of shadows cast over the pebbles on the road as men and beast silently marched through the mountainous terrain of Breakneck Pass. At Robin's request, the Shepherds were on high alert of possible ambushes as they approached the Feroxi border. He explained in their morning debrief of the elevated area serving as a natural cover for the attackers which would leave them exposed putting them at a serious disadvantage. Using the opportunity to leave the camp, Sumia volunteered to scout ahead with the Pegasus Knight Squadron. Once the blushing Pegasus knight faded into a dark speck in the clear sky, Chrom looked to Robin.

"Are you sure there's nothing between you two?" the young lord asked, his blue eyes stared pleading into his friend.

"For the hundredth time, there's nothing between us…" Robin groaned, pinching the furrowed bridge of his nose.

The tactician yawned, having spent rest the entire night contemplating the consequences of following his desire. With a glance from the corner of his eyes, Robin's breath caught in his throat. There was Lissa, staring out into the sea by herself. Lately, the usual sprightly aura surrounding the princess was dampened whenever he was around.

'You could just leave for a moment to speak with her…just saying,' the tactician's inner voice echoed.

Before he could even consider the idea, Robin's other voice spoke. 'You fool. Did you forget what happened the last time you were two were alone?'

Robin pulled the hems of his robe closer to his body, shuddering at the slimy memory. Every excuse the black-hair man tried to used, his brain immediately pointed out the cons. Perhaps one of the setbacks for having an analytical mind was the inability to lie to one's self.

'Perhaps after Emmeryn is safe, I-maybe…try to found the time…' Robin's shoulders heaved in defeat before diverting his attention back to the road ahead.

'…Coward.'

Sensing the tactician's gaze focus elsewhere, Lissa heaved a quiet sigh. Since their hasty departure from the capital, Robin had taken it upon himself to ensure the Shepherd's mission succeed flawlessly. Having assumed a new responsibility to his ruthless schedule, Robin was left with almost no personal time. Though she was glad her friend had taken their promise to care for his body seriously, Lissa couldn't help but feel disappointed. Normally while on the road with the Shepherds, the young princess found ways to chat with Robin. But in their current expedition, Lissa had yet to find an opportunity. It felt as if the black-hair man formed a wall and deliberately avoid her. In fact, the two had barely exchanged a word since the skirmish at the palace. And the worst part of all…Robin's apparent intimacy with another woman.

Every Shepherd saved for her brother and Robin knew the clumsy pegasus knight had a serious crush for the 'Captain.' But even Lissa knew one fact would always remain true: love can change a girl. During and after the Shepherd's countryside patrol, Lissa noticed the female Shepherds behaving differently when around the tactician. Even Sully would let her guards down, occasionally chatting and laughing up a storm with Robin.

The blonde cleric admitted her friend was special in a lovable way. He was own person, able to freely pursue any woman of his liking. But yet, every time she watched Robin interact with a member of the opposition sex, where he's oblivious to their feelings, the young princess could feel an uncomfortable swelling in her chest. It was…irritating.

"How could you still defend such a barbaric womanizing craven?!" Maribelle's disbelief voice rang in her tent as the blonde noble poured her friend a cup of elderberry tea.

"Maybe it was an accident." Lissa mumbled, her tired eyes watched the steam rising from her rose décor tea cup on a matching saucer resting on her lap. "I mean, you know how Sumia is…."

"My dear, it doesn't change the fact he dares see another woman behind your back." Maribelle pouted before sipping from her own cup.

Lissa's face immediately turns red as she began to choke, understanding the meaning between her friend's words. Doing her best to settle her tea cup on the table, the princess looked to Maribelle. "Wha-?! N-no he's not-"

"Lissa…" Maribelle offered her friend a handkerchief, grinding her teeth in an unladylike manner. "The men of this camp have never caught your attention. Even your old crush on Frederick did not last a substantial period of time."

The blond princess shuffled uncomfortable in her seat as she remembered her childhood days. Indeed, she had once fancied the great knight that is until she discovered his extreme serious behavior and fanatic-like devotion to her family.

A deep sigh escaped the blonde troubadour's lips before she continued. "Yet, as of late, our lovely tea session discussions have been about…'him."

"He does have some likeable traits…" Lissa's eyes lost their focus, replaying Robin's voice and memories of his awkward thrashing when she pranked him. Then, she remembered taking the slim warm hand into her grasp while guiding him around Ylisse. Lissa couldn't help but feel her cheeks tug to smile.

"You're making that face again." Maribelle huffed, pouring herself a new round of hot tea.

"Huh? What face?" Lissa innocently asked, tilting her head slightly to the side in curiosity.

"Adorable as you may be," Maribelle giggled before her face contorted into a frown, "that dreamy gaze seems only reserved when you think of him. Honestly, I'm a bit envious."

"Ehh, I never noticed." the blonde princess chuckled before sipping her warm tea.

When the chorus of crickets began chirping in the moonlight evening, the two ended their tea session to turn in for the night. Lissa's hand barely peeled away her friend's tent flap when she heard an incoming wave of chatter and footsteps returning from the direction of the mess tent. The temperature in her body drop, her stomach churned as one particular irritated voice spoke above the rest: Robin.

Before the Shepherd's secret mission was set in motion, a friend of House Ylisse called the Hierarch had tagged along with the group. Chrom explained to Robin that the man had helped Emmeryn during her early years as Exalt. From what he could tell, the tactician's expected the Hierarch to be an uptight noble with a similar attitude to Maribelle only much worse when dealing with low-born.

Upon meeting the Hierarch, Robin's impression was dead wrong. He was greeted by a bald middle age man sweating and trembling profusely. As the tactician eye's warily followed the Hierarch's skittering figure, his instinct screamed that the man was someone he could not trust. His suspicious were confirmed when only minutes passed before the tips of the rocky pass fluttered with the banners of Plegia's insignia.

"I knew it." Robin snarled, watching the Hierarch race to a distinct Plegian riding a wyvern at the middle of the pass.

"What are Plegian soldiers doing here?" Chrom brandished his sword in front of three Plegians who had emerged hidden behind large rocks.

The tactician's face turned in disgust as he watched the Plegian brought his polished axe on the trembling Hierarch. "It looks like we were betrayed."

"Take Emm out of here, Phila!" the young lord roared, the throaty hum from a horn was quickly followed by a crashing wave of bloodthirsty cries. "Everyone! Prepare for battle!"

'Mass air units, highly recommend archers and wind spells,' Robin mentally noted, his eyes watching the Plegian wyvern with his bodyguards fly further back into the pass.

The hours spent in front of his books and group mock battles had drastically improved his concentration and cognitive thinking. In short, he could change his strategy(s) or deploy multiple stratagems at a whim to fit the appropriate scenario.

"Range and support units, form into the center! Everyone else, hold the line!" Robin's voice boomed, the Shepherds scrambling quickly into position.

The first foe to reach the weaponized human wall was a squadron of wyvern rider. Unlike pegasus knights, wyvern riders were trickier to dispatch in close-combat due to their mount. With armored hide and razor sharp teeth, a lone soldier would likely die before he could even scratch the paired unit. However, the Shepherds were a group and led by a genius tactician who quickly demonstrated his prowess.

When a wyvern rider swooped with his axe raised, the tactician calmly unclasped a yellow tome hanging from his waist. Another perk of his studies: speed chanting. With a flick of his wrist, a bolt of electricity struck the ground, resulting in an explosion that startled the wyvern to a halt. A second later, a flash of gold and silver cut deeply across the rider's back. The mount watched in confusion before emitting a high-pitched shrill as a burst of magical wind pressed into the heavy scaly body before a series of snaps meant shattering bones.

As the enemy force continued to crash against the frontline, a battered Sumia returned to hear the sound of fighting. With a kick, the pegasus knight found pockets of battle scattered all over the pass.

"No…Where are they?" the pegasus knight wiped a sweat from her brow, desperately scanning the ground below for her friends. Sumia felt herself despairing until she recognized the tiny speck of blue hair and white cape racing through an open rock field.

"Captain!" Sumia yelled, watching Chrom leap and roar dispatching the last member of the wave of Plegian soldiers before turning to face her.

As she dismounted, she saw a repulsed Maribelle tightly bandaging Robin's exposed chest sitting on the trunk of a toppled tree. Hiding her blush, the pegasus knight shyly approached Chrom. Breaking her own record, Sumia manage two steps before falling head first with a nasty thud. Every allied unit nearby witness inwardly winced before the young lord rushed to help his fellow Shepherd back to her feet.

"Are you all right?" Chrom asked, chewing the insides of his lips as he noticed the red tips on her cheeks.

"I-I'm fine" the pegasus knight quietly squeaked. "But I came back with terrible news…"

"What is it?" the young lord grasped the side of Sumia's armored shoulder plate, his strength causing the metallic pieces to creak.

"There are more Plegians coming this way." the brunette sniffed, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "I barely made it back b-but Captain Phila. She needs help our help… there were so many of them."

"But Emm's with her?! Damn it all!" Chrom growled, the situation had taken a turn for the worst.

'Got..to…do…something,' Robin tighten his hands into fists, wincing slightly as Maribelle began to use her staff to mend his wound. "Sumia…which direction did you come for?"

"Um…" Sumia did her best to calm herself down before answering. "S-south."

The black-hair male gripped his knees when he felt the wound across his back stitch itself together. Slowing rising to his feet to Maribelle's disapproval to rest, Robin put on his coat and grabbed a lying concoction. Without a word, he ran in the direction where Emmeryn and Phila were last seen.

"Chrom, take care of the front! I'll protect them!" The tactician yelled over his shoulder, figuring the Shepherds now had the initiative and need to hear their captain's inspiring voice.

"Wait, Robin!" Chrom raced after Robin, helplessly watching at his friend's battered figure growing smaller until he vanished underneath the veil of trees. "…Take care of them."

Robin eventually found the pegasus knight's captain by following the trail of bodies of her dead pursuers. Phila had minor scrapes but the biggest concern was a large claw gash on her side. The tactician could see she and her mount were visibly exhausted as the two flew slowly with an awkward jerkiness, lacking the usual grace and speed of flying mounted units. Two remaining wyvern riders hotly pursing the pair laughed gleefully while readying their axes. With a snap of his wrist, the tome pages rustled violently in Robin's palm before hurling an electrical bolt into the air.

One of Phila's pursuer felt a violent lurched before feeling the world spiral uncontrollably. Glancing at his screeching mount, his stomach churned as he saw a large hole through both of the thin-hide wing. Robin did not see the result of his handiwork as watched the thunder tome he had used since joining the Shepherd crumble to sand in his palm.

"Thank you." Phila hailed her savior, roughly guiding her mount to descend holding a dripping lance in hand.

"Where's Emmeryn?" the tactician's eyes darted at the quietness of the forest.

"I had the rest of my pegasus guards with the other Shepherds take her to safety while I held our pursuers off." Phila gasped just as she dismounted with a slight pale face. Wincing, she held onto her side before doubling over onto a tree.

"Hold on!" Robin rushed over to the injured pegasus knight, reaching for the concoction in his pocket.

Uncorking the tightly sealed bottle, the tactician's nose curled at the smell. All medicines he had learned reeked as if they were a pair of old boots, some even worse. As he watched the last drop of content slide down her throat, Phila quietly groaned as she felt her wounds begin to close.

"Taking on 20 wyvern rides by yourself seems reckless don't you think?" Robin chuckled as he helped the rejuvenated pegasus knight to her feet.

"Not as much as a lone injured man running to help an injured lass." Phila mumbled teasingly, glancing at Robin's bandaged chest.

As the two readied themselves to search for Emmeryn, the unmistakable flap of wings had them rushing behind trees with their weapons drawn in the direction of the noise. Slowly hovering away from them was a woman with fiery red hair mounted on a pegasus.

"Prince Chrom! Captain Phila!" the woman shouted, desperately looking the ground below for signs of life.

Phila squint her eyes to take a better look at the newcomer before gasping in horror. "Oh gods, is that Cordelia?!"

"Cordelia?" Robin looked the pegasus captain for answers before shooting a series of weak fire spell into the air.

"She's one of my knights. Young yet, but quite gifted." Phila smiled, her words said with pride. The air tensed when Phila grimace. "But she was stationed on the border….Could it mean…?"

"I'm afraid so." Robin gritted, shielding his eyes as Cordelia descend upon them.

Meanwhile

"Begone, foul miscreation!" a feminine voice echoed across the quieting battle field.

Seconds later, a wyvern and his rider howled as their bodies twisted in the air like ragdoll by a magical wind. Closing her tome, Miriel felt an axe brush past her ears as the weapon spiraled into to the right shoulder of a Plegian foot soldier.

"Good ol'Teachs got your back!" Vaike smirked, racing slam his feet into the groaning opponent before tugging his fallen axe out.

The scholarly mage adjusted her glasses as her eyes flickered in annoyance. "If your pretentiousness conception had a miscue in the amount of centripetal force generated, my erudition to uncover the secrets of humanity would be scrutinized based on your folly.

"Huh?!" Vaike frowned in confusion. "Lady, little thanks would be appreciated."

"A preposterous notion." Miriel coolly deflect the man's statement.

Without another word, the female mage began to walk away in apparent lack of interest with their conversation. A tiny smile crept along Miriel's face as she heard the blonde fighter call after her in pursuit.

Further ahead, a whirlwind of steel and sparks flew as Chrom and Frederick engaged in a vicious duel with the enemy captian. With a flap from the wyvern's scaly wings, the young lord skid away at the burst of kicking sand and wind.

"Give me the Fire Emblem and your wench of a ruler." the man who had killed the Hierarch laughed. When Chrom rolled out of the wyvern's snarling bite, he continued to taunt the young lord. "Oh, and spare yourselves a gory end!"

"I won't let you!" Chrom roared, gripped Falchion with both hands.

With a step forward, Chrom's cape fluttered from the twisting of his body. Seeing the prince's blade rising upward, the Plegian captian scowled while adjusting his mount to lean away. The two weapons rang and sparked as they collided with one another. The Plegian smirked as he used the momentum of an upward attack to take off in the air. As quickly as he soared, the man whistled to his mount for a nose dive. The wind became blinding as he accelerated back to earth at a terrifying speed. Within the last moment, the wyvern unfurled its wing to unleash a powerful gust that blinded Chrom.

"DIE!" the man grinned, bearing his axe down to split his foe in half.

"I think not!" Frederick rushed forward, responding with an attack of his own by jabbing his iron lance into the axe handle.

The axe glisten in the sun as it spun out of the man's hand. As it descent, the shiny axe head reflected the master's fury before a sickening splat painted its shining coating. With a pain cry, the wyvern collapsed motionlessly from the devastating gash at the armor-less under neck sending the man hurtling off its back.

"Guh…" the man groaned, lying on the rocky floor underneath a pool of his own life, the sting sensation from the long slash wound running down his shoulder to his waist. Watching the clouds float carelessly in the air, the dying Plegian Captain began to chuckle uncontrollably. "You doves think… killing me will change anything? Go on, dear exalted coward…Run!"

"What do you mean?" Chrom's eyes flashed dangerously, pointing his sword to the man.

Crawling himself to lean on his fallen mount, the man spat at the young lord's feet before smirking a red grin. "Even now…my brothers storm across your precious border."

"Is this a trick?" Frederick's pitiless eyes stared questionably at the dying Plegian captain.

"Flee while they slaughter your subject!" the man cackled until his breath became laborious. "Save yourself…Let their faith in you…bleed away…with the rest…"

And the man's eye stilled, letting out a haunting gasp at waning life.

"I must return to the capital" Emmeryn grimace, her eyes watch Cordelia crying her heart out with Sumia.

True to the dead Plegian captain's word, Plegia's entire military force had crossed over Ylisse's borders while the Shepherds were dealing with the ambush. Many skirmishes were reported to have broke out but the biggest tragedy of all was the pegasus knights stationed at the far north of Ylisse border. Of the three hundred personnel, only one returned alive.

"Your Grace, I cannot advise-"Phila began until her Exalt raised her hand in silence.

"If it's discovered I'm away when this news comes to light, people could panic or riot." Emmeryn looked to every man and woman present. "More Ylisseans could needlessly die…"

Closing her eye, Emmeryn sighed before approaching a drawn carriage and returned with a red chest outlined in gold with a unique lock.

Prickling her finger, the drops of blood force the chest to open with an ominous click. A rush of energy washed over the group as Emmeryn reached into the bottom of the chest and retrieved a small golden heater shield with five gem slots. Taking a white pearl kept in a tiny decorated gold box, she placed the gem into the top slot.

"Here, Chrom." Emmeryn's footsteps echoed as she approached her silent brother. "I entrust this to you."

"The Fire Emblem?" Chrom gingerly took the artifact into his hands, feeling its power hum as if it was a beating heart.

"No part of House Ylisse matters more than the Emblem. Too much blood has been shed over it already" the Exalt's remorseful face glimmer off the metallic surface. "I hope… it finds a better guardian in you than it did me."

"Emm…don't talk like that." Chrom stared back at his pained face on the Fire Emblem.

"The blood of the first exalt flows strong in us." Emmeryn's eyes twinkled as she pulled an openly crying Lissa into a tight embrace. "You and I will keep Ylisse safe. I believe it with all my heart."

"Walking to your own death will not bring peace to anyone!" Chrom pleaded. "Ylisse needs you…we need you… Be selfish for once in your life."

Shaking her head, Emmeryn gently let go of her younger sister and hugged her trembling brother. "…I love you, Chrom. Both you and Lissa mean everything to me."

As she felt Lissa hug her from behind, the Exalt felt hard to keep her voice steady. "Let us embrace again in Ylisstol when you arrive with Feroxi reinforcements…I know you will come."

"…This is a terrible idea" Chrom's voice cracked as a forming tear threatened to trickle down his face.

Upon breaking the hug, Emmeryn motioned to the standing pegasus knight. "Come, Phila…We must go".

Once Phila left to give her orders to her pegasus knights, Frederick stepped forward with a respectful bow. "I will keep the prince and princess safe, Your Grace. You have my word."

"I know you will, Frederick. Thank you." Emmeryn smiled.

When her eyes glanced over to Robin, the black-hair man bowed in kind. "I will do everything I can to ensure their safety…and thank you for placing your faith in me."

With a silent nod, Emmeryn turned to kiss her siblings on the forehead. "Safe journey, Chrom. Safe journey, Lissa."

Casting one final glance, the Exalt began to walk away, fighting the cloudiness in her eyes.

"Emm!" Chrom yelled, unconsciously stepping forward to stop his older sister.

He struggled desperately when Frederick and Robin held his shoulder back. Just as he broke free, Emmeryn's figure was only a tiny speck as she flew off on Phila's pegasus.

"….Stay safe." Chrom internally prayed to the gods to hear his pleas.

"Lissa?! Are you feeling all right?" Maribelle rushed over to her curling friend.

When Lissa did not answer, the blonde troubadour reached to pry the hands in front of friend's face. Staring back was a red faced Lissa.

"…No." the young princess squeaked.

"What on-?" Maribelle began until she heard the tactician's voice.

"I said we did not kiss." Robin growled, his flustered face shining under the moonlight. "What part do you guys not understand? And Gaius, put those books away!"

"Can't these brutes find the aptitude to squabble elsewhere?" Maribelle grumbled, watching the rambunctious exchange through the slit of her tent flap.

The troubadour's stared in irritation at the man responsible for her friend's plight lingering in place as the group of male Shepherds dispersed to their tents.

"…Are they gone?" Lissa's eyes stared at the tent flap upon hearing the chattering subside.

Maribelle watched Robin walk away sighing before turning back to her curled up friend. "They have now."

Without another word, the blonde princess slowly rose to her feet. As her hand reached for the tent flap again, a gentle hand clasped on her shoulder. Sighing, Lissa gazed into her worried friend's eyes.

"My dear…" Maribelle took the blonde cleric's hands into her own. "Why are you hiding from a beast like him?"

"I…don't know…" Lissa drift her gaze away, closing her eyes as a single answer came to mind.

Maribelle's soften her gaze as she quietly asked. "Do you… love him?"