Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fire Emblem.

AN: Warnings for blood and (almost) eye trauma! Thank you for your continued support, I'm so sorry for the wait!

xxx

Owain gave a harsh shout before cutting himself off. Smoke filled the surrounding air with the scent of burning flesh, and when Mad Kasdeya removed her hand from the youth's arm, only a bloody char remained where the brand once was. As the spell ended, he chose to go limp, breathing deeply as he attempted to regain some sense of dignity.

Looking incredibly pleased with herself, the Mad Witch wasted no time in moving over to her next target. Seeing her turn to them, Lissa grabbed her brother's arm tightly, pressing herself into his side.

Kasdeya tutted as she reached the pair. "Milady, everyone in the nation already knows you have the utmost shame of bearing no brand of the exalt. If you don't want one carved into your skull like the previous exalt had, you will move."

Eyes wide with terror, Lissa was gently pushed off by Chrom. It was just a burn – he could take that. A burn and nasty scar was something he would take over a threat against Lissa's life any day. He knew that his beloved wife was aware as well.

No, Tawney would not give herself over to their adversary to stop her husband and nephew from being nonfatally injured. Even if she did step in, he would not worry. He trusted her. He trusted all of his friends, all of the Shepherds.

Chrom made no cry of pain as the flames licked into his pale shoulder. Tawney let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding as the Mad Witch took away her burning hand. Chrom was burned and bleeding, yet that man still had the audacity to look out to his disguised shepherds, had the audacity to fix his eyes near her invisible form, had the audacity to smile, eyes crinkling as he did so, and mouth "I love you."

If she had had the time to dwell on this, she would have debated crying or laughing at her other half's display of brazen affection, even in the hands of a dangerous enchantress.

She did not have that time to think.

Kasdeya sauntered back over to the two blue-haired youths, a terrible grin upon her face. Lucina's arms were still around her shaking brother, but she now retracted them, her posture changing to that of someone ready to fight. She was ready for the sorcerer to grab her, to mock her in front of her people as she had done to her cousin, to her father–

She was not ready for the vile woman to grab Morgan's collar and tug him sharply forward.

Deep violet eyes flickered to the princess as her mouth fell open slightly in shock, face turning pink from fury. Playing with her prey was always a delight.

A finger curled delicately around Morgan's chained wrists, the Witch crooned in front of the nervous townsfolk. "I've purged the brand off the last heir, and the current king. Now to remove the stain from what people call the next ruler of Plegia."

Trailing from the chain to his right hand, she readied her spell. Tawney stiffened, looking at her son, her baby, with his frightened, tear-heavy eyes, with the bruises along his jaw. How did this absolute wench think that she was going to lay a finger on her son without any sort of consequence–

"Mother!"

Tawney's head snapped up, biting her lip as she looked at her son. Morgan's eyes flitted between the women, one with her hand on a tome to harm him, and one that loved him with all her heart – could he see through her concealment spell, or could he tell who Frederick was and guess based off of approximation? – and Morgan called to her again, voice breaking as he did.

"It's okay! It's okay, Mother, I promise! Don't – Don't give yourself up just to keep me from getting a little roughed up!" he smiled, her ever optimistic child smiled at her then, regardless of the tear tracks on his face, "I'm tough too! Don't do something you'll regret!"

The fire in a worried mother's heart slowly ebbed away as a fire formed in an unamused captor's hand. The sorceress curled her hand towards Morgan's, ready to sear the mark–

Yet the flames recoiled from his hand. Even as the flames grew stronger, no coil managed to lick his skin. Between the obvious lack of burns and the dangerously serious look in his eyes…

He's fighting it, Tawney immediately concluded. It was difficult, but extremely gifted and powerful mages were able to redirect a spell aimed at them. She… she couldn't help but be proud of her darling son. He was trying to stop the magic, trying to keep her from worrying…

Until the Mad Witch scowled, seeing his resistance, and turned toward Lucina.

"Very well, if you wish to delay your punishment, so be it–!"

She pulled back, sending an arc of fire down to Lucina's face – haphazard, half aimed – only for it to dissipate as well.

It was then that Morgan gave out a cry of pain. Of course, Tawney realized. If his attention was split to his sister, he would be unable to focus on himself…

Morgan whimpered lightly as the burn spread across the back of his hand, searing the brand thoroughly. Kasdeya gave a wicked smile, shoving his head down roughly and achieving another small yelp from the prince. Tawney's heart was breaking – she had wished no harm to come upon her son in this timeline, and now–

She had failed.

"Stop it!" Lucina snapped, straining forward despite the threatening hand aimed at her face. Morgan lowered himself down on his knees, panting lightly as once again the stench of melted flesh wafted through the air.

Tawney could feel Frederick's hand on her shoulder, holding her back. She herself was biting her lip, trying to assess the situation. All that this was supposed to get was for her to step up, speak out, and make herself known to her enemy. This was already horrid enough, what would be done if she didn't speak up at all? All that was left was Lucina.

Oh, gods, Lucina.

The crown princess was pulled forward, a long dark finger snagged in her collar as the sorceress came closer to the anxious Ylissean crowd. Lucina's muscles went tight, a snarl forming on her lips at the rough treatment, especially as she was forced to push Morgan off to the side. The witch threw Lucina down to the base of the foundation, letting her head smack painfully against the wood. Still, that did not deter Lucina, and after only a second of shock she pulled herself back up, sitting on her knees.

"You will pay for this," Lucina bit out, even as the tome sparked fire in the Mad Witch's hand once again.

"Oh, you miserable wretch," Kasdeya tutted in return, remorse sarcastic at best, a sick sneer curving along her thin jawline, savoring the idea of burning through the princess's eye. "What good will you be to your kingdom, blinded and lost, unable to lead?"

Fire crackled between fingers, and only Stahl's hand holding her own kept Tawney still. She – she wasn't sure she could stay still through this, watch as the bitch disabled her daughter, the strong warrior powerless to do anything without putting her little brother, her cousin, her aunt, her father at risk.

A hard rock was clogging Tawney's throat, making her sick to her stomach, she could feel her resolve waning as the gnarled hand pulled upwards, ready to give the blow, but just as she opened her mouth to stop her, to end this, she felt Stahl turn her in a hug, pressing her face to his shoulder, hiding the scene from the queen's eyes.

The smoke rose in the air, the sound of burning flesh was rekindled, and yet Lucina's yell of pain – it never came. Instead, adding to the previous shock of the event, Lucina's voice exploded with anger, not fear.

"Owain!"

When Stahl's arms went slack, cold dread filled the tactician's body again. Severa's swearing did not provide any comfort. Oh gods, what had he done…

Up on the platform, Lucina had fallen back slightly, Owain suddenly in front of her. Morgan was gaping, gaze upon – hell, Tawney realized immediately, if Owain had thrown himself between the Mad Witch and Lucina, if he had taken the blow himself…

The carnage visible to those watching was proof enough of what had taken place. Owain, being taller than Lucina, hadn't been blinded by the magic. Instead, the Mad Witch was withdrawing her hand, malevolent look upon her face, from the prince's neck.

A single slap was all that was needed to send Owain to the ground, unmoving. His neck was drenched in blood, charred skin giving way to open tissue in a gruesome wound. As sure as Tawney was that the Mad Witch was carrying on, saying something heinous about how this wouldn't stop her, she couldn't hear anything past Lissa's shriek, adrenaline burning through her in an uncomfortably familiar panic that she hadn't felt since she had been in the middle of a battle, where decisions were made without proper thought, but with fear, with feeling.

At first, Tawney was sure that she was feeling anger, insurmountable anger at seeing such a grave damage done to her only nephew. Yet, when she saw Morgan, when she saw him immediately pressing into Owain's neck, desperate and terrified, when she saw as her son turned with a face full of horror, looking for guidance, looking for her, as the boy mouthed He's not breathing!, the true emotion pierced every inch of her body.

The genius tactician of the Shepherds wasn't angry. No, not that – she was scared.

The next few moments were nothing more than a blur. She was certain that Frederick had reached to stop her, but at this point nothing would be halting Tawney. Careful to keep the illusion spell still strong on Stahl, the façade melted off her own form as she pushed her way through the fearful crowd, hand immediately going to remove her Levin Sword from her belt, brandishing it as people backed away from her, giving her room.

The sight of a hooded figure armed with such a potent weapon and dressed in Plegian robes would ordinarily cause their opponent to flee at once. Instead, glee filled Kasdeya's face, stepping forward to give her desired audience the proper welcome. Tawney, however, had lost any remaining patience.

"You will fetch a staff for my sister-in-law at once," the green-haired mage hissed, glancing only sparingly to the three youths out of her grasp. "Give Princess Lissa a healing staff and I will – I will listen, I will give you no trouble, I will put up no struggle for the rest of the day, you can have your way with me, you can barter your cause all you want."

A dark silence hung in the air as the Mad Witch pondered her words, Tawney stiff in return as Owain's life bled out before her, Lucina and Morgan unable to help. After a few terribly tense seconds, the villain snapped her fingers, and a healing staff was shoved unceremoniously to Lissa. The healer clutched it as though it were a lifeline, the soft green glow illuminating the stage swiftly.

Tawney was still shaking somewhat, rage and fear pumping adrenaline through her body, even as she watched color return to Owain's face, even as she saw Lissa nearly collapse with relief, even as Kasdeya, that wicked witch, ignored the family, choosing instead to walk closer, like a wolf stalking a cornered sheep.

The sorceress only stopped at the very end of the platform, sneering down condescendingly at the master tactician, "I've paid your price. You've given your word to listen,"

"And my word is my bond," Tawney retorted, "I will not do anything to stop you from claiming me as a prize today. Regardless, I have little patience. Speak, or I will bring it upon myself to cut out your tongue at the day's end."

The laugh that came in response nearly crackled, similar to the rumble of a storm right before lightning struck the land below. Hooded eyes concentrated solely on the hooded figure, drowning out all else, all the Ylissean commonfolk, all of the Shepherds that had begun to busy themselves in their own ways, even as one young man tore from his group and into the nearby alley, angrily stealing into a bad that he had left for the document within.

"I've told you what I need. You must wed my own son, and bear him an heir, and then name him as the heir for our country. Disown the brats that lie behind me – it is for the sake of Plegia that you must be concerned! No other country-"

"If that is the case, Mad Witch, explain this to me: if no other countries need be involved, explain why all of our foreign affairs with the continent of Valm have been halted? You do not expect me to simply believe that Rosanne, Ylisse's second greatest ally after Ferox, or the mighty nation of Chon'sin – would simply cease all correspondence?

"The only messages that have gotten through to Rosanne are those of personal, more domestic matters." Tawney finished, eye contact unwavering. To the unknowing eye, Kasdeya did not falter, but to the queen herself, there was a new steely glint in her gaze.

"You cannot prove that anyone has impacted the transfer of information between the nations. Besides… what does it matter? Chon'sin is too busy in their own affairs, and Rosanne, well…"

Once again, the sneer turned into a cold, sinister smile. "What need do you have of such a small duchy? The duke is dead, the duchess dying, and their son has been missing for months,"

Near the alleyway, the man returned, immediately going to his friend's steed, hoisting himself up. Those around him could not stop him now as he turned the beast, a hard stare aimed at the woman on the platform, her form blocking those of his dear friends.

"They may as well have civil war, for it's clear that the line has ended. It's a shame, really, perhaps their wyverns could've helped you. As it is, Duke Virion will not spring from his unmarked grave, and Duchess Olivia is too far gone. It isn't as though Duke Inigo will turn up anytime soon–"

The solid thunk of an arrow sinking into flesh cut Kasdeya off, a soldier having stepped in front of her to take the blow. He slowly plucked it from his shoulder, seemingly unperturbed by the blood dribbling from the wound, before handing the arrow to the witch herself.

She took the parchment attached, furious eyes scanning the crowd only to fall on the man on a horse, his cloak pulled back to show his face. His eyes burned like fire, challenge clear in the way he held himself.

"You'll find that the document you hold will allow for Rosanne to aid Ylisse against your vile effort, witch," Inigo sounded, lips nearly curling into a snarl. "Acting as the present Duke I call upon my people to give support to Ylisse in anyway possible, be it soldiers, weapons, or spies."

Overhead, a dark shadow swept through the crowd, a wyvern soaring high above the Ylisseans and disappearing before anyone could react. Kasdeya ran her finger over Inigo's signature, rage coursing so violently through her veins that the parchment caught fire. She crushed the burning paper in her hands, shoulders raised, pinched, voice becoming a roar.

"You miserable wretch! You'll pay for this – it barely matters! Your queen is defenseless, you've lost–"

With a flick of her hand, soldiers descended from the platform, toward Tawney. The famed tactician didn't pay them any attention. Instead, she looked past them, past the sorceress, past where Lissa was continuing to fret over the kids, to the one man that she ever dared let guide her.

Chrom.

He was looking back at her, a certain painful tension in his gaze, words spoken without the movement of lips. He wanted her to move, to run, to flee. He was yelling at her, screaming without a voice, to get away, save herself. He loved her too much to let her fall so easily. As it was, she had given her word. She would not resist the attempts to capture her.

Tawney had no say in what the Shepherds chose to do, however.

It wasn't long before Frederick had grabbed hold of her, picking her up in one fell swoop and stealing her away, back through the rioting crowd of commoners. As Tawney had said before, giving orders to Inigo and Severa alongside the Nohrians… if things were to go to shit, cause as much chaos as possible.

A massive red dragon sealed off an escape route down which Noire and Inigo had already fled on horseback, Laurent putting up protective barriers. Off in the distance, the remaining shepherds had transformed or begun to clear the area, while Severa had already ran off at Stahl's side, careful to get him away before they were caught. Tawney wanted to look back, make sure that her children were not being wounded in retaliation, to see Chrom's relief that she was leaving – but alas, Frederick's armor was too large, blocking her way of sight. Instead, she could do nothing but be carried, raw anger gnawing through her body, frustrated that things seemed so out of her control.

They needed something new, an idea that would allow for them to get more information, have a safer way to spy on the Mad Witch's affairs, to check up on the captives, to set free the shepherds contained in the dungeons – they needed a plan.

If there was one thing Tawney was good at, it was figuring out a plan. They hadn't had much luck so far, yet…

Perhaps the newcomers had skills they could offer.

xxx

AN: R&R please! I love you!