Hmm, yeah okay. I suppose things could be worse. What, now?

Fire Emblem belongs to Nintendo and IS.

Robert POV:

"Risen?" Robin gasped, eyes flicking over the new threat. The Risen were still rigid from their summoning, but were quickly gaining mobility. Their limbs shuddered, their backs beginning to straighten. "Oh, Gods, no! Chrom! Kill them before they can shoot down the Pegasus knights!"

The prince, Zach, and I charged forward while Robin and Tharja readied spells to throw. As we closed in, I heard Gangrel's mad laughter. "Oh my!" he cackled, back arched dramatically. "Did an army of living corpses just APPEAR out of the blue? Truly, the heavens shine upon the mighty king this day!"

Of the dozen archers summoned, I killed one, Zach killed another, then Tharja a third. Chrom had been mid-swing and Robin was mid-cast when the archers let fly their arrows to the sky. Above us, nearly all of the arrows hit.

I didn't look up, even at the screams of the Pegasus knights and their mounts or as Phila shouted to her exalt in one last effort, only furthering my attempts at carving down their numbers. Damn was Dylan and Emile had said, I was at least putting in an effort. Seeing things now, though, as we failed to kill all of the archers before another volley, the fight was already lost.

The Pegasus Knights fell from the sky, and I pushed Chrom out of the way of one such falling mount. In seconds, our plan of attack had been nullified and the Ylissean Royal Guard was dead. Cordelia really was the only official Pegasus Knight left.

I helped Chrom to his feet, hesitant at first because of the archers. Seeing their targets exterminated, however, they remained motionless. I helped the prince to his feet and we both gazed at the carnage around us. The white feathers of pegasi fluttered through the air, the mounts themselves lying dead and bloodied on the ground. Their wings and riders were punctured with arrows. I recognized Phila from where she lay, half-crushed under the body of her Pegasus. Her mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide. Gods… I knew this would happen, but this is just so much worse.

"No…" Chrom muttered, all of his anger leaving for a brief moment. "The plan… Robin, we've lost…"

"Well, now," Gangrel called from his perch on the castle balcony. One of his feet was perched on the railing as he leaned over it to literally look down on us. "I believe this is what some could call a… reversal of fortunes, hmm? Now…" His face was one of contemplative curiosity, but switched to reveal his madness in a sickening grin. "Grovel before me. Plead. Beg for your worthless lives" I wished we could fight him. I wanted to think we could beat him. Maybe if we all teamed up to face him, or Robin activated Ignis again, but with those archers and Aversa at his side, I knew we stood no chance. We truly had lost.

"I'd give up my life before I beg for it from you," Chrom snarled, and I could hear the grip on Falchion creak.

The King let out a mad laugh. "Oh, now that is a good line. Tell you what—we can make it quite a fitting epitaph for your tombstone. How does that sound? Oh, but is not just your life at stake, prince. Far from it. Look above you: your dear sister still stands upon the block, and I have archers at the ready to put arrows in all your friends' backs. It would take no more than a single, little word from me and—"

"Emm!" Chrom shouted up to the exalt, disregarding Gangrel. "Hold on, I'm—"

"ARCHERS!" Gangrel roared. He glared at Chrom with beady eyes that showed his irritation at being ignored. "If this little pup so much as twitches, let fly your arrows!" Chrom froze on the spot, the Risen archers in front of us as well as the newly appearing ones on the courtyard walls drawing back their arrows.

"I… I'll kill you," he growled through bared teeth.

"Go ahead and try," the king said, suddenly triumphant. "I welcome it. Just know that as soon as you do, these archers will fire and you will be responsible for the death of not only your sister but all of your friends here."

Chrom didn't move from where he stood. Gangrel laughed, then flipped over the railing of his balcony. He landed below with a roll and became to make his way over to us. "That offer is available to any of you, you know," he called. "Anyone can try their hand." I wanted to kill him, but nowhere near as much as Chrom or Robin, so I stood where I was. Gangrel hid his smile and faked surprise. "What? No one wants the honor of killing the exalt? No one…?"

Then he burst into yet another fit of laughter, resting his hands on his knees to support himself through the fit. He slapped himself on the knee once or twice before leaning back and sucking in a deep breath. "Oh, your merry band isn't quite so headstrong or daring anymore, is it?" He flicked his eyes over those of us in the courtyard and grimaced. "Pathetic."

"Mother fuck…" I muttered, trying to keep my hand from shaking in anger. If he came any closer, I didn't know if I'd be able to help myself.

"Oh, but no one else has to die today," Gangrel announced, flaring his hands dramatically. "Not you," he pointed to Chrom, "not the exalt, nor your friends. All you need to do is lay down your sword and hand me the Fire Emblem."

The Mad King stopped walking directly in front of Chrom and held out one hand, the other resting on his hip. He grinned down at Chrom, standing a few inches taller but much less broad. He was not a very imposing man on his own. Even so, with dozens of archers at his back, he cut a very intimidating figure. Chrom's grip loosened on Falchion, and his free hand drifted over to touched the Emblem that hung from his waist. "I…"

"Chrom," Robin called, "you can't trust him!"

"I know that!" the prince roared in response. "I know I can't trust him. OF COURSE I can't trust him. I'm not an idiot! But if I don't, he'll kill her! The Gods are cruel, damn them. My sister… my family or my duty… there is no right answer, but…"

"Chrom." Robin walked over, her hands in the air. She had dropped her weapons, and they now lay a few feet to the side in the dirt. "Chrom, I know it is hard to admit. I know, but it is the only choice. In the scope of thousands of Plegian and Ylissean lives, one person, no matter who—"

"DON'T!" Chrom shouted, stabbing Falchion into the ground. "Don't say a damn thing." This was why he'd been angry. I could see it now, as his hand shook atop Falchion's pommel. How angry he'd been for the past few days was all a result of his thoughts on this moment. He had anticipated this situation from the beginning, I was sure. He'd thought about what he would do ever since he thought of this possibility. "Just don't."

"Make your decision quick," the king barked. "Or I will command these archers to fire. Tell me: will you let your sister die to save some old family trinket or let her live? Oh, this is delicious. I can hear it now, what your people have to say about it. 'THE EXALT IS DEAD,' they will sing, and 'LONG LIVE HER MURDERER.' Your entire halidom will collapse under your rule, boy!"

Chrom attempted to steady himself, saying, "We'll see, when the time comes. But first, I will see you dead."

"No wait!" Emmeryn shouted from her perch.

"SILENCE!" Gangrel shouted up at her, rage flashing across his face for no more than a second. "You have no part in this discussion!"

"Emm…" Chrom sulked. Did he regret his choice?

"King Gagnrel," Emmeryn continued, her voice carrying with surprising clarity. "Is there no hope you will listen to reason?"

"The only sounds I am willing to listen to are the thunk of arrows and the splat of you hitting the ground," Gangrel shouted, his face afflicted with a perpetual frown, "or the sound of a prince Chrom here unlatching the Fire Emblem from his waist. But it seems he has made his choice, so take one, long last look from your perch, as you do so enjoy looking down on people, then prepare to turn into the world's largest quiver. That is…" he turned away from her and back to Chrom with his outstretched hand. "unless someone were to change their mind and HAND me the Fire Emblem right NOW."

"ALL RIGHT," Chrom said, seeming to actually surprise Gangrel into dropping away his frown. "All right. Emm, I know you won't approve, but I have to make this decision. Maybe someday, we will face a threat and the Fire Emblem could have possibly come in handy. Maybe. But today, I know for a fact that the people of Ylisse need you. They need their exalt, and we need our sister. And if those dark days were to come, then we would need you to help us face it together."

"Chrom…" The wind had long gone silent, the world itself waiting in anticipation for what was to come next. "Thank you." For the first time, her voice was not as steady. It trembled just a little. "I know now what I need to do."

"Emm, what are you…"

"Plegians!" Her voice was strong again, cutting loud and clear through the air. "I ask that you hear the truth of my words. War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out. Free yourselves from this hatred! From this cycle of pain and vengeance! It was brought on by war, and feeding more lives to another will not stop it. So I ask that you do what you must, as I will do."

I sucked in air through my teeth, gasping. This was it. Here it comes. "See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world."

"Emm, no!" Chrom shouted, breaking into a run as his big sister took a step forward. "No!" I, wary of the archers that still surrounded us, reached a hand out to stop him from going, but caught myself when I saw Gangrel. Upon seeing the Exalt's plan, he raised his hand to the air, keeping the archers from firing. On his face was the biggest, most twisted grin that had ever graced his face as Emmeryn took her final step off the edge.

Chrom shouted again, and I heard Lissa shriek from somewhere behind us. I only stood there and watched, knowing I was unable to do anything at this point. Emmeryn had her hands clasped together in front of her, her face stern. She had her mind made up. A bird flew over heard, passing over Emmeryn. She looked after the bird, then closed her eyes and bowed her head.

She sat like that for a moment while Chrom attempted in vain to close the great distance between them, then opened her eyes and looking up. She took a single step, her feet at the ledge, and I heard Lissa scream again. Chrom reached out, but we all knew full well that he was unable to catch her when she took that second step.

She plummeted straight down, soundless in her own action but causing another chain reaction of shouts and screams coming from every Shepherd there, excluding myself and likely the other Earthlings. This was what we expected. We knew this was happening. I had never even held a conversation with the woman, either, but…

Why was it so hard to watch?

I turned to look away, just as a massive feathered shape came soaring into the courtyard with a screech. This was the first difference. After the way he'd reacted to Krystal and I suggesting saving Emmeryn, the last thing I had expected was for him to try and save her himself. But here he was, flying toward the falling exalt as fast as it could. He was going to reach her faster than the archers could fire. He would make it. The first difference, and a weight was lifted from my chest. If only that was the last difference, as well.

Moments before he could reach her, something exploded in the air just below the Exalt. Purple fire, a blast of air, and an earth-shattering boom that shook the entire courtyard.

"Emm!" "NOOO!"

The force was great enough to knock Dylan from the sky, sending him tumbling along the ground with his feathers on fire. He transformed back before he reached us, coughing and spluttering.

Then our attention returned to where the Exalt had been. The smoke in the sky cleared, but there was no sign of her. Nor was there a body on the ground below. The only things on the ground were the rubble of the stone blown apart by the explosion and the scorch marks. Emmeryn was nowhere to be seen. There was no body. Oh gods… But that meant…

Chrom dropped to his knees, and even Gangrel was too stunned to say anything. At least for a moment. Before long, he broke out in vile laughter, hunching over from it. When his laughter had died down enough for him to speak, he said, "Ohoho, well now! I did not expect that. Quite the way to go out, if I do say so myself."

"DAMN YOU, GANGREL!" Chrom roared, pushing himself to his feet and storming his way back toward us. He froze dead when Gangrel rounded up the archers, however, and the king continued his spiel.

"Whoa, now," he said, putting his hands up in mock defense. "I had nothing to do with that. The explosion, I mean. The fall was beautiful, while it lasted, and I had been in the middle of a plan to put her body on display afterward when she exploded. While I enjoyed the fireworks, I would have appreciated a messier aftermath."

Chrom growled and pushed forward, ripping Falcion out of the ground. "You die today!" he roared, but Robin snagged his arm.

"No, Chrom!" she said, pulling him away from the King, who was looking on in abject amusement. "We have to get out of here. We lost this battle."

The prince glared into her eyes, then faltered, wilting. "I… But he…"

At our feet, Dylan groaned and began to push himself to his feet. I knelt down to help him while they worked that out. I had to throw the laguz's arm around my shoulder to keep him up. The blast must have taken a lot out of him. Some of his feathers still had embers glowing on them. "I'm glad you had a change of heart, right at the end there," I whispered, loud enough for his ears alone. Lot of good it did, though.

Robin dragged Chrom away, and a somber Sumia swooped down. Up on the parapets, the archers had lowered their bows, presumably on the king's orders. He was still watching, that mad grin never leaving his face. Sumia and Robin helped Chrom onto her Pegasus, then the tactician announced our retreat while Zach, Tharja, and I kept watch for the soldier to take action.

But throughout our hurried escape, none of them did. If anything, they seemed almost remorseful. A few times, I met the eyes of surviving soldiers and they were lax and sorrowful. I wondered if they wanted to help, but remained in fear of Gangrel. The only real noticeable action was when Gangrel whispered something in the ear of a soldier, who then scurried off somewhere. Today was a fucking mess, and Basilio wasn't here to get us a way out.

"Robin, what's our plan?" I asked as we fled from the city, moving south instead of North like I knew we were supposed to. We clearly weren't heading to Ferox, and heading North by ourselves would get us caught in between the main army and the smaller force we'd just fought.

We hadn't heard anything from Ferox since leaving for the capital, not even in the form of letters. It made sense, considering neither of us had any idea how much progress the other had made. Still, it was worrisome. Aside from our strike force, we had no idea how the main war was faring.

"We're heading South," she said, her voice tight. "I read about a place called the Outrealm Gate. If I'm right, we can use it to get away from here and they won't be able to follow us."

The Outrealms? Good. It would give us a break. And if we were lucky, we wouldn't even have to fight Mustafa.

The further south we went, the more I hoped against a fight with Mustafa. We had sustained some injuries during the fight. Nothing major, aside from Dylan's severe burns and probably broken bones, but we were walking into marshlands. The ground became wetter and rain clouds in the distance promised to worsen this. Hampered as we were—emotionally, physically, and environmentally—this would not be a fun fight.

No one talked. We moved in a half-run, with that being the best we could muster as a group, for the better half of an hour. After that, there was sound. Not in the form of talking, but rather suction as our boots plopped in the muddy ground, slowing us down further. I wanted to hear something else, but I couldn't bring myself to break this silence. Looking around, I had the feeling that mute stoicism was the only thing holding some of these people together.

So I said nothing, instead biding my time by concentrating on holding Dylan up straight. His breathing was labored, and each step was like jumping a hurdle with the guy. I did what I could to keep from touching his burns, but sometimes my hand slipped and I received a pained hiss as I brushed against a tender spot.

In the end, it was Dylan who broke the silence. "Son of a bitch," he muttered, unable to make his voice any louder. His eyes were directed at the sky. "Look." He gestured with his chin up, and I followed where he was looking to see a large collection of shapes flying over our heads. While it certainly was an oddity, I didn't see anything wrong with it. As far as I knew, it was a flock of birds. I looked out him with a raised eyebrow and he said without looking at me, "Wyvern Riders."

"Are you sure?" I asked, and he nodded, never looking away from what I assumed was a whole damned brigade. There were so many… So, so many of them. "Fuck," I muttered. It was a lot of them, and the guy who was probably our best aerial fighter was nowhere near fighting fit. "I've got to tell Robin."

I began to push my way through the crowd. I would have yelled, but I was reluctant to give away our awareness of them. If they could somehow hear us, even from that height, I did not want them catching on and swooping down while we were still unprepared. I searched for Robin's snow-white hair, and it took me a minute or two because she had it covered with her hood.

"Robin," I said, grabbing her shoulder. She let out a gasp, whirling around to face me. Her eyes begged an explanation. "There is an entire fleet of wyvern riders flying directly above us."

As soon as 'wyvern riders' left my mouth, she looked up and her reaction was immediate. Her eyes shot open and her jaw dropped, but she composed herself quickly. My notification was not only heard by her, however. The few people around us at the time all heard me, but their reactions were less dignified.

While Robin searched for some sort of cover to protect us from the airborne threat, I was deafened by the sudden uproar of twenty-some weapons being drawn at nearly the same time. Word had spread in no time. My own weapon joined the chorus, and Robin shouted, "Over there! Head to those trees!" A bit to the East, there was a large grove of trees. It was better than nothing. "Let's go!"

Before we could get very far, a wyvern's roar cut through the air, followed by another, then another. They began to circle us. We eyed them warily, our fliers prepared to take flight at a moment's notice. We waited for the Plegians to dive down, but they kept circling us. Our own pace slowed to a halt, and was just watched as the wyverns circled lower and lower, though never getting any closer. When they got closer to the ground, I realized that we were more outnumbered than I'd initially realized.

This fleet consisted of no less than thirty wyverns. That left us outnumbered and outclassed as things were. To make matters worse, each wyvern was massive, easily large enough to support the three-to-four extra, fully armed passengers atop them. I was too unnerved to do the math.

They descended low enough to land, but never bothered, instead forming a spinning wall around us. In response, we formed a defensive circle of our own, keeping the healers and ranged units protected in the middle.

"Ylisseans!" boomed a deep voice, and we looked to see a man jump down from one of the wyverns. He landed in a roll to compensate for their speed, then began to walk toward us in a confident, but cautious, stride. He was bald, but had a long, furry beard. Resting on his shoulder was a red axe with a silver blade. "I offer you mercy," he continued, and I recognized him as Mustafa. "Surrender to me now, and I will let you live. Emmeryn would not have wished for this to come to bloodshed."

Chrom pushed to the front of our circle and stepped to Mustafa's face. "Don't speak her name!" he snapped, giving the Plegian a shove. "Don't you dare." He moved to push Mustafa again, but the Plegian grabbed him.

"Your rage is justified, Prince Chrom," he said. "But the meaning of your sister's sacrifice was not lost on me. I suspect many Plegians who heard her final words would say the same. If you lay down your weapons now, I vow on my life to protect you as best you can." His delivery was genuine, his voice sincere in spite of the glaring Prince in his grasp.

"Like I would trust you," the prince growled, struggling against the larger man's hold. "After what your bastard of a king has done!"

"I suspected you would say as much," Mustafa said, closing his eyes. "Very well." He nodded sagely after a few seconds, then pushed Chrom away. "Prince Chrom, I shall endeavor to grant you a swift and dignified end." The prince tumbled to the ground, but recovered in time to see Mustafa walking back to the spinning wall of wyvern riders.

I heard murmuring coming from behind me, but it was too quiet to understand over the turbulent noise of passing wyverns. Whatever it was, it was spreading throughout the Shepherds. Mustafa was talking with a wyvern rider that slowed and landed next to him. The soldier on its back and the rider were having some sort of argument while Mustafa mediated. Whatever was going on over there, he didn't notice the chatting growing amongst the Shepherds. By the time the command of, "When Robin speaks, duck down," reached me, the rider and soldier Mustafa had been talking to flew back into the torrent with a cheer. I had no idea what it meant.

"Riders!" he yelled, raising his hand. A resounding cheer reverberated from all of the Plegians present, echoing around us in a chorus. Mustafa spun around, his hand clenched in a fist and raised. "Ylisseans," he said, closing his eyes and dipping his head slightly. "This is your last chance."

"No, General Mustafa," Robin said, stepping to the forefront of our group to look the Plegian in the eyes. I waited for everyone else to dive down, like whoever whispered in my ear had said, but none of them did. It wasn't time, I assumed. The way Robin stood, confident and calm, told me she knew what she was doing and that the murmuring was her doing. Plus, something was lighting up the hand she held behind her back. "This is your last chance. Let us go without a struggle and we won't harm a single rider in your fleet. Clearly, neither of us wish for trouble."

"Sorry, lass," the Plegian said, shaking his head. "I'm afraid I cannot take that offer. I must bring you all back to the king or my family will likely face its end as a lesson. That is a chance I must not take, you see."

"Yes, I do," the tactician said, nodding sagely. "It's a shame it had to come to this, but…" She brought the hand she'd been hiding out in front of her and pulled the sleeve back. Her hand was clenched into a fist, but it was glowing yellow. As soon as she unclenched her hand, the sky rumbled and sparks danced up her arm and around her feet. She raised her hand to the air, and I saw Mustafa blanch. Lightning crackled, and at the last second, as the magic circles spun around her, Robin whirled around to face us. Her face was scrunched in pain, her snow-white hair billowing in the force of her magic. "GET DOWN!"

Everyone except for Krystal, Tharja, Miriel, and Ricken dove to the ground and covered our heads. The five mages, each of their hands glowing the colour of their respective magic, turned to face the same way as Robin and unleashed their charged up spells at the spinning wall of wyverns. All at once, blades of wind, balls of fire, bolts of lightning, and pillars of the void tore through the wyvern riders that happened to be either in the way or flying toward the vicinity of the devastating joint spell.

It created a deafening noise and a blinding flash, drowning out the noise of the no doubt screaming wyverns and riders without trouble. When the dust settled and I opened my eyes, bodies were strewn about everywhere and the remaining riders had scattered.

I pushed myself to my feet with a groan, jarred by the explosion and my ears ringing. The other Shepherds followed suit, though the mages were still standing by some miracle. I held a hand to my head while I righted my balance, taking in the sight before me. Yes, bodies were everywhere. Aside from the occasional intact wing or tail, however, I could not distinguish between the bloodied chunks of corpses. It was impossible to tell what was wyvern or what was its rider.

"Holy fuck," I muttered, but my voice was still muffled by my ringing ears. I rubbed at them while I looked over the other Shepherds. They seemed to be going through the same things. All except for the mages, none of whom remained standing after we all got off the ground. Each of the five collapsed to their knees, unable to support themselves after their spell.

Robin seemed to be the most coherent, however, and remained conscious. She was taking in ragged breaths, mouth hanging wide open, eyes closed, arms slack at her sides. "We… we need to go," she rasped, then was seized by a fit of coughing.

Zach was, unsurprisingly, the first to get over to her. His approach was less than graceful, however, interrupted by him falling halfway before reaching the tactician and pulling her to her feet. "Come on, Robin," he murmured, stumbling with her.

Behind them, Gregor was throwing Tharja over his shoulder, Ricken was being hauled onto Maribelle's horse, Miriel was picked up by Stahl, and Sumia helped Krystal onto her Pegasus. "We don't have a lot of time!" the Pegasus knight called in the midst of the act, then gestured with her chin to the sky behind us.

"Oh, fuck." The mages hadn't taken down all of the wyvern riders. While a sound amount was ripped apart, a good third of the original force escaped, scattering at the sign of attack. They were in no discernible formation, but their airborne forms dotted the cloudy sky as they looked down at us.

"Get them into the woods!" Virion yelled, taking command now that Robin was out of commission. He slipped into the role well, his usually calm voice carrying over the field. His face was set in determination and his bow notched. "I will do what I can to hold them back while you do so!"

"You won't be enough!" Sully called, though she was already helping get the others to the trees. "You can't hold off all those riders by yourself!"

"He won't be by himself," Cordelia said, hefting her lance. Her eyes were narrowed, unflinching as she glared at the wyvern riders in the distance. Her Pegasus snorted and flapped its wings, seeming to share her discontent with the Plegians. Cordelia stroked its mane and said, "I'll be here with him. He needs someone to keep them at a distance, and I have a grudge to settle with the Plegians anyway."

She was going to stay behind and fight them? While the rest of us fled? But this was a suicide mission! She had to realize that—wait. Was that why she wanted to…? I looked at her face, searching for any sign of despair that would lead her to wanting to engage in this fatal mission. I found nothing, however, except for a hardened determination and an angry glare. She didn't want to die. She really did want revenge against these Plegians. No, she wasn't going to die here. Not without fighting. But I couldn't let her go alone and risk dying without… I made up my mind.

"I'll go with you." She whirled on me in shock, eyes wide. She looked ready to protest, but I held up a hand to stop her. "I'm doing this for me," I said, half-lying. We wouldn't even be in this situation if I had done something to let the Shepherds know of Aversa's trap. I felt at least partially responsible for this mess, and couldn't rightfully retreat while others sacrificed themselves like this. It didn't sit well with me. "Plus, you need someone to watch your back."

"Dammit, I'm going too—" Chrom began, but Frederick cut him off, pulling the forlorn prince onto his massive horse without any issue. The knight gave no consolation as he dragged Chrom away from the fight and away from certain danger. Good. We didn't have to worry about keeping him safe now.

"Are we ready then?" another voice said, and I looked to see Dylan hobbling up behind me. I gave him an incredulous look, not about to allow him to fight in his condition, but his death glare shut me up. I would let him talk, at the very least. "Don't even start," he said, walking past me and rolling his shoulders. "I'm doing this because I feel partly responsible, like I haven't done enough." He looked me in the eye, and I knew what he meant, even if he kept his wording vague enough so the other didn't understand. "Besides, you'll need me for this."

I scowled, but nodded. "Alright, Virion. Your call."

The arched nodded, not a sense of humour present in his visage. "Very well. Prepare to engage."

Zach POV:

"I don't feel good about this," Robin muttered as I half-carried her toward the woods. They looked dense enough to keep us protected and hidden from the wyverns, but to what end? I couldn't help but wonder. "I don't like leaving them back there to cover our escape."

"There is nothing to be done," I said, though I felt the same way. I had a shitty feeling in my gut. This situation didn't sit well with me, either, but we needed to make a getaway, and I could see no other way out of this. I only worried about what was coming up ahead, and how we would get out of these trees without being spotted.

"But there is!" the tactician protested, but was then seized by another round of coughing. I kept my eye on her, nervous but unsure of what to do, until her breathing caught up. "There is something we could do! I just don't know what it is. I can't find the right solution, or the right strategy to lead us to victory." Her voice was quiet, a raspy whisper. "My lack of skill already cost us one life today. Who's to say that it won't cost us another?" She looked up at me with a defeated look in her eyes that I couldn't bear to see.

"I am," I growled, looking away from her and straight ahead. "They'll be fine, now be quiet and concentrate on staying on your feet." I didn't care if I didn't fully believe it. I really didn't need her negativity bringing down my hopes any more than my own was.

Then I heard a wyvern roar in rage and a battle cry, and a shiver went down my spine.

Robert POV:

The wyvern roared, and dove straight for us with its jaws outstretched. Before it could reach us, however, Virion dispatched it with a single arrow that shredded its wing. I ran over to the crashed dragon as it ground into the dirt, dead on impact while its passengers recovered from the rough landing.

I was able to kill the soldier was he was still disoriented, and the rider had been flung from the saddle, dying alongside his mount. That only left the barbarian that stumbled free of the mess. He was coherent enough to catch my blade mid-swing with his axe, but not fast enough to stop the punch that broke his nose and knocked him back far enough for me to get in a second, fatal swing.

"Robert!" Cordelia called my name, and I spun around in time to see her flying toward me with a wyvern rider tailing her. I reached out my hand, and she caught it as she flew by, pulling me onto her Pegasus. We soared into the sky, the Plegian hot on our tail. I cast a glance back to see how close he was, but we were pulling away. "How do we deal with this?" she asked, and I thought for a moment.

"Get lower!" I said, an idea popping into my head. There were three of them on that wyvern, so I would be outnumbered, but if I could catch them by surprise, then victory was assured. "When we get low to the ground, swoop back up right away and be ready to help me out if I need it!"

"What are you going to do?" she asked, chancing a look my way, but I didn't meet her gaze. I was too busy staring into the eyes of the wyvern rider at the reins.

"Just trust me." I heard her groan in exasperation, but with a flick of the reins, we began to descend. The wyvern rider followed almost our exact path, and I had to hide my smirk. I moved my eyes to the ground, and when we were just above it, I looked back to the wyvern rider. As soon as he was level with the ground like we were, I shouted, "Go up!"

Cordelia spurred the Pegasus almost vertical, and I leapt from its back. Neither the wyvern or its rider were ready for me to jump off mid-air, and I collided with the rider sword-first, killing him in a single blow. As a result of the impact, I knocked the other passengers off at the same time, and we all tumbled to the ground. A thunk and a roar of pain let me know Virion had taken care of the rider-less wyvern. With that taken care of, my two foes were part of the jumbled mess of limbs underneath me. I raised my sword to stab through whatever I could, but something hit me in the face and forced me to roll away.

The barbarian and lancer took this opportunity to rise to their feet and brandish their weapons. "For our General!" the lancer cried, raising his lance and charging. Not missing a beat, the barbarian joined him and both rushed me with their weapons raised. I raised my own sword to block, but out of the corner of my eyes I saw a flash of red fast approaching, so I switched to an offensive stance and ran to meet the Plegians' charge.

With a shout, I swung my sword at the lancer as I heard Cordelia yell, "I got you!" and throwing one of her javelins at the barbarian. The barbarian let out a cry of pain, and I traded blows with the lancer. His lance grazed my side, due to me spinning into my swing, and I cleaved halfway through him.

I yanked my sword out and waved to Cordelia, who waved back before riding after a wyvern rider who had his sights set on Virion. The archer was firing arrow after arrow, each one bringing down a wyvern. I wondered how many arrows he had, but another thought was more prevalent in my mind, one brought on by what the soldier had said before charging. With a start, I realized I hadn't see the Plegian General since the mages used their combined magic. Where is Mustafa?

I spun around, looking over the battlefield in search of the General while also keeping an eye out for approaching enemies. Virion had cut down the airborne threat significantly, with the few remaining riders working to avoid his arrows or give chase to Cordelia or Dylan. I was out of their sights, but the only reason they were able to move fast enough to avoid Virion's shots were because they had let their ground troops off.

And one of those ground troops was going after Virion, who was busy dealing with wyverns to notice.

I took off at a dead sprint, white-knuckling my sword to keep from dropping it as I charged at full-speed to intercept the barbarian. A roar almost caught my attention, but I was steadfast, moving toward my target and…!

He raised his axe, but I lowered my shoulder and brought him to the ground before he could attack. He grunted as he hit the ground, and I raised my sword to stab him. Just before my blade connected, he rolled and pushed me off. I rolled out of the way to avoid his following slash, then again when he tried to repeat the move.

When he went to try a third time, I shortened my roll so I narrowly avoided his axe. I remained close enough so that when it hit the dirt, I grabbed the handle and pulled myself to my feet. I slammed my forehead into his and stabbed him through the gut while he was stunned, ending his life.

"Robert!" I was given no time to react. I was grabbed by the collar of my coat and yanked backward, flying back several feet before slamming my back onto the dirt. Standing over me was the bearded Plegain General, his axe resting on his shoulder again. I could not read his face as he raised his weapon, but I could see the pain when an arrow thudded into his back and gave me the chance to escape.

I backed away, but kept a ready stance and circled around him to stand in front of Virion. "I can take care of this guy," I told the archer. I figured Mustafa couldn't be much stronger or faster than the Warrior I'd fought when freeing the Pegasus knights, and I'd defeated him by myself. Winning this would not be farfetched at that rate. "Just keep my covered and keep yourself safe." If I had to protect Virion, however, that would turn the battle from my favor.

"You wish to battle me yourself, then?" Mustafa asked, holding his axe parallel to the ground with one hand. "Come, then. I will attempt to make this quick." It wasn't arroganace, but confidence in his voice. For some reason, that made his patronizing comment less aggravating and made me respect him more for the calm, respectful delivery.

"And I will do the same!" The end of my sentence was punctuated with a grunt, our two weapons meeting in a clash. The weight of his axe was amazing, and I marveled that he could swing it about so easily, but I also figured that if I evaded his attack, we would be left wide open. "Hyah!" I slashed horizontally as soon as I was able, then hopped back just in time to avoid a right hook.

Faster than I could retaliate, the General swung again, this time vertically, then horizontally again to keep me on my toes. I side stepped the first attack, then hopped backward to narrowly avoid the second.

He was faster than the Warrior at the fort, I realized. This was going to be troublesome.

I heard a screech above me, and looked up to see Dylan diving down to assist me. He was close enough for me to see each individual feather when one of the few remaining wyvern riders intercepted him and knocked him off course.

"You let your guard down!" Mustafa roared, swinging wide. I had done just that. With my guard down, I gave him a clear shot at my stomach, which he obliged without question. His axe cut long and deep along my gut. The only reason he didn't cut me completely in half was because I had enough instinctual reaction speed to twist and angle myself around a fatal blow.

I stumbled backward, clutching my gaping, bleeding wound with my entire left arm while I made a feeble attempt to keep my sword raised with me right. I hunched over, dropping to me knee, and Mustafa made his approach to finish me off.

He raised his axe as he drew near. I grit my teeth and forced myself to my feet, catching myself when I stumbled. I was hesitant, reluctantly moving my left arm to hold my sword with both hands. It wasn't doing much good applying pressure there, anyway. I was going to die here. Least I could do was deal at least one good blow on Mustafa to make him easier for the others to take down.

"Come on then, big guy!" I growled, holding my sword out in front of me. When he was no more than five feet away, I advanced. I made slow steps until my sword was a thrust away from hitting, then lunged. I knew he would bat me away with his axe, and lowered my stab so when I missed his gut, I cut along his thigh, long and deep. Just like the wound along my stomach that…

I slid along the ground, scrambling to my feet while Mustafa hissed in pain. I felt a cough rising up within me, but held it down. "Come on!"

He hardly regarded the bleeding cut along his leg, taking slow deliberate steps toward me. Knowing him, he probably sought to kill me swiftly and end my pain, which, to be honest, was quite expansive and miserable. I was dying in misery here, but dammit, I was not done. Virion sure as hell couldn't take this guy, and I was not leaving him at full strength for Cordy to deal with.

Ah. Cordelia. That's right, I couldn't die yet. I still had to give here… "Agh, Gods dammit, fuck…" I stumbled back a few steps, before charging forward, back at Mustafa. I was going to kill him here. There was something I had to give Cordelia, and if I was dead, I couldn't give it to her, so I need to survive. I needed to kill Mustafa and survive.

"RRHHAA—" I was stopped inches from cutting him by a close-fisted punch to the mouth, which sent me to the ground.

I tasted blood as I stood, then wiped my lip with the back of my hand. Ugh, the bastard split it. I spit out a wad of blood and readjusted my grip on my sword. One more charge. All this would take was one good hit. "Come, now, boy," Mustafa said. "Allow me to end this quickly."

"Like hell!" I ran at him again to the best of my ability. I raised my sword, letting him think I was swinging from the right when…

Mustafa did the same horizontal swing, expecting me to do the same thing as last time. Instead, I dove to the side, aiming to slash along his other leg. My blade, higher than I expected, cut into his stomach and made its way down to the middle of his thigh when his leg lashed out and kicked me in the gut.

I rolled along the ground, that cough from before seizing me. I held myself up on my hands and knees, coughing up blood in a small pool on the ground. Mustafa marched back over to me, and in my weakened state, I was in no position to fight back. I had no idea where anybody else was. My entire world was red with pain and the Plegian General approaching in my peripherals. I tried to push myself up to face him, but couldn't rise from the ground.

Mustafa's axe was out of view, so I figured he had it raised. I was going to be executed. I was going to die. But I couldn't die, not here. There were things I wanted to do! In this world, I… I felt along my side for my pocket, where I knew. I knew that I…

"This is the end, lad," Mustafa said, reverent.

"Robert!" I heard Cordelia's voice. Was I hallucinating? Or was she actually calling? I couldn't tell. Everything was red… I…. I had to… I had to give her the pins!

The last thing I knew, I saw beyond Mustafa's legs, and there was a loud screech, like Dylan's always sounded. It was loud, loud enough for me to think it was real, and then I saw a big dark shape hurtling toward me and Mustafa. Next thing after that, a crashing noise and darkness…

Cutting it real goddamn close, I know! Holy shit, and yes, this is technically on schedule. As I post this, it is 11:54, so I am technically on time! Yes!

Not much else to say, in a bit of a rush and I want to go to bed. But don't ever say I don't stick to my word. Now, I have to get to sleep so I can cheat on my math test tomorrow.

All of the Oats have left the building.