Author's Note: Behold, for I am back! Here you go, Chapter 18 is finally here! Enjoy!
As the mild coolness of Ferox made itself felt amongst us, with the sun high on the sky, Sir Frederick made me a question.
"Morgan, I heard from your father that you applied Luna to an arrow. Could you show it to me later? I'm quite intrigued by that fact."
I smile as I answer: "But it's not something that special. When Father taught it to me, he used a Wind spell."
"But how did it work, if magic already penetrates the thickest of armors?" The knight seemed confused. Weren't all skills in fact applicable to any kind of combat method?
"Oh, he got one of those magic resistance-enchanted clothes sages and sorcerers use instead of a piece of armor. As the spell reached the straw dummy, the vestment plainly collapsed on the floor, filled with cut up straws, but mostly intact."
"I assume that by extension, Sol and Astra can potentially work in the same way, right?"
"Yup!" I unwrap one of the candies that Mother left me before Father and her left towards Valm, and luckily Gaius hasn't managed to steal them. Placing a magic seal whenever I left the pouch unattended has proven a great idea. Nah would manage to open it, though. The seal can't be that strong due to the pouch's materials and size, and manaketes can emit huge surges of magical power.
"Guess there are many things yet to be learned." As we march forward, the knight suddenly kneels and picks up something half buried in the dirt.
"Freddie, what's that?" I ask with a smile.
"A gold coin." He opens his palm and shows the shining object in his hand.
"You sure have keen eyes!"
"It is my duty to pay attention to anything as King Chrom's guard."
"Heh, Freddie Bear, you are always so serious, right?"
As I overheard Kellam and Donnel discussing crops, for some reason, a word tries to pop into my head. It starts with "Mon" I think. What do Monads or Monarchs have to do with crops anyways?
O.O.O
We reach a crossroads, yet as we are about to take the way towards Ylisse, we hear the screams of a young woman. Chrom leads us towards the desperate shouts coming from the other route, as we see a maiden desperately looking for help.
"What's the matter?"
Upon hearing Uncle Chrom's question, she pleads for help. "Milord, Inigo, the swordsman, went by himself against an entire bandit stronghold up this road! Please, help him!"
Inigo? That's one of the future children Lucina mentioned to me before we separated. Chrom instantly nods as he says: "Shepherds, change of course! We'll go and defeat those bandits!"
As my mind goes through a set of strategies from Father's teachings, we start marching towards the fortress.
O.O.O
"A-one and a-two…" As the blue-clothed swordsman spun around, blocking sword strikes with his armshield as he moved around, fighting three bandits at once. My mind tried to figure his combat pattern. Was he… dancing? Yet more hooded men kept appearing from the fort.
I then shout: "Frederick, Sully, charge their flanks! Sumia, Nowi, to the skies and attack on any openings they make! Ricken, Tharja, get in middle range and start firing! Gregor, Panne, Anna, Kellam, Vaike, attack from the front! Libra, Maribelle, get those staves ready! Gaius, grab your bow and start shooting the enemy from afar!" I myself grab my bow, and start shooting the nearmost bandit. My arrow hits the neck, and the bandit starts throwing out blood from the mouth, as he collapses into the ground.
Noticing the help, the swordsman backs up, as he gives a smiling look to me: "Oh, if it's not Morgan, most beautiful of tacticians! It was impossible for the world to be deprived of such a beauty as yours!"
"You are Inigo, right?" As I reply with a smile, his face blushes as he looks embarassed.
"Y-you forgot me!?"
"Along with almost everyone else, yup! Lucina filled me in, though." As griffon riders start appearing from the skies, I comment: "Now let's get back to battling!" I then shout: "Mages, get those griffons down with the Elwind tomes!" I notch another arrow, now aimed towards the sky, and shoot. In the air, Chrom defends Sumia's pegasus from the griffon's beaks with the Falchion, as his wife blocks the enemies' axes with her spear.
Inigo notices the heavy armored bandits starting to appear from the fortress, as he says: "Now, dear, I think I'll help the front lines." He proceeds to sheath his Killing Edge on his side as he grabs the Armorslayer on his back, charging forward.
As the last of the enemy fliers is taken down, Sumia and Nowi descend to the ground, and, as we take down the armored bandits, we enter the fortress. Torchers give a dim light to the hall, many corridors convering in it.
As sorcerers start appearing on the room, I shout: "Mages, and whoever can use a bow, give us some cover! Melee fighters try to get close to the enemy casters!" I then unfold my Arcthunder tome as I roar: "Ignis!"
The lightning initially surges in multiple directions, but it condenses into an axe, my hand gripping it as it forms.
Chrom turns towards me as he asks: "Morgan, is that…?"
As I slash in half a shadowy bolt with the newly created weapon, I chirp: "Yes! Ignis's second application! Temporary weapon creation with an attack spell!"
"It looks good. The way you handle it…" He looks at the way my hands grip the weapon.
"Father confirmed it to me, it's the same way Mother does. I'm not sure if it was she or Gerome who actually taught it to me, though." Sayin this, I turn and start moving towards the closest enemy.
Axemen start charging from behind the enemy sorcerers and I clash with the one in front of me. Our weapons lock themselves as he smiles, his strength slightly higher than mine. I then disperse some of the weapon's energy, and the bandit is shocked, stopping the pressure he is applying. I take the change to place my left hand in front of his chest as I say: "Arcthunder." The man falls dead, and I turn towards the enemy sorceror.
Yet his comrade's death distracts him, and Ricken's magic overpowers his own. As the barrage of wind reaches him, the dark-robed magus is blasted into the wall.
Inigo is locked in combat with a dark-clothed bandit who seems quite deft with his sword. I approach him, as I ask. "Inigo, need a hand?"
With a confident voice as he parries a savage slash, he says: "Don't worry, I'm almost done with this one." Positioning his sword, he says at the one who seems to lead the bandits: "No hard feelings! Luna!" He lunges at the enemy as he prepares a slash, but as the enemy prepares to parry, Inigo's sword phases through and lands a clear, deadly cut, his sword leaving a glowing trail.
"That was the last of them, it seems." King Chrom then turns towards Inigo, as he asks: "You must be another of the future children, right?"
Inigo bows as he says: "Of course, milord, I am Inigo, the Azure S-"
Anna pops by the side, a wicked smile in her face, as she completes his phrase: "Skirtchaser." Inigo looks at her, flustered, as she says, grinning: "I got the memo from one of my sisters a year and a half ago, about a blue clothed, brown haired philanderer wandering around the continent."
As if matching the description, the maid that had asked us for help arrives, saying: "Inigo, you did it!"
The swordsman confidently smiles as he says: "Of course, my beautiful maiden. Now, how about we have some tea time?"
Chrom sighs as he signals for us to keep moving, as I say: "Inigo, let's get moving. We need to get ready for the Valmese warships that will siege Ylisse soon."
"B-but teatime!"
I grab one of his ears and I say, calmly: "Let' . ."
Inigo straightens up, sweat starting to appear on his face, and says: "As you order!" I grin as the two of us move towards the rest of the Shepherds. He then lowers his voice, as he comments: "I bet there will be more buttercups along the road, at least."
I grin to him, as I ask: "Said anything?"
"Nope!" Freddie says that Mother could be scary at times, guess I must have gotten that from her. Of course, it's all for having some fun, right?
O.O.O
As we move forward, Inigo approaches Olivia, who is quietly talking with her husband and the royals. "Umm…Olivia? Can I have a moment?"
The dancer blushes as she asks: "With me? Wait, how do you know my name?"
Inigo smiles as he takes out a ring from his pocket: "Here, look at this."
Olivia's eyes widen as she takes a quick look at her own hand: "M-my ring!? But… I am wearing it right now! How did…?"
"Who else could have a ring that is exactly the same as yours?"
Frederick's eyes open, as if in shock. The knight turns towards Chrom, with a look of a man pleading for mercy, as he says: "Milord… I…I…I've fathered a philanderer!"
I can't help but laugh at the situation, inciting everyone else to share in the mood. Frederick calms down after seeing our reaction, and looks at Inigo, as he says: "Son!"
"Yes, Father?"
"Tomorrow, one- no, two hours before dawn, we'll be training at the camp."
"But I need my beauty sleep!"
"No excuses, as your father, it is my duty to straighten your ethics and morals! And the only way for a proper knight to live, is with hard work and exercise!"
O.O.O
Tonight it was my turn to cook, alongside Sumia and Panne. As I stand near a large table, to receive everyone's empty dishes, I see Gaius and Nowi trying to sneak in and leave their dishes unseen. I turn towards them, smiling, and inspect them.
With a grin, I say: "Would you be as kind as to finish your veggies first?" Of course, I make sure they get what I mean. No one leaves a meal I worked hard on unfinished.
The two of them, mildly scared, nod as they wipe their plates clean. I smile as I collect the dishes.
O.O.O
As I enjoyed the breakfast that had been brought to my chambers shortly after waking up, the village's chief entered, bowing, as he saluted: "Good morning, Lord Stormbringer."
"Good morning. You often come to visit after midday, has something happened?"
"One of the Anna sisters has come to town. She asked if you were interested in buying back some of the ornaments that you sold to her a couple of years ago."
"How much is our current monetary surplus?"
"About ten thousand gold, milord. Her offer is of a mere four thousand and eight hundred gold." Ten thousand
"Has she brought any Silver grade weaponry, or higher quality ranged weapons?"
"Only the usual steel weaponry, milord."
"Then tell her that I am not personally interested in any of her wares. However, do buy any firewood, coal, or wheat that she has brought, as well as salted meat."
"But milord, those ornaments had been kept by previous Lords from King Valm's times!"
"Yet they are only ornaments, as you said yourself. As ruler of this place, my main duties are to keep my people healthy and my soldiers at top-notch. When we have both a decent amount of reserves, as well as men equipped with the best weaponry available in Valm, then we might consider buying those ornaments back. Now, if that's all you have to tell me, please let me continue my breakfast."
"Yes, there's one more thing. Anna brought a sealed letter directed to you." He hands me a sealed letter, with the symbol of the Anna sisterhood on the seal.
"Now this is what you should have begun with." Carefully opening the envelope, I pick out a small written message:
Gerome, Blacklock here. We found Morgan. Nah, Lucy and I are coming to Valm alongside your father. Your sister is going to stay at Ylisse with King Chrom to handle the defenses against a Valmese incursion, and will join us after that."
Blacklock, Annie's nickname back when we were children. I let a small smile slip as I said: "Heh, she has brought good news indeed."
"Milord, what are you up to?"
"Soon, we are going to openly rise in arms against Walhart."
"But don't we have a truce with the Conqueror?"
I let a small laugh out, as I explain: "The only reason Walhart hasn't invaded us yet is because, other than not providing any real strategic value, this place would be terribly difficult to take over, especially with the current rebellion. He has barely two dozen wyvern riders, all of them inferior to the quality of our own, and not many archer squads. With not only my own wyvern riders, but the wild wyverns following my command as well, do you think he considers it viable to attack us right now?"
"So he's saving us for last?"
"As a matter of fact, yes."
"Then it remains a matter of when to make our opposition formal, right?"
"There will be an obvious signal for that moment."
"Very well then. I'll then proceed to handle the negotiations with Anna." As the elderly man leaves, I feel a weight being lifted from me, and my eyes watch the sky from the window. Lucina and Morgan are both alive and well. At least I'll have better sleep now. At least my mind won't bother me anymore, even if those serenading girls keep sneaking past Minerva somehow, and I'd rather not have to have a couple of my men making watch over the night.
Lucina, do you still have the mask I gave you, the day before we went through Naga's portal?
Father was in the courtyard, talking with a fellow nobleman about matters that, at that time, did not interest me at all. Mother had taken Morgan to the castle to play with the princesses, as Father would, as he had promised, take the day to train me in weapons and tactics. I sneaked my way into the master bedroom, and after a couple minutes, I found what I was looking for.
The black mask Father would use for the occasionall ball held at the castle, when they weren't out of Ylisstol fighting somewhere, small enough to conceal the eyes. The first time I had seen him with it, I didn't want to do anything but to try putting it on myself. Of course, at the time both Father and Mother were about to leave, so I chose not to delay them. As I opened the drawer a little further to retrieve it, something else caught my attention. A blue mask, large wing-like extensions covering most of the face, mouth excluded.
"Oh, so there you were, Gerome." My father's voice came from behind me, as I turned towards a smile from him. "I guess you were looking for my mask, weren't you?" I grinned back at him, and nodded, and he continued: "But you must wonder what, or whom to be precise, is the other mask for? Of course it is not fit for Cherche. Indeed, that is a gift I have prepared for within a couple of years, when Princess Lucina will have grown a little older. I wonder whether we should have you present it to her, then?" My cheeks reddened, and he loudly laughed. "That's my boy. Now, would you like to try on my mask?" As he carefully tied it around my face, he placed his right hand under his chin, as if judging, and with a smile, commented: "Guess I'll have to get a new mask for myself when you grow a little older. Now turn to the mirror so you can see yourself."
The next season, I became the head of House Stormbringer.
Author's PD: Sorry for the delay, but RL just decided to give me quite the trouble over the past couple of weeks. Also, personally I don't like Vaike. He's too much of the dumb muscle pervert character-type for me to actually consider liking, which means that by default I don't like any of his pairings. Then, Tharja is a yandere, seriously people, you don't even let a yandere near you, it has always a good chance of someone getting stabbed; and she's THE worst mother. Noire is a completely broken girl as a result of Tharja's decisions. The only pairup giving her a decent ending is Libra's tbh. And as I commented in a GameFAQs topic, I'd gladly trade the two of them+Virion for an additional Boots.