"Ha ha! So... what'd you think?" Gaius exclaimed.

Chrom shivered, wrapping his cloak more tightly around himself. "It was...interesting."

It was the only way he could describe the performance Gaius had brought him to see. It was probably nearing one or two in the morning, and they were both a little tipsy, still feeling the rush from watching the spectacle running through their veins as they wandered the alleys of Ylisstol back to the castle. They were armed, not only because of Chrom's status, but because the area was far from reputable. Gaius had been telling stories of criminals and delinquents from the area moments earlier.

"Yeah but was it FUN?!" asked the ginger, a little too loudly.

"Well, I suppose so. I'd never seen a man juggle flaming hams before... And when those acrobats got into a knife fight...that was really something."

"I know, you're overwhelmed. It's a lot to take in. Still, we did what we set out to do."

Chrom tilted his head. "And what was that, exactly?"

Gaius grinned. "To show you a slice of the real world!"

"Ah, yes."

"So then? Still think you're trapped in a prison made of diamonds and baby tears? Today you wanted to experience something new, and that's exactly what we did! No one tried to stop you." That was only because no one knew he had snuck out of the castle. "No one asked for your autograph. Nothing stood in the way except your own royal reserve. King or travelling minstrel, the world is as narrow or wide as you make it."

"You're saying it's not duty that holds me back, but...self-pity? Gods..." groaned the prince. "I've been such a self-indulgent arse..."

"Aw, don't be too hard on yourself, Blue. Those silk-clad shoulders carry a heavier burden than I'd be willing to bear," he said, clapping Chrom's shoulder. "Just remember — attitude and outlook go a long way toward making your world."

"And you took me to that den of iniquity just to teach me that lesson?"

"Naw. I like going there, but I can't afford it unless some sap foots the bill. But you be sure to let me know when you want to go again, all right?"

Chrom grimaced. "...Maybe later."

"Excuse me, sirs?"

Across the road, a young girl in rags called to them from the entrance to a bar. Drunken laughter roared from inside, along with the stink of smoke and body odour. Chrom was immediately drawn to the mucky girl, face smeared with dirt, ill-fitting shoes falling apart around her curled feet, hair a nest-like tangle upon her scalp. Her eyes, though without tears, made pity well up from within him, and he wandered towards her.

Until Gaius gripped his shoulder and shoved him the way they were originally going. "Sorry. Got no cash for you," he lied.

"Really? Not you either?" she asked Chrom, and licked her lips.

He was about to answer, but Gaius cut in, "Yeah, no. We should be going."

The prince was about to protest, but a stern, sobered look from the assassin had him biting his tongue. He pushed Chrom harder and steered them on a seemingly random course through the alleys. Trying and failing to keep up and quiet at the same time, Chrom was quickly disoriented at the pace and only had a vague idea that they were heading towards the main street. He hadn't been as inebriated in the first place, but he had to shake his head and try to concentrate on following. Despite every moral fibre telling him to turn around and hand that girl some money, something to get her out of those rags, when he tried to turn back, Gaius' hand seized him like a vice.

Eventually, Chrom stopped resisting.

He was dragged into another alley, and the girl stood before them. Her gaze was fixed on the prince. Gaius widened his stance. Chrom mimicked him. The alley was barely two metres wide. The main road was behind her.

Gaius, arms hidden beneath his cloak, repeated, "We should get going."

"But you have money..." she murmured.

"No, we don't," Chrom lied. He felt horrible for it but told himself that Gaius knew more about this world than Chrom ever would.

Her face was blank. In the darkness, it looked as pale as a corpse. "But I'm so hungry..."

A tentacle pierced her arm, rose, and threw her over Chrom and Gaius. Their path was clear. They could escape. But neither could move, only watch the girl. The black-clad owner of the tentacles pounced and grabbed the crying girl by the collar. The gloved hand dug into her skin beneath the clothing. Another rinkaku was poised over her heart. Her dirty clothing was stained crimson down her side. Her eyes were the blood-red of a ghoul.

Gaius grabbed the prince and ran. The blood rushed to Chrom's head and he joined the escape.

He heard Robin growl something. The girl shrieked.

Chrom stumbled. Gaius yanked him up and sprinted.

After an eternity and no time at all, they reached the concealed cleft in the castle wall and passed through into the maple grove. Chrom fell against a tree, panting. He hadn't felt such a rush and breathlessness since Plegia. He tugged at his collar. The cool night air was a welcome relief. Gaius collapsed onto a thick root.

His voice broke. "Holy fuck!"

"That was too close," the prince coughed out.

The assassin's pupils were dilated beyond adapting to the darkness. "I don't know about you, Blue, but I am not doing that shit again!"

"You and me both." Chrom did not want to see something like that again. He was dressed warmly, but he started trembling.

"Honestly, I didn't know she was faking it. Not for sure, anyway. But that area's not safe. A kid like that would know better than to be out at night. Didn't expect things to get so..." Gaius rambled, suddenly as breathless as Chrom. "I know a guy who messed with Grimaspawn. Knew. I knew a guy. Not like he's alive to tell the tale. Guess it made me even jumpier..."

Chrom couldn't listen to the rest. Nor could he listen to Sumia, still awake with worry, when he joined her. Nor Frederick in the morning after his restless sleep, chastising him for being out of the castle so late at night. He couldn't muster any appetite for breakfast. He couldn't think of anything discussed in the council that day.

All he could think about was whether he had witnessed a child's last moments.

Once midday had passed he sat down in his office to study the reports demanding his approval and signature. A knock on the door and Frederick's voice asking for entry broke any form of concentration he had gathered, but perhaps whatever the great knight had for him could serve as a better distraction.

Frederick stepped in, sure to close the door behind him, and approached the unnecessarily large and ornate desk. With a bow, he announced, "I've come to discuss the matter you entrusted to me, milord."

Although it had been discussed merely a few days ago, Chrom had entirely forgotten about the rumoured Risen sightings. "I assume you have made progress. Your work ethic is impeccable as ever."

"There has been some progress. It seems there was someone intentionally spreading rumours. We are currently investigating their whereabouts. However, they are likely not Ylissean."

"I see. In which case, what could their motive be?"

"My hypothesis is that they intended to lure someone out. But their target was not among those who came, and so they did not act," said the great knight. The permanent crease between his brows deepened. "It goes without saying that, as the reigning monarch, you immediately come to mind, milord."

"So, in the end, it was something that simple..." Chrom muttered. "And how might they have acted if their target had arrived?"

"One can only hope in a manner we can tackle, but if they were to attack with actual Risen..."

Frederick was referring to summoning. While there was only one known person who could, they had caused a tragedy none could forget: Aversa, the day of Emmeryn's death. The one to undermine their plan. The one possibility Robin had been unable to consider. But they had heard nothing of Aversa since. She hadn't even been present for Gangrel's defeat. By all accounts, she had vanished, perhaps even never existed in the first place. But if it wasn't her, could somebody else know of how to control the undead? Such a terrifying thought reduced both men to silence.

The disquiet was only broken by a trio of sharp knocks on the door. Frederick turned on his heel and cracked the door open just wide enough to slip through and confront the disruption. Chrom saw him straighten in his armour, then open the doors wide and allow the newcomer through.

"Milord, Lady Maribelle wishes to speak with you," he announced. "It's about Duke Assedis."

Again, something to catch his attention and distract from unpleasant thoughts. Albeit an incredibly irritating one. While known for his incompetence, his love for the politics of Chrom's father, and by extension Emmeryn's rather unfavourable view of him, the month-long absence the duke of Assedis had enjoyed was uncharacteristic. Chrom wasn't entirely sure of his name, he'd seen so little of him. There hadn't been a single letter either, which had slowed several discussions — as those with similar views in the council insisted on his input — and postponed votes.

The valkyrie entered wearing a long dress her favoured pink, though with significantly less lace than she had worn as a mounted healer during the war, and no parasol in sight. She carried herself with the same grace and poise as ever, but her lips were pressed in a grim line. She looked as distraught as he felt.

A renewed sense of foreboding settled in his gut. Frederick pulled out the chair opposite the prince, then called for some tea. Maribelle sank into her seat with a clipped thanks.

"What's happened?" Chrom hurried.

She took a deep breath. "Duke Assedis was found dead this morning, in a rather... unlawful area of Ylisstol. His... His body was so horribly mutilated we could only identify him by his clothing and ring."

"You saw that?" Maribelle nodded.

"We suspect the corpse was around a month old. There wasn't much left at all. He...looked like he had been eaten." She gripped the armrest. "I've never heard of ghoul attacks in Ylisse before. In fact, I'd believed them to be Grimleal mythology until the Plegia campaign."

Frederick returned with tea, swiftly setting it on the desk. Maribelle took a sip with the same grace which had been drilled into her from a young age, but she couldn't conceal her shakiness.

"Are you alright, at least?" Chrom asked.

"I am," she lied. "Or I will be. I only wish the same could be said for the poor person who first found the corpse and whom the proper authorities hesitated to listen to. We should have known sooner. As for his people...he has no heir."

The best way to describe the man would have been "truant", but the land he owned depended on his meagre voice on the council's discussions. And such a murder would shake not only them, but anyone who heard the truth behind it. The threats named "ghouls" and "Grimaspawn" felt that much closer because of this single incident.

"None of us could have imagined this," Frederick said to no one in particular, perhaps as an attempt at consolation.

But Robin might have.

Robin's territory encompassed many of Ylisstol's slums and bars. The darkest parts of the capital were always the best for hunting. Drunkards and criminals were easy pickings. His territory was extremely desirable to all ghouls. He'd shooed off or killed plenty of nuisances since he'd settled, but only the fewest interlopers were anywhere close to a match for him.

Those ghouls were of a different breed. Ghouls with long maroon robes over their bodies and hoods over their heads. Their masks resembled skulls.

It had been the swiftest altercation he had ever been a part of. The henchmen had included two bikaku, who had left him futilely flailing his rinkaku. The first ghouls Rosewald had sent after him couldn't have held a candle to these ones. He couldn't have stood a chance against their leader if he'd tried. His regeneration was hindered by their type and the constant bombardment of their attacks.

Who were they? Why did they want him? He knew they heard those questions between his fighting, screaming, shielding the child, and fleeing. But the ghouls in red hadn't answered. They'd overwhelmed him. They'd defeated him. He had never lost like that before.

The deep stab wound to his gut was bandaged and closed. Robin's Rc cells should have done the rest for him, and so he had been quick to clean his bisected upper arm, but progress was slow. He considered himself lucky Libra had already left their room early that morning for prayers. He certainly would not have appreciated seeing his bloodied friend crawling in through the window and collapsing into the shelf to steal medical supplies.

He tied off the final bandage, then held his tongue as he wriggled into his shirt and undercoat. The Grimleal coat he had yet to part with hung over the foot of the bed. He still carried that original Thunder tome with him and kept the bronze sword leaned against his bookcase, despite having mastered Arcthunder and procured an iron sword during the war.

A knock on the door disrupted his quiet musings — he probably had Libra to thank for the fact nobody had come earlier — and he called for the guest to enter.

Chrom's stench preceded him, and made the frustration, forgotten after the fight, rush back to the surface.

Before the human could even open his mouth, he hissed, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Chrom startled. "Uh..." He fumbled to shut the door. "Gaius and I—"

"Decided to go to the most ghoul-infested area of Ylisstol, with a scent that'll attract them from miles, with nothing to defend yourself with?! How could you be so foolish?!"

"That's..." Chrom's gaze sharpened. A year or so ago, Robin might have backed down. Now, dressed in the fancy robes his station demanded, with only Falchion at his hip to show he knew battle, his bearing did not intimidate the one-eyed ghoul in the slightest. "I came here to talk to you about ghouls, but not that. Besides, we were armed, and you found us. Nothing happened."

He was such a fool, Robin thought. He turned his back to the man and reached for the Grimleal coat. "Not this time."

A note of fear entered the prince's odour. He was about to object, so Robin growled, "No, Chrom. Listen! You are so ridiculously lucky I went out and that our paths crossed when they did. Others can easily follow the smell of a delicacy. I can't. I have sharp senses for a ghoul, yes, but finding a bad smell when a place like that is nothing but bad smells is not so easy. I could have easily lost you. Don't underestimate just how lucky you were, ending up in my territory."

Chrom finally conceded with a nod. Then, "What about that child? Did you—?"

"I'm not sure what her story is, but she's starving and has no parents to feed her."

"You mean she's still alive?"

"Yes," he said. "Does that bother you?"

"Of course not! What made you think that?"

"I can't be sure where you stand in all this... You were surprised, but I couldn't tell if you cared. The humans who killed her parents certainly did not."

"You think humans killed her parents?"

"Yes." They'd had no time to talk, but she was far from the first ghoul to start life the way she did. He needn't have asked. He'd already made up his mind to provide what he could for her.

Chrom lowered his eyes, perhaps in a distant form of shame. "But she's alright?"

"Yes. And I won't say anything more about her."

With an exhale, the prince's shoulders slumped. "That's just as well. I need to discuss something else with you. We found out that Duke Assedis was killed. Likely a month ago, and likely by a ghoul. I was thinking you might know something."

Robin swallowed, then said firmly, "And what would you do with that information? Bring a ghoul to the courthouse?"

Chrom paused. "Oh. I suppose not... I'd... I'd see about alerting the CCG. But then, you..."

"But then I am a ghoul."

"Half-ghoul."

"That's worse."

"But... Urgh." He shifted, then started pacing.

As a man-eater, Robin would be in immediate danger if the attention of the CCG was directed to the city of Ylisstol. He had never encountered a Dove for as long as he could remember, so he could not judge his ability to evade them, nor the brutality of their weaponry — the quinque and Q-metal. And yet, Chrom's situation was perhaps even more precarious. He would have to inform the council of the duke's fate, if they hadn't heard already. They would demand justice, and he would be unable to refuse them once they did. As far as they were concerned, there would be no possible reason for Chrom not to act against a ghoul attack.

Robin was damned either way.

Chrom asked again, "Do you know what ghoul killed him?"

Robin tightened the fastening of his coat and answered sincerely. "I might. What did he look like? The duke, I mean."

Chrom's earlier persistence had long gone. He continued, with a certain bitterness, "Um, overweight, wears too much perfume. His ring was engraved with his dynasty's emblem, a lion attacking a boar."

He knew then that this entire conversation was futile, but he admitted anyway,

"I ate him."

A/N: Figured I'd best shove this onto the Internet before it makes like a rabbit and dies of loneliness.

So... Yeah. Eleven months. I'm not dead. With all the studies, tests, more studies, more tests, generally being an art student and holy shit is that some sad form of social life? The "Update Schedule" has decided to yeet itself off the face of the earth. I've been agonising over this chapter for so long, too, because I realised half way through writing how much I'm setting up and how difficult it will be for me to write future chapters. But I've got it figured out now, I think.

I do want to finish this series. By the time I'm done I've got to have improved my writing skills enough to consider publishing an actual novel (another recent time-consumer). On that note, you might see a little character study of mine pop up on Wattpad ( chalede) and AO3 at some point. I honestly don't know what to call it other than the literary equivalent of a tech demo. Again, I'm hesitant, because it could spoil the set-up of the entire novel if I don't write it carefully. But it's audience would be so small anyway that it might not matter. Thoughts?

As ever, no promises on when the next chapter will be. Sorry I'm so unreliable. At least it almost certainly won't be as tiny as this one!