Chapter 24 Trap

Matthew knew something was wrong with his wife the second they stepped onto Plegia's soil. Unlike her usual self, she constantly looked back and forward as if she was looking for something. Her expression never changed from a look of worry, and when it did change, she gave a fake smile that not even Henry was familiar with. Whenever she walked somewhere she would always try to get someone to go with her and she even refused to bathe unless someone was with her.

Even now she sat up in her bed reading a book, refusing to go to sleep until her husband retired as well. Matthew definitely wanted to keep his wife at home, since he found out about her pregnancy, but she refused to stay by herself around people she didn't really know. Lissa volunteered to stay behind with her, but Emmeryn still refused. If not for what the weapons smith said about people trying to potentially harm his wife, then he would have definitely fought harder to keep her in the capital, but what on earth was frightening his wife so much that she became so restless? "Emm, this is the third day in a row that you refused to sleep. I promise nothing will happen to you while I'm still awake."

Emmeryn looked up to her husband and gave him that half-baked smile she had been giving him since they stepped into Plegia. "It's alright, Matt. I'm just not tired at the moment."

"You said that yesterday, and the day before that. I'd believe you if it were true, but anyone can see that you are clearly tired during the day from the way you constantly try to keep yourself awake."

Emmeryn dropped her smile and glanced back down to her book. "I'm…fine, Matt." Emmeryn said in a low hush that did not go unnoticed by her husband who put down his pen and walked over to the bed; sitting down and looking at her, but she didn't look back.

"Emm, what's wrong? You've been acting strange ever since we entered Plegia. Is there something here that's scaring you?" Emmeryn felt ashamed to atmit it, but there was something about this place that truly frightened her. Instead of speaking, she slowly nodded her head. "If that's the case, then why didn't you stay at Ylisse? I'm sure no one could hurt you while you are there."

Emmeryn clinched the book in her hands as she tried to speak, "I, really don't feel safe in Ylisse, Matt?"

Matthew raised a brow at his wife's confession. "Why is that?"

"…Every time I walk down the streets I can feel some people staring at me as if I'd done something wrong. At first I didn't think much of it since the soldiers told me that some people didn't believe I was the "real Emmeryn", but then, I saw someone actually following me. He was very good at hiding himself, but I started to see him every day afterwards. What's worst, I started to see even more people after that, and when I looked at them, their eyes…they glowed just like…" Emmeryn stopped when she realized she was digging up a memory she didn't want to resurface.

Meanwhile, Matthew took in everything his wife had just told him. Was this really happening to her? Why hadn't she told him about any of this before? Was the people following her the same people the weapons smith spoke of? He didn't know the answer, but there was only one thing he could do at the moment, and that was reassure her of her safety. "Emm, you don't have to worry about anything happening to you. I promise nothing will happen as long as I draw breath. If I have to stay up all night just to make sure that happens, then I will do it."

Emmeryn finally looked up to her husband who looked to her with seriousness in his eyes. Emmeryn knew those eyes well. They were the eyes that always told her that she would not have to worry anymore, the eyes that gave her comfort, and the eyes that now lessoned the fear she had of this sandy country. The blonde finally gave a true smile to her husband that she hadn't used since she entered into this land. "Thank you, Matt. I really needed that."

Matthew smiled and replied, "You're welcome, Emm... Now off to bed you go." Matthew took the book she held in her hands and placed it on the floor. "I don't want you staying up any longer. Your rest is now my top priority."

The blonde looked hesitant for a moment, but the look in her husband's eyes really gave her the security she needed. "Thank you, Matt… but your safety is also my top priority. I wouldn't want you to get or or be as restless as I am now."

"I can assure you that I will e just fine, Emm. Besides," The tactician reach into his shirt and pulled out the hidden pendant. "I have your good luck charm right here, so there no way anything bad would happen to me!"

"Hehe, well, I guess I have to believe you now. I think I can rest easy tonight." The words brought a smile to the tactician's face and he leaned over to give his wife a quick peck on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Emm."

Before the Shepherds entered Plegia's capital they made their way to a nearby abandoned fort to leave half of their army in case something went wrong. It was more beneficial for the Shepherds to take as less as possible and not try to waver the trust the Plegian people would have with the Ylisseans marching through their city. Having a big army would make them suspicion and would most likely cause unnecessary conflicted. Though they would be at a disadvantage, it was the smartest plan Matthew could think of.

A team of Gangrel, Priam, Cordelia, Stahl, Morgan, Naomi and Emmeryn would stay in the fort with more Ylissean troops and act as backup whenever the Shepherds needed a quick getaway (Matthew thought it would be too dangerous to bring his family into the capital). At least walking through the town was a breeze; mainly because there was absolutely no one in the streets. The castle on the other hand, was guarded from head to toe with soldiers.

Matthew knew he couldn't trust Validar. The entire castle had been suspicious the second the Shepherds walked in. There were guards absolutely everywhere they looked, and not a single one of them looked like they had life in their eyes. Even in the throne room they were currently in, he and Chrom pointed out many guards hiding behind pillars as Validar made his way toward the group of Chrom, Matthew, Lucina and Frederick. "Good evening, Prince Chrom. It's good to see you back from your journey to Valm."

"…I've heard you have something to give us?" Chrom got straight to the point.

The snake of a man smirked at the seriousness in the blue head's voice. "My, my, getting straight to business I see? Yes, I have the final gem stone right here." To prove himself, the black haired man reached into his cloak and pulled out the black gem. Chrom walked forward to retrieve the gem, but the sorcerer retracted his hand from the Exalt. "In a hurry, aren't we? No time for courtesy?"

Chrom kept his calm and replied seriously. "…We don't have a lot of time, King Validar."

Instead of replying to the man before him, Validar looked to his son who seemed to glare daggers into him. "I see you have had quite the adventure, my son." Frederick and Lucina both went wide eyed and looked to the tactician who gritted his teeth at his father's words.

"Don't call me that." Matthew growled at the man.

"Why not? There's nothing to be ashamed of when you are born Grimlean."

"I am NOT Grimlean and you are NOT my father!"

The more twisted the tactician's face became, the more pleasure appeared on the sorcerer's face. "That's enough." Chrom stepped in. "We didn't come here to cause conflict. We are only here for the gem that you promised us."

"You've already started conflict the second you brought that intruder in here!" Validar lashed back and pointed to the blue head time traveler.

"W-What are you-"

"You are not of this time, wench, and I will see to it that you are destroyed HERE!"

Lucina was completely shocked at what was coming out of this mad man's mouth. "Are you insane?! This is a declaration of war!"

"And I plan to carry it out!" The man cackled and looked to the Exalt whose hand reached his legendary blade as the soldiers hiding behind the pillars began to slowly creep out. "Give me the Fire Emblem, Prince, and I will see to it that your deaths are quick."

"Never." Chrom growled and unsheathed his sword; his friends following suit.

"Are you sure you want to draw your blade against me, my child?"

Matthew face contorted into anger as he said, "I've never been more sure in my life. If killing slime like you will erase the evil in this world, then I'd gladly kill you ten times over!"

The snake of a man finally dropped his smile at the tone of his son's voice. "I'd watch who you are talking to if I were you boy, or do I have to make an example of the one you love the most?" Matthew's eyes immediately widened at the man's words which caused his smirk to reappear. "That's right. I know that craven Exalt Emmeryn is still alive. My men have been watching her every step since she escaped from our hands." Validar's smirk grew wider at his son's completely bewildered face.

"H-How did you-"

"I also know that you have a child on the way. If I kill her, then those two things you call daughters will no longer exist now would they? All it takes is my word and I can have her head on a stake. Even now my men are closing in on your friends and have attacked your camp outside the cap-" Validar leaned back as a slash from the legendary blade Falchion threatened to decapitate him. He prepared himself for the Exalt's next strike, but only saw his back as the four Shepherd's retreated from the room. Validar smirked in amusement, "No matter if you run to her or not, I'll just use the two you cherish deeply to kill her."

Fort Outside the Capital

Gangrel knew this feeling. It was the feeling he always got whenever he was in Plegia. It was that constant feeling that told him that he was never alone. That someone somehow was watching him this very moment. He couldn't tell where it was coming from, but he could tell that it was insanely close. The crowd of soldiers around him didn't really help either. It could have been one of them, but Gangrel knew that this feeling wasn't coming from an Ylissean. No, this was definitely the feeling of killing intent coming from a Plegian dark mage.

The former king walked around place to place to poke out any suspicious activity, but whoever was leaking this much dark energy was doing a damn good job at hiding themselves. The only way he could think of finding the man, or woman, would be to find a mage who was proficient with tracking magic. Luckily for him, the first mage he found, and could actually tolerate, was Matthew's daughter, Naomi. She was standing with his back turned to him and looking down an empty hallway; which was somewhat suspicious to the Mad King.

"Hey kid." Gangrel called out to the girl and stopped behind her, but she didn't seem to respond to him. Maybe she didn't hear me? Gangrel said to himself and walked in front of the girl. "Hey kid, I need your help with some-" Gangrel stopped and his eyes widened when he saw the soulless look in the girl's eyes. "You okay kid?" Gangrel asked, but still didn't seem to get a reply. He asked again, but this time shaking her back and forward. "Oye, get a hold of yourself already!"

Nothing.

Gangrel looked around to the closest Shepherd he could find and his eyes landed on the bright red hair of the Pegasus Knight Captain. The redhead immediately left the blonde and rushed over to the Pegasus Knight. "Hey," he called with urgency and grabbed the rider's attention along with her husband's as well. "There's something wrong with that kid over there." Gangrel pointed to the kid in the distance and turn to her, only to be connected with an explosion of heat that shot him and the two knights across the room and into the brick walls.

The Mad King grunted as he tried to keep himself from falling unconscious. What he saw threw squinted eyes was complete chaos as the young dark mage began flinging spell after spell at the confused soldiers around her. Not only that, be he could see dark robed men starting to fill the area and began attacking any and everyone in sight. He didn't know what was going on, but there was one thing he knew without a shadow of a doubt:

Plegia was taking action.

…

Emmeryn and Morgan were both alarmed by the sound of fighting coming from outside the room they were currently in. Both quickly prepared themselves for whatever could be coming their way any minute. Morgan, not wanting her mother to pick up arms, quickly drew her swords and stood in front of her. "Stay back, Mother. Let me handle anyone who comes through that door." Morgan said in a serious tone that was unknown to her mother.

The sounds of multiple men and women could be heard screaming from the outside of the door, and it didn't seem to stop. They could hear people saying things like, "what is wrong with her" or the repeated use of the word "traitor", but the voices closest to the door seemed to say something along the of, "protect the Exalt".

Suddenly, Morgan felt a sharp pain in her head as it began to ring uncontrollably. A hand immediately went up to head as cringed from the pain, followed by her mother running up to her distressed daughter. "Morgan!" The girl heard her mother's panicked voice from behind her. The pain was so unbearable that it was starting to get hard for the young swordswoman to stand.

"M-My head." Morgan grunted and fells to her knees once her legs could take no more. If Emmeryn was panicking before, then she was completely filled with terror the second her daughter fell to the ground. The only like that Emmeryn could find from the whole situation was the sound of fighting outside seemed to cease. That would mean she could go find he-

Emmeryn quickly covered her head and her daughter's head as the wooden door to the room blew into a million pieces and a wave of head entered the room. The two blondes looked up to where the door once stood and was surprised to see Naomi standing before them. There was blood streaming down her forehead, and her black mage garb looked like she had just went toe-to-toe again a sharp clawed beast. Emmeryn would have immediately went to her daughter, but the brown eyes she was blessed with were now completely glowing with a crimson violet color. If there was even a hint of life in her eyes, you wouldn't be able to see it.

Naomi mumbled as she raised her arm and the blue Book of Naga opened and began surrounding the young dark mage with ancient letterings. Emmeryn quickly rid herself of fear and grabbed Morgan. Naomi released the spell and a light pink flame exploded near the Exalt and young myrmidon, but Emmeryn was able to minimize the damage by casting a barrier spell just in time. It saved their lives, but the barrier broke before the explosion had died, causing Morgan and her mother to fly back and hit the wall. Morgan was immediately knocked half-unconscious from the blast and now laid prone on the grown, while Emmeryn shook her head as the world around her seemed to spin from her head hitting the brick wall. Meanwhile, Naomi eyes seemed to twitch constantly at the damage she caused, but her body moved to cast another spell. The spell was nearly complete, but the young dark mage was taken off guard as her sister let out a battle cry and tackled her sister to the ground; pinning bother of her hands above her head.

"M-Mother, r…run." Morgan groaned as she tried to hold down her sister who desperately tried to muscle her way out of the hold. "I c…can't c-c-control, any-AAAAAARGH!" Emmeryn did not want to leave to leave her daughter behind. Everything in her told her to help, but her legs were too scared to move. She didn't have a tome, so she couldn't help her daughter if she was in trouble. Plus, she couldn't fight! What was she supposed to do? What the hell was she supposed to do!?

"GO!" Morgan's voice woke her back out of her trance and she looked to her daughter who turned her head to her and smiled. "I'll be fine, mother. I'll protect you!" It hurt to see her daughter try to smile while she was in so much pain, but now wasn't the time to be in a daze. If she couldn't help her daughters, then the best way would be to go and find someone who could.

"I promise I'll be back." Emmeryn swore and stood to her feet. She made a beeline toward the door and out to the hallway. When she was in the hallway she was completely taken off guard by the scorch marks everywhere and the bodies that laid motionless on the ground. Many reached out to her as she passed them, but there was currently nothing she could do for them. This was what a battlefield looked like? How could anyone adapt to such a sight?

Emmeryn could see light at the end of the hallway, plus the sound of fight. She didn't want to see the actual battlefield, but right now, her daughters were counting on her. Before she could even step into the light, three cloaked figures stopped in front of her and blocked her path. Fear immediately took over the noble woman's face as she remembered those robes as bright as day. "We found her!" She heard one of the voices speak and a large cloaked figure launched towards her. Emmeryn tried to turn and run the opposite direction, but a hand reached out and grabbed hold of her hair; jerking her backwards and causing her to fall to her rear.

"I got her!" Emmeryn heard the man who grabbed her yell. "Call for the retreat! We have what we came for!" The blonde tried to wiggle out of the man's grip, but found it difficult to untangle the man's hands from her hair. "Stop resisting wench!" The man commanded and yanked hard on the former Exalt's hair. Emmeryn could feel the pain from her hair being pulled repeatedly in the opposite direction she wanted to go, but she didn't care. Everything in her was screaming at her to run. She could never forget those black robes anywhere; they were the Grimleal. If she was caught, she would have to repeat that day again. Emmeryn thought that death itself would be better than getting captured by them again.

As Emmeryn was being dragged away, she glanced at a blade that was on the man's hip. Fear and desperation was the only thing that drove the former Exalt as she reached to the blade and pulled it out. With another swift motion she drove the dagger into the man's thigh and caused screech in pain and release her hair. Emmeryn didn't waste any time standing to her feet and fleeing away from the man, but it was just her rotten luck that she didn't see the body lying in front of her and tripped; falling to the ground instantly. She managed to get one foot underneath her, but was pinned down when a heavy body landed on her and held her head to the ground.

"That freakin hurt!" The man from before growled at the pinned Exalt. Emmeryn knew it was futile to struggle when she could seem to push the heavy man off of her, but the fear inside was telling her body to keep resisting. I have to get away. I have to get away! I have to get away! As if the Gods heard her prayers, the weight that once held her down was lifted and she was able to get a successfully crawl away.

"Your Grace!" Emmeryn heard someone call behind her and caused her to come to a stop. Emmeryn turned her head and was relieved to see the flowing red hair of Ylissean Pegasus captain. "Are you alright?" The knight asked while walking over the three victims of her lance.

"I-I'm fine." Emmeryn reassured and took the hand that reached out to her. "Thank you."

"We must hurry and get you to safety, Your Grace. Please follow me." Suddenly, Emmeryn's main mission came back into view and she stopped the knight from pulling her forward.

"Wait! Morgan needs our help right now!" Emmeryn stated. Cordelia looked unsure of going in the direction the former Exalt was pulling her.

"I'm sorry Your Grace, but your safety is my top priority. I know Morgan means a lot to you, but I cannot allow you to-"

"I'm not leaving without them!" Emmeryn cried with anger plastered on her face. The redhead instantly gave in when she saw the determination on the young girl's face.

She sighed heavily and said, "Alright, I'll go and retrieve them." Cordelia turned around and saw the three Ylissean soldiers that followed her heading her way. "You three! I want you to guide the Exalt to the safety area on the other side of the fort! Make sure no harm comes to her even if you have to risk your life to make it so!"

The three saluted and all replied in unison, "Yes sir!" Cordelia did a short bow to the Exalt before dashing down the hallway and out of sight. Emmeryn felt a weight lifted off her shoulders as she turned to walk with the three soldiers. Before she could turn around however, she felt an incredible force hit the back of her head.

Then everything around her went dark.

Chrom couldn't believe what he was seeing. Ruins, weapons and bodies were spread out throughout the entire fortress. You couldn't walk five yards without coming across either blood or a corpse. The mood of those who survived, or was being cared into medical areas, were very grim, almost as if they had lost the battle even though there were far more Grimleal corpses than Ylissean. If he didn't know any better, they would say something else happened besides the ambush.

Chrom spotted Cordelia in the distance with her face in her hands and went to speak to her; Matthew dragging his feet behind him. "Cordelia?" The Pegasus knight jumped when she heard the call of her name. She looked up to the blue head through bloodshot eyes.

"C-Captain Chrom!" She said in surprise and stood to her feet; wiping her salty tears from her face. "T-This-all this…I have no words to describe-"

"Calm down, Cordelia." Chrom interrupted in a serious voice. "Take it slow and tell me what happened here." That didn't exactly calm the Pegasus knight down. In fact, she seemed to be even more distressed than she was before, but for whatever reason, she kept glancing behind the Exalt and to the currently depressed tactician.

"There were Plegian's who infiltrated our base. We could have easily taken care of them but…" once again the redhead glance at the tactician before dropping her head to the ground. "Naomi…she betrayed us."

The silent tactician finally became aware of the conversation the second his daughter was mentioned. "What did you say?"

Trying to ignore the tactician's words, the Pegasus knight went on. "During the battle, I came across Emmeryn and…I left her to three other soldier to go after Morgan." The Pegasus knight tightened her fist and bit her lip at what she was about to say next. "I made a very poor choice and…the Exalt…and her children-"

Cordelia was taken by surprise when Matthew grabbed both of her arms and stared hard into her eyes. "Where are they?" Matthew asked the Cordelia who tried to reply back, but the words only came out in jumbles.

"I-I…s-s-she-"

"WHERE ARE THEY!?" Chrom could see the fear the tactician was inserting into the redhead, so he put a hand on his friend's shoulder only for it to be violently shoved off. "Where. Are they." The tactician asked once more and finally broke the Pegasus knight.

She responded while looking away, "They…they're…gone."

FORGIVE ME! I know it's been two weeks, but its finals this and next week and I have been hitting the books HARD. I know I said this was supposed to be out last Sunday, but, to be completely honest, I was kinda…stuck. I knew where I wanted the story to go, I just didn't know how to implement it…

SO, my English final is coming up and I do not believe I would have gotten better with my writing if I never posted this story, so thanks to all the people who PM'ed me and the people who have been reviewing! Your help has got me through everything! You guys are the best!

As always, thanks for the reviews, favs and follows and hope to see you all next time!