Chapter 24: First Blood

Light in Shadow: Arielle

Something shifted. In the back of my consciousness, where I would forever be tied to Grima, there was joy. Wild, surging joy, of a sort I knew intimately; it having preceded dozens of slaughters in the future. Hot loathing flared in my gut. Half a world away, one of the pivotal battles of the Mad Kings war would play out, beyond my help or ability to influence. The Battle of Ylisse, the first one, represented the first thing I truly wanted to change. My intent, of course, meant little now, and so, instead of able to weaken the Plegian army as it advanced, I sat impotent with no one to blame but myself.

Sunrise revealed a pristine sky. Either sleep or cold summoned Lucina hours before, leaving me to watch the sunrise alone. Cold which previously nipped at my fingers now sank fangs deep into my bones, worming down my limbs, leaving even the smallest of movements painful. Not a state unusual to me, cold permeated the world after Grima ascent, and this would not be the first or last time I stood for hours in it.

"I'm surprised you are still out here." Absorbed in my thoughts, I didn't hear, or sense the manakete approach. "Even if your magic can protect you against the cold, I can't imagine standing in the same place for hours to be comfortable?" An inane question. Of course, Nah bore some relation, no matter how indirect, to Tiki, meaning that question carried some hidden meaning.

"This is hardly the longest time I have stood in a single place. Hours start to lose meaning after a few centuries." I never meant it as a piece of advice from one nigh immortal being to another, although it sounded as such. "I find what is more important is what one choses to think about when they are standing." Of course, my thoughts often wandered into dark places, dredging up old memories and leaving the prospect of disturbing my contemplation a volatile one.

"I see." Despite being several degrees separate from the direct Blood of Naga herself, Nah radiated Divinity, something antithetical to my own blood and powers, notwithstanding the Falchion at my hip. She came to a halt beside me, all but gliding over the snow, boots not even breaking the surface of the snow. I resisted the urge to fidget or move away.

"Grimeal are joining the attack on Ylissetol." I could guess where the conversation might lead, and I saw no reason to dance in the process of getting there. "Gangrel's desire for the Fire Emblem will only be sated in blood and death, which he shall have with Grima's aid." Wind began to rise, wrapping my cloak tighter. "Thousands upon thousands are going to die, in fervent defense of their Exalt, not understanding they are playing right into the hands of the very monster they seek to deny." Muscles screamed in pain when I forced my frozen fingers to ball into fists. "Bastard God is enjoying this."

For a time, Nah only hummed. "You are not used to making mistakes, are you?" As the wind died down she spoke, attention shifting fully to me.

"Mistakes are not something I have the luxury of making." My mistakes tended to have world ending results. Being possessed by Grima, for instance. "As time passed, my mistakes killed people…lives that could not be wasted."

"You have not, or the Lady of Grima has not?" Irritating little dragon. Despite my best efforts, I growled, prompting her to laugh, a demure sound, perfectly in keeping with everything I knew about her.

"Both." Somewhere a wolf howled. "I am the Lady of Grima, and the Lady of Grima is me. Irrespective of what name I bear, that title shall haunt me until my dying breath; Grima hangs above my head, a sword that may fall at any moment, just as Naga does above you, or Lucina." Of course, Grima carried greater consequences. "His rebirth, rise to power, and, at some point in the none too distant future, death…every moment of my life revolves around him in some way or another." My throat burned as coughs ripped through my chest. Taking the small amount magic, I could control into my upraised palm, I stared down at the tiny purple flame that appeared, twisting in the winds. "This is me, Nah. Arielle, Lady of Grima."

"Purple flames." Seeming to both ignore my point, and find something else worth noticing, Nah arched an eyebrow. "Morgan never spoke of purple magical fire."

While having no relation to the previous conversation, it did bear considering when she pointed it out. "She wouldn't have. Naga and Grima are supposed to be the only beings capable of manifesting magical fire of odd colors. Even Valflame, a tome rumored to have connections to the Divine is orange-red." Leaping upward, the flame in my palm deepened in color, now matching the deep purple of my hair. "This is the first I've seen of…this." In the past, when possessed, or when utilizing a great deal of Grima's magic, I could manifest black fire, but I attributed that to Fell Magic, leaving this new purple fire a bit of a mystery.

"Mm." Although I had limited experience in dealing with manaketes, I got the distinct impression something amused the tiny girl. "Lucina mentioned that your cloak drips purple fire when your especially emotional." My cloak dripped fire? While I knew at least half a dozen ways to produce such an effect, I never used them. Tools for intimidation lacked any value when I go drop the average person to their knees with my mere presence. "She described it as 'rather intimidating'." Nah stopped, another soft laugh passing her lips, although she did not elaborate on what amused her.

"I imagine most of my intimidation comes from a suffocating magical presence and demonstrable magical power." Although perhaps being able to catch myself on fire at a whim could be amusing. Humans feared fire, and someone who could turn into a walking torch of strange colored fire would inspire awe and fear.

"We've all felt Morgan get mad. Or me." The inclusive of herself in that sentence came as a direct afterthought. "We fought against Grima and his armies. Even Kjelle can stand under the suffocating weight of the Fell Dragon's aura. Those things alone are not something we will find directly intimidating."

"Perhaps." I flipped my wrist, extinguishing the flame, before turning my head just enough to stare at the manakete. "What is your point Nah." She offered me a half smile, and I stamped down on my annoyance, already knowing the hypocrisy being thrown back in my face. If nothing else, I could wait until the girl said her piece, considering the pain and suffering I caused.

"Why?" Nothing in her tone betrayed the intent behind the question.

Grima hesitated to target Nah when possessing me, leaving me little to suggest what Nah referred to. Attempted murder would be unlikely, and my best guess might have involved Nowi, if she hadn't been taken out of the picture almost too soon for Nah to likely remember. "I'm afraid that you'll have to provide me a bit more specificity than that."

Her lips thinned, expression growing cold. "You have a daughter."

My heart skipped. The existence of my daughter should, would, have been a secret. Sumia and I didn't always see eye to eye, and she probably disagreed with my choice, but Chrom's wife wasn't a stupid woman. She could understand the reasoning for my request, and I trusted her to do what was best. While I knew it would be possible for someone else to come to the correct conclusion, I doubted anyone but Lucina, Cynthia and my daughter knew enough pieces to fill in the gaps. Lucina never asked, suggesting they never did.

"You want to know why she ended up with Sumia." While a guess, I considered it a fair question, or at least the point where someone who knew would start.

"You abandoned her." For the first time, true accusation bled into Nah's words.

That, to me, was a matter of perspective. "I had little choice. Growing up amongst the Grimeal is a hell I would wish upon no one, much less my own child. Grima controlled me with an iron grip then, and I was…weak. Even if I wanted to defend a child, I could not." My nails bit deep into my palms. "My moments of lucidity were few and far between…my defiance nonexistent." Nah continued to stare, her eyes blank, her lips pulled taut. "One of the few times I defied his will…and I suffered for that. I left her my cloak, from when I wandered the world. Sumia would have recognized it, and her worst would pale in comparison to what the Grimeal might do."

"If you defied him to leave Morgan in Ylisse, then you must have regained some measure of free will." Dragonstone responding to her roiling emotions, magic poured off Nah in waves. "Why not stay, and fight?"

"And been possessed again." Old regrets, ones I spent decade working past welled up on my gut. "Seven hundred years of second guessing myself, searching for something, anything came up empty. There are no words to convey the feeling of helplessness that comes with Grima controlling you, lurking in your head, every moment, every thought. Using your body, your name, to commit atrocity after atrocity, he would dangle freedom before me, and when I grabbed for it, yank it away." I took a breath, dragging my rising voice down again. "Grima controlled me thusly for six long years. During the fifth year, Morgan was born, not long after my will broke. I couldn't fight back, or defeat Grima, even if I wanted too." All at once the pressure winked out. "When I left Morgan in Ylisse, slightly over a year later, it was the first act I took with the limited freedom Grima taunted me with. Leaving my child, even if I so much as have the right to claim as such...it was the only choice." Another long pause, as I tried to gather my roiling thoughts. "Even that little I did for her…I paid in blood." Phantom pains lanced down my shoulders, and I forced my fists to unclench. "Grima tormented prisoners, and I believe you saw the results." She nodded. "Those tortures represented a small fraction of the horrors I suffered for leaving Morgan. One of Grima's 'gifts' I consider worthwhile, my ability to heal failed me." This time, the phantom pains, were all encompassing. "Months later, my injuries remained unhealed, as all the while Grima waged his war, tormented his new victims, uncaring for the half-broken state of his vessel."

To Nah's credit she did not flinch or back away. A few tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, a pity I didn't care for.

"Do you want to know what would have happened if I stayed?" I could imagine the tiny sparks of black energy floating over my fingertips, and hear the screams from behind my ears, imagined, but altogether real. "Possession. In the middle of Ylisse. If you believe the Fall of Ylisse was a disaster, that instant would have been a thousand times worse. No Risen. No Grimeal. No soldiers. No battle. Corpses stacked to the rooftops. Men falling upon their own swords. Blood would choke the streets, and viscera might well have polished the cobblestones." Deflating, I managed a weak, self-pitying chuckle. "All of that, Nah, to serve as a reminder to me, one insignificant woman, what happens to traitors. He wouldn't have taken the city, simply butchered everyone in it, and left a smoldering ruin for me to remember.

Fear washed over the girl's face, the gravitas of my words sinking in slowly. "I…" Words failed her. "Morgan always believed in you." Turning away at last, Nah sighed, long and heavy. "Insisted you weren't a willing vessel. She always clung to the belief you could be saved…that when the time came, the two of you would fight Grima side by side." Nah paused. "Or, that she would be the one to kill you, if you couldn't be.

Pride, unwarranted as it might have been filled me. "Perhaps." Many crimes stood in the way of that. "I take some comfort in knowing that is not a boast. Should it have come to that, Morgan could have followed through with that. If she can match me in open combat, there is little that she cannot defend herself against." I desperately wanted this conversation to be over. Old memories, pains and regrets threatened to overwhelm me. "Perhaps my daughter can make something of herself, outside of the whims of Gods."

My magic rose up, and even as fire filled my limbs, it responded to my subconscious will. Everything seared white. I tasted blood, and I was gone.

-FE:DUL-

Tactician of Ylisse: Robin

Only Frederick and Chrom were in the room when Cynthia appeared, pushing the last reports of the enemy advance into my hands. When this battled end, I made a note to investigate just how that girl could get so close when all others died. I couldn't afford to be uninformed about the Plegian advance, and everyone who saw her fly insisted she could make a mockery of Plegian Wyvern riders, so questions had to wait. Taking the paper, I only needed a glance to confirm my suspicions. "They'll arrive at nightfall."

Frederick spat a particularly interesting curse. "While I agree with your decision, it irks me to let them run wild across the countryside like this." The knight mused, running a hand over the map a final time. I didn't disagree, but the cost in lives to harass them would be too steep. Nor would the eventual defense of the city. "Letting them attack at dusk will only prove more troublesome for us."

The Plegian attack at dusk troubled me least. There were ways I could mitigate the damage involved, and most were already in place. "I don't enjoy the idea any more than you do Frederick, but we aren't left with many alternatives. Start moving everyone into position. I would rather be over prepared for what comes." I rolled the map up, summoning what measure of calm I still possessed. "I will be on the walls shortly."

With that, we scattered, Frederick returning to the city to oversee the final preparations, Chrom to gather the Shepherds, leaving me to find the Exalt, Morgan and her group. Fortunately, Morgan and the Exalt were engaged in a debate of some variety, sparing me the effort of finding them both. Whatever the topic involved, both went silent as I drew near.

"Lady Emmeryn. Morgan. Gangrel's army is expected to arrive at nightfall." The Exalt's eyes darkened, head dipping in a solemn nod. "Final preparations are ongoing as we speak."

"We will join you on the wall." Morgan flickered a glare into the Exalts back, before her expression faded into blankness. "I will withdraw before the battle, to ease my brother's worries." While none of us liked that option, I didn't see any value in arguing now.

"Ease my own worries, My Lady." Trying to defend Emmeryn once open battle joined would prove disastrous. Emmeryn offered a solemn nod.

Our walk to the walls otherwise lingered in silence. As Emmeryn passed, soldiers straightened, eyes tracking the Exalt for just a moment, before returning to their work. If my goal had been to intimidate, no doubt, the Ylissean Exalt flanked by a pair of women clad in the cloak used to denote the Grimeal would have been fantastic. At the wall, Emmeryn moved off to speak with Chrom, leaving Morgan and I alone for a few moments.

"She is either brave, or a fool." The younger girl shook her head in bemusement. "And I am inclined to conclude she is both."

I suspected the subject of Morgan and Emmeryn's debate from the moment I saw it, but Morgan's words confirmed it. "You attempted to dissuade her from participating in the battle at all."

Morgan's lips curled into a half smile. "Not in so many words. I have dealt with nobility long enough to understand that I cannot often change minds, but I can at least inspire some degree of caution in them." And, all at once her eyes dimmed, the vibrant green fading away. "I know I have informed you in the past, Lady Robin, but for your Exalts life, it bears repeating. My sword is yours." Turning a questioning gaze on the girl, I almost recoiled from her intensity. "If it is within mine or my companions power, this city will not fall, Lady Robin." For a moment, magic flared, haloing Morgan in purple.

"Hopefully, things do not come to that." We both knew the reality of our situation, runes flaring on Morgan's cloak, a counterpoint to the soft orange glow already emanating from my own. "Where are your compatriots?" Cynthia had delivered a report before vanishing into thin air, and I didn't have time to worry about the others.

Morgan shook her head, sharp and violent. "Severa and Cynthia are arguing, Laurent will be meditating, and I am unsure where one might find Yarne." Her right hand flexed, as though to stretch her glove, before she brought it to rest on her sword. "The happy couple will reappear in a few hours, Laurent won't show up until you want him, and Yarne will be about. Give orders, and he will follow." While all of that sounded like something I couldn't rely upon, the five proved valuable allies thus far, and I could find no reason not to trust Morgan's word.

"I see." We fell silent, and were joined a few minutes later by Chrom.

"We'll be ready." Pride and fear a like colored his tone. "At least, ready as we will ever be." Morgan chuckled, her half smile returning in full force.

"I cannot say where you found Lady Robin, Prince Chrom, but she had proven more capable than I ever imagined." I got the feeling that, despite the relative monotone and enigmatic delivery, Morgan considered those words a high compliment. "Few groups can inspire such loyalty as you and she have."

"We haven't done that much." Chrom tried to protest, sparing me the effort to do so. Morgan's smile only deepened, at last reaching all the way to her eyes. "Only-"

"Oh stuff it!" Chrom whipped about, and I followed suit in a somewhat more sedate manner. Severa and Cynthia hand in hand, stood behind us, the former having spoken, her eyes narrowed on Chrom. "Don't even start with that crap. You're sickeningly good at getting people to follow you, and die for you." I swore I heard bitterness, and made a note to ask Morgan if I got a moment.

"You're a Hero!" Cynthia chirped, her normal cheerful grin in place. "You got Morgan to think helping you is a good idea, and Morgan's a total grump." One could have been mistaken for thinking the blue-haired Pegasus rider was teasing, but I could see the truth in the words.

"I resent the implication." Morgan crossed her arms, regarding her companions with a combination of amusement and what I could only call exasperation.

"You wanted to just leave." Severa cut in, lips curling into a smirk, as if she won some argument or another. "Morgan, if it isn't one of us, you don't give a damn what happens to anybody. We had to drag your sorry ass in here, you just wanted to leave the whole damn city alone." Severa waved a hand. "You weren't even on board with helping this lot, and you know it." Why were they having this conversation now, of all times?

"I assume you are trying to find a way to say you told me so, and win the running bet that Inigo started when we were children." Morgan's hands folded behind her, swallowed by her cloak, obviously nonchalant in the face of a several snickers.

Severa snorted, releasing Cynthia's hand to cross her own arms. "As if. He's not here, so it wouldn't count anyways, since I've only got one witness, and everyone would think I bribed her."

"Well, you have attempted to bribe Cynthia into helping you win said bet in the past." A hint of a smile flickered across Morgan's face. "Rather…loudly bribed." Someone in the crowd choked on their spit. "So, I would say his distrust is well founded."

"Right…" Drawing the word out, Severa leaned into Cynthia's shoulder a bit, eyes flitting to me. "I'm guessing you have a plan?"

"I do." Despite my best efforts, I squirmed under her glare. Severa carried herself differently than the others, and her presence wore greater gravitas than any except Morgan.

"Hmph." Her eyes flickered to Morgan again. "Must be one hell of a plan then. Never thought Morgan would agree to listen to somebody else."

"Sevy, be nice!" Cynthia huffed. "Morgan isn't that bad!"

"All three of us are." All three of them? I got the distinct impression that she wasn't referring to the three standing before me, although who the other two in that scenario were, I couldn't guess. Morgan seemed to be referring to Cynthia and herself, leaving only the third as a mystery

"Maybe…." Cynthia huffed. "Still, your way worse than me or Lucy." Lucy? It sounded like a nickname, although I couldn't say for certain. Any hint as to what experiences they might have, and their history I would take.

"Mhm." Morgan pulled her hands free of her cloak. "I doubt either of you would rescind authority to anyone besides me." Cynthia just shrugged. "I will be with Lady Robin. Laurent will be assisting the mage corps along the wall as needed. You two will be with the Shepherds, or with me." Her eyes flickered to me, a silent request for confirmation.

"As Morgan says." I considered what else to say for a few seconds. "I admit I will be relying on the five of you as much as the Shepherds, if not more." Chrom shot me a look, and I picked the question out without difficulty. "They have as much experience in battle as any two Shepherds combined Chrom. I'd be foolish not to lean on them if I can."

"I apologize." I jumped. Chrom and Morgan joined me atop the walls, sometime later, where I tried to guess the positions the Plegian army might attack. Obviously the gates represented an easy target, but I expected a diverting attack elsewhere as well. However, that could wait until Morgan finished.

"What for?" Chrom's cape rustled, probably with him scratching his head. Morgan's chuckle made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Even if her companions suggested her presence in the city to be involuntary, and Morgan herself could destroy anyone in said city with a look, nothing about the girl could be outwardly called unsettling until that moment. Something cold lingered in that sound, different tack from her attitude a short time ago.

"For that scene. Severa is correct, I did not wish to be here, and would have preferred to continue traveling, putting as many miles between this city and us as possible before Gangrel arrived." She sighed, all at once sounding far older than her appearance suggested. "All of them follow me because I keep them alive, but I will never be their moral compass."

"Why not?" Obviously something about that didn't sit well with Chrom, based both on his tone, and the rushed nature of the question.

For a few moments the sound of clattering armor and shouting soldiers filled the air. "Valm is not…a kind place. Our employer found themselves forced to make many unsavory choices, in an effort to protect themselves, and their people. I…I shouldered those choices, so my friends did not have to." A melancholy note entered her tone. "As a result, I am inured to violence and death…being able to eradicate armies, cities with a few choice words and a wave of the hand offered a terrifying deterrent, and a slew of scar." That someone could use a teenager in such a manner bordered on Gangrel's level barbarity. "I will not lie and say I am proud of everything I have done, but it was… necessary." Morgan slumped over the battlements, hair falling over her left shoulder, obscuring my view of her face. "Better me than my sisters."

"Your sisters?" Chrom and I traded a look. Were they the 'others' that got mentioned? That would confirm my suspicion that Cynthia was one of said sisters.

Her laugh, a true laugh, instead of the ones I'd heard before carried a certain infectious quality to it, although nothing about the situation seemed humorous. "They aren't truly my sisters. Their Mother took me in after mine disappeared, although we are not related by blood, we see other as such."

"So you did what you did to protect them?" Chrom's question hung in the air for a few minutes. In the distance, birds kicked up by the advancing Plegian army circled, visible by virtue of massed numbers.

A whisper, cutting across the tumult with ease. "In any sensible kingdom, I, or our employer, would have been put to death. However, such laws no longer exist in Valm. Strength is the only currency that matters. Walhart saw to that."

Chrom slammed a hand into Falchion. "Sounds like a tyrant of the worst sort."

"Whatever you might believe, the man is worse." I glanced over at her, trying not to shudder at the certainty in her eyes, once again visible. "He is more monster than man. All of us together could hold him off, but only just. All but my strongest spells simply rolled off his shoulders as though I never cast them. We had no choice but to flee." A long sigh. "I did not mean ill will in advising the others to avoid stopping here. The rest of our companion's disappearance worries me. I trust their skills but…"

"You don't have to apologize for worrying about your friends." I suspect Chrom considered putting a hand on her shoulder, before choosing better of it. "We've done more than our share of rather ill-advised things for the same ends."

"And put our trust in strangers, despite how wisdom might suggest doing so is." I joined the conversation at last, my thoughts drifting to Gri, and even myself.

"Mmm." She didn't agree, that much was obvious. "Survival first." At least she believed we would survive and hearing the verbal assertion settled a few of my nerves. While admitting she outclassed me in every way rankled, it also provided some insurance that should everything go wrong, Morgan could tip the flow of battle in an instant.

-FE:DUL-

I did not allow myself to sleep during those hours of waiting. Every now and again, a soldier would give a report, or someone would come running past with last minute instructions, but otherwise the wall was calm. Chrom had gone down to ready those who would be holding the gates, leaving me with Morgan, who by some unspoken agreement shared my desire for silence. After a time, Severa joined us, occasionally trading whispered words with Morgan, after the third time, I suspected an argument to be going on.

"They're coming." Morgan broke the silence, stepping forwards to glare down into the darkness. Despite my best effort, all I could see was inky blackness beyond the reach of lanterns on the walls, so I pushed a small degree of magic into my eyes, allowing the world to shift turning grey, with the exception of a sudden impenetrable wall of inky blackness outside the city, and growing closer. Fell Magic.

I gestured to the nearest soldier, stationed close enough to see the signal but far enough to not hear anything I said. Soldiers shifted, grips tightening on their weapons, doing their best to remain quiet. Our opening moves required total surprise to be on our side. No doubt, the Plegians expected resistance, but we could still surprise them with the manifestation of it. Beside me, Morgan began to gather her magic, and I snuffed my Mage Sight away, before being blinded by the girl beside me.

"Half a mile." Static gathered in the air as Morgan uncrossed her arms. Farther down the walls, archers knelt behind the parapets, arrows knocked and ready. I began to chant under my breath, building the spell in a manner far more deliberate than normal. "Quarter." Morgan rumbled. I passed another signal down the wall. "On your command Lady Robin."

Extending my arm, I closed my eyes, easily calling up the image of diffuse magic flaring across the fields. "Elthunder." Even with my eyes closed, stars exploded over my vision at the sudden influx of light. Beside me, Morgan gave a strangled cry, a wash of magic flooding the field, a peal signaling the success of her spell. Opening my eyes, the Plegian army was revealed, the initial ranks reeling from the sudden flash. Before any could recover their wits, arrows rained upon the as the first group of archers began the battle. Morgan gave a second cry, a second stronger pulse of magic flying outwards before sinking to one knee.

Fire erupted from the first rank, as my second lightning bolt skittered off a hastily constructed ward. Twirling my fingers, I joined the ranks of mages throwing dozens of shields and counter-spells. Rising from her knee, Morgan spat a curse, her necklace throwing white light, easily piercing the gloom settling over the city. With a second muffled growl, she joined the magical duel, countering or overwhelming over two dozen spells flying in our general direction within seconds.

Where my magic snuffed out enemy spells, Morgan's spells, almost exclusively spears of brilliant white flame, conjured in a language I never learned, served to swallow opposing magic, carrying onwards into the ranks below, offering brief flashes of terrified faces, and bloodthirsty howls. Arrows clattered into the stones, Plegian archers attempting to stop the tide of arrows falling into their ranks. A volley of javelin's answered them.

"Arcwind!" Both sides tried the same tactic, magic scattering arrows in flight, before colliding and releasing uncontrolled gusts of wind in every direction. Soldiers on the ground were tossed about, and a few stray winds threw someone from the walls. By now, the Plegian army could be seen nearing the base of the walls under the cover of arrows and magic alike. From somewhere in the blackness, globes of inky black flew, met by Morgan's own spells, once again throwing ghastly illumination over the army below.

Wyverns dove at the walls, bowling soldiers clean off, as their riders laid about them with axes, splitting flesh and armor alike. Nearby I heard bone crunch, and I spun, magic snapping off my fingers far too late to save the archer now crushed. The ring of blades behind me signaled a new duel, and I whirled hands raise for a spell, only for Severa to cleave open the head of a new wyvern.

Two more Wyverns crashed into the walls below, felled by arrows. Fire and Wind flashed into the skies above, and howls of agony preceded the deaths of yet more Wyverns. "Jerk!" Severa's blade turned yet another axe away. "Just die!" Before the owner of the axe could recover, Morgan cast, and man and lizard toppled back into the seething mass below.

Even though the distraction lasted only a few moments, the Plegian General took advantage. Concentrated magic bombarded the walls unimpeded as I surveyed the situation below. Further, I could see the flares of magic indicating the occasional spell to divert arrows away from the more vulnerable Plegian troops. Before the gates, soldiers flared back, leaving an open corridor that stretched before my ability to see. Somewhat in the inky shadows beyond the rising fury of battle, something roared, a sound caught between a defiant battle cry and a horrendous shrieking.

"No…" Severa backhanded an arrow with her armored forearm, stepping in front of Morgan and I, sword raised. "Morgan-!" Fear dripped from her words, and every soldier recoiled as the sound washed over them.

"Lady Robin. We need to abandon the wall at once." Seven more spears of white fire launched themselves into the dark, these flying farther into the enemy formation. While Morgan's expression stayed serene, the beginnings of panic could be heard in her tone setting my already racing heart alight.

"Why would-" I didn't get to finish my sentence. Ducking beneath one of those fiery spears, and a lightning bolt of my own, something charged from the shadows, right down the lane left open for it. A few unlucky soldiers dove for cover, just before the monstrosity smashed headlong into the gates. Wood splintered, and metal bent, but they held. Undeterred the creature stepped back, jaws parting to roar once again.

I had only a second to assess the thing. Bearing a vague resemblance to a dragon, albeit a dragon whose half rotted flesh fell away leaving mangled skeleton visible, the creature belched some vile smoke, before flaring it's one functional wing, and driving the gates inwards a second time. No following crash indicated they had failed yet, but I heard soldiers shouting below.

"Fall back!" Officers picked up my call. Flipping my wrist, I supplied the wind to displace another volley of arrows. Soldiers began to shift, ranks folding in towards the gates. Seeing victory, the Wyverns returned. Fang, claw and steel tore shield, flesh and armor, some less fortunate were toss from the walls screaming into the formations below. Below, the creature bellowed, and a two tone crash signaled the destruction of the gates.

"Excalibur!" Morgan's voice rang, clear and cold against the screams below. With a howl thousands of blades of winds erupted, streaking up into skies, meeting a second more significant wave of wyvern riders. Blood and viscera exploded, raining down on both sides of the wall, adding a whole new layer to the screaming below. Morgan's necklace flared brighter than ever, before dimming, whatever magic sustained the light snuffed out. The girl herself staggered, the sudden effort taking its obvious toll, forcing Severa to catch her.

Below, I could see Chrom and the soldiers at the gates were not faring well against the draconic monstrosity. Arrows riddled the monster's flanks, a pair of javelins lodged into the bottom of its jaw, one falling away as a chunk of flesh gave way. Swiping its tail to the side, the thing sent soldiers flying, slamming a claw into the spot Chrom occupied a mere second before. Falchion shone in his hand, carving a hefty chunk out of the creature's leg, which only seemed to anger the beast. Unholy smoke belched from its mouth, rotting away the flesh of those unlucky enough to be caught in front of the creature. Those lucky enough to survive backpedaled, as soldiers streamed down from the walls, lobbing arrows and javelins into the dragon without effect, while others braced to try and slow it down.

Spitting the invocation, I called Fire, eliciting a shriek of fury from the dragon. Just as the fresher soldiers from the wall began to dig in their heels to fight, I felt the painful nauseous tug, and a wave of shadowy daggers flew from the darkness, ripping armor and flesh alike. Dozens died screaming, killed before anyone got so much as try and defend them. Then, Plegian troops, led by a small contingent of cavalry charged through the gates.

Horses pressed too close to the dragon reared, tossing their riders into the throng that followed behind. Projectiles flew wildly from both sides, as the dragon spewed another gout of noxious vapors into the melee developing before it. Snapping off another pair of fire spells, I took a split second to locate Chrom in the midst of the chaos. Falchion blazing in his palm, he twisted and blocked, movements frantic in the heat of battle. Beside me, Severa cursed, before vaulting the last few feet, sword gleaming. I turned away, just for a moment to see of a Wyvern that dove towards the final few retreating from the walls.

"Grima damn you." Morgan's curse cut across the battlefield din easily. With every spell I cast, I could feel the strain building, the need to let myself breathe for even a moment growing greater. Every time it looked like the Ylissean forces might manage to rally that damn dragon slaughtered more, and we lost ground. I could pick Severa and Chrom, one leaving a trail of destruction, the other, holding a small knot of soldiers together. "Lady Robin, I need ten seconds." Once again, Morgan's necklace shone; some sort of magic rising to push against the nauseating magic that conjured the dragon.

"You've got about four!" I yanked my sword up just in time to parry an axe thrown at my head, resorting to a bungled Wind spell to throw the attacker back. "Elthunder!" Lightning snapped out, punching a hole in the Plegian line for an instant, just enough for a few soldiers to gather themselves. I swiped a hand at my hip as I killed a spearman with a thrust, catching the tip of a different tome. "Elfire!" Crimson flame blossomed, the detonation consuming four further men and horses. Lightning crackled down my arm as I tapped a different tome, feeling the energy surge down my arm, watching runes spiraling to life as I formed the spell.

"BOLGALNGE!" For the span of a blink the cobbles beneath the ruined gateway glowed brilliant red, before a pillar of crimson flame consumed the dragon, and everything in a ten-foot radius, globules of molten rock flying dozens of feet farther in all directions, filling the void with a few pained screams. Then, a body hit the stones, armor and muscle crashing down, Severa's sword buried in his chest. Twirling her blade between her fingers, the brunette stalked onto the cool stone. I made call out, when Morgan grabbed my arm, something in her gaze taking me aback. While no light shone from her necklace, Morgan radiated magical power, every confidence in her companion showing.

Plegian soldiers began to advance again, eyes darting warily between the person in front of them and the still recovering soldiers farther behind. Soot crunched as I hit the ground, dropping the final few feet, bloody sword spinning between my fingers in a pale mimicry of Severa. Fabric snapped, followed by the dull rasp of Morgan's sword being drawn. Plegian soldier's hesitated, no doubt caught between thinking their victory easily in reach, and the appearance of what they believed to be two Grimeal amongst the enemy.

"Traitors!" Sword raised high, one brave soul charged.

"Thoron." Morgan waved her hand. The man died, as did three more behind him, unable to avoid the spell. My own spell claimed half a dozen further lives, breaking the fragile tension of the moment. Behind my ears, grinding laughter bubbled up, only to overwhelmed by the war-cries of two entire armies.

Magic spun through my head, spells, plans examined and discarded in record time. My sword stilled into my palm. I picked two, out of the eight abreast, and started to cast. While I couldn't see her, my senses felt Morgan, the darkness in her aura rearing its head. With a thump, Severa's blade stopped moving, burying itself in the head of the solider unlucky enough to approach her. Those moments dissolved into a rush copper and ozone, my arm aching, every muscle protesting when another axe ricocheted off to the side, owner dying with a hole where his heart had been. Brown flashed across my vision, my spells already half cast, more lighting jumping out into the din of blades. Twisting my wrist, one, step and thrust, two, incant, three four five. Parry-slash, six, wrist flick-cast, seven, eight, nine, ten, blade, eleven, twelve. Blood, burning hot, across the chest. Magic, magic filled my veins, singing, called out to the battle, marking out those who would die. Shouts of defiance, clashing weapons, drowning in the deep, gravelly laughter of the Fell Dragon

"Robin!" Two Plegian's died without knowing Chrom ever neared them. Falchion's shine dimmed, perhaps suggesting we fought regular soldiers only. I flipped my wrist, immolating a would be attacker, even as Chrom swiped a strike away from my head. "What now?"

"Fall back." I only realized my breathing came so labored then. "Start falling back." Although giving ground would be a costly endeavor, relatively tight quarters of the main pass through the city, and time to prepare meant we could hold. Stepping forwards, I engaged an axe wielder in a brief duel to cover Chrom's back. A Thoron bolt flashed across the entire battle, drawing my attention to Morgan and Severa who stood in a swath of death, yet even as I watched, Morgan was forced to pause in her spellcasting to deal with an enemy who slipped under Severa's guard.

A horn sounded in the distance, and the Plegian stream began to slow, fresh soldiers no longer stepping up to replace their comrades. Those few still living, seeming to realize their imminent demise, turned to flee, and were allowed to.

Somewhere, in the blackness, my Plegian counterpart would be contemplating their next move. While I hadn't expected the zombified dragon, we held, even dealing with far more of their wyverns than I anticipated. A ragged cheer came from the Ylissean troops, and I let my sword drop to my side, slowly regaining some measure of calm.

"Well done, Lady Robin." Lips curving into a half smile, Morgan and Severa drifted over, the other mage seeming altogether too pleased.

"We survived." But with thousands still outside the gates, I felt taking this victory as any sort of sign would be premature. "Without a plan for more of those zombie dragons, I fear it will not be for much longer."

"Man, talk about uptight. You just kicked the ass of your arch nemesis, or whatever Cynthia would say, and you're just standing here complaining." Severa exploded. "Grima himself could drop dead in front of you, and you'd just say it was 'alright' or something!"

"Perhaps you have a point." A victory, no matter how small, was still a victory. "Chrom." Obviously guessing I'd have new orders, he emerged from the ranks of soldiers. "Get us ready to fall back, and start rotating soldiers out. We won this. We'll win the rest." A soft rumble of approval came from behind me, and I turned, only to be hit with a wave of sound as once again.

AN: It begins!

Before going into my unusual rambling bullshit, some more actually serious thoughts.

1. I probably should get off my butt and find a cover image for this thing, shouldn't I?

2. I'm giving some thought to doing the thing, both for early access to whatever fan fiction stuffs I do and one shot requests/commissions.

3. Editing that fight at the end was a right and royal pain. I still pretty much hate its but short of 're-writing that entire sodding fight again I'm not going to make it better, and I'm frankly sick of looking at it.

Something Known: I meant to respond to your review earlier but this week got entirely out of hand. Your correct that most of the city is impassable by horse. There is a main thoroughfare, I th I k is the best word leading between the gates and the inner area, which safely can fit about six or seven horses across it. So cavalry aren't entirely useless, but your quite correct, in a protracted siege, eating your horses has more value. As for the pegasi...I'm gonna keep that under my hat for now. (Might have just created some more work for myself (Cordelia might get a POV bit. Her or Sumia...we'll see).

That's the serious stuff I think? Inevitably I'll remember in the morning, it's still technically Saturday, and I'm working off my kindle at the moment. Speaking of, any weeird formsting errors are thr result of using said kindle and the FFN app to upload this one. I'll fix anything stupid on Monday when I've got a computer again.

So... We are now 25 chapters, 120k words into turning fire emblem awakening on its head and we finally get to deal with the character who is responsible for all of this. Well, she appeared earlier this is more of her actual introduction, so I'm talking about her here.

I love Awakening to bits (mostly), but it does a few things that just pissed me off. While the Time travel got played pretty fast and loose I didn't really mind until Morgan. Literally, Int Sys couldn't come up with a better explanation than 'oh, amnesia again, hurdedur'? at least with Robin there is a concrete plot related reason for said amnesia (regardless of the strength of the logic, my point is the reason exists), and it plays a roll, somewhat, in the story, and has some level of thematic underpinnings. Morgan? Feck all. So, I set out to answer the question "What if Morgan didn't have the stupid amnesia thing?"(mostly) and here we are.

While my entire 'Int Sys why you do this?' Rant doesn't really fit here, most of the changes in this story trace back to my efforts to reconcile putting Morgan into the same timeline as the other kids, while keeping her parents (or at least one parent) up in the , and changing when Lucina is born. Speaking of, some ages, as I have yet to find a cannon source for everyone's ages.

Lucina: 20-21

Other kids: 17-19

Morgan: 16

Chrom: 22, ish.

Robin: 21, Give or take

As always major thanks to Aura for putting g up with my crap, and reminding that my stuff isn't garbage I need to redo from scratch.

Reviews, Questions, concerns are all appreciated. Otherwise I'll hopefully see you next Wednesday with the next installment of (Really) Bad Things Happen To People Who Don't Deserve It.