Robin bolted up from his bed. He could've sworn he heard someone scream in pain. He stayed still, listening in case there was another scream. Seconds passed in the darkness of the night until Robin decided that he was imagining things.
Laying back down onto his bed, Robin went back to sleep.
. . .
Robin woke up a second time a few hours later. Sunlight seeped into his room, indicating that, one, it was morning, and two, the storm had stopped. Robin made an attempt to push himself up but his right arm failed to obey him. In fact, he couldn't feel his right arm at all.
In a panic, he quickly glanced down at his arm, fearing that he somehow lost a limb during his sleep. His fear was quickly replaced with relief when he saw that his arm with still attached. His relief was then replaced with confusion when he saw Morgan tightly holding onto said arm.
Oh, so that's why I can't feel it. She's cutting off the blood flow.
Carefully, in order to not wake his daughter, Robin managed to free himself of Morgan's grip. Morgan immediately noticed that her squish pillow was gone, and blindly waved her arms around until she somehow grabbed hold of Robin's waist. Before Robin could pry her off her hands, Morgan's grip tightened, forcing a bit of air out of Robin.
Damn it, Morgan. If you weren't my daughter, I'd have thrown your arms off already.
Sighing, Robin turned around and lightly poked Morgan's forehead in an attempt to wake her up.
"Mmmmm…"
Another poke.
"No…don't run…"
For a second, Robin was worried that she was having a nightmare. His worry was dispelled with Morgan's next sleep-induced line.
"Fluff…marshmallows…no running from me…eh heh heh…"
Robin facepalmed. Leave it to his daughter to have erratic and nonsensical dreams. Then again, that's what dreams are supposed to be.
Though he wanted nothing more than to let his daughter sleep, Robin had to get out of bed.
"Mooorgan," Robin softly called out. Receiving no reply, he raised his voice ever so slightly. "Moooorgan."
The only reaction that Robin got was an incoherent mumble of roasting marshmallows along with chocolate. Robin had no idea what she was talking about, but he was sure that Gaius would have loved to hear that.
Sighing, Robin tried to remove himself from Morgan's hold, only for her to exert more pressure. Groaning, and not wanting to hurt Morgan, he slowly started to stand. During his small lean forward before rising, Morgan somehow managed to snake her arms around his shoulders and neck, and continued to hold herself there even after Robin fully risen to his feet.
. . .
And this is how and why Robin arrived at the inn's main room, with a still-sleeping Morgan a piggyback ride, where he was to meet Reina, Chrom, Virion, the Khans, and Princess Say'ri for a meeting. He was given many curious looks and raised brows along the way, but he ignored all of them.
"Scouts report that Walhart's troops are pulling back to more defensive lines," Flavia said.
"I thought Walhart would be the type of man to throw everything he has at us," Basilio muttered. "Seems like that type."
"He is," Robin said, staring at the map laid out in front of him. "He's concentrating the bulk of his army into one single force before splitting them off across his territory. That way, he'd be able to stomp is out in a single sweep. We're going to need a better foothold in Valm instead of a port town."
"May I suggest the lands of Rosanne, Lord Tactician?"
Robin looked over at Virion. "One, don't call me that. Two, Rosanne?"
Virion grinned, well aware of Robin's dislike for titles.
"Well, along with my personal desire to reclaim my home, Rosanne itself can be of a bountiful asset to whomever owns the territory," Virion said. "Its lands are lush and fertile, walls heavily fortified, and the seasons do not change the harvest in the slightest! No doubt, the resources will be invaluable to our army were we to take it."
"And those are the key words, aren't they?" Robin sighed. "The line, '…were we to take it,' doesn't exactly bode well for us. Everything that you just mentioned is most definitely an asset…to Walhart's forces. Taking Rosanne will cost us dearly if things go wrong, and the chances of that happening are pretty high."
"That does seem to be the case, doesn't it?" Virion smirked.
"You don't seem to be disturbed over this fact," Chrom noted, frowning. "This is your home, Virion, and we've no way of reclaiming it without losses."
"Milord, do not understand," Virion said. "I am no fool; a head-on attack would cripple our forces."
"Then why even mention the notion of taking Rosanne, duke?" Flavia glared. "Surely it wasn't just for your own benefit of liberating your home."
"My dear Khan Flavia, you wound me. My wishes are not so self-centered that I would risk the lives of my friends."
"Your actions last night at town speaks otherwise," Basilio muttered under his breath. "Stahl and Ricken…the poor lads… I don't think I've ever seen a woman get so pissed ever since some bloke destroyed Ferox's wine cellar. Flavia without her alcohol is not a sight you want to see."
"Ahem." Virion cleared his throat. Ignoring the grunt of pain from Basilio as Flavia punched him in the gut, the duke continued, "As I was saying, I would not risk the lives my friends. Rosanne's castle may be heavily fortified, yes, but there are hidden passageways into the center of the castle. Said passageways are known only by the duke, and is only to share such information when instating an heir, an heir I do not have. While quite some time has passed since the time of the coup that banished me til now, I have no doubt that my information is viable."
"Virion, this kind of information is the kind that you say from the start in order to avoid any misunderstandings," Reina groaned.
"Aye, the tactician speaks true," Say'ri agreed.
"But where would the tension be?" Virion huffed. "The build-up? The climax?"
"The climax would be the fight with Walhart, Virion," Robin answered.
"Twas a rhetorical question," Virion dejectedly said.
Robin was about to give a witty reply when Cordelia's presence entered his mind.
'I've a bit of troubling news. Bandits are attacking a shrine a little ways northwest of here.'
Cordelia must have been speaking to all of the communications ring owners as both Reina and Chrom visibly stiffened.
'What?!'
Which was immediately followed up with the ring owners wincing from the sudden voice.
'Ow, Lucina, not so loud. You're speaking right into our minds, so loud voices tend to give everyone on the receiving end a headache.'
'A-Apologies, Father."
"Lord Chrom, is something ailing you?" Say'ri asked, noticing the unusual silence in the room.
"Bandits, up north, shrine," Chrom simply answered.
"What?!" Say'ri shot to her feet, earning a few raised eyebrows from the others in the room. "Those fiends dare attack the Shrine of Mila?! Have they no shame!"
As Chrom tried to calm the enraged princess, Robin turned his attention back to the mental conversation that was going on in his head.
'Another group was spotted there as well,' Cordelia informed. 'They managed to fight off the first group of bandits, saving a group of survivors, but they have wounded, and the bandits won't stop with just one attempt. They'll be back.'
'That's just fantastic,' Robin drawled.
'Robin, how is this fantastic? Innocents are being attacked by bandits!'
'That was sarcasm, dear,' Cordelia laughed.
'O-Oh…'
'Lucina, you're adorable.'
'R-Reina! Don't say such things!'
'Ah, woops. Meant to keep that one to myself. Guess I need to work on keeping my thoughts out of the Comms, huh?'
Despite Reina's 'words', her facial expression clearly said otherwise. Robin knew that she fully meant for everyone to hear it.
'Besides, it's not like Rei's wrong. Lucina is cute, right Robin?'
Cordelia definitely did that one on purpose. Putting you on the spot, that is.
'She is.' Robin answered Cordelia without missing a beat.
'I come back to the conversation to hear this?! I was only gone for a minute or so!'
'Oh hey, Chrom!' Reina chirped.
'A lot can happen in a minute, dear. Like how you woke up in the dead of night screaming from your hangover?' Cordelia sternly said.
Robin vaguely remembered waking up in the middle of the night. He thought he imagined the screaming, but he now knew that it was Chrom's scream.
'Have you ever tried Feroxi mead?! That will ruin your - '
'I don't want your excuses. Just don't do it again.'
'Besides, would you rather have me lie and say your daughter isn't a delight?' Robin smirked.
'W-Well, no…but…' Chrom sputtered.
'Lucina.'
'Y-Yes?'
'You are a lovely woman.'
'Wha - !'
Lucina's presence abruptly vanished. Even so, Robin could practically feel Lucina's blush across the mental connection.
'Robin…please don't tease my daughter…' Chrom sighed.
'What? It's not like - '
'If I may, those bandits still need taking care of,' Frederick cut in.
'Ever the killjoy…' Robin sighed.
'We split into two teams.' Reina's brows were furrowed slightly as her brain created dozens of hypothetical scenarios in her head. 'One will be the main bulk of the army while the other is just a few members of the Shepherds to fight off the bandits. The first team will have a sub-team for infiltrating Castle Rosanne, along with Virion, to open up the gates into the castle grounds. That or kill whoever it is that's in charge and demand the surrender of Rosanne's forces.'
'Alright, so who will be in the team that goes to the temple?' Chrom asked.
'Well, Robin and I will have be in separate groups in order to keep an eye on things and make any revisions that may or may not be needed, so that's one thing. As for who's going where…?'
'We can think of that as we mobilize the army.' Robin ran his fingers through his hair.
"This meeting is adjourned," Chrom said to Say'ri, Virion, and the Khans. "As for now, prep your armies for marching. We leave within an hour."
"Yes, milord!"
Everyone aside from the tacticians left the inn, leaving Robin and Reina alone to ponder a little longer on the information.
"Mila Temple…narrow…not much room…"
Having momentarily forgotten that Morgan was still on his back, Robin jumped a bit from hearing Morgan's mutterings right next to his ear.
"Heh, that helps out a bit," Reina grinned. "We'll need to pick out members who can fight in close quarters easily."
"So, that's me leading the Mila Temple group," Robin said. "Your twinblade doesn't really have the shortest reach."
"But I get Gaius. His expertise will be needed to infiltrate the castle."
"You're going to need a healer to come along with you."
Robin and Reina both jumped at the once again unexpected voice, Robin jumping a little higher than Reina. From Robin's shoulder, Morgan's mouth was stretched wide as she yawned.
"Very well, Morgan," Robin grinned. "Who would you suggest as the healer to bring in our group?"
"Maribelle izzuh definite 'No' cause of her horsh," Morgan lazily said, blinking away her drowsiness. She continued to yawn, causing her speech to slur. "Chrom isn't going to let Lisha out of his sight, so she can't go, which leaves Libra as the last choice. And since he's a worshiper of Naga, he'll be ecstatic to join us to visit the Shrine."
"I couldn't have said it myself," Robin praised, and Morgan beamed in delight. "That makes three in the group for Mila Shrine; you, Libra, and me. I'd like to bring at least one or two more. Got anyone in mind?"
"Umm…" Morgan's brow furrowed as she quietly muttered her thoughts. "Libra is our healer, can't have him up front…Father and I cover our ranged attacks, but we can also fight up close with swords and martial arts…going to need another CQC fighter…Vaike? No…he can't be subtle even if his life depends on it…he'll also be needed at the castle to boost morale with his personality… Narrow means fast, precise hits…"
Robin couldn't help it when his chest swelled with pride. The amount of thought and care that Morgan was putting in was on par with his, and she still had a seemingly endless amount of potential that she had yet to reach.
"I got it!" Morgan shot up, nearly throwing herself off of Robin's back. "We can bring Lucina and Severa! That way, the two of them can fight up close while we cast magic from afar!"
Robin mulled it over for a second.
"Good luck getting Chrom's permission to let his daughters go on a separate skirmish from him," Robin finally said.
. . .
. . .
"I still can't believe how easy it was for you to convince his daughters to go on a separate skirmish from him…"
A few hours had passed since Robin and Morgan left the inn with Lucina, Severa, and Libra. The group had taken a few horses for the trip, allowing them to reach the Mila Shrine in only a couple days rather than a week's worth of traveling.
"Well, some faces you just can't say 'No' to," Morgan grinned.
"Pfft, whatever you say, little one," Robin laughed, earning him a pout from Morgan.
"Robin." A calming voice called out from the front. "We're nearing the Shrine."
Robin nodded. "Thank you, Libra."
"No thanks needed," Libra replied. "May I request that we proceed on foot from here on out?"
"Of course," Robin said. He then looked behind him and at Lucina and Severa. "We're walking the rest of the way, you two!"
"Seriously?" Severa grumbled. "Why can't we go on horseback the rest of the way?"
"It is terrible manners to walk on sacred ground on anything other than your own two feet," Libra explained. "This is one of the first teachings of Naga."
"What good was Naga in our doomed world?" Severa muttered under her breath.
"Severa!" Lucina scolded her. "Lady Naga gave us another chance to save our world! That's more than we could have ever hoped for!"
"Yeah yeah." Severa dismissively waved her off as she jumped off her horse. "Whatever you say."
Lucina slid off her horse and took a step to stop Severa when she was pulled back by Robin.
"Let her be."
"But - "
Robin shook his head. "While I could never understand what it's like to have come from your world, I do understand when people need some time to spend by themselves. Like now, for instance. Though…" Robin looked back over at Severa's retreating figure just in time to see her get toppled over by a laughing Morgan. "I don't think she'll be getting that alone time."
Lucina watched as Severa desperately tried to free herself of Morgan's clutches only to fail. After letting out a defeated sigh, Severa reluctantly settled on merely glaring at the younger girl.
"Smart."
Lucina looked over to see Robin nodding in understanding. A small blush formed on her face when she recalled the mental conversation from earlier.
He called me 'lovely', Lucina thought to herself.
"There's no fighting Morgan when she's energetic," Robin said, not noticing Lucina's blush. "Or when she suddenly grabs you and literally stays on your back for over an hour."
"Is that why you were carrying her on your back earlier this morning?" Libra asked, a small smile on his soft face.
"Yup. She somehow managed to climb on while she was asleep. I didn't even think that was possible!"
"Lady Naga blesses us with miracles from time to time," Libra said.
"I wouldn't call her managing that a 'miracle', Libra," Robin muttered.
"Of course," Libra gently laughed.
The three followed Morgan and Severa, and as he neared the small shrine, Robin noticed that the shrine was modest, only being a small, dome shaped building made of a sea green marble stone. The entrance was an open courtyard with a large circular mosaic depicting a green dragon in the center, and at the end of the courtyard was a door leading into an inner room. Their footsteps made hollow echoes as they walked across marble flooring.
"It's…quiet…" Lucina muttered.
"Way to say the obvious," Severa scoffed.
"And it shouldn't be quiet," Robin said, walking towards the inner room. "Where are the survivors?" The inner room contained nothing more than a few dusty crates and a few splotches of dried blood on the walls and floor, but no bodies.
Just as Robin was about to turn back, a thunderous crack split the air, and a portion of the back wall suddenly broke down. Dust was thrown everywhere, and each one of the Shepherds immediately drew their weapons. Robin put up a hand, signaling the others to stay in the courtyard as Robin entered the room with caution.
"Woohoo! We're finally free!"
A young girl's voice cheered from behind the plume of dust, and as it settled, two figures strode into view. The first was a woman in a teal, one piece garb with a navy blue overcoat. Her hood was pulled low to effectively hide her face, and two regal blades were attached to either side of her waist with a red sash.
The second was a young girl who looked a little younger than Morgan. She was wearing a long sleeved, grey shirt with a sleeveless black blouse worn over the shirt. Black stockings were worn under a black skirt. To top it all off, she had a red cloak was wrapped around her neck in a scarf-like fashion. She had her hood up as well, but unlike the first woman, it wasn't pulled so low.
What stuck out to Robin the most, however, was her eyes. Not once has he seen someone with such striking, silver colored eyes.
"Oh hey!" The red cloaked girl's eyes lit up as she ran up to Robin. "Nice to meet you! Who are you? Why are you here?"
Robin was momentarily stunned by the girl's rapid questions. During that brief second, Morgan let out a squeal of delight.
"Your hair!"
Morgan was instantly in front of the red hooded girl, staring intensely at the few strands of visible hair, and Robin could understand his daughter's enthusiasm. The girl's hair was a such a dark colored red that it was almost black. Were it not for the sunlight pouring in through the windows in the room to highlight the ends of her hair, Robin would not have known that it even noticed it.
Gathering himself, Robin grabbed the hood of Morgan's cloak and pulled her back as the girl's companion did the same. But even as they were dangling off the ground, the two girls continued to speak to each other.
"I'm Morgan! And we're the Shepherds! Though, we don't actually tend to lambs."
"You can call me Rose! I'm a Huntress!"
"Huntress? That sounds so cool and fun!"
Robin quickly gave up on quelling Morgan. Setting her down, he looked up at Rose's companion as Rose and Morgan rushed out of the room and into the courtyard, and judging from the alarmed scream, startled Lucina and Severa.
"My apologies," Robin said as he and the woman walked out. "We caught wind of this shrine being under threat from a few bandits, and have come to investigate."
The woman nodded. "As have we."
"Perfect!" Robin smiled. "Then may I ask that we work together?"
The woman nodded once more.
"My name is Robin." He extended his hand in a greeting. "May I get yours?"
The woman momentarily stared at Robin's hand before grasping it. "You may call me…Neun."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Neun."
Robin made a quick attempt to get a read on Neun's expression when she turned away, almost as if she was avoiding his gaze. She briskly walked away, leaving behind a mildly confused Robin.
"You look like Inigo after he got turned down."
Robin turned to see Severa standing beside him with her arms crossed.
"What?"
"What do you mean, 'what'?" Severa scoffed. "You're ogling at her!"
"Am I?" Robin frowned.
"Yeah, you are."
"I assure you that was not my intent," Robin said. "I was merely - "
Robin paused when a low rumbling shook the room. Everyone threw confused looks at one another, hoping to gain an answer. Their answer came in the form of the dragon mosaic in the center of the courtyard. The emerald dragon in the center hummed to life, twisting its body in order to circle the outer rim of the mosaic. The maw of the emerald dragon opened to bite its own tail, and once it did, the entire mosaic rose slightly off of the ground to reveal a stairwell that spiraled downwards underground.
"What…what just happened…" Robin muttered.
"That happened," Severa snarked.
"I'm asking 'How', Severa," Robin sighed, and Severa replied by shrugging her shoulders.
"I…" Lucina started, only to trail off once eyes landed on her. Taking a deep breath, she found her voice and she continued. "I'm not entirely sure, but I may have triggered it. I walked over and placed my hand on the mosaic when it suddenly started to glow. I don't know how or why, either."
"Maybe it has to do you with you being a member of the Exalted family?" Morgan guessed. "You know, Naga's blood and all?"
"Who knows?" Robin peered down the stairwell. "Either way, we found our way down. Only problem is that if there's anyone down there, they'll know we're coming. That opening wasn't exactly subtle."
"Agreed." Neun nodded and turned to Robin. "Rose and I will go first, is that okay with you?"
"By all means." Robin gestured to the stairwell, and the two descended the spiral.
"Ooh ooh! I call next!"
Morgan jumped in the air and then disappeared down the stairwell behind Rose and Neun. The Shepherds began to follow Morgan when Robin was pulled aside by Severa. Once she was sure that the others were out of earshot, she released his shoulder.
"Are you sure we can trust them?" Severa asked.
Robin was silent for a few seconds before answering. "…To be completely honest, no."
Severa gave Robin her, 'Are-you-kidding-me,' look.
"But, I get the feeling that they aren't our enemies, nor will they turn out to be," Robin added.
"Let me guess." Severa crossed her arms. "Because it's 'a gut feeling'?"
Robin smiled. "You know me well, Severa."
Lightly laughing, Robin jumped down the stairs as Severa rolled her eyes.
. . .
. . .
"Kinda cramped in here…"
"It's a secret passage for the means of escape, Gaius, not a royal hall."
"Why, thank you, Snowflake. I would've never figured that out by myself despite the fact that it's only been explained half a dozen times during the debrief not even ten minutes ago."
Reina shot Gaius a glare. Behind her, Reina could hear the stifled laughter Lissa, Chrom, and Owain. It wasn't difficult as the narrow corridor caused even the softest of sounds to echo through the torchlit hall.
"...Chrom?" Reina called out behind her.
"No." Was the immediate reply.
"What the - I didn't even say anything!"
"You didn't have to. I already know what you were going to say. Rather, what you were going to ask."
Reina grumbled a few colorful words under her breath as Gaius flashed Chrom a toothy grin.
"Saved my hide, Blue."
"You can thank me by not provoking the ice queen. We all know how - "
Chrom immediately realized the error in his words when his breath fogged up and the temperature dropped.
"What was that, dear prince?" Reina sweetly smiled.
"N-Nothing…" Chrom stammered.
"L-Lovely Reina, m-might I ask th-that you restore the t-temperature?" Virion asked through chattering teeth. "I-I'm afraid you are ext-extinguishing the l-light."
Reina looked forward. The chill she emanated caused a few of the torches to flicker, struggling to stay alive. "So I am…"
Breathing deeply, Reina started to regulate the temperature around her.
"It's like polar opposites, her personality and looks. Cold and hot," Gaius muttered.
Then the lights went out.
. . .
. . .
"Gods be damned, how far down does this go?"
"Robin, please mind your words. You are in the shrine of one of those very gods."
"If I curled up into a ball, do you think I'll be able to just roll all the way down?"
"Morgan, don't even try it."
"Too late!"
"Morgan! Gods damn it!"
Lucina and Robin quickly threw out their hand to grab onto Morgan, but were too late as the she slipped through their grasps. Fortunately, Severa and Libra were there to catch the girl before she snowballed into them, sparing the three from a painful roll down the stairs.
"You're no fun…" Morgan pouted.
"We just don't want broken necks," Robin replied, poking Morgan on the forehead. Morgan responded by sticking her tongue out at Robin.
"Even had she rolled, I do not think we would have suffered too badly. We've arrived," Libra announced.
"Finally!" Robin cheered.
Robin took a moment to roll his stiff shoulders as he walked down the last few steps. Multiple pops and cracks bounced off the walls for the next few seconds along with a blissful sigh.
"That's disgusting," Severa complained.
"No, it's the sounds of my joints - "
"Whatever!" Severa huffed, causing Robin to grin.
Somewhere along the descent, the Shepherds passed Rose and Neun, which was strange. The spiraling staircase could barely fit two people side by side, yet a party of five was able to pass another party somehow. Morgan was suspected to have played a hand in the shifting of members with her boundless energy, but he couldn't remember the trip down for the life of him.
As Lucina's feet finally touched down on a surface that wasn't stairs, she noticed that the hallway in front of them was dimly lit by only a few torches. At the far end of the hall was an elaborate set of double doors also made of the same green marble as nearly everything else in the shrine.
"A door!" Robin and Morgan both exclaimed.
Both father and daughter ran forward in tandem at the doors, leaving the others behind.
"They're both children," Severa muttered.
"One's body can only be young once, Severa," Libra smiled. "But the mind can be young forever."
"Saint Libra, you seem to have an analogy for every situation," Lucina noted.
"Like an old man," Severa playfully smirked.
"Come now, I am not much older than you," Libra laughed.
Before anyone else could say a word, the ground started to shake as Robin started to push the doors open.
"G-Guh! Why…is this thing…so damn…heavy?!" Robin gasped.
Slowly, but ever so surely, a small crack split down the very center of the doors. White light seeped through the crack, illuminating the dim hallway bit by bit. Then a splash of orange was added to the white, its warm glow flashing momentarily before fading.
Wait, orange? Lucina blinked, confused as to how or why that color randomly appeared when she saw Robin crumple to the floor.
"Robin!" "Father!"
Morgan and Lucina both ran forward to check on Robin. The door was only open wide enough for a single person to enter at a time, and Robin was lying face down in the middle of it. She and Morgan quickly pulled Robin away from the open door, and away from any imminent danger.
"Ha, take that!" A gruff voice yelled from through the doors. "Stay back, the rest of ya! Else I'll burn you all to a crisp!"
The voice sounded familiar to Lucina, but she discarded the thought as she wheeled around in anger. Drawing Falchion, she began to enter the room but Severa beat her to it. The redhead stormed through the open door, ignoring the cries of alarm from the others.
"Tch, I warned ya!" The gruff voice bellowed again. "Don't blame me if…what the - Severa?! Why's your hair - wait, what are you - wait wait wait STOP - GYAAAHHH!"
"Brady, you dumbass!" Severa's voice was the one of two things that was heard. The second was the sound of fists colliding with a person, most likely Severa doing the punching. "You just blasted Robin the face with a fireball!"
"Who the blazes is Rob- OW!" Brady yelped in pain.
"Brady?" Lucina gasped, quickly standing.
"Gah! Stop hittin' me, ya crazy - GAAAH!"
"Did you just…" The volume of Severa's voice dropped dangerously low. "Brady, if you value that thing dangling between your legs, you better convince me that I heard wrong in the next ten seconds, or so help me, I will - "
"Severa, do mind the tone of your voice." Another voice said, this one also familiar to Lucina. "You are alarming the others present."
Lucina finally made her way into the room and was greeted by a sight that nearly brought tears to her eyes.
Huddled in the back of the room was the group of survivors. Lucina counted a small family of farmers, a merchant with scarlet hair, and a short haired priestess. But the survivors weren't what caught Lucina's attention; rather, it was a spectacled man in the center of the room overlooking the red haired princess mercilessly beating a dark robed priest on the ground.
Laurent, the mage with maroon colored hair and extremely wide-brimmed hat, eas standing by Severa, who happened to be glaring daggers down at a fallen priest, Brady. Lucina smiled when she saw that Brady hadn't changed a bit in the last few years; a thug-faced priest with the biggest heart she's ever seen. The scar he received from a snapped violin was still over his left eye, not having faded in the slightest, and added to his gruff look.
"Severa? SEVERA!" A girl that looked to be even younger than Rose was a blur, practically running over the already-incapacitated Brady, was upon the princess in a second, tackling her in a hug.
"N-Nah!"
Shocked and surprised, Severa looked down at the young girl, Nah, in her arms. Lime green hair flowed down the sides of her head in twin braids, contrasting well with her red cloak that was worn over a white blouse.
"I didn't think I'd see you again!" Nah cried through watery eyes. "It's been so long! Everyone's been scattered, and I just met up with Brady and Laurent a few days ago, and and - "
"Nah, it's alright." Lucina decided that it was time for her to step in, walking forward. "Take a few deep breaths and - oof!"
"Lucy!"
A grunt of pain escaped Lucina as she too experienced the same tackle hug as her sister.
"Did I hear Lucina?" Brady groaned, sitting up. His eyes widened to the size of saucers when his gaze fixated itself on Lucina. "No way…you're shittin' me…"
"Unless our eyes are deceiving us, that is indeed Lucina, Brady," Laurent said, adjusting his spectacles.
"It's her! I know it's her!" Nah looked up into Lucina's eyes. "I know her smell! Right, Lucy?"
Lucina was about to answer when both Rose and Morgan let out a squeal of delight. A second later, Nah was no longer in front of Lucina. Instead, Nah found herself to be weightless with her arms in a tight hold.
"Wha?" Nah was only able to utter a single sound of confusion before she hit the ground alongside two others, Morgan and Rose. A sense of dread filled Nah before her two aggressors grabbed her ears.
"NOOOO!"
Nah shrieked and reached inside her breast pocket, pulling out a pale blue crystal. A moment later, a brilliant light enveloped the small girl. A wave of pure energy erupted from Nah, tossing Rose and Morgan off of her, and a blinding flash filled the room.
Once the light faded, a floral red dragon could be seen in the spot where Nah once was.
"By the gods!" Libra's voice thick with emotion and reverence. He was in the middle of bringing Robin into the inner room, but the sight of another manakete caused him to drop the limp tactician onto the floor.
The manakete flapped its wings once, throwing itself backwards through the air. Landing behind the still-incapacitated Brady, the dragon's body started to glow once more before its form shrank back down to a young girl.
"Woah…" Rose let out a gasp. "A dragon…?"
"A manakete, Rose," Neun corrected.
Despite the news of there being only one remaining manakete, Neun didn't seem too fazed to see the existence of another dragonkin, a young one at that. Most would be in awe at the sight of one such, yet the look that Neun was giving Nah was one of disdain; a look that was the complete opposite of what one would expect. Were it not for Rose giving her a nudge that went unnoticed by the others, she would have drawn her sword right then.
From the back of the room, the civilians were looking at Nah with wonder. Whispers could be heard as they murmured amongst themselves.
"A Holy Dragon!"
"Could it be the Voice of Lady Naga?"
"No, Lady Tiki is much older! I've seen her in person!"
"It's a sign from the Divine Dragon herself!"
The whispers would have continued had dust and pebbles not fallen from the ceiling. The entire room started to shake and everyone in the room tensed up.
"That ain't good…" Brady muttered.
"That hatch has opened once more, but how?" Laurent wondered. "The past two examples have shown that one must have a relation to the Divine Dragons!"
"What do you mean?" Libra asked.
"Questions later." Robin was up on his feet, looking perfectly fine despite having been blasted with a fireball earlier. "I don't think the ones coming here are doing so with good intentions, so we should get ready to defend this area."
"Robin's right," Lucina agreed. "Brady, Nah, Laurent, as much as I wish to sit down and talk with the three of you, we must put that on hold. I'm sorry."
"Do not apologize, Lucina," Laurent said. "It is quite understandable. With potential hostiles incoming, it falls to reason that we should prepare ourselves."
"And who the hell are you?" Brady pointed his staff at Robin. The circular gem at the end hummed to life. "Some sorta mercenary or - OW! For Naga's sake, Severa! Stop hittin' me!"
"That's Robin, you dimwit!" Severa punched his arm again. "As in the Robin."
Brady and Nah's mouths dropped while Laurent only nodded, as if he suspected who Robin was all along.
"There's more than one Robin?" Robin joked, earning himself a punch from Severa. Once recovering, he turned to Laurent. "Are there any more rooms aside from this one? Somewhere the civilians can be safe from danger."
"There's a few hallways that extend further into the Shrine's underground, all leading towards one altar room," Laurent informed. "However, the hallways are quite narrow, so it'd be more advantageous for us to wait here for the enemy and - "
"And that's where you're wrong," Robin cut in. After a moment, his eyes lit up. "I've a plan. Let's go to the altar room, and I'll explain."
As everyone started to move, Robin threw a smirk at Lucina.
"'Lucy'?"
Blushing heavily, Lucina quickly followed the others.
. . .
. . .
"Aaaaaand there we gooo…"
A click sounded from the lock Gaius was working on and the hatch overhead was unlocked.
"Nice job, Gaius," Chrom commented.
"How did you forget to bring the keys to your own manor?!" Reina glared at Virion.
"Twas not my intent," Virion said. "I merely…did not prioritize it on my mental list."
"Even the most courageous of heroes have moments of memory absence!" Owain exclaimed.
"Owain, hush!" Lissa hissed. "We're on a stealth mission!"
"Sorry, mother."
It wasn't the first time that Lissa managed to quell Owain's…eccentric attitude, but it impressed Reina every time she witnessed it.
"Are you four coming up or not?"
Chrom, Reina, Lissa, and Owain turned their attention back to Gaius, who was perched up above the hatch opening.
"Coast is clear, so hurry before a guard comes along," Gaius said.
"Right." Chrom nodded.
Grabbing onto the edges of the hatch, Chrom pulled himself up. Then, turning back around, he extended his hand down to assist the others.
"A hero needs no aid!" Owain cried, only to leap up and get his foot caught the hatch's edge and spectacularly plant his face into the ground.
"A hero also knows when to swallow his pride and accept help," Lissa said, nudging her son with her staff.
Holding back her laughter, Reina took a quick look around the area. They were in a small storage room made of grey stone. A musty smell lingered in the air, and based on the amount of dust that was settled on the wooden crates and the floor, Reina guessed that this room wasn't used for a very long time. On the opposite wall, a metal door was slightly ajar.
"How're you feeling?" Lissa asked Owain.
"It is not my face that is hurt, but my soul and pride. For I, the descendant of heroes, to have been felled by a - mmph!"
Owain was interrupted by Gaius, who clamped his hand over the younger man's mouth. The thief had a finger placed over his lips, sending a silent message to the others to stay silent.
"I'm telling you, I heard something!" A voice said from behind the door.
The Shepherds froze.
"And I'm telling you that you're just hearing things!" A second voice said. "No one's entered this hall since we've been posted here, and no one's been near our post since the shift swap hours ago."
"But what about the Ylissean League?"
"What about them?"
"Aren't they right outside the walls?"
"Yeah, they are. And that's where they'll stay! There's no way that they'll be able to breach the outer wall."
"But - "
"But nothing!" The second guard sounded quite irritated now. "You're just hearing things. And even if something is in here, it's probably a rat. Unless you think it was a ghost."
"O-Of course not!"
"Then there's nothing to worry about."
There was a moment of silence before the second guard sighed.
"Look, if it'll make you feel any better, I'll go in and check for you. How's that sound."
"O-okay…"
By the time the guard opened the door, the Shepherds had already hidden themselves with time to spare, so all the guard saw was a room full of old crates. As the guard started to walk around the room, Reina wrapped her hand around the grip of her sword. If it came to it, she'd have to kill the guard else he'd alert the guard outside, and then it wouldn't take long for the entire castle to be in search of the Shepherds.
When the guard's footsteps stopped just behind Reina's crate, she pushed forward on her sword's guard, drawing the blade by just an inch. By doing so, she'd be able to avoid the initial delay in drawing her sword, and by having her hand relaxed on her hilt, there'd be less of a delay in her movements. The result would be her sword leaving its scabbard and slicing an opponent, all in a single motion.
Granted, the move was generally used in an open area rather than a very confined room, but Reina was confident that she'd be able to perform the technique despite her restraints.
"How is it?" The first guard gingerly asked from outside.
"Like I said, there's nothin' here." The second guard turned away from Reina's hiding spot and started to walk back towards the door as the first guard entered.
"R-Really?"
"If you don't believe me, just come in and check for yourself, gods dammit."
The first guard peeked into the room before slowly stepping inside. He nervously glanced left and right looking for anyone aside from the second guard.
"See?" The second guard shook the first guard's shoulder. "Told you there was nothin' here. Now hurry up and get back out there before - " *FWUMP*
Letting out a breath that she didn't know she was holding, Reina stood up from behind her crate.
"Nice one, Gaius."
"I aim to please."
Gaius stood up straight as he freed his daggers from the corpses of the two guards.
"Keeping your body parallel to the ceiling with only your daggers is a lot harder than I expected," Gaius groaned, wiping the blood off his blades. "I thought my stomach was going to tear apart before I fell. Luckily for all of us, and unluckily for them, the guards happened to be standing right underneath me."
"Let's move." Chrom stepped over the bodies and out into the hall. "Virion, lead the way."
"To where shall we go?" Virion asked.
"Either the throne room or the lord's quarters," Reina answered. "Whoever's in charge is bound to be in either one of those locations."
"Right you are," Virion smiled. "Fortune would seem to favor us, as my quarters are on the way to the throne room."
Virion's smile vanished when an explosion sounded from beyond the walls.
'Frederick, Cordelia, what's the situation outside?!' Reina urgently asked. The Ylissean army was not supposed to have launched an offensive just yet. Not until Chrom or Reina gave the signal.
'It would seem that our adversary has become a little aggressive,' Cordelia replied. 'Their mages launched a unified fireball at our division. Thankfully, there weren't any casualties as everyone managed to avoid the blast.'
'If I may, I would advise that you brace yourselves inside,' Frederick warned. 'Henry and Tharja seem quite displeased from the sudden attack. They have created a large fireball above their heads and are preparing to launch it.'
'And it's launched,' Cordelia noted.
"Incoming!" Chrom yelled.
A moment later, the ground trembled once more from Tharja and Henry's magic. Lissa held onto Owain for support, Chrom fell to the floor, and Gaius and Virion managed to steady themselves. Reina, being able to freely cast magic, had lifted herself off of the floor with wind magic, similar to how Robin would stay afloat when casting lightning spears.
"Need a hand, prince?" Reina smirked at Chrom. "It won't do for our Exalt to be so easily toppled over from a small tremor, now would it?"
Grumbling, Chrom took Reina's hand and pulled himself up, muttering a word of thanks.
"Don't worry, I won't be telling Cordelia of your little fall," Reina teased.
Oh, don't kid yourself. We both know that you are SO telling her about this, right? Reflet laughed.
Shh. Chrom doesn't need to know. Not yet, at least.
Turning to hide the redness in his cheeks, Chrom motioned for Virion to continue forward.
. . .
. . .
"Lucina, duck!"
Lucina crouched just as a jet of water whizzed over her head, striking a mercenary in the chest. The pressurized water pierced through the leather armor, tearing a hole through his heart a centimeter wide in diameter. Lucina had been vulnerable in the brief moment after swinging her sword, and had it not been for Morgan's magic, she would have most definitely been struck by the raider.
"You have my gratitude, Morgan!"
Lucina yelled behind her as she thrust her sword into another mercenary. The Shepherds quickly learned that the newcomers were not bandits like they were expecting, but rather mercenaries. While this didn't change much in their plans, they had to adapt to the skill
"Astounding!" Laurent gasped. "Water magic? While also tomeless? The experiments that one could do with that is endless!"
"It was supposed to be a lot bigger and stronger than that..." Morgan grumbled to herself.
"Not the time, Laurent!" Lucina grunted. "You can ask Morgan about her magic after we've taken care of these bandits!"
"Of course. My apologies, Lucina."
Laurent opened his Thunder tome, and with a quick chant, sent a bolt of lightning at one of the last two mercenaries in the hall. The mercenary nimbly sidestepped the magic despite the narrow hall. Setting Laurent as his priority target, he moved forward, only to be forced back by Lucina.
The mercenary's brow arched upwards slightly as he jumped backwards. Twirling his sword in a fluid motion, the mercenary lunged forward once more.
. . .
"Remember, wide, open areas aren't always the best areas for a fight. It tends to favor the group with bigger numbers, and right now, we don't exactly have numbers on our side."
Robin stretched his arms as he started to explain his strategy to the others after having gathered the Shepherds, Future Children, Rose, and Neun in a circle in the back room. Near the back wall was a humble statue of the very dragon depicted on the mosaic.
"We've got ten capable fighters here, and one's a damn dragon," Brady pointed out.
"Correction: we have seven fighters, two healers, and a dragon," Robin said.
"Are you sayin' that I can't fight?" Brady growled.
"Not quite," Libra calmly said. "It's not that us healers cannot fight, it's that we shouldn't. Should we be injured, knocked unconscious, or Naga forbid, killed, then how who will tend to the wounded?"
"Exactly." Robin gave a nod of thanks to the priest. "Nah is also a dragon, and dragons aren't exactly small, so she won't even be able to fight."
"So why not take the fight back in the open room?" Nah asked. "Wouldn't it make it easier for us if we have more room to move around?"
"Yeah!" Rose exclaimed, lightly hopping from one foot onto the other. "I fight best in an open area, and my weapon is kinda…not small?" Rose's voice petered out as her fingers landed on a small, red rectangular box strapped to her thigh.
Robin shook his head. "That's the very room that we want to avoid. As stated earlier, we don't know how many are coming down here. If their numbers greatly exceed ours, then we'll easily get surrounded and annihilated." He looked down at the two hallways on either side of him. "We'll stick to the halls, using them as choke-points so that we don't get overwhelmed."
"But the halls are almost too narrow to fight in," Laurent noted. "One can barely swing a weapon in there."
"Correct. However, if utilized properly, it can lead to our survival. If we can only fit single-file and barely have enough room to swing our weapons, the same goes for the enemy. We force them to come one at a time.
"We've a mix of both spellcasters and melee fighters, so we'll split ourselves up into three teams, one for each hall. The first one will be Lucina, Morgan, and Laurent. The second will be Severa and I. Lucina and Severa, you two are the ones in the front, while Laurent and I will be casting magic from behind."
"What about me?" Morgan asked.
"You will be on both jobs, using both your sword and magic, supporting Lucina and Laurent at the same time," Robin answered. "If you're to use magic, make sure to keep it weak, but just strong enough to down enemies. Do not use any form of Fire spells, as their explosive power could easily cave in the halls. These foundations…" Robin tapped the on wall behind him, causing bits of marble to fall from the ceiling to prove his point. "…aren't exactly the most stable, Severa."
"What." Severa shot Robin a glare.
"I'm talking about you NOT using your Catalyst magic here," Robin said. "If Fire magic would cave in a hall, then your explosive swings will literally bring this entire underground down on our heads."
"…Fine…" Severa grumbled.
"Lastly, Rose and Neun, you two will take the last corridor." Robin turned his attention to the two. "Normally, I'd like for us to work together, but seeing how our options are limited, I'd rather not take the risk of fighting off opponents while also adapting to each others fighting styles. I take it that the two of you will be able to work together without much of a problem?"
Neun and Rose glanced at one another.
"None at all," Neun answered.
"Great!" Robin dusted his hands. "Let's get to work."
. . .
"Morgan, now!" Lucina yelled out just as she parried the mercenary's sword onto the wall.
The moment Lucina backpedaled away from the mercenary, Morgan propelled herself over Lucina with a gust of wind as she raised her leg up in preparation for an axe kick. The mercenary started to raise his arm to block Morgan's heel when he noticed a spark of electricity dance around Morgan's leg.
The mercenary nimbly back stepped, dodging Morgan's heel, which was now coated in lightning. The moment Morgan landed on the ground, Lucina vaulted over Morgan as Laurent weaved a blade of wind between the two girls.
The mercenary's face twisted with strain as he leaned back to dodge Laurent's Wind, then proceeded to use the momentum to flip backward and just out of the reach of Lucina's sword. However, when Morgan warped Lucina in front of him, his eyes widened with surprise, which caused enough of a delay in his reactions to prevent Lucina's sword from running through his heart.
Removing Falchion from the mercenary, Lucina raised her sword at the last remaining mercenary. Just by looking at him, Lucina could tell that he was far more experienced than any of the mercenaries that she fought earlier. She was about to lunge forward when Morgan placed her hand on Lucina's shoulder.
"Morgan?" Lucina worriedly looked at Morgan as she cautiously walked forward.
"Laurent, can you go check up on the others? See if they're alright?" Morgan said over her shoulder.
Laurent hesitated, but with a reassuring nod from Lucina, he retreated down the hall.
"Can I ask you a question?" Morgan asked the mercenary.
"Go right ahead," the man replied.
Morgan took in a deep breath. "Where'd you get your hat?! I love it!"
Lucina and the mercenary were both taken aback at Morgan's unexpected question and nearly dropped their respective weapons.
"Morgan, now is not the time for such questions!" Lucina reprimanded.
"But look it at!" Morgan whined.
Lucina took a moment to take a closer took at the man's hat. It looked similar to the leather, tri-pointed hat that Reina wore, but this one was dark green, the same color as the man's coat. Even Lucina had to admit that it was indeed a spectacular hat.
"Heh, thanks. Not everyone appreciates my hat." The man smiled and readied his sword once more. "Makes it pity that we had to meet like this."
"Why is it that you're here?" Lucina asked, taking advantage of the momentary ceasefire. "You're a mercenary, I can guess that much, but I want to know the reason as to why you were hired."
The mercenary shrugged. "You guessed right; the emperor's tactician, Excellus, is paying the bill. For some reason, he wants the priests and clerics of this shrine dead along with anyone else in the shrine."
"Then perhaps you'd be willing to listen to reason?" Lucina stepped forward as she lowered her sword in a sign of peace. "Emperor Walhart is mad. If he is not stopped, then he will bring forth the ruin of the world. His path of conquest will mean nothing!"
"Hey, I've nothing personal against you, but I'm just a simple mercenary." The man lowered his sword as well. "I could honestly care less about Walhart and such. But, the world's destruction? That's a little farfetched, don't you think?"
"That's - "
"But, even so…"
The man sighed, muttering a few words under his breath. However, despite his lowered tone, Morgan was able catch a few words.
"…Not the first time…kinda like Eirika…should I…?" The mercenary let out another sigh. Then, he looked back up at Lucina and Morgan. "Tell me, do you two like to gamble?"
His question caught both of them off guard.
"Wh-what?" Lucina sputtered.
"Gambling. You know, making bets and all?"
"I know what gambling is!" Lucina quickly said, slightly embarrassed and annoyed at his words. "Why is it that you ask us this"
The man pulled out a single coin from the inside of his robes. "I used to travel with a large group before coming to this land. A few members from said group would keep telling me to stop gambling, and I tried, but I found myself constantly going back to it. It's…what I live for, you could say. In fact, it's how I ended up here, under this contract."
"Where are you going with this?" Lucina asked.
"What say we have a little wager?" The man offered, balancing the coin on his thumb. "If you win, I'll believe your words of the world's destruction and all. Heads, your win. Tails, my loss. How's that sound?"
"This is no time for games - "
"Okay." Morgan cut in.
"Morgan!" Lucina started to protest, but stopped when she noticed the look in her eyes. It was the very look that Robin would have whenever one of his strategies was going according to plan.
"Crest is heads, blank is tails." The mercenary smiled and flicked the coin at Morgan. Easily catching the coin out of the air, Morgan raised her fist with the coin firmly held inside.
"Well? Which is it?" The man eagerly asked.
Morgan slowly unclenched her fist, revealing the gold coin in her palm. A symbol that looked to be a family crest was depicted on the coin's surface.
"It's heads," Morgan said.
"Figures. I haven't won anything at all for the past couple of days." The man let out a deep sigh. "Well, Lady Luck has spoken. Guess I'll be helping you out now."
Lucina blinked. "Wait, that's it?"
"Yeah." The man nodded. "I might cheat, but I never worm out of a bet. Personal rule of mine. Keeps me honest, y'know?"
"And what of your mercenary contract?" Lucina suspiciously narrowed her eyes. "I thought the same rule applied to that; not worming your way out of them. Don't you mercenaries have a reputation to uphold?"
"This and that are two different things," he replied. "Also, that only applies if we get our money's worth. And lemme tell you, this job that I was given? Definitely not worth."
Both of the blue haired girls narrowed their eyes at the mercenary, one in suspicion and the other with a calculating gaze.
"Look, we can stand here all day staring at each other, or we can go help your buddies. Your pick."
"…Alright." Lucina finally said. "Let's go."
"Perfect! I look forward to working with you, Morgan and…" The man looked at Lucina expectantly.
"Lucina. And you are?"
"Joshua. Pleasure to meet you both."
He then started to walk down the hall towards the altar room and Morgan took a look down at the coin once more. The insignia on it was one that she couldn't place, though she felt as if she'd seen it somewhere, in a history book of sorts.
Then she flipped the coin to the other sides and blinked. Rubbing her eyes, Morgan flipped the coin over again to see the insignia that designated that side as Heads and turned it over once more to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
She wasn't.
Both sides of the coin was heads.
. . .
. . .
Reina tensed. Something was wrong. She didn't know exactly what, but something ill fated either just happened or was about to happen, and not to her.
"Reina?" Lissa looked over at the tactician. "What's wrong?"
Looking at Lissa, Reina shook her head. "It's nothing."
Angling her hat downwards so that Lissa couldn't see her expression, Reina looked down the hall that she and Lissa were guarding. There was no need to, seeing how the entirety of the Valmese forces stationed in Rosanne were off preparing to fight the Ylissean League standing just outside their walls, but it never hurt to be careful.
In between Lissa and Reina was a door that led into the ex-Duke Virion's room. Seeing how the duke's quarters was just off the path to the throne room, the infiltrating Shepherds saw it fitting to check both areas for the commander of the Valmese forces.
'Reina, this is Chrom,' he said. 'No luck here, heading back out.'
'Throne room next?'
'Throne room.'
A click sounded from the door, and Virion, Chrom, Gaius, and Owain all stepped out. Without a word, the group moved down the hall and into a much more spacious one. A velvet carpet was laid down as a carpet that lead up a lengthy flight of stairs, stairs that the Shepherds quickly climbed. Greeting them was a set of arched doors with the banners of Rosanne placed above the arch.
Gaius tried the door to find that it was locked shut.
"Tch," Gaius clicked his tongue. "Gimme a minute; gonna have to break into this - "
"We don't have time for that," Reina interrupted, channeling mana into her hand. "Move out of the way."
Gaius yelped and dove out of the way just as a wave of pure mana slammed into the doors. The force of Reina's attack broke the doors of their hinges as they noisily clattered onto the floor of the throne room.
The room was nothing short of extravagant. Velvet drapes hung from the ceilings along with multiple banners bearing Rosanne's coat of arms. The walls were lined with oil paintings, each one having either a person's portrait or a detailed design of what seemed to be important events throughout Rosanne's history.
What caught Reina's attention the most, however, was not the expensive paintings, or the heavy drapes, nor the size of the throne room itself. It was the fact that natural light was pouring in through the ceiling, which was completely made of glass. Reina would not even guessed that it was glass had it not been the coat of arms, made up of a myriad of beautifully colored glass, that was in the very center of the ceiling. The colors somehow only lit up the very center of the floor, but despite all of its beauty, Reina and the Shepherds were not here to bask in the room's glory.
"Damn it!" Chrom cursed, stomping his foot. "He escaped!"
"I would not be so quick to jump to conclusions, milord," Virion calmly said. "There is a hidden compartment in this very room that was to be used in times of desperate need. And I so happen to know exactly where it is."
Virion smoothly walked up to the throne. It was simple in design with a velvet cushioning. Reina half expected the archer to sit upon his old throne, but instead, he walked to the side of it. His hand then traced the underside of the throne.
"Now where was…? Ah!" Virion's face lit up as a clicking sound reverberated through the room.
As Virion proudly stepped back, the throne started to slide backwards on its own, and the flooring where it was once placed split in two, revealing a descending staircase.
"If the commander has fled here, the safe room, know that there is no where else for him to have run," Virion assured.
Nodding, Chrom drew his Falchion as he walked down the stairs. Not bothering to even check to see if the door was locked, he swung Falchion down. The wooden door was never meant to withstand such strength as it was easily shattered into splintered from a single swing from the Ylissean.
The safe room was a humble one, being smaller than Chrom's bedroom. A wooden table was placed near one wall with emergency food and supplies could be seen in glass cabinet on the adjacent wall.
"W-w-w-wait!"
A pudgy man in flamboyant clothes pressed himself up against the wall opposite of Chrom. Beads of perspiration rolled down his face as he tried to shrink further into the wall.
"Wh-wh-what i-is it th-that you w-want?!" The pudgy man cried.
Saying nothing, Chrom stood to his full height, towering the man despite being across the room.
"I-I-It's gold, r-right?!" The man desperately laughed. "N-Name your p-price, and I-I promise to give - HEEEK!"
The pudgy man let out a pitiful squeal as Chrom snarled at the mention of gold. Men like him, who thought that money would solve anything, were the type that Chrom despised.
"P-Power!" The man shrieked. "I-I'll give you land! And-and a title! U-Uhh - EARL! Th-That's right! I can make you an earl if you wish!"
"Lord Choiros, it pains me to see you steep so low."
The pudgy man, Lord Choiros, paled upon seeing the sight of the previous Duke of Rosanne.
"D-D-Duke V-Virion!" Choiros stammered. Sweat was flooding down his face, drenching his collar.
"Correct!" Virion clapped. "I am pleased to see that I have not been forgotten in my time of absence!"
Choiros's eyes darted from Virion, to Chrom, back to Virion, and then back to Chrom. Chrom didn't think that it was possible for him to pale even further as he was already white as a sheet, but he managed to do so anyway. Now, he looked as if he was a lifeless corpse, with clammy skin and no blood in his face.
"I-If you're h-here, th-then that means you're - !" Choiros found himself unable to finish his sentence, resorting to merely pointing a trembling finger at Chrom.
"It would seem that you already know who he is," Virion said. "As such, I would advise you to lower your hand, as your are in the presence of Prince - no, King Chrom, Exalt of Ylisse, and leader of the Ylissean League, who so happens to be right at your doorstep."
Choiros immediately fell down to grovel at Chrom's feet.
"P-Please, milord, you must understand! I did not wish to take part in this! It was all Excellus! He was the one that made me - !"
"Enough." Chrom silenced the pitiful lord with a single word. "I am not the one you should be speaking to. Before I even came here, my entire company agreed to let Virion decide your punishment for your coup. Therefore, I have no power to sway the course of Virion's judgement."
Choiros lifted his head ever so slowly to look at the previous duke. While his face maintained a level of composure, as expected of his status, the fury in his eyes was very evident.
"I'll be waiting outside with the others." Chrom gently clasped his hand on Virion's shoulder. "While I would prefer that you do not execute him, I will not condone your actions if you do so. And if you want, what happens here will stay here, and word of this will not be made public, even to the other Shepherds."
"Thank you, milord," Virion bowed.
With one last nod, Chrom exited the room and walked up the stairs to join his sister and the others.
. . .
. . .
"I swear I'm going to use a Silence staff on you, Severa."
"You don't even have one, so stop bluffing."
"I'm just saying that to make a point!"
"Your point being?"
"Stop using - Severa, no!"
*BOOM*
"Gods damn it!"
A mercenary was thrown back from an explosion caused by Severa's sword, causing him to collide with a few of his allies behind him. Snarling, Severa twirled her sword in her hands as she stared down the hall. Behind redheaded princess, Robin was frantically throwing mana up into the ceiling and into the walls to support the hall with both Spacial and Reinforcement magic.
"Ceiling, please stop cracking and falling!" Robin pleaded. "I know Severa plays rough, but - ow!"
Robin yelped in pain as Severa pelted him with rocks from the floor.
"Don't you have some invaders to take care of?!" Robin whined.
"Don't you have a hall to prevent from caving in?" Severa snarked, channeling mana into her blade once more.
"I wouldn't have to if you would stop - STOP THAT!"
The hall rumbled once again as Severa's blade created an explosion upon contact with a mercenary's shield. A small smirk formed on Severa's lips as she cut of her mana flow. The her of two years ago wouldn't have even dreamed of continuously using her explosive blade. She still remembered how she collapsed the very first time she managed it. From then she put in continuous practice, two years later, Severa was able to create her explosion with barely a dent in her mana reserves.
"If we die here due to the hall collapsing, know that I will haunt your ghost as a ghost for all eternity!" Robin cursed.
"That doesn't make any sense!" Severa shot back. "Ghosts can't haunt other ghosts!"
"And how would you know?"
"W-Well…because…"
"Exactly."
"Oh, shut up!"
A warm light enveloped Severa's sword once more. She swung at another mercenary, but he learned to learn to not block her swings after witnessing what happened to his companions. Knowing that blocking would only end poorly for him, the mercenary took a step back to avoid Severa's explosive blade. In the brief moment when Severa whiffed, the mercenary made a hasty counter, and managed to pierce Severa's shoulder.
"Severa!" Robin started to channel a portion of his magic into his free hand while still holding up the ceiling. He raised his arm at the mercenary, but due to his position, was unable to get a clear shot at him.
"You - !"
Severa's foot lashed upwards at the mercenary. The pain from Severa's foot caused the mercenary to let out a whine a few pitches higher than normal. He then fell to the floor, writhing in pain.
"Oww…" Robin grimaced.
"I didn't even hit you," Severa said through gritted teeth.
Robin shook his head as Severa stabbed the poor mercenary on the floor to end his suffering. "You don't understand. Any man who witnesses another man getting hit there will feel their pain."
"…That's stupid." Severa rolled her eyes.
The last mercenary was rooted to the spot, juggling his options of fight or flight.
"It is not," Robin argued, paying minimal attention to the mercenary. "Every man will feel for another man for we know the pain that they go through when hit in that spot."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously." Robin grimly nodded.
Severa warily looked up at the ceiling.
"Ah, don't worry about that. I pumped enough magic into that to last a few hours, just as long as someone doesn't go around and shake the entire foundation," Robin proudly said.
Not a second later after Robin finished speaking, the mercenary decided to fight, and started to run forward at Severa. Even though she was looking away and had a shoulder wound, she had not lowered her guard, and was prepared for the approaching mercenary. What she wasn't prepared for was the fact that she was standing a little too close to the wall, just close enough so that the tip of her sword scraped against it.
"Crap!"
Severa yelped and jumped backwards as the wall detonated. Robin, Severa, and the mercenary froze as they watched the cracks fan out from the hole that was just created. They spread to the ceiling just above both Severa and the mercenary and stopped.
For what seemed like an eternity, nothing moved. The cracks were still, no air flowed through the hall, and the three fighters stood with bated breaths. Then the ceiling came crashing down on everyone like a river breaking through a dam.
. . .
. . .
Reina felt a chill run down her spine as leaned against one of the many pillars in the throne room. Some time had passed since Chrom left Virion alone in the safe room with Lord Choiros, and the wait was putting Lissa and Owain on edge. Chrom was calmly seated on the steps leading to the throne, surprising Reina. She expected Chrom to be the most anxious about this entire ordeal, but she clearly misjudged the exalt.
During the wait, Cordelia gave consistent updates on the situation outside the walls, giving everyone a small ounce of comfort. Tensions were still high, but fighting had yet to break out. Reina was about to ask Cordelia once more for an update when Virion finally came out of the room with Lord Choiros in tow. The man was uglier than Reina expected, and her face scrunched up for a second.
Nearly a full minute passed before Virion took in a deep breath.
"Lord Choiros will stand trial for his actions," Virion announced. "He will be judged according to Rosannian laws, and his punishment shall also be as such."
A collective sigh left Chrom, Lissa, Owain, and Reina.
"He as also agreed to tell his men to surrender, granting us easy claim to Rosanne and her territory," Virion continued. "He and his fellow conspirators will be imprisoned until the time of the trial."
Virion gave Lord Choiros a tap on the back; a silent message for him to go and announce his surrender. As he left, Chrom walked up and clasped his arms around Virion's shoulders.
"I know that could not have been easy for you," Chrom solemnly said. "But for handling the matter as you did, you have my thanks."
"I nearly released my arrow," Virion admitted. "During the time I was listening to his excuses, I wished for nothing more than pull back an arrow into his heart, and I feared that I was a moment's notice away from doing so."
Chrom arched a brow. "What stopped you?"
"I'm afraid that is a personal reason, milord," Virion slyly smiled, causing Chrom to let out a laugh.
"In any case, I believe our job here is done," Chrom said. "Let's go and join the rest of the Shepherds."
Nodding, Virion took in a deep breath as Chrom turned around and started walk down the throne's steps. He was able to get two steps in when the ceiling coat of arms shattered with a deafening crash, and Chrom instinctively raised Falchion up in a defensive stance just as a dark figure slammed into him with an abnormal weapon.
"Hey there, pretty boy."
The dark figure jumped backwards, revealing herself to be a beautiful woman with silver hair tied in a relatively short ponytail. She had a slightly revealing chest piece made of black leather with her leggings made of the same material. A black cape that split into two fluttered behind her, and each part of her equipment had red accents. In her hand was a slimmer version of a weapon that Reina thought only to be used in jousting; a black and red lance.
The rest of the Shepherds immediately drew their weapons at the unknown woman, who merely glanced at each one of them with piercing green eyes.
"I'm Captain, well, ex-captain now, of the Third Army Corps 86th Airborne Unit, Aranea. Or Deadlord Anguilla, as the one that summoned me calls me. But I'd prefer my actual name, if you don't mind," Aranea smiled as she easily spun her lance in her arms. "Now then, let's see what you can do!"
. . .
. . .
"So…" Brady looked up at Lucina. "Who's the squirt?"
Lucina's eyes fell on Morgan, who was cheerfully chatting with Rose. This was the first time she had come across someone who was able to match Morgan's limitless energy, and as Lucina watched, she had a feeling that the two could easily become close friends. Neun was standing against a wall behind Rose, watching the two girls with…was that curiosity in her eyes? Longing?
Libra was talking to the civilians in the room, calming them with his soothing presence. Laurent was scribbling something down in his journal, whilst Nah was doing her best to stay as far away from Rose and Morgan as possible as she conversed with Joshua. Well, more like Joshua was entertaining her with a few coin tricks.
"Morgan is Robin's daughter from the future, not unlike us," Lucina replied.
Brady nearly dropped his staff from surprise. "Wh-what!? But how come we never saw her?"
"We suspect that she may have come from a different timeline than ours," Lucina said.
"Fascinating." Laurent joined in on the conversation with a gleam in his eye. "You are implying that there are multiple timelines and worlds, am I correct?"
Lucina nodded. "Just as we hail from one world, Morgan, Robin, Reina, and Marc each hail from different times, all converging on this one."
"Wait a minute," Brady growled. "I know Robin and Morgan, but who's this Reina and Marc?"
"They…" Lucina frowned, realizing just how confusing it would be to explain who they were. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she didn't have to as the entire room shook from a rumbling that came from down the leftmost hall, the hall where her sister and Robin were in.
"What was that?" Brady asked, jumping to his feet.
Not answering the priest, Lucina sprinted down the leftmost hall. She was pleasantly surprised to see Neun running alongside her, her lips turned down in a worried frown. They descended a small flight of stairs together.
'Robin! Robin, can you hear me?'
Lucina frantically spoke through the comm rings in hopes that Robin would answer. Her hopes were dashed when she received nothing back. She continued to run alongside Neun, praying that her sister and Robin were safe.
As she ran, Lucina noticed that Neun was extremely light on her feet. No sound could be heard as her feet touched the floor repeatedly, an action that was not mirrored by the princess. Her footsteps would echo off the walls of the empty hall, a sound that was deafening compared to Neun's.
Neun even carried herself with confidence, but not arrogance, a trait that was mirrored by only one other person that Lucina knew: Reina. If the movement was something that was achieved solely through their skill with the blade, Lucina knew that Neun was someone that she would not want to cross swords with.
The Ylissean Princess was so enamored by Neun that she almost didn't hear her speak.
"May I ask you something?"
Lucina looked at Neun. Never before had the silent swordswoman approached anyone aside from Rose and Robin, so for her to engage Lucina in a conversation definitely piqued Lucina's curiosity.
"Of course," Lucina replied.
Neun was silent for a few moments, carefully choosing her words.
"…How is it that your group came to find Robin?" Neun asked. Noticing the look of confusion on Lucina's face, she added, "My apologies, allow me to rephrase that. Was Robin…perhaps…found in a field, unconscious? With no memory to his name?"
Lucina froze, staring at Neun with a wary eye. Her hand slowly moved down towards Falchion's hilt. "How did you know?"
"Please, so not be alarmed," Neun quickly said. "It's just that Robin reminds me of someone very dear to me, very much so." She took in a deep breath, as if she was digging up painful memories. "I know this is not time nor place to tell you, but I once travelled with a group that I could call family. And whilst it was never openly said, everyone in the group silently agreed that he was our leader, and from the brief moment I've been here, he is almost just like your friend, Robin. He too, was found in a field with no memory, and yet knowledgeable in tactics."
While not completely convinced, Lucina lowered her guard.
"I apologize once more," Neun said, lowering her head. "I did not mean to stall us. Your friend and sister could be in danger, and we should make haste."
The duo continued to run until they noticed the lack of light coming from around the corner. Cautiously approaching, Lucina turned the corner with Falchion raised. As it was a legendary blade, Falchion let out a dim glow, giving off just enough light for Lucina to see the ground in front of her.
A layer of dust blanketed the ground, the once green marble a now flaky brown. Rubble and debris was scattered everywhere, and a few ownerless swords could be seen here and there. None of those swords, however, belonged to her sister nor Robin. Her eyes darted around, hoping to see anything that was familiar to her, whether it be the unique swords that Robin and Severa carried, to any part of their clothes or armor, to the color of their hair.
"You know, I recall you saying that you could use a bit of magic." A voice suddenly croaked from the darkness. "You even used it on me, so why not make a flame?"
Heat rose to Lucina's face. She was able to wield magic to some degree, and the fact that she hadn't thought of using it til now embarrassed her. After a moment of concentration, a fist sized flame flickered to life in Lucina's open palm.
Any embarrassment that Lucina had been feeling was tossed aside, replaced by contorted mix of concern, fear, and shock.
"Heya, little princess," Robin grinned. "Glad you took my advice."
Lucina was rooted to the spot, the sight in front of her having frozen her joints. Robin was sitting down, leaning against the wall with Severa laying down on his thigh. Severa's shoulder pauldron had a hole in it, and the clothes around the paulron stained red, but there was no visible injury that could be seen from the hole. Her clothes had a few rips and tears, along with a bit of grime on her face, but other than that, she seemed to be fine.
Robin, on the other hand, looked to be half dead. His snow white hair was matted with blood that trickled down over his left eye, which he kept shut. A splotch of red could be seen from the folds of his cloak in a failed attempt to hide the injury, and he was keeping his right arm unnaturally still. When Lucina moved her gaze down at Robin's legs, she had to fight down whatever it was that threatened to come up her throat. His leg should NOT be bending in that direction.
"Wh…what…?" Lucina's voice failed her as she stared at the wounded tactician and sibling.
Robin shrugged as a playful smirk formed of his face. "Ceiling collapsed."
"I believe she's asking about the actions that occurred before and after the ceiling collapsing, Sir Robin."
Robin's eyes widened slightly as he saw the figure standing behind Lucina.
"Neun? I wasn't expecting you to be here as well," Robin said.
"I believe that if we are to work together, we should also help each other," Neun replied. There was a bit of hesitation in her voice, but Robin didn't press that matter.
"Before I answer, can we head back to the altar room?" Robin pursed his lips. "Sitting against rubble isn't exactly comfortable."
"Of course," Neun said, walking forward. "Lady Lucina, if you would?"
Lucina remained motionless, only snapping out of her stupor when Robin sent a feeble spark at her arm.
"Y-Yes?" Lucina stammered.
"I will carry Sir Robin back to the altar room," Neun patiently said. "Could you carry your sister back?"
"Whu - I don't need to be - " Robin started when a sharp glare from Neun cut him off.
"You are in no condition to even stand on your own. Hobbling back, even with assistance, will cause more pain and make your wounds worse. You are not walking."
Just like that, her statement was final, and Robin relented.
While it was strange how someone that Robin had never met before was able to convince him so easily, Lucina paid it no mind as she gingerly picked up her sister on her back. A few seconds later, Robin was on the back of Neun.
"I'm a lot stronger than I look," Neun assured both Robin and Lucina.
"I feel as though she's discreetly saying that I'm heavy," Robin muttered, earning a small laugh from Neun.
Neun proceeded to quickly move down the hall. Robin found that her movements were surprisingly smooth, barely feeling the bounce in her movements that was inevitable whilst moving. It was as if she was gliding rather than running. Due to his positioning, he was unable to see the small smile on Neun's lips, nor was he able to hear her whisper to herself.
"It's good to see you again, Mark."
. . .
. . .
|| Author's Note Area ||
So uhh…*scratches back of head* A month and a half gap, huh? Sorry.
I know this is a very overused excuse, but work's been taking a lot out of me. We've been understaffed for the past few months at my job, and while we did get a few new hires, having to continuously show about half a dozen new hires the ropes is a lot more tiring that one would expect. I'm not complaining, since it's part of the job, but it is taxing both mentally and physically.
But, enough moping. Here's some background info on the chapter.
...
Inspiration for the revamped Mila Shrine came from the layout of the Shrine from FE:Echoes. The underground/basement part of the Shrine was just something that I thought would be interesting under a 'What if' situation of, 'What if the Shrine was ever under attack? Where would the priests/priestesses hide?'
Having an underground area of tunnels as the fighting area was a little more difficult as I had to constantly keep in mind that the larger weapons wouldn't exactly work very well, nor would wide swings. Magic would also have to be toned down in order to prevent the entire tunnel system from caving in.
Brady being able to shoot fireballs from his staff is just a thing I added. While they won't be powerful, the offensive staff magic is strong enough to down an opponent.
As for the scene with Rosanne? That's just something that I added simply because it seemed like a more…realistic choice. Seriously. A single army stranded on a continent while being surrounded by an opposing army that vastly outnumbers them? Come on. I highly doubt that they'd be able to last a month.
Another reason is because it's Rosanne. Virion and Cherche's home. I think it's only mentioned twice in-game; once during Virion's reveal and once more in the credits scene. I thought it'd play a bigger part in the game but…turns out it was just there as a means to add a small bit to Cherche and Virion's backstory.
Enter our (not really) newest Deadlord, Aranea Highwind! My favorite character from Final Fantasy 15! Excluding the movie, Kingsglaive, cause then it'd be Glauca. But, this isn't about Glauca, it's about Aranea.
As stated, she's my favorite character in the game. Reasons why being because she's gorgeous (imo), is a Dragoon, and is the perfect grey-area character for FF15's main cast. Then again, the other characters barely have any character to them, nor do they get much screen time. I'd go on a tangent about that, but this is not the place.
And did I bring in Ruby from RWBY? Maybe.
…Yeah, I did. All credit for the idea of bringing Ruby in goes to Matt Cyr, and further details will be disclosed at a later date.
...
And holy crap, this chapter took a long time to write. Seriously. I hit over 14,000 words with this chapter, and that's not including the A.N. Longest chapter I've ever written. I was not expecting this to take so long, but yeahhh… Hey. More for you readers, right?
No, but seriously. I worked all night to get this out ASAP, and it is now past 7am. I have work in a couple hours. *shakes head* The things I do for you readers.
jkjk. You are all lovely (I'm not joking about the 7am and having work in like 3 hours though...*sobs*)
...
Review reply section:
- Antex: Cameos and easter eggs are always fun to throw in, but I feel as though I'm walking a fine line between the cameos being cameos and the cameos simply throwing the entire story off track.
- Robby Onions: Don't worry. The angst isn't exactly gone yet. Also, I hope you liked the little extra Joshua in this chapter. That I put in specifically for you, though it wasn't much.
- Guest (Ch16): Golden Sun isn't a very well known game, which is a pity since the the GBA installments are definitely one of my favorite games of all time. But, seeing how it's not a popular title, it's quite understandable that you haven't played it. || I'm glad that you liked the Bravely Default easter egg! Sadly, I wasn't able to figure out a way to mention Tiz, but hopefully Edea, Agnes, and Ringabel was enough. Alternis, however, is used as a reference quite often, so…there's that.
And as for the BD crew to fight along the Shepherds? I'm afraid that won't be happening in Another Awakening.
- Guest (Ch17): Gangrel definitely has a lot of potential as a character. His supports and paralogue alone are proof of that, but I decided to go a little further. Overlooking my shameless reference to my other story, Plegia's Strategist, I took his character and story in a different direction than I did in AA. Chrom's father is barely mentioned in the game either, so I decided to add in a little bit of info on him to help boost Gangrel's hatred in AA.
- Ghost Artemis: *Large block of text incoming*
First: Water under the bridge about the age thing.
Second: Marc's personal magic attribute is coming up soon. Just know that it's a "No" on your guesses.
Third: I highly, highly doubt that this story will become a film. As in a 0% chance. There are plenty of better stories than AA out there, in both writing and popularity, and those haven't been animated or voiced, so why would AA be the first? If anything, I'd say gokart48's [Bed Time Story], TatsuiChiyo's [Retained Memories], or Apon16's [Return/Beginning to Life] stories should get that treatment. || But, hypothetically, if AA does get animated, or just voiced, you'd also have to voice Robin and Grima as well, seeing how they're one and the same.
Fourth: That's a good theory, and it would work were it not for the timelines being mentioned way back during the single digit chapters. A quick summary of it would be:
~ Robin is from World A, Reina is from World B. The two worlds are parallel to one another, with only minor differences such as the pairings of the Shepherds and the gender of Robin/Reina. After the death of Chrom in both of their respective words, A and B, they're transported to World C, which is the current world of Another Awakening.
~ And here's where it gets a little confusing. Lucina is also from World C, only when she travelled back in time to a past World C, her arrival, along with Robin and Reina from worlds A and B, created a small shift in World C to creat World C-Version 2. The Grima that's been summoning Deadlords and talked with the Shepherds a little while ago is also from World C, but now he's in World C-V2.
~ Grima was never killed in worlds A and B since Robin and Reina never became Grima in their worlds, while World C's Grima followed Lucina into World C-V2.
~Now, as for Morgan and Marc? That's a whole 'nother story and explanation that will be brought to light in the coming future.
…
And that's all for now! Sorry once again for the even-longer-than-last-update's-delay. I'll see you all in the next!
…
P.S. Another reason may or may not be related to the fact that I've once again gotten back into the mobile game, Unison League. Sorta. Stuff on that is on my profile. I don't really feel like typing it out twice.
