Interviews with a Tactician

by Scourge of Infinis

In which Robin decides to conduct interviews with existing and potential Shepherds to ensure their loyalty and commitment to the cause (and some other details). What could possibly go wrong?

36. Tiki (Kind of)

Summer is here! So to celebrate, I bring you an update!

Apologies in advance if the chapter is maybe not what you would expect, but Tiki doesn't actually join until much later on, so...here we are.

Well. Any update is better than no update, right? ...Right?

A big thank you to everyone who's still here, following, favoriting, and reviewing. To paraphrase a great man: your reviews give me strength!

And an extra big thank you to csihawk for going through the painstaking task of proofreading.

---

Robin entered a dark room and snapped his fingers, lighting the candles that were spread out, creating an intimate atmosphere in the room.

Walking up to a wardrobe, Robin hummed to himself as he opened it and examined its contents.

Tracing his hand over the various instruments, Robin eventually settled on a simple whip. There would be plenty of time to use all the other equipment in here…

Happy with his choice, Robin then turned to face the other occupant in the room.

She was standing in the middle of the room, her hands tied securely above her head. She surely heard him enter since her ears were still uncovered, but that's all she had. She had no idea where Robin was or what he was doing due to the blindfold over her eyes, and she couldn't say anything to him due to the gag in her mouth.

Not that she'd have anything to say in the first place.

Robin smirked to himself and decided, not for the first time, to stand and admire his handiwork.

His eyes wandered all over her body, naked and secured, with evidence of her excitement visible in more than just the goosebumps. Her face, normally stoic and professional, now blindfolded and gagged with a faint blush across her cheeks. Robin also loved how her hair looked. It was stunning in a normal day, but when seen against her fair skin and running down her naked back…

Robin shivered.

This was truly a special sight to behold. And only for his eyes.

"You know," Robin began, walking toward her, "I'm always surprised how into this you are. I mean, look at you! I just got here and you're already so excited."

She squirmed and mumbled something behind her gag.

"Oh yes, that's a fine excuse…" Robin said absentmindedly as he ran the whip's handle between her modest breasts, causing her to fidget. "But your body tells me a different story."

She shook her head.

"I don't see why you keep denying it when you're the one that always initiates."

She mumbled some more.

"Although I will admit that I also get a bit of enjoyment out of our little sessions. After all, why would I agree to continue them if I didn't? Besides, it's not every day I get to play with a beautiful woman such as yourself," Robin said, coming closer and using his free hand to caress her body, causing her to moan.

"And I get such lovely reactions…" Robin's hand moved downward between her legs only to come away at the last instant.

She whined in frustration.

"Patience, my dear," Robin chuckled. "We can't just be going straight to the good part, now can we? That would be no fun. And you have to admit that you enjoy this part as much as I do…or even more, judging by the evidence."

Her blush deepened.

"There are so many ways for us to start…" Robin mused as he stood in front of her. "I wonder how I should begin…?"

She mumbled something again. Judging by the way she was struggling, Robin guessed she was getting desperate.

He decided to draw this out a little longer.

"I mean, I suppose we can always start out slow…" Robin said as he approached and casually pinched her nipple. "I can always put some of the newer clamps I got on you."

She raised her head.

"Oh yes," Robin continued, "I've taken the liberty of going out and buying some more. A few here and there, some with some very pretty designs, some with chains, and some with very sharp…teeth…"

Robin punctuated the last part of his statement by pinching her nipple harder, causing her to whimper.

"Or…" Robin let her nipple go, grabbed something from the wardrobe and dangled it in front of her. "We can play with these again. You remember how much fun we had with these, don't you?"

Based on how she tensed up and how her blush got a shade darker, she definitely remembered.

"Wasn't it fun when I first introduced these to you? Do you remember the first time I inserted these into you, each bead going in one by one?"

Her knees trembled.

"And remember that time when we went to that royal ball? How you were all dressed up in front of all those important people? All those people, who had no idea that I stuffed you up until the very…last…bead. Oh, you should've seen your face! I was surprised you managed to keep it together until we got back to my place. That was a fun night, wasn't it?"

She was breathing really heavily now.

"Or we can save all that for later and start off more traditionally."

The sound of the whip slicing through the air immediately caught her attention.

"I know how much you love it when I punish you. Is that what you want?"

She looked down, her face now the same shade as her hair.

"You know what I'm waiting for."

She mumbled something in her gag, still looking down.

Robin sighed and approached. He placed the whip under her chin, forcing her head up.

"I'm waiting."

After a few moments, she nodded.

"Good girl." Robin stepped away and readied his whip. "Now, prepare yourself…Cordelia."

---

"Bwargh!"

Robin shot up from his bed, panting heavily.

Looking around, he noticed that he was in his tent and not in some dark room doing things...with...

"Gods, what the hell was that all about…?"

Rubbing his eyes, Robin looked down and saw something on his bed out of the corner of his eye. Upon closer inspection, it was a book. That wasn't anything out of the ordinary—Robin regularly did some nighttime reading before he fell asleep. His usual reading was what the literary society was reading at the time.

"Of course..."

Once Robin saw what the book actually was, everything made sense.

As already mentioned, Robin liked to read things before bed on days when he wasn't drafting plans into the night. While he did read a wide variety of things, he usually used this time to catch up on whatever the book of the month was at the society. And at this current moment in time, they were reading 69 Shades: Part II. Yes, that's right, the sequel to that one inexplicably popular book in Valm with all the sex.

Robin wasn't really sure how everyone managed to agree that this was the thing they were going to read after their very productive last session. Did they all want to read about how the main couple do it for several hundred more pages or something?

But Robin tried to be positive. He thought that maybe, just maybe, the first book was just a little wobbly and now that it got a lot of attention the author would expand the plot some. Or add a plot to begin with. Or give more explanations as to why the main characters love each other and are very into the kinky things they do for pages and pages beyond just "because sex." That maybe there would be more depth to the story. Or something. Anything.

But no. None of that so far. Robin was more than halfway into the book and so far it seemed to be just like the first book, only going further and being more graphic.

"Gods…"

Robin sighed.

Stupid book. Robin was reading it so often that it was invading his dreams! The scene that he just saw was almost exactly the same as the one he read a few chapters ago, only substituting himself and Cordelia in place of the main characters in the book, and it was ho—

Robin shook his head to stop that line of thinking.

He was a tactician, for Naga's sake! He was professional and logical and respected Cordelia and his other comrades and didn't think about her being tied up and naked and how good her body looked and how it was actually a turn on to—

"Gah! No, bad thoughts, bad!"

That was it. Robin had to get out of bed and find something to do, otherwise his mind was in danger of having some very unwelcome thoughts about his female friends.

Robin gave one last resentful look at the book before getting up and getting dressed.

Stupid book. Robin never had those kinds of dreams before now! Maybe he was going to have to get a break for a few nights, otherwise this could become a recurring theme! And what if his mind substituted others in place of the main characters? Seeing himself doing that kind of stuff with one of his best friends was bad enough, but Robin especially didn't need to see other couples doing it!

---

One of the side-effects of Robin's strange and unwanted dream was that it made him realize one thing: Cordelia was hot.

"…are the latest reports. We have tracked movements to…"

Well, it wasn't really an earth-shattering revelation. Could barely even be called a revelation, if Robin were to be honest. Robin was well-aware that he worked with some very attractive women in his daily life.

"…according to my scouts, the Valmese are moving…"

Robin knew for a while now that Cordelia was quite attractive herself, as Robin kept pointing out. After all, Robin didn't give out compliments willy-nilly—he wasn't a shameless philanderer like Virion. Even though others thought otherwise, Robin really did mean it when he complimented Cordelia (and others) on her (and their) looks.

"…have seen soldiers moving equipment and supplies here, here and…"

And why wouldn't he? She really was quite stunning. The hair was what always grabbed Robin's attention. Long, flowing, and just such a captivating shade of red. Sure, Sully and Anna had red hair also, but there was something about Cordelia's that made it stand out (Robin guessed it was the length. Longer hair meant more red to capture the eye). Moreover, she trained hard to keep in shape like the rest of the Shepherds. That meant she kept her legs toned, her arms strong (to rein her pegasus as well as holding her weapon to skewer her enemies), and herself fit. Probably had muscle underneath her tunic, too. Although probably not as much as Sully. Then again, it was understandable, since Sully, being a knight, was usually decked out in armor and had to have the muscle to lug all metal on the battlefield. Cordelia, meanwhile, wore lighter armor and needed less muscle and was leaner. Probably.

"…have to wait until all our forces have arrived to start planning…"

Not that Robin spent any amount of time thinking about that sort of thing! Up until today, Robin was just aware that Cordelia was one of his pretty female friends. That's all. And why would he? He was too much of a professional for that. Hell, he didn't even know what she looked like underneath her armor and clothes! Nor did he want to. That would require seeing her naked and Robin had no plans to do that.

"…for that we need to consult our resident tactician. Robin?"

What Robin saw in his dreams was most definitely a result of the book, because it had to be. How else was his mind supposed to conjure up what Cordelia looked like naked so vividly when he himself had nothing to draw upon (and, again, he didn't intend for that to change!) His mind must've just taken what the heroine looked like and imposed Cordelia's likeness on her body. Gods knew that the book was full of descriptions of the heroine's body in various states of undress and how she reacted during her escapades with the main character. Descriptions and sensations that went on and on.

"Robin?"

Whatever. Cordelia was his friend. She was his female friend. She was one of his many female friends. The way he thought of her wasn't going to change based off one weird, lewd, book-inspired dream. It's not like Robin had such dreams often or had such thoughts during the day! That would make him a pervert, and Robin was anything but! This must've been a one-off. All he had to do was stop reading the book and everything would be back to normal. Robin resolved to just go on as usual, be his normal, profesional self, and not keep thinking about that dream and what it meant and how his interpretation of a naked Cordelia made him feel and—

"Robin!"

"Wha—?"

Finding himself suddenly ripped from his thoughts, Robin snapped back to reality.

"Are you okay?" asked Chrom. "You've been standing there with quite a serious expression for some time."

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I was just…you know, thinking about things. And stuff."

"Things related to the campaign, I hope," Chrom said, eyebrow raised.

Robin scoffed. "Chrom, please. I'm the head tactician of our little group. It would be very unprofessional for me to be thinking about anything other than the campaign, especially in the command tent as we talk about said campaign."

"True, and I suppose I do know how much emphasis you put on being professional…"

"Exactly."

Robin internally sighed with relief. This damn book and the damn dream. They were interfering with his ability to do his job! And as someone who took pride in how well he did his job, that was unacceptable.

"Pray tell us, Sir Robin, what are your thoughts and assessments of the situation?" Say'ri asked.

"Uh…" Robin approached the table with all their reports and racked his brain for bits and pieces of information that he managed to catch from their conversation. "Remind me again how many of our forces are gathered here right now?"

"About a third," answered Chrom. "With the others making their way here as we speak. We've received messages about some delays due to increased Valmese patrols or the weather or such."

"Right. Estimate on when they'll join up with us?"

"I would venture in the next few weeks," Say'ri replied. "From the reports, most of our forces should be near or approaching our location. Even the ones most delayed should arrive within two weeks, three at most."

"Right. Where are Basilio and Flavia at?"

"Should be here in the coming days if their latest message is anything to go by," Chrom said. "Maybe more. I hear they've been encountering more patrols."

"Okay. So I guess we have some time to ourselves to gather intel and get a lay of the land and the enemy positions. These the initial scout reports?" Robin asked, taking a look at the papers on the table.

Frederick nodded. "We had some of our scouts go by air and foot to examine the enemy positions. They had to keep a low profile as well as their distance to not give away our position. From my understanding, the enemy has a good position to see any forces coming their way."

"That's annoying…" Robin frowned and examined the reports in front of him. "What's this? A crude diagram of the Valmese positions?"

"Some scouts thought it would be helpful," Chrom informed.

"Give them a promotion. That's indeed very helpful!" Robin then pointed. "What's this?"

"Hm?"

"This. I assume that this semi-circle on the paper is the enemy fortress?"

"In a way, yes," said Say'ri. "The Valmese have secured their position around the Mila Tree some time ago. The tree's roots act as natural defenses that I wager the Valmese have fortified."

Robin blinked. "…What?"

"Have I said something strange?" Say'ri asked.

"Yeah. You speak as if the Valmese can use this tree thing here as a fortress or something. Like, that's not possible. I mean, it's a tree! How in Naga's name can they just dig in and defend themselves by using a tree?"

"Yes, I've also been meaning to ask you about that," Chrom said. "You speak about this Mila Tree in some very grand terms. I assume that there's something special about it aside from the fact that this 'Voice' resides there?"

"Ah, forgive me. I oft forget that I speak with those who are unfamiliar with these lands," Say'ri apologized. "Yes, the Mila Tree is not your average tree, to say the least."

"What makes it so special?"

"Besides from the fact it is where the Voice resides, the tree itself is an enormous thing, easily growing past the clouds. The roots themselves are big enough to fit entire armies on them and act as hill on which one can entrench oneself."

"Oh wow. I didn't think it was possible for such a thing to exist."

"Indeed, it is truly a sight to behold…"

"Yeah…" Robin frowned. "I'm having trouble imagining it."

"It does really beggar belief until one has seen it themselves," Say'ri conceded.

"I think that's what we'll have to do."

"Robin?" Chrom looked at his friend questioningly.

"Can't really visualize fighting on a giant tree no matter how much I try. Need to see this thing for myself to see what I'm dealing with," Robin explained.

"What, now?"

Robin shrugged. "Now's a good a time as ever. We're not doing anything of particular importance while we wait for the rest of our forces to arrive, so…"

"Guess I can't argue with you there," Chrom said. "Do you need any of us to come with you?"

"I don't think that'll be necessary. After all, this is more of a preliminary scouting trip to help me get a better visual understanding of the battlefield than anything else. I don't think this is important enough to drag all of you along. Heh, unless you guys want to."

"I will have to politely decline," replied Frederick. "I have duties to attend to here and doubt I can give any useful input were I to see the Mila Tree myself."

"Fair enough."

"You said our presence on this trip is not strictly necessary, yes?" asked Say'ri.

Robin nodded.

"Very well. In that case, I shall stay here and direct our soldiers and the new arrivals."

"That seems helpful. And don't worry, there'll be plenty of time for me to bother you with questions and such later on when I start drawing my plans. But for now, I just need to get a sense of what I'm dealing with."

"I understand."

"Chrom?"

"There are still plenty of things to do around camp that I can help with. Besides, I'm sure you'll tell me all about the nice tree when you come back."

"Okay, then it's settled. I'll be off on my trip and you guys do…whatever it is you want to do until I get back."

Everyone in the tent nodded and headed off in different directions.

As Robin headed to where the pegasi were, someone bumped into him.

"Oof! Sorry about that, I was—oh, Dad!"

"Hey, Morgan," Robin greeted. "Were you doing the thing when you read and walk at the same time without looking where you're walking?"

"Uh…" Morgan quickly hid the book behind her back. "No?"

"Morgan, seriously. Reading and walking are two things that shouldn't be done at the same time. It's a public safety rule. I mean, what would've happened if I was carrying boxes when you bumped into me, huh? We could've gotten really hurt!"

"Sorry, Dad…" Morgan said sheepishly. "But in my defense, I was getting to the really good part!"

"No buts! Your well-being is more important than some book, even if it's really, really interesting. Please promise me you won't walk and read, okay?"

"Okay…"

"Good. What were you reading, anyway?"

"One of yours," Morgan replied, showing Robin the book she was holding.

"Oooh, The Art of Tactics and War. That's a really good one!"

"I know! Lots of bits of wisdom and insight in this book."

"Indeed. A must-read for any aspiring tactician."

"That's why I got it. I can practically feel myself becoming a better tactician as I read it!" Morgan said enthusiastically. "Anyway, what're you doing out here, Dad? Finished with your meeting already?"

"Yeah, it was more of an update meeting if anything," Robin said when an idea struck him. "Oh hey, Morgan! What're you doing right now?"

"Well, I was gonna train a bit, but then this book caught my eye…"

"Fair enough, but you've read our intel reports, right?"

"About the enemy positions and stuff? Yeah. They're supposed to be fortified around some tree, right? How does that even work?"

"Apparently this is some special tree, tall enough that it reaches into the clouds and wide enough that it works like a fortress…or something. At least that's what I heard."

"Really?"

"I know! That was my reaction as well, so that's why I'm headed over there to see for myself. That, and to get a better sense of what I'm dealing with. Some personal recon, if you will. Care to come along?"

"Ooh, a father-daughter recon mission, eh?"

"Yeah! After all, two tacticians are better than one. And it's not every day you get to see some magical giant tree. So, you up for it?"

"You bet!" Morgan said excitedly. "Lemme just put this book back in my tent and I'll be right with you. Man, this is gonna be so cool!"

Robin chuckled to himself as he watched his daughter run off. There was just something so adorable about how enthusiastic she got about things.

---

Robin thought that another benefit of this little excursion would be to put any anxieties and awkwardness he may have had with Cordelia because of his dream aside. After all, the only person who would be affected (and even knew anything was different between them) was Robin. And Robin was much too professional to allow some weird dream he had based off some sexually explicit book change anything. Nothing was different, nothing changed, and Robin made sure to behave as if nothing happened (because it didn't). So he purposefully sat behind Cordelia as they took off toward the Mila Tree to prove that nothing changed between them and he was perfectly capable of ignoring whatever strange dreams he may have had about his colleagues and carry on as usual.

And right now, that…was working out. In a way.

"Robin, are you okay? I feel you're holding me tighter than usual."

"Yep, I'm fine. Fine, everything's fine!" Robin laughed nervously, but then he (for whatever reason) opened his eyes and looked down. He then promptly felt nauseous and held Cordelia tighter.

"I always forget how uncomfortable you get when in the air," Cordelia commented, adding, "Well, when not getting shot at, that is."

"It's a lot easier when I get shot at because I have things to keep my mind off how high we are and how one wrong move can result in me falling to my untimely death!"

"…You do realize that the danger of that happening is a lot higher when we're getting shot at by multiple enemies, right?"

"Eh. I trust you and Sumia to avoid arrows and spells to keep us both alive. Besides, I'm more focused on shooting the guys shooting at us to think about what can happen if they do manage to hit us. Now, with no one shooting at us, I have nothing to concentrate on except for how high we are and what a long way down to the ground it is from up here…" Robin shivered.

"At least Morgan doesn't share your anxiety in the air."

"Huh?"

Cordelia motioned with her head. Turning to look, Robin saw Morgan riding Sumia's pegasus with a happy smile.

"Man, flying feels great!" Morgan exclaimed. "I can feel the wind in my hair and the view is awesome and this is so cool! Why don't I do this more often?"

Sumia giggled. "I'm glad you seem to like flying so much, Morgan. Perhaps we could take you with us on our scouting missions."

"That would be awesome! I can really get used to this…" Morgan threw her arms in the air. "Weeee!"

"Argh, Morgan! For the love of Naga, keep both your hands on either the reins or someone close to you at all times during flight!" Robin shouted.

"Relax, Robin! I've got her," Sumia assured.

"Yeah. Sumia's holding the reins around me so my hands are free to enjoy the wind!" Morgan said as she closed her eyes and sighed contentedly.

"Gods, she's not even a little bit scared…" Robin muttered to himself.

"Guess she takes that from her mother," Cordelia said.

"You think so?"

Cordelia shrugged. "Just guessing. Could be anything, really."

"Hm…"

"Well, a thought for another day. Hang on."

"Wha—ack!"

Robin tightened his grip around Cordelia's waist as he felt the familiar falling sensation in the pit of his stomach that indicated that they were descending.

Well, Robin paired himself with Cordelia to prove that nothing changed because of his weird dream. And he managed to spend an entire journey close to her and hold a conversation and not feel awkward in the very slightest! Granted, most of that journey he spent terrified and hugging her closely, but it wasn't awkward! And that's what was important. Robin was content to take a win wherever he could find one.

Robin was also content to hop off the pegasus and feel the earth beneath his feet as soon as they landed. Being grounded sure made Robin feel a lot better. No longer was he terrified and holding onto Cordelia for dear life, not anymore! On the ground, he was back to being his usual, confident and not terrified self!

"Oh man, flying felt awesome!" Morgan said cheerfully as she dismounted with Sumia. "I should definitely do it again. Hey, were you serious when you said you'd take me scouting with you?"

"Of course, although that all depends on your father giving his consent," Sumia said.

"Morgan," Robin sighed. "I'm sure you have better things to do with your time than go fly around the sky."

"Oh, and we don't?" Cordelia asked wryly.

"Well, it's different for you and Sumia because doing that is actually part of your job description," Robin answered breezily.

"Aw, come on, Dad. I'd love to do more flying!"

"We'll see," Robin said noncommittally. "I was serious when I said you probably had better things to do than scout, helping me being chief among them."

"Really?"

"You do a lot of things to help me with the workload, kiddo. I also appreciate having another tactical mind to bounce ideas off of and discuss things with."

"Oh yeah. Well, if you need me so much, I guess I can put off some of my flying plans and help you out."

"How very generous of you." Robin then looked around. "Okay, so. You guys were flying us pretty low back there and now we're in this valley. Where's the Mila Tree?"

"Just beyond this hill," Cordelia said, pointing. "The enemy has a clear view of the surrounding area and this valley is the only place where we can observe them without being seen, even if it is some distance from the Tree itself."

"Ah, good thinking."

"It's what you pay us for."

"Glad to see my money isn't going to waste," Robin quipped. "Okay, you guys stay here while Morgan and I go and see what exactly we're up against. We should be back shortly."

"We'll be waiting."

"Morgan?"

"Ready!"

So the two tacticians walked up the hill and dropped to their stomachs before they reached the top to not draw attention to themselves. Once up top, they surveyed the area.

"Huh. Lots of flat terrain out there. No way we're getting a sneak attack on these guys. They'll see us coming form a mile away…" Robin observed.

"Looks like they're also well supplied," Morgan added. "I see plenty of roads leading up to…"

Father and daughter followed the roads to a tall something in the distance.

"…I'm assuming that's the Mila Tree, then? Looks a lot smaller than people described it…" Morgan commented.

"That's because we're seeing it all the way from this kind of far away valley," Robin said. "But it seems to fit the description."

"Dad?"

"See?" Robin pointed. "Even from here, you can't really see the top."

Morgan squinted.

"Goes right up to the clouds."

"Oh wow. Good catch, Dad!"

"Yeah. Now let's see if we can't get a better look at this thing…" Robin reached into his coat and took out a spyglass. "Hmm…"

"What do you see, Dad?"

"You tell me." Robin passed the spyglass to Morgan.

"Uh…huh. The enemy seems to be camped out mostly at the bottom…"

"What else?"

"…Oh. I see what looks like some wooden outposts or something built up along the roots and where the tree starts. If I had to guess, I'd say those are either lookout posts or defensive positions that probably house archers in case of attack. Maybe both."

Robin nodded. "Makes the assault more difficult. We'll have to figure out a way to take those outposts out quickly or we'll get peppered by arrows while we're fighting on the ground."

"That's not good."

"No it is not. Tell me what else you see."

"Uh…the roots."

"What about them."

"They get really big the closer they get to the tree. Also really high. I'm guessing cavalry will have trouble fighting on such elevation."

"Ours, definitely. Uphill battles are not ideal for cavalry—takes the speed and power right out of their charge."

"I wanna say the enemy isn't crazy enough to station their cavalry up on the higher and steeper levels of the roots, but if it was me, I'd totally do it. It may be risky, but speed from the downhill momentum the cavalry will get in a charge could be devastating."

"Something else to keep in mind…"

"Hey, Dad? What do you think about…"

The two tacticians spent a while on that hill, analyzing every little detail of the Valmese positions and taking various notes to help with strategy planning. It was only after writing several dozen pages of notes were they satisfied with their intel gathering and went down to the waiting pegasus knights.

"Sorry about the wait," Robin said. "There was more to take down than we imagined."

"Did you get everything you needed?" Sumia inquired.

"As much as we could."

"How does it look?"

"Tricky. Will have to spend some time thinking about how to do this."

"Don't worry, Dad, I'm sure you'll come up with something!" Morgan declared confidently. "And I'll help."

"We have faith in you, Robin," Sumia said.

"You've never let us down before," added Cordelia.

"Thanks, you guys. Your faith gives me strength." Robin smiled gratefully. "Now, let's get back to camp, shall we? All that intelligence gathering's made me hungry!"

---

So after going to see the layout of their battlefield, Robin busied himself with planning for the upcoming battle. Luckily for him, he had the time, as it would be a while before all of their forces arrived. And even after that, they'd have to get everyone their roles and formations and sync their groups so that everything went according to whatever plan Robin came up with.

So there was plenty of work to be done.

But work of the paper and planning variety was not the only type of work Robin did while waiting for their forces to arrive. Robin knew for a while now that he was neglecting his physical training. This became clearly evident every time he fought. Sure, he was adept at magic and could shoot lightning bolts like a pro, but shooting lightning bolts at bad guys didn't take as much effort as, say, engaging in melee combat. And although Robin could hold his own against bandits and the like, he felt he came closer and closer to getting stabbed with each engagement. And if that's how he felt around bandits, Robin shuddered thinking about how he would feel fighting against professional Valmese soldiers. And from the times he fought them, Robin remembered that they were tough as hell! So he clearly had to use the time he had now to bulk up, work on his swordsmanship and general stamina.

"Ya!"

Which was exactly what he was doing.

"Slow." Lon'qu effortlessly dodged Robin's attack.

"Or maybe it's…just that you're…too…fast…" Robin panted.

"And tired. You've been neglecting your training for far too long," Lon'qu said bluntly. "You used to be better than this."

"Well that's why…I'm here with…you…" Robin wheezed. "Gods, I was better than this…"

"You have much training to do."

"Which I intend to catch up on. Got…sessions lined up with Chrom and…everything!"

"Relying on magic has made you sloppy. I suppose it's a good thing you realized before it was too late."

"Better late than never!" Robin took a deep breath. "Now come on. Let's finish this for today so I can hone my technique with different partners."

"As you wish." Lon'qu adopted a fighting stance. "Ready yourself."

Robin mentally prepared himself.

"Ready."

The words barely left his mouth and Lon'qu was already upon him.

"Gah!"

Robin expected Lon'qu's usual devastating strikes, but the swordsman instead struck Robin with a series of less powerful attacks. That would've been a welcome break except for the fact that these strikes came really fast! So fast that as Robin tried to block one, Lon'qu already struck and was readying another.

"Oof! Ow! Ack!"

Just how fast was this guy?! Robin felt he could handle these less-powerful attacks if they didn't come so often and so fast.

Lon'qu suddenly stepped back, but this wasn't to offer Robin a reprieve.

"No hard feelings."

And before Robin knew it, he was lying on his back seeing stars.

"Ow…"

"Hm. Owain was right…"

"Urgh. Gods…" Robin groaned. "What the hell was that? I, urgh, feel that was both weaker and faster than your usual attack pattern…"

"Astra."

"Huh."

"It's a technique I've been working on for a while," Lon'qu said. "I felt that I was a few steps from executing it but couldn't overcome the last hurdle."

"What changed?"

"Owain."

"Owain?"

"He said that I taught him Astra in the future. He demonstrated it to me and we trained together so I could understand what I needed to do to execute it myself."

"You sound proud."

"He is a fine warrior, even if he is a bit…talkative," Lon'qu said, with the faintest of smiles.

"Glad you two are getting along. Also that you managed to do this thing you've been working on. As your test subject, I can confirm that it works and also hurts like hell…"

"Come." Lon'qu extended his hand and helped Robin to his feet. "You must continue your training. Don't let a few bruises deter you."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one being subjected to the whirlwind of pain."

"That sounds like something Owain would come up with."

"Yeah, well…" Robin was too distracted by the pain through his body to come up with a reply. "Thank you for keeping me in shape, Lon'qu, even if you did beat the crap out of me."

"Is that not how all of our training sessions go?"

Robin frowned. "Lissa is rubbing off on you."

Lon'qu let out a noise that, if Robin didn't know better, sounded like a laugh.

"Train, Robin. There's still time to hone your skills to a…passable level."

"Yeah, yeah, let me get on that…" Robin groaned.

Lon'qu nodded and left to go do…whatever he did.

"Gods, I really am out of shape. I don't usually feel this sore after training with Lon'qu…" Robin grumbled and reached into his coat for a vulnerary. He then downed the thing in one go and grimaced. It really didn't get any better no matter how many times he drank one.

"Hey, Dad!"

Looking up, Robin saw his daughter running up to him.

"Hey, Morgan. What's up?"

"Nothing much. You free?"

"I think so. Not supposed to be training with Chrom for another few hours. I was lucky enough to have the foresight to give myself a break between training partners…"

"Great! Because I was hoping we'd start my sword training now."

"…Now?"

"I figured now was a good a time as ever. I mean, we're both not doing anything and we have this kinda big battle coming up…"

"I suppose I can't argue with that…"

"Yeah! Oh, and I've been practicing!"

"Oh?"

"Yep. Went to Lucina and everything."

Robin gasped in horror. "Morgan. Have you…have you been training with Lucina all this time?!"

"What? No!" Morgan replied, equally horrified. "That was the original plan, but when I approached her while she was practicing, she hit the training dummy so hard it snapped into like a million pieces! If I asked her to train with me, I could've been next! I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to sustain what are probably gonna be serious injuries while training. I'm too young and fragile! So I just got some pointers from her instead."

"You may be young and fragile, but I'm glad your head is working right," Robin said, smiling and ruffling his daughter's hair. "You have no sword training as far as I'm aware and Lucina is not who you want to start with. She shares her father's propensity to not hold back when training, resulting in much pain and bruising for her partner."

"You sound like you speak from experience."

"Yep." Robin nodded grimly. "We lose countless training dummies to her and her father each year."

"Guess another one goes in the monthly pool, huh? Where are we at with that, anyway?"

"…How do you know about the monthly betting pool?"

"I have my ways," Morgan said cryptically. "Gotta get creative to maximize my allowance so I can buy me more Heroes of Legend booster packs!"

"…I really hope you're not spending all your allowance on booster packs."

"I really want Myrrh, okay? I think she'd make a really cool addition to my theoretical dragon team. Besides, worst case scenario is that I don't eat some days."

"Morgan!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"

Robin didn't look convinced.

"Come on, Dad. You taught me that sound financial planning is the key to any victory, and not just in turn-based strategy board games."

"I would hope you took that advice to heart."

"As with every piece of wisdom you give me!"

"Going to have to do a review of your finances…" Robin muttered to himself. "Anyway, sword training, yeah?"

"Yes please."

"I suppose I should teach you that eventually…" Robin sighed. "Morgan, are you sure you're ready?"

"Of course! This war's gonna heat up pretty soon and the Valmese are pretty tough. As a good tactician, I'll need every advantage I can get to keep up. Besides, I'm pretty good at throwing fireballs at bad guys. Figured I'd need to learn to get better at stabbing them if they get close."

"Heh, sound logic. And yes, knowing how to defend yourself from bad guys up close is one of life's essential skills. Stabbing people is just as important as throwing lightning bolts and fireballs."

"Exactly."

"Okay, kiddo," Robin said, tossing a practice sword to Morgan. "Get ready."

Morgan caught the practice sword and looked confusedly between it and her father. "…Get ready for what?"

"Your training," Robin replied simply. "I'm going to have to get a feel on what you know and what you're capable of. And what better way to do that than sparring?"

"Wow. You're jumping straight in, huh?"

"I figured you'd want a bit more action and a bit less of us talking about what you know. Besides, this way is much faster. Proactive learning and all that."

"Wow. Uh, okay." Morgan assumed a fighting stance.

"Pretend that this is a real fight," Robin advised. "Give me everything you've got and fight as if your life depends on it! No holding back."

"Right!" Morgan nodded, determined.

"Whenever you're ready."

Morgan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then charged.

And thus began their training.

As they were sparring, Robin was busy observing his daughter's fighting technique and making mental notes.

The first thing he noticed was that Morgan was already quite an adept swordswoman. Although far from perfect and with much room for improvement, she nevertheless had a very decent foundation to start from and was far from a rookie. Then again, Robin supposed he shouldn't be too surprised. After all, Morgan was his daughter from the future and there's no way in hell he was leaving her without the knowledge or skills to defend herself.

"Ha!"

And that showed. Robin definitely recognized Morgan's style as his own. Naturally there were differences because she had to tailor it to suit her smaller frame, but his base was unmistakable. Robin also thought he saw maybe other influences in her fighting style as well: her disengagement reminded him of Lon'qu, her stances and some of her strikes bore Chrom and Lucina's influences, she defended herself as Gregor did. Robin supposed that only made sense, after all, Chrom and Lucina's styles were very similar to each other and Robin trained with them and everyone else to make his own. It wasn't too farfetched he'd teach Morgan the best bits of what he knew so she could try stuff out and see what worked for her.

Their training went on for a while, until Robin glanced at his watch.

"Wow, we've been at this for a while."

"Time…sure flies when you're having fun…huh?" Morgan panted.

"Heh, that's one way to put it. You okay?"

"Yeah, just a bit winded…" Morgan exhaled. "Physical training sure takes a lot more outta you than magic!"

"It sure does."

"So, how'd I do, Dad?"

"I've made lots of observations and have plenty of comments, but to sum up: you have a good foundation and give me plenty to work with instead of being completely green in the ways of the sword. I see a lot of my style in yours but also other influences. You seem to prefer quick hits and even quicker dodges and disengagements, which is understandable given you're smaller and weaker than I am. I feel I see some myrmidon tactics with how quickly you strike and then jump out of my range, although I'll say you're maybe a bit too cautious in that regard, preferring to disengage instead of pushing your advantage and missing openings I purposely gave you."

"Wow. You saw all that while we were sparring?"

Robin smiled. "Observing and note-making are in my job description and I'm very good at my job, doubly so when it involves my daughter."

"Oh, right. Duh."

"Also, I saw some very fancy footwork there, Morgan. That something you learned in the future?"

"As much as I'd like to take credit for it, no. That's actually something I picked up here."

"Huh?"

"Some tips from Lucina," Morgan said simply. "She obviously couldn't show me anything awesome or complicated on such short notice, but she did give me a few pointers on my footwork."

"Ah. Now it all makes sense. One last thing."

"Oh?"

"You, my diminutive daughter, hit deceptively hard when you want to."

"Really?"

Robin nodded, rubbing is arm. "While most of the time you relied on hit-and-run tactics, times when you switched it up and decided to go on the offense, you really hit hard! I actually think I may have some bruising after this."

Morgan winced. "Sorry, Dad."

"Don't apologize, Morgan. Your father's been through a lot worse!"

"Heh, right. Anyway, that's kinda part of my overall strategy."

"Strategy?"

"Yeah. You know, if I ever find myself alone in enemy territory surrounded by bad guys, they'll think 'Oh, look at that cute and innocent girl over there. She looks harmless so let's rob her real quick and get outta here.' And when they get close enough, I'll sock 'em right in their ugly faces! They'll never see it coming! Or expect how hard I can hit."

"Putting aside the fact that I'll never let a situation like that happen, I'll admit that you definitely got me with that ruse. Even as your dad, I never expected you'd be able to hit so hard!"

"It's the perfect strategy!"

Robin chuckled. "That it is, Morgan. That it is."

"Is that all?"

"Pretty much. This was a short summary. I could write you a full report if you want."

"Thanks! That'd be great."

"…Morgan, I was kidding."

"Aw, no report?"

"Do you really want one?"

"Of course. Reading full reports on stuff is always fun, even more so when it concerns me! I love reading about me."

Robin laughed. "Don't we all? If you really want to, I could write a full report on your capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement."

"Yes please."

"Very well." Robin stretched. "And that ends out first sparring session. You're free to do whatever you want now, Morgan."

"Cool. Oh, Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Think you can help me try something out before I go?"

"I'll do my best. What is it?"

"It's a sword move I've been working on."

"Ooh, sounds interesting. What do you need me to do?"

"Nothing much. Just stand there so I can try it out. And maybe give me critique."

"Morgan, couldn't you use a training dummy for this?"

"Yeah, but training dummies can't give me pointers."

"Heh, point taken. Okay, kiddo. Show me what you've been working on."

"Sure thing!" Morgan put some distance between herself and Robin. "But, uh, remember that it's still a work in progress and that I may need to tweak it a bit, yeah?"

"Right." Robin adopted a fighting stance, bracing himself for whatever Morgan had in store. "Whenever you're ready."

Morgan got herself ready and charged.

Robin was readying himself to parry when Morgan suddenly threw her sword spinning into the air.

Confused, Robin kept watching as his daughter, closing the distance between then, jumped in the air, reaching for her still-spinning sword. Unfortunately for her, she apparently miscalculated somewhere and instead of grabbing her sword by its handle, she missed, lost her balance (and, Robin assumed her concentration), and flailed in the air before falling flat right in front on him.

"Oof!"

And to top it all off, her sword came down and hit her square on her head.

"Ow!"

"Are you okay, dear?" Robin asked, extending his hand.

"Yeah, although that practice sword landing on my head's probably gonna leave a nasty bump…" Morgan muttered as she stood up, rubbing her head.

"What exactly where you trying to do just now?"

"I was trying to recreate the signature move of the Radiant Hero!"

"…What?"

"Remember? When we were reading the Tellius saga? And the story described how he did his legendary super special finishing move where he tosses his sword in the air, jumps to grab it and does a spinny move before coming down and finishing his enemies?"

"That does ring a bell. I definitely feel like I've seen something similar before…"

"Yeah!" Morgan nodded enthusiastically. "So I thought that sounded pretty awesome. Then I thought it'd look even better! So I decided to figure out a way to pull that thing off. It's, uh…still in development."

"So I see," Robin said wryly. "May I ask why you decided to devote your energy into this, of all things?"

"Because it sounds really cool when the book describes it. And imagine how cool I'll look when I pull it off! Everyone will be busy fighting the old-fashioned way and I'll be pulling off super cool, stylish moves!"

"Wait, you're actually planning to do this in battle?" Robin asked incredulously.

"That's the end goal, yeah, although I still have a few kinks to work out, like how high I toss my sword…and my landing…"

"Morgan, as much as I hate discouraging you from doing what you love, I have to be a good parent and discourage you from doing silly and potentially dangerous things."

"But making a cool finishing move is neither silly nor potentially dangerous!"

"Morgan, can you imagine yourself actually pulling this thing off? In real combat? In real life?"

"Sure I can! Once I get the hang of it, I'll totally be able to bust out this and other flashy finishing moves on the battlefield," Morgan predicted confidently.

"Wha—'other' finishing moves? How many more are you—" Robin stopped himself and took a deep breath. "Focus, Robin, one thing at a time…"

"Come on, Dad, are you telling me you haven't thought of making super cool finishing moves yourself? Or seen others pull off theirs?"

"Morgan, this isn't some fictional adventure novel," Robin pointed out. "We live in the real world where combat is nether cool nor flashy. If you tried to do what you just tried to pull off, I'm sure the enemy would use the windup time required to just stab you."

"Dad, how can you be sure of that?"

"Morgan, which one of us has the war experience?"

"…Point taken. But, have you ever tried to pull off a special move in combat to see if it'll work or not?"

"No, because I want to stay alive over being flashy. And 'finishing' moves are unnecessary when you can just finish the enemy quickly and efficiently by stabbing them or something."

"But it would be so much better if you could do so by doing something fancy. Something with flips…and maybe jumping."

"…What's with this sudden fascination with being fancy and finishing moves? You've never shown any interest in this stuff before?"

"Yeah, but after reading a bunch of stories and hearing first-hand accounts of stories of heroism and adventure, I'm firmly convinced we can fight normally and insert cool super moves to look good while doing it!"

"…You've been talking to Owain, haven't you?"

"A little bit."

Robin facepalmed. "Look, Morgan, having nice and flashy moves is nice and may look cool, but it's really impractical and will never work in real life and…and…"

"Dad?"

"Lucina!"

Morgan looked around, not seeing the princess. She then turned to her father, confused. "…You okay, Dad? Need to lie down or something?"

"Right. Sorry about that, Morgan. I just suddenly remembered where I'd seen the trick you're trying to pull off?"

"You've…you've actually seen it being done in real life?" Morgan asked, eyes wide.

"Well, not exactly like you described it, but yes. There was the jump and the flipping with the sword in the air and the coming down hard on your enemy like that."

"Wow…"

"Yeah, our first time in Arena Ferox. Thinking back, I'm ashamed that I didn't connect the dots sooner. Like, they have the exact hair color, the exact sword and the same moves? Shame on me!"

"You mean Chrom also did the flippy thing?"

"Yeah, surprisingly enough. You'd think his bigger, bulkier body would make it harder, but nope. Did the cool flippy thing just like Lucina. Have to say, it looks just as sweet when I was watching it the second time."

"That is so cool!" Morgan was clearly impressed. "Well, I guess I know who I'm talking to next!"

"Yeah, you—wait, what?"

"I never knew Lucina knew and could pull off such cool-sounding moves! I gotta talk to her and have her give me tips! Maybe Chrom too."

"Morgan, I really don't—"

"See you later, Dad!"

"Morgan, no!"

But Morgan already ran off to find Lucina.

"Oh dear. I feel like I could've handled that better…"

"That you could have, my dear tactician friend, although your daughter does have a point."

Robin turned to see Virion and Vaike approaching.

"Virion, Vaike," he greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We were simply in the area and happened to overhear an interesting and enlightening conversation between a father and his daughter," Virion said.

"Yeah, and we gotta say that your kid's got a point," Vaike added.

Robin crossed his arms. "Oh really?"

"Elaborate and flashy moves are all part of successfully and gracefully waging the art of war," Virion informed. "Because war is an ugly business in itself, so it's up to us to give it a little flair and finesse."

"I'm surprised and at the same time completely not surprised this is coming from you," Robin said.

"Is it so surprising that I, Virion, would want to inject a little flair in the ugliness that is human conflict?"

"The part about you wanting to do unnecessarily flashy things is entirely expected," Robin deadpanned. "What's surprising is that you'd actually bust that stuff out during combat. I thought you were a better tactician than that."

"Robin, you give me too little credit. I would never go as far as doing something so reckless on the field of battle."

"…Oh. Well—"

"However," Virion continued, "I think you can make certain exceptions when facing a few harmless bandits, especially when the fairer sex is watching."

"Aaaaand of course it always goes back to women with you," Robin remarked, amused. "I'm genuinely surprised Inigo isn't your kid."

"There ain't nothin' wrong with a little flash to go with your moves to impress the ladies," Vaike said. "After all, that flash is what caught Sully's eye! Well, that and these muscles!"

"Riiiight…" Robin rolled his eyes. "So, Virion, Archest of Archers and master of pomp and extravagance, why don't you entertain the class and show off your hypothetical moves that you would hypothetically pull out in the middle of battle to impress the ladies."

"My dear Robin, will you never learn?" Virion shook his head as he grabbed a bow. "I, the great Virion, always impress."

"Can confirm," Vaike said.

"I'll be the judge of that," Robin replied.

"For my first trick…" Virion spoke aloud, before going into a sprint, shooting off some arrows, then dropping to his knees and doing some sort of knee slide, shooting off some more arrows while sliding, then somehow doing a spin while getting to his feet at the same time.

Robin shrugged. "Eh. Not bad, I guess."

"Ah, but that was simply the opener. Be in wonder as I demonstrate what I can really do!"

Robin then watched as Virion shot off a few arrows, but that wasn't anything special. He was mildly impressed when Virion held his bow and spun a few times while bending his knees, which ended up with him shooting off an arrow as he crouched.

"And now, for the grand finale!"

Virion ran, then jumped backwards, doing a spinning flip and shooting an arrow mid-spinning flip that, to Robin's complete astonishment, actually hit its target dead center.

To top it all off, Virion landed neatly on his feet and looked triumphantly at his audience.

"Okay, that? That was pretty cool," Robin said, genuinely impressed.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Virion asked as he approached.

"I have to give it to you, Virion. Every time I think you're nothing but a pompous bag of hot air, you go off and prove me wrong."

Virion shook his head. "And I will continue to dispel your illusions about me as many times as is necessary, for I, Virion, am nothing but a man who can back his words up with substance and flair!"

"Aaaaand back to being a pompous windbag you go."

"Virion here always delivers on the flashy and the entertainin'," Vaike said, putting his arm around Robin's shoulder. "Teach hopes to be able to pull off those flashy crowd-pleasers real soon."

"What, you?" Robin looked at Vaike incredulously.

"Yep! If you remember, Virion here's been teachin' me how to use the bow and stuff. Once I get the hang of it, I'm gonna move on to the next level and shoot off arrows and while bein' all flashy and stuff! Man, the kids back home will be blown away when I show 'em what I can do…"

"Wait, are you still on that?"

"What?"

"With you and the bow?"

"Sure we are. Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well, considering how well that went last time, I'd have thought that Virion threw in the towel and called you a lost cause in the art of the bow."

"Ha! You wish!" Vaike laughed. "But the Vaike ain't no quitter and is determined to prove you wrong by mastering this bow!"

Robin was silent before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Hey, what's so funny?!" Vaike demanded.

"You…with the…" Robin laughed and wipes a few tears from his eyes. "Gods, it was funny back when you told me this the first time and it continues to be hilarious to this day. How long ago did you say you were going to get the hang of the bow? Feels like forever ago."

"My dear Robin, one does not simply master a weapon like the bow overnight," Virion said. "It takes practice, skill, patience—"

"Things Vaike here isn't known for."

"…Or, an outstanding teacher such as myself," Virion finished. "Ordinarily, becoming even a mediocre archer requires years of training and skill. However, under my tutelage, even Vaike can be an acceptable archer in half the time. I guarantee it!"

"So…what, the Vaike is your pet project now? Something you have to do for your pride?" Robin asked, smirking. "How's that been going for you?"

"It has been…difficult," Virion admitted, but then quickly added, "but he has made progress thanks to my teaching and meticulous training."

"Virion's a pretty good teacher," Vaike confirmed. "Or maybe Teach is also just a great student."

"…Didn't you almost shoot me with an arrow last time I saw you with a bow?" Robin reminded.

"Well, yeah, but that was a while ago! The Vaike has definitely improved since then!"

"Well, now I have to see this. Come on, then, show much better you've gotten since last I saw you."

"It'll be my pleasure!" Vaike said, eyes full of determination as he grabbed a bow.

"This should be good…" Robin muttered.

"Watch Teach hit this target dead on!" Vaike called, reading for an arrow.

"Virion, I promise to stop giving you grief if Vaike actually does hit the target dead center," Robin said.

"Oh my. You must be really certain that Vaike will miss," Virion remarked.

"It's Vaike," Robin said plainly. "He may hit harder than an ogre, but him having bow proficiency is less likely than me pulling a Hector in my next pack."

Virion opened him mouth to reply when Vaike shot off his arrow.

To his credit, the arrow actually did hit the target…only instead of hitting the center of the target, it hit the very edge of the target itself.

Virion facepalmed.

"Well, I guess it's an improvement over last time…" Robin commented. "I mean, he actually hit the thing he was supposed to."

"Er, that's right! Progress!" Vaike shouted from his position.

"Of course, at this rate we'll be done with all our wars ever and sipping tea in our summer cottages well into retirement by the time he becomes anything resembling a decent archer."

"Robin, you have my personal word of honor that Vaike will be able to reach an acceptable level of proficiency with the bow before this war ends!" Virion vowed.

"I know how much your honor means to you. Are you sure this is the hill you want to die on?"

"I knew what I was getting into when I accepted to tutor Vaike. This is now more than just teaching someone the majestic skills of the bow. Now, this is my honor and reputation on the line! I will teach Vaike archery before the war is done or I will never be able to show my face in public ever again!"

"I mean, if you're really committing yourself to that timeframe…" Robin then glanced at Vaike, who cursed as he broke an arrow by grabbing it too hard.

"…Perhaps I'll extend that to before you all head back to Ylisse…"

"Okay, maybe I still got a bit more to learn…" Vaike conceded, approaching the pair, "But you can't just go off and learn how to master the bow in a few months!"

"Vaike, why are you even so focused on archery?" Robin asked. "Why not stick to melee weapons? I'm sure you're better suited for lances, spears or even swords moreso than you are for the bow."

"Because the Vaike always loves a challenge! And when confronted by a challengin'…challenge, the Teach doesn't back down!"

"That is a commendable approach to things, Vaike," Virion said approvingly. "I too employ this philosophy, on both the field of battle and the field of love, to great effect."

Robin rolled his eyes. "It always wraps back around to women for you, doesn't it?"

"The company of women is most agreeable and can be quite the pleasurable experience…" Virion smiled luridly, "I'm sure you would agree if you were to take your nose out of your books and take the time to—"

"I'm going to stop you right there, Virion," Robin interrupted, "I have no time to go off chasing skirts because I'm too busy keeping you alive, if you remember. Besides, I'm in the company of women often enough to know how agreeable they are, some very snarky pegasus knight notwithstanding…"

"Ah, but as nice as conversing with the finer sex is, it can be so much more if you take the time to—"

"Virion, I'm not having this turn into another session of your alleged escapades with the ladies," Robin said flatly.

"A shame. I have so many tales to tell."

"Yes, so it would seem," Robin said dryly. "Virion, couldn't you have chosen someone more appropriate to pass on your admittedly impressive archery knowledge to? Like, I don't know, Noire, for example? She already has a solid base and skills to start from. Surely would be easier to teach than Vaike here."

"I suppose that is true, although I've not seen what Noire is capable of myself…"

"Actually, why don't you go off and teach her some new archery skills?" Robin suggested. "Would certainly help our overall capabilities if our other archer was as skilled as you…not to mention it would be a better use of your time."

"Hey! I really hope you ain't gonna abandon the Vaike just because he can't really get the hang of the bow yet!" Vaike said.

"Peace, Vaike. I promised to ensure that you will be proficient with the bow and I intend to keep that promise," Virion assured. "Although that's not to say that I can't train two people at once. After all, I, Virion, have talent enough for at least a dozen young archers!"

"Great…" Robin rolled his eyes. "So you'll talk to Noire, then?"

"I will indeed! It's been a while since I had a young maiden to take under my wing and—"

"For the love of—!" Robin shook his head in exasperation. "Virion, you better be anything less than courteous and professional when training Noire. No flirting, no hitting on her, no empty flattery, got it?!"

"My, such a strong reaction! And do you have such little faith in your friend Virion that you're unable to contemplate that I can act with professionalism when training a young woman in the skills of archery?"

Even Vaike snorted at this.

"I'll assume that was a rhetorical question," Robin said. "Besides, this is for everyone's well-being."

"How so?"

"Because if you start to act weird with Noire, Henry and Tharja will find out and probably put some kind of horrible, terrible curse on you that will either end up killing you in the most unimaginable of ways or worse."

"I highly doubt that—"

"And then I'll find out and have to fire both of them for gross misconduct, and then everyone else will find out, and it will be a whole thing and that's a headache I really can't afford right now."

"…How very kind of you to look out for my wellbeing so," Virion said dryly.

"Sometimes I care too much," Robin quipped. "Anyway, probably want to go ask Henry and Tharja for permission, just in case. Give them a heads-up and all that. Say you have my blessing in case they look like they're going to turn you into a toad or cause your eyeballs to bleed or something. Oh, and promise them that you won't be, well, you, when training her. And tell them I give them permission to curse you as they see fit if you break these conditions."

"I will be nothing but the gentleman," Virion vowed.

"For your sake I hope that's true. Anyway, I think I've spent enough time here. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to keep with Chrom."

"Heh, eager to get beaten to a pulp, huh?" Vaike snickered.

"You laugh, but getting beaten to a pulp on the training grounds is all part of my master plan of not dying on the battlefield!" Robin said as he walked away to find Chrom.

---

Robin continued his schedule of training himself and drawing up plans for the battle ahead. It took a lot of hard work, intelligence gathering, consulting and organizing before Robin was confident that every soldier and group knew what their roles were and what they were supposed to do. It also took doing something Robin was loathe to do: giving up control.

As it turned out, commanding a giant army comprising of soldiers from multiple nations was a lot harder than commanding an elite unit made up of your closest friends. Although Robin liked to be in control and manage the flow of battle, he was only one man. That was fine when he had a dozen or so soldiers under his command, but became somewhat unmanageable when he had thousands of troops to look after. Try as he might, Robin simply could not be everywhere to keep an eye out and instruct every single soldier and unit to do or what he needed them to do. So after exhausting all other options, Robin reluctantly delegated his powers and plans to unit captains. Fortunately, those next in the chain of command like Frederick, Sully, and Cordelia, worked with Robin for a while and knew what was expected of them. They commanded respect from their subordinates and also anticipated Robin's orders before he made them, giving Robin confidence that they'd make the right call when he was unavailable. They were seasoned enough to call the shots and had enough experience on the field to not need to run to Robin unless something really unexpected happened. So that made Robin feel a bit better.

With the command issue sorted and the captains passing down Robin's instructions to their subordinates, there was just one little detail he needed to take care of before he felt ready to initiate the assault…

Robin stood in the command tent with a thoughtful expression, looking at all the papers laid out before him. Of all of them, he was particularly focused on the one depicting the terrain around the Mila Tree and the approximate layout of the enemy positions.

"The updated directions have been delivered to each squadron as per your orders," Morgan announced as she came in. "Everyone is now going through the paces and memorising their roles."

"That's nice…"

"Dad? You okay? You're looking at those papers pretty hard…"

"Just trying to finalize our plans before we can proceed with the attack."

"Oh? Can I help?" Morgan asked, approaching the table.

"Always." Robin made room for his daughter.

"So what's the problem, Dad?"

"It's the position of the enemy," Robin said, pointing to the paper spread out on the center of the table. "I've noticed that our plans have taken into account everything except for how we're supposed to begin."

"What? How did that happen?"

"Listen, sometimes you make plans for situations and then prepare for the battle and forget how it's supposed to start. And therein lies the problem. Look." Robin pointed to the map. "While we may be hidden from prying eyes here in this valley, the approach to the Mila Tree takes us through a plain. A long, flat plain that prevents us from hiding our movements and makes us highly visible to the enemy, giving them plenty of time to prepare their defenses as we approach."

"That's not very good."

"No it is not. Moreover, I want to tweak our strategy of dealing with the enemy archers."

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's risky. While I understand that our fliers may be best placed to deal with the archers stationed on the higher platforms of the Tree, I want to draft something that's not so risky. Putting our fliers in danger against archers is a good way to lose most of them unless the archers are distracted by something else."

"But isn't that the best we could come up with? After all, those archers were identified as one of the biggest threats to us, what with their range and vantage points enabling them to just pick us off as we approach and all."

Robin frowned. "I know. None of that has changed, but I don't want to risk our fliers so. It's still early in the campaign, Morgan. Our fliers are the one major advantage we have over the Valmese and are a significant strategic asset. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have air superiority in combat. If our fliers sustain heavy casualties here, we risk severely limiting our ability to wage war on the Valmese."

"I see. So what do you propose?"

"This is what I'm thinking about. It's doubly important because it also ties into the first problem I told you about."

"How we're visible on our approach and that will give the Valmese time to prepare for our arrival?"

"That very one. The enemy archers are just part of the overall Valmese force guarding the Tree…a very entrenched force. We need the archers out before we can engage the other Valmese soldiers as they'll just pepper us with arrows while we fight the main forces, inflicting many casualties on us."

"Which is bad."

"Very bad."

"So…we want to take out the archers before we can attack the main Valmese defenders."

"That is correct."

"But we can't do that unless we get close and launch our fliers at the archers…which we don't want to do."

"Yes."

"And we can't just launch our fliers at them because they'll get shot down like flies without anyone distracting the archers."

Robin nodded.

"So we need to get close, but can't. And we need to take out those archers, but can't do that without getting close." Morgan looked thoughtful. "I can see why we may have a problem."

"It's just a good thing we have the two best problem solvers in here or this would be a very worrying situation!"

"Yeah! All we need to do is put our heads together and we'll solve this thing like we always do!" Morgan said enthusiastically. "So what have you come up with, Dad?"

"Given that we can't really get close to the Valmese, the only realistic thing we can do is draw them out. The main force, I mean. From what we know, there's bound do be some kind of cavalry force stationed there, despite the main force being infantry and archers. I figure if we can somehow draw them out, we can take out the cavalry first and then focus on the rest of the enemy army, all hopefully outside the archers' range."

"And what if the main enemy force stays behind their fortifications?"

"Then we need something strong and tough to take their attention away from us. Something we can throw at them so they shoot it while our pegasi really shoot them."

"Something strong and tough that can fly and take hits from arrows, huh? That sounds like a job for wyverns."

Robin sighed. "Gods, Morgan, you can't imagine how sad it makes me that our fliers are pegasi and not wyverns. Sure, pegasi are faster and more agile, but wyverns are tougher and fiercer! You can't imagine what I could do if I had an entire battalion of those at my disposal instead of just Cherche…"

"Oh, I think I can, Dad. You launch them at me every time we play Risk/Reward! They're a real pain to take down, especially in large numbers…"

"I know. It's awesome…" Robin sighed wistfully. "If only I had more such units at my disposal…"

"Heya, Nah! Whacha doing?" came a voice from outside the tent.

"Mother," greeted the other voice. "I'm just reading."

"Oooh, what is that, some kind of picture book? Let me see... Oh, boo! It's full of writing!"

"Anyway, for lack of a proper wyvern army, we have to make do with what we have," Robin said.

"Oh, got it!" Morgan pipped up.

"I'm listening."

"Well, if we want to draw out the Valmese and try to take out the archers without too much risk to us, we need something hard-hitting and with long range, right?"

"Right…"

"So the obvious answer is to get us some siege weapons! A few catapults here and some ballistae there, and we'll be blasting burning projectiles at the Valmese and forcing them out of their positions in no time!"

"A very thoughtful suggestion, Morgan."

Morgan beamed.

"Unfortunately, it's also unworkable because of the time needed to construct said siege weapons, never mind the fact that it'd probably draw a lot of attention if we were to start cutting down trees in the surrounding area."

"Why's the time a concern? Are we under pressure?"

"If you recall, we got some intel telling us that part of the Valmese are sending reinforcements here as part of a general fortification of the north, since that's where they last sighted us. Fortunately, Say'ri was able to contact her agents in the field and get the word out so they'd run interference and stall these reinforcements. This should give us enough time to assault the current garrison at the Tree, grab this 'Voice' person, and get out before reinforcements arrive."

"This mission is time sensitive?" Morgan paused. "Wait a minute, if we're under time pressure, how have you only now begun to plan on how to start off?"

"Because, dear daughter of mine, I am an amazing tactician. I have plans for all sorts of scenarios and situations for this battle so the only thing to do is plan on how we're going to begin, and planning the opening is child's play for a tactician of my caliber! And with your presence, we'll come up with this simple detail to complement our overall plans in no time!"

"You know, if it was anyone else saying this, I would be very worried."

"But since it's me saying this, you have nothing to worry about!" Robin said flippantly. "Our combined tactical prowess will overcome this little hurdle."

"Yeah! After all, you didn't get to be the greatest tactician ever by not making plans and missing your own deadlines, right?"

"Exactly. Now let's brainstorm!"

"…Ew. Do you always use such big words? I'm not used to thinking so hard! Why don't we run out to the woods and play a game before our brains melt?" came Nowi's voice from outside.

"Mother, you need to take this more seriously! We're in the midst of a war!" replied Nah's exasperated voice.

"I KNOW, silly. But thinking about it all the time isn't going to help me! The tougher things get, the more I laugh, and that makes everyone laugh, too. I think that's kind of my job here. To keep everyone smiling. Also…"

"So we need something big and powerful and with a long range to drive at least the enemy cavalry out of their fortifications…" Morgan mumbled, looking at the charts.

"And sturdy enough to draw the attention of the enemy archers and withstand a barrage of arrows," Robin added.

"…You don't think there's a group of wyvern mercenaries wandering around here by any chance, do you?"

"Gods, I wish. Although I don't make it a habit of hiring mercenaries to do our work, I won't dismiss a tactical advantage when I can get one."

"If only we had more wyverns available to us…"

"Not even wyverns! I'll take griffons at this point. Or really any tough flier that can attack at range!"

"But where are we supposed to get more of those…?" Morgan wondered aloud.

"Mother!" Nah's voice exclaimed from outside. "Please give me back my book."

"You're gonna have to catch me if you want it back!"

"Mother!"

"Here I go! Catch meeee!"

"For the love of—" Robin irritably made his way to exit the tent so he could demand some peace and quiet when someone suddenly burst in.

"Hi, Robin! Hi, Morgan!" Nowi quickly greeted while running to the other side of the table.

"What the—?!"

"Mother!" Nah quickly ran in after Nowi. "Oh gods. Robin, Morgan, I'm so sorry for barging in like this, but Mother—"

"Is trying to get you to loosen up and have some fun for a change," Nowi interrupted. "Now come on, catch me if you can!"

"Mother, please! We're interrupting Robin and Morgan during their meeting. Can we do this somewhere else?"

"We can if you think you can catch me!"

Nah looked apologetically at Robin.

"Listen to your daughter, Nowi," the grandmaster said tiredly. "We're busy coming up with ways to keep everyone from dying horribly in battle, and your shenanigans aren't helping with that."

"But we need shenanigans in life to keep ourselves from becoming dull fuddy-duddies! Nah here's always got her nose buried in some boring books and stuff." Nowi made a face. "If she keeps that up, she'll become a boring granny like Miriel!"

"I'm quite fine with that outcome, Mother," Nah said patiently. "After all, I need to study as much as I can so I may be of use."

"Nah, you're a DRAGON! A big, powerful dragon that can fly and breathe fire!" Nowi exclaimed. "I'd say you're already pretty darn useful!"

"But I want to maximize my potential," Nah said. "To learn everything there is about my dragon powers and train to constantly expand my knowledge and understanding of myself. And I can't do that without my book!"

"Book schmook. Nah, I've lived a lot longer than you have and still managed to learn all I need about my dragon powers without needing to spend all my time reading some boring books. You can learn a lot more from your mother than you can from some book, you know."

"Yes, Mother, I'm aware. However, you can help your case by acting your age instead of, you know, playing all day."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with playing every once in a while!" Nowi turned to Robin. "Right?"

"…You don't really play all day, do you?"

"See?" Nowi ignored the question and turned back to her daughter. "Playing around is officially approved!"

"That's…great, Mother. But I…" Nah talked slowly before suddenly launching herself to try and retrieve her book.

"Ha ha!" However, Nowi proved more agile and quickly ducked Nah's dive. "Nice try, Nah, but you'll have to try harder than that if you want your book back! Bye Robin and Morgan!"

With that, Nowi swiftly made her way out of the tent.

"I'm so sorry about this," Nah apologized profusely. "I'll talk to her about this, I promise."

"That's—"

"Mother! Don't make me take out my dragonstone and chase after you! I'll do it!" Nah yelled as she ran after her mother.

"May I remind you that recklessly using your dragonstones around camp is prohibited under rule…aaaaaand they're gone." Robin sighed. "Why do I even bother…?"

"Wow. That was…sudden," Morgan remarked. "They went as quickly as they came."

"Yeah. I know. Nowi tends to do that, although it's gotten better since I threw Donnel at her. At least he keeps her company and away from me, although them getting hitched wasn't part of the plan…"

"Weird how Nah is Nowi's daughter yet acts so much older than her mother, isn't it?"

"I guess living in a hellish apocalyptic future will do that to you, although Nowi supposedly lived for a thousand years and still likes to spend her time running around doing whatever, so…" Robin shrugged. "I'm not a dragon expert or anything, so I can't really comment on how dragons are supposed to behave at what ages."

"Nowi's really a thousand years old?"

"Hard to believe, I know. With how much time she spends in her human form, you tend to forget she's actually a dragon under there." Robin shook his head. "Anyway, we have to concentrate, Morgan! No more distractions! We have to put the final piece of the plan together so that the assault happens as planned, so come on!"

"Yeah, okay! Thinking cap on!" Morgan stared at the assorted papers on the table. "What can we use to spearhead our assault that's strong, sturdy, can fly and sustain many arrow hits…?"

"And shoot projectiles at long ranges," Robin added. "Preferably fiery ones."

"Hm…"

The two tacticians thought.

"You're gonna have to run way faster than that if you wanna catch me, Nah!" Nowi cried from outside the tent.

Nah could be heard growling in frustration. "Mother, I warned you! You leave me no choice but to—hey! Where did my dragonstone go?"

"You mean, this one?!"

"Wha—? When did you manage that?"

"Your mother is a lot sneakier than you give her credit for, Nah," Nowi said proudly. "I didn't get to live this long without learning a few tricks, you know."

Nah sighed tiredly. "Mother, can you please return my things to me? I have a lot of studying and training to do today."

Back inside the tent, Morgan was busy thinking of a solution to their little problem. Suddenly, an idea hit her and she looked to the entrance where Nowi's and Nah's voices were coming from.

"…Hey, Dad?"

"Yes, Morgan?"

"Nowi and Nah can turn into dragons, right?"

"Yeah."

"And they can breathe fire when they turn into dragons, yeah?"

"Uh-huh."

"And they're really tough, too?"

"Oh yeah. They grow dragon scales and claws and can suddenly withstand heavy physical and magical punishment. Wish I could see them in action more, but my duties lie either by Chrom's side or in the air on a pegasus. Why do you ask?"

"Well, we're trying to figure out a way to draw out the enemy forces and find someone to spearhead the assault on the archers as well as distracting them so our other fliers can hone in. Nah and Nowi are dragons that can withstand a lot of enemy fire, fly, and breathe fire themselves. We may not have a whole squadron of wyverns, but with two manaketes…"

Robin looked at his daughter, then to the tent entrance, then to the papers on the table. As realization and the outlines of a plan started to hit him, a huge smile slowly spread across his face.

"Morgan, you…you make me so proud…" Robin sniffed and hugged his daughter tightly.

"Hey, it's no big deal, Dad!" Morgan laughed, returning the hug. "I'm just trying to do my part."

"Well you've certainly done that today! I am so proud of you…" Robin wiped a tear from his eye and let go of Morgan. "Now then, let's draft a plan to give those Valmese a nasty surprise, shall we?"

"Yeah!"

---

And so, with a plan in place, everyone briefed on the plan of attack, and an army ready and prepared, donned with their proud Ylissean uniforms, Robin felt confident enough to launch the assault against the Valmese garrisoned at the Mila Tree.

---

"General Cervantes!" A soldier ran into the command post and saluted.

"What is it, soldier?" asked the bearded man.

"We received word of a sizable force approaching out position," reported the soldier.

"The Resistance?"

"Our scouts couldn't confirm, but the enemy wears colors unseen in these lands before."

"Unfamiliar colors, you say?" Cervantes furrowed his brows. "I suppose the so-called Ylissean League did make landfall on this side of the continent, but are they so brazen as to attack our position already…?"

"General?"

"Bah! Let them come. We have had plenty of time to fortify our position. Let them break their backs against our defenses. They shall know the true meaning of fear once they see how powerless they are against us!"

"The meaning of 'beard,' sir? Er, yes, I'm sure they would be most impressed…but perhaps—"

"Fear, you deaf ignoramus! FEAR!" snapped Cervantes.

"Y-yes, sir! Of course, sir! ...Sorry, sir!"

"...They are impressive, though, aren't they? My whiskers? Ha ha!" Cervantes fondly stroked his beard. "I've not shaved since my very first battle. And have I ever lost? No! Not even once! Ergo, my moustache makes me invincible. It's science, my boy—science!"

"…Of course, sir," the soldier said uncertainly. "Shall I prepare our forces for combat?"

"Make it so! And have someone fetch my armor. Although it shouldn't be necessary, a general should look his part when he faces the enemy."

---

"I bet you they're over there laughing at us and thinking about how badly we're going to lose," Robin said, standing at the front of the army, far enough to avoid getting shot by the archers.

Morgan snickered beside him. "But they don't know that we have a secret weapon to use against them! I wish I could see their faces when they see what we've got cooked up."

"You two seem giddy," Chrom remarked.

"Trying out new strategies and stuff tends to give a tactician a certain giddiness," Morgan said matter-of-factly.

Robin pointed at his daughter and nodded in agreement.

"Well, let's see if all that giddiness is warranted, shall we?" Chrom said, amused.

"Let us indeed," Robin agreed. "Nowi! Nah!"

"Here we are!" Nowi practically bounced up to Robin.

"Are you two ready?"

"We sure are!"

"It shouldn't be too complicated, just spitting some regular fireballs," Nah said.

"Exactly. And by the way, good on you guys for being able to shoot both fireballs and the regular stream of fire. Very versatile of you." Robin shook his head to focus on the task at hand. "But enough of that. Dragon artillery, activate!"

"Hey, that sounds like a great catchphrase!" Nowi said, reaching for her dragonstone. "Nah, we should totally use it every time we transform!"

"I'd really rather not," Nah replied curtly, also reaching for her dragonstone.

Robin looked away as the familiar flash of light engulfed his vision.

"Now then, let it rain fireballs!"

---

"Why are they just standing there…?" Cervantes wondered aloud, stroking his beard.

"Could they be planning something?" asked the soldier next to him.

"I can't imagine what that can possibly be. Blast. If only they came a bit closer, our archers could've shown them what for!"

"Sire, what was that?!" the soldier suddenly exclaimed, pointing.

"Eh wot? What did you see?"

"A sudden flash of light, sire."

"Is there anything different happening?"

"It doesn't look like it, although…" the soldier squinted.

"This so-called army. Bah!" Cervantes scoffed. "I have half a mind to march our forces out there to show them the might of the Valmese Empire! All this waiting is—"

"Sire, look!"

"What is it now?!"

Cervantes looked down from his command post to see several large fireballs, some flying straight at their wooden fortifications, while others were flying at an angle right over their walls and…

"Argh!"

Some of the Valmese columns broke up as men were hit by the incoming fireballs and others scrambled to not get hit.

"Sire! The enemy seems to be hurling fireballs both at our walls and right past them at our men!" the soldier said, alarmed.

"I can see that, fool!" Cervantes replied angrily. "It seems our foes have surprised us."

"Sire, our forces cannot stay here! Our fortifications trap us while the enemy rains fire upon us!"

"So I can see. Captain, mobilize our cavalry! We must take out whatever weapons they are using to bombard us."

"Yes, sire!"

---

"Wow, Nah and Nowi are really going to town!" Morgan observed. "The wall is basically done."

"Shows what happens when you build walls out of wood instead of stone. Guess they thought the walls around the roots near the entrance where going to be a temporary thing," Robin hypothesized. "That, or they thought no one would be stupid enough to attack them here and just made a haphazard wall designed to prevent anyone getting to the entrance and not designed for a siege."

"Heh, amateurs. Everyone knows you go all out when defending an objective, especially one as seemingly important as this Voice character."

"Indeed."

"So, how's the siege coming along, boys and girls?" asked a familiar voice.

"Flavia," Chrom greeted.

"We should know soon enough. We've basically destroyed the wall they erected around the tree and I'm sure Nowi's fireballs have roasted a fair share of soldiers beyond," Robin reported. "Unless they want to waste everyone's time and stay cooped up in there while we slowly grind them down with fiery death from above, there should be some movement to engage us soon."

"Good. Me and my men have been aching for a fight for the longest time!" Basilio stretched his arms. "Trekking through the countryside without any action for a while really gets you restless."

Flavia rolled her eyes. "Relax, oaf. This war's barely even started. I'm sure there's plenty of action to be had."

"It seems your action will come sooner rather than later," Chrom remarked, pointing.

Looking at enemy positions, everyone could see that there was a long line of cavalry streaming out.

"Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Basilio exclaimed excitedly.

Flavia elbowed him in the ribs. "Calm down and remember Robin's plan. We don't engage until we fight the enemy at their base."

"Yeah, yeah…" Basilio deflated.

"What's wrong? Patience running out for you in your old age?" Flavia teased.

"Old age? Why I—"

"As funny as listening to you two bicker is, I'll have to politely ask you two to get into your positions," Robin interrupted. "After we deal with this advance force, we engage the main body of the enemy's army. Then, you can have all the fighting you want."

"Hear that, old man? Just a little more until you get to see your action," Flavia laughed.

"Don't tell me that you aren't as hungry for action as I am."

"Well I'm…"

As the two khans walked away, Robin turned to the manaketes.

"Okay, I think that's enough for now, you two. Better save your energy for the main task ahead."

"Aww, I was just about to finish off that part of the wall!" Nowi whined.

"Nowi…"

"Fiiiine."

A familiar flash of light again and the two reverted back to their regular forms.

"You two did a good job," Robin said. "Now head to the back and rest. The hard part's still ahead."

Nah nodded in determination. "We'll be ready."

"We sure will!" Nowi agreed. "Ready to kick butt and stuff!"

"A healthy attitude to have. Now off you two go to safety!"

As the two manaketes made their way past the soldiers behind them, the sounds of flapping wings and hooves landing on the ground caught Robin's attention.

"Your chariots have arrived, gentlemen," Cordelia announced dramatically.

"Timely as always. Okay, Chrom, Morgan, mount up."

"Robin—"

"No, Chrom, the men don't need you by their side for this encounter," Robin said sternly. "We've been over this. What they do need is for you to stay safe until we all engage the main Valmese forces. Then you can lead them and play commander to your heart's content."

"Inspirational as always," Chrom commented dryly as he mounted a pegasus.

"It's one of my many strengths," Robin quipped, saddling behind Sumia. "Morgan?"

"Ready!" she said, sitting behind Cordelia.

"Okay, then. Men!" Robin addressed the soldiers. "You all remember what your roles are and what you need to do, yes?"

The soldiers all shouted in the affirmative.

"Good! Remember that you must stay firm and not break lines! You cannot let any of the Valmese cavalry past you! Steel yourselves, remember your training, and make Ylisse proud!" Robin nodded to Sumia, who spurred her pegasus into the air. Looking to the approaching cavalry, Robin noted the speed at which they were approaching and did some mental calculations.

"Um, Robin…?" Sumia looked to the charging cavalry and then to the line of soldiers who were standing, idle.

"In a minute…" Robin waited until he was certain that the Valmese were past the point of being able to slow down or stop. "Men! Pike wall!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the soldiers below moved into action.

The first row of soldiers kneeled and stabbed their pikes into the ground at a 45 degree angle, so they were jutting up and out. Meanwhile, the soldiers behind them held their pikes outward, over the kneeling first row. The enemy now faced a double layered wall of deadly pikes. Robin noted with pride at how professionally and quickly the soldiers assumed their positions as well as how they kept their nerves in the face of charging armored cavalry.

Speaking of, Robin's calculations proved true. The Valmese probably thought that they were facing some amateurs or a ragtag army of simple peasants as they charged full speed at their lines. They were also probably not expecting a wall of deadly pikes to suddenly materialize within seconds. And even if they did, it was much too late to avoid it.

"Oh Naga…" Sumia looked away.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Robin said, grinning maniacally and looking down as the charging cavalry all but ground to a halt and were practically impaling themselves on the pikes.

Sumia shook her head, closing her eyes. "It's so…brutal…"

"Brutally effective. All but neutralized the threat from the enemy cavalry, which is their biggest asset. I can confidently say this war became a lot more winnable today."

"Hey, Dad!" Morgan's voice cut off anything Sumia was about to say. "Looks like the pike strategy totally worked out!"

"It sure did! And people say playing board games is a waste of time. Ha! There was a reason spear and pike infantry did bonus damage against cavalry. What, did people think I made that up?"

"And all it took was a pair of tacticians to properly translate board game strategies to real life."

"All in a day's work."

Robin smiled and leaned sideways, with Sumia duly moving her pegasus so he could high-five his daughter.

"I'd hate to rain on your parade, you two, but may I remind you that it's a bit early to celebrate? After all, we still have work to do," Cordelia noted.

"Aaaand Miss Killjoy kills the joy yet again," Robin sighed.

"Someone has to keep you two focused," Cordelia said cheekily.

"Sometimes I really hate how good you are at your job…" Robin looked down to see the battle winding down. "Okay, let's get down there and initiate the next phase of our plan."

---

"It seems the enemy has completely destroyed our cavalry forces, sir."

"So I see…" Cervantes frowned. "Although it seems the barrage of fire has stopped, so their sacrifice was not in vain."

"General! The enemy is on the move."

"Well then, ready the men, Captain. I will—"

"General!" Cervantes was interrupted as a soldier ran up to him with something in his hand. "Apologies, but I have a message for you."

"Eh?" Cervantes took the message from the soldier's hands and went over it. "Heh, looks like fortune smiles upon us…"

"Um, General? Your orders?"

"As before, Captain. Prepare the men and have them assume defensive positions. The enemy is going to be in for a nasty surprise, heh heh heh…"

"Yes, General!"

---

"Okay, the main event!" Robin rubbed his hands together and turned back. "Nowi, Nah, you guys ready?"

"Ready and able!"

"Ready."

"Good. This is going to be a lot harder than before, you know. Intel says the enemy has a bunch of archers present and we'll unfortunately be needing you to act as a distraction."

"Pffft, it'll take more than a few archers and some puny arrows to make us back down!" Nowi declared. "Right, Nah?"

The younger manakete nodded. "I've had my fair share of dealing with archers. I believe my dragon scales are tough enough to withstand arrow fire."

"Good. But I don't want you overdoing yourselves. If you feel you're taking too much damage, pull back to safety, okay?"

The manaketes nodded.

"And remember you aren't alone. You have our pegasi backing you up."

"Right!"

As the manaketes transformed, Robin walked to where the pegasus knights were waiting.

"The same goes for you two," he said, addressing Sumia and Cordelia, "Support Nowi and Nah, take out the archers, but don't do anything stupid. Remember that they're supposed to take the fire off you so you can take out the archers. If things are getting too hot for you ladies, disengage. I want you and your girls to come back alive, got it?"

"We'll do our best," Sumia said, face full of determination.

"We'll make you proud today, Robin," Cordelia added before turning to the other pegasus knights. "Isn't that right, ladies?"

The assembled pegasus knights cried in the affirmative.

"I trust your judgement, Sky-Captain, Sky-Commander." Robin nodded to both women before turning to see Nowi and Nah in their dragon forms. "Okay, looks like preparations are all set. Nowi, Nah, take point! Pegasi, keep your distance until the archers are sufficiently distracted. The rest of you get ready to march on the Valmese positions! Move out!"

---

The assault was grueling and brutal. Having fought nothing but bandits recently, Robin forgot how it felt like to fight professional Valmese soldiers. This little engagement served to remind him of that. And it reminded him that fighting Valmese soldiers was brutal as hell!

Robin thanked whatever gods were out there that he had the foresight to train and hone his body and fighting skills before this battle. Without that, he was pretty sure that he'd be dead a few times over. Granted, he could have stayed and commanded from the safety of the back, but Robin preferred to command from the front and get into the thick of it.

And so the combined army fought and slowly, torturously gained ground. Robin had to rely mostly on the infantry for this stage as they were starting to fight on the roots and the increasing elevation made cavalry charges less effective than on flat land, reducing their utility. The mages and archers were at the back, as usual, although firing spells and arrows at enemies at a higher elevation was far from ideal.

As the battle progressed and the army gained ground, Robin spotted a man in bulky red armor standing at the top of the root they were currently fighting on, calmly watching the battle unfold. Robin assumed this was the enemy commander, but why was he just standing there? Usually when your forces are under assault by the enemy, you scramble to fortify your defenses and rally the men so morale doesn't break and they don't retreat. At least, that's what Robin would've done were he in such a situation. Standing and passively watching as the enemy army approached was not something you did unless you gave up on life or had a trick up your sleeve.

Robin became more and more concerned as his forces gained ground.

"What are you planning…?" he thought aloud, gazing up at the commander.

"Look, we're almost there!" Chrom shouted beside him. "After we take out these soldiers, we should have a clear path to the commander!"

"I feel so alive!" Basilio laughed. "These Valmese put up one hell of a fight. I haven't felt this good in a long time!"

"And you'll pay attention if you want to continue feeling good instead of feeling dead!" Flavia barked next to him. "We still have soldiers to fight!"

"That we do, Flavia! That we do!" Basilio said gleefully.

For his part, Robin looked around, expecting, well, he didn't really know what to expect, but at least something.

"Dad?" Morgan asked, noticing her father's serious expression.

"I feel we're walking into a trap…" Robin muttered.

"Really? But we're so close to the enemy general!"

"Exactly. And he's not fighting or running away. He's just…standing there."

Morgan raised a brow before looking up to where the general was.

"Yeah, you're right. That's probably not good, huh?"

Robin grunted and launched a lightning bolt at Valmese soldier. He then looked up at the general.

"What are you planning…?"

---

"Whoa!" Cordelia jerked her reins to the left and barely avoided her pegasus being hit by an arrow.

Looking at the battlefield, she didn't see who shot at her, but she did notice that there were at least three archers looking her way and two more raising their bows at her.

Thinking quickly, Cordelia flew down and away to avoid the arrows being shot at her.

"I don't think I've ever been shot at by so many people at once…"

"Cordelia, look out!"

"Wha—?"

Cordelia didn't know where the voice came from, but the next thing she noticed was and arrow whizzing past her and a cry from an archer as he was impaled by a javelin.

"Whew! Are you okay?"

Cordelia looked around and saw Sumia flying toward her.

"Thanks, Sumia. I don't know what happened, but I'm certain I owe you my life."

"I'm just glad I made it in time! That archer was just about ready to shoot you and if I acted even a second late…!" Sumia took a deep breath. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Despite the situation, Cordelia smiled. "I think I'll always be okay if I have you watching over me, Sumia."

"I'm just doing my duty, Sky-Commander."

Cordelia afforded herself a small chuckle before surveying the battlefield.

Nowi and Nah were circling the tree, breathing fire and drawing the enemy archers' attention to themselves. Meanwhile, the pegasus knights swooped in and took out any archers who were too distracted by the two dragons flying nearby.

So far, so good.

Looking down, Cordelia saw that the army was making good progress toward the center. It seemed as though everything was going according to Robin's plans. That was good. Hopefully there wouldn't be any unpleasant surprises and their first major engagement with Valmese forces would be over soon.

"Looks like things are proceeding according to plan. This fight should be over soon," Cordelia said, preparing to go back into the action.

"I'm so glad. This fighting is…so…" Sumia trailed off as she saw something in the distance.

"Sumia?" Cordelia looked at her friend quizzically.

Without answering, Sumia turned her pegasus around and spurred her down to where the army was fighting.

Surprised by her friend's actions, Cordelia looked back to see what had caused Sumia to fly down in such a hurry.

What she saw caused her to curse and quickly follow Sumia down.

---

"Heh ha, yes!" Cervantes chuckled as he looked past the battlefield through his spyglass. "'Come, reinforcements,' said the spider to...the...other spiders."

---

Maybe there wasn't anything to worry about. Maybe Robin was being paranoid. Maybe the enemy general really did have a death wish and wanted to throw his life away and they could win this with no nasty surprises appearing at the very last minute.

These were Robin's thoughts as he fought alongside Chrom and the others as they got closer and closer to the enemy command post.

"Keep fighting, men!" Chrom shouted after beating back a soldier he was fighting. "We're close to breaking through their lines!"

"Looks like the enemy doesn't have anything planned for us after all, huh?" Morgan remarked beside her father.

"It's always nice when that happens. So now all we need to do is—"

"Robin!"

Looking back, Robin saw a pegasus flying toward him. Given that they were supposed to be on archer duty, the fact she was here only meant bad news.

"Sumia, what's wrong?" Robin asked immediately, expecting the worst.

"Very bad news, Robin! We have enemy reinforcements coming right toward us!" Sumia reported urgently.

"Reinforcements? But they're not due for another few days! Say'ri's agents said they successfully delayed them!"

"Well, they either didn't do it for very long or these are some new forces coming. And they're coming in really fast."

Robin swore.

"Did you get a look at what we're up against?"

"I—"

"No, but it's a sizeable force," Cordelia said as she landed. "And judging by how a part of it broke off and is headed toward us faster than the rest, I'd say they've got cavalry."

"Of course they do…" Robin sighed. "How long until they're upon us?"

"The main body is a ways off but approaching fast. The cavalry I'd say…" Cordelia thought. "Thirty minutes at best."

Robin swore again. He then looked up at the forces still remaining between them and the enemy general.

There was no way they were going to make it to him before the enemy was upon them.

"Robin?" Chrom saw his friend looking concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Trouble," Robin replied curtly before addressing his daughter, "Morgan, I need you to take over the fight here."

"Wha—?" Morgan turned to her dad so fast she almost got whiplash.

"The enemy reinforcements will be upon us unless I go and stop them. Can you handle guiding our troops in my place here?"

"I…" A look of uncertainty flashed through Morgan's eyes before it was replaced with one of determination. "You can count on me!"

"That's my girl! Now remember everything I've told you before, okay? You're not yet good enough to engage in melee, so stay back, get a buddy and magic from a distance, okay?"

Morgan nodded.

"I believe in you, Morgan," Robin said softly. "The hardest part is over and there's only these Valmese forces left. Be careful and do your best, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Chrom—"

"I'll take care of her. Go!"

Robin smiled gratefully and mounted Cordelia's pegasus.

"Cordelia, take me to the bottom. Sumia, with us. Go!"

"Right!"

Morgan watched the pegasi fly off before taking a deep breath and turning to Chrom. "Guess I'll be taking charge from here."

"We all have faith in your abilities, Morgan."

"Father!" Lucina ran over. "Is everything all right? Where is Robin?"

"He had to take care of something important," Chrom explained. "Left Morgan in charge."

"I'll do my best to fill his shoes!" Morgan declared. "…Although you guys are gonna have to cover me while I do."

"That we will, Morgan." Lucina moved beside her Chrom to cover Morgan.

"Thanks, you guys. Now, let's win this thing!"

---

Cordelia's pegasus zoomed over the battlefield until she was clear of any danger. Once she stabilized her pegasus, Robin took out his spyglass to assess the situation.

Sure enough, there was a contingent of what looked like Valmese heavy cavalry charging right toward them. Looking past them, Robin could make out armor, which probably meant at least medium infantry. Quite a lot of them, too.

"Damn it…"

"How's does it look?" Cordelia inquired.

"Would be no problem if most of our forces weren't tied up fighting up on those roots. But right now? Not great."

"What will you have us do?"

"Looks like the cavalry's going to hit us long before the rest of their forces. We need to buy time…" Robin turned to Sumia. "Sumia, I've noticed not all of our forces are engaged in combat and that the width of the roots is forcing them into a long line. Fly over and order the half that's far from the front to get back here right the hell now."

"Right!"

"And get me as many pegasi as you can!" Robin shouted as she flew away. "Cordelia, get me down to where our cavalry are."

"Got it."

Cordelia quickly flew her pegasus down to where the Ylissean cavalry as well as reserve mages and archers were standing idly and watching the battle unfold on the roots above them.

"Form up! Form up! Heavy cavalry at the front!" Robin shouted as they neared.

Frederick's head snapped in the direction of Robin's voice, but his instincts kicked in despite him having many questions as to why Robin was suddenly here instead of fighting with the rest of the soldiers.

"You heard him, men! Form up! Armor at the front! Double time!"

Robin was impressed at how well Frederick drilled the troops. Even though his sudden appearance probably caught many of them unawares, they quickly sorted themselves out and got into formation.

"Good timing, people!" Robin said approvingly before getting serious. "The reason I'm suddenly here getting you people into formation is because the Valmese reinforcements that were supposedly delayed are actually not and quickly approaching as we speak."

The knights all murmured and exchanged what Robin assumed were worried looks with each other.

"The good news is that the main body of the reinforcements is still some distance away," Robin continued, "The bad news is that their cavalry is galloping toward us at an alarmingly fast pace."

"What are your orders, Robin?"

Frederick seemed completely unfazed by the news.

"You, our most heavily armored cavalry, are to charge the Valmese and grind their advance to a halt. I've sent for reinforcements from our main army, but they're up on the roots and will take them a while to get down here. Until they do, it's up to you to keep the Valmese from overwhelming our positions."

"What about the rest of us?" Sully asked.

"We need our most heavily armored knights to fight the Valmese, so you guys stay back and safe for now. Mages, stand by. Sumia is getting some pegasi for you to provide cover fire for our cavalry out there." Robin looked back to see how close the enemy was. "Prepare yourselves, people! And show these Valmese what Ylissean cavalry can do!"

The knights let out a battle cry and charged forward.

"May Naga watch over you…" Robin murmured.

"They'll win this," Cordelia assured, as if sensing his nervousness.

"It's about casualties rather than winning, Cordelia."

"Is it? I don't think I've ever seen you very concerned about that before."

"That's because the battles before went as I planned them to. I could account for how it would go and plan accordingly to minimize our casualties. For example, I countered Valmese cavalry with our own pike infantry as it inflicted maximum damage to them while minimizing ours. It's when unexpected things like this happen is when I have to do things I wouldn't normally do, like sending our cavalry against theirs. That gives the advantage back to them and is a good way for us to lose a lot of good people…"

"We all know what we signed up for, Robin. Every one of us knows that the next battle could be our last and we're prepared to die to keep Ylisse safe."

"I know, although that doesn't make it any easier when we do sustain losses…" Robin unconsciously tightened his grip around Cordelia's waist as he watched the two forces collide.

Not knowing what to say, Cordelia put her hand on his and squeezed it reassuringly.

Gods, Robin hated watching the battle and not being able to do anything but watch. It just made him feel so helpless! All things considered, he now knew for sure he preferred being on the front lines and in the thick of it. Sure, the chances of him dying or sustaining serious injuries went up exponentially, but at least he could direct the battle and do something about the enemy instead of sitting here helplessly!

It felt like an eternity when Robin heard Sumia's voice.

"I've got our message out and our forces are making their way back down as fast as they can. I've also gathered as many pegasi as I could with me."

Robin turned and counted about a dozen pegasus knights.

It would have to do.

"Good job, Sumia." Robin nodded before addressing them. "Ladies! Grab a mage and then go provide cover fire for our knights over there, pronto!"

The pegasus knights nodded and descended to where the mages were.

"Robin? If I may."

"…Cherche? What're you doing here? Actually, never mind. Glad to have you. You probably don't need a buddy since you and Minerva are better getting up close and personal."

"An astute observation." Cherche looked around. "I assume Sir Frederick is currently in combat, then?"

"That he is. Need you guys to support—"

"Say no more."

Cherche spurred Minerva into the air and to the battle before Robin could tell her to.

"She seems eager…"

"Okay, we're ready to go!" Sumia reported.

"Good. Now get out there!" Robin commanded.

As the pegasus knights flew to battle with the mages, Robin looked back to see where his reinforcements were.

"Grr, all this waiting while our boys over there fight just feels wrong…" Sully growled.

"Hey, easy there. Robin already told us why we're not out there," Stahl tried to calm his co-captain down.

"Yeah, I know. But dammit! Sometimes I wish I went and signed up to the heavy cavalry division instead of leading the medium."

"But then I'd have no one to keep me company. And knowing me, the trainees wouldn't get anything done," Stahl joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Despite herself, Sully chuckled. "You're right on that front. Hell, it usually takes me yelling at you guys for you to get off your asses and do some real training!"

"Come on, reinforcements, come on…" Robin muttered impatiently. He then looked past the battle to see where the main body of the enemy was. "Approaching, but there's still time…"

The cavalry battle itself ground to a standstill. After the initial shock of men in armor charging full speed at each other, it was now riders in close quarters swinging their weapons at each other. At least the arrival of the fliers helped put the pressure off the Ylissean forces as the Valmese had no counter for lightning and fireballs being thrown at them.

That gave Robin some comfort until his reinforcements arrived. And when they did arrive, Robin wasted no time in ordering them.

"You, form up! Spearmen at the front, everyone else behind. Get your spears and shields ready and prepare to face enemy cavalry! Also, line up in rows and prepare to make space for retreating cavalry! Get into positions!"

Robin then motioned to Cordelia to join the others in battle.

When they got close enough, Robin saw that it was a mess. Lots of shouting, metal clashing, men screaming and bodies piling up. Although the Valmese were outnumbered, they were still putting up a fierce fight.

Once Robin looked back and was satisfied that his soldiers were in position, he quickly and loudly ordered his cavalry to break away and retreat.

Although probably confused, they nevertheless obeyed.

The pegasi covered the retreat so that the Ylissean cavalry could disengage and put enough distance between them and the pursuing Valmese.

Robin was glad to see that all the training had paid off and the soldiers had lined up to make space between themselves for the retreating cavalry. Once all of them were safely behind friendly lines, the soldiers quickly closed ranks and took on the remaining Valmese cavalry. Although it wasn't ideal as pikes, a wall of spearmen and their shields was still enough to grind down the remaining Valmese.

Robin sighed.

That should've been the hard part. After the cavalry, all that was left was the infantry, and that should go a lot more smoothly.

And it did.

Without their renowned cavalry, the Valmese infantry were just like any other enemy foot soldiers, albeit better armored and trained. Facing them was like every other battle Robin directed, although all the archers were an unwelcome surprise.

In the end, the Valmese reinforcements were defeated before they could sneak up and cause real damage to the forces fighting on the Mila Tree. Robin just hoped that everything went well there…

---

After the fighting, Robin did the rounds.

"That's certainly a lot of fighting you did today, Frederick. Are you sure you should be walking around…?" Robin asked uncertainly, standing in the medical tent.

"He most certainly should not," Cherche huffed irritably, wrapping bandages around Frederick's waist. "But our stubborn Knight-Commander insists he's fine and wants to continue as he was despite the fact that what he really needs to be doing is resting."

"Lady Cherche, while I appreciate your concern for me, a knight's duty is—" Frederick winced as Cherche tightened the bandages, "—to his lord above all. The injuries I have sustained today will not affect my ability to perform my usual tasks."

"No, but they will put a strain on your body that you will eventually learn to regret…" Cherche muttered, finishing up.

Robin glanced to the armor on the ground next to Frederick's cot, with all its holes, dents, and some very serious-looking damage. "…How are you still alive? On top of that, you say you're well enough to be walking around!"

"I've sustained worse injuries," Frederick said dismissively. "Although I must hand it to you, Robin, the armor you procured is of excellent quality. I daresay the situation could've been a lot worse if we were equipped with lesser armor."

"I want only the best money can buy for our troops! Especially if someone else is providing that money."

"There." Cherche stood up. "I've patched you up and those bandages should stop the bleeding, although I still strongly advise that you rest before setting off again, Frederick."

"Your advice is noted, milady."

"You healed him?" Robin asked, surprised. "All by yourself?"

"I know my way around a staff," Cherche said simply. At Robin's continued look of bewilderment, she added, "Before I met Minerva, I was training to be a cleric. I may not be as good as Lissa or Libra, but I know my way around a staff and can patch you up in a jiffy!"

"…Huh. You're fully of surprises, Cherche."

"It's part of my charm."

At that moment, Chrom and Morgan walked in.

"Seems the battle out here was just as tough as it was up where we were," Chrom remarked, looking at all the wounded.

"It was, but we made it through," Robin said. "How about you guys?"

"Your daughter is every bit the budding tactician. I daresay she may catch up with you in a few more battles."

"Hear that, Dad? I'm catching up!" Morgan smiled proudly.

"Heh, guess that means I have to put more distance between us, then." Robin tousled Morgan's hair. "So I take it you guys took down the enemy general?"

"No…" Morgan sighed. "That jerk used his reinforcements and the confusion from half our forces rushing back down as a distraction to escape! Can you believe that? He must've had some sort of secret escape route or something."

"That's annoying. But at least we secured the tree, right?"

Chrom nodded. "All that's left is to find this 'Voice' character and leave before the Valmese can send more reinforcements."

"Sounds like a plan. Who's coming along?"

"You, me, Say'ri, the khans and a few others. This isn't something that needs all of us and everyone else needs to be here, helping the wounded and such."

"Sounds easy enough. Let's go."

---

Sure, it sounded easy enough, but what Robin had yet to learn was that life was never as easy as it sounded. Case and point: to get to where this "Voice" lived, they had to climb the Mila Tree. The good news was that they didn't literally have to climb the Tree. The bad news was that they had to walk up stairs. A lot of stairs.

"So…many…stairs…!" Lissa huffed, as they reached the top.

"Quite the exercise, isn't it?" Cherche said, out of breath herself.

"It is more taxing than the usual," Frederick remarked.

"Perhaps you wouldn't think so if you let your body heal, Sir Knight."

"I assure you that I can manage a few stairs in my current state, milady."

"The Voice…truly lives all the way up here…?" Lucina asked, out of breath.

"Aye, that she does." Say'ri was somehow still every bit as composed as she usually was. "Lady Tiki! Are you here? Prithee answer!"

Say'ri's voice echoed across the field (canopy?). Suddenly, the group heard the sound of rustling leaves. Then, right in front of them, the "ground" opened up to reveal a sort of bed made of leaves. And on that bed lay a woman with green hair and a red dress.

"Lady Tiki!"

The woman apparently named Tiki stirred, and got up slowly.

Say'ri sighed in relief. "Ah, my lady. I'm so relieved to see you're all right."

Lucina looked on curiously. "So you are Lady Tiki? She who speaks for the divine dragon?"

"Yes, I…" Tiki yawned and rubbed her eyes. "...Marth? Oh, Mar-Mar, is that you?!"

"Er...My name is Lucina, milady. Though I did go by the name Marth for a time. Might we have met?"

Tiki squinted. "...Alas, no. Forgive me. You reminded me of someone I knew. But he is gone now. Lost during my endless sleep..."

Lucina winced.

Tiki's gaze shifted to Chrom. "You two are related, yes?"

"Yes, Lady Tiki. I am her father," Chrom answered.

"You and your daughter are of the exalted bloodline, are you not?"

Chrom nodded.

"Do you yet possess the Fire Emblem? It should have been passed down through your family..."

"Yes, I have it..." Chrom showed Tiki the Fire Emblem.

"Ah! What relief to know it has not been lost!" Tiki sighed, reassured. But then she looked closer. "...But where are the Gemstones? I see only Argent."

"Gemstones?"

"Yes, there are five of them—Argent, Sable, Gules, Azure, and Vert. Each holds a portion of Naga's power. When mounted upon the Emblem, they allow one to perform the Awakening."

"The rite by which the first exalt channeled the divine dragon's power..." Frederick said in awe.

Tiki nodded. "The very same. With the Fire Emblem's power, the exalt was able to defeat Grima. But such power was too much for men, and so the Gemstones were scattered. I kept Azure here with me."

"My kingdom had safeguarded Vert for generations. But the gem was recently stolen by Walhart's men," Say'ri said.

"Milady, do you know where the other two Gemstones might be?" Lucina asked.

Tiki shook her head. "The remaining Gemstones, Sable and Gules, are no longer known to me. They may have been taken long ago, at the time of the Schism."

"Regna Ferox was founded during the Schism," Basilio explained. "As were most all nations in the realm, I believe."

"Oh. That's interesting." Lissa paused as a realization hit her. "Wait—does that mean you guys have one of the Gemstones, Basilio?"

Flavia snorted. "Ha! As if anyone would entrust the oaf with such a thing!"

"Actually, it's true—we did keep one: Gules." Basilio looked innocently at Flavia. "...Did I never inform you?"

"You most certainly did not," Flavia said, frowning.

"Must've slipped my mind. Regardless, yes. The West-Khans once safeguarded Gules. But it was lost long before my lifetime."

"I see…" Tiki reached back and seemingly conjured a gemstone from thin air. "Here. Take Azure, exalted ones. With it, you possess two of the five Gemstones. Now you must seek out the others and perform the Awakening. Our world must be defended from Grima at all costs!"

"You have my thanks," Chrom said, taking the gemstone. "But I'm confused. Is Grima's power not sealed away?"

"Yes, but ever since, there have been those who would change that. Grima's life force grows even now, and with it, the long shadows of despair," Tiki said gravely.

Everyone fell silent.

"When will he return? And where?" Chrom inquired.

"I cannot know these things. But I can feel his presence…it looms, closer and closer. This task is a heavy burden, but as he of exalted blood, it must fall to you, Chrom."

"I understand. Thank y—" Chrom was interrupted by the sound of heavy panting.

"Oh…my…gods! So…many…stairs…"

Everyone looked back to see Robin emerge from the staircase and flop unceremoniously on the "ground."

"At…this…rate…it'll…be the…endless stairs…that kill me…instead of the war…!" Robin wheezed.

Chrom facepalmed. "I'm sorry about him. That's—"

"Argh!"

Chrom was once again interrupted by another voice.

"Dad…this is…gonna be…the end of me…!"

Morgan emerged right after Robin and collapsed right next to her father.

"Hang in there, Morgan…!"

"Dad…I'm dying…I'm literally dying…hurts…to breathe…everything hurts…lungs and legs…on fire…!"

"Breathe…Morgan…breathe…!"

"Trying…! Not enough…air…!"

"Yeah…" Chrom rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry you had to, um, see them like this."

"Who are they?" Tiki asked curiously.

"They're uh…they're our tacticians…"

"As in those whose job it is to lead your soldiers?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh."

"Gods…this trip…better have…been worth it…!" Robin managed to say.

"Nothing…is worth…all those stairs…" Morgan wheezed.

"I…I thought I…trained up…well enough to…handle this…"

"Oookay…" Chrom tried to ignore his two tacticians prone on the ground and making a scene in front of Tiki. "I thank you for all your help, Lady Tiki."

"Think nothing of it. I shall pray for fortune for your journey."

"Will you not be accompanying us, Lady Tiki?" Say'ri asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot. Having just woken up, I am still very tired. I haven't the strength to join you in the fray. Not yet. The most I can do is call the people together, in prayer, for an end to this conflict."

"I see."

"You…WHAT?!"

Everyone looked back and saw Robin, using his Levin Sword for balance, a furious expression on his face.

Chrom could see this wasn't going to end well unless he intervened.

"We fought a horde of Valmese and then climbed an ungodly amount of stairs to get up here and you're not even going to—!"

"Okay! Robin, a word?" Chrom quickly cut his friend off and pulled him to the side so that he wouldn't make a scene.

Tiki tilted her head curiously. "That one certainly seems…loud."

"He is a very unique individual," Say'ri said.

"Certainly makes an impression," Lucina chuckled.

"What do you mean we have no choice?!" Robin exclaimed.

A few words from Chrom.

"So we walked all the way up here for nothing?!"

More words.

"Gemstone? What the hell are you talking about?"

Words of explanation from Chrom.

"Oh. Well at least something came out of all this."

Chrom nodded and both men walked to where the others were standing.

"Okay, crisis averted and Robin is in the loop about what's going on," Chrom announced.

"We didn't get some kind of prophet person on our team, but we got info. I guess that's good too. "So…mission accomplished."

"Ah! You…you have it…" Tiki murmured, looking at Robin intently.

"Have…what?"

"You have power...like mine."

Robin looked to his sides, then back at Tiki. "…I do?"

"I..." Tiki seemed to realize what she just said. "Forgive me. I am…still groggy from my slumber. My words outpace my thoughts."

"And my dream of having superpowers dies before it even takes off the ground…" Robin sighed theatrically.

"Can your superpower be incredible endurance to climb stairs?" Morgan called, still lying on the ground. "Because I'd love it if you could carry me on our way back down."

"Peace, Morgan. I'm sure Chrom here will allow us a little rest before making us climb all those stairs back down," Robin looked expectantly at his friend.

"Actually, I think it's best if we moved—"

"You've got to be kidding me. Chrom, look at us! Do you want to kill me and my daughter? Because that's what'll happen if you make us go down right now with no rest!"

"I'm actually with Robin on this one," Lissa spoke up. "I may not be that out of shape, but climbing all those stairs really takes it out of you, you know?"

"I believe milord is right. If we don't want to lose—"

"Oh no, none of that," Cherche interrupted. "Your body needs rest after sustaining injuries in battle and now is the perfect time to do so."

Frederick opened his mouth to object.

"Sir Frederick, I insist," Cherche said, smiling politely.

Frederick looked as though he was about to say something, but then thought otherwise and acquiesced.

"Poor Frederick. Not yet married yet already whipped," Lissa snickered.

"Milady—!"

"Ok, great! It's settled, then. We rest. Now, if you excuse me…" Robin let out an agonized groan as he dropped to the ground. "I never knew standing could hurt so much."

Chrom looked at the gathered Shepherds and shrugged. "I guess a little break can't hurt."

"Kids these days, getting so easily worn out…" Basilio shook his head. "Why, back in my day—"

"Basilio, I'm going to spare everyone the trouble and stop you right there," Flavia said. "I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say no one wants to hear the ancient history of your youth."

"Ancient history!? I'll have you know that behind this bald and grizzled exterior beats the heart of a man half my age!"

Flavia laughed heartily at that. "That act may work on the others, but I know you too well, oaf. Isn't it time…"

It was at this point that Robin tuned out the world and focused on easing the pain in his legs.

"Hey, Dad?"

"What is it, Morgan?"

"That lady said her name was Tiki, right?"

"I think so, why?"

"Doesn't that sound familiar?"

"Maybe…"

As if sharing the same thought, both father and daughter reached into their coats for their card decks.

"Oh wow. That totally is her," Robin said, looking between his card and Tiki.

"Are you sure? I think my Tiki is younger…" Morgan commented, looking at her card.

"Really? I think the artist got her likeness down quite well. What Tiki are you looking at?"

"This one."

Robin looked over to the card Morgan was holding. "Wait a minute, five-star rarity?!"

"Yeah. I thought that was the only rarity she comes in."

"Then how come I have so many three-star versions of her?!"

"…She comes with three stars?"

Robin showed Morgan his card.

"Oh wow, she totally does! Although yours looks a lot older than mine."

"Yeah. Weird. She gets two versions of herself."

"Let's compare skills!"

"What do you have there?"

Father and daughter looked up to see the subject of their conversation standing above them.

"Forgive my intrusion, but I sensed that this conversation involved me."

"Oh hey, great timing! Dad and I just wanted to confirm something," Morgan said holding up her card. "Is this you?"

"Oh? Oh my. May I?" Tiki took Morgan's card. "This…this is me in my youth."

"So it is you, then."

"Yes. My, it feels like only yesterday I fell asleep like this and…" Tiki shook her head. "Pray tell, where have you gotten this from?"

"That? That's just from a card game."

"A…a card game?"

"Based off historical figures and myths! Which is why you're there and what Dad and I were discussing."

"I see…" Tiki looked at the card wistfully. "Oh, seeing myself looking like this brings back memories…"

"I can't believe we actually have someone from way back then standing among us," Robin said. "If you think about it, it's incredible! You can offer us first-hand account of those amazing battles and people we read about in textbooks."

"I could if you so desire, although I'm afraid that will have to wait until I regain my strength…" Tiki murmured, still looking at the card depicting her young self. "Do…do you happen to have any more cards from that era, by chance?"

"Oh yeah. Plenty! Lemme just see what I have in my deck here…" Morgan flipped through her cards.

"In the meantime, I have this." Robin showed her his card. "It's still you, but looking more like you do now rather than back then."

"I see. So interesting that my likeness is now used in such a way."

"The artist seems to have faithfully depicted you, at least," Robin observed.

"Oh, here we go!" Morgan took out a card and showed it to Tiki. "This should seem familiar to you. Behold! The Hero-King himself!"

"Ah, Mar-Mar!" Tiki held the card carefully, as if it would disappear if she grasped too tightly. "He looks every bit as handsome as I remember…"

"Probably better!" Morgan chirped. "He's lucky in that he got a really good artist for his portrait."

"Morgan, he's one of the most important people in history and the main character in many stories. How can they not give him good art?"

"One word, Dad: Eliwood."

"…Point taken."

"You can keep that card if you want," Morgan said, noticing how Tiki was looking at the card with…was it longing?

That seemed to have taken the manakete by surprise. "I can't possibly. This is yours and—"

"Eh." Morgan waved dismissively. "I have more where that one came from. Besides, I think you can use that Marth card more than I can. I mean, you were there and actually knew the guy! The card can serve as a little reminder of the good times you had."

"I…"

Morgan suddenly looked uncertain. "They, uh, were good times, right?"

Tiki smiled. "Yes, they were. Memories I hold very dear to my heart. Thank you, child. I truly appreciate this gift."

Morgan sighed in relief. "Well that's good to hear! For a moment there I thought I bummed you out!"

"That a very nice thing you did, Morgan," Robin observed.

"Yep! That's me, kind, caring and generous all around."

"Heh, like father like daughter," Robin chuckled, reaching out and ruffling Morgan's hair.

"Dad, you gotta stop doing that. I think it's because of you that my hair is in a permanent state of disarray."

"Come on, Morgan, you really don't mean that."

"…You're right, but I still stand by the hair thing."

"You could always, you know, comb it or something."

"Pffft. Combing is for suckers!"

"And so your hair will remain in disarray…"

"Hm, curious," Tiki muttered to herself, looking between the two tacticians. "There is just something about these two. Something so…familiar…"

Morgan looked up. "Huh? Didn't quite catch that."

"Ah, forgive me. Simply my thoughts getting ahead of me again."

"Hate it when that happens. Sometimes you just gotta slow down, take a deep breath, and write down that awesome thought you had a minute ago before you lose it. That's why I keep a notepad on me at all times!" Morgan patted a pocket of her coat. "There's plenty of wisdomous thoughts written in this little book of mine. I guarantee you they'll be looking to its sayings for inspiration in the future."

"Oh boy. Please tell me you two aren't harassing Naga's Voice," Chrom said jokingly as he approached. "Milady, I apologize for anything my friend and his daughter may have said and/or behaved."

"Shows what you know," Robin scoffed. "We were nothing but courteous and respectful to the nice Voice."

"He's right," Tiki agreed. "Besides, I don't see why you would say such things. They both seem to be very pleasant individuals."

"Ha!" Morgan pumped her fist in the air. "There you have it. We're Voice approved!"

"Oh, I'm not saying they're bad or anything. Just that they can make a very, shall we say, strong first impression," Chrom said.

Tiki chuckled at that. "That much I can certainly agree to."

As everyone relaxed and chatted, Tiki approached Say'ri.

"My lady?"

"You have found yourself some very good friends, Say'ri," Tiki said. "I can tell they are courageous and strong."

"Aye, that they are. I have had the pleasure of battling alongside them and seen for myself how fiercely they fight for their beliefs, although I must admit that I had my doubts after our first encounter…" Say'ri admitted. "They do not strike one as hardened warriors when they are not on the battlefield…"

"Of that I have no doubt," Tiki said, amused. "Oh, how I look forward to being with humans again. I feel it has been far too long."

Say'ri looked to Tiki in alarm. "Please do not push yourself to join up with us immediately, my lady! You've just woken up and need your strength before—"

"Peace, Say'ri," Tiki interrupted, raising her hand. "I have no plans to join or travel with you at present, however much I would like to. It will be a while yet before I can join you on the battlefield."

"Are you sure you will be safe in the meantime, my lady? Perhaps we should assign you some guards, or…"

"I think I've lived long enough to know how to blend in and not be found." Tiki smiled, seeing her friend's concern. "I appreciate your concern, Say'ri, but you must have faith. Trust me, I'll be fine."

Say'ri closed her eyes. "Very well, my lady. I will pray that nothing will happen to you in the meantime."

"Come now, Say'ri, I may have a few millennia in age, but I'm not nearly old enough to be completely helpless!"

"Lady Tiki, that's not what I—!"

Tiki giggled. "I jest, Say'ri. Honestly, always so serious. You know, I do say that it wouldn't hurt you to take a page out of the tacticians' book and relax a bit."

Say'ri looked at Tiki in shock.

"…Am I wrong? They both seem to be very relaxed individuals."

"N-no, that is to say…my lady, I…" Say'ri struggled to find words.

"Come, let us join them. I would like to get to know your companions before we must part ways."

With that, Tiki left the speechless Say'ri to join the group of Shepherds.

They stayed and rested for a while, talking, laughing, and teasing, until it was time for them to descend back to where the rest of the army was, over Robin's, Morgan's, and Lissa's protests.

---

The skies were dark and foreboding, trickles of rain coming down with the threat of much more when the woman landed her pegasus and rushed to find her superiors.

After asking a few soldiers, she rushed to the direction of the command tent.

"Commander! Commander, dire news!" The pegasus knight rushed in, so focused on delivering the news that she didn't knock or announce herself before entering.

She was treated with four sets of eyes snapping to her and reminding her that she just blindly interrupted her commanders in the middle of a meeting.

"This better be urgent if you're barging in here unannounced," the woman with teal hair at the table said sternly.

The young pegasus knight stood straight and pushed down her embarrassment. "It is, Commander. Our northern squadrons report Plegian movement."

"Plegian movement? By our northern squadrons?"

"Aren't those the ones stationed near the Feroxi border?" asked the unfamiliar man in the heavy coat.

"They are," confirmed the woman. "They're stationed there mostly as scouts, since relations with Regna Ferox are cordial. If they spotted Plegians up there…"

"That doesn't mean the two countries are secretly conspiring against us," the man with blue hair quickly said. "If anything, we have reports that Plegians have been launching raids into Ferox as well as Ylisse. I'd wager this simply means that Plegians can move freely between their borders and thus try to get the jump on us from another front while we're occupied down here."

"To think that Regna Ferox would guard its borders so poorly as to allow Plegians to slip through so easily…" grumbled the knight in heavy armor.

"How many?" asked the woman.

"Reports are uncertain, but enough for an entire strike force," reported the pegasus knight.

The four figures at the table all remained silent.

"Blast these dastards!" the man with blue hair shouted suddenly, startling everyone. "It's not enough that they kill so many of us here, but now they slip their soldiers through Ferox and prepare to strike us and open a new front!"

"I'm afraid we cannot afford to fight them both here and in the north, milord," the knight informed grimly. "All of our forces are needed here to keep the Plegians from pushing into Ylisse. I'd say the Plegians are trying to open a new front since they weren't expecting to encounter such stiff resistance and get bogged down."

"And it's an effective tactic." The woman shook her head. "They know they have plenty of forces to spare and that all of ours are concentrated here. They open a new front and we can't be in two places at once."

"If only we had Feroxi backup. If not for their blasted politics, we could've been halfway to the Plegian capital by now if they agreed to help us!" The man with blue hair balled his hands into fists. "We were so close to enlisting their aid. If we didn't lose that tournament…"

"Milord, now's not the time to think about what could have been," the knight said. "We must think of the current situation and what can we do to avoid another Plegian incursion into Ylisse."

"…You're right." The man with blue hair took a deep breath. "We need a plan."

The three individuals looked at the man in the heavy coat hopefully.

"…Maybe it's not too late…" he mumbled, rushing to unroll a map over the table. "Maybe we can use this to our advantage…"

"I believe I see a plan already forming," commented the knight.

"You have no idea how much relief that gives me," the man with blue hair said. "So what's our plan?"

"We bring Ferox into the war."

The three people (and the young pegasus knight still standing by the entrance) all stared dumbly at the man.

"Or rather, we let Plegia do it for us," he elaborated. "With a little push from us."

Everyone remained silent, waiting for further detail.

"See, we all know that the Plegians have launched raids against Ferox, so the two countries aren't exactly on good terms. We also know that the Plegians are desperate to find the rest of Ylisse's royalty after…" the man trailed off. "A-and we know that they have soldiers marching through Feroxi territory right now."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Ferox didn't come to our aid last time because they didn't have a firm enough reason to. But, if these Plegian troops were to suddenly hear about Ylisse's prince being in the area, and if they were to try and claim the glory of capturing/ending him, and if that just happened to lead them to attack a Feroxi border post in the area…" the man smiled deviously, "I think such an act of aggression will be a firm enough reason for the Feroxi to help us."

"That's quite a risky strategy," commented the woman beside him.

"It's all we have, I'm afraid. Our forces are stretched to their limits here. The only way we can hope to win this war is to enlist Ferox's help, and if we have to give them a little push, then so be it. It's either that or there won't be a Ylisse to come back to."

"A desperate, risky strategy indeed…" the man with blue hair paused and thought. "Can you ensure that the Feroxi don't suspect we had a hand in directing the Plegians at them?"

"Nothing is guaranteed, but I can do my best to cover our tracks. Worst comes to worst, it'll be our word against theirs, and they're known to send bandit raids to Ferox, so I think our word will carry more weight."

"That's good enough for me." The man with blue hair nodded.

"But we'll have to move fast if we want to intercept and redirect these Plegians."

"Can you come up with a plan so soon?"

"I can." The man scribbled some things down. "Chrom, gather the Shepherds. We can't have an entire army marching to intercept or the Feroxi will get suspicious. This will have to be a job for a small and clandestine force."

Chrom nodded and departed.

"Frederick, gather our supplies. You've been to the area, right? We'll need your expertise with us in case things go badly."

The knight nodded and left the tent.

"Phila, I hate to leave you here on your own, but—"

"I'll hold the fort. In the name of Ylisse, no Plegians will get past us while we live," Phila declared.

"Good." Just as she was about to leave, the man grabbed her arm. "I'm also going to have to ask you to lend us some fliers."

"I wish I could, but you yourself know how stretched we are and how they give us one of the few advantages we have."

"I know and I hate to ask, but this may be the most important mission we undertake yet and can turn the tide of the war. We need at least another flier with us here." The man looked Phila in the eye. "Please."

Phila paused to think. She then looked at the pegasus knight standing by the entrance.

"I can spare one, but no more."

"You have my gratitude," the man said gratefully.

"Cadet!"

The pegasus knight still at the door stood at attention.

"Given the importance of the mission, I'm giving you my best one," Phila said, approaching the woman. "Our most talented recruit bar none. She's an excellent flier and a good combatant who'll see you through."

"High praise indeed."

The pegasus knight blushed at the praise. "C-Commander, I…"

"Use her well." Phila turned and put her hand on the pegasus knight's shoulder. "And you, make your sisters proud. We're all counting on you."

"I…I understand." The pegasus knight nodded, determination in her eyes.

"Good. Do this successfully and there will be a promotion waiting for you when you get back." Phila smiled and left before the pegasus knight could say anything further.

"Okay, great. Welcome to the team and so on. I'd give you the usual speech but we're in a bit of a hurry," said the man. "Come with me."

"Y-yes, sir."

"Damn it, looks like it's going to rain soon," the man mumbled as he stepped outside and began walking. "Anyway, since you're one of our only two fliers, you're going to have a key role to play in the battles ahead."

"I'm confident I can handle it," said the pegasus knight, walking alongside him.

"Good. I'll brief you and Sumia—"

"Sumia's here?!" the pegasus knight exclaimed excitedly. She quickly caught herself. "I-I apologize for that outburst."

"I take it you know Sumia? That's good. You can catch up later on once everything settles down…if it settles down…" the man muttered before remembering something. "Oh, and since we'll be working together, allow me to introduce myself. I am Robin, Tactician of the Shepherds. And you, Miss Pegasus Knight?"

"Cordelia, sir. I look forward to serving under you."

"I expect great things from you based on what Phila said."

"I will strive to match your expectations."