Chapter 36: Rallying

The ships were gathered at harbor, a forest of cloth sails bobbing in the waves. A gentle creak of timber was as constant as the rush of ocean drawing in and out. Most of the vessels had been loaded, whether with supplies or soldiers and leaving the port town ghost-like in comparison. All that remained was the core of the Shepherds, a few of the Feroxi commanders, and a scant amount of Rosanne's fighters, under Virion's watch. They had their eyes on Chrom and Robin both, an expectant hush holding back the usual murmur of their voices.

The two had one of the last remaining ships to their backs, feet half on the gangplank in order to board it. And once they were on board, that would signify it was time to put the entire fleet out to sea.

"They're waiting for a speech," Robin offered in a soft voice, but saw how Chrom kept his head down. For all that rode on this moment, Chrom didn't seem eager to have reached it.

"I..." he sighed out, almost flinching when he raised his eyes up to the waiting soldiers. "I... thank you for answering my summons," and from the way he spoke, it was clear those words weren't his own.

Something Frederick created as a contingency, more than likely.

"I promise your trust is correctly placed, and I will lead you to a victory; Valm presents too severe of a threat to ignore. And..." his features tightened for a moment, as though the words were bitter. "And we will answer the threat with our own might. To find a lasting peace."

Chrom finished the words with a rush, only holding his gaze enough on the gathered forces, to press the speech in. And with that done, he turned to board the ship, feet almost running up the plank. An Exalt or regent shouldn't appear to be running from anything... but Robin didn't have it in her heart to say that. Instead she went up at a stately walk of her own.

Raising her eyes, Robin saw two blue haired heads watching her and Chrom from the ship's rail... and she could understand a bit better why he hurried. Seeing her children, Robin also found herself eager to be on board the ship with them, with her own family, and setting sail.

-o-o-o-

The world had shifted to one of endless blue and bright shimmering light, shining in time to the sway and roll of the ships. Overhead, pegasus knights rode the ocean breeze well above the sails, rising and falling with the wind as smooth as any sea bird.

"It's... nice being out on a ship." Robin knew the surprise was clear in her voice, shifting her balance in time to the waves. And the sea was so clear it was hard to pick out where water ended and sky began. It almost felt like flying, in a strange way. Maybe that's why there wasn't any pull in her chest just then, to be up with pegasus or wyvern riders.

"Uuuurgh... if you say so, Mother. But couldn't you have found a gem that does something about sea sickness?" Morgan groaned from where he leaned over the railing. Robin gave him a pitying look, and ran a hand over his hair. That at least got him to lift his head, mumbling that he'd be alright.

"...Can you move aside and give me some room, too? I'm not feeling all that well, either." Lucina added, slumping against the railing on Robin's other side. "I really wish I knew where Morgan and I picked up this lack of sea legs. Does Aunt Lissa have it?"

"Afraid not, and neither do I." Came Chrom's voice. He moved in behind Robin, resting a hand on her shoulder to steady himself against the roll of the ship. "I admit I haven't found my balance yet, but I'm well enough. But Lucina... you and Morgan have never been on a ship before?"

"In my time, all of them were burned and smashed." Their daughter answered, and the misery in her voice made it sound that she half wished that was still the case.

"And trust me, I'd REMEMBER feeling this miserable." Morgan groaned. "But... I don't want to go into a cabin or anything. I-I want to be out here, with you."

"Morgan..." Lucina paused, and Morgan favored her with a weak smile.

"I still don't remember much. And what I do is all hazy, like I've got pieces of a puzzle but there's big chunks and images missing. But... I think I like you as a sister, though?" Morgan offered. "I like being around you, I mean. And you're pretty cool in a fight, too."

Lucina actually managed to raise her head above the ship's rail, and give a brief laugh at that. Morgan gave a watery smile when he spoke, quelling a little of the nausea in his body. "But I could use some help on remembering how exactly to be a brother to you."

"Well, you could be a little... pushy. And a bit of a know it all." Though even with those words, that smile and laugh stayed in Lucina's voice. "But you are my brother, and you seemed to have a plan, no matter what we faced. And if I ever stop feeling sick, I promise I'll look after you, and tell you more."

"And if it stays smooth sailing, I'd like to hear." Morgan added on.

"Quite a few 'ifs,' but... it feels like our troubles are far away, for now." Robin murmured, keeping a hand on Morgan's shoulders. Time to be more of a family, instead of a collection of soldiers. Her son and daughter both stared morosely down at the waters, and she wished she could do something to help them.

"Yet for all that, we're rushing towards them..." Chrom sighed out, and Robin knew that he still had his doubts about this war. With fewer Shepherds around, he could express those doubts a little. "...I pray that we'll be capable of meeting the challenge."

"I-I think you will. My understanding is that you battled with Valm before, in my time. But the war stretched out and left you exhausted... in part because of wounds you'd taken. But for all that, you're looking well. Better- urk! Than I am." Lucina gave up trying to brace herself. With a frown, Robin's fingers found her forehead, and Robin paused over the temperature she felt in her daughter's skin. It felt like there was a fever trying to dig into Lucina's blood, and burn its way outward.

But she didn't have time to question it, with how Chrom continued.

"Wounds? Were they linked at all to..."

"Your shoulder? I-I think it may have been possible. You didn't have the Emblem, and suffered far worse wounds than what you gained the night Emmeryn was assassinated. The Emblem was stolen that same night, and I think it may have left you at a disadvantage." Lucina let her breath out in a huff. "...I'd hoped I'd altered the path of events, yet Emmeryn still died in the end. It seems the future is stubborn when it comes to change."

"Maybe... yet you still bought her time. And we still have the Emblem, Lucina." Robin spoke, as Chrom gently placed a hand on Lucina's shoulder, and helped her lift her head. "I know it's easy to beat yourself up over your mistakes and wonder if you could have changed anything... but don't forget the good you've done, either."

"You've saved us, after all." Chrom pointed out.

"Th-thank you, Father. Mother. But I worry... something else could take your lives. You could still vanish..." And the bleak note in Lucina's voice caused them both to pause. "And I can't stop worrying about that possibility."

Morgan gave an uncertain noise in the back of his throat. When Robin shifted her fingers to touch at the back of his head, there seemed to be a similar jump in warmth, also in his skin. It didn't keep him from speaking however. "And as for me… I'm strapped to remember anything. But none of it sounds good."

The wind shifted, tossing Robin's bangs into her face. The breeze seemed to shift the mood as well, turning it somber.

"Then... How do I die?" Chrom's voice had taken on a heaviness as well.

"I only know rumors. You'd gone off to fight against something, trying to sway your destiny... and you fell in battle. Some say you were betrayed by your closest friend. But... no one ever found your body. There was never any ceremony of flames, and Mother..." Lucina blinked up at them both, and Robin saw how her eyes shimmered for a moment. As she listened, she felt a sorrow begin to gnaw at her chest... and something else clawing inside of her head. Some strange headache starting to grow, underneath her mussed bangs. "Mother vanished as well. All we found was blood, and the blade."

Her hands drifted down to Falchion. The ringing persisted in Robin's ears, and her hands left her children to rub at her own head, trying to push it back down. Chrom sensed the trouble, as his hand went up to rest between her shoulders. Robin tried to focus on the sensation of his touch over everything else.

"After that, the world started to go mad. Grima wasn't the only dragon in the skies." Lucina continued, still staring at the water with nausea and worry both. "Reports drifted in of another, savaging cities and turning them to ash. I... I only saw it once, when I leapt through the portal. It seemed so intent on burning us all. I only saw a flicker of it... shining a sickly blue and white- Father? Mother?"

Robin jolted out of the haze, and saw that Chrom had also gone to rub at his head. Lucina's description clicked into place, and she remembered the dragon they'd fought well over a year ago.

"Did it... could it have followed you through the portal?" Morgan spoke up instead, mirroring a hazy thought taking shape in Robin's head.

"I... I suppose so. Are you sure you're both alright?" Robin just managed a nod, as the headache finally abided.

"Maybe your parents don't have a knack for sea travel, after all." Chrom replied. "It seems to have passed, though. I think we're alright."

"Y-yes. Forgive me, I'm well. You should finish your tale." Robin provided.

"There isn't much more to say. I took the name Marth and fought back, hoping I could have the same strength as the Hero-King... but I don't need that any longer. I... I can fight as Lucina now."

"This is still a little weird to me," Morgan finally spoke up. "But you know what? If you can handle this, if Mom and Dad can handle it... I can too. And I'm not going to let a little sea sickness get in my way."

"I think I'm feeling a little better as well... not a lot, but a little. Well enough to walk around the ship a bit."

A reverse of fortunes, Robin thought, considering how tender her own head felt.

'You can shrug it off though. For their sakes.'

-o-o-o-

Three tasks were at the front of Lucina's mind; keep an eye on Morgan and her parents, breathe evenly, and walk in a straight line along the ship. The first two she had a decent grasp on, but the last proved to be a bit of a struggle. A part of her envied how Chrom and Robin both managed to move with the roll of the boat; the rest of her was busy with keeping Morgan on his feet.

Walking DID have one pleasant side effect, however; it stirred a sea breeze against her face, and something about the salt air lessened the light fever trying to grip her skin.

'A few more moments like this, and I may yet be alright.' She told herself, coaxing her feet forward.

They managed to reach the prow of the ship, before things took a turn for the worse. She'd almost gotten the nausea under control, before the situation was wrenched out of Lucina's grasp.

"Captain!? Captain, sir! Reporting in!" A gust of wind was their only warning, before a pegasus touched down on the ship's deck in front of them. The hooves made a heavy thud on the ground, and the pegasus gave a pained whinny.

Lucina blinked up in time to see a second pegasus land, as Sumia and Cordelia all but vaulted off their horses. A second look showed why; the flanks of both mounts were streaked with red, showing where an axe or a javelin might have just skimmed them.

Somewhere over the pegasus wings, flapping for balance or mantling defensively, Lucina heard Lissa give a small cry. The patter of feet showed she was rushing to the wounded horses, staff at the ready.

Sumia saluted to Chrom and nodded to Frederick before launching into her report, with a surprisingly stern face.

"Enemies enroute! We've spotted ships on the horizon... and they easily match us, ship for ship. What's more, most of their fleet is composed of battleships instead of transports. And if that's not enough, they look to be in combat formation."

"You… are certain of this?" Sumia nodded at Frederick's question.

"Absolutely certain; Cordelia identified the flag as one of Valm's… and I remember Robin saying we've passed into territory they might be patrolling." But for her part, Robin didn't look all that pleased to be right. Her free hand had balled into a fist, while her free one reached up to tap at her head; likely trying to hurry the planning part of her mind along, and into action.

"What about troop numbers?" Frederick pressed, eyes already scanning the horizon and trying to pick out any dots.

"Packed full, I'm afraid. They easily out number us." Cordelia spoke. "I took a count where I could... milord, I fear they can field an aerial force as well. They had scouts of their own in the air… and as you can likely see, we barely evaded open combat. Our odds are not promising."

"We need... something to negate the advantage," Robin murmured.

"You'd best think of it quickly," Basilio spoke up. "As even I can see some shapes up ahead."

Lucina bit back a curse; she saw them as well, gathering along the line between sea and sky, tightly packed together. Robin didn't panic as she watched them, however; if anything, a strange light and calculating look settled in her eyes.

"Unless... we use that against them." Robin turned fast to Cordelia. "You said they're filled with soldiers? All the way up?"

"Y-yes..." Lucina wondered over the grim smile settling over Robin's features. She still rubbed at her forehead, trying to quell that headache… but seemed to be thinking past the pain.

"Good. If we can bunch them in, that will cut down on their maneuverability. We just need something... something to disrupt them."

"How about lantern oil?" Flavia spoke up. "I've been over our supplies, anticipating something like this. And we have that in abundance. I've no doubt that you can find a use for it."

"…Woman, you scare me sometimes." Basilio muttered.

But Lucina's focus was on Chrom, with how he winced. The Emblem on his back shifted from the motion. His skin had gone a few degrees paler, and he couldn't shake a troubled look settling over his face.

"Robin..."

For her part, Robin had rooted her gaze on the distant ships. It made Lucina wonder if she'd even heard Chrom, until she finally spoke up.

"...Flavia has a point. I can see how we can make this work, and work with brutal effeciency," Robin's fingers dug into her hair, and her eyes screwed shut for a moment.

"But... Chrom, you have a point. We have to deal with the flames." Robin dropped her hand from her head, and glanced at her own scarred hand. Lucina's eyes flickered over Chrom's shoulder. She remembered the tales, the draw of flame and how form melted under heat.

"Right. It's a substantial risk." Chrom murmured, one eye still on the ships. Lucina was sure they were looming larger than before. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried."

"Mother? I... can I suggest something?" Robin paused once Morgan laid a hand on her sleeve. She tilted her head and Lucina found herself leaning forward as well, to hear what her brother had to say. "Flavia said in that poem that a red gem would calm flames... and you have Gules now, don't you? Maybe... that gives you an edge?"

Robin glanced up at Chrom, a hesitant bit of hope flickering across her face.

"He's right... we have Gules." Robin glanced on the shield, and Chrom took it from his back to look at the red gem. "It might be time to see how well that gemstone works."

Chrom nodded, a little bit of tension draining out of him… though not all, with how stiff his shoulders remained. "Alright. Just... just stay close to me then. We'll manage if we stay together and fight with the Emblem."

"That just leaves us with figuring out how to divide up the focus of the fleet. Sumia, Cordelia, can you rally the troops?"

Both riders nodded to Robin. Lucina glanced back to see that the pegasus were healed of their wounds, just a few threads of red left on their coats.

"Good. For this to work we need to keep them occupied on two fronts. Someone will need to engage their commander-"

"Me." Lucina heard the words come out of her mouth before she could think twice about them. "Let me handle it."

Robin blinked at her in surprise, and Lucina cut off her concern before she could voice it.

"Mother, I'm capable of battle, truly. I'd be proud to lead the charge." She could barely feel the sickness or fever now; with combat looming it had retreated from her body.

Even with many more eyes present and watching them, Robin still lifted her fingers to Lucina's brow. She saw a frown crease her mother's face, as she tried to figure out what had happened to Lucina's fever.

"Me too!" Morgan piped in. "You can trust me to watch Lucina's back!"

"You... you know we can hold our own, right?" Lucina murmured, praying that her mother would nod and say yes. She saw the concern fighting over her mother's face, warring the memories of Lucina's combat prowess.

"...All right." Robin finally said, dipping her head in acknowledgment. "I know you are both capable fighters... and you also appear to be in better shape than I first thought. Just be-"

"Careful? Only if you and Father do the same." A wry smile traced across Robin's face, and even Chrom managed a flash of a grin.

"Then it's decided." He said. "We'll all watch each other's backs. And if all goes well, we'll see each other soon enough back on this ship. For now, we should all make our preparations."

-o-o-o-

Outside the cabin window, Robin could just glimpse the sea.

The sun hadn't vanished, still hanging high in the sky; and yet the day had lost most of its warmth, with the promise of battle imminent. Robin shivered at the thought, rubbing her hands over her coat sleeves. Her own flesh couldn't decide if the thought of a fight chilled her, or sent a strange, burning thrill into her pulse.

It was lucky she was in an isolated cabin; no one could see the way she paced back and forth, or constantly checked the equipment on hand. The ship rolled under her feet, Robin moving with each wave. Her hand skimmed along the weapons and tomes available, checking and double checking each item. It didn't help that her focus was only half on the task.

There was still a strange, airy feeling settled in her head. Even if Lucina had left them to make her own preparations, her daughter's words still made Robin's thoughts swim.

'Blood and blade, and white and silver dragons,' Strange how that stuck in the mind… Equally strange was her readiness in jumping at Flavia's idea.

'Was that… that was me making those plans, wasn't it?' Brutal as those plans were. Robin shivered over those thoughts, shaking her head back and forth-

A pair of hands closed around her shoulders, making her heart skip for an instant and her feet give a small jump forward.

"Peace, Robin! It's just me!" Chrom's voice came in, trying and failing to hide a laugh behind his words. If she hadn't heard that laugh a dozen times, Robin might have missed the way he forced the sound out, along with the breath.

He was forcing that laugh. Noticing that kept her from scowling too much, when she tilted her head to look at him. Even if she wasn't all for any cuddling when they were hours away from a fight.

"You're lucky this is a private cabin." She scolded him anyway, leaning back and bumping the back of her head against his chin. "It wouldn't do to be seen like this, right before a fight… and on that topic, is there any particular reason for the sudden hugs? Practicing a stealth maneuver for combat?"

"Actually… looking for a touch of courage and confidence." Chrom answered. With the laughter running its course, his voice had taken on a softer edge. "…It's our first battle against these Valmese forces. We're lucky that Sumia and Cordelia got away with only a few cuts."

He drew in his breath, making his hold a little tighter on her.

"I'm not going to repeat my father's mistakes. We're coming out of this fight with a decisive victory, not just a battle of attrition. Granted, I'll have you with me. And I know you'll aim for the same." The splashing of the waves outside seemed dull, as Chrom confided in her.

"And I thank the fates for that- something wrong?" He felt the way her shoulders stiffened, even before Robin shook her head.

"Just… something that came to me all of a sudden. But I think I have to disagree with the idea of things being predetermined; we're not pawns of some scripted fate. We follow our own path, our own bonds... those are stronger than any destiny set for us."

"Strong words." Chrom murmured into her shoulder.

"They're... not entirely mine, I think."

"Then who- oh..." He must have seen the way her hands drifted down to the thoron tomb, belted to her side and waiting for the skirmish.

"I still... I only remember bits and pieces, and those are like trying to remember a year old dream. But I think she told me that, or something like it, once. And I guess I must have taken her words to heart, even with everything that happened." Her hands fell away from the book, leaving it to fall back to her side. Instead they came up and traced over his hands. They'd gone tight when Robin spoke about her mother. For her part, Robin had to make an effort to lift her head.

"It… it's ok, though. I'll be okay. Remembering that won't stop me from fighting." Chrom eased his arms away from her, so she could turn around while still holding his hands.

"It was that obvious I was worried about you?"

"And logical, given how I... reacted, the last time I remembered her." This time the laugh that jumped out of him was a little more genuine.

"Pfah. You didn't turn into a dragon. I'd say that you've got a much better hand on the grieving process than I do." Despite herself, Robin's lips quirked up.

"Well... I admit I'm trying not to dwell on it too much. There will be time to search for answers when we're NOT facing down a Valmese fleet. But first…"

Robin sighed out, turning back to the cabin window. The ships had drawn much closer, and it meant that she'd have to be satisfied with her current selection of equipment. "I think it's time to stop preparing, and to draw up our battle formations. I'll see you outside."