Chapter 37: Flame and Sea

"There they are." Robin muttered. The enemy ships formed a wall, with enough mass Robin wasn't certain even fire could pierce through. Even at this distance, she saw how their decks bristled with soldiers waiting to close. Easily matching their own fleet.

'And our own troops-'

She turned her head, so her shoulder and the edge of her hood obscured their own ships from her sight. Otherwise, Robin knew her gaze would linger on Lucina and Morgan... and she couldn't afford to focus solely on them, just then.

She also couldn't afford to focus only on the man in at her side either... but Robin allowed herself one moment to brush fingers against his arm and draw strength and steadiness from his presence.

"...I wish it wasn't coming to this." She allowed herself to say. "That we'd picked a route they couldn't intercept."

"As do I..." Chrom's breath moved out in a shudder, his voice heavy. So was his hand, once it fell on her shoulder. But the grip there was reassuring, squeezing at her; only the tiniest shiver betrayed he was trying to steel himself for what approached. "But... we need to fight. And if this is to be our first battle with Valm, I will accept it. And... try not to die. I've no wish for Lucina's future to come to pass."

In that, they had complete agreement.

Yet for it being a grave battle, her heart was still calm. No boiling in her blood or pulse, nothing stirring beneath her skin. And she suspected that was thanks to a golden glimmer, brighter than any sunlight on the waves. The Emblem still held them in the right shape... and reminded them it was the right form, instead of something more fierce and feral.

Their ship caught the wind and currents, pulling ahead of the main fleet. The handful of crew on their craft swarmed the rigging, putting on more sail, intent on their task of bringing the ship in closer. A handful of others vessels followed in their wake.

The opposing fleet saw the approach, and moved to intercept them. A grim smile crossed Robin's lips, as the pieces settled into their places. Yells built from the Valmese forces, pushing their own ships. And as the shouts grew, so did the speed of Robin's heart; it began to pound, picking up on the urgency.

Chrom stepped apart from her, and Robin swore she heard a low growl in his breath... and saw a glow in his eyes.

"Light the fires!" Robin's own voice snapped out, strained and urgent. A clink of flint followed, as did an acrid burn of smoke. Beneath her feet, Robin swore she heard barrels of oil shift, impatient to burn.

The fuses were lit. And the distance was closing.

An arrow thudded into the ship prow, just a few inches from where they stood.

"I'm going to take that as a sign they've seen you're on the ship." Robin reached over to Chrom, and tugged him backwards out of range as she spoke. A few more arrows found their way to the deck, as more and more of the Valmese fleet turned their attention to the ship. Robin threw up a free hand, letting her sleeve flap in the salt spray breeze.

"A-ALL OF YOU, JUMP SHIP NOW!" Robin shouted. "We'll take care of the rest! GO!"

The crew did as ordered, leaping from the railings and into the ocean. A handful of pegasus knights flew in their wake, and began pulling the sailors out of the waves. To their sides, more of the ships did the same. In place of the crew, flames whipped along the ships, and Robin winced as the heat slapped her across the face.

It was the only warning she had, before fire bloomed along the deck; just a arm's width from where she and Chrom stood.

'Move-'

There was a thrum and burn in her pulse to match. Something in the fire seared into her head, and it didn't matter the fire was only just beginning to devour ships; the way the flames danced held her feet fast to the deck. All around her, the ship creaked and groaned in a way that suggested it was getting gutted by fire.

'MOVE! Gods help me, let me GO!' She screamed for her body to move, or her eyes to focus on something that wasn't flames. But she felt frozen, a prisoner in her own mind. Just ahead, came a splintering and groaning noise; the fire was eating into the ship's mast.

'And it's not going to save you, if you don't get out-' It didn't matter what sort of power her blood had; if she stayed in this form, she would burn from the flames, get crushed by the timbers of the ships, or drown in the ocean.

"ROBIN!" Chrom's voice cut into her head, and his arms wrapped around her. He pitched them both to the side as the mast splintered and crashed down. A second before it slammed into the deck, they were rolling to the side. Chrom's fingers dug into her sleeve, crushing her close to him.

The other held Gules, and she realized how he could move, even when his body felt like a furnace. Robin focused on the gem as well... and the fever began to seep out of her mind. All at once she gave a shudder, her body falling back into her control. Something squirmed between her shoulder blades, pressing against her skin and trying to flex free. It left her knees watery, and just then she was very glad Chrom was supporting her weight.

"I-I'm fine! Hurry!" She urged him. In the corners of her eyes, she could see the Valmese ships rushing up to greet them. Screams sounded in her ears as the Valmese tried to maneuver their boats away. But too slowly, with the wind driving the burning ships closer-

Chrom yanked her eyes away from the sight, once he took off for the edge of the ship. Under his feet the ship planking groaned, popped, and splintered. A split second before the deck became engulfed in fire he threw them both over the side. A crunch of ship timber followed them, and the ship sent up a massive gout of flame over Chrom's shoulder, staining the sky and clouds red.

Waves roared beneath them, and the ocean looked ready to swallow them up instead of the flames.

But it didn't, as she felt something shift in her back and spring free. Her plunge went from vertical to a horizontal blaze along the waves, her wings tucked in close as they shot away from the inferno. She heard screams and the roar of flames, tasted smoke for an instant... and then the air was clear. Chrom stretched his own wings out, but stuck within an arm's reach of her. The thick weave of her robe did little to dull the pressure of his grip, and she was certain there were claws at the ends of his fingers. He was determined to hang onto her, and guide her out of the firestorm.

With the fluid quality of her flesh, Robin found herself glad for it. She didn't want to consider what staying in the firestorm would do to her control. She was fighting to fly in a straight line, as it was-

A deck all but materialized under her feet, and Robin stumbled into it.

'Darkened wood; one of the few Feroxi ships being fielded.' Robin had time to think. Her knees wobbled, and she had to lean back to keep herself from crashing into the surface. The half feathered wings fanned around her, to keep her balance intact.

Once her face wasn't trying to meet the floorboards, Robin managed to spin on her heel. Her vision listed about, but managed to settle on the results of their first move.

Easily half of the Valmese fleet was swallowed up by flames. The blue of the ocean turned to deep crimson, or drowned in smoke. The ship crews fought to separate their boats from the blaze... but with little luck. Their tight formation made it impossible for them to maneuver fast enough to out pace the flames. For a moment, Robin wondered if the entire fleet would catch ablaze.

Her answer was a roar of cannon fire, thudding into the ships. The boats that had just caught ablaze splintered and sank.

"They've fired on their own ships?" Chrom whispered.

"To save the rest of them, they've sacrificed those vessels... it's actually a smart move. Not too different from our own strategy." Except perhaps for some of those sinking in full armor with strangled screams. And others roasting in the flames. Robin turned from the scene, trying to fight down a wave of nausea. Chrom wasn't quite able to do the same, falling to his knees. She felt the scales trying to creep further up her body, and Robin forced herself to wrest her mind away and look at the results on the Ylisse ships.

Well over half the fleet was gone. The ships Ylisse still possessed closed with those that hadn't caught ablaze, boarding the ships and taking the fight to them.

There was still much to do, and the rest of the Shepherds were at the fore of the fight. Glancing around, Robin realized they'd landed on one of the reserve ships, which was struggling to catch up.

…And was struggling even MORE, now that those on the deck were distracted by their presence. Many of the ship hands were giving them distance, forming an odd, isolated bubble around Chrom and herself. It was certainly enough to take off again, if she wished it.

Robin noticed how the soldiers around them were giving them a wide berth, and felt the wings in her back twitch. The rest of the Shepherds were already at the fore of the fight.

Waiting for them, and likely needing the power that now bubbled under their skin. Her wings, now that they weren't in use, melted half back into her shoulders and let the weave of her robe fall back into place.

She turned to Chrom, touching her fingers to either side of his face.

"Still with me?" He gave a shaky nod, tightening his fingers around hers… only to freeze when the talons on his fingers risked nicking her skin. With a shiver, Chrom let go of her.

"Y-yeah. We still have a battle to fight, don't we?" Chrom asked, pulling himself back to his feet.

At her nod, he shifted his grip around so he lead her by the wrist. Belatedly, Robin realized that his wings WERE still out... and that he wasn't planning on absorbing them just yet.

"Gods-!" She blurted out for a moment, just before Chrom launched them both off the side of the ship and flew towards the melee.

'He's getting a little too good at this,' she grumbled to herself, clinging onto his shoulders as he shot towards one of the standing Valmese ships. A little beyond it, she could pick out their flagship; the fighting had already spread to there. Through the smoke drifting through the air, she could just glimpse Lucina leading the charge on board. She'd already unhorsed a knight, and Morgan also had his sword ready and watching her back.

The next instant Robin had to tear her eyes away from them. The sensation of wind in her hair had coaxed her own wings back out, and Robin slipped away from Chrom to take in the aerial fights. A Valmese pegasus rider stood in the way of them and the ship. Scarlet highlights caught on the metal of her spear, angled down to run them both through.

As it turned out, steel made for a good electric conduit.

The Levin sword flashed out from the scabbard at her side, humming with energy.

Robin felt the spell snap out of her, eager to get loosed into the air. When she raised her own Levin blade, the jagged zigzag shape crackled with power. Her focus narrowed to loosing the spells, and the exhilaration of pushing herself through a smoke washed sky.

-o-o-o-

Lucina led the charge with Morgan, a near whirlwind of steel. It felt good to finally have Falchion in her hands again; the blade had been gone from them for too long, while she had to make sure her wrist wound healed properly. But it had paid off. There wasn't even a stitch of pain left now, and that nauseated feeling had left her as quickly as it came.

From how Morgan danced between blades, the same must have been true for him and his shoulder. He flashed her a quick, if shaky and strained grin, tightening his grip around the steel sword. He brought the blade up in a guard, looking down the sword.

"COME ON! We gotta set an example for the others!" He pointed to where the other children were, holding the line on the ship. To her surprise, Yarne was at the front as well. It was hard to see if he was shaking, given how he'd gained several pounds of muscle and fur. Panne was there as well, holding the line, while Virion fired arrows into the army with ruthless efficiency. Cherche fought alongside Cordelia and Sumia in the air and snapped in and out of the smoke. But all of it was defensive, and left the line at the ships rails intact. Leaving her and Morgan to cut out more space so they could advance.

"You know... it's a little hard to read the battle flow from here, but I think we've got their attention." Morgan blithely added, and ducked under an airborne throwing axe. Vaike cheerfully wrenched it out of the wood before pitching it back at the Valmese, scoring a hit. And through that, the Lucina put several steps past the enemy line and onto the opposing ship. She swore the wood creaked in a different way underfoot, and nearly shuddered from her steps.

"Just focus on getting to their commander." Lucina managed, slashing forward. She cut down a mage, dodging to the side as a wind spell tried to cut through her. Morgan shadowed her steps, scanning the fighting.

"I think that's him-!" He started to say, pointing to a figure in full, crimson trimmed armor at the rear of the ship. He didn't look like the sort scared of sinking in his armor, Lucina noticed. Completely sure of his ship, and his command of it-

But that was the only thing she had time to think. Her thoughts and Morgan's words were both interrupted by an explosion that rocked the air, and nearly took her feet out from under her. Lucina's eyes jolted up to where, many ships down the way, an inferno leapt from the Plegian and Ylisse ships. A wash of red sprang into the waiting, tight packed Valmese fleet.

"Ah-" the gasp escaped from Lucina's throat. For a moment, combat halted, and all eyes turned to blaze. But the next, the Valmese redoubled with a frenzied howl. Lucina dodged to the side when a fighter rushed her, and Morgan darted in to cut the fighter down. She didn't get to stay and see if he finished the job, busy with blocking another hit that rattled her bones and teeth. There was a desperate edge to their attackers. Now they realized the odds weren't quite so in their favor.

'They're about to get even less in their favor.' Lucina felt a strange, grim smile settle across her face. Her sword lashed out, carried her through several soldiers and left them bleeding behind her. Morgan ran hard to catch up with her, breath strangely loud in her own ears and calling for her to wait.

In the span of a breath, he'd suddenly gone oddly slow and stumbling. One moment he'd been cutting his way through, the next he staggered. Lucina opened her mouth to shout at him to make haste-

When something slowed her footsteps as well. The world tried to tilt around her, moving sluggishly. The soldiers around them, even with desperation fueling their actions, seemed to be wading through sand and slowing their swords. A hum built up in her blood as she paused and struggled to find her balance. And a pain began to blossom in her arm and echo with a throb in her chest. Morgan's left arm sagged, and he struggled to hold his sword.

"What's-" he choked out. Lucina grit her teeth, and her fingers squeezed around Falchion's hilt. Morgan must have been feeling the same, with how his vision didn't seem to focus. The sword in his hands wobbled, falling into a sloppy stance.

"Fight it back." She gritted out between her teeth, before raising her voice. "Whatever it is, fight it back! We have to-"

She saw the sword almost a second too late. She swept low to the deck and rose with an uppercut, slicing the swords master where he stood. Morgan worked in a stab as well, leaving the man bleeding out on the ground. Lucina forced herself to breathe, and felt hot air and smoke drift into her lungs. They didn't make the throbbing in her arm any better.

'Not now, not now!' Lucina yelled at her limbs, spinning as one of the few horsemen on the ships barreled towards them, spurring his horse in a clatter across the ship decks. She leapt on him, knocking him out of the saddle with her weight and a sword crashing into his armor. Her body listened for the briefest instant, right as the path to the commander opened up for her and Morgan.

She managed one step forward, leveling her sword at the commander.

The next, another ship exploded into flames, sending debris raining down on the deck. Shards of burning timber pierced the sails, lacing the air with flame that danced in her sight.

The nausea hit Lucina full force in the gut, and her head throbbed in time to the blaze of agony running through her arm. Her eye screamed, like something was trying to burn it out of the socket, and from inside her skull. The world around her burned... and her blood burned in answer.

And she began to scream.

-o-o-o-

They'd landed and pushed their way along the ship, doing their best to close into the enemy flank.

The wings grown from Chrom's back did a lot to help with that. It was the easiest thing to jump between ships, and tear into wherever the fighting needed their help.

But they were becoming less and less pressed on the outlying ships. All the fighting was getting concentrated further, onto the very flagship of the enemy.

"Good planning," Chrom rasped out. His voice had a strange echo to it, but the Emblem was doing its work, just as they prayed it would. Their dragons were both being held in check-

A scream cut across the ships. In a voice Robin knew, and sent a wrenching jolt through her heart. Chrom heard it as well, from the way his head snapped up. They rushed to the end of the ship, staring out over the scarlet turned waters. The smoke obscured chunks of the sea, while the heat wreathed the ships in a haze. In response Robin released a little more control. Her eyes squirmed for a brief blink, and then focused.

Her vision sharpened right as the wind shifted, driving away the worst of the ash and smoke. She picked out the enemy's main ship, saw the Shepherds trading blows with the soldiers ringing their commander-

Saw that someone had gotten through, nearly closing with the general... only to collapse on the deck with a blood chilling scream. Lucina clutched at her eye, her body shuddering as something wracked it with pain. From the way she screamed, it almost sounded like her eye was being burnt out.

The soldiers wanted to visit far worse on her... but Morgan held them back, just barely. His one eye was closed, and he squinted through the other. He slashed out with his blade, keeping a distance between them for a few more heartbeats. Then he collapsed to his knees as well, leaning against his sword to try and keep his head up.

The commander stalked towards them, and Robin could hear his voice roar over the flames.

"YOU TRULY THOUGHT YOU COULD TAKE US? WE ARE THE MASTERS OF THESE WAVES!" He spat at them, about to bring the blade down.

The ocean had turned to a blur. And the ship she'd been standing on had vanished.

Robin was vaguely aware that her form hung somewhere in the air, pushed along by her wings. The levin sword was still in her hands, and she stretched a hand out in front of her. Not close enough to reach her children-

But just close enough to reach the one threatening them. The line of thunder arced from the blade to her fingers. The lightening shot from her hand, devouring the space between it and the commander. He turned just in time to see the spell slam into him, knocking him to the side.

Then the ship deck was underneath her, smashing into her as Robin folded her wings and crashed into the deck. She rolled back up, seeing red as she showed her teeth at the soldiers. Her body ached from finally impacting with a ship deck.

She didn't let it slow her down.

None of the soldiers tried to close with her, as her wings mantled around her. The Levin sword hummed at her feet, and Robin snatched it up in a smooth motion, whirling back to face the commander. His helmet had been knocked aside by the thunder blast, showing a grizzled, gray haired and scarred face.

Robin lunged at him, only to be turned and thrown aside by his shield. Sparks spat off the Levin sword, uselessly jumping into the air where the sword scrapped along metal. The general braced against the attack and threw his weight into the shield, tossing Robin away. She skidded back along the deck, eyes still locked on him. Her feet bumped against Lucina's form, and Robin felt her daughter shudder.

"Not... one more... step." Robin rasped out, glaring at the commander. Damn her, her thoughts were going blurry. Drowning in the smoke and getting drunk on the flames. But her children needed her just then. Robin kept herself between the general and Morgan and Lucina-

And for a heartbeat, her thoughts snapped back into clarity. She glimpsed a shadow on the deck, and her head jerked upwards to see Chrom dropping out of the sky. He led with his blade and slammed into the general, knocking the shield from the man's grip. Robin joined him, and they rushed the general in a series of furious blows. So close to wearing him down, but the armor continued to turn their strikes.

But each clash of steel forced the general a little further from their children. A little closer to the edge of the ship.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Lucina pushing herself up with Falchion, Morgan slumped against her as his sister tried to hold him up-

"...The flank's exposed." Her ears picked out Morgan's voice, just barely murmuring. She glimpsed him raising a hand as Lucina held him up. Heat tore at Robin's back, pushing her to the side and into a roll. Chrom's talons snagged on her robe once again, taking him with her and into the tumble.

A blaze of flame shot by her, caught the general in the chest... and pushed him over the edge of the ship. He sunk into the water with a massive splash. And just like that, the fight went out of the soldiers as he was pulled into the waters. In a blink, the only thing that remained of him was a swirl of bubbles… and then nothing, with even that erased by the waves.

The blood hammering in her ears began to die, and Robin looked around. Morgan sagged all the way to his hands and knees, his spell book and sword both forgotten. Lucina's breaths came in and out in ragged sobs.

She rushed to both of them, her wings dissolving away. Chrom was by her side in an instant.

"They're not staying to fight. The ships that they can still sail are all fleeing." Chrom provided, but didn't abandon his place watching her back. "Robin, what's-?"

"I don't know! I thought they were fine, so what happened-?" she choked out, desperately grabbing both Morgan and Lucina's hands. Her fingers found their pulses, both hammering even though the battle was won.

"I-I'm sorry..." Lucina murmured, turning her head up to look at Robin. "Something went- I feel strange..."

"Gods, you're both like furnaces." Robin swore under her breath. "It's almost like-"

Her words cut out, and Chrom let out a strangled noise right when she saw their eyes. Morgan and Lucina were staring up at them both, their eyes unfocused... and the pupils gone to cat's eye slits. There was a strange glow behind their irises, almost like blue flame. The marked eyes glowed particularly bright.

A flash of skin drew her eye, and Robin saw that their clothing had both been sliced open in the fighting. Lucina's sleeve was torn open near her wrist, Morgan's gone along the shoulder. The bandages had been rent away as well, showing pale scar tissue where the Risen had struck.

Both scars cut across purple marks, blazed across their skin.

"I may have to revise my thoughts on fate... there might be some sort of twisted game after all.' The thought stirred in her brain, oddly dulled as Robin looked at the matching brands, and down at her own hand. The six eyed marks stared back at her, giving no answers.