Please take the time to read the A/N. Thank you :)

The Road to Mountain Prism (III)

The tactician didn't know how rough his words were. The manakete didn't know how to respond. How could she actually follow Robin's advice? Thus, she had doubts over Robin's theory. She took a deep breath and responded with courage.

"Robin, wait. Better forget what I told you. What you just said… I think it's crazy. You can't possibly ask me to live a life of suspicion? I-I mean, the Shepherds are the only family I have left. We've fought together, we laughed together, we cried together. Even in this living hell, we all share the same ambition. An ambition of rebuilding the world from the ashes Grima left. We all do. Oh, Inigo, please forgive me… Each one of us is willing to sacrifice their lives, if it meant to save the others. Lucina, Laurent, Inigo, Owain… Even Yarne, who… gets a little too timid at times. We all have flaws, but together we strive for the best. We are one. That's why I feel nobody would even think of something as overwhelming as betrayal. And keep in mind that Noire isn't acting on her own will. It's the talisman's fault." When Nah ended she felt like a burden was lifted. It seemed like she needed to reassure herself that Robin's devastating scenario would never prove to be real.

However, even if she didn't want to acknowledge it, deep inside the core of her heart lied fear. Fear beyond her imagination. This feeling was getting stronger the more they battled, the more they got nearer to death. It was like the light of hope was getting dimmer. But how could she believe in such emotions? Surrendering to them would lead nowhere.

Robin's thought of a traitor was a solid one. In the valley he met death and true fear for the lives of your beloved friends, his own and for the woman he loved. And her small speech found him agreeing. How could the person who risks their lives for yours betray you? Nonetheless, he had to make sure that there wasn't even the slightest possibility of his theory proving right. It was his character that couldn't let him accept the hooded man's words:

"Your friend told me…"

Robin nodded and smiled. Nah replied with the same way. "You're right Nah. I also believe nobody could betray us. However, I can't… I just can't…" He said with difficulty.

"What is it Robin? It's alright to tell me." She reassured.

"When he held his knife, when he threatened to put an end to our dreams, he looked… real. He wasn't toying with my emotions. He knew about my fears. He knew about facts that were impossible for him to know otherwise. Gah!" He then shouted. "I don't know what to do," Robin continued and lowered his head in discomfort.

"That's why you just have to trust us. Like everybody trusted you," Nah said and looked at his eyes. She tried to look through them. Through his emotions and inner feelings. Though, the only thing she could sense was his burden. The never-ending burden to free this world of its sorrow. And she then understood that it was this burden, which couldn't let Robin's doubts go away. She knew he wouldn't stop.

"Again!" The loud and strict voice of Kjelle was enough to inspire Cynthia to try harder. Cynthia tried putting more and more effort. She was breathing heavily, but Kjelle blocked each of her attacks without breaking any sweat. Then the knight span her lance around, controlling it with such easiness like her weapon was a part of her body. One could be amazed by the lance's maneuvers and tell how much practice she had put in it. Kjelle swan her lance with force and knocked the former Pegasus knight back. Cynthia who barely kept her balance, found herself getting hit on her feet by none other than her mentor. She fell on the ground and this time stayed there.

"It's okay Cynthia! Don't worry!" Her sister encouraged her to keep up. For the knight it seemed like an impossible task. For all of her life she fought on the air and only used her upper body and arms to attack, while with her legs she controlled her trusty mount. Now, she had to run predict, withstand the rough hits and play mind games with her opponents, much like how her sister always did. Thus, she began doubting herself. And her clumsiness didn't help at all.

The young girl had knelt and breathed in a fast pace, with her eyes looking nothing but the ground. With her fist she punched it and let a tear fall. Her sister, as soon as she saw her, came to her aid. This practice made Lucina go back in time, to when she was learning the art of her sword.

"Ironic isn't it?" She thought.

Cynthia never liked violence. She had never resorted to violence. However, everything changed with their mother's death. After they became orphans, something in Cynthia changed. It was like her destiny forced her to become something she never wanted to. She was forced to learn how to use the lance, instead of enjoying her childhood. And now, when she had accepted her new role, she was compelled to become something entirely different once again, and go through all the difficulties of adaption for one more time.

"Hey! Is everything alright?" The mercenary inquired with curiosity. Judging from his expression he was worried as well. Soon, he rushed to help the three of them. He knelt next to Cynthia and stroke her dark blue hair. The mercenary gave her a warm smile and locked his eyes on hers.
"Having a rough time? It's alright to fall. It's human to fall…"

Robin had just arrived at the scene to talk to Lucina about his thoughts. When he arrived he saw the man he suspected for treason comforting the fallen knight, like he was her older brother. It was no surprise to find him there, because he often accompanied or spectated the training of others. This time, his actions showed signs of compassion and care. Robin felt embarrassed. Then, he saw the four of them helping Cynthia getting back on her feet. They looked at his direction and spotted him.

Robin wanted to believe in Nah's words. However, the more he tried the more he couldn't. He had two options. The first was to strive to find how the hooded man knew so much about the Shepherds. If he found a logical explanation then every single suspicion would be no more. On the other, he could try talking to everyone in a way he hadn't until now. Like an interrogation.

Inigo waved his hand at Robin and was happy to know he was fine. Seeing him awoken meant that they would shortly leave for their initial destination, Mount Prism. As he tried to approach him, Robin noticed that he was walking with limp. It seemed weird since Brady could have easily healed him. On the other, it could just be his mind playing tricks on him.

Lucina was relieved to see he was fine, after everything they went together. Deep inside she wanted to rush at his side, though at the same time she didn't. Robin and her exchanged looks, but the tactician couldn't understand her true emotions. He sighed. She put a faint smile on her face and immediately ordered her comrades to prepare their stuff for their leave. Plus, Cynthia was on the brink of breaking down, due to their hard training. Everyone knew how vulnerable she had become without her mount.

"Sis, before we go, there's something I need to do," she calmly asked.

"I know. I need so as well," Lucina said.

Robin soon reunited with the rest of his friends, who gave him a warm welcome. The Shepherds, with Robin at their side, celebrated their success for getting the Earth Gemstone. They especially commended both their lord and the tactician for their fight with Morgan. Eventually, having packed everything, the worlds' last hope for salvation took the road to reach their guide, Lady Tiki.

Midnight...

Upon their road, the Shepherds decided to camp for the night, as always. The dark sky had expanded revealing the bright white stars twinkling in sync. After finding a soft spot to rest, Lucina agreed that it was the best time to end today's travels. Their tents usually formed a large rectangle. On the middle the one who had the role of the guard, would always be alert for any case.

Robin tried to get some sleep after the exhausting hours of walking. Unable to feel his legs from the sheer wariness, he was relieved that it wouldn't be him to guard for the night. Thus, he found a cozy spot on to set his tent. Without wasting any time, once he finished, he lied on the ground to finally get the sleep he needed. The tactician felt his eyes and body heavy and before he knew it he was already asleep. His exhaustion helped him in a way. After a series of unfortunate dreams, he slept for once without thinking about them. His mind looked back to what troubled him most; the hooded man's words. Thought, when he and Lucina had to relate their fight with Morgan he remembered his last words to his father. For a second he thought he was addressing to him.

After some time, while he was sleeping, his eyes instantly opened wide. It was painful for him, but he remembered what Nah had previously informed him. "Inigo has a habit of staying awake at night and leaving their base."

And tonight it was his duty to guard until Laurent succeeded him. He was unsure how much time had past since he was asleep and if Inigo had finished his shift. The tactician felt the chilly air in his skin and his body getting colder. "I have a bad feeling about this," he thought. In his mind he decided to further investigate if there would be a traitor. Undeniably, he hadn't lost any faith in his friends. In fact after Nah's words, he trusted them more. However, just in case, he decided to check what were Inigo's intentions and if everything was alright, as expected, leave the suspicions aside for good.

Slowly and steadily, the tactician crawled his way out of the tent. At first, he minded his movements and then he tried to listen carefully to any odd sounds. Robin tried to put all of his focus on his ability to hear. Silence. Nothing could be heard, apart from some snores. "Damn it Yarne!" He thought. Fortunately enough, nothing seemed off. Then, he stepped outside of his tent to take a look for himself. The darkness of the night made it way more difficult to see anything. If it weren't for the moon's slight dim light, he wouldn't even see beyond himself. He thought of creating a small fire, but in the end decided against it, since he would wake the others up.

Robin concentrated on finding where Inigo could be, with no luck. There was no trace of him.

"It can't be. It must be the darkness," he thought. Nevertheless, the more he tried the more upset he got for not finding anyone. Soon, he left his tent. "He can't have abandoned his duties."
Robin found himself leaving the base as well. As he walked past the last tent, he saw a shadow. Though, he didn't feel fear. On the contrary, he was more intrigued to see what that thing was, due to its intricate movements. He tried to hide, so he could see more of this enchanting spectacle. The shadow gracefully moved, making him wanting more. "It's like… It's dancing…" Robin thought, possibly ending the mystery behind the mercenary's actions.

Fire Emblem: The Man That Never Was
Chapter 11: The Road to Mountain Prism

A/N (Author's Note): Hello again everybody! :) Phew... it's been quite a while. However, it couldn't have been any other way. I was so busy the last month, my free time for a new chapter was significantly diminished. I hope I can return to regular "unstable" routine of 1 chapter every 5-10 days. :/ Also, because of a serious problem that I face, I will be taking a break on mid-April until mid-May. After it I can devote myself fully in writing and upload to the old pace of 1 chapter every 2 days!

Unfortunately, my comments on this chapter are that it was more of a "transitional" chapter rather than filled with "plot-progression." But, rest assured in the next one we'll see the motives behind Inigo and (finally) the Shepherds would reach Mount Prism and Lady Tiki.

Lastly, I've created a new poll. I would appreciate if you spent 1 minute of your time to answer it.

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-Guest:- Thank you for your amazing words. I'm working really hard with this story, trying to make things add up, learn and portray the characters better and (the most difficult part) retaining readers attention. It's undeniably a privilege to see this hard work pay off through the kind words of a fellow reader. I can only promise on working harder for better quality. Thank you again for reviewing. :)

As always, thanks for reading and until next time, please have yourselves a darn good one ;D

J.D. King

Dedicated to some friends, who without them I wouldn't be the person and writer I am today.