Chapter 21
Tristan was, to put it lightly, not thrilled with his current situation. He found himself in his tent laying on the floor in an effort to beat the Plegian heat. The Shepherds had marched for Plegia the day after their battle in Regna Ferox in order to ask for aid from the new Plegian government in the fight against the Valmese Empire. Plegia was the only power with a navy presence large enough to carry a force large enough to combat the continent's new enemy. They had set up camp just outside of the Plegian capitol, which though not in a desert, like the area the Shepherds had invaded last time, was still situated in a much hotter climate than Ylisse's or Regna Ferox's. Most of the Shepherds had already left for the meeting, leaving a small group that had been selected by drawing straws behind to guard the camp. And so instead of going into the city where there were cool drinks and a cold castle, Tristan moped in his tent cursing his luck. As he lay face down on the floor, he heard a rustling near the entrance.
"Tristan? Are you in there?" Lissa's voice came through the tent flap. The only response the princess received was a long, pathetic sounding groan. "Ok I'm coming in." The princess entered the tent and immediately broke out in a blush. "W-why are you in your underwear!?"
"Too hot for clothes." Tristan groaned bluntly still not looking up.
"Aren't you embarrassed? Why didn't you tell me before I came in?"
Tristan finally looked up. "Too hot to be embarrassed, besides, this is all guys wear when you're treating our injuries, figured you'd be used to it."
Lissa thought for a moment. "Well yea I guess that makes sense, but still this is a little different."
Tristan finally rolled over and sat up. He noticed Lissa wince slightly and shot her a confused look. "What's up?"
Lissa looked slightly uneasy. "It's nothing really, I guess I just haven't seen your scars for a while."
Tristan looked down observing the slightly red burn pattern that ran along his left side, and the scar on his right shoulder. "Ah, are they that nasty looking?"
"No, no it's not that at all." Lissa insisted, "I just was feeling kind of bad. You've been hurt so much protecting my family and I."
"Well yea I guess, but I'm not the only one who's been hurt. It's just part of the job I guess." Tristan said with a shrug.
"Yea but you seem to get hurt the most. And both of your most dangerous injuries came directly when you were protecting our family. Plus, you didn't even really want to join the Shepherds, you just didn't have any better options. You could say we took advantage of your amnesia. I guess I just feel a little guilty."
Tristan squinted and looked up for a moment, gathering his thoughts before replying. "It is true that I originally joined because I had no real alternative, but I could've left after the Plegian war. You guys have made me feel so welcome and I'm happy to be part of such a great group. And an arrow to the shoulder is a small price to pay for keeping you safe." Tristan said smiling gently and looking at the ground. He looked up to see Lissa blushing and panicked a little. "A-and besides, it probably wouldn't have scarred if I didn't let it get infected like an idiot."
Lissa giggled. "True, that wasn't a smart move."
Tristan sighed. "Yea… oh well. So anyway, what did you come here for in the first place?"
Lissa brought her hands together. "Oh yea! I want you to help me!"
Tristan narrowed his eyes. "Help you with what…?"
"I want to prank my brother for leaving me behind." Lissa grinned.
Tristan sighed. "I figured it was something like that. You know he had a good reason to leave you here right?"
"iT wOuldN't Be sAfe tO hAve tHe EnTirE rOyaL FaMilY iN An EneMy CaPitoL." Lissa said in a mocking voice. "I know but that doesn't mean I have to be ok with being left behind."
"You know I was left behind too, right?"
"All the more reason for you to help me."
Tristan got up with a groan. "Ah, I guess I've got nothing better to do."
"Yes!" Lissa exclaimed with a fist pump. "You get dressed and I'll meet you outside Chrom's tent.
"So, what exactly am I looking for?" Tristan questioned with a mildly annoyed tone. He and Lissa were crawling through shrubs and weeds alongside a pond close to the camp. Tristan had rolled up the sleeves of his T-shirt and the legs of his light cotton pants but was still drenched in sweat. Lissa wore her usual yellow dress minus the metal caging and leather chest protection, creating a more casual appearance. She too was showing signs of overheating but not nearly to the same level of Tristan.
"Tharja said it's a plant with a tall stem and a small purple flower, but make sure you don't touch it with your bare hands."
Tristan shot Lissa a quizzical look. "I didn't realize we were trying to poison your brother. Already making a move for the throne eh?"
Lissa rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, it just gives you a slight itchy rash. We're gonna rub it all over his bedroll."
"Ah of course, the normal thing." He continued sifting through the various shrubs and plants before speaking up again. "Wait, won't this little prank of yours get Sumia too?"
Lissa thought for a moment. "Well they do have separate bedrolls, but I guess it might. Either way she chose to marry Chrom, so she has to be prepared to deal with the consequences of his actions."
"Ruthless, I'm glad I'm not on your bad side anymore."
Lissa just shot him a grin. She then suddenly raised a fist in excitement. "I found it!" She exclaimed, clutching a plant in her gloved hand.
"Oh good, I can go back to laying in my tent."
Later that night Tristan found himself in the familiar position of face down on his tent floor. The air had cooled off somewhat as the evening came but he still found the heat to be at an uncomfortable level. The diplomatic party had returned to the camp after a surprisingly successful meeting in which they were promised 1000 ships and a full funding for their campaign against the Valmese empire. Despite the success Robin and Chrom had come back seeming ill at ease, they immediately retired to their respective tents with the excuse of fatigue and a desire for an early start the next day. This turn of events made Lissa ecstatic as she wouldn't have to wait long to see the fruit of her labours. Tristan didn't wait around for the disaster to begin and retreated to his tent after briefly tending to his wyvern. He hadn't been laying there for too long before someone approached his tent.
"Hey, Tristan you in there?" Stahl's voice inquired.
"Yea what's up?" Tristan lazily replied.
Stahl poked his upper body through the flaps, his arms full of apples. "Chrom wants to see you at his tent." Stahl paused for a moment, looking down at his bundle. "You want one?" He asked, seemingly deciding he could part with one.
Tristan got up and made for the exit. "Yea sure, thanks."
Tristan slowly made his way towards his leader's tent munching on the apple. Most of the Shepherds sat around various low-burning fires, chatting or doing minor maintenance on personal equipment. Tristan had an inkling as to why he was being summoned but hoped he was wrong. He passed Gaius, who was chatting with a slightly irked looking Tharja. The thief shot his friend a wink before returning to his one-sided conversation. Tristan looked up when he heard cawing from above him on one of the fair-sized hills the Shepherds camp sat between. He saw a large tree filled with small, shadowy figures. He squinted and discovered the figures were a large gathering of crows, all seeming to watch the Shepherds camp. He thought it was weird but hadn't heard about any magic or attacks involving crows, so he put it to the back of his mind. Soon he arrived at Chrom's tent where he saw Lissa kneeling down in front of her brother, a stern look on the young Prince's face. As Tristan approached Lissa looked up at him, blushed and took on a sheepish expression, and quickly looked the other way.
Well, now I know exactly where this is going.
"Nice of you to join us" Chrom said with a humorless tone. "Please take a seat next to my sister."
Tristan inelegantly plopped down on the ground and looked up at the Prince. "I'm being framed."
Chrom's eyebrow shot up. "Oh? And for what? I haven't even told you why I called you here."
"For whatever you're about to yell at me for." Tristan replied dryly.
"So you're saying that you didn't help my troublemaker of a sister put some rash-inducing substance in my bedroll?"
"I don't even know who would do such a horrible thing." Tristan looked away, not wanting to meet Chrom's gaze.
Chrom paused to vigorously scratch his torso. "Well that's strange, because when she was pressured to reveal her accomplices, you were the sole person named.
Tristan shot a venomous look at Lissa. "You ratted me out?"
"I'm sorry! He was being scary; I didn't have a choice." Lissa whined.
"I'm never helping you again." Tristan grumbled.
Lissa just looked back down at the ground.
"So, what do you have to say for yourselves?" Chrom sternly questioned.
"I have some anti-rash cream…" Lissa said with a timid grin, holding out a jar of white paste.
Chrom snatched the jar up, immediately scooping some of its contents into his hand and sticking his arm beneath his shirt. "Why did you have the remedy prepared?"
"I just wanted to pull a funny prank to get back at you for leaving me behind, I wasn't trying to ruin your entire night."
"For the record, I didn't have a problem with being left behind per se, I just wanted to come to get out of the heat. Feel free to leave me behind for future missions when we're in a cooler climate." Tristan chimed in.
Chrom shot Tristan an insincere glare before turning back to his sister. "You know why I said you couldn't come right?"
"Yea, but it doesn't mean I have to like it, I'm not so delicate that I have to be protected all the time you know." Lissa pouted.
"And I here I thought I had been giving you a fairly long leash of late." Chrom grinned.
Before Lissa could respond the three heard pained shouting coming from just outside the camp.
"Was that?" Tristan looked at Chrom confused.
"Let's go, Lissa you stay here."
Tristan and Chrom took off in the direction of the voice, leaving Lissa looking on after them. "What were we just talking about!" She called out in complaint as they disappeared from view.
After a few moments of running the two Shepherds came across the source of the shouting. Robin was on his knees in the middle of a grassy clearing, sweat pouring down his face. His eyes were shut tightly, and he was shaking his head vigorously as if there was something he was trying to get out.
"Robin! Are you alright? What's happening?" Chrom called out as the two came to a halt in front of their distressed comrade.
Robin's eyes suddenly opened, and his breathing began to slow at the sound of Chrom's voice. "Yes… I'm fine Chrom… thank you."
"You didn't sound fine a second ago, and you're all sweaty. What was going on?" Tristan commented drily as he held out a hand and pulled Robin to his feet.
"King Validar…. He was speaking to me in my mind. He said he's my father." Robin said with a shudder.
"What? That can't be true." Chrom said in an incredulous tone.
"I don't want to believe it, but I can't be sure he's lying either. As loathe as I am to say it, I do feel some sort of strange connection with him." Robin said with a pained expression.
Chrom thought for a moment. "Would that make that strange doppelganger we saw your twin brother then?"
"Doppelganger?" Tristan asked, feeling out of the loop.
"Validar introduced us to one of their religious leaders, they called him the hierophant. He looked exactly like Robin." Chrom explained.
"I don't know what to think now. If that hierophant really is my brother, what would that make me? I don't know if I even want to learn of my past anymore." Robin added, brow furrowed in contemplation.
Chrom grabbed his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry so much, your past doesn't change who you are now. Regardless of who your biological family is, you have a new family now and your past can't change that."
"Thank you Chrom, you're right." Robin smiled at the prince.
"Yea besides, you can't learn about your past and leave me as the only one with amnesia. That wouldn't be fair at all. Solidarity brotha." Tristan grinned. The three men chuckled a little, the tension leaving the group.
"We should get back; can you walk Robin?" Chrom asked.
"Yes, I'm fine now."
The three men turned to leave, and we're greeted with the sight of Frederick barreling towards them on the back of his warhorse. He came to a stop in front of the party with a panicked expression.
"M'lord, risen have encircled the camp and are approaching to attack!"