Chapter 44: Set Sail


Morgan wanted to love the sea. Or at least be more like his sister.

The ship skated along the waves, and Lucina did her best to match the roll of the vessel. Morgan had slightly more mixed luck, and settled for just clinging off of her as they walked across the deck.

"You'd think after rebuilding this thing, I'd know how it handles in the waves." He told her, trying to look cheery… But only managing a slightly green tinge around his cheeks and a strained, fake smile.

"Just focus on the mission," Lucina suggested. "We're out beyond the bay, after all. Back on open water. Now we just need to carry out our tasks." She glanced up, watching the mist fall away beyond them, leaving a lighter shade of blue to shine against the waves. A dazzle of sun caught the ocean, grabbing Lucina's eyes.

"Right, right…" Morgan breathed out, looking out beyond the swaying deck. The view of the waves seemed to cast a spell on him. He lost some of the nausea, and stood a little straighter. "Find supplies, shore up the castle… We certainly need new food, and I'm getting a bit tired of dried fish."

The ship seemed just as eager to move forward, the sails flaring out. Morgan watched them in fascination. The shapes were entrancing, something unique to the air world.

Lucina didn't share that fascination, however. Her eyes stayed downcast. And for a second, his own queasiness didn't feel like the worst thing. Not when she was slumped, incapable of meeting his eyes.

"Luci? What's got you crumpled up?" She tried to wave him aside… But he was having none of it. "Don't you dare say 'nothing.' I can at least tell when something's bugging you."

Morgan kept his eyes on Lucina. When she didn't answer all at once, he added a frown to that. They were already keeping enough secrets from the crew; he didn't want to extend that to each other.

"I… Don't really want to admit it to anyone else, but…" Lucina sighed out. "The truth is, I'm s-" The word faded on her tongue, too bitter to say.

"I'm… I'm sca-" She got a little further that time… But that wasn't enough to satisfy Morgan.

"But… You never get scared." His voice was almost lost in the splash of waves and the ship moving through them.

"I-I know. And I'm trying not to be… I don't even want to admit it, but…" She placed a hand over her chest, balling it into a fist. "I keep feeling a pull from the water. And I've felt it ever since I jumped in after Lissa and Maribelle, in that skirmish."

"I was wondering about that, and how you've been constantly looking over your shoulder. I was half hoping it was just a coincidence you were always looking back towards the ocean… Because then it'd mean it was just me, wanting to sink back into the water." Morgan admitted.

He rolled his shoulders and nudged Lucina in the process, trying to rouse her from her worries.

"Well… We just have to focus on sailing. And not falling overboard." Morgan told her. "To be fair, I think that's the same goals as everyone else on the ship."

The following days were filled to the brim with activity on the ship, leaving little time for wondering over the call of the sea. Morgan was a bit shocked on how easily one could forget, if they were busy with ship rigging, or preparing meals.

Though as long as they were on deck, that longing was always there. Sometimes it was in the back of their minds, sometimes at the forefront. And each day, the mist melted away a little more each day, until they found themselves in a world of blue and dotted islands.

"Figured out anyway to get answers yet?" Lucina would usually ask on the hour, and Morgan wondered if she realized how precise her questions were. His answers remained the same, whether it was sunrise or sunset.

And he knew she was asking if he'd found a way to adjust, or to get the Shepherd the help she desperately needed.

"Nothing yet." With her latest question, Morgan looked at the railing of the ship. "Although I'm wondering if blunt force trauma might help-"

"NO." Lucina answered, with enough force in her words to make Sully glance up.

"It's like having a younger version of Chrom on board or something." The sailor remarked, a slight huff of laughter behind her words.

"…I'm not sure how I feel about that comparison. Or what that says about Chrom." Lucina mumbled. "I always pictured him as being way more refined."

"Don't know where you got THAT idea." Sully wasn't done with chuckling. "He's a bit of a joker, a clumsy guy… But earnest enough."

Sully paused at that, glancing off to the side of the ship. And staring at the sea, like it had taken something from her.

"…Or maybe it would've been better to say… Was…" She halted over the words, before shaking her head. "Hell, what am I saying? That damn fool is too stubborn to die. I'm not going past tense with him, not yet."

"I don't think any of us are… I'd like to meet him, for one." Morgan assured her. Sully gave him a curt nod, putting her brave front back on.

"That makes me wonder more, about what happened with Chrom. If we could get more details." Lucina whispered to him. "But most of the crew looks busy… And there's no guarantee their reaction would be any better than Sully's."

She glanced about again, curiosity and frustration scrunching her face up. "So there's only one thing to do."

"Ask Lissa?" Morgan ventured.

"Yes. Ask Lissa." She turned to the ship, and they easily picked out Lissa near the gunwales of the ship. The blonde of her hair and yellow of her dress blended with the metallic spell circles etched in the deck.

Morgan gave Lucina just a brief look, waiting for her to nod and set the pace towards Lissa.

As they walked, there was something curious to watching Lissa; that familiar sensation was coming back. That feeling that they'd gone to Lissa for advice and help before.

"Au-" An odd noise skipped out of Morgan's mouth when they drew close. "Ah, Lissa. Can we ask for a moment of your time?"

"You've got two moments." Lissa told them, looking up and already brightening. "What's on your mind?"

"Well-" Lucina tried to say, right as she trailed off. Morgan followed her gaze and spotted a pale line on the horizon. And it was something that the Shepherd crew seemed to recognize.

Granted the tower was hard to miss, and had to act as some sort of landmark, Morgan decided. But he wasn't entirely clear on why Lissa kept her eyes averted.

"If you don't mind me asking," Morgan asked, as the sun gleamed off the tower with a gold light. The waves also gained a brilliant fleck on their peaks. "Is there something… Bad about that tower? You all just seem really tense."

"No, no… Well, not exactly." Lissa told him. And still she didn't raise her eyes to the tower. Instead she kept staring at her hands. "Just… Associations with it, I guess. We visited that tower just a few days before everything went wrong. And I lost a lot of family in a short time."

"You mean- Chrom?" Lucina asked, and Morgan knew she'd silently swapped out 'father.'

"Yeah. I-I want to think he's still alive, somewhere. But he and Robin took a stand against Plegia's fleet, so the rest of us could survive. I keep hoping that we'll find some trace of them, while we're out on patrol."

"I wouldn't give up on them." Lucina said, her voice soft but still decided. "I… Have hopes that we might meet with them, someday." That got Lissa to raise her head; she started to give an agreeing hum-

Lissa froze, staring them in the eyes… and Morgan knew she'd spotted the symbols in their eyes, with how her face went pale.

"Wh… Why do you have those-?" She tried to ask… Only for the clanging of the ship bell to steal her question. Lissa flinched from the sound, while Morgan yanked his head up to try and see what the source of the commotion was.

Lucina did one better however, instantly spotting something on the horizon and murmuring "…That can't be a good sign."

A moment later, Morgan stared at a collection of bristling war ships. They easily dwarfed the Shepherd, even at that distance. The wind filled their shadowy sails, and made a collection of black flags stand straight out.

"BLACK SAILS SPOTTED!" Frederick roared out. "All hands to stations!"

-o-o-o-

"So… How are you feeling right now?" Robin asked, keeping a hand braced on Chrom's shoulders. His swimming had taken a turn towards the wobbly, leaving Robin to pull at him and get them back on course.

"Well… I'm not feeling exactly right." Chrom answered. "I don't know quite how to describe it either, but…"

He gazed down at his hands again, turning his arms a little so the strands of light caught the blue and fins along his arms. A shiver worked through his body when he tried to use his fins again.

"It feels like-"

"Like you're out of place?" Robin found herself asking. "Like every motion carries a risk that you'll lose control and slip up somehow?"

"Y-yeah." Chrom blinked at her in surprise. "How did you-?"

"Because the same happened to me." Robin paused in her swimming, letting the current carry them instead as she spun around to face Chrom. "When you first found me, I didn't know how to walk… But you still helped me through it."

Her fingers curled around the tips of his, gentle as they lifted his hand up.

"So I think it's only fair, that I help you the same way. However much it takes for you to get comfortable in this form. I won't say get used to it because that's not…"

She looked over him again. A small part of her couldn't help but think he DID cut a handsome enough figure, in blue scales. But it wasn't his real shape.

"That's not how you're supposed to be."

"H-hey." Chrom stopped her, before she could spiral too deep into blaming herself. "Being… Whoever I'm supposed to be isn't high on my priorities, remember? Helping Emm is a lot more important right now, and I'm ready to focus on one thing at a time… Though speaking of, I'm ready to try a little more swimming."

"R-right. I've noticed that you're listing to the side, so try putting your arm out when you swim." She demonstrated, stretching a hand in front of her. "It should keep you steady, and from slipping to the side."

He followed her lead, and the currents went from shoving him over, to simply pushing him forward.

"And I guess now we know why I'm such a good swimmer, anyway." Robin murmured, glancing down at their scales. Her fingers brushed at his arm, considering the flecks of blue dotting the edges.

"By the way… I noticed that your scales have a silver quality to them now." Chrom pointed out, after trying a few strokes, and even managing to stay relatively on course.

"And you have a slight golden gleam. I wish I could explain why that is… But it's probably based around all the magic that's happened to us-?"

Something else pulled at her attention. Looking up, Robin saw a faint shadow tracing across the surface overhead; too solid to belong to a cloud.

"Wait… What is that?" Chrom stalled the conversation, staring up to the surface of the ocean. And like birds cutting through the sky, Robin saw black shapes skimming the waves.

'Ships?' She had time to think, before Chrom stilled beside her.

"That… That shape. Doesn't it look familiar?" Chrom pointed away from the clutter of shapes. Robin blinked at a solitary ship, apart from the swarms of black.

"The… Shepherd?" Robin murmured, and Chrom surged past her. She barely caught up to him, desperation fueling his motions and speed.

"Come on!" He called over to her. "I-I think I remember something like this, from before. And… And I KNOW I don't want that thing facing such odds without a little help from us."

"And what exactly are we going to do, against ships like that?" Robin couldn't help but ask.

"I was hoping we could figure it out, once we reached them." In the absence of any other plan, Robin could only agree… And wonder, if she heard a faint voice on the waters.

-o-o-o-

Lissa at last found her sea legs, just long enough to stumble her way to the wheel. Frederick and Kellam already stood at attention, Kellam trying to guide the Shepherd. The man was silent, but kept a steady hand on the wheel; enough that Lissa could glance over at Frederick.

"Wh… What are we up against?" She gasped out.

"Virion reports five ships at the least."

"Gods, that's a convoy… or a small army." Lissa glanced back at the dark ships, heart sinking. "And to be honest, I don't know how to close with them. Wh-what's your call on this, Frederick?"

The knight's features were pinched. Phila didn't have anything to offer either, both of them trying to scope out more of the ships. Salt spray thwarted their efforts.

"I'm not sure… A part of my grows tired of running." Frederick said. "But I don't want to risk our ship against so many, either."

"Actually, I might have a suggestion or two." Came a new voice, and Lissa turned to see Morgan. "There's… Something to the waves. It feels like I can almost-"

"Can you read the waves!?" Lissa blurted out. Morgan gave a startled nod. Lissa, for her part, wondered at her luck.

"Tide Touched, carrying the Exalt Brand… well, you're full of surprises. Might as well see what else you can do." Frederick had his doubts, from the side long look he gave Morgan… But he still bowed to Lissa's decision.

"C'mon; see if you can getter a better view of the waves from here… And let's see if you've got a spark of magic, too!" Things were moving faster now, and Lissa found herself a little breathless as she dragged Morgan to the spell circles.

Morgan simply blinked, looking a bit surprised… Right until his feet crossed the threshold of the circle. Lissa was still pulling him by the wrist, and could feel a crackle of magic.

"…Yep, looks like you've got a few more surprises up your sleeve." Lissa told him, motioning for the other mages to come and help them. "Better see if we can use those surprises against those jerks."

Morgan's answer was turning his focus to the ships, and already calculating how far he could lob a spell.

-o-o-o-

Lucina hung back, cursing herself as she watched Morgan; while he was mastering the spell circles with Lissa's help, her own magic had gone dead.

Morgan's magic flared to life as he clutched a tome from Miriel and hugged it to his chest. The fire magic readily leapt to his command and arced between his hands. But Lucina could only watch, knowing she hadn't seized the opportunity to step forward. To try and call her own magic, and rain thunder or fire down on their enemies-

It was like shouting into a hurricane. Nothing was answering her, not matter how Lucina tried.

'Did I burn up the last of my magic?' It didn't help there were other things busy burning in her; it was like her lungs didn't want to bother with pure air any longer, and wanted to be submerged with salt water.

The water itself was trying to draw her over the side of the ship, drawing her eyes and her focus.

'Don't fall overboard! In a fight like this, there's no chance that they'll be able to turn the ship and save you.' Lucina tried to warn herself. The slap of the waves stilled her thoughts, leaving Lucina to stare, and fight to keep her balance-

Right as the tide was turning and raising the ship, Lucina saw them. New ships, with sails a rich scarlet… And clashing against the dark Plegian sails.

"What are those?" Lucina wheezed out. Morgan stilled, the fire dying in his hands. Lissa froze as well… And stared at the ships like they were a personal insult.

"…Valmese ships. Just when this can't get any worse." Lissa grumbled. "We're going to have to fight against them now too-"

The pirate ships snapped about, their sails rippling in the wind. The red sails of the Valmese were like fresh blood drawing sharks, as the pirates launched arrows and spears on them.

It left Lissa slack jawed for a moment.

"W-wait. Frederick, weren't they supposed to be allied with the Valmese?"

It took Frederick a moment of startled blinking as well, before he could find his voice.

"S-supposedly. But it seems those loyalties changed while we were hiding behind the mist. Though I wouldn't expect any favors from them." Frederick cut off, as the pirates added magic to their strikes, fire spells searing through the air.

"How many mages do they have on board in order to do that?" Lissa groaned.

"Someone trained them in black magic as well." That was Miriel, a note of distaste coloring her words. "Asinine, brute force tactics at that… Though it may be well advised to evade. Now."

She threw herself back onto the deck, and Lucina barely had time to follow. A scream of dark, miasma-ridden wind shredded the air, and tore a rent where her cape had lingered in the breeze. The masts threatened to crackle under the onslaught.

"Darlings," Maribelle called out. "Maybe we can marvel at this at some other point. We're dealing with some more pressing threats at the moment."

Maribelle scrambled for her book as she spoke, launching a counter spell of wind at the Plegian ships… And while she didn't reach the sails or the ships themselves, she did manage to cancel another volley of black spells, cutting them out of the sky.

The Shepherd limped, trying to get out of reach. The crew shouted to each other, like their voices could grant the battered ship some sort of extra movement.

Over the waters, the Plegian ships had their own shouts. All to the tune of 'don't let them get away.' Lucina winced as a fresh volley of magic screamed from the ships, and thudded into the deck.

She braced against the next wind storm… Only for a heat to prickle along her neck, and tell Lucina she was mistaken on the element. This time it was fire, and a blast knocked her against the railing. Her head banged against the ship, and the red of the flames seemed to flash and sear into her brain from the impact. She slumped the ground, trying to will her balance to come back, choke down the nausea climbing into her throat, and dull the ringing in her ears-

Lucina stilled for a moment. A soft noise brushed across her hearing, different from the chaos swirling around her.

"Rise and swell, waves," It was almost like a song drifting into her senses. Lucina breathed as her hair shivered, all of her on edge. The current seemed to swell, raising the ship and throwing her against the railing.

"Lucina-?" Morgan turned to the crash and the lurch of the ship.

"Barely here." She answered. "What about the enemy ships?"

"Still floating as well." Morgan mumbled, discouraged. "I don't know how we're getting out of this, either…"

He trailed off, his own eyes trained on the water. His head snapped to Lissa.

"I think we can catch a current! We just need to limp a little to starboard…" Morgan trailed off at that, blinking over the term as though he'd blindly picked it out. Yet Lissa seemed to understand him, as the Shepherd listed, and finally danced away from the worst of the battle.

The Shepherd glided for a moment. And in the lull, the burst of arcane energy deserted her, and a helpless feeling clawed at her throat. Even the glow from Lissa's staff couldn't help with that, though it at least diminished the ache inside her head.

"Come on, we need you on your feet!" Lissa tried to urge her, but Lucina still found herself slumping against Morgan. Despite the healing, that weird note still lurked in her senses, teasing her ears and thrumming in her bones.

"S-something's wrong-"

"Yeah, no kidding." Lissa muttered. "We're getting kicked up and down the coast. What was your first clue things were off?"

"Not what I meant." Lucina grumbled, raising her voice in the hope it would shake the note from her ears. But with no luck. If anything, the sound grew-

And she wasn't the only one who heard it, with how Morgan froze and lifted his head.

She caught a glimpse of something else flickering through the water. The setting sun picked out glimmering scales-

'Wait.' She stared, trying to catch sight of them again… But they'd vanished beneath the ship. 'Were those Mer?'

And there'd been something about those violet scales that snagged at her memory. And at that quick glimpse, the song swelled in her hearing.

-o-o-o-

The light house presided over the battle; and unseen by the warring fleets was a single small ship anchored at the tower's base. The miniscule sails were dwarfed compared to the rest of the ships. Near the top of the pale tower was a figure in dark robes, leaning out through the windows and looking out over the roiling sea.

Morgana watched the ships drawing close, like opposing armies on a field of battle. From her perch on the light house, she could easily take in all the maneuvers. She gave a brief nod of approval as the Shepherd took the forward position, baiting the red sailed ships forward… And leaving them exposed to the smaller Plegian spell boats to strike.

Black and red ships clashed together, and smoke from fire spells cloaked the sea in an acrid mist. The Shepherd danced free from the struggle, but with its own share of wounds.

Beyond them, the other fleets struggled, with their own burns and scours.

'Morgan seems to have a head for this sort of thing.' She nodded to herself. But even with a good maneuver, or with damage inflicted on the pirates and the Valmese ships, the Ylisseans still seemed outmatched… And in need of some help.

'I can provide that much.' She told herself, turning from the ships for a moment, and to the chamber of the lighthouse. A soft blue glow drenched the chamber, even creeping into her shadow and making it ocean tinged. It made her feel a little more at home… And maybe a little less like an outsider.

'But I need to be just that, if I'm going to give them a boost of power.' Morgana told herself, and let a soft hum echo through her throat. The blue light and crystal pillar pulsed in response.

Morgana weaved the song spell, slowly spinning on her heel as she drew up power and faced the fleet. With a casting motion, she stretched her hand out to the enemy ships, and let the magic fly loose from her fingers. In answer, the sea gave a subtle shift, a low hump of water starting to rise up… And sped towards the Valmese ships.

Morgana frowned as she watched it; the spell, for all her concentration, wouldn't be powerful enough-

"You don't need to be the only one casting magic." Came a voice. One that seemed to well up from the very foundations of the light house. She'd only heard that voice once before; when she'd struck a pact with a sea dragon. And it was lending her some extra strength, giving her a chance to reach out and feel what was else was cutting through the ocean.

-o-o-o-

It was like the sea had been bottled up and shaken, until Chrom didn't know which way was up or down. All the chaos seemed centered on one ship, drifting overhead. No matter how the spells and attacks lashed at the ship, they couldn't tear away the vividness of her paint. Or the strange, familiar way that image tugged at his heart.

His emotions may have been a roil, and that same feeling stopped his limbs short, and stilled him to a halt. Not even an elbow in his side moved him. Or the rest of Robin slamming into him with a muffled 'oof.'

They skidded forward, but only by an arm's length. And Chrom couldn't break his eyes from the ship, regardless of the twinge in his side from the impact.

Robin bumped her head against his shoulder as she looked up, murmuring an apology… And then stilling, once she saw the ship.

"…Yeah, that's the Shepherd alright." Came Robin's voice.

"Sh…Shepherd?" Chrom whispered. The name tried to stir something in his head. "That… I know that ship! And it has to be important."

His fingers scratched at a spot over his chest, like he could dislodge the odd feeling lurking in his heart.

"Right on all counts." Robin whispered. "But… There's something wrong here."

The longing in his chest dimmed at her words… And he finally noticed the other ships riding the waves. And the fresh wounds they kept lobbing at the Shepherd.

Instead of confusion and longing, a new emotion rose in his chest; something red hot… And angry enough to make him bare his teeth. That anger pushed some motion to his fins, throwing him forward.

There wasn't any more weight or clumsiness to his limbs, and a fierce determination shone in his eyes.

"Those sails…" Chrom growled, eyes fixed on the swatches of black. "They're…"

"They're Plegia." Robin whispered, and that prompted Chrom to lurch forward. Something violent flashed through him at the name. Words growled out from between his teeth.

"I'm not going to let them hurt my people again-"

Chrom's eyes widened as he spoke. But there was still something true to those words. It gave his anger focus, and channeled something into his limbs. It felt half like power was trying to burst out of his skin, and also find an outlet to be channeled. It all shot him towards the opposing ships, their hulls blacking out the water.

"We've got to stop them somehow." Chrom growled to himself. "But how do we-?" His scales gleamed gold at the edges, almost like fire… And his arm seemed to writhe, all the muscles squirming as something shot through him.

He lashed out a hand, skimming it along the planks of an enemy ship. The planks cracked, and where his hand moved, a gash followed and bit into the wood. The gouge was almost black next to the light beam springing from his hands; and there was an oddly sharp edge to that light. It looked, and felt, for a moment like Chrom carried a gleaming sword, but on the next blink it was gone.

But there was a new and listing quality to the Plegian ship. Something that proved it wasn't just his eyes playing tricks on him. A gouge was torn into the planks, like a sword had punctured the hull.

He stilled, staring at his hand, and the lingering brilliant aura coating his fingers. And with the glow came a strange call building in his ears.

-o-o-o-

The waves seemed to still all about them… Almost like the sea was holding its breath. And on the next heart beat, a cold bolt traveled through Robin, like they'd been plunged into ice.

A soft voice echoed through the waves. One that teased Robin's memory.

"What was that-!?" Chrom whispered, drifting from the ships as he listened. Robin clutched at him and held a hand up to his lips, trying to still his voice while she fought to recognize what she was hearing.

'You know where you've heard this before.' Whispered her thoughts. The sea faded out, in favor of a pale stone tower. One that rang with a faint melody, resonating off the gold carvings. 'Spell songs.'

And she felt something echoing into her throat again. Something almost too strong for her own voice.

Robin surged under the Shepherd, feeling spells slide over her scales… and the current gained in strength, swirling around her.

'It's a spell… But I'm not the target.' Instead the magic flowed around Robin. And she listened to it, letting the hum of power fill her head and her bones.

'It needs help. A boost to make it work.' And there was something about it that made Robin WANT to open herself up to it. A protective presence that coaxed notes from her throat, and made Robin lift her voice.

-o-o-o-

"I… I can hear something." Lucina whispered to Morgan. For his part, he looked to the ships and the curses flowing off them. Maribelle was already sputtering when some of them reached her ears.

"Yeah, I know. I didn't think you COULD do that with a dead fish, but those Plegians seem to have other ideas-" Morgan told her, only to find her hand clapped over his mouth.

"No! I-I didn't mean, that, I mean that there's something else… I can't quite make it out, but…" The Shepherd tilted as it caught the wind, and this time Lucina rolled with the ship. When she was caught against the rails, it didn't drive the breath from her lungs. And she had room to stare down into the ocean.

A pair of gleaming shapes arced through the water. A tangle of scales grabbed her eyes, dancing along the bright flecked waves. She thought there was a splash of violet-

And as the waves crashed against the Shepherd's hull, Lucina heard the traces of music. It flooded into her ears, and drew an answering hum in the back of her throat… And with it, came a bolt of magic. Something that raced from her own heart, along her arms and sparked at her fingertips. In another moment, Lucina realized what she was feeling. Her own magic was finally answering to the call of the waves. It flowed out of her hands, into the waiting ocean.

A swell of waves surged forwards, beneath the ship and then rolling out like an avalanche. The waves were gaining momentum and strength. They formed into a wall of water, and formed flecks of foam like gray teeth, before swallowing the Valmese and Plegian ships. The scream of sailors and crackle of wood was drowned by the roar of waters, leaving only broken and wrecked vessels behind.

But the damage wasn't what held Lucina's eyes. It was the finned shapes cutting through the water, slipping down underneath the Shepherd along with the rogue wave… And with them went the last traces of the song.

"Did… Did you just see that?" She whispered out.

"Y-Yeah. There were Mer in the waters." Morgan stared at the waves, like he could will those Mer into coming back. "And I think they just helped us."

"M-more than that." Lucina added. "There was something about them. Something… Familiar."

-o-o-o-

The ocean still churned around her, like the last sigh of a storm, tugging at Robin as she watched the ships break apart.

"Oh gods…" Robin froze in the water. The warmth of the sun and currents rushed back across her skin… And yet she couldn't get the shiver out of her arms and tail. "I… I did that?"

Or she'd acted as a vessel, for whatever power wanted to sink those ships… And she couldn't choke down the sick feeling in her stomach and heart.

Chrom didn't answer her, staring at the shattered fleet.

Broken ships lingered on the surface, half submerged and showing their ragged edges. But worse were the humans, thrashing in the water before going still.

'I'm still destroying ships. Even out of Validar's reach… Is this all I'm meant for?'

Another hum stilled those thoughts, and there was an echoing pair of voices in that sound. Something about it was still familiar… And still calling for her. Robin twisted in the water, and beyond the waves she saw a tower of white.

"That… That's the Lighthouse, isn't it?" Chrom blinked at it. The sight drew him forward, swimming closer to Robin, and his warmth pushed out some of the chill lurking in her bones.

"…I think I know one of those voices. It's… Tiki?" Chrom's words pushed Robin forward, eyes fixed on the lighthouse.

"I think we need to go there." Robin finally managed, her fins moving on their own; she didn't think she could stop them, even if she wanted to. The lighthouse called to them, like it must have once called to long lost ships.

Chrom hesitated, caught between the melody, and the sight of the Shepherd. But the song proved too strong. He stared at the tower, and Robin knew he was feeling something familiar; perhaps the hint of a memory, from when they'd first climbed that tower.

'Though how we're going to manage approaching it without legs… We'll need to figure that out when we get there.'

"I just hope we can find some answers." Chrom whispered, swimming beside her… And with a more certain motion to his fins. Signs he was getting more used to his shape.

'And that's why I need to find a way to reverse the spell, quickly. Before he gets TOO used to that form. I just hope that place has some answers.'