The group walked through the forest, before they stopped in a clearing. The Sun had set by now, and it was quite dark.

"Well, I guess we're gonna have to make camp here." Hibiki said, as Frederick led their horses to some trees, tying their leads to a low branch.

"I told you—it's getting dark already! ...Ech! And now the bugs are out!" Lissa groaned.

"Err, Lissa." Hibiki warned. "You don't want to open your-"

"Noisy, disgusting bugs that buzz around and crawl all over and bite you when—Agh!" Lissa put her hands over her mouth, hopping on the spot. "Won goph in mah mouph! Blech! Ptooey!"

"Hah!" Chrom laughed. "Just like Hibiki with that cicada last year."

"Heey, I thought you'd forget that!" Hibiki whined.

"Never gonna happen, Hibiki." Chrom laughed, before turning back to Lissa. "Come on now, Lissa. Hardship builds character. Want to help me gather firewood?"

"Tpht! Tpht! Yeeeeeuck! ...I think I swallowed it…" She said, making a face before stamping her feet. "I'll pass on finding firewood, thanks. I think I've built QUITE enough character for one day!"

"We should probably think about food." Robin suggested. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Yes, I should think a little hunting and gathering is in order." Frederick said as he returned. "Now, who wants to clear a campsite?"

Soon enough, the campfire had been pitched, and they were eating the fruits of their labor. Well, most of them.

"Mmm... It's been too long since I last had bear meat. Delicious!" Chrom said, before he noticed Lissa wasn't eating. "...What's wrong, Lissa? Dig in."

"Pass! Gods, couldn't you spear us an animal normal people eat for once?" Lissa asked. "I mean, come on! Who eats bear?!"

Chrom merely gestured to Hibiki, who was devouring the bear meat with gusto at quite an impressive speed.

"You know Hibiki will eat basically anything!" Lissa yelled. "You're meddling with the food chain. Right, Robin? ...Uh, Robin?"

Robin didn't seem to hear Lissa, as she also ate with impressive speed. The only response Lissa got were the sounds of Robin chewing.

"I suppose a person would enjoy just about anything after not eating for days…" Lissa sighed.

"Just eat it, Lissa." Chrom said. "Meat is meat."

"Since when does meat smell like old boots?!" Lissa yelled. "Wait, I take that back, boots smell better!"

"It doesn't smell like boots to Hibiki." Chrom said. "And she is right in saying it has a nice, sweeter taste."

Lissa simply groaned, before Frederick spoke up. "Every experience makes us stronger, milady. Even those we don't enjoy."

"Really?" She asked him. "Then why don't I see YOU eating, Frederick?"

"Me? Oh, well... I'm not hungry. I...I had a large lunch! Yes, quite." He quickly said, a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

"Yeah right, Frederick!" Lissa said.

"Then can I have yours?" Hibiki asked, looking up from her portion.

"By all means." Frederick said.

Hibiki grinned as she took Frederick's dinner. Robin looked at Lissa's bear meat.

"Take it." Lissa told her, pushing her portion away.

While the others had fallen asleep, Chrom stared at the embers of the fires. Despite Hibiki's snoring, he slowly felt himself start to nod off, before a chill went down his spine.

"Huh?"

He narrowed his eyes as he stood up. Lissa yawned, getting up herself.

"What's wrong, Big Brother?" She asked, wiping her eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, but…" He looked around. "Something is amiss…"

"Define "something" aside from Hibiki's snores." Lissa told him.

"I'm not sure…" He said, trying not to laugh at the comment. "I think I'll have a look around."

"Not alone, you won't!" Lissa said. "I'm coming too."

"Heh. Thanks, Lissa." Chrom said with a smile.

The two walked deeper into the forest to investigate, while the others were left sleeping. The night was surprisingly quiet, with the only sounds being heard were made by the Shepherds.

Though that changed, as the ground beneath them begun to shake.

"Ah-!"

Robin shot up, as did Frederick.

"What in the world-?" Frederick said, steadily getting to his feet.

"Frederick! Look!" Robin called.

The two turned to see dozens of trees falling, as well as a massive spire of magma shoot up. They saw the chunks of magma fall deeper into the forest.

"That's… not normal around here, is it?" Robin asked, trying to keep calm.

"Of course not-" Frederick stopped, as he looked around. "Oh no…"

"What is-?" Robin noticed who was missing as well. "Chrom?! Lissa?!"

"They're not here…" Frederick looked up at the hellscape, before looking down to see footsteps leading deeper into the woods. "Robin, we must find them. Let's start by searching from the North."

"Wait, what about Hibiki?" Robin asked him.

Said girl had miraculously not woken up, despite the earthquake and eruption.

"Hibiki has the uncanny ability to sleep through anything." Frederick told her, as he mounted his horse. "She once slept through the sounds of several rampaging pegasi…"

"Wait, what?"

"I'll tell you the story later." Frederick said. "Right now, we need to find milord and milady."

"We're just going to leave her here?" Robin asked. "That doesn't sound like-!"

"The immediate danger is far enough from here. She'll be fine." Frederick reasoned. "And while she may sleep through practically anything, the moment her life is in danger, she'll instinctively wake up. Trust me."

Robin didn't like the idea of leaving Hibiki behind, but she had to put her trust in Frederick's words. She quickly ran alongside him into the forest. Hibiki simply rolled over and snorted a little, ignoring all the noise. She hardly noticed the giant eye-like portal that appeared above her. While several monstrous… things dropped out of it, so did a lone figure, landing safely on the ground a fair distance away.

"A few of them made it through." The figure muttered, as they broke into a run. "I need to hurry-?!"

They nearly tripped over Hibiki, regaining their footing. But the soft footsteps caused Hibiki to open her eyes.

"H-Huh?!" She quickly grabbed her lance. "Who's there?!"

In one swift motion, she had aimed her lance at the mysterious figure's chest, while they did the same with their blade.

"An enemy?" Hibiki said.

The figure sheathed their blade, to Hibiki's surprise. Seeing this wasn't an act of opposition, she slowly lowered her own lance, and looked at the figure. While it was dark, Hibiki noticed they had a mask shaped like a butterfly on their face.

"Who are you?" Hibiki asked them.

"..."

"Um, hello?"

"..."

"Ah, I should introduce myself, I'm-!"

"Hibiki." The masked figure said.

"...yeah." Hibiki raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

While she couldn't read her expression, Hibiki could have sworn she saw them wince. "Nevermind what I said. Your friends are in danger."

"H-Huh?!" That got Hibiki's attention. "Which way?!"

The masked figure simply pointed towards the red horizon and fallen trees.

"Ah, when did that get there?!" She yelled, hopping onto her horse. "I gotta get to them!"

She rode off towards the danger, as the masked figure watched her leave. They let out a sigh.

"Just as I remember her…"

They stopped reminiscing about the past, and rushed off towards a different part of the forest; where the monstrous "things" fell from the sky.

"It's gonna be fine, it's gonna be okay…"

Hibiki repeated these words to herself as she rode through the forest, occasionally hopping over cracks in the ground or small flames.

"Where are you guys…?" Hibiki muttered.

She brought her horse to a stop, as she heard the galloping of another horse. She tightened the grip on her lance, as it grew closer. She expected either an enemy, or even Frederick, but instead, another cavalier charged through the trees, and one she recognized.

"Eh?!" Hibiki said. "Sully?!"

"Hibiki!" A woman with short red hair shouted, as she brought her horse to a halt. "Knew I'd run into you."

"What are you doing here?" Hibiki asked her.

"I was out on patrol when I saw trees being knocked over like sticks!" Sully said. "And then I saw basically hell itself arrive on earth with that lava. I had a gut feeling that you guys might be there, since knowing Frederick, he'd travel by night."

"Whoa… I didn't expect that from you!" Hibiki said, awed.

"Hah! Like you can talk!" Sully laughed. "But we'd better go find the others. So let's-"

"Hold, milady!"

"Oh for the love of-"

A man ran in through the trees, breathing heavily. He had styled green-blue hair, and carried a bow.

"You gave me quite the run…" He stood up, clearing his throat. "Life may be long, but attraction is fleeting! Would you leave me in your sweet dust? Leave war to the warriors, dear bird! A beauty such as you need wage only love."

"...eh?" Hibiki said.

"Are you still following me?" Sully asked.

"Sully, who is he?" Hibiki asked.

"Ha! Is the lady's good friend intrigued?" The man asked. "Of course you are, it's only natural. I am myth and legend! I am he who strides large across history's greatest stage! The man who puts the "arch" in "archer"! My name, dear lady, is Vi-"

"Sorry, Ruffles, no time for this." Sully interrupted. "Onward!"

She turned on her horse, but the man spoke up again.

"Virion!" He said. "...Er, my name. It's Virion. W-wait! Where are you going? Pray, at least tell me your name!"

Sully reluctantly looked back. "I'm Sully. ...And I'm a Shepherd."

""Sully!" How divine!" Virion praised. "A starkly beautiful name, as befits its owner, truly. Will you marry me, my dearest Sully?"

"...what?" Hibiki asked. "You're getting married, Sully?"

"Of course not!" Sully said. "I just ran into this idiot on the way and he wouldn't stop hounding me. But I get it now, this is a joke. And when I put my boot through his face, that's the punch line."

"I realize my manly figure and noble bearing can be overwhelming. 'Tis common! So if that's the case." He turned to Hibiki. "Would the young lady over here like to marry me instead?"

"...wha?" Hibiki asked.

"Oh, HELL no!" Sully yelled, getting down from her horse. Virion looked pleased, wondering if Sully would agree… before she kicked him in the shin.

"OOF! G-goodness, but those shapely legs certainly can kick, can't they…" Virion groaned.

"First off, she has a name, and it's Hibiki!" Sully said.

"I wanted to introduce myself though…" Hibiki said, rubbing the back of her head.

"And second off, she ain't interested in men, so back off!" Sully yelled at him.

"O-Oh, is that the case?" Virion said, eyes wide at his mistake. "Then my sincerest apologies for my blunder. But p-please, milady! Allow me to accompany you, at least! Mine is a cold, empty world without you. I shall be your most willing servant, and you, in turn, will give my life purpose…"

Sully simply sighed, getting back on her horse. "Fine... Anything to shut you up."

Hibiki just stared at Sully.

"...What? Stop staring at me like that!"

The two of them rode ahead of Virion at his request, as he said he'd watch their back flank. Passing through a gap in the trees, they came upon their enemy. They appeared human, and had infested deep into the forest, with only one of them nearby.

"Brigands?" Hibiki asked.

"I don't think brigands are that ugly." Sully said.

The one close to them turned to face Hibiki, and she widened her eyes in shock at what she saw. The face was a mutated mess of stitches, with glowing red eyes. Dark miasma spewed out of its mouth as it roared at her.

"Oh, ewwwww!" Hibiki yelled.

The monster seemed to take insult at that and charged towards her, swinging its axe down upon her. But Hibiki was far too quick, and dodged out of the way before lopping its head off with her sword.

"Well… at least I won't feel that bad for killing these things." Hibiki said, as the body faded away into darkness.

"Send 'em back to hell, yeah." Sully said, before looking around. "Hey, there they are!"

Hibiki looked where Sully was pointing, and saw Chrom and the others. They were fending off more of the monsters, that were illuminated by magma-filled cracks all over the ground.

"Wait, who's the white-haired chick with them?" Sully asked.

"Oh, she's gonna be a new Shepherd!" Hibiki told her. "Her name's Robin. She's smart, can use swords and magic and-"

"Don't introduce new people in the middle of battle, Hibiki." Sully reminded her. "And let them introduce themselves to me."

"Oh, okay." Hibiki said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Just so you remember." Sully said, as they rode forward. Sully raised her lance and yelled. "All right, you ash-faced freaks! Which one of ya wants to try my lance on for size first? I know just the spot for it: shoved right up your-!"

"Sully!" Hibiki cut her off.

Sully stabbed one of the monsters where the sun don't shine with her lance, while Hibiki used her sword to slash at them left and right. They mowed down the huge numbers as they rode towards Chrom and the others.

"Hey Lissa!" Hibiki shouted. "Duck!"

Lissa didn't even have to look as she crouched down. Hibiki charged forward, and her horse jumped over Lissa to plant its hooves in the face of another monster.

"Just in time!" Hibiki said.

"Am I glad to see you, Hibiki." Lissa said, before noticing the other cavalier. "Sully?!"

"Hanging in there Lissa?" She asked. "Ran into Hibiki on the way here."

"Thanks for being here! We're gonna need all the hands on deck to take care of these freaks!" Lissa said.

"...I don't think that expression works." Hibiki said.

"Ugh, nevermind!" Lissa groaned.

"Take cover in that abandoned fort!" Robin shouted.

"One… two… three…"

Virion fired arrow after arrow at the inhumane monsters, each time shooting them right between the eyes.

"Am I not the greatest?" Virion said to no one as he continued to fell the monsters. But as he did so, he failed to watch his blind spot. Hearing a sound behind him, he turned to see one of the monsters raise its axe, but its red eyes stopped glowing and it stopped moving.

Why? It had a sword pierce the back of its chest.

It crumbled to the ground, as the sword was removed. Virion looked at the owner of the blade, seeing a young figure wearing a mask that covered their eyes.

"Ah, you have my thanks." Virion said. "And for someone so young and mysterious, saving my life would normally come with a reward-"

"Watch my back as I take out the stragglers." The figure said, walking past Virion without even bothering to look at him.

"S-Such impudence..." Virion stammered. "Are all the youth of today like this?"

Frederick took care of the back entrance of the fort, while Chrom and Sully were dealing with the monsters coming in from the front. Lissa would heal them whenever they required, while Robin fired thunder spells from a distance. Hibiki was staying at Robin's side, with their order being that Hibiki would move to whichever fort entrance needed the most support.

"So, who's that?" Robin asked, taking a brief break from magic and looking at the new cavalier.

"Oh, that's Sully." Hibiki explained. "She's a Shepherd too. And really strong!"

"Hraaaaah!"

Almost as if to prove Hibiki's point, Sully smashed her lance into the skull of one of the monsters. Instead of her lance's shaft breaking, it practically cleaved through the monster.

"...I see what you mean." Robin said, a drop of sweat rolling down her face.

"Robin!" Frederick called, as he speared another one of them in the chest. "The creatures are dwindling in number."

"And since these monsters seem to be hell-bent on murder, that must mean that their leader is going to appear soon." Robin deduced.

Sure enough, as Chrom slashed one of them in half, they saw the leader. It had the same grotesque face and red eyes as the others, but was completely shirtless and had skin that seemed charred and rotten. It had a head of wild hair and walked with a hunch, carrying a massive hand axe in one hand.

"Figures the head honcho would be the ugliest one." Sully said.

"Okay, what's the plan Robin?" Hibiki asked.

Robin made a brief sweep of the area, and saw that the chief of the monsters was alone, and still a fair distance away. While the darkness made it hard for them to see, they had the higher ground and the red glowing eyes was a dead giveaway, even with all the trees. Looking at the environment, she devised a plan of attack.

"Alright. Frederick, stay right behind the fortress as backup." Robin said. "The rest of us will go into the nearby trees and lure him there. I'll stay in the back to protect Lissa and attack from a distance with magic. And three three of you-"

"Take out the freaky thing?" Hibiki asked.

"Take out the freaky thing." Robin confirmed.

Frederick went through the back of the fortress, while the others carefully slipped out the side. The monster leader lumbered up to the old fort and peered inside and saw no one. Robin briefly nodded to Sully, as the cavalier picked up a random stone and threw it at the wall of the fort. It clattered against it before hitting the ground with a thud. The leader dragged their axe along the ground as they walked over to observe it.

"Thunder!"

A burst of electricity shot out of the woods and hit the leader dead-on. It was left stunned, before it threw the axe straight into the woods. Lissa let out a yelp as it embedded itself into a tree right next to her head.

"Now!" Robin yelled.

Hibiki and Sully came in from two directions, lances up, before they pierced the monster in both of its shoulders. Despite the weight of the monster, they managed to lift it upwards and rode back towards the woods. Chrom ran out, blade ready before he jumped into the sky.

"Hraaaah!"

Chrom brought his sword down in between the cavaliers, completely bisecting the monster from head to toe. Hibiki and Sully separated as their spears each had one half of the monster, and they raised up their weapons to watch as the two parts faded into nothing.

"Is that all of them?" Chrom asked, as Frederick rode up.

"Milord, from my position, I managed to get a good look of the area." He told him. "It seems all the creatures are vanquished. Though I did come across these two, that took care of the others."

Two people walked up behind Frederick.

"Ugh, you're still here?" Sully groaned.

"Of course my dear Sully!" Virion said with a smile. "I kept my word on taking care of any that would dare strike you in the back."

"Well, you did something useful at least." Sully groaned.

"Now now, spare me the praises!" Virion said. "This young man here has been just as, if not more heroic than I."

The young man with the mask said nothing.

"Hey, it's you!" Hibiki said, pointing.

"You know him, Hibiki?" Lissa asked.

"Yeah, he tripped on me!"

"Well, he saved my life." Lissa said, before she stepped up to the mysterious masked man. "Um, I never got to thank you...for before. So...thank you. You were very brave."

So that's where he disappeared to. Hibiki realized. He went to go save Lissa.

"You saved my sister's life. My name is Chrom." Chrom introduced himself. "Might I ask yours?"

"You may call me Marth." The young man said.

"Marth? After the heroic king of old?" Chrom asked, raising a brow.

"Really?!" Hibiki asked, smiling. "You're Marth?!"

"Hibiki, it's borderline unlikely that this young man is the actual Marth." Frederick said.

"Aww." Hibiki pouted.

It was brief, but the corners of Marth's mouth turned up, but went back down mere seconds after. None of them noticed it, however.

"You certainly fight like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword?" Chrom asked.

"I'm not here to talk about me." Marth said. "This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned."

With that cryptic warning, Marth walked away.

"Huh? What's teetering where now? Hey, wait!" Lissa called, before he disappeared into the trees.

"Not much for conversation, is he?" Robin asked.

"What conversation?" Hibiki asked. "He just used a lot of confusing words in a few sentences."

"It appears his skills lie elsewhere." Frederick noted. "I wager we'll hear his name again... But for now I'm more concerned about the capital. We should make haste."

"Indeed." Virion said. "Tis only natural that you'd be concerned about the state of your own home country."

"Um, who are you?" Chrom asked, as Virion practically fell over.

"Just some idiot that followed me." Sully said. "Said something about wanting to help though."

"If that's the case... Sully, you take him to the Shepherds' garrison." Chrom said. "Get him registered as a Shepherd. We'll meet up with you later after we go to the capital."

"Ugh, why me?" Sully groaned.

"You're the one he's most familiar with." Chrom said with a shrug. "And he is a man with skill."

"Praise from you is far too high!" Virion said, standing again.

"Fine." Sully said, before turning to Robin. "And hey, you're Robin, right? You kicked arse, from what I've seen. Lookin' forward to the strategies you come up with."

"Um… yeah. You too." Robin said.

"Sorry if that sounded weird." Sully apologized. "Hibiki tried to get me to try introducing myself better."

"You're doing a great job!" Hibiki said with a thumbs-up.

"Yeah yeah." Sully said, rolling her eyes before turning to Virion. "Get your arse over here!"

"At once, my dear Sully!"

The Sun had risen over the horizon, lighting up a bustling town filled with people. There were bright signs and flags all over for stores and booths, with townsfolk managing or buying. On top of a large hill was a majestic castle. Chrom's party walked through, while Robin looked around, amazed at what she was seeing.

"So this is Ylisstol, capital of Ylisse…" Robin said in awe. "I've never seen so many people!"

"It appears the capital was spared the chaos we encountered, thank the gods." Frederick said with a breath of relief. "I see no evidence of the great quake. It must've been limited to the forest."

"Well, that's a relief!" Lissa said, wiping her forehead.

"Wait, there was a quake?" Hibiki asked. "I mean, I guess that would've happened with those cracks I saw in the ground..."

"...how does she sleep through it?" Robin asked Chrom.

Chrom shrugged. "I've stopped questioning some of the things Hibiki's capable of doing."

They noticed a crowd had formed down the street and was moving towards them.

"What's going on over there?" Robin asked, as several of the townsfolk started turning heads.

"Look! The exalt has come to see us!" An elderly villager called.

As the crowd drew closer, they parted to reveal a blonde-haired woman in green robes, with a teardrop-shaped mark on her forehead. Several knights led by a woman with icy-blue hair walked behind her, and kept a secure perimeter that kept the villagers a fair distance away. Despite this, she took the time to wave and greet as many as she could.

"The exalt is your ruler, yes?" Robin asked.

"Yes. Her name is Lady Emmeryn." Frederick answered.

Robin looked around at all the crowding people. "Is it safe for her to walk among commoners like this?"

"Captain Phila won't let anything happen to her." Hibiki said, pointing at the woman leading the knights.

"The exalt is a symbol of peace, Ylisse's most prized quality." Frederick said. "Long ago, at the dawn of our age, the fell dragon betrayed the Custodians and tried to destroy the world. But the first exalt joined forces with the divine dragon and laid the beast low. Exalt Emmeryn reminds us all of the peace we fought for then."

"Custodians?" Robin asked. "You mean like, cleaners or something?"

"No, the Custodians as in looking over." Frederick said. "They were the ones that created humanity."

"What? Really?" Robin said, stunned. "This is really interesting."

"Ylisse's libraries have plenty of books on the Custodians." Frederick said. "Perhaps you could make a visit if you wish to learn more."

"Can you save the lessons for later, Frederick?" Hibiki groaned.

"Well, unlike a certain someone that shall not be named, Robin seems to enjoy learning and is capable of staying awake." Frederick said, as Hibiki looked away while rubbing the back of her head.

Robin looked back at Emmeryn, who walked past them.

"With Plegia poking at our borders, the people need her." Chrom told Robin. "She's a calming presence, when some might otherwise call for war."

"Then the Ylissean people are indeed lucky to have her." Robin smiled.

"She's also the best big sister anyone could ask for!" Lissa piped up.

"Yes, I imagine she…" Robin's smile dropped as it was replaced by surprise. "Wait, what? She's your... But wouldn't that make you and Chrom…"

"The prince and princess of the realm, yes." Frederick said with an amused smile while Hibiki chuckled. "You remember Chrom's name and not this?"

"You said you were "shepherds"!" Robin said, almost shouting.

"And so we are...in a manner of speaking." Chrom said. "We just have a LOT of sheep."

"C-Chrom... I mean, Prince Chrom!" Robin stammered. "Sire! Forgive my dreadful manners!"

"Just Chrom is fine. I've never been much for formalities." Chrom said with a slight shrug.

"The prince and princess... That explains why Frederick tolerates all the teasing, eh?" Robin said.

"Indeed." Frederick said with a look of resignation. "Oh, the sacrifices I make for the good of the realm…"

"Way too much sometimes, Frederick." Hibiki said. "You overwork yourself more than anyone in the kingdom."

"It's simply my duty, Hibiki." Frederick said.

Robin watched as the crowd dispersed, while the knights guarding Emmeryn had walked further down the route.

"It looks like Emm is returning to the palace." Chrom said. "Would you like to meet her?

Like with the capital, Robin was looking around the palace in awe. She briefly wondered if she had seen any before, but her memory was still hazy.

"Please refrain from touching anything, Robin." Frederick said, as they walked into the throne room. Robin lagged behind slightly, both out of looking throughout the room, and not to make herself a big presence. Emmeryn was standing in wait, Phila standing at her side.

"Chrom! Lissa! Welcome home." She said, holding out her arms. "Oh, and good day, Frederick. Hibiki. How fared you all?"

"Well, thank you for asking!" Hibiki said. "Well, as soon as we left the capital-"

"Hibiki…" Frederick said.

"O-Oops. Sorry."

"I'll gladly listen to one of your stories when we're blessed with time." Emmeryn reassured her.

"You're probably gonna be there for hours, Emm. You know how Hibiki can get." Chrom said, before continuing. "Well, we shouldn't have any bandit problems for a while."

"Wonderful. And our people?" Emmeryn asked.

"Safe as they can be, Emm." Chrom said. "But we still need to watch the borders. The brigands crossed over from Plegia."

"Forgive me, milord. My pegasus knights should have intercepted them." Phila said, putting a hand on her chest.

"No, Phila. Your duty was here, with the exalt." Chrom said.

"And besides, we had plenty of help!" Hibiki added.

"Ah, you speak of your new companion here?" Emmeryn said, looking at Robin.

"Ooh, can I introduce her Chrom?" Hibiki asked.

"Heh, go for it." Chrom said.

Hibiki cleared her throat before speaking. "This is Robin! She fought bravely with us against the brigands, so Chrom decided to make her a Shepherd!"

"It sounds as though Ylisse owes you a debt of gratitude, Robin." Emmeryn stated.

"Oh, not at all, milady!" Robin said, with a bit of a nervous smile.

"Forgive me, Your Grace, but I must speak." Frederick spoke up. "Robin claims to have lost her memory, but it is only that: a claim. We cannot rule out the possibility that she is a brigand himself or even a Plegian spy."

"Frederick!" Chrom said.

"Are you still on it?" Hibiki asked.

"His title is "the wary" for a reason, Hibiki. And I can't help but echo his sentiment." A new voice said.

Walking onto the scene was a young woman with long blue hair, with a hairpiece holding up a small ponytail on the side of her head, making it look like a wing. She was garbed in blue clothes that appeared fairly simple to move in, and she had a single-edged blade strapped on her waist.

"You always have been the trusting type. Have you ever considered taking the time to-"

"Tsubasa!"

The blue-haired girl simply stepped to the side, and avoided Hibiki jumping at her for a hug. With the lack of a target, Hibiki faceplanted onto the carpet. While Robin blinked several times to make sure she was seeing things right, none of the others reacted.

Tsubasa sighed, before she reached her hand down to Hibiki. "I thought we agreed on this, no hugs while we're on duty."

"But it's been so long since I saw you…" Hibiki said, comically crying as Tsubasa helped her up.

"...Hibiki, it was only a few days."

"That's still a very long time!"

"Um, who's that?" Robin asked.

"That would be Tsubasa." Chrom said. "She's a master swordswoman, and Emm's personal bodyguard."

"Personal bodyguard?" Robin said. "But I didn't see her when she walked down the street earlier."

"Tsubasa usually keeps a small distance away from the Exalt." Frederick explained. "She knows the knights can do a good enough job, so she blends in with the crowds. The only times she's directly at the Exalt's side are during important events such as council, or negotiating with leaders."

"Okay, but why did Hibiki do that?" Robin asked, watching as Tsubasa dusted off Hibiki's shoulder.

"Oh, because Tsubasa and Hibiki are really close friends." Lissa said.

"Really?" Robin said, surprised. She looked at the seemingly no-nonsense Tsubasa compared to the upbeat and cheerful Hibiki. Two very different people being friends was surprising.

"And if you think that those two are close friends, just wait a little longer." Lissa said, grinning.

"Um... okay?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Regardless, the Exalt's word is final, no matter what our feelings are, Frederick." Tsubasa said.

"Chrom, you allowed her into the castle. Does this woman have your trust?" Emmeryn asked him.

"Yes." Chrom stated simply, but firmly. "She risked her life for our people. That's good enough for me."

"Well then, Robin... It seems you've earned Chrom's faith, and as such you have mine as well." Emmeryn said, smiling.

"Th-Thank you, Milady." Robin said, bowing her head.

"But thank you, Frederick, for your prudence, as always." Emmeryn told the knight. "Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have so tireless a guardian. I do hope they remember to mention that from time to time…"

"They occasionally express something akin to gratitude, Your Grace." Frederick said, face unchanging. "Phila, Tsubasa. I assume you've heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?"

"Yes, milord. They've been sighted all across Ylisse." Phila said. "Several of my pegasus knights reported back to me. They sent a smaller party to engage a few of the creatures, and while there were no casualties, the pegasi were wounded from a few strikes."

"I've cut down several that got close to the capital, but they take many more sword strikes than the normal men." Tsubasa said. "They're inhuman monsters. They fight like savages, but they could easily overwhelm through sheer brute strength alone."

"Chrom, we are about to hold council. I was hoping you could join us." Emmeryn said.

"Of course." Chrom said.

"I think that's our cue, Hibiki!" Lissa said.

"Ooh, are we bringing Robin there now?" Hibiki asked.

"Yup."

"Um, what are you talking about?" Robin asked them.

"C'mon, there's a place I want to show you." Lissa said. "Let's go!"

Robin was about to follow the two, before Tsubasa spoke up.

"Hibiki. A warning."

Robin thought that it was going to be a lot like Frederick, telling Hibiki to be careful of her. But in reality her guess was far off.

"She was worried a lot about you once she saw the monsters, as well as the destruction." Tsubasa said. "She's not going to be happy about you showing up without informing her you returned to the capital."

"Uh oh…" Hibiki said, face becoming slightly pale.

"Oh, you're in for it now." Lissa said, as they walked out of the throne room. "She is gonna let you have it!"

"Don't remind me…"

"Who's "she"?" Robin asked them.

"Eh… someone I call my Sunshine…" Hibiki said, nervously laughing.

A/N: And we continue on with the story.

Tsubasa doesn't refer to Hibiki as "Tachibana" since none of them have last names.

And say hello to a brand new cover, courtesy of DK_DOArt on Twitter. Give em a follow; they make great stuff.

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