Author's Notes:

I must admit, I am getting a bit itchy with the next few chapters. It feels good knowing that the exposition is almost done. After all, everything up to this point hasn't really been the real meat of the story, but is nonetheless important to begin with. I get the feeling the next chapter will be exciting and be pretty long as well. Until then, enjoy chapter 16:

Robin was sitting in his makeshift tent, writing in his journal about the day as the sun began to set. The atmosphere in camp was melancholy, and many of the shepherds hadn't gotten over the fact that Emmeryn is dead. The shepherds and Feroxi soldiers decided the best course of action is to spread out over a wide area. It makes it easier for the Plegian land troops to find them, but significantly more difficult for their airborne troops to find.

From outside, there was the sound of someone running across the sand. "Robin?" he heard a voice call from outside his tent.

"Yes?" Robin replied. "Do you need something, Lon'qu? Come in."

The swordsman stepped inside. "It's… it's the princess." Lon'qu admitted. "What about her?" Robin inquired. "She's been crying in her tent for the past hour." Lon'qu replied. "I was thinking that maybe you could go comfort her. I fear that with my… problem I'll just make it worse if I try."

Robin cocked his head. "Not that I'm not willing to help, but why did you come find me for that?" he asked.

"Well, I noticed she seemed to be pretty close to you." Lon'qu replied. "And the only better option is Chrom, but he's dealing with the same shit right now. I don't think he has the ability, or is in the mood to comfort her."

Robin nodded. "Fair enough. Let's head over to her tent then."

The two did just that.

When they reached their destination, Robin gently tapped on Lissa's tent flap. "Lissa? Can I come in?" he could hear the princess bawling her eyes out from inside. "R-robin? *sniff* sure… come in." she eventually replied. Robin walked in, with Lon'qu electing to wait outside.

The girl looked a mess. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Robin sat on the bedroll next to her, and placed an arm around her shoulders.

"W-why?" Lissa asked as she cried into Robin's shoulder. "Why did she have to die, Robin? What did she do wrong?"

Robin sighed. "She didn't do anything wrong, Lissa. She died because our plan failed… because MY plan failed. You can blame me if you'd like."

At this, Lissa momentarily stopped crying. "What?!" she exclaimed. "I could never do that! Not after you tried your hardest to save her! How could you have known that the Risen would appear?"

Robin tilted his head, as if in thought. "Yeah, that's a good point. I still don't understand how they could have just appeared though…"

Lissa leaned on Robin and rested her head on his shoulder. "Still… it doesn't feel right… Emmeryn didn't deserve to die! Did I do something wrong?" she sobbed. "Is that why Naga is punishing me by taking away my sister?"

Robin leaned his own head on Lissa's. "I don't believe so. The world is seriously fucked up. That's why there are bandits and thieves, and why murder and crime is prevalent. It's because people like Gangrel are allowed to live that causes others pain and suffering. That's why we must continue this war. We'll make sure Gangrel pays for his crimes."

Robin brushed a strand of hair away from Lissa's eyes with his other hand. "I know the rest of us cannot hope to ever replace what Emmeryn was to you, but for what it's worth, know that you still have a family in the rest of the shepherds. And remember, you still always have Chrom."

Lissa shifted around and hugged Robin, plunging her face into his chest. "Thanks Robin. I feel a bit better already." She paused for a moment before continuing to talk. "You sure know a lot for someone that doesn't remember most of their past."

Robin chuckled. "Well, sometimes I just say things without thinking. It could be my brain unconsciously divulging information that I knew in the past… I don't really know."

Lissa removed herself from the hug. She wiped away a few stray tears. "Thanks Robin. I really mean it."

Robin smiled. "Don't just thank me, you should also thank Lon'qu." "Lon'qu?" Lissa wondered. Robin grinned. "Yeah, he was worried sick about you. That's why he came to find me." "Wow… I didn't think Lon'qu cared that much about me…" Lissa muttered to herself.

Robin got up. "Well, I'll be in my tent if you need me. Try to get some rest, because tomorrow might be another long day." Lissa numbly nodded, but wasn't crying anymore.

Robin exited the tent, to see Lon'qu sprawled out on the ground in front of Lissa's tent with a blanket wrapped around himself. His eyes were closed. Robin nudged his shoulders, and the swordsman blinked a few times.

"It was successful." Robin grinned, giving Lon'qu a thumbs up. Lon'qu smiled. "That's good to hear."

"So are you going back to your own tent then?" Robin asked. "I didn't set up a tent." Lon'qu replied. Seeing as Robin was about to say something, he quickly held up his hand. "If I were to set one up, it'd be too close to Lissa's which can pose a threat for all of us. And if I set it up far away, I won't be able to keep an eye on her. That is my job. I'll just sleep under the stars, like the other Feroxi."

"O...K…" Robin slowly said. "But won't you be cold? The desert becomes really cold at night."

Lon'qu gestured to his blanket. "That's why I have this. Trust me, I used to live in Regna Ferox. I'm used to sleeping while feeling a bit cold. This is the best option for all of us."

Robin nodded. "Alright. Well I'm heading back to my tent then. Good night."

With that, Robin left. He didn't realize how tired he was until he lied down on his bedroll. Robin immediately fell asleep.

The following morning…

The shepherds and Feroxi awoke in a hurry. They quickly ate some field rations and began to march to the west. Robin was a little bit skeptical at first, but Basilio insisted that there's a path to escape back to Regna Ferox that way. Seeing as he didn't have a better plan, Robin decided to go along with it.

While they marched, Robin made his way to Tharja.

"So…" he began. "You know about my past?" he asked.

Tharja scowled. "Yes, I suppose you could say that." she muttered.

"Would you be able to tell me a little bit about it?" he asked curiously.

Tharja didn't talk for a while. "Tell me," she finally said. "Do you like where you are right now? Do you enjoy being with these Ylisseans?"

Robin furrowed his brows. "I mean, I don't know anything about my past, but based on my current experiences, I'd say I enjoy it immensely. The shepherds are like my family by now."

Tharja was taken aback for a moment. 'Even as a Plegian prince, he'd never show any signs that he enjoyed the position. He also wouldn't have truly considered King Gangrel or his father to actually be family.' she mused to herself.

Finally she sighed. "Since you feel that way, then I'm afraid I cannot tell you about your past." she resolved to say.

"But-" Robin began. "It's for your own good." Tharja interrupted. "I will tell you this though. You were in a position of nobility, and I used to serve you. Trust me when I say this, you're better off not knowing about your past."

Robin eyed her curiously. "I… see." he finally said. He smiled at her. "Well, I don't know if I ever said this to you in the past, but thank you for serving me."

Tharja's scowl didn't change, but as soon as Robin turned around, a tear fell down her cheek. "You're welcome, Robin." she murmured to herself.

After marching for quite some time, they finally reached the Midmire.

"Hurry! There should be carriages waiting for us just past the ravine!" Basilio urged everyone. "Quickly! We're almost… huh?" he paused because some Plegian soldiers appeared ahead of them. Basilio gritted his teeth. "They're right in our way! We must fight!"

A Plegian general called to them from the other side of the Midmire. "Ylisseans, Feroxi! I offer you all mercy! Surrender to me now and live! I, General Mustafa of Plegia, swear that your lives will be secure upon surrender."

Basilio shook his head. "Surrender? I'm not familiar with that word." he yelled back.

"Emmeryn would not have wished for this to come to bloodshed." the general continued.

"Don't speak her name!" Chrom yelled angrily. "You don't deserve it."

Even from a distance, the shepherds could see Mustafa let out a sigh. "Your rage is justified, Prince Chrom. But the meaning of your sister's final sacrifice was not lost on me. I suspect many Plegians who heard her final words would say the same." he shrugged. "If you lay down your weapons, I vow to protect you as best I can."

"How can we trust you with what your barbarous king has done?" Frederick retorted. "I think we best take our chances with the weapons in hand!"

Mustafa let out another sigh. "I suspected you would say as much. So be it, Prince Chrom. I shall endeavor to grant you a swift and dignified end."

With that, he gave the signal, and the Plegians began to charge. The ones inside the Midmire, as well as the ones that appeared around it all charged as one, enveloping Chrom and the others in a trap.

"Chrom! You take your men and charge through the Midmire! Take out that general! We'll handle the ones coming at us from behind!" Basilio called. With that, the Feroxi army filed towards the back and began the engage the oncoming Plegians.

"Robin, what's the plan?" Chrom called out. Robin furiously studied his Hekseer. "The Midmire seems to contain the skeleton of some huge beast." Robin mused. "If we charge forward too quickly, we'll be spread out too thin. That's why we stand our ground. Even though we're the ones pressed for time, if the Plegians want to charge us, it's the best plan. They also don't have any mages, so armored units don't need to be afraid."

{Everyone, assume a defensive formation. Frederick, Panne, Sully and Stahl, charge to the west. There's a fort there. Hold the line there. Miriel, Libra and Virion, follow them.} Robin ordered. The people in question immediately set off.

{Donnel, Kellam, Gaius, Gregor, Ricken, Cordelia, Maribelle, hold the space between the first two large bones. Don't let anyone pass.} The second group set off as well.

Robin turned to the remaining shepherds. {The rest of us will hold the space between the second set of large bones. Our aim is also not let anyone pass.} With that, Chrom, Robin, Vaike, Sumia, Lon'qu, Nowi, Lissa and Tharja went off as well.

Chrom cut down a thief immediately. Vaike chopped down a spear fighter. Lon'qu, engaged and slashed apart a brigand. Tharja blasted a Wyvern Rider out of the sky with a Nosferatu spell, while Sumia and Nowi did the same with their respective ranged attacks to a second Wyvern Rider.

Robin checked his Hekseer. Sully was stabbing a Plegian thief to death with her lance. Stahl was engaging another brigand with his sword. Frederick was fighting a brigand from the safety of the fort whilst being supported by Panne. Miriel and Virion worked together to take down a Wyvern Rider trying to fly over them.

On the other side of the map, Donnel was handily beating a brigand. Kellam fought a spear fighting, winning the exchanges due to his heavier armor. Gaius slashed the throat of another brigand as Gregor was keeping him busy. Cordelia was engaging a Wyvern Rider, and baited the Plegian into letting their guard down enough for Ricken to blast them out of the sky with a wind spell.

On the other side of the Midmire, Mustafa looked on as his forces engaged the shepherds.

One of his soldiers came up to him. "Forgive me sir…" the soldier began. "But I… I no longer see the justice in hunting these people down. I accept any punishment you see fit… but after all that's happened… I just… I can't."

A nearby Wyvern Rider heard him and was enraged. "How dare you! If you question the general's orders, you know full well that the punishment for insubordination is death!"

"B-but!" the soldier protested. "These people are…"

Mustafa sighed. "These questions are not for us to ponder, lad. The soldier does not judge, the soldier only delivers judgement."

The soldier tightened his resolve. "Sir, I… I cannot raise my lance against them. Even if… even if it means death."

"You were there when Emmeryn spoke, weren't you?" Mustafa questioned. The general let out another sigh. "So be it! Those of you unwilling to fight are dismissed!"

"But…" The soldier protested. "We can't just abandon you, sir!"

Mustafa shook his head. "I cannot defy the king, lad. I know him well. He'd murder my wife and child in order to set an example. I will accept the blame for your actions today. Now go!"

"W-wait, General!" The soldier exclaimed. "I see a cause worth fighting for, one I believe in: loyalty to my general!"

Mustafa let out a melancholy grin. "Aye. That's a good lad."

He turned back to observe the battlefield. Currently, the shepherds were holding off their advances from well fortified choke points. From the looks of it, many of their soldiers had already fallen, but the Ylissean forces seemed to be just as strong as before.

"Hmm… why does this scene feel so… familiar?" Mustafa wondered to himself.

Over a decade ago…

"...And that's checkmate!" Robin happily exclaimed. He grinned victoriously at his opponent. General Mustafa let out a sigh. "Aye, lad. You beat me." Never before had anyone outmaneuvered him so much in a game of chess. It was as if he could not tell what Robin was trying to do, but his opponent was able to read him like an open book. Any tactic or strategy he attempted to use was immediately shut down by the young boy, but the complex tactics Robin tried would succeed without a hitch.

Validar grinned. "Now that's my Robin!" he turned to King Gangrel, who was also watching the match. The king had a snarl on his face.

"General Mustafa, I really should demote you. You're supposed to be one of our best generals and strategists, and yet you can't even beat a CHILD at a game of chess!" the king angrily exclaimed. "I'm going to cut your pay. I'll revert it once you're able to start beating CHILDREN at a strategy game."

Mustafa gritted his teeth, but didn't explode in anger. "Your majesty," the general began as calmly as possible. "Prince Robin truly is a talented tactician. It's not that my skill is lacking, it's that he has too much of it. I guarantee that if you forced all the commanders in your army to play a game of chess against him, they would all lose."

Gangrel snorted. "Now, now, dear brother." Validar began. "Think of it this way, if dear Robin is able to beat your best strategists at such a young age, imagine what he's capable of doing to the Ylisseans once he comes of age!"

Gangrel waved his hand dismissively. "Robin may be talented, but I highly doubt it takes much to beat such a useless, incompetent general." With that, the king sauntered away, with Validar following close behind him.

Seeing as the two left, Robin looked up at general Mustafa. "S-sorry…" the boy began apologetically. "I just made the king mad at you…"

Mustafa rubbed the boy's head affectionately. "Don't worry about it. I know you had something on the line in that game too." he smiled. "How about let's head over to the training grounds? I'm excited to see how far you've come in terms of axefaire."

"Yeah!" the seven year old Robin proclaimed. "I can't wait to show you how strong I've become!" The boy jumped up, flexing his muscles.

"Alright lad, let's see what you've got." With that, Mustafa led young Robin over to the training grounds.

Back to the present…

Mustafa shook his head. That was in the past. It's impossible for him to be fighting for the Ylisseans after all.

"Call the reinforcements!" Mustafa exclaimed. "Draw them in close, and then strike!"

The Plegians attempted to execute that plan, but it was clear that they were being outmaneuvered. After all, they had to pass messages along, which was tedious and time consuming. Meanwhile, on the shepherds side, each group received orders immediately, and directly from Robin due to his Hekseer.

The tactician in question had beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. Although they were winning, he had never had to work as hard to maintain the edge over his opponent. But he knew it was worth the extra effort in order to ensure that all the shepherds survived to see another fight. After all, Plegian generals are much harder to deal with than regular brigands.

Eventually, some of the Plegians grew tired of waiting. Platoons of Wyvern Riders began to descend upon the shepherds.

Robin didn't panic. He gave orders quickly, calmly, and efficiently.

On the westernmost side, Frederick was able to stand toe to toe with a Wyvern Rider, and Stahl was well equipped to fight them when he swapped his steel sword to his wyrmslayer. Furthermore, Miriel and Virion continuously blasted Wyverns out of the sky whenever possible.

On the easternmost side, Gregor had picked up a wyrmslayer of his own from a fallen Plegian thief. He proceeded to use it to rip apart the underbellies of any flying reptiles that flew past him. Cordelia also was able to keep a few of them busy while Ricken blasted them out of the sky.

As for his own group, Sumia served as a distraction for the Wyvern Riders. The ones that didn't chase her were harassed by a barrage of well aimed javelins, after all. The Wyvern Riders that flew close to the ground were slashed apart by Chrom's Falchion. The ones flying in the sky were blasted down by a combination of Robin and Tharja's magic. Robin mentally noted how in sync the two of them were at their cast times. This clearly had to be all because of Tharja, because he wasn't putting any effort into it. Robin wondered what he might've done in the past that had merited Tharja to be so familiar with fighting alongside him.

The Plegian's numbers in the Midmire continued to diminish, until only a few scattered soldiers were left. {Alright, we make a charge for the general now!} Robin instructed to the three groups.

Robin's group ended up approaching Mustafa the soonest. Frederick's group had to fight through the most soldiers, and Cordelia's group was the furthest away.

Once he drew close, Mustafa froze.

"What… what are you doing with them?" Mustafa exclaimed. "You've turned coat?"

Robin turned and look at the shepherds around him. Feeling quite confident the general wasn't talking to any of them, he faced the general again. "What? Me?" he asked.

"I can explain." Tharja said, as she stepped forward. "Tharja!?" Mustafa exclaimed again. "You too?"

"Robin has lost his memories." Tharja said, ignoring the general. "But from what I see, he's actually happy with his new life. I intend to keep it that way for him."

"I… see." Mustafa nodded, understanding the implications from Tharja. "I really admire your loyalty, Tharja. I always have. I only wish I could feel that sort of loyalty towards the King whom I serve..." The general sighed. "Very well. My only request is that I be allowed to duel Robin one on one."

"But-" Tharja began. "Why are you worrying?" The general interrupted. "You know full well I stand no chance against him. Please, humor me and allow me to see just how powerful he is before I die!"

Tharja turned back to Robin. "Well, what do you think?" she asked him.

Robin approached the general. "Look, general Mustafa. I may not remember your face, who you are, or what you've done for me in the past, but I can see that at least you fight honorably. I don't know about how powerful I am, but I'll honor your request."

"Be careful, Robin." Chrom warned him. Tharja shook his head. "Knowing Mustafa, he won't be looking to kill Robin. Only enrage him."

"I'm sorry, enrage?" Frederick asked the dark mage. Tharja waved his hand dismissively. "If my hunch is correct, you'll get to see soon enough."

Robin approached the enemy berserker and drew his scythe. "All right. I'm ready when you are."

The berserker smiled melancholically one last time, before raising his axe and charging him.

Mustafa swung his axe down on Robin. Robin blocked it with his scythe, but knew immediately that it was the wrong option. The berserker was too much stronger than him. He quickly dodged to the side and retracted his scythe, allowing Mustafa's axe to hit the ground. He lashed out with his scythe at the Plegian general's chest, but Mustafa seemed to know it was what Robin would go for, and backed off in time.

They circled around each other for a few moments. By this time, the rest of the shepherds had arrived, and Chrom motioned for them to stay back and watch. They all stared at the two in anticipation.

Mustafa eventually broke the standoff and charged once again. This time, Robin opted to dodge to the side. However, Mustafa swept his foot around and knocked the tactician off his feet. Mustafa knelt over the fallen tactician and pulled out a knife. Chrom was about to rush forward to help Robin, but Mustafa held up his hand. "I'm not going to kill him."

He proceeded to take his knife and slash it across Robin's right cheek, leaving a trail of blood across his face. Robin gritted his teeth in pain.

"So it seems you aren't all that strong yet. Let's see how much better you are when enraged." With that, the general got off of Robin and backed off. Robin slowly got onto his feet. Mustafa watched as his eyes began to shift from normal to glowing reddish purple.

"Yes…" Mustafa murmured. "Show me what you're capable of."

Robin picked up his scythe and snarled. His weapon began to glow red. Chrom swore he could see an intense, malefic aura radiating off of him. Robin swung his scythe around, and began to attack Mustafa, his movements largely accelerated.

Mustafa, to his credit, fought off most of the attacks. But it was clear that their positions were reversed. Robin was entirely in control, and Mustafa had to do everything he could to prevent the scythe from cutting him. He knew that it only took one nick for it to begin sapping him of his strength. Robin didn't make it easy for him. His scythe whirled through the air in a seemingly random pattern, keeping the general on his feet. Once in a while, Robin weaved in a close ranged magic attack that Mustafa had to deflect with his axe. It didn't seem to bother Robin that he was casting without the help of a tome.

Finally, Mustafa made a mistake, and Robin's scythe cut across his right shoulder. As Mustafa roared in pain, Robin took the opportunity to stab the spearpoint on his scythe into his left calf. As he retracted his weapon, Mustafa fell to one knee.

Mustafa knew this was the end. He could feel his strength begin to leave him. Robin approached him with a menacing look on his face. "F-finish it…" Mustafa got out.

Robin swung the scythe in an underhand swing, lodging the scythe's blade in the general's stomach. Mustafa took the last of his strength to reach up and grab the back of Robin's neck and pulled Robin's head closer to his.

"Th-thank you… of all the people I could've had to be my last opponent… I'm glad… it… was… YOU." With that, the last of Mustafa's strength gave out, and the general fell over, dead.

"Robin!" Lissa exclaimed as she ran up to him. Robin turned around to face her, and the expression on Robin's face made Lissa freeze in fright. After a moment, Robin's expression softened, and his eyes, as well as his weapon, stopped glowing. "L-let me heal your cut." Lissa stammered, pointing at the wound on Robin's cheek.

Robin reached up to feel the wound, and saw that there was blood on his hand when he retracted it. He nodded, and let Lissa work on it.

"So… that is what an 'enraged' Robin is?" Chrom asked.

Tharja nodded. "When he becomes wounded, as long as it's not fatal, he enters a stage where he becomes immensely more powerful. And it's not just a matter of skill either, his weapon seems to be able to sense it, and responds by becoming stronger as well." she turned to her captive audience in the shepherds. "Back when we were in Plegia, milord Robin's skill in combat was feared by most. Only a select few, with general Mustafa being one of them, were able to beat him when he isn't enraged. No one ever tested it, but I'd wager there's no one in Plegia that can beat Robin when he gets enraged."

Chrom chuckled nervously. "Well, I'm glad that he's on OUR side then."

"Is there anything else about him we should know?" Frederick inquired.

Tharja shook her head. "I've already said way too much for one day." Frederick nodded, and didn't press the issue. By this point, he'd already placed his trust in Robin, even knowing that he used to be Plegian.

By this time, the rest of the Plegians trying to surround them had learned of Mustafa's fall and all fled. Basilio, Flavia and their men filed into the Midmire and caught up with the shepherds.

"C'mon, there's carriages waiting for us beyond this ravine! I say we high tail it out of here before more of them Plegian creeps show up!" Basilio roared.

The shepherds nodded in agreement, and began to march past the Midmire.