Author's Notes:

So this chapter ended up being the longest so far, which I suppose is pretty fitting. I actually didn't expect to get this chapter done today, but I felt pretty inspired to write it, so I guess I stayed up a little too late to finish it.

Fear not, diligent readers, for we are almost getting to the good parts of this story!

But for now, enjoy chapter 17:

Just past the Midmire…

As the shepherds and Feroxi soldiers moved past the Midmire, they began to run towards the North. After a few minutes, they saw dozens and dozens of carriages in the distance.

As they drew near, a beautiful girl with pink hair ran up to meet them. "Khan Basilio!" she called.

"Olivia!" Basilio responded. "Sorry we kept you waiting."

Olivia shook her head. "When I didn't hear from you… I thought… I assumed the worst."

"Chrom? Robin?" Basilio gestured to the two. "Meet Olivia. She'll be smuggling us out of here."

"Only if you hurry!" Olivia replied with urgency in her voice. "Doubtless there are more of Plegia's troops coming this way!"

"Right." Basilio agreed. "Pile in, you lot!" he barked at the Feroxi. Everyone, including the shepherds entered the carriages. "Ready?" Olivia called. "Hold on tight!" With that, the horses began to move, and they carriages steadily made their way back to Regna Ferox.

The carriages were somewhat crowded. After all, they needed to fit all of the Feroxi army. However, all of the shepherds, aside from the ones with mounts fit into one of them fairly easily. Robin spent the duration of the trip sitting next to Lissa, with the princess's arms wrapped around his waist and her head resting on his shoulder.

He saw Chrom sitting down, seemingly broken. Robin wanted to be able to comfort him as well, but didn't know what to do or say. What he didn't notice was the look of jealousy on the face of Tharja.

Soon, the caravan of carriages successfully retreated across the Feroxi border. They stopped at the first Feroxi town, and everyone got out. Everyone gathered at the center of town.

As soon as they didn't have to worry about being ambushed by Plegians again, Lissa began to break down and cry again.

"All that… for nothing…" Robin muttered to himself.

Frederick shook his head. "I should have died before allowing the Exalt to be captured… I've failed as a knight."

"So what now, oaf?" Flavia demanded. "Don't look at me!" Basilio protested. "Last I checked, I'm not the reigning khan anymore. I'm not in charge!"

Flavia placed a hand on her forehead. "Ugh… I picked a GREAT time to regain full power…"

"Chrom…" Robin tapped the prince on the shoulder. "I'm sorry. My plan failed."

Chrom shook his head. "You did your best, Robin… You have my thanks. It's my own failures that haunt me now. I was just so… so powerless!"

It was Robin's turn to shake his head now. "It's not your fault either."

Chrom held up a hand. "She did it for me, Robin. So I wouldn't have to live with the guilt of either choice, she chose for me. She sacrificed herself rather than give up what could one day save the people."

Robin thought carefully for a moment, before speaking again. "Chrom, I was powerless once too, remember?" he began. "And yes, alone, I don't think either one of us is half the person your sister was. But together...maybe we can be something more. If you fall, I'll be there to pull you back up. When you fight for your sister's ideals, I'll be by your side. You don't have to become your sister, you know. You can still be true to yourself. You just have to give people hope in whatever way you can."

"What if I can't?" Chrom protested. "What if I'm not worthy of her ideals? What if I drag you down with me?"

Robin smiled. "If you aren't worthy, you'll keep at it until you are. And if we both fall down, well that's what friends are for, right?"

"That's right!" Nowi chimed in. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."

Tharja let out a rare smile. "I'll follow Robin anywhere. If he's staying with Ylisseans, then I'm here to stay too."

Lon'qu nodded in agreement. "Were you unworthy, I would've left a long time ago."

"It took great courage and charisma to unite us… something that you clearly have." Virion added.

"We all look up to you." Ricken began. "You're like a hero to us!"

Chrom let out a smile. "Thank you, everyone. Your words mean more than you could know. My shepherds... My warriors... There is work to be done. Gangrel must be stopped so that peace can once again reign in Ylisse. Will you help me?"

Lissa dried her tears. "You can count me in!" she exclaimed. "I'm tired of crying all the time. It's time to start punching stuff!"

"Hear, hear!" Maribelle exclaimed. "Our people have suffered far too much because of Gangrel!"

"Gladly would I fight and die for house Ylisse!" Stahl exclaimed.

"Gladly would I fight and KILL for house Ylisse!" Sully added, one upping the viridian cavalier.

Libra nodded. "Our hearts echo yours, sire."

Sumia looked at Chrom with resolve. "I will be the unbreakable shield at your side!"

"I'm with you too!" Kellam exclaimed, but no one noticed.

Vaike laughed. "Teach is here, and class is in session!"

"Your sister has earned my respect." Panne added. "And so the last taguel shall champion her."

"You have grown strong, milord." Frederick said to Chrom. "I may have set a poor example as a knight, but I swear to you I'll die before any more exalted blood is spilt!"

"How much you pay Gregor?" Gregor suddenly asked. Then, in response to the dirty looks he received, he quickly added, "Gregor make joke! ...why you look at Gregor like that?"

The tension was broken when Chrom let out a chuckle. "Thank you all. Truly. You honor me with your fealty. I will not falter again. This outrage must be answered, and the Mad King must be stopped." At this, Chrom made a fist in the air.

"Right!" Flavia agreed. "It's time Gangrel gets a dose of his own vulnery! The whole Feroxi army will be by your side."

Basilio laughed. "You young folk… your passion runs so hot! If I had any gray hairs, they would've been singed right off. In other words, count me in!"

"I'd like to go too…" Olivia quietly murmured. "The exalt did me a kindness once."

"She did?" Chrom asked out of curiosity.

"Y-yes, sire!" she stammered. "It would be a great honor to have a part in doing her justice! Although… all I can really do is dance, and I'm not even that good at it if I'm being honest…"

Basilio laughed. "She's too modest! Her dances inspire fighters to work twice as hard on the field of battle! You won't find a finer dancer in all the land!"

At this, Olivia began to blush profusely. "K-khan Basilio!" she protested.

Flavia chuckled. "Basilio and I will lead the Feroxi army to engage the Plegian army. That should buy your group enough time to rush to Gangrel and take care of him." she paused. "Hear that? That means you get the fun part!"

Basilio nodded. "You and Robin both have my confidence. You're born a leader, and he has a knack of guiding troops to victory. You both have some growing to do yet, but I can already see that you'll grow tall."

Chrom smiled. "Thanks Basilio."

"I've already sent a messenger to the capital." Flavia added. "There should be more troops arriving here in about two days. Let's take that time to rest up and get ready for our battle with Gangrel. Everyone is dismissed!"

With that, the Feroxi army and the shepherds left for some rest and relaxation.

Everyone did something unique in those two days.

Sumia ran off to a local bakery to buy some supplies. She wanted to bake some pies for Chrom in order to try and make him feel better.

Sully and Stahl trained harder than ever, in order to get ready for the battle with Gangrel.

Ricken and Virion did the same, at a separate training facility.

Vaike tried to train as well, but he found himself slightly distracted by Miriel, who was observing his actions during every training session.

Donnel could be seen sparring with Lon'qu. Lissa didn't mind watching them, especially since Maribelle kept her company.

Gaius explored the town with Panne. The latter was entirely based on curiosity, while the former simply wanted to find a sweets shop. Unfortunately for the poor thief, the Feroxi were not known for having sweet tooths.

Frederick approached Cordelia once everyone had separated. He whispered something into her ear, and the Pegasus Knight nodded in understanding. She immediately flew off for the Ylissean capital.

The two days passed extremely fast.

Evening of the second day...

Robin was in his room at the inn, preparing for the following day. He suddenly heard a knock on his door.

"Who is it?" Robin asked.

"It's me. Tharja." The voice replied. "May I come in?"

Robin gave his consent. The door opened, and Tharja walked in with a tome in her hands.

"Tell me, do you remember what a master seal is?" the dark mage asked.

Robin grinned. "Yes, I've read about them. They're pretty rare. They contain a special kind of quintessence that, when consumed, strengthens a person's body and mind." he looked at the weird looking tome in Tharja's hands. "Is that a master seal then?"

Tharja smiled. "It is… but it also isn't."

Robin looked confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's a modified master seal." Tharja explained. "It's one that was specifically crafted for YOU. It's a Necromancer's Pact. Val… Your father asked me to give this to you when you're ready." 'Although he probably didn't think it would be used against Plegia.' she thought to herself wryly.

"My father... " Robin murmured to himself. He took the book from Tharja.

As Robin's fingers made contact, the sigils on the cover of the book began to wildly glow purple. The tome lifted itself in the air, and opened by itself. The pages fluttered by, and the symbols inside the book flew up from the pages and through the air to Robin. Robin was enveloped with a bright light.

When the light faded, Robin looked down at his cloak. The cloak had changed, or rather, been upgraded. The symbols, which now he knew was anti magic silk, covered even more of him and was glowing faintly. He picked up the Necromancer's Pact that had fallen to the ground. The symbols over the cover was gone, as were the writing inside its pages. It had become, essentially, a blank book.

"How do you feel?" Tharja asked him.

"Better… a lot better." Robin admitted. "It's as if I'm bursting with power, and I don't really know what to do with it."

Tharja smiled. "You were… or rather, you still are a very special person. I won't go into any details, because frankly, I don't really know much of it myself. But you're an extremely strong fighter. It may not feel that way for you, because most of your power is latent. The Necromancer's Pact breaks the first seal of your true strength. It might need some time to get used to it, but you'll feel MUCH stronger than before."

Robin smiled. "Thanks, Tharja. This is perfect for tomorrow."

Tharja bowed. "I live to serve." with that, she excused herself from his room.

Robin took a moment to admire his new cloak. The old one, although effective, had large patches of cloth without any anti magic silk. The new one looked as if he'd be safe from magic attacks coming from any direction.

"So…" Robin began, talking to himself. "Necromancer, huh?"

At the same time...

Cordelia had just returned from the capital. She returned with a strange looking seal in her hands. She reported straight to Frederick

The Great Knight smiled. "Thanks Cordelia. I'll get this to him. Take a well deserved rest."

The Pegasus Knight smiled in return, and went off to lead her pegasus to the stables. Frederick made his way to Chrom's room.

"Milord?" he asked, knocking on his door. "I have something for you."

"Come in, Frederick." he heard the prince reply.

"Milord." Frederick began when he walked in. "I had Cordelia retrieve this from the capital. The Exalt had wanted you to have this when you took her position."

Chrom took the seal from Frederick. "Is this…"

Frederick nodded. "It's the Exalt's Brand. It's a master seal made especially for those with Exalted blood."

Chrom placed his hand over the seal and activated it. He immediately began to feel the power flow from the seal and into himself. He was enveloped in a white light.

"Thanks Frederick." Chrom smiled as the light faded. His armor was glowing with power. Chrom mounted the Fire Emblem on his shoulder. "I feel like I could take the Plegian army down by myself."

The Great Knight smiled in return. "Perfect for tomorrow then."

"Make sure you get a good night's rest." The Great Knight reminded him as he walked back out of the room.

The following day…

The shepherds and Feroxi gathered once again at the center of town before beginning their march to Plegia. There were some murmurs amongst them at the change of attire from Chrom and Robin.

The two in question saw each other, and immediately had a mutual understanding. "You too, huh?" Chrom had told him. Robin merely grinned.

Once everyone was gathered, they set off for Plegia.

"Does everyone understand the general plan? Robin asked the shepherds as they marched. He received a chorus of affirmations. "Good. We're going straight for Gangrel. The Feroxi will have the dangerous task of holding off the rest of the Plegians. They might have a lot of casualties."

"...And it'll be different for us?" Olivia asked skeptically. Chrom had allowed Olivia, under the encouragement of Basilio, to join with the shepherds for this battle,

Robin smiled. "I always make sure to take my victories with the fewest number of casualties possible. I don't know about the future, but we haven't lost a single shepherd yet."

"That's… that's very reassuring." Olivia muttered earnestly.

"So... " Robin changed the subject. "Is it smart to wave around the Fire Emblem like that?" Robin gestured to Chrom's shoulder. Chrom smiled. "I'll feel the safest if it's right next to me." he explained. "And I think it's extra insulting for Gangrel if I wave it in front of his face as I cut his best soldiers down."

Robin laughed. "Quite optimistic of you."

Meanwhile, in Plegia…

"The enemy has taken the field, milord." Aversa reported.

"Back already?" Gangrel laughed, still high from the thrill of victory. "It feels as if we had just said our goodbyes…"

"Our scouts report that they're in surprisingly good spirits." Aversa continued.

Gangrel scoffed. "Since when do we trust our scouts? Besides..." he continued. "They're armed like beggars compared to us! I could easily break their ranks like I break wind."

Aversa chuckled. "I would love to hear the song the bards make of that."

Gangrel cackled. "The Ylissean pup must learn the truth of this world! A man is either strong, or he is dead!"

Suddenly, a soldier ran up to the pair. "Y-your Highness! D-dire news!" the man stammered

"Oh?" Gangrel hardly seemed to care. "Speak."

"Our troops are laying down their weapons and deserting en masse! Please sir… I am but a messenger… have mercy…" The may slowly backed away, knowing full well what happened to the last person to give the king and Aversa bad news. The witch had slaughtered the man in front of everyone.

With Chrom

Frederick approached Chrom. "Milord, I have a message from Khan Flavia. The Plegian army is in disarray."

"What do you mean?" Chrom asked.

" It seems man of their soldiers are opposed to further violence." Frederick explained. "There has been infighting, desertion... Gangrel is trying to stamp out the mutiny by force, but with little success. Outside of a few faithful who serve him directly, his army has all but collapsed."

"This is great news! But why?" Chrom thought for a moment. "...Emmeryn."

"Yes, milord. Emmeryn. The reports say Gangrel's men chant her name as they abandon the field. Her words, and her sacrifice have made her a folk hero of sorts."

"Emmeryn…" Chrom murmured. "Why did it take me so long to understand? She knew that deep down, everyone desired peace. Even the Plegians. It just took so long to bring it to the surface."

Robin nodded. "I hope she can see this, wherever she might be." He placed a hand on Chrom's shoulder. "Today, we put an end to the Mad King Gangrel's rule and bring peace back to the land."

Chrom nodded, and he gathered to shepherds to make a charge on King Gangrel's position.

As he saw the shepherds approach, Gangrel began to taunt them. "Good day, young princeling. Still dreaming of your squashed sister?"

Chrom gritted his teeth. "No more talk, Gangrel. Today, you die, and peace returns to both Ylisse and Plegia."

Gangrel scoffed. "What hypocrisy! You despise me, wretch! You WANT to cut me down. You don't know the first thing about peace! No one does!"

"I know more than you ever will." Chrom replied.

"More than me?" Gangrel asked, laughing. "More than me? You ARE me! When life asks you a question, you answer with blood!"

Chrom nodded. "Maybe you're right. I will never be my sister. I could never forget men like you. Men who sow nothing but evil. All I have of her is her memory, and if I were alone, I might be driven to madness. But I'm NOT alone. My friends and brothers in arms stand beside me."

"Are you done? May I vomit now?" Gangrel mocked. "What a flowery harangue! Men are beasts! Nothing more! We fight! We kill! We devour our prey! Beasts do not stand behind beasts, little prince... They use each other only so long as it suits their own selfish purpose!"

"Perhaps that explains why your soldiers refuse to stand behind you?" Chrom countered. "You are a poison. A festering wound. I will accomplish what my sister could never do."

"Such a clever tongue you've got…" Gangrel mused. "Perhaps it would look quite fetching, hanging from mantle, next to your sister's corpse. Everyone! Attack!"

With that, the Plegians began to charge the shepherd's position.

{Shepherds, form up!} Robin called. {Armored units, charge towards the southeast, fighters, charge towards the southwest.}

They did just that. Sully engaged a Plegian mercenary while Stahl did the same to a brigand. Frederick kept an enemy hero busy while Chrom ran in and slashed the Plegian across his shoulder, before stabbing Falchion into his side. In the air, Sumia threw a javelin at an approaching mercenary. While it didn't hit, it did stop the Plegian from charging up to Chrom. Kellam bashed an enemy fighter down with his shield, giving Ricken an easy target for his wind spell.

On the other front, several Plegian mages launched spells at the figure of Panne as she ran through the woods. Little did they know, this was one of Robin's plans. Most of the spells missed, except for a well aimed Arcfire from a Plegian sage. Panne cried out in pain, but she had done her job. She began to limp back towards the healers.

Because the mages all threw their spells at the same time, it gave the rest of the fighters an opening when the mages couldn't attack. Gregor and Lon'qu led the charge, followed by Donnel, Gaius, Vaike and Olivia.

Gregor and Vaike each charged a mage, using brute strength to take them down in one blow. Donnel and Lon'qu ran at the sage. They each swung, and hit, the sage three times before he fell.

Gaius ran at another mage, drawing his knife. He lunged at the mage's throat, but to his dismay, the mage held up his tome. The stab meant for the mage ended up going through the binding of the book, causing his knife to get stuck. 'Not good!' Gaius thought as the mage drew a knife, kept in the robes of a mage for emergencies such as these, and lunged at the thief. However, before his blade connected with Gaius, the mage fell from a slash to the neck by Olivia's dagger.

"S-sorry," the dancer mumbled. Gaius grinned and retrieved his knife. "What are you apologizing for? You probably just saved me." he motioned with his hand. "C'mon babe, we can't fall behind the others!"

Olivia blushed from Gaius's nickname for her, but nonetheless followed after him.

Meanwhile, Gangrel looked on from his position. He saw the shepherds slowly beginning to inch closer to him. In the distance, he could make out a figure directing the battle. Gangrel couldn't put a finger on it, but he swore he'd seen their tactician before. Too bad he was far away, otherwise Gangrel might actually be able to see him clearly.

Instead, Gangrel decided not to push the matter. What he doesn't know, he doesn't know after all. "Yes! Draw closer!" he taunted. "Let them charge at us in RAGE! More of my soldiers shall greet them at every step! Who needs that good for nothing Validar or his son? We'll take them all down, right here, right now!"

Gangrel turned to a nearby soldier. "Signal the reinforcements. Pile on top of them!" The soldier quickly ran away to carry out the order.

Gangrel turned back to the field. "How will you fare when the fight is on all fronts?" he mused to himself.

With Robin

Robin was busy towards the back while he surveyed the battlefield. They had broken through the soldiers on the western side with their armored units and the line of mages with their fighters. Panne had been injured serving as a distraction, and was busy being healed by Libra. Other than that, they had Miriel, Virion, Tharja, as well as Lissa and Maribelle.

Robin suddenly froze. Multiple more red icons appeared on his Hekseer towards the northwest. Many flying units were approaching them from the south as well.

"Virion, You go to the southwest, Miriel, you to the southeast. Help them take out the Wyvern Riders. Hurry!" The two ran off to accomplish their tasks. Robin then turned to the remaining shepherds with him. "We can't really pull back the others right now, so we'll need to fend off the reinforcements ourselves. Libra, let Maribelle and Lissa finish up with Panne. We're going to need your axe."

The war monk nodded, and got up. There were only three of them capable of fighting. Robin, Libra, and Tharja. Robin and Libra met the Plegian troops to the north head on. Libra quickly cut down a lancer and moved on to engage a fighter. Robin fought back and forth with an enemy hero. He held a slight advantage because his scythe had a longer range than the hero's silver sword. While they fought, Tharja blasted down a mercenary with her Elthunder tome.

After her target had been killed, Tharja immediately switched to her Nosferatu tome. She aimed the spell at the Plegian hero, who was in a deadlock with Robin and began to chant. Her spell connected, and the hero withdrew his weapon in pain. This gave Robin the opportunity to slash Naglrath across the man's chest, killing him. Tharja let out a seemingly rare smile, but was quickly brought back to reality by Libra's scream.

"Look out!" The war monk cried as he dove in front of a mercenary lunging at Tharja. He was able to deflect the blow so that the Plegian's sword made a cut across his shoulder, but did not damage any of his vitals.

Tharja snarled, and blasted the man to oblivion with more dark magic. "Thanks." she said to the war monk dismissively. "Go get that wound checked out." Libra nodded, and made his way to Lissa and Maribelle.

Meanwhile, Robin held his own against the rest of the Plegians. He could feel the difference in power from his old self as he began to really get warmed up. He slashed his scythe through the air, sometimes going for soldiers within reach, and other times launching blades of dark energy towards enemies that were far away.

Soon, both Panne and Libra were fully healed, and the two sped to Robin's side. With the addition of Tharja, the four began to beat back the Plegians trying to assault them from the rear. The few survivors eventually opted to flee from the battlefield.

Robin withdrew his scythe and took one last look at the retreating figures. "C'mon, now that that's taken care of, we need to go help the others. Libra, and Tharja nodded, while Panne immediately turned around and began to run towards their allies to the south.

Meanwhile…

Sumia was in the air, trying to support Chrom as best as she could. She threw javelins at any Plegian that tried to approach Chrom as he was busy fighting someone else. Often times, she wouldn't hit her target, but it would force them to back away, for fear of being targeted by the throwing spears again.

Just now, she threw one at a spear fighter trying to blindside Chrom. This time, her aim was true and the javelin impaled the Plegian soldier's chest against the ground.

Eventually, the Plegians grew tired of the Pegasus Knight and her javelins. "Someone shoot that one down!" She heard a soldier yell. 'Oh no!' she thought as several spells and arrows flew her way.

She managed to dodge most of them. However, one arrow got past her. Even worse, the arrow hit her pegasus on the joint connecting her wing to her side, causing the wing to snap.

Sumia and her pegasus began to plummet towards the ground.

'This is the end!' Sumia thought to herself. "Sorry Chrom, I was never able to tell you how I truly felt…" she muttered to herself wistfully as she closed her eyes and accepted her impending death.

"Sumia!" she suddenly heard someone near her cry out. She opened her eyes to see Cordelia diving towards her on her own pegasus. "Take my hand!" the other Pegasus Knight called out as she reached out with one arm.

Sumia obliged, and reached for Cordelia's hand with her own. When they grabbed each other, Cordelia suddenly had her pegasus slow her descend, effectively slowing down Sumia's fall.

"Nowi!" Cordelia called. "Here! I'm here!" Sumia heard the draconic voice of the Manakete call out. "I'm gonna let go now, trust us." Cordelia said. She did just that, and allowed her own pegasus to elevate back into the air before he crashed into the ground. Sumia began to fall again, but was caught by the talons of Nowi's dragon form. "I gotchu now!" she said gleefully as she lowered Sumia to the ground.

Sumia reached the ground safely, but unfortunately, the same could not be said for her pegasus. There was a sickening THUD when she hit the ground, that sent chills up the spines of friend and foe alike. Sumia slowly made her way to her fallen mount, despite the carnage happening around her.

"No… Meg…" she whimpered. Nowi reverted back to her human form, but didn't know what to do or say. Shortly after, Cordelia landed besides her. Seeing the corpse of her friend's mount, she pulled Sumia into a hug.

"Don't think about that right now… The important thing is that you're safe." Cordelia told her. "And right now, the shepherds need you."

Sumia wiped away a few stray tears. "You're right! Chrom still needs us!" She reached for her steel lance, which was strapped to her pegasus's side. "Even though Nutmeg is gone, I can still fight!"

With that, Cordelia got back on her own pegasus, and Sumia and Nowi began to run towards Chrom and the others.

With Chrom

Chrom led the armored shepherds through the western flank of the Plegians. He turned his head and saw that the others were going the same to their eastern flank. They kept plowing through the Plegian soldiers as they steadily made their way to King Gangrel.

Finally, Chrom was within reach of the Mad King. "Come, princeling!" Gangrel taunted. "I've sharpened my sword, just for you!"

Chrom charged with his Falchion. "My sister wished for our people to know peace, Gangrel. But as long as you draw breath, it can never come. For Ylisse!"

Gangrel laughed and pointed his jagged sword at the Ylissean prince. "Take this!" he shouted as a bolt of lightning arced from his sword towards Chrom. "What the-" The prince exclaimed in surprise. He raised Falchion, and the bolt redirected itself towards the sword. Chrom swung the sword down towards the ground, and the bolt of lightning fizzled out when it made contact with the earth.

Chrom continued to charge at the Mad King while the shepherds around him fought the king's personal guard. When he got within striking distance of Gangrel, Chrom slashed his sword horizontally towards him. Gangrel blocked with his own sword, sending electricity crackling down both their weapons.

"What is that weapon?" Chrom wondered aloud. "Like it, don't you?" Gangrel asked amidst their deadlock. "How about I give you another demonstration?" At this, Gagrel pushed Chrom back and flipped away from him. Once he got a few meters away, Gangrel aimed his sword at the prince again.

This time, Chrom wasn't quick enough, and the sword's lighting hit him across the chest, knocking the prince back and causing him to fall to one knee.

Gangrel cackled. "Yes! That's the proper position you should be in, kneeling in front of me!" He grinned, pointing his sword at the prince again, preparing to finish his target.

Chrom looked around, and he saw the other shepherds still struggling to deal with the king's elite soldiers. No one seemed capable of helping him this time. He closed his eyes and prepared for the worst.

Suddenly, a purple blur dove in front of the prince. The bolt of lightning got deflected by Robin's scythe and into the ground. "That's a levin sword, Chrom. I'll handle this one."

Gangrel froze when he saw him. "YOU!" he pointed at Robin. "So YOU'RE the one… I knew you and your father were up to no good! You filthy traitors!"

Robin looked at Gangrel with a murderous look in his eyes. "I don't remember ever being associated with you, nor would I wish to. I'm only here to assist in bringing you closer to your death."

"Traitors! Two faced traitors! Now you pretend like you don't even know me! After everything I've done for you…" Gangrel continued hysterically.

"Robin here wasn't betrayed anyone." Tharja said as she sauntered over. "He's lost his memories, you see."

Gangrel's eyes bulged out when he saw her. "YOU! He said as he pointed his finger at her accusingly. "I treated you so well! I honored your request and gave you the position you sought after, and yet you also stab me in the back. Traitors! You all are traitors!"

Tharja merely laughed. "Must I remind you, dear king, that the one I serve is Robin, and not you. I haven't betrayed anyone. I'm only following my duty." Then, seeing the look of disbelief on her former king's face, added "I could never stand how you treated your subjects, but most of all, how you treated Robin. I hope he has a lot of fun slashing you up." she then walked over to Robin and pulled out the knife that all mages kept in the event that an enemy got too close.

"Shall I help you?" she asked him. Robin's eyes widened in realization of what she was offering, but nonetheless nodded.

Tharja leaned close to him and gently drew a line across his right cheek with her knife. The wound slowing began to turn red as blood began to seep out.

Robin felt the effects immediately. He felt his limbs become lighter and his vision improved. He raised his scythe and charged Gangrel.

Gangrel, in a panicked state, desperately launched a bolt of at Robin's face. Robin held up his non dominant arm in the path of the lightning, and the bolt harmlessly fizzled out against his cloak.

Robin closed the distance between them extremely quickly. He whirled his scythe through the air, and Gangrel desperately tried to block Robin's attacks. However, the levin sword proved to be much weaker at a close distance, and he was unable to hold on. After a few strikes, Robin was able to knock the levin sword from Gangrel's grasp. Robin plunged the blade of his weapon into the midsection of the Mad King.

"This… is… for… EMMERYN!" Robin roared. His eyes glowed a furious reddish purple and his expression made any Plegia looking at him freeze in fear.

"F-fools… all of you…" Gangrel got out, even as he felt the life leaving his lips. "Your people do not care for you… Every man lives… and dies… alone…" With that, he fell over, dead.

Robin retracted his weapon. "You're wrong, Gangrel." Robin told the dead body. "We don't live or die alone, because unlike you, we have friends. It is because of these bonds that we share, that we are able to continuously live to fight another day."

"Well said." Chrom said, as he was being tended to by Lissa. "Thank you, Robin. That felt good to watch."

Frederick rode up to the prince. "Milord! Are you ok?" he asked in a hurry. Chrom merely nodded. Frederick breathed out a sigh of relief before continuing. "The remaining Plegian forces are surrendering en masse!"

Chrom nodded with a smile on his face. "Good. Order our forces to cease fighting at once." he fought through the pain, and got back onto his feet.

Moments later, Flavia and Basilio made their way to Chrom as well.

"It's finished." Flavia declared. "Once their messenger delivers our terms, that's it. We've put an end to this bloody business, once and for all!"

Chrom smiled melancholically. "We've won… and yet… I don't feel like celebrating."

Basilio sighed. "Victories can be both bitter and sweet, boy. It's good that you learn that now."

"Regna Ferox lost many soldiers today." Flavia said. "We need to see to our dead, and tend to our living. Then we'll rebuild our army."

"I'm sorry, Flavia." Chrom began. "Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. Ylisse will compensate your nation in any way-"

"Oh?" Flavia interrupted with a smirk on her face. "How about you just hand over the Fire Emblem and we call it even?" Then, seeing the dumbfounded look on Chrom's face, quickly added, "I'm kidding. It's just some Feroxi humor is all."

She patted Chrom on the shoulder. "Worry not about our finances Chrom. Reparations will fall to Plegia, and trust me. I've seen their treasury. They can well afford it."

Basilio nodded gravely. "Yes. Pity the man that stands between Flavia and a full coffer, boy."

Chrom nodded, imitating Basilio's mournful expression. "I'll make sure to remember that when she comes visit Ylisstol."

At this, everyone around began to laugh.

They were interrupted by a loud cry. "Captain!" Chrom, along with Robin, Flavia, Basilio, Lissa and Frederick turned to see Sumia and Cordelia rush over.

"Sumia?" Chrom asked.

"Oh captain! You made it!" Sumia exclaimed. She ran up to him and hugged him.

Flavia gave a cheeky grin. "Ho ho! Now let's give these two lovebirds some room!"

"Su-sumia! You're choking me!" Chrom protested.

"Uh, Flavia? Robin? Everyone? Maybe we should… y'know…" Lissa threw her thumb over the shoulder and looked away.

"Carry on, lovebirds." Was the last thing that was said before Flavia and everyone else left the two alone.

"Hey… how come I only saw Cordelia's pegasus earlier?" Chrom asked once they were alone. At this, tears began to fall down Sumia's face. Chrom's eyes went wide in understanding.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." he told her, finally returning her hug.

"I know I haven't paid you much attention with all that's been going on." he continued. "But it feels really good to know that there's someone that still cares about me."

Chrom sighed. "So many have suffered and died because of my actions. Next to my sister's legacy, I feel I'm already a disappointment…"

"That's not true!" Sumia stopped crying to protest. "Everyone fought so hard for you! Why would we do that for a man we didn't believe in?"

Chrom chuckled. "Thanks Sumia. You always helped me see the brighter side of things."

Sumia smiled. "No, to me, YOU'RE the brightest thing!"

There was an awkward silence between the two of them for a moment.

"Sumia…" Chrom finally broke the silence. "Y-yeah?" came the reply. At this moment, Chrom made a decision that would change both of their lives forever.

"I'm far from a perfect man, and I know you can do better. But whenever you're close...you give me strength. So, what I want to ask is... Will you be my wife?" Chrom finally got out.

Sumia paused for a moment and blinked several times, not believing what she just heard. "YES!" she finally exclaimed. "Yes, yes, oh Naga, YES!"

Chrom smiled. "Oh, thank Naga! I was worried for a second, because… well anyway… this is for you." He pulled his ring off his finger and gave it to Sumia.

"Y-your ring?" Sumia squeaked. "B-but… that bears the Ylissean crest! Chrom! I can't take this!"

Chrom nodded. "Yes you can. My parents had it made to celebrate my birth. They wanted me to give it to the woman I would spend my life with. Take it. Please. And know I will love you until the day I die."

"Capt… Chrom! Thank you… I swear I'll return that love to you a hundredfold!" she exclaimed as she accepted the ring.

Chrom chuckled. "Then I am a fortunate man. I'll need to ask for a bit of patience for the near future. My first duty must be to heal the scars of war and assume my role for the people. But then, we can begin our life together."

"I'll wait as long as it takes!" Sumia exclaimed. "I...I still hardly believe it. This is like a dream. So much pain surrounds us, and yet... I think this is the happiest day of my life."

"I feel the same way." Chrom nodded. "I know together we can bring joy back to the royal palace. I'll do everything I can to make the castle a happy home for us...my love."

"My love…" Sumia agreed. The two embraced each other once again.

Their moment was finally interrupted by Nowi enthusiastically running up to them. "Sumia! Sumia! There's something Cordelia wanted you to see!"

"I guess I should go see it then." Sumia smiled. She stood on her toes and pecked Chrom on the cheek, earning a "D'awwwwww" from the Manakete. Sumia then went off with Nowi. Chrom watched her leave, brushing the cheek he'd been kissed on with his hand. "So you two are together now?" he heard Nowi ask as Sumia enthusiastically nodded. "Wow!" the Manakete continued. "I wonder what it's like to be with someone? I hope I find out soon!"

The two made their way into the Plegian castle and towards the stables. There, Sumia saw Cordelia at work, busily removing the shackles from a pitch black Falicorn.

Cordelia looked up. "Hey Sumia, over here!" she waved them over. "The Plegians told me this pegasus used to belong to someone." she explained. "Katarina, I think they said. Anyways, apparently she was an enemy of Gangrel, so he locked up her pegasus once she died. I thought that maybe we could take her as a replacement for Nutmeg."

Sumia walked up to the animal. "Oh, you poor thing…" The Falicorn responded by affectionately nudging her hand with her head. "Oh, aren't you precious…" Sumia paused, not knowing what to call her.

"Belfire." Cordelia told her "Her name is Belfire". Sumia smiled. "Right. Well, I guess I'm your new rider then, Belfire. Welcome to the team." The Falicorn happily neighed in agreement.

Meanwhile, near the Plegian castle, on top of a small cliff

Marth looked on as the shepherds, under the command of Robin, beat back the Mad King Gangrel's forces. She never really got the opportunity to observe Robin's strategies in the past, so she was blown away by the efficiency and intelligence of his plans. It was far better than anything that she could've come up with. Had it been him leading her forces, maybe things would've turned out better, she mused.

She also looked on after the battle, because she knew this was when Chrom proposed to Sumia. She sighed as she appreciated the moment.

She took a deep breath, and smiled as she felt the cool, crisp, spring breeze on her face.

Some time in the distant future…

Little Lucina rubbed her face with her hands. She had been studying arithmetic with Mister Robin all morning. Even though it was a time that she enjoyed, she could only take so much hard labor of the brain before needing some rest.

"Can we take a break?" she asked him. "I'm tired."

Robin smiled. "Actually, I was thinking we stop here for today. You've been working hard for the past few hours after all. We've made quite some progress!" Those words were music to Lucina's ears.

"Does this mean we can go play now?" Lucina asked him hopefully.

"Well, I actually planned for us to go on a trip today." Robin said with a smile on his face. "I packed us a lunch!" he held up a basket, which the little girl presumed to be full of food.

"Oh yay! I love mister Robin's food!" Lucina giggled as she clapped her hands happily. "Mister Robin's food is so yummy! It's even better than mommy's!"

Robin held up a finger to her in warning. "Remember, don't ever let your mother hear you say that. She'll feel bad."

"O...ok." Lucina conceded. "Where are we going today?"

Robin smiled. "I know of a place. It's on a hill, under a large tree. The weather's so nice today too, I thought it'd be nice for us to go on a picnic!"

"Picnic?" Lucina asked, feeling quite skeptical about how fun such a trip could be. Robin seemed to sense this. He patted her on the head. "Don't worry, Lucina. I know it will be a lot of fun."

Lucina wasn't so sure. "Really? Promise?" she asked him. "Promise." he replied.

"Pinky promise?" she asked again, sticking out her hand. Robin smiled, and wrapped his pinkie around Lucina's. "Pinky promise."

Lucina finally felt satisfied. "Okay Mr. Robin, let's go!"

Robin picked up his picnic basket in one hand, and held Lucina's in his other. They left her room.

"W...wait, where are we going? The exit is that way!" Lucina protested, turning around and pointing in the other direction.

Robin leaned down, as if telling her a secret. He whispered to her, "We're going this way because we need to go to the stables."

Lucina, feeling like Robin was confiding something super secret to her, whispered back. "Why are we going there?"

"Because we're going on horseback to the place I told you about." Robin whispered back,

Lucina gasped in delight. "We're going to ride a horsie?" she asked. "Mommy and daddy never let me do that!" This was also true, but what Lucina didn't know was that Robin already received the OK from her parents. But to her, it felt like Robin was letting her do something her parents forbid.

The two made their way to the stables and got a cart with a horse. There were already some things in the cart, such as a blanket and a book. Lucina could tell that Robin had clearly thought this through, which made her feel happy.

Robin placed the picnic basket into their cart. He picked the princess up and placed her on the horse's saddle. Then he got onto the horse himself.

They began to ride away from the castle. At first, the horse just walked slowly, and Lucina basked in the joy of simply being on a horse. She alternated between looking at the scenery, patting the horse's skin, and stroking the horse's mane. The weather was indeed nice. It was sunny, but not hot. When the frequent breeze blew across them, they felt slightly chilly.

After awhile, Lucina began to feel a little bit bored. "Can we go faster, mister Robin?" she asked politely.

Robin smiled. "Sure." He urged the horse to begin to trot. Lucina began to giggle. He enjoyed watching everything pass by quickly, and reached out her hand to feel the breeze. "Faster, mister Robin, faster!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Alright, but only one more time…" Robin continued. He urged the horse to begin to canter. The wind blew in Lucina's face. Her hair flew backwards into the air. She breathed it all in, feeling the crisp, spring air and enjoying it immensely.

Eventually they reached their destination. Robin tied the horse and cart to a tree at the base of a large hill, and the two began to make their way up the trail to the top of the hill. Lucina giggled and ran up ahead energetically, with Robin slowly following her. She would repeatedly turn back and wave at him, urging him to move faster. Once they reached the top, Robin spread out the picnic blanket and set the basket down underneath the shade of a large tree.

Robin fished out two sandwiches from the basket and handed one to Lucina, who happily accepted it and began munching away on it.

After they ate, Robin read more of 'The Waltz of the Three Kingdoms' to her. He leaned against the tree, and Lucina sat in his lap. Whenever she didn't understand something, she spoke up and Robin happily explained it to her.

After a while, Robin stopped to retrieve some more snacks from his basket. When they were done eating, They played and rolled around the hill, with both of them working up a sweat. However, the weather and breeze was so nice that they couldn't even really feel it.

When they were done, they took a nap under the tree, with Robin leaning against the trunk, and Lucina laying her head down in his lap. When it began to get late, Robin gently woke the sleeping princess, and packed everything back up.

Robin made his way down the hill, balancing everything in one hand while the other supported the still groggy princess on his shoulders. Once they reached the bottom, Robin allowed Lucina to rest in the cart while he fed the horse.

They made their way back to the castle, and Lucina only vaguely remembered being given a bath by her mother before being brought to bed. However, the details of the day were so memorable that she remembered everything vividly. To her, it almost felt like it was the best day of her life.

Olivia: HP: 70% Str: 40% Mag: 25% Skl: 75% Spd: 75% Lck: 60% Def: 25% Res: 30%

Age: 17

Class: Dancer

Chrom: Class Change: Great Lord

Robin: Class Change: Necromancer (Scythes, Tomes, Staves-(restrictions apply))

Sumia: Class Change (hinted): Dark Flier