Author's Notes:
When I first began this story, I wrote the summary in one go. The one that's been posted was a first draft, actually. However, now I've realized that the summary probably isn't very good. I'll work to try and change it in the near future.
In the meantime, here is chapter 26:
Some time in the distant future…
A teenaged Lucina was woken up by a very panicked Cynthia.
"Big sister!" the younger girl cried as she barged into her room. "Wake up!"
"W-what's wrong?" Lucina asked in alarm. "Calm down!"
"It's the Risen!" Cynthia exclaimed. "They're invading the castle! Mother told me to wake everyone up!"
"Right!" Lucina got up from her bed and reached for her Falchion. "We have to fight them back!"
"W-we can't!" Cynthia cried, tears brimming in her eyes. "They took our lookouts by surprise! They're just like those incredibly smart Risen we encountered the other day! Most of them are already dead by now! Almost none of the civilians or militia survived."
"W-what!?" Lucina stammered. "Why only them?"
"Your room is one of the furthest away from where they broke in." Cynthia explained, sniffing. "They haven't had the time to reach this hallway yet. I've already woken up everyone else. We need to make it to the library! Everyone is waiting for us!"
"Right." Lucina nodded. The library was were there was a secret tunnel leading out of the castle. The group had been making plans to take it and leave for Mount Prism in the next couple of days, but it seems like a tragic turn of events will cause the need for them to accelerate their plans.
The pair of sisters ran out of the room and towards the library. They tried to avoid any of the major paths through the castle, and managed to get by with only running into two of the Risen. The sisters were able to catch them by surprise, and despite their alarming skill for an undead soldier, Lucina and Cynthia were able to come out on top without so much as a scratch.
Once they reached the library, they were greeted by the rest of Lucina's friends, as well as her mother and uncle Lon'qu. It was a little awkward to see Gerome's Wyvern, as well as Cynthia and Sumia's pegasi in the library, but it was dire times, after all.
"There you two are!" Sumia exclaimed, quite relieved. "We have to hurry! The Risen will be here soon!"
"This is all the people we have left?" Lucina asked in surprise.
Iniga nodded. "Everyone else died, trying to fight the Risen. We only made it here safely because Yarne and Gerome managed to cause one of the halls to cave in. The only thing preventing them from following us is the rubble blocking them, and I doubt it will hold them for long. They'll either find a way around, and clear through the rubble in a few minutes."
"There's no time to waste then." Lucina stepped forward.
She activated a secret switch embedded in one of the book cases. Two of the seemingly normal shelves located at the back wall of the library moved to the side, revealing a large opening and a staircase leading downwards, into a dark tunnel.
"Your mounts will need to keep their wings tucked in while we're down there, but they should be able to fit." Lucina told the fliers of their group. "Hurry!"
Lucina began to direct everyone into the tunnel. Laurent led the way, with a torch held up, lighting the dark tunnel for everyone behind him.
Soon, the only three left that were still in the library were Lucina, her cousin Owain, and her uncle Lon'qu.
"All right, everyone's safely departed." Lucina said. "Let's go as well."
"No." Lon'qu stated. "I'm staying."
"What!?" Owain roared. "Dad, no! You can't! They'll kill you!"
"If someone doesn't stay back and block the entrance, the Risen will find it and follow us." Lon'qu retorted. "These ones are smart. They can not only smell us, but they can also pick locks, formulate battle plans, and launch sneak attacks! Finding a secret entrance will not be difficult for them!"
"We can close it using the switch on the inside!" Lucina protested. "Please, uncle, come with us!"
Lon'qu shook his head. "It won't be enough. I'll stay back and knock over some bookshelves in order to block the way. Even then, it won't be guaranteed to stop them. It would only buy you a little time."
"No dad!" Owain protested. "This is madness! We NEED you! We need you to protect us!"
"No you don't." Lon'qu walked up next to him and placed a hand on the back of his son's head. He brought his own forward, so that their foreheads were touching. "You are strong now. I've taught you everything I know about the blade. You can be the protector of your friends in my place. And remember, your friends are strong too. Whatever you do or wherever you go, Owain, know that I am proud of you. I'm proud to have been your father. Now GO!" he ordered, as he pushed his son away.
Owain looked like he wanted to say something back. There were tears in his eyes. But he knew when his father was dead serious, and this was definitely one of those times. Owain gave his father one last nod. "I'll make you proud, dad. I promise you." He then turned around, and heading down the tunnel himself.
"Must you stay?" Lucina asked one last time, after Owain had left.
"Yes, Lucina." Lon'qu told her softly. "I've looked forward to this day for a long time now. The day where I can finally rejoin your aunt. Do not mourn my death. I should have died a long time ago. Had I not been sick that day… I would've met the same fate as Chrom, Robin and… and Lissa." Lucina could see tears begin to well up in the unshakable swordmaster's eyes.
Lucina felt a pang in her own heart as she remembered that same day. The last day she had seen her father, and the last day she had seen Robin. That fateful day in history several years ago would be forever ingrained within the heads of her and her friends.
"All right then." Lucina said. "If you've already made up your decision, then I won't try to stop you anymore."
"Your mother and I were talking the other day." Lon'qu nodded. "She may be the reigning exalt, but she told me herself that she lacks the necessary leadership skills. You, on the other hand, are a splitting image of your father. You have his strengths, and especially his ability to lead. I know of Naga's plan, and I know that with you at the helm, this group of youngsters will be more than enough to change the past… for the better."
Lon'qu sighed. "I told Owain something similar, and I would like to say the same thing for you, in place of some of my departed friends. If Chrom saw what a wonderful leader and what a wonderful woman you've become, he would be overcome with joy. The same thing could be said for Robin. Wherever they are right now, know that they're looking down at you with great smiles across their faces. They are, and always will be, proud of you."
Lucina began to felt tears begin to roll down the side of her own cheek. "Thank you… uncle Lon'qu." she murmured.
"Go now." Lon'qu nudged her on the back. "You have your people to lead, and a past to save."
Lucina nodded one last time, and gave Lon'qu a forced smile. "Take down as many as you can."
Lon'qu gave her the last genuine smile of his life, and the first one since he had found out about his wife's death. "You don't have to tell me twice."
Lucina went down into the tunnels herself. Once inside, she hit the lever that caused the entrance to close up.
When the secret tunnel had been covered once again, Lon'qu walked around to some of the other bookcases. He slammed his body into one, forcing it to get knocked over, covering where the entrance would be. Books spilled off the shelves, and made the shelf for the secret tunnel all but inaccessible.
He managed to finish just as the Risen began to pour into the library.
Lon'qu turned to face them, and slowly drew his killing edge.
"Wait for me just a little longer, Lissa…" Lon'qu murmured to himself. "I'll be joining you soon."
He roared, as he charged the Risen that were about to swarm him.
Meanwhile…
Lucina finally exited the tunnel at the other end. The moon was still high in the sky, and was the only source of light aside from Laurent's torch.
"We have to make haste for Mount Prism!" Lucina told everyone seriously.
"Where's uncle Lon'qu?" Cynthia asked, not noticing the sad expression of her cousin.
"He's… he elected to stay behind, and cover our retreat." Lucina explained. Everyone's faces fell.
"That's why… that's why we MUST make it to Mount Prism!" We HAVE to follow Naga's plan, and we MUST succeed." Lucina said with conviction. "That's the only way we can honor the sacrifices of those who died so that we could have this opportunity. So let's hurry, for the Risen will catch up to us in no time. We have a past to save!"
She was answered with a chorus of affirmations. The young shepherds, as well as Sumia, ran off into the night, in the direction of Mount Prism.
They didn't get very far before a group of Risen jumped out at them from the shadows, in the form of a sneak attack.
A Risen fighter leapt at Lucina with its axe raised high. Lucina's eyes bulged, as she hastily reached for her Falchion. Deep down, though, she realized that she won't have the weapon ready in time to block the blow.
The "Present", under the Mila Tree…
Lucina sat up from her bedroll as soon as she awoke. Even though she knew exactly how things turned out due to it being one of her memories, she still felt the feelings of fear and panic as if she didn't know the outcome. It was precisely these unwelcome feelings that immediately aroused her from her peaceful slumber. She was panting, and her heart was pounding. She covered her head with her hands.
"It's another one of those lucid dreams…" Lucina murmured to herself. "Or perhaps, should I say memories?"
She sighed as she let herself lay back down on her bedroll. This feeling of waking up in the middle of the night due to nightmares was something she had grown accustomed to in the past couple of years. However, it didn't make it any easier for her to be able to fall back asleep once she had woken up.
"It's still too early…" Lucina told herself. "The sun hasn't even risen yet. But by the time I fall asleep again, it might be time to get back up."
"What to do? What to do?" She sighed in frustration at her own dilemma. "Today's the day we march to Fort Steiger too… I have to be ready to participate in the battle…"
Eventually, she decided that she won't be able to fall asleep again. She got dressed, and walked outside in order to clear her head a bit.
The first thing she noticed when she went out was that it was dark. This was nothing out of the ordinary, because the sun was not out yet.
The second thing she noticed was the flickering light from a campfire nearby.
"Who is outside at this time of the night?" Lucina asked herself. With nothing better to do, she began to approach the fire.
As she drew closer, she saw the familiar figure of Robin sitting near the fire, with an open book in his hands.
"R-robin?" she whispered as she approached the man.
Robin looked up at her from his book. "Oh? Lucina?" he asked. "What are you doing this early in the morning."
"I… uh… I couldn't sleep." she mumbled. "Nightmares…"
"Ahh." Robin nodded in understanding. "You did mention that you had that type of problem."
"W-what about you?" Lucina asked. "Are you having bad dreams too? Is that why you're out here?"
Robin chuckled. "No, I'm done sleeping for the night."
"What?" Lucina asked in surprise. "You haven't even slept for that long!"
Robin shrugged. "I've never needed that much sleep. Sure, it doesn't hurt, and it feels good to sleep in on occasion, but in reality, I can fully function on half the amount of sleep a regular person needs."
He shook his head. "I wasn't able to sleep very well last night, up in the Mila Tree, which was why I slept like a log as soon as we came back down. However, it did mean I began to sleep far earlier than what I'm accustomed to, which is why I got up so early this morning." he finished explaining. "It's actually really convenient, because it feels like I have more time in a day. It's very useful, since I seem to have around eighteen years of catching up to do."
"Wow…" Lucina breathed. "I… didn't know that about you…"
'No wonder he always had so much time on his hands!' Lucina thought to herself. 'I didn't want to believe that he was shirking his work for the halidom just to spend time with me, but he probably was doing most of it while everyone else was still asleep!'
Robin chuckled. "You may have come from the future, but there's no reason for you to know that many details about each and everyone of us, right?"
"Y-yeah, I guess you're right." Lucina murmured. 'Although, it's not like I know that much about the rest of the shepherds, I just know a lot more about YOU.' she thought to herself.
"H-hey, um…" Lucina began nervously when Robin returned to reading his book.
"Yes?" Robin asked.
"Since… y'know, no one is up yet… do you mind…" Lucina mumbled. "I mean, would it be OK if I sat with you until then?"
Robin looked at her for a moment and snorted. "Well, I guess so, although I couldn't see why it would be a good use of your time."
Lucina happily made her way over to him. "It's not that." she explained. "Just spending time with… with someone is rewarding enough itself."
Robin shrugged. "I mean, I guess you've been living by yourself for the past two years or so, so I guess it would make sense for you to seek the presence of others."
"Y-yeah…" Lucina said, going along with Robin's reasoning.
She turned her attention to the book Robin was reading. "Is… that what I think it is?"
"Yes, if you recognized it was The Waltz of the Three Kingdoms." Robin replied. "Once in a while, I like to relax from my studies by reading some works of fiction."
"Then… do you mind reading it aloud?" Lucina requested. "So I can listen to it as well?"
"You're definitely related to Lissa." Robin chuckled, and Lucina frowned, not knowing what he meant by that. "Although… I thought you've already read it?"
"There was an adult… my personal teacher that read it to me in the past." Lucina told him, purposely omitting any mention of Robin in her story. "We were able to get through most of it, but he stopped reading it to me once he…" 'died' she wanted to say, but didn't. "Once he stopped working for us at the castle."
"Wow." Robin nodded. "And were you young at the time?"
Lucina nodded. "Mhm. I was probably six or seven when he first started reading it to me."
"Well whoever it was, he must have really respected your intelligence to start reading this book to you at such a young age." Robin mused out loud, causing Lucina to begin to have a slight blush. "Wait a minute…" he leaned closer to Lucina's face, making the princess fidget nervously. "Could this person be the one you talked about before? The one you had a crush on?"
Lucina's eyes went wide, and her blush deepened, but she didn't deny it. Thankfully for her, it was still dark outside, and the fire wasn't enough to fully illuminate the pink on her cheeks for Robin to see.
"All right, all right." Robin chuckled. "I'll stop teasing you for now. As for your request, I'll be happy to read to you, but I can't promise it'll be exactly where you left off before."
"That's fine!" Lucina hurriedly said. "I know most of the story after all, I'm sure I won't mind listening to some parts again, or even if a portion of it is skipped."
Robin began to read out loud. As he was still in proximity to some of the other tents, he made sure he wasn't talking too loud, and his voice was barely above that of a whisper.
The passage that Robin began to read from was indeed one that Lucina had recognized. Lucina smiled and leaned in closer so she could hear him better. Eventually, she opted to rest her head on the tactician's shoulder, as it was the most comfortable position that allowed her to hear him clearly as well.
For a couple of hours, they sat in front of the fire blissfully, as Robin read to Lucina. Once the fire began to die down a little, Robin would absentmindedly throw another log or two into the fire pit, but would otherwise not stop his reading.
For Robin, he was able to continue his reading, and reading aloud wasn't too much of a pain for him. However, for Lucina, she was able to spend some precious time with Robin and evoke some of her nostalgic feelings from her childhood.
Soon, the sun began to rise. As it did, Robin stopped reading in order to admire it. Lucina also did the same.
'It's really nice to be able to share yet another sunrise with Robin…' she thought to herself. 'This feeling of being alone with him… I don't think I'll ever be able to get enough of it.'
Pretty soon, the rest of the shepherds began to stir from within their tents. Robin closed the book.
"All right, that's a pretty good amount of reading we got done today." he smiled at Lucina. "The rest of the shepherds will be waking up soon, so we should get a head start on packing everything up."
"Oh, all right." Lucina replied as she reluctantly lifted her head off Robin's shoulders and got up to go towards her own tent.
Robin did the same and walked back to his own tent. Once he was sure there was no one within earshot, he let out a sigh of exasperation. "It seems that Naga really wants to mess with me." he muttered to himself. "How am I supposed to move on when she acts like that around me?" He shook his head and walked inside his tent.
Later, in the command tent…
"The rest of our soldiers are aware of the plan." Flavia told Chrom and the rest of the shepherds. "The shepherds, and a third of our troops will lead a charge on Fort Steiger tonight, while the rest of our soldiers will feint towards the north and south."
Chrom nodded. "Is everyone ready then? We should start marching soon then."
"I agree." Robin said. "Even though it's not that far away, some of the terrain makes it so we will advance a little more slowly than usual."
"Allow me to inform the others then, milord." Frederick bowed. The Great Knight left to go notify the rest of the shepherds.
"I'm lookin' forward to kicking some Valmese arses tonight!" Basilio laughed.
"Aye, sir." Say'ri nodded. " 'Twould be a pleasant feeling indeed. I took the liberty of informing some of my other friends from the Resistance. They should be able to get to Fort Steiger at around the same time as us, and help us in taking down this third Valmese Division."
Robin smiled. "That's some pleasant news."
Tiki also nodded. She didn't have very much to contribute, but the rest of them still felt that she deserved to know what was going on. "I shall do my best to help ensure our victory as well." she told the rest of the command tent.
Soon, the soldiers and the shepherds were mobilized and began to march.
Robin stayed towards the middle of the shepherds, and was having a conversation with Gaius, Nowi, Anna and Ricken.
"Hey, have you guys seen Olivia and Henry recently?" Nowi asked innocently. "And how they seem pretty lovey dovey with one another?"
"Really?" Ricken asked. "I haven't really noticed. Have they gotten together?"
"No, of course not!" The young Manakete giggled. "But if you look at what they've been doing together recently, it's clear they've got a thing for each other!"
"Babe and Junior?" Gaius stroked his chin as if thinking about it. "What an unexpected couple, right?"
"Right!" Nowi agreed. "They're so cute together. Olivia clearly has a crush on him, but doesn't know how to tell him. And so, she attempts to spend time with him by using 'teaching him how to express emotions' as an excuse. And Henry, even though he clearly doesn't care about the lessons, goes along with them just so he can spend time with Olivia!"
"You're quite the gossiper, aren't you, Nowi?" Robin chuckled.
Nowi placed her hands behind her back and leaned to her side. "Maaaaybe." she replied innocently.
"Although… it is pretty strange…" Robin muttered.
"What is?" Anna asked curiously.
"Well, those two haven't known each other for a long time, and yet they seem to have developed strong feelings for each other." Robin explained. "Isn't that strange?"
"Hmm…" Anna placed an index finger on her lips and looked up, as if in thought. "Yeah, now that you mention it, it is progressing a little fast, isn't it?"
'Although… I really shouldn't criticize them for that.' Both Robin and Anna were thinking at the same time. 'After all, you haven't known your crush for all that long either…'
Gaius was counting on his fingers about something. "So… if Babe and Junior end up together, then the only female shepherd that's left single would be…" his eyes drifted towards Anna. "Red."
"Yeah! Anna would be the only one left!" Nowi exclaimed excitedly. "Who do you want to end up with?" she immediately asked her, as if leading her on.
Anna giggled. "Well…" she grabbed one of Robin's arm. "Of course, there's no one I'd rather be with than this guy!"
Gaius, Ricken and Robin were all taken aback by her action.
"My, my… have you been secretly seeing Red on the side, Bubbles?" Gaius asked.
"N-no!" Robin quickly denied, with a hint of pink across his cheeks.
Seeing Robin's reaction, Anna and Nowi burst out laughing.
"Oh, it's so rare to see Robin get so flustered!" Nowi giggled. "He usually seems so stoic all the time!"
"Kidding, I was only kidding, Robin." Anna let go of his arm and tapped him on the shoulder. Even though she told Robin this, in her mind, she knew that she DID really mean it. However, deceiving someone with the truth can also be quite effective.
"Seriously." Ricken said. "Just because she's the only female shepherd that's single doesn't mean she needs to get with another shepherd. There are more people in the world, you know. And besides… what about Lucina? She's single too!"
Robin flinched at that statement.
"Oh ho!" Gaius draped an arm across the shorter boy's shoulders. "Shortstuff's fancying a chance with ol' Blue's daughter now, is he?"
Nowi giggled and went along with it. "Yeah! I bet he is! How would Chrom react, I wonder? Would probably kick him out of the shepherds like he almost did with Lon'qu!"
She and Gaius burst out laughing, much to the chagrin of the beet red Ricken. Even Anna began to chuckle a little bit.
"That's not what I meant!" Ricken protested.
Robin took a moment to look around at the other groups, and found that many of the other shepherds were also conversing as they marched in groups. They all seemed to have a joyous expression across their faces.
'It's nice that morale seems to be quite high.' Robin thought to himself. 'Even though we could very well be marching off towards our deaths today.'
He didn't notice the jealous and frustrated look that Lucina had across her face. She was marching in front of them, next to her parents, but she had been keeping an eye on Robin. Although she couldn't hear what they were talking about, she had clearly seen Anna grab onto Robin's arm.
Lucina sighed. She wanted to do something, but she simply felt too tired at the moment. Hopefully, it wouldn't affect her fighting ability later tonight.
Later that evening…
The sun had just set. The shepherds inched towards Fort Steiger, after taking a break a short distance away.
"Remember to follow the plan." Robin whispered to the rest of the shepherds. "Split into three groups and attack the fort from its three front entrances. The shepherds will lead the charge, and Flavia and Basilio will guard our backs with the rest of the soldiers. A big portion of our advantage comes from surprise. Remember to strike hard, and strike fast.
The shepherds split into three groups as instructed.
Chrom lead the group to the north, including Say'ri, Sumia, Lissa, Tiki, Lon'qu, Vaike, Miriel, Virion and Cherche.
The southern group was lead by Frederick, and included Donnel, Maribelle, Nowi, Gregor, Kellam, Panne, and Ricken.
This left the middle group, which was lead by Robin and was comprised of Lucina, Anna, Libra, Tharja, Sully, Stahl, Olivia, Henry, Gaius, and Cordelia.
"If there's any issues, you can contact me through the Hekseer." Robin told the other two groups before they separated. "We'll meet all of you in the throne room when this battle is over."
With that, the three groups left for the three different entrances to Fort Steiger. They kept a low profile as they approached the fort. Robin's group crouched behind some shrubbery near their entrance. There were two guards patrolling the area near the front gate.
"Gaius." Robin whispered.
"What do you need, Bubbles?" the assassin immediately responded.
"What are the chances that you could approach and take out the two guards without alerting everyone inside the fort?" Robin asked him.
Gaius smirked. "One hundred percent, Bubbles."
"That's what we like to hear." Robin nodded. "Go."
Gaius flipped out one of his assassin's daggers and smiled. "On it." He approached the front gate quietly through the shadowy areas as the rest of Robin's group watched him. Olivia bit her lip from nervousness.
Eventually, Gaius got close enough to his first victim. He made his way to the Valmese soldier's back side. The unfortunate guard was just letting out a yawn, and was completely caught off guard. Gaius forcefully covered the guard's mouth with his left hand while he aggressively slashed his dagger across the Valmese's neck. The Valmese guard didn't get to make a single sound as his life left him. Gaius slowly brought the soldier to the ground, so that there was no sound as the body touched the ground.
"Wow…" Olivia murmured in admiration, which was something that Robin noticed.
Suddenly, Stahl's horse made a loud whinny, which made the Viridian Knight's face go pale. Sully also gave her husband a murderous look.
This noise was heard by the remaining guard at the front gate.
"Who's there?" the guard asked, brandishing his lance. "You stay here, I'll go investigate the noise."
As the remaining guard said this, he turned to his left, and expected to see his partner. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of Gaius.
The assassin smiled as he grabbed the guard's face around his mouth with his left hand and slammed him into the side of the fort. The guard let out a muffled cry of protest before Gaius stabbed the man through the neck with his dagger in a reverse grip. The guard let out a sound of pain as his eyes bulged even more. Gaius swung his right arm out to the side, completely severing the guard's throat, killing him. Once again, he slowly let the body reach the ground, as to not make any extra noise.
Gaius turned towards the direction of Robin and made a gesture that meant 'forward'.
Robin nodded. "All right, let's enter the fort. Remember to cover each other's backs."
Robin's groups moved out from the shrubbery and towards the fort as quietly as possible.
As the shepherds entered the fort, they were greeted by an enemy Hero and Valkyrie.
"Who-" The Hero began, but Sully and Stahl charged in and disposed of him before he could lift his weapon.
The Valkyrie managed to lift her Bolganone tome, and raised her hand to cast a spell. However, she was interrupted by Olivia, who dashed and tumbled close enough to the Valmese to slash her sword across the book, disrupting the Valkyrie's channel. This gave Cordelia the opportunity to fly in and impale the Valkyrie with her lance.
Hearing a commotion, a Valmese Sniper and War Monk rounded the corner. However, they were not expecting to be targeted immediately.
Tharja and Henry respectively threw a Nosferatu and Ruin spell at the Sniper, killing their target instantly. Meanwhile, Anna cast a bolt of lightning on the War Monk with her Levin sword. Robin also brought out his newly acquired Thoron tome, and sent a bolt of pure electrical energy surging towards the War Monk. The cast was somewhat clumsy and unrefined, but he was still able to produce the spell. The War Monk, being much more resilient to magical attacks, didn't die, but was instead brought to one knee. He opened his mouth to yell for help, but Gaius quickly ended him with a shot from his killer bow.
"Nya ha! Not bad, not bad!" Henry remarked. "As expected of you, Robin! It could use some work, but you at least were able to cast Thoron."
Robin smiled and nodded in acknowledgement.
Suddenly, they heard some loud commotion from both their left and their right sides.
"Chrom and Frederick's groups must have started engaging the Valmese." Robin told his own group. "They haven't taken notice of us yet, so we may be able to fight our way straight to the throne room."
Everyone nodded, and they began to head further into the halls of Fort Steiger.
Throne room, Fort Steiger…
A beautiful Valkyrie with long, blonde hair sat upon the throne, listening to the reports from her soldiers that were stationed at the northern and southern entrances.
"Overall, there seem to only be around ten invaders." the soldier finished reporting.
"Ten?" the woman asked. "That's it?"
"Yes, General Pheros." The soldier replied.
"That means they've only assaulted us with around twenty people." The Valkyrie mused to herself. "Hmph… such arrogance. They truly mean to assault Fort Steiger with such meager numbers? Perhaps they thought a woman's garrison would be a softer target."
Pheros smirked. "By the time we're done with them, they're going to wish they'd challenged Yen'fay instead."
She turned to the guards in the room. "You may go now. Inform everyone to get into their battle formations."
The soldiers within the room saluted her, and, aside from a few of her personal guards, all left the room to fight off the invaders.
"Interesting…" Pheros murmured to herself. "I've no news from the central entrance as of yet… could it be that they didn't send anyone that way?" she shook her head. "Perhaps they thought it would be the most defended entrance. In any case, whoever is calling the shots in their group must be a fool."
With Frederick…
The Great Knight led his group in a fight against a group of Valmese. They had to fight in a narrow corridor, and an enemy Valkyrie was able to hit Donnel with a Rexcalibur spell, so when they finally fought off the Valmese, they paused to let Maribelle tend to her fiance's wounds.
Once they resumed moving, they turned right, only to see that there were many Valmese bodies scattered throughout the halls.
"Robin's group must have already gone through here." Frederick told his group. "Let's move forward, on the double, and go lend them a hand."
They charged forward, and entered a larger room at the end of the hall. They saw Robin's group already fighting the Valmese stationed there.
"Forward!" Frederick ordered, and his group hastily endeavored to join the fray.
"More of them?!" A Valmese Sniper wondered aloud as he turned towards the newcomers. "Someone, inform General- ACK!" he was interrupted by a well timed shot of Gaius's bow, catching the footsoldier off guard.
"How was your side?" Robin asked Frederick as the two groups joined together.
"We got slightly delayed." Frederick responded. "However, the Valmese are dead, and we suffered no casualties."
"Good." Robin nodded. "Now let's focus on the current fight, and wipe out the rest of them."
Frederick raised his lance in agreement, and charged to the front lines.
Robin turned to observe the rest of the fighters.
Sully and Stahl were, once again, working together with impeccable teamwork, quickly disposing of the Valmese soldiers that challenged them.
Nowi was in dragon form, breathing her magical bolts of energy at the Valmese backline, helping to cover for Gregor as he rushed forward with his sword in hand.
Olivia was weaving her way through the Valmese soldiers, avoiding any of the stronger soldiers. Instead, she targeted the ones without too many defenses, namely the archers, and quickly slashed them apart.
Henry and Tharja were linking their dark magic together, dismantling the front line soldiers of the Valmese one by one. Just by looking at them work together, Robin could tell they've had an extremely long record of working together.
Then he turned to Lucina. She was leading an enemy Hero around by the nose, completely in control of the fight. Her opponent kept trying to land a blow on her, but Lucina just kept avoiding everything. In contrast, the enemy Hero had several cuts and slash marks across his body and armor. It wasn't long before the Hero became too exhausted to continue, and Lucina slashed her opponent across the neck, killing him.
'She really seems like a different person on the battlefield.' Robin noticed. 'She's much more confident, but when we're off the battlefield, she, for some reason, turns into a nervous wreck. I wonder why that is.' he shook his head. "There's time for that later." he muttered to himself. "Focus, Robin. Focus."
Suddenly, a Valmese Hero charged at Olivia. Her eyes went wide as the soldier caught her off guard. He swung his axe around, and although Olivia moved her body out of the way in time, her killing edge wasn't so lucky. The strike snapped her sword in half, and knocked her down.
The Hero stood victoriously over the cowering Olivia. He raised his axe high in the air.
"Eeep!" Olivia panicked, as she covered her face with the back of her arms.
Suddenly, the Hero let out a cry of pain. Olivia looked up to see two magical wounds through the Valmese Hero's chest. One was a strange colored burn in the shape of an 'X' that could only be the work of dark magic, while the other was a bolt of electrical energy protruding from the Hero's midsection.
Olivia turned around to see both Henry and Robin with their arms raised. They had clearly been the ones to cast the spells that saved her life.
She hurriedly picked herself up, and ran back towards the shepherds.
As soon as she reached them, Henry captured the pinkette in a hug. "Hey, don't worry! The rest of us gotchu covered!"
Robin nodded. "Since your weapon snapped, you can remain towards the back for the remainder of the battle. Just focus on staying safe."
Olivia bit her lip and nodded. "S-sorry…" she apologized.
With Chrom…
Chrom's group was having little trouble getting through the Valmese soldiers. After all, they had Tiki with them. The older Manakete seemed way more comfortable with her abilities than Nowi, and clearly had battle experience from the past. One blast from The Voice was able to send the orderly formation of the Valmese guards into disarray. Chrom and the rest of the shepherds simply moved to pick off the stragglers.
They fought past the initial group of guards and entered into an extremely wide and extremely long corridor.
Chrom could see the Valmese located on the other side of the corridor as they began to charge his group.
Tiki, along with Sumia, Miriel and Virion, attempted to repel the attacks from a distance, and Chrom engaged anyone that got close, along with Say'ri, Lon'qu, Vaike and Cherche.
Chrom noticed an enemy Sniper taking aim at Cherche. He was about to charge the Valmese, but Vaike responded quicker.
"Looks like Teach just got tenure!" Vaike exclaimed as he brought his killer axe down on the poor Valmese Sniper. Cherche noticed, and smiled in gratitude.
However, this caused Vaike to be slightly overextended. A blast of fire from a Bolganone spell materialized where he was standing just a moment ago. Vaike quickly tried dodging backwards, but his arm got caught in the fiery spell.
"Damn!" Vaike muttered as he looked at the burn marks on his arm. He began to run back towards the rest of his group.
"Vaike!" Lissa exclaimed as she rushed towards him with her staff. "Quick! Let me take care of it!"
Vaike laughed. "So you DO care about ol' Teach!"
"Quiet, you!" Lissa pouted as she hit Vaike over the head gently with her staff. "Or maybe I'll just ACCIDENTALLY make a mistake while healing your wound."
"All right, all right." Vaike raised his arms in defeat. "Mouth is shut. Just do your thing."
"Hmph!" Lissa raised her head in satisfaction and began to heal Vaike's burn wounds.
While this was going on, Chrom and the rest of their group had taken care of the rest of the Valmese in the corridor.
"Do you hear that?" Chrom asked suddenly. "There seems to be movements from below."
"Aye sir." Say'ri agreed. "It may be reinforcements. We must be careful."
The shepherds in their group slowly made their way forward, until they reached four staircases that lead downwards, possibly into a basement for underground tunnels.
Suddenly, soldiers began to file out from underground. They didn't seem to be wearing the armor of the Valmese though. In fact, many of them didn't even have matching armor at all.
"Our comrades!" Say'ri exclaimed upon recognizing them. Suddenly, realization hit her. "But… how?"
"The Resistance has already infiltrated the castle?" Chrom asked, equally confused.
"Nay! Impossible!" Say'ri exclaimed. "Something is amiss…"
Suddenly, a short, round sage warped in between the two parties.
"Ooh!" the sage exclaimed. "It seems I'm just in time for the Rebellion reunion! Please remember to give your 'friends' a warm welcome. Remember your promise, or you'll be sure I'll remember mine."
As soon as the sage finished, the Resistance members that somehow infiltrated the castle raised their weapons and charged the shepherds.
"Say'ri…" Chrom asked as they began to engage their new enemy. "Are you sure these people are from the Resistance?"
"Aye, sir. I'm ashamed to say that I am." Say'ri replied in embarrassment. "I know some of them by name. B-but… why would they turn cloak against us now?"
"Ooh!" Excellus giggled as he put his hands together and clapped his fingers together erratically. "It seems that I've touched a nerve! I do so enjoy inappropriate touching!" he exclaimed creepily. "Now, be good little servants and scrub the stronghold of these Ylissean filth."
With that, the sage warped away just as suddenly as he arrived.
"Shepherds! Take out these new opponents!" Chrom roared. "Treat them just like the Valmese! Do not hold back against them!"
His group yelled back in affirmation.
{Robin, we've been held up by some Valmese reinforcements} Chrom informed their strategist through the Hekseer's channel.
{I know, I noticed.} he heard Robin reply. {Don't worry about us, we've gotten things handled on this end. Just focus on taking them all down. Stay safe.}
Chrom nodded, even though he knew Robin couldn't see him. He raised his Falchion and cut down another one of the former Resistance members.
Throne room, Fort Steiger…
The same round sage warped in front of the throne next to Pheros.
"What is this meddling, Excellus?!" the Valkyrie exclaimed.
"'Meddling'?" Excellus exclaimed in mock offense. "Why, General Pheros, one might actually mistake you for ungrateful. This 'meddling' is going to save your post, and quite possibly your life!"
"We've no need for parlor tricks here, schemer!" Pheros retorted. "I can handle this myself!"
"Of course General!" Excellus brought one hand up to his forehead in mock realization. "I can see your plan now! Oh how silly of me! You're obviously just waiting to crush the Ylisseans! Toying with them like a cat! I simply brought these rebels so they may learn from your shining example! They were so eager to join the cause too!"
"Because you threatened them?" Pheros narrowed her eyes. "Tortured them? Or perhaps their families? Their villages?"
"Pish pash!" Excellus waved his hand dismissively. "I would not wish to burden you with such mundane details, good General. I have more important matters to attend to right now, but rest assured that these rebels are QUITE motivated. Feel free to thank me some other time!"
With that, Excellus warped away from Fort Steiger.
"Odious freak…" Pheros muttered to herself. "He has no honor. Just the sight of him makes me sick… He is the worm, and yet I'm the one left squirming. True… his interference might bring us the victory, but he'll never hear me say it."
With Robin…
His group, alongside Frederick's, had taken out all of the Valmese soldiers blocking them from the throne room.
"Frederick!" Robin called. "You take your group and guard the entrance to the throne room. I'll lead mine against their commander. That way, if there are reinforcements, they won't be able to trap us inside the room."
"Right." Frederick nodded in agreement.
"Come with me!" Robin called to his own group as they charged inside the throne room. They went in just in time to miss Excellus as he ported away.
"Surrender, for you have lost." Robin told the Valmese General plainly.
Pheros merely laughed. "You know, I once followed your exalt. I made the pilgrimage all the way to Ylisstol, just to hear Exalt Emmeryn speak. I too, grew up worshipping Naga."
"So you abandoned your faith." Robin summarized.
"I have no use for invisible spirits any longer." Pheros retorted. "I serve a god among men now. Emperor Walhart will do what no religion could ever do: unite the people of the world."
"Emmeryn believed in the same thing!" Lucina interjected as she walked up besides Robin. "Except she believed that the way to unite everyone of the world was through peace! There's no need for violence to unite everyone!"
"I have no time to discuss these trivial matters with you." Pheros said, completely dismissing the future princess. "Now draw your sword, or be pushed aside!"
With that, Pheros unleashed a blast of energy from her Bolganone tome, directed at Robin and Lucina.
Robin simply stood there. There was no reason for him to put in the effort to dodge the magical attack. Lucina dodged backwards, but simply didn't react fast enough, which was usually never a problem for the future princess. Pheros was much stronger than the other Valkyries they had fought in order to get here, and the spell was also cast at a much faster speed.
The Bolganone spell exploded, and the blast knocked Lucina backwards. The future princess let out a cry of pain. There were large burn wounds across her hands and face, and possibly in other places that were hidden by her clothing. The sudden pain from the attack was too much, and it knocked the princess unconscious.
Robin, even after taking the brunt of the attack, didn't seem fazed at all. The symbols woven into his clock turned bright red as it absorbed the energy from the attack. However, his eyes went wide when he realized that the attack had injured Lucina.
He was about to rush over to her side, but Libra knelt down next to her first.
"Take care of the enemy first, Robin." The clergyman told him. "Don't worry about her. She's in good hands." Libra immediately began to heal the wounds on the fainted princess.
Robin nodded, and turned back to Pheros. "That was the biggest mistake of your miserable life." he told the Valkyrie coldly, his voice dripping with venom.
"Oh ho?" Pheros chuckled. "Makes you wonder what your relation to the girl is, if you get that angry at-" her humorous expression instantly faded as she saw the murderous expression on Robin's face. It was a sight that chilled her to her very core.
None of her soldiers could blame her though. Many of her personal guard began to whimper out of fear as Robin leered at them. Robin's scythe materialized out of the air as purplish red energy flickered out of his eyes, almost like two bright flames. He began to slowly walk closer to Pheros.
"D-demon!" one of Pheros's guards murmured. "It's the demon tactician!"
Pheros quickly hurled another Bolganone spell at Robin, but the necromancer simply walked right through the spell as if it were nothing.
She turned to her personal guard. "Don't just stand there!" she commanded. "Kill him!" The shepherds could hear the panic starting to set in her voice.
Many of the Valkyries under her command launched spells at Robin, only for the exact same thing to happen. Robin simply walked through them, and the patterns woven in his cloak began to glow various different colors as it absorbed spells from different elements.
A Sniper took aim at Robin, but Gaius silenced him with an arrow of his own.
A Hero charged Robin with sword raised high, but Robin didn't even acknowledge him. He simply swung his scythe around and launched a blade of dark magic at him, killing the soldier before he got within range to strike him with the sword.
Robin ignored the other Valkyries flanking Pheros. He just walked right past them, and continued to make his way to Pheros.
Pheros made one last attempt to kill Robin with a spell, but there was nothing different about the attempt this time.
Once Robin got within range, he slashed Pheros's horse with his scythe, killing the animal and causing Pheros to fall off.
Pheros hastily scrambled to her feet, and produced an elegant dagger from within her robes. She gritted her teeth.
'He seems to have a strong resistance towards magical attacks…' she thought to herself. 'I guess I have no choice…'
Pheros charged the demon tactician with her dagger.
Robin merely scoffed at her. He slashed his scythe upward, cutting Pheros from her right hip to her left shoulder. Pheros finally fell to her knees.
"I… may not live… to see Walhart unite the people of the world…" Pheros said in excruciating pain. "But… I have seen it in my dreams… and that is enough…" With that, she fell over, dead.
Once Pheros fell, Robin's eye's returned to normal. He took notice of Pheros's dagger. It was of extremely high quality, so he picked it up and placed it in an astral plane for now.
"What about you?" he asked, turning to the rest of the Valkyries in the room. "Do you want to share the same fate as your master? Or do you wish to surrender?"
The Valkyries all took a look at each other. As one, they dismounted and placed their tomes on the ground.
Robin went around and picked up their tomes before returning to where Libra was.
"How is she?" Robin asked the War Monk.
Libra had sweat dripping down his face, but he let out a smile. "That attack really wounded her, milord. But it looks like she'll recover. She just needs some time to rest."
"Good." Robin smiled and felt the unconscious princess's cheek. Just mere moments ago, there was a burn mark across it that ruined her perfect complexion, but thanks to the work of Libra, the wound has all but disappeared.
Seeing the way Robin caressed Lucina's cheek, Anna began to secretly pout.
Stahl and Gaius smirked and both had to suppress a chuckle at their tactician's affectionate gesture towards the princess, but instead let out a cry of pain as Stahl's wife and Gaius's fiance swatted their significant other across the back of their head.
{How are things over on your end?} Robin asked Chrom.
{We're… fine… over here.} Chrom told him. Robin could feel the exalt's exhaustion. {There were a lot more than expected. We fought them off, but most of us feel so tired we can't budge an inch. Flavia and Basilio are here though. They brought their soldier inside with them, because apparently there are many enemy soldier trying to surround us from the outside.}
Robin gritted his teeth. {Hold on, we'll come to you.}
"Gaius! Stahl!" Robin barked. The two immediately stood at attention. "Watch over these Valmese Valkyries." he instructed. "If any of them try anything funny…" he made a slashing gesture across his own neck with his hand, which translated to 'kill them'. The surrendered Valkyries' eyes bulged and they collectively gulped.
Robin patted Libra's shoulder. "You did well. I can tell you gave it your all to heal her. Put your mind at ease now. I'll let Lissa or Maribelle finish up on her."
Libra absentmindedly nodded.
Robin then leaned down and picked up the unconscious Lucina in a bridal carry. Gaius and Stahl knew better this time, and kept an absolute straight face as their significant others glared at them. "Everyone else, follow me. We'll go to Chrom's group now."
Frederick's eyes widened when he saw the unconscious Lucina in Robin's arms as they walked out the throne room. "Is she…" the Great Knight began in shock.
Robin shook his head. "She's just unconscious. She'll be fine, especially after Lissa or Maribelle finishes checking up on her." he nodded towards Maribelle.
"Right!" Maribelle nodded.
Frederick and Robin's group, barring Stahl and Gaius made their way to Chrom's group.
Chrom and Sumia were equally shocked to see Robin carrying Lucina over.
"Lucina!" Chrom exclaimed as he rushed over, completely forgetting just how exhausted he was from the fight.
"Calm down, Chrom." Robin told him. "She's just got knocked out. Libra already stabilized her, and Maribelle should be able to finish up what he started."
Sumia held her hands close to her chest and let out a sigh of relief.
Robin gently placed the princess on the ground. Maribelle and Sumia immediately rushed over to her side.
Robin got up and walked over to Chrom, Say'ri and the Khans.
"Steiger has fallen, but it seems our new opponent has surrounded us." Say'ri sighed.
"You mean, the former Resistance?" Chrom asked, panting.
"Aye, sir." Say'ri nodded. "I cannot express my shame… my regret. I finally succeeded in uniting them, but only against us."
"Khan Basilio!" one of the Feroxi soldiers exclaimed as he ran up to the West Khan.
"Calm yourself, soldier!" Basilio ordered. "What's wrong?"
"Dire news!" The soldier exclaimed. "Our soldiers to the North and South have been discovered and decimated by Walhart and Yen'fay! What's worse, the survivors have turned coat for the empire!"
"B-but… that's so many soldiers!" Say'ri protested.
"The empire must have had more." Robin gritted his teeth. "That is NOT good news."
"Blast!" Say'ri exclaimed. "Where is Walhart and my brother now?"
"They're steadily advancing towards this fortress." The soldier reported. "By some estimates, they'll converge in about two or three days. It's only a matter of time now."
"So much for fortune favoring the bold." Basilio sighed. "This war was lost before it even began."
"All of our struggles until now… and we've yet to make a dent in the empire…" Chrom said regretfully.
"Chrom." Robin said seriously. "We need to leave here, right now."
"Have you lost your wits?!" Flavia exclaimed. "We're surrounded!"
"When the other armies arrive, we'll be trapped for sure." Robin retorted. "If we want a chance to live, now is the best chance for us to escape, before the dynasts can set up a proper encirclement."
Say'ri nodded in agreement. "Sir Robin is right. The dynasts betray us only from fear of the empire. Without them watching over their necks, they'll only offer token resistance against us."
"But we can't keep running forever." Chrom protested. "How can we turn the tide?"
"By striking either Yen'fay or Walhart before they join strength." Robin replied.
"Either one seems like a death sentence." Chrom noted.
"One general will be upon us before we're even finished with the other." Say'ri remarked.
"I agree." Robin replied. "Which is why we must attack both."
"BOTH!?" Flavia exclaimed. "We just lost two thirds of our soldiers. Our army is in tatters, and you would divide it by half?"
Robin shook his head. "Not half. Chrom will lead our strongest forces against Yen'fay, while a smaller force will attack Walhart."
"A SMALLER force?" Basilio exclaimed. "We couldn't defeat him with double our number."
"I didn't say defeat." Robin replied. "They would only need to distract them."
"Hmm…" Basilio stroked his chin, as if thinking about it. "Spend some lives to buy the other group some time…"
"This smaller force would face the most dangerous mission yet." Chrom noted. "It would require a leader of unparalleled skill, reckless bravery, and…"
"All right, all right!" Basilio laughed. "You're embarrassing me! I'll do it already, just stop with the compliments!"
"This is no time for japes, Basilio." Robin said seriously. "The stakes could not be any higher."
"I am serious." Basilio replied. "I'll lead the squad. Although… I do prefer my steaks to be well done."
"That's just his way, Robin." Flavia shrugged. "Bad jokes comes with the bravado. But the oaf clearly has faith in your strategy… as do all of us, I'd wager. Somehow you always find a way to beat the odds."
"Then it's settled." Basilio said. "I'll make preparations and be off. The rest of you stay with Chrom and keep him safe."
Robin nodded. "Godspeed, Basilio."
Meanwhile…
Maribelle, with Sumia watching over and holding her daughter's hand, began to work on the injured princess immediately after Robin left to go meet with their leaders.
Fortunately, Libra was a competent healer, and aside from running out of energy, didn't do anything wrong. Maribelle was able to quickly finish the healing process.
Lucina slowly began to regain consciousness.
"Urgh…" she muttered, bringing a hand up to her face. "My head…"
"Lucina!" Sumia exclaimed, and captured her daughter in a hug.
"M-mother?" she looked around. This was nowhere near the Valmese throne room. "Where am I?"
"We're still in Fort Steiger dear." Maribelle informed her. "The leaders are just having a meeting to determine our next move."
Sumia smiled. "You should thank Robin later. He carried you over here."
"C-carried!?" Lucina squeaked, her face immediately turning pink.
"Yup. Carried." Sully confirmed as she walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You shoulda seen 'im. He lost it as soon as that Valmese General knocked you out. The Valmese soldiers must've shit their pants, his expression was so murderous."
"Really…" Lucina breathed as she looked over towards her crush. 'He really did that because of me?' she wondered to herself.
She was brought back to reality by the details of the conversation Robin was having. They were talking about sending Basilio to take on Walhart.
'Not good!' Lucina thought as she got up.
"Lucina?" Sumia wondered, but didn't stop the girl.
"Godspeed, Basilio." she heard Robin say.
"Stop!" Lucina stood in front of the departing Khan, with her arms held wide.
"Lucina?" Chrom was confused, but also relieved that she had gotten back up. "What are you…"
"I cannot allow you to go, Khan Basilio!" Lucina protested. "You will die in that battle! I know it for truth!"
"You know, lass," Basilio began. "You have a strange way of saying goodbye. All right then, who was it? Please tell me it was Walhart himself. It'd be too embarrassing if I died to some farmer's pitchfork."
"Yes, it was Walhart." Lucina replied. "Or, at least, that's what the stories say. We have to change our plans, so fate cannot take its original course!"
"All I needed to know." Basilio patted Lucina on the shoulder and walked past her. "Thank you, lass. I'll be careful."
"Y-you're still going!?" Lucina exclaimed, not believing her ears. "But I just told you-"
"Aye, I heard just fine." Basilio said. "But someone has to do it. If he's the one that kills me, I'll just avoid him in the battle. You don't grow this old and handsome without knowing how to avoid trouble."
"N-no!" Lucina protested. "It's never that simple!"
"Don't worry, love." Flavia comforted her. "I'll keep an eye on him."
"You aren't coming, woman!" Basilio roared. "You're the reigning khan!"
"I thought you intended to survive this, oaf." Flavia countered. "Regna Ferox has two khans, and now you're responsible for both of them. I DARE you to die now!"
Basilio laughed. "All right, you can come. Is that fine, Chrom?"
Chrom nodded. "Just look after one another."
"I'll bring this big brown ox home on a leash if that's what it takes!" Flavia laughed.
"Luck and more be with you all." Basilio waved at them for the last time. "We'll meet again soon."
"But please!" Lucina exclaimed. "Your future-"
"'Please' yourself!" Basilio interrupted. "Not another word! I fully intend to outlive you sprogs! And as for your 'future', it can kiss my big brown arse!"
With that, Basilio and Flavia left to go pick out a group of soldiers.
Lucina fidgeted around uncomfortably.
"C'mon, we have to make arrangements to march south." Chrom told Say'ri and Robin.
"Right." Robin agreed. "We have to leave immediately. Cordelia!"
The Falcon Knight ran up and saluted. "Yes?"
"Go fetch Stahl and Gaius. They can leave the prisoners in the room, we're not taking them with us. We have to leave, right NOW."
"Yes sir!" Cordelia exclaimed as she ran off to get the pair.
Throne room, Fort Steiger…
"Hey." Gaius nudged Stahl. "Did you see Robin just now?"
Stahl chuckled. "Yes, of course. I even got hit because of it."
"It's pretty suspicious, wouldn't you say?" Gaius asked.
"Who would've thought that those two would…" Stahl began.
"Woah, woah!" Gaius waved his hand in front of the Viridian Rider's eyes. "Remember, that's just speculation! We don't know for sure if he has feeling for her yet."
Stahl sighed. "Yes, I suppose your right. For all we know, he gets that mad if any of the shepherds get hit by an attack like that."
One of the Valkyries scoffed. "So I guess the demon tactician actually has feelings? Who would've known?"
"Quiet!" Gaius barked, and a dagger seemed to teleport to his hand. "One more word and I'll count it as 'funny business'."
"Eep!" the Valkyrie squeaked, but otherwise kept her mouth shut for the remainder of the time.
"Although…" Stahl began. "I guess he HAS built up quite a reputation among the Valmese troops. I'm just glad we're on his side, otherwise we might end up referring to him in the exact same way."
"Next time we have the time…" Gaius began. "You and me. We find a way to get a couple of beers into him, and we make 'em spill the beans."
Stahl smirked. "Sounds like a plan."
Just then, Cordelia walked into the throne room. "We're marching now. Robin asked me to come get you."
"Oh? Where to?" Gaius asked his fiance.
"Idiot!" Cordelia exclaimed as she hit Gaius on the head softly. "There are others in the room right now, you know!"
"S-sorry." Gaius said sheepishly. "I was under the impression that we're either taking them along with us or… getting rid of them entirely."
A couple of their prisoners paled at the implication.
Cordelia smiled and turned to the captured Valkyries. "Consider yourselves fortunate. Robin has decided to spare your lives." she then turned and ushered Gaius and Stahl out of the throne room.
The Valkyries were left in silence in the throne room.