Author's Notes:
The weapon rank system in Awakening has always been interesting to me. This is compared to the weapon system in Fates where (most classes) can only get an 'A' rank in one weapon type, and (most classes) can only get a 'S' rank if they only use that one type of weapon. In Awakening, any class can get an 'A' rank in any weapon they're allowed to use, and there is no 'S' rank. I must say, that while the weapon rank system in Awakening is much more convenient in gaming, the Fates system is much more realistic. While this may sound completely pointless right now, I'm ranting about this because of one scene in this chapter.
Also, it seems kind of weird that none of the future children found each other over the time of around two years, which is why this chapter is a little bit unique in that sense. The children that 'don't belong' in this paralogue happen to have paralogues that I feel are rather pointless, or is awkward to incorporate into my storyline.
A lot of notes this time, but here is chapter 36
Wyvern Valley…
Robin and the others were waiting for Chrom to bring the rest of the shepherds. In the meantime, they watched over the corpses of the poachers and conversed about several things.
"So the others are all here?" Gerome asked Noire. They, along with Cynthia, were off to the side, having their own conversation.
"Y-yes…" Noire responded. "Well… not everyone actually. There's just the two of us… and Lucy and Brady…"
"Hey!" Cynthia protested. "How come you're only talking to HER!?"
"So I guess I'm not the last one then." Gerome sighed as he ignored Cynthia. "And to think… I was under the impression that I was the only one that got separated from everyone else… I had begun to think that I missed everything that would lead to our time."
"Nope!" Cynthia seemed to forget for a second that Gerome was ignoring her. "So far, you've only missed the war against Valm, but all of us, aside from Lucy, missed it as well. We still have a lot of time to change things for the better."
"That's some good news then." Gerome chuckled.
"I KNEW it!" Cynthia accused immediately. "You were only PRETENDING to not hear me! How could you be so mean to me Gerome?"
"Yeah… why is it you're always so mean to her?" Noire asked.
"Because." Gerome replied. "She's loud and she's obnoxious."
The masked Wyvern Rider felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Cherche standing right behind him.
"Hey, Gerome, was it?" Cherche asked. "I took the liberty of inspecting your Wyvern…"
"And why did you do that?" Gerome asked coldly.
"Why, to see which of our wyverns are cuter, obviously!" Cherche replied. "And when I did, I found something truly peculiar. Besides looking older, your Wyvern has the same scars and scale patterns as my own darling Minerva!"
"What are the chances of that?" Gerome grumbled.
"You can drop the act now." Cherche told him. "I know you're one of Lucina's friends, so you must have come from the future with them. And that means that your wyvern IS Minerva. Which, more than likely, makes you my son!"
Gerome stared at her from behind his mask.
"I was so looking forward to meeting you!" Cherche exclaimed. "Won't you give your mother a hug?" she raised her arms, inviting the young man to return the gesture.
"Tch." Gerome scoffed. "I already bid farewell to my parents. I have no intention of doing so a second time. You may look and sound just like my mother, but you are not that woman. I also had no intention of meeting you ever again. I only came here to set Minerva free. Unfortunately, I happen to run into these poachers during my time here. Although I must thank you for your assistance, that is the extent of my affection towards you. Please leave me alone."
With that, Gerome turned away and left Cherche and her friends.
"My, my…" Cherche sighed as she shook her head. "That boy is a handful, I'm sure."
"Oh, just give him a chance, Miss Cherche!" Noire pleaded. "He's a nice guy, really! He just has a lot on his mind, and he must be really stressed out. All of us had gone through a lot in our own timeline."
"Yes, you have a point." Cherche smiled. "Maybe his father can knock some sense into him. But, knowing his father, probably not."
With that, Cherche left as well, leaving Noire and Cynthia by themselves.
Nearby, the other shepherds were having a conversation of their own. Overhead, many wyverns native to Wyvern Valley began to circle around them.
"U-um… what's happening?" Olivia asked.
"No idea." Henry shrugged, they don't seem hostile, but ya never know with these things."
Eventually, a few of them landed next to them.
"Woah!" Gaius pulled out an arrow as he chuckled nervously. "Easy there…"
"Don't worry." Tiki assured them. "The wyverns are simply paying their respects to us."
"Well, I guess we DID just save them." Gaius smirked. "But that means these beasts are pretty intelligent then."
"Not you, silly!" Nowi giggled as one of the wyverns licked her face affectionately. "I think they only care about the two of us!"
"That's a good possibility." Robin agreed. "They're gathering around Lady Tiki and Nowi, but paying little to no attention to the rest of us."
"They can smell our Manakete blood." Tiki explained as she patted the nose of one of the wyverns that was next to her. "To these wyverns, Manaketes are like royalty. And so, I'm guessing that they're just curious is all."
"Woah, what's going on here!?" Robin and Tiki turned to see Lissa looking at them in shock. "Those wyverns! They seem so… friendly."
"I know, right!?" Nowi smiled. "They're just like overgrown puppies with wings!"
"I see you made quick work of the poachers." Chrom walked up from behind Lissa. "Guess the rest of us weren't even needed."
"That's not true." Robin shook his head. "Firstly, it's always important to have a plan B as well as some insurance. And even now, there's something extremely important to do."
"And what is that?" Chrom asked.
"Loot their remains." Robin smirked.
"You don't think we have enough weapons?" Chrom chuckled. "After all, we just finished a war."
"If my suspicions are correct, then there's a good chance that these poachers will have top tier equipment." Robin explained. "And there's something else I'm looking for on their corpses…"
He leaned over and whispered something in the Exalt's ear.
"Really?" Chrom asked in surprise.
"Yes." Robin nodded. "At least, I think so."
"Well I'll tell everyone to keep an eye out then." Chrom nodded. "So is your plan to just loot the corpses then? There doesn't seem to be all too many bodies laying around."
"Well, that's only the ones who died and didn't fall into the ravine." Robin smirked as he pointed to the side of the cliff.
"You don't mean…" Lissa paled.
"It'd be a waste to leave anything behind." Robin shrugged.
"But… if they fell that far down… then they'll be squashed!" Lissa complained. "I bet it would look disgusting! Ugh… I don't even want to think about it!"
"Not everyone has to go down there." Robin chuckled. "We just need a few volunteers. I'm guessing Henry, for one, would be fine with it."
"Nya ha! If it means I get to inspect some dead people, then I'm all for it!" Henry agreed. "Sign me up!"
"Great!" Robin gave him a thumbs up. "Unfortunately, we'll need all the fliers to participate. Other than that, take whatever is valuable that you find!"
Several Minutes Later…
Anna and Robin were standing next to the pile of weapons and equipment in salvageable condition that they had found. Added together, it was a pretty hefty haul.
"Wow!" Anna exclaimed. "Look at all of this! Mostly Silver and Killer weapons, and some in practically brand new condition as well!"
"Not bad." Robin agreed. "Makes you wonder how much money they rake in in order to be able to afford them all."
"Robin!" The tactician turned to see Chrom walking up to him, waving some documents. "We found it!"
Robin headed over and took the papers from him. He took a minute to scan through the information.
"So it's just as I guessed…" he sighed. "These guys are also working under Excellus and the Black Market…"
"That's twice we've already run into them…" Chrom furrowed his brow.
"Twice that we KNOW about." Robin corrected. "Who knows what other shady business they've been doing in the shadows?"
"Now that Valm finally is freed from Walhart's conquest, they have to immediately deal with this new threat." Chrom gritted his teeth. "Most of the regions have only begun the process of recovery. They don't have the resources to go after these people yet."
"I was thinking the same thing." Robin nodded. "So ideally, it would be nice if we could destroy this organization before we head back for Ylisstol."
"But how do we destroy it?" Chrom asked. "We don't even know how we can completely destroy them, or even where we should look."
"That's true..." Robin conceded. "I'll have to try and figure something out… we could use the fact that Excellus is leading the whole organization to our advantage… In the meantime, we can send Flavia and the extra troops back first. We can stay at Virion's place for a few days, and try and gain as much information as possible."
"All right." Chrom agreed. "Let's get ready to head back then. We'll tell Flavia the news in the morning."
The two were interrupted when Sumia came over and grabbed onto one of Chrom's arms. She keeled over and covered her mouth with her other hand.
"What's wrong? Sumia?" Chrom asked in concern.
"N-nothing… well, at least, nothing NOW." Sumia eventually said. "It's just… it'll take a while to get the image of those dead poachers out of my head. Seeing dead bodies is one thing. Seeing dead bodies that fell that far to their deaths is completely different."
Chrom sighed. "I know love, rest assured that your hard work will not go to waste."
"Honestly, the only one that seems mildly fine after that experience is Henry." Sumia sighed. "It's unsettling, really. Can we get out of here now? Please?"
"We were just about to tell everyone to leave." Chrom nodded. "And I agree. Let's go back and get some rest. Anna is probably almost done organizing our spoils anyway."
They hadn't brought their entire convoy because they had rushed to get here, but the one or two carts they had was enough to carry everything since they were completely empty.
The shepherds slowly made their way back to Virion's mansion. Although it was difficult, they prepared to rest for the night. Most of the shepherds elected to immediately return to their tents and retire for the night.
Robin went to the well nearby and drew some water. He used it to wash his face. There was a lot on his mind, and it was unlikely that he would be able to just fall asleep. He sighed as he slowly made his way back towards the tent area.
On the way, Robin noticed that there was a lone figure sitting next to a fire. Upon getting closer, he was able to get a better look and recognized that it was Lucina with a seriously noticeable frown on her face.
"What's wrong?" Robin asked as he sat down next to him and placed an arm around her shoulders. "Couldn't sleep?"
He managed to seriously startle the future princess, and Lucina almost felt herself jump out of her seat.
"Oh," Lucina forced a smile. "It's you, Robin."
"Something is bothering you." Robin said as he leaned in closer to her face. "I recognize that expression. Care to tell me what it is?"
"Well…" Lucina began. "It's just… I felt so… so useless."
"What do you mean?" Robin frowned.
"I wasn't able to do anything about the situation at Wyvern Valley!" Lucina clarified. "My friends were able to accomplish far more! Cynthia has her pegasus, and Noire was able to use a bow, so they were far more useful than me! All I did was march there and pick through the remains after the battle already finished."
"Ah." Robin sighed. "So this is what this is about."
"And so I've decided… I'm going to learn how to fight with other weapons." Lucina said with conviction. "I think I'll start with a bow first… and after that, I'll learn how to fly a pegasus… and if I accomplish all that, I'll finish with learning magic. And maybe that way, I won't be so useless anymore."
"That's ridiculous!" Robin laughed.
"Why?" Lucina asked with a frown. "All I can do with wave a sword around. But if I learn some new skills, I'd actually be able to help you out in many more scenarios."
"Learning another weapon comes at a cost." Robin explained.
"What do you mean?" Lucina asked.
"Let's take a look at Virion, for example." Robin pointed out. "All he knows how to wield is the bow, which is a skill also shared by Gaius. But Gaius is also capable of close range fighting with a dagger. Does this mean that Virion is less useful than Gaius? Of course not. By dedicating himself to only the bow, Virion ensures that no one is able to match his skill in it. While Gaius must split his training time between the two weapons, Virion only needs to hone his skills with one. Sure, there are times were Gaius's additional skills make him more useful, but there are also others where Gaius's skills with a bow are not sufficient, which might make Virion the right person for the job."
"So what your saying is…" Lucina sounded like she began to understand.
"There aren't many among our sword users that can match you in swordplay." Robin continued. "And even if you compare yourself to someone like Chrom, your fighting styles are vastly different. He focuses more on strength while you lean towards speed a lot more. This also makes the two of you more useful than the other in specific scenarios. And that's just it: everyone in the shepherds has their own role to play. Everyone is useful in one way or another. It just so happens, tonight was not the night for a land based swordfighter, such as you, to shine. But don't fret too much about it. There will be other opportunities. We couldn't have gotten through the war without everyone's contribution after all."
"I… that makes sense." Lucina conceded as she leaned her head into Robin's shoulder. "S-sorry. I guess I was being a little bit childish there."
"Don't worry about it." Robin assured her. "I completely understand. Just remember that in a scrappy fight in close range, you are one of the most valuable people to the shepherds."
"Thanks." Lucina closed her eyes. "It means a lot to me to hear you say that. I don't think that you could even understand just how important it is to me."
"Your mother recently began to learn magic, now that I think about it." Robin chuckled. "And, I'm not going to lie, it has made her extremely useful since it caused her to fill the niche of a flying magic caster. However, you can clearly see that her lancefaire has taken a serious toll. She used to be similarly matched with Cordelia, but now I'd be shocked to see Sumia hold her own."
"I get it." Lucina laughed. "Learning new skills comes at a price. I understand now."
"Still…" Robin looked off into the distance in thought. "Going from lancefaire to tomes is an extremely awkward jump. If you were to learn another weapon with an extremely similar fighting style as a sword, perhaps it could make yourself feel more useful without the need to reduce your sword fighting capabilities too much."
"And what would you suggest then?" Lucina asked.
"I think you would be able to pick up a lance rather easily." Robin told her. "The fighting style is still close ranged combat, and while a lance is slightly more clumsy than a sword, I think it suits you fairly well."
"That's a good idea." Lucina murmured. "I think I might try that in the future."
"Now that that's out of the way, do you think you'll be able to go back to your tent and get some sleep?" Robin asked.
"Mm ... maybe." Lucina giggled. "Walk me there?"
Robin got up and offered her his hand. "Anything for you, love." He chuckled at her flustered expression. But, Lucina soon got over it and took his hand. They walked over to Lucina's tent together.
Time flew by too fast for Lucina, and soon, they were at the entrance to her tent.
"Well, I'll be off then." Robin raised a hand to wave her goodbye. "I should get some shut eye as well."
"W-wait!" Lucina grabbed Robin's hand and pulled him towards her tent. "Please! Stay with me? For the night?"
"Lucina…" Robin sighed.
"Please?" Lucina begged. "The bed roll is large enough for both of us…"
"You know…" Robin scratched his neck. "Usually, sharing a bed is reserved for married couples, right?"
"Of course I know that!" Lucina pouted. "But… it's not like we're going to be doing anything… inappropriate... I just want to be able to fall asleep next to you! I think it would help me sleep a lot better. Maybe my nightmares won't bother me as much."
"And what if Chrom finds out?" Robin asked.
"Then I'll just tell him it was my idea!" Lucina replied. "He can't possibly get that mad at me, can he? Please?"
Robin stared at her for a moment. He let out a sigh. "Well, it's clear you won't take no for an answer… I guess if it really could make you sleep better, it could be worth it then."
Lucina's face lit up. "Great!" She immediately pulled Robin into the tent.
While Lucina quickly changed into her sleep clothes, Robin faced another direction in order to give her some privacy. When she was done, Lucina laid down on the bed roll and anxiously awaited Robin to come join her. Robin took off his cloak and found a place to set it inside the tent. Once he came over, Robin laid down next to her, facing the other direction.
They stayed with their backs to each other.
'This is a little less intimate than what I had hoped.' Lucina thought to herself as she bit her lip. "But I guess we have to start somewhere. Ylisstol wasn't built in a day after all.'
She closed her eyes and began to fall asleep.
The Next Morning…
Lucina awoke to find that she was the only one in her tent.
"Was… last night a dream?" She wondered aloud.
She took a good look at her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that she was sleeping on the very edge of her bed roll, when she usually sleeps in the middle. The second thing she noticed was that when she reached her hand over to the other side of the bed, she could still feel trace amounts of heat. This indicates that someone had just been lying there a few moments ago.
Her own side of the bed felt warm as well, and from experience, she doesn't really move around at all when she sleeps. All the evidence points to the fact that there must have been someone else sleeping next to her a short time ago.
"Robin must have woken up early again." Lucina concluded. "At least this confirms that last night wasn't just part of my dreams. Maybe next time I'll take a larger risk..."
She sighed and got up to get dressed.
The rest of the day (and the few days afterwards) didn't see much action. After Chrom and Robin had a meeting with Flavia, they decided that the Feroxi and Ylissean soldiers would head back home first. Flavia had even joked that she'll leave the shepherds a ship or two, if she remembered, at the harbor.
This meant that the shepherds had a few days of rest. Cherche and Virion were obviously extremely busy cleaning up their home. It wasn't too strenuous though, because they had plenty of help in the form of their new staff and some of the more altruistic shepherds.
Many shepherds, Lucina included, spent a good portion of their day training. She decided to take Robin's advice and try out the lance. Although it was a little more clumsy than her sword, she did find that the extra range of the weapon could be worth the trouble in many cases. She had asked Cordelia for some advice, and the Falcon Knight had gladly obliged. Being a mansion, Virion's home proved quite useful in her endeavors as it contained both indoor and outdoor training facilities.
Robin had also sent some of the shepherds out for reconnaissance. He would form parties of four, two fliers and two shepherds capable of moving around discreetly. The fliers would deliver them to a nearby town or city. The pair of fliers would watch overhead while the other two tried to dig up any information on the Valmese Black Market. Because of his old profession, Gaius was the perfect one for this task. And coupled with the fact that his fiance was a Falcon Knight meant he was selected the most for these types of operations. Not that he minded though. Gaius actually felt thrilled to make use of his old skills. This time, for a just cause.
Although the first four days didn't see any action, things changed on the fifth day.
"We found some juicy information." Gaius grinned as he reported back to Robin.
"What did you find?" Robin looked up from his desk.
"W-we overheard someone talk about a man named Cassius." Olivia, who had been Gaius's partner in the operation, replied. "H-he is someone closely tied to the Black Market, if we can believe the people we heard."
"Word is, while he doesn't directly provide the market with the goods, he and his men are a security force of sorts." Gaius explained. "He helps make sure deals go through smoothly, and that the other parties don't try and take advantage of the operatives the Market sends out."
"So let me see if I got this right." Robin tapped a pen on his chin. "The Black Market hires people like Ezra to do the dirty work. Growing drugs... Capturing people… that type of thing. And this Cassius guy… his job is to make sure the people working directly for the Market are able to trade money for goods with people like Ezra, right?"
"Essentially." Gaius shrugged as he popped a sucker into his mouth. "And that's not all. Apparently, he recently killed one of the noblemen in the city. Some of that nobleman's servants were enraged and will try to kill Cassius in his base of operations: An abandoned mansion a good distance away from the city. Rumor has it that they plan on acting tonight." Gaius pointed to a location on the map sprawled out on the desk in front of Robin.
"Really!?" Robin seemed surprised by all that Gaius divulged. "And how did you get your hands on all of this?"
"Tricks of the trade." Gaius replied smugly.
"Th-the commoners have a strong dislike for Cassius." Olivia explained. "They would love to see someone remove him permanently. However, he commands a large mercenary force, and is not afraid to slaughter innocents if they try and oppose him. Honestly, they were happy to tell us as soon as they began to believe we weren't working for Cassius. Believe it or not, the reason was because I was with Gaius. Apparently, Cassius doesn't have any women in his mercenary force."
"Sounds about right." Robin sighed. "Any idea how many of this nobleman's servants plan on acting?"
"According to one estimate, about a couple dozen." Gaius replied. "Thing is, Cassius is rumored to have twice, maybe even three times as many men. And killing is also their profession. My guess is, alone, these servants don't stand a chance."
"That's what I think as well." Robin furrowed his brow. "Maybe we could lend a hand. Perhaps this Cassius guy would know more about the details concerning the Black Market. We'll have to make sure we take him alive."
He turned to Gaius and Olivia. "Good work, both of you. Please inform Chrom that we are to move out shortly after dinner. Afterwards, go and take a good rest."
"You got it!" Gaius gave Robin a thumbs up. Olivia simply smiled and gave a small nod. The pair promptly left the tent.
"I must admit… whoever these servants are… their leader must have a lot of guts." Robin muttered to himself.
A Short Distance Away…
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" A girl with brownish orange hair and long ears asked. "We haven't even found our parents yet. Isn't this a bit risky?"
"It's fine, Nah." A female armored knight with dark green hair replied. "We've slayed countless Risen in our timeline, have we not? What's a few mercenaries compared to that?"
"While your point certainly has some merit, we must also consider the alternative argument." A blonde mage with a large hat interjected. He pushed his glasses up slightly. "After all, Risen are not sentient beings."
"I agree with Laurent." The girl known as Nah nodded. "We haven't found any of our other friends yet. If we die before we find them, it would only cause them unnecessary worry or grief. There's enough on the line as it is. Face it Kjelle, the smart thing to do would be to walk away."
"Oh come on!" Kjelle protested. "When we stumbled into town with no money, our Duke Earlshief was the one who took us in. He gave us a place to sleep, and three warm meals a day. And now that he's been murdered, the two of you think it's fine for us to just run away without avenging him? Shame on you! And we already rallied everyone else too. We can't leave them now!"
"You do have a point." Nah sighed. "But as far as I can tell, none of the other servants are half as capable in combat as any of us…"
"Aptly put." Laurent nodded. "I fear that by charging forward, we only lead our allies to a massacre. This battle is one with odds so heavily stacked against us that I doubt even Uncle Robin could turn the tables in our favor. Not with these numbers. And I mean no disrespect, Kjelle, but none of us could even hold a candle to him."
"Yeah, but Uncle Robin wouldn't let this awful man continue to live if he were here!" Kjelle retorted. "He would do the honorable thing."
"No, he would do the smart thing." Laurent corrected. "He wouldn't try and win any battle that can't be won. But at the same time, he wouldn't abandon anyone in need either. Somehow, he'd find a way..."
"Now that Kjelle has convinced everyone already, I agree that it would be bad mannered of us to abandon everyone." Nah sighed. "But promise me this. If things look dire, the three of us need to get out of there. There's far too much at stake for us to die here of all places."
"Aptly put." Laurent agreed.
"Fine…." Kjelle grumbled.
Later That Evening…
As Robin and the shepherds closed in on Cassius's mansion, they could hear the sound of metal on metal ringing through the air.
"Looks like the fighting has already started." Chrom noted.
"Yeah, and it's not going in our favor either." Robin nodded. "Looks like my guess was correct. These servants are not trained in combat at all. It's a massacre."
"So I guess it's up to us to step in then." Chrom got up from his hiding position and signaled the charge.
The shepherds closed in on the battle.
Stahl and Sully were, once again, the first ones to reach the thick of combat. Stahl cleaved an Archer in half with a swing of his silver sword while Sully impaled a Mercenary with her silver lance as she charged.
Frederick and Panne arrived shortly after. Panne charged an Armored Knight and knocked him down with a powerful kick from her hind legs. Frederick then followed up by slamming his axe down on the fallen knight, killing him through his armor.
Lon'qu, Gaius and Olivia darted into the fray as well. They expertly dodged and weaved out of the way of everyone while simultaneously slashing and cutting any enemy they waltzed around. Gaius and Olivia had decided that it was not a smart idea to use a bow in this situation, as the sun had almost set and they didn't have the skill with a bow to guarantee friendly fire would not occur.
Once the fighters outside of the mansion had been disposed of, Robin motioned for everyone to move inside. Lissa, Libra and Maribelle stayed behind in order to heal the injured. As per Robin's instructions, Cherche, Cordelia and Sumia also stayed in order to protect them. It would have been extremely difficult for the three of them to fight at their full potential indoors anyways. Unfortunately, there weren't many people left alive that could be healed. Most of the servants had been killed in their initial attack.
As soon as Robin and company entered the mansion, they heard some voices talking at the end of a long hallway. The sounds echoed through the building, and seemed to be magnified.
"Coward!" A distinctly female voice called. "You promised me a duel, you soulless blackheart!"
"Indeed I did." Another voice, this time a male, laughed. "And consider all of these men my seconds. Still… I'm not a monster… I'll spare your life, and even the lives of your friends as long as you kneel in front of me and beg."
"I'd sooner die!" The first voice exclaimed again.
"I told you this was a bad idea…" A second female voice said in exasperation.
"Indeed." A second male voice said in agreement. "It seems our only option is to fight our way out of this mess."
"Is it just me, or do those voices sound familiar?" Cynthia asked.
"Aye, I concur!" Brady nodded. "Pretty darn sure one of 'em's Kjelle. By the sounds of it, maybe it's Nah 'n Laurent as well."
"Then it looks like they could be in trouble!" Lucina cried out in alarm. "Robin, we have to do something! Some more of my friends could be over there!"
"They're on the other side of those double doors at the end of the hallway." Robin noted as he checked his Hekseer. "We'll have to hurry. Frederick, Stahl and Sully should be able to get there the fastest. Take Gaius, Chrom… and…" He looked at the rest of the shepherds. "And Lucina. You won't have a healer, so all of you will need to be extra careful. Help out the future children, and the rest of us will make our way towards you. We'll be a little slower, because we're going to have to fight our way there."
The three cavaliers and their passengers immediately headed off towards the end of the hallway. Any opponent that attempted to block their path were instantly swatted away by Frederick and Sully.
"Now then…" Robin pulled out a tome and turned to look at all the enemy mercenaries that had begun to gather. "The rest of us will take care of the grunts. Shouldn't be too difficult. Just take down anyone in front of you."
With Lucina…
Lucina was thrilled that Robin had given her the opportunity to be on the very frontline. Not only does it give her the chance to save her friends, but she also can prove to him her usefulness. After feeling absolutely useless in the endeavor at Wyvern Valley, she was due a confidence boost.
As soon as they got to the door, Gaius hopped off of Sully's horse and immediately went to go pick the lock. Lucina did the same and dismounted from Stahl's horse.
"Lucina!" Stahl unstrapped the iron lance on his horse and tossed it to the future princess. She caught it and engaged an enemy Mercenary that was charging her. Although she had been practicing for the past few days, she had yet to accumulate experience fighting against live opponents. Sparring was not the same thing as fighting to kill, after all. However, she was delighted to find that with the extra range of the lance coupled with her natural speediness, defeating the Mercenary was truly child's play.
Having disposed of her opponent, she snuck a look at the others. Frederick and Sully were blocking the main corridor, stopping anyone who tried and bother Gaius while he worked. They had an easy time defeating the Mercenaries and Armored Knights that lumbered towards them, but couldn't do anything about the Archer harassing them from a distance without breaking formation. Although annoying, the Archer also didn't do any meaningful damage, so Sully and Frederick chose to just endure the arrows. However, it was clear that they disliked it. And this was not without reason. Most of the arrows bounced harmlessly off their shield and armor, but all it took was one lucky hit in the chink of their armor or the vulnerable parts of their horses and they could be removed from the battle.
Seeing this situation, Lucina took aim and tossed her lance at the archer. Although a little more clumsy than a javelin, it still was able to get the job done. The lance hit the Archer in the chest, knocking him down and eventually killing him. Feeling satisfied, she drew her Parallel Falchion and resumed defending the side corridor with Stahl.
Chrom, who was busy fighting an enemy General, held his ground. It was all he needed to do at the moment. He was defending the corridor by himself after all.
"How is it going?" Chrom asked while defending against a strike from his opponent's tomahawk.
"Pretty good." Gaius replied. It was a little muffled as he was holding a pick in his mouth as he worked with two others. "Complicated lock. But I'll get this baby to open up in a minute or two."
"We're…" Chrom grunted as he pushed his opponent away. "Counting on it!"
"Stahl, can you hold this side by yourself for a moment?" Lucina asked after seeing her father struggle.
"Yea. Don't worry about me." Stahl nodded.
Hearing his words, Lucina instantly rushed over to her father's side. She stabbed her Falchion through one of the weak points in her opponents armor. It was times like these where she was glad she listens closely to Robin's advice. A week or two ago, he had shown all the shepherds the weak points in a Valmese General's suit of armor. It certainly made killing them a lot easier.
"Thanks." Chrom wiped his brow after he pushed aside the dead General's corpse.
"Aaand…. All done!" Gaius exclaimed as he twisted the handle of the door. The large double doors opened, revealing three young adults being surrounded by Archers.
Lucina instantly charged the Archers. Within seconds, she had slashed down two of them that were closer to her. She finally took notice of her friends. Kjelle was standing over the other two, blocking most of the arrows with her body and shield. Laurent was throwing out spells whenever he could, but he always has been, and still is, much slower at casting than his mother. Slowly but surely, they were being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. And the reason for that was because their third friend, Nah, was currently on the ground, downing a vulnary. She had an arrow wound on her arm.
"Lucina!?" Kjelle exclaimed in alarm. "Is it really you!?"
"Not now!" Lucina called back. "Let's talk when we're all safe!"
"Right!" Kjelle nodded.
With the addition of Lucina, and moments later, Gaius, the tides quickly turned. Previously, Kjelle and Laurent were sitting ducks, being bombarded by an endless number of arrows. However, now it was Laurent pressuring the Archers as they scrambled to get away from an angry Great Lord and a skilled Assassin. Their numbers quickly dwindled.
Around this time, Robin and the other shepherds had fought their way through the other grunts and made it to the double doors as well. Cassius, who had the absolute advantage just a moment ago, now found himself at an insane disadvantage. He had, quite literally, been backed into a corner.
"Th-there's been a misunderstanding!" The Sorcerer exclaimed. "I'm sure we can work everything out if we just talked. Are you after money? I can give you money."
"There's NOT a misunderstanding!" Kjelle spat. "This man is a murderer, and all we want is your head!"
"Easy there." Robin walked up. "We're not unreasonable people. We just need some information from you…"
"But-" Kjelle protested, but a stern look from Robin silenced her.
"Information?" Cassius nervously chuckled. "Why yes, I'm sure I can answer a few questions."
'Once my reinforcements arrive, you all will be done for.' Cassius thought to himself. 'Of course these weaklings weren't enough to stop them, but as soon as my proper guards get here, the tables will turn!'
Robin slowly made his way over to him. Cassius, still pretending to be cooperative, just let him approach. There was no way for him to predict what happened next, however. Instead of asking questions, Robin just walked up to him and grabbed his head with one hand. Cassius began to feel nauseous as the tactician scanned his memories.
"All right, I'm done here." Robin rubbed his hands together. He made eye contact with Kjelle. "All yours now."
'Did he just… read my mind?' Cassius thought to himself. 'How is that possible!? And if he did? How much did he find out?'
"Thanks." Kjelle smiled. "I'll enjoy this one."
"Not so fast." Cassius snarled. "It's clear you want me dead now. But if you think I'm just going to let you kill me, you're in for a surprise."
At this, he held his hands in front of him and a large ball of dark energy began to form.
"Die! Die!" Cassius cackled as the pressure began to build and the energy slowly grew beyond his realm of control. Most of the shepherds began to scramble away from Cassius.
Robin, however, tackled Cassius. This interrupted the Sorcerer's channeling, causing a large explosion. When the dust settled, the figures of both Robin and Cassius lay motionless on the floor.
"R-robin?" Lucina whimpered. "Please get up."
After a brief moment, Robin let out a cough. Chrom immediately went over and helped him get back on his feet.
"Is everyone all right?" Robin asked as soon as he got up.
"Yeah. Everyone ELSE is. The real question is whether you're fine." Chrom responded as he gave Robin his shoulders. Robin graciously draped one arm across them.
"It was a lot of magic, but thankfully, my robes protected me from most of it." Robin nodded. But then he covered his mouth with his other hand as he coughed. Upon removing his hand, he saw that there was some blood on it. "Although… it seems I still got injured a little bit."
Gaius squatted next to Cassius's corpse and poked him with his dagger. "Hey Bubbles. This guy's dead."
"Yeah." Robin coughed again. "Sorry about that. It seems I greatly underestimated him. I only have myself to blame for this one. But never mind that for now. We all need to get out of here. NOW."
"What's wrong?" Chrom asked.
"Reinforcements. They're on their way." Robin responded. "I thought Cassius was acting weird, and it seems all he wanted to do was stall for time. At least, initially. The mercenaries we fought… they were all new recruits. We might find ourselves surrounded by formidable enemies if we don't get out of here soon."
"Come to think of it, they did seem pretty inexperienced." Stahl agreed as he cupped his chin in thought. "Explains how you all were able to fight your way through them so fast."
"Later…" Robin chuckled. "Get out of here… first…"
With that, Robin slumped over and passed out.
Several Moments Later…
The shepherds had safely retreated to their camp on Virion's property. Once everyone was safe once more, Kjelle, Laurent and Nah had a joyous reunion with their parents. The other future children, aside from Gerome, all understood exactly what their friends were feeling, and watched on happily.
The largest surprise to the shepherds was that Nah was a Manakete, or rather, half Manakete. They did not see her transform during the battle, because she had been shot by arrows when she tried to. Gregor seemed genuinely happy to have a daughter, whereas Nowi just seemed to enjoy the fact that she has a 'new friend' to play with.
Lucina, although happy that they had found three more of her friends and that they had been reunited with their parents, she was also more worried about Robin. He had never woken up since they got back, and Lissa said she wasn't able to do much for him since the wounds were caused by dark magic. Chrom had decided to just let him rest in his tent. Lucina had been by his side the whole time, holding his hand while he slept. She only left the tent when her mother called her for dinner, and she came back immediately after she had finished.
Eventually, night came. Lucina, despite beginning to feel weary, still refused to return to her tent. Finally, Chrom had to come over and try to convince her.
"Lucina." Chrom said as soon as he entered the tent. "You need to go get some rest."
"I'm fine father." Lucina protested.
"If you don't get some sleep, it'll affect you tomorrow." Chrom countered. "Who knows what we might get into? And with Robin unconscious, we need every fighter ready for anything."
"I'll just sleep here then." Lucina glared at her father.
"Lucina…." Chrom gave her a warning look.
"I'm dead serious." Lucina responded, not giving an inch.
"How long have you two been together?" Chrom asked. "It's still too early for the two of you to share a bed yet. You two aren't even engaged!"
"You and mother weren't together for long either!" Lucina protested. "And I'm not a child anymore! I'm a grown woman! I'm just as old as mother when the two of you got married! I think I'm allowed to make these types of decisions for myself now."
"And what if Robin doesn't want you here?" Chrom furrowed his brows. "What then?"
Lucina hesitated for a moment. "If Robin doesn't want me here, then I'll leave as soon as he tells me to." she eventually responded. "Other than that, I'm not leaving."
The two stared at each other for a minute.
"Please?" Lucina finally begged.
"All right." Chrom conceded. "You seem to have taken care of yourself just fine up to this point. I suppose I can let you make these decisions yourself then."
"Thanks father!" Lucina beamed as she ran over to him and gave him a hug.
"Yeah, yeah." Chrom muttered. "Just don't do anything stupid. I'm not ready to be a grandfather just yet."
"I understand." Lucina giggled. "Thanks again."
"All right, I'll leave you two then." Chrom sighed as he left the tent. He made his way back to his own tent. Had he married anyone else, he was sure to get yelled at. But with Sumia, she might find her daughter's actions oddly charming.
In the meantime, Lucina got her sleep clothes from her tent and changed into them. She got into Robin's bedroll and wrapped her arms around one of his. She had a small smile on her face as she fell asleep.
A Short Distance Away…
An injured Mercenary hobbled into a dimly lit room. He was ushered in by a guard.
"Your Excellency!" The guard reported. "The survivor would like to see you."
"Yes, thank you." A voice from deep inside the room replied. A short, round, figure appeared in the light.
"L-lord Excellus!" The Mercenary exclaimed and instantly bowed before him.
"What is it?" Excellus snapped.
"I have something urgent to report!" The Mercenary replied. "We were raided by the shepherds. Cassius died in the attack."
"The shepherds!?" Excellus snarled. "Are you sure?"
"Dead certain!" The Mercenary replied.
"And the woman… Say'ri… was she there?" Excellus asked.
"Yes sir, I believe so!" The Mercenary nodded. "And I also managed to track them to their campsite. I can point out where it is on a map."
"Excellent!" Excellus cackled. He turned to the guard. "Summon the commanders. I've got some getting even to do…"
Kjelle: HP: 90% Str: 65% Mag: 10% Skl: 60% Spd: 50% Lck: 55% Def: 50% Res: 30%
Age: 16
Class: Armored Knight
Laurent: HP: 80% Str: 50% Mag: 65% Skl: 65% Spd: 55% Lck: 50% Def: 40% Res: 40%
Age: 16
Class: Mage
Nah: HP: 105% Str: 65% Mag: 35% Skl: 60% Spd: 50% Lck: 55% Def: 55% Res: 40%
Age: 15
Class: Manakete