Author's Notes:
Not that much to say this time. The chapter does start off a little dark. Other than that, enjoy Chapter 37:
Shepherd's Camp…
Lon'qu was busy sitting next to the fire, cleaning his sword by the light of the flames. The rest of the shepherds had gone to bed already. It was his shift on guard duty, one of the more boring jobs. However, it was still important in the event that something did happen. He was about half way into his shift so far, and as of right now, nothing interesting had happened.
There was a rustling from the shadows, prompting Lon'qu to ready his killing edge.
"Prithee, lower your sword." A familiar voice replied. Lon'qu sighed in relief and went back to his cleaning. Moments later, Say'ri came and sat across from him.
"Couldn't sleep?" Lon'qu asked.
"Aye." Say'ri sighed. ""Tis a side effect of anyone who fights in wars it seems."
"Ha." Lon'qu snorted. "You may be right." He absentmindedly threw a few twigs onto the dying fire.
"You don't keep the fire very big, do you?" Say'ri asked.
"If the flame is too bright, I can see the area close to the fire clearly. But if there's an emergency anywhere else in camp, a bright flame decreases how well I can see in the dark." Lon'qu responded. "And I prefer to use my ears anyways." Say'ri nodded in understanding.
"There's something I've always wanted to ask you." Say'ri said after a brief moment of silence. "Are you originally from Chon'sin? Your fighting style… it's not quite like the speed based swordplay of Chon'sin, but it also is not quite like the strength based swordplay of Regna Ferox. Even your name. It's clearly not Feroxi."
"It's possible." Lon'qu admitted. "Although, I don't remember much about Chon'sin. I've spent almost my entire life in the streets of Ferox. All I know how to be is Feroxi… and now… Ylissean."
"Oh yeah." Say'ri let out a sigh. "Engaged to the princess, huh? Who would have thought, right?"
"Yeah, you're right." Lon'qu let out a rare smile. "I suppose I have been very fortunate."
"If only I could've had some of your luck…" Say'ri half joked. "Maybe I would've-"
"Stop." Lon'qu raised a hand.
"Sorry. I didn't mean-" Say'ri quickly apologized.
"No." Lon'qu got up. "I heard something."
"It's probably noth…" Say'ri gasped as Lon'qu turned around and lunged out at a man wielding a club. His sword flashed through the air, cutting the man down in one strike. Say'ri was just about to get up and draw her weapon, but she felt someone grab her from behind. A damp rag was forced onto her face.
"Mmmmgph!" She protested as she tried to warn Lon'qu. However, this was a mistake. As Lon'qu turned around to look at her, another man lunged out of the shadows and hit him over the head with a club. The Feroxi Swordmaster instantly collapsed.
Say'ri's eyes could only widen in panic and fear as she saw Lon'qu crumple onto the ground. Despite struggling to call for help, it seemed that no one could hear her. She slowly felt her eyes get heavy, and eventually fell unconscious herself.
"Damn, that tonic Lord Excellus gave us sure worked." The man holding down Say'ri noted.
"H-help me…" The man Lon'qu had slashed begged.
"No can do." The other club user sighed. "Lord Excellus specifically said that we won't have any healers on this mission because it would slow us down. And you still recklessly got injured. But don't worry. Rest assured we won't let your injury get in his excellency's plan."
With that, the man beat his coworker to death with his club.
"Quick." The first man said as he threw Say'ri's limp body over his shoulder. "Hide the body. We have to get out of here."
"Have we got the right guy?" His remaining companion asked. "I know for certain the girl is the right one, but this guy doesn't look like the tactician."
"Well I ain't stayin' around to try and find the right guy." The first person said. 'Sure, we might get less of a reward, but Lord Excellus specified that this woman would be the only necessary one for us to capture. But still… it's better to take him along, just in case."
"Good idea." The second man nodded as he grunted and lifted Lon'qu's body. "Let's get to the carts. The sooner we get out of here, the better."
As the men began to leave, the one carrying Say'ri didn't notice the bucket of water next to the fire, and accidentally kicked it over. The contents of the bucket fell into the fire pit, putting out the small fire.
"Damn!" The one who kicked over the bucket whispered.
"That wasn't too much noise." His companion assured him. "Let's just get out of here."
With that, the two men carried their victims away into the shadows.
Robin's Tent…
Robin slowly began to stir. He reflexively tried and raise his left hand to his forehead, but found that he couldn't.
Panic jolted him awake. However, he quickly relaxed when he realized that the reason he couldn't raise his arm was because it was currently being held onto by a sleeping Lucina.
"How did this happen?" Robin sighed as he looked over at her. She seemed extremely peaceful in her sleep. Robin reached over and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face.
Feeling Robin's movement, Lucina's eyes slowly opened. After blinking a few times, she sat up.
"Robin! You're awake!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah…" Robin chuckled. "How long was I out?"
"I mean, I guess not too long." Lucina thought about it. "It's only been several hours. However, it IS the middle of the night now."
"That's not too bad then." Robin breathed a sigh of relief. "I guess I'll talk to Chrom about it in the morning. There are some important things I have to tell him about. I think I found where Excellus might be."
"That's good." Lucina closed her eyes and scooted closer to Robin's side. "But remember to take things easy when you're injured. Don't overwork yourself."
"Thanks for caring about me." Robin reached over and caressed her cheek with his right hand. "Although… that does remind me. Is there a reason why you're still here? What if Chrom finds out?"
Lucina scrunched up her face. 'He already knows."
Robin blinked twice, as he didn't think he heard correctly. "So how am I still alive?" Robin half joked.
"He doesn't mind. I convinced him." Lucina told him matter of factly. "And besides… you wouldn't kick me out in the middle of the night, right?"
"I guess there's some more explaining to do, then." Robin groaned as he covered his forehead with his other hand.
"Do you… do you not like me here?" Lucina hesitantly asked.
"No, it's not that…" Robin began. "It's just…"
"Well, then there's no problem then!" Lucina declared. "I talked to my father earlier. He says we're free to do whatever as long as we don't give him a grandchild yet."
"L-lucina!" Robin protested. "We're not even engaged yet!"
"Well maybe you should do something about that." Lucina quietly mumbled to herself, but Robin didn't hear her.
"Maybe we can sort things out in the morning." Robin sighed. "For now, I guess let's just get some rest."
"OK." Lucina smiled as she cozied up to Robin's arm once again. She was fine with that arrangement. For now.
The pair quietly rested for around fifteen minutes. Lucina had fallen asleep once again, but Robin was still awake. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was a little off.
"Something's not right." He muttered.
Robin slowly sat up, but the action disturbed Lucina.
"What's wrong?" She asked as she also sat up, rubbing her eyes as she did so.
"It's too quiet…" Robin whispered.
"What do you mean?" Lucina asked. "It's the middle of the night."
"Yes, but there's someone on night watch." Robin reminded her. "Even if no one else is there for them to talk to, they'll at least have a fire, right? And right now, I can't hear the crackling of fire at all."
"M-maybe they just forgot to start one?" Lucina asked. "Or it went out and they couldn't start another one in the dark?"
"Maybe." Robin reached for his cloak. He pulled out his Hekseer and checked it. "But that doesn't explain why I can't see anyone out there. All the shepherds are in their tents, and in the case of Cherche and Virion, they're in the mansion." Then he counted the dots. "Furthermore, we're missing two people. There IS something wrong."
Robin immediately began to get dressed, and after getting over her initial shock, Lucina did so as well. The pair exited the tent, and immediately, they saw the fading embers from Lon'qu's fire pit. They quickly made their way over.
"By the looks of this one, it seems it was recently put out." Robin noted as he placed his hands close to the embers. "Let's get some light."
Robin cast fire, and lit the fire pit back up. As the light flooded their surroundings, Lucina gasped. There were signs of a struggle that had taken place. Lucina knelt down and found that there was some blood on the ground. Meanwhile, Robin noticed that one of the logs the shepherds had used as a bench had been rolled slightly. There was a small strand of fabric stuck on one of the fallen branches on the ground. Someone's clothing had most likely gotten caught on it in the struggle.
"I could be wrong, but this looks like it could have been Say'ri's." Robin muttered. He checked his Hekseer and found that his suspicion had been proven true. Say'ri was nowhere near the shepherd's camp.
"Robin!" The tactician turned to see Lucina gesturing for him to come over. Robin made his way over to find the body of the assailant Lon'qu had killed.
"By the slash pattern, I guess Lon'qu was on guard duty tonight. Since both Lon'qu and Say'ri aren't dead, just out of range, they must have taken them somewhere. They probably left this guy here in order to get away quickly." Robin surmised. "We need to act now. Go wake your mother, your sister, Gerome, and Olivia. I'll find Gaius, Cordelia and Cherche. The nine of us will be the most optimal combination to rescue them."
"R-right!" Lucina immediately went off to fulfil Robin's orders.
Undisclosed Location…
Say'ri's eyes slowly began to flutter open. She was in a strange place that she did not recognize. When she tried to move, she realized that her wrists had been tied together and were forcibly raised above her head by a rope tied to the ceiling.
"Oh good. Our sleeping beauty is awake." An oddly familiar voice cackled. Say'ri blinked a few times to clear her vision. The sight in front of her instantly brought her out of the drowsiness.
"Lon'qu!" Say'ri exclaimed. The Swordmaster in question had his limbs tied to a star shaped contraption. He was barely conscious, and his face and limbs were covered in gashes. Her eyes bulged at the short, fat man standing to Lon'qu's side. "Excellus!?"
"Yes, indeed. It is I!" Excellus giggled. "And oh, what a joyous reunion it is! We didn't want to… bother you... when you were having your beauty rest, so we decided to start with your friend over here. He wasn't the tactician I was hoping for, but knowing that he must be one of your friends does bring me pleasure as well."
Excellus turned to one of his underlings, who, Say'ri immediately noticed, was carrying a large leather whip. "Our wonderful… guest… over here has not yet had the pleasure of witnessing your magnificent skill yet. Why don't you demonstrate for her? On the sword user, of course. We wouldn't want to damage her pristine skin. It would damage her value greatly."
The man nodded in acknowledgement and began to give Lon'qu a vicious whipping once again. The Swordmaster grunted with each strike, but did not otherwise say anything.
"Stop it!" Say'ri pleaded. "Prithee! He will die!"
"Oh, wouldn't that be tragic?" Excellus mocked. "Fear not, my dear Say'ri. We'll make sure not to kill him. I'll get someone to tend to his wounds later. Then we'll be able to mess him up again! Ooh! I almost forgot! Bring me the branding irons!"
One of his men handed him one that had been resting on a bed of hot coals. Excellus gleefully accepted it and pressed it onto Lon'qu's pectoral muscle. Even though he was barely conscious, Lon'qu still let out a loud roar of pain.
At this, Excellus began to laugh heartily. Say'ri glared daggers at him, but couldn't do anything otherwise.
"You pig!" She snarled. "The best you deserve is to rot in hell!"
"Watch your mouth!" Excellus frowned. "That's not how you talk to your superiors!"
One of Excellus's attendants brought him a drink. After taking a long sip, the former Valmese tactician seemed to have slightly calmed down.
"Enough. Let's not argue on a wonderful night of celebration." Excellus smiled. "All right, that's enough with the appetizer. Now it's onto the main course. You and your dear brother have cost me much, and since your brother is no longer alive, it is only fitting that you pay both of your debts. Unfortunately, I do not possess the necessary… equipment… to enjoy this for myself, so I will have to settle for just watching you suffer. But I'm sure these boys will have a lot of fun. You be sure to enjoy yourself as well. Ta ta!"
With that, Excellus turned and walked away. Some of his attendants pulled the contraption, along with Lon'qu away as well. Say'ri began to notice the large number of Excellus's men surrounding her. Her eyes widened in panic and realization as many of them began to hungrily close in on her.
"Oh, I can't wait!" One man chuckled as he walked up to Say'ri.
"You apes!" Say'ri exclaimed as she kicked the man between the legs. "Get away from me!"
Although her hands were bound, nothing had been done about her legs. This was a detail that was clearly overlooked by her first assailant.
However, this was not a mistake that would be made a second time. When Say'ri tried to kick the next person to walk up to her, the man had instead caught her leg instead. He held her by the ankle, forcing her leg to remain in the air. Because she was required to keep her other leg on the ground for balance, Say'ri could no longer do anything as she was swarmed. She screamed in frustration as many hands began to tear at her garments.
"Ah ha ha!" Excellus laughed as he watched from the balcony. He was slightly winded from running up the stairs, but the effort was clearly worth it due to the beautiful sight being displayed in front of him. "Just look at her squirm!"
His festivities were cut short when a pair of wyverns tore a hole through the ceiling. Three pegasi flew through it, depositing three people onto the second floor balcony.
At the same time, multiple bolts of dark magic rained from above, landing around Say'ri. This caused Excellus's men to scatter. The ones who reacted fast enough were able to stumble a few steps back in time, but the slower men were killed instantly.
Following the rain of magic, a Wyvern Lord swooped down and dropped a single, cloaked figure in front of Say'ri.
"W-wait…" Excellus stammered. "I-I recognize that-"
He flinched in his seat as the figure removed his hood to reveal the face of the tactician he absolutely dreaded.
"YOU!" Excellus pointed a shaking finger at him. "It's YOU!"
Robin didn't even notice him. He brandished his scythe towards the men in front of him.
"You all have some nerve." He growled. "None of you are even worthy to lay a finger on her. And now, you shall face the consequences."
Robin immediately rushed forward and began to swing his weapon without abandon. Gerome, Cherche, Cordelia, and Cynthia all hovered above Say'ri protectively, stopping anyone who ran at her. Sumia, on the other hand, knocked waves of people away with some carefully aimed wind magic.
Excellus and his men were in no position to react appropriately. They had been, and some quite literally, caught with their pants down. All of his men on the first floor didn't have armor equipped either, which made Robin's job extremely easy.
"G-guards!" Excellus stammered as he began to panic. "Take them out! Take them out NOW!"
"What? You mean these guards?" An orange haired Assassin smirked as he twirled a dagger around. At his feet lay the bodies of many of his men.
Excellus looked to his left and right. On one side, a swordswoman with blue hair was slashing up the last of his guards, while on the other, a pinkette Assassin was pulling her dagger out of the last guard on her side. While his attention had been fixated on the ground floor, his personal guard had been thoroughly decimated.
"Game over, ugly." The male Assassin told him he closed in for the final kill. Gaius stabbed a blade towards the face of Excellus.
To his credit, the fat eunuch was able to move his head to the side fast enough to prevent death. However, the blade of the knife still stabbed into his left ear. Excellus screamed in pain, but Gaius seemed more annoyed than anything else. He flicked his blade upwards and brought it down again, cutting the ear clean off.
"My ear!" Excellus wailed. "My ear!"
"Calm down Fatty." Gaius sighed. "I don't want to have to wear the edge down too much. Just stay still and I promise I'll kill you quickly."
Gaius raised his weapon again and prepared to bring it down on Excellus. The former Valmese tactician could only cower in fear.
But, before Gaius was able to secure the kill, a glowing magic circle appeared under his feet. Instinctively, Gaius lept backwards, which was the wise choice. A short moment later, dark magic erupted from the circle.
"What the!?" Gaius looked at Excellus in confusion. "You're a sneaky one."
However, it was evident that Excellus was equally as confused. Moments later, a man clothed in dark robes materialized behind Excellus. One of his eyes were covered it what looked like bandages.
"That's quite enough." The man stated.
"Enough?" Gaius snorted. "I don't think so. I answer to Robin, not one of Fatty's clowns."
"You've got the wrong idea." The man chuckled. "I am not this man's subordinate. Actually, he is mine. Or rather… about to be mine."
"Lies!" Excellus roared. "I'm done with all of the subordination! I'm always left with the short end of the stick!"
However, the Eunuch turned into a mewling mess as soon as the man glared daggers at him.
"I'm offering you you're life." The man stated. "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."
"Not so fast." Lucina walked over and brandished her sword at the man. "What if we don't allow you to? Excellus has hurt our friends one too many times. We're not leaving until he's dead."
"Y-yeah." Olivia nodded in agreement as she pulled out her bow.
"Tch." The man snorted. "As if any of you could do anything to harm me. Really, I'm only stepping in because this man could be useful for me and my cause. His death might make you feel better, but to me, it's just a waste."
"Who even are you?" Gaius asked, pointing a dagger at the man's face.
"Who I am doesn't concern you. For all I know, this is the last time we'll meet." The man chuckled. "But if it makes you feel any better, I am a traveling scholar hailing from a distant land. Rest assured. I'll be taking him with me. To a different continent. You'll never see him again."
"I don't think so." Gaius stated. "He's still dying right here. Tonight."
"Oh, but I DO." The man chuckled. "And frankly, I don't have time to waste with you anymore."
Gaius threw a knife at Excellus and Olivia fired a shot from her bow, hoping to blindside the man. However, the man and Excellus had materialized away in a fraction of a second. The attacks hit the chair, but didn't score any kills.
"Damn it!" Gaius stabbed another knife into the balcony railing.
"It looks like we've failed…" Olivia sighed.
"At least… if the man was telling the truth…." Lucina began. "We won't have to ever see him again."
"That foreign land couldn't have been Ylisse, could it?" Gaius asked.
"No, I don't think so." Lucina shook her head. "Ylisseans don't dress like that. Unless he's Feroxi or Plegian, I don't think he could be referring to our continent."
"Well he definitely wasn't Plegian, that's for sure." Gaius sighed as he pulled his knife back out of the railing and Excellus's chair. "I've worked with them before. Not a single person, not even the dark mages, dressed like that."
He turned expectantly to Olivia.
"N-not from Regna Ferox either." She finally replied after understanding the implications. "There aren't many magic users to begin with. If he's really powerful, then everyone in Ferox would know about him. At least, if he were Feroxi that is."
"Well, with a little luck, we might never run into him again." Gaius shrugged. "Let's hope that's the case."
Meanwhile…
Robin and the others took care of the men who were about to assault Say'ri extremely efficiently. After all the aggressors had been killed, Robin finally turned to face her. That was when he realized the current state Say'ri was in.
Most of her clothing had been torn apart. Had she walked around a market like that, she would've been arrested for public nudity. Robin immediately covered his eyes with his left hand, but not before a noticeable tinge of red crept onto his cheeks.
"S-sorry." Robin said sheepishly.
"N-no… it is all right." Say'ri replied. She was equally embarrassed, but there really wasn't anything she could've done. "You did not look on purpose after all. The only reason you are here was to save us anyway."
"Right." Robin nodded, still covering his eyes. "Then I'll let the other ladies take care of you then. I'll go check on Lon'qu."
"Prithee! W-wait!" Say'ri exclaimed, even as Cordelia came over and began to cut the ropes binding her wrists. "Lon'qu… he is badly injured."
"Got it." Robin nodded, still trying to walk away as soon as possible. "I'll tend to his wounds then. At least, I'll stabilize him until we can get him back to Lissa."
Robin began to walk away towards where Lon'qu was. Say'ri gingerly rubbed her injured wrists as Cordelia cut her free.
"Poor thing." Cherche sighed as she wrapped her cloak around Say'ri, doing the best to cover her up. Say'ri had to admit. Whatever Cherche used to scent her clothing smelled extremely pleasant.
Moments later, Robin, who was much more exhausted, listened to the report by Lucina and Olivia as he sat down and leaned his back against a support pillar. Although frustrated they hadn't actually killed Excellus, he decided he should still call the night a victory.
"How is it that you can kill that many people without breaking a sweat, but healing one person exhausts you so much?" Cordelia teased. "I bet you're just faking it."
"It always takes more effort to clean up a mess than to create one." Robin chuckled. "Miriel was talking about something like that a while ago. I forget what she called it. Introphy? Enthalmy? I can't remember."
"W-wait…" Lucina held up a hand. "You said ROBIN healed him?"
"Yeah, that doesn't make sense." Cynthia frowned. "I don't remember uncle Robin being able to do anything like that."
"Really?" Cordelia asked. "Because this isn't the first time he's healed anyone. He was the one that stabilized Virion when he got shot by a poison arrow."
"That was ROBIN!?" Lucina asked, absolutely and utterly surprised.
"Yeah, I guess this timeline is already a little different than you're old one." Robin chuckled nervously.
Lucina made a face at him, clearly not satisfied with the explanation. She walked up to her and bent down so that her face was level with his. "You. Are. Going. To. Tell. Me. Everything." she told him as she poked him in the chest with every word.
"All right, all right." Robin quickly conceded. "But when we get back to camp."
"I suppose I can wait that long." Lucina stood back up and crossed her arms. She then facepalmed. "Ugh! I still can't believe we let that guy escape!"
"Hey, good news!" Gaius said as he returned. "I did a little bit of snooping… and you'll never guess what I found! There's a room full of documents and such… I'm guessing it's all important information for the Black Market. I'm thinking we should burn it all."
"Yes." Robin nodded approvingly. "But first, I want to give the documents a quick scan. Perhaps there's some information that's even more useful for us to have than to just burn."
"Sounds good." Gaius agreed as he helped pull Robin up onto his feet.
True to his word, Robin looked through the documents quickly and pocketed a few of them. Other than that, he and Sumia torched the place with fire magic and the shepherds made their way back to camp with their two rescued friends.
Lon'qu hadn't regained consciousness yet, and Lissa almost had a panic attack when Sumia gently woke her and told her the news. She immediately got to work healing her husband-to-be. Thanks to the efforts of their War Cleric, Lon'qu's labored breathing soon calmed down, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief once Lissa declared he would be fine after a day or two of intensive medical care. If nothing goes wrong, at least.
With the issue pretty much resolved, most of the shepherds elected to go back to bed.
Robin wasn't sure what the best course of action for him was. He was passed out a few hours ago, so maybe he could use the extra rest, but at the same time, he had already slept enough for a typical day. He finally elected to light a fire once again.
Soon, Lissa joined him.
"I can't really sleep right now." Lissa told him as she sat down. "I mean, I know Lon'qu SHOULD be fine, but what if he isn't? What if his injuries are permanent?"
"Your assessment of him was that he'll be fine, right?" Robin asked. "And in the past, how often have you been wrong?"
"Well… there's always a time for firsts." Lissa retorted.
"He'll be fine." Robin chuckled. "You're just extra worried because you're really attached to him. More than any of us. That means there's more at stake for you this time. But in reality, he'll end up right as rain, just like all of your patients."
"Yeah… I hope so." Lissa sighed.
There was a sound of someone stretching, and soon Gaius sat down with the two of them.
"Hey there, Princess. Bubbles." The Assassin said as he popped a sucker into his mouth. "What's shakin'?"
"Nothing new." Robin chuckled at the absurd question. "The more pressing question is, why are YOU here?"
"Oh, I figured someone is needed to cover Lon'qu's night shift." Gaius said as he absentmindedly cleaned one of his daggers. "And I wasn't doing anything else, so I figured I may as well work overtime."
"You're not getting paid any extra, y'know." Lissa told him. "We know you aren't THAT altruistic."
"All right, all right, all right." Gaius shrugged. "Ya got me. Cordelia says to get myself cleaned up before I join her in bed again. Says I smell too much of blood. But hey, it ain't my fault that some of it gets on me. Can't afford to care about these things when you're takin' on a hoard of enemies."
"But… you're not cleaning yourself right now." Lissa pointed out.
"It's not MY fault!" Gaius protested. "It's the middle of the night! I ain't takin' a bath while it's dark out!"
"So… you're staying up the rest of the night then?" Robin asked.
"Bingo!" Gaius snapped his fingers and pointed at Robin. "I'll get cleaned up in the morning. Or afternoon… or tomorrow night."
"Now you're just putting it off." Lissa accused.
"I guess." Gaius shrugged. "Don't feel like doing anything right now though. Figured it's the least I can do to reward myself for that spectacular fighting back there. "Cept the whole Excellus thing. Couldn't kill him in time. Cut off his ear though."
Just then, two more figures walked towards them. Olivia and Lucina stopped by the fire, wrapped in nothing but a couple of washcloths.
"Oh look, maybe you could learn a thing or two from them." Lissa told Gaius.
"I'm willing to bet my entire sweets sack that it was uncomfortable though." Gaius furrowed his brows. "The bath, I mean."
"It WAS really cold." Olivia admitted. "But we only got the towels wet to clean ourselves, so it wasn't as bad. Speaking of, I'd better go get some dry clothes to change into. Then I'll probably return to bed. Good luck everyone!"
With that, Olivia began to walk back to her tent.
"Yeah…" Lucina looked like she was thinking about something. "Robin… Olivia told me everything she knows. Is it… is it true that Walhart is your uncle?"
"I mean, I guess." Robin sighed and gave a shrug. "But trust me, I didn't know either."
"And that means… all of the other stuff is true as well?" Lucina pressed.
"I'm assuming." Robin nodded. "Olivia probably wouldn't make anything ridiculous up."
"So why did you never tell me before!?" Lucina demanded.
"Hey, I only just recently found out as well!" Robin protested. "And I've been having some dreams recently that may suggest I have a different past in this timeline than yours."
"Hey, calm down Blues Jr." Gaius told Lucina. "There's been a lot going on. I'm sure Bubbles didn't mean to hide things from you."
Lucina finally sighed in defeat. "All right, I trust you. I guess I won't interrupt your conversation then. I'd better go change and catch a little bit more sleep."
"Sweet dreams!" Robin called after her retreating figure before turning back to Lissa and Gaius. The three of them talked for the next couple of hours until the sun rose.
Chrom, having woken up when Lucina came for Sumia, had a general understanding that something had occurred the previous night. However, it was nothing like what he had expected.
"You're telling me you went to go do WHAT!?" The exalt exclaimed at Robin after he had given his report.
"Excellus captured Say'ri and Lon'qu." Robin sighed, having to repeat himself. "We went to go save them. I knew the location because it was something I read from Cassius. Turns out, they had some vital documents." Robin gestured to the papers he held in his hand. "They contain the location and details of all the other Black Market buildings. I'm thinking we pass these over to Say'ri. I'm sure she could organize the rest of the continent in the purging of this organization."
"That sounds good." Chrom nodded in approval. "Speaking of, how is she doing?"
"Maribelle went to go check on her earlier this morning." Robin replied. "She's still a little shaken up, but she didn't get any injuries at all. The person I'm more worried about is actually Lon'qu. Not only did he have numerous lacerations, but there were a few burn wounds as well. Lissa is doing her best though, so he's in good hands."
"Right." Chrom nodded. "Then I guess it's safe to say that our job on the continent of Valm is just about done. We'll pass those documents to Say'ri at the harbor. Then we'll finally be able to return home."
"Sounds good." Robin smiled. "We'd better inform Virion and Cherche that we're leaving."
The pair then entered Virion's mansion to search for him and his fiance.
The first people Chrom and Robin ran into were some of Virion's newest servants. They were still busy cleaning, but as soon as they saw the two shepherds, the servants stopped to greet and bow.
"It seems they're getting well situated." Chrom noted.
"Yeah. I don't think anything bad will happen to them under Virion's wing." Robin nodded. "And not to mention, Virion benefits too. This is a situation where pretty much everyone wins."
They found Virion and Cherche in the master bedroom. He and Cherche were overseeing the cleaning and restoration of their sleeping quarters. Virion had insisted that they finish the rest of the rooms first, and save this one for last.
"Ah!" Virion smiled as soon as he saw Chrom and Robin. "How magnificent! What can I do for you?"
"Can we talk?" Chrom asked. "To you and Cherche?"
"Privately." Robin added.
Virion thought for a brief moment. He turned to the servants in his room. "Continue your hard work, my beloved staff. Cherche and I have some business to attend to. We'll be back in a moment's notice. Virion, away!"
With that, Virion ushered Chrom and Robin to another empty room with Cherche following closely behind.
"So what did you need?" Cherche asked as soon as the four of them were alone.
"We're going to leave for Ylisse." Chrom replied. "Probably this afternoon."
"I… see." Virion sighed. "Very understandable. However, it doesn't make the goodbyes any less bitter."
"We don't like it any better." Robin chuckled. "We're losing two valuable family members as well."
"Well then, it would be rude for me to keep you, considering you have your own country to return to." Virion began. "And frankly, I'm ashamed to inform you that I do not have any parting gifts ready."
"There's no need." Chrom chuckled. "I don't think I would allow myself to accept anything of extreme value from you anyway."
"But, let me be clear." Virion continued. "House Virion, as well as all of Rosanne, owes you and Ylisse a huge debt. One that nigh cannot be paid. So therefore, this is the only thing I can offer. Should Ylisse ever require any assistance of any sort, just call and Rosanne will support your endeavors in any and every way possible."
"Thanks." Chrom smiled. "I hope the good relations between our two nations will last indefinitely."
"As do I." Virion smiled back as he gave the Exalt a handshake. "As do I."
"It was a good run." Robin smiled and offered his hand as well. "I'm going to miss our chess games a lot."
"'twas." Virion agreed, also shaking the tactician's hand. "And, I too, shall miss our games."
"Thanks for everything." Cherche smiled at Chrom while Virion was shaking Robin's hand. She gave Chrom a hug, which Chrom awkwardly returned. Afterwards, she did the same with Robin.
"All right. We'll leave you to your house cleaning." Chrom said. "There's some preparations to do after all."
"Take care!" Robin raised a hand as a form of goodbye as he followed Chrom towards the door.
A Few Hours Later…
The shepherds had already begun marching towards Valm Harbor. They'd barely marched for five minutes before a Wyvern Lord began chasing them from the rear.
"Wait!" Cherche called.
Chrom motioned for everyone to stop.
"Is something wrong?" The Exalt asked her when she finally caught up to them.
"I came after Gerome." Cherche explained. "I didn't realize he would be going with you as well."
"Oh." Chrom chuckled sheepishly. "Honestly, I had completely forgotten. I guess that's something for the two of you to work out. We'll give you some time."
"There's no need." Gerome stated. "I'm not going back with you… mother."
"Why not?" Cherche asked in concern. "Have I done something to offend you?"
"YOU haven't done anything… not yet at least." Gerome gritted his teeth. "But the fact of the matter is that my real parents are dead. You and that man are mere mirror images of them. I came back to the past with my friends, and I'm not about to abandon them to live out the few short years you probably have remaining with a couple of strangers."
"Harsh." Cherche sighed. "But I suppose it also makes sense. I wish you and your friends good luck in changing the future then."
She then turned to Chrom. "I guess my trip out here was completely pointless. Forgive me for the delay."
"No, it's fine." Chrom assured her. "Take care."
With that, Cherche took off, and the shepherds continued towards Valm Harbor. There were no more interruptions for the rest of the day.
That Evening…
After dinner, Robin had retired to his own tent for the night. At least, to what he had thought would be his own tent. He sighed when he realized that Lucina's stuff was also in his tent as well.
After around half an hour of isolation from the rest of the shepherds, his tent flap opened. In walked Lucina wrapped up in some towels. It was clear that she must have just finished taking a bath.
"So is this going to be a regular occurrence in the future?" Robin asked.
"Yep!" Lucina grinned cheekily. "I hope it's not too much of a bother."
"If that's how it's going to be, why don't we just not bother setting up your own tent? It would save some time." Robin suggested.
"Mmhmm." Lucina nodded. "I didn't even set it up."
"Well, are you going to get changed then?" Robin asked. "You'll catch a cold like that."
"My hair is still wet." Lucina pouted. "It's the worst part of taking a bath. Takes forever to dry."
"Maybe I can help you." Robin suggested, patting the part of the bedroll right next to him. "Come over here."
"Help me?" Lucina wondered out loud. "How?"
Regardless, she sat down next to Robin. The tactician began to remove the towel that Lucina had used to wrap up her hair. As her hair spilled out, Robin's nose was assaulted by a delightful smell.
'Is that perfume?' He wondered to himself. 'Nevermind. You can ask about that later.'
He raised his right hand up to her wet hair and began to channel a small amount of energy into it. The result was the heating of the air around his hand. This slowly dried Lucina's hair.
"Robin… what are you doing?" Lucina asked in surprise as she felt a warm feeling around her scalp.
"I'm basically casting a basic fire spell." Robin explained. "However, I'm dissipating the energy so that it can't actually create a flame. The result is that the energy simply heats up the air, which will dry your hair faster."
"You're a genius Robin." Lucina smiled, closing her eyes.
"I know." Robin smirked.
"I'm really lucky, you know." Lucina sighed.
"I am as well." Robin immediately replied. "I am as well."
After Lucina's hair was dry, she changed into her sleep clothes and the pair prepared to go to sleep. Both of them slept quite soundly that night.
The Next Day…
The shepherds were once again on the move. After having breakfast and packing everything up, they had a few hours of quiet travel. This changed once they approached a village that was somewhat close to Valm Harbor.
"Turn around and get lost, you swine!" A voice thundered. "This land belongs to the Stonewall Knights! If you need a second notice, I'll write it on your men's corpses!"
"Ya-har!" A second, slightly more familiar, voice replied. "A pile of corpses could still out fight you sorry lots! This is our territory, and no one gives orders to the Riders of Dawn!"
"What do you make of that?" Chrom asked.
"Mercenaries, from the look, milord." Frederick replied. "Probably rival bands squabbling over some petty matters. A common sight in times like these, I'm afraid. But if it comes down to the bloodletting, it is the nearby villages that suffer."
As if on cue, a man, carrying what was presumed to be some of his belongings, ushered his wife, father, and two children away from the village.
"Excuse me, good sir!" Frederick called out to him.
The man flinched when he saw the shepherds. "P-please! This is all that I have! Don't take our lives away from us!"
"Peace, friend." Chrom raised one hand. "We mean no harm. We just wished to ask you some questions about the fighting up ahead."
"Th-the mercenary groups?" The man quivered.
"Yes, if you please." Chrom smiled. "We were just wondering about what's happening."
"They're the Stonewall Knights and the Riders of Dawn." The man's father responded. "They both claim this village to be their territory, and constantly bicker and fight over it. My son is taking our family a good distance away while they fight. It may save our lives, but we can only hope our house is still standing when we get back."
"The Riders of Dawn?" Chrom wondered aloud. "Where have I heard that name before?"
"We ran into them while fighting that imposter of yours." Robin reminded him. "They were the ones that shot Virion with a poison arrow, remember?"
"Ah, yes." Chrom nodded. "But if I recall correctly, they seemed to be a decent group of mercenaries. And you say they're terrorizing your village?"
"Y-yes, milord." The old man responded. "Both groups claim to be mercenary groups, but in truth, they don't care at all about the civilians living here. A few months ago, my wife was trampled by the Riders of Dawn during a skirmish between the two sides."
"And the Stonewall Knights are not any better!" The old man's daughter in law exclaimed. "They'll cut down anyone in the way! The only thing that matters to them is killing as many of the Riders of Dawn as possible!"
"I see. So they're a bit of a nuisance to the villagers here." Chrom grumbled. "All right, I suppose it is our duty to solve this issue then, since we're in the area. Shepherds, prepare for battle!"
Before he left, Robin stopped the old man.
"Thanks. We really appreciate the information." Robin told him as he took the old man's hand and pressed a few gold pieces into it. "Hopefully after today, this isn't a problem you'll ever have to worry about again."
"M-milord!" The old man stammered. "We can't accept this!"
"No, I insist." Robin chuckled. "It's barely anything, considering that your house might be on the line. Please, remain out here and keep yourselves safe. We'll take care of the groups as quickly as possible."
With that, Robin waved the family goodbye and ran to catch up with the rest of the shepherds.
"What a strange group of people…" The old man murmured to himself.
By the time Robin caught up, the shepherds had already gotten into eyeshot of both the groups.
"More sellswords!?" A General called to them from within the village. "You're timing is impeccable. I'll buy your steel and see that you're well compensated for your trouble."
"Hail, good sirs!" A Paladin called from the forest to their east. "Is it not the brave heroes of Ylisse? We are old acquaintances, are we not? Aid the Riders of Dawn, and we'll see that you are given half of the spoils!"
"Old acquaintances?" The General asked. "Pah, no matter. You are sellswords, no? You should be motivated by money instead. I'll pay you twice what that fool would!"
"Well Robin?" Chrom asked him. "What do you think? Are we siding with the Riders?"
Robin shook his head. "No."
"We're not siding with the Knights, are we?" Chrom asked, furrowing his brow.
"No." Robin chuckled.
"So… neither then?" Chrom asked. "Which means you aim to fight both?"
"Yeah, that sounds about right." Robin nodded. "Sure, it might solve the villagers' problems if we just defeat one group, but I think it would be best for them if we destroy both of them. Even with Lon'qu still resting with injuries, I think we can take them."
"I should have known." Chrom chuckled. "But are you sure about this? They have a lot of people in total. It may be difficult to defeat all of them. But, with that being said, I trust you, and so I'll leave the final decision up to you."
"Shepherds! Prepare for battle!" Robin exclaimed. "I want magic users near the village entrance, and armored units guarding our side closer to the forest! Bow users on our eastern flank, fighters on our west!"
"What's this?" The General roared. "How dare you reject the generous offer of Gyral and the Stonewall Knights?"
"You aim to raise your swords against us, the Riders of Dawn?" Dalen exclaimed. "It seems I put too much trust in you. Since you won't help us, I suppose us Riders will just have to ride over your dead corpses!"
"We'll get back to our argument later." Gyral called towards the Riders of Dawn. "First, there are these meddling sellswords who are too nosy for their own good. Let's work together and kill them all before we fight."
"Sounds good." Dalen replied. "It turns out, these guys'll stab you in the back as soon as they get the opportunity. It's best we take them out. They have absolutely no honor."
"Um… Robin?" Chrom chuckled nervously. "It looks like they might work together to defeat us."
"Yeah, I took that possibility into account." Robin replied nonchalantly as he continued to give out orders.
"That's fine and all, but I was kind of under the impression that it would be a three sided fight." Chrom smiled sheepishly. "That's a lot of people we have to kill then."
"It'll be fine!" Robin laughed. "Three sided battles always turn out to be messy. In a way, things are better this way. Trust me, we'll be more than fine."
"All right, if you say so." Chrom shrugged. "Where do you want me?"
"Over there. With Frederick and the others." Robin replied, pointing towards the forest. "Your job is to just hold on as long as you can."
Chrom hurriedly ran over to get in position. When he got there, he found that Anna was busy handing out Beast Killers to some of their allies.
"Oh, hey!" Anna gave him a smile and a wink. She handed him a Beast Killer as well. "Here's yours, Chrom! Robin specifically told me to give as many people these lances as possible."
Chrom looked at the odd figure of the Beast Killer. It was designed specifically for killing cavalry and mounted troops, which would, no doubt, give them an edge against the group calling themselves the Riders of Dawn. However, it was a lance, and although Chrom was no stranger to fighting with one at this point, it was still not the same as Falchion.
Pretty soon, Chrom could hear the thundering of hooves as the Riders approached the shepherds' position. Several Great Knights, Paladins, Rangers and Valkyries soon barrelled full speed towards them.
"This one's gonna hurt…" Chrom muttered.
"Don't worry, Chrom." Anna gave him a wink. "There's already a plan being set in motion."
She gestured towards Kellam, who was off to the side with a thick rope in his hands. When the Riders got close, he sharply pulled on said rope, causing many horses in the initial charge to trip and fall over. Frederick and Sully instantly went to meet the Riders who had safely passed the trip rope head on, but the rest of the shepherds knew an opportunity when they saw one. They all rushed forward and began to hit the Riders when they were down. In one move, several Paladins and Great Knights were removed from the battle.
Furthermore, the shepherds who had a Beast Killer were able to take down the enemy horsemen effectively. The Riders of Dawn were no match for Sully and Frederick, as well as Chrom and Kellam, and they slowly began to lose more and more members of their front line.
The fight was looking pretty good on this side. At least, for now. Chrom took a gamble and snuck a peek at the other side of the fight, where Robin oversaw things. However, this was a mistake as his loss of attention allowed an enemy Ranger to hit him in the arm with an arrow.
"Chrom!" Lissa exclaimed as she ran over with her staff ready. Chrom grunted in pain, but allowed for his sister to treat the wound.
A couple arrows of their own flew in the other direction, scoring hits on two enemy Valkyries. Immediately, two more followed, bringing down a third Valkyrie and a Ranger.
Gaius and Olivia each pulled two more arrows out of their quivers. After taking a moment to hold one of them in their teeth, they took aim with their second arrow, whittling down the Riders' backline. The two of them didn't have the opportunity to shine against the heavily armored Paladins and Great Knights, but now that most of them were dead, they could effectively assassinate their ranged opponents. Thanks to them, the potentially devastating magical attacks from enemy Valkyries were largely neutralized.
Noire, although much slower to fire than both of the assassins, was much better at killing the slightly better armored Rangers in one shot. She found herself focusing on killing their opponent's bow users, and always watched for opportunities to strike.
Although there were no major injuries or casualties so far on this side, the Riders of Dawn did still have the advantage in numbers. The balanced fight was becoming extremely fragile. While the shepherds were still able to beat back many of their opponents, cracks were beginning to form in their defences. Weapons, particularly the Beast Killers, didn't last forever. Furthermore, they didn't have many people to begin with, and so all they could do was hope that Robin was winning the war for them on the other side.
"All finished." Lissa declared after she finished bandaging Chrom's arm. "Do be more careful, won't you? Robin's side should be more than fine. Just worry about hanging on and slowing them down."
"Yeah." Chrom nodded. "You're right."
He got up and ran forward to fill in some of the cracks.
With Robin…
The fight with the Stonewall Knights was not quite so decisive. The main reason for that is because, unlike the Riders of Dawn, the Knights were the ones defending. There was no opportunity for Robin to use the terrain to set anything up. Knowing this full well, Robin had assigned more people to this side of the fight, but it still wasn't a cake walk. Currently, the two sides were trading magical attacks with one another. The Stonewall Knights took cover near and within some of the houses in the village, while Robin and the shepherds fired from behind the village's outer wall.
"Don't waste your energy firing at the Generals and Armored Knights!" Robin called to his allies as he leaned his back against the wall. "They might be easy targets, but the best people to kill are their Sages! Once their ranged magic users are killed, then we can pick the rest of them off at a distance."
"It's easier said than done." Tharja grumbled. "Especially since we're trying not to damage any of the houses."
"Why don't you just let use charge 'em?" Vaike asked. "I think we can take 'em head on."
"No, that could mean risking your lives." Robin gritted his teeth. "This is the safer response."
"It is nigh impossible to preserve both the infrastructure and organic lifeforms in the present situation." Miriel pointed out as she threw another Elfire towards an enemy Sage.
"We don't have the time to spare!" Ricken urged. "The other side doesn't have much in terms of manpower! If we don't end this fast, they might suffer casualties as well."
"You're going to have to make a choice, nya ha!" Henry giggled as he casually threw out Flux spells. "Personally, I'm fine with whatever, but I'm sure the others would have opinions of their own."
As much as he hated to admit it, his allies were right. Robin thought about Chrom and the others whose lives were at risk. Then he looked around at the shepherds who were currently with him, his eyes lingering on Lucina as she took cover behind the wall from an enemy spell. Gritting his teeth, Robin made his decision.
Robin stood up from his position, took aim, and threw a Thoron at a Sage who had poked his head out from his hiding place to throw out a spell of his own.
"Hit them with everything!" Robin ordered.
The magic users all looked at each other and smiled. Without an order to limit the strength of their spells, the Stonewall Knights found themselves suddenly at the mercy of a multitude of Rexcalibur, Bolganone, Thoron, and even Waste spells. The buildings began to crumble around the Knights, and they were forced to abandon their hiding positions.
Robin was glad that the pace of the battle had been picked up, but silently apologized to the villagers whose houses had been mostly decimated.
"Charge!" A voice called from within the village. The Generals, Armored Knights and Swordmasters that had been hiding behind their Sages suddenly emerged from the rubble and charged the shepherds' position.
"Hold steady!" Robin called. "Try and weaken them from a distance. Wait until they get close before going out to meet them!"
Lucina had her hand on her sword as she prepared for her opponents to get close. She was brought out from her concentration by Brady.
"What 'n tarnation!?" The Priest exclaimed. "Is that Yarne!?"
Lucina looked towards where he was pointing, and found that there indeed was a taguel running towards them. Panne was the only one in the past, and she was currently standing next to them, meaning that it had to be their friend, Yarne.
"Hey Yarne!" Lucina called, prompting the bunny to look over towards her. "It's me, Lucina!"
Seeming to realize who he was fighting against, Yarne immediately changed direction and began to run towards Lucina and Brady.
Miriel attempted to fire at what she thought was a feral attack bunny, but was stopped mid cast by Laurent.
"Mother, that is one of our friends." He informed her. "There's no need to kill him."
Miriel nodded and began to recast her spell, this time aimed at their true enemies.
"Whew!" Yarne sighed in relief as he changed back to his human form once he had reunited with a couple of his friends. "I was really scared there for a second!"
"Ya always are." Brady noted.
"I can't help it!" Yarne complained. "First, there were those Riders, then there was magic flying at me from the sky! I thought I was going to go extinct! But never mind all that. What are you guys doing here!?"
"Just passin' through." Brady answered truthfully. "Glad we ran into ya, though."
"Yeah, me too!" Yarned laughed in relief. "Me too!"
Once the two sides began fighting in close quarters, it was clear that the situation between this side and Chrom's was night and day. They weren't lacking in numbers, and the shepherds were clearly better equipped, and more experienced. The Stonewall Knights quickly fell apart under the harassment of the shepherds' fliers, as well as their hand to hand specialists.
It also didn't help that the Knights had a terribly lopsided composition. The speed reliant Swordmasters quickly left their armored allies in the dust and approached the shepherds much quicker. However, they didn't have very adequate protection, and were quickly killed off by the speedy members of the shepherds. Lucina had cut down three opponents before the rest of the Knights caught up.
Once the Swordmasters were killed off, only the heavily armored Knights were left. However, without their allies, they were just lumbering suits of armor with targets painted on their chests. They quickly melted, sometimes quite literally, under the constant fire of the shepherds' spellcasters.
After Robin's decision to disregard the houses in the village, the fight between them and the Stonewall Knights ended extremely abruptly. But there was not much time for celebration. It was clear that Chrom and the others were still holding on, but they were straining under the pressure.
"We don't have time to comb the battlefield." Robin told everyone. "Let's hurry and go help Chrom!"
The shepherds quickly retreated and ran back towards the forest.
Panne and Yarne were able to reach Chrom and the others far faster than the others. They were built to run through this type of terrain, after all. Panne was no stranger to the situation of the Taguel, and so when she saw a second one, she had immediately realized it must have been her offspring from the future. Knowing so gave her a great sense of pride.
While the Riders of Dawn had an undeniable overall advantage only a few moments ago, things quickly turned around once the rest of the shepherds arrived. All of a sudden, the Riders lost their advantage in numbers, and were quickly wiped out.
After all of the fighting had fizzled out, the shepherds were able to properly scan the battlefield. They were able to identify and confirm both the deaths of Gyral and Dalen.
"It's a shame." Robin shook his head. "Dalen seemed like a decent guy when we first met him. Turns out, he really wasn't much different than a common brigande."
"Yarne told me the Riders of Dawn tried to hunt him for sport." Lucina told him. "He had been taking shelter with the Stonewall Knights, but according to him, the Knights weren't much better. They just didn't feel the need to attack him."
"It's a shame things had to turn out this way." Robin sighed. "Tell the others to leave any valuables on the corpses. The villagers can pick through them themselves in order to help fund their recovery."
"We'll leave some gold for the villagers." Chrom put a hand on his shoulder. "But I think these villagers, once they've rebuilt, would be in better shape overall."
"I just hope they don't hold too much of a grudge." Robin shook his head. "Regardless, I think we might be able to finally finish our journey to Valm Harbor."
"Yeah, we could be on a ship back home by tomorrow afternoon." Chrom chuckled. "Let me just go talk to the innocents, and we can be on our way."
"All right." Robin nodded. "I'll go inform everyone."
Yarne: HP: 100% Str: 70% Mag: 15% Skl: 65% Spd: 70% Lck: 40% Def: 55% Res: 35%
Age: 15
Class: Taguel