Chapter 4) The Two Falchions

We're in Ferox proper, and through a series of strange coincidences, we're actually now the Champions of East-Khan Flavia, fighting in her name during one of Ferox's oldest, and most sacred, traditions: the Championship of Ruling. If we win, Flavia has promised aid to Ylisse, meaning everything will be most expedient if we win. But this will be several rounds of single combat, with no healer to assist until the battle is over.

I'm scared. I'm scared of letting everyone down. I don't like this sort of fear. I'm used to having nothing to lose.

Kellam, Virion, Sully, Blondie, Robin, Chrom, and me. After extensive talks between ourselves and Flavia, we were the ones chosen to fight. Stahl and Miriel were still recovering from the border fight, Sumia didn't have enough experience in proper combat, and Lissa had no ability to attack. Frederick was one who almost participated, but Flavia had actually requested that he'd act as one of the two 'peacekeepers', since it was traditional to have the not-Ruling Khan provide the peacekeeper for the fight, while the Ruling Khan provided the 'announcer'. Frederick had been hesitant, since things depended so heavily on how well we did in this, but had ultimately agreed to it.

The worst part was that the order had to be predetermined. Chrom was last, of course, as Flavia's Champion, but there was a lot of debate as to what order we'd fight in. We'd barely determined it prior to Flavia having to give the names, and descriptions. Something about having to 'prevent cheating' or… something. I didn't really know.

I sighed, closing my eyes as I tried to relax. I was incredibly nervous because I knew so much relied on this. We had to do a good showing. It was okay if we lost, so long as we showed we were strong. Feroxi admired and respected strength. If we put a good showing, if we showed them that we were strong… then we could get Ylisse the army it needed between the Risen and Plegia and…

It occurred to me then that I was far too involved with all of this, and that this anxiety was going to make me sick before the fighting. But I couldn't help but worry. I hated getting attached to things. I hated that the Ylisseans had been so kind, that the Shepherds had been so kind. Now I cared, and it made me shake because I knew what the consequences of failing would be.

"My dear, your lovely visage is paler than the moon itself." Virion slid to my side, and gave me a small, ornamental mug of tea. "Here, drink this," he urged, smiling gently. "It's a lovely lemon balm tea that I bought at the market at the recommendation of love lady."

"Did you now?" I asked dryly. Still, I took a sip and smiled. He'd added a touch of honey to it; I liked honey. "You seriously brewed tea right before a fight?"

"When better? I've already passed it out to the others." He gestured grandly to where most of the group was gathered around a table of our assigned 'waiting room', laughing at something Sully said while drinking what looked to be tea. I noticed, however, that I was the only one with a fancy teacup. "Lemon balm has always been a favorite of mine, you see. I find it wonderfully relaxing without causing drowsiness."

"It does taste nice." I leaned a little more against the wall, and cradled the cup to study the design. "You used this before."

"It's part of my favorite tea set, actually, one of the few things I brought with me from Rosanne. I couldn't bear to be parted from it; it was a gift from my younger sister."

"You have a younger sister?"

"...I had one." He closed his eyes briefly. "Her name was Cassandra. She was even more talented than myself, which I assure you, means quite a bit. Quiet most of the time, with a kind heart. A veritable genius when it came to anything involving thread." He tried to smile, but it looked pain. "When Walhart came to Rosanne, he devastated one of the border villages. Cassandra had been visiting, since the village was famous for its dyes. According to my scouts, there were no survivors."

"...I'm so sorry…" I looked at the teacup again, really looked at it. It was pale white, with a swirling design of the same color. I recognized the design as being a Valmese charm, the 'Winds of Peace'. It was rare for it to be on anything but cloth, though, so I had a feeling this was custom made. "Not even a body to bury?"

"My dearest friend and vassal, Cherche, tried to recover the body, but Walhart's archers and mages nearly took her from the sky, and thus, she returned empty handed." He shook his head. "If she had been still alive… I hope she wasn't. Walhart's brutality does not make me hopeful that he protects women from the… typical fate of the conquered."

I wished I could deny it. "Well, I hope whatever her fate, she got lucky." I sipped the tea, realizing why he came over, and even let me drink from what had to be a very precious item. I used that to change the subject. "You know I'm freaking out."

"My dear, it was obvious to the point that Robin was beginning to fret." His smile became a little more real. "Then lovely Sully distracted him with a story about how she killed some bandits in nothing but her smallclothes."

"And you came to cheer me up instead of listening to that?" I laughed a bit. "I'm honored."

"Well, as tantalizing as the mental image is, I thought your mental well-being took priority. As both a friend, and from a strategic point of view."

"Strategic?" I frowned a little before sighing. "Robin."

"Your twin brother adores you. Not even whatever hex robbed him of his memories could erase that. If anything, it strengthened those feelings, as he does not have anything else to drown it out. That's also why he bonds so quickly, and deeply, to so many of us." His smile took a distinctive teasing edge. "There is also our stalwart captain, our dashing Prince Chrom!"

"Are you going to try and tease me again about things I don't understand?"

"Well, that's always fun." Now he was grinning and I rolled my eyes. "Truly, though, this isn't meant to be entirely teasing. Our beloved captain frets over the wellbeing of all his subordinates. A good trait, but also one that can lead to a lack of focus." His grin faded slightly. "Regardless of what I think, none may deny that you and he are particularly close. You spar nightly, you help reassure him, and it is clear he relies on your knowledge to help bridge the gaps in his own. You are also the dear sister of his best friend. It is natural that he would worry more over you." He then gasped dramatically. "But all of that is besides the point. Why, my dear, you are so lovely and kind that I believe even a god would weep to see you so distressed."

I ended up choking on a bitter laugh, and coughed hard enough that the rest of the group crowded around, worried. Virion hovered over one shoulder while Chrom claimed the other and Robin knelt in front of me, taking the teacup from me to make sure I didn't drop it. The rest just… fretted, and I almost felt like crying again. The gods rather enjoyed seeing me 'distressed' given how my life has been. I was 'Grima', after all, and the gods made their feelings quite clear on him.

At around the time I stopped coughing, and reassured everyone that I'd just been startled by Virion's flowery language, someone knocked on the door quietly. The door opened with a soft click, and to my surprise, Olivia walked in, though she wore a more covering outfit today. "Um…" she began, noticing how we were all clustered in a corner. "Is everything alright?"

"Virion here just tried to kill me, no big deal," I instantly dismissed. I smiled, and the others relaxed, with Sully even nudging Virion. "Are you here to pick us up?"

"Yes, I'm the announcer this year, so I came to get you." She curtseyed. "My name is Olivia, a traveling dancer. I am pleased to see you two again, and to meet the rest of you."

"Thank you, Olivia," Chrom replied. He took a deep breath and looked each of us in the eye, smiling reassuringly at us all. "All right, everyone. Let's do our best, and win Ylisse the alliance."

We all cheered, though the words brought back my worries. I just… hoped things would be fine.

"Sully, you're amazing!" I cheered, caught up in the excitement as Sully ended her match very decisively. "Go ahead and hit him a second time!"

"She kicked him in the balls," Robin murmured. He, as well as the other boys, were squirming, and they winced as Sully glanced back, flashed me a grin, and took my suggestion, kicking her fallen opponent in the nuts again. The crowd went wild. "Well, they clearly have a favorite."

"Kellam did a good job winning the crowd too." Despite being up against a mage, Kellam managed to tie in a last second strike before collapsing. The walls had trembled at the crowd's cheers. "We're doing rather well."

"We are indeed." I giggled and, on impulse, held up both my hands towards Sully as she left the arena proper and entered the side-room where we waited, and watched the fights. "Awesome~!"

"Damn straight!" Sully laughed. She gave me twin-high-fives, grinning as the 'clap' echoed a bit. My hands stung, but I felt giddy anyway. "Oh, that felt amazing! This is a good way to beat out frustration!"

"I am reminded of why your father has given up trying to arrange a 'favorable marriage' for you," Chrom deadpanned. He laughed as Sully instantly groaned. "Your little brother and sister love it, though."

"Well, she's a nice proper noble girl, and he's just adorable." Sully grimaced, rolling her shoulders. "Ah, damn it, I hate it when the rush fades and all that shit."

"Off to Lissa for you. Just in case."

"Where is she again?"

"There's helpful servants to lead you to her special booth and make sure you thank them properly."

"Chrom, you're a little shit sometimes." She rolled her eyes and Chrom laughed. "Whatever. I'll be cheering!" She walked off, and I winced as a noticeable limp appeared in her step. She definitely pulled something, but that wasn't a surprise. She was used to fighting on horseback which wasn't allowed here for obvious reasons.

"Ah, what glory it is to see the red victory claim her prize!" Virion noted lightly. He flipped his hair over his shoulder as he headed towards the arena proper. "Now, watch as the Archest of Archers duplicates her most magnificent feat!"

"Be careful, Virion," Robin called. He grinned teasingly. "This isn't a flirtation contest."

"Of course not! Flirtation is an artform!" Virion scoffed, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Well, I best be off! Adieu~!"

"...What does 'ahew' mean?" Robin looked confused and nudged my side as the crowd cheered in the arena proper. Virion's match had likely begun. "Kestrel?"

"It's 'adieu'," I corrected, laughing a little. "It's Rosannean for 'farewell'."

"Rosannean?"

"A country across the sea, in Valm." I glanced at Chrom then, who nodded. I'd given him Virion's warning shortly before we'd hit the border, and he'd gotten a message back to Emmeryn thanks to Frederick. "Virion's from there. That's why he has an unusual accent compared to the rest of the Shepherds."

"Oooohhh, that makes sense." Robin nodded, smiling slightly. "So, the language we speak is…?"

"We're speaking Trade Tongue, also called 'Common'. Most countries technically have their own language, but as time went on, Common became more 'common', and now, most of the unique-to-country languages are simply called Old 'insert country here'. There's some scholars that trace the linguistic history of words to show how Common is really a nice little hodgepodge of borrowed words."

"But only the scholars and nobility actually know the old languages." Robin sighed, drooping a little. "That's a shame."

"Υπάρχουν βιβλία στο κάστρο," Chrom replied. Both Robin and I gave him an incredulous look. "Old Ylissean. I'm required to be fluent in it as the Crown Prince. I'll show you where the books are when we get back."

"I can't imagine you sitting patiently learning a language no one uses," Robin deadpanned. I laughed as Chrom sulked a bit. "I really can't."

"Like I said, required. Formal ceremonies, like the First Exalt Feast, have the traditional oaths and the like spoken in that language, since that is the language the First Exalt spoke primarily. Meaning if I didn't know, it would all fall on Emmeryn and she really would never get rest."

"I still find it hard to believe." He snickered as Chrom's sulk deepened, but it ended abruptly when he tilted his head. "Vaike? Can you check the front? The cheering stopped."

"I'm the only one watching while you three are the ones chatting," Blondie pointed out. He was leaning against the wall right by the entrance to the arena proper and jerked his thumb towards the fight. "Bastard set down a damn mine thing or something. Miracle Virion didn't lose his leg entirely."

"A mine?" I repeated, startled. I'd heard about them, but I never expected to see one. "You're kidding."

"Wish I was. Don't know how it was made, but it was flashy."

"I'm sure Miriel can make one. It's chemistry and alchemy." I said the words absently before it all clicked. "Oh, hell, Virion!"

The three us ran towards the entrance, to try and get a visual of what was going on. Robin and I both snagged Chrom as we realized Virion was on his knees, with his opponent, an axe user, leaning threateningly over Virion. They smirked, seemingly perfectly pleased, completely unaware or uncaring that the crowd's silence showed all the disapproval in the world. Virion had this won by default, but it seemed like the axe user just wanted to kill someone today. But as they brought up their axe for a killing blow, their eyes widened suddenly and they paled. Their axe fell from their hand as they started to slump and cough up blood. Virion slowly rose, catching them before they fell, and that's when it became very clear that Virion had gone into this battle with more than one weapon. He'd had a dagger hidden somewhere, and he'd pulled it out when his opponent had dropped his guard.

He ripped the dagger out of his enemy's gut, twirled the blade around his fingers to sling the blood off, and caught his opponent before he fell. Two seconds later, Olivia made the ruling: "the winner is Virion of the East!"

At first, the crowd seemed a little uncertain of whether to cheer for Virion's victory or not. However, when they saw him helping his opponent out, they started cheering, crescendoing into a roar of approval.

When Virion made his way back, he bowed to Chrom, and actually looked a bit apologetic. "I had hoped to simply win with my bow skills," he murmured, bowing his head. He paid no mind at all to his bleeding leg. "Not resort to hidden weapons as I did."

"I'm not going to scold someone for how they win a fight, Virion," Chrom replied. He smiled reassuringly. "You're alive and well. That's what I care about. Honor is great, and yes, I prefer it, but I'd rather hear you apologize than apologize to your corpse."

"Ah, it is so wondrous to hear your flexibility, and your forgiveness." Virion smiled back. "It seems that helping my opponent managed to win their favor back."

"The Feroxi don't necessarily like hidden weapon tricks, even if they do like ruthless tactics," I explained. I laughed a bit. "But they also don't like mines, and so, when they saw that the gods didn't smite you, they must've decided that the tactic was was the gods' revenge for the mine." I shrugged. "Besides, I like the message it sends. It shows that Ylisse is ready to strike back, even when all appears lost."

"Ah, such beautiful wit!" Virion gasped. He bowed again, this time a little more dramatically. "My dear, you have charmed my heart once more."

"Clearly, a talent of mine, charming people." I pointed to his leg. "You need help?"

"I'll handle that," Blondie volunteered. He nodded to Robin. "He's next after all. You should be here for him."

I hesitated, but sighed, nodding. Blondie took Virion off, while Chrom and I hovered near the entrance and Robin took his place in the field, opposite a sword wielder. Olivia called for the match to begin, and Robin threw three thunder spells instantly to start it off.

It was a very fast paced match, truly. Both were dodgy and fast, meaning that few attacks actually hit. They ran around and around the tiled floors of the arena. Little spots of black showcased missed missed thunder spells. Little chips showed where sword strikes had missed. I found myself shaking as the battle went on, knowing that Robin's stamina had never been that good, and there was also a little… a bad feeling forming in my stomach. Robin's spells started taking a slight purple-red tinge, and a flicker of flames at his hands hinted that Grima's power was seeping through. I wondered if the people would figure it out. I wondered if they'd hate us, kill us, for our blood.

I covered my mouth in horror as Robin took the blow to his side, and I actually screamed when he twisted and grabbed his opponent's arm to hold the blade there.

"Checkmate," Robin said with a calm that did not suit the situation. He reached up and launched a thunder spell directly at his opponent's face. His opponent shrieked, stumbling back, and Robin got two more attacks in, taking advantage of the dropped guard. He held himself stoically, and I shook as I noticed something that flat-out terrified me: one of his eyes had turned a deep red.

When he brought his hand up for a third attack, I opened my mouth to scream something, but then covered my mouth again to stop myself from interfering. But he seemed to 'hear' me anyway, as he paused and turned back to look at me. I shook my head subtly, and for a brief moment, he looked confused. But then he blinked and his eye turned back to the normal brown. He brought down his hand down, and slumped slightly.

Without the force of the attacks, his opponent hit the ground hard, and didn't move. Olivia called a halt to the match right then and there, and healers jumped onto the field, including Lissa. For a second, I was almost certain Robin had killed them. But then the healers brought up their healing staves and, working together, managed to get the person to actually regain consciousness enough to groan. About a second after that, Robin buckled, and was helped off the field by Lissa and another healer.

I was shaking badly, wondering both what just happened and how the hell I was going to explain anything. Chrom came over and rested a hand on my back, whispering something I didn't process, though I was certain it was reassuring. That was the kind of person he was. I only calmed, though, when Blondie laughed, and even then, it was because I really couldn't stand his stupid voice right now.

"Well, our tactician certainly proves that the Vaike is in good company!" he boasted. His smile faltered when I glared at him. "What? It's a compliment."

"Just get ready for your own fight," I muttered. I had no intentions of getting into an argument right now, when my stomach was in knots. "You're up."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get your panties in a wad." He sighed. "Really, you should smile more. It's a waste of your pretty face."

"Quick tip? It's pretty rare for a girl to take 'waste of your pretty face' as a compliment, and to take 'you should smile more' as anything but a sense of entitlement." I growled and shoved him towards the arena proper. "Just go on!"

"He was trying to cheer you up," Chrom pointed out. He peered at me worriedly. "I do promise that."

"He succeeded in simply pissing me off," I grumbled. I sighed, though, and slowly relaxed. "I'll apologize later." The roar of the crowd was tinged with a loud sense of pride suddenly, and I jerked my head up to see Blondie's opponent was, of all things, a sword user and one clearly loved by the crowd. "Oh hell."

"Vaike's bad with sword users." Chrom's eyes narrowed. "And this one is known…"

"I'm willing to bet anything that this is Lon'qu, the previous champion." I was back to feeling ill. We'd expected Basilio to field Lon'qu in the rounds, but we'd expected him to be the last one before the main event, to build up hype for the final round. That was why I had been placed the last one before Chrom. "Oh hell. This is going to be bad.

And it was. From the beginning, Lon'qu had control of the fight. Technically, Blondie was stronger, but he just could not get a good hit in. But Lon'qu got many good hits in, and at one point, actually scored a deep hit across Blondie's back, and Blondie actually screamed in pain and I had to check myself from going out.

"Vaike!" Chrom, however, automatically took a step forward. "Hang-!" he tried to say, but I snagged him before he could get out too far. When he turned to me, I shook my head. "But…!"

"You can't interfere." I shifted so that I was holding onto him a little more firmly. He was stronger than me, so I had to take advantage of leverage points to make sure he couldn't break free. "You just… can't. You can't interfere. To the Feroxi, these matches are sacred. You wouldn't run into the middle of a ceremony in a church, would you?"

"I would if there was a risk of my friend…!"

"And if it risks winning the alliance?" I waited, but he only stared, looking a little lost. "That's how important this is to the Feroxi, Chrom. If you rush in, if you interfere… you could risk winning us the Alliance, even if we do win. Because, to them, it is disrespecting the gods."

"I…" He flinched as Blondie took another bad hit. "But…"

"..." I hesitated before pulling him into a hug, and hiding his face in my shoulder. "Close your eyes. Close your eyes, and pray, Chrom. I'll let you go when we're cleared to get him."

"And if he dies?" He sounded almost fragile. "I…"

"Blondie doesn't even know how to not misplace his axe. Do you really think he knows how to die?" I winced as I glanced over and saw Blondie take a third bad hit. "I'll let you go when we can go in. I'll come with you."

He didn't answer, just brought one arm up to cling to my back. He flinched as each time the crowd cheered, and I held him still each time he made to break free.

I watched as Blondie tried, desperately, to keep on fighting, despite the blood. He even managed, despite all the odds, to land a clear hit on Lon'qu, right on his leg, in fact. But that was it. Blondie collapsed, face first, struggled to push himself up, and then fell again.

Two seconds later, Olivia's voice rang out, "the winner is Lon'qu of the West." Half a second after that, Chrom and I were bolting for Blondie, sliding in the dust as we worked on getting him up.

Blondie groaned, and weakly lifted his head as we pushed him up on Chrom's back. "Sorry, Chrom…" he mumbled. "Guess Vaike the Mighty…"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Chrom hissed. He shifted Blondie a little higher on his back, and I picked up his fallen axe to follow them back to our preparations room. "You did well, especially against an opponent like that."

"But…"

"Not another word, Vaike. You're one of my best fighters. You just had a really mismatched fight. I expect you to be boasting by tomorrow."

"Ha… idiot…" Blondie slumped then, and for a split second, I thought he was dead. I actually grabbed his wrist to check his pulse and, while it was weaker, it was still there.

When we returned to the side room, to our surprise, Robin was there, with Raimi. "She'll take Vaike to Lissa," Robin explained, ignoring our shocked yelps. "Lissa wanted to send people out, but you two got him first, so she came here."

"Robin, what are you doing here?" Chrom demanded, even as he let Raimi take Vaike from him. "You're…!"

"I saw Vaike's injuries and determined that mine can wait. I'm all bandaged, and it's mostly a surface wound." He lifted up his shirt to show off the pristine bandage. "I'll be fine. Besides, I have questions for my dear twin after her match."

"...Right, it's my turn," I whispered. I wasn't looking forward to this, but I managed a smile. "Well, I guess I'd better head on in." I turned away, and started for the arena proper.

But Chrom snagged my arm to stop me. He hesitated, leaving me confused, before sliding his hand down to mine and squeezing it. "Be careful," he whispered. "Please, be careful."

"I always am." I mentally debated before bringing up our clasped hands and resting my other hand on it, so that I was holding his with both of mine. "Iuro enim tibi per ipsos deos quam victoria extraham te." My words tongue burned a bit as I murmured the Old Plegian, my blood pulsing briefly in anticipation. The only curses I knew were whispered in this language, and it longed for me to use that dark magic. But this was simply my prayer, and promise to him.

"...I have absolutely no idea what you said." Still, he smiled. "And yet, I feel reassured. How strange."

"People feel reassured by things they don't understand all the time. Why do you think people listen to long-winded sermons?" I grinned as he actually laughed. "Okay, I'm off."

"Luck to you." He held onto my hand still, though, so I ended up having to be the one pulling away. As I did, his touch lingered slightly, and I knew he was afraid. He did not like seeing everyone get injured, and we were coming off a pretty devastating loss.

But I also knew he believed in me, and I knew Robin believed in me. That was all the reassurance I needed right now to step out into the arena proper with my head held high. The crowd cheered, and everything held still as we waited for Olivia to give the starting word.

"Begin!" She'd barely gotten the word out before I lunged forward, and my opponent, a lance wielder wearing light armor, did the same.

We both struck, and I had to duck as they spun to go for a second strike. I shoulder-checked them in the chest and tried to hit them with an overhead slash, but they sidestepped it easily, aiming for my back. I skipped out of the way, for lack of a better term, and swung again. They blocked it and shoved my arm back, before spinning their spear again. I flinched as the shaft of the spear hit my wrist hard, hard enough to make me instinctively relax it, and drop my weapon. They kicked it, sending it spinning across the ground, and then lunged, clearly intending to end the fight right there. I ducked under the spear, though, and came up swinging, landing a good hit to their face. As they stumbled back, I snagged their arm and tried to twist it behind their back to force a kneel. Unfortunately, they went with the movement, lessening the force, so I only managed to get them to drop their lance, which I… tried to grab, but I ended up not grabbing it properly, so when I had to dodge a kick, I ended up just losing my grip, and the kick sent the lance flying away. The two of us just stared at each for a long moment before settling into stances, deciding simultaneously that settling this with martial arts was much more preferable than trying to retrieve our weapons.

I let them strike first, though. It made things a little easier to set up.

I dodged. A lot. They favored punches, which I blocked as often as I could, feeling the bruises form even through my new gloves. But, mostly, I feinted. A lot. I liked how it made my opponents angry, and they always expended more energy trying to anticipate whether I would feint or launch an actual attack. Their guards always became sloppy as they tried to guess 'when' and each feint made them more and more certain that I'd never land an actual attack. But, as the fight wore on, around the time where my muscles ached even through the adrenaline rush, I saw the opening I needed. I faked a roundhouse, and they immediately raised a messy block for it, already thinking of where to hit next.

They didn't notice my heel was high over his head until it was too late.

I landed the axe kick on their shoulder, grinning as I felt the familiar 'pop' of dislocating someone's shoulder. As they dropped from the pain, I used the forward momentum I had to slam my fist into their face, feeling their nose 'crunch' under my knuckles as it broke and the blood gushed everywhere. That opened them up for an uppercut to the gut, knocking the wind clear out of them and destroying whatever semblance of a guard they still had. Then I pivoted on my now-front-foot, hitting them in the side with a spinning-hook-kick to knock them flat on the ground, right on the injured shoulder.

There was a very brief bit of silence, and then the crowd thundered their approval. When I glanced up, I saw many had actually jumped to their feet, clapping and cheering loud enough that my ears rung.

It was to that lovely 'music' that I waited for someone to pick up my opponent and return to 'entry-waiting-place' thing that I was too tired to remember the proper name of. As soon as I passed out of sight of the crowd, Chrom actually caught me up in a hug, swinging me off my feet with a laugh. "You gave me a damn heart attack," he laughed, clearly not bothered. He set me back on my feet and gave me a strange look that combined 'worry' and 'elation'. "You okay? You should get to Lissa?"

"I'm fine," I mumbled. I was tired, and feeling a little strained, but mostly, I felt… both pleased and embarrassed. "I'll stick here with Robin to watch you fight."

"Are you sure?"

"Hell yes." I grinned and he sighed. "Get ready. It's all you now."

"Yeah." He smiled. "I've got this."

"Luck!" I waved at him with both hands as he headed for the entrance, and he laughed before turning away.

Robin caught me in a hug then, squeezing me slightly. "Gods, I thought my heart stopped when they disarmed you," he murmured. He was smiling, though, when he pulled away. "But you did it. Solid victory, right before the main event."

"Maybe, but it's up to Chrom now," I pointed out. I turned as I heard the crowd cheer, and I saw Chrom walking out, cape billowing in the wind. "I hope it'll work out."

"He won't lose." Robin sounded perfectly certain of that. "Not with all of us cheering him on."

"The world isn't like that. Plenty of people are cheering for the West Khan's side too."

"But our bonds make us strong." He grinned, and I gave him the most incredulous look. "What?"

"That has to be the cheesiest thing I've ever heard and I cannot believe you said it with a straight face." I paused as I realized Olivia was giving a longer speech this time, and started focusing on her.

But Robin caught my arm, and I knew very well that he would not be distracted. "Why did that happen?" he whispered, ducking his head. "You look terrified."

"That was just because I had almost interfered." The lie came easily, and I wasn't sure how much I liked that. I never used to lie to him. "That would've been bad."

"But why did I feel…?" He visibly groped for words before shrugging. "Why?"

"...You and I… are of…" It was hard to whisper the words. "A cursed bloodline. That's why our father… tried to use you for a ritual…" I sighed, whimpering. "I'm sorry. I know I owe you explanations. But I'm so damn-"

"Grima." He said the name so easily that I gave him a look. "We're of a bloodline that is related in some way to Grima. And that's why you're afraid, because we're surrounded by Ylisseans."

"...That's correct enough." It was more because he and I technically were Grima, but… "How did you…?"

"I'd been suspecting something. You would become scared and…" He brought up his right hand and pulled off his glove to reveal his Brand. "I mean; I have this. It's so similar to the Mark of the Exalt that I wondered if it was opposite. You have one too, right?"

"...Yes." But it wasn't… exactly… the same. The Mark of the Exalt just showed a 'lofty lineage'. The Brand of the Fell Dragon marked Vessels. "That's… all. That's why. I think."

"You think?"

"I've never seen you get to the point where an eye literally turned a different color before." It was said that Grima's eyes were as red as freshly spilled blood. But there was no ritual here. Why had his eye changed? "I don't know why that happened. And there's no one we can ask."

"I doubt Chrom and Exalt Emmeryn would turn on-"

"Their people will." I looked right at him. "They have already. People do not like Plegians. I don't… want to put that awkwardness on them." I was also just so, so scared that they really would turn on us. I couldn't bear it. I couldn't bear having all this kindness and then have it taken away.
"I don't quite agree, but, then again, I have no memories." He looked up then. "It's starting."

"It is." I reached down and gripped Robin's hand as we both headed towards the edge to watch Chrom battle Basilio's champion… "That's Marth!" My eyes widened when I caught sight of his sword. "How… does he have a second Falchion?" It… had to be just a replica. It had to be. There was only one Falchion in the world. That was the whole point of sacred weapons.

If Robin replied, I didn't hear it. Chrom and Marth started dueling, and all my attention was held completely by how they fought… the exact same. It was like Chrom was sparring against a mirror or clone or… something. It was… unnerving.

However, it soon became apparent that it wasn't a 'perfect' mirror. Marth might have the same fighting style, but he did not have Chrom's strength. Marth might be able to dodge, but the blows Chrom did land clearly did quite a bit of damage. At one point, in fact, Marth stumbled back from a blow and, for some reason, looked over his shoulder. For some reason, I thought… I thought he was looking right at me. Then he stiffened at something, and then was almost knocked clear off his feet by Chrom, who was definitely not pausing the fight just because Marth was looking at something else.

"What a strange fight," Robin whispered. He leaned against the wall, eyes narrowed. "Their fighting styles are similar, which makes the differences much more prevalent…"

"If you say so," I murmured. I didn't like that thought. Chrom was mostly self-taught, purposely avoiding the 'proper fighting form' with the Falchion. Why would a random mercenary have a similar fighting style? "I don't like this. I feel like something is going on."

"Yeah…" He winced suddenly, a hand flying to his temple. "Ugh…"

"Robin?"

"I'm fine. Just… a sudden headache." He frowned, eyes narrowed. "Kestrel, sister…"

"Yes, I am your sister. Are you losing your memory again?"

"No, I hope not." He shook his head. "Are you certain I can't see the future?"

"You've never had it in the past, at least." I peered up at him worriedly. "Why?"

"Just… nothing." He sighed heavily, rubbing his temple. "I lost it, damn it. There was something, but…"

"Next time, babble it out and then ask questions."

"Good plan." His eyes lit up suddenly and he pointed dramatically. "There!"

I jerked my attention back to the duel, and saw Chrom had blocked Marth's attack and shifted, holding the two blades against each other. With a start, I realized that he'd caught the Marth's sword close to the hilt and lifted it slightly before stepping into the blade lock to unbalance Marth. Then, he twisted, and flipped Marth onto his back. Exactly as I had done, during one of our sparring sessions.

When Marth tried to stand, Chrom aimed the point of Falchion at his neck. Marth seemed resigned and stayed down, accepting the loss.

"The winner if Chrom, Champion of East-Khan Flavia!" Olivia's voice was hard to hear through the pleased roaring of the crowd. "So, with a total of ten-and-a-half points, the gods have shown their favor to East-Khan Flavia, and she shall be the Ruling Khan until the next Championship!"

Chrom stepped back, and helped Marth up. Then he raised his hand and waved to the crowd, who just ate up the friendly little gesture, cheering somehow becoming even louder.

Robin and I clapped along with them, with Robin giving me an 'I told you so' look. I playfully kicked his shin, but ultimately didn't care.

We did it. We won, won well, and no one had died. That was what mattered.

Chrom had tried three times, three times, to leave the arena, only for the crowd to demand his return so that they could bask in his victory longer. After the fourth time, Robin and I snagged Chrom and just walked out of the side-room before he caved and went back. At about that point, Lissa appeared and snagged Robin for healing, and Chrom and I made our way to the waiting room to, well… wait for everyone.

"Why didn't Lissa grab you again?" Chrom asked as we sprawled out on the table, both exhausted suddenly. "I mean; you didn't get checked."

"I threw Robin to the wolf, I mean Lissa," I deadpanned. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of the cool wood against my cheek. "And I didn't receive a lot of slashing damage, just bruisings."

"I'm too tired to even argue." He groaned, and I heard his head hit the table. "Gods, what is with Marth?"

"No clue. But that has to just be a replica."

"Yes, logically, and yet…" He sighed heavily. "Whatever. Don't care. Not right now, anyway." He groaned again as we both heard footsteps. "Do I need to get up?"

"Sadly, I think we both do." I whimpered as I pushed myself up, and he did the same. "If it's fans, though, I'm throwing them out."

"Fans?"

"You're a Champion of Ferox, now. You're going to have fans."

"...Damn." His head dropped, but he straightened as someone knocked on the door. "Come in!"

"Well fought!" Flavia walked in with a bright laugh, clapping and smiling. "You have my respect for the brilliant fights," she declared, reaching out to Chrom. He automatically copied her, and found himself dragged into a handshake-hug. "And, more to the point, you have your alliance." She stepped out of the hug, but held onto his hand to give it another firm shake. "I will provide Ylisse with the soldiers you need. We'll discuss the actual details later, once Exalt Emmeryn knows."

"Truly?" Chrom replied. He smiled warmly, his exhaustion fading in light of the good news. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"No, thank you. It feels like it has been ages since I last had full power." She let go of Chrom and grinned. "But for now, my new friends, we have to finish off the Founding Celebrations with a nice big party~!" She ran off before her could reply, with a distinct skip to her step and a lovely little ditty dancing through the air after her.

"Bah, any excuse for a party, and she jumps all over it." A very large man stepped into the room then, and I recognized him instantly as Basilio, the Western Khan. Olivia and Lon'qu trailed after him, with Olivia smiling shyly and Lon'qu perfectly stoic. Lon'qu had a "So, you're the Crown Prince of Ylisse," Basilio murmured, his voice a quiet rumble. His expression was calm, though, hinting that this was just his normal voice. "You're handy with a sword, boy. I thought for sure I had the stronger man."

"I'm just lucky," Chrom instantly replied. He looked a little wary. "Might I ask who you are?"

"Basilio, the Khan you rather rudely ousted." He sighed heavily, though he smiled slightly. "Ugh, I'm going to have to foot the bill for this party." The smile faded, though, as he became somber. "How's your archer friend?"

"Virion? Healed."

"Good. I'm glad. That man was recommended to me… or so I thought. Turns out that guy killed the one recommended and took his appearance. Since I'd never seen him before, I hadn't realized the deception. I apologize for that." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Accent was Plegian. They might've caught wind of what you were doing here. We'll be doing careful checks on spies as soon as possible."

"No one died, so I see no point in fretting further." Chrom paused and smiled slightly. "Oh, wait, is this like with Flavia apologizing for the border? Compensation or something?"

"That was going to be the next bit. So, be good, boy, and take the help." Basilio laughed, clapping his hands. "And the axe user? I'm impressed he got a hit on Lon'qu."

"He's also healing." Chrom hesitated before nodding. "About Marth, that mercenary…"

"Already gone. Not very sporting of him." Basilio frowned heavily, hinting that he really didn't approve. "Just a sellsword, really, with dreams of glory or something. All I know is that he showed up one eve and knocked my previous champion flat." He gestured to Lon'qu, who simply closed his eyes. "It was love at first sight, though I'm too old for such things!" He laughed warmly, and I remembered how rumors often mentioned Basilio's bisexuality, and frequent lovers over the years. "Regardless, though…" He gestured for Lon'qu to step up. "I already know what's up. Flavia told me and, to be frank, I'd been thinking about contact Ylisse because of these strange zombie things. So, while Flavia and I work on calling up our full army, take Lon'qu along. You've already seen his skill."

"Pardon?" Chrom looked a little startled, but before he said anything, he glanced at me. I nodded, and he smiled slightly. "Well, I certainly have no objections if Lon'qu doesn't."

"...He gives orders. I stab things," Lon'qu replied. His voice was surprisingly deep given his slight frame. "I think our roles are pretty clear."

"That may be, but since Ylisse doesn't have a proper army, you would be joining the Shepherds and we are an organization made up of strictly volunteers," Chrom answered. His smile warmed. "So, I ask again. Are you willing?"

"...Yes. Basilio already discussed this with me."

"Excellent! We're glad to have you." Chrom grinned, and Lon'qu actually cracked a small smile. "Here, I'll introduce you to the ones here, and then we'll have you meet the others. Do you have any phobias or allergies or anything I need to be aware of?"

"I…" Lon'qu looked uncomfortable suddenly. "Uh…"

"Lon'qu has a bit of gynophobia," Basilio answered. It seemed perfectly rehearsed, like this was actually a bit of a lie, to cover up something Lon'qu didn't actually want to talk about. "He's fine on the battlefield, so don't worry about having him pair up with some of your female fighters. But off the field, don't expect him to be cozying up with any of them!"

"Oh, I think I heard something about that in the crowd when we arrived," I murmured. I nodded, and smiled at Lon'qu. "Well, I think that can be handled easily. Chrom, I'll handle telling Robin that if you want to get started on introductions."

"And while you two do that, I'll go with Olivia to make sure Flavia doesn't completely clear out my coffers." Basilio groaned. "Ugh, I can feel the hole in my treasury already."

The party was loud, and filled with cheer. It was hard to tell if there was more alcohol or laughter, but everyone was clearly having a blast. Feroxi traditional music of harps, flutes, and fiddles flitted through the laughter, encouraging people to dance in the giant open area. We were in a giant dining room, apparently designed to hold all of Ferox for a party, except I knew there were even more outside, with impromptu plays and improv also going on. The party here within the walls of 'Castle Ferox' was just for the higher ranked, much like most special parties in most countries. However 'higher ranked', in this case, meant things like 'general' or 'admiral', since Ferox actually did have a standing navy.

"Oh, wow, watching was so stressful!" Sumia whimpered. After her last run in with alcohol, she had decided to drink water, like me. "Frederick looked ready to jump in so many times…"

"I'm glad he didn't since, you know, big offense to them," I replied. She and I were tucked into a corner, doing our best to not be tripped over and have ale sloshed on us. Again, in Sumia's case. She still smelled a bit of stale ale, though we'd gotten the worst of it off her. "But yeah. How's Blondie?"

"Vaike? He's… sleeping." Sumia sighed, looking a bit sad. "I think being the only one to outright lose wasn't very good for his confidence…"

"I think it's a great thing, considering how over confident he is."

"Oh, he's much more fragile than he appears." She frowned slightly as I scoffed. "You really don't like him."

"I am not impressed with him. I never said I disliked him." I sipped my water. "I don't care enough to have an opinion, and have no desire to know him more to form one."

"Mmm…" She sighed. "Well, I can't force you to like him. It makes me a bit sad, though."

"No one can like everyone. What makes the Shepherds unique is that everyone can get along well enough, and all of them respect each other." I gave her a look. "Don't think I haven't noticed how you avoid people."

"B-but I annoy people!" Her voice became squeaky, and she ducked her head. "I don't want to bother and-"

"Well, I guess I'm not people." I smiled slightly, and maybe a little bitterly. But she was looking down, so thankfully she didn't notice. "Since you do not annoy me, nor bother me. I mean; who else can I have in-depth discussions of smut with?"

"It's not just that we talk about!" Her face went bright red as she pouted at me. "We also talk about how we like or dislike how pairings were written." Her eyes lit up. "Oh! Right, so, the one who wrote Ribald released one detailing the events of the legendary Campaign of Fire! I have a copy. Do you want to borrow it?"

"Is it smutty?"

"W-well, yes…" Her face went redder. "I think the author is just going to do a whole Ribald series about legends of the past."

"Of course." I grinned, laughing a little. "Sure. I'll borrow it. I'm rather curious where they'll be thrown in. Probably more glad-to-be-alive sex."

"Kestrel!" She managed, somehow, to go even redder as she sulked and I laughed. "You're horrible. I love you, but you're horrible sometimes."

"You're fun to tease." A thought occurred to me. "Oh, right, do you want to borrow that poetry book I bought? The poems are really quite lovely, and there's a few I think you'd really enjoy."

"Oh, really?" Her blush faded as her eyes sparkled. "Yes, yes! I'd love to read them!"

"Excellent, so we'll do a little book trade and-"

"Oh, there you are." Basilio appeared out of nowhere, and snagged my arm. Then, without so much as a 'by your leave', he dragged me out of the corner and through the crowd. Before I could protest, he threw me at Chrom, of all people, before shoving us in the middle of the dancers. "There, go dance or something, you two!" he laughed, the sound easily trumping all the other noise. "Have fun!" Then he was off, still laughing.

"Did… did he hit his head?" I asked softly, not quite sure what had happened. This was incredibly awkward, especially since the dancers around us were definitely encouraging us to join in and since I had no idea why he'd throw me at Chrom. "Did losing crack his mind?"

"Maybe this is his way to get back at us?" Chrom suggested. He shrugged, though, looking strangely unperturbed. "Well, might as well join in, since we're here."

"What?" I gave him the most incredulous look I could muster. "I… I really can't dance."

"It's fine. I can adapt."

"I'm going to tread on your toes, and actually not mean to do it."

"I learned with Sully." He took my hands and smiled slightly. "Come on. It'll be fun."

"I will trip and fall."

"I'm friends with Sumia."

"...You have a counter for each argument, don't you?" I sighed heavily as his smile grew. "Fine, whatever. Don't say I didn't warn you. I don't even know what to do."

"Well, truthfully, I don't know much about Feroxi dances either." He grinned outright. "Come on. Let's join in and have fun."

I did end up stepping on his toes quite a few times, but each time, he laughed it off. Whenever my feet tangled, he caught me before I fell flat on my face. Once, he even used the momentum to swing me up in the air, to my squeak and the crowd's cheers.

It… did end up being fun, though. I had no idea what to make of any of this. I really didn't.

Notes on Vaike:

Class - Fighter; Reclass - Thief, Barbarian

Called 'Blondie' by Kestrel

One of Chrom's childhood friends, an overconfident axe user who proclaims Chrom as his fiercest rival. Seems to think highly of Chrom, and Emmeryn.

Tends to speak in third person a lot and calls himself 'Teach' for reasons unknown, especially since he only seems to teach people what not to do by example. Originally from the slums of Ylisstol.

He rarely backs up his boasts, but recent events make it questionable whether he believes his boasts, or just feigns confidence.

Author's notes: Maybe it's a little mean to have Vaike be the only one that loses, but Vaike and Lon'qu actually have supports, and this forms a reason for why Vaike goes out of his way to talk to Lon'qu. 'Old Plegian' is Latin, because it can be (more seriously, I associate Latin with 'magic', and Plegia is best known for being the place of magic), while Old Ylissean is Greek (both used google translate because I'm not going through the time to do that).

Lissa is normally there for the scene with Basilio and Lon'qu, but I had her tending to injuries because… that felt like it made more sense with what I had written. As for Robin learning about the Grima bloodline… imo, the most important aspect about the whole plot for the game is that Robin is a VESSEL of Grima, not that he's of the bloodline.

There is one brief mention of Virion's family in the game, Virion's S support with Lissa (at least, that is the only one I know of) where he reveals he's been writing letters to his parents (though, since this is also Virion, I half wonder if these 'parents' are trusted vassals/spies, but maybe I'm overthinking it). There's no mention of siblings. I just added that for fun. The teacup mentioned is the one from Virion's official art. The dagger he has is mentioned in his supports with Frederick.

Next Chapter - Interlude, Castle