Chapter 8) The Grimleal

So, we make our way into Plegia. Within a day, we're deeper within than I've ever been, and I twitch at every single movement in the distant sands. I make sure all of our equipment is still good for desert travel. I ended up being the one getting all the lists together, as I am the only person who has ever traveled through the Plegian deserts.

None of us are prepared for hiking and traveling through a desert. This is going to be bad.

Sand sucked. Deserts sucked. This part of Plegia sucked.

"I think I have sand in places I didn't know I had," Robin grumbled. He tucked his hood a little more firmly over his head, glowering at the sand-filled wind. We weren't in danger of a sandstorm, yet, but it was still annoying. "It's so bloody hot. Can't I take off my jacket?"

"Do you want a sunburn on top of everything?" I retorted instantly, fixing my own hood. I'd just had to deal with Lissa removing her socks, and then complaining about how her shoes were chaffing her feet. "This is why I told everyone to wear loose clothing, but did some of you listen?" I looked pointedly at Vaike, who was actually being carried now due to bad sunburns and sun poisoning. "No, of course not. Make the one person who remembers traveling through a desert make the lists and then ignore half of it. That's smart."

"You're still mad."

"Yes, especially since everyone is now complaining and they wouldn't be as bad off if they'd listened!" I glowered at the ground. "Why wouldn't I be pissed off?"

"I will make sure that everyone who ignored your advice gives you a proper apology once the sun has finished cooking their brains."

"Too late for most of them."

"You know, though, I didn't see most Plegians wearing-"

"You've mostly seen soldiers and, more importantly, soldiers who weren't fighting in their home terrain. They wore proper stuff when actually traveling." I held up a hand when he opened his mouth again. "We'll also be fighting soldiers who won't be traveling and will have had proper shelter prior to coming out to fight us. We're hiking through the desert."

"Everything okay, you two?" Chrom appeared next to me, frowning at us worriedly. I was slightly mollified at how he was wearing clothes I'd recommended, from long loose clothes to a hooded cloak to protect his head. Though, his also had other practical reasons: hiding his Mark of the Exalt. "You seem to be arguing?" he continued. "Or at least grumbling."

"Kestrel is understandably still upset that some of the Shepherds didn't listen to her advice, and now have the gall to complain," Robin explained with a bright smile. I groaned to emphasize his words, and he laughed. "Then she was explaining to me why what I'd seen Plegians wear is different from what she recommended."

"I see." Chrom gave me a sympathetic smile before looking ahead, towards the neverending sands. "I'd like to think it's our cunning that got us this far, but honestly, this is ridiculous." Chrom sighed. "Whatever trap Gangrel has prepared, he certainly is in no hurry to spring it."

"Based on his sadistic mannerisms, I would guess he will spring it when we are near Emmeryn, to maximize the pain, frustration, and helplessness we feel." Robin's voice was almost too soft to hear over the wind. "That's my guess, though."

"Alternatively, he's simply letting the General Desert do the work for him, much like how we'll be relying on General Winter in Ferox once this is completed," I sighed. They both gave me surprised looks. "In case you haven't noticed, deserts suck. A lot. We're expending a lot of energy and supplies crossing it, and we have to take a longer route to avoid getting caught by patrols on the main road. Winter's the same up in Ferox, where it plays a substantial role in their defenses. Flavia suspects winter will come early, so after this, it'll be better to hole up and gather supplies."

"I wonder why Gangrel chose to now to attack then," Robin murmured. He frowned, pressing his hand to his mouth as he thought. "I mean… unless Gangrel can end this in this battle, not freaking likely, then wouldn't his approval take a huge hit? He's conquered Ylisse, yes, and has Emmeryn, but unless Chrom and Lissa die in this next encounter, again not freaking likely, then the people still have a rallying point."

"You're thinking Gangrel might've fallen into a trap himself?"

"Maybe?" He shrugged, sighing. "Like I said, unless he gets a total victory in this one battle, his approval will take a big hit. He could use the winter to reclaim it, but at the same time, why take that risk? It's like someone who advises him wants him to fall." He glanced at Chrom and me. "Is there anyone who will benefit?"

"I don't know Plegian politics, I'm afraid," Chrom answered regretfully. A particularly playful gust of wind nearly knocked his hood off, but he reached up and caught it quickly. "But, I imagine there's someone."

"Grimleal might," I whispered. I shuddered, thinking of the bits of Plegian politics I knew. "The Grimleal are supposed to advise the king. If the decided Gangrel was too much trouble, they might 'advise' him into political suicide." I could see my father doing that, easily, and I could see that Aversa woman doing the same. "Then they could install a different king, one more likely to go along with their plans…" If that was the case, then Gangrel was just a… false king. A pawn, a jester dressed up as a king, being maneuvered by the 'true king'. But who would it be? My father was dead, so perhaps the new Hierophant?

"Captain Chrom!" All thoughts scattered as Cordelia swooped down in front of us. "Fighting to the south," she reported breathlessly, looking distinctly windswept. I wondered how fast she had flown to reach us. "Grimleal, based on the magic we saw." I tried not to stiffen. Chrom snuck his hand into mine and squeezed it reassuringly. "Orders?"

"Let's press on," Chrom answered. He looked to Robin, and they shared a nod. "Take Gaius with you and get me numbers and a rough map of the area. Tell Sumia to fall back with us. I'll need her to help our mounted keep their horses calm, alongside Frederick."

"Understood!" Cordelia took off then, and I worried she might be pushing herself. But there was no time, as we had to get ready for a battle. In the heat. And sand. With Grimleal.

Please… let Robin and I get through this. Let everyone get through this.

I hated deserts. I hated sand. I hated heat, especially like this. We had four people drop from heat exhaustion. Thankfully, healers got to them before the enemies, but this was possible a worst case scenario. It was all the worst because we were trying to reach a little girl wearing too little clothing, especially for the desert, who was being chased by a visibly older male.

"I am… so tired… of all this…" Robin bit out as he cast another spell. He and I were back to back, but he was panting. His lower stamina was starting to kick in. "Also, am I imagining the little bits of red radiating off or is that heat?"

"Neither, it's a magic that is not magic that your Insight lets you pick up," I replied. I grimaced as my footing shifted in the sands. "What do you see?"

"It's almost like red hands that trip people up?"

"I think it's called Anathema. You got it from our father. Is this the first time you've noticed it?"

"Well, typically speaking, there tends to always be a lot of red around me. My thunder spells tend make things explode." Robin hummed a little in thought, and leaned against me. "Wonder why. Miriel was curious."

"Mom. Something you got from Mom. I think. I didn't get it." I sighed, wondering just what I might've gotten from her. I knew what I inherited from my father. Maybe I just didn't get anything from her… "Don't ask me what. I've no clue. I just know she was strong, and was able to learn curses despite not being a sorcerer."

"Isn't that… against the rules or something?" Robin leaned further on me. My back was starting to actually itch from the sweat. "...We're of…"

"Yep."

"So Mom…"

"Not her. Our father. Who is happily dead."

"How powerful is the Hierophant?"

"Very."

"What was her rank?"

"High Priestess. Her skill at curses and spells is what led her to become it." Maybe that was why she had left. She hadn't been born into it. She had just clawed her way up to the highest position a woman could reach. And then she'd thrown it all away to make sure we didn't end up as sacrifices.

"Wish I could remember her. Tell me more later?"

"What bits I can remember, sure." I sighed and then shrugged him off of me. "C'mon… you're heavy."

"No, don't make me stand up!" His voice became playful and whiney. "No!"

"What are the people going to say when they see their tactician acting like a child?"

"Probably wonder why his sister is being so mean!" He laughed, but it cut off abruptly as he whirled, tome crackling with power. "Damn, the girl…!"

I almost asked, but then I saw a swordsman had actually targeted the girl, swinging for her very unguarded abdomen. Before I could yell, though, bright light wrapped itself around the girl, almost blinding under the desert sun. When the light cleared, there was… there was a dragon. There was a dragon. There was a dragon.

Holy hell, the girl was a manakete.

"That was…" Robin breathed. He stared, jaw dropped and everything, as the dragon-girl breathed some sort of misty breath to take out the swordsman in one hit. "This is…"

"She doesn't need our help so much as we could really use hers," I summarized. "A taguel and a manakete. What the hell?"

"Manakete?"

"Think Taguel, but rarer, and dragons." What was she doing here? I'd heard there were some across the sea in Valm, but I'd never met anyone who'd met one. "I'm going to head closer."

"And I'm going to stay away from the dragon like the smart person I am." He ducked under my half-hearted swipe. "Love you."

"Love you too." I sighed and made my slow, slipping way over to the dragon. My legs ached and my arms shook, reminding me that I either needed my second wind soon or collapse. I had gotten lucky so far on injuries, though, so that was nice. The problem was keeping it that way when we still had at least ten, maybe even twenty Grimleal fighting us. Maybe more.

"Keep away from her, creep!" Still, there was something amusing about Lissa scowling and looking all fierce as the dragon shifted back to a little girl who quickly darted behind Lissa. As if Lissa were somehow scarier. "Men like you are horrible," she continued, looking almost like an almighty mom despite how much younger she was. "Horrible!"

"Horrible?" The man who had been chasing the dragon-girl looked almost distressed. "This day has been nothing but insults and punches to the groin. Maybe you cannot see, but does not Gregor have innocent baby-face?"

"Nope." Lissa glowered. "So-"

"Bah, never be minding." The man sighed, and an old memory bubbled through my head, about an old, famous mercenary, one skilled enough to actually have once been a contender for the title of West Khan. "Look, Gregor just wants to do good deed."

Gregor. That's right. I'd heard it while traveling. Gregor, a mercenary who spoke in a heavy accent no one recognized, who had a bad grasp of Common, but also had a wicked skill with a blade to survive many, many years as a mercenary.

"You're Gregor, right?" I called. Lissa, the dragon-girl, and the man looked to me. "Right?" The man nodded. "The really famous mercenary?" I glanced at Lissa, noting the grateful smile Gregor gave me. "Gods damn it, hire him. I'm sure he'll like getting away from Grimleal. They've a habit of killing mercenaries to get out of paying."

"Gregor also does not like those who sell people," Gregor replied. He grinned, saluting me. "So, let us be making with evil people dying, yes?"

"Yeah, sure." I shrugged, feeling a little dazed by things. A sudden bad feeling washed over me, and I shivered, feeling like I was in shadow, or that the sun had set. "Lissa, take them to the back, okay?" I had no idea why I felt like this. I wondered if it was just someone using dark magic, since I had such a bad association with it. "Go on." Lissa made some noise of agreement and led the two off. I looked around, trying to figure out what caused the bad feeling. Something, an arrow maybe, flew over my shoulder, reminding me that there were still enemies and I really didn't have the time to figure it out. But then something bounced off my shoulder, tumbling down my arm to hit the sand below.

When I looked down, I saw it was a red-capped robin, dead with blood trickling into the sand underneath. A male one, since it, you know, had the distinctive red-cap.

"Robin?" I called, fear flooding me. I looked around wildly, ignoring how another arrow clipped my cheek. "Robin?" Instead, I hunted for Robin, wishing I had stayed by him, since the sandy wind and chaotic battle made it hard to find anyone. "Robin?!" I nearly cried when I finally found him a distance away, just within sight. He was batting an archer, keeping them off of Sumia. I took a step that way, and then saw something else. A mage, carrying a purple tome, wearing the uniform of a rank-and-file soldier of the Grimleal.

Everything slowed to a crawl; I felt like I was complete separated from everything. I watched the mage, the dark mage, cast their spell. I watched the spell slink through the shadows, aimed right for Robin. I watched as the spell reared up from his own shadow, ready to strike. I watched as Chrom, from out of freaking nowhere, slide between Robin and the spell. I watched as blood flew. I watched each drop dance on the wind, like petals. Nothing felt real until I heard someone, maybe Lissa, shriek in pure horror. Sounded like her.

Then something in my head snapped and I let my temper roar.

My blood burned and bubbled under my skin as I screamed, and the wind stilled, frightened into submission as the sound echoed back. Black flames wrapped around me, my 'Vengeance', inherited from my damnable father. A skill normally only useable by sorcerers but my damn blood, and my being a damn Vessel, gave me skills I shouldn't have. Because I was Grima, not human, and human rules weren't mine to follow!

I kicked up a fallen tome and cast it at random before even grabbing it from the air. A mage went down. I snatched the tome, noticing now it was purple, and cast another spell, this time making sure to target the one who had targeted Robin, and attacked Chrom. Then I twisted and cast it a third time, aimed at another random soldier.

Someone attacked me. I didn't know who. I couldn't see them. It could've been one of the Shepherds, terrified of me. But I didn't care. I didn't care. I didn't care, so long as these bastards all burned!

My blood cracked and bit into my skin as I fought with both the tome and the sword. I ignored it. Weapons carved into me. I ignored them. Magic peppered me. I ignored them. Pain tried to overwhelm me. I turned it into strength, through 'Vengeance'. The more they made me bleed, the stronger I became. The more I bled, the more they bled. Their blood splattered everything. My own burned within, cackling with glee at releasing everything. At releasing the full wrath of a Vessel. Of stepping so, so close to Grima.

The laughter I'd heard that day, back when I killed my father, echoed through my head. The panic flooding me just made me all the more reckless and hit everything harder.

One lucky enemy managed to get a pretty bad hit on me, right across the chest, but I held on through sheer determination and luck. Realizing I wasn't dead, they stared at me with wide eyes and trembling body as they stumbled back. "L-lady Raven?" they whispered. Their voice shook. "B-but how…? You… you're dead…"

I didn't answer. I just swung down as hard as I could right on their skull, the dark flames wrapping around and letting me cleave straight through the body. As they fell, I looked around the area, and saw only blood, corpses, and looks of fearful awe directed towards me from my friends. I directed my attention to myself and noticed how my wounds bled, blending in with the blood of the fallen, and covering the burns from various spells.

I could almost laugh. I'd been so careful to not let them see how much of a monster I was, but here I went, proving myself to be the worst kind, the kind that looked human. Now, they looked afraid, just as I feared, and I just wanted to run, but the pain was flooding me and I just wanted to collapse. But I couldn't because now… now I didn't know what they'd do. I didn't know…

"Kestrel?" Sumia suddenly appeared in front of me. It took me a couple of blinks to realize she had likely just flown down and walked over, but everything had hurt too much, and I'd been too fearful, to notice. "Kestrel, hey, are you okay?" she asked me, looking so genuine, so worried, that it just made everything hurt more. "Kestrel?"

"I…" I tried to say. But my voice rasped, and the one word broke the damn. Tears streamed down my face and my knees buckled. But Sumia caught me before I hit the ground. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" I clung to her, whispering apologies over and over again.

I didn't want to be alone again. If I apologized enough, maybe I'd be allowed to stay anyway? Despite being a monster? I hoped… gods, did I ever hope…

Sumia tried to get me to go to the healers. I begged to just be dropped off at my tent, citing that Chrom was near death. Miriel actually had to use a thunder tome to restart his heart at one point. I would live. I hurt, and I hobbled, but I'd live. I eventually won her over, but she insisted on helping me clean my numerous injuries. They were bad, jagged lines of red and blotchy patches of pink all over most of me, and I kept reopening them as we tried to clean them. Sumia demanded to get a healer, and she might've won that argument, except Frederick yelled for her, saying they needed her and Cordelia to make sure the camp was secure.

I had urged her to go, whispering that we needed to keep everyone safe, and she'd eventually left, but not before giving me a quick, but warm, hug. Then, in the safety of my tent, I worked on bandaging up my own injuries. Everything burned and ached, with pain rippling through at each movement. But I eventually got everything bandaged, and so I fell back on some pillows, curling up in them as I tried to hide from the world. I tried to stretch to reach a blanket, but winced in pain at the last second and curled up into a tighter ball. Then I relaxed a little because my back ached.

I overdid it. A lot. I hated everything.

"Kestrel?" Someone was calling me. "Kestrel, where are you?" Someone was running around outside my tent. "Kestrel? Come out here! I need to speak with you!" I curled into the pillows and tried to burrow under them, hiding from everything. "Kestrel!" I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want anything but to be left alone.

...No, that wasn't true. I didn't want to be alone. I wasn't okay with 'alone' anymore. Not since these crazy Shepherds brought such light and color to my dark and grey life. I'd been content, but now I wasn't. Gods, I could almost hate them, if I didn't love them all so much.

"Kestrel, are you in here?" The flap of my tent opened with a strange slapping sound, like someone was hitting it out of the way for daring to block their bath. "Kestrel?" The voice was no-nonsense and haughty. I finally recognized it as Maribelle's voice. "...Kestrel, I can see your hair among the pillows. I know you're here."

"Damn it," I groaned, reluctantly pushing myself up. "What do you want?" My arms trembled from the effort, and my hips and legs protested the shifts in movement to sit up. "Can't a girl just rest in peace?"

"Well, not with that phrasing." Maribelle stomped over and crouched down in front of me, giving me the most irritated look. "Besides, we both know you're not 'resting. You're hiding and hiding is most unbecoming, you know."

I bristled, irritated that she'd figured it out so quickly, annoyed that she had dismissed it even quicker. "Oh, gods, fu-"

"Nope." She bopped me on the head. She actually bopped me on the head. Lightly. But still. "While I'm attracted to women as well as men, my dear, I must admit you are not quite my type. We'd mother each other too much."

"I'm pleased to hear that, since you're not my type either." My voice was as dry as possible. "No, just let the monster hide." I didn't mean to let that slip.

Her eyes widened a bit at it. "And why do you call yourself that?"

"Because that's what I am!" My voice cracked and I scooted away from Maribelle. "And that's… what everyone's eyes said." I tried to hide in the corner, pulling some pillows up to try and shield myself. It didn't work. I still saw her staring right at me, and I ached from even trying. "They were scared."

"...Well, yes, we were." Her voice was soft, and I couldn't decide if her honesty hurt or comforted. "You never gave any hint you could do that. One second, we're all fighting with the scariest thing being that Nowi girl who transforms into a dragon, and the next, you're tearing through enemies, somehow, on your own-"

"Vengeance. It's a sorcery skill. Magic that isn't magic. Turns pain into power. The more I bleed, the stronger I become, providing I have the skill to tap into the strength. But it's pretty damn easy to do so. So, the more they attacked me, the more damage I did to them in retaliation."

"See? Proper explanation." She sounded just so damn nonchalant. My annoyance flared back. "So-"

"Except you all saw how much damage I took!" My voice echoed back, each syllable feeling like a slap to the face. "You saw how much I bled! I-"

"Everyone has their strengths." She still sounded so nonchalant! I couldn't understand it! I could wring her neck for it, except I just couldn't understand why she could so easily brush it off! "I can sit through a five hour court dinner without my rear going numb. Lissa can run all over the place and never twist her ankles. Vaike surpasses all logical reaches of stupidity." She paused, as if waiting for a reaction, but I simply curled further into myself. "So, you can bleed more than most. It happens." But it didn't. It did- "I don't know why you hate yourself so much, Kestrel. You are a wonderful woman, if secretive. But the world doesn't hate you as much as you think." She paused as I burst into raucous, bitter laughter. "Er…"

"I'm like…" My own laughter cut me off, because the notion just seemed so ridiculous to me. "Almost one-hundred-percent certain the gods hate me even more than I hate myself."

"...Well, we don't. We Shepherds, I mean. And if the gods have a problem with that, then they can come on down for me to give them a good smack with my parasol." She sighed, and ignored my stunned look of disbelief. "Yes, I mean that. We love you. Even if you did scare us a little. But, well, as Lissa said, she ultimately felt more scared that you'd somehow gone away."

"But…" I couldn't… wrap my head around that. I really couldn't. "But…"

"But, I didn't come in here to scold or… anything." She just… rolled with everything. "I'm sorry. My… abrasiveness shows itself more when I'm stressed, and I'm most worried about your injuries. Sumia told me they were bad."

"I'm fine." I laughed again, this time just darkly. "I'm really hard to kill."

"That doesn't mean I stop worrying. 'Hard' does not mean 'impossible'." She sighed once more. "But that's not the only reason I'm here. Chrom is asking for you." She paused again, but this time, it was to bring up her hand to stop my yelp of surprise. "No, he's not quite conscious. It… was a bad hit. He'll live, but it was a bad hit. It'll take him some time to recover. I put Lon'qu in charge of making sure Robin doesn't overwork himself from guilt."

"Lon'qu." The mental image alone made me cringe from second-hand embarrassment. "Really."

"I should think the awkwardness will make Robin laugh." She held out her hand to me. "But, I'm not joking about Chrom. He's not quite conscious, and he keeps whispering your name. Won't you please come with me? I fear he will not get proper rest while he seeks you out."

"I…" I hesitated. I was scared. I was so… so… "I'm scared."

"I know, darling. You wouldn't be hiding here if not." She smiled at me, and it was a warm smile. I saw no fear in her at all. "But I'll be near, and if anyone even tries to be mad, they can deal with me." She meant the words. That was easy to tell. She was simply too sincere to lie. Maybe that was the cause of so much of her 'abrasiveness'. She was horribly, wonderfully honest. "Will you?" I still hesitated, but then I shyly took her hand. Her smile grew. "Come along, darling. Lean on me."

"Why are you so nice to me?" I had to hobble just to lean on her. "I mean…"

"You are dear to Chrom and Lissa. You saved them countless of times, and you saved me. It would be much harder to be mean to you." She hooked my arm around her shoulders and took most of my weight, despite not being very strong herself. "Though, I must admit. I was cross when I couldn't find you."

"I'm sorry."

"Well, how about instead of apologizing, you step out of the dark nest you're used to burrowing in and actually look around at us?" She managed to get us out of my tent. "We like you. It'll take much more than what you're able to do, or your past, to make us dislike you. Even Frederick says so."

"Wow, now I really have to believe that." We made it a few more steps. I was a bit heavy for her, but she stubbornly kept on helping me. "...Thank you, Maribelle."

"And that's another thing you can do. Thank people instead of apologizing. I promise; you'll feel much better for it." We lapsed into silence as we made it Chrom's tent. It wasn't actually far away from mine, but it felt infinitely longer since each step almost felt like a dagger was jammed into my foot. Repeatedly. "Stay here, okay? I'll be back to give you a check over."

"Take a rest on your own, first." I moved off her and gave her a worried smile. "I mean it when I say I'm hard to kill. Go get some tea with Lissa or tease someone. I'll stay… right here. Promise."

She gave me a long look before nodding. "Alright, but I'll send someone to check on you. That sound fair?"

"Yeah, more than fair. Sorry for…" I trailed off as she gave me a look. "Um… thank you for taking care of me?"

"It'll do." She gave me a smile. "Now, in you go." She made a pushing motion, but didn't actually push me, likely knowing how much I hurt.

So, I breathed in deeply, wincing a little as even that hurt, and then stumbled into Chrom's tent. He was lying on his cot, blankets tucked around him semi-neatly. His chest was bandaged heavily, focusing closely on where the magic had struck: right around his heart. I noticed a chair set up next to him and hesitantly sat in it, noticing how he tossed in his sleep, one hand twitching like he was hunting for something.

"Kes…" he whispered. My heart jumped and my face flushed. Maribelle hadn't been joking. "Kes… where…?"

"I'm…" I began. My voice rasped, and my face heated up even more. "I-I'm here." Slowly, I took his hand and squeezed it. "I'm… right here."

"Kes…" He stopped tossing, and he seemed to relax. At the least, he didn't look quite so troubled. "I…"

"I'm here." The words were a little more firm, and I shifted in the chair slightly, trying to get comfortable. My back ached, so I scooted the chair closer. That way, I could hold his hand without leaning over awkwardly. "I'm… not leaving, Chrom. I'm here."

I wasn't sure if I actually had any effect. But he relaxed further, slumbering peacefully, and I kept holding onto his hand, even as I nodded off. I at least… felt needed. That would be enough.

Something soft and warm fell on me, and I stirred awake, free hand dropping to where I normally kept my sword. But there was no sword, just more of the soft and warm thing. I blinked slowly, whimpering a little as pain, less than before but still present, started stabbing through my drowsiness. It took me a couple of blinks to remember I was in Chrom's tent, not mine, and that the reason why I even had a 'free hand' instead of simply 'a hand' was because I was holding Chrom's hand while he rested from a bad injury. It took me a couple more blinks, and a yawn, to realize the 'soft and warm' thing on me was a blanket. Another yawn later, I actually thought to look up and I saw Sumia smiling at me.

"You weren't in your tent, so I got worried," she explained. There was something a bit off about her smile, though. "Maribelle said you were here."

"Yeah, Chrom…" I began. But my sleepy brain put the pieces together and I realized what was off. She was hurt. Because Maribelle likely had told her that Chrom had asked for me. "Ah…" Automatically, I made to drop Chrom's hand, to stand up and apologize, but she shook her head and instead leaned down to hug me.

"It's fine." Her voice was soft, and maybe a little fragile. It wasn't really 'fine'. My heart broke for her. "I told you. I love you both." I wanted to apologize, though. For hurting her. For being confused. For wondering just what it meant that Chrom had, in his sleep, asked for me. Did it mean what I thought it meant? Was it just me pushing my hopes on something innocuous? Even if it did mean what I thought, would anything come of it? He'd already told me his half-thought plans for romance and marriage, and I wasn't someone who'd be a good queen. There was no way his court would accept me, especially given the war.

But I didn't say any of that because I knew this wasn't the time. There were no answers to any of my questions. So, instead… "Thank you for the hug." I made sure to smile up at her. She smiled back, just as warmly. There was still pain in it, but it was warm. "And the blanket. What time is it?"

"Middle of second watch." She brushed the hair out of my face, and moved behind me to tie it back into its normal ponytail. "You missed dinner."

"And a great deal else." I held perfectly still as she carefully finger-combed my hair. "Did you just get back?"

"No, I was back a little earlier and found you. But then I went looking for a blanket, and uh… broke a few things…" Her voice sounded so sheepish. "Then I had to help Frederick catch an escaped horse that I… well… might've accidentally let loose when I was feeding them?"

"Did you not lock their paddocks or… whatever we're calling it when we're in the desert without proper fencing?"

"I might have?" She pulled my hair back into a ponytail and then leaned down again to hug me. "Frederick was being all dramatic about the poor thing, though. Called it a demon horse."

"Oh, Sully's horse then." I laughed, thinking of our last camp. "The one who chased Vaike for trying to spy on us while we were bathing in the oasis."

"Now that you mention it, I think it was." She giggled, and moved back to my side, patting my shoulder. "Need anything?"

"Not right now. I think I'm going to try and go back to sleep, truthfully." I smiled up at her. "Sleep off these injuries."

"I don't think they're something to just 'sleep off'." She laughed, though. "I'll leave you to it, then. I'll check back in a while."

"Night, Sumia." I waved as she headed out, and I sighed, wondering what I did to deserve her. I'd like to do it again. But that was neither here nor there.

I settled into my chair again, clinging to the blanket with my free hand, and glanced around the tent. It was simple, likely because no one had unpacked any of the things Chrom typically set up to make his tent a little more comfortable. Honestly, there was just Chrom in his cot, the chair I sat in, and a small table that had been set up next to me. A glass of water rested on it, likely someone worried I'd get thirsty, but it was almost covered in all the little notes left on the table. I picked up one, noting it was from Cordelia, and it talked about how she hoped he'd be well soon and that she was sorry for not being able to guard him better. A quick look through the others showed they were all similar things. I smiled at them, giggling a little over how many there were. Honestly, there was easily one for each Shepherd, and more likely, there were even three or four from some.

"Mmm…" But a small groan made me drop the note and instead lean over Chrom, legs protesting even that bit of movement. "Ugh…" But Chrom's eyes fluttered open, and I couldn't help but smile as his eyes slowly focused on me. Though, my heart nearly stopped at his sweet smile. "Morning?" he rasped. He tried to push himself up, but winced, gasping from pain, and laid back down. "Ow… what the…?"

"You took a bad hit from a spell," I explained, shifting to sit on the edge of the cot. I still held his hand. "Protecting-"

"Robin." His eyes widened. "How he is?"

"I'm sure he's working himself too much from guilt, though Maribelle supposed set Lon'qu on him to prevent that." I frowned at him, squeezing his hand. "I do… appreciate you keeping him safe as you promised, but you nearly died. That's not how promises should work. You have to live to keep fulfilling them."

"Hey, I didn't die." He had the audacity to grin. "Where are we?"

"A camp we set up. You can't be moved with that injury."

"Do we have the time?"

"Chrom, if you push, you'll literally die. That strike was right at your heart." I rested my hand on his bandages for emphasis. "But that's neither here nor there. I'm going to go get Lissa and Robin." They were the two I knew needed to know Chrom was awake the most. "So, you behave yourself. Lie here and rest."

"But…" He sighed as I scowled. "Oh, fine, I will."

"Good." I squeezed his hand again, and left, limping a bit as my legs protested the sudden change in movement, and just being used after being overworked earlier. I wandered through the quiet camp, wondering just where Robin and Lissa might be. I heard quite a bit of laughter by the campfire, but I was… scared to approach. No matter how much Maribelle had reassured, I was still scared of what they thought of me. Still, I did really want to reassure Robin and Lissa. So, I hesitated, leaning forward towards the warm campfire, and leaning back to cold, but safe, shadows.

Before I could make a decision, though, a strange noise caught my ear, and a stranger… feeling in the air. Frowning, I headed for that direction, straining my ears to see if I could catch the sound again. But I made it all the way to the edge of camp and found nothing unusual. The feeling didn't disappear though. It was like we were being watched, but I couldn't see anything but sand, sand, and more sand.

"Kestrel?" The voice nearly made me yelp, but a gentle hand fell on my shoulder, so I looked up instead to see Robin. "Did you hear something too?" he asked me. I nodded and he sighed. "Okay, that's four."

"Four?" I repeated, curious. But then I looked behind me and saw Panne and the dragon-girl… Nowi, I thought Maribelle called her… walking up. "Damn, I was hoping I was just being paranoid."

"If so, it's all four of us." Robin waved to Panne and Nowi. Panne nodded back, while Nowi cheerfully waved in return. Nowi's eyes, though, looked at us curiously, and I wondered if she could sense the 'dragon' within us. "Anything?"

"Only that you two have sharp senses to pick up anything," Panne murmured. Her eyes narrowed slightly, glaring at something. "I smell blood on the wind. Blood and shadows."

"It smells like those people from before," Nowi added. She pouted, pointing to a dune. "They suck at hide and seek, though. Come on out! We know you're here!"

At first, nothing happened. But then, slowly, some Grimleal, recognizable by their uniforms, stepped out, practically materializing from the sands. They walked forward, and my skin crawled at the deranged hope that filled their eyes, and the sickening grins that split their faces.

"So, it's true…" one whispered. Their grin was the widest. "The Fell Twins really have returned!" They cackled, the sound echoing harshly off the dunes. "What deliverance! Our biggest annoyance has brought us the greatest of gifts!"

"Gifts?" Robin repeated. "Fell twins?" Robin looked confusedly at me. "Does this have to do with the sacrifice thing you mentioned?"

"Basically," I sighed. I didn't recall telling him about sacrifices, but he probably made a guess. It wasn't really a wrong one either. "It also has to do with the fact that by Plegian Law, we're technically nobles of stupidly high rank, though hell if I know what." I sighed, whimpering a little. "This is why we've never come this deep into Plegia."

"Then why did we?"

"Because the Shepherds did and neither of us have enough sense to outweigh our loyalty and love towards them."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"If you're done with your casual bantering, you might need to prepare for a fight," Panne growled. She dropped to all fours, beaststone glowing on her belt. "They're preparing to attack."

"Damn, they are," Robin sighed. He brought up his thunder tome and I… attempted to shift into a fighting stance, but my injures protested vehemently and that was ignoring how I didn't even have my sword on me. "Kestrel?"

"You're hurt badly still," Nowi chimed. She got on her tiptoes, peering up at me worriedly, even as she grabbed her dragonstone from a pouch around her waist. "You should rest up!"

"They're coming on us quickly," I protested. Indeed, the Grimleal looked perfectly ready to barrage us with spells. "Besides, they're after Robin and me, so-!"

A spell flew, a simple fire one. I tried to dodge, but my legs locked up under me and slipped in the sand. Robin moved in front of me, attempting to shield me.

But then someone else shielded both of us, shrugging off the fire spell with an ease that surprised me. After all, it was Frederick, and Great Knights weren't exactly known for their ability to shrug off magic attacks like Paladins.

"You…!" one of the Grimleal hissed. Their eyes flashed in anger, and their fellows, all looking like lovely copies of each other, snarled in almost perfect unison. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like?" Frederick asked, the picture of calm. His eyes, however, burned with quiet anger and his grip on his javelin was very tight, based on his white knuckles. "I'm protecting them."

"This doesn't concern you Ylisseans! Just go back to your hiding holes as you always have!"

"I'm afraid these two are two very important members of the Shepherds, meaning that it is absolutely my concern that you're throwing magic at them." He spun his lance once, and I caught sight of a flash of blue. "So, you lot…" Frederick's eyes narrowed. "Should really pick a god and pray I miss." He threw the Javelin hard, and it soared through the air, tiny silver-blue sparkles trailing off it as it cleaved straight through the spokesperson. "Ah, looks like you were a little slow."

"And now, I see an opening!" Cordelia swooped down from the damn skies and skewered another Grimleal before flying high into the skies again. The dead Grimleal dangled from her lance for a brief second before falling, right on one of their fellows. I had no idea if she did that on purpose or not. "Attacking our camp while our prince recovers, trying to hurt two of our precious friends…" she growled. Her eyes flashed with fury. "It's not a good idea to anger me, but I suppose 'good ideas' are few and far between with you."

"Is everyone going to come in now with badass boasts?" Robin asked dryly. I couldn't decide how to react, so I just kept staring. "Well, dear sister, I've a question. Why was Frederick's lance glowing? It was like the moonlight, but brighter."

"That… would be Luna," I answered. I looked up at him since he was much easier to figure out, especially right now. "Magic that isn't a magic, but one able to be learned. A bit like your Anathema and my… Vengeance." The Great Knights of Ylisse were famous for it, much like how the Heroes of Ferox had their 'Sol', and the Swordmasters of Chon'sin had their 'Astra'. "And like the Rallies, I suppose."

"Rallies?"

"A magic that isn't magic where you boost the abilities of allies around you. They're called 'Rallies' because it's like you're 'rallying' your allies to do better. There's speed and defense and strength and…" More movement and I tensed. However, it was just the other Shepherds, coming to battle once more. "Ah."

"Well, Frederick and I are going to deal with this." Robin gave me a quick hug. "Go rest."

"Huh? Wait!" I yelped and tried to snag him, but he was out of reach before long. I stood in place, legs frozen, as I watched the other Shepherds move past me. They gave me reassuring smiles, but I just wanted to grab all of them and beg them to just… run. Or leave it to Robin and me. Because… because…

"Much as we adore you being our watchful goddess, dear lady, you should fall back." Virion appeared beside me, smiling slightly. It fell when I looked up at him though, with all my worries likely written on my face for everyone to see. "Now, what's this? Are you fretting over us?"

"Well, yes!" I squeaked. "People… people who protect Robin and me from the Grimleal have a bad tendency to die!" My voice cracked, but this time, at least, I managed to hold the tears in. I'd seriously turned into some sort of crybaby after meeting these idiots. Though maybe it was just because I finally had things to cry about… "So, yes, I'm scared!"

"Ah, ma cherie." Virion rested his hands on my shoulders and gently kissed the top of my head. "Never fear. We'll deal with these louts and have plenty of time for a tea party afterwards." He grinned as he stepped away, posing dramatically. "After all, I fight alongside these brave souls! How could there be any other outcome but victory?"

"But…"

"I know it is difficult to hold onto faith when you are so used to things falling apart. But, you must hold onto it nonetheless. You are simply too injured to fight alongside us, and anyone can see it. No doubts that's why they targeted you first."

"But…" But he was right. I knew he was right. Even if I wasn't injured, I'd have to fall back because I simply wasn't armed. "I…" But I was injured, and if I tried to fight like this, I'd likely die. I… I didn't want to die. "Okay…" I hated it. I hated having to just faith. "But if you die, if any of you die, I will kill you. Understand?" I made myself smile. It felt more like a grimace, but Virion smiled back like it was a real smile. "Oh, and Chrom's awake. That's why I was out of the tent in the first place. I was trying to find Robin and Lissa."

"Then I shall share this wondrous news and let that boost our morale even further!" He kissed the top of my head again and stepped back. "And upon our victory, I shall regale you with our tales of valor. Our numbers may be few, but each of us fights with the force of an army even without the deep set resolve that fires our hearts!"

"I'm counting on you all then." This time, my smile felt a little more real, and he winked before racing off, joining the battle. I watched a bit longer, still worried, but then I made myself turn away and made my way back to Chrom's tent.

It was a good thing I did. Chrom was trying to actually get out of bed.

"What are you doing?!" I yelped, lurching forward to keep him from actually standing. Through sheer force of will, he had managed to sit up and swing his legs over the side. But he was pale from the effort, panting heavily and sweating profusely. He winced with each bit of breath, and his eyes were a bit hazy as he looked up at me. "You need to rest!"

"There's… fighting…" he tried to protest. His voice was too weak, though. "I need to…" He tried to stand up, but a simple touch to his shoulder was enough to stop that. "I…"

"Need to rest." I nudged him gently, getting him to lie back down. "The only thing you're going to do if you head out is injure yourself further, just like me." I smiled bitterly, thinking of Virion's gentle scolding. "So, we just… need to have faith." I was so scared, though. But having to fuss over him did help distract me.

"Ugh…" He groaned, but relented, settling back on the cot. "Sorry, Kes…" He paused and then sighed. "Sorry, you said you didn't like your name shortened…"

"Did I?" I couldn't remember. "When?"

"Robin shortened it, back before the weird earthquake, and you told him not to."

"You remember something from back then?" I laughed a little, stunned by his… his ridiculousness. "Well, whatever. I'll let it slide if you promise to behave and be a perfect patient." I tucked the blankets around him, and winced as I pulled a particular injury. "Ah…"

"Let me see." His hands shot out from under the blanket and looked over my arm. He frowned as his fingers brushed over the bandages. "So many… you were this badly hurt? Why didn't I notice?"

"Because you were a little too busy being unconscious and near death. I lost it after you went down and charged the rest of the Grimleal fighting us. This is the price of my recklessness." I laughed hollowly. "It's fine. Maybe. The others were afraid, but they were kind outside, so..."

"Like Panne, when she first joined?" He moved his hand to grasp mine and pulled it down to his chest, where I could feel his heartbeat. I relaxed at the steady 'thump' underneath my hand. "Like Gaius, who you should definitely talk with. He's funny. And scolds me."

"Then I'll definitely like him." I grinned and he laughed, weakly. But his smile was warm. "Go back to sleep, Chrom."

"Not while the others are fighting." He got a stubborn look on his face. "At least let me stay awake while they fight."

"...Well, I suppose we can settle on that compromise." I smiled slightly. "But, in that case." I leaned over and plucked one of the many notes still scattered on the table. "The Shepherds left you notes. I'll read them to you."

I read through them slowly, and we even made a game out of it, where Chrom had to guess who sent what. To my surprise, he got each of them right, though he had taken a while to guess some of the newer members' notes, like Panne and Gaius. Around the time we finished, Robin stumbled in, bandaged but smiling, and happily reported that the intruders were dead, and none of the Shepherds were. After that, we got a steady stream of Shepherds peeking in to reassure themselves that Chrom was awake. I nodded off sometime during Virion's grandiose lecture on 'making fair maidens fret' and his even more dramatic retelling of the battle, and barely noticed Sumia returning to drape the blanket around me again.

I did notice how Chrom held my hand the entire time, though. That just… made me smile.

Notes on Ricken:

Class - Mage; Reclass - Cavalier, Archer

The son of a fallen noble family, who seeks to help his family. One of the youngest, if not the youngest, of the Shepherds

His magic is weaker than Miriel's, but surprising, he's actually physically stronger than her, likely because he admires Chrom and mimics him as much as possible. He might make a good magic-knight, if he can stop growling at anyone who 'looks down on him'.

Animals seem to really like him. It's like a fairy tale story when he goes and forages because the animals will just all wander up.

Author's Notes: Technically, there's a funny scene with Nowi and Gregor joining up, but since I added Kestrel's temper going off, it felt more appropriate to have that off-screen (though pieces will likely show up next chapter). Since skills came up, I should probably mention a couple of Kestrel's. She has Vengeance (inherited from her father) and Miracle (inherited from her mother). Robin, ftr, has Anathema (inherited from his father) and Tomefaire (inherited from his mother). Also have minor explanations for other skills. Sumia helping Frederick catch a horse comes from their A support.

The 'Raven' mentioned here is the name of Kestrel's mother, continuing the 'bird theme' with Kestrel and Robin, and she was a Sage instead of a Sorcerer (yes, this is on purpose; Raven left the Grimleal, after all; she was a former cleric who rose through the ranks in order to secure a better life for herself). Only Kestrel and Robin have inherited skills from their parents out of the first gen chars, as another nod to them being Vessels, instead of them having access to every class. Red-capped robins are natives to Australia, found in the 'drier' areas, mostly scrubs and woodlands.

Next Chapter - Interlude, Sands