"By the way, Stahl and the others are waiting for you," Chrom adds.
Robin nods and says "Alright, let's get this over with."
The three return to the rest of the group where Stahl and Raimi run towards them as soon as they see them.
"Robin! Are you ok?" asks a concerned knight.
"I've been worse," the tactician simply states. "How is everyone else though?"
"Your Shepherds are all fine. Most villagers too. Only injuries are light and my soldiers are already taking care of that," Raimi explains.
"That's good then," Robin decides. "So what about the order I gave you?"
"We got one of them, just like you wanted. He's right over here," Stahl confirms and begins leading the small group to said captive.
"Lissa, help out the others with the injured. I bet they can use all the help they can get," Chrom suggests, not wanting to subject his sister to any sort of danger, no matter how small.
"Alrighty!" the blonde girl abides and rushes off to help the villagers, creating a good atmosphere wherever she goes by way of her jolly nature.
The now four Shepherds walk a bit to a near tree, where a bandit is constrained against the trunk. Robin kneels down to look him in the eye and says "Where are the rest of your gang," in an icy, hostile tone.
"I ain't tellin' ya anything!" the brigand shouts before attempting to spit in Robin's face.
"Bad idea," Chrom mumbles angrily, his sword instantly at the bound man's throat. "If you want to keep living, I'd suggest you refrain from doing anything stupid."
After a nervous gulp, he gives a nod.
"So, you're sure you can't tell us anything about where your boss went off to?" Robin repeats his question, this time much more neutral than before.
Schocked by his sudden change in demeanor, the bandit takes a few seconds before answering. "I won't say a word," he answers, his resolve remaining firm.
Letting out a sigh the amnesiac gets back up. "Guess we can't do anything about that then," he decides, much to the surprise of everyone present.
"Wait, that's it? You aren't gonna torture me or anything?" the bandit questions, completely dumbfounded by the turn of events.
"Why would I? I'd never refer to such barbaric methods as long as I'm a human," Robin answers calmly.
"Raimi, I suggest your men take this outlaw to the fortress and assign him a cell. Let a court decide on his punishment," Chrom cuts in.
"Of course, Milord," she complies with a bow. "I'll order the rest of my soldiers to remain here for the time being until the capitol can provide assistance. We should get going again as soon as possible."
"Right," the lord agrees and the three Shepherds leave Raimi with her men and their captive to meet up with the rest of their group.
"Frederick!" Chrom shouts.
Said armored man turns from a conversation and comes their way. "How may I be of assistance, milord?" he questions.
"Is everyone ready to leave?" the lord wants to know.
"Indeed. The treating of the villagers has gone quicker than anticipated thanks to the princess," Frederick confirms, gesturing to Lissa, who is playing with some of the village children. "As a result, we had more time to get ready."
"Good, we'll be leaving as soon as Raimi is finished organizing her troops," Chrom informs.
"Very well, I shall inform the others of our further course of action. I take it our destination will be the Khan's palace?" the great knight further enquires.
"That's the plan," the Ylissean prince approves.
Frederick gives a nod and turns to inform the others and make sure everything is once more ready for departure.
About five minutes later, everybody is ready to continue the march and the Shepherds and Raimi are about to leave when Donnel and his mother come up to them.
"Thank you so very much for your assistance, lord Chrom," the woman thanks. "Go on Donnel, you thank his lordness too!" she adds, giving her son a pat on the back.
"Err, well... I- If it pleases you, your Lordesty and your Smartliness, I wanna go with ya!" Donnel blurts out, surprising those present.
"What? Donnel, don't be stupid! What use would nobles such as them have for you?" his mother chides.
"Actually, I would gladly have your son accompany us, ma'am. Us Shepherds need every able man we can get and Donnel definitely qualifies as one," Chrom corrects. "What do you say Robin?"
"I don't see why not. He did well today, so with enough training I'm sure he'll be an excellent Shepherd," the tactician agrees.
"Are- are you sure you want to do this, boy?" the woman asks, the sorrow in her voice increasing as she can already guess what her son's answer will be.
"As sure as I could be! I wanna help the best I can, an' I think I'll be able to do much more at the side of his Graceliness!" Donnel confirms.
His mother gives a sigh and says "Well, your a man now, so I suppose I shouldn't hold you off from your own decisions.. Just.. come back home safely, alright?"
"Of course I will, Ma! I'll make you proud, just you wait!" the young farmer encourages.
"Well, we should get going now. We've wasted too much time as it easy, ma'am, I'll personally see to it that your son stays out of harms way," Chrom interrupts.
She gives a nod and the Shepherds, including Donnel, get on their way to the capitol. "I'm already proud of you, my boy..." she whispers softly while watching the distance to her son grow ever more, tears starting to form in her eyes.
-Somewhere on the road to the capitol-
The Shepherds are in the middle of their trek and most are engaged in conversations with each other. The only exception is Robin, who, after talking with Chrom and Lissa for a short while after their departure, is at the very back thinking to himself.
"Is everything alright, Robin?" a voice intrudes his contemplation.
"Huh? Oh, it's just you Sumia," the blonde tactician answers after the initial surprise wears off. "I'm fine, just thinking a bit."
"Umm, not that's it's any of my business, but are you sure it's just 'a bit'?" Sumia asks uneasily, hoping not to offend her opposite.
"Well, if you put it that way, I suppose it really is quite a lot," Robin admits chuckling. "It's just that I've been trying to come up with what to do with Donnel. That, and there's something else really bugging me."
"Donnel? What's wrong with him?" the pegasus rider asks, intrigued by both Robin's answer and the fact he hasn't yet shouted at her for doing something wrong, something she is so very familiar with from the days of her training before becoming part of the Shepherds.
"Well, I wouldn't say there's anything wrong with him, but I have to find some way to integrate him you properly, you know?" the amnesiac replies. Judging by Sumia's expression, he elaborates "What I mean is, that I'm trying to think of someone I can assign to watch over him. We can't just throw every new recruit into the cold water. Plus, he could use somebody he can always talk to. I'm sure it's hard on him to suddenly be surrounded by a group of trained fighters and royals. It's no mean feat to integrate oneself in a working system, especially when it's like the Shepherds."
"I'm sure he'll manage. You managed to do so pretty easily after all," Sumia reasons.
"Well, that is true, but I fear that I'm not really the norm for stuff like this. In a way, I think my amnesia is the only reason I was able to mesh with you all so easily," Robin theorizes.
"And why do you think that?" the grey-haired woman questions.
"While I'm sure my personality was pretty much the same before, I was pretty much an empty slate when Chrom found me in the fields. I have no memories of my past life and as such am easily influenceable and maybe just as adept at adapting to social patterns and the like. The main reason I'm here now, is because I want to do my best to pay Chrom and all the other Shepherds back for what they did to me. I literally owe you all my life.." Robin explains.
A silence falls over the two as Robin returns to his thoughts and Sumia thinks about her conversation partners words.
"I think that exact mentality is what let you fit in so well," she finally speaks after a few minutes.
"Huh?" a dumbfounded tactician replies.
"Obviously your skill in battle and your brain are extremely important for us, but it's your mindset that made Chrom sympathise with you. I'm sure you've noticed it already, but all of us have very different personalities and we might not always get along as well as we'd like to. But there is one thing that unites and defines us all, no matter how unique we may be," Sumia states.
"And what is that?" Robin asks curiously.
"The desire and unbreaking will to protect one another, to fight not for the sake of war, riches or anything else like that, but for the sake of keeping everyone safe. And you are the embodiment of that exact mentality," the pegasus rider reveals. "There are not many in this day and age who would have acted the way you decided to. When we were fighting the Feroxi, you decided to go out of your way to not harm innocent lives if at all possible, even though you knew it would make things harder. You also spared that bandits life, knowing you would gain no benefit from it. Things like that are why you're a great person and what made it so easy for all the Shepherds to follow your orders."
"You.. really think that's true? Even though you barely know anything about me?" the tactician questions, unable to believe anybody would think of him in such a way.
"Of course," she responds with a smile. "It is because of that, that I find it so easy to think this way of you. From your perspective, you have no real reason, no necessity to stick with us. That's why I trust in you, why we all trust in you."
Another silence begins, this time not uncomfortable, but in a trusting and amiable atmosphere.
-Some time later-
After several more hours of marching, the Shepherds finally arrive at their destination, the capitol of Ferox. They are escorted to the Khan's palace and to it's throne room shortly after.
"I am afraid you cannot have your companions accompany you, milord," Raimi warns as they arrive in front of the massive oak doors of the palace's throne hall. "You are permitted only a single escort of your choice."
"I understand. Robin, you'll be coming with me," Chrom decides after a second of thinking. "The rest of you stay here and don't make any trouble. That goes to you especially, Vaike," he adds with a warning gaze directed at said man.
"What would make you think ole teacher might be the cause of trouble?" Vaike asks, slightly offended.
"Do I have really have to remind you of what happened when Emmeryn and some of our highest ranking officials came for a visit a few months ago?" the lord questions accusingly.
"Uhh, that wasn't teach's fault.. not entirely at least," the bare-chested man replies, but looks down, knowing his defeat.
"Anyway, just don't do anything that might endanger our mission," Chrom begs. He turns back to the Feroxi commander and says "If you would, Raimi."
The woman nods and gives the two soldiers standing guard the order to open the doors. They push open the massive entryway and the four enter. Behind them, the door closes after an encouraging shout by Lissa.
The room they find themselves in is absolutely huge, almost hundred feet long, sixty feet wide and thirty feet high with several sets of stone pillars supporting the roof. On the walls to their side dozens of portraits of former rulers are aligned. From the entrance to the back of the room runs a red carpet decorated with silver linings, ending just before the massive throne made of black marble.
While the three Ylisseans take in the sight with awe, Raimi says "If you would wait shortly, I shall fetch the Khan," and leaves through a door on their left side.
"So what is this Khan even like?" Robin asks after she is outside of the room.
"Good question," Chrom replies vaguely. "Truth be told, I don't know much of anything about the current Khan. As you might've guessed by now, the Feroxi don't think too highly of politics, they prefer simple battle over it. In a way, you could say that battle is their own style of politics."
"So that would make the Khan a behemoth of sorts, with arms thick as tree trunks, a bushy beard and covered in scars," Robin muses, unaware of the newcomers to the room.
"Are I now?" a female voice demands.
Robin turns around to see a woman clad in white and red battle armor and a silver sword strapped to her waist. She has darker but pale skin and her blonde hair is bound in a ponytail that explodes into long curls at the back.
"I- Uhh, I wasn't-" the tactician begins in an attempt to justify his words.
Instead of being angry or offended, the woman simply starts laughing. "No need to worry, tactician," she ensures. "Well, as you can see I'm no behemoth, but nevertheless I am the Khan of Ferox, Flavia."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Khan," Chrom says. "We've come to ask for the assistance of Ferox in defending Ylisse from the Plegian threat as well as the new danger of the Risen."
"Oh, not wasting a second, are you?" Flavia notes.
"I figured you wouldn't appreciate useless chatter, so I got straight to the point," the Ylissean prince responds calmly.
"Oh, is that so? I thought you Ylisseans where all about talking," Flavia states. "Nevertheless, I am afraid I cannot be of any assistance to you," she continues.
"Is it because of the bandits at the borders who are pretending to be Ylisseans?" Chrom asks.
"Partially, yes, they have proven to be quite the nuisance," Flavia admits.
"Damn those dastards!" the lord curses out of instinct. Remembering his situation, he apoligizes "Forgive me for my indecent choice of words. I let my emotions get-"
"Ha! Don't worry about any of that, just say it as it is! I'd love to get back at those Plegian troublemakers myself. Raimi told me what happened at the border and I greatly respect your strength, prince of Ylisse, but I simply lack the authority to mobilize troops," the pale woman explains.
"Excuse me, but aren't you the Khan? How can you not have the authority to mobilize your military?" Robin asks.
"I am ONE of the Khans," Flavia corrects. "To be precise, I am the East Khan. The two Khans hold a tournament every few years. The winner subsequentially holds absolute sovereignity until the next one. And unfortunately for you and me, I happened to lose the last tournament."
"So we came all this way for nothing?" Robin questions, disappointed in the run of events.
"Not necessarily," the Khan rectifies. "Luckily for you, the next tournament is in a few days and I'm still looking for my champions of this year."
"Do you not fight your own battles?" Chrom asks confused.
"Of course not," Flavia denies. "If that were the case, a cloud of grudges would hang over the country like storm clouds. The Khan's select fighters to carry out their battle. Quite a few of them aren't even Feroxi, but that doesn't matter to anyone."
"So you're suggesting we be your champions for this tournament?" the tactician guesses.
"Exactly. It would be the first time other royals were to participate, but as I said, that doesn't matter to the people as long as the fights are entertaining," Flavia confirms. "If you were to win, I will send you all the reinforcements and any other aid might need against Plegia."
"I see," Chrom mumbles. "Robin, what do you say?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? We have no choice but to accept," the amnesiac replies. "We don't have time to spare and this trip can't end without us gaining Ferox as an ally."
"You're right," the prince agrees. "We accept your terms, Flavia."
"Hmm, I guess you might just have what it takes. Very well! You shall bring forth my champions for this tournament!" the pale woman states. "Raimi! Show them to the guest wings and tell them where they can prepare for the battle. You have two days time, the tournament will be held in an arena to the west. I'll be accompanying you there when the time comes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some organisation to take care of."
Raimi gives the leaving Khan a bow and turns to Robin and Chrom. "Follow me, milord. We mustn't waste any time."
I'm a day late and the chapter is significantly below average length and believe me, I'm super sorry about it. Anyways, this week are holidays, so I'll do my very best to at least get you an average length update for a change, if not more. Also, just to inform you ahead of time, in two or three weeks I'll be having a lot less time than I have now due to my upcoming exams and presentations. I'll be doing my best to write and publish in that time, but it's highly likely I'll either be late or miss an update entirely. Sorry!
On to the reviews now though!
Gallian Squad 7: Glad ya liked it! I was really unsure whether or not to do it this way, but it seems I worried for nothing. That being said, if I'm not showing consistency with my uploads, at least my writing has become more consistent. That's good, right? And don't worry, you definitely aren't the only one who misses Cordelia. I reaaally wanna write her, but sadly she's introduced fairly late, which sucks :(
patattack: Thanks! I've always wondered why there's never been a hostage mission in a Fire Emblem (or at least in the 3ds ones - to my knowledge that is), so I did my best to attempt writing my own! Glad to hear it was good!
Greyjedi449t: Good to hear! I look forward to seeing you next week!
Riku Uzumaki: That is exactly what I wanted to avoid and it seems I did well in my attempt to do so. Yes, indeed, that is also the way the 2nd gen characters will be introduced, at least that is what I'm planning to do. As for who, when and how, I can't say that now. You're gonna have to keep reading for that :^)
pkmn2112: I already replied to you, but I'll do it here again for others to see as well. Your concern with the light-heartedness up until now (in regard to the rather dark title) has definitely not gone unnoticed to me. It won't be this way forever, but it'll be a while until there's a big change in the atmosphere of the story. Probably. Regarding the other point you raise, sadly I don't think I'll be able to keep that up. Right now, it really only is possible because there aren't many characters in the story yet. I'll likely introduce all 1st gen Characters and potentially some of the Spotpass ones, but regardless, some Shepherds will inevitably have a bigger impact later on in the story than others.
guest: I've said this above, but I'll do it again: I'm really glad you all are not only accepting but also appreciative of the rather big risk that I made in last chapter - in my eyes at least. As for the other matter, betaing is essentially someone (the beta) receiving the chapter some time earlier than it is published to read and look it over in order to point out grammatical mistakes, content-related issues and the like.
Big thanks to new followers ADeadDiehard, blue0404 and Wolves-of-Insanity and everyone who favorited the story! It means a lot!
That was all for this week, I hope to see you all again next week, hopefully with a longer update than this one.
Thanks for reading, this has been D4v3Hunter and I'll see you soon!
