DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.
FIRE EMBLEM IS OWNED BY NINTENDO. I DON'T OWN IT'S CHARACTERS EITHER.
ITALICS=THOUGHTS
BOLD= DATES, PLACES, ECT.
BOLD ITALICS=NARRATOR
(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)
Walter Dornez of the Emblem
Ylisstol ~ The Royal Palace
August 19 (1:20 P.M.)
"Then Regna Ferox will support Ylisse?"
"That is correct, your grace."
"Then you have done an excellent job, thanks to you both: Chrom and Walter."
As soon as dawn arrived, the Shepherds were already back on the Northroad and heading back to Ylisstol. Chrom was eager to bring Emmeryn the news of the alliance between Regna Ferox and Ylisse. Naturally, Exalt Emmeryn was pleased to hear that all had gone well.
"I knew that sending the two of you would be the right choice." Emmeryn smiled at the duo.
Chrom scratched the back of his head. "You should see Ferox's warriors! Perhaps now our people will be safe from-"
Chrom was interrupted by the sound of the doors being slammed open. Walter and Chrom turned to see Phila hurriedly moving towards them. From the look on her face, she most certainly had bad news.
"Your grace! Milord!" Phila bowed to both Chrom and Emmeryn. "Forgive me for my intrusion, but I bring alarming news!"
"Please, calm yourself." Walter spoke up. He knew what it was like acting as the bearer of bad news, so he knew just how pressured the pegasus knight was feeling. "What's happened?"
Phila took a deep breath before replying, "Plegian soldiers have been sighted inside our southwestern border! They attacked a village in Themis and abducted the Duke's daughter!"
Lissa, who had been standing off to the side while Chrom, Emmeryn, and Walter discussed the alliance, covered her mouth in horror. "B-but that would be Maribelle!" Lissa's eyes were as wide as dish plates. "Chrom, we have to do something!"
"Please wait, my lieges." Phila stopped the duo from leaving, "The ruler of Plegia: King Gangrel has claimed that it was Lady Maribelle that invaded his country. He demands that we pay ransom for this "insult"."
Walter raised his hand to his chin, "Obviously, this King Gangrel wishes to use this opportunity to provoke a war between Plegia and Ylisse."
"Then perhaps we should give him what he wishes!" Chrom slammed his fist into the wall. "The Mad King, Gangrel, has been attempting to start a war with us for years now! The mad man won't stop until he's dragged the entire continent to hell with him!"
"I understand your feelings, Chrom, I truly do, but if we give him the war he wants, then we lose." Emmeryn spoke with a wisdom beyond her years. "The last conflict we had with Plegia nearly ruined the halidom. We cannot afford to make that mistake yet again." The Exalt stood up from her throne. "I shall attempt to negotiate a parley with King Gangrel."
Chrom, Lissa, and Phila stared at Emmeryn as if she'd grown a second head.
"Emm, no! You can't!" Lissa protested.
Phila reacted in the same manner. "Please reconsider, your grace! He cannot be trusted to act in good faith!"
Emmeryn looked between her siblings and Phila several times before turning her gaze towards Walter, who had been silent on the matter. "What is your opinion on the matter, Walter? Surely a man of your age has an idea of how we can deal with King Gangrel."
The aged butler stroked his chin in deep thought. "I agree with your approach to the situation, Lady Emmeryn. As it is, negotiation is our best option." The butler turned to Chrom. "I understand your animosity towards the country, Chrom, but we can't afford to act reckless. Why start a war that we can't afford to fight?" Walter then turned back to Emmeryn. "As a precaution however, I urge you to allow the Shepherds to accompany you on this trip, milady."
Emmeryn nodded in agreement, "Very well, I shall be accompanied by the Pegasus Knights, as well as the Shepherds." The Exalt left, accompanied by Phila, in order to prepare for the long march to the Plegian border. Chrom and Lissa silently thanked Walter for convincing Emmeryn to allow them to accompany her before heading to the Shepherd's Garrison.
Ylisstol ~ The Shepherd's Garrison
August 19 (2:45 P.M)
(recommended music: "…." [from the Fire Emblem Awakening OST])
"It seems like we hardly ever catch a break, Walter." Chrom slumped down at a table and rested his head on it's surface.
"Well these are difficult times we live in, sir. Just one month serving you lot and I see more action then I ever did in a single year under my last master's service." Walter sat beside the Ylissean prince. "Perhaps that's simply because I had retired from my active duty in order to focus more on my domestic duties. Either way, this has been quite the experience thus far."
Chrom let out a half-hearted laugh, "An exhausting experience if I had to describe it. With the threat of war on the horizon, not to mention the Risen attacks, Ylisse's forces find themselves stretched thin." He locked his fingers together and rested his chin atop them. "I'm glad you joined when you did. Without your aid it's likely the Shepherds would've fallen in the recent month."
A comforting smile formed on the butler's face, "I can't take all the credit, sir. Don't forget, at the end of the day, I am only your butler. I'm not the one in charge, all I do is make suggestions, sir. It is you the others look to for guidance."
"It's you who I look to for guidance." Chrom retorted. "Sometimes I can't help but feel I'm unfit to lead the Shepherds. I've made mistakes that have nearly cost us lives. Think about when we confronted Raimi; you took a devastating blow meant for me. If I had been more wary, that might not have happened."
A sigh came out of Walter's mouth as he listened to Chrom. "You cannot blame yourself for that, I took the blow knowing that I could take it. I shielded you of my own accord, Chrom."
"But what if it was someone else that took the blow for me?" Chrom slammed his fist into the table. "What if it was Lissa? Sumia? Frederick? Any one of them would've probably been killed by that attack!"
The butler was silent for a few seconds before he stood up and looked down at the blue-haired prince. "Look at me, Chrom..." the butler waited for Chrom to face him. "Every great leader in history had to have started somewhere. Sometimes the greatest of humankind are born as a result of struggle and loss. The worst of humankind can also be born as a result of struggle and loss. What makes a person great is not the strength of their body or a lack of mistakes, but rather their ability to cope with their mistakes. The ability to not give into the negativity and to move forward instead of backwards. When you make a mistake, or suffer a loss of some kind, you take the pain you feel and promise yourself that you will never again make the mistake. That's what makes a leader, Chrom. You never give up, no matter how lost you may feel, and you never abandon your principles." Walter placed his hands on Chrom's shoulders. "What are your principles, what is it that you fight for?"
Chrom took a moment to think before responding, "I fight for my loved ones; I fight to become strong enough to not only protect them but the whole of Ylisse as well."
"An admirable response, and one that you need to keep fighting for." Walter continued, "Stick to that and I assure you that you'll achieve it one day."
The leader of the Shepherds dwelled on the advice for awhile before taking it to heart. "Thank you, Walter. I needed some wisdom."
"Anytime, milord. I am here to serve you in just about anyway I can." The butler moved toward the exit of the cafeteria.
"I have a question, Walter." Chrom stopped the butler before he could leave.
"What's your question, sir?" Walter turned back to face Chrom.
"Have you ever given up your principles before?"
The Ylissean prince's question froze Walter on the spot. The former Hellsing butler swallowed as the memory of his betrayal came to mind. The devastation in Integra's eyes as he cut all ties and proclaimed himself the Angel of Death. He threw all the blessings he had in life in order to fulfill his dream of being remembered as the man that had killed Alucard, a dream that he failed to accomplish in the end. In the end, his death would've been his way of atoning for his sin.
"Once…" The butler replied, sadness lacing his tone.
Chrom gave Walter a look of slight curiosity, "What happened?"
Walter raised his hand, removing his glove to showcase the seal that was possibly going to kill him if he continued to refuse to release it.
"A monster was born."
(Song end here)
Ylisstol ~ The Shepherds Garrison
August 19 (3:00 P.M.)
After finally gathering all the needed supplies, the Shepherds accompanying Lady Emmeryn had gathered outside the Garrison and were ready to march west.
"Well then!" Chrom faced his men. "Is everybody ready to go? It's a long march through the western mountains to the Plegian border."
"Captain!"
All eyes turned to the young mage named Ricken. Ricken ran towards the group, tome in hand, with an eager look on his face.
"I'm all packed! When do we leave?!" the young mage was practically bouncing off the walls in his excitement.
Chrom shook his head in disapproval, "Ricken, how did you…" The prince pinched the bridge of his nose. "Go back inside, you're not old enough for this mission."
"But captain, you know how skilled I am with magic! I'm more than capable of-" Ricken was cut off as he was suddenly lifted off his feet by the back of his shirt.
"This is not any ordinary mission, young man." Walter easily lifted Ricken off the ground. "If the negotiations do indeed fail, we'll be forced into a confrontation. The battlefield is no place for a boy." Walter dropped Ricken back onto the ground. "Besides, you're needed here. After all, someone needs to be here to defend Ylisstol in case of attack."
The Shepherds proceeded to leave the Garrison, leaving behind a less then enthused Ricken.
"How dare they treat me like a child, I am old enough to defend myself!" Ricken gripped his tome tightly. "I'll show them just how good I can be!"
West of Ylisstol ~ The Border Pass
August 20 (6:22 P.M.)
(recommended music: "That's a declaration of war if I've ever heard one!" [from the Fire Emblem Awakening OST])
As the days march to the border came to an end, the Shepherds formed up behind Exalt Emmeryn as they neared the border. As they approached, two figures could be spotted in the distance. As they neared the duo, Walter was able to distinguish several features about them. One was a scantily clad woman with silvery hair that reached past her shoulders. The other was a man with fiery red hair and a chin beard. He wore regal clothing colored black, white, and gold. The man had a unhinged look to him, leading Walter to assume that he was the Mad King Gangrel that Emmeryn and Chrom had talked about.
"What's this, then?" Gangrel placed his hands on his hips and stared down at Emmeryn from atop the boulder he was standing on. "The exalt herself, in all her radiance? I fear I must shield my eyes!" The Mad King erupted in crazed laughter.
Walter was surprised that there was no hint of fear in Emmeryn's eyes. The Exalt boldly stood before Gangrel, looking just as composed as she was inside the walls of her own palace.
"King Gangrel," she spoke calmly, probably attempting to be as civil as possible to the ruler of Plegia. "I've come for the truth of this unfortunate incident between us."
"The truth?" this time the silver-haired woman spoke up. "I can give you the truth."
Emmeryn turned her attention to the woman, "I beg your pardon, might milady first introduce herself?"
The woman performed a mock bow, "You may call me Aversa." The tone of her voice was seductive, but it carried a malice and venom in it as well.
Emmeryn maintained her calm demeanor as she conversed with the duo. "Very well, Aversa. I take it that Maribelle is unharmed?"
Gangrel raised an eyebrow, his amber eyes boring into the Exalt. "Who?" the mad man stroked his beard for a second. "Oh yes!" he snapped as he realized who Emmeryn was talking about. "The little blonde brat."
Gangrel snapped his fingers. As if on cue, a Plegian on the cliff above pushed Maribelle into view, and close to the edge of the cliff as a result.
"Unhand me, you gutter-born troglodyte!" Maribelle struggled with her bound hands as she was roughly kept at the cliffs edge.
"Maribelle!" Lissa stared at her friend's plight in fear.
"Lissa?" Maribelle looked down the cliff to see the group of Shepherds below. "Darling, is that you?"
Attention turned back to Gangrel and Aversa. "This girl crossed the Plegian border without our consent." Aversa stated with a sadistic grin on her face. "And what's more, she wounded the brave Plegian soldiers who sought to only escort her safely home." the woman spoke with feigned sympathy.
"Lies!" Maribelle shouted in fury. "You speak nothing but lies, hag! Did they not teach the meaning of the word "truth" in wretched-crone school?!"
Aversa seemed amused by the insult and let out a sick giggle. "You see?" she pouted, "No manners at all. Such a nasty little bird simply had to be caged."
Walter sensed a spike of anger behind him as Lissa and Chrom were practically trembling with fury. The butler turned his head slightly and mouthed "breathe" to the two. Thankfully, the two siblings managed to contain their fury.
"Such a violent temper speaks to her guilt!" Gangrel spoke up once more. "This will call for a weighty punishment." Gangrel's face changed into one of mock sympathy. "If she were to later confess to being an Ylissean spy? My goodness!" he placed his hand over his mouth, feigning shock. "It would take an act of considerable good faith to repair our relations!" a twisted smile formed on Gangrel's face.
"I have done nothing wrong!" Maribelle stamped her feet. "It is they who should confess! They are the ones who invaded Ylisse. They razed an entire village!" The noble daughter pointed her bound hands at Gangrel and Aversa. "When I attempted to intervene, they took me and dragged me across the border! Let the plundered shops and charred homes of that village serve as my proof!"
Gangrel's face puckered, "Lass, that would only prove that Ylisse has a bandit problem, something I hear oft of late. Indeed, tonight I shall weep salty tears into my pillow for your dead villagers."
"Your grace, please!" Maribelle begged.
Emmeryn raised her hand and silenced Maribelle. "Peace, Maribelle." she spoke in her usual soothing tone. "I believe you." The Exalt turned her attention back to Gangrel. "King Gangrel, I request that you release this woman at once. Surely you and I can sort out these affairs without the need for hostages."
Gangrel rolled his eyes, "Without so much as an apology, why should I bother with parley?" A ghastly grin formed on his face. "I'm within my rights to have her head this instant and be home for supper."
Chrom was about to speak up, but Walter cut him off. "Can we perhaps be reasonable, King Gangrel?"
Gangrel and Aversa both raised an eyebrow as Walter stepped in front of Emmeryn. "Who is the old fellow?" Gangrel questioned. "I say he looks like he'd be more in place if he were ten feet underground with a tombstone over him!" The Mad King laughed.
Walter smirked, easily ignoring the snide remark. "My name is Walter Dornez, butler to the Halidom of Ylisse."
Aversa's eyes widened in shock, "Walter Dornez you say? That's a name that I've heard many times as of this past month." Aversa leaned forward in order to get a better look at the aged butler. "Yes, there have been reports of an old man who serves in the Shepherds. Those that survive an encounter with him describe him as a monster on the battlefield."
Walter bowed his head slightly, "It's good to know that I have such a good reputation." Walter grinned, his smile being arguably more terrifying then any threat that either Aversa or Gangrel could muster. "My reputation, however, is not the subject of this meeting. We are here to take Lady Maribelle out of your "care" and return her safely to Ylisse."
Gangrel laughed, "Yes, so what about it?"
Walter placed his hands behind his back and resumed talking. "Perhaps there is something reasonable that you may want in exchange for Lady Maribelle's safety?"
Gangrel shifted his jaw in bemusement, "Yes that is true, butler. Perhaps I can return the brat if you were to trade her for something that I want."
"Name your price then." Walter stared into Gangrel's amber eyes.
The Mad King smiled, "My price is the Fire Emblem!" Emmeryn and the Shepherds turned pale at the request. "Give me the Fire Emblem, and I return Mari Contrary here in one piece."
Before Walter could speak up, Emmeryn stepped forward. "You would ask for Ylisse's royal treasure? Why?"
"Because, your graciness…" the greed in Gangrel's eyes was practically visible. "I know the legend! The Fire Emblem is the key to having all one's wishes realized. I have desired it for years, years I say!" Gangrel slumped down, "Yet my birthday comes and goes each year, and nothing from Ylisse." he let out a sinister chuckle.
"Enough!" Emmeryn spoke with more force than Walter had ever seen her speak with. "The Emblem's power is meant for a single purpose, King Gangrel: to save the world and it's people at their hour of most desperate need. Would you claim a more noble wish?"
Gangrel finally seemed to lose his composure and began to cackle. "I want what every Plegian wants- a grisly end for every Ylissean!" he took a small breather to recompose himself before continuing. "What can be more noble than that?"
Emmeryn could only stare at Gangrel in stunned silence.
"Really?" Gangrel began to pace around the top of the boulder he stood on. "Surely you have not forgotten what the last exalt did to my people?" he pointed an accusing finger at Emmeryn. "Your father named us all heathens! He crusaded across Plegia and butchered countless of my subjects and kin!"
Emmeryn shifted uncomfortably under Gangrel's gaze. "I've never denied the wrongdoings Ylisse committed in the past, but I've sworn to never repeat these mistakes. Ylisse is a realm of peace now."
"Hypocrisy!" Gangrel bellowed in anger. "Ylisse is a haven for hypocrisy! Now I demand that you give me the Fire Emblem!"
"No!" Maribelle shouted from the cliff. " I refuse to serve as this reprobate's bargaining chip!"
"Enough!" Gangrel stamped his foot. "The time for talk has past, now is the time for action! I shall have the Emblem, even if I have to pry it out from your cold dead hands!" Gangrel motioned for his men to attack Emmeryn. The Plegians were more than happy to follow orders and blindly charged straight at the Shepherds.
(Song end here)
Twing!
As if on cue, Walter's wires flared to life and cut down one of the Plegians. Another was swiftly cut down by Chrom. Chrom pointed his Falchion directly at Gangrel.
"Why don't you come down here and face us yourself instead of hiding behind your soldiers!" Chrom spat. "I'd be more than happy to gut you."
"That's a declaration of war if I've ever heard one!" Gangrel smiled. "This war will bleed you Ylisseans dry!" The Mad King began to retreat while Aversa made her way to where Maribelle was being held hostage.
Walter and Chrom immediately fell back to Emmeryn's side. "Lady Emmeryn, I suggest you fall back with the Pegasus Knights!" Walter deflected an arrow aimed for Emmeryn's head.
Emmeryn nodded in agreement.
"Miriel, Kellam, and Stahl,: you are to escort the Exalt away from the fight, am I clear!" Chrom sidestepped a hand axe flung straight at him.
The trio nodded and moved to escort the Exalt away from the battle. Walter began to get an overview of the terrain and quickly formulated a plan.
"Sumia, I want you to transport Chrom over the cliff in order to free Maribelle!" The butler turned to Sully and Virion. "The two of you are to climb the cliff as well in order to back Chrom and Sumia up."
Sully groaned, "Why do I always get stuck with-"
"No arguing!" Walter cut the redhead off, an act he possibly was going to regret in the future. The rest of us shall stay down here in order to prevent these Plegians from chasing after Lady Emmeryn!"
As soon as everyone had an idea of what role they had in the battle, they immediately moved out. Chrom was quick to join Sumia on her pegasus and the two flew up the cliff immediately. Much to their surprise, Maribelle was already free and was accompanied by-
"Ricken!?" Chrom's eyes widened in surprise as he dismounted the pegasus. "Your orders were to stay at the Garrison!"
"I told you, I can take care of myself!" Ricken stared up at his superior, determined to prove himself. "Besides, if I hadn't tagged along, Miss Maribelle would've been killed!"
Chrom was at a loss for words. "You know what, fine! You can help, but expect to face punishment for disobeying orders."
"Chrom, Plegians incoming!" Sumia moved to block a sword slash aimed for Chrom's back. The duo quickly eliminated the threat.
"Thanks, Sumia." Chrom shot the Pegasus rider a smile. Sumia was quick to return the smile, but frowned as she saw the large band of Plegians heading their way.
It wasn't long before Virion and Sully joined them, the former of which was sniping enemies from atop Sully's mount. Sully was busy driving her lance straight through her enemy's chest.
Down below, Walter and Lon'qu were completely eviscerating the Plegian forces. Any that managed to survive the duo were left swimming in a pool of their own blood.
"I'm impressed, I had thought that Basilio's boast of your strength was just that, a boast. Even now I find your skill with the blade to be unbelievable." Walter chuckled as he sidestepped the flux spell sent his way.
"Indeed…" Lon'qu said simply as he cut down the mage that had cast said flux spell.
Vaike was being surrounded, but the overconfident fool didn't seem to mind the challenge. He quickly began swinging his axe in all directions, though he took a hit here and there, he still managed to come out relatively unscathed.
"And that's why they call me 'Ol Teach!" The blonde boasted as he stood atop a pile of bodies,
Frederick was, as always, guarding Lissa. The blonde healer had taken the time to heal Vaike of whatever small injuries he had received while Frederick protected her.
"You die here, Plegian!" Frederick quickly cut down a Plegian who was making a beeline for Lissa. The youngest of the Exalted family gave him a warm smile as she thanked him for the save.
Walter and Lon'qu began to move up the cliffside in order to provide further backup for Chrom, as well as prevent anyone from coming down the mountain. The duo did their job well, killing or incapacitating any Plegian's that had escaped Chrom's eye.
"Sumia, retreat slightly, we're going to be surrounded if we don't!" Chrom hopped on Sumia's pegasus.
"Yes, captain!" the Pegasus Knight immediately took the skies and retreated from the mob of enemies forming.
"Sully, Virion!" Chrom shouted from atop Sumia's pegasus. "Cover Sumia and I while we recuperate!"
Sully saluted Chrom and proceeded to turn her horse towards the enemies. "Mind covering me, Ruffles?"
Virion was taken aback by the request. "My my, this is a surprise. Half the time you've been adamant about acting on your own. Has my lovely Sully finally realized how much of a dashing rogue I-"
"Hell no, Ruffles!" Sully smacked the back of Virion's head. "You haven't done anything yet to prove that you're as heroic as you say you are!"
Virion's smile faltered for a bit, causing Sully to chuckle at the poor man's plight. "Come on, Ruffles! Why don't you prove your heroism to me now by covering my back?"
The nobleman perked up and proceeded to aim his bow at the enemies in the distance. "Any you miss, I shall eliminate."
The red-haired cavalier scoffed, "That's only if I actually do miss one."
Meanwhile, Ricken was sitting out of the battle, as he was exhausted from fighting. Thankfully, he managed to clear out the general area around him, so he and Mirable were safe at the moment.
Ricken and Maribelle were taken off guard when Sumia suddenly landed her pegasus in front of them.
"How uncouth, could you not have bothered to land with some grace, dear Sumia?" Maribelle complained as the dust from the landing settled.
"Sorry, Maribelle." Sumia bowed slightly in conjunction with her apology. "Can you please heal the two of us up, we need to return to the battle as soon as possible."
Maribelle let out a sigh, "Ricken, make sure no one attempts to attack us." Maribelle commanded the young mage.
As soon as the two were healed up and ready to go, the duo returned to the battlefield with a renewed vigor.
"Is there no end to these scum?" Walter breathed heavily as he began to feel his stamina drain. "I can't keep using my wires like this, not even my weakest pair. Even my least taxing pair of gloves drains me of stamina, and I can't keep it up, not if I plan on staying my current age." the butler muttered under his breath as he despawned his wires and unsheathed the rapier he had at his hip. "I haven't use this in awhile…"
Walter leaped into the air and dashed at the closest Plegian near him.
"Watch out, captain!"
Chrom turned around just in time to see Sumia being struck by an axe. The amount of force put into the axe knocked Sumia off her Pegasus and onto the dirt below. She rolled across the ground for a bit before coming to a halt just before falling off the cliffs edge.
"That's one down!" The voice of a Plegian echoed from a few feet away. "I'll be surprised if the poor girl's still alive!"
Chrom gripped Falchion tightly in his hand, so tight that it was causing his knuckles to turn white. The Ylissean prince turned to face the man that had possibly killed Sumia. He was riding atop a fearsome looking wyvern, and from the look of the man he was the leader of this battalion.
"Gangrel will probably pay me a fortune for your head, princling!" the man lifted another axe into the sky. "I'll probably get a title too: Orton the prince slayer!"
Chrom charged at Orton without a second thought. The enraged lord jumped into the air and kicked Orton right off the back of his wyvern.
"So that's how you wanna play!?" Orton grabbed the sword of one of his fallen men and clashed swords with Chrom. Before he had a chance to push forward, Chrom kneed him in the gut. The Plegian wyvern rider recoiled, but managed to block Chrom's incoming sword swing. The force of the slash easily batted Orton's blade to the side, causing the man to stumble a bit. When he managed to recover, he found himself being pushed on the defensive. That's when Orton realized his mistake, every attack that Chrom had launched were launched with the intent to kill. This wasn't some random knight on the battlefield, this was Prince Chrom of Ylisse. Every attack launched had more power then the last, and it showed. Orton struggled to even keep his grip on his blade, let alone find the time to counterattack.
Chrom was on complete autopilot, he was launching every move he had at his disposal. Anger fueled each slash and stab, but the anger wasn't just aimed toward Orton, but himself. The prince cursed himself for dropping his guard. Right now, the man that he wished to take his fury out on was Orton.
Chrom slashed upward, causing Orton to begin to lose what little footing he had left. The prince used the momentum he gained from the upward slash to spin around and cut Orton's sword arm right off. The Plegian had no time to mourn the loss of his right arm, as Chrom used the momentum of the last spinning slash to perform another one, this time amputating the man's left arm. As a final attack, the prince performed one final spin, this one being horizontal, and lobbed Orton's head clean off.
The prince stared at the body with cold eyes as it crumpled to the ground, dead. The head rolled down the slope of the cliff, eventually rolling off the edge and into the abyss below. Chrom immediately ran to Sumia's side.
"Sumia!" Chrom knelt down and cradled Sumia in his arms.
The meek Pegasus knight let out a small groan, greatly relieving Chrom of his anxiety. Sumia' opened her eyes slowly to see Chrom staring down at her. "Wha!" Sumia immediately jumped out of his arms, her cheeks burning bright red. "Captain I- I…" she looked down at the ground. "I failed you…"
Chrom shook his head, "Don't talk like that, you did great." Chrom placed a finger under her chin and raised her head so that she was looking into his eyes. "You've improved a lot in the last month, you're far stronger then before."
Sumia was speechless. To be complemented by her captain, Prince Chrom himself, was like a dream come true. "Thank you." Sumia teared up, a warm smile on her face.
The battle was won soon after, as the last of the Plegian forces was eliminated with ease. Sumia's injuries were quickly seen to; the pegasus rider only suffered a few broken bones here and there, but it was nothing a few days with a healer couldn't fix. Maribelle was safe, thanks to the timely arrival of Ricken; who received praise from Chrom, in addition to kitchen duty for the next month.
It was an hour before the Chrom and the others regrouped with Emmeryn.
"Forgive me, Emm." Chrom lowered his head in shame. "Our actions today has ensured war shall erupt between Ylisse and Plegia."
Emmeryn shook her head in disagreement. "It is alright Chrom." she let out a sigh. "It is Gangrel that is at fault, he is the one that ordered his men to attack. You and Walter were only protecting me, to that I am grateful."
Walter stood with his hands behind his back, "Gangrel will likely be mobilizing his forces as of now." The butler clicked his teeth in irritation, "We must make haste and return to Ylisse and rally our forces there. As much as I hate to admit it milady, war is upon us."
Emmeryn nodded, "Yes, I concur. We must return to protect the people."
Author's Notes
War? what is it good for?
Well, I'm not the Major so I can't tell you the answer.
Anyway, hello people of the interwebs! Happy to get this chapter out! I'm finally getting into the war against Plegia. Could I call this the beginning of an arc? Guess you could call the last few chapters the Introduction arc. Well, I'll call this "the Plegia Arc"! I'm so good at naming things! (No I am not...)
Okay, rambling done, writing time. So far the story has had a couple minute differences from the source material (Fire Emblem Awakening) and I've tried to stay faithful to the original timeline set by the game. Well, as faithful as you could get with someone like Walter Dornez as your main character.
So far, the only major difference between the original story and this story is the fact that Lucina's identity was already compromised. Well, hope you're prepared to see a couple more big changes, because I've got several changes planned out. Of course, I'm not going to just completely diverge from the story; I'm just going to change an event here or there.
Anyway, I don't have any behind the keyboard stuff this time around. Making this chapter was pretty straight forward.
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Next time on Walter Dornez of the Emblem!
Loss of Humanity
