Plains of Sacae…
"That's the city of Bulgar, I presume?" Robin pointed in the direction of the massive walls in the distance.
"Yup!" Lyn was beginning to get more and more excited as their destination became closer and closer. "It's walls are so high and strong that no invader has ever been able to breach them before!"
"That's quite impressive!" Robin admitted.
"The marketplace has all sorts of things! Once every few weeks, I make the journey here in order to buy supplies, but the great part is, the non essential items are always different every time you come here." Lyn was clearly extremely enthusiastic about the entire situation. "Since Bulgar is at a key location in the continental trade, there could really be anything in the market!"
'Isn't it just shopping?' Robin thought to himself. 'What's there to get so excited about?"
In the end, Lyn talked Robin's ear off up until they actually reached the marketplace.
Here, Robin ran into his next big problem: he didn't know anything at all about the culture of this land, or its customs. Was he supposed to haggle and barter, or was he supposed to purchase at a fixed market price? Are there limitations on specific items due to food shortages or famines? Not to mention, Robin wasn't even certain that his own money would be of any value here. Sure, gold was gold, but what if they only accepted specific coins? If the merchants found out exactly what he didn't know, they'd just be able to take advantage of him.
As it turns out, he was just overthinking things. Lyn was clearly very familiar with everything. All he had to do was shut up and let her handle everything.
"We just need to purchase enough to last us until we can reach another city." Lyn explained. "Too little and we might starve, too much might slow us down, as the horse has to carry many other things as well. Just to be safe, we'll purchase a little more than what we'll probably need. And in the event that we run out, we may be able to hunt and gather on the way as well."
Robin paid specific attention to the coins Lyn fished out of a bag in order to purchase a small satchel of grain. They seemed to be no different than the coins they used in Ylisse. However, there was one major difference…
"Why was the grain so expensive?" Robin muttered to himself.
"Expensive?" Lyn was clearly confused. "And here I thought we'd get less for what I paid. The harvest this year must have been really good."
"Really?" Robin was deep in thought. "Hmm, I guess if I slow down and actually do the math, it's not that different than grain purchased in Ylisse… I guess I just got confused. I'm always buying grain in bulk."
"In bulk?" Lyn instantly became interested. "You had a lot of people to feed?"
"Yeah, you could say that." Robin chuckled. "Big family. Big family indeed."
"Oh really? How many people are there?"
"I think between thirty or forty… something like that."
Lyn stopped. "Thirty or forty people? In one family? That's as big as some tribes!"
"Well, they're not all related by blood." Robin sighed. "But, each one is close enough to be considered a brother or a sister. Or a nephew or niece for that matter."
"Wow, I guess things are a little different where you come from." Lyn chuckled. "I couldn't even imagine living with ten people in one ger, let alone thirty or forty!"
"Yeah, I guess I really am lucky." Robin sighed, feeling quite nostalgic. "Although, we don't live in gers either."
Just then, they passed by a peculiar stall.
"Why don't you buy a pair of practice swords?" Robin asked as he pointed to the wooden weapons on display.
"Practice swords?" Lyn looked puzzled. "Why?"
"You want to get stronger, don't you?" Robin asked. "Shadow sparring is good and all, but if you really want to get better, you need a live opponent. It's much safer to swing these weapons at a friend than the real thing."
"Yeah, you're right." Lyn admitted. "That should have been pretty obvious."
"Pick out a pair that are about the same length and weight of your own sword." Robin suggested. "That would help you improve the most."
"Sure, sure." Lyn had a content smile on her face as she browsed the practice swords...
Lyn and Robin were close to finishing their purchases when they were approached by a mounted knight clad in green armor.
"Oh, my heart! What a dazzling vision of loveliness!"
"Hm?" Lyn turned to glance at the knight, clearly confused by the man.
"Wait, o beauteous one! Would you not favor me? Or better yet, your company?" the knight asked.
Robin reached for a tome, just in case. Perhaps the city guards were corrupt in this city after all. If they wished to bring harm to Lyn, he'd fry them on the spot.
"Where are you from, sir knight, that you would speak so freely to a stranger?" Lyn asked, still confused.
"Ha! I thought you'd never ask!" The knight struck a silly pose (probably thinking that it looked cool) "I am from Lycia, and hail from the Caelin canton, home of men of passion and fire!"
"Shouldn't that be 'home of callow oafs with loose tongues'?" Lyn replied in slight disgust.
"Ooooh…" the knight pretended to swoon before immediately recomposing himself. "You're even lovely when you're cruel…"
"Let's go, Robin." Lyn grabbed him by the hand and began to drag him away. "I've nothing more to say."
"Wait! Please…" Seeing as they were ignoring him now, the knight let out a sigh. "Aw…. Why is that guy so lucky? She couldn't even look at me without being disgusted."
"Sain!" Another knight in red armor rode up to him. "I finally found you. What did I specifically tell you not to do?"
"Hm?" Sain turned to the newcomer. "Ah, Kent! My boon companion! Why so severe an expression?"
"If you were more serious, then I wouldn't need to be so severe!" Kent replied harshly. "Remember, we still have a mission we need to accomplish!"
"I know that. But how could I stay silent in the presence of such a beauty?" Sain protested. "It would have been discourteous!"
"What do you know about courtesy!?" Kent gave an exasperated sigh.
At this moment, Lyn and Robin came back. This time, Robin was holding a bag he hadn't been holding before, presumably full of foodstuffs.
"Excuse me…" Lyn coldly stated. "You're blocking the road… If you would be so kind as to move your horses…"
"Of course." Kent replied before he even turned to look at her. "My apologies…"
Lyn's expression softened. Clearly she was expecting more of a pushback. "Thank you. You, at least, seem honorable enough."
"Hm?" Kent blinked twice after seeing Lyn's features. "Pardon me, but… I feel as if we might have met before…"
"I beg your pardon?" Lyn frowned.
"Hey, no fair!" Sain complained. "I saw her first!"
Lyn's expression immediately hardened again. "It seems as if there are no decent men among Lycia's knights! C'mon Robin, let's go. I've run out of patience."
Robin was once again dragged away, but not before he gave the two men an apologetic look.
"Wait, please!" Kent begged. "It's not like that!"
However, it was to no avail. Lyn and Robin, along with their horse, were already rushing straight for the city exit.
"Sain, you lout!" Kent gave his companion a light smack to the head. "Come, we must follow her! I suspect she might be-"
"Be what?" Sain asked, rubbing his head where he had been hit. "She's our mission? You're joking!"
"I'm afraid not!" Kent nudged his horse. "Make sure to apologize to her once we explain everything!"
"All right, all right, I'm coming…" Sain grumbled.
Outside of Bulgar…
"What's wrong?" Lyn asked. Robin, who normally was calm and composed, seemed to be extremely agitated, constantly scanning his surroundings.
"Something doesn't feel right…" Robin gave his surroundings another glance. "We're already a good distance away from Bulgar… from our experience when we arrived, the road should be less and less traveled… So why are there still some men maintaining a constant distance behind us?"
"Uh… I hadn't actually noticed." Lyn admitted. "Could it be those knights? No… they're not even mounted…"
"My best guess is, they're tailing us on purpose." Robin explained. "However, I'm not sure why. Maybe they're waiting for us to walk into an ambush. Of course, there's also the possibility that I'm just being too paranoid. But I still believe it's better to act on the safe side."
"Then what do we do?" Lyn asked, occasionally sneaking a glance behind her shoulder. "Can we fight them right now?"
"That would be unwise." Robin whispered. "For one, if I'm wrong, we'd be wrongly attacking civilians. And on another note, it wouldn't be advantageous for us to fight in the open when they have the numbers advantage."
"So what do we do then?" Lyn whispered back. "If they did lay a trap, we shouldn't walk straight into it, should we?"
"Let's head over to the forest… if they don't bear ill intentions, they should quickly pass by. And if they truly are following us, not only would we have some natural cover, but we can dispose of them where passing people would not see."
"Wow, I guess you've thought of everything."
The two of them left the main road and headed for a small forest to the side of the road. The men who had been behind them quickly followed suit, confirming Robin's suspicions.
When the two of them had headed a good distance away from the road, they turned to confront their tails.
"Heh… Aren't you the pretty one?" An old looking brigande smirked when the two sides met. "Your name is Lyndis, is it not?"
"What did you call me?" Lyn was momentarily stunned speechless. "Who are you?"
"Such a waste." The man sighed. "An absolute waste. Oh, the things ol' Zugu'll do for gold… Ah well, time to die, darlin'!"
The men pulled out their axes, getting ready to pounce onto the two of them. A bead of sweat fell down Lyn's face as she drew her sword, but Robin was much calmer. After all these simple brigandes, much like the ants at his feet, were of no threat to him. He had been through worse after all, much worse. And he was stronger now.
"You…" Zugu pointed his axe at Robin. "You must be extremely stupid. You don't even have a weapon… are you counting on your lady friend to protect you? What type of a man are you!?"
"It would be a waste for me to draw my weapon. I wouldn't want to accidentally dull it on unworthy opponents." Robin replied. "Would you pull out an axe to deal with the fly that lands in front of you? I think not. For simpletons such as yourselves…" Robin set down the bag he was carrying and held up his hands. "Just these will be enough."
"Don't you look down on us, you bastard!" One of Zugu's henchmen immediately lost his cool and lunged at Robin with his axe. The tactician easily sidestepped the swing and grabbed the man's neck with his left hand in an upside down grip. He slammed his right palm into the man's forehead so hard that his neck snapped. Robin loosened his grip, and the man's corpse slid to the ground.
"Careful boys." Zugu warned his men after witnessing Robin kill one of his guys bare handedly. "That man is dangerous. This job may not be so easy after all."
"Hey! There she is!" A familiar voice called from just outside the forest.
"Huh?" Zugu turned to look at the newcomers.
"What?" Lyn seemed to also be confused. Whoever it was, it probably belonged to a third party.
Kent and Sain rode into the forest, and immediately sped over to Lyn and Robin's side.
"Whew!" Sain wiped a bead of sweat off his brow. "Finally caught up! You there! What is your business? Such numbers against a girl? Cowards! Every one of you!"
"You!" Lyn's eyes went wide in recognition. "You're from-"
"We can discuss that later." Kent replied while drawing his sword. "It appears that these ruffians mean to do you harm. If it's a fight they want, then let them look to me!"
"There's no need for that." Robin told them. As it was the first time they had heard Robin speak, Kent and Sain seemed fairly surprised. "Don't worry about it, the two of us can handle it… if I would be frank, your assistance, while appreciated, would just add to the chaos. Too many cooks in the kitchen and all that…"
"Then I have a solution." Kent remained steadfast. "You seem extremely combat experienced." he gave an almost unnoticeable glance at the corpse at Robin's feet. "Why don't you command us? That way, we won't step on each other's toes. Even if you can handle things, surely you wouldn't reject our help?"
"If you insist, then I won't mind." Robin took a step back and took out a strange device from his robes. He had a somewhat slight smile on his face. "Oh, how nostalgic this makes me feel…"
"Please!" Sain practically begged. "Allow me to strike the first blow!"
"All right, let's see what you can do." Robin agreed, and then proceeded to frown as Sain charged up to a nearby brigande and stabbed him with his lance. The brigand was able to move out of the way in time and chopped down with his axe.
Sain had no choice but to block, holding his axe lengthwise. However, this caused him to be forced into a deadlock. Kent immediately rushed to his aid and slashed down Sain's nemesis with his sword.
In the meantime, Lyn had killed another bandit. In a fair one on one, none of them could hope to stand up against her.
As the next few brigandes were slightly further away, Robin was able to take a moment to gather his thoughts.
'It looks like the green one has more power behind his actions, but is less knowledgeable than the red one. Based on their movements, it seems that they don't have an abundant amount of live combat experience. Their intent to kill is very weak.' Robin surmised.
'That's a fair assessment.' Grima agreed. 'I'm glad that someone is finally able to make use of the Hekseer. It's quite a revolutionary device, if I may say so myself. Good for me.'
Robin glanced at the device in his hands. 'Well, it's been extremely useful, and I know of none other like it.'
He looked up to see the red one… Kent… scolding the green knight… Sain. After a while, Sain sheepishly strapped his lance to his back, and pulled out his sword. A small smile crept across Robin's face. 'The red one seems a lot more competent… but the green one is useful in his own right.'
"Very well… I've seen pretty much what I wanted to see. Dragging this out for too long would be incredibly boring."
'Lyn, take out the bandit on the left, Kent and Sain, work together to defeat the one on the right.'
The three of them were surprised to hear Robin's voice in their heads, but followed his instructions anyways.
Not only was Lyn using a sword, but her fighting style was fast and hard-hitting. Although she lacks defensive options, it doesn't matter if her opponent couldn't land a hit on her anyways. The environment in the forest also makes it harder for the brigande to track her, making her battle an extremely easy one.
The knights, on the other hand, didn't have much trouble either. For them to be recognized by Lycia as knights, they ought to have undergone basic training, at least to some degree. It would be nearly unthinkable for them to lose to a single thug.
While his allies were fighting, Robin casually threw a flux in the general direction of another bandit, wiping him off the face of the Earth. Seeing that at this point, Zugu was trying to sneak away, he cast flux again at the bandit leader's feet, preventing his escape.
"Blast!" Zugu was clearly agitated. "There was only supposed to be the lone girl. What are the others doing here?"
"People like you only know how to prey on the weak and outnumbered." Robin sighed as he gave a glance towards his allies. All of them were still focusing on their own opponents, and were not paying attention to him. "It's really too bad for you that you ran into me."
Zugu's eyes went wide as Robin suddenly disappeared from his field of vision. He blinked to the location directly in front of Zugu, and placed a hand on the bandit's exposed pectoral muscle.
"Goodbye." Robin whispered before Zugu's vision faded to black.
'That… actually felt pretty good.' Robin admitted as he looked at his hand.
'It worked without a hitch because his resistance to magic was so low, or more accurately, nonexistent.' Grima explained. 'Instant death from just a touch is something that won't work on competent opponents.'
'I'll keep that in mind.' Robin noted. 'But if the knights of this realm are only as strong as Kent and Sain are, I don't have much to worry about.'
'True.' Grima quickly agreed. 'Seeing as you fought against me, if you could be threatened by mere ants, then my power would actually be a joke.'
Seeing as all of the bandits were now dead, Robin reconvened with the others.
"You… your name is Sain, is it not?" Lyn asked the green knight.
"Yes!" Sain pounded his chest plate a couple of times. "Sain the gallant of Caelin. That's me!"
"If you insist…" Lyn sighed and pointed to the cut on Sain's cheek. "Why have you not healed yourself?"
"Huh?" Sain brought his hand near his cheek. "Hey! I guess I've been injured. What a cad I am! To wrinkle that perfect brow of yours with worry for me…"
"Uh…" Lyn deadpanned. "I was thinking of giving you a vulnerary, but it looks like you're fine. So… nevermind."
"No, wait!" Sain pleaded as Lyn turned her back and walked towards Robin's side. "I'll take it! Please! I'll take it!"
Lyn sighed and rolled her eyes as she tossed Sain the vulnerary. As Sain caught it, he gave Kent a victorious grin.
"Hey Kent, buddy ol' pal… did ya see that? Lady Lyndis gave me a vulnerary!"
"Wait… Lyndis…" Lyn narrowed her eyes. "Where did you hear that name?"
"Please, allow us to recount our mission from the beginning." Kent requested.
"Very well. Won't you share with me your story?" Lyn nodded.
"We have been sent by marquess Caelin of Lycia here… in search of someone." Kent began. "We've come as messengers to Lady Madelyn, who eloped with a nomad around twenty years ago."
"Madelyn?" Lyn asked.
"Yes." Kent nodded. "Our lord, marquess Caelin's only daughter. He was heartbroken that his daughter would abandon him so. Eventually, the marquess declared that he had no daughter."
"And this year, we received a letter from Lady Madelyn." Sain cut in, with a serious tone instead of the normally goofy one he spoke with. "It said that she, her husband, and their daughter were living happily on the plains of Sacae. The marquess was ecstatic to hear that he had a granddaughter of 18 years. I still remember that smile on his face when he announced that he had suddenly become a grandfather. The granddaughter's name is Lyndis, which was the same as the late wife of our marquess, who had passed away at an early age."
"That she should bear this name thawed the marquess's heart." Kent explained. "Now, his only wish is to meet his daughter's family at least once. And that is why we are here. We didn't know that Lady Madelyn, as well as her family, had died just a few days after sending her letter. We had only found out once we arrived in Bulgar. And yet, apparently not all hope was lost. We learned that her daughter yet lives. She has been living alone on the plains, and I knew immediately… you are Lady Lyndis."
"Why would you think that?" Lyn asked.
"Your resemblance to your departed mother is remarkable." Kent explained.
"You…" Lyn frowned. "So you knew my mother?"
"I…'ve never met her in person." Kent admitted. "However, in the marquess's castle, there were many portraits of her."
"To the rest of my tribe, I was always Lyn." Lyn sighed. "But when I was with my parents… When it was just the three of us, I was Lyndis. It's all so strange… I was alone in the world, and now I suddenly have a grandfather. Lyndis… I never thought I'd hear that name again…"
The three men didn't know what to say, and so they opted to stay silent.
"Hey wait!" Lyn suddenly had a moment of realization. "That bandit! He called me Lyndis too!"
"What?" Kent seemed pretty surprised. "How could he have…"
"Hey, don't you think he could've been hired by Lord Lundgren?" Sain offered.
"Ah you're right!" Kent facepalmed. "That bastard!"
"Who's Lord Lundgren?" Robin asked.
"He's the marquess's younger brother." Sain explained. "Everyone had assumed that Lady Madelyn was gone forever. This meant that Lord Lundgren would be the heir to the title of marquess. To be blunt, milady, your existence is an obstacle to your granduncle's ambitions."
"That's outrageous!" Lyn exclaimed. "I have no ambitions towards inheriting the title!"
"Unfortunately, your granduncle is not the type of man who would believe that." Kent sighed. "My guess is, these attempts on your life will not stop."
"What should I do then?" Lyn asked.
"Allow us to accompany you to Caelin." Kent suggested immediately. "Continuing on your own path will be dangerous."
"Then… I feel as if I have no other choice." Lyn sighed. "Very well. I shall go with you then."
"Robin… I'm sorry, this changes everything." Lyn apologized. "It seems our journey together has come to an abrupt stop. I'm sorry, but I guess I will not be able to travel with you anymore."
"No, that's completely all right." Robin held up his hands. "Frankly, I was just wandering around without a set route in mind anyways. If you'd like, then I can accompany you to Caelin. It sounds like you could use all the help you can get."
"You'll come?" Lyn's eyes lit up as she grabbed Robin's hands. "Are you sure? Thank you! Let me once again ask for your friendship and your aid."
"Lord Robin, is it?" Kent asked before bowing politely. Sain sloppily followed suit. "We're grateful for your assistance."
"Please, just Robin…" Robin deadpanned. "I'm not used to being called anything else."
"Very well then… Robin." Kent lifted his head. "I'm sure the trip will be much safer with someone as capable as you in our ranks."
"You seem to have a fairly high opinion of me, despite having just met." Robin pointed out.
"Well, if I'm not mistaken, you are extremely experienced in the ways of war." Kent replied. "For one, it seems you are capable of killing a muscular bandit with your bare hands, and the commands you issue… while we did not experience many of them, seemed to carry much thought behind them, and were natural and practiced."
"You seem to pay a lot of attention to detail." Robin glanced briefly to the body of the first brigand he had killed. "It seems I've underestimated you."
"I have to be diligent, as some of us are clearly not." Kent replied.
"We have plenty of time to talk on the road." Sain yawned. "It'll take us a couple of months at least to reach Caelin. Let's hurry up and get moving!"
"Yes, yes, you're right." Kent admitted. He gestured towards the road with one hand. "Shall we?"
Like that, Robin's party doubled instantly, as the group set out with a new destination in mind.
New Characters (Forgot in last chapter):
Lyn (Lord, 18): HP: 60% Str: 50% Mag: 15% Skl: 65%, Spd: 70% Lck: 40% Def: 25% Res: 40%
Sain (Cavalier, 22): HP: 85% Str: 75% Mag: 10% Skl: 45% Spd: 45% Lck: 60% Def: 45% Res: 20%
Kent (Cavalier, 23): HP: 80% Str: 50% Mag: 10% Skl: 65% Spd: 60% Lck: 50% Def: 40% Res: 30%
Author's Notes: I guess I'm still riding on the adrenaline of writing a new story, so here it is: Chapter two done as well. A couple notes: the growth rates under 'New Characters' are based on (somewhat) the growth rates of characters in Awakening (which, by the way, were abnormally high compared to other FE games). Obviously, in FE7, physical units would not have a magic stat. These rates have no influence on the story other than to indicate what areas a unit is strong in, and what areas a unit is weak in relative to the other characters.
Also, I'm finding that there is not too much to be said in the introductory chapters, so once again, a short chapter this time. Hopefully, none of you are tired by the faster upload times.
As always, feel free to follow and favorite, as well as leave a review if you enjoy what you are seeing.