Castle Santaruz…
"Master Ephidel!" Helman exclaimed upon hearing the report of one of his men. "What is the meaning of this!?"
"Peace, Lord Helman…" The hooded man chuckled. "Whatever is the matter?"
"You said you were only going to frighten Eliwood! Your men almost killed him!" Helman was furious. "My patience is at an end! I've decided I must tell Eliwood everything and apologize!"
"...you... would betray us, Lord Helman?" Ephidel's voice turned icy.
"I am tired of you and the Black Fang!" Helman swung his arm. "Now, remove yourself from my castle! Your presence pains me!"
"Lord Helman…" Ephidel purred. "Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?"
"Nothing! Now leave me!" Helman turned his back and began to retreat down a hallway branching out from the throne room.
"In that case…you're no longer of any use."
"...huh?" Helman turned back towards Ephidel to see the hooded man lunge at him with something sharp in his hand.
Outside Castle Santaruz…
"Robin… do you notice anything weird about the castle?" Chrom asked as they stood on a hill a good distance from the building in question. They were currently surveying the situation before waltzing into what was potentially dangerous territory. "Something about the formation of those soldiers bothers me…"
"You're right… they're too many of them, and they're a little too densely stationed to be normal." Robin agreed. "It almost looks like they're preventing anyone from leaving the castle instead of protecting them from intruders… Eliwood, do you have any idea on what type of army Santaruz possesses?"
"Er… not really. But I would assume it's not too different from Pherae's… or Ostia's… or really, any of Lycia's territories, for that matter." The young lord glanced at Hector.
"I would think so too." Hector nodded in agreement.
"By any chance, is the most common weapon among your soldiers a lance?" Robin asked.
"Uh… how did you know?"
"I mean, I looked at your men… Oswin, Marcus and Lowen… they seem to be the closest representative of a 'common soldier', and all of them carry a lance. Furthermore, I noticed that most of Caelin's soldiers preferred the lance, and so I just made a guess."
"I see…" Hector furrowed his brows in contemplation. "Uh… why does that matter?"
"It matters because I'm scanning the field, and I don't see a single knight or a single soldier." Robin explained as he pointed towards the soldiers in the distance. "Do you see that? Many axe wielders, and many swordsmen, but only a couple lances. My best guess is, those are not Santaruz's soldiers."
"Hey… you're right!" Lissa was leaning forward with one hand shielding her eyes from the sunlight. "One… two… thr-... no… three… I don't see many lances either!"
"So what you're saying is… some foreign force has taken control of Santaruz?" Chrom asked.
"That would explain why we were openly attacked by bandits in Santaruz territory, while her soldiers stood by and watched." Robin nodded. "In the worst case scenario, they may have already killed Marquess Santaruz…"
"So you think we should just storm in?" Chrom asked. "Or maybe do you think we should just avoid Santaruz altogether?"
"No… there's a chance that there is some misunderstanding…" Robin shook his head. "If we ran in and started swinging, it would be difficult to explain ourselves if we're wrong. And I assume if Marquess Santaruz is still alive, Eliwood would like to talk to him. Even if he isn't, my guess is he would still want to liberate Santaruz from their oppressors. For that reason, avoiding Santaruz is probably not the best option either."
"So what do we do?" Eliwood asked.
"We need to at least try and approach the castle peacefully." Robin suggested. "If they try to stop us for unjust reasons, or flat out attack us, then we'll have a legitimate reason to lash back at them."
"But isn't that just allowing ourselves to walk into danger?" Hector asked in concern. "We'd be giving up the element of surprise, and we may be put at a disadvantage if they decide to be the ones that ambush us."
"You make a good point… but you have to remember that you're not working with average mercenaries…" Robin glanced at the shepherds and smiled with pride. "I assure you, unless they have twenty times the amount of soldiers lying in ambush, there's not much they'll be able to do that would pose a threat to us."
"Even if they had twenty times the amount of soldiers, it would only be an inconvenience." Chrom smirked somewhat arrogantly. "We probably wouldn't be in any real danger. We've faced harsher odds before, and came out victorious. I'd rather take all those soldiers down there on my own, than face Walhart in a duel again…"
"Who is Walhart?" Hector asked. "...Nevermind. Well, if you're so confident, then I guess we could give it a shot. Eliwood?"
"That sounds good to me. While it does look a little risky, I have to admit that aside from the risk, it's the best option. And if Robin thinks it's not even that dangerous… well, I believe him."
"I'm glad to have your trust." Robin chuckled. "But still… everyone needs to be ready for battle at the snap of a finger. More likely than not, we're going to need to fight our way through. However, we can be hopeful."
"Don't worry…" Chrom chuckled. "After all, we're all armed to the teeth anyways…"
A few moments later…
"Stop!" Hector was halted by a soldier on patrol. "No one is allowed to approach the castle. Turn back now, before things turn ugly."
"Out of my way." Hector shoved the man aside with one arm. "I don't take orders from you. If Marquess Santaruz doesn't want us to see him, he'll have to tell us that himself."
"So the cub thinks he's a wolf, huh?" A Knight chuckled. From the looks of it, this man was a commanding officer of the soldiers nearby. "Does your bite match your bark?"
"Why don't you come over here and find out?" Hector asked as he brought out his Wolf Beil.
"No thanks. I'd rather see if you can make it to the castle in one piece. Everyone, attack! Drive these people away from the castle!"
Just like that, it became clear that the people guarding Castle Santaruz would not let them pass peacefully.
"Stahl and Sully, front and center! Sumia, there will be a lot of burden on you… keep the crowd under control..." Robin began calling out orders, just like he was used to, and waved his arm around appropriately. "Olivia and Gaius, try to find a good flanking angle… don't advance too quickly, we can afford a slow battle."
Marcus could only admire the shepherds as they moved like a well oiled machine under the command of Robin. He noticed that besides one of the mercenaries that they picked up, everyone else, not counting Robin's own people of course, seemed to have trouble keeping up with his orders. However, he mitigated this problem by either giving simple instructions, or making his own people make up for the difference. In fact, it actually seemed like he didn't even need help from the Lycians; his own soldiers seemed to be capable enough to beat back their enemies.
Determined to show that Lycians are just as capable, Marcus resolved to demonstrate their usefulness. And to Robin's surprise, as well as delight, he was able to hold the line with Frederick, despite not having much experience working together, or with Robin's strategic style, for that matter. Of course, their synergy was nowhere near that of Stahl and Sully, but really, Robin considered the couple to be an extreme anomaly in the first place. Controlling the field was always easier with them at the forefront.
"They don't seem to have any archers." Robin noted as the battle went on. "There's nothing they can do to counter your magic Sumia… Cordelia, you have free reign, pick off any vulnerable target you see. ,,,Donnel, there's a hole on the left side, go plug it up."
"Look out!" Lowen exclaimed as an enemy swordsman got past him. Though he wished to chase this enemy, he knew that it would just enable even more soldiers to slip past if he left his position unmarked. Though it was a difficult decision to make, the young knight decided that it was better to call out a warning and continue manning his post.
As it turns out, Lowen was assigned a position on their flank simply because he was mounted. Robin didn't expect his area to see much traffic, so even if he had chased after the swordsman, it would not have impacted the battle as much.
Robin, though slightly annoyed, was not angry at Lowen. After he had worked with Kent and Sain, he had a general understanding of what to expect from Lycian knights, and that's not even including the fact that Lowen was apparently a rather new recruit. Fortunately, he had reliable allies that were familiar with him now. Donnel, upon being given the heads up, was instantly in place to take down the swordsman that had slipped past Lowen well before it could even begin to turn into a problem.
Meanwhile, Sumia found her life to be quite easy when she had no archers to worry about. With a wave of her hand, a torrent of flames spewed out across the sky, scorching another column of soldiers. She switched to a Rexcalibur tome, and prepared to knock aside another group of soldiers. After every spell she cast, multiple opponents met their end. Some were getting so frustrated with her that they were throwing their weapons in an attempt to knock her out of the sky. Fortunately, Sumia always made sure to hover just out of reach of her opponents. After all, no matter how strong a soldier might be, there was just no way for them to toss a sword or an axe skywards at the same velocity and with the same accuracy as an arrow shot from a bow. She easily had the highest kill count of all the shepherds so far.
Cordelia was having a relaxed time too. She didn't have to be Sumia's eyes and shield this battle. In fact, she could afford to proactively look for isolated targets. Anyone that was not fully prepared could suddenly be assaulted by her from above.
"Aargh!" Bartre, though he was able to chop down the axe fighter he had been brawling with, received a nasty gash across his chest. However, this injury could have been prevented if he didn't fight so brashly. Perhaps this was just his style. The axe fighter had to back off before any more opponents arrived to finish him off in his weakened state.
"Lon'qu, Lissa, take a look at Bartre's position, to your right." Robin called. There was yet another mistake from a non-shepherd, but it could only be expected. Previously, he might not have even noticed if it were just Lyn and company, but it seemed that having them fight side by side with the shepherds really magnified the difference between the two groups of people.
Regardless, Lon'qu and Lissa hurried over to the axe fighter's side. While Lon'qu covered Bartre's position temporarily, Lissa began to give first aid to the wounded man.
"Geez, could you afford to be more careful out there? Any deeper and this wound woulda been fatal." Lissa immediately got out her staff and began to heal Bartre's wound. "Seriously, I think you might be as bad as Vaike!"
"Vaike?" Bartre, not yet knowing everyone's names, understandably did not know what the female cleric was referring to, but was nonetheless grateful for her help. In fact, he seemed slightly shocked by how fast his injury healed under Lissa's magic.
Meanwhile, Lon'qu found himself being challenged by an enemy Myrmidon. Unlike the other enemies he had fought so far, Lon'qu felt that this opponent seemed to be somewhat skilled. However, compared to Lon'qu it wasn't really anything too impressive; he was just better than all the other common soldiery.
The man was rather scrawny and had a piece of cloth tied around his head to keep his long, green hair out of his eyes. Like any of the other bandits, he had a murderous expression on his face, but that quickly developed into shock as he realized just how out of his league he was.
Lon'qu swung his blade through the air, forcing his opponent onto the defensive. Each swing was a hair faster than his opponent's and as Lon'qu's precision began to increase, his opponent's began to decrease. Slowly, he forced the bandit into a corner, and was about to deal a decisive blow.
However, an alarming cry came out from behind him.
"Watch it!" Bartre reached out with one arm and stopped the downward strike of an enemy swordsman before it could hit him or Lissa.
"Eep!" Lissa got up and swung her staff around like it was her axe. Though not quite as lethal, she still managed to strike her assailant in the chest with the end of her weapon, knocking the swordsman to the ground.
Bartre reached for his axe that was on the ground just a few mere steps away. However, a third bandit managed to arrive first and stepped on the weapon with their foot. He had a triumphant look on his face as he looked down at Bartre's scowling expression.
Lon'qu didn't want to take any chances. He immediately shoved his opponent to the side and ran back towards his wife. He closed the distance in the blink of an eye, and before the axeman that stood over Bartre realized what had happened, he found the tip of a killing edge protruding from his stomach.
"Thanks." Bartre begrudgingly gave the Feroxi swordsman some words of gratitude. "I owe ya one."
"Guy, are you gonna do something?" The bandit Lissa was tangling with didn't have it much better. While he was recovering from the fear-inducing blow from Lissa's staff, the War Cleric had the time to retrieve her Bolt Axe.
The green haired bandit found that he had been standing still for the past few moments. One part of him was relieved that the swordsman didn't kill him, yet another part felt ashamed, or perhaps humiliated by the fact that he was tossed to the side like a piece of garbage. It was almost as if he was not worth the time to kill.
In Guy's moment of hesitation, Lissa was able to strike her assailant down with her lightning-infused axe as the poor swordsman realized, too late, that the sweet looking cleric was not as defenseless as he had been expecting.
"Lon'qu, did you see that!?" Lissa beamed after defeating her opponent.
"I did." Lon'qu smiled as he gave her an affectionate pat on the head. "Well done."
"Hey, careful! There's still one more over there!" Bartre gestured towards Guy, who was standing clumsily to the side.
"I'll take care of him." Lon'qu decided resolutely as he addressed Lissa. "You finish patching him up."
"W-wait!" Guy placed his sword on the ground and raised his hands. "I… I surrender?"
"You… what now?"
"My name is Guy… I wish to become the best swordsman in the world one day… but I recognize that you are much more skilled than I. Please, would you train me to become a better sword fighter?"
"You're… asking me?" Lon'qu looked at him skeptically. "So you want to change sides now?"
"I don't have any emotional attachment with these guys." Guy explained. "I only needed some money to feed myself. I wasn't trying to do anything shady, I promise! I'll gladly change sides if you're willing to mentor me… and to give me a bite to eat once in a while…"
"To desire for improvement… that is something I can respect." Lon'qu admitted. "However, I don't have the authority to make these decisions… let me ask Robin."
"Who now?" Now it was Guy's turn to be confused. He also didn't understand why Lon'qu seemed to stand still instead of running somewhere to give a report.
Halfway across the battlefield, Robin received the news from Lon'qu through his Hekseer. Through this event, the tactician realized that he had neglected to form a mental link with many of the Lycians. Though he didn't feel it was necessary, he decided that being able to contact a few select people would be useful in the future. Putting that reminder aside, Robin addressed Lon'qu's question.
"Well, I have some good news." Lon'qu smirked at Guy. "Robin says you're free to join!"
"Really?" Guy looked at him skeptically. To him, it didn't look like Lon'qu had really done anything, much less report to his authorities.
"Yeah… but here's the thing. You're allowed to join us, but only after the battle. To prevent any potential backstabbing, as well as to keep YOU safe, we're gonna need you to… take a little nap for now."
"Wait, wha-?"
Before Guy could finish, Lissa, who had moved behind the confused Myrmidon, brought her staff over the Sacaen mercenary's head.
"Nighty night!" Lissa brought her staff down, knocking Guy out cold. "If you have a headache when you wake up, I can take care of it for you. Sleep well for now!"
Of course, the now unconscious Guy couldn't hear her.
Meanwhile, the rest of the battle was going rather smoothly. In fact, it was going so smoothly that Robin had begun to suspect that their opponents weren't even trying to win the battle in the first place. They seemed to be putting up token resistance, and Robin had a hunch that many of them were retreating or even slipping away.
In particular, he zeroed in on a figure that seemed more dangerous than the rest.
Robin closed his eyes in concentration. He aimed a long distance Flux at the running figure. Due to the difficulty of his task, he didn't want to try using any advanced magic.
The figure he was aiming at seemed to notice that it had a target on its back. As Robin aimed the spell at his target's location, the figure also began channeling an attack that was aimed at him. However, due to the fact that it was magic, Robin chose not to try and block it, and continued charging up his own attack.
Upon finishing his spell, Robin opened his eyes to see his attack land on his targets right shoulder. He smirked triumphantly. He couldn't hear from that far away, but he could tell that his target screamed out in pain and anguish upon being hit.
Despite the long distance, the last thing Robin saw was a pair of gleaming golden eyes before he doubled over from pain.
For the first time in quite a while, Robin felt the agony of being hurt by magic, and dark magic to boot. Either his magic resistant cloak was not working, or his opponent's ability was fearsome enough to damage him through his protection. Regardless, his body began to rapidly burn quintessence in order to make sure his vitals remained functioning.
"Oh my god!" Anna immediately ran to Robin's side when she realized he had been hit. She immediately knew that she could do nothing to help heal the wound caused by the dark magic that had struck him.
Fortunately, Robin seemed to stabilize. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and he looked like he might collapse at any moment, but there was otherwise no other signs of him being hurt.
"Wh-what was that?" Robin muttered.
"I… I don't know." Anna shook her head. "I just saw… there were six black orbs that circled around you, before colliding into your chest."
"Well… I guess I'll have to let Chrom know… we all need to be extremely careful in the future." He let out a strained sigh. " At least I was the one to get hit this time. Had it been someone without any protection against magic, they probably would have instantly died…"
Anna gulped. She couldn't disagree with him.
'Er, if I may… based on the girl's description, there is a chance that this spell you were hit by was Luna.' Grima suggested.
"Luna?" Robin asked.
"Huh?" Anna asked. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
"N-nothing." Robin quickly shook his head.
'I'm… actually not entirely sure.' Grima admitted. 'Even I only have limited knowledge on this particular spell. However, I do know of it. The good news is, if that was Luna, things may not be as bad as you might have initially thought.'
'What do you mean?'
'Luna is a spell designed to penetrate the strongest magical defense like it isn't even there.' Grima explained. 'So if that was Luna, then it was able to hurt you because your magic resistance was rendered completely ineffective. But if it were to be used on someone else, it wouldn't hurt them any more than it hurt you.'
'I see. But you're not certain, right? There's also the possibility that it was just extremely strong dark magic, correct? And even if that's what the spell was, it will still be an extreme injury if it were to be used on someone else.'
'The chance of that is not zero. Perhaps the wise decision is to proceed with caution.' Grima agreed.
Since the battle was already nearing completion, it didn't really matter if Robin couldn't micromanage the field anymore. With their enemies dead or fleeing, Eliwood, Hector and Chrom regrouped in front of Castle Santaruz.
All of the shepherds were extremely concerned when they saw Robin leaning against Anna as she helped him head over to them, especially Lucina in particular, but he assured his friends that he'll be much better after some rest.
"Be careful… they have someone that is capable of using extremely potent dark magic." Robin warned the rest of them.
Chrom and Lissa looked at each other uneasily. They knew how dangerous dark magic was, and they also knew of Robin's high tolerance to magic. Anything that could hurt Robin was not trivial.
"Why don't you take a rest?" Chrom suggested. "I'll meet Marquess Santaruz on behalf of Ylisse myself. And I'm not too worried. Eliwood and Hector will be at my side as well… though I know what Lissa can do might be limited against dark magic wounds, I'm sure she'll be glad to give you a check up to see if there are any injuries she can take care of for you."
"Leave it to me!" Lissa nodded.
"...Good luck." Robin told Chrom before the Ylissean Exalt headed into Castle Santaruz.
Lucina and Anna helped him over to the shade of a nearby tree, and Lissa gave him a once over. Not wanting to make Robin lay on the cold, hard ground, Lucina made him rest his head in her lap.
"How is it?" Lucina asked in concern.
"Well, there's no injuries." Lissa confirmed. "At least, no injuries that I can heal. But that doesn't mean there's no damage done, considering it was a dark magic attack. However, it seems he's mostly healed the injuries himself. For now, I just see someone that's very, very tired. I'll keep checking in the next couple of days or so, just in case something develops… but I'm not expecting much to happen. I think all he needs to do is, like he said, get some rest."
Sure enough, Robin was beginning to struggle to keep his eyes open as fatigue threatened to overwhelm him.
"You don't need to try and stay awake." Anna purred. "Just rest. Nothing bad will happen if you take a little nap."
Robin nodded a couple of times to show that he understood, and closed his eyes for some much needed rest.
"He looks rather peaceful…" Anna noted, to which, Lucina nodded in agreement.
"Heehee… I know I shouldn't, but it would be so funny if I were to pinch his nose right now…" Lissa giggled.
However, instead of laughter, she was greeted by the sight of two scowls.
"...Geez! I was only making a joke! No need to get so uptight about it!"
Meanwhile, inside Castle Santaruz…
Eliwood, Hector and Chrom, followed by Marcus, Oswin and Frederick wandered through the castle in search of Marquess Helman. Though the earlier battle had already been decided, they chose to remain cautious, in case there were still assassins lying in wait for them to let their guard down.
"Lord Helman!?" Eliwood called as they wandered through the castle. "...Lord Helman?"
"...Is that you… Eliwood?" The group paused for a moment when they heard a strained reply. Turning the corner, they found an elderly man lying on the ground in a small pool of blood.
"Lord Helman!" Eliwood ran to his side, kneeling down by his head. "What happened!?"
"I'll go fetch Serra!" Hector exclaimed. "We have to heal him first!"
However, Hector was stopped by a firm grip on his shoulder.
"Don't waste your time." Chrom shook his head. "It's already too late."
"But… he's still alive! Surely a healer would be able to do something about it!"
"He's already lost too much blood." Chrom sighed. "Healing magic would be able to help close the wound, but it has its limitations. Without his blood, he won't be able to recover afterwards, even after treatment. And that's if your healer can even get here in time. My guess is, by the time you get back, he might already…"
Chrom made a slicing motion across his neck with one hand.
"How are you so sure?" Marcus asked. "...Excuse me, I spoke out of turn."
"Don't worry about it. My younger sister is a cleric… and I've fought my share of wars for Ylisse… I've seen enough of the injured to know when someone is about to die."
"I… I must apologize, my boy…" Helman coughed as he had his own conversation with Eliwood while Hector and Chrom had been talking to the side. "Your father… he…"
"Do you know something sir?" Eliwood asked.
"Go… go to Laus…" Helman gripped Eliwood's hand. "...Darin… The Marquess of Laus knows all…"
"Lord Helman?" Eliwood panicked, sensing the life leaving Marquess Santaruz. "Hold on!"
"O-one last thing… Beware… the Black… Fang…"
"Lord Helman!" Eliwood exclaimed as Marquess Santaruz's body went limp.
"...He's gone." Chrom sighed.
"It can't be… Lord Helman… Why… Why did this happen?"
"Blast!" Hector slammed his fist against the wall. "What the hell is going on!?"
"...We go to Laus." Eliwood clenched his fists as he stood up. "We must speak with Marquess Darin."
"You're right." Hector agreed. "I don't know how far we can get today, but… I can't sit still."
"I'll talk to one of the ministers of Santaruz…" Eliwood sighed. "Perhaps they can arrange for a proper burial for Lord Helman… I'll have them send word to Ostia too. I know your brother probably has enough on his plate already, but there's just no place else for Santaruz to turn."
"My brother'll understand." Hector nodded in agreement.
Later That Night…
It was already completely dark. The group set up camp and were beginning to settle in for the night. Guy, who had yet to regain consciousness, had been brought along in the back of one of the wagons that was carrying their weapons. After everything was put up, they left him in the medical tent for the night.
Matthew snuck around, being careful to avoid detection. He slowly made his way around the camp, looking for a specific tent to spy on. Once he found it, he knelt down in the tall grass. The darkness prevented people from being able to detect his presence easily.
Matthew heard a female voice coming from the tent.
"...you're still sleepy, aren't you?"
"...mmhm…" Matthew recognized the second voice as belonging to Robin.
"...here, let me help you out of that cloak. I'm sure you'll feel better tomorrow."
The girl inside the tent seemed to giggle a little, but Matthew didn't hear Robin say a single word.
"Hm… I guess I probably won't hear anything useful tonight…" Matthew muttered to himself. "I didn't even know it was possible to harm that guy… no… he SHOULD have been hurt. Yet he came out uninjured. Who the hell gets hit by dark magic and gets to remain in one piece at the cost of only being exhausted? What a joke… Guess I'll turn in for the night."
"...And what do you think you're doing?"
Matthew froze as he felt a thin piece of metal resting on his neck.
"...well, well, well… look's like we've got a rat infestation…" The voice behind him chuckled.
Matthew always believed that for a thief, and by extension, an assassin, one's ability could be judged by how quiet they were able to move around. By these standards, whoever was behind him was extremely dangerous.
Matthew decided to take a risk.
"Help! Someone help!" Matthew screamed. If this was an actual assassin, then he would have done his job if the people in the camp were alerted before Hector could be targeted. If it was one of Robin's men behind him, then perhaps he could still be saved.
Matthew prayed the man holding the knife to his neck wouldn't slit his throat before help arrived.
Meanwhile…
"...So this is Caelin?" Hector asked as he enjoyed the evening scenery with Eliwood. "You think we ought to present ourselves to Lord Hausen?"
"We're simply passing through, so I don't really see the need." Eliwood replied. "But… I am curious how Lyndis is doing, though."
"Ah, the Marquess's granddaughter, right?" Hector asked. "The missing heir that dealt with Lundgren last year. ...Say, you played a part in that whole conflict, didn't you?"
"Mm"
"Well? What's the verdict?"
"What do you mean, Hector?"
"The granddaughter. Is she a beauty?"
"A beauty?" Eliwood became slightly flustered at the question. "Uh… She's…I don't…she's…I think it must be her Sacae heritage. She's…striking…"
"Striking, eh?" Hector teased. "Well, it's too bad…"
"Too bad for what?"
"That we don't have time to go see her, loverboy!" Hector laughed.
"No!" Eliwood insisted. "Lyndis and I… we're not…"
"You're not?" Hector repeated, still with a massive grin across his face. "Then why are you getting so worked up?"
"You sure love teasing me, don't you?" Eliwood chuckled. He was glad it was dark out, so Hector couldn't see the blush on his cheeks. Still, even though he was being made fun of, this type of friendly banter was refreshing, even nostalgic in a sense.
"Still… I'm not sure I'm anything in her eyes." Eliwood admitted.
"Hey, why are you so pessimistic? Didn't you help her in her time of need? You've got that going for you, right?"
"She's just… she's way too fierce. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be satisfied being with a more mellow guy like me."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well… funny story actually…" Eliwood chuckled. "You remember Erik of Laus?"
"Bah! That lout! Of course I do. What about him?"
"Well… a couple months before my father went missing, he actually threw a banquet in Pherae… you know, the one that celebrates a successful year of harvest?"
"Ah, yes." Hector nodded. "It's a shame I can never attend… my brother wouldn't let me travel to Pherae to celebrate with you when we have the same celebration in Ostia."
"Yes, well… Lyndis and Lord Hausen were also in attendance. As well as Marquess Darin and Erik of Laus..."
"Ok... so where is this headed?"
"Well, Erik, and keep in mind, as far as I know, this is their first time meeting, decided that he was in love with her and asked for her hand in marriage… in front of all the dinner guests."
"That bastard did what!?" Hector guffawed. "No way! I think I can tell where this is going…"
"Well anyways, now the two of them were the center of attention… and Lyndis… get this…"
"What did she say?"
"She told him he was a pig compared to the man she was interested in."
Hector burst out laughing. "Boy, I would've loved to see that oaf's reaction!"
"It was a little harsh." Eliwood admitted as he chuckled. "But given how rude Erik had been, no one admonished her for the way she replied. And she was put on the spot too, so she didn't really have time to formulate a proper response anyway… in the end, Erik became the laughingstock of the evening."
"That's what a lowlife like him deserves!"
"But you see? I'm guessing she already has a sweetheart back in Caelin."
"Who knows, maybe she was referring to you."
"Brother…" Eliwood deadpanned. "I've met her like a total of two… no, three times at this point. We're more like acquaintances, not friends."
"Well, as much as I dislike Erik, if his reaction upon seeing this 'Lyndis' was to propose, then she must be really beautiful. Well? What's the verdict? How many would you rate her out of ten?"
"Er, out of ten?" Eliwood thought about it for a moment. "Eight… no, maybe even nine…"
"That's high praise from someone like you…" Hector whistled. "Y'know, someday, I'm gonna have to see her for myself. I'll let you know how accurate your eyes are."
"Hmm, I guess you will…"
Suddenly, they heard a cry for help from within the camp.
"What was that!?" Eliwood asked in alarm.
"Not good!" Hector exclaimed, recognizing the person who had cried out in alarm. He immediately ran in the direction of the sound.
"I guess… we check it out?" Eliwood muttered as he followed behind his friend.
When they arrived at the scene, they found a man holding his knife to Matthew's neck. Robin was standing in front of his tent minimally dressed. His hair was disheveled and there were bags under his eyes.
Shortly after Hector and Eliwood arrived, Chrom and his retainers also rushed over.
"What happened?" Chrom asked. He was battle ready, and extremely alert.
"What is the meaning of this?" Hector asked.
"Yeah… why are you being so loud?" Robin asked, yawning. "I'll trying to sleep over here."
"Sorry… I should've stuffed a gag into the rat's mouth first." Gaius chuckled apologetically. "I caught him snooping around your tent."
"Hmm?" Robin squinted. "...Is that… Matthew?"
"Uh… hi…" Matthew awkwardly greeted the tactician. He had deliberately avoided Robin even though Serra reintroduced herself as Hector's vassal. Originally, it was so he could spy on Robin undetected, but it turns out, there was someone that was more skilled than him in surveillance protecting Robin.
"You know him?" Gaius asked, confused.
"Mm… I met him last year…" Robin replied sleepily. "He's usually sneaking about… don't worry about it."
"I'm sorry!" Hector apologized profusely. "He's… he's one of Ostia's men. I'll make sure he doesn't cause you any more trouble in the future!"
"Well… he's an ally you say?" Gaius's grip on the thief loosened and he removed the knife from Matthew's throat. "Run along then… don't bother Robin anymore. He's very busy right now."
"...what's happening?" Lucina poked her head from out of the tent.
"Nothing dear… go back to bed." Robin waved her back inside. "I'll be right behind you…"
"I'm really sorry for the misunderstanding…" Hector apologized again.
"Don't worry about it… we're all friends here…" Robin laughed in a half asleep state. "Though…"
Before Robin entered the tent he shot a glance at Hector. It might have just been his mind playing a trick on him, but Hector swore he saw a threat behind Robin's expression.
"...since we're all friends… we can afford to trust each other a little more. I hope we won't have any more of these… misunderstandings in the future."
"Y-yes! Of course!"
"Well, if that's it… I'm going back to bed… I'm still really tired after all..."
Just then, there was another cry for help that broke through the silence of night.
Everyone turned towards Matthew, but he just shrugged.
"This time, it's not me."
"You're right." Chrom scowled. "It wasn't from anyone in our camp, that's for sure."
"Oh for fuck's sake!" Robin groaned. "What do I have to do to be undisturbed while I rest?"
By this time, the two consecutive cries for help had caused the entire shepherd camp to be awake and alert. Most of them were finished changing into their equipment and stepped out of their tents ready for combat.
"C'mon! We have to check it out!" Chrom urged. "If it's something dangerous, then it would be unwise of us to leave it unattended so close to where we sleep!"
"Right!" Eliwood agreed.
"Give me a little time to get changed…" Robin sighed sleepily. "I'll be there in just a moment…"
"Take your time." Chrom told him. "Everyone that's ready, prepare for battle!"
Chrom led the charge towards the direction of the cry for help. They were met by a man running towards them.
"Aiiii!" The man cried when he saw them. "Please! Spare me! Y-you've already taken my stuff! It's o-over there… please let me live..."
"Calm down!" Hector demanded. "We're not trying to steal your shit. Tell us what's going on!"
"Y-you're not with those b-bandits?"
"No, we're not." Eliwood confirmed. "Will you tell us what happened?"
"Oh, noble sirs! Please, you must help me!" The main wailed. "My name is Merlinus, a humble merchant. I was simply trying to go to Ostia in order to sell my merchandise, but b-bandits came and took everything from me. And even after taking everything, they're still trying to kill me! Please… please protect me!"
At this time, Robin and Lucina finally caught up.
"All right, what did I miss?" Robin stretched his arms.
"Bandits." Chrom explained. "It seems they've stolen this merchant's wares.
"Oh, is that it?" Robin pulled out his Hekseer. "Hm… and we're going to help him? Seems like a waste of time to me..."
"That's what I'm saying!" Anna chimed in. "You know what they say: less competition means more profit!"
"That was a joke." Robin deadpanned. "Of course we're helping him."
"Well… of course we have to help a fellow merchant in need… that's what everyone would do." Anna instantly and shamelessly changed her tune. She shot Robin a cheeky grin, though it was unclear whether he saw it or not.
"Let's hurry up… this is just a simple bandit extermination… I need to get back to bed." Robin sleepily mumbled.
Though the fact that it was completely dark made the process slightly more difficult, the crisis was quickly resolved. There were not many bandits to begin with, and they weren't aware that Robin could see their general location despite the darkness. It was probably a group of local thugs trying to pull a fast one, rather than one of the organized bandit groups anyways. For the shepherds, killing a few street thugs was child's play.
It goes without saying that Merlinus's merchandise was secured afterwards as well.
"Egads!" Merlinus practically jumped with joy. "My merchandise! I've been saved!"
"I'm glad that's resolved." Robin let out a yawn. "I'm gonna go to bed now."
"Yeah… we've got a long day tomorrow…" Chrom agreed. "You can take it from here, right? Merlinus?"
"Uh… wait please!" Merlinus insisted. "Here… a token of my appreciation…"
Robin had to swat Anna's hand that was reaching for the bag of coins Merlinus was offering them.
"We didn't help you in hopes for a reward." Chrom chuckled. "I'm sure you've a difficult road ahead of you. There's no need for that."
"Chrom's right." Eliwood agreed. "I'm sure it'll help you more than it'll help us."
"It's fine, really, it is!" Merlinus insisted. "I may be useless at fighting, but I'm quite prosperous, really! And it's insignificant compared to how much I would have lost if you noble sirs weren't here to help me! Speaking of… would you grant me the honor of your names?"
Chrom and Robin looked at each other.
"Uh… sure… my name's Chrom." He stared at Robin.
"Why are you looking at me? I'm not the Ylissean representative. Shall I go make the rest of the shepherds introduce themselves as well?" Robin asked.
"No...no… that's not necessary." Chrom shook his head. "Naga, you really need to get back to bed. You're an entirely different person when you're sleep deprived…"
"Ylissean?" Merlinus muttered to himself. "I've never heard of that territory before…"
"My name is Eliwood… son of Marquess Pherae."
"I'm Hector. Marquess Ostia's brother."
"Pherae!? Ostia!?" Merlinus certainly recognized these two names. "The greatest houses in all of Lycia! Ahh… To be saved by noblemen such as yourselves… It is an honor beyond words!"
"Well, it feels pretty good to be appreciated for a change." Hector chuckled. "Recently, it seems everyone just wants to kill us."
"That's true." Eliwood agreed.
"Say, Merlinus, you said you were traveling to Ostia, right?" Hector asked.
"Y-yes sir!"
"Well, why don't you tag along with us then?" Hector asked. "We can provide you with protection, and you can carry our stuff… Ostia will hire you. What do you say?"
"Hector?" Eliwood asked.
"Well, we can't let the Ylisseans carry all of the luggage." Hector reasoned. So far, Anna had been in charge of their convoy, including weapons and equipment, as well as their food and tents.
"Oho! Now THAT is a splendid idea! Managing merchandise is my specialty, after all!"
"Are you sure, Merlinus? It could put you into more danger…" Eliwood reminded him.
"Quite sure, milord." Merlinus nodded. "To be honest, I've always dreamt of working for a noble house. To have my fondest wish granted in such a way… I cannot stem these tears of joy! Lord Hector! Lord Eliwood! Take me into your bosoms and keep me safe forever!"
"Er… yes, glad to have you too…" Hector chuckled awkwardly.
"All right, it looks like everything is settled then?" Chrom asked. "We're returning to camp."
Actually, Robin had already headed back. Chrom didn't have the heart to stop him. The problem was resolved after all, so there was no need for him to stay up. It was probably better for Robin to get some sleep, considering the heavy responsibility he shoulders in combat.
"Sure. We'll show Merlinus the way back." Eliwood nodded. "See you tomorrow morning."
And so, just like that, Merlinus's bandit incident was resolved, and the peddler found that he had been hired for a brand new job, one that he was eager to begin. He didn't even mind that he was, temporarily, spending the night in a cot in the shepherd's medical tent, since there were no empty ones currently set up. Merlinus fell asleep dreaming of his potentially bright future, working for the future lords of Lycia.
New Characters:
Guy (Myrmidon, 17): HP: 60% Str: 45% Mag: 15% Skl: 70% Spd: 70% Lck: 45% Def: 25% Res: 30%
Merlinus (Peddler, 25)
Author's Notes:
Looking back on July, I realized that I actually was able to complete quite a few chapters, and decently lengthed ones too. Unfortunately, I highly doubt I'll be able to accomplish quite as much in August (this month) as I have an upcoming semester to prepare for. (The whole COVID situation honestly makes my head hurt trying to imagine what the next semester will be like.) This is just a friendly disclaimer that my output of chapters will begin to gradually slow back down again.
Also, a fun fact about me is I tend to listen to music that I like on loop. As a result, sometimes I begin to associate a specific song with a specific activity. At one point, I was playing Lyn's story in FE7 while listening to Monody by TheFatRat, while it was rainy and overcast outside, which is oddly specific, but what I associate that song with now. Recently, I've been listening to We'll Meet Again, also by TheFatRat, and I'm starting to imagine that song as the background music for when Lyn bids farewell to the tactician at the end of her story, which I feel sounds fitting. The point is, if they ever turn FE7 into a show, I wouldn't complain if Laura Brehm voice acted as Lyn.
Anyways, that has nothing to do with the story. It was just something I've been thinking about that I thought I'd share.
Thank you everyone for your continued support.