Ostia…
"Why am I here again?" Lyn asked as Hector and Eliwood dragged her along to go meet Lord Uther.
"If we didn't call you for these types of important meetings, won't you go around throwing a fit about it later?" Hector teased. "You'd give a lecture about being just as capable as any of us, and that we weren't including you because you're a woman, right?"
"I would not!" Lyn objected. "And besides, last time you met with your brother, you didn't deem it important enough to call me. If not then, why now?"
"Calm down, Lyndis." Eliwood chuckled. "Hector is just messing around. The truth is, Lord Uther specifically asked for your presence this time. After all, this is something big that concerns all of Lycia."
"Is this true?"
"Yeah." Hector nodded. "Even if Caelin isn't as large of a territory as Ostia or Pherae, you're still the de facto heir to the region. Actually, my brother would rather gather all the Marquesses for a meeting, though he decided against it because it would take too much time. There's also some complications if we did do something like that… not everyone knows that Marquess Laus rebelled, or that Lord Helman died."
"I… see." Lyn nodded in realization.
"It's pretty crazy to think about." Eliwood sighed. "This went from a simple rebellion to a threat to the entire human race."
"We saw it with our own eyes, and yet it is still so unbelievable." Lyn agreed.
"I wonder what will happen next." Hector furrowed his brows. "Ideally, we could rally every nation together to fight against this threat. That would return us to the time of the Scouring."
"But the problem with that is, no one would believe us." Eliwood reasoned. "I mean, the entire alliance would hinge on the existence of the dragons themselves. And unless people see dragons flying through the skies, it's likely that no one would take us seriously."
"Right… but by then, things already will have progressed too far." Lyn added.
"So we must stop all of it now." Eliwood concluded. "Since we're the only ones who know about it. We have to prevent the dragons from ever being summoned."
"Right!"
"I agree."
"Oh, and Lyn…" Eliwood sweatdropped. "Just a little bit of a warning: meetings with Lord Uther can sometimes take a while. Though he's known for quick decision making, that's only after all the facts have been laid out on the table… something that isn't always a quick process. It's likely you'll get bored in there, but please bear with it."
"It's fine… don't worry about me."
"Yeah, you really shouldn't." Hector chuckled. "Robin'll be there. She can stare at him all she wants to tackle the boredom."
"Shut up!" Lyn smacked Hector in the back of the head, looking down in embarrassment.
"Hey, no need for violence!" Hector rubbed the injury, feeling very wronged. "But I wasn't wrong though!"
"Some day, that mouth of yours will get you killed." Eliwood chuckled in amusement. "C'mon, let's not keep them waiting. I think all of them are already there.
The three young lords entered the meeting room to see Lord Uther, Chrom, Robin, and surprisingly, Ninian sitting around the table, appearing to have a good time chit chatting.
It would seem that the four of them had already been talking for a while, at least enough for Ninian to break out of her shell. The normally quiet and shy girl seemed to be giggling and participating in the conversation, and the other three seemed to have amused or lighthearted expressions themselves.
In particular, the fact that Ninian chose the seat directly next to Robin when there clearly were over a dozen chairs to choose from slightly irked both Eliwood and Lyn, though for slightly differing reasons.
With a huff and a puff, Lyn marched over to the chair on Robin's other side, as Eliwood awkwardly took the one next to Ninian. Hector skipped a couple of chairs and sat next to his brother, leaving some space between the next person on either side of him.
This left the distribution of the table slightly lop-sided: there was about a quarter of an empty table separating Uther, Chrom, Hector, and the massive four person cluster. Hector couldn't remember the last time Uther had such an amused expression on his face during one of these meetings.
"All right, it looks like everyone has gathered." Uther cleared his throat. "Hector, I would sooner not place this burden on your shoulders alone… Yet, I don't see many choices before me. Listen, my brother, Eliwood… Lyndis… are you determined to act on your resolve?"
"Yes. We're prepared." Eliwood nodded immediately.
"Me too." Lyn chimed in. "I don't care for sitting back and waiting for others to act."
"Very well." Uther seemed very satisfied with their response. "And you two, Lord Chrom and Lord Robin… My brother and his friends are in your debt. Will you continue to help them and see them through their coming trials?"
"Of course." Chrom responded instantly. "Though my homeland is far away, if Nergal succeeds, Ylisse will be in as much danger as Lycia. You don't have to question our intentions."
"I see… then I have no more to say." Uther sighed in defeat. "It's a pity I cannot do more, though I will strive to help you as much as I can. Ninian…"
"Yes, Marquess Ostia?"
"Do you know where Nergal is at the moment?"
"Yes… I can sense him." The Manakete closed her eyes. "He's to the East… very far away."
"East…" Lyn had a troubled look on her face.
"Could he be targeting Bern?" Eliwood asked.
"That bodes ill." Uther frowned. "Bern is a powerful and militant nation… If Nergal ensnares it, we're done for."
"But… he's still weak." Ninian quickly added. "We still have time to act."
"Then we've no choice but to depart for Bern!" Hector suggested.
"If you have time, make your destination Missur." Uther advised.
"Missur!?" Hector exclaimed. "That's the wrong direction!"
"Go to the Nabata desert." Uther suggested, ignoring Hector's outburst. "You may find aid there."
"What do you mean?" Eliwood asked.
"Go and meet a living legend." Uther replied with a grin.
Later that night…
"...weapons… Anna and Merlinus will do the inventory and give me the list tomorrow… tomes… yes, except the tomes… Henry said he would help me… ouch!" Robin repeatedly muttered to himself as he stumbled over to the bed. In the dim candlelight, the tactician misjudged the location of the bed and accidentally stubbed his toe, leaving poor Robin groaning as he rubbed his foot.
"You need to take things a little easier." Lucina couldn't help but chuckle as she sat up on the bed. "There's plenty of time to sort things out tomorrow. Overthinking things right before you go to bed won't do you any good."
"Easy for you to say…" Robin grumbled as he pulled up the covers so he could get inside. "If only you could handle half the things on my plate… I wouldn't need to work this hard now, would I?"
Robin flinched as he regretted the words as soon as they passed his lips.
Lucina's expression darkened. "...You're right… I wish I wasn't so useless… the only thing I know how to do is fight, but that's not what the shepherds need… If only I were as smart as Laurent, you and father wouldn't have to take on so much responsibility…"
Though Lucina wasn't mentally deficient by any imagination of the word, she never really received a proper education either. Considering that for quite some time during her teenage years, not only were both her parents dead, but she also had to live her life on the run, and fought for survival every day… The way she turned out seems normal if not above average for even geniuses.
Even though she hadn't exactly been slacking when it comes to education in their current timeline, she had a really low starting point, and was past the age where learning was the easiest. This was true for most of her friends that had returned with her, with the exception of Laurent, due to Miriel's tiger parenting both in the present and previous timelines. And even he was struggling to keep up with an intellectual like his mother.
Robin knew it was something that Lucina was rather sensitive about, but in his tiredness, it had slipped his mind for just a brief moment.
"I'm sorry…" Robin apologized as he wrapped an arm around the bluenette. "I… spoke without thinking. I didn't really mean it. Because of how strong you are, it makes my job easier when we're in combat…"
Lucina numbly nodded, acknowledging Robin's praise. However, she still wasn't happy about it. "Seriously… you can't exhaust yourself like this…"
"It's not that bad." Robin protested. "I'm fine, really!"
"No, it's not fine!" Robin flinched at Lucina's sudden outburst, which made it more surprising for him when Lucina turned and dove into his embrace.
"Even in the past… you overworked yourself like this…" It quickly clicked in Robin's head that she was referring to her old timeline. "Back then… I was just a little girl… I didn't understand these things… but now when I think back, you were pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion back then too. Chr- father actually had to force you to stop working; if he didn't, I probably wouldn't have even known who you were back then. I would never have seen you, unless I ran past you in the halls."
"..." Robin wanted to retort, but found that there's nothing he could do or say. How was he supposed to justify his own actions if he technically hadn't even done them yet?
"I've been thinking… the reason why you turned to Grima… I think it may have something to do with how tired you were. You… must've broke down. And I don't want to see that happen to you again."
"I… see. I will try to be more careful about it in the future…" Robin sighed. This was a conversation they'd have over and over again, each time ending with Robin promising to do better in the future. However, he never has the luxury to take it easy and dump his workload on someone else.
Still… he could strive to be a bit more laid back…
After both of them had calmed down, the couple cuddled together as they lay under the sheets. Ostian hospitality certainly was nice, especially since Lord Uther seems to have such a positive impression of him now that Robin helped take care of a major headache of his. The rooms inside the castle were a lot nicer than any inn they could probably find in the, albeit, massive capital city.
"...There's supposed to be some sort of fair or something tomorrow…" Lucina murmured as the two of them were half asleep. "Lyn told me about it… it's supposed to be pretty fun… will you come with us, please?"
"...Sure." Robin thought after a moment. The only reason he had to refuse her was work, and that would've made their entire previous conversation pointless. Robin wondered if she had specifically waited for this moment to ask him, though it may have just been a coincidence.
Either way, he was in checkmate. Perhaps Lucina was a genius, after all.
Nothing else was said as the two of them drifted off to sleep.
The following morning…
"Good morning milord!" Eliwood rubbed his still sleepy eyes as he left his room only to be instantly greeted by Marcus.
"Good morning Marcus, why are you here so early?" Eliwood swore that Marcus's expression seemed a little brighter than usual.
"A familiar face is here to see you!" Marcus grinned as Eliwood realized there was another Pheraen knight standing behind him.
"Good morning, Lord Eliwood." A woman with Navy blue hair bowed as she greeted him. "I'm glad to see you're still doing well."
"Isadora?" Eliwood shook his head to wake himself up. He wasn't seeing things, right? "What are you doing here? Did something happen to my mother?"
"No, Lady Eleanora is doing quite well." Isadora assured him. "Do not worry. Even when the news of Lord Elbert's death reached her, she didn't say a word. She merely gave her full attention to the messenger."
"...Mother…" Eliwood closed his eyes as he imagined his mother's sorrowful expression.
"Then she issued me orders without hesitation." Isadora continued. "She commanded that I deliver this sword to Lord Eliwood and remain at his side."
"But… the castle defenses will be shorthanded…" Eliwood protested.
"Lord Eliwood… please…" Isadora implored. "Understand your mother's feelings. Lord Elbert is never coming home, so all she has left in this world is you."
"Not to worry, milord." Marcus chimed in. "While the absence of Isadora will leave a hole in Pherae's castle defenses, our knights are diligent and capable. But if you still are concerned, why not petition Ostia for reinforcements to help ward Castle Pherae?"
"...Good idea." Eliwood nodded. "It would keep mother safe and appease her wishes at the same time."
"Then I shall make a request to Lord Oswin right away." Marcus said decisively.
"Take the day off."
"Milord?"
"Everyone needs a break once in a while." Eliwood continued. "We can ask for help tomorrow. Isn't that Ostian festival still going on? Perhaps you can go catch up with Isadora. From what I understand, you're out of the loop on the affairs of Castle Pherae, and she hasn't been brought up to speed on our current events either."
"Very well." Marcus nodded. "Thank you, milord. Then we'll be taking our leave."
"Of course. Enjoy your date."
Both Isadora and Marcus looked somewhat embarrassed as they left, but Eliwood could also tell that they were looking forward to it as well.
"Well… should I go find Ninian?" Eliwood mused to himself.
Hours later…
"...So, remind me, why are we doing this again?" Robin asked as his neck was squeezed from both sides by a pair of thighs.
"I already told you." The voice from above cheerfully replied. "We're here to enjoy the festivities. Isn't it fun?"
"No, no that." Robin deadpanned. "I mean, why are you riding on my shoulders?"
"Oh that?" Anna giggled mischievously. "It's because today was supposed to be my day. But since I'm so nice, I'm letting Lucina and Lyn tag along. And because you only have two arms, that means I have to sit on your shoulders."
Indeed, his arms were currently occupied by both women in question, with Lucina on his right and Lyn on his left. It was quite a spectacle for most passerbys, and Robin could often see people staring at him from the corner of his eyes. Worse still, when they ran into other shepherds that came to enjoy the event, he could see all of them stifling their laughter as they passed him. Even Chrom and Sumia were no exception this time.
It was even more awkward when they ran into the Pheraen knight, Marcus. He was with another Paladin that had rode to Ostia to join their party, and Robin couldn't help but feel embarrassed that her first meeting as a new soldier to their group would be of him being smothered by women. It also didn't help that in his tiredness, he almost mistook her for an older version of Lucina.
"Sorry…" Lucina mouthed to Robin, though she wasn't sure he saw her do so. Nor did she care, for that matter. Lucina had surprisingly found herself to be having quite a good time. Even though she didn't have him to herself, it was quite amusing to see all of Robin's expressions as he struggled with the situation.
On the other hand, Lyn seemed to be slightly more shy than the other two. Perhaps it was because it was her first time showing this much affection to someone in public, which must have been amplified by the fact that she was one of three people hanging onto the same person. She also could've been feeling slightly self conscious, since she could get recognized at any moment. They were still in Ostia, after all. Most Ostians wouldn't be able to recognize an heir to a neighboring Lycian region, but it wasn't impossible either.
"Oooh! Over there!" Anna pointed in a direction, and promptly started tapping the top of Robin's head with her other hand. Robin sighed. On cue, he turned like a pack mule towards Anna's direction of choice.
"What's that?" Lucina asked. "Where are we going now?"
Robin, who was more or less being led around by the nose, stopped in front of a food stand.
"I don't know." Anna shrugged. "But it smelled really good. Buy some for me?"
"Sure thing." Lucina took out a coin pouch and bought three servings of some sort of deep fried balls on a stick.
"Thaaaaank you." Anna received her food which Lucina handed to her. "You're so generous."
"Of course." Lucina grinned matter of factly, as she gave one to Lyn.
'That's MY coin pouch…' Robin thought to himself glumly as he watched the exchange happen.
"Mmm… this is good." Anna sighed in satisfaction after taking a bite. "What is it?"
"It's a deep fried beef ball." Lyn replied as she blew on her kebab to let it cool. "Well, there's also some other stuff, like flour and butter, but the meat in there is beef. I had some the last time I came to Ostia. It's pretty good."
"Here, you try some." Anna leaned over and lowered the kebab to Robin's mouth level.
This time, the tactician didn't need any convincing. He took a bite.
It was good.
Robin took another bite.
"Oooh… what's going on over there?" Just as Robin was being tranquilized by the taste of the delicious street food, he was jolted back to reality as Anna pointed in a new direction.
"Hmm… it looks like some sort of game." Lucina squinted a little bit. "I think that little girl just won a stuffed animal."
"That sounds fun!" Anna squealed in delight. "Let's go try!"
Robin sighed in defeat as he was pulled in that direction. He chuckled to himself. Though Robin was currently extremely tired, he did admit that it was a nice change of pace. Spending time with Lucina and his other two lovers did make it seem worth the effort. Still… he could really use a nap right about now.
A few weeks later…
"So… hot… I'm… about to die." Nils wiped some sweat off of his forehead as he slowly trudged through the endless mountains of sand.
"Hey, do you want me to carry you on my back?" Hector offered.
"Huh?" Nils turned around in surprise.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Hector asked, feeling slightly puzzled.
"Such kindness from you surprised me, Lord Hector." Nils explained as he squinted at the Ostian Lord. "Is this some sort of fever dream?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hector asked, feeling quite offended. "I was concerned you might collapse again, just like the other day!"
"You're usually so brusque." Lyn explained. Though she had regretted her choice of attire in the past, the Sacaen style of dress she chose allowed her to move through the Nabata desert without too much trouble. If anything, the heat of the sun felt nice on her bare legs. "Honestly, it's no wonder he was so confused. Don't be shy, Nils. Let him help you out."
"...But…" Nils started to complain.
"Do as you're told, boy!" Hector grabbed Nils and hoisted him above his shoulders.
"Waaaaa!" Nils exclaimed. "I'm going to fall! I'm going to fall!"
Hector and Lyn only laughed in response at Nils's exaggerated response. Truth be told, Nils had no qualms with Hector's assistance. If anything, it made things easier for himself, as he felt himself beginning to grow tired, though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, for fear of slowing everyone down.
"...Marquess Ostia said, 'enter the desert and move west. Someone will meet you…' and yet, we've seen no one." Ninian murmured these words as she shuffled along. She had seen Hector pick her brother up, and although Ninian felt her stamina beginning to get taxed as well, she knew that she was no child… at least, she wasn't in the body of a child. There was no way she could ask to be carried by someone.
"Hmm… Eliwood, who had been sticking by Ninian's side for some time now, scratched his head in confusion. "He did say that… I wonder if we need to move further in?"
"...you might be right… woaaaah!"
Ninian felt herself slip as the sand below her feet slipped away from her, almost causing her to fall backwards. Fortunately, Eliwood was close by, and caught her.
"...Sorry." Ninian meekly apologized.
"No, don't worry about it." Eliwood chuckled in response. "We've been going up and down the dunes for ages now. If you're not careful when going down, those type of things can easily happen to anyone."
"...I'll try to be more careful in the future…"
"Here."
"Huh?" Ninian looked at Eliwood in confusion as the Pheraen Lord stuck an elbow out towards her.
"This heat is taking a toll on you." Eliwood explained. "If you please, take my arm."
"I… I couldn't!" Ninian took a step back.
"Oh come on now…" Eliwood chuckled. "I know you're getting tired…"
"..." After a moment of contemplation, Ninian leaned against Eliwood and linked her arms around Eliwood's. "Very well… forgive me…"
"Is there something wrong?" Eliwood asked. "Why do you have such a troubled expression on your face?"
"All of you treat my brother and me so… so normally." Ninian explained. Doesn't it bother you? Our powers… our looks… we're different from… people…"
"Oh is that it?" Eliwood smiled amicably. "Has that been bothering you? What's wrong about being different from others? When I look at you, I don't see other people. I just see Ninina, a normal, kindhearted girl."
"Do you…" at his words, Ninian gazed at Eliwood's face. "Do you speak truly?"
"...Mm…" Eliwood blushed slightly when Ninian put her face so close to his own. 'In truth, Ninian and Nils doesn't seem any weirder than Robin and his friends. In fact, she seems almost too normal compared to some of them.'
As Eliwood turned his face away from Ninian in embarrassment, his gaze chanced upon the green cavalier, who managed to stuff an entire sandwich in his mouth. He smiled with his lips closed triumphantly, which earned him a thumbs up from a bare chested axeman, and a facepalm from one of the other cavaliers, before he was promptly shoved off his horse and into the sand by said cavalier.
Eliwood sweatdropped. "Yup… seems pretty normal to me."
"Um… Lord Eliwood?" Eliwood was brought back to reality by a tug on his arm from Ninian.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Over there." Ninian pointed in front of them. "Someone is under attack."
"Are you sure?" Eliwood brought his free hand over his eyes, shielding his vision from some glare.
"Ah! That must be him!" Hector declared, seeming to have located the same event as Ninian. Really though, after seeing nothing but sand for miles around, it was something impossible to miss, even if it was pretty far in front of them.
"Looks like…" Eliwood squinted. "A lone man and a crowd of bandits?"
"Let's help him!" Lyn suggested. "I dislike seeing someone have to face overwhelming odds!"
"Count me in!" Hector exclaimed as he ran after her.
"Well, there they go again…" Eliwood groaned. "Excuse me Ninian, I have to keep an eye on them…"
"Of course…" Ninian replied as she let go of Eliwood's arm.
"Well, it looks like our stroll in the sun has been interrupted." Chrom sighed as he jogged behind him. "C'mon everyone, you know the drill…"
Nearby…
An old man with a long gray beard sat upon a throne in what appeared to be an abandoned temple. A large tome was laid across his lap, and he seemed to be studying it intently. His hands moved like a script, only ever doing one of three actions: flipping a page, picking up and drinking from his water cup, or stroking his beard as he contemplated a difficult topic.
Standing to his side was a beautiful blonde woman, still as a statue. A long braid of hair fell over her left shoulder, and her fair features remained unmoving, except for the occasional blinking of her entrancing purple eyes as they stared at something in the distance. Whenever the old man's water cup would be emptied, she could daintily refill it with an expensive looking porcelain pitcher. Upon closer inspection, any Elibean would be able to identify her clothing style of choice, which was commonplace in Etrurian nobility.
The woman's eyes suddenly refocused as the old man closed his tome.
"...I believe someone approaches."
"Really?" The woman asked. "Is it Lord Pent?"
The old man shook his head. "No. It's a group sent by Uther of Ostia. Hawkeye will find them soon and bring them here. Your companion is still searching in the desert."
"He's not having any luck finding what he's after, is he?" The woman smiled in pity.
"No, on the contrary… I believe he'll find it before long." The old man chuckled. "However… It seems a group of bandits is also moving. They've found Pent and are about to attack."
"Oh…" The woman's voice contained a hint of concern.
"Are you concerned for his safety?" The old man turned to look at her.
"No…" The woman bit her lip. "Lord Pent can take care of himself… but if his return is delayed…"
"If? And what of it?"
"Will you take your evening meal without us?" The woman asked. "I will wait for his return, but Lord Athos, I'm sure you must be hungry."
"Ha… ha… ha… ha…" The old man let out a delightful chortle.
"Lord Athos?" The woman questioned in concern. "What is it?"
"...It's you, Louise." The old man let out a happy sigh. "You are the most amusing woman. Since Pent brought you here, I feel I've laughed enough for ten years! You have my gratitude."
"Um, I'm not sure I understand, but…" Louise's fair features crumpled up in incomprehension. "But I'm pleased to be of service."
"Ha… ha… ha…"
"...By the way, the visitors are coming from Lycia, are they not? I wonder what they want."
"..." Athos's expression grew cold. No trace of his earlier joy could be seen across his aged features. He let out a sigh, this time tinged with sadness.
"Lord Athos… your coloring… are you unwell?"
"Once it begins to turn, none can halt the wheel of fate…" The old man picked up his walking stick that was leaning against the arm of the throne, and tucked the tome under his other arm as he rose from his seat. "But as long as there is hope, people will continue to try… Like moths to a flame… they do not know the despair that awaits…"
"..." Louise maintained a puzzled expression as the old man slowly but surely disappeared deeper into the temple.
With Robin…
"All right, we've got shade, water… our food supplies are not running low…" Robin muttered as he surveyed a small group of shepherds as they set up some shade tents and rearranged their caravan.
"You don't have to worry about those things." Anna scoffed. She was in charge of the shepherds' supplies, so naturally, her participation here was mandatory. However, she couldn't help but feel slightly insulted by Robin's second guessing of their supply state. "Could it be… that you don't trust me with accounting?"
"It's not that…" Robin replied sheepishly. "We ARE in the middle of the desert. If we're not careful, everyone could be in big trouble."
"I understand that… but it's also not the first time we've been in the desert, no?" Anna asked. "Last time I checked, Plegia is also a desert. Shouldn't you be more concerned about what's happening over THERE? Lucina and Lyn are both fighting right now."
"They're far more likely to die from dehydration ten times over than from any random brigand roaming the desert." Robin retorted. "I'm more concerned about them passing out from heat exhaustion."
"...I see your point." Anna sighed as she admitted defeat. "Still, there's nothing to worry about… our supplies are doing just fine."
A strong gust of wind blew in, causing Anna to shield her face from the billowing sand with both of her arms. Robin managed just fine with one sleeve.
"Woah!" Anna shook her head and flicked the remaining sand in her hair away after the wind subsided. After she recomposed herself, she noticed a tall, muscular, half naked man standing silently behind Robin. She nervously pointed a finger above Robin's head as he other hand began to reach the sword at her hip. "Um… who is that?"
"Hmm?" Robin turned around and was dumbfounded. "...yeah… who are you?"
"I am Hawkeye." The man replied. "Defender of the desert."
"Defender… of the desert?" Robin asked with a slight bit of confusion.
"I will drive out the bandits." Hawkeye replied, completely ignoring Robin. "Guests need not fight."
"Um…" Robin sweatdropped a little. He wasn't short by any definition of the word, but this man completely dwarfed him. The top of his head didn't even seem to reach Hawkeye's shoulder level.
"...hee hee… hee hee…" At this tense moment, suddenly a young girl with short, vibrant pink hair came bumbling along, and tried to tackle Hawkeye's leg in a hug. Sensing his incoming 'assailant', Hawkeye simply moved out of the way.
As a result, the girl face-planted directly into Robin.
"There you are Hawkeye!" The girl looked up and gave Robin an adorable smile. "Where have you-"
Suddenly, the girl realized that she had completely missed her target. Upon taking a glance at Robin, she instantly jumped back in fear.
"Waaaaah!" The girl cried as she ran towards Hawkeye and hid behind his leg. She revealed a teary eyed expression as she looked at Robin fearfully. "H-h-hawkeye! Help me! He's g-going to eat me!"
"Is that so?" Hawkeye looked down, then back to Robin. "You've met Fae before?"
"Huh?" Robin shook his head. "Nope. First time."
"Then why is she so scared of you?" Hawkeye asked. "She always likes new faces."
"Maybe it's those dark rings around your eyes." Anna teased as she poked Robin repeatedly in the cheek. "She probably thought you were a monster."
"Hey… Anna!" Robin protested as he tried to push her finger away. "Stop that!"
"Fae… you don't need to be scared." Hawkeye insisted. "He means you no harm."
"R-really?" Fae asked skeptically.
"Yep." Robin smiled as he held up his two hands. "See? No harm."
"Ok…" Fae clearly still didn't believe him.
"Fae… I will go take care of some trouble makers." Hawkeye told the young girl. "Go find somewhere safe to stay until it's over."
"OK!" Fae replied, this time much more enthusiastically.
"What a weird pair…" Anna commented offhandedly as the two of them left.
"Yeah…" Robin furrowed his brows. "What a weird pair…"
"Hey, we could really use some help over here!" Lissa called from behind a pile of boxes, breaking the two of them out of their stupor.
"We'll be right there!" Anna called back. The two of them made eye contact with each other, before rushing over to help.
"... I must say, when we left Pherae, I never thought I'd be helping to set up a picnic while a fight is going on." Robin and Anna stumbled over to their supply crates to see Lowen mumbling as he helped carry a box over to the others, who were busy setting up an area for lunch.
"It's only natural." Lissa replied. "Too many chefs in the kitchen… and all that. And besides… not all of us are crazy about fighting like my brother…"
"Um…" Lowen didn't know how to respond. It was his Lord that barged ahead, and even Chrom had only reluctantly followed after him. But, it probably wasn't wise to bring that up. That would only make Lord Eliwood look bad.
"The water's boiling, Miss Lissa!" Rebecca cheerfully ran up to the Ylissean princess.
"Great, I'll be right there!" Lissa replied with a smile. "But no more of this 'miss' nonsense, got it? Just call me Lissa. I'm not much older than you are!"
"Oh… got it… Lissa." Rebecca replied. "I'll… go help Lowen."
"You seem to have your hands full." Robin smirked as he leaned over a crate.
"Yeah, I am!" Lissa replied with a huff. "Since you're here, you might as well make yourself useful and help out. Lunch isn't going to cook itself, y'know!"
"It looks like you have plenty of help, though?" Robin observed. "Just look at how hard Stahl is working… he's always pumped about lunchtime."
"Just… be a dear and give them a hand, won't you?" Lissa rolled her eyes. "The faster we get this stuff done, the sooner we can eat."
"C'mon, enough lazing around…" Anna chuckled as he pulled Robin away to do Lissa's bidding.
Lissa stopped and chuckled at the scene of Anna pulling Robin's arm through the desert sand. If you removed everything around them, it could've been a scene from one of the fairy tales she'd read with Morgan.
Suddenly, the Ylissean princess saw the two of them freeze, as they indubitably felt the same chilling sensation that Lissa felt, crawling down her spine and causing her to shiver despite the hot weather. Throughout the camp, all the magic users collectively raised their heads which proved beyond any doubt that they all felt the same thing.
They had felt this once before, on the Dread Isle. The presence of some being that prevented magic of any variety to be cast.
"Not good!" Lissa exclaimed, nearly dropping the cooking supplies she had in her arms.
Evidently, Robin came to the same conclusion.
"Get me a sword!" Robin commanded Anna as he took off. "I need to go find Sumia."
"What kind?" Anna replied.
"Whatever you can find first." Robin replied.
Anna nodded, though Robin clearly couldn't see the gesture and ran off in a different direction.
Fortunately, Sumia had a mutual understanding that Robin would be looking for her at this point. She was the only pegasus rider that hadn't gone to battle, and the fact that she was also a magic caster allowed her to understand what the other mages must've felt.
It took mere moments for her to be ready with her pegasus.
By this point, Anna had also found her way over to them lugging a silver sword with her.
"Catch!" The redhead threw the weapon towards Robin, who had already mounted Sumia's falicorn.
"Thanks." Robin caught it deftly as Sumia took off. "I'll be sure to bring it back."
"Ugh… I guess lunchtime will have to wait…" Nearby, Stahl grumbled as he began to prepare his gear. As a mounted combatant, he wasn't expected to ride into the desert sand, but he should still be prepared just in case.
"Um… what's wrong?" Lowen asked, clearly perplexed.
"The magic seal is back." Maribelle explained to the young cavalier. "You probably couldn't tell because you can't use magic."
"Is that really that big of a deal?" Lowen asked. "Didn't we say that there was no need to worry about dealing with these bandits? We're much more experienced and with much better equipment, right?"
"Hah!" Maribelle scoffed. "Surface level analysis. Bandits lack the necessary knowledge of magic, so this seal won't affect them in the slightest. But us? We have some mages out there who are defenseless without their magic. And the ones that use swords and spears might not realize in time that the seal appeared, which could put others or themselves in perilous situations."
"Oh…" Lowen replied, seeming to understand the dire situation a little more.
"And the primary way Robin communicates with the rest of us is through magic, so if that doesn't work, Robin can only deliver the news by hand." Stahl added.
"So why aren't we charging out?" Lowen asked.
"You saw how difficult it was to ride through the sand." Stahl shrugged. "We move slower on horseback than on foot out here. And we're not quite as experienced fighting on foot either. So the best solution is to mobilize everyone else, while we stay back and guard the supplies."
"I think I get it." Lowen placed a fist into his palm. "So… we just need to be prepared?"
"That's all we can do at the moment." Stahl nodded in response.
Moments earlier…
"C'mon, we have to hurry!" Hector exclaimed as he barged ahead. Eliwood and Lyn seemed to be falling behind, possibly due to exhaustion. However, if they were too late, then the person they were trying to save might die before they could even lend a hand.
"Uh, Hector?" Lyn chuckled.
"What?" Hector stopped and turned around to see her and Eliwood casually walking.
"That guy doesn't look like he's in dire need of help."
"Huh?" Hector turned back around. The glare of the sun on the sand made it difficult to see things clearly, but upon stopping to try and take a good look, he realized that their 'helpless target' seemed to be doing just fine at the moment.
Despite being rushed by an entire pack of brigands, the lone mage seemed to be an expert at weaving in spells one after another, striking down enemy after enemy. At this point, he hadn't suffered a single scratch.
"Hmm… I guess he's a bit more capable than we had initially thought." Hector admitted.
"Let's change our course then." Eliwood suggested. "Instead of rushing to his side, let's just take down the nearby brigands instead. It'll make things easier for all of us."
"Right." Taking a look behind him, Hector realized that Chrom and the shepherds he commanded had already begun scuffling with the enemy, probably because they realized the same thing a long time ago.
"I guess I really do need more experience in these types of things." Hector sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"C'mon, we can't be slacking off now, can we?" Lyn smirked. "Let's see who can kill the most bandits!"
"You're on!" Hector exclaimed, feeling invigorated.
"Oh boy…" Eliwood chuckled nervously as he jogged along behind him.
The three Elibean lords worked together surprisingly well, considering that they hadn't been fighting together this closely for very long. They're styles complemented each other decently; if a brigand managed to be fast enough to avoid Hector's heavy blows, they fell to Lyn's lightning fast follow ups, and if they managed to not fall to her sword, there was no avoiding the precision stabs of Eliwood's rapier.
And if they didn't manage to avoid Hector's axe? Well there was no point in discussing.
'Whack!'
Another brigand's head parted ways with his shoulders.
"That makes four for me!" Hector exclaimed triumphantly.
"I have seven!" Lyn replied cheerfully.
"What!?" Hector exclaimed. "There's no way!"
"Um… I think you included my three kills in your count, Lyn." Eliwood whispered to the greenette.
"Shh… Hector doesn't need to know." Lyn whispered back.
"That's it." Hector harrumphed as he rushed off. "Clearly there aren't enough targets here for all three of us. I'm gonna go in deeper."
"Now you've done it…" Eliwood sweatdropped as Lyn giggled in the background.
Nearby…
"Nya ha! Nya ha ha!" Henry roasted bandit after bandit with dark magic the same way a child might gleefully fry ants with a magnifying glass in the hot sun.
"Why are you in such a good mood today?" Olivia asked. Although she knew her husband could be childish at times, today he was a little more childish than usual.
"Hm… I guess this place just reminds me of home." Henry replied after a moment of thought, but not before eviscerating another brigand with a Ruin spell.
"Oh… right. Plegia… sand… of course." Olivia blushed, suddenly feeling quite stupid. "How could I forget?"
Nearby, Panne seemed to be having a field day running through the sand as well. She ran around, seeming to not have a care in the world, occasionally kicking a bandit that got in her way. It would seem that she's been cooped up in her human form for a bit too long, and she was relishing her newfound freedom a bit too much.
Honestly, most of the shepherds were enjoying themselves a bit in this scuffle. There had been very little action in the past couple of weeks, and beating back these low level ruffians was more of a workout than a struggle.
Lon'qu and Donald enjoyed the freedom of being able to swing their arms freely, and even Cordelia seemed to be in high spirits as her pegasus happily flew circles in the sky.
Their VIP that they were supposed to protect was also quite capable, so it felt like a stroll in the woods instead of a standard battle to the death.
That all suddenly changed when they felt the magic seal appear.
"What the-" Henry's grin disappeared when his spell completely fizzled out mid cast. Upon trying again and getting the same result, he finally realized what had happened.
"The anti-magic thing is back!" Henry called out as he put his tome away and drew his emergency dagger.
The other magic casters seemed to realize this as well, and eventually, even the enemy had caught on.
"Get behind me!" Olivia hurriedly ran towards her beloved. Without magic, he may as well have been a sitting duck. Olivia didn't trust Henry's skill with a dagger at all.
"Calm down, I'm not that defenseless…" Henry chuckled at Olivia's over protectiveness.
"As if! I've seen you stab yourself while cooking!"
"That was… nevermind."
In the air…
"It looks like they're adjusting quite well." Sumia commented as she and her passenger flew over the desert dunes. At the beginning, Sumia couldn't really understand the state of the battle. She could barely manage to keep eyes on enemy archers. However, over time, she accumulated enough experience to not only keep herself safe, but to be able to have a basic analysis of the battlefield as well. It also helped that Cordelia now pays attention to enemy archers for her.
"I agree." Robin responded as he leaned to the side of the falicorn in order to get a better view. "I think the shepherds have already begun to start clustering together, which is a very good sign. I think we should be more worried about that guy over there."
Sumia had to look behind her to find the direction in which Robin had been pointing. She immediately altered the course of her falicorn to fly in the direction of the lone mage who was now at the mercy of the enemy axes.
"Fly lower to the ground." Robin suggested. "I don't have access to wind spells right now, so it's suicide for me to jump off at this height."
"Oops!" Sumia commanded her steed to dive as a momentary brain lag caused her to forget this crucial detail.
Just before they were going to faceplant into the sand, Sumia pulled the reins and began to just skim over the ground. Robin rolled off the side of the falicorn, slashing through an enemy's torso on his way down. Meanwhile, Sumia ran her silver lance through another enemy on the opposite side of her mount.
"Get over to those people over there." Robin commanded the unknown mage upon securing the area. "They'll protect you."
"What?" The man asked. "Who are you?"
"That doesn't matter right now." Robin responded. "We can discuss things later, when our lives are not on the line."
"Fair enough." The man sighed. "Very well. I'll be in your care. I, Lord Pent, Mage General of Etruria, will owe you a favor if we all make it out alive."
'Mage General of Etruria?' Grima's voice yawned inside Robin's head. 'That sounds pretty important.'
'You know what that is?' Robin asked back.
'Not a clue.'
Robin couldn't help but feel good. Not about Grima's response. He simply ignored the voice in his head. More importantly, thanks to Grima, the silver sword in his hand felt light and seemed to be an extension of his body. And although Sumia didn't have access to magic right now, she was still hovering protectively over him. He knew that while it wasn't her preferred weapon anymore, Sumia was still comfortable with the weapon she originally trained with.
Taking a deep breath, Robin braced himself for the incoming brigands.
With the assistance of Grima, Robin felt his movements become as fluid as water as he cut down brigand after brigand. Whenever it looked like Robin was about to be overwhelmed, Sumia flew down and stabbed an enemy, drawing their attention to her before flying back into the safety of the air.
Robin began to fall into a smooth rhythm as he danced around the axes of the brigands. Onlookers would've described him to be in a trancelike state of sorts, which was only interrupted by a blade of wind that suddenly struck the ground in front of him, kicking up a wave of sand into the eyes of his enemies.
Cordelia landed her pegasus next to him and held out her hand. "Come on, let's get out of here."
As he wordlessly climbed onto the back of the pegasus, Robin looked into the sky to see Sumia covering them with continuous casts of Elwind.
'It seems the magic seal has left.' Robin noted in his head. 'I probably just didn't notice.'
"How's everyone?" Robin asked as he scanned the ground from in the air. It would seem the bandits realized their small window of opportunity had ended once they were bombarded by magic spells once again, and decided to tactfully retreat.
"No one's hurt, including that lone mage." Cordelia responded. "Everyone's made it back, and are resting in the shade. The only ones left out here are us."
Cordelia made a gesture pointing at something behind her with a flick of her head. Robin turned to see Sumia catching up with the two of them swiftly.
Flying across the desert didn't take much time, as they arrived back at their man made oasis shortly. Lucina and Anna were instantly there to greet him as he dismounted. Anna, who had not been in combat at all, was completely fine, but Robin could clearly see the fatigue on Lucina's face. Not the completely devoid of life exhaustion you'd see from overworking, but rather the type of tiredness you'd see from someone after a long but fulfilling workout regimen. Her face was flushed, and though she wasn't completely winded, it was clear Lucina was still in the process of catching her breath.
Robin smiled in relief. This type of expression was his favorite one to see on Lucina's face after a battle. A look that instantly told him there were no problems or injuries he had to be concerned about, despite the non trivial skirmish she had just been a part of.
"Where's Lyn?" Robin asked.
"You're beginning to get pretty greedy, huh?" Anna jested. "The two of us are no longer enough for you?"
"I've seen the three of you together, constantly plotting something for a while now, I just kind of expected her to be here as well." Robin rolled his eyes.
"She and the other two are still busy resting." Lucina chuckled. "It seems they pushed themselves a little too hard earlier… they're suffering from mild heat exhaustion."
"By the other two you mean…"
"Eliwood and Hector."
"Ah… figures."
"More importantly, father was looking for you… I think he's with the mage that we rescued, and some muscular axeman. Oh, and that cute little pink haired girl. She was such a sweetie."
"Really?" Robin chuckled. "When she saw me, that little girl was so scared she almost cried."
"Probably because you look like a Risen when you haven't slept enough."
"That's what I said!" Anna chimed in, as Robin let out a sigh of defeat.
"Seriously though, she instantly ran over to me and cooed and purred as she gave me a hug."
"Like this." Anna got onto her knees and hugged Lucina around the waist as she rubbed her face against her stomach to 'recreate' the scene, causing some to look in her direction in confusion. Seeing that it was just Anna acting weird, they assumed nothing abnormal was going on and went back to their business as usual.
"...Right…" Lucina couldn't help but smirk at her retainer's antics. "And then she fell asleep in my lap while my father and the others were talking. Fortunately we were able to slip away."
At this moment, the three of them reached the command tent where Chrom was waiting.
"All right… if you'll excuse me…" Robin said. "I'll come find you when things are taken care of."
"Yep. We'll just be resting out here..." Lucina pecked him on the cheek and quickly slipped away with Anna.
Inside, Chrom was sitting at a table conversing with Hawkeye and Pent. Frederick was standing protectively behind his liege, but the atmosphere was not heavy at all. In fact, that little girl with bright pink hair was curled up on the ground, softly sawing logs.
"Robin, you're back!" Chrom rose from his chair when he saw him walk in. However, Robin quickly motioned for him to sit back down as he pulled out a chair from the table.
"This is Lord Pent, Mage General of Etruria, as well as Hawkeye, defender of the desert." Chrom explained, making quick introductions. "Although, as I understand, you've already met them. This is Robin, our tactician."
"I must once again thank you for your assistance." Pent smiled amicably. "Without it, I might not have been able to return to my sweet Louise."
"You seemed like you were doing just fine by yourself, to be honest." Robin complemented. "At least, until, well, you know…"
"Oh, yeah…" Pent shook his head and sighed. "I had no idea where that magic seal came from. That's something I had only heard of in stories and legends. And it's not like I haven't been in the Nabata desert before either. It really caught me off guard. Did you know of its existence, Hawkeye?"
"No. I will look into it."
Pent shrugged. "I guess all of us are in the dark on this one. Oh well. Say, Lord Chrom, you never did get the chance to tell me, why are you all here in this wasteland anyways?"
"Hm…" Chrom cupped his chin. "If I recall correctly, we were told to come here to meet a 'living legend'."
Chrom glanced at Robin, and saw him nodding, which indicated that his memory was indeed correct. "You wouldn't happen to have any idea what that might be about, do you?"
"'Living legend'?" Pent asked as he made eye contact with Hawkeye. He then began to laugh heartily. Even the stoic Hawkeye let out a grin himself. "I see… that's well said."
"That means you know what it means?" Robin asked.
"Yes. It would seem we share a common destination then."
"Ah… that's a relief." Robin nodded. "Here I thought we'd spend days wandering around aimlessly."
"You found what you came looking for?" Hawkeye asked.
"That I did." Pent nodded. "And, as I thought, it is quite spectacular."
"Since everyone is back, we should get going then." Hawkeye said resolutely.
"Yes. Let's make haste." Pent agreed. "Desert nights are quite treacherous. Shall we lead the way?"
"Of course." Chrom nodded. "We'll get everything torn down as quickly as possible. That's always much easier than setting things up anyways."
"Then we'll lend a hand whenever possible." Pent nodded as he got up.
Hawkeye walked over to the sleeping girl and gently picked her up, slinging her over his broad shoulder. The young girl mumbled something unintelligible, but didn't wake up.
The four adjourned their meeting, to prepare for their upcoming journey.
Author's Notes:
Technically the first chapter of the new year? Regardless, while writing this chapter, I made the decision to exclude the optional chapter, Genesis. Nothing was really crucial to the main plot, but I didn't want to completely throw away the subplot either, so I made a compromise and kind of merged it with this chapter. As a side note, it makes the party's assistance to Pent actually mean something, as Pent is extremely powerful in the game, but completely reliant on magic.
I don't have too much to say this time, so hopefully you've enjoyed the chapter, and (I hope to) see you next time.