"Phew, that's enough for today." Chrom wiped off the sweat from his brow before sitting down a nearby bench and pulling out a cloth from his pocket and beginning to clean the dust and dirt from his blade. As he ran the cloth over and over, he looked up into the sky and saw that it was already nighttime, the stars shining throughout the darkness of the moonless night. "I may have overdone it thought."
"I would be inclined to agree."
Chrom turned to the person addressing him, revealing Emmeryn standing behind him smiling. Gone were her exalt robes and grown, with the young woman wearing a simple white tunic instead.
"Oh hey Emm. Didn't see you there."
"Indeed. I've been standing here for about twenty minutes waiting for you to finish."
"You could have said something."
"I did; but after the third time trying to catch your attention, I decided it would be best to simply let you tire yourself out," she giggled.
Chrom felt his cheeks get slightly hot, "you say that as if I were a child who doesn't want to go to bed."
She sat down next to him, "I'm sorry, that was not my intention; then again, you are, and will always be, my little brother."
"And you'll always be our big sister that took care of us when mother and father weren't around."
Emm's face fell slightly, which did not go unnoticed by Chrom.
"Anyway, is there something you wish to talk to me about? I doubt that you were simply watching me for long in order to seize up for my form."
"Indeed. I just came from meeting with the head of the noble houses today for to discuss the state of affairs of the kingdom, and I couldn't help but notice that you were not there. Again."
"Was that today?"
"Yes Chrom, that was today. Which I reminded you several times this past week, including this morning before our meeting with our guest."
"Must have slipped my mind."
"Chrom..."
"Besides, what does it matter anyway? You're there representing the royal family and you're more than qualified to do that without my help."
"Chrom, that's not the point."
"Come on Emm, we both know that I would be of no use in those sorts of meetings. Point at me at a group of bandits and I'll fight tooth and nail to defend the people of Ylisse from any harm. But state of affair meetings? Dealing with the noble houses? Managing the kingdom? I can't do any of that."
"Well, you're not going to learn by avoiding it, Chrom. I know it's all tedious, but you need to sit in these meetings and start to learn the ins and outs of being the exalt."
"Why? You're doing a great job without me."
"But I might not always be here."
"...I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Chrom."
"No, we are not talking about this Emm. Nothing is going to happen to you." He got up and tried to leave, only for him to feel his sister grab his arm in a gentle yet firm grip.
"Chrom, this is a conversation that needs to happen. I know you don't want to think about anything happening to me, just like I don't want to think about anything happening to you and Lissa; but unfortunately it is a possibility that we must all consider possible and must prepare for."
The prince didn't say anything.
"We live in turbulent times with tensions still high with Plegia and the threat of war always looming above us. I have done everything I can to avoid the worst while also helping Ylisse heal from father's actions. I know in my heart that most people of both Ylisse and Plegia don't want another war, but I also know that there are those who do that unfortunately have power and influence over others. Not only in Plegia, but in Ylisse as well. I need all the help I can get to quell the small minority that wait for any reason to continue father's work; and for that, I need you Chrom."
When he didn't answer, she sighed and let go of his arm, "give what I have said some thought Chrom. I'm certain that you are more capable than you believe, and that the only thing limiting you are your own thoughts and insecurities. You're scared that you might end up like our father, but I have faith that you are a better than that; and I want to be safe knowing that, should anything happen to me, the people of Ylisse will still be in the hands of a capable leader."
After a moment of silence Chrom sighed and said, "I'll try Emm."
She smiled at him, "that's all I ask for. Anyways, it's getting late, and I believe we both have a lot to take care of tomorrow. Please have something to eat before going to bed, or else you'll waste away."
"I'm not a child Emm."
"But you're still my little brother." She pinched his cheek playfully, to which he shook his head and chuckled slightly. She got up and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, "good night Chrom."
"Night Emm."
With that the exalt got up and left her brother in the courtyard as she made her way back to the castle. She walked past several patrolling guards—thanking them all for their hard work and wishing them a good night—and finally made it to the wing of the castle that held the rooms of the royal family. Once she reached a certain door, she politely knocked on it a couple of time.
"It's unlocked." A voice came from inside.
Opening the door and walking in, Emm searched the room until she found what she was looking for: Lissa sitting on her desk focusing heavily on the large tome in front of her.
The young princess looked up from her book and smiled, "Emm!" She got up and ran to her sister before enveloping her in a big hug, which she returned gladly.
"Hello Lissa. I see you are still up studying."
"Hee hee, yep! I need to work extra hard if I'm ever going to be a great healer."
"Your dedication is admirable, but you mustn't push yourself too hard; after all, any healer worth their staff knows the importance of sleep and rest."
"I know, I know, I was going to get ready for bed after I finished this chapter."
"Is that so?" Emmeryn walked past her sister and towards the desk where the tome was sitting, "just one more chapter?"
"Yes."
Emmeryn looked down and flipped through several pages, "one 46 page long chapter?"
Lissa poked her fingers nervously, "I mean, I'm not the one who decided on the chapter's length."
"Mhm, and you just started this very long chapter?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"And not the chapter before it with the corner of the page slightly bent?"
Lissa sighed, "all right fine, you got me. I was about to finish the previous chapter before you knocked on the door, and I was going to keep studying after you left."
"Lissa there is no need for you to rush into becoming a full fledge healer. You're young and there is no immediate crisis that requires more healers than what the kingdom currently has. Why are you in such a hurry to become an accredited cleric?"
"I'm already 18 Emm. If I want to become an accredited cleric before I'm 20 I need to work twice as hard in order to ace all the assessments. I figured that at this rate, I can take half of them this year and the other half next year, and with that I'll be all set."
"But why? Why are you insistent in doing all that so young?"
The princess was quiet for a moment, "because...that's when mom became a cleric."
Emmeryn looked at her sister surprised, "did Chrom tell you that?"
"No, I was just looking through some old crates for some more medical tomes and found a bunch of journals written by mom. She dated all her entries and using her birth date I was able to calculate how old she was when she was writing them; and based on that, I figured that she became an accredited cleric on her 20th birthday, which was also when he met dad."
"I see. You are correct, mother was only 20 when she became a full-fledged cleric; in fact, she's on record for being the youngest person to become an official cleric registered in the kingdom. Is that what this is about? You wish to have mother's name replaced by yours in the kingdoms archives?"
"No! That's not it at all! I just...I just want to be more like mom."
Emmeryn smiled and stroked her sister's head, "trust me Lissa, you are the spitting image of our mother, and not just physically. Your kindness, your optimism, your zest for life. You don't need some record to prove that you are just like her."
"I just wanted some sort of connection with her. Something that I know would make her proud of me if she were still here."
"I promise you, mother would be proud of you right now."
Lissa hugged her sister again, "thanks Emm."
Emmeryn kissed the top of her head, "You're welcome. Now get ready for bed, you can continue your studies tomorrow."
"Oh all right." Lissa pouted. She closed the tome and began putting her medical supplied away, "good night Emm."
"Good night, Lissa." Giving her sister one last smile she walked out of her room, closing the door behind her. She was about to head towards her own room when she heard heavy footsteps approaching, followed by Frederick turning around the corner.
"Ah, greetings your excellency." The knight bowed respectfully.
"Good evening, Frederick. I take it that you are doing the rounds tonight?"
"Indeed."
"Are you sure you are up to it? You did just come from a week-long excursion and we had tending to our guest all morning when you finally arrived. Perhaps it would be best if you took the night off and rested."
"Your concern is noted, milady, but I assure you that I am fine. I managed to rest this afternoon and had a light yet refreshing meal before my shift started. I can assure you that my mind and body are as sharp as ever and will carry out my duties without any problems."
"Always the dutiful one, sir Frederick."
"Of course, milady. Now then, shall I accompany you to your room?"
"I would like that, yes. Oh, before I forget again, I should thank you for taking my brother's place in today's meeting. I'm certain that the notes you wrote down will be of much use to him."
"I'll make sure that he receives them tomorrow as soon as he is done with his morning sparring session with the Shepherds."
"Good. While I would prefer that he assists these meeting himself, I do appreciate that you have been filling him in with the day to day dealing of the kingdom. At the very least he's not completely in the dark. For that, you have my thanks, Frederick."
"Think nothing of it your excellency."
"Really now Frederick, there's no one around, you may drop the formalities."
"I'm afraid I can't do that Lady Emmeryn. I am, and will always be, a royal guard first and foremost; be it night or day, my duties to you and the rest of the royal family remain and I will not waiver in carrying them out."
"But it wasn't always like that, was it Frederick? There was a time when you called me by my name without any title and stood by my side as a friend instead of a guard. Remember that time you tried to carry me across the creek and then you slipped and caused us both to get wet?" She laughed softly.
The knight's cheeks blushed slightly, "your highness, please do not bring up such a shameful memory. I was new to the castle and did not know my place yet. The fact that I went so long addressing you in such a casual and disrespectful manner is a stain to my work as a knight."
"Well it shouldn't be. I had, and still have, plenty of guards protecting me. What I needed back then, back during that turbulent time of my life, was a friend; and you were that friend Frederick. Perhaps one day you may be that friend again."
Frederick shook his head, "my apologies, your excellency, but I'm afraid that simply is not possible. My duty is to protect the royal family, and that draws a clear line that I must never cross."
"I see. Tis' a pity though, I do miss those times."
The knight didn't answer and the two of them continued walking silently until they reached Emmeryn's room.
"I suppose inviting you in for a cup of tea would be too much Frederick?"
"I'm afraid so your grace. I must continue my rounds. By you leave." With a short nod Frederick turned and walked away from the exalt.
"Good night Frederick." Emmeryn sighed as she watched the night turn the corner at the end of the hallway, "and thank you." With that she entered her room.
"Grab her."
She suddenly felt a large pair of burly arms wrap around her, one around her torso pinning her arms to her side and the other around her neck, covering her mouth in the process. Her eyes went wide as she began struggling against her captor, though her efforts proved to be in vain as he didn't even budge. She looked around frantically and saw several figured in hoods and robes in her room.
"MMMNNN! MMNNNNNN!" She desperately tried to scream for help.
"Damn it, will you put her to sleep already!?"
The figure standing in the center of the room approached them, muttering something under his breath in a language she did not understand. He reached out his hand, which was beginning to emit a dark purple glow from it, until it was covering her struggling face.
And then everything went dark.
"Haaaaaah, what a day." Chrom toweled the sweat from his brow and under his arms as he made his way towards his room. Giving it a quick whiff he grimaced at the smell, "yeah, definitely need a bath before getting into bed. Gods what a pain."
It was already bad enough that the baths were on the other side of the castle, but on top of that he needed to first grab a clean towel and some from his room, which was on the third level, meaning he would have to climb several stairs, grab his stuff, then climb down the stairs and across the palace before eventually climbing them up again.
Worst part is I can't blame anyone but myself, he grumbled internally as he opened the door to his chambers.
"Grab him."
He suddenly felt two pairs of hands grab his arms, and another pair cover his mouth and wrap around his neck.
"HMMMM?!" He immediately began to struggle against his captors, using all of his strength to try to shake them off him.
"Hell fire, he's like a damn bear! Will someone knock him out already?!"
"Our mage isn't here!"
"Then just strike him over the head! Our orders are just to bring him ali—"
"GAAAH!" The man holding Chrom from behind yelled in pain as the prince smashed the back of his head against his face, causing him to let go. Feeling one of his other captors loosen their grip on his arm in shock, he yanked it out and proceeded to deck the last captor hard across face, followed by him unsheathing Falchion and killing the three of them before they could retaliate.
"RETREAT! RETREA—GAAAAH!"
Chrom drove Falchion into the man's chest, killing him instantly. The last two hooded figures reached into their robes to pull out their own weapons, but the prince cut them down before they could even draw them.
The lord stood over the bodies of his assailants strewn across his room; his breath was heavy, his heart was pounding against his chest, and his mind was racing.
What...the...HELL WAS THAT?! Who were those people?! How did they get in?! What did they want with me—?
His eyes went wide. "Lissa! Emm!"
He bolted out of his room, heading straight towards his sister's quarters, Falchion in hand. Suddenly Frederick came across him, taken aback by Chroms' appearance.
"Milord?! What are...is that blood?! What is—?!"
"We're under attack! Sound the alarm!" Chrom ordered dashing past his retainer.
Acting immediately Frederick pulled out the blowing horn strapped to his side and rushed to the nearest window. Opening it, he raised the horn to his lips and blew as hard as he could, sounding off through the castle and the compound below. Soon the grounds were filled with sounds of other horns being blown in response and knights swarming from the outside into the compound.
With the sound of horns blaring everywhere, Chrom reached the closest of his sister's chambers. Not stopping for a moment, he charged shoulder first, putting all his strength and weight behind his rush, and smashing through the wooden door into the room. Upon entering, he saw a group of hooded figures similar to those that had tried to jump him suddenly look at the commotion while carrying and unconscious person amongst them.
"LISSA!"
"Wha-Why is he here?! Stop him you fools!"
Roaring with pure fury, Chrom charged forward as the intruders all pulled out their own weapons, swords and axes. He swung forth and slashed two of them across the chest before they could defend themselves, only to sidestep an ax going straight for his shoulder; he responded by thrusting his blade straight into the assailant's head, killing him instantly. He was about to strike the last two intruders when suddenly he felt as if a vice was squeezing his throat. Coughing and wheezing, he dropped down to his knees and reached up to his neck to pry himself free, only to find nothing there.
"Kill him now you fool! While I have a hold on hi—GAAAH!"
The pressure around his neck disappeared instantly, and when Chrom looked up he saw one of the last two men pinned against the wall with a spear embedded in his chest. The last man standing, who had been holding on to the unconscious princess the entire time, dropped her and reached for his own weapon, only for a blade to swing down and cleave his head in two, his body crumpling to the floor as Frederick pulled back his blade.
"Lissa!" Chrom rushed to catch his sister before she hit the ground. After a quick inspection he saw that other than some scratches and tear on her nightgown, she was unharmed.
"Lissa?! Lissa wake up! Please wake up!" Chrom begged as he shook his sister.
"Nnnnngh." The princess' eyes fluttered open. "W-What?! Where…Chrom!"
The prince let out a sob of relief as he hugged his sister tightly, "thank the gods you're all right! What happened here?"
"I don know!" The princess began to tear up, "I-I just walked in to my room and suddenly these people grabbed me, a-and then everything went dark! I was s-so s-scared!"
"It's all right Lissa, it's all right. Everything's fine," her brother reassured her, "I would never let them hurt you."
"Chrom, Emm!"
The prince nodded as he got up, gripping Flachion tightly, "Frederick stay here and protect Lissa. We don't know how many more might be crawling around the castle."
"Yes sir."
With that Chrom bolted out of the room and made a mad dash towards Emmeryn's quarters.
Emm, please be safe. Please be safe!
With a loud roar he crashed through the door once more, ready to tear anyone who laid a hand on Emmeryn to shreds; but the room was completely empty.
"No….NO!"
He frantically looked around for any clues to where she could be or what had happened. That was when he noticed that her bookshelf had been pushed to the side and that in its place there was a passage way in the wall. Rushing to it, he saw that it was an entrance leading into a long winded tunnel extending far beyond his sight.
"EMM!"
His voice echoed through the cavern. He ran in, sword at the ready as he dashed straight ahead the pathway, not know and not caring where it was leading him. All he knew is that whomever had taken Emmeryn was at the end of the tunnel, and he had to reach them before it was too late. Eventually, he saw an opening in the distance, causing him to run even faster despite feeling like his lungs were on fire. He got closer, closer, and then…
He burst out into the night sky, the cold wind hitting him so hard that he started coughing. He looked around desperately and saw that he was outside the city walls, standing in one of the many back roads that lead to away from the city.
And Emmeryn was nowhere to be found.
"No…no, no, no, no!" Chrom scrambled around frantically, not even sure where to go. His eyes darted around desperately as he turned again and again for something, anything, that would help him find his sister, but to no avail.
"EMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"
"This is a disaster!"
The hierarch paced around the room frantically, wringing his hands over and over. He had been informed of the situation that had transpired a few hours ago by Frederick, who was standing silently in the briefing room with him.
"This is a disaster!" He repeated.
"Your excellency, please, you must remain calm."
"How can I remain calm?! How can YOU remain calm, sir Frederick?! Not only were the royal family attacked right under your watch, but they have taken the exalt! How could you possible let this happen?!"
Frederick looked pained, "I… I understand that this is on me, and I am in no way trying to excuse what has happened. I will forever live with this failure, and I will accept any punishment that I so rightfully deserve. But sir, these is something that you must know that sheds some light to the situation."
"And what would that be, Frederick?"
"Sir according to lord Chrom and lady Lissa the intruders appeared in their respected quarters through the secret passages that were built in to the royal chambers when the castle was constructed thousands of years ago; and everything indicates that Exalt Emmeryn was taken through that same passage. That would explain how they managed to sneak by all our defenses and directly to their targets."
"Yes, I am very well aware of what happened Frederick!"
"Sir, those passages are a castle secret. They were designed specifically to evacuate the members of the royal family in situations of crisis; and even then, they have decoy tunnels in order to trap any intruders who do manage to discover them. Only people who knew both their existence AND their layout would have been able to make their way through them in the timely manner the intruders did."
"Wait, then that means…"
Frederick nodded, "indeed. Whomever was behind this had intricate knowledge about the secret tunnels. This wasn't a spur of the moment attack; this plan has clearly been in the works for a long time."
"Are you suggesting that there's a traitor in our midst?"
"All evidence would point to it sir."
"No, that can not be. There has to be some other explanation. Some other way that they managed to give us the slip. What else do we know about the intruders?"
"Unfortunately we were unable to take any of them into custody. What we could gather from the ones killed were that they included armed fighters and at least one magic user. From what lady Lissa told us, it would appear that the magic user in question was tasked with subduing their target should they resist. I don't know why there wasn't one assigned to the group targeting Lord Chrom, but that oversight might have saved both him and Lady Lissa."
"Were you able to discern where the intruders where from?"
Frederick was silent.
The hierarch narrowed his eyes at him, "where were they from, Frederick?"
"It would appear that they were Plegian sir."
"I knew it! I KNEW IT! I told the exalt that her allowing Plegians to work with the royal family was a terrible idea! We extend an olive branch to these people, and this is the thanks we get?!" He shrieked while slamming his fists on the table, "I want every Plegian in this city rounded up and brought in for questioning, and I want it done before morning!"
"Sir please, calm down. We can't simply round up every Plegian in the city; doing so would make us no better than the previous exalt."
"Fine, then just bring in all of the Plegians that were working for the royal family! They must know something!"
"They will be brought in first thing in the morning sir, but it will be in accordance to the proper procedures; we are not bursting into their homes in the middle of the night and dragging them into the dungeons."
"Every minute that goes by is a minute that they could be getting away sir Frederick!"
"We have the city in lockdown and we have already dispatched soldiers to STAND BY their homes."
The hierarch gritted his teeth, "fine, at the very least it's better than nothing. But not a word to the public, you hear me, Frederick? Not. A. Word."
The knight nodded, "of course sir. I have ordered all the castle knights to not breathe a word of what has transpired until we have resolved the issues. If any of them do not comply, they will be stripped of their rank and charged with disobedience of the highest order."
"Good, good." The hierarch leaned on the desk and gripped it tightly, "we can't let the public know that Lady Emmeryn was kidnapped in the dead of night, and right under our noses. There be panic in the streets, possibly even riots. And the noble houses, good god the noble houses, they would have a field day with this. Gods know that many of them are salivating at the chance to take any power they can from the royal family. Why did this have to happen now of all times?!"
Frederick was about to reprimand the hierarch when there was a knock on the door. Opening it, they saw a soldier standing before them.
"Sirs, we have something to report! We were searching through the city and we found another a dead Plegian hidden amongst the city streets."
"Where?" Frederick asked.
"In an alley in the market sector, sir."
"That's not exactly close to the castle. What makes you think he was in any way involved with the infiltration tonight? He could have just been the victim of a mugging."
"We also found these with the body sir." The guard presented a set of clothes covered in blood.
"I would assume that his clothes would be bloody if he was killed in a mugging incident."
"There not his sirs, they were found with the body, separate of his own clothes. Not only that, but it would seem that these are noble garments from Ylisse."
"Wait, let me see those." The hierarch took the clothes from the guard and began inspecting them. "These clothes…I've seen them before!"
"What do you me—?"
"That boy from earlier! The one you brought in to meet the exalt!"
Realizing who the hierarch was referring to, Frederick turned to the guard, "the Plegian you found, did he have scars on his face?"
"No sir."
"And you only found the one body?"
"Yes sir."
The hierarch gripped the bloody clothes tightly, "that miserable piece of filth! I knew, I KNEW that he was up to no good the minute I saw him! And YOU!" He turned back to Frederick, "YOU brought him into our midst! He was probably casing the castle during his little visit and then passing on the information to his associates!"
"Sir, with all due respect, we don't know if Robin—"
"Oh don't give me that Frederick! It can't be a simple coincidence that the day that man was brought into the castle the exalt was kidnapped from her very own room; and correct me if I'm wrong, but did you not mention that you found him near a town that also happened to be under attack by plegian troops? Care to explain that?"
The knight didn't say anything.
The hierarch walked up to Frederick and pressed his finger against his chest plate, "as far as I'm concerned, sir Frederick, it is your failures that have resulted in this catastrophe. Right now, I have half a mind to strip you of your rank and have you dismissed from the Ylissean royal knights; that being said, given your years of dedication to the royal family, I am willing to give one last chance to set this right." With that he tossed the clothes to Frederick, who caught them instinctively, before making his way out of the room, "you know what to do."
"…yes sir."
Robin put on his coat as he stepped out of his room, closing the door behind him. He could already hear people moving around and chattering in the lower floors before he even made his way down the stairs. Despite being early in the morning, the inn was bustling with people getting ready for the day. Making his way towards the bar, he gestured to one of the innkeepers—a young woman with short brown hair—to come over.
"Good morning sir. Did you enjoy your stay?"
Robin smiled at her while pulling out some coins from his coat pocket. "Best sleep I had in a long time. Any chance I could reserve the same room for tonight?"
"As long as you have the coin, no problem."
"That's what I like to hear. On another note, you wouldn't know of any jobs available around these parts that are willing to hire anyone on the spot, would you?"
The woman reached under the bar and pulled out some parchment and a quill, hastily writing something down before giving it to the mercenary, "tell Anna Elle sent you. She's a bit tight in the purse but if you're looking for a job as soon as possible she's your best bet."
"Great. Now to get three for three, how about a table for two tonight so that we can get to know each other over some of your finest ?" Robin grinned.
"Your treat?"
"If I say yes, will you?"
She chuckled, "all right hot stuff. I get off my shift at around eight. Let's see if you know how to treat a lady."
"Haven't had any complaints yet." With a final wink Robin pocketed the paper and stepped out of the inn.
"DO NOT MOVE!"
Robin stopped dead in his tracks as he suddenly found himself surrounded by several armed guards pointing their weapons at him.
"Hands in the air! Any attempts to fight or escape and we will strike you down!" One of the guards ordered.
Robin slowly raised his hands in the air, knowing that anything else would only result in him dead. Suddenly, from the group of guards someone stepped forth and made their way towards him. Someone very familiar.
"Sir Frederick? What is ha—"
Frederick grabbed his hands and cuffed them, "you are hereby under arrest for conspiracy against the crown."
Author's note: I know it's been a while. Two years to be exact. Honestly I didn't even realize that much time had passed, but unfortunately other stuff got in the way. That being said, I dont want to abandon this story; it lives rent free in my head. So I'm back, for now. I can't promise a consistent schedule, but I can promise that I have no intention of dropping it, at least not for now.
That being said, I do have an announcement: I'm moving to AO3. This will be the last chapter I update here, and then everything else (as well as the first few chapters with some polish and changes to them) will go to AO3. So if you want to continue following the story, that's where it will be in the future.
As always leave any comments and critiques below and I'll see you next time.
