Robin closed her eyes, rubbing her temple with her hand. It was evening, the same day as the attempt on Emmeryn's life, and Robin had just sat through eight hours of war council. Gods, this is exhausting. Emmeryn, busy with other matters (and probably deserving of a day off), had not been in attendance today. This had left Robin and Chrom alone with a dozen of the Halidom's nobility. For all Chrom's virtues – courage, authenticity, kindness – he was not particularly skilled in debate or administrative matters, and as a prince he did not technically have authority over the gathered dukes. Frustrated by the hours of dithering and debate, he had left the meeting midway through – leaving Robin alone with the nobility.

Ylisse's nobles were a frustrating mix. Almost half of them were flatly hostile to Robin – the older dukes spoke in nostalgic terms about the days of the Great Crusade, how 'if Exalt Lucas were here those Plegian dogs would never have dared something like this', and generally made frequent allusions to Robin's Plegian heritage and how 'the spoiled youths' of the modern era would let their country crumble into ruins. Robin had expected to at least find allies in Arthur and Sumia's fathers, since the two Shepherds were her friends, but they had both been quite cold to her as well, spending most of the meeting talking in hushed tones amongst themselves. By the end of the day, Robin's only ally in the room had been (surprisingly) Maribelle's father, the Duke of Themis. Despite occupying a duchy on the border with Plegia, he was very open-minded towards Robin and had frequently agreed with her points throughout the day. Robin gathered that Themis must be one of the more powerful duchies, as none of the other dukes ever voiced open disagreement with Maribelle's father when he spoke in Robin's support.

The day's discussion had ended with the matter of Emmeryn's safety in the wake of the assassination attempt. Robin had argued profusely that the Exalt should stay in Ylisstol, centrally located in order to respond to any emerging crises, but she had been outvoted. The war council had voted to request that the Exalt go east, to her estate on the coast. Their stated reason was that the Exalt was a symbol of Ylisse, and her protection was their priority – Robin speculated, however, that they had another reason. With the Exalt far from the capital, the war council would have much greater autonomy managing the state's wartime affairs. Several of them were still arguing for a more offensive stance against Plegia, which Emmeryn had forbidden. Robin suspected that even more of them privately supported a more offensive policy, considering their overall hostility towards Plegia.

These thoughts were what had Robin concerned as she sat at the head seat of the war council's meeting room. Having resolved the day's matters, the dukes and other nobles had departed swiftly, leaving Robin alone in the large, finely ornamented room. Once Emmeryn leaves Ylisstol, who knows what these nobles will do? They might just decide to do what they want, and they'll be able to say that it was a decision made during a state of crisis. Things in Ylisse are worse than I thought – practically every gods-damn noble here either thinks they know what's best for the Halidom or is working towards some private end. The Plegians haven't even crossed the border and we're already in total chaos. And that's not even mentioning the hierarch.

Hierarch Cain had been a thorn in Robin's side since she had first been seated on the war council. He was the ceremonial leader of the Ylissean church, but Robin could not imagine someone less priestly. Tall, grizzled, and armored at all times, he had apparently risen through the ranks of the church due to his 'crusading fervor'. He had been instrumental in organizing the Great Crusade. As hierarch he controlled a significant chunk of Ylissean land – the churchlands, an autonomous fief dedicated to sustaining the church of Ylisse economically. Hierarch Cain hated Plegia, often referring to Plegians as 'desert rats', and he had shown similar hatred, if veiled, towards Robin. During their meeting at the border pass, he had questioned Robin's loyalty and been shut down by Emmeryn, after which he had stormed out of the strategy meeting. He had not attended any war council meetings since, only sending one of his clerics to take notes on the proceedings, along with the message that he had 'more pressing matters to attend to'. The war council had plenty of schemers, but the hierarch was different. One look at him and Robin had known that the man was dangerous – not only was he powerful, he was hateful. That made him irrational, and irrational people were dangerous because their actions could not be predicted. In fact, Robin thought the situation was somewhat analogous to fighting Risen. Risen fought irrationally, without a sense of self-preservation – it made them more dangerous, because they would take potentially self-destructive actions to see their enemy destroyed. Robin mentally reminded herself to move carefully where the hierarch was concerned.

One assassin had survived the assassination – a man named Gaius, who claimed he had been told the mission was to rob the royal treasury. Hierarch Cain had apparently been calling for the man's execution all day – something about "not allowing sinners to go unpunished" and "purging the festering corruption upon the Halidom". Apparently Emmeryn had responded to this call by pardoning Gaius and – shockingly – admitting him to the Shepherds. All in all, the situation had Robin nervous. Exalt Emmeryn was a pious woman, the very spirit of mercy. She should have been great friends with the church, but their militant attitude was making things difficult. Now her mercy had placed herself directly at odds with the church twice in a matter of days. This war would be difficult enough if the Plegians were our only enemies, but I'm worried we have enemies within the capital as well. The optimal move for Ylisse would be for me to stay here and try to manage their scheming, but…

The trouble was that Robin didn't want to stay in the capital. It would mean parting from the Shepherds, the only people on the planet she was really attached to. And it would mean leaving Arthur. Gods. Robin hated the idea of being a damsel in distress. She hated the idea of having to seek comfort from others, of being dependent on others. Thinking about it made her feel… powerless. She loved the power that she had over Arthur, knowing that she could make his heart beat faster with a look, knowing that he wanted her – it made her feel strong, valuable, desirable. She liked the feeling. But when he had told her that morning that he was worried about her and hugged her… it had felt… different. It wasn't desire, it was just… care. And it scared Robin, because she didn't understand it. What about me is he interested in? Is it my looks? My brain? My exoticness? My mystery? What am I to him? I thought I understood what he wanted… now I have no idea. It's a little suspicious, really. Could he have known me before I had amnesia? Maybe that's why he cares about me. Or maybe he just… y'know… feels how people in books feel. You know, Robin… love? No. Absolutely impossible. We've only known each other for three weeks. He shouldn't love me yet. It doesn't happen that quickly. Maybe he's convinced himself he loves me, but he doesn't know me well enough for that.

But what if he does?

No, Robin. He doesn't love you. He doesn't even know you, because there is one very important thing you've been keeping from him. Your dreams – when are you going to tell Arthur who really destroys Ylisstol? When are you going to tell him who really kills Chrom? Are you worried he'll think you're a monster? Or are you worried that you really are a monster, and he won't believe you?

Robin rubbed her temple harder. Even though her thoughts towards Arthur were complicated… she wanted to be with him. For some reason she enjoyed his presence, although she struggled to explain why. In truth, Robin's emotions were the one thing in life she found frustratingly difficult to control. Robin hated the idea that she needed someone else to feel safe, but that was the only way she could describe her feelings towards Arthur. He made her feel safe. She didn't want to need someone else for that – it scared her, honestly, because if her source of safety was external then it could leave her. Robin liked guarantees – she liked control. And Arthur made her feel… complicated. Safe, but precariously so, like she was swaddled in a blanket but hanging over a cliff, waiting for the fall which would rip the blanket away.

We're at war, Robin. Not the time for boy troubles. Robin rose from the table, brushing herself off as though to brush away her thoughts. She had made up her mind. She would leave the city with the rest of the Shepherds, escorting Emmeryn to her eastern palace.

The deer's body was in the middle of the road, several arrows sticking out of its side. Flies buzzed in a pulsating cloud around its corpse.

Robin and the Shepherds had been traveling east-northeast from Ylisstol since that morning, escorting Emmeryn on her journey along with Phila and several royal pegasus knights. Their party was now in one of the more precarious segments of the journey – Breakneck Pass. Here the road was narrow, carved into the side of a mountain, sheer cliff rising to the road's north and falling to the road's south. Seeing the deer's body, the Shepherds had paused on the road for a moment, confused.

"It must have gotten away from whatever hunter shot it," said Chrom. "Or maybe whoever was hunting it dragged it here and will be coming back. It's no concern of ours. We should move on."

"Exalt Emmeryn!" came a voice from along the road behind them. A man came into view, limping and clutching a red stain at his shoulder. He wore a long cape with the Brand of Naga on it. Blood stained the cape's edge. The man stumbled wildly into the gathered Shepherds, panting, eyes panicked. "I have a message for Exalt Emmeryn! Make way!" He pushed his way into the group of Shepherds towards Emmeryn. As he came closer, Robin recognized the man – Hierarch Cain.

A message? Delivered by the hierarch? Hierarch Cain had been in the capital when they left. If he was here now, he must have left after them in haste – this was no chance encounter. Robin's mind spun. Could Ylisstol have fallen? No, no way – a city like that doesn't fall in a day, and no force large enough to take Ylisstol could go unnoticed. Could there have been another assassination? Maybe, but why would the hierarch come himself to tell us? Unless he has a plan of his own.

What could he be planning? A meeting on the road, while Emmeryn is protected by a small party – there's only one plan that would make any sense. An ambush. The deer's body to make us pause here. And if he's showing his face it means he doesn't plan to leave any survivors. But where are the ambushers? The road was carved into a sheer mountainside. There was nowhere to hide an ambush party. Unless… Robin looked closely at the cliff edge, inspecting it rapidly. As she did, her eyes fell upon just the thing she had been fearing. A metal stake, driven into the ground, disguised among the rocks. A rope, dyed gray, was wrapped around the stake. The rope was taut, and its end disappeared over the edge of the cliff. Alarm bells went off in Robin's head and she turned back to the hierarch, who was moments away from Emmeryn.

"Wait!" Robin shouted. The hierarch's eyes flickered to hers, no longer panicked – rather, they were frighteningly calculating. One moment of eye contact and they both knew what was happening.

The hierarch was no fool – recognizing that he had been exposed, he lunged out, slashing at the nearest person and catching him a deadly blow to the neck. The nearest person – Vaike. Robin's brain reeled as though struck. The moment froze, and then shattered. Vaike put his hand at his throat, looking down, eyes widening in disbelief. He went to vocalize and choked, blood sputtering out of his mouth and against his hand, which reddened rapidly as blood began to slip past it from the wound. Vaike stumbled a few steps forward, paused, fell to his knees, and then collapsed face down, blood-still leaking out onto the gray stone. Dead.

The hierarch had made his way out of the Shepherds while they had watched, shocked. He ran to the cliff edge, where lightly armored men were pulling themselves up from where they had hung. Apparently the stake Robin had seen was one of many – twenty fighters had pulled themselves up onto the cliff. The ropes were still taut – more fighters must be hanging below. The Shepherds were sixteen – fifteen, without Vaike. Two did not fight. Frederick, Stahl, and Sully were ahead, scouting the road in front of the main party. Sumia and all of Emmeryn's pegasus knights but Phila were behind, making sure they weren't followed. Apparently both had failed – their absence meant that Robin had nine fighters, ten including Phila. Against more than twenty.

Fear gripped Robin – the fear of death – the fear of the animal. Something was coming for her, something deadly, and within the animal part of her soul she could feel a scream to run, to put everything behind her, turn her back from the situation, and sprint. But she resisted it. These were her friends. The only people, really, that she knew. The people who had essentially been around her at birth – what do we call that group? Family. This is my family. I can't run unless we all run. Lissa was on her knees, hopelessly trying to heal Vaike's wound. The others were all looking at Robin – for guidance. Her family was putting their lives in her hands. She had already let Vaike die.

"Charge them! Now!" Robin shouted. The situation required decisive action – the longer they waited, the more enemies there would be. "Focus on cutting the ropes!"

Virion reacted first. Robin had played chess with him – the man was smart. He saw her line of reasoning and reacted – taking aim not at the enemies, but at the ropes they were climbing. The man was truly a masterful shot. Even with the ropes dyed gray to camouflage against the stone, Virion's first shot snapped one. The Shepherds couldn't see the ambushers fall – they could only hear the screams. The other Shepherds charged, but Robin was busy calculating. Multiple screams meant each rope likely held three or more men, making the ambush force likely more than sixty total.

Even outnumbered, the Shepherds were a fearsome force, and the enemy was only partially deployed. Panne hit the ambushers like a cannon-ball, a thousand pounds of muscle. Chrom was in a rage, the brand on his shoulder glowing bright-white as he tore through the enemy with sickening strength. Lon'qu followed in his wake, sword felling enemies in a flash. Miriel's blasts of fire burnt the enemy to a crisp – Ricken slashed their ropes with razor sharp blades of wind. Somehow Gaius had slipped past the enemy and already severed two of their ropes. Robin idly sent a blast of lightning at an approaching enemy, but the majority of her effort was directed towards monitoring the battle. Is that everyone? Of course not – where is Arthur?

There. Her eye caught on a duel being waged at the edge of the cliff – Arthur against Hierarch Cane. Arthur's sword, as usual, was a blur. Still, Cain's body was heavily armored. Even when Arthur struck him, it did no damage. Robin's breath caught in her throat as Cain took a swing at Arthur, who narrowly dodged. In her mind's eye she saw Vaike – alive one moment, dead the next. I won't let Arthur die. Robin summoned the magical energies, sending a bolt of furious lightning streaking at the hierarch. It hit him in the back, and Arthur's eyes flickered towards Robin, grateful. Then suddenly fearful. Then, in an instant, Arthur disappeared.

What–

A fighter was standing behind Robin, sword pulled back – about to deliver a killing blow. Arthur saw it, and then it was all Arthur could see.

Arthur's chest tightened, eyes widened. Robin. There was a burning sensation on his palm – and suddenly the world stood still.

Time often seemed to slow for Arthur in moments of pressure. At the pass, for instance, when the Plegians had been about to charge – time had seemed to slow. He had asked Miriel about it – she said something about "hormones" and "adrenaline". It hadn't made much sense to Arthur.

This, however, was different. The world was at a literal standstill, frozen around him. Everything except Arthur.

Arthur looked down at his palm, where he had just felt a burning sensation. The brand on his hand was lit, softly radiating a blue light. When he looked up, he was no longer the only person unfrozen. A figure stood in front of him – long, spiky ears, grey-blue hair past their shoulders, a spiked platinum crown upon their head, a serene expression upon their androgynous face. Dialga.

It has been too long, child.

"Dialga?" said Arthur. "What the hell is going on here? Is this another dream?"

Unfortunately not. Come.

Dialga began walking away, winding his way through the frozen figures. Arthur's blood was still pumping intensely – his brain was still in battle mode. "Wait!" he said, jogging to catch up with the dragon. "Robin is about to die!"

I know. Why do you think time is paused?

"What?" said Arthur, confused. "You paused time to save Robin?"

Me? I did nothing of the sort. You paused time. Now come here.

Dialga stood next to the frozen body of Chrom. The prince had been in the middle of a vicious stab. Both of his hands clasped the handle of Falchion as he lunged forward – his brand shone white and bright on his shoulder.

Tell me, child. Why is his brand shining?

"Um…" said Arthur. "I don't know. This is only the second time mine has lit up, although I remember Emmeryn's did during the assassination."

His brand is shining because he is drawing upon his blood-power. You have studied the arcane, yes?

Arthur nodded. "Robin explained a bit to me."

When you cast a spell, you draw from the energies of the dragons, the energies that innervate the world. When you cast a fire spell, you draw the energy of the Fire Dragon. Using a spell, however, you can only draw a small amount, and you must guide this energy carefully, often assisted by words of the draconic language. A brand draws from the same energy, but much more powerfully. If you imagine the energies of creation as a river, spell-casting is like filling a bucket and pouring it out – a brand is like an aqueduct, an artificial channel through which the energy can flow continuously. The brand is a piece of dragon-flesh, an opening in your skin through which you can draw the pure power of the dragon that sponsors the brand. Naga is the Light Dragon, the Dawn Dragon. When Chrom's brand shines, he is unconsciously, physiologically drawing upon the light-energy of the Universe, using it unconsciously to put courage in his soul and power behind his sword-strokes. Your brand is just the same, except the flesh is mine – the element of the universe that it allows you to manipulate is time. You have already done this unconsciously – your unnaturally quick reflexes, for instance, are a result of your unconscious warping of time.

"Oh," said Arthur, trying to absorb the rapid flow of new information. "But wait… why have I never done this before? What about…" Arthur choked for a moment, looking over at the motionless body of Vaike. Lissa was still leaning over him, but he had clearly lost too much blood. Trickles of the red fluid were frozen on the stone ground. "What about Vaike? If I could freeze time, why didn't I freeze it to save him?"

You are young, child. You have only ever wielded your powers unconsciously. Dragons, we are… passionate, protective creatures. Especially towards those we love. This is your first lesson. Even with powers like these… we cannot save everyone. Vaike's death was fated. And this is only the beginning of the death. To wield power like yours is to take the life and death of others into your own hands. Now comes your first choice.

"Choice?"

Yes. You cannot affect the world while time is paused. Nothing but you and those items attached to you when time paused can move. All else is frozen solid.

To illustrate their point, Dialga flicked one of the ambushers in the forehead – their fingernail rang like steel against the man's frozen flesh.

Your choice is this – where will you be when you unpause time? You can block the killing stroke against your tactician if you unpause time next to her. She will die without your intervention, and yet… so will others.

Dialga walked to the ledge, where Gaius was frozen in a kneeling position, having just cut one of the gray ropes. Dialga peered over the edge, and gestured for Arthur to do the same. Two people hung from the rope, a man and a woman, dressed in the light armor of the ambushers. Closer to the top was the young man, looking up, face frozen in shock as he realized that the rope suspending them had been cut. Arthur looked past the frozen ambushers, about to be in free fall – the ground was hundreds of feet below.

They call this the Breakneck Pass. Neither of them will survive the fall. Neither is much older than you – they are young adults, levied by the hierarch from the territories of the church. Like you, they are soldiers, innocent in that they fight for a cause beyond their control. If you unpause time here, you could grab the rope and save them.

"Why the hell are you doing this to me?" asked Arthur, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why did you even tell me about them? I could have just saved Robin! If I hadn't known about them, I wouldn't feel any guilt!"

There are infinite options, child, each as guilt-inducing as the last. The hierarch, for instance. He will escape if you do not kill him, and then he will rebel. The rebellion will kill thousands. You could unpause time behind him, in a position to strike him down, and save those thousands. You could walk to Plegia while time is paused and unpause to stab Gangrel in the heart – you might save millions. Guilt? Such is the curse of knowledge. The more you know, the more inadequate you know yourself to be. Would it be better to be blind? If the situation strikes you as cruel, then consider – without this power, your situation would be even worse. You must choose. Take all the time that you need.

With that, Dialga was gone, leaving Arthur alone at the edge of the cliff, the world frozen around him.

I must choose. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. Okay, Arthur, it's thinking time. Dialga was right – I could walk to Plegia and kill Gangrel. That might end the war. Can I though? Won't I die of dehydration first? Can I even find water to drink? Do I even need to drink while time is frozen? Do I still get thirsty and hungry? Do I still get tired? Do I still age? Fuck, Arthur. Focus. Choices. Gangrel isn't an option. I don't know how to turn this power off, and he's more than a day away. What if I go to sleep and time is unfrozen when I wake up? Then I'll have accomplished nothing, and Robin will be dead.

Arthur walked over to Robin, standing in front of her and considering her frozen face. She was looking at the hierarch – no, she was looking at where Arthur had been. Her mouth was slightly open, and there was fear in her hazel eyes. A strand of her white hair had fallen in front of her eyes. He reached out to brush it away and found the strand of hair was hard as steel and completely immovable. Arthur let his hand drop. I can't let her die.

Arthur circled around Robin, to the ambusher that stood behind her. The ambusher was a man, middle-aged. He held a wickedly sharp sword in his hand, and his legs were tensed to push himself forward and drive the blade through Robin's back. Still, his eyes were not cruel – they were desperate, fearful. Just like everyone else here, this man was fighting for his life. Is Robin's life more valuable than his?

Arthur walked to the ledge, looking at the two ambushers who would fall when time unpaused. There was fear in their eyes. When time unpaused, they would fall, and their bodies would shatter upon the ground below. Is Robin's life more valuable than theirs?

Arthur walked to look at the frozen hierarch. He was reeling, eyes pained as he recovered from the bolt of Robin's lightning that had hit him in the back. The back of his neck was exposed – Arthur could kill him in a moment if he unpaused time here. He tried to kill the Exalt. He has no choice but to start a rebellion if he gets away. Dialga was right. A rebellion could kill thousands, not to mention how it would affect the Plegian invasion. Is Robin's life more valuable than the people of Ylisse?

Now Arthur walked to Vaike. Vaike's corpse. Vaike, the man who never wore a shirt, the man who had pulled himself out of the Ylissean slums, who had picked up an axe and joined the Shepherds to defend the powerless. The man who was always smiling. He had died in a moment – Arthur hadn't even known him well, but it had shocked him. Now Arthur imagined Robin in the same situation, feeling the pain of a sword in her back, looking down, realizing in horror that she would die. Dying. Dead. Gone. And suddenly Arthur knew what he had to choose.

I have to save Robin. I know it's wrong. I know it's selfish. I don't care. Dialga was right. I can't save everyone. I know that I should value the lives of thousands over Robin… but… those people don't have a face to me. Let the people who love them look after them. I have to look after my own. Plus, who knows how many lives Robin will save? She's brilliant – she'll help save the Halidom, and she'll help me save the world. I need her.

Arthur stood behind Robin, holding Rust above and perpendicular to the ambusher's sword, and prepared himself for an intercepting downward stroke. Okay – how do I unpause time? As Arthur asked himself the question, he realized that – something – was clenched in his palm. It felt a little bit like the sensation of magic, like a tingle leading to an unexplored area of his brain. He wouldn't have been able to describe it if asked – it would be like explaining how to clench a fist to someone without hands. He readied himself, then unclenched the sensation.

–the fuck?

Suddenly the ring of steel on steel came from behind Robin's ear, right behind her. She whirled, ready to fight, and registered something that made no sense. Arthur was behind her now, and as she looked he slashed an ambusher across the chest with his sword.

"Arthur?" she asked, mind spinning. "How–"

"Hierarch!" he said, gesticulating wildly towards Hierarch Cane, who had picked himself up and was running away from the battle down the path. Several warriors, wearing capes emblazoned with the Brand of Naga, were reining in their horses along the road in that direction. One held the reins of a horse with an empty saddle. Hierarch Cane swung into the saddle and pulled the reins viciously back in the direction of Ylisstol. Arthur shot a ball of fire at him – the hierarch ducked to the side and it sailed harmlessly over his shoulder Casting a parting glance as his horse turned, he kicked his heels into the horses' side and led the mounted party away, back in the direction from which he had arrived.

What the fuck just happened? "Arthur, what the–"

"After, okay?" he said. After the battle. Robin nodded, agreeing with his decision. The battle was still ongoing, but the departure of the hierarch had dealt a blow to his troop's morale. Seeing so many of their compatriots plummet to their death probably also had an intimidating effect. After a few more seconds, the warriors still on the ropes cried surrender – the ones above on the road, hearing that their backup had surrendered, threw down their own swords.

"Stay on the ropes!" shouted Robin to the ambushers below. "You climb up when we tell you, or you die! Understand?" Some of those on the ropes had the courage to nod.

Under the watchful eye of Panne, the ambushers on the road allowed themselves to be tied up. Once they were restrained, the ambushers still on the ropes were instructed to ascend one-by-one to be restrained themselves. When the process was done, their party of thirteen had taken thirty prisoners. Frederick, Stahl, and Sully had returned to check in with the party. Sumia had as well. Chrom pulled them aside and explained… about Vaike. His body was wrapped in cloth and loaded carefully into the convoy cart.

Phila pulled Robin aside while the other Shepherds were taking a moment for Vaike.

"Emmeryn is going back to Ylisstol," said Phila.

"What?" said Robin. "Cain went back that way! It's not safe!"

"Robin, the Plegians have broken past the mountain pass."

"What? When did you hear?"

"The pegasus knights in our rear guard were flagged down by pegasus knights from the border," said Phila somberly. "My protege, Cordelia, brought the message. The border fortress fell last night. The Plegian army is already in Ylisse, and if Cain arranged this ambush then an army from the churchlands has probably been raised independent from our own. The point is, Emmeryn can no longer afford to be at the eastern palace."

"And you're telling me why?" asked Robin.

"Because we need you and the Shepherds to go north and convince the Feroxi to help," said Phila. "We'd be hard-pressed to defeat the Plegian army even without this infighting. We can't win this war alone, and the only people Emmeryn trusts right now are Chrom and Lissa. Get them to Regna Ferox. If Emmeryn falls, Chrom is Exalt. I've known Chrom since he was a boy. He's brave and kind and well-intentioned, but he's not quite gifted in strategy. He'll need you at his side."

"I understand," said Robin, solemn. She clasped Phila on the shoulder – Robin hadn't known the pegasus knight long, but she was fond of Phila's straightforward personality. "Try not to let it come to that, alright?"

Phila smiled. "You do your job, I'll do mine. If all goes as planned, we'll meet again when the Ylissean and Feroxi armies come together."

Robin nodded, and Phila turned to begin preparations for Emmeryn's departure. Looking past Phila, Robin saw that Emmeryn and Chrom were having a private discussion of their own. Emmeryn passed Chrom something – it looked like some sort of golden shield – and then hugged him. Releasing him after a few seconds, the Exalt exchanged a few more words with Chrom before making her way towards Phila and her other pegasus knights.

Chrom made his way back towards the Shepherds, stowing the golden shield in his pack. Robin joined the assembling group.

"Shepherds!" said Chrom. "Emmeryn is heading back to Ylisstol. We're heading north, to Ferox. We'll get the Feroxi's help, then come back down here and make the hierarch and the Plegians pay."

Normally the Shepherds were a rowdy group – not right now. No one made any verbal response to this news. Their faces were set with determination.

The clatter of hooves on stone reached the Shepherds' ears as Phila and Emmeryn's other pegasus knights kicked off the stone road. Emmeryn was mounted behind Phila. She looked back at the Shepherds for a moment. Chrom turned and waved as the pegasus knights rapidly receded to the West. Then he turned back to the Shepherds, clenching his jaw.

"Time to move out." he said, grim. The Shepherds nodded their assent and busied themselves preparing to depart. Robin pulled Chrom aside as the Shepherds split into their individual tasks.

"What are we going to do with the prisoners?" she asked him.

"I don't know," said Chrom. "We can't take them, and we can't leave anyone behind to take care of them. I don't want to just let them go, but I also don't fancy a mass execution."

Robin contemplated silently. "Okay. We can at least throw their weapons over the cliff before we go." She looked over at the prisoners' fearful faces. "I'd wager after this fight, most of them aren't desperate to get back into the fighting."

Chrom nodded. "Do as you will."

Robin gathered a few Shepherds and threw the ambushers' weapons off the edge of the cliff. Then she loosened one of their bonds – a young man. "Listen, and don't talk," she said to him. "I just loosened your bonds. You're going to wait twelve hours, then free yourself, untie the others, and go back to wherever you came from. Understand?"

The young man nodded emphatically, fear shining in his eyes. "Good," said Robin, tousling the prisoner's hair. Then she leaned down, making eye contact with the young man and doing her best to adopt an intimidating expression. "If you rejoin this war, you'll be fighting me again," she said, voice hard. "And next time I won't be so merciful. You can ask your friends at the bottom of the canyon what it means to be my enemy." The young man gulped. Robin turned and left him. I think I got the message across.

The other Shepherds were ready to depart. With a word from Chrom they began moving, continuing east along the road. They would soon reach a fork in the road which would take them north, in the direction of Ferox. Robin made her way through the party to walk next to Arthur.

"So," she said. "Is it time to explain?"

Arthur sighed, uncharacteristically gloomy. "When we settle for the night," he said. He looked sad. Robin felt an urge to reach out and comfort him, but remembered that they were keeping their relationship a secret – for the sake of their social reputations. Who cares? I could be dead tomorrow.

Robin reached out and took Arthur's hand as they walked. Maybe the other Shepherds would see – Robin didn't care. As she took his hand she saw Arthur's eyes flicker down to the hand, then to something behind them. Someone behind them, someone leading a pegasus and carefully avoiding looking at their hands – Sumia. An unfamiliar sensation bloomed in Robin's heart. She had never felt it before, but she could deduce the feeling's name by context.

Jealousy.

(Author's Note: Ohhhh yeah, we're finally getting into time hijinks. I'm so fucking hyped. Sorry to any Vaike fans lol.

Also, you may have noticed that this chapter differs significantly from the game plot. I never really like the plot of Breakneck Pass. Like, how did all those Plegians even get there? They were there more quickly than the pegasus knights, and more than half of them aren't even on wyverns. How did they get so far into eastern Ylisse before anyone knew about an invasion? But one thing I did like about the plot is the hierarch betrayal, so I took the idea of a betrayal by a religious figure but made an actually menacing enemy instead of the whole weird traitor/coward thing in the original plot. Don't worry, Hierarch Cain is not going to be a main villain or anything, but I do think it's important to have an enemy representing the extremism within Ylisse. I love FE13, but one thing that bothered me is how they talk about Chrom's father crusading against Plegia and then pretty much proceed to treat Ylisse like they're unquestionably the good guys. And then the hierarch, who I assume is sort of a pope-like figure, just betrays the country of his god for a country that worships the opposite god. It doesn't make any sense, and then they just kill him off instead of explaining. Instead, we now have Hierarch Cain – an extremist blinded by his fervent belief in the supremacy of his faith and the evil of the other. He is so vehemently committed to destroying the 'enemy religion' that he turns violent against members of his own faith he views as too soft – and don't tell me this is unrealistic, because it's literally what happened in real life with ISIS, not to mention dozens of other extremist groups.

I realize the plot seems a little messy right now, but that is part of the story design. This is the choice Dialga gives Arthur, and it's really the choice all moral human beings face – many crises are unfolding, where do you commit your effort? As I write, as you read, we expend effort that could have been dedicated to helping others – is that wrong? How stringent are our obligations? How much are we obligated to sacrifice for the greater good? Arthur makes his choice here, to value himself and the people he loves over the greater good. It won't be the last time he faces such a choice.

Song: Tear in My Heart - twenty one pilots)