Hello, uh, I don't really have much to say at the start of this, except that I'm not going to be following canon very strictly here, so, uh, yeah, accept that now or turn back.
Oh, and, this is Fire Emblem, so there's going to be like, at least 10 different ships, the only question is who gets with who, as of writing this, I have only one decided upon.
Fourth Kingdom
Prologue: War Council
Robin glared at the map in front of him, willing the parchment to change in some capacity, to magically alter and reveal some unseen avenue of victory. Instead, the detailed paper stayed as it was, detailing the same conclusion that it had for the past 2 weeks.
The war with Plegia was at best a stalemate, at worst they were slowly losing ground. The border still held, Philia and her Pegasi Knights had resisted every attempt by the Plegians to break through the direct border shared by the realms, but each defense was costing them more and more, what was once a company of 50 Knights had been reduced to 30, then 20, and now a mere 10 held the line against Ylisse's western enemy.
The northern border, the one shared between Plegia and Regna Ferox, was little better. Initially making steady progress under the Warrior-Khan Flavia, the unfamiliar terrain and extreme temperature difference had slowed their advance to a stall, and eventually, the Plegians had pushed them back, themselves having advanced a small bit into Regna Ferox itself.
The light from the sole remaining candle, a testament to how long Robin had been pouring over the map detailing enemy and ally positions and territorial gains and losses, flickered, causing a brief instance where the world was bathed in a sea of moonlight. Peering over his shoulder, Robin met the source of the disturbance, an opened door. Blue eyes meeting his brown ones, Robin smiled a bit at the sight of his friend, Prince Chrom of Ylisse.
"The sun set hours ago, everyone but the guards are asleep, yet here you, eyes still glued to that map like our lives depend on it'' Robin bit down a remark about glass houses, considering that Chrom himself was still awake, and judging by how lively he appeared, had been so for some time. Instead, he sighed and said something else, "Our lives do depend on it, Chrom. We're at war, the sooner I figure out a winning strategy, the sooner the war ends and with fewer casualties on both sides."
The heir to Ylisse walked to the table and peered at the leather parchment, although it was obvious that the markings and figures meant nothing to the Prince, who was a fighter more than anything, there was a reason that tactics were left to Robin.
"You'll come up with something, you always do, and I may not be a strategist of your level…or any level really" Chrom chuckled at his own joke, "But even I know that running yourself ragged like this isn't going to help. You need sleep."
Robin glared at his blue-haired friend, and stifled a yawn, inadvertently proving Chrom's point. "I should say the same about you, you look like you've been awake since the sun rose." It was true, Chrom's eyes were ragged and his normally vibrant eyes had been dulled from weariness, and he carried himself with a weight and slowness that betrayed his lack of energy.
Of course, it would be very hypocritical to say that those didn't apply to himself as well, Robin hadn't seen himself, but he was certain that the same bags on Chrom's eyes were on his as well, and he had indeed noticed the dulling of his own movements and how it had taken him longer and longer to formulate coherent thoughts.
"I'll get sleep later, once I figure out how to break this deadlock, once I can end this w-" His words were interrupted as Chrom simply walked up to him, a pace no greater than a casual stroll, and slapped him across the face. The stinging pain made him reel for a bit as he stared, uncomprehending. "What the hell was that?!"
"That" Chrom started, a look of disappointment on his face, "Was proof. If you can't stop or dodge something as simple as that, then you need to sleep. What if that wasn't me? What if an assassin had managed to get in here?" Robin opened his mouth, trying to rebuke, but Chrom silenced him with a glare, "Gangrel knows that you're the reason for our victories, I wouldn't be surprised if, along with me and Emmeryn, you're at the top of his 'to stab' list."
The white-haired tactician smiled a bit, "Do you think he has an actual list?" The idea of Mad King Gangrel having a detailed list of people to kill, each with their own priority, was for some reason very amusing.
Chrom laughed a small bit, "I wouldn't be surprised. You think he had paintings of us, and that he spends his days throwing knives at them?" They both laughed, it was such a cliche thing to do, and one perfectly suited for the Plegian King's temperament. The laughter permeated the air and lifted the tension that had been filling it earlier.
"Thanks, Chrom, I needed that." Robin stretched as he let a yawn escape him, now that he was no longer fixated entirely on the ongoing war, he was free to notice just how tired he was. His arms felt like lead, his eyes had anvils on them, and had his head always been pounding like that?
"Besides, we can't have you looking like you're about to fall over at any moment, Emmeryn's calling a war council tomorrow. Everyone's going to be there, the Shepherds, Flavia, Philia, even Bastilo."
Robin's eyes narrowed, "The West-Khan? What's his stake in this?" Chrom gave him a look, one of bewilderment, "Robin…Bastilo's been aiding us ever since Regna Ferox joined the war, even if he's not the current ruler of the realm, he doesn't want Plegia dominating the continent anymore than Flavia does. Are you so sleep-deprived that you have forgotten that basic fact?"
Robin blinked a couple of times as an involuntary blush made its way up to his face, he had forgotten that. "I…uh, yes, yes I did. I've been busy with war plans and such…I don't know what I was thinking." That was a lie. What he was thinking was that Gangrel had managed to react to Ylisse's attacks with such speed and precision that it was almost impossible that he wasn't receiving inside information. With the lack of an obvious traitor to pin the blame on, Robin had, perhaps subconsciously, begun to look for one within the ranks of their allies. Bastilo was not a man he knew well (Although, truthfully, he knew all of them very little), and not having the benefit of fighting alongside him, he seemingly had categorized the man as a power-hungry villain who would do anything to regain his throne.
"Forgive me, I'm not exactly in the best state of mind" Robin chuckled a bit at the understatement, "Perhaps it's not best we mention that little moment to the Khan tomorrow." Sharing a laugh with Chrom that quickly turned to a yawn, Robin began the arduous task of storing the map and the various books and writing utensils he had lying around, as well as safely storing the candle and wax that had been used to light it up. Finishing his work, he staggered like a zombie to his room and collapsed onto his bed, sleep taking him instantly.
He dreamt that night.
He dreamt most nights, often harmless, if nonsensical, dreams like anyone else.
Sometimes he relieved the vision.
That damned vision, that blasted precognition that somehow served as the first true thing he remembered, and yet it simply couldn't be.
It was like a memory, he could feel the crackling energy build in the palm of his hand as he hurled balls of electricity at the shadow-veiled sorcerer that he and Chrom fought. He could hear the sound of metal meeting magic as Falchion clashed with the dark tendrils that wrapped the cloaked villain in darkness. He could feel the elation brought forth by the man's defeat…and the pain, rage, and nauseousness that came afterward.
He could feel the static buildup of energy, could feel the energy take shape in his hand, could feel how it formed a bolt, could feel the way it sunk into Chrom's chest.
He could hear the pain and shock in his friend's voice, could hear his last words, pleading with him to not feel at fault. He could hear the demonic laughter that built slowly in his mind, laughter that soon overwhelmed him.
It was all too lifelike, too real to be a dream. But Chrom hadn't known him when he had pulled him up from that patch in the grass, his eyes showed nothing but ignorance and friendliness. It was not the face one made when looking at their murderer.
It was something that had haunted him, something he never dared speak about, not until he understood it, not until he knew what it was. If it was a premonition, then it had to be averted, he can not, will not allow himself to betray his friend in any capacity.
Tonight he did not dream of any wild, nonsensical spectacle. He did not dream of his vision, or of the coming war. Tonight he dreamt of something new.
A bleak castle, a fortress of despair, hallowed white stones decorated with encroaching black vines. A pool of a festering black liquid stretched as far as the eye could see, engulfing everything. The castle floated on top of it, somehow buoyant on the black sea. Nightmarish creatures roamed the tops of the castle, the sea, and everywhere else. Horrors that no God would create, fusions of bone and flesh, piercing red eyes breaking the monochrome picture of black and white.
"Someone new is here" A whispering voice came from all directions, a feminine, quiet voice, one that reeked of malice and hatred. "Are you here willing, child, or have you fallen from your path?" The voice engulfed him, drowning everything out.
"No….you are something else." It was like a knife, quiet and deadly, the tone spoke pleasantly, but the hint of otherworldly evil permeated it. "You…" A quiet crackle broke out, a burst of surprised laughter. "You have outdone yourself, he is…perfect." The last sentence was not directed at him, but something…someone else.
There was a snap like thunder, and suddenly two giant red eyes were staring at him, into him. A woman's laugh could be heard, and it was swiftly joined by other, tortuous noises. Everywhere around him he heard the sound of howling winds, shrieking beasts, and clamorous demonic laughter.
Robin woke with a start, his body cold and numb, his heartbeat was palpable, wheezing breaths broke the otherwise quiet room, and it took him a moment to realize that they were his own.
"Deep breaths, deep breaths." Mentally chanting to himself, Robin calmed himself, his heartbeat returned to a normal pace, the numbness in his arms started to fade, and his breathing resumed a normal, rhythmic rate. He wasn't at that….place. He was in Ylisstol, in his room, he was home, he was safe.
Robin lied back as he mentally recovered, the moon was still in the sky, he couldn't have been asleep for more than a few hours. That was…bad. Not since he first relived that horrid vision of his had a dream shaken him that badly. Something about that had been too real, too eldritch, details were already fading, as most dreams tended to do, but that voice would never leave his head, he was sure of it.
He tried to fall back asleep for a few minutes, he was well aware that he needed the sleep, but the silence was deafening. He could hear the blood in his ears, the sound of his breath as he inhaled and exhaled, over and over. The room was dark, barely illuminated by the moonlight creeping in from the closed window, slightly revealing the room that he had been generously gifted by the Exalt herself. Shelves stacked with various books and scrolls, quills and paper piled neatly onto a desk that had seen extensive use. After another few minutes of fruitless lying on his bed, Robin got up, if sleep would not come to him like this, then perhaps a stroll around the castle would help.
Fumbling his way through the ill-lit room, Robin grabbed a stick of wax, and with a quick mumble and focus of will, a small flame appeared on the candlestick, lighting the room a bit more, to the point where he could see. Stopping for a moment to grab his purple cloak, the one embroidered with eye symbols, Robin threw open the door and walked out.
With only the small candle to light his way, Robin made his way throughout the castle, meeting not a single soul on his way there, which was to be expected. It was the dead of night, with the moon waning on the horizon, the only sounds were that of nighttime rodents and the occasional hoot of an owl.
Making his way through the empty castle, his every step echoing and feeling louder than a crackling thunderstorm, Robin eventually made his way outside and into the courtyard. It was a well-decorated area, paved statues of various Exalts, including Emmeryn and the near-mythical First Exalt, lined the edges of the green garden walls.
Robin frowned a bit, this had also been the place where the mysterious blue-haired woman, who went only by the name Marth, had warned him and Chrom of the plot to take Emmeryn's life, as well as Chrom's. That had been a week ago, and yet the memory burned in his head like a fire.
There was so much he wanted to know! How had she known? Where had she come from? Where did she go? Why did she have Falchion? How were there two Falchions?! Amnesic he may be, even Robin knew that two legendary swords running around wasn't exactly normal.
A snap of branch immediately drew Robin out of his throughs, instinctively reaching for the sword he kept around his belt, he cursed when his hand grabbed nothing but air. Without tomes, he was limited to the most basic forms of magic, mere cantrips, like the spell used to light the candle. The one day he forgot to arm himself was naturally the day he would get ambushed.
Mind racing with impromptu plans to defend himself, Robin scanned the area around him, processing information, forming plans, and discarding the majority of them in seconds. Concluding that he could not win a battle against an unknown number of unknown foes, Robin prepared to flee when a person stepped out from the darkness.
Robin gaped, blinked widely, at the blue-haired woman who had just appeared, as if his thoughts had somehow summoned her. His thoughts of fleeing abandoned, he relaxed a little bit. "I thought you left?" It was true, after Emmeryn's assassination had been foiled, Marth has left, declaring that her mission had succeeded. "I hope you're not here to warn me of another assassination plot." He chuckled a bit, and the Marth cracked a small smile.
"No, nothing like that, I did leave…and I should have stayed away, but I couldn't, my thoughts kept returning to this place" Her voice had taken on a melancholic tone, and for a second Robin could feel her guard slip, and it felt like her mind was somewhere else. A second later it returned, and her smile vanished, replaced with a neutral, nondescript look. "I wanted to see the castle one more time before I left, I had no intention of making anyone aware of my presence, in fact I was ready to stay hidden and let you believe the noise came from some forest animal. When I saw the look in your eyes…I knew you were going to alert the guards, alert Chrom. There was no reason to disturb everyone for my selfish desire, so here I am."
Her entire being screamed of stoicism, there was far more going on, Robin was sure of it, but whatever it was, Marth had no intention of letting it slip. Nodding hesitantly, a moment of awkward silence passed between the two, before Robin gave voice to the burning questions that had occupied his thoughts for too long.
"Who are you?! I mean, you show up out of nowhere, saving Lissa's life in the process, deliver a cryptic message that still makes no sense, and then disappear only to show up again at Regna Ferox, acting as Bastilo's champion!" Marth made to answer, perhaps hoping to cut him off, but by now Robin was pacing, with weeks worth of questions, and having had no chance to have them answered before, he had no intention of stopping.
"And not only that, but you have Falchion! Falchion! How?! How?! How do you have an exact replica of Chrom's sword? I spoke to him after that fight, he told me that as far as he knew, it was genuine, hell, it was superior to his sword! Then you go and vanish again, only to reappear in this courtyard, just a week ago, somehow knowing that a small army had gathered and was storming the castle! Not to mention the assassins! None of it makes sense, you said you had knowledge of the future, but the second assassin caught you off-guard, so how do you explain that?!"
Marth looked at him impassively, her face once again a pinnacle of apathetic blankness. "I'm afraid I cannot answer any of those, should all go well none of you shall see me again. I have played my part, now it is time for me to disappear, and you are better off forgetting my existence." Her voice was cold and slow, her words chosen with care.
She turned to leave, but before she could, Robin spoke up. "Wait, could you at least answer this? How do you have blue hair?" When the woman froze in her tracks, Robin could sense a cloak of unease engulf her, but before she could say anything, he continued. "I mean, it's a fairly unusual color, I think I've only seen Chrom with hair like that before. I guess it could be natural, but it seems like you somehow dyed it, is there a spell that can do that? Why would you even want to do that?"
Rambling to himself more than talking to Marth, Robin continued, "Wait a minute, I got it! Marth's obviously a boy name, but Chrom tells me that Marth was some kind of legendary warrior-prince or something like that. Is that why you changed your hair color, to emulate Marth more accurately?" Marth stood silent for a minute, and for a second, Robin feared that he had offended her somehow. Due to his amnesia, he truly didn't know that much about the legend, or how influential it apparently was. Had he accidentally mocked a legendary hero, and if so, was that a grave insult?
A second later, and a small laugh broke the silence, and his thoughts, and quickly grew into genuine laughter as the uptight woman appeared to relax considerably, a minute later she turned to face him, a small smile on her face. "I could say the same of you, were you born with white hair, or do you just have considerable amounts of stress in your life?"
"As far as I know, it's natural, the worst part is people keep mistaking me for someone else because of it." It was true, ever since he could remember (Which admittedly wasn't much) people had been throwing odd looks his way, and whispers of some sort of relation he had to…something? He honestly wasn't sure.
Unwittingly, his first real memory, the day Chrom had found him lying on that patch of grass, came back to him, specifically the words he heard.
"We can't just leave him here!"
"Who even is he?"
"Do you think he's a Schnee? White hair isn't common outside of them."
"A Schnee? This far south? I doubt it."
"No, no, Schnees' have snow-white hair, his hair is more like…paper white."
"Milady…I don't believe there's a difference"
"Heh, you wouldn't know Frederick, you're a guy!"
He shook himself out of his remembrance, just in time to catch a glimpse of blue hair vanishing into the woods, the peculiar woman vanishing just as swiftly as she appeared. Their conversation had honestly left him with more questions than answers, and while it hadn't really accomplished much, it had thankfully taken his mind off the horrid nightmare he had experienced and returned a sense of genuine tiredness to himself.
Retracing his path back to his room, he snuffed out the candle and, barely remembering to hang his coat up, fell into his bed and let sleep take him, this time mercifully devoid of dreams and visions.
The sound of movement and birds woke him, sunlight filtered in from the window and into the cracks of his closed eyes. Opening his eyes for a second, shutting them when the sudden brightness nearly blinded him, Robin roused himself, untangling himself from the mess that was his bed.
Cursing as he rubbed his eyes, he figured he should at least make himself presentable, judging from the noise and light, the day had already begun and the council the Exalt had called was either already underway or starting soon. Throwing on his cloak and mentally stabilizing himself from the turmoil that had been his sleep, Robin threw open the door of his room.
Right into Lissa's face.
Acting on instinct, Robin reached out to steady the young princess, who was already reeling from the unexpected blow, accompanied by a string of apologies.
"Lissa! Oh Gods I'm sorry, are you ok?!" The younger sister of Chrom made a noise of pain, before rubbing her face. "I'm alright! I…think, geez Robin, what'd the door do to make you open that violently?" She laughed a bit, seemingly not that bothered by having a door slam into her.
"Anyway, Chrom sent me to drag you out of bed, I think his exact words were something like 'If we don't get him up now, he'll stumble into the meeting half-awake and probably forgetting something.' But I don't need to do that now, it seems you got yourself up just fine."
Robin rubbed his eyes as he digested the information. It was true, to an extent, ever since the war began, he had been staying up later and later, devising and redevising battle plans and strategies, he had taken to sleeping in more and more. Some days he wouldn't wake up until the afternoon.
"Oh! I should probably mention that Flavia and Bastilo are supposed to be here in half an hour, Emm's gonna have us all gather in some big meeting room once they arrive." Lissa said with a cheerful smile, before turning and running off somewhere, waving happily as she did so.
Robin mentally sighed as he digested the information. Half an hour, 30 minutes to wake up, eat, devise a half-decent plan for breaking the deadlock with Plegia, and find a way to present it in a way that would convince people that it was the work of tactical brilliance and not the desperate, barely workable idea that it was.
Already moving towards his destination, Robin considered his options, they weren't totally out of options, there was an idea he'd been working on for the past few days, but it was an incredible gamble, and Robin did not like gambling with the lives of his friends.
He sighed as he looked at the map he had been working on last night, the notes he had written in the margins over the last few days. They were out of time, out of options, it was time to put the metaphorical coin flip on the table.
Rolling up the map, Robin gathered everything he would need to make his case, including a few apples he had collected on his way to the meeting room, working on an empty stomach was a very dumb idea.
It had taken him ten minutes to find the meeting room, mostly because he did not actually know where it was, leading to a quite comical scene of him bursting into various castle rooms before a guard had taken pity on him and directed him to where the Exalt was holding council.
Taking a moment to steady his nerves, Robin opened the ornate wooden door that separated the hallway he was in from the room where he was needed. A large, open room was revealed to him, richly decorated in paintings, silver statues lined the sides of the room, chandeliers dotted the ceiling, and a large, round table that was undoubtedly the room's centerpiece. All in all, it resembled more a grand dining room than a place to discuss the war.
Walking in what he hoped was a confident stride, he felt, more than saw, the eyes of the room's occupants on him. Some were familiar, the reassuring glances that his friends, Chrom, Lissa, and even the ever-stoic Lon'qu gave him a small smile, went a long way in easing his worries.
There were others, he recognized the Khans, Flavia and Bastilo, as well as Phila, the captain of the Exalt's Pegasus Guard. There were also a few he didn't recognize, or at least not very well, minor nobles from both Ylisse and Regna Ferox, Chrom wasn't kidding when he said that everyone would be there.
"I apologize for my tardiness, your Grace" Giving a small, respectful bow to the Exalt, he continued, "It appears that someone" He threw a look at Lissa, "Forgot that the amnesiac doesn't know his way around the castle." Lissa laughed nervously as Emmeryn tossed a quick, amused look her way.
"Your apology is accepted, and please, dispense with the formalities, this is a meeting of friends." Emmeryn's gentle voice said, "Now that you are here, we can begin the discussion in earnest." Getting a small nod from the Exalt, Robin cleared his throat as he became very aware of the fact that everyone was looking at him.
"Ah, well, as you are no doubt aware, the war effort has dragged to a halt, our border has held, thanks to the extreme skill and sacrifice of Captain Philia's Knights." He nodded at the cyan-haired woman, who smiled a bit and nodded. "But we've had no success in breaking their lines. And as Khan Flavia has told me, the same is true of Regna Ferox." He turned to look at the golden-haired warrior, who took the silent cue and stood up.
"It's true. Our warriors are brave and strong, but we weren't suited for the desert heat, and whatever dastard general Gangrel put in charge of taking Ferox had an ace in the form of a dark mage. He was like something I'd never seen before, appearing and wreaking havoc before vanishing again. He hounded us on the entire way back to Regna Ferox. We never had a good look at him, but some of the soldiers swore that they could hear laughter right before he showed up."
She shook her head, a mirthless laugh escaping her lips, "Ferox holds strong, however, they haven't made it past the Longfort."
Robin looked up a little at that, that hadn't been what he heard. He smiled a bit, perhaps the situation wasn't as hopeless as he thought.
"Focus" He thought to himself, that was his job, to convince everyone here that the situation wasn't as bad as it was. Coughing a bit so that he once again held everyone's attention. "Thank you, Flavia, now, as it is rather obvious, we are in dire straits and need to turn this around, and fast." Looking at the assembled warriors and nobles, Robin made to speak again when he was interrupted.
"If I may, tactician?" Emmeryn's quiet voice once again filled the room. Blinking back his confusion, Robin made a small nod as the Exalt continued.
"I have no doubt that our friend here was about to suggest some brilliant plan or ploy he has devised, one likely created after many sleepless nights of tireless work. He has shown many times that he is a strategist of unparalleled quality. However I have not been idle these past few weeks, I myself have been observing our enemy, and come to a conclusion that I wish to share with all of you."
Robin fought off a feeling of slight annoyance, he had spent the past few hours anxiously figuring out how exactly he was going to present his idea to the occupants of this room, and now the Exalt had done something nobody had expected.
Emmeryn was a symbol of peace, of unity, a healer, not a warrior, a speaker, not a fighter. She was a pacifist, and it was this fact, more than anything, that had made the idea of her taking an active part in the war, as she was supposedly doing now, completely unexpected.
Apparently unperturbed by the surprised looks being sent her way, Emmeryn continued. "Plegia is a wealthy country, the land itself borders the sea, and almost all inter water trade must pass through it, that fact alone makes it richer than others, including our Ylisse. I ask you this, why has Gangrel not led a personal strike force? Could it be cowardice? Perhaps, but I believe that he is far more intelligent than he lets on, I believe the 'Mad King' persona to be just that: A persona, an act, a public appearance."
Chrom looked at his sister, confusion imminent on his face, "Emm, where are you going with this? This isn't exactly a startling revelation, Plegia being rich is-" He quickly glanced at Robin, "Usually common knowledge"
Emmeryn, for her part, merely smiled gently at her younger brother, "My point is that I believe Gangrel wishes to win via attrition, he has the money to replace equipment, and hire mercenaries and brigands, while we must rely on our combined armies alone. The fact that we needed the warriors of Regna Ferox is just proof of that. And yet it's not enough, we need a larger army, and for that, we need money."
"Again, sister, I don't understand where you're goi-" A look of dawning realization graced Chrom's face, followed swiftly by one of utter horror, "Gods no! Emm, you can't be serious!"
A small commotion broke out amongst the crowd, a smattering of voices, all indistinguishable from the rest. One, that of Frederick, loyal knight of Ylisse, stood out from the rest.
"Milady, what exactly do you intend to do?" The ever-worried tone of the steel-clad knight spoke out, drawing the attention of everyone. It was not the Exalt who answered him, however, but the irate voice of the prince.
"She intends to garner aid from Atlas!" Chrom spoke with a rage that was soon reciprocated by the rest of the people there, a cacophony of shouts and rages. Screaming and barely coherent questions directed at the Exalt swiftly followed. Emmeryn merely held a hand in the air, the universal sign for quiet, and the room fell silent, so revered and beloved was the Exalt.
"Um" Robin started, feeling just a little bit lost, "Could someone fill me in, who's Atlas?" He said sheepishly, "Amnesia, remember?" He punctuated the sentence by knocking on his own head.
Chrom sighed, "Right, right, sorry. Atlas is a kingdom at the very edge of the continent, further north than even Regna Ferox. It's a frozen hellhole that happens to be dotted with mountains that happen to have a ludicrous amount of gold in them. Along with Plegia, Atlas is one of the wealthiest nations, probably even richer than Plegia, but you'll never hear about it because ..." He stopped, mouth open as he seemingly looked for the right words to use.
"What the boy is trying to say" Began Basilo, West-Khan of Regna Ferox, "Is that you won't find a land full of more bigots and xenophobes than Atlas. They don't like outsiders, never have, and doubt they ever will, but their current king took it a step further and shut off the kingdom to the outside world. No one enters, no one leaves."
Chrom nodded as he spoke again, "From what I read, they used to be a bunch of backwater tribes that no ever paid much attention to, then a couple of generations ago they were unified under House Schnee."
Robin blinked a bit, "Schnee? Oh! That's what everyone keeps mistaking me for?" There was a short pause before Frederick spoke up again.
"Are we sure he doesn't have Schnee blood? White hair just does not occur naturally like that…"
Flavia laughed, "As hilarious as that would be, no. The Schnees have hair like snow, his is…more like paper."
"Back to the point." Chrom all but growled, "According to the history lessons I had, it wasn't so bad under the House's founder, but the current king: Jacques Schnee, is a perfect representation of why no one likes Atlas, he's greedy, doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself, and is incredible isolationist." The last part was directed at Emmeryn. "There is no way he would agree to help us, Plegia could be burning down our capital and he would look the other way. Unless the Plegian army is battering down the gates of Atlas, he will not do anything."
For her part, Emmeryn smiled, despite all the yelling and screaming she appeared as calm and collected as ever. "Normally you would be correct, Chrom, but I would not consider this path if I did not have a plan. Jacques owes me a debt."
Feeling a bit…overwhelmed, Robin found a chair and took a seat, he had arrived prepared to argue for hours about the course of his plan, and here the Exalt had instead blind-sided everyone by dropping her own plan into the mess.
Chrom blinked, before a small smile appeared, "A debt? How many favors have you collected? First Panne and now this?"
As if speaking her name had broken a spell of sorts, the taguel stormed out of her spot where she had sat gaping ever since Emmeryn had spoken her plan. "I will not fight alongside them! I have already cast aside my beliefs by aiding you man-spawn in your dispute already, I refuse to have anything to do with the butchers of Atlas." Her voice was no louder than usual, but a cold fury underlaid it, something Robin had never heard before from her.
Exalt Emmeryn smiled a little, it was that kind of small smile that conveyed understanding and empathy, the kind of smile that would seem mocking on anyone else. "I will not pretend to understand your plight, Panne, nor do I intend to force you to do anything you do not wish to do. I would ask that you continue to aid us, but I have no intention of stopping you should you wish not to."
At the Exalt's calm worlds, Panne seemed to deflate a little, her stance still conveyed a sense of raw anger, but now it was a little more subdued. "I…no, I will not abandon you. I refuse to fight alongside Atleasians, but I will continue to aid you in whatever way I can." With that final statement, the rabbit-like girl marched out of the room.
There was a pregnant pause as everyone digested what just happened. There was an obvious tension in the air, but no one appeared to want to be the one to break the silence. Seeking to get back on track, Robin took the initiative.
"Emmeryn, Chrom had a good point, if Jacques is as isolationist as Chrom claims, how did you manage to gain a favor from him?"
"It is a bit of a long story, but to put it briefly, I saved his daughter and heir after a failed assassination attempt left her near death, his own clerics and priests were unable to do so, and so he swallowed his pride and asked me for assistance. That was...roughly three years ago"
Chrom blinked, "Truly? I haven't heard of such a thing."
For a second, Emmeryn's face twisted into a look of contempt, but it was swiftly replaced by a mask of tranquility, "It was one of his conditions. Even with his daughter's life on the line, Jacques did not want the fact that he sought outside help public knowledge."
Chrom stared as he listened to the Exalt, "Gods! Is that man truly that prideful?!" He seethed a small bit before looking back at Emmeryn. "You're not going to be dissuaded from this course of notion, are you, Emm?" When his sister merely smiled, he sighed again in defeat. "Alright, I'm going to regret this. Shepherds, meet me at the gate of Ylisstol in half an hour."
Well, there's the first chapter, slow-paced, I know, and the next will be more of the same, the plot should get rolling a bit more quickly once chapter 3 hits, though.
This is the first fic in which I tried to create my own cover image; I like to think it turned out alright.
As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I appreciate any sort of feedback.
