Hero: This was actually going to be two short chapters but that felt wrong. So I combined them to make a solid length. We finally get to see Lyra properly now. I hope you all are excited for this major deviation from FEA's normal story. I feel like this story can be a great opportunity to flesh out the original story, as I feel there is something great in here, but the situation FEA was put in led to some cut corners. Anyway, here's Chapter 20 of RoaF!

Chapter 20

It was part of an answer he had always been seeking; and yet he never thought he would find it like this. The woman named Lyra, a supposed Tactician like Orpheus himself, had claimed that she was his Older Sister. She was shorter and looked younger than him. But Tharja had confirmed it. Even with how little she knew of Orpheus' true origin, she knew that much was true. The Tactician was as stuck to the ground as a statue, processing the truth of the fact that he had a family to call his own. His own Kin, a possibility that he was starting to lose faith in. The brunette would smile as she clung herself to her brother's arms, holding onto him with no intent of letting go. "I'm so glad you're safe. You were missing for so long, and I could never go and find you..." She was softly sobbing, Orpheus' arms not moving, while those around them would smile; their tactician had finally found a link to his past. His arms would come back to the moment, embracing his alleged sister as he asked her a very simple, yet very important question.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I saw you twice... During both battles with Gangrel." She would try to wipe her tears from her eyes. "I wanted to help you, but Aversa knows who I am and would have tried to stop me."

"Aversa? That wench? What does she have to do with all this?"

"She knows that we-Ungh!" Suddenly she stepped back from her brother, a severe migraine overcoming her skull. The expressions on everyone changed immediately.

"Hey, what's wrong!?" His voice sounded a bit distorted. She realized what this was. Others may be in jeopardy if they touch her.

"No! Stay away! A-AGHHHH!" She swung her arms to keep them back. Her memories. They were leaving her. "No…! Henry, mother, brother…! Ugh, AghhHHHHH!"

Tension filled Orpheus' heart. He knew not what was afflicting her, but he felt danger putting its crushing hold over her. He finally found family and he would not intend to lose it so soon! His flames burned anew, his power had activated, as if reacting like an adrenaline rush.

"Lyra!" He would cling to his sister tight, the flames now enveloping her. Something not seen before. When he rode with Cordelia, they never consumed her like this.

Lyra's pain worsened until the inferno consumed her whole. The flames would stop and slow it, but then, Orpheus was pushed away, the flames around his body instantly extinguishing around him, yet they still stayed on her, burning hotter and hotter.

"B-Brother…! Please make this STOP…!" Her screams would intensify with the flames, burning red, and then purple for only a moment before everything just stopped. The flames would die out as quickly as they sparked up as she collapsed on her knees, then onto the floor itself. Her consciousness was fading fast, the sounds of muffled voices surrounding her. Things faded until… darkness was left.

Far away from the capital, a disgruntled Aversa and Validar remained, uncertain of what just happened.

"Blast! Everything worked! But somehow, something or someone intervened. Was this Tori's work…?" He muttered that last part to himself. "No…. She is gone. She would have been around them if she was still alive."

"Master, while it was not a complete success, I believe I have removed all her crucial memories. She will not be able to expose our plans. Of this, I am certain."

"Very well. I shall trust you, Aversa. But to be absolutely certain; kill the boy she frequented herself around and burn all evidence of her room."

"As you wish. And shall I return the crown back to our most humble abode in the capital?"

"If Master Grima approves of this."

"...you have done well, Aversa. I shall grant you this task. Keep it safe from all but us. Are we clear?" He would speak up, clearly not wanting a repeat of what just happened with Orpheus.

"Crystal. By your leave then." With taking the crown from Grima, she would depart right away.

"Validar, we shall return back to our hideout. To observe the aftermath and make sure nothing leaves a trail. Come tomorrow, all will come to love my Vessel. It will make our future goals more easy to work with. I will personally make sure of that."

Morning had come and Orpheus had put behind the large battle that was yesterday. His sister was all that was on his mind at the moment. Lissa had informed him Lyra had come to, but something was wrong and that he needed to see for himself. When he arrived, nothing seemed that off at first.

"Brother! Is that you, Orpheus?" She would spot him the moment he entered.

"Hey... Are you doing okay? You passed out last night and we don't really know why."

"I did? Well, I don't really remember it. Actually, I don't remember much at all apart from you and Chrom." This situation was eerily similar to Orpheus', where he only knew Chrom and that was it.

"That's… not what I was hoping to hear." Great. He had the info right there and now it might be gone forever. "Hey everyone, mind if I have a moment here with her?" Chrom, Frederick, and Lissa would step out from the infirmary room, leaving Orpheus and Lyra by their lonesomes. "So, one thing I wanted to ask you was. Are you truly my sister? You're not some girl trying to mess with me, are you?"

Lyra would pout, her tone sounding more disappointed. "I wouldn't lie to you brother. I remember enough to know I'm your older sister." So maybe she wasn't lying. But he had to take a risk to get this proof out of her. And this might do it.

"Okay, so I also don't remember anything. I just know Chrom. Everything else is just what I need for battle alongside my recent memories." He would start to pull up the fingertip parts of his glove, getting ready to take it off. "There's something I want to show you… does this mark mean anything to you?"

It was the mark on his hand that had six eyes and never left his body. Perhaps she could recognize it at least, but her answer was more than just that.

"Oh, I've seen it before! But on my left side!" She would quickly remove her left glove, exposing a matching mark on their hands. Hers was a touch less prominent, whereas Orpheus was as pronounced as Chrom's own brand or like a tattoo.

"So you don't know what this is either?" In his mind now, however, she was connected to him. Her hair color, her complexion, the mark on her hand. She had a lot of traits that matched up with him. "And what are you good at? You told me yesterday you did something like I could do."

"Oh, I studied how to be a Tactician just like you did. We both studied under…" her head would start to hurt again, flinching and not continuing her sentence.

"Easy now. Don't worry about it." Too many similarities were occurring to be considered a coincidence. No one could replicate all this just to get close to him. And with Tharja's confirmation, Orpheus was now certain they were siblings. "Just rest up for now. We can talk more when you feel better. You did fall pretty hard, after all."

"Okay then. I'm glad to see you again, brother." She would clarify, repeating something she said last evening.

"Yeah, I know... Be well, Sis. I'll be back soon." He would leave to go see Chrom and Lissa in the throne room, informing them of his findings.

When all was said and done, Orpheus would let off a deep sigh, glad he found family, but feeling like the answers to his past were forcefully taken from his hands; he was disheartened as he did not feel that much closer to learning more about his past.

"Orpheus, I understand you feel a bit defeated from being so close to learning something about your past. But now, you have a family member to call your own at last. She searched for you before losing her memories. If she didn't, she would be all alone in this world, cold and afraid." Chrom would offer his words of support, knowing full well of what it was to lose a family member, and what he would do to bring them back.

"Yeah. I know, Chrom. I intend to learn what I can about her since I don't even remember having a sister to begin with. Or if we even had a Mother or Father to even speak to at least." His thoughts would trail to those scenarios on his parents, if one or both or neither were involved in their lives in recent years.

"Hey..." Lissa would chime in with her own words. "So, if that thing that happened yesterday was what took her memories, then you saved her, Orpheus. I dunno how you did it exactly, but we all saw that power of yours surround her and made it stop. Maybe because of what you did, you helped keep her memories of you still alive in her." It was her own personal hunch, and a longshot at best, but her enthusiasm helped sell it.

"Thanks, Lissa; Chrom. I'll be fine. I'm glad she's still alive and is now here with us. I'll do what I can to keep her safe."

"Hey, are you sure she's the big sister? The way you're talking, you sound like the Older Brother here." Chrom's reply would make both he and his Tactician friend share a laugh as Frederick would enter the room, bringing the mood back down to a more rational state.

"Milord. I have concluded my inspection of the Treasury. And it seems Orpheus was correct. Cordelia and myself inspected everything on the list and only the Crown of Plegia was stolen. Nothing else looked to be tampered with. We can conclude this was a targeted Robbery. Why only that item, we do not know at the moment." Frederick was straightforward on the subject of Ylisse and its affairs as always.

"I'll tell you this. He was no petty thief. I truly believe not even Chrom's aid would have been enough. I may have needed many of the best amongst the Shepherds to even have a chance. It was like the World's most dangerous Assassin decided to play thief."

"Hold there, Orpheus. Surely you jest. This man surely could not have been as powerful as you exaggerate?" Chrom would ask, recalling this from yesterday, but feeling this had to be mere hyperbole.

"Sadly, I wish I were joking. He only started to take the fight seriously when I had activated my power. And even then, I would still say he held the edge against me. I couldn't hurt him at all. And the scariest part of it all is…. I truly believe he was still holding back." The idea of an enemy playing with Orpheus in combat left shocked expressions on all in the room.

"Damn. Then it might not be wise to try and find this man if he's as dangerous as you say."

"Yeah, they'd die." He bluntly stated. "I'm not sure what we can do about this. I know he's doing this for Plegia, but I doubt those nobles would try and take it back when they offered it to us on their own volition."

"Yes. It seems to not add up. But Plegia is still in a delicate state. Even if I wanted to, we could not simply go and press for questions. That would merely light the powder keg once more." Spoken like a true leader, Chrom had slowly shown he could break free from his old, reckless habits.

"I know. It bothers me since Lyra did come from there. Perhaps somewhere in that mix of wasteland and sand, my origins could be uncovered there."

"We could only speculate." Chrom would stand from his throne. "Now, I need to go see the damage done on the West side. Please take today to spend time with your sister. We shall be fine here, my friend." Chrom had practically shooed off his friend to go do something else. But Lyra was sleeping once again. He had opted to move up to the library, where he found two familiar women there.

"Good morning, Sumia, Cordelia."

"Good morning!" Both women would greet him at the same time.

"Planning for the wedding still?" He would ask, to an immediate response of Sumia shaking her head as he sat down across from them.

"No. With what just happened, we think it's best to push it back a little bit. At least into next month."

"Well, that's more time for you to plan things out at least. Hopefully it will be less stressful on everyone." He sounded like it didn't involve him anymore.

"Enough about that, Orpheus." Cordelia would shift their focus. "So did you talk to your Sister? I heard she woke up earlier this morning."

"Yes. And it seems she too had lost her memory like I did. But now I know this might have happened to me. And in both our cases, we were each found before something bad could happen to us. She only remembers myself and Chrom, and by the looks of things, it doesn't seem like I'll have answers to any of my questions." A sigh would escape his lips.

"Oh. I'm glad to hear she's fine. What happened to her looked severe. And for a moment, I could swear she had your power too."

"I don't think you or anyone else were seeing things, Cordelia. I felt it when I tried to hold her before mine stopped. And those flames burned hotter than even I could do. When she's better, I intend to see if we can both try and replicate it. Perhaps it's like Chrom's Aether and it's a bloodline ability."

"Orpheus, are you certain it will work?"

"No. If I'm being honest, I'm not sure at all. But I know it hasn't affected you or anyone else until I met her, so I must see if it leads somewhere. If I can at least control and summon it at will, that will help us in any future battles to come. And if she can do it too… all the better."

But as he said that, all three could hear someone at the door, fidgeting around as they got it open and went through the initial bookshelves. "Ah, hello!"

"Lyra!? Why are you-, how did you even get here?" Orpheus was surprised to see her up, but more surprised to see she found him.

"Oh, that? I sensed you." She bluntly answered, to Orpheus' irritation. To him, he thought she was messing with him.

"I'm just going to assume that's some Big Sister energy at work, but are you sure you're fit to walk around? You kind of passed out in a real bad way yesterday."

"I'm feeling fine. I won't do anything to push myself! I promise." She would then finally spot the two lovely ladies behind him. "Oh! Are you two Orpheus' friends? ...Is he courting with one of y-"

"Hey hey hey! Watch it there, Sis! The one on the left is the Queen of Ylisse. Stop that before Chrom finds out and gets upset!" While Sumia had a meek smile, finding the idea of Orpheus being so flustered for once enjoyable, Cordelia was almost a hot mess. The now apologizing Older Sister was bringing out a more different side of Orpheus that not even he himself knew he had.

"Don't worry about it, Miss Lyra. But, your brother is with Cordelia." She would giggle, putting both her friends in a tough spot.

"Aha! You're with someone, Orpheus!? That's so cute!" She instantly zipped over to the redhead. "Has my brother been nice to you? Has he been rude? He tends to give a lot of attitude to anyone he doesn't like! Does he-"

"Lyra, stop! You can talk about that stuff behind closed doors!" He had no intention of doing that, he just needed to save both Cordelia and himself from a Big Sister's prying wrath.

"Alright. But I hope we can all be friends! I want to meet everyone my brother has met." Orpheus couldn't help but wonder which one of the two really was the older sibling here. She seemed mature at first, but upon being near people who know him, it's as if a switch went off in her head. A much curious or arguably nosey side of her.

"Orpheus, may I take your sister to the barracks? To show her where she'll be able to chat with her new allies?" Sumia would ask, as if trying to help give him some relief from this situation.

"If she wants to go, sure. Just don't let her go overboard."

"I'd love to go. Do you discuss tactics and such there?" She was ready to head out. Sumia would get up from her seat and walk to her, ready to escort her downstairs.

"Um, sometimes. It's more so where we all just gather for briefings, spar, and chat. Some of the guys sleep there actually…" Their conversation would trail until they left the room, leaving the couple to their lonesome.

"I've barely known her, and she already feels like such a handful." He would speak aloud to himself, getting a smile off Cordelia. "What's so funny, Cordelia?" He would turn to see her with that expression, his eyes looking completely done with this situation.

"It's nothing. I'm just… surprised to see you've taken her on as your Sister so soon." To which he would shake his head.

"The way she's talked about me, and something she brought up… I have to accept she's my sister. And she does look like me a bit... Has my hair color at least; albeit her eyes are green."

"Wait, what was it she brought up that confirmed you're related? A memory perhaps?"

"No. I… can't tell you what it is. Not yet at least." The mark on their hands looked sinister, that much he could tell. Orpheus had always worn his gloves for that reason, no matter where he was save for the intimacy of his own quarters. He does not quite recognize it, but if someone else does and it is not for good reasons, his reputation could be at risk. Suspicion, doubt, fear, all these emotions and more could create problems not even Chrom could help him out of. Cordelia was clearly not satisfied with that answer. Even though she did care for him, and he felt the same, he could not trust her with this truth. Not at this moment of time.

"Very well. I won't press the subject any further."

"Thanks. Maybe one day, I'll show you. But for now, let's just enjoy this time we have."

Late September

The next day, out on the Eastern fields of Ylisstol; Orpheus was away from the castle for once. His sister, Lyra, was the only one accompanying him. The Female Tactician was confused as to why they were alone and so far from where they could have trained instead.

"Orpheus, why not simply spar back at the castle? Why here?" She would voice her concern. Not upset by the choice, but unsure.

"So we don't have to hold back. We haven't had a real chance to gauge our abilities. And I need to see how strong your magic can be. Tharja said you're one of the best around."

"But what if one of us gets hurt? I'm not so good at first-aid and such."

"Don't worry. The guys at the watchtower are keeping an eye on us. If we need help they'll know and someone will be dispatched immediately. I took as many precautions as needed, Sis. We've got nothing to fear."

"Very well. So how are we starting?"

"Simple. I'm going to launch some thunder magic at you and you either deflect or block it. I want to see how much you can handle before you send something back. I want us to push ourselves. If my theory is true, I might get that power I got the other day to show up once more." He would explain as he whipped out a simple Thunder tome from his coat. "Just tell me when you're ready and I'll start charging up." The Tactician was getting himself loose, stretching his arms out like he was about exercise, the book held by both hands his arms were straightened forward. "Use whatever you can and must to survive." The Tactician would charge a shot of Thunder in his hand.

"Okay then!" She would get out her Elthunder tome and simply relax herself. "Go right ahead! I can take it."

She doesn't look so prepared apart from her weapon of choice. "Alright! Let's go! He would launch his first attack while quickly preparing another and sending it as a follow up, but slightly altering its course, as if pitching his Thunder like a curveball! She saw his attack pattern quickly, charging her Elthunder but keeping it in front of her hand, using its stronger power to push back the first shot and immediately fire into and destroy the 2nd bolt of Thunder, its momentum barely wavered as it went to Orpheus! She was immediately skipping to her offensive phase. Lyra was taking this seriously!

"Wha-!" He could barely charge up the Thunder in his hand before having to use it to push back the Elthunder, he was clearly at the disadvantage here. "Hng!" He was trying to hold steady, but her magical power definitely was higher than his. She was more suited to this type of combat. If he could close the gap, she'd have no chance! But she saw the writing on the wall. She could sense his will quite literally being pushed back.

"Please let me stop this, brother! You'll get hurt!"

"Don't you dare! I'm gonna tap into that power again and overcome this!" This was an opportunity Orpheus could not pass up on. He was being pushed back now! The parameters for both his awakenings have been met once again. "Put more effort into it!" He was putting more pressure onto the muscles of his right arm, but this was getting harder to push back! Lyra was complying and adding more force into her charged up beam of Elthunder.

He could feel it! Yes! He was burning up, he saw the sparks of his flame light up around his body. It was very faint, but it was there! It was coming out! He could possibly activate it again!
Until he lost his footing, falling to the ground as the Elthunder touched the distant earth some meters past him and tore part of the earth apart. Her magic had more force into it than he could handle.

"Orpheus! Are you alright!?" Lyra rushed to her brother's side, lowering herself next to him.

"Ugh. I'm fine... Your magic really is something." She would help him sit upright. "Even if I had the same tome as you, I wasn't coming close to your magical level. Even Arcthunder wouldn't feel like a sure bet!"

"Oh, you really think that? For a moment, you really held your own against me."

"That's just it. I almost got that power to come out again. It was faint, but I felt it. Just a bit, but not enough to make a true impact."

"It did? I didn't feel any different."

"I think that's because we need to be in a very dangerous situation to awaken it. It's almost like a rush of adrenaline. A fight or flight state. That happened with both Gangrel and that assassin from the other day. Both were strong opponents who pushed me to the brink. Pushed me to my limits."

"Well, what else can you think that might cause it?" Lyra just sat down, as if the two were brainstorming in a study. "Wait, but with Gangrel, didn't your emotions make you go to that point?"

"Yeah. Lady Phila's death and her last words got me to let go and maybe that helped me unleash that power… So then might emotional anguish or stress push it? That's risky."

"That's why I'm so unsure. Have you tried awakening it on your own?"

"Yes." His response was immediate. "I've been trying almost every chance I got... But I only could bring out that power against the Masked assassin the other day. Chrom nor anyone dares spar with the intent to kill."

"I see… well, maybe I could help you train then. Maybe we can draw it out together without the need of all that stress. That won't do you any good if you need a really dangerous situation to draw it out." Her eyes would naturally shift downward, thinking and unfocused. "I want to know something first… why do you want this power so bad? Things are peaceful now. And I don't see anything going wrong on the continent for a long time."

Orpheus was silent for a moment, taking a deep breath before speaking up about something he did not expect to talk to anyone about.

"Well… let's just say my motivations for being a tactician weren't in the right place at first. Now I want to be strong for those I've met here in the life I can remember. To repay the new perspective and life Emmeryn gave me. That assassin and this woman who foresaw some attacks before the war started showed me I can still get stronger. And that power may help me even the odds if I face them again. This can help me make sure more people can go back home should another conflict arise. It's not just about winning without losing anyone for the good record. It's about keeping families together as best I can through whatever situation we face."

"I… see you've really thought this through. Very well! I'll help you with your goal. I think I have a goal of my own now too."

"You do? Is this something you can recall?"

"Partly. I want to find out about our past. Why were we separated? I can't remember why, but it has to be something serious if we were apart for this long. And maybe I can find out if we have more family. Like our Parents! I don't remember either of them… and that worries me. Knowing who we are, it feels like something we'll piece together with time and effort. Until then, I'll keep you safe like a Big Sister should!"

"Heh, thanks. I'm still not used to that. I never thought I had any family anymore, yet here you are. Let's do our best to be better and to remember what we once were."

"Oh! That reminds me… I got some tricks of my own I want you to know about." Her eyes lit up like she just got hit with a big idea. "I think they'll come in handy on the battlefield!" She then would close her eyes to concentrate. An aura would emanate from her, one that felt different than the one Orpheus manifested. And yet he still felt a surge of power. This was even more unfamiliar.

"What the hell is this…? I feel stronger, yet it's not my own strength-"

"It's something I've had for a while." The voice of his sister filled his head.

"What the hell-!? Telepathy?" He jolted up a bit, wondering how he heard his sister's voice in her head. To which she spoke aloud once more.

"Yes. This is my Rally Heart ability. I can use my ability to influence a select amount of people on the battlefield at a time, bestowing some extra power onto them for a limited time. I can't give a whole army this effect but I can maybe give it to most of the Shepherds! I can also communicate into people's minds, but I can't always hear them back. But with you, you're an exception. Despite all the memories I lost, I still have a bond deep enough with you to understand your mind."

"Do you think you can do that with other people?"

"Maybe. I'll need to practice with someone, but it could take time. I think you'll find me more along the lines of a supportive role. I prefer attacking from range and staying around the backline. But I can assure you, brother, I intend to back you up with all I have!"

"That's fine by me. You can watch my back and keep an eye around me. It's a bit hard to see the entire battlefield when you're neck deep in the front lines."

"Hoy, Orpheus!" A voice called out. It was the Exalt himself with his sister and Frederick. "What happened here? I told you there are better places than the ground, you know."

"We just finished training. I've got a full idea of how my sister fights." He and the said older sibling would rise up and stand together. "We got another great mind on board and I want her as a Shepherd. She'll make for an excellent piece of magical support."

"I recall her mentioning that during the battle. Very well, Lyra. Are you sure you can handle the task? You proved yourself before, but this is still your decision, not ours."

"Your concern is fair, Exalt. But I'd be happy to join. At the very least to keep a watchful eye on my brother. I'm just as capable as a Tactician as he is."

"Excellent. Then welcome aboard." Chrom would extend his hand out for a shake with the woman.

"Thank you, Exalt." She would reciprocate.

"You can just call me Chrom, Lyra. I'm still not used to these stuffy terms."

"Very well. Exalt."

The noble would sigh, much to his sister's enjoyment.

"Pardon, but we have a conundrum we need to present to Orpheus." Frederick would steer the conversation back on course.

"Right. Orpheus, can we continue in the castle? Oh and let's head back separately. With your hood on. I think you'll understand as you listen to the streets on your way back."

"Uh, sure. Then I'll go ahead of you. C'mon, Lyra. We do need to get a room set up for you." The Tactician looked confused, but relocated to the castle as he was ordered. But keeping that note in mind, he tried listening to some conversations as best he could. He… heard his name on a few occasions. But in a positive way.

"That Tactician is great! I can see why Lord Chrom signed him on!"

"Yeah! To think that some people thought he was a warmonger. What slander! Clearly they know not of his actions or strength."

"I hear he's quite the wise man. Maybe he's seeking a woman to court."

"You wish! He'll probably get married to a Shepherd or even some rich Lady before a Commoner like us!"

"I hear he can survive being on a fire! Is he really a mortal man?"

Various banter scattered through the city streets. Why were they talking about him so much? When he arrived at the meeting room, Chrom would arrive minutes later. Immediately he would not waste time.

"I take it you heard?"

"Yes." Orpheus immediately replied! "What the hell is going on? Why am I the talk of the town?"

"Please allow me to explain." Frederick would step forward. "Our battle with the Risen recently has the city in quite the buzz. Some of our soldiers noted your appearance and turnaround of the situation. And some… are clearly exaggerated. Like how you fell from a ball of fire, slayed a dozen Risen with one swing of your blade, stopped an assassin from killing the Princess so you can take her hand in marriage-"

"What the hell!? She wasn't even there! Everyone left!"

"Yes. Clearly the story got distorted to fit the gossipers' narratives. And here's my personal favorite. You apparently waited until that moment so you could usurp my role as Milord's guard. Truly, this gossip is humorous." He wouldn't step down from that title even if you made him.

"This is stupid. Can't we clear it up?"

"Even if you try, it will not stop them. Some will keep spreading twisted tales despite that. But it's not the only thing that's Bizarre. If that was all, I would not bring this up here like that. It's what this is affecting that has us concerned."

"Right." Chrom would take it from here. "Orpheus, your goal of wanting to strengthen the army got the nobles attention as you recall. And some commoners as well. Despite the points you made, it made a good portion disagree with you. To be honest, if that Risen attack never happened, I believe the gossip you've been hearing would have a very different tune; an unpleasant one at were already hearing word of a few influential people who tried slandering you behind closed doors. Thinking you sought to return us to the war mongering ways of my father. But now… you're being seen as a hero. As if you knew this would happen. Any doubt about you is vanishing even as we speak. The result… is astonishing."

"How so? There's no way all are for me now. Even then, in the world of politics, some people never change their stance and would die on the hill they believe in."

"Yes. But we got a report from the army and it seems some wish to join us."

"That's it? A small boost in numbers due to patriotism isn't that unheard of.

"Orpheus. Our current army is at about 50,000. At our peak during my father's reign we were at double that. Today we recruited over 3,000 men and women alone. And they're all by their own volition."

"3,000!? That much in a few days?"

"Yes. And that's just the spark. No doubt that these stories will keep spreading. This is just within the city. There are plenty of Ylisseans in the other towns and villages. They may also be inspired to join."

"How could this attract more people to the army than crushing Plegia in a literal war!?"

"It's almost like propaganda, and yet many seem to believe it from the fact many of our men witnessed it. So, I suppose I owe you a congratulations. You got what you desired. The army is growing and I believe we should train the Shepherds for Promotions. With this influx we may need some to grow and serve as extra instructors."

The Tactician was floored. This wasn't how he wanted to win people over. He was ready to debate his way to it. The hard way. The right way.

"I can't believe this."

"We'll be having an orientation for the new troops in a week or so. The wedding may push it back, however. Things are getting more busy, my friend. I hope you're ready to prove your point."

The wedding was also set. Next month, during the Harvest Festival at that. It just made sense. There was only a little more than a fortnight until that day. Plenty of time to deal with this ever changing situation Orpheus found himself in. Something felt amiss. There's no way gossip can evolve so rapidly so quickly. Unless it was intended to go this well. But if that's the case, who would want Orpheus to look so well in this moment of triumph? It makes no sense. Orpheus has no choice but to accept this situation and prepare to welcome the new legion of men and women to the army.

Hero: I shockingly have little to say about this chapter. I just want to get through this arc and get to the Walhart part but there's more I want to introduce here as well as lay down some more groundwork to make Walhart's entrance more compelling. And well, let's just say the fight between him and Orpheus is gonna be a great test of his ideals. I kinda feel bad that Orpheus is taking Chrom's big bads for himself, but to be fair, this should have been Robin's story as much as it was Chrom and Lucina's. Fun fact, I almost wrote this fic with a different premise. One I still wanna do but I think I have too much on my plate to ever do to this level. It would have been a AU where Robin lands in Valm just as the war was picking up and he meets Walhart. The idea would be a smaller group of the Valm villains in a different light and Robin changing them all to aiming for Unity without all this bloodshed, leading to a Senator Armstrong-esque showdown with Walhart. And then from there it's about tying it to Chrom in Ylisse where the Grimleal and Gangrel are actually pushing the Feroxi and Ylisseans back. Oh and Robin would have gotten with Tiki btw. I love Say'ri but yeah, Tiki better. If you guys are down for it, lemme know but it will be much shorter and to the point than this fic. I wanna say like 20 chapters-ish. Probably a bit more. But villains like Yen'Fay, Cervantes, and the Valkyrie lady who simps for Walhart whose name escapes me would be very interesting to write in this new light. Anyway, next time we got Orientation Day! The Shepherds are gonna get very busy! Especially since both the Harvest Festival and Wedding Night are real soon! I'll see you all next time!