Chapter 11 – Course Correction


"So…" started Rose.

"So." echoed Phila.

An awkward silence ensued.

"You wanted to talk?" The tactician said as the pair looked over the edge of the wall to see the Pegasus Knights training below. Rose had let her hood down and was basking under the sun for the first time in months: a simple pleasure she denied herself for too long. They were so high up that no other person, save Phila could see her face, so she had no worries about revealing it to any others.

Phila nodded and turned to face Rose.

"It would be in our best interests to get this out of the way." Phila was both short and straight to the point, something that Rose admired about the Knight Captain in both her old worlds.

"A good point," she said. "Well, let us get this interrogation under way. What's your first question?"

"What is your relationship with Sir Robin?"

"I don't suppose you would believe me if I told you that I am Robin's female counterpart from an alternate dimension?"

"Please do not insult my intelligence. I've no time to play games, Lady Sustrai," the Wing Commander replied with an offended scowl, instantly dismissing the outlandish response.

It seems like being honest won't work, so twisting the truth it is.

Trying to meld both timelines and their respective histories, including the actions and histories of both sets of Shepherds, was a challenge. Rose could never create a good enough of an excuse to explain that her body didn't reflect her true age, seeing that her mind was almost thrice her physical age.

The best way to explain her relationship with Robin to Phila was to treat it as a convoluted family matter. Rose had rehearsed her story a few times prior to this meeting and had made sure to cover all the basics and holes. As long as Phila did not speak to Emmeryn about her, they might not be able to find discrepancies in it.

She was thankful for all those years teaching her how to bullshit her way through the noble court.

"I am his older sister. But we weren't raised together, for both of our sakes. Our mother took care of Robin on her own in Ferox whilst I remained with one of her close friends in Ylisse, though I did see her from time to time. Our family situation is a little complicated, but that is a personal matter," the tactician explained.

Phila wasn't satisfied with the vague answers, but didn't press for any smaller details. The tidbits didn't matter at all to her, Rose knew that much. Only one thing mattered to the Wing Commander:

"Will your 'situation' jeopardize the security of Ylisse and the Exalt? You are both Plegian after all and the way you and he appeared to the Shepherds are awfully convenient."

"To tell you the truth, all of this is unnaturally convenient," Rose admitted. "Him joining the Shepherds and traveling to Ferox is not something I foresaw nor expected of him but when he mentioned amnesia, it made sense. Though I kept tabs on him during the past year until the last month before his departure, I had other contracts to fulfill, and thus missed whatever events that might have led to his memory loss."

"Are you saying that your meeting was a matter of chance?" Rose nodded in affirmation. "Then why did you agree to join the Shepherds if that wasn't your goal?"

"Being invited to join you was not part of my plan," the ashen-haired woman admitted. "I wanted to offer my skills to the Khan and push her to take the initiative against Gangrel but it proved unnecessary when the Prince arrived. Now I get to keep an eye on my family, help stop the Mad King, protect the country I love, and get paid for doing so," Rose explained with a shrug. "As for the lengths I have gone for Ylisstol, well, I lived a few years in the city while growing up with my caretaker after we escaped the last war, so I consider it more of a home than Plegia. I made many acquaintances that live here, so there's that too. I suppose it may seem strange, but it's the truth."

"I see..." Phila seemed to accept that answer for the moment, though she did narrow her eyes after. "Why you haven't told Robin of your relationship, though? For what I have heard, he does not have any link to his past. It seems particularly cruel to hide this from your brother when he has been looking so feverishly for clues to his past and his family."

"As I said, it is complicated. While I was aware of his existence, Ferox was the first time we actually met face to face. In addition, dropping this on him in the middle of war is not prudent nor wise; it would add more unnecessary stress and distractions, possibly jeopardizing his performance as the Shepherd's lead tactician." Rose rationalized. "I hope to break it to him after the war is over. It's not like we were close or anything before, but he is still my little brother. Once I tell him everything, it will be up to him whether or not to share it with you and the others. Our history affects him more than me, in any case."

The Pegasus Knight stared at her for a minute and nodded. "Very well, you words sound sincere and I will keep my word. You have proven to have the wellbeing of Ylisse at heart, even if the coin is part of the motivation. For now, I will give you the benefit of the doubt."

"I'm surprised you seem to care so much about us and that you are willing to put this much trust in me," Rose stated, looking at Phila with a slightly disbelieving eyebrow. "I thought you distrusted us?"

"It's my job to be distrustful of outsiders that can be potential threats to the Halidom," Phila said.

"Am I still a threat?"

"That is what I am trying to figure out," Phila admitted. "While you may have earned some leeway with your recent commitments to the defense of Ylisstol, your actions are still strange. You seem to know more about the situation at hand that you let on. At the same time, you have shown no ill intentions to this Halidom nor any signs of working for Gangrel." She then clasped her hands behind her back and looked at the Rose straight in the eye. "Is there anything I should know that could risk the safety of my people?"

Rose looked down at the city below, taking the opportunity to think about it and weighing the possible consequences.

The mercenary had no reason to tell the Wing Commander any of this before. But as her luck would have it, Phila had started putting the pieces together in an incomplete picture. That was more dangerous than anything else. Should the knight act based on incomplete information it could be catastrophic for her and Robin.

Oh, and the world too.

This was a big risk. Any tactician hated going into battle without sufficient information and leaving matters up to chance. The discrepancies between this timeline and her own were starting to grow and the mercenary was beginning to be unsure of what might happen next. She even wondered if she should travel to Valm to check how events there were currently progressing.

Now, Rose was gambling her plans in their entirety by trusting an ally that would hopefully prove valuable. From what she observed, Phila was as dutiful and loyal as any knight of her rank, but compared to the near-fanatical Knight Captain Frederick, she was much more tempered in will and mind.

She never had the opportunity to interact with Phila in such a personal manner before, the commander having died in the Plegian war in both of her timelines before she had had the chance. Any knowledge of her came from Cordelia and Sumia, often speaking warmly of her when they told her stories. Now, she gauged whether or not Phila would prove a valuable asset in this changing timeline.

She came to her decision.

"You were debriefed on the contents of Marth's letter, correct?" Rose asked slowly. Phila responded with a curt nod. "Do you truly believe she indeed had accurate knowledge of the future?"

The question gave the knight pause, not expecting the change in conversation.

"In any other case I would have found the idea ludicrous. She could just as easily have been a deserter or have stolen the plans, but…" Phila frowned as she organized her thoughts. "The degree of the details she possessed were far too specific to discard out of hand when undead monsters are walking the land. Stranger things have happened." The knight then looked at the mercenary with a raised eyebrow. "You are not going to try and convince me that you are a time traveler too now, are you?"

Rose laughed. ´Oh, if only you knew the whole story.´she thought with mirth.

"Nothing of the sort. Well…not exactly." The tactician clarified, grimacing. "A little backstory is necessary, though. My...father–no. Validar," Rose spat. "was the Grimleal's High Priest. A power-crazed zealot of the church. Our mother took Robin and me far from Plegia, killing many Grimleal on her way out once she realized their plans for Robin and myself:" Looking at Phila's questioning look, the tactician took a deep breath and took the gamble. "Sacrifices for the resurrection of the Fell Dragon, Grima."

"Preposterous!" The Pegasus knight jumped back, startled. "The Fell Dragon was defeated centuries ago!"

"That doesn't stop madmen from trying to achieve their insane goals." Rose retorted nonchalantly with a shrug. "From what my mother told me and some information I gathered as a mercenary, Robin, myself, and other children were planned to be used as sacrifices to create a vessel for the dragon since Grima is technically only asleep, not dead. We were all bred to have an unnaturally high magical potential. And that over there," she said, pointing at the scorched plain south of the city, "is your proof."

"Fifteen years ago," Rose continued. "Exalt Augustus heard of this through his spy network, though he grossly misinterpreted the information and instead believed that Grima had already been reborn as a Plegian child."

"So that was the true reason behind the last war..." Phila whispered. "Lord Augustus was always a fervent worshipper of Naga, but going to war to hunt children? We could have just merely hunted the Grimleal..." The knight said with a voice filled with disgust.

"To him, it was to hunt Grima and claim glory equal to that of the First Exalt," the tactician clarified. "I believe Augustus would have stopped nothing short of killing every child in Plegia to stop the resurrection just to be 'safe' since his spies failed to gather any way of identifying his target." Rose frowned. "Still, there was one, and an obvious one at that. They magically branded us early in our childhood with the Mark of Grima as a mockery of the Brand of the Exalt."

The Plegian took off her glove and showed her mark to the knight, who also took a perverse interest in the scarred flesh on her wrists. Phila was at least decent enough not to ask about them aloud, though, focusing mostly on the brand.

"Six eyes… This is the symbol of the Grimleal...No, it's different."

"With a bit of help, I managed to change mine and break off the torture and control hexes. At the very least, I can now pass mine off as an anti-Grimleal tattoo. But my brother's should still have his Mark unaltered, curses and all. The Mark was designed to control us through pain, but only Validar could cast it because he is, well, our 'father'."

"But what of him?" Phila grew incredibly concerned. "If the High Priest is still acting within Plegia, doesn't that mean can control Robin? That shows that he is a great risk–"

"Don't worry about that." Rose suddenly felt an upwelling of pride and a sense of achievement, giving Phila a feral smirk that sent shivers down her spine. "I already took care of that piece of vermin. I would never be able to forgive myself if I let that sack of garbage run around freely after what he put my family through." Phila's expression relaxed. Then the tactician paused. "Also, thank you for not trying to take off my head as soon as you saw my Mark."

"I am not one to act so rashly, Lady Sustrai. That is why we are talking, correct? To learn more about the situation at hand?" Phila said with a scowl. "But then Exalt Augustus succeeded in stopping the Grimleal, right? You and your brother are still alive, Grima remains sealed, and their High Priest is dead."

Rose understood the need for reassurance that all the bloodshed in the past war was not meaningless, but those feelings had no place in this conversation.

Rose sighed. "Unfortunately, his methods for stopping Grima became the cause of our current problem."

"What do you mean?"

"Robin and I were bred were to have the strong magical reserves needed to create a proper vessel the Fell Dragon's essence. Without us, they could never gather enough sacrifices without the public noticing and taking arms against them," The tactician explained, covering her hand once again. "But once our mother escaped from the Grimleal, they lost their primary tools and that set them back years, maybe centuries."

"What about the other children that were with you?"

'Crap!' The tactician cursed inwardly, having forgotten that she had also included others in her fabricated past as well.

"Lost during the chaos, most likely dead during my mother's escape from the Grimleal. Luckily not used in the ritual," Rose explained vaguely, not wanting to dive into detail about some the fictitious children. "Anyway, Augustus' crusade became a godsend for them. Every human being, whether they were warriors, farmers, or apprentice mages, have traces of magic within them. Although a mere fraction compared to us. Quality over quantity, you could say, but the other way still works just fine. Augustus's did for them what they couldn't without inciting revolt."

Phila's legs began to tremble and weaken as she began to put the pieces of Rose's puzzle together, even without her finishing her tale. As the information she had just heard began to take her toll on her psyche, she leaned against the wall for support

"His hunt for Grima did not matter in the end. The total magical energy from all the Plegian and Ylissean blood spilled over the sands near the Dragon's Table during Augustus' invasion was enough for Grima to create his vessel."

"So… is the Fell Dragon truly reborn?" The knight asked, unable to hide the fear in her voice.

"Almost, currently Grima is still in slumber."

"Are we safe for now, then?" It was strange to see the usually proud knight so confused and hopeful at the same time.

"Kind of. But it's much more complicated than that," Rose said, grimacing.

"That seems to be a recurring theme with you," muttered Phila, forcefully calming herself down and assessing the woman in front of her.

"Hey! It's not like I wanted to be born as a human sacrifice to some ancient dragon that should be dead, and should stay dead," the tactician shot back with a scowl. "But back on topic. This is where Marth comes in."

"Does this have to do with his claims of knowing the future?"

"He does not know of the future. He lived the future and ran away from it…" The Plegian paused and took a deep breath. "A future in which Grima was resurrected and destroys the world."

"What evidence do you have for this claim?" Phila tensed up, but much to Rose's surprise, held it together. "How can you verify that he speaks the truth? Your story is farfetched enough as it is to include some supposed time traveler."

"This goes back to an event a few years ago," the mercenary informed, hoping that reassured the knight. "At that time I was working in a militia. Everything was fine up until my comrades learned of my lineage and past and thus instantly turned on and tried to kill me. Needless to say, I'm risking a lot telling you all of this so I do hope you appreciate it. As I said earlier, I was expecting you to try and cut me down as soon I said told you of my parentage, just like they did." Rose explained.

She raised her shirt to show the scar on her chest. Phila's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the dark red scarring. A scar so red, it looked almost like a fresh burn injury, but the location was the most important matter.

"That should have destroyed your heart and spine!"

"It did," Rose deadpanned. "And yet, I survived thanks to Naga's intervention."

"Naga saved you?" The knight said in surprise and no small amount of skepticism. An understandable feeling. Only psychos claimed a goddess personally saved them. "You are really pushing the boundaries of reality this time."

"I was just as equally shocked as you are," Rose admitted. "Now, before you start tearing into me!" she said, stopping Phila's protest. "I happen to have proof." The tactician reached into her coat and pulled a small, but elegant book. The cover was sky-blue in color, with golden engravings shaped in the form of the Brand of the Exalt.

"T-The Book of Naga!" The Wing Commander exclaimed, recognizing the legendary tome. "How…?!"

"It's one of the tomes that was under the care of the Divine Dragon's daughter, The Exalted Voice of Naga, Lady Tiki," the mercenary confirmed, taking some small pleasure on Phila's surprise. On the other hand, she would never tell the manakete she had called her that, or else she would never live it down. The teasing would send her to an early grave. Again. "She personally entrusted this tome to me in order to allow me to communicate with her. Here, read the last page."

"I can feel its power…" Phila said as her hands closed around the legendary tome, her grip tender as if she were afraid the book might fall apart at any moment. "I-it's the same feeling when one is close to Falchion during the Celebration of Naga. Such warmth...such light..."

Phila opened and saw a footnote, written in elegant handwriting and shone with divine light and power. As she read, Phila could feel the words resonating on her soul.

It is through this writing that I entrust Lady Rose Sustrai as an envoy of my will. Through her, it is my hope that we can prevent the calamity that may befall on all mankind.

You have been entrusted with the knowledge of our covenant.

May Naga guide us all.

"Y-you...Marth...everything...You speak the truth!" The knight said in awe.

"I always do." It had been at the tactician's request that Tiki wrote the alibi on the final pages of the legendary tome, but that was neither here nor there. "Now, Naga explained to me about our situation. Marth came from the future from which the Grimleal succeeded in resurrecting the Fell Dragon. The Shepherds fell in battle, unable to stop the resurrection. One by one, the kingdoms fell within a span of fifteen years against the hordes of Risen and Grima's remaining live zealots. They all fell until only Ylisstol remained."

"How did we last more than a decade?" Phila asked, in hopes of poking holes in her story.

"Grima wasn't at full power for the first few years, something he won't account for this time," Rose commented. "With Chrom dead and the power of the Fire Emblem lost, the Naga of that time sent several warriors to our time to stop that dire future from ever happening. Marth is among those brave souls."

"But that is not all, is it?" Phila added. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Correct. After all, do you think Grima would really allow them to interfere with his plans just like that? Much less the past itself?" Rose asked rhetorically. "He followed them."

"Dear Naga…the Fell Dragon is here! Where?!" Phila exclaimed, fear now clear in her voice.

Right in front of you Rose snarked internally, even if she was glad Phila believed the tale.

"I would suspect Plegia, far out of our reach. He came back a few months ago; I felt it from my Mark., the mercenary said somberly. It wasn't a lie, she felt the ripples Grima made coming back. At Phila's confused expression, she elaborated. "The Mark was designed to suck my life energy and feed it to the Fell Dragon. I altered mine, well more like Naga altered it really, just enough for it to only give me a killer migraine. A sixth sense for Grima's presence, if you will. But I believe with Grima's return, Robin's unaltered mark released a magical backlash and caused his amnesia."

"I suppose we should be glad he did not die or we might have even more trouble. Without a tactician and with his power feeding Grima instead, we would have been at a severe disadvantage," commented Phila, surprising Rose with her assessment.

"True. Still, time travel requires a lot of energy. Naga used hers to send them back, while Grima burned himself out following them and fighting Naga on the way. On top of all that, he was forced to leave his draconic body behind in favor of a mortal form. I believe he currently should be fused with the vessel that Augustus inadvertently created; alive, but wounded and weakened. While he has nearly all the things ready for his full resurrection, he still lacks the Fire Emblem as a catalyst to undo the residual damage done by the First Exalt. That should buy us time to prevent this mess."

"Unbelievable..." Phila breathed.

"I only speak the truth, Phila," assured the tactician.

"Something is not clear to me. Why did Naga choose you? Was it for your bond with the Fell Dragon?" The knight asked, frowning as if something didn't fit.

"I would guess so. I wasn't in the best state of mind having my chest ripped open by the man I... trusted, to ask such questions of my savior," Rose answered with some bite. While it had gotten easier to speak about her past as of late, it still wasn't pleasant. "It doesn't matter to me. Naga offered me a new chance to live, to protect my family and do something to break the cursed legacy of my Grimleal blood. She gave my life purpose." Rose then shrugged. "Plus, I like the world. I happen to live in it."

"So, Naga saved you from death and gave you the task of preventing the end of the world at the hands of the Fell Dragon?" The knight summarized.

"More like guiding the people that can in the right direction."

"Why not share this information with the Exalt Emmeryn then? Or Prince Chrom? Even the Khans?" Phila questioned the tactician's logic. Why reveal this to her and not those who can control the battlefield?

"And do what? Start a crusade? Spill more blood? Incite panic? Imagine if word gets out that we are invading Plegia to hunt Grima. People would go mad! Emmeryn would lose all support, dividing Ylisse and making them believe she turned into her father," Rose retorted and shook her head."No. It's better this way. Gangrel is already being manipulated into going further into this war by the Grimleal, so no need to add unnecessary complications. We don't even know if there are any other traitors within our ranks." The tactician stretched her body, relaxing slightly. "And if I had walked into Ylisstol without proving myself, what would have been the reaction? A Plegian walking into the capital of Ylisse, saying she spoke with Naga and can see the future? Tell me I wouldn't end up in a madhouse, or a ditch on the roadside with yet another weapon through my chest."

"...You have a point there," Phila conceded. But what surprised her was a smirk from the Wing Commander. "But with everything you told me, I am quite certain you do belong in the former."

"Heh. That's what my mother said when I was nine," Rose joked, earning a twitch on the lips of the Pegasus Rider. "There is more to the story, but I think this is enough for now. Let's focus on this war. If and when we're done with crushing Gangrel beneath our heels, I will explain more."

"I… yes. I think it's for the best," Phila agreed. "If you do know the future... Is the Exalt safe?"

"As safe as she could be, or should be," Rose said. "Marth prevented her assassination and according to Naga, from her observations of other timelines, had Emmeryn left Ylisstol before the invasion she would have been captured and taken to Plegia for execution. With Ylisstol still standing, albeit weakened, sending her away to a safe location while we direct our might to end Gangrel's madness is the best course of action. Ylisstol is in no position to protect her at all times, but Caeda's Landing should fulfill that role so long as word of the decoy doesn't get out. At least she remains on Ylisse's soil and close to the capital. If worst come to pass she can come here or take a ship to Taly or Highever. Should she run to Ferox and let other people figure it out…"

"Riots and accusations of cowardice," Phila concluded. "I can't fault that logic. Why tell me all this, though?"

The tactician paused. There were many things she had left out, like the war on Valm.

"I need allies," she admitted. "You're a loyal knight that understand the value of discretion, I know I can confide in you to bear this burden instead of worrying about the Exalt's safety when she needs to focus on healing her people."

"Why not one of the Shepherds? Why not your brother or Chrom? You know them better than you know me," the knight questioned. Rose shook her head in disagreement.

"They are not ready. War will temper them like steel but as of right now they don't have the wisdom to act cautiously and not walk right into Grima's maw," the tactician said as she looked to the training ground. "Most of them don't trust me anyway. You, meanwhile, have the experience and position to nudge them in the right direction. I know it looks like we are against time, but don't worry; I haven't been idle these past years. Have some faith in Naga, if nothing else."

"I understand," was all Phila could say. Being part a Goddess' plan to stop an evil dragon was not something easily digested so early in the morning.

"This is a lot to take in, but I appreciate the amount of trust you placed on me. It seems I was right on placing mine on you," the knight continued with surprising sincerity.

"Don't mention it, it's a matter of survival," Rose said, waving her hand in dismissal. "I know Grima can be stopped. The First Exalt did it before, so why can't we?" Phila just gave her a distracted nod, lost in thought. "I think I have given you a lot to think about for now, however. I will prepare some things before we depart. Perhaps give your recruits some last minute torment–I-I mean, uh, training before our march to Plegia."

"Please do not cripple my recruits," Phila deadpanned, though Rose could sense the underlying lighthearted tone. It seems her attempt at humor at least lifted some tension from her newest ally. "But I understand. I will secure Ylisstol while you deal with Gangrel. We can speak more about this once we have his head on a pike."

"I'll deliver that pike to you personally," Rose jested, moving to the stairwell to train her soldiers.

"If there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate and ask," Phila said, turning to watch her recruits warming up below. That gave Rose pause. Well, since Phila was alive and all…

"Actually, there is something I wanted to know for a while. It's been bothering me since I acquired our newest gear..."


"Are you sure you're well enough to join us, Cordelia?" asked Sumia, trying to ignore the sense of foreboding that she felt moments ago while stealing worried glances at her friend while they tended to the surviving pegasi of their platoon.

The redhead sighed in exasperation. "For the last time, Sumia, yes. I'm sure."

Sumia had a suspicion about her reasons, though. "I know you have a crush on Captain Chrom, but you shouldn't push yourself like this. You should be resting."

"T-This has nothing do with Prince Chrom!" The redhead stuttered, half embarrassed, half angry. "I'm not so shallow to let something like that jeopardize the war effort," Cordelia said with an offended tone. "You were also in battle. Shouldn't you stay here, too?"

"I wasn't hurt, unlike you," retorted the brunette, crossing her arms and taking an uncharacteristically serious air. Cordelia pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I'm fine Sumia, I already saw a healer."

That didn't reduce the worry Sumia was feeling at the moment. "Still… Are you sure yo–"

"I SAID I'M FINE!" shouted Cordelia, startling both Sumia and all the pegasi in the stable. The redhead was quick to calm down her new steed. "Shhh. I'm sorry, girl. I didn't mean to scare you."

Sumia was taken aback by her outburst. Cordelia had never shouted at her. The clumsy girl didn't take it personally, but only felt more worried for her best friend.

"What happened, Cordy? Why do you insist so much on coming?" the clumsy knight asked in a wounded voice. "Please talk to me."

The brunette saw the conflicting emotions racing across Cordelia's face. "...My squad. Our sisters," the redhead said in a tone that twisted Sumia's heart. "They almost died on my watch. Some died on my watch. Captain Summers might have been the first to die, but that only means that every death afterward was my direct responsibility. I...I need to make it up to them! I can't stay here and not fight!" redhead said in a broken voice.

"Cordy..." whispered Sumia, unable to think of a way to comfort her best friend.

"I know they never considered me a friend. The pranks, snide comments..." Cordelia said, clenching her fists and closing her eyes, "But I never wanted to fail them. I thought that maybe… maybe I could prove myself to them," she said through gritted teeth. "I hate being called a genius and the one time I need to live to that title I fail miserably! I failed Captain Summers, Sophia, Marina, Natalie… I just..."

"We don't blame, you know."

Cordelia's head whipped to the side following the origin of the new voice. Sumia looked past her to see the few able-bodied members of Cordelia's squad standing there with guilty expressions.

"G-Girls, I–" A short-haired blonde by the name of Grace stopped the redhead from continuing. Sumia always thought she was a bit of a stiff.

"It was only because of your quick thinking that we managed to survive."

"If we had known the teasing would affect you this much, we would've stopped," said Jean, another redhead with curly hair. "Sometimes we felt you thought you were above us."

"I never thought that!" said Cordelia, her breath quickening with each passing moment. Her clumsy friend placed a hand on her shoulder, calming her down, "I just wanted to protect our country as my family has always done, so I gave it my best. I didn't mean to make you guys feel like this."

"We understand that now," Samantha stated, earning nods from her battle-sisters.

Sumia was extremely surprised by the interaction. As long as she could remember, they and Cordelia never had a civil conversation that wasn't filled with sarcasm and hurtful jabs at her friend.

Anise stepped forward with a grin. "I have to say, though, it was pretty awesome how you broke that box with the javelin."

The clumsy brunette knew the genius wouldn't take it that way.

"I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to prevent your injury, Anise," Cordelia said with shame. Sumia took noticed of the cast around her arm and a few bruises on her head.

"A broken arm is better than being food for the undead," said the brunette with a shrug, adjusting her cast. "Though I don't see why they can't just heal it with magic, we have enough staves to heal my ribs. Cheap-ass clerics," she grumbled under her breath. "It sucks not being able to fly for a while, but I know you guys will win this war."

"We let our jealousy blind us…" Sorano admitted with shame. "Maybe if we had more trust in you, we could have learned from you and not lose our sisters."

"What we are trying to say," Elsa interrupted, getting to the point and taking a sincere tone, "is that we are sorry."

"Yes, we are sorry for how we treated you, but we don't want you to kill yourself over it," Sorano explained with concern.

"But if you insist on going, we will support you, Captain!" Samantha declared, saluting her with the rest of her wing copying her actions.

The two Shepherds were stunned by the declaration, but none more so that Cordelia. "I… I don't know what to say."

"Just promise not to forget about us grunts if you're in the Shepherds full time," Grace jested.

"Never." Sumia smiled at the happy tone in Cordelia's voice. The genius always wanted to be able to call them that in the truest sense of the word.

"And on the bright side, now you are closer to your crush," teased Sorano, earning smirks from the other knights.

"Wha–? How–" Cordelia stuttered, gaining a blush. "A-A-am I that obvious?"

"Yes," a deadpan combination of voice replied, Sumia included, before the squad burst into laughter. Cordelia was quick to join them, happy to share a moment of camaraderie.

'Maybe things would work out fine.' While Sumia had no issues with their flight wing, she decided it was something between them. She was already assigned to the Shepherds after all. Excusing herself, Sumia left the stables, closing the door behind her.

"It seems that I don't need to speak with her, after all."

Sumia almost jumped out of her skin and was only stopped from tripping by an arm quickly catching her waist.

"Woah! Sorry about that, Sumia," Robin said while helping her stand and quickly separating from her with a slight blush on his face. "My apologies if I got a little close there, but I doubt you wanted to fall on the dirt."

Sumia straightened herself, blushing in embarrassment. "It's not an issue, sir!"

"Now, none of that. You've been welcoming of me Sumia, so you can simply call me Robin," the tactician replied with a friendly smile.

The brunette just nodded and relaxed, "Oh. Ok, Robin. But what do you mean about speaking with Cordelia?"

"I thought her reasons for coming were mere stubbornness so I was going to try and convince her to stay in the capital with Phila and the other flight wings," Robin admitted. "But I can see the issue runs deep. It would be insulting to have her sit this one out."

A grateful smile spread across Sumia's face. "Thank you, Robin. I know she will appreciate it. Truth be told, I was trying to do the same."

"Yeah, well. I'm sure I can fit her squad into our formation until she fully integrates with the Shepherds. We need more fliers on our main support platoon," Robin said, stretching his neck and moving down the path. "Well, I need to speak with Father Libra about our cleric support so I will see you later. Remember to prepare, Sumia. We leave in a few hours."

"Yes, si–Robin!" With a nod, the tactician left the pegasus rider alone and in peace.

"'Sup, Stumbles." Or so she thought.

Being aware enough not to trip this time, she turned to glare at the annoying thief behind her. "I'm never gonna get rid of that nickname, am I?" the brunette said in exasperation. She didn't know what was it about this man that pushed her buttons. Even if he saved her life and was kind of attractive.

"Nope," Gaius replied giving her that roguish grin that added to his charm. The rider liked that about him. Not that she was going to give the annoying man the satisfaction of knowing that.

"Do you need me for anything, Gaius?" Something about his smirk told her that was the wrong question to ask.

"Yep," the thief replied, taking something from his pocket and giving it to her. "Here."

"A lollipop?" she asked in confusion.

"You will want it later," replied Gaius with mirth in his voice. "Snowflake was looking for you. Something about some last minute 'training' before we leave."

'Well...' Sumia thought, rubbing the phantom pain on her arm. 'That explains the chills I felt earlier.'


The wooden boat rocked on the waves, making the Exalt slightly dizzy. Ignoring her stomach's complaints, Emmeryn looked at her bound hands with resignation. Her eyes wandered to the man sitting in front of her, who had been awfully quiet since they captured her.

"Are you comfortable, Lady Emmeryn?" asked the big, bald man that looked at her with pity.

His soft tone was unexpected, but Emmeryn hid it behind the polite mask she was used to wearing in court.

"As much as I can be, given my situation, General Mustafa. Though these bindings do chafe a little," she commented, motioning to her chains.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for this," he said with sincerity as he adjusted her manacles to be less tight, though not enough for her to escape. Not that she could run away in the middle of the sea. "I too desire peace as much as you, but the Mad King will kill our families if we don't bring you to him."

"I understand." She truly did, though that did not do much for her current predicament. "And I appreciate you not killing my convoy."

"We are not monsters, Lady Emmeryn," Mustafa retorted in a way that the Exalt felt it was more to assure himself than her. "True, we all suffered for your father's actions, but I know Ylisse is a much a victim of his crusade as Plegia." The bearded man looked her in the eye, "You know Gangrel will execute you right?"

"Of course." She had not any doubt she would perish in Plegia at this point.

"How can you be so calm then?" Mustafa asked, guilt leaking in his tone. "I'm taking you to your death!"

The Exalt just gave him a smile. "The truth? I am terrified, but I can only hope my brother ends this war with as little bloodshed as possible," Emmeryn admitted, feeling this man was just another victim of her father's and Gangrel's desires of conflict. "But I just hope my death is the ends your thirst for revenge and maybe you can find a new king, one that cares about his people. Peace will never be achieved with Gangrel on the throne, that I have come to accept."

Mustafa took her words in, remaining silent for a while. "...I remember what your father did to my people. He killed my sister and her family. For so long I hated you for all the pain your family inflicted on us."

"I am sorry for the pain my family brought upon your people. I cannot say I am without blame for I did nothing to pay reparations to your country. I was too occupied healing my own. I will understand if you want to take your anger on me, but please do not lash out at my people."

"Why are you so willing to shoulder all the blame?"

"I took my crown to heal people, whether they be Ylissean, Feroxi, or Plegian. If my pain brings you satisfaction for the loss of your family and tempers your hatred so that everyone can move towards a better future, I will be satisfied."

"I…no, Lady Emmery, you are not at fault. Not now, not for your father's actions in the past," the general said after getting over his shock, though that only made his guilt more palpable. "But I cannot let my family die. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. I understand what it feels to put family first," she reassured him.

"I will try to make your remaining time as comfortable as possible, for whatever it's worth." Mustafa then stood and moved to leave her cell.

"Thank you, sir. You're a good man and I am glad that out of all my potential enemies, you were the one that captured me. It is unfortunate that we didn't meet under more friendly circumstances." Emmeryn said with some pain leaking into her smile.

Mustafa stopped. Giving one more glance to the Exalt, he closed the door and left Emmeryn alone in her cell.


Robin thought that the longer he spent under the Shepherds' banner, the more likely it became for him to die of a stress-induced heart attack than a battle injury.

"Gods, Chrom! We only stop at this village while the rest of the army makes camp and you go bringing down a group of slavers?!"

Chrom waived his concern off. "Pfft! These thugs were hardly a challenge. They bolted as soon as I drew steel. Ha!"

"You challenged them alone?!" The march had been going so well until they decided to stop for the day, making camp outside one of the largest villages in Ylisse. While most of the army rested, many of the Shepherds took the occasion to visit the settlement for personal reasons.

The prince had the decency to look sheepish. "Well, I wouldn't say 'challenged', exactly. More like 'shooed away.' And I wasn't alone. That mercenary Gregor was there, too. Can't very well just leave that sort around now, can we?"

Feeling his blood pressure doing backflips, Robin pleaded to his friend. "By the gods, Chrom! Please, I beg you, do not take any more of these foolish risks."

"Hah! You do realize we're at war, right? Just walking onto the battlefield is a risk," the bluenette stated.

"I don't fear anyone besting you head-on; I fear you being stabbed in the back! Many of our enemies do not share your sense of honor. Especially slavers."

"Do you really think some random thugs would get the better of me?" the prince asked in an offended tone.

"Shall I list every hero who said that before being poisoned, sniped, or snared?" Robin had to bite his tongue not to point out his lack of armor.

Chrom tried to defend himself at the valid points, "Well, I don't think a list is necess—"

"You're our commander, Chrom! Battlefield victories mean nothing if an army loses its leader. You are no longer simply your own man. You stand for all of us," declared the tactician, looking at the prince in the eyes.

"Enough…" Chrom said in a defeated tone. "You have a point. You're right... as you always are. I will be more careful. Thank you, Robin. But I don't regret saving that young girl. Speaking of which..."

Both men turned to regard the young, green-haired girl with pointy ears sitting on a crate, swinging her feet as she watched both of them with a big grin. Next to her was a tall man with orange hair in his forties if Robin felt generous.

"I suppose introductions are in order," the blue-haired man said to the mercenary. "I'm Prince Chrom Lowell of Ylisse, and this is my tactician, Robin. May we know your names?"

The Northern Feroxi man gave a boisterous laugh. "Ha! Of course, of course. Name is—"

"Gregor Roque," said the voice of their own mercenary as she manifested from the shadows. Robin took some sick delight that this time it was Chrom the one that jumped, while himself only got a slight panic attack.

"How does she do that?" asked the prince in a low tone.

"I don't know!" hissed the amnesiac.

"Ah, Sustrai," the man said in a flat tone.

The two onlookers could feel the tension rising between the two mercenaries, as both stood in front of the other with tense postures. Robin felt a chill crawl up his spine as they stared at one another.

Nowi just kept smiling.

"Still crawl in debt for destroying many taverns?" Gregor asked with a hard tone.

"Still talking in third person while bitching about your betters?" Rose retorted with surprising bite.

They kept their glares locked at each other for what it felt like an eternity. Then, to the surprise of the onlookers, Gregor burst into laughter while Rose gave a chuckle.

"Ha! Gregor glad to see mighty woman still alive and of the kicking!" the older man said, patting the Plegian with enthusiasm. The woman didn't even grunt from the strong slap and returned the gesture.

"I ain't biting the dust before you, old man," she smirked. The old mercenary gave an expression of faux offense.

"Youngling, Gregor is not old wrinkly grandpa yet. Gregor still has innocent baby face and strong sword arm!"

Rose waved him off. "Yeah, sure. Whatever, you old fossil."

"You two know each other?" Robin as in disbelief. Moments ago they looked ready to kill each other.

"We competed for the same contracts a few times. We developed a sort of friendly rivalry," their resident Plegian answered with a shrug.

"Gregor's babushka say good competition temper mind like infant cave whale in snowy mountain!" The man confirmed with a grin while the two Shepherds raised a brow at the simile. "Gregor remembers first time talking to Rose girl. Gregor thought she was strong man-bear with long hair."

Rose's lips twitched. The other two men grimaced.

"Eeeh, but Gregor got broke arm after comment. Then Rose threaten town clerics if they heal Gregor, like."

"I can break it again," she warned him. "This time for good."

"Eh, Gregor thinks that won't be necessary." The man grimaced as he rubbed his arm.

"Thought so." Rose smirked. "So, what are you doing here? Another contract?"

"No. Gregor is free agent looking for food when Gregor saw Plegian slavers push little girl around," the Feroxi man said as he crossed his arms with pride. "Gregor could not stand bad men taking child, so Gregor chased them until Gregor met with Prince."

Chrom stepped forward and gave the Feroxi mercenary a once over, switching the explosive topic.

"Maybe you will be willing to offer your services to us? We can use all the strength we can get."

"Hmm, Gregor has no other employer at the moment and is no fan Plegian king. If Prince pays good coin, Gregor offers blade for cause."

"That can easily be arranged," the bluenette answered with a nod. If Gregor could hold his own with Rose then he certainly would be worth the orange-head puffed his chest.

"Prince will realize Gregor is good investment!"

"I can vouch for him. He bested Basilio in combat years ago," Rose added, further impressing the amnesiac and the prince. Besting a Khan was no easy feat.

"Then it's settled! I welcome you into our fold," Chrom said with a smile, shaking hands with the mercenary.

"Hey! What about me!?" the girl they forgot yelled, giving them all an adorable pout.

"We can get you back to your parents, Miss..." Robin trailed off, realizing he didn't know anything about the girl.

"Call me Nowi!" the girl cheerfully answered, quickly switching to a frown. "But I haven't seen my parents in years, and I have no idea where they are or if they are alive… I don't have a home..." Nowi said with a sniffle.

Well, didn't that make him feel like garbage.

"I am so sorry, I-I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories," the tactician said trying to salvage the situation. Nowi nodded and then her expression brightened.

"Hey! I know what to do! I can go with you!" The male Shepherds grimaced at the idea.

"I don't think that's a good idea. We are going to war and that's no place for children."

The Shepherd's Captain and tactician ignored Rose's coughs that sounded suspiciously like like the names of their wind mage, farmer and princess.

The girl jumped from the crate, pulling out a shiny stone from her pouch and with a burst of light transformed into a dragon. The draconic creature was easily twice as tall as Gregor and snarled, showing a mouth filled with way too many teeth.

"WHAT THE-!" Chrom shouted, stumbling back and reaching for Falchion. "FOR THE SWEET LOVE OF NAGA!

Robin wasn't doing any better. "B-by the Gods! You're a–!"

"Manakete," the Plegian mercenary answered calmly, earning bewildered looks from the men. "What? I read a lot. The pointy ears are a giveaway. Judging by the size of her dragon form I think she is around… eleven hundred years old."

Releasing her transformation, Nowi gave a cheer.

"Wow! You got it in one!" she then turned to regards the three stunned warriors. "So, seeing as I'm older than all of you combined, can I join?" The manakete asked with a toothy grin.

"...We could use a dragon," muttered Chrom, breaking from his stupor and glancing at the tactician.

Something about Rose's snort made Robin feel like she knew a joke he didn't.


The fact that they met Nowi and Gregor this early was both a pleasant surprise and a serious concern. They should not have been here; they should have been at the slaver's camp halfway into Plegia. Two possible reasons for this change came to the forefront of Rose's mind: One was that the events in this world had simply not been entirely equal to the ones she knew in the first place, which she could accept and work around.

The more problematic possibility, and the one she was worried about, was if the timeline was adjusting itself to counter her changes. That worry was the reason she had taken a moment during the break in the march to contact Tiki and get her opinion on the latest events.

"I understand your concerns, my friend, and I have thought about similar possibilities," admitted the manakete through their link. "The ripples your actions creating are not entirely within our control, so Mother and I had taken to studying the other Outrealms to try and learn more about the flow of time and the resulting effects of altering it."

A relieved sigh escaped the Fell Dragon's lips. "That is reassuring." At least someone had a clue to the mess. "What conclusions have you come too?"

"Let us take Exalt Emmeryn's fate as an example. If I recall correctly, Emmeryn was originally supposed to die during the initial assassination. Yet once that was foiled, she instead perished during her attempted execution at the Plegian capital."

"That's correct," Rose confirmed as her tactical mind started running through all the possibilities, though she didn't want to consider that outcome. "Are you insinuating that Emmeryn will always die despite any of my efforts?"

Tiki shook her head. "Not necessarily. It's not the event itself we should be focusing on, but on its outcome."

"Care to elaborate?" Rose thought she understood what the manakete meant, but he wanted to be sure.

"In both of your timelines and the ones we have been studying, once Emmeryn died the main outcome of the event was Prince Chrom taking the mantle of Exalt and leading the Shepherds and Ferox in both the campaigns in Plegia and Valm," Tiki explained, earning a nod from Rose. "The death of his sister was the main catalyst for his growth. From what I know of her, she wouldn't have authorized an invasion of Valm under her leadership and would subsequently lose the ensuing war regardless of Lucina's or Virion's warnings. That being said, if Emmeryn grows stronger and wiser as a leader and grants Chrom permission to attack Valm, the outcome should still be the same and she would be able to escape her current fate. I dare say that Emmeryn's death is not a fixed point in time, so to speak, but the Shepherds involvement in Valm is. There are a few timelines in which Emmeryn survives, but in all those that I have seen the Shepherds fight the Valmese Empire."

"Hmm, interesting. So the timeline will adjust itself until certain conditions are met, and not necessarily dependent on specific events..." The former queen mused out loud. "How many timelines did you observe to reach this conclusion?"

"Quite a few," admitted Tiki, who then gave the tactician a playful smirk. "For example, in one such alternate reality, you married Sir Frederick."

Rose's heart skipped a beat. In a bad way.

"In others, you fell for that blonde brute who never wears armor. Vaike, I believe his name was," the Voice said, seemingly ignoring the existential disgust she was giving her friend.

The tactician wondered if was what a heart attack felt like.

The Voice eventually took pity on her friend and stopped listing off her possible mates, getting back on topic. "This is all speculation, of course. All timelines differ in both small and large ways and time is not necessarily parallel. Even now there are dimensions where a Robin of either gender is just waking up in a field, whether a twin or an only child, while in others they live peacefully and die of old age, never facing Grima in battle. Not only that, time travel hasn't been attempted cross-dimensionally like this before, let alone with a situation like yours. As of now, I can only speculate that Gregor and Nowi's encounter with your group could simply mean that all members of the Shepherds are destined to join together."

Banishing the nauseous image of her being intimate with Vaike, Rose regained her composure and muttered, "Yeah, well, destiny can bite me."

"Your colorful language is a refreshing novelty and change from the last few centuries of polite and reverential pilgrims," Tiki said dryly.

"I aim to please," Rose said cheekily. It was nice to let her old, friendly self come out once in a while with the only person she could fully trust. "Moving on… What do you think about my outburst?"

"You need not fret for your iteration of Grima will never return. Mother and I made sure of that," the Voice reassured.

"Then what could it be? I have never felt like that before, even in the middle of battle."

"You and I have draconic instincts, and like any dragon we aim to destroy those that threaten that which we consider ours, like this city which you called home for so long. In your case, since the Fallen Bloodline has a closer link with death, you become more in tune with your power because of your injuries," Tiki explained seriously. "I dare say the closer you get to death, the more you will grow accustomed to your power and closer to wielding them more freely."

"Oh," was the former queen's eloquent response. "Well, that sucks ass."

"Indeed," the manakete agreed with a nod.

"For your information, I am not going to bring myself close to dying just to grow stronger faster, thank you very much. I'll just do it the hard, boring way," Rose declared, crossing her ethereal arms. "Training and practice."

"I am not asking you to, quite the opposite." Tiki said, looking at her with concern. "Stop running yourself so hard and stop worrying so much. While our situation is serious, having an anxious mind will do you no good. Just take better care of yourself and things might just get better."

"Yeah, I guess." Rose thought about it for a moment. "I have not had any alone time since joining the Shepherds."

"Then do it. It is the will of The Divine Dragon's daughter, The Exalted Voice of Naga, Lady Tiki." the manakete said with an air of smug superiority, puffing out her chest.

Rose groaned and dropped her head on her hands. "Crap, you heard."

"Don't say things you don't want me to hear when you are holding that book." Gods, had Tiki always capable of such an insufferable smirk? Rose could practically feel the expression grinding into her self-esteem.

"Fantastic," the Fellblood muttered. A thought occurred to her in that moment. "Hey, since you insist on me relaxing, maybe when this mess is all over we could go get blackout-drunk together and have a good time?"

"I'm not sure the Voice of Naga should be doing that." The manakete drawled uncharacteristically, giving her a flat look. "Don't think I don't know of your reputation."

"You should know that I haven't destroyed any taverns since I joined the Shepherds," Rose said with a sniff. "Last time was in Donnel's village but I didn't start it."

"Sure you didn't," muttered the manakete.

"Come on. Don't be such a boring old woman."

"I am not even three thousand, thank you very much," Tiki said with an exaggerated sniff. "Though I suppose a single night of fun would not be so bad... I've never really done that before, only read about it in the novels that the pilgrims bring."

"Then it's settled! Oh, I have been such a terrible influence. The Fell Dragon has succeeded in corrupting the Voice of Naga!" Rose declared theatrically.

"Oh shut up, you," Tiki said, trying to stop her smile. "I will keep meditating for more information. While the situation in Valm is dire, I can travel through easily between the Mila Tree and Mount Prism if the need arises."

"I wish we could move the armies through there. The strategic possibilities would be enormous." Sadly, the portals were not powerful enough to transfer more than a few people at a time before needing to recharge for a few weeks.

"Then, I'll take my leave. Take care of yourself. Farewell for now, Tiki."

"I will speak with you soon, my friend."

With that end to the conversation, Rose cut the link and opened her eyes, only to be greeted instantly by the wide-eyed, draconic gaze of Nowi.

The short manakete sniffed her with no regards for her personal space. "You smell familiar. Like a manakete!" she said with a toothy grin.

Gently pushing the thousand-year-old girl away, the tactician stood. "Sorry, girl, but my ears aren't pointy. I am no manakete."

The disappointment felt by Nowi was palpable, if slightly exaggerated. Her ears drooped. "Awww… I was hoping to you were, I haven't seen another manakete in like... nine hundred years."

Speaking with Nowi for an extended period of time was not on the list of things she wanted to do in the foreseeable future, but she could throw her a metaphorical bone, even it meant using Tiki as a sacrifice. "I am friends with a manakete in Valm, though. I'm sure she would love to meet you."

She ignored the frantic shaking of the Book of Naga.

"Super! I will hold you to that!" Her sorrowful mood instantly turned a one-eighty as she became just as cheery as before again. "Meanwhile we can become friends ourselves! Let's play together!" Nowi exclaimed with joy, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from her peaceful spot.

The sacrifice had not worked.

"Oh, joy…"


Time flew as the army made their way to the frontlines. The Shepherds were just a day away from reaching the border forts, with two-thirds of the force they brought to Ylisstol right behind them. Robin thought it was for the best as the would have fresh Feroxi troops waiting at the border while the rest kept order on the capital.

"Robin, a word if you would," Frederick asks from his side, dismounting his mare and walking next to him.

"Frederick?" Normally, the knight didn't spoke to him unless it was to voice a complaint. Hopefully this time he wouldn't be antagonistic. "I mean, yes of course. What can I do for you?"

The great knight looked uncomfortable, frowning slightly and releasing a sigh. "I… I owe you an apology for the way I have treated you since you joined," Frederick said in a solemn tone.

Robin was taken aback by this action, never expecting such a change from the hostility he had shown the tactician since they met. Such was his surprise that he didn't notice an eavesdropping Rose choking on her water behind them, nor a panicked Chrom frantically patting her on the back.

"I, well, not that I don't appreciate the sentiment but why the change of heart?"

"I suppose it came as a result of the battle before arriving at Ylisstol. You had plenty of opportunities to do hurt our war effort and I was too eager to discover your faults. But any that I found was only because of human error, not born of malicious intent," Frederick said. Then, as if the surprises so far weren't enough, he bowed. "You have earned a place amongst us and it's not fair for me to treat you in such a way any longer. Like I said when we met you, I wanted to trust you and know I can."

The amnesiac stood in shock for a moment as his brain caught up to the events. Here was the man that gave him a hard time through all the life he could remember, finally offering him an olive branch. "Frederick… Thank you, you have no idea what this means to me. I… I don't have anything besides my tactics and the clothes on my back. Chrom took me in and offered me a future. For that, he has my absolute loyalty and I want to prove it."

"And you have," the knight reassured.

"Still, thanks," Robin said, extending his hand, slightly nervous the knight would deny it.

Grasping it firmly, Frederick gave him a rare smile. "You are most welcome. I know others still haven't warmed out to you, but at the very least I can assure you won't hear further accusations from me. Just please, do not abuse this trust."

"Never."


The days of walking came to an end when they reached the border forts. Thousands of warriors stood at the ready, waiting for the hammer to drop. The Shepherds took residence in the barracks early and spent the next day settling in. Stahl and Cordelia had departed to gather the Khans accompanied by Cordelia's wing. Libra and the clerics were checking on the wounded from early skirmishes while Robin worked with Gregor and Nowi to figure out where to use their talents. Sully dragged Kellam and Vaike to a training arena with the remaining members watching.

Which left Chrom with only one training partner available.

Even with all the time passed since her recruitment, Chrom couldn't figure out the mercenary tactician that wiped the floor with him at every chance she got. Sometimes she was a stern teacher, others a snarky cynic. Rose didn't make any efforts to bond with the Shepherds other than Robin, which he suspected was mainly for their role as Plegian tacticians. Any attempts talk about her personal life was met with cold silence, which quickly thought the militia that was a topic to avoid.

Surprisingly Emmeryn and Phila of all people seemed to have the best relationship with her from what little he had seen.

She seemed especially frosty with Sully, Frederick, Vaike, and, much to everyone's surprise, Libra. Whenever they interacted the Plegian was direct and short, not wanting to spend more than the time necessary for them. Then again the knights hadn't been the most welcoming of her presence.

Chrom was no fool despite what many might believe. He has a keen eye and she had caught the small gestures through her hood on more than one occasion. Thin lips when she spoke to those she disliked, small smiles when Robin asked for her help strategies and a certain sadness when she looked at the children in the villages they passed.

More than anything, whenever they spoke the prince could detect something when she looked at him. It felt like a sense of longing, like she saw a ghost. Sometimes she jested freely with him before quickly correcting herself. On occasion, he may say something that appears to ignite a furious fire behind her eyes that she quickly smothered, as if remembering he wasn't the target of her rage.

"All I'm saying is that you, like the Pegasus Knights, could do with more sensible armor," the Plegian woman said as they made their way to the mess hall for dinner. The moon was already high in the sky by the time they finished their sparring session.

"So that's why Phila was glaring at you the other day..."

"I feel that was an unwarranted action for my perfectly sensible inquiry about their lack of pantaloons. How can they ride in skirts?"

Other times she could be as weird as the rest of the army, even if she didn't admit it.

"Yeah, I'm not getting into that." The bluenette winced as he rubbed his sore muscles. "But you don't wear a helmet, so why should I?"

"Who was the one eating dirt on the floor with a blow to the head earlier?" the Plegian asked rhetorically.

"That's beside the point," retorted the bluenette, stifling a yawn.

"That's the whole point," she drawled, like speaking to a child. "Besides, I could enchant my hood and coat to harden on impact if I wanted."

"Wait, really?"

"Obviously," Rose replied and he could see her mouth turning into a frown. "Almost all of Plegia's Magical Corps use the enchantment on their robes. Sure, it won't replace a dedicated set of armor and the materials for the enhancement are hard to get outside of Plegia. It might be temporary but why do you think they dare fight in the field with such light clothing?"

"Uhhh…" Chrom just thought spellcasters were too physically weak to handle heavy armor. Miriel would probably die if you made her run in full plate armor. The mercenary had no problem using a chest plate, greaves and gauntlets, though. It would be best for the prince's health not to voice his opinion. "Nevermind. But now that you mention it, what happened to your armor?"

"A casualty of war. I have a trusted blacksmith in Ylisse fixing it for me, but I will have to make due with…this," she said with disgust as she pointed at her standard-issue plate. A plain steel piece, not at all like the intricate designs of her normal armor. "At least is not one of this Pegasus Knights' breastplates."

"I think they look very good on them," Chrom said without thinking.

"Ugh. Men," Rose scoffed with an implied eye roll hidden by her hood.

"Oh? Wait...N-No! Wait, I didn't mean it like that!" Gods, he sounded like a pervert. Her opinion of him must be lower than after the 'lady' incident.

The pair continued walking when they heard the sudden of the meeting horn, signaling the need for all officers to meet in the main hall.

"What the… Come, let's see what this is about," Chrom said, earning a terse nod from the tactician, who looked tense and apprehensive about the situation. Had he looked closer he would have noticed Rose's nails biting deeply into her skin and drawing blood.

As they made their way to their destination they ran into Robin and Lissa, the former throwing a frog from his hood through the window as they ran. Entering together to the hall, they were quickly followed by the rest of the Shepherds. Inside, they saw the unexpected presence of a worried Stahl and Cordelia standing next to the Khans.

The bluenette looked at the assembly with visible confusion. "Basilio? Flavia? I didn't expect you this soon. Is something the matter?"

"Bad news, Prince." Basilio scowled and looked at the assembled Shepherds. "The Plegians captured your Exalt and retreated across their lines."

"Lady Emmeryn never made it to Caeda's Landing," Cordelia relayed in a professional, but worried tone. "It seems the Deil escort was ambushed and replaced by Plegians and from there, our escorts handed her Grace to them with no resistance, thinking they were the real thing. They had the documents and everything."

"Once Deil realized the situation they had messengers sent here and to Ylisstol to inform us. Caeda's Landing must still think they are on their way," Stahl added. "Gangrel's taunt just verified our fears. Phila is assembling a rescue party but I don't think they will make it here in time."

"I knew we couldn't trust the Plegians! They had to be cooperating!" snarled Sully, taking a step towards Robin and Rose. Robin looked at her in disbelief, hurt by the accusation while Rose stood ready to fight.

"Seriously!? We were with you guys the entire time and Deil is in the opposite direction!" Robin exclaimed.

"But it was originally your idea, isn't it? Even if Lissa was the one that suggested it, you were the one that came up with it. Maybe this was your intention all along!" Sully said, stepping towards the tactician with narrowed eyes.

"I-I…" But before he could retort, Rose stepped in.

"Back off, knight!" Rose growled, standing with her hand on her blade. She looked tense and ready to explode. "He may have offered the idea, but it was approved by Emmeryn herself!"

"You dare address her Grace with disrespect? Know your place, Mercenary!" Sully said, not backing down. Rose gritted her teeth. "We all knew that she should have stayed in Ylisstol or Ferox!"

"That's what they would have expected!" Rose argued. "You think they don't have ambush teams waiting near the Feroxi wall?!"

"Then explain how they knew about the plan!?"

"Enough!" shouted the prince, tired of their bickering and making the two hot-headed women reluctantly stand down. "What else do we know? Do they want a trade?"

The Khans looked uncomfortable, but Basilio conceded.

"No. Gangrel has declared she's to be publicly executed within the moon."

"E-Executed?!" Chrom shouted in disbelief, an action mimicked by his comrades. "N-no..."

"Ooooh…" uttered Lissa just before passing out in the arms of a frantic tactician.

"Lissa? Lissa!"

Flavia snarled. "The bastard's not even trying to be subtle anymore."

"I agree. It's an obvious trap," said Robin, setting the princess gently on the floor.

"The Mad King knew it was a matter of time before we noticed and had our scouts relay this information back. It's clearly a provocation—a hot brand to the buttocks! We should consider our options carefully before jumping to any—"

"Shepherds! We march to Plegia!" Chrom ordered, barely holding his rage back.

Clearing his throat, the one-eyed Khan regained the attention of the Ylisseans.

"Well, that would be one option, yes... But perhaps we've seen enough royalty waltzing into traps in one war already, eh?"

"I don't care if it's a trap, Basilio!" Chrom shouted with rage boiling in his blood. "He's going to murder my sister!"

Flavia placed a reassuring hand on the prince's shoulder. "Peace, Chrom. Breathe a moment. No one's suggesting we don't act. We're simply saying we should act wisely. We'll need guts and wits in equal measure if we're to save your sister."

"The Khans are right. I'll think of something, Chrom. I promise," Robin said, trying to calm the bluenette."

"Should we prepare to march right now, Chrom?" asked Sumia from the side.

"Don't be reckless," Rose warned them, earning the attention of those present. "It's late and we are all tired. I know it's painful but do try to get some rest. Even if we leave right now we would only pass out of exhaustion."

He hated to admit it but Rose was right. Only adrenaline and fury was keeping him awake.

Rose then turned to the Khans, "Tell me, do we know who captured her? If she was harmed?"

"We do," said Flavia. "Lucky for us in our way here we caught up with a scout that saw a group of Plegian escorting someone towards the bay. They looked well equipped and pretty high ranking, led by a very powerful-looking man."

"Could you describe this man for me?" asked the mercenary tactician. Flavia nodded.

"He's a bald man with a beard and dark skin, wearing the typical outfit of a Plegian berserker, but with a cape signaling his rank as General."

"Hmm, it could be General Mustafa," Rose said. "Which is good news for us."

"What do you mean? How could she being in the hands of a Plegian be good news?!" growled Vaike from behind them.

"Because I know of General Mustafa. Out of all the officers within Plegia's army, he's is one of the few that rose through the ranks by merit instead of kissing Gangrel's feet. He is probably the most honorable Plegian warrior you will ever meet. He always grants his opponents a chance to surrender and if they refuse, a swift and painless death."

"How do you know about him, Plegian?" The blonde warrior accused.

The mercenary gritted her teeth in frustration. "Knowing your opponent is important. I made some research on important members of various armies across the years. Mustafa was amongst them," Rose snapped back, silencing Vaike's question, and turned back to the royals. "We have time. Gangrel won't harm her yet. If we depart tomorrow, Emmeryn should be just a day or two earlier than us, so I think they won't waste time torturing her in private when he can make a show out of it for his people."

"But once we rescue her, he will definitely lose what remains of his sanity. It will be the beginning of the end of this war," deduced Robin, earning a nod from the Plegian woman.

"I think so, too. He will become reckless, making it easier to defeat him."

The prince of Ylisse relaxed slightly, at least partially reassured her sister wasn't being tortured or worse. "...All right. I leave it to you, Robin, to formulate our strategy," he said, looking at his tactician.

"Are you certain you're up to the task, Robin? It won't be easy. You hold the Exalt's life in one hand, and all of ours in the other."

Chrom saw as his friend took a deep breath and looked at the rulers with a determined expression. "A responsibility I do not take lightly. But I am up for the challenge."

Flavia laughed and slapped him on the back, almost knocking the tactician over, "Ha ha! You've got stones, at least. I like that! You will help no, Champion of Ferox?"

Rose nodded tersely. "That's what they pay me for."

"No hesitation, no mincing words... He's either a genius or a fool! And our Champion is no better," Basilio said with a battle-thirsty smirk. "I suppose we'll find out once we march. Hold on to your tassets, Ylisseans. We have an Exalt to save!"

"Yes, we do." Chrom nodded and turned to his peers. "Shepherds! Prepare your gear and get some rest, we depart at dawn!"


I Failed.

I Failed.

I Failed.

I Failed.

I Failed.

The mantra repeated on the fallen queen's mind as she tried to gain sleep. Clenching her fists against her covers, Rose tried to block the image of Emmeryn falling to her death, splattering in the ground, turning her once majestic visage into an unrecognizable mess of bloody flesh and bone.

Was Tiki wrong? Was Emmeryn's death inevitable?

In that moment of silence, a dark chuckle echoed through her ears. "So naive. Just because a miracle saved us before, you think fate can always be challenged."

Rose's eyes snapped open, looking around for the source of the sinister voice as she took her blade in her hands. She kept her guard up as she scanned the place she didn't recognize until she stopped on a tall mirror, locking her eyes with the mocking, red ones of her reflection.

The blade clattered to the floor as cold fear "No..."

Her reflection looked at her with a condescending expression, laughing at her denial. "Awww, didn't you miss me?" she said, tracing circles on the glass between them. "I'm hurt! We spent so much time together."

"Nononono! You can't be here! I killed you! Naga confirmed your demise!" The former queen shouted at the mirror.

Grima sighed theatrically at her exclamation. "Were we always so stubborn?" the reflection asked. "You used my power. Our power, dear Robin. Two sides of the same coin. My sins are your sins. No matter what happens, I will always be a part of you," The Fell Dragon started, tracing circles on the glass.

Rose took a step back, "I'm dreaming. That's it. I'm finally going mad."

Grima made a show of checking her nails. "I don't see why you fight against it so much. Didn't you enjoy the power as you crushed the mortal vermin under your heel? You could destroy our counterpart if you embrace your true nature. His power is weakened and divided, yours is just in slumber."

"I don't need you! I will never need you!"

"And yet you survive because of my power. Remember, I am the dragon half," Grima said, tracing the scar on her chest. "It was the power of the Fell Dragon that saved us from Falchion's strike. But you still insist you don't need me." The dragon stopped and shrugged. "Even if it's the only thing saving such a coward like you."

"You dare–!?"

"What? Say the truth? If you weren't so afraid of our power you could have killed Gangrel and Walhart with a wave of your hands!" Grima said through a snarl."You could've conquered Valm and Plegia instead of just tweaking the playing board! In your misery you let go of the opportunity of victory because you were afraid of dying before dealing with our brother!"

Rose recoiled at the words, not knowing how to reply, "I– You– What do you care, you beast!?"

"What can I say? Even if I'm dead I still have my pride to uphold. I can't tolerate my mortal self-running around, losing to another me! You shouldn't be making such stupid mistakes!"

"I'm not wasting anything! It's the best course of action!" Yet the tactician knew the specter was right. Had she mastered her full power instead of denying it, her weakened counterpart wouldn't stand a chance. But it carried the risk of killing Robin is his bonds to this world were weak.

At least that's what she told herself.

"Oh really? What is the first thing you did when you stopped wasting your time with self-pity? Take the initiative and crush Valm and Plegia? Take Robin away and explain to him the situation? No. It's running back into Chrom's embrace, like an abused housewife!" the dragon shouted, gaining a cruel and seductive smile. "I understand though. Oh! How do we miss his strong arms! That strong chest. Even his firm…" Grima stopped and chuckled, "Well, you know. I mean, it has been years since we laid with a man. A lady has her needs."

Rose growled as her hands clenched tightly, drawing blood as her nails dug into her skin.

Grima raised her hands in a mocking, placating manner. "Hey, hey! I'm you, remember? Deny it all you want, but deep down you know it's true," the Fell Dragon said, narrowing her eyes and smirking. "I know you miss him. That you want to taste his delicious lips once more," the specter taunted, licking her lips in a way that made the tactician's stomach churn. "We could always turn him into a Risen. That way he will never turn o─"

The specter was silenced when Rose fist slammed against the mirror, shattering it into a million pieces.


Rose woke up in an instant, panicked eyes looking for any sign of the Fell Dragon. Cold sweat clung to her skin with a slight frost created by her loss of control.

'A nightmare. That was all it was.'

Grima wasn't here.

Damn stress was finally getting to her.

Light stroke her eyes, making Rose groan. Looking at the rising sun through the small window, the fallen queen realized she wouldn't get much more sleep before their departure. Giving up, she rose from her bed and prepared for the long march ahead.


A/N: Here are some recommendations for some for you to read.

Daddy's Little Girl by KennHyrulian

Brother's Triumphant Return by Honore with Shurpuff

Crossed Blades by Erttheking, A FE:A/Dark Souls Crossover that deserves more attention.

Once again thanks to Shipping Rates Apply and Victory3114 for checking this chapter.