Chapter 13 – Escaping Destiny


A bolt of lightning struck the walls of the canyon, shattering them into huge pieces. The rocks crumbled behind the escaping Ylisseans, blocking the path from the Plegian capital and granting them a moment of respite to pull themselves together. Not a moment later, a wall of ice merged with the stone, further sealing up the way.

"I didn't know you could do that!"

"Neither did I!"

"What ?!" the prince shouted in dumbfounded disbelief. But experience earned since meeting Robin in that field had prepared him for strange situations and was quick in reining in his emotions, focusing on his burning muscles instead of questioning tactician's insane magical potential. Chrom had no idea how long they had been running, but the sun was already going down the horizon. They couldn't rest for long; not until they reach the bulk of the army. Even then, he couldn't afford the time to be tired. That stunt his crazy Plegian tacticians had pulled saved his sister and bought them the time they needed to escape and he couldn't waste it.

'Gods… I was this close of losing Emm...'

As the Shepherds have taken care of the patrols chasing them, Chrom hadn't had the time to think about the events that transpired in great detail. During the skirmish, everything looked to be working in their favor but the longer it went the more Aversa seemed to counter their plan at every turn. When Emmeryn decided to jump Chrom felt like he aged a decade as he prayed for a miracle.

A miracle that was composed by two crazy Plegians he decided to trust. Never before had he been gladder to have trusted his instincts and recruited those two cloaked tacticians. It was only by that insane teleportation move that Ylisse hadn't lost its Exalt.

And Chrom and Lissa didn't lose their elder sister.

"Robin," the prince said, catching the tactician's attention. "Thank you." At the amnesiac's confused expression he elaborated, "For saving Emmeryn. Just the thought of losing her..."

Robin was quick to shake his head in denial. "I didn't do anything special Chrom, just my duty," the tactician said as his face twisted into a scowl. "I would have failed without Rose and Virion correcting my plan and accounting for further variables. Looking at my plan, I can see many holes I should have taken into account." His voice lowered almost to a whisper, "I could have gotten your sister killed an–"

"And you didn't," Chrom finished for him, stopping Robin cold. "The plan worked and had we not know about the Grimleal's involvement with the Risen in Ylisstol we wouldn't have been able to prepare." Chrom couldn't help but think what could've happened had Ylisstol fallen. Would they have killed Emmeryn right away or would Gangrel still have done the execution? "When the time came, you managed to adapt. There is no shame in accepting others help to check your ideas."

"No plan survives first contact with the enemy. How you adapt to the flow of combat is the key ," Robin said out loud, more to himself than the prince. "A basic tactician lesson. Made famous in the times of King Marth."

"See? You're aware of this, so don't blame yourself. Everything worked out in the end."

"Yeah, bu–"

"Just shut up and take my gratitude," the exasperated prince said, not in the mood for one of Robin's emotional episodes, effectively silencing the tactician. Seeing as Robin wasn't about to interrupt him again, his expression softened. "It was a team effort. She couldn't cast the spell, you couldn't jump into the portal. You needed each other to achieve this success." His expression and tone softened as he looked at his friend. "You pulled off a miracle. Sure, we didn't kill Gangrel nor Aversa but we have shaken the faith of his people on him while showing our own prowess."

"...If only it had gone smoother."

Chrom understood what he meant, as right now their clerics were doing their best to heal the injuries sustained by Rose, which proved to be no easy task last he heard.

In the time since the mercenary had joined them, Robin was the one who interacted with her the most, as the woman helped him with his tactics and proved a match for all his wits. Even Virion and Chrom, the only ones that spoke with her with any modicum of success, had a mostly professional relationship with the hooded woman.

That is not to say he and the other Shepherds weren't concerned about her health. While she wasn't close or necessarily friendly with them, Rose still proved extremely helpful during the campaign and had certainly earned the respect of many of their members by strength alone, if nothing else.

More so after this stunt.

The prince was quick to reassure his friend, for he knew how worried he was. "She will be fine. Rose has proven too stubborn to die."

That got a chuckle out of the tactician. "That she is. You know, maybe it's because of our skill and country but after spending so much time with her she feels like a kindred spirit."

Thinking about the pair made the prince pause. If the prince was honest with himself, he had his suspicions about her relationship with the amnesiac. He had the nagging sensation that she and Robin are connected in some way, even if she insisted otherwise. They are too similar to simply buy the idea that they lacked some link. The fact that she had shown an interest in him was also suspicious.

But then again, white hair and violet eyes were not that uncommon in Plegia and the fact that they both wore the robes of a Plegian tactician from the last war could be mere coincidence. The few snippets Chrom had caught from Emmeryn and the gossiping maids that had ears everywhere hinted to a past filled with pain, even if he lacked the details, so maybe she found a kindred spirit in Robin. She was mysterious but certainly not malicious.

It wasn't his place to pry, even if he wanted to help his friend figure out his identity. With all she had done, Rose had earned her privacy.

Still, it was something to think about for when this war is over.

"Come on," Chrom said, patting Robin's shoulder. "Let's check the perimeter to make sure the coast is clear."


"Ow ow ow!" hissed Nowi at the pain in her shoulders.

"Mighty sorry 'bout that, Ms. Nowi," said the thickly-accented voice of Donnel. The farm boy was doing his best to patch up the shoulder the manakete while she was piggybacking on Gregor's back. It was unfortunate that manaketes could retain their injuries through their transformations.

Anna sighed through her exhaustion, patting the farmer's head in a slightly condescending gesture. "You're hopeless, Donny. Here, let me help." The merchant pulled out her staff, muttering something about charging the Crown and addressed the Feroxi mercenary. "Keep her still, big guy."

"Ah! Gregor has no issue holding ladies with delicacy," the mountain of a man boasted.

"Oh?" the redhead smirked and patted his muscular arm. "Then maybe you will hold me later."

Gregor smirked at the banter. "Ah! Pretty lady has been captivated by Gregor's charm,"

"We shall see, big guy but we will need to patch up those cuts on your arms first, too," the merchant said with a frown as she studied the reddening wounds of the mercenary.

"As long as pretty redhead patches Gregor, Gregor is happy," Gregor said, earning a smirk from the merchant.

Donnel flushed at the unshameful flirting between the two redheads. The farm boy decided to focus on helping the resident manakete. "Is there anythin' I can bring ya, Miss Nowi?"

"Some food would be nice," she mumbled as she fought to keep her eyes open.

Donnel nodded vigorously, eager to be of use to his comrades and get away from the flirting redheads. "Right on it, Miss!"

"Thanks… Donny..." she said as she finally succumbed to sleep.

"Check with Stahl," Anna called out as he moved to his target. "If anyone here has extra food is him."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

Donnel ran towards the convoy, thinking back to the battle and souring his slightly good mood. His heart almost stopped when he saw the two brave women fall to their deaths but thankfully they were saved by the power of Commander Robin.

The farm boy wasn't dumb, despite what many might think. He understood that despite all the skill Prince Chrom and the Shepherds possessed, they were extremely lucky to only suffer injuries with no fatalities so far. Nowi was a close call too, though that could be because she lacked the teamwork with the rest of the team.

The young farmer wondered when their luck would run out.


The march was not without problems. A few Plegian assassins were able to intercept them through the canyons as they came from their forward bases as soon as their scouts detected the Ylisseans advance. Soon after they were engaging their frontal troops while the rest of the Shepherds and Pegasus Knights treated their wounded on the rear.

Sully severed the arm of her opponent, eliciting a scream that was quickly silenced. They were a fair distance from the main convoy, securing the perimeter while they waited for the Feroxi vanguard to meet up with them. Her horse, Spirit, was currently holding Lady Emmeryn, meaning that Sully had to fight on foot.

Not that it affected her much since she trained hard to be ready for such situations.

Still, while so far the forces that had found them weren't an issue, the Plegian troops were starting to take a toll on the Shepherds' stamina. There was no telling when a fresh soldier will ambush the most tired Ylisseans or when fatigue would cause them to make a mistake.

Just as the cavalier did in that moment.

Sully overextended herself and felt her shoulder muscle lock up for an instant. Just in time to give an assassin the opening he needed to eliminate the knight. The man jumped with the intention of splitting her skull open, but the cavalier wasn't having it. Since her arm was not useful at the moment, Sully kicked the man with all her strength and weight behind it, knocking the attack off course. Clumsily using her left hand to hold her sword, she stabbed the Plegian in the heart, killing him instantly.

Grunting, she rolled her shoulder to unblock her muscles not paying attention to her surroundings, allowing a dark mage to finish his spell.

"DIE, YLISSEAN WHORE!"

Sully barely turned around when she was knocked to the ground by a heavily armored figure that appeared out of nowhere. The cavalier gathered her bearings just in time to watch as Kellam took the brunt of the attack with gritted teeth. Biting down a scream as the dark spell cursed through his flesh, the heavy knight threw his javelin right into the chest of the mage. The Plegian gave a gurgle before falling dead on the floor, spine severed by the weapon, and releasing the spell. Kellam soon too found himself on the ground.

"Kellam? Hey, Kellam!" Sully shouted, running to his side now that all the enemies in the vicinity were taken care of.

Kellam heaved as he discarded his shield; the extra weight not doing anything for him right now. "S-Sully? Y-You ok?"

The cavalier clenched her jaw as she helped her comrade to his feet. "Dammit, pip-squeak! That attack was meant for me! Were you following me around, trying to play hero?! Look where that got you!"

Making the effort to open his eyes, Kellam glanced at her in confusion. "Um, I-I wasn't trying to play, Sully. I was just fighting alongside—"

"Well, knock it the hell off!" Sully snarled. She was confused, angry and grateful at the same time, but her pride wouldn't let her admit it. " I'm the one who does the protectin' around here, got it?! I don't need some tiny man in a huge suit of armor watching me."

Kellam grew more confused, not understanding why his actions were being reproached. "B-b-but…"

"You think I need extra protection? That it? You think I'm frail and weak?" the redhead asked, earning a shaky denial from the injured knight. "You think you can be my gallant knight in shiny, oversized armor?"

"I wasn't g-giving you special t-treatment, honest! I just like protecting people!"

"I'll say this once, pip-squeak!" Sully poked his chest angrily with one hand while giving him support with the other. "Don't ever pull that crap again! Are we clear now? Words sank in?" There was no response. Sully was about to start back again when she noticed his head dropping and his breathing becoming shallow. "...Kellam? Hey! Wake up! Dammit! Hold on, you're not dying because of me!"


"You need to rest, Emmeryn!"

"But Lissa, I can hel—"

"NO!" Lissa shouted, surprising her elder sister. The pair was in a small space they had secured to patch the wounded while they awaited for the convoy. The young princess glared at the Exalt through her tears. "No, today you listen to me! I almost lost you and I'm not going to let you hurt yourself anymore! Now, sit down and rest!"

Emmeryn turned to the downed form of their Plegian mercenary that was being patched up by Libra. "But Lady Ro—"

"I will heal her," Lissa interrupted, her voice serious. Right now she was no princess or younger sister; she was a medic and her word was law. Lissa understood her concern, though. They have no idea what spell or poison was in those arrows but it was fighting all their attempts to close the wounds on her sister's savior. Libra and that mage, Tharja, were doing their best to remove the cause but it was slow going. The most they could do was replenish her blood and cover her with bandages. "I will use the remaining power of my staff to try and heal her now that we got time, but first let me heal that leg of yours." Lissa frowned as she gave her elder a once over. "Your arm was healed in a hurry so I need to check that too."

Emmeryn sighed and seated, much to Lissa's pleasure. "Let's start with the arm. I think we need to reset the bone first and bandages."

"I'm the medic here, Emmeryn. You let me worry about that," Lissa said as she finished mending Emmeryn's leg so she could walk. Pulling a piece of wood from her knapsack, she passed it to the Exalt. "I will reset the bone. The potion we gave you will wear off soon and we have no more anesthetics. I need you to bite this so you don't bite your tongue in pain."

With a little hesitation, Emmeryn bit into the wood. Lissa studied the wound, finding it less serious than the one she had suffered in her leg. Maribelle, who was currently healing the Pegasus knights, had mended the flesh in a hurry to stop the bleeding, giving Emmeryn the potion to push away the pain, but the bone was set incorrectly.

Lissa might be many things. A prankster, lazy, squeamish about killing, but when it came to healing she had taken to it like a fish to the water. "This is going to hurt," she warned with an apologetic tone, earning a nod from Emmeryn. "Ok, then. At the count of three. One—"

Emmeryn screamed, biting into the wood as Lissa reset the bone with all her strength. The young princess quickly healed the bone now that it was properly in place, using her staff to soothe the pain.

"Emm! Focus on me!" Lissa said, grabbing her sister's shoulders while she sobbed in pain.

"I... I'm fine..." the Exalt said through heavy breaths. "Now, please… heal Lady Rose... I owe her..."

"You got i—"

"I NEED HELP!"

Lissa nearly jumped out of her skin at the shout. Running towards them was Sully, shouldering an armored figure that was hard to discern but became clearer the closer they came.

"Sul— Kellam!?" the blonde shouted as she finally noticed the figure using Sully as support. "What happened!?"

"A dastard Plegian attacked me with dark magic while I was finishing off an assassin," Sully explained as she placed Kellam on the ground with unusual care. "This idiot took the attack for me. Can you heal him."

"I can but..." Lissa trailed off as she saw the Plegian mercenary. "We need to prioritize."

Sully bit her tongue and growled. Lissa wondered if it was in anger at Rose for getting in the way or the situation in general.

"Heal… him…"

"Huh?!" Those present turned to see Rose pushing herself into a sitting position. More surprising than her sudden awakening was the fact that her face was completely visible to those present. Long, white hair stuck to her with sweat, face paler than it was healthy due to blood loss. Libra must have taken her coat while attempting to heal her wounds.

Libra attempted to stop her before she made her state worse. "Milady, you need to rest! You will only make your injuries worse!"

The tactician pushed away his hands, gazing directly into the princess's eyes. "Focus… on Kellam…" Rose wheezed out. Her hand gained an orange glow as magic gathered on her palm. "I… will take… care of this. I've… enough magic... for this..."

Before anyone could stop her, the mercenary placed her hand on her lower back and smell of burnt flesh reached her. She gritted her teeth as the pain became clearly unbearable.

Lissa was quick on her feet, taking her staff, ready to berate the mercenary who just dropped her hand and gave a weak smile. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"There…" she said, pointing out at the new scar charred skin on her lower back. "Cauterized… Now, you… can heal him..." Her eyes rolled back and she passed out from exhaustion.

"You're insane," Lissa whispered as she inspected the wounds and grimaced. It wouldn't fix the internal bleeding but maybe the first burned the inside wounds. With nothing else she could do for Rose at the moment, Lissa gave a wave of her staff and the burnt flesh mended into proper scar tissue. She turned to Libra to issue her orders. "Give her some more anti-venom and a healing potion, then try to heal my sister's wounds. Minimal, but proper healing. We need to conserve the power of our staves for now."

Libra bowed. "On it, your highness."

As the priest moved towards the Exalt, Lissa gave Sully a nod, "Take off his armor and bring him here, let's see what we can do."


Gaius and Sumia were holding the rear, fighting the Risen summoned by a Grimleal priestess that snuck behind them, cutting them off from the rest of the militia.

"Just what we needed," grumbled the thief as he cut down an undead warrior. "Just our luck, we overextended and got ambushed."

The Plegians that had ambushed the scouts were low in number, forcing them to resort to the classic strategy of "divide and conquer".

"Drats," cursed Sumia as she spun her spear to deflect an incoming blow. Like Sully, she too had left her mount behind in case they needed to evacuate the wounded. The clumsy knight was starting to have second thoughts about that decision since she was less effective on foot than on a pegasus. "They just keep coming!"

"You should be resting, Stumbles," Gaius said as he cut another Risen. "That arm of yours is not completely healed."

"I'm well enough to fight," insisted the knight. Her arm had popped out of its socket when she grabbed Sorano. It was not nearly a serious wound as the others had suffered but the lack of available fighters meant she had to get some quick healing to get back in the fight. Sadly that meant the healing was not nearly as good and still left her arm sore and stiff.

A Risen took the opportunity present by their chat to jump the knight. The axe of the undead barbarian came down fast and only its growls alerted Sumia of the attack. She quickly raised her spear in defense but the blow of the heavier weapon slammed down with full force on the shaft of the spear. The war had taken a toll on her equipment and the spear shattered, absorbing enough of the force to just knock Sumia to the ground instead of splitting her in half.

"Sumia!" Gaius shouted. Ignoring his slip at the use of her actual name, the thief jumped in front fallen brunette and deflected the next attack with all the skill he earned through his run-ins with the law. "You ok there?"

"Y-Yes, I'm ok!" she stuttered through a wince. "But we better finish this soon."

"This isn't over!" the priestess growled, summoning more undead soldiers. Sumia thanked the gods that the Grimleal wasn't summoning those Abominations but they still outnumbered the Ylisseans four to one. They weren't impossible odds, as the corpses looked more rotten than usual, but they weren't favorable either.

"Fuck me," muttered Gaius as he raised his sword in anticipation.

The Risen rushed forward towards the Ylisseans who took their stances hoping backup was around the corner. As the corpse leaped to attack a javelin pierced its rotten flesh. Dark blood and pus pooled into the ground as the magic that kept it moving ceased to be, leaving behind only decomposed muscle.

The confusion was broken by a feminine voice coming from above, followed by an equine whine.

"Cheers, luvs!" a pixie of a brunette woman on top of a pegasus shouted cheerfully getting the attention of the living humans. She threw another javelin through the Risen summoner's the heart, killing her instantly. "The cavalry is here!" she exclaimed with a cheeky grin.

The sound of flapping wings and javelins slicing air and flesh was music to the Ylisseans' ears. Sumia released a sigh of relief as the rest of the Pegasus Knights finally arrived. Fresh and unbloodied, the winged riders destroyed the Risen that remained even after the mage's demise, giving the Shepherds a much-needed respite.

Phila descended from above like a messenger of the gods in front of the three soldiers and proceeded to glare at their savior. "Lena! Stop playing around and go assist Hana and Angela up there! The rest of the squads have their hands full already!"

Lena gave a stiff salute, knowing better than to play around in front of the Wing Commander. "Yes ma'am!" she said before going to support her battle-sisters.

Gaius chuckled as he leaned on the canyon's wall, finally letting the exhaustion take its toll on his body. "Heh. Seems we got ourselves some sweet backup. Right, Stumbles?"

The klutz returned the sentiment with a smile, "Seems like it."

" Sumia !"

Years of training kicked in, making the brunette stand straight and salute. "Y-Yes, Commander!"

Phila gave her a once over, scrutinizing the clumsy Shepherd. Nodding once, her expression softened slightly, making Sumia relax. "It's good to see you safe and sound."

"I can say the same about you, Commander," Sumia said, wincing at pain shoot through her shoulder. "Thought I can't say I came out of it unscathed."

"I told you to rest, Stumbles," Gaius butted in.

Phila spared a scowl at the thief, who promptly found the wall to be extremely fascinating. The Wing Commander continued with a worried frown. "Where is Lady Emmeryn? Is she safe? We came as soon as news of her execution reached the capital."

"It...It was a close call," Sumia admitted, "but she is alive. She has a broken arm and leg but nothing that a proper healing won't fix if I understood correctly."

Phila released a breath at the news. "Thank Naga. Was it your squad that saved her?"

Sumia shook her head with a slight hint of shame. "We didn't save her ma'am. They were prepared for our pegasi. They had Risen Archers ready to shoot us down."

The pale-haired woman closed her eyes as if prepared for a punch. "Any casualties?"

"Thankfully no," the brunette explain much to her obvious relief. "Luckily for us, Commander Robin had planned for this. In hindsight, it was obvious that Plegia would prepare for one of our iconic divisions," Sumia admitted with some embarrassment.

The Wing Commander hummed in thought. "It seems Prince Chrom was right about vouching for his tactical prowess."

"It was incredible! Like something out of ´Dark Fliers of Florem´!" Sumia gushed, letting her inner romantic take hold, oblivious to the exasperated huff of her superior. "Commander Robin opened a portal and Lady Rose dived in, grabbing Lady Emmeryn while taking arrow meant for the Exalt before falling back into another portal!"

A flicker of emotions appeared through Phila's face as she processed that information. "It seems Rose and I have much to talk about," Phila muttered. Slamming her spear on the ground she regained Sumia's attention, who looked downright embarrassed at her own display while the ginger-haired thief looked on in amusement. "Lead me to the Exalt. I need to speak with her at once."


Emmeryn took a deep breath while letting the potion do its work. The pain had finally stopped but the sensations were not comfortable. The hastily-made casts on her arm and leg were more an insurance than anything else but served as a reminder of her condition.

Looking from her seat on the edge of their small camp Emmeryn saw those that were injured during her rescue and felt her heart drop. Even though, by the grace of Naga, there were no fatalities the wounds many received were grievous. Quite a few soldiers were injured. Those that could still fight, like Sully, went back to give support on the edges of their perimeter.

"Emmeryn!"

The Exalt was surprised to see the owner of that familiar voice. "Phila?"

"Thank the gods you are alive!" The knight said, foregoing decorum and pulling the Exalt in a gentle hug. "I was so worried when I heard you were captured."

"I am sorry," muttered Emmeryn as she returned the hug. "I should have been more careful."

"Shh..." Phila silenced "I am just glad you are saf–"

"Ummm."

The pair turned to see an awkward Sumia watching the display of platonic love.

"Should I leave..?" the klutz asked, clearly uncomfortable.

'Oh dear,' Emmeryn though at how their hug could be misinterpreted. If she remembered correctly, Lissa had spoken about Lady Trevelyan being a romantic with an active imagination. 'We better clear the air before any misconcep –'

"You will not speak of this. You will not misinterpret our friendship. You will control your imagination and we will not repeat the 'November Incident'. Am I clear?" Phila warned the brunette, earning a hasty nod. "Good. Go get your shoulder checked up."

Emmeryn looked at Phila with a perplexed expression, "November Incident?"

"Just… Let's just say she tends to misinterpret displays of affection and tends to get carried away." Do not worry about it. More importantly, we intercepted the Feroxi convoy. Armored carriages and their escorts will arrive soon to lead us to safety, with the Pegasus Knights providing support."

The ruler of Ylisse felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders at the news.

"Good. We need the supplies to heal the injured."

"That crazy woman..." muttered Phila. "I will need to speak with her later."

"That makes two of us."

"Well, everything should be-"

A growl from the side made Phila tense and grab her spear. A pair of Risen stalked towards them.

"Dammit! Stay behind me, Emmeryn! I can deal with them!"

As Phila prepared to deal with the enemy something unexpected happened. The sound of dozens of wings rippled through the air quickly followed a mass of dark shadows enveloping the field. The birds pecked at the rotten flesh while the Risen tried to finish them to no avail. Quickly, the undead soldiers were nothing but piles of bones and exposed muscles on the ground

"Ahh!" Emmeryn cried in surprise as the birds started circling them.

"Wh-what's that?" Shouted Phila as she covered Emmeryn with her body ."A storm of... crows?!"

"CAW! CAW! Are you folks lost?" a voice asked from inside the whirlwind of feathers. "Or perhaps a lost CAWs? Heh ha!"

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" demanded the Wing Commander. "Gods' breath, I can't see anything through all these damned birds! Shoo! Scat! Away with you!"

The murder of crows dispersed, revealing a white-haired young man with an eerie smile on his face. The Plegian robes only made Phila tense more, preparing herself while Emmeryn crawled behind a rock. The rest of the clerics were tending the wounded on the other side of the path, but apparently were dealing with their own problems as Risen and crows battled each other.

"What's wrong? CAW-strophobic? Nya ha ha! Oh, I slay me!"

The bad pun stunned the women, not expecting that response.

"What," said Phila, not understanding.

The stranger didn't seem bothered by their reactions. "You know, I thought you were all right... Turns out you're all FRIGHT! Nya ha ha!" he said with a laugh. "I'd wish you good luck killing these monsters, buuuuuut... They're ALREADY DEAD!"

Emmeryn could see Phila was mere moments from snapping and the Exalt was surprised she hadn't already attacked the boy; something she was glad for since he couldn't be much older than Lissa.

"Start making sense or prepare to phase the consequences!" the knight shouted.

"The ravens wanted me to give you a message. 'Caaw... C-caw-caw.' Roughly translated, it means... Hmm, now what was the human word for that again? ...Traipse? ...Trope? Oh, Trouble! Right! ...They say you're in trouble!"

"We know," Phila said exasperated, before taking a closer look at the boy. "You are not attacking us… What are your intentions, boy?"

"Name's Henry, ma'am! A pleasure!" Henry said with a bow. "As for what I want, well, I want to join your CAWs– I mean, I can help you! I know magic! What do you say... Birds of a feather and all that?"

Phila stared incredulously at the boy, her spear slacking as she fell into disbelief. "You want to… Why would you help us? It doesn't make sense!"

"Why not? They let Tharja join," the boy complained, still smiling.

As the two bickered, Emmeryn thought to herself. The boy had ample chance to kill them and looking at the effects of his crows on the Risen he could have done so with ease. So focused on her thoughts that she didn't notice a new presence at her side.

"You," a new voice rang. Emmeryn turned to see the taguel woman that helped them before appeared next to her; her eyes firmly on the boy. "You are that creepy man-spawn that warned me of the assassination attempt on the Exalt's life."

"Hey, bunny lady! Been a while!" Henry greeted.

"What are you talking about, Lady Panne?" asked Phila, who had an incredulous look on her face.

"Before the attempt on the Exalt, this man-spawn found me and informed me of the plan. That's how I knew to be there that night," Panne explained, surprising the other women.

"Why would you betray your king and help your enemy, before and now?" Emmeryn asked, not clear on his motives.

"Well, what can I say? It would have been a boring war otherwise, with you guys so weak already. Figured I would even the board and make it more fun!" he said with an uncaring tone, still smiling and ignoring the incredulous looks of his audience. "Truth be told I was ordered by my commander to help you guys on this occasion, as repayment for something." Henry shrugged. "No idea what, though."

"How can we trust you? This is just too bizarre," said Phila.

"Well...I could have let them drop that boulder on you," the dark mage said, pointing up. The women followed with their gaze and their eyes widened when they say a boulder sitting close to the edge of the upper walls, with corpses clearly visible hanging on the edge. "You would have turned into a lovely smear of blood and guts! Mmmm blood."

"He is not the first Plegian we recruit..." Phila muttered to herself, seemingly ignoring the last part of the comment. "Certainly the strangest, though."

"I do not sense deceit in his words," stated Panne.

"I trust him," agreed Emmeryn, surprising the knight. "He seems honest, if a... little strange," she amended, earning a snort from Phila. "But he had ample opportunity to harm us and yet preferred to talk. If he wants to help I am sure Chrom won't turn away another soldier. Rose, Robin and that woman Tharja, are all Plegian, and have proven helpful despite their...quirks."

"Hmmm," Phila mulled it over and sighed. "Fine. I will let Prince Chrom deal with him. He is the one dealing with the most exotic members of our army."

If possible, Henry's grin grew wider and creepier. "Awesome! Just point me towards whoever you want to be turned into a pile of guts! Mmmm, I love me some guts."

"...Right."

Emmeryn wasn't done yet and asked something that had been bothering her. "Excuse me, Henry, but who is your commander? Why would he ask you to help us?"

Henry just smiled.


"It seems they are talking and he will join them. I hope I don't regret this," Mustafa said as he lowered his looking glass. "Henry is not the most stable boy..." The ex-general of the Plegian Army released a sigh and descended from his perch into one of the many passages hidden in the canyon. "Well, what's done it's done. "

"Uncle Mustafa!" a feminine voice called him.

The warrior turned to see his niece running to met him. "Slow down, Jen," he said.

"Sorry... uncle..." the girl said through panted breaths. "But everything is ready for our escape."

The ex-general nodded, "Good. Did we got everyone?"

A cocky grin preluded her answer. "Yes, sir! All loyal soldiers and their families are safe and sound!"

Mustafa smiled and ruffled the young girl's hair. "Fantastic."

It was a hard gamble, but Emmeryn's words had shaken the general. This wasn't the Plegia he wanted to create for his family and the more he saw the upper echelons of the government descend into madness, using undead as troops and killing even their own soldiers made Mustafa understand that he couldn't stand behind their cause. He couldn't stay in Plegia either, as the Grimleal were gaining more control every day. Her attempted sacrifice only validated his decision. Mustafa was thankful for her rescue, for she was too great of a woman to die just yet.

So he made a plan. As soon as they reached the Plegian borders he gathered his most trusted soldiers and asked them for their help on breaking their families from Gangrel's threat of death and escape the country. They didn't have much faith that they could return even if Gangrel died but they couldn't remain there. The Grimleal wouldn't let them change anything so Mustafa would have to bide his time until he could return Plegia to its former glory.

"Come. I think it's time we depart to the north. I got some friends on the Feroxi border that might let us settle behind the wall." Mustafa chuckled. "If not, we could probably bribe our way onto an island in the south with all that we stole from the treasury."

Jen laughed at this. "You got it, uncle!"

The man smiled as his niece ran through the passage. He gazed at the sky for a moment and closed his eyes. His sister might have died to Exalt Augustus, but Emmeryn was different. Her ideals were pure and they pushed him in the right direction. For now, he would protect his sister's legacy: Her children.

"Good luck, Lady Emmeryn," he muttered. "And thank you for reminding me who I a supposed to be."


Lon'qu felt his muscles burn as he drove his blade into Plegian flesh, eliminating the last of his opponents. He leaned on his sword to catch his breath. Even a swordsman of his caliber was not immune to fatigue, and the constant fighting was taking a toll on him.

The sound of quick steps around the corner forced the Feroxi swordsman to take his stance.

"Lon'qu?"

The familiar ring of that sweet voice made the swordsman relax. A lantern pierced the shadows of the canyon, revealing the familiar sight of pink hair tied in twin braids.

"Olivia," Lon'qu breathed while smiling at the sight of the Feroxi dancer.

The beautiful dancer turned and smiled as she saw the swordsman. "Hello dear," she greeted, gently grabbing his callous hand and tracing circles on it with her thumb.

It would have surprised the Shepherds to see the man not flinch away from a woman's touch but Lon'qu allowed it, feeling some of his fatigue leave his body at the mere sight of his wife. The one woman he could stand getting close to him after all the years of working with Khan Basilio. The Feroxi Ruler always pushed for them to be together and Lon'qu couldn't say he was angry the Khan got his way.

Pushing back his reminiscence, Lon'qu inquired. "What are you doing here?"

"Khan Basilio put me in charge of the convoy. I know this canyons well from all my travels to spy on Plegia," the dancer explained.

"Typical," the swordsman muttered. As much as he respected the man, Basilio did like to push his wife into the weirdest assignments. He didn't like how the Khan used her appearance and talent for dancing to make people drop their guard and let her spy on them. But still, people were happy to ignore the dancer and spill out their secrets for her ear to she could wield the sword as well as any Feroxi, Olivia lacked the killer instinct needed to use it properly. "I trust you brought backup, right?"

Olivia smiled at his comment. He knew that any attempt to hide his concern behind a stoic facade would not fool his wife. Shy she might be with anyone else, but not him. The dancer knew how to read the swordsman like a book. "Two platoons are securing our way and we met with the Pegasus Knights of Ylisse that came as soon as they heard of Emmeryn's situation. The are now bolstering our numbers."

Lon'qu nodded and adjusted the grip on his sword. That was good. They had plenty of back up and now had a secure escape route. "Let's meet with the Khan's and the Ylissean commanders. I'm sure they will appreciate the good news."


Lucina released a breath she didn't realize she was holding once she witnessed the reinforcements arrived.

"They did it. Aunt Emmeryn survived," she whispered into the wind. "Everyone survived."

The time traveler stood near the edge of the canyon, observing how they loaded the wounded into the Feroxi convoy. Lon'qu and Olivia were speaking with her father and the Khans while Commander Phila stood beside the Exalt like a mother hen. Lucina never got to meet the Pegasus Knight's Commander as she died before the princess was born, but she could tell Phila was strong and loyal. Maybe she could learn more about her and her aunt now that they were both alive.

From a distance, of course.

The princess gave a sigh of relief as the rest of the Shepherds joined a few minutes later, preparing to leave for Ferox and towards safety. Lucina hated that she couldn't fight alongside them but they simply couldn't reach them in time and they seemed to have everything under control.

Her gaze trailed to the fallen tactician that was being loaded into one of the carts. Rubbing her neck at the memories of their last encounter, Lucina couldn't prevent the conflicted emotions that crossed her face. There was much she wanted to say but the knowledge the older woman had scared her. How could she know of her identity and how will that affect them? Had Naga recruited her? Why?

But at the same time, the situation gave Lucina some hope.

'She knows about me. Maybe if I explain everything...' Lucina couldn't get much further analyzing her thoughts as a familiar voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Lucy!"

Turning around, Lucina gave a small smile at the sight of one of her dear friends.

"Cynthia. Did you catch a glimpse of your parents?" the princess asked, earning excited nods from the young rider that made her pigtails bounce in response.

"Yep! They look great! Dad was protecting mom all heroically from the Risen when the Pegasus Knights swoop down to the rescue! It was amazing!" an ecstatic Cynthia said, using her hands to mimic the battle.

Knowing better than to encourage her sister in all but blood, the future princess just nodded and smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. It safe to say you weren't spotted?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Come on, Lucy! I scouted Grimleal territories in our timeline and I know this canyon like the back of my hand," the pegasus rider whined.

Even though she wanted to mention that Grima had reshaped the land, Lucina still gave a rare chuckle at the sight of her friend in such high spirits. They had so much horrible experiences that any good thing should be cherished. "Alright, alright. I trust you."

A male voice interrupted their conversations, much to the annoyance of the scholar. "Lower your voice Cynthia, or we will be spotted."

Cynthia turned around, sticking her tongue out at the intruder. "Stop being a stick in the mud, Laurent. I know you were spying on your parents too!"

The bespectacled mage huffed but didn't deny her accusation.

The familiar bickering was a sight for sore eyes to the young princess. Lucina was glad that the information given to her had proven correct. Finding at least some of her friends eased some of the worries from her shoulders. She wished it was under better circumstances, though.

Laurent was wandering the land near the border when she found him. The "Mirage Village" in which he was previously residing had been raided by Grimleal to gain the secrets from the cloaking spell, which they then used to attack Ylisstol. Thankfully, the scholar had managed to evacuate the small populace before the Grimleal had their way with them.

Sometime in between their meeting he had joined with Noire, much to their delight. Lucina felt guilty knowing that Laurent had spent two years alone after being pushed back further into the timeline, but she had no way of knowing that. At least Noire had only been alone for a month.

It did worry him that others could've have been thrown out farther out of time. Earlier or later than herself would still mean they were separated.

Meanwhile, Cynthia was a near-offensive case. The princess couldn't comprehend how could the young girl think that that brute was the Prince of Ylisse. He looked like a vagabond, not a prince, and she was still about to join his band.

Pushing away the headache that Cynthia's action was about to bring, she focused on what was important. "What news do you bring, Laurent?"

"Noire finished setting up our camp," the lone male explained. "The location should be safe enough. I set up our regular barriers to prevent the Plegians from finding us."

"Great!" Cynthia exclaimed, pumping her arms. "We can have a small party to celebrate their victory!"

"It's too early to celebrate," Laurent chastised as he adjusted his glasses. "This is far from over."

"Yes, it is," Lucina agreed. Squaring her shoulder and gripping Falchion's hilt, Lucina knew what their next step was. "Come on, we need to rest before we go find the others."


The Fell Dragon couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. It had been a productive and fulfilling day, even for a dark god such as himself. ' I did my good deed for this timeline, got my things along with a couple of souvenirs and to wrap it all up I managed to screw over another dragon .' He chuckled to himself.

Naga, Salamander, Anankos, and those so-called " First Dragons "... They were all the same in Grima's eyes.

Obstacles. Threats. Fools .

The Fell Dragon didn't like that bastard Anakos; his dislike for him only second to the one Grima held for Naga. The Silent Dragon always thought he could just manipulate everyone as he saw fit.

That was his territory.

'Now that Emmeryn has died Chrom shall take the mantle as he was meant to,' Grima thought with satisfaction. 'Then the Valmese war will reach its apex and the blood of the fallen shall empower me. The little tactician will succumb and become one with me. The timeline will stabilize and everything will be as it should. Destiny will not be defied, nor will my vengeance.'

As much as he wanted to just snap the stupid prince's neck, he needed him alive. Otherwise, his plan will not work as intended. This little trip in time had presented him with plenty of new opportunities, but he couldn't be rash if he wanted them to come to fruition.

"Naga. Chrom. I can't wait to watch you burn."

The Fell Dragon walked into his studio, ready to hear the news of Emmeryn's demise. His good mood turned into one of confusion once he finally noticed the anxious, shaking of his disciple's form, whose eyes were firmly looking at the ground.

"What?"


AN: Someone said they expected an Overwatch reference so there it is. Fates won't play a major role in the story. It was mainly to tie in the DLC with the First Dragons and for Grima to get a few new toys to add flavor to the story.

Both Grima and Rose are unaware but the reason Robin could control his power was because Future Grima was away and past Grima is still slumbering. I say this here because I can't think of a way for them to even be aware of the situation and to figure it out naturally.

Henry's part was a bit rushed but well, he isn't the easiest to write expressions for. Just another change in the timeline.

For convenience's sake, the future children's landing places will change a little for them to met earlier. I also have dropped hints of who will end up with who with a few additions to the canon pairs. I married Frederick and Miriel before because that support is the only one in which Miriel outright admits she loves her husband. I also married Lon'qu and Olivia, having them worked together for a long time under Basilio. I felt it was appropriate. I also like their awkward supports: a family of shy, awkward badasses.

And Ana is older than she looks. And if you notice any error, feel free to point it out. I would correct or clarify as necessary.

This has been a hectic month, as I've been writing a research paper for a class so sorry again for not being a fast uploader. I sat on this chapter for 3 weeks without time to write or motivations since I got sick of looking at word documents.