-The di Cratez Royal Estates-
"Ah, a wedding. How nice." Aversa smirked. "I sure hope the timing was convenient for you. Ah, who am I kidding? You'd pull strings if you wanted the wedding moved, wouldn't you? I'm sure that Argeni's father would be happy to accommodate you. He seemed like a bootlicker from his file."
"Political savvy is sometimes indistinguishable from that, yes." Robin shrugged. "Regardless. Even if I got him on my side, it'd be him against Argeni. Guaranteed to fail."
"Ah, yes. I forgot the silver-tongue that wench has."
"If you don''t like her, you don't have to come, you know." Robin said. "Half the team is in ... well, you know. Unspecified place performing Valm's national pastime. And Vermil just ducked it when Argeni dropped something like a two-hundred page guide to etiquette on his desk and demanded he followed it to the letter. Which Vermil followed up by stammering that he had an experiment that needed constant attention and wouldn't you know he couldn't make it, so sorry."
"Really?" Aversa smiled at Robin. "You ordered me to come when I tried ducking out of it, and when I told you I had more pressing concerns, you ignored it without even giving me a chance to explain, saying, and I quote, 'Find someone to screw it up moderately enough so it's fixable if it's really that urgent' . You want me to be with you. Want it badly."
"I'm pretty comfortable with our current relationship, thank you." Robin said. "By the way, take the hint."
"Not in that sense, Robin. You need the aid of loyal minion that can know a few dirty secrets. Stop dodging my questions. And I'm not pretending that I came here of my free will just because you want me to. At least, not without a better explanation." Aversa narrowed her eyes. "What's so important about this wedding?"
"Maybe I just wanted the company." Robin tried deflecting again.
"See, the thing with lying is that it needs to be believable. That doesn't make any sense coming out of your mouth." Aversa said. "Is this connected to Shadow Puppets?"
"No." Robin had a puzzled look on his face. "Why would you think that?"
"I ran that operation for you." Aversa said.
"And...?" Robin asked. "If you did, you'd know it has nothing to do with weddings."
"And I implanted a few sleepers to my cause. I know they've been on the move, gathering weapons, and where they are right now. More importantly, they're targets. You're-"
"Damn. Thought I got all of those. I told you to take the hint." Robin blinked slowly. He met Aversa with a level gaze. "If you know, why bother asking me?"
"I'm just impressed, that's all." Aversa said. "Hiding secrets from me isn't easy. But I figured out what happened to those missing soldiers, and who's really in command of them. I even know where they are. The real question is, what are you planning on doing? How can … oh. Oh."
"That's unfortunate." Robin sighed, shaking his head. "You shouldn't jump to conclusions like that, you know. If only because you might be right."
"But am I?"
"Now, see, you've said nothing of substance about your ideas, so how can I know what you're thinking much less confirm it?" Robin sighed. "But if I had to guess, you don't know what's going on. Not exactly. You just know enough to be dangerous."
"Are you going to kill me now?" Aversa said, flashing a smiled. "It must be tempting, isn't it? You could make me vanish without a trace. But if you don't, you have to tell me. And I think you're going to tell me, rather than lose what I could offer in killing me."
"Cut the drama and stop it with the false binary. You were going to know it anyway in…" Robin withdrew a pocketwatch and frowned. "Four hours. Not very patient, are you?"
"Is that when your big plan happens?"
"I wouldn't say that. It's when I pulled back the curtains and reveal the strings." Robin said. "To you only, of course, and only because, as you thought, I really need a good accomplice right now. If you'd waited, you could have let me have my fun."
"Strings? Oh, Robin, what are you planning?"
"I'm having a puppet show, of course." Robin tapped a string of symbols on the door, activating it, then closed the windows. I'm not telling her everything, but she needs to know enough to understand what a bad idea it would be to cut loose at this point. "Wind magic. Blocks our voices from everyone else. Now it's safe to talk."
"What's happening?"
In a few terse sentences, Robin outlined what he planning and what he was going to do at the wedding. His voice was low and serious, and it ended with Aversa slack-jawed.
"Are you serious?"
"Completely." Robin narrowed his eyes. "You realized why I told you, correct?"
"You need my help." Aversa said. "And I can't very well betray you at this stage in the game without repercussions, can I? But you wanted to wait until I really didn't have a choice."
"I would have preferred that, yes." Robin agreed. "But now you know exactly what I'm planning, and exactly what the repercussions are. So you know what a fantastically stupid idea it would be to betray me." Revealing the plan on her terms isn't good. My negotiation position is shot, and if she decides to betray me now, there a slim chance she could genuinely ruin things even though I didn't tell her everything. Thing is, she'd go down with me. I don't think she's willing to die for Walhart, and this plan doesn't require her willing to die for me. Still, only a fool trusts a traitor.
I really hate being a fool.
"So are you going to betray me?"
"Me? Betray you? Of course not." Aversa smiled at him. "How could I betray the man I love?"
What.
"Pause." Robin inhaled. "Ah. What?"
"I said 'How could I betray the man I love'?" Aversa kept the smile. "The man being you, of course, if you needed that specified."
"I really don't think this is the time or place for this..."
"Oh, you're so much fun to tease. You really have no experience in this realm, do you?" Aversa smiled at Robin. "I'm not trying to make you feel uncomfortable, but I do want to tell you how I feel. Certainly if you misunderstand our relationship enough to think that I'd betray you. I am yours, Robin."
"You love me?" Robin was trying to figure out how to process it. He wasn't being successful.
"In a sense." Aversa said. "Though probably not in the way that you're thinking. There are many types of love, you know. The one you're thinking of, judging from your bewildered and misplaced expression, is lust. Not the safest of loves, or the most satisfying, but the quickest and some would argue the easiest. I do not lust for you, Robin. Nor is what I have for you the kind of love that Zulas and Argeni seem to be developing, the slowest, yet strongest of loves. The love I have for you is more … platonic. Philia, of the strongest kind. Validar's betrayal didn't break my heart, it exposed the hole in it that was there the entire time. You gave me a purpose when my life lost its meaning, and I've found that I want my purpose to serve yours."
"I think that's just friendship, Aversa." Robin swallowed.
"Then it is a great tragedy you think so little of friendship." Aversa said. "Maybe, in time, you'll understand. But that's the bond between us, Robin. Validar broke my heart when I found out that he betrayed me, and you're helping put it back together. I couldn't turn my back on you now. Know this, Robin. While I may be sultry and occasionally act downright seditionist, that's just a hobby. I am a bitch, a hunting hound that's loyal to a single master."
"You're making me seem kind of evil now." Robin frowned. "Like some kind of malicious villain using human pets."
"Come now, don't shy away. Humility has never been one of your virtues." Aversa smiled. "One could make many apt comparisons between you and a huntsmanster, who uses animal to hunt his game. You have your birds of prey, your hounds of war, your pedigreed horses. There are many who are bound to you, which you use to your fullest. And not as equals, but as your subordinates, as pawns for you to command to your will, each for a specified task. And you used me to fight my own kind. That's fine."
"...That's true." Robin nodded. "But if it's alright with you, I'd like to be friends."
"I confess my love, and you just want to be friends?" Aversa sniffed. "Truly, fate is cruel. But to be serious, tactician, you should know the danger that poses."
"Oh, please. I'm the Battlemaster. You mean more than pieces to me, Aversa. You and the others. And I'm good enough that it won't matter to me." Robin said. "I hope I've earned that."
"O course you have. It's my pleasure to serve, Robin~."
"And now you're back to this. I'm not even going to pretend to understand it." Robin laughed. "Dant turned out to be right. I'm terrible with women."
"All men are, silly." Aversa rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't be much of a point if you understand us, could it?"
"Still, glad to have that cleared." Robin coughed. "Would have made dancing awkward. Though, to clarify, your declaration of platonic love doesn't get you out of being my date."
"You should have asked Pheros."
"No, she needs to be the subject of a rather unsuccessful assassination attempt."
"Unsuccessful. I see. You're saying you're that bad of dancer, huh?" Aversa winced. "I pity your dance partner."
"We just established that was you!" Robin scowled at Aversa's playful wink. "Stop that!"
-di Cratez Estate, Entrance-
"Friend of the bride, or friend of the groom?"
"Hmm." Aversa considered. "Can we just say 'Battlemaster and his guest'?"
"I don't think there's much of a point in forming a binary choice if we decided to skip it completely." Robin replied. "Shall we flip a coin?"
"And you told me you avoided false binaries on the ride over here." Aversa mused aloud. "I wonder if that make you a hypocrite?"
"I don't think you understand." The butler sighed. "This isn't an introduction, I'm merely wondering where I should sit you."
"Aren't you supposed to be the best man?" Aversa reminded Robin.
"So, that would make me friend of the groom?" Robin considered.
"No, that means you aren't sitting in the audience." Aversa corrected. "You, uh, haven't been to any weddings, have you?"
"Amnesia."
"Convenient excuse." Aversa sighed. "You've got a piece of paper that tells you what to do, don't you? Written by Argeni? That you haven't looked at once because you thought you wouldn't need it but took with you any 'just in case'?"
"…Maybe."
"Go read it." Aversa turned to the sweating usher. "How about you just ignore us, okay? We'll be fine on our own."
-di Cratez Estate, Chapel-
"…And do you, Lord Zulas Albert, take this woman to be your wife?"
"I do."
Robin listened absently. His mind wasn't paying attention, but he was able to act like he was. Inside his head, a set of dominos was going off. The assassination attempt on Pheros was the riskiest, but he was out of expendable pawns so for that so he used a few of his pawns' pawn. Hopefully, she would survive, but he needed to make it look real so there was always the chance that she wouldn't. He had plans for that. Not good ones but he was prepared.
The Spymaster and the Plegian King were another matter. Those were dead for certain. He'd manage to slip a note to Dant so she'd provide backup to Ravena, but he was pretty sure Ravena could succeed, especially with the former Mad King as a sacrifice. Whether she'd be okay with it or not was another question. Robin suspected she'd need a debriefing.
Lucina's group were directed after the Spymaster. She hadn't reacted with surprise when Robin told her who the Spymaster was, she simply nodded and confidently stated that her team would be capable of permanently silencing that thorn in Robin's side. Robin was interested in testing Lucina's capacity, and the capacity of her eccentric teammates. But he was more interested in the Spymaster's death.
His thoughts were broken off by a rancorous applause and Robin blinked to find himself back in reality. Robin looked to see Zulas and Argeni locked in a tight embrace and kissing each other. Guess I missed 'You may now kiss the bride'. Or Argeni just got impatient. Robin brought his hands together, rising to his feet and clapping. He smiled. This is nice, actually. Maybe I should have payed attention the whole time. I should go to more of these. Of course, that means I need to get more friends, or get the friends I have to get married, but that doesn't seem that hard.
Then the doors in the back of the room burst open. Robin spun around, striding purposefully to the back of the room as a crier stood there, panting slightly. He was wearing a bloodred-crimson tunic, indicating the urgency of the message he was bringing to the group.
Hmm. They're early. Or the wedding's late.
Robin grimaced and held his hand up, indicating for the crier to not howl to the crowd. A panicked crowd helped no one. Unfortunately, it was to no avail.
"The Vermillion City has been attacked by an army a hundred thousand rebels strong!" The crier yelled.
Robin inhaled deeply, forcing air into his lungs as the crowd descended into a pregnant silence that would soon devolve into panic. If it wasn't my fault, I'd kill the bastard who disrupted this wedding. "NOBODY PANIC!" Robin announced, keeping his voice , since they were in the chapel, there wasn't a convenient table for Robin to jump onto. "That's the last thing that will be helpful."
Panic immediately rippled across the crowd. Robin sighed, chugged a vial of pure water, and snapped his fingers. A massive crack sounded as lightning flashed, striking his hand, drawing all eyes to him.. "I said, NO ONE PANIC! My name is Count Robin Obsidian, and I'm the Battlemaster! At the very least, none of us are dying. Now, CALM DOWN!"
"But the rebels!" One cry came out at him, followed by many just like it.
"Only have enough manpower to attack the Vermillion City, and they're going to focus every jot of strength they have. We'll be fine. I've been tracking their numbers, if not the location. And they aren't going to take it." Robin said. "What we're going to do is count on the guards and the militia in this council. As we speak, every Wolfguard unit is being put into action to lock down the major travel routes and strategic outposts. As well as the main garrison, located not twenty miles from the Vermillion City, which will be marching to the city itself."
"Shouldn't we evacuate?" Zulas called out to him. "I thought-"
"Only evacuate if we're under attack from a stronger force and have no choice." Robin said. "Our best option is just to shore up and wait for reinforcements. Well, the rest of you. I'll be taking a small force out. Walhart, no doubt, is just going to find the whole thing amusing as he cuts through the crowd with superior numbers, but if I hurry I might be able to get to a few high-ranking members before the Conqueror just gets bored and kills them all."
That calmed down the crowd. The Vermillion City's garrison was at a standing of eighty thousand men strong, and it usually hosted Walhart's army of two-hundred thousand. And the Conqueror was there as well. There was no way the Conqueror would fall to something like this. This would just become an exciting story to tell their friends. Or so assumed the crowd.
Robin was under the same assumption as well. Which is why he needed to act.
"I'm coming with you." Zulas announced. "You're going to the Wolfguard, aren't you? Well, I'm the regional commander."
Sorry. But you're just too loyal to be involved in any of this. Robin considered his options. "Argeni, talk him out of it."
"But-" Zulas's protest was cut short as his new wife smiled at him and yanked him towards one of the doors.
"I'll take care of the meathead, Robin." Argeni announced. "The rest of you, follow me to the dance floor. I'm not letting this spoil my wedding dance."
No, that won't work either. Robin grimaced as he strode up to the two to talk to them personally. Zulas would never forgive himself if he was dancing during what's going to come. He needs to be involved in the fighting. Fortunately, this castle will come under assault, so he can defend it. It's the smallest of mercies I can offer. Robin lowered his tone. "Sorry, Argeni. You'll have to postpone it. I need you two as acting members of the Wolfguard. Castle di Cratez is the most defensible structure in the area. I'll have a reception twice as grand in Vermillion City to make it up to you, but I need you two to organize and send riders to assemble a command here."
"You said there was no trouble." Zulas said. "Is there something you know that you aren't telling us?"
"Zulas, I have no idea what's going on." Robin said. Lying, of course. "I have to prepare for the worst. And you're the Wolfguard commander for this region."
"Fine." Zulas nodded.
"Dear!"
"Argeni, love, nobility is nothing without the responsibility that comes with it. And the most basic is the responsibility to protect those you rule over." Zulas said. "Now is the time to sacrifice, but rest assured, what comes around go around."
"Very well. But this is coming cheap to you, Robin!" Argeni raised her voice. "Change of plans! The Battlemaster is sponsoring the party, so we'll have it in the Vermillion City once the dust clears. For now, make yourselves safe. The new Lord and Lady of this castle are going to defend it!"
"Listen to her!" Robin turned, gesturing to the crowd. "Go! Follow the guards and stay safe."
Robin watched as the wedding turned into a disorderly retreat as they ran off while the guards tried to corral them into some semblance of order. Aversa had somehow managed to slink behind him in the commotion. Robin turned to her. "I take it you've arranged things here?"
"As commanded, you've got your guards. Picked out some good ones. By which I mean ... well, you know. Gullible idiots." Aversa frowned. "We can't let the scheme-hating Chon'sin of yours find out, or she'll kill us. Well, maybe just me."
"Correction. If she finds out, others will. And at that point, Say'ri killing us will be the least of our worries." Robin said, signaling to the guards at the entranceway. "Guards, let's go."
-Valm Countryside-
"It's an honor to escort you, Battlemaster!" The captain of the unit wouldn't shut up. And, apparently, was somewhat obsessed with him. "I can't believe my squad was chosen to help escort you to the Wolfguard base."
"Luck of the draw." Robin shouted back. They were riding horses, fast ones, Robin, Aversa, and six guards. "Some people have it, some don't."
"Battlemaster, do you believe in luck?" The captain's tone clearly indicated he didn't.
"I'd be a fool not to." Robin responded. He shifted his reins. "This way." Robin lead them off the path through the forest, heading to the open grassy plains.
"Why are we going here?" The captain yelled at him. "This is out of the way!"
"It's because there's nowhere to hide here, of course. Please don't ask me any stupid questions." Robin said. He stopped talking and waited until he was in the center of the field before stopping his horse. "Alright, everyone off."
"Why, Battlemaster?" The captain frowned.
"Are you questioning my judgement?" Robin cocked an eyebrow. "Off the horse. And do me a favor and tie the reins to a lance and stab it in the ground. All of you. Don't want the horses running away, do we?"
"Yessir!" The captain dismounted, along with his men. They quickly staked the ground and wrapped the reins around the stakes to keep the horse in place. Robin nodded in approval and motioned for them to line up.
"A question for you, Captain." Robin asked. "Would you and your men give your life for Valm, should the situation demand it?"
"Without hesitation, Battlemaster! As would my men!" The captain nodded emphatically. "That was part of the oath we swore to Valm when we joined."
"And did you do so knowing that it could one day happen to you, and that your life was essentially forfeit as far as Valm was concerned."
"It never really crossed my mind, sir." The man shrugged. "I mean, I suppose it never crosses anyone's mind. No one wants to think they'll die."
"You misunderstand." Robin said. "I wasn't asking if that's how you thought you'd die. I was asking if you gave any thought as to how Valm would require you sacrificing your life. Let's say, for instance, Valm was losing and required you and your men to hold a position and die to buy time. Would you do that?"
"I ... guess I would, though I don't think we'd ever lose a fight like that. To be honest, I never really gave it that much thought."
"I asked because ... well, I hoped you understood. It'd give me peace, anyway. But I think this gives me peace as well." Robin sighed, shaking his head. "You plead ignorance, then. But that's no excuse."
"Battlemaster?" The captain looked at him. Robin suspected the man knew, deep down, what was about happen. He just couldn't face reality. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is simple. Your country requires your life. But know that I am sorry it had to be like this." Robin summoned lightning magic and impaled the man with a crackling spear of electricity. He drew his sword and cut down a second. Behind him, Aversa drew her tome and fired tendrils of dark magic, ensnaring two of them. A look of ecstasy appeared on her face as the tendrils sapped the energy from the two soldiers.
"Treachery!" One of the remaining soldiers lunged for him, trying to stab him. Robin slammed his left gauntlet to force the blade aside and ran him through. The last went for his horse, but got stuck on the reins, still wrapped around the stake in the ground. Robin raised in hand and pointed it at him. He felt a pang of regret shoot through him as he caught a look of his anguished face.
"Why are you doing this!?"
"For what it's worth, you'll be remembered among those who made the ultimate sacrifice for Valm." Robin said, ignoring the question and raising his hand. A bolt of lightning later, he dropped from the horse, dead. "But I don't think that'll be much consolation. Sorry."
Robin turned to Aversa, who was down to the one soldier, the other one dead. "Make sure not to kill him, alright?"
"I know the plan." Aversa reminded him. "But I warn you – while I can alter his mind with dark magic, it'll cause some lasting damage."
"That's fine, he can succumb to his wounds." Robin said, checking the spell-bracelet on his wrist. "All we need from him is his testimony that we were attacked by assassins. Whether he survives or not is of little concern to me – just make sure that he's able to corroborate our story."
"That's … cold, even for you.I was just referring to scrambling his brain." Aversa said, frowning. "I mean, I've got no problem with it, but you…"
"If you have the choice to save him or not, with no consequence attached to that choice, then do that, I'm not cruel." Robin said. "But the mission comes first. Aversa, I'm sacrificing too many lives right now to hold back. If this fails, all those sacrifices will be for nothing. I can't put the life of someone sworn to die for Valm over the sacrifices of thousands. He must testify that we were attacked, and if you have to turn him a dark puppet to do it, then go ahead. I've already crossed far worse lines today. And I'm going to do far worse."
"You never explained that part of the plan to me." Aversa said. "Now, we feign being attacked by assassins. Plausible deniability. I get that. But nothing's going to happen to Walhart."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"The plan only works if Walhart dies." Aversa said. "Use the last of the rebellion to strike the leaders and make it seem like it was one last dying hurrah. Scapegoat a few idiots, and then, since you and your pick of leaders survived, you remake the Empire in your image. The assassination attempt on your life failed because they underestimated you – they were clever enough to bait you out, but they just didn't have the men."
"Not exactly." Robin said. "We'll be set upon by a host soon – at least a thousand men. We'll need to get back to Castle di Cratez and have them hold out. We escaped death because one of them messed up and ambushed us early. That's the story, remember?"
"Right. I need to keep this straight. How did you even-" Aversa shook her head. "I don't even know how you pulled all this off without my knowing about it. I mean, without my knowing more about it. Did you really send Dant to Plegia?"
"She's currently in Plegia, yes." Robin confirmed. That wasn't a lie on his part. "Anyway, continuing where you left off. Why won't the attack on Walhart work?"
"He's got around 300,000 men, for starters. His army plus the garrison. And they're defending the city's walls."
"No." Robin corrected. "A set of orders were delivered last week instructing them to go out for military exercises. Walhart's army isn't there, only the defenders. But half of them are on extended leave, somehow. Seems like a quartermaster error. The poor paperwork. Of course, that's all going to go up in flames during the commotion in the interim."
"Only forty thousand men guarding the Vermillion City?" Aversa said, blinking. "Still, that's risky."
"I suppose. The rebels only have about seventy thousand, so the defense is perfectly serviceable if they don't charge. That is, of course, if." Robin said. "But Walhart will hear about it, and he'll charge. The rebels have been instructed to draw him as far from the city gates as possible, and retreat. The walls will be emptied, and the army will go out. Once the army goes out, the doors will be locked after they leave by the skeleton crew of guards remaining, as per protocol dictates, stopping reinforcements from the Vermillion City. I should know, I wrote that protocol myself. And there, on the vast plains before the Vermillion City, the Conqueror will meet his end."
"…" Aversa stared at Robin, her eyes wide. "You … you're … "
"Of course, the murderers can't be allowed to get away. In fact, they're a great scapegoat for uniting the nation in hatred." Robin said. "So the Wolfguard, as we speak, are heading towards those plains. But they're meeting a different army – ten thousand rebels and twenty thousand conscripts, enough to seem like a large army. The Wolfguard will annihilate them, but they'll keep the reinforcements from reaching Walhart. And, of course, the story will be that those are the remainder of the army that fought Walhart. The army that the noble Walhart rode to the defense of the Vermillion City, a city which is both the heart of Valm, and houses the residents of some of the most important members of the Empire's various groups within it, all thanks to my restoration and unification projects."
"It's a vast tapestry of conspiracy." Aversa whispered in awe. "One that you set up to play the hero to Walhart's tragic demise."
"Exactly." Robin nodded. "You could say I was … inspired by events across the ocean, as it were. But I'm no actor, I'm a playwright so I chose to write the circumstances rather than just be present when they happened. And the tragic fall of Walhart will happen when he leads an army of forty thousand against seventy in open combat even if, perhaps, the numbers that will be told afterwards will be slightly adjusted. What no single hero could do, thousand and thousands of rebels will. It's a sobering tale, I think. One that sends the message that no man is invincible, and that the power of many is stronger than any one. But that the one man can start a movement that carries on after his death. Walhart will fall, but I will rebuild the Valm Empire out of his ashes, stronger than even he could imagine! All things considered, a rather good play. Maybe they'll be able to have shows by the year's end."
"And what if he doesn't die?" Aversa asked.
"Hmm?"
"What if Walhart doesn't die?" Aversa asked. "Those are his elites, Robin. Those that guard the gates of the Vermillion City are among the strongest in Valm, and they are led by Walhart. Outnumbered even two to one, they won't lose to your rebels."
"No, of course not." Robin shook his head. "Sorry, I got carried away. The story, of course, is that he fell to the rebels. But, like the story I shall tell the Empire, it won't be true. I trained several of the rebel's tacticians. They were told to use an encirclement technique, and once that was done, focus on killing Walhart's forces before trying to kill him with numbers. That way, even though Walhart does survive, he'll be the only one standing. All alone."
"That's the reason for the second army to hold back the Wolfguard." Aversa said. "You're going to have an assassin kill Walhart, and you need it to look like an army did it. If there's no army, that's suspicious, but an army of that size, seemingly running from a battlefield? Believable. But why not just send them at Walhart..."
"Those? Please, they're more of a liability in a fight. Almost entirely untrained and no combat discipline. They'd break ranks and run as soon as the Valm elites started winning instead of willingly throwing themselves to the slaughter to kill more men. As soldiers, they're terrible. They are only useful as a sacrifice." Robin activated the spell-bracelet, creating a circle of runes beneath him. "And you're only partially correct about my sending an assassin. You know what they say. You want a job done right, do it yourself."
"Warp magic?" Aversa stared. "You said you couldn't do it!"
"I did, didn't I? I suppose all that just means I can't be caught doing it." Robin said. "I thought better of you than to just take my blanket word at everything."
"That … explains a lot. Like how you were organizing everything." Aversa said. "Best of luck to you, Robin. I'd ask you to keep safe, but judging from the skill you had me teach you, I can guess what you're planning. Please. Just come back alive."
"That is the plan." Robin said grimly. "If I don't ... well, I will. Thank you for everything. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got regicide to commit."
Well, Plegia is now done and screwed. The entire country is now descending into chaos thanks to the King dying before he got a decent chance to start consolidating all that power. I'd call it a civil war, but it doesn't really seem all that civil to me, cuz it's kind of a free for all. Two of my normal providers of information died trying and failing to double deal. Now, a suspicious person could blame Valm, I guess, but there are rumors flying that it's a result of inside politics. And they could continue to fly, if certain palms are well greased, should you take my meaning – Anna.
A/N: A note on Aversa's character: In writing this, I tried to keep in the original tone of characters when possible, and believe it or not, Aversa is actually fiercely loyal. In the game, she unquestionably follows Validar's orders, even after his death and the world is on the brink of being destroyed by Grima. It takes seeing the truth of her upbringing for her to switch sides and then she's loyal to the Shepherds. Her support with F!Robin is trying to prove she's the superior tactician and her confession in the M!Robin has her basically saying the same thing she does to Robin in this chapter. (Oddly enough, I only looked it up after I wrote this chapter.) Aversa merely has a lack of morale scruples when it comes to fulfilling her duties, and it's a pity that this isn't explored more in the main story of Awakening.
