-Plegian Dungeons-
"Talk to me, brother."
"Why bother?" Balt scowled. "It's not like you're going to believe anything I say."
"I've never known you to be a liar." Balt was locked up inside the former Plegian prison within the former Plegian castle. Upon surrender, Robin had quickly seized command and had ordered every surviving senior Plegian official and the Plegian Hierophant to the throne room, for reasons Zulas didn't know. But Zulas had more pressing issues, namely catching up with his family. "I mean, that was before you faked your death to join the spy corps, but…"
"That's just because I was clever enough to not get caught." Balt sighed. "Look, I appreciate what you're doing right now, but this is something you should stay away from. The reason I agreed to fake my death is because I didn't want you mixed up in all this."
"And what about Ceule?" Zulas asked. "You don't care about her feelings at all?"
"Our elder sister is fine on her own, and you know it." Balt said. "In fact, I wouldn't have had to if it weren't for you. You can't let bygones be bygones, can you?"
"I just want to know why you were here fighting for our enemies and against us."
"Look, Zulas." Balt sighed. "Do you know why I wanted you to stay away from this?"
"Not particularly. Nor do I care."
"It's because I don't want you dead."
"I'm a soldier." Zulas said. "I've sworn my life to the service of Valm, and I've got no hesitation when it comes to dying for the cause. You don't need to protect me."
"Hence the problem." Balt said. "If I tell you what I know, it's going to have you die for a useless reason. I've got no problem – well, a slight problem – with you dying for your stupid noble ideals, but only when you're actually doing that. The world of skullduggery requires a more flexible mindset than what you have. And I don't want you dying for no reason."
"There's nothing you know that could-"
"Oh, shut up!" Balt snapped. "Stuff that. I do know things. I was Cervantes's best spy for three years. I know things that would run your blood cold, secrets about your wife's family that would have you challenging them to duels, and the truth about your Battlemaster."
"Look." Zulas said, after a pause. "I know we have our differences. But tell me why. Why was it necessary to do this? If what you're saying is true, then Robin and I could be on your side, you know."
"You never change, do you?" Balt sighed. "I'll tell you on one condition."
"What's that?"
"Swear on the family name." Balt said. "Swear that if I'm right, you'll take up my cause. And not my cause in your way. My cause in my way. If I'm right – well, there's a good chance you won't be able to speak to me again."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'll tell you if you swear."
"Fine, but I have a condition of my own." Zulas said. "No more lies. No more hiding. I want you back in the regular ranks, fighting under me once I clear all this up."
"Sure." Balt laughed. "The moment Robin reinstates me, I'll help you, I promise. Oath?"
"Oath." Zulas removed his belt knife and the two sibling slashed cuts into their palms, shaking and reciting. "Upon the Sable Order, do I swear to uphold this oath."
"Fine." Balt said. "Let me cover the main points. For starters, it was Robin who killed Cervantes."
"What?"
"The two have been doing literally nothing but fight since Robin got the Battlemaster promotion." Balt said. "There's been a shadow war since then. Robin was trying to discover the identity of the Valm spymaster, and once he discovered it was Cervantes, he had him killed."
"You don't have any proof, do you?"
"Of course I don't!" Balt scowled. "I've been stuck here this entire time, doing nothing but attempting to track down Dant to kill her – don't give me that look, I haven't found a hair of her – so I can't get information from the mainland! All I have was the reports I was given, and I had to destroy those for safety reasons."
"You've been trying to kill Dant?"
"Tit for tat, brother." Balt sighed. "We're going to get nowhere if you've got these kinds of hang-ups. Sure, I was trying to kill her. Robin had several of Cervantes's spies killed, so Cervantes started going after Robin's. It's how the game works. And if you can't accept this, then you'll have an even harder time learning that he's about to crown himself king of Plegia, seeing as he's literally first in line to the throne. On account of his noble Plegian blood…"
-Plegian Throne Room-
"I'm sure you're all wondering why I've called you here today." Robin said, drumming his fingers into the hard wood that made up the throne for Plegia. Depressingly simple, but he supposed the gold one was ransacked by Regna Ferox. You know, come to think of it, I've always wanted to say that line. You would have think I'd managed it by now. "It's very simple."
"So, at last." The hierophant was standing. The rest of the Plegian nobles had the sense to get down on their knees, but he stood, his face concealed in a hood. "The prodigal son returns."
"You know of me?" Robin asked.
"Of course." The hierophant said. "How could I not? Knowledge of your existence was a secret guarded by the Grimleal most zealously, preparing for your eventual return, though we could not foresee the circumstances. Not to mention that even if we didn't know, your resemblance to your mother is uncanny."
"Hierophant, what are you talking about?" One of the generals interrupted him.
"If you would…?" The hierophant gestured to Robin. "I would hate to presume to make requests of the most illustrious, but in this case it may be necessary…?
"Naturally." Robin stripped his glove and raised his hand. "My name – my true name - is Robin Wormtongue, of the Plegian Royal Line. I am a direct descendant of Thabes, and in my veins flows the blood of Grima. I am the Fellborn, the one to bring Grima back. Now, I give you all the same offer I gave Mustafa. Kneel, or die."
They all complied almost immediately. It made Robin almost want to throw up in disgust. None of them are actually loyal to me or have any kind of respect for my lineage. They're just looking to avoid dying and want to curry favor. Well, unfortunately for them, currying favor goes two ways. Robin drummed his fingers on the throne. And I need it for the time being. "Hierophant, who among these are not sworn and loyal members of the Grimleal?"
"Those two."
"Execute them." Robin stated. It was merely a matter of prudence. If they truly were opposed to the Grimleal, then they shouldn't have been there. Robin had made it clear that was not summoning all the nobility, just the Hierophant and those who were willing to follow him. That just meant they were opportunists or spies foolish enough to get caught. Either way, their death would make for quite the message.
"You can't-" One of the two stood up.
His protest was cut short when Robin blasted him with lightning. The other fell to a sword in the back as he lunged at Robin, the work of the loyal Plegians. It made for a good spectacle. Robin smiled. This would be easier than he anticipated, especially with the Hierophant helping him. And now the Hierophant would have reason to help him.
"I think we need to have a long conversation at some point." Robin told him. "Though that can wait – we have more pressing matters."
"Most certainly. Your enthusiasm is appreciated." The Hierophant agreed. He flipped off his hood to reveal ash-gray hair and skin paler than Robin had ever seen before. A bone mask covered his face, but even as Robin watched, the man took it off. His face was completely unrecognizable, it bore no resemblance to any Robin had seen before. "My full name is Desert Hawk, though Hawk will suffice for now."
"Well met, Hawk." Robin said. "Prepare the ritual."
"…Pardon?" Hawk blinked in surprise.
"The Awakening to summon the power of Grima." Robin said, slowly as if it should have been completely obvious. I should navigate carefully. This one, I think, is behind this all. "I would have you prepare it. Or did you think I wouldn't know of it after you sent Aversa to help me in Plegia?"
"I had hoped, certainly. But you can understand my caution, and my surprise, can you not, given your amnesia. I was under the assumption that you suffered from it, and had no recollection of your true heritage, so I did arrange for Aversa to be sent to you. I'm pleasantly surprised to find you quite knowledgeable." Hawk said. "Or was the amensia faked?"
"Real enough, let's put it that way." Robin said. It's best not to clue him in to how much I don't know. Seeing as he's kind of responsible for most of what I do know. Except for the reports that I obtained from Cervantes' spy in Plegia among the Grimleal, which wasn't much. "Hierophant, you've been working this whole time to ensure I'd be able to take Plegia, haven't you? Once you found me in Valm, you manipulated events to send Aversa to my side, and you let Validar die so I might claim the throne without his interference."
"It is as you say."
"And giving us a pretext to invade Archaneia." Robin mused. "That was cleverly done – Farber is fool."
"Your flattery isn't needed." Hawk said. "I was but trying to have you fulfill your duty. That was all."
"Then I thank you for that." Robin struggled to keep the emotion off his face though he couldn't stop a malicious grin. So it was Hawk. I'm going to enjoy this. "I'll admit, I thought I wouldn't be able to do this for the better part of a decade, but it's time to do it now. The Awakening."
"So you are serious about the Awakening." Hawk said. "But if you know about it, surely you know that we don't have the means to do it now? At most, you may possess three Gemstones, and the Fire Emblem is still in the hands of the Ylissean Exalt."
"Leave the strategic decisions to me, hierophant. And I've judged that we're close enough to start preparing." Robin said. "Lucina's group believes that they possess the three Gemstones I held, as I gave them to her when I sent her from Valm. Though, of course, those are cleverly enchanted fakes – I would never give the real ones up so easily. Basilio is heading to my army with the fourth as we speak – and he isn't the type of man who would let it out of his possession so easily."
"And the Fire Emblem?" Hawk coughed. "The shield itself, and the fifth Gemstone?"
"Dant's assured me she's capable of retrieving it at any point I want, though not without consequence." Robin smirked. "I had her infiltrate the Shepherds – easy enough, given their willingness to accept virtually anyone up to and including thievish assassins, mercenary kidnappers, and traitorous dark mages – and then she had a twofold assignment. The first was to watch over Plegia, using Ylisse's status as their conquerors, and judge their relative threat, which she did well enough. The second was, should it be necessary, to prepare for the retrieval of the Fire Emblem."
"You have a traitor among the Shepherds?" Hawk started laughing. "Excellent! A wolf among the sheep, then. It appears that you're always a few steps ahead."
"Dant's not among the Shepherds proper." Robin clarified. "Dant said she's part of an auxiliary group of some sorts – scouting, I think – but she's in place nonetheless for stealing the Fire Emblem. All she needs is the signal, and the Emblem is ours. If all goes well, I believe she plans to swap it with a fake, but we can't expect that to hold for long, so we'd have a short window before Ylisse would start hunting her down."
"And you wish to go through with the ritual?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Robin said. I'm definitely going to kill him, though I can't deny this ritual does sound interesting. "Do you not know? Valm respects one thing, and that is power. The power of the Fell Dragon would let me walk across this continent single handedly and remake it as my own image. Something I dream of. With its power, I could end the war in days, could I not? I could just wait until after the war, I suppose, but then I'd actually have to fight it. The ritual sounds like a pretty effective shortcut."
"Of course." Hawk smiled. "I believe you and Grima share that wish common. The wish of remaking the world."
"Is that so?" Robin was genuinely intrigued.
"Indeed." Hawk said. "Grima, too, wishes to use his power to its fullest, and to remake this world."
"And would this be my wishes, or his, which are fulfilled?"
"Given what you have told me." Hawk smiled. "Why, I do not think there would be any point of disagreement between either of you."
"Excellent." Robin said. "Now, where will this ritual take place?"
"The Dragon's Table. It is sacred ground to Grima."
"And what preparations need to take place?"
"A plethora of worshippers, of course." Hawk said. When Robin raised an eye, Hawk clarified. "The base of the ritual is similar to light magic, in a sense. It requires the belief of people willing to serve you. All loyal Plegians should assemble there."
"And what of my army?" Robin asked. "What they be considered as my worshippers?"
"Yes, of course." Hawk replied, with a wry smile on his face. "I was going to suggest that next. The more the better."
"And the better to defend the temple, should the need arise." Robin mused. "Prepare to assemble the Plegian populace and direct them to the Dragon's Table. I'll send my auxiliaries there ahead of time to sent up a military base, and then take my army to engage Basilio's forces. I'll be back with the Gemstone, Dant will have retrieved the Fire Emblem by then, and we shall all meet together at the Dragon's Table."
"Agreed." Hawk smiled.
-Ylisse-
The news traveled swiftly across the continent. The Valmese Battlemaster had announced himself as the long-lost scion of the Plegian noble family and had chosen to take command of the land beneath his thumb, ruling over it. The Plegian Hierophant, and consequently the Grimleal has fallen in with him, joining forces with the Valm army.
Now reinforced, they had begun to march north, towards the west half of Regna Ferox, guarded by the West Khan, and his army of Feroxi warriors, though his numbers drew thin. The East Khan had moved to join him, but that meant Ylisse to the east couldn't unite their armies easily, with Valm directly in the way. And this meant Chrom was facing a difficult choice. Or, more correctly, Morgan was.
"All we have to do is play defense, and we win." Morgan scowled. "…is what I'd like to say, but there's not a ship in the harbor across Archaneia. The Battlemaster's no fool – the reason isn't because they're all destroyed. It's because those were all sent back to Valm and will be headed our way carrying reinforcements. Time is our opponent – once Robin has that juggernaut army, the fact that our forces are scattered suddenly become a liability instead of an asset. Not that it's much of an asset now, but at least we can trap Valm in Plegia."
"Can we stop the reinforcements?" Chrom asked her. Marth had Morgan take over her role as tactician. Morgan didn't have Marth's weird foreseer powers, but she was a gifted tactician. Unfortunately, the rest of her group wasn't there. It wasn't like they had to – officially, they were Shepherds, but the Shepherds had autonomy that the rest of the army didn't have.
Chrom wished the other twelve were here in Ylisse. All thirteen of them were very capable warriors and fought with a trained practice around each other that even the Shepherds envied. But Marth disappeared with half of them, and Inigo had disappeared with the other half when he got a message from Marth. Leaving only Morgan, the tactician.
"No. Not for sure. We can't stop the reinforcements from arriving." Morgan shook her head. "If we marched to the sea with our army and set up a blockade, hypothetically, but Plegia is now hostile territory for us. Mustafa's dead, and the Hierophant is singing Robin's praises. We need to force Robin off the continent in time, and I don't know if we have that."
"Tough decisions." Frederick interrupted. "Exalt, perhaps we shouldn't march at all."
"What are you saying?"
"What I am saying is that we should perhaps protect those who we have sworn to protect, and not risk out lives protecting those that we have not."
"I agreed, Frederick." Chrom said. "I agreed to defend Plegia from all those that would invade it, and I failed. I gave my word."
"That wasn't your fault." Morgan said quickly. "That was my failure. I was the one who said they'd take longer than they did before they attacked. Valm moved too fast. And even if we had known that, there was nothing to be done. If we had moved all our forces to Plegia, then his ships could have gone north to Regna Ferox. Honestly, it was Mustafa who made the mistake of charging the Valm army. If he had held a defensive line, they'd have been delayed long enough for us to have come and helped."
"Still." Chrom said. "If I failed to save Plegia, I have an obligation to help them recover. They don't all side with Robin – they can't. Mustafa had a wife and children. Hopefully, they're in hiding, and if we drive Valm off, we can reinstate them and try to continue the peace on this continent. Morgan, what's the best plan of action?"
"Pincer. At least to start it, undoubtedly the Battlemaster will try a few tricks of his own. But there's no reason not to start with what gives us the greatest advantage." Morgan frowned. "Regna Ferox can keep the Valm forces at bay, and if we attack them, they'll be forced to fight on two fronts, spread their forces too thin, and we'll have the means to drive them off. If we're lucky, that'll be before reinforcements can arrive. Because that'll be the same size as the first time – another 100,000 troops."
"Then prepare the troops for marching." Chrom said.
"Wait." Morgan held up her hand. "There's – there's one more thing. Like I said, we can't stop the reinforcements, even if we defeat the army currently in Archaneia right now. We just won't have the time. And they could just keep sending wave after wave at us - they have a million man army. So, aside from defeating Plegia, there's one thing we need to do. One thing we need to do in order to make sure that Valm will give up."
"Yes?"
"Robin must be taken out of the equation." Morgan sighed, dropping her head. "Killed, captured, incapacitated – doesn't matter how. Even wounding him will be enough, as long as it put him out of actions for a decent amount of time. Valm won't attack us if they think there's nothing to be gained by it. All we have to do is prove it, and numbers for numbers doesn't do that. But we need to keep in mind that Robin's level as a target of opportunity is equal to that of his entire army."
"He's worth an entire army?" Frederick said, aghast.
"I mean, not just him, I'm including everyone that's constantly around him. So that's his personal squad and his Dire Wolves. But yeah, that's what I can compare him against. His tactical sense and his combat abilities are off the chart." Morgan sighed. "And I think I'm around the same age as him too. That really hurts, you know? Feels like I'm just chasing a shadow. I'd never be worth an entire army."
"He's not to be underestimated, that's clear. Very well." Chrom said. "Wounding it is."
"Exalt." Frederick said. "If he's the one he claims to be – then he's the one your father tried to kill. You must consider killing him."
"He is not who my father thought he was. And I am not my father." Chrom said. "We'll do this my way, because I'm the only one left to do this. And that means we talk to him first. There may be more to this story, things we don't know."
"And if not?"
"When the time for words passes, it's time for steel."
"I was afraid of that." Morgan muttered. "Robin, please. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."
-Regna Ferox, Longfort-
"Flavia, we have to stop him!" Basilio howled. His voice echoed across the food hall that the Feroxi warriors had gathered in. A few turned from downing mead or chewing through poultry legs to look at him howling at Flavia, but most didn't. The Khans had screaming matches on a daily basis, especially since both of them were leading the same army.
"We have to do nothing." A dry rasp echoed as Flavia ran a whetstone across her sword. She shared his sentiments, but not his impatience. And certainly not his bravado. "Listen, oaf. We don't have the numbers to go on the offensive, and I'm not leaving behind Regna Ferox."
"Hmph."
"Besides, we have allies in Ylisse." Flavia said. "All we have to do is to wait and hold the Longfort and wait for Chrom to arrive. That why the wall was made. To keep Plegian invaders out."
"These are Valm."
"Oh, are they?" Flavia's tone of voice indicated that she didn't care one whit about whether the invaders were Valm or Plegians.
"I still think we should march our army there." Basilio growled. "Flavia, what are you doing? Valm has made an enemy of Regna Ferox, and their main force is marching towards us."
"So what do you want to do?" Flavia asked. "Charge his army instead of waiting at the Longfort for him?"
"YES!"
"Why?" Flavia grit her teeth. "That's what cost Mustafa the battle. If that idiot had held on to command, we'd be able to have a much better chance and force Valm on the defensive. Now, we've been forced on the defensive."
"It doesn't have to be like that."
"Yes, it does." Flavia shook her head. "Listen, you bald giant and try to make sure this stays in your overly thick and no doubt useless skull – fighting right now is completely useless!"
"Never thought I'd hear you of all people say that."
"What did you say!?"
"You heard me." Basilio said. "Coward."
"Oaf!" Flavia said. "Listen, if you want to die, I won't stop you, but you're doing it alone. We're waiting for Ylisse."
"Fine. If that's how you want to do this." Basilio said. "Warriors of Regna Ferox…"
"Shut up, everyone ignore the oaf." Flavia pointed her sword at him to silence him, much to the cheers of the assembled crowds. Everyone enjoyed the Khans quarreling. "Why do you even care?"
"Because if we don't kill him now, we may never get the chance." Basilio said. "Don't you realize that he's the rightful king of Plegia?"
"So, it's back to being Plegia, then?" Flavia said. A sudden thought struck her. "Wait, does that mean that our treaty applies to him as well? Well, it's not like I care even if it did."
"That's not the problem." Basilio said. "Do you even know why the last Exalt attacked Plegia?"
"The last war?" Flavia shrugged. "That was back when my father was Khan. I was too busy with my war band to care. All I remember is that he explicitly forbade us from acting as mercenaries for either side."
"Hmph." Basilio grimaced. "That's right."
Flavia's father was a tenacious warrior. While Flavia had earned her nickname as the Lioness, her father, Khan Vesparia, has earned the nickname 'Old Bear'. Basilio had only manage to wrest control from his a few times. But not during the first Ylissean-Plegian war, unfortunately. The Old Bear had declined to help the Exalt in the early days, when he considered the war unprovoked, and especially in the later days, when in turned into nothing more than peasant armies. Vesparia's warrior pride meant that he had no desire to involve himself in it. Luckily, the fact that Plegia had historically been on worse terms with them than Ylisse had meant the alliance during the last war.
But Basilio had sworn to guard the Gemstone with his life. He'd sworn that on his honor as a warrior. If he died, the Gemstone could be passed on. Robin knew the secrets behind the Gemstones, but Flavia didn't. If Robin truly were the Fellblood, then he needed to get the Gemstone to Chrom. But if he wasn't, then what was Robin playing at? This was something for some with a head for strategy.
Unfortunately, this was Regna Ferox. And, as the saying there went, any problem that couldn't be solved by swinging an axe at it meant you just needed a larger axe. A full-scale assault from the Feroxi would bring an end to it, one way or another. Valm wasn't as strong as they claimed themselves to be, and there was nothing like a fight to raise Feroxi war spirits.
Either way, the world would be safer without that [dang]ed Battlemaster and his Fell bloodline. That must have been what tempted Mustafa, come to think of it. Did Mustafa know about Robin? Did Robin know that? Is that why he had a habit of leading from the front?
"I can see the steam coming from the ears." Flavia dryly noted. "Is that you thinking in there, or have you just given up and decided to clean it out and turn it into a smoker? Because I could use a nice smoked pork belly right now."
"Do you honestly think you could fit an entire pork belly in my head?" Basilio sighed. "What goes through your head, woman?"
"Something's got to be up there." Flavia shrugged. "Anyway, you were telling me about the first Ylisse-Pleigian war? Why did the previous Exalt declare war?"
"Religious fanaticism." Basilio said. "Something we should have taken part of, but I wasn't in charge then. Anyway, you, for once, happen to accidentally be right under these circumstances."
"If I were a lesser woman, I'd ask you to repeat that. Fortunately for your slim and no-doubt shattered ego, I'm quite confident in my judgement." Flavia said. "Then we shall remain here and wait for Ylisse to arrive. When that happens, we'll crush them."
"I'll… take my leave, I suppose."
"See that you do."
-Regna Ferox, Longfort Exterior-
Basilio sighed in frustration as he left. That wasn't how he wanted the conversation to go, but unfortunately, Flavia had a point. His rival Khan was infuriating.
"Khan Basilio! I'm glad I found you."
"Marth? A bit cold here." Basilio took note of the leader of a group of half a dozen warriors. "Shouldn't you be in Ylisse? Or were you the group that went to Valm?"
"To Valm." Marth said, her face hidden behind a mask. "I need your Gemstone."
"Ah, sorry? I must have misheard you-"
"I said, I need your Gemstone." Marth repeated herself.
"Now's not the time to be treasury raidin', lass." Basilio frowned and took note of her companions. They didn't look like they were spoiling for a fight. But they were wearing weapons and tomes and had the expression of a determined force. "Or did you have something specific in mind?"
"Playing this game?" Marth shook her head. "I know you have Gules, Basilio."
"Who told you? The Valmese Battlemaster? He shouldn't be trusted." Basilio said. "I'll have you know that he intends to take them for himself."
"No." Marth smiled beneath her mask. "Actually, my father told me that you have it."
"Your father?" Basilio frowned. "Aside from Robin, no one was supposed to know about the fact that I have this. That's a closely guarded secret. Did my predecessor tell your father?"
"Who can say?" Marth shrugged. She gestured to her bespectacled companion, who withdrew three orbs from his cloak. "But the fact is that we need yours, Khan Basilio. We need to get the Gemstones to Chrom."
"Did the Battlemaster send you on this task?"
"I don't see how that's relevant."
"The Awakening can only be performed at Naga's Shrine, to the east of Ylisse." Basilio said. "If Chrom goes there, the Shepherds will go with him. You'd rob Ylisse of their most elite fighting force. What happens if, say, you go and give the Gemstones to Chrom and he goes off, and then Robin attacks Ylisse?"
Marth didn't have a response, and Basilio got the impression that she blinked under the mask.
"I'll tell you." Basilio continued. "It'd be a repeat of what happened to Ylissotol, that's what. Ylisse will fall, and you won't enjoy that. So, knowing that, do you still want the Gemstone?"
"I'll have the Gemstone, one way or another, Khan Basilio."
"No. You won't." Basilio shook his head. "The Gemstone is in a safe place, and I'm not giving it to you."
"Robin of Valm is the Fellblood, and he's taken over Plegia."
"I know that."
"Give me the Gemstone!" Marth hissed. "I know you have it on you. That's where you keep it."
"…And pray tell, lass, what makes you think you know that?" Basilio frowned.
"…Let's try this again." Marth shook her head. "Khan Basilio, I am the Foreseer, and I've come with both a request and a warning."
"Hmm?"
"At some point in the future, Robin will become Grima." Marth said. "I'm … not convinced as this point that anything could stop him, though you can be sure I'll try. After that … after that Grima can only be stopped by someone who has been Awakened with the Gemstones."
"Huh." Basilio shrugged. "Don't put any stock in this-"
"I haven't finished. In this war with Valm, Basilio, you die. You choose to take the field and then you die in battle." Marth grimaced and clutched her head. "At least, I think so. I know you won't survive without someone interfering. And Chrom will survive – I also know that. That future doesn't seem like it will change anytime soon."
"I'm going to die? Against who?"
"…You were supposed to die against Walhart." Marth shook her head. "It … it doesn't matter against who. Now, I'd guess it's against Robin. But you're going to die on the battlefield, at which point you give the Gemstone to Flavia, to deliver to Chrom. That's how I know you have it on you."
"You didn't tell me anything about this Foreseer nonsense when I first met you, you know."
"I didn't think I would need to." Marth replied. "My interfering has had … repercussions."
"Like Walhart's death?" Basilio challenged her.
"…Maybe." Marth looked uncomfortable. "I can't talk about that."
"Well, sorry about this, lass." Basilio said. "But I'm taking the battlefield against Robin. It might be the only way to beat him. And don't worry – Ol' Basilio is pretty strong and can take a few hits. And now that I know I'm going to die, I might even be able to avoid it."
"Khan Basilio…"
"Don't give me that, lass." Basilio said. "And I can't give you the Gemstone…"
"I won't give it to Chrom." Marth quickly said. "I swear upon Naga's name that I will not keep him from the battlefield by giving him the Gemstones. I'll keep it in storage until its necessary."
"You've almost convinced me." Basilio shrugged. "But I'll need even more incentive than that."
"An even greater incentive." Marth considered. "I'm not sure I have anything like that…"
-Plegian Dungeons-
"…And that's not even the worse part." Balt said grimly.
"You've accused Robin, the Battlemaster, of murdering a high-ranking Valm official in cold blood." Zulas said. "What could you possibly say that would make it more unbelievable."
"Hrr. Yeah, sounds kind of crazy when you put it like that." Balt said. "Of course, that's one of the best things about sinister plots – no one believes 'em. Most of these kinds of theories are nothing but old wives' tales, so the few that are true just get to hide with the rest of the lies. But, yeah, the next thing I'm going to tell you is pretty crazy. I'm not even sure I believe it myself."
"So why tell it to me?"
"Because you're in a better position to find out the truth." Balt said. "Your wife is connected to a quarter of the Valmese court and can ask for favors. You now sit on the council leading Valm. And you happen to have a personal army of your own. Hopefully that will get you were I can't."
"What are you saying…?"
"I'm saying this whole thing is a set-up!" Balt shouted. "You think it's a coincidence that Valm attacked Plegia? This whole war is a result of a flimsy pretext, and it was all to give the Plegian throne to Robin! And I happen to know that when Robin suggested the invasion of Plegia first to Walhart, Walhart turned him down."
"Brother, please be aware that what you say next had better be substantiated if you expect me to take you seriously." Zulas said. "Robin was at my wedding when Walhart was killed and Cervantes was killed, and he was badly wounded by assassins from the rebels who were responsible. If you want me to believe you, you had better tell me the truth."
"…Fine." Balt said. "All I know is that the rebels were organized by an outside party, who made sure that they would be able to attack the correct targets at the correct time. I know that this party had the means and connection to do this, but I don't know who this party is. Robin referred to this individual as the 'Gray Tactician', and it's the belief of my superior that there was a possibility that the 'Gray Tactician' and Robin would form an alliance."
"…And it's your belief that Robin and the 'Gray Tactician' are the same person."
"What I believe isn't relevant." Balt refused to answer. "Zulas, I charge you with this. The Gray Tactician is still out there, and the one truly responsible for Walhart's death. In the name of the Conqueror, find the Gray Tactician and bring whoever it is to justice. Do you swear to do that?"
"I swear, little brother." Zulas nodded. "Walhart will be avenged."
