"Pheros, Empress of Valm." Pheros said. "I represent Valm."
"Chrom, Exalt of Ylisse." Chrom said. "I represent Ylisse, Regna Ferox, and Plegia, as the last member of the mutual alliance."
"Do you have the authority to speak for all of them at this time?"
"I do, yes." Chrom said. He got down on one knee, and offered Falchion, still in its sheath. "I swear fealty, my Empress. Plegia, Regna Ferox, and Ylisse, will all become part of Valm."
"WHAT!? I DON'T AGREE TO THIS!"
"Flavia, please shut up." A blade appeared in Robin's hand and he made a mildly threatening gesture to the bound Khan who was standing between guards. "We allowed you to come to the summit as a gesture of our goodwill, please don't make us regret this."
"CHROM, YOU TRAITOR! DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE AGREEING TO?"
"Flavia, shut up." Robin said, again. "Let the man finish talking. You lost a fight to me, so you really don't deserve a say in what happens at this point."
Flavia didn't say a word but glared at the tactician. She was losing her patience. The rest of the audience was fine, but they were more inclined to be on Robin's side. Obviously, Say'ri and Virion couldn't show up, but both Pheros and Zulas were present to represent the council. In addition, the newly-promoted Admiral Pike was present to replace Ignatius's old position. Aversa was there, in her capacity as the Queen of Plegia.
On Chrom's side, aside from himself and his wife, who was watching quietly, there were only a few soldiers. Frederick had forced himself to come, despite the wounds Robin had dealt the man. Lucina couldn't attend, she was still recuperating, so Inigo was present. The Ylissean's tactician had apparently disappeared, she wasn't available.
"Very well." Pheros took the blade and unsheathed it. She held it, catching the sunlight off it. "A magnificent blade, Chrom. But one I fear is dull in my hands."
But not in Lucina's apparently. Robin's inner monologue took over. I really need to figure that out one of these days. But that's not going to be for a while.
"Chrom, you are the heir to the bloodline of the Hero-King, Marth. This blade Falchion is a tooth of Naga herself, and can only be wielded by you." Pheros tapped the kneeling Chrom with the blade. "Thus, I knight you, Chrom. In addition to your duties as the Exalt of Ylisse, and as a member of our Council, I bestow upon you the title 'Defender of the Realm', a rank only surpassed by one and the equivalent of another."
Chrom's new title actually holds the same power as mine. Robin thought. Or, I suppose to be more accurate, we're actually two sides of the same coin. His is a defensive position, as opposed to my offensive one. As the Defender of the Realm, Chrom can command the armies of Valm as he sees fit to defend all of Valm from any incursion – Risen, Grimleal, the works. He cannot declare war, that position is still mine. Of course, the Empress still outranks both of us.
Funnily enough, he now has more power then he used to have. He's still the Exalt of Ylisse, but now his military might is that of Valm's, and he's a council member. My authority as Battlemaster supersedes his military authority, but I don't have a seat on the Council, so we're about equal. Pheros still outranks him, though.
"You're too kind, Empress. Truly."
"Your blade." Pheros handed it back. "You shall have a Council seat, Chrom, to represent Ylisse, and your position as Exalt shall remain. We shall converse later. Morgaine, step forward."
"Yes, Empress." Morgaine replaced Chrom's position and knelt as he did. To Robin's shock, she complied without a hint of mockery.
"It is my understanding that you have inherited the position as the current Queen of Plegia." Pheros said. "To supplement that, you will be given a permanent Council seat. I expect this will give you no trouble with your … extracurricular activities."
"Of course not, Empress."
Since when did Pheros know that Aversa was my spymaster? Robin blinked. Oh, no. They're probably friends. That would explain the lack of mockery on Aversa's part. Who would guess that those two would become friends?
"Empress, if I could speak up about that…?" Chrom said.
"Exalt, I apologize." Pheros said. "Plegia is not an independent country any longer, and Mustafa's family has no better claim than Morgaine. That being the case, Morgaine is far better suited for leadership and a Council position than Mustafa's wife. My choice is clear."
"I understand."
Sorry, Chrom. Robin looked at the disappointed Exalt. You aren't winning all of this one. Aversa's taking that seat. As the de facto spymaster of Valm, it'd kind of be a pity if she didn't.
"Finally, Regna Ferox." Pheros looked at Flavia, who was still restrained. "Robin, would you mind?"
I have a bad feeling about this. Robin sighed and slashed through the rope holding the Khan.
Flavia responded by drawing her fist back and promptly socked the tactician in the face. Robin saw it coming, but elected not to do anything about it, and just braced himself for the blow. The Khan was well trained, and experienced, so even with the brace, Robin took it hard and went flying to the ground. She'd nailed him clean in the eyepatch, so he'd be able to avoid the appearance of a black eye, but even still, it hurt.
Flavia blew on her fist, walked forward, and stood before the Empress. "I'm not kneeling."
"KHAN!" Robin got to his feet and stared at her. This is not going to be ruined by her! "I'll admit to deserving that blow, but you will kneel before the Empress. No one gets a pass, and no one gets special treatment. Not even for someone special, and let me tell you, Khan, you're no one special. Now, kneel."
"Like hell I will!" Flavia said. "Regna Ferox kneels before no one."
"Khan Flavia." Pheros locked gaze with the East Khan. "Know that as one warrior to another, I have the utmost respect for your ability. However, my tactician is right. I cannot offer you special treatment. And, furthermore, you have been brought here to be given a great opportunity – your country back, and a seat on the Council beside."
"No." Flavia said. She made a single fist and slammed it hard against her chest. "I may be defeated, but I'm not broken. I don't care who you think you are, Empress of Valm. But the Khans fight free. I will never bow my head to you, and I will never surrender. I'd rather die than serve you."
"I'm afraid that you don't quite understand, Khan Flavia." Pheros said, smiling. It failed to reach her eyes, giving the Empress of Valm a terrifying expression. "You don't have a choice in the matter. You haven't had one since you lost your fight against Robin. You live and die at my whim, and I have no desire to kill you, since that would set back the unification effort. It would also no doubt lead your people to a foolish war against me. Now, swallow your pride and kneel before me."
"I said, no."
"Kneel." Pheros said. "Or you will be knelt."
"I will never kneel to the likes of you."
"So be it." Pheros nodded.
Robin kicked the back of her legs forward and forced down on her shoulders to bring the raging Khan to her knees, before swiftly locking her arms into place. Flavia flailed, twisted, and howled but she couldn't get any leverage against Robin, who held her in place, kneeling before Pheros.
"Khan Flavia, you retain your position as the East Khan of Regna Ferox, and you shall be granted a Council seat as well." Pheros said. "You will hate me now, but I pray one day you will understand just what precisely we've accomplished today by doing this. Take these words to heart: The duty of a ruler is to suffer for their people."
Robin let Flavia go, who immediately whirled around and attempted to strike the Battlemaster again. Robin, expecting it, caught the blow in his open palm and felt the full sting of it. "Sorry." Robin said. "But you only get one hit. And you used it up already. If it's any consolation, you can go back to ruling your country, and we'll try to stay out of your way as much as possible. But you answer to Valm now."
"I'll kill you, Robin." Fire almost seem to burn in Flavia's eyes as she stared him down.
"You have my permission to try." Robin said. "But you'll need to be a lot stronger than you are now."
"Exalt. We must move the proceedings along, and that means that the Khan must accept that which has happened." Pheros interrupted. "I believe this is a job you're suited for."
"Flavia, a lot has happened since you were captured." Chrom sighed, hanging his head. "I'll talk about it later, and if you're unsatisfied at that point, you can take it out on me to your heart's content."
"…Fine, but I'm holding you to that."
"Admiral Pike, step forward." Pheros announced, surprising the officer. "As per the Battlemaster's recommendations, you are to succeed Ignatius's Council seat. Zulas, you will keep yours, but Farber's responsibilities will fall to you."
Pheros, Zulas, Pike, Say'ri, Virion, Chrom, Aversa, Flavia. Robin mentally ticked them off. That brings a count to eight. But the Council requires an odd number of seats, and we can have another three added. Pheros assured me that she could have a suitable replacement.
"As per the rules, we require an additional seat." Pheros said. "Marth sat upon the Council for a time, as Naga's representative. However, she abdicated, and I don't wish to void her decision by taking her back. The Council must not be taken lightly. However, we should still have a representative from Naga. Inigo, I believe?"
"Yes, Empress."
"I think you would be well-suited for the role."
"I must disagree." Inigo said in a calm and level tone. Robin eyed him. The man almost sounded rehearsed. "It's true that I have a connection to the Divine Dragon, however, I'm Marth's sister as well as her confidant. It's not inaccurate to say that both wield an equal level of power, but that I merely defer to her out of respect for her age. If you appoint me, it may just seem that I'm a proxy for her – and that wouldn't set a good precedent. Out of respect for the Council, I must refuse."
That was a good speech. One hundred thousand gold says that answer was scripted. Robin thought. Did Morgan write it for him?
"Very well." Pheros said, considering. "In that case, we'll leave the seat without a proxy for now, but I expect that problem will be solved soon enough. I call to order a Council vote, approving the end of war and the formation of the Grand Valm Empire. Five votes will pass the motion, though I wouldn't mind a unanimous vote."
"I vote aye." Zulas said.
"I vote aye." Pike said.
"I vote aye." Aversa said.
"I vote for an end as well." Chrom said. "That makes four. We only need one more."
"HELL, NO!" Flavia howled.
"Say'ri and Virion are both absent. And we have one seat in limbo." Robin said. "Empress, will you choose to exercise your power to vote in their stead?"
"Yes." Pheros nodded. "Four votes to end the war, to bring our total to eight. Fitting, I suppose. This war wasn't started unanimously, and it shall not end as such. But end it shall, for with this, the war is over, and the Grand Valm Empire is born!"
-Valm Encampment, Supply Tents-
"Yay!" Ravena was doing a small dance. "We're the best! We're the best! We won! We won!"
"Stop that, please." Dant glared at her as the she kept packing a small trunk. "Magnanimous in victory, gracious in defeat. Ever hear that one, yah budding tactician?"
"I'm allowed to celebrate in private!"
"Train hard, fight easy." Dant shot back. She stared at the multitude of sheaths she was wearing. "Too many knives? Nah. No such thing."
"You've lost me on that one." Ravena stared at her.
"Another group meeting?" Argeni walked into the room, followed by Zulas. "And in a storage room, no less. Why are you two always here?"
"I'm actually packing." Dant said. "And, since I travel light in general, I decided to inventory the army supplies and appropriate some of the surplus."
"…So you're stealing from the army." Zulas frowned.
"No." Dant corrected. "Appropriating. I have payment outstanding anyway, and I'm just deciding to take payment in the form of goods."
"Train hard, fight easy…" Ravena turned to Zulas. "Know that one?"
"It's the Dire Wolves' motto." Zulas replied. "Their training is seriously intense, and they make a point of doing things that would never realistically happen on a battlefield. That way, when they actually do fight on the battlefield, it's a lot easier for them. Why?"
"Dant was telling me off for celebrating." Ravena sighed. "Apparently, she thinks you should be a stickler for rules even in private just so you don't screw up in public."
"More or less. It's definitely how I train." Dant withdrew a blade strapped to her forearm and gazed at it ruefully. "Never ended up using this one. So, everything went well at the peace conference, Zulas?"
"You weren't there, were you?"
"They don't typically invite assassins to peace conferences." Dant gave a smile. "Not that a lack of invitation has ever stopped me, but I wasn't paid to infiltrate it, so I didn't."
"Everything went well." Argeni rolled her eyes. "I mean, Pheros holds four votes, so it went well."
"Well, that seems to be cheating. Isn't it supposed to be a Council?"
"Yes, but…" Ravena said, interjecting. "See, Pheros, as the Chairwoman slash Empress has a lot of powers which let her override things or grab a bunch of power. And one of those is she can claim votes that aren't able to be cast, for whatever reasons. Not that she had to, but in a case of an emergency, she has the ability to do so. The idea is that the Council functions as needed, but if necessary the Empress can override it."
"And we're not worried about abuse of power?"
"Abuse of power can always happen." Ravena rolled her eyes. "But why would we put someone wholly corrupt into that position? The idea is to keep people like Pheros or Robin as the head, and keep the corruption corralled to somewhere else, where said people can just overrule it."
"No system's perfect, I guess." Dant said, closing her case. "Well, I'm glad that Vermil isn't here to send me off. Where's the half-pint, anyway?"
"Taking some personal time off." Ravena sighed, looking a bit downcast. "He got a letter from home."
Dant snickered. "Girlfriend dumped his again?"
"You shouldn't treat him like that. He's really not so bad. Just has terrible luck, that's all." Ravena scowled. "Apparently, the current one couldn't hack the long distance."
"Getting defensive, are we? Looking to become the next one?"
"As if!"
"Well, anyway, without Vermil, I can honestly look at you three and say it's been fun." Dant said. "I don't always enjoy all aspects of my job, but you were a good part of it. I'll miss you. Sincerely."
"Wait, what!" Ravena cried. "Where are you going?"
"Now, what kind of a question is that? You've been watching me pack." Dant said. "In case the three of you have forgotten, I am an assassin. I signed under contract to work for Robin of Valm for the duration of his service under Valm."
"War's over." Zulas realized. "And at that point, contract soldiers are sent home."
"That's correct. Not much work for an assassin during a time of peace." Dant stood up. "But I'll make do. In case you're wondering, I told Robin already. He understands – our contract is up."
"Dant, you can't leave!" Ravena protested.
"Come on, little bird." Dant chuckled. "Don't give me that expression. There's a good chance our paths will cross again."
"When you say that, do you mean cross against each other?" Ravena asked hesitantly.
"Nah." Dant said. "As much as I hate it, I'm kind of sentimental about you guys. Anyone tries hiring me to put a hit on you, I'll give 'em the what-for. That's really the best you could ask for when it comes to an assassin's friendship."
"Anyone ever tell you that you take the whole 'assassin' thing way too far?" Argeni sighed.
"There's not much of a point being an assassin if you aren't actually going to be one, in my opinion." Dant lifted the trunk up and smiled. "I am serious, though. Our paths will cross again, but I've got a good feeling it's not going to be how you expect it."
"Well, I guess this the end of this fellowship." Zulas said.
"It ended a while ago." Argeni said. "This was just a last hurrah, of sorts. But that's alright. We're all moving to better things. Well, at least most of us."
"Vermil will be fine." Ravena said. "He does happen to be our nation's foremost expert on magic, you know."
"And I'll be busy with politics." Argeni sighed. "I have this bad feeling Robin's going to give me a larger than usual headache to deal with this time around."
"Ravena will be dealing with tactics, then." Dant said. "But I have a feeling that Zulas will be doing the most interesting work of all of us."
"Possibly." Zulas shrugged. "May your knives stay sharp, Dant."
"And may your spear always find it's mark, Zulas." Dant replied. "I'll look forward to our next meeting, if it ever happens."
-Valm Encampment, Barracks-
"Brother." Zulas said, walking into the barracks. Most of the soldiers were moving to break down various aspects of the camp, but a single one was sitting by a table, reading over a few scattered papers.
"Half-brother." Balt corrected, sighing. "So, what can I do for you, Zulas? What are you intending to do now that the war's over?"
"Virion of Rosanne holds the next piece of our puzzle." Zulas said. "And I want you on my team."
"We're hunting down the Battlemaster?" Balt grinned. "Count me in."
"It's not Robin." Zulas said. "But we will find out who did it. Once we get back in Valm, I'm using my authority as Council member to set up a special task force, who's sole job it is to find out who this 'Gray Tactician' of yours is."
"Virion." Balt sat up. "You think he has ties to Rosannean rebel groups that the rebellion forces recruited, don't you? If that's the case, we might be able to track down some of the middlemen and question them. See where that trail goes."
"That's the idea." Zulas said. "And you're better at this than I am. Are you willing to help me?"
"Yeah." Balt said. "Give me enough time, and I'll be able to track that dastard down. Out of respect for you, I'll stop assuming it's Robin, but at the end, I don't care who it is. There's got to be a trail of breadcrumbs, and all I need to do is follow them."
"Then we'll have our work cut out for us, come the future."
-Castle Ylisse-
Lucina was standing atop the roof of Castle Ylisse, looking out from over the battlements. She still had bandages on, but she felt well enough to look over the kingdom and take note of the lack of a Valm army. "So, the war with Valm ended. And with far more changes than I could have anticipated."
"Makes sense, if you think about it."
"I know that voice." Lucina turned around to see their company's tactician standing beside her. Morgan, ever her senior, still managed to keep a cheery disposition. It was just part of her personality. Lucina smiled. "Morgan. It's good to see you. You've been disappearing a lot."
"Yeah, sorry." Morgan grinned ruefully. "I was chasing down rumors of an old Temple of Time that I kind of hoped my help restore some of my memories. I … may … have lost track of things and also got cut off from information. Glad to see that things mostly worked out in my absence."
"You left us with explicit instructions to not interfere." Lucina said. "Which … well, I disobeyed them. Are you mad with me?"
"You did so to save your father." Morgan shook her head. "No, you made the right call, Lucina. I can't fault you as a tactician for making that decision, and I especially can't fault you as your friend for choosing to save your father."
"Morgan-"
"Don't second guess yourself, Lucina." Morgan said sternly. "Don't ever second guess yourself. That's not your job as our leader. That's my job as your tactician."
"Well, if you say so." Lucina said.
"Anyway, I've been thinking about this. The massive amount of changes we've experienced." Morgan said. "You think that your actions didn't have any effect, but I'm not sure that's so true. It's true that we reset things by accidentally inducing Robin's amnesia, but you also made a large effort into changing parts by helping Robin kill Walhart, among other things."
"Wait. You think this change happened as a result of my agreeing to help Robin?"
"Who can say?" Morgan shrugged. "Can I say that your very presence during the events with Walhart might have allowed Robin to kill Walhart ten years early in defiance of fate? Maybe."
"But we failed to save Emmeryn!"
"Did we?" Morgan asked. "I don't think we failed. We stopped those assassins and allowed Emmeryn to continue living. But she was the ruler of a country during the time of war. Even after we changed the time, that couldn't have guaranteed her survival."
"You're saying that my involvement always screws around with the way fate works?"
"I'm not even sure if I believe in fate in the first place." Morgan said. "But even if I did, yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, Lucina. You've succeeded, as far as I could tell. True, some of your actions have had consequences, but the Grimleal have been wiped out, the Gemstones are in our possession, and the Dragon's Table has been destroyed."
"I won't let my guard down."
"Of course not." Morgan smiled. "No scion of the proud house of Ylisse would do as such. But even if this isn't a total victory, I'll take it anyway. For all my attempts, I've never been Father's equal. Robin's achieved his conditions for victory, and I've achieved them as well."
"So, how'd the Temple turn out, then?"
"Ugh, don't ask." Morgan stuck her tongue out. "I don't know what I was expecting, but it was crawling with Risen. Couldn't find anything of remote importance in the Temple of Time. No sapphires, no rubies, no emeralds, no nothing."
-Valm Encampment, Outskirts-
"Robin? You called me out here?" Pheros asked. It was late at night, and the Empress of Valm had slipped out from her tent and guards to meet with the Battlemaster. Robin himself was sitting at a small fire, staring up into the night sky. Motes of ember crackled up into the air. Pheros sat down across from him.
"Yes. I have something to tell you, Pheros." Robin stared up in the sky, keeping his gaze wistfully upon the stars. "Tell me, have you ever wished upon a star when you were a child?"
"Have I?" Pheros struggled to recall. "Maybe. I was a dreamer as a child."
"You haven't changed much." Robin looked across the fire at her and considered. "Maybe you have. But you still retain that spark of a dreamer within you, I think. It's why you are such a devout believer in the ways of Naga, and why you followed Walhart."
"If you say so. But then you also have to say that's part of why I believed in you."
"My memories are lost to me, so I don't know if I ever wished upon a star when I was child." Robin said. "It should really be a burden, having a past. If you wished upon a star as a child, then that wish should follow you your whole life. But I have no memory of any wishes I made as a child – or dreams, for that matter, so I have no burden."
"You have us, Robin." Pheros sighed. "Don't be sad over this. You've made a good company of friends in Valm – your comrades, your soldiers, and your family."
"Indeed. I suppose you could say I was born anew in Valm, with all the skills I inherited from myself." Robin chuckled. "Under different circumstances, I'd find it odd to mourn a man I've never met nor have any knowledge of, but I might make an exception in this case. Of course, I'm not going to do that."
"Are you going somewhere with this point?" Pheros asked. "It is late at night."
"Sorry, Pheros." Robin said. "Philosophy isn't exactly my strong suit, so I'll put that aside. All I was trying to say was that the 'me' that I am is solely a construct of my experiences within Valm, and that was meshed with a frankly absurd amount of strength."
"Strength is just a means to an end, isn't it?" Pheros said. "That's what you believe, anyway."
"I can't remember the circumstance in which I read this book, but a quote from it comes to mind." Robin said. "With the proper acquisition of power comes the knowledge of how to use it properly. Therefore, be most concerned with those who wield great power, all of it given and none of it earned."
"And you believe that applies to you." Pheros said.
"You don't?"
The two sat in silence for a few moments, Pheros thinking over Robin's words while Robin was lost in his own thoughts, trying to form them together into the semblance of a single train of thoughts.
"Robin, I will respect whatever decision you've come to." Pheros said, slowly. "But don't stew in your own thoughts, please. That can't end well for you."
"Fair enough. I'll tell you my decision, then. I cannot return to Valm with you." Robin said, holding up a hand to forestall her protests. "Pheros, you can't not have realized this. I've regained control of my anger and I'm no longer who I was a few days ago, but the fact remains that I am not to be trusted. I am Robin, the Crimson Demon Tactician, and I have no equal in combat. Consequently, I should not be used for anything else besides for combat until my power is mastered."
"You don't have too-"
"Please don't." Robin gave a sad smile. "You aren't going to be able to talk me out of this, Pheros. My actions may have been necessary, but my thoughts and intents, for now, can only work against me for now, so the solution is simple. It's up to you, now. You, Chrom, Flavia, and Morgaine. I've given Plegia to my sister to rule, so you must work with her. I've trained Ravena as much as I could, so she'll be able to help you as well."
"And what do you want from us?" Pheros demanded. "You can't just leave!"
"And can I stay? Most of the Council is indebted to me in one form or another. My very presence will have an effect on every decision made in Valm, and even more than that once people start asking me for help. And, like I said, I've come to the realization that I must look over myself and question my actions. Consequently, I can't be asked those kinds of questions. Emmeryn's legacy is for you, and you alone to decide how to implement." Robin said. "As for me, I need to do some introspection, like we talked about."
"And where will you go?"
"Who can say?" Robin said. He held out a hand and clenched it hard. "Some say that if you stare into the abyss too long, then something stared back at you and claims your soul. Perhaps, if I spend enough time staring elsewhere, I can find something that will give such a soul back. I'll start out somewhere, and I'll keep looking until I find what I seek."
"Robin, but you were doing so well…"
"Pheros, please understand." Robin said. "I don't want to leave either, but I'm not sure I have a choice in the matter. I said, I would need to go through introspection, and I need time to myself to do it. You did say you would respect my decision."
"…No. As much as I wish that wasn't the case, I suppose that it is." Pheros sighed deeply. "So this is goodbye, is it?"
Robin sighed and got up, kicking earth over the fire, extinguishing it so only dying embers were present, dimly illuminating the scene. Pheros got up as well, walking over to the tactician and standing by his side.
"Robin, don't leave me without at least wishing me goodbye."
"I wouldn't do that to you, Pheros. And, we haven't gotten to that part yet." Robin clenched his teeth. "There's one last secret I possess that needs to be told. Something that will help you understand me. I have one last gift to you."
"A … gift?" Pheros asked, hesitantly. "What do you mean?"
"It is a gift in the sense that I give it freely and expect nothing in return. However, I expect you hate me for it." Robin said. "But you must be told. I gift you one of my greatest secrets – a hidden truth known to few."
"What secret is this?"
"The truth behind Walhart's death." Robin said. "He wasn't killed by rebels."
"Don't be ridiculous." Pheros said. "There was no one else there that could have done it. The rebels initiated a self-destructive magical ritual to kill him once it became apparent that they couldn't do it."
"No. It was only made to appear as such." Robin corrected her. "Haven't you wondered about the circumstances surrounding his death? His army away and a rebel army expertly trained, all when the rebels were supposed to have been defeated. Someone planned it all. They rearranged the army's schedule and hid the best of the rebels along with a private militia recruited for the purpose, waiting in ambush. The entire scheme was exclusively to kill the Conqueror."
"And what about the three of us?"
"Cervantes was necessary, as he was Walhart's spymaster, and thus the only one who could finger the mastermind when the job was done. The force sent to attack you was deliberately weak, such that an attack occurred, but never so you could die. Merely so that it could be said such an attack had happened." Robin said. "And, as for myself, no such attack occurred. That's not where I received my injuries."
"What are you talking about!?" Pheros's voice rose as she realized where the conversation was going. "You were at the wedding! There are hundreds of eyewitnesses who saw you there, and your friends wouldn't lie."
"They did not lie. I was there, at the wedding." Robin shrugged. "And I was also there when Walhart died. The secret of warp magic did not die with Excellus. It shall die with me."
"You…" Pheros was lost for words. "You can't have…"
"It cost me my eye, but I did it. I killed Walhart." Robin laughed. "Can you believe my hubris? I thought I was better than him, because he was nothing more than a power-hungry war-monger. I honestly did. And then I proceeded to use a skirmish as an excuse to conquer an entire continent. This is who I am, Pheros."
"Why would you kill him…?"
"Because I had to. I've no regrets about killing Walhart." Robin said simply. "He wouldn't do what I've done. Even as bad as I was, Walhart was worse. No remorse. No mercy. No hesitation. Ylissotol would have been burned to the ground, and the continent would have fallen beneath his heel. And, when he died, the continent would have killed itself again in civil war. I'm not saying that, personally, I was any better than him. But I at the very least, I am leaving, while he wouldn't."
"Walhart was my hero." A tear fell from Pheros's cheek. "But you are right."
"What…?"
"I'd be quite the hypocrite for calling you for being a zealot if I behave the same, Robin. It's true, I looked up to Walhart. But I can't turn a blind eye to what his actions would have been to unite the world. I've seen what you've done, and I've seen what Walhart has done." Pheros said. "And of the two, I much prefer you. I would rather if you stayed, even knowing that."
"Pheros, you can't just ignore what I've done!"
"Make no mistake. I'm not merely mad at you. I'm furious." Pheros said. "But I don't want to lose you over this."
"I told you, I can't stay."
"Then what am I going to tell Valm?"
"Tell them the truth, or as much of it as possible. Tell them the Battlemaster is not there to build cities or create rules, but exists to fight battles, and now that war is gone, the Battlemaster must leave as well." Robin said. "Tell them that I wander the land, and anyone wishing to challenge me is welcome to do the same, and should they be sufficient, they will no doubt find me. And, should you run into any problems, my friends will help, should the need arise."
"You'll abandon them as well!?"
"I have no choice." Robin said. "I'll miss them. But they'll understand. Those closest to me are hand-picked, after all, and are capable by themselves. I've left them notes, and if they need it, I'm sure you can tell them this conversation."
"So. You'll be gone, then?"
"I will."
"And you won't return?" Pheros asked.
"That's the question, isn't it? I'll return as soon as I can, Pheros. I promise you that. But when that is, I do not know." Robin said. "Even I can't predict something like that."
"In that case, I have a gift for you as well." Pheros said. "Something given freely, with nothing expected in return."
"I am prepared for whatever you have to give me." Robin closed his eye. He was unprepared for the sudden warmth of another body against his as Pheros embraced him. Robin opened his eye, in time for Pheros to kiss him once, quickly. Then, scarlet blossoming on her cheeks, she released him just as fast.
"I love you, tactician. I would accept you, flaws and all, if you wished it." Pheros said softly. "I wish you would stay and that you had not done what you had done, so we might make something of our bond, and perhaps I would see if you returned my love."
"Pheros…" Robin couldn't find the words. A tear answered for him, appearing in his eye. Robin shook his head and turned around. I cannot, even for her. Long ago, I chose this path, knowing that someday a price would have to be paid. One I seem to forever be underestimating. A circle of runes appeared beneath his feet. But he couldn't leave without a final request. A plea. "Fare well, Pheros. Please."
A/N:This was always going to end this way. It's something of a classic personal tragedy. Robin has managed to achieve his goal of unifying the continents and has managed to take great strides to unifying them all. But, personally, he does not achieve anything. He is forced to abandon his friends, he does not get the woman who loves him, and he is forced to wander, to atone for his perceived past mistakes.
Or, at the least, that's what I would say if the story ended here. I'd even put a neat little end card. But that's not quite how this story goes. Fortunately for Robin, he'll be given a single chance to turn this tragedy around. Unfortunately, that same chance is a chance for someone else. It's a chance for the Fallen Dragon Grima to turn around his own stroke of ill fortune, and take this story back to a full-on tragedy, where no one, not Robin and not the Grand Valm Empire, walks out unscathed.
This story continues! Into its fourth and final arc, where all the cards, even the ones played facedown since the first arc, get flipped, and two competing Grandmasters duel for supremacy. It'll take me a while until I can start the arc, but the plan, for now, is to start early summer. Look forward!
