Chapter Twelve

And so the war between Ylisse and Plegia was ended. Prince Chrom and Phil worked tirelessly to restore Ylisse's splendor. This would be no easy task, for the war had taken a heavy toll on the halidom. But with Feroxi muscle and Plegian gold, they brought peace back to the people. All the while, the prince forswore the title of exalt, out of respect to his late sister. Even so, his subjects grew eager for their new ruler to take a wife. And in his heart, Chrom had always known who that woman would be. The royal wedding was a joyous occasion, attended by thousands from near and far. Finally, it seemed that the last lingering wounds of Ylisse's history had healed. But then, two years later...

Or so the game would have you believe. What was neglected to mention was the exact details of the hardships placed on Exalt Chrom…and myself. Sure, the Exalt placed me as Grandmaster of Ylisse, but that meant so much paperwork on behalf of the halidom. And not many boring meetings with other nobles. But the worse part was watching my comrades and friends getting hitched…try going to all those weddings; every Shepherd, married, shortly after the war. Perhaps the most surprising was Panne and Gregor. Chrom had the most royal, elegant wedding I've ever seen while I was forced in as a groomsman. That meant I had to endure, as painful as it was, hearing the vows the king and queen had for each other.

"You are the wind at the back and the sword at my side. Together, my love, we shall build a peaceful world. Just you and me."

"I thought nothing could warm my heart again. I shall love you above all others, for the rest of my days."

I fought off every negative thought and did my best to enjoy the ceremony. The best way was sticking around Stahl, but even that proved to be a task. He was more preoccupied in things other than food for a change: a pink haired dancer. He gave her the most praise out of any Shepherd and Olivia didn't even shy away from the flirting. So once again, I was stuck by myself, gorging on whatever food and drink was offered. Fortunately, there were no such thing as scales around, so no one could confirm the weight I gained overnight. Eating in a corner as helped not draw attention to my sorrows, but I believed I saw Tharja spying on me, for whatever reason (who even invited her anyways?). I was glad no one offered me to dance because one, I'm sure I have two left feet, and two, I was in no mental condition to do so. Everyone else danced and had a partner, which was nice, if I had to admit. When time came for the king and queen solo dance, I couldn't watch and ran to the barracks, slamming the door behind me. Did I make an ass of myself? Probably. Should I care? Maybe. But I didn't; could not handle it. A messenger knocked at the door representing Chrom. He wanted to see if I was ok, no doubt.

"Just tell him I had food poisoning, but no need for alarm, I'll be better in the morning."

The man was convinced and I heard his boots pace away from the door. And I was all I could remember from that night.

Two years gone and peacetime came to end, just like the seasons. The word came through Raimi, the general of Regna Ferox. Valm started the attack; warships were within striking distance. The khans gratefully offered the support when Ylisse was in need and Chrom answered the call for repayment. The group left in two days' time to aid Ferox. The khans were eagerly waiting and were relieved when Chrom agreed to offer help to the Feroxi. The reports came by an unlikely duo: Virion and a woman named Cherche. The purple haired duke flaunted his title and was slow to explain the situation at hand, thus causing Cherche to address the issues.

"So, what brings a noble and his charge all the way across the long sea?" The new exalt was more curious in Cherche than Virion.

"The Valmese. Theirs was an unremarkable nation once. Tiny, almost pitifully so. Had our continent not shared its name, you might almost have forgotten it existed. And so Valm might have remained, if not for Walhart the Conqueror. One by one, he has taken the surrounding realms into his growing empire. I had no choice but to…to recruit new allies to aid my people of Rosanne. That's why I've come."

Chrom saw through the lie, "You fled for your life…"

"More or less, yes." Cherche explained, "While milord hastily gathered his valuables and guided his people to safety... I alone remained to keep an eye on the Valmese crisis. I was there as Rosanne was swallowed up by Emperor Walhart's overwhelming forces. In the end, I, too, fled here to Regna Ferox seeking asylum."

Virion interrupted, seeking anyone to believe his story, but time was of the essence. "Walhart has conquered our continent and now seeks to conquer yours." Cherche's blunt words stunned everyone in the room.

Basilio cut the silence, "She claims the Valmese fleet will be at our shores in a matter of days. We'll know soon enough if her story proves true."

"I speak only what I know for true, good people. As does my lord, at least, with respect to this matter."

Virion chuckled, "There's that wit of yours again! Aha! That wonderful...needling, chafing wit."

"I believe you both. Basilio, we must secure your ports as soon as possible." Chrom nodded to Virion and Cherche.

"You should know that Valm has the strongest cavalry in the world. You will want to station troops with experience fighting mounted troops."

"Why, Virion, are you volunteering?" snickered the exalt.

Dalton glared at the hopeless commoner, "You dare board our ship, worm? I will not discuss terms with a peasant; I will issue demands to all! Citizens! Soldiers! Hear my words! The Conqueror himself, Emperor Walhart, claims dominion over these lands! You will grant your new emperor your ships! You will grant him all your provender! You will grant him your loyalty and your every possession! And you will surrender this land's greatest treasure: The Fire Emblem! Do this, and your lives will be spared. Resist, and your lives are forfeit! Now, kneel! And swear fealty to the mighty Valmese Empire!"

The Feroxi villager stood his ground, "But it you take all that we have, how are we to make our living? Without food and ships, people will starve! Would you have us all die?"

"You will do, for now." The Valmese soldier cut the poor man's throat, blood staining the cobblestones.

Our group arrived to the Port Feroxi not in time to save the villager. The Valmese warship was massive, showing the Feroxi intent to conqueror. Who knows how many soldiers that boat held? Our answer came shortly.

"These savages will never listen to reason. Everyone, prepare to engage!" Chrom took his fighting stance with the Falchion in his hands.

Cherche tapped the exalt on the shoulder, "Excuse me, might I join, sire? This may not be my country, but it is my cause. My dear Minerva here hungers for a bite of the action as well!"

Cool, a wyvern rider in our group! Hope Minerva is friendly to me. I love them dragons, but I have to be careful…also around such a beautiful woman. Wow, what…hips. Such nice "assets".

It took every ounce of strength not to walk up and pet the scaley beast. Logic took over telling me if I did, I would be missing limbs at best.

Maybe another time, Minerva…Cherche.

The battle with Dalton's soldiers lasted too long for my taste. His gang were poorly trained, but the Valmese numbers were almost overwhelming. Even the Feroxi had their own issues.

"Chrom, is that all of them?" I gasped for air.

"Yes, but victory's come with a price."

Many buildings destroyed; bodies ran red in the streets.

"The town is in shambles, as is my army," cried Basilio.

"This is most troubling news. Feroxi soldiers are the finest east of the long sea. If they are having trouble, we are all in trouble." Fredrick confirmed the dire situation.

Flavia added in more bad news, "That's not the half of it. This was just the vanguard—but a taste of the meal yet to come."

"And once it arrives, their host will wash over the whole continent in weeks. There's no way we could repel them and defend our people. It would be a slaughter." Basilio seemed disheartened.

"Ylisse is no better equipped to handle an attack from the sea..." Chrom turned to me, "Phil, what do you suggest?"

"Their greatest strength is their cavalry, which puts us at a disadvantage...on land. But if we were to catch them at sea..."

Ylisse had no warships, the Feroxi only carried a few and considering how Valm overtook Port Feroxi so quickly, more aid was necessary to pull off my plan…

Plegia.

"No. Absolutely not. Out of the question." I knew Chrom wouldn't like my answer, but we had no choice.

Basilio agreed with my line of thinking, "They have gold, boy! Countless ships! And more importantly, we have a fart's chance in the wind without them."

Flavia was onboard too, "The oaf is right. Crude, but right. There's only one path forward."

"Chrom, will you reconsider?" I asked with puppy dog eyes, hoping that would get him to change his mind.

The exalt sighed, "Very well. Send a messenger and request a summit immediately. Let us pray this new king is more reasonable than their last."

The Plegian response came back faster than expected.

"Milord, we have word from Plegia. They have agreed to meet with us at their outpost on Carrion Isle. A poor venue should things go sour, as the island's name makes plain. But then I don't see we have much of a choice."

"Cautious as ever, Frederick the Wary. Don't worry. We'll get our ships. This threat hangs over all of us—Plegia as well. They must see that."