For several moments, I was silent. Hell, the entire room was deathly quiet. Before me stood my daughter. Well, future daughter. The feelings swirling within my chest ranged from happiness to weariness to fear and all things in between. I watched as her blue eyes stared straight at my visor, and her expression grew more and more agitated.

"Well?" Severa asked, tapping her foot. "Are you gonna say something? Anything? Or are you just gonna sit there and stare at me?"

I swallowed the growing lump in my throat and turned around to the increasingly bemused men, as well as a very uncomfortable looking Kjelle. "Stay outside and close the door. Kjelle, you're with me. Make sure no one disturbs us."

"Yes, sir!" Kjelle said quickly.

One of the men nodded briskly, and a moment later, the door closed. I sighed and pulled off my helmet. "This ain't how I was expecting this to go at all."

"Oh, and what did you expect?" Severa asked pointedly, crossing her arms. "That I'd come running to you out of a field of flowers or some crap like that? So sorry to disappoint you, but that isn't happening."

"Severa, I would suggest you calm yourself," Laurent said, adjusting his glasses. "I have noticed you make poorer decisions when angered. Do not get carried away."

"Shove it, Laurent."

I shook my head and got a good look at the others with her. Noire had blonde hair, which confused me. She looked between me and Severa with panic in her eyes. Nah, with reddish-brown hair, sat on a crate nearby, her hands folded in her lap. She was easily one of the smallest people I'd seen. Laurent was a tall dastard, nearly up to my height. Beyond that, though, he stood near Severa. Her second-in-command, I assumed. Yarne made me wince; the poor taguel was shivering like mad. He seemed to look at me with, well, the best way I could describe it would be like a rabbit looking at a hungry fox. It didn't make much sense to me, but I didn't exactly have time to do anything about it.

Beyond that, though, I couldn't comment.

"I certainly wasn't expecting to see you in the middle of a giant-ass bandit fortress, no," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck after I hooked my axe to my belt. "What the hell are you all even doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Severa said, pointing at me. "Here I was wondering why a giant fucking army was attacking, but of course it'd be you. Can't help but play the hero, huh?"

I shook my head. "I'm not talking about me; I'm talking about you. Besides, this whole thing was Robin's idea. What are you doing here?"

Severa was about to reply before Noire, surprisingly, spoke up. "T-the man who controls this place, he's taken prisoners." She gulped. "S-Sev thinks that they're going to be sold into slavery."

Almost as if a switch was flipped, her face twisted into the purest expression of rage I'd ever seen. The bow in her hands creaked as if it was about to snap. "Blood and thunder! Damn them all to an eternity of hellish torment! To think I would almost be used as these poor fools! I'll shove arrows down all their gullets!"

"Who gave her the amulet again?" Nah sighed. "I thought we took that away. We told you you didn't need that, Noire."

"S-sorry."

I waved my iron hand. "Alright, alright! So you came to rescue some slaves, then? Fair enough. Though that makes you a hypocri- Nevermind." I sighed to myself. "God, this is a shitshow."

Severa narrowed her eyes. "It wouldn't have been if Robin didn't bring an entire goddamn army here. We would've freed the slaves and gotten out of here in no time, but now, fuck that, right?"

"Okay, listen," I growled unintentionally. "We're here to test the army so that when Valm arrives, shit won't go sideways. Robin is going to save lives, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't show him disrespect."

Severa scoffed. "Whatever, dad. Not like it matters, anyway. We're still gonna save them. Why don't you run off without me again and never come back? Pretty sure you won't have to deal with me again."

"I don't think so." I shook my head. I had to be careful not to lose my head. I knew, vaguely, how Severa operated in, well- what was the word? Canon? Anyway, I had to have patience with her. "Come with us. Far as I know, we need all the help we can get. I've got a bad feeling about this place. Something's in the air. I can feel it."

"Can you feel how much I don't want to do that? I'm pretty sure it's radiating off my body," Severa asked sardonically.

"Look, you're mad," I began, crossing my arms, trying to keep my expression neutral. "I get that. I never even got to say goodbye in the future, did I?" Severa's eyes widened. "Didn't think so. That's what has you so pissed right now, isn't it? I don't know why I did something like that, hell, I barely know what happened in the future; Lucina isn't very forthcoming at the best of times, but," I took a deep breath. "Fuck it, after this, we're going to have a long, long talk, alright? Just help us for right now. We'll clean up the rest of this racket and we'll pack it up."

I saw Severa visibly grit her teeth. Her hands balled up into fists, and for a second it looked as if she wanted to say something. After a moment, though, it appeared she calmed down. "Alright, fine. We'll go with you. But, just so you know," She fixed me with a vicious glare. "I'm not doing this because I want to or anything, so don't get that stupid idea in your head."

I nodded. "Sure. And everyone else?"

"They'll follow me." She waved off. "We've been together for a long time."

"No shit?" I said, nodding. "Alright then. Frederick's in the courtyard, Cordelia's in the south wing-"

"Mom's here!?" Severa blurted out, eyes wide. After a second, she blinked and huffed. "Nevermind."

"Uh huh," I hummed, frowning. "We were just about done with this area, so we were gonna head to the center and take out this former general asshole. Whoever the fuck he is. Once that's done, we'll probably head back to Ylisstol."

"So you just have this whole thing planned out, then? Oh wait, I meant Robin did. Christ." Severa wiped her forehead and turned to the other future children. "Alright, since my air-headed dad came charging in here, a small change of plans. Nah, you're still staying here. I've got a feeling seeing a dragon flying overhead would raise a shit ton of questions. Everyone else? We're gonna follow my dad and kill General Bakar."

I rose a brow. "General Bakar?"

"Yeah, that's his…" Severa looked at me like I was the dumbest creature on the planet. "You- You didn't even know who you were fighting?"

"Robin didn't fucking tell me a lot, alright?" I replied, my lips pursing. "Besides, what does it matter? He was gonna die anyway. Now he'll just be another corpse with a name."

Severa stared at me with half-lidded eyes before shaking her head. "Whatever. I guess you're right about that. Anyway, Laurent, Noire, Yarne, you're all with me. Let's go."

"I-I'm not going!" Yarne squeaked, the poor taguel shivering like hell. "N-Not with him!"

Severa sighed. "Yarne, come on, this is ridiculous! I thought you got over this when-!"

"He has the eyes of a hunter! Look!" Yarne pointed a clawed finger at me. It was funny having a taguel be absolutely terrified of me for a change. "H-he'll skin me and hang me up and then the taguel will go extinct-!"

"Yarne, shut up for fuck's sake!" Severa shouted, causing the timid taguel to curl up into a ball. "Jesus," Severa sighed. "Look, Yarne-"

No one interrupted Severa that time. Instead, it felt as if the world itself interrupted her. Or, that's what it felt like when the entire fortress shook. Pieces of masonry and stone fell to the floor as the ground beneath us shook.

"Kjelle, check the door!" I ordered, trying to keep myself balanced.

"Did Robin use goddamn trebuchets or something!?" Severa shouted, steadying herself.

"We built a few, but we didn't get to use them." I shook my head as Kjelle opened the door. "He won't use them now that we're inside. I don't-!"

"S-sir, you need to see this!" Kjelle called from the doorway.

I sighed. A thousand different scenarios played out in my head, all of them unpleasant. Had Robin gone mad and actually used the goddamned trebuchets while we were still inside? Or was Dolorous Guard another Khadein, and shit was about to hit the fan? I pushed forward and looked out one of the many windows into the courtyard from the hallway. The men around me were whispering as Severa and the rest of the future children followed me outside.

I did a double take at what I saw.

The dead are rising. The Risen.

The corpses of the men we'd slaughtered just minutes before rose up, their skin turning an unearthly purple and their eyes becoming red spotlights. Frederick and his soldiers were still in the courtyard, and it was clear they were taken by surprise. Despite that, Frederick ordered them to form up, and the men under his command did their best to hold the legion of Risen off.

"G-gawd!" Severa stuttered, taking a step back. "I-I didn't-!"

"Everyone, outside, now!" I shouted, causing everyone to look at me. "We need to back 'em up!

Conversation would have to come later. At that moment, Frederick needed our help.

I hadn't fought the Risen in over a year. Hell, the last time I'd even heard about them was when Phila reported that they apparently completely disappeared from the face of the planet. Despite that, I had to relearn quickly. If I didn't, well, I'd have probably become one of them. And I'd have been damned before I let that happen. At least, before I could have a conversation with-

With my daughter. Christ, how that felt. It was surreal.

Fighting Risen was pretty simple, from what I remembered. They were stronger than the average human, obviously, but they were also dumb as bricks. I had to use that to my advantage, or they'd swarm me and beat me to a bloody pulp.

We barged into the courtyard and swiftly moved in to assist. There were at least five Risen to every living man before we did, so our arrival evened the odds just a bit. The familiar sound of the dead moaning reached my ears as I unhooked my axe and lodged it into the skull of one of them, seeing its black blood fall to the ground like a waterfall.

It'll be over soon.

The body fell to the ground and dissipated into blackish-purple smoke.

The rest of the troops, along with the future children, made their move. A new battle had broken out between the living and the dead, and the ground ran black and red with the blood of the fallen.

I blinked, shaking those thoughts away as I cut down another perversion of nature.

Every so often, I'd look at what the children were doing. Nah had stayed behind, like Severa ordered, but everyone else was still around. I watched as Laurent flamed a Risen to death, turning it to ash before it could fade normally. Yarne, despite being a taguel, was using a sword of all things. Kjelle and Owain, who had stayed with Frederick when we all spread out, were back to back, fighting Risen like there was no tomorrow. Noire stood to the back, sniping Risen like fish in a barrel. Almost every single shot was a headshot, sending them to the ground.

And then there was Severa. She was cutting Risen down with her sword like she was made for it. A strange, detached expression was on her face.

Focus on the fight in front of you, boy scout.

I followed my inner voice's advice and kept thwacking undead monsters with my trusty axe.

Even with the combination of our forces, we were still being pushed back, like we were being herded somewhere. The Risen were pushing our forces towards the keep, where two big doors sat open.

It was like looking into the maw of a giant beast. And oddly enough, I felt like I'd been in a situation just like it before.

A war cry came from nearby, and another group of soldiers came charging to our aid. Cordelia's merry band slammed into the side of the Risen, pushing them back long enough for us to gain a foothold and hold the line. The gorgeous redhead herself, despite being trained to fight in the air or with height advantage, practically melted the Risen with her flawless spearwork.

With her help, the Risen began falling like wheat to the scythe. Soon enough, there were only a few stragglers left that were easily taken care of.

"Alexander, Cordelia, report!" Frederick barked as we assembled.

"We found nothing, Commander," Cordelia said first, planting her spear into the ground. "That was, until the fortress began quaking."

"Nothing in the north wing too- er, well." I looked to the newly arrived future kids, standing awkwardly nearby. "Found a few new friends."

"Indeed?" Frederick asked quietly, walking over to them. "Who are you?"

Severa crossed her arms, eyeing Cordelia a little. "Just wandering mercenaries, sir."

"Wandering mercenaries, in the middle of a fort held by bandits," Frederick summarized, his eyes narrowing. "Either you were here for a job, or Alexander is trying to cover for you. I cannot imagine why he would attempt to lie, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt. What is your purpose here?"

"We are here to free the slaves the repugnant general of this fortress has captured, sir," Laurent spoke up, his robes billowing a little as he took a step forward. "These brigands have been taking prisoners for some time now. We sought to free them without causing a ruckus, but-"

"But then you guys came crashing in and now the whole thing's gone to hell!" Severa said, exasperated. "Christ, we'll help you for the time being. Not like things are gonna get better now."

"I would welcome the help, but know that my eyes are on you at all times. My duty is first and foremost to milord, and he bade me take this fortress in his name, with the Grandmaster Tactician's help," Frederick warned, turning around.

"Kinda creepy, but alright," Severa muttered, that time blatantly staring at Cordelia for a few moments.

Apparently, it didn't go unnoticed by her, as she came up to me a moment later. "Alex?"

I blinked, trapped in my own little world for a moment. Turning to her, I asked, "Yeah? Something wrong?"

"Not so much wrong, no, but," She turned her head to regard Severa, who was cleaning her blade before we went traipsing into the central keep. "I've caught her staring at me. And she looks… familiar, somehow."

"I wonder why," I muttered to myself. "Look, I, uh, I don't have a clue. She and her friends were camping out in one of the rooms in the north wing and I kinda just, eh, what the hell, right?" I continued, distractedly. "Shit happens all the time. Besides, it'll be-"

"Alex, you're lying to me."

I felt my stomach drop into my pelvis as I whirled around, only to feel her gauntleted hand on my pauldron.

"If you're wondering how I know, you always look away when you lie," She said softly, looking down. "And you tend to ramble. It's a little cute, honestly, but now you have my worried." She looked up and stared me in the eye. "I'm not sure what exactly is going on, but I know there's something happening. Her group is connected to Marth, aren't they?"

I pursed my lips, and like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar, I couldn't say a damned thing. I was, however, able to manage a nod.

"I thought so," Cordelia said, smiling slightly. "I won't pry much further, considering we are still in a warzone, but, just one thing." She leaned closer. "Please, tell me what's going on, when this is all over. I swear to you that I will understand, whatever it is."

Dear God, I don't deserve you.

"Goddamnit, don't make me cry in the middle of a fort!" I chuckled, wiping my eyes a little.

"Is there anything I can do to fix that?" She asked, a small, teasing hint to her voice.

Despite everyone around us, I leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips. She giggled, blushing a little.

"There, now I feel like I could take on the entire world," I boasted, placing my fists on my hips.

"Gods, how can you say things like that with a straight face?" Cordelia sighed, although a smirk was still on her lips. "I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be a little upset that you've kept a secret, but Naga, I just can't. Hah!"

I nodded, sparing a glance to Severa nearby.

I nearly balked at her sickly expression; it looked like she was about to throw up. Or she was doing it on purpose to make us uncomfortable. Considering she gave me a mocking smirk a second later, it was probably the latter.

"She has a spirit to her, I will give her that." Cordelia observed, frowning at Severa. That got to her, as her shoulders slumped with what I could only assume was guilt.

"Yeah," I replied. "Tell me about it. You haven't even talked to her yet."

We stood at the doors of the keep, ready to go in and put an end to the shit show that was Dolorous Guard.

I had to be honest, I was getting sick of going into ruined cesspits and killing abominations. Khadein was more than enough for me. But, at least in Dolorous Guard, it was the kind of bullshit I knew how to handle. The Draconians in Khadein were monsters, but the Risen were just zombies. They also weren't immune to slashing weapons, at least the ones without heavy armor.

Realizing I was rambling to myself, I shook my head.

Most of the men would stay outside, along with most of the future children. I saw Severa and Lucina trade gazes, but I couldn't read the subtext behind that. Not when I was still in 'rip and tear' mode, at least. Besides, there was more important shit to worry about, like killing General Bakar. Severa wasn't very forthcoming about who he was, and I chalked that up to her knowing very little about him. Nonetheless, if Robin decided it wasn't important that we knew about it, I'd take his word for it.

Five of us, including a squad of soldiers, were going inside. Me, Cordelia, Frederick, Severa, and Kjelle.

Seriously, with these goddamn flashbacks.

"Is everyone ready?" Frederick asked, his silver spear shining in the sun. After a quick affirmation, he took the first step. "Good. Everyone, with me. We will end this."

That was one big difference; Frederick had been leading us ever since we entered the fortress. Well, that and we had ample access to sunlight. That was a big plus, in my book.

The main hall of Dolorous Guard yawned before us, small bits of rubble littering the ground from the shockwave earlier. Rotten banners adorned the pillars, depicting a serpent eating a lion. A little unnerving to look at, but I'd seen worse.

I spared another glance at Severa. The more I looked at her, the more I could see our similarities. Her eyes were just like mine, beside the color, and her hair curled at the tips. She saw me looking at her, and promptly pursed her lips and turned her head away from me.

I swiveled my head to stare at Kjelle, who only shrugged.

I am fixing this shit.

I could think of a million different reasons why Severa would be so upset at me. Then wasn't the time to think about them all. All I could do was burn it into my head to talk with her after General Bakar was dead.

Eventually, we made it far enough in that we could see the throne. The throne room of Dolorous Guard was just as dilapidated as the rest of it; broken and rotting. The carpet appeared to have been eaten by insects in multiple places, and the entire area had an awful smell to it, like rotting meat.

"Everyone, ready your weapons," Frederick ordered, approaching the throne. "I doubt this General Bakar will surrender."

"No shit," Severa mumbled.

A loud guffaw echoed across the walls of the chamber, making it sound like it was coming from multiple directions.

"Welcome, Ylisseans!" The loud, gravelly voice said. "Welcome to my humble abode! Would you like me to grab the tea and pies? I'm afraid we don't have any to spare, but if you take a step closer, I'm sure my hammer can be a worthy substitute."

I saw him on the throne, sitting lazily. A giant of a man with tan skin and brown eyes. His russet hair trailed all the way down to his shoulders, and looked as if it hadn't been washed in months. A shaggy beard came from his face. He smiled at us, the armor he wore clanking a little as he sat up. In his right hand was a warhammer, an ugly thing with a head flattened to a point on one side, and a hook-like protrusion on the other. I became unnerved just by looking at it; something was wrong about it. Something ungodly.

"General Bakar," Frederick intoned. I swore, I'd seen something like the scene playing before me in a book. A knight in light armor versus the asshole with a hammer. "We have come on behalf of the Halidom of Ylisse. You have been raiding villages for months. Today, we put an end to you and all those who follow you."

Another laugh, sounding suitably unhinged, came from General Bakar. He leaned forward, still tittering even as he spoke. "I should expect no less from Ylissean knights! Ah, but you are not just any Ylissean knight, hmm? No, and those other two who follow you, are special. You are Frederick the Wary, Retainer to the Exalt Chrom and Knight-Commander of Ylisse! I am flattered that they saw me as such a threat that they brought the full might of yourself and the Ylissean army against me! Ahah! And this lovely lass here- Yes, you would be Cordelia, Knight-Captain of the pegasus knights. That hair is unmistakable!"

I gripped the handle of my axe tighter.

"What, nothing to say?" Bakar said mockingly, that same damn smile on his face. "Pah, you're boring. Just like those pegasus knights before you. The day King Gangrel and I felled them from the sky… Ah, that was beautiful."

There's no way. Robin, why didn't you-!?

I looked to Cordelia, and the expression I saw made my heart break. I'd never seen her face look as murderous as it did then. As far as I knew, only Gangrel was part of the contingent that took over Ylisstol, and, by extension, essentially killed all of Ylisse's pegasus knights, except for a handful. But if what the guy was saying was true, well…

I saw Cordelia grip her spear tighter. It looked as if she would snap at any moment. It was a wonder she was even keeping it together. I noticed Severa's worried expression out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored it for that moment.

"And lastly, the Hero of Khadein himself, Alexander of the Iron Hand!" Bakar's toothy grin was aimed in my direction. "Oh yeah, tales of what happened there have spread even to this dungpit. A knight sworn in service to the Grandmaster Tactician. By Grima, I have been given the biggest damn plate of knights I could've asked for-!"

"Silence!" Frederick roared. "By order of the crown of Ylisse, you die this day, General Bakar!"

"Is that so, Frederick the Wary!?" Bakar shouted, standing up and hefting his warhammer. "It is so like Ylisseans to ceaselessly fight! Come then, fools. Knightbane will make quick work of your cowardly, steel hides! Men, to me! Let us crush these Ylisseans like bugs underneath our boots!"

The room exploded in an awful maelstrom of sound as Risen arrived, coming from every corner of the desolate throne room. In an instant, we were locked in a battle against the purple-skinned zombies.

In that moment, I let loose. I swung my axe like a man possessed, cutting apart rotting flesh and spilling black blood to the ground in gallons. Every so often, I would catch a glimpse of what was going on around me. The men that followed us were doing their best, I'd give them that. You had to have some serious balls to face Risen without prior experience, and while it was clear as day that many of them were nearly shitting themselves out of fear, they were still moving and fighting.

Frederick and Bakar locked weapons, sparks falling to the ground as they clashed together. Bakar swung his warhammer, Knightbane it was called I guessed, like it was an extension of himself, using its great weight to push Frederick back. Or at least to try; Frederick wasn't giving up any ground. The Knight-Commander was like an impenetrable stone wall, and blocked or parried whatever Bakar tried. Despite that, however, Bakar didn't look put off or angry; he was still smiling like a madman the entire time.

It sent a shiver down my spine. I felt it even through the haze that had taken over my mind once the fighting began.

The others were doing well, at least. Cordelia, despite Bakar's provocations, was cutting Risen down with her spear with relative ease. For Kjelle and Severa, though, it was easy to see that they were experts at that kind of shit; not only were they watching each other's back, but every so often they'd switch places like a tag team maneuver.

Even then, though, that couldn't last forever.

"I think that's enough of a warm-up, don't you? Come on, then! Show me how much more you've got!" General Bakar shouted, his voice booming across the room as his warhammer glowed with an unearthly light. Purple swirled around the head, an unnatural shade of it that nearly blinded me. And, with a massive swing, he swung the hammer into the ground.

All I saw was the ceiling as I was blown off my feet by the shockwave, a strong sense of déjà vu overtaking me for a second before I grumbled and got up.

That was the plan, at least, before a Risen jumped on me, slamming my back into the floor.

It snarled at me like a dog, its rotten teeth bared as it tried to claw at me. I swung my axe up and into its head, causing small droplets of black blood to fall onto my face. The vicious red eyes of the Risen disappeared, and before it had a chance to dissipate, I shoved it off me.

My mind was eerily calm that entire time, like I wasn't really there.

I turned over and looked up to see Cordelia helping Severa up. Seeing them both together like that was, well, it warmed my heart but also filled me with a sense of something. The emotion was hard to place, but the best word I could come up with was 'longing'.

She'd take Cordy's hand, but you're not sure she'd even look at yours.

It was another thing I filed away for later.

As far as I could tell, the battle was still going on, despite the shockwave. The sounds of swords and spears clanking against shields and axes was almost nostalgic, in a way. Even then, I didn't sit around for long; I got to my feet and kept fighting. What else could I do? Apparently, it was all I could do.

I halted in my tracks when I heard Frederick cry out in pain.

My gaze instantly snapped to where he was, only to see General Bakar standing over him, an unearthly purple fire blazing on his warhammer's head. Melted metal from Frederick's armor fell from it, and I could see a point of impact in his side.

"You see this, Frederick the Wary?" Bakar sneered, holding Knightbane aloft. "A boon granted to me by the Fell Dragon himself, as a reward for my faithfulness! Count yourself lucky that you shall be the first to taste its power!" Bakar swung the hammer upwards. "Die!"

The Warhammer hit Frederick right in the chest, sending him careening through the air and slamming to the ground a fair distance away.

He's not moving.

Everything felt silent. Wrong. Dark. A weird taste filled my mouth as my stomach dropped. A burning that came from my chest, not unlike when I saw Donnel die, permeated throughout my body.

While Bakar sat there gloating, and everyone else was too preoccupied with Risen, I moved. My body shot forward of its own accord. Without realizing it, as if by extinct, I held my right arm back.

Once I was in striking distance, my right arm surged forward like a piston, slamming my iron hand directly into General Bakar's face. Blood sprayed from him as he took a staggered step back.

Meanwhile, I felt an ungodly pain in my right arm, but I didn't care. I had to do something. Anything. If fighting was what I was good at, then I'd better do it.

That was easier said than done, though. The giant was back on his guard within moments, blocking every blow that came close to him. He laughed again, a laugh that echoed in my ear drums and in my chest. He wasn't laughing when someone stabbed him from behind.

Cordelia.

She snarled, an unnatural sound from her, when her spear went through Bakar's back. Bakar shouted in pain again, trying to swing his warhammer around.

Severa came just in time before he succeeded, plunging her sword into the man's side. He fell to his knees, then, completely exhausted and bleeding profusely.

The wretch looked at me, his broken smile burning itself into my eyes. "S-so it's the Hero of Khadein that strikes me down then, is it?" Bakar spat out, broken teeth falling to the ground as blood pooled out of his mouth. A giant, blue patch adorned the left side of his face. "Pity. Being killed by the Knight-Captain would have made for a better stor-!"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. Having an axe cleave through your skull would do that to you.

His mouth opened and closed like a fish, going cross-eyed as blood trickled down his face. A moment later, he fell to the ground with a 'clang'.

I blinked, sudden clarity overcoming the haze from before. Leaving my axe buried in Bakar's head, I snapped my gaze in Frederick's direction. The great knight was laid out nearby, unmoving.

I ran. My right arm felt numb and my nerves were frazzled, but I didn't care. I skidded to a halt and knelt next to Frederick.

His armor was brutalized. Knightbane had gone straight through it, smashing what laid underneath. What wasn't broken had been melted by the purple flames. His face was the worst; a pained expression, followed by a faint trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck

"Frederick!" I shouted, lifting him up a little. Realizing it probably wasn't the best idea to move him like that, I let him down. It did nothing to assuage the panic flowing through me. "Frederick, open your eyes, goddamnit! You're stronger than this!" I looked to the people around me. "Someone, help me! We gotta," I trailed off. "We gotta-!"

The sound of labored breathing got my attention. I looked down, seeing Frederick open his eyes. It looked like he was a fish out of water; he laid there gasping for air. His breathing was shallow like something was clogging up his throat.

Of course something is clogging his throat up. Do you see his chest, boy scout? You need to get him out of here.

"Someone, get over here!" I ordered, wrapping Frederick's right arm around my shoulder. "We need to get him out of here!" I turned to the great knight.

Memories of the last time something like it happened flooded my head as a soldier came up to assist me. I regarded nothing else as we left Dolorous Guard.

I played with my iron hand a little as I sat outside the medical tent, wincing a little as small sparks of pain surged through the stump. In hindsight, punching Bakar was probably a bad move. I didn't regret doing it, but the stump where my right hand used to be sure did.

Looking to the sky, I tried to get my breathing under control. The battlefield high hadn't worn off yet, and that was making it difficult to think. Difficult to do anything, really. I didn't even know where everyone was; I was too focused on my thoughts. A dangerous thing, considering my track record. I couldn't help it, though.

Sighing, I shook my head.

"Alex," I heard a voice come from ahead of me. Looking up, I saw the familiar, lithe form of Robin, all swaddled up in his coat. I grimaced looking at him. "What the hell happened in there?"

"You don't know?" I asked blankly. "The Risen. They were there. All those soldiers we killed? Infected or some shit, and when this giant fucking shockwave came outta nowhere, they rose from the ground and attacked us again."

Robin was silent as I leaned back, looking up at the sky again.

"Then there was the general you told us nothing about. General Bakar. He had this warhammer. Knightbane, he called it. Don't know exactly what he did or what it is, but he hit Frederick with it and tore him and his armor to shreds. You know he's in there now, right? And I'm not sure if he's gonna be alive tomorrow, even with several healers in there with him."

I laughed airily. "You know, it's funny, Robin." I said, a grim smile on my face. "Whenever you send me somewhere, something goes to hell. When I went to Khadein shit went sideways. When you took me with you here, Frederick almost fucking bites it. What's the goddamn deal!? Why does," I gulped, trying to get my emotions under control. "Robin, why does everything go wrong? Why can't-? Why can't something go right for once?"

Robin sat next to me. "I have been asking myself that same question for the past few hours," He began. "By all accounts, this was a success; General Bakar lies dead, with only minimal casualties on our end, despite the Risen. And yet," He paused. "And yet, I'm not satisfied. It seems whenever I draw up a strategy, by all accounts, almost everyone gets out alive, except for one thing. An injury. Or a death." I saw him look down and close his eyes. "Maybe if I had told you about General Bakar, Frederick's life would not be in danger. I'm sorry about that. I should have, but I didn't. I-I didn't think it was important, so I thought it wasn't important for you to know."

I turned to him. "Robin?"

"It would appear that I have much to learn, even still," Robin said quietly, folding his hands in his lap. "I should have told you about Bakar either way. That was my mistake."

I nodded. In reality, I wasn't sure if Robin telling us about him would have helped. There was no way he could have known he had a fucking magical warhammer.

"I can only hope Frederick forgives me," Robin murmured. "And Cordelia, as well. She has not so much as looked in my direction since you all came back."

I blinked. Cordelia. How could I have-?

"Is she alright?" I asked suddenly.

"She appears to be keeping it together well enough." Robin nodded. "I think a visit from you could improve her mood. I wasn't- I did not mean any harm by not telling you all everything. Honest, I didn't. But I wouldn't blame her if she thinks as much."

"I'll… I'll go talk to her in a second, but one more thing, Robin." I rubbed the back of my head. "The future kids, there were a few more of them when we entered the fortress. Are they-?"

"Five of them?" Robin held up his hand. "Yes, they are here. The redheaded one in particular seemed adamant on staying." Robin looked at me seriously. "Alex, she's yours and Cordelia's, isn't she?"

I pursed my lips. "She is, yeah." I sighed, holding my head in my hand. "She, uh, doesn't like me, all too much, I think." I rubbed my forehead. "Something I did in the future must have ticked her off. I don't," I closed my eyes. "I-it hurts, to be honest with you, man."

Robin put a hand on my shoulder. "We will discuss more of what occurred here when we return to Ylisstol," He whispered. "For now, take all the time you need to, er, recover, as it were. Just, relax."

I looked to the ground, just counting the blades of grass in my head. "Yeah, sure."

Cordelia and I may have been lovers, but I knew when someone had to be alone for a little while. The things Bakar said would've done that to me. I may have been presumptuous when I thought she'd do the same thing I'd done, but sometimes it did help to be alone. Not for an extended period of time, obviously, but for a short time. I'd talk with her soon

There was, however, one person who I couldn't just leave waiting.

I found her sharpening her sword on a crate. The sparks of the whetstone she was using briefly illuminating her blank expression.

I took a deep breath before approaching. "Severa?" I called.

She paused, looking up. Goddamn, those eyes. They were almost exactly like my own dad's.

"What is it?" She asked curtly, frowning.

The more she did that, the more it hurt.

I looked around a little to make sure no one was overhearing us. Once that was done, I beckoned her over to me. "Come on. Let's go, uh, talk. Somewhere private."

She blinked, looking down. A small grimace overcame her for a moment before she stood up. "Fine. Whatever," She grumbled. "Lead the way, then."

We came upon a forest clearing, with several fallen logs on the ground. Fading light filtered through the trees in a serene picture.

I sat down on one of the logs, looking up. "Why don't you sit down?"

"Are you kidding me?" Severa said, disgusted. "Sit on a dirty old log that's been laying there for Gawd knows how long? Grow up."

I sighed; I was too tired to really feel angry. "Alright, then. Just keep standing up." I swallowed the growing lump in my throat. "I-I know I'm your father. Or, the me of the future was your father. I don't," I closed my eyes and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "What did he- What did I do to make you so hostile to me? I wasn't- I wasn't that bad, was I?"

I saw Severa visibly clench her fist as I said that. I couldn't tell if she was about to assault me or bawl her eyes out.

"You were the worst," She hissed. "Do you know what it was like, living without a mom and having a dad that would always charge out onto the front lines to fight a war he couldn't win!?" She was almost shrieking at that point, like she'd been bottling it up for a long time. "Every day, I just wanted you to come home! You cared more for some dumb promise you made than for your own daughter-!"

She blinked, but I could only really guess that. It was hard to tell with my eyes going blurry.

Hot tears streamed down my cheeks as my body wracked with quiet sobs. Maybe everything Severa had said, or everything that had happened that day, or a combination of both. I just couldn't take it anymore.

"H-hey!" Severa said. "I-I didn't mean to-! Christ, I shouldn't have-"

"I'm sorry, kid," I mumbled out, sniffling.

"W-what?"

"I'm," I found it difficult to form words. "I'm sorry you had to be saddled with me as your dad, kid. I should've known that it would've been this way. What Lucina said, that's not a father a kid should have. You deserve better. Any kid deserves better than that. I just- I'm sorry for everything" I spat bitterly, "I thought I would've been able to patch things up if shit was wrong, but," I took one last, shuddering breath. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry-!"

Whatever I was about to say was cut off as something slammed into me. I felt wetness on my shoulder as the person who clung to me did so as if their life depended on it.

"I-I'm the one who's supposed to apologize, idiot!" Severa cried. "I didn't- I didn't mean everything I said, okay!? I was just blowing hot air! You were the best father I could have asked for, before everything… before mom…!" She sobbed harder. "I-I'm sorry. T-there, I said it! N-now stop crying, goddamnit, you're making me…!"

She paused once I wrapped my arms around her. Then, if it was possible, she started crying even harder.

Maybe it's not so hopeless after all.

Shit's fucked, yo. We learn little by little what Future Alex was like, and that picture's getting uglier by the second.

Ain't it beautiful?

One more thing. I've commissioned a full body portrait of Alex. It should be done in a few weeks, and when I get it I'll be sure to share it with you guys. Hope you're as excited as I am!

Here's a link to our Discord: discord .gg/9XG3U7a

Hope you enjoyed!

Edited on 3/7/21. I have to be honest, I think this mini-arc is the weakest part of the fic, after editing it.