"Inigo."

The white-haired mercenary nearly shot straight into space when I called his name from across the small training ground we made. We set up camp just north of the Rosannean border, in a little nook in a valley. Rosanne was a country surrounded by naturally defensive terrain like thick forests and jagged mountains. Only place it was really undefended was the south and, well, the detour it'd take for us to go that route would take more time than finding a way through our current problem.

Robin, who decided to come with us, was discussing how, exactly, we were going to get into the wine-loving duchy. That left me with plenty of time to interrogate Inigo.

"A-ah! Sir Alexander himself!" Inigo stuttered, his smile faltering for just a second before quickly settling again, "To what do I owe the pleasure? It's an honor to meet you again!"

When I thought about it, his smile was definitely familiar. A certain Plegian dark mage with white hair came to mind, and the eerie smile on his face was a reflection of his son's. Henry and Olivia may not've tied the knot yet. Hell, I didn't even know if they'd so much as talked to each other. But the evidence of their future union stood before me, fidgeting slightly.

I sighed. Time to get it over with.

"I want to talk about a comment you made when we first met," I said, not wasting any time, "You said 'my darling Severa'. Now, I know I'm not the smartest man on the planet, but even I couldn't miss what you meant. So, tell me, Inigo, have you and Severa dated? Courted? Anything?"

"H-hah! So that's what this is about," Inigo began quietly. "It was but a slip of the tongue, Sir Alexander. While Severa is rose among roses, thorns and all, she has never reacted well to my, er, attempts at courting."

I snorted. "I should hope not."

"Haha! Yes, I didn't think you would approve. Your future self made sure I got the message after the first few times."

At least you were good for something, future me.

"Hope he didn't hit you too hard," I commented.

Inigo massaged his jaw, looking up to the light that danced through the leaves. "I don't remember much of what you did, actually, all I remember is waking up in my bed screaming."

I shook my head, crossing my arms. "Well, now you've got me curious. I don't usually like to ask about this kinda crap, especially without Sev around, but… Hmm, has she been courted or tried to court anyone else? Anyone else I would know?"

Inigo fidgeted nervously. He reminded me of Yarne, honestly. "I don't think it is my place to tell you about her love life, Sir Alexander. Severa never seemed particularly enthralled with anyone save one person, and even then, she was rather sedate about it, if you catch my meaning. Even if it ended rather messily."

Something about the way he was speaking seemed off like he was avoiding an elephant in the room. "You could've just said 'no', Inigo."

With a nervous smile on his face, Inigo began walking off. "I-indeed, I could have! Farewell, Sir Alexander. I was just about done training for the day."

My eyes narrowed on his retreating form. I couldn't help but think something was going on behind that smile. Of course, that may've seemed obvious, but I could never really tell with Inigo or his father. Hell, his father was easily the creepiest fucker I'd ever met, and I'd spoken with draconic abominations.

I sighed, shuffling those thoughts for later.

I held up my iron hand, stopping Virion. "I'm sorry. I could've sworn you said we'd be assaulting the capitol in less than a week. But surely even someone like you wouldn't do something as boneheaded as that."

Virion looked at me from across the table mildly. "Sir Alexander, I have the distinct impression that you have latched onto only a select few words I have spoken so that you can make an argument. Yes, I did say that we will be assaulting the capital. Rosanne is a small country! Small but beautiful. If we take the capital, the rest of the duchy will follow."

"Virion," I hissed through gritted teeth, "We have only several thousand soldiers. We do not have the backing of the main army. If we assault the city, we'll be slaughtered."

"Alex, please," Robin said, interrupting me, "I don't think Virion was done explaining his plan. And whatever stratagem leads to a quicker end to this conflict is one that is worth considering."

My lips thinned but I stood silent. Cordelia was next to me, and her hand grasped mine softly. It was a nice grounding gesture. She had an entire squad of pegasus knights to worry about as well. Surely, she understood.

Virion nodded. "Thank you, noble tactician! As I was explaining, the capital of my dear Rosanne, Wyval, is an ancient city. But no less remarkable than its modern equivalents! The castle, in particular, is said to be over two-thousand years old. What's more, it has an entrance buried in its mound. A secret escape route only those of my bloodline are privy to."

"He found it while he was looking for a way to escape," Cherche informed us happily.

Virion sputtered before quickly regaining his composure. "Aha, yes! Although you make it sound so much less romantic when you say it with such a derisive smirk."

"So, this 'secret exit'," Robin chimed in, "I suppose you want us to use it. Get our troops on the inside?"

"Indeed!" Virion agreed, "If we take the castle, it will remove the need for a full siege, saving the lives of the peasantry within."

"What would the pegasus knights do?" Cordelia asked, her gaze unreadable. "It sounds as if this is mostly a foot-based mission."

"That it would be, dearest Cordelia," Virion replied, "Although that does not mean your lovely knights would not be needed. They will be used to eliminate the soldiers still loyal to Valm."

Cordelia tilted her head. "On the walls and the like? Within the city?"

Virion snapped his fingers. "Precisely! By that time, Rosanne's Chevaliers would surely be by your side as well! The commonfolk will rejoice and shout our names on the streets."

"With torches and pitchforks," I added dryly, "And they'll probably burn you at the stake for abandoning them."

Virion stumbled. "A-aha, that same dry humor as ever, Sir Alexander! Even if you can be rather blunt at times, I admire your ability to never lose your sense of humor. It is a useful skill!"

"Oh, Sir Alexander, you can certainly be a jester at times," Cherche hummed, "The people of Rosanne aren't simple barbarians. They'll be sure to have a trial first before they put my lord to the stake."

I snorted at that as Virion began whining to the female Wyvern Rider. Turning towards Robin, I noticed a thoughtful expression on his face.

"This plan could work, Virion," Robin began, standing up, "It would certainly be expedient; with Rosanne under our control and the supply lines to Valm's two major armies cut, this war could be over within the year. However, this plan is incredibly risky. It doesn't account for what sort of firepower the enemy has, or if any of your Chevaliers will even turn on the Empire. Even if Tiki herself is with us."

"Astute observations, noble tactician," Virion replied, hand to his chin, "My plan focuses solely on limiting commonfolk casualties, and preserving Rosanne's infrastructure. I do not know who is in charge of the duchy now. No doubt a craven pawn of the Empire. You are still in charge of the tactics we will employ on the battlefield, my friend. I trust you will concoct a better plan than even I ever could!"

"Perhaps with fewer casualties on our side, too," Robin murmured, mostly to himself.

"Heeeey, Pippin! How's it going, you lumbering moron?" I said, approaching my horse like an old friend. Pippin looked at me then immediately went back to munching on some hay. "Hungry bastard, aren't you? Why go for all that hay when I brought you a nice, juicy apple?"

I wasn't sure how smart horses were, but the second the word 'apple' left my mouth, Pippin's ears perked up.

"Oh yeah, you heard me right. Want one?"

Something between a whinny and grunt came from Pippin as he raised his head and looked at me expectantly.

"I should make you do tricks, you know," I said, handing the apple over and watching as he ate it. "I know you're a war horse and all, but even a war horse can get all fat and shit if he isn't careful. Are you even listening to me?"

Pippin did nothing but munch on the delicious red fruit I'd handed to him.

"Typical. Why'd I expect anything different?" I snorted, looking away.

Virion stood there, watching me. I could notice his long blue hair anywhere. Well, that and his impeccable choice of clothes, but I'd been around a lot of people who dressed as sharply as he did in Ylisstol. If everyone in Rosanne had the same fashion sense as Virion and Cherche, I was in for a rough time.

The light blue-haired lordly archer gestured for me to come closer. I took one last look at Pippin, who in-turn stared right back at me. He was either wishing me luck or hoping that I had another apple on me. I shook my head, and Pippin grunted.

I approached Virion. "What do you want?"

"Your words are simple, but they carry a chill only matched by the most unimpressed maidens, Sir Alexander!" Virion said extravagantly. "I simply wanted to have a friendly chat. Is that so dire a crime?"

"I don't have a lot to chat about," I replied briskly, turning back to my horse. "Just wanted to give the wretched beast over there an apple."

"Your steed is a wonderful creature. Why do you refer to it in such uncouth ways?"

I chuckled. "He doesn't understand what I'm saying. At least, I think he doesn't. Horses and dogs and stuff rely more on our tone than on what we actually say. Hell, beyond a few words, I doubt they even care."

"And what if he did understand your words? Do you not think he would be offended?" Virion queried.

"Is this some kind of roundabout way of asking why I have so many biting remarks for you?" I asked back, crossing my arms. "For a second there it looked like you were losing your patience with me, back there in the war council."

Virion was a master at keeping his expression level, I'd give him that. He only let me see what he wanted me to see. "I do have to wonder why you seem so frustrated, and why that frustration is aimed at me, in particular. Even when we were still in your country, your manners when speaking to me were clipped, as if you could barely contain some sort of violent anger. This is in stark contrast to your usual dry but caring attitude, as I have observed."

"Ah, so you've been observing me, then?" I asked, eyes narrowing. "You and every other noble in the world. Fucking hell, every noble I've even spoken to puts me under some kind of evaluation, like they're all wondering whether I'm a threat or if I'm good at my job. Don't you think that'd get a little annoying, Virion?"

"There is no need to get angry, Sir Alexander!" Virion assuaged. "It is nothing personal, I assure you. Nobles are trained from birth to study people, to find out what drives them, what makes them work. How else would we survive our own courts and councils?"

I shook my head. "That's, well, that's not the thing that bothers me most about you, Virion."

Virion raised a brow, waiting for me to continue.

I looked him directly in the eye. "You're a coward."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You're a coward, Virion," I repeated, keeping my lips from curling into a sneer. "You left your people, your countrymen, to fend for themselves when Walhart came a-knocking. I'm not sure what you thought was gonna happen when you did that. Did you think you were gonna save them? Keep them from fighting for you? To the death? How are their lives now, under the Empire's thumb?"

Even Virion's mask cracked, just a bit, when I said that. "Indeed, they would have fought for me. They would have fought to the last man. I appear to have misunderstood you, Alexander. You call me a coward, and yet your strategy would have led to the death of everyone within my country. Living to fight another day is not cowardice. No matter how badly you seem to think it is."

"I wonder if your people would agree with you," I mused, looking off to the side. "We were cracking jokes back during the war council but we weren't wrong."

Virion became quiet. His next words were careful, fragile. "If my people's hate is the price I must pay so that they may live another day, then so be it."

I widened my eyes at that. His answer sounded so final, so resigned that I was almost speechless.

"So it is," I replied quietly, rubbing the back of my neck. "Look, you're the one in charge here. Robin is playing second fiddle to you right now and I trust him. I know he'll get us out of here in one piece. That's always been his priority." I took a deep breath. "If I lose either Cordelia or Severa to this conflict, and it's because of an order you gave them, or because of an order you gave me, then…"

The silent threat did not go unnoticed. Virion's gaze did not falter as he nodded. "I believe we understand each other perfectly, Sir Alexander. Good day."

"Yeah, you too."

Virion walked off to camp. I sighed as he left, rubbing the bridge of my nose. I could have handled that a whole hell of a lot better. So, so much better. There were times where being blunt had probably saved me some bullshit, but in that instance, it probably just burned a bridge. I didn't hate Virion. At least I didn't believe I did. But every time I looked at him I had an unsettling feeling in my chest, as if I was looking at some part of myself I didn't like.

I turned to see Pippin staring at me from a little ways away. I shrugged. "Sorry, bud. Don't have anymore apples for you."

Pippin grunted.

There were precious few ways into Rosanne that didn't involve us splitting our army even further. Like I'd said, the duchy was basically a fortress unto itself. Rosanne was one of the last countries to fall to Walhart. Even without Virion there to unite them, somewhat organized pockets of resistance sprang up when the Conqueror came through. Cherche believed that some might still have been around too, although I wasn't sure how true that was. Beyond the organized Resistance under Say'ri, there weren't too many people opposing Walhart, and Say'ri's Resistance was scattered among independent Valmese states and Chon'sin.

In the end, it was all one big headache.

Virion brought up a trail through the forest, one his family used to use when they went out on their annual hunts. Duke's Trail cut straight through Rosanne's northern forests. Only reason he didn't bring it up earlier was because it'd be a tight fit, what with thick forests surrounding us on two sides. We would not have to go single-file or anything, but it'd mean we'd be thin. It presented a risk to me, considering if someone knew we were taking such a way, we'd be sitting ducks.

It was either that or splitting into smaller packs and roving through the forests like a bunch of bandits, and I wasn't too fond of that. Too easy to lose track of everyone. People could get lost. It'd be a fucking nightmare on the logistics side of things, even with the pegasus knights on our side.

Once that was decided, we headed out. However, I began to notice something strange.

Robin had grown quieter over those few days. He didn't talk to me as often, at least. I noticed him, though, usually towards the back, talking to a green-haired demigoddess.

Oh, he's got it bad.

I had to hand it to him, he was showing remarkable courage. Most people in our army would think twice about even approaching Tiki, let alone having full-on conversations with her.

Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to be the second person to have a conversation with her. I had a feeling she was getting a bit lonely anyway. Just had to make a mental note to show Cordelia the absolute best love and affection once I was done.

We had stopped for the night, the fires from our camp casting long shadows over the grass. I found Tiki in her own little tent, though. Not an extravagant one; we were still on a budget, but it was roomy all the same. The inside, likewise, wasn't luxurious by any means, but comfortable looking all the same. Especially the bed.

Tiki smiled as I entered. "Ah, Robin- No, you're not him," Her beautiful face settled on a neutral expression. "Sir Alexander. It has been some time since we've last seen each other."

I raised my iron hand. "Hard to miss this, huh?"

"You would be surprised how common a lost hand is," Tiki said, sitting straight in the one chair within the tent. "I have seen many soldiers throughout the years with lost right or left hands. I recognized you based more on your face than anything else. It's certainly very distinctive. In a good way, of course."

I nodded. "Well, good to know this ugly mug is able to get a demigoddess' attention. Speaking of," I adjusted the fingers of my right hand. "How do you feel about Robin, by the way?"

"My, how forward," Tiki giggled. "He said you were blunt, but this is a nice change of pace! It's not often I am asked direct questions. Actually, since coming here, no one but Robin has been asking questions, direct or no. But, hmm, Robin is certainly strange."

I raised a brow. "Is that a good thing?"

"Alex, when you get to be my age, if someone is strange to me, then they must be something special," Tiki replied dryly, curling a lock of green hair around her finger. "He has this aura about him. He is of dragon blood, of that I am certain. Not unlike Prince Chrom. It's nostalgic! I have been told there is another manakete in your ranks, but that she was left behind when you set sail. I wish I could have spoken with her."

I shrugged. "When this war's over and you come back with us, I doubt it'd be very hard. Nowi's, uh, excitable, but she's a lot more mature than she appears. Anyway." I coughed into my fist. "I just wanted to, you know, make sure you and Robin were good with each other. He may be my lord but he's also my friend. I don't want anything bad to happen to him."

Tiki stared at me blankly for a couple of second. It was awkward as all hell, and more than a little unnerving. A few moments later, she giggled again, stretching in her comfy-looking chair. "Mhm! Don't worry, knight of Ylisse. I have no intention of harming your lord in any fashion. I do not just go around mauling every person I like. Then I would have no friends instead of one."

I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. "I guess you would, huh? I was more meaning in the emotional sense, though. Robin's…"

Tiki tilted her head, waiting for me to continue. I shook my head and waved my hand.

"Forget about it. It isn't my place to say," I explained quickly.

Tiki almost burst into full-blown laughter, then. If it wasn't for the slight sound of her trying to keep it in, it'd look like she was pouting. A three-thousand year old divine dragon. Pouting. I'd seen stranger.

"Ha!" Tiki finally let out. "I'd forgotten what it was like being in a tight-knit company such as this! Why, you are all so similar to some of my old companions, it's almost frightening. It is as if reincarnation were true."

"Oh, really?" I crossed my arms. "How's that? Who's Robin, then, in your mind?"

"Mmm. You wouldn't know his name. He was quite adamant that he not be remembered after the war was over. He was always selfless like that," Tiki began, smiling. "But he was a brilliant tactician. Saved our lives countless times throughout the War of Heroes. He practically vanished after it was over, too, with that former assassin."

Kris. Katarina.

"Well, he's also a tactician, I guess. And I already know who Chrom is similar to; hell, he's directly descended from the guy. Hmm. Who am I, then?" I inquired.

"Do you want my honest opinion, Sir Alexander?" Tiki asked back.

That was perplexing. I nodded.

"You actually remind me of a soldier Marth faced once. A knight of Grust," Tiki began, her eyes glassy, as if she was seeing someone completely different. "He was honorable. Loyal to a fault. Marth defeated him, but years later he returned, under a different alias and donning a mask. The comparison is not perfect, mind. I doubt you have ever faced Chrom or the Shepherds in true battle. But you have that same feel. And you both loved your wife with all your heart."

I looked down at the ruby studded ring adorning my finger. Raising my hand to get a closer look, I saw Tiki give me a sad smile.

"They are such beautiful things. The bonds we forge between each other. Even were I to live for the rest of time, doomed to watch those I care about fade away into nothingness, I will always carry these memories, these feelings, with me. They make an eternity worth living."

I felt myself growing emotional at that; I could feel pinpricks at the corners of my eyes. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I massaged the bridge of my nose. "That was, well, I guess that's a healthy perspective."

"You don't get to be my age without acquiring one. Without it, I probably would have degenerated and destroyed the world long ago," Tiki giggled, completely nonchalantly. It caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand straight, Jesus Christ.

I took another deep breath. "Alright, well, I did what I came here to do. I'll just go ahead and leave now. Cordy's gonna get pissed if I miss cuddle time again."

"Did you just-?" Tiki nearly fell into a giggle fit. "'Cuddle time'! I cannot fault you for wanting it. Is such a thing common between you?"

I felt my cheeks blush uncontrollably as I realized what I said. "I'm leaving, Tiki."

"Ha!" Tiki hooted. "Yes, go! Go on! Your wife is waiting to hold you in her loving arms, I'm sure!"

Once I was outside, I took a minute to get my feelings under control.

"Punk ass divine dragon," I muttered angrily.

"You realize I can still hear you, yes?" Tiki muffled voice came from the tent. "'Punk ass divine dragon'. Now, now that is a new one. I had heard you were foreign but until now I didn't believe it! You need to tell me all the curses you can sometime."

I quickly left, pacing myself somewhere between a speed-walk and a sprint, to anywhere away from Tiki's tent. When I got to Cordelia and I's shared tent, and she asked why my face was redder than a tomato, I didn't answer.

Like I'd said, the Duke's Trail was a long, winding trail through the forests that was somewhat clear. Thin, and some parts of it were almost too overgrown for us to pass through, but in the end our path was set. The forest around us may have made some of the men feel secure, but not me. The enemy could pop out at any moment. Used to see as much back during the Plegian War. Most of the men were greenhorns; well-trained, but unseasoned. They'd learn soon enough, but until then, they had me.

Speaking of which, if it wasn't for the small clearing afforded to us by the trail, it would've been dark as hell. The forest was big enough to have a canopy, which made our surroundings almost as dark as night. It made me nervous; an ambush was expected by Robin, and I agreed with him, but with so little light beyond our little path, we'd be unable to see them coming until they were right on top of us.

Nothing is without its risks.

"You're quieter than the grave! And, let me tell ya, I've been around a lot of graves," A squeaky voice said beside me. I had to stop myself from sneering. Henry made it impossible to think sometimes, especially when he chose me as his speaking partner for the day.

"Am I now?" I replied, rasping. "I'll put you in a grave here in a minute if you don't shut it."

"Nyahaha! When you do, be sure to tell Olivia. Tell her I died all good and bloody!" Henry said back, his voice carefree as if he was taking a calming walk. "Oh, hey, I've been meaning to ask, what's his name?"

I raised a brow at the white-haired dark mage. "Whose name?"

Henry waved his hands wildly at Pippin, who looked about as done with Henry's shit as I was. Or maybe he was just hungry. Pippin was hard to read sometimes. "The horsey! He's just the cutest lil' war beast I've ever seen! Do ya think we can send him charging into the enemies' ranks when we hit the next battle? I wanna see how many people he can crush underneath his hooves! All that blood and all those guts squishing beneath-!"

"Okay, first of all, his name is Pippin," I pat Pippin on the side of his neck. "And secondly, no, I'm not going to send him into the enemy line just to satisfy your gore fetish."

"I'll have you know that it's not a gore fetish. It's actually a very complicated mental condition!" Henry replied, suddenly sounding very clinical. I squinted in the noonday sun. Something felt off somehow, but I couldn't tell what. "It all started when my mother and father abandoned me, you know. Left me to fend for myself all alone in the Plegian badlands. What's a little tyke to do when all he can see is a beautiful shade of red all around him? Go and make more of it, of course!"

"A shame. I'm sure your family would have just loved to raise a rampaging psychopath," I responded dryly, eyes watching the treeline around us as my brain relied on autopilot.

"I'm spillin' my guts out to you and all you say is some half-baked line drier than the desert I grew up in? For shame, Alexander! For shame!" Henry continued dramatically. "I mean, c'mon! This is some deep, engrossing stuff! Almost like real guts, only not as bloody. Which is a darn shame, when you think about it. Imagine if my totally not fabricated backstory was colored red? Heh, if your backstory were a color, Alex, I think it'd be blue! See, blue and boring both start with the same-!"

"Henry, so help me God if you don't shut your goddamn trap, I'll shove my boot so far down your throat I'll be able to use you as my fucking leg armor. Knock it off," I snarled, my eyes still looking in every direction save his. They were too busy scanning the skies and trees. Something was wrong. Something was coming. I knew it. I knew the feeling all too well. That same goddamn instinct screamed in the back of my mind. Something primal. Something ancient that was telling me I had a good shot at dying soon.

Remember Robin's plans. If there's an ambush, turtle up. Use the trees as cover in case of wyvern riders.

We were in the front of the formation, which meant that we were going to be the frontline in the event of an attack. I kept thinking about Wyvern Riders. In Rosanne they were called Chevaliers. Armored sky knights that landed on their foes with axes and spears, with the added aid of an incredibly angry winged lizard. My eyes were focused on the skies as I thought about that. The screaming in the back of my head wouldn't go away.

"Harrumph!" Henry pouted, turning away from me and crossing his arms like a child. "Well, if you're gonna be so rude and obnoxious, I guess I'll-" He stopped mid-sentence. "They're here."

I looked down, my expression murderous. "Who's here!?"

I was just in time to see Henry pull out a tome before a burning red light exploded in front of me. My gaze shifted instantly to see a fireball hurtling straight towards my head. Instinctively, I ducked. The fire passed just over the back of my head and headed into the crowd behind me.

The roar of wyverns, of Chevaliers, tore through the clear blue sky.

"To arms, men!" I shouted, drawing Sol. "To arms! Ambush! Ambush!"

Within moments, the world around me exploded. I saw pegasi take to the sky, their riders aiming their lances at the wyvern riders that shot out to meet them. Cloaked, armored men rushed towards us, steel at the ready to cut us down.

Knowing this would happen, we formed a perimeter. I held Sol aloft and cut one of the enemy soldiers down, his body thumping to the floor as blood oozed from the wound in his neck. I could hear faint mumbling as my men gathered around me. Turning, I saw Henry, his tome in hand as a blast of purple light burst from his hands and engulfed a soldier. Screams echoed from the iridescent abyss the dark mage created, and all that was left when the dust settled was a corpse.

I refocused on the battle at hand; Henry could wait for a while.

Once our defenses were formed, the enemy had no way to get through to us. The wyvern riders were stalled, kept at bay by our archers and pegasus knights. The men on the ground could not break past the wall we formed. With that in mind, they retreated back into the forest. The only indication that they hadn't retreated at all was the constant barrage of fireballs and the occasional arrow storm from the trees.

I still sat my ass on the front, leading my men as best as I could until Robin showed up. The bodies of men, mostly Rosanneans, littered the ground around us. They weren't exactly poorly armed or armored, but they clearly either underestimated us or weren't prepared to deal with an elite army. I thanked my lucky stars that we brought some of our best and brightest for the mission. If not, well, I'd have probably never gotten to take Cordelia down the aisle.

"Alex!" Our tactician exclaimed, Fulmen unsheathed and glowing ethereally. "What's the situation?"

"Bastards came out of fuckin' nowhere, Robin." I gave him a smirk. "Just like you thought they would. Good thing you came with us; I don't trust Virion to see something like this happening, on a trail he owns no less."

An errant fireball flew over our heads. I ducked while Robin showed no reaction.

"Where is that blue asshole, anyhow?" I asked, eyes focused on the world around me.

"He's back there with his son and soon-to-be wife," Robin gestured. "He's shot more wyverns out of the sky today than I can count. In any case, I'm beginning to suspect they won't just give up willingly."

"No shit?" I asked, arms out to my sides as Pippin whinnied below me. "Been thinking for a while that we should go ahead and charge them. Root them out. Make sure none of them report back or some shit. Before I do, though, are Sev and Cordy alright?"

"Severa is protecting a group of clerics towards the back, and Cordelia is in the skies directing the course of battle," Robin informed me, causing a goofy smile to form on my face. "Hah. You're in the middle of a battle and your first thought is of them."

"Don't know how your first thought isn't about Tiki, man," I chuckled. "Surprised I haven't seen her in dragon form flying around."

"I informed her that it wouldn't be necessary," Robin said, his face twisting uncomfortably. "She seemed disappointed, but the situation must be incredibly dire if we have to call upon her power. She is the one trump card we have. As well as a living siege engine."

"Pretty hot, right?" I asked dryly.

"E-er, what?" Robin stuttered before composing himself. "Alex, focus! That's enough talk for now. On my mark, I want you lead a charge into our foes, alright?"

I put down the visor on my helmet and nodded. "Gotcha."

"On my mark!" He exclaimed, pointing Fulmen forward. "One! Two! Thr-!"

He never finished. In that moment, the earth rocked as if we were in the middle of a massive earthquake. A dark fog, unlike any I'd ever seen, rolled in from the shadows, eventually even blocking the sun, it was so thick. Pippin almost began panicking, with only my strange calmness keeping him from bolting into the thicket.

Before long, however, the world grew silent.

"What, in the hell, was that?" I asked through clenched teeth, gripping Sol painfully.

"Sir Alexander, ya don't know?" Henry said, coming up behind me. I'd almost forgotten the dark mage was even there. "This right here? All this lovely, atmospheric mist? That's dark magic!"

"Well, you're the expert, but where did Rosanne get dark mages-?"

Once more, an interruption rang out. This time, a far more deadly one. Out of the dark mist came a bolt of shadow that engulfed one of the men next to me. An ungodly sound, like the chittering of thousands of insects echoed in my ears as the man was consumed by blackness. A skeleton was all that remained when the spell was through with him.

Robin and I pointed our blades towards where the fell magic came from. What we saw chilled me to the bone.

Out of the fog came a tall, lanky figure, covered in a barely fitting dark cloak. His long, taloned hands carried a tome in one hand, and in his other purple light roiled and swirled, as if it was begging to be released. A hood covered his head, masking his face from us. The one thing we could see, however, was his eyes. A crimson light flashed from them. I didn't know why, but I felt like he was smiling at us.

"R-Robin, I think that's a…" I began, my voice dying in my throat.

"Deadlord," He finished for me.

A laugh came from the Deadlord, a sound drier than a desert. "Lord Grima promises eternity, wretched servants of Naga. Gaze upon my glory, and despair. The Rosannean duke sold his soul to our Fell God, but we will take yours for our own. My vessel, my son, you shall be with us again."

V-Validar…

A thousand pinpricks of light materialized in the fog. Alongside them strode the remnants of the Rosannean soldiers we'd been fighting. The roars of Wyverns, undead or otherwise, tore through the sky again, or what little we could see of it.

"Retrieve Lord Grima's vessel. Kill the rest."

Betcha you weren't expecting that, huh? Or maybe you were and I've become completely predictable.

I've not been having the time of my life the past couple weeks, but rest assured, I'll still be pumping these things out for your viewing pleasure every Saturday.

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

Hope you have a better day than I've been having.

Edited on 3/26/21. Small but sweet.