Chapter 2
Invisible Ties
It had happened so fast. Robin could not comprehend it. One moment, he had was taking Chrom's hand. The prince of Ylisse helping his tactician to his feet. Ready to embrace his best friend and celebrate their victory over the evil Validar. The next… Robin could not piece it together. It all just went blank. A void in his memory. He did not know what he did. But all he could see now was a pained look in Chrom's eyes.
His best friend gasped in front of him. Robin felt sparks charge in his hand. The famed Ylissean tactician glanced down at his hand. The color ran away from his face.
"Ch-Chrom?"
The prince of Ylisse stumbled back from Robin. A dagger made of lightning jutted out of his chest, where his heart was. Blood began to trickle from the wound. Robin's eyes widened as he watched the crimson blood of his friend drip down Chrom's light armor. His heart was pounding in his ears. In the back of Robin's mind, he heard a maniacal voice laughing at his despair as his friend took another pained gasp.
"This is not your fault." Chrom breathed, "Prom-promise me… you will escape this place. Protect them all."
No! No! Robin sprinted towards his friend as he fell limp to the palace floor.
"Chrom!" Robin screamed.
A searing pain ripped through Robin's head as he knelt beside his fallen friend. The voice in his mind had grown louder. The insane laughter reveling in his pain. Robin gripped his head and pulled at his hair. And he screamed. Whether from the pain or the sorrow of having killed his friend, he did not know. But he screamed for what felt like an eternity.
This cannot be happening. This is a nightmare. He thought.
"But it is." The voice said as it stopped laughing, "You have fulfilled your destiny, my avatar."
Robin's eyes widened. The palace shook all around him. An ear splitting roar erupted in the black sky as the roof was ripped to pieces by forces far to powerful to belong in this world. He could feel dark magic unlike any he had ever felt in his life swirling over him. Robin lifted his tear filled eyes. A massive claw appeared from the black cyclone that circled over head. Another roar rocked the sky. The stones in the palace shook. Robin felt the tears falling freely down his face as he looked above him.
A dragon's head emerged from the cyclone. Six monstrous red eyes glared down at the world.
"I AM AWAKENED!"
The dragon opened its tooth filled maw. The roar sounded like it would tear the sky asunder. Robin looked up in terror. He then lowered his gaze back down to the body of Chrom. His hands were slick with his friend's blood. The tactician bowed his head, his shoulders shuddered as sobs began to wrack his body.
"I failed."
He gripped Chrom's armor. Hoping beyond any hope that somehow he could will his friend back to life. But the rational part of his brain squashed that hope. Another ear splitting roar tore through the air. Robin could hear men and women screaming in terror around the palace. The battle that had been taking place outside had come to a screeching halt. He had told the Shepherds about the strategy should Chrom and him fail against Validar.
It was not a strategy for victory. It was a strategy for survival.
There was no hope for victory anymore.
He heard loud shrieks and groans around him. Robin looked around. The shadowy forms of Grima's dreadlords appeared around him. Robin looked down at his friend one more time and closed his eyes.
"Forgive me." He whispered.
"Well what do we do?"
He let out a long groaned. Who was talking? Why did his head hurt so much? And was it just him, or did it feel like he had a tree root sticking up his-
"What do you mean?" A man's voice replied.
"Well we can't just leave him."
Robin let out another long groan. Gods it felt like ages since he was allowed to have a proper sleep. His body resisted his commands to awaken. In the end, he managed to force his eyes open. To his surprise, two people stood over him. A young man and woman.
Both gave him a kind smile as he woke up and shielded his eyes from the sun.
"Look who finally woke up." The young man chuckled.
The blonde girl chuckled to herself before the man shook his head.
"There are better places to take a nap, friend" The man extended a hand to Robin, "Give me your hand."
He gave the man's hand a hesitant look. Then he grabbed it. With a strength that surprised him, he was yanked to his feet by the young man. As he got to his feet, he absently noticed a strange, six eyed tattoo on the back of his hand. But he paid it no mind. After all, he was mostly focused on the ache in his back.
Once on his feet, he winced and rubbed his lower back.
"Geez, what was I sleeping on?" He winced.
"A rock." The girl smiled.
"Sure does feel like it." He replied.
The man chuckled, "Are you alright other than that?"
He gave his coat a quick dust off. He then nodded.
"Yeah. Thank you Chrom."
Chrom jerked in surprise, "Ah, so you have heard of me?"
He blinked. Had he? Who was this guy again? And how did he know him? How was it that the man's name came so easily? He didn't know how he knew this man's name. It had just come to him. Out of the blue. He glanced at the girl to Chrom's right. Her name was not coming to his mind at all. His mind was blank.
"I-I think so?" He scratched the back of his head, "Honestly, I'm not sure how I know you. Your name just sorta came to me, I guess." He looked around. Getting a good glance of his surroundings for the first time.
He was in the middle of a field. In the distance he could see a small town resting on the edge of a large forest. Nothing looked familiar about the area. He wracked his mind for answers. But none came to him. His brow furrowed in confusion. Just where exactly was he?
"Really?" Chrom replied, "Well, can I ask what you are doing sleeping in the middle of a field?"
"Not far from Southtown too." The girl continued.
He thought hard again. Then frowned.
"That… is an excellent question." He muttered.
Chrom arched an eyebrow, "Ok. So, you somehow know who I am. And you don't know how you ended up passed out in a field." He rubbed his chin, "How about we start with your name?"
He gave Chrom a sheepish look. Blank again. Internally, his frustration was growing. Seriously, how in the world did he not remember anything except this random guy's name?
"Would you believe me if I said I can't remember?"
"Oh! Oh!" The girl started, "I know this! It's amnesia."
"It's a load of pegasus crap. That's what it is."
He nearly jumped out of his skin at the third voice behind him. Both Chrom and the girl chuckled a little.
"Really, Frederick?" Chrom asked through his chuckle.
"I'm only pointing out the obvious." A man, bigger than the other two, and wearing full blue and white plate armor said as he guided a horse towards the Chrom and the girl, "You really expect us to believe that you remember milord's name but not your own?"
"But it's true." He retorted.
Before the armored man could reply, Chrom held up a hand.
"What if it is true, Frederick? We can't just leave him alone and confused out here. What kind of Shepherds would we be if we did that?" Chrom reasoned.
"I feel the need to your remind milord that we have been tracking bandits that we suspect to be Plegian?" Frederick replied. His voice never leaving a cool, even tone, "For all we know, he is in league with them. And he is using this act as a way to get us to lower our guard."
"I'm not acting."
"But there is a chance he is telling the truth." Chrom replied, "And I'm going to take that chance." He noticed Frederick's frown. Before the armored man could reply, Chrom sighed, "How about this. We'll take him to the nearest town. From there, we will think of something."
Frederick's frown remained, "I still advise caution, milord."
"Advice noted." Chrom smiled back, "What do you think?" He asked the blonde girl.
"I agree with you." She smiled back.
"Then it's settle." Chrom declared, "Come along stranger. Southtown is not far away from here."
"Wait a moment!" He cried, "Don't I get a say in any of this?"
"Nope." The blonde woman chirped before she started walking down the road towards Southtown.
"Don't worry, friend." Chrom said, "Once we establish that you aren't a bandit or Plegian we will let you go. You have nothing to fear." He waved his hand at the girl, "Come on, Frederick. We better start walking. Before Lissa gets too far ahead of us."
Obi Wan's brow furrowed as he entered the small town. It was quiet. His eyes peered up at the sky from beneath his hood. The sun was directly overhead.
If this world is similar to many others, then the position of the sun would suggest that it is noon on this planet. Obi Wan frowned, If it is noon, why is there no activity in this town?
His steps became much more cautious as he walked through the empty streets. His eyes scanned his surroundings as he walked. There was evidence of life here. There were houses that looked lived in. As he got closer to the town center, he could see little shops and stalls that appeared to be open. The stalls had food left out on them. The shops had their doors creaking open then closed. He could hear an animal of some sort barking in the distance.
His eye flicked up to the largest building in town. A towering stone construct made even taller by the large steeple. A beautiful stained glass window topped the steeple. And from the steeple, the sound of bells rang through the air.
But not a single thing moved in the town. Not one door creaked open. There was no footsteps or voices to be heard.
It was as if the people of this town just up and disappeared. Obi Wan frowned. Something was very wrong here? He could feel unease building in him.
Just as he was about to stretch out with the Force, there was a loud crash then a scream. Obi Wan paused. He glanced over across the town square to the building with the steeple. Two human men wearing barbaric armor burst out of a house. Both gripped a human woman as they dragged her towards center of the square. The woman's face was tear stained. Her dress had a small crimson stain near it's hem.
Obi Wan studied the men. They were larger. Much more muscular than he was. Brutes to be sure. His eyes narrowed. They were armed. Crude weapons. Made of metal. Axes of some form.
Could they be some form of vibroblade?
He watched as they shoved the woman down on her knees.
So these were not residents of this town. They were invaders. The woman's distress made that clear enough. Obi Wan reached out with the force. He could sense the malice the men held for the woman. As well as the fear and desperation that coursed through the woman.
For some reason, his mind drifted back to that day at the Jedi Temple. When he and Master Yoda had stormed the building in the aftermath of Order 66. The frown deepened.
"I've had enough of death for one day."
The man frowned as he walked alongside Chrom and Lissa. He was sure that under normal circumstances, he would have been marveling at the beautiful countryside around him. Wherever he was, it was marvellous. Rolling fields sprawled out around the small group as they trekked down the road towards Southtown. He could see several small woods dotting the countryside here and there. In the distance, great mountain peaks jutted high into the sky. Their snow capped peaks barely visible to the naked eye.
For some reason, he got the feeling that he would normally be taking in the beauty of it all. But this was not a normal situation at all. He could not remember anything. Not even his own name. The concern he felt was constantly being replaced by further frustration as he tried to recall even the smallest details about himself. But it was proving to be impossible.
He sighed and shook his head.
"Am I your prisoner now?" He asked Chrom.
Chrom shook his head, "No. As soon as we determine that you are not a threat to Ylisse, we will let you go."
He nodded, "Ylisse? So that's where we are?"
Frederick scoffed, "You haven't heard of the Halidom? Someone pay this actor. He plays quite the fool. The furrow in his brow is quite convincing."
Chrom rolled his eyes, "Stop being so distrustful, Frederick. If you keep it up, you won't be able to talk to anyone except for the other shepherds." He turned back to his new companion, "And yes, we are in Halidom of Ylisse. Our leader is the Exalt. Her name is Emmeryn." Chrom extended a hand as they walked, "As for more proper introductions, my name is Chrom. But you already knew that." He jabbed a thumb at the girl, "And the delicate done here is my sister, Lissa."
Lissa stomped her foot, "I am not delicate!"
Chrom laughed as Lissa stuck her tongue out at him.
"But yeah, I'm his sister." Lissa shrugged, "You should be glad us Shepherds found you. It would have been a rude awakening if bandits found you instead."
Oh yes. And having complete strangers wake me up and drag me to gods know where is so much better. He mentally smacked himself. That or bandits? I guess she's right.
He studied his new companions a little more closely. They have referred to themselves as shepherds multiple times now. But for shepherds, they sure did not look like it. Frederick for one was wearing armor so thick and polished that he may as well have been a knight. And the weapons the troop carried were some serious stuff. Frederick held a long lance in his grip as he guided his horse forward. Lissa carried a strange staff. And Chrom had a sword unlike any he had ever seen before. Needless to say, he doubted this group were simple farmers.
"So you all are shepherds?"
Chrom glanced back at the amnesiac.
"Yeah." Chrom nodded.
His new companion arched an eyebrow.
"You tend sheep?"
"You could say that." Lissa replied with a grin.
The amnesiac glanced over at Frederick. The knight remained silent as he guided his horse alongside Lissa.
"In full armor?"
Chrom chuckled, "It can be a dangerous job. Just ask Frederick the Wary there."
"And it is a title that I proudly take." Frederick replied stiffly, "One of us has to show at least a modicum on caution."
Chrom shook his head then tapped his chest."And I'm not in full armor. This is just some travel gear. A couple leather plates here and there. I move faster that way."
"And i'm not wearing armor." Lissa twirled in her dress. The wire cage that covered her half not allowing the frills to twirl, "Unless you count a corset as armor?"
He nodded, "Well, it's nice to meet you all. I'm Robin." Robin blinked. "Wait a moment."
Lissa and Chrom both gave him a curious look.
"Huh?" Robin shrugged, "I guess it finally came to me. That's odd."
"Oh sure it did." Frederick deadpanned.
Chrom chuckled.
"Don't worry so much, Frederick. We're almost into town. We can talk more there."
Robin silently followed Chrom and Lissa. The siblings were chatting up a storm as they made their way down the road. Robin meanwhile, was lost in his own mind.
So my name is Robin, huh? He scratched the back of his head, I guess that's some progress. Maybe everything will come back to me in time. He let out a heavy sigh, I guess I'm not really the patient type if I'm still this frustrated.
The group scaled one last hill. Once at the top, Chrom stopped in his tracks. A terrified cry left Lissa's lips.
"Chrom, the town!" She cried.
Robin rushed to Chrom's side. At the bottom of the hill was a little town nestled near a large forest. It looked like it could have been a serene little place. There were several large buildings surrounding the town square. A cathedral some sort. Perhaps an inn and a shop or two. The rest of the town was houses.
But now, Robin could see smoke rising from several of the buildings. The place was anything but peaceful. Robin squinted and a frown formed on his lips.
"Bandits." He muttered.
"Damn it all!" Chrom roared, "I bet those were the ones we were tracking! C'mon Frederick, Lissa."
"Milord, what about him?" Frederick asked as he gestured to Robin.
"Is he on fire?" Chrom asked.
"Er-"
"Then he can wait. Let's move."
Frederick nodded, "Right milord." As the trio rushed to town, Robin noticed the large man cast a wary glance back at him.
Robin took a deep breath and watched the town. The bandits were running rampant. Torching anything that was not valuable. Looting whatever the poor people owned. He squinted as he caught sight of some activity in the town square. A woman was being dragged out of the cathedral by a pair of bandits wielding large axes.
Oh no.
There was only one reason bandits would be dragging an innocent person to the center of town. They were going to make an example of her to the rest of the town.
Robin's hand subconsciously brushed a pocket inside of his coat. To his surprise, he felt his fingers brush against the rigid spine of a book. Curious, he pulled the book from the small pouch. His eyes widened.
A spell book. Robin blinked, I can use magic! Since when? He smacked his forehead, Like I would know the answer to that one. I barely remembered my own name!
He looked up again. To his shock, a hooded figure had appeared in the town square. Robin's eyes widened as the bandits turned all of their attention to the lone stranger.
He's going to get himself killed! Robin gripped the book tightly in his hand. He took off running down the road, I guess it's time to see how good at magic I really am.
"Let me go!" The woman cried.
"Sorry." The man growled, "That's not going to happen."
The woman's eyes widened as he brandished a shining, steel axe. He lowered it so that it was pressed against her cheek. She winced as the axe opened a gash on her cheek. More tears rushed down her cheeks.
"I just love doing this to you Ylissean dogs." He growled, a look of glee on his face as the woman closed her eyes and began to cry.
"Excuse me!"
The two brutes froze. The woman's eyes widened as she watched a robed figure calmly walking towards the two bandits. The figure had a long brown cloak over his shoulders. A hood drawn up over his head, hiding almost all of his facial features in shadow.
"I don't think that's what people mean when they say, take the lady out on the town for the day." The stranger said.
The first bandit scowled, "Well, looks like we missed one."
"Yeah. And I'll have you know stranger, I'll do what I damn well please with this Ylissean wench!"
Obi Wan paused in his approach. His head lowered at the bandit that held the axe to the woman's face.
"You see, there's a problem with that line of thinking." Obi Wan began, "The problem being, that I don't like it. And to be honest with both of you, I have had a very long, very stressful day. My patience is running rather thin. So, for all of our sakes, I suggest that you let the woman go and leave. Spare us all the trouble."
The first bandit glared at the robed stranger. His frown broke into a grin. Then he laughed. His fellow bandit laughed as well. They both let go of the woman, the axe left the side of her cheek and they turned to face the stranger.
"Isn't this rich?" The first bandit guffawed, "This guy thinks he can take on all of us?"
"All of you?" The stranger asked.
"Yes." The first bandit nudged his comrade, "All of us."
The second bandit put his fingers to his mouth and whistled. The stranger remained motionless as the rest of the bandits appeared from the shadows.
Obi Wan glanced around. In total he counted perhaps nine, maybe ten of them? All of them wielded some form of primitive weapon. He could see crude axes, a bow and arrow or two, then there was one bandit who simply wore robes and carried a weathered old book. Obi Wan frowned as he sensed the force around that one. There was a strange power circulating around that bandit. And it appeared to be concentrated on that book he was carrying.
The group began to surround Obi Wan. The woman remained frozen where she was in the town square as the bandits focused on him. Obi Wan glanced around again. The archers were taking up positions further away. It would make it easier for them to get a shot off against him. Time to load their bow and fire. The brutes were kneading the handles of their axes. Anxious to get up close. If the archers missed him, then the brutes would try next. Obi Wan then looked at the book wielding bandit. He was slowly circling him. A cautious approach that told Obi Wan all he needed to know.
This one was aware that the Stranger was not who he appeared to be.
Obi Wan nodded at the bandit leader, "I see. So we aren't going to be doing this the easy way then?"
The bandit leader grinned, "Easy way? Well for us, this is the easy way. I guess this would be the hard way for you."
"Or the dead way." His partner chuckled.
Obi Wan grimaced, "I'm pretty sure I've already died once before. I don't plan on doing it again. But if you insist on trying."
He reached to his hip. And felt only his leather belt and robes. Obi Wan frowned and patted his side before reaching to his other hip and feeling nothing once again.
Where is it? Obi Wan thought. A shot of panic went through him.
"Oh." He muttered, "That complicates things."
"GET HIM!"
Obi Wan sensed danger from his right. He dove to the side just as an arrow whizzed by where his head was. Another arrow shot towards him. The force warned him once again and he rolled away, the arrow glancing off of the stony ground. In a flash, Obi Wan was on his feet. He lunged at the first bandit. Burying a fist into the man's jaw before flipping over him and sweeping his legs out from underneath him.
Just as Obi Wan was going to finish him off, the force screamed in warning. Obi Wan felt static in the air. The hair on his arms stood on end. Before he could move, a bolt of lighting shrieked across the square and slammed into his side. The blow sent Obi Wan flying into a food stall.
Obi Wan groaned, shook his head, then looked up. Across the square stood the man with the book, a triumph filled smile on his face.
"That hurt." Obi Wan muttered to himself.
He could smell burnt fabric. The lightning bolt and charred away parts of his cloak. A stab of burning pain lanced through Obi Wan's side as he got to his feet.
"That really hurt."
The bandits all laughed around him.
"So much that bravado, stranger." The leader chuckled. He leveled his axe in Obi Wan's direction. "Bring me his head!"
Obi Wan scrambled to his feet and readied himself. The two brutes were barreling towards him now. He could see the archers drawing their bowstrings. If the brutes didn't get him, then they would. His eyes flicked back over to the robed man near the rear. He was flipping through pages in the back, muttering something to himself. That strange power built up around him again.
Obi Wan's eyes widened as he saw a circle of some sort form around him.
They were all going to attack him simultaneously. Obi Wan grit his teeth. If they were going to kill him, then he was damn sure going to make them work for it. He balled up his fist and readied himself to deliver devastating punches to the two brutes.
Just as they reared back with their axes, a voice rose up through the air.
"Pick a god and pray!"
A man riding a mount of some sort barreled into the square. A lance leveled at the two brutes. Behind him, another young man with blue hair and woman with blonde hair ran into the town square. The woman carried a small staff with a blue gem on top of it. The man twirled a strange sword in his hand before joining the mounted man in a charge.
Obi Wan's eyes widened as one of the archer's swiveled and took aim at the man with the sword. Before Obi Wan could call out a warning, the archer fired.
A fourth body slammed into the blue haired man. The fourth person was also a human male. Messy brown hair sat on top of his head. His thin frame was covered by an oversized coat. Honestly, Obi Wan was surprised that he had managed to knock the other man over.
Time to use the distraction.
Obi Wan rushed one of the brutes. Before the bandit could react, he brought his knee crashing up into the man's nose. Obi Wan heard a brief pop. The man howled and fell backwards. Obi Wan then kicked his foot out, burying the blow into the man's forearm. The bone snapped on impact. The bandit howled and curled himself around his wounded arm. Obi Wan turned to face the other bandit but saw the mounted man burying his lance into him.
Obi Wan gave the armored man a nod.
"I'm grateful for the help."
"Don't be grateful yet stranger." The armored man replied, "There are more coming."
Obi Wan frowned as four more axe wielding bandits rushed into the town square.
He readied himself to charge again when the armored man stopped.
"Mage." The man explained.
Obi Wan's eyes followed the armored man's gaze to the robed bandit.
A mage?
"Magic?" Obi Wan asked.
The armored man nodded grimly, "Aye. He's going to be trouble."
"Robin! What are you doing!?" The blue haired man shouted.
"Saving your ass!" The coat covered man replied.
"Chrom! Are you hurt?" The woman cried. A strange green glow began forming around the blue gem on her staff.
"I'm fine." Chrom jumped to his feet, "Seriously Robin, what are you doing?"
Robin shrugged, "Dunno. It seemed like a good idea at the time." He glanced over at the bandits. They were a lot more hesitant now.
Frederick and the cloaked stranger had made them think twice about blindly charging them.
But they still outnumbered their little troop.
Robin studied his opponents. Two archers. Positioned to the rear beside a mage. Four brutes. They would charge.
It would be a good idea to counter that with Frederick's superior speed thanks to his horse.
The bandit leader was still holding the civilian hostage. But he had backed up to the steps of the cathedral.
"The big ones are going to charge." Robin explained to Chrom, "They still think they can overpower us that way."
"How do you know that?" Chrom asked.
Robin shrugged, "It just makes sense. I don't know. It's what I would do."
Chrom eyed the bandit leader. The man gave him a hideous grin as he kept his axe pressed against the woman's cheek.
"And him?" Chrom asked.
"Leave him to me." The hooded stranger said.
Robin nodded, "Frederick. Think you can handle two of them?"
"Easily!" The knight nodded. His horse snorted as well. As if offended that Robin would dare to doubt the skill of its rider.
Robin grinned, "Good. Chrom, I'm going to handle that mage. You help Frederick."
Chrom's eyes widened as Robin withdrew the spellbook from within his coat.
"You're a mage?"
"Apparently." Robin replied with a uncertain grin, "I don't know how good I am at it though."
Chrom gulped, "Perhaps I'll keep my distance for now."
Robin snorted, "Honestly, I don't blame you."
Chorm rolled his shoulders, "And the archers?"
Robin began sprinting towards the mage, "I'm working on that still."
To Chrom's surprise, Robin was right. As the amnesiac sprinted forward, the four axe wielding bandits charged.
"Stay here, Lissa." Chrom ordered before he joined Frederick in a mad dash across the square.
Steel clashed against steel as Chrom parried a savage slash from one of the bandits. Frederick barreled into two of them. His lance dug into the firts bandit's chest before he quickly yanked it free and turned his horse to charge at the other two.
"Come to the slaughter, sheepy!" The bandit taunted.
Chrom scowled and deflected another blow. Then, with practiced ease, he slipped past the bandit's guard and slashed through his gut. The bandit let out a choked cry before falling to the ground.
That's one.
"Lookout, milord!"
Chrom heard Frederick's warning and rolled to the side. An arrow glanced off of the stone. Chrom raised his sword as he saw a third bandit swinging at him. But Frederick got to him first. The knight's spear making easy work of the brute. He then twirled in his sandled and thrusted his spear into the final brute.
"That takes care of them." Frederick said.
"Is that a smile I see, Frederick?" Chrom teased.
"Hardly, milord."
They both turned to face the cathedral. And their jaws dropped. Robin had taken down the two archers. Their bodies laid in static filled heaps on the ground. He was now dueling the bandit mage. The pair hurled lighting spells at each other. Each spell that missed left scorched the stones on the ground.
"I'll go help him. You get the civilian." He ordered Frederick.
"I don't think that'll be necessary."
Chrom turned to the Cathedral. The hooded stranger had closed the distance impossibly fast. With speed the Chrom could barely register, he leaped over the bandit leader and buried a foot into the back of his knee. A loud pop rang out through the air. The leader howled but was silenced by a knee to the side of his head. As he fell to the ground, his axe clattered loudly out of his hands.
"Lissa, the villager!"
"Right!" His sister called before rushing towards the shocked woman. The gem on her staff glowed green as she knelt down beside the woman and held the staff in front of her.
Chrom and Frederick raced towards Robin. Right as they were about to reach him, Robin ducked beneath a lightning spell. The amnesiac rushed the mage, an action that surprised the bandit. Once the distance was closed, Robin unleashed a spell he had charged up. The lighting rippled out of his hand and covered the bandit. The enemy mage uttered a choked cry before falling limp to the ground.
Robin struggled to catch his breath as Chrom and Frederick approached.
"Are you alright?" Chrom asked.
"Never better." Robin replied with small grin, "Turns out, I'm not half bad at that sort of thing."
Chrom chuckled, "First tactics then magic. What can't you do?"
Robin shrugged, "I haven't tested my sword skills yet?"
Chrom laughed then clapped a hand on Robin's shoulder, "I look forward to seeing that."
"But before we can, I think we need to discuss what happened here." Frederick said.
He nodded over to the hooded stranger. The man had grabbed the bandit leader and dragged him over toward Chrom.
"He's still alive." He told Chrom.
"Why?" Chrom asked.
"Other than the fact that I lack a weapon." The hooded man replied, "I assumed you would want to know if he was working alone or if he has friends in the area."
Chrom frowned.
"It's possible, milord." Frederick nodded, "These bandits, they spoke with Plegian accents. I would not put it past those desert dwellers to have sent more than one raiding party this way."
Chrom nodded, "Certainly possible. I definitely wouldn't put it past King Gangrel to do something like that. And I want to know if that's really what's going on." Chrom looked down at the unconscious bandit, "But it's not like he's going to do any talking anytime soon. Frederick bind him."
"With pleasure, milord."
Obi Wan considered giving the group of young adults the bandit leader then leaving. But for some reason, he felt compelled to stay and listen. For one, they mentioned a place called Plegia. A kingdom from the sounds of it. One that was completely unknown to Obi Wan.
The force really wants to make my whereabouts a mystery, doesn't it?
Once the bandit was bound, Obi Wan decided it was time to leave. He was no longer needed here. Luke was missing. And finding the baby boy was his top priority.
"Hey, stranger." The young man named Chrom said as Obi Wan turned to leave.
Obi Wan turned back to face him.
Chrom held out his hand, "Thank you for what you did. Taking out that bandit while he was holding a hostage… that's not easy to do. Certainly not something you had to do."
Obi Wan hesitated, then took Chrom's hand.
"I was only doing what I felt was right." Obi Wan replied.
Chrom smiled, "If only there were more people with that kind of attitude in the world."
Chrom sighed as some of the civilians began to cautiously appear from their shelters. All of the villagers looked wide eyed as they stared at the shepherds and the stranger.
"Can I ask your name stranger?" Chrom asked Obi Wan.
Obi Wan opened his mouth, then snapped it closed. He was still unsure of what planet he was on. While he doubted this world had any Imperial presence (He certainly had not sense any as of yet), he was still a Jedi. And that made any world dangerous for him. His name alone was known throughout the galaxy. No, he could not reveal his name or what he was capable of to this man. It was too dangerous. If the Empire did find him here, it would impede his search for Luke.
Obi Wan thought quickly then nodded to Chrom.
"Ben. My name is Ben."
"Ben huh." Chrom grinned, "Well, thank you again Ben. My name is Chrom. The little girl is my sister, Lissa." The blonde turned away from whatever she was doing with the village woman and stuck her tongue out at Chrom, "The big man in armor is Frederick. And the one in the coat two sizes too big for him is Robin."
Robin glanced down at his coat. It did not feel that big on him.
"Milords!" An elderly villager called as he hobbled towards them, "Please, we would be honored to host you tonight. You saved our village. And while we may not have much, it is the least we can do for you all."
Frederick smiled as he strapped threw the bandit leader over his horse like a sack of potatoes.
"Thank you sir." The knight replied. He glanced at Chrom, "But we need to make haste back to Ylisstol."
"Dark meat only for me please. Medium-rare. No salt in the soup and-" Lissa blinked, "Hey! Why can't we stay? I'm hungry and tired and it's almost dark, Frederick." Lissa stomped her foot.
"Come now, milady. Travel builds character." Frederick replied, "We will make our bed out of pine needles and feast on the fruits of the land. After all, you did say you wanted to start getting used to this sort of thing."
"I did- I did not-" Lissa huffed and folded her arms. The green glow that surrounded her staff faded away, "I really don't like it when you do that."
Ben could not help but chuckle to himself. Children and their antics.
"Hey Ben!" Chrom asked, "Are you staying in this town?"
"No. I was just passing through."
"And where exactly is your destination?" Frederick asked, the cheer that was in his voice disappearing in a flash.
Ben grimaced, "I'm… not exactly sure myself."
Lissa's eyes widened, "Oh! Oh! Don't tell me!" She sprinted up to Ben, "Are you an amnesiac too?"
"Amnesiac?"
"That would be quite the coincidence if we ran into two amnesiacs in one day." Frederick noted.
"So you admit I'm not lying!" Robin declared.
"I said no such thing." Frederick replied.
"Calm down Frederick. Travelers get lost all the time. I'm sure that's probably what happened to Ben." Chrom explained, "We can take you to Ylisstol, Ben. From there it should be easy for you to figure out your way again."
"All roads lead to home." Lissa smiled.
Ben furrowed his brow. It was a tantalizing offer. This Ylistoll, from the sounds of it, was a major city on this world. And these people were from there. As of yet, they had given him little reason to doubt their sincerity in wanting to help him. They did go out of their way to help villagers that they had absolutely no connection to.
But he had to find Luke. This could end up being just one large distraction. That was the last thing he needed and-
"You were brought to them for a reason, Obi Wan." The ethereal voice of Qui Gon Jinn echoed in his mind.
Obi Wan sighed. Be mindful of the moment. Be mindful of the living force. He gulped, This is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be.
"Why not?" Obi Wan shrugged.
Chrom grinned and clapped his hands, "Alright, off to Ylisstol."
"But a hot meal-" Lissa complained.
"Don't worry, I'll hunt something down for us to eat, sis."
Lissa cringed.
"Please tell me you won't be the one cooking."
And chapter! That is hands down one of the longest chapters I have ever written! Holy crap! I apologize if it's started off very similar to the original game, I'm working on the outline right now and I'm doing my best to come up with an original storyline that can run alongside the main one. Especially for Obi Wan.
My main thought while writing this story is to try and write it so that people who have not played Fire Emblem yet will get to know the story and characters. After all, almost everyone knows who Obi Wan Kenobi is. Star Wars is just that massive. So I will definitely be focusing a lot on the Fire Emblem characters. They aren't just going to be pushed to the side in favor of Obi Wan taking over the story. Where's the fun in that?
Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!