Chapter 6

The Longfort

The Shepherd's had made their way several miles up the North Road. The skirmish was now long behind them all. Vaike was successfully patched up by both Miriel and Lissa. Ben had actually watched them heal the man. And he was thoroughly impressed.

There really was such a thing as magic on this planet. From what Ben had observed so far, it seemed to be concentrated around objects. The Mages of this world were not like the witches of Dathomir. The Ylissean mages utilized spellbooks to perform their magic. And the power that they tapped into seemed to concentrate through these books. How they tapped into that power though remained a mystery for Ben.

Lissa's healing staff was an even bigger puzzle for the Jedi. The books he could understand possessing this magic power. He could sense the stuff radiating around them. But Lissa's staff was another matter entirely. It was normally completely dormant. A stick of wood with a pretty gem on top of it. Only when LIssa willed it to heal someone did it actually show any power.

Maybe there is more than one type of magic in this world? Ben thought to himself.

He was very curious about it. Even the Nightsisters of Dathomir admitted that their magic only existed because of the force. Any Jedi could sense the force powering their sinister spells and incantations. But here, Ben had been unable to sense anything familiar from Robin or Miriel's magic. Then again, he had not been concentrating all that hard. He was rather busy battling Risen on the bridge.

Maybe I'll ask Robin to demonstrate some spells for me. Ben thought.

"Is that what I think it is?"

The small column of shepherd's came to a halt. Chrom had stopped along the road and was pointing at a white, four legged creature standing to the side of the road.

Ben's eyes widened. He whipped his gaze from Sully, Stahl, and Frederick's horses over to the white creature.

"It's a wild Pegasus!" Sumia gasped.

Ben studied the creature as Chrom and Sumia cautiously approached the beast. It looked exactly like Frederick's horse. The only differences were the white fur and the massive, angelic wings perched on it's back. The wings unfolded and spread out wide. As if warning Chrom and Sumia from coming any closer.

Ben gulped.

"You look a little pale, Ben." Robin chuckled as he and Ben followed Chrom and Sumia.

"They fly now." Ben muttered before looking back at Frederick's horse. The beast stomped a foot and snorted at Ben, "These temperamental creatures can fly now."

Chrom laughed, "Don't worry, Ben. We Ylissean's have a tradition of training Pegasi. We even have a whole section of our military dedicated to them." He edged his way towards the Pegasus. Hand extended out to the beast, "I never thought I'd ever see one in the wild though. They are very rare outside of captivity."

The pegasus reared up on its hind legs. A loud whine erupted from the animal as it stomped forward. Chrom jerked back, narrowly avoiding the pegasus's hooves.

"Ok." Chrom breathed, "Maybe you're right to be cautious, Ben. The beast may be crazed."

"Oh don't be such a worrier." Sumia said, "She's just scared." The woman approached the Pegasus.

"Sumia, please be careful." Chrom warned.

Ben, Robin, and Chrom watched in awe as the Pegasus snorted and stood still. Sumia took a few more gentle steps forward, a small smile on her lips. She reached out and placed a delicate hand onto the beast's head. Ben's jaw slowly dropped. Sumia was taming the animal without any effort at all.

"That's-that's amazing." Robin stammered.

Sumia chuckled, "I guess I just have a way with animals." She ran her hand along the animal until she reached its midsection. She glanced down at it's legs and frowned, "Oh dear." She looked over at Chrom, "She's hurt."

Ben followed Chrom's eyes to the animal's leg. The white fur was slick with red blood near its hoof.

"How did that happen?" Robin wondered out loud.

"You don't think it encountered those Risen from earlier?" Ben asked.

"It's entirely possible." Chrom shrugged as he watched Sumia kneel down and inspect the wound more closely.

The brunette shook her head, "I can't just leave her alone." Sumia said, "I'll dress the wound and make sure she's good for flight. You all go on ahead."

"Are you sure?" Chrom asked, "We can wait."

"No, you can't." Sumia replied, "The mission comes first. And you need to get to Regna Ferox as quickly as possible. Besides, we are already behind schedule thanks to those Risen."

Sumia saw Chrom's concerned expression. She could not help but laugh a little.

"Don't worry, Captain. I can take care of myself. I'll catch up once she's ready to go." She patted the pegasus's side, "Right girl?"

The pegasus snorted and shook its head.

Chrom sighed, "Alright." He turned to Robin, "How far do we have until we reach the Longfort?"

"Uh…"

"You still haven't look at a map?" Ben groaned.

"Give me a break will you?" Robin snapped, "I'm a tactician, not a navigator."

"One day if we travel fast, milord." Frederick answered before giving Robin a sidelong glance.

"Thank you, Frederick." Chrom nodded, "Don't take too long, Sumia."

"I'll do my best." She replied, a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks.

Chrom smiled then looked back at the waiting shepherd's. He nodded over to Frederick.

"Take Stahl up ahead and find a suitable campsite. Flag us down when we get close." The knight nodded, mounted his horse, and trotted away with Stahl riding behind him, "Everyone else, let's move out."

The stars were already high overhead when Chrom and the Shepherd's were flagged down by Stahl. Chrom gave both horsemen a nod of approval. Stahl looked weary, but even he understood that Chrom wanted to travel as far as possible before making camp for the evening. When they all reached the campsite, Chrom was relieved to see that Frederick had already started a fire and had begun making a small pot of stew. The prince patted the knight on his shoulder before taking a seat beside the armored man.

The other shepherds followed suit. Ben slumped down beside the fire. It had been a very long day of travel. Virion was not joking when he said that Chrom drove a vicious pace. Even with his own training, he felt exhausted. Virion and Sully focused on unloading the tents from the horses. Lissa huddled close to her brother. Her legs sore and eyes heavy. Robin was busy studying a map by the firelight. His lips mouthing the words of important locations and landmarks. His brow furrowed.

"Regna Ferox does not have a capital city?" He asked Chrom.

"They do." Chrom replied, "It's just not what you would traditionally call a city." Chrom leaned over to Robin and tapped a large arena drawn near the center of the massive country, "That is Arena Ferox. If I remember my studies correctly, it is where the ruling Khan lives."

"So that is our destination?" Robin nodded, "Good to know."

"I'm assuming that this Arena is not one meant for theatrical performances." Ben said as he took a bowl of stew from Frederick.

"The Feroxi are a warrior people." Frederick answered, "They respect strength above all else."

"So a gladiator arena." Ben assumed, "Interesting."

That is bringing up some unpleasant memories. He thought as his mind wandered to the one time he got stuck in a gladiator esque arena. Geonosis was still a memory that caused him to wince in pain.

Ben took a bit of stew and nodded, "You are a very good cook, Frederick."

"The results of much travel and practice." The knight replied as he handed out more bowls to the other shepherds.

"If it wasn't for him, me and Lissa would probably starve when on the road." Chrom laughed.

"Probably?" Lissa replied, "Do I need to bring up the bear incident?"

"It tasted fine." Chrom replied.

Virion looked at Chrom, disgusted, "You ate a bear?"

"Nice!" Sully chuckled, "Good protein."

"Exactly." Chrom said.

Ben couldn't help but laugh under his breath before eating another spoonful of stew. He glanced around at the Shepherds. Lissa had joined Robin in studying their map. The little princess answering some of the amnesiac's questions about the lands surrounding them. Miriel was busy reading a large tome of some sort. Vaike was occasionally reading over her shoulder, a very confused expression on his face. Sully, Stahl, and Frederick were sitting shoulder to shoulder. The knight explaining to the other two horsemen what the duties of a Ylissean knight were. Apparently Sully and Stahl were not full fledged knights like Frederick.

Ben heard some board game pieces clinking in a small bag. He glanced over at Virion.

"Care for a game, Ben?"

Ben rubbed his mouth with his hand before nodding.

"Sure."

The archer grinned before setting up the board. If Ben remembered correctly, this game was called Chess. A tactical game with thousands of different outcomes and possible movements. He had played it with both Robin and Virion the other night in the barracks. And while the pair thrashed him the first time he played, he had managed to hold his own with each following game.

"Robin!" Virion hollered over to the tactician, "Care to join?"

The tactician looked very tempted. But then he shook his head, "I've got to catch up my geography." He eyed Ben, "Someone is not very satisfied with my skills in that area."

Virion laughed, "A tactician should know where he is going."

"That's what I have you all for." Robin replied before burying his nose in the map once again.

Virion chuckled, "Do you believe him, Ben?" He asked as he set up the pieces on the board.

"I believe that he does not want to lose to me again." Ben said, his voice loud enough so that Robin could hear him.

"Oh that does it!" Robin roared. He tossed the map into Lissa's arms before marching over and taking a seat beside Virion, "I call next game."

Both Virion and Ben laughed.

"Your move then, Ben." Virion motioned.

Ben nodded and moved the first pawn on his board. He did enjoy this game immensely. It reminded him a bit Dejarik. Only with more pieces and a square field of play instead of a circle. And he was very good at Dejarik. When they had first played, Virion had marveled at how quickly Ben had picked up the game.

It certainly helped that Ben had the force. When playing, he would use it to sense the possible intentions of his opponent. That gave him a massive edge against Robin. While the tactician was just as skilled at chess as he was, Robin wore his emotions on his sleeve. It was easy to sense what he might end up doing next. That allowed Ben to formulate a strategy to counter him very quickly.

Virion on the other hand, was much more difficult to read. The man wore a blank, poker face when making his move on the chess board. And that was the case during this game. Ben found it difficult to sense his intentions as the pieces began to creep along the board.

"Ben, my friend. I have a question for you." Virion said as he moved his knight up the board.

"Ask away." Ben replied as he rubbed his chin and studied Virion's move.

"You are searching for you son, yes?"

Ben nodded.

"Then why join us in traveling to Regna Ferox?"

Ben pressed his lips together. He moved his bishop up the board and snatched a pawn from Virion.

"Because I do not know where the kidnapper's took him." Ben replied, "I am hoping that I can catch a lead by traveling with you."

Robin frowned, "That sounds rather inefficient."

"To a tactician yes. But to a parent…" Virion shrugged, "I believe a parent would exhaust every possible option in searching for their lost child. I'm sure Ben has already done that."

"You have no idea." Ben breathed before uttering a small cures as Virion took his first bishop.

"Does Chrom know about this yet?" Robin asked.

Ben shook his head, "I won't burden him with my problems. Not when he is conducting such an important mission for his country. I should be the least of his concerns."

Virion shook his head, "You still do not know Chrom very well, do you?" Virion took one of Ben's knights.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"He cares about us." Virion remarked, "More than most of us even know. We are more than soldiers to him." The archer sighed, "I am not actually Ylissean myself. I am actually a noble from a nation across the sea called Rosanne."

"A foreign nobleman?" Robin said.

"Indeed." Virion leaned back and furrowed his brow as Ben moved his queen forward, "Damn, that was a well planned move." He mumbled before continuing his story, "You see, there is another nation near my own called, Valm. They invaded Rosanne and..." Virion paused and sighed, "And I had to leave my nation in order to find help. I came here to Ylisse. But by the time I arrived to speak to the Exalt, Rosanne had fallen. Both Exalt Emmeryn and Chrom took pity on me then. Neither of them had to. They gave me a roof over my head and a purpose in life once again."

Ben rubbed his chin as he watched Virion's latest move.

"Chrom did not have to do that." Virion breathed, "He could have just told me that I had to make my own way in Ylisse. Find my own path. Instead, he helped me to my feet and gave me a path to follow." He cursed as Ben moved his rook all the way across the board, taking a bishop in the process, "Chrom does not think of our problems as a burden. I suggest that you discuss your search for you son with him. You may get more help than you think."

Ben nodded, "I'll think about it."

"Good." Virion smirked, "And while you are thinking about it…" His queen moved and blocked Ben's King, "Checkmate."

Ben's eyes darted down to the board, "Well… I'll be damned."

Virion chuckled, "Good game my friend. Now then, does the tactian Robin wish to challenge me? Or does he wish to take up Ben's challenge?"

Robin shoved Virion to the side, "You already know the answer to that one. Bring it on, Ben!"

Robin huffed then fell backwards into his small bed roll. An action he regretted as he felt his back slam into a small rock. He froze against the ground then let out a long, loud, painful groan.

"I always seem to fall asleep on a rock." He winced.

"Yes you do."

Robin lifted his head to see Chrom setting up his bedroll near him. The other shepherd's were already long asleep save for Chrom, Robin, Virion, and Ben. The latter three had finally finished their last chess match. A game that Ben handily won over Robin. The tactician was still trying to piece together how he won that game. He had even tried a new strategy and it had still failed. It was like Ben knew exactly what he was thinking of doing.

Virion and Ben had both retired for the evening after that match. Ben retreated to his little bed roll far away from the rest of the camp. For some reason, the chill in the night air did not bother him as much as it did the others. Of course he had that cloak to keep him warm at night. So a fire was not necessary to him. The others, Virion included, had all set up their beds near the camp's roaring fire.

"How was the game?"

"Virion and Ben beat me like a drum." Robin sighed.

Chrom laughed, "Maybe I should make them my tacticians then."

Robin jumped up onto his elbows, "Please don't! I don't want to be out of a job."

Chrom laughed loudly, "Don't worry. Even they think you're better than them."

Robin arched an eyebrow, "Really?"

Chrom nodded, "Like Virion said, a board game is very different than an actual battle. I'm sure Ben would tell you the same exact thing."

Robin rubbed his chin, "I've been thinking that I should talk to Ben more about tactics. Me and Virion chat about it constantly. I like to bounce ideas off of him. But Ben and I don't discuss it as much. And he is just as skilled."

"Might not be a bad idea." Chrom agreed before taking a swig from a water skin.

Robin frowned, "Sh-shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I got first watch."

"But," Robin sighed, "You are the leader of this mission. If anyone should rest through the entire night, it's you."

Chrom shook his head, "I'm not above anyone else here." He took a breath, "A leader should rest after all of his followers. Besides, I don't mind taking first watch. Gives me some extra time to think about our next steps forward."

"And those would be?"

Chrom shifted in his seat, "Talking to the Khan of Regna Ferox. I've never met the man. But according to Frederick, he rules a warrior people. So I don't expect so much politicking as much as-"

"Blunt arguing? Fist fights?" Robin finished for him.

"Exactly." Chrom agreed, "And to be honest with you, I'll be relieved if that is the case." He took another drink of water, "I can't stand politics. Thank Naga my sister is the Exalt and not me."

Robin chuckled, "I think you would make a fine Exalt. You care about all of us. And you care about your people. That already makes you a great leader in my book." Robin titled his head to the side, "Then again, I don't have much to compare to."

"Shut up." Chrom chuckled, "Speaking of caring about everyone, I noticed you and Ben talk often."

Robin shrugged, "He likes to talk once you break that outer shell of silence."

"He never mentioned why he was following us to Regna Ferox. Or why he joined the Shepherds."

"To be fair, you kinda did to him what you did to me."

"That being?"

"Not give us a choice in the matter." Chrom narrowed his eyes at Robin, "N-not that I'm complaining!" Robin stammered, "I'm enjoying myself so far."

"I'm glad to hear that. But I was wondering if he told you anything. I mean, I've tried talking to him in the past but he was just so damn-"

"Silent."

"Yes!" Chrom said, "I tried asking about his past when we killed that bear a few days ago. But nothing."

Robin shrugged, "He's just a private person." His eyes darted over to Ben, who was sound asleep on his mat.

Chrom narrowed his eyes, "You do know something."

"I know nothing!"

"Don't lie!" Chrom declared, "You're my tactician. I need to trust you in all things."

Robin stared back at Chrom. The Ylissean Prince was glaring at him hard. The tactician gulped. Damn his guilt.

"Alright fine." Robin sighed as he propped himself up on one elbow, "Ben is… well he's a father."

Chrom blinked, "A what?"

"That's what I thought when I found out too."

"But he's so young and… stoic." Chrom muttered before glancing over at Ben, "You wouldn't think-"

"I know right!" Robin cried, "Apparently, he has a little infant boy. He's never mentioned his name now that I think about it."

"Well, if he's a father then why is he following us?" Chrom asked, "Why isn't he with his son?"

"That's the thing. His son was kidnapped." Chrom's face hardened, "Ben doesn't know who took him or where he may be. I think he's hoping to find a clue while traveling across the world with us. That's also why he was traveling through Southtown."

"Kidnappers." Chrom grit his teeth and shook his head, "Damn."

Robin snapped his fingers in front of Chrom's face, "Hey! You didn't hear any of that from me."

Chrom blinked, "Wh-what?"

"We all heard it from you, Robin." Sully muttered sleepily. The woman turned over onto her side, her back now facing the fire, "You two are worse than a couple of palace maids. Go to sleep already!"

"The Vaike can't sleep with all this noise."

Robing clenched his jaw, "Vaike can't sleep through the noise." He laughed to himself, "He can't sleep." He gave Chrom a manic look, "I'm going to gag his mouth so I can't hear him snore anymore."

"Don't."

"I mean it!"

"Go to sleep already!" Sully roared before chucking a stick at both of them.

Ben and Chrom both rose early the next morning. Frederick was somehow still awake before them. The sun had not yet risen over the horizon, but the trio were already stirring the other Shepherds. With groggy eyes and loud yawns, the others rose, packed their gear, and started up the North Road once again.

As they went further north, Ben noticed the air growing cold. He blinked when he felt the first snowflake kiss his forehead. Surprised, he stared up at the cloudy, gray sky and saw snow drifting lazily down onto all of them.

"Is it that season already?" he wondered out loud.

"No." Chrom replied, "It just gets that cold."

All of the shepherd's paused to break out some winter gear, with the exception of Vaike who insisted on remaining the manliest of the bunch. That being said, Miriel still convinced him to wear a thick scarf around his neck. Lissa huddled close to Frederick as the lazy snowfall became more intense with the howling wind.

Ben drew his hood over his head and wrapped his arms tight around his torso. Force did he miss his Jedi robes. He was grateful to Virion for letting him borrow some clothes. But they were not the warmest garments. Thankfully he kept his old cloak. That helped block the wind, even if it was only a little bit.

Robin seemed the most comfortable of the bunch. He too, had drawn the hood of his huge coat over his head. The shiny buttons were all done up as he wrapped himself tight inside of it. Although he was struggling to stride through the growing snowdrifts.

If anyone was warm, it was those creatures called Horses. In this case, Ben wasn't necessarily wary of them as much as he was envious of them. Their fur was covered with ice and snow, but they still soldiered on. Unaffected by the growing cold.

The group reached a series of snow covered hills. Massive pines towered over them. The branches catching most of the snow but letting the rest fall in large piles around their trunks and on the road. Ben took a deep breath, the frozen air rushing through his lungs like an electric shock.

"Cold Ben?" Chrom asked as he marched beside him.

"I have been colder." Ben admitted, "But this is up there." He tugged at the shirt beneath his cloak, "This shirt is not helping matters."

Chrom chuckled, "Leave it to Virion to have clothing that is not practical."

Ben laughed with him, "I do not doubt his skills as an Archer. But maybe he could work on other practical things first." He shivered again, "How much further until we reach this 'Longfort?'"

"Acouple more hours if we keep up this pace." Robin chirped as he strode up beside them.

"Well if it isn't the luckiest guy in the world right now." Chrom said.

"Hey, don't blame me. I woke up with this coat." Robin defended.

"I'd keep an eye on it." Ben said, "If I overheard them correctly, Lissa and Sully are planning on stealing it from you."

Robin cluctched his coat and wrapped it tighter around his body, "Over my dead body."

"Sully could probably arrange that." Chrom laughed.

"Captain!" Stahl shouted from the top of the hill.

Frederick stood beside the young horseman. Chrom, Ben, and Robin all rushed up the hill. When they reached the top, Robin and Ben's eyes widened.

At the bottom of the hill, still several dozen miles away, was a massive wall. Ben looked east and west and felt his jaw begin to hang open. It stretched out as far as his eyes could see. And it wasn't just a wall. The massive structure that snaked through the frozen land was reinforced by towers and several smaller forts built into the walls.

"Shepherds." Chrom breathed, "The Longfort."

"That's… big." Robin breathed.

Chrom chuckled, "Are you going to say that about every major landmark we run into?"

Robin shrugged, "Dunno." He started marching down the hill, "But I'm hungry, and my feet hurt. So let's get there already!"

"We won't be camping again, milord?" Frederick asked.

Chrom shook his head, "It's too cold for that. We travel until we reach the Longfort. Then we can rest."

The knight nodded then shouted for the other shepherd's to move out.

"Brrrr…" Lissa shivered as she shuffled past Chrom. A thick fur coat draped over her shoulders and pulled tight over her small body, "I-I'm so-so c-cold."

"Don't worry, we're almost there." Chrom nodded as she stumbled away.

Ben rubbed his hands and huffed a warm breath into his fingers.

That should help get some feeling back into them.

"Hopefully this mission will be a quick one." Chrom commented.

Ben glanced over at the Prince, "I hope so as well."

The pair started down the hill after the other Shepherds. As they weaved their way through trees and down the small, gravel path that was the road, Chrom glanced back at Ben.

"So Ben."

"Hm?"

"When were you going to tell me?"

Ben's breath got stuck in his throat. His heart began to pound. He could hear it beating in his ears. Did Chrom know he was a Jedi? How did he find out? Ben's eyes darted to the trees around him. Was this planet not as isolated or primitive as he thought? He steadied his breathing and felt his hand drifting towards the rapier on his hip. He started trying to sense Chrom's intentions. To his surprise, there was no malice in him. Then again, the clones held no malice when Order 66 was issued.

He also sensed something else. A strange aura of sorts around the Prince. Something that he could not explain. The Force almost felt more concentrated around Chrom. In a world where he had yet to encounter any force wielders, Ben was puzzled. But that was the least of his concerns.

How was he supposed to answer Chrom? Ben's mind raced for an explanation. If he already knew he was a Jedi, on the run from the Empire, then there probably was no harm in admitting the truth. Was there? Maybe Chrom was just waiting for confirmation. If Ben outright admitted who he was, there was still a chance that the Empire would be contacted. The other option was that Ben denied what Chrom said entirely. But he doubted that would work. The Prince clearly knew something. He would not rest until he got Ben to talk to him. Ben sighed, there was option number three.

"Tell you what?"

Ignorance.

"That you're a father."

Ben's racing heart stopped pounding.

"I'm a-a uh-"

Chrom hit his shoulder, "You should have said something to me Ben. I'm your friend, aren't I?"

Go with it, Obi Wan.

"Y-yes." Ben replied, his voice still hesitant and his mind still racing.

Chrom sighed, "I get where you are coming from, you know. All of the others were like you at some point." Chrom shrugged, "They all thought that because I was a Prince or whatever, I was too busy or important to help, let alone care, about their own personal problems." He stopped and turned to face Ben, "I want you to know that could not be further from the truth. Now… the mission to Regna Ferox does come first. But once all of that is finished, I will give you whatever help I can in the search for you son and the bastards that took him. Do you understand me?"

Ben stared dumbfounded at Chrom. He was partially stunned because he was still afraid that Chrom had found out who he was. The other part of him though, was stunned at the generosity. Jedi were not held in high regard during the Clone War. Especially on hostile planets. The only guaranteed assistance he, and the other Jedi, had ever received were from their clone soldiers. Men that they had trusted without exception until that trust had been violently betrayed.

Ben slowly nodded.

Chrom grinned, "Good! Now then, the Longfort is not too far away now. Which means hot food, a warm bed… hopefully. And a chance for all of us to catch our breath."

Ben took a long breath, "Yes. A chance to breathe for a moment. That would be wonderful." The pair soon began to catch up to the other Shepherds, "How warm of a reception do you think we will receive?"

Chrom shrugged, "Frederick sent a message ahead telling them of our arrival. Relations between our two nations have been decent in recent years."

"Warm but not too warm then?" Ben assumed.

"I don't know." Chrom replied, "I'm just looking forward to a warm bed."

And chapter! Sorry for the wait on an update everyone! I'm an actually in the process of moving from Wisconsin all the way to Missouri and I don't have an internet connection. I wrote pretty much all of this while sitting in a laundromat. I do have my notebook with me and I've been scribbling stuff down in there when not busy looking for a job or doing other moving stuff. Anyways, short author's note today cause I gotta get going! I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!