The Force's Shepherds

Chapter 16

Foreseer

Ben took a deep breath as he sat in the outside in the cool evening air. Writing that report for Chrom and the War Council had been distressing. It dredged up painful memories and reopened long closed scars. Mental and emotional wounds that were suddenly raw again. At first he suppressed it all by training with Vaike, Lon'qu, and Sully. But after a couple hours, he had to leave them. He needed to meditate alone. Try to repair the damage that had been done.

He could see it all again in his mind. His first encounter with Maul. While his Master had fought him once before on Tatooine, the first time Ben battled him was on Naboo. He could see the hangar in Theed so clearly. The sheen of the yellow star fighters around him. The hum of the power generators as he battled with Maul on the catwalks.

Ben swallowed hard. The utter agony of losing Qui-Gon. The sight of his master being run through by a vicious monster. And he was unable to do anything to stop it.

His fists curled up at his sides as he replayed that duel over and over in his mind. He scrutinized every mistake. Studied every move Maul had made. Contemplated what he could have done better.

Maybe if he had not been caught off guard by Maul's physical abilities, he would not have been separated from Qui-Gon. Maybe if he was faster, he could have caught up to them before the security gates closed and cut him off from the duel.

"Obi Wan…"

Ben took a deep breath. He exhaled, letting his lungs slowly deflate as he tried to calm his racing heart and active mind.

It has been a while, Qui-Gon. Ben thought.

"Not really. Have you already forgotten the dream you had?"

Ben furrowed his brow. I have not.

"You are acting like you have."

Ben cringed.

Let me guess. The advice you are going to give me is to stop closing myself off to the Shepherds and to live in the moment. Ben frowned, Do I need to remind you what is at stake, Qui-Gon? What could happen if I tell them the truth and they do not believe me?

"Do I need to remind you of the consequences for not following the will of the force?"

"Consequences!?" Ben growled out loud, "Consequences! Oh please, do share. But I think I am much more aware of the consequences than you think I am."

Qui-Gon did not reply immediately. He let Ben stew for a moment.

"This is not healthy, Obi Wan."

Ben sighed, I am well aware of that.

"You cannot keep internalizing all of this."

Ben pursed his lips, "There is no emotion, there is peace."

He heard Qui-Gon huff.

"What about that is wrong?" Ben asked, not noticing he was speaking out loud again, "The Jedi lived by the code for over a thousand years. And for one thousand years, there was peace."

"But as soon as war came, the code collapsed in on itself."

Ben opened his mouth to argue. But no words came out. Was Qui-Gon right? Did the code fail the Jedi order? There is no emotion, there is peace. But when war came, having no emotion did the Jedi no favors. Ben could distinctly remember the faces of civilians on some worlds the republic had 'liberated'. They did not look happy that the Jedi were there. They looked furious. Unable to relate to a people that were less human than droids in some cases.

And the Jedi had shown the epitome of ignorance at the end of the war. That ignorance had manifested itself in arrogance. The council believed that they were in control. That they would win the war in the end because they were in the light. Ben took a deep breath. As he exhaled, his body shuddered. Sidious had played them all. Only at the end, did the Jedi realize they were ignorant children fighting an already lost battle.

And then the one that stood out like a glaring flaw to Ben, there is no chaos, there is harmony. He would have loved to hear a Jedi Master say that to him while in the middle of war zone. No matter where he turned in the past few years, there had been nothing but chaos and no harmony.

"Do you remember the version you learned as a youngling?"

Ben's brow furrowed, confused.

"Vaguely." He muttered.

Tell me.

Ben sighed, "Do I have to?

Qui-Gon's reply was silence. He was waiting for him.

Ben uttered another heavy sigh, "Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force."

"Do you see the difference?"

Ben frowned, "It's simpler. Easier for younglings to comprehend."

He could practically hear Qui-Gon's exasperated sigh. It had been a very long time since Qui-Gon had gotten irritated with him. But he was twenty years old again. It should not have surprised his former master that his stubbornness had returned as well as his youth.

"You have much to learn, Obi Wan. But we will discuss this again later. For now, I urge you to stop shutting the Shepherds out."

Ben huffed, "Yes. Because telling them I am a wanted galactic fugitive is a wonderful idea."

Qui-Gon chuckled, "That dry wit has not changed at all."

"So will you stop pestering me about it?"

"No. This is no longer just a lesson Obi Wan. This is me being concerned for your health." Ben could feel Qui-Gon's presence now. Not just in his mind, but physically beside him. It was warm. Comforting. Like his old master had been when he was young. "Keeping all of these emotions bottled up inside of you is not a good thing Obi Wan. In the end, it will only weaken you."

Ben frowned, "Weaken me? I am exercising the Jedi Code. I-I… the code does not allow for emotions. We as Jedi cannot allow them to overtake us."

"Anakin thought the same thing."

Ben recoiled, "That-" He swallowed hard, "That is a low blow, Qui-Gon."

But deep down, Ben knew he was right. Anakin had been so eager to please him. So eager to be the model Jedi. But he became torn between emotions he did not understand, and a code that did not allow a Jedi to understand them. Ben ran a hand over his forehead.

Force he had been a poor master.

"He would not have fallen if you were his Master." Ben said.

"We don't know what would have happened if I trained him, Obi Wan. But it was not your fault. You need to stop blaming yourself. And you need to stop bottling everything inside of you. If you continue to do so, it will only build in pressure. And that pressure must be released at some point."

Ben sighed, "My point remains. I cannot simply tell the Shepherds the truth. I am relying on them to help search for Luke. If I tell them the truth and they think I am crazy then… then…" Ben hung his head.

"You are letting fear rule you, Obi Wan."

Ben replied with a weary nod.

"That fear will only lead to anger." He felt a warm breeze brush by his shoulders. It was as if Qui-Gon was wrapping him in a warm embrace, "If it helps, you do not have to tell every Shepherd all at once."

"Can't I just vent to you?"

Qui-Gon chuckled, "And what good does talking to a ghost do?"

Ben sighed, "Fair point."

"Talk to someone you trust Ben. Do not let fear rule you. And do not let the past control what you do, or who you are, today."

Qui-Gon's warm presence faded into the air. And the cold evening autumn air returned. Ben opened his eyes. Above him, the sky was turning purple. The yellow sun that dominated this world's sky was almost below the horizon. An innumerable number of stars began to twinkle high above him. Ben looked up at the sparkling specks over his head.

His master was right. There was a weight Ben was carrying. And he could not carry it alone any longer.

There was a possibility that he was the last Jedi alive in the galaxy. That the order was extinct and he was all that was left. He did not know Yoda's fate. And the force had become so filled with shadows that he could not sense any light in it. Not until he arrived in Ylisse that is.

He had not focused on it before, but after his discussion with Qui-Gon, he could not help but notice how pure the Force felt here. It felt neither light nor dark. It felt balanced. At peace and in harmony with the world around him. In a strange way, the neutrality here felt right. It felt safe. Very much like the Jedi Temple before Order 66.

Maybe it was time for Ben to finally reveal who he was. The Shepherd's trusted him. It was only right that he trusted them in turn. Ben got to his feet and glanced over at the palace. More specifically to a room near the top floor.

"Talk to someone I trust." Ben muttered to himself.

He stepped into the palace. Made his way through the warmly lit halls. Strolled past the guards. One gave him a smile as he walked by. One guard he passed saluted him. And Ben had to laugh. That was a gesture he had not been expecting to ever receive again.

He climbed the stairs that led to the top floor then strode down the hall to a set of large, white double doors. Ben raised his knuckles and took a deep breath.

His heart was thumping in his chest. He could feel his stomach rising then falling. In a moment of surging anxiety, he let his hand fall to the side.

Ben shook his head, cursed, and shook his arms at his side.

"Just knock on the door, Ben. It's that easy." He exhaled and began to pace back and forth, "Emmeryn… no, your highness… no, no too formal. Um…" He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned, "Jedi training. Fully prepared me to for political negotiations and battle, but did me no favors in the realm of casual social interaction with the opposite sex." He drew another deep breath, "I hate being twenty years old again." He turned to face the door and brought his hand up to knock.

Just as his knuckles were about to tap the door, it cracked open.

"Ben?" Emmeryn said from the other side before opening the door wider, "Is everything alright?"

"Um…" Ben's eyes looked up and down at the Exalt.

It was the first time he realized just how beautiful Emmeryn was. She had a grace to her that stunned the Jedi. Her poise was serene yet confident. Ben suppressed the urge to gulp.

She was so much like Satine. And yet, not like her at the same time. They both carried themselves with grace and confidence. But there were distinct differences. Satine shied away from conflict. Abhorred it due to the horrors she experienced during Mandalorian Civil War. Emmeryn shared the late duchess's desire for peace, but she did not push conflict away. She understood the necessity of conflict. The need to stand strong in the face of a belligerent enemy. Emmeryn understood conflict. While she did not like it, and by all accounts she despised it as much as Satine did, she knew it was often times unavoidable. And her steady hand leading her people during the dark opening of the war with Plegia proved this to Ben.

It caused a sense of admiration to build up in the Jedi.

"Can-um- do you have a minute to talk?" Ben asked.

Emmeryn smiled, "I always have a minute for one of Chrom's shepherds." She let Ben in and shut the door behind him, "What is on your mind?"

Ben followed her over to a set of chairs in front of a small fireplace. He sank down into one of the chairs. Emmeryn flopped into her own seat. Not a shred of grace in her movement. And Ben had to suppress a laugh as she relaxed into her seat.

Yes, she and Lissa were certainly sisters.

"Tired?" Ben asked.

"Very." Emmeryn replied as she rested her head on her hand, "It seems like this war leaves no time for rest. I don't think I've slept more than five hours in the past few nights."

Ben nodded, "I understand the feeling."

Emmeryn raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

Ben looked over at Emmeryn. He felt captivated by her. In a way he had not felt since he had been Satine's protector during the Mandalorian Civil War. Her blue eyes held a warmth to them that comforted the tired Jedi.

Yes, now was the time to stop hiding. He was stranded on this world. Maybe it was time to call it home. The Empire was not here. He did not have to hide from the Emperor. He could find Luke and settle down. Maybe teach a new generation of Jedi.

Maybe start a new life.

"Emmeryn I-" Ben froze.

A warning surged through the force. A danger was approaching that was so profound that it caused Ben to lose his own words. The serenity of the Force in Ylisstol was disturbed by the dark side of the force. Like a rock being thrown into a pond, the aftereffects of the intrusion rippled through Ben's mind.

He stretched out with the Force. Trying to learn where this danger was coming from. Ben furrowed his brow in concentration.

"Ben, what's wrong?"

His eyes flicked over to the window. Just in time to see a flash of steel.

"DOWN!"

Ben tackled Emmeryn to the floor. Just as they hit the wooden floor, an arrow crashed through the window and slammed into the back of Emmeryn's chair. The rest of the window shattered just after the arrow's impact. A enemy clad in black clothes and armor, his face covered by a mask, brandished a sword and charged at Emmeryn.

Ben shoved himself off of the floor. He did not draw his rapier. Instead he grabbed the man with the force and pushed him back out of the window. With a terrified cry, the attacker plummeted to his death.

Emmeryn stared at Ben. Face pale and eyes wide.

"Ben…"

"Assassins. They're in the palace." Ben said as he helped Emmeryn to her feet.

He gripped her hand and drew his rapier with the other.

"Is there somewhere safe we can go?" Ben asked her, urgency filling his voice.

Emmeryn's mind raced. Then she gasped, "The council room. There is only one way in."

Ben nodded, "Then that is where we are going." He pulled her from her room just as another assassin burst in through the window.

Ben slammed the door shut behind him and began to sprint with Emmeryn down the hall. The Exalt uttered a terrified cry when they passed a group of Ylissean guards whose throats had been cut.

"Don't look at them. Just keep running." Ben barked.

Emmeryn swallowed hard and continued running. They duo descended a flight of stairs then turned a corner.

"There she is!"

Ben skidded to a halt as they crossed paths with a trio of assassins. He let go of Emmeryn's hand and charged at the assassins. The enemy was taken off guard by his aggressive approach. They were even more surprised by the speed at which Ben moved.

He called on the Force. Using it to bolster his speed and strength. He could not afford to get bogged down in a battle with Emmeryn's life in danger. His rapier flashed and in a quick flurry of strikes two of the assassins fell dead. The third's eyes widened and he stumbled backwards. The man tripped over his own cloak and landed hard on the ground.

Ben pointed his rapier at the assassin's neck.

"WAIT! WAIT!" The assassin cried as he raised his hands, "I'm not the enemy!"

"You're with the assassins." Ben growled.

"A-assassins?" The man yanked his mask from his face, revealing short red hair and a terrified, pale face. He looked past Ben and saw Exalt Emmeryn. His eyes widened in understanding, "Oh shit! That's what the mission is!? I-I… cross my heart, hope to die, I swear I thought we were just swiping some valuables. I'm not here to kill anyone."

"You're a thief?" Emmeryn gasped.

The man cringed, "Procurer of rare goods." He corrected, "But I did not sign up to kill anyone!" he gulped as Ben's rapier pressed against his throat, "Hey! Hey! Easy! I can help! I can take you to the guy commanding this whole operation."

Ben narrowed his eyes, "Yes, you are going to help. But not by doing that." He yanked the thief to his feet and held him by the collar of his shirt, "You are going to help by leading us along a path that isn't crawling with assassins."

The man cringed, "That's a tall order, sir."

Ben frowned.

"But not impossible!" The man declared, "I can lead you and the Exalt to safety."

"And how do I know you won't double cross us?" Ben asked.

"Um…." The man chuckled, "I'm a thief. I value one thing and one thing only."

"Gold?" Emmeryn asked.

"Well… two things then." The man replied, "I'll do it and I won't double cross you." He pointed behind at the floor, "Free reign of the sweets pantry and I'm yours."

Ben felt one of his eyes beginning to twitch.

"You are selling out your comrades for candy?"

"I never said they were my comrades." The thief replied defensively, "Well, there is one that is kind of a friend. If we run into him, I would appreciate it if you didn't kill him. He's a good kid. Caught up with the wrong people."

"Like you?"

"Exactly!" The thief smiled, "So… do we have a deal?"

Ben let out an exasperated sigh. When did this become a negotiation?

"You better make up your mind quick." The thief warned, "Because there are more coming up the stairs."

Ben scowled. He had no choice. He gave the thief a small nod.

"Lead on."

The thief grinned, "Follow me. Step where I step, both of you. And don't make a sound." He paused as he crouched low to the ground, "Um… where are we going?"

"The council chambers." Emmeryn answered.

"Ah." The thief bobbed his head, "Smart. That rich person education isn't a joke after all." He began to tiptoe through the shadows with Ben and Emmeryn in tow, "So I know her Highness's name, but not yours." He glanced back at Ben.

"I thought you said we could not make a sound?" Ben reminded with a frown.

The thief snorted, "Fine. Be like that. I'll trust you with my name." He turned and held out his hand, "Gaius."

Ben glowered at Gaius. The thief lowered his hand.

"You've got trust issues man."

"Excuse me for believing the saying; there is no honor among thieves."

"Ouch! That hurt my feelings."

….

Robin sprinted down the many stone walkways that led from the back of the palace to the Shepherd's barracks. His legs pumping hard and fast as he rushed areas where guards should have been posted. He drew his blade as he ran.

Where were the palace guards? Why were they all missing? Robin grit his teeth and slid around a corner. Right into a group of armored assassins.

"Oh shit!" He cried before ducking below a brutal ax swing.

He remembered his training with Ben. There were multiple opponents. Focus on your their movements instead of your own. Keep the blade work simple but effective. Gain leverage.

Robin flicked his blade up into the ax-man's chest. The assassin cried out then fell to the ground. Robin tripped as his blade got stuck in the enemy. As he fell to the ground, he let go of his sword, drew his spell book, and flicked the pages open.

A ball of charged electricity crackled in his hand. A bolt of brilliant yellow lightning boomed from his palm through the second assassin. The attack collided with the stone walls of the palace, sending shards of stone flying through the air. He fell into a roll and hopped back up to his feet.

The final assassin swung a sword at Robin's head. He ducked beneath the blade and swung a hook at the man's abdomen.

His fist bounced off of leather and muscle.

"Ouch!" Robin yelped before jumping away from a deadly slash.

He shook his hand. The knuckles and fingers throbbed as he clenched his fist. He turned to another page in his spell book. A single flame burst to life in his hand. Just as he was about to fire it at his opponent, the assassin barreled into him.

The air rushed out from Robin's lungs as he hit the ground with a dull thud. His head swam and his heart raced as he struggled to catch his breath. He felt the spell book get punched from his grasp. Above him, his assassin straddled him. Pinning his legs down before raising his sword up to deliver a death blow. Robin's eyes went wide as the sword plunged down at his chest.

This is it then? Robin thought as squeezed his eyes shut. Waiting for the sharp pain that would precede his demise.

But it never came. Instead, he heard a muffled cry. The sound of flesh being torn. Panicked screams. A chomp. Then what sounded like padded footfalls softly stepping towards him.

Robin cracked an eye open.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL!" He cried.

Standing over him, scowl on her face, was a humanoid woman. She had the same facial and body features of a woman. Except there was a lot more hair. Small tufts of soft, dark hair ran along her forearms. A little puff of fur was attached to the small of her back. Her body was covered by a peculiar armor that Robin could not place. There were linear markings on her face. A few hidden beneath a mane of long, brown hair. Then there were the most striking feature of the woman's appearance. The long, rabbit like ears that protruded from the sides of her head.

"Is that how you are going to thank me, man-spawn?" The woman, rabbit thing, snarled. Displaying teeth that were stained a sickly pink color.

Robin's face paled. He looked behind the rabbit woman and saw the assassin he was fighting. The man's body was twisted into a pretzel with a large chunk of flesh ripped from his throat. The tactician swallowed hard and looked back at the rabbit woman.

"Uh… th-thanks?" He stammered.

The woman huffed. Her long ears twitched upright for a moment, "You are nervous man-spawn."

"Oh, really? How'd you guess?" Robin sassed as he scrambled to his feet.

"Your heart is racing. Before it was beating particularly fast, but now, at my presence, you have a primal fear coursing through you."

Robin shrugged, doing his best to not appear afraid, "It's uh- not everyday that you run into a rabbit lady."

The woman frowned at Robin. She looked like she wanted to fiercely argue with Robin's statement. But her ears twitched again.

"The fighting has begun inside of the palace." She said, "You have friends in there?"

Robin raised his eyebrows. Were the Shepherds already aware of what was going on? If so, how? Who told them that assassins had entered the palace grounds and were attempting to kill Chrom, Lissa, and the Exalt?

An explosion ripped through the air. A side of the palace was engulfed in a fiery blaze. Chunks of the white stone walls crashed to the earth with loud booms.

"Come man-spawn, there is no time." The rabbit woman barked.

The woman brushed her hand over a small, stone orb that she carried in a pouch. Before Robin's very eyes, she began to transform. The humanoid woman became encased in a strange stone orb for a few moments. Then the orb seemingly shattered. In place of the woman was a giant rabbit. The rabbit sniffed at Robin.

Robin blinked, "What in Naga's name-"

Before he could finish speaking, the rabbit grabbed him with its teeth and flung him onto it's massive back. Robin yelped then grabbed the rabbit's fur as it sprinted towards the main palace doors.

The doors were shattered. Bashed inwards, splintered, and charred by fire magic. The guards that had been assigned to stand watch lay in bloody heaps near their posts. Robin grimaced, the assassins were making quick progress in eliminating any opposition. A disturbing prospect to say the least.

The rabbit surged around a corner and down a hallway before skidding to a stop.

Four assassins were in the hallways, and engaging them was Stahl and Sully. The two warriors struggling to fend of the much more nimble enemy.

"Hold on, Man-spawn." The rabbit spoke to Robin.

Robin grit his teeth and gripped the fur tighter. The rabbit jumped over Sully and Stahl, clawed feet snapping out at two of the assassins. The claws ripped through leather armor and tore into the flesh. The other two assassins backpedaled away from the massive rabbit and her tactician rider. Before they could regain their wits, Robin shot two fire spells at them. Setting them ablaze and sending them screaming away.

The rabbit skidded to a halt. It then stood up on its hind legs, causing Robin to fall unceremoniously to the floor. In a flash of light, the rabbit reverted back to her more human form.

"Robin!" Sully called as she and Stahl rushed up to the tactician.

Robin dusted off his coat as he got to his feet.

"Sully, Stahl, how did you-"

"Know someone was trying to kill us all?" Stahl replied, "We didn't. Not until one of the assassins broke into the barracks and warned us all, that is."

Robin drew back in surprise, "There is a double agent among them?"

Sully nodded, "Yeah. Some scrawny, blonde kid. Said his name was Kage. He then told us that assassins were trying to kill the Exalt and they were already in the palace. Needless to say, Lissa and Sumia were out the door faster than I could blink. Both of those girls were hellbent on following the kid. Said he knew where the Exalt would be and that they had a limited amount of time before the assassins found her."

"The rest of us charged into the palace as soon as we grabbed our weapons." Stahl continued, "Vaike went with Miriel towards the western wing of the palace. Something to do with mages in that area. Virion went towards the walls. He wanted a vantage point. Managed to pick of some enemy bowmen in the process. Ricken, Maribelle, and Kellam are holding the main gate into the palace."

"And Frederick?" Robin asked.

"Charged towards the east wing. Where we were heading before we got cut off by those guys." Sully explained while gesturing to the fallen assassins with her sword.

Robin frowned, "Just how many assassins managed to get in?"

"More than two dozen, by my count so far, Man-spawn. Though there could be more. I only caught a glimpse of their operation when I slipped in." The rabbit woman stated.

Stahl gave the woman a puzzled look. Sully meanwhile grinned before punching Stahl in the shoulder.

"Quit your staring. We got assassins to kill."

"R-right."

"Sully, Stahl, try to catch up with Frederick. I'm going with," Robin glanced at the rabbit woman, "What is your name?"

"You may call me Panne, man-spawn."

"Right. I'm going with Panne towards the Exalt's tower. Maybe we can find her before any assassins reach her. Naga help us if that happens. No one is there to defend her."

"Actually, I saw Ben going towards the palace as the sun set." Sully uttered a light hearted chuckled, "Maybe paying a visit to his little crush, eh? If he's with her, then she ain't defenseless."

Robin let out a sigh of relief. Ben was the one person missing in all of this so far. If he was with Exalt Emmeryn, then Sully was right. She would not be an easy target after all. Ben had abilities that Robin could scarcely fathom. And his skills with a sword were beyond anyone's save for Lon'qu and maybe Chrom.

"Still, we need to make our way to her." Robin noted.

"I already intended to do so." Panne explained, "My warren owes a debt. And I am here to repay it."

Robin gave her a grim nod, "No time to lose then. Let's get moving!"

Sully and Stahl nodded then sprinted towards the east wing of the palace. Both hoping to run into a still alive and kicking Frederick. Robin suspected they would eventually run into Chrom and Marth at some point. He and Chrom were near that end of the palace grounds when the assassination attempt began. Robin sprinted towards the stairs along with Panne. Both hoping they could reach the Exalt's chambers before any assassins could.

As they charged up the stairs, Robin could not help but feel his mind wandering to the double agent among the assassins? Was he a Ylissean spy implanted within the Plegians? Or was he a lone actor? Someone with a hidden agenda in all of this?

There was no time to think of the answers to those questions. Robin and Panne reached the top of the first flight of stairs. Waiting for them were two leather clad assassins. In between those assassins was tall, thin man with flowing black and purple robes lined with gold. His sharp, narrow eyes sparkled with malice as he saw the tactician and rabbit woman reach the end of the stairs.

Robin grimaced. The way that man in the robes was looking at him was strange. It was as if he recognized who Robin was. Like he had seen a ghost. His eyes had widened momentarily before his thin lips parted into a triumphant grin.

"Fortune does smile on me this day." The man grinned before opening a black spell book in his right hand.

Robin's hands flew to his own spell book. A ball of sinister, black magic rocketed towards Robin from his opponent's open palm. Robin just managed to fire off a wind spell, sending the dark magic careening into a nearby wall. The palace shuddered as the two spells impacted.

His opponent's eyes gleamed with delight, "Still strong, aren't you?"

Robin narrowed his eyes. This guy knew something about him. And he was among the Plegian assassins. Now Robin had two goals. Stop this mad sorcerer, and get answers from him.

"Panne keep moving. I'll handle him." Robin said, his voice low as he gathered mana into his body.

Panne nodded, transformed, and dashed towards the sorcerer and his two comrades. The two assassins fell to Panne's claws quickly. The sorcerer attempted to cast a nasty Flux spell on Panne, but Robin regained his attention with a well placed fire spell. The Sorcerer gave Robin a furious glare.

"Insolent brat." He snarled.

Robin pointed at him, "You're fight is with me. No one else."

The sorcerer chuckled darkly, "Is it now? Unfortunately, you are not the first to cross paths with me tonight."

He pointed to a shattered doorway on the right. Robin swallowed and looked inside. His heart stopped in his chest.

Lying in the shattered remains of the door, was Sumia. Her eyes closed. One arm twisted in the wrong direction. Her armor blackened by a spell blast. Beside her was Lissa. The young princess knelt beside the fallen Pegasus Knight. Her eyes wide with fear. A bloody gash beneath her right eye. Despite her fear, her healing staff was glowing a bright green color. The princess calling on her cleric training to try and heal Sumia as much as she could.

Robin grit his teeth and put himself between the sorcerer and the room.

"You seek to protect them!?" The sorcerer laughed, "Foolish boy. You cannot protect anyone. Least of all your precious friends. Once I've dealt with you, they will die. And you will know that you have failed."

Robin narrowed his eyes.

"You will try." He growled.

The pages in Robin's spell book blurred in his right hand. Mana coursed through Robin's body. Pooling inside of the book then channeling through his veins and into his open palm. The pages froze on a new spell. An arc class spell. Robin uttered a furious roar, opened his palm.

A torrent of lightning flashed from his hand. And the battle began.

And chapter! Cutting it off here. I feel like this little arc will flow a little better if I try not to jam everything into as few chapters as possible. It'll allow me to add a little more detail to everything. Also, I've gone back a reread my past few chapters. Yeah… I really suck at proofreading and editing my own stuff. Always have, even in elementary school. I'm definitely going to make a much bigger effort at addressing those in future chapters. I also plan on going back and correcting any spelling errors and stuff like that in future. But for now, I just want to get everything written down for the story ahead. Before I lose my train of thought and get caught in a massive writer's block rut again. Anyways, we have Gaius selling his allegiance for access to the palace sweets. A double agent among the Plegian assassins. The arrival of our favorite Taguel, Panne. And a showdown between Robin and Validar. The next chapter is going to be actions packed!

But I am going to warn you all ahead of time, the next chapter will be delayed a little bit. Not for lack of ideas or anything like that, but for lack of time. Life wanted to throw another curveball and me and family are packing and moving again (Endless I know. It's exhausting.) But this move is going get the family to a much better, more secure place financially. So it's well worth it. With that being said, I've purchase an apple keyboard so that I can try to type on my phone or tablet (my computer is a five year old Chromebook and even with WiFi it gets fussy). But I can't make any promises as to when the next chapter will appear. Hopefully it won't be too long of a delay. I'm having way to much fun with this one to sit on it.

Anways, let me know what you guys think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!