The Force's Shepherds
Chapter 56
Lucina
Marth pressed her back against the cold, stone wall. Her eyes darted up to the ramparts above her. She could see several sentries on patrol on top of Fort Stieger's immense walls. She flicked her eyes back down to look at the main gate only a few dozen feet away from her. Heavily guarded as well. At least a dozen foot soldiers all armed to the teeth and all of them carrying a shield bigger than she was.
Knocking and asking if she could enter was no longer an option. That left one way into the Fort. She had to find a way to scale the walls. Which would be a monumental task for anyone. Damn near impossible for her. But the sheer enormity of the challenge in front of her would not stop her. She sensed the boy in the fortress. His small signature in the force felt so bright. A stark contrast to how it felt when he grew up.
She managed to narrow the Prince's location down to the western tower. Which was on the other side of the immense fortress. She could not risk getting any closer to that tower. No doubt there were sentries watching from the very top. Such a high profile prisoner would be placed under the highest security. No one, except a select few individuals, could get near him.
Marth frowned. The walls were completely smooth. No handholds or footholds for her to use. There would be only one she could scale them. But she would definitely draw attention to herself that way. Her hand brushed against the sword lent to her by Yen'fay's captain.
At least I'm armed now. She took a deep breath, Here goes nothing.
She closed her eyes and called on the Force. It's power surged through her veins. She recoiled a little bit but steadied herself just as quickly. She inhaled another deep breath then jumped.
The force bolstered her jump. It's power shot her high into the air. She could see the top of the wall getting closer.
Her momentum slowed. Marth's eyes widened. She was not going to reach the top. And it was a very long fall down. With a desperate cry, she reached out and snagged the edge of the wall with her hand.
A jolt shot down her arm when she caught herself. She bit back a strangled cry. Soldiers already were shouting some alarmed cries. They had heard her cry out. She cursed under her breath.
I hate being stealthy!
It took all of her strength to pull her slender body up over the edge of the wall. She rolled onto her back once she made it over. Marth rewarded her efforts with a weak fist pump and a small, pain filled sigh.
Armor clanked nearby. Adrenaline shot through her. She needed to move, now!
Marth rolled to her feet and sprinted over to a dark alcove next to the East Tower. Just as she reached the alcove, the door beside her burst open. Two soldiers strutted out. One male, one female. Both wielded tall lances. Their red, imperial army clanked loud in the otherwise quiet night.
"I heard the scream over here." The woman said as she eyed the edges of the wall.
"You're just hearing things again." Her companion replied.
Marth moved as silent as a mouse. She stopped the tower door from closing behind them with the edge of her foot. As quietly as she could, Marth pulled the door open again. Just as it was getting wide enough for her to slip through, the hinges creaked.
Kriff!
"Behind you!" The woman cried as she leveled her lance at Marth.
The man turned just in time for Marth's boot to connect with his jaw. He spun around and flopped into a heap onto the stone wall. Before the woman could even react, Marth kicked her legs out from under her. She brought her elbow crashing down on her helm as soon as the guard hit the floor. The metal rang as it smashed into the stone. The second guard lay still.
More soldiers started stirring in the courtyard below. Time was of the essence now. Marth rushed across the wall towards the western tower. When she reached the door, it swung open, nearly smacking right into head in the process. And while Marth managed to narrowly avoid getting knocked out by a door, she did not managed to avoid running into the fat man that came stumbling out of the West Tower.
She fell hard on her rump. Marth hissed in pain. Across from her, the fat, greasy man also ended up flat on his back. Hands pressed over his nose.
"Damn idiot! You headbutted my nose!"
Marth shook the haze from her own mind and jumped to her feet at the same time as the fat man. His appearance looked hideous. Greasy black hair sat on top of his head. Fat, pink lips covered her face. Dark beady eyes stared at her with rage and contempt. Rolls of fat sat beneath his chin. In short, he was revolting.
"Wait a second!" He pointed a meaty finger at her, "You're not one of my guards!"
Marth drew her sword and pointed the tip at the man's throat, "Take me to him."
The fat man started to sweat as he felt cold steel touch his bare skin, "Uh... to who?
"The Prince. The one you kidnapped." Marth narrowed her eyes. She took a step forward and allowed the sword to prick his skin. Drawing a small bead of blood in the process, "I will not ask twice."
He swallowed hard, "F-follow me."
The fat man backed up slowly. Marth inched forward with him. Never letting her blade leave its spot beside his throat. She nodded for him to carefully turn around and lead her to Prince Kage. As he turned, she pressed the tip of her blade against the back of his neck.
"Walk." She growled.
She heard the man audibly gulp before moving forward.
The spiral staircase leading to the top of the tower seemed endless. Marth could already feel exhaustion taking her. She had pushed her body so hard recently. Neglecting any chance to fully recover her strength. The hunt for Kage was too important. She could not allow his trail to go cold. Not even for one second. If she did, he would disappear forever. And any chance of dealing justice on the traitor would disappear with him.
"You are making an enormous mistake." The fat man said as he carefully walked up the stairs, "Do you have any idea who I am?"
Marth scowled, "Do I look I care?"
Beads of sweat rushed down the man's face, "N-no. But still, maybe we can introduce ourselves. After all, that is the only polite thing to do. M-my name is Excellus. And you are?"
"Walhart the Conqueror." Marth replied with no shortage of sarcasm.
Excellus snorted, "Well I must say Walhart, you have really lost weight." He started to nervously chuckle, "I slay me. Not in the same way that you are probably thinking right now. But- oh look! Here we are."
He stopped in front of a reinforced wooden door. More than one lock sealed the door closed. Excellus swallowed hard.
"The prince is in there."
Marth narrowed her eyes, "Unlock it."
"W-well," Excellus stammered, "The p-problem with that is I don't exactly have the keys on me right now. They're in my study. If you just let me go and fetch them I can-"
Marth rolled her eyes and called upon the Force again. It took a lot of focus and effort, but she eventually managed to gather enough power in order to push the door off of its hinges. Excellus's eyes bulged from his skull as the door fell to the ground with an enormous boom.
"Or you can just do that." Excellus gulped. He tensed as Marth pressed the steel harder into his back.
"Stay put. If you move a muscle, I will know."
She kept her eyes trained on the worm for a moment longer, then she turned into the room.
A little boy sat in the corner. Terrified blue eyes stared at her. Small tears dripped down the toddler's cheeks as he trembled in the dark. His clothes were filthy. Hair covered in dirt. He looked so small. Underfed despite his royal status. The sight made Marth shake with fury.
"How could you-"
A thunder spell smashed into her back. Marth flew across the room and slammed into the opposite wall. Stars danced over her eyes as she struggled to stay conscious.
"Oops!" Excellus chirped, "Did that hurt you? I'm sorry. I meant for it to instantly kill you."
Marth grit her teeth and surged to her feet. Just in time to see another thunder spell charging across the room. She gasped and ducked to the side. The bolt of lighting collided with the stone wall. Shards of rock exploded around the room. Showering every little inch with bits of rock and dust.
"You are tougher than you look, Walhart." Excellus said with a maniacal cackle, "Perhaps a darker spell will finish you off."
Black magic danced in his hands. Marth's eyes widened. He was risking that kind of spell in here! With Prince Kage so close by! Marth did not have time to think. Only time to move. She dashed across the room at the terrified toddler.
A spell cracked at her. Marth slid beneath the deadly black and purple magic. She rolled back to her feet, scooped up Kage, and twirled around to face Excellus.
"Congratulations." He chuckled evilly, "You have successfully grabbed the prince. Wherever shall you go now?" He pointed a open palm at her as the pages in his spell book turned.
Damn I'm a careless idiot. I should have suspected he was a mage.
Marth's eyes flicked back at the hole in the tower wall. It might be just big enough. She smirked at Excellus.
"Out the window." She replied.
Excellus arched an eyebrow, "Out what... wait... WINDOW!?"
Marth shot back across the room. Her one arm cradled Kage as she dove through the hole in the wall.
They fell for a few seconds. During those few seconds, Marth managed to spin around so that she would take the brunt of the impact. She called on the Force and prayed that she would be able to command it in time. She felt that familiar buzz around her body. But it would not be enough. She might survive hitting the ground. But the force of her impact would greatly wound her. There would be no escape at that point.
Kage whimpered. Marth felt a surge of power rush from the boy's small body. The Force wrapped around both of them like a protective shell.
Their descent slowed just enough. When she hit the ground, it did not kill her. But Naga above did it hurt. Marth coughed loud and felt some ribs shift.
"It is always the ribs." She groaned.
She could hear Excellus screaming for soldiers to capture her and Kage already. There was no time to recover. Marth grit her teeth, ignored the pain she felt, and adjusted her hold on Kage.
The toddler no longer sobbed. Instead, he gave Marth a curious look. His curiosity was only matched by the boy's apparent concern for her. He had always been so intelligent. Even when she first met him. It only made sense for him to be just as smart as a toddler. Marth let out a dry laugh.
"It has been a while since you gave me that look." She breathed as she sprinted into the safety of the nearby forest.
"Milord!"
Chrom jumped and managed to smack his head into the top of his desk. A long groan left his lungs as pain lanced through the back of his head. He poked his head up from beneath his desk and saw Frederick giving him a puzzled look from the doorway to his study.
"Yes, Frederick?"
The Knight arched an eyebrow, "Dare I ask what you are doing?"
Chrom rolled his eyes. He had been in the middle of filling out some rather important paperwork. While he was working on it, he managed to drop his pen beneath his desk. And he was having a damn difficult time finding it. New trade agreements had to be made between Regna Ferox and Ylisse. Khan Flavia wanted a small discount when it came to Ylissean swords. That required making deals with the various merchant guilds and smiths to lower their prices when the crown purchased their wares. Tedious negotiations that Chrom despised engaging in. During those moments he wished Robin and Ben had stuck around Ylisstol. They understood people and politics far better than he ever could.
How did manage to become a mildly successful ruler again?
"I dropped my pen." Chrom sighed as he ducked his head beneath the desk and started searching again.
Frederick cleared his throat, "Well milord, you may want to delay your search."
"Why?" Chrom asked as he knelt beneath the hard, wooden desk once again.
"Your wife is currently in labor."
"WHAT!?"
Chrom surged to his feet and managed to bash the back of his head against the desk again. He let out a loud, pain filled howl.
"Milord!? Are you alright?" Frederick gasped.
"No! I'm currently both panicking and in pain!" Chrom jumped over his desk as he rubbed the back of his head. He stopped his frantic rush out the door, "Where is Sumia right now?"
Frederick gave Chrom a puzzled look, "In your room of course."
Chrom shot out of his study and sprinted down the hall. Frederick blinked then rushed after him.
"You could have informed me about this with a little more urgency, Frederick!" Chrom sighed.
"I felt fetching a midwife as well as a pair of healers were more important."
"Well yeah! They are important. But you could have actually told me what was going on instead of asking what the hell I was doing!?"
"I thought you would have already heard about it milord."
"I work in private Frederick. Do you really think anyone would disturb me while I'm trying to figure out politics and trade?"
"You make a fair point there."
"Thank you!" Chrom barked back.
He raced around a corner. The Exalt's personal chambers were at the end of the hall. The white doors briefly opened then closed as Libra stepped out of the room.
Chrom skidded to a halt in front of the Priest. He nodded at Libra and moved to enter his room. But Libra's shockingly strong hand stopped him.
"I apologize your grace, but I cannot allow you to enter." Libra said.
Chrom felt some frustration bubble up, "Why not?"
Frederick cleared his throat, "It is both traditional and ethical for the man to remain waiting while the woman gives birth. This done for-"
"I don't care who it is done for, I'm going in there." Chrom surged past Libra and burst into the room, "Tradition be damned! Lissa is right in that regard."
His eyes fell on Sumia. All color rushed from his face. The ruler of Ylisse's eyes widened to an impossible size as Sumia let out a blood curdling scream.
"You didn't let me finish, milord." Frederick stepped inside, "The tradition is in place because most prospective fathers cannot handle the process of-"
Chrom fell face first to the floor.
"-childbirth."
"My hero." Sumia breathed sarcastically before uttering another ear piercing scream. Lissa held the Queen's hand. Even though Sumia's grip grew ever tighter, Lissa did not complain.
"Deep breaths, Sumia. Deep breaths." Lissa said before glancing over Frederick picking an unconscious Chrom up off of the floor and placing him on a nearby chair, "Oh come on! He can handle the sight of dead bandits. He doesn't feel sick looking at blood and guts. But seeing a baby's head popping out of his own wife does him in."
The midwife glanced over at the young Princess.
"To be fair, it is rather unpleasant to look at."
Sumia let out another loud scream. Lissa gulped and cringed as Sumia's hand squeezed tighter than a vice.
"GET IT OUT OF ME ALREADY!"
Chrom's eyes slowly blinked open. It was noon when he initially entered the bedroom in order to be beside Sumia as she gave birth. Now, the sun had started to set. Warm orange rays of sunlight streamed in through the massive, floor to ceiling window that sat across from the main bedchamber. Painting the entire room in large, soft shadows and warm tones. He blinked some haze from his eyes and rubbed a hand over his face.
"Ugh." He groaned, "What happened?"
He heard Sumia utter a soft chuckle nearby, "You became a little squeamish."
Chrom's head snapped up. His beautiful wife looked exhausted. But she also appeared absolutely radiant. There was a small blush on her cheeks as he stared at her. Then his eyes fell to a small bundle of blankets cradled in her slender arms.
His heart hammered in his chest. Chrom barely even noticed his body rise from the chair and stride over to her bedside. It felt like he floated across the room. Sumia gave him a tired, but overjoyed smile as he took a seat on her bedside.
Inside of the little bundle of soft blankets was the most beautiful person Chrom had ever laid eyes upon. A small snore left the baby's lips. Chrom's lips parted into a wide grin.
"Wow." He breathed.
"She couldn't stay awake to say hi." Sumia smiled, "So you'll just have to wait a little bit."
"She?" Chrom was unable to catch his breath, "I have a daughter?"
Sumia chuckled and nodded, "Yes, you do." She lifted the small bundle from her lap and held her out to Chrom.
With trembling hands, he scooped up his baby girl. He swallowed hard as he looked down on her peaceful face. He took a deep breath and let out a happy laugh.
"You were unconscious when she finally arrived." Sumia said. A long sigh left her lips, "I'm amazed you slept through it actually. She came into the world kicking and screaming. She'll be fighter."
"Oh really?" Chrom chuckled. He looked down at her beautiful, serene face, "So you're going to be a daddy's girl then. Aren't ya?"
"Most definitely." Sumia laughed, "The amount of a fight she put up with the midwife… she would have made you proud."
Chrom uttered a loud laugh, "Did-did you already name her?"
Sumia shook her head, "That is something both of us have to do."
Chrom pursed his lips. He furrowed his brow as he looked down at his daughter. The girl slumbered so silently in his arms. At complete peace with the world around her.
He mulled through some names. The name Emmeryn stuck in his mind for a few moments. But for some reason, the name just did not seem to fit her. Emmeryn was not a fighter. And according to Sumia, this beautiful bundle emerged into the world kicking and screaming. Chrom smirked at his wife.
"For the life of me I can't think of anything."
Sumia rolled her eyes and chuckled some more, "That is better than what I thought you would say."
"What did you think I would say?"
"Lissa bet me that you would want to name her after the one thing you loved more than anything else."
"You?" Chrom beamed.
"Falchion."
Chrom blinked, "Well," He cleared his throat, "There is that too. But I don't think that'll work for her."
Sumia laughed softly, "I like the name Lucina."
Chrom glanced up at his wife, "Lucina?"
He looked down at his daughter. At that moment, her little eyes cracked open. Bright, blue irises glanced up at him. Full of innocence and curiosity. Chrom's breath caught in his throat.
"Hey there, Lucina." He breathed, "I'm your Papa."
He peered a little closer. To his enormous pride, he saw the Brand of the Exalt sitting in the pupil of her left eye. Just barely visible to the naked eye. A faint outline more than anything else. But it was there. And it made Chrom's heart soar.
Just as Chrom was about to talk to Sumia again, the doors to their room burst open.
"Uncle Vaike has arrived!" The large, blond haired man cheered, an enormous grin plastered all over his face. Over his shoulder sat an enormous present wrapped up in paper normally meant for the harvest festival. Sumia uttered a quiet laugh when she saw the orange paper plastered with drawings of smiling pumpkins.
"For goodness sake, would you give them a moment of peace and quiet, Vaike." Miriel huffed in after him.
"They had a long moment already." Vaike shrugged.
Miriel rolled her eyes, "My attempts are met with failure every time. Why do I persist?"
"Because you care too much." Vaike chuckled as he strutted over to Chrom.
Frederick surged into the room, breathing very hard.
"I-I apologize milord, milady!" He panted, "But I tried to hold them off as long as I could and-"
"Where is my niece!?" Lissa cooed as she rushed past Frederick, "I want to see her again!
Lon'qu followed her in complete silence. He folded his arms and leaned against the door. Content to observe everything from afar. Even though he had lived in the Shepherd's barracks for some time now, he was still uncomfortable around women. So much so that he still did his best to maintain as much distance from them as poissible.
Just behind Lon'qu, Nowi rushed inside. The Manakete zipped over to Sumia and Chrom, looked down at Lucina, and flashed the toothiest grin possible.
"She's tiny." Nowi smiled.
"Heh, everyone is when born." Gregor commented as he strode in. The older mercenary stayed near the door. Nowi tried to get him to come closer but Gregor waved her off. "Gregor give the royal baby her space."
"Aw… she's awake." Lissa smiled as she took a seat next to her older brother. "And not screaming. I call that progress." She let out a small sigh. "Maribelle is going be so mad she missed this. She simply could not wait for her to be born. I can guarantee that once Maribelle finds out Lucina is around, she will get her the greatest little welcome to the world present."
"Ha! Teach got her the best present!" Vaike grinned as he set the enormous box down beside the bed.
"The best present! Har!" Sully strutted into the room. The cavalier dragged a wooden rocking horse behind her. "I beg to differ."
The other Shepherds filtered in behind her. Each one carrying their own little gift for the newest member of the Ylissean royal family. Libra found his way beside Lucina at one point and placed a quiet blessing from Naga on her before stepping to the side.
Vaike sputtered, "B-but I got her an ax!"
"You bought a baby an ax?" Miriel pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I'd buy one for my own baby."
"Vaike a dad? Naga help that poor kid when the day comes." Lissa chuckled, she glanced at Miriel, "What about you, Miriel? What did you get my precious niece?"
"Lissa." Chrom uttered a weary sigh, "You all did not have to get her anything."
"Nonsense!" Lissa leaned close to Chrom's ear, "For Naga's sake Chrom, milk the baby card while you can."
"Well," Miriel adjusted her glasses and allowed a small smile to form over her face, "I managed to acquire a rather rare tome regarding the basic properties of magic." She reached into her robes and withdrew an enormous volume that was nearly as big as Lucina, "I hope she enjoys it!"
Vaike arched an eyebrow, "And you complained about the ax?"
Miriel smacked his muscled shoulder. The large man to just chuckled back.
Ricken rushed forward and pulled a much smaller book from his own robes.
"I got her a children's book from the market." He smiled as he passed it to Sumia, "It was actually my favorite when I was growing up."
"Where the Monsters Are." Sumia laughed. A wistful smile crossed her lips, "I remember this book. It gave me my love for reading. My mother and father used to read this to me almost every night."
"I brought her some cake." Stahl said with a sheepish grin.
"She can't eat cake, Stahl." Sully snorted, "But more importantly, what does she think of the rocking horse?"
"I'm sure Lucina will love it," Sumia smiled at Sully, "when she is old enough to ride it."
Frederick uttered an embarrassed cough, "Then I suppose my own gift will have to wait until much later for her."
Chrom gave his Knight-Commander a perplexed look.
"What did you do, Frederick?"
The Knight's eyes shifted from side to side, "I may have bought the princess a pony."
"Wha!" Sully cried, "Damn! That beats all of us."
Over by the door, Lon'qu chuckled a little bit but said nothing. Lissa glanced over at the aloof swordsman.
"What about you, Lon?" She smiled, "Did you-"
"No."
"Eh?"
"When the Princess is old enough to understand and appreciate a gift, I will happily give her one. It can wait until such a time."
Lissa pouted, "You're no fun."
The door to the room opened one more time. The last two shepherds remaining in the Halidom's capitol walked in. Kellam and Cordelia had both been busy attending to their many duties. Kellam had been chosen by Frederick to train the Ylissean infantry while Frederick himself focused on the knights and cavalry. So far, the quiet man had done an admirable job assisting in the rebuild of Ylisse's shattered military. While nowhere near the force it had been before the war with Plegia, Chrom could rest a little easier knowing that the Halidom could defend itself if attacked.
What Cordelia accomplished was nothing short of a miracle. In just under a year, she had managed to recruit and train an entire wing of Pegasus Knights. Twenty new fliers joined the ranks of the Ylissean military. And each one appeared formidable and effective. The new javelins Cordelia designed wreaked havoc in training exercises. Much to the Wing-Commander's delight.
"I hear we have a new addition to our strange family?" Cordelia smiled as Kellam broke off and decided to linger near Lon'qu.
Sumia smiled at her friend, "We do."
She nodded at the bundle of joy in Chrom's arms. Cordelia approached and smiled down at the curious little girl in Chrom's arms.
"Aw," Cordelia said, "She has your face, Sumia." She glanced at Chrom, "But she definitely has daddy's eyes."
Before either royal could reply, Lucina's tiny hand reached up and tugged on a lock of Cordelia's hair. Cordelia uttered a surprised yelp. And the other Shepherds laughed at he expense.
"Looks like red might be her least favorite color." Sully guffawed.
"Hm, do infants see in color?" Miriel rubbed her chin, "Or does that sense develop with time and exposure? Perhaps-"
"Perhaps you should just enjoy spending time with everyone instead of worrying about that science stuff." Vaike grinned as he threw an arm over the small woman's shoulders.
Cordelia eventually managed to get Lucina to let go of her hair. When she did, the Pegasus Knight smoothed her hair back out and laughed a little.
"She is a fighter alright." Cordelia turned her attention to both Sumia and Chrom, "I got her a gift, but it is not ready yet."
"Not ready yet?" Sumia said with some concern.
"Please tell me it is not a baby pegasus." Chrom said.
Cordelia chuckled, "No. Nothing like that. It is just a doll I asked a local artist to make. It will be ready a few days."
"Oh good." Sumia breathed with a sigh of relief, "Something she can actually play with."
"Hey! She can play with the ax." Vaike pointed out.
"Like hell she can!" Sully cried, "It's bigger than she is."
"It'll build her muscles." Vaike replied, "Ain't that right, Miriel? Babies need exercise in order to grow correctly."
"To develop properly, yes. But a baby's physical needs are not the same as a grown man's." Miriel sighed. She turned to Chrom, "Also, your grace, I need to speak with you in private."
Chrom arched an eyebrow. Sumia reached over and rubbed his arm.
"Go on ahead. I think I can handle all of the doting family members." Sumia chuckled.
"This kid is gonna be spoiled rotten." Sully grinned as she peered down at Lucina, "Auntie Sully is going to spoil you rotten. That's right!"
Chrom laughed a little as he handed Lucina back to her mother. With a reluctant sigh, Chrom got to his feet and followed Miriel out to the hall. Once outside, he cast a small glance back inside.
Everyone in there; from big, oafish Vaike to small, studious Ricken; were more than comrades. At this point, after everything they all had been through together, they were a family. Bound together not by blood, but by friendship. Lucina would always be taken care of.
"Chrom."
He returned his attention to Miriel. The mage reached into her robes and withdrew a large stack of papers wrapped in the Ylissean Mage Academy's seal. A concerned look crossed her face as she held it out to him.
"This is the final report."
Chrom eyed the thick wad of paper in her hands. He carefully took it and flicked through the pages. Endless paragraphs and sentences raced by his eyes. It would take days before he could read through it all. But it had to be done. This report was the final report regarding his Father's war with Plegia. The crusade that nearly destroyed both nations.
He gulped and took a deep breath.
"A part of me really hopes Basilio was lying."
He looked up at Miriel. The concern in her eyes had grown. The mage sighed and shook her head.
"Chrom," She took another deep breath, "Khan Basilio withheld a lot of the details from you."
Chrom's face fell, "What do you mean?"
Miriel gulped, "When you go through the report, you will find that your father is was not… he was not a good man beyond these walls. I cannot tell you how many field reports I read that were listed as victorious military engagements when, in reality, they were really village wide massacres." Chrom's face paled as she spoke, "I found records of at least ten massacres that slaughtered over one thousand innocent people. And it is hinted in the archives of both Ylisse and Regna Ferox that there may have been many more. We were not the righteous people in that war. We were the aggressors. We were the evil ones."
"And our war was a direct result of that." Chrom's fingers gripped the pages tight. He could feel some anger burning in him. How could his father order such things? How could any man order the deaths of innocent women and children?
"Did you learn anything on the Plegian perspective?"
Miriel shook her head, "I attempted to reach out to the new King. But he is a secretive fellow. While he replied wishing our investigation well and hoping for peaceful relations; he did not want to unveil anything in his own personal archives. Mostly because those archives are still in the possession of the Grimleal."
"And who knows what they have recorded in those fell vaults." Chrom nodded, "Give me a few days to read this over. When I'm done, I may send correspondence to the Plegian King asking for a meeting."
"I'm not entirely sure how likely you are to succeed. The King mentioned he was still trying to bring the more radical sections of the military and the Grimleal to heel. Those efforts will take time."
Chrom nodded, "Nevertheless, I wish to extend an olive branch. But first," He lifted the report up, "The truth needs to be revealed."
Miriel nodded, "Also, I did attempt to keep tabs on the travels of Robin and Ben."
Chrom's mood visibly brightened at the mention of his old friends.
"How are they? Where are they for that matter?"
Miriel sighed, "That is the thing. The last I heard of them, they were leaving the Eastern Palace maybe two months ago. Apparently the two picked up a pair of new friends that they have deemed worthy of a place in the Shepherds. But I do not know much other than that. They went north into Regna Ferox. Beyond that, I do not know."
Chrom gave her nod, "They will come back eventually. And hopefully, when they do, Ben will have his little boy with him. Lucina could use a good playmate." He placed Miriel's report beneath his arm, "Now then, if you will excuse me, I have a baby girl that I want to absolutely adore."
"Of course. I shall shoo the others out so you can have some time with your family." Miriel suggested.
Chrom smiled back as the pair walked back into the bedroom. Everyone had taken a spot to sit. Either on one of the few chairs that rested near the fireplace and windows, or on the floor.
Ricken and Nowi sat beside each other. Ricken had his spell book open. He hastily scribbled notes as Nowi explained Manakete magic to him as best as she could. Gregor joined Frederick, Lon'qu, and Kellam near the window. The four warriors were discussing the latest batch of recruits. Chrom thought he even heard Gregor offer his services to train the raw batch of men Frederick just signed on.
His stash of gold must be getting low. Chrom thought to himself with a light chuckle.
Lissa and Cordelia doted over Lucina while Sumia cradled his little girl in her arms. The three spoke excitedly about the dresses they could get her once she was old enough. Cordelia seemed more excited about teaching the Princess to fly a pegasus at some point.
Sully stood off to the side with Vaike and Stahl. All three enjoying a slice of cake that Stahl baked for the special occasion. Chrom's lips parted into a broad smile as he crossed the room and took a seat beside Sumia. He pecked her cheek and glanced back at Miriel.
"No need to do that, Miriel." Chrom wrapped an arm around Sumia's shoulders, "There are a few exceptions, but-"
His mind briefly dwelled on Robin, Ben, and the others that traveled with him. He felt certain they were safe and sound. And they would return home soon. He hoped.
"The entire family is here."
And chapter. This was a nice little chapter. We got Marth getting to baby Kage first. Wonder how that is going to work with both older Kage and Equus on the hunt. We're bound to have some sort of confrontation there. And we also get a nice little family moment with the other Shepherds. Princess Lucina has been born too!
Now, as for the next few chapters, they are going to have some plot advancement. Not going to lie though, there is a lot of little holes I need to patch up before getting back to the more plot heavy stuff. There is going to be a lot of filling in some gaps for our other characters before we finally head over to the Valm arc. Such as Aversa's situation. The other Shepherds and their little shenanigans. The Hierophant and his scheming. Say'ri, Yen'fay, and their mission to rescue their little brother. Ben and co. search continuing for a little bit longer. And don't forget, Vader and Thrawn are on the hunt as well. So many different story arcs going at once. Now I gotta tie them back all together. This is going to be fun!
Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!