Chapter 2: Showdown in the Border
Morning immediately arose as the shepherds made their way towards the border between Ylisse and Regna Ferox. They have marched for a couple of hours and only Robin seems to be having trouble catching his breath with the cold air not making it any better.
"Uh-hu Uh-hu Uh-hu."
He took a moment to catch his breath placing his hands on his hips bending forward. There was a voice in the back.
"Robin. You feeling alright?"
He stood up straight.
"Umm Yes, Chrom I'm fine," Still taking heavy breaths.
"Should I give you a piggy back ride?" Stopping in front of Robin.
Robin felt a little uncomfortable. "I don't think that is necessary."
Chrom gave a faint laugh. "Maybe once this whole thing is done, you should train with Frederick so he can whip you up into shape."
Just the thought made Robin worry for all he is going to be doing. Waking up early before the sun and everyone else, starting with one hundred push-ups and ten laps around the castle immediately after. Who knows what he has in store. Frederick doesn't joke around when it comes to physical fitness. The day before the shepherds dispatched for the journey, he was able to observe his training methods with the recruits down at the training area in the castle. At a quick glance, everyone looked as if they were about to collapse except for Frederick who seemed to be enjoying himself.
"Uuhh I'll think about that." Beginning to walk again. Robin gave a small look of concern. "I hope Sumia is doing alright. I'm not sure leaving her all alone with the Pegasus was a good idea. Plus, who knows if there are risen prowling around in there."
"She'll be fine Robin. She's probably on her way here by now. Her way with the animals did calm down that Pegasus and she probably bandaged it up and left her there. Uummm but anyways don't worry my friend, we're nearing the border. Look over there."
His finger pointed to the garrison that was at least a mile away. Standing at probably twenty or thirty feet in height. At the roofs of the fort were archers stationed to protect the fort from enemy forces. In the center was a steel gate that looked immovable. Even with all the strength of the Shepherds, they couldn't possibly topple it. Several soldiers exited out of the gate and lined up taking a battle stance. Chrom stopped and raised his fist for attention "Shepherds Halt." Everyone stopped and turned their eyes towards the prince. He looked at what the guards were doing and they seem pretty threatening.
"Something doesn't look right. Robin!"
"Yes Chrom?"
"I need you to formulate a plan. I have a feeling we are gonna get an unpleasant welcome."
The knight in blue approached the prince "Should I go and talk to them Milord?" Frederick asked.
"No, its best to stay together, just look at their units. They look as if they are ready for battle.
"Very well." Bowing and awaiting further orders.
"Think you can come up with something Robin?"
Robin gave a confident nod.
"I knew bringing you along was a great idea." Giving the determined tactician a friendly smile.
The kind gesture greatly boosted his self-esteem.
Robin immediately looked at the enemies in front of them. A total of twelve pikeman lined up in pincer formation, probably to surround them if they get close. A full scale charge with their cavaliers could give enough intimidation to break their formation but there are more than a dozen archers positioned on the roof so they have to find a way to distract them while they make their frontal assault. He then looked at the surroundings, looking for any place to hide their long range units. To his right were some trees! They could be excellent cover for hiding Virion and Miriel for a type of diversion or surprise attack and it isn't that far from the fort so for sure they have range.
"It's very likely that they shut the gate as soon as they dispatched all their men so one must probably have the key but if they don't have it then there is no way we can advance."
If only we were able to use that Pegasus we found in the fields it would have been a good emergency backup plan then we could have flown each unit one by one to the roof after we picked off the archers. "It's best to have our mounted units charge first to break their ranks in half and have our two groups attack each of them. Kellam and I can watch the back and…."
A flabbergasted voice interrupted the tactician "Wait wait wait. You can see me?"
Robin turned around to find out where it came from. He tried not to make it noticeable when he struggled to find him again. "Uumm Yeah hehe actually, I just noticed you right now when I was looking at our surroundings. There was a big hunk of metal blocking my vision and well it happened to be you." Rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh, well at least you included me." Smiling.
"Anyways, Kellam and I will watch the back to watch for enemies trying to flank us. I highly suggest you pair up with someone as fighting in pairs can benefit each other offensively and defensively. As for our escape plan, we can have our mounted units pair with a slower unit and take them to safety. The risk could be that as they take someone one by one then our defenses would slowly diminish but its best if we huddle up and protect our backs and have Virion and Miriel give cover fire. I don't know how the inside of the fort is like but if we can get in then we have a chance of pulling this off."
"It's the best shot we got and we'll trust you." The young prince looked at every one of the shepherds. "You heard the man get in your positions."
The mounted units moved forward with Frederick in the lead. Virion and Miriel made their ways to the trees. "Don't worry milady, I will protect you with my life and I won't dare let anyone lay a scratch or mark on your beautiful face. For a beauty such as yours should only wage war on love." Said Virion.
"Thank you for the offer but I suggest you stop gazing at me and pay more attention to our possible adversaries." said Miriel fixing her glasses.
"Oh I'm not offering at all my sweet. I will for I am Virion the archest of…."
Miriel walked faster, attempting to avoid the man.
"Wuh-WAIT! Please at least keep me company." he yelled in distress. The duo reached their destination and waited for the signal.
Robin glanced to see if everyone is in position. "Alright, everyone is in position. Chrom let's go now."
Chrom unsheathed his mystical sword Falchion pointing it towards the fort. "Onwards Shepherds."
The group marched forward in their positions hoping that thing wouldn't turn sour. The crunching of snow can be heard in every direction and the song of birds soaring by the trees.
"Hey Chrom, check this out." A voice called out.
Chrom turned around looking at Vaike and watching him exhaling a puff breath. "HAHA, cool isn't it." Giving a fake smile.
As much as Chrom wanted to do the same thing he did, he needed to focus.
"Now's not the time for games Vaike."
"Aww Come on, there is always time to fool with teach. Don't be Mr. Serious all the time."
Chrom let a short sigh. "Vaike? Can't we do this some other time? Like after we cross the border cause by the look of things, it doesn't seem like now is the right time."
Vaike scowled crossing his arms. "Fine then."
The shepherds were now a couple yards away from the gate. The soldiers moved closer to confront them. Robin raised his hand to quickly get the attention of the other shepherds. "Alright everyone, stay vigilant and let me know if you spot enemies trying to flank us."
The shepherds nodded and turned their attention to one of the soldiers walking towards them as the rest waited. The soldier was a pike man approximately the same height as Chrom but less physically built. He wore a white uniform with silver armor covering his shoulder blades and chest with a white scarf covering the bottom half of his face. Chrom did the same thing and stopped as soon as ordered him.
"HALT, not a step closer. Identify yourselves and state your business." He muffled.
Standing proud and tall, the prince placed his hand on his chest. "I am Prince Chrom of Ylisse, and these are my shepherds. I have come to seek an audience with your leader. We require your assistance and would like to speak to him immediately so please, we mean you good people no harm and would like to get by peacefully.
The pikeman flailed an arm. "BAH, we have heard this hundreds of times. Shoo along and go home you imposters or we will have to use extreme force on you all."
Chrom was baffled. "Imposters?" Never before has someone called him an imposter. "What is the meaning of this, answer me!" angrily waving an arm across to his side.
"For the past couple months, we've seen groups coming claiming they were the Exalted prince but in the end we've had reports stating that they have been swindling our countrymen and hiding away never to be seen again. We have received orders to stop and send them back, detain them, or execute on sight." Slamming the end of his spear, "I am feeling mighty generous today and am asking you lot to head back from whence you came and never come back or else you will find the tip of my speak piercing through your unbeating heart."
Chrom grew furious at the response. Robin knew it was only a matter of time until all hell broke loose. Tensions were growing high and if Chrom can't persuade them, then things would not end well. "I will forget you said that last part. I am telling you the truth that I am the prince of Ylisse. Just look at the brand I have on my shoulder. This is all the proof you need to validate my claim."
The pikeman observed the brand for a brief moment but pointed his spear at the prince by the look of his face, he wasn't convinced. The princeling took a few steps back with a hand on the hilt of his sword.
"A good majority have said the same thing and forged their own brand but on different parts. This is however the best fake brand I've seen though but I can't believe a word you say. Even if it is true, I still cannot let you pass. This is your last warning."
The Cerulean haired prince turned his head left and right. Swinging his arm in disagreement.
"I REFUSE."
The pike man turned around. "COMMANDER!"
The shepherds all stared at the garrison patiently waiting but feeling nervous of what the coming events might unfold. A woman in green armor has emerged with a shield on one hand and a spear on the other. Several of the shepherds were surprised to see a woman in charge of all these men. The knight glared down at the field and stood there standing. Chrom, Robin, and Frederick remained unfazed. Chrom calmed down and took a few steps forward to communicate with their commander.
"Pl-Please. Let us-"
"I have heard enough already you insignificant brat. My guard has warned you and now you must face the consequences. "The woman turned her look back waving something to come. "ARCHERS FIRE ON MY COMMAND"!
Chrom immediately realized what she was doing and gave a quick glance at Robin. The tactician immediately reacted and signaled Virion and Miriel to fire. Without warning, a stream of fire flew from out of the trees capturing the attention of the archers diverting their eyes towards the forest. A hail of arrows flew to the vegetation but both of the shepherds were protected by the thick bark of the trees. One archer though had kept his eye on Chrom. Just before releasing his grip a shadow hovered over him. A faint voice could be heard in the sky.
"Chrom!"
Both Chrom and the archer looked at the sky a glimpse of sunlight penetrated the gray atmosphere blinding both of them. Chrom rubbed his eyes and looked back up finally figuring out the familiar voice and saw a pair of white wings. It was a Pegasus with Sumia mounted by Sumia.
"Sumia!" He was amazed to see that the Pegasus was helping her but was also glad to see her too. Sumia then commanded her new companion to dive down towards Chrom and reached her arm to her side.
"Milord! Grab my hand!" In a matter of seconds, the prince was swept off his feet and was sitting behind Sumia. Chrom felt a little embarrassed too because usually in these situations, the roles are reversed and he blushed a little before focusing on the task at hand.
"Don't worry captain. We'll be with the shepherds soon." An idea soon came to Chrom's mind and moved his head in disagreement.
"No, I want you to fly us to the top of the fort and hover above the woman in green armor."
Sumia looked back at Chrom in utter shock.
"WHAT? Captain have you gone insane?"
"Trust me on this. I have a plan."
She hesitated but obeyed his command. I really hope he knows what he is doing, she thought.
Meanwhile, the other shepherds began running to the gate. Robin noticed Sumia and Chrom heading towards the fort. What's going on, why aren't they turning back? Robin put a hand by his mouth to amplify his voice.
"CHROM! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT ABOUT THE PLAN?"
Chrom ignored Robin and they immediately reached their destination. The archers were busy still firing at the forest but the captain of the fort did noticed the two hovering above her. "Sumia stay close to me. I'll protect you just keep calm." He stared at the woman. "I challenge you to a dual. If I win then you will let us pass. Just us and no one else. Let's avoid a bloody battle".
"And what if I win?"
He paused for a brief moment and gave a long stare at the woman. "Then my life is yours.
Sumia's eyes opened wide. "WHAT!? Chrom please think this over."
He turned his head around to the worried girl.
"Enough Sumia, I've made up my mind."
The woman grunted. "Either you're brave or you're really stupid boy."
The pressure built up inside him but he kept his composure. He unsheathed his mystical sword Falchion, and readied himself; applying grip to the hilt of his sword due to his sweaty palms. He looked down towards the Shepherds who looked as if they were ready to attack.
"Shepherds! Stop the attack. This battle is just between her and me."
Robin flailed his arms out. "Chrom don't do this. We're all here…"
"Enough Robin, I don't have time to argue. I will get to Regna Ferox. Even if it costs me my life."
Robin wanted to say more but hesitated knowing that at this point there is no way to reason with him. Frederick approached Robin confidently. "We must believe in Milord, Robin. Chrom is a strong opponent and is very skilled with the sword so don't underestimate him and believe."
Robin's eyes darted back to Chrom and gritted his teeth. "C'mon Chrom you can do this."
Back up top Chrom bowed to the armored warrior.
"Forgive my manners, I have challenged you to a dual and yet I still don't know the name of my opponent." He looked up at her. She slammed the end of her spear to the soft snow.
"I am Raimi, knight of Regna Ferox, leader of Longfort and of this platoon. Don't expect any mercy from me."
All went silent except the sound of chilling winds. The snow had no effect on both fighters as they focused on only what was in front of them. Every breath let out a puff of white. Without warning the blue haired prince dashed straight towards his foe. Sword held tight, he swung it aiming towards her chest. With one quick flick of her wrist, her spear deflected the blow and was left unfazed. She immediately started a barrage of jabs but her attacks were somewhat easy for Chrom to dodge. He took a few steps back. He wanted to see what this woman was capable of. She is skilled, the attack he did would usually leave his opponents trembling and make it feel unavoidable during training. He compared her to Frederick, tough, dedicated, skilled but much slower than he.
"Hmph, examining my moves I see. Don't underestimate me just because I'm a woman. There is a reason why I've been named leader of this fort and platoon."
Chrom gave a glared but remained calm.
"Never crossed my mind. GGYAHH"!
In the blink of an eye he stood standing in front of her, swiftly swinging his blade to the side of her stomach. She flicked her wrist again deflecting the blow but its changed course now sent it to her cheek leave a short scar. She placed the tip of her fingers to her cheek and looked at her bloody armored hand stained with her own blood. She thrusted her shield moving Chrom back but didn't give him time to recover. She smacked his forehead with her shield leaving Chrom disoriented and tripped to the frigid floor. Sumia gasped in horror as he saw the man who was in her heart lying on the floor.
"Chrom please get up!"
Meanwhile down by the gate the shepherds stood impatiently in defensive position. Robin stood in the back with Kellam worried about Chrom. Gods, please protect him. He heard Sumia call out in horror for Chrom to get up. This made him even more distressed. He had to think of something but he couldn't come up with an elaborate scheme to help them advance. All he could do was pray for his safety.
The prince quickly regained most of his senses and was able to see Raimi about to slam her spear to his chest. He rolled away nearly dodging the blow. He got back up on his feet still feeling dazed, he shook his head hoping it could clear it up. He felt a bump on his head.
"Now I'm angry." At that moment Falchion began to glitter and resonate a bright green aura. Chrom had regained some of his strength back.
"W-what is this power. Whatever it is, I gotta make use of it."
Recklessly, he charged again towards Raimi unleashing numerous jabs and slashes but one by one they either were blocked or utterly missed. He went full swing and the two were in a deadlock. Both sides were unable to make any progress and counteract each other. Both grunted desperately, trying to gain the upperhand. However, both heard a crack on one of the weapons. Raimi's spear couldn't contain the amount of pressure pressed on to it. Upon noticing, her spear split into two with her body heading towards the tip of his blade. Falchion easy piercing through her tough armor and digging into the side of her stomach the sword absorbed what was her energy and transferred it to the Cerulean prince covering him in a green aura. She collapsed with one knee on the ground. Chrom swiftly pulled her sword out and she screamed in pain. Her pupils uncontrollably moving around. She breathed heavily but miraculously still regained consciousness. The archers were stunned. In their own eyes, they saw their commander down struggling to stay up.
"Foolish boy….. you….. have bested me. Give the final blow… you have won."
Chrom stared down at Raimi. He slowly approached her raising Falchion with one hand. She lowered her head in defeat. In one swift motion he pulled his sword down.
"PING"
The world became silent for a few seconds, she had her eyes closed but realized she was still breathing. She slowly opened her eyes seeing the tip of his sword on the floor inches away from her face. Her head lifted up, making eye contact with the prince, unable to figure out what he had done.
"Aren't you gonna finish me off?" gasping for breath.
Chrom gave her a warm smile. She was confused.
"I didn't come here to kill anyone. I just want to talk to your leader, not kill his people. Now would you please let us through?"
She was in disbelief.
"Y-you, you really are the exalted prince aren't you."
Chrom walked to her side wrapping her around on the back of his head. He slowly lifted her up.
"I-I'm so so sorry for everything. I should have listened more but please understand that this problem has been going on for the past couple of months."
He nodded.
"I understand and I'm sorry for not noticing the bandit problem in our northern borders. I shall notify Phila and have these crooks apprehended. But for now, let's get outta the cold and get you healed up. Please open the gates so we can aid you."
She then looked at the gatekeeper and nodded. He ran to the lower level and pulled the lever lifting the gate up. The Shepherds cheered in joy as they knew that there wouldn't be any casualties. Sumia flew down to meet the shepherds. Robin ran towards Sumia worried.
"Where is Chrom? Is he alright."
"Chrom is fine, he battled the platoon leader and prevailed. He was able to convince her we're the real deal and we mean them no harm."
He gave a sigh of relief. "Oh thank the gods. Well, you guys go ahead. I'll go and give Miriel and Virion the good news."
He dashed towards the area where he pointed them to be. The snow slowed his movement as he walked. Robin was in a good mood now since there wasn't going to be any bloodshed today.
"Uummm guys, you can come out now the battle is won."
Both emerged from their hiding spots.
"Oh how marvelous, I Virion, lives to fight another day. Very good news indeed."
"I'm just glad I don't have to have to be someone's target anymore." As she walked to the fort.
"It's thanks to Chrom that things didn't go chaotic." Robin replied.
Both seemed to have forgotten that Robin was with them and strolled ahead leaving him behind. He again began to recollect the sudden events. He was too slow to come up with a plan to save Chrom if things didn't go right. He grew frustrated but calmed down. Easy Robin, you just have to study and think calmer.
"SNAP"
Robin turned his attention towards the sound. He saw a sliver of blue retreat back towards the bushes. He became cautious, slowly walking towards the direction where the sound came from.
"Hello? Chrom? Was that you?"
He walked through the thick vegetation. His cloak capturing bits of snow also acting as a shield. Through the other side he saw nothing just trees and snow as far as the eye can see. His eyes immediately looked at an imprint in the snow. Upon, closer inspection the reveal to be footprints. He thought of who it could have been but his mind came out blank.
"HELLO?" There was no response. Only the sound of his breath and a small gust of wind rustling the leaves. He was left wondering on the strange and mysterious encounter.
"What was that spying on us? I was able to see the shape of the blue figure. It looked kinda familiar. Sort of looked like a ….. butterfly."
The weather picked up and flakes of white dropped more furiously. Robin headed back towards Longfort, puzzled about the event that recently occurred.
"Whew, that was close. I got too careless. I must move on ahead. I have to get there before they do. We must keep on this path to avoid certain destruction. Naga, give me strength."
A/N: 161 views. Thank you very much guys, I really appreciate it. So far so good for the next few chapters. Already written the next two chapters but editing will take a while. I've kinda slowed down recently due to school work but I make sure to make time whenever I can. So again, thank you for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated.