Chapter 12: The Incursion

The next day, the Shepherds all escorts Emmeryn to a palace hidden in the east after the assassination attempt the night before. As they walk, Chrom keeps glancing over at Luke from time to time.

"Aren't you a worrywart." Chrom turns and sees Reina walking next to him. "There were similar cases when a Pokémon learned a new Move, they couldn't control their power. But, after a lot of time and training, they will able to control the Move."

"…Can we really master Mega Evolution?" He asks.

"If you start to doubt yourself, you can't master it." Reina bluntly replies. "It's same thing when battling. If you can't believe yourself or your Pokémon, you can't win. Only when you and your Pokémon believe in each other, you can win. That's why, as soon as we safely escort Emmeryn to the palace, you, and Luke, as well as Ricken, Whittaker (Yukiwarashi), Lissa, Chi, Panne, and Lily will be training under me. You can't run from this power forever. There will come a time when it will be necessary."

As the Shepherds continue their journey, they couldn't help but notice the amount of wild Pokémon in the woods at the same time, the Pokémon notice them but continue their own business, ignoring the group. Some of them gives some fruits and berries as peace offerings or sign of friendship. A couple Pokémon took a liking to the Shepherds who yet to have a partner and stuck on them.

"Is it okay I can call you Gilad?" Kellam asks the small camel-like Pokémon.

"Don." His partner replies.

"You are quite interesting. I will call you Jacky." Miriel says to the black and pink pumpkin-like Pokémon.

"Bakeccha."

"Donmel, the Numb Pokémon. Donmel is so complacent that it does not even notice when it is stuck. This Pokémon's body is filled with hot magma, which, when cooled in water, rather slows its movement. Donmel is also unable to bear hunger."

"Bakeccha, the Pumpkin Pokémon. Bakeccha's eyes can glow, which lights the way for travelers. They often sleep in the ground."

"These Pokémon are really nice, aren't they?" Robin says giving Drago one of the apples a Bippa gave her earlier.

"Mozu." Drago nods as they both eat the apple.

"Back in my world, I heard that a herd of Baneboo lives in an oasis and gives fruit and water for the trainers."

"That sounds fun! Have you been there?" Lissa asks.

"Yeah. Just when I ran out of water, there was the rumored oasis and went there. And then, Baneboo welcomed me by giving a lot of fruits and stock up to continue my journey."

"Wow! Now I want to meet them." Lissa says.

"If we manage to see the said oasis that is." Robin says.

"Robin! Don't damper the mood!" Lissa yells at the tactician causing Reina to laugh.

Sometime later, the group arrives at an area known as Breakneck Pass.

"Ugh, my poor feet. I've got blisters the size of eggs!" Lissa complains.

"Oh, it's not so bad, Lissa. Just a healthy stroll! How are you holding up, Robin?" Chrom asks.

"My legs feels like pudding…" The tactician admits. "Your endurance astounds me, Chrom."

"Hah! Should I carry you?"

"You should carry me!" Lissa exclaims cheerfully. "…No, seriously. I would really be okay with you carrying me." She then looks at Reina and Meena walking behind her. "How the heck are you two still going?"

"We've been traveling long distance on foot like this since I was eleven while Meena was ten." Reina replies.

"So this is pretty much second nature to us." Meena adds.

Frederick eyes widens at what they said. "Ten and eleven? That's far too young to be traveling!"

"Not really. It's pretty common for people to start training Pokémon at age ten before they raised the age requirements to fifteen." Reina explains.

An elderly man with them couldn't help but continuously looking around their surroundings. "Hmm…"

Frederick notices this. "Is something troubling you, Hierarch? You keep glancing up at the peaks."

"Hmm? Oh, I'm just a b-bit nervous I'm afraid. Gh-ghastly times, these!" The old man stutters.

"Chrom, who is that?" Robin asks.

"The hierarch? He's been a friend of House Ylisse for many years. He guided Emmeryn during the early years of her rule." Chrom introduces. "Why did you ask."

"I can't quite put my finger on it, but something feels…"

Before she could finish her thought, she is interrupted by Ignis, Frederick's Gardie growling loudly, pointing his nose in front of them.

"What is it, Ignis?" Frederick asks when Reina notices something.

"Look out!" She shouts as she gets in front of the company. "Éclair!"

"Pika!" Éclair jumps into the air and uses Thunderbolt at the hidden soldiers causing them to be blown away and all land painfully before them.

Chrom gasps at the sight of their armor. "Plegian soldiers?! Damn! How do they know we were here?!"

"Not only that. There's more coming this way!" Reina exclaims.

"Everyone! Prepare for battle!"

High above them a wyvern rider, named Vasto sniffs the air and gains a malicious smirk on his face. "Smell that, men? The winds of fortune are blowing out way!"

The hierarch then runs to the middle of the path. "Hold sir! I am the man King Gangrel told you about! Did you not receive orders to take me into your protection?" Hearing this shock most of the Shepherds.

"I've orders to protect a man, true…" Vasto says before smirking again. "But I don't see no man here! …Only a pig! A rasher of traitorous bacon that sold out his own sovereign! And what do we do with little piggies, mmm?"

"Well, you… I mean, perhaps… You let them go free?" The hierarch answers hopefully.

"Oh, are you a chicken now? Bawk bawk! We've a whole barnyard in our midst! Well, it don't matter what you are. The axe will fall just the same!"

One of the brigands comes behind the hierarch and kills him causing everyone to cringe at the sight of him being killed.

"Right! Now for the main event. By moon's end, they'll be erecting statues of me in the capital!" Vasto exclaims before looking down at the Shepherds. "Ho there! Ylisseans! Give me the Fire Emblem and your wench of a ruler and spare yourselves a gory end!"

"Philia, take Emmeryn to the rear of the column. We'll fend off these blackguards!" Chrom commands Philia as she takes his elder sister to the far back.

"You too, Meena." Reina tells her sister as she gets ready.

The little sister nods and goes with Emmeryn.

"Ricken, Virion, Reina! You three and your Pokémon will handle with the wyvern riders! Lissa and Maribelle, take care of the wounded! Same with your Pokémon! Those of us who can also attack at a long range, pair up with any who can only attack at close combat!" Robin orders and everyone understands their role and take action.

As they fight, Vasto watches as his men are getting subdue by the Shepherds especially their Pokémon. There were rumors about how the magical creatures side with the Ylisseans and he as well as many other of Gangrel's top men laugh it off as a joke. However, seeing with his own eyes, he couldn't believe they are true.

Time later, a red-head pegasus knight appears from where the Shepherds came from.

"*Huff, huff…* No! Plegians here as well?!" The Pegasus Knight exclaims in disbelief. "Prince Chrom! Captain Philia! Beware! Enemy reinforcements to the rear! They'll be upon us soon!"

Philia looks up at the pegasus knight. "Is that…? Gods, Cordelia?!"

"Cordelia?" Robin asks.

"She's one of my knights. Young yet, but quite gifted. But she was stationed on the border… Why…?" She stops herself as her face pales. "Oh, gods! Could it mean…?"

Everyone fights as hard as they could, killing the Plegians before they could kill them. The sight of the scene before him enrages the Plegian leader that the power of Pokémon is wasted on the Shepherds. He looks down and notices a certain female archer shooting down each one of his men.

As soon as she sees reinforcements coming, Reina takes out a pair of Pokéballs and calls out the Pokémon in them. "Let's go! Fuko! Kuro!" Then her Ohsubame and Absol appear on the field.

Seeing this makes the wyvern rider smirk even more. "So, it's that girl's doing. Which means, if we have her, all the Magical Creatures will be at our command!" Vasto has his wyvern dive down at the distracted archer.

Seeing this at the corner of her eye, Reina turns around as the wyvern rider comes even closer to her. Just as Vasto raises his axe to attack her, Fuko appears and blocks it with Steel Wing.

"What?!" He gasps.

Suddenly, Kuro jumps behind him and pushes the wyvern and his rider back with Dark Pulse.

"You shouldn't have attacked me from behind you know. Among in my party, these two are overprotective of me including Éclair." Reina tells him.

"Silence! I'll spatter you across the canyon floor!" Vasto swears as he has his wyvern dive down once more to Reina.

The female archer jumps away from where she was standing as Vasto's wyvern tries to land a hit on her as well, only to be blocked by Kuro's Night Slash. Unknown to the Plegian and his ride, Fuko is above the wyvern as she dives down while using Arial Ace striking the wyvern's wings. Without the wings, both it and Vasto have fallen to their deaths.

"Good work, Fuko." Reina commends as the Ohsubame lands next to her.

"Oh." She nods.

"You doves think… killing me will change anything?" Vasto questions, barely alive from the fall. "Heh… Even now, my brothers storm across your precious border… Go on, dear exalted coward! Run! Flee while they slaughter your subjects! Save yourself… Let their faith in you bleed away… with the rest!" With those final words, the rider has died.

After the battle was fought and won, Cordelia rushes over to Emmeryn and Chrom's side. "Your Grace! My prince! Run! As for and fast as you can! More Plegians are coming, not a half day's march behind you!" She warns.

"Cordelia, what are you doing here? …Tell me the border remains secure!" Philia questions her.

"That I could, milady! But it would be false…. Gangrel himself led his might against us! The end was upon us when my knight-sisters begged me fly and warn the exalt… I should have stayed… I should have stayed! Ah, gods, I can still hear the screams…"

"Peace, Cordelia. You did your duty. The sisters rightly prized your youth. You've many years yet to keep their legacy alive."

"But I abandoned them! I'm weak… Their legacy deserves better."

"Sometimes fleeing takes the most courage. They knew that. Now pull yourself together. Let the faith they showed in you give you strength."

Cordelia calms down slightly but is still choking back on tears. "Captain Philia, I… How can I go on like this? They were my… my family… *sob* Gods… Oh, gods…"

Reina walks up to the young pegasus knight and hugs her for comfort. "Cordelia, I know this is hard for you, but you need to be strong for them. Even if you can't see them, they will always live inside your heart." Cordelia widens her eyes at her words and finally calms down.

"Damn those monsters!" Chrom curses under his breath.

Emmeryn suddenly steps towards the middle of the circle. "I must return to the capital."

Everyone turns to her in shock at what she said.

"Your Grace, I cannot advise-" Philia starts to disagree but Emmeryn interrupts.

I should have never left. If it's discovered I'm away when this news comes to light… the people could panic. Riot. More Ylisseans could needlessly die." Turning to her brother, Emmeryn hands him something. "Here Chrom. In entrust this to you."

She hands the shield embedded with a white gem to her younger brother who takes it both hands. "The Fire Emblem?"

"Take it to Ferox–to safety."

"And leave you? No, Emm."

"No part of House of Ylisse matters more than the Emblem. It possesses tremendous power. But too much blood has been shed over it already. I hope it finds a better guardian in you than it did me."

"Emm, come on. You can't… Don't talk like that! You sound like you're giving up…"

"I am not giving up, Chrom. I am only giving what I can."

"Emm, please! This is madness!" Chrom exclaims in worry.

"Sis, wait! Let me go with you!" Lissa begs.

"Stay with Chrom, Lissa. I command it." Emmeryn says, standing her ground.

Lissa starts to cry at her sister's words. "This isn't fair! It's not fair! I know our people need you, but we need you, too!"

"Dry your tears, love. This is not good-bye." Emmeryn smiles sadly as she wipes the cleric's tears.

"Your Grace, the pegasus knights will accompany you to Ylisstol." Phila says, not wanting the exalt to be without protection.

"Very well, Phila. Thank you." Emmeryn nods.

"I will keep the prince and princess safe, your Grace. You have my word." Fredrick speaks up.

"I know you will, Federick. Thank you."

"It is my honor." Federick says with a heavy heart.

"I'm also counting on you two, Luke, Chi." Emmeryn calls.

"Eru." Luke nods.

"Tabunne." Chi replies.

Philia turns to her surviving border pegasus knight. "Cordelia. You will stay here with Chrom."

"But, Captain–"

"I know your heart is heavy, but this is how it must be. Your knight-sisters will be with you in spirit, wherever you go."

Cordelia thought for a bit before she finally nods as she wears a determined look. "May they give me strength. As you command, Captain. I will pray for your safety."

"Come, Phila. We must go." Emmeryn says to the Pegasus Knight Captain.

"No! you don't have to go! This is absurd!" Chrom begs one last time.

"Chrom, you don't–" The exalt starts before the bluenette interrupts.

"Walking to your own death will not bring peace to anyone! Ylisse needs you. WE need you! Be selfish for once on your life!"

The exalt is silent before a smile comes over her face. "I love you, Chrom. Both you and Lissa are my everything. As for the peace I seek… You cannot so who it is for. I have to go. I'm sorry–I truly am. Let us embrace again in Ylisstol when you arrive with Feroxi reinforcements. I know you will come."

"…This is a terrible plan."

"The blood of the first exalt flows strong in us. You and I will keep Ylisse safe. I believe it with all my heart. Safe journey, Chrom. Safe journey, Lissa." With that Emmeryn and Phila take their leave.

"Emm… Emm?!" Chrom calls out his sister's name, only to be ignored as she and her bodyguard continue their way back to Ylisstol.