Chapter 17: Recovering Part 2

After Stahl and Lissa came back to the abandoned house, Stahl leads Chrom, Frederick, and Gaius along with their Pokémon partner to where the herbs are as they rush through the rain.

"I wonder if Lissa, and the two are all right." Frederick asks with a concern look.

"It'll be all right." Chrom says. "The other Shepherds and the khans are with them. But right now…"

"We need to get that herb, right?" Gaius finishes with a frown.

"Aye!" The prince responds.

Frederick looks up. "Th rain has grown stronger again. Let's hurry!"

"According to the old woman in the village, there should be a cliff around here. Ah! There it is!" Stahl points into the distance not too far from them.

"Halt!" Frederick orders their horses.

Chrom and Gaius demounts from Frederick and Stahl's horse as the prince approaches the cliff and looks down into the endless depth. "Here, huh?"

Stahl looks down as his eyes widen in surprise. "W-whoa… it really is a sheer cliff… it's the end of the line if we fall…"

"Heh. Getting scared, Stahl?" Gaius sarcastically asks.

"N-no, I'm not!" The knight immediately denies.

"However, Stahl and I are currently wearing armor. It seems we will not be able to proceed down this path by normal means…" Frederick says.

Chrom gives a thoughtful look figuring out how they can get the herb from this cliff.

"Well, Chrom? Better hurry up if we're going."

Chrom nods and says to them. "No, Frederick and the others will stay here. Gaius, Ace, Luke, and I will go."

"Huh!?" Stahl shouts.

"Unacceptable! I will accompany you! I will not allow you to face such peril alone!" Frederick exclaims.

Chrom shakes his head. "The four of us are unarmored; it is better if only we proceed. You all stay here and watch the horses."

"B-but…"

"Will you be all right?" Stahl asks.

"Aye. Leave the herb to us. And Frederick, if we have not yet returned by the time the sun sets, it is surely because the search is taking some time. In that case, return to Robin and the others for the time being."

"L-lord Chrom…" The knight says in shock.

"Plegian soldiers are closing in. We mustn't leave our comrades alone for too long." Chrom reasons.

"B-but!"

"Hey." Gaius calls. "We're wasting time just standing around talking like this."

"Yes, you're right. Understand, Frederick, Stahl, you guys too?" Chrom asks the four.

"Let's get going already." The thief says and jumps down with Chrom and their partners following him.

The knight gasps with fear on his face. "Lord Chrom! Gaius!"

"They left…" Stahl says with a sigh.

At the abandoned house, Lissa continues to watch over Robin as she continues to sleep.

"Robin…" She says with a worried look as she turns to Reina. "Reina…"

"Their condition continues to worsen." Virion says with a frown.

"Especially, Reina. We've even nearly lost her a few minutes ago… She needs those herbs immediately or…"

Lissa looks to the entrance with an anxious look to the entrance. "Are Chrom and the others still not back?"

"Not yet, it seems. But rest assured. I will surely protect you ladies. I swear it on my pride as an aristocrat…"

Lissa slowly nods. "Yeah. Thanks, Virion."

Just then, Robin eyes slowly open as she looks around.

"What is Chrom… doing?" The tactician asks weakly with a hoarse voice.

"Ah! Robin!" Lissa calls in surprise. "You've come to! How are you feeling?"

"More importantly… where's Chrom and Frederick?" Robin asks with a worried face. "…Did… something happened?"

"They're-"

"Chrom and the others went out to get the herb that'll cure you two. So relax." The princess answers without hesitation. "You'll definitely get better!"

Virion and Meena sigh at what she just did.

"What are they doing?" Robin says with a frown.

"Huh?" Lissa says in surprise.

"If they have that much time… they should be preparing… to return swiftly to Ylisse… Everyone is waiting… for them to return…"

Lissa looks surprise at Robin's words. "Ah… Robin…"

"I don't want… to put everyone… in any more danger… on my account…" She continues. "You should… take Reina along… it'll be… too dangerous… for them to be here…"

"B-but!" Lissa stammers but before she could finish, Robin falls asleep once more.

"She seems to have lost consciousness again." Virion says.

The Ylissean princess looks to be on the verge of tears watching the female tactician. "Robin…"

"Lissa, the truth can sometimes be cruel. Just now, we should have not told Robin about Chrom, even if it meant lying to her. We should have let her sleep without worrying. Sometimes it is kinder to lie." Virion tells her.

"Ah… s-sorry. I see… you're right."

"Ah, pay it no mind. Well, nothing can be done now. I apologize. I went too far. However, please keep that in mind and act appropriately from now on."

"Ah… yeah!"

Maribelle nods after seeing her cherish friend cheered up and turns to Meena. "Now Meena, what is the meaning of Reina's condition?" She asks. "At her age, Reina's immune system should be strong as Robin's but still have not woken up. Can you care to explain?"

"Wait, Maribelle! Isn't rude to ask her?" Lissa asks.

"…Reina," Meena speaks getting everyone's attention. "To begin with, my sister has a weak constitution."

"Huh?" The princess looks at her with a confuse look.

"Ever since I can remember, I could see her in her bed everyday looking outside longing to go out and explore." Meena continues. "Instead of that, she always reading books and draw the scenery from her window. One time when I was feeling down, Reina would come up to me and cheer me up by showing a portrait of myself. I was happy. That my sister would cheer me up even though she has a weak body."

"As expected from Reina. Even with a weak body, she would cheer up her dear sister." Virion says.

"But...!" Meena shouts as she trembles. "…But the next day, she caught a serious fever that might claim her life."

This cause everyone to be surprise from this revelation.

"I overheard from my parents that she was doing her best to draw my picture to cheer me up. I was my fault! If I haven't feeling down, onee-chan wouldn't have fallen sick…" Her voice trembles as she tries to fight off the tears.

"Meena…" Lissa trails off as she doesn't know what to say.

"It's wasn't your fault…"

They turn to see that Reina woke up still having the fever.

"Onee-chan!"

"I didn't know that you felt that way… I'm sorry, Mee. For having a bad sister like me. But…" Reina lifts her hand and caresses Meena's cheek. "I don't want to have my precious little sister's smile to be clouded with sadness."

"That's not true, onee-chan! It's because you always been kind to me and show me things to cheer me up. That's the part I love the most." Meena replies and touches Reina's hand. "But, the only thing that makes me sad… is seeing you in bed because of your body."

Reina weakly smiles. "Mee…"

"Pika…" Éclair calls as Reina turns her head to her.

"Éclair… I'm sorry… Even though I'm supposed to take care of you… you and Mee are worried for me…"

Éclair shakes her head saying it's not.

"Thank you…" Reina trails off as she begins to fall asleep.

"She fell asleep." Sumia says.

"Hey, Meena. How did Reina get over her fever?" Lissa asks.

"There's a Pokémon that our family protects from one generation after another. With its song, her fever slowly disappears." Meena answers.

"Wow! Where is that Pokémon?"

Meena takes out a Poké ball from her pocket. "It's in here. When we start to travel, this one wants to follow us all over the region."

"But there is one thing that I was wondering…" Maribelle says. "If Reina was born with a weak constitution, how can she be walking around with us?"

"…As years past, her body begins to get stronger as the number of times she got sick goes down and then she got so well to go on a journey with me. But there is one thing that will make her sick again."

"What is it?" Lissa asks.

"An emotion shock to the heart."

"Emotional shock?"

"Does it have to do with the gentleman back at execution ground?" Virion asks.

Meena silently nods. "He is our childhood friend who we haven't heard from him for a year."

"Huh?" Lissa says

"While Reina and I were traveling Hoenn region, he went to Alola region and from there he caught amazing Pokémon over there. That was the last time we heard from him."

"I'm sorry for telling us this."

"I too should apologize as well." Maribelle says.

"You don't have too." Reina tells them.

All of a sudden, Virion whips his head around. "Hm?"

Éclair's ears twitch and looks up.

"Virion? Éclair?" The princess says.

"Shh! Quiet down." Meena says to them. "Lissa, where are the khans?"

"Huh? They said that they are going to patrol the area and come back for a bit. Why?"

"Stand up slowly and look outside the window." Virion tells her and Lissa did as she is told. "A number of people are approaching. These footsteps…"

"Most likely belong to a troop." Meena finishes.

Lissa gasps in shock. "You're right. They're coming closer. Do they know we're hiding here?"

Virion takes a peek out the window. "Plegian soldiers? Ugh… what numbers!"

Lissa peers outside once more and sees a familiar elderly woman leading them. "Oh… that person…"

"The one in the lead is not a soldier. She seems to be one of the villagers… Lissa, do you know her?"

"She's the old woman… from the village Stahl and I went to." She says with a stun expression.

"I see. It seems my bad premonition was correct. Most likely, the villagers there reveal our whereabouts to the Plegian soldiers."

Lissa looks to be on the verge of tears once again. "No… it can't be… why?!"

"Lissa!" Meena calls. "Pull yourself together! For now, we got to think of a way out. It's most likely that we'll have to engage in battle once they reach here."

Half way down the ravine, Chrom, Gaius and their partners are starting to show signs of difficulty climbing down the cliff without steeping on a loose rock and almost falling down to their death.

"I see." Gaius nods. "They did say it's pretty good at keeping out trespassers. A vertical mountain. If we fall, we go straight to the bottom and die immediately. This definitely isn't somewhere people are meant to go."

"If you don't like it, go back to Frederick and the others." Chrom says with frustration as he nearly steps on a loose rock again if isn't for Luke who notices it. "Thanks, Luke."

The Ellade nods and keeps going down.

"I'm fine. I just think it's not worth it. That's all."

"What?" Chrom says in shock as he and Luke turn to him.

Gaius frowns and continues. "If both of us lose our lives here, we'll have died for nothing."

"Manyu." Ace nods in agreement.

"Gaius." The captain says with a frown. "Are you saying that those two lives aren't worth it?"

"Yeah, exactly. Chrom, which matters more, your life and the lives of all those people… or their lives? You know, right?"

"What?!" Chrom says in anger.

"The winner of a war is the side that survives. You hate Gangrel, and the one way to get revenge against him is to win. I'm saying you have to make choices with that in mind."

Luke widens his eyes at what Gaius mean while Chrom grits his teeth in anger as he tries to keep himself composed. "Keh… Gaius. What do you mean? Are you saying we should give up on Robin and Reina?"

Gaius shrugs. "You know, that deserted village is a Plegian village destroyed by Ylissean a long time ago."

"What?" Chrom looks at the thief in shock.

"Do you know what the Plegians thought of Ylisse during your father's time? And what they called the previous king? There's no way you don't."

The thought hit the prince like a ton of bricks upon the realization. "I-I…"

"That village was destroyed by Ylisse just because it was near the border." Gaius continues and Chrom frowns upon his theory being correct. "War is always absurd. And you, the prince, are searching for power to overcome that absurdity. This isn't the time to be so stubborn."

Luke looks at Chrom who remains silent as they continue down as they finally reach a narrow path and begin slowly descending down with their hands grabbing onto the stones jutting out of the stone wall.

"You get it, right?" Gaius says. "Back then, you told Frederick and the others that they can't take this steep path because they're all wearing armor, but didn't you leave them behind in case we don't come back?" He frowns and concludes. "Even if something happens to us, they can carry on your will. Isn't that what you were thinking?"

Chrom grimaced upon hearing the thought of the thief hitting the mark spot on.

"You knew it was necessary." Gaius continues.

"Gaius." The captain interrupts the man from continuing as they stop abruptly. "Go back to the others. And tell this to Frederick… 'Take the two and return to Ylisse as fast as you can.'"

Gaius raises an eyebrow as he slowly nods. "Got it. …and what about you?"

"I will find the herbs and cure them. And then I will go back."

"Oh. Really. Bye."

Gaius and Ace walk back to where Frederick and the others are leaving Chrom and Luke to find the herb.

"Luke." Chrom calls. "You can go back with Gaius. I will find the herb myself."

"Chrom." The prince looks back at Luke. "From the moment you told Frederick and the others to stay back there, I knew what you were planning."

"Luke, you…"

"By the looks of it, you finally can hear my voice." Luke says with a smile.

"You can speak in human speech, but how?"

"Not directly through my mouth but through the mind also called telepathy." Luke explains and his expression changes into a serious look. "Chrom, no matter what you say or how many you tell me to go back, I will follow you."

"Luke…" Chrom trails off and turns back around. "…I'm counting on you."

"Alright."