Chapter 32: Unexpected Betrayal
After coming down the tree, Say'ri escorts Tiki to the Shepherds' camp and the swordswoman is taken to the meeting tent where Chrom, Luke, Robin, Drago, and the two Khans are. There Robin tells that the Resistance is coming together from a scout.
"Factions of the Resistance are already uniting in answer to the Voice's call! Soon bards will sing of this day... 'They who conquered the Conqueror!'" Say'ri exclaims.
"A tune I'm most anxious to hear." Chrom says.
"That I can't wait." Luke adds.
"But a man like Walhart will not roll over dead at the first sign of trouble…" Robin points out.
"Aye, my lady...as you say." Say'ri agrees. "He will muster his forces to put down the Rebellion. Then his gaze will turn to us. Against his full might, we would not last long."
"Where are his armies garrisoned?" Chrom asks.
"The Valmese Imperial Army is comprised of three main divisions: one controls the north, one the south, and the third the lands between. Emperor Walhart commands the northern forces. Their might easily exceeds our own. The south is led by my brother, Yen'fay. His host is said to rival Walhart's."
"Divisions, are they? Hmm…" Robin says with a mischievous look.
"I see a plan brewing in those eyes of yours, Robin..." Flavia points out.
"If we could divide their divisions—disrupt communications, supplies, et cetera... Then introduce misinformation to add to the confusion...a whisper here and there... The panic would spread on its own...and all the quicker for their great number. Such a giant force could collapse under its own weight."
Chrom looks at the swordswoman. "Say'ri—the third division, stationed between the other two…"
Say'ri nods. "Aye, sir, at Fort Steiger, halfway along the highroad. In fact, not so far from where we stand now. We might stand a chance against them... But it would take speed and luck. I wager Walhart and Yen'fay will hear of our exploits soon, if they haven't already. I suggest sending the bulk of our army to the north and south to mask our plan. An elite force, led by Sir Chrom, might then quietly slip through to Fort Steiger. What say you?"
"I say, 'aye.'"
"Aye." Flavia agrees.
"Fie! We could all be dead before nightfall, yet not one of you so much as hesitates. Your courage is...an inspiration... Aye, we will win this war yet, by gods!" Say'ri declares.
The next day, the Shepherds begin their march to Fort Steiger that Say'ri mentioned and they soon come upon gigantic walls with towers and blue tile roofs and blue flags of the enemy.
Flavia grimaces as they draw closer to the walls for examination from afar. "Damn! Look at those walls... This isn't going to be easy."
Basilio frowns. "It's not the walls I'm worried about- It's the horde of Valmese inside them."
Say'ri nods. "Our best is a swift, surgical strike, right at their heart. So..." She narrows her eyes in an inspection of the situation. "Khan Flavia, your men will take on the forces surrounding the castle. That should create an opening for a smaller team led by Chrom and I." She then turns to the prince. "...I regret to say this will put you at the forefront battle, Sir Chrom."
Chrom nods in approval. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"You're only saying that since you don't like being at the back." Reina says.
"You know it."
Say'ri nods with a confident smile. "Then it's settled. Other Resistance forces are on their way. With luck, they'll arrive in time to help. Let's cleave them a proud trail of imperial blood to find us by!"
Meanwhile, a female general who is a priestess, sees the army getting ready to attack. "Hmph. Such arrogance... They truly mean to assault Steiger in such meager numbers? Perhaps they expect a woman's garrison to be a softer target... Heh, when I'm through, they'll wish they'd challenged Yen'fay instead. Battle stations!"
With that, the Valmese soldiers pick up their weapons and take their station to deal with the Shepherds. Then the company begins their charge towards the fort, fighting against the soldiers. With the help of their partner Pokémon, the battle soon goes to their favor until Say'ri feels something moving beneath the floor.
"Sir Chrom—I hear movement from the floor below. It may be reinforcements. Be wary..." She warns.
"That isn't the first time we heard." Reina says, sniping a soldier.
"But I have a bad feeling about this." Kai says cutting down another soldier.
After a while, it is true to what Kai said when reinforcements come up but they are not any reinforcements.
"Our comrades!" Say'ri shouts. "But wait, how…"
"The Resistance had already infiltrated the castle...?" Chrom questions.
Say'ri shakes her head. "Nay, impossible! Something is amiss…"
A man wearing mage's robes appear where the Reinforcements appeared and say, "Oooh, it appears I'm just in time for the Rebellion reunion! Delicious... Please, do give your 'friends' your warmest welcome. Just remember your promise...or you can be sure I will remember mine."
Just like that, the Resistance turns switches sides to the Valmese.
"Say'ri... Are you certain their reinforcements are from the Resistance?" Chrom asks.
Say'ri grimaces and answers, "Aye, sir. I'm ashamed to say I am. I know some of them by name. ...B-but why would they turn cloak against us now?!"
"Oooh, it seems we've touched a nerve! I do so enjoy inappropriate touching... Now be good little servants and scrub the stronghold of Ylissean filth." The mage then warps to the general priestess.
"What is this meddling, Excellus?!" She questions.
"…'Meddling'? Why, General Pheros, one might almost mistake you for ungrateful. This 'meddling' is going to save your post, and quite possibly your life…" Excellus replies.
"We've no need of your parlor tricks here, schemer! I can handle this myself."
"Why yes, of course, you can, General! I can see you're doing SO well already. You're obviously just...waiting to crush the Ylisseans? Toying with them, like a cat! I only brought these rebels so they might learn from your shining example! They were so anxious to join the cause…"
"Because you threatened them? Tortured them? ...Or perhaps their families? Their villages?"
The Valmese mage clears his throat. "...I would not wish to burden you with such mundane details, good General. You have more important matters to think after, and to deal with...quickly. But rest assured they are QUITE motivated. Feel free to thank me some other time!" He says before vanishing to somewhere else.
"Odious freak... He has no honor. Just the sight of him makes me sick. He is the worm, yet I'm the one left squirming... Bah. ...True, his interference may seal our victory...but he'll never hear me say it."
With the Resistance fighting against the Shepherds, Say'ri had a hard time fighting against her former comrades as Reina and Kai fights them instead of the female swordswoman with their Pokémon to stop in their tracks. Then Chrom and Luke come into the throne room seeing the commander of the fort.
"Are you the commander of this fort?" Chrom questions.
"I have no need to answer your question from a fool." The priestess says.
"Then on behave of Ylisse I'll stop you and your leader."
"Then you'd be Prince Chrom... Once, I followed your exalted sister, you know. Made the pilgrimage all the way to Ylisstol, just to hear her speak. I, too, grew up worshipping Naga and the Earth Mother." She confesses.
"...Yet you abandoned your faith."
"I have no use for invisible spirits any longer. I serve a god among men now. Emperor Walhart will do what no religion ever could—unite all people."
"Your naivete betrays you. Think about it: who willingly follows a tyrant?" Chrom questions.
"Thinking plays no part in it. In words and deeds, a great leader takes hold of the heart, not the mind. I remember your sister possessing that selfsame gift for inspiring others. Doubtless many still cling to the power of her poetry. But I have found a greater voice…"
"My sister believed we all desire the same thing: peace. If Walhart holds such promise, why must he use violence to unite the people?"
"Now who is being naive, good Prince? Sometimes those who will not walk must be dragged along or pushed aside. So raise your sword, Chrom of Ylisse, and prepare to be pushed aside."
"Looks like we have no choice, right Chrom?" Luke says.
"Yeah. Let's go, Luke!"
As the two charges the general, she casts powerful fire magic, Bolganone at them but the two dodges the oncoming fire coming up from the floor. Luke then speeds up before sending a horizontal slash at the priestess but she cast the magic just as the Blade Pokémon dodges the fire magic backward towards Chrom is. Luke lands on his feet as he skids on the floor before he looks at his partner which both of them nods and looking back at the priestess. The Blade Pokémon sends his Psycho Cut at Chrom and the prince holds the move with his sword before sending it towards the general Priestess. She casts another Bolganone to block it, but this Psycho Cut is too powerful that it cut through the magic and her as well, causing the general to fall off from her horse.
"…Well done... I may not live... to see Walhart unify all mankind... with my own eyes... But I haven't seen it... in my dreams... And that's enough..." She says and dies from blood loss.
With the enemy general fell, Khan Basilio sends some scouts to patrol the area for any survivors and the area while Say'ri speaks with the Prince, Robin, and the two Khans.
"Steiger has fallen. ...But I'm afraid our new enemy has the fortress surrounded." Say'ri says with a grimace.
"'New enemy'… You mean the rest of the former Resistance?" Chrom questions.
"Aye, sir. Words cannot express my shame. My... regret... Finally, I succeed in uniting them... but only against us."
Suddenly, the sound of rushing steps across the hall rushes over to them as they glance over and see a soldier.
"Milord! Dire news! Our forces to the north and south have been decimated by Walhart and Yen'fay! What's worse, most of the survivors have turned their coats for the empire!"
Everyone in the room widens their eyes in horror as Say'ri stutters, "B-but our troops numbered in the hundreds of thousands!"
With composed expression, Basilio speaks, "The empire must have had more.
Flavia places her hand on her chin in thought. "Or perhaps been better trained and equipped..."
"Blast!" Say'ri exclaims in disbelief. "Walhart and my brother-" She then turns to the group. "Where are their armies now?"
"Marching towards this fortress, milady. It's only a matter of time." The scout reports hurriedly.
Hearing this, Basilio throws his arms down and grimaces, "So much for fortune favoring the bold. This war was lost before it even began."
Chrom grits his teeth in frustration upon the sudden turn of events. "All of our struggles until now, and we've yet so much as dent the empire..."
As they quickly dismiss the Khan's scout, Robin finally speaks after some thoughts with a firm expression. "Chrom..."
The prince turns to his wife. "What is it, Robin? Do you have something to say?"
At this, the tactician soon gained the attention of the desperate group as she continues. "We need to leave here–right away."
"Have you lost your wits?!" Flavia exasperates as she continues with a wave her arm to their surrounding fortress. "We're surrounded!"
"We're not completely surrounded yet. When the other armies arrive, then we'll be trapped for certainty."
"Say'ri nods at this. "They're right. The dynasts outside betray us only out of fear for the empire. They'll only put up token resistance without their masters watching."
Chrom frowns. "But we can't keep running forever. How do we hope to turn the tide?"
"By striking at either Walhart or Yen'fay before they join strength." Robin states.
"But that's..." Luke says.
"Either one seems a death sentence." Chrom finishes.
"One general would be upon us before we could finish the other." Say'ri adds.
"I agree...which is why we attack both." The tactician suggests.
Flavia yells in disbelief to what she had heard from the tactician's lips, "Our army lies in tatters, yet you would divide it by half?!"
Robin shakes her head before she clarifies, "…I didn't say by half. Chrom would lead our strongest troops against Yen'fay. Meanwhile a smaller force would attack Walhart."
"A SMALLER force?" Basilio says in bewilderment. "We couldn't defeat him with double our entire number."
The female tactician shakes her head. "...I didn't say we'd defeat him. We only need to distract him."
"Hmm... Spend some lives to buy the other team time..." Basilio says aloud.
On the other hand, Chrom grimaces with deep concern. "The smaller force would face our most dangerous mission yet. It would need a leader of unparalleled skill, reckless bravery..."
Suddenly, Basilio laughs aloud as Ylisse's exalt speaks. "All right, Chrom, please- You're embarrassing me! I'll do it already, just stop with all the compliments!"
Stunned by this, they all turn to him as Robin scolds the Khan, "This is no time for japes, Basilio. The stakes could not be higher."
"Head-head!" Drago agrees.
Despite their words, Basilio continues with a more serious expression. "I am being serious... I'll lead the squad Though I prefer my steaks well done..."
After some silence, Flavia just shakes her head with a sigh in defeat and smiles. "That's just his way, Robin. Bad jokes come with the bravado. But the oaf clearly has faith in your thinking. And I as well... All of us do, I'd wager. Somehow you always find a way to best the odds."
Basilio nods with a more determined expression. "Then it's settled. I'll make preparation and be off. The rest of you stay with Chrom and keep him safe."
About the silence, the tactician nods her head firmly. "Godspeed, Basilio."
Just as Basilio turns, the doors slams open with a shout, "Stop!"
Immediately, everyone looks at the doorway to see Lucina there.
Chrom eyes widen in surprise as Adella rushes behind her. "Lucina? What are you-"
Lucina shakes her head as she stands firmly between them and the entrance. "I cannot allow you to go, Khan Basilio. You will die in this battle. I know it for truth!"
"What?" Her father says with a look of concern.
Basilio scratches the back of his head. "You know, lass, you have a strange way of saying good-bye." He sighs and continues. "All right, then. Who is it? Who kills me? Is it Walhart himself? ...Please say yes. It'd make a poor song to die at the end of some farmer's pitchfork."
Hesitantly, the princess nods her head with a stern look. "...Yes, it was Walhart. Or so goes the story I heard. We must change our plans so fate cannot take this course!"
However, the khan raises his head for her to stop going any further. "All I need to know. Thank you much, lass. ...I'll be careful."
Shock, Lucina questions, "Y-you're still going? But I just told you-"
Basilio nods his head in response to her outburst, "Aye, I heard you just fine. But someone still has to stall his division from advancing. If he's the one that kills me, well then, I'll just avoid confronting him. You don't grow this old and handsome without knowing how to avoid trouble."
N-no." Lucina continues. "It's not that simple!"
Flavia shakes her head and says in reassurance to the future princess. "Don't worry, love, he'll be fine. He'll have me to keep an eye on him."
Suddenly, Basilio turns to her in a look of surprise. "You aren't coming, woman! You're the reigning khan!"
Flavia turns to him in irritation as she shouts back, "I thought you intended to survive this, oaf! Regna Ferox has two Khans, and now you're responsible for both. I dare you to die now!"
Despite the uncomfortable tension between the two rulers, Basilio suddenly laughs. "All right, all right. You can come too." He turns to the exalt with a smile. "...Hope that's all right, Chrom."
Chrom nods with a look of worry. "Just look after each other."
Flavia huffs a laugh. "Ha! I'll bring this big ox back on a leash if it comes to that."
Basilio smiles and waves his hand without turning back. "Luck and more be will you all. We'll meet again soon."
Desperately, Lucina continues, "But please, your future! You must-"
Basilio shakes his head and says in irritation. "'Please,' yourself! Not another word. I fully intend to outlive all your sprogs, just see if I don't. And as for your 'future,' it can kill my big brown Feroxi arse!"
Just like that, the two rulers walk pass the speechless swordswoman and out the double doors without ever looking back. Adella rubs her head against her partner's leg to comfort the future princess.
As the two khans walk down the hall, Basilio spots Reina leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. After the two walks past her, she speaks, "Isn't that too harsh on Lucina saying like that?"
"If I didn't say like that, she'll keep pestering me to not go." Basilio replies.
"I can see your point..." Reina trails off and looks up sternly. "Are we going to do 'that' plan?"
"I still don't know if 'that' plan is going to work."
"Even though you said all that?"
Basilio laughs at the question. "You're right." He then continues walking down with Flavia to go and stall Walhart for the rest of the company to fight Yen'fay.