Keith stood in the courtyard of his citadel, crouching down and slowly walking towards a corner. He was holding a severed human arm in his hand, and he placed it near the wall of the courtyard. He got up, stomped his feet on the ground several times, and took a few steps back. "Come here, boy." He said in a soft tone. "Come on. Come on out. Here boy. I have food for you. Come on."

Nothing happened for several seconds, but Keith didn't move. He was as motionless as possible, and after some time had passed he could feel faint vibrations beneath his feet. The vibrations quickly became more pronounced, and with no other warning a single Tunneller burst out of the ground near where he had been stomping his feet. The Tunneller quickly grabbed the arm and started gnawing on it, but it soon turned to Keith and shrieked at him. A bullet went through its head an instant later. "Ha!" Keith said as he holstered his pistol, identical to the one he had given Chrom. "I knew there was one still around here. Gotcha you little bugger!"

Farber walked up to Keith and stood at attention. He made no attempt to attract Keith's notice. Instead he just waited for Keith to notice him on his own, but Farber also seemed fixated on the young man. He carefully watched his every move, and he had a calm, dreamy look on his weathered face. He just stared at Keith until he turned to see him by chance. "Oh! Farber. I wasn't expecting anyone."

"I apologize, Justicar."

"You're supposed to be helping with the evacuation. I want to move out within two hours."

"The convoys you tasked me with securing are ready to be moved, sir. Now we are just waiting on the personnel to finish a number of small tasks in the city."

"Oh, of course. Thank you, Farber. I should have know better than to assume you hadn't done your task. You are a very capable officer."

"T-thank you, Justicar." Farber said, his breath short.

"Is there another reason you're here then?"

"Yes, Justicar. A scout from Pheros' army has just arrived in the city. Her force is likely only an hour or two away. If we wait for her to return, then we can move out with the city's garrison returned to us."

"Excellent. She was able to figure out that the Grimleal forces moving towards the city were just a diversion to lure out the garrison while they attacked with Tunnellers. It's unfortunate that I didn't realize what was happening earlier, but at least we were spared any casualties."

"Right. So we'll wait then?"

"Yes. We will leave as soon as Pheros returns. You're dismissed, Farber."

Farber thought about his words carefully. "Wait, Justicar. Permission to speak freely?"

"Permission granted."

"There is something else we must do before we leave the city. Archangel wants Chrom and his companions taken to her right? They need to be taken alive right?"

"Yes. She needs them alive."

"Well I don't trust them to come on their own." Farber stepped forward. "I think they should be detained."

"What?" Keith seemed somewhat offended at the suggestion, but he did consider it. "We already keep them in the city."

"That's not good enough. They came in on a wyvern and a Pegasus. They could just fly out. They need to be in chains. They'll leave otherwise. You know they will."

"I don't know. If I force them to stay, it could turn them away from our movement."

"But if they escape you, Archangel will not be happy. You'll be stripped to your skivvies and flogged in the streets, and it'd be much worse if you weren't her son."

Keith nervously glanced around. "That is true. I still don't think it's the best course of action."

"Can I at least have them followed? I'll show you that they're likely trying to leave the city."

Keith thought about it for almost a minute. "Alright. Have them followed, but report back to me before you do anything else."

"Yes, Justicar!"

Farber turned and left the citadel, and Keith turned back to the dead Tunneller. Farber walked outside of the building and found Cervantes waiting for him. "What were you doing in there?"

"Reporting to the Justicar, as a good officer would!"

"He didn't ask you to see him."

"Well a good officer wouldn't need to be asked! He would always be there when needed. If you must know, I was informing the Justicar of my suspicions. I do not trust Chrom and his companions to stay with us of their own volition. They must be detained to ensure that Archangel can see them. The Justicar gave me permission to have them followed."

"Well that sounds reasonable without subtext." Cervantes said in a suspicious tone. "Though I think you spend way too much time with him. You're always by his side, and you always try to return to him as quickly as possible when he sends you away. It's not normal."

"I am being a capable officer!"

"It's weird! A man as old as you shouldn't be that devoted to a nineteen year old! You look like a damn pederast."

"Quiet! I have loyalty to the Justicar. Perhaps you need to have that kind of loyalty beaten into your skull!"

"Oh bring it on! I kicked your arse thirty years ago to be one Walhart's chief lieutenants, and I'll do it again!"

Both men suddenly became very saddened, and Farber's gaze fell down to his feet. "I miss Walhart."

"Me too." Cervantes said in a quiet tone. "His dream of a united humanity, free from the petty squabbles of kingdoms and religions, would have created a better future for everyone. Those damn Shepherds ruined everything. They come to our continent and say that they're right, and that we're wrong. Well they didn't do much good for the world in the end now did they?! Morons! All of them!"

"Keith is a great man in his own right. I miss Walhart, but I see much of him in Keith. He's strong and devoted and fearless. He's a natural leader, and he would give anything for humanity. He'll never stop fighting for a better future."

"Nnrg. Why don't you just propose to him already?"

Farber didn't react to Cervantes' comment. He seemed lost in thought. "Oh Keith. You are the wind at my back and the sword at my side. Together, my Justicar, we will build a peaceful world… just you and me."

Cervantes took several steps back. "Wow, Farber. That was… that was a really strange thing to say."

"Quiet you miserable pile of barbershop droppings!"

Ophelia and Soleil made their way into the city's wyvern stables. They were both relieved to see that no wyverns were killed, or even harmed. The stables were strewn with mutilated Tunnellers, however. It was clear that the wyverns were targeted by the monsters in their attack on the city, but they were more than capable of defending themselves. If anything they got free meals out of the battle. Ophelia and Soleil ran through the stalls, the other wyverns largely too tired or full to pay them any attention, until they found the wyvern that was distinctly theirs. The two embraced their draconic companion, and the beast nudged them both with her snout. "Minerva!" Ophelia exclaimed. "You're okay! Oh I missed you!"

Minerva playfully nudged the two girls, and Soleil smiled wider. "Oh we're so sorry for not seeing you earlier. You weren't hurt were you?"

"No." A familiar voice responded. "She wasn't hurt. I inspected her thoroughly."

Ophelia and Soleil turned to find Caeldori standing a few meters away. She was tending to Aurora, brushing her hair and feeding her. She didn't turn to the two. "Caeldy?" Ophelia asked as she stepped forward. "We didn't know you were here."

"Yeah. I just had to… step away from it all for a while." Caeldori stared listlessly into Aurora. "With Cordelia gone… someone has to take care of her Pegasus."

"You?"

"I don't want to. Gods I don't want to. She's a horrible reminder of my grandmother. I'll see her every time I look at my mount." Caeldori started to tear up, and she rested her face on Aurora's snout as her grandmother had once done. "I-I'm not ready. My training wasn't over, and now I'm the only Pegasus Knight left. The order lives or dies with me." Ophelia slowly walked up to her and placed her hand on Caeldori's shoulder. She looked at her, and found her struggling as hard as she could to remain stoic. "But I'm not ready. I'm not the soldier my grandmother was, and I don't know how to pass on my training. Did she expect me to train other women? To rebuild the order? I don't know how! I'm not good enough!"

Ophelia smiled at her, trying to reassure her. Soleil followed behind, but her nigh eternal smile was faded. Caeldori never showed weakness in front of others, and Soleil always thought of her as domineering. She wasn't sure how to feel about her words now. Was Caeldori just traumatized by the loss of her grandmother, or did she always have these feelings? Did she always view herself as inferior to her mentor? "Oh Caeldy." Ophelia said softly. "Come on. She knew you could do it."

"But I'm not ready. I can't be the future of an entire military order! I just don't know how, and who could teach me now?"

"Maybe Chrom could help?"

"What does he know about being rebuilding the Pegasus Knights?" Caeldori turned back to Aurora. "I'm sorry, Ophelia. Maybe you're right, but I just don't have your confidence."

"So you… you don't want to take care of Cordelia's Pegasus?"

"No. She'll always remind me of my grandmother, and she's so old. She would need special care. I'm not sure if I could do it. If she dies because of me, then I'll lose what little I still have of my family. She's… she's a microcosm of my station. Just as I must take care of a dying mount, I must rebuild a dying order, and they will both be gone forever if I don't… but I don't know how. I'm just not ready."

"Caeldy…"

"Just… is there anything you two needed? Help with Minerva? Do you want me to cook you something?"

"W-what? No! No don't worry about us right now. If you need time alone then we can do that."

"Thank you, Phelia."

"But you can do it. You're one of the strongest people I know. You'll be fine."

"T-thank you."

Ophelia nodded and walked out of the stables. Soleil found herself alone with Caeldori, unsure of what to say. "Uh… w-what she said."

"Thank you, Soleil." Caeldori said in a flat tone, without looking up from the Pegasus. Soleil followed Ophelia out, and Caeldori hung her head. "Oh, girl. I don't want to abandon you, but I don't know if I can take care of you. I just… I don't know. I'm not ready. For any of this."

Meanwhile, Ophelia and Soleil left the stables and made their way back towards the center of the city. They didn't notice a man watching them. Hidden away in an alley, Farber mounted his horse and rode off.

Chrom was once again standing over Cordelia's grave, silently contemplating the woman it honored. He turned at the sound of footsteps to see Gaius walking towards him, and a twinge of guilt hit him as he realized he hadn't thought of Gaius since before the attack. Gaius stumbled forward and had a hard time walking straight, and Chrom soon saw why. He had two bottles of wine in his hands. One was empty, but the other was still full, and it spilled every time he took a step. "Blue! Still here? Huh?!"

"Y-yes." Chrom responded nervously. "I'm still here."

"Great. Just great. I wanted to make peace with her in private, but I gotta spend this quiet time of reflection with the man who got her killed."

"I… I'm so sorry." Chrom didn't want to argue with Gaius. He just took a deep breath, trembling as he exhaled. "If the girls hadn't taken me to her home, then she'd still be alive." Gaius just grunted in response and took a swig of wine directly from the bottle. Chrom looked at him and felt a mixture of uneasiness and sadness. "You're drinking?"

"Yeah. Sure am. The people here are so scared that they're leaving all kinds of things behind. They don't know what to take. What matters. I found a whole cache of wine. I didn't want it to go to waste." Gaius approached the grave and looked warily at it. "Plus, there's a lot of pain I'm trying to drown."

Chrom and Gaius stood together for a few awkward seconds, both men looking at their friend's grave and trying not to think about their mutual aversity. Chrom's guilt extended to Gaius though, and he still felt the need to do something for him. To at least talk to him. "Did you know her well?" He eventually managed to say.

"We all knew each other." Gaius responded bitterly.

"Well yeah but did you… really know her?"

"Better than you."

"Yeah." Chrom looked back down. "I didn't make a lot of time for her back then. There were a lot of allies I didn't make time for. I wasn't really there for everyone, not like Robin was. He talked to everyone. Bonded with everyone. I should have been. I should have built bonds with all the men and women that fought for me. It's one of my many failures."

Gaius nodded. "She had a crush on you back then you know." He said without looking up. "It was really obnoxious. I mean it was just unhealthy, and everyone knew it. Everyone but you. That's how little you cared about her back then."

"Yeah." Chrom said in a broken tone.

"A lot of us were happy when she and Libra tied the knot. We thought she'd finally move on. I guess she didn't really, and I guess you must have felt something after all." Gaius finally brought his head up, and he glared at Chrom. "Or maybe you just latched onto her because she fawned over you like everyone else used to." Chrom didn't look back to Gaius, and he eventually stopped glaring at him and took another drink from his wine bottle. "Ah well. Doesn't matter now. All that matters is that she's gone, and we're still here. She was one of the bravest and strongest people I knew, and now she's gone. Meanwhile we're still here. A thief turned assassin and a man that butchered his friends and family. There's no damn justice in this world."

"Yeah." Chrom muttered. He slowly looked at Gaius, but Gaius didn't glare at him again. He just returned his dejected expression. "Gaius… what happens now?"

"I don't know, Blue. I don't know."

"Do you think… will things between us ever change?"

"They already have changed. I don't want to put a bullet in your head anymore. I couldn't do that to Tiki or the girls. They seem to actually like you."

"Will you ever stop hating me?"

Gaius got very close to Chrom, and spoke in a menacing voice. "You killed my wife and daughter. You ruined everything we fought for. I'll never stop hating you for that." Gaius looked back to the grave. "But in the time I've spent with you over the last few days, I see that you do feel sorry about what happened. You do care about the people you failed. You… you really do care about her, about all of them, so I don't hate you for that."

"Well I'll never stop hating myself. Does that make you feel better?"

Gaius put his hand on Chrom's shoulder in a way that was both reassuring and forceful. "No. It doesn't. It does make me feel better to know that you really did care about her though. It does make me feel better to know that you really care about those girls."

"Really?"

"I don't know if things between us will ever get better, but against my better judgement, it fills me with hope to see you fighting again. Like I said, there's no justice in this world. Maybe that's why it's nice to occasionally make some."

Chrom almost smiled. "Yeah."

"Goodbye, Cordelia!" Gaius shouted in a drunken slur. "Thanks for trying to tidy me up, not that it did any good." Gaius turned back to Chrom and gave him a strange smile. "You know, Blue, I never gave her a nickname. I gave everyone a nickname, but not her. I guess I forgot. Maybe… maybe it's not too late."

"Umm, sure."

"How about… Red?"

"I could have sworn you gave someone that nickname already."

"That's right! I gave that name to Anna. How about… Wingtips."

"What?"

"She used to have that headband? Just like Copy's?"

"I don't know."

"Right. How about… Genius. Because she was always so perfect? I heard it's what the other Pegasus Knight recruits used to call her."

"Do you really want to use a nickname other people came up with?"

"You're right. Hmm. I'll come up with something." Gaius briefly looked away, and he seemed to be thinking. "You know, Blue… when we first met the Arch Surg forces, Vasto said something. He said… justice, like lightning, should be to few men's detriment but all men's fear. Justice like lightning. I like the sound of that. I don't know if it should be to few men's detriment. The people that did this are definitely going to pay. The Grimleal will pay for what they did to Cordelia. They'll pay for what they did to… your daughter." Gaius extended his arm. "We can make them pay for this."

Chrom allowed himself a genuine smile, and he took Gaius' hand. Both men shook hands, and the two shared a moment of brief optimism. "Thank you, Gaius. I don't deserve the trust you still have in me, but thank you."

Gaius glanced down to his wine bottle and held it outwards. "Want some?" Chrom hesitated, but eventually he nodded and reached for the bottle. Gaius pulled it away right before he could grab it. "Ooh sorry. Just remembered. Alcohol is for men who don't slap their girlfriends around. Store policy."

Chrom didn't say anything in response. He just sighed and gave a defeated look. He and Gaius turned back to the grave, but they looked up at the sounds of a man coming towards them to see Vasto. Vasto looked eager to talk to the two, but he paused at the sight of the object of their attention. "A grave?"

"Yeah." Chrom responded. Vasto walked over and saw the grave.

"Oh! Cordelia! She didn't make it?!" Chrom shook his head, and Vasto seemed stunned. "Oh. I… I'm so sorry."

"Thank you."

"Really! I am. I know I didn't know her well but… she meant a lot to me."

"H-how so?"

"I'll never forget when she showed up to reinforce you that day in Breakneck Pass. That's when I began to realize that the battle was turning against me, and from then on I didn't fight with my full strength. I allowed myself to become worried and weak, and so I was defeated quickly. If I had given it my all, if I had fought as bitterly as I could have, then I may have died. I wouldn't be here now. In a way she saved my life."

Chrom thought about Vasto's words. "Huh. It's amazing how little things can make such big differences in people's lives."

Gaius just shrugged. "Did you need something?"

"Right." Vasto stepped closer to the two. "Look, I needed to see you two about something. This isn't official. I'm not saying this as an officer of the Arch Surg. I just don't know who else I can go to."

"What?" Chrom asked.

"Keith is abandoning this city. He's having all his forces evacuate."

"What's wrong?"

"He's leaving the civilians behind! He doesn't want to take them along. He's leaving them here to rot, or to wander out into the desert on their own! These people have seen enough pain. We should be doing something for them!"

"That's horrible! I thought it was his job to protect the people of this city?"

"He doesn't care about them. He only cares about himself! Him and the other officers! I can't just let them abandon everyone. We have to find a way to help the people still here!"

"But how?" Gaius interrupted. "We can't move that many people, and we don't have supplies for them."

"We have to do something." Chrom spoke up. Vasto smiled.

"I knew you would agree! I didn't know if anyone would help, but I'm so glad to see that you really do care about the people. Come on. We can discuss this with my men near the city center."

"Why not right here?"

"My men are waiting. We can do a lot more with them." Vasto paused. "Actually… let's find your other companions too. We can all be here to talk about this."

"Umm, alright. I'll get the others, and we can talk about this in the city center."

Chrom and Gaius gathered Tiki, Ophelia, and Soleil and followed Vasto to the meeting point. Only Caeldori was missing as she stayed in the wyvern stables. Vasto eventually seemed to be leading them in circles, and he repeatedly turned to look at Chrom. He finally stopped near an alley right as Chrom was beginning to get suspicious. "Well here we are."

"What?" Chrom looked around, and he slowly reached for his sword. Vasto watched him with a very nervous expression. "What is this? Vasto, where are your men?"

Vasto began to back away. "I'm sorry. This… this isn't personal."

"W-what?"

Before Chrom could question any further, Tiki cried out in pain. She quickly pulled out a blow dart of some kind from her neck. "What the?!" Tiki began to stumble, and Chrom caught her in his arms. He looked up at Vasto, whose own face was racked with guilt, in panic.

"What's going on?!"

Tiki started to doze off. "Chrom? I don't… I don't feel so good. I don't… oh." Tiki fell unconscious. About a dozen civil patrol troopers all burst out of hiding places as soon as she did, and they all trained arquebuses on the group.

"It's a Dolhrian attack, arseholes!" An eager civil patrol trooper shouted. "Not so tough without your big lizard!" Chrom and the others slowly rose their hands into the air, but he turned to glare at Vasto.

"You tricked us!"

Vasto looked at his feet. "I was ordered to. I'm sorry." Chrom gave him a menacing look, but that paled in comparison to the unadulterated hatred he felt when he turned to see Keith and Farber approaching the group.

"Yes he was ordered to." Keith said. "He was ordered to bring you all here to me, so that I could ensure that you didn't escape me again. He was supposed to bring all of you though. Where's the blind woman?"

"She's gone!" Gaius spat out.

"You're just hiding her. I'll find her!"

"No, Justicar! She's really gone!" Vasto added. Farber walked up to Keith and handed him a piece of wood. It was the same piece of wood Chrom had used to make a makeshift grave.

"We found this by the citadel, Justicar. I think she really did die in the attack."

Chrom and his companions looked on in horror as Keith callously took the gravestone and inspected it. "You defiled her grave?!" Soleil cried. "How dare you! You fops!"

Keith read the grave carefully. "Hmm, so she was killed in the attack. I'm sorry for your loss." He shrugged and tossed the grave aside. "Oh well. Out with the old, in with the new. There is no place for Pegasus Knights in our new world anyways. They're enforcers for the old world aristocracy, repressing the working classes for the decadence of the landed elite. It's for the better that she died an old world hero, instead of a bitter old hag."

"Damn you." Chrom snarled through gritted teeth. Ophelia stepped forward.

"You don't like the Pegasus Knights? I thought you were inspired by the old Halidom of Ylisse?"

"No. The old systems failed. We're going to build a new world order. My reverence is for Lucina. She was part of the royal family yes, but that's not what made her great. The only thing her birth gave her was the ability to use the Falchion. There was no throne to inherit by the time she was an adult. Human civilization had died by then. In every other way she was dealt an awful hand in life, but she rose to be a hero. To fight for humanity. Her story is not defined by entitlement, but by strength and merit. That's the world we will create. A world where the common man will rule, and people will rise through their own merits. Archangel will ensure that this dream becomes a reality, and you're going to meet her."

Chrom was shaking with fury at this point. "Stop talking about her!"

Keith walked towards Chrom, and the civil patrol troopers all readied their weapons to fire if anyone tried anything. He got very close to Chrom and spoke in a low tone. "I know it's hard to see me like this. I know it must bring back some unpleasant memories."

"Shut up." Chrom said through his attempts to suppress his feelings.

"But I only dress like this to inspire people, as she did. I'm sorry it brings you pain. Just let it all out. You'll feel better."

"S-Shut up!"

"The information I read about her in Shepherd's Folly told me about what she was like. Long blue hair. Blue eyes. A determined, reassuring voice." Keith chuckled. "A strange fashion sense. Kind of awkward in some social situations. Good hearted. Always willing to help someone. Is that all accurate?" Though he desperately wanted to block out everything Keith said, his description of Lucina did bring back even more memories for Chrom. He finally broke down, if only briefly. Keith seemed to feel for him, though it was difficult to tell as only the bottom half of his face was visible, and he stepped forward and tried to hug Chrom. "Hey, that's it. Let it out."

"Get off of me!" Chrom shook Keith off. "You're not my daughter! You'll never inspire anyone like that!"

"But I have inspired people. Thousands of men and women fight for our cause. They want to better the world."

"But what you're doing isn't always right. Fighting against the Grimleal doesn't make you justified in everything you do."

"But it does. We are the future of humanity." Keith stepped even closer. "And you're coming with us. Archangel wants to see you, and she gets what she wants."

"Keith, we can be allies. You just have to treat us with some respect!"

"But you would never join if I let you go. Would you? You were happy to stay here when you needed medical attention, and you've taken our supplies and eaten our food, but when it's time to give something back, you wouldn't have joined us. You were going to leave. Weren't you? Farber saw you by the wyvern stables! You were going to fly out!"

"You can't treat us like this!"

"Hey, hey come on." Keith put his hand on Chrom's shoulder. "You and I? We can help the world together. We were destined to be together! As father and daughter!"

"Keith, stop!"

Keith suddenly exploded. He took several steps back and accentuated every word with an exaggerated body movement. "STOP WHAT?! STOP HHH-WHAAAT?! Stop trying to fight for humanity?! Is that what you want me to stop?! You want me to just roll over and wait for death like you've been doing?! Let me tell you something! Lucina was a warrior to the bone! She would never have stopped fighting, no matter how bad things got! It pains me to see that her father is so. Gods. Damned. Soft! We could be like heroes, of the kind that walked the earth thousands of years ago before the tumorous mass of this death worshipping cult that calls itself our government stunted it so! You and I! Together! We could save the world!" Keith walked back to Chrom and jabbed his finger in his chest. "You could still be a great warrior! I think your allies are holding you back. You could still be as strong as your daughter was. You could still be as strong as your father was. Did your father have allies like you do? No! Did Lucina? Not most of the time, and she was alone after coming back until she joined the Shepherds. Your father and daughter were much stronger than you, and they didn't have allies like you do. You know what I think? They're holding you back!" At this point Chrom's face was twisted with anger, but Keith pressed forward. He got so close that his and Chrom's face were almost touching, and he spoke in a soft growl. "These girls, they're holding you back? Aren't they?" Keith glanced to Soleil and Ophelia and nodded. "Archangel needs them taken alive. She wants to speak with them too. When she's done though, maybe I put them in their own cells. Maybe I pay them a visit myself."

"Keith." Chrom said in a menacing voice, as if he was trying to warn him to back off. Keith got even closer to him.

"Maybe they die under mysterious circumstances. Maybe when you're free of these parasites, you can finally be the warrior I know you can be." Chrom stared at Keith for a few seconds. He didn't say a word. He just stood and shook with barely contained fury until that rage became uncontrollable. Chrom drew his sword and tried to slash at Keith, but the civil patrol troopers by him grabbed his arms before he could. He yelled at Keith and still tried to run at him. Even as the civil patrol troopers held him back, he never turned to them. He looked Keith dead in the eye the entire time. Keith just took a few steps back and motioned to the troopers behind him. "Tranquilize them!"

"Err, Justicar?" Farber said sheepishly. "We only had the one dart. We figured Tiki was the most dangerous."

"Then take the others the old fashioned way."

Farber nodded and motioned for his troops to move forward. The civil patrol troopers prepared to detain the group, but everyone looked up in the sky as the sun seemingly began to darken. They realized an object was blocking it. "The hell?" Soleil said. "Is that… it's her!"

"Who?!" Chrom asked. The answer very quickly became clear as what seemed to be a large bird swept downwards and over the heads of everyone present. Chrom looked up to see that it wasn't really a bird. It was a Pegasus. Cordelia's Pegasus. The animal flew downwards and dived towards the group, and atop her was an armored woman with flowing red hair. The civil patrol troopers panicked and discharged their arquebuses at the woman, but she effortlessly dodged their frantic shots. She swooped down and cut several of them down, inflicting non lethal but incapacitating wounds. The woman made another pass before attacking again. This time she felled all of the civil patrol troopers. Keith himself was spared only because he dodged at the last moment, and Farber was knocked from his horse. At this point the woman finally landed. Her Pegasus reared up in front of Chrom and his companions, cutting them off from the Arch Surg. Aurora extended her wings and screamed, almost roared, while kicking at the Arch Surg forces. At this point everyone could finally get a good look at the woman that she was carrying. This woman had a short skirt and long boots, typical for Pegasus Knights, and a headband that resembled the one Cordelia had once worn. Segmented red plate armor, similar to what soldiers from Chon'sin wore, protected her shoulders. She wore little other armor, instead wearing a simple but elegant dark red and white dress.

"It's Caeldy!" Ophelia squealed. "She's… she's so cool!"

Soleil stared at her intently. "Oh damn! That is the sexiest thing I've ever seen!"

Gaius stepped closer to Chrom without looking away. "Just like her grandmother, huh?"

Chrom himself was almost too stunned to respond. "Yeah." He slowly became enveloped by pride. "Just like her."

Caeldori briefly glanced back at everyone to make sure they were okay, then pointed her lance at Keith and the civil patrol troopers. "STEP AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS! NOW!" Her voice boomed. Everyone but Keith and Farber seemed to be on the verge of panicking.

"It's a Valkyrie!" A frightened civil patrol trooper cried out. Keith stepped forward and drew his sword.

"Quiet! It's just a woman!" Keith stormed forward, ignoring Aurora's attempts to kick at him. "You're in no position to make demands! We have you outnumbered!"

"I've felled your troops!"

"Have you now?" Keith nodded towards something behind them, and the group turned to see Pheros approaching with the city's regular garrison. Her troops were far more heavily armed and armored than the civil patrol troopers, and they quickly leveled their arquebuses and bows at the group. Pheros gave Chrom in particular a devious smile.

"Well, Prince Chrom. Look how things have changed. Once you trapped my garrison in Fort Steiger before Walhart's forces could reinforce me. Now you're trapped by my forces. Fortunes do change don't they?"

Chrom whispered in Gaius' ear. "Do you still have a smoke bomb? Like the one you used at Cordelia's homestead?"

"Yeah. You're not… you can't do that!"

"We don't have a choice! Light it. I'll distract them." Chrom walked forwards until Pheros' soldiers trained their weapons on him specifically. "You haven't forgotten what happened thirty years ago?"

"Of course not. The flag may be different, but the cause is the same. I fought to better humanity, as I do now. I'll never forgive you for what you did to Walhart."

"But he joined my Shepherds. He believed in the cause of Robin and I more than he did his own!"

"Quiet! You tricked him! You forced him into joining you!"

"You know that's not true."

Keith walked towards the group, and Gaius turned his back to him to hide his smoke bomb. It meant exposing it to Pheros, but she was too distracted to see it. "Pheros! Stop talking to him and detain him already!"

Pheros was too incensed to heed Keith's words. "Walhart had a great vision! He would never abandon it willingly! You must have done something to him! You forced him to fight with you!"

"He joined us willingly! He was alive, Pheros. He was alive, and he chose to abandon his empire. He didn't even remember you!"

"I was his trusted ally!"

"You were nothing to him!"

Pheros was shaking with frustration. "Silence him!" She roared to her forces. Keith had to run up to them and wave his arms around.

"No! Ignore that order! We need them alive!"

Chrom turned to Gaius and was relieved to see that his smoke bomb was almost ready. Gaius whistled at Keith, and he gave a cheeky grin when he turned around. "So long, sucker!" He hurled the bomb at Keith and grabbed Soleil to shield her. Chrom did the same with Ophelia. Pheros had her horse rear up and out of the way, and Keith just glared at the bomb.

"Hope will never die!" He yelled in a squeaky voice as the bomb went off in front of him. Chrom and the group tried to flee towards Farber, but he managed to draw his tome and fire blasts of lightning to keep them pinned. Caeldori tried taking to the skies again, but Pheros charged at the group. She drew a sword and ran at Chrom, but Caeldori warded her off. Farber took the opportunity to hurl a lightning bolt at Caeldori, and it struck her with enough force to knock her off of her Pegasus. Pheros charged at Chrom again, but he had time to raise his Falchion and slash at her horse. Pheros went tumbling to the ground, and her horse panicked and kicked at Aurora before running away. Aurora herself seemed to panic and trotted off. Gaius tried to run in and fire his pistols at Pheros, but in his drunken daze all of his shots missed.

"Argh! Why can't one of you bullets stick a landing!" One of the Arch Surg soldiers ran at Gaius, but he activated his pistol sleeve and aimed his holdout pistol at her. He fired, but his aim was almost a meter off target. The soldier did a double take at the widely innacurate shot before striking Gaius with the hilt of her sword. "Oh. Ow. This has got to be my third or fourth most humiliating defeat. Erp, ow! Definitely top five."

Meanwhile Ophelia tried to fend of Farber with blasts from her Missiletainn tome, and the two engaged in a magical duel of sorts. Farber initially seemed to be driven back, and Ophelia pressed her advantage, but it was actually a ruse. As soon as Ophelia was several meters away from her companions, Farber responded with powerful blasts that Ophelia couldn't defend against. He smiled and readied an electrical blast as Ophelia fell to her knees. "This is how we brought the pain in my day, kid!" Farber unleashed a lightning bolt into Ophelia, hitting her with a deafening noise that drowned out everything else for a brief moment, and sending her to her back. Farber ran up and kicked her in the knee before she could recover.

Soleil tried to help, but Keith ran at the group with his sword drawn. Overcome by rage at everything he had done to her and her friends, Soleil moved to confront him. Keith raised his weapon. He coughed up a bit of smoke every few seconds, but was otherwise unfettered by the chaos unfurling around him. "Slink back to your mother's house! You are but a mercenary, and you face a lord. A laaawrrrd!"

"Yeah well… you're ugly! And your outfit sucks!"

"Her outfit was infallible!" Keith ran at Soleil and the two were briefly locked in a bitter bout. Soleil's basic skills weren't able to overcome Keith's proficiency with his weapon, but Soleil was saved by a recovered Caeldori. She almost stabbed Keith in her back before he dodged, but she was able to thrust her lance up and cut Keith along the face. Keith himself was unharmed. Rather, much like what had once happened to Lucina herself, his butterfly mask was sliced in two. Keith fell to his back and fumbled around his face. Caeldori and Soleil pointed their weapons at him, but he didn't seem to notice. Keith spasmed and furiously looked around until he found what remained of his mask. He started hyperventilating. "My face."

Caeldori brought her lance to his neck. "Tell your forces to leave us alone!"

Keith ignored her. "You broke my face."

"What?!"

"You broke my FAAAAACE!" Keith shot up and lunged at Caeldori. She was so stunned at his seemingly suicidal boldness that she didn't react, and Keith was able to grapple with her. He fought like an enraged toddler. He didn't so much punch at her as he did claw at her. He pulled her hair, tried gouging at her eyes, and even bit her cheek at one point. He finally managed a hit on Caeldori's neck that sent her to the ground, and Soleil ran at him and tried to swipe at him with her sword. Keith responded with some bestial noise that unnerved Soleil so much that she could do nothing but stand and stare at him. He shot forwards and head butted her with enough force to shatter her nose. Soleil went down with blooding pouring from between her fingers as she grabbed her face, and Keith turned his attention to Caeldori again. "My face! I'm nothing without my face!" He yelled as he swiped at her.

Pheros was still down from falling off her horse, and Chrom tried to run up and attack her. Pheros swept out his feet however, and the two rose and readied their swords. "I'll never forget what you did to Walhart!"

"He attacked us! I had to fight him!"

"He wanted to build a better future for humanity! He wanted a world where everyone would be at peace. No more killing because of religion, or flags, or class differences. Humanity would finally be united as one! Come then. Allow me to show you that the strength of his empire still lives, even in dissolution!" Pheros and Chrom dueled. Chrom was far stronger and more skilled, but Pheros was faster. She was able to hold out long enough for Farber to strike Chrom in the back with a lightning bolt. Pheros quickly disarmed Chrom, and Farber grabbed him and pinned his arms. Pheros approached him. "Now you're at our mercy, prince." She punched him in the stomach. Farber smiled sadistically as he held him still, and Pheros mercilessly struck him over and over again. "You claimed that your ideology was right, and that we were wrong! All you did in the end was enforce the rule of an elitist aristocracy! Walhart didn't inherit his position! He didn't get it through entitlement! He built his empire through force of will! He wanted to make a society where the working classes could rise through merit! No more corruption! No more decadence! No more oppression under an ancient regime! You ruined everything! You weren't a hero! You were just an enforcer for inbred nobles and landowners who lorded over the common man! You're just a bourgeoisie parasite!"

Pheros struck Chrom until he was bloodied, then Farber let go of him so that he could strike him in the face. Chrom was sent to the ground, and he desperately tried to grab at his Falchion. Farber stepped on his right hand with his armored boot, crushing his fingers. "That was for Walhart!" Farber and Pheros looked around to see that everyone was down at this point. The only person still fighting was Keith. He continued to kick and strike at Caeldori, who had long since passed out from the pain.

"You broke my FAAAAAACCCEEE!"