New AN: This chapter picks up where the previous cliffhanger from the previous chapter left off, definitely one of my more cheesy moments for the older story and an awkward way of showing the love triangle, something that will be a little bit more subtle in the new version of the story.

Old AN: Yay! This chapter is on time! BARELY! LOL! Hope you guys like this one! Lots of stuff happens so this author note isn't long. I hope you enjoy!

*Disclaimer: I only use the characters from Fire Emblem, I only own my story. Don't own anything except that.

Chapter Four

~Robin~

'NO...NO...Please...don't...let...Chrom...die...Please...let...me...make...it...in...time...Please...Chrom...I...I...I...love...you...I...can't deny it anymore...I love you so much, Chrom! Please don't die...Run faster...Run faster...'

Robin ran almost as fast as the wind, kicking up all the sand that dared to stand in her way. Robin started shouting the incantation for an Arcthunder spell as she got closer to Chrom. She was about to sigh in relief as she believed that she would make it in time. However, General Campari saw her coming, so he put in an extra burst of speed behind his thrust. Robin paled as she realized that with that speed boost she wasn't going to make it in time. Just as the short spear was about to hit Chrom, Robin threw all caution to wind and threw herself in front of her wounded commander. She gasped when the spear pierced her heart clean through and she coughed up blood as more spilled from her chest, before she crumpled to the ground. Robin mumbled the last word of her spell and hit the General square in the chest before passing out.

~Chrom~

Chrom panted heavily as he weakly attempted to raise his rapier to block the fatal blow from the General's short spear. At the last second, he saw a blur of black and dark purple dash in front of him. He heard a pained gasp and the black and purple figure fell to the ground after releasing an Arcthunder spell. General Campari took the full force of the spell and he fell to the ground, very close to death.

"Urgh... Killing me will only... feed Plegia's rage..." the General mumbled through the blood spilling out of his mouth.

Chrom breathed a sigh of relief that the General was dead until he looked down. He saw Robin in a sprawled heap with the short spear stuck in her chest. Chrom sank to the ground and gathered Robin's body into his arms.

"No...no...no...Robin please don't be dead..." he mumbled. "Why? ...Why did you take that hit for me? ...Why?" Chrom felt his wounds sting but he managed to wipe the blood off her face and stroke her purple hair. He looked up quickly and saw that the rest of the Shepherds were staring in bewilderment at the pair. They were most likely shocked that Robin acted so recklessly. Chrom felt tears prick his eyes as he looked down at Robin's beautiful face. He quickly made a decision and shifted so that the rest of the Shepherds wouldn't see as he leaned down and kissed Robin.

'Robin...I...I...love...you...Please don't be dead...this is my vow of love for you...you would never love me in return...but I can't deny my heart...mmph, Robin, your lips are so soft...I love you...so much...Robin...'

Chrom continued to kiss Robin's lips and he was completely unaware that one person was approaching him.

~Sumia~

'Oh no! Robin! Chrom!'

Sumia flew over silently to check if Robin and Chrom were okay. She expected to see Chrom listening to see if Robin's heart was still beating or Chrom attempting to pull the spear out of Robin's chest. She was preparing to shout for the three healers to come care for Robin. What she saw instead, was a sight she never expected to see. Chrom was holding Robin's unconscious body to him tightly, lightly kissing her lips. Sumia instantly paled at the sight and her chest started to throb.

'Oh. So it's Robin that Chrom loves...' Sumia hovered there silently on her pegasus for a few seconds before flying back to get the healers. 'Chrom...somehow I'll have to forget my love for you...watch over Robin well...'

~Chrom~

Chrom pulled his lips away from Robin's and tore off his cape. He knew that Lissa, Maribelle, and Libra would be here shortly to heal Robin. However, he didn't want them to come too late and have Robin die of blood loss. He slowly pulled out the short spear and attempted to stop the blood with his cape. At that moment, the healers rushed over to the pair.

"Oh no! Robin!" Lissa cried. The three instantly held their staffs over Robin and she began to glow bright blue. The healers did what they could for Robin but they were now exhausted. Robin's chest was still bleeding but she slowly opened her eyes.

"Robin..." Chrom said, a tear falling down his face. "You...you're alive...you idiot...why did you do that?"

Robin sighed and said quietly, "I...couldn't...let our commander die...now could I? Your life is way...more important...than any one soldier..."

Chrom sighed and said, "Robin...You know you are much more important than that..."

Robin chuckled a bit, but then cringed in pain. "Ah...this is going to leave a scar... Chrom...we still have to rescue Emmeryn...Where is King Gangrel?"

"Ssshh...You have done enough Robin...rest with the healers...Let me do the rest..." Chrom insisted.

"Chrom...you're still bleeding..." Robin said with concern.

When Robin said that, Lissa panted a bit but held her staff towards Chrom and healed her brother's wounds so that he could easily stand.

"Phew...sorry, Chrom...that's all I can do..." Lissa said, utterly spent.

"Ha...Thanks Lissa," Chrom said. "Now, Robin. Stay put." Maribelle moved forward and started to bandage Robin's wounds.

Chrom got up and picked up his sword. He was going to finish Robin's plan and save Emmeryn. Chrom blew a horn and three pegasus knights flew in. Heading the squad was Captain Phila.

"Your Grace!" she exclaimed.

"Phila!" Emmeryn exclaimed in surprise. "I'm so glad to see you're safe! But how-"

"Khan Basilio's men freed me," Phila replied. "Come, we must hurry!" The pegasus knights flew up to Emmeryn and Phila held out her hand.

"What? Pegasus knights?" King Gangrel asked in fury. "How did they...That damned Ylissean tactician does NOT play fair!"

"Heh heh heh... Yes, well. Neither do I," Aversa said with a snarl. She held up a small wooden box and opened it. A group of seven Risen archers appeared on the field in the middle of the three pegasus knights.

"...Risen?! Oh gods, no!" Robin screamed and then she struggled to stand up. Chrom turned and saw Robin run to his side despite Lissa's, Maribelle's, and Libra's protests. "Chrom! There are Risen everywhere!"

"Damn! Not now!" Chrom shouted.

"Bwa ha ha! Oh, did an army of living corpses just APPEAR out of the blue?!" King Gangrel laughed. "Truly, the heavens smile upon mighty King Gangrel this day! Bwha ha ha ha!"

One of the Risen archers aimed straight for Captain Phila and made her a pin cushion.

"Risen...How..." Phila stuttered."Y-Your Grace, I... Forgive me... Uh..."

"Phila!" Emmeryn shouted.

"Exeunt one pegasus knight! Bwa ha ha!" Gangrel laughed. "Watch how they fall, one by one!"

The archers then turned the other two pegasus knights into pin cushions.

"No...no...no..." Robin said.

"We've lost..." Chrom said.

"I believe this is what they call a reversal of fortunes," Gangrel said with a haughty smile. "Now...grovel before me. Plead! Beg for your worthless lives!"

"I'd give up my life before I'd beg for it from you," Chrom declared.

"Oh, NOW that is a good line. A fitting epitaph for your tombstone, perhaps?" Gangrel said mockingly. "But it's not just your life in the balance. The exalt still stands upon the block. And I have a dozen bows trained on her. All it would take is one word from me..."

"Emm!" Chrom shouted desperately. "Hold on, I'm-"

"ARCHERS! If this Ylissean pup so much as twitches, let fly your arrows!" the Mad King shouted.

"I... I'll kill you!" Chrom shouted.

"Go ahead! I welcome it. Just know you were responsible for Big Sister's bloody demise!" Gangrel laughed. "...And what of the rest of you? Eh? Who wants the honor of killing the exalt? ...No one? Bah! Your merry band isn't quite so headstrong anymore, is it? Pathetic!"

"Damn you!" Chrom shouted.

"Now, now, my boy - no one needs die today. Not you. Not the exalt. Not your friends," Gangrel said haughtily. "Just lay down your sword, and give me the Fire Emblem."

"...I..." Chrom tried to say.

"Chrom!" Robin shouted from his side. "You can't trust him!"

"OF COURSE I can't trust him! I'm not an idiot!" Chrom shouted worriedly. "But if I just say no, he'll kill her. The gods are cruel, damn them! My sister or my duty... A problem with no right answer, yet I must choose!"

"That's right! Don't give up!" Robin shouted. "There has to be a way..."

"If there is, I can't see it..." Chrom said. "Ah, gods!"

"I will count to three!" Gangrel shouted. "Throw down your weapons, or your exalt becomes the world's largest quiver. ...ONE!...TWO!...Thr-..."

"Gangrel, hold!" Chrom shouted. "...You win. Everyone lay down yo-"

"No, wait!" Emmeryn shouted from her perch.

"SILENCE!" Gangrel shouted.

"Emm..." Chrom said.

"King Gangrel, is there no hope you will listen to reason?" Emmeryn asked.

"You mean listen to more of your sanctimonious babble?! I think not." the King spat. "No, all I want to hear now is the THUNK of arrows, and a SPLAT as you hit the ground. Take one, long, last look from you perch. You do so enjoy looking down on people... Then prepare to meet the ground, and your maker! That is, unless someone were to give me the Emblem...NOW!"

Emmeryn stood on her perch silently as if she was thinking. Chrom made the decision, he had to save his sister.

"ALL RIGHT!" Chrom shouted. "All right... Emm, I know you won't approve, but this is my final decision. MAYBE someday we'll face a crisis where MAYBE the Emblem would've helped... But I know for a fact that Ylisse needs you, today! The people need their exalt... And we need our sister. If those dark days should come, we'll face them together."

"Chrom. Th-thank you. I know now what I must do," Emmeryn said.

"Emm, what are you-" Chrom started to say.

Emmeryn interrupted him with a shout, "Plegians! I ask that you hear the truth of my words! War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out. Free yourselves from this hatred! From this cycle of pain and vengeance. Do what you must... As I will do. See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!"

"Emm, no! NO!" Chrom shouted. He realized what Emmeryn was about to do, as he started racing towards the bottom of Emmeryn's perch.

'No...no...no...Emm...Emm...Don't do this...Ylisse needs you...I need you...Lissa needs you...don't do this...'

~Emmeryn~

'No reaction. Was I wrong then? ...Chrom...this is some torch I'm passing you...So be it...' With that in mind, Emmeryn walked slowly to edge of the ledge and tipped herself over. She put her hands in a prayer while she fell faster and faster.

'...Chrom...Lissa...And all my people...Know that I loved you...'

~Robin~

Robin gasped as she realized what Emmeryn was about to do. She saw Chrom begin to run towards Emmeryn and she noticed the archers attempting to shoot both Chrom and Emmeryn. She quickly flipped in her tome to a wind spell and started muttering a slightly different incantation than what was written on the page.

This altered the spell a bit and a huge wall of ice appeared in between the Shepherds and the Risen archers. Then she immediately began a regular wind spell but put a lot more mana into it in order to break Emmeryn's fall. But a sneaky archer got past the ice wall just before it went up and the arrow buried itself deep in Robin's previous wound. Robin gasped in pain as she lost control of the wind spell and quickly tried to start up another one and let it go immediately. Unfortunately, she was too little, too late as the spell only barely slowed Emmeryn's fall. The last thing Robin heard was Chrom's anguished scream as he stared at his sister's body, before she passed out in another pool of blood.

~Chrom~

Chrom screamed in anguish before he sank to his knees, trying to hold back tears. He heard Lissa shout, "NOOOOOO!" and then collapse into Lon'qu's arms most likely. He heard her begin to sob uncontrollably in the background which he expected. What he didn't expect was Sumia crying out, "ROBIN!" He turned around and saw his tactician collapse to the ground in a pool of blood.

'No...no...not Robin too...she is definitely dead...oh gods...'

"DAMN YOU, GANGREL!" Chrom shouted in fury.

"Bwa ha ha haa! Well now! ...How disgustingly noble," Gangrel laughed. "And so lovely a fall. Here I thought death to be an ugly thing. I've never seen one fall so gracefully, in fact. ...And I've seen many fall. Ah... So ends Emmeryn, Ylisse's most exalted! But how can we ensure everyone remembers this beautiful moment of her sacrifice? Perhaps we should gather up her body and put it on display! Bwa ha ha..."

"Gangrel!" Chrom shouted. "You die today!"

"No, boy!" Khan Basilio shouted. "I've secured an escape route! We have to flee!"

"B-but...her body...I have to..." Chrom said.

"You have to RUN!" khan Basilio shouted in reply. "Now do it! Don't do anything stupid!"

"No! No... I'm too late... Our bleak future is written once more... And darkness awaits us all," Marth muttered in the background.

"Lass!" Khan Basilio shouted. "Can you carry her? I have to make sure this one doesn't do anything STUPID!" The Khan gestured to Chrom.

~Marth (Lucina)~

Lucina nodded once and with the help of Libra and Maribelle got Robin onto her back. Tharja immediately moved next to the pair and started muttering hexes. Lucina just hoped that those hexes were helping Robin and not hurting her. Libra and Maribelle also did everything they could to heal whatever of Robin's injuries that they could. Lucina hoped that they could get away quickly so that Robin could get some proper treatment.

~Chrom~

'NO...no...Emm is dead...her body...Robin is probably dead as well...damn Gangrel...damn him...'

Chrom grudgingly walked forward as the Shepherds attempted to escape.

"Hurry!" Khan Basilio shouted. "There should be carriages waiting just through the ravine!"

"Chrom, please!" Sumia exclaimed.

"Rrgh...I'm...I'm coming," Chorm said reluctantly.

"Quickly! We're almost... Huh? Damn!" Khan Basilio shouted. "Plegians! I knew it couldn't be that easy... They're right in our way! We must fight!"

"Fine by me..." Chrom said, drawing Falchion.

"Ylisseans! My name is Mustafa. I offer you mercy! Surrender to me now and live!" the general shouted. He was a large man with a scar over his eye that looked very intimidating with his axe.

"Surrender? Sorry, I'm not familiar with the word," Khan Basilio retorted.

"Emmeryn would not have wished for this to come to bloodshed," Mustafa said.

"Don't speak her name!" Chrom shouted.

"Your rage is justified, Prince Chom," Mustafa said. "But the meaning of your sister's final sacrifice was not lost on me. I suspect many Plegians who heard her final words would say the same. If you lay down your weapons, I vow to protect you as best I can."

"How can we trust you after what your barbarous king has done?" Frederick asked in disbelief. "I think we shall take our chances with weapons in hand!"

"I suspected you would say as much," Mustafa replied. "So be it, Prince Chrom, I shall endeavor to grant you a swift and dignified end."

Then a crazy battle ensued since, their tactician, Robin, was unconscious, the Shepherds fought any Plegians that dared come near. Sumia flew Chrom close to Mustafa and Chrom held his sword out to Mustafa in a challenge.

"We shall see who will be meeting their end," Chrom snarled.

"If you wish to keep your lives, then you must win them!" Mustafa replied.

He ruthlessly attacked Mustafa until the general was too weak to stand.

"Well done, Ylisseans...Hrrggh!" Mustafa grunted. "Please...spare my men..."

"Khan Basilio!" a young dancer with bright pink hair ran up to the group.

"Oliva!" the Khan shouted in return. "I'm sorry we keep you waiting."

"When I didn't hear from you, I thought... I assumed the worst," the dance replied nervously.

"Chrom? Shepherds? Meet Oliva. She'll be smuggling us out of here," Khan Basilio said to the rest of the group.

"Only if you hurry! Doubtless more of the Mad King's men are on their way.

"Right. Pile in you lot! And bid farewell to this Plegian hellhole," Khan Basilio said.

"Ready? Hold on tight!" Olivia exclaimed.

So the Shepherds headed back to Regna Ferox in utter defeat. Their exalt was dead. Their tactician was clinging to the threads of life. Their commander had senselessly beat up a Plegian general and was likely going insane. They had failed.

AN: And that's the end of that chapter. Sorry that it is a little short this time... I was pressed for time. I will be leaving for a camp up in the mountains on Sunday so I've been a little pressed for time. I plan to upload chapter 5 by Saturday if possible so that you guys have something to read until I get back on August 8th. See you then! Hope you like the story so far! Stay with me! i promise to continue! :)