Last chapter's reactions were just as I'd expected! I practiced my evil laugh just for this moment! Mwahahaha!

I really appreciate that you guys are giving this story your time. Means a lot to me.

Going with something a bit different this time around. You'll see what I mean once you read it.

Hope you like it! Remember to leave a review to let me know what you think and to follow and/or favorite the story if you really liked it! Enjoy~

Chapter 14: And so we waited

That morning had started out just like any other. Well, that wasn't entirely correct. Instead of walking up on a bedroll laid on the floor in another unknown place in that foreign land, Isadora had woken up on an actual bed, something that she hadn't experienced since she crossed over. It was pleasant, she had to admit to herself, though it was something she would ever let anyone else know. As a knight in service to house Pherae, certain things were expected of her. Complaining about her accommodations weren't one of them.

It was a cold morning. When they got closer to the border with Regna Ferox, as Lord Mark and the Shepherds called it, snow was already falling on the ground. The further they traveled to the capital of this other nation, the more snow they would see. Even if the streets of the capital were cleared out every morning, a new white blanket would cover them before sunrise. Despite the cold, she stood from the rather comfortable bed and walked over to the window. She was surprised to see that crowds were already walking around outside. The city was lively. But she also noticed that about five of every seven people carried with them a weapon, whether it be a sword, a lance, a tome, an axe, or even a staff. This was really a land of fighters, as she'd heard some of the others comment the night before, when the Feroxi had prepared a banquet for them to enjoy.

With the fresh morning breeze coming into the room and chilling her body, she moved to the dresser, where her armor and clothes were being kept. She changed rather quickly. She wore a white one-piece that, just like Lady Lyn's, exposed her legs for better mobility. As a paladin, she couldn't have her legs be restricted by what she wore. Next came thigh-high stockings, the same color as the gloves that reached up to her biceps. The different piece of armor went on top of her clothes. These were white with gold detailing. They were beautiful in her eyes, even with the many dents and scratches the different pieces had suffered through the many battles she'd faced in Elibe and now in Ylisse as well. Her attire was complete when she put on a white cloak that bore the emblem of house Pherae.

She had to sit in front of a mirror to fix her hair. Much like her clothing, she prefered functionality over aesthetics. But, she was still a lady, something she was often reminded of. To compromise, she braided two strands of her hair from either side and then connected them with a pin at the back. This would still show off her long and beautiful blue hair while keeping it in place. With everything done, she only had to grab her sword before she walked out of the room, satisfied.

Another change from the norm was that, again, they were being served breakfast. They would even get to sit on an actual chair and table instead of some log, rock, or the ground. As she looked for a sit, she noticed that Lady Lyn and Lord Mark were both sitting together, chatting away. The two looked really happy. They were smiling and laughing. This brought a smile to the knight. It reminded her of their travels with the Lycian League all those years ago. Those two had always been close. It was different from then, though. From what Lady Lyn had told her, the two had shared a kiss some nights past. The two did give off that aura of a couple. Or maybe she only thought so because she knew about it. Either way, she didn't want to interrupt. She was able to find an open spot at another table, with the rest of the Cavalry; Sir Frederick, Sir Stahl, and Dame Sully, who all had shown her kindness in the past. She got a feeling of unity when she was with them, perhaps because they shared similar abilities in combat. Apart from Lady Lyn and Lord Mark, these three were the least...crazy of them all. The Shepherds were filled with interesting characters, though Isadora couldn't keep up with many of them. The supposed noble, Virion, was too forward with his interest in women. Miriel would focus all her spare time on research that Isadora could only wish to comprehend. Tharja was always too cold, brushing her off most of the time. Vaike, while a good sparring partner, she also found difficult to keep a coherent conversation going for more than just a few minutes. And that's only to name a few. All in all, these people weren't too different from the ones that had gathered around Lord Eliwood six years ago.

As she was eating, the conversation shifted towards her. Before she knew it, Stahl had asked what she would be doing with the free time they were getting. This confused her, as she was not yet aware that they would be granted any free time at all. She knew the reason why they'd redirected themselves to Ferox, but hadn't expected any change in their routines.

"Captain thought we could use a break," said Dame Sully, as she threw a glance over at Isadora followed by a grin. "I know I'm gonna spend my time training and looking after my horse. Can't be too safe, even here."

"I'll gladly give you a routine if you like, Sully," Sir Frederick chimed in, looking as happy as ever. It was no secret that the blue knight's training could be harsh, too much so even. It was something that earned him more respect from Isadora. Not only did he have his hands full trying to protect and give counsel to the prince and the princess, but he would take care of business around camp and even train some of the other Shepherds.

"You better not get sloppy with it," the red-clad knight said. "Last time you brought down the intensity of it. Don't you go thinking I'm some weakling like those others, ya hear?"

Isadora had only known the redhead for a few days, but she could already tell that the girl was one to push herself past her limit in order to get stronger. An admirable trait indeed. Her mind drifted to the idea of having some free time. She too thought about doing some training, but even with the usual training, that would give her more than enough time to do whatever she pleased after lunch. "I suppose I'll have a look around town after training," she told herself, although the others got to hear it as well.

And so breakfast was over. The training that morning was much more intense than usual, as per Dame Sully's request. There were a number of others who dropped out, opting to instead spar against each other, Lord Mark and prince Chrom amongst them—the two were having a heated fight, though the bluenette's ability with a sword was vastly superior than that of the tactician, who'd only picked up the art as of recent, or so she'd been told.

Yes, that day was almost like any other one. That is, until that happened.

Isadora was by the stables, looking after her steed with Dame Sully. The two were having a friendly chat, talking about care for their horses. The Pegasus Knights, Sumia and Cordelia, were also there taking care of their pegasus, having a chat of their own. Panne, the taguel (as she remembered she'd been called,) entered the stables, gasping for air. She held onto the frame of the massive wooden door, just looking at the four ladies there, before scanning the room. Something about her expression didn't look right. The others had sensed it as well, as they all had stopped what they were doing.

Finally, Isadora was the one to speak up. "Is something the matter, Panne? You look flustered"

"I'm looking for the man-spawn tactician," the taguel said, her brow furrowing as she locked eyes with the white knight. "Have you seen him?"

The joyful atmosphere that had been there moments before was replaced with one of tension as they waited for an explanation. Isadora hoped that it wasn't anything serious. It wouldn't be the first time someone had looked for Lord Mark to have a word with him. But then, what was the feeling she was getting? "I have not. Not since this morning." The taguel clicked her tongue and was about to vault when Isadora called out for her. "Panne, wait!" Once more, their eyes met. "...What's happened?"

"I heard him scream out in pain," she informed them, deadpan. "Or try to. I'm not surprised you didn't hear it. I would've dismissed it if it wasn't for the stench of blood that followed."

Sumia gasped behind her. Isadora's mouth was slightly open from what she'd just heard. Her heart rate started speeding up. It'd been her mission to look for Lord Mark and to keep him safe while investigating the rumors about the Black Fang. Had they reached him just when she'd lowered her guard? Had she failed her mission? She tried to push the thoughts aside. First they had to find him to confirm his status.

"Have you any idea of where he is?" Isadora asked.

"No," the taguel admitted as she slowly shook her head. "This blasted place is like a labyrinth! I can't find my way around."

"I will help you search." The knight turned to look at the other women. "Please, give us your aid as well. Inform anyone you see along the way!"

There was no time to wait for a response. With a hand on the hilt of her sword, she ran with Panne through the different hallways in Arena Ferox. Like Panne had said, it was a labyrinth. There were many paths to take, each of which lead to either dead ends or a number of empty rooms. Never before had she hated the architecture of a building as much as she had at that moment. They kept changing directions, trying to follow the path that the tactician's scent was coming from, but to no avail. TIme after time, they were forced to backtrack and try again. Before they knew it, they were starting to see a lot of guards running around the place, weapons at hand. It looked like they too were searching for something or someone. This only made Isadora worry more. She pushed herself to go that much faster.

"There!" Panne yelled as she made a ninety degree turn. Isadora followed after her, but then froze when she saw a pool of blood on the floor. There had to be enough there that whoever it belonged to, they would certainly be dead. She'd slowed down to a stop,her knees shaking as she stared at the blood. She'd been so focused on the red liquid that she'd failed to noticed some of the other Shepherds that were already there.

"What's happened to the tactician?" Panne asked one of them.

"He was stabbed in the chest," Vaike said. Isadora noticed displeasure and discomfort on the man's face as he looked at the blood. "The squirt-I mean, Lissa and Gaius found the guy...just laying there…" Isadora's heart sank, some vile had already started to form on the back of her throat. So it was true… Someone had indeed attacked Lord Mark. For such a man to die like that… No, he wouldn't die!

"How is he?!" Isadora's voice betrayed her own concern.

"Last I heard he was unconscious and barely alive," said Vaike. "Lissa and Maribelle are both trying their best to keep him alive, but his heart was damaged. There is no telling if he'll make it."

"Why are the rest of you just standing around?" Panne said with more than a little irritation in her voice. "Shouldn't you be looking for whoever did this? Isn't he your tactician?"

"Peace, Panne," the voice of Lord Chrom came from behind them. Isadora turned to look at him, hoping to hear more details about what had happened. What she saw was almost like a almost like a husk of the man. The prince was covered in blood—Lord Mark's, going from the lack of any visible wounds on the man. "We are doing everything we can," the prince's voice came hoarse. "Gaius caught a strange man that was on top of Robin when they found him. We are interrogating him right now. The khans are having their guard search for any accomplices that could have fled. We have to focus and keep this area secured. If they got Robin, anyone of us could be the next target."

"Where is Lord Mark now?" Isadora asked the prince.

"I'm afraid I can't let you see him. Lissa and Maribelle are both having a hard time trying to stabilize him as it is with Lyn refusing to leave his side."

Oh gods… She'd forgotten about Lady Lyn! If she was feeling the effect on the attack on Lord Mark, she could only imagine how the Lorca tribe woman would be dealing with everything. She was much closer to Lord Mark. It was no secret that she'd been searching for him for years in Elibe. To lose him now would destroy her.

Regaining some of her composure, she shifted her focus to something else the prince had said. They'd captured "a strange man" that had been there when Lord Mark had been first found. She jumped to the conclusion that if anyone would attack like that it had to be the Black Fang. King Gangrel's army would be focused on the Exalt back in Ylisstol. There was no other answer.

"Where is the man you spoke of, prince Chrom? The one captured by Gaius."

"We are questioning him right now. He hasn't confessed to anything...yet. Though, he did refer to Robin as Mark." Isadora clenched her hands at hearing that. There was no question about it. The only ones that would call the tactician by that name were those that came from Elibe.

"May I speak with this man?"

"Isadora, I don't think it would be wise to have you talk with him. You are too close to Robin, just like the rest of us. Khan Basilio is the one leading the questioning."

"...I'm sorry, prince Chrom, but I can't allow that. I owe it to Lord Mark to do this much for him. And more to the point, you said it yourself, Robin was referred to as Mark, correct? There are only a few people that would call him by that name. If I could talk to that man, we could find out more about the attack."

The idea of finding out more was enough to sway the leader to have her help out. He had her follow him through a corridor some distance away from where the pool of blood and Vaike and Panne were. The kept walking until they found a door guarded by two lancers, who exchanged looks as they saw the two bluenettes approaching. Upon seeing that one of them was Lord Chrom, they stood at ease. It seemed that one of the khans had informed them that the prince was to be allowed to enter the room without question.

When they entered, the only thing that Isadora could hear was the loud voice of a man asking questions. That voice belonged to a tall, muscular, bald man, who had to be Khan Basilio. He had his arms crossed, looking down at the other figure that had been tied to a chair. This other man had a hood on, which prevented her from seeing his face from that angle.

The room was completely empty aside from the chair that the man had been tied to. It was dark, too, with no windows to mention and only two torches at the far ends of the room. It was a tactic to prevent the imprisoned from knowing how long he'd been in the room, something that was done to criminals in Elibe too.

The khan took notice of the two new arrivals, stopping his questioning and looking towards them. He approached, trying to get out of the earshot of the other.

"What is it, lad? Don't you see I'm busy here?" The Khan questioned.

"I understand, and I appreciate all you're doing," the prince said. "Has he said anything yet?"

The man with the patch over his eye looked back at the man sitting. "Not a single word. He's a tough one, that one. If I had to say, he has experience with this sort of thing." He turned back to look at them both. "You want her to talk to him. A woman might just do it here. There are some that will take females lightly."

"This is Isadora," Chrom explained. "She is an old friend of Robin's. She brought a good point when I explained the situation to her. I believe she could have an insight that we do not."

"By all means, have her talk with him." The khan crossed his arms over his chest. "Every passing minute we get further from the truth."

She nodded at both men. She would get to the bottom of it all. If nothing else, that much she could do. She looked towards the sitting man and noticed that his head was half turned to look in their direction, however, his own hood had prevented him from actually seeing them just as much as it was hiding his identity. She walked towards him until she stood on the same spot that Khan Basilio had been before. Just as she was about to start her questioning, the man spoke.

"Huh…" was the first thing out of his mouth. Both the khan and the prince looked bewildered as she'd just made the hooded man speak his first words, if it could be called that. "Fancy meeting you here, of all people," the man said. "Though, the circumstances could be better."

Her eyes widened after hearing the man's voice. She recognized that voice! But, if her suspicions were correct, why had he been found over Lord Mark's body? His face was still hidden by the hood. With new found resolve, the knight approached the man and pulled back the hood.

The man looked different from what she remembered, then again, six years could do that to a person. His purple cloak had been replaced by a black one with a hood. He used to wear close to no armor before, but now he was better protected. A black breastplate made out of woven hard boiled leather strips. The same material could be found on his gloves, though these also had metal plates for extra protection. Likewise, metal plates had been attached to his black pants to protects his shins. The bandana he use to wear was no longer there, as the long dull-purple hair of his had been cut short. Along with the old scar over his eye, he now had a new one that went from cheekbone to cheekbone, going over his nose. He looked very different, the years showing in his face—crow's eyes were starting to show, much earlier than expected for a man on his late twenties—The Hurricane.

"Master Legault…?!"

"It's been a long time, Dame Isadora. Never imagined I would see you again. Not after the war."

"What is going on?" Chrom asked. "Do you know this man, Isadora?"

"M-My apologies, milord," said Isadora, still not understanding what was before her eyes. "This is...an old ally of ours. Master Legault helped us years ago."

"If that is true, then why would he attack Robin?"

"Robin?" Legault repeated. "You mean Mark? I did not attack him. I did see him hit the ground, though. I was going to give chase to the woman, but it was either catching her and leaving Mark for dead, or losing her and buy Mark some more time."

"The attacked was a woman…? But if what you say is true then why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"You people took me for the assassin from the beginning. It was my word—the word of a stranger—against two of your own. Who would you believe when there is a life on the line?"

Isadora was amazed at how the ex member of the Black Fang was keeping his cool. He'd calculated all that in a short time.

"Before that guy tackled me, I'd been using a cocktail of vulneraries and elixirs as well as medicinal herbs to try and lower the blood loss and seal the wound. I'm no healer, however. Without a staff, you can only do so much for an injury like that. And even with the damn thing, every time the heart pumps blood it will tear itself apart."

"You know an awful lot about this types of injuries."

"Master Legault was an assassin before-" the knight stopped herself. She'd promised Lord Mark not to reveal anything that could endanger them. She shook her head. "No matter. That is no longer the case… Is it?" She turned to look at Legault.

"I only kill if my hand is forced to," he confessed. "My days as an assassin are long past. But I would rather discuss that and anything else you like after I've been untied." Though still hesitant, prince Chrom compiled, using his sword, Falchion, to cut the rope.

"Now then. What can you tell us about this would be assassin you saw escaping?" Khan Basilio asked. Isadora could see that despite it all, the khan still had his guard up. She couldn't blame him. He didn't know the thief as she did, nor did he know her for that matter. Hoping to have his trust was too much, but it seemed like he would be cooperating.

"You mentioned it was a woman," Chrom said. "Is there anything else that you can tell us."

"No," was Legault's simple response. He stood up, towering over the knight and the prince. "I'd just happen to come by when it all happened. I was more focused on what had happened to Mark to memorize her appearance. All I can tell you is that she wielded a sword, was dressed for combat, and had long hair. Most of those you could already assume from hearing the words "woman" and "assassin"."

"Ferox has many female warriors," Khan Basilio pointed out. "With the call for arms that was sent out, many would be here or on their way. More than half of them fit that description. I'll pass the description to Flavia and the guards all the same." The khan took his leave, telling them that he would leave Master Legault to them.

"What should we do, milord?" Isadora asked. "Should we aid with the search?"

"It'll be a waste of time," Master Legault said, which earned a glare from both bluenettes. "Don't get me wrong, I want to catch the one responsible as much as you do. I do. But you heard what that man said… Even if we were to hold all the women in the capital until Mark wakes up—if he wakes up—there is still no guarantee that we will get the one we want. It could work against us, even. It will alert the assassin."

Lord Chrom gave it some thought. Isadora knew that the man respected and considered Lord Mark a friend. Finding the assassin would be amongst his priorities. However, he also had to deal with a war that would not wait for the tactician's recovery, as unfortunate as that was. Delaying their movement based on current events could cost the Exalt her life.

"For now, I will go talk with the khans. We can wait for Robin to get better until the troops are ready, but...if he doesn't wake by then, we may have to leave him behind." The words of the prince left a sour taste in the knight's mouth. On one hand, the idea of abandoning an ally was preposterous. If they were to leave him behind, there was no guarantee that another attempt wouldn't be made on his life if he were still alive. On the other...what was a life compared to a nation? Every day that they didn't move was another that the enemy could plunder villages and murder the innocent. Isadora was torn between her sense of duty to look after Lord Mark's well being, and the morality that would push her to leave him behind to fight against an immediate threat.

Her line of thought was broken when the prince spoke once again. "Isadora, I leave Legault to you. It's not going to be easy. The others will be suspicious of him and even hostile. Try to stay out of sight if you can."

"Yes, milord," Isadora said. Before he had a chance to leave, she spoke up again. "Would it be possible to see Lord Mark and Lady Lyn? We owe it to them both to see that they are doing well."

"I mentioned before that I was no healer but, depending on his condition, I may be able to help keep him stable," said Master Legault. "As you said before, I am familiar with this types of injuries. If anything, I could bring some insight as an outsider."

Chrom sighed. "Very well. I will take you there myself."

"There is no need for that! We can-" Isadora was quickly interrupted by the prince.

"My sister, Lissa—the girl that was with the man who tackled your friend—is treating Robin right now. Frederick will be there too. If she were to scream or do anything that could cause Frederick to react, it might not end well."

With no more objections, the three of them set off towards the room the tactician was being held. Their steps echoed around the hallway as they moved—Chrom leading them, followed by Isadora, and then Legault just two steps behind her. It was awfully quiet, whether because of the time of day or because the area had been closed off and the guards were running around elsewhere. This left Isadora feeling more nervous about what they would see in the room. Not that her exterior would show it.

It didn't take them long to reach it. But before they could enter, they were forced to stop. Some of the other Shepherds were waiting outside the room, likely wanting to know the condition of Lord Mark. Lon'qu was standing guard just to the side of the door, his hand on the hilt of his sword. The boy Donnel was sitting on the floor, slowly scratching his head from underneath his pot-helmet. Sumia was pacing around, muttering something to herself. Tharja was looking down at the floor, standing some distance away. And Panne also stood near by, arms crossed and staring at the door. As they approached, all eyes turned to them.

"Shouldn't you all be somewhere else?" Chrom asked rhetorically. "We need to keep the area secured in case another assassin decides to make their move."

"I can hear and smell man-spawn from leagues away," said Panne. "If another one comes, I'll know about it."

"Ain't anyone tellin' us nothin'," Donnel said. "We just wanted to make sure he's okay…"

"You should head back to where the others are. There is no need for soe many of you to be here. If there is a change, we will send word," the prince tried to explain, but the others wouldn't move still.

"Um… Who's that guy?" Sumia asked as she finally took notice of Master Legault.

"He is an old friend of Robin's."

"Something doesn't feel right about him…" muttered Tharja, barely audible if it hadn't been for the slight echo. This was the first time that Isadora had heard the woman make a remark like that. For a moment she considered the possibility that her magical affinity could detect that Master Legault was in fact not from that world. She ended up dismissing as the dark mage had never said the same thing about her or Lady Lyn as far as she was aware.

"He also has the smell of the tactician's blood on him," Panne said, her frow burrowing as she looked intensly towards the "prisoner". The prince was forced to explain what had been discussed in the interrogation room earlier.

"We'll be going in," he continued. "Legault has mentioned that he may be able to help. At this point, I'll take all the help we can get on this matter. Panne and Lon'qu, you can stay to guard the door, if you like, otherwise, return to the main area. The rest of you, go back to the others and tell them about Legault. I don't want Gaius to tackle him again thinking he is trying to escape."

Finally, the three were able to enter the room without any more setbacks. The room was much smaller and more furnished than the one Master Legault had been held in. That was because that room was identical to the one she'd been staying in, except for the layout of the furniture. The first person Isadora spotted was Lord Mark, who'd been laid atop the bed. His coat, shirt, and cloak, all of which were drenched in blood, had been set aside, leaving his torso and therefore his wound exposed. The man looked very pale, likely from the blood loss. The wound itself, though healed, stood out from all the more from the many different scars that were visible all over the man's torso because it bulged out and it's dark coloration.

Lady Lyn was kneeling besides the tactician, holding onto his arm. There was a slight swelling around her eyes, which were also bloodshot. The strong tribes woman had been crying, as made more evident by the occasional sniffling and slight glaze that her eyes still had. Seeing the two in that position made Isadora feel like someone had gotten hold of her own heart and was squeezing down on it. The worst part was, she didn't know what she could do or say to make things better.

Sir Frederick stood by the window, arms crossed. He looked as stoic as she'd ever seen him. In comparison to that somewhat rare cheerful self of his that she'd seen that morning during breakfast. The blue knight was looking towards princess Lissa, who was currently casting a healing spell on Lord Robin. The girl was starting to sweat. How long had she been at it? If she wasn't careful, she could end up collapsing out of exhaustion.

"Milord," said Sir Frederick, being the first to take notice of them.

"How is he, Lissa?" he asked as he approached the bedside.

The princess shook her head as she kept on working. "Not good… I healed the cut easy enough, but the heart is a whole other problem. It's won't hold. And then there's the internal bleeding that it's causing. Chrom… I don't-"

"I get the picture…"

"The heart is made out of tissue, just like anything else," said Master Legault. "Every time it rips, it forms a stronger bond to prevent it from happening again. But if it beats fast, it won't give the tissue a chance to do so. You need to buy it the time it needs—to slow down the heart rate to the bare minimum." Lady Lissa turned to look over at the stranger's voice, and when she saw who it belonged to, she almost dropped her staff.

"What is he doing here, Chrom?! He was the one that attacked Robin! Are you crazy?! Why would you bring him here?!" The girl was half panicking. Seeing this, Sir Frederick moved in between the princess and the thief. He had his sword half drawn when Lord Chrom stopped him.

"Peace, Lissa, Frederick," he said. "This man did not do it. He was helping out Robin when you and Gaius found him. If he hadn't helped, Robin would've bled out before you started healing him."

"But!"

"Legault…?" Lady Lyn said, looking over towards them. "...What are you doing here…? Shouldn't you be in Bern?"

"Good to see you again, milady. Though I wish it was under better circumstances," said Master Legault, taking a small bow towards the younger female. "We should discuss that later. For now, we should focus in keeping Mark alive."

"Agreed. We should focus on Robin right now," said Chrom. "You mentioned slowing down the heart, no? How do you propose we do that without killing him?"

"Poison." The room remained quiet. Isadora wasn't sure if she'd heard it right. Master Legault wasn't one to joke around too much, except for the occasional teasing. For something as important as the life of Lord Mark, there was no way he would say anything but the truth. "As Dame Isadora mentioned before, I was an assassin some years ago. Though not my favorite method, I did study different poisons because of the trade. You would be surprised at the amount of poisons there are that can kill a man by slowing the heart to a stop."

"You want to poison Mark?!" Lady Lyn asked in shock for the rest of them.

"If he is given non-lethal doses of a poison over time while still being constantly healed, it should keep him alive and help his heart recover. Ironically, the only way to help him get better is to make him feel worse. That being said, chances are that he could end up on a chemical coma. That means that even if he's healed, we won't be able to wake him. He will have to do that by himself."

It was as if he'd extended a hand, offering them food, only to slap them in the face and telling them to go for it again. There were too many if's. Too many things could go wrong and cost the tactician his life.

"Could that really work?" Lord Chrom asked.

"I've never tried it, if that's what you're asking," Master Legault confessed. "At this point, it is your only option. You must decide quickly and call for an expert on local poisons. I would do it myself, but I don't carry any with me nor do I know where to get any around here and what types are common around the area, for that matter.

"And while you are at it, get some more healers. If you don't want to have a bedridden healers, you will need a rotating schedule for this to work. Have each of them work an hour at a time before and then switch them for the next one."

"Got it. I will let Khan Flavia know. You two can stay here for now. I will also send word to Maribelle. She can come and continue healing Robin so that Lissa can rest. Frederick, you come with me. I think they need some privacy…" The bluenette turned to look at Isadora and Master Legault. "Lissa has to stay here for obvious reasons. I'm sorry that that is the only way this can work."

"It's quite alright, milord," said Isadora. "We appreciate your understanding."

And then the two men left the room. Lady Lissa looked nervous once again. It was obvious that she still wasn't comfortable with the thief being there. Both him and Isadora approached the bed, standing besides Lady Lyn, who'd returned to look at Lord Mark.

"Were you looking for him too?" Lady Lyn asked, not bothering to look at any of them. Who she was asking the question was too obvious for everyone.

"Aye," the older gentleman said. "The Fang's refugees had many things to say. That's why I came here. It was also I who sent made it so that Ostia could get word of it. I was expecting to see one of Lord Hector's men here. That is why I was surprised to see you, Dame Isadora." That explained how Matthew had come up with the information on the rumor. It was no mystery why Master Legault wouldn't take a more direct approach. Relation between Bern and all other nations were running high. Any attempt of contacting another nation in secrecy could easily be taken as espionage and tratriory. "I take it that Lord Eliwood sent more people with you?"

At the mention of that last name, Lady Lissa gasped, looking wide eyed at Master Legault, who only raised an eyebrow at the girl's reaction. Then it hit Isadora what had happened. With the condition that Lord Mark was in and the sudden appearance of Master Legault, she'd forgotten about not discussing any matters related to Elibe in the open! She suddenly felt ashamed like no other. She'd broken her word of keeping silent. A knight was only as good as his or her word. If she'd made that mistake, then what did that say of her?

"So it was true?!" The girl looked half excited, half shocked. How she'd been able to keep on healing after that outburst was beyond anyone. Her mouth slowly turned to a shaking smile. There was also a sudden glisten to her eyes, as if she'd seen something that deserved to be admired. This only worked to confuse the three others, as they stared at the girl for her to elaborate. "The Black Fang, Lord (Marquess) Eliwood, Pherae, Ostia, Bern. They were all true?!"

"L-Lissa, please! Be careful," Lady Lyn pleaded, still holding onto Lord Mark's hand. Whether she was worried about the wellbeing of her lover or the information that the princess had just thrown at them, Isadora did not know. That was just another cause to worry.

"Sorry!" The girl steadied herself, bringing down her excitement levels a couple of notches.

"What do you mean by "is were all true", Lady Lissa?" Isadora asked. It was something that she would've rather ignored, but she felt responsible for the leak of information. If Lord Mark were to awaken to the princess asking questions about it, he wouldn't be pleased. Master Legault couldn't be blamed, as he didn't know if anyone knew about their past. He'd heard her call Robin by the same name she'd always called him. It was an easy assumption to make that that would mean the Shepherds knew about their past.

"When I first saw you in the field, Isadora, I thought I recognized you from somewhere," the princess confessed. "I was so excited! I thought that I'd finally found someone to talk with about the Legends Past. After all, your name and your armor were identical to one of the people mentioned on those stories… I thought you were, you know, just dressing up. So that night, when I went looking for you, I accidentally heard what you, Lyn, and Robin were talking about… But only some of it!"

This was the worst possible scenario. The girl knew about everything! And what were these "Legends Past"? This was the first time the knight had heard of such things. But that would also explain why she'd ran away when Lord Mark opened the door and why she kept avoiding the three of them… To her, they were all delusional; acting out as characters from some story!

"The next morning, I looked into it some more," she continued. "I found a few books about it on the library why Emmeryn was searching for books to give to Robin. I brought them with me, and sure enough, there I saw your names! Even the descriptions were almost spot on! The characters were described as younger, but apart from that, it was uncanny! Even Robin was there when I searched for him as the mysterious tactician that vanished. So when I saw you all around, I had to keep myself from just jumping and asking a bunch of questions..." That last bit she looked embarrassed as she said it.

At that moment Isadora understood how Lord Mark had felt when she kept referring to him as such. It wasn't a matter of just letting people know about their past. No, if others were to find out they would label them all as mad! This time it was her turn to try and get the information from leaving that room. "Please, Lady Lissa," she pleaded, "do not speak of this to the others! We ourselves don't understand how this is all possible… And I would rather discuss it after Lord Mark has recovered."

"It's promise then! I'll make sure it give it my all and get Robin back on his feet before you know it." The comment earned the princess a smile from everyone, especially from Lady Lyn, who had it harder than anyone else. "If Chrom hurries, we can start treating Robin the way Legault said before. Just leave it to me and Maribelle."

"We'll leave him to you, then. Seeing as there isn't much more for us to do here, we'll go back to the others." Isadora then placed her hand on Lyn's shoulder. "I will bring you some supper once it is prepared so that you can stay. You scolded Lord Mark on not eating before, if I remember correctly, so I expect you to eat something."

The greenette nodded slowly, trying her best to smile. "I appreciate it, Isadora…"

The knight and the thief then left the room. Outside, only Lon'qu remained. The man had hardly moved at all since last she'd seen him. The swordsman threw them a side glance before continuing to monitor the surroundings. Much like a knight, he was taking the task of guarding the room seriously. She felt a little better knowing that there were people ready to protect the tactician in case another attack came their way.

It wasn't easy, but she was able to introduce Master Legault to the rest of the Shepherds. Most were friendly, as friendly as they'd been to her when she first joined their ranks. But there were a few of them that didn't take a liking to the old ex Fang assassin. Gaius still wasn't convinced that he was entirely innocent. Vaike, who'd been one of the first on the scene, also remained suspicious of the man, being the closest thing to hostile as she'd seen. And Miriel, well, she was being Miriel. It was impossible to tell if she was being friendly towards someone or not.

In the end, the pair found themselves at the mess hall, where most everyone had gathered together to eat, just like that morning. The difference this time was the atmosphere. Were in the morning they'd all felt joyful and joked around, at that time there was some tension that bordered on depression. There were hardly any people talking. They all had thoughtful expressions. It was hard to believe that this was the same group of people she'd traveled with for the past few days. Then again, she understood completely how they felt. The attack on their ally—their tactician—under everyone's noses was a blow to their moral.

Isadora had to leave Master Legault to fend for himself, as she would go take a plate of food to Lady Lyn. The two split off, her telling him she would join him again after returning. She quickly gathered whatever looked good, keeping in mind for it to be something easy to digest, as she didn't want to have Lady Lyn to be bedridden as well, and then left.

In the room, Lyn remained, but Lady Lissa had been replaced by Lady Maribelle, Lord Chrom, and someone she could only assume was knowledgeable of poison, going from the many viles he had in his hands. The Lord explained that they were following Master Legault's suggestions and that Khan Flavia had already called for more healers. Wanting not to be on the way of progress, she handed the plate over to Lady Lyn, who set it on the bedside table closest to her after thanking her.

Knowing that she couldn't force the younger woman to eat, she excused herself and returned to the mess hall, where she found a curious sight. Sitting across Master Legault was Panne. The two of them were staring at each other intensely as they kept eating. As if that wasn't strange enough, the two weren't speaking a word to each other. It would be comical if Panne didn't have her brow furrowed. Master Legault, on the other hand, kept his cool like always.

Isadora took a sit next to the thief. For a moment, she looked between the two, neither of them having any sort of reaction to her sitting down. Finally, she decided to break the ice. "What is going on here?"

Without turning away his eyes from the woman in front of him, Master Legault answered, "she sat down after you left and hasn't said a word. She's just staring at me coldly. As she was the one to join me, I expected her to have something to say, so I'm waiting." That was… Was that something that common amongst taguel? Isadora knew nothing about Panne's people. She'd never seen anyone like her before. She wasn't even sure if they existed back in Elibe.

"How is Mark doing?"

Thankful about the change of topic (Panne didn't react at all!) Isadora responded. "It's hard to say. He looks the same. Lord Chrom followed your advice. They were already underway with the treatment when I entered the room."

"I see…"

"Do you really believe that he will pull through, Master Legault?"

"Who knows? I certainly hope so."

Much more slower paced than the last few chapters. I know it's ironic after I talked about having a faster pace before, but I wanted to slow things down to mirror the feeling the Shepherds are having.

For some reason, I feel like Isadora at some point was like Sully in her teens. That could be just me. I'm going on off something I remember reading that she was a Lady in training. With her being one of the female knights in the game, I'm sure she didn't have it easy.

Also, ta da! A couple of things happened that I know a bunch of you were looking forward to! First, we have the introduction to another Rekka No Ken character, Legault. Now, those who know the character will notice that I changed his appearance drastically. In Isadora's case, the changes were minimal. For Lyn, I went with her redesign for the Awakening DLC. But for Legault, I felt that he would go through the most changes given that he kept on dealing with the Black Fang after the ending of the game. I doubt that anyone will complain about changes in his clothes, but I thought I would just mention that.

Next, we have the reveal of what Lissa heard. When I had the scene of her overhearing them, I had this picture in mind of a fanart that I saw some time ago of Lissa reading a book to a kid Owain, who is sitting on her lap. I haven't read all of Owain's supports, but I got the feel that Lissa read a bunch of stories to him when he was a kid and that's why he is the way he is. Also, most importantly, in a support with Noir he says, and I quote: "By the red hair of Eliwood!"

Now, on to the reviews!

speedking535 -I'm still debating the whole child situation. I'm thinking they should have at least two, but I don't know if I will go with having the twins like in so many other fics, or having an OC (wish Lyn had a son or daughter in Rekka No Ken that was strictly her own.) For now, there is still a long time before I decide, but yes, you can at least expect them to have two kids.

Latteas -Okay, first of, that was hilarious to read. Personally, I think Robin x Lucina is meh. I don't have anything against it, it's just that I'm not a big fan of it. Also, how is it that she never got the whole "closest friend killed papa" thing right? Hello? She should've known from the start who that was referring to! I can't go into detail to what happened/is happening to Robin for now. Fluff. Yes. There will be some, just like in any story, but I'm holding it off and just giving people small doses of it. There can only be so much when in the middle of the war, you know? For Cordelia, her wounds would've been healed by then. And as for her memories, I doubt she would want to talk about them with a stranger. Some will call me lazy for not going into detail, but I counter that this story follows Robin, who can't read minds or tell exactly how others are feeling. Hahaha that would be though for Chrom. Chosing between his future daughter for trying to kill their tactician, or the friend/tactician that has won them everything (YOU ARE NOTHING WITHOUT ROBIN, CHROM!)

Sugouxxx -Good... Good... Let the hate flow through you... Some people just want to watch the world burn. Lucina is clearly one of them!

Natzo -And with Robin out of commission, things are just bound to change all the more.

Panther Hardraad -Thanks a lot! Hope I can get it to become one of the best ones out there :P

Whatstoknow -Hahaha! Hope you are not too disappointed that there isn't much Robin for this chapter.

Anthiques thief -Game Lucina is too much of a goody two shoes. Very indecisive. Gotta take advantage and off Robin before everyone grows attached to him. And thanks, I'm actually going to meet with the people in charge of the project later today. Fingers crossed!

CrepePepe -Very, very true... Kinda sad, now that I think about it. I like to think that most people will just think of those characters as OCs and will still read this, but who knows? Either way, really appreciate it!

werehogdog -Thanks! I happy to see that you liked it.

Etherreal780 -For a part of this response, I will refer to you to what I wrote for Latteas up there ^. Also, keep in mind that events here are very different. You can assume that not only is the current timeline different, but that the future one is too. She would be basing everything on what she grew up knowing, to prevent her Father's fall. I mean, she went back in time to save Emmeryn in an attempt to change things completely. It's not far fetched to think she would do more if she had the chance. And as for how close he is to others, that is deliberate. In the game, he becomes close to the others because of his lack of memories. Even if it's over time, he becomes friendly with them because he knows no one else. Here, however, that isn't the case. He has all those memories from before. He spent over a year getting to know those other people, which explains why he would be much closer to them. Also keep in mind that he's known the Shepherds for less than a month. Right now, he is just friends or a close acquaintance to most of them. Those interactions will change the more chapters come out/more time passes in the story.

Muggzy -Gotta keep things fresh! I'm not going to give away how that will change the dynamic of the group later on, but you bet it'll change. Miriel should get more love. There aren't even that many fics that feature her :/

Yellowclover -No problem at all. I fell like it's important to have a back and forward with the people that take their time to leave a review. Hmm... Think of it this way: Time is full of branches were things were different. And when traveling back through time, you may not end up on the same branch you were on... It's hard to explain, but that's kinda the idea I had in mind. I really like your theory. I had very similar train of thought, except for the specific time and the whole winter thing. I could end up using that to also explain how it is that the geography changed so much in just a few thousand years. I ideas are coming to me! Thanks for that!

Rihan K.A -Thanks for the compliment! Oh, believe me, there are many changes coming ahead. Right now I'm setting things up, so things might not look all that different. Just give it some time, you'll see, hehe... You bring a good point. I'll think about including a few flashbacks every now and again to give those that never played FE7 some background. I'll have to find a good way to incorporate them without disturbing the story too much... That will be interesting, but worth it in the end. Thank you for the suggestion! Hope you keep on reading the chapters as they come!