Fire Emblem: A Different Awakening

by Esid

Two Plegian dark mages find themselves aiding the prince of Ylisse, Chrom, and his Shepherds after they abandoned Plegia. Things get complicated quick, with tensions between the two nations rising. War is inevitable. But what happens when people from one of these black mage's past start showing up? To make matters worse, they bring news of an old enemy chasing after him!

18. And so they froze

Here is an early (or late for some of you) Christmas present for you all! Hope you guys are enjoying the holidays. This is the first year that I'm not getting together with my family. It's also the first break I get from work, so that's good. The last few days had made it impossible for me to type anything, so when I finally got the chance, I wanted to finish up this monster of a chapter. Got more than half of it done today alone... I don't have anything else to do, haha...ha...

I wanted to get this chapter out much sooner than this, but things just kept happening IRL, including an unfortunate accident involving a candle and my keyboard. In any case, better late than never, right? Things kinda worked out in the end, considering the day and all (this is coming out on Dec 24th.)

I hope you guys like this chapter. Oooh, it's a good one, if I do say so myself. Let me know what you think by leaving a review or a PM if you prefer. Also, if you really like the story, remember to favorite and/or follow it! Enjoy~

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Chapter 18: And so they froze

The dunes of Plegian surrounded him as far as the he could see. There was nothing but sand. This was his homeland. The heat did not faze him, even with the added weight and layers of armor. He'd grown used to it, just like all the other Plegians. The heat was taking it's toll on most others, however, as they were accustomed to colder climates, especially the Feroxi. When Robin had spotted a sandstorm heading their way, he'd suggested to Chrom to make camp and wait it out, as marching through one would be a waste of energy.

Chrom had returned to his usual self, though Robin could see that he was still bothered by the position Emmeryn was in. The tactician was glad to see the prince understood that they couldn't risk the entire army's well being for a single person, even if that person was the Exalt. It was oxymoron though, as the reason they were marching towards the capital was to rescue Emmeryn. But if they were to do so and come out victorious, they had to think things through.

Robin was sitting atop one of the many dunes that surrounded their campsite, looking out into the distance. He felt conflicted. He was getting a sense of nostalgia and dread ever since they had crossed the border some days past. He'd tried to sink himself into his work to prevent his mind to think about his personal circumstances too much. Being a Plegian fighting for "the other side" wasn't the only thing he wanted to avoid thinking about. His conversation with Lucina was still fresh in his mind, plaguing him everyday. If what she said was true, Emmeryn's survival could alter future events significantly. And if that were the case, then maybe, just maybe, he would be able to gain full control of his life, like he'd intended to do when he'd first left Plegia with Tharja what felt like a lifetime ago.

Even in the soft sand, footsteps could be heard if one's ears were trained enough. Robin could hear them from behind him, moving towards him, but he was too engulfed in his own thoughts for the steps to register in his mind. It was only when a voice came from behind him that he found out there was someone else with him.

"Is everything okay, Robin?" Chrom asked as he closed the distance between them, standing besides his tactician. Robin jolted at hearing his name called out. He turned to look at his friend, who looked at him with a worried expression and arms crossed, as if he wanted to scold the brunette. "It's not like you to be without Lyn so far away from camp, especially when you seem bothered. You look like there is a lot going through your mind… Make that a lot more than usual."

Robin tried to laugh to comment off, but it came out more like a sigh than a laugh. Trying to make sure that the others didn't see doubt in himself was difficult. It was like wearing a mask all day, which he would only take off in his tent. He'd been careful to move away from the Shepherds whenever he felt like having a moment to himself. And yet, Chrom always seemed to know about it. It made Robin wonder if the bluenette had been speaking with Lyn without his knowledge. Knowing Lyn, she would tell anyone if she was asked directly. Her truthfulness was one of the qualities that he most liked about her, but when it came to personal matters, he wished he could at least try to avoid sensitive subjects. After all, the entire camp had their suspicions confirmed when Flavia had made a comment about her relationship with their tactician during one of their meals and Lyn had acknowledged it. It was meant as teasing… Not that it was bad that the others knew about them.

Sensing that Chrom wasn't satisfied with trying to shrug it off, Robin decided it was best to not leave him waiting for longer than he already had. Of course, if he could switch the direction of the conversation, he would. "I hear I'm not the only one spending my time with a lady friend am I?" Chrom arched an eyebrow. The prince could be so dense. Having to explain it wasn't as much fun. Perhaps saying it plainly would get a reaction. "I've seen you going around with Sully more frequently since we took back Ylisstol. At first I thought nothing of it. It's not rare for two comrades to share their private time. What's not common is for them to-"

"Okay, that's enough of that," said Chrom, cringing, leaving Robin satisfied that he'd been able to get payback for all the times Chrom had teased him about Lyn. "There is nothing between me and Sully… Nothing yet, anyways. But that's besides the point! Even in conversations, you use your strategy. If you are desperate enough to do so, the I know that I was right. Now, what's on your mind, really?"

Robin chuckled for a second—a real chuckle. He'd been caught red handed. Tried as he may, he wasn't as sneaky as others were, like Legault, who'd shown his skill during Lucina's interrogation, and Gaius, who'd somehow avoided the subject of the deal he and Robin had about finding out what was wrong with Lissa every time Robin tried to talk about their terms. Turning back to look at the approaching storm in front of him, he said, "I was just thinking about how I'd left Plegia with my mind set to never return, and yet, here I am again. I've come back as to fight a war for the other side, and as their tactician no less!"

It was Chrom's turn to look conflicted. He looked at Robin seriously and Robin returned the look. The black mage was content to see that there was no pity in Chrom's eyes. No, it was more like a sense of understanding. The both of them then turned to look back at the approaching storm, leaving a comfortable silence between them. Eventually though, Chrom spoke up. "Saying that I know that this must be difficult for you would be lie," he said. "I can never claim that I've been in your position. I don't think many can, except for Tharja." The reality was that Legault had been in that same position, but Chrom did not know about that. "If there was any other way-"

Robin raised a hand to stop Chrom from finishing, shaking his head. "There isn't anything else we can do, Chrom. The Mad King can't be reasoned with. I chose my path the moment I crossed the border with Tharja instead of the sea towards Valm. And you know what? I don't regret a thing. If it wasn't for it, I wouldn't have met a lot of good people. I wouldn't have reunited with old friends. And I wouldn't had had the chance to see Lyn again… No, I have no regrets. I may be fighting against my own people, but I know that I'm fighting for the right cause… Though, I do wish I don't have to run my sword through more of my friends…" Robin felt some comfort after hearing himself say those words. He quickly picked himself up, dusting off the sand that was stuck on his cloak and turning towards the Lord. "But enough of that. Let's head back to camp before more people notice we are gone. I can deal with Lyn, but I'm afraid that Frederick might think I was sending out some secret message to Plegian spies."

"I would laugh if I didn't think Frederick capable of such a thing," Chrom said with a smile, "but I do know him. With how things are now, I think he's become overly cautious. Never has the nickname "Frederick the Wary" been more true."

The pair carefully descended the dune towards cam, Chrom having a harder time than Robin. To his credit, Chrom was able to keep himself from falling, something that not all of the other Shepherds could say they could do. Back in camp, there weren't many soldiers walking around aimlessly like they would in Ylisse and Ferox. Those that could had found refuge under the many tents that had been set up. Though cramped, no one seemed to complain about it. Robin could only mused that they were too happy to find some shade to hide from the sun to bother complaining about being packed like wheat in a sack. The few people that Robin did notice pacing around were Ricken and Miriel, both of whom wore mages hats, and Maribelle, who looked pleased to use her parasol for something other than beating "lowborns". There were those crazy enough to train in full armor even with the heat, like Sully, Lon'qu, and Isadora, but those were special cases, or so Robin liked to think.

In silence they moved towards the war tent. Though neither of them said it, they knew that there was work to be done while they let the troops rest. Already the tactician could see four other figures inside the tent, all standing around the table piled up with the many maps of the region that had been collected from Ylisstol as well as a few that Robin had drawn from memory. Lyn was the first to notice the duo when they entered, smiling at them both, but saying nothing. Frederick came second, bowing at Chrom. The khans were too distracted discussing a task that would determine the effectiveness of the attack on Plegia.

"I'm telling you that you can't, you infuriating woman!" Basilio's voice filled the otherwise silent air as he kept trying to make a point. "You are the reigning khan now! If you wanted to blindly go into every battle, then you should have let me win the tournament! You have to lead the rest of the troops during the final assault."

"Oh, shut it, oaf," said Flavia in frustration, clenching her hand around the hilt of her sword. "It won't take long to get it done. We go in, kill some Plegian guards, get our people, and come out. It's as simple as that. You don't need a big team for it!"

"Gods be good…" Basilio was about to continue when he finally noticed Chrom and Robin standing by the tent's entrance. He moved a hand to his hip, pointing the other at the late comers. "There you two are! It's about time. We need you to settle this once and for all, Robin! This damn plan of your would have me pulling out my hair if I had any! You need to talk some sense into Flavia. Maybe hearing it from you will convince her before she makes a mistake."

"I'm sorry," Robin said, feeling guilty for having them wait for him. Had he known that the two khans would be discussing his plan, he would've gone to the tent right away instead of wasting time on his own. But seeing Lyn there, he wondered why she hadn't gone looking for him before. The problem could have been solved before it escalated the way it had. Though, truth be told, Robin knew that the khans would find something else to disagree on sooner or later. "I… I had some things on my mind that I had to clear up. I was taking a break of sorts…"

"You don't need to apologize for that, Robin," said Flavia, giving him an oddly sympathetic smile. "We could all use some time to unwind. You've more than earned yourself your fair share of rest, given how much you've taken upon yourself to do for this army. This oaf could use some time to rest too. Maybe I'll force him to do so with my sword."

"Don't listen to her, Robin. She is trying to manipulate you," said Basilio, shooting a stink eye at the other khan. "Not that she is lying about the whole rest thing, but that's besides the point. You came up with this crazy plan to rescue the Pegasus Knights, no? I need you to convince her to stay with the army instead of infiltrating the Plegian castle. If she won't listen to me, then she will have to listen to you."

"I thought we went through this before, though…" Ever since he'd first come up with the idea of rescuing Phila and the other Pegasus Knights, the plan had seen many changes, mainly because of disagreements on how the mission was to be handled. It had already been three days since they last spoke of it, which lead Robin to believe everything had been settled. He was wrong. He pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting off his own frustration. "What is the problem this time?"

"I understand what you want to do, Robin. Don't misunderstand. The problem is that we do not have any flyers in the infiltration squad," said Flavia. Unfortunately, no wyvern or pegasus riders had come with them on the march from Ferox, leaving them with very few people that could take up that role with the Pegasus Knights being captured by Plegian forces. "Long story short, if we can't get there through the air, we have to break through the main door. For that we need the strongest of our own. Meaning me."

"I can see why Basilio isn't agreeing to this… An infiltration mission is meant to go unnoticed," Chrom pointed out. "We can't have you go in and alert the guards. Our main forces is meant to be the distraction, going directly for Emmeryn. You need to lead your men, Flavia. We can figure out how to go about this in another way. We can't abandon our own. This has to be done, but it has to be done in a way that follows Robin's original plan. Perhaps we could spare Cordelia and Sumia for this mission? What do you think, Robin?"

"That won't do. I would like to, but that will put as at risk, as we would be losing our own aerial support should we encounter combat from here to the capital," said Robin. Thus far luck had been on their side. They hadn't encountered anything other than bandits and risen, which had been dealt with swiftly. They had even gained one more to their ranks—Anna—though not the same one that had sold Robin his armor, according to the trickster. Surprisingly, the border had been left undefended. Even with Robin's careful calculations, he'd expected to cross swords a couple of times at least with Gangrel's army, but they were nowhere to be found. This left the tactician with the worry of a possible trap set by the Mad King. If that was the case, he knew that they would need both Cordelia and Sumia to help deal with the situation. "With all this sand around, only flyers, mages, and those wearing light or no armor will find it easy to move around… And considering we have Chrom, Lissa, and the Fire Emblem to protect, I would rather be prepared for anything that comes our way."

"What you are saying is that we need more Pegasus Knights to rescue the Pegasus Knights?" Basilio didn't looked too pleased with Robin's assessment. "Who would've seen that one coming? Where does that leave us then? Unless we can pull more units out of our arses, we can't get everything done."

The tent went silent, everyone there thinking about other possible solutions to their stalemate. Robin thought about the Pegasus Sisters, Florina, Fiora, and Farina. He wished that the three of them could show up then. That was too convenient, though. It would be more suspicious if something like that would happen, especially considering that the three sisters lived in different parts of Elibe, last he heard. But as he thought of fantastical possibilities, Frederick suggested a very real one. "What of the pair of Pegasus Knights that were left left behind in the dungeon in Ylisstol? Both of them volunteered to come with us this far…"

Of course! Robin had completely forgotten about those two! The two knights had been badly injured during their attempt of stopping the Plegians, but they'd been treated constantly by healers during the march and were looking much better. Whether they were ready for combat, especially such an important battle, was another thing entirely. Robin was confident in the abilities of the Pegasus Knights from what he'd seen in the past, but after suffering a big defeat and almost their lives, he had to ask himself if they would be ready.

"They were badly injured during the battle in Ylisstol," said Lyn, "but they've recovered well enough during the past few days. I've seen them training with the other troops when we make camp. They truly are an great example of what Ylisse has to offer. I've approached them a few times as well to check up on them. From what they told me, they sound eager to get Captain Phila and the Exalt back. I believe they are as ready for combat as they will ever be."

Robin felt odd when all heads turned to look at him after Lyn was finished. It was as if they were looking for his approval of the idea. Even Chrom was doing it. The prince wasn't going easy on him, clearly. Even a decision that small could determine whether or not they would be able to get Emmeryn back safely. Robin wasn't against the idea, but he wouldn't assume anything. "If they can fight, I see no reason for them not to go," he agreed. "However, we can't decide something like this for them. The mission is risky as it is—suicidal even. We should ask them what they think. If they volunteer, then I suppose there is no reason to refuse them."

They all headed out together in search for the Pegasus Knights, searching through the camp. Eventually they found them training together along a few others. Like Lyn had said, the two seemed to be doing much better, striking each other with practice their lance's full force. When they noticed the group watching them, they stopped mid combat and lowered their weapons. Amidst heavy breaths, they walked towards them to see what they could do. Chrom had to do a run down of the plan, explaining how the two of them were needed and so on. Without any hesitation whatsoever, the two immediately took the opportunity to offer their help, saying that they would do everything in their power to rescue their lance-sisters.

With Basilio being in charge of the operation, he and Flavia took the two girls to feet up with the rest of the infiltration squad, leaving behind Chrom, Frederick, Lyn, and Robin. Chrom too had to leave, as he had to check on some of the equipment and talk with Raimi about the formations they would be using to assault the Plegian capital. Frederick followed suit, as he would normally do, which only left Lyn and the brunette by themselves.

"How about we got for a walk?" Robin suggested. Having been working himself from morning until night time, he hadn't had a chance to spend as much time with Lyn as he would have otherwise liked. Well, they did spend the time together, but not interacting with each other. It was more like she would be around while he worked or trained. Neither of them could complain about it as they knew that the war was where their focus should be. Though the sandstorm was bad for their campaign, Robin was glad to use this newly found spare time to spend with her. He wasn't alone in that thought either. Lyn smiled at him, looking pleased with the suggestion. She nodded, and the two started to walk towards the edge of the campsite in order to get some privacy—as much as they could get without going inside a tent, but the beating from a certain parasol-wielding noble made him want to avoid doing that unless he had to sleep.

They walked in a comfortable silence, not needing to say anything to know that they both were glad to share a moment, as insignificant as it could seem to anyone else. He would glance over at her from time to time when she was looking away. If it wasn't for the height difference and her more mature face, she would have looked identical to the teenage girl he travelled with back in Elibe. Because of the heat, she had opted on leaving the little armor she wore and her coat off. Robin had to stop himself from letting his mind going places that it shouldn't. Thankfully, he noticed that Lyn had been looking around for quite some time, taking in their surroundings. Whether she was doing it out of instinct or not made Robin curious. "You don't have to worry about an ambush," he said. "I checked the surroundings and saw no one but us. And with the storm coming our way, I doubt anyone would be dumb enough to engage us in combat."

Lyn turned to look at him, not looking serious nor surprised. "I wasn't looking out for enemies… I did that earlier," she said with a small smile. "I was lost in thought… It's just… When we talked about Plegia in the past, I wasn't expecting something quite like this. I mean no offense! I just never pictured you coming from a desert, considering your features. Though it does explain why you never complained when we traveled through deserts back in Elibe…"

"It's nothing like the plains, you mean, don't you?" Robin laughed inwardly. The only way the two could have come from more different places would be if she came from a nation covered in snow, like Ferox. The Sacaen plains had always fascinated Robin, with it's luscious grasslands like nothing that could be found in present day Plegia. "Before the age of the Hero King, and before Plegia was formed, this land used to be covered in grass as well. But when Grima appeared, it ravished the land, creating this wasteland. It is ironic that after doing such a thing, people would form a cult to Grima—the Grimleal—and settle down here. Even the capital was built a top of the skeletal remains of the Fell Dragon.

"There aren't many forest to speak of now, but the nation isn't entirely a desert. You can find more vegetation if you travel towards the coast, both to the east and to the south. The town I grew up in was to the south. We had fields that stretched far and wide back then. It was a lovely sight. You should have seen them. I think you would have liked it better there than here."

"You seem happy whenever you talk about your home." Indeed. Robin had been unknowingly smiling when explaining what it was like where he grew up. The memory of it felt fresh on his mind, something Lyn took notice of. "Would it be possible to visit..? Perhaps after the war has come to pass?"

His smile disappeared as quick as it had appeared and he looked away for a moment. Lyn seemed to have caught on to what she'd said, but before she could say anything, he shook his head and spoke sadly. "No… There is nothing there for me to return to. The whole town and our fields were set ablaze during the crusades that Chrom's father fought across Plegia. Nothing stands there except for the remains of a few stone homes and a small windmill. Not that it matters. Even if there was something to visit, it will be impossible for me to do so… If I stayed here more than I had to, I would put you and myself at risk. Whether we win or lose this war—whether I live or die—I'll be seen as a traitor. Given the chance, someone will try to take my life because of it… I may never come back here after this."

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to bring up painful memories…" The two had come to a stop, Lyn looking at the floor decidedly, and Robin trying to think of what he could do to take her mind off of it. Overthinking matters would get them nowhere. Some things couldn't be fixed. He quickly grabbed her right hand, caressing it softly with his thumb. She didn't fight him, instead intertwining his fingers with hers. Neither of them was much for public displays of affection, so the fact that neither of them backed away was an indication that they both needed it. As if struck with an idea, she glanced up at him. "What if… What if we returned to Sacae together? We could create our own home there after this is over. Just… Start anew."

Robin flushed furiously. Her words had left him speechless. The thought of marriage and beginning a family with the greenette had crossed his mind briefly many times, but he'd been too busy dealing with the war to give it any more serious consideration. But he'd never considered returning to Elibe before. He had to ask himself if that was even possible in the first place. For all the talk about how her, Isadora, and Legault had come over to find him, none of them had mentioned a way of getting back. Just as he was getting his thoughts together to give her a serious answer, a cough to their side caught their attention.

"My apologies for interrupting," said Frederick as he stood with his hands behind his back. The man's timing was impeccable. Robin was glad they hadn't spoken more about Elibe. Who knew exactly how long the knight had been standing there, let alone heard as he was approaching. "I have dire news. The scouts that we sent ahead came back with a report of a group of men coming our way. The Shepherds will advance to assess the situation. Lord Chrom has asked for the two of you to join the battle, should it come to that. Let us meat with the rest of the group."

Robin and Lyn followed after Frederick, who directed them to the middle of camp. There the others were inspecting their weapons and armor to make sure they were ready for combat. This wouldn't be the first time they would fight in sand, but Robin could see that some were having a harder time getting accustomed to the environment than others. At the very center of the group, Chom was talking to a man that Robin presumed to be the scout that had informed of the approaching threat. The prince dismissed the man when he noticed them coming his way.

"I had high hopes that we would be able to reach the capital without entering battle, but it seems the gods do not intent it to be so," said Chrom. "From what the scouts tell me, there is a group of around thirty men fast approaching this direction, mostly composed of black mages going by their attire. If we go in with these numbers, we can deal with them easily if they turn out to be hostiles."

"Wait a moment, Chrom. Have you forgotten about the sandstorm?" Robin quickly reminded the prince. Taking all the Shepherds to what could be nothing didn't seem to be the best idea. The sand on itself wasn't harmful, but it could uncover and form dangers that would be difficult to outright impossible to spot if one didn't know what they were looking for. Taking all the Shepherds wouldn't do. "We can't risk taking everyone when we still have to think about rescuing Emmeryn. Some were already having trouble keeping up on the sand. Add to that the sandstorm and they will become a hindrance. We need to leave behind some Shepherds."

"I'm not pleased with the idea...but I see that you have a point. Very well. Who do you propose we leave behind then?"

"The first that come to mind are all our riders except for Sumia and Cordelia. Straining the horses for combat with all these dunes will push them over their limit. We could lose them. And if they panic once the storm hits, they could run over friendlies. That means Frederick, Sully, Stahl, Isadora, and Maribelle should stay behind. You can add Kellam to that list. With that armor of his, he will barely be able to move. Then we also need to think about having some mages and light-armored units stay behind to act as backup should we need to switch someone out mid-combat."

"Miriel, Tharja, Donnel, and Gaius can stay behind too then," Chrom said, though he didn't look entirely pleased. They would be going in with almost half of their numbers, and they would be outnumbered two-to-one. "We should pair up Lissa with either Sumia or Cordelia. I can't have both of my sisters be taken by the enemy. Should things take a turn for the worse, I want her to be taken out of there as soon as possible. I'll leave the camp's defense to you, Frederick. As for the rest of us, let's move out."

Robin was glad they got going before Sully got wind of the plan. While Frederick wasn't too pleased with it, he would remain composed, maybe argue against it, but would ultimately follow his orders. Sully, on the other hand, would have a more...violent reaction. Considering this was the second time Robin had considered having her stay behind, he was sure that if she found out right there, she would give him a piece of her mind...with her fists.

Chrom lead the remaining Shepherds towards the direction the scout had pointed out. He was being accompanied by Robin, Lyn, Virion, Vaike, Lissa, Sumia, Cordelia, Lon'qu, Ricken, Panne, Legault, and the newest addition to their ranks, Anna, who Robin wanted to see fight with them to judge her abilities more effectively. They moved slowly through the desert, some struggling more than others, as they closed the distance between themselves and the approaching force, the storm practically on top of them already.

"Have we… Have we lost them?" The tired voice of a girl could be heard. Her breathing was heavy, from what Robin could make out. He looked around to see where it was coming from, but already sand was making it difficult to see too far. He signaled the others to stop while he casted Eagle-Eye, hoping that a top-down view would let him locate whoever was talking, but it was useless. He could see the blobs that were he and the Shepherds as well as the Plegian group, but distinguishing further wasn't possible. There was too much interference. "How much longer do we have to run for?" Whined the same voice.

"Panne, would it be possible for you to tell me from which direction that voice is coming from?" Robin turned to look at the taguel. They'd already known about her ability to listen from great distances. If he couldn't make out the details he wanted, then he could use her hearing to narrow down the possible location of the girl. "It sounds like whoever is coming here is chasing after this girl." The taguel nodded, raising her ears up along with her braided hair. The rest of them remained as silent as they could to allow her a better chance of hearing something.

"Wee one needs to do the remembering of keeping down with the voice," came a masculine, heavily accented voice. "We not wanting to give away position to the baddies, yes?"

They are being chased after all, thought the tactician. If it were true, then they would have to do something about it. He already knew that wouldn't stand for something like that, as he'd proven when they had helped Anna get out of her own predicament against a band of bandits a few days prior.

The second voice was enough for Panne to come up with a direction. Instead of telling Robin, however, she transformed into her bunny form and dashed away. The brunette could barely hear her say, "they are this way. Quick, we must hurry! Follow me," before the rest of the group went after her. They all readied their weapons. If they were going head first to what would most likely turn out to be a dangerous situation, they wanted to be prepared for it.

"My throat is dry, my shoes, hair, and nose are full of this stupid sand! And then those weirdos are chasing after us too!" Robin felt sorry for the girl. From all her complains, he took it that she wasn't used to the Plegian desert. Perhaps she was an Ylissean that had lost her way because of the war, or an escaped prisoner from Gangrel's army.

"Drink this, miss. It is important to keep oneself hydrated when in conditions such as this." The third voice was of a man as well. It was nothing like the first one. It didn't hold any sort of accent, but it also felt out of place… It was strangely familiar, but Robin couldn't connect the voice to a face in-

"Thank you, Canas! I really needed that!"

Huh? Robin quickened his pace, easily outrunning most of the others. Ricken, Sumia, and Cordelia were the only ones that kept up without a problem. None of them asked the tactician what had caused his sudden burst in speed, they just followed him up one more dune. When they reached the top to join Panne, Robin, breathless as he was, froze. There were three people in front of him. One was the girl they'd been hearing—a short girl with thigh-high boots, green hair, dark purple cape, and...well, clothing too revealing for someone her age, if Robin was asked.

To her side, with his arms crossed, stood a tall man with short, dark-orange hair dressed in plain clothes except for some armor on his legs and a shield strapped to his bicep. He carried a sword with him, which combined with the fact that he looked out of place, probably meant he was some sort of mercenary. He looked much older than what Robin was used to seeing on the battlefield, if he had to guess.

But the most interesting of the three was the second man, who was standing in front of the girl. He wore a dark-blue cloak, a violet cape, and a cowl (not part of the cape nor the cape) that covered his head and shoulders. Robin could spy a monocle and purple hair from under the cowl. The man carried a staff on his left hand and a tome on his right. There is no doubt about it, he practically wore the same outfit back then too.

"Canas!" Robin called out as he made his way down to them. The group below looked up at him and the others behind him.

"Blimey!" Canas looked up in surprise. "Lord Mark! What a pleasant surprise to see you here!" The druid made his way towards his old acquaintance with his typical soft smile once the latter reached the bottom of the dune. "I was certain we would never meet up again after you disappeared all those years ago. And to meet here of all places! This is a fascinating coincidence- Wait, Lord Mark! You look not a year older than when we last spoke! Do not tell me you've delved into Nergal's morphs?"

"Lord Mark?" Ricken repeated as he looked between the brunette and the stranger that said those words.

"Nergal's morphs?" Sumia repeated, all the more interested at that second bit of information. Of course, if there was someone else besides Lissa that would know about such a thing, it would be the klutzy Pegasus Knight. Robin already knew that she was an avid reader, and, should Lissa be believed, there were many books that made mentions of the events that took place in Elibe, though she never went into detail as to what exactly was mentioned or not. Robin berated himself mentally at not being to stop Canas before going too far.

"You know this man, Robin?" Chrom asked as the others started to catch up.

"Robin?" It was Canas' turn to repeat something, it seemed. It was rare to see the scholar being confused for once. Though, Robin did wish it was for something other than himself. "Have you changed your name, Lord Mark?"

Robin sighed in defeat, rubbing his temple. Things had taken a turn for the bizarre, and though he was glad that he'd met up with Canas, he also wished that it was under different circumstances. He turned to look at Canas. "Robin's always been my name," he said, to which Canas responded by nodding, but from his confused face, it was obvious he didn't understand.

"Is that you, Canas?" Lyn asked as he walked over to take a closer look. "What are you doing here? Were you too looking for Mark?"

"Oh! Lady Lyndis! Goodness! In the flesh? What an interesting turn of events! And is that Legault I spy back there? This has turned into a reunion!" The druid's face turned back to his normal smile as he looked at yet another of his old comrades. "Actually, as to why I'm here, it is a long story. It all started back in-"

"I would be happy to hear all about it, but this doesn't seem to be the best place or time for it. I believe you have people chasing after you, correct?" Robin quickly interrupted, though he too was curious as to what would bring the scholar to Ylisse. "We need to stop the pursuers before they spot our camp. Else they could turn tail and give word to the Mad King."

"Certainly, Lord Robin."

"Just Mark is fine."

"Right... Mark. A group calling themselves Grimleal are chasing after us. I believe they want to take miss Nowi for some type of ritualistic procedure. If you are to fight, then we will fight with you."

"I'm not sure having a small damsel in the field would be a good idea…" Chrom crossed his arms as he looked over at Nowi, who pouted and furrowed his brow.

"I'll have you know that I can fight too, thank you very much! I have this!" Nowi took out a small, semi transparent stone from a pouch and showed it proudly to the prince, who looked at it in silence. Tired of waiting for a response, she sighed and explained, "it's a dragonstone. You know? The ones manaketes use to transform...? I am a manakete!"

"A manakete? I supposed that explains why the Grimleal are after you. ...If you think you can fight, I won't stop you. We can always use another fighter on our side. You should make sure to stay close to us, though. If you need help, any one of us will be there to aid you." Chrom turned to look at the other two men. "What about you two?"

"Canas pay Gregor to fight, so Gregor fights," said the older man. "Gregor be very reliable mercenary! Be doing good with the sword. If you help employer, Gregor will be sure not to kill you. Gregor need steady income."

"He may not look it, but Gregor is an extraordinaire mercenary," said Canas. "As for myself, I am a druid. I use ancient magic, or dark magic as it is more commonly known, as my weapon," he presented a thick tome with a green cover of elaborate design as proof of his word, "and should we need another healer, I can fill that role too."

"Wow! A real druid! I'd only read about them on really old books," said Sumia, looking at Canas with excitement. It was something Robin hadn't considered. Sorcerers were as close to druids as they had in Plegia when thinking of abilities. "I didn't know people were still going by that title."

"Enough of this, we must hurry," Robin reminded them. It seemed that they kept forgetting the enemies coming their way. Robin needed to switch the focus of the conversation if he wanted to keep himself sane for battle. He put his hand on top of Nowi head and got to work. "I need to cast a hex on the three of you before we go into combat. It'll allow for us to communicate telepathically. It helps when giving out orders and warnings." He repeated the process with Canas and Gregor.

"What's the plan, Robin?" Chrom asked.

"The sandstorm will hit us at full force by the time we go into combat. It will make it difficult for me to keep track of everyone individually if we spread out. We also have to keep in mind that the enemy is more used to fighting in this terrain." The tactician crouched down on the sand and, using his sword, made some lines and dots on the sand. With his body covering the incoming wind, they would stay there for as long as he didn't move too much. "We will have to split up into three big groups. To have our forces even, we will go as follows: Lissa, Cordelia, Panne, Lon'qu, and Ricken." He made a dot for each name he called and then made a line for their movement. "I want you guys to take the center. From what I could see earlier, the Grimleal are split off in two. We need to make sure that they don't bunch up or we will be in trouble. Your main goal is to prevent that from happening. Being in the middle of the battlefield will let Cordelia take Lissa to wherever she is needed, though everyone else should rely on vulneraries and call for her only if you've run out.

"Canas, Nowi, Gregor, Legault, Vaike, and Sumia, you guys will attack from the west." He repeated the process of putting everything down on the sand. "Our camp is in that direction. You guys need to make sure it isn't spotted, and if it is, do not let them run away under any circumstances. Expect the brunt of the enemy force to come your way.

"As for the rest of us, meaning Chrom, Anna, Virion, Lyn, and myself, we will head to the east. Their commander or high priest, whatever you want to call it, will be at the back, especially with the low visibility right now. He'll want to use his followers as meat shields. If we can take him out, we can take full control over the battlefield, making our victory guaranteed.

"And one last thing. Grimleal are formed mostly of dark mages. Expect a lot of spells coming your way. They will also have a few sword and axe wielders, but no archers. Closing the distance between yourselves and the enemy will be crucial for your survival. Work together and Plan ahead before engaging the enemy."

With the orders given and everyone knowing their roles, the group split off into their respective teams. Being the only mage on their team but also knowing the most of combat in Plegia, Robin took the lead, carefully navigating the landscape through areas that would be easier on those following him. The storm was now at full force. Robin had tried to lift up his cowl to protect himself from the sand, but it yielded no results as the wind easily snapped the cowl back down. He had to keep his eyes half closed to protect them from the harmful sand, which made it even more difficult to see where he was going. There were many hexes that could aid in that situation, but alas, Robin didn't know of any that required no ingredients. If I had known we would be going to a fight like this, I would have prepared something beforehand…

Robin raised his hand to have everyone stop when he spotted the first Grimleal walking their way. It looked like a dark mage and, thankfully, they hadn't been noticed yet. It would have been easy to go in and take the enemy out, but Robin knew better than that. Taking another look, he could see the figures of another five- no, six enemies walking not too far behind the first. Bait? The tactician wondered the possibilities. Taking a look with Eagle-Eye again, he could see that there were at least another five that were coming behind the first group. They really wanted to get their hands on a manakete that badly…

"Here's what we will do," he said, already knowing that not everyone would be happy with his plan. "Anna, I need you to take Virion north from here. The extra height will give him an advantage to shoot down from. It will also make it difficult for the enemy to spot you two immediately. Just in case it does happen, you'll need to defend him as best you can. Virion, start shooting them at my signal. Meanwhile, I want Chrom and Lyn to stay here and wait for the enemies to get closer. They have the advantage of range, meaning that unless we can get them in close, we won't stand a chance."

"This sounds like a sound plan," said Viroin, flipping his hair. "Being paired with our new beauty does suit me best. But, my good man, what of you? You are not planning on charging straight forward, are you?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," Robin deadpanned.

Like he had predicted, Lyn was the first to object. "Mark?! Have you forgotten what happened the last time you attempted something like that?! You can't do that on your own. If you were to get injured, none of us will be fast enough to reach you in time. If you plan on doing something so irresponsible then I will go with you to make sure you come back uninjured."

"Putting your life at unnecessary risk isn't something I approve of," Chrom agreed with the severity of a true leader. "You aren't just another sword and tome to our ranks, Robin. You are our tactician. Without you, who know if we will be able to get Emmeryn back."

"Peace, you two. Was there another way to do this I would take it," Robin defended. "From the five of us, I'm the only one that can move around with ease. They are trying to bait us by having someone move ahead of their group. So, we will turn the tables on them. I would have dealt with that one before the next five men reach me. All I have to do then is run back this way. That's when I'll give the signal to Virion to attack. They will be too busy avoiding arrows and chasing after me to notice that they are being lured into a trap."

Everyone knew the risk Robin was putting himself in. His plan was good, they would admit to it, but it also relied too heavily on everything going exactly right. A single thing going wrong could leave the tactician stuck in a bed for days, if not cost him his life. They had already lived through that once. There was no way they would go through it again, and Robin was counting on that too.

Robin had forced their hand to go with the plan in the end. He left Lyn and Chrom on the spot, making his way towards the enemy, whose figure was becoming sharper by the second. Truth be told, he was nervous. He hadn't said anything about it when Lyn mentioned it, but he did remember what she was talking about. How could he forget?

Back in Elibe, they had encountered a large group of Nergal's men while traveling to Bern. The League had been fighting nonstop for days, many of their comrades badly injured. So when they came across another threat, Mark had proposed a similar plan to the one he had now. He would act as decoy and thin out the enemy ranks enough for an even fight. Back then, not caring about his own mortality, he'd gone ahead with the plan despite Eliwood, Hector, and Lyn being strongly against it. In the end, it all worked out… After the tactician had suffered a terrible beating from the Fang. Had Kent and Florina not come to his rescue, gods only knew what would have happened to him… While he was glad to be saved and for them to be victorious, when they regrouped with the rest, Lyn made sure to let him know just how stupid he had been.

Robin shook the memory out of his head. Things were different now. They were outnumbered only two-to-one. More importantly, while back then he only took the role of the strategist, staying behind with Merlinus, now he was fighting too… And his relationship with Lyn was different. He had been scared of her reaction back then, he could only imagine what she would do if things repeated themselves.

"We are in position, handsome," said Anna with her ever so cheerful voice. From all the group, she was the one that grew accustomed to their method of communication the fastest. Robin was happy about it, except that she would use it to try and convincing of buying a new sword from her during combat. "Waiting for your signal."

Robin nodded. It was to get himself on the right set of mind more than to acknowledge Anna's words, since it was impossible for her to see him. Picking up his pace, he closed the distance between him and the enemy. The figure came into clear view. Like he'd said before, it was a dark mage wearing the typical attire for a Grimleal, the wyvern skull hat and all. It was then that the man finally took notice of Robin and, seeing as the tactician was approaching, he too walked towards the other.

"You there," the man called out as he kept walking. "Have you seen a manakete around here? We've been assigned to take her back to the capital."

"I have not," Robin replied simply. "What do you need her for, if I may ask?"

"Are you stupid or something? What kinda question is that? Everyone knows that manaketes make great sacrifices for the Fell Dragon. Their dragon blood will do good in bringing back Grima to this world once again. You look like a Plegian to me. You should know this much, you ignorant fool." The man came to a stop a few feet in front of Robin, looking at him curiously. "You seem familiar…" Robin gripped the hilt of his sword and his tome, ready to attack.

The was ready to point something out when Robin launched his attack. He unsheathed the sword and slashed diagonally at the man, who was able to jump back in time with just a minor scrape on his chest, letting out a cry in pain that would alert the rest of the Grimleal in the area. Knowing that time was running out, Robin went for a second strike, this time thrusting his sword at the dark mage's chest. The sword pierced through the man's chest, making him fall the the floor when Robin pulled the sword out. The man let out another cry of pain on the floor. There wasn't any life left in him after that. Some other figures came into view soon after. It was time for phase two. He allowed them to catch a glimpse of him before he started running back towards where Lyn and Chrom were waiting. The men were screaming at him to stop. When one of them launched a flux spell towards the brunette, he knew that he would be in trouble.

"It's now or never, Virion." Not a moment too soon an arrow came flying in his direction. Even with the sound of wind, the whistling of the arrow going past him was noticeable. The tactician didn't have time to look back and check if it had hit its target. For all of Virion's claims, getting a kill with a bow and arrow during a sandstorm was a near impossible feat. None the less, Robin could hear arrow after arrow being shot at the enemies.

"I'm almost there. Get ready." He stopped when he was in position, both swordsmen crouched to each of his sides. The enemy dark mages kept casting spells towards him, not noticing the others. Robin did the only thing he could to defend himself. They weren't as common because of their limitations, but defensive spells did exist in the dark mage's arsenal. Using a mutation of the Flux spell, he created a shadow wall in front of himself as a means of defense. The spell was only good against magical attacks, absorbing the blows almost entirely. If someone were to run it through with steel, it would be as easy as cutting butter with a hot knife. "Wait for them to get closer."

The wall wasn't invincible. With each hit, Robin was forced to take a step back. He had to also lean out of cover to see how close the enemies were. He could see Lyn looking towards him with a worried expression every time he got hit. He would smile at her cockily in an attempt to show that he was fine, but failed to make her crack even the smallest smile. "I'm fine," he told her. "Don't look so worried."

Looking out at the enemy again, they were in as good of a position as any. He gave the signal and dropped the magic shield. Chrom and Lyn came out of cover, swords in hand, and headed to the nearest target. The enemies had been too focused on dodging arrows and attacking Robin to take notice of them. Just like that, the first group was down to three members. Virion must have gotten one of them, Robin thought as he grinned, feeling more confident that things were working out.

What the lords hadn't noticed was that two of the remaining dark mages were already casting spells. Robin could tell that both would get hit. His mind blank, the tactician moved from instinct. He alerted Chrom about the incoming attack as he moved towards Lyn, allowing the prince to dodge it. The greenette had to be shoved away. The armor did little to protect against the magical attack. Robin's grip on his sword loosen as he fell over backwards onto the ground. Lyn looked at him and then at the enemy that had shot the attack. "Get him before the second group gets here!"

When the three had been dealt with, Lyn ran back to Robin, who was having trouble finding his sword, but had stood back up already. "Are you okay?" She asked him as she examined him for any injuries. "What were you thinking? I could have dodged the attack if you had warned me!"

He shook his head. "That's not a risk I am willing to take," he admitted. "You are the best person in this army with a sword, even when you are not fighting at full strength. We will need you for the coming battle… Besides, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you got injured because of me…"

Thier moment was interrupted when Anna reach out to him. "We need help here! The second group of five came directly for Bowstring and I! They are hitting hard. You better hurry up."

Robin's eyes widened. That explained why none of the first group went looking for Virion. They would need to hurry. Robin called out to Chrom and informed him of the situation. The ran towards the last known position of Virion and Anna. Something told Robin that they would be needing more man power. He quickly reached out to Cordelia and Lissa. "Cordelia! Get Lissa to our position. Have Lon'qu and Panne help the others. Bring Ricken with you. We might need a second caster on this side."

"Understood, Robin," said Cordelia. "We are on our way."

Robin ordered Lyn and Chrom to head directly for Anna and Virion, saying that he would try to go around and locate the enemy leader. Neither of them questioned him this time, but he could see the dissatisfaction in both their faces. Ignoring it, he left the two, hoping that Cordelia would be able to find them easier in a bigger group.

Minutes passed with no sign of the Grimleal leader. Robin kept running around, but all the Grimleal looked the same to him. That is until he stumbled upon one that was dressed differently. His garbs were of similar color, but they were embroidered with gold thread to create detail symbols all over his cloak. The older man also wore a different headdress, this one looking more like an iron helmet with the emblem for a Grimleal priest on the front.

"Well, well, well," said the man who likewise had spotted Robin. "What do we have here? If it isn't the Vessel himself! What luck!"

Robin furrowed his brow and held on tightly to his tome. This was the first time someone had referred to him as a Vessel. On the back of his mind, Lucina's words repeated. "Give up, fiend," Robin said as he readied his tome, "you have nowhere to run. You have been defeated!"

The older man crackled, looking at the brunnette in amusement. "Ha! You know nothing, boy! Do you know who I am? I'm Chalard, loyal member of the Grimleal as well as priest of Grima! You have some nerve to speak to me that way! Were you not necessary, I would have you killed right here!"

"Necessary?"

"Oh? Don't tell me you didn't know?" Chalard laughed maniacally. "Now I understand why Validar wanted to get you back so badly! If I capture you and take you to him, I will be rewarded handsomely."

The name sent a chill down Robin's spine. Validar. That was the man responsible for the misery he had suffered for the last few years of his life. But, why was that monster looking for him? Robin would have asked, but he felt that the less he knew, the better. There were too many things for him to thinking about already. Adding another burden would only distract him. He opened up his tome. "If you are really with Validar," the pages began to flutter around, "then I can't allow you to go back and inform him of seeing me."

With a flick of his wrist, Robin started casting his first spell. Golden rings and runes surrounded him as he concentrated on the verses. When he was ready, he moved his tome forward to direct the spell. When he had used Waste in Ylisstol, it had been effective in bringing down enemies in one go. He was hoping for a similar result this time. The dark mist was difficult to spot against the sand, which would work to his advantage. But even so, Chalard was able to avoid the attack during the last few seconds. The old man countered with a Nosferatu. Robin could feel his energy draining out, gritting his teeth until the moment was over.

The brunette moved the mages of his tome, landing on a different spell. If Waste was no good, then something with a higher chance of hitting would have to do. He settled on Ruin, which was one of the strongest spells he could use. Vaulting forward to avoid another Nosferatu, he casted his counterattack. Chalard tried to avoid it again, but the golden rings were already surrounding him. The dark cross hit the mark, but Chalard still stood.

"Not bad," said Chalard through heavy breaths. "But you will need more than that if you want to defeat me!" The two kept exchanging spells, some hitting, some missing. As far as magical duels went, this was among the hardest ones Robin had ever fought, which was saying a lot. He'd never struggled much against other dark mages except for his old masters, which included Validar. At the rate they were going, Robin knew that he would be running out of steam first if he didn't end things quick. He could see a figure running towards Chalard from behind. Robin took that as a sign. He would only need to do one thing to win, and it was to cast the weakest offensive spell he had. "Ha! Flux? You think you can beat me with that? I will show you how it's done."

He had intended to cast Flux. But when he felt a sudden, throbbing pain in his head, he flinched, cancelling the casting. He couldn't avoid the incoming attack either, Chalard's own Flux, which dropped Robin to the floor. The pain only intensified with this, Robin gritting his teeth and massaging his temples to work through the pain.

He could feel it coming again. That same sensation he'd felt only a few times before. The red glow. A sudden energy surge that spread throughout his body, starting from his core. He didn't feel tired anymore, nor did he feel the pain from the injuries he had suffered thus far. Looking down at his hand and tome, he could see small red speckled coming out of them. It felt...familiar too. Without warning, he extended his right hand towards Chalard, focusing his energy on the palm of his hand. In an instant, a glowing, red energy accumulated there, taking a spear like shape.

"That is-?!" Chalard was cut short when the energy spear pierced his chest, sending a wave of pain through him. The man shrieked, maybe out of pain, maybe out of surprise. He dropped his own tome in a panic, trying to grab the energy that had suddenly crashed into him, but his hands stopped before he could do so, almost as if there was something preventing him from reaching to it. "Master Grima...my life force...is yours…"

Robin just stood there, not understanding what had happened. He stared at his hand as if it would give him an answer, but the speckles he had seen before were no longer there. The red glow as a whole had disappeared, leaving behind no evidence. By the time he noticed someone approaching him, the battle was over and the sandstorm had come to pass. What…? How long have I been standing here for?

"Are you hurt, Robin?" Lissa asked as she approached the tactician. "You look like you just saw a ghost. WAIT! Did you… Y-you didn't really see a ghost, did you?" The girl shivered as she looked from side to side, gripping her staff tightly. "I never know when it comes to you…"

"Don't be silly, Lissa," said Chrom. "Robin is a good tactician, but he is not a supernatural entity."

Lissa could only laugh nervously at the statement. Obviously, she knew that he wasn't a supernatural entity. Then again… How did that explain his connection to the old legends?

"I have to say, you do look strange, Robin," Chrom pointed out. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to gauge how well he truly was. "Perhaps you do need to get some rest. We should return to camp."

"It's nothing. I'm okay," Robin said, finally bringing his hands back to his side. He wasn't lying. He was okay...physically. He didn't feel hurt, nor even tired. But that was making him confused. Not ten minutes earlier he had been exhausted, ready to collapse, and now there he stood, as if nothing had happened. "Let's just get everyone together and head back to camp."

That's what they did. Using the Mind-Links, Robin had everyone gather up before they started walking back. It was a funny sight, seeing everyone covered in sand. Normally Robin would have found it humorous, but that day he let it go as if nothing. During the walk, Lyn would look over at him from time to time. It looked like she wanted to ask him about it, but she was holding herself back. Instead, she got a hold of his hand and simply held it as they kept on simple act made his heart rate to slow down. Why was my heart racing in the first place?

Back in camp, Canas, Nowi, and Gregor were asked to go to the war tent to discuss the situation of the battle. Robin reassured the druid that Chrom would likely ask for them to join the Shepherds and that he shouldn't worry about anything as long as he made no mention of Elibe.

"You are a scholar doing some sort of field work, you say?" Chrom asked as he looked at Canas from the other side of the table, Robin, Lyn, Lissa, and the khans standing on his sides. "It sounds to me like you take your job very seriously, Canas. But what I can't understand is how you got involved with the Grimleal in the first place. I know that they were after Nowi, but where did you come in?"

"Ah, my apologies, Lord Chrom, I do go off on tangents quite often. I was in a village north from here after I got separated from my group when I came across some sort of auction block. They had many interesting goods, from books to potions and salves. Imagine my surprise when they brought up a young girl to be sold!"

"They were selling slaves?"

"Those meanies… They would have me transform for them… And… And...do tricks!" Nowi said, bursting into tears. "Like I was some sort of party animal!"

"That's disgusting!" Lissa said, outrage by the idea. "Who would have a little girl do something like that? Even if you are a manakete, that's just… Ugh!"

"Wee one is little only in the size," said Gregor. "Nowi be the oldest person here! Haha!"

"Wah! Well, I know manaketes live a long time, but… How long are you exactly, Nowi?"

Nowi pinched her chin and look down at the ground. She had to be really old if she had forgotten her own age. As a human, Robin found the idea bizarre. Not everyone celebrated their birthdays, but forgetting one's own age wasn't something that could be heard commonly. "I would say a thousand and something! Give or take a few decades."

"We are getting off track here again," said Chrom. "Canas, what happened after you saw Nowi?"

"Well, I couldn't just leave her there, so I thought that I could buy her and set her free that way… But the starting bid was too high for me after I'd spent some on books, you see. But it was also too much for everyone else in the room. When the starting bid wasn't met, she was sent "back to storage," as the auctioneer put it. I left the place soon after in look for help. That's when I bumped into Gregor. I figured that if I couldn't buy her and set her free, we could break her out."

"It was a lot of fun too! I haven't seen anyone use a tome quite like pops," said Nowi cheerfully.

"You flatter me, miss Nowi."

"I see…" Chrom was about to continue when Frederick came in. For as long as Robin had known the man, he'd never seen look anything less than perfect. Even when angered or when showing distrust, the knight would hold his stoic exterior. Seeing him anything less than that was enough for everything to understand that something wasn't right.

"Milord! Grave news!" Frederick looked at everyone in the room before turning back to the prince. "An army has been spotted north from here. They are marching in our direction."

No other word was needed for everyone inside the tent to go out to see for themselves. If the Plegians were attacking, the Shepherds and Feroxi would suffer massive casualties. It could very well put a dent into their plan of rescuing Emmeryn.

"By the gods," muttered Flavia as they all reached the top of the nearest dune and saw the approaching force. "There must be at three thousand at least… We won't be coming out of this without losing a few of our own."

"What banner are they carrying?" Chrom asked. "I don't recognize it."

"Lord Mark! Lady Lyndis! Look! They've caught up to me!" Canas turned around to look at the tactician and the noman, who were just reaching the top of the dune.

"W-what do you mean caught up to you?!" Lissa screamed at Canas. "You never said anything about this! Just what did you do to have so many people chasing after you?!"

"Mark… Those banners…" Lyn looked at the distant army, her jaw dropping.

Robin felt the same way. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was left flabbergasted, unable to get a word out.

"Robin? Do you know who those banners belong to?" Chrom asked, not able to hide his unease.

Robin nodded weakly, but kept looking into the distance. "Those are not banners of any house in Plegia… Those are the banners of Marquess Hector of House Ostia…"

---

I think this time around I won't go into a breakdown for the chapter. I'm literally about to start baking a cake to have some kind of Christmas celebration. You guys read the chapter anyways, so you know what happened!

On to reviews!

potatoman098 -Hahaha depends on the stalker, I suppose. Considering it's me we are talking about? Psssh! Of course you should! There is good reason for him being so secretive. I mean, even with the bonds he's been making with the others, he is still an outsider. Revealing too much too soon could damage the way people see him. That would suck when there are some that are just starting to...I don't want to say like, but I can't of another word. You know, Sully and Vaike mainly. Imagine what would happen if they all learned that he was a vessel for Grima? I can totally picture a balloon with Lissa's face drawn on it that gets bigger and bigger every chapter, haha! Since it's the holidays and all, you can have a gingerbread person (none gender specific) as a reward!

starlightkitsune2178 -That...is going to be a really awkward meeting. It all depends on how they go about it. If no one ever tells her that it was Lucina who almost killed Robin, I can see them becoming good friends still... But if she learns about it, be it as soon as they meet or later on, well, it won't be pretty. No matter how good of an assassin Legault is, there are things he can't avoid, especially when he didn't know they existed in the first place. I want to draw a small comic of Legault following Robin in different places and then Panne just looking at Legault from the corner of each panel.

Whatstoknow -I keep trying to submit these chapter the same day of the week to have some sort of consistency, but I always end up publishing them the day after xD Glad you liked it. With it being one of the first big steps towards a completely alternate timeline, I appreciate it.

Anthiques thief -that's also something I kept thinking about. I honestly don't see a reason to change the classes much. Right now, I'm also trying not to name the classes right out. That's why I keep calling enemies swordsmen and axemen. Keeping it generic helps. Once I get a good bunch of characters, I don't think I'll be able to do that without getting people confused. Anyways, yes, like this chapter showed, I do plan on having the classes be the same for the characters that came from a different game.

Sugouxxx -Nino and Jaffar is as canon as it gets. I don't care what anyone else says! Only sad thing is knowing what could happen to Jaffar...

Tumberboy12 -I have soooo many plans related to Idenn it's not even funny. It's heavily changed the way the story will play out, I'll tell you that much. As for the enigmatic man... no comment...

speedking535 -Well, even if they don't get to save her, she could still survive since that's also canon. I guess you'll have to wait a little more before you find out what happens to her, hehehe.

allent Vth -It sure did. It's only going to change more from now, like this chapter implies. The relationship between Robin and Lucina will be very strained in the future, I think. It will depend on whether or not he can forgive her and if she can look past what the Robin in her timeline did. One thing is for sure, it won't be the same kind of relationship (none romantic) they had in the game.

animeandgamerlover2 -That's awesome! I'm going to say what you probably already know, but I'll say it anyway. Make it for a series that you love and would have like to be different or expanded on. If it's a straight out novelization, you won't attract as large of an audience. Also, have fun with it! Not everyone will like what you do, but that's true for everything, so don't mind what they say and stick to the positive reviews you get. If you post one for Fire Emblem, chances are that I'll read it. I'll make sure to pop bye and say hello :P As for the characters... Well, I guess you got your answer already!

Yugiohfangirl -You are welcome! And thank you very much, I'm happy to hear you are liking the story so far! A conversation between Chrom and Robin about what he learned would be fun. "So yeah, your future daughter tried to kill me because I am Grima or something like that" xD Fire Emblem games, or rather series (there are 3 fates games, so I count those as 1) there are 14, Awakening being FE13. Not all the games came to the West though, so you may not have heard of many of the others.

Muggzy -I'm glad to hear you think so. That conversation between Lucina and Robin was so hard to get done. There was so much I was tempted to do with it, but it would put things in an awkward position for future chapters. In the end, I was happy with what I put out. Hahaha, glad you liked the Panne-Legault thing too. They are two characters that I don't think anyone would ever see interacting, which is why I wanted to have them do so here xD

Yellowclover -I think the best way I could bring some easily without a problem would be if there are pairing between character of FE7 and FE13. All those children would be original characters, except for the ones that we already know exist. I can't give away whether they noticed or not, but think about it this way as far as Frederick goes: if he found out that there was someone else that was related to the Exalted blood line, would he go directly to Robin, this Robin, and tell him about it? The two are in better terms than when they first met, yes, but there hasn't been much of a connection between them either. As for the Plegian prejidous, I'll be completely honest, I overlooked it. When I saw your review I literally slouched on my chair! That was a missed opportunity right there. And to your last point, that is something that I've been thinking about. I feel like she would let some things slip out, but it will all depend on how things turn out in the future. It would be terrible (for the characters) if she told them that X or Y would die. It's just one more thing for me to consider in the future.

Defcon Deceiver -It's nice to hear you say that! And I get you when it comes to college courses. I used to drop a lot of roleplays (back when I did those) because of though classes. Always made me feel bad, but you gotta do what you gotta do to get through those classes. The story will always be here. The class? Hopefully you only have to take it once! ...- using these to separate stuff a bit-... You flatter me. I would be lying if I said that doesn't make me feel good, haha. Hmm, I hadn't considered the outrealms that much, to be honest. Interesting. I'll have to keep that in mind in for the future. ... That was deliberate. When I wrote this story, I was going to stick a lot more to the events of the game. But every chapter I write, I get more and more ideas that I want to explore, right? That makes me want to change things even more! The end of this chapter should hint at what I'm saying. With Hector showing up, there is no reason for me to be limited to characters that aren't part of the original FE6 lore. I totally want Owain to meet Eliwood and/or Roy. Having him be start struck would be fun! The swordsmanship point is a good one, and I've come up with several ways to showcase it. Got to work on when it happens, though. ... I mentioned long ago that I am a big fan of the GBA sprite animations. I was mad when they were replaced by simple animation in later games! That's why I went with the GBA version of Flux when describing the spell instead of the Awakening one too. Also, important to note, assassin have similar sprite animations for their criticals, though theirs only show two "shadows" and are slower than Lyn's. ... Light magic is also something I want to explore at some point. I think I'll show it off once someone that can use it comes in, but it won't be fully showcased until they fight Risen more often. ... Because of how criticals and abilities appear in the game, it'll be like you said: they will only be able to be used when the character is under certain circumstances, but using them will also deplete them of energy quite quickly. This is mainly because if they could use them whenever they like, they would be using them all the time, taking away from the feeling of "woah! This is special!"