Author Notes: Yeah... I don't much to say... I'm months late into uploading, but what can you do. It is, what it is... This chapter was suppose to come out sooner, but I was sort of stuck on a scene. I solved the problem, and kept working, but as I did, I figured something. At first, this chapter was much longer, but as I looked through it, I thought of a change. See, I have a majority of the next chapter after this one done, but as I was working, I figured there would be a better flow, if I took the second half of this chapter and the first half of the next chapter, and combined them into one... And since that happened, it ended up taking longer, and I had to do some edits and such... Making this story has made me realize, I really don't like myself sometimes. I feel as though my writing skills are shit, and I'm doing a half-ass job. I look through it, and feel disappointed. With that said, I'm not going to abandon this, heck no, even if I end up not doing a good job, I at least will want to finish it... And if I'm really unhappy with my first fanfic, I could probably just do a remaster of it someday... But, one thing at a time. I'm going to do this.

This chapter is based off of, Before Awakening DLC map, from Fire Emblem: Fates. Although, that might make a couple characters act a little off because of that... Oh well... Oh yeah, little warning... Don't expect everything in this story to have complete originality, because I am borrowing a lot of dialogue and such from the games, while of course adding my own things... I'm sorry if that offends anyone, perhaps in the future, I'll be able to come up with something completely original... Or maybe not, who knows... I should probably finish this story first.

Anyway enough dilly dally, this chapter is here for whoever actually likes what I'm making, and if people actually do, thanks... Hopefully the next chapter won't take long... Ok, enjoy!

(PS: Yes, I'm going to keep saying putting this disclaimer, just to be respectful.)

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own any Fire Emblem related properties, it belongs to Intelligent Systems

Chapter 2: Champions of Yore

Everything seemed to be in order. The shepherds were preparing for a long march ahead of them. Chrom had accepted Validar's invitation. Of course they weren't stupid, and had all their equipment on standby, because like it or not, there was going to be a fight without a doubt. Thankfully, Robin had a map and knew the layout of the Plegian palace, therefore he would know how to strategize and lead the army. Not to mention, he also had an escape route ready.

Chrom was in the middle of sorting through his equipment when a forceful voice halted him. "We have trouble, Milord."

Turning around clearly seeing the concern in him, Chrom asked. "What's wrong, Frederick?"

"I was cleaning up your quarters, and I had the feeling I was being watched. I turned and saw some Risen slipping out of sight!"

"Wait, you're saying you saw the Risen?!" Chrom cried in disbelief.

Frederick pondered for a moment before explaining "I threw a javelin the moment I saw them." Then he hesitated before saying more. "But they slipped away too quickly." Frederick admitted.

Chrom questioned, "Did you see which direction they took off in?"

"Indeed. I tried to follow them, but they stepped through a strange sliver of light. I approached it and looked inside—all I saw was a field, with a beachside. I've never seen such an island."

"An island on the other side of a gateway of some kind…". Chrom thought hard about this statement. It sounded familiar. A way to other places by going through a light. It sounded very much like the Outrealm Gates. At first he never truly believed them to be real. But hey, if time travel is a thing, then an Outrealm didn't sound too out of the ordinary.

"Indeed. But it wasn't familiar to me at all. If I'm being honest, it didn't even feel like the same world we're in. I don't know what makes me think that, though. It's just a feeling." Frederick stated.

Well that pretty much sealed it. This was definitely the Outrealms.

Chrom then remembered about the Risen, and the danger of them. "If those Risen went to that world, the people there may be in danger. We need to chase after them! Do you remember where the gate is?"

Frederick pointed South. "Of course Milord. It was in this direction."

As if right on cue, Robin approached the two. "Chrom, it seems everyone is about good to go. Are you two ready?"

Well at least there was something of a good news to Chrom, everyone was ready. But now it was time to inform Robin. "Yeah, change of plans... We're not going Validar's quite yet…. There's a Risen attack… Tell everyone we're heading for the Outrealms."

The wind whistled through the forest trees, bringing with it the first chill of the season. A young purple haired lady came up to the window, and saw a blue haired man coming up to her shack, she shut the window.

The man was carrying with him, a bag. Strolling up to the door in front of him, removing his mud covered boots, and stepping in, a sign of relief was felt.

"I have brought some more food, how does our bill fair so far?" The man asked, while hanging his coat.

"At this rate one of us will have to find a real good paying job. We're just barely making it through with our budget, even though I thought a shack such as this would be much cheaper." The young lady was sitting at the table, going through a stack of papers. "Store that food away with the others, so I can calculate how much longer all our food can sustain us." She pointed towards the storage room, while keeping her eyes down. Suddenly, she felt a little bit of regret build up. "I'm sorry sire, I feel kind of bad... Making you go out there, when it's starting to get real cold." She sighed.

The man waved his hand down, shook his head slightly, and smiled. "Please, don't worry about it. It's no trouble at all going out there... Also, no need for the formalities Katarina, it's alright to call me Marth."

The next day was filled with marching, another day of cold, wet, and clinging grime. Boots splashed in the mud, as Marth and accompanying him this time Katarina, were trudging towards a little town. There was nothing to be done at their stay, and the two craved a little excitement. They decided to take in the new and unfamiliar world around them. Almost unfamiliar.

This had to be one of the weirdest experiences the Shepherds had gone through. Well that, and the whole time traveling children. But this was right up there. The whole idea of walking into a lit up portal was weird, except for the children, because they already knew what to expect. Even so, everyone was nervous. When the children first did it, they all got scattered, they didn't want a repeat, the families didn't wanted to be separated from each other... It took a bit, but they managed to gain the courage to walk through. By the time they grew the strength to walk through, they almost regretted it. The awkward tingling feeling, that cold shiver down the spine, and especially that nauseous feeling, as they walked in. It took barely no time to get to the other side, bad part was, everyone felt like they were drunk, or having a hangover. Eventually, it wore down, and everyone got their bearings.

"Besides the headaches, I suppose we safely made it through the gate." Observing the area, Chrom was puzzled. "Where... are we?" Chrom questioned.

"I haven't the foggiest idea…" Frederick informed.

Chrom looked around his surroundings. He never felt so lost. Now he was second guessing himself. How were they suppose to catch some Risen, if they didn't even know the land? And since this was new territory, there wasn't a map to help them now. They were on their own. "Hmmm... What are we going to do now?" Chrom didn't want to completely give up, and make this trip be for not, so he kept looking around. It felt like 13 minutes, but he finally found something promising. "Oh, it looks like there's a sign over there. It's legible, too! Halidom of… Talys!?" Now that was a shocker, considering it was the name of an old kingdom. And that kingdom in their world was a part of Ylisse. At first, Chrom didn't know what to think about it, until something clicked. Could they possibly have travelled through time? Chrom shuddered at the thought, he hoped that wasn't the case, and that it was just a coincidence.

As if he wasn't surprised enough, Chrom felt a finger tap him and an unfamiliar voice asked him. "Excuse me, but do you need any help?"

"Whoa!" Chrom hopped around to see a young man. If his mind was cracked by everything else, now it was shattered. The young man that stood before him looked exactly like the picture of Marth, they looked at the other day. Picture perfect, except this was in the flesh. Chrom thought to himself, this can't be true, it's so unlikely. His mouth was gaped open, and he was stuttering like a maniac.

"Forgive me—did I startle you? You look a bit lost." The young man noted.

A young lady next to him interjected, "Sire. I don't believe I've ever seen these people before. Perhaps they're… travelers."

Chrom couldn't think straight. He supposed there was only one thing to do. Confirm. He proceeded to get straight to the question, "Wait a moment… It can't be… Um, sorry, but who are you?"

The young man's mind clicked, and he generally seemed calm and collected about talking about himself. "Ah, I suppose I should introduce myself. You may call me Marth…" When these words left his mouth, Marth noticed the way he was getting stared at. He knew that look, it was the kind he would have whenever he was in front of his father. Perhaps they knew he was of royal blood. Wanting to clear the air, Marth continued. "And… I suppose you did hear my friend call me sire... As much as I don't like to talk about it, I'm heir to the kingdom of Altea. My friend over here is Katarina… Who I keep telling has my permission to refer to me as just Marth."

Katarina stepped forward, and introduced herself. "I serve as his retainer and tactician. As long as I know you show no harm, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Chrom didn't want the identity of these people to confirm what might have happened. But at this point, he mostly likely would be in denial. The kingdom sign. These people standing before them. It seemed they have somehow travelled through time. If that was the case, it was best to keep the talking as collected as possible, and not mess with anything. However, he felt very nervous, the fact that he was possibly standing in the presence of the Hero-King himself. Chrom decided to simply introduce himself and his group. "…I see… Well… It's nice to meet you. My name is Chrom. I'm captain of the Shepherds. With me is Frederick."

Frederick standing tall, but actually being very nervous on the inside, chimed in. "Pleased to be of service. I too serve as his retainer and I'm second-in-command."

Marth took a slight bow before advancing on more talk. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you. So tell me, Chrom, what brings you through this area today?"

Chrom supposed it was ok to at least tell them why they were here. "The truth is… We were in pursuit of a group... Have you noticed anything strange happening lately? Maybe seen some warriors, nearly undead?"

Marth's warmer expression was slowly replaced with concern and confusion. He tilted his head to the side, and asked. "Come again—did you say undead warriors?"

Katarina immediately took this as sign as danger and put forth, "The halidom has been invaded?!"

Frederick nudged Chrom in his side, and started whispering to him, "That won't do, Milord. This is another realm! We should do our best not to confuse or panic them, if we can avoid it."

Chrom realized his mistake, and attempted to cover it up. "Oh right! Um... did I say undead warriors? I meant undead...undead... warthogs! Our prized undead warthogs got loose!"

Frederick did a facepalm, the moment he heard that excuse. He looked at Marth and then Katarina, and right away he knew it wasn't working. So he decided to just let it out. "Dear Naga… No offense, but your improvising is as convincing as a split piece of corn, Milord… Ok, we should scrap that idea, they're not falling for it…" The way Katarina crossed her arms further proved the point. "Especially Katarina over there… Forget what he said… You heard correctly the first time. It's undead warriors. Or as we refer to them, Risen." He shivered at the name Risen.

Marth and Katarina looked at each other and then back at Chrom. Both slowly muttered the words out, as if it was new to them. "Undead warriors?... Risen?"

"Yes, they are a very dangerous type of beast from our homeland… if left unchecked, they can cause a lot of trouble." Chrom revealed.

"These vicious beasts have been known to destroy towns and villages, as well. I cannot stress enough how dangerous they are." Frederick exclaimed.

Marth put a hand over his mouth, and stressed out. "These creatures sound dreadful!"

"It's best to run away if you spot one… If it's too late, you best hold nothing back when you fight them!" It matters to us that no one gets hurt in their rampage! We've... um... traveled very far to make sure everyone stays safe." Chrom noted.

Marth began to scratch his head, and slowly nodded his head. "A-all right… I suppose it makes… Sense."

Katarina being smarter, wanted to confirm things. "Not to sound rude, but… I have to say, I find your behavior very suspicious… What are you up to? This story sounds unlikely, at best. And just a moment ago, Frederick referred to you as Milord. Perhaps you would be so kind as to explain why you have such a title?" Katarina looked Chrom in the eye while having her arms crossed.

Chrom began stuttering. "W-Well, you see the funny thing about that is…"

Frederick began to worry and knew he had to do something. "(If he tries to improvise again, we're all doomed.) You have some nerve suggesting even the slightest of ill intentions! Milord Chrom is a prince. He deserves the utmost respect." He proudly said.

Marth and Katarina suddenly looked flabbergasted, with Katarina blurting out, "I beg your pardon?! Y-You're a prince, Chrom?!"

"Yes, he is!" With pride and confidence, Frederick boasted.

Chrom got really embarrassed and seemed ashamed, he attempted to hide his face with his palm. "Frederick…"

Marth got his head together, and while still a little startled, was pleasantly surprised. He approached Chrom. "Ah… So I'm in the present of another royal, am I?... Well met then. Prince Chrom."

Marth was just about to offer a handshake, when out of nowhere. "AHHHHHHH!" It was the scream of a little boy, coming from the other side.

Everyone turned their heads. Katarina was the first to speak. "Where did that scream come from?!"

Chrom in a direct voice indicated, "I think it came from over there! Let's go, Frederick! It might be the Risen." They broke out into a sprint.

Marth being startled, reached out his hand for Chrom, and cried. "Ah! Chrom?!" At this point, Chrom was almost out of sight. Clenching his hands, Marth looked at his friend and commanded. "We're going too! Katarina, follow me!" The two started heading to where Chrom ran off to.

As Risen business go, they don't give a damn about anything. They do as they please, and kill anything that moves. An undead and untamed wild animal is a good description for what they are. Unlike an average wild animal, they're hella strong. However it was nothing the Shepherds couldn't handle."It's them!" Chrom pointed out. The Risen were spread out, while some were attacking a nearby village.

Frederick had his lance in his hand, and his trusty steed was ready to ride off. "Leave everything to me, Milord. I shall eliminate them properly." He reassured.

Right behind the Shepherds, Marth and Katarina followed along. Marth began to stride up to Chrom. As he did so however, the other Shepherds had a nervous yet respectful expression, they began to step to the side giving him a path, as a group of knights and servants would do for a king. This act made Marth feel uncomfortable, but nonetheless he kept moving. "Wait, Chrom! We'll join you!" He requested.

Chrom noticed the commotion of his comrades and turned around with a serious face. "Marth?! I don't want to involve you two in our troubles!" He encouraged.

Marth simply shook his head, and began to unsheath his Falchion. "It is our duty as defenders of this land to help whenever it's threatened. We'll aid you!"

Looking at the man before him, Chrom was lost in aye. That determination in his face. And that Falchion, looking much more clean and sharp compared to Chrom's, not to mention containing its red jewel of power within the opening. Only in his deepest dreams has Chrom fought alongside the Hero King Marth. Chrom saw in his ancestor's face, the same one he would have at times, the one that says he wasn't going to take no as an answer. Slowly coming to terms, Chrom hesitantly accepted. "Marth... I… Thank you… Now, let's work together to end their rampage!"

Marth nodded and raised his sword "Let us fight as one!"

The Pegasus knights scouted the area quickly, and returned to tell the tacticians of the enemies positions.

Katarina nodded her head at this, and grabbed out a map from her coat. "Alright, I think I have the beginnings of a plan. What was was her name… Sumia was it?... She told me, they're are about 10 visible on the field, so far. With a layout such as this in front of us, I'm thinking…. We could probably send a small strike force of your best fighters. That way, you minimize risk while also having the best chance of killing the foe. What do you think about that?"

Rubbing his chin for a bit, Robin interjected. "Listen, it's a reasonable plan, but… Judging from the look of the map, did you not consider these forts up here?" He pointed to the forts on the map. "Risen may not be the brightest, but they do have the basics down… There could be reinforcements lying in wait, in those forts. Sending anyone, they could potentially be injured or worse… It's too risky."

Stopping to think, Katarina suddenly looked down. "Damn… How could I miss such a simple thing?... I knew I wasn't good enough." She trailed off.

Robin was taken aback at this reaction. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey now. Why are you being so hard on yourself over such a small thing?... Look, maybe I was quick to dismiss that plan… It's ok, everyone make mistakes from time to time… Here, now that you know about the forts, what do YOU think we should do?"

Katarina looked puzzled at the question. "Me?... Uh… I-I think…" She wasn't thinking straight, so she took deep breaths. Slowly, she regained her composure, "Ok, for this type of mission, we'll only need a small force, so… Chrom and Frederick, they can go up ahead, with Marth and that lady." She pointed at Lucina. "Following closely behind." That healer over there." She pointed at Lissa. "She can pair up with Frederick. Being on the horse with him, she can quickly get over to someone in case they're injured so she can heal them. And finally, you and I can rally them and back them up with some magic, killing the leftovers and watching everyone's back… Is that good?"

Robin smiled, and gave thumbs up. "Sounds like an A plan to me. Alright let's get this show on the road!"

Everyone got into position, and started moving forward.

Both tacticians started by boosting everyone's strength, and then following up by throwing some thunder and fire forward, creating a wall of steam blinding whatever enemies could be ahead. Chrom and Frederick charged ahead, with the all the steam surrounding the area, they could easily make out the Risens glowing target eyes. Frederick took out his axe, and slashed a small group of Risen upward, with Chrom coming in and ramming right through the Risen. They had strength the Risen wish they could have.

Marth and Lucina sprinted close behind. Taking a first glance at these beasts, Marth mentally thought, "These are some of the most unpleasant monstrosities, I've ever laid my eyes on!" Putting his thoughts aside, he struded up to one of the Risen and took a deep breath. The Risen slammed its axe down, only to have Marth immediately counter the hit, and kill it. Another Risen tried attacking from behind, however Marth rolled to the side and followed up by throwing some quick jabs and then final swing. Lucina felt like she could watch Marth fight for hours. She too started with some quick jabs, but then changed things up by flipping high into the air and coming back down slicing the Risen down. This duo was a sight to behold. They may not be as strong as Chrom and Frederick, but they had balance and speed on their side. Evading anything the enemies would throw at them, only hitting here and there to pressure their opponent and then backing up. Truly, a sight to behold.

After each kill, Lucina couldn't resist sneaking a glance at Marth, he was so elegant in his style. However, the one time she took a glance, a Risen pushed her back. This one was more barbaric than the others, really invading on her personal space. Lucina attempted to dodge on of hits, but then the Risen decided to punch her in the face as this happened. She rolled on the ground, and as she looked up, the Risen raised its axe. But before the axe even came fully down, Marth intervened and blocked the hit. This felt like deja vu, to Lucina, she thought back to when she blocked a hit from Lissa. Struggling to keep the Risen off, Marth found enough strength to push it back, and immediately follow up by doing a dolphin slash.

Turning back to Lucina, Marth held out his hand for Lucina to grab. "I hope you weren't hurt… Please, try to be more careful next time." He advised.

Looking in the eyes of her ancestor, Lucina nodded.

With every Risen that arrived, Chrom would give the kill and move forward. But at one point during the fight, he got too caught up with all the Risen, that at the last minute he realized he broke formation and accidently. His eyes shifted left to right, and he turned in circles. "Hm... Did I move too far ahead?"

Soon came footsteps behind him. "Chrom! You're alive!" Marth exclaimed.

"Marth. Thank you for coming." Chrom was grateful, someone noticed his absence. Speaking of noticing, he saw a Risen attempting to surprise Marth."... Behind you!" Even before Chrom said that, the look on his face told him, and Marth manage to shift to the side. Taking action, Chrom threw a javelin past Marth into the Risens head.

Stunned by the javelin flying right past him, Marth shrugged it off after seeing the disintegrating Risen. "You have my thanks. I came here to save you, but instead you saved me."

Chrom walked over and took back his javelin, as he did so, he shook his head. "No thanks are necessary... This whole mess was my fault."

Frowning, Marth replied. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Anyway, let us be off." Chrom nodded his head, and the two ran to regroup with the others.

Making progress forward on the map, the group came up to a fort, and just like Robin predicted reinforcements came out of the fort. The team took them down in no time flat. But then, they noticed another fort across from them, not too far ahead. "I think we can work with this, guys... Katarina, since this first fort is now emptied, you and I are going to the top. Everyone else, follow my signal, ok?"

Marth raised an eyebrow at this, and was somewhat concerned. "Are you sure the both of you splitting from the rest of the group, is the best course of action?" He questioned. Suddenly, Marth felt a hand grip his shoulder, he turned to see Chrom.

Chrom smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, just trust in Robin, when I see that look in his eye, it's usually a win for us. Besides we're in this together."

That was all Marth needed. And with that, Robin and Katarina headed to the top of the fort, while everyone else got into line.

While running up the stairs, no words were said. On top of the fort, Katarina felt at home, gazing upon the view of the land and ocean in front of them. She just wished there wasn't any Risen ruining the day. The other fort stood across from them, however Katarina didn't get the reason as to why they were up here. "Excuse me, Robin sir, but why are we up here?"

Grabbing out a Thoron tome, and still staring across at the other fort, Robin elaborated, "Let me ask you this, Katarina… How far can you shoot?" He smirked as he said this. Wide eyed at first, slowly a smile emerged on Katarina.

The group at the bottom were silently waiting, however Lissa was already getting tired. "So… Where's that darn signal at? And what is it suppose to be?"

As soon as she asked that, they saw the fort across from them get bombarded with a bunch of magic. The fort exploded in multiple areas, with the Risen either flying off the structure or running out of the entrance severely injured. "Guess that's our cue." Chrom said. The heroes started making a beeline for the weakened Risen. With the Risen being already at half health, it took no time to kill them.

All that remained was to spill the blood of the Risen chief, standing at the entrance of a particular castle at the edge of the island. At this point, nobody was afraid of it. Sure it looked much more strong, bulky, and threatening, but it was just one to deal with. Robin and Katarina walked up front, they both charged up their tomes, and out shot a double Thoron. And as they shot this, Marth, Lucina, and Chrom jumped forward and homed in on the Risen. With all three Falchions hitting the creature, it was overkill.

The fight went by quite fast.

Chrom scanned over the field, it looked to be the fight was over, he sheathed his Falchion. "All right, I think that's the last of them."

Sheathing his Falchion, Marth took his free hand out and finally shook his hands with Chrom. "I owe you, Chrom. You and your allies have my gratitude."

Shaking his head in shame, Chrom reminded Marth about how this started. "We were the ones that got you involved in this whole mess. Think nothing of it… Really, I'm sorry for putting you and the people here in harm's way. We'll do our best to prevent this from happening again."

"Those beasts attack without warning. I regret that we cannot promise that this is the last you'll see of them." Frederick explained

"Chrom... Things must be rough back in your kingdom. I have no idea." As a kind hearted man, of course he wanted to help, it was in his nature. Marth began to ponder. "Hmm… Why not I join your party?" Marth suggested.

Quickly Katarina jumped in, to state some facts. "But Sire, this is-!... Are you sure about this? You need a break from war… Not to mention your kingdom needs you." Katarina urged.

She took the words right out of Chrom's mouth. "I agree with Katarina! I can't accept something like that from you!" He insisted.

Marth was a custom to being told no, so he elaborated. "Nonsense, I want to help you. I know full well what I'm getting myself into… I can't just stand idle when there's help needed. I have learned much on this field of battle today. I saw how you fought hard to keep us all safe from harm. I want to show you my appreciation."

Chrom roamed through his mind looking for an excuse. "Huh…?! B-But you must have adventures of your own to get back to, right?"

Marth was prepared for any question. "Always, but I can think of no better adventure than to travel with you. If it's not too much of a bother… Please think about it for me." He expressed.

"Well… I." At this point, Chrom would be beating a dead horse. He didn't want to feel as if he was forcing his own ancestor into another war. But at the same time, when would an offer like this come up again. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to fight alongside the great Marth. Plus, Marth really looked like he wanted this. Maybe, they could just return him after they were done. After thinking about it, Chrom finally found his answer. "I… I don't want to come as annoying… It's just… You shouldn't… I mean, I really wish you wouldn't…" Chrom faltered.

After seeing his face, Marth began to think he was probably pushing too hard. "Forgive me, Chrom… I didn't stop to think how you might feel… I suppose, I just get a pushy when it comes to things like this… Perhaps, you're right, I should back off."

Chrom cut Marth off there. "But... I don't think it's a bother at all.… You don't even need to ask... Of course, I'd like to have you on board. I think it'd be an honor to fight next to you. But… Just remember… don't feel like you're being forced, you're free to bail whenever you like… And, don't be afraid to ask us to keep YOU safe."

Marth was taken aback by that answer, but ultimately glad. "...Thank you. I am sworn to your side then, Chrom... I'll spare no efforts in supporting you. Watch me. My blade is yours. Your cause is mine. We are now comrades-in-arms."

Katarina looked back and forth between the two men. She groaned, "Oh, for Nagas sake… If you're going… Th-Then, I'm going too… You said friends help each other, and that's what I'll do... Plus a Tactician always stays by their commander through thick and thin."

"If that's how you feel." Marth remarked.

Frederick, standing beside Chrom, chimed in. "Milord, I believe it would be in our best interest to head home."

Just as everybody got their footing and was ready to head off, as if a tome was fired, a surge of light surrounded Marth and Katarina. And what was left was two plastic figures of them lying on the ground.