When the sun rose and the Shepherds gathered, they continued their march north. Robin pressed on with the group even though there was a slight pain from his healing injuries. He had no desire to hold up his comrades any longer because of his pain and continued on without a complaint. After a whole day's rest, the tactician knew that they needed to get to Ferox. Once there, he could focus his efforts on planning the upcoming battles against Plegia. After Gangrel's offensive, they needed to put him and his forces on the defense to stop his attack on Ylisse.
A few hours after midday, the Shepherds finally made it to Longfort, where they were greeted by Feroxi warriors. It had not been too long since they bested these same warriors in battle, but they held no ill will. Some of the warriors even offered to ride ahead to inform the khans or escort the Shepherds to their destination. Eventually, they settled on only one warrior being sent to act as messenger and leave the rest behind in case Plegia comes after them. After a short rest and meal, Chrom declared it was time to move out, and they continued to take the road to the khans.
It was now evening and the Shepherds were gathered outside of the hold where they first met Flavia and agreed to aid her. The khans were not there as of now, having been at the arena several miles out when they arrived at the Longfort. A messenger was sent ahead of time to the keep, telling them that Flavia and Basilio would arrive before the day was over. The Shepherds set up camp outside the keep for rest, with a few deciding to take this time to train and take their mind off the war briefly.
After the last battle, Robin was more determined to train harder with his sword, never wanting to fall like that again. Once more, Lon'qu served as his training partner. Although he put on a straight face, his strength in a simple sparring session showed his frustration with his new post. Lissa was sitting by a bench near the training circles, allowing for her new bodyguard to train. Gaius sat next to her, sewing away with Robin's robe. The tactician was unsure of how great of a seamstress the thief was, but he looked forward to getting his signature clothing back. It, along with the exercise, would provide him warmth from the biting cold of the snowy region of Ferox.
A good distance away from the rest of the Shepherds, Chrom and Vaike sparred against each other, their match proving to be destructive. Although it was great that Vaike, along with the rest of the injured Shepherds, were in good shape, Robin was worried about how intense their match was. Although the khans valued strength, they may not like any holes in their keep. With Lon'qu battering down on his defenses, the tactician had to set his priorities on the most important matter at hand. If Chrom and Vaike broke something, they would have to take responsibility for their actions.
Lon'qu brought his wooden sword down towards Robin only for it to be blocked by another practice blade. They both swung out to attack each other towards their opponent's chest, which was naturally countered by each other. The tactician tried to charge forward, lashing out with his weapon. The warrior he faced took advantage of his recklessness, moving to the side and bringing his practice blade right at his exposed legs. Robin let out a yelp of pain as he crashed into the white snow ground, shivering from how cold it was. He rolled onto his back, arms brought together as he tried to keep himself warm.
"Great job, Lon'qu!" Lissa cheered enthusiastically. "Keep at it, Robin!"
"I would just like to remind you that I had no part in assigning you to your current duty," Robin said through chattering teeth.
"Again," Lon'qu grunted.
"No mercy, I suppose," Robin sighed.
Slowly, Robin raised back onto his feet, stretching and jumping up to get himself warmed up. He had hoped that Lon'qu would still be recovering somewhat from his sustained injuries, but he fought just as hard as before. The tactician was not sure how he was able to do it. As for him, with how sore and cold he was, he was lucky enough to trade a few blows with the more experienced warrior. Once he was prepared, he held his practice sword out, ready to receive another beating.
At once, they both ran towards each other, swinging their blades out. The dull wood thudded against one another with the two yet again trying to press for an advantage. After sparring for so long, Robin was starting to get a read on how Lon'qu fought. His fighting style focused heavily on offense, meant to take down an opponent swiftly or wear them out while they defended themselves. The tactician adapted to this, and instead of only protecting himself, he swung his blade out to strike in his opponent's path. They were about even now with this fighting technique, but he grew more tired while the experienced warrior held on.
Robin tried his best to think of how to gain ground on this fight, but it was challenging. He had to think about where to swing his blade before Lon'qu struck. If he stopped thinking for a moment, he would go down. Occasionally, he would try a new tactic to see how the experienced warrior reacted, but almost always it would end in his defeat. Finally, after blocking one final blow from Lon'qu, the tactician's knees buckled as one final strike knocked his blade free from his hands. Instinctively, the warrior pointed the wooden sword at his opponent's throat, the victor of the battle.
"You're learning," Lon'qu commented, lowering his blade.
"Well, thanks," Robin breathed out in relief. "It's just so hard to think about a new attack when I have to constantly defend myself."
"With enough practice, you will be able to act without thinking," Lon'qu told him. "Then, you might stand a chance of winning against me."
"I think that's the closest I've ever gotten of praise from you," Robin smiled.
"Don't expect more unless you can impress me again," Lon'qu bluntly stated.
"Bubbles, your robes are done," Gaius announced. "Just in time too. I saw the khans entering the keep awhile ago."
"And you didn't tell me?" Robin asked, somewhat shocked. "I hope we haven't kept them waiting."
"I didn't want to interrupt you two," Gaius shrugged.
"And I was too busy watching to notice," Lissa joined in. "I can get Chrom real quick. You go on ahead, Robin. Let's go, Lon'qu!"
Lissa skipped away, unknowing of the scowl on Lon'qu's face. With a nod from his superior, the veteran warrior followed the princess, keeping his distance from her. Gaius ran up to Robin, robes in hand, and handed them off to his friend. The tactician slipped them on, tugging at the edges for warmth. It had been too long since he had worn it and missed its comfort. He made his way towards the keep, leaving the thief behind for whatever he had in mind.
After a few minute, Robin found himself in the waiting room just outside the great hall. All he needed now was Chrom and Lissa to come by for them to the meet the khans. While waiting, he adjusted his robes, still amazed by Gaius' sewing job. It did not take too long for the royals to come by, followed closely enough by their acting bodyguards, Frederick and Lon'qu. The tactician took notice of his best friend rubbing his head, slightly bruised. He sighed, having hoped that training would not be too dangerous for his friend.
"I guess Vaike finally won?" Robin asked, motioning to the bruise.
"Not quite," Chrom groaned.
"You should have seen it, Robin," Lissa giggled. "He was in a daze earlier, so Sumia tried to slap him back to reality, but punched him!"
"I really wished I did see that," Robin snickered.
The doors leading to the great hall opened, revealing a grand and dark room with stone floors and wooden tables. Guards were in formation to the side while Flavia and Basilio stood in the center of the hall, eyeing the group. Robin walked alongside Chrom and Lissa, with Lon'qu and Frederick following close behind. They stopped in front of the khans, nodding in respect to them.
"We have good news and bad news," Flavia started. "The good news is that the Feroxi army is mobilized and itching for a fight. We'll be taking the fight to Plegia soon enough."
"That's great to hear," Chrom smiled lightly.
"And the bad news?" Robin asked grimly.
"Our scouts have reported that Ylisstol has fallen," Basilio revealed with a frown. "They captured Emmeryn and retreated. Gangrel announced that she is to be executed."
"Executed?" Chrom repeated.
Lissa gasped followed by her eyes closing. She fell backwards with Lon'qu quickly taking a step back. Fortunately, Frederick stepped in and was able to catch her before she struck the stone floor. Robin glanced towards them to see the knight trying to shake her awake to no avail. Damn Gangrel and his war. The tactician would see that the Mad King paid for his transgressions against Ylisse and the royal family.
"He's not even trying to be subtle anymore," Flavia sighed.
"It's an obvious trap," Robin agreed. "He knew that our scouts would relay this information back to us. He's mad, but he's clever."
"A hot brand to the buttocks!" Basilio grinned. "We should consider our options carefully before jumping to any-"
"We march to Plegia!" Chrom declared, interrupting Basilio.
"Chrom, we really should think our options through," Robin advised his friend.
"Haven't we seen enough royalty waltzing into traps for one war, eh?" Basilio added.
"I don't care it's a trap!" Chrom argued, unable to contain his anger. "He's going to murder my sister."
"Breath a moment, Chrom," Flavia suggested calmly. "No one's suggesting we don't act. We just need to act wisely. We'll need guts and wits in equal measure if we're to save your sister."
"I'll come up with a plan," Robin volunteered. "I promise."
"All right, Robin," Chrom sighed, starting to calm down. "I'll leave it to you then."
"Are you certain you're up to the task?" Flavia asked with a glance towards Robin. "It won't be easy. You hold the exalt's life in one hand, and all of ours in the other."
Robin resisted the urge to gulp out of nervousness, knowing exactly what was at stake. If they were going to free Emmeryn, they would need to march to Plegia before her execution. He organized many battles that were successful without loss of any life for his side. Could this be the battle that finally ruined that reputation? Would any of the Shepherds fall to see their exalt saved? Or would he be too cautious with the Shepherd's safety and be too late to save Emmeryn? He had his doubts, but if he faltered, they were already going to fail. He needed to show everyone that he was confident. He needed to ensure that both the Shepherds and Emmeryn survive.
"A responsibility I do not take lightly," Robin admitted. "But I am equal to the challenge."
"Ha! You've got stones, at least." Flavia chuckled. "I like that!"
"No hesitation, no mincing words," Basilio muttered, his voice starting to rise. "Either you're a genius or a fool! I suppose we'll find out once we march. Hold on to your tassets, Ylisseans. We've an exalt to save!"
A/N: Sorry for the delay. I feel sick for a few days after attending a Superbowl party with some friends. Thankfully, I was able to get this written up. Simple enough chapter. I decided it was time to start moving on with the game's plot. And technically, since this conversation happens at the end of Mission 7, it took me ten chapters to write about a single mission. I think I broke a record. (Please let me live with this and don't tell me otherwise).
Warrior of Six Blades: Thanks for the compliment. In-game, it's implied that Robin has this dream multiple times. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it just yet, but better to leave a future plot hook in than to force something, I say.
Wingzerojrod: I do plan on continuing this, don't you worry. I'll admit, during my hiatus, my original inspiration for this story went away, but seeing how supportive everyone was, I found new inspiration. But that's a story I plan on going more in depth about once this reaches its conclusion.
Until next time.