Chapter 16
Morgan cursed under her breath, drawing the ancient nodachi Sol from over her shoulder as the first of the Risen started to invade the crowded stands around the Chon'sinian delegation's booth.
"This brings back memories," Cherche sighed behind the tactician.
"Indeed," Virion sighed. "Just once I would like to have a gathering with our finest of friends without the day becoming a Risen-infested free-for-all."
Despite the archer's complaining he already had his bow drawn and was firing off arrows with great precision, covering the fleeing audience members as the Risen nipped at their heels.
"Truly, though, it has been quite some time since we have faced the foulest of Risen," he added.
"Fie, it matters not!" Say'ri declared. "Morgan!"
The younger woman nodded at her mother's order, eyes narrowing as she strode towards the edge of the balcony where Virion was shooting. Her eyes took in everything in an instant; while they would eventually have to stop the knight in the center of the arena, clearing the stadium of the spectators trapped by the Risen took priority. Her father, down on the arena floor, no doubt had the same thing in mind.
"Virion should stay here and cover the spectators as they escape," Morgan said. "Sei'ko, Kei'ji, and Cherche need to go left and clear the stands. Be careful and watch each-other's backs. Mother, we can handle the right side."
"Agreed," Say'ri nodded, drawing a sword in each hand. "Consider those my orders."
"Not agreed!" Kei'ji growled. "I do not find it wise to split our forces, and I especially disagree with putting the Queen in harm's-"
"Cousin, shut up and fight," Sei'ko sighed, already walking with Cherche out of the booth.
Morgan grinned and winked at the young General as she spun on her own heel, making for the doorway, too.
"Kei'ji, show the Feroxi how we were able to crush Walhart's forces so easily," Say'ri ordered archly, following the other three women.
With a sigh Kei'ji dropped his head, frowning as he stomped out of the box.
"I'll just stay here then, shall I?" Virion called over his shoulder. "Unprotected. Right. At least Robin would have left me a guard! Argh, I am getting far too old for this…"
"Oh, this is bad," Yarne muttered.
He and the other Shepherds on the arena floor watched with wide eyes as their nightmares came to life again, Risen crawling up out of the sand and snarling with glowing red eyes.
"Form ranks!" Lon'qu barked. "This is no different than how we used to do it!"
Sully and Kjelle were both there in an instant, twin walls of armor and lance before the lighter-armored Shepherds, Libra and Inigo right behind them. Yarne moved to join them as Olivia hung back, a nervous frown on her face as she clutched a thin short-sword next to Miriel, the mage woman already flicking through her spellbook.
"Didn't we already finish playing this game?" Sully growled, tightening her hands on her lance.
"These things just never give up," Inigo sighed.
"Break through them," Lon'qu ordered. "Get to the Exalt and the Khan. Move!"
Before the Shepherds could advance, though, the screaming in the stands started. Lon'qu hesitated, looking up with a more severe frown than he usually wore as the Risen began to appear in the stands above them, the panicked Feroxi citizens practically stampeding to get away from the monsters.
"Lon'qu," Libra called.
"I know," the swordsman growled. "Into the stands! Protect the people and guide them out of the arena!"
"Back! Back it up! Back!" Robin shouted.
The tactician punctuated his shouts by desperately trying to usher the immovable objects of Basilio and Chrom raring for a fight away from the arena floor, where Maris was standing looking enraptured up at the Risen invading the stands full of spectators. Vaike and Cynthia covered their flanks, weapons raised as the Risen started to shamble towards them.
"Why does this keep happening to you kids?" Basilio growled.
"Everywhere I go…" the tactician sighed.
"Robin, what are you doing?" Chrom snapped, struggling against the other man's retreat. "We can take him!"
"Him? Sure," Robin said, shaking his head. "The hundred Risen between us and him? Not so much. Raimi's on her way."
"We can end this now!" Chrom insisted.
"Dammit, Chrom, think!" Robin snapped. "I've spent the last year wandering around the wilderness, and you've spent how long sitting on that throne!? None of us is in the kind of shape we were five years ago! We need time to prepare, make a plan, and we need reinforcements before they-"
"Here they come!" Vaike shouted in warning, cutting Robin off mid-speech.
"Do that," he sighed, shaking his head.
The five Shepherds stood shoulder to shoulder with their weapons drawn as the Risen let out a lusty roar and began to charge, all except Robin grinning in anticipation. The tactician glowered above the Risen, his gaze locked firmly on Maris still standing in the middle of the arena. Contrary to his calm exterior, he was just as excited to tear the Risen apart as the others; Grima's power was not to be trifled with. Maris needed to learn that. And then pay for his crimes.
The Risen never made it to their line, though. A blast of green wind magic picked up the front rank of the charging monsters and threw them through the air, the rest being forced back by further gusts of magic wind. Robin spun, his face finally breaking into a grin as he spotted the first of their reinforcements.
"Will you hurry up!?" Galle grunted, firing off another wind spell. "I can't keep doing this all day!"
Behind the younger tactician stood Mari, Van and Arya, each with a weapon drawn and clearly ready to fight. With deft movements Mari and Van both cast lightning spells on the deserted stands to either side of the opening the Shepherds had retreated through, the rubble momentarily blocking the Risen's advance.
"I don't think that's gonna hold them long," Van coughed, waving the dust out of his face.
Mari blinked a few times in the cloud of dust, but otherwise remained impassive.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Robin asked as he spotted Arya in the cloud.
"I… er… I'm not sure," she mumbled, gripping her dagger close to her chest.
"Later!" Basilio grunted, stomping past them.
"Retreat!" Robin called. "Get away from the arena! I assume you lot have somewhere for us to retreat to?"
"Lady Lucina's working on it," Van shrugged.
"Good! Go! Take any civvies you see with you!" Robin ordered, ushering the others.
Basilio hesitated as he passed the tactician, thumping him in the shoulder with the side of his fist.
"For future reference, boy, you all may have gotten soft, but I'm still every bit the warrior I was five years ago."
"Yeah, yeah," Robin snorted with a grin. "Take your ego and carry it after the kids."
"No…" Idallia muttered brokenly. "No… no…"
Her knuckles were white as she gripped the railing of the viewing balcony, eyes wide as she watched her brother's creatures begin to slaughter the people in the stands.
After so long… After they had spent so much time fighting against them…
Maris was using Risen.
Worse, he was using them to attack the very people they were supposed to be ruling.
"Brother, what are you doing…?" she mumbled.
The merchant and would-be-Khan shook her head, stumbling back from the railing as something the size of a large horse dropped from the sky. The gryphon Maris had taken came to a stop next to its master, Idallia's brother lovingly stroking the creature's neck before swinging up into its saddle. The creature was just as corrupt as her brother had become now, its white plumage and golden fur a sickly grey and black, its once proud eyes glowing the same baleful red as Maris'.
Idallia sobbed a little, eyes darting around as she tried to think of a way out.
She was on the highest level of the Coliseum's stands; she would never escape. Not alone. And Maurice and the other soldiers were no doubt dead now that Robin was inside the Coliseum…
"You there!" a woman's voice called from behind her. "Fie, what are you doing!? Come! We must flee this place!"
Idallia glanced over her shoulder at the familiar-looking foreign woman holding a sword in each hand, glaring at her.
"Come!" she urged. "It is not safe here!"
Idallia nodded numbly, throwing one last look down to the monster her brother had become before turning away.
"Please, you have to help me," Idallia begged, rushing over to the woman.
"Yeah, we're old pros at that kind of thing," another voice chuckled.
A younger woman appeared behind the first, a long, thin sword resting on her shoulder as she smiled at Idallia.
"Come on, you're practically the last one here," the younger woman said, holding out her hand. "Let's get someplace less… Risen-y."
Robin and the others emerged almost an hour later into the biggest square of the Coliseum's marketplace, just inside the main gate. The space was teeming with terrified civilians and confused looking soldiers all trying to get out into the plains outside the city at once. Maurice's men had blockaded the paths to the square with the help of the Arena Guards, the heavily armored Ylissean veterans ushering frightened townspeople into the relative safety of the square alongside the dour Feroxi guards. Robin spotted the old soldier in the press, shouting orders to begin escorting the women and children out of the arena and towards the nearest towns, the other soldiers not manning the barricades hastening to make his directions a reality.
The tactician let out a sigh of relief when he caught the familiar sound of Owain proclaiming something above the noise of the crowd, betting on the others being with him and beelining for the younger man's cacophony.
The Coliseum had been a mess; the Feroxi were dour enough as a race to stop short of rioting, but with the few Coliseum Guard there were running around telling everyone to evacuate with no particular order things were getting tense. Fortunately, someone had taken charge at the market square and set it up so that only the three main thoroughfares were still open, the rest closed off by barricades of scrounged timber and iron.
"We need to secure the Khan's quarters!" Owain insisted. "That my Aunt, the Queen, is still there drives my sword-hand into a frenzy that-"
Robin grinned as he walked up behind the blonde boy and slapped him in the back of the head. Owain jumped and spun, his face breaking into a smile as he spotted the group.
"Thank you," Severa sighed in relief from next to Owain.
"Master!" Owain shouted gleefully. "And… Uncle Chrom, too! And-"
"Cousin!" Cynthia exploded, her shrill voice betraying her excitement as she rushed forward.
"What-ho, blood of my blood!?" Owain shouted, matching her excitement.
"Let's just… leave them catch up," Robin sighed.
He led the others in taking a few steps away from the very loud reunited duo as they started to shout what seemed to be lines from a book or a play at each other, Chrom grinning all the while. Robin craned his neck, trying to get a look at what the Exalt was smiling at, and spotted her in the crowd.
"Shore up those defenses!" Lucina shouted from atop a crate. "Plant the logs, the spears, plant rakes and pitch-forks for all I care! Make a barrier facing outwards, but make sure the civilians can still get through!"
"There you are!" she added, spinning and spotting the other Shepherds. "What took so long?"
Robin shrugged, grinning self-depreciatingly.
"Too long on the road," he said. "I'm not used to cities again yet. We got lost."
Lucina scoffed and leapt down off her perch, striding over with quick, sure steps before she reached up to give her husband a quick kiss on the cheek, then turning to her father. She had finally forgone her old 'Marth' persona again now that they were fighting Risen instead of Ylisseans, her long blue hair cascading down past her shoulders and her piercing blue gaze freed of the confines of the mask. Chrom laughed a little as he wrapped her in a tight bear-hug, Robin unable to help himself from snickering along a little as he spotted Lucina's surprised expression. Even after all her progress lately she was still a little lost when it came to public displays of affection from others, apparently.
"More civvies incoming!" Maurice shouted from one of the checkpoints they had set up. "Looks like Risen are houndin' em!"
"Argh, we're getting too old for this," Robin groaned, running a hand through his hair.
"Speak for yourself," Lucina said sharply, shooting him a glare as her father stepped back.
Robin grinned and shook his head, climbing up on the box Lucina had just descended from.
"Hold!" he called above the crowd. "We can't all crowd in at once! Shepherds forward! Everyone else, watch the other entry points! Keep the civilians flowing! Everything else is secondary!"
The soldiers and warriors around them, an eclectic group thrown together of Feroxi trackers and arena guards and the Ylissean veterans that had joined Robin, moved to follow his orders without hesitation. As the tactician stepped down from the box and moved at Chrom's side towards battle once again he found himself wondering if what Excellus had said in Valm all those years ago had been right; that he would be drawn to battle and bloodshed for the rest of his life.
"More coming in from this side!" one of the Feroxi at the far road called back.
Maurice cursed as he limped past the Shepherds, the old soldier breaking into a hobbling run with the rest of his men following suit. There was a loud roar from the central pathway as Fae shifted forms, breathing a jet of magical fire onto the encroaching Risen. The roar was taken up by Kowrowa and Ita, a vicious double howl echoing around the square as the two shape-shifters set upon the Risen Fae had missed.
"Are we going to be enough to hold this point?" Chrom asked with a confident grin.
"You know the answer to that, don't even bother asking," Robin sighed.
The rest of the Shepherds began to line up, some louder than others.
"Hoo-baby it's been too long since Teach got to break him some Risen!" Vaike announced, swinging his axe in broad warm-up strokes. "Hey kid! Seein' as our duel got interrupted, why don't we see who gets the highest kill-count to settle it!?"
Cynthia scoffed from Owain's side, levelling her spear one-handed in a heroic pose as she brushed the long blue strands of hair out of her face.
"Please," she said. "I've been killing these things since I was a girl! You really think you can keep up, old man?"
Vaike's confident smirk fell at this, his brows knitting together.
"I'll show you who's old!"
With a great battlecry that would have left any human opponents quaking in fear Vaike charged forward, brandishing his axe high as his long strides ate up the distance between him and the enemy.
"You just had to encourage him," Robin groaned, feeling his irritation grow.
For a split second he glanced out over the incoming Risen and the fleeing civilians, calculating numbers and running full scenarios in his head faster than most people could normally think. With a grunt he shook his head, deciding that his desired plan was within acceptable safety margins and stepping forward.
"Fine! Shepherds, charge! Get the civilians through and then pull back! Anyone that fights ranged hang back and give us cover!"
With that the tactician broke into a run after Vaike, drawing his rapier as he ran and setting his features to a tight scowl as he pushed through the civilians after Vaike. Behind him he could hear Lucina and Van ushering the civilians through the barricade, the rest of them racing after him.
With a shout a cross between a laugh and a battle-cry Vaike met the first of the Risen, swinging his axe with the same reckless abandon he always had. Robin was there a few seconds later, crashing into the Risen with all the subtlety of the charging axeman beside him.
The first Risen leapt at him and he simply swept it aside with his sword, the weak creature disappearing to ash on the end of his blade as he drew it back for a second strike. His blows were precise and deadly, a pile of familiar purple-black ashes already beginning to form at his feet. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the others, Chrom at their head, cutting deep into the Risen horde.
However, like they always had, the more numerous Risen began to spill around the Shepherds' charge and continue towards the barricade with single-minded fury. Robin clicked his tongue, turning and extending his arm. With small arcs of electricity dancing over his arm he planned to release an elthunder spell and bounce it between the various Risen.
The tactician almost lost his balance in his surprise as a spell more akin to Thoron annihilated the Risen in a bright flash of light, the recoil from the spell almost throwing his hand back into his face.
He stopped, staring at his hand with wide eyes for a split moment until someone approached him in the dust.
"Robin?" Lucina asked.
The tactician glanced up, setting his features into a carefully neutral mask.
"I'm fine," he said. "I must just be letting this all get to me more than I thought."
Lucina nodded, the look in her eyes telling him that she didn't believe him. But they had more important things to worry about, and with that in mind the two turned towards where Chrom and the others were holding the Risen back in a line between the buildings. There were other figures standing with the Shepherds now, too, and arrows were flying down from the building above the line. Robin grinned when he spotted a familiar black coat among the Chon'sinian armor. As he and Lucina watched one of the Risen snuck by Chrom's guard, the Exalt just barely dodging in time and running the creature through with Falchion before moving onto the next.
"Go watch your father's back before one of them gets lucky," Robin sighed.
"Be safe," She said with a nod before racing forward.
Robin watched her move with a faint smile before looking back to his hand, his smile dropping.
A panicked shout interrupted his thoughts and on reflex he extended his hand, carefully modulating the mana flow this time to send a moderate thunder spell crashing into the Risen standing above Arya. The tactician-apprentice scooted back from the line on her rear as Robin approached. With a sigh the older tactician grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her up to her feet.
"What did I say when we first met? Rule number one: Don't fall down."
The girl nodded, gripping her dagger close to her chest as she looked up at him with fearful eyes. However, unlike the terror Robin had seen cripple the girl back in Themis it was different. With a grin he realized that she'd grown while he wasn't paying attention.
"What're you doing here?" he asked. "Get back behind the barricade before you get hurt. I didn't say you were ready for this yet."
Arya vehemently shook her head, a firm set to her frightened features.
"I'm a tactician!" she insisted. "I… I can do this! I'm ready!"
Robin sighed through his nose, his face breaking into a tired smile as he nodded.
"You're not even close. But at least you've got the right attitude. C'mon, kid," he said, flourishing his rapier. "Try to keep up."
"He shouldn't be able to be doing this," Robin stated simply almost an hour later. "There's no logical explanation as to why Maris should be capable of summoning so many Risen when he isn't even a mage to begin with."
All of the assembled Shepherds, new and old, stood gathered around the center of the square while Maurice and Raimi organized the defenses. The Feroxi woman had always been dour, even by the frigid northmen's standards, but there was a new edge to her now; a hardness that Robin was all too used to seeing in veteran soldiers' eyes.
The Risen were still periodically throwing themselves at the hastily erected barricades, breaking them down almost as fast as the soldiers could repair them. Raimi was an expert in siege tactics, though, and Maurice had served in the Themisian border-guard fighting against invading Plegians; to their credit not a single one of the creatures had gotten past them, and civilian casualties had been minimal.
Fortunately enough, all of the various Shepherds in the Coliseum had made their way to the square as well, including Tharja and her Dark Mages with Raimi's Feroxi forces from outside, Cordelia leading a very upset Sumia and the Ylissean delegation, Say'ri and Morgan's Chon'sinian group and the rest of the Shepherds that had been entered in the tournament. Barring only a few absent members, Robin currently had almost the entirety of the Shepherds at full strength to strategize with.
"Maybe he just had a lot of latent talent?" Fae offered.
Tharja shook her head from next to Robin, her usual scowl deepening.
"It doesn't work that way," she explained. "At least not with Dark Magic. One thing's for certain; there's no soul left in that man to save."
There was a sharp inhalation of breath from just behind Robin. He glanced over his shoulder, but Idallia remained impassive, ever the merchant queen.
She had been the real dark-horse, showing up holding a looted short sword at the back of Say'ri's group. Now she was insisting on helping however she could. Robin didn't really mind; to his mind it just meant that he didn't have to go looking for her once all of this was over.
"Does it matter?" Lon'qu asked in the lull. "We have our target. No Risen can stand in our way."
"And what if, dear Lon'qu, by killing him we unleash an even greater evil?" Maribelle asked before Robin could respond. "There are numerous tales of Grima possessing hosts throughout the millennia."
"Case in point," Robin cut in with a smirk, raising his hand to a smattering of chuckles.
"My brother's mind is still his own," Idallia stated. "I… have been speaking to him. With the helm on, when it was just the two of us… you would never know he had changed like this."
"Okay, so we're just dealing with a nut-job with apocalyptic-scale power, not the dark-dragon god of death again," Morgan nodded. "Good to know."
"I think our course is still clear," Say'ri added. "The longer we tarry the more powerful he becomes, yes? Fie! Let us cut directly through to the heart of these creatures and end this matter!"
"He does have that most fearsome of Gryphons, though," Virion reminded them.
"Argh! I can't believe I forgot about that stupid thing!" Robin groaned, scrunching his hair up.
He crossed his arms to the laughter of the other Shepherds, tapping his foot in thought before shaking his head.
"Forget it," he growled. "You know what, Chrom? I take back what I said before. Let's just rush him. Throw everything we have at him and there's no way he can cope."
"What?" Chrom asked, starting like he was only now beginning to pay attention to the conversation.
"Dear, pay attention," Sumia sighed. "Robin said that you had a good idea."
"Did hell freeze over?" Chrom asked, quirking a brow.
"We have ninety percent of the Shepherds here," Robin explained, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Veterans that have faced the Risen countless times. He hasn't summoned so much as a Chief to lead the mindless ones. It shouldn't be too hard to roll in and take him down at this point."
"That could change," Cordelia added.
"All the more reason to strike now before it does," the tactician responded.
"I don't know," Van said. "I've never seen the Boss like this before. It's kinda… unsettling."
He, Mari'ko, Galle and Arya were sitting in one corner of the square preparing their packs and weapons as the soldiers continued their frantic defense around them. Van had his entire kit spread out in the stones in front of him neatly ordered while Mari ran a special cloth along the blade of her sword. Galle was flipping through his spellbook, hastily re-inking the spells he'd been using while Arya watched the trio in silence.
"I have," Galle said quietly. "Once, anyway."
Mariko nodded without looking up.
"Back in Silva," she said in a small voice.
"I wouldn't know," a new voice said with a sigh. "I was practically sidelined for that whole mission. Practice my spells my foot… Aversa's just a sadist."
The four tacticians looked up as a tall, broad young man wearing a Ylissean officer's dress-tunic beneath a familiar black coat approached them, an easy smile on his clean-shaven face. The hilt of a massive greatsword peeked over his shoulder, but he barely even seemed to register the weight of the heavy weapon.
"Well I'll be damned!" Van laughed, rising to his feet. "Isaac, how're you doing?"
"Good!" the blonde man laughed. "Nice to see you too, Galle. Mari'ko."
"All we're missing now is the other idiot and we'll have the full set," Galle mumbled, the ghost of a grin flitting across his face.
Mari nodded her head respectfully in greeting, her expression never changing.
"Last I heard he was still in Nauta, helping Lady Aversa and Sahiri with the school," Isaac shrugged. "His loss. We'll just have all the fun without him."
"You I don't know, though," the newcomer said, turning and grinning at Arya.
The youngest tactician squeaked, jumping to her feet nervously and snapping to attention.
"I-I'm… Arya, sir!" she stammered, practically shouting. "I-I-I'm Robin's current… I mean he's my… I mean…"
"She's the new kid," Van laughed.
The Ylissean placed a calming hand on Arya's shoulder, grinning down at her. Arya bowed her head, stepping back from his hand and drifting closer to Galle.
"Well, it's nice to meet you," Isaac said. "You guys ready for what comes next?"
"Sure," Galle sighed, closing his spellbook with a resounding clap. "Why the hell not? I'm sick of chasing this guy, anyway."
Mari nodded her agreement, flicking her sword before returning it to its sheathe with one graceful movement.
"Crap. What, already? Hold on, let me put my kit back together…" Van said quickly, squatting down in front of his gear and hastily cramming it into his pouches.
"Nothing ever changes, huh?" Isaac laughed.
"You'd be surprised," Galle murmured, casting a glance at Arya.
The young girl still lingered behind him, glaring warily at Isaac.
Robin glanced up from the map of the Coliseum he was staring at, laid out on a low crate in one of the quieter corners of the square, arms crossed and brow furrowed as he the sound of familiar footsteps interrupted his concentration.
"I'm only going to ask this once," Chrom said in a concerned tone. "Are you good, Robin?"
"I'm fine," he answered immediately.
There was a brief moment of silence before Robin sighed, standing up straight and running his hands through his hair.
"I mean… I will be. Once this is over and done with, and the last of Grima's taint is… me again."
"Don't let Lucina hear you talking like that," Chrom chuckled, rounding the table. "We've dealt with worse. We can handle one psychopath."
Robin nodded slowly, before coming to a decision.
"Don't worry," the tactician snorted. "This won't be a repeat of Steiger."
"It had better not be," Chrom scoffed. "Basilio would have your hide."
"There's something else at play here, Chrom," Robin said after in a low voice. "Maris is a powerful warrior, sure, but he's not…"
"You?" Chrom asked, the ghost of a smile on his face as he leaned back against the low table.
"I was bred to be the perfect vessel for Grima," Robin said with a sigh. "And according to what I was able to find in my fa- Validar's notes that took generations of trial and error. I refuse to believe that Maris is one too, purely by chance. There's something I'm not seeing here, something I've overlooked."
"I'm actually pretty sure Maris and Idallia are minor nobility," Chrom said absently. "Related to me through some aunt or uncle or something. I don't know, Royal Bloodlines are confusing. Frederick would know. But anyway, that would technically make them closer to Naga's bloodline than anything else."
There was another brief moment of silence before Robin growled, scrunching up his hair again.
"I can't deal with this crap right now!" he moaned. "I'm too anxious! Forget strategy, we don't need it for this!"
Chrom burst out laughing, shaking his head.
"You always did come up with your best plans on the fly, anyway," the Exalt said.
Robin sighed again, sinking down into a nearby chair and propping his chin up on one hand.
"How's Lucina and Sumia?" he asked, glaring at the maps.
"I assume you mean my younger daughter, and not your wife?" Chrom chuckled.
"You really got a head-start on the whole 'dad-jokes' thing, didn't you?" Robin mumbled into his hand.
"I heard that," Chrom laughed, before quieting. "Lucina is fine. Frederick has already taken her out of the city to wait with the other retainers that I brought with us. Sumia should be suited up by now. I am suddenly glad we thought to bring our armor, despite how much Jake protested."
"Well, it is Regna Ferox. And as good a blacksmith as he is, Jake just likes to complain. Hard to believe she's the same Sumia that used to be too afraid to fight on the frontlines, and tripped over her own feet constantly, though."
"She still trips over herself, but don't tell her I told you that," Chrom laughed. "But in that respect it's hard to believe that you're the same amnesiac I found in that field that got lost in the forest outside of Ylisse."
"And I still can't believe that you're the same hot-headed Prince that broke down stone walls when he trained," Robin snorted.
"Yeah, I still do that, too," Chrom admitted guiltily.
The two men sat and leaned in silence for a moment before bursting into laughter, doubling over as their shoulders heaved. After a few moments they quieted, Robin holding his sides while Chrom wiped a tear from his eye.
"I needed that," Robin said. "Thank you Chrom. You're always there when I need to laugh."
"And I always will be," the Exalt said, clapping a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Just say the word. Hell, you know I would have helped you with all of this mess a whole lot earlier, too."
"I know," Robin said, rising to his feet. "But you can still help me end it."
"Oh sure, palm your dirty work off on me," the Exalt sighed theatrically.
"Think of it as making up for all the years you did it to me," Robin shrugged.
"Are you two going to kiss now, or are you just going to keep staring into each other's eyes?"
Chrom jumped a little at the sudden voice, and Robin just sighed.
"No, Gaius, we're not going to kiss."
"Because I can come back later if you want," the thief said with a grin, appearing out of practically thin air.
"Suggest it again and I'll tell Panne to put you on a diet," the tactician deadpanned. "What's wrong?"
"Harsh, man," the ginger-haired thief muttered before glancing up. "Lucina wanted me to tell you that everyone's ready. We're just waiting on our Godslayers to lead us to glory."
Robin scowled for a minute before spinning on his heel and cupping his hands around his mouth.
"Panne!" he shouted. "Gaius is getting fat! Stop letting him-"
There was a loud screech from behind him, what Robin could only guess was the incredibly rare sound of Gaius panicking, before two desperately-strong hands were clamped over his mouth.
"I will kill you, you know," Gaius whispered in Robin's ear. "And no one will ever find the body."
Idallia took a deep, shuddering breath as she tried and failed to calm herself. Sitting on a crate in the corner of the Coliseum's market square surrounded by hostile soldiers, being ignored because her brother had apparently become a literal monster that was now threatening the entire world…
This was not how her day was supposed to have gone.
By now Maris was supposed to have destroyed the competition at the Khan-meet and she was supposed to be settling in to their new quarters. Sure, their tactics had been underhanded, and all of this had been her idea, but…
"Oh Naga this is all my fault," she groaned, holding her face in her hands.
She should never have gone up against Robin, never have sent Maris to distract him; she should have been content with the power they had won in Themis through their hard work and not been greedy-
"What're you still doing here?"
The would-be merchant-queen glanced up to find the same girl from before, the one from Chon'sin wearing the same black coat as Robin, smiling down at her.
"Shouldn't you have gone with the rest of the civilians? Miss, uh…" the girl went on.
"Idallia," she supplied.
The girl nodded, bringing her fist down into her open palm from above.
"Miss Idallia, right! Sorry, should that be 'Khan Idallia' right now?"
"Are you mocking me, girl?" the merchant asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"No, Morgan's like this with everyone," a new, male voice said with resignation.
The older woman could only laugh at Morgan's reaction to the voice; a high-pitched squeal as she spun, looking for the source before launching herself at the tall young man with-
Idallia had to rub her eyes to make sure what she was seeing was true; rabbit ears. The young man that Morgan currently had wrapped in a bone-crushing hug was a Taguel.
"Bunny!" Morgan cried, rubbing her face against one of the drooping ears on the boy's chest. "When'd you get here!? I missed you sooooooooo much!"
"Yeah, I get it," the Taguel groaned, trying to pry her off. "I missed you too. C'mon, dear, this is a battlefield, remember?"
Without meaning to Idallia snorted as she tried to hold in her laughter; the girl's good cheer seemed to be contagious. The Taguel arched a brow at her, but Morgan smiled up from beneath the long ear draped over her forehead.
"So are you coming with us then?" she asked innocently.
Idallia sobered, nodding.
"I had meant to, yes," she said. "He is my brother, and this is… my mess."
"No arguments here," Robin said, appearing just long enough to shove a sword into her hands.
"Take this, keep to the rear and don't get lost. And don't try to run off. You're still answering for all of this once we're done."
With that, the tactician disappeared into the press of bodies again, leaving all three standing, staring at the space he had vacated. After a second Morgan snorted, snickering a little as she shrugged at Idallia.
"Want me to see if I can scrounge you up some armor?" she asked.
"Yes please," Idallia sighed.
An hour later and everyone assaulting the arena stood gathered near the northern entrance to the market as Robin climbed up onto a box to address the crowd.
"Alright everyone, listen up!" he shouted. "Simple plan! Three groups, two on foot, one in the air. Aerial group, wait for us to engage and then hit him hard from above; that's our Pegasus Knights and our manaketes! Cynthia, play nice with Fae! Everyone else split into two groups, you know the drill! Even teams like we always did. Chrom and I will lead one; Arya leads the other! Galle and Mari will back her up-"
"What!?" Arya cried from the crowd of warriors, her face turning ashen.
Galle's jaw dropped next to her, and even the usually impassive Mari'ko's eyes widened at the announcement. Small, disapproving muttering rippled through the crowd until Chrom shouted for silence.
"I trust Robin's judgement!" the Exalt yelled. "He's yet to steer us wrong! After all this time I assumed you'd all remember this!"
"Yes, thank you Chrom," Robin sighed. "As I was about to say, I want Morgan and Say'ri's group to go and back her up. This is no different than Silva, so all of you can relax."
"Er… sure thing, Dad," Morgan said uncertainly.
"If there are no more objections, we leave in fifteen!" Robin said, stepping off the crate. "Make your final armor checks and buddy-up! We survived Grima, we can handle this. Idallia, you're with me! Front and center!"
There was a moment of silence before the gathered veterans sprung into action around Arya, the young trainee looking down at the ground as anxiety set in.
"Well, I guess Robin knows best," Galle shrugged apathetically.
"I'm not ready!" Arya practically shouted.
Galle sighed, running a hand through his hair. Arya made to continue to protest, but found herself being spun around by Mari.
"Be silent," the Chon'sinian said in a harsh whisper. "You are the tactician. The leader. The soldiers will look to you for their courage. When you chose this life you lost the right to feel fear or doubt."
Arya blinked in surprise at the usually silent woman's outburst, mouth moving without making any sound as she tried to organize her thoughts.
"B-but…" She muttered weakly.
"She's got a point," Galle shrugged. "Besides, we'll be right there with you the whole time. Think of it like a test. You'll be fine."
Arya nodded unsurely, taking a few deep and shuddering breaths as she tried to calm herself.
"I-I'll be fine," she repeated. "I'll… be fine…"
Repeating that she started moving towards where Robin and Chrom were showing Morgan the route to take to the Coliseum on a map, her steps still a little uncertain. Galle and Mari watched Arya go, the two tacticians sharing a glance before the Plegian let out a deep sigh and let his shoulders droop.
"We're all going to die," Galle deadpanned.
"She's not ready," Mari muttered.
"No kidding," Galle sighed. "We'll stick close to her. Make sure she keeps her head straight."
Mari quirked her head, the unspoken question of what to do if Arya did lose her cool lingering between them.
"I am so glad Grandmaster Morgan is playing babysitter instead of us…" Galle sighed.
Back in the center of the arena Maris glowered, holding his hand out palm-down from atop his gryphon. Dark purple smoke, so thick it was almost black, fell from his open palm, flowing like water along the ground as more Risen climbed up and out of it.
With an irritated snarl Maris closed his fist, fighting the urge to lash out at the closest objects.
Still he couldn't summon anything stronger than the weak, mindless Risen that were little better than fodder.
He opened his hand again, studying it and absently wondering where Idallia was.
She was probably in her quarters, putting on a nice dress or something.
She would have to look her best for her coronation, after all.
Maris paused, glancing up, his red eyes narrowing slightly.
Did Feroxi Khans even have coronations? It didn't matter, they would have one anyway. Idallia had worked hard. She'd protected him, defended him and loved him for all these years. She deserved to be Khan. Hell, she deserved that, and to be Exalt, and to be Queen of Plegia.
She deserved the world, and if she asked Maris would deliver it to her.
Maris shook his head as darkness clouded his vision.
Where was Idallia, anyway? Shouldn't she be here with him, reveling in their glory?
The Khan, the big, one-eyed one, had fled. Surely that meant he had surrendered?
Didn't that mean that she was Khan Regnant now?
With shaking hands Maris scratched at the skin on his face, the gauntleted fingers rubbing his flesh raw.
He glanced up, frowning. He was surrounded by shuffling Risen, the mindless creatures moaning as they meandered around the arena floor.
Maris found them incredibly unsightly.
"Go!" he bellowed. "Kill our enemies! Destroy everything! Carve a path to our sister and return her to me!"
The former cavalryman grinned a little to himself, gently stroking the neck feathers of the gryphon beneath him. It crooned softly, its leonine tail swishing as it shook its head and ruffled its feathers, happily accepting its master's adoration.
Soon… soon the tactician would be back, and they would settle things between them.
Maris could feel him, out there in the city, coming closer. Like a beacon of light in a thick fog. If he closed his eyes, he could almost see the energy coming off of him. He wondered just when he'd been able to start seeing things like that, but put it out of his mind.
It wasn't important.
He would kill Robin.
He would rescue his sister.
And the world would bow to them.
AN: Fun fact, I had the majority of this chapter done before I started working on the re-write of this story. So it's been sitting, gathering dust for about a year now. Nice to see it finally up on the site. However, this means that I finally have to start writing this story from scratch again, so the next chapter may take a while. I assure you all, the next chapter ends this arc.