Like a phoenix. Sorry for both the delay and the shorter length. I had to rewrite so much of this chapter so many times that, due to losing all my first draft. Back up your stuff, lesson learned. By the time I got it back to the point I'd had it, I hated most of it and started rewriting again. Now it's almost been a year, I've had to learn some dark magics just to bring this story back to life, and I wanted to post something before the demons I contracted to resurrect this story come for my soul. I'm splitting this chapter in two. I won't make any promises about when the next part will come out, because the last time I promised 'the next few weeks' it was about July or August 2017, and now it's June2018.
More in depth notes at the end.
Chapter 12: Destiny, Help Us
"They attacked us, Your Grace! Burned my land and took my daughter! I implore you, let us bring the fight to them!"
Chrom, Emmeryn, and those who had been in the pass had not returned to Ylisstol to a cheering populace. They returned slower than the wind, which carried news faster than any messenger could. They returned battered and bruised, with new scars and spirits clinging desperately to each step into the city. Within days of their return, a handful of the Dukes and Noblemen of Emmeryn's council had arrived. Many of the chairs remained empty, graciously untouched out of respect for the status quo if not the individuals who would normally occupy the seats.
Of those who had arrived, none had arrived sooner than the Duke Themis himself. The cane that he rapped against the floor with his impassioned words spoke of a strength Chrom had never expected of the man.
"With what army?" The Hierarch asked patiently, his seat far closer to the Exalt herself. "Forgive me for saying so, good Duke, but it will take time to rally the banners into one united force. The Knights have been neither seen nor heard from in weeks. Our friends in Ferox have yet to gather their own strength, and even then would require weeks to cross the continent to reach us. Would you have us march on Plegia with naught but the Pegasus Knights and the Shepherds?"
"They took my daughter!" Duke Themis slammed his fist into the table, the sound echoing through the chamber. Chrom wasn't sure he'd ever heard the council so silent as the instant the echoing ceased. His voice quieter but no less fierce, the Duke continued. "They beat her for the Exalt to watch. It is only by Naga's divine intervention that she has returned to us."
"Duke Themis-"
"To hell with your excuses, Hierarch!" The Duke looked straight at Emmeryn. "Your Grace. Long has Themis stood by your family. For months - nay, years! - you have been warned of Plegia's threats on our borders. You have ignored the warnings for the sake of an illusion of peace with those savages. Now my daughter and the people under my direct protection have suffered for it." the Duke took a breath. "This injustice demands retribution. Please, Your Grace. Won't you give it to me?"
Chrom had never thought much of Duke Themis. Truthfully, the man had always seemed subdued in his own 'warnings.' He had certainly never stood up for the Prince's own requests for a harsher stance against Plegia. Chrom was tempted to spit at the Duke's passion now, but he knew it wouldn't be right. Maribelle was nearly killed because of Gangrel, one of his own Shepherds, while he could do little more than watch, fight, and hope. Maybe... if we had just stood together sooner, Themis...
"Duke Themis," Phila addressed sternly. She fixed the Duke with a steely gaze, one that the Duke returned. Chrom half expected the Duke to be removed before he finally sat down. Phila and Emmeryn shared a nod, and Emmeryn stood up.
"I can only imagine the pain you went through, Duke Themis. I am only grateful Chrom could return Maribelle safely home." The Duke made no attempt to hide his scoff. "However, it is as the Hierarch said. Ylisse is ill prepared for this war, and we need to defend our people first and foremost. Ylisse is not any safer if what resources we do have are thrown away needlessly in Plegia."
The logic of the statement seemed to sting Duke Themis. He sighed, burying his face in his hand. As he uncovered his face, he gave Chrom a look. The Prince knew that look well enough and fought to contain his sigh.
"What of our allies here in Ylisstol?" A Duchess asked, far from Emmeryn's seat. If the whole council were present, Chrom doubted he'd have been able to hear her.
"What of them?" Emmeryn asked, a frown disrupting her passive expression for a short moment.
"The beasts with their flying ship are not our people, and they are many. We have all seen their camp outside of the city, land that the farmers may no longer sow. We have all certainly heard our Wing Commander gush about that masked one in particular." The words made Phila flinch. "We should let them loose on Plegia now, and whilst they fight we can prepare ourselves properly."
"Out of the question," Emmeryn said as soon as the woman stopped speaking. "They came to our shores seeking friendship. They offered their help in a war for strangers, just because we were here and we did not chase them away. In kind we have brought them nothing but misfortune, and I would not send them to die on top of it. Especially not whilst they are not present to make the decision themselves. If King Dedede and his people see battle, it will be at the side of an Ylissean army."
The Duchess wilted in her seat, and the nearest nobles scooted their seats a bit farther from her.
The meeting seemed to drag on for hours after that. A few other Dukes tried to reinvigorate the push on the Exalt to mount a retaliatory offense, but Emmeryn held firm. Chrom was torn on how to handle it. By the Gods and by Naga herself did he want to march through the pass and destroy everything Gangrel was. However, Emmeryn's care for the people swayed him towards her decision as well. There had to be some middle ground...
Thus far, there had been no further signs of the Plegian army immediately on the border. Phila had scouting parties sweeping by every single pass daily and sending reports. It seemed that the Shepherds victory in the Pass had caught Gangrel off guard, and he needed to form a new plan. That gave them time, at least. Time to consolidate their forces with Regna Ferox's, time to gather supplies... logistical nightmares that Chrom couldn't get near without heavy drinking. There was a reason he had hired a tactician.
At last, the meeting had ended. One by one, the nobles each personally said their farewells to Emmeryn until the next meeting. The last ones in the room were Chrom, Emmeryn, Phila, and Themis. The Duke left without a word, the door shutting loudly behind him.
Chrom looked to his sister, and for a brief moment saw the weight of her situation on her face. That moment was over quickly with a heavy sigh. It was the Exalt looked straight at him. Chrom wordlessly bowed before leaving her and Phila alone.
Two people were waiting for him outside of the chamber. It was rare that Frederick was the happiest face to greet Chrom when he entered a room, but next to Duke Themis he looked almost like he wasn't angry at the world. He greeted Chrom with a brief 'Milord' before they both looked at the Duke.
"Duke Themis, I take it you want to speak with me?" Chrom asked as he approached, Frederick close behind him. The Duke nodded.
"You were silent during the meeting. I must admit, that surprised me Prince. I know I would be louder if I turned out to be right," the Duke said. He seemed calmer than earlier.
"She had already made up her mind," Chrom answered. "There was nothing even I could say to change her mind. You know that as well as I do. Especially since she and the Hierarch are both correct in their assessments. Ylisse was not prepared for a war just yet."
"She and that spineless craven are both right about that. I swear by every damned god there ever was, even that death dragon over in Plegia, I hate it when the Exalt is right."
"I would remind you that that is my sister, and to choose your words carefully, Duke." The Duke rolled his eyes.
"Of course, of course," he huffed. "But you have to know that I am also right. We can't just sit here and wait for Gangrel to kill us. We have to do something."
"What would you suggest?"
"We find the Knights," Duke Themis said simply. Chrom quirked a brow. "I couldn't go myself, damn this old broken body. The people would panic if Phila left the city, seeing as the Wing Commander is Emmeryn's right hand. Never leaves the city, and these capital people are all too jumpy. The Shepherds, though?" The Duke had to look up to match Chrom's eyes.
"We do know where they last reported from..." Chrom muttered. "You want me to lead the investigation."
"Yes. She'd have to at least hear you out. You are her brother."
Chrom looked to Frederick. The knight was oh so helpfully silent, much to Chrom's misfortune. He saw the sense in the Duke's request for certain, and his immediate instinct was to jump on the idea. If something happened in the city while he was gone, though? He couldn't make that decision rashly. He knew someone he could ask, though.
"I will need some time to consider this, Duke Themis," Chrom said. The Duke squinted at him but sighed.
"Very well. Be quick about it, if you could. Gangrel would just as soon gut us regardless of how decisive we are."
Chrom nodded. On that, he certainly agreed.
"Finally, I got you out here." The wooden weapon in Sully's hand twirled menacingly, and in tandem with the wicked smile on her face Robin knew that his immediate future was going to be pain. Don't let her see your fear.
On the sidelines, Robin's only moral support was Pikachu, watching with explicit orders not to interfere. He was pretty sure Pikachu would listen. He never interfered with training when it was someone else. At his side was Frederick's new companion Swinub, who kept nudging Pikachu's side. The mouse was obviously pretending not to notice.
The lowering sun bared down on him as he tried to think of any way he could delay his imminent demise. Throughout the rest of the Shepherd's yard most of the rest of the Shepherds were conducting drills of their own. Lon'qu was restructuring the other sparring ring with Vaike's skull. Miriel was running Ricken through her own magical exercises. Stahl was doing a fairly decent job of holding his ground against Bandana Dee and his training stick in an improvised space. Rowlet was circling the wooden target that Virion was shooting at, despite the archer's protests. Poor Donnel was running his own exercises separate from most of them, just as Frederick had instructed before he and Chrom had left for the Palace. Robin had to respect the boy's enthusiasm, though he also silently thanking the Divine Dragon he'd never had to run boxes across the yard and back in full armor.
"You know Sully, I only ever see you sparring on foot," Robin said. She quirked a brow. "Aren't you a cavalier?"
"I'd probably kill you if I were on horseback," Sully snorted. "I did try it once, and I'm pretty sure Vaike only survived because there's nothing in his head for me to rattle."
Despite himself, Robin swallowed. This was the wrong thing to do, as Sully's grin turned outright malicious.
"You don't need to worry about it, though," Sully started. She brought her sword in front of her in a ready stance. "I'll still beat you brainless without her."
"Try not to hit me too hard please. I still need to do Chrom's thinking for him," Robin said, forcing a smile. Sully let out a short laugh, and then charged.
Robin would have loved to say he could hold his own in a straight sword fight. He certainly wasn't absolutely awful. He had survived a couple months of fighting against bandits and even now the Plegian military itself. However, much of that he could attribute to his unique style, which was less to get his sword to hit his opponent as it was diversion. He normally mixed magic in with his style, something that Frederick had expressly prohibited for these spars. To Robin's misfortune, Pikachu's involvement in a spar was also banned. According to the knight, they went against the spirit of competition.
Robin was NOT convinced that Sully using him as a glorified training dummy was in the spirit either.
Moments later, Robin had been forced to yield. His back was on the ground, and Sully's wooden sword was at his throat. Thoroughly convinced of her own victory, Sully extended a hand and picked him up. As he took it and started to stand, the extent of his loss became clear. He had nearly fallen back over before Sully caught him.
"You tried your damnedest, Robin," Sully said. For a moment, it was almost consolation. "But your damnedest isn't even close to Stahl's or Chrom's."
"Gee. Thanks," Robin muttered. He bent down to pick up his training blade and fell back onto the dirt. Sully started laughing, and he sighed into the ground. "You know, I think I'm just going to lay down for a bit."
"Ah, come on you twig," Sully said. She grabbed his sides, eliciting a hiss from his fresh bruises, and she hoisted him off the ground with a grunt. Once he was mostly on his feet, she threw his arm around her shoulder. "Let's get you over to the princess. Funny as it looks, that bruise ain't making you any prettier."
"Uh... thanks?"
Sully practically carried him into the barracks proper. He was pretty sure she left his pride out there on the dirt. She dropped him into a seat at the table. Something smelled pretty decent coming from the kitchen. That was strange, Robin was pretty sure he knew where everybody was. Anna was selling things in the market, Chrom and Frederick were in the Palace, Lissa was caring for Maribelle, and everyone else he just saw outside. Who was left to... Kellam. Right.
"Hey Princess! We need you really quick!" Sully's voice carried very well, it turned out. It made Robin's head ache worse. Did she concuss me?
There was a harsh hush from down the sleeping hall. After a minute, Robin heard a door open and close. A disgruntled Lissa emerged shortly afterward, a heavy scowl on her face and her staff in her hands.
"Sully, Maribelle finally fell asleep, could you not shout like a lunatic?"
"About damn time," Sully said. She almost sounded sympathetic, and she seemed to realize it as she pointed a thumb at him. "Anyway, mind fixing him up real quick? I think he's raring for a rematch, and I don't want to do anything permanent."
Robin couldn't understand his own muttering. Lissa's response was louder anyway.
"Seriously, Sully?" Lissa huffed as she stepped up to him. She lightly pressed the back of her hand against the bruise on his brow. "Didn't you just get yelled at by Frederick for doing this to Chrom... what, last month?"
"Yep. And by old man Belisar himself for picking a fight with a recovering cripple," Sully laughed. She seemed oblivious to Lissa's scowl. "Not that either of those were ever proven to even be my fault."
"Uh huh. Didn't you lose that fight with the so-called cripple?" Sully sucked in a breath at Lissa's remark. Lissa held her staff close to his face, and it started to glow. She leaned it to the right, and his eyes followed. He followed it as she leaned it left as well. Something about this seemed to satisfy Lissa. "Good news, Sully. He's still in there. I can fix him this time."
Sully laughed shakily. " Yeah… Good. I'll leave you to it then. Vaike'll probably be inside in a minute too. I'm going to go see what that Feroxi arse is made of."
Sully left them be, throwing open the door. Her challenge echoed as she stood in the doorway, covering the pitter patter of paws coming inside. The door shut as Pikachu jumped on the table and ran to Robin's side. He watched for a minute in silence as the light from Lissa's staff ebbed away at the bruise on his head until it was gone. Apparently satisfied, Pikachu disappeared, the only sign of his presence being a pitter patter in the direction of the kitchen.
"So," Lissa said as she pulled her staff away. "Any other injuries I need to know about?"
"Any chance you could magic my pride back together?" Robin asked weakly. He earned a giggle as the princess shook her head. "A vain hope, it seems. It kind of hurts to breathe, since you ask. She might have broken a couple ribs."
"I'd believe it. It'll be easy to check," The staff glowed again. Having been staring at the glow for the past few minutes, it was starting to hurt his eyes. Instead he looked at Lissa. Her face read of such absolute concentration that seemed so far from the laughing young girl he had gotten to know.
"So..." Robin's question caught for a minute. Lissa's quirked brow told him it was too late to just not say anything. "How is she doing?"
Lissa bit her lip. "Mari is... better," Lissa said vaguely. "As I told Sully, she only just fell asleep, and she hasn't started screaming yet. I can't figure out what they did to her, besides the obvious. There's no sign of any other damage there. She refuses to tell me. My friend needs me, and I can't figure out how to help. Its..."
"Frustrating?" Robin offered. Lissa nodded. "I can only imagine."
"She has to get better eventually... Right?" Lissa asked. Robin nodded.
"If anyone's going to get her out of this, it's you." Robin offered a smile. Lissa's face scrunched up oddly, and his smile faded. "Lissa?"
"You're missing a tooth," Lissa said. The princess groaned. "Sully is going to kill one of us before the Plegians do."
"I'm what now?!" Robin ran his tongue across his teeth. He was in fact missing a tooth. "Gods be… Why didn't anyone say anything?!"
"Oh! Um.. don't worry… I… hardly noticed it!" Lissa forced out a chuckle. It evaporated into a sigh. "Hold on. I think we still have a staff for that in storage somewhere. Vaike loses them too every now and then."
"They make staves for those?" Robin asked as Lissa stood up.
"Yeah, course they do. They're rare and really expensive. Not a whole lot of people out there can make them right. Mending bones is easier than creating bone. Those that can? Prefer to make other staves."
"Teeth are bones?" Robin rubbed his cheek.
"Yes?" Lissa stopped. "Maybe? Ask Miriel. She'd know." She disappeared towards the back of the barracks.
Robin considered doing so for a moment. But only a moment when he remembered who he'd be asking. "A day is only so long... I guess it's a mystery."
Lissa returned a moment later with a second staff in her off hand. It looked a bit more ornate than her normal staff with quartz embedded in the handle.
Growing a tooth in seconds was not a pleasant experience by a long shot, but compared to the agony of healing his ribs, it was barely more a pulsating ache. He only whimpered instead of screaming. If he'd had any pride left, it'd be gone then. Lissa wasn't shy about letting him know just how well he was taking it.
"You could always do what Vaike does," she suggested.
"What's he do?" Robin asked through the closing hole in his teeth.
"Cry. A lot." She smiled. "Sorry, he 'gets something in his eye.' Don't tell him I told you that."
"No promises." A shot of pain coursed through his gums, eliciting a yelp. His eyes started to water.
"There, we're done!" Lissa stood up and looked him in his two watering eyes. "Aw, there there," Lissa started to pat his head. "Cheer up! I always have some sweets for good patients. Just promise to let your teeth heal first."
"I feel like I'm being mocked."
"Pft, no way!" Lissa reached behind her and pulled a small bag out from an improvised pocket in a cut part of the fabric. "See? I've got the goods."
Robin looked at the bag. He looked at Lissa. He looked at the bag. He quirked his brow.
"You're serious?"
The door opened, and Chrom walked in. he looked at Robin, he looked at Lissa, and he looked at the bag.
"Take the candy, Robin. It will be over faster, and I need to talk to you."
Robin took the bag politely from a giggling Lissa, - At least she's smiling - and stood up. He followed Chrom outside, where Sully and Frederick stood at attention. Robin quirked a brow.
"What's going on?"
"They'll be joining us to the Palace. Hope you're feeling up for a walk."
Sure, Sully didn't kick in my legs. He shot a glare at the fiery knight, and got a grin in return. Robin gestured for Chrom to lead the way on.
Boredom. Meta Knight had little love for inaction, but even for him it was sometimes unavoidable. Boredom had been a constant company while he was recovering from the Halberd's fall. He had filled his time with books, given to him by Sumia and by his healers both. The most prominent book in his memory of that time was easily Wyvern Wars. Its author had been terrible at names, but it had been surprisingly gripping. The intrigue was like he'd never have seen in Dream Land. At the time, it had made him long for the sky.
As soon as he could walk, Meta Knight had started practicing his swordplay again. He had spent his hours split between time with the Knights in the yards around the Palace and in the skies with the Pegasus Knights. Neither option was open to him now. Belisar and the knights were still gone, and Phila was almost constantly at Emmeryn's side since Gangrel's treachery.
Both he and Dedede were barred from the Exalt's current meeting with her noble council. That bothered him. They claimed it was just a meeting about Ylissean affairs, and that no decision that would affect the Dream Landers would be made. He had a hard time truly believing that.
Meta Knight had little choice but to sit in his guest room in the Palace and stew. He had tried to distract himself with books and drills and all, but it felt hollow. There was a war, and there had to be something better he could be doing, and he had no idea what. With a huff, Meta Knight closed the book he had been hazily staring at and tossed it aside.
The bed was too comfortable for him to clear his head. He longed for his bed on the Halberd. At least there he'd be too preoccupied trying to get comfortable to think. He threw off his sheets and approached his desk. A stack of reports sat on top of it, all with handwriting that could only be described as childish.
When did we even last receive word of the Halberd? Already the crash seemed so long ago. Half of the Waddle Dees that had been aboard were still in their log settlement, trying to dig what they could out of the wreckage. Once they felt confidant the site was safe, they would start getting the ship ready for repairs.
The efforts had been slowed by the reconstruction of Bathoneo which Dedede had volunteered Waddle Dees to help with. As of a week earlier, that had been going well. It was certainly not doing anything bad for their reputation. Considering Dedede's first official act as ruler of Dreamland and representive of the Allied Kingdoms on Yllissean shores was to make demands of and insult royalty, they were doing pretty well for themselves. The center of town was largely returned to its past glory, with efforts now fanning out to the alleys and outer edges of town.
If nothing else, rereading the most recent report occupied some of his time. The bulk of it was numbers, poorly dictated by the writer's penmanship. He let out a chuckle at the signature at the bottom of the final page. Scribble Dee indeed. He couldn't think of the Waddle Dee's face. Most of them looked the same, it got hard to tell them apart. Come to think of it, do I know any by name besides just Bandana Dee?
The last page contained a list of things scavenged from the Halberd's wreckage. Apparently, they had found a supply closet in the lower end with scuba gear. That almost made him laugh. Almost. I forgot I had prepared that. With Kirby and Dreamland being how they are, he needed to be ready for anything. At least, he had…
That line of thought lead to uncomfortable places. It was fortunate that there was a knocking on the door to distract him. The equipment would certainly help with recovery if nothing else.
"Enter," Meta Knight said. The door opened without fanfare. A silken pajama one-piece stood in the door, struggling to keep the gut of its occupant covered. "Dedede."
"Meta Knight," Dedede grumbled. Meta Knight gestured to a cushioned seat by one of the walls, but Dedede shook his head. "Not this time. You're coming with me."
Meta Knight blinked. A part of him was tempted to argue, just for the sake of spiting the King. The rest of him remembered how bored he had just been. So it was he left the desk and Scribble Dee's report behind. He was tempted to grab the Ylissean short sword he had been using. Based on how out of it Dedede's seemed, he wasn't going to need a weapon for whatever they were doing.
Once they were in the hall, Dedede started walking in a direction without a word of explanation. Meta Knight followed curiously. As they walked longer and longer, taking seemingly nonsense turns and directions, that curiosity was ebbed away at and replaced with impatience.
"Dedede, what are we doing?" Meta Knight asked. Dedede jumped at the sound of his voice. He looked up and down the hall, looking two Ylissean guards dead in the eye before turning around to face him.
"Shhh," Dedede hushed. He leaned in close and attempted to whisper. "We're on a job."
"A… job?" Meta Knight glowered.
"Yeah, you heard me! A job!" King Dedede's shout echoed down the hall, drawing the attention of the two guards. They stared at Dedede warily for a moment, before sharing a look. One looked at Meta Knight, who shook his head. It seemed to deter them enough.
"Right." Meta Knight looked back at Dedede. He hesitated to ask, "What kind of job?"
Dedede smiled wide, revealing colorful crumbs in his beak. He reached into his pajama pocket – That thing has pockets? - and pulled out a handful of candy.
"Turns out, these Ylisseans have been holding out on us," Dedede started. "Oh they had me fooled for a time. They shared their big dinners with cakes and chicken and all, but I've learned better. Oh, yes I have. They've got a chef making these, and now I know where he hides some of his extras."
Meta Knight dragged a hand down his mask. "Dedede, there is a war going on. This hardly seems appropriate." Meta Knight looked up at Dedede. Now that he looked, Dedede's eyes looked bloodshot. "How much have you eaten?"
"Enough to know to build up a stockpile!" Dedede's second outburst didn't even make the guards flinch. "My sources told me there was another stash near here. We've just gotta find it."
"You have sources?" Meta Knight asked in disbelief. Dedede just grinned, and with a sudden burst of energy grabbed Meta Knight's hand and started to run. No amount of skill with a sword could allow him overpower Dedede, so Meta Knight resorted to his next option: threats. They fell on deaf ears as Dedede pulled Meta Knight past the gardens.
Meta Knight thought he heard steel meeting steel. Soldiers training inside the Palace? I'll have to find them later. Finding a training partner would have been far more preferable to Dedede's farce.
Dedede was starting to tire enough that Meta Knight was able to rip free of Dedede's grip. Dedede looked back at him with wide eyes. Meta Knight opened and closed his hand, which did a bit to loosen his sore joints. After a moment, Meta Knight glared at the King.
"This has gone far enough. Do you even know where you're taking me?"
"Of course-" Dedede took a deep breath "-I do," Dedede declared. He pointed in the direction he'd been dragging "The kitchen!"
Meta Knight stared flatly at the king. He looked around the hall they were in. Taking in the pillars and paintings around them, he knew where they were.
"Dedede, we're in the wrong wing entirely for the kitchen. We're near the Exalt's room on the opposite side of the Palace." Meta Knight blinked. "And how is a stash of food in the kitchen a secret?"
"Because… I didn't know about it." Dedede wiped sweat off his head.
"You're tired, Dedede." Meta Knight sighed. "Let's get you to bed."
Meta Knight stepped behind the king and tried to push.
Dedede fell over with a heavy thump. Meta Knight groaned.
"Dedede, this is not the time for this." He pushed as hard as he could, but the king didn't budge. "This is not…" He heaved. Dedede didn't budge. Meta Knight circled around the penguin to see his face. "Dedede?"
Dedede's labored breaths sounded off. Sure, the king complained whenever they moved, but he shouldn't have been this tired. Especially not after he was the one initiating the exercise. His eyes were bloodshot. The kings plumage was growing pale.
"Meta… Knight…"
Poison!
Meta Knight was snapped from his thoughts by shouting down the hall near the Exalt's room. The shouts were short lived. Meta Knight could hear footsteps down the hall. There was more shouting… and then screaming.
Meta Knight put himself between the sounds and the collapsed Dedede, desperately wishing he had brought a weapon.
Two beings stepped from around the corner. One was a familiar human, his butterfly mask unable to hide his red hair. A closer inspection revealed the man's mask to be chipped and his armor to have new chinks. He leaned heavily on a being with four legs. The creature took a defensive stance as soon as she saw Meta Knight
"Dragon-spawn," the four legged creature began, her voice still in a familiar language even as it was distorted, "What are these creatures before me?"
"Friends, Panne," Roland told her. "They are friends."
The gardens of the Palace were new to Robin. He knew that he hadn't been in the city long since joining the Shephards, but he rarely had the occasion to even be in the Palace. The last time he had reason to walk the grounds was reporting back from dealing with the bandits by Donnel's village. Before that was his meeting with Phila and Chrom that sent him there. Before that? Was when he first came into the city. He hadn't even been a part of the Shepherds then.
They were brief visits, each one. He was more inclined to spend his time in the barracks and the city itself. It was better for his creative tactical flow when he wasn't being watched by guards. Especially when they didn't even bounce ideas back when he thought aloud. Virion was much better company, and even when he wasn't around the walls at least didn't scowl at Robin.
"Here we are," Chrom announced. He turned around to face Robin. "These gardens are closed to all but the royal family and their guests. And I suppose the gardeners…"
"It loses some of its mystique when you say that," Robin said. Pikachu agreed with a 'Pika Pi.'
"Suppose it does." Chrom sighed. "I've never been the orator that my sisters are."
Pikachu left Robin's side, taking the opportunity to explore their new surroundings. His nose wriggled as he smelled the roses.
"Orators? Both of them?"
"Yes?" Chrom raised a brow. "Certainly not in the same way. Lissa inspires people to smile. Emmeryn inspires people to be their best and then better. What do I do but swing a sword?" The prince sighed. "Perhaps I take after my father in that regard."
"Chrom?"
"He was not a good man, Robin. Fifteen years ago, he launched an invasion of Plegia for… who knows why." Chrom's hand tightened around Falchion. "His crusade is why we're in this situation now. Why Emmeryn is ruling the Halidom, and why I'm a Shephard. It left both Ylisse and Plegia in tatters. It killed my father and most of Plegia's ruling family. Ylisse healed without my father thanks to Emmeryn. Plegia… didn't."
Chrom's hand loosened from his sword. Robin stayed silent as Chrom walked towards a shrubbery at the edge of the gardens. The prince unsheathed his sword in one swift motion, holding it tall in front of him. The tip of the blade was inches from his face as he looked the sword up and down.
"Belisar trained me for war in these gardens when he could. When he couldn't, I trained alone. He gave me this sword when he thought I was ready, years after I should have inherited it after my father's passing. Falchion's weight was so much greater than that of a training sword. It felt right it finally hold it. This is the sword that has time and again shed blood since the times of the Hero-King Marth in defense of others. Now?" Chrom lowered Falchion lazily until it touched the ground. "I couldn't defend Maribelle. I couldn't save that village by the pass. I couldn't even stop the pillaging of Bathoneo without Dedede's help, even after I'd as good as spit in his face.
"Robin, I haven't known you for long, but you've proven time and again your good judgement. Which is why I need your advice now."
"That's what you're paying me for, isn't it?" Robin asked, offering an awkward smile.
"It's certainly not for your skill with the sword," Chrom answer with a laugh. His features sobered quickly, and probably not because of the look Robin was shooting back at him. "I'm faced with a choice that might decide this war, and I don't know what path to take. The Duke of Themis has asked me to search for the missing knights. They might turn the tide of the war in our favor long enough for the Feroxi to join us."
"But that would mean the Shephards wouldn't be in the capital to defend it, right?" Robin rubbed his chin. "Even with the knights, losing the capital would both be demoralizing, and it would cut the country in two."
"But without the Knights it might fall anyway. I can't be in multiple places Robin."
Robin put on hand on his chin. Pikachu took the chance to hop on his shoulder, not that Robin noticed.
"It seems pretty simple to me," Robin started. "I'll go with a few other Shephards north. Even with just Lon'qu, Sumia, and one of our cavalry I'm sure I could find a trail."
"But then I'm without my tactician in the case of a siege."
Robin's face twisted into a frown. Could Virion implement my strategies if necessary? Or Frederick? Robin had confidence in both men to follow a plan. To modify it as needed was another story.
"Sacrifice is necessary sometimes, Prince," a third voice interupted. Chrom raised his sword in the direction came from, finding a masked man in blue. "If you take no risk at all, won't you still lose?"
"Marth?" Robin asked. He had taken his book from his pouch on instinct the moment he'd heard another voice. At the same time Pikachu had hopped off his shoulder, landing in a battle ready stance with his cheeks sparking. Robin honestly thought Pikachu seemed more annoyed than threatened, as he'd just started to get snug.
"How did you get in here?" Chrom demanded. Marth's head quirked to the side.
"A hole in the wall, behind the brush."
"What? But no one knows about…" Chrom nearly dropped Falchion. "I made that hole in a training accident years ago!"
"Aren't the walls of the garden stone?" Robin asked.
"It's not important. What does matter is why I'm here," Marth interrupted. He drew his own blade, another Falchion just like Chrom's. Both Shephards took a defensive stance side by side.
"Relax. I'm saving your lives." Marth looked over his shoulder. "From him."
At Marth's prompting, the brush rustled. A cloaked figure emerged, swinging at Marth almost as quickly as he emerged. Marth leapt over the swing and cut through the cloak's side. The would-be assassin fell. Marth's flicked his blade outward before sheathing it. He didn't notice the bushes rustling once more until the second assassin was swinging.
Marth's stumbled away from the assailant. The blade passed his face, cutting the butterfly mask in two. All at once his… no, her hair fell to her hips as she stumbled away trying to regain her footing. Chrom jumped in quick to save his savior, felling the second assassin with a thrust of Falchion. They all scanned their surroundings quickly. Robin was the first to speak.
"You're… a woman?" Robin asked. Marth frowned.
"And quite the actress too. I had you two fooled."
Chrom whistled. "Lissa is going to be very disappointed."
Marth grimaced. Any questions they had were interrupted by the sounds of fighting outside the garden. They three shared a look and took off towards the edge of the garden. They found Frederick and Sully surrounded by bodies.
"Milord! Assassins!" Frederick said as they emerged, turning to face them. He looked at Marth and raised his axe defensively. "Who is this and how…"
"It's Marth, and she just saved our lives from two other assassins, Frederick. I'll pardon her trespasses."
"What of her compatriot?" Frederick asked. "Roland has been close whenever Marth has emerged."
"Roland was heading to the Exalt's chambers, and I suggest we hurry to meet with him," Marth said. "I have reason to believe…" Marth trailed off. She looked at Chrom. "Do you trust me?"
"I don't know. You have many secrets Marth," Chrom said. Marth grimaced at opened her mouth to speak. She was cut off by Chrom raising a hand. "At the same time, you've given me no reason to think you're my enemy. I'll hear what you have to say."
Marth let out a heavy breath. "I… have seen a future where Emmeryn dies tonight."
The group went silent. No one had a chance to reply before they heard screaming in the distance.
Yeah, short, as I said.
In the time since my last chapter, which for future readers' reference was a delay of around 13 or 14 months, Smash Switch was both announced and gave us its biggest reveal: Everyone is here. That tagline just isn't fair. That was one of the goals of World of Dragons, and Nintendo beat me to it. Suppose that's partly my fault for - ahem- dragon my feet, but still! Also, they're adding Inklings, Ridley, and flipping DAISY. Ridley was a nice surprise, though I'd had a hunch it was his time, Daisy came out of no where, and Inkling were... exactly as expected. Inklings are very good news for me and TWoD, since now I have justification for using them.
Which brings us back to the story. I'll be honest, I came close to canceling the story, or giving up. I have other ideas that I want to develop, both for stories and for the possibility of a career, but in the end I couldn't do it yet. It's certainly an incredibly flawed project, but World of Dragons has been a part of my life for two, two and a half years. Even behind the scenes, I've talked to some great people and learned so much just by it. I owe it to the story, if not myself or even you readers, to take this as far as it can go.
So where do we go? Well, first things first I have something to admit: I've improvised basically everything up to this point. Except for a handful of events so far, I barely had something resembling an overarching plan when I'd started. At best, I could summarize the future plans with bullet points. Bullet points that don't even have a role yet for characters like Duck Hunt, or Game & Watch, or even Captain Falcon. As a storyteller, that's a grave failure to not even know the biggest points of the story I'm telling. It's something that I'm hoping to remedy, and this time hopefully without fel powers beyond my understanding.
Another goal is to finish this damned war, get someone over to the Allied Kingdoms, and get into something that isn't just a rehash of Fire Emblem Awakening's story, something that's been told better by both the game and by other writers here on FFN. (Seriously, go read Invisible Ties and Shatter Reflections if you like Awakening. My Robin is half based on Ties's, something that is a headache to try and avoid because I can't help but feel that is the perfect Robin.)
Another goal? Get at least a dragon, and live up to the story's name. Seriously.
Last overarching goal? Find someone willing to make Cover Art. Get some marketability!
Originally this chapter was going to cover the entirety of the assassination plot, but part of my recent actual planning involved a slight addition to tie this segment into the greater world, if just a little. On top of that, writing was slow going and by the name of Arceus, I need to put out something.
Lastly, I'd like to commend the one reviewer so far to start to catch onto my chapter naming convention, among other things. Additionally, thank you to anyone still hoping and praying I'll return. I don't know how I managed to catch your attention, but I'm still here as long as I can be.
I don't especially have notes on this chapter itself without the context of the next, but I will say that the first scene is 90% of the reason I kept coming back. I felt really proud of writing Duke Themis, who wasn't even a planned character when I started.