Hero: Wow, if I uploaded this tomorrow, it would've been a month since I uploaded this. But yeah, I got distracted with games like Danganronpa 2, Left 4 Dead 2, & now I got Skyrim. Though I'm not hooked into it as much as others are. Anyway, here's Chapter 8 of "Resolve of a Family" I'll talk more once you finish reading this.
Chapter 8
After what felt like months of marching, the Shepherds had arrived in Regna Ferox and enlisted Flavia and her army. She had to spend the whole day rallying the army before mobilizing. Chrom continued to hope that Emmeryn was out of harm's way. Despite how his sister Lissa tried to comfort him, he would just tune her out. It was then that Sumia did what she felt she needed to do.
"Snap out of it, Captain!" Sumia shouted as she clenched her hand into a fist and ran it straight through Chrom's face.
"OW! What the hell was that for!?" Chrom asked in pain as Orpheus simply laughed his heart out. Flavia laughed as well as she just walked in to the best sight she's seen all day.
"Oh no! Did I do it wrong?" Sumia apologetically asked. "Captain Phila said sometimes a good slap will break someone out of their doldrums."
"Sumia, when you slap someone, you do it with an open palm. You just punched Chrom in the face." Lissa said with a very pained expression.
"Um… it's the thought that counts?" Sumia attempted to comfort Chrom.
"It is, my dear Sumia." Orpheus then joined after he stopped his laughter. "Let me show you how it's done." He then walked up to Chrom, giving an immediate slap with the back of his hand. "That… is called the back hand."
"ORPHEUS!" Chrom's anger then peaked.
"Haha, now we're even for you punching me the other day." Orpheus laughed to himself.
"Bad enough you joined in, Sumia's punch hurt enough since she's wearing armored gloves." Chrom grumbled.
"What's the matter, my dear prince? Sometimes love hurts!" Flavia laughed as Sumia then blushed, looking away from Chrom. "You're lucky to have strong women like her! And not just dainty flowers! In any case, I bring good news. I have the Feroxi army ready to move at your signal. We shall have a war council tomorrow and then depart the day after. So please rest up, we have a lot of planning to do. I plan to have some thrilling battles to join in myself."
"What? You're coming along to? Chrom asked as he continued rubbing his jaw.
"Of course! A Khan must have her fun. I'm even bringing my insignificant other."
"You mean Basilio?" Orpheus chuckled as he questioned her.
"You catch on quick, boy. The very same. The oaf isn't good for much, but he may stop a few stray arrows."
Everyone chatted for a bit before they were to retire for the day. Some of the Shepherds had to get up early to attend the War Council. It would be Orpheus' first time attending one, but he knew how they usually go. The next morning, the following would have to attend the War Council: Orpheus, Lon'qu, Chrom, Lissa, Frederick, Stahl, Sully, & Cordelia. As soon as everyone arrived, Flavia spoke.
"Alright, now that everyone is here, I, the presiding Khan, declare this War Council, to begin."
"Hold up, there Flavia. I have important news the boy needs to know." Basilio cut in her opening speech.
"Oh? Is it that important, oaf?"
"Hell yes it is. Now then, Chrom, our scouts have reported back with dark news I'm afraid…" Basilio took a sigh before continuing. "Ylisstol… has fallen."
'Gods, no!" Chrom said aloud in shock. Orpheus on the other hand, said nothing yet. His face could speak for him though.
"The Plegians captured your Exalt and have retreated back across their border. Gangrel has declared she is to be executed within the moon."
"E-Executed!?"
"Damn that Gangrel! Emmeryn should have let me do my job as a Grandmaster and stay with her."
"Grandmaster?" Most familiar people said aloud at around the same time, either in surprise or in confusion as to what a Grandmaster was.
"Orpheus, surely you jest. Such a title is rare, only held by few around the world and in history." Frederick questioned the Tactician.
"Believe me! Emmeryn told me when I tried to speak to her before she left!"
"...I believe him. I think Emmeryn might have considered it at some point after he saved her life."
"Milord? Should we take his word for it?" Frederick asked. "For such a rank, there must be a formal declaration and ceremony."
"Emm has his faith in him, so let us do the same for now… even if his attitude does make me a bit skeptical."
"Glad that's settled." Orpheus was glad that the issue was resolved. "Now what do we do? We can clearly see this is a trap."
"The Mad King knew our scouts would relay this information back. It's clearly a provocation- a hot brand to the buttocks! We need to consider carefully our next actions before we-"
"Shepherds! We march to Plegia!" Chrom ordered with no hesitation.
Basilio only coughed to himself before responding. "Well, that is one option, but perhaps we've seen enough royalty waltzing into traps for one war already?"
"I don't care if it's a trap, Basilio! He's going to murder my sister!"
"Chrom, don't be reckless. As your Tactician, let me suggest-"
"Shut up, Orpheus!"
"Don't test me, Chrom! You're letting your emotions impair your judgment again."
"I'll let my sword impair your face if you tell me not to help my sister." Chrom threatened.
"Frederick, keep your lord from causing more harm than good. He needs to not hurt himself or his friends."
"At once." Frederick nodded as he moved closer to Chrom.
"Frederick, you side with him!?" Chrom questioned his steward's motives.
"Milord, he speaks out of concern for you and our safety. That is something I cannot ignore. Lady Emmeryn wished for me to stop you from recklessly harming yourself and others. Tis' one of my many duties, milord."
"Gods, to hell with this!"
"I agree with the Prince, we need to help the Exalt before it's too late!" Sully joined in as she slammed her hand on the table.
"I'm with Sully and Chrom. I don't want my sister to get killed over this." Lissa said as she wiped away her tears.
"You see, Basilio!? My Shepherds agree with this!"
"Peace, Chrom! Breathe a moment." Flavia grew irritated with the Prince's temper. "No one's suggesting we don't act. We're simply suggesting we should act wisely. We will need guts and wit to save your sister."
"She's right. Leave this to me. I shall come up with a plan to save your sister, Chrom." Orpheus declared.
"...All right. I'll leave it to you then, Orpheus."
"Are you certain you're up for the task, Orpheus? It won't be easy. You hold the Exalt's life in one hand, and all of ours in the other."
"I've been put in this situation not too long ago. The stakes will be higher, but I'm certain I'll have a sound strategy by then." Orpheus nodded. "I have, after all, to prove am I worthy of the title 'Grandmaster.' in your eyes."
"You've got stones, I like that!" Flavia laughed to herself.
"No mincing of words or any hesitation… He's either a genius or a cocky fool!" Basilio laughed as well. "Anyway, we must continue this War Council. Where shall we begin?"
"Allow me." Orpheus then gathered the attention again. "Stahl, did you get that map like I asked?"
"Yeah, here you go!" Stahl said as he laid the map onto the table for everyone to see.
"Thanks, Stahl. Okay everyone, we are here and if we start our march tomorrow, then we should reach Ylisstol in a week. And if what Basilio said is true, we have about three weeks until Emmeryn is to be executed."
"Then what do you suggest we do? We gotta pass through Ylisstol for food and supplies. Not to mention it's got a quick path to the Plegian border." Sully asked.
"She's right. Ylisstol is a central route for merchants and such, so if we are to hurry, we may to have march along that path."
"Well, there's a path that is north of the capitol. We may have to there."
"Then what will happen to our chance to restock."
"That's where it gets complicated. I think waltzing into Ylisstol after what happened would be very bad."
"But how!? They shouldn't be mad if we were there. If anything, wouldn't they feel reassured if we showed up?" Chrom asked with a confused look.
"The boy has a point, however… Orpheus's as sharp as always." Basilio answered. "Our scouts also reported the status of Ylisstol after the Plegians left. The people are scared and infuriated. They seem to not want to see the Shepherds unless Emmeryn is with them. They seem to be damning Chrom for his inactions to protect his sister."
"Damn. I hate when I'm right." Orpheus gritted his teeth.
"Well, what do you propose we do? We will need food and some supplies before we get across the Plegian border." Sully questioned on.
"Hmmm... what if we sent some people who they don't know were in the Shepherds? I can think of two people already."
"Oh? And who would that be?" Basilio asked.
"Who better than the more recent newcomers to this group?" He then pointed to himself and to a woman across the room.
"Me!?" It was Cordelia, she was not sure how to react to the sudden recruitment.
"Yes, you. People know Sumia is a Shepherd, and not you. Plus, my name has never been formally announced, so no one has met me knowing I'm a Shepherd, so this works in our favor. Panne is out since she's a Taguel and no one has seen one, which would immediately throw her into attention she'd probably not want. As for Gaius… well, his choice of how he is living his life would make people fear him." Orpheus explained thoroughly. "This is, of course… one of my few plans I have just come up with."
"Just come up with!? Impressive." Basilio complimented. "I like this plan, but I want more details, what do you have up your sleeve?"
"Good to see you're interested." Orpheus nodded. "Okay, so first off, look here on the map." Orpheus pointed to a crossroad that appeared above Ylisstol, with a road that skips Ylisstol to reach Plegia faster. "If we go down this path, we can not only reach Plegia faster, but we can also control the whole shortcut, blocking it on both sides so it can be our camp."
"But would that not obstruct traffic for travelers?" Frederick warily asked.
"We're going to have to. If the Shepherds or Chrom is spotted, who knows how the people will react to see we are not in Plegia trying to save the Exalt. These people seem to be very demanding." Orpheus shrugged before continuing. "We'll block the fork-road with some excuse; we can say, 'Regna Ferox has currently trapped Risen that were marching down the road to Ylisstol' or something along those lines. People should buy that and take the long way. We only need hold that road for one day."
"It seems risky, but it might be the best thing we got." Basilio began to side towards Orpheus' plan. "Continue."
"Okay, so Cordelia and I will come into town in casual clothes and ask for whatever supplies we'll need. We'll probably need to borrow a couple of horses and a cart. Once we get some supplies, the next step would be to bring it near the blockaded area and someone else will take that cart away and give us a new one to repeat the process and we should get anything else that we missed by then."
"Well, if it will prevent more Ylisseans from getting hurt, I'm for this." Chrom agreed.
"...I have no qualms." Lon'qu added his thought.
"Then no one has any objections?" Orpheus asked, in which the room was dead silent. "Very well then. I guess we'll stick with this one."
"Yes, so what is next on the agenda?" Flavia asked.
"Well, that would be reaching the border itself. How would reach there quick enough?" Basilio answered with another question.
"Well, if we follow the merchant's route, it would take about a week to reach Ylisstol and another 3 days to reach the border. The quickest path would let us pass... Oh."
"Pass where? Please continue." Frederick requested.
"I would but, um…" Orpheus was tongue-tied. Saying it would be no problem, but with her in the room, it would not end well. "Okay, I'll whisper it into Basilio's ear and have him say it aloud." Orpheus moved to Basilio and then his eyes widened.
"What!? The very same fortress where this Pegasus Knight came from!? The one that Gangrel took down himself!?"
"Well, that changes things..." Flavia could understand why Orpheus could have some hesitation.
"Yeah… that's the quickest and passing there means less sand to tread across." Orpheus explained. "Less sand equals more time on the wasteland, which is easier to walk through and will save us time."
"Well… it seems we have little choice then." Lon'qu said, albeit a bit bluntly.
"Cordelia, are you fine with…" Orpheus called out to her, but looking at her, she did not seem fine with it at all. Her face was scrunched up in horror, the events replaying in her head against her will again.
"This doesn't look good…" Basilio shook his head. "The poor lass has been traumatized by the loss of her friends. I've seen this all the time growing up as a warrior. She needs a moment."
"Agreed. Motion to have this War Council adjourned for the time being?" Everyone immediately said "aye."
"I declare the War Council adjourned." Flavia then slammed her gavil, ending the session.
Orpheus immediately grabbed Cordelia's hand and began to take her away, in which she followed slowly, to a large room with another table and some calming portraits.
"Cordelia, are you all right?"
"I…" Cordelia had trouble speaking as her nightmare had quelled itself. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"Don't worry, you're fine. But since it's just us…"
"Don't get any ideas." Cordelia said as she pointed a finger at him, warning him.
"I'm not thinking of that stuff. Cordelia, please." Orpheus chuckled to himself. "I wanted to ask if you were okay with us going into the castle town?"
"Oh, you meant that… I'm fine with that."
"Great! We'll at least be able to get to know each other more and hopefully have some fun before the fighting begins."
"But, I don't want people to get the wrong idea?"
"Uh, what wrong idea?" Orpheus asked despite knowing what it was. He thought it meant that they were a couple.
"That we're… friends."
"...Oh. I thought you were going to say something else… Uh, but why would that be so bad? We are friends… aren't we?"
"D-Do you truly mean it!?" Cordelia asked, almost like a little girl making her first friend ever.
"Of course. I don't see why not really. Did you not have many friends?"
"I'm sorry; you're right. I never really had any friends save for Sumia. I guess... I guess I grew accustomed to not having any. I was the youngest recruit in the pegasus knights. All of my comrades were veterans. There was no one whom I could truly call my 'friend.'"
"That's...so very sad."
"Oh, well as I said, I grew accustomed to it. Besides, I did have my pegasus to talk to if I couldn't talk to Sumia. Even if the chats were a bit one sided…"
"Even so, that must still have been a quite a lonely time for you both."
"Yes, but I learned to cope with it. Sumia, was not so fortunate."
"I heard. Say... would you like to talk a bit more before we head out to do some training?" Orpheus proposed.
"Sure, I would like that really." Cordelia nodded, giving off a smile as radiant as her hair.
The two spend about an hour in their company, before they had went out into the cold Feroxi weather to train before heading out to their first stop; Ylisstol.
Hero: Not much to say since I had this chapter done for months now, I was just busy with Chapter 9(Which is still not done) I just wanted to get this up since I feel this is way overdue. I've been playing more FE:A and now I remarried Anna. Oh, how I love Karen Strassman and her wonderful voice.
It's time for Orpheus' trivia for today! Let's get back to quotes and here we'll have his basic dual-support lines when a battle is initiated.(I hope I haven't done this already)
"I've got your back."
"You have me here."
"They're a joke."
"This will be fun."
For my last thoughts, I'll probably be finishing the 9th chapter and then either upload that(But no longer have any extra chapters in reserve) or save it while I work on my Persona 4 Golden fic. I'm in what might be considered the climax(No reference the fighting game intended) of the whole fic, so I'd like a lot of attention on that. Please understand as I want to manage between these two as I see fit. Anyway, I think that's all I wanna say for now, so please share your thoughts on this fic and next time: an adventure in the capital, how will it turn out? Sweet or Sour?
