Chap 2 is almost 9k words. I gotta make these smaller. This chapter was almost finished when I uploaded Chap 1 so please don't expect future uploads to be this frequent. Anyway, same deal: Concrit is welcome, flame will be ignored, enjoy the story.
Robin woke with a jolt, jumping to his feet from his prone sleeping position. His legs were bent and his hands gripping his sword and, oddly, his glowing black stone. His head swivelled at a nearly painful speed. Something was very wrong right now. Something was coming. But… There was nothing there. Nothing but his three new companions, the two that he trusted awake and standing as well looking at Robin with quizzical expressions that he could barely make out in the dark of the night. That was the thing about dense forests, the beautiful atmosphere they had during the day dissapeared with the sun.
"Do you feel it as well Robin?" Chrom asked gravely.
'Feel it'? Robin took a second to breathe and focused, tapping into a sixth sense he didn't know he had. What he could feel was the fear emanating from Lissa like waves, and from Chrom he could feel determination, and his protectiveness of Lissa. From Frederick he felt… Contentment. His dream must have been pleasant. But from their surroundings? Nothing, like a void. But beyond his surroundings he felt Naga's divine magic being sullied by malignant creatures and it was whatever those evil creatures were that had him on edge.
"I feel Lissa's fear" he looked at Lissa for a moment as he said this before looking back at Chrom "I feel your determination to face whatever darkness is responsible for this" he answered. "But beyond this camp… Nothing, and I think that too is unsettling in its own right" he paused, taking another look into the darkness "but something evil is coming, and it is coming soon" and it will pay.
"we need to investigate this Robin" Chrom stated, not before noting that it was odd how Robin could seemingly 'feel' emotions. It could come in handy back in Ylisstol, make maneuvering around the status hungry nobles a lot easier.
Robin nodded "I agree"
"Not alone you aren't" Lissa said with furrowed brows "I'm coming too"
Chrom gave his sister a soft, grateful smile "heh, thanks Lissa"
"We should wake Frederick" Robin begrudgingly suggested "I… I don't trust him" he uneasily admitted "but he is strong. We will need him to face whatever evil is on its way"
Chrom's brows lowered in concern. "… Good idea Robin" was all he said.
After waking Frederick they packed camp and began investigating the woods. It was eerily quiet for the entirety of their investigation. With every step Robin's nerves grew worse. With each passing second the evil grew closer and he was increasingly put on edge, having Frederick fully armed trotting slowly behind him did not help with that. They stopped after a near hour of continuous walking. "something isn't right" Chrom stated
Robin was tempted to make a sarcastic comment but bit his tongue. Naga's blood deserved respect.
"You're right. Its so quiet. Where did all the birds go" Lissa asked.
"It isn't just the birds Lissa, there hasn't been a single forest animal near us the entire time. This area of the forest has been completely abandoned." Robin explained to her. "Animals have always been better attuned to nature. Whatever evil is on its way it is bringing destruction with it. I can feel it now, growing. Its close"
"Robin, I don't understand. Yes, something is clearly off but I don't sense A storm or anything like that" Chrom replied,
It was coming. Closer. Robin could feel his instincts taking over. He had already turned to start running when he spoke. "That's because you humans have terrible senses and instincts. RUN!"
And at that very moment the ground began to shake and it felt like it was continuously rising and falling which made it incredibly difficult to keep a fast pace as he ran.
Turning his head Robin gasped when he saw liquid fire roaring into the sky from the ground, raining balls of fire. In that moment the pitch darkness was gone and Robin had to squint as he ran because of the bright light the liquid fire brought with it.
"Robin!" he turned his head and saw Chrom and Lissa atop Frederick's mount some ways away from him to his left "follow!"
Robin turned on his heel and with a shot of wind was able to keep pace with the galloping horse.
"Impressive Robin!" Chrom shouted, trying to be heard over the chaos "you're keeping pace with a war horse on foot!"
"Hold tight, a drop ahead!" Frederick shouted
Looking ahead again the once serene forest was now bathed in flames and everything was tinted in an orange hue. The smell of it all burned Robin's sensitive nostrils and scorched his lungs with each ragged breath.
They kept running until the earth stopped shaking and fire was no longer falling like rain. "It seems the storm has passed" Chrom said with relief, hopping off Frederick's mount after his sister.
Robin shook his head, looking up into the near purple sky. "No… That natural destruction was only a precursor. The true evil is right up there" Robin pointed to where he was looking.
"uh… Robin... That's just the sky" Lissa stated, trying to be polite.
Before anything else could be said the sky ripped open revealing a black void surrounded by a golden ring of alchemical and astrological symbols. Magic. The black void was soon replaced by a bright sky blue that seemed to swirl in the tear.
"By the gods!" Frederick exclaimed "Robin! How did you know of this!?"
"This is the evil I felt, a divine ritual being abused by foul creatures. There is no greater evil than that." Robin answered
"I have a great many questions now Robin," Chrom said evenly
"As do I" Robin replied. He had a great many questions too.
Moments later four creatures fell from the portal. Their movements as they got to their feet were staggered and wonky. But that was no longer the case the moment they were upright. They looked… Somewhat human to Robin. Except their skin was hard, like rock, and greyish-brown. Their eye sockets where empty save for a red light that trailed after their movements.
Chrom was the first to charge, Robin and Frederick quickly followed after. Robin's opponent was a brute of an axe wielder. Though many men would be brutish in comparison to himself. Robin had muscle, yes, but he wasn't very tall.
Robin deftly dodged the creature's axe swings. He wanted to study this creature, it was swinging its axe with twice the force of the Southtown bandits with one less hand. Such a thing should be impossible were they human. If their strength exceeded humans, then what of their durability? Or their intelligence? This was a new enemy. Robin knew all there was about humans, but this was not a human. Robin was a tactician first and foremost so as a tactician he needed to study this new threat.
On the intelligence front Robin was already quite sure they were far below the average bandit. But some intelligence must have been present because it was still wielding a weapon. So that gave him a margin, that was a start. But his current margin was far too wide to be reliable. Robin needed to fight more, get a larger sample size. Deciding that there was nothing more to learn Robin baited a vertical slash and as soon as the axe was brought down Robin stepped on the shaft disarming the creature and bashed it back with his shoulder.
The creature roared in anger and began throwing wild punches at Robin which were easily dodged with fluid and agile twists of his upper body. With a smooth flourish of his blade Robin cut off his right hand at the forearm and ducked a punch from the left stepping to the inside as he did. Switching to a reverse grip Robin stuck his blade in the creature's chest and jumped behind the creature... And waited. The stab went right through its heart, would it die?
Did it even have a heart?
Instead of collapsing with a symphony of deep cracking its head turned all the way around and roared at Robin. Horrified and now panicking Robin flicked his wrist and engulfed the creature in flames. This only served to piss it off and the rest of its body turned around and charged at Robin. Ducking under a punch and grabbing his blade as he did so Robin positioned himself Behind the creature and threw a bolt of thoron at it.
The thoron had enough force behind it to force the flamed creature to stagger and... turn into black dust? That surprised Robin but dead is dead, though that kind of durability unnerved him.
Robin examined his surroundings. Frederick had just finished off his opponent and Chrom with the help of a masked stranger saved Lissa. The two were talking but Robin felt many more portals, and many more of those creatures.
"I hate to cut your conversation short, but there is another horde of those things on its way" Robin warned.
This news got Chrom's complete attention, which the masked stranger used as an opportunity to flee. "from which direction Robin!?" Chrom asked, hurriedly
"West, southwest, and south" Robin immediately answered. "its a rather sizable horde with the bulk of it coming from the south"
"And you can 'feel' them?" Chrom asked, concerned
Robin nodded "though its fading fast. I think what I feel is the residue of Lady Naga's defiled magic... I have no way of knowing for sure… If I had my memories" Robin looked away, frustrated. This amnesia was going to drive him mad. "Perhaps I'm connected to Naga in some way? Maybe that's why I can feel her magic?" Robin could feel his facial features scrunch in anger.
A sudden hand on Robin's shoulder snapped him from his thoughts. He looked back up at Chrom, who was giving him a kind smile. "its fine Robin, we'll get your memories back. We'll get your questions answered, and I'll be by your side every step of the way. For now… We fight"
Robin nodded and immediately scanned the clearing, two ruined forts immediately caught his eye. "These creatures aren't very intelligent. We'll have an advantage fighting in those forts, Frederick, Chrom get to them and kill anything that isn't human"
"As you say" Frederick said curtly, cantering of towards the western fort.
Chrom took off with a simple nod.
"And me Robin?" Lissa asked, her expression serious
"Stay close to me. If your brother or Frederick get injured my wind magic will get you there pronto. For now, just don't stray too far"
Lissa clearly didn't like that she was basically being babysat until Chrom or Frederick screwed up, but she obediently nodded all the same. "Alright, just don't go too fast. We can't all shoot magic from our feet"
Robin smirked "noted"
So the fighting began, it didn't take long for Robin to find his first opponent, another axe wielder that quickly and violently began wildly swinging.
Using an opening created by his opponent's over-swing Robin grabbed the creature's arm and kicked the side of its knee. The cracking noise was loud and painfully cacophonous as the creature's knee bent unnaturally to the inside. This forced the creature to fall and Robin shoved his blade right up under the creature's chin until the entirety of his green blade was sticking out the top of its head. Robin jumped back, retrieving his blade as he did and waited. When it disappeared into black smoke Robin sighed in relief. Heads were still vital spots. That was a very good thing for him.
Robin continued to fight, methodically taking down the creatures trying to learn as much as he could about them as he did. Robin hated slow combat like this. But he was on babysitting duty and as a tactician he needed to learn everything he could about this new threat. Taking down yet another Robin took a quick peek around the field. Frederick was dancing around three different creatures atop his horse, he seemed to be pressured but not horribly so. Robin envied him. He'd be fine unless another creature decided to target him… Which a creature wielding a bow was preparing to.
Sheathing his sword Robin opened both his hands and launched a barrage of lightning and fire at the lone creature who seemed to be too focused on trying to line up a shot to notice that death was currently flying its way. Its death was immediate and loud. And perhaps a bit overkill.
Satisfied with the result and noticing that Frederick's opponent count was already beginning to drop he turned his attention to Chrom and was surprised to see him flanked by a cavalier. And maybe thirty feet away was another archer who was much more literally dancing around an axe wielding creature. Ducking and weaving around its primal swings with less of a natural grace and more of a painfully deliberate kind of grace, like he wanted to be seen as graceful rather than letting it come naturally. But it was working, with each dodge the green haired archer stuck it with an arrow. He was talented, there was no doubting it. An archer able to fight in close quarters was very rare and highly valuable.
Everything seemed to be under control. Looking over at Frederick Robin saw that he was now galloping towards Chrom having finished his earlier fight.
"Join your brother in the fort from the back, it looks like he's been doing most of the fighting so far. Tell the cavalier there to take point, you're to examine your brother" Robin said to Lissa. "Tell them 'Robin's orders' if Chrom tries to argue"
"what about the creatures?" Lissa asked, rightfully concerned
"I'm confident in your ability to avoid them, you aren't a child. That, and the majority of them are in front of the fort. I'll intercept anything that happens to spot you though, just in case"
Robin was surprised to see her face light up at the small amount of independence she was just granted before she took off. Robin briefly wondered just how protective Chrom usually was of her but brushed the thought aside, such idle thoughts could wait. The rest of the battle felt less like a battle and more like clean up. Once the creatures were all defeated they gathered, along with the new arrivals.
"That seems to be the last of them, any stragglers were picked off by our mysterious new friend here" Frederick said, motioning to the stranger wearing a face mask reminiscent of a butterfly.
"Um…" Lissa started "I never got to thank you for before. So… Thank you. You were very brave"
There was something odd about this masked stranger to Robin. He felt that same trust he felt towards Chrom and Lissa… Why?
"You saved my sister's life" Chrom stated "my name is Chrom, may I ask yours?"
"My name is Marth" the voice sounded… Forced.
"Marth? After the heroic king of old?" Chrom asked
This Marth… Robin was sure they were deliberately looking away from him. Why?
"You certainly fight like a hero" Chrom continued amiably. "Where did you learn your way with a sword?"
Speaking of swords… This Marth had the very same kind of sword as Chrom. Everything about this person screamed fishy, yet Robin felt like he could trust them. He did not like that.
"I am not here to talk about me" Marth said curtly
"What a coincidence" Robin said sardonically, wanting to see what kind of reaction he got.
Marth noticeably flinched at that. So they were hiding something...
"Robin, show some respect. This man saved my sister's life. If he does not wish to answer than he does not have to" Chrom said with authority
Robin clenched his teeth. Could Chrom truly not see it? Could none of them see it? Was Robin's ability to see through this obvious farce proof that he wasn't human if this 'Marth''s charade was enough to fool Chrom and the others? Robin bowed "my apologies… Marth". It was odd. So much deception surrounded this person, then why didn't Robin feel the same distrust towards them that he did to Frederick and most other humans? Was it more than just the royal family? Did this person share a trait with the royal family? Were they part of the royal family sent to ensure Chrom's safety from the shadows and disguised so as not to offend Chrom?
"It doesn't matter" Marth dismissed. "What does matter is that this world is teetering on the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was a prelude. You have been warned"
And with that Marth turned around, ignoring a very confused Lissa who was calling questions after them.
"Not much for conversation, are they?" Robin asked, still very confused himself.
"It appears his skills lie elsewhere. I wager we'll hear his name again…" Frederick chimed in. "But for now I'm worried about the capital. We should make haste"
So, with the sun rising the three of them were back on the road, Robin getting lectures about things that where common knowledge in Ylisse to prepare him for his life among royalty. Lissa also mentioned introducing him to one of her noble friends, a woman named Maribelle.
They were on the road and reached main town Ylisstol by early afternoon in the middle of some kind of event.
"So… This is Ylisstol, I've never seen so many people" Robin tried to keep the discomfort out of his voice but he knew he failed. So many humans… So many untrustworthy humans all crammed together. Robin felt paranoid. Like he'd grabbed, gagged and bagged into the first alleyway they passed.
Chrom chuckled "not a fan of crowds then?"
"Definitely not" Robin replied sharply
"It appears the capital was spared the chaos we encountered, thank the gods" Frederick said with a sigh of relief, walking next to his horse. "I see no evidence of the quake, so it must have been limited to the forest"
"Well that's a relief!" Lissa piped up happily
"Anyway, who is that person everyone is watching… Walk?" Robin asked. "some sort of… Famous noble?"
Chrom laughed "noble? That is the Exalt" he corrected
"And the Exalt is your ruler?" looking at her she did not fill him with distrust like the rest of the humans outside Chrom, Lissa, and Marth. So was it the royal family then? Was this 'Marth' a lost sibling who wished to stay lost maybe? Marth was making everything so needlessly complicated.
"Yes" Frederick answered simply "her name is Emmeryn"
"Then… Is it safe for her to walk among commoners like this with such a small honor guard?" Robin asked
"The Exalt is a symbol of peace- Ylisse's most prized quality. Long ago, at the dawn of our age, the Fell Dragon tried to destroy the world. But the Exalt joined forces with Naga, the Divine Dragon, and slew the Fell Dragon. Exalt Emmeryn reminds us all of the peace we fought for then" Frederick explained.
"Ah" Robin replied, spotting Mark on Emmeryn's forehead, her hair parted seemingly deliberately in order to show the Mark on the center of her forehead. "That's a wonderful story Frederick, thank you" it couldn't hurt to be polite. If Frederick served the royal family, as Robin himself now did, he was safe from him now.
"With Plegia poking at our borders the people need her" Chrom picked up for Frederick. Plegia… It was explained to him earlier on the road. The very mention of Plegia made Robin visibly seethe, which both pleased and worried all three of his companions. "She is a calming presence, when some might otherwise call for war"
"Then the Ylissean people are indeed lucky to have her" Robin replied, more to be polite than anything else.
"she's also the best big sister anyone could ask for" Lissa said with a smile
Robin nodded in acknowledgement. "Then I look forward to meeting her"
"I do not recall you ever being told that milord and milady were royalty, Robin" Frederick accused
"In Southtown Chrom explained the Mark, I was hired to be the royal tactician, you just told me the story of the first Exalt… I may be an amnesiac but I am also a tactician Sir Frederick"
Lissa laughed "haha! He's got you there Freddy!"
"Well, if we're done trying to incriminate my only tactician, Emm is on her way back to the palace. We should check in with her and introduce Robin" Chrom said, slightly annoyed.
The main hall of the palace was as grand as could be imagined. A ceiling so high up Robin almost expected to see clouds supported by grand arches carved into the walls. The floor and walls were all made of a beautiful white marble and perfectly spaced along the walls was a pattern of tapestries and portraits of what Robin could assume were of royal families of previous generations. Spread along the floor was a beautiful, massive red carpet. Robin was so awed by the magnificence of it all he almost walked into Chrom.
"Chrom! Lissa! Welcome home." She greeted warmly. Her voice was soft and smooth. It sounded, oddly enough, peaceful. "Oh, and good day, Frederick. How did the roads treat you all?"
"Well" Robin knew Chrom had a victorious grin right now even if Robin was behind him. "We shouldn't have any bandit problems for a while"
"Wonderful, and our people?" Emmeryn asked. Robin was not missing the glances she was sending his way… Specifically at his ears. It made Robin feel conflicted. He felt unconditional trust towards every member of this family. But this human was acting like all the others that he immediately distrusted: looked at his ears. Robin didn't know what to think.
"Safe as they can be Emm" Chrom proudly answered. "But we still need to watch our borders, brigands crossed over from Plegia"
A woman with pale hair done in a bun that Robin could only assume was a general of some sort given her armor spoke up "forgive me milord. My Pegasus knights should have intercepted them"
Ah, so she was the captain of the Pegasus knights. Pegasi were known to only allow pure hearted women to ride them, so why did he still immediately distrust her? Robin was beginning to believe he just flat out didn't trust humans outside of Ylisse's royal family… And Marth apparently. So then were they…? Hmm…
"No, Phila. Your duty was here with the Exalt" Chrom rebuked.
"And besides" Lissa turned to him with a wide, happy smile. Seems he was finally getting introduced. "We had plenty of help"
"Ah" the smile on Emmeryn's face told Robin she was waiting for a chance to address him. "You speak of your new companion here?"
"This is Robin, he faced down nearly forty brigands on his own in Southtown, the tail end of our tour. When the three of us arrived he had nearly slain them all on his own. We helped clean up." Chrom told the story with a proud smile. "I've hired him as our family's royal tactician"
"And by that he means he finally has a tactician for the Shepherds" Lissa teased
Chrom cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed. "Yes… Well… I imagine with how Plegia has been harassing us Robin will end up spending a great deal of time with me and the other Shepherds" Chrom answered
Emmeryn giggled "its fine Chrom. All I need is Phila, do not worry"
Chrom let out a relieved breath.
Emmeryn turned her attention his way. "It sounds as though Ylisse owes you a debt of gratitude, Sir Robin"
"I got a high paying job that comes with room and board in the capital of Ylisse out of it. Any debt between us has long been settled, Your Grace."
To the surprise of all in the room Emmeryn giggled "I suppose that is true, isn't it?" She agreed.
"Forgive me Your Grace, but I must speak" Frederick spoke up. "Robin claims to have lost his memory, but it is only that: a claim. We cannot rule out the possibility that he is a brigand himself or even a Plegian spy"
That last accusation made Robin's blood boil. He turned and glared at Frederick "accuse me of being Plegian one more time, see what happens"
"You seemed to take that rather personally" Frederick stated, completely unfazed. "what should we make of that?"
"You're asking me? All I know is that any mention of Plegia fills me with rage. I get so angry, I fill with bloodlust…" Robin forcefully composed himself and took a shaky breathe. "I don't know, but if you ever accuse me of being on the side of Plegia again I will cook you in that armor of yours with a flick of my wrist"
Frederick didn't even flinch. Perhaps it was more difficult than Robin thought to intimidate a man so much larger than himself.
"Both of you settle down, this behavior is highly inappropriate. Frederick, you should know better than to lump him in with Plegia after the way he reacted to learning about it on the road. Clearly whatever relationship he had with Plegia prior to losing his memory was not a good one" Chrom cut in.
"With that in mind… Chrom, you hired him to serve our family as our royal tactician. Does this mean he has your trust?" Emmeryn asked
"Absolutely, he stared down incredible odds and risked his life for our people saving Lissa's in the process. I not only trust him, I trust him with all of our lives" Chrom answered with a deadly seriousness.
"That is indeed a great deal of trust. Robin… You have earned Chrom's faith, therefore you have mine as well" Emmeryn said with a small smile.
Robin bowed "Milady"
"But thank you Frederick for your prudence, as always" Emmeryn said to the knight. "Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have such a tireless guardian. I do hope they remember to mention that every now and then"
"They do Your Grace. From time to time they do express something akin to gratitude" the knight assured her with a bow. "Phila, I assume you've heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?"
Just like Frederick to jump right into the next topic.
"Yes milord, they've been seen all over Ylisse. I suspect many Lords and Ladies to begin demanding a response" Phila answered with a worried frown.
"Chrom, we were about to hold council about this very subject. Could you and Frederick join us?" Emmeryn asked,
"Of course sister" he said with nod.
"Before we leave though, Robin, have Lissa bring you to me after the council is adjourned. I'd like to personally look over your case of amnesia. Perhaps we could cure it"
Robin smiled widely and bowed "absolutely, I am most appreciative Your Grace"
"Wonderful, then we must be off"
"And that's our cue Robin! Come on, there's a place I want to show you!" Lissa excitedly grabbed Robin by the hand and dragged him right out of the throne room before he could steady himself.
Emmeryn couldn't help but giggle at their departing figures. "She has taken a liking to him, hasn't she Chrom?"
"Lets hope it doesn't go too far too fast at least. I'm not so sure I'm ready to give Lissa away just yet" Chrom answered with an unsure frown.
"I understand, little brother. Come, let us be off"
"Here we are, Robin! Welcome to the Shepherd's garrison" Lissa said cheerily.
Robin walked inside and quickly noticed that this very much was a military garrison. The floor, walls, and ceiling were a hard, dark grey stone supported by dark colored wood beams. Shelves against the wall were made of a brighter, and presumably softer, wood. On those shelves were a wide range of objects ranging from various training weapons, and pieces of armor to cutlery and plates. Made of the same brightly colored wood were rows of cluttered tables. Many had books and loose sheets of parchment, others had plates of food, and more still had a mix of real and training weaponry on them. He could see open door ways at the far end of the large… Lounge space that this massive room appeared to be. On the walls, more than twelve feet up were large glass windows which gave the room soft, natural light. It would have been quite welcoming were the room not filled with humans. One though, a knight in huge heavy armor… He was odd. He was so plain looking Robin almost missed him. The only reason Robin did spot the knight who was seated quietly with his nose in a book was that Robin could feel emotions roll off him in waves. He must have really been enjoying his book.
Robin knew that any humans in the Shepherds garrison would therefore be Shepherds. That would mean they served both Chrom and Lissa… And himself now that he was the royal tactician, so Robin knew he had nothing to fear from these humans. They were his subordinates, not random villagers. So why was he still filled with distrust?
"Come on, Robin" Lissa's voice refocused him, letting go of his hand. "Make yourself at home, I'll show you to your new room after"
"Lissa my treasure! Are you all right? I've been on pins and needles!" a rather uptight and feminine voice caught Robin's attention.
Running up to him and Lissa was a woman dressed in fine silks and fabrics in colors ranging from deep to pale pink. She was dressed much nicer than anyone currently in the garrison. Aside from the royal family this woman was the most well dressed human he had ever seen. Though maybe that wasn't saying very much given his circumstances. Her hair was blonde and curled to the extreme with two pale pink bows in her hair. In her hands was a parasol with a very noticeable, sharpened metal point on the end. Fashionable and deadly. That only made Robin's distrust of her grow.
"Oh, hey Maribelle" Lissa greeted nonchalantly
"Don't 'oh hey' me! I've sprouted twelve grey hairs worrying while you were away!" she chided, though it seemed more out of concern than anything else.
"Aw, you worry too much. I can handle a battle or two!" Lissa seemed to glow talking to this Maribelle. She couldn't be too bad then if a member of the Exalted Bloodline was so fond of her. Perhaps Robin would attempt to befriend her as well, try to discover if his nearly universal distrust of humans could be surmounted. "although I could do without the bear barbecue" she tacked on, jokingly. "Oh! I almost forgot! Maribelle, this is Robin. My brother just hired him as our family's Royal Tactician. I was hoping you could teach him to act the part"
Maribelle seemed shocked at this "truly? Your family hasn't had a royal tactician since the days of your father. Regardless, I'd gladly pass down my knowledge." Maribelle turned her attention his way. "A pleasure to meet you Sir Robin" she curtsied deeply "I am here for another week before I have to depart to my home in Themis. When will you be free?"
"Lissa still needs to show me around the palace and I have an appointment with Her Grace as soon as the council meeting finishes" Robin answered as polite as he could manage, trying very hard to keep any distrust out of his voice.
"I see, as expected of a royal advisor its your first day and you're already dreadfully busy. Pray tell… Just what kind of appointment is it that you have with our beloved Exalt?" Maribelle asked, almost too innocently
"She is going to do an examination to see if she can find a way to cure my amnesia" Robin answered
This surprised her. "You have amnesia? Milord Chrom hired an amnesiac as the Royal Tactician?"
"Don't be so worried Maribelle, Chrom and I already saw him fight and witnessed his tactical know-how. He's second to none! He even saved my life and has that cut on his face to prove it!" Lissa cheerily assured her surprised friend
"Tr-truly? Well, you must have made quite the impression on our Lord Chrom then. Very well Robin. Find me at your earliest convenience and we shall begin your nobility lessons. When I'm through with you you'll be fit for the highest of courts!"
Maribelle was about to leave when a gruff voice barked "Hey, squirt! Where's Chrom?" the owner of the voice was a shirtless man with blond slicked back hair wearing only dark colored slacks. "I bet he had a rough time out there without ol' Teach and his trusty axe!"
"Oh, so you're 'Teach' now, Vaike, is that it?" Lissa giggled "and here I though people were just born witless, it can be taught?"
Robin smirked at Lissa's slight against the larger man.
"HA! That's right! Never doubt the Vaike! Wait… Was that an insult?" The blonde man was suddenly very unsure of himself and Robin could only grin n amusement.
"Beg pardon," a soft, girly voice chimed "but when might we see the Captain?" Her hair was a pale brown color adorned with an ornament shaped like wings and her armor and outfit was a mix of deep purples and pinks.
"Poor Sumia" Maribelle started "she's simply been wrought with concern for Lord Chrom. She couldn't take her eyes off the horizon all morning during training… She might have earned fewer bruises were she able to focus"
"Aw" Lissa cooed teasingly "that's so sweet of you to worry about Chrom"
"Worry..." the girl looked down, finding a very sudden interest in her boots. "Well, I… He IS our Captain and prince, of course I'd worry"
"So," Vaike said "who's the stranger"
Robin felt his fists instinctively clench when the attention was brought to him in such a blunt manner, he even shot a glare without thinking.
"You weren't listening earlier? No matter, allow me to introduce Robin! The brand new, super awesome Royal Tactician!" she said pointing tom him with both her arms "you should see all the tricks he has up his sleeves!"
"Oh yeah? Can he do this?" Vaike then pounded his chest and let out a disgusting, guttural burp.
Robin frowned deeply and furrowed his brow. "Military garrison or not that is no way to conduct yourself in front of a princess of the Exalted Bloodline" Robin reprimanded. "In any case…" Robin made a strong conscious effort to appear amiable "it is a… Pleasure to meet you all"
"Ugh, Vaike that was abhorrent. I absolutely second you, Robin. That sort of behavior is absolutely intolerable in the presence of royalty! I am leaving. Robin, I look forward to working with you, find me at your earliest convenience" and with that she stomped off out the garrison doors.
Chrom arrived not to long afterwards. "good to see you Robin, I'm happy to see Lissa is showing you around"
"It is good to see you as well, Chrom" Robin replied, happy to hear kindness flow from his lips naturally.
"Emm is ready for you. She seemed a bit worried so I would advise against putting this off" Chrom said
Robin nodded "I'll have Lissa show me to her"
Chrom chuckled "good to hear"
"Ah! Captain! You've returned! I was- I mean, we were so-waah!" She rushed over and in her excitement ended up stumbling and landed flat on her face.
Robin gritted his teeth, that did look rather painful.
"Sumia!" Chrom shouted, slightly panicked by the suddenness of the fall. "Are you alright? Is it those boots again?"
"No!" She immediately denied, getting back to her feet and dusting herself off "I-I mean yes! I mean…" She just sighed and seemingly decided to drop it.
"So long as you aren't hurt" Chrom decided before clearing his throat. "Onto business then, in four days time we will be marching to Regna Ferox."
Robin immediately asked about what exactly Regna Ferox was, his answer was that it was a warrior nation home to some of the greatest melee fighters in the world.
"We will need the help of the Feroxi people to quell this new menace. Normally the Exalt would be the one to request an alliance of this nature. However given recent events the people would worry, perhaps panic, if Emm suddenly left the capital. So the task falls to us" Chrom explained.
Robin thought that this was a blessing. All he remembered was warfare. He had no idea how to act around people, especially people he didn't trust. The sooner he was out on the road again leading on the frontlines the better.
"Now, this mission is strictly voluntary. So if, for any reason"
"I'm going" Robin accidently interrupted in his haste
"I volunteer too!" Lissa declared happily
"Me too! You'll be needing ol' Teach for such a delicate mission" Vaike said with a shameless smile.
"I'll go as well" the quiet knight said with a raised arm, putting down his book. When he spoke everyone in the room jumped and looked his way. "what? I've been here the whole time"
"I… I, umm" Sumia looked rather unsure. In all honesty he was having a hard time not trusting her. She looked harmless, and yet it was still there.
"Yes, Sumia?" Chrom asked kindly,
"I'm still quite new, I was the newest before Robin's arrival I mean, and I'm still not sure if I am ready for a real mission" she explained, a little embarrassed. "I'm worried I'll get in the way"
"You could always stay behind the main group and if a battle is met, just watch and learn?" Chrom suggested. "Its your decision of course but some lessons can only be learned on the battle field"
Robin could see that Chrom had a soft spot for this girl. "For what it is worth Sumia, I will take your circumstances into account when I formulate strategies. I'll make sure you're never too far from Chrom, I trust you will keep each other safe"
"O-oh!" Robin saw her look down, hiding a blush "th-thank you Sir Robin, that is very kind"
"I appreciate the thought Robin, you're already proving to be a great asset" Chrom said with a knowing smile
"Just earning my pay" Robin smirked in return, the pair having two conversations at once
Chrom chuckled and refocused "well, don't forget to bring this up to your fellow Shepherds. I'll put a formal volunteer sheet up on our community quark board, be sure to sign it. It will be up for two days so the staff preparing the wagons have an idea of how many soldiers they need to pack for" Chrom did just that as he spoke, pinning a long piece of parchment onto a board across the room. "that concludes our meeting"
"And THAT Robin means we need to go find my sister" Lissa said excitedly, rushing over and dragging Robin out by the hand again.
Lissa really did know her way around the castle. The pair of them had found Emm in her room no more than twenty minutes later.
Lissa let go of his hand and gave the thick wooden door a couple knocks.
"Hello Lissa" Emm greeted, the door creaking slightly as she opened it. "Oh, and you brought Robin to me. Thank you Lissa"
"Can you really cure my amnesia?" Robin hoped he didn't sound rude, but he needed to ask.
"Truly, I'm not sure. We will need to go to the medical wing first, please follow me" Emm instructed, gently closing the door behind her.
"May I come along?" Lissa asked
Emmeryn smiled "Robin might need to take his upper clothing off, would that make you uncomfortable?"
Robin looked at her and the moment their eyes met she looked away blushing "I- I am a healer as well big sis. Its nothing I haven't seem before"
She giggled "then of course you may come along. Perhaps you could even help" Robin was beginning to think the only reason Emmeryn asked was to tease Lissa.
They reached the medical wing fifteen minutes later, waiting for them were two other healers. One a Middle aged man and the second an elderly lady. They both bowed as Emmeryn approached.
"This is is the one I told you about. He is the one we will be examining" Emmeryn said to them.
"Your ears, they are quiet peculiar" the elderly lady croaked
Robin could not hold back his glare, though it only served to amuse his elder "oh ho ho, you have nothing to fear from this old lady young drake. Come, lets go inside"
"Wait up!" Robin looked over and saw Chrom running towards them.
"Aw, you're so sweet Chrom, wanting to support Robin" Lissa teased with a smile.
"Well, he is a friend" Chrom admitted
Once in the room Robin was told to sit on a stool. It was uncomfortable but if it led to getting his memory restored then he'd suffer worse.
"Now, before we can work towards curing your amnesia we need to figure out the nature of it" Emmeryn began, preparing her staff along with the other two healers.
"You mean there's more than one kind Emm?" Chrom asked, a touch concerned.
"Yes, certain poisons can induce a temporary amnesia, head trauma is also known to lead to amnesia among other things, and rare powerful magics can also inflict amnesia" she explained
"I see" Chrom said stone-faced
"To begin, sir, would you mind getting and examining a blood sample, and madam if you could I'd like you to check his head for any possible injuries" Emmeryn gave out her orders which were received with two deep bows.
The male healer approached Robin with a small knife and a thin vial. "Don't worry lad, its sanitized" he said.
As assured as he could be with a human holding a knife Robin just nodded and held his thumb out. There was a small prick and Robin watched the blood trickled into the vial. It was at this time that the elderly lady began combing through his hair.
"Tell me little drake" she croaked "any head aches, or pain you can point me to?" he felt incredibly uncomfortable with this old human lady touching him.
"I only feel pain in my head when I try to remember something" his answer made all the healers in the room freeze. The old lady took her hands from his head.
Emmeryn took a deep breath. She suspected magic from the beginning. The moment she saw his tapered ears she knew that any loss of memory would be magic in origin. She got in front of Robin and fell on one knee.
"Emm… what does that mean?" Chrom asked
Emmeryn looked into Robin's deep blue eyes when she answered. "It means Chrom that Robin doesn't have amnesia. It means his memories have been locked away by magic. Now we just need to figure out what kind of magic"
The shock, confusion, and fear on Robin's face pained her. She gently ruffled his hair, "It will be all right Robin" he was a handsome young man, even with that cut under his eye. If he were human she may have even pursued him. But she wouldn't, it wouldn't be fair to him. "Take a few deep breaths. This won't hurt, but my job will be easier if you're calm." He nodded and did as she told him. With a small smile she pressed her staff to his forehead. "Close your eyes when you're ready Robin."
He nodded to her, took a couple more breaths then closed his eyes. She did the same and started to channel magic into the staff and feeling as if she were just sped forward on the back of a Pegasus for a moment she was, for lack of a better word, in Robin's mind.
It was a… Dark place. Though not evil, just confused. Like a lost child stumbling through the dark unable to make sense of anything he ran into. What a terrifying way to live. She began to feel so sorry for the young man.
Then, she found light. Not the kind of light she was expecting though. They were thick metal chains and locks… Made of pure divine light. She didn't understand it. Emmeryn reached out to touch them but gasped when her fingers passed right through.
"Hello, my daughter" a voice echoed from behind Emmeryn making her gasp and turn around.
She was shocked to see a glowing figure. Her skin nearly white with a bluish glow, tapered ears peeking out from deep green hair that reminded her of Robin's. She was wearing a magnificent blue dress. It did not take long for her to figure out who was standing in front of her. "oh my… I didn't expect…" Emmeryn got down on one knee and bowed her head "its an honor, Lady Naga"
"Rise, my child" her serene voice seemed to echo for infinity Emmeryn noticed as she got back to her feet. "You take a risk far greater than you realize by entering my son's mind"
"Does Robin see what is happening here?" Emmeryn asked
She shook her head "he does not."
"Forgive my ignorance My Lady, but I then fail to see the risk I am taking. I wish only to help Robin"
"I do not doubt the purity of your intentions" Naga assured "however, what I have blocked from him is for his own good. Were you able to undo my magics all you would accomplish is dooming him to a fate worse than death"
Emmeryn stiffened. She knew that manaketes were often treated unjustly and subjected to many horrors… But… "Truly…?"
She nodded
"Yet you sealed nearly everything… Are you saying…?"
"I blocked whatever I could and left him with everything he would need to lead to a good life. He is my son, I love him" Naga explained "His hatred for mankind had become so deeply ingrained in him I could not seal it away completely. He still distrusts mankind and will always hate Plegians..." Emmeryn's heart ached at the somber expression her goddess wore. "I wish there was more I could do for my little boy"
"forgive me Lady Naga, I shouldn't have questioned" Emmeryn bowed
"I expected questions. Perhaps seeing but a glimpse of his past will help you see why what I did was necessary"
Naga touched a finger to her head and in a moment she was…
Robin looked up, his hands were still chained, he was still in nothing but his smallclothes, sitting in his cell. Outside his cell he could see his owner arguing with a customer.
'Are you kidding? That's all you're offering for him? This manakete has been in my family for generations. I could make more money through him in half a night than what you're offering me. Is this your first time bartering for a manakete or what?'
'That chained animal of yours has more scars than skin and looks like he's just barely clinging to life!' the customer argued. 'What I'm offering is far'
Robin knew he was exaggerating, if only a little. He wanted a good price. When was the last time he was sold? Three hundred years? Around there? Robin was basically a family heirloom to his current owner. How twisted.
'Look I wouldn't be charging a small kingdom's total wealth if he wasn't worth it. Need a history lesson? Because I have the time for one if you need it'
The customer gave an exasperated sigh. 'Got to be honest, if there is a reason for such a ludicrous price I'd like to hear it'
His owner grinned, Robin knew how much he liked lording over people with his knowledge of manakete. He would often brag about his family owning him for generations and that he had inherited Robin as the first born son of his family.
'You see, among the dragons there are different tribes. The more common ones are the fire and water dragon tribes but they don't really matter right now. What does matter is the RAREST and most POWERFUL tribe: the DIVINE tribe' he smiled wickedly.
'And the manakete you have here is from the divine tribe?' The customer asked with folded arms.
'Exactly, but we aren't quite done yet. You see dragons and manaketes are not all equal. Certain ones are naturally more powerful than others and they have classes to differentiate dragons of differing power' how many times has Robin heard this spiel? His owner didn't even intend to sell. 'you see, the weakest of dragons don't have a class title. They are simply called 'dragons' kinda boring. A step up from that you have the acolyte class of dragons, another step up you have the high class, next class one step up the ladder is the higher dragons. Second highest class is the ascended class. Finally the highest and strongest class of dragon, named after the strongest tribe, is the divine class"
The customer nodded "so your manakete here must be in the divine class then'
'Exactly right. But we still aren't finished good sir. You see a color of a dragon also signifies it's strength. The weakest of dragons primarily have white or brown scales, one up from them in power are primarily green scaled dragons, another rung up are the dragons with mostly blue scales. Another rung up are dragons with red and yellow scales. Finally, the strongest dragon by scale color are the black dragons'
'This is interesting' the customer admitted 'so even if a white scaled dragon is in the divine class it could be beaten by a higher-class black dragon'
'Most certainly' his owner jovially agreed 'and black scaled dragons are, as you can imagine, very hard to come by. Which makes mine all the more valuable as he his from the divine tribe, is divine class, and is black scaled'
The customer nodded 'I see… I understand why you charge so much now'
'That's not even the end of it, see that vibrant green hair? My manakete is none other than Naga's own son!'
The customer gasped 'you mean Naga herself? THE Naga birthed the manakete in that very cage?'
Robin for the first time met the customer's eyes. Robin could feel the sympathy. It made Robin angry. Humans were monsters. He didn't want their pity, just their blood soaking his claws.
'The one and only. Among the manakete he was known as Naga's Arm. When the Voice went ignored, the Arm would carry out his mother's will.'
'I'd imagine he must have killed much of his own kind then..'
Robin recoiled at that. It made the chains around his hands jiggle drawing unwanted attention from the humans. It made his owner laugh "my little pet does not like being reminded, but yes. Having the most powerful manakete does mean I earn quite a lot of money when I throw him into the ring. But he's also quite the money maker when it comes to more sensitive affairs'
The customer flinched 'you mean you…'
Another laugh 'sorry sir, he is straight as a board. But if you're willing to pay extra you could have a go at him. You'd hardly be the first man to pay'
'What? N-n-no. no thank you. Lets look at what else you have on offer'
'Absolutely. Follow me'
Emmeryn couldn't speak. She looked at Naga, who was simply frowning back at her. The hopelessness Robin felt, the hatred, the pain and hunger. Three hundred years of that. "My Lady, how long ago was that memory?"
"Fifty years ago. My son was bought from that man's son, he would later escape with my help a mere two days ago. I used my magic to place him in your brother's path and sealed his memories. Do you understand now?"
Emmeryn nodded. What that didn't explain was how Robin came to be unconcious, but she had asked enough questions of Naga. "I cannot tell Robin this… Can I?"
Naga shook her head. "He must learn of his heritage on his own, in time, with Chrom by his side. And I would prefer he never regain the memories of the centuries he spent in slavery"
"I understand. It was an honor meeting you Lady Naga" Emmeryn bowed. "Thank you for all of your help"
"It was no bother my dear, now you must hurry back. Maintaining this spell is draining you" Naga advised
Emmeryn obediently nodded, and opened her eyes.
Yeah... Bad ending, I know. I had no idea how to end that and it was already dangerously close to 9k words and I did not want that. This chapter is why I decided to go with the M rating too. I don't think it will get any darker than this. An explanation of the whole Dragon 'class' thing, the wiki said divine dragons were both a tribe and a class. I know the wiki meant unit class, but I wanted to do a bit of playing around and take it in a different direction. Using scale color as another way to denote power is used by a separate race of draconic beings in the FE verse but I really liked that so I decided to use it for the manaketes too in this story. It makes things convoluted but I don't mind. I like it, and I'm sorry if that drives you away from my story.