Chapter 2
Marth
"Your orders are clear. Go to this planet and purge it of all life. Any questions?"
"None, sir. I understand what I have to do."
"There's a good little monkey. Now hurry along, that planet won't destroy itself now, will it?"
BOOM!
Robin woke up with a gasp at the loud noises around her, as well as the scorching heat on her face. She stood up and ran over to her coat before putting it on, before seeing Frederick already on his horse and nodding to her.
"If you wish to prove yourself to me, Lady Robin, now is the time."
"Where are Chrom and Lissa?"
"It seems that they went in that direction over there." Frederick replied, pointing his lance in the direction of the flames-
Wait, more flames?!
"I understand that Milord can protect himself in battle, however, with Milady's lack of experience, I fear that his attention will be too divided with keeping them both safe. Will you help me, Lady Robin?"
Robin nodded and grabbed her tome before running beside the retainer. "Yes, Sir Frederick. I owe my life to Chrom and Lissa and I can't sit by while they could be hurt."
"Good, then ready yourself. This isn't the work of simple bandits. We don't know what could be there."
"This way!"
"Wait up!"
Whilst Robin and Frederick were on their way to search for Chrom and Lissa, the two siblings were busy running for their lives. What was only meant to be a simple walk in the night to clear their heads quickly turned into a life or death situation. Right now they were avoiding enormous fireballs flung in their direction as the trees around them started to ignite.
"Lissa! Down here!"
"Slow down!"
They both jumped down to a lower level which got them both to a clearing, which was thankfully away from the fireballs and rampaging flames. Lissa stopped for a moment to catch her breath but then she noticed something up in the sky and gasped, pointing towards it.
"Chrom, look!"
"Oh, what now…?"
As Chrom looked to where she was pointing, a weird portal that had the shape of an eye opened up in the sky. And in it's centre out popped some strange looking creatures who flopped down to the ground groaning in pain. Was it pain? He wasn't sure. All Chrom knew was that they looked dangerous, so he readied Falchion for the incoming battle ahead as they stood up and their blood red eyes stared at him.
"Lissa, you better stay back."
"I wish Robin was here…"
"Don't worry, they should have noticed the destruction as well as us being missing by now. Best we can do is stall until they arrive."
As soon as he said that, the two creatures roared as one charged at Chrom. But he saw that it's movements were sloppy, he was easily able to evade its swing and slice through its belly, dealing the killing blow.
…Or so he thought. He grunted in disbelief as he saw it twist its neck 180 degrees to stare back at him. Chrom managed to avoid it's attack just in time when it tried to stab him and while it was getting ready to attack once more, Chrom went on the offensive and swung Falchion skyward, cleaving it's chin in two and causing it to fall to the ground still trying to get up and kill him.
So Chrom jumped up high in the air and used the momentum to drive Falchion deep into it's back which made it screech loudly before dying down to a gurgle as smoke started billowing out. Chrom sighed, pulling Falchion out and looked down at its decomposing form.
"What in Naga's name are these things…?"
"Chrom! Help!"
His eyes widened hearing his sisters voice and turned to see her being cornered by one of the creatures. She held her staff in front of her as a feeble attempt at defence. But Lissa had never been in a proper fight ever, she usually stayed beside Chrom or Frederick.
"Lissa!" Chrom yelled but grunted when he was knocked to the ground by another one of those creatures. Lissa whimpered and kept her staff in front of her, closing her eyes. This was it. She was going to die. She couldn't even say goodbye to Maribelle or Emmeryn.
'I'm sorry Chrom… I'm sorry.'
But just as she was about to see her life end, the attack was stopped short as Lissa was face to face with a person wearing a mask who had been the one to block the attack. They then forced the creature off with a grunt and used their own sword to slice it in two, reducing it to black smoke. With a small sigh of relief, the person turned their back on Lissa and sheathed their sword, only perking up when Chrom spoke after making sure the area was clear of those creatures. Though there were more to be seen that weren't interested in them right now.
"Quite an entrance. What's your name?"
The person slowly turned their head, but that's when the three of them heard Frederick call out the siblings names and Robin flew over to them. Frederick quickly got off his horse and inspected both of them.
"Are you two alright? Did anything hurt you?"
"N-No!" Lissa grunted as Frederick had his hand on her cheeks inspecting every detail on her face. "It's just a little dirt! Actually, I was saved thanks to that masked man."
She suddenly realised that the mysterious figure had vanished and after prying Fredericks hand off her, frantically looked around. "Wait! Where did he go?!"
But Frederick sighed in relief once he saw there was no damage done to Lissa. She smiled at how much he cared and flashed a peace sign. "I'm all good, Freddie! No need to worry about me! If anything, you should thank the masked man who saved me! If it wasn't for him I would be a goner. I just wish he didn't run off…"
While they were discussing Lissa's health, Robin and Chrom were staring at the dark creatures in the distance. Robin leaned into Chrom, never taking her eyes off for a second.
"I assume that these creatures are not native to these lands?"
"They're not from Ylisse, that much I can say." Chrom mumbled back and took his place next to Robin who grabbed her tome.
"What are these things…?"
"Please keep your mind on the battlefield, Lady Robin. We can ask questions after the battle is won." Frederick said and Robin nodded.
"Right. Chrom and Frederick, you two pair up. Lissa, you stick with me. Hopefully they aren't too difficult to take down."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Lissa whimpered making sure she was as close to Robin as possible, clearly still shaken up from when she almost died at the hands of those monsters. Robin glared and opened up her tome before holding out her hand and charging up the first spell that came to her mind. She wasn't sure what it was, but a ball of yellow light emerged from her palm as she flew up in the air and threw the ball down to a group of undead creatures. When it collided into one of them, it detonated and incinerated the creatures who's high pitched screeches died down to gurgles as they collapsed to the ground and dissolved into smoke.
Lissa was stunned as she couldn't take her eyes off of Robin. "So cool…"
But her eyes then travelled to the ground in sadness as her grip tightened on her healing staff. Her insecurities were playing up in her mind when it became apparent just how… useless she was on the battlefield. She was always like this, always having to be saved by either her brother or Frederick. But Robin? Robin could do it all on her own. She was like Sully. Or Miriel. Or Em. They didn't need to be protected and treated like glass. They were strong. Not like her…
"Holy shit! And here I thought you guys were needing my help!"
Lissa turned to see Sully riding up on her horse. But that's when she realised she was right. Those things were disposed of as Robin touched down on the ground. And when she saw Chrom and Frederick, they were cleaning their weapons of the black liquid that coated the blades.
Meanwhile she did nothing…
Nothing at all…
Her grip on her staff tightened as tears of frustration threatened to spill over her eyes. She was supposed to help people, right? How can she do that when she can't even protect herself?
That's when Sully patted her on the head, smiling. "Sorry I took so long. But it seems that you didn't need my help, eh? I would've gotten to you guys sooner but I had a massive headache back there-"
"Please! Hold for a moment my dear!"
"…And now it's back."
Lissa poked her head out to see a dashing man running up to the pair. And judging by Sully's reaction, this must've been the 'headache' she was talking about. But he wasn't just some clueless Noble who wandered onto the battlefield. She could see the bow and quiver that was on his person, so he must have some fighting prowess.
…But yes, his personality could use some work.
"…And the man who puts the 'arch' in Archers'! Why, my name is-"
"Come on Lissa, let's meet up with Chrom." Sully said, as Lissa agreed. His voice was getting on her nerves. But she and Sully both had smiles of satisfaction when they heard him spluttering and begging Sully to come back. Sully just kept looking around whistling.
"When did you guys get so strong, huh? I thought I would have to give you guys backup."
"Well I didn't really do anything…" Lissa mumbled, looking away. "And besides, we have a new member of the Shepherds! She's so cool and strong!"
"Oh yeah? And where is she?"
"Just over there!"
Sully looked over to where Lissa was pointing and saw Robin talking to Chrom with Frederick standing close by while checking for nearby danger. But when Sully saw those symbols on Robin's coat, her eyes slowly narrowed.
"What the hell is he doing?"
"Hey Sully! What are you doing?! Sully! Come back!"
Chrom's ears perked up at that name and turned to see Sully storming up to him with Lissa frantically waving her arms, and some… Noble walking behind. "Oh, hello Sully-"
"What the hell are you thinking, Chrom?! Why is there a Plegian here?!"
Robin blinked at the hostile tone this girl took with her and felt her tail bristle. But Chrom held up his hands.
"Peace Sully, this is Robin. She's a member of the Shepherds now."
"…What head injury did you get where we are recruiting Plegian's?"
Okay, Robin REALLY didn't like this woman. Thankfully, Lissa jumped to her defence. "Hey, Robin is one of the good guys! She helped save townsfolk on multiple occasions! Tell her, Frederick!"
Albeit reluctantly, Frederick nodded. "It's true, Sully. She has been helpful. Why, I'm not sure we would've claimed victory today if not for her."
Sully couldn't believe what she was hearing. So she just scoffed and turned away before storming off to tend to her horse. Robin let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding. And Chrom offered an uneasy smile.
"She'll warm up. Don't worry."
"I'm afraid that it's true. Sully can be… headstrong!" Lissa chimed in. "But you might get brownie points since you helped us."
"Yes." Frederick nodded, before looking behind him. "You, and this mysterious young man."
They all looked at the mysterious person who saved Lissa. Now that Robin looked at him, she could depict that whoever he was, he was certainly a children's book version of a hero. Complete with the mask and cape. Though she noted that whoever this person was, he really liked his sword, judging by how close he kept it to his side.
Lissa ran up to him and grabbed his hands, eliciting a very unusually high pitched noise from the man. "I never got to thank you for saving my life! So… thank you. You were very brave…"
The man cleared his throat and managed to croak out a response. "I-It is no problem at all."
Robin was now suspicious. Call her crazy, but it sounded like a-
"You saved my sisters life, stranger." Chrom walked in between the two and approached the man. "May I ask your name?"
"You may call me Marth."
"Oh? Like the legendary hero king? Well I must say, your fighting skills certainly measure up to a hero. And how did you learn your way around a sword?"
But Marth just shook his head. "I'm not here to talk about me. I'm here to deliver a warning. This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight is only a prelude of what's to come."
With that, Marth turned to leave, ignoring the confused ramblings of Lissa. But his eyes quickly shifted to Robin and Chrom… and his eyes trailed down to Robin's tail which he saw was around her waist… and his grip tightened on the sword.
'Keep walking. Just keep walking…'
Once he was out of sight, Robin folded her arms and made a face. "He's not exactly one for conversation, is he?"
"Nonetheless, with someone of his skill, I'm sure we won't be seeing the last of him." Frederick shook his head and looked behind him in a certain direction. "I however, am more concerned about the Capitol. We should get moving."
"Already did a perimeter check, Frederick." Sully gave a thumbs up. "We're clear to head on."
"Yes, it was our dear connection that made it possible." Virion declared with a hand on his chest. "The love that was in the air deferred any potential for from causing harm to our group!"
Sully groaned, and looked to Chrom, ignoring his constant ramblings. "Do we have to keep him?"
Chrom slowly turned to Robin who gave a meek shrug. "We could use an archer."
Robin had a feeling that Sully didn't like her even more now.
"Alright, what's your deal, Chrom?" Sully asked as the group were travelling to the capital. She kept her glare on Robin who was talking to Virion. Chrom didn't know what she meant by that.
"What deal?"
"With her! Why are we recruiting Plegians? You know what they're like."
"I do. Which is why I trust Robin. She's had plenty of chances to stab us in the back and yet here she is, still with us."
Sully just scowled and crossed her arms. "I don't like her."
"I'm aware of that Sully."
"What's even special about her anyway? Lissa kept talking about how strong she is."
"Oh, she's quite strong." Chrom confirmed. "In fact, she was able to punch a bandit through a wall and the house belonging to said wall collapsed on top of him."
"…Really?" Sully blinked, clearly not expecting that answer. An amused huff came out of her lips as she looked at Robin again. "Well, what do you know? Maybe there's hope for her yet. But I still don't trust her."
Chrom just sighed in return. He knew how stubborn Sully got and even he had his limits when it came to dealing with that. But back with Robin, she was busy talking to Virion who kept looking at her.
"You say you're… Plegian, yes?"
"I… think I am. At least that's where these robes belong, right?"
"Quite so." Virion nodded, looking at the symbols on her robe. "Those are definitely of Plegian origin. But what I'm wondering is how did someone like you come across this."
"What do you mean?" Robin tilted her head, confused at his wording. But Virion shook his head.
"My dear, I have travelled all around the world and seen many individuals, including Plegians. And you just don't fit the description of a Plegian. Why even your very name isn't like other names from that land."
Robin frowned deeply. While she didn't particularly care about Plegia, this identity was all she had to go off of, since she didn't have anything else. If what Virion said was true then, what was she-
'A good little monkey.'
"GHK!"
She grabbed her head and gritted her teeth, which caught Virion's attention.
"Lady Robin?"
But Robin couldn't hear him as a voice sounded in her head. One that sounded familiar.
'A filthy monkey such as yourself knows how to break things, don't you?'
Who was this person talking to her?
'Yes, you're quite good. I see you have cleansed quite a few dozen planets, so I believe you are qualified to take on this job, on my behalf. You should feel honoured. Dodoria, hand the monkey the coordinates.'
Robin fell to her knees clutching her head as an overwhelmingly hot feeling was making it unbearable to think. The rest of the Shepherds stopped immediately once they heard Virion's shout and Robin collapsing. Chrom rushed over and looked over to Lissa who was fumbling with her staff.
"Do you have an idea on what's happening?"
"I don't know! Maybe this has to do with her amnesia?"
"Here. Give her this." Frederick said, handing Chrom a canteen full of water. Chrom nodded at him but focused back on Robin who was now panting.
"Robin? Can you hear me?"
"…Yes. Yes, I can hear you Chrom."
"Good. Here, drink this. It should make you feel better."
Robin gladly took the canteen and started guzzling down more than half of it, feeling the cool liquid run down her throat as the throbbing in her head was finally subsiding. She kept staring at the ground while catching her breath before slowly looking up to see everyone staring at her and she blushed in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."
But Chrom just shook his head with a smile and held out his hand to help her stand. "You have nothing to apologise for. Hopefully once we're in town we can get you looked at and get to the bottom of all this."
"Yeah… hopefully."
"Thank the Gods that the capital was spared."
Robin almost didn't hear what Frederick said due to being more than a little overwhelmed by just how many… PEOPLE there were! She was bumping into so many passer-by's and muttering her apologies. She heard Lissa sigh with relief at this capital being spared. She had to admit though, it was a beautiful place, complete with everyone looking peaceful and happy. And it wasn't too bad so far despite her feeling like a fish flopping out of the water. She just had to-
"Look! The Exalt has come to see us!"
That caught the woman's attention as she saw everyone crowding into one area to watch someone walk past with a small group of guards keeping an eye out at every turn. But it was a woman who seemed to radiate grace as she had a warm smile while walking through the capital. She frowned in confusion and turned to Fredrick who had a warm smile on his face watching the woman wave to the bystanders.
"The Exalt is your ruler, yes?"
"Yes." Frederick nodded. "Her name is Lady Emmeryn."
"But… forgive me, but isn't it a little unsafe for her to be out here?"
"Not quite. The Exalt is a symbol of peace. It is the prized quality of Ylisse. You see, long ago, at the dawn of our age, the Fell Dragon tried to destroy the world. But the first Exalt joined forces with the Divine Dragon and laid the beast low. Exalt Emmeryn reminds us all of the peace we fought for then."
"With Plegia poking at our borders, the people need her." Chrom chimed in, and Sully was about to make a snarky comment about Robin but a look from both him and Lissa made her bite her tongue.
"She's a calming presence, when others would call for war."
"I see what you mean." Robin nodded. "I feel at peace when I look at her. The Ylissean people are really lucky to have her."
"She's also the best big sister anyone could ask for!" Lissa giggled jumping up and down.
Robin let out her own laugh and nodded. "Yes I suppose she would be-"
Wait.
She said sister.
"But wouldn't…"
Gears were turning.
"You and Chrom…"
Puzzle pieces were snapping into place.
"And her…"
Frederick couldn't help but laugh at Robin frenetically looking to Chrom, Lissa and Emmeryn who was walking away. "The Prince and Princess of the realm, yes. You remember Chrom's name and not this?"
"…"
"Robin?"
"…YOU ARE ROYALTY?!" She screamed turning to a startled Chrom and Lissa who looked at one another.
"Yep! I suppose we are."
"…Oh Gods, what have I gotten myself into…?"
We're getting even more into the story now. Like I said, this is a side project which I feel the shorter chapters fit for. They'll get longer later on when we do original arcs (hint, movie villains will be here too) but this won't be as long as The Ashen Saiyan. Join us next time where Robin meets the Shepherds and… settles tensions with Sully. Catch you later!