Fort Steiger. Even though they had snuck in in order to battle Walhart's forces, Robin couldn't help but admire the architecture. Every wall had some kind of detail in it, whether it be via engraving or banner depicting Walhart's symbol, the place was, in a way, quite astounding. Intricately carved pillars spotted the enormous room, each with a jewel embedded in the top; the decor could rival that of the Ylissean palace, and the walls practically screamed fancy. The only thing marring the spectacle before them was the enemy soldiers scattered throughout. Unfortunately, the elegant walls and decorations obscured enemy positions, making it nearly impossible for Robin to instantly devise a strategy. They would have to scout and fight at the same time; something that went against every fibre of his tactical being.

"We can do this, Robin." Chrom smiled at the clearly distraught tactician. "We have to." Robin nodded. The group of Shepherds moved forward, slowly advancing on the unsuspecting forces. Just as they were about to reach the enemy lines, magical runes displayed themselves before Robin, seemingly teleporting a man with possibly the biggest mouth anyone had ever seen.

"Well, well." The man practically cackled at the Shepherds, enormous teeth bared in a weasley grin. "This is the famous tactician? Rather, this WAS!"

"Who are you?" Robin drew his sword and pointed it at the man.

"I am Excellus, and I am extremely busy. I'm sure Pheros can take care of you in my stead. If you'll excuse me, I have a world to conquer!" He gave a raucous laugh before teleporting away, leaving the small band of warriors both fearful and confused.

"Okay…" Lissa was the first one to speak. "That was weird."

"At least he knew me. I must be quite the superstar." Robin gave a cheeky wink at his wife, to which she responded with a raspberry. "Distractions aside, let's get moving. Everyone pair up and move out; they must know we're here already." The response he got was the clank of armour and the swish of weapons being drawn. Lissa sauntered up beside him, pulling a tome out of her dress and beaming at Robin. Morgan and Owain appeared on the other side, Owain flailing his hand around and Morgan bouncing on the spot. Beside them was Link, shield at the ready and… Lucina? At least she can stand to be beside him, Robin thought, looking back to the forces before them. They were scattered about, guarding however much of the fort they could, staring the Shepherds down. Right away, Robin noticed something particularly strange: they weren't moving. Walhart's forces were standing back, smiles plastered on their faces.

"What are they doing?" Chrom called from the back of Sumia's pegasus.

"Not sure." Robin yelled back. "Be careful; they're up to something." He motioned for the Shepherds to move forward, and they charged.

"My sword hand hungers!" Owain and Morgan rushed ahead of the pack, eager to start the fight. As they approached, Robin saw something: one of the pillars moved. The gem that was atop it lit up, and began to turn towards his future children. He heard a noise from beside him, and glanced over to see Link outstretching his arm, trying to warn the oblivious kids. Robin looked back again to see that the pillar had rotated towards Morgan and Owain, and the gem was beginning to glow brighter.

"Look out!" Robin managed to call to them just in time, making them jump to the side as a beam of energy erupted from the gem right where they were standing. It began to follow them, burning the once-pretty brick floor in its wake. They quickly moved back, out of its apparent range. The pillar stopped its onslaught of energy and began to only rotate in place, accompanied by the maniacal laughter of Walhart's forces.

"What is this foul witchery? It is preventing my sword hand from calming its unbridled fury!"

"I don't know, big bro, but it is not cool! Hey, that rhymed!"

"Pat yourself on the back later, Morgan. Right now, we need to focus on taking the fort." Robin scanned the immediate area, looking for any way around. He spied two small openings, one on each side, that could serve as their route. "Lucina, Link; you two take that passage to the right. Lissa and I will take the right. We have to go and take out those pillars!" Instantly, the soldiers on the other side of the room moved forward, having heard his plan. "Great. Everyone else! Take out those soldiers! Don't get close to the pillars until we've dealt with them!" He heard the Shepherds charge forward as he and Lissa moved down the small hallway. Robin poked his head around the corner, just in time for a laser to shoot past. His head shot back behind the wall, and his hand shot out to stop Lissa. "It's right there, practically looking at us."

"Well then, what do we do?"

"We could try-" He was cut off by a scream from the other side. Robin managed to get a view of where it came from, and saw Lucina on the ground, having been tripped by something. The pillar on her side was turning towards her, and she was struggling to get up. The gem was now pointed at her, glowing brighter. She let out a gasp and closed her eyes, ready for the inevitable searing pain as the sound of energy came at her. And she waited. And waited. Lucina slowly opened her eyes, only to see a green figure standing between her and the laser. She let out another small gasp. Link was standing in front of her, his shield taking the onslaught of energy that was trying to fry her to a crisp. He turned back and looked at her, face illuminated by the light of the intense beam, and gave a strained smile. She stood up as fast as she could, and scurried around the corner. Still shielding himself from the beam, Link reached into his pocket once more and pulled out… a bow?! "Gods, how many things can he fit in one pouch?!"

"What? What is it? I can't see!" Lissa was pulling on Robin, trying to get a view of what was happening without getting her head lasered off.

"Link just pulled a bow out of his pouch! And now he's… going back behind the corner?"

"What? Awww, I didn't get to see anything!"

"You'll get your chance, I'm sure." Robin looked back across the room and saw Link's bow peeking out from behind the corner. It was just waiting there, simply watching the pillar turn. Then, without warning, it shot at the pillar, the sound of a shattering gem following. The pillar slowed, eventually stopping and settling in place, the space the red gem once occupied now devoid of any colour. Link and Lucina stepped out from behind the pillar, a look of disbelief on Lucina's face, and a look of contentment on Link's. Why didn't I think of that? Apparently, someone else had the same idea.

"Hey! I want to do the heroics!" A blue-haired girl on a pegasus came dashing down the hallway, straight towards the still-active pillar. Her lance slammed into the gem at full force, making a deafening sound resonate throughout the fort. "Cynthia saves the day!"

"Cynthia! Get away!"

"Huh?" Robin's call came too late. A beam of energy collided with Cynthia's shoulder, knocking her off the pegasus. The only sounds that followed were the thump as she hit the floor, along with the clanging of her shattered lance. The gem began to glow once more, aimed at the girl lying prone on the floor. Another arrow shot through the air, destroying the crystalline object. Robin looked over to see Link lowering his bow once more.

"Lissa, come on! Cynthia's hurt!" They rushed over to the bluenette, who was gripping her shoulder.

"Hi, Uncle Robin; Aunt Lissa."

"What were you thinking?! You could have died!" Lissa pulled out her staff and began to heal Cynthia's shoulder.

"I wanted to be the hero… Like you guys."

"You can't be a very good hero if you get yourself killed."

"Heh… makes sense."

"Aaaannndd done! Your shoulder's all better! Don't you dare go doing anything reckless again!"

"Okay, Aunt Lissa."

"Sorry, Cynthia, but you're going to have to go to the back. Without your pegasus, you aren't as good." A heavy sigh came from the girl in question.

"Okay…" Robin watched her dejectedly walk off to fight alongside her cousins.

The battle continued on fiercely. The pillars were scattered throughout the fortress, forcing Link to practically dance from one side of it to the other. Shattered crystals and stone-cold machines were the only things left after the battle was ended and Pheros defeated.

"Say'ri!" Chrom and Robin rushed over to the swordmaster, who was retrieving her sword from its last victim. "The rebels have infiltrated the fort! We've won!"

"Aye, it seems that, despite the strange odds, we have carried the day." Just then, they heard something coming towards them. The trio turned and found Stahl galloping their way, a look of utter terror on his face.

"Guys, the rebels have switched to Walhart's side!"

"What?! No!"

"I don't want to believe it either, but it's true! Chrom, we have to leave!"

"Blast it! Robin, do you agree?"

"Yeah, I do. We're exhausted; definitely not ready for another fight. Plus, I don't want us harming anyone we don't have to."

"Alright. Shepherds! Let's go!" The small band of warriors left the fortress as quickly as they could. Despite whatever small success they may have had, they had lost the day. But the war? Well, that wasn't over yet.

A/N: I'm just gonna say it: sorry. This is a very mediocre chapter, mainly because I couldn't think of anything too interesting to do in the fort. I guess Beamos will have to do. I still did it because, if you hadn't realized, I want to go through the story chapters. So, please review or PM with any questions, concerns or suggestions. Help is always appreciated!