Howling winds slammed against everyone as they tracked through the snow cover paths. Snow pelting them every second as they marched along. Even the hardheads, Chrom and Frederick were starting to feel the effects of the weather, only Raimi seemed unfazed as they pressed on.
"How much farther is it?" Chrom asked as the wind kept blowing against them.
"We should be able to see it momentarily Prince Chrom" Raimi said, not looking back as she lead the group forward.
"Brr… if it weren't for these fur coats I'd be an icicle right now" Lissa said, the fur coat keeping her warm enough to prevent her from stuttering from the cold.
"Yeah, how are you holding up Chrom?" Sumia asked.
"Well I'm managing… how about you?" he asked back. Getting a nod of okay from her he turned back to the front, shielding his eyes a bit from the snow. A few moments later the group finally saw the castle of the Khan, standing in full glory in the middle of the snowstorm. While it didn't have the beauty of Ylisse's castle in Ylisstol it certainly stood as a perfect display of Ferox's strength as a nation. Reaching the castle shortly the group soon found themselves walking through the castle halls, furs of bears and wolves serving as much of the décor as they moved along. Eventually Raimi turned around to face them, her face matching Frederick's normal stern face.
"Pardon me prince Chrom, but would it be possible for your group to remain behind? I do not wish to bring such a huge party to meet the Khan." She asked sternly but politely.
"Of course, I understand" Chrom said, but then added "But if possible I'd like to request my sister Lissa be allowed to come, along with Frederick, and my tactician Ryan here" he requested, pointing to each one of them as he did.
"Wait why-
"I suppose I can allow that" Raimi said, nodding to his request, not paying attention to Ryan, who was a little surprised to hear Chrom ask for his presence too. "As for the rest of you, you can rest at the mess hall" she said pointing to the left hallway near them "There should be plenty of hot food and drinks there, as well as mead if you prefer."
"Oh, now that's a plan, make a path!" Vaike said, pushing past everyone as he headed down that path.
"Ugh… that imbecile" Miriel muttered.
"Yeah, minute he hears about mead he jumps for it" Sully said "Well better make sure he doesn't drink himself under the table" she said walking after him. Shortly everyone else followed after her, leaving the four remaining alone with Raimi. Seeing his chance Ryan spoke up again.
"So why do you want me to come?" he questioned to Chrom "I'm not exactly a diplomat."
"I beg to differ" Chrom said "Or have you forgotten the Longfort already?" he smirked.
"Yeah if it weren't for you we might have never gotten here" Lissa added.
"Indeed" Frederick nodded agreeing with all the statements said so far.
"If you all are ready I'd like to proceed to the throne room" Raimi requested.
"Of course, my apologizes" Chrom said as they continued down the center hall. Soon enough Raimi lead them down the hall and into a grand throne room. It was a throne certainly belonging to a warrior ruler. Two giant blades had been mounted into stones on both sides of the empty chair, a giant blue colored banner bearing Ferox's crest draped behind it too. Adding the lit torches on the far sides of the room, this room certainly carried with it a lot of authority, even without someone seated here. Turing back to face them again Raimi spoke up as the group of four took in there surroundings.
"Prince Chrom, please wait here while I summon the khan."
With that said she took her leave, exiting the room from a another passageway to the left. After she disappeared from sight everyone turned and faced one another with Ryan speaking up first "The Khan is away?" he questioned.
"Out training I'd wager. The khans of Ferox prefer battle to politics, or rather battle IS their politics" Chrom said.
"Sounds right up your alley" Ryan joked a bit, causing Lissa to laugh while Chrom just gave Ryan and her a quiet glare. "Still…" Ryan said looking up at the ceiling a bit "I wonder what this warrior ruler will look like… I can see it now, a giant man of unparalleled strength, his chest covered in hair, hehehe…" Ryan thought out loud.
However the voice that suddenly sounded out was anything but Ryan's imagination "Am I now... please do go on"
Turning around quickly towards the voice Ryan saw not a man, but a women. The women in question had pale brown skin and pale yellow hair that was wrapped into a short puffy ponytail. She was wearing a combination of blood red and white armor, with a sword sheathed to her waist, and a red arm guard across her left arm. She may not have been what Ryan had expected, but seeing the way her eyes focused on him with a predator like glare at his comment gave him little doubt she was someone in charge.
You're the… er that is to say the khan I presume?" Chrom nervously corrected himself; apparently Ryan hadn't been the only one expecting a man as the khan.
"One of them, yes, the East-Khan, my name is Flavia" the women spoke, her expression lessening up a bit into a simple smile as she faced the young prince. "I apologize for the troubles at the border, prince Chrom; you are welcomed in Regna Ferox."
"Thank you, but I'm confident we can put that misunderstanding behind us" Chrom said keeping a formal tone as he spoke "Is it true that bandits posing as Ylisseans have been ransacking your border villages?"
"Yes. Those Plegian dogs!" Flavia grunted "We found documents proving as much on one of there captains. Plegia must see some benefit in raising tensions between your kingdom and ours" she said.
Hearing her say that caused Chrom to ball up his hands a bit "Damn them!" he snapped a bit, two seconds after the words escaped his lips he grunted a bit then looked at Flavia again "Forgive me, your grace, that was… indelicately put."
Flavia let out a laugh at Chrom's words "Damn them and damn delicacy!" she cursed with a carefree expression "Here in Ferox, we appreciate plain speech, so don't hold back on my account" Flavia said.
"In that case, you should have a word with your damn border guards" Chrom spoke out, still remembering how he was almost turned into a pin cushion back there.
Hearing this Flavia another laugh escape her mouth "Now that's Feroxi diplomacy, I like you already."
As the two talked Ryan slowly whispered at Lissa "I wasn't expecting a ruler to be so… carefree."
"I like her" Lissa replied back "She seems like fun when compared to other people" she added her eyes drifting towards Frederick for a second. The knight paid no heed to her whisperings however and instead cleared his throat, turning the khan's attention to him.
"With all due respect milady, may we press on with what we came here to discuss?" he asked, Flavia's expression turning to a serious one as he did.
"Of course, I know why you all have come" Flavia started "But regrettably, I cannot provide any Feroxi troops for Ylisse" she said.
"What?! Why not?!" Lissa asked, shocked a bit by her answer.
"I lack the authority" she said simply, causing everyone's eyebrows to rise in confusion at her claim.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the khan?" Ryan asked.
"As I said, I am ONE of the khans" Flavia answered back "The East-Khan to be specific, In Ferox the khans of east and west hold a tournament every few years. The victor acquires total sovereignty over both kingdoms. As such they have the final say when it comes to forging alliances."
"And the West khan won the latest one right?" Ryan questioned.
"Exactly, so…." Flavia paused before she spoke again "My hands are tied on this, so to speak."
"Then can't we ask the west khan then?" Lissa asked.
"That would be leaving it to chance" Flavia said to the young princess "That oaf and I don't see eye to eye on subjects all the time."
"So we are to expect no aid at all?" Chrom asked with a dishearten look, his eyes looking towards the ground a bit.
"No…" Flavia trailed off a bit but then suddenly smiled "Unless you always give up so easily" she said causing Chrom to look back at her.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked.
"The next tournament is nigh, you see, and I am in need of champions." She smiled "The captain of my border guard informed me you're quite capable prince Chrom, and your shepherd's exploits have reached even Feroxi ears. Perhaps you might consider representing the East in the upcoming tournament?" she petition to him "If you win and I become ruling khan, I will grant your alliance."
"I see, mutual gain" Frederick said.
"I would have assumed Ylisseans had no place in such Feroxi traditions?" Chrom questioned, causing Flavia to let out a laugh again.
"On the contrary, the khans themselves don't fight, rather they choose champions to represent them, otherwise are land would be rife with blood feuds and dead khans, we don't involve comrades or kin for the same reason. Over time, it was decided the tournament should be fought by outsiders, although they never included foreign royalty that I know off" She said, laughing a bit more at her own humor while everyone just looked at her with odd expressions. Ceasing her laughter quickly her tone turned back to a more professional tone "Regardless it's your choice to make."
"There is no choice, East-Khan" Chrom said immediately, surprising Flavia evident by the look on her face "My people are desperate; we face not only Plegia's attacks but now the added threat of the Risen too. If fighting for you is the quickest way to an alliance, then we will take up steel" he said with a straight face.
Flavia didn't say anything for a few moments but slowly her face turned to a confident smile as she let out a few laughs "Oh, I like you Prince Chrom, I do hope you survive the tournament. Now than before I show you the arena it would be best to explain the rules." Flavia said.
"If I may Khan Flavia" Ryan said turning her attention to him "I'm new to the Shepherds, but Chrom has designated me the tactician, so if there are rules it would be best for me to look at them instead."
"A tactician huh?" Flavia questioned "Yes I do remember Raimi saying there was a tactician among you, well if that's the case you can stay with me for a bit. As for the rest of you you're free to do as you please before the tournament starts."
"Thank you Khan Flavia, when your done Ryan meet use in the mess hall" Chrom said, he Lissa and Frederick leaving with Ryan nodding to Chrom as they left.
Soon enough Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick reached the mess hall, and ultimately in time to see the competition going on right now. Right now Sully was arm wrestling with a soldier of Regna Ferox, with everyone shouting and routing for one of the two. Before they could take a single step into the room however Sully slammed the Feroxi man's arm on the table, throwing the man outta his chair too. Seeing this the crowd around them shouted out in excitement, while certain people were handing money over to others due to bets made before the contest.
Stepping into the room Stahl was the first to notice the three enter "Oh captain Chrom how did the negotiations go?" he asked.
"Well I can't say they went badly, but we do need to fulfill a request from the East khan in order to gain an alliance with Ferox" Chrom said.
"Oh really, what kind of request?" he asked, it was then he noticed Ryan was missing "Hey where is Ryan anyway… wait you're not saying-
"Of course not" Chrom said assuring his fellow shepherd "I would never treat someone like a trinket to be bought and sold, he's just with the khan right now and will be joining us soon."
"Oh of course how, silly of me" Stahl said, scratching his head outta embarrassment for even thinking that.
"So what are we doing for the khan?" a female voice suddenly spoke up. Turning to face it Chrom saw it was Sumia, a curious look on her face as she asked.
"Apparently a tournament" Lissa said "A fighting tournament."
"Yes, and for that reason we must all be ready to fight tomorrow, so where is Vaike?" Frederick asked Sumia and Stahl at the same time. Without needing to look the two of them pointed to the bar area. Looking there the prince, princess and loyal knight turned to see Vaike chugging down a mug of mead. Seeing this Frederick walked past all the jolly men and women in the mess hall, and just as Vaike went for another round Frederick yanked him outta his chair.
"No more ale Vaike, you may be needed for a battle tomorrow" Frederick explained with a smile.
"Aww come on" Vaike groaned already a tad tipsy.
From there things calmed down a bit and eventually Ryan entered the mess hall. Seeing this Chrom and Frederick rounded up the rest of the Shepherds and the group headed off to a quieter corner of the hall. When everyone gathered at the table and verified Kellam was there Ryan spoke up.
"Alright… here's what I learned about this tournament from khan Flavia" he started "Each side of Ferox will send in a team of six, the rules are simple, force all members of an opposing team to yield."
"Sounds simple enough" Chrom said.
Ryan nodded "As for regulations regarding weapons, no bows, no magic, and no mounts."
"Oh what a relief" Virion said out loud before suddenly realizing what he had said "I-I mean what a relief for are enemies, that's what I meant ha ha haaaa" he corrected himself, though no one was buying it at all.
"With those conditions three of our group are not qualified to fight... and five more will be put at a disadvantage" Frederick pointed out "This doesn't fare well for us."
"I'm aware of that" Ryan pointed out "Which is why I consider this the best team for this tournament" He began "Are group will consist of Chrom, me, Frederick, Sully, Kellam, and Vaike. That way we cover the weapon triangle at least and have a balanced team" Ryan said.
"Is that going to be enough though?" Stahl asked.
"Not likely, are opponents will probably do the same thing" Ryan replied with a stern face.
"Any idea who were the champion of the west will be?" Lissa asked with a curious look on her face.
"From what Flavia told me there's a good chance that it's going to be a man named Lon'qu, he was the champion representing the west last tournament, and his skills with the blade are no joke apparently."
"Regardless he shall be defeated by Ylisse's necessity" Chrom said with a serious tone "I trust you already have a plan of attack ready?"
Ryan nodded "Here's what I have in mind…" Ryan said slowly going over the details of his plan to rest of the group.
Meanwhile in west Ferox things were just as energetic at the caste of the west khan with Feroxi men laughing, drinking mead, and having a good time everywhere. At the far end of the mess hall sat the biggest Feroxi man of them all. The man in question was tall, bald, and brown skinned just like the east khan with an eye patch covering his left eye. He was wearing golden yellow arm and leg armor along with dark blue underclothing and a huge gold collar with a feather mane behind him. With his broad chest exposed he was definitely a better interpretation of the warrior ruler Ryan had imagined. Standing next to him was another man, garbed in blue Feroxi swordsmen attire and possessing spiky black hair. Unlike the rest of the men in the room he was stern faced with his arms crossed as he watched everyone else act like clowns.
"Hey Lon'qu!" a deep voice spoke up, turning the stern swordsman's attention to the eye patched man sitting right next to him "Come on, it's the day before the tournament, have a cup of mead and relax a bit" he said with a big grin on his face and a mug of the stuff in his hand.
"No" the swordsmen named Lon'qu said, his eyes shut as he spoke.
"Aww come on live a little" the big brown man replied back shoving the mug in his hand towards Lon'qu's face. However before the swordsmen could take any action another Feroxi man entered the room, his face carrying a serious expression.
"Khan Basilio, there's someone here to see you!" he spoke up causing everyone to shut up a bit as the big man in the chair sobered up quickly.
"Who are they and what do they want?" he questioned.
"He told me he wouldn't give his name unless the khan requested it, as for why he came here he said it's because he wishes to represent the west in the tournament tomorrow."
Upon hearing this everyone else in the room started to laugh a bit.
"Is this guy serious? Lon'qu here is to represent the west tomorrow."
"Yeah, he's probably just some poor sellsword or something, he's wasting his time." A few men cracked, not believing for an instant this person was better than Lon'qu who won the tournament last year. However the khan and the swordsmen weren't sharing the other's thoughts and after a few seconds the khan spoke up.
"Bring him in, let's see what he's got." He said having a strong hunch that this would be interesting.
The next day came quickly, and the minute the sun rose into the sky things were already getting set up for the tournament at the Feroxi arena. Soon enough it became midday and the stadium was starting to fill up with those who wished to see the fighting between the champions of the east and west. Flavia along with Chrom and his group soon arrived at the stadium, poised, and ready to fight… except for Vaike who was still a little groggy from drinking that mead yesterday, but otherwise ready for battle. Soon enough the battle group headed down to the arena floor, while the rest headed upstairs with Flavia to watch. As they got closer and closer Ryan's heartbeat started to speed up, he could already hear the crowd that had gathered and it made him nervous to say the least.
"I sure hope this works out" Ryan thought out loud.
"Your plan worked flawlessly against the Risen, I'm positive it will fair just fine here" Chrom reassured him.
"Your forgetting Chrom these are human beings, trained warriors no less, not mindless undead or brigands" Ryan countered "But still, thanks for the confidence boost" he added with a smile, his nervousness disappearing a bit.
"Don't mention it" Chrom said before turning to face the others, seeing they were ready Chrom gave the order to move out. Slowly they walked into the arena, spectators shouting out in approval as the east khans champions took the stage.
Seeing the others walking out Lissa stood up from her chair, raising her fist into the air she shouted "Go Chrom, go Ryan, kick there butts!"
"She sure is pumped" Stahl chuckled to Miriel who was reading a book right next to him.
"It's only logical, athletic events have a very stimulating effect on a young kids mind, whether it be for entertainment purposes or because of the competitive nature I can't be sure… hmmm perhaps I should conduct an experiment to find out" Miriel pondered, causing Stahl to sigh a bit seeing her going into Miriel mode.
"Hey!" Lissa said turning to face Miriel "Who are you calling a kid?!"
"My dear princess" Virion spoke "I'm sure are dear Miriel here was only complimenting your childlike innocence and youth."
"You're not really helping…" Lissa replied with a stern look.
As this was going on Sumia watched Chrom stand there in the arena with a concerned look on her face "Please be careful Chrom" She muttered to herself.
Meanwhile Flavia had just sat down too, wondering what was taking her west khan counterpart so long to get here. Her question was quickly answered when she heard footsteps coming towards her. Looking in there direction she saw it was the west khan Basilio.
"It's been a well" he said sitting down next to Flavia, who merely gave him the cold shoulder
"Agreed, not that I'm complaining" she said looking back at the arena floor.
"I heard your champion is prince Chrom of Ylisse, I wasn't expecting to see the famed shepherds here of all places." The khan admitted as he looked at the group below.
"So where's your champion?" she questioned "I didn't think Lon'qu would hold people up?"
Basilio let a smirk escape his lips "Your right, he doesn't, don't you Lon'qu?" he asked. Hearing him say that caused Flavia to turn in his direction, allowing her to see that Lon'qu was standing right next to Basilio, same stern face as always.
Putting two and two together Flavia looked at Basilio "A new champion huh… this will be interesting" she admitted, a tad excited to see this mysterious new west champion that was better than Lon'qu.
The wait was suddenly over as the west sides champions entered the arena, nothing too special, two axe fighters, two swordsmen, and a knight. However when the last man entered the light Chrom and Ryan turned wide eyed. The last of the west khan's fighters was a masked swordsman, not just any swordsmen however. It was the young man who had helped them back in the forest, during the first risen fight. It was Marth.
"That's the guy who was with us in the forest right?" Sully questioned.
"Yeah…" Frederick replied to Sully gripping his lance a tad tighter now.
"I was expecting possible changes… not this though" Ryan said to Chrom "This might throw are entire battle strategy out the window."
"Well if we have no strategy set, mind if I take him on one on one?" he petitioned "I have something I want to ask him."
"Do you think you can pull it off?" Ryan questioned.
"Think you can handle the rest?" Chrom questioned back to him and the others. Without saying Ryan gave him a nod and so did everyone else indicating there answer was yes. With that said Chrom stepped forward, towards the center of the arena. As if to answer his challenge Marth stepped forward too causing the crowd the get silent in anticipation as both groups waited for the bell to ring, signifying the start of the match.
"Marth!" Chrom said to the masked warrior standing before him "One question, before we begin?" he partition. When Marth didn't reply or give any sign of one Chrom spoke up again "Fine then… our swords can speak for us!" With that said Chrom unsheathed his Falchion and got into a combat stance.
Marth in return unsheathed his sword as well. However upon seeing it Chrom gasped in shock. Marth's sword was an exact replica of Chrom Falchion, same design and everything, which was something not possible.
"Where did you get that?" Chrom questioned as Marth remained silent "There's no way..."
As if responding to his need for answers the bell rang, the match had begun. Not a moment later Chrom charged Marth, suddenly jumping into the air a few feet away. From there he performed a spin in midair towards Marth. Seeing this Marth raised his blade, countering Chrom's attack. Pushing him back a bit Marth and Chrom proceeded to trade blows with one another, with Chrom being pushed back a bit. Whoever Marth was he was highly skilled and even faster than Chrom was. Managing to dodge and counter his blows Chrom spoke to him again "Tell me, who taught you to fight like that?!"
With that asked both jumped back and then lunged forward at the same time landing behind each other. Turning around Chrom was shocked a bit to see Marth already in the air performing the same move he had just used. Barely dodging the attack Chrom heard Marth shout out "My father!" before he turned to face Chrom again, who was sweating a bit as he raised his sword to battle Marth again.
Not missing a beat the other members of both teams charged, both sides intending for their leaders to duke it out alone. Ryan, Frederick, and Vaike on one side of the two combating leaders, and Kellam and Sully on the other. Meanwhile the west Feroxi were coming in groups of two, a sword and axe fighter working together in a pair. The knight meanwhile was staying back, acting as a third man ready to assist a pair that needed his help. Ryan was now panicking a bit as this shut down there plan of attack completely, where they split into two groups, one with three and another with two, intending to use the extra number on one side to their advantage. Ryan knew he needed to think fast before the two groups collided; otherwise it would give the west better options for attacking. Noting that the knight was far slower than the others Ryan guess the only way to turn this around was for one of them to go solo against the knight. However, he knew if he shouted out a name the enemy would be prepared for the lone charge. Hoping his teammates would understand his motives Ryan suddenly broke away from his group, and charged the knight.
"Whole that's a bit reckless" Basilio remarked.
"But smart" Lon'qu said "He immediately adjusted his battle plan to counter ours… the only question is can he hold up his part now."
"He must have a plan, he is the shepherds tactician" Flavia remarked.
Caught off guard for a second the knight had no choice but to thrust his spear at the young man. However Ryan was prepared, employing the same tactic Chrom had used before, swinging his sword at the guys lance he knocked it aside, and then with the knights balance off bashed into him, knocking him off his feet. As the knight struggled to get up Ryan pointed his sword at the knights exposed neck. Seeing his defeat the knight let go of his weapon, yielding and eliminating himself from the fight.
"Whoa, he turned that armors… armor against him" Basilio said surprised, causing Flavia to smirk at her champions drawing first blood.
Meanwhile Frederick and Vaike were dealing with there group of opponents. Seeing Ryan already win his battle made both men decide to step up there game. Frederick was fighting the axe fighter and Vaike meanwhile was fighting the swordsmen. Seeing the others opponents the two looked at each other and without a single word utter suddenly switched. Caught off guard the two fighters weren't prepared as Vaike leaped forward while Frederick charged the other one. The axe fighter raised his weapon to protect himself but Vaike's swing was too strong, the force knocking the weapon outta the man's hands and throwing him to the ground. Meanwhile Frederick using the weapon triangle to his advantage swatted the swordsmen's weapon aside and then with a swift motion jammed the butt of his lance into the man's stomach. Then with an incredible feat of strength he swung the man over his head, the swordsman hitting the ground hard, groaning in pain. Soon enough both shepherds pinned there opponents to the ground, forcing them to yield. Letting them go Frederick turned to face Vaike "Impressive feat of strength Vaike" he said to the blond fighter.
"Yeah I rule" Vaike smirked.
"Indeed… now then" Frederick said as both men turned to help Sully and Kellam. To their surprise however Sully and Kellam were already finished with their opponents, with Sully smirking at the two.
"What took ya?" she teased causing both men to give her stern looks. That quickly subsided however when they recalled there was still one opponent left. Looking towards them they could see Chrom and Marth were still in a deadlock with each other, before both jumped away from each other again. Everyone raced towards him intending to help, but a quick glance from Chrom told them to stay back, this was his fight and his fight alone. Getting the message everyone took a few steps back as Chrom focused on the masked swordsmen again.
"Tell me, who is your father?" Chrom asked suddenly to the swordsmen.
"I've said enough for one day sir."
"Hmph, is that how it is? Lissa owes you her life, and for that you have my gratitude, but within these walls, I represent the East-Khan and the interests of Ylisse. I can't promise to stay my blade, but I vow not to shame you."
"Heh, never expected such youthful arrogance… we shall see who shames who!"
With that the two charged each other again, blades clashing against each other with every swing. Having gotten used to his speed Chrom was now able to go toe to toe against Marth pretty much equally. In fact he was even gaining a slight edge over Marth with his slightly superior strength, pushing the young man back a bit. Eventually Marth was forced to jump back again to avoid stumbling, but that was all the chance Chrom needed. Charging forward he caught Marth just as his feet touched the ground, swinging his sword upward he knocked the blade outta his hands and brought his sword to Marth's throat. Seeing he was bested the masked swordsmen's arms went slack as he said quietly "I yield."
With those words spoken the crowd in the stands went nuts, never had they seen a fight that intense, much less a total victory for one side before. Even the other Shepherds were shouting there congratulations at their teammates victory.
Flavia herself was also clapping with joy, seeing her champions win. Leaving her seat to go congratulate there success Basilio was left alone with his right hand man. Despite the fact he had lost the tournament and his sovereignty over the nation as a whole he still had a slight smile on his face.
"That was quite the battle eh Lon'qu?" he asked the Feroxi swordsman "That Prince Chrom and that masked boy were especially amazing…"
"There the same"
"Huh?" Basilio looked at Lon'qu confused.
"There sword style… it's the same… both of them were using the Ylissian houses style of swordplay."
"I see… yeah your right, I was enjoying the fight so much I didn't notice… but how could he have learned it?" the west khan question.
"I can't say… there's much about that boy that we don't know" Lon'qu said, watching as Marth reclaimed his sword and retreated out of the arena.
About an hour later the arena was empty, the only people standing in it were the east khan, Chrom, Ryan, Lissa, and Frederick as the rest of the shepherds had gone back to the castle.
"That was well fought!" Flavia smiled "You have my respect, and perhaps more to the point you have your alliance. I will provide Ylisse with the soldiers she needs."
Hearing her say that caused everyone except Frederick to smile with joy at the news, Lissa giving Ryan a high five while Chrom nodded his head "Thank you East-Khan."
Flavia laughed "I should thank you! It feels like ages since I've held full power. Come, my new friends, tonight, we celebrate!" she declared leaving the arena floor in a hurry. Before anyone could follow her however another pair of footsteps caught there attention. Turning around they saw the West-Khan standing right behind them, a serious look on his face.
"Any excuse for a party and Flavia jumps on it."
"I'm sorry, have we met?" Chrom questioned, having not seen his face before.
"I'm the West-Khan you so rudely removed from power, names Basilio" Basilio spoke seriously, but his expression lightened up as he looked at the young prince "Your pretty handy with a sword boy. I thought for sure I'd picked the stronger man."
Knowing he was referring to Marth Chrom spoke up "What do you know about him?"
"You mean that "Marth"? Bah! He's just some sellsword with delusions of grandeur. All I know is that he turned up last night and knocked my old champion flat. It was love at first sight, and I'm generally too old for such things! Baha" Basilio laughed with a big smile "Anyway, he's gone, up and fled the moment the tournament ended."
"I see" Chrom said, a tad disappointed to hear that.
"He's so dark and mysterious *siiigh*" Lissa sighed a bit.
"Sounds like Marth's got at least one fan" Ryan commented, causing Lissa to look at him with a smile.
"Well, I mean c'mon… he IS sort of dreamy, isn't he?"
"And YOU'RE sort of dreaming!" Chrom remarked causing the young princess to let out a laugh.
"Lighten up, Big Brother, I was just kidding. Yowch!" She said back.
Clearing his throat Frederick spoke up "Milord? Milady? If this fascinating discussion is over, we best return home. The exalt will want news of our new alliance immediately."
"Right as always Frederick" Chrom replied back with a smile, the group turning around to leave.
"Hold, boy" Basilio suddenly said, making the group turn back around "Before you go, I have a little present for you." With that he raised his hand and Lon'qu entered the room, his face still the same frown as always. "This is my former champion Lon'qu, not much for talking, mind you, but he's peerless with a sword. As good as Marth, in my mind. To be honest I can't figure out how Marth bested him so quickly" Basilio said looking at Lon'qu, who just looked away in silence.
"Marth beat him? But he looks so big and strong…" Lissa said taking a few steps forward towards him. Seeing her get close Lon'qu suddenly took a few steps back.
"Away women!" he shouted loudly, shocking the young cleric for a few seconds.
"Hey! W-what did I say?!" Lissa said, her shock turning to anger at his reaction. Seeing this Basilio started to laugh hard, throwing his head back as he did.
"Let's just say that ladies tend to put Lon'qu on edge" he said, ceasing his laughter "Nonetheless, he is capable, perhaps he even has the makings of a khan. Consider him West Ferox's contribution to the Ylissean cause."
"You certain about this?" Chrom asked Basilio
"Yes, yes. He's your man now."
"And Lon'qu?" Chrom asked "You have no objections?"
"He gives orders, I stab people. I think are roles are clear." Lon'qu spoke with his eyes closed.
"All right" Chrom smiled "Welcome aboard" he said though Lon'qu said nothing in return.
Meanwhile a distance away from Arena Ferox Marth slowly walked through the snow covered forest, a hand over his sword hilt as he trudged on. Looking up into the sky he let a sigh escape his lips as he thought about the fight with Chrom, and the tactician Ryan who had proven himself capable of adapting quickly even in the heat of battle. Ceasing his thoughts of them he slowly walked forward, his walking taking on a bit more of a feminine grace then earlier.
Chapter 4 of the game, chapter 8 of this fanfiction, hope it was worth the long intermission :)