Hatred's Flame
Much to Cervantes' annoyance, Robin had yet to mention anything about peace talks. She had talked about everything else, ranging to how the weather seemed to always be temperate and inquiring about rainy periods. She asked much about the cultures of the people, inquiring about what happened to those who were conquered as opposed to those who surrendered. She asked if his favorite food was among one of the dishes prepared, or if it was out of season.
Veiled questions that related to war, Lucina reminded herself. The general tended to answer them with standard replies, always giving just enough. He seemed to straighten in his seat whenever Robin asked him a question, only to be let down and twitch his moustache when it was not about making peace.
By now, however, much of the eating had ended. Lucina had managed to share a few words with some of the representatives the general had brought, but much of the conversation was handled by her mother. To the Valmese's dismay, there had not even heard a whisper of the word 'peace', and many were beginning to become uncomfortable in their seats.
Much to their discountenance, the other representatives and Lucina were more at ease than the others. But that was because all of them knew that this was not a real peace talk. This was to gather information. Subterfuge was not her specialty, but she knew that Robin was purposely waiting for the general to boil over. At some moment, with all her dodging questions, there would be a tipping point where-
"My dear queen."
There it was.
"You have entreated us to a fine meal, but all you have done so far was ask question after question regarding Valm," Cervantes' mustache bristled. Had he any hair on his head Lucina was sure that would have done so as well. "You have brought up neither treaties nor surrender in any way, shape, or form. What is the point of this parley if you have no intention of surrendering to us?"
Robin gave a long exhale before turning sideways on her couch and reclining against the arm. "Do you recall what my letter said, Cervantes?"
"You said you would crush Valm and that I stood no chance with my position. You even had the gall to ask me to surrender! Never have I read such folly!" The general rose to his feet, his light armors clinking, and the other officers stood as well, moving to his sides.
"I don't even know why I bothered to accept your invitation. I had thought you were smarter, perhaps." Cervantes turned briefly to Lucina, glaring daggers at her. "And under any other circumstances, you servant would have been tortured."
"What is the true goal of this meeting?" he simmered.
Not even looking at him, she reached for more bread. "It is the same thing that is written in the letter. I am here to obtain your surrender."
"You've gone mad!" The general spat, but Robin paid no heed to it. "We are a million strong, and you are just a band with a tiny foothold! You will not last against the tide! This parley is over! I will see-"
Robin's hand rose to the air and she snapped her fingers.
"Kellam."
There was a sudden cry of surprise, and Lucina looked towards the Valmese commander to see the hidden knight spring into action. Clad entirely in his metal armor, he already had his spear trained at the general's neck. Any wrong movements and the commander would be finished.
The queen took her time to chew and swallow before speaking. "I won't be so crude as to purposefully spill blood here, but this parley is over when I say so, general. I'll admit that I've been unfair. It's something I'm very good at doing. All I've done is ask vague questions and you answered them brilliantly, as any educated man of war would."
The other delegates from the Shepherds began to rise, and Virion ducked behind the couch to pull out a bow, notching an arrow and training it on the enemy who attempted to get closer to their general. Looking around, Lucina saw that the Shepherds who were positioned had also begun to draw up their weaponry. Flavia tossed her a sheathed sword and she caught it before pulling the blade out and holding it at her side.
"You can surrender here, Cervantes, or you can surrender on the battlefield. One way or another, you will be defeated." Robin rose to her feet and stared the general dead in the eye. "I will be spare you the cryptics, however, and ask you a single direct question. I hope you will be willing to give me a direct answer. On our way here, we encountered two villages. They were razed by a controlled fire, with its inhabitants locked inside. The doors were nailed shut."
"Do you know who did this and why?"
Cervantes was silent for a long time. His weight shifted from foot to foot, and his gaze turned away from the queen's eyes. Much of his previous anger had turned into contemplative thought.
Finally, he spoke, "We will handle that when the time is right."
Robin's chest slowly rose and fell and she folded her arms. "So it is an internal issue, then?"
"This is not open for discussion."
"From your position here at the base of the Mila Tree," her words were slow, careful, "could you see the fires?"
Cervantes remained silent.
"… Did you do anything at all?"
"… Emperor Walhart is aware of such happenings," the general stoically said. "You need not concern yourself over them."
Robin narrowed her eyes. "So you knew… and yet did nothing."
Neither party spoke afterward. Robin waited for Cervantes to justify his actions, and yet he kept to himself. Finally, abating her stare, Robin returned to her couch.
"General, I will see you on the field tomorrow."
"So…" Lucina could see that he was being patient with his word choice – Robin had found out more than he wanted to give away. "You have given up peace for war, then?"
"Indeed. I will be at the head of my army. I'm sure you know how I prefer to wage war. Perhaps I will see you at the front as well. Release them, Kellam."
With the spear point pulled back the Valmese party began to shuffle away, a low, discontent murmuring going through the group.
"Oh, and Cervantes."
"What is it now?" Free from the spear, the anger was audible in his voice once more.
"Your army will be defeated with nary a sword stroke."
As soon as the Valmese had left the luncheon, the Shepherds carefully retreated back to the small encampment. Once everything had been brought back, Morgan set up an operations perimeter to ensure that the enemy troops made no moves at them and the others began to act with independent orders. Cordelia and Sumia were once again able to provide a sketch of the encampments, confirming the possibility that the enemy soldiers were all located on the roots, which were surrounded by deep, blue waters.
Robin was confident in their victory, and so did many of the others. However, the demeanor of the group seemed solemn. There was what appeared to be a grim determination that was prevalent over the other pre-combat emotions that tended to fill the air.
Much to Lucina's dismay, however, she found herself being quickly dragged to the healer's tent. She had told her mother that it was only a bruise, yet the woman was adamant that she at least get some treatment. Eventually she was forced to relent, and the treatment turned out to be a simple heal staff to repair the damaged skin, though it was just a bit tender when she pushed against it too hard. And while she was given her a clean bill of health, her mother was still intent about having her stay, but this time not for her health.
Still, with all her orders to give, Robin was not able to see her until later in the evening.
"Mother, it's not permanent."
"I still want to know what the hell happened out there." Robin had given up on dabbing the contents of a vulnerary across her bruise. It looked like it would be a bit longer before everything returned to normal. "Tharja's hex was supposed to prevent any bodily harm to you."
"You could say I said some rough words and he slapped me. That's it."
Her mother's chest rose and fell as she gave a heavy yawn. "Goodness, Lucina. I thought I asked you to be passive."
"To your credit, I did. I just didn't want to do it anymore." Lucina continued. "And why did you hex him?"
"Dear, Valm isn't next to the heart of dark magic development, Ylisse is," the queen huffed, collapsing onto a spare bed across from Lucina's. "They couldn't recognize a hex if Tharja flashed her tits at them."
The princess attempted to interject at such a comment, but Robin cut her off.
"Besides, a normal slap doesn't leave a purple bruise the size of a grapefruit. And what if he broke your eye patch? We don't have time to make another one, and I'm not about let that secret get out to anyone beyond the Shepherds right now."
Being scolded was strange, Lucina thought, but it wasn't something she was new to. Hearing her mother mention secrets, however, brought her back to her concern she wanted to voice. "I want to ask you something."
Her words came slowly, unsure if she was prepared to say it. Robin caught onto her change in tone and nodded for her to continue.
"Mother, I know you purposely retained the information regarding the burnt village from the main army, but why did you not tell me?"
"Ah… is that what this is about?" the queen flashed a sly smile. "I would never have tagged you for having a rebellious streak. You're still upset over that?"
"Not as much as before," her hand scrunched the sheets beneath her, and her heart beat a little faster, "but I would like to at least try and understand your motives."
"It was a prudent choice at the time," the queen said as she rolled her neck. "We had previously encountered a village that had suffered the same fate, but we didn't feel that it was necessary to conduct a full investigation until after we found the second one. That was when we notified the rest of the army of the situation. It could have been a relic from Walhart's original conquests as opposed to something more recent, after all. Furthermore, releasing that information could have had detrimental effects until we were sure that it was something we could use to further our position."
"… Prudent or not, I still don't like how I was not informed. Have I not earned your trust already?"
"And what of your own secret? Your third man?" Robin mentioned, her arms crossing her chest and fingertips curling against the cloth of her coat. "You've yet to breathe hide or hair about him, and yet you demand transparency for yourself."
"That is something different," she leaned back, squaring her shoulders. "It does not involve life threatening-"
"They are one and the same, Lucina," Her mother sharply cut her off. "I withheld information regarding the village until I was sure it was something we had to handle – something we must divert resources to from our main goal. You are not informing your own friends of what is going on between you four so as to not distract them from the more important battles."
The princess remained silent, shame creeping up the sides of her neck and cheeks. She turned her gaze away from Robin.
"Personal feelings are one thing, Lucina, but don't forget the old saying – 'all is fair in love and war'," her mother quietly chided. She glided over to her bed and she sat down next to her. "The secrets we hide can undo us if discovered at the wrong time." A gentle hand grasped her shoulder, and it was leagues different from when the soldiers took ahold of her at the camp. She relished the feel.
"You've led humans to fight against Risen, Lucina. They are unthinking beasts who wear their objective on their sleeve. I'm sure you know by now that waging a war against man is an entirely different realm. I withheld the information for very specific reasons, and I'm sorry that I had to."
"But like I said, in this space I am a tactician, and I sit that at the front of my priorities. I will try and spare time to be a mother, but you have to understand that I am responsible for not just those here. For if we are to fall on these lands, there will be no one to protect Ylisse. There will be times where I must make unpopular choices I would otherwise oppose."
"… I understand," Lucina finally said after a pause. "In that case, promise me one thing." She turned to look at Robin in the eye, removing the eye patch to see her clearly. "Unsightly or not, I do not enjoy having information withheld from me. Spare me no secrets or tricks, and in exchange I will be your right hand."
"My right hand?" Robin dragged the word out, bringing her hand back to her chin, "I don't think you understand the full scope of that. But you have potential. I've been guiding you down a very specific path ever since I met the real you. Morgan may have the strategy and knowhow, but you have the will to make choices and execute them."
Her mother stood up and began to leave the tent. "After we have won, find me if you still want that position, and you'll have yourself a deal - no more secrets between the two of us."
"And what of my orders for tomorrow? What role am I to play?"
Robin spared her a quick glance. "You've already played your part, and you did well. You should go to sleep. I know you want to see Laurent and Gerome, but I've ordered them to rest. We start at the fourth watch, and we can't afford to lose focus on the job."
She felt herself leaning forward just a tiny bit. "After all I had just asked, you would continue to withhold information from me?"
"This one…"her mother sighed and she frowned. Blearily blinking a few times, she continued to move. "Now that we've had this conversation, I think I'd rather have you watch and understand."
It was a good night for operations. The moon was out to the northwest, yet it was shrouded by heavy clouds. It created a silver backdrop against the sky behind the great tree while leaving the southern side deep in darkness. Finally, there was still enough light piercing through to illuminate the roots that they needed to see.
It would be hard for the Valmese in the north looking towards the south to see any flyers in the air. Yet since the moon was to the north, it would create a clear silhouette behind them.
Gathering in the carefully enclosed tent and using only the dimmest of lights to hide any development from the enemy, Lucina watched as Robin passed around updated orders in rolled parchments, only to assure them that they remained the roughly the same. Gerome, Cynthia, and the other flyers were the first to head out, with the masked rider leaving a lingering stare before exiting the tent.
Next to go was Laurent and Miriel. The mage had explained how he wanted to see her before the operation began, but with the mission starting in the middle of the night, rest unfortunately took priority. At most she could only nod, her mind still lingering on what Robin had shared with her in the healer's tent.
After them was Noire and Virion, and then the Khans. This left only Lady Say'ri with Robin and Lucina.
"I trust that you have nothing for me to handle for this mission?" the Chon'sin princess somberly spoke.
"The only thing I've asked of you tonight is for you to hate Walhart more than you love Naga. So far, you have done splendidly," Robin replied. "You may remain here if you wish. I understand if this is too much for you."
Leaning back in her seat, Robin idly watched as the lone candle in the tent cast long shadows across her light armors. Though she wasn't expecting to fight, her mother had put on her greaves and gauntlets and brought the Vogel with her. Lucina did not know what they were waiting for in the darkness, but she remained silent as the minutes dragged on. She herself had her own familiar armors and shield, thumbing the Falchion her on her side.
Finally, she heard it. It had started as low, far off yells, and then suddenly horns blared, coming from the north.
"It's time. Come, Lucina."
Robin rose from her seat and made her way to the tent exit, and the princess followed after. As they rounded the side of it and turned north, she could see small fires lining the Valmese camp. She felt herself reaching for her Falchion, but her mother's low voice stayed her.
"You won't be needing that."
"Are you sure?" her hand still tightened on the grip, debating on whether to trust her mother.
"Do you recall seeing the map of the tree? Do you remember seeing how many roots there were leading to the north?"
"There were three of them. But the enemy encampment is large. Are you sure we'll be able to handle them?"
A flying figure in the sky, a wyvern escorted by two pegasus knights, dropped something over the main camp. Tracing its flight path and watching it crash into a small flame, Lucina gave a surprised yell as whatever contents it held lit up the night sky in a violent conflagration.
"The enemy foolishly encamped on this mighty tree, knowing that it could be easily defended. And with only one general direction to approach it, they are correct." Robin continued to walk down the path towards the camp. Lucina saw Virion and Noire against the backdrop of fires. With a flaming arrow notched to their bows, they each shot into the dark. Tracing one of them, it landed in a black, shining puddle and tall fires shot out from it. Soon, the roots on both sides were a bright blaze and a strong wind blew north, fanning the flames as panicked shouts started to rise from the enemy camp.
"They did not expect someone to disrespect the tree's supposed holiness. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but…" the queen sounded as if she wished to say something, but in the end left the comment unfinished.
Reaching the two archers, Robin stopped in front of a brazier and Lucina stood by her side. Lucina could see that not too far from them was another wide patch of the black substance. It stretched far, perhaps hitting the half-way mark between the two camps.
"The enemy knows that time is of the essence and are desperate. They cannot afford to air-lift their troops, for they have too many. Yet they also cannot respond with a full-out air assault, for they are illuminated by the flames and many will be shot down. We also have a clear retreat path." Robin's back was against her, the light of the fires glinting off of her clenched gauntlets.
"So… What can they do?" Lucina carefully ventured.
A metallic finger extended towards the north. "The oil patch in front of us is too long – arrows will not cross the distance. They will try to push up through the remaining root on foot."
No sooner had the words left her lips did the princess see what she meant. Across the blackened ground was a column of running pikemen. They dressed lightly – none of them wore the full armors she had seen while she was at the camp
Virion had immediately shifted his aim towards the patch of oil, but Robin's hand stretched out, silently ordering him to stop. As the enemy soldiers began to race across, they began to slip and fall into the slick liquid.
Lucina could hear their cries of fear. They knew what the chemical would bring, and standing before it was a pair of archers ready to shoot. Still, one pushed forward. He fell down twice, but eventually carefully made his way to their side, where the both of them could see his face. His breath was heavy and ragged, his body coiled like he was ready to spring. The white of his eyes were bloodshot. Yet he continued.
The soldier was terrified, pushing onward either because he had no other choice or was ordered to. However, he came to a slippery halt as Robin reached forward and grasped a red ember, casually throwing it up and down in her hand.
The queen studied the man. His body shook in fear and adrenaline, the pointed spear shaking in his grip. His position did not seem too high – a mere foot soldier from the likes of it.
Whatever Robin was thinking of would remain a mystery to Lucina, for her mother brought the hot ember to her lips before throwing it back into the brazier.
"Catch."
Her leg reared behind her and swung forward like a heavy pendulum, crashing into the rim and sending a shower of fire onto the oil. The princess felt the wave of heat sear across her front and she stepped back, covering her face and turning from the blaze. The soldier let out a series of loud cries as the flames consumed him. He stood and struggled for a moment before falling into the flames, never to be seen again, and yet his voice lingered.
Lucina thought she had left these voices behind years ago.
A/N: So when I said I was thinking about this scene for the past year, I wasn't kidding. It had gone through a lot of iterations. First it was going to start in daylight. Then there was going to be a general conversation about the orders written in a way that the characters knew what was going to happen but the reader didn't. But those didn't work out, so it was eventually changed to imply that Robin gave the final orders when Lucina was away and had intended to let Lucina know, but after their conversation she decided to surprise her to show her what she meant.
I will say, though, that I've been sitting on that "hating Walhart" line for a long time, and I was really happy to finally use it.
Even then though, I was worried about this chapter. I wondered if people would think Robin had gone too far. And that's okay if you felt that way as a reader. A reviewer had stated that he didn't like how this Robin was quite manipulative. But there is some subtext behind why Robin chose to set the Mila Tree on fire, and hopefully it came across in the scenes. But in case it didn't, it was sort of done out of anger and revenge, in addition to it being a standard choice of war.
I am also concerned by how many times I used fire as a machination of war. We see it in the ocean battle (canon) and also the port invasion. So for me to use it here a third time made me hesitant. But I decided to go with it, and it will kind of be expounded upon in the next chapter. Oh, and there's also Yenfay's battle where they're on a volcano, so I suppose fire gets involved a fourth time. Dang it. So we'll be seeing a sort of 'aftermath' chapter where Lucina has to really sit down and examine what to make of all this.
Reviews!
Potatoman098: Yeah, I certainly agree in that some of the characters are purposely left a little thin to let players relate to them more easily. It does leave a lot to be desired at times, but it certainly gives us a blank slate to work with and create depth when needed. As for whether Cervantes realizes it or not, I've decided that he doesn't. You bring up a good point I didn't think much of earlier, but I suppose he sees more of Chrom's resemblance than Robin's. And since Chrom's not here, the dots don't fully connect.
Acqua Sole: While we won't be seeing Cervantes much after this, hopefully we get enough here to sate your needs. He's not a character we see much of, but hopefully I did justice to him. Also, glad it didn't feel like filler. I think I was worried that I didn't include enough progress, so it seemed like filler.
Zeltra: Though I shall say nothing regarding a LucinaxInigo ship, I can't wait to see Inigo too!... Wait, that doesn't make sense. If I'm the author, shouldn't I know when Ini-
The camp was still bustling as the day drew towards a close. The hoots of owls echoed from the treetops, and the sky burned orange in the last rays of the sun. Torches at its perimeter moved back and forth, little glowing dots in the distance that grew brighter and brighter as night fell.
Towards the west of the camp, on a small hill, a man with short dark hair knelt with his palms weighing against his thighs. Eyes closed, his chest rose and fell rhythmically, never breaking pace. He wore a long-tailed vest with one front side tucked under the other, held in place by the waist of his long pants and a thick sash over it. A second belt rested just a little below his waist, with a lightly curved sword tied around it.
It was traditional, or so he was told. The only things that seemed to clash against it were the light greaves that extended from his boots to cover his shins.
"Caw!"
His eyes creased briefly at the disturbance. With one last meted breath, he opened his eyes to see a hawk before him with a small scroll attached to its extended leg.
It was the Emperor's preferred method of message delivery.
Careful not to disturb it, the young man leaned forward and undid the cord. As soon as it was free, the bird took off and he traced its movements through the sky until it disappeared into the darkness. Looking back to the scroll, he saw that it was sealed with red wax, meaning it was designated for only one man.
Slowly rising to his feet, he began to walk back to the camp. Most soldiers that he passed either gave him a short bow or otherwise moved out of his way, giving him a clear path to the central command tent.
As he approached, the guards straightened ever so slightly, acknowledging his presence and parting to allow him to enter. Their equipment was a strange mix. The Emperor had provided heavy sets of armor, but many still preferred the traditional ribbed and scale armors, creating a concoction of foreign and familiarity for him.
Pushing aside the cloth, he entered the tent and watched as a series of candles danced briefly in the wind before settling into stillness once more. In front of him was a large table covered by a map of Valm with a man kneeling at the far side of it, his pose hiding his height. Small models and blocks dotted the landscape, indicating the known forces and the paths present in the theater. Moving to the other side and drawing close, he put one foot forward and lowered himself, bringing his knee to the ground.
"Master Yen'fay, we have news from the front."
He extended the letter before him and a middle-aged man with long silver hair gently took it from his grasp.
Undoing the wax, he opened the scroll and began to read. The young man kept his eyes down as he patiently listened for what his master might say.
A hum came from his lips. "It appears we are too late. Fort Steiger has already fallen. The Ylisseans have left a small occupying force, a diversion, and have made their way westward. We are to pursue after the main body while Lord Walhart reclaims the fort."
"And… your sister? Is she among them?" he ventured.
"It does not say." Softly sighing, he tucked the letter into his vest once again leaned over the map on the table. "Come, Inigo. We've much planning to do."
"Yes, teacher."
A/N: I feel bad that it took me almost two years to finally reintroduce Inigo to the story but he has finally arrived. Hopefully you all enjoyed the development! I guess we could kind of consider this a sort of milestone. There's still the end of Valm, and then dealing with Validar and Grima, but that will be handled in time.
I do not own Fire Emblem, and I look forward to your comments and criticism.
PS: As a bonus, this chapter's title was supposed to be "Kissed by Flames", but I felt that it was too much, so I went with something else.
PPS: Oh, and I forgot to say that Inigo has officially won the profile poll! Here are the final results:
Inigo: 17
Laurent: 10
Gerome: 5 (wow, I had thought everyone loved GeromexLucina, but I guess not)
I'll be closing the poll, but I will probably have another one up soon. Cya for now!