UCAS is now the bane of my existence (I don't know if that's a thing in america, but we across the pond need to spend fifty hours filling out a giant-ass form so we can apply to uni). I finished everything, but apparently my personal statement is 'too chatty', so that's going to take another ten hours to sort out (I really can't write about myself, so it take far too long for its length).

Anyway, thanks for reading my rant there, but you're here to read the second chapter of 'The Failsafe'. like this one, because I'm introducing a concept that's going to pop back up in all subsequent chapters (you'll know what it is when you see it).

One last thing, then I'll leave you to read: don't hesitate to review this. Even if it's a tiny little thing you (dis)like, let me know. The whole reason I'm here is to learn what I do well and what needs improving, so please, if you're on the fence as to whether to write a review or not, DO.

Chapter 2: Two Falchions

Laurent had been following the signal since it had first shown up. He had been in Ylisstol and had hoped his target would make her way straight to the meeting point, but she had instead bypassed the city entirely and had found her way into the territory of Regna Ferox's West Khan, Basilio. Laurent had followed and was now desperately trying to close the last few metres between them. The staff glowed around the edge, pointing the way.

At last, he caught sight of her across the market, making her way towards the Khan's home. He ran to catch her, occasionally slamming into some innocent bystander.

'Lucina! I say, Lucina!' She turned just as he caught up to her.

'Laurent? Is that you? You look at least three years older.'

'Three years, precisely. I fear I was rather impetuous in my exit from our time and ended up here far before anyone else. I made my way to Ylisstol as soon as I was able, but once I discovered the date, I quite regretted the decision. Regardless, I must ask why you are here.'

'Three years on your own waiting for us? Gods, I'm so sorry; we should have gone through together.' She looked around, looking for something to kick.

'Oh, it's no-one's fault but my own. Besides, I'm a grown man now; I've been developing my magical abilities for the majority of the time.'

Lucina laughed. 'I can scarce imagine how powerful you are now. Is there anything you even needed to improve?'

'I would draw your attention to the time we found a Valflamme tome.'

Lucina gasped at the memory. 'Oh, gods; those poor sheep.'

'Cattle aside, why are you in Regna Ferox with mere days until Emmeryn's assassination?'

'I would ask the same of you. You said you've been in Ylisstol for three years.'

'I was following you.' Laurent raised the staff. 'I took the liberty of applying a magical trace to you before we left.'

'Nothing flammable, I hope. And where did you get that staff from?'

'It ought to peter out in a few days' time. I borrowed the head from Brady in order to apply the trace and bought the staff itself in the city. Are you going to grace my enquiry with an answer?'

'I've been considering fighting for the West Khan in the upcoming tournament. If we change as much of Plegia's history as possible, we stand more of a chance when it comes to stopping Grima.'

'But Chrom fights for East Khan Flavia and wins Feroxi troops to Ylisse's cause, which allows victory in the upcoming war with Plegia. Is that not the good part of our saga?'

'If Ferox doesn't commit troops, even my father wouldn't risk war with Plegia. Gangrel will remain on the throne and Plegia is sent further into the self-destructive spiral it has already begun. If we're lucky, the Grimleal never get a proper foothold in the Plegian royal house and adding in any other changes we can make, it could well be enough to stop Grima.'

'A bold strategy, milady. I know of a few historians who would agree with you, but it could result in Ylisse losing the war and that could make matters much worse.'

'Ylisse has enough soldiers to hold off any offences Plegia makes, especially with the twelve of us added in.'

'Alright, let's say this is a good idea – and I'm still not wholly convinced – it does involve you defeating your father in a swordfight.'

'True, I was never able to best him in our time, but I'm hoping that the experience loss will help me with that and now with you by my side, I stand a much better chance.'

'Me? I may be able to set fire to him from afar, but as soon as your father closes the gap, he could very well kill me in a single stroke.'

'Terms of the tournament are one champion, five aides and until the enemy are dead or surrendering. Plus, I'll keep his attention off of you; so long as the other four aides can hold off his five, we have a very realistic chance of succeeding.'

'And how do you plan on becoming Basilio's appointed champion?'

'Would you stop trying to tear my plan apart? That's where I'm going now. If I defeat the current champion-'

'And knowing the Khan's proclivity for strength, he may well enter you instead.' Laurent finished.

'Exactly.'

The pair had now arrived at the Khan's home. Two Feroxi guards blocked the stairway entrance.

'And just what are you two doing here?' one of them asked, his speech and stature clearly defining him as the senior officer.

'We have business with Khan Basilio. He isn't expecting us.'

'Sure… everyone's got business with Basilio. "Oh, please can't I be in the tournament? I've got a wife and kids that need feeding."'

'I'm going to stop you before you waste any more of my time. If you don't think I'm champion material, throw a fight my way. Two on two. I'll even hold one hand behind my back to give you a chance.'

Laurent looked horrified at the prospect. 'I'm sorry, two on two? I certainly hope I'm not this second man you're referring to.'

'Man up, Laurent. You know we're better than a pair of Feroxi guards.' The guards themselves were unfazed by the taunt.

'It's not a matter of bravery; I just don't see why you people have to solve every dispute with blade rather than tongue.'

The Ferox captain interjected. 'Here in Regna Ferox, actions speak an awful lot louder than words. We accept your premise; two on two. If you win, you get to meet Basilio.'

The three drew their weapons.

'Now hold on, we're fighting here?'

In response, the younger guard swung his axe at Laurent, who ducked enough to avoid a decapitation, but his hat was knocked off, landing a few feet away on the dusty stairs. Laurent flicked his wrists, whipping the air in front of him to blow the guard back into the building.

The captain and Lucina were locked in a sword duel, but Lucina was much more relaxed and it soon became obvious she would be the victor. A few seconds later, the captain was on his back with Falchion's tip at his neck.

The younger guard ran out of the building, holding his axe in both hands, but Laurent's now flaming arms made him hesitate enough for the mage to floor him. The captain got off the floor, looking both humiliated for himself and disappointed in his protégé.

'It looks like you get to meet the Khan after all.' He motioned at the building's interior. 'Go ahead.'

Lucina sheathed Falchion as Laurent extinguished his arms. He picked up his hat then followed his friend inside, brushing off dust as he went.

Torches lined the way deeper into the building, throwing shadows bizarrely about the arrogantly long hallway. The next room was darker still, only lit by the two torches at the door they had come through.

The pair's eyes had not yet adjusted to the light changes when the Khan's booming voice resounded through the room, shocking Laurent into hitting his head on one of the torches, sending a cloud of sparks into the air.

'So you're the ones who think they can make it into the tournament?'

'To be quite honest, it's more he-' A swift elbow to the stomach shut Laurent up. 'Excuse me?'

Lucina whispered an explanation. 'Refer to me as male; that's what people here think. Better disguise.'

'I'm sorry?' Laurent asked incredulously at full volume. 'That works?'

'Probably should have warned you earlier. Just let me do the talking.'

'Anything I should know?' Basilio had been walking towards the pair, an unlit torch in hand, and now he stopped close enough to be visible.

'Nothing that would change your opinion on the matter at hand.' Lucina's eyes followed the Khan as he went about the room, using the fire from one of the first torches to light others dotted along the walls.

As each was lit, it became more obvious that the room was actually designed for holding matches, most likely for the very purpose it was about to be used for. In the centre was a square arena, raised about one foot above the rest of the floor, with a few steps leading up to it on each side. Opposite the entrance were five plain stone chairs, presumably for various judges.

'Well, no point dragging this out; may as well get the show on the road.' Basilio smiled warmly, yet clearly excited at the promise of a fight.

As he walked past a door to the right of the chairs, he placed the torch in an empty slot and banged a large fist twice on the door before making his way to the centre seat. Three more men and a woman, obviously veterans of battle, entered through the door and filled the remaining chairs.

Finally, a black-haired man, younger than the judges, entered carrying two training swords and dressed in blue clothes specially tailored to allow maximum freedom of movement in battle.

'We assumed from your fight outside that you would like a sword.' Basilio had spoken normally, but from where he sat, the echo magnified his volume.

Lucina handed Falchion and its sheath to Laurent, who looked uneasy being trusted with the holy blade.

The current champion handed one of the swords to Lucina, who nodded gratefully as she took it.

'Might I ask your name?' The man spoke with a gruff voice.

'Though it is not my true name, I go by Marth. What may I call you?'

He twitched at hearing Lucina's voice. 'Lon'qu.'

'Lon'qu?' Lucina looked quizzically at Laurent, who could only guess at the expression behind the princess' mask but appeared equally confused.

'Is there an issue?' Basilio queried.

Lucina hesitated, looking again at Laurent, who looked about to demand her abdication from the duel, before answering. 'No. It's just that I've heard that name before. I no longer harbour any doubts that you will be a worthy adversary.'

Lon'qu grunted an acknowledgement and the two readied themselves for the ensuing clash. Lon'qu moved fast, striking with a speed and precision the likes of which would've had Laurent dead in seconds, but Lucina recognised the same techniques she saw in Severa's fighting and was able to fend off the myrmidon long enough to spy a weakness.

The ways of the sword were obviously well-known to him, but the way he linked his attacks together seemed to expect and perhaps even rely on Lucina parrying them. He would throw his attacks in such a way that Lucina would be easily able to defend herself, instantly taking the impulse from the clash into his next attack. Every so often, he would instead make for an opening created by the parry and Lucina was starting to have difficulty anticipating the shift in his aim.

With each blow, she edged slightly further from Lon'qu, until she was perfectly positioned to go against her natural reaction and sidestep a downward slice. Lon'qu realised too late and was unbalanced by the loss of an opposing force. Lucina kicked his sword hand so as to remove the chance of recovery and brought her own blade to the man's neck.

The pair froze in place for a few seconds before Basilio began applauding vehemently.

'Ha har! That was one amazing match, laddie! I like your style; where are you from, anyways? I've not seen a fighting style like that from this continent before.'

'I'm from Ylisse, but I'm mostly self-trained. It was getting harder to find worthy opponents, so I decided to come here.'

Basilio was impressed by her story and began discussing the match with the other judges. Lon'qu offered a hand to Lucina, which she happily shook.

'I had not heard wrong about you, sir. You fight with an interesting tactic, using your opponent's blocks like that.'

'So you had noticed. It is a method which can end fights swiftly, but if not, it becomes predictable. Many a warrior has had a much harder time than you realising.'

Basilio returned his attentions to the pair. 'Lon'qu, you are dismissed. Looks like you've got some training to do. Marth, you're in. You get paid after the tournament, but you get paid more if you win. Have you heard who you'll be fighting?'

'Prince Chrom of Ylisse. I'll admit, I'm unsure as to how it will go.

'He's certainly someone you don't want to underestimate. Well, I'm sure you want to get started on preparation. Do you already know the time details for the tournament?'

'Don't worry; I've read up extensively on the current times and rules.'

'Then, please, take your leave. I'll have someone contact you if anything comes up.'

Lucina bowed her head and exited the hall, retrieving Falchion from Laurent on her way.

'Did you know Severa's father was Basilio's champion? I hadn't read as such in any of my mother's or father's notes. Admittedly, both were rather limited after the Risen attack.'

'I had no idea. I also can't guess what effect his displacement will have on the Shepherds.'

'Hmm. I apologise for my continual contention, but are you absolutely certain of this course of action?'

Lucina took a few seconds to answer. 'Yes. Stop Grima; any collateral is acceptable.'

'Ah, the prime directive, of course.'

'We have to think of only that. Otherwise, we spend time thinking over decisions rather than acting on them. We can give no quarter.'

Laurent nodded his silent approval as the duo left the Khan's home.

'Wait, wait, wait. Do we know this thing exists, or have you just read it somewhere?' Severa was being difficult as always.

'Of course I can't be certain; no-one can, but if it really does exist and we can make it work… we can win this before it even begins.'

Lucina looked around at the faces of the other children. They had all put their lives in her hands and so far she'd been able to keep them safe, but now the Risen had taken every human settlement and if reports were to be believed (granted, they couldn't always), they were quickly making their way towards the makeshift camp that comprised of the last remaining humans, and that meant she could no longer pretend to guarantee safety.

'Even if it is not true, what other option is there?' Gerome backed the princess' idea. 'We fight, we die. We wait, we die. We run, they chase us and we die.'

Brady knocked his staff on the ground approvingly. 'I, for one, don't fancy those odds. I'm gonna give this Failsafe thing-a-mie the benefit o' the doubt.'

Ever the voice of logic, Laurent piped up. 'Then we shall need three things: a plan to reach and activate the Failsafe, a plan for once we return to that time, and a set of rules determining how much we can interfere with history. I would suggest also issuing a prime directive: the one rule we can never abandon, under any circumstance.'

'Don't let innocents get hurt?' Cynthia suggested.

'It would be a shame for any lovely ladies to come to harm.' Inigo agreed.

'No.' Gerome countered. 'If any action of ours, or lack thereof, no matter how noble, allows Grima's resurrection, it is unforgiveable. Our prime directive should be that Grima must be stopped. Nothing we do should hinder that. If we must allow innocents to die, so be it. If we must kill innocents, so be it. If we must kill one another… so be it.'

Laurent nodded in agreement, but many looked to Lucina, either waiting for her judgement, or for her to dispute Gerome's idea.

'Gerome is right.'

Some of the group shouted their opposition to the idea; others hit weapons, the ground or the table they were gathered around to reinforce their opinion. Gerome turned to Minerva and gave her a small signal.

The beast let out a short but powerful roar, accompanied by a puff of flame, sending Cynthia's pegasus into a short flurry of panic. The arguing children silenced themselves, allowing Lucina to continue.

'It's not likely that any of this will happen, but if it did, and we refused, allowing Grima to return, we end up like this again: all of humanity on the brink of extinction. We can't allow it to happen again. We stop Grima.'

The arena was nearly fifteen metres across, plenty of room for multiple small fights, but small enough that one wouldn't spend half the day getting to their opponent. Neither Laurent nor Lucina had ever fought with an audience which wasn't comprised of two or three people who had recently been attacked by Risen, but the thought wasn't particularly disturbing. Actually much worse was the potential distraction caused by random noises going off whenever the fancy took one of the onlookers.

Lucina stood at the exact antinode of the arena to her father's position, Laurent to her left and an axeman and armoured knight to either side of the pair.

'This is it. I wonder who he'll bring out with him.'

'My mother or Ricken will likely be here as a balance against the larger number of hard-weapon users in the Shepherds. I daresay Rob… my father will make an appearance.' Lucina passed a concerned glance at Laurent. 'He can't very well make use of his tactical thinking without knowing our set-up first. The other three could be any of Kellam, Sully, Stahl or Sumia. Improved movement capabilities and Kellam's defensive superiority would both be of benefit.'

Chrom's aides entered the arena, flanking him. Robin was talking to the group, clearly giving instruction on how to proceed once the fight commenced.

'Laurent, you're up.' Lucina prompted her own tactician.

'Simply put, we expect to be far inferior to our enemy in a straight fight. However, we have the distinct advantage of knowing we are inferior. Hence, a lower-scale version of guerrilla warfare may be applicable here. We all have throwing knives, correct? If we spend our time, instead of actually trying to mob rush Chrom, simply distracting each member of their troupe from a strategic formation, Lu…Marth and I may have the necessary time to defeat Chrom.'

One of the axemen laughed at the suggestion. 'If you think they're better'n us in a fight, you clearly never seen a Feroxi warrior. We got special training up here that you Ylissean types ain't ever gonna see in your lifetime.'

'In traditional battle, my plan would never work. However, given that our aim today is to defeat Chrom, not the entire enemy group, I believe this is our best option.'

'If we do mob rush this Chrom fella, he don't stand a chance-'

Laurent pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, a sign that Lucina knew meant he was beginning to get annoyed, a difficult feat to achieve in as few sentences as this man had.

'Do yourself a favour and look over the arena. Does it look like you'll get to Chrom before those three mounted units get to you? In addition, I can guarantee you that man in the robe is the finest tactician of this century. He could counter a mob rush instantaneously.'

Lucina interrupted the argument. 'Look at it this way; if you keep arguing, or don't follow the plan, I tell Basilio that you're the reason he doesn't remain on the full throne. I hope you like garbage scraps, because that what's you'll be eating for the next few months.'

'Fine. Throw knives and distract 'em. Let the two bigshots take all the glory. So sorry to be an inconvenience, your highnesses.'

'Thank you, L… Marth. Aim for the wings on the pegasus. I happen to know that particular rider is poorly trained for fighting on foot. The horses should scare easily if you get close to their neck or vital organs, but do be wary of the riders even on ground. The mages will be a little tougher to deal with, so I'd advise keeping an eye on their magic throughout the battle. Keep your distance and try to dodge or block the blasts. Your aim is to buy time for us two to defeat Chrom. Good luck.'

With that, the opposing sides turned to face each other. As the horn blasted to signal the start of the tournament, Laurent whispered a final instruction to Lucina.

'Hold him off for a while. I'm going to make sure they follow orders and don't get themselves killed for a minute or so.'

Lucina nodded and unsheathed Falchion, the blade shining in the light. Chrom did the same, a confused expression on his face at seeing his sword's twin.

'Where did you get that?' he called from across the battlefield.

Lucina didn't respond, despite, or perhaps due to, the pain in her heart at hearing her father's voice again. The prince's expression steeled.

'There's no way…'

He charged across the small distance between them. Lucina lowered her sword, preparing to go on the defensive. Chrom leapt into the air once he got close, savagely bringing Falchion to bear on his opponent. A swift block across her chest stopped the weapon dead and the duellers locked for a moment before sliding the divine weapons away from each other.

Lucina rounded the weapon back on her father and he returned the action. Lucina pressed forward aggressively, forcing the prince onto the defensive. Surprised by the sudden onslaught, Chrom could do nothing but retreat until regaining a proper footing.

'Tell me – who taught you to fight like that?'

They locked again, longer this time, but the hidden divine power of each blade reacted poorly to the copy within each other. Sparks flew, forcing the pair to separate. They stood several feet apart now, each steadying their swords for their next manoeuvre. Momentarily forgetting that her father would do the exact same, Lucina charged, thrusting the sword at her opponent. Chrom had perfectly mirrored the action and the swords sparked again as they sliced down the other's length.

The fighters moved straight past each other and turned as soon as possible. Lucina was faster, however, took two steps towards her father and used his own leaping attack against him. She was already in the air by the time he turned.

'My father!' she shouted through gritted teeth as Chrom leapt from his current spot, narrowly avoiding the blow. Dust plumed into the air as she turned again. The pair took some time to rest before recommencing.

Laurent had stayed at the back of the arena, sending bolts of magic to intercept his parents' attempts on the other aides when they hadn't been paying attention. At this rate, he would never get around to helping Lucina. To further compact his bad luck, Miriel had now turned her attentions to him, firing balls of fire in his direction. He was perfectly capable of deflecting or disrupting each one, but it meant that Robin was able to fire at the others unopposed. Fortunately, the other aides seemed to be getting more able at avoiding trouble.

One of the axemen had lost his axe to Sully's sword, ripping the weapon straight from his hand. He now stood behind the armoured knight, throwing both his own and the knight's knives at the pair of cavaliers attacking them. Sumia had stayed closer to the back, which allowed the other pair of Basilio's aides to close quickly on her once Miriel had started on Laurent. The pegasus was far too fast for them to actually land a hit, but Sumia's lesser fighting prowess meant that it was no large advantage.

The axeman ran at Miriel, ducking under the pegasus' hooves as it swopped in for another attack. The mage had no choice but to stop focusing on Laurent and spend her time avoiding axe swings.

Laurent knew he would never get as good a chance as this, so he sped to Lucina's side, who had just stood up from her completed leap. He launched a fireball at Chrom, who narrowly dodged the attack before renewing his own. Lucina easily intercepted, but it also meant that a clear shot at Chrom was more difficult to achieve.

He tried circling the duellers, but Chrom kept moving to keep his daughter between them. Eventually, Laurent resorted to the more difficult tactic of curving magic around Lucina, but the difference in distance was too short to both avoid her and hit him. His latest attack was barely enough to the left to save Lucina and at that time, the pair locked blades again and both swung outwards. The fireball hit the two swords, exploding on impact.

Both fighters were thrown to the ground. Lucina tried to get up quickly, but Laurent's magic was potent enough for the pain to slow her terribly. Seemingly out of nowhere, Sumia and her pegasus charged down at the swordswoman from the air. She rolled just in time to avoid the lance, it instead stabbing into the earth beneath where she had been.

As the pegasus pulled out of the dive, Sumia pulled the lance out, digging up a small hole of dirt with it. She rounded to Chrom's side as Robin and the two cavaliers joined them. Chrom and Lucina were both burned, but still standing. Laurent moved closer to Lucina's side.

There was no sign of their allies; Robin, Sully and Stahl had already been in a better position on their side of the arena and obviously sheer numbers had done the rest. Miriel had also retreated, unable to fend off the axeman before the cavaliers had helped.

'Any ideas?' Lucina asked, readying her injured swordarm.

'I'm not my father: there's no hope of an actual strategy not being horrendously countered by him.'

The princess gritted her teeth and charged recklessly at her father, Laurent looking on in horror before firing magic at Robin. Robin masterfully directed the blast with his own wind magic into Lucina's path, sending her backwards to the ground. By the time she could see through the smoke again, Chrom had Falchion pointed at her neck.

'Surrender?'

'Surrender.'

Chrom sheathed his blade before offering a hand to help the fallen swordswoman to her feet. The same horn as before blasted, signalling the end of the tournament.

'I'd expected a difficult fight, but that was beyond impressive. And tell your friend that he's not half bad either. In truth, a part of me had been looking forward to fighting you.'

Lucina stared at her father, tensing at their proximity to each other. 'The same.' she managed.

Chrom was about to speak again, but the two Khan's had descended from their respective viewing boxes. While he was distracted, Lucina took her leave, signalling for Laurent to follow her.

'Not how I'd hoped it would go.'

'It shouldn't be of any real concern; so long as we prevent Emmeryn's assassination, we will more than likely prevent the war altogether. Speaking of, we must meet with everyone else tomorrow at Ylisstol, so I would suggest we leave quickly.'

'That is exactly what we're doing now.'

'Splendid. I was just ensuring you had no further business to attend in this uncultured state of gorillas, who fail to follow even simple direction.' He pushed his glasses up again.

Lucina placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. 'Calm down. We had one problem person and we won't have to come back here for a good while.'

'I should certainly hope so.'

So there you have it. I liked writing the very beginning of the big action sequence, and I'm really happy with the end result because I've written it as closely to the actual game as I can, while trying to mould certain bits to a more writing-friendly style. Please let me know what you thought.

My writing was really badly affected by school and particularly by UCAS and all that jazz, so I don't think I'll be speeding up release anytime soon. Also, after the October 15th deadline, I'm going out to buy Wind Waker HD, both new Pokemon games, new Skullduggery Pleasant book and the new Percy Jackson book, so I won't be doing much else until November starts. Regardless, expect the next chapter in the first week of November and I hope you enjoyed it.

Have a nice day,

TRN