DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.
Smoldering Resistance 1
It was an early morning when the Shepherds and company had finally arrived at Valm Harbor.
Their ships floated a few miles out at sea, just barely visible from land.
The original plan was to rush the enemy and quickly storm the town. Unfortunately, a quick scouting from their fliers revealed that the Valmese had been expecting them and had already taken measures to fortify the town in wait for the assault. Their numbers were in the few thousands.
To rush in now would be to walk into a potentially lethal trap. Robin had suggested to anchor their ships out at sea and take their time to prepare. With the enemy already lying in wait, there was no need to be hasty.
And so, the Shepherds and Feroxi Khans and commanders held a strategy meeting.
Robin, Chrom, Flavia and Basilio were seated at a table in front of everyone else.
"So how do we go about this? Is there anything we know about their forces?" asked Flavia.
Chrom started off, "We already know their strength with cavalry, but according to the recon team, they appear to have several mages, including dark knights among this time around. "
"They've also barricaded the town and dug trenches across the beach." added Basilio, leaning back into his chair.
"Judging by this roster Gaius retrieved, " Robin shuffled through a stack of papers until he came across the one he was looking for, "the troops stationed at Valm Harbor have no aerial units or archers. The roster mentions little about equipment, so assuming their mages aren't all outfitted with wind magic, we have air superiority."
"But we don't have the luxury for assumptions. The last thing we want is our fliers to be shot out of the sky out of hubris. " said Basilio.
"I agree, and that's why it's important that we clear each area out before we deploy them there. Even then, I suggest that they fly closer to the ground than usual." Robin said.
"Along with the mages and cavalry, they've got a strong armored soldier presence as well." said Flavia.
"Damn, things just keep getting better and better." Basilio said sarcastically, crossing his arms. "I suppose we can counter their armor with our own mages."
"Well let's take a break from focusing on their strengths for the moment. What of their weaknesses?" Chrom asked, shifting the discussion.
"We've got the edge in terms of numbers this time around." Flavia said.
"But it means nothing if they've already established defensive positions. They've turned the town gates into a blasted fortress." Basilio pointed out.
"How did they even know we were coming? I doubt they saw us light their fleet ablaze from here." Chrom asked with the side of his head leaning against his hand on the table.
"My guess is that some of their smaller vessels avoided the fire and made haste back." Flavia said.
"What's done is done, let's get back on topic here." Robin said. The three others nodded. "As far as weaknesses go, we have the advantage that they'll be expecting our forces to come from the sea. From the town, their attention will be aimed out towards the harbor."
"Sounds to me you've already cooked something up. " Flavia laughed.
"I've got one idea. But first, tell the other ships we're heading back out to sea."
"Back out?! Don't tell me you plan to retreat?! " Flavia joked, pretending to be shocked.
"Hah, no, we're definitely going on the offensive. But the idea won't work if they can see us. "
"Hmm, fine. Let's all take a short, and rather early break as we get the ships moving. Meet back here in 10 minutes." Chrom said as he got up from his seat.
As Robin left the room to get some air, Lucina jogged up beside him.
"So master tactician, what plan have you devised this time?"
Robin rolled his eyes, "You'll find out with the rest later. It's not much of a complete plan, but it's a start. I still need to think it over anyways." he said, continuing his walk.
"Leaving a friend out of the loop, huh?" Lucina said as she furrowed her brows, walking next to him.
'Friend'
Robin smirked at the opportunity to push her buttons a bit.
"Friend? I believe just yesterday, we were merely 'comrades'."
Lucina frowned, "You know what I meant. I apologize, I'm not really... good at all this."
"Good at what?" Robin questioned as he stopped walking.
Lucina thought as to whether or not she wanted to reveal anything personal to the man.
"Umm, making friends, that is." she said nervously after a bit.
Robin laughed. "You mean to tell me that the mighty 'Marth' can't make a few friends?"
Lucina lightly punched his arm. "Shut up, fool."
"Haha, I'm sorry, Lucina. It just sounded a bit strange to me. I mean, you get along well enough with everyone here."
"That's because I've grown up around all of them, they're practically family to me. But even then I feel as if I'm sometimes holding back."
"Surely you exaggerate. You must've had some friends."
"I have many, but it was because we had all been raised and fought together. And again, at times I felt like less of a friend and more of a leader."
"Well, what did your friends have to say about your... problem?"
"...I've been told that I could come off as a bit.. awkward when talking to others."
"I agree."
Lucina glared at him. "May I remind you that your other cheek still remains untouched." she said, referring to when she had slapped him.
"Hey, hey, I was joking, Lucina." Robin said defensively. "Well, you've got me, right?"
"Yes, but at this rate, I wonder how long that might last." she huffed.
"Okay, I get it. No more poking at your social issues."
Lucina crossed her arms. "It's not like I can help it anyhow. Years of fighting and leading others into battle has made me this way. I've always thought that if I could at the least, inspire others to fight for the cause, that would be enough. First and foremost, I was their leader"
"Heh, sounds to me you need to learn to be a little less serious." Robin shrugged.
Lucina gave him a questioning look. "Why would I need to do that? I have no time to be lazing about when there's a nightmare of a future ahead of us."
"That's not exactly what I meant. It just seems to me that you're entire being is caught up in that of the war. But what happens after?"
"After?"
"Yes, when we stop Grima. You say the future has made you this way, and I don't blame you. But that's no excuse to let the war control who you are as a person. Yes, being made of steel will be of great aid during a fight, but remaining that way even after the battle is over is the last thing you'd want. Take a look at us. We're all great out in the field, but can you really describe someone like Vaike as professional? That man has absolutely no credentials as a teacher, I remind you."
Lucina giggled softly.
"So you can laugh. There might be hope for you yet." Robin smirked
Lucina blushed.
"You've been fighting to change the future so that people can lead happy lives. Don't you think you deserve a little of that? You need to learn to be a little less formal around people. Have fun with them." Robin continued.
Lucina thought about it.
"A happy life. Remember who and what you fight for, right?" he said, referring to what she had told him.
"I suppose you're right. I shouldn't let my tragedies define me, I'm my own person."
"Remember that." Robin inwardly laughed. Not long ago, Chrom had told him similarly. Now here he was, saying the same to his friend's daughter.
"Thank you, Robin."
"Don't mention it. I mean, we are friends right?"
"Yes... we are" she smiled gently.
"Well, I suppose you want to hear about the plan then."
"That's right, if you don't mind that is."
"No, I suppose it's alright. Well first off, we have the the weather to thank. We've got some nice cloud cover going and I feel that we would be able to conceal our flier's movements with them."
"Our fliers? Did you not earlier suggest that we have them fly low to the ground?" she asked.
"Yes, I did. But this part of the plan doesn't involve them in active combat just yet. They're merely going to fly above the clouds to transport some of us to the other side of town."
"You plan to create a pincer attack?"
"More or less, but rather than an outright attack, I suggest we first utilize the element of surprise."
"You plan on taking out... key targets?" she asked thoughtfully.
"You catch on quickly. Of course, we do need to hit them hard from the rear, but if we can take out any of their commanders before they notice us, their order will collapse. After that's when we rush into battle."
"Similar to plan on the warship."
"Umm, yes." Robin tried not to let his mind dwell too much on any unpleasant thoughts. "But this time we don't have any way to sweep their forces in one shot. So even after their commander falls, the fighting will resume."
"I see" Lucina said. She thought for a second. "Who do you plan on taking with you? Err, I'm assuming you'll lead this operation. You do seem to enjoy working behind the scenes."
"Right again. I haven't thought it through yet, but along with a good amount of troops, we'll need adequate firepower. I was thinking maybe Virion, Lon'qu as well. Along with his sword, Virion's been giving him some pointers with the bow."
"They definitely suit the role. But if firepower is what you seek, might I suggest bringing my father along?"
"That would work, but if the enemy doesn't see our leader out on the field, they'll know something is up. I'm sure even Valm is aware of Chrom's knack for leading his forces into battle." Robin replied.
"...Would you hold any objections if I were to come along?" she suggested.
"Are you sure? Wouldn't you prefer to fight alongside Chrom and Sumia?"
"I would, but I feel that if I could be of aid in toppling their command, it would make the fight all the more manageable for them. I don't need to be on the frontlines all the time to be of help, you've proven that."
"Hmm, I guess I have no problems with it."
"I won't disappoint." she said reassuringly.
"But for the record, I do plan on doing some actual fighting this time around. You make it sound like I'm still hiding behind Chrom any everyone..."
"Did I? I assure you that I had not intended it that way. However, you should count yourself as lucky that I'm with you. Your swordplay still needs some work." She said with a smirk of her own.
Robin was caught off guard."What's this? So now you develop a sense of humor?"
"Think of it as the result of me being around someone so.. boorish." she said as she walked away with a smile.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Robin called to her in frustration.
This isn't exactly what he had in mind when he told her to be less formal.
After a brief intermission, they assembled back in the room and resumed discussions.
Robin had informed them of his idea.
"I see, and who would take part in this plan?" Chrom asked.
"Aside from myself and a number of Ylissean and Feroxi troops, I'll also need Virion, Lon'qu, Nowi and Gregor if they're willing."
The four nodded in acceptance from their seats.
Lucina cleared her throat, catching Robin's attention.
"Oh, and Lucina has volunteered for the excursion as well." he said.
Chrom raised an eyebrow at this daughter. "Did you, now? Hmm, I suppose she'll be of great help to your efforts."
"Indeed." Robin said.
"Well, that sounds like it might work, but what of our forces at the front?" Flavia asked.
"Unfortunately, that's still open for discussion at this point." Robin said.
The group remained silent, racking their brains for ideas.
Basilio finally spoke, " I think the first thing we need to take care of is gaining a proper foothold on the battlefield. They've dug trenches along the beach, so we should make our first move trying to overtake those positions. Those trenches would no doubt be occupied by mages trying to pick us off as we touch down on the shore, so we need a way to get rid of them."
"We can sail our ships straight onto the beach and try to cover as much distance as we can on them. We don't have to worry too much about their condition at this point since we'll be traveling the rest of Valm on foot."
"That's plausible. If we can get enough speed, we may be able to run over a few rows of those trenches." Flavia said as she thought over it.
"Precisely. From there, we hit them with our own mages and our archers onboard. As they exchange fire, we'll send some of our troops to charge into the trenches." said Chrom.
"I suggest that some of our mages make use of their wind magic. If they aim at the ground, they could start up a small sandstorm." Robin added.
"Good thinking, we can rush them as soon as they're blinded." Chrom agreed.
"Okay, now for our advancement into the town." Basilio said.
Flavia spoke, "I say we continue with that pattern. Their only source of long rage warfare is through magic, so we just need to keep taking out their mages before proceeding. But as we enter town, we're sure to come across their cavalry. That's when we deploy our armor, but we need our mages and archers close by them at all times."
"Okay, and as our forces storm the city, that's when the fliers will carry the remaining troops from the ship over. After they've landed, they assume the role of ordinary cavalry on the ground until we're sure their mages either don't possess any wind magic or are taken out ." Robin added. "As your forces clash with theirs at the front, our group will later close in on them from behind."
"Seems like a sound strategy." Flavia said. "See to it that you take care of their commander and as many mages as you can while you're still unnoticed." she finished as she looked to Robin.
Robin flipped through his stack of papers once more. "That's the plan. Okay, it says on the roster that the one commanding their forces here should be someone by the name of... Farber. It seems like he's a Dark Knight himself."
"Make sure you take him out in one shot then. He's surely on horseback and it won't take much effort for him to slip away if you miss." Chrom stated.
"We'll do our best not to give him the chance." Robin said. He got up and turned to the rest in the room. "Alright, now that we've settled on a course of action, does anyone else have anything to say before we begin?"
A Feroxi commander raised a hand. "Sir, what is the status of the people in town? "
Robin ran a hand through his, hair pulling at some strands in frustration. How could he forget? Although it was heavily occupied by Valmese troops, the town was home to thousands of civilians. "That's right. Thank you for bringing that up. With the Valmese aware of our upcoming attack, the civilians must have caught wind of it as well. I doubt they've had sufficient time to evacuate, so they're probably all holed up in their homes. I want to make it clear that we cause as little damage to the town as possible. "
"Remember, we're not brigands. We're suppose to be liberators." Chrom added in support.
Robin continued, " Exactly, it's for that reason I prohibit the use of any fire magic after we've moved on from the beach. We don't want to go around burning down any homes."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Chrom stood up to take the lead,"Anything else we might've missed?" When no answered, "Good, everyone make sure they're properly equipped. We'll begin in a half hour."
As everyone flooded out the room, Chrom went up to Robin. " Robin, be careful out there. You're headed into the middle of enemy territory with little more than a hundred men."
"I'll be sure that we act with the utmost precision. Likewise, I ask that you don't get too reckless as well. It's you guys that will take on the brunt of their forces."
Chrom nodded as he patted Robin's back. "It's a deal then. And, Robin? Make sure Lucina stays safe out there."
"While I think she's the last person among us that you need to be worried about, you have my word."
Chrom smiled, "Thanks, friend. I know I can trust her with you."
"But rather than her, you make sure that you don't go getting kicked in the head again, O'powerful Exalt" Robin smirked.
"Ugh, don't even remind me. You won't believe how long Sumia went on about that last night." Chrom groaned, hoping to forget the memory.
"That's what marriage does to you."
"Laugh now, but when the day comes that you find someone for yourself, you'll know exactly what I'm going through."
"Yeah, yeah. But until then, ignorance is bliss."
The Shepherds were gathered around on deck, arming themselves and making sure their armor was secured properly.
The troops were getting ready to raise the sails and pull up the anchor as soon as Robin's team took off.
"Our first 'true' battle against the Valmese." Frederick said offhandedly to Cherche and Kellam. " Thank Naga that we have more men on our side this time. If the rumors about the size of Walharts forces are true, we may not have such odds again. Blasted Valmese"
Cherche turned her head to the side to speak, as she secured Minerva's padding, "We just need to go about this cautiously. I trust your tactician. Your leader, Chrom, and the Khans seem capable enough as well. And I'll have you know, not everyone in Valm is exactly happy with its current state."
"...Robin will pull through. He always does." said Kellam, as he put on his bulky armor plating.
Frederick stopped for a second, " Wait.. why didn't you go with them Kellam?"
Sumia was affixing Chrom's shoulder pad. After she finished, Chrom gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
"Thanks. Stay close to me and the others, we don't want another incident like last time happening again." he said firmly.
Sumia smiled sheepishly, "Don't worry, I'll be more careful this time."
Chrom sighed, "Sometimes it feels as if all I can do is worry for you two. "
Sumia wrapped her arms around him, "She'll be fine, Lucina's a strong girl. Besides, Robin's with her. " she said nuzzling into his chest, smiling silently to herself.
Robin had just finished assembling those who'd be joining him.
"Alright, our pegasi and wyvern riders, you'll be carrying the rest of us up into high altitudes. As soon as we're above the clouds, we need to get over to the other side of Valm Harbor and land into the forestry. I'll give further orders once we've all regrouped. Let's get moving!" Robin said, scrambling the troops.
Everyone got into positions, soldiers finding an open seat among the wyverns and pegasi. Since they wouldn't be in active combat yet, each flier was able to accommodate 2 other soldiers apart from their rider.
Lon'qu and Gregor got onto two pegasi.
"Ah! Wait, this is not how I'd like to spend the rest of the trip!" Virion cried as Nowi in her dragon form grabbed him by the shoulders and hovered above the deck.
Robin chuckled at the usually composed man dangling helplessly. He looked back down to see the princess struggling to claim a spot of her own.
"Lucina! Hurry and get over here." Robin called to her.
She hurriedly got onto the seat behind him "How kind of you." she said with a hint of sarcasm
"I've got orders to babysit."
"Hmph, I should've thought as much."
"Don't worry, I told him you're more than capable. Now hold on."
She wrapped her arms around his waist as the wyvern slowly began its ascent.
It slowly gained speed as it made its way into the clouds, the other fliers close behind. They rose up through the clouds and into the sky above, their clothes slightly damp from the moistness.
As they made began making their way forward towards their destination, Lucina looked around her in wonder.
She was surrounded by an endless sky. It glowed with a vibrant blue that was absent from the drab world she had left. Beneath her a sea of clouds.
Her breath was taken away. This was why she fought. For a world like this. She fought so that people would never cease to be able see such unrivaled beauty.
She closed her eyes in content, breathing in the crisp air, her grip on Robin slowly loosening.
Her eyes snapped open when a pair of arms grabbed her. It was Robin. She apparently was leaning a little too far back. "Enjoying the view? Don't get too lost in it just yet, thing's are about to get ugly real soon." he reminded her. He felt guilty breaking her from her trance, but he knew they needed to keep their wits about them for the battle.
"I apologize." she said slightly ashamed.
"Don't be, seems like you needed it." he smiled before reverting his attention ahead of them.
Lucina smiled to herself, gratefully.
"I believe we're just above the town." the rider called back to them.
"Begin descent into the forest." Robin ordered.
Lucina once again wrapped her arms around his waist as they flew down below.
Their ranks when unnoticed by the Valmese, one by one, landing into the tree cover.
After they all dismounted, the group huddled together.
Robin walked to the center of the crowd, "Okay, we managed to get here without alerting them to our presence. Listen up, these are our objectives.."
"Sir, we're headed straight for shore. We've caught some nice wind, it should take us about 50 yards onto the beach." reported the Ylissean sailor.
"Very good. Brace yourselves, we're coming in fast!" Chrom shouted to the crew.
The fleet sailed towards the beach, slowly gaining speed.
Just like Basilio had predicted, the mages popped out from the trenches and began hammering them with various spells. Elthunders blew holes into their hull and struck all the way up through the deck. Several men, dropped to the ground. Elwinds struck the ships, slowing down their advancement.
Nearly a dozen of their ships were blown apart from the lightning.
Chrom got down on a knee, holding onto the railing. "Keep your heads down! Wait 'til their barrage is over, then I want out archers to send them back into cover! Mages, sorcerers and sages, stand by! I want the rest of you to get ready to storm the beaches at our command!" Chrom yelled over the blasts hitting their ship.
"Yes sir!"
The archers readied their bows. The mages pulled out their tomes. The troops got the ramp in place.
Chrom peeked over the railing, "Alright we're landing in, 3, 2, 1!"
*GYYSHHHGHHHHHHH*
Their ships scraped onto the sand, skidding right over 2 rows of trenches. They could hear the enemy troops scream as some were crushed beneath the warships.
The enemy's assault came to halt.
"Archers! Fire!" Chrom boomed.
The archers onboard got into lines, alternating fire every third person, allowing for a consistent stream of arrows.
The other ships followed their lead.
The Valmese quickly took cover, avoiding a majority of the arrows by the time the deadly rain had let up.
"Troops, get onto the shore and wait for our orders. Mages get your Arcfire and Elfire tomes ready! And.." As soon as Chrom spotted the enemy getting ready to retaliate, "Fire!"
The allied mages launched thousands of blasts of flame at the enemy, hundreds burnt alive. The surviving Valmese shot back with fire magic of their own, attempting to burn the ships down before they could exit.
However, Ricken, Tharja, Henry, and Mirel took the initiative and shot their Arcwinds prematurely. The rest of the Ylissean and Feroxi mages mimicked their attack.
"What are you guys doing!?" Chrom yelled, furious at the insubordination in such a critical moment.
The Shepherd mages merely flashed him a few grins.
His anger had quickly subsided as he saw the reason for them refusing to wait. Their Arcwinds had repelled the wave of fire that the enemy had set upon them, all the while blasting into the ground and kicking up a cloud of sand.
Chrom got up and patted Ricken on the back, " I take that back. Two birds with one stone, that was some fine work!" he praised.
"Leave the use of magic to us.. we're the experts.." Tharja said haughtily.
Chrom was unbothered. "Very well, you four are in charge of directing our magic division once we've secured the trenches."
Chrom looked down at the beach, the sand cloud still lingering. "Mages, keep firing at them until our men are down there. Frederick, Stahl, Sully! Lead them in now!"
"Right!" they yelled in unison.
The three quickly rallied the troops and led them off the ramps and onto the beach. The other ships followed, as the Ylissean Continental forces stormed the beaches.
The Valmese's vision was completely obscured from within the cloud. All they could make out was their fellow soldiers beside them and flames rhythmically striking the trenches.
They remained hunched down in cover until the barrage of flame had let up. As they got up, they could hear the sounds of thousands of hooves clogging across the sand.
A few Valmese mages got hold of their Elwind tomes and fired, clearing out patches of the cloud of sand. Much to their horror, as soon as it dispersed they were met with lances to their chests as the Shepherds led the charge into the trenches.
"Take them down!" Frederick ordered, the others right behind.
Frederick's and their horses had been slowed down thanks to the sand, but it meant little due to the distance their ships had already covered.
The Shepherds and troops dove into the trenches, cutting down the mages.
An Ylissean soldier slashed down another Valmese Sage, but through the cloud, he saw a large lumbering figure making its way towards him. "Armor! They've got armored units in the trenches as well!" was the soldier's last words before he was ran through by the enemy Knight. The Knight pulled his bloody lance out from the body, and took out another Ylissean soldier before he had been spotted by Cherche.
Cherche quickly glided over the sand on Minerva towards the Knight. Minerva tackled down the armored brute as Cherche leapt off and slammed her axe down on his head.
"Poor you." she said, pulling her axe out. She mounted Minerva once more then glided along the length of the trench, looking out for any surviving enemies.
After nearly 10 minutes, all trenches were cleared and occupied by the allied forces. Cordelia and Sumia flew onto the beach with the other fliers and pounced on any Valmese trying to escape back into town.
The cloud had long settled and Chrom did a quick survey of the area. His forces had taken the trenches, the only Valmese left were holding down the town. At least a hundred of their ships were set ablaze from the initial attack. It seems like some mages aboard those ships were unable to counter the Valmese's fire fast enough, leaving entire platoons lost to the inferno.
The air reeked of burnt flesh. Chrom squeezed his hand into a tight fist.
Flavia and Basilio ran up behind him.
"It was rougher than I expected... but we were able to secure this location." Flavia panted.
"Let's take a moment to regroup before advancing." Basilio said, as he smeared the blood from his axe on the sand.
Chrom nodded, " I'll leave our forces to you two and our commanders, the Shepherds are with me."
"Fine with us. I wonder if our tactician has already made it behind them." Flavia said.
"Listen up, these are our objectives," Robin began. "We take out any mages and if possible, their commander, Farber, without them knowing we're here. We need to remain unseen for the time being, so along with our Shepherds, I'm only going to take a few of our archers and swordsmen with us into town. The rest of you stay on alert. If by any chance the Valmese have discovered you, you're free to engage. If nothing's happened before then, I'll send someone over to give the order to march into town. Try to make your way towards the beach, that's where the rest of our forces are. If we pull it off, the Valmese should be right between our two fronts, leaderless. Did I make everything clear?"
The platoon cheered in confirmation.
"Good. Lon'qu, Nowi, Gregor, Virion, Lucina, you're with me."
"Right." they said, as the group of 20 marched into enemy territory.
The backside of town was deserted. The Valmese had invested most of their forces to the front to repel the invaders.
Robin and the rest quietly made their way through the alleyways, sticking to the walls.
"Robin, we've yet to spot any Valmese." Virion whispered, his bow at the ready.
"We need to get to higher ground. We can survey their forces from there." Lon'qu breathed as they silently jogged.
"Good thinking." Robin went ahead and stopped at the end of the alley, peeking his head around the corner.
The entire street was devoid of any people. The doors on the shop and homes were closed shut. He could faintly hear the clashing of steel towards the front of the town.
"Alright, we're clear. Make a straight line for th-" Robin didn't have to time to finish as he suddenly spotted someone running up the street, two Valmese soldiers on horseback in pursuit.
"Don't let that witch get away!" The Valmese soldier shouted.
A raven haired woman, clad in a furred armor vest and purplish robe struggled to get away from her pursuers. Her sprint slowed down as she limped her way towards an alley on the other side of the street.
The Valmese cavalrymen charged at her. " Damn fool. This is the fate of all who defy our emperor!" he shouted, as he brought his lance back to skewer her.
"Lon'qu! Virion!" Robin shouted
"Got it."
The two rolled out of the alley, onto the streets and drew their bows.
They each fired two successive shots, hitting both horses and riders at fatal points.
"Gyagh!" They cried as their bodies hit the stone floor.
The raven haired woman snapped around, putting her back to the wall as she pulled out her blade.
Gregor walked over to the Valmese soldiers and made sure they were dead. Lon'qu and Virion went to retrieve their arrows.
The woman's brows were furrowed, staring intensely at them for a few seconds as she panted.
They cautiously walked up to her, stopping a few yards back.
The woman, pointed the tip of her blade at them.
Lucina unsheathed her Falchion when Robin stopped her.
Robin turned to the woman, putting his hands up in front of him. "Woah, calm down. We're not the enemy." he said gently.
Her eyes widened as she lowered her blade. "Are.. are you... the Ylisseans?" she said in between breaths. Her distinct accent was unfamiliar to the group.
"That's correct. We're here to reclaim this town from the Valmese." Lucina confirmed, sliding her Falchion back into her scabbard.
The woman dropped her blade, then bent over to catch her breath. She apparently had been on the run for some time. "Thank the gods. I feared you wouldn't arrive in time."
Robin look puzzled. "Wait, you knew we were coming?"
The raven haired woman nodded. "Yes. I was sent here with a few others to spy on the Imperial dogs. We were captured. My comrades.. they were.. executed." she grimaced.
Robin gave a look of sympathy, before speaking up. "Who's we?" he asked.
The woman looked up at them. "We are the resistance movement against the conqueror, Walhart. You may call me Say'ri."
A/N: Let me begin by saying, Wow! This story has reached over 3.3K views in the week and a half since it started. I'm overjoyed with the amount of readers!
Get ready for a long A/N...
This chapter, the attack on Valm Harbor has begun. Robin and his group finally run into Say'ri. I based the structure of the enemy forces off what they were ingame during Chapter 15.
Let me make clear that sometimes when I say Ylisseans, I mean the combined forces of the Shepherds, Khans and soldiers from Ylisse and Ferox, since they're all from the 'Continent' of Ylisse. (Another thing. I just been notified that I've been spelling Ylisse incorrectly. How did I let that happen?) Kind of confusing, I know. If I mention 'allied' anything, they're the 'good guys'. I've also found it to be quite the chore adding enough detail while going back and forth between generic troops, so I'll follow a pattern in which I mention them, then shift focus to the Shepherds like I did towards the end of the invasion segment.
Another existing issue was the use of the word 'mage'. Now, Mage is the name of an actual class in the game, but also a general term for someone using magic. I tried my best to make it clear what I was saying, so I hope you weren't confused by any of it.
And yes, I'm aware I missed a nice chance for some mushy moments when the the two were up in the clouds together, but you can't really expect for Lucina to fall for him from just that, right? :P Robin's teaching Lucina how to take a load off, but unfortunately, she seems to be putting that load on him..
College started up again, so I can't really send these chapters out as fast as I could last week (Which was pretty fast). But have no fear, you can still expect frequent updates. Just not every other day like before. :P
I want to take a moment to thank all of those who've reviewed the story up to this point. I'm extremely happy with the feedback, and you've also brought up some really good points regarding the story's problems so far. I thank all of the readers and to my surprise, the story's even been included in some kind of 'Robin/Lucina' community! Cheers!
Shout out to Ventrust Westwind for helping me edit! I'll be revising earlier chapters from now on as well.
Look forward to seeing Robin and Lucina fighting side by side in the next chapter!
Til next time!