DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.
A/N: Moving on from last time's rage inducing chapter, I bring you this! Just a heads up, 'Naga's Voice' is potentially going to be the longest arc yet. If you include the last chapter, this arc already has 4! Coupled with the fact that they still need to organize a strategy to save Tiki, everything in between, the new material I'm going to introduce and you get a pretty lengthy arc. I'm also going to devote some time to the other characters. I won't necessarily be focusing an entire chapter on them, but I will put more of the neglected characters in this fic into the spotlight. Surprises abound! There will be a lot of stuff that doesn't happen in the game, so I hope I can keep you on your toes. If you're still reading this extremely long introductory A/N, good job, but there'll probably be even more at the end.
I command you to enjoy this chapter.
Naga's Voice 3
Robin let out a laugh. "Looks like Cordelia's chewing your mother out again. I wonder what she did this time."
Lucina rested a palm on her head and groaned. "It's been happening more and more lately. Sometimes I wonder just what goes on in mother's head. She's lucky she's adorable..."
"Ehh, I wouldn't worry too much about it. That's how the Shepherds are. There's a chain of command for chewing people out. Cordelia usually never allows room for error so she's somewhere at the top. She berates your mother, who in turns gives your father an earful. Chrom then comes taking it out on me, and I usually go to Stahl because he can take it."
"What manner of hierarchy is that?"
"One that can prove viscous on a bad day. I can go on and on about who gets to talk down to who, but I'll leave it on the note that Vaike's usually at the bottom of the ladder."
"When you put things that way, the Shepherds sound more like a crowd at some tavern than a militia."
Robin shrugged. "That's how it is. Although we lead Ylisse's army, as a unit, we're just a ragtag group of friends."
"But, isn't that what makes us Shepherds?"
Robin smiled. "Exactly. "
Owain, Severa and Kjelle walked up to them.
"Here you two are." Kjelle said.
Lucina turned to them. "Were you looking for us?"
Severa folded her arms. "Only for a good thirty minutes now. We spend all that time wading through thousands of people to find you comfortably marching up front, talking... to him?"
Robin narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're hanging around Lucina way too much. She was our friend first." Severa huffed.
Lucina shook her head. Severa could be a real child sometimes.
"I technically met Lucina before any of you were born, so..." Robin deadpanned.
"Figures you'd use this time travel mumbo jumbo to your advantage. You're a real know-it-all aren't you?"
"I'm a Tactician, so..."
"There you go again, dropping your title like that. Do you bring that up every conversation? Do you try picking up girls like that? Have you ever even had a girlfriend?" Severa asked smugly.
Robin flushed at the personal attacks. "Now listen here you litt-"
"Look at me, I'm a big tactical jerk. I've got fame and prestige, yet I can't even chat up a girl!" Severa said mockingly.
Lucina couldn't help but laugh at the tight spot Robin had been put into.
Robin was in utter disbelief. What he had done to land himself in this situation? "H-hey! Stop that! I'll... I'll tell your parents about this." he threatened.
"Laaaame." Kjelle said, hands cupped at both ends of her mouth helping to project her voice.
Robin grit his teeth.
"My, my. Is Robin really getting pushed around? What happened to your usual wit?" Lucina asked with a grin.
"Hmph, not like I can use logic to combat nonsense..." he grumbled.
Owain patted Robin on the back. "Cut that out, guys. Robin's a hero if I've ever seen one." he said, putting his faith in the Tactician. "Go on, Robin. Tell them just how many maidens you've entranced with the tales of your endeavors."
Robin visibly slumped, a lifeless look in his eyes.
The girls couldn't help but laugh at the state the Tactician had been reduced to.
Owain look dumbfounded when his attempt to cheer him up failed. Taking pity on his new friend, Owain pulled Robin away from the group of femme fatales.
The Ylissean army had stopped to take a much needed reprieve from their hasty march. Many soldiers took the time to get some food and a drink or simply rest their tired feet.
Chrom was gathered with Say'ri, Frederick, Basilio, and Flavia.
"Okay, time for a little meeting." Chrom started.
"Oy, is it okay to do so without our Tactician?" Basilio asked.
"It's fine. We won't be discussing anything that requires his expertise. Besides, he may look fine, but I think he can use a short break. Robin's got a thick skull, and he doesn't go down without swinging. Despite that, he's more fragile than he likes to let on, especially regarding work related matters. He takes his job seriously, and likes to keep his problems to himself. He knows our moral is key in winning this war, so he'd rather shut himself off." Chrom explained.
Say'ri pondered the revelation about Robin. "Would it not be best for us to lend him our support rather than to just go on and let him deal with such issues alone?"
Chrom shook his head. "Like I said, Robin's real stubborn, but I agree. Last time I saw him he was chatting with my daughter. Those two have hit it off, much to my pleasure, and I'm sure he appreciates her company. Let's just let him drown out his sorrows with his friends for the time being." he said, a hint of pride in his voice, for his daughter's compassion.
Basilio narrowed his eyes and grinned. "With how you say it, sounds like it won't be long until consoling isn't all she'll be doing." he muttered.
Flavia elbowed Basilio hard in the side, the large man clutching his ribs.
Chrom raised a brow. "Huh? What was that?"
"N-no it's nothing." Basilio muttered, threatened by the annoyed look on his fellow Khan.
"Right..." Chrom said slowly, not having caught Basilio's words. "Anyways, I wanted to talk about our destination. Say'ri, is their anywhere in our direction suitable for concealing our numbers?"
"Why not just find a town?" Basilio grumbled, rubbing his side.
"We don't know if, and how long the Valmese will pursue us. I don;t want to drag some town into our fighting if it comes to that." Chrom said.
Say'ri scanned over the map she had just pulled out. "As soon as we cross the mountains, there's a large forest."
"That seems like a blatantly obvious place to hide." Frederick said, peering over her shoulder.
Say'ri nodded in agreement. "Luckily this map is off the 'old' Valm. There's many places on here that probably won't show up on that of the Valmese's. For example," Say'ri pointed to a spot on the map, "Just beyond the mountains, in the forest a little to the north, there should be an old coal mine."
"A coal mine you say? A sound place to make base, but will it be large enough to house all of us?"
Say'ri nodded. "The nearby towns had their own sections of the mine. In time, the tunnels had interconnected."
Chrom thought about it. "Is it safe? This mine?"
Say'ri nodded once more. "How is it you think I know about such place? Long abandoned, this mine had been the previous headquarters for the Resistance members. They were... the ones who had once occupied Valm Harbor." Say'ri showed uneasiness, having remembered the entire branch had been wiped out by Farber.
"Was there any particular reason they abandoned their positions there?"
"The reason they left was lack of Valmese activity near the area. Their branch had specialized in espionage, and had thought Valm Harbor was a more suitable location for their operations."
"If the Resistance left because of lack of Valmese, then call me crazy milord, but I believe we would be quite safe there for the time being." Frederick chimed in, offering his approval of the idea.
Chrom turned to Basilio and Flavia.
"If we don't want to drag any civilians into this, I'd see it's our best bet." said Flavia.
"Anything's fine with me as long as I can get some proper sleep for once. Waiting in those damned mountains... We couldn't even set up camp with all those narrow cliffs!" Basilio approved.
"Alright, it's settled. We'll leave the actual planning for after we arrive." Chrom said as he dismissed them.
"Gaius, can you hold still?" said an annoyed Cordelia.
"I already combed my hair, dear." Gaius whined.
During the momentary break, Cordelia had left her fatally delusional friend, and went to check up on her husband to be.
"Yes, this morning, before the battle." Cordelia said pointedly.
"Agh, why do I got to care about how I look anymore? I mean I already have you." Gaius said with a grin.
Cordelia blushed. "There's that silver tongue again." she muttered, running the comb through his orange locks. She noticed Severa walking towards them through the crowd. "Hello, darling. Weren't you with your friends a moment ago?"
Severa waved off the question. "What? You're saying you don't want to spend a little time with your pride and joy?"
Gaius smirked. "She already is." he said as he jabbed his thumb to his chest.
Severa groaned. "Shut up, dad."
Gaius got up from his seat, much to Cordelia's disapproval. He walked over to his daughter and planted a kiss on her cheek. "You know I'm just playing with you, kiddo." he said, ruffling her hair.
Severa smiled softly, before hugging her dad.
Gaius chuckled.
Cordelia felt her heart warm at the sight. In one day, she had been proposed to and had found out she had a daughter. Long ago, she had given up chasing after a certain someone, and now knew she made the right decision. Gaius, surprisingly, made a quite the father. Her daughter, while sometimes a bit offputting, could be sweet and kind. She had a new reason to fight. To make sure she and her family saw the war through to the end, so they could live peaceful, happy lives.
"Looks like your mother is having one her moments of reflection." Gaius said with a grin.
Severa snickered.
Cordelia frowned. "What? I can't think about how lovely my family is?" she said, folding her arms.
Gaius looked between his wife and daughter. "Wow, so that's where you get that from."
Severa let go of her father, standing beside her mother, also crossing her arms. "Get what?" she asked sharply.
Gaius stared at the two seemingly identical women. "Gods help me..." he muttered nervously under his breath.
"Lucina, there you are." Chrom said, strolling over to his daughter.
"Father, hello." she said with a smile. "Can I do something for you?"
Chrom shook his head. "No, I'm just checking up on you. So how are you feeling about all of this?"
"Well, I'm doing fine, I guess. I'd say it's fortunate that we pulled back just on time."
"I agree. We're lucky Robin realized what was going on in time."
"EVen though it was his fault to begin with?" she laughed.
Chrom smiled sadly. "Don't be too hard on him. His job can be extremely overwhelming. Despite his success so far, it'd be unrealistic to expect nothing to go wrong."
"Ah, I was merely... joking. I know very well how hard Robin works himself." she said, a bit guilty her words had made it seem like she was belittling her friend.
Chrom rested a hand on her shoulder. "I know. I'm glad you two are getting along." Chrom started to laugh.
Lucina looked puzzled. "Father?"
"No, it's nothing. I was just remembering the time I made you two have that little sparring match. Who would've known a sword fight would be finished with a slap?"
Lucina flushed at the memory. "F-father, please. Wait, so you did set that match up on purpose." she said, narrowing her eyes.
Chrom rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I did. I was just worried. You two seemed a little hostile at the time, so I was hoping to break the ice."
"By having your friend and daughter beat each other senseless?" she retorted.
"No! I was just hoping you two would bond a little."
"And remember how well that plan worked." she said, rolling her eyes.
Chrom gulped. "H-hey, I said I was trying to help. Geez, you two do get along now. It seems Robin's sharp tongue has rubbed off on you."
Lucina flinched. "I-I apologize, father. I hadn't meant to sound rude."
"Heh, don't worry about it. I think it's a good quality for a girl to speak her mind freely."
"Thank you, father." she said shyly.
"Thank you, for being such a wonderful daughter. I know I've told you this plenty of times, but your mother and I couldn't be happier to have you with us. We love you." Chrom said, pulling her into a hug.
Lucina rested her head against her father's shoulder.
Owain had taken Robin to the side. "Cheer up, they were just messing around. Trust me, when they get started up, they're usually far worse than that."
Robin sat on a boulder on the side of the path, taking a sip from his flask of alcohol. It was a gift from Gregor, who told him that alcohol was the best medecine for any problem. "Yeah, I know. Just took me by surprise is all. Funny, I'm supposed to be directing an army, yet I can't deal with a bunch of kids."
Owain shrugged. "Well we may be the Shepherd's children, but we're definitely not kids."
"Ah, that's right. I apologize. Curse this time travel logic." Robin said with a sigh.
Owain chuckled. "Don't worry about Severa. She's a bit rough at first, but she'll come around. When you get to know her, she can be pretty sweet."
"Oh? What is this I'm sensing?" Robin asked with a sly grin.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Robin shook his head. "Nevermind. So she's always like that?"
Owain nodded. "It's just how she is, I guess. Well, she and the others look up to Lucina quite a bit, so I wouldn't blame her for thinking her beloved leader was being stolen away by some stranger."
Robin thought about, playing the words over in his head. "I suppose... What's this about me being a stranger though?"
"Well, exactly how it sounds. You're a pretty swell guy, mister Robin, but we did just meet you a few days ago after all."
Robin was dumbfounded, the conversation slowly getting more and more uncomfortable with its implications. "Yes, but wouldn't that be the case for the rest of the Shepherds as well? I mean, you meet me the same time as them."
"But we knew all of them in the future. This is our first time meeting you. Perhaps us coming back in time changed more than we thought..." Owain said, ponderously.
Robin felt cold sweat run down his back. '...First time meeting. I-I wasn't around in the future?'
Thoughts raced through his head. Thoughts about his amnesia, Validar and the future.
He was overwhelmed by things he only dare even touch upon.
He turned his head, catching sight of Lucina and Chrom in the midst of father-daughter bonding.
'You weren't around much.'
He laughed softly. "Who am I?"
A/N: A brief little moment between a few people.
It was more of a Support Log type chapter than anything.
Looks like Robin's got a storm brewing in front of him. He finds out Lucina's been lying about him from the future! What will happen next? Will they talk it over in a civil manner? Will they get into a sword fight? Perhaps distance will be created between them once again? Or will they just end up making sweet, sweet love?
Find out next time!