DISCLAIMER: I OWN FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS IN THE SAME WAY THAT ANY ONE PERSON OWNS THE INTERNET; I DON'T.
Conspiring Against Us
"Morgan, are you ready?" Lucina asked, gripping a wooden practice sword in her hands.
Morgan adjusted her grip on the wooden hilt of the sword she currently wielded, directing the tip towards her mother. "Umm, yes? Mother, can we not have lunch first?"
"We can have lunch after we're done here. I told you that I'd only allow you to take part in combat if both Robin and I deem your skills in combat to be sufficient. As it stands, you've got only one out of two approvals."
"You know, I'd think I'd put up a much better fight if I had some food in me. So let's go eat first, shall we?" Morgan suggested, lowering her sword and turning away.
But before she could take more than a few steps, she felt the tip of her mother's practice sword pressing gently into the back of her neck. A shudder ran down her. 'I didn't even hear her move...' Morgan thought. 'I've sparred with mother before, but... It seems in this time, her instincts are alive and well.'
"You're not going anywhere, Morgan. While it may be true that nourishment is important to ensure you're in top form, it's necessary to know that war isn't always so kind. You must know how far you're able to go in even the most pathetic states. Morgan, teaching you about war is the last thing I want to do... but... but I can't escape the reality of it. I know that as long as you're with us, there'll be situations where you'll have to fight. So forgive me if it seems that I'm being hard on you. I want you to have a normal life, but I know that's not entirely possible until this was is over... That's why I won't hold back during training with you. I want you to struggle... I want you to come out of this on top... I want you to survive..." Lucina finished, sadly eyeing her slightly trembling practice sword, wondering if she had made the right choice.
What she got as a response was chuckle from the young girl in front of her. "Oh mother, just who's daughter do you think I am?" Morgan quipped, confidently raising her sword.
Lucina saw it in her eyes. The same heated stare that could be found in the other Shepherds. Her father had it, her uncle Lon'qu had it, Robin had it, and now, her daughter. She knew not if it was confidence or arrogance that burned in her daughter's eyes, but she decided there and then that she would teach Morgan the difference. "We shall see if that's enough." she replied, her sword now firm.
They stared at one another, waiting for any movement.
Morgan watched her mother intently.
Lucina's gaze didn't leave Morgan for a second.
Morgan then saw the slight nod her mother offered, and in an instant, both began sprinting towards one another from opposite sides.
Lucina raced down from Morgan's left, lunging at the girl. Lucina raised her sword above her head, readying it for a downwards strike. However, as she brought the sword down, she consciously held back on unleashing her full strength, in fear of hurting Morgan.
It turns out Lucina had been the one to be too overconfident.
Morgan sidestepped the downwards strike, lifting a leg to stomp into her mother's thigh. As Lucina stumbled back, Morgan swung her sword from the side, straight for Lucina's ribs.
Snapping out of her surprise at Morgan's reflexes, Lucina swung her blade from the opposite side, just as she hopped backwards and away from Morgan's strike.
Lucina was out of Morgan's reach, their blades slamming into one another. Lucina pushed her sword forward, running it along Morgan's and driving the tip straight for her left shoulder.
Morgan raised her left arm up, Lucina's sword passing just beneath her armpit. Morgan aimed her sword upwards and brought her whole body spinning to the left, pushing away her mother's sword. Morgan followed through with her spin, going a full 360 degrees and bringing her blade swinging back around towards her mother.
Lucina ducked the swing, shoving Morgan forward with a shoulder bash.
Morgan jumped back, recovering from the stumble, but was left with little breathing room as Lucina rushed at her once more with a barrage of strikes.
Lucina swung furiously at her, Morgan, just barely reflecting the hits. 'You can't underestimate her, Lucina,' the mother thought. 'It seems she truly does know how to fight, but you must show her that battle is no game...'
Morgan was being forced back, her mother's strikes were growing more and more powerful with each blow. Morgan held her off as long as she could, her arm's strength sapping with every vibration running down the sword.
Just before Lucina's blade came down once more, Morgan dove to the side, rolling away. As she got back to her feet, she blindly swung her sword behind her, in an attempt to fend off her mother if she had come in pursuit.
'That's my move...' Lucina thought in amusement. After Morgan ended her defensive swing, Lucina wasted no time in charging at her. But to her surprise, Morgan's short figure crouched down and seemingly vanished up into the air.
Lucina's head shot up in an instant.
And what she saw was Morgan, spiraling downwards into a vertical rolling spin.
'She knows that as well...' Lucina thought a bit proudly. But she immediately wiped off the grin on her face. 'Then she should know better than to use that against me.' And with that, Lucina crouched, waiting for Morgan to descend.
Morgan spiraled down at a tremendous speed. With one final forward spin, Morgan brought her blade down hard, hoping to end the fight.
But that's where Morgan's finisher went wrong.
Morgan gagged, her sword hung in midair, failing to hit anything. She looked downwards to find what was currently stabbing against her gut.
It was her mother's leg.
Morgan had been balanced on her mother's outstretched knee.
Lucina had known that particular strike inside and out, so it was an easy feat to manipulate it to her advantage. She knew Morgan would swing during the final roll, so she waited it out. And just before Morgan swung, she merely stepping off to the side, just barely missing the sword strike and catching Morgan's stomach with her knee.
Morgan had thrown herself into Lucina.
Morgan let out a cough, dropping her practice sword.
Lucina lowered her leg and kneeled down by Morgan, all traces indicating that she had just been in a fight vanishing from her face. "Morgan, are you alright? I'm sorry, I hadn't mea-"
"It's fine... mother. I'm okay." Morgan choked out.
Lucina rubbed Morgan's back then helped her to sit up right. "You did well. Much better than I expected."
"But it wasn't enough it seems."
"Just who do you think your mother is?" Lucina said with a haughty smile.
Morgan rolled her eyes and laughed weakly.
"How does it feel?" Lucina asked.
"It's nothing serious. I just had the wind knocked out of me."
"I'm sorry if I was too rough, dear." Lucina apologized, rubbing her cheek.
"Nnn, it's fine. If I'm going to help in battle, I can't afford to be as careless as I was here. And next time, don't hold back like you did with the first swing."
"Morgan..." Lucina breathed. She slowly pulled her daughter into a hug, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, Morgan."
"I love you too, mother. But, do you think we can go eat now? My stomach's killing me in another way..."
Lucina shook her head and let out a giggle. "You've got quite the appetite."
"I'm a growing girl." Morgan said, sticking her tongue out.
The two head back towards the bench at the end of the training yard where they had set down their belongings. Lucina rummaged through a large bag. "I believe that display of yours... has earned you a reward."
"A reward?" Morgan asked excitably. "Ooh, what is it?"
Lucina spun around, hands behind her back. "Now I know that you feel an attachment to that outfit of yours, but I also want you to experience things differently from how I did. I want you to know that I have high expectations for you, but at the same time, I also want you to know that you don't have to feel obligated to do anything. There's much more to your life than just fighting. I want you to live freely. "
Morgan smiled sweetly.
"And to symbolize the life of freedom I wish for you to have, I bought you... this!" Lucina pulled the item from behind her back.
"Oh, mother! You... shouldn't... have..." Morgan trailed off. "... ... ...wait."
"Isn't it adorable?" Lucina gushed.
In her hands was a smaller, matching dress for her own outlandish article of clothing.
"I-it's just l-like the one you bought!" Morgan said, forcing a smile.
"I know! Now we can match!"
"Hehehe... I... I love it..." Morgan said, weakly pumping a fist into the air.
"I knew you would. I had a feeling my daughter would inherit my refined taste for fashion." Lucina beamed. "But, I know that this dress is a bit too regal for casual use. That's why I bought you this as well." Lucina said, turning around to pull yet another item out from the bag.
This time, Morgan genuinely smiled.
"It's a coat! Just like Robin's!"
The coat was a shade of dark blue, with golden hems. Unlike Robin's trademark coat, this one lacked a hood, and in place was a collar.
"I'd say it's even better than his. It's meant for mages, but was made in such a way that it doesn't hinder your movements. The fabric is soft, but thick, and significantly lighter than that mound of cloth Robin wears."
Morgan excitedly grabbed the coat, undoing her cape and vest to try it on.
"How does it feel?"
Morgan lifted her arms, observing the coat. "It's wonderful! Ooh, it's even got all these pocket's inside it!"
"That's where you keep your tomes and what not."
"Oh, mother, I love it! ...Err, both of them!"
"I'm happy to hear!" Lucina said with a wide smile. "Robin and I waited all morning until the merchant arrived here."
"You and Robin, huh? What were you two up to?" Morgan asked with a slight grin. 'It seems grandmother really wasn't kidding when she said she was on to something...'
"W-we were just waiting. Everyone left him at the mess hall so I had to drag his drunken self out."
"Hehe, drunken Robin. Does he even remember what happened?"
"I hope not. I didn't mention much about what happened. I tried to leave all the surprises for today." Lucina said with a mischievous smile.
"So he doesn't remember the dance off?"
"You can ask him at lunch." Lucina replied with a laugh.
The Shepherds had once again assembled at the mess hall, where they just finished their meals.
Robin, who slept through breakfast had shambled over for lunch, where he was met with amused looks and jeers.
It would seem as though the buzz surrounding the Tactician's choice of reading material would provide a long term plan for amusement among the others.
Now that most of the Shepherds had finished and left to attend other duties, Robin could finally eat in peace.
"You took that beating like a champ, Robin" Kjelle noted in the seat across from him.
Severa snorted in response. "Did you see how long he had his jaw clenched?"
"I'm not in the mood right now." Robin muttered.
"Man up." Severa shot back.
"Alright, Severa at the frontlines it is." Robin announced, earning him a scoff from the redhead.
"Don't mess with our Tactician." Owain said with a nod.
"And when did you get all chummy with him, huh? How long have you known him?"
"Less than a week."
"Exactly." Severa huffed.
"But that's where you're wrong, my dear Severa." Owain was oblivious to the blush on the girl's face at his use of the word 'dear'. "Time means nothing in the face of true friendship." he said, hanging an arm around Robin's neck.
The Tactician laughed nervously.
"How cheesy." Severa said.
"But he's right, Severa." Lucina said, chiming in. "Just think about all of the Shepherds my father recruited. Several of them were brought in only moments after they've met. Virion, Tharja, Gaius, Gregor, Nowi, and so on. And despite that, they became part of our family."
Severa leaned her face against her palm and smiled wryly at the princess. "Very crafty of you to leave out Robin from that list. Won't want anyone to get any ideas, right?"
Lucina visibly shot straight up. "I merely chose to leave Robin out because I did not know him back in our time." she explained.
Robin looked on in amusement.
"Wait, Robin wasn't around back where you all are from?" Morgan asked.
"Apparently I wasn't." Robin responded.
Lucina slowly felt guilt began to fester within her. "No, dear, Robin wasn't around when we grew up."
Robin smiled melancholically. Although he had already come to terms with the fact, it did slightly sting to hear it out loud.
"That's why we're all very fortunate to have him here right now." Lucina finished.
Robin was caught off guard, but showed her a look of appreciation.
"Yeah, where would we be without Robin?" a voice spoke.
At that moment, everyone jumped in their seats.
"Ahh! M-m-mother! That set of armour spoke! I swear! I heard it!"Morgan cried.
"It's just Kellam, everyone." Robin said, sitting back down.
Morgan got back into her seat and smiled sheepishly at the armored man. "I'm sorry about that. I kind of forgot about your... quality."
"Uncle Kellam, when did you get here?" Owain asked.
"...I was here first. You all sat at my table..."
"I'm sorry, Kellam. That was very rude of us." Robin apologized.
Severa eyed the man suspiciously. "Did we even have an uncle Kellam?" she whispered to Lucina.
"Severa!" Lucina whispered loudly.
Kellam merely laughed. "It's fine. I like to think of my lack of presence as a special skill."
"Well it does wonders out in battle, but you should try to make your presence known among us, Kellam. You're a Shepherd and our friend too." Robin said.
"Actually, I've been calling out to you all the entire meal. I'm surprised you all just noticed my last comment to be honest."
"Heh... Is that so?" Robin said with a nervous smile. "Well... Um, so, Kellam, why have you got your armor on?" Robin asked, seeking to direct the conversation to a less awkward topic.
"I figured I'd do some training before lunch. I'd take it off, but after wearing it for as long as I have, it's begun to feel like a second skin."
"I hear ya there." Kjelle agreed.
"Ah, you must be Stahl and Sully's girl."
"Yes, I'm Kjelle. You know, I don't think we've been formally introduced in this time."
"Actually, we have. I was with Vaike and Donnel the first night you guys arrived, remember?"
Kjelle slightly panicked, not wanting to offend the man for not remembering. "Um, yes that's right! How could I forget?"
"I was joking. This is the first time we've spoken." Kellam said with a chuckle.
Everyone at the table joined together in laughter, except for Kjelle who had been caught red handed.
"Wait, there's more." Kellam spoke. "Want to see this glass of water here levitate?" he asked, directing their attention to the glass in question.
Everyone looked at the man skeptically.
Kellam picked up the glass and simply held it up.
"Oh, I get it!" Morgan cried before resuming her laughter.
Everyone else followed.
After Kellam went on to tell a few more good natured jokes at his own expense, he pulled his grand finale and disappeared, leaving the tent to attend to his own duties.
The remaining party conversed for the duration of their free time, until Chrom stopped by and requested for Robin.
A few hours after lunch, Chrom, Basilio, Say'ri, Flavia and Robin called for a meeting in the war room of the fortress.
The large room flooded with people, Shepherds and Ylissean and Feroxi captains alike.
Chrom patted his hand down on the table, calling for order. "I believe it's high time that we discussed our reason for being here." He directed his gaze towards the the green haired 'voice' of Naga. "Lady Tiki, as you already know, the Empire now has control of Valm and are currently seeking to expand their empire to our continent. And as terrible as that alone might sound, it pains me to say that Walhart is but the least of our worries."
Tiki raised a brow. "And what has come up that would render Walhart a minor problem?"
"...Grima."
Tiki closed her eyes. "...So it is true... Have you got the Fire Emblem with you?"
On cue, Frederick walked up to hand the relic over to Chrom.
"We do..." he replied, trying to cast away thoughts of his lost sister.
"It's a relief to know that it is still in good hands. But, where are the gemstones? I see only Argent." Tiki asked.
"Gemstones?" Chrom replied in confusion.
"Yes." Tiki confirmed with a nod. " There are five in all. Argent, Sables, Gules, Azure and Vert, each one possessing a portion of Naga's power."
"The gems are what allowed Naga to send us into the past." Lucina mentioned.
"These gems have such power?" Chrom asked, studying the single orb on the emblem.
"Their power is as vast as that of Naga herself. When all five are gathered and mounted on the emblem, they allow one to perform the Awakening." Tiki explained.
Frederick eyed the wondrous stone. "I see. The rite that allowed the first Exalt to channel the divine dragon's power..."
Tiki nodded. "The very same. With the Fire Emblem's power, the first Exalt was once able to defeat Grima. After, the gems were feared to be too powerful in the hands of men, so they were scattered." Tiki reached into her pocket, and then held her hand out. In her open palm was a blue stone. "I have kept Azure here with me."
Basilio let out a hearty laugh. "What a coincidence."
Lissa's head snapped to the direction of the large Khan. "What? Basilio, do you mean to say you also have gem?"
Flavia scoffed. "Who would be mad enough to entrust such a thing to this oaf?"
Basilio looked a bit offended at his partner's bluntness. "Oy, I'm not playing at anything here. We really do have a gem, Gules. Have I never informed you?"
Flavia rubbed her temple in annoyance. "No, you most certainly did not."
"Must have slipped my then." Basilio said casually before erupting into laughter.
"My kingdom has safe guarded Vert for generations." Say'ri spoke. "But, it was lost during a raid on our palace's treasury."
"Was it Walhart's men?" Robin asked.
"Aye."
"Then he must have it. At the capital, yes?"
Say'ri shook her head. "No. As I had just stated, the gem is lost."
"What do you mean 'lost'?" Lucina cried out in disbelief.
Say'ri winced, knowing the news would only bring more grief to her companions. "It is... what it is."
"How could it have been lost? You said the Valmese took it." Chrom questioned.
"Like I have said. Walhart." Say'ri replied bitterly. "After conquering Chon'sin, he had taken a vast amount of riches from our treasury and had them transported back to the capital by ship. Those of us that remained had made it a point not to let Chon'sin's sacred treasures fall into the hands of the empire, for among them were priceless artifacts from our ancestry."
"Vert being among those artifacts." Robin stated.
Say'ri nodded, then cleared her throat. "We sent nearly a dozen smaller ships to seize the vessel before it could leave Chon'sin waters. The ensuing battle was grueling, only increasing the casualties that had been created by the prior invasion. So many that we had decided a few antiques weren't worth the lives of our countrymen."
"What went wrong?" Robin asked.
"Some of us didn't agree. They knew we could not retrieve what we've lost, but they sought to make sure that the Empire could not claim it for themselves. They destroyed the ship."
"Well we can just go and find it, can't we?" Lissa suggested.
Say'ri shook her head. "Impossible. Before the battle occurred, we chased the Empire's ship for a time. The ship was over a hundred miles out to sea by the time it went down. Have you any idea how far the depths of the ocean go down? Vert... is lost to us."
"Damn it all." Chrom cursed.
Robin lightly punched his friend in the arm. "Let us just focus on the gems we've got. After we've dealt with Walhart, that's when we can begin the search for the Sables. Once the Empire falls, Say'ri, would you be willing to take a chance at locating Vert?"
"...That is no easy task. An impossible one, almost. But we have no choice. You have all of Chon'sin's support."
"Take Azure, exalted ones." Tiki said, handing the gem over.
Chrom graciously accepted the gem and place it into one of the five slots on the face of the emblem.
"Once you are able, make haste and seek out the remaining gems. With them, perform the Awakening and defend our world from Grima at all costs."
"I... I don't understand. How is all of this happening? Was Grima's power not sealed away?"
"There are those who seek out Grima and his power."
"...The Grimleal." Chrom replied.
"The worshipers of the Fell Dragon. They seek to revive the beast."
"When will he return? Where?" Chrom asked.
"I cannot know these things... But his presence, it is already here. Grima may still be dormant, but his power is already being exerted across this world. And it only continues to grow... It is a heavy burden, but as one of the exalted, it is task that falls to you, Chrom.
"...And I will follow through and complete said task. I thank you, Lady Tiki, for all of your help." Chrom said with a respectful bow.
The others gathered around to marvel at the Fire Emblem, commenting about the situation.
Robin walked over to Tiki. "I thank you for assistance, milady."
"Just Tiki, Robin. Oh..." Tiki took a step back, gazing into Robin's eyes.
"What is it?"
"You have it as well..."
"...What?"
"A power like mine..."
"..."
Tiki saw the look of confusion spread across the man's face and waved her hand in dismissal. "Ah, forgive me. I'm still in quite a daze. I've just been awoken from centuries of slumber a few days ago. "
"...It is fine, Tiki."
"Okay, gather back around. Grima isn't the only matter that needs discussing. Let's redirect our attention to the war ahead of us." Basilio announced.
"That's right. What's our next move?" Lucina asked.
"Our goal coming here was to free Tiki." Robin stated.
"Indeed. And with her out of the Valmese's grip, men from all over the continent will rally around her." Say'ri followed up.
Tiki bowed in an apologetic manner. "I... am unfit to join the battle as of yet. I still need time to regain my strength. However, I will do my best in order to draw forth those who would be willing to join up with our cause."
"I will have the resistance members that we've freed here set out and alert the other branches of Tiki's liberation." Say'ri said, turning towards and motioning to three men.
The men walked over to stand beside Say'ri.
"These are friends of mine, and fellow members of the Resistance. Berkov, Johan, and Vargus.
"We will ride at your word, Lady Say'ri." Berkov said.
"But even with increased ranks, will it be enough to pose a threat to Walhart's men?" Flavia asked.
Robin stepped forward. "I doubt Walhart would even flinch at the news of a proper rebellion. His army is reported to be in the millions. If he wanted, he could just throw his men at us and that'll be the end of things."
"Where are his armies stationed?" Chrom asked.
Say'ri motioned over to Robin, who reached into his coat and pulled out a map. He opened it up and laid it across the ground.
"The Valmese army is comprised of three main divisions. One controls the north, one controls the south, and the other has hold over the lands in between." Say'ri explained, pointing towards points on the map. "Walhart himself has the northern division to himself. It's his personal army. They alone possess enough power to overtake us. At the helm of the division to the south..." Say'ri paused, her breath having seemingly hitched. "...Is... Is my brother, Yen'fay. His forces are rumored to rival even Walhart's."
"He's your brother, right? If he's got the southern army to himself, can't we persuade him to join our side?" Vaike asked.
"Vaike!" Robin barked.
"It's fine, Robin. Vaike wasn't around when I told you all of how far my brother has sunken in the lust for power..." She slowly looked up towards Vaike. "It is impossible for us to even hope for such a miracle... How can even I sway him, when he had forsaken everything our parents had strived so arduously to work for?"
Remorse flashed in Vaike's eyes and in uncharacteristic motion, he bent over to bow. "I'm sorry, Say'ri. I had no right."
"Worry not... Even I was once foolish enough to dream that he would come to his senses. But as it stands, I will not hesitate. This is the path he has chosen, and if we were to meet on the battlefield, I must... I will cut him down." Say'ri concluded firmly.
Robin felt sympathy for the Chon'sin princess. It was one thing to watch your lived ones perish, but to shoulder the responsibility of having to take their life with your own hands was unbearable to even think about. Robin honored her resolve with a dignified nod, directing his attention back towards the map. "Divisions... The Valmese are split into divisions..."
"Robin's at it again." Flavia remarked, taking note of the look in his eyes.
"We can't tale Walhart's men all at once. It would be stupid even to try. But what if we were to severe his forces? Divide his divisions? If we can cut off their supply lines, disrupt communications, and in the wake of all that, introduce some false information, their army would be in disarray. The chaos of it all would cause this giant to collapse on itself."
Chrom caught on quickly to what Robin was insinuating. "Say'ri, the third division, where is it stationed?"
"Each division is typically has units spread through out the region. It would be reasonable to assume that Cervantes was among them. As for their actual base of operations, I can not say for certain."
Robin snapped his fingers. "What about that fort? The one we found out was nearby? Steiger, was it? We hadn't known about it's existence until recently."
"How can we be certain? There's a half a dozen other Valmese encampments marked on this region of the map. Any one of them could be where the head lies." Chrom commented.
"Just look at where all of the other locations are. Next to a few small towns? A small fishing village? Why would they place their main forces their?" Robin urged.
"A ghost fortress not on any map. Sounds like the perfect place for the top brass to be lounging around at." Basilio noted.
"Precisely."
"This fort, it's surrounded by several nearby villages and towns within a day's reach. If they are stationed at Steiger, that would give them an entire network of supplies and goods. I too believe it to be the perfect location." Say'ri agreed.
"These settlements. They seem to be arranged in an almost circular pattern around Steiger... Will these towns be a problem? They aren't harboring Valmese are they?"
Berkov eyed the map and spoke up. "I am sure the Valmese troops frequent the towns, but as for their allegiance, I know for certain that they're against the Empire."
"How are you certain?" Chrom asked. "It would spell trouble for us if we were to rush past the towns and into Steiger, only to be caught from behind by Valmese garrisoned there."
"Those towns are compromised of the refugees of the original Steiger. After the Valmese forced them out, they fled into the surrounding areas and sought to start over. I would know sir, I'm from one of those towns."
"...Why would they stay so close by? The Valmese that drove them out of their homes are still nearby... Shouldn't they have fled?"
"...Because they... Because we still have unfinished business."
"With the Valmese?"
"No, with our own dead. The people in this region of Valm are... deeply spiritual. It was our ancestors that watched over the Mila Tree for generations. After the massacre at Steiger, those who remained, the children, wives, and any others who were not with the local militia were forced out. We remained in the area in hopes of one day retrieving the remains of their loved ones, so that we may send them off with a proper burial."
"That's horrible..." Lissa said sorrowfully.
Berkov could only nod. "...The villages won't be a problem. Myself and the others will see to it that neighboring branches of the Resistance make haste for Steiger."
"Berkov, was it?" Robin begin. "Who are we looking for at Steiger? Who's in command."
"I'm not certain. The Valmese most likely sought to make Steiger a stronghold after it fell. The one in charge could be any one of Walhart's men."
"Do we have any info on Walhart's inner circle?"
"There are several, scattered all across Valm. Cervantes, Nito, Ignatius, Vista, Pheros, Farber, Argoth, Cervantes, Yen'fay..."
"We've dealt with Farber and Ignatius. I think it's safe to assume we won't need to worry about Cervantes. At least anytime soon. What can you tell me about the others?"
"I haven't heard much about Pheros and Argoth, but Nito... If anyone deserved to be taken out, it'd be him. ... ...I'm sorry, that was very unprofessional of me." Berkov apologized.
"It is fine to speak your mind during meetings like this. We act only when we've heard everyone's piece." Chrom assured. "Now, can you explain why this Nito has received such infamy?"
Berkov rested his palms on the table."...A blasted madman is what he is. He fancies himself a master sorcerer. Lady Say'ri, tell me. Have you received any recent news from Felicia's group?"
"Felicia? No, I've not. If I'm not mistaken, her branch was down south, was it not?"
"Yes. That's because the Mertoff branch is no more."
"N-no more?" Say'ri asked with a shudder. "Was it Nito?"
"I've yet to confirm anything. But Nito was rumored to be dabbling in the dark arts. Necromancy is what I've heard."
Cordelia's eyes widened. "N-necromancy? Isn't that bringing the dead back to life?"
Flavia looked to Cordelia, then to Berkov. "Could this Nito be the one that summoned those Risen here?"
"Wait, that doesn't make any sense. He's one of Walhart's men. Why would he have the Risen attack Cervantes?"
Berkov waited for the chorus of questions to die down before responding. "Because another rumor revolving Nito is that he is Grimleal."
"You're fucking kidding..." Gaius spat.
"I thought Walhart banned the worship of divine beings. Why would he appoint a Grimleal as one of his chief men?" Chrom pointed out.
"There's the possibility that Walhart himself doesn't even know." Berov stated. "Even before Walhart came to power, there have been pockets of Grimleal all across Valm. Do you remember what I told you of my ancestors? How they took it upon themselves to watch over the Mila Tree? Well when I was a child, I was told these stories about evil wizards staging attacks on the Mila Tree, in which they would try to kill Lady Tiki whilst she slept."
"Oh my." Tiki gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth.
"And of course growing up, I've always thought that they were merely bedtime stories." Berkoc continued. "But when I joined the Resistance, I came to learn of many things. An entire world apart from the plots of land in which I've grown up. And then I began think; the tales my mother told me could have very well been historical accounts rather than bedtime stories... The point that I'm trying to get across is that the Grimleal have been on Valm for ages. It wouldn't be too much in the realm of fantasy to assume that some have managed snake their way into the ranks of the Empire."
"If only Cervante's could hear this..." Robin joked wryly, as he rubbed his eyes.
"That's true. If we could spread this rumor, that the Grimleal have infiltrated the Empire's ranks, if it found its way all the way to Walhart..." Chrom suggested.
"It would cause unrest." Say'ri finished. "Walhart may even purge some of his men."
Robin nodded. "But in the end, such unrest will only buy us time. Remember, no matter how much infighting the Empire does, it'll still have to be us that comes in to finish it."
"But wouldn't that be grand? Having Walhart's men kill each other so we can all go home." Gaius spoke.
"At most, I only see them eliminating Nito's men." Robin said.
Chrom clapped his hands together a few times. "Alright, let's head back on topic. This Nito is stationed further south, yes? As far as I'm concerned, we've no need to confront him at this point."
"That is until more Risen sprout up." Flavia stated.
"We don't know for sure that Nito's the one doing that." Chrom reminded.
Flavia folded her arms. "What's not to get? Grimleal? Dabbling in Necromancy? Hell, we've already seen Plegia do it back home. If Grima is on the verge of being resurrected, it would make sense for the Grimleal in Ylisse to begin to coordinate with their brethren in Valm."
Chrom was at a loss. "...I... ...Robin? What should we do about all this?"
Robin lightly bit at his finger while racking his brain. "...The last thing we want is anymore of those demons ambushing us during another key confrontation... After we take Steiger, we deal with Nito ourselves."
Unlike his fellow Khan, Basilio was still a bit skeptical. "Hold on a second, are we really going to create an entire course of action based off of assumptions?" he asked.
"Basilio you're familiar with war, are you not?" Robin asked.
"Heh, what kind of question is that?"
" The attack on Port Ferox. The ambush back at Carrion Isle. Our first assault on the Mila Tree. What do all of those events have in common?"
"...They're battles that took place around the time of this campaign.."
"Yes, but not exactly the answer I was looking for. In each of those events, something went terribly wrong because even when given information, whether it be just a rumor or offhanded conversation, one side assumed something wouldn't happen. Even before this war started, we were aware of conflict brewing over here in Valm. We assumed it would never involve us until one day, Valmese ships landed on our shores. Validar's invitation to some secluded island should have been enough of a warning sign. But, we chose to assume he had nothing up his sleeve. And at the Mila Tree, I staged an assault on a fortified location knowing that we were deep in enemy territory. I knew the Valmese were stationed throughout the region, but... but I assumed that none would be near enough to lend support. It was a mistake that could have killed us all... As our Tactician, I'm just about done making anymore careless mistakes. If even a child were to tell us that some monster was sleeping in some cave, we're going after it. We can't afford to dismiss any information that's landed in our sights."
Basilio gave his beard a few pulls. "...I can see the logic in that. Better to look the fool than to be dead, right?"
Robin gave him a nod.
"So it's settled." Chrom confirmed. "First we deal with Steiger. Hopefully that's where the leader of the Empire's 3rd division is at. And if not, we might get lucky while we go after Nito."
"There's still the off chance that neither the person stationed at Steiger nor Nito is the one in charge of the 3rd Division." Flavia pointed out.
"Agh. Well at this point, we're working with what we've got." Chrom said.
Berkov raised a hand before speaking up once again. "Sir, Lady Say'ri wishes for us to rally our forces. In that time, I will try to pull any information I can regarding the Empire's 3rd Division. We're to join up with you during the assault on Steiger, so if we're able to find something, you'll know after the battle." he pledged.
Chrom gave the man an appreciative pat on the back. "Thank you for your efforts, friend. We're counting on all of you."
Berkov and the other two Resistance members offered Chrom a salute.
"Now we focus on Steiger." Say'ri said.
"Berkov, we already know that Fort Steiger is some sort of castle. Is it comparable to the fortress we currently stand in?"
"Nay, sir. Steiger is much larger, it's walls standing at twice the height of the one's here. Also, rather than a gigantic tree at the center, the walls at Steiger conceal the actual Steiger Castle."
"Are there any routes inside the castle?"
"I remember as a child, there were several work tunnels running underneath the wall."
"Brings back memories huh?" Lissa asked Chrom with a smile.
Chrom chuckled in response.
"But it's possible the Valmese has had it sealed since then." Berkov spoke.
"Figures." Flavia said.
Robin rubbed at this temple while gazing at the map. Steiger was heavily fortified. It was surrounded by several smaller towns that the Valmese were known to pass through. There was no way they'd be to puncture through the circle of towns without the Valmese there sending word to the fort of the the Ylissean's arrival.
'There's also the fact that the Valmese know that we're here. They sent reinforcements to help Cervantes, and they may already have learned of his defeat here. Wait! Perhaps we can make use of the merc-'
"Merchant caravans!" Morgan announced as she made her way through the crowd and to the leaders at the center. Her sudden suggestion earned her a few startled looks. "Why don't we just stow ourselves into their inventory so we can be delivered inside?
Basilio planted a hand down on her head and ruffled her hair. "Bwaha, that's real cute, girly, but I doub-"
"Anna, would your sister be willing to lend us aid?" Robin asked, disregarding the Khan.
"Hold on, I'll go get her." Anna said as she made her way outside.
Basilio looked between Robin and Anna with his mouth slightly agape. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you really going to go with some plan this girl just came up with?"
"I was thinking of something along those lines myself. But it seems our Morgan here got to it first." Robin said, looking to the girl with an impressed smile.
Lucina turned to look down at her daughter with a surprised look. Perhaps there was more to this girl than it seemed.
"We can stow ourselves, the Shepherds, into her inventory. Have her sell us off into the fort itself. Once the deal's done, the others began an attack on the fort from the outside." Robin explained. "Sound about right, Morgan?"
"I couldn't have said it better myself." Morgan said.
Chrom shifted his gaze between Robin and Morgan. He rubbed his eyes and spoke up.
"While we break out and take out their command from the inside." Chrom finished with a grin.
"While we deal with matters outside the fort, Berkov and the others will join up with their forces."
"We'll find a way to get the gate's open if we're discovered." Robin suggested.
"That would be wise. The last thing you'd want is to be trapped in there alone with all of them, lest history repeats itself again."
The door to the large war room opened, and a familiar face poked her head into the doorway. "Ze hello everyone! What iz diz about striking ze deal?"
Chrom eyed the woman strangely. "What's with the accent?"
Merchant Anna let out a laugh. "Oh, that was just me practicing my exotic voice. It's a sound strategy to ensure both the merchandise and seller catch the consumer's interest."
"...Right." Chrom replied. "Anyways, I'm here to offer you a business opportunity.
"Music to my ears." Merchant Anna said with a devilish smile. "Alright, spill it. What have you got in mind?"
"We need you to take us into Fort Steiger. Not only that, but we need you to get around 30 of us inside their walls, undetected."
"You want me to smuggle you, eh? Boy, that sounds like quite the gambit. Even a girl like me could end up getting hurt if the deal goes sour."
"I've got gold. Plenty of it if you're willing to wait."
The merchant narrowed her eyes. "'Wait'? You're not doing much to help your case here. For such a risky operation, I'd typically expect payment up front."
"You misunderstand, sis." Anna chimed in. "Who you're talking to isn't just some run of the mill soldier. You happen to be speaking to Prince Chrom of Ylisse."
"T-the Exalt to be?!" merchant Anna choked out.
"The very same." Anna confirmed.
Merchant Anna was nearly foaming at the mouth at the prospect of making a personal transaction with royalty. "H-how many people did you say you n-needed to get in?"
Chrom did a quick headcount. "34."
"... ...Let me get this straight. You want me to smuggle in 34 people into a Valmese Fort? I have a wagon, not a shipping vessel, princey."
"I've got 15,000 gold that says you can." Chrom countered.
"34 it is." Merchant Anna said, reaching her hand out and sealing the deal.
Chrom shook her hand then turned and mouthed something to Frederick, who after a moment, tossed him a hefty bag. Chrom held the bag out to Merchant Anna. "Here. 4,000 now, and we'll give you the rest after we deal with Walhart."
"I'm holding you to that, princey." Merchant Anna said.
"Also, how long will it take for you to get us from here into Fort Steiger?" Chrom asked.
The merchant put the bag away. "Let me take a peek at that map." Merchant Anna said, snatching the map off the floor and bringing it to her eyes. "Now let's see. We've got the Mila Tree here... Steiger over there... Factor in the time it'll take to do business with those barbarians... And... It would take roughly... 7 or 8 hours."
"You expect us to sit in wait inside some container for 7 to 8 hours?!" Vaike boomed in disbelief.
"Don't be a fool." Lon'qu said to Vaike. "We can go into hiding after we've traveled a distance towards Steiger."
"No, Lon'qu, Vaike's right." Robin corrected.
"He is!?"
"I am?"
"Unfortunately, yes. We don't know whether we'll run into any Valmese patrol units on the trip, and we don't want them to know we're going on the offensive. That being so, we need to stay out of sight before we even leave the Mila Tree. It's for that reason that the Shepherds alone will depart even before the rest of our forces. Basilio, Flavia, are you fine with taking the lead of our main force?"
"We live for that kind of thing, boy." Basilio said.
"Very well. If it'll take us around 8 hours to get in, you'll need to leave the Mila Tree 6 hours after Anna's sister takes us. We want the window between us emerging from the containers, and your assault, to be as short as possible in case things go south."
"That's a great task you're asking of us, Robin. But it's child's play for a Khan, isn't that right?" Flavia asked, turning towards Basilio.
"You've got that right, woman. Bwahaha." Basilio laughed.
"But 8 hours?" Vaike persisted.
"Of course we could get there faster than that, but a merchant caravan can only speed down the road so fast before the starts to draw suspicion. Did I mention how heavily patrolled that area is? Chances are if we stumble upon any Valmese, even merchants like myself well be 'escorted' for the duration of the time we're in the vicinity." Merchant Anna expalined.
Robin nodded in agreement. "She's right. If we're doing this, we've got to nail the entire act. And if that means sitting motionless in a barrel for 8 hours in order to make the ruse more believable, then that's what we'll have to do."
"B-but what about those of us that 'ride' into combat?" Sumia inquired.
"I doubt we can sneak horses or gods forbid even wyverns into the fort under the guise of cargo. We'll have to run our strategy on foot." Robin said.
"And once we're in?" asked Chrom.
"We can begin our search for their command. Seeing as we're sneaking in, we'd naturally want to stay undetected for as long as possible. The best case scenario would be to get rid of their commander before they even know we're there."
"We're going to have a party of over 30 people. Can we even pull such a stealthy task?" Sumia asked, still a bit skeptical about it all.
"If we follow a strict course of actions, surely we can. Archers will be our strong point for most of the duration that we're undetected."
Virion, Lon'qu, Anna, Olivia, and Gaius looked to one another and nodded. "You can find no better than we." Virion declared.
"As always." Robin replied with a grin. "Any more questions?" he asked, glancing around the room. "Make sure you've got all of your equipment. After that, take things easy for the rest of the day. We'll depart before dawn."
The crowd slowly made for the exit, clearing out the room save for a few people.
Robin hovered over the map, eyeing over the names of Walhart's men. '9 major people we've got to keep an eye on. 2 of them have already been defeated, leaving us with 7 and Walhart. Wait... come to think of it, Cervantes mentioned something about being around another Tactician. Logic would point to the fact that a Tactician wouldn't be left to take command of one location alone. Perhaps... Perhaps this Tactician was just in Cervantes's presence before our assault. That would mean the dastard isn't stationed at any one location. He's mobile...' There was now a 10th member under Walhart who's name had yet to be even identified. And if it was as Robin feared, the person was a fellow Tactician.
"Robin!" Morgan called, jogging up to the man. "That was awesome! So that's how Tacticians are like. And you even used my plan!"
Robin finally took his eyes away from the map to turn towards the girl. "About that. That was some fine thinking back there, Morgan."
"It was, wasn't it?" Morgan replied elatedly.
"Where did you learn something like that, dear?" Lucina asked.
"I don't know. It just made sense at the time." Morgan shrugged.
"Hah, well keep it up." Robin chuckled. "Magic might not be the only thing I'll be tutoring you on."
"Now, Robin, remember what we talked about last night? Don't go making any more work for yourself." Lucina said.
"More work? If Morgan's got the talent for it, I'll just push all the work onto her."
"Yes! Morgan: Swordsman-Mage-Tactician Extraordinaire! Muahahahaha!" Morgan cried out, immersing herself in her delusions.
"Robin! See what you've done?"
"What? What have I done?"
Lucina pointed at Morgan.
"...Firing that old man is the first thing I oughta do." Morgan mused to herself.
"You see!?" Lucina asked.
Robin let out a laugh. "Come on, she's just joking. Right, Morgan?"
"Off with your head, fool!" Morgan shouted, pointing her fingers at Robin dramatically.
"A Tactician doesn't have the authority!" Robin cried.
Lucina shook her head. She really did have two children to look after.
A/N: It's good to be back! Somewhat.
I'm gonna give it to you straight. I've been kind of lagging when it comes to writing chapters. I know that I promised a constant stream of chapter when I returned... And you will definitely get that stream of chapters! Later!
I'm still in the process of writing more and it's been about 3 weeks since the last update. Seeing as I'm running behind schedule, I've decided to drop this one chapter for the time being to tide you all over until the real marathon begins.
In this chapter we get a lot of information about the upcoming war.
The Fire Emblem is finally formally addressed. This is not without problem however, as you've all just learned that the gem that was supposed to be in Chon'sin's care is GONE. If you remember in the game, Vert was supposed to be in Walhart's possession after taking it from Chon'sin. You can only wonder now how the Shepherds will proceed.
Not only that, we get more knowledge about Steiger, as well as the survivors of the massacre there.
Another interesting topic is Walhart's Circle. You may already recognize most of them, but there are a few new ones that I've added. I've stated before that I generally avoid OC's. In this case, I like to think of these new characters as more of an obstacle or another trial to deal with. I'm generally expanding the Valm War segment of the story, as I felt even though it wasn't the central focus of Awakening's plot, what is basically a World War in the game lasted only a few chapters. Less than that of the war in Plegia.
We get the most info on Nito specifically. Risen, Nito, I'm hoping some of you get the reference. He may or may not be a member of the accursed Grimleal, and he may or may not be responsible for the recent Risen attack. I know, I know. Many of you are thinking, "But wait! It was clearly those two hooded guys from the Naga's Voice arc that did that!" Yes, I'm aware of what's going, and trust me, I still do.
I must say, I enjoy what I've done with Grimleal. If the Voice of Naga is in Valm, and Naga's tooth is in Ylisse, why can't there be Grimleal over in Valm? They're essentially two rival religions/cults/organizations/factions.
Also, as a fun little side note, I unwittingly added yet another Gintama reference into the story. This one had been a complete accident, and was pointed out by a reader. Very similar to Gintoki, Robin, the main character, has acquired a seemingly indestructible wooden sword that was made from the wood of a special tree. I swear, I feel almost guilty for having done this. As a big fan of the series, I'm ashamed that this detail flew over my head at the time. Blame it on the show's 2015 return XD. So now we've got a Norse mytholgy and an anime influence on Robin's new weapon.
Another note, after completing my Lunatic run back in February, I've begana fresh playthrough. This time will be back on Hard/Classic. Lunatic was defintely a challenge, but in truth, it really wasn't very enjoyable. To spice things up, I'll be going through with a No Second Seal / Non Optimal Pairings /Only Grinding for Supports/ Use the Pairings I Have in This Fic run. I've got to say so far, it makes Hard Mode much more challenging. I based my last playthrough off what pairs I had in the story at the time, but I ended up playing far more than I could write chapters to keep up. I've also purchased the remainder of the DLC that I didn't have and intend to play EVERYTHING. (Okay, not sure about apotheosis just yet, but if I feel good enough by endgame, maybe.) It should take my mind of the fact that we won't be getting IF next month... *cries*
One last thing I'd like to get off my mind, is my chapter 'A Shot in the Dark.' It seems I've 'shot myself in the foot' with regards to naming that chapter as I just realized that I had forgotten that the name of Noire's recruitment chapter was 'A Shot From the Dark'.
Nothing too big, and they're not exactly the same. Also, A shot in the dark makes more sense given what happened in the chapter, with Sumia going insane and throwing around wild guesses about Lucina/Robin blah blah blah.
Alright I won't keep you any longer!
FYI, Chapters 1 - 5 have been edited, courtesy of Ventrust Westwind as always! Also to Kiiroi Senko for doing a critique on this chapter. The rest of the edits will soon follow!