Author's Note - Well! I'll admit, It's pleasing just to know people are reading the first chapter! I'll try to keep them all about that length, as I can knock 'em out about once a day. However, this does limit my story telling, as there won't be ton all at once. At the same time, I write in one sitting, and most of the story is unplanned currently, so it is both a blessing and a curse. One thing I would like to mention. Emmeryn, Gangrel, Walhart, Aversa(?) and Yen'fay are all staying dead in this story. I feel it would take something away, almost from the story I want to tell. If there's any mistakes you notice, or anything you'd like to see, shoot me a review... And that's all, for now! Enjoy Chapter 2! - End of Author's Note
Frederick rode as fast and as far away from the Table as he could.
"Forgive me, my Lord..." He muttered under his breath, the pain of both failing Chrom and abandoning his dead body to the Grimleal written plain on his face. Lissa was riding behind him, her arms wrapped tightly around her husband's chest.
"He would have hated that." She piped up.
Frederick ignored her
"I know you can hear me Frederick. Don't be such an ass. You may have just lost a friend, but you aren't the only one! For Naga's sake I lost a brother! Now is not the time to grieve!"
Frederick halted his horse, baffled by Lissa's complete 180. The princess smiled at him.
"If we can be strong, we can make it through this! The war isn't over, not by a long shot! We need to regroup! We need to plan! We need to-"
"Lissa. You aren't thinking clearly. Falchion was left at Chrom's side. You are over passionate with grief. What we really need to do, is process what just happened. Now, I'll give you time, milady, but I am the leader of the Shepherds now, and-" Frederick was interrupted. The other Shepherds were beginning to catch up with them. "... We will continue this later."
Donnel ran up to Frederick, panting, his face red from sprinting a long ways. He was the first of the obscenely large group following Frederick, Stahl and Sully both close behind, and Cherche not far behind them.
"Well, I done reckon I just did run faster than a pig on its way to the feed! Mr. Frederick, Sir... What now?"
"Patience is a virtue, Donny." Frederick stated matter-of-factly "We should be far enough away to be safe from attacks from the Grimleal, and I can't imagine they're the most organized at the moment. Wait for the other Shepherds, and I will enlighten you all upon my plan of action."
"Why, of course, yessir, your... Frederickness."
Lissa groaned, earning her a healthy stare from her husband. The time for action was now! She was forced to stand by while her brother was murdered by his best friend, a man they all thought they could trust, and she was fed up with it. She wanted vengeance. And she wanted it now.
The group of Shepherds had grown, and when the late comers had arrived, Frederick told them their course of action.
"Ahem!" He began "As Lord Chrom's second in command, I will lead the Shepherds, at least temporarily. Please, save all questions or complaints until the end. This isn't the longest of plans, and it doesn't need to be made longer by unnecessary interruptions."
"Golly." Donnel said to Kellam, who may or may not have been standing right next to him. "That sure does put you in a right tight spot, don't it?" This earned him a hearty glare from Frederick, and he shut up without further comments.
"If Donnel is finished with his incredible, truly fascinating commentary to seemingly no one at all, I would like to begin by calling the role." Lissa groaned audibly, and Frederick ignored her.
"As time is of the essence, please, report to me immediately any Shepherds who currently appear to be absent from our ranks." Frederick looked around the crowd of Shepherds himself.
"Vaike is dead." Cordelia spoke, almost whispered. She was overcome with grief, and having dismounted her pegasus, she was relying almost entirely on Sumia to do something as simple as stand. "He isn't here. He threatened Robin. He's dead. I'm sure of it. C-cut down by Robin, I hope... At least that way, he could die like... Like..." Cordelia stopped, tears running down her cheeks. Sumia put her head against that of her lifelong friend, consoling her as best she knew how. She too looked saddened by Chrom's passing, and Frederick was sure that at one point, Sumia and Chrom had something that was more than that a captain would typically have with a soldier.
"That is truly heart wrenching." Frederick spoke, hoping his false sincerity was making his lack of caring at all. Vaike had been a sub-par soldier at best, and tended to damage morale more than build it. "My condolences go out to you and your daughter. What was her name... Selena?"
Cordelia tried to laugh. "Close, sir, but her name is Severa. She reminds me of, well, myself, but she has his...she has his hair. If there's anything left for me in this world, it'd be her."
"Good. I hope to see you on the fields of many battles to come, Cordelia. You are truly a model soldier, and to lose both you and your husband... I'm sure that your daughter would be crushed." Frederick quickly walked away from Cordelia. He had never known her not Vaike all that well, and though he was sorry that Vaike was dead, he found that on a larger scale he didn't care at all. He glanced around, and when no more Shepherds spoke up, he relaxed. Returning to his place at the front of the crowd, he looked around one last time before speaking again. After all, it was much better to be safe than sorry.
When Frederick saw that Donnel was fidgeting like he was prone to explode, he reluctantly said "Donnel, you can talk again", bracing himself for what would almost surely be bad news, worse than the loss of Vaike, at the very least.
"Well, your Frederickness... I hate to say it but I just ain't seeing her graciousnessly holy exuberance the Queen anywhere 'round here."
"Oh, Gods no..." Frederick broke from his stoic stance. "If you'll excuse me..." Stepping away from the Shepherds, he gasped for air. To lose his liege, and his liege's wife at the same time, that was inexcusable. Chrom was murdered in cold blood. He knew that as fact. Deep down, he knew that it was written, and nothing he'd have done could have changed a thing. But Olivia... that was a failure on his part. In his rush to save Lissa and himself, and to get home, he missed something. And that ended up costing someone their life, someone he was sworn to protect.
"I am no knight." He whispered to himself. Regaining composure, he rejoined his friends.
"I cannot accept that she is dead. I will not accept that she is dead." He announced loudly to the crowd, trying to convince himself as well as them. "In fact, I believe we should go back and retrieve her, immediately. All in fa-"
Lissa had started paying attention the moment Frederick stepped away from the others. She knew her husband. And she knew that he would obsess over Olivia until the issue of her disappearance was resolved, even at the cost of his own life. She wasn't prepared to lose him too.
"NO!" She interrupted "I will not let you go!"
"Lissa. Olivia, she needs us, she..."
"You're doing what I was doing a moment ago, Frederick. Don't let your emotions take control. I know, it sounds like I'm doing a complete 180, but this is purely suicidal. Olivia might need you. She might still be alive, and she might still need help. But do you know who does need you, Frederick? Look around. Look around, at how lucky you are to be alive right now. I need you. The Shepherds, they're all lost without you. They need you. The Ylissean people are about to face a terrible horror, the likes of which have never before been seen upon this Earth. They need you. Think of Lucina. Think of Inigo. We all may have failed their parents. But if we hurry, we can still help them. We need to leave. Robin... No, Grima must know where we are, and even if he doesn't, we are still way to close. I can see the Table over there." Lissa paused here, pointing for emphasis. "They wills doubtlessly attack Ylisstol, and that is where we need to be. That's where I am going to be, at least. With, or without, any of you. With my people."
As Lissa finished, she turned, and walked in the direction of Ylisse, towards Ylisstol.
Donnel looked at Frederick briefly, and when he appeared to not be moving, Donnel made a drastic decision. He went after Lissa. Holding his head up high, he ran to catch up with her, prepared to follow her to the ends of the Earth. He was not alone in this. Maribelle followed Lissa at nearly the same time, and most all of the Shepherds followed her.
Frederick knew that she would never make it. And he couldn't leave her to die. She was both too dear to him to lose, and her death would also mean another failure on his part. That, he would not allow. Wordlessly, he turned and followed her as well, joining the others who had all started after her already. Those who hadn't followed Lissa followed Frederick, their new commander. They had places to be now, and people to protect. After all, there were children at home.