Hey! SOOOO SORRY for taking so long on this chapter. I excused myself for being tardy last chapter and I frankly could've gotten this done at least a week earlier. But now that school has officially ended for the term I will definitely have more time so the stress of juggling school and this won't be a factor anymore.
Again, so sorry for the delay. Enjoy!
(3rd Person)
Marth was tired, but knew that he could not afford to allow fatigue to overtake him. Wiping the sweat from his forehead he brushed his hair back into place.
Good, it hasn't fallen out…
It was dark so no one would notice the rest of his hair tucked into the back, underneath his tunic and cape. For a brief moment Marth took off his mask to feel the cold air on his face…
Suddenly, his hands began to shake. The facade he put up was wavering, the enormity of the task passed to him was overwhelming. His mask dropped to the ground as a result of his anxiety and his legs began to tremble.
Gods, what is wrong with me?
"Hey! Marth!"
"Robin! Don't talk to the Hero King like that!" The noble gave a prompt slap to the back of the tactician's head as both of them approached, the cleric and great knight following not far behind.
The man swiftly retrieved the butterfly mask and wore it once again before the Shepherds noticed the slip-up. He was still facing away from them when they emerged through the foliage.
"Sorry, Hero King—"
"Marth is fine, Robin." The masked swordsman turned his head in acknowledgement of their presence of Chrom and Robin, as well as Lissa and Frederick who stood unsure of how to approach the living myth.
"Yes, Marth…I was going to ask—wait, how do you know my name?"
"I-I heard your companion there say your name just a moment ago." Marth was fortunate that Chrom had blurted his name earlier, for he could not think of any better reason to excuse himself from such a novice blunder. He cursed silently to himself as the group stared at him constantly, it did not help calm his nerves.
Robin decided against pressing further into his question and moved on to the main topic at hand. Chrom, however, walked towards the masked swordsman and extended a welcoming hand.
"Thank you for lending your aid in that battle, especially for saving my friend, Robin. I don't mean to be rude, but I would like to know why you have the same sword as I: The handle, hilt and sheath, it's all just like mine…" The prince stated as he pointed to the sheathed mirror of Falchion.
"I have no idea what you are asking…but the events that occurred here tonight was but a prelude for the calamity that is to come! This world teeters on the brink of a horrible calamity. You have been warned." With that Marth hastily turned on his heel and walked away, his back still facing the Shepherds.
"Huh? What's teetering where now? Hey wait! Oh great, he's gone now…"
"Well, I didn't get my answer, but if what he said is true it's all the more reason we should leave for the capital!"
The white-haired tactician was lost in though, the great knight looked at him for a moment.
"Robin, what are you thinking?"
"Oh, sorry I was thinking about—W-wait! Hero King Marth!" All of a sudden the tactician sprinted towards the mysterious man's direction, leaving a very confused group of Shepherds behind him.
"…Milord, shall we follow?" Frederick asked the group, who were still trying to comprehend the terrible news.
(Robin's POV)
"Excuse me Marth, I need to speak with you!" I forced a path through a bunch of flexible branches, and one particularly prickly bramble which left an irksome itch on my hands. Nevertheless I resisted the urge to scratch them and pressed on towards the man. It did not take long, he stood against the side of a tree, waiting expectantly.
"What do you want?"
"I still have questions that need answered. Firstly: Why do you have Chrom's sword? I know you're hiding more to it than you let on earlier. Is there a reason why you decided not to tell us?"
The Hero-King crossed his arms, clearly annoyed, "What makes you think talking to me in that manner will get you an answer. I am THE Prince Marth. Show some respect!"
I simply sighed, "Well, Prince Marth…I'm sure that is who you are, right?" This "Prince Marth" received my message as intended, his facade beginning to crumble as he—correction, she, placed her hand to her chest. I could not see her facial expression, but her body language told it all.
"I thought it was odd. The hand you gave to help me up, it was quite slender for a man's, even for someone as effeminate as you. I'm sure you have your reasons for disguising yourself, but in exchange for keeping such a secret, I ask you to answer my question: Why do you have Falchion?"
Her posture seemed to relax to its natural form, though she was still on her guard, her left hand firmly touching the teardrop guard of her blade. "…If I say it, it will contradict your deal to keep my identity secret. I cannot tell you, not yet."
I'm not getting much out of her at this point. I could press her more, but she did save me, so that's something I owe her.
"Alright," I stated which gained her attention, "I'll stop with the questions. I can tell you have good reasons for being covert, you helped us so I can't really doubt you. But where will you go? I'm sure the Shepherds will be welcoming of someone with your skills, Chrom especially."
"Heh…I wish I could." For a brief moment, I thought the swordsman moved her lips to form a smile. It went quickly as it came while the female warrior shook her head, "But I can't! I have an important task to do. My quest is for the good of all of us, trust me when I say how crucial it is I leave…"
The woman turned to face away, for a moment she looked downwards, "The next time we meet, we will be fighting. And I won't hold back!" She offered a gentle smile and walked into the night.
The crumbling dirt path improved to flimsy gravel ground, then solid cobblestone the closer we came into view of the broad castle and the clutter of quaint buildings surrounding the base of it. It was a tiresome travel, but fortunately, we reached our destination around noon.
When we passed through the gates to the city, Sully and Virion both went ahead by Chrom's order (Sully obviously not pleased to have the flirtatious archer for company). They were to bring a message to the castle of their return, as well as of the recent skirmish.
The four of us walked through the crowded city streets, towards one of the main streets. The townspeople meandered passed market stalls; a couple children weaved through the crowd from one alley to another, most likely playing a game. All the noise, the smells, the atmosphere; the organised chaos was strangely charming. There were a couple stares from the people as we walked by.
The news of our fight must have spread already, that was quick. The Shepherds must be well-known here.
"What do you think Robin, pretty neat place huh?" Stated Lissa, who extended her arms in a dramatic manner to express the vastness of the capital.
"It's very impressive! It must be great to live here, there's so many people and stores here."
The cleric smiled, "Yeah, it's nice being out in the open. It gets boring sometimes at the palace though…"
Lissa's brother nodded in agreement, "Yes, it can get quite tedious in the palace at times, having to attend to the affairs of nobles and the—"
I looked at the two very much bewildered by what I just heard, "Waitwaitwait, w-what are you…"
"Look! It's the Exalt!" Squealed a female citizen. It was then I noticed the crowds of people concentrated themselves against one of the main streets.
I was further confused by the turn of events. Chrom, Lissa and Frederick, however, looked pleased.
"What is going on?"
It was Frederick who took the initiative to answer, "It is the Exalt of Ylisse, she often walks amongst the common citizens, just so happens she is right now."
"Huh, isn't something like that dangerous? She could be attacked by anyone!"
"Do not worry, usually the Pegasus knights serve as her bodyguards, see? They're not on mounts, but their amour and spears indicate so." The great knight further informed me.
"Thank you, Frederick. But anyway, what you said before about the palace—"
It was then Lissa who butted in, "Palace? Oh yeah. We live in the palace, right there!" She pointed to the castle that I saw on our way here.
"S-seriously!? That would mean…Oh Gods!" I immediately knelt at the two royal's feet, my head bowed respectfully. "I apologise for my behaviour! Um…"
"Prince Chrom and Princess Lissa." The great knight added.
"Yes! Prince Chrom, Princess Lissa, please excuse me my dreadful manners!"
All I could see was the cobblestone flooring, and what I heard in response was the chuckling of a certain prince and princess. Looking up I saw the two grinning at me, not paying much attention to the stares of strangers that were nearby.
"No need to act on formalities Robin. Also I can't believe you didn't know we were royalty! Why do you think I have the divine sword, Falchion? Or the brand of the exalt?" Chrom pointed to his right shoulder. Lissa's smile faded somewhat at the mention of the mark.
"Ah—well I knew you were of high class, but royalty? I didn't connect the dots."
Thank the Gods I didn't get into trouble, at least I don't need to speak formally to them.
Wiping my forehead with my sleeve, I stood back up, "So that would mean the Exalt right there…"
"Is no other than our sister, Emmeryn!" Lissa's smile returned, "Remember how I told you she was good with the people? That's her!"
She dragged me by the arm towards the crowd that was observing the Exalt as well, past the heads of the people I saw the figure in question: She was blonde like Lissa, and donned a majestic robe of white, green and gold. There was a unique sort of gold headpiece pinned behind her head, probably a symbol of some sort, I then noticed the brand of the exalt on her forehead. She appeared to be a symbol of peace—and beauty—that I was told of, her presence was heartwarming and the way she waved and talked to the people was inspiring.
So this is the woman that brought peace to the whole halidom…
"Well, she sure is as great as you've told me."
Chrom nudged me with his elbow, "Anyway, we should head to the castle. There we can formally meet her and discuss the events of last night." He walked in the direction of the palace, waving to his company to follow.
Last night…I wonder what you're up to.
"By the way, you still haven't told me about why Marth has my sword. I know that he once held Falchion, but history wrote that the blade looked different than it does now, yet it appears the same as mine."
"Ah yes, I asked him but he didn't answer me. He is a stubborn fellow."
The prince looked at me one final time, before shrugging off the matter.
What I said was half-true…
I promise to keep your secret, Marth.
(3rd Person)
Standing before the group in the main hall of the palace was Emmeryn, she seemed to radiate to Robin (which may be attributed to the sunlight that shone through the expansive windows of the building), the tactician knelt at the presence of the woman; Chrom, Lissa and Frederick did not do the same, the siblings hugged each other tenderly as the knight genuinely smiled and bowed in greeting.
"Chrom, Lissa! Welcome home. Oh, and good day, Frederick. How fared you all?" As she spoke, her gaze was fixed on the solemn figure still kneeling, "And who may this be?"
The prince patted the tactician's back to stand, quietly affirming to his friend that he does not need to be so formal.
"This is Robin. He aided us in driving away some bandits back in Southtown—and don't worry about them, they won't be much bandit problems for a while, especially since HE apprehended the leader. We believe them to come from Plegia, their accent gave it away. Oh, and we need to send a small detachment to pick the leader, Garrick, up from the town. He's the one with the missing hand."
Beside Emmeryn stood an azure headed woman in the signature armour of the pegasus knights, she responded succinctly to the prince, "Forgive me, milord. My pegasus knights should have intercepted them. I'll send a small team to apprehend the man."
"Wonderful to hear that it is settled. And our people?"
Her brother smiled proudly, "As safe as they can be." He then turned to the knight besides Emmeryn, "Don't worry about it, Phila. Your duty was here, with the exalt. And besides we—"
"—Got plenty of help!" The youngest of the siblings finish her brother's sentence, holding onto the crook of Robin's elbow happily, "Robin here was amazing! He's got the brains and brawn that makes him such as great tactician! Without him I don't think I would still be here, he saved my life!"
"Is that so?" The exalt walked slowly until she was arms length from the man, "I offer my sincerest thanks for saving my younger sister, Robin the Tactician." She then bowed, a surprise to everyone in the room, especially Robin. The tactician raised his hands bashfully.
"Haha, I don't deserve such thanks, Exalt Emmeryn. While that may be true, if it wasn't for the rest of the Shepherds we wouldn't have won. Also they brought me in despite my amnesia, it is the least I can do for their kindness."
"Amnesia you say?" The exalt inquired, where Chrom chose to elaborate.
"Yes, we found him in a field outside Southtown. He has no recollection of his life, but he is gifted in combat and tactics, and as a result I appointed him to be the Shepherd's new tactician!" The prince patted his friend on the back.
"Milady, if I may be bold. I still have doubts of Robin's credibility: Yes, he is skilled and proved to be trustworhy—to some extent," Robin looked at Frederick indignant, as did Chrom, "—we cannot rule him out that he may not be some assassin, or a Plegian spy." The great knight remained stoic as ever during his comment. Chrom did not appreciate it but before he could rebut, Lissa replied poutingly.
"Frederick! Stop being so suspicious of Robin! He has been nothing but nice, brave and helpful ever since we met him. He saved my life for the love of Naga!—"
Whom Lissa spoke of stopped her with a hand to the cleric's shoulder, she looked over to Robin's face, which calmed her.
"It's alright, Lissa," He then turned his attention to his wary ally, "While I don't appreciate the suspicion—and I REALLY do not. But if I could prove my trustworthiness more than I already have, I would," The white haired tactician turned away, "you don't have to like me, Frederick. I just need your trust, because you have mine."
The great knight closed his eyes, standing motionless to gather his thoughts. The few seconds of silence was broken by the exalt as she moved between the two men, facing both of them in the middle, "Frederick, I may not know Robin as much, or as long as I do know you. But I see the honesty in him, I know you do too. Let's move past this dispute, you both are better than this."
Frederick opened his eyes to see Emmeryn's smile. With that the knight sighed lightly and bowed deep to Robin, "I'm sorry for my inappropriate comment. It is my duty to protect Lady Lissa and Prince Chrom, I let my duty blind my personal judgement. You have demonstrated your loyalty to Chrom, and he trusts you for it. Forgive me, I hope we move past this." He extended his hand towards Robin.
Robin looked back at Frederick, touched by the honesty and gesture of the Shepherd's second-in command. He considered the apology, smiled and shook his hand firmly, "Apology accepted."
"Yay! Thanks sis!" The cleric hugged her sister, nearly causing her to fall over.
"Anyway…" Chrom interrupted abruptly, "Good that the issue is resolved, but we should get back to the urgent matter of the monsters we fought last night."
"Milord, you talk about the humanoid monsters, yes? We have reported sightings of them all over Ylisse." Phila stated.
"Mmm, what Phila says is true, we are about to hold a council on the issue. I was hoping you could join us."
"Of course. Sorry Lissa, Robin. We won't be long." The prince explained to the two, Lissa then grabbed Robin by the arm.
"I think that's our cue, Robin! C'mon, there's a place I want to show you." With that, the two jogged away, the tactician being led to a place unknown to him.
"This is…nice." The tactician replied to Lissa, who presented the Shepherd's garrison. It was fraught with crates, had long rectangular tables with books randomly piled on one another, and was littered with stray papers all over the floor. Robin could swear he can see dust floating in the air through the sunlight that shone from outside.
What a mess! How does anyone stand being in such a haphazard place?
In the garrison, Robin was introduced to three new Shepherds: Vaike, a (very) muscular, bare chested blonde that wields an axe as a fighter; Sumia, from the look of her amour she was a pegasus knight, however her clumsiness alluded otherwise of the silver haired girl.
How does one even trip over her boots? The tactician was not completely convinced she was a soldier, or at least a front-line unit.
Finally there was Maribelle, another blonde noble. Despite her best friend, Lissa, she was very 'uptight' in how she presents herself. Her disapproval of Robin's jest to Vaike's burp did not do more for his first impressions of the troubadour.
Aside from their colourful personalities, they did not seem to mind the higher authority given to the newcomer—not counting Maribelle's pout and her storming off—the Shepherds gave him a warm welcome.
He did not have much time to relax as his previous companion, Sully, entered the garrison just as Chrom finish with his announcement of their new mission to Regna Ferox (as well as the name of the new enemy—the Risen). She stood intimidatingly in the doorway, giving the tactician a confident glare.
"Hey! I think it's time we see who's the better fighter, meet me outside in the sparring ring!"
"Oh yeah! Teach finally gets to—"
"Not you, blockhead. I'm talking to snow-hair next to you." She pointed to Robin, who blinked confusingly for a moment. He quickly understood the look in her eye and smiled.
"It is a duel that you want? Sure, I'm game," He looked at Chrom, "If that's alright."
The prince nodded, "We're leaving tomorrow so it's not a problem," He then turned his attention to Sully, "Don't rough him up too much, we need him alive for tomorrow!"
"Heh, We'll see…" Sully left back through the door. Everyone sighed and looked pitifully at the white haired tactician, who was wondering what the fuss was about.
"…What is it?"
"She's quite fierce when it comes to fighting, many women call her 'The Woman to End All Men.'" Sumia informed Robin.
"Oh…" Robin paused, thinking, "What I know of her, she is definitely strong, but I think I can take her."
"Ha, Teach will love to see that! I hate to admit that she has beaten Vaike on a few occasions though. But Teach was going easy on her on those defeats."
Lissa giggled at the fighter's boast, "Yeah, those few times. More like EVERY time."
"H-hey! Teach doesn't know what you're talking about…"
"Well in any case, I'm gonna go and take her on anyway." The newest member of the Shepherds followed Sully outside, leaving Chrom and the rest of the Shepherds. All of them decided to follow and observe the fight.
A small crowd surrounded the sparring ring of the Shepherd's training area. The crimson cavalier wielded a practice lance, whereas the tactician held a practice sword and the advantage was on the woman's side; she had the superior reach and strength against the tactician—who was not sporting his signature black and purple coat as Lissa offered to sew the cut left by the Risen in last night's skirmish, therefore Robin felt bare not feeling the heft of the thick, comfortable cloak.
"Ha, two-to-one, tactician! Where did those brains of yours go?" The red head smirked at her victory, one more clean strike and it will be her win.
Hmm, okay. I see her movements now. Now to put my strategy into practice! I'll feed her ego for a start…
The tactician smiled weakly in defeat, "Heh, you sure have me in a corner. But I'm disappointed that you haven't beaten me sooner. I can't believe you were hit by that weak stab I gave you earlier, really disappointing."
His feign worked successfully as Sully looked offended, glaring daggers at Robin, "Oh, now you're asking for it!"
She zipped across from her side of the ring with her lance poised to thrust at the coatless man's chest. As planned, he slid slightly into a wider stance, took one step back with his right to twist and narrow his torso, letting his blade deflect the blow of the lance which caused it to slide against the broadside of the wooden sword.
In one quick stroke the tactician spun around and smacked the cavalier in the back of her right knee, which forced her to kneel on the ground in disbelief.
"Argh! How did you even—" The red head clutched the soreness at her knee, clearly defeated by Robin's strategic manoeuvre.
"It was easy, I studied your movements the last two matches and recalled your fighting style from last night. With that I was able to evaluate your style and judge from there how to counter you. As I said, easy."
Sully shook off the pain in her leg and regained her footing a few paces away from her opponent. "Looks like your brains haven't left you, but it won't happen again!"
Stomping the butt of her spear on the sandy floor, she reset to her fighting stance and stood motionless like a statue, holding her gaze with Robin's. He just twitched his right eye, almost like a wink which he done in another attempt to psyche out the Shepherd.
Sumia, Lissa, Virion, Vaike and later Maribelle (after returning from her mild hissy fit), looked on from the sidelines in anticipation. Chrom and Frederick watched the first match (much to the prince's disappointment) before leaving for more important matters.
"Milady! Hold your ground against this white haired blackguard! I believe in your magnificence in beauty AND combat will preva—" Lissa bonked the archer hard on the head once again with her staff, stopping the superfluous stream of words flowing from his mouth.
"Shut it, dummy! Robin won't be beat by Sully, he's too smart and strong."
"Ugh, how barbaric. What does this display of combat hope to prove?" Marielle turned her head away from the sight of the two fighting.
The small group continued to bicker whilst Sully and Robin remained focused, slowly striding parallel from one another with their respective weapons in hand. The cavalier was ticked off by the playful grin on his face as he twirled his blunt sword with ease, he was crouched down which minimised the opportunity for attacks.
This frustrated her, for she was running out of options of attack and knowing Robin he would counter whatever she does anyway.
"Damn…" Sully cursed under her breath, aware to not let her expression give away her second wind.
Try to think like Robin, I'm definitely stronger than him so… The cavalier decided, gripping her lance hard.
With amazing speed, she lunged with such power that the tactician was caught in the attack, forced to shield the brunt of it with his sword. It would have been her win, if he had not barely avoided the tip of the lance scraping his left shoulder by an inch.
Shit! Where did that burst of power come from!? The tactician was surprised, and a bit afraid of the woman's capabilities.
Knowing that Robin would come in for a coup de grâce she shifted her trajectory away from him, letting the speed she gained give her enough distance to swipe from afar. The red head spun on her heels in an anti-clockwise motion, extending her lance towards the man's right thigh, which just missed. Her manoeuvre kicked up a mixture of sand and dust which acted as a light fog between the two Shepherds. Cheers came from the crowd due to the impressive display.
"Don't let her power best you Robin! You can do it! WHOO!"
"Robin! Show Teach and that Red Menace what stuff you're made of!"
"Hmph, as if Sully will lose…But Robin isn't half bad either." Marielle whispered.
"Dearest Sully, do be careful! It would not do well for your beauty to be marred in a spar."
"Robin will win. Sully will win. Robin. Sully. Robin. Sully…" Sumia whispered, plucking the white petals off a flower.
The tactician smiled at the two blonde's words of encouragement, though he knew he was losing the advantage slowly. He slightly miscalculated Sully's ability to adapt, for she was not giving him any opportunity to retaliate. He was forced to dodge or deflect the onslaught of stabs and slashes she dished out.
Gods! Any more and she's surely to best me. I have to think something up fast!
Robin was presently aware of the cavalier's choice to attack out of his offensive range, there was no way he could land a hit without going further into her range.
That's it! I'll have to take the gamble!
The fog cleared and Sully could now clearly see Robin's stance: He was poised with his sword in one hand rather than both (which he usually did), she became immediately suspicious of his new technique. The white haired man stood defiantly against the odds stacked against him.
Okay, got one shot. Make it count, Robin!
The red cavalier slid her hands further to the back of her lance, maximising her distance between them just in case.
I don't know what you're planning, but I'll end this here and now! Let's see if you can read this!
She charged at the tactician for a typical lunge. Robin's plan was coming together, he just needed to evade the pointed tip and get on the inside of her weapon.
"Checkmate!" Robin went to lock Sully's lance with his left arm.
However, just as his fingers touched the wooden staff of the lance the cavalier swiftly retracted her weapon by pulling her weapon with her right hand, as her left hand slid towards the front until the tactician could see the tip in front of him, angled in the direction of his chest..
Oh no…
"No, snow-hair. It's my win!"
Sully followed her feign with a heavy stab to the chest.
Robin quickly went for a stab to her chest in an attempt to remedy his mistake.
Sully pushed herself off the sandy floor, agonisingly.
Robin tilted his head forward to see the cavalier get back on her feet. He was knocked on his back, winded.
"Robin! Sully!" The blonde cleric ran towards the two injured Shepherds, she pointed her heal staff above Robin first, then and their fractured ribs were restored, leaving a dull sense of pain where the two had struck hard at each other.
"I think that got WAY too serious, you could've seriously hurt each other before the mission!" Lissa exclaimed at the two.
Sully ignored the protests of her comrade (which left Lissa fuming at the woman); sweeping the dirt off her gauntlets she calmly strode towards her opponent who was still catching his breath. The cavalier went down, caught Robin's hand in her's and pulled him back to his feet with thanks from him.
"Whew. You surprised me quite a bit! I didn't expect you to be so cunning."
"Is that meant to be a compliment or an insult?" The red head smiled as she let go of his hand.
"Most definitely a compliment! That was a good fight, even though we came to a draw."
"Heh, I just adapted to your way of thinking. I kinda know that you would've set up some sort of plan to get me, and I knew I couldn't beat you when it comes to tactics, so keeping the offensive was my best chance."
The tactician shook the sand and dirt from his shirt, and chucked at her though process, "Simple, but effective. Very nice."
"HEY! I'm here you know."
Robin then looked at Lissa, "Sorry Lissa. Thanks for the heal by the way, Sully's thrust did a number on me. I assume my cloak hasn't been fixed yet, take your time with it, I'll likely take a break now—maybe read a book."
His simple smile startled her and the cleric realised what she promised to do, "Oh! Yes the cloak! I'll get it fixed for you by tomorrow." Feeling embarrassed, she awkwardly smiled back at him and headed back towards garrison in a hurry.
(Lissa's POV)
What the in the name of Naga was I doing!? I could have acted more appropriately earlier…
I laid out the tactician's cloak on one of the wooden tables in the room, taking extreme care of the right sleeve. She took her time to examine the entirety of the cut, it was jagged and the ends of the fabric was frayed. The cleric knew it would take more than a simple stitch to restore it from what it was.
I wish I was better at sewing…But I promised Robin! I just hope I can work out how to fix this!
It is apparent now that there's something going on between Lissa a Robin (mostly Lissa atm). Aside from the relationship with Lissa and Robin, the pairings are still very much going to be spontaneous, though I will take some time in the next few days to plan out who goes with who, and where this plot is going (I've been mostly winging this series, only jotting down a few dot points for the next chapter I write).
I made the mistake of beginning at the start of the game which made it difficult to exclude important plot points without literally repeating the original scenes from the game. I'm thinking of cutting the less important scenes of the game (such as the cutscene where Stahl is introduced) and simply refer or assume it has happened, because you guys reading would know the plot of Awakening so I feel like I don't need to go into detail of EVERY plot point.
Anyway, thanks for reading! Will definitely get the next chapter done in the next 2 1/2 weeks at most, promise! :)