"Are you sure the poor lad isn't looking at a stand himself?" Virion asked. "Perhaps a book caught his attention."
"Nay, for I knew that from where we were, there wasn't a single book in sight." Say'ri told him. "'Twas nothing but food where we stood."
"But Robin wouldn't wander off for no reason!" Tiki reminded them. "Considering his "condition", he'd at least told you where we wanted to go."
"Maybe he went off to find a bathroom." Anna suggested, trying to sound optimistic. "Everyone has to take a break sometime."
"Just who exactly is this "Robin" you mentioned?" Chrom asked, getting their attention.
"Well..." Say'ri seemed a bit nervous. "Robin is an old friend of mine back when I assisted the Shepherds. I met him in town once, and he said he wanted to become a great tactician. Recently, he visited my castle, and he wanted to know more about the fighting style of Chon'sin. I thought taking him here would have been a nice training break for him, but..."
"I see...but what about his condition?"
"His condition is... ..." Say'ri was quiet for a moment.
"Nervousness." Anna jumped in. "This kid's extremely nervous and afraid of things. He practically hid behind Say'ri when he saw a wyvern! He's not the bravest kid I know, but he's one of the smartest. So him wandering off just doesn't seem right to any of us."
"Hmm...so you all know Robin?" Chrom looked a bit suspicious.
"Well, most of us met him not too long ago." Cherche said. "He's oh so shy, but he'll come around eventually."
"It seems this fellow may be of great importance to princess Say'ri." Frederick said. "Milord, shall we assist in the search?"
"Heh, it seems Say'ri finally found herself a partner." Lissa chuckled, making the other princess blush. "We should help her out Chrom! How often do we get to visit Chon'sin anyway?"
"I guess we can help; we don't have much else to do." Chrom said.
"N-no! You do not have to assist me!" Say'ri blurted out. "I lost him on my own watch, therefore it falls on me to find him. It's...better that way."
"Say'ri, you of all people should know that many things you can't do alone can be achieved with numbers."
"F-fine..." Say'ri seemed at a loss for words.
"Now, what are we looking for?" Morgan asked, reminding everyone that she had been there the whole time. "We'll need a short description in order to shorten the possibilities."
"Well..." Say'ri was suddenly quiet. "How to put this..."
"I believe she wants to say that our dear Robin bears a resemblance to you, my dear." Virion said.
"Wh-what?"
"His eyes, nose, and even hair color looks much like yours, only he has a different hairstyle. He even wears the same robe, only it has become a popular garb these days."
"So we're basically looking for another Morgan?" Chrom asked.
"It appears so."
"Then let us begin. We don't want to waste any time." Chrom said. "My group will look around the south of the town."
"Then we shall cover the north." Say'ri said. "If anyone finds anything that may even hint to a clue, report at once." And with those commands, the two groups split. However Say'ri could not help but wonder what exactly happened to "Robin".
Meanwhile, in a small inn somewhere outside the town.
"Excellent performance today, as normal dear." Said a woman to a man as they both sat down in a room. They were sharing a cup of tea. The woman had blond hair and had two pink bows in her hair. She wore a classy, pink outfit and had a matching umbrella at her side. The man was dressed in a priest's robe, dashed with purple and black. He had a few scars on his face and light brown hair.
"Aw, it's nice of you to say Ma." The man said. "But ya don't have to lie, I know you heard my flop out there. I messed up on the third to last note."
"Stop your pity, young man." The woman scolded her child. "Oddly, you made it sound better in my opinion. Who knew one note higher at the end could make the ballad sound less subtle?"
"Ya mean it Ma? I wants ya to tell me when I screw up a song during showtime, not some pity served during tea time."
"Brady, when have I ever lied to you?" The woman asked with a smile.
"Well there were a few times with pop where-"
"On second thought, let me rephrase that before you answer me." The woman frowned a bit. "When have I ever lied to you...during anything involving the noble pursuits?"
"W-well...naw, not to my memory." Brady looked down at his teacup on the table they were sitting at. "But Ma, I didn't-"
"Silence Brady, you know how I feel about self-pity."
"Y-yes Ma." Brady took a sip of his tea and smiled a bit. "Ya know, we gotta get practicing soon for tomorrow night's performance."
"Yes, well when Olivia and Inigo return from town, we'll get on the road and practice on the way." The woman took a sip of her tea. "Although they have been gone for a bit of a long time."
"I'm sure Mrs. Olivia's just browsing the shops and Inigo's out there practicing his love-making lines." Brady chuckled.
"He doesn't learn, does he?" The lady chuckled.
"If he did, he wouldn't be Inigo anymore, ya know what I mean?"
"Quite."
At that moment there was a knock on the door.
"Excuse me, Ma; I'll get it." Brady excused himself from the table and stood. He walked over to the door and opened it to see Olivia and Inigo standing in the doorway, each stepping into the room with huge smiles on their faces.
"Back so soon? I nearly lost count of time." The woman said in a sarcastic voice.
"Sorry Maribelle, but we met some old friends in town today." Olivia told the woman.
"Really? All the way up here?"
"Mhmm, I met my husband up here and Lissa."
"L-Lissa was here?" Maribelle asked suddenly.
"Yes, her and Chrom are apparently on business." Inigo said for his mother. "However it may have been just me, but Princess Lissa may have seemed troubled by something."
"Lissa? In trouble?" Maribelle stood from her table. "I must see her immediately!"
"N-no no, that's not-"
"Brady, grab your staff; we're going into town."
"But Ma, I don't think tha-" Brady tried to intervene.
"Are you questioning your mother young man?" Maribelle gave him a cold stare.
"N-no ma..." Brady became silent.
"MARIBELLE PLEASE CALM DOWN AND LISTEN!" A voice erupted. The three turned to see Olivia with a deep blush upon her cheeks. "O-oh gosh, was that me? I'm sorry!"
". . ." The room was silent for a few moments. Olivia's blush deepened while Inigo developed a faint blush himself. Brady looked upset while Maribelle seemed the most surprised of all.
"I-I'm sorry, but you were overreacting...The reason Lissa was troubled was because she was looking for someone...I spoke with Frederick, and he told me Princess Say'ri needed to find a friend quickly. They think he was kidnapped..."
"...Very well." Maribelle sat down. "I forgive you for your outburst."
"W-wait, but I didn't... oh, nevermind." Olivia didn't want to protest at the moment.
"Still, it sounds like they need assistance..."
"But unfortunately, we can't stay unless cancelling our performance is an option." Inigo crossed his arms. "We've never cancelled before, but..." He looked at each of his partners. "Should we?"
Silence returned to the room, as the four each thought on the topic. During the silence however, there was a knock at the door. Inigo turned around and walked to the door. He opened it to see a woman dressed in purple and gray armor. She had blue hair and held an iron lance by her side. She had a very stern look on her face as she stared at the man. She looked very tired as she brushed past Inigo.
"*Huff, huff...* Everyone...I bring urgent...news..." The woman huffed.
"Kjelle darling, what on earth happened?" Maribelle asked the woman. "You look as if you ran two counties."
"Something to that effect." Kjelle answered. "I was busy training when something urgent was brought to my attention."
"Maybe you should have a seat first, Kjelle." Olivia suggested. "Have some tea with us."
"No thanks, I'll be fine." Kjelle leaned against the wall next to the window. "I've had training sessions worst than this."
"Well then, don't keep us in suspense." Maribelle took a sip from her cup of tea. "What came to your attention?"
"Well, I happened to come across my mother in town today." Kjelle started.
"You mean Queen Sully?" Inigo asked.
"Precisely. We talked and trained for a bit, until...Father showed up. He told us of an emergency lockdown of the town. Thus, we had to cut our training short."
"They must still be looking for this mystery person for the princess." Maribelle sighed.
"Which is why I offer to stay and give my assistance." Kjelle said.
"But Kjelle, you're our bodyguard! Ya can't just get up and leave to look for some lost kid!" Brady interrupted.
"While I may not entirely agree with Brady's choice of words..." Inigo smiled. "I must say I'd have to agree with him."
"Now let's be rational about this." Maribelle said. "This does pose as a problem for us..." She took a sip of her tea again. "Then again, Kjelle can be of great aid to Chrom and Lissa..." She turned to Olivia. "What do you think, Olivia?"
"O-oh, well..." Olivia stammered for a moment. "I think we should..." She noticed all eyes in the room were on her, which made her blush deeply. "Stop starring!"
Everyone turned around, allowing Olivia to stop blushing. Kjelle looked out the window as she turned around and gasped. "Everyone, look!"
The group of five gathered around the window and saw a person in a hood sitting on a rock by the road. They were flipping back and forth through the pages of a book quickly.
"I hate to ask, but what's so special about a hooded person reading?" Inigo muttered.
"Well there's the fact that they're suspicious, for one." Kjelle told him.
"And there's the fact that there's someone missing." Olivia added.
"And that they're reading by the road, which isn't a normal reading spot." Maribelle pointed out.
"And that they're just flippin' though the pages!" Brady noticed.
"Erm...right, how could I forget?" Inigo's blush complimented his smile.
"I'll go check it out." Kjelle said, leaving the room afterwards.
The remaining four stayed at the window and watched as the person continued to flip through the pages. The person stopped at a certain page for a moment, then continued to flip back and forth. At that moment Kjelle walked up to the person.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Olivia asked.
"Only one way to find out." Inigo opened the window.
"...suspicious. Staying by the road, flipping back and forth between pages of a book..." Kjelle was saying. The person stood from the rock and closed the book. They turned to Kjelle and put the book inside their coat. He took off his hood to reveal that he had white hair.
"I see, I guess I should find somewhere else to read." The person said with a smile. The person looked and sounded like a man. They tried to walk past Kjelle, but she blocked the path with her lance. She gave him a cold stare. "...You aren't going to let me pass, are you?" The smile stayed on his face.
"There's a few more questions I need answers too." Kjelle pointed her lance to the man's neck. "For example, the armor that you wear..."
"Armor?"
"Yes, your armor. It's light, silky, and not very common among warriors. Perhaps you aren't necessarily a fighter?"
"You could say that." The man's smiled faded. "I'm what you call a tactician."
"An exclusive rank exclusive only to those who deserve the title..." Kjelle mumbled. "(There's only a few who I've ever seen to dress like that...) If what you say is true, then fight me."
"Huh?"
"Face me. One on one combat. I will be the one to see if you're worthy of the tactician's title!"
With a slap of his wrist, the man slapped away her iron lance. The action shocked Kjelle, as she stepped back. "Wha-"
"Your stance."
"M-my stance?"
"Look at your stance. You were too tense. As a result, you lost before we truly began. You were going to rely on brute force to tackle a stranger. Such tactics can get you killed if you blindly attack."
"(No...how could he sound like...)" Kjelle felt strange around this man. "A-a hollow boast!" She stammered. "But let's see how you handle..." She suddenly pulled out another iron lance and charge at the man with the Astra skill. She charged at him with a different thrust five times, but each time he dodged with ease, jumping back each time the girl charged forward. "...Gwaaagh?!" Kjelle was stunned by the man's stunning agility. "S-so fast! How did you-"
Before she could finish, the man pulled out a shining, silver sword and pointed it at her neck. The sword seemed to be recently forged. "You seem to forgo any tactic beyond blindly charging your foe. If so, you'd best get used to this bite of steel at your throat." The man didn't flinch.
"(T-those words! H-he can't be...)" Kjelle was flabbergasted. "...I yield."
The man pulled away from her, putting his sword away. "There we go, no harm done or lives taken." His smiled returned to his face.
"Something doesn't add up though." Kjelle thought.
"I only know your weakness because I've watched you work." a voice echoed inside her head. "...Some opponents will see you coming a mile away. You won't stand a chance."
"How did you know I was relying on force that time?" She asked the man.
"Your rash behavior gave it away." The man chuckled.
"Have I forgotten everything he's taught me...?" Kjelle muttered to herself.
"...I'm sorry?"
"It's nothing, just something I realized." She shook her head and turned around. "Sorry for disturbing you." She started to walk away but the man stopped her by placing his sword in front of her, just as she did with her lance.
"You forgot your lance." He pointed out.
"Oh, right..." Kjelle muttered. She turned back around and walked to her lance. "I guess I really didn't want it now. Some bodyguard I am, leaving a weapon in the dust..."
"Is that why you questioned me?" The man asked.
"Yeah, I'm a bodyguard for a troupe." She told him as she took her lance. "My husband's along with them, so I offered my services to make sure he's safe. It's better than sitting at home worrying."
"I see, sounds like you care a lot."
"..." Kjelle then noticed his hair style. One particular part of his hair dropped down to be between his eyes. "Could you wait here for a bit? There's something I need to do."
"Oh, um...of course." The man told her.
Kjelle walked back to the inn and noticed the troupe staring out the window. She walked up to the window and began talking to them as the man watched. He sat down on the rock and wiped his forehead as he sighed. "Lucky for me her grip was a bit loose." He said to himself. "Otherwise, I might have suffered from a deadly counter." He pulled out the book he was reading. "Each time an event happens, the book becomes more clear...I guess I better investigate further." He flipped through the pages, looking back and forth at the pictures and info in it. "There's got to be some connection in here..." After a few moments, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see Kjelle standing there. He stood and put his book away as he greeted her with a smile.
"Sir, if I may ask, but what are you planning to do exactly?" She asked him.
"Well I was going to go into town, but I can't get back in. So I was just going to walk down the road and see where it takes me."
"Are you sure that's wise? After all, there's a lot of bandits out there. And not one of them are merciful...that I can tell you for certain."
"I'm sure I'll be okay." The man smiled.
"Actually...how about I take you down the road?"
"Excuse me?" The man cocked his head to the side.
"W-well we're heading down the road tonight in order to perform for another audience tomorrow. We'd love to escort you and show you what we know while we do it."
"You mean you and your dance troupe?"
"Yes, but it is only an offer. It won't stand long."
"...All right, let's get going."
"W-wait, you mean it. Just like that with someone who tried to take your life?" Kjelle watched as the man walked past her to the inn.
"Let's just say I trust you. You don't seem like someone out for my life."
"...You remind me too much of someone I once knew." Kjelle muttered as she followed him. "Which reminds me. I don't think I caught your name during introductions."
"You can call me Robin."
I'll try to keep this story updated once a week, since I'm having too much fun writing it, getting closer to my epic story change!
Brady: Maribelle's future son. Being known as the "World's Scariest Priest", his appearance may be offsetting, but he has a heart of gold and uses it to heal others. His speech differs from that of his mother, but he's talented in all of the "Nobel Pursuits". He tends to get emotional very often, especially when challenged. Many of his songs were inspired by his time in the war and his friends, family, and "Boss".
The one most likely to break into tears.
Maribelle: A classy noble from Ylisse, she can come off a harsh person. However she is a kind person who wishes for equality between nobles and commoners. However, she has trouble making friends and socializing, especially with the latter. She greatly respects Lissa, her best friend, and serves her and Chrom with no end. Since the end of the war, she's been working with her dance troupe while working as a magistrate, although it has been rumored that she is considering a change of careers.
The one most likely to pass judgment on someone.
(note: what would people think if Maribelle as a prosecutor?)
Kjelle: Chrom and Sully's future daughter, a woman who loves to train and battle to no end. Although a potential queen of Ylisse, Kjelle travels around to better herself in combat, thus so one day she may be able to protect her kingdom. She bases her social standing on people being "Strong or Weak", but still has a wide group of friends that can fall in either category. Even though a certain someone taught her many strategies, after the war, Kjelle as done nothing but train, getting to the point where she may be overconfident.
The one who loves training the most.