Author's Note: I've been looking forward to this chapter for quite some time. Also, I'm trying to get on a better uploading schedule! I think I've finally gotten over my writers' block, so that's good, right?
Anyway. Next chapter will be breaking off and following Kuro for a while, so look forward to that. I can promise it'll be quite different from what Pit's up to.
Also, I'm just going to throw this out there- For the performance toward the middle of this chapter I'd suggest this: /watch?v=a-fFx-Edj2U
Early the next morning, Ylisse's visitors had joined the Exalt and his family for a meal and a discussion of their next plan of action. Marth's eyes were still hidden behind the same mask as before, and Chrom did his best to chase away the thought that there was something more to the swordsman than was let on. They had decided to meet at Port Ferox in three weeks' time, giving Chrom the chance to mobilize his army and Pit and Marth the change to find these supposed allies that would keep the peace in Ylisse while they were away. Neither he nor Rufure had any idea who they were talking about, but they were inclined to trust the strangers and had no better ideas.
And so, shortly later, Pit and his masked companion bade a temporary farewell to the Exalted family, promising to be on time for when they were to depart for Valm, and they waited until they were away from Ylisstol before he turned to her and restored his true state of being and stretched out his wings.
"I suppose you'll have to find anyone in towns or villages," Lucina remarked as she stretched her wings. "And I'm not going to travel nearly as fast as you."
"I know," he replied as he pulled her in for an embrace. "But we won't be apart for long. I promise. And Henry's already out there looking for them, so maybe you'll run into him during your search." He smiled and took her hand in both of his. "I'll find you as soon as I can, okay?" She looked into his eyes from behind her mask, but she didn't say anything, and he frowned. "Lucina, come on. You'll be okay."
"The Keepers said I can't interfere unless absolutely necessary," she reminded him. "And beyond that, I can't cause a ruckus else I break the rules they set for us. If anyone finds out who I really am..." She bit her lip briefly. "It'll only end badly for us."
"You'll be fine," he insisted. "The only reason you were found out last time was because your mask was broken when you were caught off guard. I know you'll be more careful this time." She nodded, and he hugged her again. "I'll see you soon, Lucina."
"Be safe, Pit," she mumbled, and he pulled back and kissed her briefly before he took to the skies and left her on the ground below.
"Alright... Let's see where you all are hiding," he muttered as he sped off toward western Ylisse and a town near the border with Plegia. Several marks later, he had landed and returned to his façade as a human, then entered the town and weaved his way through the crowd gathering around what appeared to be some kind of amphitheater.
"Last call, folks!" a man was shouting. "Only a few seats left! We've got quite a performance for you today!" The blue-eyed god slipped around and down to a vacant seat, and his gaze fell on the stage a short distance down from him. On either side of it were sections devoted to the musicians as they tuned their instruments and slipped in one final moment of practice before their performance. And, sure enough, Pit spotted a man with messy red hair slicked up from his head working with a violin, and his eye bore an old scar that, at first glance, made him look nothing short of scary.
"Bingo," Pit murmured with a smile on his face, and he fell silent with the rest of the audience as another man stepped onto the stage.
"Good day, ladies and gentlemen!" he greeted once he had the spectators' attention. "Many thanks for coming. We have a very special show prepared for you today, and I know you all will enjoy it!" A ripple of applause passed through the audience. "Yes, thank you," the man continued with a smile. "Now, without further ado, let us begin!" He hurried off the stage and the musicians began to play a piece comprised of strings and percussion. Several performers emerged onto the stage dressed in festive costumes, and they began to dance. A moment later, a woman among them began to sing with a voice as clear as glass, and her powerful notes soared through the theater as two others began to accompany her. Pit smiled as he watched the dancers twirl and jump about on stage, though he couldn't chase away a smug feeling that something was missing.
After several songs and a quick break, the man running the show returned to the stage with a bright grin on his face.
"Thank you, good folks! I hope you've enjoyed what you've seen. But we've saved the best for last! We've got a very special guest joining us for our final piece. If you've been around, you'll know him when you see him!" He bowed and retreated from the stage, and the musicians began playing an upbeat tune accompanied by soft percussion. Once the dancers had returned, one of the women began to sing once again in a voice that lifted Pit's spirits as he watched with a smile on his face.
As the song progressed, the dancers picked up their speed and skipped around the stage. And, right on cue, a man appeared in their midst with a confident smile on his face and a blush in his cheeks. He wore a black shirt open at his chest and white pants strapped around his ankles with no shoes. Around his waist was a red sash bearing a long, colorful bird feather, and gold bracelets dangled from his wrists. He wore a headband the same color as his sash around his forehead that kept his hair out of his eyes, and from it came another feather. He took the hand of one of the singers and began his routine with her, his own moves made up of a jump here, a spin there, a twist of his arm, and speed that made his feet seem like they were flying.
The crowd erupted with cheers as he went about dancing, his smile ever on his face even as his flustered face gave away that he still hadn't quite gotten over his stage fright. He picked up his pace along with the rest of the dancers and flashed a quick grin to the violinist as he continued on, a grin that Pit mirrored as he watched the performance. The musicians increased their tempo and the dancers followed their lead, and they leapt about the stage with arms spread wide while others skipped and spun about. The man with the feathers stepped forward and one of the women hurried toward him, and he braced his hands against her waist as he lifted her into the air as the music came to an end.
The audience stood with thunderous applause as the dancers held their final poses a moment longer before turning to their spectators and bowing. After a few moments, they all left the stage save the man with the feathers, and the group's manager joined him as he stood there, breathing heavily but grinning all the same.
"Another round for the ever talented Azur, everyone!" the manager called, and the crowd again erupted as the man called Azur waved and bowed once again. "Yes, thank you for joining us, my friend. So where are you heading to next?"
"Eh," the dancer shrugged. "Probably to go pick off a few bandits."
"Wow. Talented, handsome, and a fighter to boot!" the manager laughed. "Hear that, ladies? He's the whole package!" Applause again sounded from the audience. "Thank you all for coming!" With that, and a short time later, the crowd began to disperse from the theater and Pit found himself following a trio of young women as they shuffled away from their seats.
"Oh, Azur is such a wonderful man," one was saying with a swoon.
"I know!" another agreed. "How is it possible he doesn't have a wife?"
"Wait, he doesn't?" the third nearly squealed. "Then there's hope for us yet!" The other two laughed.
"Maybe he's happy having so many admirers," the first one said. "And he does travel a lot."
"I wouldn't mind!" the third grinned. "Even if he is going out and fighting all those scary brutes out there."
"I hope he doesn't get hurt..." the second sighed. "It'll be a dark day when he has to quit dancing because of a bad leg."
"And gods forbid something mess up that face!" the first giggled. Pit stifled a snort and broke off from the departing crowd once he had a chance to, and he made his way out of town and stopped a short distance away. He waited with a smirk on his face as he crossed his arms, and some time later, he heard a trio of voices.
"By the gods, Brady!" one was saying. "I didn't think it possible, but you get even better every time I hear you play!"
"Not like I have anything better to do," a second replied. "When I'm not movin', I'm playin'."
"All this certainly gives you a different look on life, eh?" the third sighed, and they appeared toward the edge of Pit's vision- just close enough for him to tell who was whom and far enough for them not to care too much about him.
"I suppose you're right," the first, Owain, said. "I'd still rather be here than fighting for our lives against Grima. But damn, how my sword hand hungers for battle! I fear what might happen should we have to remain hidden for much longer."
"You're the only guy I know who actually WANTS to stumble upon a pack of bandits," the third, Inigo, scoffed. "I don't know how much fight I have in me right now. That dance was kind of exhausting."
"Aww, don't tell me you're getting oooooooold!" Owain teased, and Inigo shoved him.
"So are you!" the dancer retorted, though even from a distance, it looked like he was grinning.
"Maybe so, but my sword hand is timeless!" Owain went on.
"You both are insane," Brady grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "By the way, Inigo, you've got something on your cheek." The swordsmen broke away from each other and Inigo brushed his fingers along his cheek, inspecting what it was Brady had pointed out. He grinned.
"Just a little something from one of my admirers," he replied, though his grin faded. "Man, it's just not fair. I couldn't get a date no matter how hard I tried! But now, when I've got mobs of beautiful women following me around, I can't do anything about it!" He sighed heavily. "Not that it matters, I guess. None of them are even close to Lucina."
"Please tell me you're not going to rant about my cousin again," Owain groaned.
"I can't help it!" Inigo insisted. "She was one in a lifetime. You both know that." He paused. "Just once more, I wish I could see her beautiful face, her wonderful smile, to be able to hold her in my arms..." At that, and with a smile on his face, Pit summoned his bow and readied an arrow.
"Hey!" He called out just as he let it fly, and it passed hairs between Inigo and Owain's heads with a bright blue light. Both they and Brady spun around and pulled out their weapons. "That's my partner you're talking about!" he said as he approached them with a grin on his face, and they lowered their weapons as they stared at him.
"P-Pit?!" Inigo finally stammered, and the god nodded.
"Nice to see you guys again," he greeted as he dismissed his bow. "That was an impressive routine, Inigo. You've gotten quite good." He turned to the War Monk among them. "So have you, Brady. I'm impressed!"
"Thanks," Brady replied somewhat shortly.
"By gods, Pit, you haven't changed a bit!" Owain noticed. "What brings you? I didn't think we'd see any sign of you after Grima fell." Pit's smile became a rather serious frown.
"Have any of you run into a bunch of monsters? Not Risen, but something else?" The three exchanged a few glances, and Pit knew their answer before he received it.
"Yes," Owain nodded. "They're a tough bunch. A true challenge for my might!"
"Owain, cool it," Inigo snapped and turned to Pit. "So you've got something to do with it?"
"They come from the Underworld," he explained. "Lucina and I are going to accompany Chrom and the Shepherds to Valm to answer a call for aid from Say'ri. I know if anyone can face these things and win, it's you and the rest of your group that came from your time."
"Wait, Lucina's here?!" Inigo blurted. "Where is she? Wh-" he stopped shortly at the sight of Pit's glare.
"She's out trying to find the others," he replied. "So, can I ask this of you? Will you protect Ylisse while Chrom is away?"
"Count me in!" Owain grinned. "They won't know what hit 'em."
"I suppose you'll need a healer," Brady agreed. "ESPECIALLY you, Owain."
"We've done too much to see this world fall to darkness so quickly," Inigo nodded. "We'll give it everything we've got, Pit."
"Thank you," Pit said with a smile. "Then I'd ask you head to Ylisstol. I'll tell you as much as I can, but I'm kind of in a hurry too."
"Then we'd better get moving," Owain remarked, and they started in the direction of Ylisse's capital. Inigo elbowed the god next to him and fell back a few steps, and Pit sighed as he did the same.
"Seriously, I'm just wondering," the swordsman insisted. "Is Lucina okay?"
"She's fine," he replied. "Quite happy back home. She's been training with some new weapons and techniques when she's not with me or our daughter." Inigo blinked.
"You have a daughter?" he frowned. "But the Fates or Keepers or whatever said-"
"I'm not human, Inigo," Pit interrupted. "And neither is Lucina- not anymore. We don't have the same rules as you." He ignored whatever else the swordsman had to say and picked up his pace to catch up with the others.