AN: Let us continue the magnificent saga of Fire Emblem: Awakening right now!

Disclaimer: Fire Emblem and all referenced franchises belong to their respective companies. I belong to myself (hopefully).

"Chrom." Robin sighed, tired from the arduous mountain trek the Shepherds were currently doing. "I'm really tired!"

"What's the matter? Should I carry you?" Chrom grinned back at Robin and Lissa, who were panting with exhaustion.

"Yes! I would be okay with that." Lissa moaned. "Hey, Frederick, can I ride on your horse?"

"Absolutely, milady." Frederick replied, lowering his horse to her level.

"Careful, Frederick. Don't get too close to Lissa. Wouldn't want you marrying her or anything like that!" Chrom heartily laughed at his statement, not noticing the blush the two were sharing.

"Can-can I ask something?" Robin gasped. "Why don't we have male pegasus riders? They would be… they would be really helpful in situations like this!"

"Well, one day Frederick tried to ride one and… well, you know." Chrom shrugged.

"We lost a good pegasus that day." Sumia looked wistfully off into the distance, riding alongside Chrom. "Poor Celestia… I'll always remember her."

"I still regret that day." Frederick sighed. "Perhaps I should have taken off my armor beforehand."

"Err, sorry I asked." Robin muttered. "But that was the past and this is now."

"Hrrm… where are they?" the nameless Hierarch muttered.

"Are you okay, Mr. Hierarch?" Reflet asked. "You keep looking up at those cliffs as if you expect to see someone there."

"Oh, I-I'm just a b-bit nervous. You know, with the impending war and whatnot." he sheepishly grinned sweat pouring down his face.

"You know it sure would be horrible if Plegian brigands were to come and try to ambush us." Reflet casually remarked, pulling out his sword. "Kellam, have your lance ready, just in case."

"K-Kellam? Who's he?"

"Oh, no need to worry."

"Chrom? Who's that old man? He sorta rubs me the wrong way." Robin stared at the nameless Hierarch, trying to analyze him as much as humanly possible.

"The hierarch's been a friend of House Ylisse for many years. He even helped Emmeryn when nobody else would. He was like a father figure to us. Someone we could trust in our darkest hour."

"I'm still not sure. Somehow, this doesn't feel right."

And right when Robin said that, several Plegians dashed up to the group and ambushed them, almost as if it was planned.

"Bwah hah hah! Time to die, princey!" one of them yelled.

"What? How'd they know we'd be here? Everyone! Prepare yourselves for battle!" Chrom shouted, Falchion already being unsheathed as he dashed up to one of them. "Time to die!"

"Wait, wha-AARGH!" the unnamed barbarian cried, his time in the spotlight practically nonexistent.

On the other side of the battlefield, Vasto, the leader of Gangrel's intercepting forces, was taking a good whiff of the air. "Do you smell that, men?" he proclaimed.

"Oops! Sorry! My bad!" one of them replied back.

"Wait, what? No, I meant that the winds of fortune are blowing our way!"

"H-hold, sir! I am the man K-King Gangrel told you about!" the Hierarch nervously stuttered. "D-did you not receive orders to take me into your pr-protection?"

"Bah! A man, you say? I only see a traitorous swine…" Vasto replied, looking down at the old man from his wyvern with contempt. "But since Gangrel said so, I suppose I should take you in. You!" Vasto pointed to a third random barbarian. "Give this pig a dagger or something."

"Yes, sir!" he stumbled over to the Hierarch, handing him a dagger that was relatively small, but sharp enough to pierce armor.

"It's time, men! Once I defeat Chrom, statues shall be erected to preserve my legacy. My tale shall be told throughout the ages! Bwa ha ha ha ha!"

Chrom's POV

And this is when the battle begins. I trust Robin enough that he'll be able to guide us through this. It's strange, really. Even though I met him a couple of weeks ago, it feels like we've known each other for a long time now.

"Let's do this. Chrom, pair up with Sumia!" Robin announced.

"Yessir, Robin!" Sumia replied, flying next to me. "We can do this, captain!" Sumia is a pretty nice girl. A bit on the shy side, but her pies are superb. She makes them like my mother used to, except better. I just wonder why she acts so nervous around me.

"I think I see a brigand! Let's go, Sumia!"
"Okay, captain!"

Any fighters we encountered were easily dispatched by me and Sumia. I just kept driving straight through, trying to reach the leader. Behind me, I heard the cry of another pegasus rider. I think her name was Cordelia, since Sumia had mentioned her several times when we talked. But this is no time to think about that! The enemy is right in front of me.

"Come, prince, and die! I'll splatter you across the canyon floor!" and-whoa, his wyvern's fast! "Damnit, I missed! Well, I won't make the same mistake!"

No! He's too close, he's gonna-

"Oh no you don't!" Just when I thought I would have died, Sumia came in to save me. Again. I'll have to consider giving her a raise. "Go, captain!"

"Get ready!" And with that shout, I jumped up and slashed twice across his chest.

"And one more!" Sumia charged in after me, driving her lance straight through his chest.

"D-damn it all…" the Plegians' leader slipped off of his wyvern and lay on the ground. "You… you think killing me… will change anything? E-even now, my brothers storm across your border. Go on, you coward! Flee while… while they slaughter your subjects… let their faith in you bleed away… just like… before…"

"And the rest of the Shepherds should clean up." But what he said. Was it true? Do the Plegians march to control Ylisse? What should we do? And-wait, is that… "Hey! Hierarch!"

The Hierarch was hiding behind a rock, probably to avoid the Plegians, but I could make out the top of his hat just peeking over it. I don't blame him. He was unarmed, so it makes sense.

"O-oh! H-hello, Chrom."

"You can come out now. It's safe." I offered him a hand to help him up. "So how'd you get here? We are pretty deep within enemy lines."

"I-I'm not sure myself… hey, what's that over there?"

"Hmm? Behind me?" I turned, but there's nothing there. "I don't really see- URRGH!" What was that!? I turned back to the Hierarch and he was holding a knife? "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Finishing you off." He looked straight at me, awkwardly wielding his knife in his right hand. "M-maybe if I kill you, Lord Gangrel will save me!"

"Wait, Gangrel? Th-that means it was you! You were the one to betray us?"

"Yes." He started to slowly back away as I took out my sword.

"But, but why?" I wasn't sure if I could believe this. How could he just sell us out like that?

"It's war, boy! War is coming, and you're on the losing side! I may have helped your sister before, but now she's dead to me!" He continued backing up, oblivious to the abyss that was a mere 3 feet away from him.

"We trusted you. You were like a father figure to me. To us. Do you forget that? What you did for us? What we thought of you?"

"I didn't care for you! It was all just a ploy to be on good terms with the new exalt! But it's all ruined! With this war, I have nowhere else To go!" He stopped at the edge. "Damn! It looks like I can't escape. I-I guess there's only one way to go. Die!"

He started charging towards me, and before I even knew what I was doing, his body stood inches from me, my sword plunged into his abdomen.

"Your kingdom… is doomed…" He hacked up some blood, and with that, he became limp, his eyes lifeless.

scene swap

Third person POV

Dammit all! Chrom thought angrily to himself. Why'd Emmeryn have to go and leave? She knows what'll happen to her if-no, when they capture her.

"Chrooom. Say something! Say that we'll save her and everything'll be alright." Lissa moaned off to the side.

"Did you say something, Lissa? I wasn't paying attention. Can't you see I'm busy brooding?"

"Ugh, Fine! let me know once you've stopped acting like those kids that I read about in Ylissean Teens Weekly!"

"Robin." Reflet whispered off to the side.

"Yeah?" he replied back.

"Pay close attention to Chrom."

"Why?" Robin asked, just when Sumia walked into the room. Walking up to Chrom, she reared back her hand.

"Snap out of it, Captaiiiiiiiin!" She connected her fist with Chrom's face, and the rest of her body followed suit.

"OW! S-Sumia, why the h-hell are you on top of me? Th-the stab I got earlier w-wasn't so bad, b-but I think this might actually kill me!" Chrom gasped for air, attempting to push Sumia off of him. This didn't work, as her suit of armor was too much for Chrom to handle.

"Oh no! I-I didn't mean to do that! I-I only meant to slap you!" Sumia stuttered as she pushed herself off Chrom. "Captain Phila said that a good slap would help fight against depression.

"First of all, you slap people with an open palm, Sumia!" Lissa giggled. "You just punched Chrom in the face! Also, when you fall for someone, you aren't supposed to fall ON them!"

"I'm pretty sure the punch hurt, but I can't feel anything after what just happened."Chrom sighed. "That really hurt!"

"What's wrong, my dear prince? You ever heard of 'tough love'?" Flavia grinned. "You're lucky to have strong women like these, and not just dainty flowers. Anyway, I have good news. The Feroxi army is ready to fight, and I'm looking forward to a skirmish or two myself."

"Wait, you're coming with us?"

"Of course! I'm even bringing my insignificant other. Basilio." Flavia clarified when she glanced to Robin who held a confused look on his face. "The oaf isn't good for much, but he might stop a few stray arrows."

scene change

"So what do you think'll happen?" Reflet asked Kellam as they were wandering Plegia's castle courtyard.

"Well, Gangrel is probably gonna try to take hold of Ylisse." Kellam frowned. "And the worst part is, Ylisse doesn't have much of an army, let alone Ylisstol!"

"Really, Sneaks?" Gaius asked. "Why's that?"

"Well, after what happened with Chrom's father, Emmeryn really didn't feel the need to form another army. Nowadays, we only have the castle guard, border guard, and the Shepherds."

"That's us, right?"

"Correct, Gaius."

"So what's up with the prince? Does he usually just let people into this group? I mean, I didn't think he'd just let a thief like me join so easily."

"Well, he did let me and Robin join, Robin was found in a field and I was found in a burning forest at the same time as a zombie invasion. In hindsight, I should have probably joined at the Southtown, but that was too overdone. Chrom also recruited a random villager he found in a village, so you aren't the weirdest person he's ever recruited."

"Really…"

"Gaius!" A voice cried out behind the three young men.

"Uh oh… sounds like Twinkles." Gaius shuddered. "You guys just leave. I'll talk with her."

"Um, okay." Kellam shrugged.

"What do you think you're playing at, hovering around me in battle like a-"

"Shepherds!" Chrom announced. "Ylisstol has been taken!"

"W-what? Where's that coming from?" Reflet looked around, perplexed at the booming voice.

"Do not worry, I'm merely talking through a 'loudspeaker' tome, which have been situated around the castle."

"That's pretty convenient. We should get those for Ylisse." Maribelle mused while holding Gaius by his collar.

"Prepare to march in two hours! We have an exalt to save!" Chrom raised his sword in a triumphant pose, but the loudspeaker tome only conveyed voices, so he was left feeling a bit stupid after doing so.

"See. It was taken over." Kellam face-palmed. "We really need better security."

"Y-y'know, since we have to save the exalt and all that, c-could you let me down?" Gaius sheepishly grinned, still at the mercy of Maribelle's iron grip.

"We will continue this later." Maribelle huffed as she dropped Gaius, dusting off her gloves and leaving the thief behind with an amazed look.

"I think some of my chocolates got crushed when she dropped me…" Gaius got up and dusted himself off. "Are all of the women in the Shepherds insanely strong, or is it just her?"

"Well, we do have Sully." Kellam and Reflet simultaneously stated.

AN: Thanks for your continued reading patronage. Readronage? Whatever, just thank you for taking the time to read my self-insert fic out of all of the others out there. Just one more review and I reach a milestone. Double digits! Please review and see you all later!