ROBIN'S POV
"Alright everyone, today is the day!" I said, doing my best inspirational voice. I don't have an inspirational voice. "We are going to SAVE Emmeryn and give those blasted Plegians what for!" there were a few scattered cheers. "Let's get to work. FOR YLISSE!" the cheer was bounced around amidst the others until it became an all out war cry and everyone charged for the courtyard entrance. Apparently I DO have an inspirational voice.
Anyways, the battle was going fairly well. Ricken, Miriel and I were blasting the wyvern riders out of the sky with magic while Sumia and Cordelia circled the battlefield, swooping down on occasion to stab a Plegian then spiraling back up into the sky.
Meanwhile, Chrom led the majority of our forces down the dusty path to the courtyard, mowing a line through the Plegian forces. Finally, as Miriel blasted the last rider out of the sky, we ran for Chrom's forces. Then, I stiffened. I whirled around to see Ricken backed up against the courtyard wall, a sword pointed at his throat. The wielder, a dark-haired Plegian, laughed. "Drop your weapon or the kid gets it!" he barked. Miriel and I looked at each other. We weren't about to let Ricken die, but surrendering our weapons was tantamount to suicide. "Alright, we'll put down our-" I was just about to drop my tome when the Plegian dropped to the ground, a gaping hole in the back of his light armor.
Standing behind him was a dark-haired woman, chuckling to herself. "Err… thanks for saving us…?" "Tharja." She said. "My name is Tharja. But…" she grinned in a dark sort of way. "You can call me anything." Sufficiently weirded out, I smiled awkwardly and ran for Chrom's forces. I finally caught up at the gate to the courtyard with Ricken (who was unharmed, save for his ego) and Miriel.
He was fighting with an armor-clad Plegian that I guessed was the commander. Chrom was darting around him, sinking Falchion into any chinks in the armor he could find. The man kept turning in confused circles, but Chrom was simply too fast. Then, the commander stuck out his leg and sent Chrom sprawling. He raised his lance to deliver the deathblow when he froze. He fell to his knees with a thud. Sticking out of his back was an axe, which went right through his armor. He looked up at Chrom with hatred in his eyes. His lips were moving, but nobody heard him speak as he fell to the ground.
Chrom looked over the courtyard at Gangrel, who was cackling. "Executioner, if you'd be SO kind!" he yelled up to the Plegian holding Emmeryn on her perch. "FLAVIA, NOW!" I yelled. The executioner raised his axe, but it never came down. He tumbled off the perch, a throwing axe embedded in his stomach. Gangrel growled. "What trickery is THIS?" then he fell down as he got a flying Pegasus hoof in his face. "Wh-what? PEGASUS KNIGHTS? THAT DAMNED TACTICIAN!" Gangrel got to his feet, trying in vain to swipe at the small force that was zooming towards Emmeryn. Among them, I noticed Phila, determination gleaming in her eyes. Aversa merely smiled. "Too bad for them…" she cooed, and snapped her fingers.
Instantly we were surrounded by archers. RISEN archers. "Chrom! Risen! Risen everywhere!" I yelled, looking at the swarm. "But that means… gods, no! Phila, GET OUT OF THERE!" Chrom yelled vainly. But if Phila could see the swarm of enemies below her, she didn't let on. Until she got shot three times in the chest, head, and Pegasus. Emmeryn reached out her hand in shock, but Phila was falling… falling… falling. Gangrel cackled again. "Oh hooray! Fortune truly smiles upon me! Get the rest, servants!" three volleys of arrows later, all the Pegasus knights were dead or dying on the ground. "No…" Chrom muttered, shaking his head. "NO!"
"Now then." Gangrel said, reaching out his hand. "Give me the Emblem, or give me your Exalt's life!" Honestly, Chrom looked like he was about to lose his mind. Gangrel held up three fingers. "Three… two… one…" "WAIT!" Chrom yelled, holding out a hand. "I… I'll give you the Emblem. "Chrom, NO!" Emmeryn's voice echoed throughout the courtyard and the sand around it. "Plegians, listen to me! War will bring you nothing except more pain. Do you honestly want that? Free yourselves from this cycle of hatred! Do what you must, like what I am about to do." Chrom realized what Emmeryn was about to do the second before I did. He immediately ran for the bottom of the perch, desperately.
Jack's Corner
I guess it's kind of a cliffhanger, but you wouldn't be here if you didn't know what happens next, am I right? Anyways, I really couldn't think of a better way to introduce Tharja xD and the axe that killed Campari was Libra's, not Flavia's, in case you were wondering. Flavia only killed the executioner. Anyways, the next part will be up today, featuring Emmeryn's POV! Ciao!