A/N: Okay, last filler chapter, I promise! Next month, the Shperherds will march on Plegia! For now, we're going to see just how they plan to even the odds against a demon... Please be sure leave a review!

The Outrealms

"You're what?!" Yui demanded as she clenched a note in her hand while Mataras leaned on the railing of one of Castle Ylisse's ballistae. Robin and Lucina's wedding had been the previous day, and many of the castle's staff was working tirelessly to clean the remains of the celebration.

"What part of 'I'm leaving for a little while' is so hard to understand?" he muttered.

"Uh… the part that you're leaving!" Yui said angrily. "Why?! Why are you so determined to be alone all the time?!"

"I don't want to be alone!" he snapped, giving her pause as he hung his head. "I… I don't want to go," he admitted heavily. "For your sake. I couldn't care less for the others, but it tears my heart to leave you behind. However, where I'm going, you can't follow."

"Why not?" she asked, her voice a little softer now.

"Because there is every chance that I may fail to find what I seek, and if that becomes the case, the consequences of my journey will be dire indeed," he said quietly. "I can't let you come to harm on my behalf any more than I have."

"Where could you be going that's so dangerous?" Yui prodded.

"A place called the Outrealms," the boy answered. "In my time, we heard stories of a land where time and space have no true ties to our world. In these places were said to reside the shades of warriors who have long since perished, fighting endlessly in battles that never resulted in victory or defeat."

"Why would anyone go there?" his sister asked.

"If they were to be defeated, the legends state that the warrior or warriors who ended their conflict will be granted complete mastery over them," Mataras said. "In essence, whoever can defeat these ghosts will have an army of the greatest villains and heroes across history at their beck and call."

"So you plan to go to that world, and summon these ghosts to your side," Yui concluded.

"Precisely," the black spirit nodded. "Of course, I can't tell anyone else about this, or they'd suspect something sinister on my part. Even if I could convince them to help me, I can't risk anyone else's life on the chance that I may be wrong, and these apparitions cannot be controlled."

"If you go at this alone, and these people are as strong as you claim, even you won't be able to take on them all alone," Yui said worriedly. "I can't let you go on a suicide mission, Brother."

"It's not suicide," he reassured her. "I fully intend to return. But I also know that no one else would help me."

"No one, huh?" a familiar voice said. Both Yui and Mataras turned with surprise to see Kazuto standing with most of the other warriors from Aincrad and Alfheim. Only Asuna was absent, likely due to her pregnancy. "What about your family?"

"You're not-"

"Cut the crap, Mataras," Kazuto snapped. "Yeah, we obviously don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, but my blood runs in your veins, even if I'm not the version that raised you. And something I learned in SAO is that you don't let go of those close to you out of fear of losing them. You hold them near so that your swords can keep them from harm, and so that they can help you in return."

"Is this supposed to be a moment where we cast aside our differences and hug it out?" Mataras asked with an arched eyebrow. "Because I don't see that happening."

"Me neither," Kazuto grinned. "But we've all got the same goal right now. We want to help Chrom and the others prevent Grima from coming back, or defeat him if he does. And as you've so often observed, we won't be ready for him- not like this."

"If you've found a way to even the odds, we want in on it, man," Agil rumbled. "Ain't no way we're gonna let you tackle this on your own."

"Look, this is great and all, but what is Chrom going to think about it?" Mataras pointed out. "I'm sure he won't be happy to hear that his best fighters are about to head off on some harebrained scheme of a mad child."

"I can convince him otherwise," said Robin as he and Lucina walked up from behind.

"Okay, how long has everyone been here?!" Mataras complained.

"Since the start," Lucina replied. "Yui had a feeling that you might be up to something when you told her that you wanted to meet up here, alone."

He shot a glare at the little girl, who shrugged and said, "It was for your own good."

"What is the point to all of this?" he demanded. "I just told Yui, I'm not putting anyone besides myself in harm's way. End of discussion."

"No, it's not!" Robin all but shouted at him. Everyone looked at him in surprise- it was rare to see Robin lose his cool under any circumstance. Now he strode forward and grabbed the Black Spirit by his shirt and said, "You came here to help the Shepherds, right? Then that makes you one of us! And since it's my job to keep everyone alive at all costs, I'm not letting you go at this alone!"

Mataras stared at his with wide eyes for a moment before he stated, "Release me. Now."

Robin did so, not out of fear, but knowing that continuing the action would only cause trouble. "You're not going at this alone, kid," he said. "The Shepherds look after each other. That's how it's always been, even before I was in the picture. So I'm not about to let some child with a savior complex forsake that rule for the sake of his pride."

"Look, this is a nice sentiment and all, but even you can't go against Chrom's orders," Mataras growled. "This whole argument is pointless."

"Not so," Robin said with a grin. "In terms of military matters, Chrom, Kirito, and I are actually ranked as equals. According to the laws of the Halidom, if the Exalt or whoever is acting as the current ruler makes a decision that does not sit well with the rest of his or her war council, the command may be overturned by a majority vote."

"Why didn't the military leaders do that during the reign of Exalt Emmeryn?" Mataras asked, more curious than angry now.

"My grandfather's war leaders were killed in the war with Plegia alongside him," Lucina explained. "There was no one until the war was officially over with to oppose her decisions."

"Huh," the boy in black muttered. Turning to Robin, he asked, "You're certain of this?"

"What, the voting process or the mission you've proposed?"

"Either or," Mataras shrugged.

"I'm sure," Kirito said as he clapped his son on the shoulder. "And I think I speak for the others here." There were mutterings of general assent amongst the Shepherds from Alfheim.

"All right, I'll accept your help on two conditions," Mataras said. "One, Kazuto and Asuna cannot come."

"Wha-?"

"Your wife is about to have a child any day now," Mataras interrupted the other Spriggan. "You can't just leave her as she is."

"That… All right," he conceded. "Fair point."

"Secondly…" Mataras paused. "Aiko and Yuuki will stay here."

"Why us?!" Yuuki protested. "We've got twin powers!"

"Really?" Aiko grinned slightly at her sister. "That's your argument?" Yuuki let out a huff in response as she pouted.

"I need someone to be here to protect Asuna and Lissa, as well as their children, should something go wrong," Mataras said sternly. "From what I've seen and heard, you're two of the Shepherds' best and brightest."

"Oh, well… When you put it that way, I'd be happy to stay behind!" Yuuki chirped happily.

"Anything else before we go and upset Chrom?" Robin inquired.

"How many Shepherds can you afford to send with us?" Mataras asked. "And before you ask, no I don't need you to come with us. You just got married, focus on that."

"Uh…" Robin stammered, nonplussed that the boy had figured his next train of thought. "But… I'm the tactician…"

"You're a newlywed for crying out loud, which do you think is more important?" Mataras rolled his eyes.

"I'd like to go with the expedition team," Lucina said.

"What?!" Mataras and Robin exclaimed.

"I have always longed to learn more about the past, especially the great Hero-King, Marth," she shrugged. "What better way to learn than from the man himself? Or rather, his ghost?"

"You really want to spend your first days as a married couple on the battlefield?" Mataras asked dryly.

"Not much different than your mom and me," Kazuto interjected.

"Just… I give up," Mataras sighed. "Do whatever you want, I'm going to pack up my things."

"I'll assemble the Shepherds tonight for an emergency session, then we leave tomorrow morning," Robin said. "I've done some research into these Outrealms, but I never thought to see it myself…"

After the briefing that night, Mataras and Yui approached Robin and Kazuto. "How did the meeting with Mister Chrom go, Daddy?" Yui asked.

"It could have gone better," he laughed nervously.

"It could have gone worse," Robin shrugged. "We convinced him to let us go on the expedition rather than hold a vote in public, which would seriously undermine his authority to the public."

"Hmm…" Mataras mused. "So who is volunteering?"

"It looks like everyone wants to go, but I'm going to have to leave at least half of them behind in case of an emergency," Robin said. "You know Shepherds- they love a good adventure."

"How long will we be gone for?" Yui asked.

"That's the tricky part," Robin began, but Kazuto interrupted him.

"What part of this isn't tricky?" he asked.

"All right, the trickiest part is telling how much time passes while we're in the Outrealms," Robin said. "According to the legends, time moves much, much faster in there. However, seeing as we're going in for who-knows-how-longs, it will be almost impossible to tell how long we'll have to complete our mission."

"Not to mention, we're supposed to be meeting with Validar next month to supposedly receive the final gem for the Fire Emblem," Kazuto frowned.

"Supposedly?" Mataras smirked.

"I don't trust this guy, even if I've never met him," the other man shrugged.

"Trust me, I don't either," Robin muttered. "Still, he's done nothing openly hostile towards Ylisse yet, not to mention he funded our campaign against Valm."

"All the more reason to distrust him," Mataras said. "Just because a strange fruit tastes good does not mean it isn't poisonous."

"Aye," Robin nodded. "We will be on our guard."

The next day, everyone that had been selected for the task set out for a forest to the south, where a gateway to the Outrealms was said to lie in wait. They were sent with well wishes form their comrades, and with spirits high.

They returned two weeks later, battered, bloodied, and exhausted.

"What happened to you guys?!" Kazuto asked as he watched the soldiers file in while Robin came to speak with him. "You all look like a dragon chewed you up and spit you back out!"

"Might as well have," Robin said, slumped with fatigue. "We spent six months in the Outrealms… Turns out the legends were right… There were mighty armies in there. Many of them, in fact…"

"Did you manage to recruit them?" Kazuto asked. "I don't see them anywhere."

"That's the beauty of it," Robin said in a lowered tone. Whispering so that only his comrade could hear, he said, "None of this reaches anyone outside the expedition team, other than you- not even Chrom can know about this."

"Why not?" the Black Swordsman whispered back.

"Too many unfriendly ears in the city, possibly even in the courts," Robin warned him. "We can't risk that a spy eavesdrops on us… The men that went with us all swore an oath to silence until we unveil our new army. For the time being, we will maintain the appearance of a complete defeat."

"Where is it, though?" Kazuto asked.

"In my pocket," Robin grinned.

"Wha-?"

"They're literally my ace cards," Robin chuckled. "The shades… they turned into these cards called Einherjar when they were felled in combat. The more we conquered, the mightier an army we could summon forth."

"How big are we talking now?" Kazuto asked, making sure to keep his voice low, despite his excitement.

"Thousands," Robin murmured. "All of them undead and completely loyal to us." Pulling back, he said in a normal voice, "Don't worry, Kirito. Your son is safe." He turned and indicated the boy, who was helping Stahl along with a slashed leg. "He was quite the hero in there, whether he wants to take credit for it or not. Saved all of us at least one time or another."

"He did?" Kazuto asked, surprised. "I thought he 'couldn't care less about any of us', right?"

"Maybe that was true six months ago, and he changed a bit," Robin shrugged. "He's still very aggressive, and relentless is a battle, not to mention withdrawn, but… he is your son, after all."

"Yeah…" Kazuto nodded. "Yeah he is."

"How are things here?" Robin asked his comrade.

"Pretty quiet… unless you go near the nursery," Kazuto grinned.

Robin jerked up with surprise and said, "Did Asuna…?"

"And Lissa," the young man nodded. "She's decided to call him 'Odin' this time around."

"And your child, is it…?"

"He's a boy," Kazuto nodded. "Looks like his mom, but with my colors… Just like someone else we know."

"Congratulations!" Robin said excitedly as he embraced his friend. "That is momentous news!" As he released the other man, he asked, "What did you name him?"

"Heh…" Kazuto grinned mischievously. "Only one way to found out."

"What do you-?"

"Hey! Mako!" Kazuto shouted.

Robin looked over to see Mataras stop and look back with surprise on his face. Then recognizing who had called him, he gave a feral grin and nodded once.

Kirito: Aw, come on! You left me out of the-

Mataras: Fight coming up next chapter, stop complaining!

Kirito: But seriously, you let just about everybody go, but me. And I'm the main protagonist of SAO!

Robin: True, but this isn't Aincrad. It's Ylisse. Besides, be glad that you have some time to yourself- it's not always fun being in the limelight.

Kirito: All right, good point... What's next?

Mataras: Next time on Fire Sword- Betrayal.

P.S. To the unnamed guest that continues to make themselves a nuisance... keep calling me a liar and making stupid suggestions, and the next person that Mataras fights is going to be a representation of what I would do to you if you were with my fist's reach. I'm sick of your crap. Shut your trap, and get lost. I don't have time for your idiocy.

Kirito: And I'll help him.

Robin: I might even throw in 'the Vaike' just make sure the message hits home.

Mataras: Normally I'd say that's overkill, but this moron has been a pest for more than a year now. I want him gone.

Nora: Ooh! Ooh! I know! WE'LL BREAK HIS LEGS!

Mataras: Nora, wrong fandom! Get out of here!