"Fascinating."

Robin couldn't put the book down. Granted, whenever she had a book that got her attention, she wouldn't be able to stop reading. But normally those books were on war tactics since she strived to find new ways to handle battles or improve already set methods. However, this book was different. It was not on tactics, weaponry, or training methods.

This was a fantasy book.

When Chrom haphazardly told a tale around the campfire about the "Dawn and Dusk Kingdoms", Robin's interest was piqued. Chrom, being the gentleman he liked to think he was, then told her more specifics when she brought it up to him. He was honest when he said he came up with the story off the top of his head, but he confirmed that there were legends about the ancient civilizations. This only served to feed Robin's curiosity. She searched high and low for any and all books relating to the legends. It was a treasure trove of skeptics and theories, but there were agreements here and there.

Nohr, the Dark Night Kingdom. Hoshido, the White Night Kingdom. Vastly different in terms of culture and prosperity, yet both royal families were the descendants of dragons. It was said that their descendants may still live to this day, despite the eventual collapse of both countries to the inevitability of time. How intriguing. Could Chrom be one of their descendants? He was descended from the line of the Hero-King and royals tended to marry other royals. It certainly was possible, even though his personality said otherwise.

The very thought of the blue-haired leader caused her face to turn crimson. The moron had actually walked in on her while she was trying to take a bath the other night. In all honestly, she almost wanted to murder her friend for that stunt. One would've thought Chrom had the common sense to know which tents were what in the camp. He was lucky it was only her. If he had walked in on Sully…

Royalty be damned. He'd be bedridden for the rest of his life, courtesy of her and her devil horse.

"Robin? May I come in?"

She placed down her book. "Yes, you may."

Good. He was being polite and asking before coming in unannounced. He must've learned his lesson from the bath incident. Still, despite aggravating her to certain degrees, Chrom was an invaluable partner. He was capable, strong, and handsome. Whoever he married would be the luckiest woman alive. Robin blushed at her inner thoughts, shaking her head in an effort to shoo them away. It wasn't right. He was their commanding officer as well as a prince. She was his tactician with absolutely nothing but her name. A relationship between them would never work. Besides, Chrom had shown no signs that he thought of Robin as anything more than a friend.

"I can only hope at this point…" she thought. "And even if it isn't meant to be, I should still be happy when he does find that special someone. That's what friends are for."

"I've barely seen you," Chrom stated with a smirk. "Are you that engrossed in those old tales?"

"You know me, Chrom," Robin shrewdly replied. "With my terrible memory, I'm willing to study as much as I can about the world. Even myths have their uses in teaching us morals or lessons about the past so we might not make the same mistakes in the future. I've learned quite a bit so far."

"Like?"

"Well, the weapons we use today were primarily modeled after Nohr's. I also learned there were five sacred weapons used in the past, but the names of their users weren't recorded and their whereabouts today remain unknown."

"Yes. I'm aware of them," Chrom said. "The Thunder God's Katana, Raijinto. The Wind God's Bow, Fujin Yumi. The Tome of Life, Brynhildr. The Dark Sword, Siegfried. The Seal of Flames, Yato."

"You seem to know quite a bit about those weapons."

"I've heard those stories all my life. Other than you, I don't know a single soul that doesn't know about those myths."

Robin placed a finger to her chin. "Tell me, what did those weapons do that made them so special? I haven't found much about their abilities."

"Well," Chrom began as he sat down across from Robin. "Raijinto was said to be able to create lightning from the blade itself. Siegfried was much the same way, possessing dark powers that only a hardened mind could control."

"Interesting."

"Brynhildr was able to control life itself, capable of wreaking death and destruction or bringing prosperity depending on the heart of the wielder. Fujin Yumi was a bow that supposedly never ran out of arrows. It could create them itself. As for Yato, not much is known other than the fact that it was the most powerful of those sacred weapons."

Chrom blinked when he noticed the sparkle of interest in Robin's eyes. She was hunched forward a little, hanging onto his every word. He couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. She pouted, snapping at him for making fun of her curiosity. It was refreshing to have Robin around. She didn't have Maribelle's poise or Sully's brutally honest nature or even Sumia's innocent clumsiness. He was inexplicably drawn to her. With a case of amnesia, she had no past. He supposed that mysteriousness along with her quirks were what made her so interesting. If things continued to flow the way they were, he had a feeling they'd become more than just friends.

And maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

"Perhaps you should leave now, Chrom," Robin grumped. "If you stay in a lady's tent for too long, people will start talking."

"Lady?" Chrom gulped when Robin pointedly glared at him. He didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time he questioned Robin's ladylike behavior, if it could be called that. "Right! Yes! I'll go! I'll see you later…I guess?"

"Just go, ya big goof," Robin said with a laugh. "I don't know about you, but I don't need Freddy Bear on my butt asking where you were during his 'I must cater to Chrom' time."

"Well, you know what to do if he does."

"Yeah. Shove some bear meat in his face and watch him squirm."

"…I was thinking more along the lines of lying low."

"Aw, come on. Where's the fun if I don't make him pay for being such a stick-in-the-mud all the time?"

"You are evil, you know that?"

Robin grinned. "Yes. Yes, I do."

To say he wasn't nervous would be a lie. Takumi's hold on Fujin Yumi tightened, his heart hammering against his ribcage. He wasn't sure what to expect. Heck, he didn't even know if he would survive this ordeal. All the uncertainty was killing him.

A week and a half had passed before his fever had finally gone away. A week and a half of getting to know his caretakers, if he could call them that. Olivia was nice, but she was so shy that it was hard to talk to her for more than five minutes before she ran away to hide. Lon'qu was quiet, but he had good intentions. He hadn't talked much with the myrmidon since getting two words out of the guy was like pulling teeth. In spite of the setbacks, both had told him tidbits about the culture of Regna Ferox. When he wasn't being hovered over, Takumi would scour the place for books about the kingdom. It was stimulating to say the least. Battle was their politics. There were two Khans, but only one held supreme power over the empire. That current Khan was the West Khan, Basilio. He had yet to see or meet the man. He was grateful he hadn't. Takumi could only speculate how bloodthirsty and power-hungry this "Basilio" was.

As soon as he could hold his bow and stand on his own two feet, he was forced to go to the Arena. Here was where his strength would be tested. Here was where he had to prove he wasn't a "Plegian". Those people were the cause of Lon'qu's suspicion of him. He scowled. Why did he have to pay for the actions of others? It was completely unfair to the ones involved. He couldn't imagine how many innocents Regna Ferox had unjustly condemned because of the Plegian scum. He took a deep breath and then exhaled. He had to calm down. He had to steel his resolve. He had to survive. He wanted to live. What if he had family somewhere? If he died, he would never find that out.

He quietly hummed that tune he couldn't remember the words to. It helped ease his nerves off the upcoming battle. It was also a comforting memory, giving him hope that the rest of them would come back to him eventually. The doors ominously opened, light streaming into the dark room. He squinted as the light revealed a huge arena. He could see massive amounts of seats surrounding the area, filled to the brim with people. He growled to himself. They made a show out of people killing themselves? What a barbaric society.

He slowly moved to the center of the arena, looking around for who could be their leader. He spotted Olivia and Lon'qu in the crowd, standing next to a bald man with an eyepatch. That man must've been the Khan. Takumi then looked forward, spotting his opponent. He was dressed in blue, a mask concealing any defining facial features. A sword dangled at his side, making Takumi frown. A close-ranged fighter wouldn't be a problem for him. He would win this as long as his opponent couldn't get close to him. However, he had a feeling this person would have the necessary agility to bypass that crucial weakness.

"Tell me, swordsman," Takumi demanded. "What is your name?"

"You may call me Marth," the man replied coolly.

"Marth," Takumi raised Fujin Yumi, the string forming and an arrow at the ready. "I cannot afford to lose to you here."

"Your motives are none of my concern," Marth said, drawing his sword. "You are nothing more than an obstacle that needs to be overcome."

That comment irked him. Did he even think of Takumi as a worthy opponent? He was nothing more than an object to defeat? Takumi seethed inside, the desire to triumph over this Marth person burning more intensely than before.

"We shall see about that!"

He fired off his first arrow, Marth dodging the shot with practiced ease. Takumi shot several more as he ran around his target, watching to see how Marth would react. The swordsman would only dodge the arrows, keeping up with Takumi's movements. As soon as he let up on his attacks, the masked man closed the distance between them in an instant.

Takumi narrowly dodged the downward swing of the sword. It nicked his clothes, ripping the fabric a bit. He was a bit peeved about that. Those clothes were another key to his unknown past. He couldn't have them damaged beyond recognition. The sword swiftly came up again, pointed at his neck.

"Tell me, archer," Marth began. "Where did you acquire a weapon like that?"

"Like I'd tell you anything!" Takumi snapped in response. "If you're trying to intimidate me, I'm not falling for it."

Marth scoffed. "Reckless youth."

Takumi knocked the blade away with his bow, swiftly countering with a kick to Marth's stomach. The force pushed the swordsman away a decent distance. While Marth was hunched over, Takumi increased the distance between them. He lined up another shot, firing it off at the recovering opponent. Marth raised his blade, blocking the arrow and watching it shatter into fragments of green light. He rose to his feet once more, ignoring the pain in his abdomen and returned to his fighting stance. Marth charged once again, this time more relentless in his attacks. He realized he would have to take a stronger offense if he wanted to defeat the archer.

Takumi could feel the strain of having to dodge all of Marth's attacks. One wrong move and he'd be struck down. That was the one problem with being an archer: if he was constantly in close quarters with the enemy, he would never be able to use his bow effectively. Frustration bubbled inside of him and Marth knew it. Takumi could see the condescending smirk on the mercenary's face. He was mocking him, demeaning him, and spitting on his pride. Irritation quickly turned to anger that boiled over. He raised his bow and aimed his arrow.

"Oh, that's it!" he yelled.

Marth was startled by the sudden change in Takumi's tactics. He didn't expect the archer to take a risky chance with firing a shot at such a close range. Without the distance the arrow flew, the impact wouldn't be as severe. He wouldn't. He couldn't. He'd fail before he even released the projectile. Marth readied his sword, prepared to strike down Takumi just as he had done to Lon'qu.

Takumi let the arrow loose and Marth raised his blade to block the pitiful attack. However, he was caught off guard by the force at which the arrow hit his weapon. It shoved him back and the power caused his arms to shake. He was in shock. How could it have hit so hard at such short distance? He didn't have time to think about it when another, more powerful arrow flew straight at him. The strength of the hit knocked Falchion out of his hands, sending it flying. More arrows flew towards Marth, forcing him to dodge and move farther away from the sword. It landed before Takumi, who took it in his free hand. The proud archer moved towards Marth, Falchion's tip pointed at the jugular of its own master. Even in the hands of an archer—someone that would never touch a sword, let alone handle one correctly—Takumi held Falchion with practiced ease. It appeared that Takumi knew his way around swords and would easily dispatch Marth if he tried to fight back.

"Don't—EVER—underestimate me!" Takumi hissed, his eyes burning with a fury Marth did not realize the archer had.

"It was not my intention to make you feel inadequate," Marth replied. "You have bested me in battle and have proven your strength. I admit defeat."

"Just like that?"

"I hold no ill will towards you, archer. I was only doing my duty as the representative champion for the Khan."

Takumi lowered Falchion. "Representative…champion? What?"

Takumi suspected that Marth raised an eyebrow behind his mask. "You do not know of the Champion's Tournament? The Khans each select a champion they deem to be the best fighter and they battle. Whichever champion remains standing, the control over all of Regna Ferox goes to the Khan who selected that champion."

"Wait, hold on. If you were the champion, this wasn't just some ordinary test to prove my innocence, was it?"

"That, I do not know. It matters not to me what you do from this point onward, but promise me you'll go easy on the champion representing the East Khan."

"And why would I do that?" Takumi scoffed. "Why should I believe you in the first place?"

"The choice to believe me is yours. All I'll say is the fate of a kingdom rests upon his win. Chew on that before you make your decision." Takumi was quiet as Marth took Falchion back and sheathed it. "I made the mistake of underestimating your weapon. Should we face each other again, I won't make that same error again."

"The fate of an entire kingdom…" Takumi mumbled, almost as an afterthought.

He watched as Marth turned and left. He couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved by Marth's words. It also hit a familiar note in the back of his mind. He placed a hand against his temple, trying his best to recall why it felt so familiar. He let out a small sigh when his search came up blank. Of course it wouldn't be easy. Nothing ever was.

"Well, that sure was something!"

Takumi nearly jumped at the sound of a burly man laughing behind him. He whipped his head around, stunned to see the eyepatch-man from earlier there. He unconsciously straightened his back, trying to avoid making eye contact. His grip on Fujin Yumi tightened, his palms beginning to sweat inside his gloves.

"No need to be so nervous," the guy said. "You've got a fire in your eyes. You should put it to good use, Takumi."

Takumi stiffened. "How do you know who I am?"

"Anything that happens in Ferox, stays in Ferox!" he laughed. "Plus, being the ruling Khan has its perks."

"So you're the 'Basilio' I've heard so much about?"

"The one and only; not that you would know. And yes, I've already heard that your memories went on a little adventure. You must've been through hell and back to forget so much that you don't even know who you are."

"Did you not trust me because of it? Or did you not believe my claim? Those are the only two reasons you would go to such an extent to test me."

"So you heard from Marth then," Basilio hummed. "I may have pushed it a bit by choosing him as your opponent, but you came out alright in the end. That goes to show that you've got more under your belt than just that fluff."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"Listen, ya sprog. Here in Ferox, strength always speaks stronger than words and I don't just mean physical prowess. Strength of heart is just as important to determining what makes someone a warrior. It's only when we face our greatest trials that we discover our true selves. Today, you've shown me you've got balls of steel in the face of the enemy and a drive to improve yourself further. Your aim with that fancy toy ain't something to fart at either."

"And you're basing this insight off of one battle?"

"One battle for one eye! It also helps when I've heard nothing but good things about you from your babysitters. I don't think a nerdy archer that spends his entire day with his nose jammed in dusty old books is much of a threat to anyone, let alone Regna Ferox."

"I'm not a nerd!" Takumi snapped. "I just like to read, alright!?"

"Of course you do!" Basilio laughed at the flustered kid. "You're a good fighter and I feel like I can trust you. I hope you don't decide to misplace that trust."

"Duly noted, Khan Basilio."

"To hell with formalities! They make me feel old; and this old fart doesn't want to face that just yet."

He couldn't help but smile at the upbeat ruler. Basilio was nothing like Takumi imagined he would be. He was…oddly friendly and spirited, if a bit crude. It was almost infectious. That was probably what made him a respectable ruler besides his admirable talents.

"You know, I thought it was love at first sight when I saw Marth's work, but you're not half bad for a sprog either! Since you beat him, you're technically my representing champion now. If you want to, that is."

"I don't know if I should. I mean, I know next to nothing about Regna Ferox and I just met you. I don't think I have the right."

"Don't worry about it! You'll get to know me real well soon enough!" Basilio smirked at the suspicious look Takumi was giving him. "You don't have to give me an answer today. The tournament is still a couple weeks away. Take the time to think it over. You might change your mind between now and then."

Basilio watched as Takumi crossed his arms and sighed, looking like a lost puppy. The kid sure was something. He was amazed to say the least. When Takumi first entered the Arena, he wasn't expecting much out of the boy. Most archers ended up defeated due to the quick wits and speed of warriors trained in close combat. Despite that, he had a gut feeling that Takumi was a diamond in the rough. He definitely had a sharp mind and smarts tended to be just as invaluable as brute force on the battlefield. He didn't realize just how right he was.

The little genius would make a fine tactician if he wanted to pursue such a profession. The kid knew exactly how to assess the situation and react accordingly. Basilio only saw small spurts of Takumi's abilities, but his eye was trained to spot potential. The skills were there. At some point, Takumi had been trained in hand-to-hand combat and swordplay. Even the handling of his bow at close range was exceptional. Heck, the bow itself was something extraordinary.

"I feel sorry for whichever sucker Flavia is choosing," he thought. "That Marth character wasn't a pushover if he could beat Lon'qu. If Takumi is this accomplished without remembering any previous battle experience, then I'd bet my big brown arse that he's going to give 'em hell once he gets some training in."

Oh gods, I love that big bald oaf, but Basilio is so HARD to write. He's got a specific way of talking and I'm not used to writing like that. Please don't kill me if I butchered him. Also, don't kill me for the fight scene. I know it's short and it's bad. I'm terrible at writing fight scenes. Honestly, I can't help but feel that this whole chapter is bad (badly paced, badly written, badly…everything), probably due to the time skip and poor Takumi being sick. I'll try and make up for it with some Takumi/Olivia/Lon'qu friendship bonding next chapter.

*crawls under a rock and prepares for incoming hate* I hope you enjoy it, even if I don't.