Fredrick grimaced as he ran yet another creature through; he had heard Chrom and Lissa's cries then headed towards them Corrin in tow barely keeping up with his horse as she leapt over logs as well as other obstacles, if he hadn't seen her change into a dragon earlier in the day he would have been shocked at her natural agility and speed, during the recent skirmish with the strange creatures he had noticed Corrin had lost the iron swords she had gained from the bandits they had dealt with and was currently… well he was certainly shocked to see her hands form into a long bladed limb before pulling back and twisting into a draconic maw that launched a ball of what seemed to be fire however on impact he noticed it erupt into crystals of some arcane nature , not his specialty.

Once the conflict was over he looked to her "Lady Corrin, I believe you'd be more efficient with this" as he spoke he took the Yato from his saddle and handed it to her she nodded gratefully, once they were ready they broke the treeline, as they did Corrin caught the glimpse of someone heading off into the brush nearby her attention was quickly back on Chrom as Fredrick spoke "Milord, Milady are you hurt?" there was genuine concern and worry in his features as he spoke another reminder that he was still human.

Lissa perked up upon seeing them "Fredrick! Corrin!" she practically hoped on the spot as she spoke.

"It's good to see you're both okay. But I must ask if such terrible creatures are commonplace around here?" Corrin was concerned if these creatures were anything like the faceless then things had just become more complicated, at least they weren't the cursed dwellers of Valla…

Chrom interrupted her thoughts "They're not from Ylisse I can promise you that" He gave a weak smile as he spoke.

Fredrick sighed as Chrom smiled "So no one is injured then? Good" he seemed to relax and suddenly didn't just seem like a living suit of armour.

"Thank the masked man that saved me! If it wasn't for him I'd be… Hey where did he go?" Lissa went from dreamy to disappointed at the drop of a hat, she really did remind Corrin of her sister Elise that thought suddenly caused Corrin's heart to drop she would never see her siblings again… probably… she shook her head and focused on the now it was what got her through the war before.

"We can worry about him later, AFTER we put these… things… to the blade. Eyes open, now. We know nothing about these enemies" Fredrick quickly switched back to retainer mode readying his lance and looking to where several shambling monstrosities emerged from the tree line.

"Right, Corrin do you have a plan for this one?" Chrom readied Falchion and waited for Corrin's word.

"Hmm are those…" Corrin noticed several large structures across the field they were currently in.

"Abandoned forts from a darker time…" Fredrick's voice warned Corrin not to push that topic.

"Then we should use them to our advantage whenever we can as we`re slightly outnumbered, so where you can use them to form a choke point. Also Fredrick it goes without saying but keep Lissa safe" Corrin was glad for the distraction and the chance to prove her worth to her companions.

Chrom and the others nodded before taking their positions, Corrin took her place next to Chrom as she did he shot her a cocky smile and the two readied their weapons and charged towards the nearby fort while Fredrick and Lissa headed towards the further one, Corrin noted that Lissa was riding behind Fredrick which was a smart move, once they were in the old fort they began funnelling the creatures in they made quick work of those that attempted to push through however they quickly realized they were being pushed back.

As they retreated back Corrin grabbed at her chest again she could feel the faint warmth of her Dragonstone that hung around her neck as she had in Southtown she prayed to the dragons of dusk and dawn, just as she did the monsters turned seemingly more interested in something else she looked towards Chrom and the two of them made their way towards the new conflict that seemed to have formed.

They were greeted by quiet the storm of cussing crimson steel as a lightly armoured rider ran two monsters through with her Iron lance, once they had collapsed the rider looked towards them with a look of confusion and relief on her face, Corrin took this moment to take in her appearance, she had short messy red hair and tomboyish features, she wore light red armour and a leotard of sorts beneath which Corrin assumed was for comfort, she rode a white horse and carried an iron lance "Captain Chrom! Why didn't ya wait for me and the others! I leave ya alone for a day and the world ends damn it! I'll deal with these ash faced freaks then you're gonna catch me up on what's goin on. All right you ash faced dastards I've got just the spot for my lance, shoved right up your…" with that the rider turned to strike her foes only to have her nearest enemy struck in the head with an arrow, she groaned loudly as a rather… noble voice filled the air.

"Hold, milady!" a man with the most noble attire Corrin had seen approached, he seemed to be wearing a white ruffled shirt, sleek black dress trousers and very finely crafted knee high boots it accompanied his shoulder length blue hair and an archer arm piece, a single piece of armour that ended in a high shoulder guard, all this alongside an elegant iron bow, the rider didn't seem too happy to see him.

"Muh?" The rider in red seemed confused and looked around as if wondering just who he was addressing.

"Life may be long, but attraction is fleeting! Would you leave me in your sweet dust? Leave war to the warriors, dear bird! A beauty such as you need wage only love!" Corrin covered her face with her hand; he was down on one knee looking up at the rider.

"...The hell are you?" The Rider seemed unimpressed and with good reason as he was doing this now on a burning field while creatures were slowly advancing upon them.

"Ha! Is the lady intrigued? Of course you are—it's only natural. I am myth and legend! I am he who strides large across history's greatest stage! The man who puts the "arch" in "archer"! My name, dear lady, is Vi—"He was cut off as the rider spoke again "Sorry, Ruffles—no time for this. Onward!" and she began heading towards the enemy.

"Virion! ...Er, my name. It's Virion. W-wait! Where are you going? Pray, at least tell me your name!" The man, Virion, followed closely behind the rider.

"I'm Sully. ...And I'm a Shepherd" Sully spoke with pride and Corrin began wondering if all the Shepards were this strange.

""Sully"! How divine! A starkly beautiful name, as befits its owner, truly. Will you marry me, my dearest Sully?" Virion was down on one knee… again and clearly couldn't grasp how bad a time this was.

Sully certainly didn't seem impressed as she spoke in fact she seemed livid "Will I what now? Oh wait, I get it... This is a joke. And when I put my boot through your face—that's the punch line."

"I realize my manly figure and noble bearing can be overwhelming.'Tis common! So please, don't feel pressured to answer right a—"as he spoke Virion was once again cut off by the fuming Sully "How's THIS for an answer?!" and with that Sully's boot collided swiftly with Virion's face, he cradled his sore face and still smiled.

"OOF! G-goodness, but those shapely legs certainly can kick, can't they...? P-please, milady! Allow me to accompany you, at least! Mine is a cold, empty world without you. I shall be your most willing servant, and you, in turn, will give my life purpose..." His smile widened as he performed a sweeping bow his eyes never leaving Sully's.

"Fine... Anything to shut you up. ...What? Stop staring at me like that!" Sully's frustration faltered a bit if only for a second before she readied herself for the conflict.

The battle swiftly changed course with the additional assistance Sully and Virion quickly began annihilating their foes one by one the creatures fell, Corrin and Chrom fought like a well-oiled machine whenever one left an opening the other quickly capitalized on it, eventually they fought their way to the largest of the creatures.

"We can take advantage of this one's size; I'll create an opening then you strike" Corrin spoke with purpose watching the twitching creature carefully, Chrom wasn't happy with this plan but it was what they had so he simply gave a grunt of affirmation, as he did Corrin leapt forward extending her arm which warped into a long bladed limb, Chrom barely had time to acknowledge it before he dashed forward striking the now off balance creature with lethal precision ending its existence swiftly.

Fredrick and the others approached including the young masked man "It seems all the creatures are vanquished. This young man took care of the others." Fredrick sounded impressed as he spoke which Chrom found to be a rare thing.

"..." the young man simply stared at Corrin which left her feeling a little uncomfortable and hot under the collar.

Lissa shyly approached and avoided looking at her saviour "Um, I never got to thank you...for before. So...Thank you. You were very brave." She looked at the floor as she finished her sentence; Chrom quickly switched to big brother mode and tried to change the subject.

"You saved my sister's life. My name is Chrom. Might I ask yours?" Chrom stepped in front of his sister as he spoke, watching the young man carefully.

"You may call me Marth." Marth spoke with a clam voice, however Corrin could have sworn something was… off with his voice but decided to keep it to herself.

"Marth? After the heroic king of old? You certainly fight like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword?" Chrom was certainly focused on the stranger's technique Corrin couldn't help but wonder why.

"I'm not here to talk about me. This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned." With that Marth quickly turned and left as though he had business elsewhere as he walked Corrin was almost certain there was something off but just couldn't decide what it was.

"Huh? What's teetering where now? Hey, wait!" Lissa cried out and held out a hand however Marth kept walking.

"Not much for conversation, is he?" Corrin continued looking in the direction that Marth had headed her head tilted slightly in thought, Chrom looked over and suddenly found himself thinking she looked cute he had no idea why he suddenly though this but he found it best not to question it.

"It appears his skills lie elsewhere. I wager we'll hear his name again... But for now I'm more concerned about the capital. We should make haste." Fredrick quickly roused the group from their various musings with his statement and all agreed that the capital would be the smartest move, with that they began walking, Lissa complaining, Virion pestering the women while Fredrick did his best to stop Sully booting him again, Chrom walked at the head of the group next to Corrin he couldn't explain why but he felt like this was where he should be, by her side.

As they walked away "Marth" watched closely for a few more moments before finding a place to set up camp, as he did he removed his mask and took the very damaged stone from around his neck and clutching it tightly, he laid his blade close but not too close, and as he closed his eyes a single thought ran through his mind They're alive… I can really change fate as this thought passed through his head he began humming a tune, a lullaby his mother had sung to him when he was young, a few words escaped his lips as he hummed

"…You are the ocean's gray waves, destined to seek

Life beyond the shore just out of reach

Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time

The path is yours to climb" He didn't know the meaning of the song but it made him feel at ease even if it had a sombre tone it had calmed him enough for sleep to take hold and for him to dream of happier times.