Chapter 21: Abroad
"…Valm," Robin murmured, and looked over the new lands.
The islands so far were vibrant, overgrown with grass and trees that all swayed in the sea breezes. The green of the ocean and forests shone bright, against the orange from the setting sun.
"What does Walhart need with Ylisse, when he already rules over so much abundance?" She found herself asking.
"That is a mystery for the ages. Though I hope you shan't think too poorly of me, that I didn't elect to stay and find out." Virion answered. "Still, the man seems to have his hands full with managing his own territories. Too busy to commit to an invasion, so that's likely why he hired pirates to use as lackeys."
"Any ideas on where we can find a lighthouse?" Chrom kept his eyes fixed forward, shading them against the setting sun and searching for the structure. Robin followed his gaze, but there was nothing taller than a tree on any of the islands. Their surroundings were all emerald colors, without a trace of familiar, pale stone.
"Only that there's something like it in the south of Valm. Which, going by the amount of green present, we're close by. There was supposed to be a country named Chon'sin close by-" The sun dipped low, a bright blaze stealing the rest of Virion's words. The archer savored the glow and the painted clouds. "No notion on if the nation is still there, with Walhart having the appetite he does."
"And with all these islands to search, we may be here for awhile." Chrom sighed, watching the fading light. Night rolled in quickly with the fading sun, the sky turning to purple and blue.
"I can think of worst spots to be!" Lissa chimed in. "It's a LOT warmer than Ferox for one!"
"AND more dangerous." Chrom pointed out. "Odds are Walhart has ships patrolling these waters. The sooner we find the lighthouse, the better."
"Well, if our luck holds, then Walhart will be too busy securing his territory elsewhere." Virion said. "If the Conqueror does have presence here, it should be recent. And ideally, needs to be focused on holding more populated areas than this."
Even as he said that, Virion scanned the darkening sky. He continued in a lower breath, "and if we're very lucky, we'll get a different welcoming committee than ships."
Before Robin could question that, Chrom waved to catch her eye. He had a hopefully expression on his face, likely counting on her to have an idea on where to find the lighthouse. But she didn't have any ideas to share.
"Sorry Chrom, but I'm not getting anything right now. What we need is a map of some sort…" She trailed off as a murmur swept through the Shepherd. A glimmer of light caught her eyes.
It looked like a line of stars were scattered across the waves, glowing in a dozen points of blue light.
"What the… Why is there a startide here? I thought that belonged just in Ylisse." Lissa almost tipped over the side of the ship, leaning out to stare at the trail. The lights were confined to a ship sized path, trailing and weaving through the sea.
"I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise, that magic like this dwells in other countries. We can't have been the only ones to have a blessing from Naga, or a common ancestry. The ruined towers are already proof of that." Emmeryn told Lissa. "I just wonder what prompted such a thing."
Robin blinked at the compass around her neck, and stared at the brilliant blue emitting off it. Chrom met her eyes for an instant… and motioned for her to tug her robe over the compass, hiding it from sight.
"I think we should keep any odd questions to a minimum." He whispered, and she wondered at the way his eyes darted to Frederick. "I'm just happy this tells us where to go."
He raised his voice, turning back to the crew.
"This is the best lead we've got. We'll follow it and see where it takes us, while the lookouts watch for any Valmese patrols."
They continued along under blue-black skies that bled together with the seas. The star tide guided them onwards, never dimming. It was as constant as the stars overhead… Until the sky flickered directly above them, as a dark shape moved through the skies.
"What-?" Robin barely had a chance to ask, when something winged out of the night and landed on their ship with a rush of wings. The lantern light shimmered across dark scales, vicious looking talons, and bat-like wings. Robin flinched, rushing towards one of the spell circles to ready a counter attack, before Virion's voice stopped her.
"Ah, you graces. I am pleased to introduce you to one of my own vassals." Virion said, easily stepping up to the wyvern. The creature clambered across the deck, blowing his blue hair askew with a puff from its nostrils. Robin could just make out a figure with long reddish hair perched atop the creature, smiling down at them. "Cherche, of Roxanne."
"So that means…" Sumia managed, blinking between Virion and Cherche. The Shepherds stood down at Virion's introduction; Robin heard weapons slide back into their sheaths, and an audible exhale from the crew.
"You really ARE a refugee?" Maribelle sounded incredulous at that.
"Correct, I am also of the west. Or at least was, until Walhart decided his own kingdom wasn't enough." Sumia managed a few steps closer, hand reached out tentatively to the wyvern. The creature bridged the rest of the gap, giving a soft croon where the wyvern's nose brushed against Sumia's hand.
"My lord sought out allies across the seas," Cherche provided, from her place in the saddle. "While I remained here, doing my own scout work. Thanks to Minerva of course; Walhart's men don't have a hope of matching her speed, or agility."
Cherche sounded the world like a proud parent, as she stroked the wyvern's neck. She glanced over the ridges of scales, locking eyes with Robin. Despite the gentle smile on the wyvern rider's face, her gaze was sharp and piercing.
"And you're Robin? I understand you and Prince Chrom are looking for a way to stop the storms… and that the lighthouse in Valm may help with that. I'd be glad to assist."
"I-I appreciate it, but why?" Robin found herself asking.
"Because I have a guess on why Walhart is choosing to move. The storms tearing across the islands and mainland have a way of wearing down any defenses the island kingdoms have… and urging those desperate enough to take more land." Virion gave a stiff nod at that.
"If memory serves, the first storms, sparse as they were, seemed to be a catalyst for Walhart to wage war."
"And if we can stall the storms… Perhaps that will discourage him from taking anymore territory, and give us a chance to win back our homes." Cherche continued. "At the very least, it's something I'm ready to try. I'll try to give you a more complete report, if we have a destination in mind."
"Aye," Chrom answered for them all, glancing again to the star tide. "I think that we do."
-o-o-o-
The glowing waves guided them into a quiet cove. It was a place ringed with reaching cliffs, stretched so high that they almost blocked out the moon. It was also an empty stretch of water, reached after weaving through the islands and hiding behind masses of rock and trees.
"Drop anchor," Chrom still kept his voice low, not leaving anything to chance. Frederick picked up on the mood, walking the length of the ship to whisper orders to the others. Overhead, a wyvern swooped in. Sumia climbed down from Minerva, tending to the wyvern as Cherche came forward.
"We've done a sweep of the territory… and found the tower from the records. It matches the description, and is only a skip from this cove." Chrom glanced up at her words and picked out a sliver of tower, through the rocky fingers.
"So we can get what we need, and leave with Walhart being none the wiser." He felt a twinge of relief.
"Almost…" Cherche turned her head, to where a patch of clouds were rolling away and clearing up the night sky. The moonlight shone down, illuminating a thin streak of tower further down the shoreline. It glowed like a beacon-
Save for a scab of gray rock at the base. It formed a hulking fortress, surrounding the lighthouse.
"As you can see," Cherche said. "Walhart has taken precautions, and elected to build a fortress around the lighthouse. He built off of ruins he found, to protect whatever is in there."
Chrom sagged a little under that revelation.
"…No one said this was going to be easy." Robin pointed out. "And at least now, we know what we need to plan around. I'm pretty sure that between you, Emmeryn, and Cherche, we'll be able to figure out some sort of plan."
That planning session lasted longer than Chrom would have liked, burning through several sets of candles. Through the evening and into the late hours of the night they debated, argued, and combed over maps… Until finally they settled on a strategy. It was one that found Chrom back outside, with the wind whipping through his hair.
Chrom blinked at the moon, and took a breath of sea air. The salt taste steadied him, and helped to clear his head from all the discussions.
'We have a plan. One that we can carry out tonight, before Walhart is any wiser about our presence.'
One he'd needed to push and fight for. But he'd still gotten an agreement from the others.
"...Are you sure about this?" Robin followed him. From her voice, she still had her doubts.
"Yeah, I am." He crept forward, sizing up the fortress; with how the walls were hunched, it resembled a massive stone guard dog watching for intruders. "There needs to be someone attuned to the songs to go up there, and I'm not about to risk Emm. Besides, the sooner we do that, the sooner we can get out of here. And-"
The corners of his vision gave a flicker. His surroundings went wavy, like he'd been submerged underwater again. Chrom forced himself to take a breath; to remind himself that he was above water.
"With luck, the sooner things go back to normal." And he could stop worrying about the bottom getting yanked out from under his world.
"That… Applies to me, too?" Robin seemed almost cautious at voicing that.
"Of course." He shut his eyes for an instant, to banish any images of Mer trying to steal her away. Plus to clear his own vision. When he opened them again, things were thankfully more stable.
'No more thinking there's tides in the corner of your eyes. No more sounds of the sea entering your dreams. And…' No more looking at Robin like she was about to disappear. He knew that showed in his face, whenever he glanced at her.
-o-o-o-
They set out when the next set of clouds shrouded the sky. The silver-black veil masked their movements, cloaking them from any eyes trained to the sky. Minerva's wings stretched to the limit, catching every bit of breeze to glide on, and kept the sound of her wingbeats to a minimum. The white caps of the ocean turned to blurs underneath them, as Cherche guided them to the tower.
Chrom clung to the side of the saddle, bracing his feet against Minerva's talons. On the opposite side, Robin fought a losing battle to keep the white strands of hair out of her face. Chrom blinked against the biting winds and his tussled bangs, and narrowed his eyes on their target.
The fortress was a heavy thing, thick walls sunk into the water and ruling out the possibility of an approach by foot. But the sea was a different story. There were no watch fires lit on the wall facing the ocean, and the bricks seemed to sag, half pulled down by the waves and their own weight.
"There's a weakness in the walls… Something in the tide seems intent on pulling the stones down, no matter how they try to repair it." Cherche provided. "But are you certain-?"
"It's our best chance. And we've done something like this before." Robin said.
"…Now we just need to do it again." Chrom finished. The sea wall loomed as Minerva dropped low, skimming the waves. He glanced across to Robin. Her shoulders rose as she took and held a deep breath. He did the same to steel himself… and let go of Minerva.
The waves swallowed any splashes when he hit the water. The speed of the dive sent Chrom tumbling through the ocean, and he lost track of up and down. Bubbles streamed out of his mouth, his breath pushed from his lungs. Robin gripped him by the shoulder, turning and pointing him in the right direction. His legs remembered to kick out.
Overhead a dark shape ate the moon. He surfaced with a gasp, facing the half sunk portion of the fortress. The wall loomed over them, stones tangled together and climbing into the sky.
Chrom's fingers sunk like fishhooks into the bricks, when they washed against the stone. The sea gave them up with a slosh, and Chrom heaved himself upwards, hand over hand. Water droplets made his grip slippery, and his feet skidded on the stones.
Each handhold was a struggle to find and grip. But inch by inch, Chrom climbed free of the ocean. His skin shivered, caught between chill from the night and sweat from the ascent.
"There's got to be some way inside," He grit out between his teeth, still climbing as he spoke. Robin gave a breathy noise in agreement, following behind him. He strained his eyes, looking for a route-
His hand slid, his nails almost wrenched out of his finger tips. His feet followed, scrapping and bruising against the wall. Chrom's curse vanished into a hiss of pain, and panic shot through him. They were halfway up the wall, and he didn't want to fall back into the ocean.
"Chrom!" Robin was underneath him, and her shoulder caught his foot. The impact sent her skidding, and the two found themselves slipping down the wall. Until his hand caught in something, almost wrenching his arm from the socket.
It was a break in the wall, where the stones had been torn away. The surface was rough under his fingers, and gave him a chance to brace himself. He got one foot into the break, leaning into it; his other leg had Robin clinging onto it.
"Oh gods, oh gods…" Robin whispered over and over… But the prayer seemed to give her some strength, as she clawed her way up his leg like a cat, and slipped between him and the wall. "Let's… Let's try and avoid doing that again. But at least we found our route."
Looking up, Chrom saw that the break widened, until a chunk of the wall was missing. And was just wide enough to climb up and slip through.
"Yeah... Looks like we found our way in." He whispered to Robin. Together, they climbed and slipped through the break. A quiet point in the fortress greeted them, and Chrom slowly let his breath out. No soldiers waited for them.
He twisted about to haul Robin through the gap. Her arms shivered from the effort of climbing, a sign on how out of her element she was.
"You okay?" He whispered, dropping them both into a crouch. His eyes darted about, taking in the stark strength of the fortress. The far ramparts were illuminated with fire bowls. The dots of torches, clutched in the hands of patrolling soldiers, bobbed up and down. But the fires were well away from them; on the sea wall, it was only moonlight. The slosh of waves at the base of the fortress reached his ears, the only sound aside from his and Robin's harsh breathing.
"Y-yeah. I'll manage." Robin whispered, drawing her robe out from the packet strapped to her side. The cloth settled over her skin, shielding her from the night chill. Chrom shivered as he watched her… But he knew it would be a risk to done a white cape in the middle of the night. His skin would have to cope, and hope his clothing dried out soon.
He took Robin by the hand, and she moved in front of him. The black of her robe easily masked him, blending them both into the shadows. Together they ran to the edge of the fortress, following the walls in a ring around the lighthouse tower. Slowly, the stone path drew closer the lighthouse, until there was little more than a leap between them and the structure.
Just beneath them, he glimpsed the lighthouse entrance. He offered a quick prayer to Naga; their approach had worked, now they just needed to climb the tower.
-o-o-o-
Lucina's world had turned into an endless, forced swim. It was a wonder her hands hadn't fallen off, with how chaffed her wrists were. The same was true for her fins, sore and burning. The pain of both drove her into a near trance, her senses going hazy. Occasionally she heard voices from her captors, their conversation muttering past her ears.
She sometimes picked out individual words. Things like 'drained' and 'spell caught.'
'What happened to us-?' It didn't feel like she was phantasmal any longer, though a part of her wished she'd get yanked across the ocean again. Maybe that would also pull her away from the fatigue that dragged her down.
"Swim." Snapped the voice directly in her ear, and Lucina swam; it was either move, or get yanked along by her binds. Her captor didn't care which she did, or which resulted in more or less bruises. Once, when she was pulled, she scraped across a bed of stones and coral; the scratches dug into her and were like fire in her skin. Those cuts still burned in the salt water.
She vaguely remembered someone telling her to be cautious of tears from coral, how they could easily grow infected. A face framed with white hair took the place of blackness in front of her eyes.
'Mother…'
"Rest." Snapped the voice, banishing the images. A hand shoved into her back, throwing Lucina to the sandy ocean floor. Grit dug at her cuts, and scratched at her tongue. Lucina tensed, her hands balling into fists, longing to lash back at the Mer… But it was like someone had sewn rocks into her limbs.
Whatever magic she'd worked before, it was exacting its price on her body. And that was enough to disgust her captor.
"It's folly." Sneered the voice. "Do you truly expect me to believe that these wretches are so gifted? That they can leave their bodies behind?"
"Why do you think they've been so placid? That sort of gift would leave most mages exhausted… And these two don't strike me as being trained."
"They would've put up more of a fight in the first place, if that was true…" The voices trailed off, as Lucina finally blacked out. She only woke again when there was a yank on her binds, dragging her along again.
Swim. Rest. The orders were curt, and it was all she could do to obey. The one thing Lucina could grasp, between the orders, was that the waters were slowly changing in temperature, growing warmer.
'We must be swimming south.' That was the first coherent thought she'd had in days… And with that thought, came a new song on the current, threading into her head and trying to tug Lucina out of her torpor. It did that by providing a new, sharper sort of pain that cut through the haze. The noise arrived in an undulating voice that was needles in her ears and brain. It was trying to drive her to panic or madness, whichever came first.
And Morgan heard it too, going by his whimper… And the thrash he gave. His tail smacked against hers, pushing a fresh bruise into her scales as he fought.
"LEAVE US ALONE!" Morgan cried out.
"What are they going on about now?" Spat her captor. A set of fingers dug into her hair, stopping her struggles short as the hands yanked back on her head. Between the new voice and the yank on her hair, Lucina felt a flinch of her own crawl down her spine, leaving her shivering.
"…I think I finally understand what's happening to them." Said the leader of their band. "I've only heard of things in rumors and tales… But they're sensitive to Grima's song."
"Are they going to go mad?" Growled the voice. The fear added an extra note of tension to his voice… And put an extra pull on Lucina's hair, adding to her pain. Beyond the pressure in her head, Lucina thought she could hear something else. Something almost like a growl of thunder, throbbing through the waves and adding to that painful note.
"We'd need a worse storm twisting the waters, on top of everything else. They shouldn't go feral for now, at least-" The first voice wasn't convinced by Mustafa's words, with how it kept an agonizing grip on her head. Lucina gave a low, pained noise in the back of her throat, trying to get the hands to let go. But they wouldn't listen, and her head felt ready to spit open-
A spark of magic snarled through the water, like it was wrenched from her spine and collided with her captor. His hands were shocked free from her head, and he twisted backwards, cursing from pain.
"...Though it seems they can still tap the power." Mustafa continued. "At least the storm is almost spent. If our luck holds, we'll get them to the capital well before anything else happens."
"C-capital-?" Lucina wheezed out, as the song dimmed.
"She can speak… It seems his grace's ritual is finished for now." Mustafa answered her. "As for you child… You need to swim a little further. We'll reach the shelter of our great city soon enough. And perhaps then we'll figure out what is to be done with you."
His voice was gentle enough, but also made it clear she and Morgan had no say in the matter.
"We have silk from the ship scavenging, don't we?" Mustafa continued. "It's time to bind your ears. Mayhaps that will silence what you hear."
-o-o-o-
They crept along the lighthouse stairways, ears strained for any noise. However, it seemed Walhart kept his troops stationed to the outside of the tower, almost like he was reluctant to let more people inside than necessary. Still, Robin walked on the tips of her toes, and Chrom did the same. They tried to keep their climb silent, and their progress was slow as a consequence. Between steps, Robin trailed her hand over the stone as they climbed and took in the details. Her fingers dipped and bumped against chinks gouged into the stones.
"This place is scarred." And from recent battle, Robin knew. The signs were there, in the sharp and chipped quality of the stone, carved away by swords and arrows. "Walhart didn't take this place easily."
"Whoever held it wasn't ready to give it up. Hopefully that marks it as important." Chrom answered. His footsteps pushed Robin upwards… As did a faint hum building in his throat. Robin went still when she recognized the melody, an echo to what Emmeryn had sang in Plegia.
It was also likely to draw attention from the guards, if they weren't careful. She whirled around to look at him.
"Chrom, keep it down! Did you forget where we were?" He started from her words, his voice going silent. "What's gotten into you?"
"S-sorry. It was by reflex. Something to keep me calm." Even now, a shiver worked its way into his skin, his shoulders twitching and restless.
'He needs something to focus on.'
"Well, we might need it later… Best keep it in mind, but also stay quiet until then." Again, she tried to climb. "At least we don't have any storms to worry about, this time. I swear they're almost drawn to these towers-"
"Or maybe it's us." Chrom whispered, and she wondered at the shiver trying to move through him and stall his steps. "S-sorry. That was a ridiculous thing to say."
Yet still, his feet didn't seem convinced. They stayed stuck to the steps, and Chrom frowned as the wind whistled past the tower. But they couldn't afford to pause, Robin knew. So she reached down and tugged at his fingers. It was only a slight touch, but it seemed to strengthen him and urge him on.
"Sorry," Chrom said again. "I don't know where that thought came from."
"Believe me, I think much of the same." Robin found herself admitting. "I worry that… Maybe I'm to blame for some of this."
Chrom made a disagreeing voice in the back of his throat.
"Hey, you're just amnesiac. I'm Tide Touched, pretty sure that's on par with whatever strangeness is affecting you. So don't go thinking it's just because of you." His fingers curled around hers for a second, trying to reassure her. Under that contact, Robin forgot to even glance at the carvings in the lighthouse. She only noticed that they'd reached the summit when they were bathed in a sudden green glow, like falling into a forest covered pool.
In contrast to Plegia, the gold runes of the main chamber seemed intact. But scholar's scrawlings littered the floor in a dozen paper leaves. There were even etchings in chalk on the walls, and Robin made out rough translations.
"So Walhart isn't content to simply hold this tower." She murmured, studying the notes. "He wants to understand it."
Chrom didn't answer her, caught up in the emerald glow of the chamber.
The song grew in Chrom's throat, matching the rhythm of the translations. His eyes had already glazed over, entranced by the green in the lighthouse. The emerald column flared under his voice, flooding vibrant light across Robin's skin.
A soft melody bloomed in Robin's head. The song flooded her senses at the expense of everything else…
And she dreamed of a flooded world, waves rising and displaced by a massive dark shape falling into the ocean. The dark form fell like a star and its impact sent ripples out. Robin stood on the water, watching those ripples grow and twist into drowning waves, ready to devour the cities across the ocean.
She felt a surge of terror, as one of the waves washed over her head. It dragged her into the ocean, like the weight of that massive shape had ensnared her, and was pulling her down with it… And yet, she didn't drown. Even as the night sky turned watery, her lungs refused to surrender. A prickling grew along her legs, and Robin swore she saw other dark, vaguely human shapes sinking around her; a rain of bodies, following the massive shape.
All of them had shivering outlines, like a change was rippling through them. Their flickering shapes matched the trembling in her legs. Through it all she heard a strange, painful cry; like a twisted whale song, from the mouth of a leviathan.
'Sleep, Grima.' Came a voice that echoed with power. It sounded almost like Chrom's, but wisened by years and battles. 'Man has not earned your wrath. Sleep, for as long as you can-'
"Don't be a fool, Robin." The voice faded out, replaced by a sneer. A different voice, more harsh and arrogant bit at her ears. The calamity faded away, replaced by a strange, blue coated city; it could have been kin to the places devoured by the waves. A weight settled around her neck, and chain links bit at her skin. She felt the familiar shape of the compass press at her heart… But it felt like a prisoner's shackles.
"You were meant for greater things." Hissed a voice in Robin's ears. "Tied to Grima's blood-"
She didn't want to know what those things were-
And her prayers were answered, as the vision evaporated.
-o-o-o-
"Think they'll be back soon?"
"No, I'm afraid not."
"...How about now?"
"I'm afraid my answer hasn't changed."
"...Now?" Lissa was needling her sister. She knew that, with how Emmeryn gave a long suffering sigh, her nose scrunched for just a moment to show a hint of annoyance. But at the same time, Lissa couldn't help it. She had to keep Emm talking, to focus the conversation instead of what all could be happening to Chrom and Robin.
"...I still think it was a dumb idea. They should've gone with a bunch of pegasus riders, and Cherche, and anyone else they could have carried-"
"Which would have destroyed whatever stealth they had." Emmeryn finished for her, shaking her head. "I can't say it's the safest plan either… But it was the best we could decide on. Time remains of the essence." As she spoke, her eyes flickered back to the horizon. Towards the east, and Ylisstol.
Every hour spent away was weighing down on Emmeryn. Lissa could tell that much, with how Emmeryn hung her head. She was nervous about leaving their kingdom for so long.
How Chrom had talked them into ANY this was still a mystery to Lissa.
'Reconnaissance.' She reminded herself. 'And those weird tower things. They do something for our problems.' Decent reasons… But she found herself scowling all the same, wishing that Chrom would just haul his stupid butt back to the ship.
"...Think they might be coming back now-?"
"Lissa." Her older siblings could sound a lot alike, when they were vexed with her. They had the same groan in their voice.
"If her Grace wishes it, there are likely some pans in the galley that need scrubbing." Frederick offered, pausing in his patrol of the decks.
"I'd rather learn how to swim." Lissa grumbled, leaning over the railing and staring at the fortress. "It's just… What's keeping them? What could be happening-?"
"SAIL!" Sumia shouted from the lookout, her voice piercing the night. She didn't care who she alerted, with how she screamed. Lissa jumped and flinched like a wet cat, scrambling backwards. She jerked her head up to crow's nest, ready to yell at Sumia to keep it down-
That was when she saw the sails on the horizon, threading between the islands. And heading straight for them.
-o-o-o-
"Gules," A flash of ruby.
"Vert," followed by green.
"Sable." And purple hung in front of his eyes. "Only two remain-"
He thought that was the sea dragon's voice, lingering in his head. But there was no time to focus on it, and he thrashed himself awake. He blinked away those hints of visions; of consuming waves, and a dragon that pulled down cities with it as it fell from the heavens. Of holding a sword against the beast-
'No time for that!' Urgency burned at Chrom's brain, telling him to forget any faint dreams, and worry about escape. Chrom rubbed his head, taking in the changes.
They'd done it. The lighthouse burned with energy and power, a green ray of light shining out across the sea.
Not that he had a lot of time to dwell on that. The emerald light may have been a signal to the waiting Shepherd crew, but it was also a target for the Valmese. The garrison would want to investigate, and Chrom didn't want to face Walhart over this.
He turned Robin towards the stairs, a hand guiding her shoulders. "Ready?"
Robin gave a weak hum, jolted out of her trance. Her steps were sluggish as they descended the tower, going too slowly for Chrom's liking. His own feet weren't much better behaved; they felt leaden, like he'd yanked himself out of the song too soon, and his body just wanted to sink back into torpor.
"Come on," he whispered, both to Robin and himself. "We can't stay here. It won't be long before-"
A shout from below silenced him. Chrom glanced down to see the stairs were already bristling with soldiers. They'd climbed halfway up the tower, blocking the exit; swords and spears were both pointed at Chrom.
"Intruders!" Yelled a woman at the head of the group, brandishing a spell book. Already, cinders danced in the air around her, painting scarlet and orange highlights on her pale hair. The commander of this fortress had personally come to investigate… And Chrom didn't like their odds against her, and all the soldiers at her back.
"Robin? Any ideas?" He whispered, not daring to raise his voice, lest that trigger an attack.
In answer, Robin leaned against him, putting all her weight against his chest. His foot slipped on the edge of the stairs; beneath, the pool of water coating the tower base seemed to ripple and stir. The vortex it formed looked hungry, just waiting for bodies to fall into it, and make up for the times they'd slipped away in Ferox and Plegia.
'Can you really swim through that-?'
Chrom paused for only a moment, before wrapping his arms around Robin, letting his balance tip, and plummeting off the stairs.
White brick and sea tinted lights blurred past his face, always just out of reach. And thankfully out of range for their forms to crash against. The commander gave an alarmed shout, but she was too slow and too far away to catch them.
As they fell, his heart hammered and his head pounded in sync. He wondered if this was such a good idea after all. What if there were stones lining the base, or he'd misjudged the distance, or-
He ran out of time to question, when they hit the water. The impact was like a slap across his skin, driving his breath out, even numbing his thoughts. His senses blacked out from the impact.
He was vaguely aware of water rushing around his head, yanking him this way and that, and pulling him down. Chrom body ached from the splash, and he didn't know how they could break away from the whirling current-
But Robin was made of sterner stuff, or was used to battling the waves. She was already swimming and pulling him along. The current gave up its hold for just a moment, letting them slip past the tower.
When he got his bearings back, they'd swum clear from the fortress, and a tide was carrying them to a nearby beach.
Robin tried to pull them forward, but her steps faltered. When the waves splashed over them, she almost sank beneath them. Chrom took over then, searching with his feet until they touched sand. He braced against the ground, and forced himself and Robin out of the waves, one soggy step at a time. She was heavy against him, suddenly losing her strength when they were out of the water.
"S-something's wrong with my legs." Robin gasped out, leaning against him. Robin's feet slid about, unable to find purchase in the sand. Worried they might be spotted, Chrom threaded an arm under her shoulders and started forward. He'd pull her to the meeting point, if needed.
"Hey, you just swam us out of a fortress. A little fatigue is expected." He promised her. She slumped against him, still drained and faint; that escape had finally caught up to her. "And it's going to be okay. All we need to do is get back to the-"
The Shepherd stood before them, still anchored in the shallows and the shelter of the cliffs. But blocking it and the passage out was a massive warship, the wood burned and treated to black, her sides trimmed in red.
A wyvern arrowed out of the night and touched down, sand spraying from its wings.
"Walhart apparently is the restless sort. And untrusting when it comes to his territories." Cherche called down from the wyvern's back. Her tone was bright, but the words came out rushed, belaying the danger. "He decided to personally patrol the coast tonight."
"That's his ship?" The water turned cold on his skin.
"I'd recognize it anywhere." Cherche said. "Any ideas for getting us out?"
Robin was still shivering, exhaustion leaving her numb. Chrom frantically looked out at the ships, wondering if he could see Walhart onboard.
'If he IS onboard, then-'
Robin would hate the plan forming in his head, but it was the only thing he could think of.
"I need you to hang onto Robin and get us into the skies. Over Walhart's ship if you can." Cherche nodded at that, pulling Robin up into the saddle.
Cherche proved to be capable flyer, slipping through the cloud streaked skies. She kept one hand on the wyvern's reins, the other wrapped around Robin and holding her steady. The wind brushed at Robin's face, coaxing her out of her daze.
"C-Chrom, what are you doing-?" Shouts drifted into his ears; alarms and calls to arms. He took his eyes from Robin and focused on what was beneath. The ships were drawing in close and exchanging volleys of arrows. The Shepherd was hobbled by surprise, needing more time to rally her crew, and ready her sails. He forced his eyes away from the panic on the Shepherd and looked at the black and red ship, peered down through the tangle of rigging… And focused on a man in red armor, standing near the wheel.
"Chrom? What are you-?" Robin tried again.
"Going to do something desperate." He overbalanced on Minerva, slipping past before Robin or Cherche could grab his arms.
Falchion rattled free in his hands as he fell through the air. The black and red masts plunged up, threatening to skewer him if he didn't twist away. Chrom churned through the air, narrowly missing the cross beam as it rushed past him. The beam almost clipped his shoulder, but he still managed to draw his sword. The blade lashed out like a metallic bolt, and bit into the red sail. The fabric tore and dragged against Falchion, and he drew a long line through the sail as he dropped.
The sword tangled in a section of the rigging, bringing Chrom to a jolting halt. He had just enough time to gather his bearings, and caught a scream from above him. His head yanked up, and he paled as Robin plunged towards him, arms flailing at empty air for a hand hold. By reflex, his arm snapped out and latched onto her cloak. He barely caught her, and the ropes strained against their weight, groaning with each swing.
"Why did you follow me-?" He choked out. She didn't get the chance to answer, as the added weight pulled them closer to the deck. The two crashed onto the floor, and the Valmese crew froze from their sudden appearance.
"Your Grace!" Frederick's voice bridged the gap, as the knight spotted them against the sails. The Shepherd drifted nearby, her railings riddled with arrows and snagged with ropes. The ships were tangled together, courtesy of the Valmese trying to hook the ship and pull her in for capture.
Robin was already working on that problem, as she stretched her fingers out and untangled herself from Chrom. It was just a lunge from where they'd fallen, and where an unclaimed spell circle rested on the deck. The second her feet touched the runes, a thin strand of lightning cut across the Valmese raiding ropes. The coils all sprang free, and the Shepherd listed away from Walhart's ship.
"Go! Get the Shepherd out of here!" Chrom shouted. He thought he heard a protest from Frederick, half stolen by the wind. "That's an order, drown you!"
But they wouldn't follow that order, he already knew. No matter how he shouted or cursed at them.
'But I need them to escape-' The wind shrieked again… and filled the sails of the Shepherd, snapping them out. The sudden gale sent the Shepherd skidding from the force of the breeze. He swore the Shepherd tried to dig into the waves, like a stubborn horse… but it couldn't match against the winds. Those same winds carried it free from any rocks, and into open water. Too far for any of the crew to swim.
A thin note reached his ears, and Robin shivered next to him. Her throat flashed in the wane moonlight, shivering from the force of the note. At last the sound faded, and Robin managed to breathe.
But the wind continued, almost trying to match the melody. The gusts turned the oceans into chaos. Walhart's crew fought against the tempest, the great warship struggling in the surge of waves. The chaos left only a handful of soldiers to fight… and even they hung back, not closing with Chrom.
None of the crew had attacked them, he realized. Not when they'd crashed into the deck, nor when Robin worked her magic. Even though they'd been exposed. He wondered why… until a new voice reached his ears.
"…You're brave, boy. I'll give you that much." Came a stern voice. A man stepped from the ship's wheel and narrowed his eyes at Chrom. A scattering of rain drops ran like thinned blood over his crimson armor. "Though bravery won't save you."
"But it might buy us some time." Chrom muttered under his breath. Then louder, "I've heard about you organizing raids on Ylisse… maybe it's time you met one of us face to face, and blade to blade."