Chapter 38: Old Friends
The world spun around Robin, like she'd been caught up in a whirlpool. Her eyes rolled, unsure if they wanted to open or close, and the rest of her felt oddly weak. Her scream had torn something out of her, and left her senses swimming.
Faintly she knew they'd dipped into the shadows of a city, with the water growing colder. Strands of kelp and ruined buildings brushed her skin or poked at her scales as they passed into the depths.
Chrom's breathing was a harsh accompaniment in her ears; he kept trying to ask about Emmeryn, but the cut along his side stole his words. Robin wasn't much better, as she tried to find the strength to talk.
"Wh-where…?" Robin whispered.
"Edge of town." A boy's voice answered. "Hopefully one of the last places they'll think of checking. At least for a little while, and that'll give us time to figure a few things out."
With that said, a pair of hands tightened around her shoulders, grabbing Robin's attention. Her eyes settled on being open, and focused on a pale face.
"So, um… Robin?" He peered at her, face switching between surprise and confusion. "Did you decide you were done with being an escape artist and came back here-?"
'How does he know my name?' Something about his face tugged at her memories, even as it blurred in and out.
"H-henry? Your name is Henry, isn't it?" She whispered. Her eyes slid to the black haired woman, who was guiding a bleeding Chrom among the ruins. "And that's… Tharja?"
"…Wait." Henry lost that half amused look, a dark look settling in his eyes. "Robin, are you telling me you don't remember us? Geez, we were only friends for how many years-?"
"Henry, knock it off." Tharja gave a low growl. "Take a look at her eyes; she doesn't remember anything… THIS must be the price that sea dragon was talking about."
Robin winced at Tharja's words, like they'd dug into her head and forcefully torn a memory free.
'No wonder Chrom isn't in a rush to remember, if this is what it feels like.'
"Well…" Henry continued. "If you don't remember us, will you at least believe that we're-"
"Friends?" Robin gave a cautious whisper. But there was no denying the sense of relief that filled her chest when she looked at the duo. "I do feel like you're someone I can trust… Maybe it's just intuition, but that intuition has been keeping me alive so far."
"Then if you trust us, maybe you can follow us a little further." Henry told them. "Unless waiting to get sliced up by a patrol sounds like a better idea."
"You'd better lead the way in that case." Robin answered in a rush. "Before we pick up any more wounds."
Tharja lead them to a ramshackle building; one that had been ravaged by the ebb and flow of currents. The columns were half collapsed over the doorway, forming a tight diamond pattern near the top of the door frame. It also appeared to be the only way in, as Henry tugged Robin towards it.
"Are we sure that's not going to fall over on us?" Chrom wheezed, looking at the building with suspicion.
"Hehe, I used to hide in here sometimes, when mage training got to be too much for me." Henry told them. He led the way, wiggling through the little bit of space up top.
They had to swim through one at a time, into a broken down room… Which was at odds with several stone tablets piled and scattered across the floor. Arcane script, was carved across them in deep gouges, easily capable of standing up to the pressure and touch of the water.
"Wait, you have a library in here-?" Robin asked.
"Well, since we're fugitives and enemies of the kingdom already, it wasn't tough to add a little petty theft to our records." Henry replied. "Besides, it gives us something to do while we wait for a way out."
He was remarkably calm about that, like people turned into rebels all the time.
"Why are you fugitives exactly?" Chrom asked.
"Oh, we tested Validar's patience a bit too much." Henry said. "We had a little bit of deniability when we helped Robin escape… But helping Morgan and Lucina was a little too much for him to tolerate-"
"Wait, who-?" Robin wasn't certain why they looked at her in such a way, like she was expected to recognize those names.
"…You don't know them? But-?"
"One thing at a time, Henry… And I think we need to shove her memory along before they can give us any answers." Tharja frowned, watching Robin sink to the floor. "We can start with letting her recover from whatever THAT was."
"A-and Chrom-?" Robin lifted her eyes to him; the cut along his side was an ugly and sullen red. She could almost taste the remnants of his blood, but he still managed to find strength, raise his head, and meet her gaze.
"Well, he's not going to bleed out. Too bad; I could've used a few vials of blood." Tharja told her. She huffed as she looked over Robin, before reaching for a collection of flasks at her side.
"We took the liberty of taking a few things from the castle, before we left. Like Henry said, a little thievery is nothing compared to high treason." She held up one of the flasks, offering it to Robin. "Didn't think I'd be using a concoction so soon… Go on, take it."
She finished with a sharp order, and Robin rose up to take the glass by reflex. It was oddly heavy in her hand, with a thick and almost syrupy fluid inside.
"…You remember concoctions, don't you?" Tharja pressed. It made Robin peer at the glass and the dark red contents inside. Something twinged in the back of her memory, like a plucked harp string sending echoes into her thoughts.
"They're… They're like a catalyst, aren't they?"
"So you didn't completely lose your brain. Good." Tharja answered. Robin scowled at that, but forced herself up to swim towards Chrom. It was intuition that guided her, and helped her uncork the flask. When she tilted it over, the fluid seeped out like honey, heavier than the water, and stuck to Chrom's side.
He grunted from the contact, and a shudder moved along his skin like something oily had brushed up against him. As the concoction settled on him, Robin gingerly tilted the flask upright, making sure the fluid didn't touch her own skin. Henry plucked the flask up from her before tossing it out the opening and into a patch of kelp. The glass shattered, fluid coating the kelp outside and making the leaves go ragged.
"Blood magic?" Robin tried to place what she was seeing.
"Yep, a different way of transferring wounds. But if you plan on picking up anymore, maybe you could let us collect some blood?"
"…Let me get back to you on that." Chrom groaned out. Robin's heart gave a lurch, and echo of the desperation she'd felt as Chrom bled. Tharja gave Robin a measuring look.
"Blood fuels magic, and can project someone's will." She said. "There's power in someone's life force… And it makes me wonder if you used some of that, to keep him alive."
'I didn't want to see Chrom die… And maybe that 'want' was enough to staunch the bleeding, until we could heal him?'
Though just now, she couldn't really dwell on it. Instead her thoughts were more focused on how soft the ground was. And that she was more than ready to lay down on it.
-o-o-o-
Sparks of pain flared along his side and left him with blurry thoughts. Chrom rested on the floor, careful to keep his injured side away from the sand and grit.
His wounds still ached, but the pain was dimming with each breath. The healing salve stuck like slime to his side, and he balled his hands into fists to keep from wiping the gunk away.
To distract himself he looked forward, watching Robin, and the strangers that seemed to know her. Tharja and Henry were the only ones who could swim freely, while Robin rested against the floor. The two took it in turns to swim out or watch her, with clouded expressions.
'I've seen that same look in Robin's eyes. When she first talked to me out on the sands.' It had been a match for the sad, lost look on the Mer. Those who looked on the face of someone who didn't remember them.
It made Chrom wonder if there was someone else out there who missed him as well.
He didn't voice that aloud, focused instead on slowly mending from the attacks. It could have been minutes or hours spent there, trying to recover. Through the time, he glimpsedRobin rubbing her throat and trying to banish the rasp from her voice.
And when he wasn't watching her, Chrom found himself looking out the cracks doubling as windows.
He didn't think that Emmeryn would actually show up, or had slipped from her captor's grasp… But he couldn't help himself from hoping. And wondering over the pain in his chest, when he thought back to that slackened figure. It matched the lances of pain in his head as he tried to think back.
'How did I know her name? Just… Who is she-?'
"Not looking good out there." Tharja interrupted his thoughts as she swam through the gap. "The entire city is on high alert, with guards prowling the streets… Lucky thing for me they're all grunts without magic prowess. And they're not too fond of darkness."
"We can't just stay here." Chrom whispered, balling his hands into fists. "Not while Emmeryn is-"
He trailed off, his throat closing around the words. Pain and a strange sense of loss tried to sting at his eyes, and he shook his head back and forth to try and keep any light flecks from showing on his cheeks. He was not about to cry in front of the two mages.
He shut his eyes, trying not to make eye contact with anything-
Images played in his head, almost in response to the way his heart was crying. A set of sniffles played out in his ears, that sounded almost like him. But younger, a little bit more raw… And a bit scared.
"Father is…" Came his voice, but as a boy. "Father is- Is… He's being a fool! I can learn how to swim. I SHOULD learn how to sail."
'Sail… Like a… A ship?' And why did that thought fill him with such pride?
"You will yet. But you need to be brave… And a little patient, which might be the hardest part." Came a gentle voice… One that matched the gold haired girl standing before Chrom.
'S-standing?' His thoughts weakly protested. But his mind's eye refused to change the image; the girl, Emmeryn, stood on two legs instead of the teal and gold tail she'd sported in the ceremony. With a jolt, Chrom realized the same was true for himself.
'What-!?' He wanted to ask. Or even demand. But there was a strange burning settling along his lungs, a pain deep in his neck, all threatening to steal his breath as the memories went on. His balance tried to waver in and out, along with the vision-
It cut out completely when a hand rested on his shoulder. He raised his eyes to see Robin floating above him, the strands of silver hair tangling his eyes. But past the bangs, her eyes met his, trying to express concern and sincerity.
"Chrom, it's okay. We're going to save Emmeryn." Robin promised him. Her hand traced a gentle line along his arm, and something about the touch stilled the worst of his terror. "I know what she meant to you… And that you still remember something about her. This time around, we're not going to lose her."
"Th-thanks." Chrom just managed, wondering. She always seemed to know so much about him, and could read his heart effortlessly.
"…Though I'm still trying to figure out how." She scowled down at the patterns she'd drawn into the silt covered floor. She had shells in different places, showing buildings and possible approaches. Most of her ideas had been swept out by her palms.
Even so, a pang of guilt traveled through him; while he'd been laying there, grappling with half remembered emotions, she'd been working on the problem.
"I want to help you too… I don't know who that man, Validar is, or what exactly he was doing to you. But I don't want it to happen again." Even though he was torn between what he wanted more. His eyes darted between Robin, still with a lingering shiver traveling through her fins. But the outside waters also called to him; if he tilted his head a little, he could still see the palace on its gold bone hill. Where he'd just glimpsed them taking Emmeryn into.
"How exactly do we get into the palace?" He risked asking the strangers.
"For that woman you spotted, huh?" Tharja asked, frowning at Chrom. "Your odds aren't that good. There aren't many windows in there that aren't barred, same with the doors. And the open spaces they DO have are patrolled by Validar's Mer. It's his stronghold for a reason."
"Yeah; if it's not metal spears and swords, then it's mages. And unless Robin wants to pull out that death scream of hers again… I don't think we can match his magic." Henry added, while Tharja narrowed her eyes.
"…And that thing has a price to it. There was enough magic in it, that it saturated the area. It'd be like hanging a 'come kill us' sign for the guards. Beyond whatever it did to Robin."
His body still felt feeble, and Robin didn't look much better. He slammed a hand into the floor in frustration, and instantly regretted it, with how his side ached.
"I just used a high end potion on you. Try not to let it go to waste." Tharja chided him. "Rescuing that lady is going to be hard enough as it is, anyway."
Robin shot Tharja a worried look.
"Like I said, it's not going to be too easy. We had to break a lot of probabilities, sneaking Robin out the first time."
"That's right… I barely remember it, but…" Robin narrowed her eyes at Tharja and Henry. "Y-you helped me escape."
-o-o-o-
Right as Robin spoke with Tharja, a faint memory bubbled up into her mind. Of empty halls shrouded in a night time gloom… And which had to be an echo of the palace outside the hideout. She could just remember moving with Tharja through the halls, when most of the castle was asleep. Down into the depths of a library stacked with stone tablets, some of them carved out in different languages.
'Validar was always intent about conquering other kingdoms and castles… Not just for their locations and people, but also for their information. Even if the nobles fled, they couldn't take their magic and records with them.' And it seemed all of that information was in service to Grima, and his plans for her.
"You're lucky I was put on scholar rotation and managed to find this." Tharja had told her. "Now watch carefully." She'd swam to one of the shelves, before giving it a slight nudge with her hand. The thing swung inward, revealing a dark, carved tunnel.
"No telling where it leads, but judging by the downward slope… Well away from here."
"The tunnel!" Robin blurted out, banishing the flickering memory. "Do you think it's still-?"
"It hasn't been found. I know because Henry and I used the same passage to get out of the palace. Whoever carved it into the bookcases had the right idea… And is probably satisfied with how much use the thing is getting."
"Then we can use it again?" Robin pressed. Tharja glanced away at that, a frown twisting her face.
"…Yes, but it'll be risky, with all of Validar's eyes out. Besides, you ever hear of pushing your luck?"
"I believe in planning, more than luck." Robin told her. "And in that case all we need is a diversion, before we try."
"Maybe…" Tharja said. "But I also think we're running out of time."
-o-o-o-
A high pitched ringing still lurked at the edges of Validar's hearing, but he didn't let it shake him; if anything, it was a reminder that he had a new prize almost within his grasp.
"You have your orders." Validar said, eyes sweeping over his guard. "Break from them, and Grima will have new sacrifices. Comb the city, building by building if you must. And the second you find a white haired girl, you bring her to me. Alive."
He looked over his forces, evaluating them. All of them were armed with carefully wrought spell tablets and blades, forged from the highest material he had.
'They'll likely need my best, based on what that scream was capable of.' His wounds had been dressed, salves trying to knit his skin back together under the bandages. Validar had waved off the offer of a more speedy heal; he wanted to appreciate what had inflicted these injuries, and see if savoring them would give him any more discoveries.
'But first, to set the sharks on the trail.'
"You have your orders." He instructed them. "Now go see them done; remember the rewards that await you, the glory you will hold in the eyes of Grima, if you find the herald. And the punishments you must visit on any who defy that will." He cast his hand out, and as if thrown by the motion, his forces departed. In a few moments, all that remained was the rattle of doors being barred by portcullis, and the churn of fins from the handful of guards remaining.
"Leave me." Validar said. "Resume your patrols."
"But sir-?" He rounded on the unfortunate guard. He didn't need to raise his voice, just glare into the Mer's eyes until she ducked her head. He'd yet to meet any merfolk who could match his gaze for long.
"I'm not so fragile that few wounds will set me back. You are not required here." The words sent his last few guards scurrying out. Validar shook his head, hoping they'd be made of sterner stuff if they found any threats.
He banished that thought soon enough, as he turned to the center of the throne room. The faded finery of the stone carvings, mosaics, and throne all felt diminished, compared to what the room now held.
He'd dropped the gem onto its pedestal when they first came in; Validar refused to insult a treasure like that by holding it and not giving it due reverence, or all of his focus. The violet gem gleamed up at him, like a strange eye watching his every move. He plucked it up from its socket, fingers wrapped around it like he was holding a lover's hand.
"Now then…" Validar gave a low whisper, drawing up magic from the gem. The surface turned to the color of ink, as deep as the abyss bordering his kingdom. "Let's see where you're hiding. And if I can't bring you to me, child."
A soft ring echoed from the gem, like a chime from a bell. He let it travel through the palace, and then further out, to the city itself.
"You've gotten this far, you fool girl. Now I just need you to finish the journey… And come to me willingly, as though this was YOUR idea." He allowed himself a flash of teeth. His wounds ached, ready to give up their own blood to boost his magic. Validar drew a talon tipped finger along his arm, pressing cruelly into the bandages, and coaxing out a cloud of red. It didn't linger in the water for long; the darkened stone drank it up, and the ring of the spell grew stronger.
Validar set the gem back, leaving it to chime softly.
Now it was all down to waiting.
-o-o-o-
"What do you mean, we're running out of time?" Chrom fought to keep his voice level, and his fins stationary. He wanted to shout, to bolt back to the palace with each minute that passed. But he also had no doubt that Tharja or Henry would be willing to hex him into silence, or leave him bound and gagged. Tharja had already shot him a look of 'don't you dare' when he moved towards the broken windows.
"Calm. Down." Tharja snapped at him, while Chrom returned her glare. "Look, if you want to go kill yourself at spearpoint, feel free. I understand the guards are on edge and could use a new pincushion to stick and vent their frustrations on. But the rest of us are going to lay low, until the town is less on edge."
Chrom sank at that, head downcast.
"But… Why is everyone so on edge? From what Validar said, rebels are something Plegia has to deal with all the time? What made this interruption so special, that it put the city on high alert?" Robin asked, tension making her tail thrash and stir the silt. He could see the unasked question in her posture; what made the two of them such an anomaly?
The question was lurking in his own mind, as well.
"Whatever Robin did, echoes of it still linger, reverberating in the bubbles and currents… At least to those of us trained to hear it." Tharja continued. "They're a blaring reminder to every sensitive Mer that there's something strange in the city right now… And before they decide to act against it, we need to act first. And fast." Robin slumped at that.
"It seems I can only cause complications."
"Comes with the territory, considering your bloodline." Tharja rested her eyes on the marks, still peeking past the ragged fabric. The violet eyes gleamed, just as bright as her scales-
They did more than gleam, Chrom realized with a jolt. Her marks were glowing, the energy bright and violet, pulsing with color in time to her breath. Robin realized the shine on her skin, the same time Chrom did. Bubbles rushed out of her gills in a gasp, as she stared down at herself.
"Wh…What IS this!?" She whispered, frustration making her voice tight. "What's wrong with me!?"
"Not really what's wrong, but what all went right. At least according to Validar." Henry told her. "You can channel magic through your voice, and draw on the same powers Validar can. I think you proved that pretty well with that magic-charged scream of yours!"
He pointed to the glow of her marks. "If I know my scripture right… And I ought to, considering how much I've read, then that glow on your skin is proof of how much magic is in your blood."
Robin didn't seem to take that as a compliment, lowering her head.
"And it's part of why you ran in the first place." Henry continued, freezing Robin in place. Chrom found himself leaning forward as well, wondering if they were about to get some answers.
"You refused to be used by Validar in his plans to awaken Grima." Tharja's words were blunt, and Robin flinched from them. Chrom simply stared; his memory was a fog in a lot of places, but not concerning THAT name.
"Grima. The… The thing that nearly drowned the world? He wants to awaken that thing!?" Nerves made his voice crack, as he squeaked out a "Why!?"
"Control, mainly! He's pretty sure Grima will serve his needs… Or he'll serve the dragon, since their goals are so closely aligned. Or maybe he just figures all of us are destined to be a snack for that thing, and there's no higher calling." Henry rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "But let me think back to what he said, during the first ceremony…"
Henry screwed his eyes shut, before he started reciting.
"Ah, right. 'The surface is blind and has forgotten our past. They're weak, and ripe for conquest, as they should have-"
"Sh-should've been the first time." Robin finished for Henry. A glassy look had settled over her eyes. "Y-you are the key to awakening Grima, and finishing what was begun millennia ago. The proof is in your marks." She stared at her hand and tail both, the color draining from her face. "I remember some of that now. That was when he first gave me the compass, to amplify my power… And made me test it."
That explained the vision they had, at the ship graveyard. Robin sunk to the floor, her tail sweeping across all her plans and completely obliterating them.
"I-I thought he was mad. And what he had me do only confirmed that. That's why I ran from the palace, with the compass in tow. So I could find a way to escape from him."
"At any rate… It looks like you still aren't interested in serving him. That much is clear with how defiant you are." Tharja drawled. "Though I'm at a loss on why you came BACK."
"S-so am I… I just had this feeling, that I needed to be here. And I didn't have anything else to go on-" Robin didn't get a chance to finish her words.
A clamor seeped into the room, winding in through the cracks from the streets outside. Chrom swept up to the side of the wall, just trying to glimpse out the holes without being seen. Opposite of him, Robin did the same.
"What's going on out there-" Chrom muttered, right as the glow lamps lining the streets switched colors. A blaze of violet crashed into his eyes, reminding him of Validar's magic.
"Orders from his grace!" He had to blink his eyes a few times, before seeing a few forms moving down the streets. Gold draped them in a few jeweled fangs, and lined the fins on their heads; like a cross between decorative headdress and draconic horns.
'How do you know that? Have you ever seen a sea dragon before-?' The thought cut out in favor of a glimmer of silver white scales, a gentle voice, and a hum that he had to bite down, before it reached his throat. He still had to hear what those envoys from Validar were saying.
"The ones who disturbed the ceremony MUST be brought to the castle, alive and aware. Hiding them and obstructing the search is high treason, and grounds for immediate execution." As the herald spoke, the metal wielders broke off from the main group to cut through the nearest buildings. Crashes sounded inside, showing that they were tearing the rooms apart methodically in an attempt to find them.
"Well, we're already wanted for high treason so that's not exactly an incentive for us." Tharja drawled. "Henry, you're sure this place looks desolate enough?"
"Yep! At the least we should be at the end of their list to search, and we've still got that emergency exit."
Tharja and Henry dropped into a whispered discussion, leaving Chrom to focus on the streets, and those strange light globes lining the paths. Kelp whipped back and forth between him and the lights, making the violet glow waver and flicker.
"Robin…" A voice seemed to whisper from the violet lights. Even as the noises of the patrol faded, the Mer moving on to further targets in the city, the lights continued to broadcast color… and now sound, with how the water thrummed around them. "Robin, cease your hiding. You came back for a reason, to fulfill the purpose and charge for your people. For your kingdom."
Maybe it was a good thing they were away from the main part of the city. Chrom still caught glimpses of confusion; the few Mer who were outside froze in their spots in the water, and added a soft drone of confused whispers.
"Well, that'll crank up the heat on us. The oceans could end up boiling over this." Tharja said, narrowing her eyes at the hilltop palace like it was a personal eyesore. "So, we definetly need to act fast and figure out something…"
Tharja trailed off, glancing to Robin. All eyes rested on her, and how she'd slumped down to the floor. She scratched patterns again in the sand, looking at the discarded shells.
"Robin, if you have a plan on how to get us and that Emmeryn woman out of the city, now would be a good time to voice it." Tharja pressed.
"I…" She whispered, as Validar's message rang through the waters. Alternately ordering and imploring the citizens on what would save them.
"I-I…" Robin froze, that strange glassy look flickering across her eyes before she yanked her head up to the castle. And just like that, her gaze changed from distant, to decisive. "…I think… I know how to save Emmeryn."