Glad to see people have been reading this story, even though the lack of reviews makes me wonder how many people enjoy it... Though a small thanks to the followers, by the way!
In case if anyone wonders why I use honorifics... Let's just say I took inspiration from the Fire Emblem Drama CD, which has plenty of honorifics used. So I'm taking a leaf from that.
Chapter eleven: Southtown Strategy
5/04 Friday: Early Morning; Robin's Residence, Robyn's Room
Robyn woke up in her room having slept a dreamless sleep. The past week, like the one before it, was nothing short of schoolwork and Miriel and Tharja didn't need reminding her that her weekly assignments were due today. Plus, there was Saturday to consider.
Still tired, she lazily got out of bed and went to the washroom. It seemed that Robin wasn't awake yet and nor was Morgan. So after she had washed her face, she went back to her room and went to her closet. She pulled out her Plegia City School uniform out, but opted to leave out the vest. Still, she put on everything else: the white collared shirt, and her skirt and blazer with the iconic 'eyes' pattern only Plegia students would wear. Albeit the blazer had the Yllistol High School emblem on the chest too.
Then there were her knee-length socks, also with a pattern that matched the ones on her blazer's wrists. Looking at the washroom mirror, Robyn ended up taking a longer look than she expected. She hadn't done up her hair into twin tails yet when knocking came at the door.
"Robyn-chan?" said Robin. "Are you done yet? I have to clean up too."
"One moment!" Robyn replied. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was long and straight as it normally was when she went to bed.
She then started doing her hair, hoping it wouldn't look messy when she was done. The feeling of getting her day started felt so nostalgic that it slowed her down a little. Taking a handful of strands, she began tying the base into a tail, and repeated it with another tail.
Lastly, she wrapped the school bow around her collar to complete her look.
5/04 Friday: Early Morning; Ylisse Street
After breakfast, Robyn and Robin started making their way to school as Morgan was making lemon puffs for the day. In contrast to Robyn's bow, Robin was wearing a neck ribbon, tied into a simple knot that made Robyn wonder how he did it. In her opinion, bows were easier.
As they walked down the hill toward Ignis Avenue, Robyn said, "You know, Robin-kun, I haven't thanked you properly for taking me in. I have to make it up to you somehow."
"Don't mention it, Robyn-chan. My home may as well be your home." Robin grinned. He gazed at the bottom of the hill where Ylisse Street crossed Ignis Avenue. And there was the train station at the end of the street. "You know this place exactly as I do. And we're…. we basically have the same mind, right? If there's anything you need, I'll be happy to help."
"Thanks," Robyn smiled at him.
They soon arrived at Ignis Avenue and made a right turn to the direction of the school. As they expected, the Fire Emblem gave off its reaction like it did before but they ignored it for now. After the Fire Emblem had settled, it was at that point did Robin have something else on his mind.
He wasn't sure how to start it either. "You know, whatever was on your mind is still there, isn't it? You might be another me…" That sounded weird, Robin secretly thought to himself. "…what's on your mind probably is the difference between you and me. It's not just the loss of your world, huh?"
His words evoked a little trauma in her mind.
"I.." she started but had no words to back her up.
Robin held up his hand to stop her. "Again, there's no need to rush. You know that better than… well, me. If there's anything else on your mind, I'm happy to lend an ear."
Robin's words sounded like the closest thing she ever had to a friend in this world. Not the others, who didn't know her, but just Robin. It was like he understood her. "Heh… I'm not surprised," Robyn admitted, and then she blushed. "Hey… Can I call you R-Robin?"
That remark caused Robin to blush likewise and widen his eyes. "U-uh, yeah! I was going to ask you the same, R-Robyn… Gosh, this is embarrassing." He palmed his forehead and looked downward, still walking in the direction of the school.
"I – I mean," Robyn started, still embarrassed. "We have similar minds, and you're even open to letting me stay for the next while, and with Morgan too."
Robin scratched his hair. "Um… I understand that well, Robyn. It's just, well, this is strange."
The two of them couldn't look at each other in the eye nor speak after. They simply walked closer toward the school, seeing the school gate in the distance. Some students raised puzzled looks at them seeing how similar the two looked. Even though Robyn had already been attending Ylisstol High for almost a month, her striking appearance got people talking. Some even mentioned her looks too, which made Robin somewhat uncomfortable.
"I'll race you to get a melon pan after school, Robin," Robyn offered as if it were a challenge.
"Whoever's first is buying, Robyn," Robin replied. To that, Robyn laughed immediately, which got Robin smiling. It seemed Robyn was receptive to his jokes, and even then he could tell she knew his words were serious. He still couldn't help blushing though.
5/04 Friday: Morning; Ylisstol High School
For exactly the same reasons that Robyn had been attending the school for almost a month, it appeared that her classmates had become accustomed to her presence. It didn't matter if she appeared strikingly similar to Robin. Some even regarded them as twins, even though it was the Shepherds who knew that was far from the truth.
Robyn sat at her usual spot in front of Robin and listened attentively to Ms. Flavia's lecture. This lecture was on history, which Robyn supposed might become useful in combat. As much as Robyn wanted to focus on finding a Gemstone – to recall Miriel's words – academics needed consideration. Now that she thought of it, Robin looked just as attentive and diligent, taking notes with his pencil when he needed to.
Even as the lecture continued, somewhere in the back of Robyn's mind, she wondered when she could head out to the Halidom once more. She had to find the Gemstone. She had to.
"Robyn-kun!"
Ms. Flavia's stern voice snapped Robyn back to her senses. Robyn looked up to see her staring right into her eyes. It didn't help that Robyn was sitting near the front either.
"How can you expect to do well in academics if you're nodding off like that? I get you look and act similar to Robin-kun there. I even call you by the same name. But you can't get away that easily. Now let's see if you were really paying attention." Ms. Flavia looked away briefly. "What was the Halidom's original name?"
Robyn slightly panicked, knowing all eyes were on her. "Uh… Altea, was it not?"
Ms. Flavia shook her head. "It's Archanea, Robyn-kun."
5/04 Friday: After School; Ylisstol High School, Rooftop
The bell eventually rung to signal the end of classes. Knowing many students would be out to grab the melon pan and curry pan in an instant, Robyn and Robin packed up their books and raced out of their classroom to the school shop. There, the shop clerk was handing out two bottles of chilled milk tea to Gaius. There was a lineup for the melon pan evidently behind him and Stahl happened to be next. No matter how Robyn and Robin tried, they couldn't understand how these two could get in line so quickly.
But at least they were in line now, and many minutes later, Robyn and Robin each had a melon pan in hand and munching on it. Satisfied with that, they went to the rooftop to meet Chrom and the others. Even though they still had a school day tomorrow, they had messaged everyone to discuss their next move. Everyone else had gathered as expected.
Even Frederick had gone ahead to unlock the cabinet storing the team's weapons.
"I know we could have done this tomorrow, but as Miriel said, we have until the end of the month until daylight runs out, so let's make each day count," Chrom announced, to nodding faces from his friends. "I don't know how the Halidom works, but we can be sure that from our school, we can access the Northroad." He looked at Robyn expecting a response from her. "So, any thoughts?"
Robyn nodded. Turning to look at the Shepherds, she said, "Don't ask me how I know because I can't explain it either. But if we find the location of the Gemstone in our world and survey the area, we'll be in the best position to retrieve it from the Halidom and launch a proper attack – and we'll be less conspicuous in daylight. Plus, I can design a strategy too."
She paused to glance at Robin. "I'll need an advance team to take the lead and I'll escort us in. So, any volunteers? Of course, Chrom-kun will have to be present, since he has Falchion."
"I'll go with you, Robyn," Robin said. "Seeing I have experience already."
Lissa caught onto his words instantly. "Ooh! You're taking to calling Robin by Robin now, eh? I didn't think you two had gotten so close already, Robyn-chan."
Robyn didn't know why Lissa had to point that out in front of everyone, but it seemed everyone was alright with it. "R-right, I mean…" Robyn blushed a little. "A-anyway, that's two. If there's anyone else needing experience, they can go too. Uh…" She looked at Stahl and Gaius. "You two, you're going in this time. Okay?" And as an afterthought, she added Cordelia to the lineup.
5/04 Friday: After School; The Halidom, Southtown
"Remember, our objectives are to survey this area and, if we can, secure the Gemstone if we can find it. Otherwise, just focus on surveying," Robyn reminded Chrom. She and Robin were acting as gatekeepers, for practical purposes. The two of them plus the advance team were waiting in a bushed area not far from where Ignis Avenue crossed Ylisse Street.
Stahl, Gaius, and Cordelia were all ready as well. So without further they had followed Robyn, Robin, and Chrom through the portal that was created by the Fire Emblem. Armed with swords, lances, and tomes, they prepared for the adventure. And it was after that did they walk through the flames to appear in the Halidom.
"And finally," Robyn said, as if nothing happened after the party entered the Halidom, "remember this very spot. This is our rendezvous point for our escape."
It was still the same dark world that Chrom, Robyn, and Robin were familiar with since the last time they were here. The location hadn't changed, although…
"Is it just me, or does it seem brighter than last time?" Robin remarked.
Robin had a point. It was still as dim as dusk, but the surroundings were more visible than last time. Buildings, docks, and water were visible and the moonlight above their heads appeared bigger. Of course, since this was new to three of the party.
Even then, there was no time to rest. Dark puddles began to form on the ground around them and zombielike monsters began to rise from them. The sight of them shocked Stahl, Gaius, and Cordelia at first, which was why Chrom swiftly slashed at the first wave.
"Don't be fazed," Chrom said. "Expect a lot more to come." On saying that, the rest of the group took position to fight.
The only exception was Robyn, who stood still examining the layout of the area. "Hold them out as long as you can. I need to survey this place," she ordered. She took out her school notebook from her bag and started to draw. Whatever she had in mind, in Robin's view, Robyn must have some kind of plan ready. So Robin went to cover the party from behind, using tomes of his own.
Robin found it surprisingly easy to fight off the monsters, using a tome that could cast fire. Reading the spells in his head and waving his arms in the desired direction, a small fireball formed from his hand and launched it to his target. The monster was hit by the fireball and engulfed in flames, defeating it instantly.
The same could be said for Stahl, Gaius, and Cordelia. Using swords and lances, they slashed at the incoming waves with amateur skill at best. Fortunately, the monsters seemed amateur too. Wave after wave came in but they were brought down in single strikes.
The only drawback was that the constant attacks meant it was tiring to keep swinging. Robyn could notice this, given her supernatural ability in this world. And for her it was also a first to consider the physical condition of her friends.
"Don't fight too hard! If you do, you might collapse!" Robyn warned, looking at the three. "Stahl-kun, Cordelia, you stay in front of Gaius. Let him cover you if you get tired."
They knew better than to disagree with Robyn, even if she had addressed them informally, so they did as they were told. Cordelia, with her lance's range, could easily keep more enemies away while Stahl kept whatever monsters from passing through. It was simple enough to do this, but not when there were endless enemies either.
AS the fighting progressed, Robyn was able to get a good idea of what the area was like, known as Southtown. The way she saw it, the stone clearings they stood on before were parts of the town, separated by canals. Since the moonlight was brighter than before, it was easier to make out the area. There were medieval townhouses surrounding them, each facing at least one canal. To the north of their position appeared to be a bigger townhouse. It was actually a cathedral. There were torches lit up at its entrance, which was quite different from the other dark buildings around it.
Something in Robyn's mind told her the Gemstone was located in that cathedral. Frankly, the Southtown town square was not as big as she expected. She noted the north bridge leading to the fortress was wider that the east bridge, which was narrow and only wide enough for one. On the main courtyard were market stalls that could be used as cover, although it was possible to shoot projectiles through them.
"I'll need to get close to that cathedral over there…" Robyn said. "At the bridge."
"I got it," Chrom said, quite casually. He took Falchion and swiped away, making a clearing towards the wide stone bridge at the north. Stahl went along with him. There seemed to be more enemies there than before and Robyn knew she would need reinforcements if there was a hope of crossing it. That left Robin, Gaius, and Cordelia to cover the escape route – the same beacon from before that Robyn could 'see'.
Still, thanks to her supernatural tactician ability, she could 'see' the presence of a Gemstone in the cathedral. It was also thanks to her ability that she could draw a relatively accurate map in a short span of time, and the map was almost complete by now. She constantly looked up and down, taking note of the enemy placements and where they would be coming from and the location itself. With Chrom and Robin providing her cover, she had not a second to waste.
"I'm starting to tire…" Gaius muttered.
"No problem! We're good! Let's get out of here!" Robyn said. She pointed to the south direction to the higher ground. "Go!" She put her notebook away and brought out the Fire Emblem.
Robin knew what was at stake, that if they all didn't get to the rendezvous, at least one of them would be trapped in this place. He took his fire tome, shooting miniature fireballs to the east bridge to cover the escape. Robyn took the lead and led the group to the higher ground after passing by the market stalls. She turned around to see the rest of the group had followed her closely.
Then Robyn threw the superheated Fire Emblem onto the designated location. A pillar of flames shot into the air and could see the light of Ignis Avenue beyond the flames. Similar to before, Robyn stayed behind to make sure everyone had gone through safely, beginning with Chrom, then Robin, then Gaius, Stahl, and Cordelia. The latter three looked relieved to be finally leaving this place as they passed through the flames.
5/04 Friday: After School; Ignis Avenue
Everyone seemed relieved to be back in the bright but fading sunshine in twilight, showing up in a completely inconspicuous bushed area of Ignis Avenue. It was certainly much brighter than in the Halidom. Even though they were a mess, all lying on the grass with their weapons, they seemed relaxed. Stahl was already half-asleep, Gaius was picking up candies he had dropped after passing through the flames, and Robin's books were spread all over the grass.
Only Robyn and Chrom were standing, unlike everyone else.
"Alright friends, that's a good job today. I'm sure Robyn-chan has more than enough she can work with," Chrom said with a tired smile. "I'm sure you're all tired, so get rested for tomorrow. It's only half a day of school, so let's stay energetic."
"Yeah…" Robyn added. "We can talk more at school tomorrow, but it is Friday, so…"
Chrom raised his hand. "If you'd like, let's invite the rest of the Shepherds to my home tomorrow evening. We can discuss things over dinner… and I'll make sure everyone brings something. We'll have potluck."
He sheathed Falchion and exchanged a smile with Robyn, who nodded and smiled back. Afterwards, they two of them went to help the others on their feet. Chrom went to help Gaius first while Robyn went to help Robin. It looked like Stahl was able to get on his feet too.
Kneeling down, Robyn asked, "Are you okay?" then proceeded to lift up Robin's arm.
"Yeah… I'm okay," Robin replied.
Robyn and Robin also noticed Chrom helping Cordelia to her feet too, but to their amusement it looked like Cordelia was on the verge of passing out. Then Robyn and Robin exchanged smiles. They knew Cordelia had some kind of crush on Chrom but Chrom could never notice it, for some impossible reason. Even then, Robyn and Robin could tell without saying a word they knew what each other was thinking.
And, to everyone else's confusion, the two had burst into giggles. It was possible even creepy they giggled in the exact same way.
5/05 Saturday: Evening; Chrom's Residence
The home of Chrom and Lissa was much bigger than the average home in Iris-shi, let alone the high-rise condos. As they were royalty, under the monarch, their home also required a higher level of protection. Their home may be a mansion, but it also included a stretch of fence and wall, plus a security checkpoint, making it impossible to publicly enter the area. Even incoming phone calls were screened before they could be answered.
And unfortunately, with this much space but this much security, it felt like a prison. It was fortunate that Chrom and Lissa were allowed to exercise unsupervised freedom outside, with the exception of Frederick's watchful eye. Besides, since the mansion was located on the hills at the north end of Anathema Road and beyond, it had amazing views of Iris-shi below, and one could see the mountains in the horizon.
It was also located much further up the hill than where Robyn and Robin lived. After school, they went home, baked a huge set of lemon puffs with Morgan (which was the easiest thing they could make in a short time that wasn't store-bought either) then went to Iris-shi Station. At said train station, which was also home to the bus exchange, they used their school passes to get a bus up Anathema Road to Chrom's home.
They entered the home after, and realised they were the last to arrive. The rest of the Shepherds were already in the dining room mingling, with the exceptions being Gaius chased by Nowi for candy, and Frederick standing guard as usual, even though there were guards in the home already.
"G-good evening, everyone," Robin said. Looking at Robyn beside him, he added, "We brought lemon puffs from Morgan again."
"Ah, Robin, Robyn-chan, good timing. You can put it over there," Chrom replied, smiling at the pair. "Let's see… Lissa made a bear stew, Cordelia made a fish stew, Vaike made a lot of pork cutlet, Sumia made a rhubarb pie, Gaius made pie, Olivia made pie–"
"I think that's more than enough pies for a lifetime, Chrom." Robin chuckled.
While Nowi was still begging Gaius for candy, the other Shepherds had piling food on their plates. Stews, salads, and pies were the norm, and everyone was sure to get equal portions. If there were leftovers, it would likely because there was no appetite for them and so anyone was free to help themselves to more. "Let's eat!" said everyone at the same time, then they started exactly that.
What was entertaining to anyone was to see Robyn and Robin sitting together with eerily similar plates piled in the same manner. They both had double portions of bear stew, which was the food item nobody touched except for Robyn, Robin, Chrom, and maybe Sully and Vaike. It wasn't just the food they ate but the way they ate too. They held their utensils in exactly the same way and ate at the same pace. But maybe it was because they like bear meat a lot. Chrom himself only smiled at helped himself to pork cutlet.
By the time the first serving of meals were almost finished, Robyn put down her spoon. "I hate to spoil the mood now, but we have business to attend to," she said, causing everyone to quiet down and focus on her. "Right… So we've all done our part to survey Southtown, right? Robin and I worked out a plan of attack." She brought out her map on her sketchbook, now thoughtfully revised from the first draft, and showed it to everyone.
"You're calling him Robin already? That's…" Lissa grinned.
Robyn's cheeks flushed, causing her serious mood to fluster. She held up map. "A-anyway, listen up! Our target is a cathedral to the north of town. That's where we'll find the Gemstone. We will emerge from the higher ground of the courtyard as usual–" She tapped on the lower end of the map "–and use the market stalls as cover. Let's expect monsters to emerge from the east bridge, and we can't let them reinforce the enemy to the north. So blocking the east bridge is our first target.
"We can't hold that bridge forever, so once we do, we turn to the north for an assault on the cathedral. I'll give you more updates on the enemy when we arrive… but basically, I want Frederick-san to take charge to draw the enemy at the north, with Chrom-kun backing him up. Lissa-chan, Robin, and I will provide cover and I'll have you three…" She looked at Vaike, Cordelia, and Stahl, "…be our reinforcements. Teach needs experience, and Cordelia-chan will give the range we need. The rest of you, you better hold out to protect the escape route."
"Just say the word, Robyn-san," Stahl said, who was amused that Vaike had puffed his cheeks the moment Robyn called him 'Teach'. "So when do we head out?" Stahl added.
"Well…" Robyn scratched her head, playing with one of the twin tails of her hair. "How much longer do we have? We have until – what did Miriel-san say? – the end of the month, right?"
Miriel raised a hand. "I should point out that daylight should specifically run out on the twenty-ninth. The days have been getting shorter and shorter as expected. So we have two weeks exactly." She pushed her glasses up. "That is, we are getting less sunshine gradually by the day, so best to plan."
"Right…" Robyn looked to everyone again. "I'm sure you're all tired from yesterday and we still have schoolwork to catch up on, but if it's alright with you, let's say we attack this Friday. Thankfully, the term has only just started…"
"I second that," Robin said.
That left everyone to roll their eyes. Of course he would agree.
Then Robyn and Robin said, simultaneously, "But first… lemon puffs!"
That left everyone laughing.