I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening or any of the characters.
Taken
Corbin frowned as he waited in silence. They had met with one of two khans who who ruled Regna Ferox, but there was a problem. Between the two, one would be in charge over the other, and to choose which, there was a tournament every year, fought by outsiders on the khans behalf. The side that won would rule over the other. The khan they had met was named Flavia. Counter to their expectations, the khan was not, as Robin put it, "a giant of a man, unparalleled in thew, his broad chest covered in hair." Instead, she was rather short, slender woman with tan skin, wavy blonde hair hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, red and white armor, a blue skirt, and a slender, double-edged sword made of light, white-silver metal. Her personality was fitting of the ruler of a warrior culture, and she took Robin's description well, laughing about it as she walked over. She also knew why they were there and was willing to help, but was not the current ruling khan. However, the tournament to choose who ruled was due, and Flavia had offered Chrom the chance to be her champion and secure the alliance with Regna Ferox. With no other option, Chrom had agreed.
Now, they were waiting for Chrom to enter the arena, all of them tense due to not knowing what he was going to be up against. However, within seconds of the champions walking into the arena, they knew. There, standing opposite Chrom, stood Marth.
"Chrom, look!" Lissa gasped.
"I see him," Chrom nodded. "Marth! One question before we begin?"
Marth remained silent.
"Fine, then," Chrom said, drawing his sword. "Our swords ca speak for us!"
Marth, who stood partially in shadow, drew her own, holding it before herself, mirroring Chrom, who realized what she was holding.
"Where did you get that?" Chrom asked. "There's now way..."
He shook his head, then charged forward. He leapt into the air, flipping several times before slashing, Marth blocking the sword, then shoving him back. Their blades clashed several times before both jumped backward.
"Who taught you to fight like that?" Chrom asked, just before they both lunged, stabbing.
Their strike mirrored each other's, their swords clashing and glancing off of each other's and missing their opponent.
"My father!" Marth shouted as she leapt into the air, mimicking Chrom's opening strike perfectly.
Chrom dove to the side, the stood as Marth held their blade out toward him again. He stared at it for a moment, then readied himself again, taking a long, slow breath. "Who is your father?"
"I've said enough for one day, sir," Marth said flatly.
"Lissa owes you her life, and for that you have my gratitude," Chrom said. "But within these walls, I represent the East-Khan and the interests of Ylisse. I can't promise to stay my blade, but I vow not to shame you."
Marth let out a short laugh. "Never expected such youthful arrogance. We shall see who shames who!"
Both shot forward again, once again passing each other as their stabs deflected past each other, only to spin, slashing and blocking each other's blade. Both shoved the other away, then lunged into a blistering series of strikes, parrying and countering in perfect, mirrored synchronization. It was like watching two of the same person battle each other. Chrom pressed Marth back, and then Marth pressed Chrom back. Chrom attacked from above, Marth countered from below. Marth attacked from above, Chrom countered from below. It almost seemed like a carefully choreographed dance, but not quite. As fatigue began to set in, their movements slowed, and their form became sloppy. Finally, Chrom's strength began to win out.
Then, in a shocking twist, Marth allowed the sword to slide along hers and skip off of her guard just as she stepped to the side and turned, the tip of her sword slipping into the hole of Chrom's. Then, as she spun, she ripped the sword from his hands, sending it stabbing into the ground before pivoting, slashing at Chrom. Except, he'd dove forward, ripping his sword from the ground in time to slash upward, deflecting Marth's blade upward, then flipped his sword around, slashing it again and knocking it from her hands, then held his blade to her throat just as she managed to regain her footing from being thrown off balance.
"Yield," Chrom ordered her.
"Strong," Marth said, both breathing heavily. "Just as I...expected. I yield."
Corbin and the others cheered, heading into the coliseum to join Chrom, Flavia walking into the arena with them.
"Well fought," Flavia grins, the others all turning to her. "You have my respect. And, perhaps more to the point, you have your alliance."
"Truly?" Chrom asked. "Thank you, East-Khan!"
"I should thank you!" Flavia laughed. "It feels like ages since I've held full power. Come, my new friends! Tonight, we celebrate!"
She ran off, cheering, and Corbin and the others exchanged confused looks.
"Bah!" a deep, gruff voice scoffed behind them. "Any excuse for a party and Flavia jumps on it."
"I'm sorry, have we met?" Chrom asked.
"West-Khan Basilio, I take it?" Corbin guessed.
The man nodded. He wore a thick, gold collar around his neck, out a few inches from them like a raised mantle, a golden belt, golden pauldrons, vambraces, boots, and grieves, dark blue pants, a dark blue, leather, half-jacket covering just inward from his shoulders on the front and sides, then a strip across his back under where the extended back armor attached to his mantle rested, the metal covered with white faux fur both to hide it and likely for aesthetic reasons. A massive axe was slung across his back, and he wore a black eye patch over his left eye.
"You're handy with a sword, boy," Basilio commended. "I thought for sure I'd picked the stronger man."
"What do you know about him?" Chrom asked.
"Her," Corbin corrected him, Chrom and the others rolling their eyes while Basilio raised an eyebrow.
"You mean that 'Marth'?" Basilio asked, largely ignoring Corbin, as the others were doing. "He's just some sellsword with delusions of grandeur. All I know is that he showed up one eve and knocked my old champion flat. It was love at first sight, and I'm generally too old for such things!" He let out a loud, rolling laugh. "Anyway, he's gone now. Up and fled the moment the tournament ended."
"He's so dark and mysterious," Lissa sighed dreamily.
"He is a she," Corbin tried again.
"Oh, please," Robin snorted. "I'd know if it was a girl under that mask, Corbin."
"Hey, not everyone can be right every time," Corbin said.
"Exactly," Robin nodded. "So just admit you're not right and move on."
Corbin rolled his eyes.
"Speaking of moving on," Frederick spoke up. "If this fascinating conversation is over, perhaps we should return home. The exalt will want this news of our new alliance immediately."
"Right as always, Frederick," Chrom nodded.
"Hold, boy," Basilio said. "Before you go, I have a little present for you."
A man walked over with a blue gi tunic on, the tunic having a train hanging from the back and sides in three sections, a red obi, white faux fur around the ends of his tunic's short sleeves as well as the top of his black, leather, knee-high boots, white pants, black, leather gauntlets, and black, leather armor over the tops of his shoulder and in a high high collar and chest protector attached to his tunic to simply look like part of the shirt, disguising it as armor. Attached to his obi was a round metal crest with a thin, separated frame of sorts along one third of it, and a "Y" like piece over the top, separating the crest into three sections. The only possession he carried was his sword, a Killing Edge, a thin, curved, single-edged blade with an oval guard turned so that the faces of the guard bore the hilt and blade, and the hilt wrapped in a red cloth. The man was fairly handsome, and was powerfully built, but he was staring at both Lissa and Robin in something like discomfort.
"This is Lon'qu, my former champion," Basilio introduced him. "Not much for talking, mind you, but he's peerless with a sword. As good as Marth, in my mind. To be honest, I can't figure out how Marth bested him so quickly."
"Marth beat him?" Lissa asked. "But he looks so big and strong!" She walked forward to greet Lon'qu.
"Away, woman!" Lon'qu snapped, recoiling from her presence and going white as a sheet.
"Hey!" Lissa yelped, stepping back in surprise and offense. "What did I say!?"
Basilio guffawed. "Let's just say that ladies tend to put Lon'qu on edge. Nevertheless, he is powerful. Perhaps he even has the makings of a Khan. Consider him West Ferox's contribution to the Ylissean cause."
"You're certain about this?" Chrom asked.
"Yes, yes," Basilio said dismissively. "He's your man now."
"And Lon'qu, you have no objections?" Chrom checked.
"He gives orders, I stab people," Lon'qu said simply. "I think our roles are clear."
Corbin grimace internally. That was a very overly simplistic view.
"Alright then," Chrom said after a brief pause. "Welcome aboard."
Lon'qu nodded, and they all started back toward Ylisse, traveling as quickly as they could.
Corbin raised his tome, sending a lightning bolt into one of the three soldiers charging at Emmeryn. As he did, Robin blasted another and Chrom slashed the third. Maribelle had been kidnapped by the Plegia's Mad King, Gangrel, who had then demanded something called the Fire Emblem from Emmeryn in exchange for Maribelle's life. When negotiations had taken too long, however, he'd ordered their deaths, claiming he'd take the Fire Emblem from their corpses instead.
"Stay back, or you'll all suffer the same fate!" Chrom warned the other nearby soldiers and would-be assassins.
"Now that's a declaration of war if I've ever heard one!" Gangrel cackled. "A long, messy war that'll bleed you Ylisseans dry!"
Just then, as Gangrel's advisor, Aversa, was speaking to the captive Maribelle, a powerful blast of Wind Magic exploded into the soldier holding her, killing him instantly and freeing her just before Ricken, a young mage in the customary hat and robe, his a pale blue, ran over to her.
"Maribell, go!" Ricken shouted. "You're free!"
"Ricken!?" Maribelle yelped. "What are you doing here!?"
"Just run!" Ricken snapped. "We can talk about it later!"
"Aw, is that your little boyfriend?" Aversa almost purred. "Isn't he just precious?"
"Don't talk down to me, witch!" Ricken snapped.
He blasted her back about two feet, but she managed to block the majority of the damage, save for a few scratches from the wind being razor-sharp. Unlike the soldier Ricken had blasted before, however, she wasn't all but shredded and lying abandoned off to the side.
Corbin tore his eyes away from them, focusing on his more immediate surroundings. Gangrel's troops outnumbered them two to one, and were quickly closing in, but were slowing the closer they got, seeming to enjoy any imagined distress they were putting their prey under. Instead, they were giving them ample time to prepare.
"Looks like one path up each level of the rock formation," Corbin muttered, all of his allies listening intently. "Which means that there's only a single path up. Chrom will lead up the first path, but only once the fighting down here is controlled. Stahl, Miriel, Kellam, and Sully will handle everything down here, everyone else will move up. On the second level, Sumia will take Chrom to the top with her pegasus while Lon'qu follows up the path with Robin and Virion. Vaike and Frederick will remain on the second level with me to deal with the soldiers there. Once the top has been cleared, Virion and Robin will attack from the top with his bow and her magic while the others head back down to clean up anyone still alive."
Everyone nodded, and when Corbin gave the signal, they charged, startling the Plegian soldiers, who'd been about to do the same. The first line crumbled instantly, lacking the ability to prepare fast enough, and those he'd instructed to remain on the bottom level immediately began to slaughter the Plegian soldiers around them. As they did, everyone else charged for the path to the second level. As he'd expected, several large, burly men with axes charged down to meet them, only for Chrom to dart forward, ducking and slashing from below them at an angle, removing legs or slashing abdomens, sending the men crashing down the sloped path with no issue. Then, as soon as they had reached the second level, Sumia's pegasus swooped down, crashing one soldier with a lance under its hooves as it landed, Sumia spearing another axe wielder in the side. Chrom swung himself up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, and she spurred the pegasus back into the air, heading for the top. As the others began to cross the flat section between them and the next path, Corbin realized he'd underestimated the number of soldiers that would have reached the middle tier of the rock formation. Several dozen Plegian soldiers let out a warcry and charged them. Corbin blasted a handful with a forking lightning bolt, breaking the majority of the charge, and Frederick charged through the rest, his silver lance spinning and slashing nearly in a blur. A moment later, Corbin, Vaike, and Lon'qu had reached the soldiers and began to fight, and a moment after that, Lon'qu had left them in the dust.
To say he was incredible with a blade would be an insult. He ducked and dodged around strikes like they were moving in slow motion, cutting down his opponents in one to two strikes. His movements were amazingly smooth and fluid, and it contrasted ridiculously with his appearance as a large, powerfully-built man with a brooding personality and grumpy expression. A soldier stabbed at him but Lon'qu was suddenly to the side, ducking under the spear as his sword split the soldier in half. Another swung an axe at Lon'qu, and Lon'qu stepped aside, his body moving almost in a wave, before striking out at the man with the axe, stabbing him through the throat. Engagements like these repeated over and over all the way to the path, and not a single time did Lon'qu have to block a blade. Meanwhile, Vaike was hacking away at anyone he could find, ignoring the small gashes he was acquiring and knocking away weapons with the blunt side of his axe. Corbin shook his head. They were each monsters in their own way. One a ball of violence and force, and one the embodiment of precision. He almost felt incompetent beside them.
A soldier leapt at him from behind, axe pulled back, and Corbin dove out of the way, rolling to his feet and blasting the man, sending him flying off of the edge, then turned, deflecting an axe before stabbing the man in the heart. He ripped his sword back out and pivoted around the man, deflecting a spear instantly, then stepped forward, slashing the man across the chest, then stabbing him, pulling him into the path of an axe. As soon as the axe had struck the unfortunate Plegian, Corbin ripped his sword out of the corpse, allowing the corpse to drag the axe downward as Corbin slashed the man across the chest. As he shoved the collapsing soldier away from himself, a bolt of lightning flashed down from above, slamming into one of the soldiers ahead of him. A second later, an arrow drilled into one's head, then another. Another bolt of lightning struck. Corbin fired off one of his own, blasting several of the soldiers off the edge. A moment later, Frederick speared the last of the soldiers on their level and Corbin rushed to the edge of the rock formation, looking down, only to sigh as he saw that Sully was just finishing up with the last of the soldiers below. He looked up at the top just as Chrom stepped up to the edge, nodding.
"We're all clear!" Chrom called down to the others. "Heading back down!"
Corbin nodded, and headed for the bottom as well, Vaike and Frederick doing the same. Once at the bottom, Chrom went to apologize to Emmeryn, who'd been with Lissa, Ricken, and Maribelle while the rest of them fought. Robin walked over to Corbin, smiling.
"Good strategy," Robin smiled. "I'd have had us all rush every layer, but yours worked out pretty well. And Chrom and Sumia flying up surprised a bunch of Wyvern Knights, so they were able to ground them before they could take off."
Corbin smiled. "Good. That could have complicated matters. So, we're at war, now, huh?"
"Looks like it," Robin nodded. "We'll be alright. Just have to get back to Ylisstol before anyone else does."
Corbin nodded. "I hope you're right."
"Corbin, Robin, we're going!" Frederick called over to them.
Both nodded, and they jogged over to the others where Mirabelle forced out a thank you for their part in her rescue. Then, they all headed out for Ylisstol, traveling quickly and with minimal rest. Finally, near sunset, they had returned and Emmeryn excused herself. The others all either headed home or else scattered through her home. Corbin wandered outside, seeing the sun had set and the stars were out. He sighed, staring up at them searching his mind for any memories from before meeting Chrom, anything not directly linked to personality traits about Robin. They were gone. Everything. Even his memories with Robin weren't there. He just knew her, even if everything they'd gone through together were gone.
He sighed, dropping his gaze. It was no use. He couldn't remember. He looked back up at the stars only to still as something began to tickle at his brain. Words appeared in his brain, voiceless, but clear.
"Do not kill him. He is not ready yet. But if you see her, kill her."
As the words faded, Corbin's blood ran cold. Kill who? Who was supposed to? Who wasn't ready? Why did those instructions fill him with such fear? And who was speaking? His head whipped around worriedly, and he stopped as he caught a flash of shadow. He followed it, just barely catching a glimpse of someone disappearing behind a row of bushes. He sprinted after them, preparing himself to draw his sword. Something wasn't right. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, but as he reached a large, open area, he slowed to a stop, finding it had been Marth he was chasing, and she was speaking to Chrom and Robin.
"Corbin?" Chrom asked. "You alright?"
"I think something's wrong," Corbin said.
"What?" Chrom asked, surprised. "Something's wrong? And you..." he stared at Marth, hand on his sword. "What are you here to warn us about?"
"The exalt's life is in danger," Marth warned.
"What?" Chrom growled. "Emmeryn? That's absurd! She's guarded at all hours!"
"What if..." Marth considered. "What if I told you I had seen the future? Would you believe me? A future where Emmeryn is killed. Here. Tonight."
"Seen the future?" Chrom scoffed. "Have you lost your wits?"
"Yes, I expected you wouldn't believe me," Marth nodded. "So allow me to prove it to you." She drew her sword, Chrom, Corbin, and Robin all doing the same. "I'm about to save your life..." She turned her head, looking at a bush behind herself, "from him."
No sooner had she spoken did a man burst out of the bush. Lucina hurled her sword skyward, leaping after it, and Corbin narrowed his eyes, stepping forward. The man wore thick, leather armor, a dark, hooded cloak, had a basic, but reliable steel sword, the kind that could be bought cheaply anywhere, and then three massive, curved blades extended outward from his vambraces. However, before he could get halfway, Marth caught her sword and fell, slashing him down the back and killing him.
"I trust this proof will suffice?" Marth asked as the man collapsed.
"Yeah," Chrom nodded.
Marth nodded and moved to sheath her sword, only to turn as a second assailant burst from the bushes. She moved to avoid him, only to trip over the first man's sword. However, just as she did, the second slashed, severing the mask that had slipped from her face but missing her by less than an inch. As Chrom and Corbin shot past Marth, her long hair fell from where it had been hidden, fanning out around her. Then, Chrom and Robin slashed the second assassin as they passed him, bisecting him at the chest. As the body crashed to the ground, Corbin and Chrom turned, staring at Marth.
"Wait, you're..." Chrom trailed off.
"Called it," Corbin smirked. "Who's never wrong, Robin?"
"Yeah, yeah," Robin rolled her eyes.
"Apparently I'm quite the actress," Marth smirked. "Honestly, I'm surprised you two didn't figure it out until just now."
"So, who were-" Robin was cut off as an explosion echoed through the night from the castle and they all turned, sprinting toward it without another word.
It didn't matter who. All that mattered was reaching Emmeryn.
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