I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening or any of the characters.
Infiltrated
"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. To that end, Chrom led them into the castle through a service entrance, taking a series of hidden tunnels used by the servants to get about the castle back when the previous exalt reigned in order to avoid angering him, or catching him in a foul mood, and that now served as an emergency escape route if one existed. Or, as in the present situation, a secret path back in when Plegian troops had the main entrance completely blocked off, as they'd seen just before entering the palace.
"Emm!" Chrom shouted as they left the tunnels just down the hallway from Emmeryn's room.
"Chrom!" Emmeryn sighed in relief. "Take Lissa and flee while you still have time!"
"No!" Chrom snapped. "We're not leaving you!" He looked to Lissa. "Who's here?"
"Vaike, Sumia, Lon'qu, and Frederick!" Lissa said, looking panicked. "The others all went home!"
"It's fine," Corbin said. "We can manage with this."
"How many guards are currently present on this floor?" Robin asked, leaning over next to the stairs downward, hearing combat.
"On this floor, fifteen," Lissa said. "We've gathered them outside Emmeryn's room."
"Right," Robin nodded. "Marth and Frederick, go there and send ten of them to us! Frederick, verify the last five's identities then have them wait inside of Emmeryn's room with her. Marth, you wait outside the room to stop anyone from getting inside. Keep the door open so that both you and the guards can see what's going on on the other side of the door. Frederick, return with the ten you're bringing. Are you good to fight on foot?"
"I'll have to be," Frederick nodded.
Marth and Frederick turned, sprinting down the hall toward Emmeryn's room. As they did, Robin checked the stairs again, then turned to the others, finding the rest of the Shepherds who were in the castle had arrived.
"Okay," Robin nodded. "Here's the plan. Chrom and Lon'qu are going to take point, along with Corbin. Any of our side we can rescue will help, but the priority is routing the enemy, no quarter."
"Right," Chrom nodded just as Frederick and the guards returned.
"In the mean time, Frederick, the ten guards will follow after the vanguard, covering the flanks and anything they miss," Robin continued, Frederick and the guards nodding. "Lastly, Vaike and I will protect Lissa and Sumia, since Sumia doesn't have her pegasus and is clumsy, we can't rely on her for this fight."
"I'm sorry!" Sumia sniffed.
"It's alright," Robin smiled, setting a hand on her shoulder. "We all have things we're not good at."
"Is everyone ready?" Corbin asked, listening at the stairs. "It sounds like the fighting has reached the floor below us."
"Ready!" Chrom growled.
Lon'qu and the others all nodded, weapons drawn and ready, and Corbin nodded to Lon'qu, who charged down the spiral staircase first, followed by Corbin, then Chrom. As Corbin had guessed, the battle had, indeed, reached the next floor down. They had been on the third floor, so they had two floors of castle to clear the Plegians out of. And on the first floor they arrived on, which consisted mainly of large hallways, a single large chamber in the middle, and the stairs in opposite corners, connected by a single path, the battle was raging, and going horribly. The guards on the floor were all wounded already, and had likely been pushed back from the floor below. They were barely able to put up a fight as they were rapidly pushed back, but after a few moments, Lon'qu, Chrom, and Corbin all passed them, slaughtering the surprised Plegians and halting their advance. Corbin slashed one soldier while leaping over a fallen Ylissean guard, then landed on the falling Plegian and stabbed another. He ripped his sword free and stepped off the fallen enemy, turning and slashing a Plegian as he tried to pass Chrom as Chrom was busy killing another, then spun, slashing one that moved to kill him. Another passed him, but Frederick slew him with a sharp thrust of his spear. Corbin blocked an axe and Chrom slashed the soldier up the torso, then pivoted, slashing another that had moved to kill Lon'qu as Lon'qu was killing another. Corbin extended his arm, blasting a soldier backward into a group of others, knocking them to the ground, and a moment later, he, Chrom, and Lon'qu had slashed their way through the last of the soldiers before the fallen ones.
They swept past them, leaving them for Frederick and the other guards to kill while Lissa healed the guards they'd saved, who all snatched up weapons and joined their comrades in retaking their castle. They quickly pushed the forces back, using the hallways to restrict the Plegians' numbers to manageable levels, quickly slaughtering them. Without being able to surround Corbin and the others with as many men as they pleased, they were relatively easy to handle. Instead, it was mostly a series of endless battles of three against three or four. And because of that, they quickly pushed the Plegians back. FInally, after nearly two dozen had fallen in rapid succession, the Plegians pulled back, retreating down a floor.
"Frederick, take the guards and clear the rest of the floor!" Corbin ordered. "Vaike, guard the path we came from!"
Vaike nodded, and Corbin, Lon'qu, and Chrom quickly led Robin and Lissa downstairs, Sumia staying with Vaike. The floor below was much more open than the previous floor. It had a large open area occupying about half of the floor space with other rooms scattered around, however, the rooms were all empty at the moment, as the Plegians had formed up for battle in the main room before them. Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, the Plegians let out a roar and charged. However, just as they did, three new faces appeared in the doorway to help. One was Marth, another was a red-haired thief with a black bandanna tied around his head and a dark cloak, and a basic steel sword not unlike the rest of the Plegian force's. However, he joined in on the side of the Ylisseans, so Corbin payed him no mind. The last face, however, was tan, elongated into a snout, had long, wavy brown hair, and a pair of long ears. It was a massive, nearly hairless rabbit, bearing armor, and slashing Plegians with the claws of its front paws and slamming devastating, bone-crushing kicks into them with its hind legs. Once again, Corbin payed it little attention in favor of fighting the Plegians.
He ducked aside from one Plegian's sword, blocking another as he blasted the first with Thunder. The second shoved his sword away only for Chrom to pass him, slashing the Plegian as he did. Corbin swung his tome around, firing a lightning bolt into a group of soldiers, then spun, slashing one as he tried to pass Corbin to reach Robin, who was focusing on another soldier. The massive rabbit sped past him, slashing a pair of soldiers before spinning and planting both feet into a third's chest, crushing his ribs. Another leapt forward, pulling an axe back, but Lon'qu spun around the rabbit, deflecting the axe with a stolen steel sword before driving the sword into the soldier, shoving him away with it before drawing his own sword again, resuming his ridiculously precise fighting style. The rabbit raced after him, slaughtering anything he passed.
Off to their right, Chrom, Corbin, and the thief carved their way through the soldiers just as quickly. One soldier was slashed by the thief, who fought with his sword in reverse grip, while trying to ambush Chrom. Chrom slashed one while Corbin was blocking his axe. Corbin slashed a pair while they were focused on trying to reach Chrom and the thief. Corbin blasted a trio of soldiers charging at them as Chrom and the thief slashed four others who tried to stop him. Behind him, Robin and Marth worked together to carve through a small group which had burst out of a room they'd passed. Then, as Frederick and the guards reached the floor at last, they charged into battle as well and the Plegians began to lose ground rapidly. Within a few more minutes, they had pushed the Plegians back to the main door of the palace. And there, in the courtyard before them, were the last dozen Plegians, including one sorcerer who was commanding the other Plegians to attack.
"Chrom, the leader!" Corbin called out. "Robin, cover him!"
Chrom and Robin nodded, and all of the Ylissean forces charged, tearing into the Plegians. As they did, the remains of the Shepherds finally arrived, as did Sumia's pegasus. She mounted up and spurred it forward along the ground, joining the fray at last. As they fought, the Plegian forces crumbled rapidly. Corbin deflected a sword, then slashed the Plegian across the chest. Another leapt at him from the side, but Marth shot forward, slashing them down the front and canceling their momentum, then stepped out of the way before they could land on her, turning and lunging forward, stabbing another. A spearman moved to impale her, but Corbin leapt over her, landing on the spear and driving it to the ground as he slashed the soldier down the front.
"You're not bad," Marth commended, then leapt into the air, flipping into a spin before slashing one soldier down the front, then spun and slashed another across the chest.
"Compared to you I'm nothing," Corbin said, deflecting a spear, then slashed its owner. "You're not even breathing hard."
"To be fair, I sat out the majority of the fight," Marth pointed out, deflecting several soldiers blades and killing them all as if it were easy.
Corbin rolled his eyes, sidestepping a blade and slashing him, then turning and blasting one about to attack one of Emmeryn's guards from behind. He looked around, but the Plegian soldiers were all dead, and just as he turned toward the sorcerer, Chrom leapt into the air, spinning, as Marth had done before, and as both had done while fighting in Regna Ferox. The sorcerer sent a dark purple ball of magic streaking at them, only for Robin to counter it with a massive blast of lightning. And when the blasts met and exploded, canceling each other, Chrom fell through the smoke, then burst out of the bottom just in time to slash the sorcerer down the front, killing him. Corbin sighed, sheathing his sword.
"It's over," Corbin sighed.
Marth sighed in relief, nodding, and they all headed back inside, Corbin careful to keep Marth in his line of sight. As Chrom rushed to ensure Emmeryn was safe, Marth moved to escape in silence while everyone was distracted. Corbin followed, catching up to her outside.
"You won't stay?" Corbin asked.
"I've completed my mission," Marth said simply. "It's time for me to go."
"Will you at least tell me your real name?" Corbin asked.
"No," Marth said simply.
"What if we need you again?" Corbin asked.
"You won't," Marth said, continuing to walk away.
"Going somewhere?" Chrom asked, walking over. "You have a bad habit of leaving without saying goodbye, you know."
"Yes," Marth grimaced, looking away from Chrom. "I'm afraid I have a few bad habits."
"Good ones, as well," Chrom offered. "You saved my life, as well as both of my sisters."
"And mine," Corbin agreed.
"Is there a way I can repay you?" Chrom asked. "Some favor I can grant?"
"Hearing you offer is reward enough," Marth smiled, still looking at the ground.
"But there must be something," Chrom pressed.
"I already have what I came for," Marth said. "History has been rewritten."
"And what future averted?" Chrom asked.
"After the exalt's untimely assassination, the Fire Emblem would be stolen," Marth explained. This, in turn, would lead to a great war, and soon to the end of mankind itself." She paused, frowning. "But I'm sure that sounds like madness to you."
Corbin frowned. The end of mankind was vague, but as he stared at the sword strapped to Marth's side, a vague theory began to form in his mind, though he kept silent about it.
"I hope to one day repay your favors," Chrom said.
"Perhaps one day you will," Marth mused, then nodded a goodbye. "Until then."
"Good luck with whatever comes next," Corbin said.
Marth nodded to him and walked away, slipping through a hole in the wall that was extremely well concealed. Corbin glanced at Chrom, but he was already walking away. He frowned, staring up at the stars again.
"The future, huh?" Corbin mused. "I wonder..." he let out a long, silent breath, then lowered his gaze, finding the head of Ylisse's Pegasus Knights, Phila, walking toward him.
"I'm told you and Robin came up with the strategy that protected Lady Emmeryn," Phila said, then bowed in respect. "You have my gratitude. To my shame, my Pegasus Knights and I were all out training when those Plegian scum invaded. If not for you and your sister, who knows what may have happened."
"It's nothing," Corbin assured her. "We just have a knack for strategies. But we couldn't have done it without the others."
"And they couldn't have done it without you," Phila said. "You may not have been the main combat force, but never underestimate the power of a tactician. In the end, it can be said that any victories born of your strategy are your victories."
"I disagree," Corbin shook his head. "A strategy is only as good as the people following it. It's their victory more than mine."
Phila smiled, shrugging. "Agree to disagree, I suppose. Anyway, you should come inside. We're having dinner soon, and the exalt would like to thank you personally."
Corbin nodded, following Phila inside.
Corbin narrowed his eyes as he watched the bandits prepared. They were on the way to a secondary castle where Emmeryn could be safely hidden while the war was fought, but they'd happened across a village under siege by bandits, only one young boy from the village escaping and begging Chrom and Emmeryn for help. When they'd agreed, the boy had even, albeit a bit reluctantly, agreed to help fight, so they were preparing to fight. However, as they had all of their forces available, and only a handful of bandits, at best, to fight, they were allowing Phila and the Pegasus Knights, including Sumia, to have the first strike. And finally, they did. In a massive, sweeping flood, the Pegasus Knights swooped down, avoiding arrows skillfully and spearing, slashing, or shooting bandits as they passed. Nearly half of the bandits were killed in the first pass, and the rest were left in chaos as Corbin and the others charged. And then, as they arrived, they tore through the remaining bandits. And they had help.
A pretty, red-haired merchant off to one side grabbed a fallen sword and immediately tore into the bandits guarding the hostages with a well-trained expertise, holding the sword in reverse grip, like the thief who had joined them during the assassination attempt and then stayed, Gaius. And as they fought, Corbin saw Donnel do decently, though only because Frederick was, per Robin's instructions, fighting alongside him and allowing him to gain combat experience as safely as possible, in case Donnel had to defend his home again. Frederick would block a strike and Donnel would use his borrowed spear to deliver his own. And then, within a few minutes, Donnel finished off the leader of the bandit group and the battle was over. As Donnel was rushing to see his mother, and Chrom and Emmeryn went to check on the villagers, the merchant walked over to Corbin and Robin. She had her hair in a messy ponytail, and her maroon cape had a six-tailed collar similar to that of a jester, the tops of the tails yellow. Under the cape she wore a maroon shirt with yellow up the middle and her upper chest exposed by the low collar, maroon pants, and knee-high, leather, maroon boots with yellow up the front. She'd also retrieved her personal sword, by the look of it, which had a long, slender blade, a pair of long, thin arms on the guard which were pointed, and a pointed pommel, which had a teddy bear charm attached.
"Goot strategy, having an expert let him learn to use a spear," the merchant commended. "You two are the tacticians of the Shepherds, right? Robin and Corbin?"
"Yeah," Corbin nodded. "How'd you know?"
"I'm Anna," she smiled sweetly. "I'm sometimes known as the Secret Seller. I hear a lot of things. Anyway, the next time I see you, I'll have an extra special offer for you. Bye handsome. Bye beautiful."
As Anna walked away, Corbin blinked several times in surprise, then shook his head.
"I'd give her an extra special offer," Robin muttered, eyes following Anna almost hungrily as she walked away.
"Cool it, Robin," Corbin snorted. "Back in the cage."
Robin grinned, making a purring sound, then sighed. "When are we going to find us girlfriends?"
"Oh, right, because the week and a half or so we can remember of our lives has been such a long wait," Corbin snorted as they walked toward the others, who were continuing toward their ultimate destination.
"I'm just asking," Robin defended herself.
"Tell you what," Corbin snorted. "We'll get girlfriends whenever I find someone that catches my interest, and you find someone whose sexual orientation you fit."
Robin laughed. "Fair enough."
They quickly caught up to the others and soon were back on track to their original destination.
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