Hiya! Tanaka here! This is something I've been working on for awhile. First thing I wanna say this isn't a complete retelling? I wanna try to make it more character based. But we'll see what happens. I gotta thank my bud origamiguy for editing this for me, seriously man thanks! Y'all enjoy. I'll stop rambling.

"Chrom we have to do something! We can't just leave them here." Lissa said, looking at the body of a boy laying on the ground. She stands in concern next to her older brother Chrom, while their bodyguard Frederick hovers over them. They had been traveling to the next village when Lisa had, quite literally, stumbled upon the boy passed out on the ground before them. The boy's face was obscured by a hood that covered his face, and he had shown no signs of movement or even acknowledgement of the small group hovering over him.

"Milady," Fredrick began. "I don't believe that we should just help this random stranger laying in the middle of a field. We don't know if he's friend or foe or even alive."

Lissa huffed, bent over to the body and began checking his pulse bringing her face close to see the person's face. Suddenly the boy's eyes shot open and he went to sit up, headbutting Lissa in the process, and knocking her to the ground making her grasp her head in pain. Groaning in pain as she began to pick herself up off the ground, she sat up to see the visage of their mystery boy. He had spiky hair, raven haired in color and he had a youthful looking face. If Lissa had to guess, she'd say that he was around her age, maybe slightly older. It had also appeared that he himself was in pain, rubbing the spot on his forehead where he had unintentionally smashed his into her's. Lissa went to ask the boy if he was alright, only to become distracted when Fredrick had unsheathed his blade and had begun to approach the boy with a menacing aura.

The boy had managed to shake off the pain, only to look up with wide eyes at seeing a very menacing man in full plate armor approaching him with his blade drawn. Reacting quickly, the boy backed up in his sitting position, before managing to upright himself and reaching for the handle of his own blade.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" The boy shouted, having clumsily drawn his own sword while holding out one hand in a placting manner. Chrom, already seeing where this was going, let out an annoyed sigh and stepped in the path of his bodyguard.

"Peace Frederick," Chrom began, arms crossed and a stern visage on his face. "I'm sure the boy didn't mean to intentionally harm Lissa."

"And his sudden assault against your sister suggests otherwise Milord," Fredrick growled out, his eyes still narrowed in on the scared youth.

"That wasn't on purpose, I had just woken up!" The boy shouted back, blade still in hand as he shot Fredrick a nervous glance, before reaching down to help the fallen princess back to her feet. "I'm sorry for knocking you over like that, I didn't mean to!"

Though she was sure that her forehead would develop a bruise, Lissa had brushed it off knowing that she could merely heal it later and accepted the boy's hand. The pain had already subsided, and she shot the boy a grateful smile for his assistance

"Meh, I've had worse growing up and roughhousing with this lummox here."

Lissa gestures with her thumb to her older brother, ignoring his amused snort as she continues on with her conversation with the mystery boy, "So, how are you feeling?"

The boy, sensing that he was no longer in danger, finally relaxed before giving Lissa his own grateful smile, "I'm alright, the pain's already gone away. And again, I apologize for the sudden meeting of our foreheads."

Lissa waved off his apology, already passed it before getting a questioning look on her face, "If you don't mind us asking, why are you out here in the middle of this field?"

The boy went to answer, only to get a confused look on his face and he truly began to take in his surroundings. A nervous look quickly washed over his face, "I… I don't know where I am to be honest. I was traveling on a cart with my siblings and had fallen asleep. I must have fallen off our cart during our travels."

"A likely story, Plegian" Fredrick sneered out, practically spitting out the last word as if it had left a bad taste in his mouth. The boy, who was tired of being threatened by the lumbering man before him, went to shout at him in defense before being interrupted by Chrom.

"Enough Fredrick. We don't have all the facts, and our guest has shown no signs of hostility or malicious intent against us. So for now, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

"But Milord-!"

"Sheath your weapon Fredrick." Chrom stated in a firm tone that brokered no argument. Fredrick hesitated at first, before recluantalty stowing away his sword back into his scabbard at his side, but not before shooting the boy one last mistrustful glare.

Chrom let out a relieved sigh, before finally turning to address the boy with a smile "My apologies, Fredrick is one of our most loyal knights and friends, though he can be a bit paranoid at times. My name is Chrom, and may I ask what your name is?

Though he was still nervous being around the threatening Fredrick, the disarming smiles of the brother and sister before him was enough to put the boy at ease.

"...Sparrow," the boy answered hesitantly, before giving them all a wide smile. Chrom raised a brow at the peculiar name, "Sparrow? An… odd name, but a good one nonetheless."

Chrom gave a nod of approval, before gesturing over to his younger sister, "And though you've both already had quite the uh… unique introduction to one another, this is my delicate sister Lissa."

At being called, "delicate," Lissa stamped her feet into the ground and angrily huffed out, "I am not delicate!"

Chrom held up his hand in a placating manner, though Sparrow didn't miss the small smirk on the older brother's face at his younger sister's reaction. Lissa apparently hadn't either, before shooting Chrom one last dirty look, before focusing her attention back onto Sparrow.

"Ignore my idiot brother, he can be a bit thick at times and slightly overprotective. Now, you mentioned that you may have fallen off a cart?"

"Yes! I was traveling with my siblings in our cart to the next village over-"

"Where you happen to have fallen asleep and then just so happen to have fallen off a cart in the middle of the exact field that we were traveling through?"

Sparrow shot Fredrick a glare at being interrupted, only for Fredrick to cross his arms and give him an unimpressed look back.

"A likely story, if any of it is actually true. The fact that you fell off your cart, and none of your siblings didn't even bother to notice sounds like such a poorly thought out lie that I'd expect it from a child instead of a grown adult."

Sparrow gaped at Fredricks, completely baffled at his accusations, "What- are you being serious?! For what purpose would I have to lie in the middle of a field, alone, completely asleep with not a soul in sight! Do you really think this is a part of some elaborate plan to ambush a group of strangers?"

"Precisely." Fredrick said simply.

Sparrow was at a loss at words at hearing how deadly serious Fredick was about this, his mind desperately trying to understand any of the knights warped logic and thought process to try and trip up Sparrow. Thankfully, Sparrow was saved from having a mental breakdown as Chrom let out a tired sigh before speaking up.

"Enough Fredrick," Chrom said, giving his bodyguard a stern stare. "I have high doubts that our new friend here planned on ambushing us, and I believe his story has some truth to it."

"If you say so Milord." Fredrick said in return, not wanting to argue with his charge any longer.

"Regardless of the circumstance, I believe we're both headed in the same direction. The village you and your family were headed to wouldn't happen to be North from here correct?"

Sparrow, finally happy to not be the center of Fredricks attention, nodded in response, "It should be. Are you headed to Southtown by chance?"

"The one in the same!" Lissa happily piped up.

"Then we all have the same destination in mind."

Chrom nodded with a thoughtful look on his face, "Then perhaps it would be best if you traveled with us Sparrow."

Fredricks eyes widened, and he tried to interrupt only to be completely ignored by Chrom, "It wouldn't be right to leave you out here by yourself, and I'm more than happy to have more company. And Tyson isn't that much farther out, about an hour away from at best if we keep a steady pace."

Sparrow didn't immediately respond, quickly thinking over the pro's and con's of Chrom's proposition before reaching out with his hand.

"I think that's a great idea, and I'd be more than happy to accompany your group. Besides, it's like my brother always says, "Basic tactics: you're less likely to be attacked if you travel in larger groups."

Chrom reached out with his own hand, and gave Sparrow a firm shake, "Your brother sounds like a wise man."

Lissa smiled at their interaction. Fredrick let out a huff of frustration, before regaining his usual professional composure as he simply dealt with their new(suspicious) addition. It was not long after that the new group of four began their walk towards Southtown. Chrom stayed at the back with Fredrick, who was trying to talk sense into him only to be ignored in return. Lissa and Sparrow were leading from the front, walking side by side with one another. Lissa was spending this time observing their newest member, noting details such as how he didn't appear to be much taller than her, or that he had vibrant forest green eyes, or that he had a scar above his left eye brow. Eventually Lissa had tired of merely observing and decided to get to know their newest member a little more personally.

"So, Sparrow… you've already mentioned that you have other siblings?" Lissa asked, keeping her tone casual as she could without sounding nosey.

"Sure do! We're a bit… dysfunctional at times, but we always have each other's backs."

"That's great to hear! But if you don't mind me asking, how many siblings do you have?"

"Four."

"F-four?!"

Sparrow chuckled at her shocked reaction, which was the typical response from the various people they met and had gotten curious about him or his family.

"Four others: two brothers and two sisters, with me being the youngest of the bunch." Sparrow' siblings flashed through his mind momentarily, before he asked Lissa, "Do you have any other siblings other than Chrom?"

"Just one, our older sister. But she's not here with us right now, she's back home waiting for us to complete our patrol of the land."

At the mention of a patrol, Sparrow's brow furrowed in thought, before asking, "A patrol of the lands? If you don't mind me asking Lissa, are you guys Mercs? Because if you are, you certainly don't fit the type."

Lissa rolled her eyes in a playful manner, before answering, "Merc's only wished they were as good as we are! We're the Shepherds!"

Lissa's boastful claim was met only by a blank look from Sparrow, "You tend to sheep… in full plate mail?"

Lissa, seeing his doubtful look, went to explain only for her to notice something odd in the distance. She narrowed her eyes briefly, only to gasp aloud before turning to her brother.

"Chrom, look!" She shouted out, before pointing out a massive smoke stack coming out from the distance. Chrom's reaction was immediate: He rushed forward past Sparrow and Lissa to come to stand at the top of the hill that bordered Tyson, only to be greeted with the site of the Village burning and men and women in ragged gear running destroying property and killing people in their path.

"By the Gods, the town is ablaze!" Chrom examined in shock, before he quickly steeled himself. He unsheathed his blade and brought it at the ready, allowing Sparrow to get a glimpse of the unique sword. It had a longer handle than most swords, wrapped in red leather and with a gold pommel. The sword lacked a traditional handguard, instead what appeared to be some sort of golden center piece that seemingly blended into the actual bladed portion of the sword, and what appeared to be a tear shaped slot in the middle. It was elegant as it was simple in its design, but if Sparrow had to be honest, the sword seemed more suited for ceremonies than actual combat. However, from what he could tell from his short time of knowing Chrom, the man didn't seem to be the type to use such a blade without purpose behind it, and he didn't seem the type to use such a piece for anything such as glory hogging or showboating.

Sparrow' line of thought was interrupted when he heard screaming erupt from the burning village, followed by sounds of cruel laughter. Frederick chose this time to speak, "And what about our guest Milord?"

Frederick had gestured his hand towards Sparrow, and he was about to retort, before Chrom interrupted him, "Short of him being on fire as well, then he can wait! These people need our help at once!"

"Aptly put Milord." Frederick said with a firm nod.

"Well what are we standing around for," Lissa said, "Let's get going already!"

At Lissa's words, both she and her brother made a steadfast charge towards the burning village of Southtown, with Frederick trodding along behind them. Sparrow, surprised at their sudden departure, reached out with his hand before crying out, "Hey, wait a minute!"

But his words fell on deaf ears, and his new companions were already halfway down the hill and headed into Southtown. At this, Sparrow had found himself at an impasse. On one hand, this was not his fight by any means. He owed nothing to the people of Southtown, and while Chrom's group was kind enough to take him in(and to not let Fredrick turn him into a kebab) it wasn't enough to really forge any sort of companionship that would make him so inclined to fight alongside them. Yes, this wasn't his fight and he could hear his oldest brother Jack advising him to avoid conflict altogether, lest he desired to draw attention to himself…

...But on the other hand, letting innocent people be cruelly struck down and their livelihood ruined by brigand scum filled him with disgust and anger. The mere thought of letting Southtown and its people burn simply to avoid confrontation did not sit well with him, and while Jack may consider it a necessary sacrifice, Sparrow was not his brother. His decision made, Sparrow checked over his equipment before adopting a steely look of determination as he began to sprint after his new companions. Had anyone been around him as he sped off, they would have heard him mutter aloud, "Jack is going to kill me when he finds out about this."

Chrom had managed to work his way to the center of Southtown, with Lissa and Frederick sticking firmly behind him. They had faced little resistance along the way, with Chrom felling a few unaware bandits along the way while Frederick covered his flank but he knew that most of the brigand scum were all gathered in the heart of the village. Chrom grit his teeth as he sped past injured civilians that would have benefited from Lissa's healing and did his best to contain his anger at the burning homes and businesses. But the brigands came first, and the sooner that he cleared them out the sooner they could get to aiding the village recover. Having reached the center, Chrom had taken a moment to gather his bearings and to observe his were situated in a plaza, part of the marketplace if Chrom had to guess based on the nearby stalls that were half filled with fresh produce. There was a flowing water path from the aqueducts that separated the area into four with three bridges of varying sizes connecting everything: The smaller ones interconnected into two smaller plaza's that looked to lead to other parts of the marketplace and a bigger bridge that led further into Southtown. Various rough looking men and women were scrambling around destroying everything in sight or setting more of the town ablaze.

And standing across from the main bridge with several burning building's behind his back and a distressed woman being held roughly in his hands stood what Chrom could only guess was the ringleader of the brigands. He wore nothing aside from a patchwork set of pants and an animal pelt over his shoulders, his hair a dirty vibrant red, and covered in war paint with a smug smile on his face.

Chrom gritted his teeth in disgust, but managed to keep a lid on his boiling anger as he wanted nothing more than to knock the teeth out of the man's mouth. He would soon face justice, whether by his or Fredricks blade.

"GWAHAHAHA! Get to it lads," The man shouted out to his men, "grab anything shiny and put the rest to the torch! We gots to show an example for these Ylisse types!" He examined in a grandiose manner, before giving a lecherous grin to the women he had held in his hands.

"Ain't that right lass?"

"Please let me go!" The woman screamed trying her best to pry herself out of the man's iron grip.

The woman's distress caused Lissa to glare hatefully at the lead bandit, while Fredrick managed to keep his calm facade, the only sign of emotion being his eyes narrowing slightly in distaste. Seeing his sister's distress, Chrom placed a reassuring hand on his sister's shoulder to calm her nerves.

"Don't worry. After today, they'll never bother anyone else ever again." he exclaimed with conviction in his voice, sure of their victory against the brigands currently running amuck. But as Chrom went to formulate a plane to deal with the brigands, his train of thought was interrupted by the sudden shouting behind him.

"Wait!" someone cried behind them only for them to turn to see Sparrow rushing up behind them.

"Sparrow?" Chrom asked aloud. "What are you doing-"

"Couldn't stand around and just let the village burn." He said cutting off Chrom. "Didn't sit right with me. Plus, I can help you out!"

Sparrow's offer to aid was met with mixed reactions: Lissa smiled brightly in relief, Frederick's glared in complete distrust, and while Chrom himself was happy to have an extra body to help them, he couldn't help but feel doubtful of what Sparrow had to offer in terms of skills. The boy was young, and he seemed a little green to him, but looks could be deceiving. Seeing the look of doubt on Chrom's face, Sparrow went to explain himself a little more in depth

"I'm trained in tactics." he began to explain. "And not to brag, I'm pretty good at being able to read the battlefield and working out a plan from there. My older siblings said I was a natural at it!"

At his statement, Sparrow began to scan the terrain of the plaza and take in the enemy numbers and equipment. There were only ten men on the field, their leader included, and most of them were in rough shape. Most of them were armed with a mix match of swords and axes, but they appeared dull and rusty, a lack of proper care and maintenance Sparrow noted. The men themselves were barely any better than their weapons, they were malnourished and untrained. They may be threatening to the average civilian, they would be no match to the likes of Fredrick, chrom, or even Sparrow.

The biggest threats however were the two mages lingering about. They were no doubt failed apprentices or even only amateur users at best, but even an untrained magic user could be dangerous. While the rest were untrained brutes that could be dealt with minimum fuss, the two magic users could easily pin down their small group and allow them to become overwhelmed by the larger force. After fully accessing the situation, Sparrow turned to inform Chrom of his assessment.

"There's good news, and bad news." Sparrow began. "The bad news is that out of all the men present on the field, the two most dangerous ones are the two magic users. Sure, they look like ragged hobos, but they're magically inclined ragged hobos and that's a bad day for anyone. The two of them could easily cook Fredrick alive in his heavy plate, and keep the rest of us pinned for the others to flank us."

Chrom frowned, but considered Sparrow's words carefully, while Fredrick narrowed his eyes at Sparrow's description of his hypothetical messy demise. Taking note of his annoyance, Sparrow rolled his eyes before giving Fredrick a hard stare.

"I'm not saying that to get in a jab at you Fredrick, I'm being serious. Even those who've barely touched the surface of the arcane are inherently dangerous, and they need to be prioritized first. The only thing that would make this situation worse is if they had archers, but they seem to be lacking in that department. Small miracles for that. But that leads us to the good news!"

At this, Sparrow smiled, before willing a small wisp of wind magic into his hand. Lissa gasped at the display, while Chrom and Fredrick watched silently.

"In addition to being trained in tactics, I'm also a bit of a magic user myself. So we have a counter to them. And with that said, I have a plan. Frederick, since you're the most heavily armed, they're going to see you as the priority target. You'll be taking center stage to begin drawing them in, while Chrom and I will protect your flank. I'll handle the magic users, while Chrom handles the swordsmen. Though there's not much, you can utilize the carts placed in the open to force your opponents around or over them and allow yourselves to take advantage of their wasted movement. I'm sure between the both of you that you'll have no issue routing most of the brigands."

Sparrow had finished presenting his plan to both Chrom and Fredrick, his tone full of conviction and a confident smile on his face. Fredrick and Chrom were quiet for a moment, before exchanging a quick look for one another.

"Well Fredrick?" Chrom questioned the bigger man.

"While I don't find the idea of being bait the most appealing thing in the world," the larger man began with a frown, "The logic does make sense, and I'd rather not find myself being boiled alive in my own armor."

"Then that settles it," Chrom said with a final nod, before giving Sparrow a matching confident smile. "Let's get to it shall we?"

"Hey," Lissa suddenly spoke up. "What about me? Where do you need me for this Sparrow?"

Sparrow blinked at Lissa's question, before very calmly stating, "Stay behind us and heal us if we get injured."

Lissa went to argue, only to be cut off by Sparrow, "Lissa, in the past three hours that I've become acquainted with your lot, I have not seen anything suggesting that you carry any kind of weapon on you. So unless you're somehow able to produce a bladed instrument right now, then the best thing for you is to stay behind us and heal."

Lissa gapped at the suddenly serious tone that Sparrow had taken on, only managing to nod numbly before dropping the issue. Sparrow internally grimaced at his harsh tone, but had reminded himself to apologize to her later. But now was not the time to think about that, now was the time to act.

"Are we ready?" Sparrow asked as he unsheathed his sword. Both Chrom and Fredrick brought their swords to the ready, both giving quick nods signaling they were ready.

"Then let's get out there and kick some brigand ass!" Sparrow loudly declared, before making his way to the outer right flank where the first mage was. Chrom and Lissa couldn't help but laugh at the boy's boast, while Fredrick rolled his eyes before a fierce look of determination set upon his face as he made his way out to the center of the plaza. Chrom followed after, making sure to stick to his left flank while also making sure not to crowd Fredrick so as the two of them had both had enough room to maneuver around one another. Their entrance(and Sparrows shouting) did not go unnoticed, much to the annoyance of Garrick.

"Shepards, here?!" He hissed out, a spike of fear overcoming him. The distraction was enough for the maiden in his grip to wiggle out, before making a run for safety. This angered Garrick, before he turned to his men and began shouting at them.

"Well what are you idiots standing around for? Go out there and kill those dastards!"

As Garrick was shouting at his men, Chrom and Fredrick had already engaged with three of the men in the center of the plaza. Sure enough, the brigands prioritized Fredrick over Chrom as the biggest threat and thus put their focus all on him. This proved to be a fatal mistake, as both men quickly demonstrated. The first axmen to Fredricks right tried to rush him with a sloppy overhead strike, only for Fredrick to calmly bat the blade away with his armored fist. The shoddy axe broke from the contact, distracting the brigand long enough for Fredrick to run him through with his sword. The swordsmen tried to take advantage of Frederick leaving himself open, only for Chrom to easily parry the man's strike, before finishing him off with a swift downward cut. A second Brigand with an axe tried to rush Chrom, only to be swiftly cut down without any real effort.

As Chrom and Fredrick quickly dispatched their targets, one of the brigands mages had readied to lay down a blanket of magical fire, only to be distracted when he heard, "Hey now, how about you keep your focus on me instead?"

Startled, he turned to blast the sudden intruder with fire only to scream in pain as his left hand upto his forearm was suddenly severed from a gale of wind magic.

"Ouch, that looks like it hurts!" Sparrow mocked the now crippled magic user with a smirk. "Should have kept focused like I said~!"

Seeing red, the bringand magic user managed to lash out a whip of fire with his remaining hand, but his injury prevented him from focusing enough to keep the whip stable and it dissipated before even reaching Sparrow.

"That was your last ditch effort? Damn, guess I can see why you're hanging out with these losers and not all cozied up in a nice mages college or guild. Let me guess, had trouble managing to keep focused? Anger issues when someone tries to correct you?"

"Bu-bu-burn in the hells-" The brigand had managed to utter out, before Sparrow quickly ended the man's life with a sword to the gut.

"You'll be doing that for the both of us, pal." He said aloud, before his focus shifted to the rest of the Brigands coming along the bridge.

"One magic user down, one more to go…" Sparrow muttered to himself, before he began making his way to meet up with Chrom and Fredrick in the center. Garrick had finally managed to rally his men to engage with Chrom and Fredrick, but he may as well have sent his men into a meat grinder. Chrom and Fredrick worked like a well oiled machine as they seamlessly dispatched the rest of Garricks men one by one, taking advantage of the leftover carts to limit their mobility and to make quick work of the brigands. They had finished mopping up the last of the axe and swordsmen, when they finally took notice of the last Mage preparing a large fireball.

"I'm going to burn you two to nothing more than ash!" He proclaimed, a mad smile on his lips as he prepared to let his spell loose. With nowhere to run, Chrom and Frederick tensed up and prepared for the inevitable… only to blink when they saw the large fireball being blasted back into the Mages face with a gust of wind. The mage screamed in agonizing pain as he was consumed in fire, before he was left nothing more than a burnt and mangled corpse.

"Man, what is it with fire always being the go to spell these guys use?" Sparrow questioned aloud. "I know it's one of the easiest elemental path's to pick up and learn, but it has so many disadvantages when used incorrectly. But I guess I shouldn't have expected much more from this dude based on how his equally moronic partner died."

Chrom let out a sigh of relief at Sparrow's timing, while Fredrick remained silent as his focus shifted to the last remaining threat on the field: Garrick himself.

"Cutting it a bit close there, don't you think?" Chrom asked with a raised brow? Sparrow made a "so-so" gesture with his hand, a smirk on his face as he responded "Eeeh, a little, but I still managed to save your butts from getting charred."

Chrom matched Sparrow's smirk with one of his own, amused by the younger man's reactions and personality before Frederick politely cleared his throat, "Milord, perhaps it's best to focus on the current task at hand? That being subduing the man responsible for this?"

At being reminded, Chrom quickly got a serious look on his face, "Right. It's time to end this madness once and for all. Sparrow, Frederick, with me."

"Yes Milord."

"You got it Boss!"

As Chrom and his companions strode down the bridge, Garrick was looking around panicking with a look of desperation on his face.

"To the seven hells and back with these useless men of mine! Where are the rest of you bloody morons at?!"

But Garrick's words fell on deaf ears, and before he knew it there standing before him was Chrom, his mouth pressed tightly in a thin line and resting his sword on his shoulder. Both sides flanked by a smug sparrow on his left, and an indifferent looking Frederick on his right. Garrick could do nothing but stand in silent fear of the men before him, for he knew that there was no weaseling his way out of this one. The silence was tense, only to be broken as Chrome began to speak.

"I'm not usually one to mince words, and this is no exception. You have brought death and destruction against these innocent people, and have shown no amount of mercy or remorse. Your vicious attack against Southtown is seen as an attack against the Halidom itself, and henceforth you must be punished for your crimes against both the people of the land and the Exalt herself. I give you two options: Either surrender and turn yourself over to the local guard, or stand your ground and die like a rabid dog in the street. I leave the final choice to you."

Chrom spoke gruffly and with conviction, every word out of his mouth holding weight with them as he laid out the terms clearly for the now terrified Garrick. Garrick stood there shaking harder than a schoolboy under the scrutinizing gaze of his headmaster, before gritting his teeth as he let out a frustrated growl.

"You can take your offer and shove it sheep! I'd sooner die fighting like a man in the streets, than take my chances in the dungeons!"

At this, Garrick hauled a massive single head axe over his shoulder, one that sparrow noted seemed to be in fairly decent condition compared to the piece of scrap metal that his underlings were using.

"So Draw your steel Sheepy sheepy! And come to the slaughter!"

Sparrow had to bite his cheek from laughing at Garricks ridiculous posturing and name calling. The Brigand leader talked a good game, but it was clear to tell from the fear in his eyes that he knew he stood no chance against Chrom. Chrom in turn said nothing, merely keeping a steely gaze planted on Garrick as he stepped forward before getting into a proper two handed stance with his blade.

"...So be it. You have made your choice. In the name of The Exalt and her people, you shall be punished for your crimes with death. So come and face your death Butcher, unless you're afraid to confront a mere 'sheep'?"

At his taunt, Garrick gritted his teeth before letting out a loud war cry as he began a running charge towards Chrom. However, Chrom stood stock still in place, his eyes never wavering and his stance relaxed. But just as Garrick went to swing down on Chrom was when he exploded in a burst of movement, fluidly dodging Garrick's clumsy swing before bringing his blade down upon his neck for a killing blow. Garrick had no time to process what had happened and he only managed a pained gasp before his head was parted from his body.

At this, Garrick's now headless body collapsed and the battle was finally over. Chrom let out a sigh of relief, before grimacing at sight of Garrick's terrified visage forever frozen on his parted head.

"...well I suppose now would be a bad time to say something stupid like, 'He won't be getting a-head anytime soon'?"

Despite the bad taste, Chrom couldn't help but chuckle at Sparrow's joke before turning to the younger man to address him.

"Always one for the jokes aren't you?"

"What can I say? I have a gift with words, and I don't see why the world shouldn't know it."

"I would think that the world could find a little peace if they didn't have to hear your mouth running constantly, Pelgian." Frederick stated in a dry tone.

"That's exactly what my older siblings say all the time, Frederik!" Sparrow responded without missing a beat, "Gee, you and my oldest brother Jack would get along like two peas in a pod!"

Frederick's eyes narrowed in annoyance and turned his attention away from a losing battle of wits to address his charge.

"Orders now, Milord?"

"First things first, we need to scout through the rest of southtown and take out any loose stragglers. Their leader may be dead, but he was yelling something about him having more men at the ready. After routing the rest of the Brigands, we need to gather the injured and have Lissa and the local apothecary start attending to them. We also need to send a messenger to have the nearest stationed men come to keep an eye on things so that Southtown isn't left defenseless while they recover."

"None of that will be necessary."

At the sudden voice, everyone got into a readied stance only to pause when they saw a bored looking girl with purple hair, a short sword at her side and bow held loosely in her right hand with her left placed on her hip. Chrom and Frederick studied her with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion, while Sparrow… Sparrow looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"While you all were dealing with the bulk of their force and dealing with the headless dunce over there, I had snuck into the city during the chaos and started cleaning up the rest of the brigands. As far as gathering the wounded and sending out for help? Your sister went ahead and took some initiative and started gathering up the wounded with the locals, and the local lord had already sent out a messenger raven to get aid."

"And why should we trust a word out of your mouth, Plegian?" Frederick questioned coldly, his mind racing a million miles a minute as he started questioning Sparrow's story and the threat level of not one but two Plegians. The girl merely rolled her eyes, before letting out a tired sigh as if she were a parent being asked an inane question by her unruly child.

"One, because if you take a look behind me you can take note of my handy work of the rest of the Brigands."

At this, the men all peaked behind Amber to see several brigands cooling corpses scattered around. They were either riddled with arrows or stabbed in various vital areas.

"Two, because if you would have bothered to look behind you, you can see your sister scrambling around and trying her best to heal the civilians."

At this, they all looked behind them, and sure enough Lissa was currently busy healing several people at a time while the local doctors and apothecaries did their best to help.

"Is that enough for you to trust a Plegian? Or do you need me to bend over on my hands and knees and grovel on the ground in front of Ylisse finest?"

Frederick went to growl out a response, before he was interrupted by Sparrow.

"I trust her."

At this, Chrom and Frederick both turned to Sparrow with a questioning gaze.

"I trust her because, uh, well-"

"He trusts me," The girl began as she started walking over to the sheepish looking Sparrow with an intimidating stride, "Because I'm this birdbrains sister Amber. And Sparrow? You have got a lot of explaining to do right now."