Shepherds.
After the unexpected battle in the woods, the group where in a rush to get to the capital. The battle in the woods caught them by complete surprise, and if not for the intervention of the mysterious stranger named Marth, there is no telling what could've happened. The trip was taxing, but they finally made it to Ylisstol. Cassandra looked around, it sure was an impressive city, really fit for nobles to live in.
"So this is Ylisstol, capital of Ylisse... I've never seen so many people!" Robin said in amazement.
"It appears the capital was spared the chaos we encountered, thank the gods. I see no evidence of the great quake. It must've been limited to the forest" Frederick said. Lissa smiled "Well, that's a relief!". An Old Villager suddenly spoke "Look! The exalt has come to see us!"
Everyone looked and saw a beautiful woman, dressed in clothes that could only be for someone very important. She radiated purity and kindness, and all it took was one glance to understand why the people would be excited to see her.
"The exalt is your ruler, yes?" Robin asked.
Frederick nods "Yes. Her name is Lady Emmeryn".
"Is it safe for her to walk among commoners like this?" Robin asked. Cassandra thought that was a valid question. She's the heart of Ylisse, so that would make her a target for a lot of horrible people.
"The exalt is a symbol of peace—Ylisse's most prized quality. Long ago, at the dawn of our age, the fell dragon tried to destroy the world. But the first exalt joined forces with the divine dragon and laid the beast low. Exalt Emmeryn reminds us all of the peace we fought for then" Frederick explained.
"With Plegia poking at our borders, the people need her. She's a calming presence, when some might otherwise call for war" Chrom added.
Robin nods, accepting the answer "Then the Ylissean people are indeed lucky to have her".
"She's also the best big sister anyone could ask for!" Lissa said in pride.
"Yes, I imagine she..." Robin began before he suddenly realized what Lissa said "Wait, what? She's your... But wouldn't that make you and Chrom...".
Frederick acctually looked slightly amused by his reaction "The prince and princess of the realm, yes. You remember Chrom's name and not this?".
"Really Robin? They made it pretty clear they were of noble blood when we met them" Cassandra reminded.
"I thought they were lower class nobles. You said you were shepherds!" Robin said.
Chrom smiled "And so we are...in a manner of speaking. We just have a LOT of sheep".
"C-Chrom... I mean, Prince Chrom! Sire! Forgive my dreadful manners!" Robin apologized quickly, realizing how casual he's been around such important people.
Chrom shook his head, clearly not bothered by Robin's manners at all "Just Chrom is fine. I've never been much for formalities".
"No offence Chrom, you look a lot more like a soldier than a prince" Cassandra said, hoping he wouldn't be offended, luckily he wasn't.
"I am aware, and I take great pride in that" Chrom said.
"The prince and princess... That explains why Frederick tolerates all the teasing, eh?" Robin asked, looking at the royal servant.
Frederick looked annoyed at that "Indeed. Oh, the sacrifices I make for the good of the realm...".
Cassandra giggled "Your sacrifices will be remembered, sir Frederick".
Chrom smiled at that before speaking "It looks like Emm is returning to the palace. Would you like to meet her?".
Cassandra gulped, a little nervous about meeting the ruler of Ylisse. She would need to practice her manners as they head for the palace. The inside of the palace was no less impressive than the outside. The halls were massive, and the walls were covered with some really beautiful looking decorations. Cassandra grew up in rather humble home, so she could never dream of ever living in something this fancy.
Emmeryn smiled when she saw them arrive "Chrom! Lissa! Welcome home. Oh, and good day, Frederick. How fared you all?".
"Well—we shouldn't have any bandit problems for a while" Chrom said as respectfully as he could.
"Wonderful. And our people?" Emmeryn asked.
"Safe as they can be, Emm. But we still need to watch the borders. The brigands crossed over from Plegia" Chrom explained.
A Woman who was next to Emmeryn bowed in shame "Forgive me, milord. My pegasus knights should have intercepted them.
Chrom shook his head in reassurance "No, Phila. Your duty was here, with the exalt".
"And besides, we had plenty of help!" Lissa said, looking at Cassandra and Robin.
"Ah, you speak of your new companions here?" Emmeryn asked as she eyed the two, both of which did their best to remain calm.
"This is Robin and Cassandra. They fought bravely with us against the brigands. I've decided to make them Shepherds" Chrom explained.
"It sounds as though Ylisse owes you a debt of gratitude, Robin, Cassandra" Emmeryn said.
Robin quickly bows "Not at all, milady!".
Cassandra bows as well "It was my honor to lend my aid to them. I traveled a long way from my home to help, so that's what I'm going to do".
Frederick spoke up "Forgive me, Your Grace, but I must speak. Robin claims to have lost his memory, but it is only that: a claim. We cannot rule out the possibility that he is a brigand himself or even a Plegian spy".
"Frederick!" Chrom said sharply.
Emmeryn looked thoughtful at that "Yet you allowed him into the castle, Chrom. Does this man have your trust?".
Chrom nods without hesitation "Yes. He/ risked his life for our people. Cassandra did the same. That's good enough for me".
Emmeryn nods, trusting her brother's judgment "Well then, Robin, Cassandra... It seems you two have earned Chrom's faith, and as such you have mine as well".
Robin bows his head "Milady".
"Thank you, Your Grace" Cassandra said with a bow of her own.
"But thank you, Frederick, for your prudence, as always. Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have so tireless a guardian. I do hope they remember to mention that from time to time..." Emmeryn said, eyeing her siblings with a serious look, making them both slightly nervous.
"They occasionally express something akin to gratitude, Your Grace. Phila. I assume you've heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?" Frederick asked.
Phila nods "Yes, milord. They've been sighted all across Ylisse".
"Chrom, we are about to hold council. I was hoping you could join us" Emmeryn said.
"Of course" Chrom said without hesitation.
Emmeryn looked at Cassandra with a kind smile "And for you, Cassandra. Since you traveled so far to lend us your help, you must be tired. We would be happy to provide you with anything you need".
Cassandra blushed a little, Emmeryn really reminded her of her own sister at the moment "I would be loath to demand anything from you... But if I'm allowed to make one request... could I have a bath? I haven't bathed in a long time and I smell horrible".
Emmeryn chuckled a little at that "That sounds reasonable. I can assure you our baths are always satisfying".
Later, with the help of some retainers, Cassandra was enjoying a nice bath in a really fancy bathtub. She sighs as she could feel all the tension and stress from her journey just wash away. She lifted her legs one at the time before bringing them back in to water, being careful not to splash to much, since she didn't want to risk making a mess.
"This feels so good... I could stay in here forever" Cassandra whispered to herself "Sophitia would've loved this".
Mentioning Sophitia's name made Cassandra fall silent. Sophitia was her older sister who Emmeryn strongly reminded her about. She wondered what her sister was feeling right now... Since Cassandra kind of didn't tell her she was going to join the Ylissian army. Sophitia must be really angry and worried about her, as she has for sure noticed that Cassandra has been gone a lot longer than she should've been... Maybe Cassandra should've left a note before taking of.
Cassandra sighed at her stupidity "She is going to kill me for this... But I had to go... It was the only way...".
She shook her head as she got out from the water. She began drying herself of, thinking about what her life would be now that she wasn't a baker, but a soldier... and a member of the Shepherds... However, her thoughts where quickly interrupted when the door opened.
It was Chrom, who didn't seem to noticed what he had just walked in on "There you are Cassandra. I was about to meet up with the other Shepherds and I figured it was about time that... you...".
He trailed of when he finally noticed Cassandra was naked... She was looking at him in utter shock, while Chrom himself was speechless. Both remained silent for a couple of seconds before Cassandra's shocked faced turned in to a deadly glare.
"Chrom... Have you ever heard about knocking?" Cassandra asked in a low but dangerous tone.
"I-I-I'm sorry! I thought you had already finished earlier! I didn't think you would bathe for this long! I-" Before Chrom could finish his explanation the sound of a hard impact echoed through the halls.
After meeting with Emmeryn, Lissa decides to lead Robin to the Shepherd's Garrison and introduces them to the Shepherds present: Vaike, Sumia, and a very close friend of Lissa's, named Maribelle. However they were still waiting for Cassandra and Chrom, and wondered what was taking them so long. Lissa noticed them approaching.
"Finally! What took you two so..." Lissa trailed of when she noticed something was wrong "Umm, Chrom? What happened to your eye?".
"Oh, no need to worry, just an accident" Chrom said, doing the best he could to explain why he had a black eye, while Cassandra was grumbling and bunch of different words under her breath... each of them calling Chrom a bunch of different things "Anyway, everyone. This is Cassandra, she will be joining us along with Robin".
Cassandra snapped out of silent rant and smiled shyly "Hello everyone".
Vaike whistles "Now this is what I'm talking about! Another pretty lady is always welcomed".
"Umm, thanks?" Cassandra said, not sure if she should feel flatterade or creeped out.
"Don't mind him, what he has in strength, he lacks in wits" Lissa said, earning an glare from Vaike.
"I'm Sumia, it's nice to meet you Cassandra" Sumia said but as she takes a step, she trips on some papers and falls flat on her face.
"Whoa! Are you alright?" Cassandra asked as Sumia quickly stood back up.
"Those boots of yours again?" Chrom asked.
"No! I mean, yes! I mean..." Sumia tried to explain but only sighs.
"All right, listen, everyone: in the morning, we'll be marching to Regna Ferox" Chrom said.
"Regna Ferox?" Robin asked.
"A unified kingdom to Ylisse's north inhabited by barbarians, or so it's said" Sumia explained.
Chrom continues "Warriors are what they are, and we'll need their strength to quell that new menace. Typically, the exalt would request such aid in person. But given recent events... Well, the people might worry should my sister suddenly leave the capital. So the task has been passed to us. Now, this mission is strictly voluntary. So if, for any-".
"I volunteer!" Lissa said before Chrom could even finish.
"Me too! You'll be needin' ol' Teach along for such a delicate mission!" Vaike declared proudly.
A man suddenly spoke "I'll go as well. ...What? I've been here the whole time!".
"Oh, sorry I didn't catch your name" Cassandra said, not knowing where the man had suddenly came from.
"My name is Kellam" The man answered. For such a big man, he sure was hard to notice.
"I... I, um..." Sumia began clearly unsure
"Yes, Sumia?" Chrom asked.
"It's just that... I'm not sure I'm quite ready for a proper mission just yet. I'd probably just get in the way" Sumia said.
'Gods she's adorable!' Cassandra thought in her head, Sumia looked so innocent.
"Well, you could stay behind the main group, and if a battle is met, just watch and learn? Your choice, of course. But some lessons can only be learned on the battlefield" Chrom said.
"W-well, if you think it wise, Captain" Sumia said.
"Just stay by me and you'll be fine" Chrom assured.
Sumia nods, finally looking more confidant "Oh, yes! I mean- Yes, sir, I'll do that!".
Chrom nodded and everyone were dismissed so they could prepare for the trip to Ferox in the morning. Cassandra was looking over her sword and shield. Tomorrow would be her first mission as a member of the Shepherds. She needed to do her best or she would just become a liability. And of course she needs to make sure she stays alive, so she could see her sister again... As sister who was probably not to happy with her at the moment.
"Cassandra..." She almost jumped as she looked up to see Chrom "Sorry, could we talk for a moment?".
"Umm, yes... Of course" Cassandra answered.
Chrom rubbed his neck "I'll get to the point. I'm sorry for walking in on you earlier. I swear I had no intention of peeping at you... I was just eager to introduce you to the others that I just... You're right, I should've knocked first".
"Yes, you should've!" Cassandra said with a blush but sighed as she calmed down "But... I'm sorry to. It was just an accident, but you are the first man who's ever seen me naked, and I didn't know how else to react... But after everything you've done for me, despite us only having known each other for a short time... I shouldn't have punched you. Bad enough I punched a prince, but I-".
"No, there is no need to apologize about that, I deserved it for forgetting my manners, not just as a prince, but as a man. You are really strong though" Chrom commented.
Cassandra looked at her fist "You think so?".
"Yes, and you've already proven yourself twice in battle" Chrom said.
"Thank you. But if you ever walk in on me while I'm naked again, I will punch your had of!" Cassandra warned.
Chrom gulped "I'll make sure that never happens again. But I meant what I said. You are a strong a skilled fighter, despite your lack of experiance. You told me the battle with those bandits were your first time".
"Yes it was. I've always been a quick study. Both me and my sister are good at learning stuff quickly. She is much better than me though. You should see her, she is amazing at everything" Cassandra explained.
"You have a sister too? What's she like?" Chrom asked.
Cassandra smiled "Kind, strong, beautiful... She really is something else... I'm nothing like her".
"Don't think to lowly of yourself, Cassandra. I say you fit those qualities really well yourself" Chrom said.
Cassandra blinked and looked at him "What?".
Chrom blushed when he remembered how Cassandra had described her sister "I mean, you are really strong and... Sorry, I will leave you alone so you can be ready for the long march tomorrow".
He walked away quickly, and Cassandra looked away with a blush. What just happened! Was he just complimenting her or...? Gods this would be much more complicated than she expected.
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After two chapters with action, I decided to make a slower one where the characters could have the chance to meet and for our main couple to have their first chance to bond a little more.
And don't worry, there will be more Soul Calibur characters down the line.
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Tell me what you think