Emmeryn.
A Plegian Soldier reports to Aversa and Gangrel at the Plegia Castle. They were not pleased.
"So, Captain, let me be certain I understand your report... Not only did you NOT confirm that the Ylissean party carries the Fire Emblem... But you can't be certain Prince Chrom is even among them? ...Is that the gist of it?" Aversa asked.
The Soldier looked nervous "Y-yes, milady! The air was thick with sand—even their number was difficult to ascertain".
"Perhaps if you had gotten closer, Captain. Here, let me show you..." Aversa said as she walks up to the soldier .
"N-no! I'm sorry, I- Huargh!" The Soldier fell to the floor, dead.
"Apology accepted" Aversa said.
"Do try not to kill ALL the soldiers, my dear. We'll need a few for the welcoming party. The Ylisseans will be here soon—Chrom and the Emblem among them, I'm sure. That bleeding-heart prince would never put good sense before his sister!" Gangrel said.
Aversa looks at him "And when they arrive?".
Gangrel smirked evilly "It will be a massacre worthy of their legendary father!".
In the Shepherd's Camp; A Ylissean Spy runs up to the leaders.
"The exalt is the be executed at the castle on the morrow. I heard it from the king's own lips, sire" He said.
Basilio nods "This is it, then".
"Exactly as you predicted, Robin" Chrom said.
"So far, yes. But tomorrow will be the true test..." Robin said, having a bad feeling in his gut.
"Chin up, there! Show some confidence! It's your thinking that's got us this far. The plan is risky, but only as much is called for" Flavia said.
"We'll find a way to see it through, Robin. Don't worry. This time tomorrow, we'll be swapping stories with Emm on the road home" Chrom said.
"I hope you're right" Robin said, having a bad feeling he's overlooked something, but he couldn't figure out what.
Elswhere in a dark void, Validar was trapped in it, but he was still smiling.
"Master Grima, Exalt Emmeryn is to the put to death on the morrow. Events will soon be back on course" He said, and there was a breif silence before he laughed evily "Ha ha, yes, I should never have doubted the truth of your words. The yoke of destiny cannot be cast off! Even as they resist, they write your future with every step, O great one!".
Suddenly Robin wakes up from a nightmare "...AAAAAH!".
"Robin? Hey, Robin! What's wrong? Was it a nightmare?" Lissa asked.
Robin looks at her "Is... that what it was? Y-yes, it must have been... I'm sorry, what brings you here, Lissa? Was there something you needed?".
Lissa nods "Frederick says it's time to march. And we can't start the plan without our master tactician!".
Later that day at the Plegia Castle Courtyard, Emmeryn is standing on the edge of a cliff, with a brigand behind her. Gangrel gladly greets the Plegians at the gathering for Emmeryn's execution.
"Good people! Warriors of Plegia! Welcome! Welcome, one and all! Your anticipation electrifies the air! We ALL remember the crimes of Ylisse... Would you have their witch-queen answer for them? Here? Today? NOW? YEEEEEEEEEEEES! Finally, we will have JUSTICE!" Gangrel looks at a barbarian behind Emmeryn "EXECUTIONER! If you would be so kind...".
"Flavia!" Robin called out.
"I've got him!" Flavia said.
The barbarian slowly raises his axe to slash Emmeryn until Flavia throws an axe in to his chest, causing him to fall before he can kill her.
"EVERYONE: NOW!" Robin shouts.
"Take out all the soldiers first! We'll deal with the Mad King later!" Chrom ordered as he his warriors charged in.
"Oh will you now? Bwa ha! We've been expecting you, Little Prince. Men: Kill him. Kill his sister. Kill his troops and his friends and anyone else you find! KILL THEM AAAAAAAAALL!" Gangrel shouts before he and Aversa retreats.
However, a woman among them did not seem interested in the battle "So we're to kill or die here, simply because the king demands it? Pfft. What do I care of these Ylisseans? We're given no reasons to fight, only orders. What's the point? Besides, I've always been quite good at choosing who to hate on my own...".
The Ylisseans and Plagians clashed in battle, and while the chaos broke out, a young man with long hair wielding an ax arrived.
"Exalt Emmeryn! No! Gods speed me to her side!" He said.
The Plagian commander named Campari growls "Where is the damn wyvern brigade?! Hurry! Close off their escape!".
Chrom reaches the ax wielding man "You there! Who are you? Why do you fight alone?".
"Good heavens! You're Prince Chrom, brother to Her Grace the Exalt!" The man said.
"You know me?" Chrom asked.
The Man smiled "Know you? Of course, sire! All Ylissean clergy do. I must thank the gods for uniting us! Oh, dearest and most heavenly fa-".
"With all respect, now is not the time for prayer—it's action that's called for" Chrom said.
The man looked more determined "Ah, too true! We hurried here to help as soon as word came of the execution".
"We? Then there are more of you?" Chrom asked.
The man looked sad "Alas, there were. I lost many brave comrades along the way. In truth, I was starting to doubt the purpose of my struggle... But no longer! Pray, sire, let my axe serve you and your party!".
Chrom smiled "Your love for my sister is clear. I would be honored to be joined by such a formidable woman of the cloth".
"...Man, sire. Man of the cloth" The Man corrected.
"You're a... ...You're not a woman?" Chrom said, already feeling embarrassed for assuming the man was a woman based on his looks and voice.
"No sire, Women are clerics. I am a priest. Well, technically a war monk, if you care to split hairs..." The Man answered.
"Oh. Yes, well, I'm... I didn't mean to imply... Well, this is rather awkward" Chrom said.
"Oh, it's all right, sire. You realized your mistake quickly enough. It could have been much more awkward. ... MUCH more..." The Man said.
"Right! Let's stop there" Chrom said.
The Man who's named was Libra, agreed and they hurried to rejoin the battle.
Meanwhile, Cassandra was clashing with the mysterious woman. Blocking one of her spells with her shield. However something was off about her.
"You are holding back. Why? Aren't you here to fight?" Cassandra asked.
"Death comes to all of us eventually. Why invite it early, fighting for a cause I don't believe in?" The woman asked.
"You mean, you don't want to fight us?" Cassandra asked.
"Let's just say I'm keeping my options open. I mean, long live the king and all, but I'd like to keep living as well. And I have a bit of a rebellious streak, I'm afraid. A...dark side" The Woman answered.
Cassandra was silent for a moment "If that is the case, then why don't you join us? We could give you a cause worth fighting for".
The woman raised an eyebrow "...You would trust me? What if this all just a ploy to plunge a dagger in your back? And then I might move on to kill your precious prince?".
"If that was your plan, I doubt you would be dumb enough to reveal it like this. Besides, I have an eye for these kind of things. You are scary I admit, but I have a feeling you can be trusted" Cassandra said.
"Well, that's odd... Usually when I bring up the backstabbing bit the dicussion is over. All right, then—consider me your new ally. ...For now" The woman said.
"Right, my name is Cassandra by the way" Cassandra said.
"The name is Tharja. Pleased to meet you, Cassandra" The woman named Tharja said with a creepy smile.
Cassandra really hoped she hadn't made a mistake.
Meanwhile, Siegfried was clashing with Campari. The heavily armored man blocked Siegfried's large sword with his shield.
"You'll never save your precious exalt, scum!" Campari growled out.
"Getting in our way means death for you and the rest of your animals" Siegfried said in anger as he kicked Campari in the chest before following with another sword swing that made Campari stagger back.
Siegfried pressed his attack as Campari was unable to hold of his powerful blows. In the end his defense failed and Siegfried rammed his sword in to his enemy's chest.
Campari coughed blood "Urgh... Killing me will only... feed Plegia's rage...".
"Robin! Their wyvern riders have fallen! The skies are clear! I'm giving the signal!" Chrom said.
Phila and a few pegasus knights shows up.
"Your grace!" Phila called out.
Emmeryn looked surprised "Phila! I'm so glad to see you're safe! But how-".
"Khan Basilio's men freed me. Come, we must hurry!" Phila said as she attempts to fly up and rescue Emmeryn.
Gangrel was growing frustrated "What? Pegasus knights? How did they... That damned Ylissean tactician does NOT play fair!".
Aversa smiled evily "Heh heh heh... Yes, well. Neither do I".
Aversa summons a surrounding number of Archer Risen.
Robin got wide eyes "...Risen?! Oh gods, no! Chrom! There are Risen everywhere!".
"Damn! Not now!" Chrom said in frustration.
Gangrel smirked "Bwa ha ha! Oh, did an army of living corpses just APPEAR out of the blue?! Truly, the heavens smile upon mighty King Gangrel this day! Bwa ha ha ha!".
The Risen engages a battle with Phila. Unable to avoid the barrage of arrows, Phila is hit.
"Risen... How... Y-your Grace, I... Forgive me... Uhh..." Phila fell of her wounded Pegasus, and plummeted to her death.
Emmeryn looked at her fallen friend with horrified eyes "Phila!".
"Exeunt one pegasus knight! Bwa ha ha! Watch how they fall, one by one!" Gangrel cackled.
The other Risen began to attack the last two pegasus knights. Soon all the fliers had been slain, along with their best chance of saving Emmeryn.
"No no no..." Robin said.
"We've lost..." Chrom said.
"I believe this is what they call a reversal of fortunes. Now... grovel before me. Plead! Beg for your worthless lives!" Gangrel demanded.
Chrom glared "I'd give up my life before I beg for it from you".
Gangrel smirked "Oh, now THAT is a good line. A fitting epitaph for your tombstone, perhaps? But it's not just your life in the balance. The exalt still stands upon the block. And I have a dozen bows trained on her. All it would take is one word from me...".
"Emm! Hold on, I'm-" Chrom moves to help his sister.
"ARCHERS! If this Ylissean pup so much as twitches, let fly your arrows!" Gangrel ordered.
Chrom gritted his teeth "I... I'll kill you!".
Gangrel only smiled "Go ahead! I welcome it. Just know you were responsible for Big Sister's bloody demise! ...And what of the rest of you? Eh? Who wants the honor of killing the exalt? ...No one? Bah! Your merry band isn't quite so headstrong anymore, is it? Pathetic!".
"Damn you!" Chrom growled.
"Now, now, my boy—no one needs to die today. Not you. Not the exalt. Not your friends. Just lay down your sword and give me the Fire Emblem" Gangrel said.
Chrom looked down "I...".
"Chrom! You can't trust him!" Robin said.
"Of COURSE I can't trust him! I'm not an idiot! But if I say no, he'll kill her! The gods are cruel, damn them! My sister or my duty... A problem with no right answer, yet I must choose!" Chrom said "No, I will not sacrifice Emm".
"That's right. Don't give up! There has to be a way..." Robin said.
"If there is, I can't see it... Ah, gods!" Chrom shouts in frustration.
Gangrel rasied his hand "I will count to three! Throw down your weapons, or your exalt becomes the world's largest quiver. One! Two! Thr-".
Chrom quickly made a choice "Gangrel, hold! ...You win. Everyone, lay down yo-".
"No wait!" Emmeryn called out.
"SILENCE!" Gangrel shouts.
"Emm..." Chrom said.
Emmeryn looks at the mad king "King Gangrel, is there no hope you will listen to reason?".
Gangrel sneered "You mean listen to more of your sanctimonious babble?! I think not. No, all I want is to hear a THUNK of arrows, and a SPLAT as you hit the ground. Take one, long, last look from your perch. You do so enjoy looking down on people... Then prepare to meet the ground, and your maker! That is, unless if someone were to give me the Emblem... NOW!".
"ALL RIGHT! All right... Emm, I know you won't approve, but this is my final decision. MAYBE someday we'll face a crisis where MAYBE the Emblem would've helped. But I know for a fact that Ylisse needs you, today! The people need their exalt... And we need our sister. If those dark days should come, we'll face them together" Chrom said.
"Chrom... Th-Thank you. I know now what I must do..." Emmeryn said.
Chrom looked worried "Emm, what are you-".
"Plegians! I ask that you hear the truth of my words! War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out. Free yourselves from this hatred! From this cycle of pain and vengeance. Do what you must... As I will do. See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!" Emmeryn said as she began walking to walk towards the edge.
"Emm, no! No!" Chrom said as began running.
"Chrom!" Cassandra called after him.
Chrom sprints across the landscape "Emmeryn!".
Emmeryn is standing on the edge of the cliff contemplatively. She is initially watching Chrom's desperate sprint to save her. She then turns ahead of her to face the edge of the cliff, with a stern look on her face.
"No reaction... Was I wrong then?" She looks up and sees a bird soaring in the sky "Chrom... This is some torch I'm passing you".
She then closes her eyes and bows her head.
"Hmph... So be it" Emmeryn opens her eyes and looks up again, this time with a determined and serious expression on her face.
She takes a single step forward. Chrom is now sprinting at full speed. He puts out a hand as if to signal Emmeryn to stop what she is doing; but Emmeryn's gaze remains straight ahead. After a brief pause, she falls, stiff-backed, from the edge of the cliff.
"EMMERYN!" Chroms screams in horror.
Emmeryn closses her eyes as her final thoughts goes out to her loved ones 'Chrom...Lissa... And all my people... Know... that I loved you'.
Her body hits the ground. Chrom, now walking in tired strides, collapses to his knees and buries his face in his hands, breathing heavily.
"Emm..." He said quietly.
It was as if time itself stopped. The Ylissians all had horrified faces, many were crying, including Lissa who could barely breath through her sobbing. Siegfried clenched his fist in anger and shame, and Cassandra just looked shocked... while tears ran down her face. Gangrel's evil laugh snapped her out of her trance as she noticed more Plagian soldiers were arriving.
She walked up to Chrom who was still on the ground "Chrom... We... We need to go... We...".
"Leave me alone" Chrom said in a angry and broken tone.
Cassandra gasped at his tone and looked down, Robin put a hand on her shoulder before looking at Chrom and spoke coldly "General, we have no time for this. The enemies are regrouping. We need to go before they surround us. Now get to your feet and act like a leader".
Chrom took a deep breath and stood up "You're right... We can't stay here. But I swear I will kill any Plagian I see, they will pay for this. Robin, gather everyone and move out".
"Yes... General" Robin said, and Cassandra noticed he was clenching his fists so tightly that he was beginning to bleed... Despite his cold tone, he was just as effected by what happened as everyone else.
As everyone were falling back, Lucina showed up her face full of dread "No! No... I'm too late... Our bleak future is written once more... And darkness awaits us all".
It had begun to rain as the Ylissians and their allies moved through Midmire. They had to fight of some Plagians that followed them until they reached their escape route. Everyone were exhausted, but did their best to help the injured get out. Cassandra noticed Lissa walking towards them, she was looking at the ground, her tears dripping along with the rain.
"Lissa, are you ok? Where I Chrom?" Cassandra asked as she gently held Lissa's shoulders.
"Chrom...? Yes, he's right behind me..." Lissa said as she turned around, but gasped when she noticed Chrom wasn't there "Oh no! He must've gone back to fight those soldiers who were chasing us!".
"That idiot! Robin, take care of the rest! I'll help Chrom!" Cassandra said as she took of running, carrying only her blade as she left her shield behind.
"Cassandra wait! You can't go alone! CASSANDRA!" Robin shouted after her.
Cassandra runs at full speed. What was that idiot thinking?! Was he trying to become a martyr? They already lost Emmeryn. If Chrom dies, the war is lost. Cassandra finally spots Chrom in the distance, he was on his knees, tired and beaten as several Plagian soldiers looks down at him.
"Finally had enough huh, little prince? Get ready to join your sister in hell! Die bastard!" A soldier said as he raised his sword to finish Chrom of.
Chrom glares "Damn you all...".
"Chrom!" Cassandra shouts as she rushed in front of Chrom, gaining a nasty wound on her side in the process.
"Cassandra!" Chrom said in shock and worry.
The Plagian glares "Bad move, you little wench!".
Cassandra growls before letting out an enraged scream as she swings her blade, slicing open the Plagian's throat. She quickly moves on to kill all remaining enemies in a blind fury, finally releasing all the rage she had built up ever since Emmeryn's death. Once all enemies were dead, Cassandra was breathing hard as Chrom watched her with a stunned face.
"Cassandra... what are you doing here? I ordered you to follow the rest" Chrom said.
"I couldn't just leave you behind..." Cassandra said before she let out a pained sound as she held her wound, looking ready to fall.
Chrom quickly got up and caught her "Cassandra, you're hurt! What were you thinking, taking a hit like that?".
"What was I thinking...? WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?" Cassandra screamed before she began to cry in to Chrom's chest "I... I was so scared! I thought I would find you dead! I still can't believe I made it in time! We already lost Emmeryn, we can't lose you to... I can't loose you...".
Chrom was silent for a moment before he held her close "I... I'm sorry, Cassandra... I was so consumed by my rage I didn't even think about the rest of you... I was selfish and stupid... I'm sorry, I will not do something this stupid again. Come on, let's head back to the others".
Cassandra winched as Chrom helped her walk, even carrying her sword for her "Chrom, I'm just slowing you down... Just leave me behind...".
"No, we already lost to much already" Chrom said.
"But if more enemies shows up I will just be in the way... Your people needs your Chrom..." Cassandra said.
"And I need you" Chrom said, surprising Cassandra before she gained a weak smile.
"You are such and fool sometimes..." Cassandra said weakly.
"Maybe, but if saving you makes me a fool, then I will remain one my whole life" Chrom said.
Cassandra said nothing. Chrom was so stubborn... and right now, maybe that was a good thing.
They walked for what felt like forever, Cassandra could feel herself growing weaker by the second. After a while they finally heard voice in the distance. Chrom looked up and saw Frederick and Siegfried rushing towards them, both looking relived to see them alive.
Chrom smiled "We made it! Cassandra, we made it, Lissa can heal you now... Cassandra?".
Cassandra said nothing as she suddenly collapsed, forcing Chrom to catch her before she could hit the ground.
"Cassandra! Cassandra wake up! CASSANDRA!" Chrom shouted in fear.
Cassandra could barely hear him... her injury had finally caught up with her... and everything went black.
.
Tell me what you think.