The Seacomers.
Two years has passed since the Plagian war ended. Since then, Ylisse slowly but surely recovered. Emmeryn's death wounded the hearts of the people, but her good deeds would be forever remembered, and her sacrifice helped win the war. Since then, Chrom has become the new ruler of Ylisse, with Cassandra as his queen. Their friends thought it was about time the two got married, as it was clear as water that they had feelings for each other. Cassandra was nervous about going from the daughter of a baker, to the Queen of Ylisse, but her friends assured they would help her. And having a beautiful child also helped Cassandra understand her responsibility.
However, the peace wasn't going to last much longer. As Chrom stood inside Ylisse's castle a Soldier ran up to him.
"Sire, a messenger from Regna Ferox" The Soldier said.
"See them in at once" Chrom ordered.
"Yes, milord" The Soldier exits, and soon enough, Raimi enters.
Raimi bows her head in respect "Prince Chrom, I come on behalf of Khan Regnant Flavia".
"Flavia? Well, this is a surprise. Is something amiss?" Chrom asked.
Raimi nods "I fear so, milord. The khan requests your presence at a summit as soon as you're able".
Chrom looked a little worried now "What's happened?".
"Our western neighbors of Valm are no longer acting so neighborly. The emperor, who they name the Conqueror, has launched warships against us" Raimi answered.
"An invasion? Are you certain of this?" Chrom asked.
Raimi nods again "Yes, milord. The khan hopes to meet with you in Ferox, if it please you".
Frederick looks at Chrom "What do you make of this, sire?".
"Ill business to be sure. Raimi, we will meet with Flavia at once..." Chrom said.
"So, our time of peace is over now" Everyone looked up and saw Cassandra waling in with baby Lucina in her arms.
"I know what you're thinking, Cassandra, but we owe Regna Ferox a great debt. I must apprise myself of the facts there before deciding on a course of action" Chrom said.
"You missunderstand, Chrom. I am not here to convince you to stay. I'm coming with you" Cassandra said.
Chrom looked unsure as he looked down on his child "B-but Lucina is newly born! She needs her mother now".
"Not as much as you do. Lucina will be safe here in the castle with the wet-nurses. You and Lissa were wet-nursed and you both turned out rather well from what I can see. Lucina is a strong child; she takes after you after all. The Brand in her left eye proves it. And I'd like to believe she takes after me too" Cassandra said in pride. Lucina may be soft now since she is a baby, but Cassandra had no doubts she would grow up strong.
"I'm not just worried about her. ...I'd worry about you as well" Chrom said.
"Come on now Chrom, after everything we went through, you should know by now that we are much stronger together. I did not leave you during our war against Plagia, and I am not going to let you leave without me" Cassandra declared.
Lissa smiled "Aw, let her come, Chrom! We all know she will find a way to come along even if try to leave her behind".
"All right, Cassandra. Just promise to stay safe. Lissa and I had Emm of course, but we lost our parents when we were young. I want Lucina to grow up with her whole family around her" Chrom said.
Cassandra looks down at Lucina "She will Chrom. We'll both make sure of it".
After making preparations, the Ylissian troops were ready to leave. Cassandra handed over Lucina to a wet-nurse and was about to head out... but the sound of her newborn child made her stop. Lucina had began crying, making Cassandra walk back and rubbed her cheek.
"It's ok, sweetie. Me and your father will be back as soon as possible. I promise" Cassandra said as she kissed Lucina's forehead.
Lucina calmed down only slightly and was still sobbing as Cassandra walked away to join the others. Her daughter's cries was enough to make tears run down Cassandra's face, which she quickly wiped away to avoid worrying the rest... She and Chrom needs to make it back... Lucina deserves to grow up with her family... her whole family.
They arrived at a village near the sea, foreign ships had already docked and the villagers where in clear terror. Whoever these strangers were, they did not have peaceful intentions.
The leader named Dalton glares at a villager "You dare board our ship, worm? I'll not discuss terms with a peasant; I will issue demands to all! Citizens! Soldiers! Hear my words! The Conqueror himself, Emperor Walhart, claims dominion over these lands! You will grant your new emperor your ships! You will grant him all your provender! You will grant him your loyalty and your every possession! And you will surrender this land's greatest treasure, the Fire Emblem! Do this, and your lives will be spared. Resist, and your lives are forfeit! Now, kneel! And swear fealty to the mighty Valmese Empire!".
"B-but if you take all that we have, how are we to make our living? Without food and ships, people will starve! Would you have us all die?" The villager asked in fear.
"You'll do for now" Dalton said as he kills the villager.
Chrom glares "These savages will never listen to reason. Everyone: prepare to engage!".
Frederick looked worried "Milord, are you certain? Another war...".
"I've had time to ponder Ylisse's place in the world, Frederick. ...And my own. We must stand against evil, in all its forms, or there can be no peace!" Chrom said.
A young woman named Cherche appears, riding on a wyvern "Might I join, sire? This may not be my country, but it is my cause. My dear Minerva here hungers for a bite of the action as well!".
The battle broke out. And it was anything but simple. The enemy forces were frighteningly strong, and it took a lot of effort just to kill one of them. Cassandra and Chrom ended up being separated during the chaos, and Cassandra stood ready to fight three enemies who were approaching her. However, before they could attack, someone dashed in and in a swift motion, knocked down each of them with a unique looking weapon.
It was a young man with tanned skin and black hair. He wears a white jacket that exposes his chest, white pants and black boots. One enemy tried to attack him, but he used his Nunchaku to trap the enemy's weapon, before delivering a powerful kick to his side and swiftly followed up with a strike to the head with his Nunchaku.
"Thank you" Cassandra said, impressed by the young man's skills.
"Don't worry about it, lady. These guys has been causing trouble everywhere they go. I've been waiting for a chance to finally make them stop" The Man said.
"Good to hear. I'm Cassandra by the way" Cassandra said.
The Man smiled "The name is Maxi. You look like you can handle yourself. Are you up for making these animals pay?".
"I am. As the queen of Ylisse, It's my duty to punish evil" Cassandra said.
Maxi blinked "Queen? Well this is new".
Cassandra smirked "Not all queens sit at home and bark orders".
"Ha! Sounds like a queen worthy of her throne. Ok, let's do this!" Maxi declared.
More enemy soldiers approached them. One reached Maxi who dodged his attack before kicking him away, and rolled away from another attacking from behind. As Maxi rolls away, he readies his Nunchaku, which he uses to beat down on several enemies that gets near him. More keeps coming and He quickly beats down on each opponent that nears him, felling each one in a single swift blow when he twirls his weapon around.
While he did that, Cassandra blocks a strike from an enemy sword, and stabs them in the chest. She then uses her shield to bash another enemy in the face before cutting him down with her sword. They were skilled, they fought like true warriors, not mindless savages. Cassandra had to keep her guard up constantly to avoid being overwhelmed. But with the help from Maxi, it looked like they succeeded in defeating their enemies.
However, before they could even think about celebrating, they heard screaming of pain and death.
Maxi's eyes grew wide with worry "My crew!".
He began sprinting at full speed. Cassandra quickly followed him... And when they arrived, they saw the bodies Maxi's crew litter the ground in pools of blood. Maxi stares in horror as Cassandra looked worried. Who, or what could've done this? They got their answer when something huge emerged from the carnage.
It was a humanoid looking creature with a bald head, dark gray skin, and an exaggerated physique featuring a massive upper torso supported by really strong legs. He has scars from and exposed core on his chest which stretch over to his backside. He was wearing large armored shoulder pads with a large spike sticking out, he wore something similar on his legs. He also wears a mouth guard, a collar fashioned after a snake, and wielding a large ax.
"More maggots for the slaughter" He said darkly.
Maxi glares at him with hatred "You bastard!".
He charges the giant in blind fury, leaping towards him with his Nunchaku swinging for a strike. The giant merely reached up with his large hand, grabbing Maxi by the neck before brutally tossing him in to a wall.
Cassandra quickly got ready "Who are you? What are you?".
"I am Astaroth. I am your death!" The giant named Astaroth roared as he rushed Cassandra like an angry bull.
Cassandra quickly dodged out of the and slashed the giant in the side... but the cut did little more than annoy anger her large foe, who retaliated with an ax swing. Cassandra managed to block, but the force of the blow sent her flying back, before she tumbled across the ground. Astaroth was somehow even stronger than he looked, Cassandra could not afford another hit like that. However, Astaroth wasn't giving her much choice as he charged in with several ax swings. Cassandra barely dodged most of them, and the few she couldn't, she had to block, and she could feel pain shoot through her arm each time she did.
Astaroth delivered a kick to Cassandra's chest, sending her back on the ground. She coughed in pain, feeling like her ribs had been cracked. She managed to stand back up and looked up to see Astaroth raising his ax to finish her of. Cassandra quickly raised her shield to block his attack... this could've been a fatal mistake if someone hadn't tackled her out of the way, causing Astaroth to hit the ground.
"Who dares!?" Astaroth growled out, but before he could get revenge on whoever robbed him of striking down the queen of Ylisse, Maxi had recovered from being thrown and attacked him.
Maxi unleashed a fast and powerful barrage of blows, which forced Astaroth back as each strike damaged his body more and more. He growls as he looked ready to continue, but the approaching Ylissian force was going to make this battle much more tideous than he expected... And voice inside his head informed him it was time to leave.
"You got lucky this time, maggot! But I will kill all of you next time!" Astaroth declared before he vanished with the help of magic.
"Damn you! I will kill you for what you've done! I swear I'll kill you!" Maxi shouts.
Cassandra was relived that the monster was gone, but so was whoever saved her... and she had a feeling she knew who it was.
"Cassandra!" Chrom shouts as he rushed up and grabbed her "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"
"I'm beaten up, but nothing our healers can't fix... but that monster was strong... he almost killed me" Cassandra admitted.
"I'm so glad you are safe. We won, but victory's come with a price..." Chrom said.
Basilio walks up "The town is in shambles, as is my army".
"This is most troubling news. Feroxi soldiers are the finest east of the long sea. If they are having trouble, we are ALL in trouble" Frederick said.
"That's not the half of it. This was just the vanguard—but a taste of the meal yet to come" Flavia said.
Basilio clenched his fist "And once it arrives, their host will wash over the whole continent in a matter of weeks. There's no way we could repel them and defend our people. It would be a slaughter".
"Ylisse is no better equipped to handle an attack from the sea... Robin, what do you suggest?" Chrom asked, hoping his friend had an idea.
Robin thinks "Hmm... Their greatest strength is their cavalry, which puts us at a disadvantage... on land. But if we were to catch them at SEA...".
"But how?! Ylisse has no warships, nor does Ferox" Chrom said.
"So we'd need aid from a kingdom that does..." Basilio said.
Flavia looks at him "You have someplace in mind, oaf?".
Basilio did have an idea, but he knew the others would not like it "Perhaps a land that borders the sea, with enough wealth to afford this campaign?".
"Plegia!" Robin realized.
"No. Absolutely not. Out of the question" Chrom said quickly, refusing to even consider allying with the people responsible for so much suffering for both his people and his family.
"They have gold, boy! Countless ships! And more importantly, we have a fart's chance in the wind without them" Basilio argued.
"The oaf is right. ...Crude, but right. There's only one path forward" Flavia said.
"Chrom, will you reconsider?" Robin asked.
Chrom looks at Cassandra "How do you feel about this? You are the queen, you also have a say in this".
Cassandra looked down for a moment before she sighed "Normally I would say no, that we don't need help from old enemies to defeat our new ones... But I have not come this close to death since I saved you after we lost Emmeryn. And I promised Lucina we would survive and come back home to her... So if allying with Plagia helps ensure our return to our child, then we don't have a choice".
Chrom was silent for a moment "...Very well. Send a messenger and request a summit immediately. Let us pray this new king is more reasonable than their last".
Robin nods in agreement "Indeed".
"You know, Robin... For your first time against Valmese forces, that was an impressive victory. You and Chrom have both grown quite adept. You should be proud" Flavia said, earning a grateful smile from Robin.
"Prince Chrom" They looked and saw Maxi walk up to them "My whole crew was killed by that monster. If you are really going to war, there is a chance he will show up again. And I want to be there when he does. Allow me to join you and I will gladly lend you my strength".
"He helped me Chrom, I believe we can trust him" Cassandra said.
Chrom nods and offers his hand to Maxi "We could use all the help we can get. I trust you will be of great aid for our side".
Maxi shakes his hand "You can count on it".
While they were talking, the future Lucina had retreated in to a nearby forest. She did it... she saved her mother from a crippling injury... But it was far to close, she almost didn't make it in time. Now... all she just had to make sure her parents wins this new war. She will not lose them again.
A while later, the Ylissian force received their answer.
"Milord, we have word from Plegia. They have agreed to meet with us at their outpost on Carrion Isle. A poor venue should things go sour, as the island's name makes plain. But then I don't see we have much of a choice" Frederick said.
"Cautious as ever, Frederick the Wary. Don't worry. We'll get our ships. This threat hangs over all of us—Plegia as well. They must see that" Chrom said.
"I hope so Chrom... We need to make it back to Lucina... every second away from her is painful. I want to be there to raise her, like a true mother should" Cassandra said.
Chrom took her hand "We will Cassandra. I promise".
Cassandra nods, taking comfort from her husband's words... They will make it back, one way or the other.
.
Tell me what you think.