Chapter 9

Something This Way Comes

They had assembled in the war room which lay beneath the audience chamber. Count Sullivan and his retainers alongside several high-ranking members of the Order of the Stampede, Lieutenant Rin who had delivered the news alongside several of her own knights, Lord Alain and his fellow Knights of the Vine, and finally Chrom and Atris.

There had been a mild protest amongst some of their peers, but Chrom's insistence on Atris being there deterred them. It also helped that apparently the Feroxi that had come earlier spoke of what happened at the Longfort which had impressed the county's ruler. With Count Sullivan on their side the tactician was allowed to not only attend but speak his mind on the situation.

The corpse army that lay near the border of Gran numbered in the thousands with rougher estimates placing the enemy somewhere around twenty-five hundred to three thousand. While news of the Risen had spread throughout Ylisse not all took it seriously. Some outright refused to believe in their existence, many others thought it a Plegian plot to sow fear and dissent throughout the halidom. Regardless there were no doubters within the room now, only believers.

It had only been a matter of time until the Risen would reveal themselves for the threat they were. Granted, Atris never would've guessed it would be so fast, nor could he have predicted the organization which they assembled themselves with. Still, even more concerning was the numbers, it simply didn't make sense how they had managed to acquire so many so fast, there was no possible way so many villages and towns had already fallen victim.

As the lieutenant continued to read off her report, she spoke not of the walking corpses of commoners armed with rusty spears, axes and flails. Armored cavalry, men-at-arms, archers, and the possibility of mages also existed, but their certainty could not be confirmed. There had also been suspicions of something else hiding amongst the dead, but just like the mages there had been no confirmation before the pegasus knights were forced to retreat.

To make matters worse the full might of Gran could not be mobilized. Most of the standing forces were scattered along the border in an attempt to halt the continually growing incursions of "bandits" from Plegia's borders. Their current forces were limited, with only a third of the count's army ready to march.

"I thank you for what knowledge you've brought us Knight Rin. There's a morbid irony to all this, the first army to test themselves against Gran in so long, and its Ylissian in make," Count Sullivan said with bitterness before looking up from the map to those assembled. "I welcome opinions to return the dead to their natural state." There was a tense silence as Atris considered the grim option he was going to put forth.

"I'm afraid we must meet them on the field," Atris said looking at the map. He studied the terrain looking for advantageous sites to meet their opponent. There were so many different variables to consider in where'd they chose to fight. Already it seemed like such a daunting task. A sudden uproar came across from him, yet the tactician's eyes didn't leave the map.

"You'd have us abandon Bastion!? The city that has broken dozens of sieges, stood defiant and unyielding in numerous wars! The prince calls you a tactician while suggesting something so utterly foolish!?" One of the bull knights called out. Atris' eyes only briefly glanced from the map to meet the man.

"This isn't conventional army, you can't break them by denying them food, water, or safety, even killing most of them won't cause a rout. By all means though, hold up in Bastion while Gran's people die."

There was a curtness and a hostility in his voice that was unlike him, and it surprised him for a moment. Perhaps it was the hypocrisy of the individual given the Order of the Stampede's history and legacy. No, that wasn't it, the truth was that he simply couldn't stand by. How many lives lay at their discretion? Hundreds? Thousands? He wouldn't stay safe within Bastion's walls while so many stood to die.

"You puffed up little-"

"Hold your tongue, sir knight. Do not think you have cause to insult my tactician." Chrom cut the man off. The man while silent did little to cease his scornful glare, something the prince returned in kind.

"We should recall the border guard, march with our full might on the enemy!"

"Recall the guard? Do you know how many days that would take? We'd be stuck in Bastion for near two weeks, how many people do you think would die!?"

"This is asinine, the tactician is right! Staying cooped up here is green thinking. We're the Order of the Stampede, we stampede gods damnit!" It wasn't long before tensions gave way to an argument erupting at the table.

"Enough!" The bull-lord's voice was like the cold winds of Regna Ferox, cutting through the heated words and dissent. "We must not give way to infighting, unless we plan to hold our funeral rites early!" There was an awkward silence as order was restored. With a slight nod to the tactician, the count's face began to relax. "With that said I agree with Atris' logic on the situation; besides we are bulls. We will run our enemy back into their graves."

The tactician's thoughts focused on the forces readily available for the upcoming battle. The Order of the Stampede was a heavily armed and armored cavalry that specialized in using long-hafted two-handed axes and a weapon known as a wyvern crusher, a large hammer like polearm meant to smash through armor, and beastly scale alike. Their horses were just as armored like galloping suits of steel. They were also equipped with a special headpiece that bore large and sharpened tusks, something the horses were trained to use quite well.

Unlike most cavalry, the bull knights didn't rely on the shock of the charge to do the most damage. Instead, they preferred to crash into the enemy ranks like a plated fist, as knight and horse, hacked, broke, and gored the enemy in tandem. Such a brutal sight was one to break even trained and disciplined soldiers. While morale wasn't a factor for their enemy, that same brutality would still serve them well on the field.

The Order of the Vine, despite their small number of only thirty knights valiantly declared their intent to fight. Not nearly as armored as their peers, the vine knights preferred speed and the rush of the wind as they brought lances to bear, Sir Alain described themselves as the best shock cavalry in all Ylisse. The vine knights also specialized in mobile skirmishing, armed with specialized crossbows for horseback that they all learned to shoot one handed, and often did before charging into the flank.

Both orders brought with them incredibly useful attributes, after all it was the more on the move tactics that allowed them to win the battle at the forest by dividing their numbers, and a unit that could charge in and hack apart the Risen while having enough staying power would help circumvent their number advantage.

There were also Gran's defenders, a mix of regional fighters and the count's army. Largely equipped with long and sturdy chain hauberk alongside other protective coverings with the count's army also bearing coats of plate. Gran largely favored battle-axes adorned with spiked tips that were used alongside large teardrop kite shields. Usually throwing axes were also supplied to the count's army allowing infantry to skirmish before a charge. All said, Gran's defenders were resolute and stubborn fighters capable of lengthy and protracted combat.

It was in terms of ranged capabilities Atris began to worry slightly. Unlike in Themis, Gran had never quite developed a tradition for marksmanship or archery. The count's army largely used heavy crank operated crossbows that while powerful enough to rival the strongest war bows were incredibly lacking in speed. Meanwhile the regional fighters would most likely be bringing a mix of lighter war bows and crossbows, or Naga forbid hunting bows.

Finally, there was the Order of the Rainbow Zephyr, knights mounted on pegasai that were capable mage killers due to their steed's resistance to magic. With control of the skies these knights could charge undeterred where they wished to break apart formations, or rain down javelins on the ranks. Still, they remained susceptible to archers, wind magic could guard them from arrows, but it was best to keep an active eye on them all the same.

Atris' eyes searched the map for any spot that could be where they'd make their stand. Defensive nature, outlying settlements and bull knight chapterhouses to seek reinforcements from as they marched, even the distance from the horde needed to be considered. It had to be close enough to lure them in, while being far away enough to give them time to prepare.

All of these and more were variables he considered for where they would ultimately fight. The task before him was less of finding a needle in a haystack and more finding a particular piece of hay instead. Suddenly his eyes locked onto it, an asymmetrical canyon that lay west of the hordes last known location.

"What is this place?"

"That would be Whistler's Pass. Strong winds produced there tend to cause a sharp whistling sound to echo throughout the canyon." Countess Lyra responded promptly and stepped away to bring a more detailed map of the area. As the woman spread the map over the table, creasing the edges to lay them flat things were coming together in his head.

At first he thought to launch a two-pronged attack on the Risen, luring them into the canyon and hitting them from behind. However, this would leave them largely boxed in with an enemy which had displayed no limitations to their stamina. This couldn't be resolved by a simple slugging match, they needed to go on the offense and bring their full might upon the threat and end it quickly. Narrowing his eyes, more and more the plan was coming to him of how to do just that.

"So, this is what we know of the Risen. One, they appear to grow more coordinated on a personal level in greater numbers, they fight more like people instead of mindless shambling corpses. Two, despite this greater personal cohesion they appear to need a leader to coordinate them, otherwise they simply swarm about with no greater direction." As the tactician explained he began to draw their battle lines starting with their infantry, and then he began marking down their cavalry.

"I'm proposing the lines I've laid out with our best fighters making up the center. Thanks to the canyon's cover our right flank will be secured, meaning if they wish to flank us with their cavalry it'll have to be on the left. That said I'm none too worried with what I'm told there's no better heavy cavalry than the bull knights, right?" Atris looked up a cocky grin on his face as said knights saluted the statement with Count Sullivan letting out an amused chortle.

"Where would you have the Knights of the Vine? I hope you don't plan for us to sit on our laurels." Sir Alain questioned with a bit of prideful curiosity, but Atris appreciated the eagerness.

"The Knights of the Vine in this plan will be regulated to a skirmishing role at first. I've read on the marksmanship on your order and combined with the speed of your steeds you'll be able to disrupt and distract the enemy cavalry while the bull knights complete their first objective." Sir Alain nodded satisfied as Atris continued.

"This is my plan ultimately. The bull knights and the vine knights will ride out to meet the enemy cavalry on the left. The vines will engage and draw them away with their crossbows while the bulls advance on the enemy archers to destroy them. Once the bull knights have completed their first objective, they'll signal the vine knights to lure the enemy cavalry in where they'll be crushed by the two."

"Meanwhile all our ranged units will be focused on hitting their left flank as our infantry moves up to draw theirs in. I'm thinking we construct some kind of earthworks or a platform so our heavier crossbows can continue shooting once the battle begins. From there we must hold the line alongside the pegasus knights whose primary role will be disrupting the enemy's front ranks and hunting down possible mages."

"Once the bulls and vines have destroyed the enemy cavalry, they'll sound their intent to charge into the rear which is when our center will push up forming a bulge. At the same time our left's reserves will thin out and wrap around their flank." Atris finished the general gist of his plan, his eyes wondering over to Chrom who nodded looking at the map and then to the tactician.

"Even with their greater numbers they'll be surrounded. From there we take the fight to them and drive them either into the canyon wall or into our blades," Chrom said the pride evident not only in his words, but in the man's eyes at seeing the end result of the plan. Atris smiled and nodded back to the prince.

"I noticed you left out our mages in this scenario," Lieutenant Rin inquired.

"The mages of Gran are scattered about the county on various assignments at my behest. I've already issued their crows to be dispatched as we speak, I'll have clearer details before we march," Count Sullivan answered the pegasus knight.

"Out of curiosity what makes you think our left will be able to outflank them?" Countess Lyra questioned, in an appreciatively genuine nature.

"Aside from the damage we'll have done to that side? I'm relying on them to bite the carrot that is our center. Such an audacious push should draw not only their focus, but the one leading them as well. Once we kill that abomination the Risen won't be able to form a coherent defense."

"I can see why you wished our best fighters to be there, naturally my axe will aid in carving out this rotted oak," the bull-lord declared brazenly. Despite her attempts to hide it the countess' lips twitched with distress. It was then the man took his wife's mailed hand off the table and held it gingerly, the two exchanging a simple nod and looks of utter resolve. With a glint in his eye, the count turned to Chrom and Atris. "I also wish to see more of the prince's abilities, and if his cunning tactician can replicate his feats at the Longfort and the Arena."

The plan was rough, and it would need to be refined before a final version was put forth, but the consensus in the room was clear. This would be the plan that was put forth, the plan they would place their lives on. It was strange, Atris should've felt stressed over this and yet he didn't. This was sure to work, and he was more than willing to put his life on the line to prove it would.

There had been milder discussion over the plan following its overall formation, things that Atris largely did not challenge. Specific people to lead which parts of their formations, who would take charge of the bulls in place of the count, who was going to act as bait to lure the horde their way. On the last part it was decided a group of thirty riders were to be outfitted and alert various settlements to organize a skirmishing retreat to the canyon. This would also work in reducing the numbers of the Risen while increasing their own, a strategy he could really get behind.

The count having called the meeting to an end for now as there was much work to be done over the night so they might move early tomorrow, Atris wandered the halls thinking of ways to use the mages. While he was still waiting for a firmer grasp of their situation, the count had given him a rough estimate of the numbers and type of mages at their disposal.

The fire mages were easy enough, he would pair them up alongside the vine knights. Fire spells, at least basic ones simply needed to be projected to a location and not aimed, this would give their more mobile skirmishers extra boom alongside their crossbows. For those that had never ridden before, well thankfully all they needed to do was stay in the saddle. The thunder mages also seemed rather simple, as of now he would split their numbers in half placing each on their left and right. From there they'd be throwing every spell they could cast at the horde.

It was the wind mages that gave him a slight pause. With nothing to contest their aerial dominance only a few could be assigned to aid in protecting the pegasus knights without disrupting their cohesion. Some would be dispatched to punch a hole when they overtook the left, still that left available mages. Atris stopped abruptly when an idea came to him, turning on his heels and sprinting off to see his favorite archer. There was no hiding the giddiness at testing this bit of speculation he had.

"Excuse me, you wish us to try what exactly?" The noble scrunched his nose at the suggestion as if the tactician emitted some offensive odor.

"I want to perform an experiment to see if wind magic can be used to empower our archers and arbalists. Wind is capable of outright knocking arrows and bolts from their path, perhaps the reverse might hold some ground?" Atris said plainly unsure of why Virion was acting so snobbish over this.

"My dearest and most aspiring tactician. The art of the bow is sacred! It... it must not be profaned with such parlor tricks, give me time to drill these ungentlemanly lot and I'll-" A sudden yelp of pain escaped the noble as Atris kicked him in the shin.

"I'm sorry Virion, but let's do a thought experiment. I just kicked you with my foot, now imagine that is an axe hacking into your leg instead." The two went silent for a moment as the archer simply frowned at him. "This is where your pride is leading you. If it doesn't work then nothing is harmed, but if we prove it has merit then we'll boost our ranged capabilities tremendously against you know, the corpse army breathing down our neck." Despite his best efforts he couldn't help adding a bit of snark near the end. With a conciliatory raising of his hands Virion agreed.

Thankfully they still had light, he wagered an hour or two before night had come fully. Much to Virion's dismay the two of them had carried one of the archery targets all the way out of the city and into the valley. There simply wasn't enough room to properly conduct their little experiment, so they were forced to rough it for a bit. Once the two had found a spot, Virion had made his woes and weariness quite clear to the tactician.

So it was that Atris offered his fellow experimenter some water from his flask, the archer making a comment that he wished for something more potent. A simple stare was all the primped-up noble got from him. Resigned to simply drinking water, Virion did so, taking long needy gulps. Atris never quite understood how the man could have the strength and endurance to wield his bow, but the moment it came to lifting anything the man keeled over in minutes. They had time though; a simple rest wouldn't harm anything.

Ten or so minutes later, Virion strung his bow and let loose several arrows as a warmup with him splitting one of the arrows down the middle, the showoff. The two readied themselves and once Atris called out Virion loosed, with a wind spell following shortly afterward. A clatter as the arrow had smacked the target and bounded off the rock. However, upon observation the arrow had snapped in half. It seemed they were onto something, although the archer shook his head in a sign of exasperation at the tactician's giddiness.

After an hour of trial and error they found that Atris' theory proved correct. The last attempt sent the arrow straight through the archery target and with a degree of accuracy that Virion found acceptable. However, this would ultimately lead to the tactician's disappointment. The time the spell needed to be fired off in conjunction with the spell was simply impossible for formation-based fighting, unless the archers were targeting the sky. The combination of arrow volleys and wind magic could rip apart even wyverns, but its effectiveness against ground units was a demonstrable failure.

With the testing effectively over the two of them, much to Atris' surprise dragged back the archery target to the range. Once their task had been completed the archer had made it quite clear he was done with manual labor for the day and excused himself to make some tea. Atris drummed his temple, brow arched. Where in Naga's name did Virion keep getting all that tea? Wandering back to his room and lost in his thoughts he was taken by surprise by the sudden seizure of his arm.

"What in the-!?" He flailed about almost knocking him and his mysterious assailant to the ground. A dazed brown-haired pegasus knight was clinging to him for dear life. "Sumia what are you doing!?"

"Trying not to fall! You didn't need to freak out that badly," she huffed at him as the two regained their footing. "I just wanted to introduce you to Cordelia. She's going to be part of the battle, just figure you two should meet each other. You're the one who's largely responsible for the planning the battle after all." Atris pondered it for a moment. He remembered that the woman in question was a pegasus knight, perhaps a liaison with one of them would inspire greater confidence in the plan.

"Alright, why not? Just, uh next time don't start pulling me around like a toy, please?" He pleaded with her and was relieved when she gave him a cheerful nod in return. The two walked down several corridors until finally stopping at the door where her friend was staying. A quick knock with an invitation to enter following.

Entering after Sumia, Atris had prepared himself for any questions or concerns and even a bit of small talk if Cordelia was so interested. Well, he had been until his gaze met a red-headed woman that was rushing to meet Sumia, the two women both eager to embrace one another. He groaned inwardly, of course it had to be her. What were the odds that not only was she one of the twenty knights that made up the squad, but also happened to be Sumia's friend? Truly it felt like some higher power was just taunting him at this point.

"Atris? Atris!" He snapped out of his stupor and looked over to Sumia who was looking at him strangely. "Are you okay?" The tactician in him made an executive order and simply if slightly blankly nodded. "Okay, well this is Cordelia. Cordelia, meet Atris. He's our tactician and you should see some of the stuff he can do! Heck, even off the battlefield he's incredible!"

"I don't know about all that, Sumia. I think you're overselling me a bit. That said, I'm capable." He extended his hand to Cordelia. He gave the woman a bit of an energetic smile, he was being utterly ridiculous about this whole thing. There was no way she remembered him, that little debacle with Lady Emmeryn happened more than a month ago.

"Capable enough to hold off a Feroxi platoon with four people? I've been excited to meet you after we met those Feroxi messengers. They were quick to sing yours and his Highness's achievements," she replied cordially. Even if she was just being polite, it was better than her- "Have we met somewhere before?" she asked, her hand coming to her mouth, as Cordelia assumed a quizzical stance.

Atris did his best not to freeze up at the woman's ever so slightly narrowing eyes. By the Gods she did remember! She remembered him staring at her like some massive creep! The tactician had to remain cool, he had put himself in life threatening situations before, he just had to remain in control of himself and be an adult. How hard could it be to really talk to this woman?

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe we have met before. I was only in Ylisstol for a brief period before leaving with the Shepherds to Regna Ferox." It had been a sensible reply, now if he could try and look the woman in the eyes without getting lost in them.

"I never said we met in Ylisstol, Atris." Cordelia removed her hand from her mouth to reveal a rather sly and observing smile, her words also had far more interest in them than before. With that the tactician cleared his throat and opted for the only choice when faced with a no-win scenario, a tactical retreat.

With a rushed politeness he excused himself and did his best not to bolt out the room, he hadn't even given time for Sumia or Cordelia to respond to him. Too shocked were they at his bold attempt to flee the battleground. Still, discretion was the better part of valor, or he simply ran away from a conversation like a child. He groaned knowing that sooner or later one of the two pegasus knights was going to straighten this out, but for now he was content to avoid it for one more day.

The next day came sooner than he expected. Surprised that a certain Feroxi swordsman stirred him from his slumber with a gruff "get up". At the very least Lon'qu kept to himself, he hadn't bothered to ask why the tactician nearly ran through their door and almost bolted it shut. He simply arched his brow in silent judgement, but that was better than verbal judgement. Besides, once he muttered the word women the judgement disappeared.

The march had been hard, none of the Shepherds were used to marching amongst such rough terrain with the exception of Sully, and even she got bogged down after some time. The exhaustive slog wore on them, even worse it seemed that each night when they should've had some respite there was none to be found. They all woke restless and unprepared for the day and the trek ahead.

There was something else, it wasn't just simple weariness that plagued the Shepherds. Atris could sense something wrong in the air, something born of pure malignance that stirred dark thoughts and emotions. The dark energies that stagnated the air would culminate when later that night a fight broke out amongst the Shepherds, between Stahl and Kellam of all people. Atris would've never believed it had he not been one of the people restraining Stahl.

When they finally separated the two men and calmed them down it was like they had just come out of a daze. They had no recollection of a fight ever breaking out or even what the two would brawl over, if anything they both seemed equally shocked and in disbelief at what had occurred. What was going on? This couldn't be the work of an enemy spell, none of their mages had detected any magic, and all he could feel was this... this... he didn't know how to describe it, but his chest hollowed as the feelings inside him poisoned his thinking.

Perhaps it had been for the best he had so far managed to avoid the three women who no doubt had complicated his life so much recently. Sumia flew along Cordelia and the rest of the pegasus knights acting as aerial scouts. While Lissa usually kept to the rear of their convoy overseeing their medical supplies safe transportation amidst the rocky grounds they now tread.

The hollowness in his chest did little to prevent him from feeling his heart sink at the thought of the princess. She had been rather despondent since their march started, and whatever wickedness resided within the air around them was not the culprit, at least not fully. Atris knew full well he was partly to blame for terrible feelings that no doubt plagued the woman. He had to set things right with her before he...if he...

Atris' breath became shallower at his thoughts. Try as he might to shake them free, they had rooted themselves deep within his mind. There was no hiding from the truth, there was a very distinct possibility he was going to die. Like the other Shepherds he was going to fight in the center, and he wouldn't have put himself anywhere else. If he couldn't show faith in his own plan, why should others? Still, he felt a deep and primeval feeling that turned his blood to ice. It almost reminded him of that night in the forest so long ago.

Breaking ground, the army had begun to set up camp, a thankful distraction from the thoughts that burdened him. Yet, once the work had been done and the site fully set up, he had been reminded of why he had quickly grown to hate army camps. The sounds, the smells, everything about it lacked the intimacy and quirks of the smaller and far more humble camps they had made on their journey. It would not be long before the thoughts and feelings returned, competing with sensations around him to distract him.

While the poisonous thoughts and emotions that simmered within him only grew greater, he refused to give them ground when it came to the plan. Going over the latest troops reports and recruitment from the latest settlement to join them, their numbers now came close to fifteen hundred or so and there was a possibility they might even reach two thousand before the battle commenced.

Going over the plans for the sixth time he continued again and again to review it. Tomorrow was the day the plans would be more or less finalized and put forth. Pulling out a copy map of Whistler's Pass that Countess Lyra had been so kind to give him, his eyes narrowed, and his finger trailed down the rough fabric. Putting the map aside, he jotted a few notes and shook his head and began to drum his fingers on his temple deep in thought

Or well he should've been deep in thought, yet something kept taking him out of it. It was some infernal sound that seemed to be match the pace of his fingers, what in the hells was going on? Finally giving up his previous thoughts, he at last noticed a brown-haired pegasus knight whose foot was tapping to the rhythm of his fingers. Atris paled slightly at the sight of the woman, although he knew this would happen eventually.

"Atris, what happened back in Bastion? I'm not mad at you, I'm just concerned." Sumia smiled down at him the tapping stopping; she had been doing it in at lighthearted manner the entire time. It was clear from her eyes this playful demeanor was one she was forcing, even Sumia couldn't fight this off.

"I...I... oh fine. My first day in Ylisstol, Chrom dragged me in front of Lady Emmeryn. Cordelia happened to be there, and I was... I got nervous at the situation and started staring at her. She caught me and I... I kind of feel like a creep about, okay?" he confessed, leaving out the part where the reason he ended up staring at all was due to the woman's beauty.

"Yea, she had you pegged the moment you mention Ylisstol and then scrambled out the room." A teasing tone in her voice. "But she doesn't think you're a creep, maybe a bit weird with you running off like that. Still, she would like to have an actual conversation with you in the future, I mean it's not every day you find a guy who likes, 'The Light in Betwixt'!" Sumia beamed at him. The mention of that book should've inspired something far more genuine than the smile he gave her.

The smile soon faded from the pegasus knight as she knelt in front of him and placed both her hands on his shoulders. Atris tried to meet her gaze but found himself unable to each time he tried. Sumia squeezed his shoulders and finally the two made eye contact. The woman was no longer hiding the negative emotions that swirled about within her.

"I'm... I'm scared too, Atris. I don't know what's going on, this... this doesn't feel like before, back during our journey to Regna Ferox. I don't understand it, but we need to stick together more now than ever! It's when we all stand side by side we are at our strongest!" Atris took one of Sumia's hands off him and gave it a reassuring squeeze and nodded to the woman. This time he tried his best to make the smile more real this time.

"I know, and you're right we have to keep marching together as one. No matter what awaits us ahead." Sumia nodded back and gave him a tight embrace. There was a part of him that wanted to return that embrace just as tightly, yet he never did, and he didn't know why. As the woman got up and was about to leave, she turned to him.

"Cordelia really does look forward to talking to you, I know she might come off a bit more formal than you're used to but that just nerves. I know you two will hit it off!" Atris gave another untrue smile and nodded to her, and soon the woman disappeared entirely.

Atris lay back his false smile soon faltering. He didn't think there'd be a chance to have that conversation with Cordelia. The feelings that had come to grow and consume him had changed. It wasn't simply fear that gripped him, but a slowly festering despair. What had been a possibility had become a slow acceptance he would die. Sitting back up the tactician looked down at the plans before him. There was something else finally within him, it was anger, even if he died, he would refuse to let the others.

Despite the best efforts of both the count and the countess, the army was also slowly succumbing to the hostile forces that conspired against them. More than a few of the soldiers had begun to blame the Plegians, the gathered grumblings became louder and were eventually put to an end by a furious Count Sullivan when talk spread amongst the soldiers of finding the hidden Plegians and making them "pray". Atris didn't understand the last part, or the count's seemingly intimate fury at the words. At the very least none of their soldiers were going rogue for asinine reasons.

It was such a strange feeling, like his hips were being pulled forward of their own volition. There was also the slight swaying about, and the height just felt wrong. Still, he took to riding a horse far better than he thought, didn't even need help saddling on his first go. Looking down at the steed he stroked her mane and was rewarded with a quick and excited huff from the creature, at least the horses seemed unaffected from the recent malady.

Atris was currently on a scouting run alongside Chrom and a few soldiers, the negative energies that had been gathering in camp eventually came to overwhelm the tactician and he sought some form of escape even if it was brief and only partially distracted him. Normally their aerial scouts would've been sufficient, but a rather large stretch of forest located within this section of the valley made such observation difficult. That said more likely than not nothing dwelled within here to give them pause, still better to err on the side of caution.

As the party made their way deeper into the forest his eye fell on the blue-haired royal, the man's face stoic and serious. It wasn't a pondering or thoughtful serious, but a grim one that looked terrible on the otherwise lively man. Yet, there was also this determination within the prince. Atris didn't doubt that Chrom even now still fought valiantly against whatever forces besieged them.

The thought of his friend caused a small twinge of guilt came over him, he still had not told the man of the memory or premonition that came to him almost a week ago. So many times he planned to tell his friend of what happened that night and yet circumstances had ruined those chances. Atris' eyes narrowed; a sound had disturbed his thoughts. Raising his hand, he brought their group to a halt, Chrom's eyes glanced over to him.

"So, you heard it too then?" The man's words were barely a whisper. A simple nod was his answer as Chrom gripped the reins of their horse tighter and ordered a silent dismount.

The group stalked silently further in the woods, their hands clenching their weapons ready for a fight. As they drew nearer to where Atris and Chrom heard the disturbance, two voices rang out from the otherwise silent woods. Stopping to hear them, the voices seemed to belong to a girl or a young woman, the other was definitely a man albeit one with an odd accent.

"Geez, Gramps, at this rate we'll miss them again. I'm just letting you know I'm gonna be so miffed if we have to rough it again," The young woman spoke to her companion a bouncy energy in her voice.

"The Little Lady of deceptive age has been asked many times to cease with the name of 'Gramps'," The man said, a bit of an agitated growl in his voice. Despite that the young woman let out a giggle.

"Alright then dust off those bones and I'll stop calling you that. We've an army to catch up to! Destiny calls and all that, y'know?" Atris couldn't detect any hostility in their tones. Looking over to Chrom they gave him a baffled look before both men simply shrugged in unison.

"Hello there, we mean you no ill will. With that said I need your names and your intentions," the prince called out mustering authority in his voice as the group emerged from the foliage. While they maintained a more relaxed posture, they still kept their hands near their weapons. With the two in clear view, Atris saw the girl perk up while the man gave a lazy yawn and rolled his shoulders.

The girl was perhaps fourteen, maybe fifteen at the oldest with long, wild green hair and a prominent cowlick in the front. Her face was soft, round and had a youthful spirit that matched her eyes. She wore a bright red vest with the color nearly bordering on pink alongside a bright white undershirt with the cuffs ending in ruffles. A pair of dark gloves that matched the girl's trousers that were held up by a belt sporting a large heart as the buckle. Strangest of all were her ears, they were long and triangular ending sharp points.

Looking over to the man, he appeared to be in his late thirties to early forties with a face like it had been hewn from stone and short, spiked red hair that had been slicked back. Wearing a gambeson colored primarily in cream and soft brown, the man also sported a sturdy and plain breastplate that complimented his gauntlets and greaves. He also had a rather oversized pauldron on his left shoulder, no doubt to use as a quasi-shield. To the man's side lay a rather large poleaxe, and at his hip was a rather fetching broad sword.

"Taking bets these are the guys we are supposed to find!" The girl hopped up full of lively and spirited energy that the Shepherds had been deprived of recently.

"No doubt the Little Lady would be sweeping house if Gregor took such a bet." The man retorted as Atris' brow arched, did he just refer to himself in third person? As the prince and the tactician simply stared at the two, the girl suddenly coughed to get their attention.

"Sorry, got a bit carried away. Anyway, I'm Nowi and the bag of old bones back there as you might've figured is called Gregor." Gregor cast his companion a side glance and sighed. Nowi's only response to the man was to flash him an innocent smile. "With that said we're here to join your army!"

"You're... here to fight alongside us? Why?" Atris questioned, folding his arms as he examined the two. They seemed like a strange pair, yet still they didn't seem like bad people.

"Er... perhaps Gregor should be the one explaining such things. The Little Lady is guided by things not so... physical."

"Yep, straight from Naga's mouth to my ears!" Nowi placed her finger on her cheekbone in a contemplative manner. "Actually, she really didn't so much tell me to come here as... direct me? I guess it's from her mouth to my gut instinct? Ah, that's all irreverent, the point ultimately is I'm here and Gregor is too!"

Gregor let out a small groan, the red-haired man covering their face as if embarrassed. Meanwhile, both Chrom and Atris stared incredulously at Nowi. Was she seriously claiming that a goddess had told her to join them? If such a thing were true, the tactician wished that Naga decided to show her favor with perhaps a few extra thousand troops, or just wiping out the Risen threat altogether. That would definitely be nice. Looking over to his friend, Chrom cleared his throat loudly.

"Okay, even if your motives might be... something. Let's just say for now I believe you, what exactly can you bring to our army?" Nowi perked up to say something when her red-headed companion placed his hand down on her head silencing her, a frown growing on the wild-haired girl.

"Gregor assures you he is bringing much skill to you. You march alongside the lord Sullivan, no? The bull-man can vouch for Gregor's abilities. The Little Lady however, she still be needing a bit in training." Nowi's frown grew even more as her eyes widened and swatted at her companion's hand and turned on her heels to face the man, hands on her hips.

"Whatcha on about 'training', ya frickin'jerk!" Nowi shouted at Gregor, her posture soon relaxing as the man smiled with satisfaction at her fiery attitude. Turning back to the group, the girl rolled her eyes. "Yea, yea, good job you got me for all the gramps talk. With that said, let me show you just what I can do!"

Nowi's smile had become far more sly, almost mischievous as she took a large stone out of her trouser pocket. The stone was a brilliant emerald green, perfectly spherical and held no flaws of any kind. As the girl raised it above her head, a flash of radiant light poured forth not only from the stone, but the girl's very body as the group shielded their eyes from the brilliance.

As the light finally died, Atris finally forced himself to look upon what was before him. An audible gasp came from him as he stared at where the girl had been, a massive creature bigger than a house had replaced her. It stood on two legs balanced by a long thick tail with skin near the color of gold and two beautiful large wings the color of the vibrant gem from before. The creature reared, throwing its head back into the air and from its mouth breathed a sapphiric fire.

"Behold puny mortals, the power of the magnificent and mighty Nowi!" the dragon spoke with Nowi's voice, albeit heavily distorted. It wasn't long before the mask of might and majesty she wore fell off, a flourish of gleeful and girlish giggling soon following the proclamation.

To his surprise the corners of his mouth turned up, a slow and genuine smile, the first in so long to come to him. Perhaps it was the juxtaposition of such a creature having the voice of a little girl, or the giggling that followed. Maybe it was the fact Chrom looked on still in utter awe despite all these things. Shaking his head Atris as he tried his best to keep his composure lest he lose himself entirely.

"The way you talk you almost seem to be expecting applause." The smile had fully come to him as Nowi focused her eyes on him.

"I mean some applause would be nice. I thought I was pretty impressive." Atris gave the girl just what she wanted and vigorously clapped for her as she bowed her head several times in response. Chrom, finally shaking out of his stupor, walked slowly towards Nowi still slightly in awe.

"You're... you're a manakete, a descendant of the ancient dragons. I didn't think any of your kind still lived." The dragon girl tilted her head as if confused by the statement.

"Is that what I am? Huh, that's way cooler than just being able to shapeshift!" The prince looked at the girl completely perplexed.

"You... you mean to tell me you don't even know what you are?" Nowi's head snapped down to face the prince as her feet stomped in place.

"It's not like Naga holds a formal class on this you cerulean-haired meat head!" The dragon let out a quick and annoyed huff after she was done shouting.

All the wonderment and awe in Chrom evaporated instantly. The sound of Gregor's stifling laughs followed by the paled look on his friend's face, the words "meat head" mouthed silently in confusion and dismay. It sent him over the edge. Atris started laughing, gripping his knees for support as the entire group soon followed suit.

After a swift punch to the shoulder by a slightly annoyed Chrom, the tactician regained his composure. While Nowi's reasoning to join them had been laid out in the form of divine intervention, the prince inquired on why Gregor traveled alongside the manakete. The man explained he was a mercenary, but in the recent weeks had become indebted to the dragon girl after she saved his life. The mercenary did inquire about a small commission fee before they left and was rewarded with Nowi giving the man a swift kick.

The ride back had been rather nice, Chrom rode ahead of them his horse reflecting the man's satisfaction with a confident strut. Gregor meanwhile had opted to walk, sharing a gallon jug no doubt filled with liquor with the other soldiers that traveled beside them. A mix of needy gasps followed by number of hacking coughs came from the soldiers as they reveled in their brief merriment with the man.

Nowi though had decided to ride along with Atris. When questioned why she didn't simply take to the skies, the girl explained that her time being transformed was taxing and she could only maintain the form so long each day before it became increasingly hard to control. Despite that explanation what wasn't explained was the odd gestures the dragon girl performed as they rode together. She started taking frequent and small sniffs as if to get his scent, then it was followed up by these odd pawing motions on his upper back.

"Y'know you got this familiarity to you, I'm sure of it!" Atris' eyes widened slightly as he turned his head to better see the manakete.

"H-have we met before?"

"What? No, I'm sorry, I just meant you've got this familiar aura about you." All the amnesiac could do was mumble out a simple "oh". Despite his efforts disappointment rang in his voice and he turned his gaze away from the manakete. Soon after he felt a prodding in his shoulder as Nowi peaked around his body to look up at him. "Are you okay?"

"Er... yes, I suppose." He wondered about telling the dragon girl about his condition, it seemed a lot to put on someone they just met. She'd find out eventually though. "When you said I seemed familiar, I guess I just got a bit overly excited. I have no memory of who I am. I know nothing about my family, friends where I was born or even my age. Effectively my life started around a month and a half ago when Chrom found me in a field."

The manakete frowned up at him with a peculiarity in her eyes before she returned to a normal riding position. There was an awkward silence between the two, it was as if Nowi wished to say more. Soon he felt the girl rest her forehead on his back, an odd stifling sound coming from her. As he went to ask her if she was okay, the girl's voice stopped him.

"Atris, I know we just met... but can I offer you some advice?"

"Sure. I welcome whatever it is you have to say."

"There'll be a point when you're content with the life you have, that perhaps the things that used to be don't matter so much. It'll be then the past comes back to tempt you with those things. It's one thing to follow the past to find those things, it's another to chase after them. There's only disappointment and bitterness waiting for you down that road."

Atris bit his lip; of everything the dragon girl could've said he hadn't expected that. It was unnerving and it scared him slightly considering recent events. A part of him wondered if the girl could read minds but given how she acted before she'd probably boast about that. There was also another part of the girl's speech that had bothered him though, gone was that confident and fiery energy from before. Nowi's words were somber, too somber for a girl her age.

"You sound like you're talking from experience."

"Yea, I am. You'd figure after being a thousand or so years old I'd be better at this whole life thing. Nope, I'm still learning with each step."

"Y-you're a thousand years old!?" Atris stammered out as he could feel Nowi's excitement growing from how her head nodded into his back. A smile came back to him once more. "A thousand years old, descendant of dragons, can offer small pearls of wisdom. Pretty impressive if you ask me."

"Heh, well I'm a pretty impressive person!" Nowi declared rather loudly. Atris could already picture the manakete's energetic and self-assured grin, he simply shook his head amused by the image. Their new companions and especially Nowi had given him a small reprieve.

As the days and the army marched on to their destination, their newfound companions had not only endeared themselves to the other Shepherds, but the army as a whole. Overnight morale sharply improved, and while Atris still couldn't shake the feelings and thoughts within him that didn't dissuade him from the task before him. Finalizing the last parts of their battle plans, the tactician began considering how the Shepherds would fight as part of a greater whole.

During the march he had the opportunity to see Gregor fight, the man's words about his abilities had been vastly understated. Frederick, in order to ascertain the red-haired mercenary's skill challenged the man to a friendly sparring match. As the two stepped within the makeshift arena, they engaged each other with incredible skill of arms. The once friendly spar became ever increasingly competitive as Frederick grew frustrated at the surprise in the mercenary's ability, meanwhile ever the contrast Gregor simply became more amused as they continued their clash.

Atris watched as duel came to a draw, both weapons at each man's neck. Frederick stared at the mercenary who still sported an amused if small smile. Biting his lip, the knight again issued a challenge as the two prepared themselves once more. The tactician watched as two very different people fought each other, Frederick, a man who trained and dedicated himself to his knightly training as to emerge victorious. Gregor, a mercenary who sought out conflict and battle for coin, hungrily and cunningly jumping at whatever chance lay before him to attain victory.

Three times the two dueled and every time it ended the same way, a draw in which both men's weapons were at each other's neck. Frederick's frustration had long since left him as the knight seemed more curious of the still rather jovial mercenary. Frederick wasn't the only one whose curiosity was piqued, even if it was for a different reason. The tactician left with a great many thoughts racing through his mind.

Arriving at Whistler's Pass was an incredibly bizarre thing to most of them. The air of dread and gnawing despair was seemingly lifted from them. Perhaps lifted wasn't the right word though, it was almost like something within the area shielded them from the outside while giving an aura of repose. Strange reports from the night watch stated that glowing objects mimicking the hue of moonlight were found in the surrounding area, however when morning came these things were not to be found. Stahl of all people seemed particularly eager to hunt these things down and did so every morning.

Atris was one of those few that found himself unable to benefit from this strange relief that had been granted to the army. Chrom being the other one who was unaffected by the canyon's presence. Once again, he found himself in a futile attempt to make sense of the situation. So many things based on feeling and instinct with nothing else to go on, the frustration of trying to piece such things together was beyond exasperating by this point. At least he was able to find some distraction in his latest work regarding the Shepherds.

The tactician had been considering for a few days now how they would fight as part of a greater army. Eventually though he decided that it would be best if they still fought as one cohesive force, as opposed to assigning them to different parts of the army. This led to another thought, one inspired from watching Gregor and Frederick fight. From now on the Shepherds would be fighting in assigned pairs as a way increase effectiveness and

The "Rule of Two", he was calling it, originally, he had considered organizing in numbers of three given how effective Chrom, Sumia and he had been at the bridge. However, this would lead to crowding amongst fighters like Vaike, Lon'qu, and Gregor. Aside from that two was simply the easiest number to divide from in case one of them was injured or... or worse.

Well, that had been the idea until the tactician had performed a quick headcount and cursed to himself. While they technically had twelve Shepherds, Lissa would be regulated to a reserve role healing when she could but ultimately staying out of the fight. Atris soon added odd numbers to the things he had an immense dislike for alongside amnesia and bending the corners of book pages. However, he was quick to have an idea and soon bolted from his tent to find the commander of the pegasus knights.

When he knocked on Lt. Rin's tent pole, she invited him in rather promptly. Atris tried his best to not stare at the woman, aside from their brief time together in Bastion's war room they had never been particularly close. Now though he saw the prominent scars the woman bore upon her face, old reminders of the last Ylissian-Plegian war no doubt. The woman eyed him with curiosity as she gestured for him to sit at one of two makeshift chairs in her tent.

Taking his seat and waiting for the woman to take her own, the tactician explained how he wished for Cordelia to be briefly assigned to the Shepherds for the battle. The woman eyes had switched from simple curiosity to a far more predatory look with a trace of levity. Still, the lady knight seemed to be staring right through him as Atris did his best to be calm. Finally, the woman spoke up.

"You helped Sumia find her wings, didn't you?" It was hard to hear, but Knight Rin had the tracings of an accent, one that didn't sound like it came from Ylisse.

"I... I um, I suppose so, but I think most of the credit belongs to her. She's ultimately the one who brought Lily back." The woman nodded her eyes cast to the ground briefly before locking onto his, a sudden slight smile forming on her face.

"Lily is it...? Good name, a beautiful name that honors her previous rider. Still, there's no denying the change in that girl's temperament, and while I no doubt know his Highness is partially responsible you should not deny yourself in changing someone's life for the better." The woman leaned in her chair, her hands folded upon her lap. "I'll grant your request, Cordelia and Sumia always had excellent coordination. Pairing the two is a sound idea."

"Thank you very much Lady Rin, I apologize for any inconvenience this brings to you and your sister-knights with such a last-minute decision." The woman let out a small if empty laugh, her smile since replaced with a small frown.

"You see my scars do you not? Such a thing is hardly considered lady-like in stature. Either Knight Rin, or Lieutenant Rin if you would please. That said you're not free to go just yet." The woman rose from her chair, her form looming over him as she soon lowered her head so the two were face to face. "I watched those girls grow, they mean a deal to me and many others. You make sure those girls remain among us; do you understand?"

Atris didn't say anything, his eyes said all there was to be between the two. Lt. Rin's frown disappeared as she nodded in approval to the tactician. He nearly rose from his chair to leave, but something yet prompted him to stay. The woman still looked at him with such curious eyes, and it pricked at him just like so many things did he didn't understand.

"It feels like you have more you wish to say Knight Rin."

"Perhaps I do, if you would grant me the smallest of favors, Tactician. Look directly into my eyes, I'm curious of what I just saw." Atris simply nodded and did as the woman bid and stared into her eyes; they were the color of tempered steel. Soon the woman's brow creased, and she shook her head with a tinge of longing in her eyes. "Damn, for a second you really did remind me of her." Something large and obstructive formed within his throat at those words.

"Who do I remind you of exactly?" The scarred knight simply closed her eyes and shook her head at him once more.

"No one that an amnesiac would know. Forgive me, but your condition has been known to me for some time." Lieutenant Rin opened her eyes if only slightly. "That said, her name was Morrigan. We came from Valm together and unfortunately, she died when we got caught up in the war. A shame, she was a good woman."

"Would... would you tell me of her all the same?" The woman paused, clearly conflicted in the choice she was making. Eventually she relented with a small nod.

"One day I might, preferably in better times, I'd rather no soil such a good woman with times like these." With a simple nod, Atris rose from his chair to leave, but not before casting one last look at the woman. She simply smiled and motioned with the back of her palm for him to move on. Leaving the tent there was a strange feeling in his chest that he couldn't quite understand. Perhaps it had been a desire for the woman's words to mean more than they seemed.

Posting up the pairings chart in the Shepherds portion of the camp, he called all of his friends and fellow Shepherds to gather round. It didn't take long to explain this latest implementation as most of them seemed to be rather approving of it, or they were just really curious to see who they were paired up with. Naturally Vaike let out a triumphant arm pump upon seeing he was paired with Lon'qu, something which caused the Feroxi to throw a scowl in the tactician's direction.

"See, even Atris thinks ya should become my pupil." Vaike's voice boomed with cock-sure energy. The swordsman's scowl only deepened as Atris felt Nowi tug at his coat.

"Ey, Atris, why did you pair me up with the peacock man?"

"P-peacock man!?" Virion chaffed utterly mortified at the description as the manakete simply shrugged.

"Look Virio I'm just-

"Virion!"

"Eh, same thing. Anyway, there's no hiding the fact you constantly preen about like a peacock. Don't know what women you are trying to pick up in an army camp, or why you seem surprised to be called a peacock." Before Virion could speak again, Atris raised his hand to finally get a word in.

"I paired you two up so that Virion would have a bird's eye view of the battlefield." Nowi stared at Atris intently as her eyes narrowed and her ears drooped slightly. "Erm, you know with him being an archer an all."

"Are you going to try and put a saddle on me? I need to know now so I can start judging you."

"Bah, I don't need a saddle to stay in place. I've ridden wyverns saddleless before and guided them with nothing but my knees! Whatever the dragon girl can muster I am more than capable," Virion proclaimed with complete certainty. Nowi looked at the man for a moment a grin soon spreading across her face before she slapped the man on his arm.

"That's the spirit! I'm liking this attitude on you." The noble let out a strained groan in response. Atris covered his face trying his best to not laugh at the situation.

As to be expected Sumia was quick to approach him when she saw Cordelia's name on the roster. She held her hands to her chest and shook with giddiness, a bright shine pouring from her eyes as she eagerly questioned if her friend was really a Shepherd. Chrom issued a quick and loud cough, the prince casting a strange smirk at him as he folded his arms.

Clearing his own throat now, the tactician explained that the pairings were not permanent, and they would change as the situation demanded it. He also explained to Sumia that Cordelia was only under their command till the battle was over. The woman deflated if only for a moment as her eyes soon lit up once more and she ran off saying she planned to practice maneuvers. At the very least she was happy they'd be fighting alongside each other no matter how brief.

As the Shepherds started clearing out to go about their business or training with their battle partners, he noticed Sully wave him over. Kicking her boot in the dirt, she asked if they could go for a brief walk. Nodding in response the two walked about the camp in silence. Sully seemed different, confused or perhaps conflicted. Eventually she spoke up, breaking the silence.

"So, Kellam, huh?"

"Is that okay? Did you want me to assign someone else?" Sully shifted her glance and shook her head.

"Whu? No, no... I think it's a good choice. I got a big damn sword and he's got a big arse shield. Pretty solid pairin' if you ask me. Especially..." The cavalier frowned as she never finished her sentence.

"Something on your mind?"

"I don't know. Kellam said somethin' to me recently, it... I don't know how to word it. Wasn't anythin' bad, just made me think in a different way I guess." The two stopped as Sully leaned on the nearby canyon rock.

"Was it about your brother?" The woman nodded and stared off into the canyon, the rushing winds deep inside produced a sharp and ghostly whistle that reverberated throughout the canyon.

"Things aren't like I expected them to be."

"What do you mean?"

"I expected silent disappointment, maybe cooled indifference at best. Yet, things are different in more ways than one. I feel like I should be a stranger in my own home, but I've been welcomed back with open arms by those that matter. Hells, I think Sul actually wants me around and I can't make sense of it."

"I don't understand, why would he be anything but happy to see you back?" Sully frowned her eyes narrowing as her hand struck the canyon wall lightly and repeatedly, a nonsensical beat coming from the woman.

"It's hard to put to words just how much Sul went through keepin' us together. The things he put himself through to make sure we stayed together as a family, that we had happy memories. I saw the signs of him fallin' apart trying to keep everythin' together, but I was too young to really understand what it was all leading to. The night I told him about my decision, he finally broke from it all. We got into a fight and stuff was said that... let's just say there were a lot of regrets and mistakes that night." The cavalier paused and took her hand away from the rock wall.

"It's hard watchin' someone who did so much for you and then come to realize you're partially the reason they're in pain. Part of the reason I trained so hard is because I thought that pain should have value. Sul put me on the path to being a knight, I always thought the only way to make it right, to make everythin' he went through worth a damn was to travel down that path and become the best. That was what I believed, until I talked to Kellam."

"Wait, are you saying you want to give up being a knight?" Sully turned her head toward him wide-eyed at the suggestion

"What!? Hells no! I'm gonna be the best bleedin' knight these lands have ever seen, and I dare the world to damn well try and stop me!" Sully coughed into her hand and pursed her lips and glanced a few times to the canyon as if embarrassed by the sudden outburst. "I uh, ahem I mean the goal itself is good, but the reason to go for it seems... tainted. I don't know how describe it; it just feels wrong the more I think about it."

"You both lost a lot." Atris crossed his arms and paced about as the woman focused on him. "You both lost two brothers, you also... lost your parents early on." A simple nod was all she gave him. "It's a lot for anyone to go through. That said I think Kellam has a point. You talk like there's some debt to be paid from all this. If it were me, I don't even know how I'd begin to feel if someone I cared about looked at the struggles or hardships I endured and considered it a debt or Naga forbid thought themselves a burden because of it."

"Then what would you have them consider it instead?"

"A gift." The cavalier's lips twitched at his statement but soon a small half-smile appeared.

"A gift, huh. Throw in a little more grandstandin' and it sounds like how he'd word it. What do you think the point for this 'gift' is?"

"Could be a lot of things, to grow, to be happy, could've been simply out of love and there was no greater thought put into it. That said I don't know the reason; you'd have to ask him that yourself." The cavalier shook her head briefly, yet her smile did not falter, it only grew.

"Heh, hard to believe they're people out there who'd go through all that and for what? Because they care about you?"

"Well, he did nearly knock his prince to the ground just to greet you. I think your brother might just be one of those people. I also think those people are far more common than you believe them to be." Sully let out a small chuckle as the woman nodded at him.

"Y'know, I think I know where to go from here. Thanks, Atris." Sully came up to him, her smile still growing and now radiating with assurance. The woman lobbed her fist into his shoulder and gave him one last thankful look before she walked off.

Trying to soothe himself of Sully's affections, the woman's parting words made him realize what he must do as well. There was someone else that had to be confronted in camp, or perhaps consoled was the better choice of words. With a sigh, Atris steeled himself and went out to find Lissa, this meeting of theirs had been long overdue.

It wasn't long before he found the princess who for once was the one to be startled. The trepidation in her eyes was clear when he asked if they could talk somewhere more private. Still, she agreed all the same and followed him, Atris could feel the princess' anxiety building as they walked. Once they had found a secluded spot away from prying eyes and ears the healer immediately launched into an apology her building anxiety fully unleashed.

A-Atris, I-I'm sorry about the prank I-I- I just I-." The tactician stepped forward and hugged the healer tightly to silence her. The princess was so worked up that he was afraid she'd start crying soon. The grip on his coat tightened as he told her to breathe. It took a few moments, but eventually she had begun to calm down, if only slightly.

There was a slight wetness slowly spreading across his shirt as Lissa still gripped his coat. In the end it was ultimately to be expected, the stress of the upcoming battle, the events that had plagued their march. It all culminated in more than a few tears from the young healer. Still, that didn't matter, all that mattered was making sure she was okay. Eventually her grip loosened as she stepped away and wiped her face. Looking up at him the young woman had regained her composure.

I'm sorry... ever since we left Ylisstol we don't hang out as much. The frog prank was probably too mean, but I was hoping you'd prank me back so we could spend some time together again."

In some darkened corner of the tactician's mind the thought of pranking the princess back had been something to consider. Yet, even now with the revelation of her intentions the notion made him uneasy. Perhaps one day he'd be more comfortable with the idea as for now though. Like lightning it came to him, a grin slowly forming on his face as a plot of truly mischievous nature began to take shape.

"I'm going to be honest with you Lissa, I'm not exactly fond of the idea of engaging you in pranking wars, yet." The princess's eyes gave him a rather inquisitive look, his grin not faltering. "That said I got the perfect idea for a prank we could do together when we get back to Ylisstol. I started learning how to draw weeks ago from Sumia, and perhaps it could be put to... other uses."

He whispered in her ear his intentions of what to do and how her help would be required. She broke the hug and gave his arm a slap following by a flurry of giggling from the mischief that was to be had. Even if she had been pranking him to try and get his attention, there was no doubt in his mind Lissa actively enjoyed the act.

The two would spend some time together plotting against their unsuspecting target before the two eventually departed with another tight hug at the princess's insistence. The tactician watched the princess with a bounce in her step walk away and there was a certain lightness in him, he felt unburdened. Yet, something wasn't right. Closing his eyes the tactician could still feel it, the same gnawing despair, except something was different now.

Walking through the camp as the army diligently prepared, be it practiced drills or the variety of earthworks they labored on. Slowly a greater understanding of what was going on came to him. The despair felt artificial now, like the whisperings of some wraith that sought to break his spirit. Was this the machinations of some being? Had something got into their heads and without anyone even realizing it? Such things seemed impossible, and yet...

Atris found himself at the edge of the camp and stared in the direction of where the Risen would meet them. Something was out there; something was coming for them. Whatever evil resided in the distance was not new either. It had made itself known to him before, he had felt this evil the day of the memory, when he pushed himself to tomelessly cast in the Carved City. Even as far back as that night atop the Longfort this thing had made itself known and called out to him in its own ghostly. It had followed him this far and whatever it was had finally decided to meet him.

Atris' eyes remained locked on to the distance, he felt his fists clench involuntarily as the reasons for why he had to live beyond this next fight came to him. There was still no certainty in him whether he would live or die before this was all over, but he was sure of one thing. If whatever lay beyond the horizon wanted his life so badly, it had better be prepared to fight him for it.

Author's Notes

Here we are, chapter 9 with the Battle of Whistler's Pass coming up. Sorry about the late post, the holidays ended up being far busier both work wise and on a more personal level.

With all that said I hope people enjoy this take on Nowi's personality. I like to think it still carries the theme of youth that IS was originally going with the character while being a bit more worldly. Also I based her outfit (I have no fashion sense) to be a tomboyish version of what Nah wears. Figured it'd pair well with her personality.

Needless to say Sully's interlude is just around the corner, where a lot more of her mindset and the situation she's in is explored and explained.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this latest update and is looking forward to chapter 10. Even by my own standards its shaping up to be something incredibly special even for what is largely a battle chapter. That said, friends and readers till next time!