Nighttime arrived for the people of Arena Ferox. All the energy and excitement from the day's events were gone, becoming little more than a memory for all those that were a part of them. The silence of the night was a stark contrast to the vigor of the day. Yet, despite this, Ferox remained as cold as ever, the snowy environment unchanging regardless of what occurred hours earlier.

Lucina was much the opposite. With her butterfly mask and her Parallel Falchion, she firmly stepped out onto the snow surrounding the colossal arena building. She turned around to gaze up at the expansive width and height of the arena, a melancholic frown poisoning the usually collected nature of her expression.

"Father…" She thought. "I wish we could have finished our fight. Perhaps, someday, we will be able to. May we meet again."

Turning back around to face the city, Lucina started to walk away, leaving behind all of her lingering desires. Her father, the arena, the tournament - it was all in the past. To be forgotten so that she could walk toward the future with minimal regrets.

A voice prevented her from moving forward.

"You're leaving."

Halting in place, Lucina checked behind herself to see who it was that had called out to her. It was Lucas, who was standing in the snow with a determined visage. Lucina sighed.

"Yes, I am. What of it?" She asked him with slight irritation in her tone. "Do you wish to stop me?"

"No. I don't care where you go or what you do. I just want to know one thing."

"What's that?"

The resolve in Lucas' eyes intensified.

"You said Dorothea's in Plegia. I did not know anything about that place when you first told me about it, but I've done some research. I now know it's an entire kingdom," he said. "Where exactly is she? In what city or village? I must know."

Lucina paused. "I apologize, but…" Her head became downcast. "I don't remember the specifics. All I know is that she should be in Plegia during this time."

"I see. That is all you know?"

She nodded.

"Very well. That's all I need. I shall scour the entirety of the kingdom until I find her. Nothing will stop me."

"Hmph." Lucina faced away from Lucas and lowered her voice to a whisper. "As expected of you…"

Lucas raised an eyebrow, though he declined to ask her what she said. Instead, he turned toward the arena building and away from her.

"Don't die, Sir Lucas. Many would be upset if you did."

"I doubt that. It's of no concern to me, anyway. I live only for her."

An irritated frown appeared on Lucina's face. She was more than capable of preventing her frustration from surfacing in its entirety, but even then, her emotions were strong. Giving Lucas and the arena building one final look, she started to properly walk away.

"You truly are a selfish person…" She quietly said to herself.

Lucas watched as Lucina wandered into the distance. He felt something stir inside his chest, a desire that yearned to be released, but it was effortlessly suppressed.

He sighed.

"Yes, Sothis…I will go to sleep."

Lucas re-entered the arena and found some semblance of rest.

"So, let me get this straight…you hired Ylissean royalty just so you could try and beat me?"

"Yeah, so? What about it?"

"Heh. Kinda smells of desperation, doesn't it?"

"Shut up, you bastard."

Basilio laughed in the face of his blonde-haired, dark-skinned guest as they both occupied his office, which was on a higher-up floor within the Feroxi castle that bore the appearance of an arena. His guest, East-Khan Flavia, glared at the bald, eye-patched man, yet her irritation only fed his merriment.

"Members of royalty from other kingdoms have never been involved in the annual Khan Tournament. At least, as far as we know. You went against the grain and did something I don't think anybody would've expected." Basilio grinned. "Despite that, you still couldn't beat me. Man, that's funny."

"Laugh it up, baldy. The only reason you won is because you had that absolute monster on your team. I mean, he was taking out everybody he fought in only a single hit. Two hits, in one case. It's like you found a savage beast but in the form of a person."

"I won't deny that. Without him, I'm not sure how far my warriors could've gotten. That group of yours…the Shepherds, you called them? They seemed pretty strong. If it weren't for Lucas, you might've won."

"Raimi seemed to think they were strong, at least. And I respect her judgment. Guess they just weren't able to perform that well yesterday."

"Seemed like it. What were they thinking, sending in a Cleric that had no means of defending herself?"

Flavia shrugged. "Beats me. I think their tactician, Robin, had some sorta plan, but obviously that didn't work out. Hard to employ any sort of strategy when you've got a guy coming after you that can stop your strategy in one attack."

"I guess."

Basilio leaned back in his wooden chair that was behind his desk, stretching out his arms and letting out a big yawn. Flavia frowned, evidently unimpressed.

"Anyway, I'm assuming you didn't come here just so I could laugh at you, yeah?"

"Of course. I didn't wanna become the center of your new comedy routine. I'm no court jester," Flavia replied. "I just thought I'd be nice and say goodbye before leaving."

"Right, fair enough. Goodbye, then. Are you taking those shepherd people with you?"

"No, they've got their own thing to do. Got a lot of problems back home they need to deal with. I made a promise with them that would've given them some help with those aforementioned problems, but since I didn't win…they're shit out of luck, it seems."

"Oh?" Basilio leaned forward in his seat. "What kind of problems are we talking about?"

"Attacks from Plegia, mainly. You get the idea. They're also dealing with these things called Risen, which, according to what I've heard, are undead soldiers that appear outta nowhere. I've never seen them before, but it sounds like they're a real problem."

Basilio arched his brow. "Undead soldiers? What the hell?"

"Yeah. It's no joke. Well, I assume. Again, I haven't seen them myself, but I don't see any reason why Prince Chrom would lie to me. He doesn't seem like that kinda guy. He's a good prince, that one. Shame I won't be able to help him with Plegia and the Risen, though. I'd hate to see them all upset after having their homes destroyed because of these problems…"

"Hmm…" Basilio's expression became melancholic, erasing most of the joviality he had earlier.

But then he blinked rapidly - it was as if he realized something.

"You conniving little-" He grinned. "You just had to go and make me all sympathetic, didn't you?"

Flavia smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about. All I did was state the facts. How you choose to respond to it is on you."

"Heh heh, hahaha…" Basilio laughed. "Haha, oh…you sure are a clever one, East-Khan. Alright, fine. I'll see about giving Ylisse the military help they need. I'll fulfill your promise for you."

"I always knew you were a kind man, West-Khan. I'm sure Prince Chrom and the rest of Ylisse will be forever in your debt. I'll go and tell them the good news."

With a smug look on her face, Flavia turned around and approached the door.

"See you in a year's time," she said.

"Yeah, see ya."

Her hand reached out for the handle, ready to open the door and walk away. But Flavia was never able to follow through on her desire to leave because the door violently flew open before she could reach the handle.

Standing behind the open door and amidst the corridor was Lucas. He silently stared at Flavia, who was temporarily astonished, but then she frowned.

"Hey, buddy, you're in my way. Mind standing aside?" Flavia asked. She blinked. "Wait a sec. You're that guy-"

"Oh hey, Lucas. Good morning, my champion. What brings you here?" Basilio interrupted.

Lucas' blank expression was unchanged as he stared at Basilio, ignoring Flavia. "I've come for what you promised me," he said with a mostly neutral voice that had a touch of insistence in it.

"Promised? Wait, Basilio, did you-" Flavia asked as she turned toward her fellow khan.

"I guess you can say I bribed him. Not in the traditional sense, though. He wanted something, and I promised to give it to him if he got me a victory in the then-upcoming tournament. Now that he's given me exactly that, I've got to uphold my end of the bargain. Good thing I'm a man of my word."

Reaching inside his desk, Basilio pulled out a large brown sack, its contents creating a jingling sound as he moved it around. He also retrieved a small, folded up piece of brown paper.

"Got your money right here. I've also told the stable master about our little arrangement. He should have everything ready for you right about now. Also got you a map of the entire continent, which includes Regna Ferox, Ylisse, and Plegia," the West-Khan explained. "Should be everything, right?"

Lucas, without saying a word, forced his way inside the room, nearly pushing past Flavia in the process. He walked over to Basilio's desk and took a quick look at the sack of money before snatching it for himself. Opening up the sack, he scrutinized the many gold coins inside.

He then looked up at Basilio.

"The stable master has the horse?"

"Yeah, and I also made sure she got some other stuff I thought you might need for your journey. I think it'll be pretty obvious what extra things I got for you when you get there. You know where the stables are?"

"In the city."

"Well, you're not wrong about that. I meant to ask more specifically, but I get the idea you know where it is. Aside from that, there's nothing else I've got for you, so…"

Basilio smiled and offered his hand.

"Have yourself a damn good one, Lucas."

Lucas looked at the gesture with a blank expression. He didn't do anything with it, instead turning around and leaving the office without saying anything or leaving any sort of remark.

"Damn, he left you hanging there," Flavia commented once Lucas was long gone. "You chose that guy as your champion?"

"Actions speak louder than words, East-Khan. You should know that much," Basilio responded after lowering his hand and ceasing his smile. "I thought his actions in the tournament yesterday were pretty wordy. Wouldn't you say?"

"Heh, fair enough. Just saying, though. Could've picked a more friendly person."

"You know how we operate around here - strength above all else. Lucas makes for a pretty good Feroxi."

"Maybe he's a good warrior, but he wouldn't be a good Feroxi politician, like either of us. Sure, we might favor strength, but you can't lead anybody through that alone. You need charisma. If you don't have enough of that, nobody's gonna like you. That's just important in general."

"Right." Basilio sighed. "I hope he realizes that soon…"

The conversation between the two khans gradually fizzled out from that moment. As they began to go their separate ways, saying their goodbyes in the process, Lucas was busy with his objectives.

Heading out into the cold world beyond the arena, Lucas proceeded toward the stable.

Located around the middle section of the city of Arena Ferox, the stables were full of activity. Many stablehands were working to feed the numerous horses within, also providing them with water and a quick wash each. It was hectic, but also organized. The stablehands knew exactly what they and their colleagues were doing, thus their jobs were carried out rather effectively. Even the curious gazes of passersby and the expectant stares of foreign soldiers weren't enough to distract the stablehands.

Lucas arrived at the large stone structure known as the stable. The busy nature of the ongoings that were occurring before him did not deter him in the slightest. He approached the building, the sack of gold given to him by Basilio still in his hand, along with the rolled-up map.

But before he could enter, he was stopped by a voice.

"Excuse me!"

From behind him, as he could see when he turned around, Robin was fast approaching. Lucas frowned, choosing to ignore Robin and continue with what he was doing.

"W-wait! I need to talk with you!" Robin called out again, his voice getting somewhat louder as he closed the distance between himself and Lucas. "Please, wait!"

Lucas sighed. He halted his advance and turned around, allowing Robin to successfully catch up.

"Th-thank you. I appreciate you accepting my request. I understand you might be busy, so I won't take up much of your time," Robin said between breaths.

"The longer you talk, the less time I'll have to do what I need," Lucas replied as he slightly glared at the white-haired tactician. "So talk."

"Right. My apologies, then. I just have a few questions for you, if you don't mind answering them. I won't force you to answer if you don't want to."

Lucas' frown deepened. "Talk, I said."

"Ah, okay. Fair enough. I'll get straight to the point." Robin cleared his throat. "Yesterday, in the tournament, you said that I was important. I'd like to know what you meant by that."

Closing his eyes as he thought, Lucas slightly pointed his head toward the snowy ground.

"I don't know," he said quietly.

"You don't know?" Robin raised an eyebrow. "You know I'm important to something, but you don't know the exact reason why. That's a little strange. Is it a case of you not remembering, or…?"

"You were…chosen for something. Selected for…for a fight. I don't remember the details." Lucas reopened his eyes and raised his head, the bags of darkness around his eyes becoming plain to see. "You have a story to tell. That man, Chrom...he is also significant to this world, just like you."

"We're both significant, you say…" Robin mumbled to himself. "Could this have something to do with my missing memories, perhaps?"

Lucas remained quiet, his gaze becoming distant as he looked toward the sky.

"Thank you," said Robin. "You may not have been very specific, but at least I know a little more about who I might be. Honestly, during the tournament, I thought you were terrifying, like a wild animal that had yet to be tamed. But now…"

The tactician smiled.

"I see you aren't like that. Not completely."

Upon hearing that, Lucas' hardened expression softened - ever so briefly. In response to the strange, foreign feeling that was starting to course through him, he closed his eyes, shuddered, and turned away from Robin.

"You're wrong."

He began to walk away, but Robin held out his arm.

"W-wait! There's one more thing I need to ask you! I promise this won't take long either!"

Lucas stopped and turned back around with his eyes open again. He stayed silent, allowing Robin to continue.

"Do you happen to know anybody named…" Robin paused, his pupils shifting in recollection. "Seteth?"

The headmaster's eyes narrowed. He paused.

"How do you know that name?"

"Well, personally, I don't. Chrom does, though. He once told me about a strange-looking man named Seteth that visited Castle Ylisstol one time. If I'm remembering what Chrom told me correctly, this Seteth person was looking for someone named Lucas and someone else called Dorothea. Dorothea sounds like a woman's name, so I'm guessing you're Lucas, judging by the fact that you seem to know Seteth. Process of elimination and such."

Lucas' eyes widened. "Dorothea…!"

"So you do know them. Now that I'm thinking about it, you said that name during the tournament. From your reaction, I can tell this Dorothea person means a lot to you. I can't guarantee anything, but I promise I'll keep an eye out for her. If I ever see her, I'll be sure to help her find her way back to you in any way I can. That much I can guarantee."

Lucas' facial expression became melancholic. He fiercely balled his rightmost hand into an immensely tight fist, a change in demeanor Robin was slightly astonished by, though he didn't comment on it.

Somehow, he sensed that being quiet on the matter was the best way to go. Lucas turned around, hiding his inner turmoil.

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome. My name's Robin, by the way. No last name. I might have one, but I don't remember what it is. Currently dealing with amnesia, you see. I don't remember much of anything. Kind of like you, actually, heh. In a way."

"Robin…that is a name I recognise." Lucas paused, his head hanging backward slightly. "Your help won't be needed. Plegia…I will find Dorothea in Plegia."

"You're going to Plegia? Stay safe, then. I don't know much about it myself, but I hear Ylisse has had many dealings with bandits from that place. It doesn't sound pleasant."

"It matters not. I will find Dorothea, and we shall return home."

"Fair enough. What about Seteth, though? Is he not a friend of yours? Will you not also find him?"

Lucas didn't answer. He continued to stare at the gray, cloudy sky above. Robin shrugged.

"Alright then…" Robin began to step back. "I should probably be getting back to the others. I don't have anything else to ask you, so…may we meet again, Lucas. I hope you find your friends."

With a nervous look on his face, Robin turned around and walked away, leaving Lucas on his own once more. The British man stared at the cloudy sky for quite a while afterwards.

The sounds of multiple horses neighing nearby brought him back to reality.

"Thank you, Byleth. I forgot what I was doing. I should get the horse Basilio got for me…"

Without any further hesitation or interruption, Lucas entered the stable.

Once inside, he aimlessly wandered around the spacious, linear gap that lay between the right and leftmost sides, which both contained lines of stalls in which the horses were kept. Curiously, he gazed at each of the hooved animals, yet was unable to find what he needed.

"Hey, you," a Feroxi woman said. Lucas turned around to meet them, unfazed by the sudden appearance of their rough voice. "Are you the one Khan Basilio sent?"

"I am. You must be the stable master."

"Yeah, that's my job alright. If you wanna follow me, I've got your horse ready. The khan also prepared something else he thought you might need, which is why it's in another room. Needs a bit more space than the standard stalls provide."

Lucas blinked, a touch of confusion to his visage, though he nodded anyway.

"Alright, come with me, then."

The stable master headed toward the end of the room, with Lucas in tow. As they walked through an open doorway and down several small, narrow halls, the two eventually came across a set of locked double doors in a secluded part of the building.

"Here we are. It was real annoying to get this whole thing set up, so you better thank me for this. I don't work for nothing."

Lucas didn't reply.

"Tch. Whatever," the woman huffed. "Bastard," she muttered under her breath.

Letting out a hefty sigh, the stable master approached the door and used her key to undo the chains that were holding the doors together. She then grabbed one of the large stone handles and pulled the door open with minimal effort.

Inside was a spacious room. Most of it was sectioned off like the other stalls were, except this one was restricting the movements of an average-looking horse that had something huge and wooden attached to it from behind.

"You see? That's the other thing the khan got for you. Aside from the horse…" The stable master grinned. "You're also getting a cart along with it."

"A cart…"

"But that's not all. Look inside the cart. You might be surprised by what you find inside there. Don't worry about the horse, by the way. He's a gentle one. Wouldn't hurt a soul."

Curiosity taking hold once again, Lucas approached the wooden fence separating the horse from the remainder of the room. The steed was quietly munching away at a bale of hay, undeterred by the cart strapped to it.

Uncaringly, Lucas effortlessly leapt over the fence and walked toward the cart. The horse looked over at him, somewhat intrigued by the presence of the human, though he went right back to eating shortly after. This allowed Lucas to make it to the cart without any issues. He went over to the back of it and climbed up, halted only by the cart's doors. Exerting little effort, Lucas pulled the doors open.

He froze as soon as he saw what was inside. Multiple baskets, crates, and sacks were positioned around the insides of the cart, some even blocking the thin wooden seats. Each of them was labeled, making it very clear what they contained.

"Food?" He asked quietly to himself. "Water, as well…?"

"You see it yet?" The stable master called from the other side of the room. "Khan Basilio specifically asked me and the others to load this thing up with food and water. Took hours to get everything loaded up, but we had to do what the khan ordered. You happy?"

Lucas frowned.

"Good enough."

He promptly shut the doors to the cart and climbed down, landing back on the floor. The stable master, meanwhile, was dumbfounded.

"Wha…all that time, all that effort - it's just good enough for you?!" She raised her voice in anger. "You can't even muster a simple 'thanks'?!"

Lucas stared blankly at the stable master.

"It will be useful," he said.

"That's not what I-" She sighed. "Okay, you know what? Never mind. Let's just get you out of here as soon as possible. You're leaving now, right?" Lucas nodded. "Good. Lemme get the door open."

While the stable master headed toward the large double doors that were on the wall adjacent to the entrance the two used earlier, Lucas approached the horse. It sensed his approach, looking over once again to scrutinize the rough, dirty appearance of the human. With a single neigh, the horse resigned itself to his fate.

Just as Lucas climbed on the horse and got himself situated upon him, the stable master opened the doors, revealing a huge exit to the cold, outside world.

"Surprised an asshole like you knows how to ride a horse," she remarked.

"I learnt recently," Lucas replied, frowning angrily at the stablehand. "From a friend."

"You have friends? I doubt it. Not with that attitude of yours."

Lucas' expression was unchanged, though the stable master was only getting more vexed the more she looked at him.

"Door's open now. You can go, leave, depart, all that nonsense. Get outta here."

Ignoring the stable master's comments, Lucas ensured he had a proper hold of the horse's reins and that the cart was properly attached. Once he determined everything was okay, he rode the horse forward. The stable master was forced to quickly open the gate before the horse lazily trampled over it. About a minute later, Lucas was able to get the horse outside.

He looked around at his environment. Still in the middle of the city of Arena Ferox, he pulled out the map Basilio gave him earlier and unraveled it.

"Plegia is to the southwest…there's a path through the mountains here." Lucas spent a couple of minutes looking at the map, then he rolled it back together. "I see now. Where I must go and the path I must take."

He looked into the distance with a resolute visage.

"Dorothea, I'm coming for you-!"

He began to exit the city, leaving behind Arena Ferox and the brief history he shared with the place. His one goal was clear and it was at the forefront of his mind.

Lucas ventured toward the kingdom of Plegia.

After meeting with Lucas, Robin made his way back to the arena building. The guards allowed him to pass by, which meant he could move around inside the arena with no issue. He didn't have a particular goal in mind so he decided to wander around until something happened. Eventually, something did happen.

Lissa came running down the other end of the corridor.

"There you are!" The cleric exclaimed upon seeing Robin. She then ran over to him. "I've been looking for you, y'know!"

"Heh, sorry. I was just wandering around. Figured I'd see the sights before we returned to Ylisse. Do you need me for something?"

"Yes!" Lissa panted slightly while pointing in the direction she came from. "We're having a meeting in that room Khan Flavia took us to yesterday! We're all waiting for you! Come on, hurry up!"

"O-oh, I'm sorry! Let's go!"

Following Lissa's lead, Robin ended up following her through the lengthy, curved corridors within the arena building. The two of them dashed up a single flight of stairs and onto the floor above. Their rushed journey led them to a particular stone door that was further along the second floor. Robin and Lissa stopped to catch their breaths quickly once they reached their destination.

"Agh-!" Robin clutched his chest. "Maybe running like that wasn't such a good idea…"

"Wait, you haven't fully healed yet?! Why are you wandering around, then?! Don't you know how terrible of an idea that is?"

"H-heh, you're right. Guess I've been full of bad ideas lately," said Robin as he nursed the pain in his chest. "I'm fine, though. Just a small resurgence of pain. You did a great job of healing me yesterday, by the way."

"Of course I did. It's what I'm here for, after all." Lissa reached out for the door handle. "Let's not waste any more time, okay? I don't want my brother and everyone else to worry about us."

"Right. Let's head inside."

Lissa nodded. She turned toward the door and pushed it open.

Behind the door was a capacious room filled with people, who all stared at Lissa and Robin the moment they entered. The room itself didn't have much to it aside from the few windows on the back wall and the torches on the other walls that lit everything up, though there were several large wooden chairs, benches, desks, and stone seats scattered around the place.

The various members of the Shepherds were all either seated around the room or on their feet. Khan Flavia was standing beside Chrom and Frederick as the three of them were in the middle of the room, their conversation having been paused due to Robin and Lissa's arrival.

Robin sheepishly smiled.

"S-sorry I'm late, everyone. Had some business I wanted to take care of. Did I miss anything?" The tactician asked as he put a hand behind his head, visibly embarrassed.

His gaze landed on the strange, stoic swordsman he'd seen in the tournament yesterday. Robin frowned in confusion.

"You haven't missed much, my friend." Chrom chuckled, interrupting Robin's bout of confusion. "That's Lon'qu, by the way. I'll explain why he's here in just a moment. We were only just getting started, anyway."

"Oh, alright. Phew." Robin jokingly wiped at his forehead. "Please carry on. Don't let my late arrival interrupt…whatever exactly is being discussed."

"We've got a few important things to discuss, that's for sure. Listen up, Tactician," Khan Flavia said. She then looked around the entire room. "Same goes for the rest of you. You better be listening, because I don't like repeating myself."

"Do continue, Khan Flavia. You were talking about our plea for military aid, I believe."

"Yeah, I was. Now where was I…?"

Flavia paused for a little while as she gathered her thoughts and quickly planned out what she was going to say.

"So, you know how I promised to help you guys out with Plegia and those things you called the Risen? As long as you won the tournament, I'd have been willing to give you whatever I could. Unfortunately, we didn't win, which certainly ruined our plans. Since I'm still not the reigning Khan Regnant, I don't have the authorization to help you." She grinned, as did Chrom. "But…"

"What is it?" A red-haired female knight asked, who was leaning against the far leftmost wall. "Come on, spit it out. We ain't got all day."

"Sully, I'm not sure you should be talking to Khan Flavia like that. Don't you know how important she is around here?" A brown-haired male knight wearing green armor turned to the female knight, who was named Sully.

"Ah, let her be, Stahl. A woman like her's gotta speak her mind!" A man with blonde hair and a buff chest guffawed. "Otherwise, she'd explode!"

"Damn right, Vaike. Damn right." Sully folded her arms with a smug grin on her face. "No offense, East-Khan."

"None taken. I like your style, by the way. Sully, was it? I'll remember that name." Flavia briefly turned to Sully. "Anyway, as I was saying, even though we lost the tournament, you folks better not give up hope just yet. I managed to get you your help regardless."

"How so? From my understanding, it is only the currently reigning Khan Regnant that has the authorization to approve military operations," said a dark-red haired woman wearing mostly black mage robes and a large, pointy wizard hat. "You said so yourself. How is it that you can assist us without that authorization?"

"That's the thing, mage. I'm not the one helping you guys." Flavia's grin became a smile. "It's that bastard Basilio."

The woman that was wearing a mage's hat huffed quietly to herself. "My name is Miriel, not 'mage'…"

"Hold on," interjected Frederick. "You successfully convinced Khan Basilio to assist us?"

"Sure did, big guy. Even though he's kind of an idiot, he's still a good person. Wasn't hard to convince him. Prince Chrom over here can attest to that." Flavia turned toward Chrom. "Can't you?"

"I certainly can." Chrom nodded. "Shortly before this meeting, Khan Flavia invited me to meet Khan Basilio. I can confirm he's quite the nice individual, though he is certainly a little…much. Regardless, I feel confident in his ability to help us with Plegia and the Risen. He's the reason why Lon'qu is with us now. I guess he's a sort of 'gift' from Khan Basilio to us. He'll be helping us in the battles to come."

"Hmph…" Lon'qu folded his arms as he leaned against the far rightmost wall. "I am only doing this as per Khan Basilio's orders. I owe much to him, so I will do as he asks."

"That's fine," replied Chrom with a smile. "Welcome to the Shepherds, Lon'qu."

The Shepherds' faces all lit up as they heard the news.

"Alright!" Vaike fist-pumped the air. "Finally, some good news! With this new guy and Ferox's military on our side, there's no way we'll lose to those undead dastards!"

"Yes, finally…" Sumia held her hands together as she smiled.

"That's excellent news. I assume we'll now be able to bring the fight directly to them?" Robin wondered.

"Yes, we will. Of course, we'll need to spend some time adequately preparing first, but once we're done with that, we can indeed start dealing with this new menace of ours," Chrom answered. "It'll be great to finally put an end to the Risen. They've been a thorn in our side for too long."

"Haven't they only been around for a month or two?" Flavia questioned the prince.

"Like I said, too long," Chrom remarked. "Either way, that's irrelevant now. What matters is that our people will no longer have to suffer at the hands of the Risen. Their indiscriminate attacks will be a thing of the past."

"Milord," said Frederick as he leaned in toward the prince, "we should return to Castle Ylisstol as soon as possible. I suspect the Exalt will be pleased to learn of our alliance with Regna Ferox."

"I agree. Emm will certainly be pleased." Chrom nodded. "Let's go, my friends! Let's return home!"

At the command of their leader, the Shepherds pulled themselves away from wherever they were standing, sitting, or leaning and started approaching the exit. As Chrom stood at the door, he turned toward Flavia with a content smile on his face.

"Thanks again, Khan Flavia. I know you weren't able to directly lend a hand in the end, but you still pointed us in the right direction. On behalf of Exalt Emmeryn as well as the people of Ylisse, I officially thank you."

"Don't worry about it, prince." Flavia waved it off. "I appreciate you at least trying to help me out. Had to repay the favor somehow."

"Heh, right. May we meet again, East-Khan."

"Yeah. See ya."

With that, Chrom led his band of Shepherds out of the Feroxi meeting room. A man wearing bulky, silver armor trailed behind everyone else, keeping to himself and remaining inconspicuous as he and his allies prepared everything they needed for their journey. Somehow, they completely failed to register the fact that he was there.

But at least they were all fully aware of their mission, and what needed to be done for the sake of the people of Ylisse.

Somewhere, deep within a nation of sand and darkness, a mad king was cackling amid an empty, regal throne room. The only other person around was a dark-skinned female mage wearing black, frilly robes that barely covered her chest. Her lips, slathered with a piece of lavender makeup, curved into a smile as her king laughed to his heart's content.

"Gya ha ha ha…!" The mad king slapped his knee as tears of joy fell from his eyes, his yellow cape and dark red hair jostling around as he cackled "Oh, I am such a delightfully devilish genius! I'm surprised I hadn't thought of this sooner!"

"Indeed, milord. You are truly the smartest tactician I have ever seen. None can compare to your brilliance," the mage said to her superior, a mild boredom to her tone. "There is a reason you are the King of Plegia."

"Ho ho ho, quite! Y'know, Aversa, you're not too dumb yourself. After all, you're fully aware of just how amazing I am! Ha ha!" The Plegian king laughed again. "Me, Mad King Gangrel…I'm far superior to those dopes down there! Not to dismiss their potential or anything, but as you said, there's a reason I'm here and they're down there."

"Yes, milord." Aversa nodded. "Thank you for your kind words."

"Oh, you're welcome! Quite frankly, you deserve it, perhaps in the same way I deserve so much praise for coming up with this frighteningly efficient scheme of mine."

"The one pertaining to that Ylissean duchy? Themis, was it?"

Gangrel's maddened eyes glimmered with glee.

"Yes, that one exactly!" He exclaimed. "The Exalt will never see it coming! Once that village is destroyed, those Ylisseans will come running straight to me! Then, surely, I can obtain the very thing I require to raze the entirety of Ylisse to the ground…"

"The Fire Emblem, milord?"

The mad king chortled. "Yes, the Fire Emblem! The thing the previous exalt used to slaughter our people…the Ylisseans will get a taste of their own medicine! They are a sickeningly kind and perhaps naive people, which means they'll do anything to save one of their own!"

"And that is why you wish to abduct that nobleman's daughter?"

"Precisely! Those Ylisseans are so foolish, they'll never see the bigger picture! The moment they try to free my soon-to-be captive is the moment they will have fallen into my trap! And then…I may finally have the war I desire."

"Baiting Ylisse into a war…you may be the mad king, but in truth, you are brilliant. I could not have come up with such a clever and well thought out strategy."

"And that is exactly why I am the king! Ha ha ha!"

Gangrel spiraled into another bout of crazed, malicious laughter while Aversa continued to smile, reveling in the pure chaos her king was emitting. The Plegian throne room was filled with the echoes of Gangrel's madness.

It was silenced only by the arrival of another voice.

"How foolish." A hooded, male figure stepped out from behind a pillar. "Your schemes…they are slow, ineffective. The beasts deserve to be slaughtered now - not later."

Aversa glared at the figure while Gangrel looked at them with intrigue.

"Silence yourself, Alfred, lest you incur the wrath of Mad King Gangrel. Know your place," she warned.

"Ah-ah-ah…!" Gangrel raised a hand, his palm facing Aversa. "Don't be so hasty, Aversa. I invited our friend here for this very reason. I just love hearing him speak."

He turned to the cloaked figure.

"You, Alfred! You say these 'beasts' deserve to be slaughtered now? ASAP, immediately - that sort of thing? I agree, but I also disagree." Gangrel grinned. "Death is certainly fun, I won't deny that. However, do you know what's even more fun than that?"

"Whatever your answer is, it does not inspire confidence in the ultimate success of your scheme," Alfred answered.

"Oh, phooey!" Gangrel blew a raspberry. "If you don't make the journey memorable, why undertake it in the first place? If I were to slice off their heads in an instant rather than dragging it out for my amusement, the victory would feel empty! I would be a hollow man, Alfred! Do you want me to feel hollow?"

The cloaked man folded his arms. "I don't care for how you feel, Mad King. The bigger picture, as you called it earlier, demands the sacrifice of one's feelings. Such things mean nothing when the ideals of a people are on the line."

"You wound me, Alfred. I understand where you're coming from. But still! I think I'll have fun with this. There's no way those Ylissean dastards can pull a victory out from their backsides. I've planned for every little thing. Every outcome, anything the Ylissean military might try to do - I've considered it all. You won't need to worry yourself, dear Alfred. Just sit back and watch…"

The king grinned maliciously.

"As I reduce Ylisse to nothingness."

"Hmph," Alfred grunted. "I see I cannot change your mind. Very well. I look forward to seeing how your scheme unfolds, Mad King. I will scrutinize your every move."

As he was enveloped in the dark purple aura from the casting of a teleportation spell, Alfred also grinned, yet his expression was full of self-assurance. Unseen intent lay behind his eyes, which was invisible to all those unaware of it.

Gangrel and Aversa were not. Alfred disappeared, which allowed the voluptuous mage to relax somewhat.

"Heh," Gangrel smirked. "Alfred, or whoever you truly are…you sure are an interesting one. I'm glad I recruited you."

The mad king got to work unfolding his scheme. Before long, a Ylissean nobleman's daughter would be within his grasp. Only then would his plan truly be underway.

His target, the Fire Emblem - it was practically in his grasp already.

Author Notes: So ends the (short lived) Ferox arc! Lucas has his next destination already decided. According to Lucina, Dorothea's in Plegia, but her precise location is unknown. Where will she be...?

Shoutouts to Frost for beta-ing! Forgot to leave this credit in the previous chapter, so that's now been rectified!

Review responses:

blueassassin996 - He certainly put up a fight, yeah. Training for 100 years tends to give you an advantage in that area. Hopefully Lucas can start getting into a better way sooner rather than later.

Thanks again for reading, everyone! Be sure to leave a review and/or a follow, if you so wish! I'll see ya next week!

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