"Emm!" Lissa fainted onto the plush carpet, but that was the least of their worries.

"Shepherds! We ride!" Chrom growled ready to ride to his doom. Robin was glad that Basillio managed to step in before that happened.

"Yes, that would be one option, boy, but perhaps we've seen enough royalty waltzing into the enemy's hands for one war, eh?"

"They have my sister!" Chrom looked back with a fierce anger, but he had stopped, "What do you want me to do?"

"Let's consider our options here rather than rushing in blindly into what is obviously a trap."

"They're going to kill her!" Chrom shouted, throwing his arm wide. This was not going anywhere. Chrom was not going to listen to any plan that did not end with Emmeryn's rescue. It was an obvious trap, but he could try to use that to their favor.

"Basillio's right," Robin spoke up, "It's clearly a trap."

"But we have to do something!" Chrom turned to the tactician.

"So we do something, but don't rush into it. It's a trap. He wants the Fire Emblem, but he also wants a nice, big public execution so he won't kill her secretly before we show up. He also wants the Emblem which means he'll wait for you. That gives us a bit of time."

"I refuse to gamble with Emmeryn's life."

"We don't have to," Robin shook his head, "So long as it looks like we're coming, he won't play his hand too soon. It just means we can be a bit more cautious about our strike and plan it out."

This seemed to calm the prince down a little, "What'd you have in mind?"

"Honestly, we'll probably do better sneaking in with a smaller force, but I'm sure Gangrel expects that. So we'll do just that and keep him thinking his plan is going according to plan. Meanwhile, Khans, do you by any chance have some special forces we can borrow?"

"Robin!" The tactician stopped and looked up from the map he was carrying to see Lucina running after him, "Is it true? Did Ylisstol fall?"

"Not quite," Robin sighed, "Emmeryn gave herself up to spare the citizenry. Gangrel seemed to be so pleased with his prize that he retreated back to Plegia. For once his madness had a positive, however small."

"So when are we rescuing her?"

"Heh," Robin chuckled, "You remind me of Chrom right now. Soon. We leave in the morning. I…I'm not going to lie. It's a long shot, and it'll be dangerous. I suppose asking you to stay behind would be pointless."

"It would," Lucina nodded confidently.

"I figured," Robin sighed, "Just…stay close. Be careful. Please?"

"I'll stay safe so long as you do the same. You have a tendency to not value yourself too much I've noticed."

"Well, it's not like I'm looking to get disemboweled or anything."

"I never said you were, but you seem particularly willing to risk yourself for allies. It is noble to a degree, but you don't have to do these things alone."

"Ah, Robin, there you are," The two stopped as Frederick looked at them in a mildly disapproving manner, "I would like to voice my unease at this plan. I want to be certain that you understand the gravity of the situation."

"I assure you, I do, and I'll do everything in my power to make this operation a success. I don't like taking risks either, but charging in recklessly would have ended with us all dead or captured and you know it."

"A true knight does not fear to lay down his life for his liege, but I am concerned for the prince and princess."

"As am I, but they won't be talked out of it. They are dead set on this, and while it may be risky, it's my job to make sure we actually survive this. You may not trust me, and that's fine. If you trust one thing though, it's that I've no intentions of you, me, Chrom, Emmeryn, Lissa, or any other member of our company dying, and I will be fighting on the front lines to help make sure that's the case. However, no, I can't guarantee anything. It's the best I have, and I'm open to suggestions."

The knight nodded, "I see. If you are that certain, we shall see how your plan develops. Good day."

"What was that about?" Lucina inquired watching the knight depart.

"He still doesn't trust me, and he's concerned for the royals," Robin sighed, "Can't say I blame him. While I'm confident Gangrel won't act until he springs his trap, it's not a guarantee. On one hand there's the risk he'll act prematurely, and on the other hand we're taking the royal prince and princess into enemy territory."

"Do you think it is the most likely path to success?"

"Given what I have to work with? I do," Robin answered the bluenette.

"Then I trust you. I said it once, and I'll say it again, I don't believe you are a bad person. You simply have to look at life more realistically due to your role."

"Thanks," Robin smiled, "You don't know how much that means. I wish I could be as confident as some of our allies, but I also fear I may be too negative."

"You'll find the right balance," Lucina smiled back, "I'll even help if I can."

"You already have."

Lucina bore a grim expression as she hacked at the training dummy. She could not shake a feeling of dread, but she did not know why. Anytime the Fire Emblem came up, she felt her stomach drop, and she had yet to figure out why. As far as she knew, she should have never seen it before joining the Shepherds.

So, she was left with a silent dread as they prepared for this mission and no real explanation as to why. She trusted Robin. She trusted him implicitly, but she was still dreading this expedition.

She seemed plagued by unspoken dread, honestly. So many things seemed to trigger silent flashes of dread or, in the worst cases, terror. The night, the risen, she had even had a flash of dread at a campfire. She hid it well, but it was exhausting, and that was to say nothing about the dreams.

A few people did make her feel safe though. Chrom's presence tended to put her at ease, as did Sumia's oddly enough. Lissa also put a smile on her face. Then there was Robin. Her fellow amnesiac. It was stranger with him. Different. She could not put it to words, but while the others seemed to have some deep seated comfort she could not explain, Robin's comfort seemed to come entirely from her limited memory set. That made her appreciate it almost more. It made him an anchor of sorts.

"You're still at it?" Lucina stopped mid swing as Sumia walked up carefully so as not to trip, "That's some dedication."

"More I had trouble sleeping," Lucina turned, holding the blade at her side, "What about you?"

"Same. I'm worried about the Exalt and Commander and the pegasus knights."

"And Chrom," Lucina added as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, um, well, yes, naturally I would be concerned for our captain."

The bluenette tilted her head at the reaction, "Do you not care for him? If I am mistaken, I apologize, but I could have sworn you had feelings for each other."

"Us? A couple? I…I would hardly…he's a prince, and well…"

"Oh, I could have sworn he had feelings for you," Lucina furrowed her brow. In fact, she knew they did.

"I…you think so?" Sumia asked quietly. Hopefully.

"I do. I'm certain he has feelings for you."

"Hah, well, maybe I should take your word for it given your experience with Robin."

"Parden?" Lucina tilted her head again, "I fail to see the connection."

"Really, I just thought, er, assumed…nevermind." Though Sumia added in a mumble, "Maybe I shouldn't take her word for it…"

"I hate deserts," Lissa came to the conclusion about an hour into the harsh sands of Plegia, which, honestly, beat most of their expectations.

"My candies are melting," Gaius groaned, "Also, how are you doing that, Shortstack?"

"Don't call me short!" The ginger mage yelped at the ginger thief, "...but walking on sand is one of the first tricks any mage learns. A bit situational if you ask me, but it's not very taxing. Also only works on sand, and even then if it's loose enough it might not work."

"Makes me wish I had such a skill," Chrom grunted as he trudged along in the blazing sand, "How about you, Robin? Do you know how to do it?"

"Doesn't seem so," Robin walked along, also making large steps to get through the dunes.

"I'm just glad we haven't been spotted yet," Chrom muttered, "I'd hate to fight off an attack like this."

"I would advise caution, milord. They are likely lying in wait."

"Frederick's right," Robin scanned the horizon, "This is a trap, and everyone knows it. Gangrel seems the type to gloat. He won't spring it so early, but he might still throw troops at us to weaken us."

"Prince Chrom!" Cordelia descended quickly. If anyone other than Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick was determined to succeed on this mission, it was Cordelia. Her sisters in arms were on the line after all.

"Cordelia! What did you see?"

"A commotion kicking up lots of sand. It was hard to get a good count, but dozens of armed men seemed to be chasing someone."

"Shepherds, brace yourselves. Let's see what this is about."

"I'll prepare a formation. Just in case," Robin suggested.

"Good," The prince looked to the pegasus knight, "Lead the way."

"Visibility could be better," Robin covered his eyes as he looked out over the desert, "I can barely make out what's going on."

Chrom squinted, "I think I can see a girl being chased." The prince then growled, "For no good reason I imagine. We'll save her. Leave no witnesses from her pursuers if we have to."

"Understood, milord," Frederick bowed before leaving to disseminate his order.

"This sand will be a problem," Robin noted, "There looks to be what might pass as a road. I'd suggest using that if we're aiming for speed. The mages and fliers might be able to move freely, but it's not like they can ferry all of us."

"Understood. Let's go."

The desert continued to hinder their progress, but they got a better idea of the conflict as they got closer. The girl seemed to be fleeing her captors, but they were closing in. The Shepherds tried to hurry, but the sand kept slowing them down.

What happened next was hard to make out with the heat waves and sand obscuring their vision, but several members reported hearing a scream. Then they hear a roar.

"What is that?" Robin grimaced as a large, green creature ascended above the chaos of the battle.

"She's a manakete!" Chrom yelled as she turned her wrath on her former captors.

"Not sure she actually needs our help," Robin muttered thinking about how a dragon could be a boon.

"Either way, we aren't letting them capture her again. Double time, Shepherds! And be wary of our friend!"

With a dragon tearing into their ranks, the enemy admittedly did not pose much of a threat. They gave the dragon a wide berth with Robin spotting who he believed to be their leader. One look was all Lucina needed to follow him.

Taking a few stragglers out as they approached, the two soon found themselves facing down the robed leader of these forces. He did not exactly look dressed for combat. His garb looked more ceremonial than anything. All the same, he was the commander, and thus, a target.

"You," The man laughed, "Oh, yes. Could you be the one?"

"What are you on about?" Robin glared as the man deflected his spell. Right, magic was not the way to go. Sword it was.

"You'll know soon enough. Even if you aren't, perhaps we can find some use for you."

The tactician grimaced, wanting nothing to do with whatever the dusty man was talking about. Instead, he kept him busy with a few swings. The man never expected Lucina to jump clear over him for an attack. Few ever did.

"That's that," Lucina sheathed her blade, turning away from the corpse, "Are you uninjured?"

"Yeah," Robin narrowed his eyes at the corpse before sheathing his blade. It was probably in his head, but he could have sworn his right hand was tingling. Those markings did look familiar, "Let's meet up with the others."

What they found was not exactly what either of them had been expecting. The dragon was back to looking like a little girl and was sobbing. One look revealed she was crying over the body of what looked like a mercenary. The one that had looked to be chasing her most closely.

"He saved me," She sobbed, "I didn't realize it, and I just ran. He protected me to the end. I was so mean to him too."

Robin shrunk back from the scene then. He let her grieve. In her own time, she stood and addressed Chrom, "Where are you going?"

"We're on a mission to save my sister. Do you have anywhere you can stay? I hate to be rude, but we're in a hurry."

"I don't. I was kidnapped when I was a baby. I don't really have a home, but I'd like to go with you. You helped me out, and I can fight. I mean, I am a dragon."

"She could be a boon, sire," Frederick noted, "The dragonkin are said to be quite resilient."

"I'm not keen on taking a little kid into battle. We already have Ricken guarding the healers."

"Who are you calling a kid?" The girl puffed out her cheeks, certainly not helping her case, "I'm older than you are!"

"Just…how old are you?" Lissa asked cautiously.

"Hmm, not sure. About a thousand…something."

"A thousand?" Lissa gaped though Frederick seemed unfazed by this answer. Chrom had the expression of someone who knew he should have expected this.

"Right. Manakete. I forgot about that detail. Fine, you can come, but we need to hurry."

"Those symbols…" Robin muttered while grabbing his right hand, "Why would they…"

"Robin?" Lucina looked at him with concern, "You're muttering to yourself."

"Oh, sorry. Just thinking," Robin redirected his gaze toward the Plegian capital, "Come. We have work to do."

"Here you go," The knight set a cup of tea down before the princess, "You look awful."

"Thank you," Say'ri sipped the tea. Different from what she was used to, but welcome all the same, "I had to evade patrols on the way here."

"Your discretion is appreciated, though I fear I won't be able to help you," The pink haired lady sat across from the princess. "I'm afraid few are willing to stand up to Walhart. He has very effectively driven dissidents underground. Though, the duke is confident he may have some strong allies, he is still 'testing' them."

"I wonder if they would even be enough," Say'ri squeezed her cup, "Walhart crushes us at every turn. I fear for my brother."

"Yes, about that," The knight reached under the table as she spoke, "I have word of the battle."

"And?" The princess waited with baited breath, "Pray don't hide it from me. Tell me what you know."

"It seems Yen'fay and his forces…have turn coated for the Empire."

"What!? No, it cannot be. You must be mistaken!"

"I'm afraid multiple sources have confirmed as much. He was welcomed as Walhart's newest general."

"I…why? He can't! His honor meant too much to him!"

"Perhaps his life meant more."

"I…I cannot refute that. Please, milady, let me hear these reports."

The knight looked her over before a thunk of something heavy hitting the floor could be heard, "Very well. I believe you."

"Was that…an ax, milady?"

"Yes," She smiled back dangerously, "With word of your brother turning traitor, I could not be certain. Your reaction seems genuine though. Still, I will be watching you."

"An…understandable precaution."

"Oh," She stopped short of the entrance, "And Minerva will be watching as well."

"Er, yes, milady."

"Good. Now follow me."

A/N: Well, beat this run of Awakening. I did the non-sacrifice ending first time, but then after the post game stuff I opted to do, I did the sacrifice ending. How many of you have at least seen that ending?