I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening or any of the characters.
Proper Introductions
Corbin narrowed his eyes as he stared at the two people that should never have been able to be present. The first was the new king of Plegia, Validar. He claimed to have never met Chrom or any of Ylisse's royalty, but Corbin knew him, and knew at a glance that both Chrom and Robin recognized him as well. And well they should, as Chrom and Robin had killed him. Validar was the leader of the group of assassins that had tried to assassinate Emmeryn the night Lucina had been revealed as a female to everyone but Corbin, since he was the only person who had known she was beforehand. The other face, however, was so much more complicated. Corbin and Robin knew without a shadow of a doubt that they were twins. Two siblings, no more and no less. So how, then, there was a girl present at the meeting on the side of Plegia who could have passed as Robin's identical twin was beyond anyone's explanation. The doppelganger's name was even supposedly Robin as well. And even worse was the fact that as Corbin glared at the doppelganger, he felt the same crawling sensation as he did any time the Risen Corbin was around, only much more pronounced. And he could tell that Robin felt the same unease.
All through the meeting so far, Validar had had a silver tongue, heaping on piles of praise for Robin and Corbin's skill as tacticians, and speaking to Chrom as though he was truly honored to meet him, but the wicked, dangerous glint in his eyes was almost as unsettling as Robin's doppelganger's presence. However, Plegia was offering eight hundred warships and two hundred further transport ships, and to fully fund the war against Valm, though they claimed to have no troops to spare as their armies had not yet recovered from the war against Ylisse and Regna Ferox. Corbin glanced off to the side where Mustafa stood with several other generals. He inclined his head in greeting, and Corbin returned the gesture. Corbin returned his gaze to the doppelganger, narrowing his eyes. Validar and Aversa, who had survived the war, had made it a point to introduce the doppelganger, even though negotiations had already concluded. They were plotting something. Hoping to get a specific reaction from Chrom, or possibly Robin, maybe. They'd introduced the doppelganger as a hierophant, and the highest ranked member of their order. And according to Aversa's own, very proud, admission, the main religion to which Plegia adhered, the religion which the doppelganger was apparently the highest priest of, was the worship of the Fell Dragon Grima.
"Why do Robin and your hierophant-" Chrom began.
"I'm afraid we have no time for such trivial matters now," Aversa interrupted, smirking arrogantly. "We have aid preparations to see to, and you have a long, hard journey ahead." She an Validar turned, beginning to walk away, only for Aversa to stop. "And do be careful. This time of year, the highroads of Plegia can be rather treacherous."
Then, they left, the hierophant remaining and watching as Corbin and the others left, Corbin keeping himself ready for an attack the entire way, though no attack came. Finally, they were out of Plegia's outpost and they were heading across Carrion Isle, the small island the meeting had taken place on.
"I don't like it," Corbin said. "Something's wrong."
"Agreed," Chrom nodded, looking to Frederick. "Spread word to be ready for an attack."
"Expect Risen," Corbin added on a hunch.
Frederick nodded and passed along the warning, but nothing happened as they traveled. However, by the time they reached the shore, it was getting late, so they set up camp, the Shepherds setting up a watch schedule. Corbin headed to his tent, sitting down and clasping his hands in front of his mouth. Thinking. Something was very wrong. His senses were still warning him of danger, but they had been since he'd set foot on Carrion Isle, so he ignored it for now, aside from keeping his sword and tome with him. He couldn't figure out why Validar had gone to a point to introduce the hierophant. It made no sense, except to sew confusion, which it had done wonderfully at. He sighed, resting a hand on his sword. He found himself wishing that Lucina were there so that he could discuss it with her. So that he could talk to her at all. He smiled tiredly as he sighed. He hadn't lied to his sister when she'd asked so long ago if he was in love with Lucina, but he'd have been lying if he had said he wasn't attracted. How could he not be? She was beautiful, mysterious, an amazing fighter, had saved his life several times. And he could see that she was in pain, despite how hard she tried to hide it. There was a very large part of him that wanted to find a way to make that pain go away.
"Corbin?" Robin said as she ducked into the tent. "We need to talk."
Corbin nodded, and Robin sat beside him.
"Validar spoke to me in my head a few minutes ago," Robin said. "He...claimed to be our father."
"What?" Corbin yelped. "Validar!? There's no way! Is there?"
Robin's face twisted in distaste. "You felt it, didn't you? The connection we had with him?"
Corbin grimaced as he nodded. "I had hoped it was just because he tried to kill Emmeryn and died doing it."
Robin shook her head. "I think he was telling the truth."
"So then...the doppelganger?" Corbin asked. "We're not triplets. I know we're not."
Robin shook her head. "No, we're not. I know that much. But maybe...maybe she's our younger sister?"
"That he named after you?" Corbin asked. "No way. It's too close a resemblance. Even I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference if...if I hadn't felt the same...sensation...connection as I feel when the Risen Corbin is around."
"The skin crawling?" Robin asked.
Corbin nodded.
"I felt it, too," Robin nodded. "So...what then?" She frowned. "Me from the future?"
"It's...not impossible," Corbin admitted. "There's the Risen version of me, Lucina, Inigo, and Yarne. It isn't out of the realm of possibility."
"But why would I join Plegia if I came back?" Robin asked. "Why would I worship Grima?"
Corbin shook his head, frowning. "A better question is, if I became a Risen and Chrom died, what happened to you? There's no way you would have just left if Chrom and I died."
"So then...what happens to me?" Robin asked, looking worried.
Corbin shook his head. "I don't know. What else did Validar say?"
"He said he wanted to...add my power to Grima's," Robin frowned. "That I'm of his flesh but of sacred blood. What if...What if I'm-"
Corbin hissed sharply, leaping to his feet. "Risen!"
Robin swore, both sprinting out of the tent and shouting the warning. Within a minute, all of the Shepherds had prepared for battle, the khans and their forces taking only slightly longer. However, by the time they were fully prepared for battle, dozens of Risen had surrounded the camp entirely. Corbin swallowed hard as he looked around. He didn't see any archers at all, but there were nearly two dozen pegasi and Wyverns among the Risen, and when the Pegasus Knights took to the skies, so did the Risen's aerial combatants.
"Shit!" Corbin swore. "Ride with Cordelia!"
Robin nodded, sprinting over to where Cordelia was preparing to take off and join the Pegasus Knights. She jumped on with Cordelia, and together they took off to join the others. As they did, the Risen began to charge.
"Chrom, Frederick, I told you camping in the bottom of an empty riverbed was a bad idea!" Corbin shouted as he ran over to them.
Around them, the sides of the riverbed were slick with mud and too steep to climb, but there were four thin, one-man paths to the top, and at the far end was a dam, on which the Risen commander, thankfully not the Risen Corbin, landed with a pair of heavy knights and a pair of mercenaries. The Risen heavy knights armor was almost all black, but they lacked face masks, instead having a hood-like piece of armor with their eyes shining blood red from within the shadows of the opening it left. However, as Corbin drew his sword and looked around, he swore as he noticed at least a dozen of the monstrous Risen creatures with the burlap sacks over their heads.
"We're going to have our work cut out for us," Corbin intoned darkly.
"Yes, we are," Chrom nodded.
"We need to move," Frederick said. "We can't stay surrounded."
"Agreed," Corbin nodded. "Vaike, Sully! The paths to our rear! Frederick, the path to the front left! Stahl, the right!"
Everyone complied, and the force split automatically to follow one of the four chosen vanguards. As it did, Chrom followed Frederick as Corbin charged after Stahl. He immediately lost track of the others as Stahl plowed through the Risen on the path, killing a handful but mostly simply clearing the path. Any that tumbled down the hill to the bottom of the riverbed, Corbin blasted with his magic, killing them, and when Stahl reached the top of the path, he slashed several before charging along the riverbed away from the dam, moving to meet up with Sully, who had ridden up on their side. Corbin lunged under one of the monstrous Risen's claws, slashing it along the right side before spinning to his left, turning in a complete circle and severing its spine before also slashing an axe wielder ahead of him. One leapt at him from behind, only for a blast of Wind Magic to kill it as Ricken and Maribelle followed him. He slashed a pair of spear-wielding Risen before glancing around, taking stock of where their forces were. Morgan had gone with Frederick and Chrom to give them a ranged fighter, and Megan had gone with Vaike, who was joined by Panne, Lissa, and Yarne. Olivia, Donnel, and Inigo had gone with Sully, and facing the massive horde charging them from the opposite side of the dam were Regna Ferox's meager force, the khans, Lon'qu, Tharja, Gaius, Anna, Libra, Nowi, Gregor, Miriel, and a young boy that Corbin didn't recognize who wore a purple mage's robe and had white hair, and as Corbin looked, he unleashed a blast of violet Fire Magic, the curse form of standard Fire Magic, not unlike Tharja's own curses.
Corbin shook his head as he refocused on his own fight, sidestepping a spear and slashing the Risen holding it, then hurled the spear into a heavy knight stomping toward him, catching it in the face and killing it, its armor dissolving with the rest of its body. Several Risen dressed like mercenaries charged him and he began to block their swords, growling in annoyance and effort. Finally, he knocked their swords aside and blasted one with a blast of Thunder just as Ricken blasted another with a blast of Wind Magic. The third lunged into a stab and Corbin spun, knocking the blade aside before spinning again and decapitating the Risen. A Risen Wyvern Rider swooped down at him, the rotting Wyvern roaring only for Cherche's Wyvern, Minerva, to crash into it, smashing it to the ground as Cherche planted her poleaxe in the rider's torso as Minerva ripped the undead Wyvern's head off entirely. Then, they took off again to rejoin the Pegasus Knights in their desperate aerial battle. Corbin charged forward, slashing through several Risen as he made for the dam, seeing Chrom heading that way as well with Frederick and Morgan.
"Ricken, Maribelle, you still with me?" Corbin asked.
"We're here!" Ricken said, blasting a Risen Corbin had passed in favor of killing the monstrous one behind it.
"We've got your back, commoner!" Maribelle said, ever the arrogant noble, though he knew she wasn't actually being rude.
What he hadn't known, however, was that Ricken had taught her to use magic, so when she fired off a blast of Wind Magic and blasted a Risen spearman as he leapt at Corbin less than a second after Ricken had blasted a Risen barbarian, Corbin yelped in surprise, then laughed.
"Hey, you're finally useful!" Corbin teased.
"Cease your useless blathering!" Maribelle snapped. "I was always useful! You're the one who seems to have finally grown useful on the front lines!"
Corbin grinned as he carved through several barbarians, then blasted a heavy knight in the face. "My training is paying off."
Several Risen Pegasus Knights swooped down at them, only for a pair of lightning spikes to kill two of them. Corbin leapt into the air, flipping forward as the third passed under him and kicked the rider's spear aside before splitting him vertically. A moment later, Cordelia hurled a stolen spear into the pegasus itself, killing it and making it disintegrate. As Corbin landed, he slashed a Risen mercenary down the back as it moved to attack Ricken, and Ricken responded by killing a pair of Risen barbarians behind Corbin with a tornado of Wind Magic.
Corbin nodded to him before turning back to the front and charging again, rapidly carving through several Risen. Finally, he reached the dam just as he heard Basilio swear.
"Ricken, Maribelle, reinforce the khans!" Corbin snapped.
Both nodded, and Ricken leapt up behind Maribelle, who turned her horse and spurred it back toward the riverbed, both beginning to rain spells on the Risen horde pushing the khans and Shepherds still in the riverbed back. Many of the others moved to join them, the two entire groups that had cleared the back paths going to join in against the horde, as the tops of the riverbed had been cleared entirely already. Corbin charged onto the dam, and saw Frederick heading back toward the horde at a gallop with Morgan riding behind him. That left Chrom and Corbin to finish off the five Risen on the dam. Both of them charged, easily slaughtering the mercenary and heavy knight guards, but as they charged the Risen commander, he turned toward Chrom, snarling.
"Kill...prince," it snarled in a rough, scratchy voice.
"It speaks!?" Chrom yelped, even as he and Corbin struck.
"Evidently so!" Corbin called back.
The Risen wore armor similar to Basilio's own, though rotting and black instead of gold and with most of its collar's faux feathers missing, and it held an axe like Mustafa had used, the type that looked partly like a scimitar. It used the armor on its left arm to deflect Corbin's blade as it deflected Chrom's sword with its axe, then spun, swiping its axe at Chrom's back. Chrom twisted, deflecting the blade with the Fire Emblem, and was sent flying backward. The Risen roared, turning to Corbin in time to block his blade, trapping it in the crook of its axe, under the axe's head, but Corbin simply spun, pulling his sword back and blasting it with Thunder. It roared, staggering backward. Chrom dropped behind it, slashing it down the back, but it turned, slamming its armored left arm into his chest, hurling him backward with a shout of pain. Corbin shot forward, slashing rapidly, but this Risen was beyond any he'd faced before except for the Risen Corbin. Between its axe and left arm's thick armor, it blocked every strike for several seconds. Then, as Corbin leapt backward, Chrom shot past the Risen on the left side, splitting its side open and ending up beside Corbin.
"You go high!" Corbin ordered.
Chrom launched himself into the air instantly as Corbin charged head-on. The Risen roared, charging forward to meet Corbin and swung hard, but Corbin roared in effort, swinging hard and halting the axe with his slash. Then, as Chrom fell, he slashed the axe from above, shattering it. The Risen roared, punching both with a single strike and hurled them both backward. Both shouted in pain, bouncing and rolling to a stop, then pushed themselves up, retrieving their swords.
"One more time!" Corbin said, leaping into the air into Chrom and Lucina's flipping slash.
The Risen looked up at him, roaring and raising its left arm, only for Chrom to flash past it, slashing the arm off entirely. Then as the Risen roared in pain, Corbin's blade split it down the center, finally killing it. Both took a second to catch their breath before looking up just in time to see Phila, Cordelia, and Robin all strike the last aerial unit and its mount together, finishing the battle above.
"Can you help the others from here?" Chrom asked Corbin.
Corbin nodded, sheathing his sword and placing his hands to the covers of his spell tome. Then, as he pulled them away and activated his magic fully, the skies overhead filled with clouds, lightning flashing between them for a moment before beginning to flash down into the horde over and over, rapidly blasting entire groups of Risen into ash. The Pegasus Knights and Cherche swooped down rapidly to help clear the group, Robin's magic rapidly doing the same. And then, finally, as Corbin allowed his magic to end and his tome to return to his back, Lon'qu, Inigo, Morgan, and Megan slaughtered the last of the Risen, ending the battle.
"Finished," Corbin panted, sinking to his knees, sweat pouring down his face. "Something was different. They were more intelligent. They're learning. Or they're being commanded."
"I noticed," Chrom nodded. "I'd bet anything it was Validar."
"Or his hierophant," Corbin nodded.
Just then, there was a flash of light and a single Risen landed between them, dressed in the same bladed armor as the assassins Lucina had once saved Chrom from. Corbin grabbed for his sword instantly, only for the Risen assassin to slash his gut, then kick him off of the bridge.
"Corbin!" Chrom yelped, then swore as the assassin leapt at him.
"Father, no!" Lucina shrieked, passing him just in time to deflect the Risen's blade and split it in half.
At the same moment, Cordelia and Robin swept past below Corbin, Robin catching him and immediately turning and flying to the rest of the shepherds, all of their healers immediately rushing to heal his wound.
"Why is it I'm always getting wounded worst of the group when it's Risen?" Corbin groaned as he inspected his ruined shirt. "Dammit. I just got this shirt!"
"Dad!" Morgan and Megan shouted in fear, tackling him in a hug.
"I'm alright," Corbin assured them, hugging them both. "Are you both alright?"
"Better than alright," Frederick smiled. "They were excellent. Both of them are just as excellent in combat as you and your sister, and their instructions in that fight were nearly as concise and invaluable as yours. It was they who instructed the reinforcements to go down the slope directly to surround the Risen."
Corbin smiled. "I'm proud of you both." He pushed himself up, looking back up at the dam where Lucina and Chrom were talking. "I need to go. Cordelia, can you give me a lift?"
Cordelia nodded, and Robin hopped down, flashing Corbin a knowing grin, which he couldn't help but share as Cordelia flew him back to Chrom and Lucina. However, as they landed, Lucina had removed her mask and was crying as Chrom held her. Cordelia went rigid instantly, standing frozen and staring at the scene in a mixture of shock and hurt.
"I thought...after all the time you spent together while she trained you, I thought...but...Chrom is..." Cordelia trailed off, her eyes watering.
"It's not what you think," Corbin assured her. "Chrom, Marth."
Both looked over to them, Lucina drying her eyes.
"I think you might want to explain things to Cordelia before she assumes the worst," Corbin advised.
"No," Cordelia said, turning away. "It's fine. Chrom is Exalt before he is my husband. If this is what he wishes..." she swallowed hard as tears fell from her eyes. "I will respect my lord's wishes."
"Cordelia," Lucina said, stepping around in front of her. "Don't cry. Look into my eyes. You'll understand."
Cordelia hesitated, then met Lucina's gaze, only to gasp. "The Brand of the Exalt! But...and in the left eye..."
"This is our daughter," Chrom explained. "It's Lucina."
"But..." Cordelia shook her head. "What happened to you? Is this some sorcerer's trick? How can you be this old? Oh, I'm so sorry! I should have never left! How could I let this happen to you!?"
"Peace, Cordelia," Chrom said soothingly.
"Right now, your baby is right where you left her and perfectly safe," Lucina assured her.
"This Lucina is from the future," Corbin explained. "I realized a while ago, but I promised to say nothing until she was ready. She knows of the dark future we're facing because it's where she's from."
"That's right," Lucina nodded. "More than ten years hence."
"But...how?" Cordelia asked.
"You remember the big eye portals the Risen are constantly appearing from?" Corbin asked. "They're called Outrealm Gates, like the physical gate we fought the Risen Corbin at last. They're portals through time and space. Lucina came back through one."
"In the future, Risen have overrun the entire world," Lucina explained. "Ylisstol was the last bastion for humanity, but it fell, and as a last effort to save the future, I came back to the past to try and stop the world from falling."
"But why?" Corbin asked. "What exactly happens to cause it?"
"The Fell Dragon Grima is resurrected," Lucina explains. "His roar is a death knell for man, a scream that silences all hope. Everyone dies."
"Grima is the one creating Risen," Corbin realized. "He's the one who turned me into a Risen. And then Chrom died."
Lucina nodded. "After Father was killed, everyone else began to die as well. Several fell in the same battle as you and Father, and then in the many hopeless battles that followed, almost everyone else died. Nearly all of the Shepherds."
"Who survived?" Lissa asked, walking over with Robin.
"You did, for one," Lucina explained. "You were never a front-line fighter, since you were pregnant during the battle that claimed Corbin and Father, you were spared. You stayed behind the front lines, healing those who needed it, and you remained a source of warmth and hope throughout it all. Right up until the end."
"Was it me?" Corbin asked.
Lucina stared at the ground. "You led the final assault against Ylisstol personally as Grima's right hand. His most powerful servant. None could stand against you."
"I'm so sorry," Corbin apologized.
Lucina shook her head. "It's not you. Not yet. But you also gave me the Falchion after Father died. The first time we fought, you gave it to me after you broke my sword. It was a taunt, but it has served me well since then."
"I see," Corbin grimaced. "How long do we have?"
Lucina shook her head. "I'm not sure. Things aren't happening exactly the way they were supposed to. I was meant to be born earlier than I was. I should be two years old by the time the war with Valm began. Something's been speeding things along, and I don't like it."
"Agreed," Corbin nodded. "What can we do?"
"We need to gather others," Lucina said. "I made the journey with others, the last of my friends who were alive, but we were separated. We need to find-"
"Lucina!" Inigo and Yarne's voices shouted, the pair running over and Inigo tackling her in a flying hug.
"Inigo!" Lucina gasped. "Yarne! You're here!"
"We got spat out at different times," Yarne said as Inigo and Lucina stood. "Us more recently than you, from what I've heard. And none in the same place, though Inigo and I ended up in the same battle, though unknowingly on opposite sides."
"I see," Lucina nodded. "Maybe the others haven't arrived yet."
"They might have," Corbin said. "We'll have to find them."
"Wait a minute!" Lissa said. "You two have your memories back?"
"We never lost them," Inigo said. "Sorry, we thought it would be better not to explain everything until after we found Lucina and got her permission. I'm Olivia and Donnel's son. Only Olivia knows."
"And me and Robin," Corbin said. "Oh, speaking of which, you all must know Morgan and Megan."
Lucina, Inigo, and Yarne all shook their heads.
"We'd never met them before," Yarne said. "We talked to them alone, though, and they explained their from a different version of the future than us. And a much worse one."
"Worse?" Lucina asked. "I knew it was bad, but worse?"
"Well, in our future, Grima never unleashed the creatures they described from that dark realm."
"Oh, wait," Corbin frowned. "They did mention Grima did that. How did I not catch that?"
Lucina smirked. "You were still trying to grasp that you had children."
Corbin grimaced, nodding.
"You really didn't pick up on that?" Robin asked.
"No," Corbin admitted. "I take it you did."
"Of course I did," Robin snorted. "I'm smarter than you."
Corbin rolled his eyes.
"Anyway," Yarne said. "Introductions got a bit sidetracked. You can probably guess, but I'm Lon'qu and Panne's son."
The others nodded. "So, are all of our children supposed to have come back?" Chrom asked.
Lucina nodded. "Not everyone had children, and I won't say who had who, since it seems like not everyone has gotten together, yet, and I don't want to ruin things, but everyone descended from one of the Shepherds came back with me."
"We'll find the others," Cordelia said, then frowned. "But...you're really...my daughter?"
"Yes, I swear it," Lucina nodded, then hesitated. "I've missed you...Mother."
Cordelia's eyes watered and she stepped forward, hugging Lucina. "How did I..."
"Corbin killed you," Lucina sniffed, Corbin immediately feeling ashamed and like he shouldn't be there. "You fought him to avenge father and allow me to escape after he gave me the Falchion, but..."
Cordelia nodded, glancing at Corbin. "You have nothing to feel bad for, Corbin. We aren't going to let that be any of our future."
Corbin nodded, feeling no better, but forcing a convincing smile all the same. "So, what now? Will you stay with us this time?"
Lucina nodded, stepping back from Cordelia. "Yes. It's time for me to join you all. And you still have along way to go with your training." She glanced at his bloody, torn shirt. "You can't be wounded so easily if you mean to avoid becoming a Risen."
Corbin nodded, smiling. "I'll be glad to have you beat me bloody again."
Lucina blinked in surprise, then smiled wryly. "Don't make it sound so..."
Inigo grinned, then frowned. "I hope we find the others soon."
Lucina nodded in agreement. "So do I."
"We should get back to the others and figure out how we're going to explain things," Chrom suggested.
"Good idea," Robin nodded.
The others all agreed, and started back, Corbin glancing over at Lucina, who he'd ended up beside and who had put her mask back on.
"You're still going to wear it?" Corbin asked.
Lucina nodded. "It was a gift from a friend. I may not need it anymore, but I like it."
Corbin smiled, nodding, only for his expression to fall almost instantly. "I really am sorry. For everything I did to you in your time. I won't let it happen again."
Lucina shook her head. "It's not you. You're a good man, and...even though you become an enemy, that's still not you."
Corbin nodded, though he didn't smile. "I hope you can look at me without seeing him, someday."
Lucina blinked in surprise, looking over at him. "I-"
"Hey, Dad!" Morgan called out, running over. "I challenge you to a match before we sleep!"
Corbin sighed, then nodded, smiling. "Alright, but only a quick one."
He chuckled as Morgan cheered, following him away from the others, Megan running over to challenge Robin to the same and getting the same answer.
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