Chapter 12 - Flickering Flame

"Lord Xander, Lord Leo, Sir Robin, the scouts have just reported back," announced the soldier who'd hurried over but moments before, falling into attention as he caught his breath. "Upon arriving at the riverbank to the west they say they found that the waters have fallen several feet, leaving much of the riverbed as little more than fields of mud and rock. We're still waiting for those sent to the river's far eastern neck to report back."

Nodding in thanks, Xander quickly dismissed the soldier, ordering him to report back when the other scouts returned. He gripped his reins tighter, falling silent until the man had gone, only then releasing his pent up breath.

"Well, good news is it looks like Leo and I didn't sent us on a wild goose chase after all," Robin noted, frowning pensively. He wasn't quite sure if he should feel happy about that or not. Afterall, being right meant that they'd soon be risking life and limb in yet another large scale battle. And we barely survived the last one as it is

"Indeed. We're fortunate the two of you guessed out our enemy's plan when you did. If you hadn't, Windmire would be completely exposed with the majority of our forces leagues away," Xander responded.

Robin nodded in agreement. A moment passed in silence before he straightened in his saddle, voicing the other thought that had come to mind. "Also, 'Sir Robin'? I don't recall ever being a knight."

"Easiest way to explain to the troops why you're giving orders was to claim you were of some degree of nobility," Leo explained. Even as he spoke he didn't so much as glance Robin's way, his gaze fixed firmly ahead, scanning the landscape stretching before them

Makes sense I suppose, Robin thought. From what he'd gathered from their brief time traveling with the Nohrian army, the nation held a far more rigid distinctions among social castes, at least when compared to Ylisse. Authority of the armed forces was held exclusively by the nobility except for in the lowest ranks of leadership. Those of more common birth who managed to distinguished themselves could expect to be granted a knighthood or some other low ranking title before being allowed to further climb in the military hierarchy.

If I think about it, I suppose I technically am a noble. Royalty even, between that fact that my father was the Plegian King and my marriage to Lucina. Not that either really make a strong case for that, he mused. How does it even work with Lucina being from another timeline. Am I royalty only in her world? Robin felt a smile tug at his lips, amused by the thought. Not that it really matters in the end of the day. Lucina and I have long since-"

"Hold," Leo said suddenly, holding out his arm in motion for the two others to slow. Robin and Xander both reined in their horses, slowing their pace. Following Leo's gaze, Robin spied several horses riding towards them from the east, their drab colors marking them as the other returning scouts.

Several moments passed until the horsemen reached their forces, followed by few more before the same soldier from before arrived to report what had been found. The river further east seemed to have stopped flowing as quickly, rising high above normal levels.

"Sounds like we sent them far enough east, avoiding the enemy's forces and arriving past where they dammed the river," Robin said.

"Indeed. From their reports, we should be able to get a rough estimate of where the enemy has gathered," Leo agreed, finally turning to look their way. "At our current heading we should arrive at the river within the hour. More or less should we adjust."

The two tacticians quickly discussed the matter among themselves before relaying the information to Xander. The Nohrian commander then ordered the army to turn slightly to the east. A brief pause followed, the army moving from marching formation into more structured battle lines.

Robin dismounted the horse he'd been lent, handing the reins to a nearby aid, following the example of those who would be fighting on foot. "Right, so, we stick to the plan then?" Robin asked, glancing to Xander and Leo each in turn.

"Yes. Best of luck directing our movements here. I must hurry to get into my own position," Leo said. Without delay he turned his horse, riding off towards the army's left flank.

"You should probably join the others. I can manage things here," Xander told him.

Nodding, Robin turned to depart, setting off to join the others. As he wound his way through the forming lines of men, he once more went over his mental checklist of the forces they'd gathers.

A thousand soldiers at our disposal disposal. Five-hundred footmen. Two-thirds of those have lances, the rest are swordsmen.. A hundred-fifty cavalrymen. A hundred armored knights. Two hundred archers. A handful of mages, clerics, mounted knights, and wyvern riders each…

He let the thought trail off as he spied Lucina among the gathered soldiers. She looked up, eyes meeting his as he hurried over.

"How did it go?"

"We're close. Everyone else is getting into position now," he answered. He scanned the troops nearby, frowning slightly. "I would have thought you'd be with the other infantry. Not that I am complaining, but Leo had been the one handling deployments, so I assumed…"

"Someone needed to remain close at hand and keep you away from harm," Lucina answered. She took a step closer, placing a hand on his arm, lifting her chin slightly to meet his gaze. "I may also have asked Lady Camila and Lady Elise to ask their brother if I could be given this assignment."

"Oh, that explains it then," Robin said, allowing himself a brief smile. He took a half step forward, leaning close as he draped his arms around her shoulders. "I'm glad you did. There's no one else I'd rather have watching my back." He kissed her on gently on the forehead, her cheeks flushing red in immediate response.

"Nor would I."

A long moment passed as they stood there, enjoying the simple closeness for what little time was allowed. Then the sounds of footsteps and rattling armor started all around them, signaling that the moment had ended. Robin sighed softly, reluctantly letting his arms slip from his wife's shoulders, the two of them stepping back.

"Probably shouldn't keep standing here," Robin noted, eyeing the soldiers who'd once again begun to march around them.

"Yes," Lucina agreed. She smiled gently, then turned to join the tide of marching men and women. "Let us tarry no longer."

Stepping alongside her, Robin began marching towards the battlefield, his mind once again slipping back to his mental checklist. He had to be sure he got it right. Anything but could prove fatal on the battlefield.

A thousand soldiers in total. Five-hundred footmen, two-hundred archers...

. . . . .

With a chorus of cries the Nohrian front lines charged down the hill that lead to the craggy plain that stretched before the river's shore. To meet them surged a tide of flickering shadows and violet flames. Steel clashed, drowning the voices in the tides of battle.

"Archers!" Robin shouted. Behind him bow strings twanged from the line of archers positions on the hill behind them. A hail of arrows sailed high overhead, raining down behind where the two armies met, thinning the ranks of phantoms moving to replace those that fell in front.

Then came the cavalry, Xander riding at their head. They crashed into the enemy's left flank, buckling the lines inward and sweeping them aside. At that very moment a detachment of armored knights began their push along the right flank, driving the front lines inward. Hemmed on two fronts, the Invisible Soldiers began to give ground, slowly but surely falling back towards the waters.

So far so good.

Robin scanned the battlefield from his position on the hill's crest, surveying the flow of the fighting as it progressed. In particular he watched the river further beyond, it's still waters seeming to glow with some unseen power. Further down the river on both sides loomed piles of trees, dirt, and stone, blocking the river's flow. From the size he could only guess that spells aided in so quickly damming such a mighty river. Even then, the backed up water still flowing from upstream would inevitably break though. However, it would take time, perhaps hours if not a full day or two. Plenty of time for the enemy to amass an invasion force large enough to assault the Nohrian capitol.

Still, we're fortunate that the portal has already been established. We didn't arrive too soon, Robin noted. In other circumstances this would have been a bad thing, but in this case the portal needed to be established for his and Leo's plan to work. Rather, in fact, their entire plan hinged on it. Of course, they'd taken that possibility into account: with the contingency being to drag out of the fighting as long as possible until the enemy was forced to call reinforcements. That would have been costly however, which was all enough reason for him to be glad with this turn of events.

Now, what's your next move,he mused, directing the thought at the Invisible Soldier's unseen and unknown leader.

No sooner had the thought taken shape, Robin received his answer. For an instant the water seemed to flash brightly, before a sudden darkness swept through its depths. Up and out through the shores it flowed, a mass of silhouetted figures wreathed in ghostly flame. The shadows split off into two forces, the first moving to reinforce the front lines while the other formed up ranks. From the size Robin guessed this group was at least three hundred strong, but between the distance and the indistinct forms of the phantoms, it was hard to tell.

The mass of Invisible Soldiers shifted, bows raised high as they loosed their own volley of arrows. A cloud of missiles over three times the size of the one fired by the Nohrian archers but moments before rained down in the infantry's front ranks. Men screamed as arrows found gaps in armor, at least several dozen falling while the rest covered themselves with their shields.

Then came the phantom reinforcements, joining those still locked in combat at the center of the fields. The Nohrian advance stalled, all momentum lost as the second volley came, this time killing fewer infantrymen, but severely hampering their progress as attention turned to covering themselves with shields rather than pushing forward.

Robin grimaced, his hand gripping his sword. Every instinct urged him to move forward and joining the fighting. It felt cowardly to just stand here and watch as the tides turned against the men placed under his command. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lucina do the same, a pained expression on her face. But she didn't move forward, for she knew as well as he did that they needed to hold their ground. Now was not the time to act. Not yet.

Within moments the Nohrian front lines began to falter completely, having lost all momentum as the renewed waves of phantoms surged forward, meeting in another frantic clash of ringing steel. Arrows continued to rain in volley's, forcing the Nohrian soldiers further behind to cover themselves with their shields, slowing their ability to move to fill in gaps where soldiers in the front lines fell.

Slowly the Nohrian line began to buckle, soldiers forced back by the relentless waves of invisible foes that crashed against them one after another.

Then a cry went out through the army. From the water rose several larger shapes, each dragged into position by a score of phantom soldiers. Even as they watched orbs of fire seemed to light just above each of the objects, flames dancing with an unnatural crimson-violet hue. At once Robin recognized them as the same siege engines that had been used at Vahlsee to decimate the Nohrian forces. Evidently the enemy intended to do the same once more, taking advantage of their ability to easily bring heavy armaments in from their own world.

"Fall back!" Robin shouted, the cry echoed from further down where Xander fought closer to the front. At once any attempt to hold the enemy back was abandoned, many of the Nohrian soldiers turning back in full retreat, barely keeping a semblance of any organized effort as they pulled out.

Then the first barrage fell.

Fire erupted along the front lines. Many of the Nohrians who'd lagged behind were caught in the bombardment, consumed in the inferno along with much of the Invisible Soldier's own front lines. In normal circumstances such disregard for one's own forces would have shocked Robin, but he knew all too well that the phantoms were entirely expendable, able to be instantly replenished from a seemingly endless stock of reinforcement.

The already disorganized Nohrians fell into complete chaos as men fought desperately to retreat beyond the siege engine's range. Within moments they'd lost almost all the ground they'd gained during the initial fighting, with the retreat showing no sign of slowing. And through it all the phantom army advanced, moving with renewed fervor as they moved to complete the Nohrian army's route. The siege engines were once again drawn forward, away from the relative safety near the water's banks and into the plains the Nohrian army had once occupied.

A smile curled across Robin's lips, whispering a single word so quietly that only he could hear.

"Checkmate."

Distantly there was the sound of loosed arrows, burning streaks arching into the sky. The volley came not from the enemy, but from the opposite side of the river. Flashes of light burst forth, a barrage of spells slamming down among the pursuing enemy an instant before the arrows fell.

Columns of fire exploded from the enemy lines one after another in a chain reaction, until the space before them was nothing but a wall of roaring fire and raining embers. High overhead suddenly soared a score of wyvern riders bearing Nohrian colors, loosing small barrels that erupted into new pockets of flame wherever they landed.

Confusion overtook the phantoms hosts. Those that made it out of the sudden inferno alive were scattered and disorganized. Their entire advance halted, all cohesion completely lost!

The fires only lasted a few moments, quickly dying down to isolated pockets of still burning fuel. However, this was all the Nohrians needed to put the rest of the plan into action.

Smoothly the fleeing lines of Nohrians wheeled around, far quicker than a force that seemed to be in such complete disarray should have been able. The front parted as the soldiers behind, fresh and having yet to see any direct combat so far in the battle, charged forward, sweeping the scattered enemy back. Another volley of spells and arrows came from the other side of the river, this time aimed at the Invisible Soldiers closer to the water's shore, felling scores of the disorganized phantoms before they could react to the sudden turn the battle had taken. It was now their turn to fall into retreat, the siege engines quickly forgotten as their operators fled. Within moment the Nohrians had recaptured their lost ground, pushing even further beyond, back and back towards the river's bank.

Robin's plan had gone off perfectly. Though he could not take full credit for that, as it had been as much Leo's idea as it had been his own.

On their way to the battle, riders had been sent out to every nearby town they could reach, bringing back barrels of oil, sawdust, flour, and any other flammable material they could find. They had been spread among the Nohrian forces, carried with them during their initial push. As soon as the siege engines had appeared and the call for retreat had been made, they'd planted the fuel among the battlefield, either dumped out or left in larger caches. As expected, the Invisible Soldiers had failed to take notice of the barrels and crates left behind, so focused on their apparent victory.

That had been the enemy's first mistake. The second had been abandoning the far side of the river to fully engage the Nohrian army arrayed against them, leaving only a merger force there to hold that position. That was when the second force under Leo's command had moved into position. Before the battle had even begun, the Nohrian prince had taken nearly two-thirds of their two-hundred of their archers, along with several of their mages, a large portion of their cavalry, and all of their wyvern riders to the west, crossing the river where it had fallen low and coming around to the opposite side of the river. As soon as the main Nohrian force had retreated beyond the planted fuel caches, they archers had loosed a volley a arrows dipped in burning pitch, joined with fire magic courtesy of their mages, which had ignited the fuel and set off the whole chain reaction. The wyvern riders dropping additional barrels of oil had been merely for safe measure, helping to spread the inferno to wherever the caches had failed to ignite.

The end results had been disastrous for the phantom hosts. While the sawdust and flour burned quickly, creating large bursts of flame that caused little real damage, the oil fires had consumed much of the advancing forces. But more importantly the explosions had proved large and flashy enough to disorientate the enemy, allowing them to be quickly overwhelmed.

The plan had taken inspiration from the time when Robin had set the Shepherd's own ships alight during their voyage to Valm, with a few added flares based on the different circumstances of the battle.

Now it was time for phase two of the plan to begin. Up until now, Xander had been in charge of directing the flow of the battle from near the front lines to avoid suspicion that their entire initial push had been little more than a ruse. But now it was Robin's turn to take the lead and move to link up with the second, true advance.

"Let's go," he said, turning to Lucina. "We need to hurry before they can call enough reinforcements to slow us down.. We're likely to have only one real shot at this."

As if on queue, the waters before them seems to shimmer slightly, dark shadows creeping out from the shores on both sides, melding with the darkened fields between the Nohrian forces and their goals.

"So yeah, before that happens a few more times," Robin added. From the size of the dammed section of river he guessed their advance could push through at least two or three more waves worth of reinforcements, then maybe hold off another one or two while he and the other mages set to work. It would certainly be close.

"Never a dull moment," Lucina said, Falchion ringing out as it cleared it's sheath.

"Were we ever that lucky," Robin agreed, a wry smile curling against his lips. Drawing his own blade he started forward, his wife falling into step alongside as they rushed forward to join the soldiers pushing towards the shore. Behind him came the mages who'd been placed directly under his command, several of Corrin's own group among them.

Right, now that the easy part's out of the way, the real battle finally begins.

. . . . .

"Dammit!"

Corrin slammed his fist into the wooden beam at the center of his home, the support creaking with the impact. Pain shot up his arm, but he ignored it. He squeezed his eyes shut, leaning forward to press his head against the wood's polished surface.

Why?

Warm blood trailed down his fingertips from his torn knuckles, a single drop splashing against the floor.

Why was he so helpless?

He twisted around, leaning heavily against the beam as he slid to the ground. He doubled over, clutching at his face, burying his eyes his hands. Unbidden images of his friends and family locked in battle flashed before his eyes. Again and again he watched them die. No repetition was the same, his imagination crafting new and horrible way for his fears to take shape. He wanted them to stop, begged the images to cease! Tears ran from his eyes, mixing with blood seeping from his hand. He tried so hard, but no matter what he tried, no matter what he did to keep his mind from battle currently being waged, he could not stop thinking about it. He was just so afraid. So very afraid.

You're letting them die.

The thought cut through to the forefront of his mind, it's low whisper somehow carrying over the horrible scenes of death assaulting him.

It's all your fault.

All you do is let people die.

Now you're not even trying to protect them.

"No…" Corrin whispered. He clutched even harder at his face, his nails biting painfully against skin. He tried to shake his head, the movement hampered by his own fierce grip. He wanted to deny it, he wanted to more than anything. But he couldn't. Dammit, he just couldn't!

He lifted his head, staring out through vision blurred by tears. He blinked, sending silver streaks cascading down his cheeks. He caught a glint of gold, his eyes falling on where Yato lay propped up against a table.

You're letting them die.

You can save them.

Or would you rather stay here like a frightened child.

A flicker of anger ignited in Corrin's chest at the thought. His hands clenched into fists, his whole body shaking. No. I'm not a scared child. I'm not going to let anyone I care about get hurt. I refuse!

Staggering upright, he clutched at his still wounded side, massaging away the pain as he moved after to where his armor lay in a discarded heap. With practiced efficiency he put it on, careful to make as little sound as possible, lest he alert the guards posted outside his door. He threw his cape over his shoulders, the blue cloth sweeping as he reached for Yato, the glinting light seeming to flicker as if calling out to him.

Buckling the sacred blade at his side, he turned his gaze upward, scanning the wooden beams that crisscrossed overhead. He crouched down low, pressing a hand against the floorboards to steadying himself. Then he sprung upright, leaping as high as he could. Just before he reached the apex of his jump, Corrin seized hold of the well of power deep within himself. In a instant wings unfurled from his back, flapping once to push him upward, spreading then spreading wide to slow his fall. He landed lightly on one of the beams, crouching down to use both hands to steady himself as he swayed slightly.

The draconic wings on his back vanished into fading motes of light, Corrin rolling his shoulders as he readjusted to the missing weight. Then he started forward, carefully creeping from one beam to another until he reached the high circular window cut into the roof. Finding the hatch, he slowly swung it open, scrambling out and up onto the rooftop. From there he scurried up into the tree's canopy overhead, stopping only when he reached the highest branches

Once more wings sprouted from his shoulderblades. He leapt forward, aiming so that the tree remained between him and the guards posted at it's foot. Landing behind the armory, Corrin set out as fast as he could for the raised dais where the orb that would take him out from the astral keep lay.

He refused to be helpless, refused to let his friends fight and die without him there. He wouldn't let anyone else get hurt, damn the consequences. No one else would die. No matter the cost.

. . . . .

"Shigure, hurry up! Papa is probably starving," Kana shouted, pausing for a half a step to turn and direct her voice back down the spiral staircase that led up to her father's home. Not waiting for a reply, she began bounding up the steps, the food laden tray balanced in her hands rattling with every step.

"Frankly, you're the one who should be adjusting their speed," her older brother huffed in reply, his voice echoing up from somewhere below. "If you run like that, you're bound the drop the Father's lunch."

"Don't worry, I can do it," Kana replied. Even as she assured him so, she slid one hand closer to the tray's rim, gripping it tighter. Better be careful, just in case.

Mounting the last few steps, Kana moved in front of the door. She stood there for a moment, shuffling the tray into one arm as she reached for the doorknob. As she leaned she pressed her chin against the tray, helping to stabilize it as she fumbled for the knob. Finding it at last, she twisted and shoved the door a few inches open with a light shove. Then, returning her free hand to the tray, she pushed her shoulder against the door to pry it the rest of the way open as she entered. Behind her she could still hear Shigure's footsteps some distance off, her brother still taking his more leisurely approach to ascending the stairway

"Father! I thought you'd be hungry, so Shigure and I made you lunch! Hopefully it's-"

Kana stopped dead in her tracks, the rest of what she'd been going to say lost in a gasp. The jolt of her sudden stop combined with her loosened grip caused the tray to trip forward, spilling it's contents. Several loud crashes filled the air as the ceramic bowls and plates shattered against the follow, followed by the metallic clang as the tray itself fell from her slackened grip.

"Kana, what was that? I warned you to be careful, and now it seems-" Shigure came to a stop behind her, his own words coming suddenly short as he beheld what had given her pause.

Their father's room was in disarray, furniture overturned, possessions strewed about the room, sheets torn from his bed. It looked as though the place had been ransacked, or at the very least a cyclone had ripped through the room. But of their father himself, no sign could be seen. His armor and weapons were gone, no longer leaning up against the wall where they'd been last time Kana had visited.

Where's Papa? Where did he- Kana began to wonder. Wind whistled above their heads, leaves swirling down from the rafters to scatter across the floor. Looking up, Kana's eyes went wide as she saw that the window high above hung open, the glass pane creaking on it's hinges as it was rattled by another gust of wind.

In a single moment Kana realized what had happened. Her father must have snuck away, surely to join the battle. At once fear seized in her chest, her breathing quickening. Her father was still hurt, and… and… and he barely came back alive last time! He couldn't fight now, he'd get hurt again. He'd…

...Die.

No, not again. Not papa too! She shook her head. I can't let him. I can't let him die. Not again. Not like mama.

Author's Note: Alright, once again sorry about the delay in getting this one out. Bright side: I finally graduated, so I should be able to get a ton of writing done over the next month before I start work. Yay.

In other news, we are actually approaching the end of Act 1 of the story, with this battle more or less being our "End of Act finale". After this chapter and then a chapter or two of falling action, we get to move onto the real meat of the story in Act 2

Anyhow, onto responses to guest reviews

Darkness21 - Yep, I figured after some initial difficulties Robin and Leo would end up getting along quite well and essentially becoming "Tactician Bros". And for Corrin, well remember, he is really not in a good place right now. Not to mention on top of that… well… something else may be at play here

That's all for now. As always, let me know what you thought about this one. Your feedback always makes my day and helps me improve a great deal. Until the next one, peace!

Character Spotlight: Shigure

Class: Falcon Knight

Secondary Classes: Troubadour, Nohrian Prince, Cavalier (S support with Sophie)

Skills: Dragon Fang, Aegis, Inspiration, Voice of Peace, Amaterasu

Personal Skill: Perfect Pitch - When used as a command, allies within 2 tiles who have HP lower than Shigure will heal 10% of their max HP.

Equipment: Silver Naginata, Javelin, Heal

Status: Alive