Chapter 3: Welcome to Ylisstol
Robin brought a hand to his face to shield his eyes as he looked up at the sun hanging in the sky, beating down on him, Chrom, Frederick, and Lissa as they trekked through the forest. They had been walking for a couple hours now, and although Robin didn't mind the exercise, Lissa was incredibly vocal about her disdain...
"I can't believe this, Robin!" the little healer pouted as she dragged her feet on the ground, kicking up some dirt. "Those villagers offered us a grand feast for saving their town…And Frederick declined it. For all of us! Can you believe that? If he didn't want to eat, fine, but he didn't have to ruin it for the rest of us!"
Robin glanced at Frederick, wondering what his response to Lissa's complaints would be. However, he was deeply absorbed in a conversation with Chrom to the point that he didn't even notice her rambling.
"…The attacks are getting more and more frequent lately, milord," Frederick stated as he dutifully walked beside Chrom, holding onto his lance tightly. Robin wanted to assume that it was because he was prepared for an attack by a wild animal, but he knew it was because Frederick was expecting Robin himself to betray them at any second now. "This was the third raid this week…"
"I know. And they're starting to expect us as well," Chrom responded with a sigh, running a hand through his dark blue hair. "Those bandits knew we would eventually come to defend the town. We need to find out who's in charge of them, and fast."
"We both know it's those dastardly Plegians, milord. Every single one of those bandits spoke with a Plegian accent!" Frederick immediately responded, briefly glancing at Robin. "They must be trying to instigate a war with Ylisse by sending these bandits into our borders."
"We don't know that for sure, Frederick," Chrom grumbled in response, rolling his eyes.
Robin spared a glance at Lissa, who was now complaining about how there were way too many bugs in this forest, and then decided to take the opportunity to engage in a conversation that might actually be useful to him.
"Plegia? What's that?" the white-haired boy asked, catching Chrom and Frederick's attention.
"Plegia is Ylisse's westerly neighbor," Chrom explained, looking down at the ground. "We…Don't have the best relationship, and…"
The blue-haired boy trailed off, and Robin realized that, for some reason, Chrom seemed oddly uncomfortable with the topic. A brief glance at Lissa revealed that she felt the same way too. Before he could ask about it, though, Frederick quickly cleared his throat and cut in.
"Quite some time ago, Ylisse waged war against Plegia. It was a very brutal conflict, and both sides suffered as a result of it. It was started by the previous Exalt, and it ended with his death," Frederick succinctly explained as he continued to look on ahead, not even looking back at Robin as he spoke. It was as though he was reciting from a script that he had memorized. "Our current ruler, Exalt Emmeryn, brought an end to the bloody conflict, though there are many rumors that Plegia wants to instigate a war with Ylisse this time, now that they have had time to recover from the previous conflict."
He then shook his head with a sigh.
"The bandits have apparently set up a base in Ylisse, and it is currently the duty of the Z-Shepherds to try and find it, while simultaneously protecting the innocent towns and villages that these bandits attack."
"I…See. And you're under the assumption that these bandit attacks are being caused by Plegia itself? To try and instigate a war between the two countries?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow. "How are you so certain that they're Plegian?"
"Hmph. They all spoke with a Plegian accent, though I suppose since you have 'amnesia' you would not know what that sounds like," Frederick scoffed in response, rolling his eyes.
Robin winced at that, and an uneasy silence befell the group of four as they continued to walk through the forest. Eventually they came across a hill that they all began to climb. After reaching the apex of it, the monkey-tailed boy felt his breath get taken away.
Below them was a sprawling city with hundreds of buildings. It was bustling with life, and even from the large distance Robin could tell that it had a thriving community.
However, the most impressive thing about the city, was the giant golden palace in the distance. Robin couldn't even think of any words to describe how magnificent it looked.
Seeing the city seemed to raise Chrom's spirits a bit. Robin briefly wondered why the war with Plegia was such a sore subject for him and Lissa. "That's Ylisstol, the capital city of Ylisse. It's the most amazing city in the world."
"I'd normally think that title is hyperbole, but in this case, I might actually believe it," Robin responded with a chuckle as he and the others began to climb down the hill and towards the city gates. "It looks so lively!"
"Yup! And it's all thanks to Emmeryn!" Lissa responded with a giggle. It seems she had also recovered from the funk that she was briefly in, just like her brother. "She made this place as great as it is today!"
As the group approached the gates, Robin spotted some guards who were stopping people from entering and conducting a brief search on them before allowing them to proceed. As a result, the white-haired boy understandably assumed that he and the Z-Shepherds would have to undergo a similar process.
However, the moment they got close, one of the guards simply nodded towards Chrom, allowing the group to pass through with not a single word uttered between them.
"Huh. Weird," Robin thought to himself as he glanced back at the guards, who were now really intensely interrogating some poor old woman. "They just let us pass through, no questions asked..."
"Hey, Robin! Quit looking behind yourself and instead look in front of you!" Lissa exclaimed to the monkey-tailed boy, snapping him out of his thoughts as she yanked the sleeve of his cloak. "We're passing through the marketplace right now!"
Robin blinked twice, before looking around at his surroundings. There were plenty of stalls with all sorts of goods being sold. Fresh fruits and vegetables, little idols of a woman with dragon-like features, and a bunch of other stuff could be seen.
As he looked around and took in the sights, Robin couldn't help but notice how a lot of people were staring at the Z-Shepherds as they passed through. He briefly thought that they could see his tail, but after making sure that it was tucked under his cloak, he really had no clue why they were regarding him and his companions with such awe.
"PAINTINGS OF THE EXALT FOR SALE! PAINTINGS OF THE EXALT FOR SALE!" Robin heard one vendor cry out.
"GLASS FIGURES OF EXALT EMMERYN RIGHT HERE, FOLKS! ONE OF A KIND!" another shouted out with his hands around his mouth.
What Robin found surprising is that quite a lot of people were surrounding these vendors, as though the goods they were selling were priceless.
"The people of Ylisse truly do love their ruler, huh?" Robin muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Frederick immediately smirked, closing his eyes and nodding fondly. "But of course. Exalt Emmeryn is only one of the greatest rulers in Ylissean history! After our great nation was brought to the brink after the war, it was her that brought us back."
"Yeah. It was the Exalt before Emmeryn that started the war with Plegia in the first place, and as a result many people blamed Emmeryn for the war. She responded with kindness instead, and transformed Ylisse into an incredibly peaceful nation," Chrom explained to Robin. "And on top of all that, she ascended to the throne at ten! It's been eight years since then…"
"EH?! The ruler of a nation at ten years old? She must be pretty wise," Robin responded in shock, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Haha! Yup! She is!" Lissa laughed in response as the group left the marketplace. The giant golden palace that was so far away to Robin was now getting closer and closer to him with each passing step. "She's also the best big sister anyone could ask for!"
"Huh? I mean, yeah. Sure. I guess she'd be-" Robin began to reply, before immediately pausing and raising an eyebrow. "Wait, she's your sister? But she's the ruler of Ylisse! Wouldn't that make you and Chrom…"
Just as a startling realization dawned upon Robin, the group finally arrived at the giant palace. The entrance to within was heavily guarded by a large platoon of soldiers, though they all immediately saluted upon seeing Chrom. What they shouted next sealed the deal for the idea brewing in Robin's head.
"WELCOME BACK, PRINCE CHROM!"
"The prince and princess of the Halidom, yes," Frederick replied to Robin with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You knew milord's name but not his station? How odd."
"B-But…What kind of…You guys were…" Robin stammered as he looked from left to right, expecting someone to pop out and reveal that this was just a joke. However, Lissa simply grinned cheerfully at him, while Chrom simply sighed as he shook his head.
They were being serious.
"AGH! CHROM-I MEAN, MILORD CHROM! FORGIVE ME! I HADN'T REALZIED!" Robin all but screamed as he dropped down to the ground and prostrated towards Chrom, causing the blue-haired boy to wince. "FORGIVE ME FOR MY DREADFUL MANNERS!"
"This is why I don't like letting people know," Chrom sighed as he facepalmed, before immediately shaking his head and gesturing for Robin to get up. "Come on, Robin. Just act like you were before you learnt the truth, alright? You're acting really weird..."
The white-haired boy nervously nodded as he stood up, his tail swishing underneath his cloak. "I, uh…Of course, Prince Chrom."
"Just Chrom is fine. I've never been much for formalities," Chrom grumbled in response as he spun around and began to march into the palace, gesturing for the others to follow him. "Now come on. Emm is probably inside. We were going to meet up with her anyways, so I'd like to introduce her to the newest member of the Z-Shepherds as well."
Lissa eagerly skipped behind her brother, and Frederick found Robin's shocked expression to be rather hilarious, silently chuckling to himself about it as he followed his liege.
The white-haired boy himself remained frozen in his spot for a few moments, before immediately yelping and chasing after the trio.
"So this is the royal palace of Ylisse, huh?" Robin whispered as he slowly looked around at his surroundings, his eyes wide with wonder. "It looks incredible!"
Multiple servants and maids scurried about, doing one task or another. The palace walls looked just as golden as the outside did, and Robin wondered whether it was just yellow metal or the real deal.
In the main room that they entered, Robin spotted a huge fountain. On top of said fountain was a golden statue of an old man dressed up in a regal-looking outfit. The man had his arm stretched out to the sky, and in his hand was a sword that bore a striking resemblance to the one that Chrom had hoisted on his waist.
The group of four passed through the main room and into a hallway that none of the maids or servants were allowed to enter through. The loud noise and hectic sounds that Robin could hear as he entered the palace slowly died down, and soon all he could hear was the clanging of his boots against the ground.
The hallway was rather long, and on both his left and his right there were countless portraits of men and women from an age long past.
On his right, the paintings were of the previous rulers, and their names were listed under their portraits. The first picture he saw was of an older man that resembled the one from the statue. Under his painting, it said 'The First Exalt'. There were countless other paintings, and at the very end of the corridor was a painting of a young blonde woman with a strange mark on her forehead. She seemed rather serene and graceful. Under her painting, Robin could read the name 'Exalt Emmeryn'.
On his left, meanwhile, there were paintings of people who didn't seem to be related to the royal bloodline, but were still important enough to have a picture of them hung up. There were countless paintings.
The first one was of a blue-haired prince named Marth, and as Robin walked along the hallway, he saw many more people from all walks of life. He saw a simple swordsman named Navarre, a knight named Cain, a princess named Caeda, a villager named Norne, and countless other brave heroes. At the very end of the corridor on the left side, there was a painting of two figures, but they seemed incredibly different from the people present in the other ones.
They had a strange blue aura around them, making them look like ghosts. The fact that they were floating also helped a part in setting that image.
The first of the two figures looked exactly like Marth, while the second one was a young woman with long green hair. She was dressed up in slim armor with a feathered wing-motif.
Underneath the painting, Robin could read the named 'Emblem Marth' and 'Emblem Palla'.
"Why do these two look like ghosts? And didn't this Marth guy have a painting near the start? I wonder what's the story behind them," Robin thought to himself in confusion, before looking back at all of the paintings. "Why do these guys have their pictures hung directly in front of the portraits of previous rulers?"
Frederick had seemingly read Robin's mind, because he quickly supplied an answer.
"The nobles of Ylisse hold their history in very high regard. As a result, many paintings of our ancient heroes have been preserved throughout the generations," the brown-haired teenager explained. "The faces you see on your right are previous Exalts, all the way up to our current one, Exalt Emmeryn. The ones on your left, meanwhile, are warriors who hold great significance in the history of Ylisse."
"A lot of them were active a whiiiiiiile before Ylisse was even founded. Like I'm talking hundreds of years!" Lissa chimed in with a grin. "That's how much the people of Ylisse care about their history!"
"Alright guys, that's enough," Chrom spoke up as the group approached a massive pair of doors that he pushed through with ease. "We're here."
Robin hesitantly followed, and now found himself standing in the throne room of the palace. The room was mostly empty, save for the massive golden throne on an elevated position in the centre of the spacious room. Emmeryn herself was sitting atop the throne, and there was a certain air of serenity and grace around her. The epitome of peacefulness, in Robin's eyes.
Standing next to the throne were two individuals that Emmeryn was in a deep conversation with. The first was an older man dressed up in green robes. His back was hunched, and every now and then he would raise his hand and readjust his glasses to make sure that they didn't fall off his face.
The second person was a particularly short woman with light blue hair and an incredibly serious look on her face. She was dressed up in an armor similar to one that 'Emblem Palla' from the painting wore. Despite her short stature, she looked incredibly imposing.
All three of the people stopped talking the moment the Z-Shepherds entered, and Emmeryn proceeded to greet them with a warm smile.
"Chrom! Lissa! Welcome home. It's very good to see you two again," the Exalt began, her voice incredibly soft. She then glanced at Frederick, acknowledging him with a nod. "And good day to you as well, Frederick. How was your patrol?"
"Thank you, Emm. It's good to see you too," Chrom replied, bringing a hand up to his chest. "Our patrol went well. A group of bandits were attacking Southtown, and they caused multiple fires. They tried taking hostages, but thankfully we were able to defeat them. Unfortunately, there were a couple of casualties..."
"Damn those bandits! It's absolutely shameful that the Pegasus Knights cannot find where they have set up their base at," the stern woman with light blue hair immediately grumbled as Chrom finished his sentence, crossing her arms under her chest. "I'll have to double the search efforts…"
"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself, Phila," the hunched old man said to the woman with a smile. "You and your knights are doing the best that you can…"
Seeing the confused look on his face, Lissa leaned in and whispered into Robin's ear. "The old guy is the Hierarch. He's a high-ranking member of the church of Naga and has been acting as Emmeryn's advisor since she took the throne. The lady, meanwhile, is Captain Phila. She's the leader of the Pegasus Knights, who are currently the biggest division of knights in Ylisse!"
"It is good to know that you are working hard, Chrom. But please, be careful," Emmeryn warned her brother gently. "I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you on one of your missions…"
"Haha! There's no need to worry about that, Emm! We got help this time!" Lissa quickly exclaimed with a smirk, gesturing to Robin. "Emmeryn, meet Robin!"
The Exalt leaned forward in her throne a little, seemingly intrigued. "Ah, I was wondering who your new companion was. He assisted you in your mission?"
"Indeed he did, Emm. Robin is very talented in both tactics and martial arts. He also has incredible strength like I've never seen before," Chrom explained to his older sister. "I've decided to make him a member of the Z-Shepherds. He'll be helping us in our mission of putting an end to these bandit raids once and for all."
"I see," Emmeryn nodded at Chrom, before looking back at Robin. "It seems Ylisse owes you a great debt, Robin. I thank you for your assistance."
"I-It was no trouble at all, ma'am!" Robin quickly responded, bowing down towards the Exalt. "I was only doing what-"
Before Robin could finish his sentence, Frederick cut him off by clearing his throat.
"Forgive me, your grace, but I must speak," the brown-haired teenager interjected, glancing at Robin as he stood up straight. "There are two things that I wish to discuss about Robin. The first of which is that Robin claims to have lost his memory. However, it is only that: A claim. We cannot rule out the possibility that he himself is working with the bandits. He could also be a Plegian spy!"
"Frederick!" Chrom and Lissa shouted out in unison, looking at the knight in complete and utter disbelief. They didn't think Frederick was going to pull this in front of Emmeryn.
"Hm…I see…" Emmeryn mused, bringing a hand up to her chin and rubbing it thoughtfully.
"I've never seen symbols like the ones on his cloak before," the Hierarch mumbled, adjusting his glasses. "The Plegians have all sorts of weird symbols in their culture. It could be connected…"
"As usual, Frederick and I think alike," Phila stated with her hands behind her back as she closed her eyes. "I feel that we should take the young man into questioning, and-"
"Enough, please," Emmeryn requested in a whispered tone, raising her hand as she did so. Despite the quietness of her voice, it managed to silence everyone in the throne room. A few seconds passed, and she then proceeded to turn to Chrom. "Despite Frederick's concerns, you let Robin into the castle. Does this boy have your trust?"
"Yes, he does," Chrom quickly replied. "He fought hard to save our people…And that's enough for me."
"And I suppose your faith in him is enough for me," Emmeryn responded with a nod, before looking back at Frederick. "Now, what was the second concern that you wished to raise?"
The knight nodded, before quickly grabbing Robin's cloak and yanking it off of his body. The white-haired boy honestly felt a little naked without it, even though he did have a white shirt and a pair of black shorts underneath.
Without his cloak to cover it, Robin's white tail flowed freely behind him, available for everyone to see. Emmeryn, Phila, and the Hierarch all stared in complete shock.
"The young man…Has a tail," Frederick said as he handed the cloak back to Robin, who eagerly grabbed it and wrapped it around himself. "Milord raised the possibility of him being a Laguz, but we all are aware that they went extinct on Archanea many years, during your father's rule, milady.""
"Hm…Yes. You are correct that they went extinct here, but perhaps this young man is from another continent, where one of the Laguz tribes still roam free," Emmeryn theorized. "Perhaps we can-"
"Okay, um, before we continue…Can someone please tell me what the heck a Laguz is?!" Robin cut in, throwing his hands into the air. "Seriously, you guys! What's a Laguz? What's an 'Archanea'?! And, while I'm talking, please don't yank my cloak off of me like that again, Frederick!"
"I can make no promises," the knight coldly responded, causing Robin to wince.
"Archanea is the continent that Ylisse resides in. The Laguz, meanwhile, are a race of beings who use special stones to transform into a beast form that they can use in battle. They resemble humans, but possess animal-like features, just like you. There are many different tribes of Laguz, and each tribe possess a different transformation," Phila succinctly explained, before narrowing her eyes. "Now, if you DARE to interrupt the Exalt again like that, I shall make you pay!"
Robin quickly nodded, honestly pretty scared of the woman.
Emmeryn, meanwhile, simply sighed.
"Phila, please do not threaten our guest like that," the Exalt mumbled as she massaged her forehead, before looking up at Robin and Frederick. "The Laguz who live in Archanea were hunted to extinction for sport years ago by humans. If Robin truly is a Laguz, then this could be an incredible discovery."
"I shall gather a group of experts in the field to do some research for you, milady. They will investigate if Robin resembles any of the Laguz from other continents that we currently have data on," the Hierarch spoke up as he bowed his head down respectfully. "Although, to be frank, I've never heard of a Laguz who had nothing but a tail…"
"Thank you, Hierarch. That would be much appreciated," the Exalt thanked her advisor, before looking back at Frederick. "I understand your concerns, Frederick, but if Robin has Chrom's trust, then he has my trust as well. The Laguz matter, meanwhile, will be looked into. I thank you for bringing it to my attention."
She then smiled fondly at him.
"However, as usual, I thank you for your prudence. Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have so tireless a guardian…I do hope that they remember to mention that from time to time."
Robin glanced at the brown-haired teenager, and he could have sworn that he saw him…Blushing?!
"They...Occasionally express something akin to gratitude," Frederick mumbled in response, clearing his throat as he cast his gaze downwards to hide the slight redness in his cheeks. "It's a small price to pay for the safety of the royal family of Ylisse..."
"Heh...Well, that was everything we wanted to talk about, so I think we're done here," Chrom said as he began to turn around. "We're going to go the Z-Shepherds' HQ now. We'll check out how the others members' patrols went, and then we'll introduce them to Robin. See you around, Emm."
"Of course. Goodbye for now, Chrom."
The Exalt, her advisor, and the leader of the Pegasus knights all waved goodbye to the group of four. They then proceeded to depart from the palace.
The walk to the Z-Shepherds' HQ was pretty short and uneventful, being mostly comprised by Lissa excitedly chattering about all of the other members of the Z-Shepherds. From the way she described them, they seemed like a rather lively group.
Eventually, the group of four stopped in front of an incredibly large building located near the palace. The building was two stories high, and despite looking rather modest, it was still pretty clear that it costed a lot of money. Located next to the building was a stable where a couple of horses were being kept.
"Come on, Robin! I can't wait to introduce you to everyone!" Lissa excitedly exclaimed as she grabbed Robin's sleeve and began to drag him to the front door, causing him to stumble slightly.
"I-I can walk myself, Lissa! Let go!"
The inside of the building was incredibly well-furnished, with lots of fancy furniture strewn across the place. The little garrison acted as a headquarters for the Z-Shepherds, and had a handful of rooms and areas that helped them achieve their goal of keeping Ylisse safe.
The first area, which the group walked past, was a spacious living room-esque area that also functioned as a place where the team could hold meetings. There were multiple couches and chairs surrounding a large brown table. There were also a couple of papers strewn across said table, suggesting that a meeting had recently taken place there.
They then passed a black spiral staircase which Robin presumed lead to the living quarters on the second floor. Each member of the Z-Shepherds got their own room that they could furnish and decorate as they saw fit. Many of the Z-Shepherds actually lived her.
Obviously, Robin also had a room now that he was a member of the team, but he was told that he would get to see it later.
Of course, there was also a mess hall where the group could eat food. The Z-Shepherds had a system in place to decide who would cook for the team on what day. According to Lissa, however, a good chuck of the squad was unfortunately pretty bad at cooking…
And, finally, the area that the group was walking towards: The training area. The place where the Z-Shepherds could practice and polish their skills to ensure that they were at their best one hundred percent of the time.
Judging by the cheers and sounds of combat that grew louder and louder as they approached, it seems that the rest of the Z-Shepherds were using that area.
The training area did not have a roof and acted sort of like a backyard to the building, and as a result Robin had to cover his eyes from the sun as he entered. He then proceeded to look around at his surroundings. Benches where people could take a break, worn-out training dummies and targets that looked like they had seen a lot of use, racks upon racks filled with wooden weapons...Pretty much everything you'd expect from a training area.
In the middle of the field there were two people currently sparring. Multiple other people were seated on the side, watching and cheering the two on.
The first person fighting was a young girl with fiery red hair that was cut pretty short. She was wearing red armour that was light enough to allow her to move fast in battle, but thick enough to protect her from harm. In her hands was a long wooden lance, which she was using to put the pressure on her opponent.
Said opponent was a young man with green hair and matching green armour that was of a similar design to his opponent. He was wielding a wooden sword, and was currently struggling on the defensive.
Both of the fighters seemed to be about the same age as Chrom.
"Alright, Stahl! Let's finish this!" the girl exclaimed as a wicked grin crossed her face. She kicked the boy in the shin, causing him to yelp and fall to one knee. He raised his sword defensively, expecting her to immediately strike him, but she instead proceeded to jump back and then charge towards him. "Get ready...For my ultimate attack!"
Her words frightened her opponent, and 'Stahl' proceeded to quickly throw his sword on the ground.
"H-Hey! I give up, I give up! Just don't hit me with your 'ultimate attack'!" he all but begged. "Honestly, I have no idea what it does, but it sounds really scary!"
"Huh?! What the heck?!" the girl replied as she screeched to a halt right in front of Stahl, her wooden lance just inches from slamming into his face. "You...You can't just bail out like that! I was just getting warmed up!"
"Yeah, well, not everybody is as strong as you," the other fighter sighed as he stood up and dusted himself off.
"Good form, Sully. You have improved greatly," Frederick spoke up, catching everyone's attention as he and the other new arrivals made their way to the center of the field. He then glanced at the boy. "Stahl, however, still has quite a bit left to learn…"
"O-Oh. I...Didn't know you were watching that, Frederick," the boy chuckled nervously as he grabbed a pouch from his waist and opened it up, revealing an apple inside. He immediately took a big bite out of it, and smiled at the knight. "I'll do better next time…Hopefully!"
"Oh Lissa! You've finally returned!" a posh voice immediately cut out from the group strangers that Robin didn't know.
A young girl who was also about Chrom's age immediately dashed towards the young princess and gave her a bone-breaking squeeze. She was dressed up in an incredibly fancy pink and white outfit, and her hair was done up in a rather strange way. Robin assumed that she was a noble. "Oh, how I've missed you! You were taking much longer than usual to return from your patrol, and I was starting to think that something bad had happened to you!"
"Nah…I'm fine, Mari…" Lissa gasped out as she tried to pull out of her friend's embrace. "We were just…Talking with Emm…About…Stuff…."
"I presume that this 'stuff' you were discussing pertains to the individual with alabaster hair standing beside you?" a girl with red hair asked monotonously as she adjusted her glasses. She was wearing black robes, and she had a comically large witch hat on her head.
"Ah yes. Everyone, I'd like to introduce you all to Robin," Chrom spoke up as he slapped the white-haired boy on the back. "He helped us defend Southtown from some bandits, and I decided to make him a Z-Shepherd. He's actually a martial artist, and is so powerful that he was able to send one of the bandits flying into a building a couple of feet away. He's going to be quite an asset!"
Lissa finally managed to get free from the other girl's hug, and pointed at the bottom of Robin's cloak. She was still trying to catch her breath as she spoke. "He's…Also got...A tail! It's super cute!"
Almost immediately all of the assembled Z-Shepherds jumped towards Robin, eagerly introducing themselves.
"The name's Sully, and I'm training to be a knight! If you're as strong as Chrom claims you are, I think you and I are going to get along just fine!" the red-haired girl from before exclaimed. "I've never met someone with a tail before...Freaky!"
"And I'm Stahl. It's nice to…MMMM…Meet you," the green-haired boy introduced himself between bites of a random orange that he had suddenly gotten from out of nowhere.
"Wait...Wasn't that guy just eating an apple? Did he already finish it or something?" Robin thought to himself in confusion.
Snapping him out of his confused state, the girl with the comically large witch hat suddenly popped up out of nowhere from behind Robin so that she could examine his tail, causing him to yelp in surprise.
"D-Don't scare me like that!" Robin exclaimed, staring at the girl in slight shock. "How'd you even get there?!"
"My apologies. It was not my intention to startle you. I merely sought to observe your tail more closely, as I have never encountered an individual possessing such a feature," the girl responded as she adjusted her glasses. She then proceeded to pluck a single white hair strand from the appendage, causing Robin to once again yelp in surprise. "Thank you for your consent. I shall commence my research on this strand without delay."
"But...I didn't-"
Robin looked on in confusion as the girl proceeded to completely ignore him as she left the training area and entered the HQ, presumably heading to her room.
"Yeah, that's Mirel. She can be...Odd sometimes," Chrom chuckled as he noticed Robin's expression. "You'll get used to her eventually...Or hopefully, I should say."
"Hmph. If Lissa believes you to be a good person, then I suppose I can be persuaded to give you a chance," the girl who had hugged Lissa earlier addressed Robin, looking at with a judgmental look. "I am Maribelle von Themis, heir to House Themis, the most esteemed of Ylisse's noble houses. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Uh…You too?" Robin awkwardly replied. His words were met with a raised eyebrow.
Two more individuals that Robin had not really gotten a chance to examine yet soon made themselves present.
The first was a girl who seemed to be a bit older than everyone else, but still definitely younger than Frederick. Probably 16. She had long blue hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and she was wearing a short pink dress that left her legs exposed. Upon catching Robin's attention, she eagerly waved at him.
"So, you're Chrom's new recruit, huh? Nice to meet you! The name's Bulma, heir to House Briefs," the girl introduced herself, before winking at Robin. "You do martial arts, right? You must have a lot of muscles under that cloak, then…"
Robin immediately blushed and took a step back. "I…Uh…You see...What I mean to say is…"
Before he could get out a response, Bulma quickly dashed behind him and plucked a single white hair strand out of his tail just like Miriel had, causing Robin to yelp once again.
"H-Hey!"
"What? Despite my good lucks I'm pretty smart, and a person with a tail is something that I definitely want to do some research on," Bulma responded with a shrug, pocketing the hair strand without a care in the world. She then began to swoon again. "Now, about those muscles…"
Before Robin could reply, the second person that Robin had not seen dashed in. He had tanned skin, spiky blonde hair, and he was also completely shirtless, exposing his rather impressive muscles.
"Oh, come on, Bulma! If you're looking for muscles, just check out these babies!" the boy exclaimed with a smirk as he flexed his muscles, trying to impress the older girl. "You don't need some dude with a tail!"
Bulma simply rolled her eyes in response. "Try again when you've hit puberty, Vaike. Not interested."
"HUH?! But I...I...This new guy's basically the same age as me!..."
This earned a couple giggles out of everyone present, including Robin himself.
Noticing the new recruit's reaction, however, the boy simply proceeded to spin around and get in Robin's face.
"Hey, the heck are you laughing at, new guy?! This is just a one-time thing, ya hear?! Teach usually manages to impress ALL of the girls!" he angrily exclaimed, jabbing a finger into Robin's chest. "And also, I don't believe for a second that you're as strong as Chrom says you are! And so what if you can do martial arts? Anyone can throw a couple of punches around!"
Robin blinked twice, not quite sure how to respond to the other boy's rant. "Um…"
"Hey, if you think he's so weak, Vaike, why don't you challenge him to a sparring match?" Sully asked with a smirk, slapping the tanned boy on the back. "It'll also give us a chance to see how strong Robin really is!"
"Hah! Teach likes how you think...Even though he was already planning on doing that!" Vaike cackled in response, before immediately pointing at Robin. "Come on, new guy! Let Teach school you in the art of battle!"
"Is…Is this Vaike guy really calling himself Teach? And talking in the third person?" Robin thought to himself in confusion, before smiling slightly. "Um…Well, sure. Why not? It'd be fun, I guess."
"Vaike this really isn't the best time to-" Chrom started, before immediately getting cut off by Lissa.
"Yay! Sparring match!" the blonde-haired girl exclaimed with a smile, pumping her fist into the air. "Let's all go sit on the bench, guys! I want to watch this right NOW!"
The prince of Ylisse sighed, but did as he was told regardless. Everyone else did so as well.
Vaike went ahead and grabbed a wooden axe from a nearby weapons rack, before pointing it dramatically at Robin. "Alright, pal! Pick your weapon, and let's get this thing started!"
"I'll, uh, use my hands," Robin responded awkwardly as he settled into a fighting stance. "Martial artist, remember?"
"Oh yeah. Right. I definitely remembered that," Vaike responded with a smirk, before immediately charging ahead at Robin. "Alright, pal! Let's do this! Class is in session!"
The blonde bruiser swung wildly at Robin, but the white-haired boy easily evaded all of the attacks by quickly jumping from left to right. He ducked under the last of Vaike's attempted attacks and proceeded to headbutt the guy as he got back up to his feet.
"Agh! That one actually hurt," Vaike growled out as he took a step back and grabbed at his stomach. He winced in pain a little, before quickly shaking his head and smirking. "But the Vaike ain't the type to go down that easily! GET READY, MAN!"
The blonde bruiser pulled his arm back, and Robin wondered just what the heck he was planning on doing. That answer was given to him when Vaike chucked the axe at the white-haired boy, causing it to hurl straight at him! Robin didn't have enough time to dodge!
However, instead of actually doing any meaningful damage, the wooden axe simply shattered upon contact with the white-haired boy's head, causing Vaike's eyes to comically widen and pop out of his head.
"WH-WHAT?! WHAT THE HECK?!"
Robin smirked, and proceeded to immediately lock in.
"Guess it's my turn now," he said in a low tone of voice, before immediately charging at Vaike as fast as he could. Before his opponent could respond, Robin proceeded to throw out one single punch at Vaike's stomach, causing the wind to get knocked out of the boy's stomach.
The monkey-tailed boy then followed it up with yet another punch, and this one caused Vaike to go flying backwards. He ended up slamming into the wall of the Z-Shepherds' HQ, creating a huge crack in the wall in the process.
Vaike had been handily knocked out.
In just. One. Punch.
Suffice to say, everyone was pretty shocked.
"Wh-What the heck?! That quick?!" Stahl asked in disbelief, throwing away the peel of his now finished orange. He then proceeded to pull out a bag of nuts and began to jug those down. "This guy is nuts!..."
"Hehe! Nice one, Stahl!" Lissa complimented the green-haired boy, who seemed really confused. He didn't really get the joke.
"I trust you all believe that Robin is the real deal now?" Chrom asked the rest of the group as he crossed his arms, smirking slightly. "I really feel like he's going to help us solve this bandit problem once and for all!"
The rest of the Z-Shepherds remained silent for a few moments, before immediately rushing towards Robin excitedly.
"Woah! That was incredible! You've got to spar with me next, Robin!"
"I've never seen anyone win a fight that fast before…"
"Hmph! I must admit, your performance was admirable. No wonder Lissa has taken a liking to you!"
Robin chuckled nervously at all the praise he was getting, before glancing at Frederick, expecting Chrom and Lissa's retainer to compliment him as well.
Instead, he was met with a hard stare, and a stern message. "Hmph. Do not let your strength get to your head, Robin. Everyone has a weakness, and if you remain complacent, you will suffer when someone inevitably exploits it."
"Why was I actually expecting Frederick to say something nice to me?" Robin thought to himself with a sigh, closing his eyes and shaking his head.
He was dragged out of his thoughts when an armored gauntlet grabbed his shoulder, frightening him. He proceeded to spin around, wondering if Vaike had managed to get back up to his feet or something.
Instead, he was met with the image of a boy with dark brown hair who towered over him like a giant. Despite his intimidating stature, he was looking down at Robin with a friendly smile. He was wearing an incredibly large set of orange and grey armor, and as a result he looked even larger than he already was. His size was in direct contrast with the friendly expression on his face.
"Hi there, I'm Kellam. I really enjoyed your fight," the boy said matter-of-factly. "I've never seen someone beat Vaike that fast before..."
"Uh, thanks…" Robin awkwardly replied, raising an eyebrow. "I know this is kind of weird considering how big your armor is, but I honestly didn't even notice you were standing there until now…"
Kellam sighed, shaking his head. "Don't feel too bad. Everyone seems to not notice me when I'm around for some reason…"
Robin wanted to say something to comfort the big guy, but he made the mistake of blinking. Upon opening his eyes again, Kellam had completely disappeared.
"That was…Weird…"
The monkey-tailed boy blinked twice, before shrugging. He would deal with that later.
Right now, he was instead going to enjoy the moment. He was pretty startled when he woke up with absolutely no memories whatsoever and was immediately recruited into some militia force dedicated to keeping the peace in a country he might not even belong to, but after actually meeting the Z-Shepherds, he was starting to feel like this could be a pretty fun experience.
"How bad could it possibly be…Right?"