Chapter XXIX: Paths Found; Paths Walked

The bright sun had just hit its peak over the fair continent of Ylisse, promoting clear skies and fair weather. Many of the kingdom's citizens were able to enjoy this above average forecast; the farmers could work through a temperature that was neither too hot nor too cool, their children played in the fields with one another and caused minimal trouble, the nobles were off enjoy a picnic or other form of activity in the countryside, and even the most shut in of scholars had decided that they could afford to read outside on such a fine day. There was one person who was not outside on such a fine day, the lady in charge of the kingdom, Exalt Emmeryn herself.

While the other citizens of the kingdom played in the sun, their leader had shut herself in her late father's study and had barely moved from her seat at his desk. Several crumpled pieces of parchment littered the floor and two of the ink wells on said desk had been completely emptied in Emmeryn's usage as she wrote tirelessly, completely consumed with the task that lay before her. Unsatisfied with what she had written she shook her head and crumpled yet another piece of parchment. There was then a collection raps on the door to the study as she was about to start from the beginning once more.

"Emm? Are you in here?" It was Chrom's voice, worry clearly showing in his tone.

"Come in," she told him rather half-heartedly. The door opened, revealing the middle sibling of the three. Chrom took a long look at the parchment on the floor before returning his gaze to his elder sister and her ink stained hands. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"I… I was going to invite you out to the fields for a picnic," the young prince explained. "Robin and I were about to head out and enjoy the weather ourselves and we wanted to know if you wanted to come with us."

"...You really don't have a romantic bone in your body, do you?" Emmeryn responded with a warm yet playful smile at her younger brother who cringed slightly. "It's obvious that Robin would want to spend some time with you Chrom… just the two of you."

"He-Hey, I'm not that dense," he tried to tell her as his elder sibling giggled. "She was the one who had suggested it… Emmeryn, we're both worried about you. You've spent all day holed up in this office without telling me anything, what are you even writing?"

"A speech," Emmeryn told herself. Chrom narrowed his eyes, that wasn't what he'd been expecting nor what he'd hoped for. "I know that you detest what happened in court yesterday, but they did bring up a fair point. An address to the people after the war is deserved and long overdue, no matter how short the conflict may have been."

"And you're writing the speech yourself?" Chrom asked with skepticism. "Emm, we have many qualified people to help you, you don't need to do this alone."

"I'm not too prideful to deny help Chrom, I think you would fit that description better than myself," she told him. Chrom, of course, couldn't argue with her wisdom. "This however… this is more of a personal test. To make sure I still have the ability to lead Ylisse."

"I'm not quite sure that I follow," he admitted.

"Both of us remember very little of our father, aside from what everyone knows and criticizes him for. One thing that they never seem to remember was his ability as a speaker. He was never one to have others write speeches for him, many times he'd hardly write a script to address the people and spoke purely from the heart… While he might have fallen to madness, he was always a powerful speaker, able to raise the moral and spirit of the people."

"You've been a powerful speaker yourself, don't forget what you managed to do after the Blood Crusade ended; your speeches to the masses even at such a young age were what allowed the people to forgive us with time… Without you to lead us, I don't want to think about where we'd be."

"Perhaps, but I have been out of politics for too long and I haven't contributed to Ylisse's restoration efforts as I might've liked… This is merely a trial to ensure that I am able to lead once more, something to practice my skills and reignite my flame. I promise Chrom, if I ever have any doubt in this speech I'll go to you for help the first sign I have."

"So long as you're sure…" Chrom relented with a sigh. "On a side note, how long do we have before the address?"

"Almost a week," Emmeryn told him. "The Nobility is even trying to spread the word and aid in support, though I can't confidently say they're all doing this for selfless reasons… perhaps a few, but certainly not all."

"So we've got time at least," he noted. "Speaking of which we've gotten a letter from the Kahns, apparently they're to be paying us a visit rather soon. I think Basilio wrote the letter though; it's trying to blame the sudden departure on Flavia."

"That certainly sounds like the two of them," the Exalt agreed with a smile. "It will be good to see both of them, but shouldn't they remain in Regna Ferox? A land without its ruler can lead to a dangerous situation, more so with the Risen…"

"Actually, the number of reported Risen have reached an all-time low in all three of the kingdoms," the blue haired prince informed as he thought back to the report he had read a few days prior. "Unless there's a massive hoard of them hiding somewhere we've got little to worry about and the town guards have been able to keep the weaker threats contained. Not to mention if that last report's to be believed, the Black Knight is also in the north."

"The… Black Knight?" Emmeryn repeated in confusion. "You mean the figure from the Tellius lores?"

"Hm? Oh, now I remember that I haven't told you about him yet. It's been mostly rumors at this point, but if they're to be believe it would appear that a powerful figure donning armor completely identical to that of the figure from legend has appeared. We first got word of him from an ally of ours in Plegia and she told use that he's been eliminating large hordes of Risen, almost like he has a strange vendetta against them."

"Is that right?" Emmeryn questioned as she thought back. "I don't think this was covered during yesterday's meeting, and it very much sounds like something that should have been."

"...Well that's because for now we're trying to keep the nobles uninformed of the knight for as long as we can," Chrom told her. "Robin and I agreed that if we let the nobles know about the knight then no matter what we tell them they could attempt something drastic. For now, we're best off staying away and gathering any information that presents itself to us."

"I see," Emmeryn said, glad to see that the two had thought this approach through. "You should be going Chrom, Robin's most likely been waiting for you for quite some time already."

"Hey, she told me not to hurry because she'd be getting ready," the prince told her with a sigh. "...Don't overwork yourself, understand?" Emmeryn didn't speak, she merely nodded as she began writing once more. Impressed once more by his sister's dedication to her work, Chrom took this as a sign of recovery and left the study. "Hope she's going to be okay…"

"As do I," came an unexpected voice from the other end of the hall.

Standing against the wall at attention was Phila, the former leader of Ylisse's Pegasus knights. After the damage she'd taken during the rescue of Emmeryn from Plegia, she now had several scars on her face and was forced to wear an eyepatch to cover her ruined left eye. After the damage she had taken and the death of her Pegasus, she had stepped down as leader of the Pegasus knights (who currently had shared leadership between Cordelia and Sumia) and had instead become a member of the castle guard.

"Phila," Chrom acknowledged. "It's been a while since I've had the chance to speak with you… How are you holding up?"

"Well enough your lordship," Phila told Chrom in a very dignified manner. "My job as of late has been uneventful, but I suppose that's as much as I could hope for."

"As long as there aren't any attacks against the castle or Emmeryn I can continue to stay hopeful," Chrom told her. "What about when you're off duty? Any problems?"

"A few," Phila admitted. "It's been a tad difficult without proper depth perception, but I've been managing thus far and my family's been supportive of my efforts to heal. There really is little else that can be said."

"Well don't push yourself too hard, you're a dear friend and ally of the crown, it would sadden everyone greatly if we were to lose you for real," Chrom said thinking back to the Pegasus knights they had lost in the rescue attempt."

"I will do my best to stay in good health," Phila assured him. "Don't worry, the largest danger on this job is becoming bored and complacent and I've already had enough experience with guard duty to know how to avoid that."

"That's all I'm asking," the prince told her. "Sorry to leave abruptly, but I'm afraid I have separate plans to get to."

"I understand, say hello to your tactician for me if you remember," Phila told him.

"I… I'll be sure to say hello to Robin, but how did you know I was meeting her?" Chrom asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Much as I detest paying attention to such things, I have heard a few of the noble ladies gossiping about the two of you," Phila told him, causing a light blush to appear on Chrom's face. "A fair few of them are disappointed that it appears you've already made some form of a commitment to another woman while the women already in relationships seem to think that you make a cute couple."

"As long as that's the extent of their gossiping I really don't give a damn either way," he told her, feeling somewhat vindicated to use harsher language. "Until next time then."

"Until then," Phila agreed as Chrom made his way off to his date.

-Ylisse Castle Dressing Chambers-

"I still don't understand why you both are making such a big deal of this," Robin said as her two helpers examined the plethora of dresses they had to choose from. "Can't I just wear my Tactician coat? That seems to fit me the best in the first place."

"I know, but these dresses would look great on you, I just know it!" Lissa exclaimed with an eager smile on her face. "Trust me, when you put this on and show up to the picnic, you're going to knock the socks off of Chrom!"

"I doubt it, I think he'd be same with me no matter what I wore," Ylisse's tactician denied as she scoured the room to see where Lissa had hidden her prized coat. "Come on, we all know that Chrom doesn't care anything about these things."

"Well he should!" the princess said with a large pout. "Chrom needs to learn that when a lady dresses up it for an important occasion she deserves a compliment and to be treated like royalty!"

"But I don't care about those things," Robin told her with a sigh.

"Well you're going to need to start caring," Olivia told her as she looked through the dresses before picking one up and putting against Robin to see if she'd look good in it. She would, but the dancer knew they could do better. "Like it or not, Chrom's royalty and the rest of the nobility is going to start paying special attention to the two of you, more so that you don't come from a noble house yourself. As of right now they see you as a flawless and undefeated tactician; they're trying to find something wrong with you."

"Flawless? I'm anything but," Robin told her friends. "Everyone has their fair share of mistakes and I've made more than a few, even with what little memory I have."

"No one is always flawless, but the nobility tries to show that they are, especially in public," Olivia told her friend remembering a few things that she'd been told by Flavia and Basilio a while back. "If you were already a noble they wouldn't care nearly as much, but because you're being courted by someone of a higher class they treat this as a form of entertainment."

"There's not going to be anyone to see us!" Robin exclaimed at the situation. "The only people going to the picnic are Chrom, possibly Emmeryn, and myself. I doubt either of them are going to care what kind of dress I wear."

"Then we can use this as a chance to experiment and find what kind of dress you're going to be wearing in the future," Lissa said as she practically thrust a dress into Robin's hands. "Come on, everyone already thinks that you look cute wearing you tactician's garb, this is your chance to really wow them!"

"...If I have to," Robin sighed as she took the dress and went behind the changing panels. 'I certainly hope that Chrom appreciates what I'm going through for his sake…'

"Besides, think of this as a trial for your wedding dress," Lissa suggested, leaving the tactician happy that she'd already hidden herself as not to show the massive blush on her face.

"Lissa!" Olivia exclaimed. "It's a bit early to be thinking about that."

"What? I don't think Robin's against the idea at all," Lissa said as Robin's blush only seemed to grow. "Plus I think it'd be awesome to have another girl in the family, can't imagine what ladies night would be for all of us."

'She's… she's just showing her support… in her own unique way,' Robin tried to tell herself as she slipped into her dress. 'That was a lot harder than I thought it'd be, at least I look…' "LISSA!"

"What's wrong?" the young princess asked as Robin came out from behind the changing area. "Th-th-that dress…"

"You really thought I could wear something like this!?" Robin shouted angrily, which was rare by she was never one to lose her temper with anyone except for Chrom. Her dress though gave her plenty of reason to be though, lumps of the dress were placed in awkward angles, it was far too tight on her chest while too loose on her back, and the petticoats were uncommonly frilly, even for a noble lady.

"Um… Robin?" Olivia began nervously. The tactician glared at her harshly and caused the dancer to return to her meeker side for a moment before regaining her composure. "M-Maybe it would help if you didn't put the dress on backwards..." Robin's face blanched. "...Or inside out."

"...Give me my coat back," she commanded, putting her foot down on the whole escapade. Lissa and Olivia glanced at each other and silently agreed that they leave this to a more experienced hand.

Later -The Fields-

Chrom tried to relax himself as he sat upon blanket he had set out for Robin and himself to enjoy their picnic upon once she arrived. The young prince knew that this was just a small outing between them and that there was very little to actually concern himself with, still he couldn't help but think that he'd do something stupid in front of Robin like he normally did. Impressing someone intentionally had never been his strong suit and he knew that she wasn't the type to be impressed easily. Normally he wouldn't care about making sure that he set a good image forth, but Robin was different, she'd begun taking up nearly all of his thoughts. When he was signing papers he'd sometimes imagine Robin giving her input on them, when he was practicing his sword work he imagined Robin nearby practicing her magic, whenever he bathed… he remembered that he'd get pelted in the face by her projectiles if she were with him.

"You weren't waiting long were you?" came Robin's voice, snapping Chrom out of his thoughts as he turned to look at the woman of his dreams (quite literally). Robin was wearing her regular tactician's coat and had a large tome underneath her arm. "Sorry that I'm not dressed up."

"You might've gotten a dress dirty anyways," Chrom told her as he looked the tome she was carrying. "A book on tactics?"

"Actually it's a novel that I've been wanting to read," Robin told him before showing him the cover: The Golden Knight and Diamond Sheath. "I know I should've hurried, but the bookstore where I ordered this book was on the way so I just had to stop by and see if it had arrived."

"Oh, so you've been waiting to get to it then," Chrom thought, knowing how absorbed in something Robin could be. "You want to read a chapter or two?"

"Eh? But then I'd just be ignoring you and our food would go to waste," Robin reminded him.

"Food's not going anywhere," Chrom told her. "Sides, I can wait if you really… Actually, you think you could read it aloud?"

"Out loud?" Robin repeated with a slight blush. "I… I'm probably not that good of a storyteller… And you'd probably find this boring…"

"On the contrary, it's been forever since I managed to enjoy a good novel," he assured. "All this time I've wanted to read something other than all of the reports I've been handed I've just never had the time and I know you're an avid reader, spending time with one another and managing to enjoy a book while we're at it? Sounds perfect to me."

"Well…" Robin began before smiling with the slight blush still on her face. "I'll read us a few of the first chapters, then we can break for lunch and talk about the story if you want."

"Lead on oh teller of tales," Chrom told her playfully before laying on the blanket with his hands behind his head and looking up at the sky. Little did the two realize that they weren't alone.

"Heh, didn't think that bonehead would have a mind for romance like that," Sully noted aloud with a chuckle.

"Indeed, I wager we've both underestimated our captain and his capacity for intimate connections," Miriel noted. "This warrants further research on my behalf."

"Hey… Don't spy on them too closely, otherwise people are going to start saying things behind your back," Sully tried to remind.

"It'd be better if neither of you were spying at all," a sudden voice came from behind the two. While Miriel turned calmly, Sully had to bite her tongue to keep from swearing and blowing their cover. Libra let out a sigh at their behavior. "Mind telling me what the two of you are doing here?"

"Heard Chrom was taking Robin for a little outing, so specs and I decided to make a small bet," Sully informed. "I bet that by the end of the date they were going to kiss, those two have been getting more lovey-dovey as the days go on."

"I have taken the opposite side on this wager," Miriel explained. "I determine no physical benefit for either of them in connecting their lips, much less reason for such a display to exist."

"Betting on someone's love life seems like a rather low moral road for the two of you to take," Libra lamented. "What did the two of you wager?"

"Bragging rights," the two answered in unison.

"I see…" Libra said with a large sweat drop besides his head.

"Hey, if you're so high and mighty with this whole love and privacy thing then why'd you come here in the first place?" Sully questioned as the two continued to spy upon the royal couple.

"I was enjoying a walk after my day of prayer when I noticed the two of you," Libra explained to them. "Off topic… do you know what that is over there?"

"Over… there?" Sully repeated as she looked to were Libra had gestured. "The hell?"

Across the fields was a small wooden stand that had been set up just inside the tree line on the edge of the field. Surrounding the wooden stand was an odd collection of people, all of them were peering at the two from the tree line. Nobles and merchants were using their telescope to get a better view while the more common people had to strain to get a close look at the two. On the stand however…

"Place your bets! Come and place your bets on the romantic outcome of these two!" a beaming red-haired merchant called out as many people made their way towards her with betting tickets. "Will the two share an exchange of kissing? Will Robin smack our young prince somewhere in our date? Will the food go cold by the time she finishes reading to him? Place your bets!" Anna couldn't stop smiling, know her luck and business expertise she knew she'd make a killing here.

"High and almighty Naga please forgive this merchant and her greed, she knows not what she does…" Libra prayed with pity.

-Regna Ferox-

"Hey oaf, move over and give me some room to breathe," Flavia demanded from her seat in their carriage.

"I'll ride on one of our spare horses if it's too tight in here for you," Basilio offered from beside her. "It's cramped enough having to normally sit in one of these things. You can have this to yourself if you want."

"What and be left with them on my own?" the ruling Kahn said, gesturing to the pair that sat across from the two. "I might be able to take a sound beating, but that doesn't mean that I'm a voluntary masochist."

"Yeah, but I'll be damned if I'm the Kahn suckered into watching 'em."

"You're both aware that we can hear you?" Eliza Chamandure questioned with a slight pang of annoyance.

"Of course we're aware; we want you both to know that we don't want to be here with the two of you," Flavia responded with a dismissive wave.

"My Lord and Lady," began one cautious and still heavily scarred Count Tristan. "Might I ask why, if you don't find any pleasure in our company, did you decide to bring us along?"

"To keep the both of you from doing something reckless and stupid," Flavia said with a proper scowl. "You've both showed us that you can't make even the most rational of decisions when we're not looking so we've left your cities with more capable individuals."

"You-You told us this was a vacation for our service to Regna Ferox!" Eliza exclaimed.

"Must've misspoken, it's for disservice to the realm," Basilio told them.

"Disservice! I've done no such thing!" Eliza exclaimed.

"Then what do you call the threats you made to our enigmatic friend the Black Knight?" Flavia questioned humorlessly, the color draining from Eliza's face. "You're lucky that you managed to escape with your life, what would you have done if he actually drawn his sword against you and your town guard? You'd have been slaughtered like sheep."

"I already know of Eliza's mistakes," Count Tristan interjected. "But why am I being brought here? I've done nothing against the Black Knight that would provoke him!"

"No, but you would've… Actually, you were about to," Basilio told as Tristan grimaced in pain. "We got word that you were organizing your men and a band of mercenaries to challenge our so-called enigma, so we invited you to come with us so we wouldn't have another crisis while we were out of the kingdom."

"Wh-where do you hear that?" Tristan demanded angrily.

"From your own advisor; he wrote to us about it in a letter," the West Kahn explained gruffly. "And before you think about punishing him, he wrote to us asking specifically that you wouldn't receive any harsh penance. He's looking out for you pretty well, Naga or Grima knows why he's so loyal."

"In any case, you've won a free trip south to escape the snow, so quit moaning about it and enjoy yourselves," Flavia told the two bluntly be looking slightly crestfallen. "At least a certain someone won't be there to give you a beating…"

"Flavia?" Basilio questioned from beside her.

"It's nothing merely thinking back to someone," she told him, though it was quite apparent to her fellow Khan whom she was referring to. Had he been about to call her out on that, he never got the chance as the cart carrying the two came to a sudden halt. "What's going on? Why have we stopped?" The clang of metal upon metal could be heard from a distance as well as nearly inaudible snarls and groans. "Report!"

"Milady!" a cavalier man said as he rode his mount right beside the carriage carrying the nobles. "We've seemed to have neared a battlefield, with the weapons strewn across the battlefield lacking the bodies of their owners. We believe that the Risen may have found their next victim. We're ready to either proceed around or lend our aid, awaiting your orders."

"Let's go and assess the situation," Flavia told him. "Ready me a horse and we'll see how much help we could be with the numbers we lack. If need be, prepare to carry off any survivors depending on how dire the situation is."

"Yes my lady," the guard said as he hurried off.

"Finally deciding to ditch me?" Basilio asked gruffly as Flavia flung the door open. "You always have all the fun."

"True, but then again you were doing the exact same thing when you were ruling Kahn," Flavia retorted with a smirk before exiting the carriage and closing the door.

"Hard to tell if she's just doing this to spite me or if she's holding a grudge," Basilio noted with a small chuckle before realizing something odd. "Why can't I hear the fighting anymore?"

-Outside-

"What in the hell is this?"

To say that Flavia and her guards were awestruck by the display before them would have been a clear understatement. Countless weapons littered the battlefield, some in large piles while others lay impaled in the ground, like a massive cemetery for fallen warriors. Not a single body human or otherwise decorated the ground, leaving everyone to jump to the logical conclusion. Standing in the middle of this with a sword impaled before him in the snow-covered ground stood the legendary Black Knight, his cape once more flowing magnificently in the wind. Standing behind him was both the travelling dark mage and the Voice of Naga that she'd heard about.

"Kahn Flavia," the knight spoke, his helmet making his voice sound strangely ethereal. "An honor to meet you at last."

"Knight? Why the heck are you-?" Henry was about to ask before, unexpectedly getting jolted by a shock of electricity that seemed to spring out of the ground. "Hey!"

"The infamous Black Knight," Kahn Flavia began before gesturing to the battlefield. "Your reputation precedes you."

"Please, I can't imagine half of what they say is true," he responded reservedly. "Though I have heard a fair few tales of yourself." Flavia gave a smug grin at this.

"Seriously, is he flirting with her or is he just that bad at acting polite?" Henry whispered to Tiki from behind the large enigma.

"Almost certainly the latter," Tiki readily responded with a slight deadpan. "Him? Intentionally flirting?"

"You got a point, I mean… wait, why intentional flirting?" That was when Henry received his second form of punishment that minute, a strong elbow to the ribs from the Manakete. "Ow!"

"I see you're kept in lively company at least," Flavia told him before her expression turned serious. "Might I ask what you are doing out here?"

"Slaying the Risen as I come across them as you can see," he told her with a simple gesture with his left arm. "Also, hoping to guide the Voice of Naga to the southern border of your Kingdom."

"So I've heard," Flavia said while flawlessly showing her confident demeanor. "It just so happens I'm headed that way myself, you're free to travel with us if you want."

"I..." the Black Knight began. 'Shit, I can't keep this flowery talk up for much longer, and if start talking like my usual self then Flavia could figure out it's me under here...' "As much as I... deeply appreciate such an offer, I'm afraid I'll have to decline; it wouldn't do well for your reputation to be seen with me."

"Hah! It'll hardly do me any harm, in fact I'd argue that it would be a bolster to my support if I were seen with you... You'd make a prominent ally to the kingdom."

"Apologizes," the Black Knight said after steeling himself to consider the discussion and think his words through ahead of time. "I'm afraid I'm not the type to work with anyone, given my reclusive nature."

"Is that so?" Flavia asked before looking to his companions behind him. "What of them then?"

"I'm to guide Lady Tiki to the Ferox-Ylisse border, just to the south of here. As far as Henry..."

"I'm just following whether he likes it or not!" the silver haired youth exclaimed with a laugh.

"Quite the dedicated dark mage you have there, but I was actually hoping that the two of us could work together on this Risen threat," the east Kahn explained to the enigmatic knight. If the two of us were to work together, if you were to join our side, there could be a chance to solve this hidden threat. I already have what few mages I have sent to purge what few Risen remain to keep the towns and their people safe, but if I could put my faith in you to guard the towns in their stead they could spend time researching and solving this threat."

"I..." the Black Knight began. Had anyone else made him this offer he'd have turned it down immediately, but Flavia was different; working with her wasn't a matter of reputation or connections, it would only be a matter of necessity. Turning her down to avoid constant contact with her was a costly idea... however an answer came to him as he strained his head. "Someone's attacking your carriage."

"What!?" Flavia exclaimed as the new sounds of fighting became audible. "More Risen?"

"No, bandits," the Black Knight told her as he roughly yanked his sword out of the ground and made for the carriages. "Henry, stay with Tiki, I'm going hunting."

"Aw, I wanted to join in the fun!" Henry whined, but complied none the less. Staying behind as the Black Knight hurried off and Flavia barked orders to her troops, mobilizing them for a fight.

Back with the carriage, Kahn Basilio gave a grunt as he blocked the lance of an enemy horse before he struck back with his axe, cleaving the rider in two. Beside him, what men he'd been left with struggled as they fought off the bandits. Flavia hadn't taken that much of their force with her, their original party had been small to begin with since the female Kahn had insisted that taking a smaller force would get them across the kingdom in less time. Now with their forces starting to get overwhelmed at five to one and two nobles who only ever fought in duels keeping themselves useless in the carriage, he was starting to regret letting her make that call.

"Don't stop fighting! We'll wear them down eventually!" the barbarian bandit leader commanded. Basilio saw one of his horse riders get knocked from his mount and fall to the snow with a bandit standing ready near him with his axe held high. Thinking quickly, Basilio grabbed a bow from a downed Bandit and quickly let loose an arrow, sticking the attacking bandit in his heart and saving the riders life. "Grr... Don't waste time with the Kahn! We'll be able to take him much easier after all of his precious men are dead!"

"Dammit, they're using an easy, underhanded tactic," Basilio swore to himself before rushing towards another of his surrounded allies. He didn't have time to stop at the pain as a more limber bandit struck him in the ribs with a throwing knife, merely grunting to the pain as he avoided another knife and swung his axe to cleave through the bandits that had surrounded yet another rider. "...And it's working."

"Lord Basilio! We won't be able to hold them off for much longer! You can still escape on my horse!"

"Hell no!" the West Kahn shouted before blocking the sword strike of a myrmidon and reposting with a fatal cut across its chest. "What kind of a leader would I be if I left my own men to die at the first sign of a tough fight?" Three bandits then rushed Basilio from the front, the Kahn managed to block attacks from two of them simultaneously, but had to back step in order to avoid the third. He managed to cut down one of the bandits that had lunged forward, but the other two held their distance and stood at the guard, keeping the Kahn from defending his men. Were this any other time he'd deal with these men in an instant, but the knife in his gut wasn't making things easy.

"Good! Just keep him there!" the bandit leader shouted as he kept his distance from the fighting (like every other boss in Fire Emblem). "Keep him down while we carve up the rest of his men!"

"Aishata Phie," Basilio muttered, an old Feroxian curse that wasn't exactly flattering to their mothers. He knew that if he and his men were going to get out of this he'd have to do something drastic, damn the odds in all... at least that was what he'd thought before he'd been covered by a daunting black shadow. A suit of armor crashed to the snow-covered ground before him, sending upwards a small surge of frost. The remaining two bandits had little time to react as they were carved to pieces by the sudden arrival's blade.

"What say your tactics now?" the Black Knight questioned the remaining bandits and their leader. Many of the bandits took a step back in worry, for they easily knew the knight's reputation and what he often did to the monsters feared by men. Per normal, their leader had a snarl about him as he tried to rouse his men to fight the new arrival.

"Don't even think of tucking tail and running away!" he shouted with great force. "So what if it's the so-called Black Knight!? You think half of the rumors about him are true!? We'll kill him now and-!"

His rallying cry (if it could even have been called that) was cut unceremoniously short as an arrow flew past the knight and stuck the leader: a perfect shot right between the eyes. Turning his helmed head, the Black Knight's gaze landed upon something he'd never quite expected to see.

"I don't normally lower myself to eradicate filth such as this, but that lummox's taunting was starting to annoy me..." Eliza said with a groan as she stood outside the carriage. She was holding a very artistic metal longbow and had a quiver full silver-steel arrows over her shoulder.

'She decides to make herself useful at long last,' the Black Knight noted as a collection of horse hooves neared the site of battle. "Seems our cavalry has arrived."

"Forward men!" Flavia commanded from atop her horse. "Surround the enemy force and make sure they don't try to escape!"

"We're still dead if we surrender here!" one of the bandits shouted as Flavia's troop fell upon the raiders. "It's now or never!"

Even with the bandits fearful for their lives, the battle was over quickly and the vagrants soon lay dead in the snow. While the Feroxi troops had suffered a fair, few injuries including broken limbs, dented armor, and deep cuts they had been lucky as to not suffer a single casualty. The troops were now treating their wounds, stitching themselves, and apply salves where needed. The dead bandits had been piled into a quick funeral pyre, that the enigmatic trio stood in front of.

"You know... I'm for as watching corpses burn as the next guy, but that doesn't seem to suit your image," Henry noted to the Voice of Naga. "So... why are we doing this?"

"Letting them burn away without a witness seems like a blow against common ethics, even men such as these," Tiki told them. "They most likely had no choice in become bandits; most likely they would have stared if they had not confirmed to this life. How many friends did they lose, families... how far were they truly pushed?"

"I try as hard as I can not to ask that question," the Black Knight told her, his tone cool and emotionless. "...It's easier said than done though." Tiki gave him a somewhat bitter-sweet smile.

"So... how long are you going to keep talking like that Knight?" Henry asked.

"As long as it's necessary."

"But... why? I mean before you never cared if anyone had to hear you swear, heck I think I've heard more swearing when I'm with you then any other time in my life... So, what makes that Flavia special?" Knight didn't respond. "Do... do you like her?"

"Let's say I did," the knight suggested. "What would you have to say about it?"

"It's a pretty sorry way to try and get someone to fall for you beneath a helmet," Henry told him with a slight cackle. Neither Tiki nor the knight himself could argue with that statement.

"To be completely honest, I'm actually not looking for a man of my own at the moment," the three heard the Kahn say from behind them. The warrior woman approached the two with a freshly bandaged Basilio. "Disappointed?"

"Not exactly," the Black Knight told her passively, feeling it was best to leave his words there as vague as he could. "Are you still planning to head south?"

"Yeah, Flavia already sent a letter to 'em, so there's little that I can say to try and change her mind," Basilio told them. "Really managed to save my men's hides there though, we won't be forgetting that anytime soon."

"It was the right thing to do," the Black Knight brushed off before thinking to himself. "Actually, if you truly want to assist me, you can take Lady Tiki with you the rest of your journey to Ylisstol." The suggestion was met with a raised brow from both of the Kahns and a more startled expression from Tiki herself. "I've already brought her most of the way, there's very little to do save for crossing the border; something the two of you are better equipped to handle. I trust you can get her there safely."

"Sir Knight? Are you certain?" the Manakete questioned.

"I am, you'd need a guide to get to the capital anyways. This way I can leave you with someone I trust to take you the entire path." The enigmatic warrior then turned to the two Khans. "Any objections?"

"Not at all... though I have to wonder what it is you'll be doing in kingdom in the meanwhile?" Flavia inquired, though not too harshly.

"Heading east. I still have Risen to purge, Bandits to stop, and towns to save," he answered readily.

"So... your only favor to me is to guide another along a path I was already taking, just so you can continue your mission which benefits both myself and the very people I'm sworn to protect." Flavia then gave a hearty round of laughter. "I suppose you have a deal then! Basilio, get some arrangements made for our new guests."

"Hey, I'm not your manservant," the West Kahn muttered to himself, but complied and hurried off.

"I suppose this is it then," the Black Knight said to his charge. In a move unexpected by Tiki or Henry, he then sank to a knee in the snow in a formal bow. "I wish you the best in your mission."

"Sir Knight... Please rise," Tiki asked him softly. The Black Knight complied only to watch as the Voice of Naga practically threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his kneeling form, giving himself only a second to catch her.

"And I thought you were refined," he jested as the short embrace ended.

"My dear friend, I made no such claim," she jested back before turning to Henry.

"So... do I get a hug?" he asked with the ever-playful smile still on his face.

"You do indeed," Tiki told him as the two also had a short embrace she then gave on last nod to the Black Knight, hopeful that the two would meet again before hurrying off after Basilio.

"She seems to view you in very high regard," Flavia said before shaking her head. "It's funny... You really remind me of someone that I used to know from a short time ago."

"Is... that so?" the Black Knight coolly responded.

"Yeah, but I already know it can't be you; I watched them die," she responded, shaking her head. "That and you act way too refined; HE couldn't get through two sentences without swearing."

'...At least I know this is working,' he thought to himself before glancing at Henry, indicating that he wanted him to stay silent. "Well I'm sorry for disappointing you."

"On the contrary, I'm happy to see someone so powerful dedicated to the protection of the common people; I wish the two of you luck on your road ahead."

"About that..." Henry started, scratching the back of his head. "I... sorta need to head back."

"Why?" the Knight questioned. He might've slowly grown to trust Henry (he still found him a little off putting) but he still suspected that there was someone the dark mage needed to report back to.

"I tried to stick with you for as long as I could, but this snow's starting to get to me," he explained. "I need to head back to Plegia before I wind up as an unfunny, unbloody popsicle."

"I see... Do you need me to guide you back?" the enigma questioned. Whether or not Henry was reporting back to someone, the Knight figured that he didn't have anything to worry about from the dark mage.

"You actually would, wouldn't you?" Henry responded, surprising the knight as he saw a bitter-sweet smile on the youth's face. "Nah, I'll be fine on my own... horse might help though."

"We'd be happy to provide one for him," Flavia assured. "It's the least we can do for an ally of yours."

"...Thank you," the Black Knight said emotionlessly.

Not long later, he and Henry were watching as Flavia's convoy headed off for Ylisstol. Now the East Kahn herself was leading her caravan while Tiki and Basilio were inside the carriage (and forced to endure the noble's company). Watching as they finally disappeared from sight, the Black Knight then turned to his horse mounted first companion.

"You're sure you're going to be okay heading back," he asked. "I'm not sure what the guards at the border are going to think about you passing through without me."

"Aw please knight, they don't care about dark mages coming out, heck I'd say they'd want me to go that way!" Henry told him gleefully. "Besides, who says I'm going in through the main gate? I already have my own way to sneak across the border."

"Wait you have your own..." the Black Knight began as he thought back before growing annoyed. "THEN WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL US SO WE COULD AVOID ATRACTING ATTENTION!?"

"Ah, there's the swearing knight that I used to know," Henry commented with glee. "And for the record you never asked, did you? Always wanted to do things the straightforward way. You never asked me if I had any bright ideas now did you?"

"Just... just go," the Black Knight said with a sigh. "I'm just glad we met Tiki on the road; dealing with your antics alone would have been hell for me."

"Aw you're just saying that," Henry said before guiding his horse to trot off. "See you soon knight! Maybe we'll see Tiki after she talks to Exalt Emmeryn!"

"Yeah, maybe we-" the knight began before freezing... and not by the weather.

'E-Emmeryn... did he just...?' The Black Knight turned to the direction where Henry had headed off, only to see that the Dark Mage had long since departed. 'N-No... He... He probably just misspoke, he does have a few screws lose... Yeah, that's what it was.'

Despite his efforts to console himself, the Black Knight was unable to shake away his agitation. Growling to himself, he headed off into the forming snowstorm, hoping to find some Risen to take his mind off of the events... leaving him down path of solitude once more.

Author's Note:

SORRY I'M LATE POUNDING THIS OUT CLOSE TO MIDNIGHT JUST TO KEEP MY PROMISE!

Jeeze, and I thought you guys had voted hard on the last poll. I hadn't SAID that Double voting for a single story was legal, but it turned out to make little difference. Here's the result.

15 Votes Azure Throne (I was a little surprised because I have a few fans VERY dedicated to this series, but oh well.

17 Votes Azure Guilt (Apparently I've been keeping the story in the Crusades for too long)

24 Votes Grim Reaper and Beastkin (Only three chapters to its name after its reboot, not too surprising)

29 Votes A Reaper's Soul (I like writing for this story, but I guess it's taken a while to get going)

47 Votes Loss, Redemption, Revenge (It's been a while since I've given this one an update, but it looks like fans are still hoping for more)

72 Votes Bloodedge of Fairy Tail (I've only put two chapters out for this one! How does it already have this kind of a following!?)

95 Votes A Reaper's Game (Much like last time, this story was close in the running, but it eventually lost to...)

126 Votes A Reaper's Awakening (...People really want Ragna to come back eh? Well I guess it IS my premier Ragna crossover)

Litte side note, I've gotten a few complaints for the Harem part of this story and... well I DID leave it to a vote. My hands are tied here... seriously... I PROMISE to think this through and not just have it be a whole glomp-fest (which is what Spectacles of Eros Gag Reels are for)

Anyways, here's the Omake. Next chapter's going to be a BIG one (I hope)! Ciao!

Wounded

"Dammit, I'm starting to get sloppy," Ragna thought aloud a he glanced to the arrow pierced in his right shoulder. The wound wouldn't have been fatal (even to a normal person's standards), but he knew that he was falling behind from his normal self if he'd let himself take a hit like this. Maybe it was the constant lack of sleep. "Well whatever, let's just get this damn thing cleaned..."

"Ragna," came a familiar and monotone voice. The Reaper sighed softly to himself before partially turning to see the Murakumo unit that had been following ever since he'd returned to camp. Lambda had never been able to reclaim her armor, nor did she have any talent for magic, so she often stayed at the camp and helped with polishing armor, cooking, and the like... well, that was part of the reason.

"Hey Lambda, how are you doing?" Ragna asked, trying to keep himself facing away so she wouldn't see the arrow sticking out of his chest.

"Ragna, are you wounded?" Lambda asked, letting Ragna know that she wasn't a fool.

"Just a flesh wound," Ragna told her bluntly before roughly yanking the arrow out, leaving a small trial of blood behind it. "Er! See? No problem?"

"There is a problem," Lambda told him, not backing down. "Are you getting wounded often?"

"What? No, this was the first time this has happened to me in a while, I swear," Ragna told her truthfully. "I just... I just got separated from the group and I wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing. Won't happen again."

"Are you sure? Maybe I could go with-"

"NO! Nonononononono!" Ragna said frantically waving his hands before him. "Just... we don't need to go there, alright? I think we're good."

"Are you sure? I can support you from afar with a bow," she offered.

"Hold on, since when do you know how to use a bow?" Ragna questioned with skepticism.

"...I can learn," she told him with a cute pout.

"No, we don't need that," Ragna told her before sighing. "Look Lambda, you've already died once because I screwed both of us over. I don't want to have to lose you a second time, alright?"

"I... I understand," Lambda finally admitted leaving Ragna to sigh a breath of relief. "I'm going to finish up making dinner for the Shepherds. I'm trying out a new recipe tonight."

"Sounds good, you need any help on it?"

"No, I'll be able to take care of it myself," Lambda said, before pointing her index finger right in Ragna's face. "But afterwards, you're going right to bed."

"Wha? Lambda?"

"I know that you haven't been getting any sleep lately, so now I'm going to make sure that you're able to."

"But I'm on guard duty tonight!"

"Then you'll need to get someone to cover for you," Lambda told him. "You can ask Stahl, he's wanted to pay you back for a while now."

'...It's painfully obvious the REAL reason Chrom thought it would be a good idea to take her with us,' Ragna sighed.

Support Rank C Obtained with Lambda-11