A small torch lit up Sumia's work as she carried a bucket of water into the stables. The well was a short walk away, and carrying the load uphill with both hands was tiring, but the careful steps she had to make and the pull on her shoulders didn't feel bad. It made her feel busy, and she liked it. She didn't do it often, but every once in a while she would return to her old routine as a Pegasus Knight and make sure the pegasi were in their stables and they had water and food in the morning. She had scarcely been able to sleep the night before, she had been too excited, and worried - mostly worried. What sleep she did have was short, and she awoke just before dawn, when most of the castle was still asleep and even the most dedicated of servants hadn't started their day. She couldn't fall asleep again she knew, and she needed something to keep her busy before Frederick started their drills and they'd prepare for the march in earnest.
She did her best thinking when she was busy, it forced her to think in the present tense: what she was doing now versus what could happen later. This would not be her first mission as a knight of Ylisse, but it would be her first as a Shepherd. She had a lot to not think about as it were.
Which was why she was especially glad to know someone else was already awake to keep her company as she worked. Someone else, even more dedicated than her, had mostly the same idea, and was already hard at work with the pegasi.
As Sumia entered the stables once more with her load, she could see the many pegasi lazily turn their heads towards her, their large dark eyes reflecting the torchlight. They were spaced much further apart than normal horses - a pegasi stable held maybe a third of the capacity of the sort for normal stallions, to accommodate the animal's extra set of limbs.
The fellow knight leaned into one of the pens with a brush in hand, gently running it along the neck of a steed. The torchlight bounced off of her long red hair, giving it an orange glow. She turned and smiled warmly at Sumia as the girl emptied her bucket into a trough. The trough ran under the latched door and into the pen, where the steed in question turned and gratefully started to drink. Sumia reached her hand over the gate and started stroking the creature's soft mane.
"You were always good at this, don't let anyone tell you otherwise," the person said gently.
"I know, I know…" Sumia drew back her hand and leaned against the gate.
"It's the truth. I don't think I've ever seen you make a mistake once when it comes to animals."
"You don't need to lay it on so thick, Cordelia."
"Oh, I'm sorry." The redhead rose to her feet, still smiling. "I just thought a little affirmation might help. You're awful frazzled this morning."
Sumia didn't say anything in response. She lifted her boots unto the bottom-most beam of the gate and propped herself up. She could see the pegasus in its entirety from there.
"...Your trip begins at noon, correct?" Cordelia ventured.
Sumia's shape drooped as a long, tired groan made its way from her chest. "Right. The march."
"Are you worried?"
The brown-haired girl leaned into the pen and sighed. "A little…" She let out another sigh.
"Now now, enough of that. You're starting to sound like me."
"I can't help it," Sumia whined softly. The pegasus paused from its drink to turn a concerned glance in her direction. Sumia stroked its mane once more. "Everything's been happening so fast ever since Robin came to stay."
"I imagine. The new tactician, correct? I've yet to see him."
"Yeah, well, he's been pretty busy getting ready for the trip. Studying the whole time. He's nice, but I think he's nervous too."
"Mn," Cordelia grunted in response. "A royal trip carries a certain… expectation with it, I'm sure. It'd be strange if some people weren't a little overwhelmed. To say nothing of working so close with the captain at any rate." Sumia's breath caught in her throat. She waited for her friend to continue, but she remained quiet.
The thought of their prince was comforting - he had been very reassuring to her the day before, and it would be a lie to say she wasn't happy he let her come along - but the way her friend said so had made the atmosphere very thick.
Cordelia cleaned the clumps of hair from the brush and moved on to the steed penned across from her. "S-Sorry," Sumia finally stammered. She peeked over her shoulder at her friend, who gave her a strange look.
"What for?" she asked.
"It's just… you're the one working hard with Phila and the others, helping Her Grace, doing important stuff. I'm just… floating around the castle till somebody needs me. But now here I am: off on some important trip to the north, with the Prince of all people, and you're going on border patrol soon. it… just doesn't seem fair."
"...Oh." Cordelia paused and studied her tool.
"...It's nobody's fault Sumia. This is just how life works."
When Cordelia didn't continue, Sumia feared the conversation was over and her friend had concluded on a bitter note.
"It will be good for you, I'm sure." Cordelia finally said. "This will be the farthest you've ever gone from Ylisstol. Vegetating in one spot is no good for anybody. You'll have gone farther than I ever have when the trip is over. And besides, who's to say that a trip to the north north is more important to the Halidom than a trip to the west?"
"Still…" Sumia said as she returned to studying the Pegasus. "You'd be better at all of that." Serving the Royal Family - Exalt, Prince or Princess - was the true duty of a knight of Ylisse, and one many strived for. She knew that many young soldiers, her friend included, dreamed of the sort of opportunity that had just fallen into her own lap. It was supposed to be encouraging, but the whole situation just made her feel upset. A small part of her hoped she'd never actually have to deploy with the other Shepherds, not so soon anyway. She stepped down from the gate.
Sumia studied the winged mount as it finished its drink. She wondered if a Pegasus could just fly away for a little while whenever it got sad. She still didn't have one of her own, so she may never know at this point.
"I didn't mean anything by what I said," Cordelia said softly. Sumia was surprised when her friend clamped one of her shoulders and pulled her into a light embrace. "You'll take care of our Captain, won't you?"
"O-Of course… Sure thing!"
"Good." Cordelia withdrew and picked up the bucket to put it away. "I actually have to be off, Phila's leaving soon and we all need to be at our posts early."
"Oh…" Sumia stepped down and watched as her friend finished putting everything away. She turned a smile to her before stepping through the portal.
"Goodbye for now, Sumia. Enjoy your trip."
"I… I'll try."
Robin's body sprawled across the hard cot. His messy hair stuck to one side of his head as his face lay half-buried in a lumpy pillow. His coat, boots, and girded belt lay against a vacant crate, he slept in his pale gray shirt and trousers. Dim sunlight spilled in from the second-story window. The beam of light's journey across the floor would squarely miss Robin and leave him undisturbed. Stahl felt bad for even trying to wake the newcomer.
He and Sully stood over his bed. Both were in uniform but had yet to don their armor. Sully's arms were crossed as she allowed herself a bemused smile. Two other cots were in this room, one had been where Stahl slept, and the other still housed a sleeping Vaike. Stahl had already shaken Robin's shoulder, but the man had yet to rise. He was completely immobile; his steady breathing was the only sign he was even still alive.
"I dunno… he looks pretty comfortable," Stahl said quietly. "Prolly still isn't used to having an actual bed to sleep in… Maybe we should cut him some slack."
Sully's eyebrows narrowed but her smile remained. "Riiight, sure thing. Let's make things as easy as possible for the captain's new tactician. Let him sleep like an angel - that'll prepare him for the marching." She stepped closer to the sleeping man.
"Sully~!" Stahl whispered hoarsely.
"If we gotta put up with Freddy-D, so does he," Sully said. She leaned in close to his head, right where his ear was. Stahl winced and turned away. "Wakey-waaaaaakey!"
Vaike let out a cry from across the room and shot upright in bed, nearly launching himself out. Robin let out a delayed gasp as his eyes burst open; pupils shrinking. He gawked at Sully and quickly backed away, twisting in his thin bed-sheets before tumbling over the side of the cot with a yelp. Sully held her sides as her laughter reverberated throughout the cold stone room.
"What the hell, lady!?" Vaike groaned as he ran a hand down his face, blinded briefly by his loose blond hair.
Stahl quickly stepped to the other side of the bed to where Robin had fallen. He lay there on the stone floor, eyes fixed on the ceiling as his legs absentmindedly kicked the bed sheets off of him. He noticed Stahl and quickly got to his feet.
"Ugh… what was that?" he asked groggily.
"That was the wake-up call, courtesy of Sully. You alright?" Stahl asked.
"I'm f-fine, I think…" Robin rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. "It can't be past six in the morning! Do you always wake people up this early?"
"Not usually," Sully affirmed. "But usually we don't got a war council one day and a trip north the next. The Lieutenant wants to make sure everybody is in top shape - everyone, even newcomers." Sully started towards the hallway that lead to the stairs. "So hop to it, get dressed, and get to the barracks. That's where the lieutenant is."
It wasn't until they heard Sully's footsteps drumming down the wooden planks that Robin made movement towards his coat and boots. His eyes were half shut and his hair still stood on one side of his head as he worked his boots on. "They didn't say anything about a training regimen yesterday… did they? Did I miss it?"
"Nope, sorry. Most of us know that when a mission's coming up Frederick will usually start drilling us." Stahl said. "...And he'll be pretty mad if everyone's not there."
Robin nodded his head. "Understood. I guess I'll stop by the pantry and find something to gnaw on. Should get there on time..."
"Er… you won't have time, not if you wanna be on Frederick's good side."
"What?"
"Breakfast comes after. You're supposed to show up first thing in the morning."
"You're kidding?!"
"Wish I was, believe me."
Robin hung his head. "...Well I'll have an appetite worked up at least."
Stahl let out a nervous laugh. "Gods willing anyway."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You'll see."
The castle grounds were painted in light blues and grays as the sun peeked over the hills to the west. A soft mist hung about that billowed from the wooded patches up and down the hills that the castle rested on. The grass was wet and heavy with dew and left Robin's boots black and shiny as he stepped through it. Most lamp posts were extinguished, and one had to search for the cobbled paths against the gray haze.
Stahl and Sully lead Robin to the barracks, where the town and castle guard trained. Vaike followed slowly somewhere behind. The wanderer looked to his side and saw several young recruits running laps around a fenced-off circuit, made of red dust and clay. Occasionally he heard the clang of weapons. He noticed a streak of movement in the corner of his eye, and watched as a Pegasus ducked and weaved in the far distance before disappearing behind the castle.
"Phila's ladies train on the other side of the castle," Sully said loudly. "So in case you wanted some nice views for some morning motivation, you're shot outta luck."
"Geez, Sully...!" Stahl said under his breath.
They came to an open patch of grass and dirt. Robin saw some young recruits standing stiffly in the cool morning air. Frederick marched back and forth in front of the party. There were many present whom Robin didn't recognize, but he did recognize Virion of all people. He smiled warmly at their arrival and promptly relocated himself two persons away from Sully.
Robin also saw Sumia, who wore a uniform consisting of dark cloth and patches of armor - much like Sully's - in place of her leather armor from the day before.
Sumia noticed Robin and happily waved to him.
"Hello! Will you be joining us or watching?" She asked cheerily.
"He will be joining you and the others," Frederick said quickly. "If he'll be leading us into battle, he'll have to embrace the Shepherds in every facet of their day-to-day lives."
Robin noticed that the knight was lacking most of his armor from the last couple days. Only his arms and legs remained clamped by the sky-blue plating, besides that he seemed to be wearing a sort of suit, complete with trousers and a white-collared jacket and sleeveless overcoat.
Frederick clapped his hands loudly. The other recruits stiffened even more. "Now then!" he said. "No more dallying, we've only an hour of dawn left and I intend to make the best of it!"
The knight stomped his feet. "Everyone drop!" Everyone, Sully, Sumia, Stahl, Vaike, and the other recruits did as they were told, and before Frederick could say anything, had begun doing push ups.
"Fanatical... Fitness... Hour," Sully grunted with each press. "...Has begun!"
"Fitness hour?" This caught Frederick's attention, who chuckled lightly as he stepped among the soldiers. "… I rather like that. Perhaps I shall call it that from now on. It certainly is easier on the ears compared to the previous moniker."
"Previous moniker?" Robin whispered.
Sully tried to laugh. "Oh… before we just called it Hell."
"Way... to go... Sully!" Vaike groaned. "Now he has another name for all this crap!"
Robin was remiss to follow the other's examples and watched in a daze. He was quickly set upon by Frederick.
"Where are Chrom and Lissa during all this?" Robin asked as the Knight strode forward.
"They have their own obligations to attend to."
"And what of the other two, Miriel and… the other guy? Are they late?" Robin asked.
Frederick shook his head. "One is a scholar and the other a boy, and both are mages. They have their study of magic to focus on. Generally those who wield tomes have less to worry about from me."
"Oh, thank gods," Robin whispered under his breath.
"You however, are skilled in swordplay as well," Frederick said quickly. "So tomes or not, I expect the same from you as everyone present. So, down you go!"
Before Robin could say another word, Frederick kicked his legs from out beneath him, nearly sending him flat on his face. He caught his fall with both hands. Grass tickled his cheeks and dew seeped into the knees of his trousers. His elbows ached from the force and his knees were lightly chaffed. He let out a groan and briefly tried to force himself up.
"Now then," Frederick said. "For you, since this is your first morning, let's start with something small and reasonable. Say… seventy." Robin let out another groan interspersed with a sort of whimper. He attempted to straighten out his form and lifted himself up. He carefully lowered himself and began to repeat when a heavily armored hand was set on his back and pushed him to the ground. "You call that a push-up?!" Frederick barked.
"Mmrf!" Robin's voice cried from beneath the grass. He pushed his chin out and let out a gasp for air. "You trying to kill me or something?!"
"Resist, Robin! I'm merely correcting your pose. Go on, push up until your body is barely off the ground… and then lift yourself up, that's it. Now learn to lower yourself without pressing your belly down to the grass… there you go!"
Robin managed one… two… three more of these presses before his arms gave out. He let out a gasp and let his body relax against the cold grass. His back heaved and pushed up against Frederick's hand. "If you can make it past that, imagine how easier it will be without this weight on your back. Now then, only seventy to go."
"What? I already did some!"
"Seventy in a row. If your belly touches the ground once, consider the counter reset."
"You have to be joking!"
Sully laughed again. "Welcome to hell, newb."
When the mist of dawn was finally dispersed by the warmth of the sun, an hour had passed, and then some. Those who finished their routines with no mistakes made were dismissed, while those like Robin had to stay and do extra. He was later told this would not have been the case were they not to march that day.
Sully and Stahl finished quickly enough, Vaike and Sumia finished a little after, but Robin and Virion were hard last.
Presently Robin had rolled himself over unto his back, breathing heavily, watching as the bleak sky was graced by streaks of bright blue from the rising sun. He had discarded his coat and it lay in the grass a pace or two away from him, soaking up the dew. He reasoned to himself that it'd be soaked one way or another when he was done - so it may as well be from cool dew instead of sweat. Per the cliche, muscles in his limbs ached that he wasn't aware of before. And just as Stahl had warned, his appetite was all but gone.
Virion was put through more maneuvers than Robin like the others, and managed to appear more exhausted than the skinny tactician. His long, silver locks were disheveled and hung limply from the sides of his head.
"Methinks… if this is a recurring theme, I shan't take the time each morning to make myself presentable…" the archer wheezed as he held up some frizzled locks in his hands.
"As I've stated before, I keep a horsebrush on me at all times for such occasions," the knight offered once more.
"And as I've responded before, no thank you."
Robin worked himself up on wobbly legs and nearly stumbled. He found himself gripped by the shoulder and righted by Frederick. "You did well for your first day, all things considered."
"Glad to hear it," Robin wheezed flatly. He leaned over once more, thighs and other muscles screaming as he reached for his coat. The exterior was damper than he expected.
"You're free to proceed about the day as you see fit until it's time to march. I recommend a short rinse at the very least."
Robin found his short rinse near an archery range of sorts, not far from the clay circuit were soldiers were still running - an open barrel of water. At the time he was too tired of being caked with bits of grass and dirt and sweat to worry who for or why the water was there. He promptly dunked his head and held it below. He could feel the liquid seep down into his scalp and lightly touch the collar of his shirt.
Enjoy this while it lasts… unless we happen upon a river this is probably the last dunk of clean water you're going to get for weeks.
Robin heard a soft booming from outside and hastily pulled his head out. He assumed somebody had seen him and was about to reprimand him, but when he looked around he seemed to be alone. His soaked hair hung down and dribbled down his neck, so he wrung at what bits he could.
He noticed a flash to his side. Robin turned his head back to the shooting range, just in time for a red bolt of flames to strike at a bullseye, eliciting a large noise. He looked back and saw a mage had begun practicing her spellflinging. She was presently paging through a bright red tome, and judging by the simple emblem on the front it was nothing more than a stock fire tome, much like the ones used by the bandits at southtown. A stack of books rested on a crate to her right, against the range's fence. Most were actual books but Robin noticed the bright binding of several spell tomes.
Robin found himself stepping behind her and watching her work, more than a little jealous. He knew he was no better than a common thug when it came to casting spells, but this one shot spell after spell so fluidly. Even with the Creatures at his throat that night he would always pause to search for more runes before firing again, this mage fired her spells so quickly she had to have memorized them ahead of time. This would have been no minor feat indeed, it was Robin's understanding that most runes printed into tomes were unique and expendable, not necessarily worth remembering the combination of something that would vanish from your pages in short order. This told Robin this mage had excellent memory and/or was extremely dedicated.
The mage stopped flinging spells and stopped to observe her work, letting her fire tome hang in her hands as she examined the targets. There were three, and as far as Robin could tell she hit every one of them. She stepped over to her stack of books and traded her fire tome for a wind tome. It was as she stepped to her original spot that she noticed Robin.
"You are the new one Chrom spoke of, correct?" she asked. Her voice was a little gruff, but evenly toned and unimposing.
This perplexed Robin insofar he didn't think Chrom had the time to speak to anyone else outside the Shepherds and the councils from earlier.
"Yes? Have we met?" he asked.
The mage shrugged. "We have not, but I've read the reports - the castle's and the prince's both. I suppose I should say I have reason to assume you're the one they spoke of, but at present I have no real proof." The mage gestured vaguely at the collection of soldiers training in the area. "The castle is one of Ylisstol's only readily available repositories for magic tomes and staves, ergo many of the capital's magic students frequent here. Most of the residents grow tired of watching a mage practice and hardly pay them any mind. Surely someone so invested would have to be another magic user, or at the very least be a new addition to the castle's cast, so my surmisal goes."
"Er, that's basically it I suppose," he said.
"A third option," the mage said quickly as she adjusted her pair of spectacles - continuing as if she didn't even hear Robin. "You have hardly watched mages work period, which may be a jump in logic on my part, but it would point to your supposed amnesia." She turned back to her targets and let fly a gust of wind magic. It struck the target and chipped a piece of wood off with its impact. "I have many questions to ask you when the opportunity affords itself, but presently we should both be focused on preparing for the march to Ferox, and less time dawdling about with barrels of water and the sort."
Robin opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when the mage held up one hand as if to silence him. He watched as she focused on a page of runes. It seemed to Robin that she may have been muttering to herself. She quickly let fly one last gust of magic, which tore through the wooden target like a cannonball. At first he was intimidated, but his mind was alight with tactical possibilities. She was a mage, and a strong one at that, and another ranged fighter would be a great boon on their trip.
The mage idly patted off her cloak as she stepped away to retrieve another tome. "I thought to brush up on my skills before we departed. I've had little time to train in between Ricken's studies."
"Miriel, was it?" Robin asked.
The mage nodded. "So we both have heard of one another, good." She spread open the pages to a thunder tome and was about to cast a spell, but she paused and studied Robin. "You are a magic user, correct?" she asked.
"Well, I was, I lost my only tome on the way here." A simplification on his part. "I wasn't formally trained or anything."
Miriel did not respond at first. Her fingers idly ran along the pages of runes. "Do you know then, about calling on the spirits?" she asked.
"Calling on who?"
"Animus. Familiars. Naga's gift to man, so we are told." The mage stepped forward and pointed to the runes. "These runes are their script. We call on their power whenever a spell is cast. To call upon their full might requires a spoken request."
"Really now…"
"It takes ample time to formulate in one's mind, and the opportunity will not oft present itself. Runes are printed onto these pages with little reason - a sad biproduct of their mass-producing. Some are stronger than others, or some will resonate with your own magical affinity better. Above all this, a spoken request is the best way to guarantee a strong attack. Observe."
Miriel turned back to her remaining targets, flipped open a page, and held up her hand once more. The Runes on the pages shone brightly, and Robin stepped back.
"Voice of Levin and Light / Blind my foes with your radiance / Let them know your might!" She held out her hand. "Thunder!" A ball of lightning, crackling with energy and licking the ground with its arcs, leapt from her hand and flew into the target, reducing it to smoldering splinters.
Robin blinked once as the smell of smoldering wood reached his nostrils. Miriel turned back to him. "Rhyming and verse are not necessary, but they can help one focus. It takes an affluent mind to cast spells effectively." Miriel closed her book and adjusted her lenses once more. She held out the tome. "You said you lost yours, correct? Here."
Robin hesitantly reached out and received the tome. He paged through it quickly and saw that less than a page's worth of runes had been spent - it was essentially brand new.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"I have plenty to spare. Besides that, not taking time to ensure a fellow magic user was equipped for our march would be… illogical."
Miriel said nothing after that and stooped to gather up her books, so Robin assumed the conversation had ended. She left shortly afterwards, quickly confirming his thoughts.
Robin heard that a lavish feast of sorts was being prepared by the castle staff, the occasion for which escaped him, but if their march were to begin before noon it meant he would have to miss it. His appetite had yet to return anyway.
With his new tome in tow, Robin had organized a small sack of belongings to take with him - these amounted to his journal, his Volume of Marc, and a few sets of pencils and quills. He had run across Frederick near the front gate, who was preparing a wagon and horses for their departure, and Robin made the dire mistake of saying he had nothing to do but wait. The knight then enlisted him in loading the wagon and organizing the last few saddlebags for their mounts. The three knights would ride their own horses, while a few stallions would be provided for the others (and a pony for Lissa, courtesy of Ricken's house apparently).
The single canvased wagon would carry the entirety of their rations, camping supplies, weapons and armor, and it was effectively stuffed to the brim. Nobody would be catching a ride inside until maybe the trip back. Miriel would drive the wagon.
Robin was stowing a bundle of spears into the back of the wagon, while Frederick was rationing out the saddlebags with food. He personally felt like it should have been the other way around. Thanks to the drills from earlier, his arm muscles ached and his legs wobbled as he stowed the bundle away.
Robin felt a gust of wind hit him and craned his neck upwards, just missing a glance of another Pegasus Knight flying overhead. He assumed it was a flyer from the morning patrol, and he didn't want to assume who it was, but the rider's armor was ornate like Phila's so it at least indicated rank.
This is why he was a little confused when the rider made a round approach and abruptly landed her steed in between him and Frederick. The Pegasus' hooves squarely missed his face as it strode to the ground mere paces away from him - he instantly retracted his right foot and backed up into the wagon. The steed shook its head wildly as its rider tried to sooth it.
Frederick looked up. "That's quite the rush you're in. Did everything go alright?" The rider didn't answer him. She reached down into her saddle to grab a small scroll, and slid down rather hastily. Frederick stepped forward and helped steady her as her feet met the ground. "Phila?"
The Falcon Knight shook her head. "I have their answer right here. The caravan has agreed to Her Grace's terms, not that there was much doubt. They were receptive and didn't ask many questions, things went well. But on the way back…"
"Trouble?" Frederick asked quickly.
"Chrom's creatures." Phila slipped from the knight's grip and fussed with her armor, which was lightly scuffed now that Robin had a good look. The remains of a steal lance were strapped to the side of her saddle. "About a dozen of them just appeared out of nowhere on the return trip, about halfway from Ylisstol. I took care of them, but..." She started walking, and Robin realized her legs were trembling. "I need to assemble a squad… double our patrols… tell Emm- Her Grace about what's happened. Maybe scramble the border patrol early-"
Frederick lightly gripped her shoulder before she could depart. "Perhaps a moment to gather your thoughts," he said gently. "You look rather distraught, hardly a good impression."
"...Perhaps," Phila murmured.
"I think a brave face for the other knights is best for now, and If not for them, then for Her Grace's sake? She'd be worried to see you like this."
"...Of course." Phila stopped finally and allowed herself a few ragged breaths. She let out a few short whistles, and the Pegasus dutifully took its leave and moved towards the stables. Robin once more made sure to put distance between himself and the moving horse.
"I trust this quells any doubts you had from the Prince's debriefing?" Frederick asked. Phila let out a humorless laugh. She removed her bronze helmet and let her pale hair drop to her shoulders. Robin had a bit of a start - she was quite striking with her hair down. It was long and straight, but their ends were frayed and locks hung in front of her face - she was in need of a quick grooming. Frederick apparently had the same thought as Robin and reached into a saddlebag to retrieve a familiar shape: a horsebrush. He offered it to the Falcon Knight.
"U-um, Frederick?!" Robin attempted to interject, but Phila quickly and gladly received Frederick's offer and proceeded to brush her hair as if nothing was the matter. Robin ran a hand down his face and blinked. They are awfully alike aren't they? …Gods I hope that thing was clean.
"Were they difficult, Phila, or was it mostly surprise?" Frederick asked.
"Surprise. They are slow and dull-witted, just as the Prince said. I fear little for any traveler. But if their numbers were to increase and large bands of them appeared…"
"Surely a welcome change of pace from brigands and Plegians?" Frederick pressed. "Much less politics and reparations involved than dealing with people. We could carry out orders with abandon."
Phila's ruby gaze darkened at her comrade's words despite the cusp of a smile forming on her face. "Leave it to Sir Frederick to worry so much about the sport of it all."
"If I can protect my lieges with a clean conscience and little mental effort, all the better."
"Don't let your knights hear that." Phila patted off her armor once more. "You can reason with people, Frederick. These things are predictable now, but what about later? Human beings are people first, opponents second - nothing like these things. ...Not two days into this strange affair and I already long for when our problems weren't storybook variety."
"Strange times precede great changes in history."
"I think I've had enough great change for one lifetime." The Falcon Knight retrieved her helmet and held it at her side. "Well… Waiting any longer would just be tardiness on my part. I shall report to Her Grace and after that organize a patrol. I trust you'll keep busy till then?"
"Most likely. We depart in an hour, if not sooner."
"I suppose this is goodbye for now, then."
The Falcon Knight held out the brush to the Great Knight, who took hold of it. Their gazes dropped, and neither retracted their hands. Robin felt the need to look elsewhere and tried to busy himself again with loading the wagon. He had started on another bundle of weapons when he heard the Falcon Knight speak in a softer voice.
"This wasn't her plan, you know," he heard Phila say. "She was looking forward to some quiet time with her family. And now you're all off again."
"It will only be for a couple weeks."
Robin dared peak over his shoulder.
"All the same. You and your men both… please be careful."
Phila removed her hand, saluted to Frederick with a clenched fist to the heart, and left for the castle. Frederick saluted back and watched her go. Once she was out of sight, the knight lowered his head and held his temple. He remained in that pose for a good minute.
"Robin…" he finally said. "Stay and continue with the wagon. I will go seek out milord and see if he can't be implored to have us head out earlier."
"What?! Why?" Robin spoke more from his aching muscles than any real deductive reasoning "What's a few more hours? Shouldn't we be ready as possible?"
"With the Creatures lurking about our roads? I don't think we can afford to wait much longer. I'll send any other Shepherd I find to help you, that we may leave as soon as possible."
True to her word, Miriel was nowhere to be seen when everyone else was gathered at the front of the castle. Frederick's words were heeded, and not twenty minutes later Sully, Virion, Vaike and Sumia were at the front gates, saddling their horses and getting ready to depart. Sully was once more in her crimson riding armor, and Sumia had donned a set of warm silver over leather. Frederick sat upon his steed Gwendolyn, fully armored once more, and awaited his lords who had yet to arrive. The Great Knight presently fumbled with his silver axe, which wasn't fitting properly into its holster on the side of his saddle.
Vaike was the only one present without a horse, for reasons undisclosed, but Robin suspected he hadn't been taught to ride yet.
"And you're sure you remembered your axe this time?" Sully called down to the blonde fighter.
"Yeah-yeah, it's right here with the wagon. I'll grab it when we go," Vaike said as he reclined against the castle wall.
"One more thing bud, is that really all you're gonna wear?" Sully continued, pointing her new spear at Vaike. His armor consisted of a leather arm-guard for his dominant hand, leather greaves, a sort of steel collar that protected his shoulders, and besides his set of pantaloons; nothing else. "One good hit in and you're done for. It's gonna be cold too, you sure you don't want at least a breastplate? There's a whole suit of armor in the wagon just sitting there."
Vaike waved his hand dismissively. "I already told ya, I ain't no Pegasus Knight! You can't pay me to wear one of those."
Sully's eyes flared. "For the last time! Breastplate doesn't mean - you know what, forget it. Tired of explaining it to you." Robin noticed Sumia lean forward in her saddle and palm her face.
"Where's the other girl, Maribelle?" Robin asked.
"Once her dad's done with council he'll take her home for a month or two," Sully answered. "So yeah, she's staying."
"Oh… that's… a shame," Robin said as sincerely as he could.
If Sully noticed Robin's disdain she didn't say anything. Presently the crimson knight turned to the Rosannean noble, who sat on his steed at the edge of the party, examining a quiver and trying not to look in her general direction. "And how about you? You're sure you can keep up?" she asked wryly. "I'm sure the Creatures won't appreciate being toyed with."
Virion cast a sideways glance at the knight. "...Perhaps," he said carefully.
"And what did you say earlier, 'even from afar you'd fight like there was no distance between us' or some crap? You gonna actually keep that promise, or was that all hot Valmese air?" That got the archer to turn his head and look Sully head-on. "This is the real deal, Ruffles. You got more than just the other four of us to worry about. Showing off and junk could get one or more of us killed."
"Respectfully, milady," the archer said. "Virion does not boast. I keep my promises."
Sully studied the archer before leaning back in her saddle. "...Good, just making sure. If you didn't say that I'd prolly punch you again and make the Captain bench you. We got no place for second-guessers."
Robin couldn't help but gulp his dry throat. He wasn't exactly the most confident right now, but Sully didn't need to know that. He approached his steed, who was waiting patiently behind Gwendolyn. He was told the horse was relatively docile and should be easy to handle for someone who never rode before - insofar as either of them knew of course.
The tactician stowed his steel sword and the new thunder tome unto the saddle and was about to pull himself up when he remembered something he wanted to ask Frederick. As the other Shepherds continued bantering, Robin came beside Frederick as he still struggled with the faulty strap for his axe.
"Is that the same one from all those days ago?" he asked. If it was, it no longer appeared to be scorched by magic or chipped by the fighting with the Creatures. Frederick must have been serious when he mentioned repairing it himself.
"Yes, the very same, is there something you needed?" The knight asked briskly.
"I was just curious about something, er, I don't wanna sound forward or assuming but…" The knight paused with his efforts and glanced back at Robin. "You and Phila, you're both close to Miss Em- that is Her Grace, and I was just wondering what exactly is your two's r-"
With a mighty clang, the silver axe inexplicably exited the Knight's grip and dug itself into the ground, mere inches from the tips of Robin's boots.
The tactician reeled back and screamed. "Rank! I was just going to ask about your rank!" The Great Knight slid from his saddle, eyes glued to the Tactician. "I-I was just wondering about how Knights work here at the castle, that's all! She's a captain and you're a lieutenant and-" The knight stepped forward and knelt down to retrieve his axe from the ground, never letting Robin leave his sight. Robin caught a glimpse of Sully and Sumia, both wide-eyed and direly shaking their heads at him. Sully made a slashing motion at her throat. Robin stammered. "I mean, um…I thought lieutenants and captains are different? …. Please don't kill me..."
The Knight studied Robin for a moment before turning back to Gwendolyn. He finally was able to secure his weapon to the saddle. "Rank doesn't matter. We serve Her Grace so closely because she trusts us. You'll do well to remember this going forward." Robin let out a huge sigh of relief as the Knight finally backed off. "Listen Robin," he said again. "You were a guest of honor up till our arrival in Ylisstol; now you're part of the greater machine. I expect you to perform according to the example we set." And with that Frederick mounted his steed once more and turned to face the castle.
As Robin stumbled backwards to his horse, Sully strode by on her own horse and tapped him on the shoulder. She leaned down and whispered. "Listen, we all like to give him grief, but we only talk about that when he's not around."
"I wasn't trying to talk about that!" Robin whispered back. "I was just-" Sully hushed him just as the knight turned his head again.
Frederick had looked up at the sound of footsteps. Robin turned his head and watched as three figures stepped from the castle and towards the gate; Chrom, Lissa, and their sister. Chrom was finally back into his set of leather armor with Falchion sheathed at his side, and Lissa was in her clerical uniform, sans crinoline it seemed. She instead wore a set of fenced tassets on the outside of her skirt, which Robin surmised was to let her ride horseback. The Exalt was wearing another white dress sans shawl. They were talking together, and Lissa latched to her sister's arm as they walked.
"Following the Caravan north should lead you into the territory of the East Khans - its with them our relationship is the strongest. There will be several checkpoints along the border, let the caravan handle these, but do not hide your identities if they ask. I had no time to properly contact the Feroxi leaders and your visit will be unexpected - transparency is important."
"Of course, Emm."
"And the funding for the trip - you have to understand how the council would feel about large amounts of gold being moved out of the castle at this time. I've already passed on the funds to Frederick, there should be enough to pay the merchants for their time and to acquire provisions for the return trip, but you will have to be meager with your lodgings whenever they become available."
"That shouldn't be a problem. Worst comes to worst, we brought our winter gear."
"And that's the other thing - Feroxi summers begin very cold and you should expect snow. The return trip should be warmer I think."
"Wait, are we actually gonna march through snow?" Lissa suddenly chimed in.
"We'll be fine. Horses are used to this sort of thing, and you'll have the others making sure you don't freeze." Chrom said.
"You'll be getting your winter training early," Emmeryn said with a smile to her youngest sibling. "Hardly a bad thing."
"Robin too, I bet," Lissa said. "He might have never seen snow before."
The two siblings detached themselves and stood in front of the Exalt. She folded her hands over her dress. The morning sun reflected off her crown and made it glow. "Be careful, you two. I'm sure the caravan already hired some help so perhaps you'll never need to fight, Gods willing. But also remember Phila's report. Be ready for anything."
Chrom gave a respectful nod of the head and held out his hand. His sister's hands wrapped around his and held it firm.
"Two weeks at most," Chrom said. His sister nodded wordlessly in response.
Frederick suddenly raised his voice. "Nothing will happen to them, Your Grace," he called. "They are guarded with our lives." The other Shepherds grunted in agreement.
Emmeryn laughed. "Guard these two and each other both; all of you are very important to me." Her eyes fell on Robin. "And perhaps once things calm down, we may look into those healers, Sir Robin."
Robin ducked his gaze and didn't respond.
Chrom turned back to his team and waved his arm out, sending his mantle out. "Alright then. Everybody ready?!" he called. "We have a long march ahead. Is everyone here?"
"Miriel will be departing later, within the hour," Frederick quickly responded. "Besides that everyone is accounted for - wait." The Great Knight quickly made a headcount. "Sumia, Sully, the newcomers, Vaike… that leaves…"
"Wait for me!" a haggard voice called. Out from the direction of the main building ran Stahl, fumbling with his armor and struggling to attach a sheathed sword to his belt as he ran. He finally skidded to a stop right in between Chrom and his sister. He stopped to catch his breath. "Wait for… phew…" He stood upright and ran a hand through his hair. He had a start and turned to face the Exalt to make a quick and awkward bow.
Stahl ran for his steed, who still stood patiently by the other horses. "How come…" the knight mantled up his saddle. "Whenever there's a... change in schedule…!" He seated himself and immediately took hold of the reins and started to lead his horse to the front of the group. "I'm the last one to hear about it?!"
"I specifically instructed Vaike to tell you about the change in plans before meeting up with the others," Frederick said with a frown.
"Vaike!" Sully shouted. "Can you ever be asked to do two simple things without forgetting something?!"
"Hey, the Vaike never forgets!" The Fighter stood up, brushed himself off, and crossed his arms. "I just don't always remember is all," he said with a shrug.
"Oh…! You'd forget your own name if you didn't keep saying it to yourself!" Lissa said as she climbed atop her pony. "And where's your axe?"
"It's right there with the weapon cart! Gods… Oh yeah er," Vaike nervously grinned at Stahl as he strode past. "Great to have you Stahl, Ol' buddy! Glad you're here!"
"That makes one of us," the knight grumbled. "One of the cooks wanted a second opinion on the council's feast and they wanted me! They were gonna let me have a taste, and there were muffins, cakes, biscuits…"
"Save it for the march!" Frederick barked. "Alright, Shepherds! You heard the captain and we're burning daylight. Let's move! Hya!" With a kick the Knight's horse galloped into the lead, the other Shepherds following one by one out the open gate and down the cobbled path to Ylisstol.
Chrom held a forced smile. He turned back to Emmeryn. "...Pray for me, sister."
The Exalt's expression wasn't dissimilar to her brother's. "Always."
Robin's steed swiftly carried him down the streets of Ylisstol, down the massive hill where the castle rested and back into the city proper. It dutifully followed the lead of the other horses as they wove past the main streets and headed north. A couple of people called out to them and cheered. Excited children gathered in droves on the sides of the roads they passed, and some would give chase after they passed to see who could follow the longest - until they ran out of breath, of course. Robin could scarcely recognize any landmarks from his previous adventure and trusted his steed to follow the other Shepherds. Once he realized that his horse was last in their procession, he managed a hand free from his reins to pull his hood up.
Any reaction from the Shepherd's presence gradually decreased as they neared the city gates, and by the time they reached the northern portal all was silent sans the beat of hooves. The northgate was already clear of all traffic, and nobody was to be seen sans the guards saluting atop the ramparts as the steeds sped through the gate. Sully looked over her shoulder and cheered to the guards behind them.
"The Shepherds are officially afoot!" She called in a proud voice. "And the council can eat our dust!"
"It's not a competition, Sully!" Stahl called from behind her. "This entire trip was technically their decision."
"I just want to make sure everyone here knows that its us Shepherds beating feet and getting stuff done!" Sully said with a thumb pointing to herself, holding her head high. "Not the blue-butts in the council, not the Paladins, and certainly not those stuck-up-"
A shrill collection of whinnies pierced the air as a flock of shadows blocked out the sun. Robin looked up just in time to see the flock of Pegasus Knights soaring overhead, making a beeline for the northwest.
"...Pegasus Knights." Sully finished with a huff. Frederick pulled the group to a stop as they watched the fliers soar by, numbering in the dozens. Sumia, who was in front of Robin, stood up in her saddle and waved wildly at the passersby. One rider, indiscernible against her comrades, made a swooping glide. The rider held out a spear as she disappeared over the horizon, and then Sumia sat back down.
Robin was mesmerized once more by the winged beast's flight. He was remiss to stop his horse as it wandered to the front of the party, where Chrom and Frederick stood with their steeds.
"Phila has taken the encounter to heart, it seems," Frederick said. "The border will be well-guarded while we're gone."
Robin's shoulder was clasped by an armored grip, which gave him a start. Chrom had put a reassuring hand on the tactician as the others stood back and let the Pegasus Knights fly by.
"Nervous any?" he asked with a smile.
"...Yeah. A little."
"Don't be. We'll help if you ask for it, and sometimes even when you don't. Sound alright to you?"
"I guess, heh." That got Robin to smile.
Chrom smiled back, but then turned back to the others and clapped his hands loudly. "Alright! We can't let Phila and the others do all the work for us," Chrom said quickly. "Let's move!"
Chrom gave the word, and once more their horses were sent into a gallop. The cobbled roadway eventually gave way to dirt, and within moments they were out of the city limits, and the horizon opened to billowing plains and patches of trees once more.
The path the horses followed was well-trodden and often branched in different directions, but they always kept due north. It didn't take long before the path grew rugged and wild, and the amount of trees surrounding them increased. It was around an hour after they left Ylisstol that the horses were allowed to slow down, and the party strode down the road with a slow walk. Vaike, who had been riding with Stahl, slid down from the horse and walked alongside everyone else. They gradually moved together and condensed into a tightly moving pack.
"Miriel should be have taken off by now," Stahl said. "Are we gonna wait for her at all or do we just keep moving?"
"We'll wait for her at the rendezvous with the caravan," Frederick said. "I would have preferred she simply leave with the rest of us, but she insisted on finishing something with Ricken."
"She's always made good time before, so there's no harm in it," Chrom added. "And it won't be like we won't have any mages to back us up, right Robin?"
"Y-yeah, of course!" Robin called back.
"And it probably goes without saying, but Robin will be better at bossing us around and getting stuff done, won't he?" Vaike called back. "He just seems like the type."
"Better than Miriel, anyway," Stahl said.
"I can vouch for that!" Sully said with a laugh.
"Wait, Miriel was the tactician before me?" Robin asked.
"For all of two missions," Sully said. "She amicably stepped down after that. Both of us knew she wasn't cut out for telling people what to do, not with results anyway."
The Shepherds came into a wooded area dominated by a fairly deep stream which ran through the path. The horses splashed through the water with abandon, giving the rider's boots and pants a light wash. Vaike ran ahead, leaping over rock and crevice to bypass the stream altogether.
Robin was more surprised by the sudden splashes of water than he would've liked, and it seemed his steed knew it. Robin let loose a surprised cry at the first touch of water, and the steed responded with a disgruntled whinny. His horse nervously craned its neck around as it ran through the stream, and Robin fought to gain control with his reins.
"N-no, this way…" he tried to say as calmly as possible. He pulled the reins in an attempt to realign the horse's path, only to guide its struggling from one side of the stream to the other. "Oh, come on!" The horse shook its mane out and started in the other direction again. "Woah, woah…! Easy, girl…. Girl, right?" the horse continued to panic, drawing Sumia's attention. She slowed her own horse down and fell in step with Robin.
"Hey there...!" She said in a hushed, cheery voice. "Everything okay?"
"Everything was fine! Until this-this…."
"Shh, it's okay, he's not scared." Sumia reached over and started stroking the horse's neck. "Just calm down. You're worried about him, and that's sweet, but he's alright. What he needs you to do is focus." The horse's thrashing ceased at her touch. It snorted once or twice, and gradually it returned to fording the stream at a calm pace. "Attaboy!" Sumia patted its neck.
She had been talking to the horse. Robin felt a little silly. Sumia flashed a smile at him as she returned her hand to her own horse's reins. By the time they were back unto dry gravel, the horse was completely docile once more.
"It listened to you just like that?" Robin asked.
"Not 'just like that,' I mean-" Sumia bashfully studied the other side of the road. "I just did what you're always supposed to do with animals. Try not to excite them, show that you care, that sort of thing…"
Robin caught a glimpse of Chrom at the head of the party, looking behind at the two of them. He was smiling, at Sumia it seemed. Frederick said a word to him, and Chrom hastily responded and returned his gaze to the front.
The party had made its way into a shaded path through the woods by the time the sun was perfectly overhead, and it was then that several Shepherds had their lunch as they rode. A sack of foodstuffs was attached to each saddle, and Frederick had seen to each provision personally.
Vaike and Stahl ate together, having shared a saddlebag. "Did ya hear that back there, Stahl?" The young man asked, grinning happily before he helped himself to an apple. "The Exalt said we were important to her!" he said with a full mouth. "She didn't hafta say it, but she did! This is why I love being a Shepherd!"
"I wasn't there. I was late for some reason, remember?" The cavalier grumbled.
"And I wouldn't let it get to your head Vaike," Sully added. "Her Grace prolly says that to everyone, it's kind of her job, y'know?"
Robin's lunch consisted of a sandwich, a few pieces of cheese and a large dinner roll. The sandwich used the leftover ham, beset by pieces of lettuce, and was topped with a fried egg seasoned with garlic, lain on crisp slices of bread that crumbled at ever afforded opportunity. A welcome meal, considering he never had breakfast.
He wasn't sure if each Shepherd shared the same type of meal, but his and Lissa's were the same, if her chiding of her brother was anything to go by.
"Look at that, Chrom! A no-frills, honest-to-goodness sandwich. Real food for a trip that real people can enjoy!" She said as held the food out in his direction. The prince didn't even look at her, his eyes were set dead-ahead. The princess turned to the Great Knight on her right. "And I think for once in my whole history as a Shepherd, I can confidently give my compliments to the chef!"
"Milady should enjoy it while it lasts," Frederick said cheerily. "We can't be expected to leech off of the caravan's resources once we join up, so we will most likely catch our own food. Even if we do share, I daresay our hosts may be more pragmatic when it comes to nourishment than even your brother."
"Well, as long as our menu can start strong like this, I don't think I mind what I eat," the princess said confidently.
"We'll see about that," Chrom finally spoke. "I hear the only food you can find on the Feroxi trail when it's blowing snow and freezing is roots."
Robin's steed constantly drifted behind Sumia's as they walked along the forested path. She didn't seem to notice, and was busying herself with a roll. Robin had just finished eating and tried to guide his horse further along to where Chrom and Lissa were, but it stubbornly remained trailing Sumia.
"He's awful fond of you now," Robin called over with a smile. Sumia turned at Robin's voice, just swallowing some of her roll. "This guy's determined to follow you the whole trip, I can't make him do anything." Robin said again.
"Oh," Sumia laughed. "That's a problem." Sumia led her horse to walk in step once with Robin's more. Sumia freed a hand from her reins and patted the horse on its neck again. "He shouldn't really," she said. "He should be doing what his rider tells him," she finished in a sterner voice, still smiling.
"What's this guy's name?" Robin asked.
"This guy… I think he's Soren. Oh! That's actually kind of funny."
"How so?"
"Oh, Soren's just the name of a strategist from one of our old stories. So that fits, kind of."
"Oh, heh. I wonder if Frederick had anything to do with that. He picked out the horses if I'm not mistaken…" Robin looked ahead and focused on the sky-blue knight, armor dim and gray in the shade. "His horse is Gwendolyn, isn't that also the name of someone from an old story?"
Sumia nodded. "Yeah, it's just what some people do. It's supposed to be good luck, invoking the old heroes, that sort of thing." Sumia smiled at her own horse and stroked its mane. "This one's called Nanna, for no particular reason"
"Did you name any of these?"
"Oh no, Frederick did most of these - a lot came from his ranch after all. I just help take care of them sometimes; it's about the only thing I'm good at right now. I used to take care of the Pegasus, but that was a long time ago. Hm… what would I name my own Pegasus…?" The girl paused in her musings. "Oh gods, I'm rambling again!" The girl steadied her horse once more and looked ahead at the path. "Sorry about that… I can go all day if you let me, so I should probably stop there."
"I don't mind," Robin said with a shrug. "Actually there's something I've been meaning to ask..."
Sumia looked at Robin and smiled. "I'll try to answer."
"So my understanding is that you received Pegasus Knight training, but you're not with Phila. Did you transfer from some other division or…something else? I'm just curious is all." Knowing the extent of her training wouldn't hurt if there was a fight, he'd hate to send her into something she was far from prepared for.
"Oh… No, I used to be with Phila," Sumia said softly. Robin saw her gaze fall. "I was transferred to the Shepherds about a year ago."
"Ah. Why… why was that?" Robin pressed lightly.
"It was…. It's just… um…" The girl stumbled in her words. "I really could go on all day about it. It happened a bit ago and…" She nibbled meekly from her roll. "It's kind of a long story."
"Oh." Robin looked between the other Shepherds, some silent, others bantering with each other. Chrom and Vaike were speaking about something with Lissa chiming in occasionally. "Well… It's going to be a long march," Robin said.
Sumia hesitated, but nodded. "...I guess I can talk a little about it…" She steadied herself in her saddle and sat straight up. "Well, I was with the Pegasus Knights, I started there anyway and… okay, see it was like this.
"I had this friend, my best friend. We grew up together, like sisters y'know? One day my friend had the idea to join the Pegasus Knights to kind of do her part for the Exalt. I thought it sounded fun, and once it was time to actually enroll I just decided to go along. Our parents were knights so it wasn't hard to secure a position for us.
"It was really fun at first, learning to work with Pegasus, learning about all the different kinds of armor and weapons… hearing stories about the old Knights. We worked together and helped each other out. I was better at riding and the actual Pegasus part, but she was better at the actual… being a Knight part."
"From what I've seen that makes a lot of sense. I mean- you working with animals. Did you like working with Pegasi?"
"Yes, and they're wonderful Robin. I wish I had more time to show the others the stables. We could bring you and the captain to look at them someday… They're really sweet animals. N-not that there's anything wrong with plain 'ol horses!" she amended quickly with a pat on her steed's neck. It snorted affirmatively back at her.
"Well, I'm glad you think so." He hadn't been very brave in approaching any Pegasus lately, so he wasn't in the position to say whether they were friendly or not. "So what exactly happened?" They had left the wooded area and back into harsh overhead sunlight.
Sumia nodded. "I'll try to condense this somehow. Um… so we both passed our final tests and were assigned to the Castle. We weren't under the same commanding officer, but we could still hang out and stuff in between duties. My friend excelled with the other Knights, but I… well I didn't. I was actually pretty horrible at it all."
"You couldn't have been that bad? I mean, outside of what little I've done with Chrom, I'm not exactly useful right now, myself."
"Well maybe I wasn't horrible but… I definitely wasn't cut out for it, and it was enough to get on everyone else's nerves." She took another bite from her roll, which was swiftly disappearing.
"Well what could they have done, get mad and kick you out?"
"I wish that's what would've happened!" Sumia suddenly cried, just loud enough to startle the tactician. Her eyes were wide and sullen once more, but she calmed down before continuing. "The others had just about had it with me, and I could understand why. I was pretty tired of myself at the time too. Captain Phila kept insisting I stay though, so for the most part they didn't do anything. ...She was probably just looking out for the friend of her best pupil at the time...
"Anyway, I finally messed up real bad. Like, I stayed up late to get all the Pegasi ready for the next day of training, but I forgot to latch the door to the stables and they all got loose. That bad. The next morning was spent playing roundup with a bunch of flying horses, and if you know anything about wrangling normal horses then you know it wasn't fun…
"I apologized and had a written report and everything for my Commanding Officer… but she went and promoted me! First I felt great, and wanted to work harder, but that didn't last. So later I made another mistake, and I got promoted again! It happened again and again… and finally at one point she said it would just be a waste for someone of my 'talents' to stay with the Pegasus Knights, and I should serve the Exalt more directly. So, she arranged for me to transfer to the Shepherds, and that was basically it."
Sumia turned to Robin with a sad smile, kneading her reins with both hands. "At first I kind of hoped they were just having pity on me, but when I stopped to think…" she laughed softly, forcefully. "They just really wanted to get rid of me."
"You mean they kicked you upstairs."
"...Yeah. She didn't think too highly of the Shepherds at the time, so from her point of view I went from useless to less than useless. By the time Phila realized what was happening there wasn't much she could do about it."
"And your friend couldn't do anything either?"
"No, nothing. She was busy getting a real promotion when all that went down," Sumia let out a long sigh. Her dinner roll was long gone now. "...Me and her barely talk anymore."
"Sumia, I…" Robin cleared his throat. "I'll be honest, that sounds horrible. I can't imagine what that must've been like with your job, and losing a friend over something like that."
Sumia's eyes widened, and she quickly waved her hand. "Oh, no-no! We're still friends! That never changed, it's just our schedules are so different now. Even after we get back from Ferox I probably won't see her again for a month… She's still my best friend, and Phila still trusts me and everything, it's just their hands were tied at the time. I didn't mean to make all that sound worse than it was."
"Even so… that sounds beyond rough. I didn't mean to make you unpack all of that. That was nosy of me."
Sumia shook her head. "No, that's fine. It felt good unloading to be honest." She smiled at him. "You're a good listener, you know that?"
Robin scoffed and rubbed the back of his head. "What, no… It's just… tactician stuff. I need to know my soldiers." Sumia just continued smiling. "And you know, we're all here to help. That's what Chrom told me at least. If something comes up, like a fight - just say the word."
That got Sumia's gaze to drop once more. "Oh… I'm not sure. I'll just hang back for now, like he said." She tightened her grip on her reins. "I've already been the captain's problem for a long time now…" she said softly.
Sumia let out a yelp. Robin turned and saw Sully had ridden up beside Sumia and gave her friend's shoulder a friendly bash. "You were too good for the other Pegasus Knights, Sumia, that's all. 'Bunch of prissy blue-bloods couldn't stand somebody who could see past her own nose. I tell ya, the number of Knights who just want a title or wanna flex their family name these days is just sickening. And when somebody who messes with their daily routine comes along, they up and get rid of 'em. Nothing like us! We know we got a job to do!"
"It's gotten better, Sully," Stahl called over. "Lots of knights are being brought on that actually care about taking care of the Exalt. 'Least it's been better than when we were kids."
"My point is that we're none of that. We don't kick people out for making stupid mistakes, and we don't wait for a bunch of crusty old men for a go-ahead. Who cares if we're exes or lo-tier or whatever? If the Prince sees something needing done and asks us to do it, we do it!"
"Now you're just making us sound like a glorified reject squad," Stahl said.
"And what's wrong with that?" Vaike chimed in. "The people know who's getting crap done! If we're rejects, than we're the damned finest rejects in the whole kingdom!" That got a cheer out of Sully and Lissa, who probably was only half listening. Frederick let out a groan. "And so what if the Knight Corp doesn't take us seriously?" Vaike said again. "...Wait… Knight… ummm..." He trailed off, but Sully picked up the speech.
"Right, we're not too important to help the little guy! And we look after our own!"
"-Yeah!-"
"Um…." Vaike mumbled again.
"We got the friggin' Prince of Ylisse at our helm, the best Knight in the kingdom behind him, and we're behind them!" Sully gripped Robin's hand and held it high. "And now all of us have him!"
"-Yeah!-"
"And we work together! No one's too small to contribute! No one's too good to help! No man left behind!"
"-Yeah!-"
"Er…" Vaike scratched the side of his head. Robin tore his hand free from Sully and rubbed his wrist.
"Vaike, do you have something to say or are you just gonna keep making noises to yourself?!" Lissa called over irritably.
"N-naw… it's just… hrm…" Vaike looked at everyone present and cleared his throat. "Did... anyone else remember to tell Kellam we were leaving?" Slowly the atmosphere became quiet. "...'Cause I sure didn't."
Nobody said anything.
Robin looked back and forth at his companions, watching all of their expressions sag.
Somewhere a bird cawed in the distance.
Stahl slowly raised a fist into the air. "From… now on the Shepherds don't leave anyone behind…?" He tried weakly.
"-Y-Yeah!-" the others cheered awkwardly in response.
Chrom palmed his face and bowed his head.
Frederick lowered his head and let out a low growl that started in his throat and rumbled down into his shoulders. He turned a vindictive eye towards Robin.
"Robin?" He called loudly. "...An amendment to earlier. As a member of the Shepherds, you are now expected to perform despite example." He turned a sharp glare to the other riders. "Despite!" He bellowed, making them wince.
The Northroad was - simply put- the primary highway for traders and travellers either going to or from the capital. Presently, with summertime barely starting, there were no travellers to be seen. Those who traded with Ferox made a point to travel early to meet their northern neighbors as soon as the temperature started to climb - waiting too long for the meager thaw would leave room for rival traders. No doubt the disturbance from a few days ago was felt by the whole kingdom. While the Council was called and other companies went aside for the situation to blow over, the Shepherd's hosts had taken the initiative and went north as quickly as they could.
The Exalt's request was for the company in question was to wait right where the Northroad entered the mountainous region to receive the Shepherds, which they gladly accepted. A caravan of traders making the rounds on the many towns scattered along the highway was no doubt a welcome sight and meant good business, so they likely had enough success to sit on as they waited for their consorts.
That was what many of the Shepherds had assumed anyway. Besides the occasional sign of a wagon-train's passage - a discarded wheel against a cobbled bridge along the way, wheel-trails left in the mud - but no sign of the party itself. They ignored every detour along the way and made straight for the rendezvous point.
The path ran along a slope, which descended down into a valley of sorts. The area was dominated by a river running east to west, and a large wooded area to the north. Beyond the bridge and at the mouth of the forest was where their hosts waited.
"I don't see them, though," Chrom said. He and Frederick stood with their steeds at the front of the part, overseeing the great expanse below them. "We should've seen a campfire coming from the trees, or a wagon at the front, or something..."
"I see a construct of sorts at the top of the trees… a flagpole of sorts?" Frederick scoured below with a palm resting on his brow to block out the sun. "We will know for sure once we descend. We'll hail them and wait for a response."
"If that is them down there, it almost feels like… they're hiding?"
"From the Creatures no doubt. We'll show them there's nothing to fear.
This all filled Robin with a strange uneasiness, and he busied himself with other thoughts to distract himself.
The party proceeded at a slow walk down below. Vaike rejoined Stahl on his steed. Sumia trailed behind Robin and the others, focusing on the sky, lost in thought. She hadn't spoken much after Frederick admonished the others, and Robin couldn't help but feel like she was dwelling on the other knights again.
Robin turned to Sully, who rode alongside him. "From what Sumia told me…" the red-haired rider turned at his voice. "I mean, I had no idea the Ylissean Knights could be so… harsh."
Sully's brow showed incredulity. She looked to the Great Knight helming the party, and then back to the Tactician. Back to Frederick once more, and then back to Robin. "...Really?"
"Well I mean - He's fair… to a fault. What happened to Sumia was just… mean-spirited. Do Knights of Ylisse really get away with treating their own like that?"
"That's the thing, kid. One: they kind of have to be demanding - the Exalt and everyone else are counting on them to be the best of the best, so it won't turn too many heads if they just give some flunk the boot. The other thing: they're allowed to be. They get their job done, they patrol the roads, they take care of trouble, and everyone knows that. Hard to tell an esteemed protector of the Halidom that they're doing something wrong."
"Emmeryn wouldn't approve."
"No, and she doesn't, but from where she is she can't do jack. There's only so much favoritism to go around. That's why she relies on people like Frederick and Phila, and even they can't keep everyone behaving. It's just how the chain of command works."
"Ah-ha!" Frederick suddenly laughed. "Movement, it seems they've noticed us."
Chrom released his reins and cupped both hands to his mouth. "Hail, down there!" he called in a booming voice. "We're beginning our approach!" He turned back to the others. "Alright, let's hustle! We've kept them waiting long enough."
The steeds began cantering down the hill.
"So these people know what they're doing right?" Stahl asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Robin heard Vaike reply.
"The Ferox are supposed to be really violent, aren't they?"
"Easily provoked, yes," Chrom affirmed. "That's why we're relying on our hosts to carry us through this smoothly. They've had years of experience."
"And I suppose this goes without saying," Frederick said. "But you all represent Ylisse and her ruler on this mission. To both our hosts, and especially to the people of Ferox, I expect your behavior to reflect the Exalt and her grace accurately."
"-Sully." Lissa added.
The red-head's brow narrowed. "Hey, easy does it! I'm not the only knight in all of Ylisse with a foul mouth. You guys just haven't heard Freddy when he's pissed and it shows."
"But you do agree to make an effort to not offend our hosts?" her lieutenant pressed.
Sully rolled her eyes. "Yes, fine. No swearing in front of a bunch of unwashed barbarians - got it."
The group was pulled to a stop right before the great bridge that crossed the river. Frederick and Chrom strode forward to the front to meet with their hosts while the others stayed behind. By now everyone could detect movement coming from the wooded areas, but it was awfully quiet. A harsh wind blew from the north and swept the party. Robin shuddered and tied a couple buttons on his coat. Something felt wrong.
"Sully," Sumia whispered. She pointed upwards, above the woods, and Sully followed her gesture. Robin did the same, and made out a winged shape circling the space above the wood in an irregular pattern.
"Sumia, it's just a-" the knight corrected herself. "It's a Pegasus, I see it."
"I've been watching her for a while," Sumia said. "It doesn't look like one of Phila's, does it?"
Sully squinted her eyes. "...No - different saddle and bridle it seems- from what I can see anyway. Wait, I don't see a rider..." The knight paused. "Hey, you're the expert, right Sumia? Is it flying strangely or is that just me?"
"It looks like her leg is hurt…." Sumia said with a gasp. The winged creature's flight pattern became erratic - it began to swoop and dive, disappearing someplace behind the woods. "I wonder what she was trying to do."
"Here they come," Frederick said. Robin looked ahead and saw many dark shapes emerging from the trees. Why were there so many? Was one or two not enough?
He took a deep breath of the windy air around him - and his throat and nose burned. He coughed suddenly as the familiar scent entered his nostrils.
Miasma. From his first night in Ylisse, at the valley.
"C-Chrom!" Robin called.
Before the prince could respond, a noise pierced the air. A long, shrill collection of guttural cries and growls.
Lissa's pony reared up and backed away. The entire entourage of steeds started shifting and grunting.
"They've already spread so far…?!" Chrom cried. He jerked his head back to his men, eyes wide. "Everyone! Grab your arms and mobilize! We've got a fight on our hands!"
"Why? What was that?!" Stahl asked. "What's going on?!"
Frederick steadied his horse and drew his silver axe.
"The Risen. They're here."