"What is it with you exactly, Bel?" Sumia asked softly, which was more like a whine. "Why do you keep causing trouble for the captain? He's the one that found you in the first place."
The Pegasus rested against the cold ground with its wings folded over its side. It let out a snort and lowered its snout into the dirt to sniff and poke around, as if her rider hadn't said a word.
"Don't give me that. Sometimes, I feel like you go out of your way to cause trouble for everyone. Everytime I breathe wrong, you overreact. You don't let Chrom pet you, and you nearly tried to bite Robin's hand last night!"
The Pegasus snorted again.
"Robin's not dangerous, he's one of the nicest people I've ever met! He's probably the least dangerous Shepherd period!"
This time the Pegasus merely gave her rider a look. Sumia sighed and held the side of her head.
"—Besides me, yeah I know…" The horse rested its head against the earth and began to doze. Sumia sighed and sat down as well and leaned against the horse's shoulder. The skirt and boots of her uniform weren't exactly made for the cold, but here she was downwind of the northern chill that was buffeting their little encampment.
...I probably shouldn't tell Frederick how she feels about Robin. He doesn't exactly need more reasons to pick on him… Really it's a miracle at all he hasn't tried to kill him yet. They'd be good friends., I wish he was nicer to him. At least me and Bel can read each other well enough.
Sumia shivered and hugged herself. "Hey Cordelia, Captain Phila? I got good news and bad news. I finally found a Pegasus I can talk with - but she's a grumpy little smart-alec." Belfire's response was in indifferent flap of her wings.
Just as she was beginning to doze off herself, Sumia heard shouting coming from the front of the train. She stepped away from her horse and tried to see what was happening through the snowy haze. "...I guess they're already talking to the Feroxi."
Belfire's snout found its way over Sumia's shoulder and nearly gave her a start. Apparently the horse had risen to take a look as well. She snorted to Sumia who nodded in response.
"Yeah, they sound… angry." She figured this was typical if what the Lieutenant had been going on about was to be believed. "Wait, are they meeting with the captain or are they forming a perimeter…?"
The latter would mean they were preparing for some kind of attack, but not from the Shepherds surely? Has something happened?
"Maybe we shouldn't worry…" Sumia mumbled. Belfire cocked her head in Sumia's direction. "I don't want to make anything worse." The horse tilted her head. Sumia rested her palm against her snout and stroked her softly. "We've both been a handful for the captain. I'm sure they can sort it out themselves."
The truth was her heart was pounding. The shouting only seemed to be getting louder and angrier, and she recognized several of her friend's voices among the clamor.
It was just as Sumia took her Pegasus by the bridle and began to lead her back to the end of the wagon train that she heard the unmistakable sound of a javelin striking the earth.
Sumia whirled to see the bronze spears piked into the earth around where Chrom still stood; thankfully.
"Captain?!" She cried. The dark-haired noble pressed forward to the gate and had yet to draw his sword. "No, what are you doing? Captain!" Was he trying to get himself skewered?
Belfire tore herself free from Sumia's grip and turned around. She counted at the cold earth and shook her wings.
Instantly Sumia understood what her Pegasus wanted to do.
A few moments earlier…
"Lancers!" The Feroxi captain called again. "Javelins at the ready, pike anybody who gets too close!"
"What do we do?!" Lissa cried, as she cowered behind Frederick. Her teeth chattered in the cold and her knees knocked together.
"Peace, milady, our tactician will see us through this," Frederick said. His eyes rested on Robin and narrowed. "Loath I am to trust him of course, the people of Ferox give us no choice."
Robin nodded and drew his sword. "Right, everyone on me and listen up!
"Their brigade is mostly armored units, so I need Miriel up front here with me. Stahl and Sully will take opposite sides of the assault. There are two staircases… we'll need to take both sides…" Robin held his sword at the ready but hovered his other hand over where his thunder tome was slung on his belt. He turned to the Prince. "Sound good, Chrom? ...Chrom?!"
The prince had been remiss to listen the entire time. Presently, he took steps forward in the snow and bravely approached the barricaded gate.
"I'll be the last one to draw my sword," Chrom said. "I don't want this to get any worse."
"Ylisse won't care about diplomacy if their prince gets skewered in the snow!" Robin cried. Chrom said nothing and continued his march.
A Feroxi soldier took the opportunity. He hefted a javelin into his hand, tossed it into the air once to adjust his grip, and let it fly against the prince. Chrom bounded to the side and missed the point by mere feet. "Screw it, everybody move, and remember what I told you!" Robin shouted. "We got Chrom!"
Another knight readied his javelin. Miriel took the initiative and hurled a fireball into him. The knight's armor glowed where it had been struck and the unit was staggered. His javelin fell helplessly to the ground.
"We're not your enemies!" Chrom cried to the men above. "Stop this before someone gets hurt!"
For once the knights seemed to listen. They lowered their javelins and spears and merely rested their weapons against their shoulders. Chrom cautiously stepped closer.
"I haven't drawn my sword on you, so long as my men aren't hurt. Won't you listen?"
The Feroxi captain's voice suddenly cawed. "Here's what we think of trusting the likes of you!" The green-armored knight threw her hand behind her. "Alright boys… hellfire! Let the poser have it!"
Robin's blood chilled. "Hellfire?!"
One by one the Knights hefted up their spears and pointed down at the prince. The Captain clenched her fist, the Knights shouted, and their spears let fly. Over a dozen javelins fell through the air, poised to stab and pin Chrom into the ground like a royal training dummy. Even if he did survive he'd be out of commission for a long time.
"Milord!" Frederick rode Gwendolyn into a charging gallop and raced for his liege, surely in vain. Robin himself broke out into a run against the snowy ground. He reached out his hand and fizzled a thunder spell intended to knock away at least one of the spears.
It had been barely ten seconds since the lancers began their attack but it felt like an eternity to react. The Prince drew back and braced himself.
That was until a silver streak overtook Robin and Frederick. It raced for Chrom, caught him by the arm, and carried him into the air.
The javelins rhythmically struck the bare earth; no target to plant themselves into.
"Hold!" Frederick's horse skid to a stop. Robin's boots failed him and he slipped forward weakly across the icy cobble. An outstretched hand from Frederick stopped Robin's slide.
"Where did he—" Robin began.
"Look," Frederick said as he pointed skyward.
Robin followed the knight's finger and spied a familiar winged figure circling about in the sky. It carried two figures, one atop its back, the other dangling from the side.
Chrom's thoughts were scattered at the time. His feet dangled several stories above the Feroxi wall, he could spy his comrades running about below as though they were game pieces, and he could see his assailants watch him fly away.
He'd assumed Frederick had somehow managed to push him out of the way of the spears - but when he kept accelerating and ascending he ascertained that wasn't the case. His right hand instinctively clung to something as a pair of hands held tight around his. His bare arm felt leather and cold armor brush against his skin.
He finally looked up and found himself face-to-face with someone with grey brown hair and deep dark eyes. Her gloved fingers dug into his skin as she held his arm to her chest. Their eyes met and his heart skipped a beat.
"S-Sumia?!"
The girl grit her teeth and nodded."Hang on, Captain! I got you!" With surprising strength she hefted the captain atop the saddle of her Pegasus.
Another javelin whizzed past them. The knights below weren't letting them get away without a fight. Sumia faced forward and gripped the reins of her steed.
"They're still on to us," he said.
"Roger that, I'll take us around back to the others."
Sumia pulled the reins up, and the Pegasus obediently dropped into a dive.
Chrom dug his fingers into the side of the saddle. "Sumia!" He wailed.
"It could get bumpy, just bear with me!"
More projectiles flew past their heads as they fell. They'd swerve from side to side to avoid oncoming fire. Chrom nearly lost his seat several times. Just as they nearly met with the ground Sumia made a hard turn and flew her mount right above the other Shepherds. Her maneuver saved her horse from getting struck at the last minute by a well-placed javelin.
"One more incoming!"
"We'll be fine!"
One more javelin failed to meet its mark, and the Feroxi attack finally lulled. Chrom wiped the beads of sweat from his brow.
"Good, now we can—" The Pegasus accelerated and drew a scream out of him. They soared right past their comrades and back towards the defending Feroxi. The force jerked Chrom back and snapped him forward again, which planted his chin over Sumia's plated shoulder. "Sumia!" He said as he held his face. "Why are we going back towards them?!"
"Captain!" Sumia pointed as more knights readied a new set of javelins. Beneath them more knights were piling down the stairs and creating a new wall of iron for the other Shepherds to pierce. "They'll just pin down the others from afar like this! I can slow them down from here!" Sumia freed one hand from her bridle and drew her own javelin to strike with.
Chrom tightened his grip on the saddle. "You could've at least let me off first…"
"Don't worry, Belfire won't drop you. Not on purpose anyway."
"I'm not so sure about that."
Robin watched the two fly away, as the Feroxi soldiers met with the snowy ground and started forming ranks in front of the gate. There were no less than three rows of four or five soldiers standing between them and the gate. Knights in mismatched plating made the majority, followed by foot soldiers, a few mages and archers who flanked their armored brethren. Sumia remained airborne and had yet to drop Chrom off.
He didn't know it at the time but his opinions aligned mostly with Chrom's, and he wondered how long the Pegasus could keep Chrom on her saddle before something went wrong.
He had hardly finished the thought before an especially bulky knight broke rank and charged for the entire party. "Tighten up!" Robin shouted. The Shepherds moved closer together and pushed Lissa, Virion, and Miriel to the back of the party. Sully and Stahl tightened their grips on their weapons as the knight readied a spear to plow through their group. Robin flung an orb of thunder at the oncoming knight. The damage was instantly apparent but the man's stride was not broken. His cry pierced the wind as he drew closer.
The three riders rushed to the forefront and clumped together to catch the opponent with their weapons. They were bowled over and apart by the rushing hulk of iron and steel that shoved their steeds aside and nearly knocked them from their perches. The remaining Shepherds pulled their magic users out of the way just in time to miss the stampeding knight.
Sully swore something about armored units not moving this quickly.
The knight skid in the powdery snow and spun on his heel to face the Shepherds. He clanked the end of his spear against the frozen road menacingly. His iron hood made it impossible to read his visage. The faceless suit of armor held up its shield and marched slowly towards the Shepherds.
"Regroup!" Robin shouted.
"Inadvisable," Frederick retorted sharply. "We'd turn our backs to the oncoming soldiers!"
The droning march of the Feroxi border guard filled their ears as they began their approach.
"...Ah! Let's have the three knights take point! Vaike, don't let that guy get too close!"
The fighter ran to engage the knight. Before he could get his first swing in with his axe he was knocked to the side with a bash from his opponent's shield. Miriel lobbed a fireball that struck the knight in the shoulder. It retaliated by running up to her and swinging its spear. Virion dove and took Miriel to the ground to keep her from getting hit. Lissa was left in the open and was knocked over into the snow by the knight's charge.
"Oh, that is SO like you Ruffles!"
"T'wasn't on purpose, I swear!"
Frederick did not take kindly to his liege being tossed aside into the snow.
The great knight broke formation and had Gwendolyn turn to face the foe who had just toppled his liege. He galloped at full speed and clashed with the opposing knight, which halted its charge. Robin ran over to Lissa and pulled her to her feet and away from the attacker.
The border guard marched closer still.
Frederick held his spear with both hands and pressed against the knight, who shielded the Lieutenant's bash with his shield as he readied another stab with his spear.
Vaike rose from the cold ground behind him and leapt unto the knight's back. The Feroxi guard shook its shoulders aiming to dislodge his passenger. Vaike held up his axe, spun it around to its blunt end, and proceeded to bash the knight over the head. His foe struggled and feebly reached for Vaike. The knight's armored hand managed to clutch Vaike's thigh. The fighter brought his axe down on their hand, regardless of any impact it may have on his own limb, and got the knight to relent. The knight sank to its knees and began to relent against Frederick, who t pushed forward with his lance.
The knight released all resistance and freely threw its back into the ground; Vaike was pinned beneath, and Frederick and his horse were flung forward by their own momentum and staggered past the fallen knight.
The Feroxi quickly righted himself. Stahl and Sully turned sideways and glanced back and forth between the oncoming brigade and this lone attacker. Vaike spat out a wisp of fog into the cold air and remained still.
Frederick ignored the Knight and instead made his horse, disorientated as it was, maneuver back to the other knights to reform their defense.
Robin and Miriel stood side by side and readied their magical spells. Robin clenched his teeth. He had no doubt they could fell this tenacious fighter in one attack with their magic, but his brethren were now dangerously close, and he wasn't sure if they could commit to this one and turn to face the others in time.
That was before he saw Sumia, atop her Pegasus, plow through the knight with her javelin and send him toppling helplessly on his back. She struck and flew away in one swift motion, and Chrom still remained safely onboard. She did the same once more. She flew towards the knight a third time, but this time Sumia turned at the last second to give way to Chrom behind her, who seized the opportunity and landed a smash with his Falchion.
The knight's armor was concussed like a cheap tin pot, as it flew off the road and into a tree. He remained still.
"Clear a path, quick!" Robin called back to the knights. "Miriel, let them have it!"
The three riders did as they were told, and the oncoming brigade was quickly pelted by a steady barrage of fire and lightning from the two mages. Virion contributed with some shots of his own to disorientate the fighters further back, and managed to strike a few lightly armored attackers.
The group's approach grounded to a halt. Several were overwhelmed by the magical onslaught and retreated. The remainder reformed their numbers to create a wider, but quite flimsier barricade. They planted their feet and dared the Shepherds to draw near.
As far as Robin was concerned, their pause was welcome. An update to strategy was in order now that the Shepherds were together again.
Sumia had her Pegasus gently circle above their comrades and touch down right next to Lissa.
The girl turned back to her captain with her hair bobbing and beamed with confidence the Prince hadn't thought possible from the girl. "See? You're fine." Chrom was dumbstruck and had to be prodded by his little sister to respond.
He held the side of his head. "I'm glad you saw that berserker in time. It put up a hell of a fight for a lone guard." Chrom could tell his hair had been disheveled by the harsh descent, but Sumia's braids seemed mostly untouched.
"Let's hope he was the exception rather than the rule," Frederick said. "There are still several between us and the commander."
"I'm surprised those lancers didn't pin you by now…" Robin cautiously drew closer to the Pegasus. "T-This is the same Belfire correct? The crazy horse from the caravan?"
Sumia smiled and patted the horse's neck. "Oh, she's not crazy. She's really sweet once you get to know her. Her leg's all better now so she's in a pretty good mood to boot. And don't worry about the lancers, I took care of most of them."
"I can attest to that!," Chrom said. "Their long-range game should be put on hold for now."
"That's how it's done!" Sully cheered.
"It was nothing, Belfire was the one who took the initiative if you can believe it—"
"Nothing? You swooped in like goddamned banshee and saved the Prince of the realm, and you followed up by saving the princess too! I can't wait for the others to see you now!"
"Guys?!" Robin called. "They're moving again!"
The Feroxi guard still formed a barricade, but now a new wave of foot soldiers, mages, and archers were piling down the stairs. It appeared they were done fooling around.
"Still vying for diplomacy, milord?" Frederick asked.
Chrom slid from the saddle and unto safe solid ground once more. "...Augh! If that's how they want this handled, then fine! The Feroxi way it is!"
"Fine by me, I've been wanting to get in their faces, at least the feeling's mutual!" Sully said as she brandished her spear.
"Don't hit to kill! Defend yourselves, but don't turn this into an incident!" Frederick called as he pointed to the felled knight, who stirred lightly. "We'd best aim for their leader. If we can break their chain of command that should force them to listen to us."
Chrom looked up and spied several unarmored figures run up to the ramparts and brandish bows. He tsked to himself.
"Sumia, how do you feel about archers?"
"Only what Phila told me."
"And that is?"
"They're every flier's worst enemy."
"Are you comfortable fighting around them, Sumia?" Robin asked.
The girl nodded with no hesitation. "Absolutely," she said. "Just tell me and Bel where to go."
Robin pointed to the archers nocking their arrows. "Me, Miriel, and Virion will take care of those," Robin declared. "Now that you're part of the fight we'll need to keep you airborne. The others will keep the pressure going on both sides. I need you to pick off any light-armored units you see. There's bound to be at least a few mages or foot soldiers up top to round out their defenses."
"Robin? I could try a hit-and-run. It's what Pegasus knights are trained to do; do a flyover, swoop in, land a hit, and fly away."
"Whatever you think is best. Just don't get shot down. As for everyone else…"
Robin looked back to the other Shepherds. "Let's take both sides! We'll need to break the front line and then split up. I think Chrom can take the lead on that, but afterwards…
"I want Miriel, Lissa, Vaike and Stahl to one side - Sully, Frederick, Virion and I will take the other. Our ranged fighters should focus on making sure there aren't any archers to snipe Sumia. Any questions?"
"Not one," Chrom said.
"Very well then. Shepherds!" Frederick bellowed. "ATTACK!"
Chrom instantly took off running, and was followed closely by Vaike and Stahl. Robin made note of several mages and archers getting ready to open fire as they sped forward. A blast of thunder took one down. "Sumia?!" Robin called.
Sumia gripped the reins and began to lead Belfire away. "On it, no problem!" She said as she sped away. A wave of projectiles from Miriel and Virion kept the archers away from Sumia. She began her first flyover when Chrom met the first knight.
A shuffling wall of steel plating and shields met Chrom and the other's offensive as the knights lumbered forward. They bashed their shields with their iron spears and stamped their armored boots against the stone road.
They stopped their approach and allowed Chrom to make the first move. The prince dove forward with Falchion and landed a few strikes on the first knight. The Feroxi took each attack in stride and retaliated with a swing that squarely missed the prince's face.
Chrom leapt back as the others caught up to him, and the Feroxi knights remained in place.
"Frederick told me the only surefire way to beat heavy armor is magic or a hammer," Stahl said warily.
"Ah blast, I left my carpentry kit at home! Shoulda said something sooner, Stahl. I'd be killing them left and right if I brought one of those, wouldn't I?" Vaike grumbled.
"No, an anti-unit hammer, like the kinds in the armory. Y'know, they're basically mallets with one end flattened out?"
"How about for now…" Chrom stowed away the Falchion and drew his favorite rapier. "You guys just stick behind me till I say so? This should do fine."
"Yer kidding right?" Vaike asked. "That tiny thing couldn't—"
Chrom was already off again before he could finish. The knight readied his shield and spear in preparation for the prince's assault. It lunged with its spear the moment Chrom was within range. Chrom raised his armored mantle and let the point glide against and past his shoulder. He held the rapier skyward, poised to strike, and then drove the blade deep into the space between the knight's shoulder and bicep. The hollow armored rattled with the man's grunt of pain. Chrom made another strike on the man's legs to bring him down.
The knight feebly raised its spear and hurled it at the prince. This Chrom caught from the air, twirled it once, and drove it into the shoulder of another knight.
The knights broke their line to close around the attackers and ensnare them. "Let's move, Shepherds!" Chrom shouted. Vaike and Stahl rushed to his side and did their best to repel the knights. Their efforts did little to actually damage them but they were able to keep them from completely swarming them.
Chrom felled the knight in front of him and made a circular swing with his rapier - two knights to his side were struck in their shoulders; their armor pierced, which staggered them and left them open to felling blows from Stahl and Vaike.
Chrom charged into a knight just as it readied a javelin. A bash from the prince's shoulder staggered the knight, and two rapid strokes from his rapier disabled his legs and put him on his knees. The others fought off the other knights and were gradually making a dent in the iron wall, but there were more knights and soldiers waiting for them the moment they penetrated.
Sumia circled above and dove to strike at a foot soldier. She retreated before an enemy could land a hit on her.
The knight reached out and gripped Chrom's hand before he could deliver a finishing blow with his rapier. As Chrom struggled, he noticed an archer amongst the scuffle halt and take aim at Sumia as she retreated. It would be an easy shot for him if he fired on time.
"Sumia!" Chrom shouted. "Your six!" He grabbed the knight's javelin with one hand and jabbed it in the gut with his knee; it hurt like crazy but it left a sizable dent in the armor and broke the knight's grip on him.
Chrom held up the javelin in his hand and flung it at the archer. It struck him square in the shoulder and threw off his aim.
As the archer paused to nurse his wound, Sumia thundered back towards him, and snatched him with her free arm. With Belfire's momentum she tossed him into several of his allies and bowled them all over.
There was a lull in the attack as the knights drew back to reorganize their shattered barrier. There wouldn't be enough to form anything functional, it seemed.
Sumia turned a cheery smile to Chrom as she circled back around. "Amazing, captain!" She called.
"Keep up the offense, I'll back you up!" Chrom called after her.
"I got this milord, don't worry!"
"You sure about that—" before Chrom could finish Sumia had already flown away. "...Ah…! Robin, Frederick, could you take it from here?"
Robin had just finished dealing a finishing blow of magic to a far off knight and it took a moment to register what Chrom had just said."W-What? Hey!"
"Thanks!"
Robin held out his hand, but Chrom readied his Falchion and dashed after Sumia.
"Chrom!" He called, but was not answered. He let out a small sigh.
"They'll be fine," Frederick said from beside him. "They've already proved to do well together. I doubt the guard will break the two of them easily if they keep this synergy up."
These knights are all linking together into a wall of steel… and we've been doing the same… but Chrom and Sumia have done more damage than all of us! They obviously have the numbers, but we seem to have the more skilled fighters.
So what if…
It was a potentially dangerous idea; and experiment like this could cost them the fight, but somehow Robin knew they'd be alright. He clapped his hands together. "Alright, new plan while we have initiative! Everyone pair up!"
"Flippin' hell?!" Sully asked.
"Buddy-up, grab a partner, whatever! I need sets of two Shepherds at a time taking on these guards!" Robin looked at the two sets of Shepherds. "Sully and Miriel! Stahl and Lissa! You two keep them from getting hurt so they can keep up the support!"
The two knights did as Robin said and immediately grabbed their passengers and loaded them onto their horse's saddles.
"You're a mobile healer now," Stahl told Lissa. "You get to be a troubadour like Maribelle."
"Virion and Vaike!" Robin said. "Vaike takes point and keeps attacking, Virion stays behind him and lays down recovery fire for the others!"
"On it!" the archer replied.
Robin stopped to scratch his head to figure out who he should team up with. "Chrom and Sumia are already working together, so that leaves…"
It only left one Shepherd. Frederick.
Robin swallowed and looked to the Lieutenant, who's response was one of his not-quite scowls.
"That leaves you and me."
"Charmed," Frederick said.
"I'll keep knights off your back so you don't have to stop attacking. Just… take point and tank for us, like you usually do."
"T-Tanking?! Is that what we're calling it now?"
Robin's response was to fling a bolt of thunder at an oncoming attacker and drive him back. Frederick took the hint and resumed the offensive. Unlike the other riders, he did not offer Robin a place in his saddle and rather rushed ahead, prodding Robin to keep up.
The attacking knights' feet skid on the stone as they screeched their advance to a halt, but it was too late to escape Frederick. He drew his axe and with a wide and powerful swing and brought three of them to their knees. A fourth attempted to strike him from the side, only to be hit by Robin's thunder, which granted Frederick ample time to retaliate.
Vaike locked his axe with a knight's spear and fought to wrench its weapon free. One of Virion's arrows bounced off its armor, which did no damage, but got enough of its attention for Vaike to gain the upper hand and pull the armored brute to the ground.
"Ho yea!" he cheered. This was just as an enemy bolt of fire appeared from nowhere and struck Virion. The Rosanne noble was sent skidding back in the snow; steam wafted from him and he left a streak of melted snow in his tumble.
"H-hey, Ruffles!" Sully called after him. Vaike charged for the enemy mage and debilitated him with a strike from the blunt of his axe. Stahl disengaged from an enemy he was fighting to bring Lissa and her healing stave to Virion, who was barely managing to pull himself to his feet. A tap from Lissa's stave removed most of his burns and renewed his vigor.
"A lending hand after I failed you earlier? You've a gracious heart, milady," Virion said weakly.
"Oh, save it. We're all just doing our jobs," Lissa's tone was surprisingly pragmatic.
Miriel did a good job of laying down heavy fire on the knights between them and the leftmost staircase, which left them open for Sully to streak by and knock them down one by one.
"Ey, Chrom! Path is clear!" Sully called over to the prince.
"Get on the top level and let's start clearing em out! The commander shouldn't be far!" Robin called as he knocked down a knight. "If this is all they got then this should be over soon!"
Chrom nodded to Sully and made a dash for the staircase, where Sumia was soaring overhead.
"Captain Raimi?" A subordinate asked. "They've split up to catch us on both sides. What should we do?"
The proud Feroxi general idly shook the fallen snow from her shoulders. "They think they can win this without killing a single one of us? They're either more conceited than I thought... or they're just stupid. What the hell, let's give them what they want!" The blond Feroxi woman raised her hand into a clenched fist and gave a sort of signal. "Tell the boys inside to get ready for a back-up run. They may work through us, but let's see them keep up that half-assed fight with the rest of our men."
The subordinate saluted with a clenched fist to the heart and dashed down the rows of mobilizing troops. "You there, what do you think you're doing?!" He happened upon a lone knight shuffling towards one of the staircases. He blankly stared down at the party below as he weakly clung to an iron lance. He nervously adjusted his armored hood as he was spoken to.
"Uhhhh…"
"Aren't you the one who signaled the attack?"
"Yes? I mean no, it was kind of an acci—" the knight looked back and forth between the invading party and the rows of knight rushing past him.
"Yes yes good, quit wasting time and get your ass down there!"
"Y-You want me to fight them?"
"Well we're sure as hell not rolling out a bloody red carpet for 'em, genius! ...Actually that's not a bad idea." The subordinate brought a hard hand down on the knight's back and sent him forward. "Off you go then! Go down there and make a mess of 'em! Let's paint the gateways red with bandit blood!"
The knight let out a rather unmanly squeak, but otherwise did as he was told.
Chrom resumed his approach on the leftmost staircase, where no more knights remained. There were only a scant few guards left above, and Sumia was doing a good job of keeping them occupied while the others fought off the rest. Presently she caught a knight in the shoulder with her javelin, and with a skillful twist of her weapon she disarmed him and sent him helplessly unto his back.
It was quite mesmerizing to watch her fight once she had her focus - that Chrom had to admit. Her hair bobbing in the wind, always remaining neat; her graceful and powerful swings of the javelin; her slender body topped with silver armor (that only enhanced her look if he was being perfectly honest). At the moment he remembered her gentle visage and her burning brown eyes when she had caught him; completely confident, all hesitancy lost, but no less kind. He always found Pegasus knights to be beautiful, and as far as he cared Sumia did not disappoint.
It was an odd place for such thoughts he knew, and it wasn't the most princely of pastimes, especially when the person in question was one of your own soldiers.
But Sumia's not any other soldier, none of them are. They're all my closest friends. Even Robin feels as though I've known him forever. I'd sooner have nobody else to ride by me into battle, be it war… or stupid misunderstandings.
Chrom was taken aback by the sudden sound of armor striking the snow right next to him. In fact, he nearly leapt out of his own skin. He skid back and pointed his rapier menacingly at the form of a fallen suit of knight armor. It appeared to have stumbled past Sumia and fallen down the flight of stairs.
"Who goes there? Identify yourself! Are you with Ferox?!"
"...Do I look like I'm wearing Feroxi armor? ...You helped design this suit yourself…" A quiet voice mumbled.
"P-pardon? Hold a moment…" Chrom put away his weapon. The knight leaned up on one elbow and pulled back his metal hood, which revealed a plain face topped with dark brown hair. "Kellam? Is that you?!" The prince almost laughed with relief as he knelt down and hefted the knight to his feet. "What are you doing here? I thought we left you at Ylisstol!"
"...I was here for the last few days."
"Come again?"
"I mean, not at first. I hitched a ride in the supply wagon, but then somebody threw an axe at my head and knocked me out… When I woke up twelve hours later I was at the north road and both the caravan and you guys were gone, so I just hiked the rest of the way till you guys hit the border."
"You were with us the whole time?!"
The knight awkwardly shuffled in his oversized greaves. "I set up the campfires at least a few times for everyone. I helped Frederick cook… Not that anybody seemed to notice. ...I am still a Shepherd, aren't I?"
"What? No! I mean, of course you are!" Chrom shook his head. "Gods man, you gotta speak up more! One of these days people are going to start forgetting you're even here."
"...I couldn't imagine…"
The cry of a falling Ferox footsoldier interrupted them. Apparently Sumia was still keeping busy on the level above.
"Er, let's walk and talk. We still have a lot of work to do here, and your help is appreciated."
"...Glad to hear it… for the first time in days…"
Sumia's pegasus had landed on the story above. The silver horse planted itself down as Sumia fought back against the last footsoldier, who wielded only a sword. Obviously her reach was greater, and she had no problem piking him back. At one moment the soldier attempted to intercept the girl and strike between the gap in her attack window, that was to get in between the point of her javelin and herself to land a hit.
Sumia merely struck out a powerful kick to strike him in the jaw and send him stumbling away like an idiot. A bad step took him over the edge to join his other brethren who had managed to fall off of the ramparts after facing her.
Sumia covered her mouth as she heard his body strike the snowy stone below with a thud. "Sorry!" She called. "We'll send a healer to you guys when we're done, honest!"
"Sumia! How many are left?!" Chrom asked. Sumia pointed. There were about two sets of soldiers left, one on each side of the wall. The one closest was backing up and reorganizing their ranks. From the corner of his eye Chrom could see Robin and Frederick making their way to the other staircase as the farthest ranks were running up to the ramparts to mount a counter-attack with their mages and archers.
"Only a few left on this end, think we can take them?" Sumia asked as she looked over her shoulder. She took notice of Chrom's new companion and smiled. "Oh, hi Kellam! When did you get here?"
The knight's answer was a tired mumble that nobody heard.
"I think we can do well enough on our own. Sully may join us shortly, now if only we could find the commander by then-"
"She's way in the back, in front of the gates," Kellam said as he pointed. "I saw her back there earlier."
"...Earlier?" Sumia asked.
"I… kind of scaled the wall when everyone was setting up camp to knock on the door. One guy saw me and assumed I was sounding the alarm or something. They kind of kept me up there until I wandered away… must've mistaken me for one of them until they forgot about me - typical. Their armor's not the most consistent now that I think about it… "
The two were silent for a moment.
"Kellam… I'd hate to say this but…" Chrom motioned towards the soldiers manning the ramparts. "Do you think you could get behind those men and… Take them by surprise?"
"Chrom, I could do that quicker," Sumia said. "Why are you gonna make Kellam-"
"It's okay," Kellam said with a sigh. "It's 'cause they shouldn't be able to see me." The knight stowed away his shield and spear and jogged as best he could with his armor on. "On it. They won't notice. Hopefully. Probably."
"And what would you have us do, captain?" Sumia asked. Chrom readied his rapier and pointed towards the remaining knights.
"Let's clear out as many as we can before they can-"
"The hell do you boys call all this?!" an angry voice called out from the way back of the remaining soldiers. "They're dropping us like flies! We got no more time to lose! Standby for reinforcements!"
"Standby for reinforcements!" another voice echoed.
Chrom swallowed. "We have to finish this quickly before we're swarmed."
Sully and Miriel drew back from the other staircase to help the others as the opposition mounted on the other end. Sully knocked down the last of the ground opposition, as she had Lance speed for the others. Frederick was slow in advancing as he was wary of the many mages lining the top of the wall.
A javelin piked the ground at Lance's feet and nearly tripped him, which elicited a colorful curse from his rider. Miriel responded by releasing several balls of fire to the ramparts. One mage was struck by her Fire and in a burning panic managed to stumble off the side. He fell about a story and a half before he struck the snow; a steaming broken pile.
Robin ran over to see that the mage was still alive. His bright red robes contrasted the white snow brilliantly, what wasn't burnt anyway. The scorched seal of a two-headed wolf shuddered as the man struggled to bring himself to his feet and failed. Robin kicked the man's tome away but otherwise left him alone.
"Don't go overboard!" He hollered. "We don't want anybody dead!"
It was just as he said this that a new set of knights and archers arrived to defend the ramparts. The knights set their shields down and readied a new set of Javelins to strike.
"We'll do what we can," Miriel said noncommittally as she paged through her tome.
"I'm with the lady on this one," Virion said as he stood beside Vaike. "There will have to be a point where they understand it's merely out of self-defense we do this!"
Robin cast another bolt to the wall above. The surge spread through the linked suits of armor and forced them to hold their javelins a moment longer. He only intended to halt their attack, and didn't anticipate how the other Shepherds would react.
Miriel took advantage of the wait. She hopped off of the saddle as fast as she could with her robes and boots, and began incantating.
"Smoldered breath, burning air / lay down a path before me / all my foes beware!"
Virion, Vaike and Robin cleared away as the mage's robes billowed against the force of the massive sphere of burning energy that Miriel summoned. The light glinted off her lenses menacingly as she selected a target. The knights' armor still surged with energy as they stood helplessly immobile. Their unarmored brethren drew back to escape the onslaught.
"Fire!" Miriel held out her hand and let loose the blazing missile. It struck the knights head on and replaced the static surges with wreathes of flames. Their metal plating glowed red as though to be struck in an armorer's furnace. Those to the side retreated - some shed their shells entirely to flee. Those that took the brunt of the force toppled over the side of the wall and struck the ground one at a time; smoke and steam flew haplessly from their open visors like chimneys.
For a split second Robin was afraid they were actually killed, until their massive shapes began to stir as their armor cooled. He couldn't imagine what would have happened to them if Miriel had possessed a stronger tome at the time.
Frederick galloped over to these and with his axe tore open the fronts of their armor; allowing the burnt, tired men to rise out and fall upon the snow. They were very well built and hairy - though one may not have guessed under all the armor, and certainly not after Miriel's attack had burnt most of it off. "Lay down and bother us no more," the knight said coldly. "If only your brothers in arms could take the hint."
The Great Knight drew back just in time for an enemy bolt of wind magic to strike the earth next to him and send a cloud of snow into the air. Virion drove a few of the mages back with his arrows.
Robin readied a spell of his own to down the last of the resistance on the wall above when one footsoldier was suddenly flung forward and over the edge. Two archers could barely turn behind them before two large armored hands gripped their helmets and banged them together - knocking them out.
The broad shape of an oversized suit of armor peaked over the edge. Miriel and Robin instinctively readied their tomes once more until a meek voice called over the wall.
"Uh… guys?" it said.
"Hold a sec — Kellam?!" Vaike cried. "How the hell didja get up there?!"
"The commander said something about reinforcements… I think we should hurry…" Kellam said. "That's what Chrom said earlier anyway."
The group below was a little dumbfounded and had pause to respond.
"How long has… when…" Sully was sputtering.
"About time," Frederick said vindictively. "If it wasn't the man himself then it had to be an encounter as this to reveal himself."
"You knew?" Robin asked.
"It was never any secret. He's been with us since long before our trip turned cold. He's helped us in many ways, without so much as an acknowledgement. Alas, that's Kellam's curse."
"...Then why didn't you bring him to our attention when the fighting broke out?" Robin said. "He could've been a lot of help then. Don't tell me you—"
"Anyway!" Frederick said sternly. "Let's advance above and help milord finish this awful misunderstanding once and for all."
What few knights were left on the staircase were quickly downed by Frederick. Gwendolyn skillfully trotted up the stone steps as her rider bashed enemy soldiers to the side with his axe, the others followed closely behind him.
Once they finally reached the top of the wall, both Kellam and any opposition seemed to be gone. The wind had picked up and the upper level was steeped in a deep snowy haze.
"Where'd Kellam go…?" Vaike asked. He looked to Frederick. "You just took out a lot of knights. You didn't…"
"I most certainly did not," Frederick growled. "He's most likely hiding in plain sight, and besides, this haze is making everything hard to see."
Despite the snow they could spy Chrom and Sumia engaged with the remaining knights; the prince took them head-on with his rapier while Sumia downed the ones he had hit before flying away. It was far from an even match, as Sumia was too big a target to simply remain alongside Chrom as the other knights bore down on them. Even if Chrom would survive and hold his own, he would soon be overwhelmed.
"We're coming, milord!" Frederick called, as he sent Gwendolyn into a gallop. Off to the side, hiding by a corner, a fighter appeared; he was screaming and running for Frederick as he carried a rather heavy looking weapon.
It was a hammer, and it seemed poised to strike at the Shepherd's strongest rider. The fighter kicked his foot down just as he reached the Great Knight and raised his weapon into the air; he nearly launched himself into the air by the momentum of his own swing, poised to crush the blue-armored rider.
Before Robin could even open his mouth to warn him, Frederick pulled Gwendolyn to a stop and reached out his hand. The hammer struck thin air as he reached for the handle and tore it from the attacker's hands.
The fighter was thrown back and into a wall. Frederick idly turned the weapon around in his hand before he looked to Vaike.
"Vaike, I think we found you a new toy," he said as he flung it at the blonde man. Vaike quickly stowed away his favorite axe and caught Frederick's gift as though it were a stick. A devilish grin spread across the young man's face. The Great Knight pointed to the onslaught of knights. "Have at 'em," he said.
"Don't mind if I do!" Vaike cawed, as he dashed to assist Chrom. Virion followed him but stopped to plant himself and began delivering arrows to the remaining attackers.
Chrom's rapier failed to land a hit against an enemy knight, and he found himself blocking the enemy's spear with one hand as it tried to force him to his knees. He grit his teeth and fought back as best he could. Sumia's attempts to counter were blocked by another knight and forced her to fly back without landing a single attack twice. No more archers remained, thankfully, but it'd be a wonder if she could break through and continue support at this rate.
Chrom groaned and tried to wrench the weapon free to no avail.
And then…
"It's Vaike time!"
Chrom knew the sound well enough to disengage as quickly as he could and put as much distance between him and the knight as he could. The knight's lance hit the cobbled floor helplessly, and then moments later its side was struck by a revolving swing from Vaike's new weapon. The knight's armored side was indented and the figure was sent toppling into his comrades.
With both a rapier and anti-unit hammer, the remaining knights were quickly debilitated. Virion and Sumia took care of any remaining fighters, and for a short moment it seemed that they had cleared the opposition.
The Shepherds felt the wall beneath them vibrate. It trembled with a certain rhythm that most ascertained to be footsteps. It was though the entire construct was rumbling and ready to burst with more soldiers.
A new set of footsteps greeted them. The green armored commander of the guard appeared from out of the haze; she carried a shield and a steel lance. Her blonde bangs meshed with her frowning brow perfectly.
"You've felled many of my men," she said dourly.
"Then let's stop this idiocy and talk like civilized human beings!" Chrom pleaded.
The commander laughed. "Civilized?! You're in Ferox boy, talking comes last! Let our battle sound out the truth of your words!"
Vaike and the commander seemed to be on the same wavelength. The moment she finished talking he readied his armor and ran at her screaming. He spun with his foot and landed another crushing blow with his hammer, only to lodge it into the captain's shield.
The captain smirked as she discarded the shield and promptly punched Vaike square in the jaw. He was sent skidding across the snowy floor and back to the others with a bleeding mouth, which did not please Lissa.
Robin and Miriel flung bolts of magic at the captain, who either sidestepped their trajectory or simply shrugged them off.
Sumia warily circled above the commander and swooped in for a strike with her javelin. Her spear was gripped by the commander and yanked out of her hands. The force dismounted Sumia and sent her tumbling to the floor with a scream.
Chrom's worried expression quickly turned to a frown. Sumia lay prone on the floor within stabbing distance of the commander, who just drew a javelin in her other hand. Sumia's pegasus just barely kept itself airborne.
Robin took out his tome and launched a powerful bolt of thunder to keep the Feroxi away from Sumia. It drove her back, which gave Sumia time to get out of the way, dazed though she was. Robin flung another bolt that struck its target. Frederick and Sully dashed forward to take the commander while she was staggered, and Robin paused to prepare a powerful attack.
That was before the commander threw out her javelin. It missed Sully and Miriel. Robin felt it pike him in the shoulder.
Robin was thrown unto his back and against a rampart. The wind was knocked out of him. His shoulder was on fire. The smell of iron floated freely through the cold air. He had the morbid privilege of feeling his own blood both warm his arm as it trickled down from his wound, only to quickly chill and freeze.
The culprit javelin slid across the stone floor and tapped a rampart; one edge was bloodied and dark.
"Robin?!" Chrom cried after him.
The tactician groaned as he tried to right himself. "I'm fine! I'm fine… I just—" he accidentally moved his injured arm and toppled himself over as the pain shot up his body. Amidst the trembling of the fort Robin could hear horse hooves beating towards him.
"Hang in there, Lissa's got you!" He heard Stahl's calm voice as a hand reached for his good shoulder and gently hoisted him into a sitting position. He let out a sharp gasp interspersed with a scream as his hurt arm was rattled.
Almost immediately, he felt the calming drowse of healing magic wash over him. He heard Lissa's shaking breaths as she held her stave at his wound. He was fine, for now.
Chrom shouted and rushed for the commander. He landed a hit with his rapier, the first proper blow she received the whole fight. Even as its razor point pierced her side, the commander grimaced and kicked the prince back.
Sully howled and swung her spear at the commander's head. She simply dropped her stance and bashed her shoulder into Sully's horse as she passed.
One of Virion's arrows found its way into a chink in her armor, which staggered her. The next arrow launched she simply snatched out of the air.
Chrom righted himself and traded the rapier back for his Falchion. He ran for her and landed a hit to her shoulder. She seethed and skid to the side. Frederick dove for a lunge with his axe. The commander drove Virion's arrow into Frederick's arm, and the axe helplessly slid along her other shoulder.
Two more hits from Chrom's sword met her before the commander dropped both her weapons and gripped the prince by the shoulders. She leaned against him, and slowly the prince was forced to his knees by the immense weight of the armored fighter.
The commander scoffed. "You've put up quite the fight. I'd almost be disappointed at this point if you weren't the prince of Ylisse," she said. "But that's all over now. You'll pay for what you've done to the Caravan."
Chrom had given up reasoning with her. He felt his knees cry out in agony as they dug into the stone floor. His back began to bend to nearly the breaking point.
The trembling in the walls grew harsher still. It seemed the commander would crush him and leave him here in the stone and the snow, and the new wave of enemy soldiers would swarm the Shepherds - wherein they'd either be driven away or killed. Robin was already badly hurt - Chrom wasn't sure he'd be able to get away in time.
The prince clenched his fists and tried to fight back against the knight's grip.
He then recognized a familiar sound; the heavy footsteps of a knight. He'd heard the sound all day, but from the haphazard barbaric uniforms of the Feroxi. This he knew was an Ylissean suit of armor.
"Captaaaaain! I'm coming!" Kellam cried, as though from nowhere as he ran for the commander.
The commander's grip weakened. She craned her head to the side.
"Who…"
With a cry Chrom tore free from the commander's grip and threw her hands off him. He sent her stumbling backwards directly into Kellam's path.
The knight clenched his teeth, squeezed his eyes shut, skid to a stop, dropped his weapons, and launched himself at the Feroxi commander like a missile. His body almost immediately turned sideways as his heavy body tore through the air. His heavy armored shoulders struck the commander on her side. Her armor creaked and groaned as it was crushed by the weight of his attack. Her face was frozen in stupefied shock and bewilderment as she was thrown off her feet.
With an absolute clamor of steel and stone both knights struck the ground. Kellam landed in front of Chrom, face-down, where the Commander once stood. The Commander herself was thrown against a wall.
She struggled to get up once, only to fall over onto her damaged side.
Kellam weakly held up a hand and gave a thumbs-up to nobody in particular. Chrom let out a sigh of relief.
These were the statistics.
No less than three dozen Feroxi soldiers guarded the fort; roughly two below and the remainder untop.
Nobody, as far as the Shepherds could tell, was killed.
Chrom took the lead as far as individual victories went. Frederick took down the most fighters single-handedly, followed closely by Miriel, whose flames toppled just as many.
Sumia managed seven victories, and Kellam did three.
The winning blow went to Kellam.
The wall still droned with the sound of the oncoming soldiers. The Shepherds regrouped around the fallen commander.
As Lissa left Robin's side to tend to Sully and Frederick, Chrom ran to Sumia and gently helped her to her feet. Belfire landed nearby and gave her rider a concerned nudge.
"C-Captain?" She asked as he pulled her up.
"That was quite the fall, are you alright?" Chrom asked.
"Oooh, I'm fine, but what about poor Robin?" Sumia cried. "That lady sent him flying!" Robin was led over by Stahl and Vaike.
"D-don't worry about me, I'll be okay," Robin said with an uneasy wave of his hand.
"Oh thank goodness!" The girl ran over to Robin and half-embraced him.
"I'm fine, I'm fi—GYAH— Sumia, I'm fine, my shoulder… still sore… let go, please?!"
"Eep, sorry!"
The massive rhythm of footsteps had halted. The massive gates the commander had been guarding began to shake. The Shepherds warily drew back.
"Maybe they'll be willing to listen once they see their commander down…?" Robin ventured.
"One way or another, this will end very quickly…" Frederick said drearily.
The massive wooden doors swung open. An entire multitude of armored knights and fighters stood on the other end. They were led by a single person, a dark skinned woman in red armor. She carried no weapons, and merely crossed her arms. Much like the commander before her, her hair was blond.
Chrom and Frederick said nothing to the new arrivals. They merely planted their feet and watched them warily.
The woman looked between the Shepherds and the many fallen soldiers. She shook her head.
"What a fine mess this all is," she said. She looked to the commander and walked over to her. Frederick and Chrom readied their weapons and stood their ground, but the woman hardly paid them any mind.
The commander began to stir, and the woman reached down and tried to pull her up. She managed a sitting position.
"What is all this, Raimi?" the woman asked.
"Miss Flavia... We engaged these strangers… they claimed to be for the Prince of Ylisse."
"I see," The woman said as she turned a discerning eye to the Shepherds. She looked back to Raimi. "...And?"
Raimi seethed and turned her face away. "...I think they might be telling the truth."
The woman approached the Shepherds. Chrom and Frederick had yet to lower their weapons. The woman stopped in front of Chrom and crossed her arms again.
"Chrom of Ylisse?" she asked.
Chrom's eyes narrowed. "If I say yes, will you lot attack us again?"
The woman chuckled and shook her head. "Nothing of the sort. ...That is, if you could provide some proof, it wouldn't hurt."
"The letter, Frederick." Chrom said quickly. His lieutenant complied quickly and produced a small envelope from his saddle. It was lightly scrunched amidst the fighting. Chrom held it out to the woman. "Intended for the East Khan only… not that things have gone according to plan."
"Well you're in luck, I'm as close as you'll get out here," The woman held up the letter and examined the seal.
"You serve under her?" Frederick asked.
"Something like that." She turned it over once or twice. She turned the letter on its side and tore off the end with her teeth.
Frederick and Chrom gawked as she slid the letter from the envelope and spat out the paper from her mouth. She unfolded the piece of paper and looked it over, top to bottom.
"Ah-huh… Ah-huh… Hm…." The woman looked between Chrom and the letter. She nodded. "Yep, that's Her Grace's handwriting alright. Good enough for me." She crumpled the letter into a ball and tossed it into the snow without a second thought.
A simultaneous groan escaped the group; part from relief, part exhaustion, part pure exasperation.
"I hope you'll forgive my men for this. This isn't the first time our border guard was quick to fly off the rails. You have our sincerest apologies," the woman said. "Things have been particularly high-strung lately, what with traders going missing, and Plegia." The woman turned her back to the others and walked back to her commander. "Of course it never hurts to double check, which is something I tell all of my troops." Raimi bowed her head. "So… while my idiot commander is down, who wants to take a free shot at Raimi?" The woman said as she held a hand down on the green-armored knight's shoulder. "No-holds barred, on the house. She's caused you a lot of trouble."
Frederick was oddly quiet.
Chrom shook his head. "Please, that won't be necessary! Just… take us to your Khan so we can all go home."
The other Shepherds grunted in agreement.
The woman smiled. "That can be arranged. Raimi, on your feet!"
"Yes, Miss Flavia."
"I want the gates opened, I want the carts and all their belongings safely inside. You will personally lead them to where they can rest up for the trip to the capital. We will host them to the best of our abilities. And Raimi?"
"Yes, Miss Flavia?"
"Next time, just check the bloody paperwork."
Raimi bowed as Flavia stepped behind her and back to the other knights.
"Is she in any position to walk?" Stahl asked aloud.
"I will do fine," the knight said confidently. "I've sustained nothing serious. I wish I could say the same for your men," she added on a somber note, as she looked in Robin's direction. The woman, Flavia, nodded to Chrom and then to her commander.
"Alright boys, pack it up, false alarm!" she shouted to the men within the door. "Let's clear a path for our guests!" The men grunted in response and filed up against the wall to let the Shepherds pass. "I've already sent some men to help our boys who were left out in the cold," Flavia said to Raimi, who nodded in response.
Raimi turned to the Shepherds as her superior vanished inside. She made a deep bow, as low as her dented armor would allow her. "A thousand apologies, Prince Chrom. No impostors could've waged a battle as you and your men did. As Flavia said, I'll escort you and your men to the Capital, but for now, let's get you all inside and out of the cold."
It was easy to forget how cold it actually was during the fight when their adrenaline was high and their blood was pumping, but many of the Shepherds found themselves shivering again.
"That would be most appreciated," Chrom said flatly. "Thank you."
"Where is it?" Sumia asked as she dug through the snow. Belfire looked on quizzically. "The javelin… where'd it end up?"
"C'mon sis, just grab another one," Sully said tiredly. "The Feroxi will probably give you one for free."
"But that was Cordelia's! I have to get it back to her…"
"The Pegasus corps probably have dozens of em, she won't miss just one stupid-"
"I have to~!" Sumia whined. "She lent it to me, I can't just lose it!"
"Alright, alright. ...Geez, I'll help you look."
Robin waited with Chrom and Frederick as the other Shepherds checked themselves before heading inside.
Frederick turned to Robin. "How is your shoulder?" Robin was taken aback by Frederick's oddly soft tone. He hadn't expected such a sincere question from him.
"It's sore. Stahl already applied a vulnerary. Good thing it only ripped the stitches already in my coat, I'll just have to sew it up again. Can't tear what's already torn. Heh."
"Mn," Frederick breathed.
Robin checked to make sure Raimi wasn't listening when he leaned over to Frederick and Chrom. "Did you see? Her demeanor completely changed."
"First she was overpowered by us, and then someone of authority put her in her place," Frederick said. "Another example of how strength rules in Ferox. ...I owe you an apology Robin, I may have overestimated the value of diplomacy here. Even though I wasn't expecting a response of this scale, I should have taken my own advice when I was warning everybody."
"...Hardly anything we can do about it now," Robin said.
"At least nobody got hurt," Lissa said. "Well… hurt too much."
"They reported no casualties on their end, thank the gods," Chrom said. "But enough of that. Let's get inside, it's certainly not getting any warmer."
The inside of the Longfort was divided into several sections. There were barracks, stables, supply rooms, and some wide open spaces that served as common rooms. These were lit by torches and suspended candelabras.
It smelled like dust and hay, and the ceiling was covered in a smoky haze from the many torches and hearths. The air became sickeningly sweeter the closer you drew to the stables, which was where their steeds were lead.
While Stahl, Vaike, and Virion saw to their steeds and to the wagons being brought in, the others were directed to where they'd be staying for the remainder of the day. Not far from the barracks was a series of cots and bunks placed alongside the walls on both sides. For this section of the fort there was easily several meters worth of space between the opposite sets of beds.
"You may rest and see to your injuries here," Raimi said. "To your left - the way we came, you'll find our supply stores where we keep our rations and ale, your men are free to procure what they see fit."
"Fine by me," Sully said as she started away in that direction. "I need a freaking drink."
Raimi stepped to the side and let the cavalier pass. "Once your wagons are prepped we will have an escort party ready to lead you into the Feroxi Eastern Capital," she said. "You may depart tomorrow morning or as soon as this evening, Flavia has left this completely up to you."
Lissa was the first to claim a bed and throw herself untop of it. She was out in moments.
Chrom sighed. "I think we'll just stay the night," he said.
Raimi bowed to them. "Of course. Come find me if you need anything."
The others arrived shortly after Raimi had left, and Robin once more shook his head at how different the commander was now that she wasn't out for their blood.
The Shepherds lazily dispersed and found themselves places to sit amongst the cots and the lit hearth in the center of the room.
Sully brought back a few servings of rations and passed them around. "I tried some. No idea what they are but they're made of meat."
The afternoon sped by and before they knew it what few windows in the fort showed twilight. Every Shepherd had taken a seat, either on the cot they selected for themselves or around the hearth.
Most had shed their armor and left it by the sides of their chosen bed. Frederick had made a fuss about keeping the men on one side of the room and the women on the other when they slept, and everybody was too tired to protest.
"Not sure how I feel sleeping under the same roof as a bunch of guys who tried to kill us…" Vaike grumbled as he made himself comfortable on a cot.
Frederick marched back and forth along the two rows of beds. "They are under strict orders to escort us; they would have to be very stupid to try anything now that our identity is cleared."
Vaike shrugged. "I'm still keeping the hammer next to my bed."
Robin leaned against a crate and examined the torn shoulder in his coat. The frayed edges of a discarded burlap sack provided the thread he'd need to mend the damage. He fashioned a chink of broken steel into something thin enough to guide the threads through the rather large holes already existent in his coat. He got to work mending quickly and it came naturally to him. Obviously this wasn't the first time it had been damaged since before he met Chrom.
"And everyone's fine, right?" Sumia asked from her spot beside Robin. "Nobody's going to sleep with a broken foot or anything?"
"We're all sore, but I doubt we have anything worth waking up the lil' lady over," Vaike said. Lissa's gentle snoring had been reverberating throughout the room for some time.
"I've had Lissa's stave twice and a vulnerary," Robin said as he shook his shoulder. "Pretty sure sleep is all I can do for now."
"That was one hell of a toss for the Ferox Lady. I'm surprised you could still stand," Vaike said.
Robin shrugged with his good shoulder. "With all the fighting we've had, I was due for a good hit, I guess."
"Virion sustained considerable damage from the mages as well," Miriel said as she opened her study book once more. "Mayhap we check that no serious burns were formed."
"Superfluous! The young princess' healing is all Virion needs," the archer said proudly. "Besides! Believe it or not, that wasn't the first time I was set on fire, and it definitely wasn't the worst," he added with a chuckle as he twirled one of his silver locks, which were still intact despite the black marks on his face.
"And how did that happen? More of that 'bettering your honor' schlock got you in trouble?" Sully called over as she sat up from the hearth, having finished her bottle of ale.
Virion shook his head and held up his hand indifferently. "Nothing so noble, I'm afraid. In my experience the severity of harm to my own body is almost always inverse to how… selfless I attempt to be."
Sully walked past Virion and bopped his hand with her closed fist. "Well, we damn just about made an enemy out of all of East Ferox, but you stuck with us instead of running off for Rosanne or whatever. I'd say that's noble enough, Ruffles."
Virion quizzically studied his hand as Sully continued past him to her cot. "I'm off to bed. Night y'all."
"We should all be getting some sleep in before it gets too late. Who knows what the Feroxi's idea of morning is." Robin said.
Stahl walked by Virion with a mouth full of rations, which prompted the archer to tug at his shoulder. "Sir, this smacking of the fist… what does it mean? What minutia am I missing?"
Stahl swallowed. "Oh. That's just Sully's way of saying she thinks you're alright."
Virion's gaze lit up. "Then perhaps…!" he breathed to himself, but he didn't finish, not out loud anyway. It seemed like Stahl preferred it that way as he rolled his eyes and continued walking with his rations in hand.
Chrom walked by Robin and Sumia. "Everyone?" He called. "Good work today. Nothing went according to plan —per our luck, I guess — but you all performed admirably." Chrom glanced over to Stahl. "Wasn't so bad, was it Stahl?"
The viridian knight shrugged. "...No, we managed. I'd just be super happy if we never had to fight more Feroxi any time soon."
Chrom turned a smile to Robin and Sumia. "Robin, Sumia, you two as well. I'm proud of how far you've come."
Sumia smiled and opened her mouth to answer, but no sounds came. She sheepishly shuffled deeper into her seat and resumed studying the fire.
"Rest up, you all deserve it. It should be smooth sailing to the capital."
The hearth was put out and everyone found their cots. Frederick remained vigilant and was the last to retire.
It was just as Chrom set down his head to sleep that something had occurred to him. Something had gnawed at him ever since the fight ended. He shot upright in his cot. "Wait a second-"
"I'm here," came Kellam's quiet voice.
"Ah… good, good. Just checking."