Disclaimer - I don't own Fire Emblem. All of its properties belong to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems.

Warnings for mild violence and disturbing subject matter/imagery

Interlude

Oh no.

Oh noooo. This is bad. This is really, really bad.

I didn't think these humans could be so smart! I guess they are craftier than I imagined. That makes Mother right once again. Never underestimate a human!

I watch the tall man speak with Mother for a while longer before the two disappear through the door. Mother walks by so close that I can feel the light flutter of her coat against me. For the briefest second, her scent and energy envelop the air. It's been so long. My blood thickens and warms in her familiar presence.

But...but something is different about her. Letum said it's because of the ritual so that must explain it. She doesn't smell like herself: fire, smoke, and the wild wind. It's so different. The sweet scent of berries in ink, grainy dirt, and...paprika?

She feels different too. Lighter and fuller. Her energy is more enveloping and settles on me like a cloud. It's comforting and warm as opposed to how cold she was before.

But she is still Mother and that's all I need.

I wish I could follow after Mother a little longer but I have to get back to the others. They need to know what the humans are planning to do. The door shuts and I wait a few breaths to see if anyone else is coming in. As soon as I feel the vibrations of their footsteps fade, I reemerge from the corner. I let go of the spell and feel the shadows slide off me like a blanket. I try not to laugh at the sensation it leaves behind. I enjoy the warmth of the room settling back on my skin.

With a quick step across the way, I move to the space between the bookshelf and the bed. I count the stones from the top until I find the seventh one and push in. There's a heavy rumbling and soon the wall rises in place. I hold my breath this time so the dust doesn't tickle my nose. I nearly burned down the room earlier with my sneeze.

I step into the narrow passage that runs down the length of the castle's far wing and quickly activate the mechanism to shut it once more. For being a bunch of pests, they are a rather creative bunch. These secret passages are really neat! You could pull off a real mean game of cat and mouse in here!

The air here is stale and it makes my stomach crawl. I hate dead air. It's why I hate Risen so much. I know Mother thinks they're important but they smell so bad. Not as bad as Letum's Risen. They smell rancid.

My eyes adjust instantly to the darkness and I make my way through the small confines toward the exit on the outer wall. At first it had been hard to find my way, but I got used to it. The paths are easy to navigate once you figure out the patterns. I've been using it to keep an eye on Mother, especially after Tantibus' failed plan. We would have succeeded in getting Mother back if Pravitas hadn't wanted to kill those humans so badly.

I feel excitement as I catch the faintest scent of clean air on the other side of the door. My blood stirs as I force all my weight against it, throwing it open.

"Mmph!"

I groan in protest as my eyes react to the sensitive change in lighting. I quickly press my hand against my forehead and shade them. That's always the worst feeling when coming out of this castle.

I don't take too long to enjoy my freedom. After quickly closing up the passageway, I start my slow descent down the mountain side. I really wish I could just fly out of here but that would give away my position. Simple logic really! If you want to be sneaky, you can't get caught!

Eventually I reach the bottom in a tumble of rocks and pebbles. I dust off Mother's coat and then proceed to the meeting place. These humans don't even know we've been camping right under their noses this whole time. I guess we can thank Tantibus for that. But still, for a species that boasts so much about their magic, they definitely can't seem to locate us. I follow an overgrown hunting trail that snakes between the mountain and lakeshore to a wild thicket nearby. I'd enjoy it a lot more if I didn't have to walk all the way. My feet are starting to throb. How do humans do this all the time?

With the winds blowing toward me, I can smell the group minutes before I can even see them. A winter wind. Dusty bones. Ash and metal. The scent of roses mixed with old meat. Looks like everyone is there. Darn. I was hoping Pravitus wouldn't be there. I don't like him nor the way he talks about Mother.

The traces of their life auras brush with my own as I enter through the reeds. Four humans are standing in a lopsided circle discussing matters. As the foliage rustles under my boots, their attention draws to me.

Algidus is the first to greet me. The pale female body moves stiffly to a standing place from where it once sat, blackened fingers twitching under the long sleeves of her dress. 'She' moves her even paler head toward me in a jerking fashion, the bones in her neck cracking as they wretch from the previous frozen position. The mouth opens with a crunch and hangs open. Her bright eyes burn with blue fire, the only sign of what possesses her inside.

"You return, little one? I hope with better news than last time," a low voice snakes out of the unmoving jaw. Algidus always had a pretty voice. I just wish the rest of her matched it.

"Mm mm. Sorry," I say as I come to a stop beside her. She's the only one I'll stand by. I don't like the rest of Mother's advisors. Like Tantibus over there.

'He' is not as bad as the other two but that doesn't make him any less creepy. He's in a new Risen today since the old one probably drained away under his energy absorbtion. The most unstable of the four, he exists in spirit form only, swapping from one Risen to the next when the current host wears down. It takes a lot of energy to find good hosts but he's been trying to fix that with fresh kills. He's been sulky since that blue haired human killed one of his latest toys. I can't blame him. I'd be mad if someone broke my favorite thing.

Tantibus' red fire glows deeply in what would have otherwise been a dull color under the Risen's hood. That's the best way to know he's in one. The lanky mage sits with the cowl drawn up and long hair hanging in dirty strands. He's hunched with his hands in his lap, unmoving aside from the subtle rise and fall of his shoulders. His voice comes out broken and raspy, like a snake's whisper.

"WhAt...ailS...tHE GREAT...ONe?"

"My Lady isn't in trouble this time," I say, bracing for the angry outbursts about to ensue. "It's us."

"How unfortunate. I begin to tire of the continual bad news you bring. You are becoming a disappointment child, and I hate disappointment." The new voice is solid, masculine, and deep. A robust difference from the previous two.

"Do tell," chuckles the last voice. "What is to be expected of the abomination?" The smooth aliveness in 'his' tone causes me to shiver and my blood to run colder. I hate these two most of all.

Letum, Mother's chief advisor, is currently in possession of a Grimleal priest. The yellow burn in his irises a contrast to the dark skin of the sacrifice that gives him life. 'He' moves better than Algidus, sitting comfortably upon a raised stump. His mouth manages to mimic some consonants and he blinks every so often. Even the hair upon his head and face looks almost healthy with life.

I try not to flinch as I briefly look to Pravitas. He...he frightens me most of all. I don't understand his ways and I don't like what he does. Today is no exception. As the only one who Mother properly raised, Pravitas is wholly alive. He chose the body of a youth, blonde with eyes greener than the forest. The shell looks only few years older than me. He reminds me of this one picture of a hero I found in a book a long time ago. Lots of muscles. He smells odd. Like perfume and rot. And other...human things.

As the only one of them able to assume his prior form, Pravitas is usually gone to do long distance missions. He only returned from Valm a day ago and has been eating none stop since. Today's menu consists of a human he picked up somewhere along the way. I unwisely peek at his victim and go red as he strokes the bare inside of her dismembered thigh. With face burning, I duck away and stare far from her unclothed remains. Even I can't help but feel a little bad at the way things probably ended for the human.

Algidus jerks in a crooked way as she glides between Pravitas and I. "Mind them not. Speak freely."

I sigh in relief, thankful someone here isn't totally against me. Phew.

"I listened in on what the Ylisseans want to do. Some of your Risen were captured in the south and the humans want to experiment on them. That's not the worst of it though."

"Y...eS?"

"Moth-er My Lady is acting strange. I think her memory is still funny because she's really trying to stop us. She convinced one of the more important humans to start taking action against Plegia. She wants to save the girl Plegia plans to use as ransom for that artifact you all want." I pause and catch my breath. "And on top of that, the humans are figuring out that dark mage's ploy. They've noticed her summoning small groups around border."

"Well then, seems like allying ourselves with those filthy insects was a waste after all," Letum rumbles all scary-like.

"It's not a total loss," I quickly add. "They haven't caught on that the main force is crossing the border. Give them three weeks and they'll probably be punching holes into Ylisse's feeble wall structure."

I spent several days scouting out the foundation around the main city for the human witch Aversa. The Ylisseans failed one of the most basic fundamentals of defensive strategy. They let their walls decay in several spots which not only allows for easy infiltration, but for great weak points to exploit with the right seige gear.

"I do not wish to wait three weeks for these fools to arrive. We are pushing the date of Ascension too close by waiting for them. We must extract the Great One as soon as possible. Acquiring the right amount of sacrifices is an easy enough feat with Pravitus here having full control of his abilities."

"Hm, not quite. These stones hardly allow me a tenth of my former splendor. There's only so much power it can handle before it bursts and makes my shifting useless." Pravitas sighs deeply. I then hear a wet squelching sound as he begins another part of his meal.

"Save your vanity for someone who cares Pravitas. All that matters is that Grima is returned to us as quick as possible. If we must start resorting to harsher methods then so be it."

My eyes go wide and I start to feel fear. I know the plans Letum speaks of. He proposed many different ones, most that involved hurting Mother somehow. I know her human shell will be useless later on but she still feels the pain when she's hurt. I saw that when Algidus' Risen tried to disable her legs to carry her off. Mother's scream was painful to hear and made my blood tremble.

Letum begins to speak again but I find myself running around Algidus, cutting him off with as mean a glare as I could muster. "You can't do that," I yell angrily. "There are plenty of other ways to get Mother without harming her. She doesn't know better."

Letum's golden eyes flare like stars as he stands. He towers over me and I have to stand very still so I don't back away. I have to be brave for Mother's sake.

So I hold myself together and bite hard on my lip to prevent the tears of pain from forming when Letum's hand strikes my face.

"Insolence," he rumbles like a deep earthquake, "will not be tolerated. You will do well to remember that I am the one the Great One placed in charge. I only accept your presence because you are useful to the cause."

I glare at the ground and say nothing. I dig so hard into my lip I can taste the metal and fire in my blood. I don't fear the pain. All that matters is protecting Mother.

"Pravitas. Don't." I hear Algidus protest. Her warning comes too late because I feel his thin fingers slide up my back and then around my neck.

"Give the child to me for a few hours Letum. I'll teach him some obedience. Maybe break a few bad habits too." He laughs and his breath smells like human blood. It makes my stomach turn. "I'll make sure you never defile Grima's name with the word "Mother" again."

Before I can even think up a plan to get away, I feel Pravitas slither back with a hiss of annoyance. The air whistles and something lands directly behind me where he once stood. A familiar spear is embedded in the ground. I was so distracted by the situation that I failed to sense the familiar figures nearby. The familiar scent of kin greets me with relief and I have to smile.

"Heyo Pervitas. Getting your creeper on again?"

Pravitas snarls. "Damnation, it's the other one."

The air crackles with the life energy of my sister as she enters into the grove.

The spear behind me goes taut as the chain on the end of it retracts, causing the whole weapon to disappear into the reeds. Beyond sight, I can feel Father's familiar aura humming from the shadows. He throbs with angered energy. That's a baaaad thing.

Marc's own spear is twirling casually in her hand. Her eyes start to brighten with anger despite the cheerful expression on her face. "Watcha grumps up to? Not picking fights with my brother I hope."

I wish I had my sister's spirit. She is brazen and knows no fear. Though perhaps that has to do with the fact that Father is near. Even Letum, strongest of Mother's advisors, knows to back down when the three of us are gathered as one.

Marc comes to a stop beside me, eyeing my face. Her smile falters. "Everything okay Echo?"

There's a hidden meaning behind her words, a shared bond between us as nest mates that allows us to understand the tiniest subtleties. "Want me to kill them?" is what she's really asking.

"I'm fine," I say with forced sincerity. As much as I would love to get away from Letum and Pravitas, we need them and their power. A good strategy can only be achieved if all the available resources are utilized.

Her eyes linger on my cheek and I can feel her pulse heighten. The grip around her spear tightens but she withholds her anger, instead playfully sticking out her tongue. "Alright, then."

"Good news!" She shouts while spinning around. "The Aversa lady sent us some assassins and they're in place as we speak. We can send them after Queenie when they evacuate the capitol as the army attacks. We'll snuff out all the enemy and get her Ladyship in one big swoop," she ends with a big thrust of her arm.

Algidus' teeth begin to chatter as she speaks, her body starting to freeze again. "S-see Letum. Not all news is bad t-t-today." She lifts an arm and holds shut her jaw from moving further.

"Indeed," he mutters, wrapping his long beard around his finger in contemplation. "And perhaps to our advantage as well." He looks to Tantibus.

"Tantibus, old friend. Do you recall Plegia's rather awful attempt at an assassination plan the first few times around?"

A long drawn out hiss imitating a laugh could be heard. "I...dO..."

"I believe it is time we revisit that plan. A chance to turn things to our advantage."

"YEsssss..."

"Letum. If you have a plan, then speak it. It does befit us to remain in the dark on such matters," Pravitas insists from a safe distance away. Of all the advisors, Pravitas fears Father the most and always maintains space between them.

Our leader just shakes his head. "Not yet. There is still too much left uncertain. Let us convene in two days hence and I shall describe to you then what I think. Grima may be within our hands soon enough if all goes according to plan."

"Truly? A tantalizing prospect, my friend. You leave me astir at the notion the Great One's soon-to-be return." Pravitas smiles in a way that once again causes me to feel worry. Marc mirrors my sentiments from the defensive stance she takes.

"What a sicko," she whispers to me. "I can't wait to get rid of him."

Arrangements are quickly ironed out and the group soon departs. Algidus is the only one to call to us before disappearing into the depths of the lake. Tantibus and Letum leave together into the depths of the wild while Pravitas boldly assumes his dragon form and leaves with his...dinner.

Now alone, Marc finally relaxes.

"I wish Mom would just eat them all already. Okay, maybe Algidus is an exception. The rest are just downright nasty."

She fiddles with her spear as she attaches it back into its holster. After doing so, she gives me a long look. "Watcha doing standing around like this for? I thought you hated this form?"

She's right, but there's little I can do about it. I thrust a bandaged hand into the inner pocket of my coat, gingerly grasping the contents so I don't irritate the burns on them. I produce the sad remains of my dragon stone.

"Oh no," she whimpers as she eyes the long crack running down the middle of it. "Is it broken?"

I nod, puffing out my right cheek in disappointment. "Stupid half-breed," I mutter while running my fingers over the marred surface. "If only I had the power that Mother has, I would have ripped that dumb manakete girl in two."

"Ew. Then you'd get guts and blood everywhere. Do you want to smell like a human?" Marc wrinkles her nose in disgust.

"No more than I already do," I pout.

"Boo hoo," Marc says with mock sadness as she wipes away non-existant tears. "You have like thiiiiiiis much human blood," she says while holding up her hand. Her pointer finger and thumb are held only a half inch apart.

"It's still human though."

She clucks her tongue. "So what? It's barely there at all. We both know how much you take after Mom. Both in looks and abilities. Why do you think I can't do your poofy-dragon thing? Boy, I wish I didn't take after Dad so much."

Marc and I feel a rumble through the ground and the cold in our veins stirs. She hops around and looks over at the partly emerged form of our father. He hovers in silence but we both know he's watching us from underneath his visor.

She gets on her tiptoes and waves at him. "Sorry Dad! You're still the best!"

While we get no physical response, the growing warmth inside of us is enough to know he hears.

"I wonder if he misses Mother like we do," my sister says in a hushed tone, switching to the tongue Mother taught us.

"Of course he does. You know Father's always been her favorite. She's never even raised a finger at him," I reply back in equal whisper. "How many times has she dangled us out a window? Ten, twenty?"

Marc scrunches her eyebrows together and tries to look serious."Well it would be less than that if you would stop trying to sneak pets into the our nest," she says.

"I get bored between missions," I argue back. "Mother keeps burning all the books humans made. What else can I do?"

"Not bring them home! Play with the creatures before you eat them. Maybe that will work."

I reach out and push Marc lightly back in frustration. "That's stupid. What kind of idea is that? Mother would be appalled."

"Hey, don't say that. That's mean," she hisses, her eyes starting to dilate in anger. Marc reaches out and, before I can dart away, grabs me by my hair.

"OW!" I howl in pain as she drags my head down. I flail my arms around, trying to grab ahold of her. My fingers catch the side of her hood and I yank it up. It flies over her head and I pull it down over her eyes.

"Jerk!" She wails as she tries to beat off my grip with her other arm.

"Moron!" I respond back as I poke her hard in the ribs.

"NAGA LOVER!" We both yell at the same time as we fall over in a heap. My stupid sister keeps yanking my hair. My scalp feels like it's on fire. In revenge, I keep poking her even harder in the ribs causing her to squeak in pain.

My bones rattle as a heavy tremor vibrates through them. I immediately let go of Marc. As I do so, something latches on to my coat and pulls me up. Aw nuts. This isn't good.

I peek up sheepishly to find father's red gaze burning into us like hot coals. Oops...

"Hi Dad," Marc says with strained cheer. "You need something?"

His eyes flit to her and she shrinks back into her hood. I can hear the heavier rasp of his breathing and the heightened throb of his pulse. Father has long stopped speaking since Pravitas ripped his tongue out. It got worse when he broke Father fully a few days later. He didn't speak or move at all then. I never saw Mother so upset before. When she was done with him, Pravitas was almost a pulpy mash. She left Marc and I alone for four days! Four long and lonely days!

But when she came back on the fifth day, Father wasn't broken anymore!

He was a little scary at first but he was so much stronger! He was really skinny and didn't move that much before, not that Mother ever let him leave his room to do anything. But when she fixed him, he got all better! He would walk right behind Mother without any fuss and would protect us when the humans would attack.

I think sometimes he still has problems. Every once in a while he would have a hard time fighting. It's like his joints lock up and he'll refuse to move. It happens a lot when fighting, especially with these Ylisse people. I wonder if they scare him? They did try to kill Mother and us after all. He always got better after Mother gave him some encouragement, just like us!

We both get a threatening shake and then are placed back on the ground. Father doesn't like when we argue. Mother though, she says that his opinion is weak and we should always fight to strengthen ourselves. It's confusing sometimes but we do our best to serve.

Father watches us with his intense gaze and we know that we have to apologize to one another.

Marc draws her hands behind her back and shuffles on her feet. "Fiiiine. Sorry I pulled your hair."

I pull at the end of my sleeve and look away as well. "And I'm sorry I poked you."

Mother hates if we apologize. She hates "manners," as Father called them. But he taught us secretly whenever Mother would be away. That and a lot of other things! Like how to eat with a fork and how to whistle. It's just a secret between us he would say. Something Mother must neeeever know about. Some days I wish we could tell her though. I feel like it would make us more like a family.

Family. That's probably my favorite word in the world.

Father told us that's what we are after all. Mother never calls us that. She didn't call us anything at all to be honest. Father was the one who gave us our names and he was the one who told us we were "brother" and "sister." He really likes it when we call each other that, and when we call him Father. I would love to call Mother by her name as well but she'd never like that. She'd probably throw me through a wall again. Or maybe worse. It took forever for Algidus to heal my thumb back on my hand.

Oh well, that's Mother though. It's just another lesson learned. That's what she always says. And if I want to be like her someday, I have to learn some stuff the hard way!

The wind blows our way and with it brings new scents. Pegasi. And humans.

"Uh oh," I murmur as I look to the sky. "I think there's a patrol nearby."

Marc inclines her head and looks around as well. "Well that stinks," she whines. "I guess we have to go back to the cave then."

"I guess so."

Father's form ripples as he moves all quick back to the shadows. He reforms again to pull up his spear from the ground. He continues to wait under the shade for us to join him.

The scent grows stronger so they must be coming this way. "They're closing in fast. We should go Marc."

"Alright Morgan," she sighs.

"It's Echo," I pout. "I said I wanted you to use my super-awesome dragon name!"

"Well duh, of course I do, when you're a dragon. But you're not a dragon right now, are you?" she says before sticking her tongue out.

"Don't be like that!" I groan. "Just always call me that. All dragons have cool names! No one wants to hear about the ferocious tale of Morgan the Dread Dragon!"

Marc loops her arm around mine and starts dragging me away. "I still like Morgan better. That's what Dad picked for you after all."

"But Mother calls me her little echo. I prefer that."

"Well you won't be called anything but dead if we don't make it back to the cave before that patrol comes around. So come on!" she says pulling harder.

I hate that we have to keep hiding from these humans. They used to quake in fear whenever we appeared. Now, all we do is run.

I miss Mother.

Letum better finish his plan soon. All I want is to get Mother back and help her get better. Then everything will be like it was before.

Don't worry Mother! We're coming for you soon!

A/N: Happy October readers! That means a month full of creepy movies and spooky events where I'm at! So, to kick off the season, here's a quick and somewhat creepy chapter focusing on the villains behind the scenes along with a few other treats. Hope you enjoy :)

Review Responses -

When the Moon Met the Sun - One of my favorite things about writing is having the freedom to expand and add new things to the plot. Given the theme of divergence going on, new shenanigans are a given. There's some hefty things that went on behind the scenes so there's plenty of new things left to discover! You know, I never even thought about Owaine's fantasy ranting complimenting his uncle's hero worshipping. But hey, if that's what runs in the family blood then even better!

xShurikenx - Yeah other Robin did have a bit of a breakdown there. She's certainly got rage geared toward him, but what for? That's for you all to discover later ;) And yes Lucina did say that. Combined with this chapter, I think you can get a better idea of how much crap Robin's in for.

I do agree with you, Chrom is probably just endearingly naïve, based on what his supports imply. I simply took it to the next level in describing why he's so bent on sticking up for Robin and trying to make her work in the Shepherds. It adds some new layers to their relationship as it evolves.

timewastin - Good gravy, I totally did not mean for that Star Wars quote. I just say that in real life and didn't think anything of it when I popped it in, ha! As for your observances, if it seems like something isn't being made obvious to her yet, it's probably my own pacing as a writer. As much as I'd like to have a giant brainstorm chapter, I try to break up the revelations with progress to the plot. I won't say Robin's alleged declaration of betrayal from Chrom was romantic or even valid. She's an unreliable narrator and there's a lot of different things that can send a person into such a fit of anger. There will be some time skips of course, especially with travel segments and whatnot. As for Robin's skill level, she pretty much started off as Donnel and is progressing steadily faster as she trains offscreen with Frederick. She can hold her own probably in a one on one fight with a footpad, she just hasn't had the chance to show it off. Soon though, soon. Thank you for the musings though, totally validated.

Amplifyingly Loud - Hi again! Ha, ha, thank you for the compliments. Things have been a bit tense lately but that's a theme in this arc as we start to uncover certain truths. And you hit the nail on the head, this was definitely about bringing some scope into the life of this other Robin and what things were like for her. There's still plenty of uncertainties and a long story that's led up to this point. As for shippy things, yes there are hints of some darker things. Lucina did say some cycles were pretty bad. Luckily the present is full of fluff. Yay. We'll try to keep it that way!

Marronn - I'm totally going to be evil and admit that that's the sort of response I was hoping for. A jarring, creepy feeling. I love me some mood whiplash. Luckily with Rune Factory you get Dolce to ease the fear out of you at the end. Not so much here. I hope you don't read this chapter in the dark, this is far worse in my opinion!

Ah yes, poor Chrom. Poor guy doesn't know Grima isn't the only one after him. He's going to be enemy number one amidst the bad guys of this game if this trend continues.

Frederick probably does have a secret stash of pictures somewhere. They just aren't of Maribelle ;)

Alucard45 - Yeah, Robin started to break a little under the pressure even if she wasn't fully realizing it yet. Given only a few children were erased at the time of that memory, she was only in one of the mid-cycles at that point. So you can imagine how much worse it probably got further on. Yeesh.

Ah ha ha! Very good questions. The severity of the mark hasn't really hit Robin that bad yet because it hasn't done anything to affect her yet aside from the obvious knowledge of what it stands for. That's probably going to change very soon by the looks of this chapter...

White Rose Phantom - Greetings! Thanks for reading! I'm glad you find the changes compelling! Heh, Chrom and Robin are definitely the popular pairing around here so feel free to add in your vote. If they do end up together, it'll definitely be different. That's for sure! Not what I planned anyway but hey, that's what improvisation is for :)

faolae -The orange thing! I forgot about the orange thing! Oh man, I need to bring back Anneliese. Story time!

Anomalies. Anomalies everywhere! Also Maribelle kicking copious amounts of butt. I have glorious plans for that parasol of hers. I just need to get her here! (Glad you like the tiny speck of SumiaxStahl!)

BrowncoatJedi - Aw, thanks for reviewing twice. I'm glad you liked Chapter 17. It was meant to be a sort of filler/omake chapter to just have fun and chill with all the Shepherds. I don't know where the potato thing came from. Sometimes I just write and stuff happens. Blame the characters! Ha, the Bobbette part was my favorite. I planned it back when Bob was mentioned and was dying to write it.

For Chapter 18: Yes Princess Bride reference was done. The fact that you're the only one to catch that is inconceivable! Sorry, that needed to be done :I

I won't say anything on the books. Revel in the mystery! The cards though are definitely from the DLC. Essentially you can summon any past Fire Emblem character into existence as an aid on the battlefield. There's going to be some throwbacks into past lore and Marth is a small part of it.

A Shadow's Lament - Oh believe me, Chrom is still a super naïve royal bumpkin. I just developed his sudden admiration toward her a little bit more. Chrom starts off as the archetype of the chivalrous, innocent prince who thinks the world is full of glory and bad guys who are all one-track minded thieves and evil-doers. That's why I had Flavia comment on his idyllic behavior early on. His naïve belief in black and white, heroes and villains stems from his dreams and sheltered upbringing.

I'm glad you like the strategy! There's more where that came from. Frightening as it is to research and write, I feel like the only accurate way to portray a tactician is to describe them in full detail of their element! Tricky thing it is though.

Feel free to believe whateeeeever you want to in regards to other Robin's angsting. You'll all find out soon enough why things went down the toilet. And don't feel bad about feeling some sympathy, she did imply she was betrayed badly. The best villains are sympathetic in some sort of way. It's what makes them human.

Titan127 - Thank you! The promotion was much needed. As for the response, I still do believe Chrom is, as you put it, not as sharp as Falchion. I just wanted to expand on the oddly attached devotion he seems to have acquired so quickly for the avatar. And yep, a lot of new info is coming to light. The question is, can Robin handle it? Luckily she does have friendships, like Sumia and Miriel, to hopefully help her through. Given they don't die horribly somehow...

TheGiantRock - It is a bit of an interesting notion, isn't it. It's a reverse foil to Robin's initial reaction to the characters with her "Holy crap fictional characters I love came to life" attitude. There's a bizarre sense of wonderment from both sides that fuelled different responses. Anyway, glad you're still reading along! The twists will only continue forward! Tally ho!