Cycle

by RoseWarden

Robin is a young woman who bakes cakes during the day, sleeps at night, and drinks on weekends. She does not wage wars, fight demons, or solve dating issues. Yet, somehow by divine mistake, she's found herself doing just that. Clearly, someone has her confused with another Robin...

44. Chapter 44

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

Warnings for violence and all that jazz

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Chapter 44

"Surely you are jesting," Frederick mutters over the edge of his gauntlet, staring at the ragtag ensemble behind me.

"Does it look like I am?" I counter smugly. Twirling around, I throw open both arms to display my fine assortment of fighters. They all glare back with a resilient fire, makeshift weapons out to display the fresh gore still coating them from the path we cut to the barracks. Not one person we stumbled across found mercy at the hands of those who were scorned.

Through the crowd, one tall body emerges. A part of the mob follows the leader as they assemble before the army's general beside Frederick and I. The elderly female salutes him causing Eldaran to remove his helmet and bolster it under one arm.

"Call me a son of Grima," he utters in surprise, saluting only partly. "Captain Tamrin, you old hag. What are you doing still alive?"

Eldaran's amused laughter is only softened by his delight to see the leathery-faced woman. He breaks formality and approaches her with a one-handed shake of greeting, clasping her hand to his chest after the exchange. "The scouts called your whole squad dead when Risen swarmed you at a pass!"

The captain exchanges a similar set of motions before the two break apart. Her southern accent is thick. "Ya think ya'd know me better than that, boy! Them Risen weren't no Risen, and this ol' gal ain't dead 'til the rooster starts a crowin' at dusk."

"No shit," he laughs again. "I should have expected such from my old mentor. What's a few Plegians going to do to Dame Tamlin of Creever's Bay?"

"Piss 'er off is what," Tamlin grumbles, a thin whistle trailing between the gap in her teeth. "Got my whole squad captured. Found out them Plegians were holdin' more of our own, plus a few o' them feisty Feroxi." She jerks her head back over her shoulder to where the surviving faces of our rescued warriors stand. Under all the grime and wear, there's a clear look of relief to be back with their own.

"Been barely keeping 'em together. 'nother week or so and I'd have lost 'em. Broken spirits and all," she grits out in malice.

"To think there had been prisoners kept captive here for all these months," my fellow Shepherd utters in disgust with the shake of his head. "Abominable."

"There were plenty more of us before. Small groups of us have been shipped out before this, them poor sods," the old veteran woefully adds.

"Shipped out?"

"Sold off, boy! Open yer ears!" Tamlin cracks, wrapping the side of her skull. "They've been runnin' a slave racket right under yer noses. We're what's left."

"By Naga's name!" Frederick recoils at the revelation.

"We left some of the prisoners behind in the city center. Some were too inexperienced to help, others too malnourished. Everyone here, warrior or not, is fighting voluntarily," I add.

Tamlin spits at the ground and rolls dust over it with her boot in an old-fashioned Ylissean tradition for luck. "We're a single battle from freedom. Ya damn well better believe we ain't givin' in without a fight."

Eldaran looks her up and down, then over the mob behind her. "From the story you just told me, I think you've all done enough. Taking out a chunk of one mercenary band and hunting down others along the way is plenty. It's protected our back and cut down the number of bodies."

His mentor steps up and presses the side of her face toward his so one intensely challenging eye bores into him. "Just cause ya wear the fancy title o' General now don't mean you can boss me 'round, short stack. My blade ain't bloody enough to call it a night just yet. I doubt anyone else do either."

"It isn't about the numbers, Dame Tamlin," Frederick states as he gathers his wits together over the last shock. "It is quite clear we've gained the advantage there."

"So what is the problem?" I ask.

"The barracks are," a voice says behind me.

Lucina steps into our little circle after having checked in with a healer. She carries a look even more morbid than her usual self. Great.

"Lady Marth." Frederick greets the princess with a respectful bow of his head. "You seem well enough now."

"I am able," she responds tersely. The conversation ends and a silence settles over everyone. Apparently I haven't caught wind of just what's up with the barracks.

"What's going on? What did I miss?"

Both the general of the army and the Shepherd's lieutenant have grown somber. My alarm heightens further as Lucina voices her new found knowledge of the battle.

"Do you not notice anyone missing?" she gestures. "Would you not think our own captain to arrive and meet us after succeeding in our part of the plan?"

"You've spoken with Princess Lissa then, I take it." Eldaran flinches visibly, his gaze flickering to the wall. "We have a minor situation that could probably, or actually, be a big one. Maybe. We aren't sure yet."

"It is a problem," Frederick glares, drawing up at full height. "A dangerous issue."

"Chrom? Maribelle?" I gasp, the facts finally falling into place. I frantically look around for any familiar signs of them. "The others?"

"The enemy has retreated into the inner sanctum of the walls. All entrances between the length of the gatehouse and far east tower have been blocked. They are barricading themselves inside, utilizing the weapons up top against us," the great knight gravely continues.

True to his word, the unmistakeable tinge of a magical barrier runs over the entry doors to the barracks. Many of the windows are either shuddered or filled with the pointy end of an aimed arrow. More warriors stand up top, protected by the natural ledge of the wall.

"As far as the reports go, the Duchess and whomever accompanied her have yet to descend from the wall. We're afraid the Plegian forces locked down their position before they could escape," Eldaran concludes grimly, leaving us all in an uneasy state. Lucina looks the worst of all, her tightly fixed gaze burning into the stonework.

I was afraid we were going to run out of time but it seems like things went the opposite way. My group was able to proceed just fine, but the enemy moved into the safety of the wall too quickly to allow Maribelle's group to escape.

Tamlin's reputation supersedes her need for respect toward the young general and she freely shakes him by the front of his shirt, much to the horror of the army members behind her. The captain's accent deepens with her anger. "Eldaran ya dumb crackpot! Why didn'cha send a retrieval unit immediately after the signal was fired?"

"I did! Ironhold's offense is as noted as their defense. I lost six fliers against their ballista trying to find an opening to set down in," Eldaran stutters out as he wobbles back and forth. He catches her arms and manages to still Tamlin's motions. He points to the closest tower and the war machine mounted inside of it. It sets off a magical blast toward the army below. It shatters against the top of a barrier, causing the magic to flicker and break under the pressure of the spell. While no one looks hurt, the spell's been drained and the clerics behind it no doubt shaken.

"Dame Tamlin, you have my word. The general has done all in his power to attempt a rescue." Frederick steps in to separate them, offering his own sincere opinion. "As have I."

"For the moment, we have no need to fear the worst has happened," Lucina explains with more control than I could, causing us all to turn to her. "Had the enemy already discovered their identities, we would assuredly have received some news by now. Given their positions of power, my brother and the duchess would be the perfect hostage tokens to use against us."

The elderly survivor beside me must sense my immediate urge to climb the wall barehanded because Tamlin presses a firm grip on my shoulder to keep me rooted. "I wouldn't just go bargin' about all impulsive like, young'un. Runnin' in trumpeting left an' right for the prince and his fellas is just gonna send the enemy lookin' too. Best to keep this as quiet as possible."

I feel as rigid and powerless as Frederick must feel. It's not a good state to be in. "That's...that's a good point," I grind out between clenched teeth.

"And rightly so."

"Alerting the enemy isn't the major problem in my eyes," Eldaran says. "I can mount a large scale attack near wherever they may be. While we've got the Plegians caught up in the madness of the initial attack, it won't be hard for a specific advance party to break away and commence a search."

"And what of our other issue, General? The reason we cannot amount that large scale assault you spoke of?" Sir Frederick the Killjoy announces.

"No need to remind me of those blasted weapons up top." A flaming fireball from what I guess to be an elfire spell explodes into the ground, sending up screams as bodies fly. We recoil from the burst, smoke stinging our eyes. Eldaran lowers a protective arm and glares furiously. "Damn it! What are you clerics standing around for? Why aren't you holding up those barriers?"

The floundering in the ranks causes him to curse under his breath. He breaks into a backwards trot throwing orders to us as he retreats.

"Listen, if you Shepherds can come up with a plan, I'm at your disposal. But my job means I have to keep these louts from going belly-up while taking this keep! I need you to do what you do best while I control the masses."

His mentor watches with a fond crack of her lips. She gives a slight nod of approval before it's masked away turning her into the crotchety old woman from before. "Maybe if they were trained better they wouldn't be found hangin' with their pants round their ankles!"

"Quit gabbing and help me get some proper revenge on your behalf, Tamlin!"

He gives a quick order for all the survivors and recovered warriors still willing to fight to follow after him. Those in need of a healer remain while the majority eagerly follow, the taste of victory just within reach for them.

Eldaran's going to have plenty of people to win the battle at this point. My group has thinned out a fair number while reinforcing our own with these survivors. But all that is for moot if the enemy destroys them with those machines up top. The clerics and mages attempting to protect us can only go for so long before exhaustion leaves us vulnerable. I have no doubt we might still overcome the Plegians and mercenaries if forced to scale the wall ourselves. But we'll lose too much in that course of action. We need every last man and woman to fight Plegia and that means conserving our own troops.

Then of course there's the issue with our trapped cohorts inside. A plan that's even more risky to pursue with no true safe spot to enter. The top of the wall will be the only entry point we can utilize with all doors blocked and windows too small to shimmy through.

We need to find some way to fight fire with fire. Magic with magic.

A flare catches the corner of my eye. Nowi stands opposite us beside her daughter who is currently nursing a good gash in her side from where a spear had been wedged earlier on. While the healer works on the younger, the elder manakete tries to distract Nah with casual displays of fire she spits out like watermelon seeds.

Hm.

I count the towers hassling us. Five total that are split between two magic ballista and three customized machines that shoots multiple arrow shafts at a time instead of one large bolt.

We have two manaketes. Nowi and Nah both have a natural resistance to magic and the smaller arrows won't do much against their scales. After witnessing the initial reactions of fear the enemy gave off on their appearance, they've got a nice demoralizing fear factor around them. I think utilizing our friends can work in our favor here!

"Hey Marth?" I greet coyly, sliding up beside her.

She starts to ask what I want but pauses upon seeing my mischievous grin. I innocently look around at no one in particular as if debating some great mystery. "Gee, don't you think it's going to take a lot of force to bring those weapons down?"

"I would assume so," she enunciates slowly, staring dubiously at my attempt to look deep in thought.

"Yeah, something really powerful with a strong enough coat to withstand the force of those weapons. I think that's what we need." I emphasize the 'strong' and 'coat' before making an obvious eye shift toward where Nowi stands dancing around Nah's resting form.

Lucina doesn't take the bait and continues to stare blankly at me.

Okay, let's try going more obvious.

"Something swift enough to outmaneuver the constant barrage?"

More staring.

"Something with the ability to blow magical fire and incinerate them for good?"

At this point Frederick is starting to connect the dots, staring between us and the two manaketes nearby. Nowi's ears slip out from behind a few tresses of pale green hair giving away her species. The great knight looks ready to lose his lunch over the revelation that two manaketes are now in the presence of the army.

"Something that-"

"Why are you speaking so oddly?" Lucina finally snaps.

I slap a palm to my face, nearly screaming. "For crêpe's sake, Marth! I'm talking about the dragons! Use Tiki and Nowi to take on the weapons! Their hide is tough enough to withstand the attacks!"

"Oh." Lucina tilts her head in confusion, voice hard with disbelief. "Why did you not say so to begin with? Your use of riddles was unnecessary."

"It wasn't..." I exhale and give a defeated wave. "Forget it."

"It is a worthwhile idea. With both manaketes in the air at once, it will make it much harder for the enemy to stay locked upon one target."

"If I may interject," Frederick interrupts. "I am aware you are using the plural form of manakete. Would you both care to explain how that young lady over there has come to our services?"

"She was among the people enslaved at the keep's center. One of the mercenary leaders bought her as a trophy. Once liberated, she decided to help us. Need I say more?" I answer.

"That child was...?" Frederick's own inability to want to think further on that prospect causes his tongue to still. As one of the most upstanding, chivalrous men I know, the notion of what he sees as a child being abused as she was is really causing his self-control to be pushed to the limit. Frederick follows the old knight's code of chivalry very seriously, to the point of others calling him old-fashioned. Harm towards the elderly, women, and children is something all knights were expected to uphold. Of course Nowi is no kid, though I doubt that will make a difference to him.

I let out a shrill whistle and beckon over the bouncing ball of mass destruction. "Nowi, c'mere a sec!"

Nowi pats Nah politely on the head, causing the other to slink away in rejection of the juvenile treatment. Skipping over, the newest manakete stops partway to scratch at her scalp. Her fingers rake through her wild hair before she pulls her hand out and flicks away what looks like a human ear.

"Yeeeeeeeeees?" she prances up, her stained teeth displayed in a grisly smile of welcome.

Frederick chokes in surprise at the girl's nonchalance. Her chipper behavior is a contrast to the blood and gristle on her clothes.

I lean down at the waist to meet her at eye level. Exchanging an equally bright grin, I tempt her with the bait. "Nowi, how's a game of aerial tag sound?"

The magical spark in her eyes glows brighter as she vigorously claps her hands together. Her giggle is more of a reptilian growl that bubbles up from the center of her chest. "Oooo. Nowi likes the sound of this! Tell me, tell me!"

---

I can't even hear the sound of Caeda's retreat as I run with a pathetic whine all the way to the safety of a nearby supply cove. Magic, fire, and projectiles clash in the eruption of battle occurring. Somewhere behind me, Nowi's powerful shriek of laughter turns even more maniacal after a large eruption occurs. Ylisse is putting up as aggressive a push as it can to breach the defenses. Nowi and Nah taking to the air was an unexpected aid the enemy wasn't expecting. I have the relief of knowing our ground troops are no longer being battered as harshly as they were before by the active towers.

But being up top is a whole other story!

I hold my tome over my head and dig both heel deeply into the stonework for a greater burst of speed.

"I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die!"

The nearest tower follows Nah's path of flight as she dips down to attack two wyvern riders ganging up on our people. The mechanical crank in the tower causes it to vibrate with life. The weapon up top swivels around and spits out a black swarm of arrows. She diverts her path quickly and dips down flying over the wall to lose it. The projectiles follow after her, peppering the top of the wall in front of me with dozens of arrows. I rapidly scramble to retreat only to be thrown backward from an impact overhead. I hit the ground with a grunt, tome falling away. The thunder tome lies pinned together by two arrows. It glows bright yellow and sparks begin to climb and crawl over the cover in tiny arcs. They let off bluish-white pops of light as smoke puffs rise up. It shorts out a moment later leaving it a useless sizzling stack of papers.

I find two arms reaching under my own to lift me quickly off the ground. I have no time to gather my balance as Frederick pulls me over to safety. I release my held breath knowing cover from the roof protects me from the elements outside.

Frederick helps me to my feet, the barest hint of humor in his otherwise stern features. "You still breathe. Outstanding."

I brush rubble out of the creases of my coat, offering a wry smile. "Charming as ever Frederick."

The exchange earns a bare flit of a returned smile before Frederick falls back into all business mode. "It took longer than I would have liked for you to arrive. The others have been waiting. For our aerial units, it seems the towers have relented only slightly on their pressure."

We're in a precarious balance. The full strength of the army has been split so our numbers aren't as great as they could be. The Feroxi could spare even less with most still traveling with Flavia. The vast majority are ground infantry and knights who don't fair all that well against this tall, heavily fortified wall system. The aerial units we do have are trying their best to transport teams up top and still play offense, all while flying in the early morning darkness. They're among the only ones who can reach the mages keeping up barriers around the towers. Until they fall, Nowi and Nah's flames seem to only bounce off the magical screens.

"They are not causing enough of a distraction as we would have liked. Progress has been minimal," Frederick remarks in dissatisfaction.

"Don't forget, we've only just started."

"And yet our death toll still grows," he reminds me.

Whatever he plans to say next is lost in a shout for cover as he pulls me down and away from the small window we've been observing through. The whole abode shakes as debris slams into it. Ash and cinders burst through the gap from a magical blast right outside. We both cough through the black smoke. Frederick waves a heavily armored arm back and forth to dispel the lingering cloud. He undrapes himself from the protective stance he's taken over me and dares a glance through the window.

"That was close," I gasp out, my throat now dry from the heat.

"Are you well?"

"Fine. Thanks."

He nods and help me to my feet. "We cannot remain here for long. This structure will not stand under a direct hit from another blast like that."

"You're right," I grimace. "Just tell me where to meet the others."

We decided to split the Shepherds into two groups, a small one to recover our missing friends and the rest to attempt a breach on the inside. I packed on as much offense as I could afford to carry. No doubt I would be facing some crazy opposition inside.

"Princess Lissa arrived just before you, marking yourself the last member of the retrieval team to arrive. They wait just beyond. I will take you there, then you will lead them to the west wing. I will meet with the rest of the Shepherds and we will work internally to break down the defenses. Both teams have already opened their points of access. All that remains is the commencement of our objectives."

"Are you going to be okay running all the way back to the others alone? The infiltration team is all the way over-"

I take one very long look at him slowly mulling over the words he just stated.

"If all is in our favor, you will return with the others swiftly. We will be able to take these towers and entrances down before dawn breaks if at full strength. If not, the added benefit of morning's light may give us the edge we need."

"Frederick, not to waste more time but," I ask hesitantly, "were the words 'you,' 'lead,' and 'team' all used in the same directive, or am I hearing things?"

He shows no change in emotion compared to my growing horror. He states this as if it were an agreed upon fact. "You heard correct. I am placing you in charge of the group dedicated to recovering the prince, duchess, and their cohorts. I, meanwhile, must oversee the others team's exploits."

Is he joking? We never agreed on this! Then again, we never agreed really on who was leading any team. But I figured I would be on the opposite team given how absolutely crucial saving and keeping alive both a prince of the realm and a duchess was.

"Frederick." I eye him in warning, challenging his decision.

He stares back answering just as thinly. "Robin."

I feel like exploding. How is the importance of this matter not fazing him? "This is an integral mission! Someone like you needs be in charge of something so delicate."

"While I will not deny that my duty to protecting the royal family is paramount, I am in charge of the Shepherds should milord be absent. I must, in this moment, delegate in a manner that is most beneficial to all parties." Frederick attempts to seem more supportive than authoritative as he places both hands on each of my shoulders. His intense expression makes me feel even more nervous than not however. "Think on this Robin. You are the one with access to a map capable of locating milord and the others in this unknown setting. What could take me hours to search through room by room, you may do in a short time. The odds of yourself locating our missing comrades is a higher probability than my own."

Crap, he has me there.

"The team is small and requires stealth, not combat. Decision making will be less intense for one such as yourself among so few figures to guide. Of the two of us, you are far more suited to this than I."

A cold, icy grip of fear clenches my lungs making it hard to breath. "Me? Suited to lead a rescue mission whose target is two of the most prestigious figures in our country? You are placing their safety in my hands?"

He simply nods.

I break away from him and take a step back, waving my hands wildly in protest. "Nope. No, that is...No! Why? Are you even...No!"

A hint of impatience lights in his eyes as he crosses both arms over his chest. "Robin, I do not have the time to argue this. You are the next in command of the Shepherds after myself and the responsibility falls to you. It is your duty to do this."

Could I do this? Yes. Should I? Of course! But...this mission isn't just about anyone. These are my friends. The only family I have here.

"Frederick..."

A bitter taste of past failure causes my tongue to go thick and my stomach to sour.

"Is this really the best time to try and put me in charge of something? I mean, I haven't had enough practice and the last time was a mess and...and..."

Gone is supportive Frederick. Now, looming over me bare inches from my face, is the Frederick who taught me everything so far with hard lessons and pushed boundaries. It takes every bit of my pride to stand straight and eye-to-eye with him.

"Have we not had this discussion before?" He speaks, halfway in disappointment and halfway in accusation. "You will not overcome your limitations if you continue to run from them. Experience is the only way to achieve growth. Did you not tell me you would surmount your past failures? There will be times such as now where milord and I cannot take lead of specific situations. The task will fall to you and the Shepherds to your command. Or, have you forgotten the responsibility that comes with this title?"

"I know I did!" I find myself yelling forcefully. I'm mad not at him but the inner doubts that linger even after I told myself a hundred times I'd do better the next time. "Just...how can you not be afraid of taking direct control of such important lives or let the fear take hold that your inexperience could cost them?"

"Do you care for your fellow Shepherds?" Frederick asks sternly.

"What?"

"Do their lives mean as much to you as you claim them to be? Does milord's?"

"I..." If there's one thing I was sure of, it was this. These people did mean everything to me. The guilt festering in my heart like a sore wound was evidence of that.

"Yes," I answer dimly, averting my eyes.

"And did you not swear to put their lives before your own? To serve as a shield to the royal family in trying times?"

"Yes!" I state stronger than before, even if his questions confuse me. "Why even ask me something like that?"

He places a hand under my chin and forces me to look him in the eye. The gesture isn't rough or forceful. It's by far the gentlest thing he's done in this moment.

"I ask to show why I trust you with this role. Why you must trust yourself in this endeavor. For if these people mean that much to you, if this promise to yourself is true, then there is no way that you will allow them to perish. Every ounce of your being will go into achieving the victory of your mission because you know you cannot break those promises."

I blink at him, accepting these words he's offered. He's right, isn't he? If I really did give a damn about these people, I wouldn't be sitting here thinking about all the ways I was going to fail. I can't fail. I won't fail. I promised Lucina no more of her loved ones lost.

"Do you understand?" Frederick asks firmly.

I clench my eyes shut and forcefully swallow all the negativity. Every last ounce of doubt, fear, and lingering failure. Of course it wouldn't be like me to accept defeat so readily from old Frederick. It feels like I'm cracking my skin in the way I force on challenging grin.

"You're insane for doing this," I rebuke him, not directly giving him the satisfaction of his win. "Don't blame me when I come back saying I told you so."

He lets out a chuckle that comes from deep within. He steps back with a smugness that shows he knows he won this little spat. "On the contrary, Robin. It will be you who comes to me in thanks for this valuable lesson in self worth."

Okay, good feelings gone after that little jab. I try to reach up and flick his nose in annoyance but he deftly blocks my hand away. "I hate you," I sulk.

He ignores the remark and takes an experimental peek from outside of our space. Frederick points to a spot farther down from us that we designated the safest entry point for the retrieval team.

"The rest of the team lies in wait for you. Meet with them and make your plans. You will be on your own to secure the way through with our people focused on the center and east expanse."

"Wonderful," I mumble.

Before I can take a step, he stops me with an outstretched arm.

"Most importantly," he continues with genuine care, "have faith in yourself. Miriel and I have taught you well. Use what we have instructed to carry you to victory tonight."

Ouch, goes right for the jugular, doesn't he? But it's effective. I'll remember that.

It isn't long before I'm elbow deep in the final discussions with the retrieval team. Aside from myself and Lon'qu, the team has every member of the royal family involved. All were too stubborn to sit out of the mission involving the rescue of their brother/father/uncle. With Maribelle also in the midst, Lissa made sure Frederick knew she was going even when he wanted one noble to stay put for the sake of a potential succession crisis. Due to difficulty landing, I was the last to arrive. In the time before that, the team had secured their immediate area and hunkered down impatiently. To my surprise, it seemed like everyone knew I was already in charge. Frederick must have told them ahead of time.

Our entry point is a tiny hatch located on the left wing between one active and one in active tower. It's the hardest place to reach by the other towers, the least populated, and least likely to be protected with Eldaran distracting the main force using his frontal assault. To our luck, there were very few guards at all between us and the hatch.

"Right," I say with a deep breath. Find that courage Robin! "Well then. Looks like we should get moving."

The courage is short lived as another rolling wave of anxiety flips my insides about.

As I try not to bend over with my head between my knees, Owain voices his own concern with a direct point of his blade toward the world around us. "We shan't tarry a moment more, fearless leader. The night grows ever dangerous the longer we remain in one place. One never knows when the enemy may leap from shadows with knife alight in murderous fury."

"We all know where we're going, right? The entrance is before that inactive tower there. The debris flying around is what I fear most. It's hard to see anything in the dark right now. We move together and don't stop just like Chris said, understand?"

There's a uniform agreement from everyone around me. An equal eagerness to get going shows in the way my comrades shift about with the nervous tapping of digits and sloppy practice swings. Gathering ourselves up, we wait a moment for a clear in the skies before making a run for it.

"Remember, one body ahead just around the corner," I yell, identifying the hiding enemy I discovered on the map.

In surprise, the same isolated man I called out peers in shock from his hiding place. He reacts to the fact of a threat faster than he does recognizing the extent of the danger he's put himself in. I can see the realization of his error on his face as he raises his bow.

"Over here!" Lon'qu growls out in a taunt behind us. He rushes past at remarkable speed, hand clamped tightly over the sword at his hip. Grabbing the archer's attention, he pulls off a decent distraction to allow Chris to move past him.

The archer looks ready to soil himself with legs quaking at the sight of the swordsman speeding at him. He raises a notched arrow and pulls back to let out a hurried shot. Lon'qu moves with extreme ease drawing his blade with inhuman speed. Somehow stopping just right, he whips his sword out and slices at the wobbling projectile. He cuts the head right off it allowing the two pieces to fall apart at his feet.

Further on, Owain closes the distances on the archer. His footwork echoes his father's. Aside from being equally fast, there's a subtle way to how the boy weaves with each step. It makes it hard to read his potential entrance into combat with the way he sways. I only notice this because I spent many long hours studying Lon'qu's...battle stance...

Otherwise, the Chon'sin discipline could be easily lost to the dominant Ylissean sword handling. The way Owain holds his blade and strikes is very much in line with how Chrom and Frederick both fight. Having been Lissa's son, it's no surprise he trained equally with his maternal kin.

Owain dispatches the archer moments later. Both his and Lon'qu's quick work allows us girls to escape unscathed. However, our battle continues on. Three more archers pop up from around the small stone abode that protects the entrance to the inner passages.

I place a hand on my own sword only to be rebuked by Owain, who throws out a hand in pause toward me.

"Allow us, fair maidens!" He boasts loudly. Twirling his sword up to a battle ready stance, he stares challengingly over the edge of his blade at the man who would become his father. "Shall we dispatch the enemy together, oh peerless master of the blade?"

Lon'qu looks down his nose at the boy clearly in discomfort of the adulation leaking from every pore on Owain's body. He quirks a brow and raises the corner of his lip in confusion. With a wordless shake of the head, he regains his seriousness.

"Don't get in my way." A typical surly response from our resident stoic. But for a boy starved of his father's attention, those five words were gold.

"Fiends, taste our fury!" With a triumphant war cry, Owain charges forward with renewed spirit. He lets Lon'qu take the lead and is always a second behind in his attacks. Owain has always got an eye on his father taking in every action as if it were some foreign sight to behold.

The three archers don't stand a chance against the meticulous blade work of both swordsmen. They lay in a heap, skin cut to red ribbons mere seconds later in an alluring display of mastery. Okay. So I know I said I was going to leave Lon'qu alone but just this one last time I'm going to ogle. Cause hot damn! I have no idea why, but that power play was something else. Watching him run his hand through his messy hair while standing about all muscular and aloof is stupidly attractive.

"I think I fell in love again," I gawk, feeling that familiar fuzzy feeling of desire invade my veins.

"Yeah," Lissa blushes furiously. She's gone starry-eyed in a way most young girls would with a bodyguard crush. Lon'qu's devotion to the cause is just reinforcing that infatuation further. She makes a breathy sigh and sags against her staff. Seeing my shared expression, the princess puckers her mouth in anger. "Wait! No way! I forbid you from doing so!"

Lucina rolls her eyes in disgust with both us us. I stick out my tongue between a goofy smile and dash off.

"Inside. Now!" Lucina grabs Lissa's hand and drags her down the wall behind me. We duck into the structure before being seen. Owain's already kneeling beside the floor hatch holding it open. The rest of us slide down the ladder inside before he pulls it shut behind him. Checking the nearest room for enemies, we duck in to quickly regroup. As I go for my map, Lissa's excited whispers overtake the room.

"That was. So. Cool!" she hops giddily on her feet. "You both moved so fast. With a big whoosh!" Lissa crosses both arms extravagantly through the air before throwing them both up and out.

Owain settles down, growing more meek with his mother. Rubbing the back of his neck, his continues to redden as he speaks. "Indeed! I call that move the 'Path of Radiance.' For it cuts a path through our foes in a most, er,...radiant fashion?"

Lon'qu looks up from the sword in his hand as he runs a rag over the bloodied tip of it. "Subtle name. I would never have guessed," he grunts.

He shuts an eye in annoyance as Lissa proceeds to nudge him in the ribs with the pointed tip of her staff. She offers her 'brother' supportive praise. "I think it's a nice name!" She tilts her head. "Strange, but nice!"

The small bonding scene is cute. Lissa's prodding forces Lon'qu to swallow his sarcasm. It's hard to hear what he mutters next but it makes Owain's drooping frown turn into a bright beam of pride. Lucina herself stands a ways back observing with faint approval. A rare thing for her nowadays.

The exchange is only broken by the inclusion of another body inside the room. I give a small apology as the room lights up with the start of my Einherjar's summoning.

"Sorry, but I need someone to help locate the others faster."

Lissa lowers her staff and comes to join me at the desk I have the map sprawled over. "What do you mean?"

"We've made an educated guess that they're still somewhere around here avoiding the worst of the enemy numbers. Manually searching them out by hand is going to take a while since I'll have to scan each floor bit by bit. I've got plan that will make it faster. An Einherjar can directly hone in on their location if another of their kind is active. Chrom has Marth so if he's activated, I could technically feel him out."

Lissa watches the glowing orb begin to form, her face growing a tad more pale. "I just hope they haven't been captured. We don't know anything for sure. What if we're totally in the wrong spot?"

"Logic denotes luck is on our side," Lucina answers in reassurance. "The odds are more likely they have found ways to stay hidden than remain captured."

"Besides," I add, "you think your brother is going to allow himself to get taken down by dirt bags like these?"

Lissa tries to believe my words and puts on a brave face. "Okay, I hope you're right."

She is about to get a bit more hope once I reveal our newest ally. I revel in anticipation as Katarina's card bursts into full bodied form.

"That was sooner than I anticipated," the Einherjar's soft-spoken voice blooms once more. "To be called upon twice in such a short period after so long...it's nice."

The reformed assassin enters reality again looking refreshed and ready for round two of battle. Standing side by side in similarly styled coats, the sight of her sets my companions into confusion.

"Whoa! Is that another Einherjar? I didn't know you had more!" Lissa declares excitedly as she rushes up to the newest member of our magical deck of allies.

Lon'qu regards the whole scene with slight intrigue at the back of the room leaving Owain to fill the gap with his own growing realization. Though he didn't have a chance to see her in the previous battle, he has seen the Einherjar once upon a time so there's no doubt he's already identified her. He looks to Lucina for confirmation and she gives a quick nod to him.

"By the great beard of Gotoh," I hear him murmur in shock. Katarina tries to hold back a smile at Owain's words before focusing on the royal before us.

Lissa's head swaps between Katarina and I, her eyes growing bigger with each swish of her pigtails.

"Holy moly!" she declares with a shaky finger pointed straight at the Einherjar. "I've seen you before! Chrom showed me the painting of you in the private gallery back at the castle! He wanted me to help him design a coat similar for Robin because it belonged to..."

"The reformed hero and future tactician of Akaneia, Katarina," Lucina finishes for her. She stares deeply between the spirit and I with thoughts I can't read.

Lissa tries to hold back a high-pitched keen of excitement. Poor Lon'qu looks utterly lost between the two royals as Chris and her vibrate with excitement over the new Einherjar's arrival. Katarina, in turn, flushes slightly under the attention.

But I...I'm a bit thrown off at the moment thanks to Lissa's statement. I didn't know that last part. Chrom specifically made this coat with Katarina's legacy in mind? I had thought differently but that does explain the similarities. Even then, he thought to compare my potential to her own?

I...Chrom you...

The thought becomes a thorn in the back of mind as we exchange a quick introduction and get to work. Though I could find them on my own, or hells even scry now, using Katarina's ability to hone in on Marth would be easiest. She was meant to join us anyway with her power equaling at least two men. Thankfully my gamble pay off as she could still feel Marth active nearby. Even better, he had to be feeling her own aura out as well. Only myself, Chrom, and Cordelia, who had received Caeda in an exchange for the new segment of battle, were capable of wielding another Einherjar at the moment. Marth, and by extension his group, should know friends are nearby.

According to Katarina, she could feel Marth somewhere on this same level going toward the gatehouse. So, they weren't that far from us actually! A renewed excitement fills us all and we eagerly take to the halls after a scan of the surroundings. While there are a fair number of clustered Plegians and mercenaries about, they seem to be together in sporadic spacings. The large chambers they inhabit are most likely strategic positions they've found that give a better angle for combating the forces below. Lucina and Owain do exceptionally well with this first part of the mission. They've developed a frightening penchant for stealth and easily dispatch the two sets of patrolling enemies we find. I make sure we stash the bodies out of sight to avoid alarm. The last thing I need is the whole west side on alert after finding the dispatched warriors.

Just when I thought things couldn't get more easy, we end up stuck. Quite literally, we find ourselves unable to advance after coming around a corner to find the most bizarre sight ever.

"A barrier," Lon'qu grunts in annoyance.

He's not joking. A large, pulsating screen blocks the entire length of the hallway from top to bottom. I walk up to the force field and rap the top of it with my knuckle. It's got the texture of ice but tingles coldly against the skin when I make contact with it. The spell is different than what I'm used to seeing. The barriers I see our Ylissean clerics put up are almost see through, slightly smudged like fogged glass. This is very dark and opaque, obscured by a thick wall of mist.

Katarina joins my side and presses her palm to it. "I know this."

"Dark magic?" Lucina asks behind her. The Einherjar nods silently with confidence.

Owain kneels down and grabs his chin, looking up and down the length of the barrier. "Why is there one in the middle of the floor? A strange place to have one, don't you think?"

Katarina closes her eyes. She takes on a stillness I've seen Ricken do when he uses his own sixth sense to feel out the magical atmosphere.

"There are more barriers. From here," she murmurs, drawing one hand from our left to the right, "to there. They cut through each floor until reaching the top."

"But, why?" I ask.

"I-it is a tactic used in many narrow forts. When there is little room for movement, sets of barriers are employed to impede progress or trap intruders. It also forms a line of obstacles to further protect its inhabitants from invaders."

Her explanation goes on, reminding me of the underside of a large boat. Large ships often have the hull divided into several large compartments to lock down in case of a breach. The punctured area will close and prevent water from spreading to other areas in the boat allowing the ship to remain afloat. From the sounds of this security system, it works similarly. The barriers go up when activated, effectively trapping intruders between the walls and making more obstacles to break through in case somehow they do shatter the first encountered. A magical way to hold back an invasive breach.

Great. One of the four must have accidentally tripped them off when they attempted to flee the gatehouse.

"My only care lies in whether it can be undone," Lon'qu states from his resting position against the wall. His eyes fall on me.

As if I would know! "Don't look at me. I don't practice dark magic."

Lissa stares at the barrier, poking it with her forefinger. "Well...I mean technically I could do it but I sort of slept through all my rune classes." She looks over her shoulder where our hopeful stares turn sour. She kicks at a pebble and turns away. "What? They were boring. How was I suppose to know dispelling dark magic would come in handy some stupid day?"

"Perhaps one already well-versed in arcane arts has a word to say?" Lucina offers.

I follow her eyes to find the Katarina already investigating the barrier. Her palm remains flat to the surface. It glows slightly in the muted color of pure energy. It leaves a strange smear over the barrier as she runs her palm in circles over it. Again and again she goes until she breaks the pattern. Her routine turns into a straight line running diagonal to the top right corner. Following the edge of the barrier down, she surprises me again by dragging her hand off the magic structure and along the wall. She eventually rests on a nondescript stone right along the bottom seam of the floor.

"I...I found it! The anchor is here!"

The anchor? I thinks that's a magical source that grounds a spell and keeps it running without the power of a mage.

Katarina's palm grows brighter over the stone brick and then pulls away. The purple rune beneath glows brightly, etched to the surface.

"How did you do that?" I wonder out loud. Anchors are suppose to be well hidden to keep any sort of trap or spell protected from the enemy. I've failed every test Miriel attempted for me, my senses too weak still to pick up fine tuned things like that. Yet here comes Katarina with just a whip of her hand to display it! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she did. We might have been stuck here without her help. I just can't help but a little feel jealous of her prowess.

The purple-haired tactician stops short of her work to hesitate. She bites down nervously on her lip, tilting her head downward so her bangs mask her eyes. "It is a skill I used many times in my work before joining Lord Marth and Chris. M-my jobs required certain targets to be...to be handled. Sometimes that meant dealing with bodyguards or soldiers on patrol. Trap runes were easily undetectable and dispatched groups well. Anchor and trigger runes were parts of the tactic and I grew quite proficient with handling them."

Swallowing her regrets, Katarina's small voice finds strength again to grow louder. "This will take time to unravel however. I have taught myself arcane rites. This is dark magic and requires a different handling to dispel."

"Hm..." Lissa leans down next to her. She balances on her toes and peers deeply at the burning symbol.

"How long are we talking?" Lon'qu brusquely inquires. He eyes the barrier then down the length of the empty hall.

"I cannot say. All spells are done differently. Each mage has a favored way to weave their craft."

"You also have the complexity of the spell," I add, proud to display my own knowledge. "The more accomplished the spellcrafter, the more intricate the spell binding."

"Correct," she answers. I can't help but smugly grin at my own skill.

"What if..." Lissa's ruminations are voiced with her own blossoming idea. I'm eager to hear if there's another way to undo this in a quicker fashion. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about the time restraints. The walls shake and bits of pebbles fall from the ceiling to remind me of the battle still raging outside.

"The rune needs to disappear in order for the barrier to, right? We have to erase it somehow," she talks out her logic, tapping the center of her brow with her forefinger. "I was thinking that maybe...maybe..."

She looks up, bright-eyed. "What if I beat it with my staff?"

I stare at her. That's her plan? She wants to beat a rock into submission? "Lissa, come on."

She grows offended at my obvious disapproval. "I'm not finished! Just listen! Healing magic is the closest thing to light magic we know of. Light magic was suppose to help ward dark forces according to the old tomes, before we lost the knowledge of it in the Schism anyway. If my thoughts are right, maybe I could focus my healing magic through the staff and strike the rune. It could negate the affects and destroy it!"

Right, light magic isn't a thing anymore despite having been in Marth's game, or era if we're talking of this reality. Grima's destruction across the world left whole countries destroyed and the world on the edge of desolation. One of the casualties was the complete annihilation of the light magic branch. The realm of light magic had few practitioners to begin with among humans. When the center of the scholarly community, the great academy in Khadein, was razed, all the centuries of knowledge went with it. The few survivors there after the war tried to find apprentices, but only the most basic practices survived beyond that. Even then, the offshoots of light magic that evolved into modern day healing and whatnot aren't true examples of the lost art. It's what could be pieced together and molded through piecemeal rituals and handed down knowledge. The idea is admirable, but the two aren't the same thing. Would they react similarly?

"I'm not sure I've heard of healing magic used in such an offensive fashion," Lucina admits warily. She seems to be in agreement with me over the legitimacy of substituting healing magic, let alone bashing the wall with it.

"Yet, perhaps it's worth a shot? Where is the harm in trying?" Owain states in defense of his mother. Before I can make up my mind on which side to take, Katarina interjects with her own opinion.

"I applaud your creativity, but I do not believe that's how it works," Katarina says into the top of her hand.

"Why?" the youngest royal huffs. She's developing her familiar pout again. "What's wrong with my idea?"

The Einherjar flinches under the question and looks visibly pained, as if she had caused the girl an unforgivable grievance. "I-I'm sorry. It's just...your idea will lead to a disruption of the rune. Almost any magical school will evoke a reaction in some way, some small and some large based on their affinities. Runes are very complex creations. They take meticulous work to unravel the magic within. The blunt force of your swing may cause unforeseen reactions when the magic releases so quickly."

Lissa folds her arms and challenges the ancient hero with her own accusations. "Just how positive are you something could happen? How bad can it be? Remember, we don't have all day to stand here! Lives are in danger!"

Katarina pulls her tome up against her chin, mumbling against it. "Only partially. I am aware of how arcane magics clash and react. You may be right in that the purity of your magic could negate the anchor. Or...Or the propulsion of two clashing elements will create an outward burst that could be further antagonized by the blunt force enacted upon it."

"An explosion is what you're saying?" Lon'qu almost laughs in disbelief. He turns his head away and mutters something darkly about why he doesn't trust magic.

Katarina ignores him and continues to explain, her tone no less sincere. "Yes, an explosion. It could cause very little damage. There is, however, a chance for it to cause a considerable backlash big enough to potentially harm us. I have no experience to base this on aside from standard knowledge of how magic works."

Lissa turns to look through the barrier. She clenches her staff tightly before her, fingers twisting nervously between each other over the polished wood handle. There's a growing fear in both her eyes and her voice. "But, what's the likelihood of the worst happening?"

"This is all theoretical. If I may guess, lower than most options? I would expect something much less powerful before something that large occurring. Had I feared that much, I would be wholly against this suggestion."

"I...Okay...so..." Lissa stutters fiercely. She turns her eyes to me, silently pleading for my support on this. "So we can do this instead right? The chances aren't that high and the others are just on the opposite side of the barrier. We're so close!"

I...oh boy.

Frederick, I hate you so much right now.

The wall shakes again with another impact. Somewhere behind us I hear what sounds like rocks crumbling. Are the towers actually aiming at the wall, regardless of how reckless it may be to those inside? I wonder how much camaraderie stands between the Plegian army and the mercenaries hired. If each is out for their own now, I doubt friendly fire is a concern. Yikes.

"Robin, waiting for us to undo the spell is going to take too long! My brother is in danger right now! He could be injured!" Lissa states unabashed. "So is my best friend! So is everyone!"

My brain is scrambling through possible pros and cons for each side of the argument. In an attempt to stall for a few more moments, I try to placate the stubborn girl before me. "Katarina can still feel Marth's aura. If he's out, that means your brother is alive and well enough to continue supporting the Einherjar's presence."

Lucina makes an additional attempt to calm Lissa down, but she backs away from us and glares defiantly. She cracks her staff against the floor with a loud thud that makes me wince. I look over my shoulder and listen for alerted voices belonging to Plegians.

"They might be fine this second," she cries, "but what about a minute from now? Or five? There's a big fight going on outside and everyone is running around everywhere. Some dumb beet heads could stumble on them any moment!"

"A majority of the Plegians left are on the opposite side of us fighting off the bulk of the forces," I reason with my own true weapon at the moment, logic. "Any forces trapped with them in this barrier space are no where near as threatening as what we face out here. I highly doubt a big enough group from the outside will come along and find their way in to cause them problems while we figure this out."

"But-"

"Lissa!" I scold more harshly than before, my own fears getting the best of me. "Just chill, will you? You're pouting and whining will only draw attention to our location!"

"Pouting? Whining?" she gasps in offense.

Owain starts drawing a hand back and forth across his neck in a sign to stop where I'm at while his cousin drops her face in both hands. Alongside Lon'qu shaking his head, I've silently been warned just how badly I misspoke. If there's one thing Lissa hates, it's referring to her in any way as acting like a kid. She's been trying so hard lately to be seen as something other than Chrom's defenseless little sister. She wants to be an active part of the Shepherds. Her new found desire to push forth new ideas and contribute to the cause, like right now, has been aggressive. I, however, have just made her feel the opposite. There's the first thing I need to work on as a leader. I need to reevaluate my people skills. Talk first, think later is a habit I need to shake.

Lissa's nose and cheeks crinkle up in unrestrained anger as red blossoms from her forehead to chin. Her arms hug her sides and shake causing the staff resting in one hand to rattle.

"That's not what I meant! Sorry, sorry!" I apologize hastily in an attempt to put up some damage control over my own outburst. "Lissa, that was ill-worded. I didn't mean to say that."

Thankfully she doesn't argue back. She just glares deeply. Lucina steps between both of us and pushes us away from each other. "We do not have time for this!" she barks angrily. "Robin, a decision must be made. If one can't, we will put it to a group vote."

"Fine with me," Lon'qu remarks. "I vote for the option least likely to kill us all."

Great, not only has Lucina diffused the situation, she's managing to bring everyone together. A solid testament of her own leadership skills no doubt thanks to her father. The problem I see is that her solution boils right back down to me again. She and Lon'qu are going to vote for Katarina while Owain is most surely going to side with Lissa based on his earlier comment. Katarina, like all the Einherjar, are an extension of me and will simply do whatever I say. I'll be the tie breaker. I might as well just make the decision and take responsibility for it like Frederick expects me to. But which is the right one? Do you take the risk when time is of the essence, or stay safe? We're the only back-up Chrom's group will have until the main army breaks down the wall's defenses.

I...man, this sucks!

I pull-up my big girl pants and slap on what I hope looks like the face of a leader. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I look Lissa firmly in the eyes. "Lissa. Just listen to me for a minute." I take a deep breath and prepare for the horrible feeling of disappointing her. "If circumstances were a bit more skewed in our favor, I would take the risk. Believe me, I want to find them just as much as you."

"But...This isn't a gamble I'd willingly like to jump into with the reality we're in. If we luck out, great! If we don't, things aren't going to look so hot for us. There's only a few of us. That's it. We're the one and only rescue squad. If the risk doesn't pay off and something does happen, there's no one else coming to save us. Not for a long time anyway. We'll can't put ourselves in danger preventing anyone from getting rescued. Understand?"

Lissa's eyes narrow slightly but she produces no other visible signs of her emotional state. Her hard stare continues for several long seconds as she fights with the thoughts in her mind. She finally manages to utter a simple, "Oh."

That's it. No arguing. No pushing. Nothing. She turns quietly away and takes a place to watch us proceed from the opposite corner of the hall. I'd be relieved if I wasn't suspicious of her sudden swap in attitude. It's unnerving to not know what she's thinking in her mind.

"I guess that's settled then?" I announce the end of our debate with a lingering hesitance.

"So it is," Lucina breathes deeply in relief. She parts from the side of her cousin who has slunk off to check on Lissa. Meanwhile, the blue-haired princess approaches the currently silent Einherjar. "Lady Katarina, would you do us the honors of using your knowledge to aid us in this endeavor?"

Katarina hesitantly steps forward. "O-oh. I...You don't have to ask so formally. I would be happy too. I just have to identify the proper rune first."

"If there's one thing we can all agree on, time is short. Spirit, do what must be done, quickly," Lon'qu remarks in irritation. All this talk of magic and rituals has gone over his head and he looks ready to be done with it.

"Of course."

The Einherjar walks closer to a nearby window. "I have not seen this in so long," she whispers as she reaches into the depths of her overly large coat. I swear I see a shimmer of light under the cloth before she extracts a large, weathered tome. It's not a spell book. Numerous book marks of different colors and materials hang out between the pages. As she flips through clumps of paper, I see notes rather than spell work. Her writing is small and hectic as if written in between moments of a busy lifestyle.

"It is strange to see the same markings used even after all these centuries," she speaks, tracing through the lines in passages. "Some things truly don't change."

"Why alter what isn't broken," I admit weakly. "I'm no expert at dark magic, but the arcane arts still uphold the same base formulas put into place thousands of years past."

"Yes. We humans are still so young to this world, magic included. We find comfort in familiarity."

The vast library of information in her book reminds me of Other Robin's roster. This is Katarina's personal compendium of everything she's learned over a lifetime. I only catch eyefuls. Pictures of plants, recipes, long lists of numbers...I wonder if she has a similar section filled with notes on her own comrades. The army of rebels that once supported Marth in his adventure lifetimes past. How different is this world to hers I wonder? Does she feel as I do sometimes? A stranger in an alien world where nothing is what she knows and familiar faces are long gone?

In a way, I'm not all that different from an Einherjar. A displaced enigma from another place and time. Robin was, in a way, a shade of Grima's potential. The husk destined to give life to the now dead being of old. Spooky.

She flips to a section of pages marked with large tables. They're arranged with symbols on the left side and accompanying information scrawled to the right of it across in each row. The translation of the symbol along with its origin, root, and possible alternate pronunciations are listed in extreme detail.

"Whoa."

Katarina blushes. "Akaneia was once a land divided by many countries. Though all under one rule, Marth honored the unique cultures of each land and allowed them a great length of autonomy. Akaneian was the most well spoken, but I and a few others were asked to learn the dominant languages of all resulting lands under his rule. Merric was the best linguist of us all, but...but I think I wasn't too bad."

That had to have been difficult. I struggled enough learning French in high school. The only reason I have a semi-decent fluency in it is thanks to my roommate's family. Her mother was born in the Lorraine region of France and didn't squander that heritage in her children or her bakery. When your boss starts slipping into her native language when yelling at you when you've made a mistake, it was probably best to know what she was saying to fix or perish under her verbal barrage.

Katarina though! I don't know offhand the original count of different nations in Marth's time, but there was more than four. If she learned that many, I have to say I'm impressed. Astounded even. It's apparent her genius went down the gene pool through the ages cause the original Robin had plenty of it!

Great, what's that make me look like then?

Bending back down, she lays the book open on a chosen page. Her free hand flares alive again with magic before the rune. It lets out an ethereal hum I can feel in my bones. As she begins the working of an arcane spell beyond my level, I turn to my map. Around me, I see Owain talking quietly with Lissa who seems to have quickly recovered from our spat. She's starting to look hopeful again as the two talked animatedly in hushed voices, sometimes glancing over at the Einherjar. Lucina stands over Katarina's shoulder with a childish curiosity and Lon'qu just watches us all as he usually does. Pulling the map out over a large course of passages ahead, I take up sentry duty to keep an eye on any wandering Plegians who may stumble our way. A few moments go by before I feel a faint sting through Katarina's bond with me.

Turning around, I find Lucina and Katarina stepping back from the rune. It flares dangerously before dimming, tiny veins of energy lashing out. Katarina shakes her smoking wrist to waft away the dark smoke. She pulls back on the charred material of what was once her glove. The skin is fine, but her glove is a loss. Her companion gazes on in concern, but Katarina doesn't seem harmed.

"Your hand was on fire," Lucina points out as normally as she can for something so bizarre. It almost makes me laugh.

"A simple mistranslation." Katarina remarks in shame. "I misread the rune shape and the counter-working of the spell was unable to proceed. I shall have to start over again. I apologize."

"N-no worries, just do what you have to," I say, ignoring the snub-nosed glare Lissa is mentally burning into Katarina's back. When she's gone just about cross-eyed, she switches her attention to the abandoned anchor rune below.

"This must be hard to understand. Plegian script evolved from the simplification of ancient draconian text to be more palatable for the human mind. It is a modern century adaptation that must clash horribly with your notes," Lucina states in sympathy for Katarina's feelings.

The Einherjar regards Lucina with a kindness, speaking to her in a hushed tone for only her to hear.

"You forget I have been in your time before. We Einherjar do not forget what we have learned even if others do."

"Oh."

Katarina reopens her tome and attempts to resume her work. I turn my attention back to the map only to find a small interruption attempting to invade our peace. Well ahead, red dots meander toward us.

"Nuts." I roll up the map and address the crowd behind me. "So, who wants to take the next kill?"

"What's wrong?" Lon'qu asks, his muscles tensing with a quick glance down the hall.

"Map shows two bodies heading this way with no signs of stopping. I'd rather we get the drop on them before they reach us."

Lucina unleashes her sword without a word of warning. She walks past with a tip of her chin to signify her volunteering for the cause. It really does bother me how willing she is to keep throwing herself into danger like this. Maybe that's why I've grown so protective of her lately. Someone has to look out for her well being if she won't.

"Katarina, keep working on the rune. We'll return shortly," I instruct as I go for my own weapon.

Robin's ancestress watches my movements with a hint of surprise, but says nothing. The others that remain stay on alert in case we need assistance. I highly doubt it though. Lucina herself is overkill when it comes to low tier fighters. I don't even need to be here honestly. I just feel like I have to. She needs to know she's fighting with someone in her corner.

I catch up quickly with her, gesturing to the natural bend in the hall that currently keeps us just out of sight from the roaming duo. The two men are in Plegian garb. One hobbles along using the support of the wall to hold his weight. The other keeps a strong gait and carries a lit torch.

"I told ya I heard voices round here somewheres," the one with the limp whines to his companion. The taller one just shines his torch around casting light that reflects their shadows down the hall toward us.

Noticing two opposite doorways just ahead, Lucina motions toward them. We both crouch and slide along on our knees until each reach their respective threshold. The door is already ajar and I push it quietly open and allow the shadows to hide me. Lucina becomes my mirror image as the two of us wait just beyond in darkness for the two men to pass.

"I says we just leave the rest and make our way outta here. The city is lost. Don't know where them Ylissean bastards came from but there's too many to count," the injured one crabs to his cohort as they draw closer. The light of the torch grows and grows until it's nearly on us. Lucina is a complete silhouette in the shadows beyond with only the barest stretch of light giving way to shine the tip of her boot.

The bigger one grunts in response causing the smaller to start rambling again. With their attentions locked straight ahead, neither notice us. Lucina's blade is the first to slash out, slicing through the heel of the healthy Plegian. He lets out a roar and buckles down to one knee. With an assassin's precision, Lucina takes the edge of her blade and runs it across his neck right under the ear.

The injured Plegian manages to stumble away wide-eyed from the shock of her appearance. He topples with his back to me and a shout of alarm rising from his lips. The call become a wordless rasp, then a gurgle as my slightly less impressive thrust through the chest silences him. He starts to slip down the blade from his upward angle and I have to struggle to yank it from his chest, causing more damage as I rip it out at new slant. The humane part of me deep, deep down makes me regret not ending these lives in a more painless fashion.

We gaze wordlessly to each other over the still warm bodies laying at our feet. Each grabbing her respective kill, the corpses are hauled into the rooms and left draped across the floor. A quick yank of a nearby tapestry proves to be a decent towel to mop up the nasty puddles left behind. Wiping up the trail best I can with my boot heel, I kick the damped evidence into the blackness behind me before closing the door.

"That was fun," I remark casually brushing both hands against each other.

"I would hope that was sarcasm," Lucina remarks dully. "It was-"

She jerks her head down back toward the barrier and raises a finger to silence me. Lucina cocks her head to hear better.

"Did you hear that?" she whispers.

Listening myself, I'm pretty sure I catch the end of someone's yell. The air grows strangely tense and I feel a heavy pressure on my skin. Lucina feels it too because she shares a strange look with me. I hear the rapid sound of cracks forming over glass, crumbling in one long streak. There's a final pop and then the atmosphere explodes. A large blast bursts forward from the direction of the others. I stumble as the shock pushes me forward.

I curl up and grab at my head to protect it. Tiny pebbles and debris bounce off my back and legs, rolling forward with a cloud of smoke. The reaction is brief, ending as fast as it had begun. Lucina stands nearby braced tightly in the shelter of the door frame. She coughs once into a balled up fist.

"What was that?" she gasps out. Only one answer immediately jumps to mind.

"Lissa," I snap as I dash back to the group.

Katarina is the first I see through the dusty haze. She lies bent on one knee beside a nearby end table she's used for support to keep from falling over. I go to her side and help her up by one arm.

"You alright?" I ask.

Katarina seems largely unfazed by the activity and simply brushes off her coat. "I should ask this of you. My condition is dependent on your health," she admits.

Oh yeah. Silly question.

Lucina shouts for me. She rushes past toward the remainder of our friends. I nearly shriek when I see Lon'qu hanging half way out of a large hole in the opposite wall. He has one arm wrapped around Lissa to hold her tightly to his chest. Carrying all his weight on one leg, Lon'qu uses it to balance his grip on the back of Owain's shirt as the boy hangs over the edge.

"Chris! Hold on!" Lucina tells him as she reaches out for his flailing arms. I'm right on her heels. She manages to grab him by the bicep. I take the rest of Owain's arm and we drag him in allowing Lon'qu to finally fall back and let go. I catch an eyeful of the drop below and nearly go dizzy with vertigo. There would have been no surviving that fall.

Lucina helps her cousin bend over to rest on his knees. He rubs at his eyes with one sleeve smearing a line of dirt over his skin. "I...," he struggles out between coughs, "Thank you."

"Whoa, my head," Lissa groans, grabbing at it with both hands. Her moaning dies quickly when she peers up into Lon'qu's severely pissed off glower. It grows deeper when she realizes she's still pressed up tightly to his body, causing him to cringe under the restraint of his self-control.

"Whoops!" Lissa giggles nervously as she untangles her interlaced limbs from his.

"That's all you have to say for yourself?" he snipes at the retreating princess.

"Uh." Lissa is rendered temporarily mute under her bodyguard's stare.

"What were you thinking?" Lon'qu continues. He leans over the edge and takes in the steep drop. He places a hand on the wall for support and nearly loses his own balance when the stone brick wobbles and falls under the applied pressure. "You nearly killed yourself!" he adds with a severe crack of accusation toward her.

"Only sort of," she shrugs weakly in her defense. "To be fair, that explosion was a lot bigger than the odds Katarina predicted."

"Lissa," I call out with barely constrained anger, "What. The. Fudge?"

Her whole body shrinks tightly under the harsh angle of my words. She faces me very slowly, choosing her words carefully.

"I may have taken it upon myself when Katarina wasn't looking to break the barrier myself." Lissa's features pale as she struggles to maintain a strong look of stubbornness. She presses down on her skirt front and steps up tall to look me in the eye. It looks like she knows she underestimated her position, but she's determined to stand behind her final decision. "Whatever she was doing wasn't working. At least, not fast enough. I wasn't' going to wait for more guys to attack us while we stood around waiting. Now the barrier is gone. We don't have to stand around wasting time anymore."

I massage the bridge of my nose and try to swallow my urge to yell louder. Lissa doesn't get it. "You nearly blew yourself and Chris out of wall in doing so. This is exactly why I didn't want us to do that! Risks are risks! You nearly paid for it!"

"Please don't place all the blame on her," Owain pipes up in her defense. He casts a guilty look to Lucina as if asking personally for her to forgive him. "I agreed to help distract the others so she could do so. We were only acting on the best interests of the group and those imprisoned beyond."

"Chris! Where in Naga's domain did your sense go to even think that...that..." Lucina is at a loss for words.

"I was acting on everyone's behalf as well!" I loudly remind them. "Now we're all in even greater danger because that explosion just let everyone in the nearby area know we're here."

Lissa's face blanks and her voice goes dead. "Oh. I didn't think of that."

"Apparently not!" I laugh darkly. I turn and pace throwing both hands in the air. "Now your shortsightedness nearly cost you your lives and made my job a helluva a lot more difficult! The enemy is now aware we're here and it's all thanks to your inability to have a bit of patience for the situation!"

"But I..." Lissa stares morosely over both Lon'qu and I's irate forms before moving to the disappointment lining every inch of Lucina's face. She grasps both elbows and pulls her arms in tightly while casting a conflicted glance to her feet.

Katarina steps up and meekly raises a palm for attention. "M-may I?"

I whirl around on her snapping like a shark. "What?"

"All this arguing is not going to help us find anyone. If anything, it is wasting more time."

…...

Double fudge.

"They are not too far ahead now," she remarks happily. It's a forced sort of joy that's meant to get us back to a better mood. "I can feel the other Einherjar clearly now. They are very close!"

"T-then let's go!" Lissa quickly interjects, dashing off to hide the tears in her eyes. Owain reaches out and calls her name but she slips away.

"Sister, wait!"

Lucina and Owain both rush after her leaving us adults standing alone.

"Damn it all." I feel utterly crestfallen with the situation. Why Lissa? Why couldn't you have just trusted me? Or was I wrong? Should I have trusted her? Why is none of this easy? Being a leader sucks!

"How could the gods have allowed so much stubbornness in one lone female," Lon'qu rants to himself. The Feroxi walks to some rubble nearby where he retrieves his sword poking out from under it.

I stand across from the taciturn warrior with both hands on my hips. I cock my head to the side and offer a look of pity. "You have your work cut out for you, don't you?"

A long, grizzled whine of exasperation rumbles out of him. "I became a bodyguard at Khan Basilio's request, not a nursemaid."

"You're the most valuable nursemaid in the world then."

"Do not patronize me. You're display was no better. As leader, you should have control. Your words goaded her on." He scowls and looks away, slamming his sword into the scabbard.

"You got me there," I sigh, letting all the frustration ebb away. "How stupid of me. She just wants to save her best friend and brother. Lissa is trying her best to be more than a burden."

"I risk my life to protect her from enemy attempts, not foolish mistakes of her own undoing. Calling her a burden is too light a title to bestow upon her," he argues halfhearted. It's not something he really means. It's more of his frustrations just coming out to let him vent.

"Yeah, she screws up. But at least she has you at her back when things go wrong," I remind him. "I make a mistake and everyone suffers."

"Robin."

Katarina motions for us to quiet. Far beyond us is voices barely perceptible to the ear. The longer we listen, the closer they seem to get.

"More soldiers," Lon'qu surmises. He takes a step forward readying himself for battle.

I stop him. "We'll handle this. Go back to the others and make sure none have engaged them there."

He hesitates, but I reassure him that Katarina's power is on par with Marth's. He's seen the king's abilities first hand. Understanding I'll be fine with her, he leaves allowing me to peer at the map. The amount of Plegians has tripled according to the jumbled mess before us.

"That's a large group. What is that? About three men for each of us?"

Katarina is unfazed by the amount of bodies and watches me expectantly. I guess she wants me to call all the shots. Eying the width of the hallway, I voice my observations for her consideration. "The spacing of the hallway can hold about two or three men at once side by side. Think we can risk a spell to knock off the front line when they come around?"

The same look of curiosity comes back. She shakes her head in disagreement, pursing her lips in deep thought.

"No? Right then," I respond in surprise to her strange actions. "Look, I'm not sure how good I can be taking them out by sword. I'm mediocre at best when one-on-one. Two isn't really-"

"May I ask you a question?"

I stare awkwardly at her, the request hanging heavy between us. I cast a glance down the hall. "Is now the best time?"

"Why are you so insistent to directly confront every enemy you encounter with violence?"

I stare even harder, slightly narrowing my eyes. "What else am I suppose to do?"

Katarina nervously begins to twirl her book around in her hands. She bows her head away to advert her eyes. "You have not been your normal self. You are a tactician Robin. Where are you plans? Where is your confidence? Direct confrontation was always your last resort."

"You expect me to come up with a full battle plan in the few seconds I have right now?"

"At least three."

Her purple irises fall on mine searching deep into my own. "Have you forgotten the first rule in the studies of a battle tactician?"

A spark of strength alights from within her. Katarina takes two steps past me. At this point, the voices are loud enough to hear every word coherently. The radius of their torchlight licks the edge of the hall before us. Katarina remains calm in the face of this danger, extracting a new tome from the inside of her coat. This is a spell book for battle. She flips easily to a passage and begins to cast.

"If a tactician must react first with something other than their mind, they are doing it wrong," she enunciates to me from a lesson learned long before. She raises her palm, green runes etching to life under her deft fingertips. However, she alters the path of her spell at last moment. Instead of firing down the hall, she swings her arm to the right toward the shattered remains of the wall. A ball of wind shoots out and slams into a bent wood beam hanging from the edge. It cracks in half from the force and snaps inward before falling into pieces below.

"Katarina, the bad guys are that way!"

She raises a finger to the mysterious smile playing on her lips.

"Watch."

I clamp my mouth shut hoping my Einherjar hasn't short-circuited somehow. The first Plegian comes into sight and I instinctively go for my weapon. I barely brush the hilt of my sword when I feel a light sprinkling fall on both shoulders. Tiny pebbles fall like raindrops from the ceiling above. They come from the large crack streaking inch by inch across it from where the support beam has collapsed. I feel a tug on my coat and find Katarina pulling me back across the archway that the barrier once connected to.

Small rays of moonlight begin to stream in. Wood groans under the enormous stress from the lack of proper foundation support. Stone grinds against stone and everything shakes with the impending collapse about to occur. Panicked shouts erupt from the party ahead while they scramble to avoid the magnificent cave-in that forms. Katarina and I both cover our faces to protect against the rise of dirt from the impact. It slowly settles and visibility returns. The whole hallway is blocked. No one is going to be following us from this direction any time soon.

"The environment is as much an ally as an enemy. Turn it in your favor," she quotes aloud.

"A lesson from the Zofianese tactician Renard. I remember that one," I reply in awe of her handiwork.

"Then why not act upon it?"

This time I have no answer.

"You are not the same Robin I remember, are you?"

"I...no." It's hard to meet her gaze. I find it more intimidating to admit to Katarina than Marth or Caeda. Is it because she has such an intimate relationship with the original Robin? It almost feels like a betrayal of trust.

"I-I see. I had thought as much while watching you tonight. No doubt the circumstances are strange. Much is in this predicament I've come to understand."

Her response to my admission is full of understanding. Acceptance. She reaches for my hand and places it up to her heart. Her body is warm with the throb of raw magical power.

"Be that as it may," she smiles softly, "your blood still resonates strongly with my own. I feel it. We are one. As such, it is my job as an Einherjar to guide you."

I gape openly at her. The acknowledgment is touching. Far more than I believe I deserve.

Katarina breathes in lightly. "You are surprised?"

I gather my bearings and rekindle the fire of determination deep inside. It bolsters my spirits, allowing me to throw down a response of my usual temperament. "I just never expected to have a badass grandmother in the family tree. Unofficially, of course."

"Luck is with you then," she smiles back, patting the top of my hand. "Shall we, before they find a way to dig through?"

"Lead the way."

The hallway continues in only one direction allowing us to find the others quickly. The rest of the group remains well off. The body beneath Lon'qu's feet? Not so much.

"You finally arrived," he remarks, pulling the edge of his blade from the neck of the newly slain victim. "What was that we heard?"

"We collapsed the path behind us to prevent anyone from coming through," I answer back.

The young princess behind pops her head out. "Seriously?" Lissa leaps forward, knees bent as she throws and accusing finger at me. "It's okay for you to collapse a whole hallway but I get yelled at for trying to help?"

Crab apples. I better deal with this before it gets crazier! I let Katarina finish updating the others so I can pull Lissa aside. I need to make amends before we continue on!

"I'm not going to apologize for getting sassy! I have every right to be mad you...you hypocrite!" she glares up at me with an accusing poke to the nose.

I pull her wrist down. "Lissa, I'm sorry."

"I should be-" She falters. "What?"

"I'm sorry for yelling. What you did wasn't the most thought out decision, but you had good intentions. I should have handled it better than insulting you."

Lissa opens her mouth, then closes it again. For some reason, she seems even more flustered now. She shifts angrily between both feet, crossing her arms. "Oh. Uh...yeah. I guess."

"We're both trying to do what's best for our friends. But, Frederick put me in charge here. I made the best call I could based on the circumstances and it made things difficult for me when you decided to go and do the opposite of that. I'm no seasoned leader like Chrom and he are. This whole thing is new to me and what happened threw me off guard."

"But, I'm also a dummy for not handling the circumstances better. I should adapted to the situation and rolled with it instead of letting my own anger get the better of me."

"Well duh," she grumps, looking a bit more guilty than before.

"So I'm going to say sorry, we're going to shake hands, and put this behind us for now so the mission can finish smoothy, alright? We can argue more about who was in the right or wrong after it all ends. Deal?"

I hold out a hand for her in a peace offering. Her eyes dart about with indecision before she finally lifts her head away. She stiffly throws her own hand out and yanks hard rather than shakes.

"Deal."

"Good. From here out we'll both work on our teamwork skills."

She snorts through her nose, trailing after me. "I still can't believe you destroyed the whole hallway. Maribelle is going to be so mad."

With things settled for now, we take up the next part of our quest quickly forming a line in sets of two. Katarina leads at the front hunting down her fellow Einherjar's aura. I follow with my nose to the map. We go undisturbed until reaching a split in the path. The stairwell here is a main thoroughfare for ascending or descending to all levels of the wall. Aside from both sets of stairs, the main hall splits into two. Here, Katarina falters.

"What's wrong?" Lucina asks.

The tactician opens her eyes looking quiet troubled. "I am unsure which path to choose. An Einherjar is close by, but I cannot tell which path may lead there."

"Robin?" Lucina calls to me over her shoulder.

"On it," I answer with a thumbs up. I take the left path at random and start to search straight down it. Things look grim when I start counting dots lined along the corridor. That is, until I see one spot different from the rest. A blue dot hovers just out of sight from the cluster of five reds. It remains stationary, probably watching. I punch up the dot's identity and see Gaius' portrait appear. I can't help the loud laugh that exits out of me as relief floods every part of my being.

"What do you see? Maybe it is the discovery of our wayward lot?" Owain pops up unannounced beside me. I angle the map for him to see clearly.

"I just found Gaius! He must be scouting around!"

Lissa drops her staff at the news, clamping both hands over her mouth. Even Lon'qu seems to express a quiet sigh of relief at the news. Finally, we have some hope to cling to.

"There's five Plegians between us and him down the left path."

Owain cheers enthusiastically. He puts and arm around Lucina's neck and tugs her in shoulder to shoulder. He thrust his fist in the air. "Numbers mean nothing to Marth and I, for no amount of villainy can stand in our way when family is concerned!"

"Yes. That," she deadpans, squirming to get away.

As Owain might further say, the thrill of our discovery burns in our blood as we escape down the correct path! The combat we enter starts with the odds in our favor since the Plegians weren't expecting a horde of inspired Ylisseans to come running up out of the dark. The first of five goes down instantly while a second is injured badly enough to prove useless with a sword. Behind them, one of the remaining men pulls up a bow with the arrow aimed straight at Lucina. Before I can dive for her, the man's body jerks tight with a strangled scream before collapsing to his knees. The Plegian at the archer's side turns right into his own demise as the assailant drives a knife deep into his chest. The pandemonium leaves the remaining two easily overwhelmed in their panic. The fight ends quickly and efficiently, just what I was hoping for.

Across from us, the silent attacker kicks at the head of one Plegian before strolling past. He flips the bloodied dagger in his hand and points it straight at us.

"Well look what we got here." Gaius removes the hood of his cloak and shakes out his ginger locks. The roguish smile that comes naturally to thieves like him flashes gratefully to us. "Not exactly who I was expecting to see in the halls."

"Thief," Lon'qu greets the other man.

"Stabs," Gaius mocks him with an equally stoic grimace.

I welcome him in an opposite fashion, utterly elated to see him alive! "Gaius! It's a such a relief to see you! I could kiss your face right now you loveable rogue!"

He's pleased with the greeting I give him and ruffles my hair fondly, smirking flirtatiously. "Don't let me stop ya there Bubbles." I just laugh in response.

The three royals are practically brimming with questions. Lissa looks ready to explode with anticipation over the others' whereabouts. Lucina is the one who provides them a voice.

"You are alone Master Gaius," she says pointing out the obvious.

He responds to her inquiry with a hint of surprise. Gaius does a mental head count then whistles lightly in appreciation. "Huh, all three of you came? Blue's got a helluva persistent family. I'll give 'im that."

Gaius rubs the bloody dagger over his pant leg and inspects the mostly clean surface. "But, yeah. Been scouting the halls for a break in the defenses. Our good captain tripped up a security measure or somethin' according to Twinkles. Left us bouncing back and forth between hallways looking for a way to escape this barrier. Heard a crash some time ago and came this way to find you all getting comfy with these nasty blokes."

"The barrier is down now," I answer for him. "At least, this one is. I can't say for the rest."

"I can confirm it is merely this one. The others remain intact," Katarina ghosts in from behind.

Gaius leans back and stares at the new voice. He looks her up and down before side eying me. "Who's this classy gal? She's sort of stealing your style Bubbles. Pulling it off real nicely too."

Ew. Just Ew. I give him a dead look. There's just something wrong about Gaius complimenting my grandmother, young as she may look. My internal thoughts echoes back to Katarina and she's awash in merriment. Her quiet laughter is bizarrely out of place in the grim environment.

"Sir, I am an Einherjar. You may call me Katarina, once tactician to the king of Akaneia."

Gaius nods his head in understanding. "You're a, uh, one of them folks. Just like that Marth fellow running about?"

"We've been tracking his magical aura thingy to find you!" Lissa practically yells, weaseling in between Gaius and I. She looks up at him with eyes wide in hope. "He's still active, so that means Chrom is okay? Right? And Maribelle?"

"Whoa, ease off the sugar high Princess," he warns her lightly. "We're all still breathing in one way or another."

"Pardon my intrusion, but we should get out of the halls before more of these guards find their way to us," Lucina forcibly announces over all of us.

It's an appropriate order, one that we all agree instantly on. Gaius wastes no time leading us to the room the others have taken refuge in. Maribelle's wisely lead them to a simple room meant for housing local officials, a place that would provide little use to the current defenders. Upon arriving, Gaius taps once on the door and calls quietly out.

"Knock, knock! Room service!"

We wait for one unimpressive minute as nothing happens. Breathing deeply, Gaius leans against the door and wraps harder with his knuckles.

"Come on, open up. It's just me."

There's another pause and then very quietly...

"Password?"

Gaius sneers in disbelief and bangs once with impatience. "Naga's ass! Blue, open the door."

There's some muffled words and the door locks rattles. Marth's voice slips out as the door opens a crack.

"There are others outside. Another Einherjar." Katarina stiffens up hearing her fellow warrior speak. She draws up and stares eagerly at the room hidden beyond the door.

At the king's behest, the door open all the way revealing a very cautious, very roughed up Chrom. Falchion is already half way out of its scabbard as he makes a rapid scan over the hallway for any enemies who may or may not be hanging about. Gaius casually side steps out of view to unveil the rescue team, presenting us with an overly flourished bow.

"Told ya I brought sweets," he adds with a cheeky wink to the prince. "Some more sour than others, but I took what was given."

"Chrom!"

Lissa pushes past everyone and slams into her brother taking them both tumbling back into the room. Lucina and Owain move right behind her, not missing a breath. Gaius peels himself from the wall and allows Lon'qu and I to walk past before pulling the door shut behind him.

Chrom is stuck to the floor with Lissa fused to his torso. Her face is buried in his chest where she smothers sobs after sob. The shock of her ambush is still fresh and it takes a moment for him to register his sister's presence. Slowly, he embraces her back. The toll of the evening leaves allowing his gaze to soften with gratitude and peace. Her fits begin to subside and he starts to coax her out of her death.

Lucina dares to edge closer. She's clearly restraining herself from producing a similar set of actions, opting to simply stand at her father's side instead.

"It's...good to see you again," she says with an uncharacteristic bashfulness.

"Marth?

Chrom's newly found astonishment grows ever greater when Owain joins her. He holds a hand for his uncle to take, head held high in pride. I swear the boy would be producing sparkles if this were a cartoon. "Don't forget your fellow heroic sibling! We have fought through the furies of war to reclaim our blood bond, Brother! We welcome you back to our arms with great tears and happiness!"

Lissa lets out an awful, slobbery sniff. She wipes it away with the back of her sleeve. "Chris is right. We all came to find you!"

A much smaller reunion goes on behind us. Marth, looking equally battered from battle like Chrom and Gaius, has sniffed out the Einherjar hiding behind me. He boldly walks up and leans past me.

"Katarina?" he gasps in a mixture of wonder and joy.

The same woman lowers her tome and swallows. There's an eagerness to outright express herself, but also a lingering sense of hesitance. In one of the history books I read, it was written that to her twilight years Katarina harbored a lasting sense of humbleness. She always had a lingering doubt, small as it was, that she never proved herself worthy of her friends from past mistakes. Of course no one believed that, but it was a fear that stayed with her for a lifetime.

Quickly, Katarina bows at the waist so deeply she almost topples over. "L-lord Marth! M-my liege!"

He stops short of her, both arms out in greeting. Marth's face is bright with happiness to see a fellow Einherjar of his age. "Katarina, old friend. You needn't bow. We're beyond that, are we not?"

"I...yes. Of course." The two begin small talk as I watch. Gaius joins observing the two with equal interest.

"Another one of them rare cards of yours? You just keep poppin' them out like babies, Bubbles. How many more do you have stashed away in that coat of yours?"

"That's for me to know and you to see," I reply enigmatically. Honestly, it's just because I really don't know how many more are going to show up. I'm clueless. If she came from the twins, who else could they have?

Another door in back opens up to an adjoining room I hadn't seen before. Maribelle huddles against the frame, a small hand covering her partially opened mouth. She's practically shaking as if seeing a ghost. She forms Lissa's name on her lips but it comes out in only a whisper. Her best friend breaks from gushing over her brother just in time to see Maribelle in the threshold. Lissa cries out her name much louder and the two girls meet halfway between in a jumbled hug. More crying ensues from the princess while her friend holds her gently, patting her hair and whispering stern praise for her. For all the crap we've been through, this reunion has been worth it.

Panne is the last of the group to emerge. I'm surprised to see her balancing precariously in the doorway. A heavy amount of bandages are wrapped around her once bare torso. Her shoulders hang with fatigue and a hand lays protectively over the area of her left hip crease. I can't help noticing the crow perched on her shoulder.

Her unusual stance is also caught by Lon'qu. "Is the Taguel injured?" he asks the thief next to us.

"She's got a nick on her side while kicking some poor fellow down a stairwell. Twinkles stone on her parasol broke during a confrontation so she had to stitch Panne up the old fashion way." Panne's nose twitches and she whips her head in Gaius' direction as if daring him to make her sound any more helpless. He grinds his teeth over the treat in his mouth, trying not to let her intimidate him. "Course she says she's fine. Probably is."

Lon'qu and I exchange looks but say nothing further.

Beyond, Lissa and Maribelle leave together and approach Panne. The Taguel seems off-put at first by Lissa's mention of healing her but ends up following the girls into the next room regardless. The remaining trio make their way back to us, Chrom's eyes glued to where the two Einherjar talk in the back of the room. From the few short peeks Katarina has given me, I'm thinking Marth is bringing her up to date on our unique situation.

"I shouldn't be surprised about this anymore," Chrom greets with a shake of the head. He regards the duo a moment more before turning an enormous smile on Lon'qu.

"I don't know how you all did it, but I have never been more happy to the see the Shepherds in my life," Chrom continues, bowing his head in a sign of respect for the warrior. "Lissa and Chris both mentioned they have you to thank for an intervention on their lives during the mission. Thank you for your continued work Lon'qu. I own Khan Basilio much for allowing your sword arm to help our cause."

Lon'qu actually flusters just a hair at the commendation given to him. It's that or Owain's shining eyes beaming up at him have given him a stir because he quickly starts attempting to readjust something on his belt. "Just a job," he mutters with unease.

I try to ignore the flip in my stomach and not grin like a sap when it's finally my turn for attention. It's almost impossible to not have dark little thoughts nagging the back of your brain about the potential for a worst cast scenario. Finally seeing both Chrom and the rest of the Shepherds in person is the greatest because I can finally let go of the burdensome thoughts. It's liberating. There's a sense of utter euphoria in knowing I not only managed to get us here in one piece, but most of my calls weren't utter shit either! I actually managed to succeed in making it to the objective. It all wants to spill out of me in a great wave. So I let it.

Before he can react, I pull him into a one-armed hug. The elation is clear in my voice with how joyous I am to see everyone alive and well.

"You dumbass!" I jeer affectionately. "How in the hells do I manage to pull off my end of the mission while you go and get yourself stuck behind enemy lines! I'm the rookie, remember?"

I step back and get ready to take a playful punch at him, only to pause. The raw affection in his eyes catches me off guard. It's quickly replaced with a genial, if not slightly shamed, flush of embarrassment. "I suppose you're right. Good question."

Rather than answering further, he squeezes my shoulder then replaces his mantle as captain. This time he speaks to the group as a whole. "I have a great number of questions, but I should start with the easiest. How were you able to get here? We've been searching forever attempting to bypass the security barrier."

"No thanks to someone," Gaius mumbles under his breath.

"The barrier came down," Lon'qu bluntly states. Chrom expects the swordsman to continue but receives no further detail aside from the simple truth. Let it be said Lon'qu is not a man to mince words.

"They implied that explosion we felt had something to do with it," Gaius explains for him. The four of us from the rescue mission balk at the reminder of what happened. Owain in particular has a flashback to hanging over the edge, his words a low whine.

"Let's not talk about that right now."

Lucina breaks from a staring match she's long held with the back of her father's head, coming to life with her own thoughts. "Details can be shared later. The important thing is we need to go. By tearing down that barrier, we managed to grab the attention of those still about. No doubt the Plegians will be searching for infiltrators."

"Sooner rather than later," Lon'qu adds. "We've seen an increase in combat since arriving here."

The facts are true. There's no way we can just bunker down and wait for the worst to blow over. The safest place for us to be is back in the ranks of our people. That doesn't mean we should run at this exact instance however. Maribelle hasn't been able to use healing magic for some time so Lissa's presence here is exceptionally valuable. Our own group hasn't checked in on our injuries, so we spare some time to let Lissa patch up the worst of it. Panne's existing wounds injuries are the worst, which aren't all that bad to begin with. Having sustained little myself, I hang back and keep an eye on the halls.

Activity has been gathering on all levels and the groups I see moving about have gotten a lot larger. There's not too much for us to worry about however. We're already on the top floor so getting back on the roof will be easy. The main issue is that we can't go back to the same entrance we used to get in. We've also traveled a bit further from the main army than I thought. We actually moved under and passed the inactive tower that faced our left side when we landed. Any exit we take is going to plant this big roadblock in front of us.

In the midst of looking for an alternate way around the tower, I feel someone coming up behind me. Probably Katarina checking up on me. I wave two fingers in the air and continue to focus on the parchment.

"How's Marth?" I ask her.

"Injuries don't seem to faze him as it would a human. It's certainly different," Chrom answers instead.

I raise my head in surprise. He's a lot better looking after having Lissa see to him. His skin is still dirty but lacks a lot of the cuts and dark bruises from before. His overall vitality is back whether from our appearance or the magic's aid.

"It's like you said, his strength is dependent on my own. He remains fit as long as I maintain my own limits," Chrom remarks in quiet awe. He rubs at the area over his heart. "The whole nature of an Einherjar is still so foreign to me."

I find my tongue and manage to answer. "That makes two of us. Just one more mystery for the ages."

To help preserve what energy we have left, both Einherjar were dispelled for the time being. Their two cards sit above the map with faces up. Their general designs match with the picture frames and card backs all similar. All that differs is the portraits in the middle. Caeda's is much the same.

"First King Marth, then Queen Caeda. Now Katarina? What other great heroes are you hiding from us?" he jokes for the most part. He picks up the tactician's card with curiosity, letting it turn over and over between his fingers.

"Whatever falls out of the folds of my underwear next, I guess." Again, I just avoid having any further knowledge of future Einherjar. They just fly in with the breeze at this point. To prevent more questions, I divert the topic. "Couldn't help but notice the coat similarities. You're a nerd, you know that?"

Chrom rubs his thumb over the edge detailing of Katarina's coat, comparing it to mine. "She's one of the most notable tacticians in this continent's history. I thought the idea of a coat inspired by her image might bring luck, of sorts. To help strengthen your potential."

I tilt my cheeks away, biting on the inside of my mouth. "Still doesn't change the fact you're a history dweeb."

He gives a defeated laugh and puts the card back down. "I'm not wrong though, am I? Did you not say you're earlier mission went over well?"

"It was a joint effort alongside Marth, Chris, and Tiki. We all succeeded." The finger I have tracing through a route falters. "I would say it went okay, for the most part."

"What's wrong?"

Remnants of disgust from earlier taint the mood, painting my sights black with anger. I lean my forehead in on one hand and sigh. "The execution went fine. We did what we wanted to. But...it's just what we found."

"They were running a slave encampment from the square, Chrom. All those bunched dots were civilians crammed into tiny cages together for transportation."

"Hells," he breathes out.

My hand on the map forms a fist. I open and close it repeatedly in some therapeutic squeezing nonsense to calm myself. "We freed them of course. I personally made sure one of the head bastards paid the price for everything too. Trust me." The malicious edge fades back to weariness. "I just don't understand why I even found something like that in the first place."

There's a long pause before Chrom dares to answer. "I don't either. Gods know I wish I could answer why some men seem born without souls."

Another pause from him. "We've had our own troubles here."

I turn my head, staring up at him from under my bangs. "What do you mean, aside from the obvious?"

"In the gatehouse..." Chrom chokes up. It takes a few seconds to gather himself up again. "There are bodies in Ironhold's gatehouse. Strung up like trophies before each one of the great gates. An arrogant display to outsiders as a warning and testament to the victor's triumph."

He casts a look back to the room where Maribelle sits almost clung to the side of her friend. It pains Chrom greatly to utter the rest of his sentence. "We found the Duke and Duchess of Themis among them."

What the...I can't even muster a response to that.

"We assumed their bodies were trapped with the others in the collapsed mine shaft. Apparently they met their demise at the mercenaries' hands here in the city."

The main army must have seen that coming in after the gates were opened. No wonder all the soldiers I saw were extra aggressive in their attempts to breach the wall. They've got vengeance on their minds.

I curse quietly. "Chrom, we'll make whoever did that pay. It's a given we'll win tonight, I can guarantee it. When we freed the prisoners, some of our own soldiers were among them. They, and the more able civilians, have chosen to fight with us. It's made a difference on the streets. Heck, having a second manakete is the whole reason we were able to distract the active towers outside long enough to infiltrate here. There's no way we'll fail."

My impassioned speech is met with one long incredulous word.

"Pardon?"

I run over the words in my head wondering what has Chrom looking so confused. It isn't until the end that I remember. He doesn't know about Nowi yet!

"Ha, ha. That's right, you wouldn't have heard. See, I found another manakete being held prisoner as one of the scum bucket mercenary's personal trophies. She's unleashing fiery doom as we speak."

"Another. Manakete." Chrom blinks rapidly, gripping the rim of the table tightly with both hands. "And Katarina is here now too."

I reach part way out readying myself to catch his swaying body, though I can't help laughing as well. "You aren't going to faint, are you?"

"I'm merely wondering how far Naga's good luck is going to extend. The amount of blessings and miracles I've seen in one spans of time is mind-boggling."

"I doubt they were expecting so much trouble. Those weapons would have kept us at bay. But surprise! Dragons!" I add a little roar and lunge forward with clawed fingers.

"I just..." Chrom emits a breathless chuckle. He rubs a hand at the back of his neck and up into the bottom strands of his hair. He seems lost in the moment. "Thank you. That's all I can think to say. Missions like this are rarely predictable and often dangerous. Yet, you managed to provide reinforcements and two rescue missions in one eve."

Why does this warrant a thank you? I'm just doing what has to be done. It's so embarrassing!

"Please, Chrom. You act like this is all altruism," I joke, hiding my unease behind the usual jib. I turn my nose up and try to imitate the airs of those pompous ladies at court. "I'm in this for the glory! Saving royalty and aristocracy always leave the heroes wealthy in the end. The reward I'm bound to receive is worth it."

"Oh?" he quips, suddenly intrigued.

"Uh, yeah? What else happens when a hero saves the day? You royal types always reward the victor at the end of a tale."

For once, my hapless captain catches on. He leans back while trying to suppress a grin. "I suppose so, if you go by what the stories say."

"And they typically end with tons of money being heaped on the victor," I clap once in merriment. "Oh! And a castle! And a magical kiss from the local princess! Maybe her hand in marriage even!"

I dramatically tap the side of my jaw in deep wonder. "Would that mean Emmeryn, or is she exempt because her title is formally that of a queen's status? Is Lissa the bride by default then?"

He rubs his left temple. "I highly doubt either will volunteer given their attentions are already diverted elsewhere."

"Okay, no marriage. What about a kiss?"

"Robin."

I cut my wrist through the air with a snap of the fingers. "Shucks, there goes my one attempt at royalty. Alas for I. I could get by with a castle though. I'll have to make a moat. Nothing my sacks of gold can't handle," I say, picking up a bag off the table to shake the imaginary coins inside.

Chrom coyly reaches over and opens the top. Turning it upside down, he shows just how empty it is. "That is, if we had a castle to spare. Which...we don't I'm afraid. Coffers are emptied from the war as well. There's not much gold left for handouts."

I try to snatch the bag back from him but he pulls it out of reach. "What good is being a hero then? Clearly, these fairy tales of yours are all lies!"

He continues to play keep-away, his smile broadening as he holds it just out of reach. I finally manage to snag the end of it by pulling the bag loose from his grasp. I crumple it up and throw it at his face wearing my most outraged expression. "You, sir, have misled me with your words! How dare you! The injustice of it all!"

"If anything, I should be the offended," he plays along, feigning shock at my accusation. He counters me with a bold argument. "Have you forgotten that princes, as well as princesses, can often be found in folk tales? Why are both my sisters of consideration and not I? What's makes their worth so much greater?"

"Pardon me for bruising your ego, your Highness," I scoff. "Seeing as you seem to have volunteered, where's my reward? You're obviously available."

I turn my cheek and give it a couple taps.

"I'll think about it," he chuckles.

"What are you two doing?" Lucina asks behind us. The young lady stands behind watching with a most scandalized expression.

Chrom immediately turns three shades darker than he should. "Marth! I, uh, is everything alright?"

"Lissa has told me to tell you she is done with her work. We can leave whenever you wish."

"Right then! I'll go talk to her! Now. Right now. Cause it's good time to go now."

I push him off before he really says something stupid. "Off you go then captain. We'll follow."

Lucina steps in to block my path from following him. She appears utterly flabbergasted with my actions.

"Okay, I don't know what you exactly heard," I say in my defense, "but he started it."

She represses a scream of agitation and drags me away to where we finish our preparations. It isn't long before we make our move. The single battle we do encounter on our way to the roof is quickly dispatched by the graces of our newly acquired heroes. Approaching the hatch, we quickly scamper up the ladder and emerge just as several more mooks wander in.

"Gaius, help me push these over the door," Chrom calls out. The two men work their weight against the stack of crates. It slides inch by inch over the floor, tools shaking inside.

"I would hope you have a plan to get us off this stone maze," Panne utters irritably to me. Her foot stomps against the stones with distaste. The crow on her shoulder glides off to rest on a shelf nearby. It continues to watch us with interest, ruffling up every so often.

"No problem Panne. All we have to do go through the empty tower here and we'll emerge on the other side. Our forces are heavily concentrated there. I can send up a flare for our knights to come in and relieve you all. Unless we're lucky and they've already capture the other active towers. We can easily merge with our people right there and then!"

I head to the nearby window of the hut and push open the shutters to spy ahead.

"How is it?" Lon'qu asks behind me. His thumb is already pressed up against the bottom of his hilt allowing a faint sliver of his blade to peek out of the scabbard.

"Let's take a look, shall we?"

The area of wall we landed on now bears a heavy gouge where something large crashed into it. Whether by machine or manakete, something took out half the walkway. Across the wall, the farthest tower is a broken mess. The windows below it flicker with fire and cast light over flashes of dark figures fighting inside. Smokey trails escape outward to climb and blend into the dark sky. Our colors dominate the small space at the far opposite end meaning some of the other Shepherds got in. From the looks of the destroyed tower, I say both Nah and Nowi double teamed it from the way the side supports are crushed inward.

"I thought you claimed this tower was empty," Panne asks behind me.

"It was."

She bends down beside me and points straight ahead. To my surprise, the door to the tower in front of us is wide open. There's light pooling out of one of the thin windows and another bouncing wildly on the wind at the very top.

"Nuts."

"No one inhabited the tower before," Lon'qu states in alarm.

"They must have snuck over after the other tower went down. That or they got free and came up when we dropped the barrier," I offer in suggestion. Neither are great answers. I'd rather no one be there!

Panne's nostrils flare as a wind current drifts over us. Her deep brown eyes turn upward and narrow dangerously. "They reek of blood and decay, like carrion."

That's great.

"Maribelle, what sort of weapon is in that tower there?" I call back to her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Panne slipping away to the opposite side where the black bird lies crouched in waiting for her. It flies off shortly after.

Maribelle raises her head, eyes still distant and unfocused. It's hard seeing her so shaken up. I can't imagine what must be going through her mind after seeing what she did.

"It is a...a large ballista, one fitted with bolts of a large stature. They are meant to pierce metal fortified constructs, such as battering rams."

"So they're like, super super strong?"

"Very."

I slip away from the window, biting the tip of my thumb in thought. "I'm wondering if these things are powerful enough to puncture dragon scales."

Lucina and Owain's heads jerk simultaneously in my direction.

"Tiki and Nowi might be in some major danger if that ballista gets activated," I surmise.

Lon'qu has both eyes shut and his mouth set in a grim line. He hangs his head in disapproval. "I don't care for where this is going."

"Like it or not we've got to be going somewhere, unless you fancy seeing how long those crates last in holding back the Plegians searching for us below," Gaius answers back. The thief sags away from the boxes, breathing heavy. He brushes his dirty gloves over each pant leg. "Those things aren't gonna hold forever. We'll be wedged between them and the folks having a merry old time in that tower." He slaps both hands together. "Then we're really in a jam."

"We've got to get through the tower's base to rejoin the rest anyway so..." I trail off, my point obviously clear.

Chrom steps up opposite me and surveys the outside scene for himself. He grips the pommel of his sword nervously. "How many are there? I wonder, can we take the numbers inside? Assuming the towers aren't that large," he points out with a reference to the room we stand in. "I wouldn't fathom them having space for a such a large machine and a large amount of human bodies."

For once it's not me who does the surveying. It's Panne.

"There are not," she answers him. Having returned, the wholly different crow hops upon the floor. It starts to scrape its thin leg against the dirt in little lines that form a picture. It finally stops and taps the space three times with its beak. Spreading its wings out, the crow hops back to allow Panne to see.

"There are twenty humans total inside the tower spread unevenly on all levels."

"How did-" The crow caws loudly, cutting Chrom off. That should answer his question.

"Henry," Panne remarks simply, a faint hint of approval mixed in.

"He's-" The crow twitches its head at him and caws loudly again. "We'll need to have a talk with your friend later Panne."

Chrom runs his eyes over the group, counting in the Einherjar on his hand. "It's not beyond what we've done before, and there's a growing necessity to make sure they don't activate this tower for their favor."

"Hope your confident about that Blue, cause you need to take into account that some of us ain't fightin'," Gaius reminds our captain with a nod towards the rest.

Panne's eyes narrow dangerously, a growl ripping up from her throat. "I hope I am not included in your judgment as I am more than capable of continuing combat, human."

Gaius steps back with both hands up in a sign of peace, not willing to argue with the feral looking Taguel. "Down girl. I was talking about the healers."

"No way!" Lissa joins in. "I won't be counted out. I didn't come here to rescue my brother only to do nothing!"

She squeezes Maribelle's hand tightly and pulls her closer. The young Duchess manages to raise herself up and regain a bit of her missing fire. "I agree, my Lord. I will not be turned away now. I will see the siege of my keep through to the end."

There's a tug on my sleeve. Drawing me away from the others as they deliberate, the cousins point out a new sight of interest. Two figures have exited the tower and attempt to lift a box back inside. The darkness hides much of their personal features though the torchlight does catch an interesting gleam on one of their outer cloaks. An unmistakeable glimmer of gold stitching in a set of large eyes.

"Those robes," I whisper in surprise.

"High priest robes of the Grimleal," Lucina identifies out loud.

"Wonderful. I love how much worse this is getting."

"I suppose it's not the right time to point out the barriers that just went up near the top?" Owain miserably points out. Sure enough, there's an ethereal sheen to the top most level where the ballista sits. Looks like things are farther along preparation-wise than I thought.

It's about time I looked into things myself. I do an in-depth search of the tower and find Henry's report to be accurate. Twenty dots line the space with an odd assortment on each level. Most remain on the lower landing and get sparse the further you go up. Three host the top level. One is a heavy red dot befitting a boss. Poking it, the picture comes up showing a spindly old man dressed in Grimleal robes and a headdress. The name reads Chalard and Other Robin describes him as a fanatical dark magic user with a decent knowledge of upper level spells.

Chalard. Chalard...the name rings a bell. Can't place it in game though, not that it matters. He'll be toast soon enough.

The last crate disappears inside and the door slams shut. The heavy thump of a beam crossing over the door frame leaves it locked tight. With no more intel to gather, the next step is to tell everyone our discovery.

Alerting the others isn't fun, nor is idea of scaling three levels to reach the top of the tower. The Shepherds are tired, I can see it on their faces. I think they were hoping we could break through, rejoin the army, and make an easy win of things. If this tower goes active and manages to bring Nowi or Nah out of the sky, we lose our one advantage over the remaining towers. The girls are doing good but one more tower needs to go down to give them full control of field.

Gaius makes a quick run and tests the door finding it indeed locked. Chrom's first thought is to use physical force and break the thing in. I point out that in the time we take to knock it in, they'll be picking us off one by one from the windows with spells and arrows. Our next suggestion comes from Gaius and is met with a lot of scorn for just being downright crazy. He wants to climb the wall to a window and slip in that way to reopen the door!

"You act like it's a surprise I can scale a wall," he retorts, offended at the very idea that we think otherwise. "How do you think I get into half the castles I do. I can't just waltz in through the front gates."

He motions to the second floor windows. The dark line of a figure blocks out most of the inner glow. "See there? They got their backs to the edge. I can nab 'em and stab 'em before they knew what hit. After that, it's just a matter of some well timed sneaking to avoid detection."

"The rock face is smooth. Where do you plan on climbing?" Lon'qu asks. He looks befuddled at the very idea of the attempt.

"To the untrained eye it may seem impossible. You just need to know where to look."

Panne hums in agreement. Her pupils are very wide in the darkness, flitting over the stones in a specific pattern. "I see what you mean. The structure is shifting and the stones with it. Many are starting to slip outward."

I can't tell, but I'm assuming she means there's enough bricks poking about to work as hand and foot holds to climb up. You've got to be really savvy with your balance to risk climbing without equipment like that!

Gaius rolls the end of his lollipop over his tongue then plucks it out with a pop. He points the candied end of it toward Panne.

"Whiskers gets my angle. It'll let me get in and down to the door without a ruckus."

"That's madness," Lon'qu argues.

"And living outside the law ain't? It's all about the risks, Stabs."

"Stop with the names!"

Panne walks past the two bickering men and stares down Chrom. What she says isn't a request. It's a command. "I would take one side. The sweets stealer may choose the other window if he wishes."

"You're actually thinking of doing this too Panne?" Chrom asks in surprise.

Gaius pops out from behind her with a thumbs up. "I'm game. Let the lady do as she pleases."

"I simply don't know if I feel safe knowing you two are climbing a tower free hand over such a sheer drop," Chrom admits.

Panne bends over so the two are face-to-face. "My actions earlier were disgraceful. I allowed myself an injury and became a burden upon you all. I would rectify this with my actions here."

"Panne..."

She bores into him, an imposing figure radiating stubbornness. The staring match ends promptly in her favor.

"If you're confident in this, then do it," he concludes. It's not ideal circumstances but we have little else to do.

So we wait and watch. Gaius and Panne approach the tower together from the long shadow it casts on the left edge of the walkway. When they reach the door, the two split to opposite sides. There are four windows total going around the structure with two of them facing us. Each climber takes their respective side. They grasp around against the stones looks for solid ledges to grab hold of. Working their way up stone by stone leaves the remaining Shepherds in different states of distress. Except Owain, that is, who hangs out the window cheering them on with each step. Lissa has her eyes closed, face tucked into Lon'qu's sleeve. Maribelle has come out of her funk long enough to start berating Chrom for his lack of common sense. I'm shaking Lucina over and over asking if I they're done so I can look again.

It seems like an eternity but Owain finally gives the gleeful announcement that they made it in. Just as he does, a loud scream pierces the air. Panne casually yanks a man through the window by the back of his armor. The Plegian goes waving wildly down the side of the tower to the streets below. Gaius' head pops out of his respective window then disappears back in. So much for subtlety. The fires on the second level goes out leaving it bathed in darkness. We wait on the edge of our seats, holding our breaths. Minutes pass.

The entrance flies open with a bang flooding the walkway with light. Gaius and Panne both rush out and take a place on each side of the portal. A trailing Plegian bursts out after them. Confused at their disappearance, he look around only to find Panne's foot smashing into his face.

"Any time Blue!" Gaius calls out, punching the Plegian in nose back toward Panne as he topples over in the thief's direction.

"No time to waste! Let's take advantage of the confusion while we can!" Chrom shouts to us. No need to tell me twice!

The Shepherds charge the inner chamber of the tower. By now, most of the fighters inside have assembled on the main level. They make a sloppy effort to regroup from our surprise attack with them knocking over tables and seeking cover. I pull out Katarina and have her rejoin the battle. She appears in a bright flash, Marth forming a short time later.

I do a check of the room. Panne and Gaius managed to dispatch two of the twenty on the way here. Of the eighteen still alive, fourteen have assembled here. One is just out of sight hiding at the top of the stairs. The other three, including Chalard, must still be up top working on the ballista. I press up behind a crevice in the wall and pull my spell book out. Chrom is a short distance away beside Marth. They wait for a pause in the volley of spells to press an attack. I call out to him and explain the situation.

"We need to get to the top level! Fast!"

One of few foot soldiers here makes a running start for the middle of the room. I wind up a spell and throw it at her. The magic hits the floor before her sending the fighter sprawling back.

"There's still enemies up there! They're bound to get the ballista going while we're stalled down here!"

I can't hear what he says next thanks to an electric volt crashing into the stone right before my face. I drop to my feet, heart beating rapidly. There's a rapid flush of heat that fills the room and the burnt smell of hay fills my nose. A large line of fire has shot up across the whole room separating it into two halves. It burns steadily but will fade the longer is lasts. For now though, the Shepherds have been split.

Katarina rushes to my aid. She unleashes a rapid scattering of electric shocks back at the offender, buying us some time to breath. She helps me up only to give a quick push forward.

"Go," she urges gently. "We will do what we can here."

"Katarina! The others-"

Chrom darts by, catching me in a mad dash for the stairwell leading up. "Come on! I've told the others! They'll move when they can!"

Behind me, I can see Gaius and Maribelle still on our side of the flames. Marth and Katarina fall together and do what they can to help get them closer to the stairs. In the meantime, Chrom and I have one more obstacle to deal with.

"I saw a single mage on the stairs blocking the way!" I yell up to Chrom. "Let me in front. I'll shield you until we get close. Then you can go in for the kill!"

"After you then!"

I craft the spell before me creating a full body tower shield. It needs both hands to support leaving Chrom with the burden of the attack. Checking on each other for readiness, we take a moment to steady ourselves. Okay! We can do this!

The two of us burst out from our hiding place, feet stomping against the floor in rapid succession. I run at a twisted angle to keep the shield before us both. A stray fire spell clips the high corner, bursting into a puff of cinders as the two spell cores collide. We reach the stairs and I divert the shield forward. Through the misty green winds keeping the spell together, I can see the lone mage cowering at the top of the stairs. He starts casting immediately on seeing us, sparks crackling under his fingers. I ground down with one knee on each step and brace for the impact of the spell. The charge in the air spikes higher than I predicted. Catching sight of the spell tome in his hands, I realize he's casting through an elthunder tome.

This is gonna hurt.

There's a sharp stab of pain in my left lung when I force an extra heavy dose of magical energy into the shield for support. The spell shoots forward and slams into the surface of my own. The impact sends vibrations up my arm and into the rest of my body, causing my teeth to chatter. The bolt explodes across the surface and leaps in little sparks all over the spell eating away at the magic. My opponent's spell proves more powerful and my own cracks under his. Both spells dissipate and push inward, slamming me sideways against the wall.

"Robin!"

I don't let Chrom waste time comforting me. I heave in pain, pointing at the mage. "Hurry. You've got a small frame of time while he casts again!"

Knowing I speak the truth, he rockets past. The mage proves to be a very adept spell caster, summoning faster than anticipated. Chrom is going to gain a lot of distance on him, but I fear the mage will still be able to sneak in a single attack. My ribcage rattles with the exertion it takes to get my own spell book. I pick the simplest spell out of the front of the book, a tiny funnel of wind that sustains itself for a whole minute. Even when thrown, the tiny tornado keeps on spinning.

I hold out one palm and hold my other over it. Pinching my fingers together, I take a simple strand of wind and begin to twirl it faster and faster as if it were thread around a spool. It grows about six inches in length before I'm satisfied. Keeping it carefully sustained in one palm, I use my back as leverage to slide up the wall. Steadying myself, I raise up the spell and aim it straight for the mage.

The little tornado flies true and zips past Chrom's ear causing him to turn his head in surprise. My spell hovers to a stop right over the mage's spell book. The pages whip around back and force in a mess interrupting his spell so badly that it breaks. The danger fades away and the mage is left wide open.

I don't manage to catch the final seconds of the encounter with the last of our companions arriving. Maribelle's barrier is ten times stronger than the elemental shield I put up and spell and after spell bounces off its protective surface. She uses it for cover as both Gaius and her leap up the stairs. I accept his help with a gratitude and the three of us rejoin Chrom at the top. We journey up the second set of stairs, the ballista overhead in wait for us.

The four of us burst onto the uppermost level expecting some form of resistance. We're surprised to find quite the opposite. Two clerics in the back continue the hold on their respective spells while Chalard himself works on the ballista. No one stops to acknowledge us, let alone the fight going on below. It isn't until Chrom makes several long strides toward the priest that some reaction is made.

"Child of Naga, I feel your light." Chalard's hunchback form pauses in its work. His shoulders rise high, his voice dripping with disgust. "It is revolting."

Falchion comes up to rest before Chrom. I can't seem to take my eyes away from the relic. The blade itself seems to glow dimly in the darkness, producing its own light despite casting no shadow. It surface carries a silvery blue glow that contrasts sharply with the harsh orange tint of the lit torches nearby.

Maribelle and I both move up closer to our captain's side, each with our eye on one of the still unmoving clerics nearby. It's eerie how detached they are from the situation. Are they waiting for us to make the first move?

"Step away from the ballista," Chrom warns the other man. "Your tower has been overrun. Surrender yourself here and you'll find a chance for mercy. Choose not to and we will fight without hesitation."

Chalard cackles dryly. He extends a long, bony finger toward the eye emblazoned on his headdress. "Mercy? The only mercy that exists belongs to Grima. It is Grima's alone to give, not the Betrayer's or the kin."

The Betrayer? That's new, though most things are when it comes to the religious workings of this world. "What's he talking about? Who's the Betrayer?"

"Can't tell ya. Sounds like a bad case of the crazies to me," Gaius shrugs, readying a knife in each hand. "Ain't that what all Grimleal are about nowadays?"

"Final warning, priest. The deeds you've committed today are beyond indescribable. Any sort of sanctuary after this won't be so freely allotted. Give up your position now," Chrom offers again, readying himself into a battle stance. Deep down, we all know this won't end peacefully. It's just principal that he offers a chance to the enemy.

Chalard steps off the ballista's platform. He moves forward like a dark blob, the shifting of his robes swaying like shadows around him. "No. No, you have it all wrong. These deeds we have offered are a gift. The ultimate form of reconciliation mankind can hope for."

"Reconciliation?" Maribelle finally bursts outright. "What madness compels you to believe the poor souls of this country deserved the suffering you have put them through!"

The priest displays a mouth full of crooked, yellow teeth. He gives a wheezy chortle, saliva dripping off the corner of his bottom lip. This guy really has lost his marbles. A true cultist obsessed in every way with the Grimleal religion.

"Suffering is what we all deserve. For it is only through feeling such pain that we can understand what we truly are. What we deserve. We, the blasphemers of this world! The scourge! The pestilence!"

"Yep. He's burned his brittle way too long in the sun," Gaius chuckles darkly.

Chalard takes a firm look at Maribelle. His head twists all the way to the side, then the other. He skitters forward like an eager child upon reaching a realization.

"You," he exclaims. "You have the usurper's eyes. His escaped progeny I gather."

Maribelle's grip on her parasol tightens. It begin to bend at the middle with how hard she presses down on both sides of it.

"Your line has stained itself sitting upon your throne of bones," Chalard accuses her. "The man paid for his repentance through fire and stone. When his soul finally felt the breadth of his sins, he was gifted to Grima. There he will find salvation, as will all of his tainted bloodline."

That is a direct threat if I've ever heard one. Chrom and Gaius both take a protective stance before her, blocking the priest from her view. The duchess has gone as rigid as steel and paler than the moon overhead. This man just admitted to carrying out the orders that doomed her family. Perhaps he was the one who even did the honors.

"You..." she hisses in pure malice, tears glistening at the corner of her eyelashes. "You monster."

Gaius' mood takes a direct nosedive in relation to Maribelle's situation. He's lost all sense of his freewheeling persona. I haven't seen him this serious since we first met and he sliced up those Plegians in the laundry room. He's taking the threats on her life personal.

"Blue, I'm really itchin' for a fight. Just say the word," he states with an unnerving calmness. Gaius is definitely out for blood.

Chalard outstretches both arms and raises his head back. "Do as you will. Naga cannot protect you! Grima has spoken the truth to me. The Betrayer has no more power here. The mortal vessel is dead and soon the last of the Champions will lie with her. The era of our return is here."

"What madness are you spouting now?" Chrom demands over Chalard's shrieks of glee.

Something small and black darts in from the rafters aiming straight at me and Maribelle. One lands in my hair and tugs harshly at it amid the sound of feathers flapping. I shout in pain and stumble back fighting off the attacker. Maribelle tumbles away in her own fright striking at the air with her parasol. The creatures quickly flaps away toward the freedom of the skies, cawing loudly. Where we just stood, thin snaky tendrils of dark magic writhe about. They snap about grabbing for our ankles.

"Robin! Maribelle!"

Falchion flares up white for brief instance, slicing through the spell and severing the tendrils in half. The pieces fall away and ooze together in a bubbling puddle. Chrom swings the holy sword down and pierces the middle causing the liquid magic to dry up into nothingness.

I think Henry's crows just saved us. The warning could have gone about better, but it's the thought that counts. What else can you expect from him?

"My Lord! Ahead of us!"

Both clerics in the back have released their barriers. Their heads have lowered and buried themselves into the depths of their tomes. This time they both begin to cast, aiming directly at us!

Chrom pulls me behind a stack of crates for cover while Maribelle uses her own power to keep Gaius safe. Twin spells shoot toward each group, one hitting Maribelle's barrier full on while the other slaps into the mid-level crate before us. The slime clings to the wood and emits a noxious smell. An acidic hiss breathes out of the slime as it begins to eat away at the box.

Ahead, Chalard continues to rattle off Grimleal propaganda to some nonexistent audience. He screams about receiving the greatest blessing and passes his praises to Grima, all while using a tome of his own. What he begins to cast isn't the normal style I see our mages do. In fact, I've only seen this sort of spell circle emerge from one previous caster before. Letum.

How is this possible?

"Robin, easy," Chrom flinches beside me. I realize I've dug all my fingertips deep into the skin of his forearm. I quickly yank away from him and twine my fingers together instead to hold back the obvious shaking of my limbs. He stares in deep concern at my attempts to hide the fears taking root.

Whatever Chalard is casting, it's taking him a while. He's using the two further back to keep us away with a constant volley of lesser spells for time. To the likes of Chrom and I, it's working well enough. We can't seem to do much aside from keep seeking cover. Gaius is another matter entirely.

The nimble rogue works his way little by little through the barrage behind whatever cover he can. It helps that Maribelle is playing decoy. She keeps her barrier up high enough to expose her current hiding place but refuses to fully emerge. She keeps up the illusion that both she and Gaius continue to remain hiding together while he sneaks his way around. It doesn't take long before he successfully reaches one of the back clerics. With a leap from behind, he makes a quick slice over the Plegian's throat. They drop motionless into a heap.

The cleric goes down just as Chalard finishes his own spell. His whole outstretched hand goes up in flames. It's not the normal color of fire. No, this junk is a creepy voodoo purple!

The flames lick about doing no damage to his wrinkled skin. His fingers curl together and the entire room grows colder. Every last torch dims as an unseen wind pulls their light toward him. With a simultaneous glimmer from each one, every last fire snuffs out. The room is bathed in darkness save for the purple glow in the middle. It begins to grow brighter and brighter, the only heat seeming to come from Chalard. Soon the tip of it is burning a soot stain into the ceiling.

Splitting it apart, he folds over both palms and slams the two fireballs into the floor. The flames start to crawl up in a whirling vortex. Before our eyes, the fire morphs into human shaped figures. Arms and legs reach out from the vague shape of a cloaked and hooded human. They settle into a mirrored hunch similar to Chalard. I'd go so far as to say the sneaky bastard just made clones of himself!

"My Lord!" Maribelle calls out anxiously with hopes of an explanation. This magic isn't like anything we've seen before. I can feel that it's largely made of dark magic. But the composition looks a lot like fire magic. Is this taking the form of his natural born element or something? I have no idea. It's scaring me all the same.

"Stay outta this Twinkles!" Gaius hollers back in Chrom's stead. He takes a defensive position on the far wall, torn between taking out the next cleric and watching the new threat in the center.

"That goes for both of you," Chrom says next to me. I whip around, ready to protest but he stops me.

"Take care of the ballista. Do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn't run. He probably made those illusions as a decoy to keep us busy while he reactivates the machine."

"You're seriously going to take them by yourselves? Are you crazy?"

"The others below will join us soon." Chrom pushes me away from the center, gesturing for Maribelle to follow. Before she arrives he leans in quietly for just us to here. "I don't want you engaging a Grimleal priest Robin. This isn't about your abilities. It's about your safety. Please understand."

As much as I could moan about it, he's right. The less exposure I have, the better. It sucks! But he's right.

"Fine, keep them occupied! But don't you dare think about getting yourself injured!"

Maribelle's concerns are quickly squashed with a short debriefing from Chrom. She's upset about leaving the two to the fight but can't deny his logic. She begrudgingly follows after me as we crawl our way in secret over to the ballista. Crouching before it, the intimidating structure offers no hint of where to begin. The outer shell is a large and bulky bit making up the main firing chamber. The parts that actually make it run are hiding beneath it. I kneel down and duck my head under the edge to observe the massive gear network below.

"Do you know how these work?" I ask Maribelle.

She stares forlornly at the machine. "Hardly. Father offered to teach me at a point, but I had been too consumed by my studies. A wasted opportunity."

"Maribelle, you couldn't have known."

"No, but it does not mean I cannot regret it any less." She swallows her sorrow and reestablishes her resolve. "What shall we do then?"

"You can just keep me protected. Watch for anyone coming this way. Maybe keep a barrier up to hold back any stray spells?"

"Do you even know what you are searching for?" She asks over the chaos behind us. A flaming barrel flies through the air and explodes against the wall above us into numerous pieces. Maribelle ducks down as smoking splinters rain down. Her parasol goes up and produces a bubble to protect us from the debris. A single brown iris peeps out from between her bangs to watch the carnage fall.

Now safe, I lower my arms from their protective position and focus back on the underside of the contraption. Wheels, rods, and other contraptions beyond my comprehension make up the guts to the underside of the ballista's wooden skeleton. Without someone knowledgeable like Miriel beside me, I'm as lost as can be. Mechanical expertise is not my forte.

"I do not hear an answer, Robin," Maribelle states more impatiently than before. She hugs the side of the ballista and presses down as close to the safety of the floor as she can.

I peek my head out and wipe away a bit of grease from my cheek. "Honestly, I have no idea."

Slipping my hand around an outlying gear for support, I slide under the outer shell and lie on my back to lean further in. If this machine starts moving, I could get caught in the gears. It's the only way to get a good look at everything though, whatever it may be I'm looking for.

From this angle, everything looks the same to me. Oily metal spokes and doodads all welded together in a puzzling maze of architectural artistry.

"Gods preserve me," she griefs as I pull myself back under the platform. "What have you planned thus far?"

I sit up and flip my head to side in a defenseless gesture. "The plan only got about as far as doing something to shut this thing down. I didn't decide on how yet."

"You two devised this scheme without any proper steps on how to advance? We are exposed here! You must give me one solid reason as to why I should not begin to...to beat sense into your...your befuddled brain case!" she argues with the sauciest insult her prudence can afford.

"Yes, yes! I know! I'm sorry! I just work spontaneously. Have some faith!" I holler as she swats me across both bent knees with one empty glove.

I mutter wearily under my breath and slide back under the ballista. I make a small light in my palm and hold it close. My eyes rove over every nook and cranny for something that looks important. Everything seems fused together or locked by the teeth of the gears. Where would I begin to dismantle this thing?

"Robin, I think it would be wise to hasten your efforts," Maribelle's voice trembles from outside. "I believe the priest is attempting his way back over. He is making much progress."

"Where are the others?" I pull hard at a beam overhead and feel it loosen. Great! Now I just wish I knew what this was loosening. It looks like an axle to something?

"Panne has arrived and is doing what she can. The one remaining cleric is pushing her back firmly." She gasps in surprise and I see her land backward on her rear. A massive rush of feathers zoom overhead, blocking out the moonlight.

"Oh my."

"Maribelle, what was that?"

"Those infernal birds that follow her around have formed a massive cloud over the cleric. They are...pecking him to death, I believe."

Something tells me by the end of this Henry is going to get a long talking to. He was suppose to be considered harmless, but he's proving otherwise. Thankfully in all the right ways.

I swear deeply and let my head fall back in defeat. Now where the heck do I start when this pressure is making it impossible to decide? I look at all the metal around me seeing infinite possibilities and no concrete answers. I won't be able to figure out a thing in the time I have.

So what now?

I quickly pull my hand away when I notice the flame I have held up beginning to cause the metal to glow. I retract the heat of the flame before I can do anymore damage to it.

Or...

Or do I?

Screw it. I don't have time. If I have to choose between our manakete allies or this ballista, I'm picking the girls.

"Sorry Maribelle," I say in a sing-song voice. I don't have a fire tome, but I don't think I'll need one for what I'm about to do. All I have to do is adjust the size and length like so and...Ha!

Basically imagining my hand into a glorified blowtorch, I'm able to slim the overall bulk of the flame. The blood in my veins burns hotter with the influx of power I pour into the tiny stream. If I can beat my fellow pupil Ricken in anything, it's controlling power shift and shape on spells. The previous low orange burn of my flicker sears to bluish-white. The burn pulsating off it should be hot enough to cut though metal, just like Miriel taught me.

"What are you doing now?" she asks suspiciously.

"Don't hate me, but I'm going to break everything!"

"What?" Maribelle gasps. "This is a four hundred year old contraption and one of a kind. You cannot replace this-"

Aaaaand now's the time to shut her out. Time for a little dissection!

The pillar of fire in my hand proves to be just the tool I needed. I feel like a mad scientist in some bizarre medical surgery as I slice through and meld together joints with the scalpel sized tip. A coppery burn stings my nose as the different machinery pieces bubble and pop from the heat. I nearly burn my face when a rod overhead starts to drip amber colored slop from two separated edges of a rod I slice in half. I weave in and out between spaces wreaking havoc where I can to ensure this thing won't come to life anytime soon. I don't bother thinking about finding any method in the madness. Nothing is safe in the wild and erratic chops I take.

Maribelle's insistent calls become apparent only when she tugs frantically on my ankle. I raise my head in panic without thinking and slam my head into a low hanging bar. The echo of my forehead cracking against the metal sounds like an impact against a heavy gong.

"OW!" I howl as I immediately fall backward, fingers grasping at the mark no doubt blossoming on my skin. Maribelle pulls tighter, this time on both ankles to drag me an inch or so out.

"Robin, you must remove yourself quickly! The priest has broken through and is coming this way!"

My pained moan chokes up into a frantic gasp when I hear her words. Church bells still ring in between my ears as I numbly grasp about to push myself out. With Maribelle's help, I pull myself away just as the squeak of wood bending under Chalard's feet announces his position atop the platform. The two of us scuttle back to the balcony wall to put space between us and the weapon. I mentally cross my fingers, frozen in the grip of anticipation over whether this thing is actually going to run. For all I know, I just stripped it of its turning gears. The actual bolt may still be able to fire! It's rare to ever find myself praying, but I do now for Nowi and Nah's sake. Please don't start!

Chalard's beyond battered. His billowing priest robes are slashed and torn about making it look less an article of clothing and more like tattered drapes over his spindly frame. I see blood soaked pools and slashes over his skin from the numerous close encounters he's had dodging impending blows. I would think the exertion and blood loss would slow him down, but the man moves with full strength as he attempts to restart the ballista. He starts to crank the wheel that spins the direction of the platform while placing a hand back on his spell book. Is he planning on fusing a spell to the bolt?

The ballista begins to crank and whir slowly moving right toward the battle beyond. The wild gleam in Chalard's eye grows bright to match the teeth he now bares in victory. The platform begins a dreaded rotation and I to rise to my feet ready to pull the man away by force if need be. I'm off both knees when a horrid grinding fills the air.

The priest's sinister gloating falters as the device stalls in its movement. It appears caught, constantly jerking to try and bypass a hidden obstacle preventing it from moving. Over and over the wooden platform shakes in stress while the insides beneath screech and groan.

Ignoring this, he turns his focus to the main part of the ballista. More bad luck follows when he grasps the lever that releases the lock on the main chamber. He pulls up and down on it uselessly, the machine not responding at all to the way it rises and falls. It appears utterly disjointed from its purpose producing nothing but an empty clicking sound.

I splay open my palm and beam down at the now slow burning fire spell. Sure, I may have destroyed a centuries old weapon of great power, but I preserved two equally important parts of history to make up for it. Awesome!

Chalard slams a fist against the front panel and snarls something in a language I've never heard before. The long, yellowed points of his nails scratch through the paper of his tome in frustration. His whole body starts to spasmodically twitch in irritation. He peers out from under the edge of his cap roving over the ballista for some cause to the problem. And that's when he notices us, specifically me standing there with a spell still active. Not awesome!

He peers at us from underneath the folds of his headdress. Chalard's eyes are unnaturally bright and hypnotic under the moonlight. His head flops to the side, jaw slightly unhinged and drooling to a knowing smile. The earlier madness from before has heightened tenfold, utterly taking hold of him.

He giggles and raises his free hand. There's a spike in the air and swift change of temperature. I realize his other hand has never left the spell book mounted on the pedestal beside him. Has he had a spell in reserve this whole time? If that right then there's no way to-

"More life force for the master!" he trumpets over the surge of the spell's effect.

Maribelle barely manages to raise her accessory in time letting the light of her barrier cover us from the front. Chalard's spell is a wispy purple and black bolt that hones right in on her. It slam into the space before her and sparks against the clear sheen of the screen.

Maribelle bites down on her tongue to muffle a sound of discomfort as she holds back the spell. It shifts into a sudden wide-eyed look of horror as she mouths out a wordless interjection. I look up to see the friction between the two spells causing a hole to open up in the barrier. The dark magic is far stronger than hers and the screen begins to crack much in the way I imagine the barrier we broke earlier did.

"Robin," Maribelle whimpers as she holds it back with everything she's got. "I...I cannot..."

There's no denying what's going to happen next. I have to prepare for the aftermath of that thing exploding. The inevitability of the scenario causes my mind to speed up in a chain of events most likely to happen after this. That blast radius is too large for us to actively dodge on foot. Looking about, I realize there's only one way to get out of the blast radius. We're going to have to go down. Running on pure instinct, I work out my spell book and create the most fluid spell summon I've ever managed . Wind magic curls and weaves around my arm as I clamp one hand over the edge of the support pillar beside us. The magical rope snakes down and begins to wrap around both the stone and my lower torso. I swallow my fear and test the strength by balancing on the edge. Leaning back just enough off my heels, I hold tight to the length of it and let myself hang at enough of an angle to leave all my support into the rope. My eyes shut painfully in the moment of truth. I take a breath and-

And I don't fall. I open one eye and see the green twine holding taut against where its slid tightly around the support structure.

"Robin, we-" Maribelle startles and nearly loses her whole grip on the barrier seeing my position. The barrier bends back forcefully.

I take a few steps down and brace against the stone, then reach out a hand. "Let go of your parasol and hold on to me!"

Maribelle looks from my face, down my arm, and back up again. There is no word in the human language that could accurately describe her face when she realizes what I had planned. "Are you mad?"

Above, mist is pouring in between the cracks. There's a breath of peace before I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand. The magical discharge is astounding. The spell is bloating up, ready to detonate. Maribelle's eyes go wide and she understands the same. Instantly withdrawing, she half twists toward me waiting for whatever plan I have.

"Jump!"

Both her arms and legs tangle around me and her mortified wail follows us over the edge of the tower. Her parasol falls to the ground and the barrier evaporates. Chalard's spell slams into the ground letting loose a massive burst of sound and debris.

The few hops I've taken to bring us down at a gradual pace breaks when the force of the blast loosens my grip! Maribelle's screams mix with my own as we free fall. I retract the amount of length on the rope, wind magic slipping and tightening under my command as I struggle to control it. The makeshift rope jerks tightly in a sudden stop pulling up and into my spine as we halt our descent. My shrieks turn into cries of rejection as we spin and spin toward the tower wall.

"No, no, no, no!"

I throw out both feet before me and bend the knees to absorb the shock of slamming into the side. My feet make contact and every leg bone feels like it's been jammed into my hips. The force of impact causes me to bounce off and turn ninety degrees before landing a lot lighter on my left side. Rocks and dust roll over us from the explosion above. A few shingles tap dance down the side of the wall past us as the opposite support buckles from the blow. Slowly the momentum of our drop brings us to a still. We spin leisurely back and forth from the slight tremors running through the wall. Below, the world is a mob of ants and bees fighting a war among themselves.

My arms feel like they've been pulled from their sockets. Maribelle's crushing grip around my chest isn't helping. I wheeze, digging a heel into the wall to help support my weight. Alone, I may have been able to handle this. A whole other human being on your back is another story. None of my strength training was meant for this.

"Dear Naga," Maribelle whispers in prayer behind me. "Sweet, dear Naga. Do not lose your gaze upon us now."

"You...okay?" I somehow gasp out.

I feel her body slip slightly. Her right leg inches away and wiggles in the air as she tries to pull herself back up.

Her normal haughty laugh comes across broken and slightly hysterical. "Are you quite serious?"

"Nah."

I crane my head back, eyelashes fluttering against the last bits of falling dust. It felt like we fell an infinite distance. In reality, it wasn't that far. I could try to walk us back up.

Try? Don't I mean I have to? What else am I going to do? Just hang here?

A crow wafts in on a slight breeze and flaps in place. Its head jerks about in a curious fashion at the sight of us. It opens its big beak and lets out a quick succession of caws similar to laughter.

"Real helpful Henry," I hiss between clenched teeth. I plant both feet against the wall and wrap the magic tighter around one arm. Taking the other, I make an attempt to pull Maribelle and I up a smidgen.

Ooooooh my god. Fuck gravity. Fuck. Science! Maribelle feels like a damn elephant hanging off me.

The crow flies up to the rope and stares at the green illumination of it. It bows its head down to me and caws again. It darts to the halfway point of my ascent and starts to squawk between each flap of its wings. A sort of bizarre cheer leading that's in time with the baby steps I can muster.

Each one become harder than the next. Between Maribelle's constant squirming for her own balance and my waning strength, I'm losing the battle. I find a small uneven cropping of stone in the face of the wall and take a breather against it. The two inches of space make a difference in relieving the burning tug of this rope on my waist and forearm. I swear the latter is going numb. I rest my forehead against the cool stone relishing its feel against my burning forehead. All I need is a breath. Two. I can do this.

Maribelle lets out a piercing scream and pulls me in the opposite direction causing us to swing sideways with her rush of momentum.

"Robin, watch yourself!"

"Maribelle, what the hells?" I erupt, everything alighting with muscular burn as I try to regain balance.

She jerks a hand out and points to a broken piece of scaffolding beside us. "He's alive!"

A miniature heart attack erupts in my chest at her words. Over the wooden beam is the splayed body of one of the unfortunate Grimleal clerics from above. He lays bent over the beam on his stomach, arms and legs dangling lifelessly. Folded inward as he was, I thankfully couldn't see his face. Maribelle's words remind me again of the danger and I try to pedal us further from the body.

"He..." she gasps, "he..."

I stare hard at the corpse. He looks dead to me.

We both hang there a beat longer, waiting for a response. The crushing pain in my chest and limbs reminds me that I can't do it for much longer.

"Maribelle, I think we're okay."

The duchess lets out a shuddering sigh into the nape of my neck. "I...I...I was surprised. When I looked over I swore I saw him reaching for us."

Henry's crow dives into my hair and pulls at strands causing me to wince. I jerk my head to the side to see what it wanted only to hear my name being called. I follow his crow upwards where it climbs to the top of the tower. It circles twice overhead to where I see Panne looking over the edge.

"You are alive," she remarks in surprise. "Hold yourselves there."

"Wait!" I yell up to her. Too late, she's already disappeared again.

"Okay. We'll just hang here some more. No biggie," I grunt out uncomfortably in an attempt to tighten my grip again on the rope. I give an experimentative tug. It's getting slippery and thinning in my grasp. Not a good sign. Trying to maintain this with my own physical exhaustion growing is getting to be taxing. Katarina's bond with me is going to snap soon if I don't get relief.

I dig into another uneven bit of the wall and claw my fingers into it for a makeshift handhold. Maribelle's arms are starting to shake worse than mine. Twice now she's slipped badly. To make it worse, she keeps casting wary glances at the dead body chilling with us. Great place to be.

Ugh. This is...this is really, really rough.

The rope begins to tighten and I quickly unravel my arm from it. We start to rise brick by brick. Maribelle stirs behind me, slipping to the point that her chin is now between my shoulder blades.

"Maribelle, just hold a little longer! They're pulling us up!"

"Sloths. All of them," she gripes.

Our ascent is a slow grind. Henry's idea of support comes in the form of his crows constantly nipping at exposed parts of skin to keep us alert. I have no energy left by the time the lip of the tower comes within arm's reach. Katarina's bond snapped forever ago. All I can feel are a cluster of arms pulling Maribelle and I up to the safety of solid ground. Even then it takes time for the two of us to unravel from our cocoon, the sensation of safety not quite real.

Language is just mush in my mind. I stay prone on my hands and knees savoring the rush of blood burning through them. I still can't believe we survived that. In any other situation a point blank shot like that would have injured, if not killed us. We were lucky we had somewhere to go. So, so lucky. I swore I wouldn't let Maribelle die tonight, no matter what. I kept my damn word and I couldn't be more pleased.

"-you hear me? You are an insane fool!" Lucina's voice breaks through the haze. She supports me on the side, her livid sentences stringing together faster than I can process.

Beside me, Maribelle sits cross-legged with Gaius' cloak around her. He's got a protective arm over her shoulders, one she rests against while Lissa babbles endlessly before her.

The room around us is wreck. All of the people here are looking crispy in some way or another. One of the side railing has crumbled outward and another wall is nothing but an ashy imprint of Chalard's body double. I panic and do a headcount. One, two, three...

Phew! Everyone is accounted for, barring Katarina. Thankfully I see her card grasped safely in her fellow Einherjar's hand. Marth stands next to Chrom and Lon'qu before the captured priest. I'm amazed Chalard's still breathing after everything he's done. The priest squirms about against the restraints that have been applied to him. His head thrashes back and forth sending the froth from his mouth every which way. His eyes have rolled all the way to the whites, his voice hoarse as he screams for more power. Sorry to break it to ya but you're out of luck buddy.

"Are you even listening to me?" Lucina exasperates with a quick wrap to side of my skull.

"Yeah, yeah. You're crazy...blah blah...risky business...blah blah," I slur, still dazed from the previous encounter.

"I did say all of that," she admits before helping me sit back. "I also said I'm grateful you're still alive."

I sloppily pat her cheek, missing her completely the third time. "Thanks for finally caring, kiddo."

Maribelle rises to her feet with the help of her two companions. Lissa hands her back the parasol she had lost earlier and the duchess gratefully uses it for extra support. She places one foot before the other carrying herself toward the captive in the center of the room. The three crows in the rafters above watch her slow walk, hopping closer together to see her next move.

Chrom leaves mid-conversation with Marth at the sight of her. He limps lightly on his left leg toward her. He drops all decorum, quickly embracing her with much emotion. His relief is clear in the way he gasps her name, grateful to see her alive. What must have gone through his mind when he saw Chalard unleash the spell on us? For a good while he must have thought us dead. It sure felt like we were hanging there forever. Long enough for the Shepherds to win anyway.

Maribelle places a hand on his cheek and whispers something to him looking equally grateful. Her features quickly harden with attentions switched to the man on floor. She pulls Gaius' cloak tightly to her and approaches Chalard. She stops before him peering down at his pathetic form with no trace of emotion.

Lon'qu takes the sword he had pressed firmly to the middle of Chalard's back and pulls it right up to his neck. The tip rests firmly against his skin, biting in enough to draw a thin line of red.

Chalard stops his squawking and lifts his chin to meet her gaze. "Still alive? You only delay the inevitable with your stubbornness. All will become dust in the end. Grima has told me so."

"Did Grima also tell you to do all of this? To murder and maim innocents in the name of your god?" she asks coldly.

"It is Grima's will!" he preaches out loud, wrapped in the ecstasy of his own zealotry. "In exchange for our salvation, our lives provide the fuel of Grima's ascension! It is the only way to wipe clean our transgressions for our pitiful race."

The faintest trace of pity softens the sharpened shadows in Maribelle's eyes. "These are all the words of Grima, you say. Have you no mind of your own to speak? Or, are you simply a pawn to this voice you hear?"

"I need no words, for I am the mouthpiece of Grima's will!" Chalard rolls madly on to his back, kicking and thrusting about while screaming at the top of his lungs "Speak to me again Grima! Bathe me in your words!"

Gaius yawns in boredom, ignoring the disturbing sights before him. "Twinkles, just end him already. You'd be doing him a favor."

"Grima! Speak to me! Where is your voice?"

"He is a cowardly creature," Panne agrees from her spot nearby. "There is no sense of self left in his body."

Chalard's body comes to a still. He looks blankly up at the ceiling. Tears begin to stream from his eyes as his cries turns into a distressed keen. "What is wrong? Why can I not hear the words anymore? Why is it so quiet?"

Maribelle turns her back to him looking disgusted. "You poor, miserable wretch."

Lon'qu lifts his weapon in question, paused over Chalard's heart. He seeks both Chrom and Maribelle for confirmation. "Would you have me put the fool out of his misery?"

Chrom approaches the still silent young woman. Sensing her stress, he comforts her best he can. He draws the slipping cloak from her shoulders tighter together, speaking tenderly.

"Maribelle, I understand what he did to your family. We can't take back what's been done. I just want to say-"

She flicks her head up commanding him resolutely. "Bind him. Gag him. Do whatever you must to silence him. Just make sure you have him cast away with the other prisoners we acquire today."

A ripple of surprise runs through the onlookers. Gaius drops the dagger he plays with in his hand, shoving off against the crate he sits on. "What?"

She casts a look at Chalard who is now curled in a ball sobbing for voices only he seems to hear. "I won't execute a man in cold blood simply for the sake of vengeance."

Gaius grabs at his head, unable to comprehend her logic. "Why else wouldn't you? It'd be an act of mercy for him at this point, which is even too much!"

She draws herself up, head held high. Maribelle holds a new look of appreciation for the rogue she once butted heads with. She speaks to him for once as an equal, without condensation or malice.

"I appreciate your concerns Gaius, but this cannot be done. What sort of message will I be sending to the people of this country? Her Grace has made it her duty to reinvent Ylisse's image to what it once was. A country full of mercy and justice. Proper justice. I will not fall upon the barbaric practices of our darkest era when we as a nation have a duty to uphold the standards of a civilized age."

"I will not condemn him without a due process of law. He is entitled to be tried for his crimes." She closes her eyes and feels the weight of his evils on her soul. "Each and every last one."

Gaius' own history seems to be haunting him in the form of Maribelle's image. He's taken this whole mission personally simply because it's all about avenging her happiness. He once almost ripped it from her, and now he stands here years later seeing her in the same situation, now a grim reality. From what I know of the games, Gaius isn't one for debts or loose ends. A part of him must still seem guilty on his past actions and he desperately wants to correct that.

"It's clear to me this isn't what you want. You don't gotta do this Maribelle. I doubt anyone here will say anything against ya if he meets an accident. It's only fair after everything he's done," Gaius protests doing all he can to convince her otherwise. The rest of us watch the two argue, dumbfounded at the passion both parties issue in their own defenses.

In the end, it's Maribelle who clinches the win. Her words carry a definite finality giving her decision little room to change. She actually gives the thief a small smile of fondness, a sign of her own appreciation for his concerns. It quickly turns downward to mirror her sadness.

"This is not about what I want, Gaius. It is about what is right, and that means the law supersedes individual interests in accounts like this. That is what's fair."

Panne steps up behind Gaius and pulls him back by the shoulder. "The girl has made her choice. It would be disrespectful to her not to honor it," she advices him.

"Shit." It's all Gaius can mumble. He stalks away, throwing his hands up in the air.

Realizing the end of the conversation, Chrom closes with a final note. "Then so be it. It's brave what you did Maribelle. Your father would be proud. A move befitting any future magistrate."

"My thanks," she whispers.

Lissa hurries over and guides Maribelle away from our newly acquired prisoner. Chrom orders Lon'qu to check Chalard's restraints and double the bindings. The priest's whimpers have stilled leaving him prone in a catatonic state. Chrom personally takes the spell tome from off the ballista and flings it well over the edge so Chalard remains defenseless. He watches it fall before turning back.

"And you!"

His sudden declaration shocks me awake and alert. I look back and forth and point to myself just to make sure I'm the one drawing his ire. And where did Lucina go? She was standing here a second ago. How could she abandon me now?

"What were you thinking jumping like that?"

Chrom stomps over and boxes my ear in a fashion quite similar to the many times Anneliese would when I refused to down her horrible medicines. Her handiwork has rubbed off excellently on him after years of nanny service.

I rub away at the burning sensation in my lobe. "Ow! You can't do that!"

"Robin, I thought you had died! You've got to be the luckiest woman on the whole damn planet pulling off a trick like that!"

"I prefer to think I'm the most resourceful."

"How about both?" he laments pitifully. "Which often seems to leave me in a state of worry taking years off my life."

Our reunion is interrupted by a bright flash of light flooding into the tower. Just adjacent to us, a flare goes up into the sky bathing the area around the active tower beneath it in green. That's our victory sign that the internal forces have successfully taken out the premises.

"Another tower down. See, told you we'd have the wall sooner than you'd think." Pulling up a sleeve, I get ready to let loose my own flare. With our objective complete, I should let the others know we're ready for extraction. The royals can stay cushy and secure behind our lines once more while the rest of us join the ground forces and work into the wall. No doubt someone must have broken down the barricades and magic holding us back. I can make out our own forces all over the walls now.

"It's a good thing too. I was beginning to fear this night would never end," he admits gratefully.

"It shouldn't be long now." I turn my back to the broken edge of the balcony to talk some more while we wait for the riders to show up. I'll admit I have curiosity with how the battle went down. "What happened with those freaky fire twins the priest made? How did you manage to end them?

Chrom places a hand proudly on Falchion's scabbard. "There wasn't much we could do until Panne showed up. She helped leverage the situation in our favor, allowing me to get much closer. Once the rest of the Shepherds appeared, we just used our numbers to press the attack until I managed a decisive blow on each. Falchion did most of the work. As a piece of Naga's own body, it dispelled the dark magic with ease. A few solid blows is all it took. The illusions were weak compared to the original copy."

I deflate a little, disappointed with the outcome after the creepy build-up that went into it.

"That seems too easy." I reach out and pull at the singed collar of shirt. "Though you still managed to get a nice bake going on in the process.

His mirth shifts to that of sincerity. "The priest must have underestimated our strength. Or, maybe his own power? He seems delusional, more so than any Grimleal I've seen. I think he truly believes he was some powerful conduit blessed with Grima's power."

"A case of extreme devotion gone wrong."

"True. Even among Naga's worship there are members too enthusiastic for their own good."

I pat his shirt back down, smiling halfhearted. "All the same, it's good you kept him alive. You might be able to get information out of him."

"You think so?" He doesn't look anywhere near as hopeful as he sounds. "Hm. Maybe."

A loud explosion from nearby draws our attention away. Nah's landed and physically walking on the wall. Her tale swishes back and forth sending men flying at all angles. She breathes a blast of fire into the air lighting the glitter of her scales. Nowi isn't that far away. She glides to the top of a standing tower and latches onto the roof. Her claws tear deep into the roof pulling up stone after stone to get to the people within. It's so loud I can hear her nails actually gouging into the stone. I can even hear her heavy breathing. It...almost sounds like it's right in my ear. How is that possible?

"You hear that?" I wonder out loud, spinning around in confusion.

"What is it?"

"That wheezy breathing. It almost sounds like a-"

"Marth! Look out!"

Lissa's panicked warning splits the air. I gawk at what I'm seeing over Chrom's shoulder. The cleric Gaius had killed earlier on has propped himself up on one arm. The other is held out and pulsating purple with the aftermath of a spell he just fired! Owain's quick reflexes kick in and he manages to pull both his cousin and himself down to the ground as the spell whizzes over the spot she just stood.

It stares slack-jawed at them, the skin of its neck separated and sagging open like a second mouth. The red hue of a Risen burns underneath the cowl.

What? How?

It twist and contorts with inhuman speed, snapping up to stand on some unheard command. It leaps to the wall and digs its fingers and toes into the stone. The Risen crawls up the wall and hangs from in upside down position, snarling at us.

Gaius stares in utter disbelief at the creature hissing at him, then at the knife in his hand. "Okay, that ain't right."

"Risen," Lon'qu spits out in revulsion over the monster. He nudges Lissa behind him so she stands with Maribelle.

"I spoke of something that smelled foul," Panne laments to herself.

"It just sat around playing dead this whole time? What's the point?" I say, suppressing a shudder. This is wrong.

The Risen raises a ruckus drawing everyone's attention toward it. It begins to leap about making feints. It looks like it's trying to get close but I feel like it's pulling back at last moment. Almost like it's baiting them.

I whip out my map not relishing the idea of what I might see. Risen appear as a red dot like any other enemy so I had no idea those clerics were what they were earlier. I assumed them to be human like the rest here. Why was Chalard hanging around with two Risen?

"Chrom, something isn't right," I tell him, voicing my concerns.

He doesn't answer.

"Chrom?"

I lift my eyes and everything slows to a still. His eyes have gone open wide in horror. Whatever has his attention, it's right behind me.

A shiver runs down my spine. The heavy breathing from earlier is close. Too close. The map finishes bleeding together dropping right in on our current position. Behind my blue dot is a red one.

Eep.

The frozen second shatters and speeds up in a quick flurry of actions. Chrom's shout is lost to me in the rush. He grips me painfully by both shoulders and swings us around. We reverse positions and I find myself with his former view. It's the second cleric from earlier, the one Maribelle found! It's leaping straight for us from the edge of the tower, red eyes blazing!

It was leaping for me.

It collides against Chrom's back causing all three of us to fall forward. Chrom barely manages to hold himself up on his elbows to stop himself from crushing me under both their combined weights. The Risen's head peers down at me from above. It cocks its head in curiosity to see me there and not directly underneath. Its jaw moves in a circular fashion, bones clacking with a deep, angered growl. The eyes grow bright and I feel as if I'm staring into the depths of some depraved underworld.

Chrom struggles to remove the creature clinging to his body. He manages to stagger up to a bent position, shaking and elbowing wherever he can. This only proves to further agitate the Risen. Its gaze rakes over him. It lets out a new scream and pulls its head back. The Risen's mouth unhinges to a great void, purple tongue flicking about. Without another moment's hesitation, it snaps its neck forward and burrows rows of broken teeth into his shoulder.

I've never screamed so loud before, his name ripping out of my throat hoarse and raw. Please no! No!

I hear the sickening start of skin beginning to tear. It begins to jerk its head back and forth in shallow shakes staining the whole front of his shirt with a dark wetness in seconds. Deep rivulets of blood pool out from the gouges its clawed fingers make deep in his arm and opposite hip.

In a last ditch effort to remove the monster, Chrom does everything he can while still able to drive them backward. He rams himself back first into the stone wall forcing every ounce of his strength to try and slam it free.

The others are coming, I can hear them. But we spread out all over the tower. I'm still the closest. I'm the only one who can prevent this from getting worse. Do something you klutz! He saved you for God's sake! Do anything!

Everything swirls in my head like a tornado. Useless things, helpful things, weird things like what I ate for breakfast! Then I see it. My hands frantically pat on the floor to grab the large piece of wooden debris nearby. Use the environment around you Katarina said! Aim for the head. The head is the only way to kill a Risen. Only way! Use what I can, however I can!

The splintered piece is jagged and odd ends poke out the sides. They sting deeply into my skin but I ignore every last sensation.

Lucina, or Lissa, I can't tell anymore, is yelling behind me. I still have a few feet on whoever it is. In those precious seconds, I aim to do whatever I can with my own hands.

If the Risen hasn't seen me coming already, he can definitely hear the loud war cry reverberating out of me as I barrel forward. I force my gaze on the target knowing everything in me will fall apart if I see Chrom's condition. Nothing matters but getting him away. Nothing!

A moment of clarity hits me in the final moments. This shoddy piece of wood isn't going to do anything against a human skull. I could make a decent cut, but I'm not breaking bone with this. That won't be enough to kill it. So I need to do the next best thing and get it to loosen its grip.

My aim adjusts itself as I throw myself at the Risen. The stake swings down and digs in deep right through the eye socket.

O-oh God. Ignore it. Ignore what you're doing and focus on creating as much damage as possible. But the sounds are...Ugh!

I shove the point in as deep as I can manage, only loosening my grip to take hold of Chrom instead. The shock of my attack knocks its head back. The Risen jerks in surprise at the sudden blinding and I yank myself backward to pull Chrom away from its grasp. I fall back on my rear end and use the muscles in my legs to kick and shove us back as far as we can.

The noises the Risen makes abruptly stop when Lucina's lunges past with one well placed thrust of her sword. The thin blade slides through the gap in its wide mouth fitting snugly between its teeth. The tip bursts out the back skull and pins the Risen to the wall leaving it motionless in its final, shocked state. Smoke begins to curl up from the corner of its mouth and the light in its eye dies. There's a chilly breeze of wind as the Risen bursts into dust.

It crumples over Lucina's sword. The girl stands there, chest heaving. Hatred and malice pulsating off her in stifling waves.

A barely audible moan weakly slips from Chrom's body. The muscles in his back barely expand with the wet and shallow breaths he struggles to make. He's alive.

He's alive!

"Stupid," I choke out in whisper. My eyes screw shut, dampened with emotions I can't describe. "I said not to get hurt."

The others are there finally, surrounding me on all sides. Chrom slips easily from my arms, Lon'qu pulling him to the side to lie him on the floor. I can't move, too afraid to look. The whole front of my shirt is soaked and clinging to my chest. The coppery smell is making me ill. Lissa is crying semi-hysteric orders over Maribelle's back. I think Owain says something about losing the other Risen but I can't really say. It's all growing much fuzzier. Spot are swimming over my vision.

Chalard's woken from his daze and his endless pleas create a torturous soundtrack to the agony plaguing my mind. Just SHUT UP!

"You with me Bubbles? Breath a little. In and out."

Gaius' worried voice drifts in over the fogginess of my conscious. I do as he instructs, breathing deep. My lungs expand from their constricted state. How long have I been holding my breath?

"Thatta girl. I got ya," he says, gently coaxing me off the floor. He helps support me, letting all my weight collapse against him.

"Why?" I mumble numbly into the night air, turning my head completely away.

Nearby, another colored flare bursts from a newly fallen tower. Nowi and Nah are already conquering the last remaining one. They swoop around and both manaketes begin a death spiral on it. Barrier or not, its time will come shortly. This goes for the Plegians as a whole.

"Why'd that moron have to go and do that?" I say again louder, angrier. "Stupid!"

"Cause Blue's too good a guy, that's why."

Lissa leaves Maribelle's side, too shaken to be the one to perform any life-saving first aid. It's like she crawled out of a nightmare, blood staining the whole front of her dress. She fumbles with Maribelle's parasol, barely holding it straight. With it pointed to the air, she sends out a flare of her own. The explosion turns bright white, bathing the area in its purity. But the meaning behind it is anything but. White is the color code for emergency extraction. Something saved only for high risk scenarios.

I...

…...

And to think, everything was going just peachy.

What do I tell Frederick now?

---

A/N:

:'I

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Review Responses -

Victory3114 – And learn she did! Robin's picked up some good advice from Katarina this battle and I'm sure she'll continue to do so in the future. Katarina seems quite keen on helping her.

Huh, interesting opinion. I think you're one of the few people, if not the first, to consider Robin in such a specific sense regarding her power. Another good theory on Lucina as well. Different then what some others have surmised. Very cool!

As far as I can think of, the only Shepherds we're now missing are Tharja and Cherche. Disregarding the likes of Say'ri, Tiki, etc. that is. The team's almost all together! Awesome!

Tri – Hey there! Welcome from the shadows, lurker friend.

I think you're reading the text just fine. There should be signs of progression with Lucina's trust in the new Robin. She's slowly opening up and the emotional parts of her she once repressed are slowly unveiling themselves. Lucina is so cautious and used to protecting herself from the worst that it's been a slow change to her warming up to Robin. But it should be clearer now that Lucina actually does care about Robin to an extent and wants to work with her. It's just hard repressing the past.

Constructing Robin's evolution from useless wannabe to competent warrior has been the strangest part of this story. There's like, meticulous pacing involved in showing her slowly becoming better but not so fast that she starts becoming over-powered! It's certainly rewarding to go back from the beginning until now and see the strides she has accomplished though!

Hope you enjoyed the little bit of a mentor/student moment Katarina and Robin had. I'm sure more with Einherjar will pop up later. It's nice to see all the Katarina fans around here!

Kaoru-chibimaster – Fight scenes take me forever. The bane of my existence. I'm glad they paid off for everyone's entertainment though.

Robin actually activated an elwind variant of her spell. It means she's leveling up her wizard powers, ha ha.

You know, now I can't stop thinking of the villains as gym leaders. Instead of defeating them and getting a stone for the fire emblem, get a gym badge! Is this devolving into an AU idea? XD

ArcherShirou – Thanks! Glad the chapters continue to fit your approval :)

La Señora – Heh, glad you like the chapter!

More twists you say? Surely not! Or are there? Bum bum buuuuuum. One never knows!

Theories! Lovely theories! Keep passing them around! Never stop :)

But maaaaaan, sorry for the extra long wait this time. You got two chapters in one out of it though! Cross your fingers my scheduling goes back to normal!

You played the Conquest half of Fates? You poor soul. Here, have these tissues and cookies to help cope. That was a rough ride.

EliManning – That really is one of the biggest issues Robin has to deal with right now, returning home that is. In the early part of the story, she's making plenty of gung-ho remarks about going home and simply looking back on the events here fondly. Now that the war is taking place and the value of her friends' lives has intensified, there's doubts forming. Yeesh, what if the original Robin does show up? Who does become the correct one then? One is going to stick out like a sore time paradox! So tragic for either party.

The Valm line was more or less Lucina just being a smart-alack in general. She's berating Robin for getting comfy in the fighting. I didn't intend for her to be thinking about Robin actually making it to Valm, it was just a throwaway line for humor.

Marc and her father are the only two there currently, that's correct. Can't say much that isn't spoilery about her dad's actions, other than he seems to be displaying an agenda quite different from the twins and the other generals. He's lingering about more now, watching Robin's actions. I'm sure at some point a confrontation will be made and you can see what happens then!

Lucina and Chrom fighting is suppose to stick out like a sore thumb. It's actually a poignant moment that shows this world has turned her less into her father and more into a certain other person of interest in her life.

That bold text is worrying, isn't it.

Yes, talks are going to happen. Lucina's problem is she just couldn't trust Robin enough. Then she did and...well, then she just chose not to. You'll see very soon now that the army has a place to call HQ and properly settle into.

It's an anime convention alright! The dealer's room is the bane of my existence, especially when I'm in costume and don't have proper pockets to hold stuff. I typically off load two times a day the swag I buy. But it's literally the one time of year I look forward to most!

Crazycatwin – Right? Lucina deserves some genuine hope. She been through enough. Hopefully she now sees the chance for victory she's been yearning for.

I totally understand the hesitation for stories centered on extreme alterations, whether they be from OCs or AU elements. There is a fine line to balance between the new angles the author wishes to explore and respecting the original material. The big thing I told myself over and over is that this story isn't just about Robin. Everything should not revolve around her. Awakening was about Chrom, Lucina, and Robin alongside their closest cohorts. What effects her effects them and the world. It keeps her grounded as a character and keeps the world alive with constant change and reaction. It's always a struggle, but keeping such guidelines in mind helps the plot stay strong!

Maronmario – Thank you! I appreciate the review from whatever chapter you decide on. I love the game a lot so I figured I might as well make a story that makes it shine, expanding on all the potential it really has. It's been a real blast adapting everything, from game mechanics to the characters themselves. Gosh, I still can't believe this on TV Tropes. All the same, thanks for giving it a look! I couldn't be happier providing a great reading experience for others!

Trembling Potato – Aw, I'm so glad Papa Risen has such a popularity with the readers. He's probably one of the most unique aspects of the story, a real wild card. There's such sadness around him, yet he continues to endure for the purest of reasons. I'm so surprised to have even written something that can be classified as part of the mystery genre, but I wouldn't change it at all!

Potato – HECK YEAH! GET PUMPED!

Sometimes I feel like I'm writing a movie script with the way these long chapters come out. All the same, thank you! I hope the cinematic appeal retains itself in future chapters for you! Let me know if it ever get too dull or lacks the proper detail it should!

robotortoise – Thanks. One of the things I've noticed while writing this is that I don't want the whole focus to just be on Robin. She's part of a much bigger picture, a company of heroes who made a mark on history for a reason. I feel like they're all owed their due, you know? So I strive to have each character at least once in the story exhibit a moment of prowess in battle and at least one personal event in a social setting. Recruiting Nowi and Gregor in a situation far different then their original circumstances was a real endeavor at one point, but they still deserved their chance to shine. I'm actually proud of both, considering I struggled with Gregor.

I've had a few people bring up the idea of Robin having a legitimate dating phase. "Courting" as they used to say. Let's just see what happens.

Selias – Yep, she jinxed herself, didn't she? Robin needs to learn to keep her mouth shut!

White Nightmare – Nice to hear from you again! You're very welcome. Replying to everyone is the least I can do. I contribute a lot of my development to everyone's advice and patience. I started writing this after having spent years throwing away this writing hobby of mine. I planned to continue regardless of if I never got a single review, but the community input has enriched this experience beyond anything I thought possible. I'm seeing readers making theories, reading others ideas, and comparing them to their own insights. It really is unique to see from both an author's and a reader's standpoint. It's been an utter pleasure writing this and I'll keep it up to the best I can!

Animeseris – Yay, welcome back!

I enjoyed killing off the creepy pervert mercenary more than you know. What a sack of pond scum! He deserved it! Justice for Nowi and Gregor!

I just can't help but clap my hands when you make your predictions. Keep those theories secure and tightly locked up. You may be getting close!

Ha, ha. Robin is just keeping up her track record with comparing Einherjar to card games. So far it's been Card Captor Sakura, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokemon. But hey, you finally got to see Katarina! Took enough time, right?

Pegasus are creatures highly attuned to such things, much like manaketes. They're both magical by nature so I don't see why they don't feel things in the way Nah does. What makes you ask that? ;)

FicReader – I am so glad to have Nowi in this, you have no idea. Aside from simply cheering Nah up, she's going to be the bright ball of optimism the team's needed. I'll have fun exploring around with her and the other new arrivals! There's some ideas to pursue, especially with her being a manakete. She's got access to lore the games didn't get to utilize to the fullest. I've ghosted over one or two reddits in the past but never Fire Emblem's. I really should. Is there a specific title to the comic? Is it from the actual anthology or a fan made one? I'm curious now, and in need of a laugh!

Well I did confirm in another response that Robin got Katarina handed to her by the mysterious Risen following her around. How it ended up with him and twins is just part of the greater mystery.

I thought the map bit would stir up some more theory making. We'll find out soon enough, once Lucina has a chance to explain herself. It'll be intriguing.

NerdLord2nd – That's a compelling thought. Would Other Robin have been so deranged as to actually experiment around like that? It is odd that Lucina refuses to mention such things, then have such a reaction occur with the map. The Roster did have some pretty disturbing surprises inside, no doubt there. I guess we'll see. Hm.

Raiden312 – There are so many hints still yet to be found. You have no idea.

Nowi is the perfect ball of sunshine. Or your worst nightmare. It definitely depends on where you stand. As long as Nah is happy though, I can't complain.

Robin's set this course in a completely new direction. If anyone thinks the levels in game for Plegia's war arc are going to show up, they are very wrong. New and unexplored lands, ahoy!

UmiNight Angle Neko – Ha, ha! Welcome to shipping deck, population almost everyone here. While I didn't mind the supports, I think a lot of us can agree they could have been improved.

Rainbow R – Yes! Welcome aboard! Nothing makes me happier then hearing how enjoyable the characters have been for readers! I do my best to break open the tropes and get all the Shepherds a more well rounded development! Since having written this, Miriel's skyrocketed to the top of my favorites list as well! It's so funny how seeing characters in a different like can change your opinion of them!

Aw thank you! In game, Robin is suppose to be compatible with everyone right? So I made sure she retained that aspect of her character. Instead of being considered the most charismatic member of the army however, she's simply the most approachable! I have grown to utterly love her and Frederick's interactions. There's something unique and refreshing about how they both regard each other!

HA! Sextters, the medieval version of sexting. That's the best thing anyone's come up with yet. XD

King Keith – So you got the "lucky" number, huh? I wonder who was the poor reviewer with response number 69. Ya know, cause...Never mind.

Like I said before, humor is Robin's coping mechanism. Some people jump to immediate pessimism, some just stay quiet and focus, etc. She makes it through the tough times with a smile. Probably the best outcome so long as the joke isn't in bad taste for the situation!

She's actually been training for a good while. Nonstop for almost half a year in-universe. Her punching a hole through the mercenary's chest was a bit of a special predicament, not easily replicated again. Still, it shows she has the potential to move on to higher spell levels.

The conflict between Lucina and Chrom was to show the major shift in psyche Lucina has endured over her trials. If you think about that, her idealism has shifted more from his side to the practical logic befitting a certain someone else. I wonder who?

Ha, Lucina is not Mordred! Robin would be a horrible foil to Artoria anyway. Maybe she'll end up embracing that Berserker style side of her again some time. The right amount of rage can push a person just so and Robin certainly doesn't hold back on her emotions!

Alre – Can do, will do. I'm not ignoring the fact that Tharja is going to have a raging crush on Robin. Regardless of what happens, I have no problems attempting some sort of fluffy moment between them.

kalmaegi – Holy cow, thanks for comments! I loved reading them all!

Ha, ha! Yes, Robin's from our world where folks are a lot more casual about their displays of affection. Especially with him being a prince, most people are too afraid to speak to him, let alone touch. Luckily he's a nice guy and took it like a champ. I think you've found out by now but the hug in the hallway was very mutual at first. Sully took it totally wrong. If anything, the warm fuzzy feelings were more about Robin finding someone who's actually shown strong emotional investment in her as a human being. She implied quite often that she was very solitary in her home world. Very few friends. Chrom's genuine concern, putting aside his romanticized vision of her story, is authentic and it surprised her.

Ha! Surprise! I think a number of people were caught off guard over who Echo really was. All part of the plan, mwa ha ha! I do feel bad for them and all the kids. Tough lives they've all been through. Cross your fingers for a better outcome this time!

Whatever happened between past Robin and Chrom seems bad. The answer is bound to come out soon (now that this darn chapter is out of the way!). And like a lot of things, Robin's thought of the ending but she hasn't actually thought about it. Not applying to her anyway. I think once she realizes the probabilities, she's not going to like it.

So much else is going on too! I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it all! So much fluff and stuff going on! It's so great! I'll do my best to keep it up! Now definitely go get some sleep. That's a lot of reading!

correnhimself316 – Establishing a sense of realism to the actual game play was the plan of mine. Unfortunately she doesn't fight very well in the beginning because of that! Bakers don't learn to fight like warrior overnight. If you've made it this far, you can see the difference between how she fights now and the horrible she was then. Robin's definitely made strides in her combat prowess!

timewastin – I should be saying sorry for the massive waiting times between chapters! Thank you for still sticking around!

Robin's been around long enough that I think she's ready for more challenging encounters. She really does need to be forced into some harder situations so she can learn to react properly. Frederick's drills can only take her so far. Making tough decisions and learning to survive is something she has to deal with daily now. That's war for you :\

SmashQueen – Wow, thanks for reading! It's cool to see your various thoughts and reactions as the plot rolls along! Good theory on Robin's mother! Everyone has their ideas forming based on the things they discover. You never know what the key hint to bringing it all together is. You'll see later on whether you're right or not!

Oh gosh, Chrom and Robin. What a pair. I just shake my head at their antics. As for the kids, all I can I say is wait and see for Marc and Morgan's father.

Appreciate the reviews! I hit road bumps here and there but I'm committed to this. Best thing I ever decided to do!

guedesbrawl – Hey there! Your message got a bit garbled, sorry that I can't read it! Thanks for reading and attempting to message though! Hope the rest of the story has been entertaining enough for you.