The group of 7 continued down the road towards Ylisstol from the village they left earlier that evening. As they continued walking the group just engaged in small talk. Chrom smiled as he watched the group of Odyn, Roy, and Lissa get along.
Lissa didn't have many friends her age, so he was glad as an older brother that she made some friends. On the way towards their next destination, they began to go over the battle they jist fought and what it could potentially mean going forward.
Sarai then turned to Chrom with a smile before her expression turned firm as the group stopped.
"While we're on that subject Chrom....," Sarai started.
Chrom didn't know why, but he had the distinct feeling that he may have done something wrong back there. This feeling was based on the tone in Sarai's voice towards. His gut feeling was of course, proven to be right.
"What in the heck was THAT back there?!," Sarai said suddenly stern with him.
Chrom became nervous again, due to the last time this happened.
"Uh.. I umm... I'm not sure what you mean?," Chrom sheepishly answered.
"Nuh uh, mister! Don't even try that with me! You're the captain of the shepherds for gods sake! So why... WHY DO YOU LEAVE YOURESELF OPEN SO MUCH?!," Sarai asked angered.
Sarai sighed exasperated.
"I could count on one hand how many times you left your back exposed! You really need to watch your surroundings. Frederick agrees with me on this.," Sarai said continuing.
Frederick nodded in agreement.
"It is true that milord leaves himself open for attack far too much.," Frederick said nodding in agreement.
Sarai then pointed or rather jabbed her finger towards Chrom's face, matching her stern expression.
"If you're going to be our captain, Act like it and watch your back!," Sarai said sternly. "Got it?!"
Chrom hastily nodded his head, afraid to make Sarai cross with him again. He honestly didn't know what to make of this young woman he just met. But one thing was for sure... he would do whatever he could to ensure she wasn't angry with him again. Sarai was terrifying when angered, it reminded him of his late mother.
"Y-Yes ma'am! Er..," Chrom said seeing this angered Sarai.
"💢 What was that?!," She asked angered.
"N-Nothing miss Sarai! I'll... be sure to watch my back from now on.," Chrom said waving his hands frantically in front of his face.
Sarai turned and then returned to her more 'normal' expression.
"Good. Glad we could establish that then, Captain~!," Sarai said grinning.
"R-Right.. 😅," Chrom said laughing nervously.
Lissa looked towards Odyn, Roy, and Khanna in bewilderment and in awe of Sarai.
"Never thought I'd see getting scolded by someone he just met.," Lissa said.
Khanna looked towards the girl as she spoke of her cousin.
"It's only because she cares for your brother's well being, that's why she was so stern with him.," Khanna said.
They continued walking before they stopped at a clearing. They looked around for a bit, deciding to stop for the night.
"I told you, frederick.. It's getting dark already! Ech! And now the bugs are out! Noisy disgusting bugs that buzz around, crawl, and bite you when...," Lissa said before a bug flew into her mouth as if it were taunting her. "Agh! Won goph in mah mouph! Blech! Ptooey!"
Chrom chuckled, as did the others in their group at Lissa's antics.
"Aw come on now, Lissa. Hardship builds character. Want me to help gather some firewood? "Chrom replied lightly chuckling.
Lissa was seen trying to spit out the bug she swallowed.
"Tpht! Tpht! Yeeeeeeeuuuccckkk! I think I swallowed it... I'll pass on finding firewood, thanks. I've built up QUITE enough character for one day!," Lissa said huffing slightly in response.
Roy chuckled and lightly patted Lissa on the back.
"Heh heh, you'll be fine Lissa. Just think of this as a chance to grow up a little more.," He said chuckling.
Lissa made a pouty face at hin for that comment.
"Sometimes I hate how optimistic you are, Roy...," Lissa pouted.
Robin then spoke.
"Um... I don't know about you guys but, pehaps we should think about food. I don't know about the rest of you all, but I'm starving.," Robin said.
Frederick nodded in agreement with Robin.
"Yes, quite. I would like to think a little hunting and gathering is in order. Sir Odyn, milord, would you like to help me in that particular endeavor?," Frederick asked. "Now then, who wants to clear a campsite?"
Both nodded. While Odyn and Chrom left with Frederick to go hunt for food, Roy and the others (aside from Lissa) gathered firewood for a campsite.
Time skip: a little while later....
The group was gathered around a campfire as everyone, chowed down on the meat they had cooked.
"Ah... It's been too long since I last had bear meat, delicious! Wouldn't you agree, Odyn?," Chrom said.
Odyn finished chewing on the meat he had before answering.
"Heh, well I certainly won't complain about food that's served to me. And this is quite good.," Odyn replied.
"What's wrong, Lissa? Dig in!," Chrom asked his sister.
She was a bit disgusted by the smell though. Lissa honestly wasn't sure how anyone could eat this stuff.
"Pass!... Gods, couldn't you spear us an animal normal people eat for once? I mean come on, who eats bear?! You're seriously meddling with the food chain. Right, Robin? Sarai? Khanna? Uh... you guys?," Lissa said.
Despite her misgivings, the three were seen to be chowing down just like the others on bear meat.
She sighed.
"I suppose a person would enjoy just about anything after not eating for several days...," Lissa said sighing.
"Just eat it, Lissa. Meat is meat.," Chrom said chuckling.
"Since when does meat smell like old smelly boots?! No, I take it back... boots smell better than this!," Lissa complained.
Frederick then piped into the conversation, adding his own thoughts.
"Every experience makes us stronger, Milady. Yes, even those we don't enjoy.," He said sagely.
Lissa turned towards him skeptically.
"If that's true, then why don't I see YOU eating any of this Frederick?," Lissa asked skeptically.
Frederick inwardly paled as he quickly thought of an excuse.
"Me? Oh ... well I'm not hungry. I had quite a large lunch before this, so I believe I'm full. Yes, quite.," He said.
Lissa wasn't buying that excuse though.
"Yeah right, Frederick!," Lissa said back.
Time skip: a little bit later...
Everyone was now asleep on the ground after the fire had gone out. Well, other than Chrom. For some reason or another, he couldn't sleep. Him waking up, woke up his sister.
"Huh?," Chrom said suddenly standing up.
She yawned as she got up.
"What's wrong, Big Brother?," Lissa asked still a bit groggy from sleep.
"Forgive me Lissa, I didn't mean to wake you up...but something is amiss.," Chrom replied.
"Define "something".," Lissa replied curious.
"I'm not sure just yet.. I'll have a look around.," Chrom answered.
"Not by yourself, you won't! I'm coming with you.," Lissa replied.
Chrom chuckled quietly and smiled at his sister.
"Heh. Thanks, Lissa. I appreciate it.," Chrom said.
The siblings left the campsite, unaware that Roy was merely pretending to be asleep. As soon as they left he got up to wake the others.
With Chrom and Lissa...
The two walked around for a bit, but they could tell something was up.
"Sure is dark and quiet... where did all the birds go?," Lissa asked.
"You're right, something is wrong here if there are no birds....," Chrom said.
As soon as those words left his mouth, the ground shook violently. It scared Lissa and put Chrom on edge.
"AHH, CHROM!," Lissa said spooked.
"Gods, what..," Chrom got out before trying to balance himself as the forest then shook as well. "What is this madness?! Lissa, stay close!"
They both looked towards the forest as trees fell down and Chrom pushed Lissa to run.
"Lissa, Run."
"Huh? But Chrom," She tried to argue before Chrom ushered her behind him.
"I mean it, go!," He said.
Lissa got the message before running, chrom following her. The ground then split as what looked like lava erupted from beneath the ground, spitting out balls of fire overhead. The forest was now on fire as the two continued to run.
Chrom caight up with his sister, directing her to run another way.
"Hey! This way, hurry!," Chrom said leading Lissa in another direction.
They avoided the explosions caused by the flaming orbs as they ducked behind a raised piece of earth. Lissa then pointed up into the sky, eyes wide.
"Um... Chrom, what IS that?!," Lissa said pointing.
The camera shifts towards the sky as a dark circle in the pattern of an eye appears. A pair of bodies then come from the eye and drop into the forest. They get up with their eyes gleaming red and black smoke come from their mouths. Chrom pushes Lissa behind him as he draws his sword.
"Lissa, stay behind me.," Chrom said.
One charges and leapt towards him before Chrom slices through it. However it turns its head backwards before attack Chrom again. He blocks the Axe swing, struggling a bit before pushing the creature back and kicking it to the ground. Chrom leaps high into the air before stabbing the creature in the back. The deathly creature then fades away into purple smoke. A scream alerts him to Lissa in trouble.
"Lissa!," He said turning around.
She holds out her staff as if she was trying to defend against these creatures. Another portal appears in the skies above as a certain blue haired figure is seen running through it before leaping out of it and onto the ground. The masked person with blue and red clothing zips in front of Lissa to block the Axe strike of the creature.
Clang!
That was the sound of the axe hitting the mysterious masked man's blade. He's seen struggling against it briefly. Lissa opens her eyes to see that she was saved by the mysterious person.
"Help!,"the man said turning towards Chrom.
"Uh.. Right!," Chrom said charging in with a battle cry.
This distracts the creature long enough to where the masked man shoves it, knocking it off balance before Chrom and the mystery figure slash it. The creature fades into purple mist soon after. Lissa tentatively walks forward after she was saved.
Chrom walks around the person, unsure of what their intentions are before speaking up.
"Quite an entrance there. What's your name?," Chrom asked.
The being sheathed his sword before just silently turning their head towards Chrom.
"Chrom! Lissa! Are you both alright?!," a voice called.
Chrom turns and sees Odyn, Roy, Sarai, Khanna, Robin, and Frederick with worried expressions on their faces.
"Milord, Milady, are you hurt?!," Frederick asked in concern.
"Frederick! Robin! Everyone!," Lissa said still a little spooked by what happened.
Robin gained a stern and somewhat worried expression when seeing the creatures in front of them.
"Are such horrific creatures commonplace in these lands?!," Robin asked.
Chrom quickly answered him, shaking his head.
"They're certainly not from Ylisse, I can promise you that much.," Chrom answered.
Sarai and the others sighed in relief.
"Well that's one thing we don't have to wonder about anymore.," She said.
"No one's hurt then? Thank the Gods...," Frederick said in relief.
"Thank the masked man who saved me! If it wasn't for him I'd be.. huh? Where'd he go?," Lissa replied wondering where the mystery man went off to.
Roy stepped forward and un sheathed his sword.
"Worry about him later, Lissa AFTER we put these uh... whatever these "things" are to the blade.," Roy said.
Frederick nodded.
"Aptly put, Sir Roy.," Frederick agreed.
Sarai drew her own sword and shield with Odyn unsheathing his blade from his back, and Khanna with drawing her axe.
"Alright, get ready guys cuz here they come!," Odyn said.
"Keep your eyes open now, we know nothing about this enemy.",Frederick said.
The group charged at the creatures before beginning to fight them. Odyn easily blocked and dodged a few strikes before shoving the creatures back and swiftly disappearing before reappearing on the other side of the creature.
"GHOST WOLF!,"
As he finished his attack, the creature fizzled into purple mist after being cut twice. He prepare for the 2nd one as he blocked its strikes, parrying, before kicking it away from him. Odyn charged in before delivering another devastating attack to the creature.
"REIGNING SLASH!"
The attack flicked up some debris from the ground as the creature was cut in half. It then fizzled out into purple mist. The boy focused on other creatures, charging towards them.
Roy ducked a sword swing before rushing in and shoulder bashing the creature. This threw his enemy off guard as the shield it had on its arm shattered, leaving it wide open to attack. Roy coated his blade with lightning as he quickly attacked.
"SWORD RAIN: ALPHA!"
Roy struck multiple times with stabs faster than the the eye could see. Just to make sure he finished it off, Roy slahed it again, make it evaporate into purple mist. He then had to leap back from an archer who had deciding to fire at him.
"Tch! An archer, eh? Alright then! Take this!," Roy said gritting his teeth.
Roy shifted his stance before unleashing his attack.
"DEMONIC CHAOS!"
Roy swung his blade sending countless waves of energy towards the archer the last of which electrocuting them. He rushed it and quickly finished it off as the creature faded into purple mist.
Khanna blocked the strike from a lance aimed towards her mid section, parrying the blow and spinning her axe afterwards. She was pinched in between two lancers, not that she hadn't dealt with this before, but it was still a bit annoying.  Dealing with shields of these lancer type units was especially vexing. The black haired teen then came up with an idea, one that may just work with these particular enemies. She tossed her Axe into the air and leapt to chase it.
Catching her weapon in mid air she called out a certain technique as the blade of her Axe glowed green. She barreled down before striking the ground with her Axe.
"FALLING STORM!"
When the blade of her aze hit the ground an enormous pillar of wind swept up the creatures. They were slashed by the countless blades of gale firce winds inside of the small twister that'd appeared on the battlefield. The one enemy that was left, Khanna finished off by bashing it with the hammer part of her weapon.
"FLAMING METEOR!"
Dragging her weapon on the ground briefly, she slammed the spiked hammer part of her weapon into the face of the creature sending it flying. She twirled the weapon around before smirking towards the other creatures and beckoning them to challenge her.
Behind them another member of the shepherds then joined them.
"Captain Chrom! Wait! I'm coming!," A red haired woman said. "Argh! I knew I shouldn't have left 'em! Alright you ash faced freaks, which one of you wants to try my lance on for size first? Oh, I know the perfect spot for it. Shoved right up your.."
This woman was Sully, another member of the shepherds. She wore red and white armor and was adept at using lances. She was about to head in to join the fray when another man, one in fancy clothes with silvery grayish hair spoke.
"Hold, milady!," A man spoke.
This fancy looking man was Virion, another member of the sheperds. How he got into the sheperds I doubt we'll know.
"Muh?," Sully asked confused.
"Life may be long, but attraction is fleeting! Would you leave me in your sweet dust? Leave war to the warriors, dear bird! A beauty such as you need wage only love.," The man said.
Sully looked confused as well as slightly disgusted as she answered the ornery man.
"The heck are you?!," Sully asked.
"Ha! Is the Lady intrigued? Of course you are, tis only natural. I am myth and legend! I am he who strides large across history's greatest stage! The man who puts "arch" in "archer!" My name, dear lady is Vi-," Virion started saying before Sully interrupted him.
Sully sighed in annoyance.
"Sorry Ruffles, no time for this. Onward!," Sully said turning to join the battle.
"Virion!.. Er.. my name. It's Virion. W-Wait! Where are you going? Pray, at least tell me your name!," Virion said following after her.
Sully felt the urge to slap herself in the forehead. Gods, this guy was persistent.
"I'm Sully.... and I'm a shepherd.," She said answering him.
"Sully" how divine! A starkly beautiful name as befits its holder, truly. Will you marry me, dearest Sully?," Virion replied.
Sully looked confused.
"Will I what now? Oh wait.. I get it. This a joke. And when I put my boot through your face, that's the punchline.," Sully responded.
"I realize my manly figure and noble bearing can be a bit overwhelming. 'Tis common! So please, don't feel pressured to answer right a-," Virion said before being interrupted by a boot to his face.
"How's THIS for an answer?!," Sully said kicking him.
"OOF! G- Goodness! Those shapely legs certainly can kick can't they... P-Please, milady! At least allow me to accompany you! Mine is a cold, empty world with you. I shall be your most willing servant, and you in turn, will give my life purpose...
Sarai then caught their attention by speaking up.
"Not to interrupt, but we could use some help over here!," Sarai said towards them.
Sully sighed again.
"Fine, anything to get you to shut up... What? Stop staring at me like that!," Sully said as the two charged onto the battlefield.
Sully came in to help Frederick and Virion stayed at a distance, raining down arrows upon enemies to keept them from getting too close. After taking care of the creatures pinning Frederick, Sully went to help Sarai when Roy stopped her.
She looked back at him confused.
"What are you stopping me for? She needs help doesn't she?," Sully asked.
Roy smirked before chuckling.
"Just watch. My sister isn't as helpless as you think she is.," Roy said.
Sully wasn't sure about that, she was still going to help the kid when her eyes widened at what Sarai did next.
Sarai's sword lit on fire as she's had enough of sword, Axe, and lance wielding enemies surrounding her. She'd take care of them right here and now.
"ENOUGH! Take this!!!," she said before igniting her sword.
"EXPLOSIVE RING!!!"
An emblem appeared behind her before she went into a flurry of fire charged slashes, punches, and kicks. During her combo attack, she broke the shields of the lance units, shattered their weapons, and slashed them multiple times. The Axe units were also disarmed and slashed to pieces, and finally the bow units were immolated into cinders after having their weapons broken too. She wasn't done, however, leaping up into the air.
"Into..." Sarai said before unleashing her 2nd attack.
"RISING PHOENIX!"
When she came down a bird made of fire crashed to the ground as the ground shook, incinerating any nearby enemies. Sully wqs wide eyed as she couldn't believe what the girl in front of her just did. Roy patted Sully's shoulder before walking by her to give Sarai a high five.
"Nice work, sis.," Roy said.
Sarai smirked towards him as they high fived each other.
"Same to you, Brother.," Sarai replied grinning.
Meanwhile, with robin, he was shooting down some of the other creatures with his magic. Whenever they'd get close, he'd finish them off with his sword. Khanna kept any stragglers off of him while Chrom dealt with the leader. Odyn signaled to Chrom as he beat back the other enemies. The two charged in, Odyn kicking and getting a few slashes in with Chrom mirroring his actions.
"NOW CHROM!," Odyn yelled to him.
Chrom nodded charging in with a battle cry.
Odyn and Chrom both leapt into the air before barreling down upon the leader of this pack of creatures. The two were in sync as they said what came to mind.
"Look sharp.... FLARE TIGER BLADE!", They said finishing off the leader of these creatures.
Chrom looked towards the teen with a grin, Odyn mirroring his expression.
"Nice work, Odyn.," Chrom said.
"Heh, same to you... Captain.," Odyn said as the high fived.
Short time skip later...
The group now stood in a circle as Frederick spoke with a relieved sigh.
"It would seem all the creatures have been vanquished. This young man took care of the remaining ones.," Frederick said.
The mysterious figure from before was seen standing before them. The young man had short dark blue hair, like Chrom did, a dark butterfly mask over his face, and slightly tanned skin. They wore dark blue clothes with a brown belt for their lighter colored sheath and silver sword with a gold handle, the same as Chrom's sword. He wore blue cut off gloves with long dark sleeves for their shirt, matching shoulder pads with golden yellow trimming, dark blue knee high boots, what looks to be a small golden tiara on his head, and a blue cape with the inside of it being red to finish of the look.
The young man didn't say anything, he just stared at the group. Lissa then spoke to thank him for saving her.
" Uh... I never got to thank you.. for before. So... Thank you, you were very brave.," Lissa said.
Chrom smiled at him.
"You saved my sister's life. My name is Chrom, may I ask your name?," Chrom added.
The young man spoke in response to Chrom's question.
"You may call me Marth.," The young man replied.
Chrom looked intrigued by this.
"Marth? As in after the Heroic King of old? You certainly fight like a hero at least. Tell me, where did you learn your way with the sword?," Chrom asked.
The young man shook his head in response.
"I'm not here to talk about me. The world teeters upon the brink of destruction and calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned.," Marth said before walking away.
Lissa was confused about this.
"Huh? What's teetering where now? Hey, wait!," Lissa said.
Sarai looked towards the young man who walked off, Odyn noticed it and looked towards his sister.
"Something the matter, sis?," Odyn asked.
She shook her head.
"No. I just... had a feeling I know that boy for some reason, even though we've never met until tonight. How odd..," She said.
"Curious indeed...," Odyn said.
"Not much for conversation, is he?," Robin said.
"It would appear that his skills lie elsewhere for the time being. I wager we'll hear his name again before too long.," Frederick replied. "But for now, I'm concerned about the Capital. We should make haste. "
The quartet of Chrom, Robin, and Frederick all walked off while Sarai was still staring at the direction in which Marth walked off. She felt the hand of Khanna, her cousin, on her shoulder.
"I'm sure we'll see the kid again, Sarai. Now come on, the others are waiting for us.," Khanna said.
Sarai sighed.
"Alright. Perhaps you're right, cousin. ," Sarai said joining her brothers and Khanna as they joined their other companions.
As soon as they walked away, the young man named "Marth" slumped behind a tree and onto the ground. Tears welled up in his eyes as he took off the mask. The young man was revealed to actually be a young woman with long and dark blue hair with slightly tanned skin and pointed ears. She buried her face into her arms that hugged her knees.
"Father..., Mother..., My Uncles.., and Aunt Khanna... I made it in time...," The young woman said before crying into her arms silently.
A wave of emotions cascaded over her, she had saved the only family she had left. But then she thought about something.
"Who.. was that blue haired man with them? I've never seen him before. Perhaps I'll find out when I encounter their group next.," She thought.
The young woman tucked her hair back in and put the butterfly mask back on before walking off. This time.. she would save everyone. This wouldn't be like last time! She would stop that evil deity this time, no matter what!
Back with the others....
Time skip: Ylisstol, Capital of Ylisse..
The group finally had arrived in the capital of Ylisse the next morning. Odyn and his siblings, along with Khanna had never seen so many people in a foreign city.. not for a long while anyways.
"Hmm.. so this is Ylisstol, capital of Ylisse. I've never seen so many people!," Robin said.
"It appears the capital was spared the chaos we encountered last night, thank the Gods. Thankfully, I see no evidence of that great quake. It must have been limited to the forest.," Frederick said.
"Well, that's a relief!," Lissa said chipper.
They then heard a random citizen speak nearby.
"Thunderation! Look, the exalt herself has come to see us!," An elderly man said in joy.
The scene pans to the Exalt walking by. She was a blonde haired woman with blue eyes, wearing her normal green and white robes. A headpiece similar to a crown was worn by her with the same peculiar mark on her forehead that Chrom bore proudly on his arm. She was accompanied by the Ylissean soldiers and pegasus knights as she smiled upon greeting the people.
"The Exalt is your ruler, yes?," Robin asked.
"Ah, Yes sir Robin. Her name is Lady Emmeryn.," Frederick replied.
"Is it safe for her to walk among the common folk like this?," Robin asked curious.
"The Exalt is a Symbol of Peace, Ylisse's most prized possession. Long ago, at the Dawn of our age, the Fell Dragon tried to destroy this world. But the first Exalt joined forces with the Divine Dragon, and laid the beast low. ExaltEmmeryn reminds us all of the peace we fought for back then.," Frederick explained.
"True. And with Plegia poking at our borders, the people need her. She's a calming presence, when some might otherwise call for war.," Chrom explained.
"I see. Then the Ylissean people are truly lucky to have her.," Robin said.
"She's also the best Big Sister anyone could ask for!," Lissa said happily.
"Wait..," Roy said.
"Big.. Sister?," Odyn and Roy asked a little surprised.
"Yes, I imagine she... wait... what? She's your.. But wouldn't that make you and Chrom-," Robin said before realizing who Lissa and Chrom were.
"The Prince and Princess of the realm, yes. You remember Chrom's name and not this?," Frederick replied.
"You.. You said you were "shepherds"!," Robin said panicking slightly.
"And so we are.. in a manner of speaking. We just have a LOT of sheep.," Chrom answered.
Robin then started to panic before fumbling over his words.
"C-Chrom... I mean Prince Chrom! Sire! Forgive my dreadful manners!," Ronin said begging forgiveness.
Chrom chuckled before he spoke again.
"Just Chrom is fine. I've never been much for formalities. That goes for you four as well to call me that. But.. somehow I have the feeling you knew already, didn't you?", Chrom replied.
Sarai nervously laughed.
"Caught us red handed. Heh heh.," Sarai said nervously laughing.
"The prince and princess.... THAT explains why Frederick can tolerate all of the teasing, eh?," Robin remarked.
Frederick sighed at this.
"Indeed. Oh, the sacrifices I make for the good of the realm...," Frederick replied.
"Hey, looks like Emm is returning to the palace. Would you all like to meet her?," Chrom said.
"Of course. We'd be honored to.,"Khanna said with her cousins and Robin nodding.
The group walked off to then go meet with the Exalt.
Time Skip: later inside the Castle with The Exalt...
The group walked into the throne room, where the Exalt and the captain of the Pegasus knights were waiting.
The Exalt softly smiled at the trio in the front of them. Robin brought up the rear behind the trio of Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick. Odyn, Sarai, Roy, and Khanna immediately knelt upon coming into the presence of Emmeryn.
"Chrom! Lissa! Welcome home. Oh, and good day to you too, Frederick.," Emmeryn said in greeting. "How fared you all?"
The knight bowed courtesly.
"Well.. we shouldn't have any bandit problems for awhile.," Chrom replied.
"Wonderful. And our people?," she asked.
"Safe as they can be, Emm. But we should still watch our borders. The bringands crossed over from Plegia.," Chrom replied with a slight shrug.
"Forgive me, Milord. My Pegasus knights should have intercepted them.," Phila replied.
"No, Phila. Your duty was here, with the Exalt.," Chrom replied smiling.
Lissa then giggled as she added to the conversation.
"And besides, we had plenty of help!," Lissa said smiling.
"Ah, you speak of your new companions here?," Emmeryn asked.
She looked at them before speaking again.
"Please, be at ease. You all needn't kneel.," She said.
"Forgive us, your grace. Where we're from, it is often a gesture of reverence in which we kneel before another nation's sovereign.," Odyn replied.
Chrom turned towards them.
"It's quite alright, friends. Emm would prefer it if you all stood..," Chrom said.
After some looks of uncertainty, the group of four stood to their feet and sauntered to the side of Robin.
"This is Robin, Odyn, Roy, Sarai, and Khanna. They fought bravely with us against the brigands.," Chrom said. "I've decided to make them all shepherds."
"And they're all really strong, Emm! Especially Odyn, his siblings, and cousin!," Lissa said.
"It sounds as if Ylisse owes you all debt of gratitude.," Emmeryn said.
"Not at all, milady!," Robin said.
"Please, think nothing of it Exalt Emmeryn. We were glad to help.," Sarai said.
"Forgive me, Your Grace. But I must speak. Sir Robin claims to have lost his memory. And it is only that: a claim. As for these four... they apparently have no memory of how they ended up in our lands. A claim I find to be suspicious.," Frederick said. "We cannot rule out the possibility that Robin is a bringand himself, or maybe even a Plegian spy. As for sir Odyn and his companions, they don't appear to be lying. But it is curious about how they have no memory of what happened before waking up in Ylisse."
"Frederick!," Chrom said slightly glaring at the man.
He was just doing his job though, a fact Odyn and his companions understood well.
"Yet you allowed them into the castle, Chrom. Do these young men and women have your trust?," Emmeryn asked.
"Yes. They all risked their lives for our people. And as Lissa said, they are indeed very strong.," Chrom replied. "That's good enough for me."
"Well then, Robin, Odyn, Sarai, Roy, and Khanna it seems you have earned Chrom's trust. And as such, you all have earned mine as well.," Emmeryn said.
"Milady.," Robin said.
"We will do our utmost to validate your trust in us, Your Grace.," Roy said.
"But thank you, Frederick. For your prudence as always, you have my thanks.," Emmeryn said. " Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have so Tireless a guardian. I do hope they remember to mention that from time to time..."
"They do occassionally express something akin to gratitude, Your Grace. Phila I can assume you heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?," Frederick replied.
"Yes milord. They've been sighted all across Ylisse.," Phila answered.
"Chrom, we are about to hold council. I was hoping you could join us.," Emmeryn said.
Lissa then spoke up.
"Of course.," Chrom replied.
"Well then, i guess that's our cue! There's some place I want to show you guys.," Lissa said.
With that in mind, they briefly excused themselves from the castle.
The group minus, Minus Chrom then left the castle as they headed off to follow Lissa. Wherever she was leading them, they felt things would get interesting.
End Chapter.
To be continued...
Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And as you noticed... yes! Sarai is the girl who will be with Chrom in this story. I thought it'd be interesting if Lucina had mixed blood from one of our oc's. The other pairings are undecided aside from the main one (Odyn x Lucina, sorry Robcina fans) I considered having Robin x Lucina but decided on a different route for both characters. Now it's up to you guys to decide who Robin ends up with! See the poll below:
Who should Robin end up married to?
A. Maribelle
B. Khanna
C. Cordelia
D. Nowi
E. Sumia
F. Miriel
G. Lissa
H. Panne
I. Nah
J. Severa/Selena
K. Olivia
L. Flavia
M. Noire
N. Tiki
O. Aversa
P. Tharja
Q. Emmeryn (later in the story)
R. Kjelle
S. Sully
T. Say'ri
U. Cherche
V. Anna
W. Cynthia
Who should Roy end up married to?
A. Anna
B. Lissa
C. Female (future) Morgan
D. Cordelia
E. Severa/Selena
F. Nowi
G. Nah
H. Kjelle
I. Sully
J. Sumia
K. Cynthia
L. Noire
M. Maribelle
N. Tiki
O. Aversa
P. Say'ri
Q. Cherche
R. Miriel
S. Panne
T. Tharja
U. Olivia
V. Flavia
W. Emmeryn (later in story)
Who should Khanna end up marrying?
A. Donnel
B. Robin
C. Frederick
D. Stahl
E. Vaike
F. Ricken
G. Priam
H. Male (future) Morgan
I. Libra
J. Henry
K. Gerome
L. Owain
M. Yarne
N. Basilio
O. Yen'Fay
P. Laurent
Q. Brady
R. Inigo
S. Gregor
T. Gaius
U. Lon'qu
V. Kellam
W. Virion
Let me know in the comments which characters other than the main two pairings that you want to see end up together. I have an idea of who end up together, but I'm curious as to what you guys think.
And yes, Sarai is going to be kind of like a female version of Alphen (Tales of Arise main character) as for Odyn, Roy, and Khanna we'll see how they turn out. Odyn's pairing with Lucina should be interesting to write as it's a unique one. Anyways hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, peace out until the next one!
Next time: Chapter 3: Shepherds and... More Risen?!