#thread bound

Just like that, nightfall had soon arrived before them. Strange, Rufure swore the sun was out not too long ago. Maybe it just got dark early in Ylisse, unlike where she came from; wherever she came from. The girl frowned slightly; she could only remember her brother and bits of pieces of that night.

She glanced over at Robin, who was mostly quiet during the journey. All of the shepherds were surprisingly quiet, as they walked through the forest. The only sound was the occasional crushing sound of a tree branch and twig under their feet and the birds chirping.

Maybe they were avoiding their own questions - who were Robin and Rufure? Where did they come from? When will their memory restore?

Finally, to no one's surprise, it was Lissa who broke the silence by groaning and stopping in place. She turned around to face Frederick and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I told you - it's getting dark already!" She swatted away a fly, "and there are bugs everywhere! Noisy, disgusting bugs that buzz around and crawl all over and bite you when—"

Perhaps keeping quiet was a good idea, as she felt a bug dive right in her mouth. The princess began to gag on it and tried to get it out of her mouth. "Agh! One got in my mouth, blech!"

Chrom ignored it, or maybe he was just oblivious to her obvious gagging as he picked up a stick. "Aw, come on now, Lissa. Hardship builds character." He waved the stick around with a grin. "Want to help me gather firewood?"

"... I think I swallowed it," she said in a quiet voice before throwing a glare at her older brother. "I'll pass on finding firewood, thanks. I think I've built quite enough character for one day!" She threw her arms up in the air and groaned.

"We should probably think about food," Robin suggested as he felt his stomach rumble a bit. When was the last time he ate? It felt like forever ago.

Rufure nodded in response. "Yeah, I don't know about you guys but I'm starving."

Frederick looked around a bit. He wanted to continue walking and get back to the capital, so they could decide what to do with these two new characters, but it seemed like the prince and the princess wanted to stop for the night. He glanced at Robin and Rufure before nodding.

"Yes, I should think a little hunting and gathering is in order. Now, who wants to clear a campsite?"

Chrom and Frederick had gone off to hunt while Lissa, Robin and Rufure stayed behind to set camp up. It didn't take too long to set everything up, so they mostly waited for the two males to come back with food.

"By the way, Rufure.... What happened to your eye?" Lissa asked and pointed at Rufure's eye patch. The girl placed a hand on the eye patch. Truthfully, she really had no idea what happened.

Something about what was under the patch scared her. She didn't want to look under it. But why was she so afraid? What could be so scary about a wound?

"I've finally found you."

"An accident," Rufure mumbled a quick lie. "I wasn't always good at controlling my magic. We, uh, tried to heal it but it mostly left a pretty ugly scar."

Lissa paused for a moment but nodded, believing the explanation. Rufure thanked the gods that she was a naive girl. Robin gave her a look, clearly not believing his sister at all.

But to be fair, he was afraid of what was under that eye patch himself.

"Anyway, since you guys are shepherds, I'll introduce you to the other members as well!" The princess said happily as she stretched. "They're all a bit strange, but they're fun to be around! It's gonna take them a while to get used to taking orders from someone other than Chrom, though."

"We can handle it," Robin said with a smirk. "And, I'm sure they'll be able to handle us giving out orders as well. It'll take a bit, but I'm sure they'll warm up to us soon."

Rufure said nothing and glanced up at the sky. For some reason, the night seemed empty.

There was something about the mysterious siblings that made Frederick feel a sense of nostalgia linger within him. It wasn't like he had met them before, but there was something about them that seemed rather familiar.

But what was it?

It frustrated him. It frustrated him that he couldn't figure out what was so familiar about them.

"Our new comrades are rather strange, milord." He spoke as he shifted the bear that was on his back a bit. Chrom looked back at the knight and shrugged a bit.

"We need to give them time to adjust. After all, they only seem to remember each other and how to fight. There's also that strange thing where they can see things..." He turned around to face him and continued, "Frederick, I know you're worried but they mean no harm. We couldn't leave them to wander Ylisse all alone, especially if we left Robin out in the field. What if they never found each other?"

Frederick sighed, "I apologize, milord. It's my duty to make sure you and Lissa are safe and sound." He wasn't going to mention that he would be speaking to the Exalt about the two siblings. She needed to know what the situation was.

"Don't worry," Chrom said with a smile, "I'll be alright."

Dinner was rather successful, as the group sat and ate. Chrom placed the bone next to him and patted his stomach with a grin.

"Mmm... It's been too long since I last had bear meat. Delicious!" He looked over at his sister fiddling around with the meat. She had a distasteful look on her face as she sniffed it before quickly looking away from it. "What's wrong, Lissa? Dig in!"

"Pass," she mumbled in disgust. "Gods, couldn't you spear us a normal animal people eat for once? I mean, come on, who eats bear?!" She picked at it once more. "I'm pretty sure this is messing with the food chain. Right, Robin?"

Robin didn't say anything, mainly because he had food in his mouth and after not eating for a few days, he wasn't going to pass up on food. To him, this was a four star meal. Lissa raised an eyebrow and looked over at the girl sitting next to him.

"Rufure?"

"Can't talk," she said with her mouth full, "too busy eating."

Lissa sighed a bit, "I suppose a person would enjoy just about anything after not eating for days..."

"Just eat it, Lissa." Chrom said. "Meat is meat."

"Since when does meat smell like old boots?! Wait, I take that back—boots smell better!" Lissa chucked the piece of meat behind her. Surely another animal will gladly eat it. The princess, however, would rather die than eat something as disgusting as that.

Frederick cleared his throat as he secretly pushed his food away towards Robin, who gladly took it off of his hands. "Every experience makes us stronger, milady. Even those we don't enjoy."

Lissa looked at Frederick, then at Robin, then at Frederick again. "Really, then why don't I see you eating, Frederick?"

"Me?" He pointed at himself and chuckled nervously. "Oh, well... I'm not hungry. I...I had a large lunch! Yes, quite." Rufure couldn't help but snicker at the calm knight looking nervous, stammering over his words and lying like there was no tomorrow. Lissa just laughed in his face and glared at him.

The female tactician looked around. Everyone was chattering among themselves, even Robin when his mouth wasn't full. He was mostly talking to Chrom, laughing with him and telling a few jokes. It was a peaceful sight.

"I could get use to this," she said to herself and grinned, butting her way into one of the conversations going on. Yes, she could easily get use to this.

Something was wrong.

Chrom jolted his body upwards as he looked around alarmed. Something in the air was telling him that something was terribly wrong. He had no idea what it could be, though. The blue haired prince stood up and walked around a bit.

Lissa sat up and stretched, noticing that her big brother was looking around. That was pretty odd. He was awake, so sleep walking was out of the question. She stood up as well, walking over to him. "What's wrong, Big Brother?"

Chrom let a breath out and continued to look around. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, but... Something is amiss."

"Define 'something'." Lissa said as she looked around herself. Everything seemed normal, but she knew something had to be up if her big brother was alerted like this.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. He couldn't admit to his younger sister that he was afraid. How could he tell her he was afraid when he had no idea what he was afraid of? He shouldn't even be afraid at all. "I think I'll take a look around."

"Not alone you won't! I'm coming with you!" The girl grabbed her staff, making sure not to wake the others up. Chrom smiled at her and gripped the hilt of Falchion.

"Thanks, Lissa."

The two walked around in silence for a bit. The forest was quiet as suspected, but it was too quiet. Even if it was night time, there should have been a few birds chirping about.

Tonight, there were no birds out. In fact, there were no animals out at all.

"It sure is dark and quiet..." Lissa mused aloud. "Where did the birds go?"

Chrom looked at her with a frown, "Something is wrong..."

Really wrong, in fact.

Before Lissa could say anything else, the ground beneath them began to shake in a violent fashion. The two almost lost their balance from all of the rattling and shaking. Lissa gripped on her brother's sleeve in fear. Chrom held on to her, not wanting to show any fear.

"Gods, what -- Argh! What is this madness?! Lissa, stay close to me!"

The princess nodded and they both took a quick look around them. The ground stopped shaking for a moment. However the shaking began again as the trees around them started to fall.

Chrom gritted his teeth in anger. He had to get Lissa out of here before she got hurt. He surveyed the area around him. If they were quick enough, they could use the escape route he had in mind.

"Lissa, run."

Her brother's words caused her to look up and before she could ask him why, he pushed her. "I mean it, go!"

Without hesitation this time, Lissa ran from her brother. Chrom looked back for a moment and knew he couldn't stay any longer. He sprinted after his younger sibling, not looking back.

The ground split from the shaking and rumbling and began to ascend to the sky. A pool of magma emerged from underneath the dirt and it splashed onto the trees. Before anyone could even blink, the entire forest was lit up like a light show, and smoldering boulders were flying everywhere.

Lissa ran faster. As much as she wanted to look back for her brother, she knew it would only slow her down. She didn't have to wait long for Chrom to appear at her side, glancing at him when he motioned her to follow him.

"This way, come on!"

Lissa nodded and ran after him. She had a bit of trouble keeping up, especially when Chrom jumped off the ledge, but she was able to make it in time - right before the boulder hit the ground and triggered a massive explosion.

Managing to make it to a safe area of the forest, they watched the destruction before them. Many questions ran through their mind - where the others back at the campsite alright, how far did the fire extend, and most importantly, what the hell caused this?

Lissa took the time to catch her breath, after running so hard. For a moment, her eyes glanced upwards and she had to do a quick double take. Something was happening in the sky.

"Chrom," she got her brother's attention quickly as she pointed to the sky, "what is that?!"

Lights were forming in the sky, as they swirled towards each other. Once the light was big enough, it flashed and seemed to disappear, until a black hole opened up. Inside the hole was what caught their attention.

What looked like an eye opened up, revealing a glowing center. What came out of it, however, was what caught their attention.

Humanoid ash-faced creatures with glowing eyes slowly slithered out of the eye, making a slight ear shattering grunting noise as they dropped to the ground like flies. They slowly got up and revealed that they had weapons with them. Looking ahead, they spotted the two shepherds.

Chrom slowly took Falchion out, "Lissa, you better stand back." His little sister didn't hesitate and stepped back, to allow her brother to fight them off.

For a moment, the creatures moved slowly. Black smoke escaped their mouths and they started to charge at the prince. Chrom quickly moved, slicing the creature before him. That should have been the end of it; it should have dropped to the ground.

But it didn't.

It turned its head around and attacked, which was blocked off by Chrom's sword. The creature was powerful and he had some struggle pushing the weapon back. Chrom managed to shove the creature off and knocked it to the ground.

He jumped, piercing its heart. The creature made a noise of pain as it disappeared, leaving a cloud of purple smoke.

So that's how you kill them, Chrom thought as he panted. Lissa's scream quickly alerted him as he looked over at her. The young cleric was approached by a creature wielding an axe. All she had on her was her staff, which couldn't do much but heal those in need.

I'm going to die, she thought to herself as the creature raised its axe. I'm really going to die!

"Help me!"

As if Naga answered her prayers, something - no, someone - else came from the eye. Once they landed on the ground, they quickly sprinted pass Chrom, who was running towards his sister.

The creature prepared to slam its axe on her, and Lissa waited for the impact. But she never felt it. She heard it clash against something, maybe metal or iron, but not flesh.

She opened her eyes, gasping as she was greeted by a masked man struggling to block the axe with his sword. The masked man looked over at Chrom, yelling for his help.

At first, Chrom paused. Who was this person? Why was he helping them? He didn't dwell on the thoughts any longer and simply nodded, rushing towards the creature with his sword.

The creature looked over at Chrom and the masked man took the chance to attack the creature. Both blades met the heart of it, slicing through the undead flesh. In an instant, the creature faded into the purple smoke Chrom had seen earlier.

Lissa was silent as she watched the events before her unfold. She looked at the mysterious stranger put their sword away as Chrom circled him slightly and slowly.

"Quite an entrance," Chrom said slowly, studying the man before him. "What's your name?"

The man was silent. He looked towards the entrance, seeing a figure rushing towards them. The figure skid to a stop and both Chrom and Lissa realized who it was.

"Robin!"

"Chrom, Lissa! Are you two--" His eyes caught the masked man. Who was this person? Their eyes met for a brief moment and the mysterious person seemed to pause at the sight of Robin.

"Milord, milady,” Frederick yelled as he galloped in with Rufure following close behind, “are you hurt?!"

"Frederick, Rufure!"

The sound of Frederick's voice made Robin look away for a minute and when he looked back, the masked man was gone. There was something strange about the way he looked at Robin. Even under the mask, it felt something distant and nostalgic. Like the man was remembering something.

Rufure was at Robin's side now as she caught her breath for a moment. "Uh, I hope you don't mind me asking this, but... Are such horrific creatures commonplace in these lands?"

Chrom shook his head, "They're not from Ylisse, and I promise you that."

"Thank gods no one is injured..." Frederick managed to breathe out. He probably got at least twenty grey hairs from worrying about the prince and princess. Lissa nodded happily and smiled at the knight.

"Thank the masked man who saved me! If it wasn't for him, I'd be..." She looked around for her savior and frowned when she couldn't find him. "Huh, where did he go?"

"We can worry about him later, after we put these...things...to the blade." He looked around, the ash-faced creatures moving slowly. "Eyes open, now. We know nothing about this enemy."

Rufure nodded in agreement. "These shit-face things have archers among them. We'll have to make sure we're fast. I'll handle them from afar." She waved her tome and looked over at Lissa. "Lissa, you stay close to me."

"Chrom, we'll handle the main one," Robin said and looked over at Frederick. "Will you be OK by yourself?"

"I'll stay close. Do not fret about me." Frederick raised his weapon with a nod. Rufure grinned at her brother and opened up her tome.

"Then that settles it. Let's kill these dastards!"

"That was close."

The masked man panted slightly as he stood near the entrance of the forest. He was still near enough to keep a close eye on them - or at least, hear them clearly. His mind flashed to that boy. He recognized him. He knew him.

He didn't have time to dwell on it. He felt someone behind him. The man quickly turned around, a hand on the hilt of his sword, as he faced the person that snuck up on him.

A woman cladded in armor on top of a steed was before him. Her lance was pointed straight at the male and she glared at him. The masked man took his hand off the hilt of his sword and for a moment, the girl pulled her lance away.

"Oy, what the hell are you doing here?" She asked cautiously. The man said nothing at first, looking back at the forest.

"Chrom is in there," he said quietly as he turned back towards her. "I suspect he might need your help."

".. And what makes you think I would trust ya?" The sound of her tone was a worried one, even under her rough speech. Her question was answered in the form of Chrom letting out a loud battle cry and she cursed under her breath, riding towards the source.

The masked man watched her ride off. For now, he would remain hidden until the time came.

"Captain Chrom! Wait! I'm coming!" The woman grunted as she came to a stop. She surveyed the scene before her. Chrom sliced one of the creatures in half as a boy she's never seen before quickly sliced at an upcoming creature. Near them, Frederick had no problem defending himself against the creatures and Lissa was being protected by a young, one eyed girl.

"Agh, I knew I shouldn'ta left 'em. All right, you ash-faced freaks! Which one of ya wants to try my lance on for size first?" She raised her lance, waving it. "I know just the spot for it: shoved right up your—"

"Hold, milady!"

The girl turned around with a confused expression as some fancy, blue haired noble man came into view ( after almost tripping over his own feet ). He stopped for a moment to catch his breath before giving her a smile and a bow.

"Life may be long, but attraction is fleeting! Would you leave me in your sweet dust?" He extended an arm and waved it among the scene. For a moment, everyone stopped to look at the man - even the creatures themselves. "Leave war to the warriors, dear bird! A beauty such as you need wage only love."

"...The hell are you?!"

Her unimpressed stare caused him to stop for a moment. He needed to think of something, and quick, before she lost interest! "Ha! Is the lady intrigued? Of course you are—it's only natural. I am myth and legend! I am he who strides large across history's greatest stage!" He gave an over dramatic bow and continued on with his speech, which the woman was already bored of. "The man who puts the 'arch' in 'archer', my name, dear lady, is Vi—"

"Sorry, Ruffles—no time for this," she lifted her lance up once more and shouted, "Onward!"

The man before her sputtered in response, "Virion, er, my name - It's Virion!" Noticing that she was leaving, he extended his hand to her. "W-Wait, where are you going? Pray, at least tell me your name!"

She rolled her eyes with a sigh, "I'm Sully. ...And I'm a Shepherd."

"Sully..." He sighed dreamily. "How divine! A starkly beautiful name, as befits its owner, truly." Before Sully could say anything else, Virion got down on one knee. "Will you marry me, my dearest Sully?"

"Will I what now?" She couldn't believe what this guy was saying! Who the hell did he think he was? "Oh wait, I get it... This is a joke. And when I put my boot through your face—that's the punch line."

Unfortunately for Virion, he didn't take her word seriously. "I realize my manly figure and noble bearing can be overwhelming. 'Tis common! So please, don't feel pressured to answer right a—"

"How's THIS for an answer?!" From atop her steed, Sully lifted her leg and stomped right on the archer's face. He yelped in pain and was sent back a bit with bruises and a bloody nose. The noble man rubbed his nose and chuckled nervously.

"G-goodness, but those shapely legs certainly can kick, can't they...?" He mumbled under his breath. He decided to try once more, raising his voice again, though the confidence was pretty much gone by this point. "P-please, milady…. Allow me to accompany you, at least!" He then went on how his world was cold and empty without her and some other fancy words. Sully pretty much drowned him out, rolling her eyes a bit.

"Fine... Anything to shut you up," sighed the girl as she charged straight at the creatures, with Virion following behind her. Geeze, this guy sure was annoying. At least she got him to shut up.

Rufure watched them for a minute before turning towards Lissa, who was trying so hard not to laugh at the dumbfounded expression on the tactician's face.

The battle was a successful one, save for a few minor injuries that were healed up by Lissa. Frederick looked around the area, noting that the number of creatures had suddenly decreased. He found the source as to way, as he watched the masked man take care of the last creature.

"As I was saying, that kid over there told me you guys needed my help," Sully stated, nudging her head towards him. Robin's eyes never left the masked warrior for a second, only to glance over at Rufure to see her studying the man as well.

"It seems all the creatures are vanquished. This young man took care of the others."

The male said nothing to Frederick. He straightened his posture a bit, standing tall. Underneath the mask, he glanced between Chrom, Robin and Rufure. Lissa decided to broke the rather awkward silence, stepping forward towards the male.

"Um, I never got to thank you...for before. So...thank you." She bowed her head, a gentle smile on her face. "You were very brave."

Chrom mirrored her actions, bowing his head as well. "You saved my sister's life. Might I know your name?"

Robin saw the hesitation in the male's movement and wondered if he would give them his name. Finally, the masked warrior spoke.

"You may call me Marth."

His voice was quiet and slightly feminine. The female tactician opened her mouth to say something but then closed it, deciding that whatever she had to say was deemed unimportant.

Chrom's eyes lit up for a moment. "You’re named after the legendary Hero King? You certainly fight like a hero." He stepped closer a bit, looking down at his sword. "Where did you learn your way with a sword?"

Marth took a step back, a hand on the hilt of his sword. "I'm not here to talk about me," he responded and looked around the forest. For the most part, the flames were put out though half of the forest was burnt to the ground.

"This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity." He turned back towards the shepherds. "What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned."

Without another word, Marth turned and made an exit. Lissa called out to him, but he did not pause and turn back towards her.

"Huh? What's teetering where now? Hey, wait!"

Robin turned towards Chrom, who was just as dumbfounded as the rest of the group. "Not much for conversation, is he?" Yet, he couldn't help but wonder more about the male that saved Lissa's life. The way he looked at Robin was very strange.

"Clearly he takes whatever's going on seriously. We should have asked him about those creatures," the female tactician next to him stated, leering at Chrom for a moment. Out of all the things he could have asked, he didn't ask about the strange creatures that came from the sky – the same sky that the masked hero fell out of.

"It appears his skills lie elsewhere. I wager we'll hear his name again... But for now I'm more concerned about the capital. We should make haste." Frederick spoke calmly, more worried about what was going on home than the mysterious man himself.

The group nodded, quickly making their way towards the capital.

The capital was bustling with life as always. There were shops set up all around, the people happily greeted Chrom and the shepherds when they passed them, and generally the atmosphere was happy and calm. It was apparent that the earthquake didn't reach the capital at all, which was a good thing.

"So this is Ylisstol, capital of Ylisse..." Robin mused to himself, looking around like a child in a toy store. "I've never seen so many people!" His sightseeing almost caused him to bump into several people and Rufure pulled him back to her side with an amused grin.

Frederick looked around, nodding at villagers passing by, "It appears the capital was spared the chaos we encountered, thank the gods." He took another look around. No flames, nothing was destroyed.... "I see no evidence of the great quake. It must've been limited to the forest."

"Well, that's a relief!" Lissa sighed happily. Chrom nodded, watching both Robin and Rufure look around, still amazed by all of the people. An amused smile crossed his face as he waited for them to catch up.

"Look! The Exalt has come to see us!"

The group looked over to see a young woman greet her people. Many soldiers were around her, making sure no harm came to her. Robin watched her move gracefully, never ignoring anyone that waved and said 'hello' to her.

She was beautiful.

"Hey, keep your mouth closed in front of the ruler," his sister teased gently, “because you look like an idiot.” Robin glared at her for a minute while a blush spread on his face.

"T-The Exalt is your ruler, yes?"

"Yes," Frederick nodded in response. "Her name is Lady Emmeryn."

Rufure watched her shake hands with a few of the villagers. "Is it safe for her to walk among commoners like this?"

"The Exalt is a symbol of peace—Ylisse's most prized quality." The knight started to explain a bit further. "Long ago, at the dawn of our age, the fell dragon tried to destroy the world. But the first exalt joined forces with the divine dragon and laid the beast low."

He looked up at the woman and Rufure could have sworn there was a sense of longing in his eyes. "Exalt Emmeryn reminds us all of the peace we fought for then."

"With Plegia poking at our borders, the people need her. She's a calming presence, when some might otherwise call for war." Chrom continued, looking at the woman with a smile of his own.

"Then the Ylissean people are indeed lucky to have her." Robin grinned and nodded his head. His sister agreed as well, standing on her tip-toes to get a better glance at the Exalt.

Lissa giggled, "She's also the best big sister anyone could ask for!"

"Yes, I imagine she... Wait, what?" Robin looked at Lissa with a dumbfounded look on his face. "She's your... But then that makes you and Chrom..." The realization caused his face to pale a bit. By gods, he was standing in front of royalty.

"Both are the prince and princess of this realm. You remember Chrom's name and not this?" Frederick had an amused look on his face, watching the brown haired male struggle for words.

"B-But you guys said you were shepherds!"

"And so we are, in a manner of speaking. We just have a LOT of sheep." Chrom nodded towards the people. Rufure squinted for a minute, a bit glad that a guy who was more interested in asking a man about his swordplay than strange creatures falling out of the sky was not the current ruler.

As if Robin could read her mind, he made her bow her head with him, to which she objected by flailing her arms around. "C-Chrom... I mean, Prince Chrom! Sire! Forgive our dreadful manners!"

Chrom waved it off, "Just Chrom is fine. I've never been much for formalities."

The male tactician let go of his sister's head and Rufure fixed her hair for a moment. "So, I guess that explains why Frederick tolerates all the teasing, eh?" She flashed a grin at the knight who responded by sighing tiredly.

"Indeed. Oh, the sacrifices I make for the good of the realm..."

Chrom watched his older sister make her way through the crowd, heading back towards the castle. "It looks like Emm is returning to the castle. Come on, let's go meet her."

With a nod, the group made their way towards the clearing crowd.

"Chrom, Lissa! Welcome home." The woman before them quickly ran up to greet her siblings with a smile on her face. She noticed Frederick standing there and gave him a nod of greeting. "Oh, and good day, Frederick; how fared you all?"

"Well, we shouldn't have any bandit troubles for a while," reported Chrom.

"Wonderful. And our people?”

"Safe as they can be, Emm." There was a soft smile on Chrom's face before it dissolved into a slight frown. "But we still need to watch the borders. The brigands crossed over from Plegia."

The quiet woman next to Emm, a stern Pegasus Knight with light blue hair, bowed her head gently. "Forgive me, milord. My Pegasus Knights should have intercepted them."

At her words, the prince shook his head, "No, Phila. Your duty was here, with the Exalt."

Lissa giggled and turned towards the two tacticians. "And besides, we had plenty of help!"

Emmeryn noticed the two, who quickly alerted themselves in the presence of the Exalt. "Ah, you speak of your new companions here?" Her smile was warm and inviting, something that placed both of them at ease.

Chrom nodded, "This is Robin and Rufure. They fought bravely with us against the brigands. That's why I've decided to make them shepherds."

The exalt studied them: a male with slightly messy short, brown hair, just a bit taller than the girl; and a female with straight long hair, a lighter hair colour wearing an eye patch over her right eye. Her glance trailed down, noting the robes they wore.

How familiar. It’s like she had seen these robes before.

"It sounds as though Ylisse owes you both a debt of gratitude." Emmeryn finally spoke, her voice kind and motherly. Rufure smiled sweetly at the woman and bowed her head respectfully.

"Not at all, milady!" She spoke in a sweet voice and Robin nodded in agreement.

"They helped us, so we just wanted to return the favor," the male said as he smiled at the Exalt. At that moment, Frederick cleared his throat to catch Emmeryn's attention.

"Forgive me, Your Grace, but I must speak." He turned towards the two, and Robin knew what was coming. He placed a hand on his sister's shoulder, knowing full well she was ready to lash out at the knight. Rufure looked up at him and gave him a grudging nod, allowing Frederick to speak.

"Robin and Rufure claimed to have lost their memory, but it is only that - a claim. We cannot rule out the possibility that both of them could be Plegian spies." He looked over at the two and Robin squeezed Rufure's shoulder, to stop her from possibly lashing out at Frederick for falsely accusing them of being spies. 

"Frederick!" Chrom started, but stopped when Emmeryn held her hand up.

"Yet you allowed them in the castle, Chrom. Do these two have your trust?"

"Yes. They risked their lives to protect our people. And not to mention, Rufure did a lot of the heavy work before we got there all by her own self. That's good enough for me."

Emmeryn studied them once more. She could see there were some cuts on their faces, and their eyes spoke truthfully. They held no ill-intentions. In fact, they held innocence and confusion. They were trusting eyes as well.

"Well then, Robin and Rufure," a soft smile spread across her face once more, "it seems you've earned Chrom's faith, and as such you have my trust as well."

"Milady," Robin spoke softly and bowed his head. Rufure mirrored his actions and bowed her head in response, happy that they were approved by the ruler herself.

"But thank you, Frederick, for your prudence, as always. Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have so tireless a guardian." She laughed softly. "I hope they remember to tell you that from time to time."

"They occasionally express something akin to gratitude, Your Grace." He shot Chrom and Lissa a look and both of them smiled innocently at the knight. Frederick simply shook his head and turned back towards Emmeryn and Phila.

"Phila, I assume you've heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?"

"Yes milord," nodded Phila, "they've been sighted all across Ylisse."

Emmeryn looked over at Chrom, who stood up straight, "Chrom, we are about to hold council. I was hoping you could join us."

"Of course," the prince nodded.

"You all right?" The prince asked, resting his hands on his shoulders to stop the swaying. The coated male’s eyes darted from the prince to the other two - the blonde haired girl and the stern-looking man in armor. The girl’s stare looked rather inviting but the male intimidated just a bit.

He looked back at the man in front of him with a smile and nod. “Y-Yes,” he finally replied with his head bowed a bit, to show him his thanks. “Thank you, Chrom.”

He had no idea why he said that. His name just came to him. It was like he knew the prince, like he was an old friend. But that couldn’t be - he’s never seen this guy before in his life!

At least, that’s what he thought.

The man, Chrom, removed his hands from the male’s shoulders and gave him a look. He shouldn’t be too surprised that he knew him, but he had never seen this person before. He didn’t appear to be a citizen of Ylisse and that coat did look rather familiar.

He decides to brush it off for a moment and smiled lightly with a slight head tilt. “Ah, so you know me then?”

"No, actually…" the brown haired male mumbled as scratched his cheek. “It just kind of came to me. Your name, I mean."

"… Hm, how strange," Chrom mumbled to himself and frowned for a minute. "Tell me, what’s your name?"

"My name," that should be easy. Should, being the key word. No matter how hard he tried to remember his own name, his mind went blank. "I… I don’t remember," he answered quietly, looking down at his feet.

The blonde, who had been quiet for some time, rushed up to him and pointed at him. “Hey! I’ve heard of this!” The others gave her a look, wanting her to explain more. She simply sighed and placed a hand on her hip, shaking her head. “You know - it’s called amnesia.”

"It’s called a load of Pegasus dung." The knight said sternly, turning towards the coated male. "We’re to believe you remember milord’s name, but not your own?"

His glare pierced through him and the mysterious stranger couldn’t help but get a bit defensive. “B-But its true; I… I can’t remember it!”

Before anything could start between the two, Chrom cleared his throat to alert his knight. “What if it is true, Frederick? We can’t leave him alone out here and confused. What kind of shepherds would we be if we did?”

The tired male simply sighed in response, “Just the same, milord, I must emphasize caution.” Frederick slowly turned his head back to the other male and began to study him for a moment. “‘Twould not do to let a wolf into our flock.”

Am I supposed to be offended? The brown haired male pondered to himself. I feel kind of offended.

"Right then," Chrom began to walk away, "we’ll take him back to town and we’ll sort this whole thing out." The blonde nodded happily and began to walk after her brother and like a dog, Frederick trotted after them.

"H-Hey, wait!" The three turned around, waiting to see what the problem was. "Do I have a say in this?"

"Peace, friend,” Chrom held a hand up to stop any upcoming protests from the male, “I promise we’ll hear all you have to say back in town. Now come." Chrom said and began to walk once more. The male didn’t really have any other option. It was either follow them or stay behind.

In the end, Robin chose to follow.

—

The last thing she remembered was dragging her body away from the boy who was left out in the field.

Her body jolted upwards as she awoke. Where was she? Whose house was this? Where was her brother?

"Gods that was some night…" She didn’t want to remember it, but the image wouldn’t leave her head.

"I’ve finally found you."

The voice echoed throughout her head, making the caramel haired girl shiver with slight fear. Then there was that strange vision she had before she passed out.

"Chrom, huh?" the girl’s hand went up to her eye patch, her fingers brushing against it. Her hand dropped when she heard someone enter her room.

"Ah, you’re awake?" It was a man, one of the villagers perhaps. "My wife and I found you out at the entrance of the town passed out. We were quite worried." He offered her some water, to which she politely declined. "Are you feeling well?"

"Yeah, just a bit sore," she mumbled and rubbed her shoulder a bit. "Um, thank you for taking care of me—"

The sound of a woman screaming alerted them. The man hurried to the window and looked outside, his eyes widening at the sight. The villagers were running away as the houses suddenly lit on fire.

"Brigands," he cursed under his breath. "They plan on destroying—" The man turned towards the bed, only to find the girl near the door. "Hey, where are you going?!"

The girl had grabbed her coat and quickly checked it. Her tome was still there. So it looked like she wasn’t totally useless. Could she even still use magic? Well, she would find out soon enough. She turns towards the male and smiled cheerfully at him.

"What do you think? Someone’s gotta stop these guys."

Before he could say anything else, she was out the door.

—

"What will you do with me? Am I to be your prisoner?"

He was still bitter about being treated like a suspicious person. Granted, they had ever right to treat him that way - he was a stranger to them, a stranger with no memory of who he was - but it didn’t mean he had to like it.

Chrom laughed in response and patted his shoulder gently. “You’ll be free to go once we establish you’re no enemy of Ylisse.”

The male looked around, “Is that where we are? Ylisse?”

"You’ve never heard of the halidom?" Frederick laughed, though it wasn’t the same way Chrom laughed. His laughter was filled with mockery and sarcasm. "Someone pay this actor! He plays quite the fool; the furrowed brow is especially convincing…"

Chrom shot Frederick a look before looking back at the stranger. “This land is known as the Halidom of Ylisse. Our ruler, Emmeryn, is called the exalt. I suppose proper introductions are in order…” He pointed to himself, “My name is Chrom, as you already know.”

He turned towards the girl with a smile. “The delicate one here is my little sister, Lissa.”

Lissa threw her hands up in the air, clearly unhappy at how her brother introduced her. “I am NOT delicate!” She turned towards the other male, replacing the frown with an innocent smile. “Ignore my brother, please. He can be a bit thick sometimes. You know, you’re pretty lucky the Shepherds found you. Brigands would’ve been a rude awakening!”

"… Shepherds?" He looked at the three and studied them for a moment. "You tend to sheep in full armor?"

"It’s a dangerous job," the prince laughed a bit. "Just ask Frederick the Wary here."

"A title I wear with pride. Gods forbid one of us keeps an appropriate level of caution," sighed Frederick tiredly. "I have every wish to trust you, stranger, but my station mandates otherwise."

"I understand, sir. I would do no less myself—" He paused for a moment, brow furrowing a bit.

Robin.

A name was echoing in his head but it didn’t sound like a man’s voice. It sounded like a girl’s voice. It wasn’t mature; in fact she sounded much younger than that. It’s like she was calling his name.

"… My name’s Robin." he finally spoke after seeing the concern stare of Chrom. "I just remembered that, how odd. I suppose that’s one mystery solved."

"Robin?" Chrom cocked his head to the side a bit. "Is that foreign?" He shook his head a bit. "Well, we can discuss it later. We’re almost there, just a bit more—"

"Chrom!" The three jumped at Lissa’s voice as she pointed ahead. "The town!"

They could see it from where they were standing. The entire place was burning to the ground, the screams of innocent people lingering in the air. The blue haired prince cursed and his breath and grit his teeth in both anger and disgust.

It was a look Robin had seen before.

"Damn it! The town is ablaze! Those blasted brigands, no doubt…" He quickly looked towards Lissa and Frederick, giving them both a nod. "Quickly, we need to help them!"

"Milord, what about him?" Frederick gestured over to Robin. Chrom, clearly impatient, raised his voice.

"Unless he’s on fire as well, it can wait!"

"Aptly put, milord." Frederick mumbled as Lissa began to yell at them to hurry up. The Shepherds began to run towards the burning village, leaving Robin behind. For a moment, he just stood there.

"Someone’s gotta stop these guys."

That voice again. He had no idea whose voice it was, but he knew that he couldn’t stay here and wait for the Shepherds to come back. He needed to help them. He didn’t know why he felt that way, but he wasn’t going to turn away from those in need.

Robin ran after them, calling their name.

—

The place was in shambles as the brigands began their rampage. Their leader watched with an amused smile, laughing as he held on to a maiden.

"Gwa ha ha! Get to it, lads! Grab anything shiny, and put the rest to the torch! We gots an example to set for these Ylissean types," he leaned down, looking closely at the woman in his grasp. "Ain’t that right, lass?"

The maiden tried to struggle and wiggle her arm out of his grasp but in the end, she was no match for his strength. “S-Someone, please help me!”

Lissa gripped on her staff, frowning at the sight before her. “Chrom, we have to stop them!”

"Don’t worry," he gave Lissa a quick squeeze on the shoulder, a determined look on his face. "After today, they won’t bother anyone—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a brigand had been thrown across them. The three ducked, watching the enemy slam into a fruit cart. His body cackled with electricity and after a few jolts, there was no sign of life in him.

"… What just happened?" Chrom asked in a whisper. Frederick scanned his eyes before they fell on a young girl with an open tome. She seemed rather young in appearance, but she also seemed rather skilled as well. One thing he noted was the eye patch she wore.

"I believe that girl just happened." He said and pointed towards her. Before Chrom or Lissa could say anything, they heard a voice calling for them.

"Chrom, wait!" Robin slid to them, catching his breath. Chrom was surprised to see him but he didn’t oppose it either. That meant he wanted to fight with them, right?

"Robin! Why did you follow us?"

"I… I’m not certain myself, but I’m armed and I know how to fight, if you’ll have me."

Chrom nodded, “Of course - strength in numbers. Just stay close!”

Robin nodded and looked around until his eyes landed on the girl in front of them. His eyes widened, quickly grabbing Chrom’s arm.

"Chrom, I know her." Yes, he did know her. She was in that strange dream he had. She was the one with him, standing by his side with Chrom.

Rufure.

She was familiar, he knew that. They were blood, he was sure of that. But no matter how hard he tried to remember any memories he had with her, none came up. All he could remember about her was her name, face and voice.

What kind of a brother was he if he couldn’t remember his own sister?

"You know her?" Chrom asked once Robin lets go of his arm. Robin nodded, looking back at the girl.

"Yeah, she’s my sister…. I just remembered that. I think I might be getting my memory back."

"We’ll discuss it later. Right now, it looks like she needs our help!" He quickly dashed towards the girl. Robin didn’t hesitate this time; he followed Chrom, pulling his sword out.

Rufure… I wonder if you’re in the same condition.

—-

This is strange; my magic is a lot weaker than before. Hell, I don’t even know where I am.

Her memory seemed to be jambled up as well, she noted. She remembered Robin. She knew some guy named Chrom apparently, thanks to that strange dream she had. And she remembered that night…

But when she tried to remember anything else, everything was a blank.

Now wasn’t the time to focus on her slightly screwed up memory; she had to defend the village. She quickly fired another blast of lighting at the brigands. It was certainly weak, but it did enough damage.

But it’s not enough to kill ‘em. I can’t do this alone!

Almost on cue, a brigand fell right in front of her. She jumped for a minute, thinking that he was attacking her, but upon further investigation, she found that the man in front of her was deader than dirt. She looked up, her eyes locking with the man in front of her.

"Are you alright?" The blue haired prince gave her a smile, to which she replied with a nod and a smile of her own.

"Thank you, Chrom."

He stopped for a moment, raising an eyebrow. “By any chance, your memory wouldn’t be messed up as well?”

"Um, actually… It’s kind of messed up," she mumbled, quickly looking behind him to see a brown haired male fighting off one of the brigands. Her eyes lit up and she mumbled a spell, casting it towards the brigand and finishing him off.

"Rufure," he began to rush towards her but the girl held her hand up. "We can talk later; right now we need to finish these guys off."

Robin nodded and quickly examined the field around them. Frederick was having no problem slaying off the brigands and Lissa was following close behind. Chrom wasn’t too worried about his younger sister; he knew very well his knight would protect her.

"Hey, Robin… You see what I see right?" Rufure whispered to him. Robin looked at their enemies, studying them. How strange, he could see their strength, the flow of the battle - everything like that.

"You see it too, then?" Robin asked as he tilted his head. Before his sister could answer, Chrom looked back at them.

"You two still with us?"

"Hmm... It’s strange, Chrom. Robin and I, here on the battlefield, we can see things…" Rufure answered. For a moment, her words got to attention of Frederick and Lissa, who were nearby.

"See things?" The prince asked, clearly interested in what the girl had to say. "Like what?"

"The enemy’s strength, their weaponry, the flow of the battle…" Robin pondered this for a moment. "We must have learned this somewhere."

"So, you’re saying you can seize the enemy up at a glance?"

"Yeah, it would seem so," Rufure said as her fingers trailed along the tome. For a moment, they went back to the battle. Robin and Rufure did their best to give information about the enemy to Chrom and Frederick and Lissa used her staff if there were any injuries.

Chrom slashed at a brigand, quickly killing him off before turning to the two tacticians. “Are you two alright? Don’t rush into danger.” They both gave him a nod and he continued to speak, “… You’ve both lent us our strength, and that makes you friends. Having an ally by my side gives me courage.”

"Thank you, but I think there’s more to that," Robin began as he quickly blocked an incoming attack. Rufure got in front of him and yelled out a spell, sending jolts through the brigand’s body. "It’s fuzzy, but I think working in pairs improves strength, defense, speed… Yes, I’m sure of it!"

"Then we’ll work in pairs. Chrom, Robin, you go on ahead. Frederick and I will handle these chums." Rufure said with a grin, waving them off.

This sounds way too familiar… Robin thought to himself. He shook the thought off and joined Chrom’s side as they went off to face the leader. Rufure sighed as she watched them leave.

This is a mess.

—-

"Here, sheepy sheepy, come to the slaughter!" Garrick taunted as Chrom readied himself in a fighting stance. He glanced at Robin and awaited his instructions, or at least a sign to attack. Once he got a nod from Robin, he charged at Garrick and attacked him.

The leader staggered back and touched his arm, where the blade hit. Blood seeped out of the wound. He growled and went after Chrom, who moved out of the way but still felt the axe against his bare skin cut him. He grunted in pain as he stepped back, allowing Robin to take a shot at him. The tactician uppercut the man before dodging the next attack – but barely – the axe swiped against him, cutting beneath his cloth.

"He’s strong," Robin admitted. Chrom nodded a bit and blocked an incoming attack. "We’ll have to use a lot of force to get to him."

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the brigand and a scream left his throat as he fell to his knees. Robin glanced behind him to see Rufure, with Frederick and Lissa behind her.

"Chrom, now!"

The prince didn’t wait for any other orders. He rushed up to the leader and brought his blade down on him, quickly ending his life. Garrick screamed in agony once more before falling back lifelessly.

"We did it!" Rufure cheered, rushing up to the two males. Robin just smiled at her and looked back towards Chrom, who offered him a smile of his own.

"Yeah, we make quite a team."

—-

"That’s the end of that," Rufure said with a content laugh as she stretched a bit. Robin stood next to her, looking around the town. For the most part, the town’s fires were put out by the villagers. Chrom and Frederick had interrogated Rufure a bit but it seemed she was in the same boat as Robin. She couldn’t remember anything but Robin, or so it seemed.

"Do you remember how you got here?" Chrom had asked her. The girl thought for a moment and a vision flashed in her mind. A smiling, hooded man was looking down at her. The smile wasn’t anything generous though. It was filled with malice and cruel intentions.

She could remember Robin telling her to run and like the idiot she was, she didn’t run until she was close to death, because she wanted to protect him. From what, though? From the hooded man, from something else – she had no idea.

"I’ve finally found you."

"No," she lied. "I don’t remember."

Lissa placed her hands on her hips as she looked at the two newcomers with a smile, “Well, lucky for us not only were we close, but Rufure was already here with her incredibly strong magic. That was amazing! Swords, sorcery and tactics! Is there anything you two can’t do?”

"You two certainly can handle yourselves, that’s for sure." Chrom said. Rufure flashed him a grin and crossed her arms. It was a compliment she was willing to take.

Of course, there had to be just one person to rain down on their parade and that person was a certain knight that was staring down at the two with a frown. “Indeed. Perhaps you might even be capable of an explanation for how you came here? Or why you suddenly remember you two are related.”

Robin could tell his sister was about to rip Frederick a new one so he decided to step in, extending his arm out in front of her. “I understand your skepticism, Sir Frederick. And I cannot explain why only some knowledge has returned to us. But please, believe me. We have shared all that we know.”

"Yeah," the shorter girl said, looking at Frederick with her eye. "Please give it some time. Once we get our memory back we’ll tell all we can know."

Chrom had been quiet for most of the conversation but he spoke up with a smile on his face. “You two fought to save Ylissean lives. My heart says that’s enough.”

"And your mind, milord? Will you not heed its counsel as well?" To be honest, the knight wasn’t too surprised at his lord’s words. Chrom always had a kind heart and always was overly trusting, which was a kind trait - but it was also a deadly sin.

"Frederick, the Shepherds could use someone with their talents," he started to explain as he nodded towards the two, who were talking for a minute until they heard Chrom. "We’ve brigands and unruly neighbors, all looking to bloody our soil. Would you really have us lose such two able tacticians? I believe their story, despite how odd it sounds."

"Th-Thank you, Chrom," the male tactician said with a nod. "I promise we’ll tell everything we can when we get our memory back."

"So you’ll join us?"

"Sure," Rufure said casually. "We would be honored. Think of it as repayment too. You found my brother and accepted me as well." It was the least she could do to thank them.

As they helped the villagers out, Frederick broke the silence, “Did you notice, milord? The brigands spoke with a Plegian accent.”

Plegian, the word made Rufure pale a bit, for some reason, and she quickly turned away so no one could see her. Robin glanced at her for a moment before looking back at Frederick.

"Plegian? What’s that?"

"Plegia is Ylisse’s westerly neighbor," Chrom answered as he helped smother any small flames that were still burning. "They send small bands into our territory, hoping to instigate a war."

That’s not the only thing they want to do, a voice in Rufure’s head spoke. She shivered for a moment and rubbed her arm. What the hell was that? Certainly that wasn’t her thoughts.

She was glad when Lissa spoke up, distracting her from her own thoughts, “And it’s the poor townsfolk who suffer! Totally innocent and totally helpless…” The princess pouted a bit and the knight to her side laughed gently, patting her on the shoulder.

"They have us, milady. After all, shepherds to protect the sheep. Do not be swept up in your anger. It will cloud your judgment."

"I know," Lissa finally said as she smiled at him, "Don’t worry, I’ll get used to all of this."

Before anything else could be said, the villager man who had helped Rufure out appeared, with the maiden they rescued. “Milord, please! You must stay the night! We are simple folk of simple means, but we would gladly toast your valor with a feast!”

"A most generous offer, sir, and no doubt your hospitality would be grand…" Frederick began, an apologetic smile on his face, "But I’m afraid we must hurry back to Ylisstol."

"Dark meat only for me, medium well, and no salt in the soup, I simply—" It was then Lissa realized what the knight said and gave him a stunned look, like he had just said Plegia wanted to be friends with Ylisse. "Wait, what?! We’re not staying?! But, Frederick, it’s nearly dark!”

"When night falls, we’ll camp. Eat off the land, make our bed of twigs and the like…" Frederick said sternly before grinning. "I believe you mentioned you would be "getting used to this"?"

"Frederick? Sometimes I hate you."

Rufure looked over at Chrom, “You’ve quite the stern lieutenant there.”

"Yeah, well, "stern" is one name for it. I can think of a few others!" Lissa glared at him and looked away, with a small ‘hmph’ leaving her mouth. Chrom laughed a bit at her reaction.

"Frederick only smiles when he’s about to bring down the axe." He commented. Robin took a quick look at Frederick, who was staring down at him.

"Duly noted," mumbled the tactician. Rufure laughed gently at her brother, who ruffled her hair affectionately. Chrom watched them, realizing that they did look alike. Funny, from an outsider’s point of view they would have easily guessed they were siblings by the way they acted. But Rufure and Robin couldn’t remember any memories they had together. All they could remember were their faces, names and voice – and of course their relationship together.

Whatever they went through, they must be blocking it out. Chrom mused to himself as he continued to study them.

Frederick cleared his throat, “You do realize I AM still present?” The prince turned towards his knight, glad that he broke him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, we realize.” His lord teased a bit, earning a laugh from Robin and Rufure - though Robin was a bit more polite about his laugh than Rufure, who was giggling like a mad woman.

"Milord remains as amusing as ever," sighed the tired knight. "Now then, shall we be going?

"All right, all right,” Chrom held his hands up defensively and looked over at the two siblings. “Ready to go, you two? The capital isn’t far."

The two nodded and followed the three. Rufure glanced at Robin for a minute. He seemed content. From what she remembered, he was a lot sterner in the past. Is this what amnesia does to a person?

There was no such thing as "destiny" or fate.

To her, they did not exist. The Gods didn't write a script for them to follow along. The Gods did not plan out their life. They made their own choices. They were responsible for their decisions. Their father often talked about this destiny bullshit.

Tonight, he would be proven wrong.

"You two are a part of us and no destiny can change that." The two tacticians glanced at the prince in the middle of them, who held his sword in his hand. The caramel haired girl on the right nodded and pulled out her tome while the boy on the left said nothing, pulling his sword out.

"Gya ha ha! Fools! Struggle all you want! You cannot unwrite what is already written!" His voice is malicious and it makes the girl want to vomit right there. She hated him. She hated everything about him.

And yet, in the past she wanted to please him so much. Nothing pisses her off more than that.

"We need to get closer," the girl said, a hand brushing along the eye patch she wore. She turns towards the male at Chrom's left and gives him a nod. "Robin, go ahead!"

The boy - Robin - nods and proceeds to go ahead of them. "You better know what you're doing, Rufure." He said with a slight grin. She grinned back at him, waving him off.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever,” she turns towards the prince. “Chrom, guard him. His ass is grass if you don’t." The prince didn't say anything as he rushed up to the other male. Rufure sighed and made her way in front of them, her right hand cackling as the lightning around it grew brighter. Once she was close to the sorcerer, she fires her attack.

It manages to hit him and he screams in pain, quickly getting to his feet and glaring at the girl.

"Foolish girl, why do you resist me?!” He yells at her, drawing himself closer to her. “You were meant to be God, to unite with this boy! And yet, you try and create your own identity?! You have no other purpose, other than what’s already written!”

His words hit her and she finds herself almost dropping her tome. That wasn’t true and she knew it. Yet, there was a voice in the back of her head telling her to obey him.

No… You told yourself you wouldn’t feed it. You’re stronger than this. You’re stronger than this. You’re—

As she’s distracted by her own thoughts, he fires his own attack, aiming straight for her. The male tactician acts as a guard for Rufure before charging at the sorcerer, striking his sword against him.

"Chrom, now!"

The sorcerer has no time to react as the prince had moved behind him. Chrom strikes him, right in the heart, and a scream of agony echoes throughout the room. His blood trickles down the shining blade of Falchion and Chrom quickly removes it from him, watching him fall to his death.

"What... have you—?"

As he falls to his knees, Robin watches him closely. He can see the man grinning at him, even in his death, and the tactician can't help but back up and look over at the girl.

"Something's wrong," he said to her. She doesn't respond, as if she's in a trance, and he realizes then that something is wrong. "Rufure, what's going on? Say something!"

"He's here," her voice is nothing but a hoarse whisper. All of that hatred she had been feeling, it was finally catching up to her. "You need to get Chrom out of here. Leave me behind."

"Run. Don't look back. Leave me behind."

His mother's words echo through his head as he shakes the girl. "No, I won't do that! Rufure, what the hell is going on?!" It can't be. Yet, the signs are there. She's cold; the trance expression is overtaking her face.

No... You were supposed to be the strong one... Mother said that you were the one to change destiny...

"This isn't over... DAMN YOU ALL!"

Robin has little time to react as the man fires an attack at the prince. Quickly, he pushes the male out of the way and takes the hit himself, a scream leaving his lips as he falls to the ground. The remains of the sorcerer seem to vanish completely as Chrom rushes up to the male's side, holding him up.

"Are you alright?" He asks as he catches his breath, glancing towards where the man's remains were. "That's the end of him... Thanks to you two," he looks over at Rufure slowly making her way towards them in a zombie-like state, "we carried the day."

Robin feels his vision blur and no matter how hard he fights, he can't stop this feeling growing in him. This feeling of despair and hatred fills him, and any other feeling is erased from him entirely. He knows Rufure feels it too.

We're two halves of a whole you know, literally I mean. But you know we shouldn't let that be our identity.

His hands start to shake and Chrom finally notices it, a worried expression on his face. He starts to shake his lifelong friend, yelling out to him. "Hey, are you alright?! Rufure, the barrier should be weak by now. We need Lissa!”

We may share the same heart, but we have our own identities, our own lives. We decide that. Destiny—

Robin's hand begins to glow and cackle, the spell being murmured under his breath. He can't stop it, and from the corner of his eye he can see the girl nodding at him with a smile.

Destiny cannot be changed.

"Hey, hang on—"

The prince has no time to finish the sentence as he feels a sharp pain through his chest. Instead of the usual strike, the male tactician had formed the bolt to a sword-like state and used it to stab his lord. The prince stumbles back and glances at Rufure.

The smile on her face was different. It held so much malice, so much hatred for the prince.

He looks back at the male and barely, he manages to get some last words out.

"This is not—" he gasps for air as he drops to his knees. "—your fault…" He coughs, the blood trickling down his lips, dripping to the ground like raindrops. "Promise me... Promise me you'll escape from this place..."

He drops lifelessly. He sees nothing but black. Nothing but darkness surrounds him as he tries desperately to hang on to a string of life.

And just as darkness surrounds him, nothing but sadistic laughter surrounds them as they break the barrier, heading off into a world that now belongs to them.

---

"Chrom, we have to do something."

The voice is familiar to him, but he can't figure out where he's heard it before. It was sweet sounding to him, yet something he wouldn't want to listen to every day he decides. It wasn’t annoying, but there certainly are much better voices out there to listen to.

"Well, what do you propose we do?" He heard a sigh, and this time he knows he recognizes the voice. It's lower than the girl's voice and a lot smoother than hers.

It's so familiar to him.

"I... I dunno." The feminine voice quieted down a bit in a concern tone. "Something, I guess. We just... We just can't leave him here!"

A groan left the male's lips which alert the two and they quickly bend down a bit. Their smiles are warm and inviting and they give him comfort in this unknown place.

"I see you're awake now," the older male chuckled. The girl to the side of him nods, her smile brightening. "Hey there," she greeted.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know." He held his hand out to the boy, who just looked at it with a confused look. "Give me your hand."

Something in him tells the male to trust this person. Without hesitation, he grabbed a hold of his hand, allowing him to pull him up. His hand is warm and the smile he gave him is familiar, like this person was a lost friend to him.