"Lissa, I already told you." Chrom fixed her younger sister a stern glare, arms crossed in attempts to appear intimidating. "The answer is no."

"And I'm telling YOU!" Lissa immediately fired back, matching her sister's glare with similar intensity. "That you're being unfair!" She stomped her foot to emphasize her irritation.

"If being unfair means that a fellow shepherd stays safe, then so be it." Chrom responded curtly, undeterred by her sister's vehemence

"What? Are you just going to keep him in the garrison for the rest of his life?!" Lissa questioned indignantly.

"What a way to start the morning." Robin silently mused to himself. He, including the rest of the Shepherds, passively stared at the sisterly altercation from the sidelines. None of them were willing to put themselves between the royal siblings.

The sibling argument had all started during breakfast. While the Shepherds were enjoying their breakfast, Robin had decided to partake in one his favorite activity.

Staring at people.

Or observing people, people watching, he was a tactician after all.

The tactician observed his fellow Shepherds with no small amount of delight. Vaike attempted to both eat and regale one of his adventures to Virion, the fancy archer tried his best to hide his disgust. Sully and Stahl were locked in a contest of who could deplete the company's food supply first. Sumia had a small breakfast and decided to do some reading before the march, knowing the pegasus knight, she was likely reading smut. Frederick had yet to touch his breakfast as he was too busy cutting up Chrom's meal into bite-sized pieces, the princess had tried to deter her guardian's action with little results.

The only Shepherds that Robin couldn't find at the breakfast table were Miriel and Kellam. The former likely still in her room, too busy with an experiment that only Naga can hope to accurately interpret. The latter…possibly still in his room? Honestly, Kellam could be sitting at the breakfast table at this very moment. Even reliving his life several times, the tactician was still unable to make sense of how the knight was able to seemingly to disappear into thin air or blend in with his surroundings that he becomes virtually unnoticeable. Kellam should really consider becoming a thief or an assassin instead of a hulking knight.

In the end, Robin decided to not question it. There were some things that couldn't be explained whatsoever. One of those things being, why he had to relive his life for an indefinite amount of times. Hell if he knew.

Out of all the tactician's observations, there was one that actually surprised him. That one being the interaction between Lissa and Ricken. The twin-tailed princess was busy talking the mage's ear off, while the mage himself was content with simply nodding along, a pleasant smile on his lips. In Robin's previous lives, Lissa and Ricken weren't exactly the closest of friends. That didn't mean there was bad blood between the two, they were certainly companionable with one another, it was just that their interactions were usually limited. However, the two shepherds were now interacting extremely early into the campaign, this life was full of surprises.

Once breakfast had come to a close, Chrom had announced that it was about time to set out to Regna Ferox and asked everyone to prepare themselves. Before anyone had left, Lissa had decided to pipe up and suggested that Ricken should come along with the other Shepherds. Initially surprised by her sister's suggestion, Chrom had quickly collected herself and refused, claiming that the mage was too young for the journey. Lissa did not take this sitting down and continued to advocate for the mage to journey alongside the other Shepherds. One thing led to another and soon the simple disagreement became explosive.

"Does this sort of thing usually happen?" Robin asked to no one in particular, already knowing the answer.

"Well they are sisters, so it stands to reason for there to be some sibling quarrels here and there." Stahl sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Though, this argument does seem a bit more fierce."

"Yep! And it's all because of this little guy!" Vaike pulled Ricken into a headlock and playfully ruffled his hair.

"H-Hey! Let go of me!" Ricken yelled in anguish. With a bit of struggling, the mage managed to squeeze out of the fighter's grip.

"Sorry buddy!" Vaike released a good natured chuckle, lips curled up into a wide smile. "I'm just curious on how you got Lissa to argue for you, what's your secret?"

Ricken shot a brief glare at the fighter whilst straightening his hair. "There's no secret, Vaike. Lissa just visited my room last nigh-" His mouth immediately clamped shut, the mage exceedingly aware of the mistake he made.

"Last night?" Vaike repeated, his smile turning quite devilish.

"I-It's not what you think!" Ricken exclaimed, his cheeks turning an impressive scarlet. "She just came by to talk, that's it!"

"Uh huh." Vaike continued to stare at Ricken with the same evil smile. "I heard you two 'talking' throughout the entire night!" The fighter claimed unabashedly, emphasizing the word 'talking' with his fingers. "I couldn't sleep with all the noise!"

"V-Vaike, d-don't tease him too m-much." Stahl had tried to come to Ricken's rescue, but was too preoccupied stifling the bubbling laughter in his throat.

"Woah! Am I hearing this right?" Sully jumped in. "Did the squirt finally become a man?"

"How scandalous." Virion chimed in, eyes lit with mirth. "At such a young age as well."

"This reminds me of a novel I read last week…" Sumia giggled to herself, pink lightly dusting her cheeks.

"G-Guys please!" Ricken yelled, horrified at everyone's implication and comments. "We didn't do any of t-that!" The mage caught the tactician's gaze, silently pleading for Robin to intervene and grant him mercy from the Shepherd's teasing.

He should've known better.

"Did you use protection?"

The tactician's comment resulted in a bout of thunderous laughter from most of the surrounding shepherds. Ricken promptly hid his blazing face under his hat.

Robin chuckled at the ensuing chaos, silently apologizing to the poor mage. The tactician shifted his gaze towards Frederick, who had not taken part in the teasing. The knight simply shook his head and returned his attention towards the princesses. To Robin's mild surprise, the two royals had taken no notice of the Shepherd's separate conversation, absolutely enthralled with their own explosive argument.

Having relieved several lifetimes, Robin was more than privy to the numerous disagreements that would occur between Chrom and Lissa. Usually, arguments would be something minor, such as a prank that Lissa had decided to pull. Now however, the princesses' exchange seemed a bit more…raw, compared to normal.

"Note to self, never come between the two sisters during an argument." Robin nodded to himself, resolute in his mental promise.

"Robin!" Lissa's eyes snapped to the tactician. "You're the tactician! Tell Chrom why she should bring Ricken with us!"

"And like that, I'm between the two sisters during an argument… Nagadamnit." Robin internally groaned. He heard Ricken's teasings cease, the surrounding shepherds now had their eyes on the tactician, effectively putting him on the spot. Chrom didn't say anything, but she did give him an expectant look, silently asking the tactician to take her side in the argument.

"Why am I getting dragged into this?" The tactician questioned incredulously.

"You are the tactician of this force." Frederick decided to speak for the first time, turning his face away from Robin. "I believe it would be best to ask for your input before making any drastic decisions."

"Don't think I don't see that shit-eating grin, Frederick." The tactician scowled at the upturned corner of the great knight's lips. Robin released a sigh and closed his eyes, contemplating on how he should respond.

A brief moment passed, before the tactician's eyes snapped open and zeroed in on the blue-haired princess. "I'd say just let Ricken go."

Robin's answer was simple and clean. Chrom's response was not.

"What?" For the second time today, Chrom was surprised by another one of her Shepherds. "Ricken is still too young to partake in a mission, especially something as delicate as forming an alliance with Regna Ferox."

"He's only a year younger than me!" Lissa interjected. "And he's been studying magic for countless of nights, he's ready for a real mission!" Chrom opened her mouth, ready to retort her sister, but was cut off by a high pitched whistle.

Robin pulled his fingers out of his mouth and gave the Ylissean royals a blank stare. "Hey, the adult is talking here." The tactician received two glares for his quip. He promptly ignored the gazes, in favor of looking towards the blue-haired princess. "Chrom, I understand what you're getting at. You're concerned for the wellbeing of a fellow shepherd and you would risk your life if they were in danger, correct?"

"In a heartbeat." The blue-haired princess immediately agreed, eliciting a grin from the tactician. Chrom was many things, brash, emotional, and sometimes a bit dense, but no one can deny the love she holds for her Shepherds.

"A fine answer, a great attribute for any leader." Chrom smiled at the praise. "Though I have to ask, why did you allow Ricken to join the Shepherds?"

Chrom knitted her brows. "I made Ricken a Shepherd because I saw that he had potential and was passionate about aiding Ylisse." The princess spoke slowly, unsure of the tactician's intentions.

"Then why keep Ricken in the garrison?"

"Like I told Lissa, Ricken is still too young for a mission."

"I doubt a bandit would bother asking for someone's age when they're busy cutting them down." Robin returned darkly, maintaining direct eye contact with the blue-haired princess. Chrom kept her mouth shut, both from surprise and unsure how to react to the tactician's response. "Lissa makes a fair point, surely you could overlook Ricken's age during times of war, especially if he himself is willing to come along."

"He lacks experience." Chrom tried.

"And he won't be gaining any experience if he's stuck in his room the entire time." Robin countered. "You can keep forcing Ricken to study for as long as you want, but it won't be like the real thing." He paused. "I should know, I fought two battles yesterday."

Chrom hummed at the tactician's words. She placed a hand under her chin and silently contemplated to herself. "Then what would you suggest?"

"Bring him along, give him a taste of what a real mission is like." Robin answered simply. "You claim that he has potential, so allow Ricken to prove himself as a Shepherd." Chrom didn't respond immediately, her expression told the tactician that she wasn't entirely convinced. "Look, I know that you're worried about his safety, but don't forget that there are eight other shepherds who are capable of watching his back."

Vaike clapped a hand on Ricken's shoulder. "Yeah! Ain't no one getting passed the teach!" The fighter finished his claim with a flash of his pearly whites. The other shepherds nodded and gave Chrom their own form of affirmation.

Chrom stared at her fellow warriors for a moment, her eyes scanning each face individually until stopping on the mage in question. "Ricken, do you believe that you are ready to partake in this march?"

In turn, Ricken bobbed his head fervently. "Yes, I've practiced my spells nonstop ever since I've became a Shepherd and I promise not to disappoint!" Chrom smiled at the mage's enthusiasm.

"Welcome aboard Ricken." The princess turned her sights to the other occupants of the room. "Shepherds, pack your things! We've lost enough time this morning so we'll be leaving immediately, once everyone has their things!" With that, Chrom and the other shepherds head towards the armory or bedchambers, ready to prepare for the long trek to Regna Ferox.

"Robin!" Two dainty hands clapped onto the sides of the tactician's face. "How did you do that?!" Lissa screamed to his face.

"Do what?" Robin answered nonchalantly, uncaring of the sudden contact and volume.

"You just convinced my sister to let Ricken come with us!" Lissa screamed once again, lightly shaking the tactician's head. "I've never won an argument with her!"

Robin lightly grasped the princess's hands and removed them from his cheeks. "Maybe you should try not screaming during an argument." He advised cheekily. The tactician proceeded to mimic the princess's action, pressing his palms on both of the princess's cheeks. "Also is this a Ylissean greeting or something?"

The princess giggled at the tactician's question. "Yes Robin, this is a Ylissean greeting that expresses long-life and prosperity." She answered jokingly.

"I see…" Robin mused to himself, choosing not to pick up on the obvious sarcasm.

"Um…Robin?" A voice sounded to the right of the tactician. Robin turned his head and came face-to-face with a young mage.

"Ricken? Thought you'd be clamoring for your things right now."

"Yeah! What are you doing?" Lissa removed herself from Robin's grip and rushed towards the mage, her hands clamped down on his shoulders. "Why aren't you packing up? You're going on your first mission!" She yelled whilst shaking the boy.

"S-Stop shaking me!" Lissa eventually let the boy go, giving him a sheepish look. Ricken quickly steadied himself and turned to Robin. "I just wanted to thank you, Robin. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to participate in the march."

"Enough of that." The tactician waved off the mage's gratitude. "Just be sure to kick some ass and I'll be happy."

Ricken blinked at the casual dismissal, unsure how to react. "Uh…I'll be sure to do that?"

"Ok!" Lissa cheered. "With that out of the way, I'm gonna go pack up. See you guys in a bit!" The princess turned and skipped towards her room, humming a tune along the way.

"She seems to be in a good mood." Robin mused aloud. Ricken couldn't help but nod, agreeing with the tactician's sentiment. "Now that we're alone, what did happen between you and Lissa?" The tactician grinned down at the young shepherd.

Ricken allowed himself a long sigh, the tactician could feel the pure exasperation. "For one thing, we didn't do that."

"That?" Robin parroted with feigned ignorance.

"You know what I'm referring to, mister Did you use protection?" The mage glared up at the tactician, who raised his hands in defense.

"Just making sure is all, don't want to be a parent at this age, right?"

Ricken groaned into his hands. "We just talked, ok? End of story."

"Fine, fine, I believe you. Now get packing, don't want to be left behind." Robin pushed the mage along towards the armory and bedchambers.

"What about you?" The mage's question prompted the tactician to part a segment of his cloak, revealing a newly acquired steel, sword strapped to his waist. Alongside the blade was an elthunder tome, replacing his worned, thunder tome.

"Already done, a tactician is always prepared." Robin stated, head held proudly.

"I can see that." Ricken conceded, taking in the two items strapped to the tactician's waist. "I'll go pack my things then and thanks again."

The young mage disappeared into the halls of the garrison, leaving Robin to himself. A serious expression overtook the tactician's visage. He glared at floor and stroke his chin.

"Hmm…what's a good shipping name for Ricken and Lissa?" Robin pondered aloud.

Half an hour flew by and now the Shepherds were in front of the city gates. Horses and wagons were prepared, each strewn with various sorts of equipment and supplies for the Shepherd's oncoming march. The company of warriors stood beside one another, conversing to themselves as they waited for Chrom to announce their departure. Everyone had been adequately prepared, assortments of weapons and armor could be found on each shepherd's person.

"Well, mostly everyone." Robin thought to himself. The tactician eyed the person beside him, finding that the man did not have single weapon on his person. A sigh escaped his mouth. "Some things never change."

"Couldn't help but noticed that you've been staring at Teach's muscles!" Vaike announced overly loud, attracting the interest of the surrounding shepherds. "Should I be flattered?" He questioned cheekily, wiggling his eyebrows at the tactician.

It was obvious that Vaike's intention was to garner a rise out of Robin, possibly getting the tactician to flush crimson and to spew out several lines of denials. It was certainly in the fighter's character to tease as many people as he humanly can. Sadly for Vaike, Robin is used to the fighter's antics by now.

"I wasn't staring at your muscles." Robin spoke plainly, showing that he was unaffected by man's taunt. "Though, now that you mention it…" The tactician gave Vaike an exaggerated once-over.

"U-Umm…" Vaike stammered, taken aback by the brazen scrutinization.

"Wouldn't mind running my hand along those abs." The tactician purred not-so quietly.

"S-So, why were you eyeing me?" Vaike hastily changed the subject once he felt his cheeks lightly pinked. He could hear low laughter from the bystanding shepherds.

"Couldn't help but noticed that you're without a weapon." Robin answered matter of factly. No matter what life, Vaike would always forget to pack his damn axe.

"The Vaike never forgets my ass!"

"What?!" Vaike allowed his hands to search his person in attempts to locate his weapon of choice. "Crap! Must've left it back at the garrison! I gotta be qu-"

A cough interrupted the fighter's frantic rambling. Robin and Vaike both turned to the source and found that it was Miriel, another mage a part of the Shepherds. "I believe that I am in possession of what you seek." With both her hands, she brought a steel axe forth.

Vaike snatched the axe from the woman's hands. "Miriel, you're a lifesaver!" He securely strapped his preferred weapon onto his back.

Miriel turned her sights onto Robin. "Are you perhaps the Plegian that is to act as the designated tactician for this venture?"

"That's right! My job is to make sure the killings are only happening to the other side." Robin smiled. "Name's Robin."

"My name is Miriel and I am the leading mage of the Shepherds." Before the tactician could get in another word, Miriel decided to summarize her abilities and talents. "Though I am able to employ the use of a diverse assortment of tomes, I hold a certain affinity for those of the scorching variety. It is recommended to keep my person at a distance during any hostile altercation so I may properly utilize my magic talents. While I am not particularly adept in battlefield decorum, you may come to me for any advice. May our collaboration prove fruitful." She gave the tactician a curt bow and excused herself. Both Robin and Vaike stared at her retreating form for a moment.

"That's Miriel for you!" Vaike laughed goodnaturedly.

"Shepherds!" Chrom's voice attracted each and every Shepherd. "We'll be leaving at this moment. Is everyone ready?" The princess waited for a chorus of affirmation from her fellow warriors. "Then let us be off!" She turned and marched in the direction of Regna Ferox with the company following closely behind.

"Huh?" Robin thought to himself. "Can't help but feel like I'm forgetting something."

"Armor…" The knight tightened the straps of his bulky armor. "...Check."

"Lance…" He grabbed his steel lance and gave it a slight twirl. "...Check."

"Ok." Kellam decided to voice aloud, smile present on his features. "I'm all set for the march to Regna Ferox." The knight made his way out of the armory, an extra spring in his steps.

Kellam was excited for the march, to say the least. This mission was his best chance to finally be able to make himself known to everyone. Time and time again, the knight has been forgotten, his presence and actions largely ignored throughout his career as a Shepherd. Not anymore, Kellam was resolute in proving that he was indeed a valuable member and he refused to be so easily forgotten! He will give his all in the oncoming march, voice his opinions in discussions, take initiative in any possible battles, anything to make himself be noti-

"Where is everybody?" Kellam wondered. Having left the armory, the knight stepped into the garrison's common room. His eyes quickly scanned the interior of the room and found the area to be barren.

The knight's momentary confusion soon melted away, in place, bitter realization.

"They left me behind…again."

Kellam felt the sudden urge to snap his lance in half.

Now, Frederick wasn't someone who would haphazardly throw around the word 'hate' when describing his feelings for a certain situation or person. However, taking account of his current predicament, coupled with a day of nearly restless travel, the knight found the word 'hate' to be more and more desirable as time continues to persist. Frederick allowed his piercing eyes to leave the dirt-covered roads, opting to instead glare at the pair of arms that were wrapped securely around his waist.

"You know, you're surprisingly comfortable to hug, Freddybear." Robin mumbled contently, his body pressed firmly against the knight's back.

"You are embracing solid armor." Frederick gritted.

"So comfy…" Robin moaned, burying his face deeper into the knight's armored shoulder.

There was no doubt in his mind, Frederick hated this.

It had been only a day since the Shepherds left Ylisstol, the journey to Regna Ferox had been largely uneventful. Understandable, seeing as the party were still in Ylissean land and brigands would make themselves scarce in the presence of the entire Shepherd force. They were also making decent time, all things considered. Even with the sisterly quarrel from the morning before, the Shepherds were nearing the Ylissean border and with a few more hours of travel, they would officially be on Feroxi lands. It was a peaceful march, something Frederick greatly appreciated.

There were some individuals who weren't content with the serenity. One of those accursed individual had his arms wrapped around said knight. To the surprise of no one, Robin was not satisfied with the lack of action and had brought it upon himself to stir up trouble. Sadly for the knight, he became a victim of the tactician's antics. Frederick felt his face flush at the light titters resonating from the surrounding people. Each Shepherd took immense pleasure from the tactician's suggestive cuddling and the knight's embarrassment.

Frederick's glare intensified, hoping the pair of arms would set aflame if he stared long enough. To the knight's immeasurable disappointment, they did not.

"Tactician."

"Mmm?"

"Why?"

"I already told you, Freddybear. I'm tired from all the walking."

"You were in the wagon the entire time."

"Semantics."

Frederick felt the urge to elbow Robin in the stomach and throw him off his horse, but he endured. His eyes flickered towards Chrom, who had opted to walk alongside the horses and wagons. The princess had a large smile and her eyes were filled with unrestrained delight. She was having fun, Frederick could not fault her for that.

Frederick looked away and sighed. "I will endure…for her."

"Aww, don't act like that." Robin poked the knight's cheek. "I just want to get closer to you. Is that so wrong?"

"Yes." Frederick answered tersely. Robin laughed at the response and unlinked himself from the knight's waist.

"Fine, fine." The tactician scooched back, granting the knight his personal space. "If you're not fond of physical affection, mind answering some questions for me?"

Frederick tensed at that, now very alert. "What sort of questions?" He turned and shot the tactician an accusing stare.

"Just some general things on the Shepherds, promise!" Robin allowed himself another laugh and waved off the knight's stare. "I already know that you, Sully, Virion, and the princesses are capable in a battle…" He motioned to the rest of the company. "...but I'm not too familiar with anyone else. Seeing as I'm the tactician…"

"You would like to assess the other's combative abilities." Frederick finished, returning his gaze to the road. "Proceed with your questions."

"I'll start with the one I'm most concerned for, Sumia."

Frederick nodded understandably. "I admit, on her feet, Sumia is one of the worst fighters. She has a history of being accident-prone, which would prove detrimental in battle."

"Then why keep her in the Shepherds?"

"She is not completely defenseless." Frederick defended. "While her footwork is unsatisfactory, her proficiency with a lance is able to compete with Sully and even my own. Her lack of a proper mount is what cripples her potential."

"So she needs a mount. She's a pegasus knight, correct?"

"Yes. With a well trained pegasus, coupled with her calming presence and genuine need for justice, she would undoubtedly be a valuable Shepherd."

Robin hummed thoughtfully. "You seem to hold her in high regard." Frederick couldn't see the tactician, but he could feel the man smiling behind him.

"I suppose." Frederick narrowed his eyes. "She is a fellow Shepherd and a close acquaintance of mine."

"A close acquaintance?" Robin snorted, unconvinced. "From what I saw a few days before, you and Sumia seemed to be a bit more than just acquaintances."

Frederick rolled his eyes, absolutely unamused with what Robin was insinuating. "I ask you to stop your ill-founded insinuations, she was a shepherd in need, that is all."

"Oh? So if were to trip and cover myself in dirt, should I expect you to come to my side with your handkerchief at the ready?" Frederick opened his mouth, but decided to close it after a moment of deliberating. "I thought so." Robin smiled smugly.

"Enough." Frederick huffed tiredly, the tactician had the uncanny ability to tire anyone he interacts with. "Move on to your next inquiry."

"Nah, I'm good."

"What?"

"Just wanted to talk about Sumia, I'll assess the others another time." Robin shrugged. Frederick felt the tactician close the miniscule distance between them and rewrapped his arms around his waist. "For now, I'm content with this." He purred lowly.

The knight's eye twitched, he did not appreciate the pitch of the tactician's voice. "Must you continue to invade my personal space? Is there a reason behind your unwarranted intimacy?"

To Frederick's surprise, he felt the tactician turn rigid. The grip around the knight's waist tightened in an almost desperate manner. Looking over his shoulder, Frederick found the tactician's usual playfulness absent, in place was a somber expression.

Robin blankly stared off to the side, a faraway look in his eyes. "No…no reason." he answered, his tone unusually clipped. Frederick gazed curiously at the tactician and made to question his sudden shift in mood.

"Risen!" Chrom's voice ripped through the crowd of Shepherds.

Frederick and Robin whipped their heads towards the road. In front of them were a horde of undead abominations, now referred to as Risen. Each one of the revived warriors eyed the shepherds with killer intent.

Frederick cursed under his breath and reached for his silver lance, which was strapped to the side of his horse. Robin unhooked himself from the knight and jumped off the horse. The tactician's eyes became sharp as he observed the opposing force, meticulously taking note of each Risen and their weapon of choice. He cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Everyone! Get your asses over here!" The tactician waited for the Shepherds to surround him. "Our enemies are tightly knitted together and it won't end well if we decide to attack them headfirst." Robin turned his attention to the cavaliers. "I need those on horseback to charge through the enemy ranks, breaking their formation." The three sole cavaliers nodded at the tactician's words. "Once the Risen are scattered, the rest of us will pick them off one by one. Any complaints?"

"On your mark, Robin." Chrom unsheathed her Falchion. Robin faced Sumia.

"Sumia, you're going to ride with Fred."

"Huh?!" The pegasus knight jumped at the command. She glanced at Frederick, cheeks dusted pink, then back to Robin. "U-Umm…why?"

"Don't mean to be rude, but you can barely stand much less fight on your two feet." Robin answered bluntly, causing Sumia to look away in shame.

The knight frowned at Sumia's forlorn look. He turned to the Robin and shot the man a heated glare. While Frederick himself had admitted that Sumia was unsatisfactory as a fighter, it did not give the tactician the excuse to humiliate her. Frederick opened his mouth with the intention of defending his fellow Shepherd.

"But…" Robin continued, smiling up at Frederick, prompting the knight to clamp his mouth shut. "Ferrari here, told me that you are quite proficient with the lance, even claiming that you may even match him in skill."

"O-Oh! T-That's quite nice of him." She gave the knight a genuine smile, flashing him her pearly teeth. Frederick found that he couldn't hold her gaze for too long.

Robin moved behind Sumia and edged her towards the great knight. "That's why I'm making you fight alongside him. With his guidance, I am positive that you will thrive in the oncoming battle."

"Will that be fine, Frederick?" Sumia looked up at the great knight.

"Of course." Frederick said easily. "You will undoubtedly be a great partner." Sumia bowed her head and gingerly climbed up the armored horse. She made sure to give Frederick ample space on the horse, something which Robin disagreed with.

"Make sure to hold on tightly!" Robin piped up. He guided one of Sumia's hand around Frederick's waist. "Don't want to fall, do you?"

"I-I suppose not." She stuttered. Frederick narrowed his eyes at the tactician, hoping to burn a hole into his person.

"Ok!" Robin clapped his hand. "Cavaliers, charge!" In a single beat, Frederick, Sully, and Stahl charged towards the Risen. Each knight had their weapons drawn, ready to cleave through their enemies.

Frederick could faintly hear Robin yell, "Have fun you two!"

A Risen fighter snarled at the Shepherd's designated tactician, red eyes glaring hatefully as it nurses the nub where it's right arm used to be. Robin casually walked past his opponent, with a flick of the wrist, the Risen's head fell to floor. He allowed himself a moment to stare at the dissipating body, before turning his attention to the rest of the battlefield, wanting to observe each Shepherd's conditions.

Vaike leapt into the air and bisected a Risen mercenary with a single blow. "That makes seven for Teach!" He laughed, hefting his axe on his shoulder. "How about you, Chrom? How many did you get?" Vaike turned towards the princess, who was dealing with her own opponent.

"Is this really the time? Besides…" Chrom lunged toward the Risen fighter, impaling Falchion though her enemy's chest. With a twist, she pushed the corpse off of her sword. "...I'm winning, eleven."

"Eleven?!" Vaike gaped at the smirking princess. "That just means I'll have to get serious!" The axe-wielding fighter proceeded to charge the closest Risen, with the princess following behind.

"Seems about right." Robin muttered to himself, ever so familiar with the competitive streak of both Chrom and Vaike, mostly Vaike. The tactician glanced at corpses surrounding him. "Fifteen."

The cavaliers executed their orders perfectly, effortlessly breaking the formation of the opposing force. With the Risen scattered, the remaining shepherds wholeheartedly took advantage of the Risen's disarray and tore through a majority of their forces. It was obvious that this battle was in the Shepherd's favor, and if everyone could keep this momentum, they would assuredly come out victorious.

Robin zeroed onto Frederick and Sumia, who were making quick work with any Risen who had the misfortune of being in their line of sight. The man couldn't help but feel a little proud as he observed how fluently the two knights were dispatching their foes, mentally patting his back on successfully pairing the two shepherds. Admittedly, the tactician was anything but subtle, when he had decided to make Sumia share Frederick's horse, but he couldn't question the results. Robin was fully intent on fulfilling his personal quest of pairing every one of his fellow shepherds, even if it kills him!

All-in-all, everything was going we-

"Woah!" Ricken yelled in surprise, narrowly avoiding a swing from a Risen who had managed to sneak up on him.

"Shit." Robin brandished his elthunder tome, electricity sifting through its pages. Balling his hand into a fist, he fired a condensed bolt of lightning towards the unexpecting foe. The Risen slumped to the ground, its head blown clean off.

"Are you alright?" The tactician ran up to the mage's side, eyes darting for any sort of injuries.

"I-I'm fine, just caught me by surprised." Ricken puffed, hand over his hammering heart. Robin narrowed his eyes on the mage's appearance, taking note on the boy's alarmingly, pale complexion.

"Ricken, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Ricken shifted his eyes away from the tactician. "Let's get back to the ba-"

"Ricken." Robin interrupted, voice becoming stern and almost scolding. "I'm a tactician, my job is to be perceptive." He looked into the mage's eyes. "What is wrong."

Ricken held Robin's gaze for a moment, before sighing dejectedly. "It's just that, this is my first battle and well…"

"I see." Robin nodded sagely. "This is the first time you've participated in a battle of this scale, it's understandable t-"

"No, that's not it." Ricken shook his head. "From the moment I joined the Shepherds, I spent the majority of my time preparing to fight bandits and brigands, not…not those things."

Robin looked towards the Risen forces and bit the lower part of his lips. He had made a mistake. Ricken had prepared himself to faceoff against normal bandits, not resurrected abominations. The mage hadn't even known that these sort of monsters had existed until today, and now he was in direct confrontation.

Ricken had never join them this early into the Plegian campaign. The mage's first taste of battle had always been at Border Pass, where the Shepherds were there to negotiate Maribelle's captivity. More importantly, his first battle were against regular humans, not Risen. In the tactician's previous lives, Ricken had ample time to get used to the groove of battle and could easily transition from fighting bandits to Risen. Not this life, however. Ricken was still green and now face-to-face against a threat that he never thought had existed, against a threat that he never prepared for. Book smarts and late night studies can only get a person so far.

"Ricken! Take a look at that body." Robin nodded towards the dissipating corpse that he had destroyed with his elthunder tome. "Tell me, what did I do to it?"

"What?" Ricken looked toward that tactician curiously.

"I killed it." The tactician answered bluntly. He raised his hand and allowed electricity to dance between his fingers. "With only a single cast."

"You did…" The boy spoke slowly.

"In Southtown, I fought against bandits. They were dispatched in a similar manner." Robin's gaze pierced into the mage. "With little effort."

"Why…why are you tell me this?"

"In battle, bandits and Risen are not too different." Robin trained his sights onto a lone Risen mercenary. With a simple motion, a bolt of lightning flew from the tactician's fingertips, dropping the mercenary instantly. "Both can be cut. Both can be burned. Both can die. I want you to remember that no matter what form your enemies take, they can be stopped, one way or another."

Silence overtook the two shepherds, one of them staying vigilant of any enemies, the other slowly digesting the information he had received. Robin was never one for comforting people, but he hoped that Ricken could find some sort of wisdom from his words.

"Thank you, Robin." Ricken broke the silence after a few beats, his face gaining back some color. "I think I'm ready to return to battle."

"That's good to hear." The tactician smiled down at the mage. "I need you to provide Lissa support, think you can do that?"

"Yes sir!" Ricken scurried towards the twin-tailed princess.

"While you're at it, make sure to profess your love for her!" Ricken almost tripped.

"What?!"

"Nothing!"

A/N: Here's another chapter, hope you guys are still sticking around! Felt that some areas of the chapter were sort of lacking, namely the interaction between Robin and Ricken so apologies in advance. Next chapter, will take place in Regna Ferox.

Also poor Kellam.

Thanks for reading.