"Is it me or is it getting colder?" Raven asked as she pulled her cloak in tighter. She buttoned up the cloak as tight as it would go and pulled her hood up.

"We are heading north," Frederick stated flatly as if it were obvious.

"I know that, but we're only on day four! I thought it was mid spring, so why the ever loving hell is it starting to act like winter is coming back?"

"I don't see your brother complaining, and he's wearing the same clothes is he not?"

"I'm a woman you jackass! Besides, Robin's got a whole other level of mental resilience than I do."

Frederick sighed and trotted up the caravan, taking over the lead role.

"Honestly, who does he think he is?" Raven pouted as she was left in the dust. She looked over to her twin brother who swiftly turned his gaze away. Raven grumbled and hopped right up into a cart to rest her legs and rummage for something to keep her warm.

"I must say, we have made great headway," Chrom said from beside Robin. "Your sister is great with terrain and maneuvers. The drop in temperature by day four is rather impressive, any other trip and it normally would've been longer before the weather changed."

Before Robin could comment, Raven declared victory by finding an undercoat made of fur. She hopped out of the carriage with it and seemed quite pleased with herself.

"Do you even know whose that is?" Robin asked his sister warily. Raven's response was to stick her hands on her hips and point her nose upward.

"Nope."

Robin then stared at his sister with a rather disappointed expression. Was she always this childish? Then again, he didn't remember anything at all. Yet, this set of behavior seemed familiar.

"Feel free to have it, I've always been pretty sturdy," Chrom stated to Raven who then looked at the prince with surprise.

"Oh, this is yours?" Raven asked curiously as she looked at the article of clothing currently keeping her warm. Looking at it closer, she noticed it was bearskin.

"Yes, made from the first bear I killed."

Raven grinned mischievously and then asked, "Oh, I couldn't tell. I'd imagine you would be missing the back half again."

Chrom's response was to laugh. Raven looked rather surprised by this action, and she also suddenly felt a jolt of terror from some unseen bloodlust further up in the caravan. Some of the other Shepherds grinned or laughed themselves and now the black haired tactician was feeling rather bashful.

"By my current calculations, we should be able to reach the Long Fort by early evening," Miriel stated with a notebook, a thermometer, and a strange device which she used to measure the angle of the sun to the horizon. The time of day was close to noon, and Robin prepared himself for an interesting afternoon.

The sun began to turn the edge of the horizon a line of red when the clouds shifted and snow began falling. Lissa was now huddled by Frederick's horse with a blanket wrapping around her arms. Her stubbornness to continue on when a little over half the company had already taken shelter in the carriage was astounding.

Raven, surprisingly, stayed outside, looking around and making note of their surroundings. White fields of snow tinged gold by the evening sun. Yet, through the beauty she noticed something muddying the horizon. An incredibly long wall that stretched endlessly.

Rapidly she looked down the road. Past the trees, she saw it. An incredibly large checkpoint on the endless wall.

"It's something else," Robin commented as if he had read Raven's mind.

"Indeed, that's the Long Fort, it stretches the entire continent and serves as Regna Ferox's border," Chrom added. Raven looked back at it and felt amazed. An entire continent, it must be impossible to upkeep. Also, if she remembered correctly, large walls usually did a poor job, but for some reason she didn't get that here. It looked shockingly well maintained the whole way through, and that sent a shiver down her spine.

Once they were a little ways away from the wall, Chrom and Frederick stepped up to the gates. Soldiers lined the top of the wall, holding javelins, and in between the slits, Robin saw the tell tale sign of archers between the teeth of the wall.

Chrom was a stone's throw from the gate when a voice called out, "Halt! Who goes there?"

Everyone looked up to see a short haired woman in heavy armor standing at the center of the javelin throwers. Chrom then prepared himself and returned her rather hostile greeting.

"My name is Chrom, Prince of Ylisse, I've come on behalf of Exalt Emmeryn to seek an audience with the Khan."

The woman, through the snow, sneered at Chrom and sarcastically remarked, "Sure, and I'm the Queen of Valm. You'd better turn around right now brigand, or I'll turn you into a porcupine."

Frederick then jumped in and shouted, "How dare you! You are in the presence of Ylissean Royalty, yet you would dare call him a brigand and threaten him."

"I've heard enough, if you're truly the Prince of Ylisse, then prove it on the battlefield."

Chrom took another step forward and with a rather desperate tone pleaded, "Please, we only wish to-"

"Lancers, stick him like a pig!"

The javelin throwers who had long been at the ready, threw their weapons. Javelins rained down from the walls and headed straight to Chrom who watched as the weapons flew for him. He didn't have time to dodge, so he placed his shoulder first and prepared himself, but that was when someone grabbed his arm and he felt himself hurled at high speeds with whoever had grabbed him.

Chrom's hands grabbed soft feathery fur and he rapidly climbed up onto whatever animal his savior was riding. Wind whipped by his cheeks and he saw a familiar set of brown hair directly in front of him.

"Sumia?"

Soon, the pegasus slowed and Chrom found himself back by the wagon where the rest of the company looked at Chrom with a sense of relief. Lissa ran up to him and embraced him, crying a little. His heart felt heavy, and Chrom stroked his sister's hair, glad that he was indeed not a porcupine.

"Good work Sumia," Robin told the pegasus knight before handing her an iron lance. Chrom looked to the sight and noticed Robin was surprisingly calm, compared to even Raven who looked at Chrom with a worried expression still.

"G-Glad I could be of service," Sumia said with a small stutter, nerves still high from the stunt she just pulled. Chrom could see her shaking slightly, but he looked at what just happened and realized, he may have underestimated the poor girl. But more than that, Chrom looked at Robin as the pieces fit together.

"That was incredibly fast thinking," Chrom said to his new tactician.

"Just doing my job," Robin commented with a small grin. The exchange was cut short though as footsteps could be heard coming from either side of the gate. Thankfully, the sound of hooves was absent, so Robin believed they would still have time.

"Alright, looks like we have no choice," Chrom said to himself before turning around to the rest of the Shepherds. "Listen up, to enter Regna Ferox we have to prove ourselves in battle. If it can be avoided, do not kill the soldiers."

Everyone nodded and a formation was hastily assembled with Vaike and Chrom forming the vanguard.

"Any plans, Robin?" Frederick asked as he trotted up to Robin after mounting his horse. Robin's response ended up delayed, on account of him staring at Frederick, stunned. "Is something wrong?"

"...No," Robin replied, shaking his head and replacing his bewilderment with a small smile. "Just grateful for the cooperation. Raven, we have a job to do!"

"Wha-" Raven started until she saw who called her. She walked over, still a glazed look in her eyes after almost witnessing Chrom's death. Why? She couldn't place it, for some reason she felt as though looking at it, something stirred in her knotted memory. A shadow that she couldn't shake. She was only pulled back to her senses by Frederick.

"Raven, I must ask you to remain focused. Milord will need support shortly."

"Right…" Raven replied meekly. She stared at the terrain and her tactician side kicked in. She observed the area. It was flat, and the snow wasn't too deep. She listened, and the absence of hooves immediately made a lightbulb go in her head. "Stahl and Sully have a massive advantage. Flat terrain added with their mobility will allow them to avoid any ranged units along the walls. They only need to distract the enemy. Draw ranged fire away from the less mobile infantry."

Frederick nodded then barked the order to the two cavaliers who rode out to either side of the wall. When he turned back to the twins, Robin had reached his own revelation. He proposed something that made even Frederick surprised.

"If Lissa were to ride with Sumia, we could use her mobility to compensate for the lack of other healers, and we could get the vanguard healed without rotating," Robin explained.

"And if they were to encounter danger?" Frederick asked with a tone that implied he did not like the idea of putting Lissa on the front lines.

"Simple, they retreat," Robin casually commented. "If they see any archers, or are at risk of being surrounded, Sumia can just fly Lissa back to you."

Satisfied, Frederick allowed the process to take place and the two girls were sent off into the battlefield.

"Alright, now what?" Frederick asked Robin.

Robin looked at the walls, and noticed that the main gate remained closed. It would be a disaster if cavalry spilled out, but for some reason he wasn't worried about that. Then, a small strand of memory was pulled and he ran a little ahead to look around to either side of the fighting. The sight made him grin, enemies were coming from either side of the main gate. They didn't use it, and they seemed to come in a way that suggested a choke point of sorts.

"I got it, but we'd need someone durable aside from Vaike. Ideally, heavily armored."

"I can help with that," a calm voice said from behind Robin.

"Thank you Lissa, Sumia," Chrom thanked to the two.

"No problem big brother."

"I-It was nothing Captain."

In a moment, they were off heading to the other line when Chrom heard heavy footsteps coming from behind him. He turned and looked around, finding no one there.

"Who's there?!"

"It's me, Captain," a familiar calm voice said from beside Chrom. Chrom jumps back and raises his sword, only to be met with a familiar set of oversized armor with a boring head poking out.

"Gods, don't scare me like that Kellam. How long have you been here?"

"I've been here the whole time, I volunteered for the mission."

Chrom gave an apology, but he saw Raven and Virion charging forward towards his line. The raven haired tactician holding her sword and giving a ridiculous cry of joy as she ran past and dodged the arrows the enemy archers shot when they turned their attention away from Sully.

"Woohoo! Alright, provide cover for me Mr. Philanderer. Come on Chrom, let's give em hell!" she shouted as she ran past arrows to the archers, and gave one of the lancers a taste of fire magic which served as distraction enough for Virion to shoot the man's leg.

With a smile, Chrom joined the two ladies that were Sully and Raven on the front line.

Robin's team on the other hand, were the ones trying to reign in Vaike. The blonde axe wielder charged recklessly into the lines, shattering them alongside Frederick who swiftly dispatched any archers who tried to shoot the man poorly armored, and even more poorly dressed for the weather.

"It really doesn't feel like I'm doing much here…" Robin silently remarked as he watched the two mounted units and the reckless warrior route the enemy rather fast. The assumption was shattered fast though when he saw them retreat for the doors that led up to the wall.

"Frederick, Stahl, don't let them close the door!"

The two cavaliers noticed and immediately began charging, ignoring the remaining enemies who were fleeing. It left them in a peculiar position though, since those soldiers now turned their heads to Robin and Miriel who had been serving as the ranged supporters.

"The mages are unguarded, charge," one of the enemies shouted, leading a desperate assault to the two. Robin swiftly switched to his sword and placed himself between Miriel and the rest. Vaike, who had attempted to charge the gates noticed the shout and came running back, but it would take him a little bit.

The most Robin was able to do was ward off the wave from smashing their back lines, but thankfully few archers and lancers were focused on them. They began moving in a panic to prevent their own lines from being breached, despite the fact they were fighting on two fronts by now. At the very least, the enemy was having trouble advancing with two spellcasters tossing spells in their direction.

An arrow flew and Robin felt his arm get shot. The worst part was that it was his spell arm, and the firepower he and Miriel had was effectively halved. He raised his sword and blocked the first attack from a lone soldier who had charged ahead. The blades clashed, and Robin could immediately see his disadvantage. One arm versus the two the soldier had, and it was clear that said soldier was experienced and strong.

Step by step, Robin was pushed back. By now, the remaining enemies were dealing with Vaike, but Robin couldn't hold out much longer. Suddenly, when the last archer was gone through Miriel and Vaike's combined efforts, the sound of wings alerted both of them and Sumia dived down and speared the enemy soldier.

"Lissa!" Robin shouted in a panic. He began shuffling through his bag and pulled out a worn string of bandages. Lissa came down and reached for Robin's arrow, but he batted her hand away and pointed to the soldier lying on the ground.

"B-But, he's the enemy."

"He's not a brigand, and we're looking for an alliance anyways, so I do not want to muddy our chances, so hurry up," Robin commanded. Lissa nodded and raised her staff over the wound. A warm glow, and soon the circle of blood in the snow stopped growing. After a few extra coughs, the soldier looked up at them, clearly confused.

"W-Why?" he asked as Robin reached his hand over.

"We're not here to fight you. It's as we said, we just wanted to talk," Robin calmly explained. The soldier stared at his hand suspiciously, but took it nonetheless.

"So, you really are from Ylisse?" he asked. He then chuckled when Robin nodded. "You guys put up one hell of a fight."

Chrom's strategy with the soldiers was rather simple. Falchion could slice through almost anything: logs, armor, and bear ass. It didn't take long for the enemy to surrender once all their weapons were cut clean in half. For many, it didn't take long before they were profusely apologizing. After all, Falchion was the only sword that could possibly cut every single weapon cleanly in half like that.

"Alright, get us up to your commander," Chrom demanded as he rested the blade on his shoulder. Sumia and Lissa had already left, and with the enemy's surrender it wasn't hard to see why. They were surprisingly obedient and cooperative after that. They led the group to the stairs where a squad of mages were waiting, circles ready. They immediately stopped upon seeing their unharmed comrades and stepped down.

"What are you lot doing?!" the commander shouted as she ran over to them. "The other side is being breached and you're lowering your weapons?!"

"B-But-" one of the mages started when they were silenced.

"Silence!" she shouted, turning her attention to Chrom. "Alright, so called Prince Chrom," she started while getting into stance. "I am Reimi, warrior who serves the Khan. If you really are worthy of crossing the border, let's prove it here and now."

Chrom responded by walking forward, readying Falchion. Everyone stepped back, not daring to get anywhere near the two. Even Raven backed away, watching as the two circled each other.

A warcry sounded and Reimi charged, using a slide thrust to try and have Chrom keep his distance. Chrom moved to slice her spear, but it was pulled back swiftly and he grunted in disappointment. He then charged, but found himself having to pull back when Reimi angled her lance to block and tried to use her weight to push him down. It was angled in a way where Chrom couldn't get a clean cut, so he had to retreat, that's when she charged again.

However, Chrom stepped back and made a strike to her pauldron which was sliced off easily. She looked at it in surprise as it thunked to the snow covered floor of the wall, and Chrom took the opportunity to slice her lance clean in two. After a brief moment of disbelief, Reimi looked at Chrom wide eyed and said one thing.

"So your claims were true…"

"Hey, we wrapped up over here!" Robin shouted from the other side while lending a shoulder to the man he had Lissa heal. "And I got one of the officers, so maybe…" Robin paused when he saw Reimi and her men standing calmly. "Oh, I guess you finished up here."

After treating the wounded and getting inside, both parties calmly co-existed as bandages were wrapped and various gifts of apology were given. Lissa and the soldier she healed, named Nick, were casually chatting as the princess of Ylisse continued her treatment on him.

"My apologies," Reimi said to the four who were gathered in front of her. They were all outside the treatment ward, and she gave a rather deep bow. "Please, rest here for the night, and I'll take you to the Khan personally first thing tomorrow."

"Thank you, that would be best," Chrom replied.

"If you'll excuse me," Reimi finished before walking off to another part of the fortress.

"Amazing, her whole demeanor changed," Raven commented as she watched the commander who had, just moments ago, been trying to viciously kill them turn her back and walk peacefully away.

"Feroxi favor strength over words," Frederick commented. He then released a hefty sigh and continued while still staring where Reimi went, "I should've known better than to overestimate the value of diplomacy here."

"I'm not so sure about that," Robin added while appearing to be deep in thought. Everyone turned their heads curiously. "As soon as you identified yourself as royalty, they became aggressive to the point of attack. Are you sure there isn't bad blood between Ylisse and Regan Ferox?"

"We don't have any reason to, and we still trade food with them regularly," Chrom answered. "Not in small quantities either, much of our surplus makes it into Regna Ferox quite regularly."

"I'm sure all of our questions will be answered tomorrow," Raven said with a shrug. She then turned around and dragged Robin back into the medical ward. "Come on bro, let's finish getting you healed up."

"Milord," Frederick started once they were out of earshot. "Do you still think we can gain an alliance?"

"Some bad actors tried to use Emmeryn's name. That much is clear," he replied with disgust in his voice. "But as to who, I don't know. It could be anyone, but I have a hunch. If that's right, there's going to be hell to pay."

Frederick looked at Chrom's face, one of malice that was only reached when talking about one single man. The Lieutenant of the Shepherds was about to say something when shouting came from the other room.

"Hold still dammit!" Raven's voice screamed. Chrom and Frederick looked into the ward to see Raven trying to clean Robin's wound. By the time Frederick looked back to Chrom, he was relieved to see the prince's frown replaced with a warm smile.

Aight, I finally feel like I got some fire back for this. For me in past attempts, the Long Fort always felt like the final obstacle until the story really gets kicking. After all, they gain an alliance then start the war in earnest soon after.

But, my other projects have gotten me thinking. Maybe I'll try focusing on the daily life of the Shepherds more, more behind the scenes and less action. Not that the action will go away, just that I feel like I want to do more chapters like Ylisstol. It was surprisingly fun to write.

Anyways, I've got a lab report to write for Double Slit experiment in modern physics, and then a couple finals to prepare for. So see you all next time when Flavia gets the entire squad absolutely hammered. Well, most of them. I wonder what Miriel would be like drunk.