Chrom
...This is it. We finally arrive at Valm Castle where we will face Walhart and his men. The war will end this battle. This conflict will soon be over. I'll only need to worry about the future. All of our nations will soon be at peace. I'll get to see my baby girl once again.
I look around at the deserted castle "...Where is his army?" I ask.
"No sign of them yet, milord." Frederick answers.
Anna looks around "Hmm..."
"I don't like it. They could be buying time..." Flavia points out.
"...Buying time for what?" Lissa asks.
...
They arrive.
I stare into the distance and see a large man with flowing white hair and blood red armor upon a large steed. He certainly seems to look like a force to be reckoned with.
"That's him, isn't it? Walhart... Brave of him to face us." I say.
Say'ri nods "Brave? Aye. But more likely he just wants to enjoy this himself." She says.
Walhart readies his men "You do your sister's legacy proud, Prince! But humanity has a savior. A conqueror who broke stronger men than you when they refused to bow. Warriors of Valm! Ride with me now! Together we will stamp out this final pack of insurgents and unite the world!" He orders. His men cry out and advance.
I turn to my soldiers "Everyone! This is it! Remember what we are fighting for: Peace! Advance!"
My men soldiers let out a louder battle cry than Walhart's and advance with determination on their faces.
Anna and I share a look and whisper "I love you" to each other before we advance.
We charge forward taking down enemy by enemy. I attack a paladin and Anna shoots and Arcthunder at him to finish him off. I watch around me as the Valmese forces fall and withdrawal. We're doing it... we're winning!
The battle continues on, and soon enough, I find myself face to face with Walhart.
"Why do you resist me, little Prince?" He asks.
I glare at him "You enslave the weak and kill the able. You are the enemy of peace." I answer, signaling to Anna that she should prepare to fight.
"I would end the reign of the gods, and you object on moral grounds?! Blood is spilled in any new birth, Prince. And many a just cause, as you know..." Walhart says.
"There is no justification for what you've done," I shout.
Walhart laughs "By whose laws do you judge me? Yours? Your sister's? The gods'?" He asks.
I grit my teeth "You cannot-"
"Look at you! Are you not ashamed? Your mind is filled with nothing but secondhand beliefs. You dance upon the stage of your gods like a mindless puppet! THAT is what I reject: being a slave to tradition, to obligation. The old ways. Damn the gods! Damn their fates and their destinies! I will have true freedom! Any man who offers less in my enemy." He says.
I ready my blade "Enough! I don't require every detail of your twisted philosophy. You're a villain and a murderer, plain and simple. And I am the justice you deserve." I shout.
Walhart laughs again "Ha ha ha! Better, Prince. Much better! Be not an angel of someone else's justice, but justice itself! Now, let us fight as two great men, freed of their gods. I grant any challenger the chance to test his will against my own... But you, too, shall be found wanting!"
Walhart charges forward, bringing down his large ax. Anna and I move out of the way, but I still find my left arm being hit despite the Emblem protecting it. I roar out in pain and charge at Walhart, slashing him with my blade. He falls back in pain and attempts to steady himself, Anna shoots him with an Arcthunder, dealing a lot of damage. He slashes once more but Anna knocks me out of the way. The ax grazed her beautiful face, reopening the small scar on her cheek. I grit my teeth as I watch small drops of scarlet fall from my wife's wound. I face Walhart with so much determination burning in my body I may just burst into flames.
"NOW I'M ANGRY!!!!!!!"
I slash at Walhart, making him weak. I ready my sword once more, but before I can slash, he turns his horse around and rides toward the castle.
I grit my teeth once more "The coward is getting away!"
Anna holds my arm "No... Look!"
Just as he is about to enter the castle, he swiftly turns around. The Resistance has found a way into the castle and was chasing Walhart out.
I stare wide-eyed at the scene in front of me "I'll be damned... Let's finish this, Anna!" I command.
"Right!"
We charge toward the Conqueror once more, and ready our weapons. Walhart turns to face us, and much like my fight with Gangrel, I see fear on his face for the first time.
"YOU'RE END HAS COME!"
I slash my sword at him, and he falls off his mount. I jump up and impale him through the heart. His dead eyes stare back at me as I remove my sword.
"No one needs to worry about your tyranny. Not anymore."
...
We all enter the castle so we can tend to our wounds. My entire body is covered with salve and bandages, nothing too entirely serious, the only wound of mine that needs attention was my left arm. Lissa was able to heal it quickly and put it into a sling, but she said it would scar and I'd need to take it easy for a few days.
I walk over to my wife who was currently getting her wounds treated by Brady. "How does it look, Brady?" I ask the priest.
Brady turns back to me "Aw she'll be alright, sir. Justa few cuts and scrapes here an' dere. She might want to cover the cut on her face for a few days, though. The little stinker was cut open again pretty badly and we don't want it to get infected, now do we?" He asks.
I nod "Of course. Thank you, Brady. Your skills are as helpful as always. Oh, if you're done here, your mother was looking for you." I say.
Brady cleans up his things "Sure thing, sir. Thanks." He says, walking away.
I approach my wife and gently brush my finger accross her cheek "Are you alright, love?" I ask.
Anna reaches to gently rub my injured arm "I'm fine... I'll always be fine... It's over... the war is over... We needn't worry about it anymore!" She says.
I lightly smile "Yes... it is... but in reality, we still have to worry about the future... and figure out who kills me..." I say.
Anna stares at me "Actually, Chrom... I've been meaning to talk to you about that... I think I know who kills you, and I know how to prevent it." She says.
I stare into her eyes "Wait, you do?! Who-" Just then, we are interrupted by Say'ri.
She approaches us with a glowing green gemstone in her hand "Sir Chrom, a thousand thanks from every Valmese couldn't repay what you did for us. But I recovered Vert, the Gemstone that was stolen from Cho'sin as a trophy." She says.
"You're giving it to me?" I ask.
Say'ri nods "Of course, sir. It seems the fell dragon will soon threaten us all. I would feel safer knowing the Gemstone was in your hands." She says.
I smile "Then so it will be. Thank you, Say'ri." I say, placing the Gemstone into Emblem, the feeling of power resonating inside of me as it clicks into place.
"One more to go."
...
A few days later, we get all of our devices in order and prepare to head home. We say our goodbyes to Say'ri, as she has to stay in Valm since she is the last remaining heir to Cho'sin. I prepare Albern for the ride, and Anna leads her horse, Ladybug, next to my steed.
"Are we packed and saddled? Our business in Valm is finished, but we have another task ahead. One perhaps even more dire than we faced here... To Ylisstol!" I shout.
We mount our horses, and head home.
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IT IS FINALLY DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, I cut out the Sword or the Knee chapter because I just thought it was unnecessary, and MMHunter's fanfiction showed that I can easily cut it out without hurting the plot. So thank you for that once again. Anyways! I plan for the next few chapters to be kinda filler and fluffy stuff, then we can go back to angst. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you look forward to reading more!
Currently listening to: Fate Stay Night: Kishi Ou no Hokori