Fire Emblem: Last of the Manakete

"I have no reason to trust you other than the fact that the Old Master does. Thankfully for you, that's enough for me.
-Emperor Wyrmblood to Archmage Lenora, The First Emperor


Your thoughts race as you consider your options. With so many unknowns, you have to take this seriously. That means you can't just go with your gut feeling, you have to take time to reason out what you need, not just what you want.

After all, what you really want is Artemis to come with you, but you can't have that.

You notice Dione starting to open her mouth, but before she can say anything Archduke Letoro touches her arm. She glances at him, but he continues studying you intently. You're not quite sure what he's looking for, but if he's willing to give you the time to think you can't complain.

Ultimately, you decide that the thing you need most is help. This world is still strange to you, and even if it wasn't you're still a child. Sadly, this means that Phoebe is probably not the best choice. You like her, and you can respect how much she wants to be useful. However, though neither of them said it aloud, the fact that neither Artemis nor her father thought of Phoebe means they didn't think she'd be much help. You sadly set her aside.

That leaves you with either Kopoi or Robin. You have to admit the cloaked man seems impressive. Your senses are better than that of a normal human, but even with him in clear view, you almost swear he isn't there. There's a… darkness, about him. It reminds you of something you'd read about older Black manakete. It's said that some of them became so infused with Black magic that they had to make a conscious effort to be noticed. If Kopoi's like that, surely he'd be very useful.

However, as you peek at him and are once again met by those cool, empty eyes, you shiver. Something about him scares you in a way nothing and nobody else has. How many times had you been able to keep going because Artemis was there to hold you? How many times had you felt comfortable going to sleep because you hadn't been afraid? You don't see that happening with Kopoi around.

That leaves only one option.

"Could I meet Robin?" you ask. You suppose it is possible that something will set you off against him, but if Artemis likes him you doubt it. You trust Artemis completely, and she knows you well enough to know your preferences.

Artemis glances at her father, who nods. "Of course, Ryza," she says. "Is there anything else, Father?"

"Nothing Ryza needs to be here for," Archduke Letoro says, rolling up the map and holding it out for you. "You are dismissed, Ryza. Any supplies or equipment you might need are open to you, feel free to request them. Barring any extraordinary delays, you should leave no later than tomorrow morning. The longer we wait, the further Sypha will be taken beyond our reach."

"Okay," you say, accepting the scroll and hugging it to your chest. "Thank you, I won't let you down."

Archduke Letoro nods. "I trust that you will not," he says. "Kopoi, stay a moment." The man nods sharply, stepping aside to clear the way as you and Artemis stand. Dione and Phoebe join you, and a moment later the four of you leave the garden.

You glance back over your shoulder to see the cloaked man sitting down across from Archduke Letoro. "Do you think he'll be upset?" you ask nervously.

"Kopoi?" Dione says. "No, that's not the way he is. He may seem unnerving-"

"Creepy, more like," Artemis mutters.

"Artemis, do not needlessly poison the well of your friend's mind, that is unbecoming of a lady." Dione chides. "Kopoi is a loyal man, and his skills are vital for Agrithe's safety. One day, he will answer to you as Archduchess, and you will need to give him the respect he deserves." Artemis nods sullenly. Dione looks back to you with a tired smile. "Kopoi… has a very difficult job, one that not just anyone can carry out. However, as my husband said, I can understand why you would want someone easier to work with. Kopoi respects results: once you've brought Sypha here safely, he'll be more personable."

As you ponder her words, you glance over your shoulder at Phoebe, who's trailing behind. She doesn't meet your eye, seemingly lost in thought. Dropping back, you pat her arm. "I'm sorry," you say. "It's just…" you take a moment to think about your words. "I just want to make sure that Sypha's safe, and I need a lot of help to do it. It's not that I don't think you can help, I'm sure you can, but…"

The young knight raises a hand with a weary smile. "You don't need to justify yourself to me, Lady Ryza," she says. "To be honest, I wasn't really expecting to be allowed to go. I'm just a squire, not the most useful person to have around. I just… I just had to ask. To try to do something,"

"What happened wasn't your fault," Dione says softly. Turning, you see that both Artemis and her mother had stopped to watch the pair of you. "You were dangerously ill; you couldn't have gone with them, and nobody saw this coming. Believe me, if I had known what was going to happen, I would never have allowed Artemis to travel with anything less than an army."

Phoebe blinks. "My Lady?" she says.

"I had this exact conversation with Artemis this morning," Dione says. "As much as we hate it, sometimes the spirits turn away from those who deserve their protection. All we can do is keep moving forward and live our lives in a way that makes them proud." She smiles at you. "On that note, we should get our little heroine her partner so that she can go save Sypha."

"Okay," you say.

The four of you make your way through the castle, and once again you see plenty of people around. This time, however, they bow whenever they spot your group, Dione nods genteelly, keeping most of the attention on her. This allows you to shrink a little into the background, simply watching as humans go about their lives. All the humans. So many humans. How are you ever going to keep track of them all? You lose count around the thirtieth person, and that's just number, not even faces or names!

Eventually, your worries are cut short as you exit the castle into another courtyard. This one is much bigger and has less plant life. Instead, it seems to be split into several sections with groups of people swinging swords and spears at each other and a single, larger area. That area has a short fence, behind which a line of men and women in short green cloaks are shooting bows at targets lined against the great stone wall of the castle.

Pacing behind them, occasionally stopping to say something, is a man in a cloak, hood down. You pause to watch him as he mimes holding a bow to one of the younger-looking boys, pointing downrange.


He seems… brighter, than Kopoi. You hope that means he'll be friendlier, though you can't hear what he's saying. Your thoughts race as you try to ponder all the different ways this conversation could go and how you're going to make sure that he likes you-

"Are you coming, Ryza?"

Glancing up, you see that Artemis and Phoebe have stepped into the courtyard. Dione, meanwhile, had turned to leave, but glanced back at her daughter's words to give you a reassuring smile.

"Right, right," you say, hurrying after them. Sypha needs you to move with purpose, not get overwhelmed!

A few people glance at you as you follow Artemis and Phoebe, but thankfully the sight of Artemis seems to distract them. You're not sure you're ready for this much attention yet.

"Sir Robin," Artemis says as she reaches the line of archers.

Robin turns around with a smile. "Lady Artemis!" he says. "I didn't know you were back." The other archers pause what they're doing to watch. As you glance at them, you realize that some of them look like they're only a decade or two older than you. Or whatever the human equivalent is. You suppose it makes sense; you started learning magic even younger than this (relatively), and using a bow looks complicated.

The man glances over his shoulder. "Oi, you lot, it's not break-time yet!" he says. "You'll never be great yeomen if you slack off!" They all turn back to their work, but you notice the nearer ones taking peeks every now and then.

Meanwhile, Robin turns fully back to Artemis. "No offense, my lady, but you look like you've been through the Void," he says softly. "What happened? With how far you were overdue, I'd say you got lost, but I know I taught you better than that. And where's…"

Artemis raises a hand tiredly. "Not here," she says. "Follow me."

Robin frowns, but nods, walking after Artemis as she leads the way towards a nearby door. He glances down at you as you follow, his gaze sweeping you up and down. You force yourself to smile and wave at him. He raises an eyebrow briefly, but before you can get discouraged he finally gives a small smile and nod.

Once you, Robin, Artemis and Phoebe are in a room that looks like a library for weapons (why do humans need so many ways to stab each other?) Artemis takes a deep breath. "Robin… I just got back yesterday," she says. "Everything was going fine until the Icewalls…"

Over the next half hour, Artemis tells the now familiar story of how Robert betrayed her to the bandits, how she found you and you helped her get out of the mountains, how you and Axton and Lancel made it to Legerius, only for Mantrae to betray you as well. She then lets you take over, talking about how you used your dragon form to rescue Artemis and bring her home. To your surprised, at no point does Robin interrupt, question, or even seem particularly shocked. Sure, he raises an eyebrow as you describe your non-human nature, but he simply glances at Artemis before nodding.

Finally, when the story is done, he gives a sigh. "Sentinel preserve his soldiers," he says quietly. "I'm sorry for your loss, my lady."

Artemis nods. "Thank you, Robin," she says. "Well, that's how we got here. Father wants Sypha recovered, so that the Kingdoms can be held together. He's tasked Ryza with doing this, but she'll need help, and no matter how much I want to be there, I can't help her. Will you go with her?"

Robin bows slightly. "Even if it were not your father's command, I would agree," he says, looking down at you. "You sure you're okay with all this, kid?"

You nod. "I just want everyone to get along with each other," you say. "If that means I need to go find Sypha, that's what I'll do. Besides, her friends seemed nice when I talked to them; so I'm sure Sypha herself is nice."

Robin gives a wry grin. "Ah, the innocence of youth," he says. "Seems some things don't change between species."

You and Artemis glance at each other. "You… don't seem very surprised by any of this," you say.

Robin shrugs. "I know Lady Artemis," he says. "She's got a good head on her shoulders, and if she says you're a friendly dragon, then you're a friendly dragon and it's best if I don't question it too much."

"Manakete."

He nods. "Manakete. My apologies." He shrugs again. "Believe me, I have plenty of questions, but if we are going to be spending time together on this quest, then I'll have plenty of time to satisfy my curiosity." He glances towards the door, which Phoebe is leaning against. "So are we leaving now?"

"Not yet, no," Artemis says as you shake your head. "Ryza still needs some time to rest and prepare, so you won't be leaving until tomorrow."

"Good," Robin says. "I'll need some time to get my kids set to progress without me for a few weeks or months." He looks at you seriously. "Ryza, right? You should be figuring out what you need to bring with you. I'd suggest packing light: we're going to need to move fast if we're going to have a chance."

You nod. "Okay," you say. "Any suggestions?"

He studies you for a moment before nodding as well. "I would consider bringing some extra food. I don't know about you, but I can hunt if we need sustenance, but that'll take time. Time that I'm not sure if Lady Sypha has. If I was the bandits, I'd be beating tracks for someplace safe, so we'll need to move even faster if we're going to have a chance to catch up."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," you say. "Thank you."

He nods. "Other than that, you know yourself best." He looks at Artemis. "By your leave, my lady?"

"Of course, Robin," Artemis says. "Thank you,"

"I live to serve, my lady," Robin says. "And this'll certainly be a change of pace from teaching children how to hold a bow properly." With a final nod, he leaves, Phoebe stepping out of his way as he left.

The three of you look at each other for a minute. "Well," you say. "He seems…"

"Mellow?" Artemis says. "I wouldn't count on him staying that way once you're traveling. He's patient: he takes his time to process new information, but once he's done so he will want to know more." She smiles. "Don't worry, though. He does know how to take no for an answer, at least most of the time. If he asks you a question that makes you uncomfortable, let him know and he'll back off."

You ponder that for a minute before looking around. "Well, I should probably take his advice," you say, moving towards what looks like some kind of desk with thick, heavy paper on it. "Do you know if I can write on this?"

"Not this parchment, that's the armory log," Artemis says quickly. "The quartermaster will become very upset if we disturb this. Why?"

"Well, I want to make a list of everything I need," you say. "Writing things down helps me think."

Artemis giggles. "When this is all done, I have to introduce you to Apollo. Sometimes I swear that you are truly the same person." She shakes her head. "Come on; I have some writing materials in my chamber; we'll make your list."

It takes the better part of an hour, but finally, you, Artemis and Phoebe nod in satisfaction at the finished list (written in both Makai and Human Common).

How much do you pack?

[] Pack light, as Robin suggested. You won't be able to bring as much, but it'll make movement somewhat easier. (Top four choices will be taken)

[] Pack normally. You don't know how long you're going to be away or what you'll need, so you decide to bring a bit more than he'd probably suggest. (Top six choices will be taken)

What do you bring? (Vote for as many as you want)

-[] Scrolls: Artemis has offered to keep your things from home safe, but you still want to keep learning about your heritage. Each scroll counts as an item. (Dragon Within, Runewriting, Practical Magic)

-[] Thunder's Cry: While not as powerful as your dragon form, Thunder's Cry has gotten you out of some sticky situations. You also know exactly how to use it.

-[] Tome: Artemis suggested that maybe it would be good for you to practice with human magic; offering to get you a Thunder tome to take with you.

-[] Extra Food: While you'll certainly take some, bringing more might make things easier. Or at least make it so Robin doesn't have to do as much work.

-[] Extra Medical Supplies: While nobody got seriously hurt on your first trip, this time you'll be going straight towards the bad guys. Bringing some extra healing herbs might be a good idea if you get into a fight.

-[] A bigger map. You still have the scroll Archduke Letoro gave you, and it looks very useful. However, if you're going to be searching, it might be a good idea to dig out a bigger, more detailed map to find your way.

-[] Extra money. Phoebe suggests that, if you do end up needing to get information or supplies from someone while away from Agrithe, having a good store of money will be useful. You're not quite sure how this "money" works, but you're sure Robin does.

-[] Write-in: Something else potentially useful comes to mind. (Subject to veto.)


AN: The quest lives, it dies, it lives again!

I will admit am slightly sad that you all didn't choose Kopoi, only because I had a great (if slightly anachronistic) quote for him.

"I'm not a psychopath, my lord, I'm a high-functioning sociopath. Do your research."