Invisible Ties | Fire Emblem Awakening (Novelization)

Chapter 5: The Royal Family

Robin

By late morning on the second day of our journey, I was starting to look back on the moments before I had woken up with fondness. No one -- least of all me -- knew how long I'd been unconscious for prior, but it was probably more sleep than I had gained during the previous two nights. Even though the towns nearest the destruction site had shown little sign of damage and we hadn't even caught a glimpse of the strange monsters, Chrom had still seemed just as anxious for us to reach our destination. We'd walked fast and slept little, and we'd managed to cut about half a day off the time it would have otherwise taken.

The city of Ylisstol was very different to the quiet towns and villages that I had already seen. The streets were vibrant and full of colour, from the fenced-in buildings to the clothes of the busy people that occupied them. They hurried to and fro in the narrow streets, carrying trays piled high with bread and cakes, baskets of laundry, and huge parcels. Everything seemed to be in working order, and Chrom relaxed as soon as he caught sight of it.

I had walked alongside him for much of our journey, relentlessly quizzing him on the basic customs and mannerisms of the Ylisseans. At times, it had seemed to take his mind off his concerns, but at others, it had seemed to enhance them. The only emotion that remained constant was his pride. He always spoke about the people as if they were his own, his eyes lighting up when he talked about his favourite customs and his shoulders sagging when he mentioned any hardship. And he always spoke with such a fondness about the country that I sometimes felt as if his stories were my own memories.

Now that we were in the city, I fell back and let him and Lissa take the lead. Frederick walked behind me, struggling to urge his horse through the hordes of people without simply trampling them. He had also been fundamental in the lessons on Ylisse, and as the journey had progressed, he'd looked at me with decreasing malice. But that didn't stop his suspicious gaze from searing into my back when Chrom turned around and pointed out Castle Ylisse.

Not that its location could have been top-secret. It stood on a huge hill before us, a colossal building of cream-coloured stone with spires so high that they pierced the clouds. No matter which street we took, it was always visible, the sun making the stone shine bright and catching my eye whenever I tried to look away.

Eventually, the roads were getting so busy that I simply had to. Now that we were closer to the city's masterpiece, the people were jostling one another and scurrying towards it. A crowd of them blocked the way ahead of us, and we joined the back.

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

A ripple of excitement ran through the cluster of citizens. I stood on my tiptoes to look, but all I could see was the tops of peoples' heads.

Chrom mouthed something to Frederick, and the knight promptly dismounted. I barely had time to prepare myself before he'd grabbed me and I was lifted onto his horse.

"I could have..." My words died on my lips as my eyes fell upon what everyone in the heart of Ylisstol had gathered to see.

Her golden headpiece made her easy to identify among the soldiers that stood around her. Though it was attached to the back of her head and not the top, the metal arcs looked like an elaborate halo over her blonde hair. The people certainly treated her like an angel. Those at the very front of the crowd were at least five feet away as if an invisible line had been drawn down the street.

The exalt waved, smiling in a way that seemed oddly familiar. Her green eyes shone as the people waved back and called to her.

"Is it safe for your ruler to be among the people like this?" I asked.