The Second Princess [indefinite hiatus.]

The Second Chance | 6

I don't own Fire Emblem.

...

Margaret sent her a look of sympathy, but before she could respond, the double doors burst open, starting everyone and earning a few screams. The now open doors suddenly revealed faint sounds of clashes and shouts.

A royal guard, who Diana recognized as one of the sub-commanders of the Ylissean Army, had opened the doors. He looked out of breath and panicked, as he scanned the ballroom quickly. His eyes landed on Lissa and Chrom, and he immediately spoke.

"Apologies for interrupting your evening, My Lord, but we must hasten the guests to safety. Bandits are attacking!"

...

There was a flurry of shout and panic.

Almost immediately did most of the guards in the room had their weapons out. The Shepherds that were present subconsciously reached for their weapons, only to remember that they were draped in fancy clothes instead. Some women screamed, but Chrom heard a fair share of men shouting out in panic. All of the guest suddenly darted into random areas, as if running away would help anything.

Lissa glanced around at the chaos, and then back at Chrom. "What do we do, big bro? Find and attack?"

Chrom took a deep breath. "Looks like the diversion is working," he muttered, glancing around. "But first we need everyone to calm down."

He cupped his hands over his mouth. "HEY! EVERYONE!"

The crowd didn't respond - if anything, it had seem to grow louder.

Lissa made several attempts as well, but neither of them could get the guests' attention.

Until a shrill whistle came out of nowhere, making a majority of the people in the ballroom cover their ears in shock. It certainly hurt for everyone's ears, but the mass began to quiet down.

"Everyone keep calm!" A new voice shouted. "There's no need to panic if you will listen to your Exalt and follow his orders!"

Chrom turned to the owner of the voice, and was surprised to find Diana, halfway up the stairs that led to the ballroom balcony. She didn't looked fazed by the crowd or the attack - if anything, she looked sharp and focused on trying to relax the panicked guests.

His brows rose. She seemed like a natural born commander considering the fact that she was a Lady in Waiting.

Diana turned to Chrom, giving him the softest of smiles, as the people began to freeze and mutter anxiously. "I'm sorry for the whistle," she said. "But it looked like you needed help, milord."

It bothered Chrom that she called him milord, but he brushed it off for now. "Thank you," he said, nodding his head before turning to the crowd. "Commander Peter," he called to the guard who had come in with the news. "How many bandits are there?"

"About two dozen, milord."

Chrom cursed under his breath. That was more than the amount they had faced. "And where are they now?"

"The guards are holding them back on the second floor, milord. I have no doubt they'll be upon us if we don't act quickly."

"Indeed." Chrom sighed, turning to Frederick, who was standing off on the side. "Frederick, I want you to assemble multiple teams of guards immediately. Take all the guests and place them in different safe rooms across the palace. Do the same for the suitors, and assign one guard to escort her, her Lady in Waiting, and her bodyguard to a safe room - it doesn't matter which one, just get them to one as quick as possible. Once they're done, send aid to the guards downstairs. I'll be there and on my way as soon as I find Lucy and Morgan."