Chrom
Three Months Later...

"Shepherds! To arms!"

This was it. Our first real battle. Every single one of my Shepherds was by my side for this, as they should be. Even the ones who were not constantly staying with us were here! With Falchion in my hands and fire in my soldier's hearts, these brigands stood no chance.

Reports of Plegian brigands taking over small forts near the border was nothing new. However, now, the Shepherds were called to deal with the problem. Across the battlefield were the brigands, ready for blood.

"How shall we start, Milord?" Frederick asked, readying his lance.

I glanced about my soldiers, weighing my options. Unfortunately, tactics were something I fell short on. After countless hours of training and study, analytical approaches to battles seemed to completely pass by me. The only member of the Shepherds with the capabilities for strategy was Virion. However, after many sessions of mock battles with his strategic guide, he proved that he was excellent in solving problems, but not when it comes to...well, keeping everyone alive. The only other person who I would even consider for advice was Miriel, but no one could understand her orders.

Lucky for me, though, these were brigands. Their strategic approach to things was to blindly kill. It would be fairly easy to adapt to such enemies.

"It seems like blunt force would be the best option..." I muttered. "Attack them and reduce their numbers the best we can, but also be conscious of ourselves. I want each one of my soldiers to come out alive."

Frederick nodded. "So what do you advise?"

Dammit. I can instill courage in people but I can't figure out a pincer attack from a swarming maneuver.  "...The spellcasters and healer should stay as far away from one-on-one confrontation as much as possible. Maribelle, stay close to Miriel and Ricken as much as possible but don't get too close. If you are met with confrontation, you have my permission to escape. Don't flee the battle, just get out of there."

Maribelle tossed a lock of her blonde hair, adjusting her position atop her horse. "That won't be necessary, milord! Those brigands won't know what's coming to them before they even lay a finger on me!"

I smiled at her. "I know and I appreciate the confidence, but you are our only healer. We need you," I said. I still haven't allowed Lissa to join the Shepherds. She just turned fifteen. She was of age to be allowed to join, but I was still too uneasy about it. Maybe in another month or so. I wanted her to be 100% confident in her healing abilities before she went on any battlefield (although, she was pretty much an honorary member of the Shepherds since she spends almost as much time in the barracks and with my soldiers as I do).

"Sir Chrom, what about us? I know we must be wary, but we can fight, too!" Our newest and youngest member, Ricken pointed out. Who would've thought that the young boy that I saved from a pack of wolves all those years ago was a mage prodigy? Not only that, but more desperate than Lissa to join the Shepherds. Sure, he was younger than Lissa, but only by a few months. At first, I was averse to a young boy joining, but after countless weeks of nonstop hounding from Maribelle, I caved in. I didn't want him to join us on this mission because I was afraid he would get hurt, but I couldn't stop him. I was going to have to be much more assertive from now on.

I sighed, turning to my mages. "I know you're more than capable than holding your own in a fight, but you're still vulnerable. I have to exercise caution." I turned to Sumia, another new member. "Sumia, would you be comfortable in watching out for them?"

The timid knight jumped slightly, clutching her lance. "U-um, of course! No problem!" Sumia joining was...interesting. While it was great to finally have her among our ranks, she was having a hard time finding her place. I could only hope she would find it, soon.

"What about the rest of us, Captain?" Sully asked, pulling her horse beside me. Sitting on the back was Virion, bow at the ready. The two had a habit of going into battle like that. Granted, Virion would jump off fairly quickly, but they were never too far away from one another.

The rest of us are skilled in one-on-one combat, so there shouldn't be that much of a problem. "If we go forth and fight our hardest, we will be fine." I stood straighter, facing our enemies who were mobilizing. "Don't let any of them get away. If you find any hostages they were keeping, release them and keep them safe."

"Got it, Sir."

I raised Falchion, making eye contact with a brigand across the field. "Shepherds are we ready?" My voice boomed.

"Yeah!" My soldier's responded with gusto.

"Charge!"

And with that, we were off. I could already feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. This is it! Now or never!

I was met with a sword-wielding man, red paint decorating his face. "You won't win this fight, princey!" he sneered, swinging his blade.

I easily intercepted the attack, metal clashing against metal...or whatever Naga's tooth was made out of. "I wouldn't be so sure about that" I fired back, pushing him away. We danced around each other's feet with our blades clashing for what felt like forever. He managed to nick my side, but that was the only small victory he received.

As he was so close to me, I used all my strength to push him away. Stumbling back and with no poise to quickly get back to his feet, I planted Falchion into his gut, blood dripping from the blade once I pulled away. Once he was on the ground, I didn't even hesitate to move onto my next enemy.

The battle went on like this, just enemy after enemy. Luckily, my stamina was more than able to endure a lengthy fight like this. I climbed atop one of the forts, cutting down the brigand in my way. As I looked down on the battlefield, an overwhelming sense of pride rushed through me. My Shepherds were still going strong, not a single one had fallen. 

Frederick himself was a one-man army, so I didn't need to worry about him.  Towards the back of the battlefield, our healer mages were holding their own without fail. It seemed like Miriel was the one protecting Sumia, not the other way around. My cavaliers were charging left and right, leaving a trail of enemies in their path. And, those who were able to survive their might were quickly shot down by Virion. Vaike was, of course, causing a ruckus with all of his gloating, but at least he was getting the job done. Kellam was somewhere. I didn't know where, but I could at least hear his armor.

I smiled to myself. These are my Shepherds. We may be a chaotic bunch, but when we work as a team, we can do anything. These brigands never stood a chance.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone coming up the stairs. "I think he's up 'ere! We can't let 'im get 'way alive!" A scratchy Plegian voice spoke.

I huffed, readying Falchion. "You can try your very hardest to make that come true..."

...

"Did everyone make it out alive?" I panted as we started to regroup.

Frederick looked around. "It seems so. Maribelle will be tending to everyone's wounds soon, so there's no need to fret over injuries."

I planted Falchion in the ground, stretching my arms over my head and gulping in a breath of air. "Good. I'm glad to hear that."

The knight eyed my choice of a sheath with defeat. "Why must you treat your swords in such a way, let alone an ancient relic... Just, never mind," he sighed. "Is something troubling you, Milord?"

I shook my head, glancing about my exhausted soldiers. "Just...contemplating."

"How so?"

"That was an easy fight, but we could have won it hours ago," I said.

Frederick nodded. "I agree," he hummed. "And what do you propose to fix this?"

I shook my head. "Don't know. We really need a tactician. I can't go into each fight with a wing-it strategy, that's how people get killed."

"Well, I'll put out a notice requesting the aid of someone with a tactical mind. It shouldn't be too hard to-"

I put up a hand, stopping him before he went too far ahead. "No, don't." I looked up at the sky. Puffy white clouds scattered the picture, the sun radiating a gentle warmth. "I want to find this person myself. If I am to hire a tactician, I am essentially handing over the life of my troops to them. I need to know they're trustworthy. I really can't explain why I'm feeling this way, but my heart is telling me to wait."

Frederick fought back a groan. "Are you sure?"

I drew in a deep breath, closing my eyes. "Emm told me to always listen to my heart." I smiled. "It hasn't steered me wrong, yet, so I don't see a reason to ignore it this one time."

"As you say, Milord. I know better to question your authority."

I seriously don't know what it is! We are in desperate need of a tactician! I don't see a logical explanation in waiting to actively look, but I really shouldn't ignore my gut senses. Who knows, maybe this waiting will turn out positive. I guess time will tell.

*****
CHROM DON'T WORRY YOUR HEART IS RIGHT. YOU WILL MEET YOUR TACTICIAN/WIFE SOON. So yeah. Just so you know, the Q&A is still happening! You can ask two questions and I promise to answer them! So far, we have three questions and I really hope to have more! I am accepting question until March 12th. Thank you so much for reading and look forward to reading more!