After resting at the Longfort and heading up the road, heading further into Ferox, they arrived at the khans palace. Currently, Y/N, Robin, Fredrick, and Lissa stood at Chrom's side while Raimi stood in front of them.

Raimi: Prince Chrom, please wait here while I summon the khan.

Chrom: Of course.

The armored woman bowed and began walking into the other direction. Y/N rested his hands on his waist, on top of his belt, him looking around the room. It had been quite a while since he had been here, and the area didn't seem to change much.

Robin: (sigh) The khan is away?

Y/N: The khans aren't to eager on politics. They prefer to settle their affairs with battle.

Chrom: Or rather, battle IS their politics.

Robin: A warrior ruler, eh? I can picture him now... A giant man of unparalleled thew, his broad chest covered in hair... (nervous laugh) 

Y/N scratched his neck in an awkward manner. Robin did describe the khan...well, one of them, at least. The Hylian directed his gaze back to where Raimi had went, seeing one of the khans walking up to them. She was walking up to them with an unamused gaze.

???: Am I now? ...Please, do go on!

Robin: Huh?

The rest of them finally look to where Y/N was looking at. Walking up to them is a blonde woman, dressed in red and silver armor, along with a large red shield on her left arm. This is Flavia, one of the khans that rule Regna Ferox.

Chrom: You're the--!? Er, that is to say... The khan, I presume?

Flavia: One of them, yes--the East Khan. My name is Flavia. I apologize for the troubles at the border, Prince Chrom. You are welcome in Regna Ferox.

Chrom: Thank you, but I'm confident we can put that misunderstanding behind us. Is it true bandits posing as Ylisseans have been ransacking your border villages?

Flavia: Yes. Those Plegian dogs! We found documents proving as much on the corpse of one of their captains. Plegia must see some benefit in raising tensions between your kingdoms and ours.

Chrom: Damn them! I... Forgive me, Your Grace. That was...indelicately put. 

Flavia: (chuckles) Damn them and damn delicacy! Here in Ferox, we appreciate plain speech.

Chrom: In that case, you should have a word with your damn border guards... 

Flavia: ...Ha ha! Now that's Feroxi diplomacy! Yes, I like you already. I know why you have come, Prince. But regrettably, I cannot provide any Feroxi troops for Ylisse.

Lissa: What!? Why not!? 

Flavia: I lack the authority.

Chrom: Forgive me, but I don't understand. Aren't you the khan?

Y/N: As she said before, she is one of the khans.

Flavia: He's right. In Ferox, the khans of east and west hold a tournament every few years. The victor acquires total sovereignty over both kingdoms. And that means they have the final say when it comes to forging alliances. The West-Khan won the last tournament, you see, and so...

Chrom: (sigh) So we are to receive no aid at all?

Flavia: Not if you always give up so easily!

Y/N: I do believe the next tournament is coming up soon. Are you perhaps looking for champions at the moment, Flavia?

Flavia: Ha! Right you are!

Chrom: What does that have to do with us? 

Flavia: The captain of my border guard informs me your Shepherds are quite capable. Perhaps you would consider representing the East in the upcoming tournament? If you win and I become ruling khan, I will grant your alliance.

Chrom: I would assume Ylisseans had no place in such Feroxi traditions. 

Flavia: Ha! On the contrary. The khans themselves do not fight--they choose champions to represent them. Otherwise our land would be rife with blood feuds and dead khans! We don't involve comrades or kin for the same reason. Over time, it was decided the tournament should be fought by outsiders. Although the outsiders have never included foreign royalty. ...That I know of! Ha! Regardless, it is your choice to make. 

Chrom: There is no choice, East-Khan. My people are desperate. We face not only Plegia's constant attacks, but now the added threat of the Risen and those other monsters. 

Flavia: Speaking of which, Y/N can I ask you a favor later? It's about another Lynel.

Y/N: (nods) Of course. 

Chrom: Anyway, if fighting for you is the quickest way to an alliance, then we will take up our steel. 

Flavia: (chuckle) I like you, Prince Chrom. I do hope you survive the tournament! Come. I'll show you the arena where the tournament is held. But be wary! I hear an equally able swordsman champions the West-Khan. Two of them, in fact.

Chrom: They shall be defeated by Ylisse's necessity.

Flavia: Well spoken again--I look forward to see if you're equally skilled with a blade!

Later that night...

Y/N left Ferox in the dead of night as he headed for the highlands. As what Flavia had asked him, Y/N was tasked with defeating a white-maned Lynel. As he could recall from his previous battles with them, Lynels are skilled warriors. 

With the body of a horse and the head of a lion with a humanoid-like arms and chest, they wield deadly weaponry that range from swords, lances, and bows. They also have impressive defense, their shields created from scrap metal and reinforced with chains. Paired with it's electric arrows with it's bow, Lynels also have a fiery breath attack, releasing powerful balls of flames from it's mouth.

Y/N began to trudge through the heavy snow, wearing a warm doublet instead of the Hylian tunic he would usually wear. His cheeks were red due to the harsh cold, Y/N keeping a hand on top of his head to keep his hood from blowing off. A chilling mist left his mouth as he breathed in, him shivering a bit. Digging through his pouches, Y/N grabbed a potion, drinking it's contents that helped him grow resistant to the cold, but to a certain amount of time. It was a simple recipe. Grab a few insects that had warming properties and toss them with a few monster parts, such as Bokoblin horns, and combine them.

He began to head further up into the highlands, looking at the trees around him. He could see electric arrows sticking out of some of them. He could tell. He was drawing near the Lynel's territory. As soon as he arrived at the highlands on top, he quickly dove behind a large boulder and peered around it.

There it stood on it's four hooves, it standing tall. A shield and bow rested on it's back while it's blade was held tightly in it's hand. It's low, but menacing growls could be heard, it's glowing green eyes could be seen in the dimly lit area due to the moonlight. The Lynel growled with caution, it sniffing the air. It could tell Y/N was in the area, but wasn't sure where it was. It trotted for a bit, bringing it's upper body a bit lower as it sniffs the air, trying to pinpoint Y/N's exact location. But Y/N had maneuvered quietly around, getting on top of the large boulder and taking a running start, jumping off it as he takes his bow off his back.

And like before, he began to focus, time seeming to be slowing down. And in quick motion, he unleashes a small barrage of arrows right into the Lynel's face. Once landing on the ground, he stared up at the Lynel with no fear in his eyes, only a fiery resolve of courage in them. The Lynel growled in pain before it ripped the arrows off it's face and took it's shield of it's back. It looked at Y/N and growled, now roaring with rage as it raised it's two front legs into the air. In response, Y/N only kept his determined look as he unsheathed his sword and shield off his back, getting into his own battle stance as he awaited for the Lynel to make the first move.

The Lynel jumped back, preparing itself to charge down at him. Taking off at full speed, it roared with anger as it barreled down the snowy land. Y/N waited, waiting for the right moment to dodge. Once it drew near, the Lynel swung it's sword low to the ground, doing a sweeping slash. And just in time, Y/N jumped to the side at the right time, time slowing down once more as he focused, quickly landing on the ground and sending a flurry of slashes. Once it recovered, the Lynel once again roars in anger, running away from Y/N and taking out it's bow, aiming it towards the sky as it grabs a few arrows. The tips of the arrows began to glow a bright green, Y/N sheathing his weapons as he began to run as fast as he could. The Lynel let it's hand go, the arrows flying high into the air before they began to fall down at a rapid pace. Y/N could hear the impact of the arrows behind him. Should he touch the arrows, it would prove fatal. Even if he had nothing metal equipped, the arrows themselves and the electric effect it gave off was still powerful against him.

Dodging the last arrow, Y/N raised his shield up in defense, grunting and gritting his teeth. The Lynel had charged forward with it's sword and shield out, ramming them forward as Y/N blocked the attack. But with the attack so powerful, he was launched through the air, crashing into a tree, him letting out a small cough and grunt of pain. Because of this, he dropped his shield and his sword was flung away, landing a few feet away as the the blade was stuck into the ground. The Lynel then roared as it began to inhale, then exhaling as it lets out a breath of flames, it barreling towards the dirty-blonde male. Y/N looked up and rolled over to the side, grabbing his bow and taking an arrow, letting it go as it curves through the air, landing it in the Lynel's leg. Picking himself up, he raised his arms up in the air as a remote bomb appeared in his hands. 

He then thew the bomb, quickly switching the runes towards the Stasis rune. Raising the Sheikah Slate up, he points it towards the Lynel. Just as it was about to move, the Lynel paused, now surrounded by a yellow aura. Y/N took this time to grab his shield and run over to grab his sword. But due to the heavy snow, it made it hard for him to maneuver through and grab it.

Just as he grabbed his sword, the timer of the Stasis rune had run out, the Lynel now able to move. It roared and faced it's attention towards Y/N, who had just grabbed his sword and took his Sheikah Slate off his belt, clicking a button and the remote bomb exploded. It forced the beast to fall onto it's side, the Lynel now vulnerable as Y/N picked up his pace and headed towards it. The Lynel quickly recovered, but Y/N had jumped and got onto it's back, just like he would if he was trying to tame a horse. Unsheathing his blade, he began to repeatedly attack the Lynel, jamming and stabbing it into it's back, the Lynel growling in pain. It tried to buck Y/N off, it thrashing about. But Y/N didn't budge, him keeping a tight grip as he continued to attack.

And after an hour of attacking, it finally came to an end. Jumping off the boulder before, Y/N took his sword and brought it down, thrusting it down as he stabs it into the Lynel's head. It roared in pain as it's arms went limp, dropping it's shield and it's sword onto the ground. Falling onto it's side, Y/N falling alongside it, Y/N lied down on the snow, out of breath. Forcing himself up and climbing over the Lynel's body, he began to harvest it's body parts, cutting it's horns, dissecting it's guts, and grabbing it's hooves for ingredients to use in potion making. Taking his Sheikah Slate, he took a picture of the dead beast as proof of evidence to show to Flavia when he returned.

Next Day

After showing the picture of the dead Lynel to Flavia, she promised him to reward him after the tournament. In fact, the day of the tournament had arrived. Chrom and his chosen Shepherds began to move into the arena. They were quite surprised when they found who their opponents were.

Lissa: Chrom! Look!

Both Y/N's and Chrom's eyes widened, the Hylian's only slightly. The two champions they were facing were the two swordsmen they met that night. Marth and Link.

Chrom: I see them...

Both Marth and Link said nothing. Both Link and Y/N were eyeing each other, but Y/N's focus was more on the weapon that was on Link's back. The only thing he could see was a blue handle with some sort of gold gem in the middle of the sword's hand guard. And the handle was decorated with a green wrap around. And like Y/N, a shield was on Link's back. 

Chrom: Marth! Link! One question, before we begin? 

The two still didn't respond.

Chrom: ...Fine, then.

Both Marth and Chrom had drew their swords, Chrom's eyes widening as he sees the blade Marth was wielding. It was the very same blade he himself was wielding, Falchion.

Y/N on the other hand faltered a bit, the grip on his sword handle loosening slightly. Link, who still kept his hood on, had unsheathed his blade, along with his shield. The shield Link had was of a particular and a similar design. While the shield was dulled, it's colors washed out, Y/N could still see the fine details and the exquisite craftsmanship of the shield. The most well-known details was the red crest that rested below three yellow triangles.

And then came the sword. The sword was a double-edged blade, the same three triangles could be seen engraved into the lower end of the sword. It also had a winged blue cross guard, along with it's handle. Just looking at the blade, Y/N could tell it radiated of light.

Link: Recognize this blade, "Hero"?

The Hylian warrior let out a small grunt and narrowed his eyes at Link. Y/N could only see Link's mouth, it being curved upwards into a small grin.

Link: Pinched a nerve, didn't I?

Y/N knew he was just trying to provoke him, to make him come towards him. But Y/N was smarter than that. For right now, he hadn't received any orders from the Shepherds' tactician. Speaking of which, Y/N looked towards her, the white-haired girl's eyes scanning the arena.

Robin: (hums) Marth and Link are gifted swordsmen, and their men look capable as well. We should mind our distance.

After analyzing the arena, Robin orders Y/N to go towards the left to take care of the three men on the right, with Lissa in tow for support. The two nodded and began to head off, the first opponent being a mage. 

The mage preps it's tome, a magic circle appearing around them as a blast of flames leaves it, heading towards the two's way. Y/N grabbed the arm of Lissa and jumps to the side, dodging the fire blast and kept heading onwards. The mage didn't have time to cast another spell, Y/N already in front of him as he thrusts the pommel of the sword forward. Striking him in the stomach, the mage let out a cough, Y/N following up with a shield bash to the mage's face. The mage then fell onto the ground, unconscious, Y/N facing his next two opponents.

The next one that charged forward was a brigand, raising his axe up in the air to bring it down. Y/N raised his shield up, the axe striking against it. The blade of the axe was quite sharp, it going through Y/N's shield as it was just mere inches away. Y/N internally sighed. While the shield he had was decent, it went through a number of battles, so a new sword and shield was in order. Throwing the shield down to the side, Y/N kicks the brigand off him, the second brigand coming with his own iron axe. Taking his Shiekah Slate off his waist, he points it towards the second brigand, freezing him temporarily while he went to face the other one. The other brigand had already recovered. However, by the time he could actually strike back, Y/N was already close enough and ended the battle already. Swinging his sword upwards, he cuts the axe in half, Y/N kicking the brigand in the chest and following up with a strike with the sword's pommel, hitting the brigand's face. The brigand fell unconscious and Y/N runs up to the other one, striking him multiple times as a metallic clang could be heard.

Y/N then deactivated the Stasis rune, the brigand that was frozen now being launched away due to the kinetic energy that was stored within him due to Y/N's strikes. Just before Y/N could relax, the Hylian warrior had to turn himself around, blocking a strike from Link's own blade. Y/N gritted his teeth as he watched sparks fly, both his and Link's blades grinding against each other.

Link: Aside from Chrom and Robin, you're the only one who poses a problem in this tournament. So show me what you got... "Hero." 

The Hylian warrior let out a battle cry, kicking Link in his stomach. But the other swordsman anticipated this, moving his shield down slightly to block it. A loud thunk was heard, Y/N's foot hitting the metal as he failed to hit Link with his foot. Bringing his other foot up, Y/N kicks off the shield, raising his arms up as a remote bomb appears in his hands. Quickly dropping it, Y/N gets away at a safe distance, taking his Sheikah Slate and pressing the button, the remote bomb detonating.

Smoke and dust had risen due to the explosion, Y/N's bright blue eyes scanning the smokescreen. Rushing out of it was Link, twirling his blade in his hands before he thrusts it forward, Y/N parrying the blade as the two were now locked in a clash. The crowd cheered in excitement as they watched the heated duel between the Hylian warrior and the mysterious swordsman. Sparks flew as the two kept exchanging sword slashes, metal clangs ringing through the air.

However, the fight would soon come to an end. Blocking one last strike from Link's sword, Y/N jumped back, taking his Sheikah Slate and activating the Magnesis rune. Now holding the Sheikah Slate as if it was a giant magnet, a yellow beam was shot out of it, hitting Link's shield. Due to it being metal, Y/N was able to shake the defenses off, tossing the shield elsewhere. Link had let out an audible gasp, him forgetting about Y/N's Sheikah Slate. Taking out his bow, Y/N drew two arrows from his quiver, pulling them both back on the bowstring. He then lets go, letting the arrows fly as they curved. Link rolled to the side, doding the first one and slashing the air with his sword to cut down the other one. By the time he looked up, his eyes had widened, Y/N had rushed forward, shoulder bashing Link in the chest as he forces the swordsman down onto the ground.

Link tried to get up, but he was met with a sword's tip to his neck and Y/N standing over him. Link let his own blade fall, him raising his arms up in defeat. Likewise, Chrom had just bested Marth in their fight. The winners were Chrom and his Shepherds.

After the fight, Flavia met up with the group.

Flavia: Well fought! You have my respect. And, perhaps more to the point, you have your alliance. I will provide Ylisse with the soldiers she needs.

Chrom: Truly? Thank you, East-Khan. 

Flavia: (laughs) I should thank you! It feels like ages since I've held full power. Come, my new friends! Tonight, we celebrate!

Y/N eagerly nodded. If anything for Feroxi celebrations, there would be lots of food. And Y/N has always loved food, especially about stuffing his face. Flavia then runs off to make preparations. Meanwhile, the group heard footsteps behind them, them turning around to be met with a buff dark-skinned man wearing an eye patch. This is Basilio, the West-Khan of Ferox.

Basilio: Bah! Any excuse for a party and Flavia jumps on it...

Chrom: I'm sorry, have we met? 

Basilio: I'm the West-Khan you so rudely removed from power! You're sure handy with a sword, you two. I thought for sure I'd picked the stronger man.

Chrom: What do you know about those two?

Basilio: You mean that "Marth" and that "Link"? Bah! They're just sellswords with delusions of grandeur. All I know is that they turned up one eve and knocked my old champion flat. It was love at first sight, and I'm generally too old for such things! Baha! Anyway, they're gone now. Up and fled the moment the tournament ended. 

Lissa: They're so dark and mysterious... (sigh) 

Robin: Sounds like Marth and Link got at least one fan...

Lissa: Well, I mean, c'mon... They ARE sort of dreamy, aren't they? 

Chrom: And YOU'RE sort of dreaming! 

Lissa: Yowch! Lighten up, Big Brother. I was just kidding. 

Fredrick: Milord? Milady? If this fascinating discussion is over, we'd best return home. The exalt will want news of our new alliance immediately. 

Chrom: Right as always, Fredrick. 

Basilio: Hold, boy. Before you go, I have a little present for you. 

Walking up to Basilio's side was a spiky brown-haired man, a katana at his side. Dressed in myrmidon clothing, he stood ready at the West-Khan's side.

Basilio: This is Lon'qu, my former champion. Not much for talking, mind you, but he's peerless with a sword. As good as Marth and Link, in my mind. To be honest, I can't figure out how Marth and Link bested him so quickly. 

Lissa: (confused) Marth and Link beat him? But he looks so big and strong...

With curiousity, Lissa walked up to the brown-haired man. She leaned forward a bit, but Lon'qu took a step back, clearly bothered by Lissa's presence.

Lon'qu: Away, woman!

Lissa: Hey! Wh-What did I say!? 

Basilio: (laughs heartily) Let's just say that ladies tend to put Lon'qu on edge. Nonetheless, he is capable. Perhaps he even has the makings of a khan. Consider him West Ferox's contribution to the Ylissean cause. 

Chrom: You're certain about this? 

Basilio: Yes, yes. He's your man now. 

Chrom: And Lon'qu? You have no objections? 

Lon'qu: He gives orders. I stab people. I think our roles are clear.

Chrom: ...All right, then. Welcome aboard. 

Basilio: Oh, and one more thing. Y/N, there's something Flavia and I need to talk to you about later.

Y/N: Hmm?

Basilio: You see--

Before the dark-skinned man could continue, they heard a loud screech. One that belong to a bird. The sound had startled them so much that the ground shook and they nearly lost their balance.

Basilio and Lon'qu scowled and frowned at the sight when the looked upwards. However, Robin's, Lissa's, Fredrick's, and Chrom's eyes had widened in both confusion and awe. Curiosity was also evident in their eyes. Y/N's eyes, however, had been slightly widened. Soaring high above the clouds was a giant. But it wasn't just any bird.

It seemed to have rotors on the bottom side of it's wings, and in certain areas, it was glowing a malicious purple color. Soaring high above them was one of the mechanical wonders Marth had told Y/N about. The mission that was imparted to him by Zelda, the words spoken to him by Impa.

One of the Divine Beasts that Y/N must recapture.

Vah Medoh.