Tomorrow was the end. The end of this war, the end of all the hardship. Some people were dancing, some people were relaxing, and some of the more cynical ones were saying it was too early to be celebrating. Robin was wandering amongst the sheperds, talking, and enjoying himself. No one could tell what he was thinking. No one could tell he was planning to possibly sacrifice himself.
He had been pondering the question over and over again ever since Naga brought it up a week before. Though she said there was a chance for him to survive, her tone and body language said that he would, more likely then not, die. And while he was the best at going against all odds, he figured this was pushing it. But he had to. No matter what, Grima had to be stopped for good. If it took his life to do so, then so be it. But before he left for good, he had to talk to the three people closest to him.
Chrom was easy to find. He was engaging in a 'friendly' arm wrestling match with Vaike. While Chrom was undoubtably a better fighter than Vaike, he couldn't match Vaike's sheer power, and Chrom's arm went down. Vaike grinned,
"So who else wants a piece of the Vaike?"
There was mostly silence, until Priam rose from the crowd, "I'll take you on."
Chrom got up out of the way, and walked over to Robin, "You seem to be enjoying yourself."
Robin smirked, "Yeah. I'm hoping Priam puts Vaike in his place."
Chrom laughed, "Yeah, those two are pretty similar. Powerful and stubborn as hell. But... Is it really the time to celebrate?"
Robin shook his head, "Chrom, this is the perfect time to celebrate. We need to go into battle tomorrow with high spirits. We need to let our men and women live a little so that they'll fight tomorrow with the best morale. And besides..."
Chrom raised an eyebrow, "Besides?"
"Besides, this battle could be the last for some of them. I want them to have one last night of fun."
Chrom cleared his throat, "Robin, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"
Damn. Robin forgot how perceptive Chrom could be, "Don't worry, Chrom. I won't go sacrificing myself."
Though it hurt him to lie to his best friend, Robin knew he had to. Chrom governed his actions by his heart, not his head. And while this was one of the things he liked about him, it also made Chrom blind to the things that needed to be done.
For better or for worse, Chrom believed him, "Good. No matter what you say, I-"
Olivia walked to them, "Um... Chrom?"
Chrom turned towards her, "Yes, dear?"
"We need your help. Virion's gotten drunk and has started hitting on random women."
Robin patted his friend's shoulder, "You'd best stop him before Sully kills him."
Chrom sighed, "Yeah, I know. Good night, my friend."
Olivia smiled, "G-good night, Robin..."
The two walked off, leaving Robin ready to talk to the second person- his daughter. He wandered around camp, unable to find her in the festivities. He then walked into her tent, and was greeted with a sight he never wanted to see. She and Inigo were on her bed, kissing in a manner that made Robin glad they were in her tent. Morgan noticed him first, and quickly pulled back. Inigo smiled,
"What's wrong? Are you really so eager to get to the next step?" Upon seeing her mortified face, he sighed, "Robin's inside the tent, isn't he?"
Robin laughed, "I came here to talk with my daughter, but it seems her tounge is occupied else where... Inigo, can I speak with you alone for a minute?"
Inigo gulped, "S... Sure..."
He walked outside of the tent, and immediately started to panic, "Now Robin, I know what that looked like, but I assure you, I was not going to try and have sex with her."
Robin cocked an eyebrow, "Inigo, that's a lie and we both know it. But thankfully for you, I'm in a nice mood right now, so I won't kill you. Anna, on the other hand..."
Inigo gulped, "You don't have to tell your wife about this, do you?"
Robin sighed, "Only if you promise me something."
Inigo nodded, "Anything."
Robin sighed, "Tomorrow... I'm going to kill Grima myself."
Inigo gasped, "But doesn't that mean you'll-"
"Die? Probably. But if I do, I want you to watch over Morgan and Anna for me. They mean the world to me, and I know you can do it. Please, Inigo. You're the only man I know who can do this."
Inigo smiled, "Robin... I'm honored that you trust me so much. I'll do everything in my power to make sure that your wife and daughter will be fine. If there's anything I'm good at, it's making people happy."
Robin nodded, "That's exactly why I chose you. Of all the sheperds, you're the only one that has managed to make even Walhary smile."
Robin waved the boy off. Deciding that Inigo would be better for Morgan, he decided to see the last person on his list- his wife. He walked to their tent, but sighed when he found her asleep, and taking up half the bed. Moving her gently, he lied down and started to shut his eyes. However, Anna awoke and pressed a passionate kiss on his lips.
"You know Robin, you're horrible at stealth."
He sighed, "Yeah, I know. That's why we have you and Gaius."
Anna giggled and pulled him into another kiss. Robin smiled, "You know, that smart thing to do would be to actually sleep tonight."
Anna smirked, "Considering the fact that you turned ships into flamming cannonballs and let Inigo be with our daughter, I'm going to say you're not the best when it comes to doing the smart thing."
Robin put up his hands, "Guilty."
Anna sighed, "And you're stupid enough to think I wouldn't know you're planning to sacrifice yourself."
Robin gasped, and Anna merely sighed, "Robin, I'm a merchant and your wife. Dealing with people is my job, and I can tell when they're upset."
Robin sighed, "Anna..."
"I can't blame you what you're doing makes complete sense, but..." Tears were starting to fall down her cheeks, "But... I don't want to lose you. For the first time in my life, I've found something worth more than money. I don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose you..."
Robin put his arms around her, "Anna... I love you, too."
Anna cried for a few more moments, "Robin... Promise me you'll come home."
Robin looked into his wife's eyes, "... I will."
Unlike with Chrom, this wasn't a lie. He had a feeling- a strong premonition, that he'd come home. He could leave a friend behind, as hard as it would be. But a lover? He couldn't fail her.
Anna smiled, "Robin... I'll wait for you. No matter how long it takes... I'll wait for you to return."
Robin smiled, "I know."
He kissed her, happy to let her know he cared. As time went on, it became obvious to both of them that they'd be getting no sleep that night. But neither of them cared. It was the last night, and they'd spend it as they please.
