This is a new story idea that popped into my head recently. It might tie into my oneshot series the Morgan Paradox later on, but for now it's completely standalone. Also, while I did mention that I felt the Avatar's Japanese name Rufure was a much better name for the Avatar in this story he will be referred to as Robin.
I'll just say this right now to get things out of the way - Chrom will be paired with Olivia since I have a few plans for prince!Inigo (not to mention Inigo looks exactly like Chrom, seriously). While I'm not sure about who to pair Robin with just know that I am not a fan of Avatar x Lucina, so if that pairing ever works its way in somehow it'll either be onesided or completely platonic. And finally, due to the nature of this story some of the characters' roles and/or attitudes towards the Avatar have been changed a little.
In this story Grima did not travel back in time.
Thoughts and suggestions are always welcome!
Present Time: an abandoned house in Ylisse
For a supposedly great, intelligent, and all-knowing bandit boss (in his own words) Garrick had always been an excitable man. Today in particular he was practically bouncing on the soles of his feet, grinning from ear to ear and looking for all the world like an eager puppy. Robin resisted the urge to whack him on the head; this time, at least, he could understand the man's excitement. Although Garrick's group of bandits had been working under the king's orders for a while now this was the first time they'd been given such an important task. Attacking random villages went a long way towards satisfying their bloodlust but did little to stroke their inflated egos.
But the famous and highly vaunted Shepherds, led by the Exalt's very own brother? This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and the bandits knew it.
Robin whistled quietly in an effort to drown out Garrick's excited muttering, watching the men around him sharpen their weapons and swap fantasies about what they planned to do in the unfortunate village on the other side of the hill. Their grins were wide and lecherous, and pure, unadulterated greed shone in the eyes of every single one.
He'd been traveling with this group of bandits for a few weeks now. It was a pity, really - they were somewhat more skilled than your average run-of-the-mill bandits and a few of them had real potential. Robin had even taken it on himself to give a few of the more promising ones some tips and was pleased to see their combat skills increase at a good rate; at this point he estimated they could easily hold their own against a small platoon of conscripted soldiers on a level playing field.
Of course they still had no chance whatsoever against highly trained warriors such as Prince Chrom and his Shepherds, but Robin saw no point in ruining their sweet delusions. Those delusions were an integral part of his strategy, after all.
All heads snapped up and silence fell as a lone swordsman dressed in plain, unassuming civilian garb hurried into the room.
"Sir!" The swordsman skidded to a stop in front of Robin and gave him a sloppy bow. "The Shepherds're coming over the hill. They'll be at the field in an hour!"
The bandits broke out into excited chattering, only to sheepishly fall silent again as Robin clapped his hands and raised an eyebrow at them.
"Right, then. I'll best be off," he said cheerfully as he hopped down from the broken crate he'd been using as a chair. "Garrick, I leave the rest of the plan to you. Remember everyone, treat me like you'd treat any random stranger trying to stop your fun." With a wink and a two-fingered salute he headed outside, pausing just outside the doorway to throw a grin back at the doomed men. "I'll see you later!"
The field he'd chosen was about a ten minutes' walk from the village, far enough that any spontaneous bandit raids could escape attention but not so far that billowing plumes of black smoke would go completely unnoticed in the perfectly clear sky. It was the perfect place to take a nice afternoon nap, actually, and for a long moment Robin stared longingly at the tall green grass waving invitingly in the wind. He'd always enjoyed sleeping, especially whenever he was outside the castle. Whenever he slept in the castle he inevitably slipped into his dreams, where there were no barriers for him to hide behind. Out here, in the unfamiliar and dangerous territory of Ylisse, it was unlikely he'd have the same problem.
But alas, duty called. Robin sighed and walked a small distance away from the main road, instinctively glancing around to check for any witnesses. Seeing no one, he carefully went to stand at a spot where the grass was somewhat thinner, allowing someone with keen eyes to spot the darkness of his boots hidden behind them. Then, pushing his sword out of the way so he didn't accidentally stab himself with the scabbard, he let himself flop unceremoniously onto the ground and closed his eyes. He couldn't sleep but it wouldn't hurt to rest, just for a little bit.
He'd been lying there for a while and was almost beginning to drift off when three distinct voices reached his ears. Two male voices - one calm and steady with a vaguely amused undertone, the other calm and steady with a distinctly exasperated undertone - and one female - cheerful, bubbly, and so expressive Robin could practically hear her pouting.
These were the people he was waiting for, no doubt. For a bunch of highly trained warriors they were oddly loud.
"Hey, what's that over there?"
The girl was the one who noticed him first, interrupting herself mid-sentence. Interesting. Robin had initially pegged her as a bit of an airhead based on her voice and labeled her as less dangerous than the men; he'd have to take care not to make that mistake again.
"Let's go take a look, shall we?"
Metal clinked together; three feet landed on the ground and the grass began to rustle as three people moved towards his position.
'Keep your eyes closed and your muscles relaxed' Robin silently reminded himself even as his fingers twitched slightly, aching to jump to his weapons. 'They're not going to attack someone who's supposedly passed out on the ground.'
"Hey, is that a person?" There was a bit more rustling as two of them hurried over to where he lay. "Is he okay? He's not moving at all..."
"He seems to be breathing and there are no wounds that I can see. It's strange that he hasn't woken up by now, though. We've hardly been quiet."
"Milord, milady, may I advise caution? This could very well be a trap."
"But what if he really needs help? Frederick, Chrom, we have to do SOMETHING."
Someone replied but Robin didn't hear, as he'd stopped listening at the name 'Chrom'. He'd known that he'll run into the man at some point but for it to be so soon...
He inadvertently twitched and opened his eyes.
Immediately the two people standing above him stopped talking and bent down to look at him.
"I see you're awake now." Blue hair and a kind face. A finely made blue uniform under a silver pauldron and white cape. The famed brand of the Exalt prominently displayed on his exposed shoulder. This was definitely Chrom.
"Hey there!" Blonde hair pulled into two pigtails, with an intricate headpiece crafted from metal and lace. A high quality battle corset over a sunny yellow dress. A healing staff strapped onto her back. Definitely a noble of some sort, possibly Chrom's younger sister if the 'milady' and the way she talked to Chrom was anything to go by.
With a start Robin noticed that Chrom was now holding out a hand; with no other option he gingerly took it and allowed the lord to pull him to his feet.
"You all right?" Chrom asked, concern evident in his voice.
"Y-yes..." Robin attempted a small smile. "Thank you, Chrom." Almost immediately he had to fight to keep his expression from sinking into panic - no, no, no, no, no! This was not how things were supposed to go...
"Ah, then you know who I am?" A raised eyebrow, an inquiring tone...Chrom didn't seem suspicious yet. He was a prominent figure with a highly distinctive marking; it wouldn't be unusual for common Ylisseans to recognize him on sight. Robin could easily go with it, he was good at improvising on the spot...
But doing so would ruin all the carefully lain plans he'd already put in place, and there hadn't been time to prepare the necessary background for any story other than the one he was ordered to play.
"No, actually." Robin frowned, shaking his head slightly. "I...It's strange... Your name, it just...came to me." Inwardly he cringed. Just how much more suspicious could he get?
Chrom's eyebrow migrated further upwards. "...Hmm, how curious. Tell me, what is your name? What brings you here?"
"My name is... It's... Hmm?" Robin winced and pressed a hand to his head for added effect, feigning confusion.
"You don't know your own name?" If Chrom was concerned before he was definitely worried now, giving him the same expression one might give a wounded stranger.
It was incredible how trusting and naive this prince was. Robin played up his confusion a bit more, looking around to stare at their surroundings. "I'm not sure if...I'm sorry, but where am I, exactly?" He used the chance to solidly ground himself in the setting; in front of him was Chrom, the girl, and a tall knight who was eyeing him with a clearly distrustful expression. On the road behind them were two horses - one of them lightly saddled, the other a warhorse in full armor. In the worst case scenario Robin thought he could probably take all of them on, or at least hold them off long enough to escape.
Fortunately the worse case scenario was momentarily averted when the girl fell for his bait hook, line, and sinker. "Hey, I've heard of this! It's called amnesia!"
"It's called a load of pegasus dung," the knight spoke up for the first time since Robin 'woke up', staring intently at the supposed amnesiac. "We're to believe you remember milord's name, but not your own?"
"B-but it's the truth!" For a stretched definition of the truth, anyway. Robin's name - his real name, the one given to him by the only one who mattered - was technically not his own.
Chrom looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "What if it IS true, Frederick? We can't just leave him here, alone and confused. What kind of Shepherds would we be then?"
What kind of Shepherds indeed. They were famous for their kindness and compassion, for always helping people who needed their help. It was a trait that endeared them to the citizens of Ylisse, and it was what ultimately made Robin's gambit possible to pull off.
"Just the same, milord, I must emphasize caution. 'Twould not do to let a wolf into our flock."
"Right then - we'll take him back to town and sort this out there."
Yes! Robin fought to keep down his elated grin, instead frowning and taking a step backwards as he feigned indignation. "Wait just one moment. Do I have a say in this?"
"Peace, friend." Chrom gave him a reassuring smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I promise we'll hear all you have to say back in town. Now come."
The first step of his mission was complete, but now came the crucial part. Chrom was more trusting than Robin had initially thought, but even he wouldn't accept just any random stranger into his ranks. Robin would have to show that he was a valuable ally and a potential friend. Luckily he had just the pawns to do it.
He waited until the town came into view before speaking up, doing his best to project an air of annoyance. "What will you do with me? Am I to be your prisoner?"
Chrom chuckled. "You'll be free to go once we establish you're no enemy of Ylisse."
'Sorry, I don't plan on getting caught and you're not getting rid of me anytime soon'. Robin switched from annoyance to confusion in the space of one blink. "Is that where we are? Ylisse?"
"You've never heard of the halidom?" The knight snorted. "Ha! Someone pay this actor. He plays quite the fool! The furrowed brow is especially convincing..."
'Thank you. I literally spent months in front of the mirror practicing my acting skills.'
"Frederick, please." Chrom sighed and turned back to Robin with a smile. "This land is known as the Halidom of Ylisse. Our ruler, Emmeryn, is called the exalt. I suppose proper introductions are in order... My name is Chrom - but then, you already knew that. The delicate one here is my little sister, Lissa."
"I am NOT delicate!" Lissa stomped her feet and threw up her hands, sticking out her tongue at Chrom's amused face. "Ignore my brother, please. He can be a bit thick sometimes. But you're lucky the Shepherds found you. Brigands would've been a rude awakening!"
Robin didn't have to fake his smile this time; after weeks with Garrick's band he whole-heartedly agreed that the brigands would've given him quite the rude awakening - just not in the way Lissa was probably thinking. Then...back to confusion. He was already beginning to hate this facial expression. "Shepherds? You tend sheep?" He looked between Chrom and Lissa, then turned to stare at the knight leading his armored horse. "...In full armor?"
"Heh, it's a dangerous job. Just ask Frederick the Wary here."
"A title I shall wear with pride. Gods forbid one of us keeps an appropriate level of caution." Frederick ignored Chrom's subtle jab, suspicion still clear on his face. "I have every wish to trust you, stranger, but my station mandates otherwise."
"I understand, sir. I would do no less myself," Robin said quietly, completely truthful for the first time. Then it was back to lies a moment later. "My name is Robin." The words, once so foreign and clumsy on his tongue, came smoothly without effort. He briefly stopped walking and blinked, letting surprise flash over his face. "...I just remembered that. How odd. I suppose that's one mystery solved."
"Chrom, look!" Lissa cried, pointing off into the distance. "The town!"
They all turned to stare at the black smoke drifting into the sky, Chrom and Frederick in growing horror and Robin in silent approval.
"Damn it! The town is ablaze! Those blasted brigands no doubt..." Chrom's previous easygoing nature had vanished, leaving in its wake a determined warrior. "Frederick, Lissa! Quickly!" Swiftly he remounted his horse and pulled Lissa on behind him.
Frederick glanced at Robin. "What about him?"
"Unless he's on fire as well, it can wait!"
"Aptly put, milord."
"Let's go already!"
Robin raised an eyebrow as the horses galloped off, leaving him alone on the road. Well, it looked like the Shepherds' whole knights in shining armor reputation wasn't under exaggerating at all. Although leaving a supposed amnesiac all by himself in a strange territory with bandits nearby was a bit irresponsible of them...still, they probably had bigger things on their mind right now.
The pawns were in place. Time for him to make his move.