The field was silent, with the exception of the grass blowing in the wind, which suited Robin just fine. It let him focus on what was really important, Lucina holding a very sharp sword to his throat. This was pathetic, to think that he, the genius tactician that led Chrom's Shepherds to victory, would die at the hands of one of his closest allies.

Robin had met Lucina over a year ago…

At first he'd written her off as being another one of Chrom's fangirls. However, that all changed when he noticed the mark in her eye. After that he assumed she was a mysterious bastard child. He hadn't expected time-travel.

Lucina literally worming her way into his life had left him with a new perspective. Even still, sometimes he felt like Ichigo Kurosaki, down to the girl living in his closet, Only instead of hunting hollows he was looking for time-travelers and beating up cultists.

"Lucina please, just put the sword down. Let's talk about this…"

"After getting to know you I didn't want to believe it, but in the back of my mind I knew. Robin, you're the man who kills my father!"

"Bullshit!"

"You know it's true!"

"Lucina, I'm not going to kill Chrom!"

"You won't have a choice!" Shit. She had him there.

The Shepherds had gone to rescue Emmeryn and retrieve Sable from Plegia only to learn a chilling truth: Robin's father was the head of the evil Grimleal Cult, he could control Robin like a puppet, and Robin was the Felldragon's current Avatar. They'd been forced to flee with their tails between their legs after he'd manipulated Robin into giving him the Fire Emblem.

Honestly, Chrom's words were the only reason Robin wasn't dead right now. However, that would likely change once his father caught wind of the news.

"I won't lose my father again; we've already lost the Fire Emblem!"

He was tired of this, "Dammit, use your head here idiot! Killing me now accomplishes nothing! In case you forget, Chrom doesn't know you're his daughter from the future! He thinks you're just a fangirl who wants to bed him!"

Lucina flinched as Robin laid the truth bare. She'd was well aware just what her father thought of her. However, she couldn't falter! She had to avoid the bad ending! She'd promised her friends, swore on her parent's graves, she couldn't-!

"What's going on here?!" A booming voice demanded. Robin and Lucina both turned to the owner of said voice in horror, Chrom was glaring at the time-traveler with barely contained fury, and the duo gave him their best dear caught in the headlights impression's.

"Chrom?!"

"W-what are you doing here?!"

"Oh, you know, I was just wandering around and noticed you threatening my best friend!"

Lucina flinched at the venom behind his words and dropped her sword in shock. She tried to speak up, defend herself, anything! However, she was at a loss for words.

Dammit! This wasn't fair.

Thankfully, Robin came to her rescue.

"Relax, we're roleplaying."

"Roleplaying." Chrom asked, clearly not believing him. "In an empty field." He motioned to the field around them, "Alone. After what happened in Plegia? With a knock-off Falchion no less?!"

Robin looked at Lucina, then at Chrom. He looked his best friend straight in the eyes and answered, "Yes."

"Why?!"

"Authenticity?" Lucina chimed in. Robin chocked down a laugh. She'd come so far from the girl with no sense of humor!

"And we felt like everyone could use some cheering up." Robin added.

Chrom still looked skeptical, "So you're planning to put on a play huh, what's it called?"

"Roberella." A new voice chimed in from behind Lucina, who let out a horrified yelp before backing away. What was with everyone sneaking up on her today! Her cry caused the other two to jump and they glared at the newcomer.

"Tharja," Chrom muttered "You're involved with this farce too?"

"It's no farce Capitain. I've been planning it for months."

"Prove it."

"Are you calling me a liar? I'll curse the shit out of you! You'll have blue balls forever! Just think about how poor Olivia will feel, knowing that you'll never be able to give her the son she's always wanted?"

Chrom let out a frustrated sigh and Robin began to feel guilty. He didn't like lying to his friend.

But Lucina was an idiot, so it was a necessary evil. If it wasn't for him she would have dug her own grave months ago. He just hoped she'd hear him out. They could figure this out together. At the very least, he wanted to save Emmeryn.

"I'm sorry for doubting you two. Just, be careful okay? I know everyone's still reeling over the loss of the Fire Emblem but we can't let that ruin what we have!"

"Ah, that reminds me." Tharja spoke up and pulled out a sack. She tossed it to Chrom, who opened it, and he gaped like an idiot at what was inside, "I switched the gems with fakes a few days ago and forgot to tell anyone, sorry."

Chrom starred at Tharja.

Lucina starred at Tharja.

Robin starred at Tharja and asked what everyone was thinking, "Why?"

"I was curious." She answered, as if that answered everything.

Chrom laughed "Well, looks like we haven't completely lost. Good, without all five gems the Fire Emblem won't work. Seems Tharja's quirks saved us, thanks. I'm looking forward to that play you three." Chrom said, patting Tharja on the shoulder much to her annoyance, and laughing as he left the scene.

He'd completely forgotten why he'd come here in the first place.

The trio stood in silence for a good minute, watching him go, before Tharja spoke up.

"It's so nice that you've finally decided to help me with my masterpiece Robin~"

"Wait, you were serious?!"

"R-Roberella, it's real?!"

"Naturally, and now that you used it to ward off the captain I believe you're out of options."

Robin glared at the girl in front of him, "You planned this."

"No, I merely took advantage of the situation. I'll see you two at my room bright and early tomorrow." Tharja was lying through her teeth, truth was she'd known about The Dragon's Table incident for a while now, courtesy of Noire. Tharja would gladly exploit the girls lack of backbone if it meant she could keep Robin safe; besides it wasn't like the future hadn't already been changed. Whether she chose Validar's hope of Robin's Hope was irrelevant at this point. The multiverse was always moving so fate was always changing.

A pity so few of those time-travelers understood that.

Lucina began to cry.

"Hey, none of that. So what if Alter Validar made the Robin from your timeline kill Chrom. We'll figure something out." Robin said, picking up the Parallel Falchion and holding it out for the crying girl. Tharja looked on in disgust. "So get up, wipe those tears of yours and go to bed. We can discuss how we'll deal with this after dealing Tharja's stupid play."

"How rude." Tharja muttered from the side, she felt like the third wheel to the stupidest love story ever told.

Lucina nodded, Robin was right, together they could do the impossible. She'd forgotten that. She just had to believe, believe that by working together the future could be changed!


Meanwhile, at the Second Dragons Table…


Validar had just finished preforming the awakening ritual. However,

Nothing happened.

"I said awaken! Awaken! Awaken! Awaken! Awaken! Awaken!"

Nothing changed.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh! Robin!"

"Yes?" his super-duper genius school girl daughter asked.

"Not you, be gone whelp!" Validar demanded, pulling out a squirt bottle and spraying his daughter with it. He grabbed the Fire Emblem and threw it at her. She caught it after it bounced off her pigtailed head. The fake gems fell off too, in such a way that, it was a miracle Validar didn't notice the four were fakes earlier.

After all, they were cardboard cutouts.

"This is your fault, fix it!" Validar demanded before walking away fabulously.

Robin watched her father leave. She glanced down at the shield of seals, then at the direction her father had gone, then back at the shield. It only had one gem on it: Sable.

He expected her to retrieve the other four gems from a group of skilled Naga Zealots? Warriors who would happily gut her like a fish? Fighters that included her brother, his weirdo girlfriend, and their creepy stalker? Then bring the completed shield home?

Robin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The people of Ylisse weren't known for treating those who didn't worship their god with kindness.

"I knew there was a reason I killed him first." A hooded man muttered to himself after watching the scene play out from the shadows.

His sister would fail.

The Shepherds would regain the Fire Emblem, the final gem along with it, and preform the Awakening ritual.

Ylisse would once again pillage Plegia and the cycle would continue.

Grima sighed.

How boring.

A story where the outcome was already known wasn't fun at all. Ah well, in the end he'd never truly loose. His only bane was himself after all.

However, Lucina's face suddenly flashed across his mind. Unlike the majority of her allies that brat hadn't acted in a way he hadn't expected. Allying herself with his weaker self wasn't something he'd seen coming. He'd assume she'd antagonize him, like the rest of her bloodline had ultimately done in his timeline, yet instead they'd pushed him back at every turn.

Grima wondered if, perhaps, there was some worth in this timeline after all.