Chaos. Chaos everywhere. The woods were ablaze, trees collapsing under their own weight and coming down in thunderous roars. Smoke filled the air, covering the night sky. Where there was once life and foliage there was now only death and devastation. People and animals running around screaming in panic, trying to get away.
Amongst the chaos one little girl was running around, desperately looking for her family. She raised one of her long, rabbit like ears, trying her hardest to distinguish any of their voices amongst the sea of screams; but it was too much for her and she wasn't getting anywhere. She scanned through her people, all of them doing their best to put out the flames and fight off the invaders, but it was no use. The fire was spreading too quickly, and there were too many men carrying weapons for them to fight them all off.
She heard a loud crack and looked up in time to see a large burning trunk falling down on her. She screamed and jumped out of the way just in time, through the flames signed some of the fur on her neck and arms. She was about to get up when she felt something hard pushing her face first onto the ground, pinning her in her place.
"Well, well, looks like I got myself a small one," she heard a gruff voice laugh above her. She then felt something sharp and cold tracing circles at the back of her neck, "not a lot of pelt to be got off you, but I'm sure you'd make some fine stuffing for a fancy pair of gloves."
She could feel her heart racing in fear, causing her to shake uncontrollably. She tried to get out from under the man's boot, but he would not budge and kept her pinned down.
"Aww, is the little bunny scared? Don't worry; I'll make it quick," she felt the knife pull back from her neck. She closed her eyes, ready for it to be over already.
"Gah!" She suddenly felt the weight pressing down on her lift off. She turned around and saw a familiar lean figure holding the man down, struggling to keep him still.
"Panne run!" The figure yelled.
"Kotto!" She yelled recognizing her brother.
"Stop talking and get out of—GAH!" He was cut off when the hunter plunged his knife between his ribs before pushing him off. The taguel fell on his side, clutching his heavily bleeding wound. He looked at his terrified sister, knowing that he didn't have much time left. He pulled out his beast stone and slid it towards her.
"P-Panne...go..." He coughed weakly.
"Kotto..."
"You miserable runt," the man growled grabbing Kotto by the ear and pulling him up roughly, "if you're so keen on dying then the brat can wait her turn."
"Stop!" Panne yelled grabbing the beast stone.
The man pressed the knife on her brother's neck.
"STOOOOOOP!"
"AWOO!" Panne roared in her sleep, her hands clawing at the sheets on her bed. Her face was contorting in pain, her breathing was becoming erratic, and her body beginning to shake violently.
Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her in close, holding her against a man's chest. He was young, with messy white hair, and light brown skin. He was her husband, the Shepherd's tactician, Robin.
And this was not the first time this had happened.
"Panne, Panne! It's a dream. It's just a dream," He held her close, talking to her in a soft soothing voice.
"G-guh!" The taguel groaned, continuing to thrash in his arms.
"Panne please...come back," he whispered softly.
Suddenly he felt her arms wrap around him, clutching back tightly and tearing through his nightshirt and into his skin. He gasped in pain before biting his tongue down to stop himself.
"I'LL...KILL...YOU!" Panne snarled in her sleep. The beast stone that laid on the nightstand next to the bed began to glow, and Robin could feel her hand digging deeper into his skin as they began sprouting claws.
"HNNNG!" Robin grunted, feeling her body muscles tighten and her hands beginning to drag down his back. He knew that if he didn't stop, she would finish transforming and tear him apart in her sleep. He leaned closer and began whispering something softly in her ear, knowing that her hearing was much stronger and sensitive than a humans. Slowly her body began to relax and her breathing slowed. He could feel her claws retracting back and soon her arms loosened and let him go. She was still shaking slightly and was in a cold sweat, but at least she had calmed down.
ThanK Naga, Robin sighed kissing the top of her head and holding her tightly. His ease didn't last long, as he felt a searing pain running through his back, blood still coming out of the deep wounds his wife had inflicted on him.
Healer. I need a healer.
With great strain he got out of bed and limped out of the room. They were currently residing in a small in near the border with Regna Ferox; Chrom had sent a small band of Shepherds lead by Robin in order to escort the new ambassador from Ylisse. Including Robin and Panne there were only five Shepherds in this mission, and he needed one of them right now.
He felt a twang of pain shoot through his spine, forcing him to clamp his hand over his mouth before he could yelp in pain. He fell down to his knees, the corridor suddenly feeling like it was spinning around him. He tried to get up but the pain kept causing him to stumble back down. Grunting in pain and forcing his mind to focus he dragged himself forward until he reached the door he was looking for. With great effort he managed to clench his hand into a fist and bang on the door a couple of times, praying to whatever God was listening that he would hear him.
After what seemed like an eternity the door creaked open slowly, revealing a man with flowing, long, blonde hair standing before him. The man was still half asleep, rubbing his eyes in annoyance.
"Whomever you are, I would hope that you have disturbed me at this hour for nothing less than an emergen..cy," he looked around confused at what appeared to be an empty corridor.
"Down here Libra," Robin said weakly.
The priest look down and his eyes went wide at the sight of his friend on the ground bleeding heavily, "Robin?!"
"I think I might need a healing staff," Robin coughed before his body gave out under him. Libra wasted no time and helped him to his feet, putting the tactician's arm around his neck and carrying the barely conscious man inside. He laid him down face first on his mattress and began rummaging through his bag.
"Stay with me Robin; do not pass out," Libra ordered pulling out a mend staff and rushing back to his friend's side. He placed it over his back and began muttering a healing incarnation as the staff began to glow. Soon the wounds on Robin's back stopped bleeding and began closing up. Libra muttered another incarnation and the staff began to grow hot, burning the tactician's back where the wounds where and sealing them shut. Robin gripped the mattress tightly, clenching his jaw in order to not cry out in pain. After a few minutes the process was done, leaving the poor man exhausted.
"Thanks Libra," Robin croaked.
"Do not get up yet; you have lost a lot of blood and we need to replenish your strengths," the priest grabbed an elixir from his things and walked over to the head of the mattress. He opened the bottle and gently placed it on Robin's lips, "drink this, it will help."
Robin slowly began drinking the elixir with Libra tipping the bottle in order to make it less difficult for him. Once it was empty he laid his head down again, feeling it's effects beginning to spread through his body, "than you. I feel much better."
"Give it a few minutes, you'll be as good a new," Libra smiled at him. However his face fell as he continued, "I'm afraid, unfortunately, that there will be quite some scarring on your back Robin."
"What else is new?" Robin chuckled before wincing in pain. The monk didn't share his myrrh, instead sighing deeply as he looked at his friend's body; his back had several scars running across it, and his arms, legs, and chest were no better. He had treated most of the wounds and knew that some of them were the inevitable result of the lifestyle Robin—and the rest of the Shepherds—lived.
At the same time he knew that many of them were not.
"How is Panne?"
"Sleeping," Robin answered quickly, not wanting to dwell on the subject.
"Night terrors again?"
"She's fine, don't worry about it."
"When my friends are troubled I can't help but worry about it Robin; especially when one of them comes to me in the middle of the night with his back shredded and at death's door," Libra said sternly.
"...she's getting better, I swear. It's been months since the last...incident," Robin mumbled.
"That may be true, but it's still an issue. Perhaps she can't fully fix this problem on her own and requires some help. I would be more than happy to assist her, I've had my share of experiences in helping people purge their inner demons and find some sort of peace in their lives. I know that Panne can bit stubborn at times, but she will listen to you. If you were able to talk to her about this before, I'm sure you can do it again without much difficulty right?."
Robin didn't answer.
"...you did tell her about it, right Robin?"
The tactician refused to look him the eye.
"Robin..." Libra's tone began to rise.
"It's possible that we...never actually...talked about it," Robin coughed nervously.
"What?!" Libra said loudly, causing the tactician to look up at him and glare at him to quiet down. The priest, however, was having none of that, "how could you be so irresponsible?! Do you not understand the seriousness of this situation, or do you just not care?!"
"Keep it down!" Robin whispered fiercely, "you're going to wake up the entire inn."
"I'm ending this right now. If you won't tell Panne then I will."
"Leave her out of this!" Robin forced himself up, ignoring the searing pain shooting through his body.
"Leave her out of this? Robin, she is part of this! Look at yourself; she's the reason why your back was almost torn open tonight. Your negligence is hurting you, and, should something serious happen to you, will hurt her too."
"Leave my wife out of this Libra," Robin repeated sternly.
Libra shook his head, "no. I will not stand by and just watch you suffer in silence. It's my duty to put a stop to this, not only as your healer but as your friend. I care about your wellbeing, as well as Panne's. I'm sorry Robin, but Panne needs to know about this; we need to get her the proper help she needs."
Libra turned towards the door, but Robin grabbed his shoulder stopping him, "you gave me your word."
Damn it... Libra cursed internally.
"When I first came to you I said that I needed your help in a delicate and private matter. That I couldn't tell anyone else but you, not even Chrom; and you gave me your word as a man of the cloth that you wouldn't tell anyone, that you would carry my secret with you to the grave. Does your word mean so little then? Was that a but a hollow promise that could be broken at any time?"
"….that was a low blow Robin," Libra sighed, slumping his shoulder dejectedly in defeat.
"Forgive me my friend. I know that you are only concerned for my well being and only wish to help us; but I ask that you trust me on this. I know what I'm doing, and I am willing to do everything that I must do; but I have to do it alone. I can't...no, I won't drag my wife into this."
Panne stirred in her sleep, a strong smell causing her to wrinkle her face in disgust. She fluttered her eyes open, stretched her limbs, and turned to her husband's side of the bed, "Robin?"
He wasn't there.
He must have gotten up to use the chamber room.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes, still drowzee. She looked around the room, trying to identify the source of the smell that had woken her up. She sniffed the air, noticing that it was closer than she thought. In fact it smelled like it was right next to her. She looked down and froze. Robin's side of the bed was splattered with blood, which trailed all the way to the open door leaving the room.
No...no!
She jumped out of the bed and grabbed her beast stone and her taguel armor. Putting it on she then pulled his pillow out of the bed, giving it a strong whiff. Once she had his scent she sniffed the air until she found it again, almost hidden by several other smells and scents from the inn but definitely his.
"Hold on Robin I'm coming."
And I will destroy whomever hurt you.
She began following the scent through the corridor, ignoring the trail of blood that was heading the same direction. Seeing it brought back memories that she didn't want to dwell on, memories of the past about her family; if something similar had happened to Robin...
He's not dead. That might not be his blood. He's not dead. He's not dead, Panne repeated in her head, pushing those thoughts out of her head.
Please Naga don't let him be dead...
Eventually his scent lead her to a door at the end of the corridor. She was about to tear it down when she heard voiced speaking on the other side; and one of them was unmistakably Robin's.
"I won't drag my wife into this."
"Your dedication to Panne is admirable," she recognized that voice belonging to Libra, "but at the same time foolish and perhaps even reckless."
"I'm just doing what any man who loves his wife would do."
"Except that not every man has a wife that mauls them in their sleep."
What?! Panne could feel a pit forming in her stomach.
"You're blowing this out of proportion..."
"Robin do you know how deep your wounds were tonight? Had Panne dug her claws any deeper, she could have reached your spinal cord and severed some critical nerves located there. You might have never been able to walk again; more importantly, you wouldn't have been able to come to me for help and you would have bled out."
"But it didn't happen, so let's not dwell on it."
"You can't avoid this forever Robin. There will be a time when I, or any other healer, won't be around to help you. What if Panne has another episode and you can't get the help you need? You claim want to protect your wife and not drag her into this. But ask yourself this: what will happen the day she wakes up and finds her husband dead by her own hand?"
Those words felt like a knife being pushed into Panned's chest and then twisting slowly and painfully. She looked down at her hands and saw that they indeed had traces of blood on the tips. She stifled a sob coming out, her chest tightening as she struggled to breathe. The realization that she had been hurting Robin all of this time was too much for her to process.
"It...won't happen," she heard Robin say weakly, though it was clear that even he didn't fully believe it. Feeling her anger rise because of his foolishness, Panne grabbed the door handle and was ready to barge in and confront Robin when Libra's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"If you won't let me tell Panne the truth, then at least tell me. Why are you going through such lengths to keep this hidden for her? And don't just say that it's what any man would do; I find it hard to believe that no man would, at the very least, bring the issue up with the one they loved for their own safety. It's one thing to care for your wife's well being, but's another thing to completely disregard your own well being for their's. So tell me, what is really going on?"
That question made Panne let go of the handle, her curiosity getting the best of her. For a while there was nothing but silence at the other side of the door. Panne put her ear closer, thinking that perhaps they were talking in a lower volume, but to no avail. Just silence.
Eventually Robin sighed and spoke up.
"Did you know that the first time I proposed to Panne...she rejected me?"
"What?"
"A while back, I had decided that I was going to propose to her. After spending so much time with her, fighting together in the battlefield, helping her settle in the Shepherds, and cooking carrot soup that no one else but her would eat, I came to realized that I loved her. I loved her smile, I loved her beauty, I loved her grace, I loved everything about her; but more importantly, I couldn't stand seeing her alone and in pain. Even after she warmed up to the Shepherds I could tell that part of her was still hurting because of the loss of her people. She even confided in my once that no matter where she went she felt that she would always be alone. It pained me to see her like that, and I wanted to make sure that she never felt that way again. So I went down to the jeweler and bought a ring. I presented it to Panne and told her how I felt, poured my heart and soul to her, and asked her to marry me. And she said no."
Robin paused, the memory clearly a painful one for him.
"I was...devastated. Actually no, that's an understatement. There is no way I can properly describe how I felt when she said that. But I decided that there was nothing I could do about it but respect her wishes and go on with my life. Easier said than done though; every day I found myself wallowing in my own sadness, struggling to get out of bed half the time. But I didn't let anyone else know it, and made sure that it didn't affect my work. It was no easy task, but I managed to pull through. I thought that would be the end of that, until I started noticing something. She was avoiding me; and I don't just mean just ignoring me and just walking the other way when she saw me. She would seclude herself away from the camp when, cutting off all her ties with the Shepherds. All the progress and friendships she had made in the past year she just ended all of them, refusing to associate with anyone else. At one point she even refused to come into camp during meals time, foraging her own food instead."
"Now that you mention it I do recall a time when Panne seemed to disappear from the camp for long periods of time," Libra said.
"Exactly. I think the only reason she didn't just up and leave was because of the debt she felt she owed the Exhalt. Some of the other Shepherds tried to talk to her, mostly Olivia, Ricken, Gregor, and Kellam, but she just pushed them away. She even went as far as to swipe at Henry when he wouldn't leave her alone. I wanted to talk to her, but I thought that would only make the situation worse. And then it started affecting her performance in the battlefield. She would disregard all tactics and just charge ahead, not even waiting for backup. She put herself in danger more times than I can count, some of them almost proving to be fatal. She wouldn't even let the healers properly take care of her, running off as soon as she could stand again. That was when I realized that the situation had gone too far. It was one thing for her to avoid me and the others, but it was another for her to just recklessly jump into danger as if she had a death wish. So I finally decided to confront her about it."
A year ago
Robin stormed into the forest where the others had seen Panne last. He was beyond angry at this point, he was absolutely livid. During the last battle he had given clear instructions that Panne remained back with Cordelia and Sumia due to reports that the scouts had presented about the possibility of the enemy cavalry possessing beast slaying weapons. However, once the battle began Panne immediately charged ahead and broke through the enemy lines; and it turned out that the reports were true and the enemy troops possed beast slaying spears—though thankfully no where near as many as they had initially believed. Because of this she suffered a serious injury on her hind leg, the weapon going as far as puncturing through her bone, and leaving her unable to fight back or even retreat. It was only thanks to Frederic, Stahl, and Sully's timing that she was still alive, though that also resulted in them and their respective mounts some injuries of their own. What really set Robin off was that after the battle was won, Libra had barely closed the wound on Panne's leg when she simply got up and left the campgrounds, not even thanking them for their help.
Enough is enough Robin gritted his teeth as he made his way through the woods I'm going to put a stop to this; I'm done giving her space. I won't allow her to keep acting out in a way that puts her or anyone else in danger.
After walking around for a few minutes Robin finally spotted Panne. She had her back turned at him, and was leaning against an oak tree. He head was hunched down and she seemed to be distracted, allowing Robin to walk up to her without being noticed.
"Panne!" He called out.
Upon hearing him Panne jolted up, turning around to confirm that it was him. She made a run for it, put suddenly yelped in pain and fell on the ground, clutching her leg against her chest. As much as Robin wanted to help her, part of him was glad that she couldn't just run off now; and another smaller part of him couldn't help but think that she brought this on herself.
"We need to talk."
"Get away from me, man-spawn," Panne growled refusing to look at him.
"Really? We're back to that? Fine, call me whatever you want, but we're still having this conversation; and the sooner you sit still and listen the sooner we can get you to a healer so that they can finish fixing your leg."
"I'm fine, not leave me be."
"You can't even stand up!"
"Yes I can! Watch—gah!" She cried out in pain and fell back down.
"Panne enough of this! You could have died out there today! Not only that, but you also put the others in danger! I don't know what has gotten into you lately, but you need to stop now. If you no longer wish to fight alongside the Shepherds, then you can just leave. I'll have Chrom absolve you of any debt you feel you might have towards the Exhalt family and you'll be free to go; but as long as you are here you will fight alongside your comrades and follow orders. And right now I am ordering you to go to a healer!" Robin snapped grabbing her arm.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Panne roared tackling the tactician and pinning him down. Robin groaned in pain, feeling the taguel holding his arms wide and straddling his legs, completely immobilizing him. He looked up just as he felt something drip onto his face. Looking at Panne he could see her face contorted in pain and anger, panting heavily as she looked down at him; but then he noticed something else...
"Panne...were you crying?"
Realizing that Robin had caught her Panne quickly got off of him, but not before Robin felt it drip on his face again, confirming his accusation.
"You were crying."
"No," Panne said trying to sound fierce but coming out muddled.
"What going on Panne?" Robin asked sitting up next to her.
She didn't answer.
"Look I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to, but I'm am worried about you. Even if you hate me, I still—"
"You think I hate you?!" Panne snapped turning to face the shocked tactician, revealing tears forming in her eyes, "you think I've been avoiding you because I hate you?! Because you're wrong! In fact you couldn't be further from the truth! I don't hate you, I love you!"
Realizing what she had just said the taguel's face turned bright red and she went quiet. Robin didn't say anything either due to him feeling overwhelmed with emotions; shock, joy, elation, disbelief, but most importantly confusion.
"You...love me?" He asked tentatively, afraid that she would deny it again.
Panne didn't answer.
"B-but the day I asked you to marry me—"
"Was the happiest day of my life," Panne cut him off softly, still refusing to look him in the eye, "after what happened to my warren I never thought that I would find someone else to love, much less that that person would love me back. Then I met you, and you proved me wrong both times. When you asked me to be your mate...I wanted nothing more than to say yes right then and there. Instead I rejected you, and tried to cut myself from you entirely."
"...and these past few months?"
"I...I just wanted to be alone. Everywhere I went I was reminded of you and your proposal, as well as my rejection. It tore me up inside, and I didn't want to drag anyone else into my misery. Even in the battlefield I would have rather been cut down by myself rather than dragging everyone else with me. If I died...then at least I wouldn't have to remember about not accepting your love for me."
"Then why didn't you?"
"...I couldn't...I can't..."
"Why can't you? You said that you loved me, and I made it clear that I did too when I proposed. So what was the problem?"
"The problem is that I am a taguel!" Panne got up, ignoring the pain shooting through her leg as she tried to get away.
"You think I didn't know that?" Robin followed her, barring her way, "Panne I was well aware of your heritage when I proposed. Your race was never even a factor for consideration. I wouldn't have care that you were human, manakete, or taguel. You would have still been you, the woman who I loved and decided to spend the rest of my life with."
"Spend the rest of your life with me? Do even you know what that means?" Panne asked angrily, "you would turn yourself into an outcast who would be forever shunned for marrying something not human. You could never live near a human city again, not even Ylisse."
"So we'd live in a small house in the fields, or maybe a cottage in the woods. That wouldn't be an issue."
"And what about your safety? You know how many humans are still looking for me in order to stuff and mount me in their homes? Do you think they would stop just because they learned that the taguel they were hunting married a human? No! If anything they would kill that human first for doing something like that. How could I stay with you knowing that at any minute someone might come looking for me and kill you in the process? If something were to happen to you..."
"I am more than able to take care of myself; and if anyone comes close to you, if they try to harm you in any way, I would make sure that they never walk again. Together we've fought off so much worse in the battlefield, do you honestly think we'd be in any more danger in real life?"
"Robin you...you just don't understand..." Panne struggled.
"Then explain it to me!"
"IT'S NOT NATURAL!" Panne yelled.
"...what?"
"Shape shifters and humans...they aren't suppose to be together. That's what we are told from a young age, and I assume it's the same for human children. Even if we look alike, we aren't; we are two completely different species. That's why humans and shapeshifters have never really mingled together. Nature clearly created us differently, and we must remain that."
"So you're just going to ignore what you want because "nature" says so? Panne that makes no sense. Just because your people can shape shift and mine can't doesn't mean anything. We still have hearts, minds, souls; deep down we're not different at all."
"But we are!"
"No, we're not!"
"You just don't understand how this works!" Panne said angrily, tears forming in her eyes, "this has never happened before, so there's no way of knowing what could result from it! What is we anger the gods, or upset the natural balance of the world? I want...I want to be with you, more than anything. But I don't have it in me to take that risk-MMMPH!"
She was suddenly cut off when Robin leaned in, gently lifted her chin and gently pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes went wide with shock, unsure of what to do or if this was even real.
But she didn't pull away.
After a while Robin stopped and pulled back, his calm expression focused on Panne's shocked expression, "I do. If it means having even the smallest moment of happiness with you, I am willing to risk everything."
"R-Robin..."
The tactician leaned forward and kissed her again, his arms wrapping around her and holding her close. Before she realized what she was doing, the taguel closed her eyes and returned the kiss, her arms slowly going around his neck.
Eventually Robin stopped and smiled at her, "see? I kissed a taguel, and nothing happened. The gods didn't come down to set the world on fire, the ground didn't open up and swallow everything, and there is no see of locust spreading faming and plague. There is nothing wrong or unnatural about this. Love is love, regardless of who is involved; and I love you Panne."
"Why? Why do you love me even after everything I've done to you?" Panne asked him.
"Because I do. Because I see myself spending the rest of my life by your side, and just the thought of that makes me happier than I thought possible. Because just thinking about you lights up my day, even when all seems hopeless and dark. And because seeing you alone and tormented feels like a stake being driven through my chest. I can't stand seeing you suffer like that Panne, and I want to make sure you never do; and I know exactly how to ensure that."
Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small box that looked familiar to the taguel.
"That's…"
"I held on to it ever since that day. Part of me thought I should have returned it and moved on; but another part of me just couldn't bring itself to do it. I guess, deep down, I was hoping that you would change your mind."
"…you do understand what this will mean for you right?"
"I do."
"And you are still willing to go through with it?"
"For you I'd do anything Panne."
Panne hesitated, feeling her defenses crumble around her, "Robin….please….I don't want to hurt you."
Robin leaned down and planted another kiss on her lips, though this one was a quick one, "you could never hurt me Panne any more than you are now. Seeing you in pain is worse than anything you or anyone else could do to me. Please, let me help you. Let me make you happy," he opened the box to reveal a silver ring adorned with gold sitting in the middle.
"Will you marry me?"
After what seemed like an eternity she finally looked up to him, tears in her eyes and a smile in her face, "yes."
"And the rest...well you know the rest," Robin said finishing the second elixir that Libra had giving him.
"Indeed. I always did find it odd how you Panne just appeared back in camp as if nothing happened," Libra mused taking the empty bottle from Robin and putting it away with his staff, "though, to be honest, that still doesn't fully explain why you wish to hide this from your wife."
"She said that one of the things that scared her about accepting my proposal was that she was afraid of hurting me; and that was in the metaphorical sense, imagine what would happen if she found out she was literally hurting me."
"I would assume that she would be concerned, as would any loving, and quite frankly sane, wife would."
"No I know that but..." Robin sighed, "what if she...what if she sees it as proof that we shouldn't be together; that it's a sign that our marriage is a bad thing and that we're being "punished" for it?"
"Do you think it is?"
"No, I never thought that. I always thought that was nothing but baseless hear say; but Panne did and, well, I'm not sure if she ever got over it. I...I'm afraid that if I tell her the truth, I'm going to lose her.I know it's selfish but I...I just..."
Libra sat next to his friend, "Robin, I understand how you're feeling. You love your wife, and you don't want to hurt her or lose her. But you can't build a healthy relationship on lies. It's admirable that you care for Panne the way that you do, though it is less admirable that you're perhaps thinking a bit more about your own desires at your core. I gave you my word that I wouldn't tell her, and I will keep my word; but I still believe it would be both for the both of you if you tell her the truth."
Robin sighed, "I don't know. Maybe you're right. I...I just need some time to think," he got up and stretched his back, noticing that most of the pain was gone, "I better get back to bed before she wakes up and think of what to say when she sees the blood in the bed. Goodnight Libra."
"Sleep well Robin," Libra nodded.
Robin opened the door only to find Panne standing on the other side glaring at him.
"Panne? What are y-"
*SMACK*
Suddenly Robin fell back on to the floor, his hand moving up to his stinging face. He looked up and saw his wife with her hand raised across her chest, her whole body trembling.
"P-Panne?"
The taguel didn't answer, turning around and marching away from the priest's room without even giving Robin a sideways glance.
"Panne wait!" Robin called out after her, scrambling to get up and catch up with his wife.
Libra sighed and shook his head, "best of luck to you my friend. You are going to need it," he muttered closing the door behind him.
Robin sprinted to their room but unfortunately he was too late as she ha entered and slammed the door behind her before he could reach her, followed by the distinctive click of the lock being turned. Robin grabbed the handle and shook it as hard as he could, but in vain.
"Panne?...Panne please, open the door," he said continuing to move the handle.
No answer.
"Panne I...I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out like this. Please, let me in so we can talk. Please?" Robin said softly.
Silence.
I guess I have no choice. I'm going to owe the owner an apology and some gold tomorrow morning, Robin sighed letting go of the handle and pointing his index finger into the keyhole. He muttered an incarnation under his breath, followed by some sparks of electricity shooting out of his finger and into the hole. After a few more tries he heard something snap, followed by the door creaking open allowing him to slide inside the room. He saw Panne lying in their cot already, her back turned to the door and making no acknowledgement of him entering the room.
"Panne?"
"What is it?"
"Can we please talk?"
"You can, but I can't promise anything," she said without looking at him.
"Fair enough, I guess I deserve that," Robin made his way to the bed tentatively; he raised his leg onto the mattress, waiting to see if she stirred. When she didn't he slowly lowered himself down until he was lying next to her, staring at the back of her head, "I'm sorry."
"I heard you the first time."
Robin couldn't help but cringe at that remark, but he wasn't about to give up. He reached out and put his arm around his wife's waist, even though part of him knew that there was a good chance that she would get up and leave because of it. Fortunately she didn't, she simply laid completely still. Robin scooted over until he was only centimeters away from her soft, flowing hair.
"It's not as bad as it seems, I swear," he spoke softly.
"You still should have told me."
"I'm sorry I was...afraid. Afraid of how you might react to it. That you would be worried that you were hurting me."
"Well how am I suppose to react to it? Should I be jolly and simply make a joke of it? Or perhaps I should just ignore it and pretend like it never happened?"
"It's not like that Panne. The worst of the pain is already gone, and I know you would never intentionally hurt me."
"That's not the problem here," Panne turned her head to face him, "yes I am upset that I did that to you, but I'm even more upset that you would keep it a secret from me and I had find out this way. The priest was right Robin; if one day I had woken up and found you dead by my hand..." She couldn't finish.
Robin sighed and pressed his forehead against hers, "I know, I know, it was foolish of me to not tell you. I just...I just don't want to lose you over this."
Panne was silent for a moment. Then she gently pressed her lips against his for a soft kiss before pulling back, "I know I was hesitant before, and you have every right to fear that doubt may get the best of me because of that. But know this: there is no more doubt in my mind or my heart. You are everything to me, and I will never leave you my love."
"Panne..."
"But," she cut him off, "I won't stand for anymore secrecy. As your mate I ask that you no longer keep anything hidden from me, that you tell me the truth at all times. Are we clear?"
"Crystal," Robin nodded.
"Then let's try it out," she turned her whole body around until he was facing him, her ears perking up and her hands reaching out to Robin's face. The tactician knew that lying to Panne would be impossible now, with her listening closely to his heart rate and basically holding his gaze on her's so he wouldn't look away.
"Has this happened before?"
"Yes."
"How many times since we've been married?"
"Counting tonight, twice."
"Hmmm," Panne closed her eyes and sighed, not wanting to think about how much she had hurt Robin but refusing to stop. She opened her eyes again, "how bad was it last time?"
"Not as bad as tonight. The worst of it was to my shoulder."
Panne removed one of her hands from his face and moved to his chest, feeling every scar adorning his body, "how many of these are my doing?"
"A few, though no more than half."
"...do you promise to tell me if it ever happens again?"
"If that is what you want, then yes," Robin answered sincerely, taking her hand and kissing it softly.
"Thank you," Panne smiled at him, "one last question; how do you...stop me?"
Robin gave her a warm smile, "like this," he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. Leaning in he then whispered into her ear softly, "and I tell you the same thing I said on our wedding day."
You are my everything, and being by your side is the greatest joy I will ever experience.I will always be here for you, for I am yours now and forever, and I will never leave you. I love you Panne, now and until the end of time.
Author's note: aaaaaand I'm back. With a one shot this time concerning one of my favorite girls in Awakening. What can I say? Panne is a great character and I wished there were more fics about her. So I wrote one. Turns out I can write more than just over dramatic, melancholic, drawn out stories. I can also write over dramatic short stories with sappy endings.
So yeah, not much to say about this one. Now that I got this out of the way I can begin working on the next chapter of "To Change the Past, to Save the Future", as well as the next chapter of "The Ylissean and the Plegian" (which people are actually looking forward to, so no pressure or anything)
See you soon!