I don't own any of the Fire Emblem characters, they belong to Nintendo. WARNING: There are spoilers

Convoluted Fate

Chapter 1: Dark Present

-Robin's POV-

It had been three years since Grima awoke. I found it almost hard to believe that it had been fourteen years since I had been found by Chrom in the field.

"Aunt Robin?" Someone called.

I turned and found eleven-year-old Nah and nine-year-old Kana. "Yes, girls?"

"What were Father and Mother like?" Nah asked.

"Hmmm… Your mother was very brave and always had a smile on her face it seemed. Corrin, your father, was like a father to me. He was very kind, but he had many burdens in his past."

"…I wish I knew them as well as you did, Aunt Robin."

"I wish you did as well, Nah." I responded sadly. They would have had many years together if I had just been better.

"Bini? Are you alright?" Kana asked, using the same nickname she had given me when she was three.

"…I haven't been alright in a long time." The young Manakete hugged me. "Thank you, Kana." I whispered as I returned the embrace.

I found twelve-year-old Owain and nine-year-old Cynthia playing Justice Cabal. I didn't have the heart to correct their notion of noble wars and honorable fights. Their pretending was the one joy they had left in this desolate world.

"Ah, Aunt Robin!" The two exclaimed excitedly, waving me over. I couldn't help but smile a little bit. Several of the Shepherds' children called me Aunt.

"Hello, you two. So, who is the Justice Cabal defeating today?"

"Actually, we're practicing epic poses and heroic lines." Owain told me, smiling. It was a relief to see a genuine smile on my nephew's face. He didn't truly smile much anymore, ever since his parents' death.

"Oh, is that so?" The pair nodded vigorously. I giggled at their antics. The children always brought some joy back into my dark little world. She would have been ten…

"Hey, Aunt Robin?"

"What is it, Cynie?"

"What was my dad like?" Oh, gosh. How do I put Henry in a good light?

"He was… a very powerful mage and a good ally. He had his… quirks, but we cared for him just the same."

"Was he a hero?"

"Oh, very much so. Just like your mother was too."

The girl grinned. "When I'm bigger, I'm going to be a hero just like them!"

"I have no doubt that you will." I said, ruffling her silvery hair.

I found Laurent in his usual spot, the library of the castle. "What are you reading, Laurent?"

"A book about the Awakening ceremony." The quiet ten-year-old boy replied.

"The Awakening ceremony?" I repeated as I looked over his shoulder.

"It was a ceremony used by the first Exalt to fully awaken Falchion, giving it the ability to put the Fell Dragon to sleep."

"That may be useful." I commented.

"Indeed, but unfortunately, we lack the other four gems of the Fire Emblem and the emblem itself. The gems were taken from the Emblem and scattered after the Great Schism." Laurent shut the book and set it down.

"True, and Falchion has not chosen another wielder…" Would it have chosen her?

"Lady Robin?"

"Yes, Laurent?"

"Do you think I'm anything like my parents?" What's with the kids today, asking these questions about their parents?

"Hmm… You have Stahl's hair color, but otherwise your personality and habits are more in line with your mother's. Though, your father was quite interested in medicine like you."

"Do you think they would be proud of me?"

"Certainly." I told the budding young mage, ruffling his olive-brown hair. He gave me a rare smile, his russet eyes twinkling behind his glasses.

I walked out the old training grounds to practice my sword skills a little bit. "Have at you!" A young voice shouted from behind me.

I stepped to the side, grabbing the girl's spear as I did. Pulling the spear, I caused Kjelle to tumble forward weaponless.

"Oof…" Kjelle immediately got up and turned to me. "How do you always manage to disarm me?" The eleven-year-old girl asked, frustrated.

"Simple. You're trying to use a lancer's fighting style when you should be using a knight's style. However, you need to make a style that balances your weaknesses and strengths. You're swifter than most knights, but you still shouldn't rely on speed. On the other hand, you don't have the brute strength to stay in one place and fight off enemy after enemy."

"I… I think I understand."

"Just let me know if you don't understand or can't figure it out."

"Thanks, Aunt Robin."

"Anytime, Kjelle." I could sense that Kjelle was wondering about something else. "What's on your mind, Little Bull?"

"…I feel sometimes that I can't live up to my parents' legacy." I sat next to her.

"Kjelle… Your parents would be so proud of you. I know it. And I'll have you know, your mother wasn't always the super strong cavalier you knew. Sir Frederick was always defeating her in spars and there were a few times I did as well, despite being more magic-focused."

"Really?" Kjelle said, her dusty-rose eyes wide in shock. I nodded. "What about my dad?"

I let out a small laugh. "Honestly, Sully and I were among the few who could actually see Kellam most of the time. Your father inspired many a ghost tale among the troops."

"That's… really cool. My dad, the ghost knight."

I followed the sounds of a violin to the balcony overlooking Ylisstol. "You're getting better, Brady." I said. The song was over, but the last melancholic note hung in the air.

"I'm pretty sure Ma wouldn't say the same." The boy responded as he gently placed the instrument in its battered case.

"Hmm… Perhaps, but she always had high standards. Too high sometimes, I personally feel."

He leaned on the balustrade. "I miss my Pa and Ma."

"I know, Brady. But I think they would still be proud of you." I said as I joined him at the railing.

"You really think so?"

"Yes. Especially Donnel." I told the thirteen-year-old.

"Really?" "Yes. You know, it took the entire Plegia-Ylisse war for your mother to warm up to me. Though I think meeting your father helped accelerate the process."

"…Why didn't she like you, Aunt Robin?"

"I was impertinent and frank. I also refused her etiquette lessons. At one point, I had asked her why I should address her by her title when I didn't do the same with Lissa and Chrom. Hehe, the shade of red your mother's face turned."

Brady chuckled a bit. "What about Pa?"

"Oh, your father doted on me like I was his younger sister, despite being the younger one. We would hunt together and fish. And your father told the most wonderful stories."

Brady smiled and told me, "Talking 'bout my parents like this makes me miss them a little less 'cause it feels like they're here."

"Glad I could help, Brady."

I spotted a small figure with a wyvern beside it on the western portico of the castle. "Alone with Minerva again, Gerome?"

"Lady Robin." The nine-year-old greeted succinctly. I sat down next to Gerome. Minerva was perched on the castle wall beside her young rider.

"Why is it that whenever I find you alone, you're staring to the west?"

"Mother once spoke of a valley on the western continent, filled with wyverns."

"Ah, yes. Wyvern Valley. We never went in, but both your mother and Gregor had stories of the valley."

"Do you know if there's still wyverns there?"

"I'm not sure," I answered, reaching over and rubbing Minerva's scarred body, "I wish I knew, for your sake, Minerva." The wyvern lets out a plaintive rumble, gently nudging me with affection.

The young boy regarded his scaled companion and then me. "Minerva treats you as family. I've always wondered why."

"Well, your mother asked for my help finding a mate for Minerva, so I spent a lot of time with them. You can see how that turned out. However, it worked out better for your mother. I got to know her and paired her often with Frederick. That led to them getting to know each other better and marriage… and then you."

Gerome huffed, scowling, "My parents are gone. What good will speaking of them do?" I frowned at the boy's bitterness. Of all the children, Gerome was the one I worried about the most. He rarely spent time with the others and brooded often.

"I know you're angry about your parents' deaths. I also know nothing I say will change the past. But do not let your anger and bitterness consume you and become all that you are. If not for yourself, then for Minerva. We may not be blood-related, Gerome, but I consider you part of my family, as I do the other children and as I had their parents before them." His pink eyes were thoughtful as I left.

Thunder boomed in the sky, resounding through the castle. I heard a couple of yelps and found Yarne and Noire huddled together in the library.

"Aunt Robin!" The two cried out as they rushed to me. They grasped my legs, both trembling like leaves in the wind.

"Children, it is just the thunder."

"B-but it's s-still scar-ry." Noire stuttered out. The ten-year-old started fumbling in her pockets for something.

I quickly snatched the talisman from her. "Noire, I know this is the only other thing you have from your mother, but if you want to become braver, you cannot always rely on this."

"Y-you're r-right, Auntie…" She said quietly.

"I'm glad you understand." I said as I returned the talisman.

"Aunt Robin? Will you read us a story?" Yarne, the ten-and-a-half year-old Taguel, asked.

"Of course. We can read until the storm passes." The two children quickly chose a story together. We settled down in a corner on some cushions, Yarne and Noire on either side of me.

I started to open the book when Yarne asked a question. "What was my dad like?"

"Libra was a… beautiful man. In fact, Chrom and a few of the other Shepherds mistook him for a woman the first time they met." Noire and Yarne giggled. "He was also very kind and talented. He had a very calming presence."

"What about my dad?" Noire asked.

"Well, your parents were a very interesting pair. A Ylissean thief with a heart of mostly gold and a huge sweet tooth married to a Plegian mage who had an unhealthy obsession about a person who shall remain unnamed." Gods… I was relieved when she married Gaius. "Now, which story did you two choose?"

I followed the sound of humming and spotted Inigo dancing in front of his mother's grave. The thirteen-year-old danced as gracefully as his mother did. Inigo finished dancing, bowing to the gravestone. "Beautiful." I praised, startling the teenager.

"A-Aunt Robin! H-how long w-were you there?" He stammered, his face a bright pink.

"Not very long. But I meant my praise. It reminded me so much of your mother's dancing."

"Th-thank you…" Inigo sat down before his mother's grave and I joined the boy. "Auntie…"

"Yes, Inigo?"

"Did you know my father?"

"Yes… Your father, Virion, was very faithful to your mother. He had many talents, including tactics. He was one of only a few people who could defeat me in chess. You inherited his wavy blue hair."

"Did… did he love me?"

"Yes, he loved you. He never met you, but the moment Olivia told him about you, his eyes lit up in a way I had never seen before. He loved you the moment he learned of you."

A genuine smile broke out upon the teenager's face, but then it wavered, "Auntie, you're crying." I apologized as I wiped away my tears. He gently embraced me until my tears stopped.

I walked into the stable to feed the two Pegasi that resided there. However, I found Severa in the stall with her mother's mount. The eleven-year-old gently brushed the winged horse, murmuring words of affection to the mount. "I'm surprised to find you here, Severa."

The young girl jumped, dropping the brush. "A-Aunt Robin! You should announce yourself!"

"I apologize for startling you. However, I had called out to the Pegasi that it was feeding time." The blonde, twin-tailed girl blushed deeply as she bent down to pick up the brush. She put away the tool and helped me with feeding the two mounts.

"So why were you here?"

"…missed…"

"Severa, how many times have I told you not to mumble?"

"I missed my parents, alright?! No, I only missed Daddy. But there's no reason that Aurora should be neglected just because Mother had to go and die several years ago."

"But you don't hate your mother, do you?"

"No! Of course not! …It's just that, whenever I think about her, I can't help thinking how wretched I am. She was strong, noble, articulate, beautiful, and admired by everyone and their horse. Oh! Oh! AND she's kind and considerate and not in the slightest bit vain! Do you realize how hard it is being the daughter of Her Royal Perfectness? I guess I should just get used to being pathetic, huh?"

"You have your own virtues, Severa. For one, you have a kind heart."

"Pffft. Yeah, right." The young girl scoffed.

"Think about it. You were hesitant to speak your true feelings on account of MY feelings." Severa stood there silently. "You know I have no memories of my parents… That's why you hesitated to complain about your own mother. Because you didn't want to inadvertently hurt my feelings. …Am I right?"

"What? NO! Who could possibly think that far ahead?!"

"Heh. No need to be modest, Severa."

"Look, I'm serious. I never thought about all that stuff about your parents."

"Your eyes get so big and earnest when you're telling a lie. Did you know that, Severa?" "ARRRGH!"

I patted the frustrated girl on her shoulder. "You've got a heart of gold, Severa."

She looked up at me and then at the ground. "…Thanks, Aunt Robin."