Author's Note: First off, thank you for taking the time to read my story! This is my first fanfiction/story that I've EVER written. Constructive criticism is welcome!

Edit 7/20/17: Somehow the formatting got super messed up and I didn't know. I don't know how long it's been like that but I tried to fix it. Sorry.

Everything was peaceful. The sun was in the midst of setting, and the crickets were just starting to come out of hiding when the sound of two steel swords clanging together seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Chrom grunted as he raised his sword to block a swipe that would have likely maimed his face. He countered with his own quick slash before feinting to the right and quickly switching his attack to the left. The fighting went on for a couple of minutes, with both adversaries being more or less equal in swordsmanship before Chrom was able to get the upper hand. He smiled, a sense of victory filling him, fueling his attacks which became quicker and more precise with each successive swing.

Just as Chrom was about to land the finishing blow he saw a spark of lightning in his peripheral vision. He barely jumped out of the way as a scorch mark appeared where he used to stand just moments ago. He was distracted for no more than a second, but a second was all it took. His sword arm was twisted inward and his sword was wrenched from his grasp. He was on the ground a second later with a blade pointed at his neck.

"I yield," Chrom said with a smile, as he looked up towards a hooded face.

After a moment, the hood was pulled down, revealing a young, fair face with flowing, white hair hastily tied up so as to not interfere. Chrom caught his breath. He's seen the face over a thousand times now, but each time he found himself noticing a tiny detail he had somehow overlooked before. In this case, he stared at the lips, which were a gorgeous shade of pink that he could have sworn were a different color before.

"Looks like someone's been eating too much bear meat." The lips suddenly curved up into a smirk.

Chrom snapped out of his reverie and after a moment, smiled. "Ha-ha. You're one to talk, Robin. Was it just me or were you especially slow with your blocking today?"

Robin didn't reply but instead stretched out a hand towards Chrom. Looking at the hand, Chrom was put off by how similar this scene was to the first time he met Robin. Warmth filled him as he recalled the first time he saw her. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he had thought Robin was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. If he was to be honest with himself, he still thought that; seeing as how he had yet to find another woman to prove him wrong.

He gripped Robin's hand and was pulled up. They were now face to face – well, almost. Chrom was about a head taller. Chrom was aware of their hands still entwined together and, feeling bold and reckless, raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. Robin let out a small gasp, whether of surprise or pleasure he did not know.
With the sun now set and the stars timidly peeping out, the only sounds audible were the crickets and soft roar of laughter and talk coming from the mess hall. The night itself seemed calm, emitting a sense of peacefulness.

There couldn't have been a more perfect moment—at least in Chrom's mind. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself. He gazed into her eyes, her hand still in his, and started, "Robin, I –"

He was interrupted as a nearby rustling came from the bushes. Not a moment later Lissa popped out with Frederick by her side. Robin blushed and quickly pulled her hand free. Chrom felt disappointed before he straightened himself. The healer and the knight were in conversation when they finally noticed whom they had walked in on.

"Oh!" Lissa exclaimed. "What have we here?"

"Were we interrupting? Apologies, my lord." Frederick immediately kneeled, his back was towards Lissa, who rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue.

"I saw that," Frederick said without looking back.

"H - Hey!" Lissa, startled, jumped back slightly out of shock. It didn't take her long to recover, however, and she quickly focused her attention back to the two lovebirds. "Anyways, whatcha two doing?"

"N-Nothing," Robin stammered, still blushing furiously.

"Well, if it's nothing then why're you two so embarrassed, huh?" Lissa eyed the two suspiciously.

"We were just practicing sword fighting, Lissa. It's, y'know, what soldiers do. To prepare for battle?" Chrom said, trying to sound exasperated but instead coming out defensive. He mentally smacked himself on the forehead.

"It does look suspicious, Milord." Frederick remarked. He narrowed his eyes. While he had to admit Robin had been a great addition to the Shepherds, he still didn't trust her completely.

"He's right."

Chrom snapped his head toward Robin. While she was still a bit caught off guard, she had mostly recovered. Chrom's eyes widened as he realized that she had subtly moved away from him. He couldn't help it. A wave of hurt crashed over him.

"Chrom is, I mean. We were only practicing."

Frederick looked at Robin. She stared back, chin up.

"If that's the case," Frederick started, "then why were you two using steel weapons instead of the wooden practice swords? It doesn't make any sense, unless you planned on causing harm to Milord. Plus, you're only wearing down the weapons."

"And when we face the Risen, do you expect us to use wooden swords then too?" Robin's voice hardened, if only slightly. "We need to be prepared." As if she just realized how harsh she sounded, Robin lowered her eyes, drooped her shoulders, and softened her voice. "For anything."

Chrom had to fight the urge to embrace and comfort her. He knew – they all knew – how hard it was for Robin.

The last battle they fought proved to be a bitter one. Miriel, their red-headed mage, had paid the ultimate price. She was surrounded by Risen and was overwhelmed before anyone could intervene. Robin took the loss personally, believing that Miriel's death was solely her fault because her tactics weren't enough.

Chrom was still waging a mental battle when he finally decided to just lay a hand on Robin's shoulder. She looked up, and smiled at him gratefully, although Chrom could see her eyes were wet.

"Ah-hem." Lissa cleared her throat awkwardly. "It wasn't your fault, Robin."

Robin turned her smile towards Lissa. "Thanks," she said.

Silence filled the area.

"W – Well, I think I'm going to call it a night. I'm a bit tired and I need to look over our tactics for tomorrow." Robin nodded at Chrom, Frederick, and Lissa and left the clearing, heading towards her tent.

"Wait! What about dinner?" Chrom asked, arm outstretched towards her. But it was too late. By the time he got the words out Robin had already left. He let his arm drop to side.

"Forgive me, Milord. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

Chrom sighed. "It's fine, Frederick. I know you mean well, but you needn't be so wary of Robin. We can trust her."

"You'll excuse me if I keep my guard up, Milord. We cannot be too careful."

Chrom disagreed, although he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he just let out another sigh.

"Well, I suppose there's a reason you're called 'Frederick the Wary'," Lissa joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

It worked, at least partially. Chrom smiled and ruffled his sister's hair.

"Hey!" Lissa exclaimed indignantly.

Chrom laughed. Lissa tried to pout but it only lasted a second before she burst out laughing. Even Frederick smiled.

"Come on," Chrom said. "Let's go get dinner."

Dinner was filled with laughter and an overall feeling of lightheartedness. Chrom thought it was mostly due to the alcohol, which they had acquired from the last town they had passed. Normally Chrom was strict when it came to alcohol, but he figured everyone could use a break, especially after what they had lost.

Chrom excused himself early, much to the disappointment of all the Shepherds, especially Sumia, who was seated next to him.

"Where are you going? You've barely just sat down!" Sumia looked at him, with a face that closely resembled a puppy's.

"That's not true," Chrom said. "I've already eaten two servings!"

Sumia placed a hand over her mouth but a giggle still escaped. "That's true. Wow. I didn't know you could eat so much, Chrom."

Chrom turned slightly red. "The food was especially good tonight," he said as a lame excuse for his large appetite that evening.

"I can't argue with that," Sumia agreed. "Still, I made pie tonight! It's not quite ready yet though, don't you want some?"

Chrom was tempted, but there was something he had to do. He offered an apologetic smile and left the mess hall, carrying with him a plate of food.
That's weird, Sumia thought to herself, he's never refused pie before.

Chrom stood outside Robin's tent, pacing back and forth. He badly wanted to see her, but he didn't know how she would react after having left their interrupted practice abruptly.

Steeling himself, he tapped softly against the tent flap. "Robin?"

No response.

Maybe she didn't hear me, he thought. He tapped again, but this time raised his voice. "Robin?" he called out again.

Still no response.

He hesitated before coming to a decision.

"Robin, I'm coming in."

He opened the tent flaps and almost dropped the plate in surprise.

Robin was sitting at her desk with her tactics books laid out messily in front of her. It looked as though a storm had blown through.

Instead of finding Robin reading, however, Chrom found Robin with her arms crossed over the books and her head resting on her arms. Her mouth was slightly open and soft snores emitted from her.

Chrom smiled to himself. Even now, he thought her beautiful. He grabbed her blanket from her bed and wrapped it around her. He stood for a couple of minutes, just staring. Finally he bent down and gently kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, Robin. Sleep tight," he whispered softly, smile still plastered on his face. He left the tent, careful not to create any unnecessary noise.

The night gradually grew quiet; the only noise was the soft crackling of a dying fire. The stars came out and seemed to shine brighter than any other night the past few months. Footsteps echoed; the sound of tiny twigs breaking followed. As soon as Chrom left, Robin's mouth lifted into a smile. "Night, Chrom."