A/N: This is a huge FEA project and a significantly different AU path. The story's main focus is on Robin, but the perspective will shift a lot. If you haven't realized, I'm putting in a lot of ocs. I hate stories like that too, so if that kinda turns you off I understand. Plus one has a pretty big part so...

But I felt it was needed. I tried to write this without ocs but it really didn't do as well. Please give it a chance and forgive me ahaha! Also relationships are undecided, but I promise Robin won't end up with an oc. I hate that even more than ocs taking the spotlight oh gods help mE

I'll try to keep updates monthly, but no promises!

Ten o' clock was the normal bedtime for most children of the establishment, yet one candle illuminated the room of the snow-haired boy. He was reading. Soaking in the information, saturating his mind with stories, tips, tactics. Inspired by his late mother, all he wished to do was follow her footsteps and become what's known as a master tactician. He could do it. With a brain that could outwit many philosophers and the creativity to match an artist, he could easily grasp the concept and ways of war.

The page turned as a yawn escaped. With murky, caramel-colored eyes, the child stared out the dilapidated window, out to the courtyard, past the grey lake, to the dim city beyond. The capital, Yissetol, home of the elite and royal. A wistful smile danced across his pale face, and he placed the book down on his splitting desk. Shedding the much too large cloak off his tiny frame, the boy released another yawn.

Yes, ten o' clock was the normal bedtime, but he couldn't help himself. They didn't care enough to stop him, so he continued to stay up for two, three, four more hours than he should have. But his eyelids were heavy. He wobbled when he stood. And yet another yawn slipped through his mouth. It was definitely time to hit the hay. Feeling like a drunken warrior, the boy promptly blew out the candle and hopped into bed, not caring about the wrinkled cloak on the floor or the clothes he slept in. He cared only for the dreams that were already forming in his subconscious.

Victory. Victory against anyone who opposed him or the people he loved. He would be strong this time. He would be cunning, tricky, clever and outmaneuver his enemy. Be a grandmaster and fight for this country.

He would be the hero.

Mornings at the orphanage were sluggish and slow. Filled with early roosters and grumpy owls, it was a bit unorthodox. Breakfast was served some time after sunrise and stayed till noon, though by that time most of the good food was gone, replaced by gamey meats and sloppy porridge. Robin, despite being up most of the night, rose at a fairly decent time. Too late for a fair breakfast, but not stepping into lunch territory. It worked out for him since he wasn't picky about food and was satisfied with nearly anything put in front of him.

He awoke clutching the dusty pillow. As he pulled himself off the bed, he sniffed, trying his best not to sneeze and wake the neighboring children. He disliked disturbing the others being the passive kid he was. Heading toward the desk, Robin scooped up the discarded cloak and hung it up properly, ashamed he left it so poorly the night prior. It was that last memento of his deceased mother, so maybe he should treat it with a bit more respect.

Robin continued his morning routine, cleaning the candle wax off the wooden desk, returning books he scanned last night back to their original spot, making sure it looked as if he wasn't up until two, and actually getting ready for the day. He slipped on the standard clothes, a grey cotton shirt, tattered slightly around the sleeves, and brown trousers, cheap and uncomfortable. He laid his real outfit along his bed, next to his cloak. He stood and admired his old setup, proudly reminding himself of how he was able to secretly smuggle them in. Usually old possessions were taken up front when first entering the orphanage, so sneaking his clothes in was a mighty victory for the boy.

He also was able to take some of his mother's texts with him. Warlike stories and tactical encyclopedias lined the bare walls. Though, he didn't cheat the system like with his clothing. He just convinced the adults that this was material for studying and was absolutely necessary for his goals in life. He had to put up a bit of a fight, but he was able to talk his way into keeping them. That made him feel triumphed as well until he learned that many other willful children had succeeded in this before him, so it was dulled greatly.

As Robin continued to fix his appearance, there was a sharp knock against his door. "Robin!" He jumped as his name was called from the opposite side.

"Y-Yes?" He stuttered. Nearly diving against the bed, Robin pushed his smuggled clothes out of sight. "Do you need something, Wallace?" He recognized the voice as the boy across the hall. Usually a late riser, Robin was a bit confused why he was up this early.

The door swung open revealing the culprit. He looked a year or two older than Robin with height to match. His dark locks contrasted against the younger's and he was considerably tanner. His eyes shine a brilliant green, unlike Robin's muddy orbs.

His appearance wasn't that only thing that opposed Robin; he had a much wilder attitude. While Robin was quite calm, reserved, and reasonable, Wallace was carefree, spontaneous, and overly-friendly. Both knew they were polar opposites, yet they got along well and formed a tight bond within the time Robin had arrived.

"You were supposed to wake me up today!" He whined marching over to the other. He crossed his arms against his matching grey shirt. "And here you are still lazing in bed."

Robin chuckled softly. "Sorry, sorry. I just got up. Then you kinda just barged in and..." He trailed off, leaning over the bed, "I wanted to hide this." Robin brought out the cloak and smiled sheepishly.

Wallace stared at it and sighed in exasperation. "Robin, Robin, Robin. When are you gonna learn that people don't care about 'sneaking things in' and these 'rules.'" He grinned, good natured as Robin flushed slightly, hugging the apparel closely. "Gods, you're such a goody-two-shoes. How do we even get along again?" He asked falling onto Robin's bed causing it to spring the younger up slightly.

Robin shrugged as they settled down. "Opposites attract, I suppose."

"Hmm." Wallace hummed in agreement, smiling slightly. "I suppose."

The two sat in silence. Robin's eyes darted to Wallace's relaxed figure. He may be the rowdier one of this friendship, Robin contemplated, but he's not stupid. He's surprisingly good at reading people and situations...

Suddenly, Wallace shot up, startling Robin. "Breakfast! Argh, what am I doing stopping in here?! I'm never gonna make it!!" He grabbed his hair in frustration. "We're gonna miss it!" He was up and out of the room before Robin could even get another word in. He blinked, unsure of how to react to his friend just running into his room, having a two minute chat, then ditching him.

"Even if he doesn't act like he is." Robin breathed out a sigh and finished the thought out loud. Hanging up his cloak, he rushed after the energetic boy, hoping to catch up and scold him for his crazy behavior.

"Huh? But if's your vault, fou didin ake me up in fime." Wallace words were muffled by the stale biscuit in his mouth, though Robin was still able to understand. The two had just finished eating the late breakfast, (Wallace a little before Robin) and they were currently walking around the grounds, a book in the albino's hands and a biscuit in the brunette's. A few other children passed, some waved hello, others snickered at Wallace's outlandish demeanor. Wallace swallowed his food, "And before I hear it, maybe you shouldn't have been reading all last night."

Robin tilted his head, a small frown etched on his face. He was listening despite not looking at the older boy even once. "Well, if you knew I was gonna be up all last night, maybe you should've asked someone else to wake you. I'm not your maid, Wallace."

"Yeah, but... You know." Wallace scratched the back of his head, wracking his brain for come backs. "You're the responsible one! Aren't you usually entitled to keep me in check?" He swung around in front of Robin, stopping him in his tracks. They stood near the lake, bickering in front of the outline of the capital.

"I'm twelve Wallace. You're fourteen. Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Robin countered, flipping a page absentmindedly.

Wallace snatched the book from Robin's grasp, putting a finger in place, careful to keep his page. Robin pouted, childishly, and reached for it. "What twelve-year-old kid reads a book on bloody warfare?" He questioned, keeping the book high and out of reach. "Battlefield Tactics: Volume 12? What the hell is this? And it has twelve volumes?"

Robin continued to jump, higher and higher, fingertips grazing the rough spine. "I. Like. It." He grunted and jumped in between words. "Now. Give. It. Back!" Robin put forth one final leap, falling short only slightly. He puffed out his cheeks, annoyed, but still patient. "Wallace."

"Robin." Wallace responded, scanning through the pages. He skimmed the book, furrowing his eyebrows every few flips. His finger stayed firmly in place, still marking Robin's place. "Gods. I'm serious, this is much too complicated." With Wallace distracted, Robin grasped the boy's sleeve and threw himself up. He grabbed the book and landed with a rough thud. Wallace was taken aback for a moment before he allowed a loose smirk to settle on his face. "Impressive. Did you learn that trick from the book?"

With a shameful blush spreading across his face, Robin replied, "No, but... I probably got the idea from it. Maybe." Wallace simply laughed heartily, bending over and slapping his knee. Robin was so entertaining! Though the younger boy's eyes drifted to the ground during this period. "Is... it weird?"

Silence ensued as Wallace was recovering from his fit. Heavy breathes followed as he looked to his friend with a silly grin. "Weird? It's beyond weird, Robin. Completely bizarre! Absolutely bonkers!" The sandy-haired boy tilted his head toward his friend, waiting for his positive response. None came.

"Oh." Robin's face contorted into somewhat of a pout. His fingers tightened around the thick book. Of course it was strange, a twelve year old researching ways to kill people? Insane.

Wallace's expression faltered for a second before rekindling. He shoved Robin lightly, catching the poor boy off guard. "Your crazy quirks is what makes you fun, Robin! There why I decided to even talk to you, you fool!" He stood tall, hands on his hips with pride. "Your weirdness makes you special in my book. More interesting than any other kid here!" A beam and a wink spread on Wallace's face. "Trust me."

Robin stared for a second. He thought about this somewhat awkward speech from his friend, but the charm was diminishing as every second went by. The snow-haired boy returned his gaze downward, giving a half-hearted nod.

Wallace groaned loudly and connected his palm to his forehead. "You're such a kid, kid," he remarked frowning slightly, "it's a bit worrying..."

"It's fine, Wallace. It's not like that idiotic comment is going to make me stop what I'm working toward."

"Ah, then that's a good thing- Wait, what did you just say?"

The young boy shook his head, a small smile returning. "Haha, nothing Wallace. Thanks for trying though." Blinking his drowsy, caramel eyes, Robin flipped his book over to the front cover and brushed it off. He felt peacefully connected as his finger's ran over the ink scribbles that were not part of the original book.

Wallace watched, internally relieved his comments weren't so insensitive. With an easy-going grin plastered on, he rested his arms behind his head, fingers interlacing pleasantly. "Hey, hey, Robin! Now that we have this little conflict over," Robin proceeded to roll his eyes, "I want to propose an idea!"

A deep breath hitched in Robin's throat as he look up at his older companion. "Idea? What kind of idea are we talking about? The kind of idea that could get up in a potential amount of trouble?"

"What other kind of ideas do I get, Robin?" Wallace chuckled, answering bluntly. Robin sighed. "Oh, come on. Hear me out! I think you'll actually like this one!"

"Like?" Robin questioned. "Define like." He turned away, not wanting to look at the older boy's dumb face. He would be doing that expression, full of mischief, yet so enticing. No. Robin simply held his book tightly, ready to dismiss whatever crazy, stupid, foolish plan Wallace was about to utter from his constantly running mouth and-

"Let's go to Ylissetol!"

He sported his cloak and keep his hood drawn at all times. His hands gripped the hood, clouding his face. Though he wanted nothing more than to soak in the sights and sounds, Robin decided to play it safe rather than careless.

Wallace on the other hand, came in his regular clothes, skipping around like there was no tomorrow. Or no one who could potential recognize them and whisk them straight back to the orphanage for a painful scolding. Which there was.

They were everywhere. Employees on their day off, guards and soldiers who knew where they belonged, and even the owner, probably there to watch the big event as well. Of course, the tan boy couldn't care less. He was having the time of his life, dragging the smaller from stand to stand. From building to building. Robin was almost jealous before he realized that this was the smarter choice. Lay low and no one would...

Robin dug his heels into the ground, effectively stopping their trek. Wallace nearly stumbled from the sudden stop, gasping a sharp, "Woah! What are you-"

"What am I doing!?" Robin exclaimed, though his voice was almost lost in the uproar of the city. The extremely packed city. So dense, the two boys could barely get through. "Plus..." He finished his thoughts aloud, "I'm with you! Being incognito wouldn't even matter! If we were to run into someone, you would give us away before we even recognize them!" With a stunned look, Robin swiftly removed his hood, eyebrows furrowed. He decided, "Let's... I want to see the capital!"

Wallace smiled like a madman, finally releasing Robin to pat him firmly on the back. "There you go, kid! Let loose! It's a celebration!" He laughed, kneeling slightly to throw his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders. "So let's have the time of our lives!"

"Ye-Yeah! Let's enjoy this!" He began getting into it. He chuckled, face flushed from this new excitement. One day, he doesn't mind being disobedient for one day.

"We're gonna explore the capital!"

"Let's have fun!"

"Let's go crazy!"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah!"

"Wallace! Do you... even have any money." Robin calmed down for a second and finally asked something rational.

Wallace blinked for a second. He was thoroughly caught off guard with that. "Well, no. Not really." He admitted.

With a cry, Robin threw the older boy's arm off of him. "You weren't thinking about stealing, were you!? Come on, Wallace!"

But he just shook his head, his brown colored locks bouncing. He held out both hands in front of him, innocently shaking them. "No, no, no! I- Just- This costs money!?" His eyes squinted ever so slightly as he tilted his head in question.

"I think so... That or you have to be of higher class." Robin held his chin, contemplating. "I'm not sure. But either way, the experience would've been enhanced with just a bit of gold with us. Then we could've even gotten something appealing to bring back."

"That's true." Wallace sheepishly rubbed his neck. "We don't need money though. We can enjoy our little journey out without being greedy, right?"

A sigh escaped before Robin could stop it. "Yeah, but..." He rubbed his sleeve, pulling in up and down as he continued the uneasy motion. "If it costs money... I really wanted to see it. It's fine though, I suppose." In a second, the white-haired boy ceased his action and put on a brilliant grin. "We can have fun today either way," a dark look pass quickly, "I mean, now that I'm committed to this decision."

But Wallace scrunched his eyebrows. He raised his hand, ready for condolence. "Robin, I-"

"You want to go to the coronation?" A small voice interrupted.

"Eh?" Robin and Wallace uttered at the same time. They looked at each other before jumping back, away from the voice. Robin was the one to respond first, Wallace just staring thoughtfully at the new figure they were now facing. "Y-Yes."

Green eyes narrowed, silently observing. It was another boy. He looked to be about Robin's age, possibly younger. His voice was still somewhat youthful, yet it held confidence matched by an adult. His face was shrouded by a black hood, though Wallace could see this boy was of Ylisse decent. His body was covered, making it difficult to see what body type the boy had.

Though ominous looking, the boy stepped forward with caution not to put off the two older boys. "Ah." He held out a gloved hand, making a friendly gesture. Wallace noted how fine the cloth was. "Sorry to frighten you, but you two were yelling. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Robin began to open his mouth to respond, but Wallace beat him to it. The tan boy stepped forward quickly, a pleasant smile pasted on. "Not a problem at all! We thought no one would hear us in this crowd!"

"Don't worry," the hooded boy assure, smiling, "I was just passing by. I'm sure your conversation wasn't that disruptive." The boy reached into his hood pocket, clinking of metal echoing. In a second, he pulled out a handful of gold. "Here. It costs 100 gold to get in, but you were talking about souvenirs, right?"

Wallace swiftly, but gingerly took the gold, without much hesitation. The boy was taken aback at the sheer speed, but he quickly regained himself.

Robin, on the other hand, was baffled. "You're... You're giving us this?!" He walked forward, in front of Wallace and stared down at the money. "This is nearly 600 gold! Why are you giving it to us?" He turned to face the boy who had a sincere beam on his face. A slight shade of pink could be spotted dusted on his cheeks.

"Ah, I just enjoy helping, I guess."

The gold clattered and scraped against each other as Wallace enclosed his fist. Though a nice smile never left. "Thank you, but having your hood up is a little rude, no? Can you take it off so we can give our appreciation properly?"

The boy bit his lip. He stood for a second. Then two, then three, then four, then ten, then twenty? Robin stiffened, taken back by his odd hesitation. "I don't... know." The boy finally answered.

Wallace's eyes narrowed. Something sparked within him as his entire demeanor shifted and then snowballed. He bellowed, "What's on this trap then!?" He held out the gold with his open palm, though no passing soul picked up on the intensity of the situation, "Poison!? Was this stolen!?" He grabbed Robin's shoulder and began backing off, out of the bustling plethora of people. The boy slowly followed.

"No! I-"

Robin quickly was at Wallace's side, ready to fight. His hand went into his front pocket, sparks dancing in the darkness onto his weapon. Wallace dropped the gold, allowing it to fall onto the ground with a horrid ringing. He reached into his back pocket and lifted his shirt to grab the black handle. It was cold, being barely ever touched. They continued backing up, getting farther and farther away from people. Robin felt uneasiness build up.

The boy could sense the danger. He quickly held his hands out to show he had nothing on him. His voice was steady though, "Please, I don't wish you two any harm. I just wanted to help."

"What a nobleman." Wallace sneered. "Staying formal when sabotaging two defenseless suckers. Well, guess what, kid. We're not that defenseless." In a flash, the sun was reflecting off the dagger that Wallace had pulled out. Robin froze, shocked more at his friend's aggressiveness than the boy's suspiciousness. His tone sent cold shivers down his spine.

"Don't do anything foolish." The boy continued his attempted coax. His foot kicked the gold accidentally, startling the boys.

"You don't do anything foolish!" Wallace snarled, glaring holes. "I don't trust anyone's kindness nowadays! The moment an idiot would turn around accepting you 'generosity,' you would stab him in the back and take everything!"

"Wallace..." Robin took his hand out of his pocket.

The hooded boy just stopped in his tracks. A pitiful frown appeared. "What happen to you to distrust people so much? I swear to Naga, I just heard your qualms and wished to help." He pleaded reason.

Wallace just continued his glare, thrusting out his weapon.

The standoff continued, and though Robin was clearly on Wallace's side, he felt trapped in the center. The heavy air and tension continued, continued, continued... Robin nearly screamed. That is, until the boy finally sighed a heavy breath. "Fine, fine." His fingers traveled to his hood, gripping it lightly. "It's not that big of a deal right now, I guess."

With a sudden flick, the hood was off. Wallace clicked his tongue, feeling dissatisfied, though he doesn't know what else he was expecting.

As the cloth came down, youthful features appeared. The boy's short blue hair was free, messy from the hood, but still healthy and shiny. His face was soft and childish, though it felt as if it had an air of maturity surrounding it. His eyes were blue, as blue as the lake that separated Wallace and Robin from the capital they resided in at that very moment. They were sharp like Wallace's, but not as calculating. His face was fair, with no defining marks. Wallace was right about his rich history.

But what stumped the older boy was just the genuine look the mysterious boy conveyed.

"There." The boy slowly leaned down and collected the money he kicked. "I'm just a kid. A kid who was blessed by the gods to live the life I do, but is too stubborn to accept it." He smiled, good-natured and held out the gold once again. His fingertips were centimeters away from the dagger's tip. "You want to attend the coronation?"

Wallace hesitated, looking the boy up and down. So sincere, but was it true? He looked to Robin with furrowed eyebrows.

"Wallace." Robin grabbed his arm and lowered it, moving the dagger away from the boy. He let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding as he did it. "I'm going to accept it, okay?"

With a long breath, Wallace returned the dagger into his back pocket and nodded. A minuscule, apologetic smile was thrown to the boy. Though, green eyes scanned him over and over. He couldn't help this feeling that the boy was still concealing something.

Robin reached out and gratefully accepted the gold. "No poison, right?" He jested, trying to lighten the mood.

The boy laughed, "No poison."

The two grinned at each other. Robin quickly apologized, "I'm sorry we were so suspicious of you. But the sudden kindness and dark cloak was a little off putting."

"Was it?" The boy scratched his cheek, flushing from his error. "I apologize." He looked at Robin, quickly, then to Wallace. "You two. You're not from here are you?"

Robin blinked and looked to Wallace. The tan boy's hand shook, signifying a 'no.' "No, we're not. Just passing through. We heard about Princess Emmeryn's big day and wanted to attend it ourselves." Robin's face reddened suddenly. "But we had... already spent our money. I guess we didn't realize."

The boy nodded. "I see. Do you need more?"

"No! No, gods, no! This is enough, thank you so much. I don't want to-"

Robin's mouth was shut when Wallace leaned on top of his pure locks, resting a lot of his weight onto the younger's shoulders. An unrefined smirk grew, as Wallace chimed, "Traveling is so expensive, Robin. And so is lodging, don't you agree? Plus we still need food! And my! The Farfort is so... far." Any expression or atmosphere of spite or malice had vanished, as if were never there.

He recovered quickly, Robin thought, annoyed. The smaller male would have none of that. He squatted quickly and the stood with force, throwing Wallace off of him. "We're fine." He assured the generous boy.

Wallace groaned, before crying out, "Robin, you dastard! That was cruel!"

"Ah." The boy reacted. "Well I-"

The situation went from disorganized to absolutely muddled when a fourth player appeared. Two tiny hands grabbed the boy's face and pulled him down from behind, efficiently cutting him off. He yelped in discomfort as he was brought to his knees.

"Brother~ What are you doing here?" The shrill voice asked. Standing over him, pulling the boy down was a tiny, little girl in a frilly sunny dress. Her golden hair was tied into curly twintails, and her blue eyes were wide and innocent.

Her smile was pure, but Wallace saw the hit of trickery in it.

The boy, who Robin and Wallace could now assume to be that girl's older brother, clawed at her hands, taking them off his face. "Gah, Lissa! Stop!" He finally got free and stood, rubbing his back. "That hurt! Don't do that!"

"Sorry, brother!" She said sweetly. "Frederick was just looking for you since you wandered off- Ooooh, who are those two?" She tilted her waist to get a better view of the two strange boys, one in an odd cloak and the other on the ground. "They look funny!"

"Don't say that, Lissa! That's unladylike! Right? Like sister always tells you!" The boy looked down on the girl, scolding her. "You don't wanna upset sister, especially today."

"Hmm. I guess you're right." She bounced over to Robin and grabbed his free hand suddenly. She shook it graciously, chirping. "My name is Lissa, nice to meet you! I didn't mean it, you look nice, not funny."

"Um." Robin was at a loss. Wallace, on the other hand, had flipped over onto his stomach and began pounding his fist against the ground, stifling his giggling. "Thank you?"

"You're welcome!" Lissa gave him a toothy grin.

The boy, though, frowned at this and stomped over to his sister. He grabbed her hand and began leading her away. "Don't do that. You're embarrassing." He reprimanded quickly. Then he turned to the two boys and gave a small wave. "You guys are coming to the coronation, right?" Robin nodded and Wallace tried to, but was shaking with too much laughter. "Good." His smile was radiant as he pulled his hood back up. "I hope to see you there."

"Bye, funny people." Lissa did a childish wave and stuck out her little tongue as the two siblings merged back into the crowd.

Robin stared at the people passing. His eyes traveled down to the gold in his hand. "What a weird boy." He muttered. Wallace was still wracked with chuckles. He attempted to stand, but his legs were too weak, and he fell on the ground, chuckling to himself once again. Robin simply glared, clutching the money in his hand, "It seriously wasn't that funny, stop you weirdo!"