Mandatory Disclaimer: Nintendo and all other connected companies own the rights to Fire Emblem. I don't own these characters or any of the official merchandise related to them; I just want to write about them.
A/N Hello! This is my first story here, so it's going to be a bit shoddy in execution. I appreciate any and all reviews pointing out what I might be able to fix. About the story itself, FemRobin!Chrom is not going to happen. And I realize that there is someone else with a completed novelization of Awakening that is probably much better than this one is; go check out metallover's Invisible Ties if you haven't already. I'm not trying to step on any toes with this. In fact, metallover's work inspired me to try this in the first place. So, I ask that you give the story a chance.
Also as a bit of a side note that is completely unrelated, I really did try to come up with a name that did not include the word 'fate' or 'fates' considering FE:14, but the creativity would not come to me.
- Storm 2016
Heavy breathing filled the near silence of the desert night as two figures made their way up what would have been a grand sandstone staircase, but it was tarnished by age and dread that hung thick in the air.
The smaller of the two was covered by a thick coat of black leather, the hood obscuring her face from view. In one hand was a thick tome, the other an elegant blade meant more for ceremony than combat, but was quite deadly in the right hands.
A few paces behind her ran a man in silver and blue armour holding a gleaming broadsword as he limped along, doing his best to keep pace with his unhindered companion.
A couple steps from the top, the woman hesitated, unsure if she wanted to enter the temple just above, also unsure of why she had stopped. The entire building radiated a kind of ancient magic, similar to that of dark magic but much more powerful and inherently evil.
"Come on," Insisted the blue-haired man, "Now is not the time to doubt yourself. You chose to come, and I can't have my tactician being indecisive." He obviously couldn't feel the malefic aura, which was not surprising considering the man was about as sensitive to magic as a brick.
"But Chrom… What if he does it again? I can't stop him, and I can't put you at risk again."
"But he won't," Chrom said firmly, "He won't because I believe in your strength."
"What if we can't defeat him?" The woman persisted, "Or if something happens to the army? What if-"
"Stop," He cut her off, "'What if' nothing, Robin. You must believe that we can win, or we can't win. Every army needs it's tactician, but I need you here now so that we can end this. The Shepherds will lead the army well along with Flavia and Say'ri. You needn't worry so much over them; they're a tough bunch."
"...But what if Ylisstol falls? I… I can't lose Morgan… And I know you can't lose the rest of your family." Chrom put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"We won't lose anyone, so long as you stop hesitating. I can't do this without you, so if you suddenly start doubting yourself everything will begin to fall apart." The woman nodded, whether in acceptance of the facts or for self-assurance, she wasn't sure, and followed her old friend through the wide doors already flung open into the sanctuary of Grima.
It was a large building of sickly gray marble, lit by the occasional brazier that only added to the unsettling atmosphere as any number of foes could lie in wait in the shadows beyond the light. With every step, the evil aura that the woman had long ago associated with Grima became stronger still, almost to the point of overwhelming. At the furthest end of the vaulted entry hall, a set of large double-doors marked the entrance to the doom or salvation of the world. Together, the two pushed open the dark oaken doors into what could be their final fight. As they did so, a pressure wave of the magic fell upon them like a breaking wave so powerful that even the magic-inept Chrom flinched.
A single skinny figure stood at the center of the ornately decorated round room, behind him the menacing altar dedicated entirely to the fell dragon. Even from the opposite side of the room, Robin could feel the thick centralization of the tainted magic around the altar. The sorcerer turned to greet them, not surprised at all. He had been waiting for the moment when his master would finally return to the world, and here it stood before him. He had been working for this for decades, and now it would all pay off.
"Welcome, children. You should be honored that you shall be the first to witness the return of the fell dragon." The sorcerer had an expectant look on his face as though they had just offered him a reward instead of charging in to kill him.
"Shut it, Validar," Chrom growled, "You know exactly what we're here for."
"So be it." Validar snarled, the smile that had been on his face moments before long gone as he raised a hand shrouded in dark sparks.
Chrom charged headfirst at Validar, now almost entirely unaffected by his limp. Robin stood back and to the side, ready to assist him at any time. The men traded blows, Validar using the magic condensed around his hands like it was a physical weapon, until he fired it off direct at Chrom. The swordsman rolled into it, the spell missing him completely as he used his momentum to strike upwards. It would have connected had Validar now teleported into the air high above them, casting a spell that created a shock wave. Leaping to the side to avoid the blast, Robin let out a spell she had been readying at Validar, but before it connected he teleported to the ground away from them, loosing an orb of dark electricity at Chrom. The Exalt stumbled at the blast, momentarily incapacitated, and as he struggled to get to his feet Validar aimed a ball of fire at him. Robin lunged forwards, sending a simple thunder spell flying ahead of her to intercept Validar's. As the smoke cleared, Validar took a moment to pointedly glare at her.
Chrom had now recovered, and he charged in with a guttural warcry that would have made any normal man flinch, but had little effect on Validar, who calmly returned to his stance at the beginning of the battle - hands shrouded in dark sparks as he parried Chrom. This time, however, Robin opened her book - something she rarely did as she had long ago memorized the majority of it. But the spell she was looking to cast was one of the few she hadn't. A spell by the name of Ragnarok which she had only cast once or twice, and the effect was devastating.
Robin called out to Chrom, signalling she was ready, and he back away as quickly as he could, already knowing what destruction Ragnarok could cause. She released the flames gathered in the palm of her outstretched hand, and they spread out into a rough octagon before converged on Validar in a fiery explosion.
With a screech, the sorcerer fell to his knees and then the floor, slowly turning to ashes as he did so. The two stood panting for a moment as they turned to face each other. They had done it! They had-
"This…this isn't over! Damn you BOTH!"
The swordsman started turning at their fallen enemy's screech as the sorcerer launched a final spell at him, dissolving into the purple flames he had used his remaining life force to create. The tactician could see that her friend wouldn't be able to dodge or even block - there was no time. With a silent prayer to Naga, the woman did the only thing she could and pushed her old friend out of the way.
As a painful gasp escaped from her lips and the smell of scorched fabric and flesh flooded her senses she fell heavily onto the ground, gasping for breath as her partner scrambled to her side.
"That's the end of him," The swordsman said as he gently helped his wounded friend to stand, "Thanks to you we carried the day. We can rest easy now."
A splitting pain that had nothing to do with her magical wound tore through Robin's head, and her vision took a red tint as it blurred. Fear pulsed through her, but it was muted, pushed aside by a silent voice that commanded her to commit an atrocity.
"At long last…" His words were muffled as he started to pull her upright.
Oh gods… not now. Validar's dead! This shouldn't be happening… Chrom… Get away from me!
"...What's wrong?" Chrom had noticed her shifted persona.
"Hey, hang on-" He was cut off as a dagger of electricity pierced his middle. He stumbled back, both of them standing now.
The tactician looked down at the leftover sparks bouncing on her palm, her senses returned to her and terror taking root.
"Oh gods..." She said, almost unable to speak because of the guilt being laid across her shoulders.
"This is not your- your fault…" Chrom said weakly as he held his wound. There was no time to get a healer; Lissa was back in Ylisse running the country with the Queen, and the other healers were with the rest of the Shepherds. All healing staffs were reserved for those who had devoted their lives to the practice, and Robin didn't have any vulneraries or elixirs with her; their supplies were running dangerously low and she couldn't risk to bring any and losing them. Even so, it might have been too late by the time she'd gotten one out. All of this and more sped through Robin's mind in a second as she searched for some way to save her friend. What use was a tactician of she couldn't think her way out of everything? If she couldn't turn a hopeless situation?
"Promise me you'll escape this place. Please, go… Promise me… You'll be safe..." With that final plea, Chrom collapsed face-first, all life gone from his cooling body.
"Gods…" The woman's voice shook as she whispered, "Oh Gods, what have I done!?" She nearly shrieked, starting to shake as well "What have I… done?" Her voice fell in volume as she collapsed onto her knees next to her friend's body, hugging herself despite the loud protest her burns screamed as sobs wracked her to the core, all while a deep voice of something not human started laughing in the background, barely noticeable at first but growing louder every second until she could barely hear her own sobs of despair.
"Chrom, we have to do something…"
Ow… my head… No, ow my entire body. What just happened?
"What do you propose we do?"
Hey… that voice sounds familiar.
"I… I dunno…"
Jeez, she's loud… and my head's still pounding… but she sounds familiar too…
The woman opened her eyes, squinting into the mid-afternoon light. Beneath her was some sort of tallish grass by the feel of it. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out two figures above her discussing something - probably what they were going to do about her. One was a young blonde girl with pigtails who was wearing a yellow cleric's dress with some sort of steel cage underneath, who could only be described as cute and innocent given her posture and expression. The other was a slightly older man with dark blue hair and silver and blue leather armour with only one pauldron, who seemed much more mature than the girl in yellow, and was also pretty handsome.
"Uhhhh…" The woman on the ground moaned, her entire body aching. She had probably been there awhile since she was starting to stiffen.
"I see you're awake now." Said the man as both he and the girl leaned over her.
"Hey there!" The girl said cheerfully, smiling down at the woman.
"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know," The man chuckled as he held out an arm, the bare shoulder of which had a strange mark upon it, "Here, take my hand." The woman stretched out one of her of her own in return, vaguely noticing a purple tattoo of what appeared to be eyes. She would have to look at that closer later. Looking down at herself, she could feel her white hair in ponytails moving against the back of her hood, which was part of an ankle-length black coat she was wearing. The coat also had golden cuffs with the same color also present on a tie near the top and a pattern near the hem and her collar. Underneath she could see a simple cream coloured blouse, an almost skirt of sorts the same shade as the coat, a couple of belts, pants the same cream as her top and knee-high leather boots.
"Thank you, Chrom." The woman said, her headache fading slightly. Chrom cocked his head in confusion.
"So you know of me, then?" He asked, slightly wary.
"I… well, no. Your name… it just came to me." The woman answered truthfully as she steadied herself on unbalanced legs, stretching her stiff limbs.
"Then what's your name? It's hardly fair that you know mine already." Chrom inquired, taking a step back and looking her over.
"I… it's..." The woman wracked her brain, trying desperately to remember what her name was, "I… I'm not sure," She admitted, looking around, panic welling in her chest. She couldn't remember anything, not just her name. "Where are we, exactly?"
"Oh!" The blonde girl exclaimed, "I've heard of this before! It's called amnesia." She said with a slightly smug grin.
"It's called a load of pegasus dung." Said someone behind Chrom. Standing there was a man in heavy blue with white trim armor, the reins of three horses in one hand and a stern sceptical look on his face. "How are we to be expected to simply accept that you know milord's name but not your own?"
"But it's the truth!" The woman exclaimed, still trying to remember something about herself. "I can't remember anything..." The man in heavy armour snorted.
"But what if it's true, Frederick? We can't just leave her here, alone and confused. It would not befit a Shepherd to let a sheep wander lost." Chrom retorted.
"All the same, milord, I must emphasize caution," Frederick almost said it with a sigh as if Chrom regularly took in random amnesiacs. "I would just ask that you be careful; 'twould not do to let a wolf into our flock."
What's with all the shepherd analogies? Wait, I know what an analogy is? Note to self; apparently accrued knowledge is not impaired by memory loss.
"Of course. But you needn't act as though I'm a headless chicken." Chrom chuckled slightly and turned back to the woman.
"You'll be riding with the delicate one, my sister Lissa, to Southtown with us." Chrom informed the woman, to her slight disappointment. She had almost been hoping to ride with him...
"I am not delicate!" Lissa insisted as she turned on her brother then turned around to face the woman. "Please, ignore him. He can be pretty thick at times. But you're lucky the Shepherds found you! Brigands who have been a rude awakening." She said as she snickered at her brother.
"You keep referring to yourself as Shepherds, yet you're wearing full armour." The woman noted, nodding at Frederick. Chrom chuckled.
"It's a dangerous job. Just ask Frederick the Wary over there."
"A title I wear with pride, as Gods forbid anyone else have an appropriate level of caution." Frederick nearly sighed this, as if they had had this conversation many times before.
"Come, let's get moving before it gets late." Chrom said as he motioned to the horses.
"Do I even have a say in this?" The woman questioned, looking from one of her... captors? Companions? Whoever they were to her, to the next.
"Peace, we'll hear all you have to say once we get to town." Chrom comforted her, "Besides, riding with Lissa isn't that bad." The woman winced, as apparently he had noticed her slight deflation.
"Hey!" Lissa protested as she started scrambling up the side of her steed, "Let's see how you feel after falling off a horse several times." She finished her statement with a groan and started rubbing her side to accentuate her point. By now the others were already on their horses, Lissa sitting side-saddle, and waiting for the woman to mount.
In one smooth motion, she jumped up behind Lissa with unexpected ease and grace, heedless of the bag swinging at her hips.
"Wow," Lissa's jaw had dropped, "How'd you do that? It took me, like, half an hour just to balance myself!"
"I suppose I've ridden before." The woman said with a shrug as she situated herself behind Lissa. It seemed perfectly natural that she had known how to mount.
"Hmph." Frederick puffed from his charger, who was outfitted in matching blue and white armour.
"What are you going to do with me? Am I your prisoner now?" The woman questioned as their horses started walking.
"No, not at all, so long as you prove not to be an enemy of Ylisse." Chrom reassured her as he pulled his horse alongside the one she shared with Lissa. On her other side Fredrick pulled up as well, though at a further distance.
Solid enough tactics. These people have definitely seen battle before. Or at least the knight has. Wait… what? I know tactics?
"Ylisse? Is that where we are?" She asked, putting tactics out of her mind and chalking it down as something to think about later.
"You've never heard of the Halidom? Ha. Someone pay this actress, she plays quite the fool. The furrowed brow is especially convincing." Frederick sniped from her left.
"Frederick, please," Chrom said in an exasperated tone, "This land is known as the Halidom of Ylisse, and is presided over by our Exalt, Emmeryn." He explained to the woman. After a moment, he seemed to realize something.
"We've yet to introduce ourselves, don't we?" Chrom asked as the horses started trotting down a dirt path. "Well, my name is Chrom, but you knew that. With you is Lissa, who insisted on coming with me, and Frederick is our grumpy knight."
"Yes, because gods forbid one of us be sensible." Frederick deadpanned.
"Well, I'm Robin." The woman said as she took the reins from Lissa's inexperienced hands, stopping mid-motion as she realized what she had said.
"Huh. I just remembered that. It's one mystery solved, I suppose," Robin blew a few strands of long white hair out of her face and slightly adjusted the direction her horse was walking.
"Of course you did. What else have you conveniently remembered?" Frederick asked pointedly as he pulled ahead a few meters.
"Jeez, how do you put up with him?" Robin muttered under her breath, and Lissa giggled in response.
"You get used to him after a while." She said with a laugh.
Robin was about to say something else when they rounded a bend and the town came into view, and she stopped.
"Chrom! The town!" Lissa gasped. In front of them was a particularly ordinary-looking village, with a stone church at one end of a cobblestone plaza with a small stone bridge separating it from the shopping district, also located in the plaza. Compacted dirt paths connected all of the various houses around the town, but what offset the normality of the scene were the fires and apparent bandits running around like they owned the place.
"Damn those brigands!" Chrom cursed, "We've got to stop them. Lissa, you tie the horses somewhere safe with Robin. Frederick and I will take care of this." Chrom kicked his mount, pulling out an ornate longsword as he did. Frederick followed suit only with a heavy lance instead.
"Hiyah!" Robin shouted as she forced her horse into a gallop just behind the men, Lissa nearly shrieking from the sudden movement.
While Frederick charged ahead to scout, Chrom left his horse with the girls who were tying two of the horses to trees not far from the entrance to the town. Frederick was still on his charger, but the others didn't mention this so Robin assumed it was normal. Chrom followed Frederick into the town, and Robin was going to as well, but Lissa stopped her.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Lissa hissed as she grabbed Robin's sleeve.
"Helping them?" Robin answered, thoroughly confused. What was the problem with her going in too?
"How? They're actually fighting!" Lissa said in an exasperated tone. "You should stay here with the horses and wait for us."
"Wait wait, hold it," Robin waved her hand in front of her to stop Lissa. "You're going, but I can't? That can't be right." Lissa pulled a small ornate staff out of her horse's saddlebag.
"I can heal those doofuses when they get hurt." She said in a slightly smug tone, twirling the compacted healing staff around in one hand but failing miserably as it fell from her grasp.
"I can fight," Robin insisted as she opened the bag at her side for the first time. Inside were a few simple provisions; a waterskin, an old book and a fancily carved dagger in a just as ornate sheathe. Pulling out the dagger, she quickly ran through a set of training exercises built into her muscle memory.
"Fine! You can help you really want to," Lissa caved, "Just take care, okay?"
"I'll be fine," Robin assured Lissa. Something told her that she had fought before, and since the only thing she could do was follow her instincts she decided to trust them.
After sheathing her dagger, the two women ran into the town and were greeted by Chrom and Frederick, who had probably just finish clearing the direct area.
"Frederick, what did you scout?" Robin asked the knight as he flicked blood from his lance. He looked at her dubiously, but did answer. Probably because Chrom was looking at him to do so.
"Most of the brigands have congregated around the plaza, with a few more scattered through the rest of the town. Most of them have axes or swords, with a couple archers and a mage." He answered dutifully, taking her presence in stride. Almost as if someone had flicked a switch, Robin started running through different scenarios, carefully choosing the best ones.
"Frederick, you clear the southwest section of town, and try not to kill everyone - they may have useful information and we can put them through trials to punish them for their crimes. Chrom and I will clear the southeast. If anyone gets hurt, come back here were Lissa will be. Also try to set up a makeshift hospital for any wounded villagers. Once everyone's done we'll regroup here." Chrom nodded assent to the plan and Frederick begrudgingly agreed as well, while Lissa gave her a mock salute and giggled a little, probably happy not to be in the thick of battle.
Robin opened the bag at her side and pulled out the worn thick tome instead of the dagger she had been reaching for. Instead of putting it back, she flipped to one of the beginning pages on reflex and quickly glanced around it. It had various simple magic circles on one side and in neat handwriting on the other was a description of some sort and more writing underneath in a separate literary system that she could also read. The top of the page read 'Thunder'.
Frederick charged off to the southwest while Lissa busied herself asking the nearest households if she could use them as makeshift clinics. Nodding to herself, Robin put away the book, switching it out for the dagger, and turned to Chrom.
"You seem to have a keen eye for tactics," He noted. "And I see you have a dagger. You might want to drop that for a sword when the opportunity arises." He suggested as he turned and jogged off towards their objective, Robin following suit.
"Perhaps. For now we should focus on the task at hand." Robin retorted as the first of their enemies came into view - a couple of barrel-chested men in little more than pants with animal furs draped over their backs like miniature capes, both wielding axes. They were meandering around casually, one with a bottle of something presumably alcoholic in one hand with his axe laying lax in the other.
"You take left, I have right," Robin said as she brandished her dagger.
"No fair! Yours is drunk," Chrom complained as he ran.
The bandits were obviously not expecting to have to fight, probably from other villages simply giving in and letting them raid the town. The tipsy one Robin was barreling towards dropped the bottle, which shattered against the ground, splattering the ground with the liquid as the stench of alcohol spread to where she and Chrom were charging.
"Dagger, remember?" She said as she engaged her target, easily evading all of the drunken swings of his axe. As she parried the last one with the hilt of her dagger, she twisted the blade in such a way that cut into the bandit's wrist, making him shout as he dropped the weapon. With a strike from her pommel, he fell onto the ground unconscious. They took a moment to tie up the men and discard their weapons before continuing onwards.
Much the rest of the battle went like this, and when it didn't Chrom usually proved an adequate distraction so Robin could step in and finish her opponent.
By the time they had jogged back to the house Lissa was using as a makeshift clinic, they were out of breath and covered in minor scratches with Chrom sporting a more serious cut to his arm. Robin had also chosen to sheathe her dagger in return for one of the bandits' swords due to her lack of reach, and it seemed she was just as proficient with the longer blade. It didn't look as though Frederick was there, but Lissa was running back and forth with her staff, bandages and a couple of vulneraries, trying to make all of the seriously injured villagers as comfortable as possible. It appeared that a priest from the local church was also assisting her. With a sigh of relief, Lissa greeted then with a weary smile before taking one look at Chrom and frowning.
"Where's Frederick?" Robin questioned Lissa as she began mending Chrom's arm, the healer squinting in concentration as the light blue mist that accompanied healing magic slowly worked it's way up his arm, closing any scratches it encountered and leaving the large cut on his shoulder no more than a slight scar. Lissa slumped on her brother, panting as the exertion of healing so many people in such a short time obviously having taken its toll.
"He… he went back out to scout." Lissa managed as her brother set her on a nearby chair, still breathing heavily as if she had been fighting instead of them. Robin nodded as Chrom rolled his shoulder, testing it and flinching slightly as it did. Lissa rolled her eyes at this.
"You know that there's going to be phantom pain for awhile before your body realises it's been healed," She chided him, then grinned wickedly, a gleam coming into her eyes. "Hmm… y'know, I can't exactly move as is, so why don't you carry me?" She said as innocently as possible.
"Frederick can carry you when he gets back." Chrom deadpanned, turning his recently healed side away from his sister.
"Shouldn't you stay here and rest instead of coming with us as we finish dealing with these guys?" Robin asked Lissa, whose breathing was starting to return to normal.
"I'm supposed to get used to battle so that I can be of use to the Shepherds." Lissa explained in a way that explained nothing.
"Whatever," Robin shrugged as she turned towards the door in anticipation of Frederick returning. "Just stay back unless you need to, okay?" She said, glancing back at the young healer.
"I don't think Frederick'll let me do anything but." Lissa joked as the knight in question entered the house.
"Let you do what, milady?" He asked as he approached, Robin noticing that his breathing was normal, as if he hadn't just defeated a half dozen bandits and scouted twice. Even if he had been riding a horse, his lance looked as though it wasn't exactly easy to wield.
And his armour is still perfectly clean...
"Nothing, nothing." Lissa giggled, waving a hand in dismissal.
"What did you see?" Chrom interjected as Frederick raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"The remaining brigands have congregated at the church as a last stand, milord," He reported, standing to attention. "The leader, a few swordsmen, the archers and mage are all there, along with a few axemen standing watch with the sword-wielders."
"What is the layout of the plaza?" Robin asked, mentally preparing a loose map from what she had seen earlier.
"The plaza itself has several merchant stalls, then reaches a bridge which leads to the chapel." Frederick replied begrudgingly.
"What about the courtyard and side roads to the church?"
"The courtyard is fairly large and open, and there are paths but they wind through the town." Frederick growled, making it very clear that he was not pleased at all that he was being interrogated by her.
"Come on, then," Robin said, clapping her hands together. "The faster we get rid of them the faster we get to putting this town back in order."
"Indeed." Chrom agreed as he helped Lissa to stand. She wobbled slightly, but followed them outside just the same. Quickly making their way towards the central plaza, Robin debriefed them on the plan.
"Frederick, you're going to go around and bash the side with the archers; they are your top priority. Charge as soon as we give the signal, and get out once they're down so that you can regroup with us as quickly as possible. We'll need you for the final charge."
"And the signal would be?" Frederick asked, clearly unhappy to be taking orders from her.
"You'll know it when you see it," Robin teased. Turning on the siblings, she said, "Chrom, Lissa, you're with me. You charge on my word, and you'll stay back in case we need healing." Robin said as she pointed at them each in turn.
"What of the mage?" Frederick asked in a suspicious tone.
"I've got that covered." Robin said with a wink. Frederick was clearly going to object to her vague answer, but they had reached the point where they were to split, so he silently peeled away from the group, settling to glaring at her instead.
The rest of them hid behind a low-standing wall leading into the plaza. The swordsmen were wandering around on guard duty, but they didn't seem very attentive and on the bridge stood the axemen as a sort of Honour Guard to the men behind them, who were the long-ranged attackers and one very large barrel chested man who was strong-arming a woman from the town.
Robin could hear Chrom grinding his teeth at the scene, clearly taking all of his willpower to restrain himself and Lissa looked on disgusted. That would have probably been Robin's reaction as well, but she had to keep a level head so the others didn't kill themselves. Pulling out her book in one hand, she thumbed through the pages looking for a few specific ones. After finding them, she flipped back to the Thunder page and nodded to Chrom.
With a guttural cry, he charged the unsuspecting brigands, startling some of them a few shades paler before they gave muted war cries of their own running to meet him. At the same time, Frederick burst out next to the archers and dispatched them, running his lance clean through one then ripping it out to slash at the other. The mage took aim for Frederick, but before he could do anything Robin extended her open hand and shouted, "Thunder!" A jolt of electricity jumped straight from her hand to the mage, and he dropped like a rock. He wasn't dead - there wasn't nearly enough power in her spell to do that - but he would be out for awhile.
Behind her, Robin could hear Lissa gasp in awe, and Chrom looked back startled but quickly recovered and began slashing through his opponents. His style was quite unorthodox; he kicked, punched and headbutted his opponents to great effect, though not as much as he swung his large blade, which sliced neatly through whatever it came across, be it armour or flesh, though he did try to restrain himself and show mercy when possible.
Robin could see out of the corner of her eyes that Frederick had flown from the fallen archers, presumable to circle back around. She also sent out more Thunder spells whenever Chrom needed the backup, acting as a mage more so than a swordswoman, though she did pull out her blade when there wasn't enough time to cast.
From beyond the bridge, Robin could hear the desperate screams of the woman.
"G-get him away from me! Please! Please help m-" She was cut off as the bandit leader roughly grabbed her face in one huge hand. He was of a large build, sporting attire not unlike some of the other axe-wielding bandits, but had a thick streak of red warpaint running diagonally across his stomach to one hip and the same color streaks on his cheekbones.
"We can't 'ave you shouting like that, lass. Ya never know if ya might 'urt my feelings," He said in a rough voice as he grinned wickedly and moved his other arm around her torso. "Besides, we could 'ave a bit of fun with ya later so lon' as ya don't struggle too much." At this her eyes widened and she let out a stifled shriek. To them, the leader shouted over the pandemonium of battle, "Here, sheepy-sheep! Come to the slaughter!" He mocked them then turned his attention back to the woman he was handling coarsely. "Don't you worry, lass. Soon as this's over we're goin' to spend some quality time together. You'd best get used to it soon." He said, licking his lips in anticipation.
For a moment, a totally unnecessary and oddly-placed thought popped into Robin's mind. Even the bandits are making shepherd analogies? Then shook it off. She could think about it after they slaughtered the guy.
This taunting just infuriated both her Chrom further, but only he had reacted, now a storm of fury setting its sights on the leader and tossing aside anything in it's way, no longer bothering to spare any of them. Frederick soon joined them, and from the way he fought he had also heard the leader's barbs and foul treatment of the woman. Robin probably would have joined their frenzy too had she not still been in full-on 'Tactician Mode', as she was starting to call it, though she did stop sparing the foes she could have.
As soon as the enemy archers were taken out by the very intimidating mounted knight, the leader backed up to the church doors. When his mage fell, he dropped his hand from the woman's mouth to his axe's hilt. When even his personal guard was felled he brought the axe up to the woman's throat as he surveyed the destruction before him caused by only three people, his face ashen pale. They surrounded him in a loose semi-circle, pinning him against the barred church entrance with Lissa standing behind them trying to look intimidating but failing miserably.
"S-stay back!" He roared, pressing his axe against the maiden's throat for emphasis. A thin line of red started to well at the edge and slowly made its way down the curve of the blade, though there was not enough to actually drip off.
"Put. Her. Down." Chrom enunciated every word. "Or I will have my companion strike you down before you can move an inch."
"Bwa-hahaha!" Garrick barked, the fear on his face starting to ebb away to be replaced with a confidence unseen beforehand. "You can't do a thin'!" He roared, "You're just tryin' to scare me off! Well… it won't work."
With a flick of her wrist and the word 'Wind', Robin sent a gust of blue-green magic wind to separate the bandit from the woman. Frederick ran in and caught the woman from falling while Chrom immediately cornered the bandit with Falchion at his neck. Within a few moments the bandit no longer had a head.
As Robin surveyed the corpses littering the plaza, she was fairly surprised and unsettled that she could feel no remorse for having taken some of those lives. She had killed in cold blood with no hesitation when she could have saved them so that they could face imprisonment or even the death penalty, and this fact almost made her shutter. Gazing at the blood-stained sword she had relieved one of the bandits of, she had to wonder what kind of person she had been.
As Frederick set the woman down, Robin shook herself out of her thoughts. She could ponder her nonexistent past after she had decided what to do next. With nothing but the clothes on her back and the items in her bag, she had almost nothing of her own and no idea where she was.
"Are you okay?" Robin asked as Lissa finished healing the townswoman, which she had been doing as Robin had been deep in thought. The woman nodded shakily before managing to get out a breathy 'thank you'. One of the other townspeople came and took the woman's arm, slowly leading her to the nearest house.
"Glad that nasty business is over." Robin commented as more townspeople started gathering around them. Others still started working to put out fires and rebuild the worst of the damage. It seemed the town would thrive again soon.
"Yeah!" Lissa chimed. "Lucky for the town we were close by. But wow! You were incredible! Swords, sorcery AND tactics! There isn't anything you can't do!" She giggled a little and started bouncing on the balls of her feet, almost all exhaustion forgotten in light of Robin's miraculous skills.
"Yes, but you're certainly no helpless victim, that much is sure." Chrom said in an impressed tone, which made Robin flush a little.
"Yes, and perhaps she can even tell us how she came to be here." Frederick deadpanned.
"Yeesh! You still hate me after I led you to victory with as few civilian casualties as possible? Stone cold!" Robin mockingly shivered and rubbed her hands together. Aside from earning a laugh from Lissa and a chuckle from Chrom, this did nothing for her image towards Frederick.
"Seriously though," She said, quite sober now. "I haven't the faintest clue why I have no memories until this afternoon, nor why I'm so skilled. But I have told you everything I know so far."
"You fought to save Ylissean lives. My heart says that's enough." Chrom said as he sheathed Falchion.
"And your mind, milord? Will you not heed its council as well?" Frederick asked it as if he knew the answer. Chrom turned to him.
"I don't even have to say." His sister snickered a little at this.
"If that is your decision," Frederick said politely and bowed slightly. "But did you notice, milord? They spoke with Plegian accents." Chrom nodded.
"Yes. It seems Plegia has sent another 'gift' to us." Robin cocked her head slightly, confused by the new terminology.
"Plegia? Is that a neighboring nation?" She asked.
"Yes. But they're not exactly neighborly," Chrom answered. "Plegia often sends 'unofficial' raiding parties into our territories, hoping to instigate war."
"And it's the poor, defenseless people that suffer!" Lissa stamped her foot as she said it.
"They're not completely helpless," Frederick reminded her. "They have Shepherds to protect the sheep. Do not be swept in your anger, for it will cloud your judgment."
"I know, I know," Lissa said it as if Frederick reminded her of this often. "I'll get used to it, though."
One of the villagers, an elder, approached Chrom.
"Thank you for helping us, milords! In a few hours we can make you a feast and hospitality as payment." He offered.
"Thank you for the generous offer," Frederick started, "Any other time we would have graciously accepted it, but we must hurry back to Ylisstol."
"Dark meat only for me," Lissa politely ordered, "And no salt in the soup I simply- Wait, what?! Frederick, it's almost dark!" She complained once she can realized what the knight had said.
"When night falls, we'll camp. Eat off the land, make our beds of twigs and such. I believe you said you would 'be getting used to it'." He said with a smug tinge to his voice and a smile playing at his lips.
"Frederick?" Lissa asked, suddenly downtrodden. "Sometimes I hate you." Robin laughed.
"You've quite the stern lieutenant." She joked as Lissa turned to her.
"I can think of a few other names…" The healer said under her breath.
"He only smiles when he's about to bring down the axe." Chrom laughed.
"Noted." Robin replied, grinning.
"You do realize I am still present?" Frederick interjected, no longer smiling.
"We know, Frederick." Chrom said trying and failing to stop chortling.
"You're as amusing as ever, milord," The knight said in a weary tone. "But I must remind you that we must leave posthaste."
"Of course," Chrom nodded, then turned to Robin. "Would you like to come with us? We could always help you decide what to do next. Ylisstol has many options for one with your skills." He offered. Before Robin could react to the sudden gesture, Lissa decided to chime in.
"Awe, I think Chrom just likes you," She teased, a mischievous grin plastered onto her face.
"Lissa!" They said simultaneously. Chrom's face was now pink, and Robin could feel her own cheeks start to burn. After a moment, however, all three burst out laughing.
"Th-thank you, Chrom." Robin said with a polite nod after she had recovered. It wasn't every day someone wakes up with no memories, gets taken in by three strangers, end up saving a town from bandits with those said strangers, and then are invited to travel with said strangers, she reflected. "I just have one teeny tiny question." She said.
"And that would be?"
"Can someone please explain to me why everyone keeps talking about shepherds?" The air was silent for a few moments before Chrom and Lissa fell into a fit of laughter again. The young healer doubled over in her fit and even Frederick was trying to suppress a small grin of his own, much to Robin's chagrin.
"Of course, of course." Chrom finally managed, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. "We'll explain on the way. Come on, then. We're not gaining any daylight." The swordsman said as the group turned and left the town, the pre-twilight turning the sky orange as the merry band traveled onward, one member larger than it had been that morning.
A/N As a bit of a continuation of the A/N above, I would like to give credit where credit is due. I will be using a few of metallover's ideas about the Fire Emblem world in my own story, such as, but not limited to, how magic works and the term Wing Commander. Now, this is not me trying to copy/paste his story. I'm not trying to create an AU in which the dread Love Triangle of Doom will ever exist. All joking aside, I'm not trying to plagiarize his work, and I do suggest you check it out.
So, how'd I do? Is it terrible, passable, or good? Please let me know, I want to improve as much as I can. Also I would like some artwork to use as the cover of this and I can't draw with a mouse, so please send some in! Preferably art that does not depict a ship; I don't want to anger the masses of shippers with one that a particularly vocal group might hate. Then again, that's going to be hard considering I've already debunked FemRobin!Chrom... Or have I? Yes, I did just do that. No one will be able to rely on me for the definitive ships unless it's confirmed in the actual story, for I will continue to pull your leg (sorry not sorry). Anyways, thanks for reading this far, and please give me some feedback; any at all would be greatly appreciated. Until next time!
- Storm 2016