Heya. I'm doing Chrobin Week, but with a twist. Some things have gotten switched around in this universe, different from what you might know. But it's still the same two dorks.
This shot is more like fluff of dorks being cute before they realize they're meant for each other.
Happy reading. Please review, whether it's about the universe or chapter.
PS: If this isn't your ship, then please don't flame me.
Celebration
Validar examined his daughter with a conspiratorial gleam of understanding in his eyes. The princess of Ylisse looked back at him, innocence in her blue eyes, hands held behind her back.
"Daughter, this expedition will most likely cause you to miss your birthdate celebration."
"That is not the case." She replied, holding his eyes. "I estimated as long as we do not run into any problems, the Shepherds will have returned to Ylistol before the month's end. I had Frederick look over my plans, and he agreed. A week to reach Regna Ferox, a week to return, and five days for negotiations." That did not mean she wouldn't go looking for trouble along the way. Any wordsmith could have spotted the loophole a dozen lengths away. "And it will be a good experience for the new recruits."
"Many of your recruits already know Ylisse's roads." The Tactician-turned-Sage 'reminded' her.
"Not all of them. And we all need to have basic knowledge on matters like these." Her eyes flickered to the left, the only sign of her nerves. "Also, Father, we need the support. Training the villages to fight according to their classes will only hold so far if the brigade attacks continue to rise. They're testing us," a fact they both knew, "and if they find a weakness, we'll be in trouble. Having Regna Ferox as an ally would be invaluable."
Validar considered the paper in front of him, with the details written in Robin's neat handwriting. Her purpose was twofold, and he could deny neither had no appeal. The council would never allow a greater militarization after the actions of his father nearly ruined their continent. But if the Plegian brigades continued to act in interests directed by the Plegian king (and both Tacticians suspected they would), things would change very quickly and they all could be swept under the madness of the Mad King. And Robin never enjoyed the celebrations the council planned for her. The princess heir would rather spend her birthdate celebration with her friends and companions, not the lords and bachelors the council deemed eligible. For each year past her maturity, the council only got more and more insistent that she marry. Validar would never allow them to have their way with his daughter, but they didn't make it easy.
"When would you leave?" Her eyes brightened.
"The morning after next."
"Very well." Validar set down the parchment and stood, allowing his beloved child to embrace him in thanks. "Naga be with you, may your tome be open, and your companions will bring you home."
Chrom was very confused when a journey to the North was announced, and some of the older Shepherds began to snicker. A glare from Frederick quickly hushed them, although many of them wore knowing smirks.
As the Shepherds began their journey North, Chrom pulled Sully aside. Normally he would go to Lissa for information, but she had recently pranked him with a frog down his shirt. Sully was easy to be around and usually was able to answer most questions.
"What was last night about?"
"What're you talkin' about?"
"Last night, when Frederick announced we were heading North, you were laughing."
"Ha!" Sully's laugh made him jump. "That? Yeah, you wouldn't know. Ever since her thirteenth year, the court would throw the Captain a massive birthdate celebration. Fancy, but it's just an excuse to hook her up with some lord or other noble."
"Hook her up?" Chrom frowned. "Like getting married?"
"Yeah. I'd hate to be the heir of the halidom. She's able to escape being dolled up by leading us and being the only one who can wield Falchion, but the court still is trying to get her to marry and produce an heir."
That didn't sound right, no matter how Chrom looked at it. The Robin he knew would dive into a fight, tome flashing and sword swinging, would happily eat bear meat and laugh when Frederick and Lissa wouldn't, and would spend hours in the library or training yard. True, the idea of her being a princess was still hard to process, but the thought of her being dressed in puffy dresses and dancing with men who wore more frills than Virion was so impossible that his brain immediately threw it into the "cannot understand, so I won't try" pile.
His thoughts must have shown on his face, because Sully laughed.
"Gods, what a horrible fate."
"Yeah, she's never happy this time of year." The redhead paused, then said in a quieter voice. "For different reasons."
"She tries to leave the party to celebrate with us." Stahl said, coming up alongside Sully. "Frederick intercepted her last year."
"Hell, I'm surprised he let her do this."
"But we'll be back before the month ends, right?" Both Cavaliers stared at him. Then Sully threw back her head and roared with laughter. Even Stahl laughed merrily. "...what?"
"Listen, Chrom." Stahl grinned. "We haven't been doing much, so you might not have had the chance to notice it, but our Captain always has a plan. We'll be back at the beginning of next month."
"Hell yeah, I'd shocked if we were back before that."
As it turned out, Sully and Stahl were right about the delay, although they were wrong about the reason. Who would have guessed that the course of actions would have proceeded the way they had. Chrom had no faults with Ferox idea of using your strength for 'debate', but he didn't appreciate how they had sprung a surprise attack on them. It could have gone much worse, but Frederick had gotten Robin out of range immediately (Chrom shuddered at the thought of all those bolts finding a resting place in Robin's body) and Sumia had swooped in on a pegasus to carry him away from danger. Then they had been taken to the capital to meet with the khan, but got sidetracked saving a village from bandits. After that, they had to spend extra time preparing to bring Flavia into power, which eventually put them a week behind schedule. They celebrated Robin's birthdate in Ferox, the night after defeating the Western Khan's units and champion. If the shift in power wasn't enough, the Feroxians were delighted to celebrate Robin's nineteenth year with them, adding another layer of chaos to the celebration.
Chrom eventually found himself near the edges of the party, having escaped a drinking competition between Vaike and one of the Feroxians. A few drinks was enough for him.
"I wouldn't have thought you'd be out here." He glanced over to see Robin leaning on one of the pillars, a look of peace on her face.
"Too much going on right now." He shrugged, going over to stand next to her. "I needed some air." He did feel bad that he didn't have a gift for her. He hadn't realized that gift-giving was part of a birthdate celebration, and so was empty-handed.
"I understand that." She laughed softly, eyes glazed slightly. She did that often, most likely thinking about something or reflecting on events gone by. After the events today...she was probably thinking about so much. Marth had been hard to beat, and the determination showing in his eyes hadn't even died as he lay on the ground, Chrom's sword resting against his collarbone. Marth...and his sword. Chrom frowned. Something seemed different. It was almost like fighting Robin, whose sword never gave and would see every opening. He just couldn't put his finger on what it was...
Ugh, those thoughts were too complicated for Chrom. Analyzing fights and stuff like that was Robin's specialty. Shaking his head, he turned to say something to Robin, but found her already looking at him, less burdened than she had recently.
"We did it, Chrom." She reached out, taking his hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We secured the alliance. Ylisse can be safe. Honestly, this is the best thing that happened today." Her hands were so small compared to his. "Thank you, for standing by us." Her eyes were bright, not guarded like she sometimes was. "Thank you for standing by me."
"You're welcome, Robin." I'm glad there's something that I can do.
Chrom hadn't expected it. Well, that wasn't right. He had been expecting something, but wasn't sure what it was. Lissa had been sneaking around, asking strange questions and giggling behind her hands. Vaike had been putting extra hours into 'training', pulling Chrom to the training grounds at the most random times for duels. Stahl was busy in the kitchens with Sumia as his assistant. And Robin was avoiding him. Although he was avoiding her too, since after walking in on her in the bathing tent was the worst thing that had happened to him since waking up in that field. If Robin had known that he would do such a thing (unintentionally, and gods damn anyone who said otherwise, because he wasn't Vaike), she probably would have left him in that field. Thankfully, no one else seemed to have heard about it. And gods forbid that Frederick find out, because he death would be long and painful if the Great Knight did come across that information.
Actually...maybe that's why training recently had been exceptionally brutal. Robin's retainer had discovered his misdeeds and was torturing him through the cover of training. Today, Frederick had even refused to allow him to leave the training ground even for food.
His sore muscles had been soothed by the warm water of the bathes, and now all Chrom needed was some food. He pushed open the door to the dining hall.
"HAPPY BIRTHDATE!" Cobalt eyes widened. All of the Shepherds (and a few non-Shepherds) were in the room, some holding food, others holding drinks, others simply standing around. A couple of musicians sat in the corner, instruments off to the side, and a number of tables were pressed together, a mountain of food bearing down upon them.
"Chrom!" Lissa came bounding up to him, her blonde hair bound with blue ribbons. "Happy Birthdate!"
"What is this?" The Lord stared down at the younger princess. "It's not...my birthdate...?" He had no memories. He couldn't even remember his own name at first, let alone anything about him. How was he supposed to know when his birthdate was, when he couldn't even remember how old he was? After Robin's birthdate, he had come to the realization that it probably didn't matter, that it would never come up in any shape or form.
"Well, you don't know when your own birthdate is, am I wrong?" She had a gleam in her eye that dared him to be wrong.
"No, but-"
"We're not going to leave you out just because you can't remember something like that! We just had to give you a new one, one that won't be forgotten!" Lissa was rocking on the balls of her feet, hands behind her back in excitement. "Geez, Chrom! You're one of us, now! That means more than just fighting side-by-side! We're a family!"
Lissa couldn't have planned this, he realized as he allowed the petite blonde to drag him into the mass of people wanting to congratulate him. It was beyond her patience level. Frederick would never have done this, but he was certainly in on in, keeping Chrom busy all day. And the only person who could have asked Frederick to keep him busy was...Robin.
Chrom found Robin at the edge of the dining hall, just as he had before. This time, she was not alone. Stahl was by her side, laughing at something she said. An unfamiliar feeling settled in his stomach as the Tactician laughed with him, an easy smile on his face. He paused, unsure, and that's when Stahl looked over and saw him. The Cavalier smiled, waving him over, and the nerves from avoiding Robin came over him again, gluing his boots to the floor. Robin, turned, and didn't frown when she saw him, nor did she appear to lose her good mood. She actually seemed pleased to see him, which gave Chrom the courage to approach.
"Happy Birthdate, Chrom!" Stahl clapped him on the shoulder. "How many years is it now?"
"Miriel estimates twenty or twenty-one." Those who had been within earshot of the Mage generally agreed on her conclusion, so Chrom took it.
"A good age.
"Hey! Stahl! Get over here!" Sully's voice rang above the crowd. "We're goin' at it now, or you're losin' automatically."
"Gotta go! Wish me luck!" The man dashed away towards the food table.
"Stahl and Sully's eating competitions are legendary amongst the Shepherds. Lissa is on standby with her staff." The eldest princess rolled her eyes. "It's not a celebration without the competition." They both watched the people moving around, each of whom had some part in his life. All of this, all of the people gathered because of him, everyone having a good time, it was...incredible. And he suspected the amazing woman beside him was the one behind it.
"You planned this?"
"Well, you don't know when your birthdate is, and it didn't seem right that you shouldn't have one at all." She shrugged. "Lissa's the one who actually picked the date. Something about having you celebrate in the spring months, although I can't remember what it is exactly she said." She made a dismissive gesture with her hands.
"Gods, I thought you were furious with me still."
"What?" She paused, and seemed to remember because her cheeks turned pink. "Oh, I'd forgiven you. But I tried to avoid you because I wasn't sure if I'd let something slip, and then the whole surprise would be ruined. I was certain one of the others would let it slip, but everyone wanted to help in some form or another. Lissa almost burst a few times, but didn't, and-"
"Thank you." She stopped rambling, eyes rising to meet his. Gently, he took her hands in his, like she had a month earlier. "You didn't have to, but you did. And I'm thankful. For everything. For giving me a chance in that field, for giving me a place to belong, and for allowing me to stand by your side."
"You..." She glanced down at their hands, then back up at him. "You're welcome, Chrom."
"Hey!" Both jumped, flying apart in an instant, but it was only Lissa. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"
"H-Hiding in plain sight is the best place, so why didn't you check here." Robin replied, somewhat cheekily, making the Cleric wave her staff at her older sister scoldingly.
"No sass from you tonight, Captain. We're making a toast to the Lord over here, who is apparently more interested in this corner of the room. Come on, you two!" Lissa grabbed Chrom's hand to pull him along, while his other hand instinctively sought Robin's. She shrieked, but allowed herself to be dragged behind the black-haired man as Lissa made her way to the middle.
"Alrighty!" Lissa grabbed a glass from Virion and releasing Chrom. "A toast! To Chrom, our friend and companion!"
"TO CHROM!" A cheer rose, everyone lifting their glasses or tankards. Chrom laughed along with everyone else as Vaike attempted to down his in one lifting, but his attention was on the small hand that seemed to fit perfectly in his larger one, and the giggling woman it was attached to. He would protect her, he swore in that moment, because she had given him everything when she didn't have to.
And next year, he would get a gift for her birthdate celebration.