"Chrom, we have to do SOMETHING!" a young woman said, staring down at the tiny form before her.
"I know..." the one known as 'Chrom' answered, running a hand through his blue hair.
In the peaceful field in which they stood alongside their personal guard, Frederick, were the siblings Chrom and Lissa. Both wore regal clothing, Chrom having body armor with a formal design and Lissa a yellow dress that matched her twin-tail, blonde hair. Frederick was in a bulky, obviously uncomfortable armor that would have powdered a lesser man's bones. Despite this, he seemed perfectly adjusted to it. That or he merely never brought up any issue with it. Both seemed plausible.
However, their attention was more focused on the small child laying unconscious on the ground than their attire.
The child was a small girl, no older than seven. She wore a dark purple robe that looked well-made, despite none of the party knowing the standards of the foreign clothing. Her hair was shoulder length and a light gray, a strange color for such a tiny thing. In her small hands was a tattered stuffed cat, which she clung to with an iron grip.
"Poor thing..." Lissa said aloud to herself.
"No word of a missing child in any of the previous villages, my lord," Frederick began in a business-minded tone. "Perhaps she is a resident of the one not far down the road?"
"Perhaps," Chrom said simply. One thing struck him as odd about the girl. Mainly, the robes. They looked quite alien, yet familiar. He was sure that he recognized the style somewhere before...
"Mmmph..." the girl winced before rolling to her side, clutching the stuffed animal in her hands tightly to her chest.
"Do you think she's just taking a nap?" Frederick offered, a slight hint of suspicion in his voice.
"I doubt a child would be allowed to wander out this far from home and fall asleep in a field," Chrom reasoned. He was half tempted to shake the small one awake, they had little time to waste on a kid who fell asleep! Yet, he could not get the courage to do so. Mainly because he was sure she would start crying. Emmeryn had enough problems dealing with their father's reputation. She should not be crushed under rumors of her 'child-hating' brother.
"Do you think she ran away?" Lissa offered, trying to find a reasonable explanation to everything. Her feet were beginning to ache as the massive amount of walking she had done that day finally took its vengeance on her. She cursed her brother for teasing her for not being 'hardened for adventure'.
"More than likely," said Chrom, forgoing his previous thoughts and shaking the girl by the shoulder.
The child grimaced in her sleep before slowly opening her eyes. Each lid rose as slowly as the sun each morning to reveal a pair of almond brown eyes. The lids threatened to close for a second time before immediately shooting open, something shocking the poor girl out of a chance of rest. She slowly rose to her feet, her hands wrapped around her stuffed toy the entire time. The young child turned to the three figures towering over her, each one causing her to clam up and stare at the ground, not saying a single word.
"Hello!" Chrom began with a cocky smile and his 'regal' voice, "Do you know who we are?"
The girl continued to stare at the ground, hugging her toy closer to her.
Chrom fumbled to another way to greet the girl. He was never good with kids...
"Yes..." he began again, "We are the Shepherds!"
Not a word came from the girl once again.
"We are the legendary he-!"
"Give it a rest, Chrom!" Lissa interrupted, shoving a hand in his face as she bent down to the girl's level. "Hello there," Lissa began gently, "what's your name?"
Silence once again answered her, but she saw the smaller female visibly relax.
"My name's Lissa," she pointed to herself. "That was my dumb big-brother, Chrom." She pointed to the blue-haired man who rolled his eyes at his sister's comment.
The girl looked up from the ground for a moment before shooting her eyes back down, her face turning bright red.
"That's a cute toy you have there!" Lissa said with a smile, pinching the cat on one of its ears. "What did you name him?"
"...ki..." The girl mumbled out.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Lissa asked again, her tone remaining calm and kind.
"Kitty," the girl said, now clear enough for them all to hear, "her name is Kitty."
"That's a cute name!" Lissa scratched under the *cat's* chin.
This caused the girl to give a small, but noticeable, smile.
"So what's your name?" Lissa continued her line of questioning, still keeping the same aura of affection.
"R-Robin..." The girl said shyly, once again clutching the toy to herself.
"That's a pretty name," Lissa gave a nod, as if to confirm her statement, and gently ruffled the girl's hair.
This action caused a giggle to slip out of the tightly sealed lips of Robin, who went back to staring at her feet.
"See! Not all grown ups are mean," Lissa said, sticking her tongue out to her brother.
"This is all well and good," Frederick interjected, "but we must get a move on, my lord."
Lissa got to her feet and faced the two. Out of nowhere, she felt a sudden weight attach itself to her leg. She looked down to see Robin, clinging on to her for dear life. Despite her attempts to move, the surprisingly heavy child kept her pinned in her spot, unable to move.
"Robin," Lissa began, chuckling nervously, "can you please let go?"
Despite this, she kept her grip the same.
"Please?"
No physical change could be felt.
"Pretty please?"
"N-No!" Robin said, to the surprise of the party. She was visibly shaking, and almost on the verge of tears. She began sniffling, and her eyes were dotted with tears.
"W-What's wrong?" Chrom felt himself begin to panic. His chest pounded like a drum, and his hands were cold with sweat. He clenched the hilt of his sword tight. Even with wearing his armor, and multiple layers of clothes, a strong draft made him shiver.
"I-I'm scared!" Robin admitted, burying her face into the back of Lissa's leg. "Don't leave me alone!"
"We are not going to simply leave you here," Frederick said, his tone sounding harsh. "We are going to the nearby village, and find your parents."
"I-I..." Robin began, losing her voice before once again hiding behind Lissa.
"Yes?" Chrom inquired. He could tell something was distressing the girl ever since she woke up. The way her eyes shot open when she awoke was saying something she was too afraid to say herself.
"I-I can't remember anything..." Robin began sobbing.
"What?" Lissa asked, gently placing her hand on the crying girl's head.
"I can't remember where I live..." Robin answered again. "I want to go home, but I don't know where it is!"
"I've heard of this!" Lissa realized as she shot her gaze to the others. "It's called amnesia!"
"Why would a little girl have amnesia?" Frederick scratched his chin with a hand as he pondered the answer.
"It does not matter." Chrom approached the girl, lowering to a knee. "We will help find your family, I promise." With that, he gave a cheesy grin, attempting to comfort the distressed girl.
"Y-You promise?" Robin managed to cease her sobbing, but only barely. A few occasional sniffles snuck past her without realizing it.
"I promise." Chrom gave a more genuine smile, much warmer and serious than the last.
"Can you promise Kitty?" Robin stuck the stuffed cat in the man's face, giving him the classic 'puppy-dog-eyes'.
"... You're serious?" Chrom asked, hoping that he wouldn't really have to-
"P-Please?"
-make a promise with a damned stuffed toy...
With a heavy sigh, he said, "I promise."
"You have to say her name. She won't believe you if you don't."
I feel like such an idiot...
"I promise... Kitty."
With that, the party (now including Robin), made their way to the nearby village. The simple, dirt road scraped against their shoes, the crunching falling into a sort of rhythm with their steps. The weather was, luckily, pleasant. Not too warm, and not too cold, with a clear, blue sky above them.
Robin clung to Lissa for the entirety of the walk, not even trying to get close to Frederick or Chrom. The two girls held hands as they walked. Lissa told her stories from her childhood, most of which involved pranking Chrom with frogs and other critters. Robin would giver her a smile that glowed like the sun whenever the word 'frog' popped up in their conversation. While the feminine duo giggled and chatted, the two men in front had a far more heated discussion.
"Frederick," Chrom said deadpanned, "she's a little kid. I highly doubt she's a spy."
"My lord, that could be her plan!" Frederick 'reasoned' from atop his horse, stealing glances at the girl. "Gain our trust with an innocent exterior, then leave us all poisoned and dead at the roadside."
"So a six year old may be planning to kill me?" Chrom rubbed his eyes. Sometimes his personal guard, and good friend, could be a little too overzealous in regards to his safety.
"Seven year old!" Frederick argued. "That distinction could be the death of you, my lord!"
"Frederick," Chrom said, his voice deadpan, "she made me make a promise to a stuffed toy."
"All I am saying is that I will keep my eyes on her," Frederick said, his vision focused on the little girl, "children always make good informants. Or distractions..."
"That's preposterous," Chrom groaned, rolling his eyes as he patted Frederick on the back. "Look, if you want to watch her, go right ahead. She's gonna need a backup babysitter anyway. Just try not to scare her. Children are sensitive things, and we don't need her crying the whole trip."
Chrom and Frederick ceased their conversation right then and there. The former went on to whistle a small tune to himself, while the latter slid to the back of the group. Frederick trailed just far enough behind to be last, but still able to keep up with the rest with ease. His eyes were locked onto Robin, and a stern frown was etched onto his face. Something about her made his stomach turn, and he knew that his gut rarely failed him.
He needed to be vigilant.
It was just a few miles away from the closest village when Chrom noticed something in the air.
"Halt!" he called to the others, stopping them dead in their tracks.
"What is it, Chrom?" Lissa asked, worry filling her voice. She recognized the tone her brother had used. It was one he always spoke in before a battle.
"Smell the air," Chrom ordered simply, still facing his back to the party. He withdrew his sword, Falchion, from its holster. The scrap of the metal caused Robin and Lissa to wince.
Frederick was the first to notice.
"Is that... smoke?"
The acrid sent flooded the air, choking the life out of the small group. The thick, heavy, and hot air meant only one thing.
"We have to move, now!" Chrom ordered, already in a sprint.
"My lord, wait!" Frederick called, his steed going at full speed, following his charge.
"Guys!" Lissa tried to call for them to no avail. She knew blindly rushing in was going to get someone killed. But she had another issue to deal with. Her eyes drifted to the child who once again clung to her leg. Lissa knew she couldn't just abandon Robin there, running off to help her friends.
"..ba-.." Robin mumbled something to herself, not allowing Lissa to see her face.
"What was that?" Lissa felt a ball of ice in her stomach. Something about what Robin tried to say made her body go cold. She couldn't say why, but she felt like she needed to just let it go; just run for her friends. Robin, however, said something that hit her like a carriage at full speed.
"Bad tactics." Robin stared straight ahead, almost like she was in a trance. "Need a plan." Her wide expression caused shivers to go down Lissa's back. The way she spoke sounded nothing like the shy little girl they had met not even three hours earlier. Her voice was monotone, yet held an icy quality to it. She sounded more like a ghost than a human being.
"R-Robin?" Lissa grabbed the girl's shoulders, trying to snap her out of the strange trance. She lightly shook Robin, giving light smacks to her cheeks every few shakes.
"I have to go..." Robin sounded like a husk, no emotion whatsoever no matter where you looked. She moved her tiny legs forward, though she was blocked by Lissa. That did not stop her from trying, her feet still trying to carry her body towards the direction Chrom and Frederick ran off to.
"No! It's too dangerous!" Lissa tried to hold onto the small child, but she lost her grip and Robin slipped right through. Before she could react, Robin burst into a powerful sprint, already being out of sight before Lissa got to her feet.
"What the hell...?"
"By the Gods!" Chrom swore as he looked upon the burning village.
Bandits flooded the streets, butchering anyone unlucky enough to cross their path. The simple, wooden buildings turned into blazing infernos from the bandits' torches. Each one gave bellowing laughs as they pillaged the simple homestead, setting everything alight and stealing everything not nailed down... including the nails.
"My lord," Frederick said as he caught up to his hot-headed friend, "what do you suggest we do?"
"We kill the bastards, that's what!" Chrom wore an enraged sneer as he readied his sword, prepared to slice a few of the brigands in two.
"We need a plan if we are going to kill anyone," Frederick held his spear in front of the young man, blocking his progress, "we can't just run in and start swinging."
"Fine!" Chrom scanned the area around him. The stalls could provide adequate cover from arrows, and allow them to surprise a few bandits if they were careful. There looked to only be around eight or nine, certainly enough for the two to handle. He could see the leader in the distance, a large, burly man who had his hands on a young village woman who shrieked in fear, begging for help.
"You draw their attention," Chrom began, "I take out the leader."
"As you wish, my lord." Frederick could not help but smirk.
"Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!"
Lissa ran as fast as she could, trying to catch up to Robin. She screwed up bad! She was gonna get in so much trouble!
She felt the air get hotter as she approached the village, burning brightly. The acrid scent was making her light-headed, her vision getting hazier. Still, she pushed past it. She had to find Robin!
Something made her lose her footing. She stumbled to the ground, landing face first. The pain was insignificant, but she was unprepared. The shock in her system was enough to launch her hands to her face, trying to catch the blood spilling from her nose.
"Now I know how Sumia feels..."
The thought was quickly extinguished from her mind when she saw what she tripped over.
It was one of the bandits, dead. He was a large, bear-like man with enough hair to confuse a wild animal. His face was a frozen expression of shock, emulating his last moments. The large slash against his stomach, still pouring out red, told Lissa who it was that killed him.
"Good, I'm close to Chrom."
The thought gave her relief, but she still needed to find Robin! She was stuck in the middle of this insanity!
"Lissa!" she heard a familiar voice call out to her. She turned to see Frederick riding to her, clutching his arm to his side. "Thank the Gods, I found you!"
"Fr-Frederick," Lissa began in a panic, "Have you seen Robin!?"
"What," Frederick went wide-eyed, "she's missing!?"
"After you guys left, she started acting all weird and ran off towards here!" Lissa held her staff and summoned a healing spell to fix Frederick's arm. The snapping and crunching of bone made her feel slightly queasy, something Frederick shared with her.
"What do you mean 'acted weird'?" Frederick felt a burst of anger flood his system. He knew they should not have trusted that girl! She was working with the bandits to buy them time!
"She talked funny and looked like she was in a trance." Lissa was having trouble keeping her patience. Frederick was wasting their time when they should have been looking for Robin!
"We have to find her," Frederick began, his tone cold and cruel, "she needs to tell us what the hell is going on."
"A-Alright!" Lissa gripped her staff, a look of determination on her face.
"Okay," Frederick gripped her shoulder sympathetically, "Listen, I know you must be scared. But remember that you did nothing wrong."
"Wh-What?" Lissa stared at Frederick in confusion.
"Taking a life is no light burden, believe me," Frederick gestured to the corpse Lissa fell over earlier, "but it was necessary."
"Wh-Whoa!" Lissa threw her hands up, "I didn't kill him! I thought you guys did!"
"No," Frederick furrowed his brow, "we have not made it to this part of town yet. I only came here because I heard you scream for the girl."
"W-Was I screaming...?" The thought made Lissa go red in the face. Something about the mental image was so... embarrassing.
"Do you think...?" Frederick trailed off, unable to completely voice his statement. Lissa managed to get the message though.
"What, a kid take out a guy like that?" Lissa pointed to the corpse. The thought was ridiculous!
"Damn... Got carried away!"
Chrom cursed himself as he gripped his side, keeping pressure on his wound. Blood poured from his side as he held his sword up with his free hand. It was nothing too serious as long as he got to Lissa, but that was determined by whether he could lob off the bandit chief's head before he bled out.
"Bwahahahaha!" the large bandit bellowed out, raising his large, crude, war ax to strike. "Nobles 're so damned fun! Nothin' bu' pre'y boys with fancy swords!"
Chrom fully admitted that he underestimated his opponent. He assumed the bandit was nothing more than a common thug, the type who ran at the first second of combat with a real opponent. So he used the more flashy moves, the ones made to scare instead of kill. The ones a real soldier could block like it was second nature.
"Damned fool! Remember your training!"
His sword shook with every hit the bandit delivered. Each one made the bones in Chrom's arm bend, becoming worse with every swing.
"A bandit shouldn't be this powerful!"
The thought repeated in his head over and over. He had killed hundreds of bandits, each one being nothing more than child's play. But this chief was different. He knew when to parry, what to parry, how to block, how to keep himself on his feet. Everything a normal bandit couldn't know... unless...
"You've been trained!" Chrom said aloud, taking a swing at the bandit, who easily blocked the strike. The two pressed their weapons against each other, their blades sending sparks with every centimeter they moved.
"Took ya long enough t' no'ice!" The bandit laughed once again, giving a swift kick to Chrom's groin.
The strike was able to drop Chrom to his knees, unable to block such a sudden and dirty attack.
"Bu' where I'm from, we don't waste no time on any honor bullshit!" The bandit raised his ax above his head, ready to strike. "As long as yer enemy's dead, ya win!"
Chrom tried to raise his sword, but a violent shock of pain kept it paralyzed. He looked down to see something just barely jutting out of the skin. Blood started to spill from the spot, enough to make his grip loose and unsteady.
"Damn... he got me..."
Chrom closed his eyes, waiting for the strike. Nothing he could do could prevent the ax from hitting him. His legs felt like gelatine, his muscles practically screaming. The adrenaline from earlier was wearing off, making him feel like his body weighed a million tons.
"Will you just get it over wi—huh?" Chrom opened his eyes, noticing how long the bandit was taking. But now he understood why.
The bandit was dead, a bronze sword sticking out of his chest, someone impaling him from behind. The bandit fell to his knees, his hand gripping the blade.
"Damned... nobles..." the bandit chief choked out, "ya... got me..."
With that, the bandit fell face first onto the ground, the sword sliding out on the way. A puddle of dark red covered the ground from the freshly made corpse.
But the whole while, Chrom could only look to the killer, his savior.
"Robin...?"
He stared in a mix of horror and astonishment as the small child dropped the sword, the weapon clattering on the paved road. The girl ran to Chrom, wrapping her tiny arms around his chest.
He could only hear her say one thing before she fell asleep against him.
"Daddy..."
A/N 2018
I reread through this story recently, and there were quite a number of things that caused me to cringe. And as they stacked up, I realized that a serious rewrite is gonna be necessary. On the plus side, I think it might actually be the cause of why I ended up letting this die. I just lost inspiration to wrangle the mess I let this turn into.
Now I understand people liked how this turned out, and I thank you guys for that. This is simply going to be fixing things I think are objectively weak in the story. I'm mainly focusing on changing up dialogue, descriptors, and the like. Things I find that immediately make me go "Really should change that."
This chapter is relatively untouched from the original, because I'm actually relatively satisfied with how it turned out. Only a joke or two I didn't like, and try to flesh out a relatively anemic section or two.