A/N: Oh, boy, do I have some opinions about the Judgement scene. I think the scene had realistic potential to be the most intense, impactful and meaningful point in the entire Awakening story and it... well, it just kindof wasn't. In my opinion, the dialogue was basic and the premise and context of the scene was a little strange. This all being said, here's my take on the Judgement scene from Fire Emblem: Awakening in a quick two-chapter format. This also marks my return from my long hiatus! I've been gone for around 4 months now, but I'm back! Hopefully I can get around to writing more stories and updating established ones in the near future, but for now, here's a quick story that I used as a refresher on how the whole writing thing works. Rate, review, and enjoy!

- Red


All at once, thousands of invisible needles jabbed through Robin's head, sending him crumbling to the stone floor below him. Using one hand to prop himself up and the other to clutch at the side of his head in a desperate attempt to soothe the burning in his skull, he looked up to find Validar standing menacingly above him.

"Seize the Emblem and bring it to me."

The more Robin tried to fight the static in his head the more the searing pain increased, causing him to grit his teeth and pound the floor with a clenched fist.

"No... Nngh," Robin hissed. "Gods, get out of my head!"

"I will not ask you again, boy. Bring me the Emblem."

"I... Help me... Gods, it hurts..." Robin groaned hoarsely, drops of sweat beginning to cover his forehead and drip onto the ground.

Letting out a blood curdling scream, the burning inside of his head turned into an intense cold- a sensation that spread instantly through his chest and towards his arms and legs. His eyes shot open, now black and lifeless. While a thin purple mist was beginning to rise out of his eye sockets, he convulsed and trembled, fighting valiantly against Validar's influence.

It wasn't enough.

With a sudden jolt, Robin's body went rigid before he hoisted himself up and turned to face Chrom.

"Robin, what are you doing? What's gotten into you-" Chrom began before being interrupted by a deafening bolt of electricity which sent him flying through the air before violently coming to a stop against the wall behind him.

"Father!"

"Chrom!"

The Fire Emblem came clattering to the floor at his feet, leaving the Shepherds stunned beyond words.

Averting their eyes to the source of the blast, they found Robin, a hand raised in the air pointing in Chrom's direction, smoke peeling off of his fingers from the thunder spell.

"Excellent, boy," Validar sneered. "Now, bring it to me."

Without a second's hesitation, Robin walked calmly to Chrom's unconscious body and picked up the Emblem, studying it for a short moment in his hands before delivering it to Validar.

"Well done, my child..." Validar purred before being engulfed in a flash of white light, escaping with the Emblem.

One final wave of needles shot through Robin's body as he fell to the floor, coming to rest on his hands and knees. Life returned to his eyes as he began to cough violently, each cough racking his body and adding to the pulsating headache threatening to breach his temples. Over the top of the ringing in his ears, Robin made out the cluttering of gear, panicked shouting and heavy footsteps as Lucina and the rest of the Shepherds made hastily towards the unconscious Exalt.

Robin felt a hand on his shoulder, lightly shaking him and returning him to reality as the ringing slowly began to subside.

"D-dad? Are you okay?"

Robin looked up to find Morgan kneeling down beside him, a mixed look of worry and fear he'd never seen on her face before as she glanced erratically between him and the wall to his left.

"Morgan? Nngh, where is Validar? What happened?"

"Dad...?"

Robin had just enough time to avert his gaze away from his daughter before he violently vomited a thick, black liquid onto the ground below him.

Morgan recoiled back, shock evident on her face as she fell backwards and pushed herself away from him.

Robin took a few long, labored breaths before he lifted himself enough to fall backwards, propping his back against the wall behind him. He began to notice the other Shepherds staring at him in various shades of shock, anger, and fear.

Looking to his right, his heart sank as he saw the form lying on the ground. Lissa was knelt beside Chrom's body with a healing staff above his chest, eyes clenched shut as she focused the healing magic through the Exalt's body.

"Hey... wait," Robin mumbled absentmindedly, his breathing becoming short and difficult as he pieced together what had happened. Panicking, he propped himself on one hand in an attempt to lift himself upright before falling back down to the ground. Settling for a crawl, Robin slowly began making his way across the room towards Chrom's body before he felt a crushing impact against his ribs, sending him back down onto the ground. He looked up, and met the stern glare of Frederick.

"Don't move another inch, traitor," Frederick spat, lacing so much venom into the last word that ice dashed through Robin's chest as his heart sank.

"What... W-what have I done? Gods... No. Chrom?!"


"Chrom!"

Robin shot up with a start, eyes wide as he clutched at the cloth below him that he immediately knew belonged to one of the makeshift hospital beds in camp.

The events of the day began to flood back to him, driving him even further to panic as he began to hyperventilate.

"Huh?" Lissa mumbled groggily from a corner of the tent before seeing him trashing about under the covers and rushing to his side, pushing him back down to the bed. "Robin, hey, calm down! You're okay!"

"No. No! Where's Chrom? Where is the Emblem?" Robin panted, struggling against the princess as he desperately tried to sit back up.

"Its not here, Robin!" Lissa shot back as Robin froze with a hopeless look on his face. "Its gone. The only thing you need to do right now is sit there and heal. You almost died, you know."

Robin shut his eyes and let his head fall back onto the bed below him with a soft thud.

"Gods dammit, I was hoping that was just a terrible dream... Is Chrom okay? He isn't here," Robin asked quietly, looking around at the empty line of beds along the wall of the tent.

Noticing his worry, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright. He's fine. He's been up and walking since yesterday morning."

"Thank Naga for that. Lissa, I'm sor-" he began before what she said finally hit him. "Wait. Did you say yesterday morning?"

"Yeah, you were out cold," Lissa said as she shot him a cheeky grin and nodded. "That fight took something out of everyone. It also doesn't help when you're on the receiving end of Frederick's boot."

Robin rolled his eyes.

Oh, right, he thought. If he didn't hate me before, he definitely hates me now.

Propping himself up with an elbow, Robin hissed as he slowly sat upright and got a good look at his bare chest.

"Yikes," Robin grumbled. "You've been busy. I didn't make the last few days too hard on you, did i?"

Lissa huffed theatrically. "Well, this is my job, isn't it?"

The two shared a short laugh before quieting down again.

"You wanna know what I miss?" Lissa asked with a wistful smile on her face.

"What's that?"

"Whale watching on the Ylissean coast. Just you, Chrom and I."

Robin chuckled, reminded of the good memories he, Chrom, and the cleric had made together. "Yeah, that was pretty fun, wasn't it?"

"Are you kidding? I'd take anything over this," Lissa groaned. "I was only what, seventeen? You have no idea what I would do to go back to that. Just me and family, not having to worry about great wars or living husks of dead stuff walking around and killing things."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Robin smirked slightly. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not actually a part of your family? You're part of an incredibly prestigious bloodline- you're actual royalty. I woke up in the middle of a stupid field. We seem to view family a lot differently, young lady."

Lissa rolled her eyes, a fake expression of displeasure on her face. "Firstly? You know what I mean, weirdo. Secondly? Stop calling me that, you know I hate it."

"Yeah. Yeah, don't worry, I do," Robin laughed quietly before taking a moment to think. "Out of everything I know in this world, you and Chrom will always be the closest things I have to family. Obviously not counting Morgan, but you get what I mean. You guys have been there since, well, as long as I can remember, and I'm never going to forget that."

"Good," Lissa smiled mischievously. "Cause after this, you're never gonna get away from us!"

The two shared another laugh before Robin's face took on a more serious expression, his eyes squinting and zigzagging around the room as he always did when something was troubling him.

"Hey, I uh... About what happened..."

Lissa quirked an eyebrow, silently asking him to explain further.

"...How are people taking it?" he finally asked after a few moments.

Lissa bit her cheek, unsure of how to respond.

"People are... upset," she began. "It's taken nearly half the camp to keep Frederick from storming the tent and taking you out himself."

Robin sighed. "Can you blame him, really? As long as I'm here, I'm a danger to everyone else. People have had their doubts about me and honestly have had every reason to. But now I've given up one of the most powerful assets Ylisse has ever known to a crazed psychopath- a crazed psychopath who apparently is also my father, might I add. That, and I shot our Exalt in the chest with a bolt of lightning to get it. Of course he wants to kill me! It would be foolish not to!"

"Robin, listen," Lissa said calmly, sitting down on a chair next to him and laying a hand on the white-haired man's shoulder. "I've known you for nearly four years now. I've gone into battle with you more times than I can count. I know you, and I know what happened with Validar wasn't your fault. You do this, you know... You always drag yourself through the mud for things you don't have any control over."

"I know it wasn't my fault. I know it wasn't," Robin sighed. "But that isn't what is important here. What happens the next time Validar takes control over me and I can't fight it, Lissa? Who will I harm then? What if I harm Chrom again, or harm Lucina, or what if I harm Morgan?"

Lissa studied him for a few moments before he shrugged her hand off his shoulder and cleared his throat.

"There's... something I need to do," Robin said timidly. "This is incredibly important, Lissa. Can you let me out of this tent for a minute so I can do that?"

Lissa was surprised by Robin's sudden change of mood. He had been stressed lately, sure, but over the last few weeks the cracks in Robin's mental armor had made themselves especially apparent. While she was unsure of what exactly it was that Robin was speaking of, she understood the look in Robin's eyes- this was important to him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, waiting a few moments to open them.

"Okay. Just don't do anything stupid, Robin. I mean it."

Robin nodded, hanging his legs over the edge of the bed before gingerly sliding to his feet, steadying himself before walking to a stool where his signature coat and his favorite dagger lay on. He stood for a few moments before turning around.

"Lissa, I-"

Before Robin could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by two arms reaching around him and pulling him into a tight hug. He froze for a few seconds before returning the hug with a deep sigh.

After what seemed like an hour, Lissa pulled away, the fact that her hands took their time pulling away not escaping him. Looking her over, it looked like tears could begin to fall at any moment.

"I trust you, Robin. Go do what you need to do," Lissa said quietly.

Robin nodded with a small smile before sliding his dagger into its sheath on his hip. "Thank you, Lissa."

With one final glance towards the Exalt's sister, and a sorrowful smile, Robin disappeared through the flaps of the tent.

He never intended to see her again.