Love Lost to Fate

Chapter 1

He stood before Validar, his skin dark and his eyes burning bright. The two threw spells at each other, each avoiding the other's attacks. Chrom rushed at the man in between attacks, swinging the great Falchion at him with little effect. "Robin, you got anything up your sleeve?" called the Exalt.

"I've got something, Chrom!" he answered as he flipped through his massive spell book. "Just hold him off!" Chrom made more swings at the dark sorcerer. Chrom sped towards Validar and rapidly attacked him while Robin prepped his spell. "Only got one shot at this," he told himself as he mentally read the incantation. Chrom struck at Validar several times, with the final strike sending their foe off balance. "Thoron!" he shouted with a hand outstretched. Validar realized too late what his enemy was doing and he found himself struck by instant lightning, and while it was not powerful enough to kill him, it left him stunned on the spot. "NOW, CHROM!" Chrom dashed forward and pierced Validar with the Falchion, where he then fell to the ground dying.

Chrom rushed to Robin's side, who was on his hands and feet. "Robin, you alright?"

"I'm fine! That spell took a lot out of me, is all," Robin assured him.

"THIS ISN'T OVER!" screamed Validar, who rose up and threw a ball of magical energy at Chrom. Robin jumped to his feet and shoved his friend aside, taking the hit himself. He was thrown to the ground, where Chrom dashed over to him.

"I'm…I'm alright…" Robin moaned.

Chrom glanced over at Validar, who had fallen over again, now dead. "Well, that's the last of him. Thanks to you, we carried the day. We can rest easy now." Robin gave his friend a smile before a spark of pain rushed into his head, making him double over. "Hey, you alright?"

"At long last…" said a voice within Robin's mind, but it was not his own. It was unfamiliar, yet inviting. Robin felt his vision grow muddled.

"What's wrong, Robin? Hey, hang on––!?" Chrom grabbed at his friend before he suddenly lost his voice. Upon Robin's face was the mark of Grima glowing red, and looking down, Chrom found his stomach pierced with a bolt of lightning and Robin's hand was crackling with electricity. "This is not…your fault…" he choked. "You must…please…go…" With that, Chrom fell to the floor and ceased moving.

Robin slipped a smile and began laughing, but it was not his own voice he heard.

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"Always remember that you decide your fate, Robin…your future is never set in stone…" the woman told him. She was garbed in a Plegian cloak, and while he could not see her face, long silver hair draped down to her shoulders. She pulled him into a tight hug as she quietly wept, then she pushed him away.

"Mother…"

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Robin's eyes shot open with a gasp. The blue sky was adorned with white clouds hung over him and he found himself lying in the grass on the side of the road. Robin sat up with his hand to his head, which was throbbing with pain. "Where am…?" his voice trailed off when he saw his right hand, the back of which was adorned with a strange mark. "A tattoo?" he wondered. It appeared in the form of a set of slanted purple eyes arranged into columns of three, all six connected with purple lines forming a large "V" shape before ending in an intertwined tail.

Robin groaned as he rose to his feet and surveyed his surroundings, running his hand through his silver hair. In the distance on his left was the towers of a nearby town named Southtown. He checked his person: aside from his outlandish clothes and the heavy black coat that hung on him, he had little apart from an iron sword on his left hip and a massive book secured in a carrying case on his right, as well as a pair of black gloves in his coat's chest pocket. He chose to slip these on to hide the strange mark on his hand, then set off for the town as he threw the massive hood over his head.

It did not take long for Robin to reach the cozy town, where he stumbled into the nearby tavern and ordered a plate of meat and cheese and some ale, which he paid for from a pouch of coins on his belt.

"You a traveler? I ain't ever seen you around here before, and your clothes aren't Ylissean, that's for sure," grumbled the bartender from behind the counter.

"I, um…" Robin started. "…Just traveling around, seeing the world. Name's Robin, by the way." He offered his hand out, but the bartender did not take it, so he lower it in response. Might as well go with that story… Robin thought before returning to his meal.

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"Can't we stop at Southtown for a bite to eat or something? I'm tired of whatever Frederick hunts down!" Princess Lissa whined. "Seriously, all this roaming and hunting down bandits isn't good for me!"

"And to think you would always claim to be a tough princess who wasn't delicate," her brother Chrom teased. "If you weren't so delicate, you wouldn't need such things."

Lissa stomped in place. "HEY! I AM NOT DELICATE!" Behind her, Frederick lead his horse, Jagen, by the reins.

"CHROM! SOUTHTOWN IS ON FIRE!" Frederick suddenly shouted, turning everyone's attention to the town's direction, where pillars of black smoke rose into the air. "Milord, climb upon my steed and we'll reach Southtown quicker!" Frederick advised as he climbed onto his saddle. Chrom raced to his knight and hoisted himself up and behind his back.

"What about me!?" Lissa cried when Frederick gave the reins a hard snap. Her question was answered when Frederick snatched her up as they passed, scooping her under his arm as the mighty horse Jagen raced off.

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The attack came out of nowhere. Robin was only halfway through his meal when three bandits smashed themselves into the tavern and began shaking everyone down, taking their money and attacking anyone that resisted. Robin quickly jumped to his feet with his spell book in hand, as if on instinct. He flipped through the pages and came to a series of lightning spells, where he read one incantation and a fury of lightning sparks danced from his hand, striking down two of the bandits instantly. The remaining one charged at Robin with an axe, bringing it down onto him, but he managed to side step it, where he grabbed a plate off a table and smashed it into the bandit's face, making him cry in pain, where Robin gave him a hard and untrained kick, sending him rolling into the bart counter. Just as the bandit got to his feet, the bartender smashed a bottle of mead into his skull, knocking him out entirely. "Thanks for that!" Robin added before dashing out the doors, where he found the town under attack by roving bandits, with citizens running about and several buildings on fire.

Robin himself debated running away for his own safety, but then he spotted someone two streets across, a blue-haired swordsman clad in blue, someone he quickly recognized. "Chrom!" Robin called, but over the ensuing attack, the Exalt could not hear the mage.

Robin sped off towards Chrom, but he was stopped when Frederick blocked his path. "Ah, a Plegian mage thought he could attack my lord, does he?" he remarked, twirling his lance in hand.

"Wait…I'm…" Robin started, holding up his massive spell book like a shield.

"Silence, cur!" With that, Frederick lunged forward, which Robin avoided by a mere nick. The silver-haired mage fell and rolled under Frederick's steed, where he scrambled to his feet and took off with Frederick behind him. Robin ducked into an alley, but soon found it to be a dead end. Frederick dismounted his horse and drew a mighty greatsword. "I'd suggest you pick a god and pray, Plegian scum."

Robin swallowed hard and flipped through his spell book again, where he stopped upon a page depicting a crude scribble of a figure leaping high into the air using a wind incantation marked down. I hope this works… Robin muttered the incantation under his breath and jumped into the air, where he threw the wind spell underneath himself, propelling himself high into the air. From there, Robin latched himself onto the building roof and got to his feet. He peered down at Frederick, who appeared unamused.

"Fascinating…" the knight mumbled before returning to his steed.

Robin took off across the rooftops, hoping to get as far away from Frederick as possible, that is, until he reached the end of the street, but he spotted Chrom a short distance away.

Down below, Lissa was cornered against a wall swinging her healing staff at a large bandit, who snatched it out of her hand. "Ready to die, girly, or maybe ya can tag along and be our servant girl, if ya wanna live?" he teased.

"Like Hell I will!" Lissa growled, ready to knock his lights out. The bandit scoffed and raised his iron mace to strike.

"INCOMING!" came a voice above, to which Robin fell out of the sky, landing directly onto the bandit and knocking him out cold. Lissa stared in disbelief as the mage stood up and faced her, but he did nothing to harm her, despite his Plegian garb. "Sorry about that, hope you're alright." Robin ran off.

At that point, the bandit came to. "The Hell just happened?" he groaned. Lissa let out an "eep!" and scooped up the bandit's iron mace, and with a "Ragghh!", she smacked him in the skull with it, sending him careening into a few barrels, knocking him out again. Lissa marveled upon her newfound weapon. "Let's see how delicate I'll be with this!" she smirked.

At his spot, Chrom had just cut down two bandits on his own with two ruffian mages nearby, who had spells ready to cut down the young Exalt until two balls of fire fell onto them and engulfed them in screaming flames. Chrom looked behind and saw Robin approached with his spell book in hand and a ball of fire in the other. "I'm here to help, Chrom!" he declared.

Chrom eyed the mage up and down, noting his Plegian garb. "You don't seem to be allied with these bandits, so who are you? Did Emmeryn send you?"

Robin did not know who this Emmeryn was, nor did he felt like he should lie. "No, I was stopping here to rest when these guys attacked the town." If only I knew where I was going before I woke up.

"Well, I could use the extra help here, especially someone talented with magic." Both men took positions against the bandit leader and the last of his forces, with Robin firing off spells at faraway targets while Chrom fought off any that got close. By the time the pair killed the leader, Frederick and Lissa regrouped with them, of which Frederick was quick to put himself between Chrom and Robin.

"Stay back, milord! This man is a Plegian!" Frederick warned, his spear pointed for the silver-haired mage.

"Frederick, stand down. This man means us no harm," Chrom ordered.

"Yeah! He saved me from a bandit a while ago!" Lissa interjected, her hand resting on her mace. She gave Robin a little wave, which he returned.

"Then why is he dressed like one of Plegia's mages?" argued Frederick, his hand still tightened around his lance.

"Tell me, who are you, stranger?" Robin asked, stepping forward to meet Robin.

"My name is Robin, Chrom."

"Robin, huh? That doesn't seem like a common name around here…and you're dressed like a Plegian too…" Chrom rubbed his chin.

These bandits hailed from the eastern desert kingdom, so does that mean I do too? But I look nothing like them! Robin wondered.

"He doesn't look like a Plegian, I mean, his skin is white like ours and he's got silver hair!" chirped Lissa.

"Doesn't mean he might not be a Plegian though," Chrom added. "Tell me, Robin, what brought you to Southtown anyway?"

Should I just tell him the truth? "Um…I really don't know…See, what happened was…" He began recounting himself back to when he woke up in the field and how he came to Southtown, but he omitted the mark on his hand, not wanting to worry them about that. "…And personally, all I know is my own name, that I can wield swords and magic, and your name as well."

"Milord, if I may interject, I fear this man could be a Plegian spy! I mean, what kind of story is that, waking up in a field with no recollection but his name and yours? I sense a trap!" Frederick hastily explained. Chrom held up a hand to silence his knight.

"This is a rather odd series of events, no doubt, but I feel…something different about you, Robin. Whether you are telling the truth about your memories or if you are Plegian or not, I do not yet know, however, you performed admirably in protecting Southtown with us, and for that, you have earned my gratitude."

"Mine too! Thanks for saving my butt back there!" went Lissa.

"Oh? You saved my sister too? Well, allow me to express my gratitude for that as well." Chrom offered his hand, which Robin took with a smile. "Now, as thanks, I would like to offer you the chance to accompany us back to Ylisstol, our home city, if you have nowhere else to go, that is." Frederick stepped forward to interject again, but Chrom held up his hand to silence him once more.

"Chrom, I would be honored. Thank you."

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The gang all stopped for the night on the side of the road, where Frederick hunted down a bear to cook on the campfire, of which Robin and Chrom gathered firewood. Robin himself was quick to fall asleep, but the other three remained awake.

"Chrom, do you really trust Robin's word?" Lissa asked of him.

"Not all of it, but at the same time, I recognize that he is all alone and doesn't know where he is or even what to do, and I won't abandon anyone like that," he answered.

"That sounds like you, alright," she giggled.

"Regardless, if he tries anything, I will run him through my spear," Frederick remarked, himself standing watch for any would-be attackers.

"How long do you think he'll act like this towards Robin?" Lissa huffed.

"Hopefully after Robin gets to meet Emmeryn; she always knows when someone is trustworthy or hiding a secret. If Em trusts Robin, then Frederick should roll around sometime soon."

On his bed spot, Robin himself was actually awake, but he made no attempt to move or give any indication to the others. He overheard the conversation, and as he laid upon the ground, his left hand rubbed against his right where the strange mark was. Is this mark like the one on Chrom's shoulder? Chrom is a lord, no doubt about it, so could these symbols on our skin be a sign of royalty? Am I a lord or noble like him? Robin took in a deep breath and tried to relax. Perhaps this Emmeryn can shed some light on all of this…I hope…

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Over in the walled halidom of Ylisstol, the red knight Sully was sitting atop the roof of their barracks dressed in her scarlet red armor eating a sandwich. "Ugh…I hate these slow nights with nothing to do…" she grumbled to herself before tearing a bite out of her sandwich. "…The barracks are all tidy and clean, the troops have all gone home, and I'm stuck waiting for Lord Chrom to return…" She let out a sigh and gazed out into the southern forests where Chrom supposedly was.

Suddenly, the entire earth rumbled, making Sully lose her balance and drop her sandwich, which tumbled over the edge and down to the ground, making her curse, but she suddenly lost her voice when she saw something appear in the skies above the southern forests: a gleaming, glowing gate of magical properties. She stared in disbelief as she saw strange figures fall from the gate and down to the earth. "What the…CHROM!" she snapped, dashing down to ground level. "Ready my horse!" she called to the surrounding squires, who scrambled to the nearby stables while Sully hastily strapped a steel sword to her hip and a steel lance to her backside. She ran out to meet the squire who retrieved her horse. "Open the gates and gather as many troops ready to defend it!" she ordered him, who nodded and ran off.

Sully turned to her steed and brushed his chin. "Cain buddy, you've rested long enough, but right now, you're going to have to ride hard, cuz we gotta find Chrom. I've got a really bad feeling about this, you get me?" she told her steed, who neighed in response. "Atta boy, let's go!" She climbed atop and sped out the gates, heading south. She kicked her reins so hard, making Cain speed up, that she did not even notice the silverly blue-haired archer that crossed her path, who watched her go.

"My my, isn't she a lovely sight for sore eyes," he would remark before switching directions and following after Sully.

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"Is everyone ready?" Lucina called to everyone. All her friends stood before the Outrealm gate with their weapons and gear ready, knowing what awaited them on the other side. "No matter what happens, we must not allow Grima to destroy our world again! Even if we lose our lives in the process, it will be worth it to undo the death and destruction he has created!" Everyone cheered, their weapons raised in the air.

"Enter the gate, young Shepherds…" came the voice of Naga.

Taking a deep breath, Lucina and the young Shepherds all rushed into the gate, where they suddenly found themselves falling through open space, the distortion and boundaries of the gate around them. Everyone tumbled and was tossed around like rag dolls in the swirling vortex. "EVERYONE, HOLD ON!" Lucina yelled, unsure if they could even hear her.

Suddenly, the walls of the vortex crackled with sparks and sent everyone tumbling again. Lucina twisted herself around and her eyes widened in horror; an army of Grima's Risen were directly behind them! "RISEN!" she called, but then a figure clad in black smoke zipped past her, letting out a triumphant laugh. Grima. Lucina drew her Falchion and took a swipe at him, but he avoided her strike. "Time to die, little princess!" Grima hissed before unleashing his dark magic onto the vortex, forcing sparks through it once more. Everything quivered like an earthquake was taking place, and suddenly, Lucina heard someone scream.

She turned and saw Laurent tumble through a separate path in the vortex, disappearing from view. "LAURENT!" she cried. Then, Severa disappeared through another, her voice yelling out for the princess.

"NO! THIS CANNOT HAPPEN!" groaned Owain, who fell through another tunnel, and Lucina watched her cousin disappear. One by one, each of the young Shepherds were forced through different tunnels and separated from Lucina, but there were two that remained; two that she could not make out nor did she remember entering the gate with her.

They were both dressed in black and had blue hair, one had a sword on his hip while the other carried a large spell book in her hands. Lucina could not make out their faces, but the spell book one reached out her hand toward her, but the two were quickly taken by another tunnel and disappeared, with Lucina the only one remaining with Grima and the Risen.

"Ready to die, Lucina?" Grima asked playfully. He readied a ball of dark magic and threw it upon her, but she cleaved it into two with her sword. "Hmm…seems you don't wish to die yet. Very well…" He suddenly flew in directly in front of her, gripping her by her tunic. Even with the distanced closed in, she could not make out his appearance through the black shadows and smoke that enshrouded him. "…I shall kill you after you lose everyone you care about again! Your father, your mother, your aunt, your siblings, your people, the world, and even the man you love!" he hissed with a grin while Lucina could only stare in horror.

"Now…disappear!" He released her, where she fell through a separate tunnel with some Risen following after her.

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At their makeshift camp grounds, Chrom, Lissa, Frederick, and Robin all felt the sudden earthquake closer than Sully did, making them all jump to their feet. "The hell is going on?!" Chrom cried as the ground continued thundering and shaking. Everyone ran as the earth cracked and split apart. Chrom threw Lissa over his shoulder and took off into the forest while Frederick and Robin dashed into another part by themselves.

Up above, the sky cracked open and a magical gate appeared in the sky. Everyone watched as dozens of strange bodies fell from it down to the earth. Chrom and Lissa were near the strange gate, and so they were the first to see these strange bodies, which appeared like any ordinary man, clad in armor and weapons in hands, but their skin and armor were all a pale purple, and their eyes glowed with an eerie red light. One of the creatures opened its mouth with a low rasp, but so did black fog, which dribbled out of its mouth and evaporated into nothing.

"By the Gods…" Chrom mumbled out as he drew his Falchion. One of the creatures bearing an axe locked eyes with Chrom and with a gurgling growl, it ran for him. "Lissa, run! RUN!" Lissa took off while Chrom held the thing off. It leapt for him, but he ducked under it and slashed his sword across its chest. Chrom expected the creature to fall, but he was shocked to see it still standing. He watched as it twisted its head around as if it were an owl, then it righted itself and dove for him again, this time, Chrom cut at its legs, sending it down to the ground, then he plunged his blade through its chest, where it gave a cry and disintegrated into black smoke. "…The Hell…?"

There was a cry, and Chrom turned to see Lissa cornered against a tree by another axe creature. She let out a scream as she smacked her mace against the beast's chest, but it did little to faze it before it knocked the weapon out of her hands. She drew her staff, holding it up as if it would protect her as the beast readied to strike her down. "LISSA!"

At that moment, with the gate still opened, one last figure emerged, but this one was different from the others. This one was garbed in blue clothes, a sword at his belt, and a blue butterfly-shaped mask hiding his face. The figure sped out of the gate and leapt upon the earth near Lissa. The figure drew his sword and stopped the axe of the creature from striking the young princess. Lissa gazed in awe at the swordsman before her, who hovered close, holding back the enemy's axe. With her newfound rescuer so close, Lissa spotted something strange: the figure's sword appeared to be an exact replica of Chrom's Falchion blade!

"Help me!" the swordsman cried to Chrom. Chrom snapped out of his daze and rushed to their aid, where he cut down the creature with one well-aimed strike, which turned to black smoke like the others. "Thanks." The swordsman sheathed his blade.

"You fight well with a blade. Mind if I ask your name?" Chrom politely asked of him.

The swordsman said nothing, but even if he wanted to, time was cut short as more creatures emerged from within the trees. Robin and Frederick soon regrouped with them, as did Sully and the gentleman archer soon after. "Captain Chrom, I saw that…thing and came as soon as possible!" Sully hastily explained.

"Fair maiden, do not trouble yourself with such manners of war! A beauty such as yourself should only be concerned with the efforts of love!" mewed the gentleman, making Sully groan in response.

"Look, buddy, I don't know who you are, but you keep playing this damn joke with me, and you'll find the punchline to be my foot in your face!"

"Milady, do not play such games with moi, for I, the great Virion, shall follow you to the end of the world!" the gentleman proclaimed.

"Fine, whatever, just be sure to pull your weight here!" Sully took off with Virion following after her.

The Shepherds found themselves in a tough spot, given how these newfound foes would not fall like any ordinary enemy, but the mysterious swordsman himself proved to be versatile against their foes, as if he has fought them before. It was not long before the last of the strange creatures was vanquished and everyone regrouped.

The swordsman stood before everyone, but he said nothing, the butterfly mask staring back at everyone. "Hey, um, thanks for rescuing me back there," said Lissa.

The swordsman was silent. "I owe you my gratitude for rescuing my sister, but may I ask you for your name?" Chrom asked.

"My name is Marth," the swordsman said in a low voice.

"Like the Hero King of legend…"

"This is only but the start. The world is teetering at the brink of a horrible calamity, and the appearance of the Risen tonight is but a prelude of it." Marth finished before walking off, where he disappeared into the forest. Everyone watched him until his blue figure was engulfed by the darkness.

"He was an odd one, wasn't he, though fancy with a blade," Chrom remarked.

"Not much for conversation either, but what did you think he meant? And he called those…things Risen…whatever that means…" Robin added.

"I imagine we will see him again, given his level of skill, but I'm more worried about the capital," Frederick noted. With that, everyone headed for the capital of Ylisstol.

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Lucina did not relax until she was out of view of her father and his company, where she hid herself behind a thick tree and watch them leave for Ylisstol. When they were finally gone, she fell to her knees and began to cry, removing her butterfly mask to wipe her tears. Father…Aunt Lissa…Robin…you're all okay. At least I made it in time to save you…

I was but six years old at the time, running through the castle at Ylisstol while giggling to myself. I soon found father, who caught me and hoisted me up into the air. "Hello, Lucina!" he smiled.

"Daddy, do you know where Robin is? I wanna see him!" I chirped.

"Hmm…I think he's in the courtyard in his usual spot, probably studying his magic tomes, as usual." Chrom set me down and sent me off, where I dashed off to the courtyard, plagued by a land of greenery and flowers, and I soon found Robin leaning against a mighty tree with his cloak's hood over his face and an open book in his lap.

"ROBIN!" I cheered, jumping into his lap, making him cry out a load of gibberish, making it clear that he was asleep and that I had knocked the wind out of him. "Hello, Robin!" Robin was quick to smile when he saw who had awakened him.

"Hello, Lucina." He gave me a big hug, making me laugh. "I suppose you want me to read you something from my spell book again?"

"Yeah! I wanna see how magic works! I wanna learn magic!"

Robin chuckled. "Not everyone can learn magic, though. Some are born with the talent while others can take years to learn it, keep that in mind." I remember giving him a disappointed face, which upset him in return. "Well, another means is inheritance, and since your mother dabbles in magic, it could be possible that you inherited some magical abilities from her and thus be a little easier for you to learn magic."

"So long as I have you, Robin, I know it'll be easy to learn magic!"

He smiled and patted me head. "I think your father would want you to learn how to swing a sword first and foremost, but tell you what, when you're a little bit older, after you've learned to swing a sword around, I'll get serious and teach you magic, okay?"

I gave him a big hug, expressing my thanks repeatedly.

Lucina let slip a smile as she basked in that old memory. Suddenly, all that has happened seemed to pale in comparison to being reunited with her father, her aunt, and the man she loved.