This story is meant to explore the relationship between Chrom and Robin a little further. I'll be working alongside the main storyline however I will be changing a few things. I will not be straying from character personality though, so relax. Besides the expected personality of the Avatar, in this case he is the default avatar: Robin.

I do not own Fire Emblem or any of the characters depicted.

Robin had barely been a Shepherd for more than a few days and already he found himself captured, frisked and left in the dungeons to die.

The old walls were far too small to fit one man, even for a man his size. Honestly, he was surprised he could fit at all. What sort of dungeons did they make in Plegian jails anyways? Well it seemed comfort wasn't too high on the list for consideration. Robin had to bend his shoulders and compress his body into a ball just to sit down. The floor was covered in a yellowish liquid, Robin tried his best to ignore that sneaking suspicion in the back of his brain. Sometimes it killed to have such perceptive skills sharpened by tactical wit. Unfortunately it was still a mystery as to how he had garnered so much knowledge and expertise. It was, frankly, the only skill that was keeping him alive, keeping his "friends" from putting him in a cell, like the one he found himself in now.

His mind wandered to his first memory, waking up in a field to find a man and a young girl standing over him. It was such a vivid memory. He remembered the immediate recognition that flashed over him as he stared into the azure-haired man's gaze. This man is Chrom. He is a friend.

"So much for being a friend." Robin scoffed, flexing his fingers against the door to the cell. If not for that insufferable lord Robin wouldn't be in this mess. It had been Chrom's idea to send a Shepherd to scout the area ahead of the party. They were headed to Regna Ferox, as Chrom had called it. Robin didn't know what to expect; memory loss sort of did that to a person, they lost their bearings and couldn't remember a lick about the world.

Sure, Robin had been the one to volunteer to scout seeing as the silver haired beauty Sumia, as sweet as she was, could barely take a step without tripping over a pebble. Not to mention Chrom would never have sent his darling sister Lissa alone out there, and Frederick was too concerned over the safety of his Lord and Lady to bare even a few meters from their sides.

The red-head mage, Miriel, had seemed equipped enough but Robin, and most everyone else, feared she might be swayed by her inherent interest in, well, everything, and time was of the essence.

One of the knights, Sully, was eager for the challenge but Chrom dismissed that thought immediately claiming that the last time they had sent her out on a scouting mission she had charged the enemy and nearly given away their position.

The other knight, a green-haired man by the name of Stahl, having missed breakfast as he claimed upon his arrival, seemed too weak after the grueling battle before to move more than two paces without collapsing from lack of nutrition. Robin was sure he'd probably have volunteered himself if his stomach hadn't growled, a sound so loud even Vaike, the muscled blonde axe-wielder, who'd stuck his head into a pool of water for gods know what reason, heard it.

And speaking of Vaike, Robin internally shook his head, most everyone ignored him when he volunteered to go ahead, for good reason.

The last member of their rag-tag crew, the archer Virion, would have made a good choice, if he could learn to stop spouting out flowery language, but he had been wounded during the battle, a minor injury but it would slow him down even after Lissa healed him.

So it had come down to Robin. To say he reluctantly volunteered his services would have been incorrect but Robin sighed, remembering Chrom's obvious astonishment and Frederick's skeptical and accusatory response.

After the battle when Chrom had first met Robin, the blue-haired lord had told his sister that he trusted Robin, enough to make him the head tactician of the Shepherds. Apparently that trust had not been a ruse, as Robin had initially assumed. Chrom had clapped him on the shoulder confidently and there it was, Robin was on scouting duty.

The events that followed included several attempts at trying to be sneaky and failing quite horribly. The concept of "being sneaky" had been simple enough in his head but Robin had found the act to be rather difficult considering he had no idea, or in this case recollection, that a man of his stature would be so easily spotted moving from bush to bush. Losing the memories of his past had been hard enough but now Robin discovered he had also lost common sense as well. He was a tactical genius, he remembered speech and basic necessity (like breathing), he remembered names and uses of objects (well... most anyway.) But yet he lacked that which would seem most obvious to a normal person. After their first meeting, right before combat, Robin had to be reminded by an irate Frederick that the pointy side of a sword was the one in which to stab people with. And now, in this instance, Robin had forgotten the most basic of stealth maneuvers: to crouch.

A rather ridiculous reason to find one's self surrounded by bandits but there it was. They hoisted, bound his hands and forced him onto the back of a mount before they rode off into the proverbial sunset.

And now he was sitting in strange liquids in a tiny cell. A day like no other.

He pinched his nose, covering his mouth with his palm to block out the rancid smell and narrowed his eyes at the door. Great, a reeking smell to add to the fear factor. Good work barbarians. Ten brownie points. Robin wouldn't have been surprised if this was the work of some sick bandit rather than a frightened prisoner.

At that thought, the sound of keys jingling in the lock brought his attention back to his surroundings and the door flew open with a creak. The toothy grin of a scruffy barbarian, chest exposed and covered in hair, eyes shining with some sort of exhilaration, the man was clearly excited. Robin groaned as the bandit beckoned to him with his hand and the tactician eagerly crawled out of the cell; there was no way he was staying in that space any longer.

"Welcome! I'm sorry my men didn't recognize you sooner, my good man. It is an honor to be in your presence."

Robin stared at the now bowing barbarian. "I'm sorry, but what?"

"Are you not a Plegian mage?"

"Plegian-?" Well he did know magic and he was wearing a curious cloak... Could it be that he was Plegian in origin? Damn his amnesia.

The barbarian eyed Robin with the beginnings of rising skepticism and Robin quickly threw him a disarming smile. "Oh yes, Plegian. That's me. I'm Plegian. See these robes? Yep." The barbarian nodded with a smile, satisfied, and beckoned to Robin again, leading him down a corridor. Robin followed closely behind. Better to play a Plegian mage than be executed, he thought.

They wandered through several halls that blurred in Robin's memory. It occurred to him to probably remember where they had gone in case he needed to escape but the halls looked so similar he lost concentration after the fourth doorway. Finally they ascended a set of stairs and burst through a door onto the deck of a building with a platform. There was a grandiose chair and Robin assumed this was where the barbarian sat. To confirm his suspicion, the barbarian plopped down in his chair, crossing his legs and looking completely at ease. He pointed to a smaller seat beside him and Robin assumed that was to be where he would sit and took the seat gratefully.

"Do you see this land?" The barbarian laughed, spreading his hand to indicate the area around his "castle". "I plan to expand it to encompass the rest of Ylisse."

"So I'm guessing that we're not in Plegia." Robin asked, glancing around.

The barbarian laughed short and loudly. "Silly man, of course not. That would defeat the purpose. We've been attacking Ylissean cities for a reason. You should know this."

"Of course." Robin pressed a hand to his temple. Wonderful. Not only had the bandits captured him and absconded with his weapons, tomes and swords alike, they had backtracked to Ylisse and the Shepherds were miles away.

The barbarian continued to talk about his expansion and Robin answered with "hmm" and "yes" but his mind was elsewhere, devising a possible strategy to find his way back to Chrom and the others. Not to say he had a place there. The Shepherds were kind enough, minus perhaps the overly cautious Frederick and that noble, Mary-something.

Another bandit rushed towards them, eyes frantic. The barbarian beside Robin stopped talking and gave the new man a scrutinizing look. "What is it?"

"Sir! We're dropping like flies. Some sort of... assassin is making his way through the castle!"

"An assassin?" The barbarian got to his feet and Robin blinked, rising too. "Damn, what are my men doing?" His cold grip fastened around Robin's wrist and pulled the younger man towards him, so close his breath brushed against Robin's face. "This better not be your doing, mage."

"I swear." Robin lifted his hands defensively, leaning back away from the man's face. "I have no idea what's going on." An assassin? He wasn't sure he knew any assassins but of course it could just be a man very skilled with a blade and not an assassin at all. His thoughts flashed through scenarios as the barbarian released him, turning back towards his bandit lackey. "Don't just stand there! Stop him from getting any closer!"

Robin was pulled back to reality when he felt the barbarian's hand grab his cloak and yank him forwards. "Stay here, mage. I don't want any funny business from you." Robin held up his hands again as the barbarian left in quick hurried steps. He found himself once more alone, but this time no longer trapped in a tiny cell. He waited a beat before quickly sidestepping the chairs and making his war through the door and back into the hallway. The halls were empty but the distinct sound of rushing footsteps and yells could be heard nearby. The barbarian's men were fighting the intruder and this would be excellent cover for Robin to make his escape. He dashed through doors, cursing the architects for the similar hallways.

He entered a large corridor, coming to a staggering halt as a group of bandits ran past, hands clenched around their axes, rushing towards a figure. That assassin no doubt. Robin caught sight of a flowing cape as the man thrust his weapon through the running men, easily knocking them down and away. Now in full view, Robin's eyes widened as he recognized the azure hair and brand on the man's right shoulder.

"Chrom!" He yelled and the lord raised his head at the sound, relief in his blue gaze.

"Robin! Thank the gods!" His legendary blade, Falchion, clashed the axe of another bandit but Chrom's superior technique and strength drove the poor man back easily enough and he was flung to the ground in only a few seconds. However, before the lord could move another bandit was upon him. "A little help!"

Robin glanced around and spotted a wayward axe of one of the downed bandits. He picked it up immediately, his unfamiliar grip clumsy and imprecise, and charged at the nearest axe-man. Their weapons collided with the clink of steel on steel and Robin gasped, gnashing his teeth at the heavy pressure. The axe-men cleverly spun his hand, flinging Robin's axe to the side, providing himself with an opening on the tactician. Robin jumped back just as the axe whizzed past his head, clipping a bit of his snowy hair. He huffed, the heavy weapon in his hands swung to the side, aiming for the bandit's throat. The axe did not connect but merely swung through air and the bandit's fist connected in Robin's stomach during the pause. Robin coughed, crumpling in on himself and the bandit's axe came barreling down on him again.

Falchion cleaved through the man without pause and he was falling before Robin could blink. The shorter man stumbled back as Chrom drew the blade out from the man's stomach with a slick hiss, breathing heavily.

"Thanks." Robin huffed, wiping sweat from his brow. Chrom had managed to defeat all the remaining men in the hallway while Robin had had trouble battling one man. He felt his throat tighten with aggravation but he didn't settle on that emotion too long before Chrom's hand grasped his shoulder.

"We'd better go before more get here." He said, slicking Falchion back into its sheath. Robin merely nodded as the two men made a hasty retreat. Chrom led the way, dodging a blade aimed for his head when a man barreled out of a nearby door. He paused to whip Falchion back out but Robin knocked the man down and ended his life quickly with a fast slash of the bandit's own sword.

"I'll be taking this." He muttered, keeping the weapon securely in his hand. "Much lighter than an axe." He grinned, flicking his wrist. Chrom smiled slightly, taking the lead again as they continued their race out of the castle.

"Where are the others?" Robin called ahead to Chrom and the azure-haired man looked over his shoulder a moment to address him.

"I came alone."

"You-what?"

"I noticed your absence so Frederick, Lissa and I scouted ahead and saw them capture you. While my sister and Frederick argued I snuck away and followed after you."

What a reckless fool. Robin couldn't help but think, staring at the Ylissean prince before him. He was also mildly amused that Chrom was able to slip away from the watchful gaze of Frederick the Wary.

The two men slashed and parried any that approached. They had yet to be injured, although Robin noticed that Chrom was slightly favoring his right foot. They burst out of the castle only to come to a halt as the barbarian leader stood before them, a large black hammer leaning lazily against his shoulders.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Ylissean Prince Chrom. Not an assassin." The man grinned broken teeth and glanced Robin's way. "And you. You're not a Plegian mage."

Robin held up his hands. "Guilty."

"It no longer matters. I will have both of your heads mounted above my throne soon enough." The barbarian motioned to his men behind him, a wave of them all carrying varying degrees of weapons from lances to swords to axes. Robin counted at least fifteen men, including the barbarian himself.

"Robin..." Chrom braced himself, glancing the tactician's way. "What do we do?"

Robin bit his lip. "Damn. There's a lot of them. My magic is useless without my tome. I'm confident we can hold off the grunts but I'm more worried about the big guy."

"Me too." Chrom's hands tightened even further around his blade.

Robin couldn't very well see another option in his head. For a tactician, tome-less and only at half-strength, along with a prince and his legendary blade, though formidable he was of the higher importance than Robin himself. They could run back into the castle and defeat the men one by one as they entered the door but that would become exhausting and the halls were not large, it would be a cramped fighting space. He had barely known Chrom more than a week and already he would be forced to lay down his life for the man. Well, in times like these it paid to have no memories, no one to remember you and weep over your loss, no loved ones to pity when you're gone. "I'll hold them off, you go."

"What? You're a tactician! Think of a way to get us both out of here!"

"I've tried, Chrom. I'm no miracle worker. All scenarios I've come up with end horribly for at least one of us. I'm only at half-strength here, sire." He hissed the last statement, flashing the lord a look. "You're a prince, important and poised. I'm just an amnesiac."

The usual gentleness Chrom's face shown melted away into a stern expression. The lord's narrowed gaze zeroed in on the white-haired tactician, giving him a meaningful look. "I will not give up hope. We will get out of this." Robin sure couldn't see any way out of this. Well... unless... It was reckless, just like the man before him, but Robin figured if it kept them both alive then throw caution to the wind.

"Chrom, back into the castle." Robin urged the lord, tugging on his cape. Chrom sent Robin a confused look but followed the tactician regardless back to the castle. The barbarian roared from behind them, sending his men crashing after them. The two fled through the doors of the castle, running through door after door, as many as Robin could find.

"Mark each one with a small 'x'"

"Why?"

"So we can find our way out later."

They had become completely lost within the castle and the thudding sound of bandits chasing them could easily be heard crashing through door after door in endless search.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm looking for the armory."

"Why?"

"I suspect I'll be able to locate my tome there." The barbarian wasn't smart, or at least he didn't seem smart. Robin assumed he would have stashed weapons in the most likely place to find weapons. Chrom helped Robin search for the armory, glancing through door after door, occasionally entering one to find another hallway filled with a dozen doors as a means of confusing the enemy. Robin figured even though this was the bandits' castle, they did not name or identify their doors. Most of the bandits would be unable to navigate these walls either.

"Robin! Here!" Chrom called a moment later, opening a locked door with a quick bash with the edge of Falchion. "The armory." Robin immediately set to locating his tome, finding it lying atop a table along with his sword. He grabbed both, chucking his other weapon aside and eagerly clasped them to his chest.

"Wonderful, but there are still a dozen or more enemies out there." Chrom reminded with a growl. "Not to mention that heavy."

"Chrom, you wound me." Robin led the way out of the armory as he addressed the lord. "Running through the halls to find the armory wasn't my only plan. The bandits will be just as confused as we were trying to locate us through all these doors. We'll be able to run past most of them if not all, cutting down their size to five at the most, as I'm assuming they split up. Not to mention now I'm at full strength." He waggled the tome in the air for good measure and heard Chrom chuckle from behind him.

"Alright, lead the way Robin."

"Gladly."

Now more confident, Robin and Chrom followed their own path of marked doors back to the entrance, completely skirting most of the men, though Chrom had been forced to down one of the bandits who unluckily discovered them while flying from door to door. They exited the castle quickly, turning around just as they spotted the barbarian, sitting atop his throne on the balcony. He saw them at the same time and roared once more, pointing down at them with his hammer. "Ylissean scum! I will have your heads!"

"Try us!" Chrom yelled back, readying Falchion.

"No talking, more running." Robin urged Chrom, fleeing through the woods. He hoped the lord would have the sense not to turn back as they headed as far away as they could. He wasn't sure how long they had run before they were too tired to run any more. Chrom advised that they stop to rest and Robin was more than pleased to rest against the trunk of a tree with a loud, relieved sigh.

"Close call." Chrom laughed, leaning against the same tree. Robin let the silence echo around them for a moment longer. The breeze was cool and brushed against his white hair. He drew his hand against his bangs, wiping at his forehead before he looked up at the prince with an eyebrow raised.

"Why did you run to my rescue?" He waited for Chrom to meet his gaze before adding, "we barely met only a few days ago."

Chrom looked completely at ease. He settled into a crouch so he was eye level with his white-haired companion. He clapped a hand on Robin's shoulder reassuringly, a gesture that the prince seemed to do a lot. "You're a Shepherd now, Robin. That means something."

Robin sighed, expecting such an answer. "Well it was a stupid idea, Prince Chrom. As prince of Ylisse many rely on you as their leader. A leader is more important than some lowly grunt."

"That's not true at all." Chrom dismissed Robin's words with a flick of his hand and stared long and hard at the tactician. "Everyone's lives are important, not just mine, yours as well."

"Mmm." Robin was tired of this conversation already. To show it, he yawned rather loudly, pressing the back of his hand to his mouth as if to conceal it. Chrom raised an eyebrow at him and Robin merely smiled back. Chrom shook his head although Robin could see the amusement in the small smile on Chrom's lips as the blue-haired lord turned away to look out over the forest.

"You're a friend, Robin. I couldn't leave a friend behind."

Robin felt his heart quicken at the statement and he frowned. What a peculiar reaction. A friend, huh? Robin folded his hands over his lap, staring at the glaring red marking on his right hand. The symbol was quite peculiar and for the life of him he couldn't understand why it was there or what it depicted. Of course, that didn't surprise him having no memories and all. He glanced up at the back of Chrom's head. Already the prince thought of him as a friend. Sure, he owed the guy now but was he a friend? His heart thumped a second time and Robin's frown deepened. Strange. He'd have to have that looked at.

And there we have it. Next Chapter Chrom and Robin will meet back up with the Shepherds and head to Regna Ferox.

I haven't decided on any pairings yet so I leave that open to the reviewers. I'd like to start with Chrom first. I know a lot of stories have the ChromxSumia pairing (for good reason) and its canon and yay canon. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against the couple I just would like to see more ChromxSully or ChromxMaribelle out there, for interest's sake. However, it is solely up to you reviewers! I will not be biased in any way, shape or form! (*cough* F!AvatarxChrom FTW *cough*)

Ahem, well now that that's out of the way I obviously can't do that pairing and I hadn't planned to anyway so feel free to leave a review on which pairing you would prefer for Chrom. Next I'll ask for Robin and so on and so forth.

Hope you enjoyed! 3 Oh, and constructive criticism is welcome. 3