Two people stood in a field. The tall grass and flowers rustled as a light breeze passed by. The shorter figure held a sword up to other's chest, "Don't struggle and your death will be swift and painless. I know this is murder... I-I know that, but I cannot allow Grima to take over, the future must be averted."
The taller person remained still, he did not even raising his arms for protection. "You don't have to do this."
"Don't you see? You are the one who kills my father, Robin. It's you who causes my future to happen in the first place!"
Robin flinched. They had just barely escaped a trap set up by Validar, the leader of the Grimleal, a cult dedicated to resurrecting the Fell Dragon in order to bring an end to the world. And it would seem that they would get their wish, since Validar had now taken possession of the Fire Emblem, and was currently on his way to the Dragon's Table. "...Maybe it is for the best for me to die here."
"I promise it will be quick."
He looked away in defeat. "Can I get a last wish, Lucina?"
"...What will it be?"
"I want you to tell Morgan that I'm sorry I won't be there to enjoy the future we will create here." Robin sighed, "I know that she'll resent you for this, but I hope that one day, Morgan can see what was done here. How the future was saved."
Lucina remained silent. Morgan was a close friend to her, but she had traveled back in time for one reason and one reason only: Stop Grima from destroying everything. If that meant that bonds had to be severed, so be it. She shook her head, her mind was already made up. I will not let millions suffer and perish for just one man. "Very well."
"Thank you." He sighed, Might as well get this off my chest... "And can you also tell—no. Nevermind." It's not like she'll ever love me. Not after today. Robin wanted to add, he took a deep breath in order to steel himself, "I'm ready."
"Godspeed, Robin."
His mind turned to the Shepherds—his friends. The moments they shared, of how they had singlehandedly brought down not one, but two warmongering tyrants. Of how they had slowly encountered their descendants from a ruined future.
Through the memories, one of those surfaced that stung more than the others. When he had fallen in love with someone that he could never be with.
"How big is this tree anyway? I'm getting tired of climbing up all these steps!" Lissa whined, "Frederick, carry me!
"We should be there soon, milady" the knight replied, "Besides, as I always say: a little—"
"—Hardship builds character" she groaned, finishing his sentence. "Listen, I'm tired from healing all of you down there I just want a break!"
"Gods... Naga's Voice truly lives all the way up here?" Robin panted. "If she's so important then why make your holy ground so hard to get to?"
"Fie, it is to keep the weak willed from ever entering in the first place." Say'ri answered, "Worry not, we are not far from the Mila Tree's crown."
The Shepherds reached an archway that led to a clearing. Within, a shrine rested in the middle, a small pool of clear water reflected the sun's rays into the moss that grew from the monument's stone. "Lady Tiki! are you here? Prithee answer!" Say'ri called from the entrance.
A woman slowly sat up and yawned. Her green hair is tied back by a red ribbon, matching the boots, gloves and short red dress she wore. A pink bow was tied around her waist, a cape of the same color was hanging behind her. Rubbing her eyes, Tiki suddenly went over to Lucina "Marth? Is that really you!?"
"...I'm sorry, you must be confusing me for someone else," the princess looked around nervously, "my name is Lucina, though I did go by the name 'Marth' for awhile. Might have we met?"
The Voice blinked a few times, realization dawning on her face. "No, I'm sorry. You just reminded me of someone who was... very close to me. Alas, he is gone, lost long before this time."
Lucina grew silent, as did the rest of the Shepherds.
"You are from the Exalted family from Akaneia are you not?" Tiki pointed to both Chrom and his daughter. "You must still have possession of the Fire Emblem correct? It should've been passed down through your family."
"I have it right here, but I'm afraid Ylisse hasn't gone by that name for quite some time, milady." The prince displayed the shield from arm.
"Forgive me, it has been some time since I last traveled." The Voice inspected the Fire Emblem, quickly noticing the missing objects along the shield. "What happened to the other gemstones? I only see Argent."
"Gemstones?"
"Uh, Chrom? What do you think the other holes were for?" Robin rolled his eyes, "Sorry, my friend here can be a bit dense sometimes."
"Right..." Tiki gave a slight shiver when she felt an unnatural presence near her, it carried enormous power, similar to that of her own. Shaking it off, she continued "There are five of them: Argent, Azure, Gules, Sable, and Vert. Each contains a fragment of Naga's power, uniting all gemstones and the Fire Emblem will allow someone of the Exalted bloodline to perform the Awakening."
"The rite by which the First Exalt attained the Divine Dragon's power to seal Grima away..." Lucina said, "Do you know where the rest are?"
The disturbance had softened, causing her to worry, What happened? Such power can't just melt away like that... Despite this, she forced herself to keep talking to her guests, "I have Azure here, but I do not know where the last two remain." Her mind tuned out what the others were saying, instead she closed her eyes trying to locate the problem.
"...Lady Tiki?" Lucina leaned in close.
Opening her eyes, the Voice took a step back, "Ah! Forgive me, I am still drowsy from my sleep. Was there anything else you wanted to know?"
"No, in fact we were just about to leave, thank you for all your help."
"Before you go take Azure, please keep it safe so as to ensure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Grima must not rise again, I know this is a heavy burden, but as members of the Exalted family, it is a task that must fall on to you."
The disturbance grew more intense, "Don't worry, milady. I'm sure we can prevent the Fell Dragon's resurrection," Robin stepped forward "but first we have to get Vert back from Walhart. Consider us in your debt, Lady Tiki."
Tiki's eyes widened, it was him. "Y-you have it..."
"Huh? Have what?" He had a puzzled look on his face, the Shepherds cast wary glances at the tactician.
"Power... like mine..." He's a vessel for something powerful, just like Naga. How did a simple human manage to get this strong?
"Um... I'm not a manakete."
Ah! I must be sounding like a madwoman, "...Forgive me, my words outpace my thoughts. I am just... very tired, I cannot join you. Not yet, please give me—"
"It's okay, you don't have to fight with us, I'm sure you've already done enough of that." Robin spoke as if nothing had happened, "I won't put you through another war."
"That is very nice of you, Sir..."
"Robin."
"...Robin, but I would like for this conflict to end as quickly as possible."
"Well if you want to join the Shepherds, then I guess it's up to you."
"Just give me a week to gather my strength at the Divine Dragon Grounds."
"Fine by me, another flyer would come in handy." Robin signaled to the rest of the Shepherds, waving and turning his back he began to start the journey back down. "We'll be going now, thank you for all the help!"
"Actually, why don't you spend the night here? I'm sure you are all exhausted from the battle earlier. Besides, it is the least I could do since you freed the Mila Tree from the Conqueror's grasp."
"I'll consult the missus." Robin gave a small bow and a smug smile, "Hey Chrom, can we stay?"
Snickers erupted from the militia, the Lord just scoffed, "Of course, gods know you can use the beauty sleep, Robin."
The tactician's sneer was gone, "Ah, it's no fun when you have a comeback."
Tiki walked along the creek, she had taken off her boots, letting her feet get soaked in the cool water. The Shepherds were all at the mess tent, having supper, the Voice excused herself, she wanted to be alone, Tiki knew the price of forming friendships with humans. One day, they would all eventually die, and she would be alone once more. Her mind wandered in this thought, on how the lifetime of a manakete was both a blessing and curse. Another chill travelled down her spine, the same unnatural presence from earlier had grown stronger. Turning her head, she saw the source: the Shepherds' tactician, Robin stood in the shore.
"I was wondering where you were, Lady Tiki" he had a warm smile, "I've been meaning to ask you, back there you said I had power like yours... what did you mean by that?"
Turning around fully, she made her way back to the pond's bank. "I already said that I was groggy, it was most likely my mind playing tricks on me."
"Now, I could see that working with somebody else, but not me." His smile remained, but it soon faded, "Please don't lie to me, I think that the power you mentioned... is probably related to this." Robin took off the glove on his right hand, displaying an ominous purple marking on the back of his palm.
That pattern... I've seen it before, "You... are part of the grimleal?" Tiki narrowed her eyes as she reached for her dragonstone.
"What? No! Of course not!" Robin sounded indignant, "I've more than proven my loyalty to the Shepherds! I—Listen, just tell me the truth, am I a monster?"
"...Why would you ask that question?"
"Because I somehow have this... this... thing inside me that I can't even explain—let alone control."
"I see..." She curiously looked at his hand, This explains why he feels strange, "I'm afraid that I do not have the answers you seek."
"Huh?"
"Sir Robin, you are your own person, a simple Brand does not determine who you are."
He grew quiet, but later gave a defeated sigh, "You're right. I can't let this marking worry me, I have a war to win."
Robin shuffled around, "So... why don't you join the rest of the Shepherds to grab something to eat?"
"I am not hungry."
"Are you sure? I mean, the first thing I'd do after sleeping for so long is grab something to eat."
"You do not have to worry about me, I can take care of myself." Tiki sighed.
"Okay, okay," Robin held his hands up in defeat, "Suit yourself." With that, the tactician started making his way back to the Shepherds' camp.
What a strange man, Tiki thought, despite that power inside him, he doesn't seem aware of it's true potential. I need to keep a close eye on him, if he is Grima's own vessel, then he could present a very clear danger to the world. "Wait!"
Robin abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned around, "Hm?"
"I've changed my mind, perhaps I should take some time to get to know the Shepherds." She waded her way to him, "Could you introduce me to them?"
"Sure thi—YAH!" As Robin took a step forward he slipped on a moss covered rock, landing face first into the cold water. "GAH! I can't swim! Help!" the tactician flailed his arms and legs about the water, splashing some on the Voice.
Tiki stood with an eyebrow raised, "Er... Sir Robin?" she waded in closer took a hold of his coat and pulled him up. When he stopped thrashing, the tactician realized that the water only reached up to their knees.
Robin's face immediately went red, something Tiki found to be incredibly funny. She could not contain her laughter, further worsening his embarrassment. Without thinking, he extended his arm into the water and thrusted forward, drenching the Voice with water. Realizing what he had just done, Robin immediately opened his mouth in order to apologize... only for it to be filled with water. Tiki retaliated with her own splashes at the tactician, giggling with glee.
The two kept splattering each other until Chrom approached from the Shepherds camp. "Robin? You alright? I heard you crying out for he—What are you two doing?"
They froze in their spots. Robin was the first to stammer out an excuse, before Tiki cut him off entirely, "Robin and I were on our way to the mess tent, but these rocks can be very slippery... so we fell."
"...Right." Chrom muttered, "I'm sure we have dry clothes for you back at the main camp, Lady Tiki."
"Yes, that would be greatly appreciated." she tried to stifle a chuckle, "Robin was going to show me around your main camp anyway."
"Very well." With that, the Prince headed back once more to the Shepherds.
Robin and Tiki started their way out of the pond, the former had raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in the latter's character. "So... not that I didn't enjoy our little splashfest, but why'd you lie to him?"
Her expression dropped, "...I have a reputation to maintain. Forgive me, Sir Robin, I promise it will not happen again."
Robin knew not to press for any details, Might as well let this Freudian slip be just that. "Sure." That doesn't mean I can't be her friend, "But you also have to promise me something."
Tiki raised her eyebrow, "...What would that be?"
"Drop the 'Sir' from my name, I'm not royalty, Lady Tiki."
"...Very well, but you can also do the same with me. I've never been one for titles either."
They both made their way back to the Shepherds' camp.
A/N
You know, I do realize that I really glazed over the secretive nature of Robin and Tiki's relationship. It started off as a lazy excuse to introduce a mother after going back on my word when I stated that Morgan's mother was deliberately left up to the reader an interesting other new idea to explore, right alongside the implications of Morgan to be from Grima's and Naga's lineage, turned into my pride and joy.
That and the other major reason that I chose Tiki was because ̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶h̶a̶m̶e̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶h̶i̶p̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶c̶e̶. there are not that many fics for RobinxTiki.
I'm planning for this story to be a bit shorter chapter wise, and I'll probably skip a few major in-game events. Cause I really only want to focus on the titular two (alliteration FTW!).
Disclaimer or something idk anymore.
P.S.
No, I haven't forgotten about the epilogue for Cursed Blood, in fact, this was the epilogue, or at least 3/4 of it. I just had to get this out of my chest really.