"Sleeping… And Helpless.": A Fire Emblem Awakening story by Grinning Cheshire.
Night had fallen in the Regna Ferox tundra, its already low temperature dropping even further, threatening to freeze any who weren't lucky enough to a fire going.
Fortunately for Chrom's Shepherds, their camp had plenty if fire pits, which stayed lit so that the night patrol could remember what being warm was like every once and awhile.
However, the hottest place in the camp seemed to be the forehead of the tactician, Robin.
"She's still burning up…" Prince Chrom muttered, lifting the back of his hand from the face of the sleeping woman. His younger sister Lissa stood beside him, a worried look on her face.
"I don't understand, we've tried every spell our mages know, but her fever still hasn't broken… What's wrong with her Chrom?"
Sighing, the swordsman stood up from beside his friend's bedroll, a worried look on his face.
"I don't know, Lissa. Right now, it just seems like a fever, and we need to keep treating it as such. If it is, then we just need to keep her cool, and wait for it to break."
Closing his eyes, Chrom felt his heart begin to ache.
'I've already lost Emm… Please Robin, get well… We need you to bring justice to Plegia, and I don't want to lose you too.'
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he turned to Lissa.
"Hey Lis, did Frederick manage to track down that 'Plegian' dark mage we recruited?" The commander asked; his voice thick with venom when speaking the name of the country they were warring against.
Shaking her head, the healer's shoulders dropped.
"No, there hasn't been any sign of Tharja since yesterday. It's like she just… Disappeared."
A glare came across Chrom's face at that news. It was no secret to him that the quiet magic user had some weird obsession with his tactician, as there had been several reports of her stalking Robin around the camp. Gaius, the sugar loving thief had even told Chrom about the sorceress wanting of a strand of the girl's hair; and had threatened to hex the red-head if he didn't help her.
'Hex…'
"I see… Well, if there is any sign of her, I want to know." Chrom ordered, walking past Lissa to then exit of the silver-haired tactician's tent. "Do you mind looking after Robin tonight Lissa? I'd feel better if she had a healer watching her."
Nodding, the girl smiled at her brother, placing a hand on his arm.
"Don't worry; I'll take care of your girlfriend."
Coughing, the prince quickly turned away to hide his blush, as he ducked out of the tent.
"Thank you Lissa… And she isn't my girlfriend."
"Of course she isn't…" The blonde laughed, walking over to her sleeping friend. Kneeling beside the fevered girl, her expression changed to that of fear, no longer trying to keep up a brave image.
"Robin… Please don't die…"
And so, Lissa sat there for an unknown amount of hours, periodically checking Robin's temperature with her cold hand.
It was when she was sitting there, a blanket wrapped around her, trying to keep herself awake; that a noise from behind caused her to turn.
Before she could even comprehend what was in front of her, everything goes dark.
"Hehehe… The precious Ylissian tactician, guarded only by a little girl? Guess they truly are helpless without their Exalt." A thin, bald man in Plegian Dark Mage robes, his face marred by scars, stood over the limb body of the healer. In one hand, the man held a purple tome; in the other, a wooden log, which he had used to incapacitate Lissa. Stepping over the unconscious girl, the assassin knelt by Robin and placed his hand on her head, grinning as he did so.
"Ehehehehehe… My curse hasn't failed me, she is still as sick as the day it was cast. Now that it has had time to set it, it's time to finish the job."
Opening the tome, the man started flipping through the pages, glancing back up at the sleeping woman as he did so.
"King Gangrel will reward me greatly for this, and best of all, everyone else will thing you died naturally, little girl. Ehehehehehehe… Ah, here it is."
Finding the spell he was looking for, the Plegian mage placed both his hands on the tactician's face, and opened his mouth to utter his curse.
Before the first word leaves his mouth, a dark, foreboding feeling falls over him, and his throat suddenly tightens. Wheezing violently, the man wraps both of his hands around his throat, unable to even draw breath.
This time, it's his turn to look at the sudden sound, as he desperately tries to breathe. Suddenly, his eyes go wide, as he sees the figure sitting in the corner of the tent, barely visible in the darkness.
"You're lucky… I had a really nasty hex I wanted to use on you… But I didn't want to risk waking Robin up…" Tharja whispers, her hate-filled glare piercing into the assassin's unsteady eyes.
A strangled gasp escapes, as the would-be-killer's hand reaches out towards the woman.
"No, I'm not going to save you. You're the one who made Robin sick, and you're going to pay for that… Oh, and thank you for the book, I'll need that to lift that curse of yours…"
Standing up, the short Dark Mage walked over to the man, who was fighting to get the little bit of breath he was managing to get down. Taking the tome from his hand, the girl reached up her other hand, revealing the sharpened fingernails.
"Oh… seems it wasn't a good enough hex… You can still breathe… I'm going to have to change that."
The sickening sound of flesh being sliced open brought a smile to Tharja's face, as she watched the man fall backwards, clutching at this throat.
"There… Now, do me a favor… Go outside and die."
His vision fading, the Plegian managed to crawl out of the tent, the only thought in his head being to escape that… monster…
He only made it a few feet out, before his body finally collapsed in the snow.
"Well, that should satisfy the 'Trusting Prince'…" Tharja muttered, having been in the tent ever since Robin took sick. She knew the fever had been caused by a curse, however she wasn't skilled at repelling spells, so all the creepy woman could do was watch over her object-of-affection.
After making sure that Lissa was still alive, as Robin was very fond of the girl she treated like a sister, Tharja crept over to the still sleeping tactician, and placed a hand on her forehead. An action that had happened several times that night, she noted.
'She's a little cooler… But definitely still cursed. Need to fix that NOW.'
Opening the book, the mage easily found the writings the now-dead killer had used.
'Pathetic, a real hex caster makes her own curses.'
From there, it was child's play to rearrange the process, and create a counter for the curse. Closing her eyes, Tharja started mumbling, feeling the girl's temperature grow cooler under her hand.
Then, she tore the page from the book, and wiped off the blood stains she left on Robin's forehead.
'I don't want any trace of the pig left on her…'
Breathing out as she felt the curse fade, Tharja knelt down, and placed an ear to her obsession's chest.
'Heartbeat… Normal…'
The Plegian couldn't help herself; she giggled, and clapped gently.
"I told you I would take care of you, Robin…" She whispered, taking a risk and running a hand through the other girl's silver hair. "I have a one last problem to take care, and then I'll be right back… Don't wake up without me…"
Gently, she leant down, and placed a chaste kiss on the girl's forehead.
It took all her self-control to not go further.
'Now… Where to leave that idiot's corpse?'
It was Chrom's surprised scream that awoke Lissa from her log-induced rest, and made her aware of the pounding headache she had. She couldn't really remember anything from the night before, but for some reason was filled with worry for both her brother and Robin.
Though she had every intention of running to see what had scared Chrom so badly, all such thoughts vanished when she glanced over at Robin to check her best friend's condition.
The tactician was lying there peacefully, still sound asleep, and wrapped up in her blanket. And cuddled up against her was Tharja.
And she was awake.
The death glare the sorceress gave Lissa told the young girl all she needed to know.
Robin was fine, and she should go check on Chrom.
Tharja had no idea the healer could move so fast.
Giving a grin and a slightly evil snicker, the black haired Plegian snuggled back under the cover Robin was unknowingly sharing with her, wrapping both of her slender arms around the sleeping girl.
It wouldn't be long before the tactician would awaken, miraculously recovered from her fever. And it wouldn't be long after that their blue-haired leader would insist on marching to Plegia to put an end to her former ruler.
Tharja didn't know what would happen after that. When the war was over, the Shepherds would have no use of her, and she couldn't return to her home after doing the whole traitor thing.
Heck, she might even be killed in the coming battles, which would certainly resolve things.
But until then, she was going to enjoy every opportunity to be close to Robin, since that was where she was happiest.
Leaning over once more, she placed another kiss on the woman's cheek.
"Thank you Robin…" She muttered, before allowing her eyes to travel down the beautiful face of the amnesiac, down to her lips.
'Well, I do deserve something for all I did for you last night…'
And for one moment, Tharja was tempted to do it.
Then, she remembered.
'It isn't my place, and it won't ever be.'
Returning to laying on her side, the sorceress closed her eyes, and gave a bitter smile.
'I will never force Robin… She'll decide for herself… I'll just make sure she lives long enough to make that decision.'
She never held Ylissians in high regard, but for once, she was extremely jealous of Chrom. And because he was Robin's… very good friend, she had promised that she wouldn't curse him, as tempting as it often was.
'Do I hate myself?' Tharja question, bringing herself closer to the sleeping cloaked girl, knowing that this might be the last time she would be able to do so, if what she had sensed between Robin and the stupid prince turned out to be true.
Still, it didn't matter. Robin was what was most important in her life, ever since she had laid eyes on her. Whatever is was that made her happy, Tharja would always be there, to protect her; even if she didn't know it.
'Because… I love her…'
With that thought, Tharja rested her head on Robin's shoulder, just so she could remember her true warmth, and unintentionally dosed off.
"Heh… She's so cute when she's sleeping…"
Gently, a soft hand brushed a bit of Tharja's hair out of her face, before even softer lips placed a kiss on her forehead.
"You're welcome, Tharja. Sweet dreams."
Author's Note: Alright… it's late, I'm tired… I hope you enjoyed this.
Tharja and Henry is my actual ship for her, but the support conversations with Robin are so… Cute, in that strange, creeper way.
Tharja=Unwanted House Guest.
Sleep well with that thought in mind.