Darkness was all he saw when he regained consciousness. Vague memories floated about his head, though none of them linked together well enough to make an understandable timeline. A huge effort was made to open his eyes, though his vision was so dark and bleary he couldn't make out his surroundings. He heard a steady beeping come from somewhere. Noise sounded from somewhere else, and he thought he heard a voice shouting something. A flurry of movement, replaced by the steady beeping again. He closed his eyes. Who was he?

Robin. That was his name. He shared it with a bird. Birds with wings. Yes, his name was definitely Robin. Robin heard a door open, followed first by footsteps, and then by a click he presumed meant it had shut. Someone sat in a chair next to the bed he was laying on. At least, he assumed it was a bed. What was the last thing he remembered?

Grima. Robin's eyes shot open, though he immediately regretted it, squeezing them shut. That had to have been the brightest light he had ever seen! How was that even possible? He would have to ask Miriel... Yes. Miriel. Who was Miriel? A genius in the field of Anima tomes and decently skilled with a healing staff. Robin calmed himself with this thought. He knew Miriel, just as he knew many other people. People like Ricken (another mage, and a prodigy in wind magic), Henry (a boy with a skewed sense of morality), Tharja (a sorceress of the highest caliber who was quite fond of him), Nowi (a rather young-looking Manakete who was, in fact, over 1,000 years old), Tiki (a far older Manakete, and a friend of the ancient hero-king Marth), Emmeryn (a descendant of the hero-king), Lissa (Emmeryn's younger sister), Chrom…

Robin's thoughts became both clear and muddled when he thought of Chrom. He wasn't able to define who exactly this man was, as he had with the others. Despite this, he felt calm, and focused on the peace the name brought his mind. Robin thought back to what his thoughts had been on before he had gone through the random assortment of names.

Grima. Keeping his eyes closed this time, he thought. He'd been on the back of the fell dragon... which was also himself in a way... A choice had been given to him. Chrom looked at him in shock and fear as he took the final blow. Grima was dead, and Robin followed quickly after. He remembered thinking, in that moment, that he was sorry to be the one to cause such grief for the prince of Ylisse. Dying caused pain for more than just the deceased.

Yet, he very clearly seemed to be alive. Had Naga's words rung true? Had his bonds forged with the Shepherds been strong enough to keep him in the living world? Robin heard a light tapping noise, though he couldn't put a name to it. Like... a thin bit of wood against another material he couldn't begin to name. Almost like a variant of glass that wasn't quite glass. A strangely familiar voice rang out.

"Can you open your eyes for me?" The woman asked, and Robin slowly complied, squinting as he averted his gaze from the bright light. "Good!" He heard scribbling. Robin's vision blurred as he looked towards the speaker. He squeezed his eyes shut before opening them once more, and looking at the woman.

"..." He tried to speak, but his throat hurt, and he stopped himself. The woman helped him sit and drink a glass of water, and he tried again. "Emmeryn?" She frowned.

"I'm sorry- did we meet some time ago?" She asked. Robin squinted at her. She looked just like Emmeryn, save for the lack of brand on her head.

"I..."

Robin frowned, looking around the room. He had been correct in assuming he was on a bed. The room he was in was brightly lit, and the walls were an almost blinding white. The tiles on the floor somehow seemed thin, and Robin could only assume they weren't made of stone, though he didn't understand what else they could be. Emmeryn (if that's who she really was) was sitting on a metal stool (what an odd use for a resource so precious as metal) that had a black cushion-y material on it. Robin chanced speaking again.

"Where's Chrom? Did Naga get everyone off of Grima's back before he disintegrated? Nobody died, right?" Robin's voice had an edge of panic, and Emmeryn looked startled by his barrage of questions. "Gods, I'm sorry, I shouldn't- with your amnesia I should find someone else..."

"Mmm, I don't believe we've met before, and I certainly don't have amnesia, but you seem to know my name and face... I'm assuming you're one of Chrom's friends? But he would have likely known if his friend was... for three years..." She trailed off, mumbling to herself. "What nonsense, dragons and goddesses..." Robin heard scribbling, and his eyes were drawn to the flat… thing she was holding. He didn't know how to describe it.

Robin swallowed the lump in his throat, not sure if it was from dehydration or confusion. Likely both. Definitely both. This Emmeryn didn't have amnesia? And she claimed to never have met him? Stranger still, was her muttering about dragons and goddesses being 'nonsense' when she had most certainly known of the existence of both in every timeline Robin knew of. And what was that about three years? Emmeryn left after a bit, and Robin was alone, as far as he could tell. He didn't know how long passed before she returned, but it felt like an eternity.

"Mr. Paige, I believe it's best to tell you of your situation." Emmeryn said. Robin looked at her questioningly, recognizing that he was apparently 'Mr. Paige' but not understanding where the name came from. "You were admitted here by your twin sister three years ago after suffering an incident she refused to speak of and have been comatose since then. In the time you've been away, your father has died and your mother has gone missing. We've contacted your sister, and she should be here tomorrow. Do you have any questions?"

"Countless questions…" Robin mumbled, partially to himself.

He looked at the strange wooden object in Emmeryn's hands, the lack of brand on her forehead, the odd lighting… He thought back to Emmeryn's mention of him having a sister, the implication that Chrom didn't even know his name. Robin felt more lost than he had the first time he met Chrom.

Word Count: 1,100

And thus the prologue is edited! Onto chapter 1...

Just a quick note that I do thrive off of reviews, and they keep my motivation up. I love talking about my writing, and you'd never be a bother to me. pls i'm lonely