It was only daybreak in Plegia, the scorching sun already in full shine. Tharja stood near the entrance to the castle, along with other soldiers, ready to be deployed to battle.
Today was supposed to be the day the Exalt of Ylisse was to be executed, although she didn't see the point of fighting this stupid war just because of their mad-king.
The plans were delayed by the arrival of Prince Chrom and his ragtag army however. She had heard many stories of these warriors; they've battled countless battles and fended many Plegian assaults on their territory, supposedly lead by a peerless tactician. She didn't want to fight this fight; she knew they'd be defeated.
"This is nonsense, I've only just turned 18 and they've already enlisted me to the army." She thought, "Although, I do know my way around a good hex, I guess they know talent when they see it." She reassured herself.
"Alright you lot, move out, time for action!" her commander called out.
"I guess it's time, we'll see how this plays out then."
As the others roared out to the battlefield ready for action Tharja slowly dragged her feet across, obviously not excited to meet deaths embrace. She went out into the blistering sun, not too affected by it, she had gotten used to the weather and her dark mage outfit was suited for the heat.
She had gone out and seen that the Ylissean charge had already taken out half of her so called "comrades". She knew they wouldn't stand a change, the enemy was too strong.
"So we're to kill or die here, simply because the king commands it?" She questioned "Pfft. What do I care of these Ylisseans? We're given no reasons to fight, only orders. What's the point? Besides, I've always been quite good at choosing who to hate on my own..." she smiled quietly to herself.
She waited for the enemy to get to her to strike, although she did not want to engage in battle.
Then she saw them. She saw the commander of the army, Chrom, wasting the enemy left and right, he was working together with a comrade, a strange figure in purple robes. She saw them working hand in hand, seemingly two halves of a greater whole. But although there were two of them, her gaze stayed on the man in the robes. Who was he? She stared as he was able to tear down anyone who crossed his path, his intentions clear; he was dead set on saving the Exalt. She was able to feel his energy from such a distance, an aura so familiar to hers, it was dark, yet he was not a scary person. Awe struck at their prowess she'd been too dazed to realize that the pair was now standing right in front of her.
"You there! Are you with the Plegians? You seem reluctant to fight." The man asked as he approached her.
It had taken Tharja a second to realize she had dropper her tome in amazement. She pulled herself together and responded "Death comes for all of us eventually. Why invite it early, fighting for a cause I don't believe in?"
"So...I should take that as a no, or..." Chrom asked confused.
"Let's just say I'm keeping my options open. I mean, long live the king and all, but I'd like to keep living as well. And I have a bit of a rebellious streak, I'm afraid. A...dark side." A mischievous smile grew across her face.
"Then perhaps you would rebel now and fight for our cause?" Chrom asked bluntly.
"...You would trust me? What if this is just a ploy to plunge a dagger in your back?" She asked, now confused herself.
"My sister, the Exalt, I think she would trust you. And I'm trying to learn from her. Besides, I already need to watch my back, whether you're with us or not." He replied.
"Well, that's odd... Usually when I bring up the backstabbing bit the discussion is over. All right, then—consider me your new ally. ...For now." She finished, all the while her eyes continually darted to the man standing next to him, still hooded, face obstructed from view.
"AAH!" A shriek was heard from behind and Chrom realized that Sumia was hit by an enemy.
"Sumia!" he cried out, getting ready to go back. "Robin, I need to go help her, you take our new recruit and keep clearing a path." And with that the man was off.
The hooded figure removed his cowl, revealing a man with a welcoming face, soft eyes, and long hair. His smile was welcoming; he walked towards the Plegian mage ready to get back into the fight.
"New plans eh? Well, I guess I can fix these strategies a bit."
Then she realized, this was the famous tactician that led so many victories, she had never seen him before, he was much more calming than she had imagined. Her thoughts were cut short as his smile turned into a serious face of determination.
"Come on, we need to get moving." He said, "stay by my side, we need take these guys down."
Tharja quickly grabbed her tome and took to his left, ready to fight against her former allies.
"Over there!" he shouted, pointing to any enemies in range, they both were able to cover each other and take down anyone near. They were working perfectly in sync.
"Who is this man, and why does he have this presence?" Tharja thought to herself. She had barely met him and yet they were already working as well as he and Chrom had. She had to know more about him, there was something interesting about him.
After all the enemies had been defeated, the mission was accomplished. Or so it would have been had a group of archers not appeared. After a selfless suicide, Tharja and her new allies were forced to retreat, the mission an astounding failure.
Their quickest route of escape was through the midmire. Or it would have been quick had Plegian troops not found them. They had another battle, coming their way, but troop morale was low. Tharja took to the tacticians' side one more time; the two of them were able to defeat everyone they fought, once again working perfectly in sync. It gnawed at her brain "Why do we work so well together?"
Back at Regna Ferox, everyone, including Chrom, was in bad spirits. Although the tactician was able to build him back up, and with everyone's support, the prince was able to bring himself back to action, resolving to end the mad king's reign once and for all.
He was able to raise everyone's spirits, even her own, why? She was not normally a cheery person, but hearing him talk just made her mood better.
After setting up camp, Tharja found herself lost, she didn't know anyone here, was it a good idea to even join this group? Her doubts were starting to cloud her mind, had she made a horrible mistake?
Her thoughts were suddenly stopped as a familiar person walked up to her. It was the tactician again; she had realized they didn't even know each other's names.
"Hi, you're our new recruit; I guess I should properly introduce myself." His cheery disposition put her at ease. "My name is Robin; I'm the army's tactician, but you've probably already guessed that."
"Robin, what a charming name." "Uh, I'm Tharja." She responded in a low voice, unable to meet his eyes for some strange reason.
"Well you were great in the last battle; I've never fought so well with anyone other than Chrom." He smiled, extending his hand.
She felt her hand clam up when she went to grab his, why? "Well, killing is my job" she said, finally able to grab his hand, which was softer than she had expected.
"Now that proper introductions are out of the way, let me show you around camp." He said, letting go of her hand.
For some reason she didn't want him to let go.
"Well, let's get started shall we." He started off and began showing her how everything operated.
His fast pace kept her at one step behind him, she could only see his back, and yet it felt right somehow. Even though he was explaining where everything was, the mess hall, the armory, the barracks, she could only focus on trying to understand why this man was so interesting. She had never felt anything like this before. Something in her gut told her that he was an important person; she needed to make sure he was safe, not just because he was the tactician, it was something more. She had to find out what.
After all was said and done Robin showed Tharja her tent, which coincidentally was placed next to his own.
"Well here we are, I hope you make yourself comfortable Tharja, I guess we're neighbors now." He said with a smile as he walked back towards his tent.
"Uh, Thanks" she hastily replied before he closed the flap to his tent. Tharja stood outside his tent in a daze, still trying to sort out the thoughts and feelings running through her head and her heart. She snapped out of it and walked towards her tent. "This is ridiculous." She tried to calm herself, "it's just me being new, I'll get over this once I settle in… won't I?" her thoughts began racing again.
It was a pitch black night. Everyone in camp had gone to sleep, all but one. Tharja sat alone in her bed, legs crossed, contemplating her current situation.
"I can't believe this, why am I sitting here at all hours trying to figure out what my gut's trying to tell me?" she angrily questioned herself, flipping through old diaries, journals, and notes.
"I must have read about these types of experiences before, ah, here it is." She found an old page written some time ago, the heading faded out. "More powerful than any hex or curse, these feelings are something that overwhelm your heart and will never let go. These are the feelings of LOVE" she stopped for a moment "Love? That's absurd, dark mages don't need love." She kept reading involuntarily "signs that show you've fallen in love can be apparent right away. Clammy skin, increased heart rate, blushed face, stammering voice and a dry throat, all symptoms of becoming enamored."
"Hmm, I guess this might have some truth behind it." She remembered her past encounters with Robin. She remembered how she was awe-struck when she first met him, and could barely get any words out, she remembered feeling thrilled to be able to fight alongside him, thinking it was just the heat of battle, she remembers not being able to look him in the eyes at one point, feeling the heat etched across her face, and she remembers almost being unable to shake his hand, sweaty palms trembling and voice quivering.
"Damn it… damn it, damn it, damn it." She cursed herself.
"How can I be falling in love? I've never had any need for this, I've just been living a life of sorcery, and there should be no love and emotion in this."
She turned her attention to the tent next to hers "And yet, all the signs are there, they're there and they're strong."
She turned back to her book, sighed, and chuckled to herself "Well Tharja, look what you've gotten yourself into now. Let's just see what this thing has left to say" She put all her attention back into her book. "To get your true loves attention, there are many steps needed to make sure you can both find true happiness. 1st: You shou-"The words were smeared and the page torn past that. "No, no, NO! You've got to be kidding me." She muttered to herself. "There's got to be more info on this stuff somewhere." She threw all her books down searching for more guidance to her new dilemma.
Tharja may have been 18 but she had never been with anyone, or fallen in love with someone before, her life too busy with slinging hexes. "Ok Tharja, think, how can I make Robin notice that I love him? How can I get him to notice me?" she questioned herself. "I need to know everything about him, but I can't just ask him, that would be weird, I'd need to see him in his natural state, see how he goes about his day, but I'd need to be out of sight, that shouldn't be too hard." She was collecting plans and ideas, clueless to the strangeness of her newfound stalking tendencies.
After thinking of all the ways she can make Robin fall in love with her, Tharja lied down on her bed, ready to sleep, even though she was now giddy with excitement. "Heh, love, I guess this is one thing I'd enjoy being afflicted with." She closed her eyes and fell in a deep sleep.
Suddenly she woke up to someone walking into her tent. She stood up, eyes adjusting to the black of night, finally able to make out the figure that walked in. "Robin? Is that you?"
The tactician nodded "Yeah, sorry to bother you Tharja but, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you. I hope you don't mind. "He said, slightly stammering.
"Y-yeah, sure, go ahead and sit down." She replied, anxious to hear what he had to say.
"Well, ever since you came into this army, I've noticed you a lot, and I've been thinking about you a lot recently. And well, I know this is crazy, but I'm just going to say it. Tharja, I'm in love with you."
She could hardly contain her excitement. "This must be some dream, this is too unreal, I never even had to do anything and he already loves me back." Her voice rushed out, bright red across her face "I love you too!" she cried, not showing any restraint to calm herself.
"Really? Oh those must be the sweetest words I've ever heard. I knew this was meant to be."
"Of course it is, my love." She whispered out.
Robin sat on the bed and grabbed her into his embrace. "Tharja, I promise I'll stay with you forever, I promise that you're my only one."
"Of course you will, at this point, it's too late to think about escaping me."
"I'll stay all night with you Tharja." He responded, not bothered by her comment.
"Of course you will, oh, the fun we'll have." She replied.
Before she was able to do anything she suddenly jolted out of bed, still in the middle of the night. "Wait, what's going on?" she questioned, looking left and right, Robin nowhere to be seen. "Oh this is just ridiculous, now I'm even dreaming of him." She placed her palms on her face and turned her eyes to the other tent, "Still, fancy Robin showing up." She said, with a mischievous smile on her face.
The next morning Tharja decided to put her plans into action. In the mess hall she stood by herself in the corner, free from the distraction of idle chit-chat with all these other fools, able to watch Robin silently and see his every movement. She recorded everything he did into her journal, what he snacked on, what he read, everything.
"That's two books, oh, and part of a third it seems. What's that he has? An apple? Interesting." She spent some moments simply staring at him, being amazed at what a person he was. "Oh, this must be what true love is like, there's nothing else that compares to it." She sighed contently to herself before noticing Robin got up to meet with Chrom. "Oh, if he's moving, I have to go too. But I can't risk him seeing me." She slowly snuck around corners and concealed herself behind a well place wagon.
"Where's he going?" she asked, able to get a small glimpse of him. She darted behind a tent, watching him walk into one himself. "Agh, he must be going to discuss strategy with Chrom." Sure he was now her commander, but she hated how much of Robin's time he occupied. She wanted him all to herself now. "Well I guess these notes are over for today." She retreated back to her own tent.
"Ah, an entire day spent with my newly beloved. How sweet." She wrote in her journal.
"Oh no, I can't believe it's already so late at night." She shot up, "I never even got a chance to say good night to Robin." She panicked and gathered her things. "Well, I can't just wake him up, I'm sure he won't mind if I just go in, I'm his soul mate after all." She quietly exited her own tent and turned her attention to the one right next door.
She slowly opened up the flap to Robin's tent and snuck inside, she had brought along her notes too.
She saw Robin asleep at his desk, books and maps scattered around, exhausted from the day.
"Poor thing, must be working himself half to death." She walked over to his side. "I'll have to take care of you." She slowed her speech as she smiled to herself 'Veery good care."
She was able to grab and carry him over to his bed, Robin too collapsed to even notice. Tharja brought a chair over to his side so she could survey him more closely. "Well, I guess this can count as us sleeping together for the first time." She giggled to herself as she watched him sleep.
"Hm, 15 times, how interesting." She jotted down more notes. "I guess I'll just have to make this a daily habit, oh, he'll be so in love with me once he finds out all I've done for him."
She got up to leave, but stopped and turned around. "Hmm, it is still late, I figure couples should give each other good night kisses, shouldn't they?" She walked over to him, still sleeping. Inching her face closer and closer her heart began racing. "Can I really do this?" she thought to herself, turning bright red. "Oh man, I can't believe I'm going to share my first kiss with someone who's asleep. But hey, I guess that's how these things happen."
Right as their lips were only millimeters away, she froze. "No, not like this." She got up, and left the tent, embarrassed and defeated.
The next day was a troubling one, Tharja could barely keep up with Robin, he kept moving from place to place, and she could tell something was wrong.
"What's wrong love?" she questioned herself, hoping Robin would come to her for guidance.
She saw him standing in the middle of the public room, looking up and thinking to himself.
"The two of us alone? How lovely, we can spend the whole day together."
She was too busy spending time in her own dream world to notice Robin had already turned around to notice her.
She looked up to notice him, a confused look on his face. "Tharja? Are you following me?" he asked.
She had been caught, but now she had time to talk to Robin. "Maybe." She responded quickly.
"Maybe? I've seen you hiding behind tents and wagons all week!" He had a disgruntled look
She was slightly embarrassed that she'd been noticed this whole time, oh well, it can't be helped. "So you finally noticed; just what I'd expect… from my first love." She smiled at her own declaration.
"I'm sorry, what? Your first love? Where did this come from?" he responded, red faced himself.
"Oh yes, when I joined, and we first met, I was captivated." "You know, you're not like all the others, you're the one I've truly been seeking." She said, walking closer to him. "So why don't you just admit your feelings too? You did promise me."
"Uhm, what did I promise?" He responded wanting desperately to leave.
"All those nights we spent together, in my dreams."
"Dream? What on earth are you talking about?" he questioned, dumbfounded at what she was saying
"All those times you appeared in my dreams, you made me feel really special. I don't have anyone else really; you're the only important person in my heart." She grabbed her face in her palms, a longing smile etched on her face
"It's okay though, you did promise that I'm your only one." "That's why I've been watching your every… single… move." "Yesterday you read two books and part of a third. You snacked on an apple. And last night, you turned over 12 times in your sleep. ...Well below your average." She read from her journal.
"W-Wait! You've been watching me sleep!?" he shouted out, deeply bothered.
"Of course, for you, I would wait until the seas ran dry and the rocks crumbled, I mean, I thought you'd be grateful." She said, shocked by the fact he wasn't appreciative of her efforts.
"No, disturbed is more appropriate, do you mean you've been following me ever since we met?"
"As if you need to ask."
"Ugh, that explains this cold chill I've had recently." He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Don't worry, I'll stay by your side, and take extra special care of you." She said, moving even closer.
"You know, coming from a normal friend I'd be glad to hear that, not so much coming from you." He halted her advances by putting his hand forward.
She stood there, saddened. "So, you like normal girls Robin? Is that it?" she waited for his answer.
"Well, I guess-" he was cut off short.
"That's all I needed to hear, I'll leave you to your business." She got up and bolted out of the room.
"Wait, Tharja, please stay where I can see you? Oh gods, why do I feel this will not end well?" he stood, confused at what had just happened.
Tharja ran into her own tent and jumped onto her bed, burying her face into her pillow, tears flowing. "How can this have happened? I can't believe it." She thought to herself "How can he not love me back? I mean, I know I'm not the most welcoming person but this was meant to be, we're destined for each other."
She sat herself up and looked through her old papers "Well, I did say I'd do anything for him, what's one thing like this? Now let's see what I might have that can help." She began rummaging through her old papers and found a copy of "Ylissean Housewife Monthly" that had found its way into her things. "Maybe this dribble can help me." She flipped through it, looking for anything that could help. She finally came across an article "How to win over that special someone" that seemed helpful.
"Oh, let's see what 'normal' people do to try and be with someone." She started scanning the section seeing various tips and tricks "Hmm, laugh at his jokes, have a smile on, and cook him a meal." "This is all so stupid, why can't he just love me for who I am? But I'm not going back on my word; if Robin likes normal girls then I'll be a normal girl." She left her tent to go survey how a normal couple acted.
She began looking around trying to find some people who were a well established couple. She found Chrom and Sumia walking around and though that they'd be as good an example as any.
"Now what are these two like, ugh, watching someone that's not Robin is just nauseating, but I'd do anything for his love." She noticed Chrom and Sumia holding hands, Sumia constantly smiling and laughing at anything he said.
"So I pretty much have to become the cheeriest person on earth." The disdain clear in her voice.
She had remembered hearing Chrom talk about Sumias pies being delicious, but she didn't really care, but now it seemed that baking was important in winning Robins affections.
She went into the camp kitchen and began practicing cooking. She overheard Robin telling Chrom how much he loved liver and eel pie once, so she decided she might as well practice that. She grabbed all her supplies and began practicing, all the while talking to herself to simulate a casual conversation. "Oh, good evening Robin, how are you this fair day? I made you this pie, I hope you like it."
She began daydreaming again, wishing that Robin would love her food and proclaim his love for her right then and there. She was so busy dreaming she didn't realize she had overcooked the fish. Time, and time again. She was able to break herself out of her dream, right before Robin kissed her, to notice the eel just finished cooking. "Hmm, this actually came out good. I just know Robin will love it, and then he'll love me, and then…" she had to calm herself down to prepare the rest of the food. Now that she had prepared everything it was finally time to deliver it to her one and only, all the way along her path she just dreamed of what his reaction would be, she knew he would be hers now.
She snuck over to Robin's tent making sure no one dared bother her; she had a mission to accomplish. She opened the tent flaps to find Robin inside studying tactics as usual; he was always such a busy worker, another trait she loved about him.
She noticed him look up to her confused but not surprised she would just barge into his tent.
"Ok Tharja, time to put all this training to good use." She looked up at him and put on a wide smile "Why hello Robin, how are you today? Enjoying this weather?" she was able to squeeze out.
"Oh, Tharja, I haven't seen you in a while, is there anything wrong, you're acting different?" Robin questioned why his stalker was acting so strange.
"What, me? How do you mean? Just a normal greeting for a normal girl." She was excited he was taking interest and her smile turned more seductive "Why? Are you… worried about little me?" she inched closer to him still.
"Uhm, well yeah, I guess I am." He let out a small but sincere smile.
Her heart fluttered knowing he truly cared for her. "You are? Oh that's sooo sweet."
"Actually I'm more concerned with what you've have prepared for me." He bluntly responded.
She pulled out the food she had behind her back "Of course, I prepared you a nice lunch. I made an eel and liver pie, it is your favorite right? Oh I just love baking."
"Are you SURE you're alright? You didn't fall under a miscast hex did you?" he questioned, concerned for the both of them
"What a wild imagination you have, it's just a typical day for a normal girl." She responded nonchalantly
"Normal girl? This is about the other day isn't it?"
"Don't be silly, now open wide." She was ready to serve Robin some food
"Look, I don't want-ah!" she had already forced some into his mouth. *munch, munch* "Actually, that's delicious." He responded surprised
"Truly? Oh wonderful! I've been practicing all day."
"Practice? Don't tell me you've been practicing being normal."
"Of course I have! And now I'm a perfectly normal girl. So typically normal plain."
"Normal coming from you is actually quite unusual you know?"
"Eh? Oh, I guess I must be… something?"
"Tharja, I'm sorry about earlier, you shouldn't have listened to me. Can you go back to being normal Tharja for me? I liked you better that way."
"U-Uh yeah, it's just I've been practicing so diligently lately I don't know if I can stop." She walked out of his tent leaving Robin alone
"Hmm, what a girl." Robin stood there confused at what just happened.
"To think she would do all that just for me; that must be some dedication, it's not just some stalking habits, she must really like me." He was pondering the situation
"She does seem like a really nice person, I guess it wouldn't hurt to be friends with her." He walked outside to survey the camp
Outside he noticed all the rest of the couples talking and laughing. He noticed Chrom and Sumia were out enjoying each other's company. "Hmm, seems everyone's settling down with one another."
For a brief moment he visualized himself and Tharja being together, just happy to be with each other. "Oh man, what on earth am I thinking?" he broke himself out of his fantasies "I must be coming down with something." He calmed himself down and went back inside.
The next day Robin went in to the mess-hall and saw Tharja sitting by herself. "Well I guess this is as good a time as ever." He approached the dark mage
"Hey Tharja, are you busy?" he asked, obviously knowing the answer
"Robin!" she shot up "Oh, of course not, please sit down." She had to try to force herself to calm down
"Look Tharja, I know the last few conversations we had weren't the greatest, so I'd love to get to know you better." He said nervously fiddling with his hair
Tharja's heart was racing faster than ever. Robin, the man she loved, wanted to be friends with her? She could hardly contain her excitement. "T-That'd be lovely, what do you want to do?" she questioned, waiting eagerly for him to respond.
"Well, how about you and I go and walk around camp later today? I've already finished all my strategies and there's no important business going on today so I have a free schedule, we can spend the whole day together."
Tharja couldn't believe it, she was getting asked on a date, and she was finally winning over Robin's heart. It was the best feeling in the world. "I-I would love that, it's a date." She said smiling with bright red across her cheeks
Robin got embarrassed himself when she called it a "date" but was still happy he would get to know her better. "Great, I guess I'll see you later." He got up and left to ready himself
Both Shepherds went back to their tents to prepare for their "date". They bathed, did their hair, everything. Tharja knew she was doing this to impress Robin, but Robin didn't know why he putting so much effort into it.
While straightening out his outfit Chrom walked into Robin's tent to greet him. "Hey Robin, what are you so dressed up for? Big night on the town?" he questioned him, noticing how much he was worrying over his attire
"I'm just going to something I think I may regret." He said, trying to keep his thoughts from seeping out
"Oh? And what might that be?" he was now quite curious
"I'm just going to spend some time with Tharja."
"Really? You know everyone in camp has noticed she's taken quite a liking to you. It's a big date tonight?"
Robin turned around sharply and glared at his commander "It is not a date, it's just good company."
"Whatever you say lovebird." He teased him
"Just get out man, I need to get ready." He shooed away his leader and went back to readying himself
"It is not a date, it isn't." he kept trying to remind himself
He went to Tharja's tent and called out for her. "Tharja? Are you in?"
She walked out in a simple white dress, nothing too flashy, however she still looked amazing. Robin was completely speechless; he had noticed Tharja's usual dark mage attire but had never, to take a page from Chrom's book, noticed her as a woman. Her dress hugged her body and accentuated all of her most "robust" features. Robin had to pull himself together before Tharja noticed him ogling her, although she probably would not have minded.
"W-Wow Tharja, you look breathtaking." He wanted to admit more, that she looked even lovelier than he had ever seen her, but he decided not to lay it on too thick.
"Thank you Robin, you look ravishing today." She was able to speak with more confidence today
Both of them were equally embarrassed and couldn't meet each other's gazes, but Robin was able to break the silence. "Come on; let's go find a place where we won't be bothered." He knew Tharja would have hated their time to be interrupted, but he also found himself wanting to be alone with her but he didn't know why.
They found a secluded area in the woods and decided to spend their time there. Tharja had brought along another packed lunch for the two of them; Robin had found himself enjoying Tharja's cooking.
The two sat in awkward silence not knowing how to really converse with each other.
"So Tharja, how have you been enjoying yourself as a Shepherd?" Robin finally asked hoping to get their friendship rolling
"Well, I've never been one to make friends with people, but I've been helping others around camp sometimes, I helped Nowi with some personal problems, I don't really want to talk too much about it." She darted her eyes back and forth and continued drinking the wine she had brought along
Robin was pleasantly surprised by this "You've been helping others? That's great to hear, honestly I'm always busy helping others too or working on strategies that I wish I could find some time to just relax."
"You're one of the most important people in this army; none of our battles would work if you weren't here. You're important to – a lot – of people here." On those last words Tharja scooted closer to Robin, which made him tense up and blush
"Yeah, I know I have a weighty job, but sometimes I feel I'll collapse under the pressure one day, but I know I have to stay strong." He tried to affirm his resolve
"You know, we all have to commit to the things we want, and fight for them, even when they seem so far away." Tharja closed the distance between her and Robin even more, her drink loosening the grip she had on her thoughts
Robin would have questioned what she was talking about had he not had to suppress a yelp when she had placed her head on his shoulder. He stood there shocked that she did that, her raven black hair was blowing with the wind and caressing his neck.
Robin, being an amnesiac, could not remember any romantic interests he may have had, and all the strategy books he had couldn't teach him how to act during a date, so he tried to go with his instincts. He reached his arm out and went to place his hand over Tharja's shoulder; he felt her soft skin and reeled his hand back. He heard a faint moan come from Tharja when he touched her, and he felt himself clamming up, through sheer willpower he laid his hand on her shoulder.
They both sat there, awkwardly holding each other, and once again not able to talk to each other.
"Robin?" Tharja finally broke the silence
"Hmm?" Robin was curious and slightly worried at what the dark mage would ask
"What will you do once the war is over?" she asked him, still resting her head on his shoulder
"Uhm, well, I guess I'll work in Ylisse for Chrom, I'll probably be one of his chief advisors." He said hoping everything would turn out ok in life.
"Have you ever thought of… starting a family?" she asked him, nuzzling up even closer.
"Ah, well, that is, it hasn't really crossed my mind that often." He stuttered out, hoping to end the conversation
"I've noticed so many people in camp have been getting into relationships, and I was just wondering if you've ever thought of it." She was trying to pry answers out from him
"Of course I've thought of it" Robin shook the thought out of his head and simply settled on "I've just been too busy for it."
The two sat and chatted for a while longer, able to talk freely about topics that didn't involve love. Once night began to creep in they decided to call it a day.
Robin had walked Tharja back to her tent to see her off.
"You know, I had a really great time Tharja, I hope we can do this again sometime." He still wanted to say more but held his tongue.
Tharja had one of the best days of her life, and as she stood in front of him so close, face to face, she wanted desperately to lock lips, but opted to hug him instead. "I had a wonderful time too." Robin jolted up when she grabbed him but mustered up the courage to hug her too. It felt right to embrace her, and he didn't want to let go either.
Once she went back inside her tent, Robin let out a saddened sigh, for some reason he wanted to spend more time with her.
"How was the date lovebird?" he heard a familiar voice call behind him.
Robin spun around to see his commander "Oh, Chrom, damn it don't startle me like that."
"Let's go inside man, it's getting dark." Chrom welcomed himself into Robin's tent
"So how was your date?" Chrom asked him once again
"It went fine ok, but it wasn't a date." Robin responded bluntly
"Is that why Gaius said he saw you two holding each other when he was out honey-collecting? Or why I saw you two hugging outside her tent?" he said with a grin
"How in the hell? Oh man you've got to be kidding me." Robin shook his head
"The whole camp has noticed Tharja loves you, and we've began to notice you've been staring at her too."
"What?! T-That's not true!" Robin tried to defend himself
"Is that why you're bright red right now?" he continued teasing his tactician
"Look Chrom, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm this army's strategist; I need to have a sharp mind that's not clouded by emotion when I'm out in battle and directing others. But lately things have gotten more stressful, and I feel the need to protect everyone at all costs."
"Everyone? Or her?" Chrom questioned him, no longer interested in mocking his friend
"I, I don't know what to do Chrom."Robin ran his hand through his hair
"You love her don't you?" He asked him, hoping to find the truth
"Hmm." Robin couldn't answer him as he looked down at the floor, lost in thought.
Chrom walked over and placed his hand on Robins shoulder "Everything will work out, I know it will." He smiled at him, hoping to cheer his friend up.
"T-Thank you, Chrom." Robin's hopes lifted
Robin was in his tent reading up on a novel Sumia recommended to him but could barely focus on it, his mind miles away. He didn't even notice Tharja was already in his tent, giggling to herself as she watched him
"I am glad Tharja is back to acting like herself again, I'd love to go on another dat-, er, another get together with her, but, why do I feel so, cold, ugh, can't stop, shivers down my spine…" Robin collapsed to the ground, shaking uncontrollably
Tharja ran out from her hiding spot to try and help her beloved. "Robin? Are you ok? Oh no, you're burning up! Ok, ok think, I need to bring down the fever." She got up to get supplies
"Nrgh." Robin regained consciousness and found himself on his bed
"Hello." Robin looked over to find Tharja sitting at his bedside
"Tharja? W-What am I doing here?" he looked around, trying to figure out what happened.
"You had a fever and collapsed, I helped you out." She explained as she changed the rag on Robin's forehead
"Oh, yeah, I guess I must have been stressed out about… things." He tried not to reveal anything
"I thought you would say it was a curse of mine."
"That's crazy! I would never assume you would do something like that." He reached out and grabbed her hand
"O-Oh right, that is crazy." She chuckled nervously and shifted her eyes
"Anyway, I just want to say thank you for taking care of me." He kept holding her hand.
"Didn't you say you didn't want me taking care of you?" she tried hiding her red face
"I was clearly wrong; in fact, knowing someone like you cares for me makes me happy. I'm glad I can call someone like you my… friend."
Her face lit up even more as she looked at him "I-Is that really true?"
"Of course it is, in fact, I was hoping you could stay - *yawn* - for just… a bit longer." Robin fell back asleep
"I'll always stay with you Robin, I hope you know that." She still held on to his hand as she watched him sleep, remembering the first time she did it, and how the circumstances were so different this time
"T-Tharja, please, stay with me." Robin muttered in his sleep
Tharja froze, staying to listen to him, hoping he may say something he wouldn't normally say
"Stay with me, I l-lo" he stopped there as he fell into a deeper sleep
Tharja sat there completely speechless, her face bright red in joy. She was almost brought to tears.
She leaned over to him, remembering when she almost kissed him, now confident she can go through with it. She planted a kiss on Robin's forehead and bolted out the room, too embarrassed to stay.
Robin eyes opened as his own cheeks went red. "D-Did she really just?" he had still not fully fallen back asleep and was still aware of his surroundings. He sat there, trying to sort out what he had to do
Robin was in the Ylisse castle library, looking to find some time to himself.
While rummaging through the shelves he heard the all too familiar foot-steps walking behind him.
He put a book away and thought to himself "Looks like I get to spend some more quality time with her."
He spun around to find nobody there, in reality though, Tharja stayed behind him
He spun around again, as did she
She followed him today like any other, but she didn't want to be face to face with him today
He slammed his palm against the shelf "Tharja, what are you doing?"
"What do you mean?" she responded back
Robin pressed himself against the shelf and spun around on his heel, finally meeting with his stalker
"You don't play fair." She complained holding her hands to her chest and hiding her eyes
"All's fair in love and war" he responded while smiling
"Love?" she questioned as she looked up through her hair
"Oh, did I say that? Uhm, I mean, it's just a phrase. Ha ha, ha…" he tried to cover for himself
"You know you're cute when you get embarrassed." She admitted smiling to herself
"Am I now? You know, you are too." He said as he moved her fringe away with his hand.
"W-Wha?" Tharja stammered out as her face went red
"Tharja, you should look up from your bangs once in a while." He took the opportunity to kiss her forehead as she was still surprised
Robin felt confident at his actions but was still embarrassed as Tharja was left speechless and stammering
Robin was unaware that Tharja had already regained her composure
She was giggling to herself and overjoyed that Robin did hold feelings for her. She took matters into her own hands
She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into a tender kiss. Robin reciprocated immediately as she held onto him.
After what felt like an eternity they pulled back, their breath gasping onto each other's lips.
"I-I love you Tharja." He whispered out, trying to catch his breath
"I'll always love you too." She giggled, as she brought them both to the floor to continue their exchange
"Tharja, I'm going out to town with Chrom and Frederick to gather supplies, stay here to help guard the camp." Robin kissed Tharja good-bye as he left
"So I guess everything's working out just fine?" Chrom asked noticing the bright smile on his friends face
"It is, I'm in love Chrom, it's simple as that." He was confident in his own feelings now.
"And what next, Sir Robin?" Frederick asked, interested in the conversation himself
"I think I'm going to ask her to marry me. That's why I decided to tag along with you guys"
"Really? Looks like you're finally going to seal the deal, good luck Robin." Chrom and Frederick both rode forward as they left Robin alone to his business
He walked through the market streets to find a jeweler. He needed to find the perfect ring for the perfect woman. He stumbled upon a shop that his friend Anna had set up
"Anna? I didn't know you sold jewelry." He walked up to see the wares
"Well, not really, but I knew you'd be looking for something special soon." She responded
"Really? And how would you know that?" he wondered why she had prepared this
"Everyone in camp knows you're hopelessly in love with Tharja, the rest of the girls and I find it adorable." She giggled at the last part
"H-Hey! It is not 'adorable'" he was already getting flustered
"Mhmm, you know, the rest of us have pretty much been counting down the days until you popped the big question. And that's why you're here today. In fact, I'll be so nice I'll give you the friend's price for any ring you want."
"R-Really?" Robin put aside the teasing the merchant just gave him, "That's very generous of you Anna."
He looked around and found a beautiful diamond ring. "This one, it's perfect." He looked at how much it had shined, but not nearly as bright as Tharja did he thought
"For the perfect girl?" Anna teased him
"D-Did I say that?" he was embarrassed again
"Not aloud, but you kept muttering it to yourself, it really is adorable." She kept laughing to herself
"Agh, it is NOT adorable." He slammed a bag of gold onto the counter as he put away the ring in a safe spot.
"Good luck love-bird~" Anna sang out as Robin left
Robin planned another date with Tharja tonight where he would finally ask her to be his wife
"Ok Robin, calm down, let this come naturally." He paced back and forth in the woods where they had their first date.
Tharja walked over to find Robin sitting down contented
"What are you doing, love?" she asked as she sat down and cuddled against him
"Just, thinking." He responded, looking up at the clear sky
The two of them sat together and talked and laughed for hours, enjoying each other's company
After a while of sitting in silence Robin finally decided to ask the most important question
"Tharja?" he surprised her as she was resting her head on his lap
"Do you remember when you asked me what I was going to do once the war was over?"
"Yeah." She was tense and nervous about what he was about to say
"Well, I've been thinking a lot about it, and about starting a family, and I've come to a decision." He began reaching into his pocket
Tharja sat up; getting even more and more nervous "Which is?" she asked him, hoping for the best
"Well, I've never been the best with words so I'm just going to say it, Tharja, I'm madly in love with you, and I want you to be me wife, will you marry me?" he pulled out the diamond ring and proposed
"R-Robin. I can't believe it, of course I'll marry you!" she leapt at him, tears of joy flowing down her face
"Truly? Oh Tharja I just know we'll have a great life together." He began crying himself as he held her in his arms
"Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that we would actually be together." She admitted
"Things always have a way of working out my love." He held her face with his hand as he stared into her eyes
"Robin…" she said seductively as she closed the distance another time.
"Tharja…" he was able to say before the couple locked lips and fell to the floor
They laid there, savoring each other's taste, ready to begin the rest of their lives.
