Chapter 2: The Beginning

A/N: Thank you for all the views and reviews! I'll admit, I had literally expected no one to read this when I started, so all your support is greatly appreciated! I'm not sure in what format I'm supposed to respond to reviews, if I am at all. Any guidance regarding this would be wonderful. And without further ado, I present you with the next installment in this series! Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Fire Emblem

There was an unpleasant buzzing in Robin's head. This continual sensation prevented him from drifting peacefully into the comfortable darkness once more. Robin found it quite irritating, as it was dragging him back to the land of the living. Slowly, the rest of his senses returned to him. He smelled the fresh scent meadow he was laying in, and he felt the soft grass beneath his back, tickling his hands. He could hear the buzzing of the animals in the field all around him, so full of life. Suddenly, a high-pitched voice shattered the calm both surrounding and within him, "Chrom, we have to do something."

In order to catch a glimpse of the individuals who were disturbing his peace, Robin attempted to open his eyes. He squeezed them shut immediately, for the light of the sun seemed to be intent on scorching his eyes.

He heard a deeper voice reply, "What do you propose we do?"

"I … I dunno …"

Braving the sun's rays, he squinted up at the people standing over him. As he suspected from their voices, a man and a woman were observing him with clear concern and curiosity. He was certain that he recognized the man from somewhere, but he wasn't quite sure from where. The man said, "I see you're awake now."

"Hey there!" exclaimed the woman.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know. Give me your hand," offered the man, while stretching out his own.

Robin took it with his right and glimpsed a peculiar purple marking on it. Where did I get that? What does it mean? The man pulled Robin up so quickly that he felt quite dizzy upon rising. And just how long was I lying there?

"Are you okay?" the man inquired.

"I'm fine. Thanks Chrom." Robin replied, brushing himself off.

"Ah, so you know me then?"

Robin immediately froze mid-brush. Wait, what? How did I know that? Who is he?

"I … um… no? Your name just … came to me."

"Right then …" This Chrom arched an eyebrow, clearly confused. "How about yours? What brings you here?"

"I'm … um … huh?" How do I not know my own name? Wait … just who am I?

"You mean to tell me that you can't remember your own name?" Even though he was completely smothered in the panic created by his memory problem, Robin couldn't help but feel sympathetic for Chrom, for appeared to be just as baffled by this turn of events as Robin was.

"Hey, I've heard of this! It's called amnesia!" diagnosed the woman, or girl, as Robin now realized how young she appeared.

"It's called pegasus dung. Clearly, it's a bunch of lies craftily engineered by this individual with the intention of escaping some form of punishment," a tall, muscular man in blue armor gruffly asserted. Robin jumped in surprise, as he had noticed neither the man, nor his horse. While he could certainly understand how false his story must sound to them, there was nothing else he could say because he truly was a man without his past.

"But, it's the truth!" he protested, hoping to elicit some form of sympathy from the icy knight.

While his sincerity appeared to have no effect upon its intended target, Chrom appeared moved. "…What if it is true, Frederick? If we leave him here, alone and confused, he would almost certainly fall prey to bandits. What kind of Shepherds would be then?"

"Regardless milord, we ought to exercise some caution. Letting a wolf into our flock could have disastrous consequences."

"…Fair enough. We'll take him to Southtown and sort him out there."

Robin blinked a few times, for it appeared that his destiny had just been decided in a few moments without his input. Although he couldn't remember much of anything at this point, he was certain that he despised it when other people thought they had the right to make decisions for him and overrode his will, "Hold just a moment. Aren't I entitled to a say in this?"

Chrom glanced at him, amused at his irritation, "Peace, friend! I promise we will hear you out when we get back to town." He gestured for Robin to follow, and Robin saw no reason to question the kindness of these people, in spite of their misstep. As they began to walk, Robin experienced a warm sensation in his chest that took him a few minutes to name. However, once he identified that it was belonging, it only led to more questions. Apparently, I feel some emotional connection to these people. Why? Have I met these people before? When? Where? Why?! Argh! There are too many questions and not enough answers! He wanted to clutch his head to soothe the headache that his furious inquiry was generating, but he also didn't want to appear any more abnormal than he already did, at risk of agitating the clearly suspicious Frederick any further.

Robin quickly began to grow concerned as to his ultimate fate. While he certainly bore no ill will toward these people, it was quite impossible for them to know that. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if 'sort him out' meant 'put him in jail until he gives us the truth,' and if it did, he certainly wouldn't blame them for assuming the worst. However, he did also value his freedom, so he decided to take the direct approach, "What will happen when we get to this Southtown? Will I be your prisoner?"

"Hah! Nothing so drastic," chuckled Chrom. "We just need to establish you're no enemy to Ylisse. Once we do, you'll be free to go."

"Is that where we are? Ylisse? Just outside of Southtown?"

Frederick scoffed so loudly that Robin nearly mistook it for a cough, "You've never heard of the halidom? Ha! You're quite the actor, aren't you? You play quite the fool! The furrowed brow is quite convincing, though slightly exaggerated …"

Indignant, Robin opened his mouth to reply, but Chrom cut across him, "Frederick, please stop antagonizing him! If he isn't our foe, your comments may yet turn him against us."

He turned back to Robin, "Yes, this is the land known as the Halidom of Ylisse. Our monarch, Emmeryn, is known as the exalt. I suppose that proper introductions are in order as well … my name is Chrom, but you already knew that. The delicate one is my little sister, Lissa."

"I am NOT delicate! Please ignore my brother. He can be hopelessly dense sometimes. But you really are lucky that the Shepherds found you first! Brigands would have made quite the rude awakening."

Robin frowned, "You all are shepherds? As in, you tend sheep? In full armor and armed to the teeth?"

Chrom flashed him a grin, "It's more dangerous than you might think! Just ask Frederick the Wary over here," gesturing with his thumb toward his imposing ally.

Exasperated, Frederick rolled his eyes, "Gods forbid one of us maintains the proper amount of caution here. I have every desire to trust you stranger, but my title and station mandate otherwise."

Robin shook his head, convinced that he was missing something, but as no one offered any further explanations, he was content to let the matter rest for the time being. He felt as if he needed to offer something as they had all shared a bit about themselves, although some (such as a particular mounted knight) appeared to be pressured into it. Robin felt a sharp pain in his head that made his eyes water, but he replied, "It is good to meet you all. My name is Robin." It took him a few seconds to realize what he had just said, "Huh. Well, I suppose that's one mystery solved!" he proclaimed with a smile. Enthusiastic about his new discovery, he began to further probe his mind, but became quickly lost in the fog that he had begun to associate with his amnesia.

He was so frustrated with himself that he nearly missed Chrom's next question, "Robin? Is that foreign?"

Robin, pulled back into the conversation, was about to remind Chrom of his ignorance of the past when Lissa exclaimed, "Chrom! Look! The town!"

They all turned towards the direction they were walking, or in Frederick's case riding, towards, and immediately saw smoke. Chrom, Frederick, and Lissa all rushed to higher ground to get a better view, and Robin scrambled behind them. Upon seeing the town, Robin was horrified at the violence the town was experiencing. Many of the buildings were burning, and he could hear the villagers screaming for help. However, he was sickened to hear laughing, cheering, and jeering mixed in with the sounds of pain, fear, and anguish.

"Brigands!" Chrom cursed, and commanded, "Lissa, Frederick! On me!"

"What about Robin?" Frederick asked.

"Unless he's on fire as well, he can wait!"

Despite the gravity of the situation, Robin was shocked to see Frederick actually smirk, "Aptly put, milord."

Robin, overwhelmed by the new developments, asked, "Wait! What about me?"

Unfortunately, his new caretakers, for he wasn't sure whether they considered him a friend or not, ignored him, apparently deeming the villagers needs more important than sorting him out. As they rushed to aid the villagers through their plight, Robin stood and pondered his next move. If I run, I won't be guaranteed safety, but at least I'll know I'll be free to make my own choices. However, if I stay, neither safety nor freedom will be a certainty. It seems a simple decision, but I can't help but suspect that there's something at play here I don't understand. I wonder if my life was always this complicated …

Despite the seeming advantages to escaping these seeming authorities (as the one thing he was sure of was that these people weren't actual shepherds), Robin had an overwhelmingly strong instinct to stay. No matter how logical it seemed to leave, he felt a strong connection to Chrom, Lissa, and even Frederick. He felt as if he would be letting them and the villagers down if he left, and he couldn't bear for them to be in pain. Robin raced after them, driven by the strength coming from a protective feeling towards these Shepherds, one whose source still remained a mystery to him. As he ran, he felt a clanking at his side and felt a weight inside his coat. He glanced down to observe a bronze sword, concealed at his left side. Astonished, he reached into his coat, and pulled out a combat Thunder tome. However, he was given no time to ponder his motivations for fighting or the extent of his combat training, as he needed to locate his benefactors as soon as he could. During his search for them, he began to internally comment on the poor formations of the bandits. Their numbers are so scattered. A small group would easily be able to pick them off portions at a time before the others even realized what was happening. Before he knew it, he had developed a strategy to divide and overwhelm them with the resources he had on hand.

Out of breath, Robin skidded to a halt behind Chrom and the others just outside the main marketplace. Chest heaving, he panted, "Chrom! Wait!"

Chrom turned around, shocked, "Robin? What are you doing here?"

"I'm not sure myself. But I know my way around a fight and I have a plan to take down these bandits. … If you'll have me, of course." He gestured to his tome and his sword, hoping that the weapons would speak to his capability.

Chrom studied him up and down a few seconds before staring him right in the eyes. Robin felt quite uncomfortable with the direct attention, but tried to communicate his resolve. After what felt like an eternity, Chrom smiled and appeared satisfied, "Very well. Guide us if you wish."

Frederick started, and looked sharply at Chrom, "Milord –"

"Frederick, we don't have time for this right now! Robin says he can lead us to victory, and I trust him. I can see the respect and compassion he feels toward our citizens in his eyes, and I believe that he will do everything he can to save as many as he can. In any case every moment we waste arguing is another drop of Ylissian blood spilt, and I will not have any more of our brave citizens fall to these dastards! Robin, what will you have us do?"

Startled at Chrom's vehement defense of his character, Robin paused a few seconds before recollecting his thoughts and sharing his battle plan, "Alright. We're located in the southwest corner of the marketplace. Frederick, I want you to take out the bandits directly north of here. Chrom and I will team up to take out the ones directly east of here. At this point, they will most likely see one of our teams. The team that is attacked first should take a defensive stance while the other team sweeps in from behind and aid in the elimination of this third group. However, if this third group splits up, then we both need to remain in a defensive stance and be prepared to defeat the reinforcements. After that, we can regroup, cross the river, attack the leader together. Any questions?"

Frederick shot a glare at Robin and snidely inquired, "And when, exactly, do you plan on stabbing milord in the back?"

Chrom began to protest yet again, but Robin cut across him, "Frederick, I get that you don't trust me, and while you are completely correct in maintaining that assumption, you really don't have the time to argue with me or the plan right now. There are people dying out there, and they're depending on us to save them. You know as well as I do that this maximizes our presence, gives us the advantage of an initial ambush, and minimizes the risk to all of us. This way, we all have the highest likelihood of getting out safely while drawing their attention away from the villagers, thereby allowing them to escape further harm."

Robin immediately regret his outburst despite his attempt to moderate it with logic, as Frederick appeared to be debating whether to impale him with his spear, or take a sword and slash his throat. Thankfully, Lissa was upset with the plan for a very different reason and distracted Frederick from his contemplation with her question, "Hey! What about me? I'm not completely useless, you know! I'm a cleric!"

Robin, having already suspected this, responded, "In that case, go with Frederick. He'd be alone otherwise, and I'd feel better if someone were watching his back. Besides, we may need your assistance before attacking the leader, as he probably is the biggest, meanest, and smelliest of the bunch."

Lissa giggled, before cheering, "Okay! Let's go team!" She grabbed Frederick by the arm and attempted to drag him in the direction that Robin had indicated. Frederick walked away slowly in spite of the spirited girl pulling on him, intent on staring Robin down until they both disappeared from sight.

Chrom sighed, "Sorry about Frederick. He's a very loyal friend, but he can sometimes be a bit over-protective of Lissa and me. He's known us forever-"

Robin held up his hand and shook his head, "There's no problem, Chrom. Honestly, I'd probably be just as suspicious if I were in his shoes. My story doesn't sound remotely believable, even to me. I'm just glad you could tell that I was being sincere."

Chrom looked him in the eyes, and just smiled, "I could tell that you meant us no harm when we first met, but the expression on you face when you saw all the suffering and the path to its prevvention told me all I'll ever need to know about your past. You care about the innocents of the world, even if it's not your responsibility to take care of them. You are the kind of man to lend a hand to justice, despite any personal burdens you must shoulder. These traits run deeper than memories, Robin. They are a part of who we are that nothing can change, which is why I know I can trust you."

Robin looked surprised at Chrom's sincerity, unsure of how to respond to something so personal with someone he just met. Thankfully Chrom quickly shook his head, and a more lighthearted grin overtook his face, "Enough of this talk on philosophy. There is a battle to be won! For Ylisse!" And with that, Chrom charged into the fight.

Robin shook his head, and felt a grin slowly spreading its way across his face, "For Ylisse!" he cheered as his took his place beside Chrom for the battle.

As he was charging toward the first group of bandits, Robin thought, What in the gods' names is wrong with us? It really is bizarre how cheerful we are. We're about to charge into battle, with no idea of whether we'll survive or not, desperate to fight the suffering plaguing this land, and we're smiling as if there's nothing wrong; as if there's nothing we'd rather be doing. It may be a way to help deal with the sorrow and outrage, but I think there's nothing that either of us would rather be doing…

They quickly wandered upon the first group of bandits. Robin quickly drew his Thunder tome and then stopped in his tracks, wondering how on Earth he was going to use a book to kill people. Unfortunately, the bandits had already noticed them, and began to charge.

Chrom skidded to a halt, and drew his sword, "I meant to ask you this before, but what proficiency have you reached with your weapons?"

Robin frowned, and while continuing to fiddle with the tome, asked, "Huh?"

Chrom, now scowling, took a defensive position in front of Robin, "How advanced are you with magic? Or the sword?"

Flipping through the pages, Robin asked, "What do you mean?"

Chrom, clearly exasperated, glared at him, "Do you even know how to use your weapons?"

Now shaking the book, Robin responded, "I think so? Maybe there's a hint somewhere …"

The blood drained out of Chrom's face, as he screamed, "What?!"

Robin, completely focused on his task, said, "Hang on. I think I'm starting to get it now…"

Still shaking the book, he vaguely began to remember how tomes worked. He closed his eyes to shut out distractions, and try to penetrate that damned fog. Finally, he realized that magic could be drawn out of objects by those who could feel the energy inside those object, guide it through themselves, and direct it outward to a target, allowing the energy to take the form it was intended to. Although he was once again thrilled at starting to remember things from his past, he did remember that he was in the middle of a battle. He held up his hand in the direction of the brigands, began to feel the energy come from the book, concentrate in the form of a ball in his hand, and release it towards them. Because his eyes were still closed, Robin was unable to see Chrom dive for safety behind a nearby merchant's stall. But, he did hit his mark. The first man collapsed, and began convulsing as the electricity ran through him, leaving severe burns on his chest. Unfortunately, he did rise again and charge with the rest of his fellows. Robin quickly opened his eyes, and attempted to get off a few more shots of lightning before they arrived within ax range. He called out, "Chrom? Dammit Chrom, come on!"

Robin managed to injure one more before they arrived in ax range, and he injured another and killed one whilst dodging many furious ax swings before finally drawing his sword as they had begun to surround him. At this point, Chrom leapt out from behind the counter, and took a defensive stance to Robin's back, killing a bandit marked with Robin's handiwork on the way.

As they charged the duo, Robin yelled, "Where the hell did you go?"

Robin could feel Chrom dodging an ax stroke and deflecting another without looking at him, while yelling back, "You were messing around with that damned book, and these dastards were sprinting straight for us!"

He paused to cleave one of them from shoulder to hip before continuing, "You looked like a complete moron for a few seconds, and I was ready to defend you. I didn't even start running when both you and that book started giving off sparks which, by the way, sting like hell. I only dived for cover when you nearly KILLED me with your first lightning blast!"

Robin caught an ax edge on the flat of his sword, gritting his teeth as his strength was put to the test. During his struggle, he noticed a few more bandits joining in. He managed to shove the individual back, with Chrom covering his sides while he was engaged, and stabbed him through the chest before returning his concentration to the conversation, "I told you I was getting the hang of it! Of all the places you could have stood, why right in front of me?"

Chrom gave a few quick vertical chops to an enemy swordsman before knocking him off-balance with a hilt smash to the chest and cutting him in half. Robin stepped in to deflect an ax strike, and Chrom lunged in to stab him in the neck. He then rolled his eyes, "Because it didn't look like you were going to do much of anything! I thought I was going to have to defend you, but as it turned out, I was the one who needed defense from you! Frederick was right!"

Robin nimbly sidestepped a few of an enemy mage's fire spells before rushing in to deal a lethal blow to his neck, spun around, and shot a lethal blast of lighting at an enemy myrmidon trying to split them apart. While he and Chrom whirled around to deal with their final opponent, he shot an incredulous glance at Chrom, "From me? I told you I was just fine! You should have trusted me to take care of myself! Perhaps you should try to follow your self-proclaimed philosophies."

The poor brigand didn't stand a chance as Robin quickly electrocuted and stunned him while Chrom finished him off. He looked over at Chrom to see him grinning in amusement. He touched his touched his own face and found that he was smiling like a fool as well. "Look at us!" Chrom proclaimed. "We barely even know each other, and we're joking around like we're old friends!"

Robin just shook his head, "We really ought to head to the river and see how Lissa and Frederick are doing."

As they set off north to try to find Lissa and Frederick one more, Robin began to contemplate the bout that he had just completed fought. Chrom and I get along so well together. I feel so relaxed. It really is shocking that he barely knew me, yet he was still willing to trust me with his life. While I might criticize that decision, I did just do the same thing. Perhaps we aren't so different after all! But how the hell does this magic stuff work? And since when can I fight? Clearly I've been trained in both areas, but how much?

While these thoughts plagued Robin, he pushed away his uncertainties for later. Perhaps it was part of training from his previous life, but he was certain that distractions on the battlefield would get you killed. I'm far too curious to uncover my story to get myself killed just yet. Or perhaps I just want to see how my current story will end …

They found Frederick at the bridge finishing off a myrmidon with Lissa riding on his horse behind him. Lissa looked overjoyed to see her brother again, and an expression of measured surprise crossed Frederick's face before it became stoic once more.

"What took you guys so long?" Lissa inquired.

"Easy, little sister. Not all of us can be as tireless as Frederick the Wary."

"It seems you have quite the mechanical knight there," Robin commented.

"All I hear are excuses!" Lissa sung.

Despite himself, Robin replied, "And how much of this journey have you walked yourself?"

"I'm not sure I like your tone, mister!"

"Now all I'm hearing are poorly concealed attempts at distraction…"

Lissa smirked, and with her eyes twinkling with amusement, turned to Chrom, "We sure found a funny one, didn't we?"

Chrom busted out laughing, "She got you in one!"

Frederick cleared his throat, "Should we not complete our mission before beginning celebrations, milord?"

Chrom immediately stopped, properly chastised, "Right. Let's take out their leader, once and for all!"

Lissa and Robin cheered as they crossed the bridge and approached the leader. Robin quickly identified the weapon he was carrying as throwing axes and developed a plan, "Chrom, stay back and let him charge me. I'll defend myself with magic so that you, and Frederick if necessary, can finish him off!"

Before waiting to hear a response, Robin began to pull ahead. Just as he suspected, their leader attacked as soon as he caught sight of their group. He immediately threw an ax at Robin, who quickly dodged it and returned with a blast of lightning. The brigand jeered as he dove out of the way, and threw another one. This time, Robin felt a cold, sharp pain in his right shoulder as the ax managed to graze him. Gritting his teeth, he fired again, and this time his aim was true. The man began to convulse, but held onto his ax. However, he was unable to recover in time to meet Chrom's blade as it descended, permanently ending this particular threat.

Lissa rushed over, worry clouding her eyes, "Omigosh! Robin, are you okay?"

Robin grit his teeth, and replied, "Honestly, it's not so bad. I don't think it hit anything important. There's no need to use your staff on something so small."

Lissa frowned, and said, "Nonsense! It's foolish to leave any wound untreated because it could turn into something far worse. Now let me see!"

Robin acquiesced, and showed Lissa his injury. She gasped, "Robin! There was poison coating that blade! I need to heal this right away before the toxin spreads. Don't move!"

Robin attempted to protest, but he got smacked in the head with her staff, eliciting a smirk from Frederick and a loud guffaw from Chrom. Lissa growled, "Don't think I won't hit you too," and smacked Chrom in the head with the staff as well.

Rubbing his head, Chrom stage-whispered, "We should have warned you about her violent tendencies." He was unable to continue, as he was forced to dodge another one of her painful strikes.

"Just – let – me –deal –with –my – patient!" Lissa exclaimed, punctuating each world with another blow.

Laughing, Chrom held his hands up in surrender, "All right! All right! Just help Robin before he passes away. You said it was serious didn't you?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah! The poison!" Lissa immediately turned her attention back to Robin's wound, narrowed her eyes in concentration, and raised her staff. The green ball topping her staff lit up, and Robin felt the pain retreat immediately, replaced with the bizarre sensation of his skin and muscle knitting itself back together.

Examining his arm, Robin replied, "Thanks! Although I can't figure out whether you were serious or not about that poison …"

She just smirked and raised her eyebrow in return, "Maybe, I was, maybe I wasn't. You'll never know!"

Chuckling, Robin turned his attention back to the town. He saw that while the bandits were distracted with them, rather than fleeing to save their lives, the villagers had worked tirelessly to rescue their own and to put out the fires the brigands had started. He was so amazed at the support that the villagers gave to one another so freely, he didn't even notice one of the leaders walk up to their little group, "Milord! Milady! Thank you so much for your aid! If left to our own, there surely would have been much more death and destruction before those blasted brigands were finally satisfied."

Noticing the use of their title again, Robin frowned to himself, Perhaps they're lesser nobility somehow. They clearly have been trained in the art of war, but there's no way that high-ranking nobility would defend random villages when they can order someone else to do it.

Chrom shook his head, "There's no need to thank us. Just thank Naga that we were close enough to notice your plight. It is our duty and our honor to protect you after all!"

The villager looked astounded at these words, "Such kind words! Just being in your presence, the honor is all ours. For saving our town, we will surely throw you a feast! We may be of simple means, but the least we can to is provide you and your comrades with food and a bed for the night!"

Robin's frown deepened as new light was shed upon the question of who his mysterious benefactors were. They're being treated like high-ranking nobility, or even royalty! I know they just saved the town, but they're talking to him like he's the exalt! … Perhaps they're a high-ranking military unit? But why would they have siblings in the same unit? And the only one that seems capable of traditional military discipline and conduct so far seems to be Frederick. There's far to many questions! And clearly, I'm the type to get absorbed in a mystery … and to talk to myself in my head …

Chrom smiled, but declined again, "While I have no greater wish than to accept your hospitality, we have tarried to long already. While it may not be a long march to the capital, we must arrive there as soon as possible."

At this point, Lissa interrupted, "What? But Chrom, it'll be dark soon!"

Chrom grinned toothily at Lissa, "Then we'll just camp for the night. You know we have a date to keep!"

Lissa looked tempted to argue further, but as she didn't want to appear as immature before the village leader, she settled for an intimidating glare. Smiling slightly to himself at the antics of the siblings, the leader replied, "Very well, milord. However, if you find yourself in this vicinity once again with time on your hands, please visit, if it's not too impertinent a request. After all, we owe you a feast!"

Chrom looked touched by the offer, "Very well! If I find myself this way again with nowhere to go, I shall stop by! Farewell, friend!"

The village leader bowed to them before taking his leave and helping to organize rebuilding efforts. As Robin looked around more closely, there appeared to be a few injured villagers that were being treated by village healers already, but there thankfully appeared to be no deaths. Chrom appeared to arrive at the same conclusion, "Thank Naga we arrived here in such a timely fashion! It appeared they all knew how to deal with bandit raids, but typically a few are slaughtered randomly to maintain an element of fear. I believe we were able to prevent that and preserve most of their property. A successful mission, all things considered, don't you think?"

Robin was surprised by this deep tactical insight by Chrom, "You're smarter than you look, you know that?"

Fighting back a smile, Chrom raised an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Grinning shamelessly, Robin replied, "I'm just saying you seem like the type of man who charges in without thinking. I mean, using an amnesiac tactician you just met seems like a stupid move, but perhaps it was more calculated than that."

Smirking, Chrom began, "Maybe, I'm just- " but Lissa cut him off.

"He pegged you in one, didn't he?"

Chrom sighed so deeply that Robin knew that this wasn't the first time he received this same lecture.

A deep voice cut in, "It seems that you has regained knowledge of your sorcery, swordplay, and tactics. Perhaps you are capable of an explanation of how you came to be here as well?"

It was Robin's turn to sigh, "Frederick, it seems that I am capable of recalling specific skill-based knowledge, but history, theory, and other things that are considered common knowledge to most people are the things that are obscured the most. I'm afraid this includes my own past. I still have no idea where I come from, nor do I know why I am here."

Chrom suddenly snapped his fingers, as if struck by a great idea, "Than accompany us to the capital, Robin! Perhaps we will find something for you there."

"I would love to! Perhaps I can offer my services to your exalt and begin a new life there while I attempt to recall my previous one."

His comrades' reactions to this proclamation were varied and strange. Lissa cheered silently and clapped her hands, and while Robin supposed it was nice of her to do so, he was curious as to why she reacted with such vigor. Frederick opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead made a noise of irritation in his throat. No surprise there. If he thinks I'm a traitor, that's the last place he would want me to be. But the reaction that surprised him the most was Chrom. He could see that Chrom was happy for him, but he also had an expression that Robin could only describe as the feeling of accomplishment one has wen successfully maneuvering an opponent into a trap. Bewildered, he simply asked, "What? What did I say?" However, he didn't receive any answer beyond an attempt by all of them to 'act normal.'

Rolling his eyes in impatience, he said, "Alright. Don't tell me. But we should start heading out."