Hiiiii! I'm back and with a very long chapter, so enjoy! I never expected it to be this long. Anyway, thank you to SuperPanda9000, Guest, and Gunlord500 for reviewing last chapter! And thanks to those who Favorited and Alerted this story! I'm happy that people are really liking this story. :D

DISCLAIMER: I don't Fire Emblem Awakening!


Chapter 2: How A Simple Change Surprises Many

If one asked me, "Who was Emmeryn to you?" Then, my answer would be a simple one. She was a sister to me. A sister that loved her siblings dearly. She would make sure that she would spend time with us all equally. I don't really get to see her much, but she always manages to get me involved with some odd things. For her to call me to her office was a little unnerving, but it was a chance to see her.

Three loud knocks echoed through the hall as I stood in front of Emm's office. Before Chrom left, he told me that his sister was waiting for me. For what, I didn't know. While I was on my way to her office, I was debating whether or not I should tell her about the mark. It appeared so suddenly, that I didn't know what to do. If it becomes troublesome, I would have to end up telling her. Nothing could stay hidden for long with her. I decided to tell her.

"Emm?" I called out as I shrugged my mother's coat on. With the long sleeves, I could cover the mark until I was ready. It was thick and didn't really fit me (it was actually a bit loose), but I couldn't get the heart to go and get a more fitting coat. Emm suggested getting the coat tailored to fit me, but I assured her that I would grow into it one day…three years ago, Sadly, I still hadn't grown into it. "Are you in there?"

"Come in!" came Emm's muffled voice. I opened the door without wasting another second and entered her office.

"So, what do you—"I was suddenly cut off by Emmeryn's gasp. I looked at her and tilted my head at her shock expression. She stood there rigidly and the documents in her hands slipped to the floor, flying anywhere. I reacted quickly and hurried over to the scattered papers and began picking them up. "Hey, Emm, you don't just drop things at the sight of me! Oh, Naga! Now everything's a mess."

I gathered all the papers, stood back up and handed them to her. She didn't move to take them as she kept staring. More specifically, my hair. I tilted my head once again and leaned in a little closer. I gazed into her shocked eyes, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Um….Emm? Emmeryn? Are you there?" I asked as I waved a hand over her face. "Heeeelllloooooooo?"

She finally blinked and reached for the pape—Her hands ignored the papers and went straight for my hair, gently brushing it. "Y-your hair!"

I gave her a questioning look. "My hair? What about my hair?"

She pulled away and headed to her desk. She opened the top drawer, pulled out a framed mirror and handed it to me. "I think you should see for yourself."

I raised an eyebrow and placed the papers on her desk and took the mirror. "See what?"

I looked at the mirror and saw my reflection. I was expecting to just see me with my normal green eyes, pale skin, and ridiculously white hair, but when I actually looked, I gaped. My eyes were still the same green eyes, and pale skin, but I seemed a little sicker than before. I blame my new hair color. All the white that I was somewhat proud of was gone. Not even a single trace. My hair was an odd, chestnut brown that made me look like I was someone else. I looked up at Emm with shock in my eyes.

"Exactly how did this happen?!" I asked as I pointed to my hair. Emm shook her head, just as confused as I was.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Emm said, shaking her head. "Did you see Chrom before he left?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I did, but Chrom or even Frederick said nothing about it!"

I gave her the mirror back and ran both of my hands through my hair. There was no difference in texture; it was still soft and silky (which actually bothers me since I was a guy). I guess I was lucky to only have my hair color change. First, that dead creepy mark on my hand, and now my hair?! Nothing like this ever happened to me before in all the years in my life!

…Well, I hoped so.

"But, you're not feeling ill, are you?" Emm asked me as she placed her hands on my shoulders. I could see that she was really worried. After all, hair color changing suddenly isn't much of a good thing, was it?

"I'm fine, Emm." I assured her. She didn't seem convinced but she released my shoulders. I bit the back of my lip and remembered the pain that flashed through my hand. I pulled the sleeve of my right arm lower to completely hide my hand. Suddenly, I didn't want Emm to see the mark, nor did I want to tell her. What if she gets scared and locks me in this castle forever? I didn't want to be stuck here. Maybe she would get worried, and stick me with Chrom and Lissa (which was highly unlikely with all the battles Chrom and his group of Shepherds get into). I placed a hand on my hip and gestured with my hand, a smile on my face. "Maybe it just means I'm growing up!"

A smile appeared on Emm's face as she shook her head in amusement with a light laugh. "Ahaha, Robin, I can't help but doubt that horribly." she said. I felt my eye twitch at her statement. True, I may not seem like eighteen-year-old, but I certainly act my age!

Okay, so, I wasn't that mature, but I know how to stay out of trouble. I know I was born a Plegian, but I was also raised as an Ylissian. Emm, Chrom, Frederick, and even Lissa had taken it upon themselves to teach me Ylisse's history and such. Well, Emm was the one who taught me magic and the right ways to act in a castle. I never really listened to her when it actually came to royalty things. I mean, I wasn't a prince like Chrom…or at least I hoped I wasn't.

"So, what did you want me for, Emm? Another lesson? Or is it just another day for me to accompany you to some weird, boring meeting?" I asked Emm. She smiled as she shook her head.

"Actually, I was going to ask you how that new medicine that the physician gave you last week was working. I was about to ask you yesterday, but you were focused in your studies." she said. Ah. That crap. Throughout my eight years of living in the royal castle, I have been through….about ten or more of those "physicians" to help me stay alive. Some actually helped me, some made me worse, and some just…made me wonder if they're actually trying. Well, I could understand that. No one would want to help a Plegian. I made a face and crossed my arms with a look of disgust.

"Ugh, that thing? I hate to admit it, but it actually helps. Sometimes it makes me drowsy. Did you know it tastes like Chrom's failed cooking attempts?" I asked her. I definitely didn't lie about that. Chrom didn't know how to cook at all. I was there in the kitchen when he made a deadly poison. According to him it was called it "cooking", but I swear that food wasn't meant to be purple….well, not that I was saying that I was any better. Somehow, I end up burning water. I know one would think, "how do you burn water?" But trust me, I have no idea how I burned water. She rolled her eyes in amusement as she shook her head slightly.

"Did you remember to take it this morning?" she asked. I pressed my lips together and gave her a shrug.

"Well….not yet, but I will take it immediately after I leave your office." I added quickly when I saw her frown. "I swear!"

"You really dislike this, don't you?" she asked with an apologetic smile. I just shrugged.

"Well, yeah, I do…but…It's helping me live, and I don't want to leave without having the chance of being Chrom's tactician. I mean, it's the only way I could repay him." I said. Emm sighed as she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. I couldn't help but relax in her embrace.

"Robin, you don't have to repay Chrom. He's perfectly satisfied with having you as a little brother." she said as she combed my now brown hair with a hand. I huffed a sigh and gave her a side glance.

"But, Emm, I can't just sit around and do nothing." I said as I gently pushed her away. She had a worried frown on her face as she looked down. I looked up at her with as much determination as I could manage. "I will not be weak."

Emm stared at me for a moment before patting my shoulders with a sigh. "Well then, I shouldn't be holding you back now, should I?"

I blinked at her response. I was expecting her to say no and tell me to focus on getting better, like she had always been doing, not…encouraging me. But, nevertheless, I felt a smile spread on my face and wrapped my arms around her in joy. She didn't say anything else, but I just knew she was smiling as she hugged me back.

I couldn't help it as the words I have never stopped telling her for eight years rushed out, "Thank you. Thank you, Emmeryn. Thank you, sister."

._._._._._.

She just knew she was being stupid, but she didn't have much of a choice. The man before her had taken the thing she held most dear to her heart, and she was sure as heck to make this man pay for hurting *****! She gripped her silver sword tighter and held it ready. At the edge of her sight, she could see her white-haired ******* leaning against a pillar near the Dragon's Table, unconscious and most likely plagued by a high fever. She gritted her teeth. If she can finish this battle quickly, she can drag Chrom and ***** out of here in time!

She took a step back as Chrom dashed past her with a battle cry. She brandished her own sword and charged in just as Chrom slashed at their enemy, his attacks blocked with laces of electricity. She swung her sword horizontally across the unguarded back of her enemy. But her enemy was quick to leap into the air.

"Ravina! Above!" Chrom exclaimed. She snapped her head up and quickly leapt back as a ball of purple energy crashed into the ground.

"Chrom!" she cried when she lost sight of her companion. The smoke cleared quickly and she saw Chrom shaking his head to recollect himself. She took a step in his direction but halted when her friend was shoved into a pillar by a bundle of purple lightning. Flustered, she gripped her sword and dashed at her enemy, who was forming another spell. She leapt into the air and angled her body to struck down ward as hard as she could, efficiently stopping the spell and forcing the enemy back.

"I'm not going to let you hurt Chrom, too!" she declared as she pointed her sword at the enemy's chest. The man glared hatefully at her and growled slightly as he prepared for his next attack. Chrom appeared at her side and held his sword at the ready.

"Let's end this. For ***** and our futures!" he said, glaring at their enemy. Ravina nodded and raised her sword with both her hands on the handle. Her left foot slowly pulled back and her sword came near her face, its tip pointing at their enemy's neck.

"Yes, I will never let fate take ***** from me again! I will make us free!" she declared. With a cry of determination, Ravina dashed forward, pushing off with her left and took a fast swipe at her enemy. Chrom was close behind with his sword trailing behind him, scratching the floor and flying into the enemy's side. They didn't dare to let up their attacks, even when their enemy blocked most of them with his cursed lightning. Ravina was holding back, waiting for the right moment to strike his weak point.

"You can never change your fate! Grima will be revived!" their enemy said with an angry tone. It didn't discourage either of them (more like enraged them further) as Chrom let out a frustrated roar and knocked the tome out of their enemy's hands. Ravina quickly took the opportunity to run him through, a little close to his heart for comfort (well, to her satisfaction). She stayed there for a good moment to let her enemy take in the pain. Blood splattered on her favorite coat and she mentally reminded herself to wash it the moment they got the time to actually take a breather.

"*****," she began with a hash tone, "***** and I will never be the pawns of this so-called fate. We could've been a family, but you were so blinded. Tell your dragon that he could rot for another thousand years. I don't give a crap about this mess and leave ***** out of this."

She took a step back and kicked her enemy off her sword; dark smoked billowed out of the wound. She tore her eyes away from the scene and saw Chrom applying pressure on a cut on his arm. Ravina hurried over.

"Chrom! Are you alright?" she asked as she sheathed her sword and looked at his bloody hand. Chrom gave her a smile.

"Yeah, just a scratch. What about—" he began, but cut himself off when he looked at the dying man. "Brutal as always, huh, Ravina?"

She held back a small laugh. "Brutal? He deserved worse."

Chrom straightened up and began to head to their unconscious friend.

"THIS ISN'T OVER!" a voice screamed. Ravina snapped her head in the direction of her enemy and leapt into action when she realized what he was about to do. She barreled herself into Chrom and shoved him aside, getting the full impact of the spell. Thousands of shocks ran through her body as she let out a blood-curling scream.

"Ravina!" Chrom shouted as he recovered from his stumble. He rushed to her side and helped her up. "Are you alright? Don't worry, thanks to you we don't have to worry about him."

Unknowingly to the two of them, ***** woke up. He didn't miss the moment his ****** took the blow instead of Chrom. He quickly gathered himself and forced himself to get up, ignoring the head-splitting headache. His ****** was injured and he wasn't going to sit around and watch. He stumbled over to them, desperate to reach their side.

But, even though Chrom was calling out to Ravina, she could barely register his words. Her vision blurred and her hand began to move on its own to the small dagger she always had on her. As quick as lightning, her hand moved.

"Snap ou—Gyuk!" Chrom was unable to finish his sentence as his eyes widened in shock at the pain that erupted in his side. He slowly looked down to see the dagger buried deep into his side; Ravina's hand still tightly griped around the hilt. She stared at her hand in shock and jerkily removed her hand from the handle. She looked into Chrom's eyes. She could clearly see shock and disbelief, but it melted into forgiveness. Chrom had forgiven her.

"Chrom, no… no! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Words of apology spilled from her lips as she stumbled away from Chrom, away from his arms. He forced a smile.

"I-It's not your…your fault. And it will ne-ver be your fault. Please—" he took a shuddering breath. "Promise me you'll get out. Take ***** and go."

Ravina watched in horror as Chrom crumbled to the floor and his blood stained the red carpet, tuning it a darker shade of red. She gasped when she saw a man with soft, snowy white hair frozen in his place. His bright green colored eyes were wide in shock with his right hand stretched forward. His purple overcoat was swaying to a stop, telling Ravina that he just arrived. His thin frame was shaking slightly, and she couldn't tell if it was from shock of everything happening before him or the strain from his frail body. He suddenly dropped to his knees beside Chrom and reached over with a trembling hand. When he came close, his hand hesitated before fully pulling away. He stared up at her, absolution clear in his eyes. His voice was a small, broken whisper as he repeated Chrom's words.

"It's not your fault."

She began to back away from him, shaking her head in horror and refusal as a loud echoing laughter haunted her, blaring loudly in her head. It was all her fault. Overwhelming guilt washed over her and she regretted everything she had done.

"It's all your fault." snarled a voice.

She full heartedly agreed.

~In That Field~

"Is she alive?" Chrom asked as he leaned over an unconscious brown haired woman. She was wearing a purple coat lined with an awfully familiar pattern that seemed to fit her quite nicely. Her skin was fair and her sleeping face reminded him of a certain tactician. Lissa came over the woman's other side and leaned over her, too.

"We have to do something!" she said with a slight tone of worry. She took a look at the woman and a slightly confused look. "…Hey, Chrom, doesn't she look like Robin? She even has the same coat, too."

Chrom hummed in agreement as a picture of Robin napping on the windowsill in the castle library a couple weeks back. The woman was slept just like him: her mouth was slightly open and her eyes were scrunched slightly together with a peaceful look on her face. When he took a closer look at the coat, he could tell that the pattern's coat was a slightly different purple. It was redder than Robin's. "I thought the same."

Lissa glanced at her brother, "Do you think they could be related or something?"

Chrom considered the suggestion for a moment as Frederick approached the two and looked over the unconscious woman. "Well, she certainly doesn't have the same white hair as our dear friend."

Chrom frowned when he could see this woman and Robin being related, but Robin didn't really mention anything about having a sister. And, by the looks of things, she should be about the same age as Robin... Although, Chrom remembered quite vaguely about meeting someone who was overprotective over Robin before Robin came to live with him…The only problem with that was that it was extremely vague that it could easily be written off as his mind playing tricks on him. "True, her hair is really brown. Nothing close to Robin..."

A small groan caught their attention.

"She's waking up!" Lissa said. The three watched as she slowly opened her eyes and blinked at the sunlight.

"W-wha?" she began, her voice filled with confusion as she raised a hand over her eyes. She stared up at Chrom and Lissa with slight surprise. Lissa was quick to give her a smile.

"Hey! You're awake! You kind of had me worried there." she said. The woman blinked at her in surprise.

"I'm sorry?" she apologized without really understanding what was going on. Chrom couldn't help but think that her voice was almost like Robin's, just…more on the girly, confident side… Robin would've sent him a death glare if he actually said that in front of him. He shook his head and offered his hand with a smile.

"Don't apologize. Here, take my hand. It won't do you any good to sleep in the middle of a field." he said. She glanced at his hand with slight confusion. She felt like she had seen him before, but she couldn't seem to recall very well. She bit her lip, deciding to set it to the side, and took his hand with her right. She blinked at the strange three-eyed purple mark on her hand, but it slipped her mind when Chrom helped her up with ease. As soon as she was on her feet, she dusted herself off out of pure habit and nodded thankfully at Chrom, who couldn't help but notice that she was slightly taller than Robin. Slightly.

"Thank you, Chrom." She said. Everyone looked at her in surprise. If Chrom remembered correctly, no one actually said his name since the moment they found this woman.

"You know who I am?" he asked her. Surprise lit up her green eyes as she brought a hand to brush her hair aside.

"What? Ah, n-no… I don't know… It just…sort of came to me." came her reply. She frowned and scratched her head in confusion. "Or…did it? Oh, Naga! What is with me today…?"

Chrom raised an eyebrow slightly as the woman glared at the grass. He decided a different approach. "Tell me, what's your name? What are you doing out here in the middle of a field?"

The woman grimaced as she struggled to remember her name. "Name? I-it's…Oh my…. What was it again? I know it started with a—Ah….oh, darn. What was it? I know it's on the tip of my tongue…"

"…You can't remember your very own name?" Chrom asked as he furrowed his brows in caution. What kind of person forgets the name they've been called all their lives? She smiled apologetically.

"It seems so. I swear I had it! It's just so hard to remember…Wait a minute! Where am I? What is going on?!" she panicked as she spun on her heel with a hand on her hilt. Lissa's eyes widened when she was struck with realization.

"Oh! Chrom, I think I know what's wrong with her! I think she has amnesia!" she said with a confirming nod. Frederick took a step toward her, clearly suspicious about the woman.

"I think she's playing a trick on us." he said rather bluntly. "You know milord's name but not your own?"

She blinked, reminding Chrom of Robin when he was surprised, and tilted her head.

"B-b-but It's true!" she said, desperate to defend herself. Chrom shared a look with Lissa. His sister's lips moved as she pointed to the woman.

"Just like Robin!" she mouthed. Chrom pressed his lips together. It was true; Robin did act like a clueless idiot, but he only did so when he really had no idea what in Naga's name was happening. What made this woman pretty interesting (or awfully suspicious in Frederick's opinion) was that she mirrored Robin perfectly. Well, other than the fact that there was a sword strapped to her side and there was no sign of a tome in sight.

Chrom gave Frederick a look. "But, Frederick, what if it IS true? We can't leave her here. Imagine the look that Robin would give us if he learns that we abandoned an amnesiac woman! He'd hit us both with his favorite wind tome!"

Frederick had a look of dread cross his face as the thought had flashed his mind. He clearly remembered the day when Robin threw his wind tome across the room and smacked him square in the face. For a frail teenager, he could throw pretty hard.

"If we don't help her, then that wouldn't make us Shepherds, now would it?" Chrom asked. Frederick gave him a grim expression.

"We would be the same, milord. I emphasize caution. 'Twould not do to let a wolf into our flock." he said. Chrom shrugged and came to a decision.

"Alright then—we shall take her back to town and figure out what to do from there. " he announced. The woman's eyes widened as her foot stepped out of place. It took her a second before she recovered from her shock and furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Wait, wait, wait! You guys are just going to take me back into town without so much as asking me if I want to come along? It's like you guys control me or something!" she said, horrified that she was about to be taken to some place she didn't know…But then again, she couldn't seem to remember anything, so why was she complaining?

"Peace, my friend. We'll hear you out when we get to town, alright? Now, let's go."

The woman pressed her lips together, but decided that there wasn't much that she could do except follow them. So, she did without another complaint.

._._._._._.

"Okay, seriously, I'm a prisoner or something? Because that's how I feel right now." The woman said as she stopped in the middle of the dirt road. Chrom stopped in mid step as he turned to face her, Lissa following his example. Frederick stopped short behind them as he guarded the back of the group.

"Don't worry, you'll be free to go once we establish that you are no enemy of Ylisse." Chrom said with a reassuring smile. The woman's eyes widened slightly.

"Ylisse?" she asked. "Is that where we are?"

"You never heard of this halidom?" Frederick asked, his voice full of suspiciousness. "Ha! Quite to good actor I must say! For a fool."

"Frederick, please…" Chrom said with a sigh. He turned to the woman with an apologetic smile. "Well, this land is known as the Halidom of Ylisse. Our ruler is Emmeryn, who is called our Exalt. And…I suppose we should introduce ourselves." He held a hand toward himself. "My name is Chrom—then again, you knew that."

He gestured to Lissa, "This delicate flower is my little sister, Lissa."

Lissa glared at her brother and placed her hands at her hips.

"I am NOT delicate! I can handle things as well as Robin!" she said. The woman's eyes blinked at Robin's name. For some odd reason, the name seemed to have rung a bell, but she couldn't understand why. Lissa turned to face the woman with a polite smile. "Please, ignore my brother. He tends to be quite thick. But, you're pretty lucky we found you! Waking up to the Brigands would've been horrible."

The woman tilted her head as she stared at Chrom. "You're called the Shepherds, right? I wonder, do you really tend to sheep? I'm sure that if I was one of those poor sheep, I would be scared of people in full armor…."

Chrom shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. "It's pretty dangerous. Just ask Frederick the Wary here."

The woman turned to face Frederick with a confused look. "Frederick the Wary? That's a weird title…"

"A title I wear with pride. Only the Gods know what would happen if one of us isn't cautious." he said as his eyes narrowed. "I would trust you, but your actions have been too suspicious to do so."

The woman gave him a polite nod of understanding. "I see. If I were you, I would've done the same. My name is Ravina." she paused for a moment as she blinked in surprise. "…Strange. I can't believe it took me this long to remember my name. I suppose that's one thing about me solved…"

"Ravina? How odd… I can't help but feel like I have met you before." Chrom said with a confused frown. "Have we met?"

Ravina shrugged with a hopeless smile on her face. "Well, forgive me, but I don't think we have. Maybe, or maybe not."

"Are you sure? Because I'm certainly sure that I—" Chrom was unable to finish his sentence when Lissa gasped in surprise and pointed ahead of them.

"Chrom! The town! I-it's ablaze!" she cried. Everyone turned to look at the town ahead. And to their horror, Lissa's words rang true. Smoke was billowing toward the sky in several places of the town. Ravina could faintly see the red-orange flames from the distance.

"Damn it! The cursed brigands must be the cause of this!" Chrom cursed. He placed a hand at his blade and turned to the others. "Frederick! Lissa! Quickly!"

"But what about her?" Frederick asked, giving Ravina a distrustful look. Chrom glanced at her and shook his head.

"Unless she's burning too, it'll have to wait!" Chrom said. Frederick frowned.

"Aptly said, milord."

"Come on! We're wasting time!" Lissa said, her arms waving with urgency. Without another word, the three of them took off, leaving a very confused Ravina. She stood there for a moment.

"Did I just get ditched?" she asked out loud without thinking. She looked down and took note of the sword strapped to her side. She slowly unsheathed it and tested the weight in her hands. It was light and pretty sharp. Ravina gripped the handle and did a quick horizontal slash. The blade sliced through the air, giving a high-pitched ring. She paused for a moment before testing a couple more swings. A smile grew on her lips as she straightened up, clearly impressed with her own skill.

"Hmm… I guess I'm not hopeless." She said. With a shrug of carelessness, she took off after the Shepherds who ditched her. She didn't know why she followed them, but she had a feeling that she just had to go.

~Time Skip! A few days later…~

I waited at the main gates of the Castle to wait for Emm's return. She had gone out to go and take a stroll out in the city of Ylisse. I had offered to go, but she told me that it was better for me to stay. I couldn't blame her. After all, the tensions between Ylisse and Plegia have been on dangerous levels lately. Many of the council members believe that war would break out any second soon. Honestly, it kind of scared me. War between the two countries wouldn't do both sides any good. Since I was a Plegian living in the Royal Castle of all places, I will be the one with the highest risk. But, then again, if anyone tries anything against me, they would have to deal with a very pissed off Chrom (not a pretty picture).

With a sigh, I turned away from the gate and decided to stop by the Shepherds' garrison with the rest of the Shepherds. I was pretty sure it's been about a full month since the last time I have seen any of them. The moment I walked in, I was greeted by a happy (but mostly relieved) shout.

"Robin! What happened to your hair—Wah!" The Pegasus knight in training tripped over her boots and face planted the ground a good foot before me. I sighed and squatted down to the ground with a smile as she sheepishly looked up at me. "H-Hi?"

"Sumia, I think you need to change those boots." I said, holding out a hand to help her up. Sumia was a Pegasus Knight in training, and she was pretty clumsy. I know she's been trying her hardest to prove that she can do it, but sometimes, I was more worried about her nervousness. Then again, if her clumsiness could get her this far, then I couldn't help but feel like she would be fine. Sumia laughed nervously as she took my hand and I helped her up.

"What in the world? Is that really you, Robin? What happened to that unruly mess of white hair you had?" asked a blonde haired girl with a parasol. Maribelle. She was one of the very few nobles who actually cared about me even though I was a Plegian. Strangely, even her father was pretty kind to me, too. Although she sometimes sounds like she doesn't like me, she was nice…in her own little way. She had a hand on her hip as she greeted me with a smile. "Did someone play a prank on you?"

I was about to answer her when a sudden loud, booming voice interrupted me.

"Hey! Who's this?! A newcomer?" I looked over to the bare chested idiot, Vaike, with a forced smile. Well, he wasn't an idiot. It was more along the lines of being a hard headed person who speaks in third person. Plus, he thinks that he's everyone's teacher. Maybe he was. He was probably the perfect example of what not to do.

"No, I'm not a newcomer, Vaike. I'm Robin. Am I really not that recognizable?" I asked as I turned back to Mirabelle. "Sorry, I haven't been around. I was stuck there with Emm. As for my hair, let's just say I'm growing up."

"Growing up?" Sumia asked. I shrugged and smiled hopelessly.

"Well, I couldn't see any other explanation." I said. "Setting that aside, how have you guys been fairing? With Chrom not here, I'm guessing there isn't much to do."

Maribelle dramatically sighed and placed a hand on her forehead. "Oh, my! I am honestly tired from waiting for Lissa to come back. When do you think they'll be back?"

Sumia allowed a small sigh and a small shrug of her shoulders. "I'm not sure. It is taking them a little longer than usual…"

Vaike appeared next to me and patted my shoulder (more like knocked me off balance) with a happy smile. "Well, at least we know you haven't holed yourself up in the castle again! Ready for some lessons from the Teach?"

I rolled my eyes and took a huge step to the side to keep a distance from the large man. "Anyway! Where's Stahl and Sully? I haven't seen them around the castle lately. Normally, I would've ran into them by now."

Sumia gave a confused frown. "Stahl and Sully? I do recall seeing Stahl in the back. And I think Sully left to go somewhere a while ago… Here, let me go and check!"

I watched her spin on her heel and hurried out of the room. Turning to Maribelle, I asked her, "I've been wondering…does Sumia like Chrom or something?"

She gave me one look and began to laugh. "By the way she trips every time she's near him, it's hard to believe that she doesn't like him!"

I was about to answer until I heard two sets of footsteps behind me. I turned to see a very happy (and most likely excited) Lissa leading a young woman with hair as brown as mine and strikingly familiar green eyes. I was about to greet them, but Lissa caught sight of me first and gasped in shock.

"Robin! What happened to your hair?!" she exclaimed as she ran up to me. I opened my arms and caught her as she barreled into me. I struggled to keep my balance and Vaike was quick to catch me.

"Whoa! Can't have the Teach letting his student fall over!" he said happily. I decided to ignore him and focused on Lissa, who was staring up at me with wide eyes.

"Did a spell back fire on you, Robin?" she asked. I couldn't help but laugh at her question. I shook my head.

"Hahaha! What a ridiculous idea, Lissa! When did you return?" I asked her with a smile. She released me and took a couple steps back to give me some space.

"We just arrived here! But, Chrom and Frederick are in a meeting with the council." Lissa said with a small pout. I tilted my head slightly and hummed, glancing at the newcomer.

"Hmm…I see. Something must've happened during your trip then." I said, patting her head. I gestured to the woman behind her. "So, who's this?"

Lissa looked back and took my hand and pulled me toward the woman. "Here, Robin, this is Ravina! We ran into her on a field just recently—"

I cut her off, "Wait, ran into her?"

Lissa gave me a quick glance. We found her on the field. She has amnesia." she said, giving me a quick explanation. I blinked. This girl had amnesia? Lissa continued her quick introduction as she gestured to me. "Ravina, this is Robin! He's the one Chrom wanted you to meet!"

Lissa released my hand and ran off to talk to Maribelle, and I'll just say that Maribelle was quite delighted to see her again. Vaike was asking her where Chrom was. I didn't hear her answer as I looked at the woman before me. She scratched the back of her head and bowed her head slightly. I stared at the newest recruit to the Shepherds in surprise. Her hair was a lovely brown and vaguely reminded me of someone I knew. But, what shocked me most was the fact that her coat was practically the same thing as my own coat. She nervously offered me a smile and introduced herself.

"Uhm, hi! I'm Ravina. I'm new here, but I hope you'll treat me well!" she said with a nostalgic smile. Oh, Naga. I found the mystery woman. Great. Now what?

"Pleasure to meet you, Ravina, I'm, as you already know from Lissa's impromptu introduction, Robin." I said, bowing my head slightly to be polite. She smiled at me.

"So, you must be Prince Robin?" she asked. Wait, what?! Prince? I gave her twitching smile.

"Prince? Me? Oh, no. You've got it all wrong." I said. She blinked.

"You're not? But Chrom and Lissa were talking about you as if you were their brother. Was I wrong?" she asked me. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"Yup. I'm no Prince. I just grew up with Chrom for quite a while. But, I'm just a commoner living in the castle." I explained. She hummed in understanding.

"That makes sense." she said. I gave her a curious look.

"So," I began, "why'd you join the Shepherds?"

"Eh?" Ravina looked down and up again. "Oh, Chrom had decided that it would be best for me to join as a swordswoman and to be one of the new tacticians."

I was about to ask her what she meant by "one of the new tacticians", but someone just had to interrupt me, apparently done with their conversation.

"Hey! Aren't you going to introduce us too?" came Maribelle's voice.

"Oh, right! Sorry…" I turned to Ravina and held my hand to her. "Allow me to welcome you first to the Shepherds' garrison."

She looked hesitantly at my hand before she took it. I smiled and lead her to the others. Sumia had returned from her little trip and I knew by the look on her face that Stahl and Sully were not here. They must've had something to do. I gestured to the others. "Everyone, this is Ravina. She just recently joined the Shepherds as a tactician."

"Yeah! You'll be surprised how similar Ravina and Robin are at this!" Lissa added. I blinked at her words and gave her a confused look. What did she mean? Ravina was similar to me? In what? Strategizing? I can't say much about that because I was never in a real battle. Well…ish.

Ravina gave them a smile. "Please take care of me."

Vaike laughed. "Oh yeah? Can she do this?"

He belched quite loudly and Maribelle's face scrunched up into a disgusted frown. I pressed my lips together to prevent myself from laughing at her expression. I looked over to Ravina. She had a twitching smile and I just knew she was just as disturbed.

"Well… I suppose I have much to learn in the arts of belching, 'Teach'." she said. She turned away from him and faced everyone. "Setting that aside! It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

"Ugh! Vaike! How many times must I remind you it's abhorrent! Enough of your buffoonery!" Maribelle snapped. I coughed into my fist to stop my urge to laugh out loud. Maribelle wasn't done. "And you, Ravina! Don't encourage him! I had hoped you were cut from finer cloth. Hmph!"

We all watched Maribelle stomp out of the room, muttering to herself about something. I'd guess it would be about Vaike and his normal behavior. Sumia turned to Ravina and gave her a smile.

"Please, don't take it to heart, Ravina. Maribelle takes a while to warm up to others." she said. Lissa spun on her heel to face her with a grin on her face.

"Or burns too quickly! Haha! But, don't worry, she'll warm up to you soon." she assured Ravina. I finally shook my head and let out a small laugh. Sumia suddenly perched up.

"Ah! Captian! Welcome back! I was—I mean, we—" she began, but as she took a step, she tripped again. I turned to look and saw Chrom coming up to us. Sumia was quick to stand up and straighten herself. Chrom sweat dropped.

"Sumia! Are you alright?" he asked her out of concern. He glanced at her boots and sighed. "…those boots again?"

"No! I mean, yes! I mean—oh, my…" she sighed as she gave up answering Chrom solidly. Chrom just shook his head and addressed the rest of us. "All right, everyone, listen: we'll be marching to Regna Ferox in the morning."

I blinked and tilted my head as Ravina asked him a question.

"Regna Ferox?"

I cleared my throat and answered her. "Regna Ferox is a unified kingdom to the north of Ylisse. The barbarians live there…well, according to the books."

"They are warriors, and we'll need their strength to face this new threat." Chrom confirmed, giving me a nod. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as he continued on without mentioning anything about me. "Usually, the exalt would request aid personally, but given the recent activity around Ylisse… Well, the people will begin to worry if my sister suddenly left the capital."

"So, Emm is sending the Shepherds to go in her place then." I said. He nodded.

"Precisely—" Chrom suddenly gasped when he FINALLY recognized me. "By the Gods! Robin?!" His eyes were wide with disbelief as he walked right up to me. I grinned and took a step back. Oh, believe me. I was quite delighted to see Chrom again, but I just had a strange feeling.

"Took you long enough. Does this prove that you're as thick as ever?" I asked. Unfortunately, he completely ignored me and grabbed my shoulders while staring at my hair.

"Gods, Robin! Did a spell back-fire or something?!" he asked me. I could hear Lissa laughing behind me while Ravina looked questioning over to us.

"Why is everyone so surprised with his hair?" she asked. Sumia had a smile on her face as she answered her.

"Well, you see…Robin's hair was naturally white. For us to see him without his signature hair color, is quite… unusual..." she said. I gripped Chrom's wrists and pushed him away (not harshly, mind you).

"Setting that aside!" I exclaimed, making sure to get everything back on track. Chrom quickly regained his composure, but I could tell he was still bothered by it. I cleared my throat. "So, who's going?"

"W-well, this mission is strictly voluntary. So if, for an—" he was cut off by Lissa's excited voice.

"I volunteer!" she said. I shook my head. I know Lissa would volunteer.

"Me, too! You'll be needin' ol' Teach along for this mission!" Vaike volunteered, swinging his axe with anticipation.

"I'll go as well." said a voice. Ravina jumped in surprise. A huge armored man stood right next to her. In all honesty, I was surprised too. I had completely forgotten about Kellam. He frowned. "…What? I've been here the whole time!"

Sumia nervously shifted on her feet. "I-I, uhm…"

"Oh, just say it Sumia." I told her. She glanced over to me as I offered a smile. She took a deep breath and let it out.

"I-I'm not sure if I'm ready… I may just end up getting in the way…" she said with a sigh. Chrom nodded to her.

"Well, you could just stay behind the main group." he offered. I placed a hand on my hip and shifted my weight to one leg with an easy-going smile.

"Yeah! If you do that, you could learn just from watching everyone." I added. Chrom smiled reassuringly to her.

"But, of course, it's your choice. But some lessons can't be learned outside the battlefield."

Sumia nodded understandingly, "Well, if you put it that way, I think I can do that, Captain."

"Just stay by me and you'll be alright." Chrom assured her. Sumia smiled brightly.

"Oh, of course! I-I mean—I'll do just that!"

"Then it's settled?" Ravina asked. Chrom nodded.

"Yes, be prepare to leave first thing in the morning."

._._._._._.

I didn't know why I stayed there while Chrom was debriefing the Shepherds. I mean, I wasn't even going and, yet, I was there. Chrom didn't even tell me to go to Emmeryn or anything. So, I just found it a bit strange.

"Ah, Robin! There you are!" called Chrom's voice. I looked up from my book in my hands and saw him coming over to me to sit next to me under the tree I sat under. I waited for him to settle next to me before I asked him anything.

"So, you picked a new member, huh? She seems nice." I said as I doggie-eared a page and closed my book. I looked over to Chrom who was staring ahead. "Lissa told me she has amnesia, too."

Chrom nodded grimly. "That's true, but she proved herself to be a trustworthy tactician and swordswoman."

I flinched at his words. I never thought it would actually hurt. I have taught myself countless strategies to become to one thing I wanted to do. But, I suppose I wasn't good enough. Chrom had already chosen someone to be his tactician, and it wasn't me.

"But, I didn't come to find you to talk about Ravina." Chrom said, cutting off my thoughts. I looked at him with a small grin.

"Let me guess… You're going to tell me to be good and try to stay safe while you're gone." I said. To my surprise, Chrom shook his head.

"Actually, no. I was going to tell you that Emm has decided it's about time. You're coming with me." he told me with a smile. "You're coming to Regna Ferox as one of the Shepherds' tacticians."


And done! My, what a long chapter... Well! Tell me what you guys thought about this chapter! Preview!

"Why are you riding behind Frederick?" Ravina asked me with a raised eyebrow. I heaved a sigh.

"Well, Chrom, Lissa, Frederick-heck, everyone thinks it's better for me." I answered with a scowl. Oh, I was soooo going to smack Chrom later. I was pretty darn sure that Chrom told everyone (except Ravina) that I was coming along.

Later!

-CloudyLightning