Chapter 4: Shepherds

"Mother…..why do you have Father's sword…?"

"Lucina…..your Father won't…be coming home…"

"What? Mother, why are you crying? Why isn't Father coming home?"

"…."

"Mother! No! Father can't….he can't….who did it!?"

"I…Lucina…."

"Please Mother, you must tell me!"

"Your Father was….betrayed….by his best friend…"

"His best friend? But who could that…..oh gods no…."

"Lucina! Wait!"

"No…it can't be! I won't believe he did that! Uncle Robin wouldn't do that!"

Robin stretched himself out before sitting in a soft chair in the opening room of the Shepherd's barracks. Lissa had brought him here to be introduced to everybody and he could feel the pit of nervousness widening in his stomach. He took a look around the simple room. Everything was wooden with no paint anywhere. There were some bookshelves but very few books. Robin made a note that if he were to live here, he would need to fill those bookshelves when he got a chance. Lissa had gone further into the barracks and told him to wait where he was. He could hear girlish squealing and chatter coming from further in, but he didn't know what the cause once. After a few moments, Lissa reentered the room, followed by a girl with blonde curly hair, a man not wearing a shirt and a girl with long brown hair. They both eyed the tactician for a few moments before the shirtless man finally spoke up.

"Who's the newbie?"

"This is Robin, our new tactician! We found him in a field, but he can use tomes and swords!" Lissa explained very excitedly. The blonde girl stared at Lissa incredulously.

"And you just took in this stranger, no less a commoner, without any question to his character? How Frederick allowed this I will never know!" She spoke in a strangely eloquent manner, but the message still caused Robin to furrow his brow.

"Maribelle stop that! We need to welcome Robin here. Please don't mind her, she is actually very friendly, she just doesn't like new people very much" The brunette explained with a smile. Maribelle gave a "humph" and left the room. Robin quickly noted this brown haired girl would be the one to go to for advice. Before they could say another word, Chrom and Frederick stepped through the entrance of the barracks.

"Captain! Welcome back, I thought-I mean we thought you-" The brunette began before suddenly stumbling on nothing and falling, though Chrom stepped forward to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Sumia! Are you alright? Did the boots lock up again?" Chrom asked with quite a bit of concern. Sumia blushed heavily and stood up, stiffening her back significantly.

"Y-yes captian!" She exclaimed. Robin couldn't help but smile and shake his head at the beginnings of a budding romance that even he could recognize. He made another note in his head that he should speak to Sumia at the next opportunity. Chrom cleared his throat, bringing everybody's attention to himself.

"We will be marching north in the morning to Regna Ferox. We need to unite their strength with Ylisse in order to face what appeared last night. We have named the creatures "Risen", and our number one priority has become exterminating all of those that escaped into the world. We know little of them other than they have inhuman strength and ability and seem to not feel any pain. Flesh wounds will not stop them, a mortal blow must be inflicted to slow them down at all. This mission is completely voluntary, so whoever wishes to come may let me know before the morning."

As soon as Chrom finished, cheers went around the room as each person volunteered one by one. Robin jumped away from where he was sitting when the suit of armor next to him suddenly spoke up.

"Wh-what was that?" Robin said as he tried to catch his breath. The suit of armor turned to reveal a man that Robin had not noticed enter the room. He seemed to be rather upset by Robin's reaction, given the big sigh he gave.

"I'm Kellam, I have been standing here since you came in. Don't worry about it, nobody ever notices me anyways"

Robin wasn't sure how to respond to the man other than give an awkward smile and rub his head.

"Captain….I'm not sure if I am ready to fight quite yet, I am still training with the spears….but I wish to watch everyone in action, so I may see what it is like on the battlefield in person! Please allow me to come along!" Sumia said with her hands clasped over her heart, her face holding a very adamant expression. Chrom looked at her with a smile for a second.

"We would be glad to have you, Sumia. Just please stay safe. If you wish to stay back you can, but you could also stay at my side to see the combat up close"

Robin shook his head as he saw Sumia beginning to blush deeply while Chrom seemed oblivious to the weight of his words to the girl. Chrom turned back to the door and began leaving, Robin assumed for the castle.

"Very well, everyone that is coming be ready to march in the morning. Until then, rest well"

Chrom, Lissa and Frederick exited and the remaining Shepherds began to return to their rooms with a new air of excitement due to their mission. They all seemed to ignore Robin, who simply slumped back in his seat, thinking over the day's events. Virion had left their group before the Shepherds had come out to meet them, saying he had to go meet the local women in his round-about way of speaking. Robin wasn't sure if he had a room in the barracks and he still did not feel like he fit in, so he settled on resting in the chair rather the bothering anybody. He pulled his hood up over his eyes to shield the sunlight creeping in from the setting sun. He shut his eyes and began drifting off to sleep, simultaneously pushing away the nightmares that were at the edge of his mind ever since he heard that voice from within him.

Robin was awoken by a soft voice and a gentle shake of his shoulder. His eyes slowly opened, his mind taking a while to start up. He had not slept well the night before, so his body had gone into a deep slumber while in the chair. His eyes adjusted to the small amount of light in the room, coming from a single candle on the table in front of him. He looked at the person who had woken him up, taking a few moments to put a name to the face.

"Oh…hey Sumia" He finally said. The brunette smiled and took a seat across from him, a book in hand.

"I'm sorry to wake you….it's just there is never anybody here when I read and I wanted to learn more about you" She said with a smile. Robin's eyes focused on the book as he tried to remember if it had been on the barren shelves when he walked in. Sumia must have caught on to the glance because she spoke up again.

"Ah, this book is from my own collection. I have a bookshelf in my room where I have many books. It keeps them safe from Vaike when they aren't in here. Most of the books on these shelves were destroyed by his impromptu axe swinging sessions" She said with a sigh. Robin nodded his head slowly, seeing the sadness this caused the girl. He decided to move the subject away from the destruction of books.

"So…you have your own stash of books? I was actually planning on seeing if there were any in town"

"Oh yes! I love reading! Are you telling me you love to read as well? That's great! We can start our own book club! Here, you have to start on this one! I'm sure you will love it!" Sumia said with great enthusiasm, pulling out a large book with the title Wyvern Wars and placing it on his lap. Robin stared at it for a few seconds before deciding he better just accept he was going to read this one, otherwise he would upset her. He was really looking for strategy books or even birth records to find more on his past, but in reality he doubted any of that would be in the Shepherd's barracks. Maybe strategy books would, though since they didn't have a tactician prior to his appearance, he also doubted that.

"Th-thanks Sumia. I will be sure to read this one. I'll even start right now" He said as he opened up the book and stared at the inside picture of a wyvern rider sweeping a princess off her feet. He mentally sighed as he realized what he had gotten himself into. Romances were not exactly his cup of tea, though it did bring a few questions he had been meaning to ask forth in his mind.

"Hey, Sumia? Is there anything going on between you and Chrom?" He asked innocently. Sumia seemed to be taken aback and started blushing again, her fingers twirling in her lap.

"N-no, not at all. He is just our captain, and I admire him very much for that reason only" She said rather robotically. Robin absent mindedly nodded his head.

"Right. You don't have to lie to me Sumia, I could tell there was something in the way you looked at him"

"What!? You….you could? Well…..if…if I am being honest….I do somewhat…sort of…..admire him for…other reasons" Sumia barely choked out the words, as if some deep internal struggle was holding her back.

"And does he know about that?"

Sumia looked at Robin as if he had just said he was the Fell Dragon himself.

"No! Not at all, I'm far too embarrassed to ever tell him that. Besides….he would never want somebody like me….he is a prince after all. I'm just a lowly soldier that can't even fight…" Sumia's words were bitter and she looked down into her lap, not facing Robin. A hand found its way onto her shoulder, comforting her with a gentle grip.

"C'mon Sumia. You can't just give up like that. I'm sure there is something you can do. I bet you can get his attention somehow. Maybe….I don't know, what about if you did some favor for him? Like take care of him after a battle?"

"No…I only can tend to animals. I'm afraid my healing skills on humans are far inferior to Lissa and Maribelle. I might end up only hurting him more…" Sumia said as she shook her head. Robin thought hard, a hand at his chin.

"Cleaning?" Sumia shook her head.

"Poems?" Head shake.

"Magic?" Head shake.

"Swimsuit modeling?" Head shake.

"Uh….cooking?" Silence. More silence. Even more silence. Then finally….

"Yes! I can cook pies! Why didn't I think of that before!? Robin, you are a genius! How can I ever repay you!?" Sumia exclaimed with a lot of vigor as she hugged Robin tightly. He chuckled a little before pulling her off him.

"Well, since I gave you relationship advice, you can give me some. Not now though….I still have some inner conflict I am working through. The next time we speak though, you can give me some."

Sumia nodded her head happily before running back to her room while mumbling something about rhubarb. Robin sat back down in his chair before turning back to the open book. He stared at the picture for a few moments before closing the book and pulling the hood back over his eyes.

"Alright everyone, we are setting out. Somebody go wake Stahl up, I'm sure Vaike forgot again" Chrom said as the Shepherds gathered outside the barracks at dawn.

"Hey! Teach never forgets things!" Vaike yelled out, adamant about his reputation. That is, until a frantic brown haired man ran outside to join them.

"Huff….huff…Damn it Vaike! You didn't wake me up!" The man, who Robin assumed was Stahl yelled. Vaike looked at his feet while the rest of the Shepherds began laughing. Chrom turned forward and began leading the march, allowing the Shepherds to pick on Vaike on the way there. Chrom finally held up a hand for them to stop when they approached a river. Robin stood next to Chrom and stared out onto the field. A number of Risen had settled in the area, a handful on either side of the river.

"Damn…the Risen have been on the move. Everybody prepare to battle. Robin, any ideas?" Chrom asked. Robin started entering his self-named "tactician mode" and started scanning the battle field. Meanwhile, Vaike was desperately searching through the little amount of clothing he was wearing.

"Shit! I think I dropped my axe!" Vaike yelled, breaking Robin from his concentration. The tactician looked at Chrom for an explanation, but all he got was a head shake. He assumed this had probably happened before, based on the lack of reaction from the prince.

"You mean this axe? You really should be more careful about where you place these. Though, I suppose it would be a good experiment to see how you could forget these, given what miniscule articles of clothing you wear and how hard it would be to conceal your weapon" A lady with red hair, glasses and a pointed hat said as she approached the group from the west.

"Ah, Miriel. Welcome back. I trust whatever experiment you were running at the border went well?" Chrom said to the woman. Miriel adjusted her glasses and gave a small nod as she tossed the axe over to Vaike.

"Quite so. I believe my fire spells will be even more powerful that before now that I figured how to infuse the surrounding heat energy into my tome. This must be the tactician you sent word of, I am Miriel, the researcher and senior mage of the Shepherds. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Thank you. I am Robin. You said you were a mage just now, correct?" He asked. Miriel gave him another nod. He looked back at the Risen in the field and simply smiled.

"Very well. Then this battle will be simple. Fire should be enough to get rid of the Risen, at least the ones close to us. Miriel, please cast your fire spells at the creatures out there, every single one that you can reach. Virion, use your bow to pick off them as well. Hopefully that should be enough to kill them all"

"Why, of course I can do that. After all, I am the archest of archers, I can slay any beast from a mile away. Allow me to show you my skills" Virion spoke poetically as he plucked back the bowstring and sent off arrows at blinding speed into the skulls of the Risen on the far side of the river while Miriel cast fire spells on the Risen nearest them. True to Robin's plan, every Risen was dispatched without any issue. It helped that they were on high ground and none of the creatures seemed to wear armor of any kind. Once the last of the embers from Miriel's spells faded, Robin walked through the now peaceful landscape.

"Hmm…if only every battle could be that easy. Though I have a bad feeling that the longer the Risen are in this world, the stronger they will be. Miriel, could you by chance do some research on their behavior? It would be best tactics wise if we fully understood the enemy"

"Of course. I will stay behind and seek out any groups of Risen I can find. When you return from your mission, I will inform you of my findings. Good luck in Regna Ferox to all of you" Miriel said before turning down the road the Shepherds had come from.

"Don't worry, she can take care of herself." Chrom said while next to Robin. He must have noticed Robin's tense posture and thought it to be concern of Miriel's safety. Robin nodded, though in truth he wasn't worried for her safety, he was tense because he had seen how much of an asset she could be to their force, and they were already losing her.

The group continued on for a few miles before coming upon an open clearing. In the middle stood a winged horse, much to everybody's amazement. Robin stood back as Chrom approached the beast, only to step back quickly when the Pegasus made an aggressive move forward towards the captain. Sumia stepped in front and began stroking its mane, to everybody's surprise.

"Don't worry, captain. Training animals is my specialty. You all go on ahead, I will stay behind and look after it" She said to Chrom. The prince seemed to be uncomfortable leaving her behind, much to Robin's enjoyment, though he eventually agreed. Robin was watching from the tree line, not feeling comfortable approaching the Pegasus. He had a strange discomfort from looking at the beast, though he didn't know why. He guessed it probably had something to do with his past life, maybe an incident where a Pegasus hurt him, though he didn't know for sure. The group finally resolved to move forward, with Chrom looking back over his shoulder at Sumia. Robin stepped out of the trees and walked briskly to catch up, flashing a grin at Sumia on his way. He had hoped she noticed Chrom's concern, though he couldn't be sure. He finally was walking in stride with Chrom, and turned to look at the prince. He studied him for a few seconds before deciding to make his move.

"So….Sumia huh?"

The prince stuttered and stared at Robin, unable to find words. Robin grinned to himself and pulled up his hood, satisfied with that answer. He fell back to the edge of the group, once again lost in thought. They would take a few days to reach the northern country, and he hoped to sort out some of his inner conflicts in that time.

Whether that was possible or not, he wasn't sure. At least the voice had not come back.

Yet.

A/N: Hello everyone, sorry for the long wait but here is the next entry of the prequel. I decided to start some character relationships since this section of the game kind of lacked importance, and we are beginning to see Robin becoming the character he is on Return to Life. There is still going to be more development before he is completely the joking type, but he is getting there. I hope you are all enjoying the story and continue to leave reviews, I love the feedback! Review time!

Nintend-Yes, I didn't want Robin to just be a normal dude like in other stories. Obviously he has a lot of change to go through between the current Robin and the one we see many years later, but it will be a fun journey.

Antex-Yes he will get the sword and a certain part of Return to Life hints at the sword's importance. It will play into the clips of Lucina that are in the beginning of the chapters, bringing a big story arc to a close in one of the most emotional parts of the game. But there is quite some time before that, so buckle down and enjoy the ride.

Daraen-I hopefully will not, though if you want to see how they will end up, their final characterization is seen in the Return to Life.

Ftpkorn- Thank you very much! Hopefully I continue to impress!

ODST- Thank you! I hope to continue to give new life to the story. It would be a bit dull if every interpretation/retelling of the story was the same, so I hope I can give new insight into events and help give some depth into characters.

Dragoon- There will be quite a few differences between the game story and this story. After all, if I just rewrote the game's events to the last letter, this story would be dull and lack any difference to other retellings. I want to give new life to the already great story and make everything have more depth than in the original.

Until next time!

Austin