"Here we are! The Shepherds' garrison!" Lissa spread her arms wide open and presented the interior of the barracks as if she were selling it to the tactician.
Robin took a step inside, eyes roaming every inch of the garrison. After briefly examining the interior, it was safe to say that this place was a mess.
"This place is a mess." Robin decided to voice aloud, eyeing the assortment of items that littered the stone floors.
Throughout his lives, Robin had always remembered the Shepherd's garrison to be dirty, chaotic, but most importantly…
"It was home." Robin allowed a smile to grace his lips, once another wave of nostalgia hit him full force. No matter how many lives, the garrison will always hold a warm place in his heart.
"Hey, it isn't that bad." Lissa pouted and latched onto the tactician's arm. She began to drag the man deeper into the barracks. "Now come on, you gotta introduce yourself."
"Fine, fine." Robin playfully swatted the princess's hands away. "You don't need to keep dragging me around, you know"
"I'm just making sure you don't get lost on the way here." She smiled upon remembering what had happen when the tactician had left her sight. "Don't want you terrifying the people of Ylisstol again."
"To be fair, I only purposely terrified one citizen, the rest were collateral." The tactician boasted, being proud of the fact that he had made someone faint.
"That's not something to be proud of." Lissa pouted.
"Says you, as someone who woke up with no recollection of his previous memories, I consider knocking out that man as one of my most defining moments!"
Lissa rolled her eyes. "Uh huh, well let's introduce you to-" The princess had the wind knocked out of her when something crashed into her person. That something was actually a someone who looked quite familiar to the tactician.
"Lissa, my treasure! Are you all right?! I've been on pins and needles!" The ever so pompous and snobbish Maribelle yelled in worriment, wrapping her arms around the princess in a protective manner. "Oh, please tell me you were safe! I would simply die if I were to find that you've been injured in any way!"
"Oh…hey…Maribelle." Lissa rasped each word, still affected by the troubadours crushing embrace.
"Oh, hey? Is that all you have to say?!" The noblewoman questioned sternly. "I've sprouted fourteen gray hairs fretting over you!"
Lissa quickly caught her breath and smiled sheepishly at her possessive friend. "Aw, you worry too much. See, I'm completely fine." The princess waited for the noblewoman to release her from the hug. She did not. "You can let go now, Maribelle."
"I shall not." Maribelle responded curtly. "You claim you are fine, but I noticed you were out of breath when I greeted you!"
"That's because you crashed into me." Her words were immediately ignored.
"For that, I will keep you close until I am positive you are completely fine!" Maribelle tighten her hold onto Lissa, eliciting a strangled cry from the princess.
Robin stood to the side, silently amused by the intimate moment between the two longtime friends. Maribelle the Dire Damsel, is a woman known for her prideful and haughty attitude. Such attributes has deterred most people from interacting with the troubadour, resulting in a lonely existence. Thankfully for her, Lissa was not most people. The princess was one of the few people who had decided to get to know the noblewoman, melting away her cold exterior to reveal her very affectionate and possessive interior.
The tactician chuckled to himself when Lissa had slowly returned the hug. It was honestly, one of the most adorable scene he had the pleasure of witnessing.
"Robin could you help me, please?" Lissa asked, tiredly turning her attention to the tactician. Even having said that, a hint of warmth could be spotted within her eyes.
Robin flickered his eyes to Maribelle, who was about to fuse with Lissa by the hip. "I'm not good with women."
"What?" Lissa's brows knitted together. "You've spent a whole day with me and Chrom!"
A brief moment past. "Like I said, I'm not good with women."
The repeated line prompted a glare from the blonde princess. "Just help me!"
The tactician raised his hands in surrender, even though he found the attempted glare incredibly adorable. "Ok, fine." He walked towards the pair, ready to aid the youngest princess to the best of his abilities.
He pulled the pair into a bear hug.
"Robin!" Lissa squeaked when she felt the warm embrace from behind. Maribelle didn't seem to care very much, her face pressed into the princess's neck.
"What?" Robin questioned with feigned ignorance. "You told me to help and I'm helping you. Make up your mind, woman."
"T-This isn't what I meant!" She yelled. The princess tried to squirm out of the two Shepherd's iron-like grips. Unfortunately for Lissa, being sandwiched between two people didn't exactly give her enough room to escape.
"Well, let this be a lesson then." The tactician tutted. He proceeded to rest his chin on top of the princess's head, much to her continued embarrassment. "In the future, be sure to be specific when asking for help. For your punishment, you shall endure these hugs for a few more moments."
"Why would you even think I wanted another hug?!" Lissa's cheeks began to grow increasingly red as the double embrace endured.
"Has anyone ever mentioned you smelled nice, Lissa?" Robin asked casually, earning an indignant squawk when he blatantly ignored the princess's question. "I can't place the scent though, cinnamon maybe?"
Another squeak escaped the princess's mouth when she felt the noblewoman inhale her scent. "I believe it is vanilia." Maribelle answered the tactician's question in a cordial manner.
"Ah, thank you miss…" Robin allowed his words to linger, waiting for Maribelle to introduce herself.
"Apologies, I should have introduced myself sooner. My name is Maribelle." Her words were muffled since her face was still firmly pressed against her friend's neck. "May I have your name, sir?"
"My name's Robin. Nice to meet you, Maribelle."
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir Robin." The troubadour attempted a graceful curtsy, but it became an awkward motion seeing that her arms were still preoccupied with crushing Lissa's spine. "I assume you the newest member of the Shepherds, correct?"
"H-Hey guys, could you guys have a conversation when you're not squeezing me to death?" Lissa begged, ticklish from Maribelle talking into her neck. "People are going to ask questions if they find us like this!"
"That's correct, Maribelle." Robin answered the troubadour's inquiry, ignoring the princess a second time. Said princess proceeded to stomp on the tactician's foot, which he also paid no mind to. "I've been recruited to act as the dedicated tactician for the Shepherds."
"Is that so?" Maribelle removed her face from the princess's neck to stare up at Robin. For the first time, she examined the tactician before her, wrinkling her nose when noticing the Plegian design of his cloak. Plus the bloodstains. "Hmm, I'm surprised Chrom would recruit a Plegian into her fold."
"I assure you." The tactician flashed an innocence smile. "I hold no love for my home country or any memories, for the matter."
"Any memories? Do you suffer from amnesia?" The troubadour waited for the tactician to nod before continuing. "A peculiar decision to make an amnesiatic man in charge of the lives of many."
Robin mentally conceded to Maribelle's statement. It was a particular notion that the tactician had brought up several times in his previous lives. "Hey Chrom, why did you decide to make an amnesiac the commanding officer of your military force?"
"I hope you know what you are doing, sir Robin." The tactician was knocked out of his thoughts when he picked up on the noblewoman's words. "You have the lives of many people on your shoulders, one single mistake and we will all meet an untimely demise."
If there were two words to describe Maribelle, it would be 'without' and 'tact', in that order. "Not to worry." Robin began, hoping to assuage the noblewoman's worries. "I assure you that I am capable to lead the Shepherds in their future endeavors. In fact, I was able to aid Chrom and Lissa in a battle from the previous night."
The noblewoman's eyes lit up considerably. "Ah, Sully did mention a skirmish with these so called, Ash-faced Freaks. If what you say is true, I see no reason to doubt your tactical prowess." She smiled at the tactician. "Seeing that Lissa is safe and sound, I look forward to battling alongside you."
"As do I." Robin returned her smile with his own. "Together we shall protect Lissa with all of our might!"
"Yes! My thoughts exactly!" The two Shepherd's finalized their established companionship with one final squeeze of the blonde princess.
"I'm…going…to…die…" Lissa choked out, resigned to her fate as Robin's and Maribelle's squeeze toy.
"Heya squirt!" The tactician's ears perked up once another familiar voice enter his ears. He turned his head to the source of the noise, already knowing the owner of the voice.
Before Robin was Vaike and all of his shirtless glory. If one decided to categorize the axe-wielding fighter, he would most certainly be placed in the muscle-bound, meathead section. The fighter was no doubt one of the physically, stronger member of the Shepherds, able to cleave through both people and risen with minimum effort. However, his head could be a bit spacious at times, his consistent forgetfulness throughout the many lifetimes comes to the forefront of the tactician's mind. Robin has, more than once, fought the urge to stick an axe up Vaike's bumhole so that he wouldn't keep leaving his axe behind.
Major irritations aside, Robin still appreciated the fighter's company. When Vaike's brain decided to function, he was an incredibly dependable fighter and could even hold up a conversation on the best days. The fighter was a constant source of entertainment with his exaggerated tales of adventure and wonder, even if Robin has heard it all by now. Vaike has also invited the tactician out for drinking after every mission, which were always a pleasant experience.
"You know where Chrom is…" Vaike's words died in his throat once he closed the distance between himself and the three shepherds. He blinked a few times as he took in the sight in front of him. His gaze flickered to Lissa's pleading expression, Maribelle's content appearance, and Robin's casual manner. "Uh, what's going on here?"
"Vaike…help…" Lissa wheezed, eyes desperate for the fighter's interference.
"Umm…" Vaike looked towards Maribelle, only to be met with a glare that could most definitely kill him on the spot.
The troubadour's gaze screamed "Try it bitch!"
The fighter promptly shifted his sights to the tactician.
"You look new." Vaike pointedly refused to make further eye contact with the noblewoman. "You a new shepherd or something?"
"Yep." Robin unlatched one arm around the princess to give the fighter a wave. He noticed that Vaike had shot a glance towards his robes. "And before you ask, no, I'm not a Plegian spy here to assassinate the princesses." Just as the tactician expected, Vaike let out a hearty chuckle at his claim.
"I wasn't going to accuse you or anything! I don't care if you're a Ylissean or Plegian!" The fighter wiped an invisible tear from his eye. "As long as you keep fighting for Ylisse, you're A-okay in my book!"
Similar to Chrom, Vaike was always an 'action speaks louder than words' kinda guy. He pays no mind to where a person originated as he himself grew up in the seedier parts of Ylisstol. As long as they could fight and fight for what's right, Vaike will treat anyone as if they were a longtime friend.
"Name's Vaike, but most people call me Teach." He flashed his teeth at the tactician. "The Shepherd's strongest fighter!"
"Shepherd's strongest fighter?" A new voice sounded. Following the voice, stepped in everyone's favorite, viridian knight, Stahl. "I think some members are prepared to challenge that claim." The knight continued with a chuckle, taking his place next to the axe-wielding fighter.
"Come on, be serious! Who could compete with the Vaike?!" The fighter challenged.
"Chrom and Frederick comes to mind." The viridian knight replied simply, a lazy smile present on his lips.
Vaike scoffed at the knight's answer. "Please, I taught those two everything they know! They don't call me Teach for nothing!"
"Is that so?" Yet another voice decided to chime in, this time feminine. Robin turned to the source to find the Shepherd's very own pegasus knight, Sumia. "Why don't we ask them ourselves?"
The pegasus knight made an exaggerated motion of looking behind the axe-wielding fighter. "Captain Chrom, is Vaike's claim true?"
Vaike instinctively jumped, frightened of the prospect that the blue-haired princess had heard of his false claim. He silently calmed himself, ready to profusely apologize to the Ylissean royal and explain why he had made such a blatant lie in the first place. He turned around to meet…nothing but air. The fighter was struck with a brief moment of confusion until he heard laughter from his sides.
"Oh haha, very funny!" Vaike growled, sending a withering glare at Stahl and Sumia.
"Sorry Vaike, you make it too easy sometimes." Stahl clapped a hand on the fighter's shoulder to show he meant no harm. The knight stifle his laughter and turned his attention towards the tactician.
"My name is Stahl, nice to meet you. I would shake your hand, but I see that your arms are full." The knight nodded towards the tactician's arms, still wrapped around Lissa's body. The princess looked as if she was dying. Probably nothing.
Robin smiled at the viridian knight. Stahl was by far the friendliest shepherd, if not the friendliest person the tactician has ever had the pleasure of meeting. "Name's Robin and likewise." He flashed a smile which the knight returned with gusto.
"Hello." Sumia greeted, garnering the tactician's attention. "My name is Sumia, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance RoBINNNN!" The pegasus knight screamed the last part of his name when she had seemingly tripped over nothing. Everyone around gave a collective wince once the pegasus knight's face make contact with the floor.
"Poor Sumia." Robin thought somberly. "It's a shame that her clumsiness stayed consistent throughout the lives." The tactician made to untangled himself from the princess he was hugging, in order to check if the pegasus knight was alright…
...but he was beaten to the punch by a certain great knight.
"Sumia!" Frederick yelled from across the garrison. He quickly made his way to the fallen pegasus knight, with Chrom following close behind. "You must be more careful in the future." The great knight chided lightly, gently picking up and steadying the girl.
"Are you alright?" Chrom asked, worriment clear in her voice. "Are your boots acting up again?"
"No, no, no! Everything is alright." The pegasus knight tried to reassure the two shepherds, forcing a small smile on her lips. "See? No blood this time!"
"That's not something to be proud of." Frederick frowned. He proceeded to take out a handkerchief and began to wipe off the dirt that accumulated on Sumia's face.
"I-It's fine, F-Frederick…" Sumia stuttered, becoming rigid from Frederick's touch. Her skin flushed a bright red as the knight's gentle ministrations continued.
"It is not." Frederick reprimanded firmly, meticulously removing every particle of dirt on the pegasus knight's cheeks. "As a member of the Shepherds, one must be at their very best for the sake of the other remaining shepherds and the people of Ylisse." Sumia mutely nodded at the knight's reasoning, not trusting herself to form intelligible words.
"Oh?" Robin observed the two shepherd's interactions with great interest, primarily focused on Sumia's scarlet cheeks. A large smile spread across the tactician's face. "My matchmaking senses are tingling!" He thought gleefully, almost jumping in place.
Throughout Robin's various lives, his fellow shepherds' romantic choices were usually a bit of a toss-up. Sure, there were pairings that stayed prominent throughout the tactician's lives. One prime example being Lissa and Lon'qu, the princess being a sucker for the mysterious swordsmen type. However, the majority of the shepherd's romantic interests were far less cemented. As a result, it was the tactician's duty to pair everyone of his shepherds himself! Heck, Chrom had married five different women in five separate lives. Now that Chrom was a woman…the possibilities were endless!
Was it in poor taste to treat his friends' romantic possibilities as a sort of game? Yes.
Did the tactician care? Hell no!
Robin allowed his eyes to drift to the other shepherds, wanting to gauge their reactions to the display before them. Chrom stared at the two knights with a pleasant smile, sending a knowing look at Sumia. Vaike had whispered something particularly amusing to Stahl, who shook his head in amusement.
Maribelle was too busy crushing Lissa in her embrace to pay attention to the two shepherd's interaction. Lissa was too busy being crushed.
"That settles it, Frederick and Sumia are going to get it on!" Robin cheered internally.
Chrom soon shifted her gaze away from her two knights, only for it to land on her sister, who was still sandwiched between two bodies. The princess blinked at the sight for a few beats. "Do I even want to ask how this came about?"
"She wanted a hug." Robin stated simply. Lissa made to speak, likely to refute the tactician's statement, but all she could do was gurgle out an unintelligible mess of words.
Chrom shot Robin a deadpanned look. "Please release my sister, you're going to suffocate her." The tactician released the girl without complaint. "That goes for you too, Maribelle." The noblewoman pouted, but released her nonetheless.
Lissa immediately collapsed to her hands and knees. She took in several deep breaths, hoping to restore the loss of oxygen.
"Lissa dear! Are you alright!" Maribelle exclaimed, ignorant that she was the cause of the princess's state.
Maribelle made to give Lissa another hug, but was stopped by Chrom. "I believe she just needs a bit of room." The blue-haired princess quickly reassured. The noblewoman didn't look fully convinced, biting her lips as she looked at her best friend in worriment. "I will see to it that Lissa returns to full health, she is my precious sister after all."
The noblewoman allowed herself a breath of relief. "Then I shall leave my treasure in your care." Maribelle bowed her head in respect. "Princess Chrom, may I ask of you another favor? I like to request a week's leave from the Shepherds."
"Has something happened?" Chrom's words were laced with concern.
"You needn't worry, Princess Chrom. I am simply returning to my dukedom." Maribelle explained in a cordial manner. "With the recent surge of bandit attacks, I would like to return to Themis to make sure everything is in order."
The blue-haired princess nodded in understanding. "Of course you may leave. Be sure to greet your father for me."
"I shall see to it." The noblewoman smiled. "I bid you all farewell." She performed a graceful curtsy and parted from the group.
The moment Maribelle had left the Shepherd's garrison, Chrom crouched by her sister and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you well, Lissa?"
"Y-Yeah I'm fine, just lost a few years of my life is all." The blonde princess replied sardonically. "I swear, she got stronger the last time I saw her."
"She does seem oddly robust for her size." Robin mused idily.
Lissa whipped her head in the tactician's direction, sending him a venomous glare. "Don't you play innocent! You could have easily separated me and Maribelle, but you just made it worse!"
"I already told you, I'm not good with wom-" Robin was cut off when Lissa stood up from her prone position. The princess charged at the tactician with her arms raised, ready to pummel the man to oblivion.
Sadly for the princess, her strikes uselessly bounced off the the tactician's surprisingly hardy chest. "H-Hey stop! That tickles!" Robin openly laughed, playfully batting away Lissa's attempted attacks.
"It's not supposed to tickle! It's supposed to hurt!" She continued her assault with extra vigour, which only elicited more laughs from the tactician. "Feel my wrath!"
Chrom coughed into her fist. "Alright, listen everyone!" Her eyes scanned the room to see she had garnered everyone's attention. "Tomorrow morning, we'll be marching to Regna Ferox. Our objective is to acquire their assistance in quelling the Plegian menace" The princess paused, allowing her shepherds to process the information. "Typically, the Exalt would have foreseen the making of this alliance herself, but with how persistent the Plegian attacks have been, Ylisstol needs her here more than ever."
The march to Regna Ferox was paramount in the Ylisse-Plegia War.
Once crowned Exalt of Ylisse, Emmeryn refused to follow the warpath that her father had left behind. She immediately ended her father's war peacefully and disbanded the majority of the Ylissean army. At the time, Emmeryn knew that the people of Ylisse were hurting, they needed time to heal and further bloodshed wouldn't do any good. During her rule, Emmeryn adopted a diplomatic approach on every matter, never using violence if she could help it. She promised herself that she would never follow the same path her father took.
However, with the inevitability of war looming over, Ylisse was sorely unprepared. Throughout her rule, Emmeryn had kept the size of the Ylissean forces small, resulting in villages and towns being unprotected from bandit raids. In fact, the lack of protection from potential brigand attacks was the sole reason for the creation of the Shepherds. Now that the drums of war were resounding over the horizon, not even the Shepherds could dream of protecting Ylisse by themselves.
"As a result, I volunteered the Shepherds for the task." Chrom continued her announcement. "Now, this mission is stric-"
"I'll go." Robin's response was immediate.
Chrom blinked at the tactician's interruption, but smiled nevertheless. "Would anyone else like to volu-" The princess was interrupted again, this time by a chorus of noise.
"I volunteer!"
"I'm yours to command, milady."
"You'll be needin Teach!"
"Wonder if there's any feroxi cuisine…"
"I'm not sure if I'll be useful, but I'd like to go."
Chrom looked upon her Shepherds, her lips pressed into a fond smile. "That settles it then! Rest up everyone, we leave first thing tomorrow!"
Lissa fidgeted in place, hands pulling at her dress out of nervousness. She had been standing in front of a door for a few minutes by now.
"Should I really be bothering him? He's probably busy or asleep by now." The princess pondered to herself, doubting if she should proceed with her current objective. Lissa scanned the wooden door for what seemed like the hundredth time, her eyes landing on the metal nameplate. She reread the name again, already knowing she had found the correct room.
An explosive sigh left the princess's lips. "This was a waste of time. I'm no good with spells and it wasn't guaranteed he would bother teaching me." She glanced at the door once more and turned away, abandoning her original plan.
"I should just head off to bed, need to rest up for tomorrow's mar-" Lissa stopped in place, a shiver ran down her spine. She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself and clenched her eyes shut.
Memories of last night's battle began to flood her mind.
"Lissa! Behind you!" Her sister screamed in absolute terror.
Lissa whipped her head around, eyes wide when she had pinpointed two arrows flying straight towards here. Not knowing what to do, she clenched her eyes shut, hoping the action would somehow mitigate the inevitable pain.
The princess's eyes snapped open when she heard a grunt of pain. In front of her was the tactician himself, Robin. He had went out of his way and taken the two arrows himself, the same two arrows that were meant for her.
"Robin are you ok?!" A sense of dread overcame the princess when the tactician's wounds came in full view.
"So…so much blood…" Lissa whimpered to herself. She clenched her eyes tighter, desperately trying to force out the painful memories. She took in several deep breaths, hoping for the thoughts of last night's skirmish would subside. Lissa leaned against a wall, hand over her thunderous heart. She continued to inhale large, breaths of air, until her mind calmed and her heart became steady.
The princess stood in place for a moment, absentmindedly staring at the door she had sought out for. In a single beat, Lissa hopped off the wall, her back straightened, and her eyes burned with fiery determination. She stomped towards her designated area, not caring if her steps would wake the other occupants of the garrison. The princess stood in front of the wooden entrance for the second time, a pang of apprehension gripped her, but she promptly murdered it in cold-blood.
"I have to at least try. I owe it to Robin, the Shepherds, and myself to grow stronger." With newfound resolution, Lissa raised her fist and tapped the door twice.
"Huh? Oh, coming!" The princess heard the voice muffle from inside the bedchamber. Mechanisms could be heard being unlocked as the doorknob turned, revealing one of the youngest members of the Shepherds, Ricken.
"Oh, hey there Lissa." The young mage greeted. "Surprised to find you awake at this hour."
"Hey Ricken." The princess greeted lamely, mildly surprised that Ricken was still in his robes and not sleepwear. She peeked over the mage, he wasn't exactly tall, and found books splayed throughout the entirety of his chambers. "I could say the same to you."
"Y-Yeah…" Ricken answered sheepishly, a hand running through his red locks. "I'm still behind when it comes to combat experience so I have to make it up somehow, you know?"
"I gotcha, but…wow, that's a lot of books!"
"I may be overdoing it, just a bit." Ricken allowed a laugh to escape his lips. "So what can I do for you?"
The princess rubbed her hands nervously, not fully making eye contact with the mage. "Could I come into your room for a bit?" Ricken's response was instanetous.
"W-What?!" The mage yelped, eyes wide and cheeks ablazed in embarrassment. "L-Lissa, I'm not sure about this! N-Not that I don't think you're p-pretty, b-but…"
Lissa furrowed her brows in confusion until she eyed the blush on the mage's cheeks, realisation dawned on the princess and her face matched the boy's. "T-That's not what I meant! I just wanted some privacy to talk!"
"O-Oh, that's good…n-not that I didn't want t-"
"I-It's fine, Ricken." Lissa interrupted, praying that the heat on her cheeks would die down. "So can I come in?"
"Y-Yeah, watch your step…" Ricken moved to the side, giving Lissa ample space to enter his bedchambers. The princess tiptoed over the books that littered the floor and sat on the edge of the mage's bed. The mage himself, decided to lean against his bookshelf. "S-So what can I do for you?"
After staring at her lap for a moment, she snapped her head towards the mage, who almost jumped when spotting the intensity of the princess's gaze. "Could you teach me how to use tomes?"
Ricken blinked at the princess's words. "You want to cast spells? I thought you were fine with acting as support and mending wounds?"
"I was." Lissa admitted, turning her head away. "But after experiencing two battles in a row, I don't feel like I'm contributing as much as I should."
"You had two battles?!" The mage's eyes brighten considerably, a whimsical glint could be found within them. "Was it exciting?! Did you-" Ricken stopped himself when he noticed how crestfallen the princess looked. He coughed into his palm and steadied himself. "S-Sorry that was…childish of me. I take it that it didn't go so well?"
"Someone almost died because of me." Ricken stiffened as the words filled the room.
"Oh…"
"My thoughts exactly." Lissa thought somberly. The mage stared at the princess, silently deliberating something to himself. He left his spot from the bookcase and sat next to the girl.
A hand was tentatively placed on the princess's shoulder. "Um, there, there." The mage's words were spoken so awkwardly that it forced out a snort from the princess. "H-Hey, I'm trying to help."
"S-Sorry!" Stifling her laugh, Lissa began to speak. "So will you teach me?"
"Well, I'm not against having another spellcaster in the Shepherds, but why ask me?" Ricken removed his hand and tilted his head quizzically. "Miriel is probably the better choice, she's been studying magic much longer than I have."
"That's true, but I don't think she'd make the best teacher." The princess admitted honestly. "Most of the words she uses usually goes over my head."
"That goes for most of the other shepherds." The mage smiled. "I guess I could try to teach yo-"
Ricken didn't have the chance to finish when a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him into a crushing hug. "Thank you, thank you! You won't regret your decision, I promise you that!" Wildly flailing his arms, Ricken managed to rip himself away from the princess's grip.
"J-Jeez, don't kill me before I even teach you anything." The mage wheezed, face red from either embarrassment or almost suffocating. Probably both. "Don't expect too much, I'm not exactly the most ideal teacher."
"Aww, don't say that. I'm sure you'll teach me lots of cool things!" Lissa cheered, giddy with excitement and determination to get stronger.
"At least one of us is optimistic." Ricken offered the princess a tired smile. "Well, it's getting late. You should probably head back to your ro-" The mage's words died in his mouth when his stomach roared in hunger. "A-Ah, I knew I shouldn't have skipped dinner."
Lissa giggled to herself and reached into her pack. "Here, it's not much but I have some candy if you're that hungry."
"That'd be great. Thanks, Lissa."
"It's the least I can do…Huh?" The princess rummaged through her pack a second time. "That's weird, I can't find it."
"Maybe you already ate it." The mage offered.
"No, I would've remembered. I wonder who took it?"
"Robin?"
While making her way to her bedchamber, Chrom noticed the tactician standing by the entrance of the Shepherd's garrison. The man was currently donning his Plegian robes, which was now stitched up and blood-free. Having heard his name, Robin turned around and scanned the room, until his eyes landed on the blue-haired princess.
"Oh, hey Chrom." The tactician greeted casually, slipping his arm in the final sleeve of the cloak. "What brings you out at this hour?"
"I could say the same to you." Chrom decided against heading to her bedchamber and walked over to the tactician.
"I've decided to take a stroll through the city." Robin nodded towards the open door. "Seeing as everyone is now asleep and my cloak is stainless, I believe I can walk through the streets without the worry of being arrested again."
Chrom smiled at the memory. "Yes, we wouldn't want you to tie up another pegasus knight, just so you could feel up their hair."
"To be fair, Cordy's hair was very soft." The princess snickered at the knight's designated nickname. "I should really ask how she takes such great care of her hair."
"I'm not sure if she'd be too keen on revealing that information, especially with what you put her through."
"Hey!" The tactician placed a hand over his heart and took a step back, acting as if he'd been struck. "I'll have know that Cordy and I had a wonderful discussion about the capital and its people!" He paused for a moment. "And I also won her a day off so she owes me, more or less."
Chrom chuckled, finding the tactician's antics delightful and humorous. It was certainly a nice change of pace, especially with everything that has been going on. Constant bandit attacks, a second Plegian war, and now soldiers coming back from the dead, it was safe to say that the princess had a lot on her plate. With that in mind, she greatly appreciates the tactician's jokes, it provides a nice solace from all of the action.
"Welp, I'll be going now. If anyone asks, by anyone I mean Freddy, tell them I'm just taking a stroll." With that, Robin turned away from the princess and made his way out the garrison.
"Wait." Chrom called out to the tactician. "Mind if I come along?"
"I don't mind the company." Robin shrugged nonchalantly. "But don't you have to rest up for tomorrow's march?"
"Don't you?" Chrom fired back. Her response evoking a smirk from the tactician.
"A fair point!" Robin stepped aside and motioned to the door with his hands. "After you, milady."
"My, what a gentleman." She chortled whilst performing a mock curtsy.
The two shepherds both proceeded out the garrison and into the capital of Ylisse. Chrom took in Ylisstol's nightly appearance, enjoying the quiet serenity in contrast to the city's daytime nature. Of course, the princess loved her city no matter the time of day, but she couldn't deny appreciating the calm of the night.
"It's a beautiful night, don't you agree?" The princess voiced, question directed at the tactician beside her.
Robin hummed at the princess's question, silently observing his surroundings. "I suppose, though I don't exactly have a point of reference to compare to. This is only my second night, after all."
"Well, how does this night compare to your first?"
"Seeing as my first night had earthquakes, magma rising from the ground, and undead abominations with the intention to kill me…" The tactician drawled, quirking a brow at the Ylissean royal. "I can certainly claim that this night is much quieter."
"I-I admit, that was a stupid question." Sheepishly scratching the back of her head, Chrom let out an embarrassed laugh.
"It's all fine and good, after spending almost two days with you, I know to expect some 'stupid' here and there." Robin admitted good-naturedly, smirking down at the princess.
"Hey!" Chrom reciprocated the tactician's statement by lightly punching the man's shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh nothing." Robin said playfully. He leaned in and poked the princess's nose, which made her recoil in surprise. "A few thoughts had just crossed my mind is all."
"And just what are those 'few thoughts', hmm?" Chrom stopped in place, halting the two shepherd's stroll. She crossed her arms and shot the man an expectant look.
"One thought that has resurfaced from time to time is 'why did you decide to make an amnesiac the commanding officer of your military force?' Or something along those lines." Robin shrugged and matched the princess's look with his own. All of the tactician's previous playfulness had disappeared, in place was a neutral expression.
Chrom blinked at Robin's complete reversal in attitude. The tactician's current expression was something that the princess had experienced twice, namely, during the battle in Southtown and with the undead abominations. If Chrom were to choose one word to describe the expression, it would most definitely be 'serious'. The princess could not spot a hint of the tactician's usual playfulness, whatsoever.
Sensing the tension, Chrom decided to respond cordially. "During our skirmish in Southtown, you proved yourself to be a capable fighter with a strategic mind, your tactic being the deciding factor of the battle. Even though you lack knowledge of Ylisse, you fought to save Ylissean lives, at the risk of your own."
Robin looked unimpressed by Chrom's response. "It doesn't change the fact that you had knowingly left a Plegian in charge of the lives of your soldiers. I could have easily been feigning my amnesia just so I can lull you into a false sense of security." The tactician pressed, expression largely unchanged. "If I were anyone else, you'd likely be dead."
Honestly, Chrom should've felt insulted and threatened by the man's words. Robin had just insulted her intelligence and questioned her capabilities as a leader. Not only that, the tactician had brought up the possibility of being a Plegian spy and could easily strike if given the right moment.
Yet, the princess had appreciated the tactician's words. Blunt as they were, Chrom valued the fact that Robin was able to openly critique her abilities, instead of coddling her like so many would have. His words showed a certain level of trust and care for the princess, genuinely worried for her wellbeing. Chrom had already trusted the man, but his actions has completely confirmed that she had made the right choice recruiting him.
"You sound just like Frederick!" The princess laughed good-naturedly.
"Should I be insulted?" Robin questioned, quirking a brow. Chrom shook her head in amusement and walked in front of the tactician.
"I trust you."
"You trust a complete stranger to be in charge of your military force? A stranger without memories of his previous life and could easily lead your soldiers to certain doom?"
"I trust you."
"The events at Southtown could have easily been a fluke. There was no guarantee that I could recreate the same miracl-"
"I trust you."
"..."
"I trust you."
"I hope you understand." Robin spoke slowly. "That the repetition does little to assuage my worries."
"I trust…" She extended her hand and pointed at the tactician. "YOU!" With a small cry she poked the man's nose.
Robin blinked at the princess's actions for a few beats, until he allowed himself a short laugh and shook his head.
"Typical." Robin muttered to himself. He faced Chrom once again, this time his neutral expression morphing into something more amiable. His lips pressed into a genuine smile, eyes holding a certain…recognition? It was almost as if he had expected the princess to trust him, no matter what he said.
"Smiling like that, he looks handso-" Chrome coughed into her fist. "So, anything else to say?"
"Nope, I guess I'll just have to get used to your altruistic and naive tendencies."
"That's more like it!" The two both let out a companionable laugh, enjoying one another's company. "Think we should head back to the garrison?"
"You go on without me, I still want to stroll for a bit more, get used to the area and all that."
"Alright." Chrom turned and retraced her steps back to the barracks. "Make sure you don't kidnap any pegasus knights!" She yelled over her shoulder.
"No promises!" Robin returned.
Letting out one more laugh, Chrom disappeared into the darkness, intending to rest up for the march to Regna Ferox.
Robin looked behind his shoulder, glancing furtively at the princess. Once she had left his sight, he immediately shifted his course and headed to the seedier parts of Ylisstol.
After a few minutes trekking along, he found the place he sought for. An old, rundown bar where only the most desperate of patrons would decide to visit. The tactician stepped inside, ignoring the looks that the occupants had gave him. He was only here for one certain individual.
His eyes scanned the interior of the bar, landing on a man who had seated himself at a lone table in a far corner.
The man leaned against his chair, feet resting on the table, hands intertwined behind his head, and lollipop sticking out of his mouth. Robin walked over to the man's table and seated himself on the additional chair.
Once seated, the man opened an eye, peeking through his mop of orange hair. "Can I help you?"
Robin smiled innocently. "You Gaius?"
The now named Gaius pulled the lollipop out of his mouth, giving Robin his half hearted attention. "Depends on who's asking."
Robin reached into his cloak and procured a small bag. Inside, revealed an assortment of tooth rotting candy.
"A potential employer."
A/N: There you go, chapter four! Hope you guys enjoyed it.
Now time for an announcement. I'll be returning to school very soon so chapters will likely come out a bit slower. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm dropping the story. I do plan on finishing it or at least the Ylisse-Plegia War, it'll just take a little longer.
I'll be honest, my original goal was for the story to only be around five chapters. I planned on skipping around the major parts of the game and whatnot. However, the reviews I've read motivated me to writing a full story. So thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows.