Interloper

(Original Timeline, Grima and Robin)

"I… I don't understand. Why isn't this working?!" Grima whispered to himself as he held his hand out toward the young Lucina, who slept undisturbed in her quarters. "My power is failing me!"

"...It's because I won't let you."

"You! You have no power over me; I crushed your soul months ago!"

"I thought you said you knew everything about bonds." Robin mocked. "If that were true, you wouldn't have even bothered coming here."

"You know the reason I can't hurt her? Tell me now!"

"You've seized control of me; my mind is at your will. You know that as well as I do. But, it seems you're in denial that your great power has limits."

"That's a lie! The power of the Fell Dragon is unlimited."

"And yet you stand here powerless to harm this little girl. That's pretty pathetic, if you ask me," Robin continued. "But you desire to increase your power, because at your core, you know you don't have it all. Your lust for power is stronger than your denial. You'll find it in yourself eventually to admit your weakness in this situation."

"Get on with it, already. You clearly won't shut up until you get what you want."

"The only thing left for me in the world, aside from her safety, is to hear your reaction when you realize there is no way you can ever hurt her." Robin admitted.

Grima grew impatient. "Then speak, before I burn the whole castle down around her!"

"Bonds are powerful things, Grima. You know that as well as I do," Robin began. "They can be twisted, stretched, or worn thin, but they can only be broken by those who forged them. Of course, you already knew that."

He grimaced. "So I just have to eliminate you for good."

"I don't have to worry about that. My strongest bond, as much as I loath it, is with you. I can't leave this world until you do."

"This still doesn't explain everything."

"My, you certainly are prideful," Robin remarked. "My bond with Lucina may not be as strong as the bond you forced upon me. But it is strong enough that I can at least protect her. And, as I said earlier, there is nothing you can do to break that bond."

Grima scowled.

"You know I'm right. Stop wasting your time, and get out of here."

"Very well." Grima decided, turning to exit the room. As he moved toward the door, he heard a faint snoring. "That snoring… it's not Lucina."

Robin inhaled sharply.

Grima chuckled quietly. "You thought you could use my pride against me. You were right, you know. I am a very prideful being."

Robin was silent.

"I have to say, your plan was brilliant - and it almost worked. But no more."

"... What?"

"Why play dumb? You know the two greatest minds are yours and my own. Or should I say they're both mine? But you figured I would be too arrogant to search your mind if you just told me what I expected to hear; and you were right. I would never have learned about Cynthia, were it not for her snoring - and she is the leverage I need.

"So," Grima continued, "you'd better find a way to break your bond with Lucina. That is, if you don't want her to see her favorite uncle put an end to her little sister."

"You know I have a bond with her as well," Robin countered.

"Heh. These bonds take time to develop. And that one isn't strong enough yet."

"... But if I do break my bond with Lucina, you will just kill her. Don't try to make an idiot of a man who outsmarted you just moments ago."

"Very well, then." Grima conceded. "It seems I need your cooperation, and I will get it."

"And what about Cynthia? Will you not just kill her as soon as I place the spell?" Robin continued.

"Think, Robin! She is much more valuable to me alive than dead. And that will continue to be true as long as you're willing to make sacrifices for her."

"... I suppose that's true," Robin admitted. "I have a proposition. I'll allow you to erase Lucina's memory, but the spell can't take affect for a few days. In the place of her memories, you have to put a warning to flee."

"That seems acceptable," Grima hastily assented.

"I'm not done yet; I have one more condition."

"You have some backbone, I'll give you that."

"Before you place this spell, you need to expend most of your energy; you should only have enough for this one spell. That way, you'll be forced to retreat to the Dragon's Table to recover."

"... Fine. It seems we've met an agreeable deal. I accept." Grima smirked. "Just know this one thing: I will find them, and I will wipe out the Exalted bloodline once and for all."

Marth had suggested that they stay in an inn near Ylisstol's edge so that they might train. Naturally, Robin had no qualms with staying in shape.

On that note, he couldn't help but notice that Marth wasn't quite as thin as he had been when they'd first met. On the one hand, it was a relief. But, considering that the two hadn't been able to find food every single day, Robin had to wonder how starved Marth must have been prior to their meeting for his current condition to somehow be an improvement. It was kind of frightening, honestly. That was in the past, though. As long as Robin could help it, neither of them would go hungry.

He then made his way to his destination, where he identified his companion awaiting him on the make-shift training grounds. The area was clear of activity and separated from structures, so it would certainly suffice.

Before he even had a chance to register what was going on, Robin found himself situated on the opposite end of the area from Marth, wooden practice sword in hand. Everything was happening too quickly. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before Marth's inevitable charge. It was all too familiar, being so lost in thought that he couldn't even recall his own actions. Attempting to clear his thoughts, Robin shook his head and blew out briskly.

And then, Marth charged. Robin intercepted the first strike and was taken aback by the sudden pressure. Marth's strength was surprising, to say the least. His speed, however, was key. Rapidly coming forward with back-and-forth horizontal slices, he forced Robin to take several steps back.

This was triggering memories, something Robin had seen before. But, it was different from what he'd seen from Marth so far as he could recall. The closest he could remember for certain was his vertical repetition against Chrom back during the tournament.

Jolting back to the present, Robin realized he had been fighting off instinct while he reminisced. As a result, he would have trouble remembering Marth's last few actions and then formulating a strategy.

Marth came forward with a downward chop, which Robin countered. The two were evenly matched in the resulting deadlock. Marth escaped from the encounter and made for a low sweep.

"What's with all this intensity?" he tried, hoping his opponent would realize the overkill.

"I'm simply preparing for the future." A frown suddenly plastered itself on Marth's face, as if he was scowling at himself.

That approach wasn't going to work any time soon, so Robin opted for a different tactic - casual conversation, a sure-fire way to lessen the tension. "So, do you have a family?"

Robin immediately found himself grounded by an unusually placed hilt slam to his rib cage. His breathing was now rapid and difficult, begging far more effort than normal. I'm just swell at this whole 'casual conversation' thing, aren't I? "I think I'll stay down here for a second, alright?"

"Suit yourself."

"If this is how you spar with friends, I'd hate to face you in battle…" Robin continued, panting.

"We are simply acquaintances. Nothing more," Marth reminded.

"So you keep saying," Robin chuckled, spurring a small coughing fit. "Anyway, what's the plan next?"

"... We're going to the library."

"And here I thought you said we weren't friends." Robin smirked.

"It just so happens that I have a few subjects I need to research as well," he claimed, sounding unsure.

"Alright, then. I look forward to seeing what you find."

Robin rounded the corner toward his favorite set of books; for obvious reasons, he found tactical manuals and battle-related books to be practical, but they also fascinated him. The thought that certain strategies were simply presented to the world for all to see and yet were still effective - that was almost incomprehensible. 'Almost' was the operative word, though, and Robin accepted the challenge of either figuring out why that was or proving that theory wrong.

If only he didn't have to carry everything around with him, he'd check out some of the novels, too. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be possible any time soon.

In the corner of his eye he saw Marth approach a shelf and shuffle through a number of books before carefully removing one. It was in the 'histories' section. From across the room, all Robin could make out was the title, The Origin of the Nations.

As Marth left the aisle, Robin took his place, trying to find another copy of the text. As luck would have it, there were several. He opened one and flipped through the first few pages, and suddenly he was greeted by a shockingly familiar face - or rather, everything except the face. Aside from the mask, or lack thereof, the man portrayed on the page resembled Marth perfectly in hair, stature, and dress. What was more, the caption underneath the image referred to the man as "Marth."

As if to confirm what he was thinking, Robin looked frantically around the room to find Marth. The one he knew, of course. This time, luck was not in his favor: Marth was nowhere to be seen. Dropping the book and rushing out of the shop to locate his companion, he quickly searched the empty streets.

Something caught his eye; movement, quick motion several blocks further into the city. It did, in fact, have blue coloration.

Naturally, questions began to surge through Robin's mind, most of them pertaining to Marth's identity. There was one thing he knew with certainty, though: if he didn't keep his focus, he could lose his companion at any moment. Winding his way through the streets of Ylisstol in pursuit of Marth, Robin drew closer and closer to his unknown destination near the city-center.

Lucina made her way left from the hole in the wall, the one made by her father. It was a miracle she'd remembered it after so long, but there wasn't yet time to be thankful. She maneuvered quietly in the underbrush which tended to sprout at the castle walls. Careful not to physically run into any assassins, she listened closely for her father's voice.

Nothing. The area was silent. Moving on, she once again found an open courtyard, and she paused. Still nothing. Yet another time, she shuffled along until she reached a place likely to hold wandering residence, the Eastern Gate. Nothing.

Trying one last idea, Lucina found her way to the inner garden. On the bench beside the apple tree, both of which she'd grown inexplicably fond of, sat her parents. Her fondness for them, of course, was entirely explicable. She listened closely.

"Shouldn't you be at the war meeting?" her mother asked.

"Still? No, they're pretty short. Usually just me and my sister butting heads while nobody else gives input, and I eventually have to give up. Really, I ought to hire someone to help with that."

"But what about your briefing with Frederick?"

"I can't get out of those meetings fast enough. I have half a mind to march down a gravel road somewhere so he can drive himself mad instead of me," her father replied. "But anyway, I've finished my duties until tomorrow."

"Oh." Her gaze remained forward and distant. Lucina took the next few moments of silence to stealthily approach.

"Was there any particular reason you asked me to come her?"

"No…. Nothing special, anyway. I just thought you seemed extra tired recently, so I baked you another pie." She removed the pastry from beneath the bench.

"Oh, you didn't have to do this, Sumia. It must have been such a hassle."

"No trouble at all, really! And I wouldn't want you feeling less than your best."

"... alright, I won't complain. Thank you, Sumia," he agreed. "Would you care to share it, then?"

"Oh! Thank you, sir."

"Nonsense. It was you who baked the pie, after all, so don't thank me."

"Sorry to interrupt," Lucina said, stepping into the clearing. "But I'm afraid the pie will have to wait."

"You - you're the one who defeated me at the tournament," her father recalled.

She nodded.

"How'd you get in here?"

"Through the cleft in the wall, behind the maple grove."

He began muttering to himself inaudibly before proceeding with the unexpected conversation. "That only caved in a week ago, and yet you found it so quickly. I thought I'd covered it well enough."

"And so you did; you need not fear my knowledge of it, for I have told none others."

"I am inclined to trust you," he reasoned, "seeing how you provided Ylisse with Feroxi reinforcements. Still, I'm a bit weary of those who break into my home at night. And you, sir. If you have anything to aid your cause, it would be much appreciated."

"Unfortunately, I can't prove my trustworthiness quite yet. But until then, feel free to draw your sword, if it comforts you."

"Chrom, I can… I can vouch for him."

"Sumia, you know this man?" he questioned.

"... Not especially well, but… he taught me to fight. Back in Ferox," she explained. "I doubt an enemy would do that."

"I suppose not," he conceded. "And admittedly, you do have an air of justice rather than malice."

"I appreciate the help," Lucina thanked. "Perhaps now I should explain my presence."

"Yes, perhaps you should," her father agreed.

"I've come to warn you that the Exalt's life is in danger."

"... Tonight? But how?" he questioned.

"If I… if I said I'd seen the future, what then? I don't suppose your trust extends that far…" Lucina proposed.

"This is too important to gamble on your trustworthiness."

"Very well, sir," she accepted. "Plegian assassins have entered the castle this very night, though I know not how. They seek to kill Exalt Emmeryn." A rustling caught her ear, emanating from the brush behind her. "But hers is not the only life at stake. I believe this should be sufficient proof."

Lucina drew Falchion, and her father did the same. Then, she turned around fully, extending her blade toward the bush which caused the noise. An unsuspecting assassin immediately emerged from his cover and impaled himself on the sword. Lucina looked to her father, who nodded his understanding.

She sheathed Falchion. "Now we defend the Exalt."

"Right," Chrom agred. "This way." He turned to enter a nearby corridor. Suddenly, another rustling came from the same direction as the last. Lucina turned to face it, but already the second assassin was approaching rapidly. She didn't even have time to draw Falchion.

Robin crept quietly up to the shrubs touching the castle wall. "Marth" had disappeared behind them. His better sense told him not to follow him, but shortly after Marth's entry into the castle, he caught sight of a trailing hooded figure wielding a shortsword; there were very few ways this could play out, and Robin certainly wasn't keen on leaving it to chance.

As he had assumed, there was a secret entrance of sorts behind the brush, although said entrance didn't look intentional. Plus, the stones which once made up that portion of the wall could be found outside the walls, indicating somebody inside was the cause.

Moving on, Robin entered the castle grounds. He couldn't see Marth, though, so he quickly decided his best bet was to make up his mind quickly. Carefully moving to the right alongside the walls, minutes passed in unceasing furtiveness until he heard voices coming from nearer the castle itself. Seeing as he had snuck onto castle grounds uninvited, it followed that there were likely guards who wouldn't appreciate his presence.

The voices came from behind an apple tree. One of them belonged to Chrom, the man he'd fought in Ferox. Was it possible that he was an Ylissean royal? Robin figured someone of such high status wouldn't be risking his life for the sake of a foreign ruler's politics, but it did make sense when he recalled what Marth had said to Khan Basilio: Yliss is threatened by war and have sent messengers to request an alliance, or something like that. It was certainly possible that a deal had been struck, soldiers in exchange for champions. Whatever the case, Marth too had seemed pretty adamant about Ylisse receiving Feroxi reinforcements, so it stood to reason she'd come into contact with the Ylissean royalty at some point.

The other voice was a woman's. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it. Moving forward to hear better, he saw that the woman was the pegasus rider who'd competed in the tournament.

Without warning, Marth emerged from the shadows behind them. "Sorry to interrupt, but the pie will have to wait."

Robin was determined to not be distracted for once; he listened intently to every word. It was fortunate that he had overheard this conversation; Marth's ability to predict the future would certainly be an important piece of knowledge should it prove true.

That was when the assassin emerged from the underbrush opposite Robin and basically plunged right into Marth's sword. Check - Marth definitely knew the future.

"Now we defend the Exalt."

"Right. This way."

A glint caught Robin's eye, coming from the bush which had hidden the assassin. Without thinking, Robin rushed forward, and everything began to move slowly. He passed Chrom; the second assassin charged Marth; Robin felt that fire in his right hand again, like he had when he fought Chrom in Ferox. Robin outstretched his hand in front of Marth's face; he cast a wind spell; the assassin's blade was pushed aside. Marth's head flew back as if punched; he collapse; and finally, everything returned to normal speed.

Quickly making good work of the intruder, Chrom turned to Robin. "It seems we have yet another guest."

"My apologies. I'm-"

"Robin, I remember," Chrom sighed. "I know your skill, and if your allegiance lies with Marth, I'll trust you for the time being." He turned to look at Marth. "We've spent enough time gathering ourselves.

Robin nodded, hoisting Marth over his shoulder.

Chrom ran toward the Exalt's chambers, and Robin hurried as quickly as he could while bearing Marth's weight. The nearly silent Sumia brought up the rear.

"Do you have any soldiers at your disposal?" Robin asked.

"Only Emmeryn's guard are awake, and I'd be willing to guess they're undergoing a shift change right about now."

"You don't even know when the shifts end? If that information is so well kept, I can't fathom how the assassins would have known."

Chrom shrugged. "The Shepherds' barracks is within the castle grounds, though. Sumia, you'll need to go there to get your lance. You should wake the others while you're there."

"Of course, captain!" Sumia complied, turning off in another direction.

Robin looked at Chrom as they made their way down the hall. It was fortunate that the assassins were so intent on remaining hidden, for their speed suffered as a result. The pair would certainly reach Emmeryn's chambers first.

"Do you mind if I help with the battle plans? I'm sort of an amateur strategist, a tactician, if you will. I figure I could learn from your own strategist," Robin requested.

"An amateur is all we have, as well; any help in that field is welcome." Chrom came to a halt. "We're here. My sister is just through those doors."

"Your sister? So you are royalty. I wasn't certain…"

"You weren't certain I was royalty until after you broke into my castle?" Chrom asked incredulously. "But enough of all this. Maybe now would be a good time to wake Emmeryn."

"Then the assassins would know for certain that we've caught on. We can't have that," Robin input.

Chrom nodded his agreement. "I suppose we've spent our luck already, considering we've yet to see any assassins near the throne room."

"I'm quite the lucky fellow myself." The new voice came from the shadow several feet away. "It's a shame that tonight turned sour so quickly, though. Might be the least lucky I've been."

"Show yourself, or you'll find luck won't be enough," Chrom challenged.

"Easy there, now. I'm not here to hurt anyone." The redhead came out of the darkness, dagger in hand.

Chrom put his palm to his forehead. "Not another on…. Does everyone breaking in to the castle tonight expect me to trust them?"

"Slow down there, big guy. Lucky for you, you don't have to trust me. You just have to pay me."

"What do you mean? Pay you for what? You broke in."

"You can pay me to fight for you. Allow me to explain," he offered. "The name's Gaius." He stuck out his hand.

"Get on with it," Chrom said impatiently.

"Geez, don't blow your lid." Gaius retracted his hand. "I came here to rob the exalt; they never said we were gonna kill her. Now, I may be a thief, but I'm an honorable one; I'm no assassin."

"... Righ. Sure," Chrom remarked.

"The point is, I could still make out of here with quite the haul. But, I could be persuaded to… reconsider my priorities."

"Perhaps Frederick was right," Chrom muttered. He then spoke up. "Fine. I'll pay you. I'm tired of dealing with all… this."

"You don't find this fun?" Robin teased.

Footsteps began to echo down the hall, and Chrom and Robin drew their weapons. Before long, the Shepherds became visible down the hall, and all of them eventually grouped together outside Emmeryn's room. It wouldn't be long before the enemy realized they were expected.

"Hey, Chrom," a shirtless axe-wielder hollered. "We caught little miss here sneaking around. She says she's here to help." He gestured toward a rather hairy woman with pointed ears atop her head.

Chrom balled his fists. "I'm done with this!" he whispered fiercely to himself. "Yes, Vaike, she can fight. But keep an eye on her. Virion." He turned to a green-haired archer. "This is Robin. He's going to help you with the strategy. Just put me at the forefront - I have some… frustration to vent."

"You mean you're not enjoying the party?" Robin joked.

Chrom glared at him.

Chuckling, Virion walked up to Robin. "It's nice to make your acquaintance. Let's get started."

"Right."

"I picked up this map of the castle on the way out of the barracks. We are right here." Virion pointed to the left side of the map. "We'll need to station men at this location to protect the Exalt, of course."

Chrom called out, "They're coming out into the open now! Prepare to fight!"

Everyone but Virion and Robin formed up.

"Gaius!" Robin called. "Come over here!"

The thief eagerly abandoned his post. "What do you need?"

"Is your leader here at the castle, or did he send you all off unguided?"

"He's here. A nasty dark mage, real tall and thin. Dark skin, too."

"Thanks, you can go back now," Robin dismissed.

"Virion spoke up. "He's an assassin?"

"Long story. Ask later," Robin reminded. "The leader will likely have three or four stronger soldiers guarding him, as well as a few archers. If we can take him out, we'd still have to deal with all the other assassins, but…"

"... But they wouldn't form a cooperative assault," Virion finished. "He'll likely be just inside the main gate. I fear those guards on watch will have already been dealt with. Regardless, we should send a party to confront him."

"I agree. Or better yet, three parties. The map shows three corridors leading West to the main gate, and there are likely assassins in each of them. With one team in each passage, they won't be able to avoid us, and they'll be forced to spread out."

Meanwhile, Chrom and Vaike did their best to keep up with the assassins who danced around them. Vaike, obviously, wasn't fond of dancing; he would certainly have been caught multiple times by a dagger had Chrom not stepped in and deflected it. Still, Chrom was only barely able to do so.

"I believe we ought to rework the teams," Virion suggested. He carefully shot an arrow between fellow Shepherds, hitting his target of the assassin confronting an green-armoured horse rider.

Robin nodded. "Speed will be invaluable in the matter of our advance teams, so the cavalry should be split evenly between them. But they'll be sitting ducks for archers, so mages should accompany them to protect them."

"We have but two mages," Virion stated simply.

"Damn. I'm stuck to this location since I have to carry him," Robin realized, readjusting the unconscious Marth over his shoulder. "What about that woman? She's new, right?"

"Yes, I believe so." He walked up to her and began to speak words inaudible to Robin over the clatter of the fight. After being slapped, Virion returned with the woman in tow.

"This is Panne. She says she is a Taguel."

"A 'Taguel'? What does that mean?"

"It means I transform."

"Ahh. Quick question, why haven't you been fighting with the others?" Robin wondered aloud.

"I require space, or else I would harm an ally," she explained.

"So you transform into something large? If you really need so much space, your other form must be larger than a horse, correct?" The gears in Robin's head began to turn. Metaphorically speaking.

"...Yes."

"Is it possible that you could carry us?" Robin wondered, referring to himself and Marth.

"I find the idea repulsive. But I owe a debt to the Exalt; let it be as you say. Then it will be considered repaid upon tonight's victory," she agreed. "But never request this of me again."

"Of course. Thank you, Panne." Addressing Virion, he directed, "Send your cavalry and your mages down the northern corridors. Panne and I will take the southern."

Virion nodded. "I thought us partners. Still, I see no flaw in your plan as of yet. I'll do as you say."

"Also, station Lon'qu and the knight where the southern hall meets this one. You, Gaius, and Vaike take the northernmost intersection, and leave the others here."

"It will be done." Virion then began shouting orders, and the Shepherds followed them without hesitation.

"Now are you ready?" Robin asked Panne.

"As ready as one can be when she is to be ridden like a beast," she deadpanned. "Though, I doubt the beasts feel any differently." Panne then transformed into a giant rabbit.

"That certainly wasn't what I was expecting," Robin admitted.

"Get on."

Hoisting Marth onto Panne's back, he climbed up quickly and directed her to the southern hall. There, Lon'qu was already making quick work of the assassins.

"I could have sworn I stationed somebody here to help Lon'qu fight…" Robin muttered. Raising his voice, he spoke to Panne. "Just run straight as fast as you can. I'll deflect any arrows and take out any assassins who don't get out of your way."

She nodded in agreement. After a short moment, her speed increased tremendously.

Sure enough, an arrow came flying at the trio. Robin cast a wind spell, knocking it aside. Again, an archer sent an arrow. Robin blew it away and shot a fireball at the perpetrator. Further down the corridor, another archer did the same; Robin treated him no differently. Then, as predicted, a dagger-wielding thief stood in the center of the hall, refusing to move and daring the Taguel to ram into him. Robin let out a bolt of thunder magic, charring him.

"We're almost there," Robin said as he disposed of yet another archer. "I'm drained, and I assume you are as well."

Panne remained silent, her agreement implied.

"I should still be able to wield my sword just fine, though," Robin remembered, anticipating the confrontation with the lead assassin.

The pair came to a halt where the hall opened up into a courtyard. Robin dismounted. A little ways down, two cavaliers, two mages, and a mounted knight were already making their way toward him. He removed Marth from Panne's back and waited patiently while the Shepherds gathered near.

"I'm sort of the 'acting tactician' tonight," Robin started.

"Lord Chrom informed us," Frederick said, begrudgingly. "I'll follow your command because he instructed me to do so."

"That will be good enough. And the rest of you?"

The others shrugged. Frederick's consent was apparently enough for them.

"Good. There may be archers out there, so I'll exit first. I need you two to follow me," he said to the cavaliers. "The rest of you, wait at the guards' entry. Only come out once you hear us engage. Then, use your magic on the soldiers that are fighting us at the main doors. Got it?"

"Got it," the younger mage confirmed.

"Frederick, just focus on protecting them." Robin motioned toward the mages.

"You know my name?" Frederick asked suspiciously.

"I've heard of you," Robin waved off. "Now let's go."

He slowly approached the main doors. Cavaliers in tow, he eased open said doors. Before even seeing through, Robin shot a wind spell. An arrow clattered to the side. Rushing out before the archer could retrieve another, Robin took aim with a fire spell, knocking him off the wall.

Immediately, the archer stationed further down the wall turned his attention from guards' entry and fired at Robin, who was thankful he wasn't dealing with a whole artillery unit as he dealt with his opponent accordingly. The arrow hit the ground beside the cavaliers, who'd passed Robin and were already engaging two enemy mounts. Robin took out the archer with another fire spell as the Shepherds' mages blasted thunder spells at the enemies as instructed, leaving the mounted Shepherds free of opponents. The third and final enemy mount now left his commander's side, but he was easily taken out in a joint effort. That left just the commander, who just stood there, unfazed.

"Fools. All of you," he whispered crisply. "All of you will bow to Grima!" He shouted now, and then he cackled.

"This guy's a nut," the redheaded cavalier remarked.

"It's fate. It's already been written, and you cannot stop it," he continued. "Even with that unknown character." He pointed at Marth in disgust.

"Him?" Robin asked. "What do you know about Marth?"

The dark mage sighed. "What part of 'unknown' don't you get, boy? But it doesn't matter. I'll take you all on; I have fate on my side."

"We'll see about that," Robin replied.

Removing his sword from his belt, Robin approached the foe alone. He charged, swinging his sword down with his whole weight in the style of Chrom. The man held out his hands, dark magic somehow preventing the blade from moving closer, as though the purple haze were solid.

"Ok, I can play your game," Robin challenged.

He spun around his opponent, once again meeting dark magic as the sorcerer turned around as well. he then began preparing a wind spell.

"That weak spell won't kill me," the mage claimed.

"It's not meant to kill you."

The man suddenly scowled, finding a sword protruding from his heart, stabbed in the back by the brown-haired cavalier.

"It's meant to distract you," Robin finished.

"B-but this is not possible! This isn't how tonight was written!" The man sunk low and vanished under his cloak.

"That was most underwhelming," the older mage observed.

"I'll say. But I guess this wasn't supposed to be a direct confrontation," Robin reasoned. "Just a quick assassination."

"That doesn't make it any less boring," the red-haired cavalier responded.

"I only pray that Lord Chrom has had as easy a time," Frederick worried.

"Aww, quit your worrying; he'll be fine."

And then the endless bickering ensued as though the battle had never occurred. Robin couldn't help but wonder how anyone ever got through to them except through war. It didn't matter, though; they were an exceptional militia.

Robin snuck away quietly after the confrontation, which admittedly felt too easy. It was sort of unsettling, how simple it had been to take out the sorcerer. Nevertheless, he was anxious to check in on Marth and hopefully waken him. It had appeared as though a concussion was the only damage done, but Robin wasn't so sure anymore. Now that he thought about it, the events leading up to Marth's unconsciousness bore far too much resemblance to the tournament at Regna Ferox, when he'd injured Chrom; that injury had not been easily dealt with, if Robin recalled correctly.

He set his companion on one of the beds in the room, exhausted from the long walk back from the palace to the inn. The first thing Robin noticed was that things were as he feared; there was damage to Marth's face from whatever had transpired; it almost seemed like a burn mark. He cursed at himself, blaming himself for letting it happen, but then gathering himself.

Drawing in a deep breath, he put his thoughts behind him. He had to take care of Marth's injury. Careful not to put too much pressure on Marth's face, Robin took hold and removed the mask from across his face.

Hello again. Sorry for taking so long to update. Anyway, I thought you all should know that I have a new beta. Previously, gokart48 was helping me out. As many of you know, he has become busy recently, so he isn't able to lend his services anymore. He did help me out with most of this chapter, but he had to quit part of the way through. Now I have a new beta, Samswimmer. He and gokart48 have different strengths, so you may notice some differences starting in this chapter. With any luck, my writing will continue to be just as good as it has been. (Also, for those of you who are familiar with The Legend of Zelda or Kingdom Hearts, you should check out Samswimmer's works. And as always, if you haven't read gokart48's stories, you really should go check them out.)

Now, about the chapter. It was a pretty long one. I was going to split it into two chapters and post them both right away. There were two reason's I didn't. The first is that not much happened in the first half of the chapter. The second is that, while this chapter was pretty long, I like each of my chapters to be at least 3000 words. Each half would have been about 2800. Anyway, I hope these 5600 words were good ones. This is the part where I respond to your words:

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Elasmotherium: In the game, gerome was the one who gave her the mask... But perhaps you made the change intentionally.

Me: I did change that intentionally. I decided I could make it more important by having Robin give it to her.

Elasmotherium: Hopefully she won't keep calling him uncle, though

Me: No worries. She will just call him Robin. My intention is to treat the people of each timeline as being different people (Lucina is different from Lucia, for example). The characters might not always see it that way, but that's because of their own personalities. But the characters are capable of being wrong, so they might mix things up sometimes.

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Victory3114: Why would she need Robin to be absent on the night of the assassination?

Me: Robin is getting to her. He's trying to convince her to be less cold and distant, and she realizes it's working (slightly). But she doesn't want to grow close. She also doesn't want to trust him. She's trying to prove to herself that she's not growing attached to anyone. Why doesn't she want to get attached? She lost her parents at a young age, and the only other person she was really close to was Cynthia. And we all know what happened to Cynthia... just kidding. We don't know that yet.

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chaosalien: Does this mean that you also have a set number of chapters for this story? How many can we expect?

Me: I don't know exactly how many yet. It will probably be around 35. No more than 40, unless I get carried away. Definitely at least 28, including the prologue and epilogue. Also, I'm going to go back and move last chapter's A/N's to the end.

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Finally, I'd like to thank Dane Namor for his review. It was very helpful, to say the least. It was very long, though, so I won't respond here (I already responded via PM). If any of you would like to know about what he had to say, just PM me. I will send you my response to him. Anyway, thanks again for your patience, and I'll do my best to make the best story I'm capable of.