The Mad Exalt
Author's note: I recommend listening to "Don't speak her name!" from Fire Emblem: Awakening when you see an asterisk (*) mark, then "And what if I can't? What if I'm not worthy of her ideals?" from Fire Emblem: Awakening when you see two asterisk (**) marks.
Chrom stood at the end of the central balcony while the setting sun shone behind his back. The cobblestone platform he stood on was elevated above the castle and surrounded by railings. Emmeryn had always wanted to build an observation deck for the castle so she could see the smiles of all her subjects, so Chrom had this balcony constructed in remembrance of her.
Unfortunatly for the ghost of Emmeryn, smiles were long gone from the citizens of Ylisstol.
In the center of the floor was the symbol of the Exalt, and Chrom's gaze turned up from the icon to the other side of the raised platform, where a ragged man with white hair made himself visible.
Robin's fist clenched as he surmounted the staircase and found himself on a sunlit balcony; Chrom stood at the other side with a glare in his eyes.
A cool breeze of air drifted by as the two stood opposite each other. Robin held a silver sword in his right hand, and Chrom's Falchion was thrusted in the ground to his right. The blade of Chrom's legendary sword was polished as sunlight bounced off its metallic edge, which stood in sharp contrast to Chrom's rugged look. His once proud cape was now a tattered cloth that swayed in the breeze behind him. Even his tattoo of the Exalt's brand on his right arm had grown faded.
Here stood two warriors who had lost everything; their families, their kingdom, and even their sympathy for one another.
The glare in Robin's eyes showed that he was itching at the chance to kill the fanatical dastard who had caused the death of his wife, and Chrom's burning pupils showed that he was salivating to drive his blade through his former friend who supported the scum that slaughtered his family.
There they stood, silently anticipating the other to make the first move. One might expect a grand or epic speech about which side was wrong and which side was right. At the very least, Robin should've made an appeal to Chrom's senses, considering three years ago they were close allies.
Chrom deemed that Robin was not worthy of such formalities, and Robin came to the same conclusion regarding Chrom.
*Chrom lifted his sword out of the ground and held it with his right arm; his shredded cap flowed in the breeze behind him while he sprinted towards Robin. Robin screamed at the top of his lungs in rage as he sprinted towards Chrom.
As they both screamed and ran at each other with blade in hand, they began to think.
"One last push." Chrom thought.
"One last struggle." Robin thought.
"One last hurdle to surmount before I know peace." They each came to the same thought as they met in the center. Even if they were to fall, they could finally be with their family again.
Robin lunged his sword out in a quick jab and Chrom deftly blocked the blow with his blade. The former tactician responded by frantically smashing his sword down towards Chrom's head, and the Exalt parried the bashes, then quickly sliced at Robin's arm.
A good chunk of the cloth on Robin's arm was torn off while Robin quickly darted back. His arm was uninjured, and he spent the next few moments circling Chrom like a fox hunting its prey.
Robin had adopted a frenzied and panicked style of combat, while Chrom seemingly retained the same elegant yet powerful style he had used three years ago. One might ask why Robin didn't use the newfound powers of his bloodline against Chrom.
The simple truth was said powers were simply too informal for Robin. Driving his blade through Chrom's chest and watching the life leave his eyes was much more personal.
Robin slammed his foot into the ground and slashed his sword upwards into Chrom's chest. The blade tore through the front of his armor like scissors cutting through paper, and a tear in Chrom's clothing formed to reveal his stomach. Robin glared with pure malice burning in his eyes as he brought the tip of his sword to Chrom's neck. Chrom's eyes focused dead ahead on Robin with a stare of contempt.
Chrom expected Robin to make some witty one-liner along the lines of 'time to tip the scales', or something while his sword pressed against Chrom's neck. But silence was the only thing Robin had in mind while his greasy white hair flowed in the breeze.
In the blink of an eye, Chrom swung his fist into Robin's head and knocked him to the floor. His sword was knocked out of his hands and flew across the floor until it landed at the railing of the balcony.
Robin's head throbbed in pain as he looked up from the stone floor to his sword, then found Chrom leaning over him with a glare.
Despite Robin's expectations, Chrom did not did not impale him or kick him while he was down like Gangrel would. Instead, he held his outstretched arm out. Robin grabbed his hand, and to his surprise, Chrom helped him to his feet.
Chrom's father had taught him that there was no honor in dispatching a downed foe. If possible, he should instead offer them the chance for a fair fight.
Chrom strode back to the other side of the balcony while Robin walked over to his sword, picked it up, then walked back to the entrance of the raised platform.
As they both stood with malicious looks burning in their pupils, they charged again with their blades dragging along the ground. When they met in the center, their swords locked together to form an X shape.
Sparks flew between the swords while Chrom and Robin used all their strength to push against the other. Their eyes met while their hands were at their swords, and there was something amiss about their pupils.
Gone was the familiar warmth in Robin's eyes that Chrom would see before almost every tactical meeting. In its place was a frenzied look of pure disdain for Chrom. It was blatantly apparent from Robin's quick and panicked fighting style that the only thing Robin wanted before he left this world was Chrom's head.
Gone was the calming resolve of a kind leader that was present in Chrom's blue irises. Now the only emotion his eyes could convey was emptiness and sorrow. Even in the precise, yet slow way that Chrom swung his sword, Robin could see that this fight was the only thing Chrom had left to look forward to in his life.
Chrom used his strength to overpower Robin and knock his sword out of his hands, then made a quick, vertical slice in Robin's general direction. A scar formed next to Robin's right eye as the blade tore through his skin like a knife through butter.
Robin and Chrom both retreated back while Robin clutched the side of his head. The wound was only skin-deep, and no blood leaked out of it, but it was still a noticeable gash.
As they stood on opposite sides of the courtyard, they felt their bodies fall to the ground as they remembered that it had been roughly three years since they had done any combat. Robin's knees started to buckle as his hands were coated with sweat, and his breathing had become incredibly heavy.
Chrom fell to his knees as well, and a blistering headache formed due to exhaustion. He checked the inside of his coat, where he could see a small, faded picture.
The picture depicted his wife, Aversa, and their daughter. It was the last thing Aversa had given him before her and Lucina's lives were wrongfully taken.
Before Chrom's head landed on the ground, a tear rolled down his cheek while he lunged his fist out towards Robin. Both of them shut their exhausted eyes as they laid face-first on the stone balcony and began to dream about simpler days.
Days when they were friends.
A boy with blue hair walked into his older sister's study with a fluffy teddy bear clutched to his chest as if it were a shield. Nightmares about his mother and father had been haunting him in his sleep for the last few nights.
"Emm?" Chrom asked while his sister, Emmeryn, sat at a desk with her head bowed in thought. Her head jerked upright and she slowly turned to face Chrom. She had noticeable sags underneath her eyes, but she still had a bright smile.
"Yes, Chrom? What do you need?" Emmeryn asked as she stood up from her chair. Chrom knew that it was not easy to rebuild the kingdom of Ylisse after the damage her father had done, but Emmeryn always greeted her task with an optimistic smile.
"I had nightmares about father and mother again," Chrom spoke as he wiped his eyes with his bare arm.
"Do you need me to tuck you into bed?" Emmeryn asked as she walked in front of Chrom and knelt down to his eye level.
"Yes please." Chrom held his sister's hand as she lead him out of her study and down the dimly-lit hallways of the castle. Considering that her mother had passed away when Chrom and Lissa were born, Emmeryn did her best to fill in as a maternal substitute for her siblings.
As Emmeryn opened the door to her brother's room, she stood at the side of his bed while Chrom pulled himself onto the raised mattress. Emmeryn covered his body with a blue blanket while he rested his head on a pillow.
"What did father do in your nightmare?" She asked as she got on her knees and rested her arms on the bed.
"He told me that I would never be a good Exalt." Chrom turned over and stared at a wall.
"Don't listen to him," Emmeryn spoke as she patted Chrom on the back in an affectionate manner. "You will bring great happiness to Ylisse when you rule as Exalt. I know that you'll make a good ruler, Chrom."
A man with blue hair stood at the side of his wife while their newborn bundle of joy rested in her crib. The crib was bathed in the sunlight from a nearby window while the couple held each other in their arms.
"I love you," Aversa spoke as she smiled at Chrom.
"I love you too, dear," Chrom responded as he held the back of Aversa's head.
A man with white hair sat at the top of a hill with a small box in his hand. The setting sun shone in the horizon while a certain someone with long, red hair walked up the hill and sat at his side.
"This is a rather nice spot." Cordelia smiled as she rested her head on Robin's shoulder. The shade from a tree behind them provided a comfort from the rays of the sun. "You always had good taste when it came to scenic lookouts."
"Really? Remember last time when it rained at that picnic spot the second we got there?" Robin mildly laughed to himself as he looked to the surrounding area. Grassy hills stretched out as far as the eye could see, and at the base of a nearby hill was the camp of the Shepherds.
Cordelia was silent as she threw her arm around Robin's shoulder as she continued to lean on him. "So, there's something I wanted to ask you."
"Is it about our rations today?" Cordelia asked. "Because I thought they were absurdly small and tasted like dirt."
"No, no, it's not about the rations." Robin smiled as he rested his arm on Cordelia's body. "It's about… us, really."
"Go on…" Cordelia's tone indicated that she was anticipating something while Robin fumbled with the pocket of his cloak.
"Ever since we got together, I've been thinking about the future, and… Well, I don't really know how to say this…" Robin slowly got to his feet and stood before Cordelia with a small velvet box in his hand. "Cordelia, I want you to be in my future." He got down on one knee and opened the box to reveal a ring adorned with a sapphire gemstone. "Will you marry me?"
Cordelia's eyes widened with joy as she clasped her hands together, then slowly took the ring out of the box and fitted it over the fourth finger of her right hand.
"Yes! A thousand times yes!" Cordelia wrapped her arms around Robin's body and pressed her lips to his own.
"Thank you," Robin spoke as he embraced her back. "You've made me the happiest man in Ylisse."
Chrom and Robin awoke and immediately let loose a blood-curdling scream as they scrambled to their feet. The setting sun was now replaced with a full moon that hung in the night sky like a shining lantern.
Even though the area around them was pitch-black, they were still able to see each other thanks to a newfound light source. A pattern of six eyes formed on the sides of Robin's head, with three eyes distributed on both the left and right side. The pattern glowed with a purple, sickly light that allowed Chrom to see Robin's cold, glaring eyes.
Chrom's faded tattoo on his right arm glowed with a resplendent, golden gleam, and allowed Robin to see Chrom through the darkness.
As these two broken warriors stood on the platform, they had acquired so much hatred and disdain for the opposing side that they threw their swords to the wayside and charged at each other with clenched fists.
"Chrom!" Robin held an 'O' sound as he charged.
"Robin!" Chrom growled at the top of his lungs and held an 'I' sound. The feeling of pure malice was practically palpable in their voices while they glared.
As the two met in the center of the moonlit balcony, their fists connected with the other's face and they were both knocked backward. Spit flew out of their mouths as they lunged again. Chrom struck Robin in the gut, and Robin doubled over in throbbing pain before swiping his foot into Chrom's knee.
Gone was their different fighting styles that conveyed what each side was feeling. Now they both adopted a slow, powerful method of punching, almost as if the only thing they had left was pure, never-ending hatred.
Chrom tumbled to the floor and sprawled on his back while Robin sat atop him. He pinned the Exalt down by the neck as he used his other hand to strike Chrom in the head. Chrom struggled and his eyes widened as Robin's fist connected with his face.
Robin struck again. His face had the expression of one whose blood was boiling.
And again. Blood and spit were expelled from Chrom's mouth. All Robin could think of Cordelia.
And again. Chrom was unable to throw Robin off no matter how hard he struggled.
Robin used one final strike to pull Chrom's head towards him as he leaned back and winded up a punch. He then struck Chrom's head with so much force that he was slammed into the stone floor and made a skull-sized dent in it. Robin stepped off of Chrom and backed off while the Exalt slowly got to his feet and wiped the blood from his lips. Chrom felt a throbbing sensation burn in his head while bloody gashes formed at his brow.
The two charged at each other again, and they brought their foreheads together like two horned animals locking their crowns and battling for dominance. Robin glared directly into Chrom's eyes as he pressed his forehead to Chrom's, and Chrom squinted due to the brightness of the markings underneath Robin's eyes.
They could both see in the other's hateful eyes that they didn't care if they were friends. They just wanted the other person dead and buried.
Chrom and Robin both slumped towards each other until their chests were pressed together. They pushed, and struggled, and fought with all their might to knock the other down, but they were too equally matched.
Finally, Chrom felt a surge of energy fill his body while he grabbed Robin by the shoulders and jerked his knee into his former friend's gut. Robin swung his fist in retaliation as he doubled over, and Chrom blocked the blow with his fist. Chrom then swung his knee into Robin's head and knocked him backward.
**Exhaustion began to take its toll on Chrom when he collapsed on one knee and fell onto his back. His body started to feel like it had caught flame. Robin laid on the other side of the balcony gasping for breath.
The two slowly got to their feet and began to limp towards each other. Gone was their burning energy in their eyes that allowed them to fight like there was no tomorrow.
Now, their eyes were drooping and half-shut. All that was sustaining them from falling over was how much anger they had.
As they slowly walked towards the center of the balcony, they made quiet grunts with every step they took. It gave off the sense that Chrom and Robin were just tired. Tired of living in a crumbling kingdom. Tired of fighting.
Tired of being alive.
As they met in the center of the raised platform, Chrom slowly swung his closed fist into Robin's head. Robin was knocked back, then approached with an uppercut at Chrom's jaw. Blood flew out of Chrom's mouth as his head was jerked upright, then he lunged back towards Robin. Chrom and Robin both had to fight to keep their eyes open as they reared their fists back and prepared to swing.
One final punch was all that was needed.
One final blow was the only thing keeping them from being reunited with their families.
One final strike was needed to end this madness.
Suddenly, Robin's vision began to blur as a tingling sensation coursed through his hand. The Mark of the Fell Dragon on Robin's hand shone with a bright light as Robin's hand jerked into Chrom's chest as though it had a mind of its own.
A bolt of Thoron sprang from his hand like a viper lunging out of a patch of grass and pierced Chrom's chest. Robin's eyes filled with regret as he watched the magic impale his foe.
Unbeknownst to him, an unseen observer had caused him to use the spell. Said observer knew that in a matter of mere moments, Robin's body belonged to him.
Chrom stumbled backward as intense pain shot through his body. He looked down to see a bolt of lightning piercing his chest and shining through the darkness of the night sky. He turned his gaze up from the Thoron to Robin.
"Chrom! I didn't mean to-" Robin spoke as he rushed to his friends side. Robin didn't care that mere moments ago they wanted to kill each other.
Chrom looked around with a newfound perspective and saw the crumbling ruins of a once-proud kingdom that had been destroyed by one man in his lust for revenge. No matter how much he fought it, he simply had to come to terms with one simple fact:
He had caused all this sorrow and pain. Not just for the kingdom, but his friends as well.
"In my madness… I was blind…" Chrom spoke in a raspy, exhausted voice as Robin knelt before him. "To the damage I had done…"
In Chrom's eyes, there was no hatred, or exhaustion, or disgust. All that was there was the look of a man consumed by regret and sorrow. "I've done so many horrible things… I've killed your wife… I've ruined both Ylisse and Plegia… Oh, gods…"
"You were just angry at the world for taking your family," Robin spoke. A tear fell down his cheek.
The bolt of lightning in Chrom's chest disappeared, and in its wake was a searing hole in Chrom's upper torso. "Validar manipulated your anger and made you into a monster."
"Robin… Do you... Do you forgive me?" Tears rolled down Chrom's cheek as he clutched the hole in his chest. Robin knelt down and slowly hugged his friend.
"I… I forgive you," Robin spoke into Chrom's ear while more tears flowed down his face.
What felt like an eternity of friends embracing came to an abrupt end after half-a-minute.
"T-thank… you…" Chrom's breathing began to slow as he slowly fell onto his back. He looked up to the sky with a forlorn gaze. "Lucina… Aversa… I'm... coming…" He raised his hand towards the moon above.
A final wheeze escaped from Chrom's lips before he closed his tired, bloodshot eyes. His hand fell to the ground and remained there. The rhythmic motions in his chest had stopped, and Robin knew he was the victor.
He had done it; he had slain the man who killed Cordelia and drove Ylisse into a downward spiral of despair. Robin had been waiting, no, longing for this moment, and he told himself that when it occurred, he would jump for joy and feel happiness.
But instead, there was nothing. No satisfaction from killing Chrom, or happiness from putting Cordelia's spirit at ease.
Robin felt a sickening amount of nothing. He couldn't even feel his own hands while he stood on the balcony with Chrom's dead body at his side.
He couldn't even feel terror when a swirling, black cloud covered his body and blocked all connection to the outside world. He couldn't even feel despair when he found himself adrift in an empty void while some unknown force began to control his body.
A short time later, the dark cloud over Robin's body disappeared, and in its wake was Robin.
Or rather, what remained of Robin, now that a certain Fell Dragon who had been sealed underneath the ground had possessed him.
Grima cackled with glee as he used his newfound body to stand up, then proceeded to stretch his arms and hands out. After spending ten-thousand years sealed below the ground, he was finally back, and he rather enjoyed the feeling of having a human body.
He had spent the last three years watching from his seal, and waiting until the boy Robin was so emotionally broken that he had no option but to accept Grima's gift of possession.
Unknown to Grima, a certain friend of Robin had been studying the mark on his hand and came to a conclusion regarding his fate. Lissa got to the top of the staircase and saw a horrific sight. The corpse of her brother sat on the floor while Robin stood at the very edge, looking over the countryside and with his back turned to her.
As silent as a mouse, Lissa tiptoed towards Grima until she was right behind him, clutching the Book of Naga tightly while her heartbeat climbed.
She now stood right behind the thing who used to be her friend. Her hands were trembling and beads of sweat ran down her brow. Robin just stood there, as motionless as a corpse, and continued to do nothing while Lissa pressed the tome to his back. She closed her eyes out of paralyzing fear as the book shone with a brilliant radiance.
A few moments passed. Lissa opened her eyes and saw that Robin continued to stand. He turned around, wearing both a crooked smile on his face and crimson eyes that peered into her soul. Eyes that continued to stare at her as Grima slashed his claw through the book held tightly at her chest.
Lissa fell to the ground. Grima stepped over her corpse and down the staircase.
