Hey everyone, it's been a really long time since my last upload. I finally managed to finish another chapter, and thought I'd put it up for the time being. It's shorter than some of the previous ones, but bear with me. Enough from me, enjoy reading this chapter too.

…

Robin slowly regained consciousness, his eyes fluttering open.

Ugh… I feel like shit…

Pulling himself into a sitting position, Robin felt his veins throbbing in the back of his head, and the dull echoes of pain.

W-What the hell? I-I don't remember what happened… The last thing I remember is winning the tournament.

Massaging his temples, Robin took a moment to compose himself before he noticed his surroundings. It was a familiar room, a familiar bed, and strangely, there was also a familiar face.
"Hey, you're awake." the familiar figure greeted, to whom Robin responded with a nod.

"What are you doing, Lissa?" Robin asked, genuinely curious and slightly confused.

"Well, it's kind of a long story… But short version is; you passed out after the tournament and you were out cold for a whole day." she explained, with a troubled look on her face. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Robin cracked a smile and threw Lissa a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I'm fine. See? I can walk just fine on my ow- WOAH!"

Refusing to show weakness and attempting to walk, Robin tripped on his second step, tumbling straight towards Lissa, who ran forward to catch him.

"WATCH OUT, ROB-"

THUMP!

Lissa was cut short as the two collided into each other, sprawling onto the ground.

Oh, I can't believe that just happened. I hope Lissa's alri-

Opening his eyes, Robin found himself inches away from Lissa's face, having fallen on top of her. Staring into her striking grey eyes, Robin found himself at a loss for words.

Wow...

Lissa didn't say anything, and looked back at Robin, her eyes slightly watery. It seemed like a lifetime, before either of them spoke.

Blushing, Lissa turned her face to the side, and said quietly, "Robin, do you mind moving? I.. um, kinda want to get up now.."

Turning the same shade of pink, Robin jumped backward, stammering, "O-Oh, of course, I-I'm so sorry, Lissa."

Dusting herself off, Lissa muttered to herself, "Thank goodness, my heart was beating so fast, I didn't know what to do." Looking over her shoulder toward Robin, she replied, "No, it's not entirely your fault, Robin. It's my fault too."

The tactician and the cleric both had flushed faces, looking away from each other but thinking of the same thing.

That… wasn't so bad.

Throwing a glance at Lissa, Robin saw that she was fidgeting nervously, cheeks flushed, unsure of what to say.

Deciding to break the awkward silence, he exclaimed, rather loudly, "I-I'm going to change out of these clothes so, Lissa, if you don't mind?"

The healer nodded quickly and answered, "O-Okay, I'll see you later then!"

With Lissa running out of the room, Robin fell back onto his bed with a sigh. He could feel the heat of his face, and lay his hand on his chest.

Badump, badump, badump.

He groaned when he realised his heart was beating much too quickly, and stared up at the ceiling, trying to calm himself.

Man, and here I was trying to forget about all this…

Robin's idle thoughts drifted back to his moment with Lissa. Grabbing his pillow in a mixture of excitement and frustration, Robin screamed into it, not noticing the visitor at his door.

"Ahem."

Taking the pillow away from his face, Robin was horrified to see Chrom standing at the doorway, understandably disturbed.
"Is this a bad time? Er, I could always come again later." Chrom asked.

"No, no, no, it's fine. You can stay; besides, you needed something, right?." Robin vehemently insisted.

"O-Okay." Chrom said, taking a seat at the chair. Clearing his throat, the prince began to speak, "First of all, I wanted to come apologize."

Robin was confused and questioned, "Whatever for?"

Chrom narrowed his eyes and said, "Didn't Lissa tell you what happened?"

Robin nodded and relayed the information. "She told me I passed out after the tournament and was out for an entire day."

Sighing, Chrom facepalmed and complained, "Oh, Lissa… this girl stayed by your bed tending to your wounds for a whole day straight but she didn't tell you the truth."

Lissa did that?

Robin felt a warm feeling rush into his chest upon hearing Chrom's words, but quickly pushed it away. He noticed that Chrom was looking slightly uncomfortable, and gave him a little push.

"Chrom, is there something you want to say?" Robin questioned, knowing the answer.

Chrom simply nodded and managed to begin, "Yes, Robin. Well, you see… the reason you 'fainted'... is because of me."

Furrowing his brows in confusion, Robin pressed Chrom for more information.

"What do you mean by that, Chrom? What happened?" Robin asked, clearly confused.

Reaching up to scratch his head, Chrom spilled the beans.

"I did it. I, er, punched you in the face and knocked you out at the end of the tournament. Sorry, Robin." Chrom muttered.

"You did what?!" Robin yelled, partially in shock, and partially in anger. "What in God's name for?"

Chrom sighed as he looked at Robin. "So you don't even remember what you did to me during the fight. Well, here's a refresher. You, sir, blasted me with a wind spell that sent me flying across the arena and could have broken most of the bones in my body. I think a punch is more than warranted."

Unsure of what to say, Robin bowed his head slightly and apologised, "I'm sorry about that. I should have listened to the whole story before I flipped out."

Chrom chuckled and gave Robin a good smack on the back.

"It's all good, my friend. Everyone is alright, and we won the tournament. Now, let's get you some food."

Robin's stomach rumbled in agreement, and the two men enjoyed a laugh together before leaving the room.

Cheers filled the room as Robin and Chrom walked into the dining, hall, tables lavishly endowed with gourmet cuisine.

"Welcome back, Robin!" the Shepherds exclaimed, raising their mugs.

Laughing, Robin settled down into an empty seat and grabbed a plate.

Wow, this is amazing. I can't believe they've been celebrating for a whole day.

Taking a swig of his ale, Robin noticed a sour face lurking in the corners of the room. Approaching the person in question, he pointed out, "You're not one for festivities, are you, Frederick?"

The great knight clicked his tongue in annoyance and shook his head. "How keen of you to notice."

Geh.
Robin responded with a polite leer on his face, replying with his eyebrow twitching.

"Well, there must be a reason you're not enjoying yourself, Frederick. By any chance, do you have a stick up your arse?"

This time, it was Frederick's turn to twitch in annoyance, quite obviously seething with anger.

"Oh-ho, whatever do you mean, my good tactician? I did not think the memories you lost included courtesy as well."

Sparks flew between the two very different men, and thankfully the other Shepherds caught wind of the rising tension in the air. Pulling Frederick away, Lissa said, "F-Frederick, come on, let's go get some food, okay?" Stahl and Vaike approached Robin and brought him back to his seat. "Hey, let's enjoy the food, Robin. No point in letting some petty argument dampen our victory." Stahl said, handing Robin a very appetizing dish of meat.

Sighing, Robin put his hands up in defeat. With a grin on his face, he replied, "Alright, alright, let's put that behind us and eat. Anyhow, I'm glad to see you're doing fine, Vaike."

Slamming down his mug, Vaike sighed in contentment and answered groggily, "Thanks for worrying 'bout Ol'Teach, eh? Lissa's a real lifesaver, patched me up real quick after the tournament."

Glancing at Vaike's arm, Robin was relieved to see that it was back in a normal position, even if it was in a sling.

"Eh… I see." Robin nodded, drifting back into his world of thought.

So Lissa is quite the accomplished cleric then. I wouldn't have guessed, from her usual demeanor. With that being said, I shoul-

"Ow!" Robin reeled backward in pain, having his forehead flicked by Stahl. "Robin, now isn't the time for your marvelous brain to be at work. Just let loose and enjoy yourself, we have quite the journey ahead of us today." the cavalier explained.

"Y-Yes, I suppose you're right. Sorry about that." Robin apologised.

Laughing it off, the three men raised their cups in a toast.

"To our victory in the tournament." Robin announced.

Following his lead, Stahl and Vaike each toasted to their own goals.

"To all the food we've yet to try!" Stahl yelled.

"To Ol'Teach!." Vaike shouted.

The men thrust their mugs together with an audible thump, and proceeded to chug its contents.

"Pah! That hits the spot." Robin chuckled, setting his mug down.

"Too bad we have to leave this afternoon. I could do this for the rest of my life." Stahl complained, face red as a tomato.

"Aye." Vaike sobbed in agreement, pounding the table with his good arm.

These two are gone. How much did they drink before I got here?

With a smile on his lips, Robin quietly left the two men, who had passed out on the table. Heading outside, before opening the front door, he heard voices outside.

Hm? Who would be out here at this time?

As he prepared to open the door, Robin's heard Lissa's voice. However, his hand froze upon hearing another familiar yet unwelcome voice.

Frederick…

Lissa's sweet laughter drifted to his ears, a bittersweet sound. Robin felt a tightening in his chest, and leaned against the wall for support. Frustrated at himself and at what was happening, he ground his teeth.

Why… Why do I still feel this way? I promised myself to forget about Lissa. But, how come it hurts so much, when she's having a good time with Frederick? Damn it.

The emptiness and pain filling his heart, Robin slowly turned away from the door and back to his room. Upon reaching his bed, he simply fell into the sheets, burying his face in his pillow.

I guess this isn't something you can just wish away…

Rolling onto his back, Robin sighed and covered his face with his hands. Upon hearing a knock on the door, he shot up in alarm. With a loud thump, Robin bumped his head on the bed frame as he was sitting up.

"OW!" he yelped in pain, clutching his head.

The door burst open and a worried voice asked, "Are you alright, Robin?"

Opening his eyes, Robin came face to face with Chrom. Still rubbing his head, Robin managed a pained smile as he greeted his friend.

"Um, yes, I'm perfectly fine, thank you."

Chrom sighed and put a hand on Robin's shoulder. In an exasperated tone, he said, "That was the most conspicuous response I've heard all month. Come on, you need to do better than that if you want me to believe you."

Having seen through his facade, Robin flopped onto his back and croaked, "Chrom… I don't know what to do."

Chrom sat down next to Robin and gazed toward the ceiling. "If you want to talk about it, I'm always ready to listen."

Robin shook his head and replied, "Sorry. I just don't really want to think about it right now."

"I understand, but if you ever do feel like telling me though, come and find me. I'm always willing to help a friend out." the lord chuckled.

Robin smiled gratefully as Chrom left the room, leaving him alone once again. Alone in thought for some time, Robin eventually stood up and left the confine of his room.

Nothing good will come of brooding and overthinking.

Walking down the hall, Robin thought of different ways he could kill time until the Shepherds' departure in the afternoon.

Hm…

Robin's thoughts drifted back to the tournament, where they had barely won. Clenching his fists, Robin made a silent oath.

Never again will I let my friends get hurt like that. To do that, I need to become stronger.

His mind made up, Robin jogged out of the inn the Shepherd's were staying and to the arena, where he found Basilio with his men.

"Ho there, Robin!" Basilio bellowed, raising a hand in greeting.

"Well met, Basilio. Are you training now?" Robin asked.

Nodding, the Feroxian replied, "Yes, I was just about to start our training regimen."

Robin's eyes lit up at the answer and immediately requested, "May I join in on this session?"

A murmur swept through the Feroxi Soldiers, and Basilio was grinning widely. Gesturing for Robin to take a place among the soldiers, Basilio welcomed, "Be my guest, we'll be able to see how good of a soldier you are, Mr. Tactician."

"Thank you." Robin answered quickly, sliding into the end of the line. A couple curious glances were cast in Robin's direction, as the soldiers stood waiting for Basilio's orders.

I suppose this attention isn't surprising. After all, they get to see an outsider in their training. They're probably sizing me up.

Trying his best to ignore the stares, Robin waited awkwardly until Basilio's booming voice echoed in the empty courtyard.

"Listen up men! Today's training is going to be slightly different. As you all know, Robin, tactician of the Shepherds has graced us with his presence, so why don't we give him a warm Feroxian welcome. CHARGE!"

With no hesitation or questions, the men and women lined in front of the tactician immediately pounced on him, barely giving him time to react.

"ELWIND!" Robin yelled, sending the blast of wind downward, knocking back his would-be attackers and propelling himself some meters back.

He was given no time to rest, as the sheer number of soldiers swamped him. Twisting his body left and right, Robin managed to dodge the brunt of the attacks, but took a couple blows.

I doubt this is how the Feroxian Army usually trains, but this is good practice for me too. If I keep this up though, I won't be able to hold out. I need some kind of advantage, something I can use right now…

An idea popped into Robin's head as a wide grin covered his face. Using Elwind to propel himself onto higher ground, the tactician closed his eyes and began to visualize the tiny drops of water floating in the air. Concentrating, Robin channeled magic into his palms, in which water slowly gathered. After a moment, he unleashed a torrent of water from his hands, sweeping away all of the Feroxian soldiers.

Wow, so that actually worked. That's amazing.

Sighing, Robin plopped down to the ground. He noticed Basilio heading toward him, with an expression caught between awe and annoyance.

"Well now, I certainly didn't expect that. What in the world was that? Water magic?" Basilio pressed, blatantly curious.

Shaking his head, Robin replied with a smile, "Just an idea that I had in mind. It's actually just wind magic."

The revelation swept through the soldiers, who stared at Robin in awe. Scratching his head, Basilio asked with a confused look on his face, "Wind magic? How the hell did you manage that torrent of water then?"

"It's not a hard concept, honestly. What I did was use wind magic to gather the moisture from the air, compress it and then blast it with more wind magic." Robin explained. Basilio chuckled and said, "Well it's easy to see how Ylisse won with such a capable tactician in their ranks."

Robin reddened slightly at the praise and shook his head. "No, believe me, if a capable tactician was all that an army needs to win, there are many others who would be more suited. I simply took the Shepherds' latent strength and drew it out to its full potential."

Raising an eyebrow, Basilio clapped the tactician on the back, "Humble yet talented? Wow, what a guy."

The Feroxi soldiers nodded along in agreement, much to Robin's discomfort, who looked like he was ready to crawl into a hole.

"Give me a break please, Basilio. I'm nowhere near as great as people make me out to be. I'm only human." Robin said, exasperated.

Sensing that Robin was unwilling to cope with further teasing and attention, Basilio cleared his throat as he called the soldiers to attention.

"Alright, I think we've all had more than enough fun for now, let's get back to work. Now, you lot can give me twenty reps of the classical Feroxi Lungcrusher!"

A resounding "YES SIR!" was heard as the soldiers dropped to their knees in unison along the starting line of the obstacle course Robin had previously seen.

"Oh, I guess I should explain to you how this works. This obstacle course runs the circumference of the Feroxi arena, filled with different obstacles that test both wit and might. To be honest, even completing it is quite a challenge." Basilio told Robin, who was still wrapping his mind around the fact that the former Khan ordered twenty runs around the arena.

With a nervous chuckle, Robin answered, "I can see why the Feroxi soldiers are the finest in the continent."

"Damn right they are, otherwise my arse would be on the line. Flavia never did enjoy training, so I'm in charge of all the training in the Feroxi army. Not to say I do it alone, I do have experienced hands helping out. Knowing her, the woman would flay me alive if even one of our soldiers fell below standard."

That's a terrifying thought.

Robin gulped, trying not to imagine what would happen to Basilio. "Well at least from my perspective, your troops are doing just fine. Are these your regulars?" he asked, gesturing towards the soldiers that were tackling the Feroxi Lungcrusher.

"Psh, as if they could be regulars. These are just our recruits, fresh from all corners of Ferox!" Basilio boomed, enjoying Robin's reaction.

"Wow. If your recruits are conditioned like this, I'd imagine your regulars are worth ten men each." the tactician noted.

No answer came from Basilio, but only the makings of a sly grin.
"Say, Mr. Tactician. How about you give the old Feroxi Lungcrusher a test run? I'm sure it'll be a useful experience for the Shepherds, would it not?"

Here it comes.

What Robin had been trying to avoid finally surfaced, and he was immediately placed between a rock and a hard place.

If I accept, I'm in for hell. But if I decline, what does that say about the Shepherds and Ylisse as a whole? I can't forget that we are ambassadors.

After some thought, Robin replied with a weary tone, "I'd be glad to. Hopefully I'll be able to glean something from this experience."

Removing his coat and undershirt, Robin handed them to a chuckling Basilio, who whistled upon seeing Robin's toned body.

"For a tactician, you're packing some great guns, boy."

Embarrassed, Robin looked away and mumbled, "Let's just get this over with."

In a sprinter's starting position, Robin eyed the first obstacle in his way, roughly fifty metres away.

Looks like the classic log hopping. If I fall in that mud though, it won't be pretty.

Taking a deep breath, Robin closed his eyes and felt his heart rate beginning to rise. As soon as he reached a point of maximum focus, he sprang forward, running. In no time, he came upon the logs, precariously placed amidst a field of mud. Nimbly jumping onto the first one, the next few weren't as easy. Robin slipped and waved his arms through the next couple logs, and somehow managed to make it across to the other side.

"Is that all you got, boy?!" Basilio taunted, watching from the sidelines.

Gritting his teeth, Robin continued running, into the next obstacle. Metal bars were placed in a frame that stretched from one end of a pond to the other. Grabbing hold of the first bar, Robin began to swing his arms one after the other, slowly making his way forward. At the end of the bars, the landing zone was still a couple metres away.

Looks like I'll have to jump.

Swinging back and forth, he built up momentum and let go, just barely landing on the edge of the track. With no hesitation, he continued down the path, where a colossal wall awaited him, at least 4 stories high. Robin glanced at the obstacle, and noticed both ropes and crevices in the wall that could be used to scale it. Jumping onto a rope, Robin shimmied his way up the wall, arms screaming in pain. He painstakingly reached the top, only to be presented with a second challenge. A couples of ropes ran from the top of the wall to the ground, but other than that there seemed to be no way down, just a sheer drop. Considering how to tackle the obstacle, Robin thrust his hands into his pockets, where he found a handkerchief.

I suppose I could use this…

Wrapping the kerchief as tightly as he could, Robin slung it over one of the ropes, said a little prayer, and jumped, hanging on for dear life. The velocity was much faster than he thought, hurtling towards the ground at a terrifying speed. Glancing up at the kerchief, Robin noticed it began smoking and tearing.

Oh, gods, this isn't good.

Still about ten metres off the ground, the kerchief finally gave way, sending Robin tumbling down onto the ground, battered and bruised.

"Ow, ow, ow… I suppose this is a lesson learned."

Struggling to his feet, Robin continued on the Feroxi Lungbreaker, which was living up to its name at this point. Controlling his breathing, the tactician regulated his body temperature, which was beginning to rise. He estimated that he'd completed almost half of the course by now, which took around fifteen minutes.

Another fifteen minutes to go, huh. I'm quite tired already though. Guess I need to do more physical training when we get back to Ylisse.

With that thought in mind, Robin pushed forward and completed the Feroxi Lungcrusher, albeit with a below average time.

"Thank you once again, Chrom." Flavia asserted as she shook the prince's hand, who responded in kind. "Not at all, thank you for accepting our offer. I look forward to a lasting alliance." Chrom smiled. As the Shepherds bid the Feroxi farewell, Robin gave the Khan and Basilio a wave, before returning to the convoy for one last checkup. Walking down the line, Robin counted vulneraries and fed the horses, making sure that everything was prepped for their long journey back to Ylisse.

Vulneraries… check.

Food… check.

That should be everything.

With his tedious task complete, Robin stretched his arms in the air and took a seat on the first wagon. Idly, he conjured a flame in his palms and watched it intently, until the ember flickered out.

"Looks like somebody's bored." a voice called out.

Turning to look, Robin was surprised to see nobody in his immediate vicinity.

That's strange, I could have sworn I heard somebody…

Just then, Robin felt a finger poke his cheek.

"UWAAAGH!" he cried out, jumping back in surprise.

Still shaken, the tactician heard the laughter of the prankster. The culprit was none other than Lissa, who was trying to catch her breath between guffaws.

"Hah, I should have known it was you." Robin groaned, recovering from the initial shock.

Giggling, the cleric pranced about him, evidently bored out of her mind.

"Hey, so what are you up to right now?"

Frowning, Robin finished counting, closing his notebook.
"Can't you tell? I'm doing inventory."

She shrugged, feet kicking at the dirt.

"I knew that, I was just trying to make conversation."

Lissa looked slightly downcast, and immediately Robin softened, feeling a bit of remorse.
Sighing, he put a hand on her head and gave her a pat.
"Sorry, there's a lot on my mind nowadays."

Smiling, he asked, "Do you want to go somewhere before we leave?"

The cleric nodded vigorously and pumped a fist in the air.
"Yahoo! Let's go!"

Motioning for her to follow, Robin left the convoy, heading back into town.

There's still some work left, but I can probably finish after I get back.

Glancing at Lissa to his side, he felt a small tugging in his chest, and a soft warmth filled him.

She's not so bad after all.

I'm well aware that this chapter is lackluster in comparison to some others I've written, and I apologize for that. As I may have mentioned before, I'm no longer able to pump out chapter weekly, and I usually have no idea when I'll be finished the next chapter. With that in mind, I'll see you guys in the next one, whenever that will be.