Chapter 9: Story of an Old Friend

In the opening scene, we see Robin and Aiden walking around the town of Ylisstol as Robin is showing her favorite places in the city to her half-brother. Of course, because of her popularity, she can't seem to go anywhere without having someone ask her for her autograph or wanting to shake her hand.

"And here's my favorite boutique." says Robin. "Madeline's is a great place to get the latest in fashion. Plus, they're rather subtle with their dress designs, which is more than I can say for the kind of dresses that Lucina showed me back then."

Aiden laughs a little and says, "Kind of mean thing to say about your own daughter, isn't it?"

"I know, I should show her more respect for what she does for me." says Robin with an innocent tone. "But I have to be honest in that she does have more flamboyant tastes in clothes than I do."

"That's not such a bad thing if you think about it." says Aiden. "In this day and age, a little more modernization can lead to a more exciting time, don't you agree?"

"I suppose so." says Robin. "But then again, if you saw the dresses that Lucina picked out for me back then, you might start to have second thoughts about that."

"Well, you never really know." says Aiden. "Even if things do get overly-creative, it might not be a bad idea to bask in the joy of it. Afterall, considering what you went through during your battle with Grima, one could imagine you wanting to relive those moments over again, especially after you died."

"I guess you've got a point." says Robin looking a little somber. She then eventually picks back up and says, "So, shall we head inside and see if they haven't updated their stock yet?"

"Sure, let's do that." says Aiden before he and Robin walk into the store.


After a while of watching them browse around and Robin looking at the various clothes, they eventually leave Madeline's and continue on their way.

"Well, certainly have more updated in their than I thought they would." says Robin. "But, I might buy something later."

"I would love to have helped with that." says Aiden. "Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of money on me at this point. Sorry to disappoint, since I know getting something for my baby sister would have been a nice thing after not seeing her for so long."

"Don't worry too much, Aiden." says Robin. "This is my treat for you since you are in a way my guest. Anyway, I'm getting hungry. Let's go find a cafe."

"Have any place in mind?" asks Aiden

"I think I've got one." says Robin thinking about it. "And hopefully, they'll have their special up today."


The scene then transitions to Robin and Aiden sitting at a table at a restaurant, both eating what look to be paninis, along with a salad. And drinking what looks to be cups of light ale.

"Now this is more like it." says Robin. "As much as I may be used to eating rations or hunting for game during our marches, there's nothing quite like sitting down at a nice restaurant and experiencing the finest in world cuisines."

"This is definitely delicious." says Aiden. "I'm glad you picked this place out for us, Sister."

After a while of eating, Robin then asks, "So, Aiden... mind if we talk more about my mysterious past while we're having lunch? Seems like a good opportunity to me."

"I suppose we could do just that." says Aiden. "What else do you wish to know?"

"Well, for starters... what did my mother die from?" asks Robin. "I know you said it was a strange illness, but I have a hard time accepting that as the only answer."

Aiden then goes both silent and still for a moment after taking a bite of his sandwich, slowly chewing it before swallowing.

"Aiden, I'm sorry if that's a tough question for you to answer." says Robin. "But I really want to know what caused her death. Illness is one thing, but it seems too convenient of an excuse considering she was an alchemist and could come up with something to cure her condition."

Aiden sighs and says, "Well... if you really must know... it was alchemy that caused her illness."

"Alchemy caused her illness?" asks Robin in disbelief.

"Yes." says Aiden with a sigh. "She was doing an experiment that caused her to be radiated by a massive amount of energy that was sapping her life force the longer she went on while trying to find a way to combat it. But no matter what she tried to do to cure herself, nothing worked."

"What was this experiment?" asks Robin as she becomes even more curious by what Aiden has told her so far.

"If you must know..." says Aiden. "...she was trying to extract two specific aspects and finding what to do with them. They were the very aspects of order and chaos."

"You're kidding!" asks a shocked Robin. "That's what killed her?"

"Well, the energy they were radiating." says Aiden. "THAT'S what killed her."

Robin then says, "I don't know much about alchemy, or at least I don't anymore, but... what was she thinking trying to do something so dangerous?"

"I don't entirely know myself." says Aiden. "All I know is that she didn't exactly have the best tastes in husbands, considering my father merely used her to give birth to a successor for his church, and your father used her to give birth to a vessel for Grima. But knowing what she got herself into, she used them to gain the ability to extract the aspects of order and chaos, with order coming from Naga and chaos coming from Grima. What she did with these aspects, I have no idea."

"Wow, I didn't know our fathers could be so cruel to our mother." says Robin. "Well, I knew Validar was from seeing the kind of guy he turned out to be when I met him. But your father, I thought a servant of Naga would be more kind-hearted than that."

"Well, you of all people should know that the world isn't so black and white." says Aiden. "Even servants of Naga can be heartless bastards like my father was."

"I guess what you say does ring true." says Robin. "But still, I have to admit that it is quite a shock, though not nearly as much as knowing what killed our mother."

"Well... that's the truth of it." says Aiden. "So... do you wish to know anything else?"

"Not right now." says Robin after bit of a pause. "Let's just enjoy the rest of our day. I get the feeling that trying to learn more about my past will ruin it."

"Exactly what I think." says Aiden.

After that, both Robin and Aiden continue to eat their lunch as the scene ends.


"Okay, this is my first attempt at this." says Henry with a cautious expression as the scene opens up to him in a dark area of Castle Ylisse with what appears a ritual taking place as he has some dark crystals set up around the area, and what looks to be a summoning sigil drawn into the ground. "Everything is set up and perfect. Now, just to see if I can summon this demon."

Henry then brings his hands slowly up and holds them out forward and begins to move his fingers in unsual patterns while giving an eerie chant. Reacting to this action by Henry, the sigil starts to glow an evil-looking shade of purple while giving off energy that swirls into the air like a thick mist.

After this goes on for a while, we hear Robin's voice go, "Uh, hey there, Henry."

"Huh?" says Henry as he stops chanting and moving his fingers, causing the sigil to fade back to normal. He then turns to his left to see Robin and Aiden standing there looking at him.

"Oh, it's just you, Robin." says Henry. "Need to be careful about breaking my concentration, lest bad things will start to happen. Exciting as that all sounds, I wouldn't want to accidentally blow up Castle Ylisse. Wouldn't go over well with Chrom, I imagine. Nya ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Oh no." says Robin with a groan as she looks at the summoning sigil Henry has carved into the ground. "You're not trying to summon an army of Risen again, are you? I thought we talked about that in the past."

"Oh, of course not." says Henry with a reassuring smile. "This is something completely different, and far safer, I can assure you. Just as long as my concentration remains intact, of course."

"Then... what are you doing with that summoning sigil?" Robin asks again in disbelief about what Henry just said.

"No need to worry your pretty head off." says Henry. "I'm just trying to summon a demon. Like I said, it's completely harmless."

"A... demon?" asks Robin looking even more nervous than before. "Why in the world are you trying to do that?"

"Weeeeeeeeell..." Henry begins to say while rubbing the back of his head. "...I just figured Cordelia and Severa could use a good pet to keep them safe. I thought I might try to summon a nice hellhound for that. What better way to keep my wife and daughter safe than a lovely, fire-breathing demon?"

"Uh, sounds like an idea." says Robin still looking very worried. "Not a very good idea, to be honest, but... Henry, have you thought of what would happen if this demon decided to turn on the rest of us? Haven't you figured that it might kill the rest of us while trying to keep your family safe?"

"Oh, definitely." says Henry. "I wouldn't be surprised if it tries to kill me when it first appears in our corporeal reality. But that's why I'm going to do my best to train it. Afterall, I did find that manuscript on how to train otherwordly beasts in the library."

"Why would the library have...?" Robin begins to ask before shaking her head rapidly. "You know, I shouldn't bother asking that."

"You don't need to worry too much, Robin." says Henry with a bright smile. "I've got this all perfectly under control. I would ask if you'd like to stay here with me as I manage to bring my demon into this world, but... I kind of need complete focus and concentration to do this, so if you don't mind, you might need to leave this area. Don't want you getting horribly maimed, especially since it did take a year for you to return from the dead."

"Oh, no need to concern yourself, Henry." says Robin with an innocent smile. "Even if you asked me to stay, I'd probably leave anyway. So... I suppose Aiden and I will be on our way. Good luck, Henry. Hope everything goes well."

And with that, Robin and Aiden leave Henry to his demon-summoning.

After Robin and Aiden have left him, Henry then says after turning back to face his summoning sigil, "All right, so... where was I?"

Going back to Aiden and Robin, the purple-haired half brother asks, "Has that been a hobby of his for a while?"

Robin just sighs and remarks with, "To be honest, I don't what Henry's actual hobby is. But... I'm not willing to stand around and find out, knowing it's usually something that could end in disaster. And I get the feeling this little experiment will end very poorly. Whether or not he's successful, I'm not going to stay and find out. Returning from the dead makes me very wary about going back to such a state."

"Probably better for all of us if we don't get too involved." says Aiden with a big smile. "Anyway, so... after our tour through Ylisstol, what should we do now?"

"I say we see about having some tea." says Robin. "It would allow us to catch up more while relaxing a bit after so much walking"

"Sounds good to me." says Aiden. "I suppose the study would be a good place to do such a thing."

"In that case, follow me." says Robin. "I should be able to remember where it is."

And with that, Robin and Aiden walk off as the scene ends.


In the next scene, night time arrives rather quickly as the stars appear above the castle.

Taking place in Chrom's bedroom, we see Chrom is in his room, wearing only his blue pajama pants and looking at a piece of parchment while holding it against a stiff board in his left hand, and using a quill pen in his right.

Just then, the doors to Chrom's bedroom open and through them walks Robin, still in her blue dress.

Chrom looks to see Robin appear, and he asks, "Hey, Robin. Did you enjoy your day with your brother?"

"Certainly did." says Robin as she closes the door. "What about you? How did Virgil find the Alchemists' Guild to be?"

Chrom just sighs and says, "He was pretty disappointed, but considering he's a graduate of the Alchemy University, I'm not really that surprised."

"Well, I guess we just give things some time." says Robin as we get a shot of her feet as she kicks off her shoes and lets the dress fall to down to the ground. She then hops onto the bed on her belly as we see her wearing an orange camisole with black lace and matching boyshort underwear. She then asks, "So, what are you doing, Chrom?"

"Just trying to figure out our plans for our new wedding." says Chrom. "Basically, looking at seating arrangements, where to put the food and snacks and where everyone will sit during the reception."

"Doesn't exactly sound like your kind of work, honey." says Robin with a giggle. "Never figured you for a wedding planner."

"Well, like I said, I plan to make this wedding bigger and better than our last one considering you're back from the dead and ready to continue our life from where we left off." says Chrom. "In fact, with how big I want this wedding to be, I'm kind of saddened that not even Corrin and her friends and family will be here to experience it."

"Corrin?" asks Robin curiously. "That a friend I don't know about?"

"Oh, I never did tell you back then, did I?" says Chrom as he looks at Robin before looking back at his parchment. "Corrin and her forces were friends we made from another world right before Lissa, Frederick and I found you in the field our first time. In fact, they helped us to fight off some invisible warriors."

"Invisible warriors?" asks a skeptical Robin.

"Well, she did try to pass them off as warthogs after saying they were warriors." says Chrom. "But I played along anyway. I pretty much figured they were warriors from the way they fought us, even if I had trouble seeing them clearly."

"Still sounds pretty fantastical and impossible to me." says Robin. "So, what kind of world did this person come from?"

Chrom then says, "She claimed to have come from the mythical kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr. She was supposedly a princess of these two kingdoms I've only read stories about, even if they do make for rather interesting bedtime tales."

"A princess of two kingdoms, huh?" asks Robin. "Sounds pretty cool. So, what was this person like in her fighting abilities?"

"Well, she was quite a talented swordfighter, not to mention very elegant. I've never seen such a refined fighting style in my life. And like you, she was pretty talented with magic, though she was able to use both tomes and staves. But the most interesting thing about her was that she was able to become a dragon using a stone as if she were a manakete. Of course, the dragon she turned into was unlike any I had ever seen."

"Wow, a swordfighting, magic using manakete of a princess." says Robin. "Definitely sounds like a legendary heroine you would hear of during bedtime to help you sleep better at night. I bet if you told Nowi about her, she'd probably wouldn't stop dreaming about this girl. She certainly sounds like someone out of my league."

"So you say." says Chrom. "But the truth be told, Corrin kind of reminds me of you in a way."

"Really?" asks a even more curious Robin. "How so?"

"Well, aside from seeming like a very charismatic person like you..." Chrom starts to say. "...she also had the makings of a great tactician. The strategies she used not only kept her friends and family out of harm's way, but ours as well."

"Now you're just trying to make me jealous." says Robin with a small giggle.

Chrom then continues with, "After fighting along side her, I contemplated the idea of the Shepherds needing such a talented strategist in our ranks since she seemed to possess more of such skills than even I did. You know me, tactics aren't my strong suit."

"Well, that's why you have me around." says Robin. "And even when you didn't, our son was still there to help you."

"Yes, I'm surprised just how good of a tactician Morgan has turned into." says Chrom. "But knowing who his mother is, I'm not TOO surprised."

"Hey, I think I trained him up pretty well, if I do say so." says Robin with a hint of pride. "But enough of me trying to toot my own horn, I want to hear more about this Corrin person. What was her family like?"

"Well, being a princess of two kingdoms, she certainly had a lot of brothers and sisters." says Chrom. "For her two older brothers, Ryoma was the high prince of Hoshido and a very talented swordfighter. He had a serious air about him, but was also a rather reckless one. His weapon, the Raijinto was a unique one. It was like a Levin Sword, but it seemed to possess a more legendary appeal about it. Xander was the high prince of Nohr, and he too was very serious, but seemed to also be more calm and collected than Ryoma. He was a skilled knight that used a legendary sword called Siegfried."

"Interesting." says Robin. "These two sound like very intriguing people."

"For her two older sisters..." Chrom starts to say. "...there was princess Hinoka of Hoshido, who kind of reminds me of both Sully and Cordelia in a way. She was very tough in battle, but also a very caring soul. Then there was princess Camilla of Nohr. Very merciless to her enemies, but also very doting of Corrin from the looks of it. Always seemed to have the biggest soft spot for her. Also, and I hate to bring this up with you, but she was quite, well... gifted."

"Uh-huh." says Robin with a sly smile. "I know what you mean. I take it this princess Camilla was very good-looking?"

"Stunning, actually." says Chrom. "I didn't think a woman could possibly ever look that beautiful. In fact, she was downright bewitching."

"I see." says Robin with her smile becoming even more sly. "I guess I pale comparison to her, don't I? In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you also found Corrin to be cute."

Chrom looks at Robin with a romantic expression and says, "Come on, Robin, you know you're the only woman for me. You know I never get tired of looking at you."

"Mmhmm." says Robin.

"Besides, unlike princess Camilla, I've actually seen you naked." says Chrom turning to look back at his parchment.

"Well, sounds like a weak excuse, but I'll buy it for now." says Robin rather playfully. "So, what about princess Corrin's other siblings?"

"Let's see..." says Chrom trying to think. "...there was prince Takumi of Hoshido and prince Leo of Nohr, both being her younger brothers. Takumi was a very skilled archer using a weapon called the Fujin Yumi. He also seemed to be needy for attention from the way he was fighting. And Leo was a talented mage using a tome called Brynhildr. He was a very nice and intelligent guy, though also a bit cold-blooded to his enemies."

"Bet he and Tharja would get along." says Robin jokingly.

"Finally, there's her younger sisters." says Chrom. "There was princess Sakura of Hoshido who's a very skilled healer, though also bit shy to talk to. And there was princess Elise of Nohr, another skilled healer, though her personality was completely the opposite of Sakura's, as she kind of reminds me today of both Lissa and Nowi."

"These all sound like people I would love to meet as you seem to be talking so fondly about them." says Robin.

"I guess I shouldn't also forget to mention Corrin's other friend, princess Azura." says Chrom. "Another beautiful woman with an incredible singing voice. In fact, it felt like her songs held a special power that I've never felt before. Almost sounded like the galdrar sung by the herons of Tellian lore."

"No kidding, huh?" says Robin. "Even she sounds like someone worth meeting."

"Finally, there was Jakob, Corrin's butler." says Chrom. "Very protective of Corrin and cared about her a lot. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I swear they had a bit of romantic relationship going on."

"No kidding?" asks Robin. "A princess and her butler. Now that just sounds like a romance novel."

"Of course, they also mentioned that, being princes and princesses of Hoshido and Nohr, that they have the blood of these creatures called the First Dragons, and that it allows them to trigger things in their world called Dragon Veins, saying they can alter the world in different ways. What a wonder it would be if we possessed such power in this world."

"I bet. Think of all the tactical advantages you would have." says Robin. "Now I want to meet these people even more."

"Anyway... after they helped us fend off the threat that came from their world, I gave Corrin the legendary treasures of House Ylisse, being the Hero's Brand and Exalt's Brand." says Chrom. "I hope she was able to put them to good use."

"After hearing what this person sounds like, I bet she did." says Robin. "You really are lucky to make such friends before finding me. I just wish I was there to meet them after you found me."

"Yeah, I wonder what Corrin and her family have been up to these days." says Chrom looking slightly upward. "It would be lovely to find out."

"Well, while you're thinking about that, how about I give you some pleasant memories to think of after you get done with our wedding plans?" asks a predatory looking Robin.

Chrom looks back at Robin with his own predatory smile and says, "You know what? These plans can wait a while."

After that, he drops the board with parchment and quill pen, and takes Robin by her head as he kisses her. As he does, he climbs on to the bed as Robin rolls onto her back with Chrom on top of her and they continue to kiss passionately as the scene fades to black.

To Be Continued in Chapter 10.