Chrom could feel the fabric around the neck slowly sucking the life out of him, robbing him of his very breath. As much as his body needed fresh air, he didn't dare adjust the cloth choking him while being watched. Yet she was looking away, maybe if he was quick about it…

"CHROM! Don't even think about it." Sumia swat away the hand reaching up to the buckle that held his cape in place.

Stretching his neck to allow more room, Chrom squirmed under his wife's watchful gaze. "I don't know why you insist I wear a cape anymore. The tailors that make these seem to think that they are more useful for choking the person wearing it nowadays."

"Ooh, somebody's in trouble." Chrom glared at his fourteen year old daughter, Cynthia. Next to her sat her sister, Lucina, her elder by five years. The usually much more mature princess sat trying to hold back her own fit of laughter at the sight of her beloved father being punished.

Ignoring her husband's looks, Sumia continued, "It has been almost a year since we last saw them and I spent a week making sure everyone would look their best so stop fidgeting." Putting on her best sparkling wife eyes, Sumia spoke quiet words of persuasion, "Besides, I think you look quite dashing in your cape. Makes you look distinguished."

"Mother, please…" Lucina shifted in her seat, her reserved nature causing her to be uncomfortable at her mother's show of affection. Cynthia giggled and prodded at her squirming sister, which earned her a menacing stare.

Chrom chuckled at his daughters, remembering their future selves off having their own adventures. While Lucina was still the same person in essence, Cynthia was much different compared to her older self. He recalled a conversation where Cynthia was supposed to be the 'girliest' of all the children until her mother passed away. Without Sumia's untimely passing, it seemed that Cynthia kept her girly nature, behaving similarly to her mother. Having been used to the danger seeking personality, the gentler energetic girl was a nice change of pace until shopping was involved and knowing their destination, it was a given.

"It's hard to believe that it's been fifteen years since Robin came back to us." Gazing up through the window, Chrom watched the passing clouds as he thought out loud. "And in all that time he still hasn't recovered any of his lost memories…"

Sumia let out a small sigh as she reminisced the past fifteen years. So much had happened… Robin and Cordelia's wedding, Cynthia and the other children were born, the future children suddenly vanishing as if they didn't exist… Nobody knew where they disappeared to, whether they went back to their own time or are hiding where they won't interfere with their present selves, nobody knew. Whatever the answer, Sumia hoped they had read her works. She had become a popular romance novelist shortly after the war, writing of the (romanticized) love stories of the Shepherds. After years of success, Sumia was finally going through a difficult case of writer's block, unable to think of any other story but one; one that has been deemed forbidden territory. Lost in her own little fictional world, Sumia flitted from plot to plot until a familiar jostling broke her from her trance. Looking out through the window, Sumia's eyes fell upon a quaint house and a fairly large stable. Smiles crept along the faces of the royal family, knowing they would soon be celebrating the birth of a loved one.

As Chrom exited the carriage, he was greeted by the excited shouts of a young girl.

"Mother! Father! They're here." Chrom turned to find the girl turn herself into a living spear as she launched herself into his midsection.

Barely moving an inch from the tackle, Chrom reached down to pat the bright red hair of his would be attacker, "Hello to you too, Morgan."

As Morgan released him to rush her next victim, a young boy the same age as Morgan approached Chrom. "Hello, milord."

He smiled at the unexpected yet pleasant surprise of the family, Mark. Morgan's twin brother, he was much calmer than his twin and preferred the training grounds over the study, thus idolized their soldier mother. Rumor had it that Frederick agreed to take him as a squire soon and Chrom couldn't think of a better knight to protect his daughters. "That's Uncle Chrom to you, Mark. You sure have grown since the last time I saw you." Patting his head, Chrom noticed the rest of the family exiting the house.

The last he saw of them, years treated Robin and Cordelia well, neither looking their actual age. Looking onto them now, Chrom noticed the two seemed exhausted as they trudged towards the carriage with significant distance between them. Cordelia looked off to the side refusing to look anyone in the eye while Robin stole glances at her while wearing a small grimace. Baffled by the sight, Chrom shifted his sight to Sumia seeking a silent answer, but was greeted by the same look. Before he could vocalize his concerns, a young girl quickly caught his attention.

Older than her siblings by three years, her personality, while drastically less prominent, was still the same as her future self. At that, Severa uncharacteristically bounded to the royal family with the largest grin on her face. Running up to Lucina, she took the older girl in her arms excitedly shaking her as she yelled, "Lucy, it's been so long. What did you bring me?"

"Severa."

The girl looked back at her mother who was obviously annoyed at her materialistic question. Severa, an equally strong minded girl in her own right, answered with just as much attitude. "Geez, mother. It's not every day that the Exalt and his family take the three day travel from Yistol for my fifteenth birthday. Besides, they always bring the best presents."

Off to the side, Chrom heard the whispers of another child, "As long as Lucy doesn't pick." The giggles of the other two confused him as he simply adored the gifts he received from Lucina. About to ask the trio of their displeasure, Severa quickly ushered the children into the house leaving the adults alone.

Smiling as she watched her children run off, Sumia turned to Cordelia eager to catch up. "So how have things been? Surely you must have found something to do all the way out here."

Cordelia struggled to flash a weary smile, stating, "Not really, other than trying to teach Morgan how to ride," as her mouth fell back into place. "Unless it's strategy, Morgan can't pick up on more than one thing at a time."

To that, Robin swiftly added, "She is learning though. She just has her own pace." Looking at his wife, Robin's face held its own exhaustion, forcing itself to keep appearances. "So how is your latest novel coming along Sumia?"

"Oh, not so well I'm afraid. I just can't think of any new ideas… unless you two have changed your minds." A playful smile crept along her face, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Afraid not." Inching closer to Cordelia, Robin's hand reached out intending to entwine with hers, but just as they were about to touch, Cordelia twisted hers causing him to grasp at empty air.

Chrom's eyes narrowed at the sight, not entirely believing what he just witnessed. Next to him, Sumia drew her eyebrows together in confusion, opening her mouth in concern, "Are you sure nothing is happening?"

Both answered at the same time all too quickly, "No, nothing," causing the royal couple to not believe their words. Immediately after, Severa came rushing out of the house yet again, very excited about something.

"Mother, Father, can we take Lucy and Cynthia into town? There are so many shops we absolutely need to take them to." Severa looked at her parents with pleading eyes, doing her very best to convince them. Chrom felt his own heart melting at the sight and couldn't imagine what Robin must be going through.

Shaking her head, Cordelia gave another exhausted sigh, "I'm sorry Severa, we need to get ready for your celebration and I don't feel comfortable letting you take them shopping. Remember what happened last time?"

Watching Severa puff her cheeks in frustration, Sumia let out a small chuckle, "Come on, that sounds like fun. I'm sure the men could take care of everything."

Cordelia bowed her head in defeat, sure that if she denied her friend, Sumia would simply abuse her position as queen. Even so, she answered, "I'm not sure…"

"I insist." Pulling a fairly large purse seemingly out of nowhere, the queen revealed several large bullion pieces, "It will be my birthday treat. You are about to go on a royal shopping spree Severa."

At the thought of clearing several shops, Severa squealed in delight, running back to the house to get ready. Cordelia shook her head while mumbling something unintelligible as she followed her daughter, tailed by Robin soon after. If they had turned back towards Chrom and Sumia, they would have seen the two engaged in a heated silent conversation. As Sumia mouthed several words to Chrom and pointed at Robin on five different occasions, the Exalt held up his hands as if to say he understood. The next week would certainly be interesting to say the least.

Robin let loose a deep sigh as he watched the women leave. Chrom knew it as one of the sure signs the former tactician was distracted by something. Usually that something involved his long lost memories. Turning to Robin, the lord attempted to get his friend to open up, "You seem troubled, Robin. Anything you want to talk about?"

Picking up the gifts that had been left behind, Robin placed them on the nearby table before letting out another sigh deeper than the last. "I've already told you, it's nothing…"

"You really need to stop lying to me about your love life. After everything that we've been through, I thought you would have learned that I can tell when you aren't being honest."

"Like I've said, it's nothing…" Robin looked downwards, obviously shamed at being called out so easily. "It's just… Cordelia has been awfully distant lately."

"Distant? You don't…" Chrom's expression dropped at the implications. "You don't think Cordelia has been unfaithful, have you?"

"If I did, I would be talking to your dead body right now." Robin's voice deadpanned with the bold statement. The glare he gave the king seemed cold and unforgiving as he began adjusting the silverware set out.

"My dead body? What did I ever do?" Chrom shuddered at the look, wondering why the former tactician shot him another murderous stare before he remembered their fight in Ferox. "Oh, right… Cordelia had feelings for me before... HOLD ON A MOMENT!"

Chrom's expression brought out a small but sad chuckle out of Robin. "Like I said if you had, you would be dead already. If only it were that simple." Motioning to the large sofa in the middle of the room, Robin moved to one end ready to lift.

A breath of relief escaped Chrom, knowing that Robin always made good on his threats although he never thought killing the Exalt would be simple. Grabbing the other end, the two men placed the furniture on the far wall out of the way. "So what is bothering you? It obviously isn't your wife needing space that has you riled, and you better not say your memories." The sideways glance caused an exasperated gasp, "How many times have I told you? Your missing memories aren't causing any problems."

Robin ignored the comment, moving towards the kitchen to finish the cake. Picking up the golden frosting, he began decorating the cake for his daughter. He had spent weeks perfecting the recipe and planned the most elaborate design he could think of for his eldest child. Chrom couldn't stand the silence anymore, "You are a fool if you think Cordelia ever loved you for your memories."

"Maybe, but it would be easy to hate me for forgetting," Robin snapped, smearing the sweet goo across the meticulous design he just started. Staring at the cake with disgust, he continued, "You don't understand Chrom, I hurt her. I hurt her before I lost my memories and I'm hurting her now that I can't remember and I can't say I'm sorry because I don't know what to apologize for." Sitting on the stepstool beside the counter, Robin buried his face in his hands.

Chrom moved to the sulking man, reaching out to pat him on the back. At the touch, Robin let out a frustrated groan, wishing that the lord wasn't so physical in comforting him. "Chrom, we don't have the same passion we used to. Yesterday, I tried to just hold her hand, she used to enjoy such little things. She didn't pull away but… she just held it there. Like it was out of formality. Like she simply didn't care what I did."

"I remember when Sumia and I went through a rough patch in our marriage some years ago. We fixed that with a bottle of good wine and a night away from our children." Chrom snickered at the solution and the results of that night. "We thought that Yllise would have a third heir afterwards."

Chrom's attention turned away from Robin who subsequently decided to punch the lord in the arm with enough force to knock him back a few steps. "Chrom, this isn't something that be fixed with alcohol." Ignoring the groan from the lord, Robin turned back to the cake. He once again began the design after scraping away the mistakes.

"Robin, have you ever thought that you could be too caring?"

Not wanting to start over, Robin gently moved the icing away from the cake before turning to Chrom with a confused look on his face. "Well that one came out of nowhere. Where did you ever think of that?"

Chrom gave a knowing smile, "You've been the royal tactical advisor and my best friend for more than twenty years now, and you've been married for fifteen of those. I've had more than enough time to watch how you act around your wife." Laughing at the slight blush on Robin's face, Chrom slapped his back with a little more force than necessary. "I think that although you mean well, you tend to be bit overbearing."

"What are you talking about? I'm not overbearing." Robin crossed his arms in defiance, smearing frosting across his shirt.

Laughing at the sight, Chrom made his case, "You are and everybody but you knows it. The last time you and your family came to the castle, Cordelia was red from frustration. She couldn't even stand without you being there to help her up." Chrom let out a deep sigh, "A sensible man helps his wife to stand when she is pregnant. The lack of a small child today tells me she wasn't. You are over compensating for your lack of memories."

"I was just trying to be a good husband. I… I…" Robin was becoming flustered, and he only becomes flustered in his old age when either Cordelia passionately kissed him in public or when he was trying to justify something he knows is wrong, and Cordelia wasn't there at the moment. Hanging his head in defeat, Robin's attention fixated on the frosting, staring at the gold smudge. His eyes were dull and lifeless as he spoke, "Chrom… I don't want to lose her."

"You won't, you two have been through too much together." Robin's fixation turned to Chrom who quickly realized the cause. "Oh right, memories. Sorry, but my point still stands. I know for a fact that Cordelia doesn't want to lose you as much as you don't want to lose her."

"What do I do? I never thought of a plan for this… I never thought that we would fall out of love." He resumed his place back on the stool, burying his face in his hands.

"I don't think you have nor you ever will." Placing a hand on Robin's shoulder, Chrom gave him a reassuring grin, "She still loves you; that much was clear earlier."

Robin shifted uncomfortably on the stool, as Chrom spoke. "What if you're wrong, what if she…"

"I'm sure Sumia is talking to Cordelia right now telling her the same thing I'm about to tell you. You need to talk to her. Tell her what you are telling me and she will accept you. She has been for fifteen years after all."

Letting a deep sigh escape, Robin mind was still occupied with uncertainty. "I don't know Chrom… I just don't know…"

Chrom shook his head, not entirely understanding the uncertainty. "Well, you do what you do best and think things over although you may have less time than I expect if you don't finish the cake before your daughter comes home."

"Right… the cake…" Robin resumed frosting the cake for the third time that day, diligently following the designs he planned. Chrom turned to head towards the den before Robin's voice caused him to pause, "Thank you, Chrom… For everything."

The lord didn't face him, knowing full well that there was no need for formalities between them. Chrom left him to his duties with a tiny grin on his face. Despite all the doubt, Robin would face Cordelia again and prove their love. This he was sure of.

I am Neither Dead nor Undead (Author's Notes):

I'm baaaaack. Did ya miss me? No? Oh well. So first off, to those of you who care, college life sucks. So much typing and none of it entertaining. Okay, I'm kinda lying, it is entertaining but not like this. If you don't care, in the words of Hollywood, 'Deal with it.' I've been so busy that I haven't had the time nor the will to write the epilogue until now... sorta. As you may have noticed, things end kinda suddenly. That is because it has been so long since I updated that I wanted to put something out. It's a good thing that there is a good cut off point in the story. In case I need to spell it out for you, THE EPILOGUE IS A 2 PARTER. Next is Cordelia's problems and the ending ending. The ending that is the end of the story ending. The ending that means I don't write anymore ending. The ending that aww forget it.

As Always, please send your reviews. Follows are always appreciated... scratch that. We are so far near the end that follows aren't as useful. Please fav XP.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, its characters, or any Robins. Seriously, I can't stand house birds. Get your own cracker polly.