"Robin? Robin!"

The tactician looked up from managing his thoughts to see several expectant gazes directed at him. Right, he was supposed to be briefing them on the next stage of the war. Clearing his throat, he pushed his other thoughts aside for the time being.

"Thanks to the intel provided by Say'ri, we know that the Valmese army is divided into three segments. The north and south divisions are both large and well equipped, however, the third division serves as more of a logistics branch and is therefore much more vulnerable to attack.

"The problem is, the other two divisions would likely be hot on our tails if we took our complete force and headed in that direction. To that end, I recommend splitting our forces up and scattering them as diversionary forces while the Shepherds and a few divisions head for Fort Steiger where the enemy commander is stationed. Say'ri says she can get us in. So, we get in, take out their commander, disrupt what we can, and we get out. With their main logistics hub taken out, the rest of the army will suddenly find itself in a much more vulnerable position."

"It's certainly bold," Chrom commented, "But I'm not exactly comfortable splitting our army into small pieces."

"They are only to engage in hit and run as well as stealth attacks. They're just supposed to be noisier than us. Either way, we can split up and try and outmaneuver them, or we can stay together, get cornered, and die."

Robin's blunt words were enough to sell the prince and the khans. With their support, they began preparation. Robin would be quite busy for the remainder of the day. It gave him an escape from his previous thoughts though, so it was not entirely unwelcome.

Frederick busied himself preparing his mount. He would be leading the largest division in Robin's plan. It was a great responsibility, but the knight was never one to shy away from difficult tasks.

"How go the preparations?" Frederick did not look away from his task, but he knew who was there.

"I should be ready to leave by sundown if required."

"I should be going with you."

"I'm afraid Minerva would draw too much attention. We will, after all, need to disappear after our tasks are done."

"But I know the terrain. You don't."

"I will adapt. Any help you could provide would be appreciated though."

"Frederick," Cherche huffed and grabbed the knight by the shoulder and turned him around, "At least look at me! Are you not going to say anything about us?"

"And what would you have me say? I am about to ride into a dangerous mission."

"That is exactly why I want you to say something!"

"To say anything now would not do either of us any good. Perhaps," The knight struggled with his words – emotion was not his strong suite – but he continued on, "If – when – I return; then perhaps we can talk."

"I'll hold you to it," Cherche answered fiercely.

"I know you will," Frederick managed a chuckle, "Walhart had best be careful lest he face your wrath." Frederick's face then went serious again, "I do have a request for while I am gone."

"Whatever you need."

"I would ask that you keep an eye on their highnesses." Cherche's eyes went wide at the request. She knew that he would not have trusted anyone else with that task. "I do not ask this lightly, but I ask that you treat them as if they were your lieges. Well…perhaps not exactly the same as you would your lie."

"You have my word."

"Thank you," Frederick smiled genuinely, and for a moment, he let a sliver of his affection show in his eyes, but it was enough to reassure the wyvern rider. They would certainly have much to discuss when he got back.

Stahl had also been assigned away from the Shepherds. He would be leading his squad to disrupt communications and generally be a nuisance. The point of his mission was never to engage a very strong force, but that did not mean the mission would be without danger. They would be riding into hostile territory with limited if any backup available, but while he was understandably nervous, he was also a little proud that he would be trusted with this mission. He vowed to do his best both to succeed and to come back to his beautiful wife whom he had already promised to return to.

He had just finished prepping his horse when he realized that he was not alone. He looked to see Severa standing at the entrance to the makeshift stable seemingly uncertain of herself. Both he and Cordelia had taken note of the interest the girl seemed to have in them.

"Don't just stand there," Stahl broke the ice, "You here to wish me luck?"

"Er, um, sure," Severa hesitantly approached, "Your mission is important after all. Wouldn't want you to…to mess it up." Severa cursed her inability to stay composed, but this was her father! She had always been able to count on him even if she felt she could not count on her mother, and now he was riding off on this mission. She hated it.

"Heh, don't worry. I'll be fine."

"W-what makes you think I care about you?"

"Well, it's only natural to be concerned about your aging father."

"W-what?" Severa's eyes widened. She had not…

"Sorry if I'm wrong, but you have taken quite the interest in me and Cordelia. Plus, you have her eyes. I'd recognize them anywhere."

Severa shuffled uncomfortably for a few seconds making Stahl worry that he had made a mistake before she dispelled those fears by wrapping him in a hug, "D-daddy!"

"Hey," He hugged her back, "Don't worry. Your old man's been through a few battles."

"You'd better be!" She pulled back, "We have a lot of time to make up for."

Stahl chuckled, "I look forward to it."

Robin stared at his maps, but his thoughts were not on them. No, they were on the princess across from him staring at her own set of maps. He told himself that he should let it go, but it kept nagging at him. What if he was right? Even if he was, was it really his place to push the matter?

"You seem distracted," Lucina commented from across the table. Robin looked up not expecting her to pick up on it. Perhaps he was slipping, but it provided an opportunity. In the end, his curiosity always had been one of his biggest weaknesses.

"I was just thinking," Robin braced himself, "About your mother."

"What about her?"

"Sumia's not your mother, is she?"

"W-what?" Lucina's face went pale, "What would even make you say that? Because we are not close you assume she is not my mother? Who else could it even be?"

Her reaction was good; it almost made him reconsider, but he pushed forward. Looking her in the eyes, he calmly replied, "Tiki."

Lucina's faux anger halted in its tracks. She looked at him with an eerie calm and her voice carried a similar feeling, "What makes you say that?"

"A number of factors. Like your extremely resilient skin for one, or the fact that you seem a bit more susceptible to the cold than most as well as your rather keen sense of smell. However, none of that was particularly telling, but then there was your duel with Chrom in Ferox. One flesh wound from Falchion put you out of commission. Now, I've seen you in action both in battle and training, and I don't believe for a second that you couldn't take a cut to the arm. Unless, of course, you were part manakete.

"As for Tiki in 0particular, you have been very protective of her when brought up."

"She is a valuable ally," Lucina rebutted.

"No," Robin shook his head never taking his eyes off the princess, "I've only seen you approach the level of ferocity you had at the Mila Tree once, and that was when you intervened to save Chrom."

"This is all circumstantial."

"You're right, but if you have nothing to hide, I simply ask that you pull your hair back."

"What?"

"Let me see your ears. If I'm wrong and they're human, I'll apologize, and we can put this uncomfortable business behind us."

Lucina looked at him hard. She was trapped. He was right. If she had nothing to hide, there was no reason not to grant his request. She could try and feign indignation, but she had clearly underestimated him already, she would not count on her acting skills to get past him.

So, she sighed and looked down, "You and your observations." She looked him in the eyes, "It's true. Tiki is my mother."

"Okay, so…how did that happen?" Robin really did not understand how they could have ended up together. Tiki and Chrom seemed like a very unlikely couple.

Lucina looked him dead in the eyes, "You have to promise not to repeat what I say to anyone."

"I promise."

Lucina steadied herself. She was not entirely sure about this, but part of her did want to tell someone. Plus, she had already come this far. With that in mind, she began, "In my world, Sumia died. Father was not particularly keen on finding someone to replace her either. Eventually, Tiki stepped in and proposed a compromise. The people adored it, and a year later, I was born."

"Why though? Surely this is not the first time a prince has had trouble securing his bloodline."

"Mother told me that she believed Ylisse would need his leadership in the days to come. I believe she feared Grima's return as well. She sought to make sure he could focus as well as to make sure the exalted line continued should Grima return."

"I see," Robin still had questions, but before he could ask them, Lucina moved to excuse herself.

"If that will be all. I think I will retire for the evening." She turned and left in a hurry leaving Robin to ponder how he could have gone about that better. He really needed to work on reigning in his curiosity.

The following day, Lucina made a point to avoid the tactician. It was not until evening that he finally managed to get her alone.

"Lucina, might I have a word?"

Lucina reluctantly stopped and turned to face him, "What do you require?"

"I wanted to apologize if I came on too strong. I'm a fairly curious person. It's…a weakness of mine. So I'm sorry for putting you on the spot."

Lucina analyzed him for a few seconds before responding, "It's fine. You meant no harm. I can see that. Though I would appreciate discretion."

"Of course, of course," Robin nodded awkwardly and the two looked at each other for a few more seconds.

"You still have more questions, don't you?"

"Am I getting that easy to read?"

"You did say you are curious, and I did not give you a very in-depth account…I may also be getting better at reading you."

"Heh, well, you're right. I do have more questions."

"I will see if I can answer them," Lucina looked around, "But not here. Meet me in the strategy tent as if we were going over more plans."

"Okay," Robin nodded, and they went their separate ways for all of ten minutes before reconvening in the command tent. Robin felt a little scandalous meeting like this, but, then again, this was a somewhat scandalous topic.

"So, you had questions," Lucina asked in a soft tone so as to not be overheard.

"First of all, why did you save Sumia?" Lucina looked at him hard, "You said she died in your world, but she didn't here and I can only surmise that you saved her that night at the castle. My question is: why save the woman that held your father's heart?"

"What if it were an accident?" Lucina raised her brow.

"I considered that, but, then, why pick Sumia? Someone with so little combat experience. At the time I let your reasoning slide, but there were better options. Especially since you knew them potentially better than I did at that point. Why her?"

"Does anything get past you?"

"The identity of Brady's parents for one, but let's not get sidetracked."

"You are not wrong. I intentionally saved her life. As for why, I did it because my mother asked me to."

"What? Why would she do that?"

Lucina gave a melancholy smile in response, "Partially so that my father could be happy. You see, my parents never loved each other. It was an alliance – a friendship at best. My father treated her well, and he treated me with all the love he had, but it was not hard to see that he was rarely happy. Mother said the only time he seemed to be truly happy was around me.

"That night also had an adverse effect on him. Not only did he lose his older sister who had been like a mother to him, but the woman he loved died in his arms. You can imagine the effects; he was never quite the same again. I've been told that he was most like his old self around me, and I think that was partially my mother's hope. However, in the end, he was still a broken man tasked with saving the world.

"My mother – who survived up until we were leaving – took me aside and told me to save Sumia that night. For my father's sake. She told me what would likely happen, but she also explained that she wanted this. It was her last wish to me before pushing me into the portal and turning to face the horde that was closing in on us. It was the last time I saw my birth mother."

"So, you saved Chrom from falling into despair at no small price to yourself."

"It is a small price to save the world."

"So you say, but it cannot be easy," Robin could not help but admire her commitment.

"Thank you. Truth be told, it is…nice to have someone else know the truth, but enough of that. You have another question?"

"Oh, right. I was, uh, well, can you…you know…'rawr?'"

Lucina raised her brow, "I don't understand."

"Can you…turn into a dragon?"

Lucina turned away clutching her hands to her chest, "The answer to that is…somewhat complicated." She looked back to the tactician, "I could. Once. However, Grima could sense when I used my powers. Mother had warned me that using them might not be safe, but when a group that had gone out to find food had become surrounded I-I tried to save them. Grima sent more troops and even started heading that way personally. Not only did the entire team die, but I barely made it out with my life thanks to my mother. Our entire group ended up losing more as we tried to escape the Risen.

"I never transformed again. At my request, mother even put seals on my dragonstone to prevent me from doing so."

"Can these seals ever be broken?"

"In truth, I don't know. I tried, during the peacetime, but I could not do it. Mother said that if I was truly determined, that I could do it, but no matter how hard I try or focus, it simply will not work anymore."

"Well, maybe when we meet back up with this world's Tiki, she can help you with that."

"Thank you, but It's probably best not to spread this. I do not wish to make this situation even more complicated."

"It's your choice," Robin looked at the princess with his newfound respect for all she had been through, "You have my word that I won't reveal a word of this as well as my thanks for indulging my curiosity."

"I simply hope no one else discovers my secret."

"Don't worry, I don't think anyone else has."

"In any case, I think I'd better retire now. We have a busy day tomorrow."

"Indeed," Robin agreed, "Good night."

"To you as well."

Robin stayed behind after she had left. Lucina had sacrificed seeing her own parents together so that they would not be forced into a loveless marriage. It was something he was unsure if he could do himself even not knowing his parents. He had a hard time not respecting her further after knowing what she was personally willing to give up, and it made him all the more determined to end this war and put a stop to any threat Grima posed.

With that in mind, Robin pulled out the maps. He had some planning to catch up on.

"Are you sure you are fit for this?" Lucina asked as she and Robin led the way for their group through the tunnels leading to Fort Steiger. She had noticed that he seemed a bit tired during the briefing, but he had been too busy for her to question him before they left. She did not find it ideal to do this with others present lest they lose confidence in their tactician's ability to lead, so she made sure to keep her voice low.

"I'll be fine," Robin knocked a cobweb down, "I just didn't get much sleep last night. Don't you worry though, it wouldn't be the first time I fought while tired."

"You should have gone to bed sooner," Lucina berated, "The plans would have still been there in the morning."

"I'll have you know I made some important adjustments last night as well as some contingencies in case Say'ri's information did not pan out." Robin did not like operating on her information, but it was really their best bet at getting inside the fort. His other plan involved more brute force. The fort was not as large as one might expect of a nation like Valm – likely because they did not build it – but it was important, and if the Valmese managed to send for help, they could easily find themselves in trouble.

Lucina simply huffed in reply. She would have to make sure he did not work himself to exhaustion later. For now, they were approaching their exit point. Robin held his hand up and the whole column stopped in their tracks.

With minimal communication, it was impossible to know if everyone was in position, but Robin trusted them to carry out his plan. With surgical precision, he led his troops out of their hiding places and quickly regrouped with Chrom's group doing the same. They took the room in a matter of minutes.

"Remember," Robin instructed Chrom, "Get in, take out Pheros, and get out."

"I got it," Chrom double checked the straps on his armor, "Don't you worry."

"Yes, yes, just make it quick."

"Got it," Chrom turned to his troops, "Alright, break's over. Let's go!"

With the others gone, there was little for Robin's group to do other than to make sure their escape route remained clear. A task that became a bit more complicated when they heard footsteps underneath.

"I thought you said the Valmese didn't know about these tunnels," Robin whispered to Say'ri.

"They shouldn't," She whispered back.

"Were you expecting company?"

"No," Say'ri unsheathed her blade. The Shepherds readied themselves as the floor tiles once again moved out of place, but the people that came up were not dressed like Valmese soldiers.

"Resistance cell reporting," The man at the front gave a sloppy salute. Robin narrowed his eyes on the man. He was trying to hide it, but he was incredibly nervous. It could have been battle jitters, but the way he was regarding the Shepherds made Robin suspicious.

"What are you doing here?" Say'ri approached, "I did not request support. I did not even tell you about this operation." This made Robin even more suspicious as he analyzed the newcomers. Especially the leader.

"When you asked about the tunnels, it was not hard to figure out what you were doing. We decided to lend you a hand."

"He's lying." Robin narrowed his eyes.

"Excuse me?" The man tried to say indignantly, but Robin could see the sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Sir Robin," Say'ri addressed the tactician, "They may have been overzealous, but I do not think that–"

Robin did not let her finished and instead pushed her out of the way of an incoming blade. He took a flesh wound to the arm in the process but was otherwise fine. The assailant could not say the same as Lucina almost instinctively moved in for the kill upon seeing his treachery.

What happened next happened extremely quickly. The much better trained Shepherds had the resistance fighters at blade point within moments. A few put up a fight, but they were quickly struck down. However, more footsteps could be heard down below. More were coming.

"Seal the tunnels," Robin ordered, and the Shepherds immediately got to work moving whatever they could find over the exits. While they were busy doing that, Robin turned to Say'ri with a fire in his eyes.

"How did this happen?"

"I-I don't know. I knew that man. I trusted him."

"It seems you need to work on who you put your trust in," Robin started toward the hall that Chrom and the others had gone down, "Odds are, the Valmese know we're here and will be here before long."

Lucina spared one last look at the clearly distraught woman before following Robin.

"This is bad," Chrom stated the obvious with a furrowed brow. Looking to his tactician for direction, he asked him what he thought they should do.

"Leave, clearly. And soon. The problem is that they're likely to be here within the hour judging by our fliers' report. The best thing I can say is to leave now before things get too out of control. Right now the tunnels are filled with mostly resistance soldiers, but the Valmese will likely move in when they get here. Best to leave while the resistance is low."

"But where do you suppose we go?" Flavia asked with her sword nonchalantly resting on her shoulder in an attempt to mask her unease. A task which she accomplished fairly well with only Basilio being harder to read.

"We can't count on meeting up with our other troops at the moment. If they knew about our coming here, it's possible the main armies are already headed this way. Fortunately, they may also have largely ignored the others. The problem is rendezvousing with them.

"For now, I recommend splitting up the leadership to reduce the chances of them capturing our entire command structure."

"Risky, but understandable," Basilio spoke with his commanding voice filling the room, "We can be ready to leave in less than half an hour."

"Alright," Robin nodded, "The Feroxi can take the north, and we'll take the south."

Flavia opened her mouth to speak, but Lucina beat her to it, "I would advise against this. I know that in my world, Basilio fell to Walhart. If you were to face him, then we would lose a valuable leader in our fight both against Valm and Grima."

"But I thought you said things were different this time around?" Robin looked to her, "Things may happen differently this time."

"Besides," Basilio chimed in, "I can simply avoid Walhart. Problem solved."

"But–"

"Look, I'm flattered by the concern, but I didn't get to where I am today by playing it safe."

"Don't worry," Chrom put a hand on Lucina's shoulder, "I trust Basilio to take care of himself."

Lucina still looked conflicted, but she nodded nonetheless.

Basilio managed what little he had to get ready when Robin approached.

"Mind if we speak…in private?"

Basilio raised his brow, but he consented nonetheless and the two walked off to a secluded area of the fortress.

"Here to try and talk me out of it, boy? Think I'll die out there too?"

"That depends on how you conduct yourself."

"I have no intentions to die out there."

Robin lowered his voice, "About that…."

A/N: Whew. Still not too happy about how Robin goes about confronting her, but oh well. So there you have it. My answer to how in the world Chrom and Tiki ended up together despite little to no chemistry between the two.

This chapter also ended up longer than I initially expected. Guess these long chapters may persist for a bit.

On a FEH note, this banner has been very nice to me. Using only free pulls I've managed to get both Idunn and Lugh. Not bad.