Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem. Fire Emblem belongs to Intelligent Systems and Nintendo.
His beloved stood in a pool of light. Even her hair glimmered with it. Despite the tugging of his long dead heart, he could not afford to be bewitched by her beauty this time.
She had always been smart, but he never would have supposed that she'd figure out how to use the keys on her own. If he had known, he never would have allowed them to come into her possession.
At least, not until after he'd fulfilled his duty.
Though the distance stretched out long between them, he could feel her gaze. Her surprise.
And was that . . . pity?
An odd sensation burrowed into his bones. His brows beetled together as he tried to place the feeling, and then he shoved it away completely.
No.
Hope, he had learned, was a rare commodity and far too expensive.
So he waited.
Watched.
They'd gathered around her, moths to a flame. Listened as she spoke. She was not yet the Grandmaster she would one day become, but he was certain she had more than a single plan. Every so often, her gaze would stray back to him before she remembered herself and hastily looked away.
His lips curled into a smile sharp enough to cut through glass. He had worked so hard to get her attention, so he couldn't rightfully complain now that he had it.
All the same, sometimes the best plan was no plan. Hit a thing hard enough, and it might be too stunned to move. Were that the case, then he could easily keep her from interfering. He felt a moment's worth of regret. If he'd had a choice, he never would have escalated things so quickly, but his Beloved had outsmarted even herself when she risked provoking the dragon's attention.
And thus, it's ire.
If he didn't act now, then it would be all over before anything had really had a chance to even begin.
He glanced at his warriors, each carved from shadow, every one armed with killing intent.
You are not to hurt her, he told them with deliberate care. She alone is not to be touched. As for everyone else, do as you will.
His army needed no more encouragement than that. With the shrill cry of the wind, they tore down from the sky and rushed into the glittering forest below. He cut a path straight through them, aiming for the heart of the light.
One step.
Then another.
Each one, a step closer to her.
His cloak streamed out behind him as he arched toward the place where his beloved stood. Even from here, he could see the fury, the determination, and the confusion clouding her eyes.
In the next breath, her eyes had cleared and turned sharp and bright. Burning roses of violet hue framed against the pale light of the moon. His smile widened, and he opened his arms as if to embrace her.
Only to hop back to dodge the sphere of light she'd launched at his head.
Annoyed was she?
In this, she wasn't alone.
He stepped to the side to avoid another ball of light streaking uncomfortably close to his face. Love could melt valleys through the rugged face of the mountains drop by drop. It could pick bones cleaner than the sun. Love was often cruel in order to be kind.
The tortured cry of his sword was released in one fluid movement. The tip tangled around the strands of light, tearing holes and leaving chaos and knots of light turned against itself in his wake.
One step.
And another.
And then they stood face to face.
"You have locked the gates between the realms." A glob of light glittered between her fingers from where it rested in her palm. "I'm going to have to ask you to open them."
Strangely, her anger did not bother him, restrained though it was. If anything, it only highlighted his cause. She had never looked more awake and . . . alive than she did then.
Very well, they could both be direct.
He brought the sword down in a flash of tortured light. His beloved dodged easily, but the important thing was the spell that fell apart the moment her attention had been diverted. This would be easier than he'd thought.
She was not fully fledged, and yet she still believed she could fly.
Setting his jaw, he followed her, his sword extended.
Her brows drew sharply together as she glared at him. Her arm swept around as she conjured another ball of light, this one coming faster than the previous two.
Undeterred, he sent his sword slicing toward her spell. It was strange to see her still so young and weak.
She whose name caused even the bones of the earth to tremble.
He had only a moment to reflect before he sensed something amiss.
His beloved was smiling at him. The sort of smile that promised things were only going to become unpleasant from here on out.
She'd met him head on. Not retreating. Not even bothering to dodge.
Instead, she smiled and reached toward his blade.
He stumbled, then, struggling to turn the blade aside. The force of his own momentum sent him tumbling to the side, although he managed to keep his footing.
His grin widened. She always knew how to keep things interesting.
How could he have forgotten?
With a careless flick of her wrist, his beloved tossed the spell toward him. He parried it easily, bringing up the broad side of the sword to protect himself.
His second mistake.
Though his sword was made of dragon bone, the hilt and cross guard were very much made of metal.
His teeth ground together as the spell shocked him and caused his bones to grind painfully together as his muscles contracted.
"I don't want to hurt you." His beloved's eyes were deep pools of radiant violet. She shook out her hand as she summoned another glowing orb. This one flowed smoother and faster still. "But I can't stay here. Not right now."
He sighed. She had never been obedient at the best of times. It was one of the things he most loved about her.
It was also the thing that gave him so many a sleepless night.
Bringing his sword up, he readied himself for another round.
Her eyes widened. "Really?" She muttered something under her breath about pigheaded stupidity.
At least she knew what she was facing.
His heart sat strangely light in his chest as he darted forward. With every swing, she conjured another spell as though plucking stars from the sky. With every thrust, her arm rose to lob another burning ball of light toward him.
And with every slice, she sent him a glower that could have leveled cities.
They danced around each other, moving in perfect synchronicity, and for a moment, the dim memory of a happier time began to surface.
Gold marble.
Musicians playing as they emphasized the rhythm for her.
Eyes the color of sun-warmed earth.
A sharp pain radiated out from his temple, causing him to stagger as though she'd struck him head on.
"Why are you doing this?" his beloved shouted, her chest heaving and beads of sweat dampening her brow.
That expression.
The shout that was torn between frustration and exasperation.
Time froze, and the air wavered, and he could almost see the brilliant green of the practice yard.
The moment she threw down her sword that was little more than a collection of notches.
The way the corner of her lips betrayed her.
How it felt to sweep her into his arms . . .
He could almost—
Something hot streaked past his cheek, waking him from his dream. He quickly dodged to the side.
Pivoted on his heel.
Swung around and caught her wrist.
In a movement as elegant as one of the finest court dances, he held her against him, pinned her arm behind her, forcing her to drop her tome, and brought his sword to her throat.
He almost regretted how quickly she fell to his mercy.
He leaned his head down to press his cheek against the side of her face.
Yield.
"Never!" Her voice wavered a little and shook from her surprise.
He gusted a sigh of impatience. Even the most novice and incompetent soldier would know when they were about to be disadvantaged to death.
Are you really so tired of living?
She went still in his arms, and he mentally let out a breath he'd been holding all along.
Good. She still—
Twin points of pain erupted in his chest.
He blinked at her, bewildered.
Her glower only deepened as they shared the agony of encountering a Thunder at such a close range.
Tears streaked dirt across her face, but she bared her teeth at him as though she were the one with the advantage.
Her breath went hoarse, and a deep cough wracked from deep within her chest. But before he could properly work out whether she'd been injured, she tried to spin around, throwing her weight on her heel as she attempted to slither out of his grasp.
Which only resulted in him tightening his hold.
Yield.
She shook her head. "Not until you open the gates!"
Her scent was just as he had remembered it. Dry leaves. Bonfires. A world preparing for the long sleep that was coming.
Home.
No.
"May I ask why not?" She made no attempt to hide the irritation in her voice.
It had long been apparent that she would never listen to sense, so he returned the words she had given him once upon a time, You are safer here.
As though his words had spell-tomed her in place, she stopped struggling. She took a few gulping breaths, as though to calm herself down. Then she tilted her head back enough to look up at him. She raised a brow and gestured to the edge of the blade he had pressed against her neck.
Point taken. He eased the weight of the sword at her throat, but though he willed himself to do it, he found he could not relinquish his hold on her.
Not yet.
It had been so long.
"For the last time," his beloved spoke through clenched teeth, "open the gates."
When the choice was between useless words and cherishing the present, there was no choice. If only he could stop time long enough to hold her in his arms forever.
Just like this.
No cause.
No dragon.
Just the two of them for all time.
"Fine," she snarled as another golden orb hissed against her palm.
You forced my hand. Her questions from earlier struck him then. Was she, who could see into the hearts of those who opposed them, truly so very blind to his intentions? Could she have forgotten that his every act—his very being—was in service to her?
"I forced your hand?" she spluttered, incredulous. The magic dancing about her fingers abruptly went out.
He closed his eyes and nodded.
Although the world was in chaos all about them, they were the darkened calm at the center of the storm.
Just as they had always been.
I told you that you were playing a dangerous game, love.
Her breath went in, swift and deep, and he was confident that she'd remembered.
That she would finally understand.
"I meant what I said before." Her voice was different from what he'd grown accustomed to, but the same rigid determination was there, undergirding it.
He smiled. It did not seem to matter, when she was. She was, as ever, Robin.
And she would become so once more.
As did I.
She stiffened suddenly. "Is he in danger? Is that why you've shut me away?"
Before he could correct her, she struggled her way out of his arms. Whipped around to face him. The glower she wore could have melted all the iron ore in every Ylissean mine.
His lips curled into a self-mocking grimace as he slid his sword back into its sheath. With the sword's song silenced, the space in his mind grew quiet and still. Filled completely with her.
He ignored the thorn in his heart when she flinched right before he cupped her cheek in his hand. It was better, in the long run, if she feared him enough to turn away.
I've not shut you away from anything but that which threatens to harm you.
Her eyes had narrowed to slits as she studied him. Apparently not satisfied with whatever she saw, she punctuated each word with a jab to his chest. "Not. A. Single. Hair. Of. His. Head. When I return home—and I will find a way—you had better hope that he is safe and sound."
His own eyes narrowed. Two could play at that game. And you had better hope that my Beloved is well. You roused the dragon with your foolishness. Can you afford to pay the consequences of a slumbering god turned wide-awake?
"What dragon?" She reached for the pockets she had left behind, and awkwardly crossed her arms instead. "The only dragon I've ever met is Nowi, and she's on our side." She blinked at him, her brows furrowed. "My side, I mean."
He wanted to tell her.
Remind her.
He was on no one's side but hers.
But there would be time soon enough for her to understand. At the moment, he had more important things to do. His Beloved had been far too reckless to come here. To entrust her doom into the very hands that would bring about her eternal destruction.
He pressed a hand against the hollow of his chest and smiled. To think she would have crafted the key from his very bones . . . That she whose mind was always five steps ahead of everyone else's would think that he hadn't noticed.
That he wouldn't understand.
They were two halves to the greater whole, after all.
The only dragon that will matter in the end. He brushed a stray wisp of hair from her cheek, wishing he could afford to linger long enough to fulfill the entirety of their lifetimes.
"Tell me about this dragon of yours." Her words were tiny bubbles filled with the first lively beams of the sunrise. "If we work together, we can defeat it."
No, he met her gaze, we can't.
They had tried working together, and that had only led to the end of everything and nearly everyone. As for the future . . .
A god who extinguished his purpose for being, would soon be rendered mad before the long decline into nothing.
His lips quirked to the side. Even the dragon could not escape the vortex of his own hatred.
"We have to try." Her expression had turned fierce, as though she could shape reality by the sheer force of her will alone. As if she could prevent that which would swallow them whole.
His eyes narrowed.
No.
"Why not?" she snapped. "So what if it's a dragon! Everyone and everything has a weak point that can be exploited for defeat. They're no different from us in that regard."
Us.
Ha.
In the end, the dragon would die—or come so close to dying as to render all things meaningless.
Even so, so long as the dragon lived, a part of her would live on.
No.
Her cheeks went pink with temper. "We can't just give up! I refuse to give up!"
A quiet ache began to permeate what was left of his soul. His beloved's inability to give up would only get her killed in the end.
Clenching his jaw, he caught her by the waist and leaped upon the wave of shadows raining down on the jewel-bright world below. She cried out and struggled a bit before she turned an adorable shade of green and went almost limp in his arms.
Very well.
If she refused to listen to reason, then he would force her to see it in all its lurid shades and hues.
He had a promise to keep.
If Robin's stomach hadn't been thrown into open rebellion, she'd have given this Chrom-that-never-should-have-been an ample piece of her mind. As it was, the most she could do was to cling to him like a baby octopus and hope that the nightmare ended sooner or later.
On.
Dry.
Solid.
Ground.
Then she'd kill him.
He glanced down at her, amusement shadowing the corner of his lips.
Almost as if he could read her mind . . .
His smirk widened as she glared at him.
Put me down immediately! she snarled, or tried to anyway. Her words were swallowed by the nausea assaulting her, and her thoughts flew away like paper birds on the winds that filled her head with dizziness.
This was worse than the tree.
Worse than Feroxi attics, even.
"Stop!" she managed to croak before she buried her face in his shoulder.
The wind that had been rushing past her face and tangling through her hair vanished. The bright sound of steel clashing against steel, the shouts of encouragement, of despair, all sounded weirdly muted. As though from a dream or half a world away.
Robin blinked at the vague shapes of men and shadows twisting and twining about each other, neither side willing to admit defeat, both sides pressing forward as they bled through the cracks in the other's formation. In the center of that storm, the Chrom-that-wasn't-hers was a blur of silver and blue.
Falchion cut through the shadows as though they were silk, a grin on her ghostly lips as she continued her business of rending and hewing. All the while moving with perfect precision at the side of the Prince she had chosen to bear her.
As though the sword felt Robin's gaze, Falchion glanced up at her, eyes filled with the ruby haze of battle. Robin didn't have time to quail away from the look sharp enough to shear the distance between them before the world narrowed to two points of the purest blue.
He reached toward her then, shouting her name, only to spin away from a midnight edged blade that whistled far too close to his heart.
"Put me down!" Robin demanded, hammering away at the chest of her captor before she remembered her circumstances and clung to him once more. "On the ground! After we land!"
His hand caressed her cheek, and she found herself leaning into the familiar touch before she pulled herself back.
No.
He—this . . . This monstrous person —wasn't Chrom. Furthermore, Chrom would never become him. She wouldn't allow it.
Not until you understand. His voice whispered through her mind like brittle leaves cloaked in starlight.
Understand?!
Robin narrowed her eyes. She understood plenty, and she'd understand even more once she had her feet—and stomach—on solid ground once more.
Any minute now . . .
His lips curved into a smile every bit as sharp as Falchion's. What if I told you that the end of the world is closer than you know? That all you love, all you cherish, will be ash on the wind in not many years hence.
Her blood went cold, and she could almost see the glimmer of violet light radiating from the back of her right hand. Every word on her tongue withered away into nothing.
He nodded, pleased that he had her undivided attention. And what if I told you that such a fate could be avoided entirely?
"I'm listening," Robin said, despite common sense urging her to flee by whatever means necessary.
His gaze deepened until her head began to swim. What if I told you that the end of everything began with a single person?
Robin's heart almost stopped beating. The name imprinted on her hand wove through her mind. Her heart. Until everything went silent and the name was all she could hear.
It was her fault, wasn't it? She squeezed her hand around the rotting cloth of his cloak. She had been given everything, only to turn around and take everything away from those who had been so generous.
The Chrom-of-shadows brushed his thumb gently against her cheek. The madness, the cold, calculated fury had dimmed until she could almost see the scraps of tenderness that had somehow survived.
It's too late for me, love, but there's still time enough to save her. To save you.
His words were cold water that dragged her back into the present.
"Explain yourself." How? How did Chrom become the man she saw before her now? His heart was good, and pure, and true. He would never bow to the enemy. Would never become the enemy. He'd die first.
Her eyes widened as she studied him. The pieces that were the puzzle of this Chrom's existence were starting to slide into place, and she almost couldn't bear to look any longer.
Surely he couldn't be . . .
A kind of bleakness overshadowed his face. We were betrayed. In the end, that betrayal cost us everything.
"So you hope to right that wrong now?"
He nodded.
"By killing him?" She almost could not speak the words aloud.
He gestured down to the play of light and shadow battling down below, and for a moment, those familiar figures wavered into something even more familiar.
Her heart clenched down on the answer her mind was trying to give her. She shook her head, unwilling to even think of compromising.
It is the only way, love. By extinguishing one life, all else may be preserved.
Robin stared at him, her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of his words. How did her Chrom tie into everything? Had the despair in the future driven this one mad?
What did the future look like if it had been able to so thoroughly destroy his hope?
"No! There has to be another way! Help me understand what happened, what we're up against. I give you my word—"
He brushed his thumb against her lips. I regret the pain that comes by way of necessity.
She batted his hand away. "There is no necessity! I'm telling you that I won't stand by and—"
Sleep for now, love. When you wake, the nightmare will be over.
Robin yelped as he twisted out of her grasp. Before she could fall, he scooped her into his arms, and focused on something over her shoulder. Her thoughts ground to a stop as fear found its place. She very desperately did not want to look to see what had captured his attention.
Yet she couldn't not look either.
Despite everything, there was still some part of her that recognized the Chromish parts within him that time and dea—circumstances hadn't been able to eradicate. Up until now, she'd believed that he would never hurt her, no matter how deranged the dark magic working within him had rendered him.
But now . . .
The back of her right hand warmed until it felt as though she was holding it right above an inferno. Blisters began to form in little bursts of white-hot pain.
Heart thrumming at her temples and fluttering in her throat, Robin looked over her shoulder and immediately forgot about her hand.
A sea of the darkest shadows broiled below where they hung suspended in the sky. It twisted and wrapped about itself as the whole mass ascended, changing shape while darkening into a blackness she didn't have a word for.
Nothingness didn't even come close.
But as the spires of darkness rose to greet her, they shaped themselves into ebony petals and vines with thorns that caught and tangled the light.
A bed of stone with a bower of roses . . .
"No!" She twisted around, grabbing hold of him. The other version of herself who lay slumbering in a tiny pocket of space haunted her mind's eye. "You can't do this!"
When he looked down at her, the tenderness in his eyes had been blotted out by the shadows. I never meant to hurt you, love.
"There has got to be a better way! I'll find a better way!"
There is no more time. His words fell like stones upon her heart.
How could he . . . How could he accept his fate?
It is a fate that I have chosen. His gaze deepened and intensified as though willing her to understand the words he hadn't uttered. All of me.
In that moment, Robin's heart stopped beating. Time stood still. And the battle below came to a complete standstill.
All . . . ?
All of him?
In whatever future realm this Chrom-that-will-never-be came from?
In . . . all the realms?
The air in her lungs pressed against her chest, urgent with its demands, but that was nothing compared to the pressure squeezing at her heart.
She . . . she couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
How could this possibly—
No.
No!
He caught her hand in his. Rolled her fingers over his palm. Studied her hand as though it contained all the mysteries of the universe.
When he finally met her gaze, his unwavering determination was clear in his eyes.
I have always loved you, the words in her mind were soft and downy. A hint of wonder she could only marvel at. And I always will. Rest your heart and sleep now, love. Dream of a better world where we can meet once more. Just you and I. Forever.
"Chrom, I—"
He shuddered at the sound of his name, his face twisted in a patient kind of agony. Even so, he smiled through his grimace, and she could almost see the boy within the man.
Let him go. Only then will the world be secure.
His eyes deepened as they darkened, and the fingers that cupped her cheek had become so unbearably cold.
Robin wrapped her fingers around his arm, intending to fling it away, but she couldn't quite bring herself to.
This wasn't Chrom. Not her Chrom.
But he was connected to her Chrom and the Chrom down below. It was those parts of him that she saw within the spectre before her that stayed her hand.
Sleep now . . .
"No!" The word scraped past her throat like the ashes of a dying fire.
A faint smile lingered in the corner of his mouth. Sorry, love, but this is the best—the only way—forward.
Robin gaped at him. She couldn't breathe and there was a terrible weight at the center of her chest. This couldn't be happening. There's no way Chrom—but even as the thought came, she knew it wasn't true. If the safety of Ylisse, the safety of all those he held dear, were at stake, he wouldn't hesitate.
"Please . . ."
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, throbbed at her temples, as a huge rent tore her heart in half.
With one last glance that held the remainder of his heart in its entirety, the Chrom-that-never-should-have-been let go.
Robin blinked at him, unable to comprehend that she was falling. How could he . . . How could he just give up? On his family? On her? On himself?
Mindful of the fate that awaited her if he had his way, she shouted as she twisted mid-air, her fingers already tracing the runes that would call up the Wind while her other hand scrabbled frantically for the spare tomes she'd tucked into her belt.
Some of her strength went out of her once the Wind answered her call, and the howling of the shadow briar filled her ears. Just as her fingers clamped down on the tome, something slammed into her hard enough for her to see stars.
Robin blinked, gritted her teeth against all the swooping her stomach was doing, and tried to find her footing.
"Don't worry, Robin. We've got you." Sumia's sweet voice blotted everything else out.
"S-Sumia!" Robin breathed out in relief. Then, because a certain something always followed in Sumia's wake, she latched onto Sumia and squeezed her eyes shut.
Somewhere in the darkness, she could sense a malevolent force right before it shrieked its challenge.
"There, there, Snowdrop," Sumia murmured. "We can fight the nasty shadows after we've rescued Robin."
Before either of them could correct Sumia, Snowdrop snorted and then launched herself into a maneuver that left Robin's stomach spinning wildly.
Robin tightened her hold on Sumia. Her head had gone suddenly light, and it seemed to be in a competition with her stomach to see which one would lose it first. She wanted to scream some of her terror out of her, but didn't dare open her mouth in case her stomach got any funny ideas.
If she survived this, she was never, ever, EVER going near a pegasus again! They were a perfect blend of her worst nightmares. Why if she—
"Robin, you can let go now. You're safe."
Safe? Ha! So far as her stomach was concerned, she was still spiraling in that hellish place between sun and earth. A place no mortal was meant to be, else they would have been born with wings. And fangs. And whatever else those demonspawn—
"Robin."
In a quiet part of her mind, she could almost recognize that voice . . .
"Chrom?" Her voice broke as she cracked an eye open.
He gave her a tired smile. "Here, let's get you down before—"
At that moment, Snowdrop whinnied another declaration of war. Not-Chrom hastily caught hold of Robin just as the demonspawn launched herself back into the sky.
"The feeling's mutual, you know!" Robin shouted after her, but the fire went out of her voice as her legs buckled. She cast her eyes up into the sky, half expecting the Chrom-that-would-never-be-allowed's shadows to be right on her heels.
Other than a few dark splotches marring the brilliant perfection of the sky, the massive sea of shadows he'd summoned seemed to have vanished. Well and good. There were still knots of Shepherds and soldiers fighting shadows at the edge of the forest, but it was as though a great heaviness had been lifted from the battlefield.
"Are you all right?" Not-Chrom's brow creased as he looked her over. "Were you injured anywhere?"
"I'm fine," Robin said, gently pushing away from him to stand on her own. She gave him a smile that turned watery before it could convince him that she was one hundred percent fine. And that Everything Was All Right!
He sighed before turning to Emmeryn who had been waiting quietly beside him.
The Exalt's eyes twinkled. "She speaks the truth for now."
Ha.
"What happened?" Robin asked, her attention turning to the battle laid out before her. The Ylissean forces were spread out in a perfect formation, and the shadow creatures' ranks were thinning.
"We might well ask you the same." Not-Chrom's expression was unreadable, but the edge of his glower didn't seem to be directed at her. "You vanished after—" He frowned as he tried to find the words for what he'd seen.
Robin gently squeezed his arm. "I'm fine. I promise." Then she turned to Emmeryn and Emm who were watching them with the same serene smile.
"I've got to go back." Now that the Chrom-who-was-going-to-get-a-stern-talking-to-once-she-found-him had vanished, there was no time to waste getting back to her own realm.
Emmeryn nodded. "I believe we've found a way to break through the barrier."
Robin let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. It was about time something went right. She clutched her aching right hand and swore to herself that after they'd gotten everything sorted, she would find a way to remove the name even if it meant having Miriel help her to regrow her hand.
"What do you need me to do?"
Emmeryn and Emm glanced at each other before Emm stepped forward. She held out a small bundle.
"For after you've returned."
Robin accepted the bundle and tucked it securely into her belt. "I'll come back for you, I promise. I'll find a way to return you to your realm."
Emm inclined her head graciously. "The days ahead may be difficult, but I trust that Ylisse will be safe in the hands of those who have loved her the most. My brother chose wisely—never allow your fears to cause you to doubt that."
The blood rushed to Robin's cheeks, and her cheeks burned hot. Her lips moved to deny such extravagant claims, but the words fell apart faster than she could speak them.
"I'm not sure how long we'll be able to hold open the gate, so you must move quickly," Emmeryn said. The jewel in her staff glowed like a diamond—cold and clear and bright.
"Right." Robin drew in a deep breath. Soon she'd be back home. Only once she'd personally seen that each and every Shepherd was safe would she be able to breathe easily once more. Once they dealt with the Mad King, then she'd work to ensure that Chrom would be safe from whatever dark-Chrom threw at him.
Emmeryn and Emm raised their staffs. Rather than their gems tangling the sunlight, they radiated the light as though they'd been infused with it.
"We'll be waiting for you," not-Chrom said, his gaze never wavering as he studied her face. "For when you return."
Robin grinned at him. "Count on it."
Magic hummed through the air as the gems' glow intensified. The scent of burning aether made her nose itch, and Robin gradually felt herself becoming weightless as the magic bore her up.
Chrom, I'm coming . . .
Just as she felt the magic wrapping her into a cocoon of light, something hooked into her center and jerked her back.
Robin cried out as she landed in an untidy heap a few feet from where she'd started. The magic in the air turned hot until her hair crackled with it. The air, itself, held a charge that was unique to heavy storms right before they crashed against the sky and unleashed their fury on the earth below.
Emmeryn and Emm remained where they were, eyes closed and brows creased as though they were bearing an impossibly heavy weight. The light still burned with an otherworldly beauty, but two long cracks ran lengthwise across the gems crowing their staffs. An unnatural wind sprang up all around them, buffeting them from every side and howling in their ears.
A howl that sounded suspiciously familiar . . .
Someone had helped Robin to her feet while her mind was still swimming with discordant currents, further disorienting her.
She blinked stupidly as not-Chrom held her by the shoulders. He was shouting something, but whatever sound made it through the shrieking of the wind was lost to the muddle of her mind.
Before she had enough presence of mind to try to understand him, the something that had hooked into her center tugged at her, insistent.
It was only when a familiar shape teased the corner of her eye that she thought to look up.
At that moment, everything fell into place with exquisite precision.
"Robin! Robin!"
Robin tilted her head toward not-Chrom, but kept her gaze locked on a pair of ruby eyes in the center of the biggest storm she had ever seen.
Her heart shook itself past the incredulous fury burning deep in her gut. How. Dare. He!
"See to your sister. Give me five minutes," she huffed, retrieving the tomes from her belt. Temper warmed her from the inside out, and managed to lock down the sensible part of her mind that was not looking forward to the next part. "That'll be more than enough."
Not-Chrom shouted something else before letting go of her arm. With a nod in his direction, Robin snapped the tome open and traced the sigils to ignite her spell.
A blast of Wind tore her from the earth and sent her hurtling toward the slim figure in the eye of the storm whose grin was more than a little cocky. He waited lazily until she was halfway to tackling him out of the sky. Her glower deepened the closer she got to him.
She was so focused on her target that it took a moment for Robin to realize he wasn't coming to greet her unarmed. The writhing storm of shadows fell into formation, trailing down from behind him.
Something dark streaked toward her from the side. At first, Robin ignored it. The shadows could wait in line until she'd dealt with their king.
At least, that was the plan.
The moment it touched her, she brushed it off her sleeve, only to find that it remained stubbornly in place. It clung to her, and a faint wave of dizziness washed over her.
Looking away from the-Chrom-who-was-about-to-be-pummled-with-extreme-prejudice for the first time, she turned her attention to her arm. To her horror, the thing that had struck her looked like a black rose made of ink and smoke. While she watched, it sent forth tendrils, small at first, but quickly thickening, to wrap around her arm and secure itself more firmly.
A few more streaks passed by her peripheral vision, blooming shadows that stuck to her as though they'd been spelled there. Each sending out tendrils that turned into thick vines as they wove themselves into the deepest part of her soul.
Pulling on them did nothing, and yanking did even less. With a snarl, Robin traced the runes for a Wind sharp enough to shear them off, only for the blossoms to reform after the Wind went spinning away.
Right.
She'd worry about this later. First she needed to—
Her vision dimmed and her head went light between one breath and the next. Robin shook her head. She didn't have time to waste.
I told you to leave well enough alone, love. The never-Chrom smiled grimly at her as he caressed her cheek with a hand that might have been made of ice. All you had to do was close your eyes.
Through with speaking, Robin threw herself at him, aided by a sudden blast of Wind.
His eyes widened, before he brought his arm up in a defensive motion. Wind and shadow smashed together, nearly squashing Robin flat in between. The breath was crushed out of her lungs and her vision flickered before going dark for two frantic breaths.
When Robin managed to peel her eyes open, she found herself falling from the sky for the second time in a single day. Never-Chrom watched her with impassive eyes before vanishing into the shadows surging around them.
Despite this minor setback, Robin found that she was still reaching toward him. As though she only needed to stretch a little further to reach him.
To make him see reason.
To put an end to his madness.
Her eyes didn't leave the spot he'd last stood, as though she could will him back into existence.
Pages from her tome fluttered down alongside her, papery feathers of the broken wings of one who was never meant to fly.
The terror that ought to have been twisting her gut into a collection of exotic knots was quelled by the thing that pulsed inside her chest. It sat cold and heavy, a shadow next to her heart.
And it hurt.
It hurt so much that she forgot to breathe.
"Now, Emm!" Not-Chrom shouted, pulling Robin away from her fears and regrets and into the present.
A present in which she was going to be thoroughly unhappy with being reunited with the ground.
Her arms were numb, but she forced them to move anyway as she began to sketch out a sigil that would hopefully cushion her fall enough to ensure her survival.
"Be strong, Robin."
"And be brave."
"Chrom needs you."
"As does Ylisse."
"Farewell, dear one."
"Until we meet again."
The words soaked through Robin's consciousness before she was able to place the speaker.
No. Not speaker. Speakers.
She twisted frantically as her back collided with something hard enough to drive the breath completely out of her body. The sound of glass shattering filled her ears, but her eyes were trained on Emm and Emmeryn who stood tall and proud, encased in golden light.
They both raised a hand in farewell as their edges bled into the light. Sparks of magic swirled through the air, dancing with the light as they bore it safely away.
Bore her away.
Piece by piece.
Leaving nothing behind in its wake.
Robin screamed then, wordless grief that did nothing to stop the pain in her heart from radiating throughout her entire being.
As she felt something give way behind her, her cry was torn away, leaving her with nothing but silent embers that scored her throat as though she'd swallowed liquid smoke.
Shards of darkened glass fell in her wake, raining down almost musically upon polished stone.
She braced herself for her landing. Clenched her teeth as she hit the ground hard enough for the force to judder through her bones and clatter through her soul. Glass crunched beneath her boots as she jumped to her feet and threw herself toward the gate she had just come through.
Except it wasn't there any longer.
But that didn't stop her from trying.
The moment she would have collided with the plate of silver hanging on the wall, someone caught her by the shoulders.
Swung her around until she was encased in warmth and clover.
She struggled to free herself, her silent screams tearing ribbons of fire into her throat.
She had to get back!
Had to make sure—
There's no way Emm could have vanished like that!
But the sight of Emm disintegrating into light replayed in her mind's eye with excruciating detail.
No!
It couldn't end like this!
It couldn't!
Her body shook as she struggled to breathe. The world had gone blurry and dim, and she couldn't find her way out of it.
All that was left was a gaping hole of loss in her chest so big that she couldn't even begin to feel the entirety of the pain washing over her.
Wave after wave.
Pulling her under.
Holding her down.
After a time, all had fallen silent and still.
It was only then that she was able to hear the soft murmur of her name, repeated over and over like a charm against the monsters lurking in the night.
Her eyes had swollen shut, but she didn't need to see to know where she was.
Something shifted deep inside her, and a fraction of her grief and devastation lessened.
"Robin . . .
". . . Robin . . .
"Robin . . .
She had finally come home.
A/N: A Very Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope the new year is finding all of you happy and well! :)
So. This chapter. This is the one I've long been both anticipating and dreading. But finally-finally!-the darkest and hardest stuff for Robin to work through is finished. For now. The next chapter will finally allow her time enough to pause long enough to unpack most of the devastation and guilt weighing her down. Chrom as well. I'm really looking forward to that. :D
While I was writing the Chrom-that-has-a-million-names's part, I finally gave up trying to weave bits of what's going on around them into it. While I was trying to persuade him to see that, hey, there's a war going on around you, how about we take a little look around?, I finally realized that such a mission was futile. The whole of his attention was narrowed down to Robin. . Sorry about that. He does single-minded absurdly well. :p
As for Robin, I'm glad that there's finally a light at the tunnel of this arc. Her arc will be difficult and challenging, but not so dark and full of despair. Plus, there'll be more Chrobin moments which have sadly been lacking of late. Looking forward to rectifying that very soon!
As always, thank you so much for stopping by/reading/commenting/sharing/and sticking around for so long. You are all awesome, and I'm so very glad for each one of you. :D
Have a great week!
RoastedButter: Awww, thanks! And a very (belated) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well! I hope all is going well for you and that 2020 will be your best year yet! :D