I've been looking forward to this one

Symphony of Stardust

Chapter 13: Men of The Black Dragon

Robin winced and tightened his grip on the bedsheets as Chrom applied a little too much pressure.

Chrom almost jumped at Robin's reaction, "Sorry."

"It's fine" Robin took in a breath and bit his lower lip "just-"

He was cut off mid-thought as another wave of pain shot what little strength he had out of him. He collapsed into the pillows behind him, and Chom did jump this time, "Sorry!"

Robin gave Chrom a tired yet playful smile, "I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose."

"I'm not" Chrom knelt back down at Robin's bedside and rinsed the blood-soaked rag in water before going to give it another try. "I just don't know my own strength sometimes."

There was a knock at the door, and Chrom got up before dropping the rag in the water to let it soak. He opened the door and let Shulk enter. "I hope I'm not interrupting something."

Robin turned to face his guest, "Shulk?" he propped himself up with his arm, "what is it you need?"

"I was hoping I could," he stared down at the wound; it wasn't at severe as he had unusually thought "help."

Chrom closed the door behind them and walked beside him as they approached Robin. "You're a medic?"

"Not officially," Shulk winced.

"It's worth a shot," Robin sighed and laid back down, "anything you need?"

"No," Shulk removed the sword from his back. "I've brought all I needed."

Chrom eyed the weapon. "Is that what you were looking for?"

Shulk took the blade, holding it out by the edge, he looked back at Chrom for a moment. "I was wondering when you passed me."

Robin could see the uncertainty in Shulk's gaze as he raised his strange-looking weapon over the wound. He was half tempted to ask if Shulk had tried this before, but the fear in the young man's eyes told him that, no, this was his first time. However, there was something in his stance, a certainty that could only come from a master. Shulk closed his eyes, "Try not to move."

Robin had no reason to doubt him, especially not with what little energy he had.

Shulk opened his eyes after what felt like forever, and when he gazed down at Robin's injury, he almost couldn't believe it. The wound was gone, sealed, and any scar that would have remained was gone. He turned to Robin, who seemed to regard him with an amused satisfaction; Chrom, on the other hand, seemed completely confused.

Chrom opened his mouth to say something when there was a sudden knock at the door. Robin leaned on his arm again, "Who is it?"

"It's urgent, Captain."

"right," Robin sighed and reached out for his blue-haired companion. "Chrom, help me up."

"Right," Chrom helped pull Robin to his feet.

Shulk watched as the captain made directly for the door ignoring his coat. Although Chrom had helped him to his feet, the mercenary seemed more interested in retrieving Robin's clothes that sat on the opposite side of the bed.

It was then that he saw it. Taking up the pirate's entire upper and a good portion of his mid-back was an intricate depiction of a winged serpent. It had three sets of wings and six piercing eyes that, despite being an illustration, it felt as if it was staring into his very soul.

'Grima'

The name came to his mind almost instantly. A feeling of panic and frustration built up in the very corners of his mind. 'Grimleal' his mind continued

The concerning thing for Shulk was that in all the books he had read, in all the things he knew, this was not one of them. He had never picked up knowledge of Gods, Dragons, or anything of the sort. And yet this knowledge felt ingrained in him as if this was something he knew his whole life.

He clenched his eyes closed and tried to remember, had he read anything that would explain this. All that came was more information as if some sort of mental dam had just been broken. There was a sharp pain in his mind, as all the knowledge came flooding back. He needed to stop it, to retake control of his own brain. But it was painful, unbelievably painful.

The sword fell from his hands as his knees gave out from under him. He clutched his head, pleading for it to stop. The edges of his senses began to fade, the darkness took hold of his consciousness. Perhaps it was better that way.

Robin should have been suspicious. There was no shouting, no panic, just a calm little group of men calling for his attention in the dead of night.

He followed the scared up sailor around the deck. Robin meanwhile looked up at the gleaming stars and shimmering mood hidden behind the clouds.

He had heard the door to his cabin open again and assumed that was Chrom with his coat. But his footsteps stopped suddenly, and Robin didn't turn around. He didn't need to; it was obvious why he was out here. Robin didn't take his eyes off the clouds, watching, waiting for them to pass. "Well"

The sailors said nothing but continued walking, and Robin made sure to keep a step behind him. There seemed to be something happening behind him, nothing too crazy judging by the sound or lack thereof. "Are you going to say anything?"

As the full moon peeked out from behind the clouds, Robin's senses triggered. He was now suddenly aware of the tension in the air. And his hand moved to his belt, but he had no tome or sword. He had been resting and realized too late that he had removed everything to treat his wound.

It happened too quickly. The crewmate he had been following had turned suddenly and unsheathed his weapon.

Robin's body reacted before he could register the attack. Rolling out of the way and turning to face his chambers where Chrom was being held down by two other men, a knife at his throat. 'So that's what was taking him.'

They made eye contact, and Chrom kicked something his way only to get the blade pressed a little deeper into his neck.

Robin rolled again, this time managing to grab whatever Chrom had tossed his way.

He was hoping for his cutlass but decided a tome was better than nothing.

He watched the mutinous dog struggle to pull his blade from the mast and took his chance to begin to conger whatever he could do with the tome he was given. The circular engravings and almost pristine condition of the tome told Robin exactly which tome it was. 'Not ideal, but it'll do.'

The cremate turned to face him, and it was only now that Robin realized how many people this little operation involved. 'At least it'll make a good demonstration.'

He opened the tome and could already feel its energy pulse through his right hand. The larger man darted forward, but Robin sidestepped him this time, not wanting to get too far from him. The shadows pooled before him as he whispered a silent prayer to his god.

The other men watched as their captain raised his arm and seemed to summon shadows to coil around the leader of the rebellion. They watched as he fell to his knees, thair captain seeming to radiate energy he didn't have.

The sailor collapsed before their captain, frail and weak. Robin took his blade from his limp hands and turned to the rest of the men. "So," he raised the response to the men around Chrom, "a mutiny is it?"

Before the two men could react, Robin threw the blade just over their heads, startling them, they lost their hold on Chrom temporarily. All it took was a sharp kick to the one with the knife to free him from their trap. And with that obstruction out of the way, he tossed the man at his back over his shoulder, slamming him against the other before he could regain balance.

Chrom, now free from his captors, tossed Robin his coat and cutlass, whom he had dropped upon being ambushed.

Robin caught the coat and tossed it on before taking the thunder tome out of his pocket "well, go on" Chrom unsheathed his own blade by his side, as thunder crackled in Robin's palm "try it and see where it gets you."

A few took steps back, while three thought themselves bold enough. Robin tossed them each a small ball of electricity, stunning them temporarily. Chrom was faster on his feet and managed to bash them with the flat of his blade, sending them to the ground.

The last four didn't get to fight as Robin had slammed them into the wall and railed with a strong blast of wind.

Robin turned his gaze to the shadows, and if he squinted, he could see someone watching, but if they meant him harm, they didn't seem interested in fighting. He blinked, and they had vanished, his instincts relaxing. He turned to Chrom, who sheathed his sword. "What do we do with them?"

Robin closed his tome and tucked it away "toss them off, I don't want them causing more trouble."

Chrom winced, "won't they freeze?"

"Then toss them all in a dingy and cut them down," Robin sighed, rubbing the back of his right hand to keep it from pulsing 'i've gotten soft.'

Chrom smiled at him, satisfied with his mercy. "They'll find their way, I'm sure."

Robin looked back up at Chrom and couldn't help but turn up the corners of his mouth; he wasn't a murderer, he didn't have to be.

Shulk groaned as a hand shook him awake. "Are you alright?" It took Shulk a moment to recognize the voice as Robin's. And an even longer time to register as having fainted on the floor of the captain's quarters.

Shulk felt tired and confused, but thankful whatever had forced him into unconsciousness had stopped. "I should be fine."

"Well, that's good" Robin held out a hand and helped Shulk to his feet. "Did they get to you too?"

"What?"

Robin looked him over. "Nothing." a moment passed before Robin's serious demeanor changed, and he smiled, "any reason you were on my floor."

"Umm," Shulk scratched the back of his head. Why had he passed out? A brief flash of memories darted through his mind, a temporary migraine. He looked back up at the pirate, "are you Grimleal?"

He expected Robin to be offended, "Is that it?" Instead, he grinned, playful, and teasing, "you fainted out of fear?"

Shulk panicked. "No, no!" he put a hand to his temple but tried to hide the pain. "I… just remembered seeing your tattoo and ..."

At the mention of his tattoo, Robin turned to Chrom. "Chrom be a dear and check on the other kids," Shulk could hear the genuine concern in his voice. "just in case."

There was a sudden alarm then went off in Chrom's expression as if just realizing something. "Got it," and he was gone, his hand resting on his blade. He seemed on high alert, leaving Shulk to wonder if something had happened while he had been napping.

Robin didn't look back at Shulk but kept his eyes on the door, "So seeing my tattoo gave you flashbacks?" he peered at Shulk from the corner of his eye. There was a darkness in his eyes when he added, "you didn't fight in the war, did you?"

This caught him by surprise, "No, sir." he would have been 12 when the war ended. If he could barely hold a sword now, he would have been eaten alive on any battlefield then. "I grew up in Mira my whole life."

The darkness in Robin's gaze faded quickly. "People in Mira don't talk about the Grimleal. They're scared of the name itself" he raised an eyebrow at Shulk "how did you learn of it?"

"I … just remembered," Shulk looked down at his hands, "as if I've always known."

"You looked surprised when you healed me too," Robin subconsciously rested a hand on where his wound used to be "did you know that would work?"

Shulk couldn't look up to meet his gaze. "No, Sir," it was a gamble, one he knew he could win but had no proof he could do it. "it was like an instinct."

There was a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "that blade of yours, it reminded me of ..." at the abrupt ending, Shulk met the other's gaze, only to be witness a pensive and almost concerned expression. "where did you get it?"

"I was found with it," he reached down and picked it up from where he must have dropped it earlier. He stared at the clear glass at its hilt. "Dunban said it's all I had when they found me."

"I see," Robin let go of his shoulder, and Shulk met his gaze again, "it has a mystical aura."

He sighed, "I know I've been studying the Monado since I could write." his breath hitched.

"Monado?" he was only vaguely aware Robin was still talking. Where had he heard that? Shulk stared at the blade again. Panic searing his mind, another mental dam threatening to burst open … All he had to do was look for the memories.

"Shulk?" the hand was on his shoulder again, shaking him out of his thoughts, "are you alright?"

He shook his head; he wouldn't make that mistake twice. "I'm sorry it's just I have gone 14 years of my life, not knowing what my relic was called and ..."

"It suddenly came to you," Robin finished, a reassuring pat on the back convinced him to ignore the nagging in his mind.

"Yeah," he clipped the blade back to his back. "I must sound crazy, don't I?"

He looked back up, expecting Robin to agree and laugh. But he didn't. "There is a power I sense in you," he noticed Robin rest his left hand over his right "a strong archaic power" "but I can tell you that I sense an even greater power from that blade" his eyes flicked to the handle at Shulk's back.

"What kind of power?"

"In simple words," he took a deep breath, "I suppose, it would have to be divine."

"How?" now that he thought about it, it wasn't that surprising. He had studied it for years, and if he was sure of anything, it was that it was, without doubt, one of a kind.

"I'm not quite sure," Robin shrugged "it's just a feeling I get."

Shulk's gaze fell back to the floor. "I don't know if that makes me feel better" he closed his eyes, hoping to push away the temptation in his mind "or more confused."

"Who can say," Robin stood, and Shulk only realized they had been sitting, "you should head to bed, and try and get some sleep."

Shulk stared up at Robin. "How can sleep after there is so much I still don't understand."

"You'll have to make do," Shulk came to his feet with Robin help "call your band in tomorrow. We'll have to change course."

Now Shulk knew something had happened. "Wait, why?"

"Crew's getting a little antsy" Robin pulled the coat closer as if suddenly aware of the cold. "I think it would be safer we port soon."

He walked Shulk to the door, and only then did Shulk realize he hadn't answered "Alright." he would have to get some sleep.

Chrom leaned against the railing on the main deck. The others were fine and sleeping soundly. He didn't want to risk waking them and had decided to wait outside. Robin probably wanted to ask if Shulk was attacked, perhaps being alone would ease Shulk's nerves.

He turned when he heard the door open, "your friends seem to be fast asleep" he didn't want to add the word "safe" to that in case Shulk was still nervous. To his relief, however, Shulk didn't seem a mess anymore, perhaps a bit more confused but better than when they found him.

The two watched Shulk close the door leading to the other rooms, but after he faded from sight.

Robin was leaning against the door frame, and it took Chrom a moment to realize he was waiting for him to come inside. "Well, what happened to him?" he finally asked.

"Thankfully, whatever he's going through, it's not of the Crew's making" Robin closed the door behind him "what of the others?"

"It seems no hostages were taken," Chrom removed his pauldron and cape "whatever happened tonight, it seems to have only involved those ten."

"Well, that's good" Robin hung his coat over the back of his desk chair and returned to his spot on the bed. "I'm calling a meeting tomorrow."

"You're changing course?"

"Exactly," Robin kicked off his boots and grabbed the blankets before turning to Chrom, "while it was just the ten tonight, whos to say the tension won't consume the entire ship."

Chrom loosened his collar and unrolled his sleeves. "Don't worry. We'll make it through this"

"Chrom ..."

"What is it?"

Robin propped his head with his hand and sighed, "You'll need to keep an eye on those kids."

Chrom looked on in disbelief. "But they aren't making any trouble."

Robin shook his head, "I mean after we dock."

He crawled in next to Robin. "But ... Robin," there was a pain in his chest.

"They need you," Robin held his gaze. "Shulk is starting something heavy, Corrin is a mess of nerves, and the other lad."

"Akira?" Chrom corrected

Robin continued, "He's skilled, but I don't know if he'll be able to handle Corrin if something happens."

He took Robin's hand, "But what about you?"

"Chrom" Robin only smiled, a soft chuckle escaped before he spoke up again. "I'm a grown man and a pirate Captain, I can handle myself."

"But like you said," he tried, "the crew is getting restless, what if next time I'm not here to-" Robin placed a single finger to his lips.

"That Girl, Lucina," he started "she is someone very important," there was an intensity that Chrom had only ever seen a few times before.

"They will need help," he started. "Akira is skilled but not a heavy hitter, Corrin is powerful but also unpredictable, and Shulk is not only new to all this but an absolute mystery as far as his powers are concerned" Robin was always good at reading people.

He knew the group wasn't ideal; they needed someone strong to act as their shield. But a group like thair's was manageable … unless "You think someone's after them?"

Robin nodded, "I don't think someone like her would be on this journey because she felt like traveling" he shook his head. "I've heard the rumors, they blame Plegia, but that move would be far too risky for them right now" there was a certainty that told Chrom, Robin was very concerned. "something was after her and judging by the fact she has made it this far I don't think they know where she is," he caressed his cheek, and Chrom knew what he was going to say before he said it. "they are going to need you, more then I will"

Chrom pulled him close. He didn't want to leave Robin, not yet, not so soon. But Robin was right. If something was after them, they would need more than what they had. He held Robin tightly. "I … understand."

AN/ forgive the Mutiny scene for being slow … I wrote that one … I'm not really good with fight scenes. That's why I have Wolfy write them, and I work on everything else. … also sorry about the Chrobin, but I can't help myself also on that topic I'll be taking next week off but I'll post Chapter 14 the week after that, sorry about the inconvenience

~ S. Rosy (9/23/20)