Chapter 6: Recovery
Robin clambers over the walls, one hand hold at a time and eyes fixed to the summit. The new vines and thorns weave among the bricks and try to bite at her fingers, try to make her claws slip and send her crashing back to earth-
But all of that pain fades out as she crests the wall, and sees the full scale of Chrom's kingdom. It is at once breath-taking and heart wrenching. And in the depths of Robin's mind, something stirs as she looks over the castle.
She's seen ruins like this before, of a freshly killed city still bleeding smoke and citizens. For an instant the ruins of Ylisse twist before her eyes, turning into a different castle… One that echoes the ruins where she and Chrom found the rings-
Something closes around her hand, and Robin jolts with a yelp. The vision cuts out, right as her flinch throws her off the edge of the wall. Her pawed hands uselessly lash at the air, as night and ruins spin around her. She falls, gaze fixed upwards, and finds Chrom's startled eyes staring back down at her. A second later she realizes he's clinging to her wrist… And she's pulling him down with her. They bounce once off the wall with a painful smack and rasp of stone on skin. Before Robin can do more than whimper, a bit of fabric roof catches them for a heartbeat, before tearing asunder and dumping them in the remains of a merchant stall.
"…Ow." Is Chrom's best response to all of that, as he stirs underneath Robin. His hands brush against hers, and she can feel his breath fanning at her face. It's enough to send her scrambling off of him, and into the ruined city square.
Chrom follows close behind, rubbing at and blinking his eyes. She wonders if he shared in her vision of long dead cities, for just a moment. That haunted look on Chrom's eyes suggests that, along with the way he rushes forward.
At the top of the wall comes a rustling, and she picks out the silver and gold clothing of Emmeryn and Lissa. The eldest sibling keeps a hand on Lissa, and all but glides down the wall, following their path with a little more grace as they half climb, half jump down. Her eyes rest on Robin, taking in the full breadth of her changes… But there's no glare in Emmerynn's gaze.
"You were the one who kept my brother alive." Emmeryn says, as she looks over the two. "I… Had dreams, as the nights stretched out, and rumors stirred through the castle. And I had glimpses of you in those dreams, wandering an ancient forest. Those dreams only grew stronger, as the howls started."
Emmeryn's voice stays eerily serene, as she glides across the ruined palace grounds, heedless of the broken stones turning under her feet. She is moonlight across the ruins. Emmeryn's eyes are fixed on the castle, and she seems to know the way through twisting streets.
Robin finds herself matching her stride to Emmeryn's drifting path. Chrom follows close behind, eyes still wide. His attention jumps between Robin, and their two new companions.
"I… I guess I owe you a better introduction." He says at last. "Robin, these are my sisters; Emmeryn and Lissa… And I'm glad we could meet them in person. Without any of us going mad… Or at least, going madder."
"I resent that." Lissa frowns over both of them. She slows her steps, enough so Chrom catches up to her and she can give him a full scowl.
"Chrom… What were you THINKING? You just up and left us!" She gives him an accusing look. "It was like you… Did you really think the forest was a better option than-?"
"…Than our father?" Chrom finishes for her.
"…O-oh." Lissa dims at that. "I… Might've just answered my own question."
She ducks her head, giving Robin a sorrowful look.
"He… Does things, when he speaks. Makes you bend to his will, and makes it all sound like the only right thing to do… Unless you like being branded a heretic. But it was our mistake in listening to him. Or letting him burrow into our heads, and letting him think for us-"
Lissa's eyes keep going back to the walls. Back to the remnants of her people. She scurries back to Emmeryn, and she clings onto Emmeryn's arm like she is the only solid thing left. A time or two, the younger girl reaches out towards Chrom… But her hand always hesitates, and fear flashes across her face.
"Chrom called you Robin…" She trails off, looking over Robin; there's a touch more fear in her eyes, compared to her siblings. It almost reminds Robin of the startled look Chrom first gave her… And how he watches her differently now. "You… Kept my brother alive, according to Emm. I-I'd sneak in to see Emm sometimes, when Chrom left. And every time, she told me he was okay. That he had a guardian looking out for him."
Robin doesn't feel much like a guardian, at the moment. She's certain she doesn't look like a protector, either. Not like those knights brandishing armor and weapons both-
"Guess she was right." Lissa says, still watching, and her expression going soft. "You kept him alive… And there's something different about him. Aside from the ears and tail, I mean."
Her own ears press flat against her head, and her eyes dart about, wondering if there's a place with darker shadows she can scurry into, and somehow hide from Lissa's sharp eyes.
"He's not sulking around anymore. I don't think I've ever seen him smile like that, either." Lissa's gaze only grows sharper as she watches Robin. "Does he… Does he happen to like y-?"
All at once the half-praise and half-questions are too much.
"Aren't you afraid of me? Your kingdom was ready to cut me down a heart beat ago." Robin cuts her off. Lissa doesn't meet her gaze at that, or answer all at once.
"I… I'm not proud of that. So I'm glad my brother was there to help you, when the rest of us were… Well, being blind." Robin peers closer at Lissa as she says that… And notices that there's a certain clarity to her eyes, that was lacking before. "It feels like I'm seeing things differently now… Maybe even a little like how Chrom and Emm have always seen them. But what I'm trying to say is-"
Beyond the walls come a chorus of howls, silencing Lissa's apology. A chill cuts through Robin at that, sends a shiver down through her feet. And her legs aren't sure whether they want to run from the howls… Or towards them.
'Come back.' They seem to call out to her. 'Come back to the pack, and all is forgiven. This is no place for you, trapped within walls.'
Robin tries to close her ears to that, and instead puts a hand on Lissa's shoulders. She pushes the girl forward when she starts to freeze.
"A-am I going crazy-?" Lissa whispers. "I thought I almost heard-"
"Don't listen to them!" Robin urges, the same way she urges her feet to run. Nearby Chrom does the same, finally drawing close to his sisters, pulling at Emmeryn's arm, and dashing for the gates of the castle. The buildings fall away, and like bursting into a sacred grove, they find themselves in the castle yards. Then, into the gates half rotted and left ajar.
It's strange to have walls like these around her. It sets her heart to pounding, and even her breath comes harder; it's like the air is closer, with stone around her. Chrom's ears twitch at her raspy breaths and thrumming pulse, and he turns to her, hand half stretched out to her.
"It's okay, Robin." He tries to assure her. And she desperately wants to listen, to believe him. But the stones feel strange under paw, and she hunches low. Chrom rests a hand on her shoulder. There's clear worry on his face that she'll flinch away. Instead Robin clasps her hand over his own. She fears at how her claws dig at him, her grip desperate… But he doesn't wince, no matter how she scratches at his gloves and his skin.
The stone walls also close off the howls, at least for a moment. And that moment is long enough for Robin to gather her senses.
"We'd best hurry." Robin says, drawing in a shaky breath.
"H-hurry to do what?" Lissa asks, shivering under Robin's other set of claws.
"Making things right." Robin tells her.
…Even if she doesn't yet know how to make the world right, to banish the Rot. It doesn't help that the castle continues to flicker in her vision… Sometimes looking like white fangs and great towers, other times looking like an older place; a place of violet and black stone, consumed by ash and smoke… And she knows that this vision of a place is her home, consumed by evil.
"…This is almost like coming home…" And there's an ache in her heart at that. It makes her wonder if her home has always been ruins. A strange sorrow weighs down at her heart, and grows thicker with each breath.
So it's a lucky thing that Chrom puts a hand on her back, guiding her forward. Robin finds herself scrambling to the front of the group, determined to take the lead.
They make for a strange group; caught with one foot in the wilds, and one in the castle. Emmeryn's tread is soft, almost feather light… And that might be due to the wisps of feathers growing from her hair. It reminds Robin of Henry, though Emmeryn's silent tread and pale features call up images of owls. And as for Lissa… She's the most human of their odd group, but sometimes her eyes catch the starlight, and go cat-like for an instant.
Robin doesn't know how long any of them can cling to this veneer of humanity. And she doesn't want to see what will happen, when the Rot overruns the palace completely; the only way to survive that is to forsake one's humanity.
'And you know that because… Because that's what happened to you.'
-o-o-o-
It's a strange home to return to, where all the buildings have been hollowed out and left bereft of the usual color and life. The hallways and columns are like bleached out ribs, the remnants of something dead-
"Peace, Chrom." Emmeryn whispers to him, already seeing the tension in his body. Her hand splays between his shoulders… And there's a shiver in her fingers, betraying her own fear. When he looks back, he finds Emmeryn keeping her eyes straight on him, refusing to look at the desolation.
"Robin had the right of it… We need to find a way to make this right." And Emmeryn in turn sounds determined to find that way, no matter the cost.
"She also said that this was almost like coming home…" He tries to keep his voice low, but Robin's ears give a sharp twitch.
"I… Think I lived in a palace before." Robin tells him. And Emmeryn transfers her gaze to Robin.
"And I remember hearing my father speak about a distant kingdom… And refusing to lend it any aid." Emmeryn's voice is heavy, and she can't seem to raise her head; like their father's mistakes weigh down on her. All Chrom can think of is the hate in his father's voice whenever discussing a journey into the wilds. If Emmeryn is regret and a numb voice, his father was all fire and rage. The idea of anyone going into the wilds for anything that wasn't conquest always inspired hate in him…
…And again, Chrom finds himself wondering why that is.
"What… Drove your father to do all of that?" Robin asks, pausing in the foyer. Her eyes scan the once proud stonework.
"I think…" Emmeryn speaks for Chrom. "I think it was a mixture of fear, and hate… And even regret."
That takes Chrom by surprise, and makes his own steps stutter.
"Regret…? He felt regret? Over what?"
"I… I think… More than just fear of something he didn't know, he also knew about a bond we shared with the forest. And he didn't want to let any of us know about it."
"Just like the bond the first Exalt had with the wilds…" Chrom looks over the now ragged tapestries leading up to the throne room. Through the frayed threads he can pick out other images, things that his father had ordered embroidered over or stained with different dyes. And Chrom can pick out images of the First Exalt, walking amongst the wilds and the kingdoms. Acting as a bridge. "…We weren't meant to wage war on the wilds. And… Damn him. He must have known that! But he was too much of a coward to admit that!"
Chrom snarls the last. Emmeryn can only nod, sorrow clouding her face.
A part of Chrom says to beware of such anger; that if he lets too much of it cloud his thoughts, he won't be that different from his father. The rest of him rages at the idea his father has hidden so much, left Chrom and his siblings half blind and ignorant to their place in the world… And continued to keep them in the dark.
"How could he-!?" His vision almost turns to red… Only for something to flicker past him, darting amongst columns and tapestries. Something that almost looks human.
"E-Emm! I think I saw someone!" Lissa squeaks out. Chrom's anger snuffs out, in favor of staring after the pale shape. A part of him hopes their little group isn't the only living thing here.
"…I… I don't think Robin or I would help much, if we went searching for them." Chrom admits. There's still a savagery and an anger lurking under his skin… And he has no rush to display it to any survivors. The disgust on his father's face is still a fresh wound in his memory.
Even now, he wonders at who else could have survived the rush of Rot that petrified so many… But Chrom quickly gets his answer, as a head of snowy white hair appears from the shadows, followed by a nervous laugh.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about being weirded out." Comes a familiar voice. "This is pretty familiar to me by now."
"H-Henry?" Robin names the voice.
"The one and only!" Henry steps completely out of the shadows, sketching a cheeky bow to Emmeryn and Robin. "So… Looks like the prince survived, and thrived. And he brought some company along."
Henry tilts his head, regarding Chrom's sisters.
"You're… You're a forest dweller? Like Robin?" Lissa backs away a little as she speaks, eyes darting between Henry and Robin.
"Don't see what you're so skittish about. You're half wild blooded too." Henry points out. When he tilts his head, there's a vague impression of black feathers trailing after his hair. "But I guess you still like your stone forests, instead of the wood ones."
He trails a hand along the columns.
"…I'm worried it won't be long before the woods outside are a petrified match. Y-you saw what the Rot did." Robin tells him. Henry's eyes lose their spark for an instant… And it becomes clear to Chrom that the denizens of the forest don't like what's going on, anymore than the mostly-human. Henry's hair seems to ruffle under those words, almost like feathers on a disgruntled crow, before he shrugs it off.
"Henry…" Emmeryn tests the name. For his part, Henry trades his uneasy look out for half joking smile.
"So… You're the queen of this kingdom now? Since your father decided to join the crazy club?"
"I…" Emmeryn doesn't stir at his comment, looking introspective instead.
"Before I am anything else, I need to find a way to save my kingdom, and the wilds. And pray there's a way we can undo the damage. Like the first Exalt did…" She trails off to look at Chrom. "You have the rings, and they're reacting to some sort of magic. Now we need to find a way to fully bring out their power."
She transfers her look to back to Henry.
"We need all the help we can find, if you're willing to give it."
"Well… You caught me in a good mood." Henry tells her. "And I bet the others would be willing to help out, too."
"O-others-?" Lissa asks, to only to see a few more shapes in the stained glassed windows. They clamber down the columns the same way beasts scurry along trees. Chrom has seen these faces before, watching himself and Robin through the shadow of leaves and wilderness.
Robin must recognize them as well, with how her eyes grow wide. There's traces of raven feathers in the hair of a woman that glides easily to the floor, and watches them with dour eyes. The orange haired man is reminiscent of a wildcat. There's others, mostly garbed in grays, blacks, and violets… Colors that Chrom has seldom seen, save for paintings of the long lost Plegian kingdom.
And now he knows what happened to that lost kingdom.
"Tharja, Gaius…" Robin gives them names, and she loses some of that worry for an instant. "So you remember how to shift back as well?"
"Once you got the hang of it, the rest of us could figure it out." Henry tells her. "So, you got a plan?"
"Y-yes…" Robin draws herself up, standing straighter as she feels out her words and ideas. "I… Remember my f-father saying something, about how the strength of two kingdoms need to be joined with the wild."
She runs her hand over the collar, and Chrom touches his own necklace.
"These rings have to be that power. Now we just need to figure out how to unify them… And my guess is there's something in this castle to unify the magic, just as those rings were kept in Plegia."
"Then we search the libraries, the archives, even the churches, to find any hint we can!" Chrom speaks up, feeling a wild energy surge through him. Robin must feel it as well, as she prowls a little closer to him. The others drift towards the doors and hallways, ready to hunt through the entire castle.
"Meet back here in a candle mark?" Emmeryn suggests. At Chrom's nod, she takes Lissa's hand and leads her through the halls. The forest denizens follow close behind; while Chrom wouldn't pick Henry as the ideal teacher for mastering a wild shape, he's still glad his sisters will have someone familiar with the wild magic guiding them.
It's only as everyone disperses, that Chrom realizes he's found himself paired with Robin… And that doing so feels like the most natural thing.
-o-o-o-
Emmeryn and the others vanish into the halls, leaving her alone with Chrom again. And alone with the odd thoughts filling her head. Sadly, none of them have anything to do with rings, or how to activate them… But instead on how comforting it is to find herself in Chrom's company again.
For his part, Chrom seems half entranced by the castle. With the moons full, it's hard for Robin to track how much time has passed; how much time he's spent with her in the forest, instead of the halls of his home.
"You lived here-? In this cave?" She finds herself asking. There's something about his gaze, the way he walks the faded carpets, that demands all her attention and curiosity.
"Well, not exactly. My rooms were further up and away." Chrom tells her, losing that haunted look in favor of a brief smile at her question. "And Emmeryn was across me… Though I didn't get to see her very much. My Father was adamant about warding the castle, whenever possible…"
He trails off, focused instead on walking forward, to a large gilded chair on the far end of the hall. Chrom stretches his hands out to it, the ring at his throat illuminating the gold sheen. The sight also draws Robin closer, brushing against Chrom in the process. His hands trace along the arms of the throne… And when he touches the thing, the glow is no longer limited to the ring at his neck.
The castle halls blaze to life, brighter than any torch or candle could boast. And all that light glows from strange carvings engraved in the floors and walls, covering the castle in a world of pictures. Chrom gives a shuddering breath at the images, Robin echoes it, the same way the carvings echo those found in the wilds.
Robin keeps her eyes fixed to the images, desperately trying to find meaning in them. Now she remembers the voice of another woman, teaching her how to read them. To follow the weave of symbols, and empty her mind enough to see double meanings-
'Mother. My mother taught me how to do this-'
"What is this…?" Chrom's voice cuts into her thoughts, her half memories. "This… My Father couldn't have carved this."
Robin has to agree on that. These carvings are too old to belong to a recent king, and wrought in a language she only half understands.
"Could this be… The work of the first Exalt?" Chrom whispers, reverence clear in his voice. He steps to the wall, scanning the scripture.
"S-something about… Bringing the blood of two together? To restore balance between man and wilds-?" He trails off, shaking his head in disbelief. Robin takes over.
"There's… A bond between us?" She's certain that's what the old script suggests. A bond between human, beast… And even between her and Chrom. She can see the symbols of Plegia and Ylisse weaving together. And somehow, she feels that's the key to their rings.
Chrom frowns at that, and she knows he's found something else in the symbols.
"It… It keeps making it sound like the rings aren't the only thing that matters. That there… Needs to be a bond of some sort, between two people…"
He pulls away, shaking his head.
"I wish Emmeryn were back here. Maybe she'd know what that means." He turns, looking ready to bolt after Emmeryn… And as he looks away, Robin finds herself watching him. And all those thoughts from before, about how right it feels to be in his company, come back more insistent than ever.
"Chrom, about before…" Robin speaks up, feeling those thoughts try to spill onto her tongue.
"Wh-why did you protect me like that?" Robin dares to ask. Even now, she sees a wild bristling clinging to Chrom's hair, sees a tail peak out from beneath his cape and lash back and forth. He's a mirror for her now, and it looks like any shame he feels over that is a vanishing thing. "I thought you were still averse to being half-wild. So why did you risk that for… For my sake, of all people?"
This wasn't in service to his kingdom, or his family; if anything, he's defied both of them by now.
"So… Why?" Robin presses. Chrom can only look back at her, with a strange desperate look in his eyes. Almost like longing. He doesn't answer her all at once, as he moves closer to her. His motions are hesitant, like she's a deer who will spook if he moves too quickly.
He might be right about; there's a strange, almost terrifying feeling thrumming in her heart. Something she half wants to flee from.
"B-Because I couldn't stand to lose you." He whispers, and there's a fragility in his voice that draws Robin closer. And there's something to him… Something in his eyes, in the way his fingers half reach for her before curling away; something that makes her heart race like a beast in the hunt, even as Robin stands still. "Because I-"
His lips move, but no words reach her ears; instead there's a snarl from a dozen throats shredding the air around them… And Robin knows the wolves aren't content to remain beyond ruined the walls any longer. A dark shape breaks through the window glass, landing on them with a hail of shards.
It's like the shadows of the castle rage at them, coalescing into a savage shape with blindingly bright teeth, and all of those teeth trying to close on Chrom's throat.
She makes out the red eye of the wolf, right before Chrom's blood splashes the floor. His arm is caught in the monster's teeth, barely warding it away from him… And something about the sight and scent of his blood drives anger through Robin, and sends her howling at the wolf that dares to attack Chrom. She lets that rage and savagery wash over her; at the very least, it's better than facing the pain and the longing still lodged in her chest.
-o-o-o-
Chrom never has a chance to draw his blade.
Falchion clatters from his grip, landing point down in the tiles. Before he can hope to reach for it, the black wolf drives him to the ground. Anger blazes in the creature's remaining eye, and as the jaws tighten around his arm, Chrom is certain the wolf wants to take his hand off for ever baring the blade against it.
His arm is a mess of blood and dark fur, his body trying to form a shield against the dagger-like fangs. Chrom's screams freeze in his throat; the red hot glare from that single eye burns up all his thoughts… Leaving him with only the need to fight back, with claws and fangs if he must. He needs to turn the wolf's fangs from his throat, even as he cuts his own tongue on newly sharpened teeth.
Every time the wolf bites into him, another bit of himself is cut away. This is worse than the thorns, than the call of the forest… And the only way he can fight back is embracing that change. He lashes out with his free hand, and feels claws jab out from the tips of his fingers. He rakes those talons across the face of the wolf, drawing fresh blood across its forehead and blinding the remaining eye.
The shadowed wolf flinches back, snarling… And Chrom swears that he can hear curses in those snarls.
'Bastard blood of Naga!' He blanches at that. 'I'll tear your throat out, soak the stones with your blood, and let this place finally fall to the wilds-'
Those curses are drowned by something else; something between a scream and a snarl. A silver white wolf crashes into them, driving fangs into the dark wolf's shoulder, searching for the throat. They roll end over end, claws tearing rents in the tile and carpets. Chrom can only stare at the whirling mess of teeth and blood, until it breaks apart into a pair of wolves.
The only thing left of Robin is in her eyes… And even that is fading out, vanishing in a haze of fury. Even with the bites and gouges bleeding into dark fur the other wolf seems to almost laugh at them, long tongue lolling out, and licking the blood from its fangs. The beast almost seems to taunt Robin, urging her to lose a little more of herself as she presses the attack.
'Come, then…' He can hear a hissing, growl of a voice in his head. 'We've only begun to fight. And you've only begun to listen, and loosen your shackles.'
Robin shakes at that. Her coat is marred with red, and it coats her mouth as well; she's taken damage and given it back in turn. Her eyes are flooded with red, almost matching the black wolf… And Chrom knows that if Robin gets another taste of blood-
She'll lose herself.
He'll lose her.
"S-stop!" Chrom cries out, his hands snatching out and digging into the ruff of fur at Robin's neck. He's half terrified she'll lash out and snap his hands off at the wrists… But all her ire is focused on the dark wolf, as she tries to pull forward and sink her teeth back into it.
'Come on, little wolf… You're my daughter, are you not?' Shock floods through Chrom, even as things begin to click together. Now he knows what happened to the old kingdom of Plegia… And to the former king. 'You don't need to hang onto your humanity any more… Or be held back by it.'
And Robin seems to listen, with how she digs her claws into the floor, strains against Chrom, and gives a maddened howl.
"Robin, please…" He sobs, feeling her slip away inch by inch under his fingers. The night-black wolf howls again, trying to draw her away. And when the dark wolf raises his eye to hers, Chrom can see a little more rage seep into her, drowning out the spark of life and light, the things that make her Robin.
"Robin, I can't lose you-!" The words spill out of him like blood from a wound, and all the pain and loss crackles through his voice.
And it reaches Robin, halting her in her tracks. Chrom wraps his arms around her neck again, clinging tight to Robin. He feels her body tense first, and then release… And a transformation ripples through Robin, putting her back to human form.
'A pathetic waste.' The dark wolf sneers in answer and stalks forward, ready to close its fangs on them. Chrom almost flinches away at that, knowing that this time the fangs will find his throat and spill his blood.
"Robin-" He reaches for her, hoping that he'll shield her from the jaws.
Robin does more than flinch. She yanks her head up, glaring at the wolf, and there's a fire burning in her eyes.
Robin's hand snaps out, grabbing hold of Falchion's hilt. There's still enough wild, desperate strength in her that she wrenches it from the stones with a shriek of steel. She throws her entire weight into pulling the blade loose, rolling over with it before fetching against Chrom's side. She doesn't even wince from the impact, or the way it makes her wounds weep; instead she presses the blade into Chrom's hand.
For all her strength, there's still a shiver in her fingers. She can't quite raise the blade… But he can lend her aid in that.
Together, they both lift it up, bracing against the other and facing the wolf as it lunges at them. The wolf has already leapt, and that lunge all but drives it into the blade. Chrom braces and strikes back in a savage slash, cutting into fur, flesh, and feeling a hot splash of blood.
He wants to exult in that for an instant, to seek out more of it… Instead he bites back the bloodlust, and focuses only on shoving the wolf aside. The monster is sent flying back from the attack with a horrific sound, almost like a death-cry. He glimpses the wolf almost melting away into shadows, like it can't hold up against the light of the blade.
A haunting stillness settles into the room, as the last echoes of the fight fade away.
He's won against the monster, but Chrom still drops the sword, staring at Robin as she collapses to the floor. Her arms shake as she fights to hold herself up, and her half human hands scratch and shiver against the tile.
She's still mostly human, there's still a bright and intelligent light in her eyes… And yet she can't seem to meet his own gaze.
"Robin…?" Even when he says her name, she won't look at him. And Chrom wonders at how eager she was to throw herself into that battle. At why she'd been so close to losing herself. "Robin… What… Why did you do that?"
There's a flash of pain that travels across her eyes at that question.
"H-he was going to kill you. And I couldn't accept that." In his mind's eye, Chrom can still see the light dimming in Robin's eyes, seeing her identity get eaten away.
"Even though he was trying to make you lose yourself-?"
"I… That didn't matter. I just needed to put a stop to him, no matter what it did to me." Her voice goes lower, down to a whisper, as she stares at her claws. And Chrom realizes she's telling the truth; that she doesn't care what happens to herself.
'What's happened to you? What… What made you so ready to discard yourself?' She still shows scars from the battle… And from the ambush his father laid out. Chrom's ears burn as he looks over her, and her myriad hurts… But he knows he needs to find the truth.
"Robin… It matters to me." He forces himself to say. "That's why it… That's why I need to know, why were you ready to throw away your humanity?"
He's just afraid of the answers he'll get.