Wow guys, I was totally blown away with the response to the last chapter! I'm so glad you all are happy with my characterizations of the FE crew thus far! You all absolutely rock! Because of all the love you guys gave me, I kicked the rust off my muse and worked through the writer's block that was this chapter. It's not the most exciting, and I'm not 100% satisfied with it, but y'all have been waiting for a while, so I wanted to get it out. Plus, you'll get to see a lot more of the Shepherds in this chapter! Enjoy!

Recap:

Once they reached the palace, Chrom dismounted and quickly went over to Sumia and helped her off her pegasus. Frederick likewise dismounted and brushed past Robin to reach Lissa, who waved him off as she slide gracefully from the saddle. Robin was amused by the display, but didn't show it aside from a slight twinkle in her eyes. As the future Exalt and his consort approached the palace doors, they opened up and Robin's eyes flew open.

It was beautiful.

Chapter 3: Belonging

When the doors of the palace opened, seemingly of their own accord, Chrom and Sumia fell in first, followed by Lissa and Frederick, and Robin took up the rear as they filed into the palace. The entryway was breathtaking, the late afternoon sun seeped through the windows, refracting off the crystalline chandeliers to shine rainbow lights onto the impeccably polished floor. Stairways swept up to a second floor, looming over a large door that, if she remembered correctly, led to the throne room. On the walls were candles already lit in preparation for the evening, and glorious paintings depicting former and current royalty of Ylisse. When the doors shut behind her, she was startled out of her observation and glanced around, suddenly noticing that everyone else was quickly vanishing.

"Excuse me, madam," a small voice said from beside her. Robin spun around to see a waif of a girl, shorter even than herself with short, pale blue hair, bowing politely to her. The sight made something squirm uncomfortably within the tactician, but she shoved it down to give a careful smile. The girl straightened as she continued, "I have been instructed to lead you to one of the rooms in the royal wing. Please, follow me."

As she turned to lead the way, Robin stopped her with a "Wait!" that was probably louder than polite. Nevertheless, the woman turned back around with her carefully blank expression. "Yes madam?" she asked.

Robin fingered the hem of her sleeves, wearing at the familiar threads. "The royal wing? Are you certain?" she queried. At the dubious quirk in the maid's eyebrows, Robin quickly added, "I just… I would feel more comfortable in a guest room, if there's one available."

The young girl pursed her lips, seeming to wrestle with two opposing thoughts before finally narrowing her eyes, nodding tersely. "Please, follow me." This time, she left swiftly, giving Robin no choice but to follow.

They deposited her in front of a room, unlocked the door, then bowed and left her to her own devices. She carefully opened the door, and inside was the most opulent room she had ever seen.

The walls were a soft white with periwinkle swirls spiralling up towards the ceiling. Gold accents reflected the light from the windows, making sending shimmers of light across the room. Up against on of the far walls was a massive bed, bigger than any she'd ever seen before, decorated in a luxurious-looking deep navy with silvery-gray pillows. Dark wood furniture filled in most of the space along the walls - a wardrobe, vanity, full-length mirror, a sofa and set of chairs set up like a receiving area, and a stylish trunk with ornate silvered fastenings. Her mouth dropped wide at the sight as she spun around to try to take it all in. All this space was meant for her? And this was a guest room?

When she found the en suite bathroom, she nearly tripped in surprise. She'd never, in her admittedly short memory, had so much space to herself. She almost wasn't sure what to do with it all.

She let her scarce belongings fall to the floor with a dull thud as she ran a hand through her hair, still staring about the room in wonder. She glanced down at herself and wiped her hand absently on her purple robes. She hadn't had a proper chance to wash in ages. That seemed as good a way as any to christen her new accomodations.

"And who is this woman here? We've never seen her before."

Robin had to consciously keep herself from sinking in her chair as dozens of eyes burned into her. The few days since their return to Ylisse had been fraught with debriefs, meetings, and more than a few suspicious stares sent her way. Chrom had valiantly defended her and, in fact, had been the one to insist that she attend all of these meetings with him despite her own doubts and Frederick's clear misgivings.

Chrom straightened in his seat to face the accusing party. "This woman is one of the reasons our men and women survived the Plegian onslaught. In addition to being a strong combatant, she also masterminded many of the tactics that brought us to victory." Chrom glanced to her proudly and she flashed him a meek smile in response. She wished she could be be stronger in these meetings, but she was just so uncomfortable. She'd gotten used to traveling, sparring, and making camp, but that was all she knew. All this political maneuvering, while she suspected it would have fascinated her as a spectator, was so much more daunting when she was forced to be a participant.

"We understand your Grace has great faith in her, but… I admit discomfort having a Plegian sit in on a meeting of such sensitivity,"another man chimed.

Robin had to force herself to swallow the knot that formed in her throat, her hands gripping the arms of her chair. While she had changed out of her familiar robes since she had entered the castle, rumors had still spread about the mystery girl that had accompanied the Ylissean royal family home. Some speculated that she was a Plegian spy, some that she was Chrom's lover. Some that she was Frederick's lover (which she'd had to laugh at). Other rumors circulated that placed her anywhere from being a long-lost princess of a far-off country to an escaped prisoner, holding the royal family under her thumb.

She felt Frederick's eyes bearing down on her, distrustful and watching. She fought the urge to fidget in her seat as Chrom voiced her defense. "She is no Plegian. She is a trusted ally, no matter the garb she arrived in. She has never fought against us for Plegia." That we know of passed unspoken between herself, the prince, and Frederick, but thankfully it remained such.

While the aristocrats clearly were not placated by this, Chrom's tone brooked no argument and they reluctantly let the matter rest.

The council continued for another few hours, discussing the treasury, taxes, and the financial and political strains from the war. Robin did her best to follow along, but ultimately most of it went over her head. What did stand out to her, though, were the interpersonal interactions of the council members.

Like the way the chubby man sitting across from her was constantly trying to say something, only to be interrupted by the impeccably-dressed man to his right, who clearly had no sense of personal space, since he kept leaning over Chubby to speak to Chrom as if they were sharing some sort of secret. The woman on the other side of Well-Dressed was very no-nonsense, despite her young appearance, and Robin caught her openly glaring at the man next to her as she tried to wrangle the topic back to the matter at hand.

Without knowing any of their names, Robin started to piece together their histories. The terse older gentleman at the end of the table who sat ramrod straight was likely a former military commander, from the way his eyes focused whenever the war battles were mentioned. The two women who were sneaking coy glances at each other? A quick glance at their ring fingers indicated one was married, and the other was likely a mistress. The young man in expensive clothing and a glazed over look in his eyes was clearly old-money, whereas the outspoken but cordial gentleman was clearly a politician through and through. All this information, Robin filed away, her subconscious already mapping out their personal alignments and any potential threats to Chrom.

Robin's inner musings were broken when Chrom stood, prompting all others at the table to rise and putting an official end to the meeting. He met her gaze in particular, sparing her a ghost of a smile before motioning Frederick over. The knight dutifully stepped forward with a "Milord" as Chrom hastily muttered something to him. The knight's brow furrowed, his sharpened eyes flicking to Robin before he lowly replied and took a step back, allowing Chrom to make his way out of the room. As Chrom passed through the doors, Frederick followed a half-step behind and the rest of the council visibly relaxed as they began to file out as well. Robin tried not to mind the thinly-veiled glares of the Ylissian nobles as they passed, clearly judging and finding her lacking. She waited until the last of them were trickling out before pushing her chair out of the way with a resolute sigh and making her way out the door. She turned left, intending to go to the kitchens, when she was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Hey Robin!"

Robin turned to see Sully approaching her, hand waving congenially as the paladin called her name again. "I was looking for you. You haven't eaten yet, have you?" she asked. An askance glance at the door Robin had just left from gave the tactician every indication that Sully well knew the answer to her question. Nevertheless, Robin humored her, "Not yet. I was just about to grab something."

Sully grinned and wrapped her hand around Robin's bicep, nearly dragging the girl along as she walked opposite the direction from the kitchens. "Awesome. You can join all of us for lunch then!" she directed enthusiastically.

Robin's eyebrows rose at the sudden invitation. "Join all of who?" she asked, bewildered.

"The Shepherds!"

Surprise fell away to contentment as Sully continued to pull Robin along. The tactician struggled to match Sully's longer stride, but it didn't bother her. After the way the meeting had gone, she appreciated the small effort to make her feel welcome.

They crossed the courtyard into the Shepherds' private living quarters, and Sully barged in boldly. While this wasn't the first time Robin had stepped into the Shepherds' quarters, it was a great deal more relaxed than when she'd been there previous. Kellum was over by the oven juggling a number of pots and pans over the generous stove with a practiced air, Miriel was sitting at the table browsing through a book, and Vaike seemed to be frowning at something Miriel had said as he stood in the kitchen, arms crossed. Sully finally let go of Robin as they crossed the threshold, presenting her proudly. "Look who I found!" she proclaimed, a slight smugness permeating her voice.

The three glanced up from what they were doing at the brash intrusion, but their annoyances didn't last long when the tactician sheepishly waved. "Hey guys."

Kellam waved a hand over his shoulder before quickly turning back to the meal he was preparing, and Miriel nodded her acknowledgement with the faintest of smiles before turning back to her book. Vaike's reaction was by far the most boisterous.

"Yo Robin!" the axe-wielder exclaimed in all his shirtless glory. He strutted over to the two women. "Didn't realize you were still around!"

Robin's face twisted in confusion, her mouth poised to open when Sully interrupted, "Hey Kellam, got enough for one more?" she asked with a smirk, completely ignoring Vaike. He seemed a little miffed by the snub.

"Um, uh, yeah, I should," Kellam replied halteringly.

Vaike was not appreciating all of this talk not centered around him. He redoubled on Robin, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "But really, where've ya been? We were expectin' to host you here with us!"

Robin tried not to shift under Vaike's heavy arm. "Hey Teach. Yeah, I was expecting the same, but, uh, they put me up in a guest room." She meant to shrug, but the arm around her barely twitched.

The fighter's eyes widened, clearly impressed. "Swanky." He tugged her against him, a sly grin building on his face as he dipped closer. "Got room for one more?"

Robin couldn't help the heat that curled around her neck, even as she matter-of-factly answered, "Nope, just me." She met Vaike's disappointed gaze and fought the urge to squirm out of his admittedly loose hold. It ended up being moot, as Vaike jerkily pulled his arm from her with a pained yelp. "Ouch! Sully, what?!"

Sully stood with her hands on her hips and an irritated cant to her brows. "Stop bugging Robin. She's here for dinner, not to tolerate your rambling."

Vaike frowned and crossed his arms in front of him, about to argue back when Robin waved her hands frantically in the air between them. "Uh, so is there anything I can do to help with dinner?"

Sully and Vaike's attentions both swerved to her and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up self-consciously. She was thankful when Kellam spoke up timidly, "If you wouldn't mind, could you set the dishes and silverware out?

"Certainly," Robin readily agreed, and rushed into the kitchen, away from the teetering tension that had been building in the entryway. She opened cabinet doors until she found the plates and set them out, along with forks and knives once she found the right drawer.

Other Shepherds started filtering in as Kellam put the finishing touches on the food, and nearly all of them greeted Robin warmly. Notably absent were Maribelle and Sumia, and Robin felt both a wave of relief and her stomach clench. She still wasn't sure how to act around the pegasus knight, and she was thankful for the additional time to think on it, but knowing she was likely being drilled by Maribelle on the manners of royalty did nothing for her mood. Thankfully, a talkative Ricken managed to divert her attention as he eagerly picked her brain about her magics.

"Have you looked at the tomes we brought back from Plegia? I was studying it to see what it was, but there's these weird inscriptions I can't figure out," Ricken prattled enthusiastically. Robin smiled at his energy as she thought back. "I think we picked up a couple of them. They're black, right?" she asked.

"More purpley," Ricken gently corrected, "But yeah, those ones. Any ideas?"

Robin pursed her lips as she shuffled through her thoughts, an idea instantly coming to mind, but she was hesitant to say it. "Have you… talked to Tharja about it?" she asked delicately. Ricken's immediately stricken face answered her well enough. "Yeah, me neither," she mumbled. The mage's awkward chuckle permeated the space between them, and Robin found herself sharing a small smile with him. "Maybe you, Miriel and I can look over them sometime? See if we can't crack it together," she offered. She glanced around the room to try to spot Miriel's fiery hair and as such, missed the slight tinge of red that colored Ricken's cheeks. "I'd, uh, that'd be great!" he stammered out as he smiled at her. She managed to return his smile before becoming distracted by the door opening again.

Cordelia and Stahl entered the room, speaking easily with each other, though from the slightly serious tilt of Cordelia's eyebrows, it seemed they were discussing work. She met Robin's gaze and they shared a quick, if melancholic, smile before the pegasus knight refocused her attention on Stahl.

Robin was well aware of the pegasus knight's long-standing crush on Chrom, as well as her friendship with Sumia, and as such had lent a sympathetic ear to her after their engagement. She was careful not to reveal any of her own feelings for Chrom, but it had helped to listen to and counsel Cordelia's troubles. It put her feelings into perspective and forced her to look at the situation with more impartiality. Talking with Cordelia didn't lessen those feelings at all, but it did make it easier to logic them into submission.

Two claps sounded out and everyone turned to see Sully standing next to Kellam in front of the kitchen counter that was packed with food. "Alright, foods up! Dig in!" she called. She shot Kellam a smug smirk that he meekly backed away from as the Shepherds mobbed the kitchen eagerly.

Robin found herself sandwiched next to Stahl and Miriel at the table as everyone talked jovially over the meal. It was strange - even though none of the conversation was directed towards her, she didn't feel like an outsider. She felt like she belonged. When they had been out on the road, she would occasionally eat with the convoy, but usually she and Chrom were in the war tent drafting strategies or charting their movement for the next day. The times when she did talk with the other Shepherds, it was almost always business. Only occasionally would conversations devolve into small talk, but she very quickly fell out of her depth in that arena. But this...this was comfortable. Everyone was at ease and cheery without the threat of battle looming over their heads and it filled her with a warmth that until now she had mostly associated with Chrom.

Once dinner had passed, people began to slowly disperse again, heading back to patrol or practice or study. Robin offered to help clean up, which Stahl and Ricken refused to hear, and ushered her towards the door where Sully was getting ready to head out as well. They sent her off with promises to have her back in a few days.

Robin followed Sully out the door, walking next to her as they made their way towards the castle "Thanks for inviting me over," she started after a few moments.

Sully shrugged nonchalantly, but Robin could see the slight smile on her lips. "Don't mention it. Frederick mentioned you could probably use a break after dealing with the council all morning. Just glad I could help."

Robin nearly bowled herself over as she tried to rationalize what Sully had said. "Wait, Frederick?" she asked disbelievingly. Sully just raised an eyebrow at her reaction and Robin felt herself flushing from embarrassment. Why would Frederick of all people have cared about her? The image of Chrom beckoning Frederick to him after the meeting appeared in her mind's eye and suddenly the look Frederick had flashed her made a lot more sense.

The tactician forcibly shoved those thoughts into a corner for later consideration and rushed to come up with a suitable tangent. Thankfully, she didn't have to, as Sully spoke up, "I, uh, we, never really thanked you. You know, for helping us against Plegia."

Robin turned to look at the paladin, whose eyes were firmly on the ground in front of her as they walked. "You… you know, no need. I was more than happy to help." She tried to brush it off, but Sully barrelled forward.

"No, I do. Us Shepherds, we're good. We're better than good. But there were a lot of moments there where we might not all have made it out if it wasn't for you. You were always planning in that tent and you fought right there with us when you didn't owe us a damn thing. Didn't even know us, really." Sully was quiet for a moment, her face screwed up in thought. "And...you protected Chrom. He's always been a bit of a hard-head, but you had his back. Kept an eye on him when we couldn't. And especially with what happened to…." Sully glanced over to Robin, who nodded in understanding. There was no need to say her name. Sully took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. "So, if you need anything, you know where to find us. Door's always open." Sully flashed a smirk at Robin, but there was a genuine tinge to it that had Robin returning it.

The two walked for a little longer in an amiable silence before Sully took a left out to the stables while Robin made her way back inside. The two women waved each other off and as they parted, Robin felt more refreshed than she had in a long time. It was like a weight had been lifted off of her. The Shepherds had accepted her. Not just on Chrom's orders, but genuinely accepted and welcomed her. A warm feeling billowed up in her and an unconscious smile lit up her face as she made her way into the castle.

So this is the last "scripted" chapter for a bit. The next few chapters will be focusing on Robin's relationships with various Shepherds, so if there's a character you want to see a scene or chapter for, let me know! I have a few ideas drafted for my own personal favs, but I'm happy to hear suggestions if there's anything or anyone you guys want to see! Any characters that show up in Chapter 14 or earlier of the game are fair play for this round, but I'll do another set of character-focused chapters later on once we have more of the cast with us.

The enthusiasm you all showed for the last chapter really did motivate me to get this chapter edited and posted, so thank you! I'm going to try for monthly updates, but I apologize in advance if I slip. I'll try to not keep you all waiting too long!