The cold light of the moon spilled into the office. The frosted glass distorting the beams into warped, ghostly strands framing the man who lay slumped forward upon the grandiose oaken desk. A single, undignified snort escaped the sleeping tactician, drool gradually staining the sleeve of his robes. The candlestick long melted into a heaped glob at the base of it's holder.

It was certainly not a charming look for the Exalt's head advisor.

It was also, most certainly, not a charming look for Cordelia, whom had promised to meet with him here for dinner before sundown.

She snuffed out her candle, placing it in a sconce by the doorway. As silent as a ghost, she swept in. A sudden guilt swelled up an into her throat as she saw the parchment and scrolls that stacked up and up, like a little fortress of work. His final act before losing consciousness was the same as what had kept her from him this evening- ensuring Chrom's rule was one of peace and reconstruction.

"He worked himself to exhaustion." Her whispered lament did not wake the tactician, "Who does that remind me of, I must wonder."

Another punctuating snort had surprised the pegasus knight, though she was very aware of this man's sleeping habits. He would certainly catch another cold if he continued in this manner week after week… though again, Cordelia blamed herself for that. She hadn't been the most attentive of wives, as of late. Careful as not to disturb him just yet, she slipped behind the simple, uncomfortable stool he insisted upon using. With no coat to cloak her husband in, she settled for stooping low, scooping what she could of him into an embrace, pressing her warm cheek against his cold neck.

"Mghmmm." Robin mumbled, twitching slightly at the warmth, but still not stirring.

"Darling." Cordelia cooed, her warm breath drifting to his ear, "Darling, wake up."

She knew exactly how it would happen- it wasn't the first time this had happened certainly. As predicted, Cordelia withdrew as Robin snapped upright, eyes darting around the room, trying to find the presence that had disturbed him, unsure if friend or foe.

It was then Cordelia struck again from behind, entwining herself upon him like a snake, pinning his arms to his side with her own. With the grace and poise of even Olivia herself, she gently swung her torso down upon his lap, giving him a fleeting kiss upon the lips as she did so. Robin had yelped in surprise in her mouth, but instantly relaxed upon seeing Cordelia sprawl out in his lap, her silken hair spilling to the floor as she looked up to him apologetically. She had even jutted out that plump, glistening bottom lip of hers that begged for him to sweep her off her feet and just kiss her.

All to distract him from being stood up in such an uncouth manner.

It certainly worked for the moment, as Robin bent over to greedily claim his wife's lips. The frustration certainly led to it being rougher- sloppier than those perfect kisses that she would give, but he found delight in the contented sigh that she breathed into him.

When he finally came up for air, leaving a dazed and breathless Cordelia panting in his lap, he grinned wide.

"Apology accepted."

She wrapped her lithe arms around his neck, threatening to pull him down for another round, but seemed content in simply relaxing there, head dangling off his lap. That flash of guilt as she looked away for a split second was the tell that she was about to open her mouth to speak.

"I-"

Robin roughly kissed her one more time, letting his frustration at her sudden desire to make excuses be known without words. When he finally released her, he made sure to lift her upright with him. She still clung to him, but this time pulled more of herself into his lap.

"You're here now." He whispered, tightening his hold around her waist, "Did you eat?"

"N-no." Cordelia flushed as bright as her hair. It wasn't the first time she had neglected herself in such a fashion… but that particular habit she thought ended with the war.

"Good."

Puzzled, she still clung to Robin, even as he awkwardly groped below his desk for something. Even as her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could barely make out the shape of a small basket covered with a red cloth in the exact shade he blouse and skirt were cut from- her favorite color.

Once again, the pang of guilt pushed an excuse up her throat, ready to heave forth, and once again, her husband attended her. His gentle caress of her cheek brought her eyes back to him. Robin bounced his legs, a signal for Cordelia to stand, despite every fiber of her being demanded she stay firmly planted until Robin was warm once more.

Reluctantly though, she stood, taking a moment to straighten out her blouse and skirt. Even now, in the silence of a castle that had long since turned in for the night, she was conscientious of her appearance. The sigh escaped her quicker than she could catch it, earning herself another quick, stern but loving touch from Robin as he traced the crease of her brow that he teased would become permanent.

"Luckily it does not need to be warmed." Robin motioned for her to take up the chair across his desk as he hastily cleared space between them.

When the walls had been torn down, he cast wide the basket's cover, revealing an already diligently slice loaf of crisp bread, thick medallions of what smelled like smoked pork, small thin triangles of a white cheese, and a sweetly aromatic, chunked sauce. It looked so simple, but when compared to what they had eaten during the war- compared to what most of the peasantry ate, it was delicacy.

With an almost reverent way, Cordelia's husband assembled what was to be their now mid-night meal. She watched as he placed the cheese and pork upon the crisp before placing a small dollop of the sauce on top. He held it out to her as he blindly grabbed for something beneath the desk.

As Cordelia took the first bite, Robin had pulled forth a red wine- one of the ones from across the seas… from Rosanne. A belated wedding gift from Virion and Cherche, most certainly.

The flavors, the palette of the meal… it blended perfectly. Cordelia had no doubt that the wine would pair as well, somehow. All this thought put into a simple meal together was certainly not a surprise, given the meticulous nature of her husband. The man was a tactician, after all.

Quietly Cordelia mulled as she chewed, eyes never leaving her husband as he diligently went about making sure that she was attended to first.

The flawed, prideful man that he was… it was that selfless drive to help others that had brought the two of them together. It was that part of him that she so desperately needed to bring perspective to her actions… but it was what had tore at her soul every time he went about tasks by himself.

It always brought back memories of the day that Grima was defeated.

The day that Robin had made his decision… In that fleeting glimpse of him, before they had sailed off to the final battle, she already knew what was to happen- a task that he would not- could not let anyone else bear for him.

And Cordelia was sure that she would never see her husband again.

That was just who he was-

Who they both were.

At that time… she knew- she understood him, stood by his decision. For the peace of the world, the two of them would have made any sacrifice.

But it was the days after, when peace was secured... that was when the pain came. There was naught much Morgan or Severa could do to comfort their mother. Not a word from Sumia or Chrom could pull her mind from it. For seven days she had locked herself away, turning back every member of the Shepherds, even her daughters.

To call that time the lowest point in her life was to be selling it short.

She remembered Robin's words to her from back then; back when she had suffered this pain the first time-

"They sacrificed themselves because they loved you."

And she raged against it. Why did people have to sacrifice themselves for-

"Cordelia?" Robin's voice was that same tone of concern that she had grown so used to in the past. Instinctively it made her suddenly self-aware.

"Nothing." She wiped the tear that had welled in the corner of her eye away, "It was nothing, dear. Just a bad memory."

Those days after… she did not speak of, not even to Robin. There was an instinctive, irrational fear that he would balk at her weakness, despite being the one man that embraced her for that self-same weakness. As far as her husband knew, she had mourned as she was expected to, before returning to her duties as knight captain.

In that week she had turned her quarters into a war-torn hellscape. She had fallen to the deepest pits of despair in the most shameful of ways. She had almost betrayed the first promise she had made to Robin- from before their vows.

"Bad memories…" Robin tilted his head, eyes alight with curiosity, but he did not press the issue. Quietly he reached across the desk, taking Cordelia's war-weary, calloused hands unto his own. He could tell that she was trying so hard to pull herself out of something- to enjoy this moment despite this bad memory impeding her.

"You came out stronger in the end, though?"

"I did." Cordelia smiled from the bottom of her heart, "It also gave me a new perspective, much like before." She laid her other hand over Robin's, squeezing it gently, "Which is why every day I have with you is a blessing from Naga herself."

It was a sickenly sweet line, certainly, but it was the truth in the greatest sense. For Naga to have granted Robin a second chance for his sacrifice was nothing short of a miracle. Cordelia had hardened her heart, despite Chrom and Lissa's assurances that their friend was out there in the world somewhere. Despite the zeal of the search parties sent out in the Halidom and in the continents beyond for the savior of the world, Cordelia herself held little hope.

When Cordelia had emerged from her quarters on that seventh day of grief, she had pushed forward with her duties with such fervor that she seemed like a woman possessed by Naga herself. What else was she to do? Fall back into that shameful place, or continue her husband's memory and legacy?

Overcome by a wave of guilt, Cordelia pulled herself over the desk towards Robin, taking the man by surprise. Ever so gently, she brushed aside those unkempt raven bangs and pressed her forehead against his.

"For you are the man I pledge my life. You are the man who pulled me from my waking-dream of a life and showed me true happiness. The man who inspires me to enjoy a life awake and to its fullest." There was not a day that had gone by that Cordelia had not recalled her wedding vow, even in those dark days.

"For you are the woman I pledge my life. You are the woman who inspired me to be a greater man than who I was. The woman who inspires me to make every day better than the last." Robin quietly recited his own, though he added one more line that was not spoken on their wedding day.

"You are the one who showed me that there are things that one must do to protect the ones they love with such passion."

He knew of her pain greater than anyone else. The guilt that hid beneath the fiery and passionate exterior of Cordelia could never be fully smothered. It was a scar that would never go away, but one that she had grown to live with. Every mention of those memories was like scratching at it, but to let her simply hide it as if nothing had happened was to do a disservice to a woman as Cordelia, especially in regards to how much she had grown.

Despite that, Robin had made a selfish decision. It was the right decision in both of their minds, but still…

Cordelia had shied away slightly, averting her eyes from the pain. It was to be expected, it was a large scar, after all, and even his return had not healed it completely. Robin quietly awaited her to compose herself on her own, still gently holding her hand even as the distance between their faces grew. When Cordelia glanced back to him, the strength in her eyes had returned.

"Did you know you were going to be brought back?"

"No, but…" Robin hesitated upon seeing the face of his beloved twist once again, though he was compelled to explain himself, "I felt that I would see you and our girls again. Not necessarily in this life but…"

He struggled with the words. Listening to others, helping them formulate words was his forte. When it came to matters of his heart it was certainly far more… difficult. Robin could feel his face contorting with frown after frown as he tried to find the most tactful choice in words.

"No more sacrifices." His wife held a stern finger to his nose, making him freeze. There was a growl in her tone that no man, no matter how brave they were, would dare question, "I do not wish to draw the ire of Naga, but if you were to leave us in such a manner again, I would claw you from the gates of the afterlife myself."

There was that fire- that drive that had rekindled in the ashes of Cordelia's despair and grief.

"I would not doubt such a feat from a woman as great as you, my love." Robin had joked, but upon seeing such a frightful glower from Cordelia he instantly began trying to think of a way to make a tactical retreat from the blunder his mouth had placed him in.

"Honeyed words will only get you so far, dear." Her ire was certainly well deserved, and the threat in her glare was not to be taken lightly. Such a pleasant evening had grown so sour, all because of his choice in words. There was only one thing he could do to quell his wife's growing fire.

"I swear upon our most sacred of vows," Robin held up his wedding band, letting it shine in the dull moonlight, "I will never place anyone or anything else above you or our family ever again."

In that moment, Cordelia realized she had been holding her breath. In her sudden fit of anger... her sudden burst of jealousy, she had made her husband swear upon their vows in the most unequal of ways.

She placed her hand against his, her wedding band tapping gently against its partner.

"I swear upon our most sacred of vows that I will never place anyone or anything else above you or our family ever again." Cordelia spoke breathlessly, flushing in embarrassment at her sudden realization at everything that had transpired.

Why it had transpired in the first place.

No doubt Robin believed it was his fault that such an outburst occured... and that this cold silence permeated the rift between them as a result. His words had certainly touched too close to the scarred nerves… but it was still Cordelia's fault that they were having such a conversation.

If she had simply arrived when she said she was going to, they could have had the whole evening together to simply bask in each other's company like they both so deeply desired. She wanted nothing more in the whole of the world than to simply embrace him, to have him coddle her in a way most unbefitting their stature, to simply be with one-another in the normalcy that peace brought.

"No more late nights without each-other." She promised him, still very much a tempest of emotions, though none came to the surface more often than love. So much of her pride had been placed on perfection certainly… but perhaps… perhaps it was time to shift just what she wished to be perfect at.

Quietly Robin rolled up the parchment he was working on, throwing it carelessly onto the pile with the others. He snapped the adjacent tome shut, pushing it aside as one would some undesired nuisance.

"No more wasting away the time that we can have together." He agreed, satisfied at the result of all this turmoil had finally landed upon. As he pulled himself from his desk with a groan, his joints betrayed just how long he had been affixed to that accursed stool. The overworked tactician rounded the desk, arm held out to his lady, to which Cordelia gratefully took up.

"The greatest duo in all the Shepherds certainly must have earned themselves at least a modicum of reprieve in their constant duties to the kingdom." Robin's posture was rigid, a mockery of overly stiff and regal nobility that was so often demanded of them in the House of Nobles. Cordelia giggled softly at the juxtaposition of such a disheveled, exhausted man putting on airs of the court. She was not one for all of the pomp and ostentatiousness that their new titles demanded, either.

"Yes, most certainly their lord would overlook a small delay in their duties now and again." Cordelia bid farewell to the tension that she had so willingly clung to earlier. With one hand, she straightened Robin's off-center collar in that way she so adored to do. In the other, she made a grab for the bottle of wine that sat upon the desk, patiently awaiting its enjoyment by the couple.

"Care to retire then, dear?"

"Most certainly. Perhaps we should leave a note to the castle staff about our late start in the morrow?"

"It is as if you read my mind, love."

Quiet as to not disturb the other inhabitant of the castle, the couple made for their chambers, speaking softly of their peaceful days, monotony and all, for even the most boring of days held the simple warmth of being together again at the end of it.