A/N: Takes place weeks after Chapter 1. Cast has yet to come across the Risen.


Battle formations are a key part of strategic advantages on a battlefield. Not taking each unit's strength and weaknesses into account and allocating them to specific locations where these advantages peak at their highest could become a deadly mistake that costs multiple human lives.

Even still, Lissa hated them.

Normally the blonde wouldn't mind being located in the far back of the formation; her only weapon for self defense was a staff after all. Frederick taught her the basics on how to use an axe, after weeks of begging and promising to be careful, but Lissa quickly learned that the uncomfortable heaviness of the weapon and the dangers of swinging it around was far too much of a pain for a smaller girl like her.

The accidental haircut she'd given the man was hysterical for the days it took for him to grow it back, but Lissa had a feeling that a real enemy wouldn't be defeated with a few less strands on their head. Staffs were far more up her alley, and knowing she was healing injuries for the Shepards was satisfying enough for her.

That all changed recently. It's been a couple weeks since the trio of back-to-back pranks she pulled on Robin, which she initially thought led to a horrendous result. It turns out that the unfortunate chain of events led to her becoming even closer to the magic user. Every meeting with the Shepards, the duo found themselves sitting next to each other or training beside each other. Of course Lissa wasn't one for training so she'd often tease or even just talk to the guy while he experimented with different spells and tactics.

Now that rumors of a mysterious enemy attacking a nearby village has spread across Ylisse, the Shepards found themselves quickly rushing to discover the truth of the situation. Mostly in part to all the rushing to prepare this morning, Lissa hasn't been able to interact with Robin whatsoever. With him being located in the front of the battle formation, directly next to Chrom, it wasn't likely that they'd trade a single word until supper. That was such a normal occurrence two weeks ago and yet now it felt like an agonizing amount of time.

"Is something disturbing you, darling? It isn't lady-like to drag your feet as you are now."

"Eh?" Lissa nearly forgot about her best friend's presence while daydreaming so deeply. Her fellow blonde was as elegant as always, from her refined hair to her upright posture. One would never guess that Maribelle would be on her way to battle if not for the thick staff in her hands. "No, I'm fine. Just thinking is all. Sorry."

"An apology isn't necessary." Maribelle responded kindly with a smile that wasn't commonly shared with the other Shepards. It made Lissa all the more grateful when she was able to see it. Although in this situation, all it did was make her feel guilty. Normally she would love to be by Maribelle, but now she wanted nothing else but to leave in no fault to anyone but her own.

Marching directly in front of her, Kellam's burly armor shifted just enough to the right for Lissa to see past him for the first time. A pale face turned to the left, smiling at the person next to them. Just seeing the white hair blowing in the wind was enough for the girl to realize who it was. Just seeing Robin…

"I'll be right back."

It was as if her lips flapped on their accord. Her legs pushed themself off the ground without her even realizing it, the blonde's body slithered past the other Shepards, going further and further until she was walking in between two male bodies; the one on her left belonging to her older brother and on her right was the tactician that had been constantly on her mind ever since they left.

To put it lightly, her sudden appearance was as much of a surprise to them as it was herself.

"Lissa? What are you doing here? The enemy could appear at any-"

"I'm here to heal you guys if you're hurt! Why else?" Lissa was really not in the mood to be scolded by her older brother right now; not that she ever was. "No use having both Maribelle and me all the way in the back, right?"

Chrom was not entertained by her antics to say the least. "Yes there is a use, a vital one…isn't that correct, Robin?" The prince eyed his best friend for help, now reflecting the annoyance he was expressing to Lissa herself. All this big talk about how she can't be on the front lines and yet he couldn't even back up his reasoning without help.

Robin, always eager to defend his precious schemes, was quick to explain. "Our clerics are located in the back because they're virtually defenseless against the enemy. If someone on the front lines becomes injured, then we can protect them from all directions and offer Maribelle or you ample time to take care of the wounded. The benefits outweigh the detriments in nearly every situation."

"Defenseless. Way to give a girl confidence, jerk-face." The blonde mumbled underneath her breath.

The tactician blinked at her in disbelief. "That's…all you got out of that?"

Lissa could sense she was losing this argument and fast. There wasn't much of an opportunity to get an upper hand when it was two against one after all. The only person who might back her up in this situation was Maribelle, but she highly doubted even that. Her friend would probably say something along the lines of, 'Your safety is more valuable over playing the hero, darling. Teehee, let us have a drink of tea now while all the big strong men do all the work.' Or something like that. Probably.

That's what it would feel like she'd be insinuating at least.

Either way, she didn't want to give up just yet! What started as an excuse to spend more time with Robin was starting to rile up into something more.

"Well how about this? I'll just walk waaaaay over here! That way I still have a perfect view of everyone in case someone does get injured!"

Running as fast as her shorter legs could take her, Lissa distanced herself a few feet in front of the group, then faced her comrades. It was difficult walking backwards, but the girl was doing a fairly good job at not staggering or tripping considering her lack of physical prowess.

"Lissa, come back. If you get lost then we may never find you; your sense of direction is horrid." Chrom tried to scare her like a parent would a child with a horror story. Grr, he always found a new way to irritate her, that guy!

Well, not that her brother was wrong. The shortest route to the rumored bandit camp was through a forest, one with plenty of trees with little to no distinguishable features. Lissa was never one to go out on her own, so she always relied on Chrom or Frederick to lead her to and from Ylissitol whenever the trio journeyed away from the castle.

She was sure she'd find her way home eventually though! Walking straight would eventually lead somewhere, right?

"I would suggest returning to your post, Milady. This formation was crafted with the royal family's safety in mind…even if I still doubt the trustworthiness of the man who created it, I acknowledge that much."

Lissa's shoulders slumped at the sound of Frederick's voice finally forcing its way into the conversation; it must have been killing the guy to stay tight lipped for as long as he had.

Well there's no point in continuing this topic at this point. The blonde has won a fair amount of arguments against her older brother in the past through sheer force of will— which could also be phrased as continuing to pester him until he finally gave in. Frederick on the other hand would continue to lecture and advise the girl for days on end if that's what it took to keep her 'safe'. He was the only person more stubborn that her in this army in regards to getting what they wanted!

"Fine, fine. If you hate me being here that much then I'll-"

"Lissa, watch out!"

Robin's warning had come too late; the towering trees masked everyone's view enough for an enemy to appear unnoticed, the previous argument playing a large part in allowing him to arrive unheard. Lissa had jogged too far ahead for any of her friends to prevent the strong hand from wrapping around her neck.

It was as if the next few moments occurred in slow motion. Frederick gradually raising his axe into the air. Chrom's desperate dash towards her, hand raised uselessly in an attempt to save his sister from harm's way. All Robin could do was stare wide eyed at the events unfolding, his words mouthing Lissa's name but without the sound to follow it.

Of course there wasn't anything Lissa could do to protect herself either. All the princess could do was turn around to witness the identity of her attacker— her eyes met with a decaying face that could only be compared to monsters in her nightmares. The being wasn't human, but rather resembled an undead zombie with a humanoid appearance. The skin of its face sagged terrifyingly, yet its grip was powerful enough to match the strength of an adult male.

There was nothing Lissa could do but stare wide eyed at the beast that threatened her life. She couldn't find her voice until its other hand raised high into the air, fingers grasping a shiny silver sword that would surely pierce her skin in a matter of seconds.

Then time resumed to its normal pace. A feminine shriek filled the woods followed by the sound of silver connecting with flesh.

"LISSA!" Chrom's voice echoed, causing the birds that rested on the branches of the trees above them to soar into the sky out of fear.

Every unit from the front row of Robin's formation froze at the bloody site before them. The masked figure now behind Lissa slid his weapon from the monster's chest, its body going limp before falling to the ground. The princess could only stare wide eyed at her savior, a male who looked to be around Chrom's age with similar short blue hair and a mask covering the top half of his face.

"This is a surprise ambush from the enemy!" The high pitched voice of this stranger was the only thing that snapped the miniature army out of their stupor. "Raise your weapons and cover your blind spots!" While yelling these commands in a confident tone, the young man turned just in time to block an attack from another one of these zombies.

The stranger used his own free hand to give Lissa a strong shove in the direction of Chrom and the others. "Hey!" The girl shouted while stumbling forward, only to finding herself making direct contact with another masculine body. This time though, it was someone she was more than relieved to see.

"Lissa! Are you okay?" Robin held Lissa tightly in his arms, the aura of safety that the man carried with him allowed for the girl's adrenaline to finally run out and for her knees to buckle from underneath her.

Just as fear of nearly dying caught up with Lissa, she was reminded that she wasn't safe yet. The sound of swords clashing together echoed throughout the forest. A seemingly endless amount of monsters poured through every direction, attacking the Shepards and breaking Robin's brilliantly planned battle formation with ease, separating each person and forcing scattered individual battles to occur.

Lissa could only stare wide eyed at the events before her. Was this all her fault? Had she stayed in position, would the team have been more prepared for this ambush? How many people did she kill because of her stupidity?

"Thoron!" The blonde turned her head just in time to see an enemy to her right go flying backwards. Robin was currently holding her up with one arm, somehow using his other to protect the both of them with his tome.

This wasn't going to last forever. More and more of these zombies were coming towards the duo. Three monsters stood between them and the nearest ally, Chrom, who was currently dealing with his own horde of enemies. Even still, Lissa's brother shouted desperately while slashing down two enemies with Falchion. "Robin, take Lissa and run! There's too many!"

"N-no, you can't!" Lissa found her voice just in time to refute the prince of Yllise's order. "I'll be fine, I have my…s-staff…" It wasn't until the blonde realized she was using both hands to grip Robin's robe tightly that she came to the conclusion her staff was gone. A quick glance didn't reveal it to be anywhere near her; did she drop it when she was attacked earlier?

"Damn it…" Robin mumbled underneath his breath. Lissa followed his eyes as they went from her, to their friends fighting for their lives, and eventually landing on the three monsters creeping towards them. "Come on, we need to go!"

Lissa felt an arm wrap around her midsection and begin to drag her further into the woods, away from the battle at hand. The final scene that played before her eyes was an axe just barely missing Maribelle, causing her friend to fall to the ground with a frightened expression.

"Noooo! We can't leave, go back!" The girl screamed, fighting uselessly against the stronger tactician carrying her further and further away.

Lissa knew very well that fleeing was their only choice. Robin was talented, but even he wouldn't be able to protect her while also taking out multiple enemies at once. Just another item to add to the list of reasons as to why this was the princess's fault. She's never felt more hopeless and guilty than this very moment. All Lissa could do was allow Robin to carry her away from her friends, who were fighting desperately for their lives.

It felt like hours before the duo came to a stop. Robin had slowed down dramatically the past couple of minutes, panting fiercely like a mutt in the heat. Eventually the tactician's foot coming in contact with a hidden root of a tree led to their demise. The man stumbled, falling to the ground with Lissa beside him, rolling across the dirt covered ground until both young adults came to a halt.

Robin didn't say a single word; for now, he must have been using what little energy he had left to gasp for air. Lissa on the other hand wore an expressionless mask, laying still enough to convince anyone that she were deceased if it weren't for her occasional steady breaths and partially closed eyes.

"There was no other choice but to run. Strategically, fighting a hopeless battle would have led to certain death and resulted as a distraction to the rest of the Shepards. More of our friends would have died. We did what we had to do for both us and them." After catching his breath, Robin broke the silence with a short speech he must have been practicing in his head for a while now.

The white haired many probably assumed he knew how Lissa was feeling right now, but he didn't. The guilt for her actions had momentarily passed and was currently replaced with a numbness that resonated throughout her entire body.

"I don't know how to get back to Ylisse. All these trees look the same. Chrom was right; I have a terrible sense of direction. So how are we going to get help?" Lissa stared at the sky as she responded, her voice void of her usual youthful exuberance.

It took a moment for Robin to say anything. Enough time passed for Lissa to worry the guy just left her to fend for herself! Although turning to the right gave the girl a perfect view of Robin pushing off the ground and onto his feet. He looked down at her with a serious expression. "Help is right here. Excuse my vanity, but I refuse to let the princess of Ylisse die in the middle of nowhere. My own ability and instincts should be enough to get us out of here. Like you did the day you found me lying on the ground— trust in me, Lissa."

Seeing Robin give such an empowering speech above her while holding out his hand in a mirroring image of Chrom and herself a few weeks prior…it caused butterflies to fill the blonde's stomach. The smallest hint of a blush covered her face as Lissa accepted the man's outstretched palm.

It was as if all her pessimism about their situation and attitude disappeared in one fell swoop. The duo actually had a chance to escape. Even if this was all of her fault, Robin was more than capable enough of a tactician to get them out of this tree filled situation. They will not die today!


"We're going to die. Alone. In the middle of nowhere. We're dead meat."

It's quite impressive what a day of nonstop walking could do to a person. Now if Lissa truly believed what she was saying aloud, it wouldn't be expressed in such a childishly whiny fashion. Yet that didn't change the fact that she was hungry, thirsty, tired, and her legs were on fire from walking without rest for the entire day. She was practically already dead right now! "Can we please take a break now, Robin?"

"Sundown will be coming up soon, so it may be a good idea to camp for the night." The tactician had likely become adjusted to Lissa's complaints by this point and hadn't taken much heed to them until now. Luckily that big brain of his finally agreed with a moment's rest! "I'll get a fire going, you can rest against a tree while you wait."

Despite her pride being wounded earlier today, Lissa was more than willing to follow Robin's suggestion and let him do all the work for the night. She's a princess, she's tired, and she really needed to be spoiled right about now damn it!

Taking a seat on the ground with a wince, the blonde hiked her dress up just enough to rub her sore calves through her tights. She couldn't help but bring up a question she's asked multiple times while Robin collected wood and branches for the fire. "Is this really a good idea, Robin? It feels like this place is never-ending."

"It's the only plan that doesn't result in our demise." The white haired man put it plainly, taking a second to drop a stack of branches he'd been carrying onto a pile in front of them. "Our best chance is to escape these woods, even if it brings us further from Ylisstol. Heading the same direction is our best chance of that and increases the chances of Chrom and the others finding us."

Being saved from this nightmare. That sounded like a pipe dream at this point. With a tired yawn, Lissa found herself staring at Robin. She really was thankful that someone as reliable as him was with her in this situation. Had she been alone, a bear probably would've mauled her by now.

"Alright. All done." Robin let out a sigh of relief once he'd used his magic to create a small flame. It wasn't much, but Lissa wasn't about to complain. As the sun lowered, the air grew more and more chilly.

Now that there wasn't any more work for a busybody like him to do, Robin lowered himself beside Lissa with a heavy sigh. The tree they leaned upon was thick enough for the both of them, but it forced the duo's shoulder to nearly touch.

Nothing but the sound of the fire crackling filled the silence between them, which eventually combined with crickets as darkness completely enveloped the woods. The moon's light was barely able to appear through the leaves above them and resulted in eerily black surroundings in which Lissa could only see a minuscule area surrounding the fire.

Of course the image of the monster that was mere moments from killing her flashed through her mind now of all times. Lissa gulped and scooted closer to Robin so that her shoulder pressed firmly against his side. Just the touch alone was enough to remind her that she wasn't alone in this hopeless situation.

Chrom. Maribelle. Without the searing pain in her legs to distract her, all of Lissa's friends and comrades flashed through her mind immediately. Images of them being slaughtered by the enemy repeatedly invaded her thoughts. They were all far braver and more talented than herself, but what are the chances every single one of them would make it out alive? Chrom was an amazing swordsman, but that didn't matter if he were significantly outnumbered.

Was everybody dead? Was it her fault? The horrible thoughts of guilt and regret filled her mind once more. Lissa had to ask Robin his thoughts or else she'd go crazy!

"That prank with the frogs. Where did you get them?" Robin beat her to the punch, breaking the long silence between them.

"Huh?"

"Don't you remember? You dumped frogs into my room as a prank a few weeks ago, there were quite a few of them. How did you carry so many into my room? How did you find them?" The man repeated the question, even adding another on top of that.

Lissa wasn't entirely sure why he'd even brought this up all of a sudden. Not only was it a random memory, but it was also one that resulted in him yelling at her in a state of fury. "Well, uh…there's a pond not too far from Ylisstol. That's usually where I reload my arsenal of frogs for my pranks; I make sure to return them there when I'm finished though."

A soft laugh escaped Robin's laugh that was contagious enough for Lissa to join in. Once she calmed down a bit, she elbowed the guy lightly in the ribs. "Why do you ask? I better not find frogs in my room when we get home. If you're going to start pranking me, at least do something original!"

"No, no. Surely you've already suspected this but pranks aren't really my thing. I was just curious how you can plan one prank so meticulously and then fail horrendously with the next one."

Lissa's face began to redden at the recollection of the pegasus prank she'd failed to pull on Robin. "H-hey, that prank only failed because I didn't want you getting injured, jerk-face!" She elbowed the tactician again, this time harder. "Besides, you were supposed to forget that! Seeing a princess in such a position is disgraceful, I'll have you beheaded if you even think about it!"

"Sorry, it's not as if I'm attempting to remember it. It's simply not a sight one forgets easily." Robin raised his arms innocently, although his smirk betrayed his true feelings on the matter.

Since when did Robin start teasing her?!

The girl turned her body entirely to face Robin, although shutting her eyes to avoid eye contact. "That's it, I've had enough! You've heard of the saying: I'll show you mine if you show me yours! You saw my underclothes, it's only fair that I see what you're packing too…get to it, buddy!"

"You didn't show me purposely." Robin replied in a far calmer state than her own, clearly entertained by her antics. "I didn't view them purposely either."

"Th-that doesn't matter in the slightest! You were lucky enough to see royalty in such a vulnerable state, you have the duty as a commoner to make the situation equal, so pants down!"

Lissa finally opened her eyes to see Robin shaking his head; he did look a little flustered now that she was genuinely pushing the request. "Is it not more inappropriate to flash royalty? Besides, Frederick and Chrom would have a contest as to who could slay me first if I did such an unbecoming act to you on my own accord."

"Not like they're here." Lissa huffed, although finally sitting back down with a huff. She didn't want to be accused of actually wanting to see Robin unclothed for purposes other than revenge by pushing the subject any further. So the blonde had no other choice but to give in.

'Not like they're here'. The princess's own words restituted the former solemn mood. Her brother, her friends…were all gone. The crackle of the fire filled the renewed silence while a strong loneliness filled Lissa's heart. "Robin. How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

Lissa had to consider how she wanted to phrase her question. "Make such confident decisions. Nine out of ten times they're right, how do you do it? You have no memory of your past life yet you've already surpassed my usefulness tenfold."

The tactician stayed silent for a moment. In the meantime, the blonde could only wonder what answer would satisfy her. Would she rather he openly admit to her lack of ability or openly lie to appease her? Neither option felt very comforting.

"I'm not as confident as you might think." Robin finally responded in a calm manner. "I'm good with likelihoods, committing fully to my plans to give us the best chance to succeed…but that doesn't mean they're always correct. Today was the first time we've put my formation into practice; Chrom trusted me to put our friends in the best position to succeed and yet it was sent in shambles the moment we were ambushed."

"But that was my f-"

"We don't know that." The man countered. "Besides, one unit out of position would put us at such a disadvantage that we can't win a single battle? That's an error on my part no matter how you put it. You're not the only one at fault, Lissa, there's no need to put the blame solely on yourself."

Robin's final words caused Lissa's heart to swell. "As for your usefulness…I could only hope to match the impact you have on everyone one day. You may not realize it now, but perhaps you will eventually."

The girl wanted to believe his words, she really did. To cease the constant guilt throbbing inside of her would be a blessing…but she still couldn't tell if it was what she deserved. All that did was leave Lissa all the more confused. Which resulted in exhaustion.

"Hm." The pigtailed teen rested her head against Robin's shoulder. The man tensed up but made no attempt to push her off. At least this talk had successfully made her sleepy. With the cold air, uncomfortable ground, and somber attitude, Lissa assumed she would be pulling an all nighter. Yet all of a sudden, she felt warm from head to toe.

That was one issue solved at least. And it was clearly enough.

Lissa felt her eyelids slowly droop further and further as she began to lose consciousness. The last thing she heard was a voice that felt far off in the distance. She was just barely able to recognize it as Robin's. "Good night, Lissa."


A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first part of this two part 'chapter'. For anyone currently interested in this series, would you prefer I split up longer chapters like this (Estimated to be about 8,000 words) into two smaller parts or post it as one large one? I had difficulty deciding and ultimately decided to split it after nearly finishing the entire thing. This part would have been released a couple months earlier otherwise, which is less of a wait but smaller doses of content.

Would appreciate feedback on longer or shorter length updates. Thank you for reading.