There were three things that Robin was absolutely sure of, other than the fact that he, diagnosed by the girl named Lissa, had amnesia. One: His name, Robin. Why he knew only that, he wasn't sure, but he was thankful for something at least. He of course told the mysterious group his name, in hopes of them knowing possibly the smallest thing about him, only to be disappointed with the blunette asking whether or not his name was foreign, and Robin did not have an answer for that. Two: He has met the people who found him in the field before. Where? He didn't know that either, but he felt like he had met them somehow before…like some sort of weird connection with them. And finally, three: The man in blue armor deeply despised him, and Robin was pretty sure that this man was plotting a way to kill him. His name is Frederick and Robin assumes he is Chrom and Lissa's guardian of some sort. Every time Robin talks, he can practically feel his eyes glaring daggers into his skull, which terrified him.
Right now, Robin was standing awkwardly off to the side as the other three discussed what to do with Robin.
"It's called a load of pegasus dung. Are we really to believe that this man truly has no memory of who he is? For all we know, he could be some sort of spy, or assassin of some sort." Frederick said, throwing glare in Robin's direction after each sentence.
Chrom thought for a second, and Robin was worried that Chrom would agree with Frederick, which in all honesty, that's what Robin would do if he was in Chrom's shoes, but to Robin's surprise, Chrom then countered Frederick's argument.
"…But what if it is true Frederick? We can't just leave him here alone and confused. If Robin truly doesn't have any recollection as to who he was, then what sort of Shepherds would we be to not help a man in need?"
Frederick's stoic expression surrendered, and he sighed in defeat, much to Robin's surprise. Chrom seemed to have some sort of authority over Frederick, just Robin wasn't sure how.
"I understand milord, though I emphasize caution. 'Twoud not do to let a wolf into our flock." Frederick said, and turned to walk back to the path, and Lissa followed after. Chrom motioned for Robin to follow too, so Robin quietly did so.
Robin wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what to say.
It was quiet for a second, then Chrom said, "Right then, now that that's mostly settled, we'll take Robin back to town and figure out what we should do with him."
That caught Robin's attention.
"What will you do with me? Am I to be your prisoner?" He asked fearfully.
This earned a chuckle from Chrom and Lissa, and Robin swore he saw a smirk from Frederick.
"Prisoner? Ha! No, you'll be free to go once we establish that you're no enemy of Ylisse." Chrom said.
The party continued to move, and Robin was forced to follow as Frederick made his way close behind Robin. Robin rolled his eyes. 'Geez, where would I even run?'
The group continued to walk in silence. Robin had so many questions, but most of them he was sure these mysterious people couldn't answer. Who was he? How did he get here? Where even is here? Now that was a question that this group could answer.
"So…" Robin started, and Chrom glanced at Robin, giving him his attention, so Robin continued," Where are we exactly? You mentioned a place called Ylisse. Is that where we are, or where we're headed?"
Frederick scoffed,''Ha! You've never heard of the Halidom? That's absurd! Only a fool wouldn't know what the halidom is, and I'm afraid sir, that you don't play the fool very well."
Robin didn't even know what that meant. He just glared at the man, and Frederick glared back. He was growing tired of all these accusations thrown at him from this man, and it took nearly all Robin had to keep his cool.
Chrom just sighed, "Frederick please. All this land," he gestured all around where they are walking, "is all part of the halidom, also known as the Halidom of Ylisse. I suppose you already knew this, but I'm Chrom. This grumpy man is Frederick, also known as Frederick the Wary," Chrom chuckled at that, and to Robin's amazement, Frederick had a look of pride on his face.
Chrom continued, "Oh and this delicate one is my little sister, Lissa."
Lissa huffed and exclaimed angrily, " I am NOT delicate, Chrom!…Hmph! Ignore my brother, Robin. He can be a bit thick sometimes, so please pay him no mind. Anyways, your lucky that the shepherds found you instead of a stupid brigand or something. Man, you would have had a rude awakening!" Lissa giggled.
"You call yourself shepherds? So…you tend sheep…in full armor?" Robin asked, confused.
Chrom laughed, "Heh, yeah in a sense. We'll explain more one we get to town…" Chrom trailed off as he looked in the distance.
Robin looked at Chrom, then to where he was looking, and his eyes widened. There was smoke, and lots of it. Dark clouds of thick, black smoke smoke filled the sky in the distance.
Lissa gasped, "Chrom, that town is on fire!"
"And brigands no doubt. Frederick, Lissa, quickly!" Chrom yelled, and started to run towards the smoke.
Robin started to follow, but was pulled back by the hood of his coat by Frederick. "What about him, milord?" Frederick asked, and Robin tried to squirm out of his grasp with no luck. 'Geez, does all this man do is lift weights? He's like only muscle!…or am I just out of shape?' Robin shuddered, and quickly brushed that thought away.
"We can worry about him later. Right now, our top priority is the town!" Chrom said.
Frederick nodded, and let go of Robin. He then grisly ran past him to catch up with Lissa and Chrom.
At first, Robin thought about bolting off in the opposite direction, but he thought better of it. 'Where would I even go? These people have been nothing but nice to me…well most of them.' Robin sighed. 'If I'm going to be traveling with these people, I will need to gain their trust. Besides, they may need help.'
And with that, Robin ran to catch up with Chrom and the others...
Chrom, along with Lissa and Frederick had reached the town, and it was indeed ablaze. Chrom felt a surge of anger flow through him as he saw the innocent townspeople suffer. He scanned the town, and he saw a couple brigands looting stores and homes. People were screaming in terror. It was utter chaos.
"Milord, I advise that we do something quick before it gets worse." Frederick said, his voice quiet despite the catastrophe going on.
Chrom nodded, "Your right. Lissa, you stay with Frederick."
"B-But what about you Chrom! There's too many! Y-You can't take them all on at once, you'll get yourself killed!" Lissa said shakily.
Chrom smiled,"I'll be fine Lissa, don't you worry. I'm just going for the leader, the rest should scatter after that." He gave his sister a quick hug, and mouthed to Frederick, 'Keep her safe.' Frederick nodded, and Chrom turned to stealthily run to one of the town's alleys.
"I don't have any intention of dying anytime soon, but I will do everything I can to keep this town safe. Even if it does cost my life." Chrom muttered to himself, as he quickly ran down the alleyway.
Robin ran as fast as he could, but his guess about earlier was correct. He was indeed out of shape. Robin hasn't looked in a mirror yet, and honestly he was a little scared to. He doubted he had much muscle, unlike Chrom and Frederick. 'Look at me, I wake up in a field with no memories, and the first thing I do is compare my physical appearance to others. Gods, who was I before all this?' Robin thought to himself.
The scent of putrid smoke began to fill Robin's nose,causing him to gag. Robin was getting close to the town. Pretty much the entire town was burning, though the fires looked recent, seeing that most of the buildings were still intact. 'Let's keep it the way,' Robin thought.
As Robin was nearing the city, Robin noticed that as he ran, something heavy was banging hard against his hip. He slowed his pace to a jog to try and dig through his coat.
Robin pulled out a book with a lightning bolt on it. The book had a strong nostalgic aura to it, and Robin unconsciously knew that this was no normal book. He put the book back, and he then unsheathed an iron sword that he somehow only just now noticed...
Again, this sword felt strangely familiar, yet Robin couldn't pinpoint from where, which really frustrated him.
Robin's thoughts were cut short as a woman's scream filled the air.
"N-no! Stay away f-from me! Somebody, please, help me!"
Robin had made it to the entrance of the town, and it seemed that Frederick and Lissa hadn't noticed him yet. Robin turned to see a gruff man with a big iron sword make his way to a beautiful village maiden. The man had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he approached her.
"Well, well, aren't you quite a fetching thing…You know, you could grab me quite the coin in the black market. What do you say, lass? How about you join me and the boys for a…pleasant ride?" The man growled, and went to grab her wrist, but the girl quickly moved back and slapped away his hand, visibly shaking in fear.
The gruff man chuckled, "My, my, feisty aren't we, girly? I like that…yes, I like that a lot, now c'mere!" The man then lunged at the girl. She shrieked, and tried to dart back, back she was backed up against a house wall, and there was nowhere left for her to run.
Robin didn't think. He pulled out his book, and quickly opened it. Inside were strange words, but somehow he understood exactly what they meant. He pointed his hand toward the brigand, and chanted a phrase that he somehow knew. His eyes began to change from the chocolate brown eyes to a crimson red. Robin felt a tingling sensation all throughout his body, but it didn't bother him. Honestly, he kind of liked the sensation.
"THUNDER!" Robin shouted, and a bolt of lighting hit the brigand directly in the chest. The man immediately fell dead on the floor.
Robin lowered his hand, and slowly, Robin's eyes returned back to their normal color. The tingling sensation left Robin, and he panted from exhaustion.
The girl Robin had saved stayed frozen in place, then slowly made her way over to Robin, who was currently on one knee catching his breath.
"T-thank you." She said meekly."Y-you just saved my life, sir. Thank you." She said, and put on a small smile. Robin slowly got up and nodded.
"Anytime. Glad I could be of service. I advise going back inside to a building that is-er- not on…fire." Robin said. The girl blushed and nodded, and ran back inside a building. She stole one last glance at her savior, then closed the door behind her.
It took a second for Robin to realize what just happened.
"How did I just do that…" he muttered looking at his hands. He noticed that the mark on the back of his left hand was faintly glowing…
"Robin, that was incredible!" Hollered a familiar voice.
Robin turned to see Lissa running up to him with a staff in her hand. Frederick was nearby, mounted on a horse. He was busy fighting another brigand, but he did meet eyes with Robin for a second, and gave him another chilling death glare. Robin shivered, but regained his composure as Lissa drew near. However, Robin noticed that there was a person missing from their crew.
"Where's Chrom?" Robin asked. There were lots of brigands, and surely Chrom knew that he couldn't take them all on his own. Hopefully…
"Oh, he just went to go take down the stupid leader. He'll be back soon." Lissa said, nonchalantly.
"All by himself?! That idiot is going to get himself killed!" Robin exclaimed, making Lissa wince a little. Robin sighed, and said more softly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. Point me in the direction of where he went. We need to fight this battle more strategically rather than head on. We may not have the numbers for this battle, but we do have the brains."
Robin's head was swimming with lots of strange knowledge he didn't know he had. It was like he could look at the enemy or ally, and decide what and where they should fight. He could tell each person's strengths and weaknesses from some sort of knowledge he had before, though he didn't know from where. He also knew how certain battle outcomes would change if he added a new variable. It was as if he could see the flow of battle. He must have studied battle tactics somewhere... Suddenly, he had an idea on how to take down all these brigands, despite the difference in numbers. He just needed to get Chrom, then he could put his plan in play.
"We?" A voice said behind Robin.
Robin yelped in surprise and reflexively pulled out his thunder book. He spun around, only to be met with a lance to his chest and an angry looking Frederick. Robin sighed, and put down his book.
"Yes, we. I'll be joining you in this battle. I'm pretty sure I know strategy, and I somehow also knew how to fight with this…book," Robin paused. Frederick still held his lance to Robin's chest, looking unconvinced."You can lower the lance, I have no intention of hurting you or her. Besides, even if I did want to hurt you, I would've done so already." Yet Frederick stood his ground, still not lowering his lance.
"Seriously Frederick! Robin just took down a brigand and saved a village girl's life. He obviously wants to help! Cut him some slack will ya?" Lissa said as she placed her hands on her hips.
With that, Frederick sighed and lowered his weapon.
Robin looked gratefully at Lissa, who gave him a wink, then continued, "As I was saying, we need to fight smart. Tell me where Chrom went, and I'll back him up. I want you two staying on defense, and attack any ruffians that get near you. Once you clear the area, meet up with Chrom and I. Oh and Lissa, be ready to use your staff. I have a feeling that your brother may already have an injury or two."
Lissa nodded in confirmation, and Frederick sighed and nodded as well.
"My dumb brother went that way," Lissa said, and pointed down an alleyway
"Alrighty, thanks Lissa." Robin said, and gave her a thumbs up as he ran off.
As he ran, Robin swore he heard Frederick mutter something about how Robin has no authority to give orders. Robin just rolled his eyes, and continued to run down the alleyway.
Chrom was crouching behind a fruit cart to catch his breath. He was breathing hard, and he had a gash on the side of his arm. Chrom had recently dispatched two brigands, both axe wielders, and one of them was lucky enough to get one small swing at him, though Chrom cut him down soon after.
Chrom was in a real pickle. He had misjudged the situation, and there were more brigands than he had originally thought. His goal was to just cut the leader down, hoping to bring the morale of the others down, but unfortunately, the brigand leader had two bodyguards, one of which was a tome wielder. The leader wielded an axe, same as his other body guard.
Unfortunately, Chrom's emotions got the better of him. He was about to leap out from behind the crate and charge the three brigands when he heard a whisper behind him.
"Hey Chrom."
Chrom turned to see Robin peeking from behind a corner, looking right at him. Quietly, Robin darted out from behind the corner, and went to crouch beside Chrom.
"Robin? What are you doing here? Why'd you follow us?" Chrom asked, surprised to see that the stranger had followed them.
Robin honestly didn't know why he followed them, so he answered with, "I'm not so sure myself. But I know how to fight, and I'm pretty sure I know battle tactics."
Chrom quirked an eyebrow, "Your pretty sure?"
Robin rolled his eyes,"Well, I obviously know more than you considering that you were about to charge up against three brigands who all have an advantage over you in strength, and your injured, which puts you at an even bigger disadvantage, AND the fact that you are utterly exhausted-"
"Alright, alright I get it. I acted rashly. Happy?" Chrom said annoyed, and Robin smirked, then nodded.
Chrom continued, "So, what's the plan?"
Robin then got serious again. He pulled out his tome. Chrom's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't question it. He silently prayed that Robin did indeed know how to fight, and that he wouldn't get them all killed.
"Okay so, I'm going to take out the mage and the other body guard. Can I leave the leader to you?" Robin asked.
Chrom nodded, "Of course."
Robin smiled, "Great. Lissa and Frederick should be on their way now, so we can get your wound treated soon."
Chrom smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "It's just a small cut. I've had way worse before."
Robin just shook his head in disbelief, then slowly got up. Luckily, the brigands hadn't noticed him yet, but that would change once he shoots his first spell.
Chrom was stealthily making his way closer to the leader, though he could only get so far. He was waiting for his chance to engage with the leader after Robin took down the two body guards.
Robin took a deep breath. As he began to chant his spell, he felt the same tingling sensation all throughout his body. His eyes began to glow the same crimson red color. The mage took notice of him, and began to prepare his own spell. 'It's now or never,' thought Robin.
"THUNDER!" Robin yelled. His spell shot out of his palm, and landed square on the mage's chest, killing I'm instantly. The man dropped dead on the ground, twitching from the electricity.
The leader's eyes widened. "What the hell?!" His eyes then made it to Robin. The look that this man had in his eyes was sickening. His eyes were full of hatred and malice.
Robin was beginning to feel fatigued. He only had the energy for one more spell. Robin noticed that Chrom was able to creep his way closer to the leader, so Robin launched another spell at the second bodyguard. The man fell dead on the ground, just as Robin fell to his knees from exhaustion.
Chrom used this to his advantage. The leader yelled in rage, and was about to charge the fallen tactician when Chrom jumped in front of him, sword drawn, and pointed it at his neck.
"End of the line," Chrom said, "Any last words?" The man remained silent, and just glared at the blunette. Chrom sighed, and was about to cut the man down when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Chrom wait." Robin said, still breathing heavily, but got up and walked towards the brigand.
"Robin, what are you doing? This man razed this village, and probably killed many people in it. He has to pay for his sins." Chrom said, growing frustrated.
Robin sighed, "I know, just wait," Chrom just stared at him, "Please," Robin pleaded.
Chrom sighed, and lowered his sword. Robin stepped up to the man, "What is your name, sir?" Robin asked.
The man glared at him, then spat, "Garrick."
Robin nodded, and said, "Well, I would say that I hope you feel remorse for what you did, but I doubt that holds true, so," Robin pulled out his iron sword, and raised it to Garick's chest,"I can't spare you, but I can grant you the mercy of a swift death." And with that, Robin plunged the blade into Garrick's chest.
Blood started to pour from Garick's mouth, and he whispered, "May..you…all…burn….in…." His voice trailed off as he died, though each word was spoken with pure hatred, up until he died.
Robin wiped his blade clean on Garrick's clothes, and sheathed it. He turned to see Chrom, eyes wide with surprise. Behind him was Lissa and Frederick.
Chrom looked like he wanted to say something, but was cut off by Lissa, "Holy wow Robin! You were incredible! Swords, magic AND tactics! Is there anything you can't do?"
Lissa ran over to him, much to the disdain of Frederick. To Robin's surprise, Lissa started to tug on Robin's arm. "Robin! You're covered in blood! Are you hurt?" Lissa asked in concern.
Robin wasn't used to physical contact, so it took him a second to respond. "Hm? Oh! Er, you uh, mean this? Don't worry, that's not mine. Heh, but I think your brother may need a check-up." Robin smirked.
Lissa's eyes widened, "Chrom you idiot!" She ran over to her brother and audibly gasped, "You've been fighting with THIS?!" She smacked Chrom lightly across the head. "Next time you think you want to "play the hero" let me tag along. You obviously need a chaperone." Lissa said matter of factly, which made Chrom and Robin laugh, and Frederick even gave a small smile.
Once Lissa was done healing her brother, Chrom turned to Robin and smiled. "Heh, well, you're certainly no helpless victim, and know how to take care of yourself. That much is for sure."
Robin grinned at the compliment. Frederick, on the other hand, still looked unconvinced.
He narrowed his eyes and said harshly, "So, you're saying that you know how to fight with a sword, know battle tactics almost flawlessly, and somehow managed to perform three thunder spells, yet you don't know how or why you came here. Milord, I still advise caution"
Robin's smile faded. 'He just HAD to ruin the moment didn't he?' Robin was growing tired at Fredericks skepticism, yet he still tried to remain composed.
"I understand your skepticism. Truly, I do. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I'd be skeptical too. I'm not sure how or why I only gained back only certain knowledge, but please, believe me when I say, I have shared with you all I know." Robin tried to say this as politely as he could, but towards the end, his tone grew cold.
Frederick scoffed and was about to retort, but Chrom held up a hand, silencing him. "Robin fought and saved dozens of Ylissean lives. Heck, he possibly saved my own life as well. My heart says that that's enough." Chrom spoke calmly.
Frederick still looked hesitant, but he finally said, "And your mind, milord? Will it not heed counsel as well?"
Chrom gave a slight smile, "I appreciate your concern for mine, Lissa's, and everyone else's safety, but the shepherds could really use someone with Robin's talents. Let's face it, without Robin, this town would probably be destroyed, along with us. The next time conflict strikes, we could really use Robin. Would you really have us lose such an able tactician? I understand Robin's story may seem a bit…strange, but I believe it nonetheless."
Frederick sighed, and turned to walk away back to his mount. Robin was at a loss of words. He didn't know what to say.
"T-thank you Chrom," Was all he could think to say.
Chrom grinned, "So how about it? Will you join us, and face evil right in its, uh…face?'' Lissa snickered and Chrom sighed, ''Sorry, I'm not good at recruitment speeches. What I'm trying say is will you join us?"
Robin grinned again, "I would be honored."
Robin could tell that he and Chrom were going to get along great. Same with Lissa. Frederick was a different story, but Robin was sure that he could become friends with him too, just over time.
Chrom let out a sigh of relief, "Glad to hear it. Come, we should get going." He then proceeded to follow after Frederick.
Lissa caught up with Chrom, still snickering,"Geez Chrom that's a new one. Evil in the face, eh? How could anyone say no to that?" Lissa said sarcastically.
Chrom just rolled his eyes, "Really Lissa? How about we hear your recruitment speech, hm? Come now, don't keep me waiting." Chrom said, crossing his arms.
Lissa gave a nervous laugh, "Haha, g-good one Chrom. But that's your job, remember? I'm just the little, delicate, sister." Lissa replied mockingly, and then ran off to go catch up with Frederick.
Chrom rolled his eyes again, then ran to catch up with her.
Robin chuckled at the siblings' antics. 'I wonder if I have a sibling,' Robin thought.
Robin ran to go and catch up to the trio. Despite his earlier exhaustion, Robin felt light as a feather. 'What's this feeling?' Robin thought to himself.
Then it hit him: Happiness. He's no longer alone now.
He has friends. Robin grinned to himself at the thought, then went to catch up with the trio.
The party was walking through town, trying to get back on the road. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and it was going to set soon.
As they walked, Frederick spoke up, "Didn't you notice, milord? Those brigands spoke with a Plegian accent.
"Plegia? What's that?" Robin asked. As he did, Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick all scoffed simultaneously.
"Plegia is Ylisse's westerly neighbor. They send small bands of brigands, thieves, and mercenaries in our territory, hoping to instigate a war," Chrom said bitterly.
"And the townspeople are the ones who suffer. Totally innocent, totally helpless…" Lissa said sadly.
Frederick put a hand on her shoulder, "They do have us milady. Shepherds that protect the sheep. Do not let your emotions cloud your judgment." Frederick said softly.
Lissa sighed, "I know. I know. But it still makes me feel sad, b-but don't worry, I'll get used to all this!" She said, grinning confidently.
Her confidence made everyone smile. The group continued to walk in silence, each of them still smiling.
They were about to leave the village when three villagers ran and blocked their path. Robin immediately recognized one of them. It was the one he had rescued from earlier.
They locked eyes for a second, and then the girl looked down, blushing. Robin couldn't help but smile. 'I guess this is one of the perks of being a shepherd,' he thought gleefully.
The other two villagers, a man and a woman, both who looked to be in their late forties, were both smiling. "Milord please! You must stay the night! We may be simple, but we would gladly toast you with a feast!" The man said.
The man then looked at Robin,"You saved my daughter, Liliana. Please, allow me to properly thank you." The women nodded, too, and Robin assumed that she was Liliana's mother.
Robin looked back at Liliana, who looked back at him. Robin didn't get a chance to properly look at her earlier, but as Robin got a good look, he noticed that she was very pretty. She had long brown hair that flowed off her shoulders. Her face was covered in freckles, and she had hazel eyes. Robin could understand why the brigand would want to take her.
Robin was at a loss of words, so all that came out of his mouth was,"Umm…" and that earned a cute giggle from the girl.
Chrom smirked at the interaction between the two. "Heh, as much as I'm sure that Robin would love to receive some proper thanks, we really must be making our way back to Ylisstol." And Chrom lightly nudged Robin on his arm to get him to move.
"B-but-" Robin began to protest.
"Yes, Milord's right. A most generous offer, and I'm sure that your hospitality would be grand, but we really need to hurry back to Ylisse." Frederick interjected, earning a glare from Robin.
Robin sighed in defeat, and reluctantly started to walk. As they began to leave, Robin waved one final goodby to the village maiden, which she returned, smiling. Lissa grumbled, too, for she was quite hungry.
Lissa suddenly stopped. "But what are we going to eat? And where will we sleep? There's no inn on the road we're taking back, and it'll be nearly dark." Lissa protested.
Frederick actually grinned, much to Robin's surprise.
"When night falls, we'll camp. Eat off the land. Make our beds out of leaves and twigs. I believe you said that you were getting used to this, did you not?"
Lissa scowled,"Frederick? Sometimes I hate you."
Frederick chuckled, "You'll thank me one day. milady."
"Yeah, I doubt that, "Lissa replied.
Robin smiled,"You've quite the stern lieutenant there."
Lissa scoffed, "Yeah, well, 'stern' is the nice way of putting it. I can definitely think of a few others."
"Frederick really only smiles when he's bringing down that axe,"bChrom added.
Robin shivered,"Dully noted."
Frederick cleared his throat," *Ahem* You do realize that I am STILL present?"
Chrom chuckled, "Oh, we realize."
Robin and Lissa laughed.
Frederick sighed, and rolled his eyes, "Milord remains as amusing as ever. Now then, shall we be going?"
Chrom nodded in confirmation, though he still wore a grin.
"Alright, alright. Ready to go, Robin? The capitol isn't far."
"You bet!" He said enthusiastically.
And with that, the trio began to continue down the dirt road. Robin decided that he shouldn't stay hung up with his past, and look to the future. Who knows, maybe he will actually have one? He grinned at the thought, and continued to talk with the others.