Raimi had led Chrom and the others to the main entrance of the fort. She left to go get the khan while Chrom and the others waited. Robin was surprised at how vibrant it was. Unlike its cold exterior, the fort was complete with lots of gold and red decor. There was surprisingly a long, red carpet that was in the center of the room, like the one in Ylisse. Robin wanted nothing more than to flop down and take a nap on it, but he thought that seemed a bit unprofessional. But still, the carpet beckoned towards Robin, making Robin pout.
"Why the long face, Robin?" Lissa asked as she walked up to Robin.
Robin sighed, "It's been a looooong day…and I'm ready for a nap."
Lissa frowned.
"Yeah it has. If Frederick said that I'm just 'building character' again I…I uh…um…I might smack him with my staff!" She said, raising her staff in the air for emphasis.
Robin laughed as Lissa crossed her arms and pouted. She glared at Robin.
"Hey! It's so not funny!" She paused, then smiled wryly, "You know…" she raised her staff and tapped it in her hand, "I could use practice. Maybe you'll be my volunteer?"
Robin chuckled nervously and raised his hands in surrender, "Alright, alright, I'll stop laughing at you."
Lissa smirked and walked off to Sumia. Robin wiped his forehead, 'Whew, that was close,' he thought.
Robin made his way over to where Chrom was, who was just staring at a wall, deep in thought.
"Hey," Robin said, trying to get Chrom's attention. Chrom jumped a little, startled by Robin's sudden presence. Robin cocked his head, 'Huh, that's strange. I don't think I've ever seen Chrom flinch before…' Robin thought.
"Oh, uh…Robin. Can I help you?" Chrom asked, trying to regain his composure.
"Just checking up on you. You seem to have a lot on your mind…wanna talk about it?" Robin asked. Even though he's really only known Chrom for about three days, he could tell something was off with Chrom, which made him a little worried for his friend's wellbeing.
"I appreciate that, Robin…but I'm fine," Chrom said, trying to give Robin a reassuring smile.
Robin hesitated for a second,"…o-okay, if you say so…"
Chrom nodded.
"So, what's up?" He asked, becoming his normal self once again.
Robin looked to the doorway that Raimi had left in.
"I was just wondering about the khan. Are they usually away like this?"
Chrom chuckled, "Out training I'd wager. The khans of Ferox prefer battle to politics."
Robin grinned, "Sounds just like someone I know," He said, nudging Chrom's arm with his elbow.
Chrom laughed.
Robin grinned, "So, a warrior ruler, eh? I can picture him now…a giant man of unparalleled strength, his broad chest covered in hair…," Robin and Chrom were laughing so hard, they didn't notice that Raimi had returned with the khan.
"Am I now?" A rough feminine voice behind them said, "Please, do go on!"
Robin's eyes widened as he spun around to see the source of the voice. The voice belonged to a tall woman with a darker skin tone and pale blond hair. She was holding a huge iron sword on her shoulders. She looked at Robin with an amused expression.
Robin was at a loss of words.
Chrom was just as surprised as Robin was, "Your the-?! Er, *ahem* you're the khan, I presume?"
The female khan chuckled, "One of them, yes. I'm the East khan, Flavia."
She walked over to Chrom and shook his hand, "Apologies for the trouble, prince Chrom. Know that you are always welcome in Regna Ferox."
Chrom smiled, "Thank you. I'm confident we can put this all behind us…but is it true that bandits posing as Ylisseans have been ransacking your border villages?"
Flavia scoffed, "Yes! Those Plegian dogs! We've found documents proving one of their captains to be from Plegia. Plegia must see some benefit by raising tension between us."
Chrom grit his teeth.
Flavia chuckled, "Well, I'm glad to see that we're both on the same side. Anyways, I know why you're here, prince, but unfortunately I cannot provide you with any Feroxi troops for Ylisse."
Chrom pursed his lips, "What? Why?"
Flavia heaved a frustrated, regretful, sigh, "I lack the authority."
Chrom raised an eyebrow, "Forgive me, I don't understand…aren't you the khan?"
Flavia sighed again, "As I said, I am ONE of the khans. You see, every few years, the khans of the east and west hold a tournament, and the victor receives total sovereignty over both kingdoms…meaning they have the final say over alliances. The West khan won the last tournament, you see, and so…" she trailed off, making her point clear.
Chrom lowered his head in frustration and disappointment.
"So, we are to receive no aid at all?" He asked, then heaved another heavy sigh.
Flavia perked up and pumped a fist in the air.
"Not if you give up easily! The next tournament is in a few days, and I am in need of new champions," She exclaimed excitedly.
Chrom frowned, "What does that have to do with us?"
Flavia grinned, "Well, my guard has informed me that the shepherds are quite capable fighters, as well as a formidable tactician…sooooo, would you consider allowing some of your shepherds to be my champions this tournament? If you win, I'll grant your alliance."
Chrom frowned, "You talk as though I myself won't be participating."
Flavin's eyes widened, "Oh heavens no! If you were to die in there, that could start a war between Ylisse and Ferox. That's a risk I simply cannot take!"
Robin stepped up, "If Chrom can't come, then nor will I."
Flavia raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And you are?"
Robin smiled, "I'm that 'formidable' tactician you spoke of. The name's Robin by the way."
Flavia grit her teeth.
"Damn," she muttered.
"Alright fine, Chrom can fight, too, but you," she jabbed a finger at Robin, "will not let him die in there, ya hear me?"
Robin gave her a cocky grin, "Loud and clear, ma'am."
Flavia rolled her eyes, but gave him a faint smile.
She looked to where Raimi was standing,"Raimi, can you please show our champions their rooms?"
Raimi nodded, and led them out of the large main hallway to a narrower hallway.
Before they left, Flavia hollered over to them,"Make sure you all rest well! I hear that there is an equally formidable swordsman on the West khan's side! Be wary!"
Chrom grinned and nodded, "He shall be defeated by the Ylisseans, don't you worry!"
And with that, they all departed to their rooms.
The first thing Robin did was flop down on his bed. It was definitely better than a floor carpet, that's for sure. Robin groaned as he stretched, then put his head on his soft Feroxi pillow.
Robin decided that he should probably undress himself…at least to the best of his ability. Technically, the only clothes he owned was what he was wearing, but he knew he would sleep better without boots and a baggy coat.
Reluctantly, he sat up and removed his gear, then immediately fell back in bed.
Once again, he fell into another dreamless sleep…
Robin slowly opened his eyes. He felt so…comfortable.
He smiled, 'I think that was the best sleep I've had so far,' he thought. Despite how comfortable he felt, he wasn't tired, and he felt like he needed to move around.
Robin sighed and slowly got up. He wasn't sure what time it was, but judging by the complete silence, he assumed everyone was still asleep. Slowly, Robin got up, retrieving his coat off the floor, and putting his boots on.
Robin decided that he was going to do some exploring. Quietly, he slipped out of his room, closing the door behind him. He had no idea where he was going, so he just picked a random direction and started walking.
He had made his way down a long corridor. At the end of the corridor, Robin could see a faint glow. It looked like it was coming from outside. 'Fresh air…that sounds nice,' Robin thought eagerly.
As quietly as possible, Robin made his way to the light. Sure enough, the glow was coming from outside. Robin looked up, and saw the moon shining brightly down on him. He smiled, it looked beautiful. Quietly, he walked out on a large balcony that overlooked the city of Ferox. It was definitely a breathtaking sight.
Robin walked to the edge of the balcony, and looked up at the sky again. Stargazing…maybe that was one of his past hobbies?
There was a shuffle behind him. He quickly spun around, his hand reflexively going to his tome in his inner pocket.
Robin's jaw dropped. Standing behind him was…Marth. Even though she was wearing her mask, Robin could tell she was just as surprised to see him there as he was.
"What are you doing here," he asked.
Marth scowled, "I could ask you the same."
Robin frowned. He really needed some answers, and the least she could do is explain why she's in Ferox.
"Well, I asked you first," He said pointedly.
Though Robin couldn't see her face, he was pretty sure that she rolled her eyes. She slowly walked next to Robin and looked up at the sky, ignoring his question.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" She said softly, and smiled slightly to herself.
Robin sighed, realizing he probably won't be getting any answers from her. But, that doesn't mean he can't try!
"Yeah," he finally said.
He looked back to Marth, "…so why are you here? You live here or something?"
Marth shook her head and chuckled slightly, "Hah! You watched me fall from the sky. You honestly think that I live here?"
Robin shrugged, "I mean, you are full of lots of secrets. Heh, I wouldn't be surprised if you 're like Chrom's secret sister or something with as many secrets that you have."
Now it was Marth's turn to be surprised.
"Y-you honestly think that I could possibly be related to…Chrom?" She scoffed, "That's absurd!"
Robin grinned, "Heh, I was just joking. No need to get all defensive."
Marth felt her cheeks begin to heat up. She looked away from Robin so he couldn't see her face. Robin frowned at Marth's reaction but decided not to press the matter.
He sighed,"Okay, I guess I'll just leave your reasons as to why you're here alone…but why still wear the mask? I mean, I already know you're a girl, so uh, why must you wear it around me?"
Marth smirked, "Heh, you sound almost disappointed."
Robin's eyes bulged at the implication, "W-what? N-no, I don't mean it like THAT! Hey, you try talking to someone who covers their face. You're super hard to read with that thing on!"
Marth smirked, then shook her head, "I better get going." With that, she turned and began to walk away.
Robin still had so many questions, but he knew he wouldn't get any answers from her…not yet at least.
He quickly called after Marth before she left.
"Wait!" He yelled.
Marth paused, but she didn't turn around. Robin hesitated.
She was definitely intimidating, but he continued,"Will I…I mean the Shepherds see you again soon?"
Marth, back still turned, bit her lip, "Sooner than you may think."
And with that, she left, leaving Robin to his thoughts.
It was the morning of the tournament, and Robin was exhausted. He had spent the last three days training and preparing a plan for the tournament rather than resting up. He was able to get a sense of what their opponents would be like, and unfortunately, the West-khan was able to have ten fighters, whereas the shepherds could only have eight. On top of all that, apparently they had some sort of mystery swordsman that was said to be a formidable fighter.
Robin had decided that he would bring along himself and Chrom, as well as Sumia, Frederick, Sully, Stahl, Kellam and Vaike. Miriel, Virion and Lissa were probably the shepherds' weaker fighters against the Feroxi, so Robin had opted for them just to watch, much to Virion's dismay.
Robin didn't tell Chrom about his meeting with Marth…not yet, and he hasn't seen her since.
Robin was still thinking about their meeting, and how she said they would see her soon, but Robin wasn't sure what she meant by that.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a hard tap on his shoulder.
"Robin? Hellooooo, anyone there? Robin!"
Robin turned around to see Lissa staring up at him.
"Oh uh, sorry Lissa. What did you need?" Robin asked, pushing the thoughts about Marth behind him.
Lissa crossed her arms, "Chrom says he's ready and told me to go fetch you."
Robin nodded.
"Very well," he said, then followed Lissa to the arena.
Chrom and the others were there already. Unfortunately, they weren't able to bring any horses into the arena, so Sully, Stahl, Frederick and Sumia would have to fight on their feet.
Lissa stood with Virion and Miriel and gave Robin a thumbs up. Robin smiled, then went to stand by Chrom.
"Nervous?" Chrom muttered to Robin.
Robin smiled at Chrom, "Heh, not at all."
Chrom rolled his eyes, "Cocky are we? Heh, you sure have changed a lot since the first time we met…which was about a week ago."
'Geez, has it only been a week? It feels like it's been months since I joined the shepherds,' Robin thought.
The gate in front of Chrom and Robin opened, so the group made their way into the arena.
It was loud.
Way louder than Robin expected. There were definitely thousands of Feroxians in the stands, all cheering and screaming.
A loud gong rang, silencing the crowd.
Then, a loud voice boomed, "Ladies and gentlemen, representing the East-khan, I present to you…Prince Chrom and the shepherds of Ylisse!"
The crowd screamed and cheered. Behind them, Robin could hear Lissa yelling, "That's my brother! That's my brother!"
Sumia looked terrified, whereas Vaike was waving exuberantly to the crowd.
The opponent's gate opened, and the gong rang once again. The opponents walked out and Robin was bracing himself for a huge, buff champion, only to be greeted with…Marth?!
Robin's jaw dropped again, as did Chrom's. Chrom was about to say something, but he was interrupted by the gong and the loud voice again, "And representing the West-khan, I present to you…Marth and the Feroxi champions!"
The crowd roared again, and Robin noticed that it was louder than that of there's. 'Dang, looks like we know who the favorable side is,' Robin thought.
"Champions, please shake hands before the battle begins!" The voice echoed throughout the arena.
Chrom looked to Robin, "C'mon Robin, I'm not going up there by myself."
Robin and Chrom made their way to the center of the arena, as did Marth and some other swordsman with brown hair.
Robin looked at Marth, and he assumed they locked eyes for a second because she looked away, scowling.
Chrom looked at Marth.
"Marth, pleasure to see you again," Chrom said, holding out a hand to her.
He was greeted with silence and Marth just stared at his hand. The swordsman next to her elbowed her, getting her attention again. She briskly shook his hand, then turned to walk off. The male swordsman glared at Robin, then turned to follow after her.
Chrom grit his teeth, "Still not much of a talker, is he?"
Robin shook his head then turned to walk back to the group. It was Feroxi tradition that the leaders of the opposing sides were to start off the battle…that being Chrom and Marth.
Robin stepped back and let Chrom ready himself. Marth did the same on the opposing side. The gong rang, and the loud voice boomed once again.
"Begin!"
Chrom and Marth drew their weapons.
Chrom looked at Marth's sword and gasped. It looked like his. In fact, it was identical! 'There's only one Falchion, so why does Marth have one, too?'
"Where did you get that?" Chrom asked, but was greeted with silence, as expected.
He grit his teeth,"There's no way…"
Marth sprinted towards Chrom at a blinding speed. They took turns slashing at each other, but neither one could get an advantage over the other. Marth seemed to know exactly how Chrom would strike next, just as Chrom knew Marth's. They locked weapons.
"Tell me!" Chrom yelled, "Who taught you to fight like that?"
Though Marth was faster, Chrom was stronger. They pushed away from each other, and Marth stumbled back. Chrom was going to finish this. He jumped in the air with Falchion and spun back down at her. Usually, this move would take down anyone, but Marth easily moved out of the way and continued to strike at Chrom.
Marth started to strike at Chrom faster and faster until he couldn't keep up. Then, she jumped in the air and did the same spin that Chrom did earlier.
"My father!" She yelled as she spun towards Chrom.
Chrom lifted his sword to block her attack, and grunted at the impact.
They locked weapons again, and Chrom was beginning to feel the exhaustion. With all his might, he pushed Marth off, making her skid backwards across the stone floor. Surprisingly, Marth didn't appear to have broken a sweat, whereas Chrom was panting and dripping in sweat.
'At this rate, I won't stand a chance,' thought Chrom, and retreated back to his group. Marth did the same.
With that, both sides began to fight.
Chrom came back panting and drenched in sweat. Robin couldn't believe his eyes. Marth had easily taken on Chrom without even breaking into a sweat.
What's more, she seemed to mirror all Chrom's moves. As the two retreated back to their groups, Robin gave the signal for the shepherds to engage.
There was no doubt that Marth and the brown haired swordsman were the two best fighters on the West Khan's side. However, they both stayed back, letting the other Feroxians to fight the shepherds. Marth seemed to be the one giving orders, but the way she ordered her troops to engage, Robin thought it was off.
The orders she chose to give put her side on the biggest disadvantage. 'Either she's really stupid…or she's trying to lose.' Robin thought, 'But why try to lose?'
Obviously, Marth had alternative motives.
As two of the Feroxi fighters surrendered, the brown haired swordsman seemed to grow agitated. He started to yell something at Marth, but she simply ignored him, her eyes trained on Chrom.
Frederick knocked out a swordsman with the butt of his lance, and Sumia managed to force an axeman to surrender. Meanwhile, Vaike knocked out a lancer with the blunt end of his axe. Sully and Stahl fought side-by-side, both of them fighting a mage and an axeman. Together, they easily took down the two, Sully handily taking down the mage as Stahl took down the axeman.
Kellam walked right up to an axeman. He waved his hands in the axeman's face, but the axeman saw nothing. Kellam sighed, and hit the butt of his lance against the man's head, knocking him out cold.
Robin and Chrom made their way up to Marth and the brown haired swordsman. Robin was looking directly at Marth the entire time, trying to figure out her game. Marth kept her cool demeanor, despite her odds. She was up to something, that's for sure.
The brown haired swordsman glared at Marth.
"Are you trying to lose?!" He snarled.
Marth ignored the man. Chrom looked at her sword, then back to her.
"Who is your father," he asked curiously.
Marth pursed her lips, "I've said enough for today, sir."
Robin could've sworn that he heard her voice crack at the end…it sounded like she was going to cry despite her calm expression.
The swordsman next to Marth looked at her with a curious expression as it seemed he noticed it, too.
Chrom seemed to be oblivious to her change of tone, and continued, "Lissa and I owe you our lives, and for that you have our gratitude. I represent the East-khan and the interests of Ylisse. I can't promise you to stay my blade, but I vow not to shame you."
Marth smirked, "Heh, never expected such youthful arrogance…we shall see who shames who!"
And with that, Marth charged forward at Chrom and the two began to battle once again.
Robin watched as the two fought once again. He then turned to the brunette swordsman, who was glaring daggers at him.
"Welp, I guess it's just you and me then," Robin said as he readied his sword.
The swordsman scoffed, "Like you could best me." Then he charged towards Robin.
Robin wasn't used to fighting an opponent with such speed. He grunted as he raised his sword to block a fatal attack at his heart. The swordsman quickly pushed off Robin's sword and began to repeatedly slash at Robin with incredible speed.
Robin couldn't even try to attack back. This man was too quick. 'At this rate, there's no way I can win. …Unless…' Robin had an idea.
He continued to stay on defense and watch how this man attacked. A swordsman like this one has a fighting pattern, Robin just had to find it. Robin could feel the exhaustion building, so he knew he had to work fast.
'Alright focus, Robin…'
Robin watched the swordsman's movements intently, trying to find the pattern.
Side slash…Side slash…up slash…down slash…jab…side slash….The pattern continued.
Then Robin saw the opportunity he needed.
Right before this man would jab, he would take about a second and a half to muster up the strength.
That gave Robin the opportunity he needed.
The swordsman continued to attack Robin, growing cocky as he did so.
"That all you got, tactician?" He spat.
Side slash…Robin shifted his feet…Side slash…up slash…Robin bent his legs, preparing to spring…down slash…Robin leapt to the side as the swordsman jabbed his sword at him. Robin knew he couldn't take on this man with an iron sword, but he could stand a chance if he used his thunder tome.
The swordsman quickly recovered and charged at Robin, but froze.
Robin was holding a thunder tome and had his hand, crackling with electricity, pointed right at the man's chest.
Robin smiled with pride.
"Yield," he said smugly.
The swordsman gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. He looked to Marth and Chrom, and saw they were still fighting.
He huffed, "Fine…I yield."
The swordsman sheathed his sword and stalked off. Robin watched as Chrom and Marth fought.
Marth and Chrom continued their fight. This time though, Marth seemed to hesitate. Numerous times, Marth could've seriously injured Chrom, or even killed him, but something was holding Marth back. Chrom saw out of the corner of his eye that Robin and the swordsman were done, and it appeared that Robin had won. Everyone was waiting on Chrom and Marth now.
Seeing that Robin had won gave Chrom a boost of confidence.
As Marth and Chrom locked weapons, Chrom decided to try a new move, seeing that Marth somehow already knew all his old ones.
When fighting, Chrom usually relies only on Falchion, and rarely uses physical attacks.
When they locked blades once again, instead of pushing her off, he kicked at her right leg, causing her to yelp in pain and stumble back a little, and drop her identical Falchion.
At that moment, Chrom took that opportunity to charge at her. He tackled her to the floor and pinned her to the ground by her shoulders. She groaned in pain as her head slammed hard against the stone floor, leaving her dazed. Chrom had also dropped Falchion, and was left with no weapons.
Chrom was just going to knock her out with his fist. He raised his fist, but stopped when he heard Robin shout from behind him.
Chrom glanced over to Robin and saw him running over to the pair, eyes wide.
"Chrom don't! He's done, let him go!" He pleaded.
Marth groaned in pain,"O-ow…my head…I y-yield."
Robin sighed, and Chrom slowly got up to go fetch his Falchion.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that we have a victor!" The voice boomed, "Congratulations to Prince Chrom and the shepherds, representing the East Kahn!"
The crowd roared and cheered. All the shepherds gathered around Chrom, congratulating each other…all of them except Robin.
Robin ran over to Marth, who was slowly trying to sit up. She groaned while clutching her head in pain.
"Hngg, that's a…new one," She muttered.
She looked up as Robin approached her, and winced in pain at the movement.
"You okay?" He asked as he crouched next to her.
She tried to nod, but instead ended up groaning seeing that moving her head just made it worse.
Robin winced.
This floor was definitely not soft, so he could only imagine how painful it would be to have her head smashed against it.
"Here, let me help. It's the least I can do after everything you've done for us," He said, holding out a hand for her to take.
She hesitated, but decided to take his hand…She wasn't going anywhere on her own anyway in the state she was in.
Robin wrapped her arm around his shoulder and helped her to her feet.
She groaned as she got up. Honestly, Robin felt bad. Not only did Marth save Lissa's life, but Chrom's, too. And how does she get repaid? By getting beat up by one of the people she saved.
Marth leaned heavily on Robin for support.
"Let's get you to the infirmary," Robin said softly.
Marth grunted in response. On their way out, Robin picked up her sword and put it into her sheath. The thing that Robin noticed was that not only was the sword identical to Chrom's, but the sheath, too. 'Maybe her being related to Chrom isn't all that crazy…'
Chrom watched as Robin ran over to Marth. He felt kinda bad for how things turned out, but he knew that's the way things had to be. Chrom also noticed that Robin helped Marth to his feet, and the two left the arena.
He should probably be helping Robin, but all the shepherds herded around him while congratulating him, and they disappeared before he had the chance.
Chrom smiled, 'Robin truly is an honorable man. I could learn a thing or two from him,' he thought.
None of the other shepherds had noticed that Robin left until Lissa piped up, "Hey, where's Robin? He's the reason we won, right? He should be celebrating with us, too!"
Everyone looked around, but Robin had already left.
Chrom made a mental note to go talk to him later.
Flavia made her way over to the shepherds, grinning ear to ear.
"Well fought! You have my respect, and perhaps more to the point," She crossed her arms and grinned, "You my friend, now have an alliance. I shall provide Ylisse with all the soldiers she needs."
That earned a cheer from all the shepherds.
Chrom smiled, "Truly? Thank you, East Khan."
Flavia shook her head, "I should thank you! It feels like ages since I've had full power…six years in fact! Tonight, we celebrate!"
Vaike's eyes practically sparkled.
"Yes! I hear that the ol' Feroxi stuff is quite the fire," he smiled wistfully.
Flavia chuckled, "Sure is."
She then turned to leave the arena. After she left, an unfamiliar face entered. He was a gruff, bald man. He definitely had more of the build that Chrom and Robin had pictured earlier as one of the Khans.
As he approached, the gruff man rolled his eyes, "Bah! Any excuse for a drink and Flavia jumps on it…" he paused, then looked at the shepherds who all wore confused looks on their faces.
"I'm Basilio, the West Khan, by the way. The one you so rudely removed from power!"
Chrom smirked and Basilio shook his head, "Dang, I thought for sure that I had picked the stronger man…"
Chrom perked up and looked at Basilio, "What do you know about him?"
Basilio sighed and rolled his eyes, "You mean that 'Marth'? Bah! He's just delusions and grandeur. All I know is that he turned up a few days ago and knocked my old champion flat…the one you're tactician took on. Heh, Marth was love at first sight, and I'm generally too old for such things!"
Basilio looked around, "Speaking of, where IS your tactician? I'd like to meet him first hand."
Chrom shook his head and shrugged, "Uh, he got a little banged up…so I think he went to go rest up or something."
Basilio looked disappointed, but waved his hand in the air dismissively and laughed, "Heh, with that kind of performance, I think I would too, har har!"
Frederick turned to Chrom, "Milord, I advise that we return home soon. The exalt will be wanting the new of our alliance immediately."
Chrom nodded, "Let's just rest up a little first. We have a long trip ahead of us, and it's best we are at our full strength in case we run into trouble."
"As you say, Milord."
Robin helped Marth to the fort's infirmary. There wasn't much that could be done for her seeing that most of her injuries were internal, but she could take some medicine to help with the pain. As soon as she was given the medicine, Marth tried to make a run for it and disappear again, but Robin had other plans.
"Marth! You freaking have a head injury! You can't just run off on your own without proper rest!" Robin said, forcing her to sit down on one of the cots.
She struggled a little, but gave up seeing that she was too weak to fight back.
"I didn't ask for your help, you know? I can take care of myself!" She shot back, then winced as her head began to throb again.
Robin rolled his eyes, " Oh yeah? If you leave right now without proper rest, you're going to get yourself killed!"
Marth shook her head, then sighed in defeat.
"Fine, I'll rest up for an hour or two…but then I'm gone."
Robin sighed, but he figured that was the best he was gonna a get.
"Alright deal, but I'm staying to make sure you don't run off."
Marth groaned and fell back on the cot in frustration.
"Seriously, why do you care, Robin?"
Robin scowled, "I already told you! We owe you. And beating you up is NOT paying you back for what you did for us, Marth!"
Marth blinked at his outburst. She knew that arguing with him when he's worked up like this is futile, so she just stayed quiet.
Robin sighed, "Sorry, I don't mean to…you know what? How about we talk about something else to pass the time?"
Marth sat back up, "I'm not telling you anything about my personal story if that's what you want."
Robin ignored her, "So, you beat the West Khan's former champion, right? I get the feeling that he was the swordsman I fought, correct? Sure seemed like it… Anyways, how'd you best him? What's your secret? Or, what's his weakness?"
Marth listened to Robin babble and sighed.
"If I answer this one question, will you leave me alone?" She grumbled.
Robin felt a little hurt by this, but nodded.
Marth sat up and said, "His one weakness is women."
Robin's eyes widened and he stared at Marth, his mouth agape.
"Y-you…you seduced him?!" He stammered.
Marth's cheeks turned bright red, "What?! N-no! He FEARS women. Gods! I would never stoop that low!"
Robin stared at Marth. It was an odd fear, but everyone had their quirks right? It was pretty ridiculous when Robin actually thought it over, causing him to laugh. Marth was still flustered, but eventually she too started to laugh. A strange sight for Robin. He's never seen Marth anywhere remotely close to happy before, so this was a nice change.
"Robin?"
The pair turned to see Chrom standing in the entrance of the infirmary. He had an eyebrow raised as he looked between Marth and Robin.
Robin was still grinning, but Marth was back to her dull self. She quickly stood up, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, and briskly pushed past Chrom and disappeared once again.
Chrom smirked and looked back to Robin, "Looks like Lissa may have some competition."
Robin rolled his eyes and playfully punched Chrom in the arm, "Shut up."
As the two left the infirmary, Chrom tried to ask what the whole Marth thing was about. Robin just said he was helping Marth get patched up…and that was all. Obviously, Robin knew something that he didn't, but he decided not to press the matter at the moment.
Much to Flavia and Vaike's disappointment, Chrom and the shepherds prepared to leave Ferox and return back to Ylisse.
Robin had earned lots of praise from each of the shepherds. Part of him liked it, but another part of him felt a bit embarrassed with all the attention.
"It was a team effort," Robin said bashfully.
Miriel stepped up," Hypothetically speaking, yes it was. Realistically thinking, no it was not. We would not have been able to perform as astounding as we had, had you not been present. Unfortunately, we are not as collectively gifted as you, and coming up with a plan so flawless such as your own would probably take around one month, three weeks and two days. Now, that calculation will vary depending on the subject. Take Vaike for example, it would take him about a year, six months-"
"Heh, I get it. Thank you Miriel, that means a lot." Robin said grinning, just assuming that it was a compliment.
Vaike laughed, "Heh, a year is wayyyy bigger than just a month, so I think ol' Teach wins this one. Haha, I think I really am a genius!"
Lissa face palmed and Miriel just sighed while shaking her head. Robin couldn't help but laugh.
Robin has only been with the shepherds for about a week, but he already felt close to all of them.
They were his friends…They were his family.