Chapter 2: A Friend

As the morning sun rose over Ylisstol, a young boy woke up well rested for the first day in a series of months. His father, the man who escorted him all the way here, was still fast asleep and recovering his strength from their journey. It had been so long, the boy thought. His feet ached like they'd never ached before, and the shoes he'd been given by his precious mother were all but worn out now. Their craftsmanship was questionable at best.

Careful not to wake his father, the boy slipped out of bed and let his bare feet touch the cold stone floor. It was almost soothing, in a strange way. The halls he'd stayed in during his life in Plegia were worn with sand and magic before they were placed into the flooring, but Ylisse's stones had no sharp edges or uneven surfaces; they had been painstakingly crafted and polished by man, not magic.

That was one of the many differences that set Ylisstol's castle and Plegia's apart, but the boy didn't want to think too deeply about it. He never really understood everything that had happened to him as he grew up under the watchful eyes of his mother, but the way the man who called himself his father reacted told him it wasn't something that was benefitting him. Being locked away for weeks at a time had taken a toll on the boy, even if he didn't know how to put those experiences and feelings into words.

Slowly, he looked around the room. There was one window, placed too high up for him to get to if he wanted, and one door that led back out into the hall they'd come from the night before. Judging by the soft shadow that he could see if he peeked under the doorway, there was a guard outside. Why it was they needed to assign guards to the boy and his father, he had no clue, but he shrugged it off.

"Robin," he suddenly said aloud. He didn't know where it had come from or why he said it, but his whisper-like voice was clearly enough to wake his father. Perhaps the man had not been sleeping as heavily as he first thought.

"Son, did you say something?" Validar asked as he stirred. The child was standing in front of the door to the outside hall, his dark hair all tangled and eyes half-lidded with sleep. Something about the sight put the Plegian mage at ease- he'd never seen his child so relaxed and rested.

The boy nodded, leaving his spot by the door. He sat on the edge of the bed and faced his father. "Last night… You told that girl to present me as Robin. Mother said my name is Grima. Not too long ago, when she saw that mark on my hand, she said my name would always be Grima. Why did you lie to that girl and tell her something else?"

Validar hesitated. All this time, his son had barely spoken to him, and for a while, he'd wondered if he could even speak at all. It was only logical he'd ask about his mother, about why they were here… Validar hadn't expected it to come so quickly though. He took a deep breath. "Your mother… She believes you're someone very special, so she gave you a special name in the hopes that you'd grow up to be as powerful and the person whose name it is. If we have you use that name here, well I… I think it would be easy for her to find you again."

"But why don't we want her to find us? She's my mother. She probably misses me a lot. I don't want her to be sad and miss me."

If he'd struggled to answer the boy's first question, he absolutely struggled to answer this one. There was a lot he wouldn't understand until he was older, and it felt wrong to teach him what being Grimleal meant when that was a part of their lives they'd need to hide now.

"I wish I could tell you," Validar said softly. "And someday, I will. But right now, I want you to grow up and live a good life. I don't want you to be locked in a room and starved just to see what will happen- I want you to make friends and find your own path. Your mother is an awful woman, and she no longer sees you as her son. She sees you as a tool. It's not fair to live an entire life being someone else's tool, son. That's why we want to stay away from her."

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stared at his father curiously. His mother didn't even see him as her son? It wasn't a good thing to be locked away? It was all difficult to process, but slowly, the boy nodded. "So, you want me to call myself Robin now? Like the bird?"

"Yes, exactly like the bird!" Validar said with a small smile. "And I don't want you to just call yourself Robin, I want you to respond to it too. It's who you are now."

"Robin…" he echoed softly. "It doesn't sound like your name or Mother's name. Is that the point?"

"Yes, that is the point. Soon, I'll go by a different name as well, but I want you to know that I will still always be your father. Do you understand that?"

Robin didn't say anything in return, instead nodding to show Validar he knew what the man meant. Outside their door, he heard footsteps approaching, and so he had chosen not to reveal his voice any longer. His mother had told him his voice was sacred and powerful, like the voice of a god. It still felt wrong to speak to anyone but her or her trusted servants, but it was easier to talk to his father than he thought.

Validar seemed surprised by the knock on the door, but Robin sat there blankly, almost expecting it. "Come in," the man said. He hoped to see the Exalt Emmeryn again, but in her place was the light-haired bodyguard she had close to her the night before. Phila, he remembered.

"Dear guest of the Exalt," she began, "I hope you slept well. Lady Emmeryn has been speaking with her council, and they request your presence directly. There are some things they wish to clarify with you, and she has assured me that your child will be taken care of while you are away. If you could tidy up as soon as possible, I brought you both a set of clothes to-"

"I'm sorry," Validar interrupted. "I can't leave him alone. I figured I'd have to speak but please, allow the boy to come with me." Discreetly, Validar tucked Robin's hand under one of their loose blankets, making sure the guard did not see his Mark.

"S-sir, I'm afraid he can't. The council has already granted the boy- a Plegian refugee- asylum based on the information the Exalt has given them, but their real concern lies with you. They believe he's not relevant to your ability to stay here. Please, trust me when I tell you your son really will be in the best care. Lady Emmeryn told them not to keep you long." Phila seemed nervous as she spoke, shuffling from foot to foot every now and again. Validar couldn't help but feel sorry for her, but to leave Robin alone…

"If I do not go, do you know what they will most likely decide to do with me?" he asked.

"Treat you as a spy, sir. They'd send you back to wherever it was you've come from, and I'm certain they'd keep your child here too."

So that was all there was to it. Validar looked to Robin and brushed some of the boy's wild hair back behind his ears. "Is it okay with you if I go? I'll be as quick as I can, I promise."

Robin nodded, but as he did so, he whispered: "As long as you get to stay here with me. I don't want to be alone." His voice was softer than the man had ever heard it before, soft enough that not even Phila heard it. Validar's smile returned to his face, as if telling the boy that he had not ever planned to leave him alone again.

"Very well, miss Phila. If you'll allow me a moment to prepare myself, I'll gladly take those clothes you've brought with you. I can meet you outside in a few moments." She said nothing, but she stepped forward and extended her hands for Validar to take the clothes, which Robin took as a sign that was acceptable to her.

The pale tans and blues on the Ylissean clothes seemed out of place against his father's skin, but the man looked much more refined. He had shed his purple tactician's coat and hung it on the wall before turning to Robin. "Can you get dressed on your own?"

"I can."

"Good. Please, be careful. If something seems amiss, I'll find you as soon as I can. Please stay with whoever Phila assigns to watch over you. Do you understand?"

"I do."

His responses may have been plain, but the confidence in them was reassuring. For all Validar knew, his son had been surrounded by servants who did everything for him. So far, he was finding that while the conditions Robin had lived in had been excruciating and terrible, he appeared to be capable of handling his needs. Like the man had told the Exalt the night before, he had only seen Robin seven times- once each birthday. The rooms were always dark, cold, and empty, but somehow, the blood of Grima carried the boy through all the suffering that was inflicted upon him. He knew Robin was often left alone in hopes that the voice of the Fell Dragon would permeate his mind, but when he had tried to ask the child during their first night on the run, he had not responded. He had certainly come far in the past few days; he was able to express himself through speech, which Validar has also been unsure he could do.

It was still a minute or two before Validar left the room, and instead of being escorted by Phila, Robin noticed a younger boy with tousled brown hair bow slightly and motion which way to go. This boy must have been around the same age as the Exalt, and like Phila, he wore Ylisse's crest emblazoned on his chest. Validar exchanged one more look with his son before following this new boy's directions, and Robin peered out the door slightly to see that Phila was still there.

He tiptoed over to the door and poked his head out. Phila looked at him curiously, and Robin pointed towards himself with his eyebrows furrowed. Understanding what he meant, the girl nodded. "Once you get dressed, I'll take you to meet Lord Chrom and his caretaker. I have to go back and be with the Exalt, but she asked me to personally make sure you were looked after and didn't get lost on the way." She offered him a smile. "I'll give you a minute, but we really have to get going. Is that okay?"

Robin nodded in reply and softly closed the door. The clothing he'd been given to wear was made for a child slightly taller than him, but he didn't mind. There were no shoes to wear, so he shrugged and remained barefoot. No way would he go back to those frayed sandals he'd worn on the way here…

After he tucked the oversized shirt into his brown pants, Robin made sure to slip his gloves back on to cover his hands. While he didn't understand the reason why he had to hide that strange mark, he knew it was important that he did. Though his hair was matted and filthy, he didn't have anything but his fingers to run through it. When he had been in the presence of Gangrel, his mother had always made sure he was presentable. Sometimes, she'd even cut his hair short again, despite how fast it grew back. It didn't seem like he'd quite have the resources available to prepare for an encounter with royalty this time.

Robin knew no sense of shame as he closed the door behind him and rejoined Phila in the hall, but she seemed somehow… Unimpressed with his appearance. Her look made the boy try and slick his hair back, but to no avail. "Here, I have something that can help," Phila said, kneeling down to his eye level. From her wrist, she pulled a thin piece of cloth. She reached behind the boy and grabbed his hair gently, tying it back into a loose ponytail. It wasn't the fanciest, but it hid some of his mess a little more. "There!" she said happily. "Now you can keep it out of your eyes for the rest of the day. If you'd like, I could loan that tie to you for future use too, because your hair looks very good pulled back like that," she complimented. Robin knew she was trying to make him feel comfortable around her, but her words felt so genuine that he cracked a smile and nodded somewhat eagerly. When she started to walk, he was happy to follow.

It didn't look like they were traveling to the part of the castle he and his father had been in the night before, and Robin memorized their route by looking at the various artwork on the walls. It all seemed arbitrary there, but if it helped ground him, he was glad to look. Phila didn't speak to him, as if she could tell he were deep in thought, but an idea suddenly occurred to the boy that he had to have answered.

"Is Chrom the Exalt's brother?"

The bodyguard looked down at him. "Yes, he is. Have you heard his name before?" she asked.

At first, he nodded, but changed his mind and shook his head. "Last night, she told me she had a brother and a sister. Chrom doesn't seem like a girl's name, and you called him 'Lord Chrom.' I just thought it made sense."

"You certainly have a good memory," Phila said with a chuckle. "Lord Chrom just turned eight this past month, so I guess he's around your age. His caretaker is one of the best, so I do hope the two of you will be able to get along for this short period of time." She paused. "He's… Well, you seem like a quiet boy. Lord Chrom is not. He's always wanted to adventure and become a knight as soon as possible. If you're uncomfortable at first, I implore you to remember that this won't be for long. Hopefully the council will finish with your father soon."

"I hope so too," Robin said. Internally, he sighed. This Chrom didn't seem like someone he'd get along well with, but at least he wouldn't be left alone while his father tried to convince the Ylisseans to let him stay. Emmeryn and Phila had been okay to be around, and even if the boy was scared, they did their best to be welcoming and treat him nicely. For Chrom, Robin guessed he'd be a little more oblivious to the fear and hesitation he was showing. That was how things typically were for more outgoing people- Robin knew this from experience. Gangrel was his only main experience to draw from, but it wasn't so farfetched in the boy's mind to see young male royalty as having the same attitudes. Gangrel was a little bit older though… Did that mean he was more mature than this Chrom person? If that was the case, Robin couldn't wait to get this over with.

"Robin? Did you hear what I said?"

Phila's voice brought him back to reality. They now stood in front of a set of majestic looking doors, and the guard's hand was raised to knock. Robin must have zoned out as they walked, which was not an uncommon occurrence. Often, it was far easier to retreat into his own head than share conversation with anyone else, and in fact, that was something encouraged by his mother.

Robin shook his said.

"That's okay," Phila reassured. "I just wanted to let you know that Chrom and his caretaker know very little about you. They know you're a refugee from Plegia, but that's about it. I'm not sure what you've heard about Ylisseans, but not all of us hate your people. Plegians hurt Chrom's family over the course of the war, but I can assure you if you were worried about it, he will not hate you because of your heritage."

Though the concern hadn't been at the forefront of Robin's thoughts, part of him was glad to know this. His mother shared very little of the outside world's affairs, but the fifteen-year war between Plegia and Ylisse was one thing she could not keep from him. She spoke of countless battles, massive bloodshed, and eventually, she told him how Ylisse's cruel Exalt was slain. Ylisse was the enemy in her version of the story, but now, Robin would be alongside someone his age who saw those events very differently from him. No, he would be seeing those events opposite, as a matter of fact.

"Thank you for telling me," the boy said. "Um, can you please let me know the decision about my father as soon as you hear something?"

"Of course I can," she promised before lightly rapping her knuckles on the door. An older woman with a kind face opened it, and reading something on the floor beyond her was a boy with dark blue hair. He looked nothing like the blonde Exalt that had met with Robin, but for some reason, he did not doubt that was Chrom, the prince of Ylisse. "Evelyn, this is Robin," Phila explained. "He shouldn't have to stay with you for too long, but if there are any problems, please let me know."

The woman- Evelyn- smiled down at the boy and opened the door a little wider. "It's nice to meet you, Robin. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable, I'll just be a minute." She was going to ask Phila about him, he thought. It wasn't surprising. Even if she had been told he was a refugee, this woman was stuck with him and little to no explanation as to why. Being suspicious was absolutely understandable. She even closed the door behind him as he entered, allowing her conversation with the other Ylissean to remain private from him.

Robin sat in a corner of the room, curling himself up to stay warm. A fire was going, but he still felt so cold in this place. Ylisse was no Plegia, that was for sure. As he adjusted, he noticed Chrom had laid his eyes on him, and his gaze was not letting up. With a slight frown, Robin met the prince's stare. He had expected coldness or more suspicion, but in a turn of events, he saw pure mischief in those eyes.

"Did Phila say your name's Robin?" Chrom whispered, scooting closer to the boy. He left whatever book he'd been reading behind with ease, almost as if he hadn't been reading it intently at all.

To answer the prince, Robin only nodded.

"Oh, don't talk much, do you? That's okay. I heard Phila tell Evelyn that you're a Plegian Refugee, and I just want you to know, I think it's very cool that you get to be a Ylissean now. I don't know why but I've got this feeling you and I could totally be great friends!" Chrom was now an arm's length away from him, and he closed this distance by extending his hand. "I'm Chrom, as you might know. It's nice to meet you!"

It was his right hand that was extended… Robin's mother had warned him not to touch anyone with his own precious right hand, but what else was he supposed to do? His mark was gloved and hidden, so it couldn't be a problem, right?

After hesitating, Robin took the other boy's hand and shook it.

"Listen to me," Chrom said with a serious look in his eye. "There are better things to do than sit in a corner, you know. It gets real boring around here, so what to you say we go on a little adventure?"

"Adventure?"

"Yeah, adventure! Look how occupied the old lady is now- she wouldn't notice if we slipped into the courtyard for a few minutes. It's just right outside the window too!" Chrom frowned, let go of Robin's hand, and rose to his feet. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"Do you do this often?" Robin asked softly.

"Yep! I get scolded by Emm a lot, but it's worth it. And now, it'll be way more fun with someone my age! I'm always stuck having to get this older kid to come with me… His name's Frederick and he's no fun. He always rats me out after we come back." The prince paused. "You wouldn't do that, would you?"

Robin shook his head, but as he watched Chrom expertly open the window without making a sound, he had his doubts. "I… I can't go though. My dad told me to wait with whoever they told me to. I have to wait here… If something happens to him, I need to know."

Chrom pondered what Robin said, but he still climbed onto the windowsill. He was quite a bit taller than Robin, so he got up there with ease, but if they were both to leave, it would be more of a challenge for the other boy. "Well, you're supposed to be staying with me and my caretaker, right? I'm half of that, so I think you'd be forgiven." The Plegian was still hesitant, but any thoughts he had were swept away when Chrom spoke again. "Okay, well, why don't I show you around? As a welcoming tour? Is that better?"

"Slightly." Robin shrugged. "Maybe my father would be okay with that… He said he wanted me to make Ylissean friends. This is… How you do that, right?"

Chrom giggled. "Sure, it is! Now here, give me your hand. I'll help you up."

Once more, the prince extended his arm, and once more, Robin took it.

[ Thank you for reading! If you have feedback or comments, please leave a review! I hope to continue this soon. ]