Small Author's note:

Important announcement at the end of this chapter. Basically, I'm asking the readers (you) for their opinion on which direction I should take this story. Make sure to read to the end.

Near Caelin...

Robin awoke lying in a field of grass, facing the clear blue sky.

'This would not be the first time I've had something like this happen to me…' he thought. 'Sure brings back memories…"

Slowly, he sat up. After all, this time there wasn't anyone to help him onto his feet.

"Robin! You're awake!" Kent, who was standing nearby, rushed over.

"Yeah. How long was I out?"

"I'm… not exactly sure… maybe ten to twelve hours?"

"Oh, well that's not too bad. Where's everyone else?"

"They're… still sleeping. Last night took a lot out of them." Kent explained. "It's just me and Dorcas that are awake right now."

"I'll go fetch Lyn." The fighter inserted himself briefly into the conversation. "She told me to call her if Robin woke up."

Kent watched as Dorcas walked away from them. When he was out of earshot, the knight turned back to Robin.

"Look, I know you probably have things about yourself that you do not feel comfortable sharing with us. But given what happened last night, I have to ask: who are you, and what are you keeping from us?"

"Er… are you wondering about how I was able to destroy all the ballistae so fast? Well, I don't know whether or not you'll believe me, but it's not something top secret. By burning quintessence, you could call it life energy, I can force myself to do something normal humans can't. In this case, I used it to move across the mountains extremely quickly, and without being detected. It's a similar process for when I heal someone."

"...wait…" Though Robin did not come remotely close to answering Kent's intended question, his response was also interesting. "You mean every time you're doing something like that, you're slowly killing yourself?"

"Uh… not really." Robin chuckled. "Let me put it in a way you'll understand… each and every one of you do something extremely similar. Every time you do something physically strenuous, you're burning energy as well. But that doesn't mean exercise is slowly killing you. It just means you have to eat more in order to replenish your energy."

"So… if you're burning life energy, the way you 'eat' is by killing?" Kent asked.

"That's the easiest way." Robin readily admitted. "However, I've found that as long as I don't burn it to dangerously low levels, it's something that also slowly replenishes by itself… my guess is that it's something I can also restore by eating. But yes, for most people who are incapable of burning their own quintessence, I'll be able to absorb almost all of it when they die."

At this point, Kent seemed to remember that this was not what he had asked for. Though certainly helpful, he was looking for other answers.

"That's not what I was talking about. You know what I mean, when you killed all those soldiers."

"All those soldiers?" Robin looked puzzled. "You mean the sentries and guards? I guess if I add them all up, they did number quite a few. But I didn't do anything special. I just snuck up on them. They probably didn't even realize they had died."

"That's not what I'm asking, and you know it." Kent challenged. "I'm talking about when you slaughtered all those Caelin soldiers after we got caught."

"You… what?" Robin was even more confused than before. "Uh… sorry, I'm drawing a blank. The last thing I remember was returning after destroying all of the ballistae… and then I woke up here."

Kent gave him a look of 'are you serious?' "Look, if it's something you don't want us to know, just tell us. I know that you are helping Lady Lyndis, and I'm truly grateful for that. Please trust us."

"If you know my background, you'll know that I would never joke about not remembering something." Robin replied. "So please believe ME when I say this. I truly do not remember anything like what you've described."

"Nothing?" Kent asked.

"Nothing…" Robin sighed.

There was an awkward silence between them.

'Er… that may have been my fault.' Grima told him sheepishly. 'You wouldn't wake up. But I can't really blame you. Humans are inherently flimsy creatures. In your moment of weakness, I stepped in to ensure that your friends did not die.'

'...' Robin's mind was speechless.

'Did I do something bad?'

'Let me ask you this then. You can just take control of me whenever you want? You can then do whatever you want?'

'No.' Grima quickly refuted. 'I was only able to do so because you yourself were incapable of defending yourself. This is probably due to the fact that you have not completely grown accustomed to your new strengths yet, but something as simple as running around a mountain a few times shouldn't be tiring at all. But for some reason, your human mind felt the need to shut down in order to rest.'

'So does that mean you could've done anything you wanted?'

'I'm incapable of acting according to my own will. That part of me was already killed, remember? Anything you wouldn't do, I wouldn't be able to do either.'

'So, for example, you wouldn't harm my friends?'

'If you won't harm them, then I can't. But be warned, if you lose yourself to anger because of something a close friend did to you, I can now bring them harm in the right scenario. But that's besides the point. Do I really need to tell you how difficult it is to go against your will? That would be like if a deer's mind wanted to make it volunteer to become wolf feed.'

'Are you certain? No offense, but when you were alive, it was a pretty big issue for most living beings…'

'Let me put it this way. It's as hard for me to kill your friends as it is for you to kill your friends.'

'So what do I tell this guy then?'

'Uh… that's not my problem.'

'...'

'Fine! I'll help you think of something!'

"Uh, Robin?" Kent asked cautiously. "Are you OK? You've been making a few weird faces…"

"Y-yeah, I'm good." Robin snapped out of his internal argument. "Look… I think I might have it figured out…"

"What is it?"

"Ok, I'll be completely honest here… I'm part dragon."

"You're… what?"

"I know it's hard to believe. But I think last night, the draconic part of me might've taken over, because I became too exhausted." Robin explained. "But even then, I'm still me. It's just… I don't really remember what this other part of me did… I know it's a pretty bad explanation, but I hope you'll accept it."

"Huh… as weird as it sounds, that makes a lot of sense. You didn't hurt any of us, but all those soldiers were slaughtered by you. I almost felt bad for them, seeing as I had even trained with some of them in the past. Look, sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. But if you saw things from our perspective, you could understand why we might feel a little paranoid after a display like that."

'Oh good, I think he bought it.' Robin thought.

'That's some expert level bull shitting right there. Spouted that explanation right out your ass.' Grima agreed. 'And, funnily enough, not too far from the truth.'

"Robin!" At this moment, Lyn came barreling towards him. The fact that he was still sitting on the ground didn't stop her from almost tackling him with a hug.

"You're fine now?" Before anyone could even be surprised, Lyn pulled away and brought up a hand to Robin's forehead. "It looks like your temperature is back to normal, at least."

Lyn stared at Robin with inquisitive eyes. Their faces were so close that it made the usually unshakable Robin blush. It seems that Lyn had rushed over immediately, so her hair was still down. He had to admit that this uncommon look of hers was quite alluring.

"W-was it really high?"

"Yeah you were burning up before I slept."

"Well I suppose it's good that the temperature has gone down then. ...By the way, what's with that getup?"

"Huh? This?" Lyn was no longer wearing her normal clothes that she had brought from Sacae, but was dressed like a typical Lycian girl. "Oh, well the clothes I wore yesterday are still drying… they were covered in some bloodstains… speaking of… do you mind sharing with us what happened? You kind of freaked us out…"

"Apparently, Robin is half dragon." Kent explained. "And the dragon part of him allegedly went into a rampage, but he doesn't remember a thing. At least, that's my understanding of his explanation, milady."

"You're kidding…" Lyn blinked twice as she looked at the knight. "No, what am I saying? You're not Sain. Then… you're really half dragon, Robin?"

"Uh, not quite…" Robin chuckled nervously. "My parents were both fully human, if that's what you were thinking about. But I do have dragon's blood in my veins… it must've taken over when I became completely exhausted."

"...my apologies, it seems I misunderstood some of your explanation."

"That's… quite surprising. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting… but I guess I also didn't know what to expect. You gave us quite the scare… you were so brutal to those soldiers. I know they were trying to stop me from reaching my grandfather, but they're still citizens of Caelin, and I'm sure they're not all bad people. I actually felt bad for them."

"Sorry, I lost control." Robin looked down at his arms, and noticed for the first time the dried blood on his hands and forearms. In contrast, his cloak looked perfectly clean, though it would be difficult to notice bloodstains on the dark colored cloth anyways.

"No, please don't apologize." Lyn shook her head. "Even if I feel bad for them, as it stands, they are my enemies. This is something I hope to change one day, but for now, they pose a threat to me and my grandfather. So I'm… grateful for your help and protection."

"I guess I'm going to have to explain this to the others right?"

"Probably." Lyn grinned. "Although if you really don't want to, I guess I can do it for you. No offense, but even if they weren't scared of you before, they're definitely scared of you now. Florina couldn't sleep a wink last night… or I should say, this morning. It might be easier for them to accept if I told them in your stead."

"Hmm… I might actually want to take you up on that offer… so are you claiming to not be afraid of me then?"

"I'm not afraid of you." Lyn replied. "Instead, it makes me feel safer, knowing that I have a powerful ally. Since there is no reason for me to believe that you're my enemy, there's also no reason for me to fear you, right?"

"...yeah. You're right."

"... what's on your mind?" Lyn noticed that Robin was looking off into the distance.

Robin frowned. "I was just wondering how far we've gone since I was, y'know, out cold? Are we almost to the castle? ...Sorry, I guess that's a little off topic."

"I'm guessing just about another day or two." Kent explained. "If we are exceptionally fast, we might even arrive this evening… although I'm not certain. We've decided to not take the most direct path. Who knows how many more soldiers would be lying in wait?"

"I see… How soon are the others getting up? I'm not going to lie, I'm full of energy right now. I feel like I could march for twenty hours straight."

"They should be getting up soon…" Lyn looked at Kent. "I guess maybe we should start on breakfast?"

"Yes, milady." Though Kent's response was instantaneous, this was largely the result of reflex. HIs mind was wandering elsewhere.

'If this is all true, then could Robin be at the level of the eight legendary heroes?'

Later that day…

After breakfast, the group began to move once again. Robin noticed the lack of conversation as they marched in silence. He assumed Lyn had informed everyone of his situation. It stung to suddenly be given the silent treatment, but he could understand where they were coming from.

"...So, uh, where are we going?" Lyn asked, trying desperately to break the silence. Her clothes from Sacae must have dried, as she was in her usual dress.

"Caelin… ouch!" Matthew gave his reply without looking up, but this meant he also didn't see Serra moving her hand to smack him.

"We're going to pass through General Eagler's estate." Kent explained. "He was our captain when Sain and I first became knights. He's a good man. With a little explanation, I'm sure, he'll be willing to listen to us. Not to mention, this path to Caelin should be less guarded in the first place."

"I see." Lyn nodded in understanding. "With our luck so far, I won't be expecting much. But maybe things will finally go in our favor this time."

"Those clouds…" Rath shielded his eyes from the sunlight as he gazed off into the distance.

"Yeah, you're right." Lyn admitted. "It looks like a fog might roll in soon. The weather will begin to turn foul.

"Really?" Robin asked. "How can you tell?"

"Call it intuition." Lyn shrugged. "The weather is extremely significant on the plains. Most people of Sacae have been taught a thing or two about forecasting the weather. Some of the elders are even capable of predicting the weather accurately as far as a week out!"

"Fascinating…"

"So it looks like there are things even Robin does not know…" Rath said in a slightly sarcastic tone.

They walked for another hour before the fog began to surround them. It became difficult to see more than a couple feet in front of them. Matthew pulled out a couple of torches, and while they helped, it was still much too difficult to see in front of them.

"Everyone, be careful…" Robin warned. "There is someone approaching us…"

"Really?" Sain asked. "What makes you say that?"

"Just… be prepared."

"So… you've come." A deep voice called towards them as an armored knight with a massive frame appeared in front of them.

"You… Lord Wallace!?" Kent was extremely surprised when he recognized the voice.

"Haha! So you still recognize me." The knight removed his helmet to reveal the face of a middle aged, bald man.

"Kent, who is this?" Lyn asked.

"This is Lord Wallace." Kent introduced. "He used to be the commander of the knights of Caelin."

"Wallace, my man!" Sain waved, though it wasn't clear whether or not Wallace could see it. "Aren't you supposed to be retired or something? I heard you were sowing fields now."

"I am and I was." Wallace replied matter of factly. "That is, until I received orders from Lord Lundgren. I was told to capture an imposter and a pair of rogue knights."

"Lord Wallace!" Kent gasped. "Surely, you don't believe us to be oathbreakers?"

"Bring me the girl that claims to be Lady Madelyn's child." Wallace beckoned for Lyn to walk over.

"What are your intentions?" Sain narrowed his eyes.

"If I don't like what I see, I will take her." Wallace did not bother to hide his intentions.

"We will prevent you." Kent countered.

"You!? Prevent me? Hah!" Wallace let out a laugh. "I know sowing the fields ain't exactly military training, but my skill has not deteriorated that much!"

"Enough." Lyn stepped forward. "I am Lyndis."

"Ah?" Wallace was stunned speechless for a brief moment.

"I'll understand if you don't believe me." Lyn continued. "But if you intend to stand in our way, then we will have to defeat you like we've defeated everyone else so far."

"Such… beautiful eyes…" Wallace muttered.

"Eh? ...Pardon?" Lyn heard something she wasn't expecting.

"I've been a knight for thirty years, so I've had plenty of time to learn that those with eyes like yours are no deceiver." Wallace let out a hearty laugh. "Ah yes, I like you, girl. You're Madelyn's child all right, allow me to help you put that Lundgren bastard in his place!"

"You're serious?" Sain asked. "I mean, we'd love to have you, but you're sure you'd like to side with us, right?"

"This old bull pledged his loyalty to Caelin." Wallace pounded his chest plate a couple of times. "He would never allow an usurper of the throne! C'mon! Let's march!"

'...' Robin didn't know what to make of this Wallace character.

"Lord Wallace…" Kent muttered as they began to move once again. "He hasn't changed a bit."

"I like him." Lyn nodded. "He's honest."

"That he is." Kent nodded in agreement. "He deserves our respect."

"...So there's one thing I don't understand." Wallace spoke up after they had been marching for quite some time. "I know how many soldiers Lundgren stationed to stop you. Yet the fact that you've made it all the way here means that somehow you've gotten past all of them. What I want to know is how you did it."

"Hah… we snuck past them?" Matthew nervously chuckled, sneaking a glance at Robin.

"We… killed them." Lyn corrected. "You've been quite forthcoming, so I think it's only fair for us to return the favor. Though we don't know if they were all of the soldiers, we certainly killed many of them in order to break through here."

"I… see. That would explain why Yogi suddenly went silent. A skilled commander like him wouldn't have suddenly gone quiet for no reason." Wallace chuckled. "Though that means I might have underestimated your fighting group if you managed to get past Yogi. Boy what would I give to have been a fly on the wall so I could see how you did it!"

Wil and Erk gave each other a glance, while Florina blocked her mouth with her hand while she tried to calm her upset stomach.

"There's more people coming." Everyone suddenly became alert when Robin gave the sudden warning.

"Bah, must be Eagler's men." Wallace scowled. "Sorry to break it to ya, boys. But we're not gonna find ourselves an ally in Eagler. The only way forward is to fight."

"Really? General Eagler can't be convinced?" Kent asked.

"Dunno why, but that man is being quite stubborn." Wallace shrugged. "I think something's fishy. That man has always been extremely loyal towards the Marquess. I don't understand why he would suddenly start suckin' up to Lundgren."

"Who's there?" Soldiers called towards them from the fog.

"It's Wallace. I need to make it through."

"Lord Wallace… don't lie to us, you've sided yourself with the imposter, haven't you?" the soldier called back. "Sorry sir, but we have an order to take you in."

"Well, word travels fast, don't it?" Wallace grunted. "Worth a shot. Whatever, I've been itchin' for a fight anyways."

"Men, advance!" A soldier called from a short distance away, and Robin could begin to see the life signatures of many people making their way towards them.

Robin raised his hand, and four of the closest life signatures faded, but not before a chorus of agonizing screams rang out.

"What the hell was that!?" Wallace asked.

"Dark magic." Robin responded. Considering his allies might be scared of him enough already, he decided to not keep them in the dark. "The spells I'm using are formed at the target's location, as opposed to in front of me, and then thrown in a direction. They're less accurate under normal circumstances, but they're able to be thrown without revealing the caster's location as well."

"Hmm… you seemed to be just another one of those scrawny ones, but it looks like I'd better keep an eye on you…" Wallace eyed Wil, Erk and Matthew.

"Feel free." Robin prepared another spell, and another enemy fell in the distance.

"Yaargh!" A soldier ran out of the mist and stabbed his lance towards Wallace. The Knight didn't even flinch. When the lance hit Wallace's chestplate, the point snapped off.

"This is how you do it!" Wallace stabbed his own lance back at his assailant, easily punching through the thin armor of the footsoldier.

"How do I even aim?" Wil asked. "I can't see a single soul!"

"This should help!" Robin threw his hand out to the side, and a weak wind spell blew away the fog for a brief moment, revealing several enemy soldiers. Then he began to channel another offensive spell.

An arrow shot forward, but it was from Rath, and not Wil. Wil hadn't been expecting to suddenly be able to see his targets, and didn't react fast enough.

Although it was slow at first, they gradually fell into a rhythm. Robin would blow away a part of the fog so Rath, Wil and Erk could see their targets for a brief moment. Then while the three of them reloaded, Robin would channel his own offensive magic, which did not require visual confirmation.

Meanwhile, the melee fighters did their part in protecting them from the soldiers that were charging towards them. However, their job was extremely easy, due to the fact that Wallace stopped anyone before they could even become a threat, and the fact that enemy soldiers were dropping like flies from the ranged barrage. They simply were not charging fast enough for a significant numbers advantage. After all, the fog applied to both parties. Caelin's soldiers were also apprehensive about rushing forward when they couldn't see anything.

"That's enough!" A powerful sounding voice resounded. "Soldiers, stand down."

Robin blew away the fog one last time, to see a lone figure atop a warhorse.

"General Eagler!" Kent exclaimed.

"If it isn't Kent and Sain, the traitorous knights we were looking for…" General Eagler replied. "And it looks to me as if you've somehow convinced Lord Wallace as well."

"Convinced me, they did." Wallace replied. "Remember Eagler, I am loyal to Caelin, not Lundgren. Until recently, I was under the impression that you felt the same way, but I guess now I know better."

"Aye, if only I had the same luxury as you do…" Eagler muttered in a remorseful tone.

"What was that?" Wallace asked. "Speak up. This old bull's hearing ain't as good as it used to be."

"Wallace! Let's not resort to needless bloodshed!" Eagler exclaimed. "I challenge you to a one on one duel. If I win, you'll turn over the imposter, and we'll let the rest of you go. If you win, my soldiers will not stand in your way of returning to the castle. Are these terms fair?"

"I can't speak for them." Wallace replied as he turned to Lyn. "It's up to the girl to decide."

"Very well." Eagler nodded. "Take your time."

"Uh…" Lyn, suddenly in a stressful situation, looked towards Robin for help.

"I say we let them fight." Robin whispered. "Though I doubt we'd be defeated if the battle drags on, it could still tire us out. If we can, we should save our strength for toppling Lundgren. And you did say, these are still Caelin's citizens. If we can avoid killing them needlessly, then I'm all for it."

"Can we entrust this task to Wallace?" Wil asked. "H-hey, don't glare at me like that, it's not that I doubt your abilities. It's just… we all fought and bled to get this far. It wouldn't sit well with us if you lost, is what I'm trying to say."

"Wallace won't lose." Robin replied quickly, shocking everyone with his confidence, even Wallace himself.

"What makes you so sure, boy?" Wallace asked.

"Those weapons that the Eagler guy brought with him… his sword is too short, the lance is too thin, and the axe he's holding seems to be fairly worn out. With those weapons, I doubt he could even put a scratch on you. If he truly is as esteemed of a General as you all say, surely he would have brought better weapons if he were trying to win?"

"Hey… you're right!" Wallace took a closer look at Eagler. "You're right, boy! You've eyes like an eagle!"

"And what's more, he seems reluctant to fight us in the first place, almost as if he is trying to lose…"

"I understand." Lyn nodded. "Lord Wallace, please accept General Eagler's challenge."

"Very well." Wallace picked up his lance. "Eagler! I agree to fight you on the terms you've laid out!"

"Men, you all heard me!" Eagler called towards his soldiers. "No one is to intervene. If I were to lose, you are to cease all resistance and let them pass."

"Yes sir!" Many voices called out in unison.

"It has been my privilege to be your General all this time." Eagler saluted, though only the closest soldiers to his location could probably see it.

"The honor has been ours!" The voices all called back.

Eagler turned his back towards his own men and charged towards Wallace.

As they began to fight, no one but Kent and Sain realized just how much both of them were holding back. It looked to be a friendly spar, rather than a fight to the death. They went back and forth for a few minutes. Eagler could not, or perhaps would not, pierce Wallace's armor, and Wallace didn't land a single hit on Eagler.

"Old friend, isn't it about time we finish this charade?" Eagler asked Wallace quietly when they locked weapons once again.

"It seems you're ready? Then I'll see you off." Wallace replied.

"Please do." Eagler's words confirmed that they were on the same page.

"Safe travels, my friend." With that, Wallace thrusted his lance through Eagler's chest. The paladin didn't put up any resistance and fell to the ground.

"It looks like I've won." Wallace exclaimed in an exaggerated voice.

"W-wait… before I die… please, take this…" Eagler raised a note with a shaking hand.

Wallace didn't leave him hanging. He took the note, and scowled after scanning the contents.

"You deserved better than this, Eagler."

"N-nothing can be… d-done now… please… as a last request… please, help… her…"

With his dying words finished, Eagler breathed his last.

"I will, friend." Wallace knelt down and shut Eagler's eyes for him.

True to the General's words, his soldiers no longer stood in their way. In fact, no one even attempted to avenge him. Perhaps Eagler had already rehearsed this scenario with his men even before Lyn showed up.

"Any of you magicians got a fire?" Wallace scowled as Lyn and her party approached him after his victory.

Without saying a word, Robin snapped his fingers, and a small flame ignited at the tip of his fingers.

"Thanks." Wallace held Eagler's note over the flame until it completely burned away. His scowl never faded.

"What was that about?" Lyn asked.

"Eagler's daughter." Wallace replied.

"What about Eagler's daughter?" Sain asked with concern.

"Lundgren has her held hostage." Wallace muttered.

"So that's why-" Kent began.

"Right." Wallace nodded. "If that weren't the case, he might have even helped us. What's more, he wouldn't have had to die."

"That bastard…" Sain gritted his teeth. "I'll kill him myself!"

"Then let's hurry." Robin suggested. "We're almost there. I doubt Eagler was the only person Lundgren has blackmailed. The sooner we put an end to his miserable existence, the sooner everyone can breathe easy."

"Yes." Lyn agreed. "We're so close already."

"Aye, I'm starting to like you more and more, boy." Wallace nodded towards Robin.

"Funnily enough, you're starting to remind me more and more of an old friend of mine."

New Characters:

Wallace (General, mid 40s): HP: 120% Str: 80% Mag: 0% Skl: 55% Spd: 15% Lck: 30% Def: 90% Res: 20%

Author's Notes:

At this point in the story, there's an important decision I have to make, having to do with relationships. For those of you wondering, Robin x Lucina isn't dead. The Ylisseans just haven't made an appearance in the story yet (something that will change soon, I promise).

However, I'm having some trouble deciding on whether Robin should turn down everyone except Lucina, or if he should receive a harem. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and I understand that each option might appeal to different people. Truthfully, I've been planning for one of these options for a longer time, but I also would understand if many would prefer the other.

Therefore, I'm doing something I've never done before: a poll. If a majority of readers prefers one option over the other, I'll be happy to adjust the story accordingly. However, if this adjustment is not needed, or there's not many people with opinions on the matter, I'm also comfortable going with what I had originally planned.

Also, just keep in mind that if you pick the 'harem' option, this does not necessarily mean you'll get to see your favorite Robin pairing. There's always a chance, but I don't plan on having a ridiculous number of pairings. There's a large number of characters in Fire Emblem games, so you can do the math. Otherwise, if you have a particularly strong opinion, you could let me know of the details through a review. While it may not influence the result, I'll try to keep your opinions in mind.