A/N: Sorry about the initial version of this chapter! When you copy & paste into the doc manager, occasionally it also takes in the formatting data used for the sentences, for no discernible reason. This version should be fine. (That said, that was the most reviews I've gotten on a chapter to date, and I like reviews, so maybe I should do this more often. Of course, if you, say, leave a review anyway then I'll have no incentive to do that ... All joking aside, I am sorry that happened, and hopefully it won't happen in the future.)
"Well, this may not officially be R&R, but it's the closest thing I'm going to get to it for a while, and I intend to make the most of it." Dant cracked her knuckles. She was lying atop a tarp-covered baggage cart, which itself was part of a large procession of carts. All part of the exhaustive supply lines that was keeping the Valm army strong. But she wasn't there as an escort. After soundly defeating the Feroxi, the remnants had fled north, back behind their Longfort, and Ylisse had retreated eastward, to the safety of their cities.
There was no one to stop Valm from marching across the continent. And with two countries' worth of armies defeated, Robin had decided to ease up the pace of the Valm army. Not exactly rest and relaxation, but it wasn't a forced march either. The pace was easy enough that it felt like a break.
Dant chose to spend it lazing about, using her authority to overrule any complaints and catch a ride in the baggage, with the idea that she might be able to catch a nap on the carts. As a rule, the assassin didn't take breaks unless she was ordered to, but when she did take breaks, she preferred to do it so peacefully.
Unfortunately, peace wasn't easy to come by.
"Can you tell me what you were doing back when you were undercover?"
"Stealing the Fire Emblem, obviously."
"Not the cover story."
"Then, for the last time, no. Now, go away." Dant opened one of her eyes and squinted at Ravena. "Figure it out yourself if you're so inclined."
"Don't take it personally, Ravena." Argeni said kindly. She was riding alongside the cart on her horse, a slow, leisurely trot. "Dant's nature is to keep secrets. That's just how she is. She likes knowing things that few other people know just for the thrill of it."
"Won't confirm that."
"Yeah, that's definitely the case." Vermil agreed. He was sitting in the wagon's driving sear alongside Ravena and Zulas, who was driving the wagon. The original driver protested, but it was a weak protest. You didn't argue with a member of Valm's Council.
"Just let me sleep in peace, all of you!"
"You lot heard her." Zulas chuckled. "Wouldn't want an irate assassin, now would we?"
"It kind of says something about how lame we all are if we choose to spend our time off hanging around baggage carts." Vermil complained. "I kind of feel like we should be doing something more awesome."
"War is about five minutes of glorious to several months of hell, kid." Dant said. "Learn to appreciate the gaps in between."
"It's not so bad." Zulas shrugged. "The work is easy but necessary, and it's been a while since we were all together. Especially since Dant was missing for so long."
"You know what? We should have a party every so often back home at our castle." Argeni said. "That should work to get everyone together."
"Can you throw one high-class enough to get Robin to attend?" Zulas asked.
"Oh, don't you doubt me!" Argeni laughed. "You'll see, Zulas. I'll throw something so grandiose and political that they'll have to be multiple wars going on for Robin to even consider missing it."
"Big words considering he's not here." Dant said.
"Just go to sleep already!" Vermil snapped.
"I would if the rest of you would shut up. You didn't all have to follow me here."
"I did!" Ravena piped up. "And I'm going to annoy you until you tell me something!"
"…I was bored, and Ravena is usually a decent source of amusement." Vermil offered as his excuse.
"It was something to do once the three of you were here." Zulas said. "And once I was here-"
"-it was only natural I do the same." Argeni said.
"Yeah, yeah." Ravena said. "Ravena, why do you think it's a good idea to antagonize an assassin?"
"Eh, you won't do anything remotely threatening to me."
"I saved your life against Basilio." Dant said. "You owe me one, and I'm collecting on it now. Now, shut up, and let me sleep."
"I don't think that's how it works." Ravena said, after thinking. "Shouldn't I have to save your life, or something? That feels kind of cheap to just have to shut up."
"Two things. One, I'm an assassin. Life is kind of cheap to our kind." Dant said. "Two, that's a very transparent attempt to keep asking me question."
"…You got me." Ravena said, sighing. "Seen clean through."
"So do you feel like answering my questions instead, Dant?" Zulas asked.
"Well, that's a turn of events to have you asking me questions." Dant opened her eyes and sat up. "Though not unexpected. I heard from Morgaine about your little conversation with her. Still looking for information?"
"Do you know anything she doesn't?"
"…" Dant considered and shook her head. "Sorry. But I don't even think I'm allowed to tell you if I do know anything she doesn't, much less what that information is."
"What is this?" Vermil asked.
"Sorry." Dant fixed him with a glare. "But I'm pretty sure that what we're discussing is above your pay grade, and you don't know anything about it."
"Oh. Yeah, definitely."
Besides, from what I understand, Morgaine told you pretty much everything." Dant said. "…Hmmm. There is one thing, I guess I could tell you, that I'm pretty sure she doesn't know."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I got my hands on some interesting stuff while I was in Ylisse-"
"So you were there!" Ravena cried.
"Sure, I spent time there." Dant said. "Also spent time in Plegia and Regna Ferox. Anyway, as I was saying, I managed to get my hands on a few papers written by their spies. Not exactly top notch, but I remember reading something I heard about Virion. You know the guy?"
"Virion of Rosanne, formerly a viscount, currently a member of the Council." Zulas said. "I've met him a few times. Why?"
"He was recruiting Rosannean loyalists. A few of them ended up with the rebellion." Dant said. "And he was a former Shepherd, apparently."
"You think he's a traitor?"
"HAH!" Dant laughed explosively, almost toppling the assassin over from the force. Dant wiped a tear from her eye. "A Rosannean, planning some kind of risky gambit like that and having the nerve to pull it off? No, there's no chance of that. Virion doesn't do gambits. Sacrifices, yes. But he wouldn't be able to pull off something like that."
"Good. I didn't think so either."
"Mmm. No, I think Virion was a pawn. A very useful one." Dant said. "That's where I would look, if Robin ever decided to put me on that one's trail. And trust me – I'm quite competent when it comes to tracking people. Trail's cold, to be certain, but the Gray Tactician had to have someone with eyes on Virion, and to the best of my knowledge, they haven't caught the guy yet. Find him, and you've got a fresh trail."
"Thanks, Dant."
"My pleasure." Dant said. "For what it's worth, you guys are my friends. That is, friends of a ruthless assassin, so take that with a grain of salt. Also, I'm finding somewhere else to hide once we set up camp so I can actually get some R&R."
-Valm Encampment, Commander's Tent, Three Days Later-
"Where do we go from here?"
"That," Robin admitted, "is a very good question."
Valm had set up forward encampments within Ylisse, and they were being used as staging grounds. Not everything had arrived – the supply lines, for instance, where still being managed – but there was enough for it to be used as a headquarters.
Robin had a map spread over the table. The previous notations had been overwritten, and now pieces set up to represent Ylisse were on the right side, clustered around the capitol.
"If we choose to proceed in this war, we assault the capitol, and repeat what Plegia did years ago." Robin murmured. "Chrom, ever the pacifist, didn't militarize the city, so it should be easy enough to conquer with a direct attack. Or, we could try siege tactics anyway. Our army doesn't need much more time, but they still aren't in the best shape they could be. Still, I'd rather them not be idle. So, maybe we should-"
"Robin, hold on a moment." Pheros interrupted him.
"Hmm?" Robin inhaled and straightened up. "What for?"
"How are you holding up?"
"I… what brought that on?" Robin looked at her. "I'm fine, Empress. Morgaine helped me with the last fight against the Khans. Only superficial cuts. It's going to leave a few minor scars, but I've got far worse. You know that."
"That's not what I meant." Pheros sighed and rubbed her temple. "Of course you would interpret it that way. Robin, I'm not interested in talking to you in your capacity as a Grandmaster right now, or your ability to fight. I'm interested in talking with you in your capacity as one of my soldiers."
"…Can you actually do that?" Robin said. "I designed the system so that the Battlemaster stood alone. There's no way to remove me from my position, and I have the authority to overrule any Council member on decisions of war."
"Except for me." Pheros said flatly. "I'm the Empress. Stand down and talk to me. This is no longer a discussion about Valm's strategy. It's a talk between two soldiers."
"…Fine." Robin sighed and sat down on one of the chairs around the table. "But only because it's you."
"It's funny. You call for a rest day because you were worried about your soldiers getting too worked up from the constant battle, but you haven't worried about yourself." Pheros tapped her temple. "I'm talking about your mental health, Robin. How are you doing emotionally?"
Honest assessment: My best friend is currently working with his lost-long brother to try and figure out who killed Walhart, and there's a decent chance he'll trace it back to me, at which I'm screwed, but I daren't do anything else without tipping either of them off. At this point, I need to have faith in my own spy network. My adopted sister is fine, albeit scheming and conniving, though she's definitely on my side, which is good.
The rest of my squad is here too. Argeni, Vermil, Dant, and my daughter Ravena. Argeni does a good job keeping the politics out of my responsibilities, Vermil is quite an able lieutenant despite his reservations, and Dant is invaluable as usual – I probably couldn't have had this easy of a time during the war without her. Ravena is still learning and can't quite hold her presence on the battlefield as well as the others, even if she could trick Basilio. But I'm still glad she's around.
None of them can help with the burden of leadership, though. I can't tell most of them about all that I know. And those that do know, Morgaine and Dant, will both follow my orders blindly, without a sense of morality within them. I'm missing Say'ri, who usually serves to keep me in check. She thought I could be a good enough judge of my own actions, but I'm not convinced.
"Not well." Robin admitted.
"Nightmares?"
"No Not yet, anyway, though I'm sure those will come soon enough." Robin said. "It's not that I'm scared of dying in battle or losing the war, or anything like that."
"Then what is it?"
"Regrets, mostly." Robin said. "The cost is getting to me. Despite my best efforts. Every decision I make is one judged on outcomes, and I select whichever I think is going to have the best overall effect. The lives of the many are prioritized over the lives of the few, and the lives of Valm are prioritized over the lives of our enemy. Scenarios with guaranteed outcomes are prioritized over those with riskier, but better, outcomes. Unfortunately, that has … costs involved."
"Is there-?"
"No, I don't think so. There's nothing you can do about it." Robin shook his head. "Empress, it's part of the grind of my job. Literally. Someone needs to be responsible for those lives, and I'm the most qualified. And I've come to accept it. I need to accept it. The path forward isn't one that can be walked by those weak-willed. And we're almost at the end of it."
"And what exactly do you intend to do?" Pheros asked. "Robin, by your own admission, we were dragged in this war, and you chose to fight because you knew that it would happen one way or the other. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we in a position where we can end this conflict without attacking Ylisse?"
"Walhart would not have stopped." Robin said.
"No, that's correct." Pheros said. "So, do you think that this is the will of Valm, then? Robin, don't make yourself walk down this path because you feel burdened by the responsibility as Walhart's successor."
I am burdened. Burdened by his death. If I hadn't killed him, he'd be here leading us. That means that I need to lead in his place. I have no excuse for abandoning Walhart's duty. Robin closed his eye. "You know that I've never shied away from expressing my disapproval of some of Walhart's actions, but he was intending to conquer Archeneia one day. And I understand why. He wanted to unite all of the world under one flag."
"And that's what you desire as well?"
"Why not?" Robin turned to her and smiled. "It's a grand ambition, is it not? Certainly one fit for a Battlemaster of my caliber. The greater a man's ability, the greater he can achieve. Walhart was strong enough to forge our nation. And I'll be strong enough to spread it. Plegia, Regna Ferox, Ylisse. They'll all be within our Empire by the time this war is through. And that is the true path of Valm."
"In a way, I think you do remind me of him." Pheros said. "That fire within you, Robin, is the true reason why I joined with Walhart. I followed him, as I would follow you."
"Empress, please." Robin said. "I'm the Battlemaster. I obey your orders."
"There's no one here, Robin, you don't have to lie. The true successor to Walhart is you, Robin. I'll support you in that." Pheros walked close to him and took his hand within hers. "Robin – don't think you're alone. No matter what you do, consider me a friend. Don't stress alone. Zulas, Argeni, even Morgaine, we're all willing to support you."
"…Thank you, Empress."
"Battlemaster." Pheros looked at him. "It would please me greatly if you could be informal with me when we're alone. But if you can't do that, I understand."
"Ah." Robin blinked. "My apologies, Pheros. It seems that however much you look after me, I'm not good at looking after you. As much as I try to shoulder this burden myself, you carry part of it too, don't you?"
"Thank you, Robin."
"This war will end soon enough." This can't have been easy for. I'll try to get her mind off things. Robin turned to her. "Pheros, after this is over, I imagine we'll have some kind of celebration back on Valm. Would you mind saving the first dance for me?"
"It would be my pleasure, Robin." Pheros said.
-Supply Tents-
"A peace convoy?" Dant snorted. "Why are you two approaching me about this? Go fetch Robin or something."
"He's half the camp away, so Argeni and I are going to talk to him in the meantime. And we need someone strong, in case this is a trap." Zulas explained. "The Ylissean Exalt is known to be a man of his word, but prudence pays off."
"Paranoid, much?" Dant sighed and hopped down from the crate she was sitting on, tossing on a cloak, folding it around and then flipping on the hood to conceal her face. "Though it's not like I disagree with your assessment – I'm an assassin, after all. How'd you even find me?"
"You keep hiding in the supplies." Argeni said. "And when you tell people not to tell that you're hiding, they typically have a look of 'I'm scared for my life' on their face."
"I need better hiding spots." Dant sighed.
"Why are you wearing that cloak?"
"I got attacked the other week." Dant said. "Some snot-nosed kid who's something-or-another I killed. He was shouting a name, but I'll be honest, I wasn't paying much attention at the time because I was aiming a knife at his throat. Anyway, he went for me, as if it was my fault. Assassins like me are just weapons of whoever contracted us. I'm not supposed to be targeted, it's my employer's problem."
"That's Robin, you realize." Zulas said.
"Robin's more than capable of killing people trying to assassinate him." Dant shrugged. "Anyway, I'm concealing my identity from now on, if people are going to do that to me. If they don't recognize me, less of a chance of them trying to attack me. My reputation's good enough that I don't need more notoriety."
"You're somewhat terrifying, you know that?" Argeni asked.
"Eh. Lead the way, but don't expect me to say anything."
-Valm Encampment-
"You're Zulas, correct? We met once."
"Indeed. At the Empress's coronation few years back." Zulas nodded as he led the trio of himself, Argeni, and Dant to the meeting. "My apologies to keep you waiting, Exalt, but the Battlemaster and Empress are both unavailable right now. In truth, we didn't expect you to send any form of envoy. Much less the Exalt."
"I've nothing to fear under the flag of truce." Chrom said. "Why wouldn't I come?"
"I suppose that's the case." Zulas took note of the opposite delegation.
Chrom was sitting in a hastily-erected pavilion. Standing behind him was a stern looking knight in blue armor that seemed to give the air of a butler of some sort. Sitting beside him was a plucky looking woman in a yellow dress that seemed to be trying (but failing) to feign interest. A complement of guards stood a distance away, but they were more or less ceremonial.
"Feel free to sit." Chrom offered.
Zulas shook his head. "I would never dare. True, I hold the rank of a Council member politically, but we're at war right now, thus my rank is only a mere general. I am not able to make any deals, my apologies. I've sent messengers to the Battlemaster and the Empress."
"You'll have to forgive me, but I'm afraid I cannot sit either." Argeni said. "My role here is to serve as Robin's aide when it comes to politics and etiquette. As such, I shall have to remain a model lady. But if you ever come to my castle, I will be more than happy to greet and treat you on more of an equal foot."
"Permit me to interrupt, milord?"
"Go ahead, Frederick." Chrom said.
"You." Frederick addressed Dant, who had bundled her tan cloak around her, and kept the hood as low as possible. "Why do you not lower your hood in the presence of royalty? Do you not know who you're dealing with?"
"Is that what you think? That I don't know who I'm dealing with?" A low chuckle emerged from Dant's hood. "Oh, believe me, knight. I know quite well who I'm dealing with. But the question is, do you know who you're dealing with?"
"No, and I don't-"
"Thought as much." Dant moved to flip open her hood but stopped, resting her hand on the lip. "Let me tell you this, knight. I'm an assassin, a treacherous shadow in the dark. My kind is not meant to see light of day, in favor of the secrets we hold. If I flip over the hood, a secret so powerful would be revealed that you wouldn't be able to stand it and it would utterly destroy you." Dant removed her hand. "Though I have no wish for that now. It's out of respect for the Exalt that I keep this hood up."
"Listen, here-!"
"Calm yourself, Frederick." Chrom said. "We're guests here. I will respect your privacy, assassin. Though you don't need to antagonize Frederick that much. He's just doing his job."
"Thank you, Exalt." Dant coughed. "You are most gracious."
"Is everyone here?" A voice interrupted them, and they turned to look. Robin, dressed in full armor, was approaching the table. "My apologies, but the Empress won't be here. We were discussing strategy when the messenger met us, and it seemed only necessary for one of us to be here, so you'll have to make do with me."
"That's fine." Chrom said as Robin approached the table and sat down across from him. "I'd rather deal with you."
"I've one more guest, but we can start without her. I'll cut to the chase. You shouldn't have come here." Robin said, sighing. He looked away, refusing to make eye contact. "I'm not going to be an easy person to deal with, Chrom. Not now. And you shouldn't have come here either, Lissa."
"Hey, so you remember me!" Lissa said.
"Yes. It's my understanding that the Chon'sin guarding you has proposed. My congratulations." Robin said. "Chrom, I'll accept you as an envoy, so let's negotiate. Where do you stand?"
"I don't think that either one of us wants war." Chrom said. "Farber was slain by my hand, and he claimed that he wasn't under orders from you to invade Regna Ferox."
"Correct. He was baited into attacking by the Plegian Hierophant, Desert Hawk, who wanted to start a war across the entire continent. The objective was to eventually lure myself, Robin, to Plegia where I would fulfill the Plegian dream of resurrecting the Fell Dragon Grima." Robin smiled grimly. "Unfortunately, the fool didn't realize that I had no loyalty to his twisted vision. I had him killed and I destroyed the Dragon's Table."
"Good." Chrom exhaled. "I knew you wouldn't do something like that. So you only attacked Plegia because you had no choice, and from there you were forced to do battle. Regna Ferox isn't exactly the easiest of people to get along with."
"I asked them for parley, and I received a pair of crude hand signals in return." Robin said bluntly.
"Ah…"
"To be fair, one of my lieutenants did it to Plegia first, so I don't think I've got a leg to stand on and complain. Though I'm not sure they knew that, and I'm not sure it would have mattered." Robin shrugged. "Basilio fell in that battle. Flavia was captured."
"Are you going to execute her?" Chrom asked.
"It's not necessary right now, so no." Robin said. "We're not treating her any differently than any other prisoner of war. Basilio, of course, was killed on the battlefield. Now, would you like to clear up anything else before we start putting offers on the table?"
"We can sit here counting heads if we want." Chrom said. "There's no point right now figuring out who killed each other's higher ranked generals."
"Agreed." Robin said. "It's hard to move on if we don't allow bygones to be bygones. Well, at least to a point, of course, but I harbor no ill will against you for Valmese that you killed during the course of this war, and I expect the same from you."
"I don't know what Valm wants." Chrom said. "But I know what I want. Withdraw from Ylisse with your army, and relinquish your capture of Flavia, so that she can rule again on the Regna Ferox throne. After that, withdraw from Plegia, and allow Mustafa's wife to take up the throne as queen, assuming that she's still alive. If not, Mustafa's next-of-kin."
"Quite the list, Exalt." Robin said. "Would you like to add anything to it?"
"Robin, if you truly want peace, that's what it requires." Chrom said. "I know the cost is high, but you can't expect anything less. You chose to fight this war because you felt you didn't have any better options, but if you do this for me, I swear that I'll ensure peace between all our countries. Peace must come with a price attached. That is it's nature."
"On the last point we agree." Robin said, furrowing his brow. "If we are to see peace on this continent, then without question we'll need to pay a price."
"You don't want this war any more than I do!" Chrom said. "Robin – I get it. I really do. You were forced into this conflict because you felt you had to as Valm's tactician. But we don't have to fight now. The two of us have the power to enact a lasting peace."
"All technically true."
"Then will you-"
"No. Not as it currently stands." Robin shook his head. "Chrom, your terms are unacceptable. I cannot give the throne of Plegia back to Mustafa's widow, as I've already given it to someone else. The throne is mine by birthright, as the Fellborn of the Grimleal. However, once we took it into the domains of Valm, we needed a new ruler for it, as I cannot hold a position like that so long as I am Battlemaster."
"Then whose is it?"
"Sorry, am I late?" A new person walked up and sat beside Robin, resting her arms on the table, fingertips together. "I came as fast as I could."
"It was no problem, Morgaine." Robin said. "I wasn't on time, either. I didn't expect this of all things."
"You are-!" Frederick stared.
"Oh my~!" Aversa said, smiling. "Well, here are some faces I didn't think I'd see again. But there's no need to be like that, I've traded my loyalty from Plegia to Valm."
"Morgaine, or as you know her by, Aversa, is my adopted sister." Robin said. "She was cruelly mistreated by our father Validar and was manipulated into being the miserable creature you knew her as during the Plegian-Ylisse war. Luckily, she's had a change of heart."
"Indeed." Aversa said. "I changed my name to Morgaine to facilitate my change in mindset. I'm still fanatically loyal, of course, but now I do so in Robin's name."
"Will this be a problem during our negotiations?" Robin asked. "I can have her leave if you want, Chrom."
"No, she can stay." Chrom said. "Aversa – sorry, Morgaine. Is Robin telling the truth about you?"
"Of course."
"Then you're just as much a victim of the war as any of us." Chrom said. "I hope that Emmeryn's sacrifice touched you alongside the rest of Plegia, and I'm glad that you've reunited with your family."
Is he serious? Robin stared at him. She was responsible for forcing Emmeryn's death, and Chrom doesn't even harbor any malice? I don't think he's good enough to keep his emotions concealed, so I guess he truly is the type of person to believe in a change of heart.
"Well, that's good, because you'd need to negotiate with her to put Mustafa's wife on the throne. Morgaine is the current queen of Plegia."
"Wait, when was this?" Aversa blinked.
"Technically, as soon as Robin conquered Plegia." Argeni stepped forward. "According to Valm protocol, Robin is a foreign noble that was recognized within the Valm army and has achieved a minimum rank of general, thus any territory captured by Valm over the course of a war that was previously owned by Robin before his defection to Valm reverts back to him immediately. However, since the formation of the Council, holding such a position over Plegia would make Robin a temporary Council member according to the by-laws, since Farber died and a suitable replacement hasn't been found. But that violates another rule, one explicitly forbidding the Battlemaster to hold a Council seat, and as such, he couldn't inherit Plegia. Thus, as the next successor to the throne and a sworn foreign noble with an equivalent rank to general, the throne is yours. Along with a temporary Council seat."
"Well." Aversa licked her lips. "I would hate to be rude and refuse that, wouldn't I?"
"Focus, sister." Robin said. "Now, as Aversa is the current Queen of Valm, you would need to negotiate a position with her to give the throne to Mustafa's wife. However, we won't give the land back – Valm does not return land that was paid for with the blood of our soldiers. I can't imagine that you would willingly give up the sacrifices your men have made, so do not ask the same of me."
"…No, I guess that wouldn't be fair." Chrom winced.
"Moving onto the second condition. The same doesn't apply to Regna Ferox, naturally – we haven't conquered it." Robin said. "The land is theirs, so I've no objections there. Unfortunately, I don't intend to let Khan Flavia go. Unless you've the ability to guarantee that Flavia will not attack me if I release her to you, I don't intend to do that either."
"I …" Chrom shook his head. "No. Robin, it doesn't need to be like this."
"And, onto the final condition, your request for us to withdraw from Ylisse. No. We shall not withdraw from Ylisse." Robin said. "We plan on continuing this battle through until its end. I'm not about to throw away my chance at worldwide domination just because you stand in my way. This war continues."
"Robin!" Chrom slammed his hands down on the table and stared into Robin. "Why? Why are you being like this? We have a chance for peace, and you're just throwing it away!"
"I told you, Chrom." Robin said. "You shouldn't have come here."
"Why do want to rule the world, Robin? That doesn't seem like you."
"Heh." Robin shook his head. "You're right. I don't seek to rule the world. I'm seeking to unite it. I've no intention of ruling it at that point, that will be the job of the Empress and the Council."
"Why?"
"It was Walhart's dream." Robin said. "We disagreed on the methods, but not on the results. Originally, I was intending on doing it the long way, the peaceful way. But now? I'm afraid that while my patience has none grown stale, my tolerance for human stupidity has."
"Uniting by violence won't solve any problem!"
"Plegia is more than willing to follow my sister's rule. They're used to a dictator, so it makes no difference who takes the throne, so long as they're competent. Regna Ferox will accept me pretty fast – they're a warrior culture." Robin countered. "Ylisse – well, yes. I'll admit that violence isn't the optimal solution. But it's an effective solution, as long as I use enough of it. And I'm almost out of other options."
"You don't need to fight us." Chrom said. "Robin, there's a solution that doesn't involve war. I'm not opposed to your dream either. Emmeryn's dream was peace, and if we can unite people under that, I'm all for it."
"In that case, I think there's a solution for all of us." Robin said. "One solution which doesn't involve war and guarantees peace on the continent."
"Good." Chrom exhaled.
"Complete unconditional surrender." Robin said. "Effective immediately."
"…If this is a joke, it's not funny."
"Hah!" Aversa threw her head back and laughed. "No, it's hysterical, Exalt. You see, despite all my machinations and your best efforts, it's Plegia all over again!"
"Morgaine, control yourself." Robin said calmly.
"My apologies." Aversa smiled even as Lissa hissed at her from across the table. The Ylissean princess had managed to keep her composure during the discussion, but she was close to snapping.
"Robin, even if you are serious, I can't just surrender Ylisse like that." Chrom protested.
"Well, that's one of your two options." Robin said. "The second is to meet us in battle."
"And I thought I came to the table asking a lot." Chrom muttered. "Robin, you can't be serious."
"I warned you, Chrom. I told you that you didn't know the real me." Robin eye blazed purple. "Well, now you do. Your terms have been delivered, as have mine. This negotiation is over. Leave."
"Robin-"
"No. There's no further need for discussion." Robin stood up. "If you show up with a white flag, I will take that as a sign of your agreement to my terms. If I raise one of my own, you may consider it a sign of my agreement to your terms. Otherwise, the battle is joined. I will have you escorted out if need me. Goodbye, Chrom. And you'll understand if I don't wish you luck on the battlefield tomorrow."
"Hey, Robin." Lissa spoke up.
"Ylissean princess." Robin said. "Do you have anything to add to this conversation?"
"I just wanted to say that it must be nice to be you. You must not have any problems sleeping at night." Lissa said, standing up. "I'm sure you can just use your authority to order your nightmares to go away or slay them on a battlefield."
"Leave." Robin growled.
