The fighting had drawn quiet. The two sides had ceased clashing and started to slowly back away, in mutual understanding. Ylissean medics were helping transport the wounded Shepherds back to their base camp, or possibly back to Ylissotol itself.
One man in the Ylissean army didn't stand back. Instead, he slowly walked forward, a single brilliant sword in his hand, gleaming silver. His short blue hair ruffled in the wind, and his equally blue eyes shone with a fierce inner light of conviction.
Robin walked towards him as well, keeping his eye on the Exalt for any sudden moves. Chrom didn't make any, and the two moved to each other as a hushed silence enforced itself on the battlefield. It was clear that whichever of the two who won the fight would get to claim victory. It was equally clear that no one was to interfere from either side.
"Thank you for not killing my friends."
Of course I didn't. Kill them, and they become martyrs. Let them live, and they serve as a reminder of my power and strength. Robin thought. Besides, the goal was to draw you out, not enrage you beyond all reason. And … they're pretty tough. I didn't need to pull my punches for them to live.
"It wasn't out of consideration for you." Robin told him honestly. "I've killed many people so far in this war. Sparing your friends will neither redeem me, nor make me any less evil than you thought I was. It was just consistent with my goals."
"And what are your goals?"
"Everything under Valm." Robin said simply. "All hail the Empire."
"Will you not accept peace?" Chrom said.
"I told you, already." Robin said. "I have no desire to repeat that discussion. All that's left now is to end this conflict. And we can do it right here, right now."
"A fight between you and me? Is that what you think will end this?"
"Don't tell me you object." Robin replied.
"No. I'm getting tired of this war."
"That's a lie!" Robin snapped. "You aren't getting tired of it – you never wanted it in the first place, Ylissean Exalt! You wished this would never happen from the beginning. Even if you did nothing but win battle after battle you would do nothing but lament it, wouldn't you?"
"I see." Chrom breathed in deeply. "And what of you? Did you want war to start with, then?"
"No." Robin shook his head. "But as it stands, I'm starting to get used to it. This war is brutally effective when it comes to putting all of the known world beneath my heel, and while I didn't want it initially, I must admit I'm seeing good use from it."
"Robin, you don't mean that."
"Don't I?" Robin smiled. "I told you, you don't know me as well as you think I do. Very well, let's stop our discussion of this war and focus on the end of it. A single duel, between the two of us. At stake is our respective sides. Should you win, my army will leave Valm with the absolute minimum amount of supplies necessary to get back, and leave everything else – our armors, weapons, food, equipment, prisoners of war – here for you. And should I win, your side unconditionally surrenders."
"And should I refuse to this duel?"
"Then you throw away your chance to end this conflict now, without any further lives being lost." Robin said. Chrom was not a difficult man to manipulate. It was just a matter of applying the appropriate pressure. "Do you want that?"
"Do you swear to deal with my people honorably and with mercy should you win?"
"I will treat them the same way I have treated all my other foes who have surrendered." Robin said. "Beyond that, I can guarantee nothing."
"Fair enough. A duel it is. Between the Valm's Battlemaster, and the Ylissean's Exalt." Chrom said. He drew his falchion and held it high. "Ylisseans, hear my voice! Should I fall today, it will prove that we stand no chance of victory, and to avoid further bloodshed, we will surrender to Valm."
"Everyone, should I fall today, you are to retreat! This is an order from your Battlemaster!" Robin announced. He twirled the spear with one hand, lightning crackling around his body from the spear. "If that happens, it will be a lesson to you all – it will be proof that there are some fights which should be avoided."
A calm fell upon the battlefield as both sides watched. Neither was willing to make any kind of noise which would disrupt their champions. The two champions, for their part, faced each other with their weapons in guard position, but neither side made any move to attack.
"I'm sorry." Chrom said, softly. "I wish this didn't have to happen."
"I'm not. In fact, I'm rather glad that we're fighting now, even if I'm not quite thrilled about the chain of events which led to this fight." Robin said.
"I thought we were friends."
"What does that have to do with anything? This fight was always necessary." Robin shrugged. "The two of us have a conflict of ideals. That was always going to have to be resolved."
"We don't have to do it through bloodshed, Robin. We don't need to fight." Chrom said. "Even now. We can leave this as it is, declare the duel a draw and try for peace."
"Oh, Chrom." Robin sighed Robin gauged the distance between them and Chrom's position. They'd only sparred once, and Robin was forced to concede the match to him. But he wasn't intending to lose a second time. "Why must you do this to yourself?"
Robin struck first, darting forward and sweeping the spear towards Chrom's left. Chrom spun Falchion and blocked it by holding his sword to his side, hilt above his shoulder. Chrom shoved the spear aside with superior strength and charged in. The threat of the spear forced him to Robin's left and out of his blindspot. Robin raised his left hand.
"Elfire."
A fireball erupted in front of his hand. A moment later, Chrom rolled to his feet, having barely dodged it with his cloak slightly singed. Robin was on him in an instant, slashing with the spear, but Chrom locked blades and kept the spear at bay.
"We don't have to fight, Chrom." Robin agreed, lecturing the Exalt as he might a new student. "But I would always choose to. It's the fastest, easiest, and most effective solution."
"That doesn't make it right!" Chrom may not have wanted a fight, but he wasted no time responding to Robin's attack in kind. Chrom darted to Robin's blind sight, forcing the Battlemaster to set into a defensive position, shifting to match the rapid moving Exalt. Robin growled in frustration as he was sent on defense, expertly parrying Chrom's repeated series of jabs and thrusts. He's looking for my weak point. Well, I'm not letting him exploit my blindspot that easily.
"So what is right? Choosing the so-called moral high ground and watching everything you love crumble to dust because of it? Watching everything crumble because you know the right solution, but no one will listen to you?" Robin countered, whirling his spear in a complex attack pattern and channeling his magic into it. A nimbus of electricity crackled around him. "I'm not you, Chrom. I'm not some scion of the legendary Hero-King, who could make the world right with friendship and trust. I've helped people, but I have to do it my way. And this is the way I do it. I fight because it's the most effective way."
"And is your way lasting? Is it sustainable?" Chrom leapt back, waiting for the opening. Robin went back to his guard, but shifted so that he was prepared for slashes, as if he was fighting with a sword. "If everyone wakes up tomorrow and asks themselves 'How could I be more like Robin', would the world become a better place?"
The two lunged at each other. Robin choked up on his grip as Chrom brought Falchion in for an overhead slash, catching the blow and clashing. The two leaders locked themselves in combat, straining against the ground for leverage.
"I never claimed to be perfect." Robin said through gritted teeth. "I'll be honest right now. We'd be in a horrible situation if there were more of me. But that's the point, isn't it? There is only one of me. I've got these gifts. Isn't it my responsibility to make the most of them?"
"It's your responsibility to use them appropriately!" Chrom rained blows down on Robin. Must to Robin's dismay, he was being forced back. That was to be expected. Chrom was far stronger than him, and Robin didn't devote much time or training towards raw strength. He'd have to use Ignis before Chrom used Aether. "Being on a pedestal above everyone else is not a reason to exploit them! Teach them, mentor them, be an example to them! Don't turn them into puppets!"
"It's for their own good!" Purple flames ignited around Robin, and Ignis ran through his blood, red-hot and willing to be used. Suddenly, his feet found purchase. He stopped sliding back. His one eye met Chrom's two. "It's not exploitation if they benefit, is it? They'll thank me. I don't pretend that you need to rescue people from their own idiocy, but why blame me if I try?!"
With an explosion of force, electricity crackled to life and Chrom was hurled back, flying through the air. Unwilling to let him recover, Robin was off like a bolt, racing after the Exalt. Chrom saw him and flipped in midair, somehow mustering the momentum. Robin leapt as Chrom went to parry, and the two clashed in midair, sending the Exalt skidding back as Robin landed on the firm earth.
Robin took slow steps forward, flames feeding off him and growing even higher. Walhart would have made the ground quake from his footfalls, but Robin had to settle for the visage alone, a malevolent one-eyed demon still burning from the fires of the abyss, walking towards the Ylissean Exalt.
"The yearning masses are nothing but a breeding ground of incompetence and stupidity." The Crimson Battlemaster of Valm stated. "They need someone to set them straight."
"Like I said." Chrom set his feet like a runner, holding Falchion. "I'm sorry it's come to this."
Blue flames lit up around him and Chrom blitzed towards Robin with the might of Aether enforcing him. Robin saw the pattern of attacks and then moved, flowing with Chrom's attacks, dodging and batting them aside as he dared, always taking care to never make contact with the edge of Chrom's sword.
"You aren't the one who gets to decide that!" Chrom declared, as he and Robin engaged in a bizarre dance of weapons play, never actually making contact with the edges of their weapons. "You're just a man, Robin. There's no reason why you should have control over anyone else or make them puppets to your schemes! All should be free to choose their own fate! You don't help people, you remove their choice entirely!"
"I have no intention of manipulating the normal people, but the ones can't be trusted to?" Robin asked. He needed space once Chrom had started using Aether, so he thrust his spear into the ground and blasted magic through it, forcing Chrom back, before leaping back himself. Unfortunately, Chrom would be one him before Robin could retrieve the spear from the ground, so Robin relied on a different weapon. He raised his hands and called on the magic in the gloves, firing bolts of flame and blasts of wind at Chrom. "You know how evil people can be! Why give bandits a choice in the first place? Why give it to despots? Why give it to cultists? If you have the power to stop someone from choosing evil, aren't you at fault for not preventing it when you could have!?"
"That's not what you're doing!" Chrom dodged a wind blade and slashed a fireball out of midair with Falchion. He spun the sword around him in a flourish and cut another one, lending Aether die down. He didn't need it now. "The Shepherds stop evil. What you're doing is faulting someone for the potential of evil and punishing them for crimes they haven't committed! If someone still has the chance to do either good or evil, and you strip that from him, your act of 'stopping evil' is no different from 'stopping good'!"
"You killed Gangrel, didn't you?" Robin asked. He quickly stripped and tossed aside his now-dry gloves. Chrom attempted to seize the opportunity, but Robin drew his tome faster, and electricity blazed to life. This time Chrom wasn't fast enough. He dodged the initial blast, but Robin's lone eye was tracking his dodging pattern. Robin gestured. "THORON!"
The electricity caught the Ylissean square in the chest, sending the Exalt clipping back. Robin drew his power again, but it was caught by Chrom, using his blade to hold it at bay, wincing from the pain. Electricity crackled as it streamed from Robin's hands towards Chrom, only to crackle uselessly around Falchion.
"He could have been redeemed." Robin said, keeping the Exalt pinned with the stream of electricity. "In fact, he was, did you know that? You failed to kill him, and I recruited him to my cause. He sacrificed himself to let my team get a clean getaway from Plegia, scapegoating himself. But you tried to kill him, didn't you? Tried to kill a man that turned out to be quite redeemable after all."
"I had no choice." Chrom grimaced as Robin saw him force down doubt. Robin, of course, would have done the same thing he had. Killing Gangrel was the best way to end the war. But Chrom would have legitimately tried to save the man if he knew that was an option. But Chrom believed that Gangrel was beyond salvation.
"Had no choice? THORON!" Anger flared up within Robin. Ignis lit itself spontaneously as the magic boiled over and sprayed over Chrom, sending the Ylissean Exalt writhing in pain as his Falchion could no longer hold it back. "Had no choice? So, pray tell, who does have the choice!? You fight me to give everyone else one, you insist I don't have to fight you, yet it's you who doesn't have a choice!? You chose to kill Gangrel!"
"Ngh!" Chrom strained against the lightning, but the incensed Robin wasn't letting up. "When … you swear an oath … after that … no choice…"
"Listen up, hypocrite." Robin said, gritting his teeth. "You have a choice! I asked you to surrender. You're here to kill me over your precious ideals and your slavish devotion to your sister Emmeryn's ideals! GROW UP! I haven't forced your hand. You've chosen this. Now, accept the consequences!"
"Anything."
Robin blinked as his electricity washed over an empty field. Chrom had broken free and disappeared. That wasn't possible. His electricity was powered by Ignis and Chrom wasn't fast enough to disappear from his entire field of vision.
"Can."
The Exalt was in his blindspot! Robin spun around. Chrom had found the sweet spot after all, and was in it, charging at him. Robin spun and fired a bolt of lightning. He felt something connect, and a blur of blue and silver in his field of vision.
"Change!"
It wasn't his attack that connected. The Exalt's blue flame covered blade cut through him, scoring a hit clean his left shoulder, drawing blood. Ignis was at work already, forcing its way through and conducting a hasty fix to the wound, but it'd be at least a minute before he could use the shoulder again. The lightning he had casted had driven the Exalt away and directed him to Robin's left shoulder. He turned to see the Exalt breathing, blue flames nourishing him as he recovered from the electricity using Robin's own lifeforce.
"I said." Chrom raised his blade, panting. "I swore an oath. I chose the oath, but once I chose to swear it, the choice has been stripped from me. I swore to not be like my father, nor to be like Emmeryn. I would be the sword she needed to cleanse this land of those who would stand in her way. And I want to save you. You're my friend, Robin."
"Heh." Robin couldn't help but laugh. He felt inside his cloak for his blade of choice. This sword will end the Exalt.
"I want to save you." Chrom repeated. "But right now, you're continuing the war and causing death. I'd never kill a man in cold blood. But you're putting lives in danger, and the job of the Exalt is to kill you to save them. You're right, Robin. I shouldn't have killed Gangrel. That was a mistake on my part. But I'm just as human as the rest of us. I make mistakes, but I learn from the mistakes. That's not to say I shy away from the path of the sword. But I will not walk it unless I have to. I'm not trying to avoid responsibility for your death. But that doesn't mean I have to take it either. So you're wrong, Robin. I'm not trying to kill you."
Chrom moved forward, aiming for a debilitating thrust. Robin reacted with grace, sidestepping and deflecting with a drawn Chron'sin blade. Chrom continued, stepping past the thrust and spinning around to slash, only for the Robin to counter and exchange a blow, a high slash. With his left shoulder injured, he was now forced to use one handed attacks against Chrom's far stronger two-handed slashes.
It was like fighting Walhart all over again. He forced himself to use Ignis when at all possible to exchange blows, but the rest of the fight consisted of his dodging and evading blows, as Chrom held the clear strength advantage.
"How far does that reluctance go?" Robin asked. "Would you kill an innocent man in cold blood to save five? Or would you let five die because you weren't willing to make the choice?"
"There's always a better choice!" They wound up with locked blades again. Chrom stared at him. "I won't buy into your lies and your mindset. This world isn't like that! It's not some place where everyone is always the worse they can be, it's not some place where every choice is between two evils!"
"And therein lies the difference between us." Robin said. "I would love to live in your world, Chrom. I'd love to be in a world where you could talk to people who want you dead and stop wars without bloodshed. I'd love to live in a world where people can be trusted to do the right things. But there's not enough good people, Chrom, and those who are good finish last."
"I'm not blind or naïve, Robin. There is evil in the world. There are some men who are beyond saving, but you aren't one of them. You're a genuinely good person, Robin, and the world is a better place than you think it is." Chrom said. "I think you'll find that if you just give it a chance, you'd wind up a much nicer person, with a much nicer outlook, and the world will be better for it. After all, didn't you say that your talents give you a unique responsibility?"
"I'm sorry, Chrom." Robin's sorrow was genuine. "But I don't think I can do that."
"It's not too late."
"No, I'm afraid it is. You said it yourself, didn't you? Once you chose to swear an oath, you no longer have a choice." Robin chuckled. "The job of the Exalt is to kill people to defend his country. The job of the Battlemaster is to kill people to conquer their country. You won't surrender to me, and I won't relent. That mean that this ends with one of us dying. There's no other ending available right now."
"No." Blue flames flared up again and Chrom hurled Robin back with inhumane strength. Chrom pointed his sword at Robin. "I won't let it end like this!"
"Chrom. You talk a good game, but you aren't trying to kill me. And you won't win like that." Robin held his blade loosely by the hilt. "You'll only win if you're prepared to kill me. And part of that preparation means that you'll actually kill me if given the opportunity, and that you'll look for the opportunity. As you said, you're the Exalt. You need to kill me."
With that, Robin set his feet slowly, letting his left foot slide forward, and circling the right backwards. His grip tightened and Robin drew the blade up, setting in parallel to the ground. He's no Walhart. Robin tensed. I should be able to finish him off with the Dragon's Fang.
I am sorry, Chrom. I truly am. But you have to die, despite Lucina's assertion that you wouldn't. Lucina was wrong before, and it seems she's wrong again. I take no pleasure in killing you, but you had to have known that the death of one of us would occur once we stepped out together. It's not my fault. I'm the Battlemaster. You're the Exalt. There's no other choice.
"I can strike you down without killing you." Chrom said, setting his stance. "Apparently I'm very good at that sort of thing."
"What kind of idiot does that?" Robin snarled. "Don't try to not kill someone who's trying to kill you. That's a luxury for someone who doesn't have to care about the consequences of his actions."
With that, Robin attacked, dashing forward and slashing. Chrom blocked each one as it came as Robin bore down on him in a whirlwind of steel. The battlefield rang out with their clashes, until Chrom sidestepped and dodged. Robin was forced to withdraw from Chrom's wide slash.
"I said." Chrom grinned. "I want to save you."
"You're risking your own people!" Robin howled. "Kill me, and everyone in Ylisse is saved!"
"Percentages? Calculation? That's your route." Chrom shook his head. "Not to mention that I care about all life, not just the ones in Ylisse. Like I said – there's always a better way. If I kill you, and what happens to Valm? I won't do that. You're my friend, Robin. And I will save you."
"Like you saved your sister?" The words were out of Robin's mouth before he could stop them. Silent fury erupted within him. This asinine fool is in charge of an entire nation? Your idealism is pretty, Chrom. But you're a danger to your people. You need to kill me if you win this, and I need to kill you. "Emmeryn died because you couldn't save her, Chrom."
"Emmeryn was killed by Gangrel. You aren't Gangrel." Chrom said. "And, like you told me, even he could be redeemed. Don't sell yourself like that, Robin. You're better than you think you are."
"No. If anything, I'm far worse." Robin's eye glinted. "Gangrel? Please! He was nothing more than a puffed-up popinjay with delusions of grandeur and a mindless flair for evil. I'm pragmatic. I'm a conquering warlord. I've got a surprise for you, which is only the case because of your pacifistic mindset. I killed every man in my way, from the previous tactician of Valm to Walhart himself to get this role. I've ordered death in cold blood and I've ruthlessly manipulated people to their deaths."
"Stop."
"Your bloodline is no longer needed, with the destruction of the Dragon's Table. I'll kill you. I'll kill your sister Lissa. I'll kill your wife Olivia. I'll kill your daughter Lucina." Robin continued mercilessly. "I am the Crimson Demon Tactian. I'll-"
"YOU WILL NOT HARM THEM!" Blue flame erupted from Chrom, scorching the earth around the Ylissean Exalt. A wave of heat blasted outwards, hitting Robin full force. The Valm Battlemaster withstood it without flinching, but the armies of both sides were forced back.
I seem to have woken the killing intent within him. Robin swallowed. Victory?
Chrom strode towards Robin, taking slow steps, leaving a trail of flame in his wake, his eyes alight with righteous blue flames of fury. The sword in his hand glinted. Then he moved. A slash downwards, which Robin blocked. The two blades clashed, and Robin's sword was knocked clean from his hand.
Got to move! Robin darted forwards and placed his left hand on Chrom's right, to keep the blade from him, and threw a vicious punch.
Chrom took the blow clean to the jaw. Robin heard a crack from his right hand. The Exalt didn't flinch, instead took his head and slammed it into Robin's. Robin took Chrom's rock-hard forehead to his nose, felt a horrible crunch, and staggered backwards, spurting blood from his nose.
No! This isn't how it ends.
"You're strong, Robin. But I know how to end this without killing you." Chrom said. Robin turned to see him drawing back for a slash across his face. "You can't be a tactician without your sight. I'll take your other eye."
"Forbidden Seal of the Snakes and Foxes…" Robin couldn't dodge it. Chrom had his movements read dead to rights, his sword had fallen too far away and Chrom would just take a hit from a spell if Robin tried casting one. There was only one way to avoid losing his eye and that would deprive him of one more card in his ever-depleting deck.
Well, honestly, he had no one to blame. Robin howled. "MEDALLION!"
The blade hit the side of his face, and stopped, the tip of the blade resting against the bone of his skill. The edge itself was even closer, angling away from the tip. But even if it hit, it would have no effect against the Ignis-enhanced magical protection that was covering his body, a protection which made dealing any sort of damage to Robin completely useless.
Then the ricochet kicked it and the blade rebounded, sending Chrom back. Robin took the opportunity to dive for his fallen sword. Chrom was after him in a flash, but Robin drew a tome one-handed during the dive and lit up the battlefield around him with red flame, slowing him down enough for Robin to get up and block the blow, two-handed.
I can't believe I had to use that one. Robin grit his teeth. But there's been enough time since my injury at this point that at least my left shoulder is working again.
"I must admit, I never expect you to drive me this far." Robin panted. "I always intended to use one of those, but I didn't want to use up my ace-in-the-hole. That… was probably going to be needed elsewhere, but I needed my eye more here."
"You're finished." Chrom stepped back from the clash and held his blade in a guard position. "You can't survive another round with me."
"You can't hurt me either." Robin replied weakly. "Seems like draw."
"No." Chrom shook his head. "If you could use that whenever you wanted, you'd have used it from the start. You aren't the type to hold back without a good reason. And your attempt to enrage me was a good idea, but you aren't the first to try that. I took taunts worse from Gangrel."
"TRY TO KILL ME, DAMN YOU!"
"I refuse. I'm not going to justify your beliefs like that." Chrom said. "Just make this easy on both of us and surrender."
"You know, I'll tell you something, Chrom. Something I've never told to anyone else. Walhart never offered me a chance to surrender." Robin's eye glinted. He was beyond being reasoned with. "But I killed him all the same. Just like I'm about to do to you."
The Astra technique was a Chon'sin combination attack of five consecutive blows, each which started from the previous one's final position. Ideally, a swordsmaster could execute the full kata within a second. Say'ri had managed to half that when practicing, but battlefield conditions were never so perfect that she managed to do it in real combat.
Robin had never learned the technique but was gifted it when he got his swordplay from the Gemstones. It was the first thing he tried to combine with his newly-discovered Ignis Spectrum ability. Unlike the other techniques he forged, which were perfect versions of their arts, he decided to try something extraordinary for his first attempt. Robin gripped the hilt with two hands, carefully drifting the blade down as he set his feet in the standard swordmaster's position as if to start Astra. He moved deliberately as fire raced through his blood, sharpening his senses and speeding up his perception.
"Astra?" Chrom readied his own stance. "Robin, you can't beat me. Accept you've lost. I already told you, I'm not going to kill you. But I will take out your eye."
"…" Robin closed his eye and exhaled, then inhaled. He felt the battlefield around him. His eye slowly opened. "In truth, you never had a chance to win this fight from the beginning. You were always going to lose against my trumps. I was only holding back in the vain hope that I could beat you without my Spectrum, but apparently that's not going to be the case. Your tale ends here, prince. A footnote in history, of a damned idealist who chose to die."
"AETHER!" Chrom lunged, bringing his blade down in a hard slash.
"Forbidden Fangs of the Dragon..." The attack executed itself as Robin spoke the words. There were nine different directions to attack an enemy in Chon'sin kenjutsu. Horizontal, from either side. Vertical, from either side. The four diagonals between the four cardinals. And the last was a straight thrust. "Kuzu-ryuzen."
Robin executed all nine attacks simultaneously with his single blade before Chrom could finish his own slash. He ended the attack with his blade forward, and the Ylissian Exalt was sent back as blood sprayed through the air. Robin carefully sheathed his sword, as Chrom fell.
"NO!"
"And another saint falls." Robin said, softly, so softly it couldn't be heard. He retrieved his spear and stabbed it into the ground before Chrom. "Rest, friend."
"How could you!?" A pink haired woman marched out onto the battlefield. She wore Feroxi armor and was easily recognized by Robin's one eye. The Valm side bristled with arrows, until Robin held up his hand, indicating for them to lower their bows. She would be no threat to him, and with Chrom's death, the war was over. That being the case, it was the least he could do to take responsibility for Chrom's death to his widow. "He was your friend!"
"I'm sorry, Exalt Olivia Lowell." Robin said, bowing his head to her.
He was rewarded with a slap.
"How dare you." Olivia said to him. "What kind of a person are you?"
"The worse kind of them." Robin whispered to her. "The one forced to become evil because he believed that there was no other choice."
"There's always a choice!"
"If I believed that, I would not be standing here right now." Robin shook his head. "Exalt, please leave."
Olivia slapped him again, forcing him back.
"Have you no dignity? No respect?" Olivia's tear-filled eyes looked at him. "Why aren't you sorry?"
"I am. More than you know."
"No you aren't." Olivia said. "You pretend to be sorry. You pretend to be good. But you think you're above that, don't you? Like you're some sort of god above everyone else! Some sort of deity, with the power to decide human fate! All you're sorry is that you couldn't get the exact situation you wanted!"
Her words cut deep. Too deep. She knew things about him that only Chrom would know. "I don't answer to you." Robin growled. "And Chrom told you too many things about me."
"There are no secrets between husband and wife." Olivia retorted. "Something you'll never now, with your black and cold heart."
"Do you want to die as well, woman!?" Robin demanded. "I'll keep to the bargain I made with Chrom! He's fallen, so I'll let you live, and Ylisse with it. I'll accept your surrender tomorrow."
"No."
"The alternative is that we continue this." Robin said, growling. "I burn Ylisse to the ground and kill everyone who opposed me. Starting with you."
"You don't care, do you." Olivia said. "it's like I thought. It's all just a game to you. In fact, it's not even that. You just view us as puppets on a string."
"Hey." A voice interrupted them. "Be easy on him, Liv. He's been through a lot."
"Chrom." Olivia spun around. The Exalt had one hand on the sunken spear and was slowly pulling himself to his feet. The pink-haired queen shrieked, and ran to him, hugging him and helping him to his feet. "Chrom! You're alive!"
"Course I am, Liv." Chrom laughed. "I said Robin could still be saved, and it'd be really hard to do that if he killed me, wouldn't it? I don't think he'd ever forgive himself."
"That's why?!" Olivia tried scolding him, but failed, smiling through her tears. "And I didn't factor into this?"
"Everything, Olivia." Chrom made it to his feet and touched his wife's tear-stained cheek. "Everything I do is for you. You know that. Robin, I'm sorry about that, but I think we're done for today."
"Done?" Robin laughed. An image flashed through his mind when he saw Chrom getting up on the spear. A battlefield in Valm, were an all-but-dead warrior managed to prop himself up on a spear and kill the tyrant he was fighting. A tyrant he couldn't have possibly beaten but did so anyway.
I thought Chrom was beneath my notice, not even a threat once I used my full power. But he survived all the same. The hubris was mine all along. Chrom's not the one who bit off more than he could chew. Robin realized. It's me. I'm Walhart, now. The man in charge, imposing his will on everyone. I'm the man who decided to wage bloody war across a continent to prove my way was right. All along, I've been saying that I didn't choose to fight this war.
But honestly? If I had the choice, I would have taken it. I'd never chose to start something like this without a just cause, and that idiot of a Plegian Hierophant went and gave me one. That's who I am right now. This war – this war is one that I'm glad I fought. The continent will be mine. Walhart was right all along, and I just made the same mistake he did. But I won't do it again.
Robin's one eye turned black with flames.
"It's not over." Robin said. "Until I say it is."
"Robin." Chrom said. "Listen to me. You're suffering. I know you're a good person deep in there, but your own rage is stopping you from seeing clearly."
"I refuse." Robin said. "I refuse to let their sacrifices be in vain. I refuse to let my sacrifices be in vain. I will not cease and desist from this path. I told you at the beginning, Chrom, that this ends one way."
"You don't have to do this, Robin."
"I swore an oath of my own. I will see this land united under Valm. It is my duty as Walhart's successor." Robin's eye darkened. Purple flames lit up around him as his rage manifested itself into a physical form. "Your only means to stop me is to kill me, though I'm quite afraid that option is no longer available to you. I will attain peace with my own hands. I'll attain a peace that will never suffer anyone challenging it!"
"Robin… promise me." Chrom said. His breathing was coming in ragged, he didn't survive the last attack by much. And he certainly wasn't going to survive the next one. "This… isn't you fault. Don't let what you've done … define you."
"I told you, Chrom. I'm afraid it's too late. My path is chosen, and you are is its way. Pact unbidden, chains unforged, I summon the magic pure!" Robin gestured. Fire magic gathered at his fingertips, in preparation for it to be unleashed in a single might spell. "I cast thee, FLARE!"
Then there was sudden movement in front of him as Robin cast the spell. A flash of blue. Chrom's falchion disappeared from where he had dropped it, and two crossed blades meant his outstretched arm casting magic. A woman with long blue hair was in front of him, holding two identical swords.
Lucina!? The Foreseer chooses to interfere now!?
Robin caught a glimpse of her furious face as she crossed the blades together, right in front of his spell as Robin let it go.
"FATHER, NO!"
