"You did what!?"

"I'm … I'm really sorry!" Ravena cried. "I wanted to help, and you always have to do everything on your own, it's not fair, it's really not! I though that at this point I was skillful enough on my own to carry some of that burden. I took twenty-four Dire Wolves, I had the whole place mapped out, and we made sure no one got hurt. It's not the worse-case scenario."

"No. You are correct that it's not the worse-case scenario." Robin said, shaking his head and looking at Ravena with disapproval. "But the assassin got away. And that shouldn't have happened."

"Don't you think-"

"And you." Robin turned to Vermil. "What was going through your head, letting her do this? I told you what would happen if you hurt Ravena, didn't I? Why would you allow her to do this? This operation was too valuable to be screwed up by a pair of amateurs!"

"…sorry, Robin." Vermil looked down.

"I was fine with you two being together, but what's the point of it if you aren't going to look after each other? I gave you orders, and I expected them to be followed!" Robin said. "Is it my fault? Was I not clear when I said that I wanted you to leave the imposter to me? I knew that it would be too much for you two to handle successfully, but you somehow thought you were smarter than I am. Didn't you tell me the other day that I was a better Battlemaster than you, Ravena? Why would you think that you'd be up to this job?"

"I didn't think that this assassin would be that strong." Ravena looked aside. "I thought you just wanted to take care of him yourself because that's what you always do. You always try to take all the burden on yourself. I was only trying to help."

"…Well, your 'help' almost jeopardized the situation." Robin said icily. "As it happens, this wasn't a case of 'I want to handle all the burden myself' but a case of 'this assassin should only be fought by me'. There's things happening behind the scenes that you don't know about, and I'm very lucky that the botch-up didn't go worse."

"Wait, If you knew something else, why didn't you tell me?" Ravena said. "I still have no idea who that is, and you won't tell me anything."

"I would have told you, if you could be trusted." Robin said. "But then you went-"

"If I could be trusted!?" Ravena cried. "Are you joking? You're the one who didn't tell me anything before this whole thing. If you knew something that I didn't and this whole thing wouldn't have gone pear-shaped if you told me it, it's your fault, not mine."

"It isn't my fault, because I told you not to go after the assassin."

"No. You told me not to do anything stupid." Ravena countered. "I had two dozen Dire Wolves backing me up. If the fighter was anything short of Dant basically, we could have beaten them. Instead, the assassin ran, after spawning hundreds of Risen. It was all we could do to stop them from spreading."

"Right. Then there's that. Another screw-up on your part. You elected to go after him, and you failed miserably." Robin sighed. "Your approach was sloppy if he could spring a trap that obvious against you. Not to mention that you chose to let him get away."

"Wait. Are you saying I should have gone after him after he unleashed the Risen on everyone?" Ravena asked. "I would have needed the Dire Wolves to corral him under those circumstances, and I couldn't leave them behind!"

"Exactly. You needed the Dire Wolves. I would have been more than capable of doing so while leaving the Dire Wolves behind." Robin crossed his arms. "Which is the point I'm trying to make. This mistake was made because of your incompetence. Every tactician knows that you pick the right weapon for the right job, and you weren't it. Again, because you didn't listen to me when I gave you orders."

"Robin, don't you think you're being too hard on her?" Vermil tried interjecting.

"Shut up, Vermillion." Robin said. "I've half a mind of bringing you up on treason right now."

"You wouldn't!" Ravena protested. "Father, I didn't wait for five years just so you could come back and be a complete ass. I screwed up. I admit it. But the assassin was expecting us to find him anyway and set a trap for you. I ruined that plan. And no one got hurt. We might not have gotten the best result, but we didn't walk out of this with a loss."

"By whose accounting?" Robin shook his head. "True, you didn't screw up completely. In fact, thanks to what you've described from how he dealt with you, I'm more or less certain of who that blasted assassin is. But if not for you, I could have had this all done and finished with. Instead, you botched the call and now I'll have to clean up your mess. That's extra work I didn't need."

"You know who it is?" Ravena's eyes grew wide. "So we'll get him after all."

"Again, no. I'll get him after all. You'll be doing nothing of the sort." Robin's expression grew hard. "Ravena, Vermillion; you two need to think about what you did wrong today. And, as for now, I'm suspending you from all military activity for the remainder of the ceremony."

"That's unfair." Ravena said. "You need me."

"No. What I need are people who can follow orders. You don't get a pass because of how strong you are or how close you are to me." Robin said. "This all could go very wrong if everything starts getting out of hand, and I need people who can listen to me. That's not the two of you right now. And, you, Ravena, are grounded."

"I'm nineteen!" Ravena scowled. "You can't ground me! And our house burned down to the ground. What are you going to do, huh? Throw me in prison? Really? Are you going to go to that extent?"

"Fine. I suppose you're off the hook for that one." Robin's veins pulsed with annoyance. "But I am serious about the suspension. You're not to get involved with anything, understand? If you do, then there will be more serious consequences. And I'll have Aversa checking up on it, so don't try anything again."

"Fine. Fine, I guess that's how its going to be like. Serves me right for trying to help you, Robin. I guess no one can do that because of just how high and mighty you are." Ravena spun off in a huff and grabbed Vermil's arm. "Come on, Vermil. We're leaving. Let's go blow stuff up in your lab or something, seeing as we're banned from everything else."

Vermil saw Robin narrow his eyes and give him one of the darkest looks Vermil had ever seen Robin give anyone, something which was no doubt meant to scare him into obedience. Vermil swallowed as he nervously followed Ravena.

-Robin's Office-

"Robin? You asked to see me?" Lucina asked, stepping into his office.

"Yes." Robin shuffled a sheaf of papers on his desk. "I finally finished cleaning up this office, and the first thing that happens is I get swapped by paperwork again. Honestly, of all the evils that humans have ever created, paperwork is right up there."

"I sympathize, I think." Lucina said. "I wouldn't really know the evils of paperwork. Laurent and Brady are the ones to handle it for us. Laurent rarely complains, but then he rarely complains in general. Brady complains a lot but gets it all done anyway basically perfect."

"You have very capable companions." Robin noted. He stacked the papers and slid it into one of his drawers. "Well, I'm glad I got the permits for that, then. It's true that the ceremony is top-notch, I just noticed one or two things that could improve it. And the mountain of paperwork I've had to contend with is killing me."

"Red tape?"

"No, that'd be preferable. Red tape I deal with by just swinging my authority around." Robin growled. "Here, it's that I'm allowed to do it, only I have to get these three forms signed, each by someone on an opposite end of the city and file them all to an office that's open three days a week, alternating weeks, only at specific times of the day."

"It seems problematic." Lucina agreed. "Um, did you call me in here to vent or…?"

"Sorry." Robin said. "No, I wanted to ask you a few questions. How goes it for your group? I wasn't able to keep tabs on you as well as I would have liked during my hiatus. I hope everything is well and I hope that you're all together, without incident."

"My, ah, interference during the final day of conflict did bring our loyalty into question." Lucina admitted. "But, since Chrom ended up on the council and all I really did was save his life, the worst of it was averted, thankfully."

"That's good to hear. And you'll be staying in the Vermillion City during the events of ceremony, right?" Robin said. "If I remember correctly, your group was assigned to a barracks."

"Actually... a spare mansion." Lucina corrected him. "Seeing as we're a little more important than your average band of mercenaries, and smaller too, someone thought it'd be a good idea to give us some extra amenities. I don't object."

"I see." Robin said. "And, what about you personally? You haven't been ill, have you?"

"No, I'm perfectly healthy." Lucina narrowed her eyes. "Is there a reason you're checking up on us?"

"I merely owe you a debt, that's all." Robin said. "If not for you, I'd have killed Chrom. Believe me, I intend to pay that debt back in full."

"I see." Lucina shrugged. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for worrying about us, Robin. Myself, and my comrades, are doing fine. And how about you?"

"Same as ever." Robin chuckled. "Who am I kidding? No, I've changed a lot from what I used to be. But it's my hope that someday I'll be better than I use to be. Now it's my turn to ask why you're so concerned."

"Actually, I'm asking for our tactician Morgan." Lucina clarified. "She admires you greatly. She was very worried about you. When she found out that I was going to talk to you, she asked me to see how you were doing."

"Hmm. You say that your tactician greatly admires me." Robin mused. "I wonder why that is."

"Morgan … well, I don't know what goes on in her head, to tell you the truth." Lucina admitted. "Your guess is just as good as mine is."

"Oh, I've no doubt about that." Robin agreed. "Oh. One last question for you, before you leave. Did Chrom Awaken yet?"

Lucina blinked. Subconsciously, her body stiffened, and her fingers began to creep towards the hilt of her sword. Slowly, Lucina leveled her gaze at Robin.

"What?" Robin said. "No one can possibly eavesdrop on us now, and I know Chrom has the Gemstones. There's absolutely no danger of telling me."

"I… I think it's best if I don't tell you." Lucina said, slowly. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just a necessary precaution."

"Cute." Robin said. "But I'm the one who gave you the Gemstones. Did you get them to Chrom or not?"

"You gave me the Gemstones so that Chrom could Awaken and deal with you if the need arises, didn't you?" Lucina said. "I would think it'd be in your best interest to know as little as possible."

"Fair point." Robin said. "Or it would be, if there wasn't only one person who could Awaken. Either Chrom's Awakened or he hasn't. If he hasn't, then there's no reason that he shouldn't be. I guess I'm not really asking whether or not Chrom Awakened and I'm more telling you that he'd better have, because if he hasn't, I don't have a backup plan."

"Right…" Lucina looked away.

"Unless…" Robin looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "Do you have a backup plan? Are there any hidden heirs to the Ylissean bloodline that I wouldn't have any right to know about and that person has Awakened?"

"Well, if there was, I definitely wouldn't be telling you that." Lucina said. "Robin, why are you asking me all these questions?"

"The assassin just has me on edge, that's all."

"You know something you aren't telling anyone."

"I know a lot of things that I'm not telling anyone." Robin countered. "It comes with the job. What I'm really asking you, Lucina, is what exactly you've been planning to do about Grima."

"Now you're making me nervous." Lucina said. "Grima's been defeated. His temple is destroyed, and the Gemstones are in safe hands. Sure, Morgan has a plan to deal with him. But, as far as I'm concerned, my mission is over."

"Good." Robin smiled. "Very good. But you did Awaken someone, didn't you? I know Morgan – she's a competent tactician who doesn't make mistakes. If she has a backup plan, as you say, that means she's Awakened someone."

"…Maybe." Lucina winced.

"Don't worry." Robin said. "It's not that you talked too much, it's just that I'm that smart. So, is it you?"

"For the last time!" Lucina grit her teeth. "I'm not a member of Ylissean nobility!"

"Corrumpere." Robin snapped his fingers and a dark pulse radiated from him. Lucina's blade was drawn in an instant and she slashed at the pulse, which disintegrated before her blade. "…hmm."

"What was that?" Lucina's blade was pointed at him.

"Just a harmless hex that I acquired in my travels for detecting draconic energy." Robin said. "It appears that Falchion lookalike of yours certainly lives up to its name – that some powerful draconic magic housed within it. But you're completely clean – you haven't Awakened."

"Of course I haven't!" Lucina snapped. "What part of 'not Chrom's bastard sister' do I have to drive into your skull until you understand it?"

"Easy, there." Robin said. "I don't mind you getting mad at me, Lucina, but save your anger until I do something reprehensible, alright? I was just curious."

"Reprehensible like what?"

"Well…" Robin considered. "I'm not really supposed to be doing evil things at this point. So … how about I make this up to you by telling you a secret of my own instead?"

"That'd hardly be an equal exchange for invading my privacy." Lucina scowled and sheathed her blade. "Robin … please tell me you actually have changed, and you're not just pretending. Because, I'll be brutally honest right here – you're doing a bad job of pretending if that's the case."

"Lucina, just because I've changed doesn't mean I'm except from being the Battlemaster." Robin said. "I've a responsibility to the Empire, and I mean to see it through."

"By alienating most of your allies?" Lucina said.

"I'm not trying to." Robin said. "Look I … it's complicated, okay? But I'm not going to pull a stunt like that again."

"Alright. I suppose I can give you the benefit of the doubt this once." Lucina allowed. "I did try to kill you, after all, so I'm not really in a position to complain."

"Thank you for understanding." Robin said, smiling. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've paperwork to do."

-City Streets-

Robin stepped out of a side exit of the castle, one he used whenever he didn't want to deal with crowds, and thus one little known to anyone else. Aversa was waiting for him, lurking in a shadow, and popped up out of it and behand walking alongside him. Apparently, she knew about the exit. Robin allowed her to accompany him.

"Evening, Robin. It's a bit late for you to be out at night, isn't it?" Aversa said. "Especially with the assassins and all."

"Don't worry. Everyone knows that the Battlemaster has moved to the palace and is staying there for the time being." Robin said. "It's pretty safe there, with a lot of guards. The assassin won't attack it."

"Which begs the question … why are you here?"

"Worried about me?" Robin asked. "You really shouldn't, Morgaine."

"Someone has to, given that you won't do it for yourself." Aversa responded. "So, which safehouse are you to stay by?"

"None of them. I don't actually have any in the capital." Robin said sheepishly. "The, ah, expense got out of control, and I can just teleport, remember? I have another mansion here, though. I ended up in possession of Excellus's old one, and I'll just use that one."

"You aren't worried about the assassin?"

"Please." Robin grinned. "He should be worried about me. I've figured him out completely."

"Have you, now?" Aversa stopped short. "Who is it?"

"Let's just say …" Robin considered and shook his head. "Eh. Let's just say it's a Grimleal super-soldier, and that I'll have him taken care of within the day."

"Odd. I've never heard about such things." Aversa said. "Validar didn't keep secrets from me."

"Correct. This is a secret kept from Validar." Robin said. "It appears that the Gray Tactician had a few tricks up his sleeve that Validar didn't know about."

"So this is related to the Gray Tactician!"

"Yes, I believe it is." Robin nodded. "However, I will say this. It is my belief that this assassin and the Gray Tactician are two separate people. But without question, the two of them are inextricably linked."

"And you have a plan, don't you?"

"Morgaine, have ever known me not to have a plan?" An evil smirk appeared on Robin's face. "Yes, I've a plan. An absolutely brilliant and completely foolproof plan."

"…You're really going to go there and call your plan 'absolutely foolproof'?" Aversa responded. "I thought you knew better than handing the universe those kinds of lines."

"Oh, woe is me!" Robin cried dramatically. "My plan is going to come undone all because, despite all the effort I've put into it, I boasted about it once."

"I suppose that's another part of you that changed."

"And may I ask where you're intending to go this late at night?"

"I was actually waiting to give you a lecture."

"Sorry, I'm allergic to those." Robin spun around. "I'll assume that you'll be in the palace, alongside Ravena. If you see here, would you mind telling her that I've calmed down a bit and that I'll be willing to spend time with her tomorrow."

"And if I see Pheros, what should I say?"

"Um…" Robin turned to Aversa. "What would I have to say to the Empress?"

"Really? Really?" Aversa looked at him. "Really? You are very lucky that I'm the fiercely loyal type, because otherwise I'd slap you across the face both ways, kick you in your manhood, and then spit on you."

"What did I do to deserve that?"

"You broke Pheros's heart, you jerk! What do you think!?" Aversa said. "Goodness, Robin, are you really that blind? She's been waiting for you for five years, and all you've been doing since you've gotten back is dance around the issue and give her the cold shoulder. What kind of degenerate scum are you?"

"It's … complicated…"

"Of course it's complicated, you emotionally-stunted toad!" Aversa cried. "This isn't some tactical exercise, you idiot! It's a person with actual real feelings, and, right now, you've just basically stabbed a knife into Pheros's heart with all that you've been doing. Final straw was today, by the way, because you kept calling her Empress. It's like you're trying to distance yourself from her."

"I… uh…"

"Oh. Oh." Aversa slapped her forehead. "Of course. You are trying to distance yourself, aren't you? You unrepentant son of Grimleal fanatic. What, is this too complicated for you? Did you get cold feet in the five years that you were gone?"

"It's not like that…" Robin tried.

"So tell me how it is like."

"It's really best if I don't." Robin protested. "Morgaine, could you help me?"

"It depends on you, really." Aversa sighed. "I've sworn to follow you, so if you ask me, yes. But if you don't change that attitude of yours and your behavior, you are sunk and there's nothing I can do about it. It's up to you."

"Can you … try to ease up the tensions? At least until the Grand Imperial Ceremony?"

"That's a week, Robin." Aversa said. "You want be to buy you a week … to do what, exactly?"

"All I need is that one week."

"…Yes, I can try to do that." Aversa said. "But, remember, you promised to dance with Pheros, and that's your shot at redemption. You'd better have something really amazing planned for that."

"Heh." Robin grinned. "You have no idea…"

"And your going to be dealing with something right now, aren't you?"

"What tipped you off?"

"I know your patterns, Robin." Aversa said. "You're planning something. Want backup?"

"…Tempting." Robin considered. He shook his head. "Sorry. This isn't the type of operation you can go into without prior knowledge. You'll be a liability, not an asset, if you haven't been briefed on all the particular beforehand. I'd really like you on my side, but I'm not sure that'll be possible."

"I see."

"You're not just going to follow me anyway, are you?"

"Who do you take me for, Ravena? I may agree with her that your acting like an idiot, but I'm devoutly loyal." Aversa chuckled as she retreated and disappeared back into the shadows.

"I hope that's the case." Robin said softly, using his senses to make sure that she was actually gone. "I sincerely don't want to kill you."

-Excellus's (Former) Mansion-

Robin walked up to the large double doors which served as the entrance. Aversa had left him and doubled back to the palace on his request. Robin considered his options and then gently rapped on the door. No one answer, so Robin withdrew a key from his pocket and let himself in.

Unsurprisingly, at least to Robin, the fireplace was lit, alongside with the torches. The room was basked in the dim glow of firelight, and at the far side, stood a man in dark robes, wearing the same Grimleal mask as the one who attacked Robin the previous night. He was back, but this time Robin was ready.

"I thought I'd find you here." Robin commented. "The least you could do is open the door when I knocked, you know."

The figure in the dragon mask made no response. His head tilted a bit, as if questioning Robin.

"Very well. I'll explain it." Robin said, after a pause. "The attack on my house was just a diversion. Your intention all along was to destroy it, knowing that if that happened, I'd be forced to relocate elsewhere, and that I'd be alone when I relocated. After all, your sole objection was to get me alone. Not a great plan, though. What would have happened if I decided to stay at the palace? Seems kind of risky to me."

"Your office was ransacked, was it not?"

"Is that the reason you did it?" Robin blinked. "You thought that it would make me distrust the safety of the palace to the point where I would go somewhere else?"

"No. I trusted that you valued your reputation for paranoia." The figure responded. "Even though you didn't know that anyone had realized your office was ransacked, for the famed Robin of Valm to ignore such an event would be calamitous to anyone who had realized. Such behavior would be … unbecoming … of such a tactician. And that behavior is very risky for you right now. Or do you not agree?"

"You've realized." Robin grinned, a rakish predatory smile that every single one of his close friends would be shocked to see on his face. He drew a blade and settled into a combat stance. "Well, you're awfully clever, aren't you? Or at least … that's what I would like to say. But we both know you had an advantage."

"I think it's time we settled this." The Grimleal made a single gesture, and a spear dropped into his hands. A large spear with an equally impressive blade, crimson red, and bearing a single name inscribed upon it. Gungnir.

"Oh ho. Quite the impressive spear, you have there, Grimleal." Robin attacked. His speed was such that the tactician almost left behind a still image and he struck with the quickness of a striking serpent. The Grimleal reacted just as quickly, spinning the blade and deflecting the sword to the side. Robin struck again, and again, rapid slashes at high speed, forcing the Grimleal on the defensive, spear whirling.

"I'd ask if you even knew how to wield that weapon, but that seems to be the case." Robin kept up the furious assault, freely shifting between one-handed and two-handed blows to use a mixture of speed and power in his assault, freely shifting between every sword style at his disposal. Any normal fighter would have been overwhelmed by the sheer variance of strikes and attacks, but his opponent had no problem keeping up. "Though I must admit that I was under the impression that spear was abandoned in a nameless gorge between the border of Ylisse and Plegia."

The Grimleal made no response save to go on the offensive, making a move to dodge a blow from Robin. He didn't make it cleanly - Robin's sword swing caught one of the horns of the bone mask and shattered it clean off. In return, the Grimleal swung the spear laterally around to bisect the tactician. Robin dropped to the floor to avoid the slash, shooting up just as fast and then backflipping in the style of mercenaries to avoid the follow-up attack.

Now the Grimleal had the advantage, swinging the spear around him and slashing up everything in front of him. Robin had no problem, using his own blade to deflect the blows aside as they came, and carefully read his opponent's movements. With a swift blow, Robin clashed sword against spear and spun inwards. He grabbed the spear with his left hand and ripped it clean with a quick Ignis-fueled grab, tossing it aside.

"Time to tip the scales." Robin said, grimly. "When I'm this close, I won't miss."

The Grimleal moved to grapple with Robin now that he was in close, but Robin was faster still. He slammed the hilt of his blade into the Grimleal's mask, shattering it into pieces. But before he could see the identity of the figure, he felt one hand upon his chest and another on his face. A furious explosion of electricity lit up the room as the Grimleal blasted him, slamming both figures back. Robin went slamming into the far wall of the room, impacting it and cracking it behind him, but he was uninjured himself by the magical blast. He slowly got to his feet and saw the Grimleal doing the same, with his face being obscured by hood and long white hair that came free without a mask to hold them back.

"Now, you've no mask." Robin said, pointing his blade at his foe. "So I'll ask you this simple question. Who are you, Grimleal?"

"So, you want to play this game to the end, do you? Grimleal? You dare call me Grimleal?" Robin's opponent had a voice that rang with a calm fury. "Don't insult me."

"I'll call you whatever I please until I know who you are."

"I said that I saw the game that you're playing. But you're a fool if you think I'll play along." The figure got up, hood drawn over his head. "You dare question who I am? Have you lost hold of your senses? Have you forgotten the consequences of your actions? Is it even possible that you don't know who I am? Or perhaps the better question here is just who do you think you are, Robin of Valm?"

The name was accompanied with a scorn and mockery that was generally only seen in the exaggerations or plays. Such venom accompanied the words that the malice was almost palpable. Robin's eye narrowed.

"Tell you what. Why don't you introduce yourself, first." Robin suggested with a malicious grin, keeping his sword level. "I think there's quite the misunderstanding going on here, and as the guest, it's only polite that you introduce yourself first. And, afterwards, I'll do the same."

"Introduce myself?" The figure laughed, his voice cold. "Oh, I'll introduce myself, alright. I'm no guest here, not at all, but if you've lost all the desire to live and want to antagonize me like that, I'll play along with your game. But first…"

The figure raised his right hand and opened it, letting an eyepatch fall to the ground. Robin scowled and moved his hand to cover his right eye, but he knew full well that it was too late. He'd trained himself to keep the eye close, so he hadn't noticed when the eyepatch was ripped clean. His opponent had seen the wholly intact and closed right eye. His cover as 'Robin' was completely blown, and now it was impossible for him to maintain his façade. He had not, and never been, the real Robin of Valm, as his opponent had surmised. Most likely because his opponent had known where the real Robin of Valm had been the entire time.

"You came yourself, didn't you? Unfortunately, I lost the ability to track you when you stopped warping four months ago near northern Valm and went to ground to hide your trail, but I thought you were hiding, rather than anything else." The imposter Robin said. "I must admit, some time, I was under the impression that you were someone else – possibly even a Grimleal assassin that I didn't know about. But it is you, isn't it – Robin?"

The figure tossed his hood up. A thin white beard was on his face, and he had long hair tied back Chon'sin style, also white as the driven snow. His face bore the scars of many battles, chief among which was his missing right eye. His left eye was lit up with purple flames, and while his face otherwise resembled the room's other occupant, there was a look of pure fury on it.

"Yes. As you've correctly guessed, my name is Robin Wormtongue. Or, you may know be better as 'the man whose life you thought it was a good idea to imitate'. You may be able to use Ignis, but let's see you use this. Ignis Corona!" The real Robin stared at the man who was pretending to be him for the past few days as electricity crackled within the blazing red flame in his eye. He raised his hand, and a nexus of electricity appeared within it, crackling with raw power. "The fact that I didn't return for the ceremony wasn't an open invitation for imitators and frauds to try and replace me. Now, on the off chance you want a painless death, I'll give you one chance. Tell me this: who are you?"

A/N: Heh. Yes, that's been Grima imitating Robin the entire time and Robin never had any intention of returning in his role of Grandmaster. You haven't been looking at the opening gambit of a game between the two, you've been looking at the game in progress the entire time. And now comes the fun part.