-Secluded Mountain, Deep in Valm-
"And here we are." Morgan cheerfully led the group around the final bend in the rocky passageway to reveal a giant castle that had been carved into the cliffside. "Told you I knew where it was the entire time."
"Have you been here before?" Pheros asked.
"No…" Morgan considered. "Robin just left me instructions and said I couldn't miss it."
"That's enormous." Vermil stared. "Robin built this?"
"No." Morgan shook her head. "This is a historic fortress built around 400 or so years ago, the idea behind it was to serve as the final stronghold for one of two warring countries. The fortress was built, but never used – that side ended up being victorious and fell to infighting around 150 years later. Knowledge of the castle is sparse – only local rumors speak of it and it's believed to be haunted."
"Those surveys we took a few years ago…" Zulas said. "That's when Robin found out about it. Was he planning this even then?"
"I'm such an idiot!" Ravena cried. "I should have realized that he was using something like this as a base of operations. I didn't check the lists for disused fortresses and check them."
"It wouldn't have helped even if you did." Morgan said. "Robin destroyed every trace of this place in the official records. Officially, it does not exist. Anyway…"
They arrived at the doors. Morgan stepped forward, generating magical wind around her and thrust forward with it, slamming the door with the force of a gale to knock on it. The wind crashed into the doors, echoing as they did so.
"Was that really necessary?" Lucina asked, scowling.
The main door swung open a few moments later. Instead of Robin standing there, however, it was a familiar blue-haired man, who was using one hand to clean out his ears.
"Wow, that was loud. And unnecessary." Chrom said. "I saw you coming from one of the towers."
"Hey, like father, like daughter." Morgan cheered.
"Empress." Chrom ignored Morgan and bowed to Pheros. "It's my pleasure to see you. I take it that you all are here in order to help us defeat Grima?"
"You know about that?" Morgan asked.
"Aversa told Robin." Chrom looked at the group in detail. The Empress had come, alongside the group of Robin's closest followers – Zulas, Argeni, Vermil, Ravena, and Dant. Surprisingly, they were joined by Zulas's brother Balt as well as the Chon'sin samurai Say'ri. Lucina and her companions were there too, but they hung back from the main group. "Please, come in, all of you. Make yourselves comfortable. I'm afraid Robin's a bit preoccupied at the moment, but he'll be done by tonight. Get yourself ready and do whatever you have to do. We set out at dawn tomorrow."
-Conference Room (Future Children)-
"Okay. We're all assembled, right?" Morgan said, looking over the room. The Future Children had headed to one of the more spacious unused rooms within the castle. Morgan sat down. "Right, so you guys are going to get a preview of how this is going to work – Robin wants to catch Grima as off-guard as possible, so we're going to warping in. Aversa is heading there now to help out on the other end but there's a slight problem with this – namely, he can't warp all of us."
"How many can he do?" Lucina asked.
"A lot." Morgan considered. "Eleven total, but that's only with Aversa helping on the other end. We can't all go. Only two of us can make the cut, and that's where we need to make the decision."
"Which two of us to send." Inigo mused. "Robin's fine with whichever two we send?"
"…Let's say 'yes' to that for now." Morgan said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's not really germane for what we need to discuss right now."
"We're pretty strong." Severa scowled. "Why doesn't Robin take us all, instead of everyone else?"
"Because he can't take us all. We number thirteen combined and he maxes out at eleven, including him. and because he doesn't know us well enough to order around." Morgan said. "Also, because I don't think any of you would trust the two of us together at this point."
"Oh. This." Lucina closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Morgan… are you sure you want to bring this up now?"
"It's pretty simple." Morgan said. "Either you all trust me, or not."
"No, it's really not that simple." Lucina sighed. "It's not that we don't trust you, Morgan, it's that we do – but it's complicated."
"I admit that I was lying and deceiving all of you, but I had a good cause." Morgan protested. "Besides, it was for the greater good! I needed to act as a double agent because that was the best chance we had for resolving everything. And it worked!"
"Morgan…" Lucina said slowly. "If you truly believed what you were doing was right at the time, why did you think we couldn't be trusted to help you?"
"Because…" Morgan trailed off. "…I don't think that matters, Lucina."
"Say it!" Lucina said. "Say it, or I'll say it for you!"
"Because I thought you all wouldn't be able to keep the secret as well as I could, and it would jeopardize the operation."
"That's a lie!"
"Fine. It's because I didn't think the rest of you would agree with me." Morgan sighed. "It's because I was worried that you wouldn't agree with what I was doing, and I thought it better to ask forgiveness than permission. I'm a horrible person, I'm unfit to be your tactician because I act entirely for my own benefit and I do not give a damn for anyone else's. Is that what you want to hear?"
"Okay, I'm going to be really honest right now." Inigo interrupted. "Morgan … I kind of expected this in some form or another."
"Really, Inigo?" Lucina turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "You expected this?"
"Not this specifically. But, I hate to break it to you, sis, but Morgan has always been kind of a psychopath." Inigo said. "Remember that time she traumatized Yarne?"
"That was only one time…" Lucina protested.
"And then there was that time she stole all of Laurent's tome and built a tower twenty-five feet high. And then there was that time she stole Gerome's mask and gave him a collection of masks in exchange including that awful 'rampant greed' mask." Inigo was ticking them off his fingers. "That time she force-fed Brady bear guts and snake blood? That time she beat the stuffing out of Nah under the guise of 'blade-catching'? That time she naught Noire how to 'take intense naps'?"
"Oh. Ooohh, that was a rough week." Lucina winced at the memory. The Future Children were an inseparable group, but Noire's split personalities weren't easy to put up with at the best of times. Then Morgan had taught Noire to nap, but with intensity. That … that hadn't ended well. "Morgan… come to think of it, did you ever apologize for turning making Owain fetch those gemstones for you?"
"Or have you apologized for stalking my dates and silently cheering whenever one of them went south?"
"Um … no?" Morgan offered. "I have amnesia, remember? Why would I apologize for doing those things if I don't remember them?"
"THIS WAS ALL WITHIN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, MORGAN!" Inigo howled at her. "And, yes, you still pulled these kinds of stunts back then, too, but we were just fighting for our lives a little too much for you to have time by the end."
"Oh yeah. I do remember doing all that stuff." Morgan frowned. "But I don't remember silently cheering. Didn't I rig up a marching band for your 100th failed date?"
"The prosecution rests." Inigo said, sighing heavily. "She's a psychopath. Always has been, always will be. Just … our psychopath. And we knew that going into it. The fact of the matter is, yes, Morgan wasn't acting in the best faith of the rest of us. Still, she kept all the information about Lucina's true origin a secret from Robin."
"…I did do that, yeah." Morgan said. "I wasn't going to break your trust like that, Lucina. I mean, I would have if I knew Grima followed us back in time, but as it stood, I didn't think I needed to break your trust in order to save my father, so I didn't."
"Morgan … we don't hate you." Inigo said. "I'm only speaking for myself here, but we get it. We get why you acted like you did. You're no different from the rest of us. All you were doing was trying to save your father."
"Kind of like the rest of us." Lucina said. "Morgan, Inigo is right. We're upset at you right now. But we also understand you. We're mad, yes. But that's because you're still our friend."
"…So, you guys don't hate me?" Morgan tentatively asked. "Because I was prepared you know. I had a whole dramatic walkout script planned and everything. I spent weeks on the speech, let me tell you. It'd be a shame to waste it."
"You don't have to respond to everything with humor, you know." Lucina said. "It's alright for you to let the mask slip off every now and then."
"It's humor or humorless." Morgan said. "Either I joke about it or I behave like Dant. Pick one."
"I have a better idea." Lucina turned to the rest of the group. "Group hug centered on Morgan? She looks like she could use a good hug right now."
"No! No! Anything but that!" Morgan was off her chair in a flash and went for the door. Unfortunately for her, it was locked. She did have her lockpicks on her, but she wasn't fast enough to pick the door's lock before the rest of Future Children embraced her, some more willingly than others. It was, Lucina reflected, a childish way of resolving the situation with Morgan, but at the same time, childish ways were the best way of dealing with Morgan. And it worked.
-Conference Room (Crimson Squad)-
"So… are any of you guys in on the plan, or no?" Vermil asked. Zulas and Argeni were sitting together, enjoying a cup of tea. Ravena was with them, except she was sitting on top of dresser rather than on a seat, sipping tea alongside them. Say'ri was drinking tea as well, though she was sitting on her knees, Chon'sin style. Balt was in the room as well, but he elected to remain by the doorway, leaning against it.
"I am." Ravena said. "But that's because Morgaine told me about it. We've been in contact."
"So, where is our beloved black witch right now?" Argeni asked. "I would have expected her to be with us."
"She's leading an Iceberg detachment to find Grima's little shadow island. At that point, she's going to be a beacon for Robin to warp too." Ravena said. "The rest of the plan is astonishingly simple. We show up to Grima little hideaway, batter down the door, and seal him for good using Chrom's Falchion."
"Oh, is that it?" Vermil asked. He was leaning against a wall. He also was the only one in the room not drinking tea.
"You really should have some tea." Ravena said. "It's a wonderful drink, not to mention that it makes perfect small talk in almost every culture. It's a good drink to become acquainted with."
"Tea's too bitter." Vermil said. "And you give me dirty looks whenever I add sugar to it."
"I'm fine with putting sugar in tea." Ravena retorted. "What you do is put tea in sugar."
"I have a sweet tooth!"
"Counterpoint: you're currently my boyfriend." Ravena said, sipping her tea as delicately as she possibly could. "Unless you wish to say that I'm sweet?"
"I'm not sure if I want to say that you're sweet, but you're definitely saccharine, that's for sure."
"Only when I'm being ironic."
"Perfect, I prefer my sweetness to only be superficial."
"Ooh." Ravena grinned. "That was good, Vermillion. I'll have to remember that for later. Verbal sparring aside, let's get back on topic – Grima."
"What's the plan?" Balt said. "Surely there more specifics?"
"There are." Ravena agreed. "But I can't tell you all of them. It'd take too long."
"Hmmm?" Zulas interrupted. "What do you mean by that?"
"There's a trap waiting for us." Ravena said. "There's only a single trap, but even Robin isn't sure what it is. So we've made plans for almost every eventuality, but it's not something I can just give over to you guys right now. We'll tell you everything we can when the times come."
"That's not very reassuring." Balt said.
"No. But it's how Robin has always operated." Say'ri spoke up. "Actually, I'm looking forward to this. I believe that the Robin I agreed to join is back. I have no doubts in his ability. He will win – no matter the cost."
"…Do you know what that cost is?" Ravena asked, slowly.
"No. But we can guess." Balt interrupted. "Robin's never been one to do things by halves. He'd trade all our lives for the chance to kill Grima once and for all."
"You would do the same, brother." Zulas said.
"I would." Balt nodded.
"Wow, this got dark fast!" Argeni said cheerfully. "But what are all of you acting depressed about? This is Robin we're talking about. The reason why we follow him is because he can accomplish things like this without sacrificing everyone in the process. We'll all be back here once this is done, joking about how scared we were."
"Of course!" Ravena agreed.
-Hallways-
Pheros walked through the empty halls of the castle. She'd been in several over the course of her lifetime, and without that experience, she might have gotten lost. The castle wasn't overly labyrinthine in nature, but the lack of decoration definitely made it difficult to navigate. Those in the castle had naturally split off into groups – the Valmese and Ylissians. Pheros herself had excused herself. She told herself it was to give them privacy from the Valmese Empress, but she knew the real reason.
"Robin…" Pheros said, softly. She had made her way down a long hallway and was standing at the edge of it, looking out a window at the far end. The sun was slowly setting, making for a majestic view, especially when framed out of the old castle window. But Pheros couldn't bring herself to enjoy it. "Where are you? I… I miss you, Robin."
"Empress."
Pheros gave a small gasp and nearly jumped. She turned around, heart beating fast. Kneeling before her, one hand over his heart, was Robin.
"You summoned me?" Robin asked with a wry smile on his face, slowly getting to his feet. "Sorry for the shock, but I did hear you call my name?"
"You were eavesdropping!?"
"No!" Robin winced and held up his hands. "Well, not in the traditional sense. I have a charm in this building that alerts me whenever someone says my name … and a few other things. All I heard you say was my name, and I warped here."
"Oh." Pheros breathed a quite sigh of relief. "It's … it's good to see you, Robin. For real this time."
"It's a pleasure to see you too, Pheros." Robin said. "You … you aren't doing anything right now, are you? I wouldn't mind if we could talk. I mean … can we talk? Please."
"I'm not busy right now. But what do you want to talk about?" Pheros asked. "I heard from Morgan that you didn't want me here right now. Have you changed your mind? Do … do you want me here, with you?"
"You're right. I'm sorry." Robin said. "I know you must be upset with me right now, and honestly; I can't blame you. My behavior had been inexcusable."
"That's not it, Robin! I understand you; I do." Pheros said. "You had your own problems to sort out, and they were just more complex than you deserved, even for what you did. And then an evil dragon-possessed version of yourself from the future went and took over your life. I can't blame you for that in good conscience."
"It's still my responsibility, Pheros." Robin said. "There are my problems, even if I didn't choose them. You don't get to choose your problems in life, and I have to deal with them. I can't expect you to involve yourself with me any more than you have to. I really can't expect that from anyone, and to be honest, it's probably the best decision you could make to walk away right now. Truth be told, I'm still a mess."
"But when hasn't that been true?" Pheros asked. "Robin … are you scared right now?"
"A little." Robin shook his head. "Would you join me on the balcony, Pheros? The night air is unusually pleasant tonight, and the view from the balcony is a sight to behold."
"I suppose I can't refuse with an offer like that." Pheros looked around. "So, which way is it to the stairs?"
"Take my hand." Robin offered. Pheros did so.
-Castle Robin, Castle Keep-
With a blinding flash, the two of them were teleported. Robin smiled as he saw Pheros blink and look around. The two of them were now outside the castle upon the highest balcony in the castle. The moon was full, reflecting a dim light across the dark forests and mountains before them. The night sky itself was wonderfully clear, full of stars and other wonders. Twin torches glowed softly behind them, illuminating the balcony.
"It's wonderful, Robin." Pheros said.
"The view is better during dawn, of course." Robin admitted. "But I've always felt that there's a certain charm to the night sky. Or wouldn't you agree?"
"I do love the stars." Pheros said, standing next to Robin as the two of them watched in silence. "It's been a long time since it was just the two of us, Robin. Five years."
"Pheros … I'm sorry …"
"I know you are." Pheros sighed. "Robin, it's not so easy for me to forgive you for leaving me, you know. And when you didn't come back, and all that happened…"
"I was going to, I promise." Robin said. "Pheros, I told you that we'd dance once all this was over. I meant to come back during the coronation, I was going to dance with you then."
"So why didn't you come back earlier?" Pheros said. Left unspoken was the accusation. It was your fault that Grima was able to mimic being you because you didn't come back when you should have. Pheros was too kind to make the accusation, perhaps even too kind to even think it. No matter. Robin could do it for her.
"I…" Robin swallowed. No more lies. "I wasn't intending to come back, Pheros. I actually came to the capitol a few weeks before Grima did, but I did it in disguise and I was going to remain that way the entire time."
"Oh? Ravena said that she had spies everywhere."
"She did. I subverted one of her cells, easy enough, and used them to conceal my presence. Once that was done, I faked a background check to become a head butler in the palace." Robin said. "That gave me free access. I was going to slip in during the dance using a suitable mask and work my way into getting a dance with you."
"And then leave just as fast as you came." Pheros said.
"I didn't think I was ready to be back." Robin said, closing his eye. "I wouldn't have come back as it is, but this is a threat that I need to handle."
"It's been five years, Robin." Pheros said. "That hasn't been long enough?"
"I have around thirty years of amnesia." Robin said. "Pheros, it's unreasonable to expect me to come back just because the celebration happened. I left for a good reason, so I could only return on my own schedule. You don't want me to go back to my old ways, do you?"
"I want my tactician back." Pheros said. "I want you back. Am I going to lose you after this?"
"…" Robin turned away. "Please don't make me answer that question, Pheros."
"Robin!"
"You very well might." Robin said, gazing up at the sky. "Pheros, even for someone of my strength, no battle is guaranteed. I am still mortal. I could die at any moment on the battlefield. Could you accept me like that, Pheros?"
"I couldn't accept you as someone who was willing to throw his life away." Pheros said. "But that isn't you, Robin. That isn't the you that I knew. And unless something changed in those five years, that isn't you now."
"A lot has happened in these past five years." Robin said slowly. "And that's not even counting the events of the past week."
"Tell me about them."
"Pheros, are you sure?" Robin turned to her. "It's not very interesting, I assure you."
"I'm still your friend, Robin. And you have precious few enough of those left." Pheros said, kindly. "Please, Robin? Would you tell me about what you've been doing since I last saw you?"
"I rebuilt this castle, for one." Robin said. "I spotted it on the old surveys records – it's out of place, only of strategic use for borders which belong to countries that haven't existed for over two hundred years. I wiped them from the records a while ago, back when I first became Battlemaster. I renovated the place a bit, trying to get it as usable as possible. That took … a year and a half, I think, top to bottom. Though I was also traveling a bit during that time."
"Made a lot easier with that warping ability of yours." Pheros said. "You left a breadcrumb trail for Ravena to track you down deliberately, didn't you?"
"She'd go mad with worry if I didn't." Robin said. "So while I was running small errands, I made a few slip-ups that would eventually make their way to her. I debated about whether or not to make her waste her time and energy trying to find me, but she'd do it anyway."
"You gave Ylisse the secret to the Flare tome, fought in the Regna Ferox arena, and were performing spot checks on the Wolfguard." Pheros said. "Not to mention that I've a few other things I suspect you of being responsible for, like the disappearance of a Grimleal sect causing trouble, or a shipping monopoly going broke from bad investments overnight."
"Ah, I almost forgot about that last one. That one was a special case. One of my apprentices had her father run out of business by their crooked business practices." Robin said. "Economics isn't my specialty, but I think I can learn to enjoy something like that."
"One of your apprentices?" Pheros said. "Robin, did you create a second personal army?"
"Ha! Not exactly." Robin laughed. "I guess you could call them that, but that would be generous. I traveled around the Empire, though my version of traveling was more or less warping from point to point. And, occasionally, I ran into people who asked me to teach them things. A farmhand looking for sword lessons, a sheltered librarian looking for an instructor in magic, a hermit who only sought a decent opponent in chess every now and then. Alongside a few others."
"So you made friends during your journey. That's nice."
"They didn't know me as Robin, of course." Robin said. "To them I was a wide variety of characters of various names. Not entirely lies, of course – they were all based off some aspect of my personality or another. The monopoly incident, for instance, was with a young girl named Viviane. I met her in Port Valm, when I was fishing."
"…Fishing?" Pheros raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Robin said defensively. "I'm not allowed to have a hobby? I needed some way to relax and I picked up a book in Rosanne that said fishing, when properly done, was a hobby that relaxed both the body and the mind, so I thought I'd try it out."
Pheros laughed at that, a clear and joyful sound.
"You really find it so funny?"
"I'm just picturing you, with the entire country looking for you, sitting alone on a dock." Pheros said. "Probably with an empty bucket next to you and just sitting alone, trying to catch fish. Meanwhile, Ravena is going crazy trying to find you and half the spies of the entire nation are on the lookout, and you're sitting on a dock, failing to catch fish."
"That is kind of funny when you put it that way." Robin chuckled. "Vivianne used to make fun of me like that too. I'd show up every month or two and go fishing, and I would catch maybe one fish a year. She used to say that if I came more often, I'd catch more fish."
"So, you would go to the Valm Docks to relax, at which point there was a little girl there who would pester you."
"Yeah." Robin said. "I really made her day when she showed up, because most of the other people there were kind of sick of her, but I didn't mind her company, so she hung around me. Kind of like a younger version of Ravena."
"So, she was your fishing apprentice?"
"Numbers and mathematics, actually." Robin said. "Her old man worked in the shipping business, so she had a decent grasp of it to begin with, but when she hung around me, I taught her the basics of numbers and calculations, and then worked my way up to the stuff that Vermil does. I may have neglected to tell her just how difficult it should have been. It's going to be really fun when her father realizes how useful Vivianne is going to be to his business."
"So, what happened with the monopoly?"
"It was around three years ago, I think. You'd know the day better than I. She was in tears. Her father tried hiding it, but Vivianne was smart enough to know what was going on, so she told me about it." Robin said. "I don't believe in interfering without just cause, but Vivianne was a friend of mine. So I did something about it. Always good to remind the big fish in the pond that there's always a bigger fish."
"Sounds like you were busy, Robin." Pheros said.
"I was, believe me." Robin said. No more lies. "Two years."
"Hmm?"
"Two years." Robin repeated. "If this mess hadn't happened, that's how long it would be from now until I felt ready to come back. Two more years of experiences, training, teaching, and traveling. That's what I think is necessary."
"…Two years is a long time, Robin." Pheros said. "So I take it that means you want to remain here, alone, after all this is over."
"No."
"No?"
"There's another reason why I never showed up at all." Robin said. "Ravena. Morgaine. Zulas. Argeni. Vermil. Say'ri. And, of course, you. Pheros, do you remember that night five years ago?"
"I could never forget it."
"A gift, given freely with nothing expected it return. That was what you gave me. Even still…" Robin said. "You don't know how I've longed to return that gift these past five years."
"You wanted to … return my gift…" Pheros whispered.
"I've wanted to return it with one of my own." Robin embraced Pheros suddenly, giving the Valmese Empress no time to react. "I love you too, Pheros."
"Oh … that's what you meant." Pheros shook her head as she wrapped her own arms around Robin. "You really should be more careful with what you say to women."
"Why should I bother? You're the only one for me, after all." Robin said. "And no matter what I say, you can see the truth deep in my heart. And this is the truth, Pheros: I didn't want to see you again without saying that to you."
"Robin, I love you dearly, but you talk too much." Pheros said. "Just shut up and kiss me."
"As my Empress commands." With that, the two of them completed their embrace with a brief, but passionate kiss. Moments later, the two broke apart, but still kept each other at arms' length. Robin smiled. "Pheros, may I ask something of you?"
"Of course."
"Would you take this for me?" Robin retrieved a small dark stone from a pocket of his coat. It was almost ugly. It didn't shine with polish, nor have a sheen of any kind. The whole stone was the same uniform color, purple verging on almost black, which never changed even a shade on any point of the stone.
"What is it, Robin?" Pheros asked as she took the stone. She could feel magic radiating out from it, powerful dark magic that reminded her of Robin.
"I took an empty dragonstone and inscribed it with a unique magic formula. I've been keeping it close to my heart so it could recognize me. Give it back for a moment." Robin retrieved a small locket from a different pocket which he slotted the returned stone into. He closed the locket, and suddenly the magic emanations vanished. "If you're going to hold onto it for me, then you'll want this, so people don't sense the presence of dark magic at all times."
"How thoughtful. What is it?"
"I suppose … it's my version of an engagement ring." Robin said, placing the locket over Pheros's head. "Of all the magic that I've tried making over the years, this is my most precious one. And it would mean the most to me if you had it. As for what it does … well … actually, I'm not even sure."
"You aren't sure." Pheros repeated, in a skeptical tone.
"Let's just call it my final Forbidden spell and leave it at that." Robin said. "It's not something that I can even use or would even be a good fit for me if I kept it on my person. I usually leave it in a safe location, but it's better off in your hands. Would you take care of it for me?"
"If it means that much to you, I shall." Pheros said, tucking the pendant inside her clothes to conceal it. "Engagement ring, Robin? Don't you consider that fast?"
"No. We already know each other quite well." Robin said. "I want to marry you because you're dedicated toward idealism but keep your head on your shoulders when it comes to the reality of our world. Of all those I know, you have the ability to cut through to my intentions. You compliment me like a matched blade, Pheros."
"And you yourself are quite the catch, Robin." Pheros said. "Despite all your claims and the fact that you distance yourself, you've quite the knack for making friends of enemies and pulling people closer together. Not to mention that you aren't one to ever quit, and you have the ingenuity to make your dreams reality."
"So… do you accept?"
"Yes. Of course I do, Robin." Pheros said. "The ceremony will be small, out of necessity. Shall we call it six months from now?"
"I would have it now if you wanted it, Pheros." Robin said. "Why wait?"
"As enjoyable as that would be, it's not a way to do things." Pheros said. "It would be improper for the Empress of Valm to be married instantly, not to mention the people we'll need to invite. Besides, you don't think I'd want a wedding like this, do you?"
"No." Robin chuckled. "I'd never take away your fairytale wedding from you, Pheros. Very well. At your command, we shall be wed, and not a moment before."
"Good night, Robin." Pheros gave him a quick peck on the cheek before walking towards the stairs. "Remember to get enough sleep tonight."
Robin waited until she was gone and then laughed out loud. He looked up to the clear night sky. "Pheros still loves me. So it seems that Chrom was right. But that does make me wonder … what else is he right about?"
Robin stood outside, looking up at the night's sky. Thoughts ran freely through his mind as he did so, and he thought about what was to come. He couldn't predict the future, but he could predict himself. He had a plan for how he was going to deal with Grima, a plan that wouldn't fail.
But where the consequences going to be too grave? Robin decided that he would remain outside, thinking about it and weighing his decision. It wasn't something to make without consequence, after all. Pheros did tell him to get enough sleep, but he knew full well what the chances of him seeing another night after this one was. And, regardless, he didn't feel any need for it. The dead needed no sleep, and if he was alive, he'd relish the opportunity to sleep free of any weights over his head.
Robin didn't end up getting much sleep that night at all.
A/N: Reminder: the ending to this story isn't set in stone. Votes can be submitted to me using the link: www. strawpoll. me/ 20287362 (just remove the spaces because FFN hates links, or go to my AO3 version which has the link). They can also be submitted via comments on AO3, or DMs on , though if you choose those options, I'd really appreciate a comment or review to go along with that vote. Voting is open until Robin actually has to make the choice, so ... get voting!
Am I kind of a horrible person for establishing the vote before certain events in this chapter? ...Maybe. But what is done cannot be undone, you know. Remember: the vote is still open and will be open right up until the decision is made. I WILL give a warning when that happens. Make your choice carefully, if you haven't already.
