Author's note: What? Could it be? Am I seriously posting a nearly 10,000-word chapter less than 2 and a half weeks after the last chapter? When it took a whole 3 months for that last chapter to come out? The answer is yes! I am! So I hope you guys like what I have in store. Here's hoping I'll get the next chapter out sometime soon too! Now without further ado, enjoy.
As they got closer to the jump spot in the Bottomless Canyon, the lava spots became less and less frequent until they were gone entirely. Replacing them were scraggly trees and sparse half-dead grass. Gone were the chasms and smoke, mounds of dirt and rock and a widespread fog dominating the landscape instead. No more crackle or pop of fire to fill the air, just the whipping sound of wind as it echoed off the cliffs and rattled the leafless branches around them. They'd moved from one harsh landscape to another.
With the change in scenery had also come a change in temperature. It had dropped from hellish warmth to unpleasant chill. For those who wore coats or long clothing such as Robin and Ryoma, the cold wasn't unbearable. Uncomfortable, certainly, but better than the heat. No one would be dying from the temperatures they were in. Unfortunately, the effects of the temperature were worse than they needed to be because of where they'd come from. In the lava fields it was hot enough that everyone was sweating, their clothes becoming damp even with all the sweat that had evaporated quickly. Moving from the heat to the cold, and the windy cold at that, meant the sweat was no longer evaporating, and the water in their clothes held the cold far better than the fabric alone would have. The damp cloth sucked in the chill, leaving several people shivering as they headed to their destination. The temperature dropped more and more the farther they descended into the canyon, meaning things would only get worse.
They had rested for about twenty or thirty minutes around the edge of where the lava fields turned into rocky mountains and canyon, but even that hadn't restored everyone to full health, nor had it been enough to get everyone dry. Robin was slightly regretting his decision to move on so quickly, and he could tell Ryoma was too by the way he grimaced when his eyes landed on any one of the many shivering soldiers around them.
The decision to return to their march so quickly had been made by Robin, Corrin, Ryoma, and Azura together when they realized how little time they had left. When Azura had asked if the skies seemed to be moving any faster than they usually do, and Ryoma said he thought they were, the four began to feel they had less time than they'd initially thought.
Just what did it mean for the skies to change? Did it mean a one hundred percent flip? A complete change in appearance, until Nohr looked as Hoshido had, and Hoshido Nohr? And would the portal close as soon as the flip was completed, or would it change as soon as it started? Or somewhere in the middle, but that wasn't as dire an idea of the portal closing at the start of the change. There was probably some sort of threshold, but no one in the party knew it. They just knew it was time to get a move on.
Once they resumed walking, Corrin was practically abducted by Hinoka, who brought in Ryoma, Sakura, and Takumi as well. Robin noticed Ryoma look over to Azura as if he wanted her to join them too, but she'd looked away and ducked behind Jakob, who appeared confused but didn't do anything to move her away. There was something awkward between her and the Hoshidan royal family. Maybe...she felt like she didn't really belong.
Robin moved over to her and Jakob to find out.
"How are you two faring?" he asked, falling in step beside Azura. Jakob was on her other side, a slight limp in his step. Robin didn't point it out.
"Tired," Azura admitted. "I sang a lot today. I don't know how much more I can do in the next battle."
Robin's eyes widened, and he clenched his fists. Gods, what was he thinking? He'd put her on recovery duty for the entire battle, giving her specific instructions not to use her naginata so she could devote her full strength to her song. It wouldn't be that bad if it simply sapped away at the energy she had at the moment, but from what he'd discussed with her before the song sapped away at her life in general. It killed her every time she tried to use it to calm someone down or to restore their energy. Her life for theirs. Robin had no idea how many people she'd sang to in the battle against Hans, but he was sure she had to have just shortened her life by a significant amount. He hadn't seen her anywhere during their rest period, so he started to think she had been hiding somewhere to keep anyone from seeing her pain.
Damn. As thorough and careful as he'd tried to be, he'd still managed to overlook something so major in his plan. And now Azura was going to pay. Or already was.
The three of them were walking in step, the sounds of their shoes hitting the ground adding to the echoes of other footsteps and chatter and wind in the air.
"Then don't worry too much about the next fight," Robin told her. "Don't push yourself past your limits. If you feel like you can't go on, tell me and I'll sub you out."
Azura frowned. "For who? I'm the only one with this ability. No one else can revitalize the others. If I'm unable to battle-"
"It would be better to sit out one battle than to sit out for all the rest," Jakob said, interrupting Azura. Azura turned to face him, so Robin could no longer see her face. "You're a very important member, yes, but you need to rest as well. I don't even want to imagine how Lady Corrin would react if you were to fall on the battlefield because you'd exhausted yourself to the point you could no longer defend yourself. Nor do I wish to see you fall at all. You're an important asset to our team and a good woman. Take care of yourself. Don't be like the idiot standing next to you."
Azura nodded based on the way her hair bobbed up and down, and Robin smirked. He was fairly certain Jakob was referring to him with the idiot comment, but decided to get a little quip in anyway.
"Yeah, Jakob's right. Don't be like him."
Jakob's left eye twitched. He glared at Robin. "You and I both know the idiot who can't take care of himself isn't me. You look like you could topple over at any moment as well."
Robin raised a hand to his chest and did his best to look offended. "Me? No, it couldn't be!" He smirked, and Azura giggled. Jakob made a noise of discontent. "But I don't really look that bad, do I?"
Azura looked him up and down. "You certainly look more pale than usual, and aren't standing as straight as you normally do. I think we're both tired right now."
"Mm. Guess so." Robin faced forward once more, sighing dramatically when he saw the dip ahead. It wasn't grand, but he could see the land go down, which meant they were going to have to walk downhill. His legs couldn't take it anymore. He just wanted to sit.
Ryoma must've wished the same thing, as he shouted for everyone to pause before heading over to Robin. His siblings trailed him.
"We've made more progress, and the skies look like they've slowed. Would it be alright if we stopped again? Just for five or so minutes. The walk downhill will be nothing pleasant, and I know I'm not feeling like doing it right now after our fight, so yo- so Corrin's men will likely be even less up to it, since you all were fighting and travelling longer than we were," Ryoma explained.
Robin nodded. "That's fine by me. Five minutes hopefully won't be the difference between making it or not, so we should be alright."
"Ugh, why couldn't we have taken an extra five minutes back at the first rest spot where it wasn't freezing?" Takumi grumbled, shoving his hands under his armpits and lowering his chin into his scarf. He continued grumbling something under his breath, but whatever it was was smothered by the scarf so Robin couldn't make it out.
Takumi stopped his muttering when he realised the others were staring at him. "What? Did I do some- oh please don't tell me you actually heard that!" His voice turned to an almost whine at the end, and the prince blushed when his siblings plus Jakob and Robin nodded. "Damnit…"
"Takumi, language," Ryoma warned.
"..." Takumi grumbled again, and buried his face deeper into his scarf.
Ryoma told Robin he'd take care of informing everyone of their short stop, and then yelled to do just so. He had a far louder voice than Robin did, so he was glad not to have to do it himself. Plus his throat still hurt from coughing on smoke. Being in the lava fields for so long definitely hadn't been good for his throat or lungs.
The area they chose for their second stop had a fair number of trees, so Robin sat down and put his back against one, closing his eyes. The tree kept the wind off his back, and there was grass underneath him that made for a nice cushion, so he was too comfortable to bother keeping them open to check things out.
So when someone shouted what felt like a second later that they could see Nohrian troops approaching from the bottom of the mountain, Robin's heartbeat shot up like crazy as he jumped to his feet, trying to use the tree to pull himself to a standing position.
"Can you tell whether it's Xander's troops or not?" Robin shouted as he tried to orient himself, moving to get a better look down the mountain.
"They're definitely Nohrian, but I don't know what Prince Xander or his men look like, so I couldn't tell you," the person who'd first shouted responded. They were one of the people Ryoma had brought with him, so Robin didn't know their name.
Robin stared down the mountain, trying to get an idea of who they would be facing. Or, if it was Xander, Who they would be gaining as allies.
Almost everyone in the new group was on a horse. He could see some wielded bows, some swords, and some tomes. So a range of weapons, then. There were also a few generals set up in protective formations, with what looked like mages standing in the middle of them. That was a pretty good strategy, if Robin was being honest. To get the mage you would have to get through the generals first, and while you were busy with the generals the mage could go crazy.
The troops weren't flickering, and didn't have that strange purple glow the invisible troops did, so they were at least human, no matter who they were. But they were set up in battle formation, so they were certainly prepared for a fight. Maybe even looking for one.
The only mistake Robin could see in their formation was their general location. The bottom of a hill was not the place to be, especially when your opponents were at the top.
Though, when said opponents were trying to get to a very specific place, and that required them to cross through the bottom… it was a good bottleneck, at least.
"Do you think it might be Xander?" Robin asked as Camilla approached him, Elise at her side.
"No. His guard is made up almost entirely of cavalry as we see with this new group, but Xander doesn't take mages with him. I don't see any mercenaries either," Camilla answered.
"Plus, there aren't any blonds in the group!" Elise added, jumping a bit. She was oddly hyper for having fought in one battle, and been faced with a second not long after. It was slightly disturbing. Didn't she realize how bad things were?
Although it was probably for the best that she didn't, so Robin didn't voice his thoughts. He had a feeling Camilla would do something bad to him if he did anything to hurt Elise's innocent, naive demeanor.
"Ah yes," Camilla said with a smile. "Thank you, Elise."
Elise winked. "You got it!" She then scanned the area below before making another comment. "No bright blue and pink either, so Xander is definitely not there. He wouldn't leave Peri behind."
Robin bit his lower lip.. "Then do you know who is leading these soldiers?"
"Iago." Beruka butted in, startling Robin and Elise.
"And of course Iago is the one below…" Camilla growled, voice filled with disgust. Robin could sense a story behind the emotion, but didn't want to pry. Camilla was a complicated woman and he wasn't sure he was qualified to deal with that. Not while he still didn't know her very well.
Robin instead chose to focus on Iago in general, rather than whatever relationship he had with Camilla. "Can I ask who Iago is?"
Camilla made another face, and Robin suddenly felt he'd asked the wrong question anyway.
Selena responded for her liege, having walked over when Beruka did. "He's King Garon's primary tactician. His right hand man, basically. He does a ton of underhanded and manipulative stuff to make things go his way and he's infamous for making people disappear in ways that obviously shout foul play, except no one's going to say anything about the king's top man. Especially not when that guy's great at magic and can fry you from another room without breaking a sweat. So basically he's a class A jerk with class A magic skills. Untouchable so far, but begging to be shot down."
Well. That was certainly a description.
So Iago was a tactician, then? No wonder the men below seemed so well placed compared to anyone else Corrin's army had faced so far.
Still, something didn't sit right with Robin. "What an insult," he complained, kicking a rock.
"What do you mean by that?"
"He's an insult to the tactician name. Tactician are supposed to do good for the people, not carry out shady actions and make people disappear. Or manipulate others for their own good. That's not what it's about."
Selena blinked. "Uh Robin, what do you mean by that last part? Don't you think you might be being a little hypocritical? Or confused about the job description?"
Robin gave her a blank stare.
Selena continued. "The manipulating people thing. Isn't that your job? To get people to do what you want? So we can win?"
"Mm." Robin crossed his arms. "Well, to some extent, but in a good way. A good tactician lets people know why they're doing what they're doing. They don't manipulate people to ruin their lives or get them killed, as it seems Iago does based on what you've told me. They give people a choice," he said, then rushing under his breath, "even if they get really frustrated when people don't do what they say," then returned to normal speed and volume, "so there's a big difference between whatever horrible things Iago's doing and what a real tactician is supposed to do. Or one with morals, at any rate. A true tactician's actions should be 'guiding,' rather than 'manipulative.'"
"Whatever lets you sleep at night," Selena muttered.
Robin had to try very hard to keep himself from glaring at her. He was being serious, not deluding himself. But she wasn't the person to try to argue with. For one, she was extremely stubborn so he doubted he would win in any timely fashion. For another, she had had a very bad experience with another 'Robin,' and his tactics had led to the deaths of people she knew and loved. That Robin was probably more Iago like.
...But was that Robin even Robin? Was it a Robin that fell under Grima's influence, or was it a puppet that Grima took control of, shoving that Robin's mind away? Or even eliminating it altogether?
Was that Robin someone who'd come to hate the world, feeling Grima's ways were better than anything the Shepherds could've done? Someone who thought his friends deserved to suffer and die for something they'd done? Or was he someone who was taken over immediately, good one moment, gone the next?
Lucina had never fully described what happened to him in her future. She said her father was killed by his best friend, and that it had been at the Dragon's Table. Shortly thereafter Grima had started his reign of terror. That was about it.
When Robin, this Robin, himself, had been at the Dragon's Table, he hadn't felt any malice. There was no desire to kill Chrom. He felt dizzy and a little sluggish, but his emotions weren't influenced at all. He was trying to get up and tell Chrom to move when suddenly he realized something else was there, and focused all of the power and control left in his body to lessen the blow that he knew was about to strike his best friend. No desire to hurt Chrom, just Robin's wish to save him.
It might have been the same for the other Robins, for Lucina and Selena's Robins, but he couldn't say for sure. Maybe his emotions weren't influenced because he knew the possession was coming and thus Grima didn't bother with any attempts. Or maybe they weren't influenced because Grima didn't have that power. Though, with the way he was feeling lately, he had some doubts in the second one. Grima hadn't admitted it, but Robin was starting to think Grima had some sort of influence on him, even if only passive.
He looked down the mountain once again, assessing the situation.
Iago's men were holding formation, and their exit route was entirely blocked. There were troops in a line covering every open area, the only paths lacking troops covered in trees and mounds of dirt and rock that would be far too difficult to pass through. Ranged units were dispersed throughout the battlefield, in position to hit anyone who tried getting in the few gaps that Iago had left. There was no getting around them, and no getting through them without a confrontation.
"It looks like we don't have an option, we have to fight."
Camilla nodded. "I'll collect my dear little Corrin and bring her here so you two can make a plan."
"Thank you," he responded as Camilla, her retainers, and Elise left.
Camilla came back about a minute later, Corrin, Ryoma, Azura, and surprisingly Scarlet following her. Robin hadn't noticed her before, but he assumed she must have come with Ryoma. Had she stayed with him after the battle in Cyrkensia?
"So we're in for another battle right away then?" Corrin asked, waving down to where Iago's troops were.
No one below reacted. They had to be able to see Robin and the rest of the people higher up the mountain. Why hadn't they started to charge yet?
Robin nodded. "We are. Iago's men aren't moving for now, but there's no telling if and when they'll start coming after us. They have far more cavalry units than we do, so they'd be at an advantage speed wise. At least for picking us off. We should get ready."
Corrin looked concerned. "Is there no way for us to avoid this battle? To go back and take another route to the jump spot? I know this is the only way through if we start from here, but I noticed another path near the exit of the lava fields, and that might get us to where we need to go without having to fight again. We're exhausted as it is, and I don't want anyone getting hurt if we can avoid it."
Azura shook her head. "We can't afford to turn back now. The skies are going to change soon. Any moment. Our short breaks have already cost us. We don't have the time to walk all the way back to the lava fields only to turn around and take a path that may or may not get us to the jump spot in the Bottomless Canyon. We know this path will take us where we need to go. We don't know for certain that the other path does. We have to keep moving on as we have."
"So our only option really to stay and fight," Corrin muttered. "But it's not much of an option at all though, when there's one." She sounded tired. Frustrated. But still her voice picked up, her eyes brightening. "Then the fight is on! We can't let things end here, not when we're so close to finally reaching the place we've been aiming for!"
"Yeah, we can't let those dastards get the drop on us!" Scarlet chimed in, a grin on her face. "I'm gonna get revenge for all the men he's killed. I'm not letting him get away with what he's done!"
Ryoma nodded. "It's time, then." He turned to face the rest of their forces and started to raise his arm, but stopped. He turned to face Corrin. "Perhaps I should leave this to you. Your forces equal mine, and yours have been fighting longer."
"Maybe they have," Corrin admitted, "but you're the one with more authority here. You're crown prince, and you as a person have been fighting far longer than I have. I still feel like I'm making things up as I go. So I think you should be the one calling everyone to arms. I've taken on responsibility with the people I know, but your men don't know me, and I don't know them. So…"
Ryoma raised a hand, acknowledging her words. He then turned to their forces once more, shouting his orders.
"Everyone! As you've heard, there are Nohrian troops waiting for us at the bottom of this mountain. We have a limited amount of time to reach our destination, and and the time to turn back has come and gone, so we must push through them! Today is not the day we run away from our opponents. Today is the day we defeat these corrupt monsters! Prepare yourself for another battle, and may we come out the victors!"
The Hoshidans in the group cheered. Some of Corrin's forces still looked uneasy though, so she stepped up to reassure them.
"I know we may be tired and a bit battered, but we can pull through. We have a terrain advantage, and don't forget we have reinforcements on their way. There's no way we're going down after putting in so much effort to get here! So press on and fight, and this battle's as good as ours!"
Corrin's encouragement seemed to work, as the expressions of uncertainty melted into confidence. Or at the very least neutrality. Most had taken on smiles though, and Robin was proud of Corrin.
She really had a way of speaking. Perhaps she wasn't the most eloquent, but she was one of the most motivational speakers Robin had heard when she set her mind to it. She had a way of getting even great people and strangers to listen to her. She'd been growing into her abilities as the journey went on, so Robin was curious to see how good she'd be by their journey's end.
Of course, before they got to the end, they had to make it through the day.
Robin smiled, and spoke to Corrin. "Which way are you planning on heading? I'll-"
Corrin cut him off as she whipped around before Robin could so much as blink, an intense frown on her face. "-be staying right here." Robin's smile fell away. That was fast. And intense. "Don't pout. You said yourself that you're not doing well, so you won't be fighting. I'm going to have Benny stay here with you, plus one of Ryoma's men that he said didn't look to hot either. Leave this battle to me. You can use your tome from up here if you absolutely need to, but you need to promise you won't push yourself."
The look of determination Corrin wore told Robin he wasn't going to be able to convince her to let him go. She was leaning toward him, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed, eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed. Not the look of a woman who would take 'no' for an answer.
So he took a step back, and held up his hands in a sign of surrender. "I promise," he said, trying to look as positive as he could. He wasn't sure he was doing a very good job of it. "I'll stay back. You can take the rest from here."
It hurt a little, being told not to fight. Fighting was what he was good at. Strategizing was what he was best at. Being banned from both wasn't something he was very happy with.
But it was for his own sake, for his health, so he supposed it was good. Even if he couldn't really convince himself to feel that way.
Corrin moved back into a regular standing position. "Well, maybe not the rest. You could still help with figuring out our plan of attack, if that's alright. I'd uh, really appreciate that actually. I'm good with a sword, and I may be able to talk, but that doesn't mean I can plan like you can. That's your area to shine in."
Robin's mood brightened, and he agreed. He wondered: had Corrin said that because she needed the help, or because she'd seen he was upset? It didn't particularly matter so he didn't think much of it, but it was nice to know she cared.
As they finished forming their plan of attack, Iago's forces began to move. There were a few things Robin would've liked to elaborate on, but they didn't have the time.
Corrin and Ryoma's combined forces descended the mountain, while Robin stayed at the top, watching them take to the battlefield.
He really wished he had a Mire tome at the moment. He'd only used dark magic a few times, preferring to stick to Anima spells instead, and had never touched a Mire tome, but he'd seen the type of destruction it could bring. And more importantly, the impressive range it boasted. No other tome he'd seen came close. No Anima tome still in existence, at least. He'd heard of other tomes with extreme ranges like Mire, but they were all listed as relics long lost, and he'd never seen a single one.
Without any sort of long range weapon, Robin was left to watch and wait. If one of Iago's troops managed to slip by the rest of Corrin and Ryoma's combined forces then he might have someone to fight. But that probably wouldn't happen. So he sat down, crossing his legs and looking down at the various matches that were going on.
The battle looked about equal. The fog in the valley had cleared for a moment, and there were no spots Robin could see that held a significant number of bodies. Corrin's and Ryoma's combined forces had more troops than Iago did, but they were also more tired. Hopefully it wouldn't turn into a battle of endurance, because Robin wasn't confident they could win one without Xander appearing with reinforcements. Who knew when, or even if, that would happen.
Behind him, Benny and an onmyouji Robin didn't know were talking about something having to do with squirrels and rivers. A much lighter topic than the battle. Benny was sitting out because he still seemed woozy from the fight in the lava fields, and the onmyouji had taken a hit to the head and had been advised to stay back and take the time to recover. Head injuries were no laughing matter. Staves and festals could help, but they weren't perfect, and some things needed time to fix. Thankfully the onmyouji hadn't taken a hard enough blow to get a concussion, but Sakura and Jakob had suggested the onmyouji stay behind, and he agreed. Ryoma may have nudged the man toward decision a bit too.
Feeling he was safe enough for the moment, and confident in his abilities to react if something did come up, Robin decided to initiate a conversation with Grima. There wasn't much he could do by watching, and he'd gotten a good enough sense of everyone's fighting styles to be okay drifting off.
'Hey Grima, you in there?' Robin asked.
'Where else would I be?' Grima responded, clearly irritated. It seemed excessive. Robin's question hadn't held any malice.
'Asleep or nonresponsive, like you have been most of the times I've tried to talk to you,' Rpbin responded.
'Hm.' Robin had the feeling that Grima was smirking somehow. 'I'd still be "in here" even if I was.'
'You seem especially snarky today. Is something bothering you?'
Grima didn't respond for almost thirty seconds. 'How are you feeling?'
Robin grew confused. What was the point of asking that question? Did Grima care about his health or something? He had said something about not wanting Robin to injure their body earlier. 'Not the best. Kind of achy. A little bit of nausea. A tiny headache that I'm pretty sure you caused. It's nothing that'll stop me from moving on. Why, are you worried I'm ruining your chance at having a perfect body?'
Grima ignored his last question to ask more of his own. 'When did you first notice your ailments?'
Confusion turned to concern. Grima was being a lot more...gentle...than usual. Considerate, maybe. But Robin couldn't think of anything that would have prompted the change.
'At the end of our earlier march, around the time we first entered the lava fields. It got a lot worse during the fight with Hans and his men. And probably hit the worst spot during our long rest earlier. But I've slowly been feeling better since then. Why?'
'...' Grima took a breath. Or made some sort of noise that sounded like an inhale to Robin. He wasn't sure what Grima could do, given his current situation. He hadn't made Robin breath, but there'd been the sound of an inhale nonetheless.
Robin's expression darkened. It wasn't time to hide things. 'Look. We're in this together right now. We share a body, even if I'm the only one controlling it right now. And since I'm the one controlling it, I want to know what's wrong with it, especially if you're the one who's caused it somehow.'
Grima muttered a 'fine.'
He began his explanation with a sigh. 'I "woke up" roughly a day and a half ago, while you were resting in camp. It took me several hours to orient and collect myself, so you were already on the move by the time I was awake enough to be fully aware of what was going on.
'Even though I was awake and aware, I was still plagued by exhaustion. There was something missing that did not seem to be coming back, as much as I wished it would. I tried to call back my power, but there was no result. You seemed to be unaware of my attempts and I didn't wish to distract you from your current goal, especially not in the sorry state I was in, so I kept quiet.
'I kept at my attempts, and this morning I felt something finally connect. I thought my power was returning naturally as it should have, but I appear to have been wrong.'
'How so…?' Robin asked, suspicious.
'My power wasn't returning on its own. I was drawing it from another source. One close enough to me for my...perhaps not body, but for my existence to recognize it as my own.'
Robin's eyes widened. 'Wait, you've been stealing power from me!? Is that why I feel so bad?'
Grima hummed as confirmation. 'Unintentionally, I promise. But yes, I suppose I have, and that's likely the reason for your weakness.'
'Why did you choose to draw power from me while I was in the middle of a battle, of all times? I could have gotten killed. I got close to it on more than one occasion.'
'As I said, the draw was unintentional at first, and it began during your march, not the battle. It simply continued until then. I knew I was gathering power from somewhere, but I originally attributed it to a natural process, not thievery. I ended my attempts once I realized the origin of the power.
'Unfortunately for you, the connection hasn't broken entirely. I'm still gaining energy, even if only a small amount. I'll likely continue to siphon away your power for a little while longer, whether I desire to do so or not. That's most likely the reason for your weakness during the battle. I'd been drawing from you already, and even though I'd made attempts to end the draw, it was too late. Your body is in a state of recovery right now regardless, so you shouldn't concern yourself with the connection for the moment. You, with a flesh and bone body, regenerate energy faster than I can take it from you using the small piece of our bond which refuses to be broken. As long as I don't attempt to increase my power collection, your strength and health will return to you in no time.'
Robin didn't know how to react to that. He was concerned, yes, and upset, but should he be frightened too? Or reassured?
Grima said he wouldn't try to drain away any more of Robin's power, and that he'd recover quickly. That was good.
But he'd also said that even if he didn't try to take Robin's power it would happen anyway because there was a bond between the two of them that couldn't be broken. Or that Grima couldn't break at the moment, at least. Maybe when the dragon was stronger he'd be able to sever the connection. For the moment, that wasn't an option though, and that had implications Robin didn't like. If Grima was having trouble separating himself from Robin after only a couple of months of being together (truly together, as while Robin had always had a piece of Grima's soul within him, they had only come together in such a strong way when Robin killed the other Grima), then what did that say about the future? Would there be a point when Grima couldn't separate himself from Robin at all? Would Grima become trapped in Robin's body, forever a voice in the back of his mind that Robin couldn't get rid of? Or maybe he'd even take over. Push Robin out entirely. If Grima grew stronger but couldn't leave, there was a chance he'd grow strong enough to overcome Robin's consciousness and hijack Robin's (their?) body to use as his own. Robin still didn't know what had happened to Lucina's Robin. It seemed like it might've been something like that.
'It wasn't originally,' Grima commented. He seemed to be responding to Robin's last statement.
'Can you read my thoughts?' Robin questioned, growing self conscious. And worried about Grima's potential reaction to what he'd been considering.
'Not all of them. Just the ones you project. Which grows annoying when you think up your long monologues and conversations but only project every third sentence and I am forced to listen to some half constructed chunk of thoughts that hardly make sense given all the missing context. Either think something all the way through or don't try to project it at all. It's more frustrating to have half the picture than to have none of it.'
'Then I'll ask more explicitly. What happened to the Robin of Lucina's timeline?'
'You could refer to it as my timeline, you know. I was there as well. I was the one who made it as it was. Lucina was a minor piece of the puzzle, trying and failing to stop my work until Naga intervened and gave the girl the chance to undo it all.'
Robin raised an eyebrow 'You sound bitter about the loss of the work produced by your insanity that I thought you didn't like.'
'Nor did I hate it. It was mine. My mark on the world, and my revenge for the deaths of my people. Perhaps I was a bit excessive, and I admit that I was not in the state of mind I would have preferred to have been in, but I wouldn't say I hold any extreme hatred for what I did. Just disappointment.'
'Then again, I'll ask more explicitly. What happened to the Robin of your timeline? What did you do to him? How did you come to control his body?'
'He gave it to me when he saw he had nothing left.'
Robin shifted where he was sitting, leaning forward and putting more of his body weight onto his elbows. He set them on his knees and cupped his face. Fog had covered the bottom of the mountain, and Robin couldn't get a sense of what was going on down below. There was nothing for him to see.
'Nothing left? From what Lucina told me, that Robin was loved by everyone in the Shepherds. She said she'd never heard a single bad story about him, even though she knew he'd disappeared and her father had been killed by some friend she didn't connect to Robin. What could he have lost before he killed Chrom and you took over?'
'You misunderstand. He only lost everything after killing Chrom. He was fine beforehand, but that action drove him to the brink and allowed me to take hold. He was desperate, and lost, and wanted someone to help him.
'You experienced it a few times, the control that whelp Validar had over you, yes? It was the same for that Robin. When you and the other Robin attacked Chrom, it wasn't because I had made you do it. It was because Validar had. He used the last of his power to take control over your body to attack Naga's Chosen so his death would lead to something productive, hoping to prevent his life's work from going to waste.
'Our timelines differ at this point. In both timelines, the Grima trapped in the table was asleep, on the brink of awakening, but still trapped. In your timeline, my current self who'd traveled from the future was there to spur things on. But in my original timeline, there was nothing like that. No one to awaken me other than you. Or the other Robin, if you want to be exact.
'When that Robin killed Chrom, all of his allies had seen. He knew they wouldn't simply accept him back into their group, not after brutally killing their leader. He was still feeling the effects of Validar's spell, so he stumbled forward, reaching the table and putting his weight on it to keep himself from collapsing. He had his memories, but his mother had not told him all the details of his past, avoiding it either for his safety or because she simply did not wish to recount what she'd experienced. As such, he didn't know how dire a mistake he'd made.
'When he touched the table, I awoke. He had a piece of my soul in him, so I immediately knew what was going on. I'd been half-awake since he'd entered the area, actually, as my lost soul had been calling out to me. I was already partially aware of the situation, but the touch solidified both my knowledge and my consciousness.
'I called out to that grieving Robin. Offered him power and support and a new home if he'd only go along with me. He gave in immediately. I don't know how much he thought about my offer, or if he even thought on it at all, but it was only a second before he was pushed away and his body became mine to control. If it wasn't for the fact that it took me some time to adjust, the other Shepherds wouldn't have gotten away. Though not all of them did anyway. I can't remember who I killed, since it the death wasn't particularly spectacular or memorable, but I believe at least one person fell to my magic that day.'
That was disturbing. Robin gave in? Just like that? Why? The Shepherds were his friends. Would he really abandon them that quickly?
...Then again, if he'd just killed Chrom… There was the terror of having your body move against your will. The shock at watching yourself kill your best friend. The horror as you realized that all your friends had watched you kill their leader, and the realization that no matter what you said, they'd probably never trust you again.
Even Robin, this Robin, himself, had felt untrustworthy after the incident at the Dragon's Table. The Shepherds knew what had gone down, and knew that with Validar gone Robin didn't have to worry about being controlled by him again. But Robin had still worried that something would go wrong. He still felt like the others didn't fully trust him anymore. There was a chance that that was just his anxiety eating at him, as Chrom and the others (well, mostly Chrom. And Lissa) frequently reassured him they trusted him fully, but Robin had never been able to shake off all the doubt.
'So he gave in, went to sleep, and you ran around with his body until hopping to our time?' Robin asked. 'If that's the case, then what made the difference here in terms of your sanity? You said my body was acting as your dragonstone of sorts, pulling you away from the madness that plagued you before. Why didn't that Robin keep you in check?'
'I'm not entirely sure, but I assume it's because he fought me. When I first awoke, I was close to as I was now. A little more off-kilter, but fairly sane. Not long after I took over, when that Robin saw me kill the friends he held dear and destroy the land he'd called home, he stopped complying with me. He was no longer completely submissive, and tried to take his body back from me. The harder he fought, the more difficult it was for me to control both the body and my mind. There were a few times when he managed to win control for a few moments or even hours, but it never lasted. Each time he did, however, I slipped away a little more. At least, I assume I did. It isn't an easy thing, tracking where your sanity leaves you. Naming the points when you regain it is much less difficult. As you lose your sanity, you lose your ability to keep track of it, after all. The twisted ideas you hold seem logical because anything that would tell you otherwise is gone. Or in the occasional moment that you do realize what you're doing is unlike you, or more violent or deranged than what you've done in the past, you find you don't care.
'And if it makes a difference, I told you before, back when you got yourself terribly injured like an absolute idiot. I wasn't completely insane while possessing that Robin. Less sane than I am now, but not entirely mad. His body had at least somewhat of a calming effect, even if it was inferior to what you're providing.'
Robin smirked. 'Aw, is that a compliment?'
Grima made a noise, and Robin swore that the dragon grimaced. 'No. Now concentrate on your battle. I've talked enough for now, and I'm tired of our conversation. The combat below is far more interesting than having to explain what I already know to someone I share mindspace with.'
'What, do you want to fight?'
'Would I love to slaughter the disgusting, corrupt figures following that revolting little greasy tactician? Of course I would! But since you're so weak, it would be a pointless effort. Now stop talking and recover so we can get back to the battlefield as soon as possible. I enjoy participating in battle far more than watching it. Even if the magic flows from your fingers and blood lands on your hands, rather than mine.'
Robin looked away from the battlefield. Grima protested, but Robin didn't feel like indulging the dragon. It was still covered with fog, so it wasn't as though he could tell what was going on anyway.
He laid down for a few minutes, listening to the wind and yelling and clangs and explosions that peppered the air. Benny and the onmyouji had moved on to edible flowers.
But sitting back made him feel bad. He was a tactician, and it was his job to manage the battle. Even if he wasn't participating as a fighter, he had a job. It was probably a good idea to watch Ryoma's troops, too, since he wasn't familiar with their tactics.
So he went back to the battlefield, got a small 'good' from Grima, and did his best to examine Ryoma's troops and the strategies Iago was employing.
When the wind blew the fog away once more, Robin's heart skipped a beat.
They were losing. And not in a good way.
He could see some of their troops cowering behind trees, staves lit up across the battlefield. Those who were still fighting looked tired. Swings were going wide, step backs not as far as they should've been, parries delayed.
There were bodies strewn across the ground. Most appeared to be wearing Nohrian uniforms, but he could see a few Hoshidan scarves and naginatas as well. There were no bodies Robin recognized as members of Corrin's army, but that didn't mean they were all fine. He made a quick count, and came up four short. Just because he couldn't see the corpse didn't mean it didn't exist. There was a layer of fog still obscuring his vision and making it hard to identify everything that was going on. Sometimes the wind would blow it out of the way and allow him to see precise details, but most of the battlefield was covered in some way, so it was hard to ascertain exactly what was going on.
What he could tell was that Iago had far more troops than Robin had initially spotted. Far more troops than their plan had accounted for.
Where had they been hiding? There had been a few half collapsed forts around, but they shouldn't have been able to hide reinforcements of the magnitude Robin was seeing.
Regardless of where they'd come from, they'd messed up the plan, and Ryoma's and Corrin's troops were paying for it. They were outnumbered and already exhausted from their previous fights. Even if there hadn't been any reinforcements it would have been a tough fight. But one they still expected to win. With these numbers and the way the tide of battle had turned for the worse. Robin wasn't so confident of their success anymore. Any victory they won would be fraught with casualties. They had no time to get any reinforcements of their own. That would require going back to Hoshido, and not only was that too far for them to reach in the time they had left, but there was no way they would be able to escape Iago's troops without being hunted down. The skies were turning and the portal was closing, so they'd have to enter it immediately, no matter how small and injured their own forces were.
Robin clenched his right fist, his nails digging into his hand, as his left moved to the hilt of sword, even though Robin knew it would be of no use to him given his position.
How unlucky were they going to get?
His eyes drifted across the battle, catching on one spot that was almost completely free of fog. There he spotted Takumi.
Takumi was being backed up into a corner, trees to his sides and a mound of dirt twice his size at his back. Even if he tried to climb it, there was no doubt one of Iago's paladins would be in range to hit Takumi with their javelin. Takumi was firing off arrows far faster than Robin had ever seen him do, but it was three on one, and an archer was meant for long range attacks, not close combat. The nature and abilities of the Fujin Yumi meant it was still a viable weapon up close, but that was for short spurts, not for long desperation attacks. Two of the paladins appeared to have been injured by Takumi's arrows but continued on regardless.
Robin stood.
'Don't,' Grima warned. 'You can't land a spell on an opponent so far from yourself, nor can you run down there in time.'
'What, I should let him die?' Robin protested, watching the scene with horror.
'You should not waste time worrying about something you cannot change. The archer is too far for you to be of any help. Focus on your original task. One life means little when it comes to the preservation of your entire army.'
Robin grit his teeth. 'I can't believe you.'
Grima huffed. 'That's unfortunate. But as I said, there are others to worry about.'
Robin bit back a retort. Grima was right. But that didn't mean he liked the dragon's point.
He watched as Takumi took another step back, getting closer and closer to the dirt wall.
Was that going to be it for the prince? Was that where he'd fall, within hours of finally reuniting with his finally?
Suddenly branches erupted between Takumi and the closest paladin, who was thrust into the air as he was pierced by a newly formed tree. A purple mist was rolling off it, and Robin's eyes went wide.
'What…?'
The two paladins who'd avoided the tree turned wildly, their horses rearing.
One was struck by a lightning spell, causing him to fall off his horse and convulse on the ground. The other took an arrow to the neck and grasped wildly at it, unable to pull it out. Another struck him in the hand, the tip going through the palm and embedding itself into the man's neck. He slid off his horse as well. The two mounts ran around wildly before taking off in different directions, leaving Takumi alone.
Robin's eyes widened.
'Wait a minute…'
The tree looked familiar. He'd seen one like it once before, back in Izumo.
'Leo?!'
Sure enough, the prince was standing on the top of the hill Takumi had backed up to, two men at his sides. The brightly colored one Robin assumed was Odin, and the other...Robin didn't know the man. Niles, Robin thought Selena had said, if the man was indeed Leo's other retainer.
With that, Robin's spirits rose. Had Xander finally joined them?
He kept looking, and watched as a new rush of cavalry joined the scene, locking lances with Iago's troops. Infantry units rushed at the mages, cutting them down.
With them Robin could see a royal blond, along with two other familiar figures. Silas and Peri flanked Xander as he rushed through the battlefield, Siegfried lighting up and blasting anyone in his way. Robin saw him make his way toward Ryoma, the two chatting for a short moment before they split off again.
Robin let out the breath he'd been holding. The tide of battle was changing once more. They'd gotten the reinforcements he'd been praying for. Among them were at least two troubadours, who rushed to some of the injured.
Then Robin paused. Why was Silas with Xander? Peri made sense. But Xander's second retainer was Laslow, wasn't it? Had the man been hurt somehow?
Robin was so concentrated on the battlefield and his thoughts that he almost screamed when a hand landed on his shoulder. He jumped a little and turned around as fast as he could, lightning spell already building on the tips of his fingers.
The hand was pulled back immediately. Its owner started yelling. "You- Put that out! I'm an ally! I hope, at least..."
There, standing in front of Robin, was the man Robin had been thinking of. Laslow had drawn his sword and looked tense.
Robin's eyes widened. "You're here? Then that means-" Robin breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. I was worried for a second when I didn't see you with Xander and the others."
But that raised another question: if they were all fighting, why was Laslow sitting out with Robin?
He asked just that. "Is there a reason you're up here and not fighting alongside your liege?"
Laslow furrowed his brow. He seemed apprehensive. "As we made our way toward this place, I noticed you weren't fighting and asked Milord if I could talk to you for a brief moment. He thought it was a good idea, as I would not only be able to get the gist of the situation from you, but inform you of the strengths Prince Xander was bringing."
That made sense. It felt odd for Xander to send his retainer rather than some other trusted source who was less of an asset to battle, but it was acceptable. "I see." Still, something was missing. "Is there a reason you're so tense?"
Hearing that, Laslow stiffened even more, before relaxing somewhat. Not entirely though. His shoulders were fairly rigid and the grip on his sword had tightened, even if Laslow had put it back in its sheath.
"You took me by surprise when you yelped and turned so suddenly. It's simply an aftereffect."
Robin raised one eyebrow. "I have a feeling there's a little more to it than that."
Laslow looked down at Xander, and then back to Robin. "Would it be alright if I waited until the end of our conversation to tell you? It's nothing particularly urgent, and I'd much rather talk in good spirits than have you be bogged down by one of my concerns."
"If you'd like," Robin responded.
Something was fishy. Laslow was a fairly good actor. Yes, he sucked at picking up girls, but he was good at most other things. He had one of the most convincing smiles Robin had ever seen, and whenever he, Owain, and Cynthia had gone on with their antics, Inigo had always seemed the most believable. Owain was definitely the most passionate, there was no debating that, but Inigo had something to make it seem more real. He was good at pretend.
Laslow relaxed slightly, and then fully, back to his happy-go-lucky, not-a-care-in-the-world persona within seconds. If Robin hadn't seen the stress Laslow'd carried moments before, he wouldn't believe the man had been so on edge. And must've still been on edge. He was just good at hiding it.
So, the two discussed tactics. They said who they had, how long they had been traveling, and so on. What was going on with King Garon was Xander's story to tell so Laslow didn't go over it much, but he did explain that the King had reached a breaking point, and that he'd said something Xander couldn't accept no matter what, leading to his betrayal.
How ironic that Xander had become so angry at Corrin for leaving her country when he'd come to do the same. Although the situations were different, and Robin couldn't blame Xander for leaving. He could blame him for taking so long, but not for making the decision in the end.
As they finished talking, Robin could see the battle was coming to a close. It would probably continue for a few more minutes, but the end was in sight, and it was clear that Corrin's forces would come out on top. Corrin, Ryoma, and Xander's forces at this point.
Their conversation finished, Laslow drew his sword and began down the mountain. Robin yelled down before he got too far.
"Wait!" he shouted, drawing Laslow's attention. "What is it that you're so stressed about? What's making you so uncomfortable?"
Laslow's expression darkened. "Memories of the past."
Robin frowned. "Just seeing me brings them back? I'm sorry."
Laslow's eyes turned to the battlefield, though his face was still visible. "It's a little bit more than that," he mumbled.
"What do you mean?" Robin's confusion grew.
"If I were you, I would pay a little more attention to your wardrobe. Especially to your gloves. With a mark like that out in the open, you're bound to raise some questions."
Robin's eyes widened and shot down to his right hand.
There, plain to see, was the mark of Grima.
"Oh gods damn-!" Robin cursed, shoving the hand in his pocket. When his glove had caught on fire, he'd torn it off, not thinking about why he was wearing it in the first place.
Why did it have to be the right glove?! Why couldn't it have been the left!?
He'd felt his nails make contact with his palm earlier. Why hadn't he realized that that wasn't something he should've been feeling if he were wearing a glove, and that that meant something was wrong?!
"I'm not sure exactly what that means," Laslow continued, "but I do know that that's the symbol of the creature that murdered my parents and destroyed my home. That's the symbol that flew on the banners of the cultists that slaughtered hundreds and thousands of innocents before they were replaced by undead monsters.
"You told me you were Robin, not Grima, but I'm having difficulties seeing the difference. The red eyes already filled me with unease. But the mark? I hope you have a good explanation for me after this battle. I will not allow you to harm anyone I care about ever again."
"..."
Robin couldn't come up with a good response. He remained silent.
Laslow left.
Author's note:
And there we have it folks. Grima's mark is finally going to come up in conversation, like 24 chapters after I first mentioned it. Over 2 years, and 215,000 words since I first mentioned it. See, I don't always forget things (like I forget Lilith and Corrin's Castle). Anyway, things have been a little darker in tone these past 2 chapters, and aren't going to brighten too much in the next one. Not everything from here on out is going to be all doom-and-gloom because that's not fun to read, but there will be some shifts in tone. That's something I felt was missing in Revelation. As for "Xander time"...he's at least mentioned and the chapter was getting long so he'll be in the next one. I promise. I've already started writing it.
Originally posted February 17th, 2019. Word count: 9,656, not including Author's notes.
Until next time, Mariyekos.
