This took significantly longer than I had intended and I ended up separating the chapter that I finished into two, so the next chapter will probably be up in a week or two since it's already done and saved on my laptop...hopefully that will give me time to write chapter 7, which I wrote out already as well but have to rewrite because it's all from Owain and Henry's POV; that isn't an issue exactly, but I want to write a parallel version of this story from Henry's POV in the future. For that matter I have three prequels (on of Robin and Henry as children, one of Owain's childhood, and one of Morgan's timeline), and a sequel planned out for this series (now known as the "Memory" series, which all have names revolving around remembering or forgetting and such). So I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the next. Read and Review if you like!
She wanted to forget her attempt to replace him, just to get rid of the horrible pain in her heart from being apart from him.
Owain had begun to carry her on his back when they travelled, replacing Gaius as her carrier...she was originally uncertain about the prospect, even if the blond prince's opinion of her appeared to be drastically different from his cousin's, but he had pointed out that a thief held no place at the front of the group...his skills would be better utilized at the back, hidden from the eyes of the enemy, and allowing him to far more easily sneak around without their knowledge. Morgan was always worried about his mother sleeping so much, but her new carrier did his best to assure her son that she was fine...he may not have trusted the child at first, but he did trust her, so he had quickly become a sort of older brother to the younger boy.
The teenaged myrmidon proved to be exceptionally skilled in battle, in some ways better than his cousin or the adult who had apparently taught him. He was also able to read and understand her strategies, explaining them in simpler terms to his family. This made her job far easier, she had lost count of the times she had tried to explain a plan to Lissa or Sully and they both just stared at her...not that either was stupid, she just had a hard time explaining these things, as even Chrom had trouble understanding at times and he usually did.
"Owain?" Robin awoke at the sound of her son's voice, she hadn't told anyone yet that his voice always broke her from her slumber.
"What is it, mine friend?" Morgan chuckled softly, he always did when he heard the teenager talking...he found the speech amusing, and had even asked the older to start giving him lessons in it. The laughter stopped suddenly.
"...Why do you like Dad?" She felt him stumble just a bit before catching himself, he couldn't just stop after all, they were marching through hostile territory.
"Why does such a harsh question leave thou lips, Morgan?" Of course the young sword user wouldn't know that the barely teen was beginning to gain a dislike for his father.
"Mother has to take care of me all by herself, and he's always avoiding us. I haven't gotten to say a word to him yet, because he always seems to disappear. Mother always seems so lonely without him around...even if he is all he seems to do is laugh at her, and it just makes her more sad." There was a moment of silence, and the tactician couldn't tell why, seeing as she was riding on the back of one and still had her eyes closed.
"...She has regained memories of him?" He sounded surprised, but also...worried? Because Henry wasn't talking to her?
"No." The answer was immediate, and the pigtailed teen knew her son was shaking his head. "She doesn't remember...but he's told her things. The day he joined the army...about how they were best friends, how they travelled together when they were young. Even if she can't remember that stuff, it doesn't mean she doesn't feel lonely and ignored without him." A sigh from the one carrying her.
"You're right, having no memory doesn't change those things." The blond prince agreed, speaking normally for a moment, likely to show that he was taking this seriously. "But...don't you feel those things too? He is your father, you may not remember him but I imagine he spent a great deal of time with you in your time."
"...No." The white haired boy admitted, pausing a moment. "I don't feel lonely about Dad ignoring me...just...upset about how he treats Mother." It sounded as though Morgan was upset that he WASN'T lonely or feeling ignored, she felt bad for him.
"...I wonder why." Owain muttered to himself, sounding concerned.
"I don't know." The slight jolt that Robin felt proved that her carrier hadn't expected his words to be heard.
"But now isn't the time to worry about me. Mother can't even stay awake while we travel, and she's getting more upset about Dad every day. She needs the worry more." Her son added, though she fell back asleep before hearing if the blond prince responded.
¬NF¬
"O-Owain?" Robin called the name as loudly as she could, though it was drowned out easily by the talking people she walked past, scrolls held tightly in her arms.
"How may I assist you Robin?" She jumped and spun at the sudden voice, calming quickly upon seeing that it was the person she was calling for.
"Y-you said...said I t-taught y-you some tactics i-in your t-time, right?" Owain gave a curious nod. "So, c-could you...l-look these plans o-over?" Blue eyes widened as she held the scrolls out to him, blinking several times as he tried to comprehend what was happening.
"...I'm uncertain my input will be of much value, you only taught me the basics. Fredrick or Virion would be much more suited, perhaps Inigo had the teachings of his father as well but I am unable to confirm that." The black eyed teenager tried to stop the look of hurt off her face, knowing the time traveller meant no insult by the statement...but she had this ridiculous notion of trying to prove her plans held up to his version of her, the version with all her memories...
"A-alright." She forced a smile, learned from wishing to keep Lissa from worrying about her too much, and turned on her heel to walk off. A hand grabbed her wrist suddenly, stopping her motion, and looking back revealed it to be the boy she had been talking to.
"Robin..." The blue eyed boy was frowning now, and though it wasn't clear how she had done it the tactician immediately felt bad for making him upset.
"I-I'm-" The orange haired teenager was cut off before she could finish.
"Well?" She gave him a look of confusion. "Do you intend to have me review these tactics or not?" Her eyes widened as the blond prince smiled at her, causing the tactician to smile widely back.
"Come o-on. We'll need s-somewhere quieter." She turned the wrist in the young myrmidon's grasp so she was now holding his wrist, which surprised him but he didn't complain, beginning to drag him away from the bustle of their fellow Shepherds. Neither saw the always closed eyes open and follow them as they left.
¬NF¬
"These all feel familiar to me...in a good way, I assure you Robin." They were sitting in her tent, sitting on the cot as the younger read through the scrolls and scrolls of plans. "You've retained your skill in tactics even with your lost memories." Owain stated, causing another wide grin and look of relief to spread across the older's face.
"I-I'm glad to hear th-that." Robin reached for the plans, to put them away until needed, but a pale male hand moved her head up to look at it's owner. "O-Owain?" He was frowning again, how had she upset him?
"Robin...why are you so intent to prove thine worth against a version of yourself with a great deal of years more experience?" Blue eyes stared into black for only a moment, the older pulling away sharply with wide eyes that looked almost afraid.
"W-What...w-what are y-you t-talking about?" She tried to make it sound like an accusatory demand, but her increased stutter gave away her sudden worry.
"I trust you with mine life Robin...I ask only that you try your best, and not attempt to lie to me." The orange haired teenager looked down, guilt flooding her.
"...How a-am I supposed to...t-to keep e-everyone safe?" The question was quiet, and while the blond heard it that didn't mean he understood why it was being asked.
"Wha-"
"You s-said I was distant f-from everyone b-but you and H-Henry. D-despite that I-I fought for th-them...but I let them die!" Tears filled her eyes as they shifted from black to red, the candle they had been using to read the now forgotten scrolls almost flickering out.
"Robin-"
"I couldn't even save Lady Emmeryn! Your Robin had no warning, but I let her walk into what I KNEW was a trap! I let us ALL walk into a trap because I thought we could save her, but I failed!" The pigtailed teenager's voice got higher, the candle's flame now flaring up as her anger at herself began to seep through, the stutters disappearing. "Chrom and Lissa...they gave me everything I have, everything they had to give, but I couldn't even save the only family they had left!" She was getting worked up now, and her voice only continued to get higher.
"Lucina told us time travellers the events leading to Aunt Emmeryn's death here Robin, there was nothing you could-" The myrmidon tried to calm the tactician, but her eyes seemed to almost glow as purple looking tears spilled from them, showing his attempts to help were doing the opposite.
"But there WAS!" She disagreed harshly. "If I still had my memories I would have remembered that I can control fire! I could have moved it to kill the Risen archers!" She didn't yet know that Grima tended to use her negative emotions to try and control her, didn't know he had anything to do with her...and the boy couldn't bring himself to tell her, especially not when she was already so emotional.
"You knew not where they were-"
"That doesn't-" While the cloaked teenager had been cutting him off repeatedly, anger growing quickly, she hadn't noticed her voice rising meant the rest of the army could hear them.
"Robin?" Hearing the voice of the blonde princess caused the older to freeze, eyes instantly returning to black.
"How long have you kept those kinds thoughts to yourself Robin?" Hearing the king certainly didn't relax her any, body refusing to turn and look at them even if she wanted to.
"L-Lissa...Ch-Chrom..." Robin's voice was barely above a shaky whisper, terror causing her body to tremble. Her breathing had picked up, but she still felt like she couldn't get any air in her lungs.
"You know these bonds with them are nothing more than lies." The voice in her head that spoke her repressed thoughts and feelings echoed through her mind, and the tactician quickly shook her head in an attempt to shut it up. "You know they hate you, they blame you...everyone does. How can they really trust you when you couldn't even save someone important to an entire kingdom?"
"S-stop..." A soft beg to the voice, not wanting to hear these things...if anyone now in her tent was talking she couldn't hear them over what was inside her head.
"They keep you around because you're the only tactician they have. They'd get rid of you for Virion in a moment if his tactics didn't sacrifice unnecessary people." Black eyes clenched shut, trying to focus on the world around her.
"No o-one is u-unnecessary." She disagreed, everyone here had someone that cared about them and that they cared about, she refused to think of them as anything less...but the voice just laughed.
"Everything in this world is nothing more than a series of patterns and numbers, people included. That's why you can make these 'brilliant tactics', because you are able to break enemy and ally alike down into what they truly are. They hate your guts anyway, why not sacrifice one or two for the 'greater good'?"
"N-no!" The sudden yell caused everyone around her to jump. "Leave m-me alone!" It took her only a moment to slip past Chrom and Lissa, out of the tent, and away from the others with prying eyes that all called after her.
For anyone wondering, the 'voice' is indeed Grima speaking to Robin and trying to get her to care less about the people around her and whatnot. As for what is happening with Emmeryn...while they don't really bring it up in the game; as long as you played really well on Classic Mode or just on Casual Mode, Emmeryn will be the first time that one of the Avatar's plans have failed to save everyone. Considering that this is someone extremely important to people who are important to said Avatar, as well as an entire country, I feel like this would weigh a lot heavier on their mind than what we see in game. For Robin here, she was able to partly accept that she did everything she could to save Emmeryn and it failed, no one is perfect...but after learning about her control of fire she begins doubting again, blaming her lost memories for what happened. This will perhaps be brought up once or twice more, to show her growing attachment to the people she is currently around. Hope you all enjoyed, see you all next time!