23. Arranged Marriage
Robin wants to run. That's not the best mood to have, on the day of her wedding. Not that she has much of a choice, with her wedding dress wrapping around her and tangling all her movements. She's half worried she'll trip over the train of her dress, even if she limits herself to walking.
"Hold your head up. Show an ounce of pride." Validar's voice cuts into her fear, making her flinch into a half trained posture; head up, eyes staring forward. Her father stands before her, looking regal in the ceremonial Plegian garb. There's a fierce light in his eyes, as he wraps his fingers around her shoulders, and turns her towards the doors, leaving her with even less room to Run.
"I…"
"You have a duty, to a pair of countries. AND to Grima." The steel in his voice forces Robin to nod, and swallow back any tears. She doesn't want to do this; she wants to subject the prince of Ylisse to this, even less.
-o-o-o-
"…Do I look alright?" Chrom fidgets in front of the mirror, not quite sure if the Ylissean regalia suits him or not.
"You look FINE, Chrom. Now stop trying to squirm out of your robes and cape. You'll muss up all the fur." Lissa tells him. She works the last of the ornamental jewelry around him, even making sure the diadem sits properly on his head, before leading him out towards the ceremony hall. They take their places in the waiting room off to the side, listening to the slow swell of activity in the main hall; it grows in voices, in music, and in the presence of so many, gathered to see the wedding.
It's only as they stand there, waiting for the occasion to begin, that Lissa gives him a worried glance, betraying some of her own nerves.
"Chrom, you're… Okay with this, right?"
"It's a bit late to be getting cold feet now." He points out. "I think that any chance at renouncing my title and running off to be a sell sword is long over."
"That's not what I meant, you thickhead!" Lissa shoots back, before sobering. "What I mean is… Are you okay with-?"
"An arranged marriage to a Plegian?" Chrom finishes for her. As the music and speeches begin in the hall, he finds that speaking aloud helps to steady him. "Well… I've always accepted that one of us would need to enter into a marriage, to create an alliance. And it might as well be me; Emm's the heir, and… Well, Lissa, to be honest you're a bit young, and I'd probably try to fight anyone thinking he could force you into an arrangement like that."
"Th-thanks? I think?"
"Point is, I'm ready to do my duty, for my country." He just hoped that this Plegian ambassador was ready to do the same. The doors swing open, silencing their conversation, and pulling Chrom into Naga's cathedral.
Ylissean custom is for bride and groom to begin at opposite points in the great cathedral, coming to the altar at the same time and meeting in the middle. It's likely meant to symbolize cooperation and unity… But at the moment, Chrom finds that it mostly gives him a chance to watch the young woman walking the halls. And hoping he isn't staring too hard.
It's a struggle to keep his steps measured, when all he wants to do is rush towards her. There's something about her features, the way she carries herself, that strikes a sudden interest in him. She falters a moment when she sees him… And Chrom tries to give her a smile, knowing it looks a little nervous. It makes her faltering steps resume, and they both come to the meeting point at the altar.
She doesn't meet his eyes, as the priest resides over the ceremony. There's a nervous quality to her posture, a shiver that roots itself in her back and shoulders.
"Hey…" He whispers, in defiance of the formalities and speeches the priest is carrying out. He keeps his voice low, gentle to try and ease the woman across from him. It prompts her to raise her eyes. "I-I'm glad to meet you at last."
It's not the most romantic thing he could say. But it still her shivers, and makes her eyes widen through the veil.
"And do you take Robin, to be your wife? To keep through sickness and health?" His own eyes widen, now that he's been given a name. But he manages to give a nod.
-o-o-o-
The rest of the ceremony passes in a blur for Robin… Aside from learning her partner's name, first hand.
'I'm sorry, Chrom.' Is all she can think, even as she says her vows. Because a different set of vows echo in her head; the ones she promised to her father.
'There's something we need from Ylisse. Something they haven't been willing to give… And you, my dear girl, make for the perfect bargaining piece. You'll enter into their family to feign a peace. And then…'
Those words haunt her beyond the ceremony, into the dinner. All the food, from the spiced Plegian curries to the carves of roast meat and fine Ylissean pastries… Her stomach is a roil, and her tongue only tastes sand and ashes.
She wants to apologize to Chrom. To tell him that he's been lied to… And yet, she's a coward in even that. Because every time he looks at her, an uncertain smile playing across his lips, and hope showing in his eyes. There's an odd optimism, like he believes they can grow to like each other.
Robin has her doubts… And then there's the dread pooling in her gut, for what comes later tonight. Handsome as he is, she's still full of nerves. The only thing that she can keep down is wine, and so Robin finds herself indulging in that. It might make what comes next a little easier, if she's tipsy and with a fogged head.
At least, that's her plan until another guest comes to their table, to wish the new couple well. And Robin freezes, as Validar stares down his nose at her.
"I do hope you haven't consumed too much. You really need to be aware and ready for your… Duties, tonight." He barely keeps the sneer out of his voice, and she wonders if Chrom notices. He seems to stiffen up at that, frowning at Validar.
"Sir, with all respect… It's her call to make, on whatever happens tonight." Validar sneers at that; he's not a man used to being talked back to, and sees Chrom's words as a challenge.
"Oh? So hesitant to claim your prize?" She flushes bright red at that. Chrom does one better, standing straight up and scrapping his chair across the floor.
"Sir… That's no way to speak of your daughter. She's NOT a prize, nor an object." He glares at Validar.
"She's my daughter, you know. I can speak with her as I please."
"You want me to exercise my duties as a husband?" Chrom shot back. "Then gladly. And I'll thank you, for not speaking to my wife in such a manner."
"Father… That's enough." Her voice comes out oddly hushed… And yet she still raises her head, glaring into his eyes. The wine might cloud her head and flush her face, but it also gives her a sudden jolt of courage… As does feeling Chrom beside her. Her hand brushes against his arm, and the contact makes her hold her head a little higher.
"This man… I've pledged myself to him. And if you won't treat me as…" As human. As an individual. "As- as someone who deserves respect, then you'll at least extend that honor to him."
Validar lets his breath out in an outraged hiss.
"You dare-!?"
"You know father… You're eager to have us see to our tasks, now that we're married." Robin dares to speak back to him, even as she's terrified he might lash out at her. His hands ball into fists. "So we'll see to that. If you'll kindly leave us-"
His hand flashes up, cracking across her face.
Before, when he struck her, Robin would slink back. Instead, she stands her ground, glares at him… And notices how the wineglass is still half full. She snatches it up, and splashes the contents straight into Validar's face. He looks a lot better in red, a part of her sardonically notes, as he backs away with an anguished cry and his eyes stinging.
Chrom grabs Robin by the shoulder, spinning her away from Validar. Escorts sweep around Validar, right as his father realizes that he's been goaded into an attack… On someone who is now an honorary Ylissean citizen.
"Take him away?" Chrom asks Robin. Robin freezes for a moment, as Validar blinks wine from his eyes; he glares straight into her eyes, trying to stare her down into silence. A part of Robin wants to shrink away again, like she always has… But now, she has Chrom standing at her back.
"…Yes." It's barely a whisper that comes out, but it's still enough. Validar is pulled away, even as he spits curses. They all wash past Robin, as she finds herself turning her back on Validar, focusing instead on Chrom.
-o-o-o-
"…So that was your father." Chrom grumbles, leading Robin away from the banquet. Thankfully after their confrontation, the rest of the party leaves them alone. Letting them recover.
"Not… The best first impression, I know." Robin says as they walk; she's been remarkably docile, with letting Chrom lead her up the stairs to a more remote area. Hopefully to a place where they can talk more in earnest, between just the two of themselves.
'Where you can hopefully get to know her better.'
His new spouse has kept her lips shut, all through their journey. And her eyes stay downcast, ignoring the elaborate carvings. It makes him worry she sees him as another oppressor. And that in turn drives him to say something, anything, that might dispel the silence.
"You don't take after him at all." Chrom says, before he can stop himself. "S-sorry! I shouldn't have been so-"
"…Honest?" Robin counters, and even gives him a sardonic smile. "Believe me, I thank the gods on a daily basis, that I turned out differently." He can't keep himself from chuckling at that. Seeing Robin open up makes him grin as well, and he keeps his touch gentle as he leads her upwards-
But she freezes, when she realizes they're about to cross the threshold, into their rooms.
"W-wait, I…"
"I was telling the truth." He cuts her off. "It's your call to make, when we… Well…" He wishes he's not going so red in the face. Chrom knows for a fact that looking like a tomato doesn't flatter him. "C-consummate any relationships. Honestly. It's enough that we don't hate each other… Right?"
"R-right…" Robin whispers, giving him a shocked look and stepping into the bed chambers. She still holds her place in the bedroom, like she's drawing her strength for something.
"Chrom… I… I realize we were thrown together. And that my father had his own ideas on what this union would mean, but… I don't want to be beholden to them!" She blurts out the last. "I don't want to steal any Emblems, or-!"
It's the wine speaking, Chrom knows. Robin realizes that as well, a second too late, as she claps her hands over her mouth.
"Oh gods…" She whispers. "I-I didn't mean to say-"
Chrom, for his part, doesn't trust his own words. Instead, he strides forward, thankful that Robin is getting into the habit of standing her ground. It gives him room to catch her hands up in his, and give them a quick squeeze. Trying to tell her that it's okay.
Robin stares at his hands, like she's never had her fingers gently clasped… Or like she was expecting another strike, instead of such an intimate gesture.
"I-I thought for certain you'd-"
"Reject you, on that? I… Don't like rushing to conclusions. Or stop trusting someone who I'm already growing to like. Though, I know you're not entirely, well… Sober." Her red cheeks get a long stare.
"…Rejection was the most positive outcome I could think of." Robin tells him, going all the more red in the face. "My father… Made sure to tell me about what Ylisseans do, to Plegian traitors and criminals. I'm certain that if someone is complacent in a plan to steal a royal treasure, that makes them guilty-"
He tightens his grip on her hands, stilling her words.
"…I'm NOT going to throw my partner in the dungeons."
"Too much of a scandal?"
"It's not what I'd do, to a member of my family." He corrects her… And feels shock shoot through Robin's muscles. "You ARE a part of the family now, and a citizen of Ylisse. Which makes any insult your father might deliver, an insult to the crown in turn."
Even through a wine fogged head, he can see her mind furiously working together the pieces; realizing that she might finally be out from underneath her father's shadow.
"You said… That I'm a part of your family now?"
"Y-yes." Chrom wonders, in the back of his head, if the feast wine is making him a bit bold in turn. The entire situation still feels surreal, like he's sleepwalking through a dream.
Even more surreal, is that he's still not entirely sure he wants to wake up.
"Speaking of… I should probably warn you about Lissa. She'll probably try to sneak a frog into your nightgown at one point, and then the following morning pester you about going on a picnic with her. And Emmeryn, well… She's poised and serene, but sometimes maddeningly so…"
And just like that, he finds himself telling her all about his siblings, about his late father and the strained relationships. That in turn seems to help Robin open up, and she tells him a little about her home; how even the warmest Ylissean days don't compare to life out in the Plegian desert, that she misses the spiced foods but loves the Ylissean sweets… And that she finds herself intrigued by his homeland.
Strange, how he feels the same about her. They could spend an entire night sharing stories… But eventually, wine and weight from the busy day conspire against them. Robin breaks off telling him about hawking amongst the dunes, giving a long yawn.
"We can talk more in the morning?" He offers, already relaxing into the couch. "Feel free to take the bed-"
He trails off, as Robin catches him by the wrist. She's learned from his grip, with how she gently runs her thumbs over his knuckles, and tugs him towards her.
"I'd like to return some of that trust you've given me, too." Robin murmurs. She meets him eye to eye this time, and seems to grow more comfortable looking at him with each passing minute.
"And… I could start with that trust, by being okay with sharing a bed with you. Provided you're… Comfortable with that." She whispers. He finds himself nodding, and gets rewarded with a soft smile.
It's remarkably easy to curl into the sheets with her. At first he hesitates with wrapping his arms around her, but her touch, tracing along his shoulders and limbs, coaxes him to reach out for her. Chrom finds his breathing settles, when Robin settles into his grip.
"You know… I should give you a vow of my own." Robin murmurs to him. "That no matter what my father may have intended… I'll entrust my loyalties to you now; in exchange for you trust and… And the dignity you grant me." He gets the feeling its more than her father ever offered her. Robin brushes her head against him as she speaks, almost like the kiss they'd shared at the alter. This time the touch lingers. "I won't run from this, and stay beside you. So… Whatever we may face, I'll be as steady as a sword at your side."
"And I'll try to be worthy of that trust." Chrom tells her in turn. And hope that this spark between them might grow into something more. With her resting against him, slowly drifting off and looking serene as she sleeps, he finds he can believe in that.