Chapter 2

The Shepards had begun to pack up for their march towards Plegia just as the sun had broke the horizon line. Cordelia was already finished packing and was sharpening her lance before being interrupted by Gaius.

"Hey Red, Blue wants to see you." Cordelia looked up at the thief who had begun biting on his sucker. The pegasus knight got to her feet and placed her lance off to the side.

"Might I ask who 'Blue' is?" She cocked her head to the side. Out of her peripheral vision, she caught sight of Robin as he turned a corner and took in sight of the knight.

"Hey Cordelia, Chrom wants to see you!" The tactician spoke while glancing over to Gaius. The thief spoke once more.

"Yeah, Blue." He smirked towards Cordelia and made his leave, heading towards the food tent to more than likely finish off whatever breakfast sweets remained before they began their march. Cordelia adjusted her riding skirt and combed through her hair with her fingers. Chrom wanted to see...her? JUST her? Alone? Maybe this was her chance to catch his eye. The woman smiled proudly as she looked towards Robin.

"What did Chrom say? Anything more? Did he seem happy?!" Her eyes spoke her feelings for her as Robin's demeanor changed ever so slightly.

"He uhh...just said he had a job for you and Sumia..." His voice sounded more quiet than before, however Cordelia took no notice of the change as she paced by the tactician. 'So, it's Chrom she fancies.' Robin sighed and dropped his head down. He knew it was ridiculous to feel upset at the fact a near stranger had a crush on someone else, but he couldn't help but fantasize himself with a woman like Cordelia.

"Robin! Come help me pack!" Lissa shouted from a couple yards away. Maybe helping her would be a good distraction.

Cordelia had a smile on her face the entire walk towards Chrom's tent. She replayed multiple scenarios in her head as her approach quickened. Chrom, with his muscular arms holding her as he confessed his love. Then...being brought in for a passionate kiss to seal the deal. The smile on her face nearly stretched ear to ear.

The young pegasus knight had opened the flap to see Chrom and Sumia talking quietly amongst each other. Their proximity was very...intimate to say the least, as Sumia had her hand on Chrom's thigh and was leaning in towards his face while he sat at the planning table. The sight caused her fantasy to explode and her smile to vanish instantaneously. Sumia turned her head towards her friend and pulled herself from Chrom.

"Good morning, Cordelia." Sumia greeted. Cordelia nodded her head towards the woman and returned her gaze to the prince as she stepped forward towards the table. There laid a map sprawled across the length of the table top, obvious that Chrom had a mission for the knight.

"Cordelia, I understand you haven't had much time to rest with the battle at the border and the battle from yesterday, but I must ask a request of you for the good of the Shepards- I need you and one other to scout out Gangrel's position near Plegia so we can assess his position and man power." Cordelia nodded once more and eyed Sumia quickly.

"My lord, isn't Sumia to come with me too? We could cover more ground with another pegasus knight." Chrom looked up towards his future wife and returned his gaze to Cordelia before speaking.

"Originally, she had volunteered to go with you, but it is far too dangerous for her and she is not nearly as experienced as you are with your pegasus. Understandably you could cover more ground, but I believe it best for you to go...with Robin." Robin?

"He will be riding with you and him being our tactician, I want him to see first and foremost Gangrel's position so that he might have more time to formulate an adequate strategy. Any questions?" Cordelia shook her head, her expressionless face still lingered from her witnessing of Sumia and Chrom's interaction.

"Very good. Find Robin and you two may head out whenever. I expect the journey to take around two days time, in which case we will be just along the eastern route leading to Plegia. Find our encampment there. God's be with you." Sumia and Chrom smiled at Cordelia as she took a step back from the table and turned around, making her way towards the flap. As she pulled the flap open, she took one last glance over her shoulder towards Chrom, only to find Sumia had now taken a seat on his lap and locked her lips onto his. The crimson beauty immediately vanished from the tent.

As the woman stormed back towards her pegasus, she couldn't help but feel tears well up in her eyes. Chrom was never going to be hers and she knew it. Rumor had reached even the border that Chrom and Sumia were to be wed before Plegia had attacked, but Cordelia didn't take it to heart. It was apparent the rumor was true.

Cordelia arrived near her pegasus and began to pack what she needed for the journey. It was difficult trying to focus when her emotions were running all over the place and eventually she sat down and began to weep silently, just out of view from the rest of camp.

"Cordelia...?" A familiar voice was carried by the wind. The red head quickly rubbed the remaining tears from her eyes as the sound of another became closer. Robin closed the distance between the two with a pack over his shoulder.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" He kneeled down in front of the woman so he could look up at her face. Cordelia feigned a smile, knowing full well her eyes were still red and fresh with tears. Robin dropped his pack to the side, his face full of concern.

"Yes I'm...fine. I'm not hurt or anything, just having some girl problems." She said through her fake smile. The last thing she wanted was to worry Robin again. She stared down at the tactician, watching as his white hair gently whipped in the wind and the sun illuminated his pale skin. For a moment, she completely forgot why it was she was crying in the first place as her thoughts focused on Robin's physical features. His eyes were so very warm looking and friendly; brown and wide. His chiseled features gave him just enough of a manly appearance while still being youthful. He could have ranged anywhere from 19 to 23, just within her age group. Robin was, to say the least, quite handsome and she couldn't help but take notice of that.

"Robin..." she began. Was this the best time to bring it up? Was he even the right person? Robin perked up as she spoke, staring deeply at her eyes as she nervously shifted from his gaze. "Have you ever had to deal with heart break?" The words seemed to formulate themselves. Sumia was the only other person Cordelia ever talked to about romantic endeavors, but it was clear that Sumia was not the one to talk to about this and Robin was the closest thing she had to a friend now that the rest of the pegasus knights were dead.

So that's why she was crying. Robin's quick thinking and deductive reasoning brought him to the conclusion that Cordelia may have just now been rejected by Chrom. A comforting hand laid to rest on the woman's knee cap as he spoke.

"I can't recall. I'm not sure how much you know about me from the other's, but I suffer from amnesia and can't remember anything beyond when the Shepard's found me, so the feeling is unfamiliar to me. However, I can say that I've fancied someone and haven't had those feelings reciprocated- which is about as close to heart break as I can say." Robin unconsciously stroked Cordelia's bare knee with his thumb, which she took notice of and gave a weak smile. Was she over reacting to this situation? After all, her affections for Chrom were essentially based on physicality. His looks were what brought her in but she never once got to truly know him. All she knew about him was that he was a generous soul, a kind person and a strong leader, but nothing more to her knowledge. Perhaps it was time for her to move on from her fantasies of becoming a princess.

"I'm sorry you had to experience that, Robin." She sniffed one final time before finally regaining her composure. "However if it's any reconciliation, I find you extremely kind and handsome. The woman who rejected you has truly lost her wits." The red head smiled down at the tactician as his face turned a slight shade of red. Unbeknownst to her, she was the one Robin fancied and by his account, she had not lost her wits.

"Are you blushing?" She giggled. The sound of her girlish laugh made Robin's heart melt even more. The attraction he was feeling towards Cordelia was becoming stronger by the moment.

"I uh- n-no! Listen- maybe we should get back on topic about this mission!" Robin stood up and nervously looked towards the pegasus standing to their side a couple feet away. He felt a hand around his forearm and looked down to see Cordelia gripping him. Her expression was happy, much better from how he had stumbled upon her. She pulled herself up to her feet using his arm and stared up at the man.

"Robin..." Before he knew it, the woman threw herself into his chest and embraced him, catching the man off guard. His arms hung for a moment in the air before he brought them down and wrapped them around her back. "Thank you for cheering me up. I guess I owe you once again for all the kindness you've shown me." Cordelia's eyes closed as she cherished their hug. She felt protected under his strong embrace. He nearly towered over her with their six inch height difference.

"Cordelia, you don't owe me anything. I just want to keep you happy...and alive." Cordelia turned her head to look at his chest, right where he had taken the blow from their previous battle. The thought of losing Robin back then may not have seemed so bad being as they were strangers then, but now that they had gotten some time to know each other, she couldn't help but feel sorrow at the mere thought of losing him.

The two released each other, remembering that time was of the essence and they had a mission to undergo. Robin knelt down and grabbed his pack which was full of medicinal supplies and a map. Cordelia looked over to her bag which was still in need of much preparation.

"Mind giving me a hand with the food preparation? We will need enough for just two days." Her voice was like smooth butter. Robin nodded and walked towards her bag with the woman. Once the preparation was finished, the two hopped onto the back of Cordelia's pegasus and took to the east, beginning their journey.