The only time Chrom ever felt so sleepless was when Emmeryn had thrown herself off a cliff back in his own world. At that time, it was hard. Everything was. He remembered how he would just lie on his cot and look up at the ceiling of his tent, thinking of nothing but her; Emmeryn. He couldn't sleep a wink, he couldn't even close his eyes for ten seconds without seeing her falling down and hitting the ground with a loud thud. In his mind, he could hear Gangrel laughing hysterically, making cruel japes at how pathetic he and the other Shepherds looked at that time. Chrom thought he was drowning, choking on air, even when he was back at the camp. Lissa was inconsolable then and Robin… Robin looked so calm it was as if she didn't even witness what had just happened. Chrom didn't know what to feel at that, so he retired early to his tent, ignoring everyone who came to him.

He couldn't sleep at all then. It was two days of sleepless nights before his tactician finally came to him, sitting close to his cot as he lay there with his back facing her. He felt selfish, he knew that. With his silence it was as if he was blaming her even though he knew that Robin couldn't have helped it. Even though he saw how pained Robin looked as Emmeryn fell, how desperate her eyes were then, how her scream was among the loudest. He knew Robin wasn't at fault. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to say anything. She called his name. Once, twice; it was at the fourth time that she decided that Chrom wouldn't respond and after that, he heard a sigh. It was so quiet he would have missed it. But he didn't. He heard her. And when he turned his head to spare her a glance, he finally noticed it. The tears flowing down her cheeks, dropping silently on the back of her tightly clenched fists.

Then he finally understood. Robin was hurting as well. That night, they held each other's hands and cried into each other's arms, seeking for comfort or solace, assurance that everything would be fine when it looked like it wouldn't. That night, Chrom had the most peaceful sleep he had ever felt in ages.

He never thought that he'd have another one of those sleepless nights again. And this time, for a whole different reason.

He was once again lying still on his bed, looking up at the ceiling, thinking of nothing and nobody else but her. Robin. The woman he loved, the woman he had unknowingly considered as his other half long before he even realized that he loved her (if that was even possible). He was also thinking about what she had said earlier before. 'Dammit, who is that Shepherd?' he screamed inwardly. Lissa had to go and interrupt them of course, and now it was tormenting him. He couldn't sleep, he could only toss and turn in his bed. He wished that Robin would console him and hold his hand like before but he knew that this Robin couldn't. The Robin of this world, who thought of herself as 'only a mere palace servant' wouldn't dare. He wanted her to say that he was her favorite Shepherd. Her ONLY favorite Shepherd. A childish demand, yes, but if that would put his mind at ease then so be it. But he couldn't do that now, no. He wouldn't risk scaring off someone as fragile as her. After all, he could even barely get her to talk! Still, he would take baby steps. Slowly, but surely. Yes, that was the plan.

Although he was somehow satisfied of his thoughts, he still lay there sleepless, his eyes wide open.

When dawn came and Chrom had decided that he will not be getting any sleep for the night, he got up, put on his regular palace attire and strode out of his room. It must have been too early because he still hasn't seen any other servant, apart from the guards stationed on watch, anywhere. Even Frederick seemed to be missing. Swiftly, he made his way to the stables, saddled on his horse, and rode to the Shepherd's garrison close by the capital in mere minutes. Upon arriving, he thoughtlessly took one of the training dummies and went on to sharpening his swordsmanship. He moved mechanically then, he thought of nothing, he wanted to think of nothing. He desperately wanted to distract himself from everything else right then and there.

Two hours and a gaping hole on the wall later, he decided that he had done enough damage for the time being and collapsed into an uncomfortable sleep on one of the cots stocked at the back of the garrison. The sun was already up when he opened his eyes.

He was greeted by the sight of the other Shepherds. From his secluded corner, hidden in sight, he could see Sumia talking to Gaius over snacks (it was a little too early for that, but if it's Gaius, it is perfectly normal), Stahl and Sully talking animatedly while polishing their armor, with Virion trying to woo the uninterested female knight. Libra was off saying his morning prayers in the corner, Gregor and Cordelia moving weapons and, after narrowing his eyes hard enough, Chrom spotted Kellam, just standing in the middle of the room, going by unnoticed as usual. When the door slammed open Lissa came in, with Frederick and Robin hot on her heels. Following the three were the tactician Katarina and Tharja (who, despite saying that she has an obsession with Katarina, still has the unconscious tendency of following and stalking Robin around for some reason). The newly arriving group was talking to each other, or more precisely, it was Robin and Katarina engaged in a serious talk. Other three would say something from time to time then resume listening to the two.

At the sight of Robin, Chrom immediately sat up, suddenly alert, surprising everyone in the room, Robin included. He did not miss her surprised expression and how she jumped away slightly in shock, before turning her eyes somewhere else. Chrom felt his heart sink a little.

"Captain! H-How long were you there?" Sumia squeaked, turning to him with a worried expression.

"F-For a while." He lied, chuckling softly. "Just checking if… if the cots are still useable." He said, patting the cot he sat on for emphasis.

"If it pleases you to know milord, I have checked and repaired any which shows signs of damage the day before so as not to inconvenience you when in time of need." Frederick cleared his throat, before turning to the hole in the wall. His eyes lingered there for a while. "I should also take care of that… minor crack on the wall. Excuse me then, milord." Frederick sighed before bowing and turning away. By then, Chrom couldn't care any less of what Frederick was about to do. His eyes were locked on Robin, staring hard as if she would disappear the moment he looked away.

Robin, as perceptive as ever, didn't take long before noticing and immediately felt a surge of embarrassment run through her. Face flushed, she quickly blurted out, "milady, I shall be lending Frederick my assistance!" she exclaimed, running off to find the Great Knight. It must have been intended as a small whisper, only for Lissa to hear, but it came out as a shrill shout which confused the princess.

For a time being, he had anticipated Robin's return; probably to pull her away for a while for a nice chat, to resume what has been interrupted the night before. Not that he was going to ask her the same question as much as he wanted to, gods that would be strange. He didn't want to look any more desperate and pitiful than he already seemed.

True enough, he saw the servant girl hours later although she was too busy to stop and greet him. She was accompanied by Miriel, both carrying tall stacks of tomes, engaged in an intellectual conversation he couldn't understand. Unsurprisingly, even the Robin of this world was smart; he was wondering why she was a maid and not a scholar.

After seeing her with Miriel, he next saw her running abnormally fast together with Vaike. She was carrying a basket of herbs which spilled as she ran. They were being chased by Sully's horse. Chrom had often wondered why the Robin of his world was so afraid of the knight's horse. He should have known that it had something to do with Vaike.

At midday, he heard from Lissa that she had sent Robin off with Stahl to the capital to gather ingredients for a tonic she was making. He didn't see her for hours after that.

The next time Chrom saw her was hours long after the sun had set. He was preparing to go back to the palace. Lissa and Frederick had already returned and he was the last one to leave. For one reason or another, the Shepherds had already filed out. As he was gathering his sword, he noticed two figures entering the garrison. It was Robin and a certain ginger haired thief. Not noticing the prince, who was standing well off in the distance, the two seemed to be bickering, with Robin looking displeased at the thief. Gaius, who seemed a bit desperate then, dug inside his coat, possibly looking for something in his many pockets. It didn't take him a while before he produced a necklace, glimmering as the light of a nearby torch caught sight of it. Somehow, it looked familiar to Chrom.

He watched as Gaius offered the accessory to Robin with a confident grin. Robin furiously shook her head as if rejecting it. She did smile in gratitude. A moment later, after giving her an explanation as it seems, Gaius once again offered the necklace to the servant who, although hesitantly, sighed and nodded. Smiling victoriously, Gaius moved behind her to put the necklace on Robin, who, in turn, stroked the accessory gently, a small, radiant smile on her face.

It was then that Chrom recognized the necklace. The Robin back in his world always wore it. He often wondered where she got it but he never tried to ask. So it was Gaius who gave it to her. Watching them now laughing and smiling, he felt his heart clench violently. He felt rooted to the spot. He himself had once offered Robin a necklace when they stopped at a shop during one of their marches. It was beautiful, worth a good bag of gold. Robin had declined, saying she did not need something so extravagant. Looking at the jewelry hanging on her neck now, it looked like it was worth a lot too. Just thinking about it frustrated him. He turned away abruptly, but it seemed that sneaking around wasn't Gaius' only strong point. He forgot that the thief was perceptive too. A bit too perceptive. He wouldn't be surprised if Gaius had already noticed him since the beginning.

"Hey Blue! You still here huh?" the thief asked, using that absurd nickname he insists on calling him.

"Y-Yes. Just… looking for… Frederick." He lied, looking away when Robin glanced at him.

"Oh. He's went ahead with your sister ealier. Bubbles and I were just picking something up before going back. Wanna come along?" the thief offered, walking across the room to gather his things, strewn around in a clutter. Robin rushed to follow him, offering to help him carry to keep her from standing idle the whole time. A part of Chrom wanted to say yes, maybe catch a moment with Robin and talk, but he knew that if Gaius or if anyone else was there, he wouldn't get the chance. Of course he could always call out to her like last night, but after seeing what happened, he felt his resolve weakening. Did he even have a chance? Would he even get one?

"Ah no I'll just… stay ahead for awhile longer. I recalled I had something to do." He lied again. He wondered if Robin would stay behind and keep him company. Looking at her, it seemed like she was hesitating, thinking if she should stay behind as well. But then she said, "We'll go on ahead then, good night milord" and left with Gaius. Chrom sighed and sat dejectedly on a crate right then and there.

When Chrom got back to the palace, he was exhausted. He didn't do anything particularly stressful or strenuous, but he was tired and he partly blamed a certain ex-tactician. He was moping about how he didn't get to talk to Robin again that day and all the enthusiasm he had early that morning was gone. He sighed as he walked and he uncharacteristically slumped against a post standing in the hallways. He couldn't pull himself up at all.

Quite a while had passed when he felt a hard slap against the bare skin of his shoulder. Gritting his teeth and shuddering, he turned around and came face to face with his sister Lissa, who was grinning impishly at him. "Lissa! Gods, what do you want?" Chrom fought down another exasperated sigh as he pushed himself up properly.

"Oh nothing brother… just wondering where you went, seeing as you missed dinner with me and Emm." Lissa chanted, ignoring her brother's look of annoyance. "I was back at the garrison." He grunted. His eyes darted quickly behind Lissa, expecting a white-haired woman close behind. He found no one and sighed dejectedly once again.

"Looking for Robin?" Lissa suddenly asked, bringing Chrom's eyes back to hers. "W-What?" he stuttered. The mere mention of the servant's name caught him off guard.

"You know brother, don't think I haven't noticed it. You're suddenly interested in her!" Lissa said, putting her hands on her hips, looking at him with a knowing look. "Before, you were so indifferent about her presence and just a few days ago, you're suddenly daydreaming about her!"

"What? I don't daydream about her."

"Oh please Chrom. You can't fool me. I'm your little sister. Plus, I know those kinds of looks when I see them."

"Even Emm's noticed, y'know? Says you're lovesick and you've fallen hard. Is that why you're always so distracted and you sigh just as much as Cordelia? I'm right aren't I?" Lissa's grin just grew bigger when Chrom failed to answer. He was never good at lying to his sisters. "So… love troubles huh. You can't talk to her because Robbie just shies away from you. Well never fear Chrom! I've got a solution for that!"

Chrom has sometimes hated how perceptive his sisters are. It's as if he just couldn't keep any secrets from them and that itself, is true enough.

At that time, Chrom was too distracted to refuse or ask about the said plan. He was often wary about Lissa's plans, but maybe he was just too desperate for development to even ask. Especially now that he's been made awfully aware of other competitors for Robin's attention.

A.N.

Right so... slow developments here ahaha orz but I'm getting there I promise!

I'm kind of sticking to Chrom's pov now since I noticed a few instances where I shifted to Robin's pov back in the earlier chapters. It's confusing so I'm trying to avoid that. Plus I'm going to throw in support convos here and there sometimes if that's still not obvious.

Oh and lastly, among the other Shepherds, who can you visualize as the closest to being prince material? Like, if Chrom wasn't the prince, then who would it be?

Thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites btw. You guys are the best! Til next time! I'll try to update faster for everyone's sake haha :'D