Kek. So much apologies for the utter lateness. I know it's been...a year and a...bit...? since the last update and well, things have been crazy busy with life. I've wrapped up year two of university, had some emotional ups and downs with reality and weekend work. It was a particularly hard year for some reason, but at least I'm finally done with university until September (and reality for a little bit.) Here's the last chapter of Pieces. It's been a pleasure working with this guilty pleasure fiction. It made me channel my inner angstiness (caused by a certain chrobin comic on tumblr, no doubt; props to Ticcytx for that last update, really just got me so fired up, it pushed me until the end.) And an epilogue is coming. Hopefully before the end of summer.
I hope you enjoy this chapter. Again apologies for the wait.
...
So keep your head up and make it to me
As if blessed with wings by Naga herself, Chrom and his companions reached the castle faster than they had anticipated. The sun was only gently nestled between the ragged Ylissean horizons when they sighted the castle. Guards threw open the gates for the weary and frantic travellers, whose sense of urgency were etched in their rigid, sleep-deprived forms. Even Frederick himself seemed discomposed, much to the worry of the early-morning patrol guards. The morning shift saluted them grimly and silently as the group dismounted their horses, stable-hands running to care for their horses. Eyes following, their king passed them, carrying a bundle of what seemed like endless bloodied sheets in his arms. A frightful melange of emotions, mostly fear, was evident in his eyes, and they could understand. This was their tactician—Ylisse's crutch when everyday felt like a shot in the void—the very same woman who delivered them all from hell, orchestrating the ultimate triumph for peace. It was through her strategy and willpower that so many of them had made it through the trying days of the past. While they were not aware of the full situation, she was in their thoughts and prayers as the king vanished into the castle.
Miriel and Libra started out of their seats in the clinic when Chrom busted through the door, Robin pale and breathing raggedly in his arms, swaddled haphazardly in poorly-wrapped bandages. Neither one of the healers could mask the fluttering unease that had settled upon them. Sumia had told them beforehand of Robin's condition, yet regardless, they were still taken aback. These were supposed to be peaceful times, after all.
Libra quietly offered prayers for Robin's safety as he motioned for Chrom to place her on an empty bed. Miriel's eyes drifted from Chrom to the tactician, analysing the situation. The worry from earlier tied itself into knots, settling heavy at the bottom of her stomach, making it difficult even for someone as focused as her to go over the notes she had prepared for the hours ahead. A small gathering of clerics were preparing their spells, scattering slightly as the king placed Robin in one of the larger beds. Her state was terrifying to Chrom, now that he had the full light of the waking sun to properly see her with. She was paler than the sheets around her, and for once, the boldness that always made her seem larger-than-life had disappeared completely, replaced by a tiny girl who was drowning in the sea of her own cloak. As soon as he placed her down on the bed, the horde of clerics behind the king flocked towards the unconscious patient, pushing the king away from his beloved, earning a snarl from the royal. The others finally came. Lissa and Maribelle installed themselves next to the other healers and tried to busy themselves with helping their friend, but were in turn ordered to stand down and submit themselves to treatment, since they were also fatigued and slightly scratched in the earlier skirmish.
As they exposed the wound to begin their treatment, Miriel couldn't help but inhale audibly, as if trying to catch her breath. It was a deep, angry gash that seemed to leak blood endlessly, though, at the sight of that wound, the red-haired sage thanked that her fellow Shepherd clerics Maribelle and Lissa had come. Miriel bit her lip as she watched Chrom pushing through the healers to see Robin, wanting so much to see her breathing. Miriel silently approached the lord, who snarled at her, but undeterred, she spoke.
"Chrom, as the first person on the scene after the injury, I'm going to require you to assist me in completing this paperwork regarding Robin's injury," Miriel had slipped on her trademark mask, ice-like in coldness and sharpness. As the most stoic and steadfast member of the Shepherds, she knew it would fall to her to keep her comrades in order, regardless of how turbulently her stomach was turning. Chrom on the other hand was antsy. His legs couldn't seem to find a good spot on the ground, and it felt like Naga herself was pushing him to Robin's side. It took all his willpower to stay in place and answer Miriel's banal questions.
"…Please focus. I understand the gravity of the situation, but you would best assist her by telling me everything you can." Miriel admonished the lord, who kept craning his neck to get a look on how Robin was doing. Dammit all, he felt so useless!
Chrom hesitated for a moment. The past hours had been surreal. He couldn't seem to admit to himself that he had actually witnessed such a horrible event, save for when he looked at the gruesome scene that was his beloved Robin. In previous battlefields, it was true that Robin always took the brunt of blows meant for others if she could help it. Many times she had lain in the medical tent unconscious, hanging on to life by a thread; but the impact of it never lessened for Chrom. Every time he sees her take on an enemy's weapon with her body, be it a shallow or deep cut, the moment slows for the lord and he could see her pale skin tear at impact, bending before giving in; a dam bursting, sending rivulets of bright red streaming down the beautiful alabastine surface. Her screams of pain; keening and sharp; often followed by a loud gasp. Her eyes sometimes loll to the back of her head and sometime, he couldn't be there to catch her fall. He has seen this so many times before, but it never made the effect any less. He could see and hear the entire event in his head but he could not recount them to the mage before him. Miriel noticed this and she sighed.
"…Perhaps you could come assist us, Frederick?" She turned to the sovereign's right hand, who she knew would have enough mental stamina to expound to her the details of which she needs for the proper treatment.
After a few minutes of the impromptu interview, she found herself on edge as the clattering of both Lissa and Maribelle begging to see their friend, as well as the low buzzing of the healers behind her, was getting on her nerves. Clearing her thought, she asked all non-medical personnel to vacate the room. With a lot of resistance from the new king, the Ylissean princess and duchess, it took near ten minutes to vacate the room; possibly even longer if Sumia and her husband had not come to help. Chrom and his Shepherds filed out of the room, leaving Robin's fate in Libra's capable hands. With Gaius's shoulder supporting him, Chrom left the room with downcast eyes.
"Her wounds have closed completely. Truly, her recovery has been phenomenal, even better than we had anticipated," Libra reported the previous day's work with a joy he feared he would never feel again. He and Chrom stood at the foot of the bed on which Robin lay, eyes shut tight, breathing softly, sleeping peacefully.
"Then… why hasn't she woken up?" Chrom was as dejected as he had been the day before. Though Robin had been brought back from the brink of death, she had refused to open her eyes. As soon as Chrom had been allowed back into the room, he had remained there, holding Robin, watching her for any hint of life.
"Though her body supports itself, it appears her mind just hasn't come back to it. And if it doesn't… We may have to face the fact that her mind is lost."
Libra's words angered Chrom. He had never lost hope, no matter how bleak things had gotten. Was it really his only option now to just wait for her to lose herself forever? He shook his head, unable to handle the misery that surrounded him any longer. He slumped down by Robin's side, holding her hand in his. Her blood ran hot through her veins. Chrom felt her warmth, and it comforted him. He felt as if Robin was ready to spring into his arms at any moment.
"Chrom, there's something else you need to know," Libra broke the silence after what felt like ages.
Chrom sighed heavily, "What else is there to say?"
"The healing spell I used is a very intimate procedure. It is not one that is often used in the healing arts due to the strain it does to both caster and patient as it requires a meeting of souls to occur, in order for the healer to accurately pinpoint internal injuries and the like. As I renewed Robin's vitality, I was able to feel the reverberations of her very soul. The thing is, Chrom…Within Robin, there were two reverberations. Two souls."
A moment passed, allowing the regent and the exhausted healer both to contemplate those words.
"What… What are you saying?" Chrom finally managed to speak.
"I think may have an inkling as to this, Chrom. Robin is with child." Chrom's breathing grew into gasps as Libra's words confirmed his thoughts. His eyes darted from Libra to Robin, eyes that were supposed to be overjoyed with the news, but were robbed of that by the current situation. The priest continued, wishing to soothe the ruler's heart before he dropped the true bombshell on the weakened Chrom. "The wound missed the child by a small margin, thank Naga. Its growth has not been deterred…so long as Robin still breathes, the child will remain healthy."
"But if Robin doesn't wake up…" Chrom, realising the implications of Libra's words, began to speak but was far too stunned to finish.
"Yes, Chrom. We have two lives on the line now."
It felt as if she had been drowning in sludge. She could barely move, her breathing went in gasps and she couldn't open her eyes at all; or perhaps there were open after all; regardless it was only darkness that she could see.
She could feel warmth coming from above her, a hot sensation brushing against her face; small but searing. In a slow, deliberate rhythm, she could feel something prodding against her.
In small increments, light flooded her brain through the tiny slits her eyelids created. It was absolutely blinding, as if she had spent the past year in the dark. Through the powerful whiteness, a small face sharpened into focus. As she adjusted to her surroundings, she found herself face to face with a young girl, with long, navy blue hair, and a look of sheer contentment. The girl above her beamed happily, her eyes wide in beautifully open expression that children often wore. However, while doing so, Robin was attracted to her two-tone blue eyes; and more importantly, the Mark of Naga in her right eye. Her lineage was of no question, she was of the exalted blood line-whether or not she was a past or a future exalt was lost to Robin. The child held out her hand to the confused woman, offering to help her up with the simple gesture. Snapping out of her confusion, Robin smiled at the small girl and took her hand, pushing herself up from her place in the grass.
On her feet again after what had felt like ages, Robin stretched her limbs and began surveying her surroundings. She had been lying in a field of wild flowers, with the sweet scent of honeysuckle and clovers filling the air. The ankle-high grasses carried on in every direction, further than her eyes could perceive. A few trees sparsely populated the field, and far off to one side, castle Ylisse stood tall, its walls bright and proud against the setting sun which was casting a deep orange haze over the entire setting.
Beside her, the child began to pull at her hand, eyes pleading up at her. "What do you need?" was the question to fly out of Robin's mouth. She didn't even mind the unknown girl's presence. Robin's sharp mind would have tried to question the girl as to why she was there, or whether or not her parents were there, but there was something comfortably natural about the girl being there. It was like Robin couldn't question why she was there because she was supposed to be there.
The little girl replied with only silence and a finger pointed at her.
"Me? What do you want me to do?"
The young child then faced the setting sun, in the direction of the castle, with an indescribably expression on her face; a mixture of happiness, yet also fear. As she looked, her grip on Robin's palm tightened, and the dust-haired woman noticed it. Before Robin could address it however, the girl wrapped her arms as far up the woman's body as she could; namely around Robin's legs, and the blue haired girl clung to her tightly. Robin felt indescribably warm, being held by this young girl. Who was she to have such a profound effect on her?
"Is there someone in the castle you'd like to see?"
Robin smiled when the girl looked up to her with a grin. That smile decided their course. The two descended down a gentle hill, and set off towards the castle far off in the distance. Under the setting sun, the bright walls from earlier shifted into a more sinister, intimidating shadow that grew larger, engulfing more of the landscape with each passing minute. The little girl, clinging tightly to Robin's clothes looked upon the building with unease. That castle frightened her somewhat, and it seemed to have made the little girl ill at ease. Her tiny feet dragged a little as they walked, but nonetheless, she continued. Robin felt herself smile at her, commended the girl for her bravery, how willing she was to press on through her fear for whatever reasons she may have had.
They walked for hours. The castle, whose shadow stretched ever closer towards them remained far off in the distance. In the deathly silence, Robin lost herself. She found herself remembering, reflecting on what she had been through. Her life had been cut so short, her entire childhood missing from her memory. As far as she knew, she had only been alive for a few short months. What a whirlwind they had been though, both with good moments and bad, but through it all, was she happy?
A figure appeared a ways ahead, a lone person standing next to a tree as if waiting. As soon as the little girl caught sight of the figure, her grip on Robin loosened, and she ran. When the girl finally reached the person, the figure reacted and lifted her up unto his shoulders in an embrace. As Robin drew nearer, her steps began to halt, the person became overwhelmingly familiar to Robin. His dark blue hair, his attire, and most especially, the eyes that never failed to make her overflow with emotions. She felt herself stop in her tracks as his gaze tore through her, tired and lined with darkness. The young girl had nested in Chrom's arms, her cheek against the man's chest, the child's affection surpassing even her sudden affection for Robin.
"Come back, Robin." The figure whispered loud enough for her to hear, with a heartbreaking intensity that made her heart ache and her knees weak.
"Make it to me, please."
Robin hesitated. Now that she thought of her situation, it was like when she ran away from the castle, when the sadness of sunsets painted everything in her sight. Had Chrom caught up to her at that moment, if he had reached her in time, how would she have reacted? Would she have broken down and ran back into his arms, her doubt gone and their love the only absolute thing? Would she have run further on, harder than she was going before, disappearing in the distance as he watched heartbrokenly? She honestly could not say. She seemed so hurtful now, in hindsight. He had loved her beyond it all. That was the thing that made her love Chrom so much. Sure, he was rash and an absolute danger to himself in the battlefield, with his tendency to deviate from plans and his impulsive heroisms, but she loved him like that. She loved how passion fuels him, how his every action doesn't come as much from his conscious, but rather from his heart, a heart that loves just as fiercely as it beats; his heart that was placed gently in her hands, only for her to shove it to the ground, forlorn as she cradled and fed only her own feelings.
She had been so selfish. He loved her surely as she loved him, yet she never told him of how she felt about their relationship in terms of being royalty. She never told him her fears, her insecurities about their love when she promised to share it all with him; the happiness and the sadness.
It wasn't only her heart that she broke, and she had no right in letting it shatter around her feet.
"Robin."
Slowly, her feet began to move and her heart yearned for the man. She felt weak with every step she took, the weight of her decisions slowing her down. Chrom, understanding her intent, placed the girl gently down on the ground and also began to walk towards her, cradling her into a gentle embrace as they met and their bodies shifted together in familiarity, his large hands upon her shoulders. In the crook of his neck, she cried, apologising profusely for the pain she caused. His scent comforted her and his warmth soothed her soul.
They spent an eternity like that, holding each other gently in silence. Heavens know that they deserved it after all they've been through.
After a while though, a shuffling was heard and the girl hugged their knees, a happy smile upon her face as she gripped them tight against her small form. Chrom broke their embrace and took the girl back into his arms, his eyes bright with gladness. The girl smiled at Robin, whose identity still eluded the older woman. Her hair was dark, like Chrom's, eyes, like Chrom's and even her lopsided smile was much like Chrom's; much like her…
As she pieced it all together, the girl smiled and began to wave at her. The sun had now completely set and in the beauty of twilight, everything began to disappear, but she felt no fear, no uncertainty. She felt content and as everything around her vanished and her form becoming feather-light, she could hear the girl speak to her as she vanished as well.
"You made it, Mom."