Armored Heart, Chapter 3: During their morning rituals.

Kjelle saw that the burden Robin had to carry was dragging him down, and she refused to let him carry it alone.

Stress levels were at an all time high with the Shepherds. The resistance fighters that Robin had hoped to turn the tides against Walhart's forces had turned their blades against their so-called comrades. Because of that the operation against Fort Steiger turned into a desperate flight for survival. Basilio had taken Flavia and a small fighting force of their best Feroxi warriors to delay Walhart while the Shepherds retreated. When they had made camp Robin sent their pegasus knight's off to scout the area and make sure neither the turncoat dynasts or Yen'fay's forces were approaching their location. Once the pegasus knights were away he focused on looking over the maps of the land and their troop dispositions, hoping to find any advantage to exploit. Robin lost track of the time, and he only noted how much time had passed once Frederick announced his presence.

"Beg your pardon for intruding Robin, but the scouts have just returned. And their findings are… disturbing." Frederick said as he walked into Robin's tent, his face looking rather disturbed.

"Alright, what's the bad news?" Robin asked warily.

"Risen have been sighted across the continent." Frederick replied sadly. Robin stared at the knight for a few moments before the news sunk into his head.

"WHAT?" Robin cried out in disbelief. "When did risen roam the lands here?"

"According to our scouts the risen have been showing up recently in significant numbers at Valm harbor and the Mila Tree." Frederick said. "The people we've liberated are fighting back against this menace, but they're taking heavy casualties. They're requesting that we assign reinforcements to help protect the civilian population."

"GOD'S DAMN IT ALL! HOW ARE WE TO WIN THIS WAR WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG?!" Robin yelled as he slammed his fist against his desk, his arms shaking in frustration. "…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to lose my temper like that."

"It's understandable." Frederick said. "You are milord's tactician and chief adviser. It's only natural these stressful times would take its toll on you. But I recommend inquiring Maribelle about her recipe for elderberry tea. It is a refreshing blend that helps calm one's nerves."

"That's a good idea." Robin said wearily. "I'll go ask her once I can spare the time."

"No need Robin." Frederick answered. "I will go and make the inquiry on your behalf, since you're now occupied."

"Oh. Thanks Frederick." Robin said gratefully. "I appreciate it."

"It's my pleasure." Frederick said with a bow, before departing.

So Robin continued his studies and tried to figure out how many troops he could leave behind to protect the civilian populations. while the hours passed. Frederick returned with a steaming pot of elderberry tea for Robin to drink, and advised that Robin should try to get some rest before he had to rise in the morning. Robin however said that he could not rest until he had planned for every contingency, including surprise attacks by risen. When Robin had finally finished his work he regretfully noticed that the sun was starting to creep up on the horizon. With a content sigh he walked over to his bed roll and settled himself down, sleep claiming him quickly. He awoke to the sound of a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Hello Robin!" Kjelle called out confidently. "Let us have a match before the morning is over!"

"I'll be right there Kjelle, just give me a minute to get ready." Robin answered as he tried to clear the fog in his mind. He noticed that putting on his chain mail and clothing took more time and effort than usual, and he hoped that he wouldn't lose his concentration during the day. Once he stepped outside he saw that Kjelle was in her usual training armor waiting for him and she frowned a bit once she saw how sleep deprived Robin looked.

"Robin, you look tired." Kjelle said in concern. "Are you alright?"

"I didn't get as much sleep as I had hoped." Robin said. "But I won't let that slow me down today."

"Heh, that's the spirit." Kjelle said. "I wouldn't let a little fatigue hold me back either."

They found a space open enough for them to spar, and Robin prepared his sword in readiness while Kjelle steadied her lance. As he expected, Kjelle took the initiative and attacked Robin with a flurry of spear thrusts, while Robin danced around her strikes as he brought his blade against the more vulnerable points of her armor, hoping to disrupt the flow of her attacks and leave her off-balance. Kjelle was expecting this, and she led Robin on to a false sense of triumph by feigning weakness. Robin saw an opportunity for a decisive strike, but when he tried to attack Kjelle stepped forward quicker than Robin through possible and struck his arm with her lance so hard that he dropped his sword in pain. Then she pointed her blade at his stomach, gently poking it.

"I yield." Robin said with a sigh. "Nice work in making me think I was winning. But I'll get you next time though."

"You're more tired than you're letting on." Kjelle stated as she picked up Robin's sword and offered it back. "You normally offer more of a challenge than this."

"Sorry, Frederick told me that the risen that are starting to appear all over Valm." Robin explained as he took his sword back and sheathed it. "And that meant I had to work for longer than usual last night."

"Just don't push yourself too hard, Robin." Kjelle stated. "If you need any help you can count on me."

"If things get any worse I will come find you and ask for your help." Robin said.

"I'm relieved to hear that." Kjelle said with a confident smile. "I'm off to learn to cook with Father, and then Mother is going to give me more horse riding lessons."

"Take care now, and have fun." Robin said as he gave Kjelle a brief hug.

"You too." Kjelle replied as she returned Robin's embrace before she walked away. Robin groaned silently about the amount of work he had waiting for him. He advised Chrom about where they could march to next to keep their distance from both Yen'fay and the turncoat dynasts, combed through the armory for damaged weapons, talked to the other shepherds to check their morale and he wrote up the next weeks training schedule for the troops. When he had finished those chores he reluctantly walked off to take part in Frederick's Fanatical Fitness hour. Along the way he felt very wobbly and had to struggle to stay upright. Before he knew it the ground was rushing up to meet him, and he passed out on the ground. The soldiers that saw him collapse quickly called out for a healer and a stretcher.

Robin awoke to the sound of Maribelle and Kjelle talking about him. He didn't open his eyes; he didn't want both Kjelle and Maribelle disciplining him at the same time.

"He's been working so much lately that he can't look after himself."

"Yes, He keeps insisting on pushing himself to his utter limits to look after us all. My dearest Lissa and I are dreadfully worried about him. Please take good care of our friend Robin, and tell him that next time he collapses like this I'll be disciplining him with my parasol."

"You have my word." Kjelle replied.

"And you have my gratitude, my dear." Maribelle said politely, before walking away.

Once Robin heard Maribelle leave he decided to slowly opened his eyes. He noticed that he was in his tent on his bed-roll. Kjelle was sitting down beside him. Once she saw that he was awake her face looked like it bore a mix of relief and disappointment, and Robin felt guilty about making her worry about him.

"You promised to tell me if things got any worse." Kjelle said with a sigh. "What happened?"

"I did make that promise, and I'm sorry that I didn't say anything. I thought that I could tough it out today and catch up on sleep once I had some spare time." Robin admitted. "I guess I couldn't hold myself awake any longer."

"Remember when you noticed that I was hurt, and you insisted on looking at that injury?" Kjelle asked. "I guess that this is what it felt like from your perspective."

"I suppose it is." Robin said with a small laugh. "It's a bit ironic."

"Perhaps, but I insist that you let me help you with your burden from now on!" Kjelle said passionately.

"How will you do that?" Robin asked curiously.

"I'll be staying in your tent for the next week while you recover." Kjelle answered. "I'll help you strike a balance between training, working and resting each day. You can also teach me how to be a tactician, so that I can do some of your work for you."

"I could use the help. But are you sure about this?" Robin asked. "A tactician's work is never easy, and you can't solve it with brute force alone."

"Just try to stop me. By learning what you do, I can become a smarter fighter." Kjelle said, as she slowly and gently touched Robin's face with her hand, running her thumb across Robin's cheek. "And you're not going to talk me out of looking after the man I care about the most."

"Kjelle... hearing you say that makes me very happy." Robin said, feeling his cheeks blaze from the affection she was giving him. "Thank you. I'll return the favor the next time you fall ill or get injured."

"You're welcome." Kjelle answered with a smile. "But for now we rest. Don't even think about doing any work until tomorrow morning."

"Yes dear. I know not to argue with you when you're this adamant." Robin deadpanned. "But does this mean that you're not going to train anymore today?"

"I suppose it can wait until tomorrow." Kjelle answered. "But starting tomorrow we'll be training, working and resting together as one, so you better be ready! There's no middle ground about this!"

"Alright then. But if we eat here I'll be cooking for us both." Robin teased, and Kjelle blanched in embarrassment about the remark. So Kjelle and Robin spent the rest of the day reading a few fictional novels Sumia had supplied Robin with and they swapped stories of the shepherds exploit's present and future. When Robin was ready to sleep he bid Kjelle goodnight as she fell asleep on her own bedroll, still wearing her combat armor. Robin wondered why but he decided to wait to the morning to ask. When he did wake up the next morning he saw Kjelle was on her stomach sleeping still. He sat down beside her and gently woke her up.

"Good morning Robin." Kjelle said with a yawn. "How did you sleep?"

"I feel well rested for once." Robin said with a smile. "But what about your own sleep? I can't imagine sleeping in full gear would be comfortable."

"My armor is like a part of my body." Kjelle admitted. "Growing up, we never knew when the next attack was coming. We couldn't relax if we weren't armed to the teeth. And even then..."

"I see your point..." Robin said, understanding what Kjelle was trying to say.

"Anyway, I've kept up the habit, even after coming back to this time. But I won't lie. There are times when it takes its toll on the body..." Kjelle explained. "But wearing it makes me feel...at ease, somehow."

"That sounds like me when it comes to my robes." Robin said as he helped Kjelle stand up. "We've got a long day ahead of us. Let's get a move on."

They started the day by visiting the mess tent and ate a hearty breakfast together. Then they returned to Robin's tent where they performed a set of quick training exercises. After that Robin resumed his studies of the surrounding area and Walhart's forces. Kjelle sat next to him and absorbed as much knowledge as she could. Robin ran a few battle simulations on his chessboard with Kjelle acting as the enemy general. While her initial straightforward tactics were easy to defeat and she hated being forced to resort to strategies that she considered dishonorable, Kjelle learned quickly from Robin and his victories were soon hard-won in the face of her swift progress.

"That last move with your Griffin riders, splitting them from your main forces at the last moment to trap my cavalry in a pincer movement was a good one." Robin commented, pointing to where the Griffin riders had left Kjelle's main force.

"But that move was too easily telegraphed. That's why you had your dark knight's protected. You saw it coming a mile away and adjusted your tactics for that." Kjelle said in frustration. "But this doesn't end here. I won't stop playing until I best you!"

"Ha ha, you're as competitive on the board as you are in combat." Robin said appreciatively. "But I'm very grateful for your help. The work we're doing would have taken more than twice as long alone."

"And you've taught me so much today." Kjelle said as she reset the board. "There's so much more to winning a war than the strength of arms each person bears. I have much to learn still. Keep teaching me like you have been today, this way I'll become stronger in both body and mind."

"Learning the art of war isn't easy, but you're dedicated enough to stick to it." Robin said with a chuckle. "But first we have a war council to attend. Will you come with me and put forward any ideas that you come up with?"

"I'd be honored. Just remember that we'll be eating a quick meal afterwards before we go to sleep." Kjelle said as she stood up.

"I won't forget." Robin said happily they walked off. The war council was a smooth affair; the dynasts were only making a token show of pursuing the shepherds while Yen'fay's forces were still a couple of weeks away. With that in mind training regimes and finding the best place to engage Yen'fay was the main two points of discussion. Kjelle spoke up about where their usual training methods could be improved while Robin spoke of a few locations that looked well-suited for their purposes. Chrom had agreed with Robin's analysis and told him to keep looking for other battlefields. Satisfied with the discussion Robin and Kjelle dismissed themselves and walked back to his tent. After a small meal of bear meat they quickly drifted off to sleep.

As each day passed for the week Robin and Kjelle woke up early and trained together, and they encouraged each other to push themselves to their limits. Afterwards Robin would cook breakfast for them both, occasionally trying out new recipes. In the afternoon Kjelle assisted Robin with his strategic planning, learning what she could. They came up with several ways to engage Yen'fay's forces as well as multiple contingencies if things went wrong. And in the evening they used the spare time leftover talking with the other shepherds or just spending some quiet time together. Kjelle ensured that Robin didn't stay up too late each night, sternly reminding him that a tired tactician wouldn't do anyone any good. And Robin helped her sharpen her tactical mind, encouraging her with gentle advice whenever she got frustrated.

Towards the end of the week Robin could really feel much his health had improved because of Kjelle's care, and he saw how much Kjelle was developing as a fighter with his help. He felt that he was in near peak condition, and wondered how he was able to do his job while he was sleep deprived. He heard a familiar clanking of Kjelle walking in her armor and smiled as she walked into his tent.

"Our Pegasus Knight's have returned from patrol." Kjelle said. "Yen'fay's battalion is only three day's away from our location. It's time to choose a strategy and move out."

"Alright, I'm looking again over the maps of this area." Robin said neutrally. "And I have an idea in mind, one that should keep any opportunistic dynasts from trying to attack our flanks while we engage Yen'fay."

"Show me." Kjelle said, looking over Robin's shoulder, while Robin pointed to a spot on the map.

"Have a look at this place. It's called Doma's Remains. It's a volcano that used to house a wicked fire god according to Say'ri. If we choose this as our battlefield, the Dynasts would hesitate to engage us there out of fear of waking their fire god." Robin said.

"But on the flip side there aren't many places we can fall back to if we need it." Kjelle commented. "Are you planning to lure Yen'fay's forces into the volcano, and use the magma and fires to pin them down in a killing zone?"

"I am." Robin said. "Our fliers apparently outnumber theirs, which gives us another way to exploit the terrain. It's our best chance to engage Yen'fay without anyone else interrupting the battle."

"It's risky." Kjelle commented. "The rocky terrain will slow our cavalry down, and one wrong step could spell disaster for any of our troops."

"We'll have our fliers scout the volcano for the safest paths, and then we'll force Yen'fay's forces through the more dangerous routes up the volcano. We'll keep a path of retreat available but if we don't succeed here we won't have any chance anywhere else once Walhart joins forces with Yen'fay."

"You're right. We can't run away forever." Kjelle conceded. "So we have to make a stand here."

"Then we have our course of action. I'll go and discuss this with Chrom and Frederick and see if we can come up with anything to improve our chances of success. While I do that could you please inform the other shepherds?"

"Certainly." Kjelle answered. "Good luck with Chrom and Frederick."

"Thank you." Robin said. "And one more thing…"

"Yes Robin?

"Thank you for staying with me for the past week. You've whipped me into shape and made my job easier to manage. And I've enjoyed all the time that we've trained and studied together recently."

"It's my honor and my pleasure, I feel the same way." Kjelle answered. "Why don't we keep this habit going once we beat Yen'fay? It's working very well for us."

"I'd like that." Robin said as they walked out of his tent. "See you later Kjelle."

"Take care Robin."

A/N: This chapter came together rather easily, I used the Kjelle's paired endings with both Brady and Laurent as a guide. They both say that she values self-improvement and self-discovery. And in Brady's case she learns to play music as well as he does. Thus I have a headcannon for Robin/Kjelle that eventually he trains her on tactics, while she trains him in combat. Thus they grow stronger and wiser together while learning from each others talents. The next chapter will be based on number 27: On one of their birthdays. See you next time!