Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening
"Okay. First things first, deep breaths."
Cordelia obliged, the slight nip in the air refreshing. She and Robin stood outside the mess tent. The smell of soup drifted from inside, most of the camp gathered for supper.
Bits of snow were scattered all across the ground. Tomorrow, they would reach Regna Ferox proper, where they would request further aid for the war. The mood in the camp had been growing more and more somber as they grew closer to Ferox, all of them being reminded of the larger situation at hand. They were at war with Plegia, and the Plegians were already within Ylisse's borders. They had already claimed Cordelia's knight-sisters, and who knew how many others. It had been nice, to focus on just the Risen for a while, but they now had to return to business.
"Listen to me," Robin said, "Tonight is as much about keeping Chrom's mind off of things as it is getting you two to have a conversation without you passing out."
"That's right," Cordelia muttered, "The exalt…" Exalt Emmeryn, Chrom's older sister, had chosen to stay behind in Ylisstol to support her people rather than retreat to a safer location. It was easy to imagine the worst with the Plegian army bearing down on them.
"He'd been doing very well mood-wise but he's sunk right back into the doldrums," Robin risked a peek inside the mess tent, "I'm going to be right next to you for emotional support, so I'm hoping that will help your nerves a little. In addition, you two together in the mess tent is bound to kick up some talk." Cordelia gulped as Robin turned to enter the tent, "Alright, let's go."
Inside, the air was filled with the chatter of soldiers and Shepherds. Sumia discussed something with Sully. Vaike sat with Miriel, and boasted about something. Miriel watched, and made a comment as she adjusted her glasses. Robin couldn't hear, but it made Vaike stop and search for something to say. Ricken sat nearby and watched in fascination.
Maribelle sat across from Lissa, the pair taking tea together. Stahl talked with Frederick and Lon'qu. Gaius chewed through some sweets, while Donnel watched from his seat across from him. Virion spoke with Panne, whose head turned away from him while she munched on a carrot.
Chrom sat by himself, waiting for them. Upon seeing him, she stopped cold. He was so handsome, so dashing, and she was about to be close to him outside of a combat situation. She pinked at the thought. She was no longer sure if she could do this.
Robin got a couple of steps before stopping, glancing back. She reached and grabbed the redhead's arm, pulling her towards the table. "Good evening, Chrom," Robin said.
Chrom turned his head in their direction and smiled, though his eyes remained weary. Cordelia's feet rooted. Robin dragged her over and seated them both across from the prince.
"Good evening Robin, Cordelia," he nodded to both of them. Cordelia flushed even as her heart swelled. Gods, this was going to kill her, wasn't it?
Robin nudged Cordelia, and gave the pegasus knight a pointed look. Cordelia took a deep breath.
"H-have you been doing alright lately, Captain..?" She managed to get out. It wasn't lost on her that she had defaulted to a more formal title. She saw Robin giving her a small smile from the corner of her eye.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
She cast Robin a helpless look, but the tactician munched on an apple from a nearby basket. She spared the pegasus knight a glance that read, 'You KNOW what to say next.'
Cordelia took another shaky breath, "Y-you've been acting...distant lately...I-it's been worrying a lot of us. Especially me..." The last bit slipped out and her face warmed. This close, she couldn't miss the burden weighing down on the prince. It saddened her that he had to go through something like this.
Chrom sighed, "I don't mean to worry anyone. It's just that..." He trailed off and shook his head, shoulders curling forward.
He was depressed over the situation with his sister, which was understandable. She had to do something, help somehow. In a fit of inspiration that surprised her, she said, "I've had to leave behind family too."
Chrom's eyes shot to her. She started to crumble under them. A hand squeezed hers. Robin had reached over under the table and took her hand, still looking away. Cordelia drew strength from the tactician's presence.
"I had to leave behind my knight-sisters," Cordelia said, "It...it was horrible. The wound is still fresh, and I feel that the guilt will haunt me for days to come." She took a breath, gathering her courage, "But I am still fighting for their sakes. You can ask no less from yourself. You can also take comfort in knowing that your sister, unlike my own, still lives, and that there is hope that she will come out of this alive."
A glance at Robin told Cordelia that those words had been an excellent thing to say. Chrom's own expression softened.
"That's right," he muttered, "I suppose amongst my own self-pity, I forgot that I am not the only one to have suffered this way. I'm sorry Cordelia."
"Y-You don't have to apologize," She had to say what she needed before her burst of nerves faded, "Many of us have already have lost much during this war, it is true. But you need to know that we will all fight to ensure that such loss will cease."
"Yes, this is true, I..." Chrom shook his head, "You'll have to excuse me," he stood up.
Robin spoke up for the first time, giving Chrom a look, "Where are you going? You haven't even eaten yet!"
"I don't have much of an appetite tonight, sorry."
"That's not a good excuse!" the tactician snapped, "You need your strength Chrom, we're going to be up early tomorrow."
"I'll eat something later," He passed Robin, and stopped by Cordelia. Her heart pounded and her face flushed, "Thank you for your words Cordelia, I shall keep them in mind."
He walked away. She felt dizzy. That...had gone well! She managed to hold a conversation with him! He even thanked her for her comments! Despite the grim undertones of what occurred, she was so happy she could burst.
She heard Robin from somewhere in the distance, "That idiot." Darkness edged on Cordelia's vision, "We'll have to bring him some of tonight's soup later. Honestly! Um, Cordelia? Are you feeling okay?"
The pegasus knight managed to say, "Better than okay..." before her entire world went dark.
"Dang," Sully said, as she observed Cordelia on the infirmary bed, "I was just telling Sumia that it was a miracle that she didn't pass out when I saw her talking to Chrom. Guess I spoke too soon."
"That makes two of us," Robin muttered. She was proud of Cordelia for dinner today. She had done a wonderful job, and said words Chrom needed to hear. Of course, it turned out the whole thing was too much for her to take after all. "Thanks for helping us get her in here Sully."
"Not a problem," The caliver said, "It's about dang time she made a move though!"
"I was actually really surprised," Sumia said, standing nearby, "Cordelia normally gets way too nervous to even get near Chrom. I wonder what caused the sudden surge of confidence? I'm really happy for her though!" Her eyes glimmered, "Things around camp are certainly getting really interesting!"
Oh gods, tonight was going to stir up gossip of a smoldering love triangle or something. Robin wanted to say something, but kept her mouth shut. Anything she said on the subject of her perceived love life could fan of the flames of the rumors even further. No, a love triangle was a more ideal situation.
She picked her words with care, "It's too bad Cordelia passed out. She was planning on delivering some soup to his tent later. He hasn't eaten anything tonight because he's been so worried about his sister."
Sumia's eyes sparkled. Bingo. "Oh, I'll deliver it for her! There's plenty of leftovers, I'll just grab a bowl and take it to him."
The statement that she was doing it for Cordelia wasn't lost on Robin. If Sumia preferred her best friend to be with her longtime crush, it would be a huge asset in Robin's scheme. After all, for Sumia, what was an imagined epic romance to her closest friend having a real chance at the man she loved?
"You sure you're going to be able to deliver it without tripping?" Sully asked, looking skeptical.
"I'm sure I'll be fine!" Sumia assured the cavalier, "I'm going to get some now before Stahl or someone else eats the rest of it. Tonight's soup was amazing, and I wouldn't be surprised to see people going back for seconds." The brunette stumbled trying to leave. She picked herself up, and continued on.
Sully sighed, "I better go make sure she doesn't hurt herself," she looked over at Robin, "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to stay here with Cordelia," Robin replied, "I want to make sure that she's okay. I'll leave once Lissa comes back."
Sully shrugged, "Suit yourself." She left the tent.
Robin sighed, but couldn't stop a small smile. With tonight, the plan was off to an excellent start. Cordelia's nerves needed work, but tonight had shown overcoming them wasn't impossible. The possibility of the plan succeeding was there. Robin worked out what to do next when Cordelia stirred.
"Ohhhh…" Cordelia's eyes blinked open, "Where am I?"
"In the infirmary tent," Robin stated, watching for Cordelia's reaction.
Cordelia shot upright. She swayed, and Robin steadied her with one hand, "Easy," the tactician muttered, "Don't push yourself."
"I passed out!" Cordelia gasped, "Like a heroine from a romance novel! Oh gods, how embarrassing. Please tell me that…"
"Chrom didn't see," Robin assured her, and the redhead breathed out a sigh of relief, "But he's probably going to hear about it. Sumia just went to deliver some food to him in your name."
Cordelia groaned, flopping onto the cot, "How humiliating..."
"Cordelia, listen to me," the redhead turned her head to face Robin, "Aside from you passing out right after the conversation, tonight actually went really well. For one, it was sufficient proof-of-concept that you CAN overcome your problems of nerves around Chrom, to an extent at least. That is significant. Between continuing to work together in the field and holding more conversations, we will make progress."
Cordelia stared at the ceiling. After a few moments, she said, "I-I'm starting to have second thoughts about this. After what happened tonight..."
Her lack of self-esteem was showing again, and Robin had to put a stop to it now, "Tell me this, how did you feel when you passed out?"
A pause, "Wonderful," the pegasus knight admitted, "Absolutely wonderful. I know that the discussion was somewhat grim, but the whole time I was thinking in the back of my head, 'If I could just stay close to him like this, I'll be happy.'" Cordelia sighed, "He was so depressed...I wanted to try to see if I could, I don't know, somehow lift that burden that he carries. Or at least help him that so he didn't have to do it alone. I don't think I did a very good job of that," she sighed again, covering her face with her arm, "I'm pathetic, I know."
"You're not pathetic," Robin whispered, "You truly care for Chrom, and truly love him. Just the other day, you told me that you believed that he had feelings for someone else, and did not want to try because of that. That, and what you just told me informs me that you truly care for his happiness. You believe that you are not good enough for him, that you won't be able to give him the happiness that you think he deserves. I say that is all the more reason to make this work."
Cordelia peeked at tactician. Robin patted her arm, "Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, we're going to meet with the khans and make our plans to drive out the Plegian's from Ylisse's borders. It's going to be a long day, and you'll want to be at full strength."
Robin stood from her seat and exited the tent. The night air chilled her, making her pull up the hood of her cloak. The sky provided a clear view of the star. She sent prayer to the gods that Cordelia wouldn't lose her confidence now. Robin needed Cordelia to keep going through with this.
Robin surprised herself when she yawned. She needed to follow her own advice and get some sleep. On her way to her tent, she spotted Sumia with Sully. She couldn't make out what they said, but they came from the same direction as Chrom's tent. Sumia had delivered the soup without incident.
Robin smiled to herself. Yes, there were bumps in the road, but things were going well.