So I just went through and re-read all of Cordelia's supports with other characters in order to refresh myself on her. Henry's support with her stuck out to me especially. Since Henry is her only support recruited after Chrom auto-marries, the convos actually acknowledge that fact (Chrom's not mentioned by name, but it's heavily implied that it's him. Actually, that occurs in a lot of Cordelia's supports). It was an interesting read, and it really made me feel for her. She's resigned, but at the same time she can't let go.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening

"You're with Chrom again today," Robin said, standing in front of the pegasus knight and her mount, both prepared for battle, "I'm going to be out there too to help, and keep an eye on the situation. So, good luck."

"I will do my best," Cordelia said, lifting her chin.

"That's all I need to hear," Robin exhaled, "I'm going to check with the others. Be ready to move out at the command."

The blonde left. Cordelia sighed and rubbed at her mount's nose, "There's a lot going on lately," she said to it, "I only hope that it all turns out alright."

"That makes two of us."

She jumped at the voice and turned around, "Ch-Chrom!" Her stomach fluttered at the sight of the prince.

He gave her an easy smile, "Hello, Cordelia, it looks like we're together again today. Seems to be that way a lot lately."

"W-well I'm certain Robin had her reasons," She said, her eyes flickering away. He didn't notice.

"Indeed, and I trust her judgement. She hasn't steered us wrong yet."

Although Robin dreaded the day she would. Cordelia was certain she would crack under similar pressure, but Robin took her duties in relative stride. It was even more impressive given recent circumstances. But sometimes, like during the battle with the wyvern riders, the confident shell cracked open, revealing the tactician's fears.

"Chrom," Said white-haired tactician materialized, "Everyone's ready. We'll need to leave now if we're to stop those Risen before they reach the nearby town"

Chrom nodded, "Very well, give the command. We will destroy those monsters before they can cause any damage."

Cordelia tightened her grasp on her lance. She hoped her heart could take this.

"This area is clear, let's go check back with the others."

Cordelia nodded from her place on her mount, "Yes, knowing them, they have already cleared out the rest of the Risen."

Chrom sheathed his sword, glancing at Cordelia over his shoulder. She pinked. "There's still a chance we can help, somehow," he said, "The battle isn't over until every last one of these blasted monsters is gone."

Cordelia nodded in agreement, and followed him as he went to find the others. She gazed at him as her pegasus carried her. They were alone right now, the pressure of battle gone. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come.

Chrom, however, took the initiative, "I've been meaning to ask," he began, "But do I make you nervous?"

"Huh?" Cordelia looked over at him, "What do you mean?"

"Every time we talk, you always seem so flustered. Is there a reason?"

Cordelia stuttered, "Th-there's no reason! No reason at all!"

"If there's no reason then why were so quick to flee the other day?"

"Um..." She bit her lip. How embarrassing. She was never going to live this down...

Chrom offered her a smile, and her heart skipped a beat, "I never got the chance to thank you for the meal. It was delicious. But I would like it if you would learn to relax. I don't mean to unnerve anyone."

"You aren't the first to tell me something to that effect..." She muttered. She gulped and took a deep breath. She needed to soothe her nerves, relax her muscles. She needed to not panic.

No Risen remained in sight when they spotted the others. Cordelia felt a sting of worry. Maribelle tended Vaike, with Miriel hovering nearby. It ebbed when she got closer,

"I still don't understand why you took that blow for me," Miriel adjusted her glasses, "I was more than capable of withstanding it."

"'Cause the last time you 'withstood a blow,' you got messed up really badly," Vaike said, "You ain't built for takin' blows, that's why I stepped in."

"You were not prepared for it, however, hence why you sustained the extent of injuries that you did."

"Did you really want to be in my position right now, except a lot worse?"

"You have no proof that I would have been 'worse off' as you put it."

"I don't need proof!"

"Oh, stop it, both of you," Maribelle chided, "If you're going to do this, do it back where you can get a room."

Miriel adjusted her glasses again, "While I find your implication of some kind of sexual attraction interesting and worth further inquiry, I do not have time for it right now. Our tactician requested my presence after the battle, she wants my magical expertise for something. I do not wish to keep her pondering my whereabouts." With that, the mage turned and left.

Vaike groaned, "She's not making this easy on me..."

Maribelle gave him a look, "So you do like her?"

"Yeah," A tinge of pink emerged on his face, "Are we that obvious?"

"Obvious?" Maribelle 'hmphed,' "It has gotten so bad, that the talk of you two being an item is almost up there with Robin and-"

"Hello Vaike, Maribelle!" Cordelia said, perhaps a bit too loud and too fast, as she and Chrom got close enough to break into the conversation. Cordelia had dismounted and now lead her pegasus by the reigns. That had been close. She did not think Robin wanted Chrom to know about the rumors quite yet.

Both the fighter and the troubadour turned. Maribelle paled. She bowed her head, "Milord, Cordelia, I trust that your part of the battle went well?"

"As well as it can," Chrom said, "But what is this I hear about Robin? Gossiping about her love life behind her back?"

Maribelle cleared her throat, "Talk is inevitable in a group such as ours. But I do try to refrain milord. After all, if it was my own affairs people were discussing, I would be highly offended!"

"People talk about you too, Maribelle," Vaike smirked, "They talk about your love life all the time. Or lack of, rather!"

Her eyes flashed, "Excuse me?"

Chrom cleared his throat. Maribelle coughed in apology. He spoke, "Do you have anyone else to attend to?"

"Yes, I do in fact," She stood up, "I must be going. There are others who need healing besides this lowly idiot!"

"Hey!" Vaike yelled, as Maribelle mounted her horse and rode off. Vaike sighed, leaning back, "What's it goin' t' take for Teach to get a little respect around here?"

"Respect must be earned," Cordelia said, "And you haven't done much on that front, especially after the bath incident..."

"Hey, I told you girls, I was just in the area looking for berries!"

She shook her head. What a buffoon.

"I'm glad to see that you're recovering well, Vaike," Chrom said.

Vaike chuckled, "It'll take more than that to take down 'ol Teach! How'd things go on your end? Cordelia didn't faint again on your watch, did she?"

Cordelia blushed, and Chrom blinked, "No, she didn't. Why would she?"

Vaike shook his head, "Aw, man, you're clueless. Must be tough."

"Anyway," She raced through the word, "Did we have any other injuries? Should I be offering my assistance anywhere?"

"You want to know that? Ask Robin," the fighter jabbed a thumb, "She's that way."

Cordelia nodded, "Thank you, I'll check in with her."

"I'll come with you," Chrom offered.

"Actually Chrom," Vaike said, "I think Sumia wanted to talk to you. Man, I'm jealous, you seem to be attracting a lot of girls..."

"I'm not completely sure what you mean by that," Chrom said, "But I will talk with Sumia, thank you."

Cordelia coughed, "Well, I'll just be going now,"

Vaike laughed, "That eager to get the hell out here? I thought you wanted to be near-"

Her mount made an impatient noise, throwing its wings wide. It startled both of the men. Bright red, she calmed her mount, assuring it would be back in the corral to rest soon. She glared at the fighter, and led her pegasus away.

Two close calls, she sighed. At least she got to spend more time with Chrom. She smiled at the memory of his request for her to not be nervous around him. Easier said than done, but she would do it for his sake.

As she spotted Robin talking with Miriel, she wondered what the tactician had planned next.

"This was your next idea?"

"Yes," Robin said, "And a very good one, I think." She peeked into the nearby training area, "Chrom always trains around here. Just walk over there, watch for a while, and when he finishes up, compliment him or something. Then, ask him if he would like to spar."

Cordelia gulped, "I'm not sure..." This was a bolder step then striking up a conversation in the mess tent.

"You're both fighters," Robin said, "It will be a great way to bond."

The redhead took a shaky breath, "You're probably right."

Robin gently pushed the pegasus knight, "Then get over there. I'll be watching, so take some confidence from that."

Cordelia nodded, and walked past the tents into the training area.

Her breath caught. Chrom was there, practicing with one of the training dummies. She breathed in, then continued over.

A loud crack startled her. She stared. So did Chrom. The dummy Chrom had been using had broken, splinters of wood scattered around. The prince looked embarrassed.

"Not again..." He muttered.

"Oh," Cordelia said, coming up closer, focusing on the mess, "You really did a number on it. Impressive."

Chrom whirled around, "Cordelia!" He then turned sheepish, "Er, you saw that?"

She passed him to inspect the training dummy. There was quite a bit of damage. "I heard you were responsible for this kind of thing, but seeing the process of it happening was certainly interesting."

"I'm very aware of my tendency towards breaking things."

"O-oh!" Cordelia bowed her head in shame, her cheeks reddening, "I-I meant no disrespect Captain!"

"It's fine," was the amused response, then he sighed, "I'm not looking forward to the others finding out though, they give me quite a bit of grief over these things."

"Hm..." She surveyed the broken wood, "Perhaps they don't have to find out..."

"What do you mean?"

"There's some tools in a tent nearby, I'll be right back!" She dashed towards a tent she knew contained woodworking tools. Scanning the supplies, she spotted the toolbox in a corner. She grabbed it, and returned to the training area. Not trusting herself to look at Chrom, she got to work.

A short while later, she finished up. She admired her work. The broken dummy was repaired. Wood splinters on the ground remained the only evidence of the incident.

"There," she said, smiling, "Now we just need to clean up these splinters, and it will be like it never happened."

Chrom came over and he looked over the repair job, "I'm impressed. It's like it never broke in the first place. I never knew you were so handy."

She blushed at the praise, "I-it's n-nothing, really! I'm always doing things like this around camp!"

"You're looking flushed again..."

"A-am I?" She stuttered, "I'm fine!"

"If you're sure," he said, giving her a small smile, "Remember what I told you yesterday? You don't need to be so nervous. But in any case, thank you."

"Like I said, it was nothing..." She looked away, feeling shy and embarrassed.

"Which reminds me, is there a reason you were out here in the first place?"

"Ah!" She turned back to face him, remembering Robin's plan, "Y-yes! I-I was wondering if you wouldn't mind sparring with me." She fidgeted, "J-just this once!"

He nodded, "Well, I think I owe you one. Pick up a practice weapon."

She sighed in relief, "Th-thank you!"

"That went wonderfully!"

Robin walked with Cordelia through the tactician was pleased with recent events. At last, they were getting somewhere.

"I admit, I was a bit exasperated when he broke the training dummy, but you turned it around beautifully. I'm impressed, Cordelia," the blonde offered her a smile, "You're slowly, but surely, getting there."

Cordelia sighed, "Yes, and it's a nice feeling, I'll admit. But..." she tilted her head, "Is he truly so oblivious to the talk about you and him?"

"He doesn't have even half a clue," Robin deadpanned, "Honestly, although I understand the attraction, I still sometimes wonder what you and Sumia saw in him. He's downright awful with women, you know. No real tact at all!"

Cordelia cringed. Robin realized a lot of her recent frustrations concerning the prince had spilled out with her words. "Has he done something to offend you?" The redhead asked.

"I wouldn't say 'offend' exactly, at least not recently."

"'Recently?" The pegasus knight gave her a curious look, "I'm sorry for prying but..."

Robin waved her off, "It's fine. It was a bit ago. It was just a normal chat, when I mentioned something about getting beauty sleep. And then, you know what he said? He said he didn't think of me as a real lady! Honestly! I could go into further detail of the conversation, but that was the basic gist of it."

Cordelia chuckled, "I have a hard time believing that he would say such things."

"He's not as gallant as some people think he is," Robin said, "I certainly don't think of him that way."

"Perhaps not," Cordelia muttered, sounding thoughtful. A dreamy expression crossed her face, one Robin associated with Cordelia's thoughts of Chrom. The tactician sighed,

"And the fact that your affections never waver despite that goes to show that you'll be a far better match for him then I will," Robin stretched, "Well, I have chores to do. I need to practice some of my magic, help plan some of tomorrow's group drills, then I need to study. I picked up some new books last time we were in town, and I need to start giving them a read-through."

Cordelia nodded, "I have some things to do as well. I need to organize some of our supply tents, and I'm on cooking duty tonight, so I'll need to start planning for that."

Robin chuckled, "We're both just all over the place today, aren't we? Try not to push yourself too hard."

Robin parted with the pegasus knight and made her way to the training area, where Miriel waited.. Robin had requested the mage's assistance for training, as Miriel was more skilled with magic then Robin. The tactician could learn a lot from her.

"What exactly did you do?" Robin's ears perked at Lissa's voice. What was she up to?

"It was just one more misstep in what seems to be many with her." That was Chrom. Oh, good, she needed to talk with him. She didn't approach him after his conversation with Cordelia to prevent giving themselves away. But there were a few things she needed to run through with him, and he had just saved her the trouble of seeking him out again.

The sibling pair came into her view, and Robin smiled upon seeing them. "Good afternoon, Chrom, Lissa."

Lissa brightened on seeing her. Chrom flinched, before smiling as well.

"Hi Robin!" Lissa chirped, coming over, "What are you up to?"

"I'm just going to do some training with Miriel," Robin explained.

"Then don't bother," Lissa said.

Robin cocked her head, "Why not?"

"Apparently something interesting caught her eye, so she decided to conduct an 'investigation.' She asked me and couple of others to pass on the message to you that you'll have to train together some other time. Or at least that's what we assume she meant..."

"I see," Robin said, "Ah, well, I'll just have to go back to my tent and study instead."

"Actually," Chrom said, "Me and Lissa were going to help a couple of the men with a project. Care to join us?"

Well, since she had an excess of time now, "I don't see why not," she said, "I'll see how I can help."

"Great!" Lissa chirped, and darted ahead.

"Lissa, wait up!" Chrom called. He sighed in defeat

Robin suppressed a groan. Lissa did that on purpose. The cleric was one of the more avid supporters of Robin and Chrom being a couple. Lissa was also one of the most insistent in how Robin was in 'denial' of her feelings. Robin liked the cleric, but she was a major source of her problem.

Robin and Chrom walked together in the direction that Lissa had went. Chrom spoke first,

"Sometimes I wonder what I'm going to do with my sister..."

Robin chuckled, "She's certainly a handful. You two get along really well, though. It's sweet."

"She's my younger sister, of course I'm going to make every effort to be there for her. Especially after..." He clenched a fist.

"Don't think about that now," Robin advised. She clasped her hands behind her, "You know, sometimes I wonder...if I had siblings. I must have had parents...but did I have any other family?" She became distant at the thought. It wasn't often she dwelled on her missing memories, "Did I have people that cared about me? Do they...miss me, perhaps?"

"Robin..." Chrom whispered.

She shook her head, "I sometimes wonder if something happened in my past. I have no idea why I was in Ylisse in the first place. No one here knows me, so I can only assume that I came from elsewhere. Where that was and why I left...that was lost with my memories..."

Chrom reached for her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Robin, I know it bothers you that you don't have any memories. But you have people here, now, who care about you. Many of the Shepherds practically consider you family."

"I know that," she pushed his hand off of her shoulder, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get melancholy on you there. Whatever life I had before doesn't matter now. What matters is that I am needed here and now. The Shepherds are the first home that I remember, and I am truly happy and grateful to be here."

He nodded, "I'm glad to hear that." A silence fell over them. At first, it was comfortable, but it became awkward when a light blush dusted his cheeks. Robin knew exactly what he thought about. She groaned,

"You can't seriously still be thinking about that!"

"W-well..." he began, "You see..."

"Ah, perfect timing, milord." She cursed Frederick's appearance while Chrom looked relieved, "I sincerely regret asking for you and Lissa's assistance with this, however..."

"No, Frederick, it's fine," Chrom said, "I'm happy to help, just tell me how."

"I still need to talk with you!" Robin called, as he followed Frederick.

"Later, I promise!" The lord called back.

Robin placed a hand over her face. Just another day. She hoped the air from that...incident...cleared between them soon. After taking a moment, she followed to see how she could help.

A/N: I tried to write the second conversation between Chrom and Cordelia more like an actual support conversation. I think they are at the equivalent of B support at this point.

A sincere thanks to all my reviewers!