Robin POV

I stand beside Frederick in the Great Throne Room, but kinda lean against him, since I'm still really weak from having been asleep for a month before last week. I play with the beaded string I was given by Lissa just for this occasion, just so that I would have something to keep myself from getting too bored until I had to be introduced to the Plegians.

With a quick glance down, I admire the lilac and blue silk dress they stuffed me into this morning, though I really didn't put up any fight until they got to my hair, which they wanted to curl and pin up in all sorts of fancy fashions. When that happened, Frederick stepped in and put a stop to it, saying that it was unnecessary for my hair to be made so fancy, due to my age. With that, they put my long, silvery hair into a braid wrapping around my head, keeping it all up and out of the way.

I look up at him to find him warily eyeing the Plegian king, Gangrel, and I decide to do the same as I adjust my new leather gloves. "Lady Emmeryn, we from Plegia would like to offer our humblest apologies for allowing our bandits and unruly soldiers to band together to attack to country. We had been unaware of what our soldiers did in their off time until your letters brought this matter to our attention."

She raises her hand. "Please, Your Majesty, I do not hold you to be at fault for this. I am all too aware of the grudge your people hold against Ylisse for the war between our countries eight years ago, although I would ask that you only discipline your army for participating in unauthorized acts of war in the halidom."

"Of course, your ladyship. But now, I present to you the hierophant of the Grimleal, Validar," he steps to the side, gesturing to a tall, dark skinned and dark haired man that makes my blood run cold.

He bows slightly in respect to the Exalt. "Lady Emmeryn, it is a pleasure to meet you at long last, after our extensive exchange," he drawls, poison in his every word.

I shiver slightly and grasp Frederick's hand, squeezing tightly, and I feel him squeeze back to try reassuring me. "Validar, a pleasure to finally meet the man behind the letters at long last."

He clears his throat. "I do apologize for my forwardness, but I wish to see my daughter as soon as it may be arranged."

She turns around to find me hiding behind Frederick, who tries to drag me out from behind him as gently as he can. When he fails to do so, he looks up apologetically and walks forward, and I stay glued to him. "Forgive her, sir, but she has turned out to be incredibly shy and nervous."

Frederick finally coaxes me out from behind him, and I am greeted by a long, thin hand shooting straight for my chin, making me flinch as his icy hand grabs me and tilts my head up to look at him. "You look just like your mother, child. Tell me, what did she name you?"

"R-Robin, s-sir," I stutter, fear of this man seeping into my voice.

"You have no need to be so nervous around me Robin, I would never bring harm to you," he says, too smoothly and too calmly for me to be comfortable with.

I nod, but step back to hold onto Frederick again. "I-I'm s-sorry, I just d-don't know how t-to handle a-all of this…" I apologize, trying to explain myself as best as I can to this total stranger, who I know is my father.

"Peace, Robin. Frederick, why don't you take her to the gardens for some air?" she suggests, to which I turn back and give her a shaky, but well-practiced curtsy, and Frederick bows, then takes my hand and takes me outside, hurrying down the halls to the open courtyard they've designated as my garden to relax in.

I immediately settle onto the swinging bench, careful not to mess up my skirts too much so Frederick and Maribelle don't get mad at me. "Are you feeling better now, Robin?" he asks me after a moment.

I look up at him with a small smile, fiddling with the beads. "A little bit, thanks. I don't get it but he was so…"

"Cold, sweetie?" he offers, crouching in front of me.

I nod, looking down at my lap. "I don't know what I was hoping for, but that wasn't it."

"You were hoping he would be much warmer, weren't you?" he asks, and I shrug. "Listen, you don't have to worry about what your birth father is like, you've got the Shepherds now. We're you're family now."

I giggle at the thought. "A big, rowdy family."

"Indeed they are, Robin," I hear a familiar girl's voice.

I look up and grin. "Lucina!" I yell, carefully climbing off the bench and dashing over to her for a hug.

She kneels and crushes me into her. "Hey there, I thought you looked like you needed some cheering up, so I brought you one of these," she whispers, letting me go and handing me a small white flower, with tiny green flecks on each of the petals.

"It's so pretty," I whisper, before I tuck it carefully into my braid just above my ear. I give her another gentler hug. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome," she replies so formally I wind up laughing again as she leads me back over to the bench and Frederick, who pulls me into his lap on the bench as Lucina sits next to him. "So, Frederick, what's going on? Isn't today the presentation for the delegation from Plegia?"

He nods solemnly. "Yes, I had to bring Robin out here after her short introduction to Validar because it got her so worked up, though I honestly don't blame her. The man gave me a bad feeling that I still can't shake, and not just from his choice in religion."

She frowns. "Not… that I want to send you away, but shouldn't you be there, just in case he tries something? I can keep an eye on this little troublemaker for you."

"I am not a troublemaker!" I exclaim with a small pout.

I manage to coax a small chuckle out of Frederick and Lucina. "I suppose you are right, Milady. I will return to the throne room now, and just let them know that Robin is under your supervision, of course as Marth, not Lucina."

She smiles at this. "I appreciate your keeping my name a secret so well, Frederick."

"Tis no problem, Milady. I shall see you both later then, though I may send Chrom to fetch one or both of you should Robin be needed in the Throne Room once more," he informs us before leaving us to our own devices in the garden, plopping me in his spot on the bench before he hurries away.

Lucina pulls out of her pocket some string and several glass beads. "How about we make some more charms to keep ourselves busy for the time being?"

Chrom POV

Frederick returns without Robin, which Validar instantly notices with a frown. "Sir Frederick, I must inquire as to the whereabouts of my daughter, as I was under the impression you would return with her."

He raises his hands in an appeasing manner. "Rest assured, Hierophant, she is in good hands with a good friend of ours named Marth, whom she has not seen in the past several days."

I clear my throat to catch his attention. "Besides, her presence is not truly necessary for what we are discussing, is it?"

Gangrel, though he clenches his fist for some reason, looks at him, silencing his companion. "The child's presence is not pertinent to this discussion, only the fact that she is present in the palace is what you wanted to know." The Mad King returns his attention to Emm as Frederick comes to stand by my side.

"How are things going in here, Milord?" he whispers, so quiet I nearly miss it.

I minutely shake my head. "Not so good," I breathe. "Validar has gotten visibly agitated since you took Robin away. Gangrel isn't doing much better either, so she must be important to both of them. We can ask them later."

"Agreed, Milord," he breathes, and I feel him step slightly back and out of earshot for out tone.

A few hours pass, and the two Plegian men only grow more and more agitated, as though feeding off of each other's energy, until Gangrel clears his throat after one of his diplomats finishes proposing a crop trade agreement. "Exalt Emmeryn, might we please call in the child? I have a small confession to make that she is my niece, and I am anxious as to her condition and whereabouts."

I bite back a gasp at this revelation and turn to look at Emm, to see her already turning to Frederick. "Sir Frederick, please ask her if she is willing to come back in for a few minutes while we have a short recess."

I shake my head and rise. "If it is alright, I will go and bring her here personally, Sister."

She nods her head. "Of course, Chrom, but please do not take too long."

I bow slightly to her and hurry out of the room, pausing just on the other side of the doors once they close to take a small breath of fresh air before walking towards Robin's favorite garden through the fairly quiet palace, mainly passing maids who bow slightly or nod in respect, depending on whether they are carrying anything or not. I look out a window as I take a shortcut through the gallery, I realize the sun is around the position where Robin likes to take a nap in the garden, no matter what she's doing, and worry that she might not want to go to the recess, but forge on to find her anyway.

Upon finally reaching the place, I find her in Lucina's lap, both fast asleep and holding tightly to one another. I smile as the older girl's hand unconsciously tightens on Robin's hand, and how the small girl nuzzles closer to her shoulder. As gently as I can, I sit next to them on the empty space, and simply watch them for a moment, before I sigh, remembering Emm's command not to take too long on the errand.

Unsurprisingly, I get a sigh in response. "I suppose they want to see her in the Throne Room, Father?" Lucina whispers.

"Only if she was willing to step in for a few minutes, but she's asleep, and I don't want to disturb her," I answer honestly.

She chuckles and shifts a little bit, before I realize she's wearing a dress suitable for going to the meeting, yet also good for a fight, should one break out. "Father, we've actually been asleep for a few hours now. I think she ought to be waking up any time now,"

The little girl stirs, but just snuggles closer to her substitute bear and sighs in her sleep. I rub up and down along her spine in an effort to wake her up. "Come on Robin, time to wake up," I gently coax her.

Lucina chuckles as Robin groans unconsciously in annoyance. "Come now Robin, you can't sleep the rest of the day away," she gently scolds her.

Finally, she lifts her head and gently wipes at her eyes, slowly turning her head around to look back at me. "Hi, Chrom," she whispers tiredly.

"Hey there, sleepyhead. Did you find a better place to sleep than on the ground?" I joke.

She smiles and pokes my cheek. "You're funny, blueberry," she teases me lightheartedly.

Lucina laughs and I give my future daughter a playful glare. "Did you tell her to call me that?"

She shakes her head. "No, I just told her that in my time that's what she always called you when she got annoyed at you for something or other, and I guess she decided to start doing that now," she tries to defend herself."

I shake my head as I rise to my feet. "Whatever you say, Lucina. "Anyway, Robin, your father and uncle-"

"Who?" she interrupts, frowning in confusion.

"King Gangrel just revealed to most of us that he is, in fact, your uncle, which makes you a princess," I inform her. "Anyway, they have requested a recess, and have asked for your presence for a few minutes, but Emm gave them the condition of only if you want to go to see them."

She bites her lip and looks down with wide eyes, hunching up her shoulders a little bit. "I… I guess I could… but I don't want… to be around… my f-father for long," she slowly gives me her answer, getting out of Lucina's lap, although never letting go of her hand. "Lucy, can you go with me? Please?" she begs shyly.

My future daughter nods and adjusts her bangs to cover her left eye, and therefore the brand. "Let us be on our way back then," then groans as she rises, stretching muscles that must have gone stiff a while ago from her nap on the bench.

We hurry through the halls, as I am now aware of just how long my errand took, and receive a raised eyebrow from Emm and Frederick when I hold the door open for the two ladies to enter the room, as Lucina goes into Marth mode, becoming Robin's loyal bodyguard rather than my future daughter. I lead the two of them over to the heads of the Plegian delegation to introduce her to them as Marth, though I notice Gangrel's attention settles fully on his niece as he ignores Marth.

"Hello, Robin," he whispers with a straight face, though a melancholy tone, odd for the Mad King.

She fidgets under his gaze. "Um, hello, Your Majesty. Ch- Prince Chrom said you wanted to see me?" she asks, being ever so polite.

"Yes, I did. What can you tell me of your mother, Robin?" he asks, and I hold my breath.

She looks down in shame. "I- I don't remember much. All I remember is a hug and her wanting me to keep living…"

He frowns as he looks at me. "Why doesn't she remember her mother? Surely she's old enough to remember by now?"

Marth clears her throat. "She suffers from amnesia, sire. She holds no personal recollection of her name, and we can only assume that it is her name based on drawings in a journal that was found with her."

Validar glares down at the little girl, who still stares at the floor. "And for what reason does she not have any memories?"

"She was attacked by a group of rogues from your country, who had assumed they left her dead in a field. We found her barely alive, and when we fought the same group at the nearby village, they tried to kill her once again, saying something along the lines that it was something they had been hired to do," I inform them.

Gangrel clenches his fist and turns his face away from us. "I know who is behind this, and rest assured, Prince, they will suffer dearly for this. Do you have any information as to the whereabouts of her mother?" he asks.

Before I can answer, Robin looks up at him with a sad smile. "She's in a better place now, Uncle Gangrel."

He blinks at her before he nods, turning to a runner. "Go to my rooms, and bring me back Tactical Volumes One through Ten, the first editions. They ought to be on the desk." The young man, who turns out to be Ricken, dashes off to get the books, and the king turns back to the child. "Your mother sent me a letter once when we were children that she had been stolen out of the crib, and the people holding her had died recently, and she was freed soon after. When she read through a journal, she found out that she was my sister, whom I had known was abducted soon after birth, and my older brother sent the guards to fetch her home. The first thing she did was begin to study tactics, and said that if she were to ever have a child, that she wanted for them to become the best tactician there ever was." Ricken arrives and offers the books, which the king takes. "These were her favorites, and she would have wanted you to have them." He then offers them to her. Marth steps forward to help the small girl when she sags under the heavy weight of the ten thick volumes, her knees buckling as the king grabs the books once more as she catches the girl before she hits the floor.

"Please forgive her, Your Majesty," I apologize for Robin as she recovers her footing. "There was an accident, and she only woke up from a month's sleep a week ago, so she has yet to recover her strength." Validar's interest is obviously raised, along with his eyebrow, but I disregard it in favor of concern for Robin's suddenly paling face. "Hey, are you alright?" I ask her, worried.

She nods, and Gangrel, though hesitantly, offers her his hand to steady her. "I was unaware of what you had gone through child. I apologize for straining you so soon after such an ordeal."

She accepts his hand and squeezes gently. "It's okay, you were only trying to give me something from Mama, so thank you."

Emm comes over to join us, Lissa right behind her with an Elixir in hand. "Oh, Robin, come on, let's get you out of here. You need to have an early dinner tonight, okay?" Lissa says, in fuller healer mode as she uncorks the medicine.

The child nods, curtsying to all of us before Gangrel lets go of her hand, which is immediately taken by Lissa as she guides the child out, Ricken and Marth right behind them with the heavy books in hand once again. Emm addresses us once they have vacated the room. "Gentlemen, if we could finish up the talks for the afternoon, we could have some time to relax and think on how to repair our relations further."

"Of course, Lady Emmeryn," Validar drawls, and although Gangrel nods along, I notice his gaze followed the group that just left with his little niece, who I now realize is his heir, as he is unmarried and childless.

Lucina POV

I hold Robin's hand as we walk through the halls, once we've stopped by our now shared suite to change out of the silky, but stuffy outfits into much more casual dresses, hers a simple purple and mine a navy blue down to the floor over our matching brown slippers. She still seems a bit pale, even after having had a dose of the Elixir earlier, but definitely steady once more, if anything is to be said of her improved condition.

"Marth?" she asks quietly, making me look down at her.

"What is it, sweet?" I ask her, worried. "Is it about what happened with the delegation this afternoon?"

"Yeah… Uncle Gangrel has such a bad name, but he was really nice to me… and I don't get it. Did Mama mean that much to him, Marth?" she asks me with confusion.

I smile at her and squeeze her hand tightly. "The bonds between siblings are some of the strongest to be found. If she meant so much to him, then you would mean just as much, if not more, to him as she did."

"But he doesn't even know me. What if he doesn't really like me? What if he's just trying to be nice for her sake?" she asks.

Lissa stops and turns around, frowning down at her. "If there's anything I know about him, I know it's that he doesn't dislike you in the least. In fact, he seems to highly favor you."

"But then it's because of Mama being his little sister," she shoots back sadly.

I sigh I exasperation. "Robin, by the gods, just let it be. If he favors you, then let him do so at his own leisure. If it's in honor of your mother, then so be it, and let him do it, if only so he can give himself some sort of closure."

She finally nods. "But… can I see him again sometime? I like him better than I liked Father, he was a lot warmer."

Lissa, though hesitant, nods stiffly. "I'll talk to Emm and Chrom and see if they can ask for him to spend some time with you."

"Thank you, Lissa," she whispers warmly, smiling up at the both of us.

We smile tightly back at her, but trade worried looks with each other over her as we enter the small family dining room, seating ourselves. We then watch with amusement as she nearly topples out of her seat, the cushions under her bottom wobbling dangerously before she manages to balance herself, albeit precariously, on top of the large, overstuffed cushions.

"Having some difficulties there, Robin?" I joke, enticing her to stick out her tongue at me. I stick my tongue back out at her, making us all bust out laughing as Gale brings us bowls filled with a rich stew I thought I smelled when I passed by the kitchens this morning. "Mmm, this is amazing Gale, thank you."

"Thank you, Gale," Robin echoes after me, smiling at the maid when she receives her smaller bowl of stew, lightly grasping her hand.

The elder woman smiles gently down at the child. "You're welcome, ladies. I'll give your compliments to the chefs while I bring you a dessert, would you like a tart or pie?"

"What kind of each are there?" Lissa asks, though I can tell Robin isn't paying attention, as she perked up at the idea of the tart.

"There are apple and peach tarts, then cherry, plum, and pecan pie," she recites for us.

Robin looks up at me with pleading eyes. "May I please have some of the peach tart? Or will it be too much for me?"

I look to Aunt Lissa for help, which gets her thinking. "Maybe you could share it, or…" she rethinks as I vigorously shake my head, having an extreme dislike for peaches, "Gale, is it possible to get her one just cut in half?"

The woman nods enthusiastically. "Of course, they would be more than happy to accommodate for Robin. What are the other dessert choices?" she asks of us.

I think about the other options. "May I please have an apple tart, please?"

"I would love some cherry pie, Gale," Lissa nearly drools.

The maid nods and leaves, reciting our options as we continue eating our stew, though I notice Robin eats hers very slowly, and finishes only barely before Lissa and I do, just before Gale returns to serve our desserts, but I shake it off as her being tired. She also eats her tart incredibly slowly, almost uncharacteristically so, before she crosses her arms on the table in front of her and drops her chin on the makeshift pillow, seeming quite pale once again, even shivering a bit.

Worried, I put a hand on her forehead, and nearly snatch it away. "Lissa, she's burning up!" I exclaim.

With a frown, she comes over to confirm it for herself. "But she was fine just before dinner, this doesn't make any sense. I'll get her to the infirmary, you go and get Stahl, he might have a tonic for a fever."

I nod and hurry down to the barracks once I get the thin girl into Lissa's arms, knowing that's where he might be. As I take a shortcut past the throne room, I see King Gangrel walk by me with Father, though I take no time to greet them as I run past them, though I hear heavy footsteps and lighter ones following behind me a moment later before I make it into the Shepherds training hall, finding Stahl getting ready to leave.

"Hey Marth, what's up?" he greets me with a smile.

I shake my head and stop in front of him. "Robin ate dinner really slowly, and had dessert even slower, heck, didn't even finish before I realized something was wrong, and I checked her to find she's already developed a raging fever, and she didn't have one before dinner."

He frowns and pulls a piece of paper out of his armor. "Sudden fever, how long has she been displaying signs of being unwell for?"

"Since she went back to the meeting she's been rather pale, but she seemed fine, so we thought nothing of it, until… well, now. She's with Lissa in the infirmary now, but we were hoping you might be able to provide a tonic of some sort," I explain to him, when an angry growl and a scream echo through the palace.

"Lissa!" Father yells.

Gangrel whirls on Chrom and I immediately. "I knew that snake would try something! We need to get to that infirmary now, before he gets away with her!" he growls, running to a training rack and grabbing a Levin Sword and Elthunder tome, as I grab a Silver Sword, Stahl a Steel Lance, and Father unsheathes Falchion, all of us running out of there to head back to the main body of the castle.

Yeah, evil spot to leave you hanging, but as a cousin of mine has recently learned, I am not the nicest person on earth. For those of you who have put me on a pedestal, sorry if I have just destroyed all of your hopes and dreams, but that's just who I am, so don't judge me for being who I want to be! … and it may be a side effect of some pain I may or may not be going through permanently, so bear with me, my dedicated readers.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.