Sending an angel
"OWAIN! Snap out of it!"
Severa tried to keep her breathing level. Dad always said a good tactician kept calm no matter what. Stupid miss perfect had been stoic when she went off to her death. Even Morgan kept a level head when things went wrong. Just because the Exalt was freezing up and everyone else was dead and this whole stupid plan was never going to work was no reason to panic.
Yelling at Owain wasn't panicking. Yelling at Owain was a way to keep him on track. Someone needed to.
How did it come to this? Yesterday, there were hundreds of people left. Nine of them made it to the ruins. And now, as far as she knew, only she and Owain were left. Naga promised them a path to the past and a chance to make things right, but if she didn't come through…
Gods. It would be her stupidest childhood fantasy come to life. She really hoped it wouldn't come to that. Rebuilding humanity with only Owain for company was not going to be a pleasant experience. Especially not when he was panicking like this.
"I'm not a hero."
"It doesn't matter!"
"I'm not the man Chrom was. I can't even use Falchion. I'm a fraud."
"Where's the Owain I used to know? The one saying stupid things about the blood of heroes and his sword hand twitching?"
"I think he died with everyone else."
"Then activate Avenger Mode or whatever! Gawds, you spend ages talking about how you're powered by vengeance, and the one time we need you to be crazy like that you're just depressing. In case you didn't notice, you're the only Exalt we have!"
Owain stumbled to his feet.
"Then… twas just a moment's fancy!"
"Great. Now we need to run. Naga said she had a portal open for us, but…"
"But monstrous foes mock our efforts. Fear not! The blood of heroes demands victory!"
"It demands running."
Owain shook his head and reached for Falchion.
"Forsooth, it is not so. Deliver my regards to mine uncle! For I have an appointment with destiny!"
"Owain. I wanted you to stop being an idiot."
Owain looked back at Severa.
"We only need to warn the past. And it only takes one person to send a message."
"Maybe! Or maybe our stupid parents got killed because no-one could fight. Or they need more than one exalt for some godsdamned reason!"
Owain shook his head.
"They just need one visitor to defy fate. But our pursuers would… pursue you to the depths. A hero must stand against them so the chosen of destiny can redeem the past!"
"You don't need to die here!"
Owain smiled.
"Everyone else has. Besides, OWAIN THE DARK AVENGER is a creature of the night! Of darkness and vengeance! Fortune dictates that his lot is not to consort with the denizens of the bright past!"
Severa could argue. Could try to keep the one person left that she cared about alive. But it never worked before.
Her father always said it was important to know when to cut losses. Usually he spit it out, of course. Or cried. He cried most nights before he was gone, when he thought no-one was looking. But he made things clear when she was growing up. If you tried to fight the inevitable, you just lost more without getting what you wanted back.
She ran for the portal. She didn't look back. Tried not to listen. Tried not to think about anything but the battles ahead. She jumped for the past. And fell.
For a moment, she thought she hadn't gone anywhere. There were Risen below her, and a red sky all around. She was falling, but there were always ways to fall. Then she saw a teenage girl, younger than she was, on the ground surrounded by Risen. The question was moot. If you found survivors, you tried to help. Maybe they'd die anyway, maybe you'd have to run in the end. But if you didn't try, none of it was worth anything.
"Get back, idiot!"
"What?"
Oh, perfect. She was alone with the stupidest person alive.
"Gawds! Those are Risen! They want to kill you. I think you would have…"
She looked at the girl again. No. There was no way. But there she stood. Lissa. Owain's mother, ruler of Ylisse for the last days anyone cared what a country was. The voice of maturity and adulthood as long as Severa could remember.
Not exactly a match for the snot nosed girl in front of her. But they had the same eyes.
"Lissa?"
And then a Risen went for Severa's throat. Stupid. Stupid of her to let her guard down, stupid of it to try to fight her with such bad form, stupid of Lissa to be standing there, and stupid of Owain to try and die heroically instead of helping for good measure. Severa didn't have much time to think while the Risen attacked, so the curses played on loop. Sometimes it drifted to cursing her parents, Chrom, Naga, Grima. But mostly it was on her.
When the blood stopped flowing, she looked up again. Lissa was here. Which could mean other people she'd know were here. Younger, but it would be a chance to see them again. To say the things she always meant to say before they died.
Mostly, it was yelling at them. But still.
Sully was there, Kjelle's mother. Dead before Severa could know her well, but Kjelle had nothing but compliments, and Kjelle was one of the few people Severa'd been able to count on. Probably no manners, but in a war you had to make do. Lissa, of course. An archer who might be Virion, if that was even his name. Keeping track of every single dead person wasn't worth the trouble then, and until she could remember a way he could be useful, it wasn't worth the trouble now. Or it wouldn't be worth the trouble and it hadn't been… oh gods, she was thinking like Morgan. Severa looked away just to regain her bearings. And then she saw him.
Her father. Younger, of course. For the first time she could almost see what her mother saw in him. Sure, his hair was scruffy, he had no idea how to properly groom himself, his coat was covered in… was than an insect? Gods, how was she even related to him?
But he looked decent enough, aside from that. Happier than she'd seen him since Cordelia died, which helped. She'd have to yell at him as soon as she caught her breath. Any second now. But then someone else had to start talking and distract her.
"Are you the woman who saved my sister?"
Severa was wheezing. The fighting was supposed to be easier in the past!
"She...shouldn't… have… been… so… stu…"
"I'm sorry we caused you trouble."
Breath was coming back any minute. She probably had enough for one good yell, right? Whoever this was, she'd had an awful day, and he didn't deserve to be happy just because he didn't lose anyone!
She turned to face him. Aaand breath was gone.
Severa had memories of Chrom. Maybe not that many, but more than any of her peers. He was a tired looking man, crippled and more than a little bitter. A broken wreck that her mother should have never given a moment's thought, that no-one should have praised like they did. The man in front of her was not that Chrom.
Well, she had a lot to yell at any Chrom in existence for. The one in front of her would have to do.
"BE SORRY FOR BEING SO HANDSOME, IDIOT!"
That… was not what she meant to yell.
Chrom turned red.
"I've never heard that one before."
Severa shook her head. She had a good angry rant ready. Perfect, with subsections for everything he did to ruin her father, get her mother killed, and make Owain so desperate that nothing could live up to his imagined duties. And then she'd get into why she hated him personally. That one was really going to go places.
"Gawds, you are thick. Do you know how many women are throwing themselves at you?"
"No?"
Or she could go entirely off script and flail around like an idiot. That worked too. For the first time in a long time, Severa was glad that Morgan was gone. Having her here would make everything that much more embarrassing.
"Well, I'm not!"
Chrom coughed.
"I didn't say you were."
Severa tried to calm herself again. It was a stressful day, almost everyone she knew was dead, she might be going insane, and she was somewhere around 20 years in the past.
Her father always told her to think things through when she thought she might make a mistake. The fact he was standing less than twenty feet away didn't change that. So. Naga sent her to the past. She was the only hope of stopping Grima. So, she should leave and recollect her thoughts, figure out where history could be changed for the better. Then she could approach the right people, fix things, and get a hero's welcome. Money, nice clothes, the finer things. Everyone happy, nobody dead, and all easy as things come, if she just slipped away now.
The fact that leaving now meant not humiliating herself any further in front of Chrom and her father was just a side bonus.
She ran off into the bushes without a word.
Back in the clearing, Robin turned towards Chrom.
"Does this sort of thing happen often?"
"Until today, it hadn't happened once."
Finding a job
Robin cursed the Feroxi air. He wasn't fond of it when he arrived. He liked it less now that his coat was ripped and burnt, and his wounds were fresh and exposed to the air. It was worse with the gladiators around him. Laughing and joking in less clothing than he'd wear to the beach. Under normal circumstances he'd have something pleasant but empty to say in response to their compliments. Right now, he just wanted to find one person, talk to her, and start heading south before he froze to death.
He saw her shivering by a locker. As much as it hurt his reputation as a kind, empathic individual, Robin was glad to see someone else as miserable as he was.
"Excuse me?"
She almost jumped to look at him.
"What is it? Gawds, it was bad enough you beat us. But now you have to come in to brag about it."
"That wasn't what I wanted to do at all. It was as much luck as anything."
"Of course you'd say that. Ugh. False humility. You must think that's really charming."
Robin coughed.
"I'll admit you didn't coordinate as well as you could have. But I was impressed all the same."
He ran through a few moments from the fight. Admittedly, Robin hadn't seen much fighting against armies, just against bandits and Risen, but he could make an estimate from the compliments Chrom gave him and the books he reviewed on the trip as to how most people fought, and the woman in front of him was good. Considered her environment, tried to read her enemies for weaknesses, kept her side's flaws in mind. If she could actually convince people to follow her plans, she might have beaten him.
She glared at him.
"Fine. Why should I care?"
"Well, uh… I'm sorry, what's your name?"
"Severa. You should…"
Severa stopped. Robin tilted his head half an inch.
"I should…?"
"Say your name? Gawds. It's not like it's complicated."
"Robin. But you must have heard that earlier. You called my position out to the mages."
Severa winced.
"Well, maybe if you didn't shout it everywhere!"
Robin felt a curious sense of deja vu. He wasn't going to win if this turned into an argument.
"I'm sorry if I offended you. Here's why you should care. I'd like to hire you."
"What?"
"I'm sure we can afford a standard mercenary's fees on a royal budget, and considering that Regna Ferox is sending its troops to war anyway it's not like you'd be going too far out of your way."
"You're joking."
"Not remotely. You're one of the best mercenaries I've seen, you understand magic well enough to channel a spell back into your swordplay, something I've never seen before, and you're a more than competent tactician. Going against you once was educational. A fight to the death might be suicide."
" 'Never make enemies when you can help it.' "
Robin smiled.
"Well, that's the idea, at least. So far, I haven't had much luck with it."
Severa looked at her locker again.
"What do you really want?"
"I'm sorry?"
"You're not telling me something. If you were just looking for mercenaries, then you'd have at least asked some of these idiots."
"Not if I thought you were the best."
Severa snorted.
"Ha. Ha. Ha."
After a few seconds, Robin sighed.
"Gods. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to broadcast everything. Fine. I recognized your fighting style. More or less. You're adapting other influences into it, but you're using the same stances I do."
"So you're saying I'm redundant."
"No."
"Oh! You think you're so special, coming up with something on your own, and now you think I'm going to ruin your reputation! You want to hide away all the imitators."
"I want to know where I learned it!"
Severa's jaw dropped.
"How stupid do you think I am?"
"I don't have a single memory from before I met Chrom. All I knew was my name and his."
"And Chrom believed that?"
Robin grimaced and searched for the right words.
"He's…trusting. He wants to believe the best of people. To be fair, he also makes people want to be the best they can be."
"Gag me."
"I'm sorry if I'm saying too much on the topic. He's a good man. I think you'd like him too, if you knew him. And I'd be grateful for anything more about how I came here."
"Why do you think I know?"
"Your fighting style, as I mentioned. You've got the same mark on your left shoulder as I have on my hand, which I haven't seen anywhere else. And, well, you knew my name before I said it."
Severa glared.
"So you're going to try to drag the truth out of me? Get the hot pokers, she has a weird birthmark!"
Robin raised his hands and stepped back.
"Nothing like that! Whatever you want to say, whenever you want to say it, I'd be grateful for the information."
Severa looked Robin in the eyes. Robin looked back.
"You really don't know anything about your past?"
"No."
"That's just pathetic. I feel kind of bad about insulting you now."
"Thank you?"
"You're welcome. If you really need me… I guess I can help. Just don't expect too many answers."
Robin exhaled.
"Thank you. And I didn't. Considering how far you must be from home, I'm assuming we didn't come from a happy background. I probably wouldn't want to talk about it much either, in your position."
"And don't expect me to suck up to Chrom. He's going to get what he has coming."
"I'll try to warn him in advance."
And apologize. Robin reviewed a few of the ones he'd prepared already. "I didn't think she'd accept", "She did save Lissa's life" and "We need all the help we can get" figured prominently. He had a feeling that he'd need a few more before long. Possibly a lot more.
Five hours later, the Shepherds were headed south. Robin could hear voices from the back of the group.
"You know what you did!"
"No! I don't! I also don't know why Robin…"
Robin started walking faster.
He would definitely need more apologies.
Not in love
Chrom held his breath. He'd never been good at stealth, and tonight was just more evidence of it, but for once he didn't have a choice. Both of his sisters almost died tonight, and several of his closest friends were seriously wounded. Whatever Plegian general was behind the night's assassinations, the castle was compromised. They'd need to evacuate soon. But first, he had a score to settle.
The woman was sitting in the corner, looking at her nails. If he could just slip in before she noticed him, he could finish what he came here for and leave without trouble.
"Gawds. I was hoping I wouldn't have to vomit today, but it looks like Prince Too-Perfect-For-This-Sinful-Earth is here to tell us how great he is."
She noticed him. Chrom cursed under his breath. So much for stealth.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your valuable self pity sessions. I'd hate for one of our tacticians to think she had to work more on long term strategies than on her hair. And…"
Chrom shook his head.
"And I wasn't here to get into another argument. Gods, you do not make this easy."
"That's the point. Someone has to remember not to worship the ground you walk on!"
"I remember when you were just saying I was good looking. As confusing as that was, I think I prefered it."
"Well you shouldn't have gotten used to it."
"I didn't!"
"Good!"
"Fine!"
Chrom sighed.
"We're arguing again. All I wanted to do was thank you, but this happens every time."
He should have asked Robin to handle it. Severa almost seemed to have sympathy for him. Just pass on a few things, message sent, and no-one gets wrapped up in an endless circular argument. But for some reason, he felt like handling this himself, and now the rest of the night was ruined.
"Then just say it and go!"
"You've saved both my sisters now. I wouldn't have known those assassins were here. You may not like me, and I might not like you, but people I care about a good deal owe you their lives. There. I said it."
"And you're still here. Ugh. Typical. It isn't Emmeryn's fault that you think you're so perfect. It isn't Lissa's fault that half the women you know are stupid enough to think you're a catch. And if you're going to stay here, sit down! It's distracting me."
Chrom shrugged and took a seat. No point in wearing his legs out if he was going to wind up in the middle of an all-nighter.
"I'm grateful all the same. For an obnoxious, self centered, stuck up pain-in-the-arse, you were helpful. I have no idea how you knew about those assassins."
Severa winced.
"You don't want to know anyway."
"Why? I doubt anything would make you less likable. Does it have anything to do with Robin?"
"Why do you care?"
"Robin's a friend of mine. The best I have. The leader of these damned assassins seemed to know him. If you knew anything about it, I might be able to help him."
"And maybe he'd be better off not knowing."
"That's his choice. I wouldn't want Lissa to hide things from me out of fear I'd react badly. I don't think Robin would want his younger sister lying to him."
Severa's eyebrows shot up enough that Chrom would swear they left her head. Well. It seemed he was more observant than he gave himself credit for.
"Younger sister."
"I know what it looks like when you had to grow up in someone's shadow."
Personal experience covered for it more than well enough. Chrom liked to think he'd found his place in the world, the hero protecting the weak throughout Ylisse with his trusted friends. (And now friends of his trusted friends, including, unfortunately, Severa). But Emm… Emm was someone Chrom hoped he'd never need to live up to.
"Because you think he's better than I am."
"You think so, and I'm not going to argue. I don't want to be here all night."
Severa glared.
"Because you're sooo important."
"...Because I left half the Shepherds in the medic's tent, and you and Robin are the only reason they aren't in the morgue."
"Did you ever wonder why?"
"I have a guess. Because I wasn't good enough. If I trained harder…"
Severa laughed. As usual, there wasn't an ounce of mirth in it.
"No. Because you're too perfect. Again."
"How is that a problem?"
"Because you try to pretend that you aren't! Your stupid false humility and acting like we're all one big happy family and being a stupid jerk is going to get them all killed."
Chrom grimaced.
"I thought you hated how arrogant I was. I'm pretty sure there's nothing I can do that would make you stop blaming me."
"Not when it's your fault! You talk to everyone and act like they're all soooo special and important and you're just one of the regular people. Then they all think they can be like you!"
"And then they can."
"No they can't! Vaike broke his arm because he slipped up in training a week ago and never bothered to get a strain looked at because you never got hurt from it, and he's your 'rival'. If you'd just admit that your stupid exalt blood meant he couldn't keep up, maybe he'd be more careful!"
"He's Vaike. I'm not sure he could spell careful. And he's getting better. Some day, with practice…"
"Practice he won't get, because you'll get him killed first. Sumia nearly died from taking an arrow you could have shrugged off, Donnel shouldn't even be on a battlefield, Robin works himself three quarters to death for you every night, Cordelia is obsessed with you…"
"Cordelia?"
"Oh, gods, you don't even remember her."
"No. I just don't know where you would have met her. And if she was obsessed, I think she would have said more than five words to be at the last state function."
"It doesn't matter! You're just setting an impossible standard for everyone, and it's going to get them all killed because we're not like you. Are you happy now?"
"No. And you're selling everyone short. Including..."
Chrom cursed under his breath to admit it.
"yourself."
"And now more false humility. I get enough of that already."
"Anything I achieve is because we work together. Robin must have said it to you more than once. It's our bonds that allow us to succeed. I might be better at some things than the rest of the Shepherds, but if I was alone I'd be long dead."
Severa muttered something that almost sounded like agreement. Chrom would be more confident if he could remember her agreeing with anything before, but it seemed like as good a reason to continue as any.
"The assassins a few hours ago. I might have survived that attack, gods know I'm luckier than I deserve to be, but I wouldn't be in any shape to fight after. Even if I admitted I could beat you in a sparring match, you and Robin can plan for eventualities I'd never think of."
A second passed in silence. Five. Ten. Then Severa broke the silence.
"You're welcome."
Robin once told Chrom about how he passed the time and stayed while on patrol. He would think of the most impossible scenario, and then try to come up with the appropriate response. They ranged from military scenarios (like armor that could fight on its own, or cannons light enough and mobile enough to use on a battlefield instead of exclusively in siege warfare) to political oddities to social awkwardness. Chrom had tried it from time to time, amusing himself with the most unlikely things he could imagine.
None of them were half as unexpected as hearing those words from Severa without an ounce of sarcasm. Chrom stumbled for several seconds before words came out in an order even resembling an appropriate response.
"Thank you."
The silence returned. Time passed. Eventually someone coughed.
"So. I have… things. That I should do. For people."
"People who think you're oh-so-special."
"People who let me complete a sentence without jumping on my back about every single word I use!"
"People who worship the ground you walk on instead of telling you the truth!"
"People who don't use every opportunity for an argument!"
"People who don't have the backbone to call you out when you're being an idiot!"
"People who aren't you!"
"Exactly!"
"Exactly!"
Chrom stormed off. He'd never met anyone that infuriating! It was a wonder Robin could take five minutes talking with her.
Next time they'd meet, he'd have better arguments. Next time, he'd… do better.
Chrom was already looking forward to it.
Boys want to be with the girls
Cordelia sighed. It seemed impossible. All of it seemed impossible. One day, she was in training drills, trying to prove herself to her unit. She was the rookie in one of the most veteran wings of the Ylissean pegasus knights. Now, they were all dead, Ylisse was in a losing war, and she was under the direct command of Prince Chrom himself. Things were simultaneously far better and far worse than she ever would have imagined.
At least now they had room to breathe, lick their wounds, and try to figure out what chances they had to fight back. The first step for her was reporting in to the tactician's tent and finding what she could do. Work, when she could find it, helped her drown out the screams. She walked to the flap and pushed it aside.
A man and a woman stood at opposite ends of a table, pushing small wooden soldiers across it. They looked close enough to be twins. The same wirey muscles on their arms, the same sharp eyes, the same unkempt white hair. The woman put more effort into keeping it in line, but she seemed too busy to notice that it was ignoring her best attempts at control.
"No, that won't work. We're still talking Feroxi troops. They're not going to break, but they're too slow to retreat for an effective feint."
"Idiots."
"Don't let them hear you say that. And I wouldn't use that term, but…"
The man looked up from the table towards Cordelia.
"We have a guest. Um, hello. You're Cordelia, right?"
"Yes."
"I...should make introductions. A battlefield isn't the best place to get to know people, not that I have much room to… ah. I'm Robin. Hello."
"You said that already."
"Right, right. Sorry. I'm the main tactician for the Shepherds, and I suppose the whole army now. Or what's left of it. And my lovely assistant…"
He nodded across the table.
"Is Severa. One of the finest minds in Ylisse."
The woman's chest (what there was of it) puffed out. (Not that Cordelia had much room to criticize on that count.) Then she turned to look at Cordelia.
"Let me guess. You want to talk to Chrom."
"No."
Not at the moment. Or, to be more accurate, Cordelia didn't put it as a priority at that moment. There were (sigh) more important things than Chrom. Or at least, there were more important things than a conversation with Chrom. And Chrom almost certainly had more important things to do than to talk to her.
"Hmmph. There's a first."
Robin turned towards Severa and then back to Cordelia.
"Do you know each other?"
Cordelia shook her head.
Severa rolled her eyes.
"It's pretty obvious. Gawds, every time she had a chance to ask for a posting, she wanted to be moved closer to Chrom."
"That's not…"
"She played the harp at his birthday."
"Only…"
Robin coughed.
"Cordelia, I'm sure you had a good reason to come here. I'd be glad to help you with anything you need to know."
"Thank you."
"You're more than welcome. We've spent some time reviewing your records and, well, they're…"
Severa clenched her teeth.
"Perfect."
"More or less. I expected that anyone assigned to the fifth wing would be, well, exceptional. But your record leaves most of us in the shade. I wish we could have met under more pleasant circumstances, but from a tactical standpoint… you couldn't have come at a better time. Is there anything I should take into account before sorting out your assignment? I wouldn't want to miss something that could be a problem."
Cordelia smiled.
"I'm fine. The haunted screams of all my closest friends have gone down from an unending dirge to a pleasant jingle. And now when I close my eyes, the bloody and terrified corpses don't always look like people I know."
Robin's jaw dropped.
Severa rolled her eyes.
"Ha. Ha. Ha."
Robin turned to Severa.
"Did you hear her? That's not…"
"I don't think it's that funny either, but that's her kind of joke. At least pretend to laugh at it."
"That's not a joke!"
Cordelia coughed.
"It was."
Robin turned back towards Cordelia.
"Oh. Well, I should… I thought… if you'd like me to laugh, I can get started immediately."
"I think we missed the moment."
"I guess we did. I'm sure there's… gods, I feel like an idiot. Well, there's some rough outlines on the table for you to look over, if you feel up to it. Meanwhile, I'll be banging my head against something sturdy."
Severa's eyes looked like they were going to fall back into her head.
"It's not like anyone else gets her jokes most of the time. Just… ugh. I'm not getting anything done with you around."
Robin looked back to the table.
"I'm not sure that we…"
"Get out! Both of you! Now!"
Robin put his hand on Cordelia's shoulder and took a step towards the exit.
"I'm sorry for everything about this. I'd say she's not normally like this…"
But he'd be lying. Cordelia could finish the sentence well enough on her own. Cordelia followed him back outside under the bright stars and the empty moon. The lights were never this bright at this time of year, not on the border. She looked to her right. Robin was staring at the stars.
"They're still beautiful."
"Oh?"
"The stars, I mean. I thought… I hadn't really looked at them since the war started. Part of me felt like they should be bleeding. When the Earth falls out of order, it seemed right for the heavens to reflect it."
"I'm afraid the stars never cared much how anyone else suffered."
Robin smiled a little.
"That's a harsh way to think of it. Nothing about how there's always hope, or that there's good beyond the grasp of our present hardships?"
"I'm afraid I'm not that much of an optimist."
"Considering how most of the war is going, you might want to try it. I find it cuts down on unproductive sobbing and whimpering."
"I manage in my own ways."
"Fair. If you can cope… well, it's all we can do now. At least, until a miracle arrives."
"I'm sure you've given Naga a wishlist already."
"I'm afraid I'm not much of a praying man. I never can find the words. Not the right ones, anyway. If she intervenes, it's on her schedule, not mine."
"And what are we going to do until then?"
"Well, we've ruled out getting a miracle the easy way. I suppose that leaves the hard one. Blood. Sweat. Tears. The army needs perfection. We'll work to supply it."
"We?"
"Err… you and I, I meant. And… the rest of the Shepherds. But I was thinking of your record. Effortless perfection, or something of that nature."
"Effortless."
Cordelia tried to keep her sarcasm in check most days. It wasn't like most people caught it, and when people did, it just made more problems. But it was late, she watched her superiors butchered before her eyes after finally realizing they cared about her, and now she was in for a fresh round of "Little Miss Perfect". "Don't worry about Cordelia, she'll do fine!" "Oh, Cordelia. Of course it's easy for her." "Well, maybe it's easy for Cordelia…"
She could be excused for letting a little of it drip onto the tactician. Besides, judging from the company he kept, he could take it.
Robin chuckled.
"Exactly. I've been accused of the same thing, and I know, err, excuse the language, damn well how many hours of practice it takes to make something look easy."
"And then they treat you like a freak because they assume that anyone that skilled…"
"You're preaching to the choir. Even Chrom does it sometimes, and Severa does it more. We might have a little more natural talent in some fields, but unpolished talent loses to concentrated effort eight times out of ten. It's nice to have someone else notice that."
"When people just see perfection, they can't see your flaws."
"Or help you improve them. Exactly. You know… heh. You'd think it's ridiculous."
"What?"
"I wonder if the stars feel the same way?"
"The stars."
"We see their dance in the heavens, how they never miss a step, never pause for our little concerns and pains, and assume that's because they can't fail. Maybe they've just had more time to practice their art. Beneath it all, they're just as scared and tired and confused as the rest of us."
Robin's breath drifted past Cordelia's eyes. In the fog, a few of the stars blurred.
If she didn't know better, she'd think they were crying too.
One good thing
Chrom paced across the tent, practicing his form. Five steps to the end. Five steps back. Not much room to think.
Of course, Robin always said that you could imagine the whole world inside a prison cell, but Robin was Robin, and Chrom was Chrom. Simple as that. If they had the same gifts, they wouldn't compliment each other half as well.
If Chrom wanted to think, he might envy Robin. At the moment, he pitied him. When he wasn't thinking, he could keep up his drive on blind rage. Gangrel was a monster. Gangrel was going to die for his crimes. Chrom would be the man who killed him. But there were moments when though came, and it always came with guilt and fear. He wasn't good enough. Smart enough. He'd never manage to fill Emmeryn's shoes, never be the king Ylisse needed.
So. Good he wasn't thinking. And good that nothing in the tent was fragile.
Take a step. Prepare to draw.
Take a step. Keep your motions fluid.
Take a step. Bash with your shoulder to throw them off balance.
Take a step. Blade out.
Take a step. Narrowly avoid stabbing the woman who just barged into your tent.
"GAWDS! Are you trying to kill me?"
"Wouldn't that be nice."
Falchion slipped back into its sheath, and Severa grimaced.
"You'd probably be doing the world a favor."
"Why are you here? Doesn't Robin…"
"He's busy with little miss perfect. We've got your stupid strategies ready for tomorrow anyway."
"Little miss perfect?"
"Cordelia. You should know. She's always talking about you."
Oh. Her. Chrom did know she existed. Robin spent nearly as much time talking about her as Chrom spent complaining about Severa. She seemed like a good match for Robin, all told. Brilliant, talented at more or less everything you could name, beautiful, and the list continued from there. Of course, that was all going on what Robin said. Chrom had barely met her. She played harp at his birthday, but every time he tried to talk she ran. Severa mentioned her before, but considering everything else about his conversations with Severa, it was safe to chalk that up as a bizarre mind game.
"I'm sure she is. That still leaves me wondering why you're here. I'm sure you have something more important to do than yelling at me."
And he must have something better to do than yelling at her. Not that he could remember one.
"I'm here to say I'm…"
"Yes?"
"I'm s..."
Chrom tapped his foot.
"You're still amazed that anyone would listen to me?"
"I'm s…"
"You're sick of looking at my face? You have enough standard insults that it's hard to narrow things down."
"I'm sorry, you idiot! Gawds!"
"You're sorry."
"Of course I am! I got your sister killed! I acted like everything was your fault, and now I ruined everything!"
"No you didn't."
"I made the plans."
"Alongside Robin. Neither of you could have accounted for what happened at the end there."
"I should have."
"Because you found the assassins? One miracle doesn't mean you can guarantee another."
"I could have fought better."
"You couldn't have done anything. Neither could I. Why are you bothering with me? She's as much Lissa's sister as mine."
"Well, I'm not in love with Lissa!"
Silence filed into the room and looked around. After a few seconds it felt welcome enough to take a seat, open a flagon of mead, and start making plans for the weekend.
After it had finished several cheap romance novels, most of a roast, and a chess puzzle, the silence seemed to remember an appointment, and Chrom sent it on its way.
"Well."
"You didn't hear that!"
"I think I did."
"I didn't mean it. It's not like I…"
"It's not like we had a good reason for most of our arguments, is it? Just spending time together was enough."
"You were wrong most of those times."
"Some of them. And you weren't perfect yourself."
"Like you have any room to judge."
"Fair enough, Naga knows. Of course, if I did have room to judge…"
"Which you don't!"
"I'd say I spent some of the best hours of my life arguing with a frustrating, stubborn, arrogant…"
Severa glared at him. Chrom continued.
"brilliant, amazing, and beautiful woman, and I want that to continue. Which I suppose is love."
Severa's eyes shot open. Then she glared again.
"Great. We're both idiots."
Chrom smiled.
"I've heard that's a fair description of love, yes."
Severa didn't.
"No. We're idiots because it can't work."
"Why? Because nothing good can happen to us? All the more reason to take it when the opportunity comes up."
"So it can be ruined too."
Chrom grimaced.
"I haven't bowed for Gangrel, I didn't bow for Aversa, and I'm not bowing to fate. Even if I believed in it. This might work. It might not. But you can't surrender without a fight."
"In case you didn't notice, it won't work already. We drive each other insane."
"Which we'll manage no matter what happens. You're not easy to get along with, in case you didn't notice."
"Like you're a prize!"
"At least… well, we're proving the point."
Severa turned towards the door.
"It won't work."
"Because?"
"My father was Plegian. In case you didn't notice, that's not popular right now."
Chrom's left eyebrow went up half an inch.
"Really?"
"No. I'm ruining everything I want for the fun of it. What do you think I'm doing?"
"Hmm. That will make things more complicated down the line."
"Down the line?"
"Well, if we were going to get married at some point…"
"Married?"
Severa was already facing Chrom again and three steps closer when she stopped.
"If?"
"Well, we might kill each other before we could set any solid plans."
Chrom frowned.
"And that's if we don't die tomorrow. Gods. We're in the last days of a war. We have more important things to worry about."
Severa pulled herself to attention.
"Duh."
"Which also means that if we're alive after this, I doubt a few objections from the nobles will mean much. Maribelle likes you, at least. That should help."
Severa shook her head.
"It still won't work. You wouldn't believe me why."
"What wouldn't I believe?"
"It's too stupid to even say."
Chrom smiled.
"Haven't you talked with Frederick? I believe people far too easily. It's a character flaw."
Severa raised one eyebrow.
"You'd believe anything? I didn't think you were that stupid."
"Try me."
"I'm from the future."
Chrom scratched his chin.
"Hmm."
"See? You don't believe me!"
"I didn't say that. I said 'Hmm'. I just want to be sure this is the story I won't believe, instead of proof I won't believe whatever the story is."
"It's the truth, not that you care."
"Well. I believe you."
Severa's face went blank.
"No you don't."
"I believed Robin's story of amnesia, and he hadn't proven himself half as trustworthy then. In exchange, I found the best friend a man could ask for. I'm inclined to take a risk here."
"Hmmph."
Severa turned her face halfway away from Chrom.
"Fine. You believe me. That doesn't mean anything will work."
Chrom shrugged.
"Now isn't the best time, at any rate. We can talk more once Gangrel is dead."
"And if he kills you?"
"Then it would be a good thing that we didn't make too many plans."
Severa turned for the door.
"You're right. For once."
"But before you go… I have one last thing I need to ask you about."
Severa turned and rolled her eyes.
"What do you… oomph!"
It was a fairly good kiss, if Chrom was any judge. Judging from the second tongue in the middle of his throat, Severa agreed. A few seconds later they separated. He coughed.
"So."
"So."
"We'll… talk more later."
Chrom shook his head as Severa walked away. Well. He'd wanted a distraction from his fears. It seemed he had one.
Tired of traveling
Robin twitched in his seat. He was next to Cordelia, who made him look like a marble statue. Chrom would be here soon. He had something to talk about. Robin just wasn't sure what it was. In the wake of the Plegian war, there were too many options to narrow them down to just one potential disaster. Ensuring that the war was truly over was one problem. Sorting out the division of reparations with Ferox could end in tears and blood. There were probably going to be issues with Chrom taking the throne, sorting out how to deal with the traitors who allied with the Plegian invasion... at least peace wouldn't put him out of work.
The biggest variable, of course, was why Chrom didn't tell him to find Severa. Yes, they'd been arguing more than usual recently, but Chrom had taken Robin's advice on the issue before. A little irritation was a small price to pay for a good tactical mind, no matter what you thought of her. And Severa had a good heart… somewhere.
Chrom stepped into the room and Robin's spine snapped straight. All his questions were about to be put to rest one way or another, and he'd be left with his usual set of answers, hoping one of them would work.
Robin looked over to Cordelia. Where his spine was a steel rod, hers seemed to be some kind of jelly.
"That's Chrom."
"I know. We've talked in the past. On a more or less daily basis, in fact."
"We're talking to Chrom."
"Well, we're going to talk to Chrom soon. Right now he's just staring at us in disbelief."
Robin looked to Chrom. Chrom was still too goggle-eyed to look back. Robin looked over to Cordelia. She was too busy looking at Chrom to look back.
"Just to be sure, should I be jealous of my best friend?"
"No, of course not. It's just… he's here. What should I say?"
"Just talk to him like anyone else."
Cordelia finally turned to look at Robin. Her stare was as blank as Chrom's.
"You know what? I should handle the talking for now. Chrom. Why did you want us here? And why isn't…"
Severa entered the room and answered the last question before Robin could ask it. On the other hand, it did leave several related questions, but on the balance, Robin thought he'd be better off leaving them to Chrom. The general heading of "Why are we here" covered a multitude of questions, and the "Why do you want us here" variant eliminated most of the obvious wrong responses.
Chrom coughed.
"You… both know Severa."
Robin nodded.
"Of course. I'm fairly sure we're family. And I'm proud to be able to claim that honor. She's the best assistant I could have asked for."
Severa smiled. Not much, but she wasn't the kind for full mouth grins at the best of times. Robin counted that as a victory.
Cordelia's head didn't move. Robin nudged her with his elbow.
Cordelia's head started bobbing like a hummingbird.
"I know whoever Chrom would like me to know!"
Severa's smile vanished. Robin suspected he wouldn't see it again any time soon. Chrom's was back, but it was really more of a grimace at the moment.
"I'll take that as a yes. Well. I've asked her to marry me, and she's agreed to have me. On a provisional basis."
Robin smiled back. He hoped that his eyes were smiling too. Right now, they wanted to shift into awkward terror. He'd never considered the possible implications of Severa, Chrom, and Cordelia in the same room. The kind, merciful part of his brain, the bit that didn't deal with tactics and blood, had tried to convince him it would work out fine. The woman he loved (well, respected first, but it was loved now, and had been for some time), his best friend, who he also loved (in a much different sense, admittedly, but with similar enthusiasm), and his only known relative (also loved, in a third sense even further from the romantic) were all important to him. They were vital to his life, and if he could spend time with all of them at once, so much the better.
The rational, tactician portion of his brain was now shaking its head in a corner and telling the rest of him that it saw this coming three miles away. The rest of Robin pushed past and managed to squeak out a few words.
"Congratulations to both of you. Of course, you realize the wedding will destroy Ylisse's budget for the next few… well, Nowi will probably live to see the recovery, at least."
Severa rolled her eyes.
"I don't spend that much."
"Anna keeps records. Anna keeps detailed records."
Chrom coughed.
"I already have Frederick on it. Naga help us all."
Cordelia smiled. Robin thought he'd seen forced smiles before. He was wrong. Compared to Cordelia's face right now, they were friendly, human, and entirely sincere.
"That's wonderful. For you. Chrom. Is. A. Wonderful. Man."
Robin coughed.
"Yes. So, Cordelia and I will…"
"All that changed is now my fantasies need to start with two tragic deaths instead of one."
Chrom looked towards Robin with pity in his eyes. Robin shrugged.
"She has her jokes. Which we can enjoy better in private. Which means…"
Severa smiled again. One side of the mouth much higher than the other. Robin had thought that she was done with smiling for the day. He now revised that to 'hoped', and filed the hopes under 'in vain'.
"Oh, I see now."
Of course she saw it. Everyone with eyes saw it, except Chrom.
"You don't even care enough about your daughter to attend her wedding."
Cordelia snapped towards Severa.
"What?"
"You heard me. You're a miserable excuse for a mother."
"I would be…"
Whatever Cordelia would have said was lost in the crash as Robin leaned too far and fell back onto the floor.
"Gods. I should have seen it coming."
Cordelia grabbed his arm and helped pull him back up.
"Should have…?"
"Well, I've talked to our daughter every day for six months now, and I still hadn't put things together until she told me to my face. We are just perfect parents already."
"That's impossible."
"Chrom marrying her is impossible. The fact she's… well, she's at least my daughter, and I suppose she's going to be yours too… I mean, if you… the proposal was not supposed to go like this. VAIKE would have done a better job. I'm sorry. At least I look good for… forty?"
Severa groaned.
"I didn't think you could do worse than the first time you proposed to mom. Gawds. Gag me."
Robin turned back towards Severa.
"Mom? There's… oh. As in Cordelia… I'm not going to say it's impossible. It happened, whatever this is, so by definition it's possible, and that means I should have seen it coming. What did I miss?"
Chrom lifted his hands.
"Nothing you could have been expected to see. She's from the future. Somewhere around twenty years hence, when the foul dragon Grima has wiped out the Shepherds, Ylisse, and the rest of humanity."
"And she didn't tell us about it because we'd think she was insane. I don't understand the mechanics, but I can work with the facts for now until I do understand them. I suppose you want my blessing?"
"I was going to start with permission."
"You're my closest friend, an honest man, and Severa's been old enough to make her own choices since I met her. I don't think there's a question here. And, for what it's worth, you both have my best wishes for your future. I'm not sure either of you could do better."
"I'm sure Severa would disagree, but thank you."
Robin tapped Cordelia's shoulder.
"I'm not sure this is the best time, but do you have any opinion on…"
"I'm a terrible mother."
"What?"
"My own daughter, and I hardly spend time with her. We've argued too often, I've never told her I loved her."
"You had no way of knowing."
"I didn't even recognize her! A minute ago, I made a joke that I wanted her dead."
She turned towards Severa.
"I'm sorry. I know I must be the worst mother in the world. Whatever you need from me…"
Severa rolled her eyes.
"Like you could make up for ruining my entire life twice."
"I can't imagine what you went through. I didn't think I would be the best mother, but I hoped… I had a wonderful daughter, and I treated her like this?"
Cordelia was on the verge of tears. Severa took a step forward.
"You weren't that bad."
"There's no need to lie to stop hurting my feelings. I need to know my faults so that I can try to avoid making so many mistakes next time. If I even deserve a next time."
Severa took another step.
"Fine! Do you really want to know what you can do right?"
"Yes!"
"Not die! Other than that, I couldn't… other than that you were fine."
"Do… do you mean that?"
"Does it matter? Gawds, I tried to give you a compliment! See if I ever do anything nice again."
"It matters a good deal. I want to do what's best for you. Even if…"
Cordelia looked at Chrom, then back to Severa. Severa rolled her eyes again. Robin decided to never make the threat that they'd get stuck like that if you did it enough. Any further children he'd have could just look to their older sister and prove him a liar.
"All I did was actually talk to him. It turns out that works better than just staring from the bushes."
"I just want you to be happy together."
Chrom smiled.
"We'll try. Now, I know this is a lot to take in, and the two of you are very busy, so, if you want to leave for a little while, I think we'd both be happy to see you out. We have to talk with Maribelle about the ceremony anyway, so..."
Robin nodded and silently thanked Chrom, Naga, and whoever else might have been involved. He was in the middle of a minefield every second they stayed. Several minefields, even, all overlapping.
It was only when he and Cordelia stepped outside that Robin felt the ring in his pocket and realized that he was still in the middle of another one. He took a deep breath and looked to Cordelia.
"So. We're parents."
"Not very good ones."
"Our daughter's going to be Queen of Ylisse, if all goes well. I think most people would call that a success."
"She said I ruined her life."
"Severa says a lot of things. At least half of them to Chrom, and they're engaged. I think you don't need to worry too much about it. With time travel… we have other things to worry about. The world burning, for one."
"Not a pleasant future."
"Well, except for one part. Something I'd like to repeat, if you'd let me."
Robin's previous breath was out of use. He took another one, deeper than the first and dropped to his knees.
"Cordelia, Severa's right, even if she was being sarcastic. You're the most perfect woman in the world, and I would be honored if you'd marry me."
"Well, since Chrom's off the market…"
Cordelia picked up the ring.
"I accept."
Robin let all the air out of his lungs in a rush. After a second of pleased, irrational shock, he smiled.
"Just as well. Imagine the scandal if the queen was a bastard."
Never show you're weak
Severa shuddered. So. This was how it was going to end. Years of effort. A war. Pursued by a dark god. And now she was on the ground, in pain, and almost certainly going to die.
She could face it with a good deal more dignity if her husband wasn't laughing at her.
"It's not funny!"
Chrom shook his head.
"It wouldn't be funny if anyone else suggested it. But since you were the one insisting you were ready to train again, yes. It is funny."
Severa twitched her arm. If everything didn't hurt so much, she'd throw something at him.
"I'm going to haunt you!"
"You'd have to die first. Don't worry, I'm getting Maribelle. I think she's at the cursing and throwing things stage of studying anyway."
Stupid husband. Stupid cramps.
Stupid baby Lucina in her stupid cradle in the stupid nice castle that Severa was stupid enough to live in since she married stupid Chrom in that stupid wedding where she had to cry stupid tears like an idiot.
Stupid perfect happy life. If she didn't know better, she'd get used to it. If she didn't have the nightmares.
It was the same dream every night, more or less. She was in the castle, and then Lucina started crying. She rolled in bed, and Chrom stumbled to his feet. They had an argument about who would deal with the baby, so banal that she couldn't even remember it while she was dreaming, and then something would crash onto the roof. She'd be out of bed and armed then. Lucina would still be crying, but Severa was standing in an open field with Chrom and her parents. The world was on fire. Grima took her mother away. Tore her father apart from the inside. Killed Chrom in front of her, ripped him limb from limb. Sometimes he found Morgan or Kjelle or Owain, for a little novelty, but Chrom was always last. Then Grima looked at her. And laughed.
"You don't matter."
"What?"
"You can't change anything. Chrom, Cordelia, Robin? They could have saved the world. You can't even save yourself."
And then he flew away, leaving her to be dragged away by the dead, all telling her how she failed and was worthless. Sometimes she even thought they were right.
She almost told Chrom about it the first night, but he'd just think she was… it was weakness. She didn't need to show him that, give him something to really make fun of. He had enough of that right now.
Maribelle walked over to Severa and interrupted her thoughts.
"You insisted on this? Even Lissa would have the sense to stay inside for a while longer, darling. Imagine what her little niece would say on finding her mother died over something so senseless."
"I need to stay in shape. In case you hadn't noticed…"
"In case you hadn't noticed, we're at peace at the moment, and acting like a brute can wait until you can walk again without making everyone spout fifteen grey hairs in worry."
"You're not worried about me!"
"I wouldn't be, but Chrom might worry, and then Lissa would worry, and I would hate to make Lissa worry."
Maribelle tsked.
"And you broke several nails. After all the effort you put in, I'd think you'd at least try to avoid this kind of thing."
Severa looked down at her fingers.
"Gawds."
"I know. It's a shame. You could keep yourself looking presentable when we were at war, and now this."
"Just my luck."
Maribelle helped Severa to her feet.
"Well. We can discuss it over tea. This sort of thing is why we have servants."
Step by painful step, Severa managed to find her way inside. Healing magic made the pain less vivid, but it was still nagging at her. It felt like listening to her own arguments from a distance. She fell into her seat without an ounce of grace, and tried not to think too much about how everything ached. Maribelle took the seat next to her.
"The tea should arrive soon. I just hope that the castle hasn't had the same difficulty finding good help as the rest of us. I understand that in the wake of a war one must make... accommodations. But that's no excuse for slovenliness."
Severa merely grunted in response. Maribelle sighed.
"I'll take that as commentary. We slave and slave away for the good of Ylisse. You would expect that others could take to their roles with similar enthusiasm."
Severa smiled.
"We complain all the time."
"Well, yes. And if the servant class wishes to speak of us behind our backs, it's only to be expected. But I'd be much more inclined to excuse them their loose behavior if they would accomplish their work first. It would be wonderful if everyone could have both competence and proper manners, but the presence of one at least allows us to tolerate the absence of the other."
"So why do you tolerate me?"
"Competence, dear. Honestly, I don't see how it's a question. Ah. Our tea. Late. I wouldn't be surprised if it was cold as well."
Competence. That was a joke. Competence when she couldn't even complete her training without needing to be dragged inside. Competent when the one change she'd made was gone already. Dead by a fall instead of a sword, but dead all the same. Oh, she might have cut into the time a war took, but that didn't mean she could change fate. Grima would come sooner or later, and then everyone would see how worthless she was. Chrom couldn't change things. Her mother and father couldn't change things. Why should she be any different?
Maribelle was sipping tea. She paused.
"And of course, you saved my beloved Lissa, which means I can never fully fault you. Drink up, dear. The bear blood loses something if it ever drops to room temperature."
"Maybe I was the only reason she was in danger."
"Not the way she tells it, and as questionable as her judgement may be, I'm inclined to believe her over you. Now... ah."
Chrom stepped into the room with baby Lucina in his arms. He looked worse than Severa felt, which was an accomplishment.
"Severa?"
"What is it? Is she hungry? I thought that's why we had a wet nurse!"
Maribelle shook her head.
"Servants."
Chrom shook his head in response.
"No, she doesn't seem hungry. I think... she just wants to be around her mother."
Severa took Lucina into her arms and gave Chrom a sigh in exchange.
"Ugh. You just need attention, don't you."
"Gthsb!"
"That's what I thought. It's a good thing you're so cute. You have no idea what I went through, do you?"
Of course she didn't. Whatever else you could say about Lucina (drooled, too inquisitive, far too cute for one baby it made you sick), she was something new. Severa hadn't saved Emmeryn. She cut a little time off a war Chrom could have won anyway. She only saved Lissa from a disaster she brought with her. But Lucina? Lucina hadn't been there the first time.
Lucina deserved better. And Severa was going to make sure she got it.
"Blrp."
"I know. You're getting a better childhood than I ever did. That's a promise, you little turd."
(Author's notes: Sorry this one was delayed more than the standard. Went a little longer than I was planning on. Hope it was worth the wait. If not, hope the next one is more to your preferences.
This one started with one of those ideas that rams into your brain at a right angle from nowhere. Obviously insane, but you can't quite shake it. In this case, it was Severa and Chrom S ranking. The sensible thing would be to toss it out and forget about it. My brain insisted on spending thousands of good processor cycles trying to make it work.
The first thing was that, if this was going to work at all, Lucina couldn't be around. Severa's like most people. Whatever faults they have, there's some things they just won't do, and homewrecker seems to be pretty high on her list of unthinkable sins. As a bonus, removing Lucina put Severa in a more central role among the second generation, if only by default.
As for the writing proper, I figured a highlights reel approach would be best for skipping over things that went more or less like the game. Also meant I could handle things in one chapter.
So, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, and see you next time if you liked what was on offer. )