A dream so like awaking

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know."

The man on the ground looked up. He was in a castle? Odd. He didn't remember being here before. He… didn't remember much of the past few days, it seemed. His body ached… no. Worse. His body didn't ache, but it insisted it should. He shook himself and rose to his feet.

Across the room, a man in a robe was sitting on a throne. The man on the ground smiled.

"Robin!"

"Chrom. It's been a while."

"I suppose so. You'll have to fill me in on what I missed. I seem to have some gaps. The last thing I remember…"

"Yes?"

Chrom scratched his head.

"I'll be damned. I can't remember the last thing I remembered. I must be getting senile."

"Before you're forty. I can't say I'm impressed, 'old friend.'"

Chrom shrugged.

"I thought tacticians were the ones who needed to remember plans. You just needed me to look good on recruiting posters and mutter out vaguely inspirational speeches."

"They were useful speeches. Everyone fell for them."

"Fell for them?"

Robin smiled from his throne.

"You promised so many things, 'old friend'. Even you had to realize how hopeless it was by the end. We were only men. We couldn't stop fate."

Chrom shook his head.

"I think… well, we're still here. I think we did better than your dastard of a father expected from us. Is he…?"

Robin smiled again, wider.

"Don't worry, Chrom. Validar is no longer among the ranks of the living. I saw to that while you were indisposed."

"I suppose I should thank you and give my sympathy. I know the man was a monster, but killing your own father… I don't think there's much I can say. I didn't mourn at my father's funeral, and I doubt there was much weeping at Validar's, but it's still more than anyone should have to take. And I wasn't able to help."

"No. Then again, you weren't able to help with so many things. You didn't help Cordelia, after all. She died with your name on her lips."

Chrom stopped in his tracks.

"I hadn't heard. I… I remembered she was dead. But I thought you were happy. I thought you both were happy."

Robin slouched to his feet off the throne. He was still smiling.

"Always the heartbreaker, Chrom. Even my wife! You know, a man could get jealous, listening to that kind of thing. But no matter. We're friends. There's no point in dwelling on the past."

"If there's… gods. I wish I'd known. I wish I could have died in her place."

"Oh, all in due time. I'm sure you have more important things to see at the moment."

Chrom paused. Nodded.

"I'm… sure. Yes. This was Validar's castle, wasn't it? I don't recognize all of the decorations, but it looks familiar. It can't have been that long."

"Why do you say that?"

"The grimaleal markings everywhere."

"Oh, those. You learn not to notice them in time. There are so many more important things. You missed so much."

"I suppose so. It never rains but it pours."

Robin smiled and started walking down a corridor. After a second, Chrom followed.

It was odd. Robin's feet occasionally… skipped a step. Like he was walking more for show than out of any need. Once, Chrom would swear he hovered every time he looked away. Then again, that was mages for you. Always showing off. He thought Robin was above that…

Then again, the man had won a war while he was sleeping. Chrom could excuse a little gloat. It was harder to ignore the murals. Unpleasant things, the lot. Validar had awful taste. It wasn't just the subject matter. The artistry…

Chrom sped up his pace to match Robin.

"How much do you suppose they tortured the poor bastards who painted these murals?"

"Oh, I'm sure they were rewarded appropriately."

Robin smiled again. Chrom shivered. It felt like there were too many teeth.

"I'm not sure anyone could have done enough. Putting work this shoddy on a child's notepad would be an insult. I think painting this kind of thing in a church would qualify as an act of war."

Robin glared.

"Oh, yes. Because my people should give up their religious traditions for yours. Bow and scrape before Naga as she pardons all the filth of the world."

"It's not that…"

Although it was odd Robin was so angry. He'd always been the one talking about how the Grimaleal were a blight on Plegia. Chrom had never been much for religious matters.

"It's the quality. Gods. If Grima were here, I'm sure he'd be as unimpressed as I am. It looks as bad as when you tried to paint Lissa!"

Robin glared again. Chrom shook his head. Well, no accounting for taste in art. He tried to change the subject before anything could get more awkward.

"I'm sure Sumia is worried sick after I spent so long out cold. Where could I find her?"

"Oh, I haven't told you yet? I lose track of these things sometimes. She's dead."

"WHAT?"

"Yes. It was horrible. Lucina had to see it. A shame, really."

"Lucina? Cynthia?"

"Oh. They escaped alive. A little traumatized, but they should survive a little longer. Your oldest daughter is a stubborn young woman. I suppose she takes after you."

"She always… gods. Sumia can't be dead. We won. You said as much."

"Oh, I said my father was dead. I never claimed that you won. You lost so much already. Frederick, Sumia, Sully… all of the shepherds, really. Lissa lasted longer than anyone expected, but no-one lives forever."

"I should have been there!"

"Don't worry. You were doing all you could. Ah! We're here. You'll be interested in this."

Robin shoved a door open, and Chrom looked inside. For a second, he couldn't see anything. Then he saw the bodies. It was hard to make out any details with the poor lighting, but the room was full.

"What is the meaning of this? Even our enemies deserve better than…"

"Look closer. You might be surprised."

Chrom shook his head. Dummies? A prank? He trusted Robin, at any rate.

And he sighed in relief. Those couldn't be real.

Every single corpse had his cape. His armor. His face.

"Prop bodies. I just wish you'd…"

"Oh, no."

"What?"

"I killed them. All of them. All of you."

"What the devil…?"

Robin's mouth split into a valley of teeth.

"It seems two wars were enough to cement your legend. A few mages managed to produce an einherjar. It was useless, of course, I slaughtered them all. But I was grateful. You never gave me satisfaction. Never begged for your life. Never swore vengeance. All you did was plead for my life, beg me to come to my senses. Pretend you cared about something other than your own little existence. Now, we can settle the matter properly."

Chrom froze.

"Robin, this isn't… you can fight this."

"Why would I?"

"You're a better man than this! What would Cordelia…"

"I don't know. You killed her. You forced me to fight my destiny, tried to hide me from glorious purpose! It was only with your death I felt alive again! Beg. For. Your. Life."

"No. I know you. I know you're better than this. And if you aren't… gods. I'm not sure I could live in that world."

"I said BEG!"

Chrom's eyes were steel.

"No. I know you're..."

They were his last words before a bolt of lightning stopped his heart. Grima sighed.

It was pointless. There was a whole WORLD of little sacks of meat. Even now there were hundreds of them squirming about in HIS domain. One more or less shouldn't matter. They all would undermine him. They were all syncophants or pawns of the enemy. And yet this damned fool continued to vex him from beyond the grave.

First his blood spawned new champions, then his name inspired rebellion, and now his memory kept haunting him on its own. Pretended to be a friend.

Even if that was true, a god had no need of such things.

Grima shoved the latest corpse onto the pile and shut the door.

There were more important things. He would set the last ghost to rest soon enough. For now, he had time.

Swept away by chance

Robin smiled.

It was nine months. Nine months since he'd been able to breath freely. Nine months since the latest war started. And now they were back out in the light.

Oh, there were good times. Moments snatched from the fire. A man's wedding was a highlight of his life, even if the groom's arm was in a sling and the bride's dress was stained red. But being a husband and a father was easier when you could afford more than a few minutes together at a time off the battlefield. There would be more work later, but for now he could relax, regroup…

"Robin!"

Regret. He never should have been so happy. The universe had a way of punishing anyone who did that. For example, in addition to the interruption he was getting a headache.

"Chrom. What do you need?"

Robin flipped his tactics manual out of his sleeve. Whatever came up, he wouldn't be found wanting. Risen in the camp, bandits, Morgan… he knew what to do. There wasn't another man alive in Ylisse OR Valm who would be half as prepared.

Chrom smiled and shook his head.

"First, for you to calm down. For once, we aren't under attack."

"I've heard that before. Usually right before we're ambushed."

"Second, for you to find Lucina and something presentable."

Robin placed his manual back into its holster.

"This cloak is presentable. It's clean, it has detailed stitching, it doesn't have any stains..."

"Robin. You've been wearing that cloak ever since we arrived in Valm. You barely take it off to wash."

"It's not my fault that it's multipurpose. And it would be wasteful to spend money on personal items with a war going on."

"Uh-huh."

Robin reached for the back of his head.

"Also, why would I need anything else?"

"Because Rosanne is hosting a royal ball to celebrate the country's liberation and praise the heroes from Ylisse who made its victory possible."

"So, Virion's setting up a massive party to celebrate his ego?"

Chrom nodded.

"That's a fair way to put it. And a reason to try to find something else to wear."

Robin sighed.

"Technically I do have something else. A full suit. It even has a tie. The clerk promised it was perfect for formal occasions."

"Good. Then it's settled."

"Lucina bought it for me."

Chrom's eyes bulged. It was only for half a second, and even then not by much, but Robin had spent years around the man. He might as well have yelled at the top of his lungs.

Instead, he coughed.

"Well. It's sure to be… colorful."

"Stripes."

"Look at it this way. At least it's not…"

"And polka dots."

"Oh."

"She was very… emphatic about it."

Chrom drummed his fingers on the door frame for a second before snapping.

"Think of it this way. In Rosanne, that might be the height of fashion. After all, we're talking about a country where grown men wear bibs."

"Point."

"We'll be expected tonight. I know I can count on you to be on your best behavior. If I can trust you with my life and I can trust you with my daughter, I know I can trust you not to go on a rampage with a salad fork."

"You make it sound like a high honor."

"Well, consider your competition."

Robin did.

"Okay. Again, point."

"I wouldn't want anyone other than the Shepherds at my back in battle, and you wouldn't either, but…"

"But it's better for both of us that I'm going to this little party instead of them. I'll get ready."

"Thank you."

"Look at it this way, Chrom. We've both made a pretty good go at dying for each other. This is only a little worse."

Chrom laughed as he left the tent. Robin almost joined in.

Then he remembered what his suit looked like, and laughing felt out of the question for the forseeable future. Well, for him. Everyone else was probably going to laugh quite a lot. Well, at least it would feel better than being stabbed in the gut. Robin shook his head and left to find his wife.

She was at the edge of the camp when he found her, chopping a pile of logs. It took a minute before he could find the nerve to interrupt her.

It wasn't the thing he loved most about her. It hardly made the top ten. But Robin was still in love with the way Lucina went about her work. It had the same grace as almost everything else she did, a smooth curve of motion without a wasted second. Even the flourishes were balanced into the action, so elegant it was easy to forget the force behind the blow. Watching her, every slice of the axe was poetry, every…

"Robin, what seems to be the matter?"

Robin snapped out of his trance.

"Less than usual. I was… have I said how beautiful you are?"

"I think you might have."

"Not often enough."

She blushed and almost smiled. There were days Robin forgot how lucky he was. Today was not one of those days.

Lucina turned back towards the logs.

"I should get back to work. Unless you have another matter I should attend to?"

"Your father told me that there's a royal… something going on tonight. Valmese nobility is going to be attending from all over the continent. And he's the guest of honor."

"Of course. He IS the second most wonderful man in the world."

Robin nodded.

"I can't think of one better."

"What does he require from us?"

"Attendance, apparently. We need to get cleaned up to show for the soiree."

"I'm not certain that would be the best idea. People might ask... questions."

"It's Rosanne. If Virion's any guide, they'd just enjoy more fodder for the rumor mill. I'll make sure nothing comes back to Chrom."

Robin paused, then cleared his throat.

"And didn't you have that dress you wanted to try?"

Lucina's eyes lit up.

"If you insist, I suppose… after all, father did request it."

"He did."

"And I'm sure Anna would never sell a dress of such elegance if she thought I intended to only wear it in private."

Robin winced. In his professional opinion, even someone as opportunistic as Anna would only sell something like… that dress if she thought it would never be worn at all. He'd burned men to death, fought the living dead, and seen mangled corpses stretching towards the horizon. That dress was still a firm contender for the most hideous thing he'd seen in his life.

"It… would be a shame."

"I'll find it right now!"

To her credit (As if she needed more) Lucina made sure the axe was safely sheathed before she dashed off to find the atrocity in the eyes of gods and man that a cruel merchant once called a dress. Robin sometimes wondered how such a dignified, controlled woman had a daughter as… energetic as Morgan. Moments like this, he remembered.

The rest of the day passed easily, aside from the pain every time Robin so much as glanced at his suit and remembered that he would wear it in front of people. He was even able to get a good shave for the first time in weeks. It was a stroke of, well, not genius, but good luck at the minimum, that he found the black glass in the volcano. It was worse luck that he slipped with it and needed a quick burst of healing magic to look presentable, but it paid to remember caution. Peace wouldn't last long, if the stories of Grima were true. Best to stay alert. A little scratch was a small price to pay. At any rate, it hurt less than the headache.

And then the day was gone, and Robin was sitting next to Lucina and itching like a madman. Of course the suit was itchy. Why did he expect anything else?

Lucina smiled. A rare gift.

"You look more dashing than ever."

"And you look as beautiful as the day I married you."

It was only halfway to a lie. The dress put in a good effort, but even the most hideous cloth in the world (and the dress definitely made the top twenty) would be pressed to hide the woman wearing it.

Chrom coughed.

"I'd… rather if the two of you could postpone this discussion."

"My apologies, father."

Chrom nodded.

"Thank you."

Sumia shook her head.

"I don't think we should intrude on their first date, my love."

Lucina tapped her fingers.

"I'm sure this isn't our first date. After all, we…"

Robin stepped in.

"There was the patrol we took together."

Chrom's eyebrow jumped.

"The patrol that ran into a Valmese scout unit and left you in the medical tent for a week?"

"Well, I'm sure there's one I can't think of at the moment. The wedding should count for something, at minimum."

Lucina's mouth skewed.

"That was… less prolonged than most royal weddings."

"Right. The Risen bursting out of the ground. I think our vows were cut down to… well, I know there was something about as long as we both shall live."

"You did kiss the bride."

"I don't think I could have skipped that part."

"I didn't say you should have. Of course, I might need a repeat performance..."

Chrom buried his head in his hands. Sumia tittered. Robin felt his heart fill with pity. His best friend was going to have a very long, very difficult ride, and he wasn't going to make it any easier.

At least his mother-in-law was enjoying herself.

Due to good luck or divine favor, they arrived at Castle Roseanna before Chrom started screaming. Better still, they arrived before Sumia started writing in her little notebook. Robin had never looked inside the book, and never intended to, but from the way Sumia blushed when she wrote in it, he was fairly certain that it was… unsuited to mixed company. She didn't blush like that when reading Ribald Tales of the Faith War. Being the subject of her… whatever that notebook was hiding would imply horrible, horrible things about the future.

Virion was waiting for them at the carriage stairs. As soon as Sumia was halfway to the ground, his mouth was on her hand, and Chrom's hand was on Falchion.

"A pleasure to see the crown jewel of Ylisse grace our humble halls."

"I'm really not…"

"Nonsense! The archest of archers would never mistake a masterwork. Chrom is a lucky man."

Sumia blushed. Chrom rattled down the stairs.

"She's honored."

"Of… course. I'm sure you can find direction through humble Castle Virion. Our humble duchy may not share Ylisse's vast fields, but no-one will doubt our hospitality."

"It's not your hospitality I was doubting."

Chrom glared at Virion as he escorted his wife into the castle. Robin smiled and took Lucina's hand. It was a small step to the ground, and her family's genetic predisposition towards disaster seemed to have focused exclusively on her sister, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Best to hold her close.

Virion kissed Lucina's hand without looking up.

"And our foreseer. A shame that this could not be a masquerade. Your little…"

Robin smiled. Apparently, Virion looked up. It was rare for the finest archer in the Shepherds to be left speechless, but Lucina managed it for five seconds. Five seconds before Virion could cough out a response.

"I see you purchased a new dress for the occasion."

"It was too lovely to ignore."

"I… doubt anyone will be able to ignore it."

"You really think so?"

"Virion is a man of his word. His… exact words. But I must discuss the matter with our tactician. I'm sure one of the servants can escort you ahead, so that mine eyes might… recover."

Robin stepped into the light as his wife walked for the castle, chatting with a servant who was too busy averting her eyes to respond.

"Virion."

"Robin! Our master...mind."

"And our most… ostentatiously noble nobleman. It's a pleasure."

"I see you visit the same merchants as your lovely wife."

"Had to wear something special."

"I suppose this explains her odd sartorial judgements. I expected better from a woman as lovely as Lucina, but a man so blind that he couldn't recognize a cravat can be excused a mistake. After all, Chrom never employed you for your fashion sense."

"Thank you for the compliments."

"Think nothing of them."

Robin nodded and walked for the castle to find Lucina. Virion wasn't wrong. It was humble, at least in comparison to most of the other examples he'd seen. There were ordinary homes in Ylisse that could have outshone it, let alone any proper castle. A noble content with this either had a poor country, or a well looked after people.

Robin knew that one of the options wasn't true. Rosanne had good land and decent natural resources. Which meant that for generations, the highest ranks of the nobility ignored their own extravagance in favor of more practical and civic projects. For the first time, Robin understood why Virion was so damned proud of his heritage.

Of course, he couldn't tell the man that. He had a feeling that kind of altruism was played close to the chest for a reason. If someone wanted to play the fop, you let them. More than a wink and a nod would almost be an insult.

Despite the (relatively) small size of the castle, Lucina had slipped away while he was examining the tapestries. It took longer to find her than it did to get lost in the first place, and when Robin finally tracked her to the main hall, she was in the center of a rapidly expanding circle.

"Lucina. I see you're enjoying yourself already."

"Hello dear. Err..."

She looked at the spreading crowd and leaned closer to her husband. Her words dropped to a whisper.

"I'm sorry to burden you like this, but I think someone made a… joke. Would you mind finding out what it was for me?"

Robin looked up. Half the room was giggling. And his arrival seemed to be moving the ratio closer to two thirds. Robin prided himself on tactical acumen, on reading a battlefield like one of Sumia's trashy romances and in even less time. He knew people, knew their fears, their hopes, how to drive them past their limits and why they were so important.

He didn't need any of it to guess at the latest joke, and the target. He needed even less to know that it was not the time to be direct.

"I heard it on the way in. Trust me. It wasn't that funny."

"Then why are so many people laughing?"

"I'm guessing because they have poor taste in humor."

"Ah."

She didn't have much else to say on the topic. Robin didn't either. For a few seconds, they just stood across from each other, feeling awkward.

Thank Naga for Virion, and the fact he took that exact moment to start a speech.. At the edge of the room, it was impossible to tell exactly what he said, but straining to hear was a welcome distraction.

" *Mumble mumble* honored guests. *Mumble mumble* almost as talented as *mumble mumble*. To honor them…"

And the band started into the Ylissean national anthem. Robin smiled.

"They're playing our song."

"I suppose it is. Err… can you dance?"

"Barely."

Lucina smiled. (Twice in one day! Robin couldn't believe his luck.)

"Follow me."

It was a slow dance, with more than a little stumbling on Robin's end, but Lucina carried him through the first song and into the next. They danced from national anthems through harvest jigs to gossamer melodies that Robin would swear the musicians made up on the spot. It was paradise, headache or no. He hardly noticed the details, hardly saw his wife in front of him. The world was a pleasant weight on his arms, a pulse at his feet, and the music.

Then Virion spoke again.

"*mutter mutter*our gracious Plegian allies *mutter* traditional *mutter*"

The tune was new, and Robin's headache was worse than ever. It pulsed and strained and… burst.

Robin looked to his left. The room was burning. To his right. The place was piled with corpses. And his body continued the dance.

Soon, the corpses rose, and jerked, and followed. The fire spread in time to the melody. And Robin's headache was gone.

It was strange. Most nights, any night prior, he would have been horrified. The dead wore mocking faces he could almost recognize. The fire licked at his heels. The world was empty of everything but music and death. It wasn't anything he would have described as a dream come true.

But here? Now?

It was divine. The fire was a soothing bath. The music was a warm coat on a cool day. The itching and tiring wear on his feet were gone. He thought he'd been happy before, but in comparison it was nothing.

The only distraction was the weight on his arms. Something was pulling Robin away. Something he didn't want to look at. That his blood was begging him not to look at.

He looked.

And there she was. Lucina. Stubborn as a rock, the same in the middle of this hell as she was on Earth.

Gods. Why did he think he wanted… all of this? The whole world? It paled in comparison to the people in it, even when it was lush and green. This burning parody meant nothing on the grand scale.

Robin focused in on Lucina. Tried to ignore everything else, tried to pretend the fire didn't smell sweeter than perfume, that the abominations surrounding him were moaning instead of singing.

Lucina raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you didn't know how to dance."

"I suppose I'm a faster study than I gave myself credit for."

And the song ended. The world came back. As did Robin's headache. (He'd have to ask someone about that. Maybe Henry would have some idea.)

Virion was muttering something already.

"*Mumble mumble* traditional plegian *mumble*"

Lucina shook her head.

"I don't regret the end of that song. I didn't want to mention it when you were enjoying it so much, but… it brought forward memories I'd rather not deal with."

"I don't think you're alone in that."

"Oh?"

"I don't know what's coming. We've both been through hell. But right now, we have something worth keeping. We shouldn't waste it."

How far it goes

They lost Stahl first. One minute he was with them. The next, he was gone.

It was a sign of things to come.

They lost Lon'qu in an ambush, cut off and abandoned. Kellam vanished somewhere, no-one could pinpoint the exact moment. And Vaike… Vaike never knew his limits. He pushed too hard, tried to take on the impossible, and it left him helpless on the ground, past any aid Chrom could provide. He lasted longer than any man would dare, but in the end he was all too mortal.

Chrom knew this bachelor party was a mistake.

Gaius chewed on the stem of his latest cheap sucker.

"Gotta hand it to you, Blue. You kept it together. Didn't expect a noble would last this long on his first crawl."

Chrom moved his head down to keep the contents of his stomach from coming up, then sighed.

"Remember when I asked you what commoners did for fun? I regret it."

"Well, that's the way the cookie… hey."

Gaius twisted hard to the right. Chrom tried to follow, but his guts disagreed. Violently. Whatever Valmese Calvados was, it didn't like Ylissean royalty. At all.

Gaius was too busy greeting someone to notice.

"Bubbles. Didn't expect to see you out here."

"Gaius. Lady Maribelle sent me to make sure you didn't get her fiance killed on the night before his wedding. I have to say, Gangrel didn't make nearly as good an effort."

With a heroic effort, Chrom managed to turn his head without vomiting.

"Robin."

"Chrom. I wish I could say it was good to see you, but right now you look worse off than some actual corpses."

She smiled, so it might have been a joke. Then again, Chrom felt worse than some actual corpses, so it was fair enough either way.

"It's been a long night."

Gaius frowned.

"It's getting longer, Blue. Do you feel up to running?"

"Gods. No."

"Too bad."

Robin shook her head.

"I'm not dragging you two back. Yet. I just wanted to make sure…"

"It's not about you, Bubbles. It's about the fact we might have made some enemies in the city guard. And they might be coming this way right now."

"You did what?"

Chrom shook himself to his feet. His stomach wasn't fully settled, but it seemed like he wouldn't get much of a chance for that.

"I don't know. A lot of the night has been a blur."

Gaius shrugged.

"All you need to know is that this is going to make a great story a few years from now."

Chrom grimaced. He'd been through a war. He was going to be married tomorrow. He'd gotten enough stories without whatever was about to happen. If the rest of his life was completely peaceful and calm, if he never had a single event worthy of the history books in his entire reign, he would still be set for "great stories".

He turned to face Robin again. She didn't look any happier.

"What did you do?"

"Piece of cake, Bubbles. Chrom's a beloved monarch. We'll be out in an hour."

"I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about MARIBELLE! She's spending the night at the opera! Do you know what she'll do if we get arrested on the NIGHT BEFORE HER WEDDING?"

"So she'll…"

Chrom sighed.

"Robin's right. As usual. We need to get out of here.."

Then he nearly fell over. His legs were planning a revolution, it seemed, and the rest of his body was joining in. Robin rushed beneath his right arm. Gaius grabbed his left. And they were moving.

Of course, that wasn't much good when Robin was the only one keeping in a straight line.

"What have you been doing all night?"

"Drinking."

"I hesitate to ask… what were you drinking?"

"Well bubbles, if we could remember what all we'd been drinking, it wouldn't be much of a guy's night out."

Robin shook her head.

"And if it's a guys night out, where was Sully?"

"I said a guy's night out, bubbles. Not that we were committing suicide. Crivens!"

"She'd drink you under the table?"

Chrom smiled.

"And then throw the table out a window. We should have brought her."

Gaius shivered.

"Crivens."

No-one said anything for a while after that. They stumbled into back alleys to duck guard patrols, stumbled out of back alleys to try to find the way back to where they just left, and stumbled in general because walking on a stomach full of… something and a head empty of sleep was not in anyone's recommended travel guide.

Robin sighed.

"We're lost."

Chrom looked up.

"I couldn't tell."

Gaius smirked.

"Lost? Gaius the nimble doesn't get lost. Watch this."

He scurried onto a rooftop, jumped from building to building, and vanished out of sight. After a minute, he was still out of sight. After five minutes, it was no better.

Robin looked to Chrom with pity.

"And this is why I'm your best friend, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look at everyone else you're close to. Sully's going to charge in right next to you without considering the risks, because she's a knight and that means you can't hold back. Vaike is going to do the same thing, because he's an idiot. Gaius is quite literally criminally irresponsible. And you get dragged along with it, despite knowing the whole time that you shouldn't, because someone has to be sane in the middle of it."

"And where do you come in?"

"I'm the one person who thought of an alibi so Maribelle will still speak to us in the morning."

"Hah!"

"A good tactician always has a plan."

Chrom frowned.

"Of course…"

"What?"

"It's probably just the mead talking, but what if she gets suspicious of the story?"

"She'll still focus her considerable rage on Vaike or Gaius instead of you."

"I meant, what if she thinks you and I…"

Robin lifted an eyebrow.

"You and I were what? It's not like… Wait. No."

"I wasn't suggesting it!"

"I just can't see how anyone would think… It doesn't make any sense."

"No."

"I mean, no offense to the best friend I've ever had, but you aren't exactly my type."

"And I've never thought of you that way. I mean, you don't seem like…"

"Don't seem like what?"

Robin's voice punched through the fog around Chrom's brain. He realized that he just stepped into the middle of a minefield. It would be very easy to say the wrong word.

He gently poked at the edges of the conversation. With luck, he might escape with his limbs intact.

"that kind of woman?"

"What. Kind. Of. Woman."

"The romantic type?"

Boom. There went an arm. Chrom watched his mistakes sail by his eyes and crash to another chain of explosions. They all reflected in Robin's eyes.

"Chrom, you know we're friends."

"Yes."

"Which is why I'm giving you a second chance. Why haven't we dated?"

"Because… we just didn't think about it until we both found someone else?"

"Both."

Chrom suddenly remembered a recent discussion with Robin, featuring a short rant on "All men are scum" with barely a sidelong mention of "Well, you're alright, obviously." Both might have been the wrong word in many, many ways.

"I meant… you're too good for me?"

Robin smiled.

"Well, you're still lying, but this time I'll let it slide for a man in your obviously impaired state. You're lucky."

"I'm stumbling through an unknown back alley, pursued by the guards. How is that lucky?"

"Well, you could have said something that stupid in front of your wife tomorrow, instead of in front of me tonight."

"Of course."

Robin paused.

"That's not to say I have any issue with Maribelle! She's brilliant, beautiful, talented, the most loyal friend anyone could have…"

"But she's got a tongue like a killing edge."

Robin smiled.

"There was a story going around that she actually finished off one of Gangrel's officers with nothing but a few words and a glare."

"To be fair, I think the man had a heart condition already."

Robin blinked. Then she blinked again.

After a second, she calmly pulled out her tactician's notebook, turned to a page that looked like it had Maribelle's name on it from Chrom's brief glance, and wrote a few quick lines. Then she slid the book back up her sleeve.

"We really need to get moving. The wedding party getting lost is one thing. Losing the groom is much worse."

Chrom put one foot forward. It held.

"I think I can walk."

"Good."

Robin looked behind them.

"Now, can you run?"

Chrom looked back. Well. Considering the circumstances, he'd certainly try.

"STOP, THIEVES!"

Neither applied.

It would be easy for Chrom to say, with the strain on his legs and the emptiness in his lungs, that he'd never ran that hard before. But that would be a lie. The flight from Valm, the charge against Gangrel, half a dozen more battles all pushed him further.

But those battles faced a Chrom who'd prepared. A Chrom at the peak of his talents, well rested and ready to fight. A Chrom surrounded by allies and able to fight to the limit.

He was not that Chrom tonight. And he was lucky to keep a foot ahead of pursuit. Robin was too far ahead to trace, the guards were close behind, and all Chrom had left was a frantic prayer to Naga that he would do whatever she wanted if she would just get him out.

She provided a door, and Chrom dived in. He praised Naga under his breath. He looked up to continue the exhortations.

And saw several nearly naked women. He was in a… gentleman's club, or something similar. He'd barely talked Vaike out of that plan earlier, and now he was… gods. If word got back to Maribelle, she'd never forgive him. Chrom scrambled back.

And bumped into someone in a seat. This was not his night.

"Excuse me, sir!"

"Excuse me, ma'am. I'm sorry. I took a wrong door, and…"

Chrom turned back to look at the woman accusing him.

"Maribelle?"

"Milord!?"

Chrom froze. Maribelle froze. Chrom coughed.

"Well. Opera?"

"I… might have kept some details of my evening private. You understand I was only here to study the artistry. For a friend."

"Of… course."

"And I couldn't very well go look at gentlemen. Not that one could compare to you."

"Thank you?"

Maribelle sighed.

"Well. It would be for the best if neither of us were seen… visiting this establishment. Fortunately, the management has an arrangement for a smooth exit."

Chrom decided not to ask any questions.

It was an odd night.

Which meant it was perfectly in keeping with the rest of his life.

(Author's Notes: And here we are, at the end of another set. Hope you enjoyed, sorry if you didn't, and thanks for reading, as standard.

Also standard these days, chapter took longer than expected. Just... consider them pleasant surprises when they do come at this point, I suppose. Easier on everyone that way.

So! Onto individual stories.

A dream so like awaking: The whole Grima and Robin situation is a bit of a vague point in Awakening, I thought. I mean, the exact extent to which Grima is Robin versus just being a supernatural pile of nasty using his or her flesh for a suit. Future Past Grima, it's clearly 100% category two, but the main game version seems to expect some level of willing cooperation from "our" Robin. Plus, the first option gives more room for misery on everyone's part. Gives me a little fondness for it.

A Robin who married Cordelia seems ideal for the position. I mean, not that he would resent Chrom enough to murder under normal circumstances, but the circumstances of her death according to Severa do leave room for bitterness, and if there's an extra supernatural push for the murder, good old sunk cost would make him much more likely to explain to himself why he Made The Right Call. Add in wanting to play a little with Einherjar, and this came out. Odd, bleak little thing, but I liked it.

Swept away by chance: Just wanted to do another light Robin and Lucina thing after. Not too much to say about this one, honestly. I'm not sure the throughline was strong enough, even though I liked a lot of the individual moments.

How far it goes: Chrom always seemed to me to have a bit of Prince Hal going on. I mean, the Shepherds are a lot more productive than holding up Falstaff, but he's definitely staying away from anything that absolutely requires responsibility in the first act. He also has some... let's be charitable and call them colorful individuals as his closest friends. I mean, Robin's pretty sturdy, and Sully seems more or less reliable, but Gaius and Vaike's supports reveal a remarkable capacity for terrible decisions. Figured it would be fun to let some of them play out.

So, yeah. That's the lot. Again, thanks for reading. I might still write if no-one was, but it would be a lot less satisfying.)