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Robin and Chrom sat next to each other, across the table from a man with dark brown hair and similarly colored eyes, Kikoua Seijirou.

"Congratulations on your marriage," he said. "I'm glad you two decided to come."

"Thank you," Chrom told him, secretly half-heartedly. "What is it you wanted to tell us?"

"Well, before I say anything, I'd like to inform you that Mrs. Ylisse is under fire with many of the executives at Dream Co. for alleged manipulation of in-game tools and interference with player quests."

Robin frowned.

"That wasn't me," she said firmly. "I was locked in a separate server the whole time while someone else used my avatar."

"I'm quite aware of that," he took a sip from his coffee. "But we cannot seem to locate the person who was using your account. It seems he was quite skilled in leaving behind his tracks."

"... I don't know," she responded truthfully.

"I thought you would say that," Kikoua said. "So I would like to enlighten you on what I have found from my research."

The waiter came and brought coffee for Chrom and Robin, placing the steaming hot cups in front of them.

"It seems your avatar was not being controlled by a person, but rather, an extremely intelligent AI."

Both of their hearts froze when they heard that.

"You're familiar with him, I see? GRIMA, the project Grima Co. plotted to create as the world scrambled over what was happening within FE:A. Grima Co's top researchers went into hiding while they created him from some of the country's most advanced FullDive technology. However, the information you gave us lead us to see that in your alleged future, it took you six years to beat the game rather than four. After you left the game, as a test they applied the time-speed converter to the game and time passed faster there, causing your children to age. That aside, though, GRIMA was never completed fully in this timeline."

"... Then how did he manage to control my account?" Robin asked.

"Note that I said 'never completed fully' rather than 'never completed'. The prototype of GRIMA was finished just before you exited the game, and was released into the cybernetwork as the secret laboratory was discovered. However, the scientists inside blew up the whole area just as military forces arrived, destroying themselves and all their work. That was when GRIMA infiltrated the newly released Yume Online and snatched Robin from FE:A as she was logged out to make her his host."

Robin's eyes widened.

"So that means... He had me the whole time?"

Kikoua nodded.

"That is correct. However, I assume this GRIMA's powers are much weaker than his future counterpart's understandably, as in the future he had no need for a host after hacking into NAGA's network."

He took another sip from his cup.

"Yet this time's GRIMA knew that he would eventually disappear if he did not take a host soon. However, he was not able to take over fully, only managing to separate your consciousness from your avatar and took over your virtual body. The program he used to do this, though, could only be manifested in the game. He chose to create a mask and hide within it to maintain control over your avatar, eventually creating his own cult of Grimleal, giving them gold and skills as rewards for joining. Over time, if he had remained in control of your body, he would have gained full control after two months."

"Two months? I was in the game for about one," she recalled.

"Yes. It's fortunate your children were able to destroy the mask... But at a cost, it seems," he pondered. "I'm sorry about your son."

They looked down.

"Wait, if you know all of this, then why are they still blaming me?" Robin asked him.

"It's simple. They want someone to shift it onto, to avoid the company's reputation being skewed. And the most reasonable scapegoat they could find is you."

"But it's not my fault!" Robin shot back.

"Like I said before, I know. However, they deny the existence of GRIMA all the same. Perhaps I can convince them," he said. "But I need something in exchange from you to validate my claim."

"Is this what you brought us here for?" Chrom narrowed his eyes.

"Indeed it is," Kikoua replied, with no intention of sugar-coating. "I need to enlist your help in a mystery that could very well be linked with GRIMA."

He opened a holographic panel in front of them.

"I don't know if you've heard yet, but there's been news of player's accounts being hacked internally and stolen," the news in front of them showed a picture of five avatars in GGO. "They were all suddenly logged out forcefully and can't access their accounts, which can't be tracked anymore. Even an administrator doesn't have that kind of hold on a game."

He looked up from his cup.

"I imagine you know what this means."

"... If you mean what I think you mean, then yes," Robin said. "But why would GRIMA want their accounts? If they're not like me, I can't seem to find another reason."

"Exactly. Which is why I want you, Mr. Ylisse, to investigate," he told Chrom. "If you can any find substantial information, then you will be paid monetarily and then will have gathered evidence that your wife is innocent."

He turned to Robin.

"I highly suggest that you do not accompany him, Mrs. Ylisse," he said. "Otherwise, GRIMA might try to take over your body again. And this time, it's likely he'll succeed."

"Wait, if GRIMA is such a big threat, why aren't you hiring a task force to take care of this?" Chrom asked.

"If we were to do that, then GRIMA would likely escape to another game and wreak havoc there. At the moment, GRIMA is only limited to virtual video games. However, if he manages to hack into NAGA's network like he did in the future, it will be too late. You see, the more games he plays, the more accustomed he becomes to hacking and controlling data, eventually becoming more and more powerful. I believe that he is taking over several accounts at once to help strengthen his ties to the game. However, we cannot let him know what we're onto him. Which is why I'm asking you to do this."

Chrom pondered it over.

"... Fine. But under one condition," he said.

"And what is that?"

"I get to take one person with me."

"Hmm... Who do you have in mind?"

"My daughter, Yui."

"Very well."

He stood up.

"Thank you for making the right choice."

Chrom and Robin looked at each other, and began to converse as soon as he left.

"Do you really think we can trust him?" Chrom asked.

"I can't say," Robin said, deep in thought. "But at the moment we can't refuse."

"It's your reputation on the line, isn't it?" He realized. "In a way, he's kind of blackmailing us."

"Yes," she sighed. "But like I said, it's not something we can refuse."

They then went home and shoveled the driveway, covered in a thick layer of snow.

"Wow, it's snowing a lot more than it had four years ago," Robin commented, burying her face in her scarf.

"Yeah," Chrom agreed, scooping up the snow with his shovel.

While Robin's back was turned, he picked up a handful of snow and packed it into his gloved hands before throwing it at the back of her neck.

"EEK!" She screamed, before turning around, her cheeks reddened in her rage.

"HEY!" She yelled, hurling her shovel at him.

He narrowly dodged it and threw another one at her for playful insult.

In her anger, Robin tackled him into the snow, causing him to laugh.

"What was that for?!" She demanded.

In his childishness, Chrom flipped her over and pinned her to the ground, making her even more angry.

"CHROM!" She screamed.

"Okay, okay," he conceded before chuckling and getting off of her.

"W-What's so funny?" Robin asked in an attempt to hide her own laughter.

"Heh... This reminds me of the first time we had a training match together," he recalled.

Her cheeks flushed even more at that and she sat up, now covered in snow.

"At least this time you didn't break one of my ribs!" She huffed.

It was a few weeks after Robin joined the Shepherds, and she was slicing open a training dummy when Chrom approached her.

"Hello, Robin," he said from behind.

Robin turned around, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Hello, Chrom. How can I help you?"

He held up two practice swords.

"I was wondering if you could show me your strength up close and personal."

"Huh?" Robin looked at the weapons in confusion. "You want to train with me? I'm pretty weak, truthfully."

"Don't say that," he tossed one of them to her, and she caught it. "I've seen your skill on the battlefield."

She observed the wooden sword curiously.

"Well, on the battlefield, I'm usually using magic," she said. "I'm a lot better at it than sword-fighting."

"Okay, fine," Chrom sighed. "But at least show me what you've got."

"Fine," Robin finally agreed, taking her stance as Chrom took his.

She could literally imagine Falchion in his hands instead of that flimsy plank of wood, but he held it just as cautiously and dangerously.

Robin breathed deeply, calming herself before Chrom lunged at her, causing her to block.

She was an expert at using one-handed swords rather than two because it gave her more mobility, she felt. And somehow, she felt more used to it. Like she had already done it before, somewhere. Looking back now that she was out of FE:A, it was because of a game that Grima Co. had made before that was similar to Awakening, and there she had specialized in using one-handed swords.

They continued to spar as Chrom kept her on her toes, slashing at her relentlessly. They crossed swords, Chrom's strength forcing Robin back before she used her free left hand to punch him in the gut, catching him off guard. He lost his footing and stumbled back as Robin went on the offensive and stabbed at him with the precision of a sniper.

"Heh, two can play at that game," Chrom laughed before sweeping his foot back and tripping her, causing her to fall onto her back.

He held his sword to her throat, standing over her.

"Done?" He asked.

Robin pretended to pant heavily before she gripped her sword and smirked, "Not yet."

In one fluid motion she hit his sword back, pushing Chrom away as she jumped back up, forcing him to back up.

Chrom then charged at her, Robin preparing to dodge the strike when he tripped over a large rock lodged in the ground and toppled onto her, crashing them both down.

"Urgh..." Robin moaned.

"Robin! Oh gods, I'm so sorry!" He apologized frantically. "Are you hurt?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to make the pain go away.

"... I think- ugh, it's my rib," she said.

"I'll get you to Lissa," he told her before kneeling down to pick her up.

"Chrom!" She exclaimed. "Put me down!"

"Would you rather walk?" He asked.

"... No," she admitted. "But it'll be embarrassing, being carried through the camp like a child..."

"So you're embarrassed to be with me?" He asked again, this time hurt present in his voice.

"What? No! That's not- Ugh! Just, please, take me to Lissa," she sighed.

"My pleasure," he said, and did just that.

Remembering that silly memory caused Robin to smile.

"How did you trip like that, anyways?" Robin asked him.

"There was a rock in the ground," Chrom explained.

"A rock," the tactician rolled her eyes before standing up and brushing the snow off. "Alright, we can play with the kids all you want after we finish shoveling this snow."

"Really?" Chrom's eyes lit up just like Yui's did. "If that's the case, then I better get back to work!"

Robin smiled, finding his childish aura amusing. Ever since she had come to the real world she had noticed a change in him. When she was trapped in that cage and observed Chrom, he was always tense, even outside of battle. It was like he was wearing an invisible, heavy backpack weighing him down. The look in his eyes was distant, and sometimes it seemed like he was in another world. Robin couldn't help but feel guilty for being the cause of that. And when she came back, he had reverted to his old self, the one that took walks with her in the palace garden and smashed holes in the wall during training. She liked that Chrom much better. If it meant staying by his side for the rest of her life to see him like that, then she would gladly do it.

Chrom finished his part of the driveway while Robin continued to clear hers.

"Hey, do you mind if I get the kids now?" Chrom asked her.

"Make sure they've finished their homework," Robin called out before sighing. "I feel far too young for this..."

Her husband laughed before running back inside to get them.

A few minutes later, Yui and Morgan bustled out of the house in jackets and scarves, their hands clothed with gloves.

"Where's Lucina?" Robin asked.

Chrom sighed.

"She says she has studying to do," he replied. "I told her that she should take a break, but she refused."

"Lucina..." Her voice trailed off, a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry about her," Chrom placed a hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eye.

"I'm can't help it," she admitted, looking down at her boots. "Lucina's been acting so aloof and detached recently. I think she feels out of place here."

"I know what you mean," Chrom said. "I told her the same thing you did. That she'd always have a home with us."

"Do you think she's thinking of leaving?" Robin gasped.

Chrom shook his head.

"I don't know."

Just then, Yui ran up to them, snow speckling her large hat while a fluffy scarf covered most of her face, her brown eyes peering out at them.

"Mommy, Daddy! Aren't you gonna play with us?" She asked excitedly.

"Of course," Robin smiled at her. "Chrom?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Okay, how about boys versus girls?"

"Alright!" Yui agreed, clutching her mother's arm. "Mommy and I are gonna win this!"

"We'll see about that!" Morgan responded heatedly.

"On my mark," Chrom said, causing Robin to grin. "Start in 3... 2... 1!"

It turned out that Robin and Yui in fact did win, the former using her tactics to secure a victory.

"A good tactician has nothing to fear," she said proudly, patting her daughter's head.

"Wow! You're so cool, Mommy!" Yui exclaimed in awe.

By now they were all exhausted and headed inside for hot chocolate. As they sipped on the sweet drinks, Robin looked upstairs towards the hall where Lucina's room was.

"I'm gonna go check on Lucina, okay?" Robin said to her husband.

She headed upstairs and knocked on the door.

"Lucina?" Robin called out. "May I come in?"

Meanwhile, Chrom approached Yui, who frowned at her mug of sweet chocolate.

"Ow!" She exclaimed, sticking out her tongue to look at it. "Daddy, why does it hurt?"

"I think you burned your tongue, Yui," Chrom explained with an amused smile. "I take it in the game, all the drinks were at the perfect temperature?"

"Yeah!" Yui pouted before blowing on it carefully to cool it a bit. "But I don't really mind. Not everyone goes the way you want it to, after all."

"Right," Chrom sat down next to her, his mug of coffee in front of him.

Seeing his serious expression, she looked at him curiously.

"... Daddy? Are you mad at me?" She asked lightly. "Did I do anything bad?"

"Hm? No, of course not," he assured her. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"... I'm taking a job," he began to say. "And I don't think I can do it alone."

He looked her in the eye, and it never ceased to amaze him how identical her brown orbs looked to Robin's.

"So I'm asking you for help," he requested of her. "If you don't want to, you don't have to."

"... I'll do it," she responded almost immediately with a grin. "Anything to help you, Daddy!"

"Are you sure?" He asked. "Perhaps I should explain to you first."

And he did that, telling her about what had happened at the café as she listened carefully,

"Well, if it's for Mommy and you get paid, then I'll help," she told him. "I'll make sure Mommy is proved to be innocent! I won't let them take her away again!"

"Thank you," he said with a smile. "We'll transfer tomorrow."

Hearing her mother outside in the hall, the princess opened the door.

"Hello, Mother. Is there anything you need?" She asked politely.

"Well, I've been meaning to talk to you," the tactician said calmly. "Do you mind?"

"No," Lucina replied. "Come in."

They sat down on Lucina's bed, Robin noticing the open books and papers on her desk.

"You know, when I first joined the Shepherds-" Robin began to say with a small smile. "I felt so out of place. But Chrom, your father... He welcomed me with open arms and made the camp feel like home. Eventually I felt like I had lived my whole life with the Shepherds. They were like a family to me, and they still are."

Lucina listened curiously.

"But I always felt like something was missing. I couldn't put my finger on it at first, but then it was crystal clear that day," she sighed. "Whenever I was around your father I would feel... Strange. My chest would swell and heat and I could literally feel my heart beating within me. And when he left, that feeling would go away, and with it left a hole. It felt void, dull of emotion. Whenever he would talk to some other woman in the army, an angry swirl of sadness and rage would fill that hole up."

Robin began to play with the buttons on her sweater, a rare sight of distraction.

"That empty hole grew bigger when I thought that he was going to marry someone else. But then, I gradually began to realize it. I pushed away that empty hole and calmed myself. Then I saw that maybe, just maybe, he reciprocated my feelings for him."

Lucina smiled, fascinated by the story being told to her.

"Looking back on it, it was rather obvious," she sighed with a smile. "I was too caught up in my own feelings to realize that he loved me as well."

Pausing a moment to phrase her words, she then continued.

"And the moment he proposed to me, my life took another turn. I wasn't sure at first what to do. As soon as I arrived at the palace, the dirty rumors began to surface. They were downright awful, nasty even. But then I realized that what they think doesn't matter. I didn't marry Chrom to be queen, or for riches or power, but because I love him."

She looked Lucina in the eye, the Brand slightly visible in her left one.

"And from that love came you," she told her warmly. "You are my treasure, Lucina. I want you to know how precious you are to me, and your father. If you ever left, I don't know what we'd do."

Lucina's lower lip began to tremble, and she broke out in tears, falling into her mother's arms.

"Oh, Mother!" She cried.

"It's alright, dear," Robin comforted her.

"B-But I nearly killed you in the game! If I had, then-"

"Lucina, we've already gotten past this," her mother insisted. "I forgive you, and I still love you all the same."

"If I stay here, I'll just be a burden," Lucina tried to say through her sobs. "So I thought if I stayed quiet, you wouldn't miss me so much."

"I'd miss you just as much!" Robin said.

"... I know," Lucina wiped her eyes.

"Look, you don't have to live in this house forever if you don't want to," the tactician explained. "But I want you to promise me that you'll always keep in touch with us for the rest of your life. You need to know what it's like to have parents who love you, for the sake of my other self."

"I promise," the princess said. "I'm sorry, Mother."

"No, it's alright, Lucina," Robin wiped away the tears on her daughter's jaw. "I know your heart is in the right place."

After a minute or so of silence, Lucina spoke.

"Say, Mother, could you perchance tell me another story about you and Father? I do quite enjoy them," she asked.

"You do? So does Yui," Robin laughed. "But alright. Hmmm... Let me think... Do you have any ideas in mind that you'd like to hear?"

"Well," her daughter began to say. "I've always wanted to hear a silly story about you two."

"Silly?" She laughed. "Well, considering it's Chrom- I mean, your father we're talking about here, there's plenty of silly things to share. Now I've just got to think about which one to share..."

Her eyes lit up.

"I know! Okay, so I'm not sure if this passes as silly, but one day, I decided to visit a nearby river to relax a bit and unwind," she explained. "Being a tactician is pretty taxing on your mind, you know. That aside, though, I ventured along the side of the water and eventually stumbled across a beautiful waterfall. It had the water as clear as the purest glass, and I could see all the way down to the bottom of the river."

Recalling the memory, she could still remember the rippling of the water and the way the sun shone in such a way that the water looked illuminated. The next day, she decided, she'd come with preparations to do some real relaxing.

"Ahh," Robin sighed, slipping into the surprisingly warm and pleasant water. "Wow, it's like a spa here..."

It was a very nice day, and the water was heater by the rays of the sun beautifully. Hopefully no one else found this place, she hoped.

Then, she ventured closer to the waterfall, allowing the rushing water to fall onto her back as she sat under the front of it. How nice it felt, almost like she was getting a massage. She let her long white hair hang down in front of her, floating nearly weightlessly in the water.

The tactician stayed there for almost an hour before she decided to leave, wrapping a towel she brought around her, tying it securely around above her chest. She'd have to dry off a bit before she could put her clothes back on. In the meantime, she sat down on a nearby rock with a book on the history of Valm in her hand.

Robin had read only a few paragraphs before she heard a sickening moaning noise behind her and the rustling of a bush. Two pairs of glowing red eyes emerged from the shadows and staggered towards her, one of them with a sword and the other with an axe.

"Risen?!" She thought in a panic, shuffling through her cloak to find a tome, however there were none to be found. "Dammit!"

They advanced towards her, bodies lanky yet frightful as the reality of it sank in.

"... I'm such an idiot," she scolded herself harshly in her head. "Now I'm going to die, where no one can see me or hear me, and leave the army without a tactician..."

In truth, she had taken this excursion for one main reason: to get her mind off Chrom. He occupied her thoughts unconsciously, like a virus. Her duties required that she be constantly at his side, and she feared she would be reduced to a blathering mess around him. Things got worse when she feared he held romantic feelings for someone else; probably Sumia. She could tell from his behavior that he had someone like that on his mind. And to top it all off, he had noticeably been avoiding her recently, keeping their meetings to a bare minimum and even then, leaving the first chance he got.

It made her bend back to reality and realize that she had to sever these silly feelings for him before it was too late, and distance herself. Now, however, she wanted him to be here more than ever.

"I'm sorry, Chrom..." She thought remorsefully.

She closed her eyes for a moment, accepting the fate that lay before her.

That moment seemed like eternity.

Then something snapped from within her.

"No," she thought. "I won't give up! If I don't fight, then I won't live!"

Robin once more checked her cloak for something to aid her, but again found nothing.

The Risen inched closer, only about fifteen feet away from her and counting.

Suddenly she found the sense to check her folded pants and found a small dagger hanging off the side of the buckle. She had kept it just in case, Robin remembered.

The white-haired tactician unsheathed it and gazed at her reflection in the blade.

"I can do this," she said to herself quietly, leveling it in front of her. Hopefully the dagger lessons she had taken from Gaius would pay off.

The Risen began to run towards her, closing the gap more and more.

"HYAHH!" Robin charged towards the first one with a sword, slicing his forearm off, causing it to fall to the ground. The zombie-like creature gargled purple smoke at her, kicking her in the gut.

She stumbled back and reached down to pick up the sword on the ground that belonged to her Risen friend, wielding it with ease.

She barely managed to parry the strike from the axe wielding Risen, before striking back sharply.

But it wasn't enough.

The Risen would not fall, no matter how she injured them.

Robin panted heavily, her vision blurring. It felt like her lungs had sand poured in them, and her body was stiff and heavy.

"I won't let it end like this!" She persisted, raising her sword.

However, she was too slow to properly block the attack that followed and the axe managed to lightly graze her cheek, causing blood to drip down onto her jaw and neck.

"I... I won't... Give in..." She thought, the edges of her sight blackening gradually. "As long... As I am alive... I will fight for my life... And for the lives of the others..."

The sword in her hand weighed her down, her arm feeling like it was on fire, flames of pain shooting up her muscles.

She backed up to the river's edge, nearly falling in.

The Risen raised his axe, and she knew she didn't have the strength to dodge or block.

Suddenly a familiar metal stabbed through the Risen's gut, mere inches away from her when it slashed upwards, cleaving right through the monster's body as it disappeared. Apparently he had taken out the other one, too, because there was no one behind him.

"C-Chrom..." She choked out, barely audible.

But he heard, and ran towards her, catching her as she collapsed from exhaustion.

"Robin! Robin... Oh gods, please, no, don't take her, too..." He held her in his arms, begging her to stay alive.

She could barely muster the strength to squeeze his hand back before she blacked out completely.

"And then what happened?" Lucina asked when her mother stopped.

"Well, you'll have to ask your father about the rest," she winked playfully before standing up.

"Come, Lucina. Let's have some dinner."

"Yes, Mother," she replied, a genuine smile present on her usually stoic face. Robin was glad Inigo was giving her some smiling lessons; she needed them more than anyone. But it also meant that when she did, she was doing it not out of forced will but of her own volition.

It was starting to become a normal thing.

Which, of course, was good.

Author's Note: I'm back from the land of I-don't-have-time-to-write! I had a pretty crazy journey, but that aside, I'm glad I managed to finish another chapter and some other plans for this story this soon. Since I felt bad for not updating as frequently as I like, I decided to add some extra fluff in this chapter, which I assume you either enjoyed or hated, lol. Thankfully I haven't had much homework lately, but that's probably gonna change knowing my luck, lol. Also, the name and summary are going to change a bit, just as a heads- up. Anyways, please leave oh-so-valued feedback if you enjoyed, and stay tuned for the next chapter!