Chapter 29: Grief
"The storm won't break until the morning, if that." Chrom was vaguely aware of Libra's voice, echoing against the carved chamber. The rain supported his words, pounding against the glass.
"Flavia reports in; she says that Gangrel's own forces are as crippled by the storm as ours. He might be able to call such things… But he can't control them. At least not fully." Frederick provided. Chrom didn't answer the reports, leaning his head against the glass, numbly staring out over the slate colored sea.
"I've a hard time believing that Gangrel has such power, even now…" Libra continued. "It's as though the old legends in the scriptures are resurfacing."
"The results are all too real." Robin said, her voice forcing Chrom to focus on the situation, and the claws digging into his heart. He turned from the window and the ocean, to the planning table. The sea charts blurred past him, as Chrom slumped into one of the empty chairs. He was faintly aware of the others around him, looking over the plans. Robin had drawn her hood over her face. It hid her features, and she seemed to shrink into her robes; a part of Chrom longed to do the same. To hide away from everything, in the hopes that he wouldn't have to feel anything again.
His eyes flickered up, to see Maribelle standing over Lissa and comforting her. His sister was still wracked by sobs, while Chrom himself sank deeper into the chair.
"We're hard pressed now." Frederick told them. "The Shepherd is completely crippled, and our other ships haven't fared much better. When the storm lifts, we'll be outmatched by Gangrel's fleet… It won't take much for them to break through, and put the city and castle to the torch."
"Chrom… Emmeryn's crown must pass to you now. What orders do you have?" Libra pressed.
"I- I don't know. This still feels…" Unreal. It couldn't be happening. At any moment he'd wake up and realize they were about to sail into Ylisstol, Emmeryn still alive and waiting for them. But no matter how he wished, the gray reality hung around his head. He still had to act; the eyes watching him, waiting for his decision, reminded Chrom of that.
A shame that his own thoughts were going numb. He couldn't provide more than a pathetic noise in the back of his throat. Not the sort of thing Emm would do… And that only dug the knife deeper into his heart.
"…Well, we have a night before the storm breaks. I suspect that's the best respite we'll have for now. But tomorrow… Tomorrow we'll need to be ready for a bloody battle." Libra told them. "So perhaps the best we can do for now is rest."
Chrom doubted rest would do much, but he kept his thoughts to himself. And hopefully, kept his grief to himself as well.
"A-as you say." He whispered. "Frederick… You'll pass that on to everyone else?"
"Yes, your Grace." That title felt like it still belonged to Emmeryn, not him.
-o-o-o-
Robin kept her hood drawn. No one had remarked upon it, perhaps assuming it was her own way of grieving for Emmeryn.
…And perhaps in a way, she was. Her hood seemed to hold the worst of what she felt at bay. The cloth closed her vision off and helped to keep her gaze fixed forward. Helping her try to figure out what to do next.
She was meant to rest up, Robin knew. Chrom had made that clear when he dismissed them… But she hadn't missed the hushed, broken quality to his words. So with her vision tunneled by the hem of her hood, she wandered the halls. She'd moved the compass to her robe's pocket; after the battles, it had felt too heavy to wear around her neck. Even the ring felt like an impossible weight, though she couldn't bring herself to remove that item. So she left it resting against her collarbone, keeping her anchored as she searched for Chrom.
'It doesn't feel right, leaving him like that.' The haunted quality to his eyes lingered in her mind, drawing her from room to room. The entire palace felt like a tomb, with how still it was. The doors were all shut, and the torches all burned low, fighting against the howling winds.
The last place she expected to find him was the throne room… And yet her eyes caught on him as she walked across the doorway. His dark hair and clothing was a sharp contrast against the pale stones, his cape fluttering in the storm winds clawing through the windows and arches.
He wasn't seated on the throne itself; he had his back to it, staring out through one of the archways. The rain splashed on Chrom's face unheeded, leaving him lost in his thoughts. His gaze was fixed to the harbor, his shoulders slumped under an impossible weight. He looked like one step was all he needed to cast him into the waiting ocean.
Before he could do anything of the sort, Robin's hand found its way to his arm. His skin was cold under her hand, and he flinched around to look at her.
"Ch-" Even his name faded, once she got a good look into his eyes. Grief made them hazy, and he couldn't seem to focus on her face. Instead he stared into nothingness, utterly lost.
It left her without words. Losing those, her mind jumped to the next option… And instead of speaking, she sang. She sang fragments from the map rooms, which joined together in her memories to form a melody. She hummed that, and Chrom at last focused on her before dipping his head into her shoulder.
His entire body slumped against her, his breath coming out in a shudder. All his weight wrapped around her, along with his arms. It froze her for an instant, as she realized he was half hugging her, half clinging to her.
Through the hiccups in his breath, she thought he was trying to speak. But all he could manage was to hold onto her. The pressure of his hands and the weight of his body made her want to hold him too. Clutch at him so they could ride this storm out together. She wanted to ease his pain, to-
Her lips grazed the side of his cheek, showing what else she wanted. To kiss him.
'No, not the time for this.' No matter how holding back made her heart ache. Chrom murmured something as he tilted his head against hers, and there was a soft quality to his voice.
Her legs gave a brief wobble, and the puddles of rainwater at their feet weren't helping with their balance. Her knees bumped against the tiles as they sank to the floor. Chrom shivered against her, and Robin realized he was sobbing now. He wouldn't look her in the eyes, half ashamed.
It broke her heart, seeing him like this.
Her hands drifted over his shoulders, trying to sooth him. Her humming faded away, turning into echoes ringing through the room.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" He finally managed. This time, it was her turn to glance away as he looked towards her. She tried to keep her features shadowed by her hood.
"I-I wanted to help you. It didn't feel right, leaving you to face this alone."
"Robin-" But his whispers were cut off, as a strange echo moved through the room. It tolled like a bell, a ringing sound that yanked Robin's head up. An answering ring thrummed in the pocket of her robe, and one of her hands left Chrom to bring out the compass.
The golden surface glowed, and the glass face shone with a bright sky-tinted light. Around them, the torches of the throne room shifted from orange to a similar soft blue.
By contrast, the gold of the throne seemed almost carved from fire. The ringing note seemed to come from it, like the throne itself was a harp string. The metal shivered from the sound, folding like quicksilver into the wall behind it. The metal melted the wall, the bricks shrinking away to reveal a passage. The gateway was somewhere between a door, and a giant keyhole.
"I-is that…" Robin tried to say.
"Normal? N-no. At least, nothing I've ever seen, or heard about." Chrom answered, still staring at the doorway. He'd lost the sob in his voice, in favor of surprise. "Emm… She never mentioned anything about this."
He drew in a breath, squaring his shoulders as he straightened up. He peered at the doorway, but neither he or Robin could pick out anything in the gloom. The wane light of the torches couldn't reach past the first hint of steps beyond the doorway, leaving the passage wrapped in shadows.
That didn't seem to stop Chrom, with how stood.
"But… Since I'm now Exalt, or the closest thing to it… Maybe it's my task to find out."
"Not alone!" Robin added. She stood with him, the compass swinging in her hand. "At least… If you'll allow it?"
Chrom turned to her, an echo of that lost look haunting him. But through that, he gave her a brief, wane smile.
"I was about to ask if you'd come too. To help watch my back, and I could use a friend at my side."
Together, they walked towards the entrance; a flicker of lightning drew out the gold in the archway, and the shadows waiting beneath made it feel like they were climbing down a cave instead of stairs.
The compass gave a thrum in her hands, and she looked down to see the needle spinning. It was constantly wavering between the depths of the stairs… And then back to Chrom. Like a pendulum it swung back and forth, and buzzed and strained in Robin's hands; the device almost seemed to want to jump out to him.
"Chrom?" Robin extended the compass to him as she spoke.
"If you're determined to explore, then… perhaps I should give this to you. It seems to be… Almost resonating, for lack of a better word. But whatever comes next, it feels like it belongs to you." He cautiously reached for the compass at that, his fingers brushing against hers.
The compass tumbled in their grip. The light from the object caught the scales of her face, showing them to Chrom when he lifted his eyes to her.
Her breath froze when he saw her, and when he stared.
-o-o-o-
A dozen flecks of violet scattered across Robin's face, like touches of colored sand. They caught the light of the compass, glowing white on the edges.
His fingers closed around the compass. With his hands dimming the glow, the scales lost their shine, sinking back into a bruised purple. Her eyes were almost all white, staring at him, trying to hold his gaze to her own.
And perhaps praying that he somehow hadn't noticed the change in her skin.
"Robin…?" He whispered out. She tried to duck her head and hide whatever had changed about her. Chrom's fingers brushed under her chin, stopping the motion. There was an odd glossy touch under his fingers. In another breath, he realized that he was touching scales. "What's happened to you?"
She winced at that, almost shrinking away from him. Only his hands under her chin held Robin in place.
"…I-I don't fully understand it either." Her voice was low. "But it's been with me since we've escaped Valm. I think I finally remember where I came from, why those Mer attacked me in the first place-"
Their conversation at the cove crashed over him in a wave. How she'd been terrified that the waters would take her back.
'Because she used to be part of them.' Something wet touched his fingers, and her throat shuddered. A few more tears fell from her face, as she fought down sobs. She was trying to swallow her grief and fear, the same as he had-
And like she'd done, he circled his arms around her. He didn't really have time to think about it; the gesture was reflexive. There was also something natural about feeling her bump against his chest, while her hands fell away and hung at her sides. The chains of the compass gave a faint jingle, as the device fell to the floor.
Chrom left it alone for the moment. If nothing else, his touch did the job of stilling her tears for a moment.
"Robin… It's okay. I'm not scared." He murmured into the silence.
"You're not-? Don't you see WHAT I am?" She winced from her own words, the scales rippling and gleaming from the motion. "You've fought Mer, they've made war on the surface…" She trailed off when his arms tightened, pulling her into a hug.
Everything about this felt surreal, like he was in another vision. And yet, there was also a sense of this being right, of holding onto her. They were perfectly fitted to the other. Her head tucked against his neck and shoulder, as she leaned into him.
"You're… I don't care if you're Mer." He tried to find words, to match the feeling uncoiling in his chest. "Or if I do… It doesn't matter compared to everything else you are."
She stilled against him.
"Even if you did change form, it wouldn't matter to me. Because I… I care about who you are- Gods, I don't know if any of this makes sense."
"You… Said much of the same when I thought I was just Plegian." A dry laugh tried to rattle out of her throat. "Amazing, how I thought that could be the worst thing I might be. Shows how little I understood our situation."
"I didn't grasp everything, either. But I did know how glad I was, to have you keeping us safe." Her breathing evened out, under his words and his hands. "Robin, you know that I trust you?"
'That I… I care about you, more than I can put into words?' And that she looked oddly beautiful, with how she glimmered. That, he didn't dare voice aloud. Those thoughts were crowding his head more and more, as he looked at her; likewise, there was a strange feeling closing around his heart.
"…Yes." Her reply was a whisper against his ear. Just then, he never wanted to let go of her. Instead, he was ready to stand there in her embrace, where everything else faded out and there was only her warmth.
The rumble of thunder reminded him that they couldn't afford those moments. Time was still slipping away from them. Robin must have thought the same, as she reluctantly pulled away from him.
"Right… Regardless of what's happening to me, we still have a kingdom to save." She knelt down, scooping the compass back up and pressing it into his hands. He noticed however, that her hands lingered close to his. And when their fingers brushed together, a brief smile tugged at her lips.
He'd do anything to see that smile stay, and become a little stronger.
'Focus on the present.' Chrom told himself. They had a passage to explore.
The path led downwards, spiraling on old dusty steps. They echoed the lighthouses… All the way down to the carvings running along the walls.
Robin traced a free hand on the images, fingers running over the patterns as they descended. Chrom followed the path of her fingers, watching as the human shapes on the wall shifted form, into something more aquatic. The cold inlay of their gold scales flickered in the compass light.
They echoed the scales he saw on Robin.
"…Wait, Robin?" He kept his voice low, almost overshadowed by the echo of their footsteps. "I think… I can read a little of these inscriptions. It mentions… The Drowning,"
There were the letters, written under the spiral shapes of waves that rose up to engulf old cities. Great towers crumbled… Save for a building that echoed Ylisse's palace. Before that palace was a simple carved figure, with the mark of the Exalt traced over them. They stood against the waves, diverting them. The tides parted around them, sparing the figure and city both.
"…And they talk about how the first Exalt turned away the flood from claiming Ylisse." Chrom said. A few more steps down, and the engraved waves stilled. Instead of a tempest they formed into a solid line between an underwater world and the remaining cities.
"And mention something about… The Veil?" He tested the word out. Aversa had said something about that. He remembered that last battle in more detail than he wanted, and had to swallow a shudder before it worked its way into his lungs.
"A barrier, between a world of water and a world of air." Robin intoned, a distant look in her eyes suggesting she was remembering something. Her words stopped his memories short, and he whirled around to her. "I-It can be crossed, but with a price."
"Robin-?" He whispered. Even as he spoke, Emmeryn's stories, about the schism between sea and sky played in his head.
"I… I remember that much now. I think that… The first time I met her, Tiki told me about that; what the Veil was, and the price if I wished to cross it. F-from before."
"Before what-?"
"Before I met you. Back when…" She looked at the golden engraving, and the line showing the ocean. She reached out a shaky hand, tracing the line with the tips of her fingers. For a moment the line turned jagged, and he could hear the scream of the storm… And see that hint of Robin's pale hair in the black waves.
'Now you know what she was doing in the water.'
"I had to escape the reach of the ocean." Robin told him. "Change from a mermaid and become human. And to do that… I had to give something up."
"The price… It was your memories, wasn't it?"
"Yes. But now that I'm remembering… Or maybe because I've shed so much blood into seawater…" She stretched her hands out, showing the scales along her arms. The glimmer caught his eyes, even as Robin rubbed at her arms, looking insecure over the changes. "Either way, it feels harder to be human, than before."
'The sea is calling her back?'
A new dread coiled in his stomach, and it could have been kin to his grief over losing Emmeryn.
"You… you're not going to-?" She shook her head.
"I don't want to leave, Chrom. Not if I have any say in it."
"Okay," he sighed out. "Good, because I can't lose you too-"
The stairs ended before he could say more, terminating in a pool and a door. The door itself was half sunk into the water, and carved from a strange gleaming material. The surface was slightly translucent and reminiscent of abalone. The Brand of Naga was overlaid in the stone frame, drawing his eyes.
As he looked at the oceanic colors, he remembered the other carvings. And he noticed how the blue material was an echo of his own bangs.
"I wonder… Do I have that same blood-?" Chrom whispered. The carving of the Tide Touched flickered in his memories. His own limbs trembled, feeling a little less solid as he thought back. "C-could I travel through the Veil, too?"
"Wh-why would you want to do that-?" Robin asked. He didn't dare voice the rest of his thoughts out loud; that if he could travel through the Veil, he could keep her close, no matter what happened. He wouldn't need to lose another person.
Instead of answering Robin, he dropped her hand and reached out. His fingers brushed against the surface of the door, only for it to ripple under his touch. The surface shivered, then melted away, drawn into lines in the walls. Entranced, Chrom walked into the doorway, and found himself staring at a room.
It echoed the chamber Emmeryn had held her audiences-
His eyes stung at the memory, and he blinked the tears away. The same crescent shape was cut into the stone. But where the audience chamber was surrounded by sky, this was encircled in rock and ponds. A flame sparked to life in scones in the walls, glowing without any fuel.
There was only one other entrance. Curtains of water fell around it, obscuring and showing why no one had found this cove until now.
In the center of the pool stood an altar, rising in an island of pale stone. An ancient looking green and gold carved boat rested against the island shore, in a style Chrom had only seen in paintings. Drawn by the sight, Chrom found himself wading towards it. From the splashing behind him, Robin was doing the same thing. She surged forward, surprisingly sure footed… But she had more flashes of violet showing along her hands. It made her stagger and lose her lead for a moment-
He took her hand again, to make sure she wouldn't slip away into the water. He helped pull her up onto the island and solid ground, right next to the carved pedestal.
"Okay-?" As he asked, he stretched his other arm out for balance. Chrom's free hand ghosted out over the altar, the compass chain tangling in his fingers. The needle spun about as the weight of the object dropped against the stones. A flash raced across the surface, yanking Robin's head up and drawing Chrom's eyes.
The touches of crystal on the altar glimmered, shifting through all the colors of the lighthouses they'd visited. The compass dazzled Chrom's eyes for a moment. He couldn't see what happened, but he could feel the compass shifting form, blossoming outwards and stretching in the process. The weight was suddenly too much for him to hold in one hand, and fell onto the pillar. The metal grew broader under his fingers, gleaming like a small sun.
When his vision cleared, the compass was gone. In its place was a great, golden shield. Chrom's breath shuddered out, staring at it; he'd never seen this shield first hand, but it had been described to him often enough. He'd seen images of it, drawn in parchment or picked out in stained glass. Whether in tales his he'd heard as a child, or books Emm had given to him… He still knew this shield.
"The Emblem." Chrom whispered, a touch of reverence in his voice. Robin gave a choked, disbelieving noise.
"Th-that's what this was? The entire time, I was carrying it around my neck-!?" Chrom shook his own head in disbelief… But there wasn't any denying what was in front of them.
The stones gave a low hum, silencing the rest of their conversation. The sound echoed what had been in the throne room, the melody catching up to them again and seeping back into him like an old friend.
The sound dimmed some of his own astonishment, from how they'd been carrying the artifact unknowingly.
Something else responded to the faint song. The waters shivered a little, disrupted by the noise. The waves grew and lapped at the pedestal. A slight glimmering on the tips of the waves caught the faint lights, and multiplied the shimmer. At the center of the pool came a glow, in a million stars that called to mind the Ylisse tide pool.
'Is this where the star tide comes from?' He had just enough time to wonder, before another sound reached his ears.
"Greetings to you…" Tiki's voice echoed out from the pool. Chrom almost slipped from surprise. His eyes darted about, wondering how the sea dragon had gotten into the cove. "You've discovered much since we last met."
The voice seemed to drift up, from near his feet. He stared over the edge of the altar, into the water. Instead of his own reflection looking back, Tiki met his gaze. Chrom almost crashed into Robin from his flinch; he smacked into her shoulder, overbalanced, and found himself sitting down hard. Robin followed him, falling to her knees with a grunt.
Through it, Tiki remained calm, simply watching him.
"Tiki," Robin tried her name. "I-I finally remember you now."
The sea dragon lifted her eyes, noticing Robin. She'd climbed forward on her hands and knees, to better look at Tiki.
"You… Were the sea dragon I went looking for, when I escaped my father. Because you were the only one who could help me." Her words were halting, showing that it was still a strain for Robin to remember. Tiki's reflection gave a quick ripple as she nodded.
"So the seas couldn't steal your memory forever. That's good to hear… And makes for a light in dark times." Tiki gave her a brief smile. "I also promised you a boon before. Now that you've activated the light houses, I can uphold my part of our agreement."
He remembered that conversation in the cove. It drew a faint spark of hope from him.
"You… Any chance that this boon can save Ylisse?" Chrom asked. "We're outnumbered by pirates. And we lost-"
He swallowed nervously.
"W-we lost someone important. I don't know what to do next… Beyond trying to save everyone else from Gangrel." Emm would make saving people her priority, he told himself; no matter what it took.
'If it takes divine intervention from sea dragons, then…'
He only breathed easily when Tiki gave another nod.
"I should be able to manage such a thing. I've caught glimpses of what happened while I dreamed… And I see that your need is dire. But we might be able to aid your kingdom, particularly with the power suffusing the ocean."
"D-due to the Lighthouses?" Robin asked. "Gangrel's sea witch said something-?"
"Aversa spoke the truth of it; the Veil has grown weaker, with the activation of the lighthouses. It allows us to impose our will… Whether that is to dispel storms, or to call them up. And it can answer to your own will, considering your legacy."
She looked straight at Chrom when she said that, and even the rippling quality of the waters couldn't hide the piercing, gauging quality of her eyes.
He wasn't sure whether to freeze from that… Or if a part of him had already realized what Tiki meant. There was an odd, prickling sensation in his head, his thoughts and memories all trying to reorganize themselves.
"My… Legacy?" He murmured, shaking his head. "You mean being Tide Touched-?"
He didn't miss the way Tiki glanced to his hair… Or how she glanced at the mark on his shoulder.
'Just what happened to our bloodline? What was instilled in the first Exalt?'
"Time is drawing short. I wish I could explain more, but we still have a noose drawing around our necks." Tiki looked up, as though there was some disturbance in the waters. "The storm spell draws to an end… And now that I have the ability to remove you from the pirate's influence, I will."
The humming from the stones increased. Chrom swore the entire castle, perhaps the entire cliff, now resonated.
"What… Exactly are you going to do?" He asked.
"Take your kingdom elsewhere."
"You're going to teleport an entire castle!?" Robin blurted out. Chrom stared at that, but he also couldn't deny the amount of power filling the air.
"With the amount of magic in the air, yes. The Emblem can focus my powers. I'll take Ylisstol well beyond Gangrel's reach, and keep it shrouded from his sight." Tiki shut her eyes, her brow furrowing. "But… I felt something else in the currents. Gangrel is trying to punch through. If he gets to close, he'll be drawn into the spell."
"…He can't be in range when we make that jump." Chrom growled, and Robin stilled at the fierce quality in his voice. He didn't pause, leaving the Emblem on the altar and striding towards the boat. Antiquated as it was, it would hold him.
"Lady Tiki… I need an extra favor, if you can spare it. You manipulated the currents once before; I need a tide to take me out to sea." Tiki murmured an agreement, but it was lost over Robin's voice.
"Chrom, what are you doing!?"
He hesitated for a moment, turning from the boat to look at her. That odd feeling from when she'd held him still lingered in his heart, and it took on a pang of longing when he watched her.
"Wh-whatever it takes to keep everyone safe… And to stop Gangrel." He managed. The image of Emmeryn played through his head again, struck by Gangrel; he could imagine Lissa, or the Shepherds in her place… Or Robin.
"But Chrom, you can't be serious with facing him alone-?" That image faded away when Robin met his eyes. She reached her hands out, wrapping them around his wrist to try and keep him close. It froze him in place… But Chrom quickly found that his voice could still work.
"Robin…" Chrom whispered, turning his hands in hers, and clasping her fingers. "I need to move out."
His breath shuddered in his lungs, forcing him to take a deep breath.
"But whatever else happens, I-I need to tell you something."
Maybe it was the fact he'd watched his sister die. Maybe it was that he was ready to do anything to stop Gangrel, and protect the rest of his kingdom and crew. But no matter what, he knew this much was true; that he couldn't dim the feeling coiled around his heart. The odd twinge was almost too much to hold in his chest, and seemed to be spilling onto his tongue.
"I don't want to go off with it left unsaid. I… I care about you Robin." His voice dropped to a whisper. It stilled Robin, and he felt the start of a shiver in her fingers.
"Before, I thought of you as a friend. A-and I still do! But you're that and more." The words were spilling out of his lips, faster than he could think. "In my heart I've known this for awhile now… But it took my head longer to catch up, and realize what it is I feel for you."
"Wh-what? What is it that…?" Her eyes moved between his face and his hands.
"A warmth in my chest, whenever our hands meet." He squeezed at them, to back up his words. "How I always feel better, when you're nearby, and how much I look forward to seeing you when you aren't. That I trust you with my life, and… And m-my heart, if you'd have it."
He tried to steady himself for what was coming next… And then for good measure, took a few more deep breaths. He hoped that brief bout of wheezing didn't ruin the moment too much; but Robin kept her eyes on him, waiting for his next words.
"I-I love you, Robin… And I'll do anything to keep you safe."
She stilled completely at that, staring at him. The best she could manage was a soft "…oh." Her hands fell away as she breathed out, absolutely stunned. The way she froze didn't fill him with confidence. Maybe she didn't feel the same, considered the entire thing improper… And his heart sank at the thought.
Chrom felt like a coward when he broke away. He hoisted himself into the boat, eyes fixed to the sea cave opening. He didn't dare look at Robin, knowing that he'd freeze if he did so. He needed to be decisive.
He threw his weight forward, sending the boat skimming over the waves. A paddle lay in the bed of the boat, and he dug it out. Ahead of him, the waterfall parted like a curtain to give him better access to the gap in the walls. Chrom shoved the boat forward-
"Chrom!" Robin called out, making the paddle skip. Following her voice was a massive splash, the waves from it nudging at the boat. The sounds didn't stop, growing louder-
"You're not-!" Another splash, followed by a sputtering noise. Chrom froze up, turning right as Robin grabbed onto the side of the vessel. He tried to tell her to stop, to let him go-
But he realized she wasn't trying to yank back on the boat to stop him short. Instead she was pulling herself upwards, onto the vessel. But her motions were awkward; her legs couldn't seem to find the strength or coordination to kick.
Chrom's hand flashed out on instinct, helping to yank her in all the way.
"What on earth are you-?" He started to say, only for Robin to shake her head.
"I won't let you go face Gangrel on your own!" She answered. Robin tumbled in, wincing a little when she tried to stand up. The boat rocked, and Chrom reached out to steady her, dropping the oar to the side.
"I-I need to make sure he can't close with the Shepherds and do even more damage. But I don't want you to-"
"What, sacrifice myself? After everything you told me? I'm not about to let you go off to your death, before I have a chance to return any of it."
'R-return? Does that mean she-?'
Before Chrom could answer, the boat drifted through a curtain of water, soaking them both. Tiki's current picked up the slack and nudged the boat along, Chrom giving a quick shiver when they hit the pre-dawn sea air.
And waiting for them was the remnants of Gangrel's fleet. They had the look of gaunt and hungry creatures, waiting for the chance to pounce.
Robin dipped her hand into the sea, murmuring something… And Tiki's current swirled, weaving them through the fleet. Chrom dipped his oar and maneuvered the boat alongside the ships. Each one was a fortress to skirt around. But their path was always fixed towards Gangrel's vessel.
The lead ship had taken its share of battering, but still moved forward and pushed up the waves. Their own little boat slipped to the side from the ship's wake, splintering and bumping against the sides.
Chrom snapped a hand onto one of the carved ladders. He glanced back to Robin, before pulling her arms around his shoulders. He tried not to focus on her weight pressing against him, instead working on pulling them both upwards.
'Time for a surprise visit.'