The ground felt cool beneath her, rocks poking into her sides. The air warm beneath her coat, sweat slowly coming from her pores. Light had begun to shine through her eyelids and the sounds of birds singing sweet tunes back and forth filled her ears. The grass beneath her rustled with the wind, swaying back and forth.

Peeling her eyes open, while letting out a groan, Robin slowly sat up. Her back hurt from lying in the ground and her head was aching, slowly fading as she became more aware and conscious. She looked around, trying to find a familiar landmark. But, where was she? Better yet, who was she? Robin put her head in her hands, only remembering her name: Robin. That was easy enough, but everything else she couldn't think or remember anything. Her head began to swell and, as frustrating as it was, she eventually gave up trying as her headache subsided when she did.

Setting her hands in her lap, she looked around her once more, before soaking up the sounds and world around her. Everything felt so surreal, almost fantasy-like. A forest bustling with life, critters and other larger animals roaming around without anyone else's knowledge. It's leaves rustle to make soft sounds of branches and leaves brushing together from the wind. A field filled with unsuspecting bugs and mice, nesting in their homes or working till dusk, working to no one's knowledge but their own. It felt so surreal, as she could feel everything move and she knew where their whereabouts were. What was this skill? Robin was surprised that she knew even the basic knowledge of the world around her, despite not knowing her own past or why she was here. Even still, she got up on her feet and surveyed the world around her once more, this time looking for a path to take her to a nearby town.

Luckily, there was a distant castle and town not too far to her left. The path winding down straight to it. Shifting her foot, she felt something nudge her toes. Looking down, a book clad in purple and gold stared up at her. A certain energy radiated off of it, causing her to crouch down to look at it. It begged her to pick it up and shimmered a fluorescent array of colors besides purple and gold. Running her hand over it, there were etchings on it that seemed to have been scrubbed away clean and was replaced with a circle with some incantations on it. She could surprisingly read most of it. She decided that it was worth her while to find some answers of her past and picked it up. It's energy seemed to flow right into her and hers into it. It shimmered once more and turned a deep brown instead of the purple and gold.

"How curious…" she thought.

Finding a suitable pocket right by her chest, she placed it in there and patted it for good measure, making sure it was still secure and tucked in safe. Carefully, Robin made her way out of the field, the dead grass crunching loudly underneath her feet. Hopping on the road, she began trekking down the path. The road was getting warmer and warmer with each passing hour. By the time the sun sat high above her, she had her dark cloak pulled off and draped over her arm. Her body was dripping in sweat, her lungs panting from the heavy heat. She thanked the gods that she was sporting a tank top, but her pants and boots didn't alleviate her lower body at all.

The castle was closer now, a town out skirting the castle. It looked bigger than Robin thought. Although it might have been the heat, the castle looked like it was shimmering. Something that would have only come to be in a fantastical story. Ahead of her was a small town; a quaint one of sorts. Making her way through the entrance gate she sees the hustle and bustle of people setting up a small farmers market. Stand to stand there were different items being set out. She could smell of cooked meat wafting through the air, her stomach replying in a loud manner. Her face becoming hot (or maybe it was the heat?), she hurried to the center of the market as a man was dishing out water from a well.

The man seemed to understand her well as he retrieved a bucket from out of the well and pulled out a cup from his pack.

"A mighty fine day it is miss." He greeted her with a smile. "I hope it's not too hot for the young miss. Some folks can't seem to like the weather, but it just means Naga has blessed us again with such a promising future.

Robin gave a small smile and took the cup from his hand, chugging the water down as fast as she could. She would have never thought that she would have been so parched that she could even feel her insides give a little dance from the taste of cool water.

"Thank you, I'm grateful for you sir." Robin sighed, placing the now empty glass in his hand. The man chuckled, returning his cup to his backpack.

"Of course! One could tell who is a foreigner and who is not by watching their face as they walked through our town."

Robin quirked her eyebrow up at him, giving him a cool look. "What do you mean? Do I not look like a local?"

It was the man's turn to now give her the confused look. He parted his lips slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but instead looked her up and down, studying her intensely. She could feel the man grow uneasy as he looked at her and knew if she said the wrong thing, things could go sour.

"Forgive me, but I don't believe I've seen you before. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that you haven't been to Ylisse before and have been traveling." He was watching her apprehensively.

Robin decided that her safest route was to feign ignorance and laugh it off as if it was a joke.

"Oh! I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you," She let out a weak laugh. "I meant, that it was pretty obvious, huh? Sorry, but you are right! I'm just traveling for a bit and visiting some old friends before going home!"

The man gave a small smile and awkward laugh. "O-oh, is that it? I see…" He then started to glance around nervously and then suddenly grabbed his pack from off the ground. "Oh w-would you look at the time! I have a long day ahead of me, so I-I'll just be on my way!"

The man hurried away around a shop corner and Robin felt the hairs on her arm and neck stand up. It may be a hot day, but the air seemed a little cooler than before. She looked around once again to the other stalls that were beginning to open up. They all seemed to be uneasy after the man left and when they came into eye-contact with her, they quickly looked away and seemed to whisper about her.

Not the best first impression.

She hurried out of the square as normally as she could, without raising any more suspicion. Quickly finding the best route away from the square, she waited until she stepped out of people's sight to start running. She didn't stop till she found a nearby tree to sit under and catch her breath. Something felt wrong. When she walked in, nobody noticed her. But as soon as the man asked her about travelling, everyone seemed to be on edge. Robin sensed that something is terribly amiss and that her guard needs to be up at all times.

"I'm telling you, she's the spy from Plegia! She's going to harm the Exalt! We're all in danger!"

A man was yelling at a small group of bystanders. His moves erratic and eyes wild from fear. "Excuse me?"

The man turned and threw himself into the herd, most people moving and leaving the commotion. "Y-yes! Please, do you know anyone that can stop her? The Exalt must not be harmed!"

The man had grabbed fistfuls of the clerical robes and was hysterical with fear. Slowly, He grabbed the man's shoulders and gently pried him from His body.

"Why, of course, my boy," His mouth curled up in a sinister smile. "I'm actually on my way to retrieve her now. Do not be afraid, as our divine god, Naga, smiles and blesses you today."

The man's face was now streaked with tears and he seemed to be relieved now that there was 'help', his hands clasped together for a prayer. "Thank you, my good priest. May I request a farewell prayer for the lost soul, Mister..?"

"Of course," He placed his hand on the man's head, storing magic into his hand. "And you may call me Nelson."

He placed an enchantment spell onto the man, causing his body to convulse once and putting him into a small sleep. All in a days work for his Lord, Grima.

Robin was all turned around as she watched the sky and looked at the castle in the near distance. It was now midday and more people were bustling about on the hot day. She had found new food stalls and her still hungry stomach was aching for nutrients. Moving into some shade, she felt shoulder after shoulder push against her. She would look back at the people and see the same glare or scared stare aiming right at her. That same feeling from before made her arms and neck bristle once more; Something wasn't right.

She needed to move. This place wasn't safe anymore. Her mind moved faster than her body and she made a hesitant step into the light once more, causing her to trip and bump into a couple. Fruit began to fall into her arms and onto the ground.

"Oh, excuse me!" Robin exclaimed, bending down to snatch the fallen fruit before it had a chance to be trampled on. "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's quite alright,'' a deep voice boomed overhead. "We were both deep in conversation as well. I must apologize as well."

"Oh Pegasus dung!" A chipper one piped up. "You were the one who was lecturing me about rules and etiquette! Don't rope me into this as well."

A hand also reached down to help Robin pick up the fruit. "You'll have to excuse him. He's been stingy since I was a kid."

Robin followed the hand to meet the eyes of a blonde woman. Her face, young and full of youth. A white lace headdress sat on her long blonde hair. Robin stood up and handed back the fruit she picked up. "Oh no, it was practically my fault. I wasn't paying attention."

"Oh, I'm sure Frederick would have seen you if he was paying attention as well." The blonde giggled, placing the fruit in the bag.

The man named Frederick let out a sigh. "My Lady stands correct as I was also not paying attention." He let out a slight bow. "Forgive me. I have neglected both my duties as a knight and Shepherd."

"O-oh! No, it's alright!" Robin felt her face go hot as he awaited her reply in his stand still bow. "Please, pay no attention to that anymore. I-it's quite alright!"

Robin felt another migraine come on again as she stood there standing next to the pair. Perhaps it was the heat and hunger giving her one. As she thought about it, her stomach gave another growl, louder than a bear at night. Her face grew hotter as the pair stared at her in silence.

"I-uh...haven't eaten anything yet...today.." Robin's voice was quiet as she stared at the ground.

The blonde hummed before declaring an, "All right!" before grabbing Robin's hand and turning towards Frederick. "We're taking a detour! If wouldn't be very helpful if the Shepherds didn't lend a helping hand to those in need!"

Frederick stood upright and did a quick sweep of Robin's figure, his brows creasing and eyes narrowing slightly before giving the blonde a look that scared Robin just a bit. "My Lady, I don't find that wise-"

But they were already taking off in the direction of a food stand. Robin could feel herself becoming hungrier by the second. Everything smelled so good and Robin wanted to try them all. Before she knew it, the girl came up to Robin with handfuls of meat on a stick and piping hot pastries.

"Here!" She thrusts them into Robin's hands. "These are Ylisse's best delicacies! You'll find them delicious!"

Robin carved out a big bite out of one of the pastries, her mouth filled with a sweet and savory flavor she's never experienced before. Robin let out a moan that could have appeased the gods, as she bit into more of the foods. The blonde let out a laugh. "You remind me of my brother and an old friend! You all eat with so much gusto." The blonde handed Robin a white handkerchief. "I'm Lissa by the way."

"Rw-obin."

Lissa froze for a moment, before catching her smile. "What was that?"

Robin swallowed the mouthful of food and wiped her mouth the cloth Lissa had borrowed from her. "Robin. My name's Robin."

Lissa's smile wavered and her eyes looked glossy. "R-really? What a coincidence...I know someone-"

"HALT!"

The pair looked over to see Frederick, out of breath and still carrying the fruit as well as other bags hiding in his arms. Lissa jumped up and ran over to help him and it seemed that she stood by his side a little too long as Frederick's expressions changed rapidly as a sunshower came. Robin felt nervous sitting watching them and got up to go over to help. Frederick saw Robin in the corner of his eye and straightened up to head over and meet her, Lissa following behind.

"Is...everything alright?" Robin asked nervously, her left fingers unconsciously rubbing the back of her right.

Frederick's eyes flickered. "Yes, " He breathed. "We were just discussing some private matters."

Lissa glanced nervously between them before grabbing Robin's hands, smiling. "W-we were just discussing if you would like to visit the Shepherds!"

"The Shepherds?" Robin said weakly. She felt the unease again and her hands felt cold in Lissa's warm ones. Their behavior felt akin to the man from earlier, but Robin didn't feel any evil intent or will towards her. Her head fuzzy and her headache coming on stronger from earlier.

"Yes! It's a group of knights protecting the Halidom from the Grimeals and I'm sure my brother, Chrom, would love to recruit you."

Chrom.

Robin's head began to split, an unbearable pain washing over her. Her vision became blurry and the ground was coming closer to her by the second. She heard a faint shout and the fruit from earlier went tumbling down once again. Arms enveloped her torso and instead of the ground, her vision was filled with Lissa's worried face and Frederick's agitated one. Lissa's mouth was moving slowly and Robin couldn't decipher what she was saying. Their faces were the last thing she saw as she fell unconscious.

Her eyes opened to a battlefield. A dark cathedral room with dark glass panes. Shouts and the scent of blood filled her senses. A loud clang and a bright light flickered in her peripheral. Whipping around, she saw a dark figure and a man clad in blue fight off against each other. Their moves parrying one another's as each tried to get a clean hit. The man in blue made a sweeping motion up, missing the opponent. A yell was heard from above and she heard, "Up There!" Before dodging a spell and throwing her own at where it fell from. The dark figure conjured over to her other side and had raised his hand, power swelling and violently erupting towards the man. Before she could even think, her body moved on it's own and casted a thunderbolt towards the other spell, deducing it to nothing. The man smiled at her and gave her a nod, before turning to the dark figure.

"Let's do this Robin! No one can change destiny! The future is ours!"

Robin felt herself smile and agree with him. "Let's do this Chrom!"

That name again. Who was Chrom? And her voice; it didn't sound like hers. Much deeper than her own and her hair felt shorter and lighter…

Again her body moved on it's own and she charged at the dark figure, becoming in sync with the man, who she assumed was Chrom. Robin fired spells of all sorts becoming a defensive wall for the other as Chrom streaked behind her and got in close for the offensive. The dark figure grunted and did his best to fight the pair off, before Chrom swung his sword at his chest. The figure catching it with both of his hands, magic surrounding his hands and the sword. Robin used this as an opportunity and gave out a war cry.

"Time to tip the scales!"

The final blow was dealt and the figure collapsed in front of them.

Chrom looked at Robin with a triumphant smile and moved in close, but not before the figure got up one last time and fired a long ranged attack at him.

"This isn't over...DAMN YOU BOTH!"

Robin felt herself call out to him, realizing that he wouldn't make it in time. She rushed forward and pushed him out of the way, the spell blinding her vision. Chrom's eyes went wide and his mouth in an open-mouth silent scream.

She felt herself collide with the floor and her head was pounding and her vision fuzzy.

"Are you alright?!"

She looked over to see him rush over to her, using his arm to support her back. He chuckled softly, looking back to see the disintegrating figure finally turn to dust.

"Thanks to you we carried the day. We can rest easy now. At long last..." His voice began to fade out, muffled. Her ears began to ring and her vision was red. She looked over to him, his face turning concerned as she began to pant. "Hey...what's wrong? Hey! Stay with me-"

His face churned and he let out a gasp and stumbled back. "Th-this is…" He began to choke out. She looked down to see a thunderbolt, stabbed through his torso. Her hand felt the electricity and she looked down to see that she had been the culprit. She looked back at him. "Not your f-fault...promise me," he coughed up blood, more of it pooling over his wound. "You'll get out of here...please...go..."

He finally collapsed to the ground, the light fading from his eyes. Robin felt the blood in her ears pound, mixing in with her aching head. A laugh began to echo around her and she collapsed to her knees in disbelief. The room began to feel like it was on fire, her body pulsing with the heat, anger and sadness becoming one emotion she couldn't control. She opened her mouth and felt herself let go, screaming with all her fiber and being.

"NO!"

Robin jolted up, her body in a cold sweat. Raising the hand she felt the power surge, she looked at it, her hand trembling and wet. Her head was pounding and her body felt weak as she felt her stomach churn. What was that? A dream? Or was it something else, a forgotten memory. She closed her eyes and her eyebrows furrowed. It couldn't have been. She didn't know who those people were. If she did, she'd be in much worse company.

A flapping sound sounded to her left and Lissa broke through. In her hand, a staff and in her other, a bowl of water with towels in it. She looked as if she aged a couple years as her eyes had dark bags under them and her skin was paler than when they met.

"Robin!" Lissa hurried over and set the bowl down on the ground by Robin's cot. "We were so worried! Hold on, I'll heal you." She raised the staff over Robin's head, eyes shut from concentration. The stone in the middle of the centerpiece in her staff began to glow green and Robin could feel the effects of her body slowly fade away, the only thing remaining was her migraine.

"Thank you Lissa," She placed a hand on the staff and lowered it slightly to get her attention. "I feel much better."

Lissa's face softened as she set down her staff and slowly sat down on a stool that stood nearby Robin's cot. "Thank Naga. I was afraid you weren't going to wake up."

"What do you mean? Was my condition that terrible?" Robin's brows slowly furrowed and felt a pit form in her gut.

Lissa bit her lip and started fidgeting with her hands. "You were fine when we brought you in. Frederick carried you all the way here, food in hand and all. We placed you here to make sure it was just a dizzy spell, but later that night, you broke out in a heavy fever. It took a lot of us Healers to restore you into better condition."

Robin stared into her hands for a while, before quietly asking, "How long was I in a fever?"

"Three days."

"..." Robin's head began to throb again with the recurring memory. She closed her eyes, suppressing the images. She can't let herself go anymore under the stress she's been under lately. Especially if the dream was true.

"Robin?"

Robin opened her eyes and looked over to Lissa, her face showing more and more wrinkles with worry. Robin smiled and grabbed Lissa's hand, squeezing it.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I was just thinking. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be having a week-long fever somewhere in the woods."

Lissa finally let a smile show through and held Robin's hand tightly on her own. "I'm glad we did run into you." She said softly. They both sat there in silent gratitude before Robin's stomach let out a growl. They both looked at each other for a moment before bursting out in laughter. Robin's cheeks dusted pink. "That's the second time we've run into a problem like this." She chuckled. Lissa giggled, getting up and pouring a pitcher of water into a cup.

"Here, you've been really dehydrated because of the fever." She handed Robin the cup. "You can sit still here while I get you something to eat. And don't think about getting up! A bed-ridden patient needs to be in bed!"

Lissa left through the flap in the tent, leaving Robin alone in silence. Robin sat and drank in the quiet environment, falling onto her back and landing on the semi-hard make-shift bed. The room was tranquil, the most she's experienced since she's woken up. With the anxiety of the crowd from the town and the paranoid man, she felt like her nerves were on it's last threads. Rolling on her side, she saw her coat folded neatly with the book she found earlier resting on top. Sitting back up, she gingerly picked up the book and opened it to the first page.

The book had some words written inside it, but it was ineligible as the ink was smeared across the page. Frowning, Robin flipped to the next pages. The first couple were blank, save for the one word sentences on each page with an incantation and magic circle for each. Thunder, Fire, and Wind. There were some blank pages sitting in between the almost blank ones and the rest of the book. The rest of the pages were filled with magic circles and strategies for each kind of terrain and situations, but it didn't matter to Robin as she was more interested in the semi-blank pages. She raised her hand, flipping it to the ceiling and tried to concentrate on creating the first spell, Thunder. Reading the incantation was easy enough, she muttered it over and over, trying to prefect it as if it would be doing something.

"Letting all those who rain from the sky, condem them with a powerful strike from the diving gods, fulger-Lightning!"

A spark emitted from her hand, Robin smiling at her accomplishment, before remembering the dream again. The crackle of power died down and she lowered her hand. She remembered the look on the man's-Chrom's face. It was twisted in agony with the sight of blood dripping to the ground from his wound as he lay on the ground motionless. Feeling discouraged, Robin shook her head and picked her book back up. She figured that if she knew how to make do with the strategies in the book, she wouldn't have anyone killed by others, especially her.

Robin was so absorbed into her reading that she didn't notice Lissa walk in with Frederick and another. Lissa cleared her throat, startling Robin that she clutched her book too hard. A tray was placed in her lap, the smell of seasoned broth and meat filling her nose. There was a piece of bread sitting next to the steaming bowl, a slab of butter placed delicately on top.

"There ya go!" Lissa propped her hands on her hips triumphantly. "I was lucky and got first dibs on dinner tonight. Paitents who wait and eat leftovers would feel worse than they already are!"

"Thank you again, Lissa. It smells great" Robin set her book back where she found it and gave Lissa a warm smile. She looked over to Frederick. "Hello again Frederick, I must thank you for being so diligent on carrying me all the way here. It must have been very taxing."

"Not at all," Frederick gave a small bow, straightening up quickly. "It's my duty to take care of all the sheep in the Halidom, no matter the cost."

Robin let out a small laugh. "Well, I must thank you again."

Frederick gave one last nod. "But of course."

Robin then took a swiveled glance at the newcomer behind Lissa. Her breath hitched, her body breaking into a cold sweat and her hands felt clammy. It couldn't be…

"Robin," Lissa stepped to the side and let the man step closer to Robin's bedside. "This is my brother-"

"Chrom." Robin said breathlessly.

The three of them looked at each other with glances towards each other. Each one different from the rest. Frederick's was subtle as he glanced right at Chrom, brows furrowed. Lissa's eyes went watery, looking with a soft feature on her face to both Frederick and Chrom. Chrom's face went hard for moment, before his eyes too went soft. All the while, Robin's gaze did not avert from Chrom's face. The image of Chrom's dying body feeling all too real. This meant that what she experienced was all but a dream. Robin felt her stomach sink as she she felt that that statement couldn't be true, but Robin hoped better.

"Forgive me," Chrom pulled her out of her thoughts. "But have we met before?"

His voice wass soft and her stomach did somersaults as she relished his deep vibrato. Somewhere deep inside her, she recognized his voice and it struck a cord in her heart. Her head became hot and the migraine came on once again.

"Ah-forgive me...I…" The dull throbbing became worse again and she raised a hand to try and sooth the pain. Lissa placed a cold, wet towel in her hand and Robin pressed it hard to her forehead.

"All right you two," Lissa spoke with a soft, but hard tone. "Robin's recovering and she needs to eat something. We all can come back later when she has something in her stomach."

Lissa ushered them out, a few soft protests going between the siblings. Robin was left alone again, her head slowly washing away the migraine. Her soup sat at a luke-warm temperature and her bread getting colder, Robin lifted the soup to take a sip of the food. Her insides felt warm and her stomach growled for more. Robin dunked her bread in her bowl. Was the Chrom the one who caused all of her headaches? Or was something inside her holding her back from remembering what she needed to know?

Her bread became soggy and her soup grew colder as she pondered what was happening to her.