Over the past few months, the war between Plegia and the Ylissean-Feroxi alliance had brought both tragedy and victory. Between assassination attempts, kidnappings, border disputes and other skirmishes, the Shepherds had proved themselves as capable defenders of the realm, with new members joining nearly every week, and Robin was proud to be a part of it.

That did not mean he was happy with their current arrangement, however.

After being ambushed at Breakneck Pass and the betrayal of the Hierarch, Emmeryn had deemed it necessary to return to Ylisstol right away for the sake of her people. Reflet had managed to convince Emmeryn to allow her to go back with her, and the amount of danger the two women were in was stressful to no end for the young tactician.

Robin's only comfort was the fact that Cordelia had survived the assault at the border and was with them now as the Shepherds marched for Regna Ferox to regroup with their allies. Cordelia was devastated over the loss of her sisters at arms, and Robin almost felt guilty for being so glad it had been her who survived.

If Cordelia had died in the attack, Robin was sure he would be unable to cope with the fact that his twin sister and the woman who was his sister in all but blood were marching straight into a trap. So Robin clung to the comfort of Cordelia's safety as tightly as he could. He wanted to see her, but he forced himself to wait outside of Sumia's tent, where Sumia was helping Cordelia calm down and patching up her thankfully, minor injuries.

Eventually, Sumia emerged from the tent flap and walked over to where Robin was standing when she noticed him.

"How is she?" Robin asked as soon as she was in earshot.

Sumia grimaced. "Physically, she's fine. She's very shaken up, though. She'll bounce back soon enough, Cordelia is strong like that, but it will take some time for her mental state to recover."

"I'm going to talk to her," Robin decided. "It's probably not good for her to be alone right now."

Sumia nodded. "Thank you. I'm going to fetch a spare bedroll and some supplies from the convoy, so I'll be back shortly. I'd appreciate it if you kept her company until then."

They parted ways, and Robin walked up to the tent's entrance, knocking on the pole to announce his presence.

"Cordelia?" He asked tentatively. "It's Robin. May I come in?"

Something fell inside the tent, making a noise, and Robin hoped he hadn't startled her.

"…come in," Cordelia replied after a moment, and Robin entered.

"Hey," he greeted. "Sorry if I scared you. I just wanted to check up on you."

Cordelia managed to smile at him. The wild look in her eyes that had been there when she'd first arrived on the battlefield was no longer present, and much of the tension had left her shoulders.

"Thank you, Robin. I appreciate it," she said. "I think that I'm better now." She paused briefly as if considering her next words carefully. "Perhaps better is the wrong word. Calmer may be more accurate. I didn't always get along with my Knight-sisters, but I still cared for them. I should never have left them."

"Please, don't say that, Cordy," Robin said in a panic. "Your timely arrival saved our lives today, and Emmeryns too. If not for your warning, our rear line would've been blindsided by the Wyvern Riders, and we would've been crushed. If you had stayed with them, you would be dead too."

Cordelia sighed and leaned into Robin, who blushed a little but otherwise didn't react. "I suppose you're right, but it still feels wrong…"

For a moment, Robin couldn't think of anything to say, and the silence stretched on for a brief period until he remembered something he'd learned in his combat lessons while growing up.

"Do you remember when we were kids, and Phila and Frederick taught us about fighting? Phila once said sometimes it takes more courage to know when to flee than it does to stay and fight. Your actions today were very brave. So even if you don't feel good about yourself right now, I'm honoured to be able to call you my friend, and I'm thankful that you returned to us safely."

Cordelia looked up at Robin, examining his face, and he hoped that she couldn't tell he was blushing in the low light of the tent.

"Thank you, Robin," she eventually said. "I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. I know you must be worried sick about your sister and the Exalt. It's just… gods, they were my family, and I left them… it hurts so much."

Robin frowned grimly and felt tears prick in his own eyes. Cordelia's story reminded him of how he felt when he found out about his mother's fate. "I know it hurts. Losing the people you love is the worst pain in the world. I'll always have time for you, Cordy, so please, lean on me. Accept my support."

Cordelia looked away, and Robin feared he had said something wrong, until she said, "Thank you… will you stay until Sumia returns?"

Robin smiled. "Of course."