Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem Awakening, all rights to the owners.
"Milord, I must insist you step away from the man." A stern voice says loudly.
"We can't just leave him lying there Frederick. We are Shepherds after all." A noble voice responds.
"Yeah, we have to do something." A younger girlish voice pipes up.
Robin's face scrunches up, the sunlight and the voices rousing him from sleep. He forces his eyes open, looking up at the three figures standing over him.
"I see you're awake now." A blue-haired man says, offering Robin his hand, which the boy accepts. He faintly noted the mark on his pale skin. "There are better places to nap then on the ground you know."
"Hey there!" A short, blonde-haired girl chirps. Her teal-grey eyes flick up and down Robin's form, taking him in. They focus on something in his other hand, but quickly return to his face.
Robin acknowledges Lissa with a nod, and brushes his white hair out of his face with the hand he had given to Chrom. Something weighs down his other hand, something familiar. Robin glances down at the familiar item and blinks in surprise.
In his hand is a massive scythe. When Robin hefts it he finds the scythe to be perfectly balanced and light as a feather. It's easily a foot taller than him, is coloured jet black with purple ornamentation, and seems not to reflect light.
Despite the intimidating appearance Robin feels comfort at the sight of the weapon. It's like a friend: something that always he has his back.
"Thanks." Robin says, brushing himself off. "If you don't mind me asking… who are you? Where am I?"
"My name is Chrom." The blue-haired says, smiling. "This is my sister Lissa, and the grouchy one is Frederick."
That was how Robin met Chrom. It was quickly realized that the white-haired boy lacked memories, he only knew his name and that of his weapon: Stringcutter.
"Stringcutter?" Lissa asks, giggling. "Why? Does you use it for breaking spiderwebs?"
Robin doesn't know, but he takes offense to someone belittling his weapon. "No, I don't. This weapon is important to me for… some reason. It feels like a friend. I'll thank you not to mock it."
Frederick's scowl makes it clear he thinks this whole situation is hogwash, but Chrom is more understanding. "I know the feeling. Falchion feels like it was made for me." The man pats the sword at his side. "Names are powerful Lissa. If all he can remember is his own name and that of the scythe, we should respect it."
Robin is escorted to the nearest village for questioning, as talking in the middle of a field is not the most comfortable. The boy figures they didn't expect the town to be on fire. The three try to leave Robin behind for his safety but he insists on following. Stringcutter isn't just for show.
Robin quickly shows an aptitude for tactics and starts ordering Chrom in flanking maneuvers. He also starts commanding Lissa into safe hiding spots and cover, and even instructs Frederick in where he would be of most use.
Falchion and Stringcutter slash through the brigand's leather armor with ease. Robin's fighting style is unusual due to his choice of weapon, and involves both wide arcing slashes for power and twirls of the weapon around his arms or neck for quick strikes. It was a style made possible only by the weapon's unnaturally light weight in Robin's hands, otherwise the weapon would simply fall from his grasp or lack power.
That isn't the only thing though. The weapon seems to stick to Robin, sometimes leaving his grip for a moment as he spins it around. To Lissa who watches the fighting from the back, it's clear the the thing is magic.
The fighting is over quickly, with the bandits' leader falling to Falchion. Robin is accepted into the Shepherds on account of having nowhere else to go and being skilled in a fight.
###
"Chrom!" Robin calls, "I need backup!"
The white-haired boy blocks the sword swing form a Risen mercenary and ducks the stab from a soldier. He's fighting a three on one battle and losing, as the cuts and holes on his cloak will attest to.
A strong jab from the soldier nicks Robin on the shoulder, and Stringcutter tumbles from his grip. The tactician is forced to back away from the barbarian swinging at his face. The white-haired boy starts to panic as the three foes close in, and his empty hand twitches.
Suddenly Stringcutter returns, appearing in Robin's hand at his mental call. He lifts it and blocks the oncoming axe, then breathes a sigh of relief when Chrom impales the barbarian. They stand side by side, facing the other two Risen.
"Did it just come back to you?" Chrom asks, breathing hard.
"Yeah." Robin grunts, swinging wide. "I don't know why, but I'm not questioning it."
"At this rate it's going to replace me as your best friend." The prince jokes.
"Replace? There was never any competition." The tactician quips. "I've always liked Stringcutter more."
The next day Robin figures out he can throw the weapon and call it back, turning Stringcutter into a thrown weapon. Vaike is jealous that the willowy boy can throw a massive scythe further than he can a hand-axe.
###
"She knows." Robin thinks with his eyes narrowed. The masked Marth had avoided his attack with ease, like he'd expected the tactician to throw the scythe. "You know…"
"You'll have to be more specific than that." Marth responds calmly, dodging the scythe's point as it cuts down from overhead.
"You knew Stringcutter could come back, you knew I would throw it." The tactician accuses, blocking the mock-Falchion with the shaft of his weapon. "Don't try to deny it, you reacted too quickly, you saw the wind-up and knew exactly what I was doing."
"I am familiar with many weapons." Marth responds, narrowly avoiding a cut to the stomach as she leaps backwards, "and that scythe is no exception."
"You know about Stringcutter?" The white-haired man asks in a hush.
"An ancient weapon, it's original owner is unknown." Marth whispers. "It is a weapon for those who defy fate, cutting the strings that puppet you."
"Hence the name." Robin responds.
"Exactly."
###
It looked like it was going to fail. The Risen archers had suddenly emerged from the floor, the Shepherds had no way to stop them. In desperation Robin threw his weapon, trying to do something to the archers to protect their pegasus riders.
To his amazement, the scythe smashes through several Risen rather than just impaling one like it usually would. It was almost like Stringcutter had listened to him. Lucina's words rang in his ears as the Shepherds charge forwards, determined to change fate, to not let Emmeryn die.
Some arrows still fly, striking Philia's pegasus. Miraculously, despite the arrow in it's leg, her pegasus stays in the air and carries its rider and Emmeryn off the battlefield. Fate had said that Emmeryn would die in the assassination, and it looked like it would claim her despite that aversion, but once again they had beaten the odds and Emmeryn survives.
However the Shepherds are still outnumbered; Chrom and Robin are forced to call a retreat, but take some solace in Gangrel's infuriated cursing.
###
"Chrom, do you see what I see?" The tactician asks.
"Yes." The prince nods, "but I'm not sure I believe it."
Below them they see a small girl in grimleal robes similar to Robin's. In her hand is a black and purple halberd easily twice her height. Despite that, the weapon seems to be an extension of the girl, and she uses it with a finesse similar to Robin as she crushes the Risen in her path.
"So… that's your daughter?"
"I guess so. Unless you think Lucina was lying about there being others. She never mentioned it could change shape."
"What could change shape?"
"Stringcutter. Look at the color." Robin says, pointing at the halberd. "It's too light in her grip to be anything else."
"I hadn't even noticed." Chrom admits, nodding his understanding. "Do we help? It looks like she has this covered, she probably doesn't need us."
"What sort of father would I be if I just let my kid fight without lending a hand?" Robin scoffs, pulling his own personal weapon off his back. He jumps off the cliff, bounding from rock to rock and down to the battle.
"Showoff." Chrom chuckles. He pulls out Falchion and starts running down the side of the hill.
###
"LOOK HERE, THE ANTS COME WITH TOOTHPICKS TO SLAY A GOD." Grima taunts as Chrom and Robin hack through the grimleal surrounding them. "FATE HAS DECREED THAT I WIN, THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO."
"It won't be the first time ants have taken down something bigger than them, and it won't be the last!" Robin yells back, "We've beaten fate before, we can do it again!"
"YOU THINK ONE WEAPON CAN CHANGE DESTINY?" Grima laughs.
"I know it can."
"THEN THAT IS YOUR FOLLY, IT SHALL BE YOUR LAST MISTAKE!" The dragon cries. The posses body raises an arm, and the head of the dragon rises over the two men. It opens its mouth and fires a wave of black needles at them, each the size of a spear.
Frederick bursts from the mass of people behind them, and turns to stand his horse in front of the two. His shield goes up, and he grunts as a black needle impales his arm through the shield. More needles hit his horse, which whinnys in pain, but Chrom and Robin are protected.
The two men charge again, ducking under lances and axes, and rolling out the way of fire blasts and bolts of lightning. Their two legendary weapons swing true, felling even mighty generals with a few blows. Behind them they can hear the Shepherds pushing up. The tell-tale roar of fire signals Miriel unleashing her siege tome, and arrows from Virion and Noire snipe enemy mages with incredible accuracy.
Eventually Chrom and Robin stand before Grima, with the Shepherds holding the rest of the grimleal at bay.
"This is it, our final battle." Chrom says, glancing to his friend. "You're one of us, no destiny can change that. Let's kill this dastard so we can go home."
"Agreed." Robin nods. "Thank you Chrom."
The fight is long and brutal. Their foe's dragonskin makes them unnaturally durable, and it's only through Ather and a number of Elixirs that they survive the grueling battle. Falchion leves bright, searing cuts on Grima while Stringcutter leaves gaping wounds which leak Grima's own dark magic.
In the end Grima falls to one knee, too injured to fight anymore. Chrom goes to strike them down, but Robin leaps forward and impales the dragon on the end of his scythe.
"Sorry Chrom." The white haired boy says with a sad grin. His body starts to dissolve into purple mist just like all the Risen they'd slain over the four years they'd known each other. "I couldn't let Grima rise again."
"But…" Chrom flounders, one hand reaching out. "No, Robin, we still need you!"
The boy shakes his head. "I had to fight for the future Chrom. What's one man against the future of the world?"
"You're not just one man, you're a great man."
The tactician smiles as the bottom of his face dissolves. "Take care of Morgan, won't you? I never did find…" Robin's voice cuts off as his mouth dissolves, and in a few more seconds his entire body is gone, blown away on the wind. Chrom reverently picks up the scythe on the ground, the weapon suddenly looks a lot less impressive without its owner.
"We were supposed to defy fate." The blue-haired man says morosely, speaking to the weapon. "Cut the strings that bind us…"
"Chrom, we have to get out of here!" Lissa calls, waving the boy over to the glowing circle the Shepherd's mages had drawn on the dragon's back. "Come on!"
The prince casts one last, longing look to the spot where his friend once stood, and slowly makes his way over to the group.
###
It was gone. Stringcutter had vanished.
The lock was not picked, and there was no sign of anything being touched. It was like the weapon had just disappeared on its own. Chrom was distraught, but accepted that perhaps it was needed somewhere else.
That was until a guard came in bearing a message delivered by magic. A man in plegian robes had been found lying in a field just outside Southtown. Chrom didn't bother to alert anyone else, and made straight for his horse.
To his surprise, Lissa and Frederick met him at the stables. Within a minute they were on their way out of Ylisstol to Southtown.
They rode all day, arriving in the village mid afternoon. A guard led them to a familiar location where they saw a white-haired man sleeping under a tree. Chrom knelt before the man, Lissa and Frederick standing behind him. As if on some cue, Robin's eyes flicker open.
"I see you're awake now." Chrom said, grinning wildly. "There are better places to nap then on the ground you know."
"Hey there." Lissa chirped, remembering her line.
Frederick just nodded, respecting the moment and not saying anything.
Robin took Chrom's hand, the mark on the back of his own was gone. There was another difference though, something Robin couldn't see but the others certainly could.
"Your eyes…" Chrom murmurs. "They've changed."
And so they had. His brown eyes had been replaced, and now had purple irises with black sclera. The colours were familiar. Naga had foretold that if Robin landed the final blow he would die, but Robin had still survived.
"Black and purple huh?" Robin muses, absently grabbing for a weapon that wasn't there. "Stringcutter pulled through one last time…"
"With all due respect Milord." Frederick says quietly. "We should be heading back. You have duties to take care of, and Morgan is back at the castle. She'll want to see her father alive."
"Right, of course." Chrom coughs. "Welcome home Robin."
"Thank you Chrom… it's good to be back."
I spent a while deciding what weapon Stringcutter should be. I wanted to avoid the main trio of melee weapons so I considered a kai, scythe, halberd (which I gave to Morgan), mordenkrad (which would need a different name than Stringcutter), and flail.
SquidbaggerOfWoomyAndNgyesness: That's the goal: to show interesting gimmicks and to inspire others.
SolidShinji104: Good… because I'm not sure they'll be another pairing this entire collection so you'd grow to hate this real quick.