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It was a bitter sort of relief that in any time, any world, the Risen were still the same. Their gurgled, raspy hisses, their glowing red eyes, and the way they dissolved into an unholy purple-black mist upon defeat never changed. The familiarity made them easier to fight, easier to predict.
But never before had Chrom seen them in such numbers. In previous skirmishes, he’d often kept a mental count of how many he skewered as part of an ongoing contest with Vaike, but he’d long since lost count in this battle. The Risen just came in wave after wave, seemingly endless hordes as he and the rest of the Shepherds kept trying to cut through them to get to their real target, Grima. The Grima of this alternate world who had already destroyed and ravaged most of the land but who could still possibly be defeated thanks to their dimensional crossing. They’d traveled here to this ruined future twice already and saved the alternate children from certain death to bring them to this third and final visit. The pieces were almost in place to help the Lucina from this world perform the Awakening rite and kill the Fell Dragon.
But first they had to deal with all of these damn Risen blocking their path. It felt like this battle had gone on for days by this point and everything had devolved into chaos. Chrom had started off alongside the alternate Lucina, but he’d lost track of her position, as well as that of nearly everyone else, as he pressed forward. But he wasn’t concerned for their safety because he had complete faith in the hand that guided them. Every time he shouted above the din to check on the state of his allies, a reassuring voice would confidently shout back that everyone was still accounted for.
He stabbed another Risen as he spotted two more rushing from his left. A crackle of magic sounded behind him just as he whirled to face them.
“Back off!” Robin’s voice called. And the familiar flash of Thoron shot out and incinerated one of the Risen while searing off the arm of the other. It staggered a moment before almost falling on top of the Falchion.
“Thank you for that,” Chrom huffed as he stood back to back with her. “What’s our status?”
“There are more reinforcements coming from behind us,” Robin said. She sounded short of breath too. “I can’t tell their exact numbers from this spot, but they’re spawning almost as fast as we defeat them.”
“Wonderful. Please tell me that at least everyone is still safe.”
“Yes. Stahl and Cordelia are leading the rear flank where the children are. We’ve been keeping them well protected.”
“Good.” Chrom lunged forward as another Risen approached and he could hear Robin’s footsteps close behind him. They were always in sync; the battlefield was their ballroom, and their waltz a dance of steel and magic that no enemy could match. It was a harmony they’d had almost since their first meeting, now perfected by time and their dedication to their cause and to each other.
Four more Risen attempted to converge on them. Robin drew her Levin Sword this time and parried an enemy, leaving an opening for Chrom to stab it. She switched back to spells to cover him as the Falchion flashed with Aether’s light, and two Risen were felled at once. The fourth was incinerated a second later by another bolt of Thoron. The skirmish barely lasted a few minutes, as most with the Risen did, but even efficient kills still took stamina from their bodies and inflicted damage to their weapons, save for the unbreakable Falchion. Robin discarded her now destroyed Thoron tome over her shoulder as she surveyed the field again.
“We must make a decisive strike as soon as possible,” she said. “The Risen can keep spawning and wear us down just with their numbers, and we’re running out of weapons.”
“What do you propose we do?” Chrom asked.
She pointed ahead of them. “Their numbers have thinned there. I can divert them and clear a path for you. Grima should be right behind them.”
“And leave you behind surrounded by all of these enemies?” He always instinctively objected when she proposed dangerous maneuvers that involved splitting them up. Aside from a fear for her safety, it’d become so natural having her beside him that it stirred up a sense of wrongness in him when the flow of battle pulled them apart.
“Cherche is directly above us.” Robin made a quick point to the sky. “Frederick and Miriel are behind us. Once the path is clear, I’ll follow after you.” Magic was already gathering around her fingertips. “Go!”
“Right!” Assured of her intentions, Chrom charged ahead. She cast Bolganone, the great flames fanning out and forcing the Risen to break ranks, and the predicted opening presented itself.
There was a lone figure behind that final Risen barricade. It wore a hood and was surrounded by a thick cloud of the same ominous purple-black mist, making it impossible to see any of its features. It may not have been human for all Chrom could tell. He hadn’t expected the body of Grima to be so small; he’d assumed he’d be facing a giant of a man like Walhart, but despite its size, the figure radiated a fearsome power, making it far more intimidating than even the Conqueror. But Chrom was undeterred and ran directly towards it
Yet, when he’d nearly closed the final gap between himself and the strange figure, the mist abruptly thickened and spread out, threatening to engulf him and halting his progress.
“…Run…Chrom…”
It was a faint voice, barely audible over the howls of the Risen and clashing of weapons behind him. Chrom wasn’t sure he’d heard anything at all until he found himself pushed back by the mist, the normally intangible substance suddenly morphing into a solid wall.
“You must…get away…from me…”
Chrom squinted amid all the fog, trying to see who was speaking. The voice was strained and distorted, but still, it sounded almost human.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“Please…” the voice said. “I cannot…watch you…die again…”
It made no sense, but something about that weird voice reminded him of Robin. But he didn’t get a chance to fully grasp this thought, as there was a blinding flash and he felt the air around him change. All of the sounds of battle immediately ceased and there was total silence, not even the whisper of wind, and when Chrom opened his eyes there was nothing before him but darkness. Pure and complete darkness, so thick and heavy that it took him a moment to breathe again. And he was alone. There wasn’t a sign of anyone or anything. The battlefield was gone, the Risen were gone and all of his allies were gone.
It was just endless nothingness.
The adrenaline fueling him through the fight quickly gave way to a sense of unease. He couldn’t even process what’d happened, how he’d been fighting just a moment ago and was now someplace else entirely. He had the wherewithal to sheathe the Falchion, but he kept one hand tightly gripping it as the rest of him stiffened and his pulse throbbed in his ears.
Where was everyone? Why was he alone?
“Chrom…”
He turned towards the sound and let out a breath of relief. His shoulders relaxed. Not alone. And not among hostile forces either.
“Robin?” he asked as she emerged from the gloom. “What happened? Where are we?”
She stared at him like she wasn’t sure he was real. Chrom gaped at her as he realized something was terribly wrong. It was definitely Robin standing before him, but she barely resembled the woman he knew. She was so pale and gaunt. Ravaged. Her dark eyes were deeply sunken, exhausted and almost lifeless. Her white hair, which had always reminded him of the moonlight, now better matched the color of a dingy mop. She was like a wraith, drained of all vitality and vigor, and looking like she could crumble to dust at any moment.
“Robin…” he murmured in a mix of shock and horror. “Gods, what happened to you?”
“I won’t keep you,” she said softly. Her voice was weak and hoarse, like she hadn’t used it in a long, long time. “I just…I wanted to see you with my own eyes before you return to your world.”
His eyes widened in understanding. “You’re the Robin of this world,” he said. “You’re alive!”
“…Yes,” she said with a slight nod.
It was a relief to learn that she’d somehow survived in this world; Naga herself had said that all of the Shepherds here were dead. But that left him with so many questions. Something awful had clearly happened to her to leave her in this state. “I’m glad you survived,” Chrom said with a faint smile. “But where have you been all this time? Why aren’t you with Lucina and the others?”
“Here.” Robin bowed her head. “I’ve been right here.”
Chrom looked around the empty void again. It wasn’t much of a place. It didn’t even seem like a real place at all. “Where exactly is ‘here?’”
“Everywhere and nowhere,” she murmured.
“You aren’t making any sense.”
“It’s probably better that way.” She met his confused look with a thin smile. The expression was devoid of any kind of mirth. It made his throat clench.
“Robin…what happened to you?” he asked again softly.
A tear trickled down her cheek as she just kept staring at him with those eerily sorrowful eyes. “…I’m sorry, Chrom. I’m so sorry I failed you.”
It was extremely disquieting to know that his own death was the supposed catalyst for Grima’s rise. Hearing the story told to him by the future Lucina was bad enough, but now he’d actually witnessed the ruined world that resulted from it. How many worlds like this were out there? How many friends and daughters and sons and wives had he abandoned to the wrath of the Fell Dragon?
“You didn’t fail me, Robin,” he said. “I failed by leaving you.”
“No, don’t say that!” she burst. “You don’t understand. All of this is my fault!” She trembled all over as her voice wavered and broke. “I failed you! I failed our children! I failed our friends! I failed the entire world! It’s all because of me!”
She hunched over and cried in broken, heaving sobs. Without a thought, Chrom embraced her. Robin gasped and went ridged for a second, as if she’d completely forgotten the sensation of human contact. Then she hugged him back so fiercely it almost stole the breath from his lungs. He wouldn’t have thought her capable of such strength in her current state.
“I couldn’t protect you!” She sobbed into his shoulder. “I k—I saw you die and…and I couldn’t…I couldn’t stop Grima! I couldn’t help Lucina…I couldn’t…!”
No matter what version of Robin this was, he hated to see her upset. It wasn’t like he’d never seen his wife cry, but he’d never seen her like this, so beaten and broken. She was the woman with all the answers, the woman who never backed down from a challenge, and she sounded so completely and utterly defeated. It terrified him as much as it broke his heart. Because if the wife he often imagined to be invincible had succumbed to such despair, was there any hope for this world at all?
“You deserved so much better from me,” she whispered. “I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”
“Robin,” he said gently. “I may not be the same Chrom you knew, but I know this can’t be your fault. And he would have to know that as well. So please…do not blame yourself.”
She made a sound almost like a laugh through her tears. “Of course you would say that.”
“Then please believe it,” he said.
For a few moments, the only sounds in the void were her muffled sobs as she kept her face buried in his shoulder. Not knowing what else to do, Chrom just held her close and stroked her stringy hair. He could feel the intense weight of her grief, her raw despair, in each one of her tears, and he inwardly cursed at the version of himself who had left her to drown all alone in this sorrow.
“What can I do, Robin?” he asked. “Please, tell me that there’s something I can do to help you.”
She swallowed audibly, trying to regain some control of herself. “You already have. You saved Lucina. You saved her friends. Because of you, Grima’s death is inevitable.”
“Really?” Chrom felt a spark of relief at this.
“Yes. And when Grima dies…I’ll finally be free…”
The spark fizzled out as quickly as it arrived, replaced by a knot in his stomach. “Robin…what are you saying?”
"Don’t trouble yourself about it,” Robin said as she slumped harder against him. She gave a small grunt like she was in pain and he had to hold her tighter to keep her from falling. “Thank you. Everything will be fine now.”
“Are you sure about that? You don’t seem very fine at all to me.”
“Just seeing you again is enough. I’ve missed you so much…” She ran a hand across his shoulder and down the length of his arm until their hands met, and then she interlaced her fingers with his. “I’m so glad…so relieved to know that there is a world where you’re still alive.”
“We’ve sworn to do everything to prevent Grima’s resurrection,” he said. “Myself and the you of my world. We’re going to stop him.”
Robin shuddered. “…I see,” she murmured. She squeezed his hand. “…The me of your world. Do you love her?”
“With everything that I am,” Chrom said immediately. “We’re—”
“ —Two halves of a greater whole?” she finished.
“Yes.” And he couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at that. It was weird but also reassuring to know that there were good things that transcended worlds.
“You, I mean, he and I…we made the same promise to ourselves back then,” Robin said. “All I ever wanted was to live a peaceful life with him and our children. But…that was never the sort of life I was meant to have.”
“What do you mean by that?” he asked as he furrowed his brow.
She squeezed his hand even harder, and the fingers on her other hand were digging so desperately into his back it almost made him flinch. “Our fate was a complex thing. And the power Grima holds is unfathomable. If you truly intend to stop his resurrection, you should be prepared. You may have to do something…unthinkable.”
“Unthinkable how?”
Robin shook her head. “…Never mind. I won’t burden you with that knowledge. It goes against everything that you are.”
He couldn’t hold back a small grumble of frustration. Why was she being so vague? What was she hiding? “Then what can I do? I refuse to believe that my world is predestined to end up like this one, and the Robin I know would say the same thing.”
“…I know. I hope for both of your sakes and the sake of your world that you’re right.” She looked up at him then, her infinitely sad eyes still shimmering with tears. “All I can tell you is to stay by her side. Remind her of how much you love her, how happy you are with her. Stay alive for her. And maybe…that’ll be enough.”
He intended to do all of that anyway, of course, but why should that matter? Why would his love for Robin have any effect on the Fell Dragon?
“Is it really as simple as that?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Robin said. “But even if it’s not, that way…if the worst comes to pass for your world…and she winds up like me…at least…” She swallowed hard as fresh tears ran down her face. “…At least she’ll have that to hold onto.”
“Robin…?” Chrom found he could only gape at her. He hadn’t felt this sort of powerlessness since the day Emmeryn died, and the fact that his instincts were making that parallel disturbed him greatly.
She smiled that thin, joyless smile again as she touched his face. “It’s all right. Lucina’s performing the Awakening as we speak. Our daughter is saving this world because of you.”
He wanted to feel relief at that. He wanted to feel a shred of success at having protected the other Lucina, yet the sense of wrongness he had wouldn’t allow it. “But what will become of you?” he asked. “I can’t leave without knowing that you’re safe as well.”
“I’ll be all right now. I promise.” She winced and stifled an obvious gasp of pain. He tried to hold her closer to support her, but she gently pushed him back. “…It’s time. Goodbye, Chrom. I hope your life is filled with joy.” She kissed him chastely on the lips before releasing his hand. The darkness immediately started to swallow her up.
“Wait!” he called as he reached for her. “Robin!”
Her voice faintly echoed in the void as she faded from his sight. “May we meet again…in a better life…”
“Robin!” he called out again.
But she was gone, and a moment later, the void shifted and changed, and Chrom found himself standing at the entrance to the Outrealm Gate. The others were there too, still with their weapons drawn like they’d left the battlefield as abruptly as he had.
“Father!” Lucina exclaimed as she came running up to him. “You’re back!”
“…So it seems,” Chrom said with a frown. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to get his bearings back. Had that ghostly Robin been real? Now that he was out of that weird void, their conversation felt more like a waking dream than reality.
“Are you well?” Lucina asked. “You look so pale.”
“I’m fine, Lucina. Pay it no mind.” He spotted a familiar head of white hair bobbing and weaving through the crowd. Robin was doing what she always did at the end of a battle, checking in with everyone and assessing their status. Seeing that put him more at ease. She was here and she looked the same as ever, minus the typical battle fatigue.
Naga reappeared before them all, a faint smile gracing her pristine visage. “Thank you, warriors. It would seem that your brave efforts met with success. Their world has been saved.”
A loud chorus of cheers erupted from the Shepherds. Chrom felt a swell of pride and relief for the other Lucina. She was safe and her world was saved from the brink of destruction. She’d done something miraculous amid the most impossible odds.
So why was there still this uneasy feeling deep in the pit of his stomach?
“You have altered their destinies,” Naga said. “I cannot thank you enough for helping me see this task through. I was right to place my trust in you.” She waved her hand and a glowing portal appeared. “If you are ready, I shall send you back to the land whence you came. May the light you have brought their world soon fill your own as well.”
Everyone quickly made their way to the portal, anxious to get back home and rest. They’d been transported here to this gate while they’d been on the journey home from Valm, and while they’d hardly given thought to accepting a mission from Naga herself, it meant all this fighting was on the back of a long and exhausting campaign. Seeing Ylisstol again would do much to bolster everyone’s spirits.
Chrom lingered at the back of the crowd, waving Lucina ahead of him and catching Robin’s eye just long enough that she knew he was there. He waited until everyone else was gone before he turned to Naga.
“Listen, about the Fell Dragon…”
“Yes?”
The questions in his head were such a jumbled mess that they failed to form words. He couldn’t even be sure that other Robin had been real at all.
“…No, it’s nothing,” he said. “Never mind.”
“Perhaps it is best you not trouble yourself with Grima’s secrets,” Naga said in a soothing tone. “I shall await our fated meeting upon Mount Prism, Prince Chrom.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It felt good to be back home in Ylisstol, but no sooner had the Shepherds entered the castle grounds than Chrom, Frederick and Robin were swept into a meeting with a council anxious to know all of the details of the campaign in Valm. Robin had been sending short missives and updates from the road, and she’d been working on a more detailed report before they entered their mission in the Outrealms. She took charge of the meeting for awhile, as she often did, but then she quietly excused herself, taking a huge stack of paperwork with her.
Chrom tried to be patient as the meeting dragged on and eventually morphed into a discussion about Plegia and the Fire Emblem, neither of which he felt much like talking about at the moment. What he wanted, needed, was some time alone with his wife to sort through what they’d seen in that other world. He wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to tell her about his encounter with the other Robin or not, but thoughts of that ghost and the words that she’d said kept nagging at him, making it hard to stay focused on the present.
It was well after dark by the time the meeting disbanded. The castle was quiet and dimly lit as Chrom tiredly walked through the halls, Frederick shadowing him like he so often did.
“Milord, with your permission, I’ll head the search for Sable personally.”
“Yes, of course,” Chrom said absently. “Do you know where Robin went?”
“I would imagine she’s in her study, given that she took possession of all those documents.” Frederick cleared his throat loudly, the usual ploy for getting his liege’s attention when he knew it was elsewhere. “I had the archivists locate this for you.”
Chrom stopped and turned back. Frederick held out a very old, very worn book. Its pages were yellowed and misaligned on the sides and its cover so faded and stained that the words printed on it were no longer legible. Chrom took it carefully, mildly surprised that it didn’t fall to pieces the moment he touched it.
“It’s about the Awakening rite.” Frederick answered the unspoken question between them.
“I see.” Chrom frowned at the book. “Thank you, Frederick. I think that’s more than enough for today.”
Frederick nodded. “Get some rest, milord. There is still much to do.”
“Yes. Be sure to do the same yourself. Goodnight, Frederick.”
Frederick nodded once before dismissing himself. Chrom resumed walking down the halls in the direction of Robin’s study. Mental restlessness made him open the old book, and no sooner did he part the covers then a few pages fell out and drifted to the floor like dry leaves. Cursing to himself, he gathered up the wayward pages. He was going to simply place them back inside the book and sort them out in the morning, but one of them made him pause. It wasn’t text but a badly faded drawing, more of a crude sketch than a proper illustration. Still, the figure in the drawing was likely the first exalt, because it was holding both the Falchion and the Fire Emblem, and Naga’s brand was prominently drawn upon the figure’s hand.
The blurry first exalt appeared engaged in battle with a monstrous black shadow, the only details of which were six huge eyes. Chrom figured that had to be Grima, because logically it couldn’t be anything else. But then he noticed that smudged within that massive shadow was a smaller figure, and it had a human hand bearing a weird symbol that looked oddly familiar.
The words Scions of Dragons were written under the picture.
Chrom studied the page a moment longer, a knot twisting his chest as he realized why he recognized that symbol; it was exactly like the one on the back of Robin’s right hand. He’d never given her brand much thought because neither of them knew what it meant or where it came from, so he’d dismissed it as one of the mysteries of her unknown past. But there it was staring back at him from a page in an ancient book about the Awakening, and the book was connecting it to Grima.
And in a rush, a whole bunch of scattered images pieced themselves together in his mind. The hooded figure surrounded by Grima’s black mist, the strained voice begging him to run, the broken, fading Robin floating in that empty void.
You don’t understand. All of this is my fault!
Heart suddenly pounding, Chrom ran to Robin’s study. She wasn’t there. The partial cup of tea and the papers scattered around her desk indicated she hadn’t been gone long, but the extinguished candles told him she wouldn’t be coming back. So he went to their bedchambers, but she wasn’t there either. Rationally, he knew she’d come here eventually, but he had a pressing need to see her right now. He couldn’t sit and wait.
He forced himself to calm down and think, and then he quickly figured out where she was. He dropped the old book on an end table in the bedroom and then walked down the hallway to the white and gold door at the other end. It hung slightly ajar and he carefully pushed it fully open.
Robin stood in front of the cradle, holding baby Lucina against her shoulder. She was gently swaying side to side while humming a few bars of an old Ylissean folk song. Chrom couldn’t help but smile, inner turmoil temporarily waning in the presence of such a perfect image. This was one of those little things he hoped would burn brightly in his memory forever, as a reminder of what he fought for.
Robin noticed him after a moment and smiled back. She put a finger to her lips and carefully laid the baby in the cradle. He went to her side and watched as she tucked their tiny daughter in. Lucina cooed softly but didn’t stir otherwise. They both watched her sleep for a few minutes before Robin gently tugged his arm and led him out of the room.
“I can’t believe how much she’s grown already,” Robin sighed. She smiled. “It’s strange, isn’t it? She’s just a baby and we already know what she’s going to be like when she’s grown up.”
“A little, yes,” he agreed. “Speaking of, where are the other two?”
“I made the mistake of showing Morgan the library. Something tells me he’ll still be there in the morning, face down in a book.”
“Like mother, like son,” Chrom said.
The corner of her mouth twitched but she otherwise ignored his comment. “As for Lucina…she said she wanted to be alone for awhile.” Robin pursed her lips together. “It must be hard for her, being back here. This is her childhood home, but in her time…”
“Should she be alone?”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine. And she told me she’d meet us for breakfast in the morning, I presume with Morgan too. I know there are still things we have to do, but we can take a few days to rest here at home while we plan our next move, right?”
“I’ll make sure of it,” Chrom said. He wanted that too, especially after today. He shut the door to their room and leaned against it while she lit a candle near the bed. The panicked feeling was coming back as he watched her. He didn’t know what to say, where to even begin. Everything was spinning around in his head so quickly; he wasn’t sure if what he thought he’d figured out was true or if he’d jumped to an irrational conclusion because of stress and fatigue.
When Grima dies…I’ll finally be free…
The other Robin had all but said it, he realized; Grima must’ve used her body to carry out his reign of destruction, and she’d been helpless to do anything to stop him. She’d been in that dark void, separated from her body and unable to interact with the outside world, but apparently aware of what was going on around her. Judging by her frail and withered appearance, she must’ve been trapped in that hell for years.
He could not, would not, let that happen to his Robin.
Chrom was so absorbed in his thoughts he didn’t even notice Robin was standing right in front of him until she placed a hand on his cheek and turned his head so their eyes met. “I know that look. Dueling with unpleasant thoughts?”
“You know me too well,” he sighed. Should he tell her or not? He wasn’t very adept at keeping secrets, but it wasn’t like this was something he could casually blurt out.
“It’s sobering, isn’t it?” Robin asked. “Even when Lucina told us about her future, it was still an abstract concept to us. But now we’ve seen a world like it for ourselves. We knew all along the stakes were high, but…” She trailed off as she sat on the edge of the bed, propping her elbows on her legs and tenting her fingers. “I’ve been thinking a lot about it myself. Just when it seems our battles may be drawing to a close, it turns out they’ve only begun.”
He sighed again, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry, Robin. This isn’t the life that I wanted for us. It was never my intention to keep dragging you into wars.”
“You did nothing of the sort. I was the one who insisted on coming with you to Valm, remember?” She looked him dead in the eye. “Chrom, history is full of men like Walhart, like Gangrel, like your father. What you’re trying to accomplish is far rarer and far more difficult. It may not be my place to say this, but…I have to think Emmeryn would be proud of you. I know I am. It’s my honor to fight by your side, both as your wife and your tactician.”
Chrom felt himself blushing from her words and the intensity of her piercing but loving stare. “Th-thank you. I could say the same about you, you know. There isn’t anyone else I’d want by my side.”
Robin smiled, her own face turning faintly pink. “Thank you.”
She stood and meandered towards her vanity, discarding her coat on a chair and taking the ties out of her hair so it fell loosely down her back. Her pale form almost seemed to glow in the soft light of the room, ethereal and otherworldly. And as she walked to the shadowed parts of the bedchambers, for a split second she looked like the other Robin right as she vanished. Whether it was a trick of the light or the product of a tired mind, Chrom didn’t know, but the illusion that she was fading away made him dash to her and throw his arms around her from behind. She made a startled noise before looking over her shoulder.
“Chrom? What is it?”
He couldn’t lie to her, nor could he bring himself to tell her. His eyes flicked to her brand; the mark he’d long ignored now seemed to openly mock him. It was so cruel that this kind, caring woman was connected to a creature that wanted to devour the world. She’d be horrified and devastated to learn that.
Remind her of how much you love her, how happy you are with her.
“…I love you, Robin.” Not a lie.
She chuckled. “What brought that on all of a sudden?”
“I haven’t said it in awhile. I don’t ever want you to feel like I take you for granted.”
“You silly…” She leaned her head back against his shoulder, relaxing in his arms. “I’ve never felt that way. There isn’t a day that goes by I don’t feel blessed that you were the one who found me in that field.”
“I think I was the luckier one.” For a moment, Chrom got lost in her eyes. They shone brightly with intelligence, determination and warmth. It was such a stark contrast to the sorrow and despair in the eyes of the other Robin.
Gods, he was terrified for her.
“Something’s still bothering you,” Robin said. She didn’t have to pose it as a question. She knew him too well for that.
He hugged her tighter. “Forgive me. After what we saw in that other world, I think I’ll be dueling with unpleasant thoughts for awhile.” And that wasn’t a lie either. “As you said, it’s sobering. Even knowing we were successful in helping that other Lucina, she still suffered. And we never even saw the Morgan of that world, which means he was either killed or he wasn’t born at all.”
Robin was quiet a moment. She squeezed both of his hands. “I know. How badly did the me of that world mess up for everything to go so horribly wrong?”
Chrom blinked. “Robin, you can’t really think it’s your fault? You’re the best tactician there is. If we were to fail, the blame would be mine.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m the strategist. My job is to put everyone in a position to succeed, and if I can’t do that, well…I’m not much of a tactician, am I?” She bit her lip. “It’s a fear I have every time we sortie. I plan and check and rethink every strategy, but each time I wonder, ‘Did I miss something? Will we all survive this one?’ That world we saw and the future Lucina spoke of…they’re like my worst nightmares made real.” She swallowed audibly as a faint tremble traveled through her.
“You don’t have to shoulder that burden alone, you know.” He nuzzled the back of her neck, taking in the scent of her skin and hair. It was a mix of leather, paper, ink, and a trace of smoke, the latter probably the remnants of that Bolganone spell she cast. It made for a strange perfume, but on her it was both familiar and fitting.
“I know. That’s just how I honestly feel.” She leaned her head against his. Her breath deftly brushed his face. “I won’t allow our world to turn out like that one. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you and our children and our people. I promise.”
“We’ll do it together,” he said resolutely as he raised his head to meet her eyes again.
She smiled. “Yeah.”
A hundred unspoken words passed between them as they looked at each other, then Chrom leaned in and kissed her slowly. Robin let more of her weight fall against him as she returned the kiss with the same gentleness, and for a few glorious moments, all of the troubled thoughts were purged from his mind. She was here in his arms, alive and safe, and it was like it was just the two of them in all the world. Together.
When their lips parted, she tucked her head under his chin. “I love you so much, Chrom,” she murmured. “I want us to grow old together. You know that, right?”
“So do I,” he said. “I don’t want to think of a future where we aren’t together.”
You may have to do something…unthinkable.
His mouth suddenly went dry as he recalled that cryptic warning. Was that what the other Robin had meant? Was he going to have to choose between saving his wife and saving the world? Because he didn’t think that was a choice he could make. Certainly his head could choose the world, but his heart vehemently rebelled against the idea, convinced that a world without Robin would not be worth saving.
No, there had to be another way. There had to be a way to protect both the world and Robin from Grima, and he would find it. No matter what.
“I think that’s enough heavy talk for today,” she said with a weary sigh. “We’re both exhausted. This will all feel less daunting in the morning.”
He nodded. “You’re probably right about that.”
“Of course I am.” She parted from him and quickly finished undressing, and then she flopped into bed. “Ah gods, a real bed! It’s been way too long!”
Chrom chuckled in a note of agreement. He undressed and joined her, wrapping his arms around her again and pulling her back flush against his chest. Though soothed somewhat by their talk, the need to hold her close remained. Robin didn’t object; she twined her fingers with his and kissed his hand before she blew out the candle. He kissed her temple in return and they bade each other goodnight.
Robin soon fell asleep there in his arms and he listened to her breathe and reveled in her warmth as sleep eluded him for a time. He was still untangling thoughts about the other world, about its Lucina and the daunting task she had of rebuilding, though he knew she would succeed in whatever she did, and about the other Robin, certain now that she’d died and he’d borne witness to her last moments. He hoped she truly was free and at peace.
More aware than ever of what was at stake for his world and the people he loved, Chrom inwardly reaffirmed his resolve to change their so-called destiny. Grima could be stopped. Their world was not going to fall into ruin and despair, and his Robin was not going to befall the fate of the other one.
Stay by her side. Stay alive for her. And maybe…that will be enough.
“I will not fail you, Robin,” he whispered to her. “I swear it.”