Work Text:
Robin suddenly woke in a cold sweat.
It took a moment for her to remember that she was in fact still in her bedroom, darkened by the cover of night. Robin found herself buried beneath warm blankets with her back supported by the soft feathered bed.
After some deep breaths, Robin tried to calm herself down. “It’s just that dream again...”
She turned to her side. There was Chrom, still fast asleep. Normally his mere presence would be enough to calm her, but just now in the dream...
Robin slowly sat herself up and rubbed her face with her hands. Maybe some fresh air will do me some good, she thought to herself. The tactician quietly slid out of bed, careful not to wake her husband, found her trusted robe laid over the desk chair, and slipped it on over her nightgown. She made her way across the room to the large doors. They were built along with most of the castle, and Robin knew its hinges were eager to betray anyone who might sneak past. To her relief however the sound was not enough to stir Chrom, and she was able to slip through and shut the door just as quietly.
The hallway was dark, lit by the moonlight piercing through the windows. Sometimes the darkness would be broken by the flickering light of a torch, as it was customary to have a few lit all night to help the guards detect possible intruders. As she walked, Robin would pass by one of these occasional knights, each one giving her a deep bow with a “your highness” the moment they recognized her. Even though it had been almost a year since her marriage to Chrom, Robin was still unsettled with the royal treatment they gave her. As if being waited on constantly wasn’t strange enough, with them taking over tasks Robin had done as a Shepherd like cooking and cleaning (it took a few weeks to convince the maids she didn’t need help putting on a dress unless it was an elaborate ball gown), most of the staff seemed to have placed her on a sort of pedestal like she was a delicate object that might easily break as the slightest problem. No wonder Chrom seemed to prefer the company of the Shepherds over being suffocated by the castle staff!
Guess I’ll have a lifetime to figure out how to deal with all that. I am a tactician, after all, she thought to herself. That and the royal court, but that was another matter entirely and one she would rather not think about right now.
Soon however she encountered a familiar face, and one she was thankful treated her the same as before the marriage (albeit at her request). “Hello, Robin. What are you doing up this late at night?”
“Hello, Frederick. I couldn’t sleep so I thought I might get some fresh air.”
“Ah, I see,” the knight responded, thinking for a moment. “Perhaps I could help you in that regard. I do know a few lullabies I’ve sung to Lord Chrom when he was much younger. Perhaps I could—“
“That won’t be necessary, Frederick,” Robin hastily replied. “I’m sure that I just need some time for myself.”
Frederick appeared a bit taken aback by this but quickly found his composure. “I understand, Robin,” he bowed, “but please do let me know if you need anything. You are a part of the royal family now, so it is my duty to watch over you like I do with Chrom and Lissa.”
“I know. Thank you, Frederick.” Robin smiled before walking past the knight. She paused for a moment, listening for his footsteps as they faded down the dark hallway behind her. She then continued down in the opposite direction until eventually she reached the two large wooden doors leading to the castle’s grand balcony, commonly used to address the people of Ylisse at large. It didn’t take Robin long to undo the lock and push one door open.
Robin stepped out into the cool night air and onto the grand balcony. It was a little chilly that night, but her robe kept Robin comfortably warm. From the balcony one could see all the way to the Ylisstol town square. Only a few torches were lit there this late at night, but it was enough for Robin to make out its existence.
Robin stared out over the dark landscape, canopied by the brilliant stars in the sky. As she stared, Robin realized this might be the first time she ever wandered onto this balcony unaccompanied by anyone. No guards or escorts, not even her husband and closest friend, Chrom. She was out here all alone, a first perhaps in months.
“Well, maybe I’m not entirely alone,” she said smiling downward while gently rubbing her stomach, bulging from the precious life evidently growing inside her.
Robin’s mind wandered back to her wedding day. She remembered how after their vows, she and Chrom stepped out on this very balcony, greeting the thousands of people that came far and wide to celebrate their union. It was among the happiest of her life, the day that her bond to Chrom was officially recognized by the world at large. Of course she was more concerned about the wedding itself than what the world thought that day: how some of her fellow Shepherds helped her put on the large, white dress and do her hair, to the nervousness she felt walking down the aisle towards the man she loved. From the large celebration they held afterwards in the ballroom (which was rather chaotic thanks to certain Shepherds, but thankfully it ended without any major mishaps) to the intimacy she shared with Chrom once they retired alone to their room that night. Robin smiled to herself at every memory of that day and how special it was to her and Chrom.
But yet that nightmare...
Robin suddenly felt uneasy. This wasn’t the first time she had that dream.
The first time she had the dream, she wasn’t really bothered by it as it simply was just a dream, if a strangely realistic one. But every once in a while she would have it again, watching the events unfold in vivid detail. No matter how many times she’s had that dream, it always ended the same way. And as Chrom became a more important and intimate part of her life, the dream only became more upsetting.
What would possess her to suddenly kill him in the dream like that?
“Robin?”
Startled, Robin turned to the familiar voice. There was Chrom, standing at the doorway and still dressed in his night clothes.
“Chrom. Did I wake you earlier?”
“No,” he admitted, walking towards Robin’s side. “But it is worrying to wake and find your wife not in bed with you.” He smiled. “It’s a good thing I encountered Frederick in the hall. He told me where you were.”
“Oh.”
“Is something troubling you?”
“N-no. There’s nothing wrong.”
“Robin...” His tone made it evident he could tell she was lying.
From that, Robin gave in. “I...I had a nightmare. And not just any nightmare: one that I’ve had repeatedly and it... it scares me.”
Chrom carefully peered over his wife. Robin was one of the most brilliant and logical people he’d ever met, and usually the voice of reason to his emotional outbursts. For her to be so shaken up... the dream must have been serious. “Are you willing to tell me about it?”
Robin thought for a moment before taking a deep breath. She trusted Chrom with her life. He needed to know, especially since it involves him.
Slowly, Robin began telling Chrom about her dream; all the details she could recall. The large, dark room with a menacing design and an ominous glow. The Fire Emblem placed beneath an altar with five glowing orbs embedded in it. Their battle against the lead assassin they’d already killed back when he came after Chrom’s sister Emmeryn. The aftermath of that battle, where Chrom was helping Robin up only for her vision to go red and to find that she had fatally stabbed him with a magical bolt to his abdomen. And the horror she felt when she could do nothing but hear his last words and watch him fall over, dead. Chrom listened to Robin intently and in stunned silence, finding each part more unbelievable than the last.
“I don’t know what to make of it, Chrom,” Robin admitted, her eyes beginning to water. “If anything were to happen to you because of me, I...I don’t know if I could live with myself...”
Robin couldn’t hold it in any longer. Tears began rolling down her cheek as she began to sob into her hands, her whole body shaking. Chrom didn’t know what to think of the dream, but he couldn’t stand the sight of Robin being so distraught. He hastily wrapped his arms around his wife, holding her close in a tight embrace. Robin was taken off guard by this, but welcomed it, burying herself into him and crying into his shoulder. For a while neither of them spoke as Chrom slowly rocked his other half in his attempt to comfort her.
Once he was able to collect his thoughts and Robin’s sobs had quieted, Chrom decided to break the silence. “Listen, Robin: you are one of the most talented and brilliant people I know. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be alive and standing here right now. I don’t know why you are having this dream or even what it means, but I know that whatever happens in the future we will be able to overcome it together.”
Robin pried herself away from Chrom so that she could fully take in his face. “Do you truly believe that?”
Chrom smiled at her, “I wouldn’t say that if I didn’t believe it. You’ve come up with some of the most devious tactics, not to mention your skill with magic. I’m just good at smashing walls in.”
The tactician couldn’t help but chuckle at his remark. “Don’t forget the dozens of training dummies you’ve destroyed,” she added. “But seriously, Chrom, you’re talented with the blade and a gifted leader. There have been days where I’m wondering how I managed to become close to someone as amazing as you.”
“And I feel the same about you, Robin.”
Before she could respond, Chrom leaned in towards Robin and pressed his lips against hers. Robin returned the gesture, sliding her hands up behind Chrom’s head in order to deepen their kiss. For a brief moment the couple was able to forget their troubles and absorb themselves in their passionate moment.
Suddenly Robin broke away from her husband with a smile. “The baby is kicking.”
“Only because they can feel our love for them and each other,” Chrom assured her. Robin smirked at his remark and responded by pulling him in for another kiss.
After a few more minutes of enjoying each other’s company, Chrom gestured towards the door. “Shall we head inside now, Robin?”
“Of course, Chrom”, said Robin, “and thank you.”
“Anything for you, my love.” Chrom wrapped his arm around her shoulders and escorted her inside. Robin believed that when they got back to bed tonight she would not be haunted by her nightmare, as she knew that Chrom would be there by her side just as she promised him long ago.