Chapter Text
He shouldn’t be far from Ylisstol now.
Avoiding Plegia was a challenge and a half, but as long as he stayed in Ylisse territory, he shouldn’t be discovered. Just as Mother suggested before she passed, before he left where he was safe from the Grimleal.
Telling people he was a Plegian refugee wouldn’t be a lie; he just took refuge away from the lands with Mother before he can even remembered. The plan was to offer the tactical talents he’s developed throughout his travels to House Ylisse, find a way to stop the Grimleal’s plans of resurrecting the Fell Dragon, and ensure his blood would never be used for destroying the world. And as easier it was said than done, he was resolute to succeed in this task.
With bandits roving the lands, he didn’t trust himself to go about unarmed. A bronze sword wasn’t exactly the best blade to defend himself with, but it was better than nothing to supplement his Thunder tome. He thankfully haven’t gotten in combat yet, but he still didn’t wanted to press his luck.
There should be a town up ahead- he heard it. Not far away… the sound of combat? He could hear yells and clanging metal. On one hand, he would like to check to see if they needed his aid. On the other hand, it sounded like the battle was somehow under control, and that-
-darkness dark magic sacred blade Chrom thunder magic pain dark magic thunder magic pain distress Chrom laughter distress pain distress despair despair destruction DESTRUCTION-
-A blue butterfly.
“Is this where your destination is, young one?”
No. He didn’t like it. Chrom was… Chrom was important to him. He mustn’t… he mustn’t let this pass. This was not part of the plan. He can change this. He knows now he must change this. The path to this destination must be eliminated. How can he do this? How can this be averted?
He must remember. He must remember. He must-
“Chrom, we have to do something.”
Chrom. Somehow, that name… name? Yes, that name felt… comfortable. He must see this Chrom and whoever was with. He must open his eyes.
“What do you propose we do?”
Yes… that’s… that’s the right voice, isn’t it? That’s Chrom. He doesn’t know how, but as his vision slowly cleared up, he… he knew Chrom. He knew this man somehow.
“I… I dunno!”
Oh… there was a girl. Yes, that… that seems right. A girl with Chrom… He couldn’t remember her, but she was important, too.
The sun was glaring in his eyes. They turned to see him. She gasps in surprised, they lean forwards towards him. That’s right, he’s on the ground. How… did he ended up on the ground?
“I see you’re awake now.”
“Hey there!”
Chrom in blue. The girl in a yellow dress. It’s familiar, and he couldn’t point why. But they’re smiling at him; smiling, perhaps, in relief that he was awake.
“There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know.”
He’ll agree to that. Honestly, the ground was hard on the back.
“Give me your hand.”
Ah… was Chrom helping him to stand up? He’ll gladly take the offered hand-
-what is that purple marking?-
-as Chrom helps him stand.
Did Chrom… always had those piercing blue eyes?
“You all right?”
Oh, right… he can talk… can’t he?
“Y-yes,” he finally spoke. “Thank you, Chrom.”
“Ah, then you know who I am?” Chrom asked him.
He wanted to say yes. He looked over to the girl, instead. “No, actually… I… overheard her say that name. It’s yours… isn’t it?”
Chrom turned to the girl as well, giving her a look. She just grinned sheepishly. Chrom looked back at him.
“Tell me, what’s your name? What brings you here?”
Oh, he knows that. “My name is…” He knows his name. “It’s…”
And now it felt like someone drove a Levin Sword through his temples and activated its magic. A harsh buzzing sound rang into his ears. Suddenly, he can’t breathe anymore.
He could hear voices. Hands grasping his shoulders. “-hear me?”
He caught his breath again. It was Chrom. “I… I don’t know what… my head hurts…” He took another breath. “I… I can’t… Why can’t I remember…?” Why did it felt like the ground was spinning beneath him?
“...You can’t remember your own name?”
“I- I’m sorry, I…” He can salvage this. “I think... I need to get my bearings again. Some time.” He had to close his eyes. The sun was getting too bright. “I… I can’t remember shit.”
“Hey, I’ve heard of this!” The girl remarked. “It’s called amnesia!”
A third voice joined in. There was a third person? “Amnesia wouldn’t cause such a reaction upon waking up,” another man sternly pointed out. “Something clearly happened to him.”
“So we can’t leave him here, alone and confused, Frederick,” Chrom pointed out. “What sort of Shepherds would we be, then?”
Frederick? Shepherds? Frederick must be the other man, but… what was the Shepherds thing?
“Just the same, milord, I must emphasis caution. ‘Twould not do to let a wolf into our flock.”
...Who was the wolf? Him? What language were they talking?
“That being said, he’s clearly in bad shape. Let’s take him back to town and see if we can sort things out without overwhelming him.” The hands on his shoulders tighten their grip. “Can you walk, friend?”
“If… If it can help,” he answered.
Walking… didn’t helped as much as he wish it did. Frederick insisted that perhaps he could ride on a horse, but he didn’t think he was well enough to do such a thing. At the very least, the horse did help him walk towards the town.
They paused as the town got closer. “Are you feeling any better?” Chrom asked.
Honestly, his head did stopped hurting, and he wasn’t as dizzy as he was before. “Starting to,” he admitted. “I’m sorry if I sound ridiculous, but… where are we, exactly?”
“Would ‘Ylisse’ ring a bell to you?” Chrom offered.
Ylisse… Ylisse sounded familiar, yes. “I… I’ve heard of it, I believe, if you don’t mind elaborating…”
It seems like Frederick was about to say something before Chrom made a gesture not to do so. “He needs time, remember?” Frederick grunted as an answer. “This land is known as the Halidom of Ylisse. Our ruler, Emmeryn, is call the exalt.”
He rubbed his right hand. The one he just put his glove back on. (Why was it off in the first place?) “That… that sounds… right. Yes, I’ve heard of this Halidom and the exalt before,” he confirmed, not just to himself, but to them as well. “I just… don’t remember when.”
“That you know is fine enough,” Chrom told him. “I suppose proper introduction are in order, as well…” He nodded. “My name is Chrom- but then, you already knew that.” Chrom looked over to the girl. “The delicate one here is my little sister, Lissa.”
Little sister?
“I am not delicate!” She declared. She wasn’t? “Ignore my brother, please. He can be a bit thick sometimes.” She grinned. “But you’re lucky the Shepherds found you. Brigands would’ve been a rude awakening!”
Not that he disagreed with the brigand comment, but he couldn’t help his nagging question. “Shepherds? You tend sheep? ...In full armor?”
Chrom chuckled. “It’s a dangerous job. Just ask Frederick the Wary here.”
The Wary? He turned to Frederick.
“A title I shall wear with pride,” Frederick explained. “Gods forbid one of us keeps an appropriate level of caution. I have every wish to trust you, stranger, but my station mandates otherwise.”
“No, I understand, sir. I would do no less myself,” he agreed. “My name is Robin.”
...Yes, that’s right. His name is Robin. His name had always been Robin, ever since he was born.
“...I just remembered that,” he realized. “How odd. I supposed that’s one mystery solved.”
Robin. He enjoyed the sound of that name.
“Robin?” Chrom repeated. The same sounded nice coming from Chrom, too. “Is that foreign?” Before he could answer, Chrom gave a head shake. “We can discuss this later. We’re almost to town. Once we-”
Her- Lissa’s- voice suddenly rang out. “Chrom, look! The town!”
Everyone looked over.
...Smoke. Fire. The town is in danger.
“Damn it!” Chrom swore. “The town is ablazed! Those blasted brigands, no doubt…” Chrom turned to them. “Frederick, Lissa! Quickly!”
“What about him?” Frederick was obviously talking about him.
“Unless he’s on fire as well, he’ll be safer on the road at the moment!” Chrom looked over to him. “I can trust you to hide, friend?”
“I… I should…” But something nagged in his mind. He was capable of helping. There was a bronze sword and some sort of tome on his person, right?
“Let’s go already!” Lissa insisted.
Frederick quickly climbed unto the horse, and the three of them raced towards the town.
He didn’t know why, but he had to chase them. He was capable of helping, he was sure of it. Thus so, his feet sent him to follow them.
He finally caught up to them inside the burning town. “Wait!”
“Robin!” Chrom frowned. “You followed us! Why?”
“I… I just couldn’t hide. I’m armed, I must know my way around a fight,” he insisted. “If you’ll have me.”
Chrom nodded. “Of course- strength in numbers. Stay close!”
The battle… was strange. He didn’t lost all of his memories, it turned out- muscle memory is a thing, and he remembered how to wield his sword and tome, which turned out to be Thunder. He somehow knew that Chrom was a sword fighter. He knew to protect Lissa, who had a Heal staff ready to heal. He knew Frederick’s Silver Lance was a hardy weapon.
But it wasn’t the only thing he knew. He could ‘see’ things on the battlefield- the enemy’s strength, their weaponry, the flow of battle. And when he applied himself, he could see more. Tactics, strategy? There was a word for this knowledge that he couldn’t pinpoint.
This skill… where did he learned it? When did he learned it? Is this why he wanted to help Chrom and the others? He couldn’t figure it out. But it was a drive he had to follow. And that drive is how they removed the brigands from the town with just a few scratches on their persons.
“Well, that’s the end of that,” he announced.
“Lucky for the town, we were close by,” Lissa remarked. “But holy wow, Robin! You were incredible! Swords, sorcery, and tactics! Is there anything you can’t do?”
He was about to say something about recovering his memory when Chrom’s voice rang out. “You’re certainly no helpless victim, that much is for sure.”
“My body demanded to help you,” He reasoned. “I couldn’t resist its call. I hope it’s not a problem...”
“You fought to save Ylissean lives,” Chrom noted, smiling. He didn’t realized how nice Chrom’s smiles were. “Thank you.”
Frederick approached them. “His skills are still a concern for safety, milord,”
“Frederick,” Chrom began, “those very skills are what the Shepherds needs.” Chrom waved at the recent battlefield. “We’ve brigands and unruly neighbors, all looking to bloody our soil. Would you really have us lose such an able tactician?” Chrom then smiled again. “Robin has my trust.”
He could feel his cheeks get warmer. “Th-thank you, Chrom,” he stammered.
“So how about it? Will you join us, Robin?” Chrom offered.
The warmth switched to his chest. “I would be honored.”
Now that the brigands were defeated, the townsfolk were working together to put out the fires. Slowly, the remaining smoke were from the embers of the destruction.
“Did you noticed, milord?” Frederick spoke to Chrom. “The brigands spoke with a Dohlric Plegian accent.”
Plegian. That sounded way too familiar, and his head throbbed a bit. “I should be knowing what ‘Plegian’ means… shouldn’t I?” he asked them.
“Plegia is Ylisse’s westerly neighbor,” Chrom explained. “They send small bands into our territory, hoping to instigate a war.”
That… wasn’t good.
“And it’s the poor townsfolk who suffer!” Lissa cried out. “Totally innocent, and totally helpless…”
“They do have us, milady: Shepherds to protect the sheep,” Frederick intervened. “Do not be swept up in your anger. It will cloud your judgment.”
Again with the Shepherds thing.
“I know, I know… Don’t worry, I’ll get used to all this.”
It didn’t seem like it was Lissa’s first battle. Was it?
A villager approached them, offering a place to stay and a feast, but Frederick politely refused. Of which Lissa wasn’t happy about. Of which Frederick reminded her that she wanted to ‘get used to this.’
“Frederick? Sometimes I hate you,” she declared.
He turned to Chrom. “You’ve quite the stern lieutenant there,” he remarked.
“Yeah, well, ‘stern’ is one name for it,” Lissa complained. “I can think of a few others!”
“Frederick only smiles when he’s about to bring down the axe,” Chrom explained.
Oh, Frederick was that kind of person. “Duly noted,” he told Chrom.
There was a clearing of one’s throat. “You do realized I am still present?” Frederick asked.
A shit-eating grin appeared on Chrom’s face. “Oh, we realize,” Chrom teased. He couldn’t help but giggle a bit at Frederick’s expression upon hearing Chrom’s words.
Frederick shook his head. “Milord remains as amusing as ever. Now then, shall we get going?”
The grin was still stretching Chrom’s lips. “All right, all right. Ready to go, Robin? The capitol isn’t far.”
The capitol… it had a name that escaped him, but… wasn’t that the direction he was going towards? He was going to the capitol for something. By going with them, he would reach his destination, right?
“I’m ready.”