Chapter Text
Ylisstol castle’s throne room was bustling with activity as the big day had finally arrived. Robin quickly closed the door as felt herself start to panic. She had never seen so many people before! She had hoped that the ceremony would’ve only involved just close friends and family, but alas Ylisse’s newly crowned Exalt getting married just six months after a long, arduous war with the neighboring nation of Plegia to some hobo was too huge for anyone of any noble standing to even consider passing up. “Are you alright, Lady Robin?”
Robin turned to see Frederick, out of his suit of armor for once, she still was surprised he wore a black suit under it all, “O-Oh, it’s nothing, Frederick…just…that’s a huge crowd in there! I’m not sure I can even go out there! Look, how’s my dress? Is my make-up okay??”
Frederick looked Robin up and down. For the first time ever, Robin’s white hair wasn’t up in its usual style, but instead flowed long and free. In her hands was a bouquet of roses, a deep shade of Ylissean blue. Her dress was mostly black with soft magenta and gold highlights, colors very similar to her robe. Its skirt was about a medium length, not enough to drag on the floor, but enough to completely engulf her entire lower half, “You look absolutely radiant, Lady Robin. Do not worry about what others will think, this day is all about you and milord.”
Robin sighed, “Thanks Frederick. You know, it’s crazy how just a year ago you would–Frederick, are you ok?”
Frederick wiped his face with his entire arm, “I-I’m fine, Lady Robin…I’m just…so, so proud of milord, not that I’m not proud of you too, but I’ve been his appointed knight for close to eleven years now…”
“I promise you he’s in good hands.”
“I know, especially with you looking out for him. Now come, it is time.” Robin took a deep breath as Frederick opened the doors fully as all eyes were now on her. As the two walked down the aisle, Robin began noticing the looks she was getting. Some were impressed with her beauty. Others seemed more neutral. And a few seemed to look at her with disdain. Probably due to her status according to them. At first, she began to feel self-conscious. Perhaps they wished to have the opportunity to marry into the royal family. But upon seeing her husband-to-be, standing at the end wearing a white suit with gold highlights and a blue tie, smiling, all her worries seemed to dissipate. Do you really think this will last?
Robin froze momentarily. Who said that? She began to scan the crowd, looking for some snobbish noble who wanted to ruin this moment just so either they or their kin could take her place but there was no one even remotely out of place.
You won’t find me out there, Robin. In fact, I’m much closer than you think… Perhaps it’s time I show you what your destiny is…
Robin turned once more to then suddenly see the throne room in ruins. The chairs once filled with a sea of people were now replaced with Risen. Her eyes began to widen with fear as they all seemed to blankly stare at her, almost as if they were staring into her soul. Robin then looked to where Frederick once was. Only to see he too, was replaced by a Risen. Robin pulled away and fell to the floor, hyperventilating. What was going on? Who was doing this!? Robin then turned to look for Chrom, his suit and smile now replaced with ebony armor, a bolt of electricity through his chest and a blank stare. His skin was a sickly gray and his eyes a burning red as he walked toward her, stopping mere inches in front of her as she tried to back away. He then outstretched his hand, “Join us in ruin and despair.”
Robin immediately got to her feet and ran to where she came from, swinging the door wide open, running through an unfamiliar darkness. Her chest began to pound and her legs felt heavy as she eventually fell to the floor. She looked up to see an inhuman face formed from a mysterious, murky liquid. It looked as if it was from the very pits of hell, mouth full of jagged teeth, with six glowing red eyes and large horns as the liquid seemed to be the very ground she lay on! The face seemed to smile. At least, its own beastly equivalent, “There’s no use in running now, for you can never truly escape me, child. Soon you will realize what you were born for. What you are destined to do.” It let out a horrible, distorted laugh as the ground began to pull Robin into it as she struggled to break free, but to no avail. Robin’s hyperventilating began to crescendo as she reached toward where the sky would be as she began to scream.
Robin bolted up in a cold sweat, panting. She looked around the room, taking it all in as she sat there, nightgown drenched in sweat. Eventually she calmed down as she looked to her right. Chrom was still fast asleep. She sighed with relief as she emerged from the bed as she put on her robe and quietly left the room.
The castle was eerily quiet at this hour, but Robin liked it that way. It was somewhat relaxing as she wandered the halls and eventually made her way to the kitchen and found a kettle and some herbs and began making some tea. Once finished, she grabbed the kettle, a saucer and a teacup and went to the dining room and sat down. She then poured the liquid into the cup and set the kettle aside as she then took a sip. It was still a little too hot for her liking, so she began to blow. She then stopped to look at the back of her right hand. She hadn’t taken a lot of time to notice the strange symbol on it until now. It was a soft, wine red with six eye-like illustrations, the unconnected, curved top combining them as it ended in a zig-zag shape. Robin recalled a time where she looked through the library to see if she could figure out what it was, but to no avail. What was it? A tattoo? A birthmark? Whatever it was, it made her feel uneasy the more she observed it. She then began to take another sip of tea. “Robin?”
The sudden voice startled her, causing her to drop her cup, causing it to break as it hit the ground as she turned to look to see its source, “Chrom, Gods you scared the crap outta me!”
“O-oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to! Here, let me help you clean up!” Chrom then headed into the kitchen and returned with a dustpan and brush and began cleaning up the broken porcelain. Robin had also gotten up to retrieve a towel in order to clean the teat. Thankfully, it was on a hardwood surface, meaning it would be much easier to clean. “I should apologize too, I must’ve woken you up when I went to make tea.”
“It’s not your fault,” Chrom insisted, “I was starting to wake up a little after you left.”
“You do wake up pretty early,” Robin observed.
“Are you alright?”
“Hm? Oh, I’m fine. I didn’t spill any tea on myself.”
“No I mean, you seem a bit tense is all. Is there something bothering you?”
Robin froze, “O-Oh, yeah just…a bad dream…is all...”
“Ok just-” Chrom then pulled Robin into an embrace, “If you ever need someone to talk to, I’ll always be here for you, ok?”
“You’re such a sap, you know that?”
Chrom smiled, “Well, I try my love. We should probably try to head back to our room now. We don’t want our little princess to make a fuss over us being gone now, do we?”
Robin laughed softly, “No, we don’t.” Chrom started walking away when Robin spoke once more ”Chrom?”
“Yes?”
“I have a…selfish request. Could you…carry me?”
Chrom smiled, “I don’t mind doing that at all.” Chrom then scooped Robin up, bridal style as she nuzzled against him, closing her eyes as they returned to their room.
The morning was quite peaceful then on as Robin awoke once more to the sounds of a fussy baby wailing for her. She sighed as she walked over and scooped the child into her arms and slowly swung her left to right, “shhh, it’s ok. I’m here now.”
The child slowly ceased its yelling as she slowly opened her eyes, her brilliant blue eyes looking directly into hers as she reached her tiny arms toward her. Robin just smiled as she drew the child closer, “Are you hungry, Lucina? Is that why you’re making a fuss?”
Lucina simply cooed as she clung to her mother, “Aww, ok. Let’s get you some breakfast.” Robin opened the door…only to be greeted by a black-haired pale woman with a creepy smile across her face. Robin just sighed, “I’m not even gonna ask how you got in here.”
The woman just smiled, “Fancy meeting you here, are you here often?”
“I live here, Tharja.”
“So you do…”
Robin pushed past her and walked to the kitchen as Tharja, as subtle as a brick, followed closely behind her. Robin almost passed through the entrance when she saw Lissa, Chrom’s little sister, and Lon’qu, her bodyguard, chatting with a stranger at the door. A blonde kid who wore a similar robe to Robins, only instead of a hood, the collar was quite large. He then looked right at her, “Hey, you’re the uhhh…is queen the right word?” Lissa and Lon’qu turned as Robin walked over, “Can I help you?”
“Oh this is a stroke of luck! Henry’s the name, dark magic’s my game! Well, not today though cuz I’m here to speak with the Exalt!”
“Sorry kid, unless you tell us what your business is, I’m afraid you’ll have to leave,” Lon’qu said calmly, hand moving to his blade.
“What’s going on?” Robin asked Lissa.
“This weirdo says he wants to see Chrom,” Lissa explained, “Lon’qu and I have tried making him leave for like an hour now and he won’t! Plus, he kinda freaks me out”
“Now, now, let’s all just settle down. I’d rather not-” Henry then looked past the trio at the door and saw Tharja, standing there like a deer in headlights, “Thar-Thar, Is that you!?”
“Oh no…”
Henry pushed past Lon’qu and Robin as he ran up and hugged Tharja, much to her dismay, “Thar-Thar! I haven’t seen you in like, forever! How’ve you been?”
“Great until you showed up….”
“Aww, classic Thar-Thar right there! What’re you doing in the Ylissean castle?”
Lon’qu drew his blade and pointed it to Henry’s back, “Give me one good reason not to drop you now!”
“Lon’qu, hold!” Robin ordered, “Henry, right? How do you know Tharja?”
“We’ve been best buddies since we were kids! We were trained in the dark arts together!”
What was another Plegian doing here? “Alright, just…stay here, I’ll go get Chrom.”
Chrom walked into the entrance to see Lon’qu holding his blade to a boy that matched Robin’s description, along with Tharja and Lissa who stood away as Lon’qu looked up, then back to the boy, “Alright, Chrom’s here now. Get on with whatever it is you want.”
The boy smiled, “Exalt Chrom, it’s good to finally meet you, as I told your lovely wife, my name’s Henry, King Validar of Plegia sent me here to ask for your assistance.”
“Validar?” Chrom asked.
“Well, since Gangrel didn’t have any offspring, his older brother took to the throne. It was quite a surprise since everyone thought he had died!”
“Uh-huh, so what does he want?”
“Asking the big questions now, aren’t we? Well, the thing is…Plegia is under attack.”
“What? From who!?”
“Some guy from Valm. Calls himself ‘The Conqueror’. Pretty ominous, huh? Normally given our…not-so-great history, he’d handle this all on his lonesome. However, due the fact their forces are massive and we’ve yet to reconstruct our army, he sent me to seek out your aid.”
Chrom’s eyes narrowed, “He’s right to assume I’d have no intention of helping him.”
“Ah, he figured you’d say that so he told me to tell you he’s heard whispers that they plan to not only take over Plegia, but Ferox and Ylisse as well, by force if they must! We’d stand a much greater chance if we join together now and force them out before more of their forces come for us. They’ve got a whole continent on their side!”
Chrom bit his lip. If what Henry told him was true, he could very easily lose everything he and his older sister had fought for! With no real way to verify if Henry spoke the truth, Chrom sighed, “Alright, you’ve made your point. Very well, I shall gather the Shepherds and we shall march to Plegia as soon as possible.”
“Wonderful! You truly are a kind and reasonable Exalt! I shall wait outside when you are ready!” And with that, Henry left, closing the door behind him. “Are you sure this is wise?” Lon’qu asked, “For all we know, he could be lying through his teeth.”
“I know, but on the off-chance he isn’t lying, we’d be crushed by the might of a whole continent’s worth of soldiers.”
“I suppose there’s some truth to your words,” Lon’qu said, “Shall I return to Ferox to ask for support?”
“Yeah, we may need it in case we end up fighting another war.”
“Ooh, can I come with?” Lissa asked.
Lon’qu sighed, “Sure, whatever…”
“Yaaaaay!”
Lon’qu then headed in the direction of his room as Lissa followed, constantly cozying up to him, much to his dismay as Chrom chuckled at his little sister's antics, then sighed. How was he to explain this to Robin?
When Chrom walked into the kitchen, he saw Robin feeding their daughter some porridge as she made imitation dragon noises and waved the little spoon around as the little one laughed. The sight caused him to let out a little chuckle himself, causing Robin to turn, “Oh, have you spoken with Henry?”
Chrom nodded, “Apparently Plegia’s being attacked by the Valmese. For what reason, I’ve no idea but they’ve requested our aid, so I’ll be away for some time.”
“Chrom-”
“I know what you’re going to say, Robin. But Plegia’s no longer our foe and I wish to fulfill my sister’s wish for peace. And besides, even if I wasn’t interested in that, there’s a chance that they may come for Ylisse as well. I couldn’t bear for something to happen to you or Lucina.”
Robin shook her head, “That’s not at all what I was going to say. I was hoping we could discuss strategy along the way.”
Chrom was taken aback, “B-But Lucina is still just a baby! She needs her mother now.”
“House Ylisse has a tradition of wet-nursing, yes? And from where I’m standing, you and Lissa turned out quite well. Well, mostly Lissa.”
“Hey!”
Robin giggled, “And besides, she may be only half a year old, but she’s a strong child. The brand in her left eye isn’t your only gift to her, you know.”
“I know, but…I’d worry about you so much. And I just want Lucina to be able to grow up with her whole family around her.”
“What, and I wouldn’t worry about you? Besides, we can do more together than alone.”
Chrom sighed, “I know better than to argue with you once you’ve made up your mind. But please…promise me you’ll stay safe, ok?”
“You have my word.” Robin then scooped Lucina into her arms and hugged her, “I suppose now all we’ll have to worry about is how long we’ll be separated from our little girl here.”
Chrom then hugged the both of them, “All of the workers here have been very kind to me and my sisters for as long as I can remember. She’ll be in good hands. I know it won’t be long before we see her again.”
With the Shepherds reunited once more, they marched to Plegia. Many saw the irony in going to help their former foe, some had even complained about going in the first place, though Chrom was able to get his troops to eventually, albeit begrudgingly, go. Chrom now wore a new silver and gold light armor with a new blue tunic beneath with a large shoulder pad on his left shoulder with a new white cape with a light-blue back. Frederick had specifically requested he at least get something more than his previous attire for combat as he was quite known to be reckless during fights. Although he disliked the fact his right arm was now sleeved, the tunic was quite comfortable and the armor didn’t seem to bog him down. Eventually, when they arrived at the Plegian harbor, they saw the place completely taken over by this new army. There were many heavily armored soldiers and their ship was massive! “What’re we working with?” Robin asked.
Chrom turned to his wife, a golden chestplate over her shirt and cloak over that. Her cloak also had some new modifications as well, new metal plating running down the break lines and a new navy-blue and gold collar separate from it. Not only that, but she also wore a short skirt with armored boots that covered her legs up to her kneecaps. Chrom looked back down at the port, “We’ve got several units wearing heavy armor, and the ones that aren’t are all on horseback. By my count, there’s at least forty of em.”
Robin nodded, “Any archers?”
“I only see two dedicated archers, but some could be equipped with bows as well.”
Robin nodded again. She scanned over their current forces. They only had just shy of half the power of their army, and they were missing five units. That would make this fight just a bit more difficult, especially considering she knew next to nothing about their new foes. “Considering they don’t have any magic users, at least from what I can tell, our best bet is if our magic users go in first, with our cavalry backing them up.”
Ooh, what about me?” Henry piped up.
“Well, you aren’t exactly a part of our army, but if you wish to join us, you’re more than welcome to.”
“Yay! It’s been so boring since our last war, now I can finally engage in my favorite activity!”
“And that would be…?”
“Bloodshed, of course!”
Robin nodded, “Ok…I uhh…appreciate the enthusiasm. Welcome aboard!”
As the soldiers stood there, they turned to see Henry just walking up to them, humming a tune. They raised their spears to him, “Halt, Plegian! By order of General Dalton, none are allowed access to this port!”
Henry just smiled, “Aww, you think your pokey sticks make you big and scary! …Wanna see something really scary~?” Henry snapped his fingers as one of the soldiers was engulfed in a blast of dark magic. His comrades turned to see him be eviscerated right before them. They then charged Henry as he effortlessly dodged their attacks. Tharja then emerged from behind a house and joined him, albeit reluctantly, as she blasted another soldier down with lightning. Now it was their turn to flee as Henry and Tharja chased after them.
Seeing this, Ricken, Miriel and Robin emerged from their hiding spots and began blasting the other soldiers on their side as Chrom, Frederick, Vaike and Sumia charged in, weapons ready. Robin then drew upon her sword, shaped like a lightning bolt, and raised it to the sky as another blast of lightning struck down one of the archers. The second readied his bow to shoot Sumia down, only for Frederick to charge in and strike him down with his spear. Sumia then threw her javelin at another soldier attempting to charge Frederick. She then flew down to retrieve it from the corpse it pierced and returned to the safety of the sky, joined by Cordelia and Nowi as they took out many of the non-armored units one by one.
Stahl, Panne, Gregor, Kellam, Gaius, and Donnel came in to back up Tharja and Henry, despite the fact that they were handling themselves quite well. Henry blasted another armored soldier with a fireball when another attempted to charge him from behind as Panne, in beast form, kicked him back, “I must say, I am quite shocked to see you again.”
“You know strange kid?” Gregor asked, parrying another soldier’s axe and taking them down.
“He was the one who informed me of the previous Exalt’s assassination attempt.”
“Only cuz that’d spoil the fun!” Henry said, “But now’s not the time for talk, we’ve gotta grind these guys to a fine paste and use that for our breakfast toast!” Henry then ran off, skipping like a schoolgirl and blasting soldiers left and right as he left Gregor and Panne dumbfounded, “Even after all this time, he still creeps me out,” Panne said, rejoining the fray with Gregor by her side.
As the fighting on the harbor continued, Chrom and Robin boarded the ship, seeing that even more soldiers were upon it, drawing their weapons as their general looked down on them, “The hell are Ylisseans doing in a place like this?”
“We know of your emperor’s plans to take over all of Archanea!” Chrom shouted, pointing his blade, “I won’t allow such a tyrant to try and destroy all that I’ve worked for?”
The soldier raised an eyebrow, “The hell are you talking about? Bah, it hardly matters now! For your aid of these devils, I shall put you down like the scum you are!”
Robin smirked, drawing her blade, “I’d like to see you try!” She then charged the general as Chrom began fighting the other men. She swung her blade only for it to be blocked by his spear as he pushed her back. He attempted a stab but Robin simply side-stepped the blow. She then charged and struck at him, cutting into his armor as he barely moved back to prevent the wound from becoming lethal. As Robin charged again, a sharp pain from her chest caused her to fall to her knees and clutch her chest with her left hand. Her scar had begun to act up again. It wasn’t as bad as it was two years ago, but it was enough pain to immobilize her. As the general was about to take advantage of the opening, Robin lifted her blade and shot a bolt of lightning to blast him back. Chrom ran to her as she managed to return to her feet, “Are you alright!?”
“I’ll live,” Robin answered, “Damn thing still acts up from time to time.”
“Then leave this one to me!” Chrom charged forth and engaged the general as the three remaining soldiers began to approach Robin. She then drew upon a green tome and opened it as she smirked, “ARCWIND!!”
Chrom struck at the general as blocked and then stabbed at Chrom, only to be blocked by the Fire Emblem, which shocked the general, “The Emblem wasn’t in Plegia!?”
Chrom then pushed him back, almost knocking him off the edge of the boat. That must be why they attempted to take over Plegia! Chrom then slashed vertically as the general blocked his blade, “If your ‘Conqueror’ wants this so bad, he can pry it from my corpse!” The general then pushed him back as Chrom then blocked his swing with his shield. “I won’t allow Ylisse to fall to any power-hungry scum who seeks to subjugate the innocent! Prepare yourself!” Chrom then used his shield to knock the spear from his hand and stabbed in through the opening Robin had made. His eyes widened as he stumbled back, “H-How…can you be…?” The general’s last words were cut off as he fell from the ship and plummeted to the sea below. Chrom then sheathed his sword as he sighed as Robin ran to his side, “You ok, love?”
“Yeah…looks like we have another war on our hands…”
“Are you certain to involve yourself in this?” Frederick asked, “Our chances against an entire continent are slim to none.”
“I’ve spent some time pondering Ylisse’s place in this world…Along with my own,” Chrom said, “We must stand against any evil that dares to threaten us, or else we can have no peace. Besides, with the Feroxi on our side, we might stand a chance.”
“Bit of a problem with that.”
Chrom turned to see Flavia and Basilio, the Khans of Regna Ferox, along with Lon’qu, Olivia, Lissa and a small army, “Flavia, Basilio! It’s great to see you again!”
“Likewise,” Flavia said with a smile, “Though as much as we’d like to support you, I fear that despite our troops now back to their full force, we aren’t back to our full power. Even if we were, we don’t have any warships. Neither does Ylisse from last I heard.”
“Well, if we’re to handle this threat as a united continent, our best bet is to ask Plegia for their support,” Robin suggested.
Chrom shook his head, “I’m not sure if that’s a great idea. I doubt they’d be thrilled with working with us. As Henry said, tensions are still a bit sour.”
“Can't hurt to try,” Basilio chimed in, “Flavia and I’ve seen their warfleet! And they’ve got the resources to fund this war as well! We’d only have a fart’s chance in the wind without them!”
Flavia nodded, “The oaf’s right…crude, but right.”
“Alright then,” Chrom said, sighing, “Henry, can you send word to Validar that I wish to hold an audience with him?”
“Certainly! I hear he’s quite eager to make your acquaintance as well,” Henry replied as he skipped away.
“I know how you must feel about working with Plegia after so many years of fighting,” Robin said to Chrom, “Though perhaps this is a step in the right direction to mending those wounds.”
“I just hope this new king is more reasonable than the last.”
Chrom, Robin, Frederick, Basilio and Flavia all entered a small fortress on Carrion Isle. Its golden brick hallways and purple carpets giving the place an almost eerie feeling. The doors then closed behind them as Frederick whispered to Chrom, “Are you sure this is wise, milord? Meeting them on this remote island where they have an advantage? Plus, everyone else was forced to wait on the mainland, if they plan to kill us-”
“Don’t worry Frederick,” Chrom reassured him, “This isn’t just a threat that looms over us, but also them. Surely they must see that.”
“And we do…”
Chrom turned to see a familiar face, someone he wasn’t expecting to see since the war, “Aversa!?”
Aversa smiled, “I wish to give you a kind Plegian welcome. Normally, the king would hold meetings like this in the castle, but due to…tensions, it wouldn’t look all that great if we just let Ylisseans stroll on in like they own the place.”
“Where were you in the final battle?”
Aversa seemed to go quiet, rubbing her right cheek, “I had…other businesses to attend to at the time. A spiritual journey of sorts.”
Robin nodded, noting the odd way she worded it, “And what of this Validar character? You serve him now?”
“But of course,” Aversa answered, “He’s been like a father to me ever since my birth parents cast me aside. He trained me in the dark arts personally and inducted me as a fellow Grimleal. Ah, there you are, milord. I was just about to send for you.” Validar was quite tall. Almost as tall as Lon’qu! Maybe taller! He wore black and gold robes and had his scraggly black hair tied back. His red scanned over his guests before he began to speak, “It is an honor to meet you all. I am Validar, king regnant of Plegia.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you face-to-face,” Chrom said with a smile as he went to shake his hand, when Robin suddenly grabbed his arm. Chrom then turned to her and noticed her hyperventilating, “Hey a-are you alright?”
Validar chuckled, “Now that’s just adorable! I suppose this means you’re Lady Robin, then?”
Robin tried to get her breathing under control, “Y-You know of me, s-sire?”
“But of course, the whole world knows of the legendary exploits of Ylisse’s master tactician!”
“I must say, you look really familiar,” Chrom said, “have we met before?”
Validar shook his head, “I’m sure I would remember meeting with Ylissean royalty.”
“Chrom!” Robin whispered.
“What is it, my love?”
“Th-That man…he’s the one who tried to assassinate Emmeryn!”
“What!?” Chrom then looked back to Validar. Sure enough, he was a dead ringer for that man from that night, “Y-You’re right, but…we killed him.”
“The negotiations have hardly begun and you’re already whispering amongst yourselves?”
“My apologies, King Validar, I meant no disrespect. My wife here is just concerned for our child at home. As am I, though I know she will be safe.”
“New parents, eh? Well I must congratulate you on the little one!” Validar said, “In any case, let the negotiations begin. Aversa, if you would?”
Aversa nodded, “Though we cannot provide any troops, we can offer eight hundred warships and two hundred transports. In addition, we wish to fully fund the campaign against Valm.”
“Th-That’s quite the generous offer,” Flavia observed, taken aback by how smoothly this whole thing went, “We quite literally couldn’t ask for anything more!”
“I’m sure you can understand why we cannot provide you with troops, yes? But in any case, I hope this proves our loyalty to the cause.”
“With what you’re offering, surely there is some way we can repay you,” Chrom said.
“Think nothing of it! This whole predicament concerns all of us, yes? The best way you can repay us is by giving those Valmese dogs what for!”
“Thank you, King Validar. I will not forget your kindness.” As Chrom finished his sentence, another figure stepped out of the darkness, face obscured by the hood of their cloak as Validar turned to face them, “Ah, just in time! Have you come to introduce yourself to our guests?”
The figure nodded.
“Who’s that?” Robin asked.
“A hierophant of the Grimleal faith,” Aversa answered, “The highest of her order in all of Plegia.”
The hierophant turned her attention to Robin as she seemed to stare her down. Something about her felt…off. Whatever it was, Robin couldn’t tell, “It’s uh…nice to meet you. Might I ask for your name?”
The hierophant just stared, a blank expression on her concealed face.
“Have I done something to offend you? I apologize if I have.”
Silence once more.
“Are you…alright?”
The hierophant smiled, “The heart still slumbers, and yet the divine blood continues to flow…How intriguing.”
Robin took a step back. What did that mean? And why did that unsettle her more than Validar’s presence did? And something about her demeanor…it was unsettlingly familiar.
“Dear hierophant, I must ask you to remove your hood,” Frederick asked, “It is a common courtesy of Ylisse when interacting with royalty.”
The hierophant slowly turned to Frederick, staring a while before speaking again, “You’re quite a long way from Ylisse, aren’t you? But if you insist…” The hierophant did as Frederick had asked, and removed her hood. When Robin saw the face beneath, her eyes widened, “Wh-What the hell!?”
“By the gods!” Chrom exclaimed, stepping back.
Frederick readied himself to defend the two, “Wh-What manner of sorcery-!?”
Beneath the hierophant’s hood was a face they were all too familiar with. A young woman with pale skin, white hair in twin-tails, and blood-red irises. Aside from that last detail, this woman looked exactly like Robin! her eyes scanned the room before meeting and locking with Robin’s gaze as she smiled, “Is this better?”