#chrobinweek2016

That Fell Dragon had to be hanging on by little more than a thread. Chrom wasn’t the only one that knew this. He could see the mixture of confusion and anger on her face; he thought that maybe he saw a little fear in there, too. He had to admit that he was scared. Normally not much could shake Chrom but seeing Robin, no, seeing his wife that way was horrifying. He knew it wasn’t her, not really. It wasn’t his version of her. Naga had come to them before the fight, told them that they could still defeat Grima and live together happily if Falchion could deal the final blow. Grima would lay dormant this way but they would be able to share so many years of happiness. Or Robin could strike the dragon, putting an end to its life permanently but dying in the process; Chrom had begged Robin to choose the first option. She eventually agreed to it, or so it seemed. Robin stepped forward, “R-Robin? What are you-?” Chrom cried out to her, reaching out to try and stop her from doing what he hoped she wasn’t going to do.

“For once, I’m glad you and I are the same. Now, I can give my life to protect those that I care for…” She looked back one last time at the Shepherds behind her, beaten and bruised but still standing strong, and smiled. The final blow of her sword connected head on with Grima who let out a horrible shriek, a blinding light flashed and Chrom faintly heard Robin’s voice, “Chrom, I-“ but the light passed.

“Oh gods, no,” Chrom whispered, “no, no, no, NO! Robin!”

He ran to where she had stood moments before and collapsed to his knees. She was gone. The awakening had been for nothing, Naga had come down for nothing. Grima was dead for good but Robin, his dearest Robin, was gone… He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Frederick by his side.

“Milord… We can’t stay here,” Frederick held out his hand to help Chrom up.

Chrom slapped the hand away and stood on his own, turning to his friends behind him with an expressionless face, “You are free to go wherever you please. Thanks to Robin’s sacrifice there is no more need for the Shepherds. We are officially disbanded once we strike camp. Thank you for your service to the kingdom Ylisse.” With that, Chrom turned away again and began the long walk back to camp. 

As he arrived he went straight to his tent, the one he had shared with Robin, to begin packing up. Many Shepherds came to try and console him but he sent every last one on their way. The war was mostly at its end with Grima gone and he knew he would have to speak to the people of Ylisse when he returned home. Normally Robin would be at his side for those announcements but with her gone… he had to think of how to tell his people that she never would be again.

Once camp was struck only Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick remained. Lissa and Frederick tried their best to get Chrom to talk to them during the march home but only received head shakes and grunts in reply. They made it back to Ylisse, Chrom ascending to the top of the castle in order to call a gathering.

“People of Ylisse, I gladly inform you that Grima is no more,” a roar of cheers sounded through the crowd, “Plegia no longer has the support of its leaders or its Dragon. We must thank the valiant sacrifice of Robin who slew the Fell Dragon. Thank you, people of Ylisse, for your time and support.”

The once cheering crowd fell to quiet murmuring, “Robin is dead?” a lone voice shouted out.

Chrom stiffened and replied with a simple, “Yes,” before turning away from the people to head back inside.

Chrom passed his days going through the things in his room, reminding himself of the times he shared with Robin. Her favorite book was still left open on her side of the bed, the side of the bed that still faintly smelled of her. It was like he had lost a part of himself; he didn’t know how to go on without her. Lissa and Frederick grew more worried for Chrom with each day that passed. They tried visiting him but he would shoo them away. They tried to get him to come eat with them but he refused, and when they left the food outside of his door it would remain uneaten when they came to pick it up. They didn’t know how to reach out to him. When Emmeryn had died the three of them had bound themselves together and supported each other. Losing Robin was like losing another sister to Lissa and Frederick but it was something even worse for Chrom. 

One week after the events of the final battle, Lissa noticed that the food she was leaving would have bites missing from it. By two weeks the food was eaten entirely, and by three weeks Chrom left his room for the first time. He had mourned but he had finally let himself come to the conclusion that Robin had only sacrificed herself because she loved them so deeply. The only regret he had left was the he couldn’t tell her how much he loved her or how much he would miss her before she left them. He gathered Lissa and Frederick.

“Milord, you’re out of your room?” Frederick had carried a worried expression since Chrom’s refusal to speak to them, being summoned only deepened his worry.

“Chrom! Oh, I just knew you’d come around to talking to us again! I was so worried and Frederick was so worried, you know how he gets, and-,“ Lissa started rambling, excited that her brother was finally seeing them again.

“I want to have a memorial for her, just us. I feel like it’s something she would have wanted,” Chrom cut Lissa off, “I know I told her I loved her while she was still here but I feel like I never said enough. I want to go to that field.”

Frederick looked at Lissa, then to Chrom, “I’ll have the horses prepared, milord,” and he left.

“Chrom, are you sure you want to do so much? You only just left your room!” Chrom nodded at her and soon they were riding to the field.

That field from so long ago, the one where Chrom laid eyes upon Robin for the first time. He remembered that day so well.

He had been telling Lissa about their plans for their next march when he saw something far into the field grass. Lissa pointed and shouted that she saw someone laying down. They rushed over with Frederick and he saw her, beautiful even when asleep. She seemed so peaceful that he worried for a moment if she was dead. Lissa saw that she was breathing, though. They waited for her to wake up on her own after Lissa scolded Frederick’s attempt at shaking her awake. Finally, after what felt like hours, her eyes fluttered open. 

“Oh! I see you’re awake now,” he told her. 

Lissa pushed him to the side, “Hey there!” Chrom returned the favor by shoving Lissa to the other side gently. 

“There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know,” he told Robin, offering his hand to her. As he lifted her up he felt something spark through him. A strange sense of nostalgia, he supposed but he couldn’t figure out why, and when she said his name his chest felt full.

They arrived and dismounted. Chrom walked a few steps further into the field before he looked around for something to signify a makeshift grave marker. He settled on some stones near the beginning of the field and brought them over into a pile. Once he was done he stood and wiped his hands on his pants and began to speak.

“Robin… I wish I knew how to begin living my life without you,” Lissa started to cry silently, “When I first met you I could tell there was something different about you that I couldn’t quite place. And when you said you would marry me, even under those circumstances I felt lighter than I had felt in years. You have made me the happiest man I could have ever been and I only wish that I had told you that. I said that I loved you every day and I still feel like I could have said it more.”

He was trying to hold himself together, trying not to cry just yet, he couldn’t miss another opportunity to tell her how he felt, “Robin I love you. I always shall and through all of time I promise to find you. When the stars finally go out and the time goes along with them I will be with you again; I promise this. And maybe in a better life, one where we are not surrounded by war and death, we can live together and create a peaceful world, just the two of us.”

“M-Milord,” Frederick placed one hand on Chrom’s shoulder and held another hand out, pointing further into the field.

Chrom looked up, wiping his eyes in disbelief and then running to the spot Frederick had pointed to. There she was, the same as before, beautiful and peaceful without a mark on her.

“It can’t be…” Chrom didn’t want to frighten her awake but it was so hard to wait for her to wake on her own. 

She finally stirred from her slumber and once her eyes were fully open Chrom fell to her side and scooped her up into his arms, kissing her face and holding her as close as he possibly could.

“Robin, oh gods, Robin, how I’ve missed you,” he cried into her shoulder.

“Chrom…,” she whispered in awe, “gods, I’ve missed you too. I never thought I would see you again.”

“I swear to you that I will never let any harm fall to you again,” Chrom said, looking into her eyes, “Robin, I love you.”