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The first time they kissed was hardly romantic.
Frederick still had the taste of bear in his mouth, and Robin was a little too enthusiastic. Their noses bumped before their lips even touched, and she was still giggling when he covered her mouth with his own. It was clumsy, halfway between a peck and a real kiss; neither of them had done anything like this before, but that hadn't ruined the magic of the moment.
They were both red in the face when they parted, and Robin let out a shaky laugh; she had tears in her eyes, and Frederick wiped one away when it slipped down her cheek. She held onto his hand, and they stood for who knows how long, staring into each other's eyes. Frederick remembered whispering that she was the most exquisite person he'd ever met; she'd turned dark red and pressed a kiss to his palm that set his nerves tingling.
The moment was ruined when Chrom strode into the tent and froze, eyes darting between the pair and his face stuck between a smile and a look of shock. Robin took one look at his comical expression and doubled over laughing, and after a pause even Frederick dropped his shoulders and chuckled. The prince continued standing there, one hand hanging in the air in front of him and his mouth wide open as his gaze was now locked on the ring sitting on his chief tactician's finger.
It was a few more minutes before Chrom could collect himself enough to congratulate them, and he left immediately, shaking his head and muttering 'of all the things'.
The second kiss was significantly less happy than the first.
Frederick was standing at his lord's side, a silent comfort to him and Lissa as they mourned their Exalt; their sister. He hadn't shed any tears, having learned to hold his own grief at bay in favour of assisting his charges with easing theirs.
Robin was nowhere to be found.
Chrom was picking at the scabbard that held Falchion, and Lissa sat next to him with her head in her hands. Frederick was casting worried glances at the entrance of the tent, wondering which of his duties was more relevant. Chrom eventually relieved him of the decision by speaking.
"Go see her, Frederick," he said, looking up at the knight and attempting a smile. His eyes were rimmed with red. "Lissa and I...have each other right now." His sister had lifted her head to nod, and the royal siblings found each other's hands. "She needs you."
He was still hesitant to leave his charges, but when he began to voice these worries Lissa stopped him in his tracks.
"She's going to be your wife!" she cried, fresh tears beading at the corners of her eyes. "We're not more important than that!"
Frederick's words died in his throat; the princess was right. He dipped his head at them in a slight bow. "As long as you're sure, milord, milady."
Lissa made a shooing motion with her left hand, gripping her brother's more tightly with her right as a few more tears ran down her cheeks. Chrom slipped an arm around his sister's shoulders and nodded at the knight. "We're sure."
It was still raining, and the evening was dark. Frederick could barely see where he was going, but he found his way to Robin's tent eventually. He hesitated, and then cursed himself for his folly. He opened the tent flap and stepped inside quickly, to keep the rain out, and guilt hit him like a brick when his eyes adjusted to the light.
It was dim; there was only a single candle lit, and that was on Robin's desk. There were papers scattered all over it, and she was laying face down with her head in her arms. He would have thought she was sleeping if it weren't for the small tremors that shook her shoulders. He glanced at the maps on her table, and felt even worse. The plans for that day- the plans that had gone terribly wrong- were drawn out again and again, in different formations, and the furious scribblings that Frederick recognized as Robin's handwriting became more desperate and less legible with every repeated battle formation.
There were tear stains on the parchment.
A whimper escaped Robin's mouth, and Frederick laid a hand on her shoulder, causing her head to jerk up slightly, and he saw her red rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
She looked at him, sniffed, and cracked a pained smile. "Hi. Was there something you needed?"
Frederick brushed some of her hair back, and her false smile quivered. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she hiccuped, and when he drew her into his arms she was full-out sobbing, staining his vest with tears as she coughed and wailed, letting everything out.
Neither of them slept much that night, but they both felt much better when the morning came.
The third kiss was on their wedding day.
It was two months after the royal wedding of Chrom and Sumia, which was a grand affair that had the whole halidom rejoicing. Chrom, Lissa, and the new queen had insisted that they would spare no expense for Robin and Frederick's wedding, and Frederick was stunned into silence when Lissa told him. Robin had patted him on the shoulder and smiled, thanking Lissa for both of them. A beat later Frederick was kneeling, and both Robin and the princess were hiding smiles as he thanked his charge profusely, from the bottom of his heart. She giggled and waved his words off.
"It's no trouble at all, Freddy," she laughed as he rose and grimaced at the nickname. "You and Robin have done so much for us- for Ylisse." She put her hands on her hips. "It's only right that you have the best wedding we can give you!"
xxx
The decorations were elaborate, frivolous, and frankly, gorgeous. Frederick was shocked by how many people had arrived, and he found himself feeling incredibly nervous- a rare occurrence.
The vows he had memorized were being pushed to the back of his mind in anticipation- another emotion he didn't feel often. It was bad luck for him to see Robin in her dress before the wedding, or so he'd been told. He'd humoured the ladies, because part of him wanted it to be a surprise. The other part of him knew that she could be wearing a paper bag and it wouldn't matter to him.
Both parts were awed when she finally did walk down the aisle, escorted by Chrom. She was blushing, and her makeup had been done; her brown hair was down in large, soft curls instead of sloppy pigtails, and a necklace of simple silver was around her neck- the veil was held on her head by a fine golden tiara. Her white dress made a stunning contrast to her dark hair, and it hugged her waist before it flared out at the bottom in a train that was short enough that it didn't need to be carried.
Frederick decided that though the paper bag thing still stood, he much preferred her in the wedding dress.
When they reached the altar, Chrom handed his tactician off to his lieutenant and smiled brightly at the both of them before stepping back to stand at Frederick's side. Maribelle was behind Robin, and Lissa had the place of maid of honour; Libra was officiating.
"Dearly beloved," he began in his soft, soothing voice. "We are gathered here today to witness the union of these two, before the eyes of gods and men. If there are any objections to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace."
Frederick and Robin were staring directly into each others eyes, and they barely managed to pull their attention away to answer Libra when he asked them their vows. The crowd tittered, though not unkindly, as the couple began reciting the pledges they'd written.
"Sir Frederick," Libra said. "You first."
Frederick took a breath, and looked Robin in the eye. He held her gaze as the words he'd written from his heart spilled out of his mouth.
"I vow to protect you, as knight and husband, till death should part us." He squeezed her hands, so small in his own; he wasn't sure which one of them was trembling. "My heart is yours, milady. From now until the end."
Robin swallowed, and he saw her eyes shine. Libra smiled at Frederick and nodded at the bride. "Your vows, milady?"
Her breathing stuttered; she shut her eyes and sighed. She lifted her gaze to Frederick's and the words came tumbling out in a rush; she found she didn't care.
"I vow to love you till the end of my days, and to serve you and support you as your wife forever." She was struggling to hold back her tears, and her voice was choked. "You have all of me, my knight."
Libra shut the prayer book he was holding. "Sir Frederick, do you take Lady Robin to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
Frederick felt his own eyes get slightly wet. "I do."
"And do you, Lady Robin, take Sir Frederick to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Robin sniffed loudly, and another ripple of laughter went through the crowd; she chuckled as well. "I do."
Libra closed his eyes and smiled, opening them again to take one of the couples hands in each of his and join them together. "Then, by the power vested in me and by the grace of Naga, I pronounce you man and wife." He paused. "You may now kiss the bride."
Frederick wasted no time in pulling his wife- his wife- into his arms and kissing her senseless. Her veil fell off and they vaguely heard Lissa giggling in the background; however, they weren't terribly concerned with that.
Robin had no idea Frederick could kiss so passionately; all their kisses thus far had never been more than loving pecks and the like. This kiss was consuming; it said everything he couldn't with mere words, and she responded equally by putting all her love and happiness into it. At some point she had really started crying, and when they finally broke apart and the crowd's cheering snapped them out of their personal bubble, even Frederick's eyes were shining more than usual.
They would look back at that kiss often, in the throes of yet another war.
The fourth kiss was after they found Morgan.
The icy floor was treacherous, and their breaths misted and mixed together as they fought the horde of Risen side by side. The Shepherds had taken a detour to eradicate the pocket of monsters before it could reach a nearby village; Chrom's resolve had been strengthened even more when he spotted a youth fighting alone. He sent Frederick and Robin to help him, instructing them to keep him from harm and, if possible, ask him to join the Shepherds- they needed all the men they could get.
Robin had expected the young man to be grateful; she expected someone who had gotten lost and ambushed by the horde of Risen, someone who lived in the village below.
What she hadn't expected, upon reaching the youth's side, was to be called 'Mother' and embraced.
"I thought we'd gotten separated! But what a relief!" he babbled, holding on to Robin's hand as she and Frederick stared at him in shock, the enemies temporarily forgotten. "The air here must be good for you, Mother! You look years younger." The brown-haired young man smiled again. "Now that I've found you, we can get out of here and go home."
"W-woah, hang on," Robin sputtered, finally finding her words. "Can we go back to the 'Mother' part? I've never seen you before in my life."
The youth frowned, puzzled. "What? Mom, it's me, Morgan." He waved his hand with a flourish, chuckling nervously. "You know, Mommy's little boy? Love of your life and all that?"
Robin's mouth opened and closed a few times, then it clicked. "Okay, Morgan, I want you to listen to me." Morgan nodded eagerly. "I think you came from the future."
He reeled. "What? That's absurd, Mother! We were just...I mean..." He frowned and suddenly clutched his head. "Ow!"
"Take it easy, Morgan," Robin said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You said I looked younger, right? Take a closer look. Do I seem old enough to have a child your age?"
Morgan looked pained. "You...the future? But..." He blinked a few times, slowly. "That...makes sense, I guess. But why don't I remember..."
Robin flinched. "Okay, look. It's dangerous around here, even more so if you don't have your memory." She tapped the side of her head. "I'm the same way. I don't remember anything before waking up in a field, but luckily someone found me."
Morgan lit up and laughed. "You woke up in a field too? Wow!" He seemed to find that incredibly amusing. "Like mother like son, I guess. Man, that's too good!"
Robin glanced at Frederick, who gave her a bewildered stare. "Why don't you join us, Morgan? We can talk more about this later."
The youth beamed at Robin- at his mother. "Right! Let's do this!"
xxx
Frederick found Robin sitting on a log at the edge of the camp, staring at the sky. He went up to her silently and took a seat next to her. She found his hand and held it, still looking at the stars.
"He doesn't remember you," she said softly, moving her gaze to the ground and frowning. "He doesn't remember anything but me."
Frederick nodded, though she wasn't looking at him. He wasn't sure what to say, but she didn't seem to be waiting for an answer. She was toeing the dirt with her foot, deep in thought. After a few more minutes she spoke.
"He loves you, though," she said, smiling at her husband. "He saw you and felt a connection, he said. He..." She paused. "He's eager to try and get his memories of you back."
Frederick smiled, squeezing Robin's hand and reaching up to brush some hair out of her face. "It gladdens my heart to hear that." In truth, he had been worrying about it since Morgan had joined them; he was used to keeping such things to himself, however, but plainly his wife could read him better than he thought.
Robin scooted closer to him and pecked him lightly on the lips. "Hey," she whispered, before he kissed her again. "We're a family now." She was beaming.
Frederick kissed her for all he was worth, feeling happier than he'd been in ages.
When they had the fifth kiss, both of them were crying.
Robin had already been sobbing; Frederick found her in her tent after the run-in with Lucina; after Validar had somehow forced the tactician to take the Fire Emblem from Chrom, and his daughter had decided Robin was too dangerous to live.
Frederick hadn't been around when his prince put a stop to that, but according to him Robin had been very understanding about it all; she'd forgiven Lucina instantly, and seemed rather calm as she walked away from the scene. Her husband knew better though, and so did Chrom; Frederick was already on the way to see her when his prince stopped him, and he assured him that he would make sure Robin was alright.
She'd thrown herself into his arms as soon as he entered the tent.
He rubbed her back, guiding her onto the cot so he could hold her more easily. Abruptly she tore herself away, looking as horrified as she did pained.
"Gods," she breathed, squeezing her eyes shut. "She was right, Frederick." Her fist was clenched, and Frederick's gaze was unwillingly drawn to the mark on the back of her hand; the mark of Grima. He felt sick.
"You mustn't speak like that," he began, but Robin cut him off.
"I mustn't speak the truth?" she choked, glaring at the mark he had just been looking at. "Everything she said made sense, Frederick." A shaky breath, and her tone changed. "Validar can control me. I couldn't do anything but obey." She was disgusted with herself, and Frederick felt utterly helpless. Robin let out anther sob and curled in on herself, yanking her sleeve down roughly to hide the mark. "I was going to let her do it."
Frederick's head snapped up, and he was suddenly angry- at whom, he had no idea. "No," he said firmly, and Robin lifted watery eyes to stare at him tiredly. He started again. "Why, Robin?" He tried to hide the fear in his voice, the pain he felt at even imagining her dead. It was pointless.
"What if I end up killing Chrom, Frederick?" she asked, coming off more snappish than upset. "It's already happened in Lucina's future; we've all seen that Validar has complete control over me, so why take the chance?" The tears rolled down her cheeks, but her eyes were determined, and Frederick was frightened.
"Please, Robin," he pleaded, grabbing her hand- the marked hand. Her face crumpled and she looked away, hiccuping. "You said it yourself, once," he said, lifting her chin gently with his other hand. "'We're not pawns of some scripted fate'. Don't you believe that?" Her shoulders were shaking horribly, and she'd closed her eyes again. Frederick felt his voice get thick, and as he brushed a thumb across her cheek his hand trembled.
When the tears came, for once he didn't try to stop them.
He clenched his teeth, and Robin slowly opened her eyes and seemed shocked that he was crying. Immediately, she looked guilty, dishearteningly so, and for some reason that made the tears slip out of his eyes faster.
She was the one holding him, now, and they were both sobbing.
His arms were wrapped around her waist, and she was stroking his hair- his head was buried in the crook of her neck. She pressed a soft kiss to his hair, and he lifted his head to give her one in return.
Robin and Frederick spent the whole march the next day with Morgan, and if he noticed the circles under their eyes and the pain behind their smiles, he didn't do anything but smile back.
The sheer size of the fell dragon was disheartening; the fact that his vessel was Frederick's wife was just disconcerting.
No, he thought, glancing at Robin's determined face. That thing is not my wife.
Still, it was horrifying to hear her voice, twisted as it was, laughing at their fragile human bonds and silkily telling Robin that if she didn't submit, he would rend the flesh from their bones.
He saw her consider the offer.
"Robin...no..." Chrom gasped, clutching his side; all of them were gravely wounded.
"He's...lying," Lissa said, a pained expression on her face. "It's...a trap..."
"NOW!" the dragon bellowed, cackling with Robin's voice. "I will have your decision. Will you save these worms? Will you join me and become a GOD?"
"Do you think me a fool?" Robin snapped, wincing. "You'll kill them anyway."
"Well, of course," Grima said boredly, as if that was obvious from the beginning. "I only thought you might want to present your comrades with a selfless image." Another sinister chuckle, and the wind blew a little colder. "However, have it your way. Leave them with the final image that you were their undoing!"
Robin shrieked, and a chorus of voices went up as she vanished.
They stood yelling at the empty air; words of encouragement, pleading words, words of love. Chrom was shouting about broken promises, and Morgan was clutching his father's arm and on the verge of tears.
"Mother!" he cried. "I can't lose you again, not like this!" Frederick felt his heart break, and he joined his voice to the others.
"I know it would take more than this to stop you, milady!" he bellowed, and as the clamour rose the wind whipped even faster, until all of a sudden it halted, and everyone fell silent.
"I'm coming!"
A great cheer went up, injured as they were, and a crack like the shattering of glass was heard as Robin reappeared, as hurt as the rest of them but determined.
Naga's voice washed over them, as did her healing powers. Every one of them was now uninjured, and Robin hopped onto Frederick's horse, turning to look at them all.
Her gaze went over each of them in turn, and she nodded, grinning and unsheathing her sword so she could raise it up high.
"Let's change our fate, shall we?" she yelled, voice ringing, and a cry went up as everyone charged.
The battle had begun.
xxx
The cry of anguish the fell dragon let out made everyone pause- and cover their ears. It was deafening, and painful. Chrom stood over the vessel, trying to ignore the likeness to Robin. He raised the exalted Falchion, and the blade glowed with inhuman power. "I'm going to finish it."
"No."
Chrom stopped and stared at Robin. "What?"
It took him too long to realize what she was doing- by the time he and Frederick tried to stop her, she was glowing with a strange, dark power.
"For once, I'm glad you and I are the same," she said, glaring down at Grima. "I can sacrifice myself to save those I love."
"YOU WOULDN'T...DARE..." Grima wailed, cringing and glaring up at Robin with glowing red eyes.
"I would, and I will." She raised her arm, the ball of magic accumulating above her open palm. "You will never rise to threaten the world again."
She struck, and Shepherds and Grimleal alike covered their ears and winced at the death roar. And then all at once it was over- for Grima, anyway.
Robin stood in the same spot, and Chrom, Frederick, and Morgan had all run up to her. She turned to face them, smiling softly, and then they saw it- the purple-black smoke drifting off her shoulder.
"Gods, Robin, no," Chrom said, reaching a hand out to her; Frederick beat him to it.
"My love," he gasped, grasping her hand. It felt strange, like he was hanging on to something that shouldn't exist. He felt his chest tighten.
"My love..." Robin echoed, smiling and placing her other vanishing hand on Frederick's cheek. "My heart." She stroked his face with her thumb, and he saw more smoke float away out of the corner of his eye. "You and Morgan...You have all of me."
Frederick clutched at her hand, noticing that contact made the smoke roll off her body more quickly. He despaired, and it was like Robin could read his mind; she'd always been able to tell what he was thinking. She gently drew her hands away, turning to Morgan and wasting more precious seconds by ruffling his hair. He let out a broken sob.
"Mother..." he moaned, tears streaming down his face. His hands were pressed against his chest, as if that could relieve the pain.
Robin was still smiling, and though it was hard to see through the smoke, Frederick thought her eyes were shining. "Come here, Frederick."
He approached her cautiously, and she placed her hands -what was left of them, anyway- on either side of his face. Another minute, and she would be gone.
She was staring into his eyes, and he stared back; they were drinking each other in, and the resigned grief he saw in her soft brown irises was enough to force a tear to roll down his cheek. She tried to brush it away, unsuccessfully- her hands were all but gone.
"Don't fret, sweetling," she murmured. "Remember what Naga said?" She smiled. "Our bonds are strong." Then louder, so Chrom and anyone in the immediate vicinity could hear. "May we meet again, in a better life."
Frederick leaned closer; a final kiss, that was all he needed.
"Robin..." he whispered brokenly, and her smile faded.
"You have the most beautiful green eyes, you know," she breathed.
He moved to kiss her; she vanished in his arms before his lips even touched hers.