Chapter Text
“Robin! No!” Chrom cried, but it was already too late. The swirling dark magic within her took form in the palm of her hand, and she fed every remaining ounce of power she had left into it until it was large enough to kill even the foulest of beings. She took a deep breath, perhaps her last once, and released it, watching it swirl towards the fallen Fell Dragon.
It cried bloody murder, until there was nothing left of it to cry. Even before the being started fading, she could feel her body become undone. Chrom cried her name once more, but it was already too late. Robin could see him running toward her, unshed tears in his eyes and desperation in his voice. Her gaze switched to the rest of her companions, her friends who had given her a new life despite the odds. They had sticked to her through the end, and for them, for their children, and for their children’s children, her life was but a small price to pay.
In the end, while her very soul started unraveling in the wind, she could only feel peace. “Thank you, Chrom. For everything…” She uttered out with her very last breath, allowing what remained of her to collapse into his waiting arms. These were the hands that had raised her up from nothing, and it was only fitting that she would meet her end in them as well. “Tell the others...my last thoughts were of them…”
He begged the gods for mercy, their children at her side during her final moments, until nothing of her remained but a vague whisper: “May we meet again, in a better life…”
“Robin! No! Ah gods, NO!”
Before the world turned black, she could hear a few oddly familiar words…
-
When the darkness parted and gave way to a bright new day, it started out oddly familiar, “We have to do something!”
It took her a second to remember who that voice belonged to, but once she did it could have been nobody but Lissa. She sounded somewhat distressed, but equally elated.
Then, a deeper voice that filled her with warmth answered her call. “What do you propose we do?” Her breath caught in her throat, and tears threatened to spill.
Robin carefully tried to open her eyes, but the light above her was blinding, and she could barely make out anything but two dark figures looming over her. “I...I dunno?” Lissa said like that first time in the field, years ago.
Her entire body ached and she could barely feel her toes, but she laughed regardless: Even in her wildest dreams had she not expected to be returned to the land of the living, delivered right into the hands of those she loved most.
“I see you’re awake now…” Chrom said to her, and Robin could feel his hand lightly caressing her cheek, while Lissa ran out of the… room?
Slowly the world around her was taking shape, and it was nothing like the field Robin had expected. Instead she was met with white walls and soft sheets, strange beeping noises all around her. She tried to move her head to the side, but was met with tired, unwilling muscles that protested with every inch she moved. Where was Frederick? Where were Morgan and Lucina?
Or perhaps a better question, where was she?
Suddenly a woman in black and yellow rushed in. There was something oddly familiar about her white hair, the tilt of her nose, and the brown of her eyes, but for the life of her Robin could not remember ever meeting this woman. The feeling was not mutual, if the tears of joy in the woman’s eyes were any indication.
“Robin?” The white haired woman asked, her voice hesitant. Robin could barely summon the strength to nod, but the small gesture was enough to break whatever reserves the woman had left. She rushed to her side, and much to Robin’s regret, Chrom stepped aside to make place for her.
The strange woman buried her face into Robin’s neck, and carefully embraced her, soft hands brushing over hers. Her touch felt familiar, and yet none of it made sense. “Oh gods! I thought you would never awaken!”
If she’d had more power, if the world wasn’t turning upside down with every breath she took, Robin would have pushed her away. However, every breath was a labor and she could barely keep her eyes open, let alone fight off a woman who obviously meant well.
“Please give her some space!” Lissa cried mercifully from afar, but Robin was already losing her battle with sleep, and could no longer keep her eyes open. Slowly, the world blinked out of existence, and she was engulfed by merciful darkness.
-
When she awoke the second time, it was to the sound of a familiar lullaby. Chrom had a lovely singing voice, even though nobody but his immediate family would ever find out. Only in the private comfort of the royal nursery would he sing to little Lucy until she finally succumbed to sleep.
The sound of his voice grounded her into the here and now, and allowed her to climb from the comforting darkness that surrounded her into his world. Robin opened her eyes and blinked twice. She was in the same strange room as she had woken up before, with the same annoying beeping sounds. Her body felt similarly drained, but it wasn’t nearly as overwhelming as last time, and she was able to slowly accustom to the light.
It was just her and Chrom in the room, his right hand cradled between hers, and his left holding some strange, glowing device she had never seen before that held his attention fully. Light of the small rectangular lamp reflected in his dark blue eyes. Gone was his usual blue attire and armor. Instead he wore some unfamiliar, rugged fabric and a tight fitting shirt with short sleeves, that covered the brand of the Exalt.
She opened her mouth to say something, but her voice would not come. Instead a gurgled, hoarse sound came out, not quite what she had intended, but enough to draw his attention to her. Chrom’s fingers curled around her own, and his eyes slid over hers.
“Are you awake?” He asked hesitantly, and with much effort Robin managed to nod.
His face broke into a large smile, and he looked like he was about to tackle her into the bed. Despite her health, Robin was slightly disappointed that he restrained himself. How long had it been since they had any time like this together, with just the two of them?
There was something off about Chrom’s smile. “I’m glad… try to stay awake while I get your mother, okay? She was so afraid you would not wake up again after you fell asleep so quickly again yesterday.”
Robin frowned deeply, trying to make sense of his words. “My---- M-,” she tried to ask him, but her voice sounded strained in her throat, as if she had screamed war commands from the top of her lungs for hours.
Chrom quickly silenced her with a finger on his lips. “Shh… Don’t try to speak yet, before you hurt yourself. The doctor said you should slowly but surely try to regain control of your body, so don’t worry. You’ll be the same old Robin in no time!”
His words made no sense. Had Grima really done such a number on her? She tried to make sense of it, but her mind was hazy at best. Chrom implied she had been asleep for a while, and if her bodily weakness was indication, she must have been asleep for quite some time. How long, she tried to ask with her eyes.
“I…,” Chrom started, his eyes averted from her own. There was something boyish about it, something she had hardly seen in him ever since Emmeryn died. When he met her eyes again, his voice was heavy. “We missed you Robin. Gods, I always knew you’d return to us… but you sure kept us waiting.”
Robin opened her mouth, but stopped herself from saying anything. Instead, she used all her willpower to curl her fingers around her husband’s. Where was the ring he had gifted her on the eve of their wedding?
“I’ll go get your mother, try to stay awake this time, okay?”
Robin’s eyes widened, and she tried to hold onto his hand. What mother did he speak of? Had they found her while she was out? Or was this all some sick dream she would not be able to remember once she came to her senses?
“D---”
Chrom shook his head, a small blush on his cheeks. “She’s missed you like no tomorrow, Robin. I…,” he seemed to hesitate, but Robin’s eye contact did not waver until he relented and sagged back into the chair and pulled the glowing device from before out of his pocked. “I’ll call her. Keep your eyes open, please… Gods, Robin, I don’t think we’ll survive it if you don’t, so please, try to stay with me.”
Robin kept her eyes on his face, drinking in his every emotion. He pressed the rectangular a few times in different places, and then put it next to his ear. To her great surprise, he started speaking to it! “Mrs. Plegia? No, Robin is fine, don’t worry…”.
He paused for a second, and Robin could softly hear a few words coming out of the magic device. It was obviously some kind of voice transmitter, perhaps an invention of Miriel? “Actually, she more than fine. She’s awake again, but she won’t let me leave… I’ll see you in a bit… don’t worry, I’ll make sure she keeps her eyes open.”
He then turned the device away, and turned back to her. Did she detect tears in his eyes? If she’d had the strength, she would have kissed them away. She wanted to ask where little Lucy was… had her little girl grown up much without her?
Robin tried to mouth her daughter’s name, but it turned out that whatever lipreading ability she had taught Chrom during their marriage had been completely lost in the time she was gone. By the time the strange woman from earlier entered, he was convinced she wanted to eat lasagna, whatever that may be.
The woman watched their exchange with a fond look on her face for a moment, giving Robin the chance to study her in return. Chrom had referred to her as her mother before, and she would have been blind not to see the likeness. Their hair was equally white, and she had the same dark brown eyes Morgan possessed, equally kind and curious.
And yet, the very idea of a mother was foreign to her. She knew of course that she must have come from somewhere, but her previous experience with parents was less than great, to say the least. But Chrom seemed to trust her, the gullible, lovable fool, and that should be enough for now.
“Robin, are you feeling better?” Her supposed mother asked carefully, as if the words themselves would put her back to sleep.
In lieu to an answer, she nodded weakly. Simple body movements were draining, but it was worth seeing the radiant look on Chrom’s face when she did, mirrored on her mother’s face.
“I’ll leave the two of you alone, then,” Chrom said, getting up. The sound that came from Robin’s throat was anything but graceful, but she barely had the strength to grasp his hand. He looked at her strangely. “I’ll be back tomorrow, if that’s what you want Robin.”
“No, Chrom. Please stay. She seems distressed, and with her fragile condition, I’d hardly like to risk losing her again,” her mother pleaded, her hands ghosting over Robin’s. There was something oddly familiar about it, and the ghost of a memory flashed through her mind, though the imagines didn’t quite stick nor make sense.
Chrom seemed hesitant for a moment, urging her mother to take the chair he’d been using. “I’d love to, Mrs Plegia. But I have class tomorrow, and my parents were expecting me home roughly an hour ago.”
“I can call them, if you’d like. I’m sure your mother would understand the situation” There was a desperate edge to her voice that sounded eerily like Lucina. “Please, Chrom.”
Chrom’s eyes flickered over to her own, as if he was searching for something. Whatever he was looking for, he must have found it, because he sighed deeply and nodded. “Okay then. I’ll call them myself to tell them I’m staying over.”
“I’ll make sure to ready the guest room, then,” she said, patting his shoulder affectionately. There was obviously some sort of trust between these two, and since Frederick deemed her worthy of being alone with his liege, she must have done something to win their trust.
Robin tried to channel that thought to keep her calm, but the fact remained that she was alone in a room she did not know, her body a broken mess that refused to listen to her and her mind hazy at best.
“He’s not going to be gone for long, you know.” The words were quiet, almost sassy, and immediately pulled Robin out of her thoughts. Perhaps it was a small mercy that she could not speak, for what in heaven’s name was she going to tell this woman.
Something in her face must have given away her distress, for the woman’s voice suddenly shattered into a thousand breathless fragments. “Gods, Robin. Why do you look at me like that? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.... It’s just me, dear. I’ve missed you so much...”
Had Chrom neglected to tell her she was an amnesiac? It was almost awkward to see the woman cry over something could not remember, and she had no idea how to comfort her. Was this how Morgan had felt when he and Lucina reunited, only without any memory of her? She had held her daughter that night, when everyone else had gone to bed, while she cried bitter tears. They had gone through hell and back together, and all of that meant nothing to her little brother. The only person who truly knew her pain, gone. In the end, they had come to see it as a blessing, for Morgan had none of the bitterness Lucina described his pre-amnesiac was known for.
But that didn’t make it any easier. Robin put her reservations aside and put herself in this woman’s shoes, as if she was the mother and not the child. Naga knew she had plenty of practise with that after taking care of two nearly adult children for a full year.
With effort, she cradled the woman’s hand between her own, caressing it like she would with a child. It helped, for the tears faded away and a hollow but genuine smile appeared on her mother’s face, her voice barely above a whisper. “What’s going on in that beautiful mind, huh?”
If Robin could have laughed, she would have.
Chrom barged back into the room with little grace. “Emm is coming over to bring some clothing for tomorrow, but they’re fine with it….,” he paused when he took in the scene in front of him, and a small but tell-tale blush rose to his cheeks. “Oh, sorry. Was I interrupting something?”
Her mother wiped away the remains of tears from her eyes, and shook her head.“No, dear. I’m just so very happy.”
Chrom looked slightly awkward, his posture stiff and his brow furrowed, but he was smiling all the same as he settled on the side of her bed, his hand a comforting presence on her ankle. But it was not enough to change her mind from running overtime. Emm? As in, Emmeryn, dead Exalt of Ylisse? And who were those parents Chrom spoke of? During the interbellum, she had read up on the history of the family she was marrying into, and while accounts on Chrom’s father’s reign differentiated, they all agreed on one thing: he was long dead. His wife had died during Lissa’s birth, leaving three orphans and a broken nation behind.
More time travelers, from the past this time? It would explain her mother’s presence at the very least, but it still didn’t make any sense. Robin closer her eyes, and tried to focus on the magic core within her body. It was weak, but it was there nonetheless, and with willpower alone she tried to summon it, looking for any sign of illusion. This room, these clothes, these people… save for Chrom, none of it made sense. Was this but another ploy of Grima?
But no matter how many times she tried to detect magic, there was simply nothing. All it did was exhaust her worse than she already was, and she had trouble keeping her eyes open.
“Go to sleep, Robin. As long as you promise to wake up again in the morning, we don’t mind,” Chrom said almost jokingly, unaware of the turmoil in her mind.
She had little choice: sleep was claiming her and every second to keep her eyes open was a fight equal to four hungry Risen. In the end, the odds were stacked against her, and she succumbed to slumber.
-
The third and fourth time she woke up were uneventful. She ate some strange, gooey food that was probably beneficial for her health, and saw some familiar faces, though Chrom was always there.
The fifth time her strength was slowly returning to her, and with her husband’s help she was able to sit up in the bed, and speak a little bit in raspy, broken words. It was a slow process, but progress nonetheless.
When asked where Lucina and Morgan were, she was met with strange looks, and with every following time she woke up without her children by her side, she feared the worst. What world was this, where the mention of their names brought out nervous glances?
The sixth time she woke up marked a difference though, for Chrom was not next to her when she woke up this time.
“Drink this, it should make speaking easier, if only for a bit.” Libra had always been a kind man, and while he was as distant as he had always been, his hands were warm and caring, testing her muscles gently to assess the damage.
Robin obeyed him without question. The liquid was thick but sweet, probably a medicine mixed with honey, and she could feel it soothe her sore throat almost instantly.
“Ch-r-o?” She gritted out hoarsely, testing her voice. A lot less painful that the previous time.
Her mother averted her eyes, but remained silent.
“He went to his classes, Robin,”Libra replied, his eyes darting back and forth between mother and daughter. “Though I believe he was here when you woke up?”
Her mother’s voice sounded distant. “We noticed that she only woke up when he was here, so he makes a point of showing up every day before breakfast. He’ll be back within the hour, knowing that reckless boy.”
Robin held her silence. ‘May we meet again, in a better life,’ these had been her words. But every time she woke up, it seemed like a dream, and not necessarily one better than the life she had left behind.
“He might be her anchor. It is not uncommon in coma patients,” Libra theorized while checking her pulse. Robin kept her heartbeat steady, not betraying the growing sense of alarm growing in her. Before she woke up, Chrom had never wavered from her side, despite the odds and frankly, common sense. Had he not, she might have succumbed to Grima, too weak to offer resistance. It made sense that they were together even in this strange world she ended up in.
“We assumed the same thing…,” her mother quickly agreed, though not without a frown. “Though does that mean she remains dependant on him?”
Were they not married? Of course they were dependant on each other. That was what marriage was all about, leaning on each other through the good and the bad. Why was her mother questioning this?
Unless...
“Most likely not. He probably just helps her keep a grasp on her consciousness,” Libra said, shaking his head. He then turned back to her, which was great because Robin got sick very quickly of people talking about her as if she could not hear them. “You were very lucky to have returned to us, Robin. Naga herself must have been looking out for you. Not many people recover from what you have been through with as little permanent damage as you did.”
Granted, not many people were the vessel of the god of destruction. “Grima?” she managed to utter through her sore throat. It was getting better though, maybe a few more spoons of the Libra’s medicine and she’d actually be able to form a sentence!
The monk frowned, though only slightly. “We can pray to Grima too, if that makes you feel better.” Robin’s eyes widened, and she immediately shook her head. Who in their right mind would pray to the thing she had given herself to destroy?
Libra interpreted her reaction with a gentle, amused smile. “No? Well, I suppose modern medicine is more reliable than the whims of a god.”
Robin shook her head, and tried to speak clearly. “Whe-- am-m I?”
For the first time since she had uttered Grima’s name, her mother and Libra stared straight at her.
Her mother’s voice was grave, almost fearful. “You’re at home, Robin. Where else would you be…?”
Robin shook her head, feeling the beginning of a headache forming already. “N-no.”
The woman swallowed deeply, and walked to her bed, sitting right down next to her, so close that neither of them had the luxury of avoiding this conversation. “Robin, love, look at me,” her mother asked her, cradling her cheek gently, a heartbreaking truth already in her eyes. “Do you know who I am?”
For a second Robin considered lying, just to spare this woman’s feelings. But… it wouldn’t be right. She averted her eyes, and shook her head.
“I’m your mother, Robin.” The sound of her voice was enough to break her heart. “That’s your name. Do you remember your name?”
Robin nodded this time, carefully meeting the woman’s eyes, red rimmed from the tears and dark bags beneath them.
She continued, a hint of desperation in her voice, “Then, Chrom. You remember him right? You said his name.”
“Liss-a,” Robin whispered softly, nodding.
Her supposed mother’s breath caught in her throat, betrayal flashing through her eyes. Before Robin could do anything, she took her into her arms, pressing her close against her chest in the hope. Robin felt her mother’s breath hitch through their embrace, that’s how close they were pressed together. With effort, she managed to put a hand on her mother’s shoulder, and held her like she would have held Lucina after a particularly bad nightmare.
When her mother spoke again, her voice was shrill and demanding towards Libra. “The doctors said there was no brain damage, Libra, why does she not remember me?”
Libra put a hand on the woman’s shoulder, gently prying them apart. “Please calm yourself, Mrs. Plegia. This might be temporary, a side effect of the coma.”
“How l-lo...ng?” Robin whispered hoarsely, her throat already aching. But she had to know, even if it meant setting her own lungs on fire.
Her mother blinked, her breath caught in her throat, but Libra’s voice was gentle. “You were out for eight months, Robin,” he said, showing her a glowing rectangle of her own with some numbers on it, which should mean something to her but didn’t. “It’s been eight months since you were hit by a car and fell into a coma.”