Fire Emblem: Awakening – Again Again

Chapter XVI

A Cloudless Night

Intermission

She couldn't remember ever feeling relaxed or at ease, and that was not an exaggeration.

Ever since she had first awoken in that field with what she had at the time assumed to be heavy brain damage combined with a terrible hangover, her life had been nothing but running back and forth saving whoever the fuck needed saving at the time. From the field to South Town to the flaming hell in the middle of nowhere, she had gone to Regna Ferox and watched it fall first-hand (albeit, missing a portion of it due to sudden and inexplicable unconsciousness) and from there raced to the Border Sands to deal with the crazy King of Plegia, Gangrel.

Time after time she had been forced to think up strategies and plans on the fly, never getting a moment's rest. She could count on her fingers the number of times she had slept in a bed – like, once. She could count on one finger.

But the warm lighting of the palace interior was not cast by burning buildings or mages with fire tomes. It was cast by braziers and lanterns and candles, the soft glow washing across the tiles and carpet as if liquid gold was pouring from the iron fountains and wax stumps.

She felt naked without her coat, as even though the room was warm and welcoming it was vast and felt empty. The statues of armor that decorated the corners shone in the amber lighting, and she couldn't help but wonder if she had PTSD from all of the shit she had gone through in the past week alone. Performers played music from the balconies, divided but working in harmony to produce a beautiful melody to accompany the hearty atmosphere. A part of her wondered if she were responsible for this – was it her fault that they all were so at ease?

Perhaps it was, perhaps it was not. It wasn't like she had lied or withheld information – they had informed the Exalt Emmeryn of the dangers that Marth and Etzel prophesied the moment they could, and she had taken the news surprisingly well.

Chrom, his head finally seeming to have cleared up somewhere down the line, had doubled the security and temporarily banned the guards from any alcoholic substances for an indefinite period of time; the complaints had been numerous, but after a personal talk with the guards the prince managed to convince them that their lives were not worth a couple more bottles of ale and beer and whatever else they were drinking out there.

Emmeryn had insisted, however, that this was a time for celebration. Robin wondered if the woman had brain damage, and not in the amnesiac 'I forgot my memories' way that she had implied earlier. No, she was wondering if the Exalt was off her rocker and into the fucking pond entirely. What did they have to celebrate when war and an incoming attack were in the near future? The former was already upon them, not to mention.

Despite her concerns however, she was no different from her allies, and if something went wrong she promised herself that she would share at least a portion of the blame. Like, maybe a teeny tiny portion. Like, a super small portion. Yeah. She nodded to herself as she sipped from her goblet.

The air was filled with laughter and talking, and she felt that this was something that everybody needed anyways if they wanted to keep going at their maximum potential. The air tasted different tonight – fresh and clean, and she was fresh and clean as well ever since getting her much-needed bath. Chrom had 'accidentally' walked in on her, somehow, and that made her feel a bit less clean all around, but that was whatever. She didn't understand how it had happened, did not want to know, and assumed it was a cringy anime trope that somehow had managed to be applied to her.

Basilio and Flavia seemed to be at the center of attention tonight, and it was no wonder they were the Khans of Ferox – the way they commanded the room's attention with their antics was fascinating in its own right. Their playful banter earned consistent howls of laughter from the tablegoers as they shot quips back and forth over the table, like entertainers doing an act they had practiced thousands of times before. Taking their ages into account, it was fully possible that that number was accurate as well.

"And then he ran!" Basilio roared, his gravelly laughter surely ringing through the entire palace, and the table seemed to shake as many more chortles and guffaws joined him. The room was merry, and only a few of the most stoic and stone-faced party-poopers (Lon'bon and Frederick) kept straight faces at the joke. She thought she saw the latter crack a smile, however, while the former frowned deeply. "Right out the room and through the window!"

"It's no secret that your former champion has a deathly fear of women, you oaf," Flavia shot back, leaning on the table and sipping from her bottle. It was Feroxi Firewhiskey – Robin had tried it ten minutes prior, and almost gagged it back up into the bottle before swallowing it. The way it burned her throat would stick with her until she died, and the blaze was followed by a sudden feeling of lightheadedness. She thought she had been hit by a critical. "But I feel that he was more afraid of the blade at my side than what's below my belt. If having balls or not decided who he could talk to and who he couldn't, I'm almost certain you and he would not have worked together for so long."

Vaike – who, for the first time in possibly his entire life, was wearing a shirt – looked like he was almost crying, while Lon'qu was glaring daggers at anyone that his eyes passed over. It was quite clear that he did not wish for this story to get out, like, ever, which is why she felt the need to ensure that it most certainly did.

"While I can't speak fer her memory, Flavia's had plenty of chances to count balls," Basilo chortled, unfazed by the remark. His voice was deep and loud even when he wasn't trying for it to be, and carried over the laughter to be easily heard, just as Flavia's did. She wondered if they would ever be interested in joining the Ylissean army should Ferox not be restored any time soon; they would most likely make excellent captains, if not ones with harsh standards. "Last I saw, she still wasn't allowed in the women's bathhouse – they keep sending her back to the men's!"

Robin was surprised by the savagery that these… well, savages were capable of, and the crudeness of their jokes didn't seem to have any effect on the results, with everyone still seeming to enjoy them thoroughly. Whilst she had thought the table was meant for manners, it appeared that the Feroxi had been taught quite the opposite; they thought that the table was the place where you talked shit about your friends, and she wondered how much better a place the world would be if everyone was that easy going.

Probably terrible, she guessed.

She wanted to ask how long it would be until dinner was ready, but looking over to Chrom made her change her mind. The prince had a massive grin splitting his face, with some bandages wrapped around his head and a new clean shirt on to boot. Beside him, Sumia was whispering something to him, and he chuckled and nodded to her.

It made her smile as well, but she also felt a bit jealous, and wasn't so petty as to pretend otherwise. If Chrom and Sumia got together, it wouldn't surprise her, but she worried… well, maybe he'd forget about his new pal Robin? She didn't think it was possible to forget such a magnificent work of art, but this gnawing fear was almost unreasonable in its power and made her smile feel strained.

No one would forget her. This was her family now, til death do them part or whatever. Right?

Almost every Shepherd was present at the large and elongated table, squashed in side by side like sardines or something similar. She was plopped between a woman with red hair and a strangely empty seat that no one really wanted she guessed, while the two celebrities from before were sending jabs back and forth from opposite sides of the table. The only people that were missing oddly enough, were Stahl and Miriel. Miriel hadn't wanted to come – saying she was engrossed in something far more important than frivolous dining – and Stahl had been nowhere to be found.

Oh, she blinked. She supposed there was also Sully. No idea when they had lost her, but she was probably… wherever Stahl was, she guessed. Or vice versa. Whatever, she forgot Sully again, so what?

She was sure they were fine.

Probably.

Eventually the laughter began to die down as servants poured into the room, carrying various dishes in their arms. Plates and steel pans and pitchers of cider and water and ale and bottles of wine and more were laid out on the table in almost random orders, and the smells were almost overwhelming as her stomach rumbled again. The hunger would soon consume her if she did not feed.

When had she last eaten such a grand and fancy meal? She literally couldn't remember if she ever had. Oh, every time she had to think those specific words it killed her a little bit more inside. Maybe she should make up a fake past and just get it all sorted so she could think straight without being interrupted by 'Oh poor me look I lost my memories fucking goddamn-' ala hormonal teenager on Tumblr.

"You're Robin, correct?" the woman noted from beside her, brushing a few stray locks of crimson hair out of her eyes as so that she could see the tactician better. Robin started, surprised by the sudden attempt to start a conversation; she had never seen this woman in her life, and while the grace that she carried herself with might have suggested that she was a noble her attire was not that of any noble Robin had seen prior. Ruby red eyes watched carefully, as if for a reaction while she extended her hand for a handshake. "My name is Cordelia. I'm one of the Pegasus Knights – I don't think you've had a chance to meet any of us yet, and I'm honored to be the first."

The gesture was a surprising one, as Robin had actually been under the impression that the woman in armor was like, a background character. Maybe a stand in to fill a seat or something. However, getting a better look at her face cemented that this was no Maid – she was probably going to be recruitable, if only because people would get mad if they couldn't waifu anyone that remotely resembled a female.

However, she took this in stride regardless as plates began to cover the table. The smell was making her mouth water, but she tried her best not to look like a ravenous animal anyways. She shook this 'Cordelia's hand, albeit with a cocked eyebrow. "One of the Pegasus Knights?"

Cordelia bowed her head slightly, looking down at the empty plate that was set in front of her. Robin couldn't see her eyes, but she could feel the awkward radiation coming off of her dinner-neighbour as she answered the unspoken question. "My sisters are at their own feast. I am more welcome here than with them."

Robin winced. Drama did not belong at this table – not tonight. She clapped the woman on the shoulder, smiling. "Well, if you weren't here, then you wouldn't have met me. And really – who doesn't want to meet me?"

Cordelia laughed, and it was a beautiful sound that made Robin jealous. Even her laugh was perfect – why wouldn't anyone want her at their table? The Pegasus Knights were probably a bunch of characterless asshole bullies with no redeeming qualities, and she was going to blog about it when they invented computers, so that the entire world could see.

She was about to ask about the progression of technology – which she would then have followed with a question about why technology seemed to not progress in this land – when a servant with rolled up sleeves swayed past the back of her chair and almost dumped the countless desserts that were stacked in his arms down onto the floor. His shoes squeaked on the tiles as the impossibly high mountain of sweets realigned itself as if by magic – like some sort of fucked up Jenga trick – and he rebalanced his cargo.

Now a new question came to mind.

"Who's that clown?" she asked suddenly, pointing to the servant. She couldn't even see his face, for the trays and plates and bowls towered over his own head. He did not look like the rest of the servants in the slightest – the servants all seemed to have the same face and voice, while this one obviously did not while he staggered around like a drunk, but with the grace of a drunk ballerina. "New character?"

"What?"

"New guy, I meant new guy," she corrected herself when the man managed to find some sort of balance and neared their table again. His fellow servers did not move to help him, seemingly caught up in witnessing the horror of the dangerous balancing act. One slip up would mean chocolate rain, and everything would probably be ruined. "He's probably going to be unemployed again quickly if he drops those."

If he dropped them, she would be quite upset as well. Perhaps her question was answered thus; technology could not progress until mankind mastered basic problem solving skills and learned that the word foresight didn't just mean to see the future with magic eyes or cool swords.

Just when it looked like he was about to drop them for reals, Cordelia's chair slid back soundlessly from the table, chair legs clicking over the grooves in between the tiles while she rose to her feet. The servant let out a mumble of thanks as she began helping him unload them onto the table, smiling all the while – either she had god-like patience, or was a professional actor.

"Bit off more than I could chew there," the server said, carrot-coloured hair being revealed first until finally a handsome face appeared from behind the pile of cavity-causing junk food that she would devour in a heartbeat regardless of oral health precautions. Eventually, the last tray – a large steel sheet covered in cookies – was all that remained, and he set it carefully over a bowl of pudding. He smiled a roguish smile at Cordelia, the stick of what Robin thought might have once been a lollipop sticking out from between his lips. "Good thing you're beautiful AND generous, right?"

Cordelia's face flushed only after the server had wandered off again, and she returned to her seat. Robin would have said something childish, but with the last of the dishes being put into place, Emmeryn stood up from where she had been sitting quietly at the head of the table.

Her polite but distant smile brought an amiable silence to the table, and she did not have to do anything else to bring attention to herself, instead commanding it through what Robin could only assume must have been the result of years of awesome Sage-Training. Her eyes were almost numb yet so warm, and the Tactician wondered not for the first time that night if the Exalt was on hard drugs, like that Azima fellow.

Perhaps that was where Sages got their awesome power? Their flowing robes smelled of pleasantry only to mask the eighty pounds of cocaine stowed within. As Eric Clapton might say; if you wanna wipe out an enemy platoon of low res units – cocain…

Chrom looked like he wished to stand as well, but ultimately he didn't rise from his seat like he usually would have, holding a hand to his chest and wincing half way out of his chair. The new shirt he wore was white and clean, but the faint traces of dark veins still poked out from where the collar was unbuttoned.

Robin had been told that Chrom had mostly recovered on the trip, but Lissa would still be keeping an eye on him and he was still to received several more treatments for the poison that lingered in his body. Maribelle had been unable to purge it all, and traces had mixed so deep with his fluids that the healers were afraid they might damage his very lifeblood if they tried to untangle it. He originally was supposed to be resting in his room, but predictably was having none of that.

He looked happier here, anyways.

"I would like to personally thank you all for dining at my table tonight, especially in light of recent events," Emmeryn said when silence reigned supreme, and Robin was surprised by how well it carried.

She had always seemed to soft spoken to the Tactician – it was both easy to forget and easy to see that the woman was such a strong leader. Perhaps that was what made her someone to look up to – easy to talk to despite her power, and so malleable as a leader and a person. Flexible. As a symbol of what Ylisse stood for, she did not disappoint, Robin found as she sipped from her own drink.

"It is imperative that you all understand that the rumors of what happened in the Border Sands are not rumors." Emmeryn looked saddened when she said this, and Chrom looked down at the empty plate in front of him. No one had taken food yet, and perhaps this might just ruin everyone's appetite. But Robin had been waiting for it – people needed to hear this. "War will soon be upon us. This may very well be the last night we can afford festivities, and I wish for you all to enjoy it, but there is no dancing around the fact that darkness lurks in our future."

Whispers began to circulate around the table, and Robin felt a cold sweat on the back of her neck. She hadn't yet had the chance to talk to Chrom about what had happened back at the Border Pass; had the chance to tell him about the voices in her head, and the visions that had been laid over her eyes like a film. Maybe she should make that a priority – seemed important.

"Only by continuing to blaze can we hope to burn bright enough – only by striking sparks across the continent can we hope to stand against whatever fate lay in wait for us," Emmeryn looked around. "I look around me, and I see tinder." Robin shifted uncomfortably. Everyone did, but she was remembering the visions now, the flames. "I see flint, and at this table I see steel. I see men and women that come from all over this world we live in – men and women that are stronger than any warriors I have ever known before. Alone, you are soldiers and mercenaries and leaders and healers and casters."

The mumbling stopped.

"But together, you as pieces form something larger. A masterpiece none before have ever bore witness to; bonded by invisible ties, I see a force that can overcome anything. Trailblazers to carry the torch, and light the way so that this world can reach a future where we truly know peace."

There was cheering now, and Robin smiled.

They'd figure something out.

These were her friends and family now, and she wasn't going to let anything take them away from her. They'd be alright.

O

The moon was clearly visible in the sky, and Robin took the moment to appreciate it. He felt tense as he always did, but at the same time tendrils of drowsiness burrowed and twisted into his brain, turning off the lights and casting his mind into a pleasant haze. He wasn't entirely there, but enough of him was; the sweet smell of grass and foods and the crisp air filling his lungs. The way the wind ran talons through his hair and tickled his nose.

All around him, he could hear the distant sounds of laughter and play and dancing and music. It was surreal to him – how long had it been since he'd been in a world so carefree? Part of him was obviously upset by the fact that his warning seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, but that part was almost asleep now, and he was lost in nostalgia and his own thoughts, almost alone. Soft breathing from the other side of the tree. Not entirely alone, he supposed.

When he opened his eyes, dull umber reflecting a galaxy of infinitely large proportions, they were filled with clarity and suppressed joy. He now knew what Lucina must have felt when she first traveled back so long ago, seeing this heaven after living through hell itself; it was like opening one's eyes for the first time.

The knotted and rough oak he rested against was familiar, and his hand rested lazily on a twisting root. This tree – he hadn't seen it in a long time, but it still felt like it had just been yesterday that he had been nestled in the thick roots at the base of the tree, his nose buried in a book while the sun shone down in broken up beams through the leaves. It was a small thing that he'd never really appreciated as much as he did now; the tree was gone in his timeline. It had been chopped down while he and the rest of the Shepherds were overseas in Valm. He never found out who felled it – didn't have time. Things had been almost at the boiling point.

If the other Robin was anything like him, she'd soon find this tree as well, perched on the hill just a ways away from the palace walls. He could see the window to his office from here – or, where it had been. Where it would be. Where her's would be. Whatever. Fuck, he was starting to hate grammar.

But aside from confusing grammatical tenses, the situation pleased him, even as he tried to remain alert. It was nice. Warmer than Ferox.

"Hey," he asked suddenly, leaning to the side and peering around the trunk of the tree. Resting against the opposite side of the tree, a figure was leaned almost sleepily against the bark, their head tilted back and their eyes closed. The strip of cloth she had been using to hide her brand was hanging from her neck, and she looked almost asleep – he knew she wasn't. She was conserving her energy while he was on watch. They would switch within the hour. "Lucina? You awake?"

There was a pause.

"I am."

Her Falchion rested at her side, the old sheath buried in the swaying blades of grass and her hand laid across the grip of the ancient weapon. Always ready.

"I was just thinking… well, I'm always thinking. But…" he looked up at the stars again, settling comfortably back into his previous position. The hill had been his suggestion, as it had a perfect line of sight to the fissure in the wall that Chrom had made once upon a time. He had been mad at the Prince for not sharing this detail, and it had almost costed them blood and would have had it not been for Lucina's timely intervention. Mind the pun. He breathed out, watching for the assassin that was to slip into the crack soon. "You ever wonder why we're here?"

Another pause.

"No."

Eventually, there was a series of cracking and snapping, almost like explosions coming from out by the front of the palace. Lucina and Robin were almost instantly on their feet, their weapons at the ready as they each went for their respective disguises, but both stopped when colorful lights washed across the grassy hills.

Dawn would bleed into the night eventually, but by then Robin would be asleep.

Either way it was, the future seemed more uncertain than ever, for events seemed to have shifted yet again. This time?

For the better.

O

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