To the girl who saved my life twice.

Happy birthday, Jaclyn

The first time Robin was alone with Chrom, it was about a week after they'd first met. A discussion about strategy in the war tent, Lissa sleeping, the shepherds training, Frederick drawn away by some noise from the perimeter. Her hand brushed over his as she tried to explain the formation, and she pulled it away, shutting the books and muttering something about how it was getting late, no point in continuing now.

The second time they were alone, they were training on the same dummy, practicing their styles together. His sword danced around the dummy, striking weak points left right and center, while her magic arced around him and landed on the target's arm, leg, hand – disabling points to allow him to slip through the defenses and take the kill.

The third time they were alone, it was just to talk as friends. Whispers began spreading through camp, but neither of them cared. It was good to finally have a chance to know each other personally. That was the night they began to fall for each other.

The fourth time they were alone, Robin nearly smashed Chrom's head in with a rock for not thinking before he talked. It was a mistake he'd make again in the future, but Robin had learned to accept it by then. Even if it still irritated her.

The fifth time they were alone, it ended with her deciding to make sure the bathing tent was always locked. This, combined with Vaike, was the last straw. This couldn't continue, no matter who it was that observed them she just had to make sure it didn't happen again.

The sixth time they were alone, he still couldn't look her in the eye. This would continue for a week, although Robin didn't really see the problem with it. He'd recover eventually, after all. She moved another piece on the map, hands brushing over his, and was surprised when he was the one that yelped and pulled away, declaring it was getting late. Perhaps she'd ask Miriel if this kind of behaviour was normal.

The seventh time they were alone, Chrom was finally past it. Whether it was the normal period of adjusting to the situation he'd seen, or perhaps his blossoming friendship with Sumia was finally giving him something else to focus on, she didn't know – even if the latter caused a few bubbles of jealousy to grow in her heart.

The eighth time they were alone, Robin resolved that maybe it wasn't just the women's tent that needed additional security. No matter how much she enjoyed the sight, that was an incident that couldn't bear repeating – the mere thought of a woman walking in on Lon'qu instead was enough to allow her to make that decision. But…perhaps a small seam in the back, which only she knew about? There wasn't much point in making all the important decisions if she couldn't enjoy herself once in a while, after all.

The ninth time they were alone, he cried into her shoulder while her mind worked frantically to try and fix him. It was the first time she'd ever felt so helpless. It would never happen again, they would never lose someone important ever again. She swore it.

The tenth through fourteenth time they planned and healed, Chrom returning to his old self and Robin feeling stronger for it. Each meeting went the same way, planning, derailed by eventual friendly talk. Chrom began to stop seeing Sumia as often, and despite how awful it should have made her feel to see two friends drift away, all Robin could think of was how happy it made her despite of that. Even Chrom's protective death glares at Tharja made her happy, in a strange way – even as it irritated her. She didn't need to be protected, after all.

The fifteenth time they were alone, Chrom asked Robin to marry him. The rest of that day was a single, long, happy blur, something she could never quite recall fully, no matter what anyone asked her. The fact always irritated her somewhat, not having a perfect memory of what should have been the happiest day of her life. But she could make do all the same – the new memories she was making would be more than sufficient.

The sixteenth time they were alone, Robin was sobbing in the corner while Chrom tried to restrain his fury at the council. Eventually, they embraced and talked, and came up with a solution that even the nobles couldn't object to. Nothing would ever keep them apart again, they swore.

The seventeenth time they were alone, their wedding was over, and they retreated to their chambers, eventually managing to scold Frederick away. The stars were their only watchers that night.

The eighteenth time they were alone was a week before Lucina was born. Chrom was running around like a headless chicken, trying to run a country while making sure his wife had everything she needed. He needn't have bothered, she was more than capable, even in that state. The thought was appreciated, however.

The last time they were alone, Robin knew what she would have to do the next morning. Even Chrom's skin felt cold as they embraced, trying to forget what they would need to face. As they fell asleep, Robin's last bitter thought was that she'd have to break that promise she made three years ago.

The first time they were together again, they decided to never leave each other alone, no matter what.