"Today you are three years old." said Validar.

Robin looked up from where he was sitting on the rug, "Oh."

He tried to think of something else to say but could find nothing. Even when prompting himself, he could remember little from the last two years. But why was that? Robin wasn't quite sure at the moment but if asked later, he was most likely answer that little had happened.

The walls in his room never changed, neither did his bed or the ceiling or the lanterns. The door remained locked and the corridor beyond it remained dark and unlit, a world that was beyond him. The singular window shown out into a particular section of the palace courtyard that few people ever wandered to.

After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Validar turned to walk out. Just as the door was about to swing closed, Robin cried out, "Wait!"

There was the thump of a hand against wood.

"C-can I..." Robin swallowed hard and stood up, "Am I old enough to leave the room?"

Another moment of silence.

"No."

Robin bit his lip and rushed to the right side of his bed-out of view of Validar-and quickly sat down before his knees started to shake.

"Crying will not get you anything." came the voice from the door.

"I'm not crying." Robin snapped back, though he sounded feeble.

"Good." There was the creak of the door hinges, and just before it swung completely shut, "You can leave once you can read the scriptures without pause."

At age four was the first time Robin was taken to a Grimleal temple. Validar put him in the seat furthest from the stage, high above the other attendants so that he could see. As the sermon began, Robin found himself quickly zoning out. After all, he knew the words by heart but the hooded priest's droning made it drag out twice as long.

He had never seen so many people in his life and almost none of them were wearing hoods. Their clothing, though some significantly plainer than others, had so many variations and different fabrics, it was fascinating.

Eventually, he settled on observing a family unit close to him. Robin could pick out the father who was busy trying to shush a fussing child about Robin's age. And who was the woman? Matriarch? No, mother. Two older children were sitting to her right, but who was that other woman? Was that an aunt?

"I don't want to listen. I'm hungry." the smallest child murmured.

"It'll be over soon." the father tried to reassure him.

"But I don't want to. It sounds the same as all the others."

"Okay, okay." with a quick whispered word to the mother, the father swiftly picked up the child and guided him out of the temple.

Robin tilted his head a little at the display but returned to watching the priest.

"Did you listen?" Validar asked once the sermon was over.

"Mhm." Robin answered, it wasn't a complete lie.

"What did you think?"

Robin paused, "I don't know, I knew the words."

"Not of the sermon." Validar turned Robin around and pointed upwards, "Of that."

For the first time, Robin saw the massive stone effigy of a dragon, wings spread, over where the wall met the ceiling.

"That is what you will become."

Robin nodded, a conditioned response, but something about the tone of Validar's voice unsettled something deep within him.

At age six, Robin was taken to a part of the palace he had never been before. He kept his eyes on the back of the priest's hood but he felt slightly uneasy without Validar. Father wasn't particularly comforting but he missed the familiarity all the same.

The walls of this place were lined with shelf after shelf of gilded books. The priest selected one and handed it to Robin. Nearly dropping it, the book was heavy for its size, Robin looked at the cover. Dark purple with a few gold threads.

"Magic?" he guessed.

"Yes." the priest nodded, "You're not to do anything else until you perfect this Flux tome."

Something rose up inside Robin, it wasn't a feeling that he was unfamiliar with but he had never felt it so strongly. He wasn't allowed to do anything else? What else did he have to do?

Well, read, maybe. But it wasn't like he was given anything interesting, except maybe that discarded book that he had found in a forgotten corner but you could only read one thing so many times before you get tired of it.

Fighting back the urge to yell, Robin dragged the tome to a tame and let it drop with a thud.

It took two days to complete the tome.

The first time Robin left the palace, he was seven years old. He didn't technically leave but he was allowed outside, namely to the courtyard that he spent so much time watching over.

Beside himself and Validar, there were only two other people present. One was a prisoner by the looks of it who was blind folded and tied down, the second was a very tall man wearing a black cloak with an ax strapped to his back.

Robin managed to catch the eye of the man in black and immediately took a step back, the sheer horror in the man's eyes was terrifying. As they stared at each other, the man shook his head a little.

Their brief moment of connection was broken by Validar putting something into Robin's hands. Looking down, Robin saw the gold crescent moon on the tome's cover, a Luna.

"Father?" Robin inquired but no one answered.

"Begin." Validar nodded to the man in black.

"Your Majesty...please-" the man's voice shook, a stark contrast to his burly build.

"Begin. Surely it has been made clear who will suffer the consequences should you fail."

"Yes, yes my lord, of course. My apologies."

Inhaling sharply, the man hefted his ax over his shoulder, raised it high above his head where the blade glinted against the sunlight and brought it down with all his might.

The scream that resulted was inhuman. Robin's eyes flew wide open, disbelieving, as he stared at where the prisoner's leg use to be. The metallic scent of blood filled the air but it took a moment for Robin to smell it. No way, he was dreaming. He had to be dreaming.

Validar watched Robin for a minute and when Robin said nothing, he nodded to the man in black again.

His hands visibly shaking, the man raised his ax again.

"Wait, no!" Robin screamed just as the ax flew down.

Another piercing scream, strangled and trailing off into a whimper. More blood spurted onto the gray stones, pooling into the greaves. Another minute passed as everyone watched Robin though he was hardly aware of their eyes. The legless prisoner had gone mostly silent though ragged breathing still permeated the air.

"Why?" Robin screamed, turning to Validar, "What does this get you?"

Validar glanced down at Robin, his eyes were full of annoyance and his words dismissive, "You can stop it at anytime."

"Then stop!"

"Once more." Validar gestured to the man in black.

The ax went up and came down on the man's left arm with a sickening crunch.

"Stop it!" Robin instinctively stopped forward only to be yanked back.

"Then make it stop." Validar's voice was cold as ice.

Looking from Validar to the prisoner, his thoughts frayed in fury and confusion, Robin was suddenly aware of the Luna tome still in his hand.

"Again." Validar commanded.

The man in black raised his ax, pausing for a moment to adjust his grip, before swinging down. But just before the ax's head met with the prisoner's remaining limb, something blasted it back. The weapon went spinning through the air before clattering to the ground. A glowing circle had formed around the prisoner, magical sigils that quickly evaporated into the air. The prisoner's clothes were singed a little and the prisoner was completely still. No more pained breathing, no more tortured screams.

"That's excellent, wonderful work Robin. Absolutely wonderful." Robin didn't look to see but he was certain of the smile on Validar's face.

It was the first word of praise that he had ever received.

At age eight, Robin was taken on a journey into the Plegian desert. He was given a map to study, one that held the secret paths through the seemingly endless sand dunes. Soon he found himself standing before what looked like the ruins of an ancient civilization. Beyond it was a massive temple, larger than the Plegian palace or any other palace that he had ever seen in books.

"The Dragon's Table." said Validar, his voice filled with reverence.

The inside of the Table was pleasantly cool and amazingly well maintained if Robin was to believe its age. He knew this place, he had read all about it. It was the temple of the Earth Dragons, where the insane beasts were once sealed away to keep them from wrecking the world. And where...

He was guided to what looked like an ancient alter.

"This is where our lord Grima is sealed." Validar said, "His body has long since been destroyed by the first Exalt but his soul still remains, a soul that cannot be destroyed."

Robin nodded absently though he flinched at the venom in Validar's voice when the subject turned to the Ylissens. Ylissens were evil, self serving fools who cared only for their own happiness. That was what had been said to him, over and over again. Robin would be inclined to agree, but none of it made him feel particularly patriotic.

"Father, why doesn't Naga come and destroy Grima herself?" Robin asked cautiously, looking up at Validar.

"Because she cannot."

"What?" Robin blinked in surprise, the Divine Dragon could not slay Grima?"

"This." Validar gestured to the alter, "Is your destiny. This is what you were bred to do, what you were born to do."

Fourth generation, that was what the priests usually called Robin, his actual name was insignificant. They had never explained the meaning behind the number but Robin knew enough that he understood he was meant for something.

"What is this?" Robin asked.

"The Grimleal have spent hundreds of years in preparation for Lord Grima's return." An audible crescendo of excitement laced Validar's words. "You, dear boy, are our masterpiece. You are our lord reincarnated, a perfect replica of how he was in life. And you are destined to be the container of his soul, to resurrect him."

"I'm...a container?" Robin repeated.

A container? That was all he was? A bitter smile threatened to spread over his face. A container wasn't a person, a container didn't need to be let outside, a container didn't have any limitations, a container felt nothing. Just something to be conditioned for a purpose. Robin was jolted out of his thoughts when he was pushed forward up the steps.

Before him was a massive circular mirror. In its reflection, Robin noticed, the Table looked different. It wasn't dark or dank, it looked bright and colorful, he swore that he could see plant life growing outside the arched doorway. Robin could also see his own reflection in the mirror, though he was unchanged.

Yet, behind him, there was no Validar.

At age nine, Robin found himself reassessing his self awareness. He was himself, not the Fell Dragon, he was aware of himself as Robin. Reincarnation, in his mind, had always been an act of recycling a soul into a new person. But Grima's soul, supposedly his soul, wasn't with him, it was locked away in the Dragon's Table. So was he soulless? Was he really just an empty container?

But in the end, what was a soul? And what was it even good for? What did it do?

At his increasing listlessness, the Grimleal priests had relented and given him some new books to read, ones that had nothing to do with studies or religion. As much as he would rather remain bored and uninspired to spite his caretakers, Robin found that he felt a little better. Though even that relief was temporary.

Most of the books that were given to him were fables and fairytales. They annoyed him endlessly. Didn't the dragon have other things to do beside kidnap brainless princesses? Didn't the princess have any sense of self preservation? Did the prince seriously just fall in love with a girl he's known for all of four minutes?

Robin knew that he was too old for these fairytales and he wanted to say as much but he feared that he wouldn't be given any more books if he complained.

With little else to stimulate his mind, he had only his own thoughts.

If he really were Grima, if the two of the were the same person, did the Fell Dragon feel the same way that he did? Probably not, unless he shared the same childhood as Robin. But then that confirmed it, didn't it? That they were different people?

So did that mean that he was going to be possessed? Would his conscious be snuffed out? Wouldn't that be the same thing as dying?

Grabbing a nearby pillow, Robin hugged it to his chest, he didn't want to think about that.

At age eleven, Robin was introduced to a boy his age, a nobleman. They spoke for a short time before the boy was sent home.

"You chose him on purpose didn't you?" Robin asked Validar.

"I did. What did you think of him?"

"Nothing, I thought nothing. He got everything he wanted without working." Robin replied.

Robin didn't want to lump himself together with a spoiled child but he considered it. He had never seen it but he had read about the destitute. Robin had never gone hungry, nor lacked a roof over his head. But he was never allowed anywhere on his own, he had little choice. So what did that make him?

"Father, I need to say something."

"What is it?"

"If you wanted to keep me as a compliant container, you should have never let me see anything. You should have kept me locked up in that room forever, never given me a scripture or a magic tome or anything at all." Robin said bluntly, though he was speaking of his own fate.

Valdiar laughed, a harsh sound like the cracking of a whip, "Yes, that would have made you a little less stubborn. However, we cannot let you get too bored with yourself, it would be a shame for your shortcomings to interfere with what the Grimleal had worked so hard to achieve."

At age twelve, Robin began to feel as if some barrier within him was being broken.

One day, he awake and put his hand up to his eyes to block out the rays of the sun. Something felt different, he lifted his arm and held his hand up before him. It was the oddest thing, but Robin felt like he was seeing his hand for the first time, as if for the last twelve years, he had been watching the world through someone else's he got up out of bed, he felt lighter, as if he had thrown off a long wearing illness.

His brown eyes had never really stood out, not even against his white hair, but now they seemed brighter, almost to a disturbing level. Robin had rarely taken time out to observe his own features, but now he noticed something. His eyes were blank and his face an almost serene calm.

Whatever had changed in him must have shown because he was allowed out of into the town for the first time in his life.

Much to his surprise, Robin found himself apprenticed to a mapmaker and told to study under the man for three months. Validar probably didn't want the Fell Dragon getting lost once he resurrected, Robin thought. Though now, the thought brought only amusement instead of disgust.

Mapmaking was interesting, if tedious. Robin's main job was to match up the maps, estimate what was real and what was exaggeration. He could almost imagine the different parts of the world as he traced the lines that formed mountains and ravines. The only map he possessed was the one to that led to the Dragon's Table.

He learned quickly, memorized the world and all its corners.

"Robin, have you ever thought of being a tactician?" his master asked him once.

"Not really." Robin replied truthfully.

"I have a feeling you'd be quite good at it. I've seen you positioning the ink blocks around the maps."

Robin nodded sheepishly. Perhaps it was childish, but he found great fun in setting up theoretical military positions on the map, otherwise all that knowledge would ultimately be useless to him.

"You're a smart kid, Robin. You've got a bright future ahead of you."

"Thank you, Sir."

Future? His future or Grima's future? Or were they the same thing?

Robin was thirteen when he first noticed how beautiful the ceiling of the Dragon's Table was. It was made entirely of what looked like stained glass, though it was anyone's guess as to how it survived all these years. Hundreds upon thousands of colorful pieces formed images of dragons, the seemed to glow as sunlight poured through them.

He could see the colored lights dancing on his outstretched arm, it was so beautiful that he could almost ignore the cold floor against his back; though, it didn't completely distract him from the sting as his blood trickled over his pale skin. But it was enough to block out the various dead priests around him.

With some effort, he sat up and looked around. The priests bodies didn't seem to be damaged, but they were without a doubt, dead. Getting to his feet, Robin dusted off his clothes. His arm ached horribly, the sleeve on his forearm was completely shredded, leaving a view of diagonal cuts in his flesh.

"My goodness those priests were foolish." he said softly, "What do you suppose they were doing, Father?"

"Impatience brings people nothing." Validar replied as he walked into the Table followed by Grimleal soldiers, "A vice that has not escaped you, I see."

"I didn't go with them because I was impatient. I was curious as to what they wanted to achieve." Robin turned to face Validar, "And perhaps whether they could achieve it."

Curiosity, that was why he didn't resist when the priest shoved his hand into the purple flames above the alter. But in the end, some deep seated instinct convinced Robin to change his mind. The moment he mentally resisted, the flame had exploded, throwing all of them back. The power had scrambled up Robin's arm, injuring him as well, though it stopped before it hit his elbow.

"I wasn't ready." Robin said matter of factly, ,"That's why they failed."

Robin was fourteen when he met the Mad King Gangrel. He wasn't suppose to be out of his room at the time, but he had stopped listening to the priests. Validar did nothing to correct his behavior so there was no one to resist him. Unknowingly, he had wandered into the throne room and found the Mad King and a woman. The woman showed alarm at his appearance and quickly tried to hide his presence but Gangrel had stopped her.

"Now here's a face I've never seen before. Tell me lad, are you brave or insane?"

Perhaps it was strange but Robin found that he rather liked Gangrel. Here was a man who had worked himself up to the top from nothing. There was a few screws loose in the man's head, that was evident by the light in his eyes, but still, Robin found himself liking the man.

So, instead of bowing, Robin smiled and held out his hand.

There was moment of silence before Gangrel burst out laughing. It wasn't a cold sharp laugh like Validar's, it was a free, bright, completely maniacal laugh. Grabbing Robin's hand, Gangrel shook it wildly before sitting back in his throne, "Well Kid, are we two of a kind?"

"I suppose we'll see." Robin replied.

"Oh? And what could you possibly mean by that?" Gangrel had a way of speaking that always seemed like he was amused, "You've got a scary look in your eyes, Kid."

And indeed he did, Robin found that his gaze unsettled many of the very people who had tended to him as a child, "I don't know what you mean."

"A calm look of apathy." Gangrel described dramatically before bursting out laughing once more, "How poetic, eh?"

"You have a way with words, my lord." the woman said, "Now, if I may, I will usher the young man away before he begins to bother my lord."

"Now, now, Aversa. There's no need to be that way." Gangrel said.

"My lord, please. I am acquainted with this his family, he has duties to attend to." Aversa insisted.

"Oh, very well then, Kid. Off you go." Gangrel waved them away.

Robin shrugged before walking off without Aversa's guidance.

On his fifteenth birthday, Robin asked to be taken to a Ylissian temple. Much to his surprise, Validar did not object and allowed him to go.

He was greeted by a cleric as he stepped up the white marble stairs, a beautiful man with sandy blonde hair.

"How may I help you, young man?" he asked.

"I have a question to ask you, Sir. And, I would like your blessing." Robin replied.

"Of course." the priest led him into the temple without question, the inside was surprisingly simple but very angelic with a color scheme of white and gold.

"Sir Priest, I will freely admit that I am a Plegian who has been brought up in the Grimleal faith." Robin said, "However, I would like to hear the words from an advocate of Naga. So tell me, Sir Priest, what is the Fell Dragon?"

"The Fell Dragon is the manifestation of the sins and darkness in the human heart." the priest replied, "An agent of destruction that seeks to eradicate mankind. An evil force that the blessed First Exalt sealed away with the aid of our Lady Naga."

Something stirred within Robin at the mention of the Divine Dragon though he could not identify it.

"And tell me about Lady Naga, Sir Priest. We Plegians do not speak much of her."

"Lady Naga is an overseer, she watches humanity as we prosper and guides us to aid each other." the priest explained.

"Is there a beginning or an end?" Robin asked suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Does the Divine Dragon and Fell Dragon have a beginning? Were they created or were they born? And can they die?"

"Deities such as these are beyond human comprehension." the priest replied.

Robin nodded and bowed to the priest, "Thank you, Sir. You have greatly opened my mind."

"May Naga watch over you, young man."

As the priest poured holy water over Robin's hands, he found it in himself to feel a little more at peace. After all, now he knew that the Followers of Naga were liars, just like the Grimleal.

"May I say, you have the most unusual feature." the priest noted.

"Hm?"

"I have never seen such red eyes."

At age sixteen, Robin witnessed his first revolt.

King Gangrel was traveling to a southern town to receive a yearly tribute, Validar had sent Robin along, presumably to keep him occupied. Everything was peaceful and the processions went smoothly until late at night.

Robin had been awake, reading by a faint candlelight, when he saw the vague silhouette of a woman. The thought of a possible assassin entered his mind but in the end, what did he care? It wasn't his concern, there were soldiers.

But mere minutes later, what had been faint footsteps turned into what sounded like thunder. Tearing open his door, Robin could see a mob storming into the castle. He stood, leaning against his doorframe for a while, watching the mass of people. They were clearly unskilled and underequipped, most were wielding household items such as farming plows and shovels. However, they outnumbered the small guard unit by ten to one at least, so they might actually have a chance.

After twenty minutes or so, Robin found himself quickly becoming bored and decided that he might as well go and see if Gangrel and Aversa were still alive. He slipped in easily, after all, he looked to be just some boy. As he neared the inner castle, he saw a flash of green light.

Wind magic.

It's caster was no doubt Aversa. Wandering closer, Robin tilted his head and watched as she used an Elwind tome to mow down the villagers.

"Help!" she yelled once she caught sight of Robin.

Sighing softly to himself, Robin nodded, too bad he had to get seen. Raising his hand, he threw a flash of elder magic at the crowd down the corridor, scattering people left and right. Between the two of them, defending the hallway was child's play.

"Can you hear that?" Aversa asked.

Listening carefully, Robin could indeed hear the sound of footsteps from the western hall.

"Oh well." he replied nonchalantly, "And my magic tome's almost out."

"Mine too." Aversa grabbed a lance off of one of the many armor pieces hanging on the wall, "You stand back."

Robin took a step back as Aversa charged at the villagers, cutting them down left and right. He must've let himself relax because he suddenly found a knife at his neck. Immediately, Robin drove his elbow into his attacker's ribs and send the last of his elder magic into the attacker's chest. The person behind him must have been standing very close because Robin's hand went clean through their torso. Wiping a some blood away from his eyes, Robin pushed away the falling body. Bending down he picked up the butcher knife clenched in the corpse's hand. These people really didn't think their plan through properly.

And more were coming. Adjusting his grip on the knife, Robin headed down the hall to meet them.

By the time the revolt was over, Robin's hands, clothes, and hair matched his eyes.

Robin was seventeen years old when he met the man named Chrom.

The Mad King Gangrel had been killed, the incident was relayed as an accident but Robin knew the true perpetrator was Aversa, Validar had even confirmed it. And now his father was to be king and extended an invitation to Gangrel's funeral to the Ylissian royal family, probably as a false gesture for peace.

The Ylissian Exalt Emmeryn was surrounded by her soldiers, she looked remarkably peaceful and sorrowful considering she was in a hostile nation mourning her enemy.

Robin left the funeral fairly quickly and decided to hole up in the garden until things were over. To his surprise, someone had beaten him there. A blue haired young man he had seen with the Exalt. Robin hesitated for a moment, the man was broad shouldered and looked very strong, who knew if he was feeling volatile. But after a moment of observing the man's posture, Robin took a step forward.

"What are you doing here?" he asked simply.

"Huh? What do you want Plegian?" the man asked, looking decidedly unfriendly.

"The same as you I'd imagine." Robin replied before sitting down on a stone stool opposite of the man, "Discard my advice if you wish but it is not advisable to act so cold when you are a guest at someone else's home."

"Tch." the man scoffed, "And who are you to tell me that?"

Robin shrugged, "No one, I guess."

No more words were exchanged between them for a while as Robin remained resolutely quiet when he saw the man getting more and more uncomfortable with the silence.

"My sister was nagging me about being polite the whole way here, guess I blew it." the man finally said, "Look, sorry about being rude. I...well, it has nothing to do with you. My name's Chrom, I'm the Exalt's brother so I had to be dragged along."

"My name's Robin."

"Right, excuse my attitude, okay?"

"Okay."

Another awkward silence.

"What do you have against Gangrel?" Robin finally asked.

"Hah! What don't I have against Gangrel?" Chrom shook his head, "That man was a colossal bastard, especially to my sister. He threatened her for the freaking Fire Emblem! Threatened war for an old relic, I'm glad he's dead."

"Oh? And what about the new king?"

"Should I really be saying anything?" Chrom asked, looking up at Robin, "You're a Plegian, aren't you?"

"Point taken." Robin said, "I won't ask anything else of you."

"And who are you Robin?"

"Guess."

Robin was eighteen years old when he began to wonder how awake he really was.

These days he seemed to be walking in a haze, either he was extremely tired or only half alert. More than anything else, in the deepest recesses of his mind, he felt that something was missing. He wasn't sure what it was exactly but he knew that there was an empty space. It was that feeling that he had forgotten something but he had no way of knowing what it was. The hours, days, weeks, all seemed to be going by faster than he can recognize them.

And that was how he was feeling when Validar found him, sitting on the floor with his back against a wall.

"It'll be over soon." was what Validar had said.

Over? What'll be over? It was clear that Validar and the others expected him, Robin, to fade away. But would he really? Somehow Robin didn't think so anymore. What was really sealed away? Was it a completely different individual or was it simply that part of him that he had been missing.

He let his head rest against the wall, he couldn't be bothered to stand or anything. He felt tired, drained of all energy, like he was okay with just staying there for a few days and just sleep.

"Soon, Lord Grima will be returned to his full power." Validar proclaimed.

"Yes, Father; yes I will."

"Robin, would you like to know what happened to your mother?"

"Sure." Robin didn't really care but since Validar offered, he might as well hear it out.

"She tried to escape with you into the night, bring you away from your destiny. She was burned to death for her treachery."

"Oh, that's good."

Robin was nineteen years old when he went back to the Dragon's Table of his own accord, alone.

He watched his reflection in the mirror for a moment. He was taller now, his head nearly reached the top of he mirror and his eyes were no longer brown. Pulling a hand out of his pocket he reached over and touched the mirror.

Instantly it shattered, piece of glass flying over the floor. Something rose up from the seal and lept into Robin with the force of a sledgehammer. But instead of injuring like it previously had, it settled itself into him as if it had never left.

It was like something clicked into place.

Turning away from the shattered mirror, Robin stepped away from the alter and began to climb up the Table. He didn't need to look outside to know what was happening.

The Grimleal were gathering.

Robin couldn't remember how old he really was, ageless perhaps. But it didn't matter, he felt alive for perhaps the first time in his entire life. He would have never known it, but for the past nineteen years or so, there were weights tied to him. They brought him down, sinking him to the earth, but now he was free.

That blue haired man-Chrom was it?-had tried to oppose him but it was a little too late. Robin hadn't given any indication that he would break the seal, no one knew who he was anyways. But he didn't hate Chrom, he never really had any reason to hate Chrom at all. But it was a necessary step to get rid of a nuisance.

He didn't really hate any of the people who came after him, they were simply in his way. Just a small road block on his way to Naga.

"This is what you wanted, wasn't it, Validar?" he asked the air, "But you know, Robin isn't gone. I'm still Robin, you know that, don't you?"

AN: Requested by jayswing96, thanks for helping me brainstorm.