Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Robin rarely ever saw eye-to-eye with her father, especially when it came to her insatiable desire to learn more about the outside world.

As the future queen of Plegia, there were a great number of standards she was held to; expectations she was supposed to meet; rules and traditions she was supposed to follow.

Which was all just her father’s elaborate way of saying that she wasn’t allowed to accompany the scouts on any of their patrols beyond the barrier.

Honestly, Robin was lucky whenever he let her leave the palace for more than an hour or two at a time.

She didn’t doubt that he would clip her wings if he could get away with it, but flight was thankfully far too important to their people’s way of living.

It hadn’t been quite as bad back when her mother was still alive, but…

It just frustrated her to no end.

She wasn’t stupid; she understood that the outside world could be dangerous. But the barrier hadn’t always been around. There had been a time when fairies and humans coexisted with one another, even if that time was long before she’d been born. Wouldn’t it be better to try and foster that relationship again instead of constantly hiding away, living in secrecy and fear?

But no. To hide away was to stay safe, and to her father, staying safe was all that mattered.

So could anyone really blame her for sneaking out when the perfect opportunity presented itself?

Robin had never been overtly rebellious. The fact that she’d never tried anything like this before was a testament to that.

She would sometimes ask one too many questions, sure, but she still almost always did as she was told. She knew that direct disobedience would only cause her father to put even more restrictions on her, so she simply got better at keeping her true desires to herself.

The more compliant she appeared to be, the more he would let his guard down. It was simply a matter of being patient and biding her time.

And eventually, that patience paid off.

Her father would be attending council meetings for practically the entire day. Meanwhile, he was letting her have that time all to herself.

It was a bit strange, considering she normally had to attend meetings with him, but Robin wasn’t about to question why he didn’t need her to be present for these ones.

As far as anyone else knew, she would either be buried amongst the books in the royal library or relaxing in her room.

And that would actually be the case, at least for a little while.

She didn’t plan on being out for too terribly long. No matter how eager she was, Robin knew she couldn’t let herself get carried away. The longer she was gone, the more likely she was to get found out.

Luckily for her, the palace itself was never very heavily guarded. Even if it had been, she had the guards’ patrol routes completely memorized.

She didn’t have to worry about the lookouts posted around the perimeter of the kingdom either. All they cared about were any potential dangers trying to get in—not anyone trying to leave.

It wasn’t as if there were laws preventing people from venturing beyond the barrier. The commonfolk were free to come and go as they pleased, so long as they didn’t bring any unwanted attention back with them. Most simply just chose to stay.

The only real obstacle Robin had to face came in the form of her two retainers. And even then, she had thankfully managed to convince them both to take the day off, considering she was supposedly doing the same.

Dressed in a simple set of traveler’s clothes, no one outside the palace would give her a second thought.

Just like Robin expected, she made it to the barrier without issue.

Calling it “the barrier” likely gave the impression that it acted as a sort of wall, but it would probably be more accurate to compare it to a veil or a curtain. It didn’t physically keep anything out; all it really did was keep the kingdom hidden.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. It also had a repellent quality to it; whenever certain creatures came near, they would feel subconsciously compelled to keep their distance or move in a different direction.

Although, even if the kingdom hadn’t been hidden, humans weren’t exactly common around these parts. Considering the fact that Plegia was situated deep within the heart of a particularly dense forest, the larger folk had little reason to venture near its borders. 

If the reports were to be believed, the nearest human settlement was far to the east, and Robin had no intentions of making that kind of journey. There was always a chance that she might stumble across a wandering traveler, but even if she did, she also didn’t intend to interact with them.

Observing from a safe distance wouldn’t be out of the question, though.

When Robin finally worked up enough courage to  cross over, she was honestly a bit underwhelmed. Aside from the faintest prickle of magic across her skin, she hardly felt a thing.

She didn’t really know what she’d been expecting. Something… more substantial, maybe?

But perhaps that would change once she put more distance between herself and the kingdom’s edge.

Before long, the princess found herself flitting amongst the trees at a steady pace. Every so often, she would find a decent perch and rest there for a few minutes, taking in every little detail of her new surroundings.

It wasn’t as if this stretch of forest looked majorly different from the one she called home, though. Despite knowing that she had already covered quite a bit of ground, it felt like she hadn’t traveled very far at all. If not for the new landmarks and the absence of any structures built within the branches, she could almost pretend like she’d never even left.

In spite of that, she did have to admit that getting to stretch her wings like this was a great experience. She probably would’ve kept flying around for hours if she had the chance.

It almost felt like someone was eagerly trying to tug her forward, egging her on to push her luck just a little more.

Surely it wouldn’t hurt to go a tiny bit farther, right?

Just a tiny bit farther, and then she would head back. Just until she found something to make this trip feel like it had been worth the risk.

Robin was pretty sure she’d finally found that “something” as she glided over a clearing.

The glint of metal catching the light drew her attention to the forest floor, practically inviting her to investigate.

Landing down on the ground would be pretty risky, but a quick sweep of the vicinity gave her the impression that there weren’t any immediate dangers lurking in the area.

It was quiet, but not ominously so. Nearby, she could hear the gentle sound of songbirds peacefully warbling away.

As long as she stayed vigilant, she was sure everything would be alright.

She knew that her little discovery had to be a human-made contraption. It wasn’t completely unheard of for fairies to utilize metalwork, but it wasn’t a common practice either. And certainly not to craft anything like… whatever she was looking at right now.

It appeared to be some kind of spiked ring, partially obscured by fallen leaves. If she had to compare it to anything she was familiar with, the closest thing she could think of was a crown.

But what was it doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Had someone accidentally dropped it and left it behind while they were passing through?

Approaching to get a closer look, she couldn’t help but run her hand along different parts of the metal, admiring the craftsmanship. 

In the process of trying to clear some of the leaves away, she discovered a short chain that seemed to be keeping the whole thing anchored in place.

So maybe it hadn’t been left here by mistake?

How strange…

This eventually led to her hopping over the spikes with a quick flutter to examine the inside of the ring.

She landed right in the center—right onto a small plate that she hadn’t noticed before.

It all happened so fast.

The device snapped up like the jaws of a beast, and at that same moment, a mix of panic and instinct drove Robin to leap back up into the air in an attempt to fly away.

Which proved to be a big mistake.

She practically shrieked.

With a sickening crack, her right wing got caught between those metallic teeth, effectively trapping her.

A trap.

That was what this was—what it had to be. Most likely meant to ambush any unaware creatures as they walked through these woods. The intended target must’ve been quite bigger than a fairy, though. Maybe something like a rabbit or a fox?

Either way, it had captured a curious fool instead.

Trying to struggle her way out proved useless. Any attempts to pull free were met with even more pain. The only bright side was that the spikes didn’t seem sharp enough to puncture her skin, so at least she wasn’t at risk of bleeding out.

Come on, Robin, think! There’s got to be—

A series of sounds brought her thoughts to a grinding halt; rhythmic thuds, one right after the other, accompanied by the occasional rustling of undergrowth.

Footsteps.

Something was coming towards her.

Something huge.

A glimpse of silver and deep blue easily caught her eye, contrasting the different shades of green that made up the surrounding plant life. That mere glimpse soon gave way to a sight that made her blood run cold.

The creature that stepped out into the clearing was similar to a fairy in appearance—barring its rounded ears, lack of wings… and massive size.

A human.

Chrom could hardly believe his eyes.

Following the sound of the pained cry he’d heard a moment ago, he arrived at a small clearing and spotted a hunting trap sitting in the center of it.

At first he thought it had somehow managed to snag a bird, which already would’ve been rather odd in and of itself. However, as he drew closer, he quickly realized that those feathered wings were actually attached to a tiny person.

Emm used to tell him and Lissa plenty of stories when they were younger, but Chrom never would’ve imagined that he’d actually get to see a fairy in the flesh.

But now here one was, staring up at him with a look of pure terror.

“Hold on, let me get you out of there,” he offered after getting over some of his shock.

She didn’t respond, continuing to stare in silence.

In spite of that, he stepped forward. Once he was close enough, he knelt down next to the trap and reached out to disarm it.

As his gloved hands approached, it was like she’d been snapped out of a trance. A string of panicked words left her lips in a language he didn’t understand. Despite the futility of it, she desperately tried to back away from him, and her free wing flapped frantically behind her.

“I… I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re saying,” he murmured softly. “It’s alright, I just want to help.” He tried to sound as reassuring and calm as possible, hoping that his tone would convey the meaning more than the actual words themselves.

Thankfully, she stopped moving as soon as he took hold of the trap.

Some areas of the metal were covered in flaky patches of rust, giving him the impression that it had likely been forgotten or abandoned by whoever set it in the first place. He didn’t have to put much effort into prying it open.

As soon as there was enough space for the fairy to slip out, she practically threw herself away from him.

Chrom let go after that, bringing his hands back to his sides.

She hadn’t taken her eyes off of him the entire time, but now she glanced between him and the sky as if contemplating escape.

“Go on, you’re free now,” he encouraged her.

A few moments passed before she slowly took several steps back.

Then, right when Chrom thought she would leap up into the air, she let out another yelp as soon as she tried to move her wings. Only then did he notice the full extent of her injury. Her right wing was in pretty bad shape; the whole limb was bent at an awkward angle, hanging limp at her side.

His eyes widened as the realization hit him.

She couldn’t fly.

Oh gods, she couldn’t fly.

If Robin thought she was terrified before, that was nothing compared to how she felt now, realizing that her wing had been so damaged that she could barely even lift it without causing herself pure agony.

Despite being freed from the metal contraption, she was still just as trapped. It would take days to get home on foot—assuming she could even find her way back from the ground. And assuming some predator didn't come along and pick her off before then.

Speaking of predators…

Robin returned her attention to the blue-haired man still kneeling close by. Far too close for comfort. Gods, humans were so much bigger than she ever could’ve imagined. The stories didn’t do them justice at all.

The worry in his equally blue eyes was plain as day, and the soft words he spoke next sounded like a question.

When she didn’t say anything, that worried expression shifted into a conflicted one. He briefly glanced over his shoulder before looking back down at her. Whatever he was thinking, Robin was sure she didn’t like it.

Especially once he reached for her again.

“S-Stop! Stay back!” she snapped, quickly trying to backpedal away from his oncoming hands. Words hadn’t worked the first time, and she doubted they would work now, but this time…

This time she had something else in mind.

She held her own hands out in front of her as sparks of lightning started to crackle and dance around her palms. 

The human immediately halted his advance, much to her relief.

Good. At least that was something he could understand.

He spoke again, still using the same gentle tone from a few moments ago; like someone trying to soothe a frightened animal. For all she knew, maybe he did see her as little more than an animal.

Robin figured they would be at a stalemate after that; or if she was really lucky, maybe he would give up and leave her alone.

That didn’t seem to be what he had in mind, though.

The human cupped his hands together before resting them flat on the ground. He then repeatedly curled and uncurled his fingers in what she could only assume was meant to be a beckoning motion. After that, he went completely still.

Robin stared at them, now more incredulous than frightened.

He… Surely he couldn’t be serious. Was he really asking her to just climb into his hands? Voluntarily?

Her gaze rose back up to his face, where she could clearly see the pleading look in his eyes.

No, he wasn’t asking her. He was practically begging her.

The more she thought about it… Well, he hadn’t actually done anything to hurt her so far. All he had done was free her from that trap. So maybe… Was it possible that he only wanted to help?

It wasn’t like she had many other options. Being stranded in unfamiliar territory with a broken wing was a guaranteed death sentence, no doubt about it.

But if she went with him, there was at least a chance that she would be alright—regardless of how slim that chance might be.

Robin willed her lightning spell to fizzle out as she lowered her hands, albeit with a considerable amount of reluctance.

And then, just as reluctantly, she stepped forward.

A faint smile graced the human’s features as he watched her approach. Something about it was… It was so warm and kind. She didn’t want to believe that he was faking it. She really hoped he wasn’t.

Robin paused just before reaching his fingertips. He could’ve easily snatched her up if he wanted to, but he simply continued to sit there, waiting.

One deep breath later, she found herself kneeling in the center of his palms. Warmth radiated through his leather gloves. Under different circumstances, she might have described it as comfortable.

As he rose back up to his full height, he curled his fingers ever so slightly, almost like he was creating a makeshift guardrail for her.

Now that she was so much closer to him—and not nearly as panicked—she could actually take the time to get a proper look at him.

He was… 

This definitely wasn’t the time for her to be thinking such things, but Robin had to admit that he was quite handsome.

Of course, his appearance didn’t change how worried she was about whatever he was planning on doing next.

It was hard for Chrom not to just stand there staring at her, marveling at every little detail. 

He couldn’t get over how small she was, sitting there in his cupped hands. She must’ve only been about five inches tall, if even.

And then there were her wings; the feathers were a dark bluish-purple color, with a faintly iridescent shine. It was such a contrast to her snow white hair.

Chrom wouldn’t be of much help to her if he just stayed in the middle of this clearing, though. He needed to get back to Frederick and Lissa.

With any luck, his sister would know what to do.

The walk was silent, barring the sound of his footsteps and the ambient noises of the forest.

Chrom would occasionally glance down at her, only to divert his gaze the moment she caught him looking. He couldn’t be entirely sure, but it almost seemed like she was doing the exact same thing.

Once he neared his destination, he was greeted to the sight of Lissa and Frederick sitting around a campfire.

“Oh, Chrom! There you are,” Lissa called over as soon as she noticed her brother. She then turned to their stalwart knight. “See, Frederick? I told you he was fine.”

Right away, Chrom felt the fairy go rigid at the sound of his sister’s voice. Considering how skittish the tiny woman had been—and still was—around him, he wished there could’ve been a way for him to warn her that he was about to bring her towards even more people.

With that in mind, he came to a stop before he got too close to his companions. He even held her closer to him, almost shielding her from view in the hope that it would ease some of her fears.

“Is everything alright, milord?” Frederick asked, getting to his feet as he immediately picked up on Chrom’s hesitation.

“I’m fine, Frederick,” the prince stated calmly, hoping that his reassurance would be enough to keep the older man from walking over to him. “But I, uh…” He turned to Lissa. “I found someone who could use your help.”

As he spoke, he slowly revealed the tiny woman in his hands.

However, much to Chrom’s surprise, she actually clung to a few of his fingers as if she was trying to stop him. Faintly, he could even feel her trembling.

Lissa’s eyes widened in awe. “Chrom, is that…?”

Even Frederick couldn’t keep up his usual stern expression.

“I found her caught in an old hunting trap,” Chrom informed them. “I think… I think her wing might be broken.”

His sister gasped softly, and her brow furrowed with sympathy. She stood up as well, and the two siblings both stepped forward to meet each other halfway.

“Hey there,” she quietly greeted the fairy. Her tone was warm and friendly, but…

Predictably, the tiny woman didn’t respond.

“She, ah… I’m pretty sure she doesn’t speak the same language as us,” Chrom explained somewhat sheepishly.

“Oh,” was all Lissa could think to say. She gave the fairy a small wave instead.

That actually got a response. After a moment, the white-haired woman tentatively waved back. 

Lissa then looked to her brother with a somewhat conflicted expression.

“I’ve never healed a wing before.” she murmured.

“Would you be willing to try?” Chrom asked.

Lissa nodded, but still looked just as conflicted.

“If it is broken, then… Well, I mean. If it was an arm or a leg, it would need to be set first. A wing would probably be the same?” the cleric explained. She didn’t sound very confident. “If I just use my staff right away, it might not heal right.”

Chrom grimaced. He didn’t know very much about healing magic himself—or any type of magic, for that matter—but he’d broken a bone or two of his own in the past, so he was at least somewhat familiar with what setting a break usually entailed.

Which meant he did know that what was coming next probably wasn’t going to be very pleasant. For the fairy or for them.

Robin didn’t like the way the two of them were looking at her.

She couldn’t decide if it was better or worse that she didn’t understand what they were saying to each other, but once they finished speaking for the time being, the blue-haired human carried her closer to their campfire. Meanwhile, the blonde went over to a cart that was parked nearby.

There was a large animal hitched to a tree close to the cart as well; perhaps about two or three times as big as a human, and easily one of the largest creatures Robin had ever seen in her life. Some kind of mount, if she had to guess. It reminded her vaguely of a doe, mostly just in the sense that it was hooved and currently grazing on some vegetation.

And finally there was the brunet man dressed in heavy-looking armor, still waiting by the fire. He appeared to be the oldest of the three humans, but he simply stood by and watched in silence. Robin didn’t really like the way he was looking at her either, but for a different reason.

The other two’s expressions seemed apologetic and pitying, but with him… He kept scrutinizing her as if she was the dangerous one. As if all of them weren’t about ten times her size.

It wasn’t long before the blonde returned, but now she had some kind of staff in hand, along with a blanket draped over her arm.

Humans used staves for casting healing spells, didn’t they? Robin remembered reading about that in the past, and had found the concept extremely fascinating. The fact that humans had to rely on external objects to channel magic instead of simply being able to use it naturally was just so foreign to her.

Now was hardly the time to be letting her curiosity run wild, but… surely that staff had to be a good sign, right? A sign that they really were going to help her?

The two younger humans both knelt down on the ground after that, far enough away from the fire that the smoke wouldn’t be an issue.

The blonde set her staff aside before taking the blanket and folding it up into a smaller square. She placed it on the ground in front of her, and then the blue-haired man set Robin down on it. The fabric was incredibly soft, and she probably would’ve loved getting to snuggle up into it if she had the chance.

Unfortunately, she was far too nervous to do anything of the sort. Especially with two humans practically looming over her at the moment.

Her eyes were drawn to the blue-haired man as he shifted to lay on his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows.

Why was he…? 

When he saw that she was looking his way, he pointed to himself, and then pointed to her.

Oh.

They wanted her to lay on her stomach.

While a part of her understood why they would want her to do that, the other part really didn’t like the idea of putting herself in such a vulnerable position. She already felt more than vulnerable enough.

But if they were going to heal her, she knew that they would most likely need to get a better look at her injury.

Besides, at least they were giving her a say in the matter instead of immediately just forcing her into that position.

Robin sighed.

It couldn’t be helped.

Although she was still as reluctant as ever, she inevitably relented and moved to copy the blue-haired man’s pose. Once she was laying down, she unfurled her bad wing as much as she could without causing herself an unbearable amount of pain—which admittedly wasn’t very much at all.

The blonde human reached for Robin after that. For some odd reason, she took hold of Robin’s uninjured wing and gingerly stretched it out from its folded position against her back. She used one hand to keep the wing in place, while she used the other to lightly trace her fingers along the full length of the limb.

“What are you…?” Robin started to ask, although her voice trailed off as she remembered the futility of speaking.

The girl’s touch was extremely gentle, but that didn’t stop Robin from trying to pull out of it.

Emphasis on trying.

In spite of that gentle touch, her wing refused to budge.

Robin tried to stay calm. She really did. Logically, she knew that if she started squirming, it was bound to do more harm than good. And having one injured wing was already bad enough.

But all the logic in the world wouldn’t change how unnerving it was to have those massive digits prodding at one of the most vital parts of her body.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before her wing was released.

She was anything but thankful for what happened next, though.

The blonde moved her hands over to Robin’s injured wing, slowly stretching it out like she’d done with the other. Despite the fact that her touch was still gentle, that did nothing to stop how painful the movements were.

A rather pitiful whimper escaped past Robin’s lips.

It only got worse from there.

Chrom almost had to look away once Lissa properly started setting the broken wing. 

He could tell that his sister was trying to make the whole ordeal as painless as possible, but there was only so much she could realistically do.

It didn’t help when the fairy began yelling and thrashing her entire body in an attempt to pull herself away from Lissa’s hands.

The young princess eventually had no choice but to stop, fearing that the fairy would only injure herself further.

“Chrom, I… I think I’m going to need you to hold her down for me,” she said softly. Her expression and tone were brimming with guilt.

Even though he’d had a feeling that he would end up needing to do something like that, Chrom couldn’t help but wince.

Nevertheless, he gave Lissa a nod of acknowledgment.

The fairy started scrambling to get up onto her feet as soon as Lissa’s hands moved away, but Chrom intervened before she could make it that far. He draped one hand over her legs like a blanket, while he used the other to keep her arms in place.

The look of utter betrayal she gave him nearly tore his heart in two. He only felt worse when he noticed that there were tears starting to form in her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. More than anything, he wished he could convince her that everything would be alright.

Lissa picked up right where she left off.

And so did the fairy.

They didn’t need to be able to understand her to know that she was begging for them to stop.

Chrom tensed as a different sound reached his ears shortly after that. A faint, high-pitched crackling that he’d heard not too long ago.

Uh oh.

The prince inhaled sharply as a burning jolt shot up the hand that was pinning her arms.

He bit his lip and did his best to push through the pain, trying not to react to it any more than he already had. If not for his glove, the tingling sensation in his fingers probably would’ve been a lot worse. He wouldn’t be surprised if a portion of the leather was completely singed.

“Chrom, are you—” Lissa started to ask.

“I’m fine. Keep going, please,” he insisted. He wasn’t sure if she fully realized what the fairy had done, but he didn’t want to risk distracting her.

Once his sister was certain that she’d aligned the bone correctly—as certain as she could be, at least—she picked up her staff and quickly began reciting the proper incantation.

Thankfully, the fairy stilled as the gem on the staff glowed and its magic washed over her.

And just like that, it was done in a matter of seconds.

“Alright. I think that should do it,” the cleric declared after letting out a sigh of relief.

Chrom took that as his cue to release the fairy, promptly moving his hands away from her.

For the longest moment, she simply just continued to lay there.

And then, ever so slowly, she sat up and shifted her wings, likely trying to test them out.

Judging by the way she winced, she was probably still pretty sore and stiff. Whether or not Lissa had been successful, severe injuries like that still usually needed time and rest in order to fully recover.

Healing magic was undeniably powerful, but it wasn’t perfect.

Which meant that it would be a while longer before they could be certain if it had actually worked.

The fairy glanced between him and Lissa a few times. Uncertainty seemed to be the dominant emotion on her face.

Chrom tried to give her a reassuring smile to show that he wasn’t mad about the lightning; he didn’t blame her at all for lashing out.

Some sort of realization seemed to dawn on her in response, but then she looked away from him with a shameful expression.

Regardless of that, Chrom moved to sit up as well, scooting back to give her some space.

He was reluctant to examine the hand she’d zapped, but he knew better than to just ignore it.

Well, he couldn’t really ignore it even if he wanted to; his fingers were still tingling pretty badly.

Slowly turning his hand over, the damage was about what he’d expected. It was mostly localized to the tips of his fingers, where the leather was charred to an almost black color.

“Er, Lissa…?” He sounded somewhat embarrassed as he pulled his glove off. The skin underneath was red and blistery. “I might need your help now.”

“Oh, yeah? I thought you said you were ‘fine,’” his sister noted, more smug than anything.

“It looks worse than it feels.” He would always say that, but this was one of the few times where he actually meant it.

There was a smirk on Lissa’s lips even as she rolled her eyes at him. “Uh huh, sure. You’re gonna owe me a new staff at this rate.”

She scooted around the blanket after that, moving closer to him and repeating her previous incantation.

Chrom noticed the fairy watching with clear curiosity now that she actually had the chance to see the cleric in action.

He showed his hand to her once Lissa was done, wanting to let her know that he was okay. There wasn’t even a scar left behind, although his fingers were still the tiniest bit numb.

“Alright then. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” Lissa declared. “Can we make dinner now?”

That got her brother to chuckle a bit as he removed his other glove and set them both aside. “Sounds like a good idea.” He spared a brief glance toward their little guest. “…What do you think fairies eat?”

“Milord, do you really think it wise to let her stay here?” Frederick finally spoke up after being silent throughout that whole ordeal.

Chrom was almost impressed by how long it had actually taken the knight to say anything.

“She can’t fly yet. What do you propose we do; send her off alone on foot? This late into the evening?” the prince countered. The sun had already started setting by that point, and it wouldn’t be long before night fell.

“We don’t know anything about her, or the full extent of what she’s capable of. She already attacked y—”

“She didn’t ‘attack’ me, Frederick. She was scared and in pain, and she didn’t know that we were just trying to help.”

Unsurprisingly, their guardian didn’t look reassured. “Then perhaps it would be best to at least restrain her in some w—”

Chrom nearly groaned. “Frederick—”

“Guys!” Lissa quickly cut in, drawing both men’s attention. “If you’re gonna argue, can you move farther away? You’re gonna make her even more scared.”

When she said that, Chrom realized he’d been starting to raise his voice in frustration.

“Ah, right. Sorry,” he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. He took a deep breath before speaking to Frederick again; this time in a much calmer tone. “We’re not going to ‘restrain’ her. If she wants to leave, we’ll let her.”

“I’m with Chrom on this one,” Lissa added. “C’mon, Frederick. This is, like, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! How many people get to say they’ve met a fairy?”

“Not many, I would imagine,” the knight replied, although he still seemed as stern as ever.

“Exactly! Now can we please start making dinner before I waste away to nothing?”

Chrom couldn't help but smile at his sister, knowing that she was trying to distract them and lighten the mood. She and Emmeryn were both always far more skilled than he was when it came to de-escalating tension.

Even after the two men stopped arguing, Robin continued to feel rather anxious. Mostly because she was pretty sure that she had been the subject of their argument, judging by the way the brunet continued eying her warily whenever he spoke. 

At least the humans were leaving her… mostly alone now, in the sense that she was left sitting on the blanket while they retrieved some other supplies from their cart and gathered around the fire. It was a bit hard for her to see exactly what they were doing from her current vantage point, but they seemed to be preparing some kind of meal.

Each of them occasionally spared a glance her way while they worked, but thankfully they were giving her a bit of breathing room for the time being.

A savory aroma eventually started to fill the air, and Robin couldn’t stop her mouth from watering at the thought of food. She tried not to get too distracted by her own growing hunger, though—or her growing interest in what sorts of things humans ate.

Because if she wanted to leave, this would probably be her best opportunity. Maybe even her only opportunity.

Robin tentatively tested out her wings again, only to get the same results she’d gotten earlier. Her right wing wasn’t causing her anywhere near as much pain, but it definitely wasn’t fully healed either.

If she sucked it up and forced herself, she could probably fly for a short period of time, but there was no chance she’d be able to make it all the way back home. Honestly, she doubted she would even make it halfway.

She’d be better off resting and waiting to see how she felt in the morning.

Which… would obviously mean spending the night with these humans. She wouldn’t necessarily call it a safe bet, but all things considered, it was probably her safest bet.

Assuming they would actually let her leave when the time came.

Robin was startled out of her thoughts by something being set down in front of her. She’d somehow gotten so distracted that she hadn't even noticed when the blue-haired man approached and took a seat near the blanket. Not directly next to it, but within arm’s reach.

The “something” he’d set down turned out to be a small bundle of fabric—a handkerchief, Robin was pretty sure. Although, size-wise, it was much more like a blanket to her than the one she was currently sitting on.

The bundle came undone after he pulled his hand back, revealing an assortment of different foods. Some of them were things that Robin recognized, like certain pieces of fruit, but others were completely new to her.

Oh. Was this… Were they sharing some of their food with her?

Robin could hardly believe it; there was just so much for her to choose from. Although… she quickly realized that, to creatures as big as them, it probably wasn’t all that much.

“Th-thank you,” she stammered, still feeling the need to be polite in spite of the language barrier.

He tilted his head and looked at her with a quizzical expression.

She repeated herself in a clearer tone, giving him a smile in the hope that it would help get her message across.

He seemed a bit surprised at first, but returned it with a smile of his own.

If he hadn’t been so much larger than her, Robin probably wouldn’t have noticed the faintest hint of a blush coloring his cheeks.

Chrom had to constantly keep reminding himself not to watch the fairy as she ate, considering he was sure that she wouldn’t appreciate being gawked at. It was pretty difficult, though, since he didn’t really have anything else to do while he waited. Most of the actual prep work for their meal was done, and now it was just a matter of letting it finish cooking.

It was nothing too elaborate—just a simple stew. Even so, he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty that they wouldn’t be able to give her some, seeing as they obviously didn’t have any fairy-sized dishes or utensils lying around.

At least she seemed content with what they were able to provide her with; mostly dried fruits and bits of bread, but also a few of the chopped vegetables that would’ve gone into the stew.

Gods, it really was hard not to watch her eat.

She just… To be honest, Chrom had to admit that it looked pretty cute.

For pieces of food that he could’ve easily popped into his mouth in one bite, she had to use both hands to pick them up, nibbling away at them almost like a mouse or a squirrel.

She seemed to have a preference toward the fruit from what he could tell, but she helped herself to a little of everything.

After a bit of time went by and the food was finally ready, Lissa walked over to them with a pair of bowls and spoons in hand. She gave Chrom his portion before taking a seat, forming a triangle with him and the fairy.

“I wish we could actually talk to each other,” she lamented. “There are so many questions I want to ask.”

“It would be nice to at least know her name,” Chrom noted in agreement.

“Oh, wait, hold on. I have an idea,” his sister said eagerly. She waved to the fairy to get her attention. Once that attention was gained, she pointed to herself. “Lissa.” She then pointed to her brother. “Chrom.” Finally, she pointed to the fairy and waited.

Chrom could practically see the gears turning in the tiny woman’s head.

After a moment, she pointed to herself as well.

“Robin.”

It took him a moment to fully process what she’d just said. Once he did, he had to stifle a chuckle.

“Robin?” Lissa repeated. He didn’t need to look at his sister to know that she was grinning.

The fairy nodded. She seemed a bit confused by their reactions, but she didn’t let that distract her for very long.

“Chrom. Lissa,” Robin repeated, smiling as she slightly bowed her head toward each of them when she spoke their names. She said another word after that while giving them a wave, so he could only assume it was some form of greeting.

He smiled back. “Hello, Robin.”

She looked over toward Frederick after that, who was still sitting by the fire. Her smile quickly faded, shifting into something more uneasy.

Looking for himself, Chrom couldn’t say he was surprised to see that the knight was continuing to regard her with an unsubtle amount of suspicion.

“Robin,” the prince said in order to get her attention. Admittedly, he also just liked saying her name now that he actually knew it.

When she turned her gaze back to him, he pointed to Frederick and said his name. Chrom had a feeling that the older man wouldn’t be introducing himself any time soon.

“Fr… Fred…rick?” the fairy repeated hesitantly. She seemed to be having a little more trouble pronouncing his name compared to Chrom’s or Lissa’s.

The knight promptly diverted his attention to his own portion of food after that.

It was entirely possible that Chrom was just imagining it, but… he could’ve sworn he saw the tiniest hint of an amused look on the usually-stoic man’s face.

Perhaps Frederick would start to warm up to their new friend sooner rather than later.

The rest of dinner was relatively uneventful, all things considered. The three humans continued to chat amongst themselves, and Robin found herself without much to do aside from listen and observe.

She was glad to have learned their names, but… it would be tricky to decipher much else on her own.

Some things were pretty easy to pick up on, though, just from their tones and the way they all acted around one another.

The quickest conclusion she came to was that Frederick had to be some kind of guard to Lissa and Chrom. His armor was probably the biggest hint for that, as well as his wary nature, but there were other details that gave it away as well.

Despite his austere demeanor, there was clear respect in the way he addressed either of them. It reminded Robin of how her father’s advisors always spoke to him, although it wasn’t quite to that degree of reverence.

In contrast, Chrom and Lissa were far more casual towards him—and towards each other. Robin was convinced that the two of them must’ve been close friends at the very least, if not outright related in some way.

Being an only child herself, and possessing a very small number of friends, she didn’t have much experience with sibling dynamics.

Well, Henry and Tharja were definitely like siblings to her. Even though they were technically her retainers, she always felt like the three of them had a much better relationship than simply just master and servants. Henry always joked around and knew how to make her smile, and while Tharja could be… more than a little off-putting and intense at times, her heart was in the right place. Usually.

Honestly, the reason she hadn’t told them about her plans to sneak out had more to do with keeping them out of trouble than anything else. She was certain that they wouldn’t have tried to stop her; if anything, both of them probably would’ve insisted on coming with her.

Maybe she should have told them, though. Then she wouldn’t be stuck in her current predicament. She probably wouldn’t have gotten caught in that trap, or even if she had, Henry and Tharja would’ve been able to help her get out of it.

Robin didn’t want to put either of them at risk of facing her father’s wrath, though. If her plans had been discovered and those two were involved, she was sure that he wouldn’t hesitate to have them replaced as her retainers. And that was probably the best possible outcome.

No, it was much better if they had plausible deniability—better if she was the only one who could get punished.

Those particular thoughts only really served to remind Robin of the dilemma she was sure to face in the morning.

If her father wasn’t already aware that she was missing, he would surely figure it out by then. He might even send out search parties to try and track her down.

With that in mind, Robin had a sneaking suspicion that she wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight. Being in an unfamiliar environment definitely wouldn’t help her efforts either.

She sighed, dragging herself out of her thoughts and turning her attention back to the humans.

Speaking of sleep, the three of them seemed like they were starting to get ready for that themselves, namely because Frederick had begun the process of taking off all that bulky armor of his.

Robin was honestly pretty grateful for that, considering it made him look slightly less imposing. Not a major difference, but enough to be noticeable.

They were still conversing with one another all the while, but she really only started paying more attention when she heard Lissa say her name.

“I’ll take first watch,” Chrom declared.

Frederick was normally more than willing to volunteer for that particular duty, but the circumstances weren’t exactly “normal” tonight.

Lissa gave her brother a smug, knowing look as she unraveled her bedroll. “You just want to spend more time with Robin, don’t you?”

The fairy perked up upon hearing her name, looking like she’d just become much more interested in the conversation.

Chrom felt his cheeks get the slightest bit warmer. He hoped the diminishing light would make it harder to notice.

“I just want to make sure she’s settled in for the night,” he explained, trying not to sound too defensive.

It probably went without saying, but he didn’t expect Frederick to be the most comforting presence for Robin. Even if the knight wasn’t quite as mistrustful as he had initially been, he still seemed to make her more uneasy than Chrom or Lissa.

“We still need to figure out where she’s going to sleep,” the prince noted, opting to change the subject.

Just letting her lay on the blanket they’d given her made the most sense, but there was still the matter of where exactly they should put it. Leaving it too far out in the open would probably be a bad idea. Then again… even though Robin seemed a lot less anxious now, Chrom wouldn’t be surprised if being too close to them made it harder for her to sleep.

It would’ve been much easier if they could just ask her what she preferred, but… that obviously wasn’t an option.

 “She can stay by me,” Lissa offered. “Since you and Frederick are going to be taking shifts.”

Chrom smirked. “Now who’s just trying to spend more time with her?”

Which promptly earned him a light, playful punch to the shoulder.

Of course, then came the task of actually moving Robin.

Since Chrom had already held her before, he figured he might as well be the one to do it now, too.

“Robin?” Taking a knee next to the blanket, he placed his hands on the ground like he had done back in the clearing.

She eyed them warily for a few moments before looking up to meet his gaze. He could practically see the unasked question on her face, likely wondering what his intentions were.

This time around, though, she didn’t hesitate nearly as long.

As she stepped up onto his hands, the feeling of holding her was quite a bit different now that he wasn’t wearing gloves. It was much easier to notice every little shift and movement as she got herself situated. Not to mention the way the tips of her wings lightly brushed against his skin; he could actually tell just how soft her feathers were now.

While he did that, Lissa picked up the blanket and brought it over toward the head of her bedroll—close by, but far enough away that she wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally bumping into Robin in her sleep.

From there, Chrom set the fairy down again. He also folded over a smaller section of the blanket so that it would be easier for Robin to cover herself with it if she wanted to.

“Good?” he checked, giving her a thumbs-up. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to try.

She tilted her head to the side a bit before taking a glance at her surroundings, briefly pausing to watch as Lissa sat down and undid her pigtails.

She then gave him a thumbs-up of her own. “Good.”

Just as Robin suspected, sleep didn’t find her easily that night.

Not long after Chrom set her down, she took off her traveling coat and rolled it up to use as a pillow. She also untied her own hair, similarly to Lissa.

The blanket they’d given her was even more cozy now that she actually had a small section of it draped over her, but even then…

Her mind was just too active with all the worries of what tomorrow might bring.

She couldn’t be sure of exactly how much time had passed since Frederick and Lissa both laid down, but she figured it hadn’t been too terribly long, seeing as Chrom was still on watch.

Well, she assumed that was why he was still awake anyway.

Currently, he was sitting by the fire and occasionally tending to it. The flames had gotten much smaller since dinnertime, but he made sure that they didn’t completely die out.

He would glance in her direction every so often, but Robin was pretty sure he couldn’t tell that she was awake as well. The lack of light and her small stature likely made it hard for him to see her face. In contrast, his face was all too easy for her to see right now.

Not that she was complaining.

Although… On top of her worries, there was another prominent thought that kept nagging at her.

More than anything, she wanted to find a way to repay Chrom for all the kindness he’d shown her. Lissa too, but him especially.

He’d just been so patient with her this entire time, ever since finding her in that trap. Always speaking to her in a soft and soothing voice, always handling her with care, even when she was being difficult. He hadn’t even gotten mad at her when she’d zapped him, for gods’ sake.

Now that she could actually reflect back on everything that had happened, she was so grateful that he’d been the one to find her.

She just had to find a way to let him know that.

Hopefully an idea would come to her in the morning.

Chapter Text

Thankfully for Robin, exhaustion won out in the end, and she was eventually able to drift off to sleep for the night. It was dreamless and surprisingly peaceful, considering the circumstances.

What was even more surprising was the fact that she somehow ended up sleeping through the entire night, undisturbed by any of the humans around her.

She woke not long after dawn arrived.

Once some of her grogginess faded, she forced herself to sit up. From there, she stretched her arms and wings simultaneously. She was relieved to find that, although her right wing was still pretty stiff, there was a noticeable improvement compared to how it felt last night.

But a few little stretches wouldn’t really be a good indicator of whether or not she was fit to travel. She’d probably need a short test flight if she wanted to be more sure.

Taking a look around the humans’ camp, the first thing she noticed was that Lissa was still asleep. Then she saw Chrom laying tucked into his own bedroll, while Frederick had taken his spot by the fire.

Would it be better to wait for Chrom and Lissa to wake up before she tried flying? That felt like the polite thing to do.

In the meantime, she slipped her coat back on and retied her hair. Being able to brush it would’ve been nice, but she settled with just combing her fingers through it for the time being.

Ah, she would probably need to preen her wings, too, now that she thought about it. She was bound to have some ruffled and damaged feathers to sort out, on top of just their basic care. She usually had Henry or Tharja to help her with that—namely with the spots she couldn’t reach on her own—but…

Glancing between the three humans again, Robin briefly wondered if one of them might help. She dismissed the thought almost immediately after it crossed her mind, though.

For starters, she had no idea how she would go about making such a request in the first place. Then there was the fact that they were still pretty much complete strangers to her; it felt like an improper thing to ask of people she hardly knew. Besides, it wasn’t as if they had wings of their own. More likely than not, they wouldn’t know how to help even if she could ask them.

Robin sighed.

She would just have to do the best she could by herself, and then get it taken care of properly once she got home.

The process was somewhat similar to how she’d handled her hair, if only a bit more meticulous. Starting with her left wing, she combed her fingers over each feather, smoothing and straightening them out as she went along.

Just as she was about to switch over to her right wing, she realized that she’d gained an audience. An audience of one, at least.

Well. Lissa was awake now.

She had rolled over to lay on her stomach at some point, resting her chin on her hands as she watched Robin work.

Robin instinctively froze under the human’s attentive gaze. The look on Lissa’s face caught her off-guard, too.

Nothing bad, but… Lissa seemed almost captivated, as if she was watching a performance or admiring something interesting. Robin just hadn’t expected something as mundane as preening her feathers to garner such a reaction.

Although, admiration quickly turned into bashfulness as soon as Lissa realized that Robin had noticed her.

She whispered something as she glanced off to the side—a phrase Robin remembered hearing from Chrom a few times before. An apology, maybe?

“It… It’s alright,” the fairy replied, willing the tension to leave her body. It was like when she’d thanked Chrom for dinner last night—it just felt right to say.

She even gave Lissa a little smile, reminding herself that… Well, again, humans didn’t have wings of their own. If this was Lissa’s first time seeing a pair of them up close, Robin could hardly imagine what that would be like.

But with that cleared up, she turned her attention back to her feathers.

Most of the ones on her right side were in much rougher shape—especially in the area where the break had been. Robin had expected that, which was why she’d started with the left, but…

She bit back a groan.

I definitely have my work cut out for me…

Lissa knew it was rude to stare, but she just couldn’t help herself. She’d initially only wanted to check and see if Robin was also awake, but she didn’t expect to catch the fairy in the middle of… whatever she was doing.

Straightening out her feathers, from the looks of it. Probably a lot like someone brushing their hair. Or like what birds did with their own feathers.

Robin’s wings were just so pretty, too. It was hard not to admire them.

Honestly, Lissa had to admit that she would’ve really liked to feel them again. But touching them without Robin’s permission would definitely be a million times ruder than staring.

Yesterday had been an exception; she’d only done that out of necessity.

Unfortunately, Lissa wasn’t sure how to actually go about asking for permission. Even if they had been able to understand each other, just asking outright felt too embarrassing.

She was a bit surprised when Robin actually replied after she’d apologized, though. The fairy even had a faint smile on her face. Which hopefully meant that she didn’t mind all of Lissa’s staring.

When the smaller girl went back to what she’d been doing, Lissa noticed a mildly frustrated look on her face.

And as Lissa continued to watch, she also noticed how, despite the fact that Robin seemed pretty flexible, there were still plenty of spots she couldn’t actually reach on her own. It made the cleric wonder if Robin usually had other people who could help her take care of her wings, which then led to the thought of…

Well, Robin had to have a family, right? A family who was probably really worried about her, considering she’d just spent the night here.

Hopefully her wing would be all healed up soon so she could get back to them and let them know she was alright.

Although, if Robin’s wing didn’t heal soon…

Lissa didn’t really think it would be easy to bring Robin home themselves, but she’d definitely be willing to try. She was sure her brother shared that sentiment, and while Frederick would probably complain about their trip getting delayed, she knew he’d be willing to help, too.

But for now… Maybe there was something else Lissa could help with.

“Hey, Robin?” she said softly.

The fairy stopped what she was doing again, glancing up at Lissa and tilting her head to the side a bit.

Lissa then brought one hand a little closer to Robin and pointed to her wing.

Robin’s eyes widened and immediately honed in on the movement. She looked ready to start backing away at a moment’s notice. However, once she realized that Lissa’s hand wasn’t getting any closer, she relaxed ever so slightly.

“Can… Can I help…?” the blonde murmured. She used her other hand to straighten out her own hair a bit, then pointed to Robin’s wing again.

The smaller girl glanced at it for a little while before looking back at Lissa.

Then, much to Lissa’s surprise, she actually spread her wing out all the way and lifted it a bit higher. She still looked pretty nervous, though.

Nevertheless, Lissa slowly moved her hand even closer after that. She was pretty confident that she knew what to do, considering she’d just spent the past few minutes watching Robin do it. She obviously wouldn’t be nearly as precise, but she didn’t think it would be too hard.

With the same amount of care she’d used yesterday, she delicately traced her fingers along Robin’s feathers.

They were so soft, almost like silk.

Sure, Lissa had gotten to feel Robin’s wing quite a bit when she’d healed it, but that was different. There wasn’t a sense of urgency or tension for either of them this time around. Or, at least, Lissa hoped Robin didn’t feel tense.

It didn’t seem like it, thankfully. In fact, it seemed like… She didn’t want to be too presumptuous, but it almost seemed like Robin was actually kind of enjoying it.

It wasn’t perfect, but Robin was pretty impressed with how well Lissa was doing. To be honest, it felt a lot more soothing than she would’ve expected.

She’d initially been worried that Lissa would accidentally pluck a few of her feathers, just because of how much bigger and stronger humans were, but that didn’t end up being the case at all.

The young blonde still had her own morning routine to take care of, though, and she switched to doing that as soon as she was finished helping Robin.

The fairy didn’t really know what she should do next. Chrom was still asleep, and Frederick was…

Oh.

Frederick wasn’t sitting by the fire anymore, but it didn’t take long to figure out where he’d gone.

She spotted him standing beside that strange animal, repeatedly running his hand along its flank and back. Aside from an occasional soft snort, the beast was so calm and quiet that Robin had almost completely forgotten it was there.

Much to her surprise, Frederick had a noticeably softer expression on his face as he checked on it.

Maybe it was his mount?

“Lissa?” she called. She tried not to raise her voice too much, but she at least wanted to make sure she was loud enough for the other girl to hear her.

“Hm?” Lissa was in the middle of brushing her hair, but she paused to look down at Robin. 

Robin pointed to the animal, looked over at it, then looked back at Lissa, hoping that her expression conveyed the fact that she was trying to ask a question.

Lissa glanced over to where Robin was pointing. She appeared confused at first, but then seemed to realize what the fairy was getting at.

“Oh! Titania,” she replied, pointing in that same direction.

“Ti…Titania,” Robin repeated.

Was that its name, or just their word for what kind of animal it was? It sounded more like a name, but she didn’t exactly have any way of clearing that up. She supposed it didn’t really matter, as long as she had something she could call it.

Lissa set her brush aside and asked a question of her own after that, offering a hand to Robin and placing it at the edge of the blanket. She used her other hand to point toward Titania again.

Maybe asking if she wanted a closer look?

The fairy hesitated, but much like with Chrom, she eventually relented and climbed aboard. Curiosity was once again getting the better of her, and even though this was Lissa’s first time actually holding her, the young blonde had already proven just how gentle she could be.

Frederick was mildly surprised when he noticed Lissa approach from out of the corner of his eye, and it took him a moment to realize that she had Robin with her as well.

“Good morning. Is everything alright?” he checked, turning to fully face the two girls. He couldn’t help but notice the way Robin tensed when his gaze briefly passed over her.

“Oh, yeah! Everything’s fine,” Lissa replied with a chipper tone, seemingly unaware of Robin's reaction to him. “Robin just seemed curious about Titania, so I thought she might like getting a closer look.” As she spoke, she used her free hand to reach up and stroke the mare’s shoulder.

One of Titania’s ears twitched at the mention of her name, but other than that, she was completely unbothered by the girls’ presence.

Robin then held her own hand out toward the horse, looking up at Lissa expectantly. Lissa quickly got the message and lifted her closer, giving her the opportunity to pet Titania as well.

Even now, Frederick still felt justified in his initial caution toward the fairy. No matter how small, many creatures could prove to be deadly when provoked, and Robin had already shown that she was capable of wielding magic. Perhaps the spell she’d used on Chrom yesterday was the strongest one she could cast, but it was entirely possible that she’d held back. Or that her injury had left her too weak to utilize her full strength.

And yet…

As the knight watched her gaze upon his steed with such blatant awe and wonder, he found it somewhat difficult to stop himself from grinning. Much like when she’d struggled to pronounce his name last night.

She certainly knew how to be endearing, didn’t she?

“Do you think this is her first time seeing a horse up close?” Lissa wondered. Her voice was soft, but not quite a whisper.

The notion hadn’t even occurred to him, but now that he was thinking about it, he supposed that could very well be the case. Given how skittish Robin seemed around the three of them, she likely hadn’t interacted with humans very much before—if at all. It wasn’t as if wild horses were particularly common either, especially out in the forest. Assuming this was where Robin lived, that is.

“It’s possible,” he replied.

“Horses are already so big to us; I can’t even imagine how they look to her,” the princess mused.

Yet another notion he hadn’t considered. 

Frederick glanced down at Robin again. It was almost as if he hadn’t truly seen her until that moment, kneeling in the palm of Lissa’s hand. Her own tiny hand was practically engulfed by Titania’s fur.

He’d been so worried about the fairy potentially harming Chrom or Lissa, but it would be all too easy for one of them to harm her— even just by accident. In spite of that, she still trusted them enough to allow them to hold her, and to let them bring her near a creature that was so much larger than she was.

Maybe… Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt for him to extend at least some of that trust back to her.

“Frederick? Lissa? Where’s Robin?”

Chrom wouldn’t necessarily say that he’d gotten the best sleep that night, but it wasn’t the worst either. Pretty much the same amount he always got whenever they took trips like this.

He and Frederick had taken two shifts each, and both of his shifts had been uneventful.

Minus the fact that he might have been a tiny bit distracted by Robin. He just couldn’t help but worry about how she was holding up.

Speaking of which… Looking over toward Lissa’s bedroll, Chrom paused when he saw that both it and the blanket they’d given Robin were empty.

A quick glance around their campsite showed that Lissa and Frederick were standing over by Frederick’s horse, their backs to him.

“Frederick? Lissa? Where’s Robin?” he asked, trying not to sound too concerned. He could already hear his sister teasing him for that.

Lissa turned around to face him, revealing that Robin was sitting in her hand.

“Don’t worry, she’s right here,” she replied with a smirk. 

So much for trying to be subtle…  

The fairy waved and called over to him with what he assumed was another greeting. Probably something along the lines of a ‘good morning,’ if he had to guess.

He smiled and waved back before getting to his feet and making his way over to them.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked Lissa with a hint of a teasing tone.

“Oh yeah, like a baby. You know how much I love camping,” she replied. “Who needs soft, warm beds in some cozy inn?”

Chrom chuckled at that. “Hey, just think—we never would’ve met Robin if we’d stayed in town,” he pointed out.

“Ugh. I guess that’s true,” she relented.

Robin actually piped up with a comment of her own, grinning at the two of them. It sounded almost like a reprimand, but he couldn't be sure.

Although, after a moment, an idea seemed to come to her.

The fairy spoke Lissa’s name, prompting his sister to look at her expectantly. She then held her hands out in front of her, cupped together.

Lissa puzzled over the gesture for a moment before copying it, holding her own hands out.

From there, Robin spread her wings. She lightly flapped them a few times, looking a bit anxious. It was only then that Chrom himself realized what was about to happen.

She took a deep breath, and leaped.

Robin started simple at first, not wanting to risk overdoing it too soon.

She fluttered over to a nearby branch, perching once she reached it. 

No protests from her wings. So far, so good.

After that brief moment of rest, she pushed off from the branch and did a few slow circles around the campsite, letting the wind do most of the work for her.

Chrom and Lissa were both practically beaming as they watched her, almost like a pair of proud parents. Lissa even gave her a few little claps as well. 

Robin smiled right back at them. If they were that impressed by such a basic maneuver, she could hardly wait to show them what she was really capable of.

With newfound confidence, she climbed even higher into the air and soared above the canopy, eager to see what sort of view awaited her. She hadn’t even been flightless for a full day, but it was still long enough to leave her yearning for the sky.

What she didn’t expect to see were large plumes of smoke billowing up in the distance, just beyond the forest’s edge. Surely more than what would come from a simple campfire.

Something was wrong.

She immediately dove back down towards the three humans. Regardless of whether or not they would be traveling that way, she still felt the need to warn them.

“Chrom, I think there’s—!” she started, only to cut herself off as she came to hover near him.

Wait, right. How could she actually warn them?

Thinking quickly, she conjured a flame in her palm and used her other hand to point in the direction of the smoke. Thankfully, lightning wasn't the only element she had at her disposal.

“There’s a fire!”

Chrom’s eyes widened as he just barely noticed the smoke rising above the treetops. They probably would’ve completely missed it if Robin hadn’t pointed it out.

“That’s the direction of the main road, isn’t it?” he checked with Frederick.

The knight nodded.

Chrom had a bad feeling about this.

“We have to hurry. Leave the other supplies—we’ll come back for them later,” the prince instructed as he quickly made his way over to the cart.

He expected Lissa to follow right behind him, but she hesitated.

“What about Robin?”

He glanced toward the fairy still hovering in the air. She looked worried, likely waiting to see what the three of them planned on doing next.

It would be easy for her to return home now, if that was what she wanted to do. She probably lived deeper inside the forest, in the opposite direction of where they would be heading, so hopefully whatever was wrong wouldn’t actually pose a threat to her or her home.

This certainly wasn’t how he had imagined the four of them parting ways, but…

“I’m sorry,” he said, directing those words at both Lissa and Robin. “We have to go.”

Robin could hardly believe what she was seeing.

Why were they heading toward the fire? Had Chrom misunderstood what she was trying to say?

She had to—

She…

She could go home now, if she wanted to.

There was nothing stopping her. Not physically, at least. But… How could she feel satisfied if she just left things off with them like that? Without any sort of proper good-bye? It didn’t feel right.

Besides, what if something went wrong?

Sure, those three seemed like they were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, but there was no telling what sort of danger they were running off to. 

On the other hand, depending on the problem, there might not be much help for Robin to give. If anything, she’d probably just get in their way.

Still, she couldn’t ignore the nagging, worried feeling in the back of her mind as she continued to stare off in the direction they’d gone.

Even if all she did was watch from the sidelines, that would at least let her know that they were safe, right?

Steeling her nerves, Robin quickly flew after them.